When I heard the rumors that Ironman Texas was going to happen, I thought to myself, "I couldn't pass up inaugural Texas race." I was still living in NYC, so I knew training for a May Ironman would be difficult with the New York winter. When the race became a reality, I posted a link on Facebook that announced the race. My family mistook that as my announcement that I had registered. Their excitement pretty much sealed it for me. I registered a week later while in vacation in Wisconsin.
Fast forward a year and my life had changed quite a bit. I had moved to Dallas for work, which was great for training. However, I had spent five months apart from my girlfriend and had my entire social life ripped away from me due to the move. I was losing my job and planning my move to Austin. My girlfriend was about to uproot her life in NYC and join me in Austin--the unemployed couple.
I had logged a lot of training miles and felt pretty good, although I had missed a few long rides and I was worried about the 2.4 mile swim with no wet suit. Race day arrived and I felt pretty calm. As I entered the water, I felt confident and at peace. However, as soon as the gun went off, my heart rate skyrocketed and I could breathe. The anxiety was hitting me just like it did a year and a half before at IMAZ. After twenty minutes of over-expending energy, I settled down and set about completing the swim. My swim time was slower than my previous Ironman time, but I was just happy to get out of the water.
Once on my bike, I hammered my way through the 112 miles, feeling amazing during the entire ride. I had no back issues, keeping me in aero position for 95%+ of the ride. I averaged just short of 21.5 mph and have visions of coming of the bike and running my way to a new PR. However, after my first loop of the course, the heat and humidity took its toll. I started to slow and then my intestines decided to knot themselves into a painful ball in my stomach, leaving me in intense pain for miles. The end result was a marathon that was over an hour and a half longer than I had anticipated.
The race didn't go as I'd hoped, but allowed me to once again prove to myself that I can persevere. It also left the door open for another IM attempt, knowing I still have unfinished business.
1 comment:
very nice medal. hope you enjoyed your race, like I enjoyed your write up. and by the way, I can relate to your stomache shutting down,as I just DNFd my own ironman langkawi in similarly hot conditions. by the way, did you manage to know the cause of your stomache misfortune?
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