October 10th, 2009 : Race Report
Well, I made it. It is difficult to put into words my experience out there, but I will do my best. The hours before the race are always a bit overwhelming and I tried very hard to remain calm and cool. We all left the house on time at 5 am which was wonderful. As I arrived to the transition area you could feel the frenzy in the air and hear all the nervous banter (especially the foreign athletes!) Body-marking at the Ironman World Championships is serious stuff. Instead of them writing your number on you they use stamps and tell you about 500 times not to put sunscreen or Vaseline on until after the swim. I made my way from body-marking over the mat that activates your timing chip to the transition area. I located my bike which was way out on the end of the pier (after scoping out the pros who had NBC cameras in their faces) Not sure if I would really enjoy being filmed while I was trying to apply sunscreen ;) Pumped my tires up, loaded my bike up with my nutrition (2 Powerbars, gel flask, Gatorade, and 3 Milanoe cookies), and did the traditional Porta Potty wait. It was time to get rid of my pre-swim gear/clothes. It's this moment in time when I start to feel vulnerable and nervous. The act of turning in that bag and standing there with only your swim cap and goggles makes me feel like I am truly exposed with nothing to hide. It is almost humbling. As I made my way to the tent to hand over my stuff to 1 of the 5,000 volunteers, there was Ty. It was so comforting to see him. You never know if you are going to see your family right before the start since it is so crowded. He had the camera and video camera so I took off for 10 min to get some shots from inside the transition area. It was getting to be 6:30 and the pros were getting ready to enter the water for their 6:45 am start so I kissed Ty goodbye and he headed back to sit with the rest of the family on the sea wall. The Navy is a big sponsor of Ironman and before the pros start they had about 6 Navy Seals jump out of a plane and land in the bay. It was very cool. There was also a large naval ship anchored in the bay. The cannon fired for the pros and it was time for us age groupers to start getting in and lined up.
Swim 1:34:47
This was not my best IM swim, nor my worst. It did seem like it went on forever though. I was happy with my positioning and was able to draft off some people but not for very long periods. It was not too physical, but like any triathlon swim there are always the occasional whacks to the head. At one point I did get boxed in by 2 men which was very frustrating, and the only way to get out was to sprint ahead for a few strokes. As we made the turn to head back to shore I really slowed down, which was complete evidence of my lack of swim training. Needless to say, I was very happy to touch my feet down and be done with the swim!
T1 6:50
I took my time underneath the hoses to rinse the salt water off and swish some around in my mouth to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. No need to rush- there is a long day ahead. Into the changing tent I went where I lathered up with more sunscreen, donned my race belt and bike shoes, and shoved a gel down my throat with a cup of water. Off to fetch my bike and head out of transition.
Bike 7:54:42
Now it was time to get down to work and play it smart with pacing and nutrition. The first 10 miles are really a warm-up as the course takes you through town before heading out onto the Queen K highway. I was able to see my family about 3 times since the course does an out and back loop through town. I was glad to see them, but also distracted by the thought of what lay ahead of me. Climbed up Palani and out onto the Queen K I went. Here we go I thought...this is going to be hard. Hard is an understatement. The headwind was present, but my legs were fresh so I was able to cruise along feeling relatively good for the first 40 miles. Stopped for a quick pee around 30 miles (I do not and cannot pee while on the bike- and there is no need to. The day that I will win an IM is the day I will pee on the bike :) I got word that the pros would be approaching soon in the opposite direction. It is always very cool to watch them go by, but even more so knowing that one of them would be the World Champion in just a few hours. I saw and heard the helicopter that was following them and all the lead motorcycles with the official time. In the blink of an eye Chris Lieto swooshed by with quite an impressive lead. And then came Chrissie- smiling of course! She also had an impressive lead. That distracted me for about 10 min. and then it was back to the reality that the climb to Hawi was still looming in the distance. I was beginning to get very hot and instead of taking in calories and more Gatorade, I was more interested and determined to take every water bottle and douse myself while I cruised through the aid stations. The sun was blistering and there was not a cloud in sight. The climb to Hawi started and so did the suffering. The headwind was coming on like a bat out of hell. It was like biking in a windy inferno. I realized I was getting pretty crispy and was in dire need of sunscreen. I think I was averaging about 7-9 mph all the way to Hawi. I pulled over at the mile 50 aid station to get sunscreen and any type of encouragement. There