The Big Sha-Bang!

As many of you know, on July 21st the competed in the race I had been training all year for, the Door County Half Ironman!

Going in to race weekend, I felt so many different emotions.  I knew people told me this would happen, but I didn't realize what an impact they would have on me.  Waking up on Sunday morning, I felt ready.  I was excited and nervous.  As I had my peanut butter thinwich, I began to cry.  Not because of nerves, but thinking of how far I have come since January.  Mentally and physically I had changed so much, mostly because of my desire to compete in this race. 


As we made our way down to transition, I was ready to get the show on the road!  With about 30 minutes until race start, I wiggled into my wet suit, gave hugs, and made my way toward Lake Michigan. 

My wave went off at 8:16am, and my heart rate immediately went through the roof.  With about 50 other women in my age group around me and s

mall swells in the water, I just couldn't get into a groove.  After side stroking my way to the turn buoy and letting my heart rate come down, I finally was able to swim like I had practiced for so many months. 

After 50 minutes and 38 seconds, I was on my way to T1 where I heard Amy cheering me on for doing the right thing with the wet suit stripper, saw Craig, Laura, Tim, Tracy, and Lauren! 

Nose Picking Swim Finish!

Quickly, I hopped on the bike for a 56 mile out and back through Door County.  Going into the bike, I was hopeful that I could complete it at a speed of 15 miles per hour.  After the first hour, I realized that I was going to exceed my goal.  This made me a little nervous, but I felt great the whole bike.  I maintained my nutrition, and rolled into T2 at a pace of 16.1 mph. 

Now, I was ready for the run!  I came out of transition to see Craig, Tim, and Laura waiting for me.  Craig ran the first quarter of a mile with me, and we went over how I was feeling.  Then, I headed out for my 13.1 mile journey.  For the first two miles, I felt great.  Then, into mile 3 my stomach really started to bother me.  I just felt glazed over.  I saw Amy S. and Amy MG around mile 4, and they reassured me to take it one step at a time.  From there I maintained a run/walk pace for about a mile.

As I came up on mile 5, I met a few guys who were going about my pace.  I thought I would pass the time by chatting with them about races, and it got to to mile 6.  At mile 6 I started to feel like myself again, and saw the first large climb of the run.  Here I made friends with a gentleman in his 70's who will be competing in his 19th Ironman and 9th Kona this fall.  He really helped me get through 6 & 7.

Craig and I climbing the bluff.

As I continued on, mile 8 was a walk/run pace. Then, at mile 9 I hit another wall, as I climbed the "bluff". About 2/3 of the way up the climb, I saw Craig running down the hill! He had come to push me through the next few miles. From miles 10-12 Craig and I stuck together. He asked me about the race and helped push me to pass the time. I was so grateful to have him with me.

With a little less than a mile to go, I told him to wait for me at the finish.  With a steep downhill ahead of me, I ran into the finish with a time of 7:27.  While this was about 27 minutes slower than I had hoped, I finished.  I ran into the shoot with all of my friends cheering me on.  Emotions were running through me, and I couldn't help but cry.  It felt amazing not only to have so much support, but also to do something that one year ago I could have never imagined. 

Thank you to everyone who stuck with me on this journey.  The triathlon family I have joined is amazing, and I look forward to many more races, friendships, and fun.  I have a new outlook mentally and physically, and I am proud to say I made all of these changes. 

FINISHER!

People always say, "I could never do that".  I used to be one of those people.  I truly believe with dedication and drive, anyone can achieve physical/mental/emotional goals.  I'm proud to say I made the changes that will stick with me as I face my next challenge. 

Cheers,

Samantha