were 2 wonderful volunteers who lathered me up and gave me a 5 min neck and shoulder massage. The volunteers are AMAZING and I was not sure I would have made it to Hawi without those 2 wonderful women. Finally there was the turnaround in sight! I pulled over at mile 60 to rummage through my special needs bag and munch on some Sun Chips that I had. I was starting to get to the point where I had to force myself to take in calories. Not a good sign when you still have 52 miles on the bike left and a marathon in front of you. I cruised down from Hawi, clipping along at 25-30 mph which was a nice reprieve from the fight to get up to Hawi. The wind was still present, but seemed to be more of a combo head/cross wind. I had one more major climb to go before hooking a right back onto the Queen K. Back down my speed went to 7-9 mph - uggh. For about 10 sec I felt great as I made the turn onto Queen K, knowing it was straight shot back to town and only 40 more miles to go. Any hope of picking the pace up or "cruising" back to town was lost when the headwind hit my body. It was a brutal non-stop fight with the wind the entire way. My stomach was not emptying anymore and the thought of any food or liquid was unappealing to say the least. All the water bottles I took to douse myself now had warm or hot water, no more cold water. You can imagine how that felt. I started to stop at almost every aid station within the last 30 miles. The last aid station I stopped at a volunteer shoved an orange slice in my face and forced me to eat it. "You need some sugar, you have the marathon ahead of you." I thought to myself, "Yeah right, like this sad little orange slice is going to make a big difference." I was definitely at a low point. My attitude was not exactly admirable. I've been here before, I thought. Time to get over myself, suck it up, and press on. Somewhere in the last 15 miles I caught a second wind and was able to pick up the pace and finish the bike strong.
T2 10:49
Finally, here I was, saying good riddance to my bike as I handed it over to a volunteer and headed for the changing tent. Stripped off my wet, nasty tri shorts and tugged on some dry running shorts. Donned my visor and Zoot compression socks, chugged another gel and some electrolyte capsules, and took a quick pee. Stuck on some reflective tape to my tri top and off I went.
Run 5:50:19
Performed a quick body check and thought to myself, hey, I feel reasonably ok. Funny how the crowds and adrenaline can fake out your body. Saw my family and attempted to stop for a quick photo op. The photo op did not really turn out well, all 6 of them could not get their act together quickly enough for my 5 sec of patience that I had. "I gotta go", I said. Ran/walked the first mile, ran all of mile 2, and then my stomach said, "STOP." The nausea hit, and even the small amount of pressure from my tri top was too much for my bloated gut. Ok I thought, you've been here before too, remember your first IM? Time to just walk and be patient with yourself and you will feel better. So I walked, and I walked, and I walked, and then I ran a few seconds. I walked about the first 8-10 miles of the marathon. I hooked up with another woman and we chatted for a bit and kept each other motivated. Finding these buddies can often be what helps get you through to the finish. About mile 12 I realized my stomach was 100 times better and I was ready to run. I strapped on my headlamp (I have never used one before and I was glad to have it. The light was almost a friend to me in the darkness as I moved along by myself from mile 13-17)I caught up with a girl named Katie from Boston and we chatted for a bit also. She ran my pace but walked slower so we played cat and mouse for a bit. Into the Energy Lab we descended, over a timing mat and time to turn around. The turn around was a made up "Margaritaville" with Jimmy Buffett blasting. You know I enjoyed that! Grabbed my special needs bag and sat in a chair for 1 min. "Don't sit too long" a volunteer warned me. "Oh yeah, that could be bad", I thought. So off I went, passing mile 19 before leaving the Energy Lab. Caught up with another woman who was saying she felt so nauseous and her hands were so swollen and she couldn't understand why. With what little brain cells I had left I tried to explain edema and dehydration to her...she didn't get it and I probably sounded like a fool. What a waste of energy that was! I marched on, encouraging her to just keep walking and to try and sip on Gatorade. Mile 20 was on the horizon and I had a death grip on a cup of ice. Ice is the most AMAZING creation. Just like the headlamp, a cup of ice can be your best friend. I came upon 2 older women who were running 40 seconds and walking 20 seconds. I stuck with them for about 10 minutes and then needed to move on at my pace. It can be hard to not feel obligated to stick with people during the marathon,but you need to also do what you have to do to get yourself to the finish. I was feeling stronger and stronger as I hit mile 23 and I was able to run most of the last 3 miles. Somewhere in the darkness I missed mile marker 24 and before I knew it I was turning onto Palani and there was mile 25. Mile 25 thru 25.5 is a steep downhill and that really hurt but I didn't care. I felt like I was flying and I clocked 8:19 min/mile for that last mile.
Finish 15:37:27
It seemed like an eternity though before I made that right hand turn onto Ali'i Dr. The pain went away and the adrenaline took over. The crowds were thick, the noise was LOUD, and the lights were intensely bright. I hit the carpet, saw Mike Reilly with the microphone and could barely hear him screaming my name, "Emily Johnson, you are an Ironman." I felt like I was in a very bright and loud tunnel. I jumped up and stomped on that finish line, as if to say, "I win! I persevered and I win! You made me suffer and tried to knock me down, but here I am standing strong!" Two volunteers were immediately at my side, assessing to see if I was ok and covering my shoulders with a towel. I looked up like a kid on Christmas, hoping that the person to put the ceremonial lai on me would be the honorable Chrissie Wellington. Sure enough, there she was right in my face. That moment literally took my breath away and the tears welled up in my eyes. She congratulated me and I was more excited to congratulate her. (She is now a 3 time IM World Champion- but more so an AMAZING person and role model.) She hugged me and all I felt was muscles and bone. And before I knew it, the moment was gone and I was whisked away.
Post-race
Lots of smiling and pictures! Massage and pizza. The most friendliest strangers who have volunteered countless hours of their time. One freezing cold ice bath and a sad attempt to eat 1/2 turkey sandwich. One phone call to the CTICU at UNC where the night shift watched the race live on the Internet. One very large blister on the bottom of my right foot. Many, many, many memories that will last a lifetime.
Like any IM athlete, I could not have gotten to that finish line without the never ending love and support of so many wonderful family members and friends. The journey of Ironman is a shared effort and one that should be celebrated by all involved. It is not about the finish time or the medal, it is about the experience and what you learn about yourself along the way. This was by the far the most difficult IM I have ever done and throughout the journey to get here, this was the most I have ever learned about myself. It has been a challenging and eye-opening past year. The theme from this year's race is "A New Era On The Wings of a Noio." I hope to keep the theme from this year's race ever present in my mind as I move forward from this new beginning. Aloha and mahalo.
Well, I made it. It is difficult to put into words my experience out there, but I will do my best. The hours before the race are always a bit overwhelming and I tried very hard to remain calm and cool. We all left the house on time at 5 am which was wonderful. As I arrived to the transition area you could feel the frenzy in the air and hear all the nervous banter (especially the foreign athletes!) Body-marking at the Ironman World Championships is serious stuff. Instead of them writing your number on you they use stamps and tell you about 500 times not to put sunscreen or Vaseline on until after the swim. I made my way from body-marking over the mat that activates your timing chip to the transition area. I located my bike which was way out on the end of the pier (after scoping out the pros who had NBC cameras in their faces) Not sure if I would really enjoy being filmed while I was trying to apply sunscreen ;) Pumped my tires up, loaded my bike up with my nutrition (2 Powerbars, gel flask, Gatorade, and 3 Milanoe cookies), and did the traditional Porta Potty wait. It was time to get rid of my pre-swim gear/clothes. It's this moment in time when I start to feel vulnerable and nervous. The act of turning in that bag and standing there with only your swim cap and goggles makes me feel like I am truly exposed with nothing to hide. It is almost humbling. As I made my way to the tent to hand over my stuff to 1 of the 5,000 volunteers, there was Ty. It was so comforting to see him. You never know if you are going to see your family right before the start since it is so crowded. He had the camera and video camera so I took off for 10 min to get some shots from inside the transition area. It was getting to be 6:30 and the pros were getting ready to enter the water for their 6:45 am start so I kissed Ty goodbye and he headed back to sit with the rest of the family on the sea wall. The Navy is a big sponsor of Ironman and before the pros start they had about 6 Navy Seals jump out of a plane and land in the bay. It was very cool. There was also a large naval ship anchored in the bay. The cannon fired for the pros and it was time for us age groupers to start getting in and lined up.
Swim 1:34:47
This was not my best IM swim, nor my worst. It did seem like it went on forever though. I was happy with my positioning and was able to draft off some people but not for very long periods. It was not too physical, but like any triathlon swim there are always the occasional whacks to the head. At one point I did get boxed in by 2 men which was very frustrating, and the only way to get out was to sprint ahead for a few strokes. As we made the turn to head back to shore I really slowed down, which was complete evidence of my lack of swim training. Needless to say, I was very happy to touch my feet down and be done with the swim!
T1 6:50
I took my time underneath the hoses to rinse the salt water off and swish some around in my mouth to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. No need to rush- there is a long day ahead. Into the changing tent I went where I lathered up with more sunscreen, donned my race belt and bike shoes, and shoved a gel down my throat with a cup of water. Off to fetch my bike and head out of transition.
Bike 7:54:42
Now it was time to get down to work and play it smart with pacing and nutrition. The first 10 miles are really a warm-up as the course takes you through town before heading out onto the Queen K highway. I was able to see my family about 3 times since the course does an out and back loop through town. I was glad to see them, but also distracted by the thought of what lay ahead of me. Climbed up Palani and out onto the Queen K I went. Here we go I thought...this is going to be hard. Hard is an understatement. The headwind was present, but my legs were fresh so I was able to cruise along feeling relatively good for the first 40 miles. Stopped for a quick pee around 30 miles (I do not and cannot pee while on the bike- and there is no need to. The day that I will win an IM is the day I will pee on the bike :) I got word that the pros would be approaching soon in the opposite direction. It is always very cool to watch them go by, but even more so knowing that one of them would be the World Champion in just a few hours. I saw and heard the helicopter that was following them and all the lead motorcycles with the official time. In the blink of an eye Chris Lieto swooshed by with quite an impressive lead. And then came Chrissie- smiling of course! She also had an impressive lead. That distracted me for about 10 min. and then it was back to the reality that the climb to Hawi was still looming in the distance. I was beginning to get very hot and instead of taking in calories and more Gatorade, I was more interested and determined to take every water bottle and douse myself while I cruised through the aid stations. The sun was blistering and there was not a cloud in sight. The climb to Hawi started and so did the suffering. The headwind was coming on like a bat out of hell. It was like biking in a windy inferno. I realized I was getting pretty crispy and was in dire need of sunscreen. I think I was averaging about 7-9 mph all the way to Hawi. I pulled over at the mile 50 aid station to get sunscreen and any type of encouragement. There were 2 wonderful volunteers who lathered me up and gave me a 5 min neck and shoulder massage. The volunteers are AMAZING and I was not sure I would have made it to Hawi without those 2 wonderful women. Finally there was the turnaround in sight! I pulled over at mile 60 to rummage through my special needs bag and munch on some Sun Chips that I had. I was starting to get to the point where I had to force myself to take in calories. Not a good sign when you still have 52 miles on the bike left and a marathon in front of you. I cruised down from Hawi, clipping along at 25-30 mph which was a nice reprieve from the fight to get up to Hawi. The wind was still present, but seemed to be more of a combo head/cross wind. I had one more major climb to go before hooking a right back onto the Queen K. Back down my speed went to 7-9 mph - uggh. For about 10 sec I felt great as I made the turn onto Queen K, knowing it was straight shot back to town and only 40 more miles to go. Any hope of picking the pace up or "cruising" back to town was lost when the headwind hit my body. It was a brutal non-stop fight with the wind the entire way. My stomach was not emptying anymore and the thought of any food or liquid was unappealing to say the least. All the water bottles I took to douse myself now had warm or hot water, no more cold water. You can imagine how that felt. I started to stop at almost every aid station within the last 30 miles. The last aid station I stopped at a volunteer shoved an orange slice in my face and forced me to eat it. "You need some sugar, you have the marathon ahead of you." I thought to myself, "Yeah right, like this sad little orange slice is going to make a big difference." I was definitely at a low point. My attitude was not exactly admirable. I've been here before, I thought. Time to get over myself, suck it up, and press on. Somewhere in the last 15 miles I caught a second wind and was able to pick up the pace and finish the bike strong.
T2 10:49
Finally, here I was, saying good riddance to my bike as I handed it over to a volunteer and headed for the changing tent. Stripped off my wet, nasty tri shorts and tugged on some dry running shorts. Donned my visor and Zoot compression socks, chugged another gel and some electrolyte capsules, and took a quick pee. Stuck on some reflective tape to my tri top and off I went.
Run 5:50:19
Performed a quick body check and thought to myself, hey, I feel reasonably ok. Funny how the crowds and adrenaline can fake out your body. Saw my family and attempted to stop for a quick photo op. The photo op did not really turn out well, all 6 of them could not get their act together quickly enough for my 5 sec of patience that I had. "I gotta go", I said. Ran/walked the first mile, ran all of mile 2, and then my stomach said, "STOP." The nausea hit, and even the small amount of pressure from my tri top was too much for my bloated gut. Ok I thought, you've been here before too, remember your first IM? Time to just walk and be patient with yourself and you will feel better. So I walked, and I walked, and I walked, and then I ran a few seconds. I walked about the first 8-10 miles of the marathon. I hooked up with another woman and we chatted for a bit and kept each other motivated. Finding these buddies can often be what helps get you through to the finish. About mile 12 I realized my stomach was 100 times better and I was ready to run. I strapped on my headlamp (I have never used one before and I was glad to have it. The light was almost a friend to me in the darkness as I moved along by myself from mile 13-17)I caught up with a girl named Katie from Boston and we chatted for a bit also. She ran my pace but walked slower so we played cat and mouse for a bit. Into the Energy Lab we descended, over a timing mat and time to turn around. The turn around was a made up "Margaritaville" with Jimmy Buffett blasting. You know I enjoyed that! Grabbed my special needs bag and sat in a chair for 1 min. "Don't sit too long" a volunteer warned me. "Oh yeah, that could be bad", I thought. So off I went, passing mile 19 before leaving the Energy Lab. Caught up with another woman who was saying she felt so nauseous and her hands were so swollen and she couldn't understand why. With what little brain cells I had left I tried to explain edema and dehydration to her...she didn't get it and I probably sounded like a fool. What a waste of energy that was! I marched on, encouraging her to just keep walking and to try and sip on Gatorade. Mile 20 was on the horizon and I had a death grip on a cup of ice. Ice is the most AMAZING creation. Just like the headlamp, a cup of ice can be your best friend. I came upon 2 older women who were running 40 seconds and walking 20 seconds. I stuck with them for about 10 minutes and then needed to move on at my pace. It can be hard to not feel obligated to stick with people during the marathon,but you need to also do what you have to do to get yourself to the finish. I was feeling stronger and stronger as I hit mile 23 and I was able to run most of the last 3 miles. Somewhere in the darkness I missed mile marker 24 and before I knew it I was turning onto Palani and there was mile 25. Mile 25 thru 25.5 is a steep downhill and that really hurt but I didn't care. I felt like I was flying and I clocked 8:19 min/mile for that last mile.
Finish 15:37:27
It seemed like an eternity though before I made that right hand turn onto Ali'i Dr. The pain went away and the adrenaline took over. The crowds were thick, the noise was LOUD, and the lights were intensely bright. I hit the carpet, saw Mike Reilly with the microphone and could barely hear him screaming my name, "Emily Johnson, you are an Ironman." I felt like I was in a very bright and loud tunnel. I jumped up and stomped on that finish line, as if to say, "I win! I persevered and I win! You made me suffer and tried to knock me down, but here I am standing strong!" Two volunteers were immediately at my side, assessing to see if I was ok and covering my shoulders with a towel. I looked up like a kid on Christmas, hoping that the person to put the ceremonial lai on me would be the honorable Chrissie Wellington. Sure enough, there she was right in my face. That moment literally took my breath away and the tears welled up in my eyes. She congratulated me and I was more excited to congratulate her. (She is now a 3 time IM World Champion- but more so an AMAZING person and role model.) She hugged me and all I felt was muscles and bone. And before I knew it, the moment was gone and I was whisked away.
Post-race
Lots of smiling and pictures! Massage and pizza. The most friendliest strangers who have volunteered countless hours of their time. One freezing cold ice bath and a sad attempt to eat 1/2 turkey sandwich. One phone call to the CTICU at UNC where the night shift watched the race live on the Internet. One very large blister on the bottom of my right foot. Many, many, many memories that will last a lifetime.
Like any IM athlete, I could not have gotten to that finish line without the never ending love and support of so many wonderful family members and friends. The journey of Ironman is a shared effort and one that should be celebrated by all involved. It is not about the finish time or the medal, it is about the experience and what you learn about yourself along the way. This was by the far the most difficult IM I have ever done and throughout the journey to get here, this was the most I have ever learned about myself. It has been a challenging and eye-opening past year. The theme from this year's race is "A New Era On The Wings of a Noio." I hope to keep the theme from this year's race ever present in my mind as I move forward from this new beginning. Aloha and mahalo.
posted by Em at 10:58 AM
4 Comments:
Reading this gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing.
You have an amazing writing talent Em. Thanks for sharing your story. I felt like I was right there experiencing your journey. Congratulations!
Mary
Congratulations on conquering Kona. It was great meeting you and Ty. Hope you come back soon. Excellent race report. Take care.
Wow Em - You are amazing! I checked the website the day after the race and couldn't quite appreciate the numbers that don't quite do justice to this amazing, rare experience that you took part in. Thanks for taking the effort to share your story. I felt like I was right there with you.
Take Care,
Mark
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