Ironman Maryland Recap

I truly don't have much to say about IMMD because I struggle every time I try to put into words how I feel about it; so let's rewind.



This year I logged the most training hours EVER (even more than my first IM) and improved drastically in what I believed were both biking and swimming. I had such a great race season that IMMD was my 2nd IM in just 4 weeks, and I was so excited to do it. On the other side of that the excitement led to a tremendous amount of pressure on myself to so even better than IMMT because the course was flatter and I was still in "peak" condition so to say.

Fast forward to the race; heck forget check in and arriving. Morning of the race I was calm, REALLY calm. This was my 3rd Ironman and I felt like I knew what was about to happen and trusted in my training. I was prepared and ready to take on the day.

Swim: The swim was choppy and really to be honest I was more worried about being stung by a jelly fish than anything. Didn't see a single one though and ended up swimming a hard earned 1:33 on the swim leg. It was a double loop course which I had never done and because the swim start was so congested (basically a free for all mass start) it took me a while to spread out. I also got kicked in the head early on and it just thew off my coordination. In any event I toughed it out and had a good swim.

Swim to Bike: 4:05

Bike: I rushed out of the swim and onto the bike. I knew it was my time to take over. The swim is the most mentally tough leg and the bike is one of my strongest. I never thought I would be strong on the bike as I am a "runner" by training. The bike course was fast... really flat!! I had a eye on my watch the entire time and was so happy to see my average stay in my sweet spot. I will say that a flat course is a different challenge because you need to remember to get up out of the saddle and "run" every so often to stretch your legs. I tried to every 15 minutes or so. At about mile 70 (after special needs) we hit a part of the course where the tide had come in and there were a few inches of water on the road. I didn't see it in time and had to ride through it--- leaving me with sopping soaking wet feet. Each time I cranked in my pedal stroke I could feel a slight rub on my right foot. Fast forward to the finish of the bike and I hit a new PR of 6:10:06. It felt amazing and I knew I was on the way for a run PR too!

Bike to Run: 5:41

Run: When I got into transition and took off my socks I knew I was in trouble. I could see that my right foot was blistered and already starting to fill with liquid. I grabbed some Vaseline from the tent and lathered up my entire foot and headed out. The first few miles felt okay and I didn't really notice that I was in pain. The course was a three loop course out and back and at the first out as I headed back I could feel my foot rubbing and starting to get irritated. No big deal though- I thought to myself and started looking for medic tents. To my surprise at the end of the first loop I had gone about 8 miles total and there wasn't a single med tent. I have never been to an Ironman event where there wasn't a med tent on the course. It was confirmed on the second lap as I saw ambulances trying to make their way through and medics running to "find distressed runners" that I was not going to find the aid I was looking for. I kept running; or better yet MOVING forward. By mile 12 I was in alot of pain as I limped my way through each mile. At that point I finally decided to stop and take off my socks and shoes and try to see what I could do to alleviate the blister. Basically nothing was my find. I ended up walking the last 12 miles if IMMD. It was hard to even do that but I was determined to finish in one way or another. It was hard to let go of my "should of been a PR" mindset and focus on doing anything I could just to finish. I was sad. mad and embarrassed all at one time. Just totally emotional. As I crossed the finish line all I could think of was how happy I was to have the day over and done with. Run time was 7:16:36.

Final time was 15:09:28. I went right to the med tent to get my foot treated and then went immediately into the arms of my biggest Ironfan. Christian is my backbone and the only reason that our lifestyle has let me do THREE Ironman 140.6 distance events in the past year. I am so lucky for all the support in my life.

So what's the takeaway. Bottom line is that every race CAN NOT be the best. We train hard and passionately and we want to do well but sometimes you give all you have and it's just not enough. I am becomming more and more okay with having the patience to understand what happened in these types of situations. Ironman is a LONG event.. 140.6 miles to be exact (sometimes a tad bit longer). It's alot of time for things to go wrong or to happen. It's why we have to be as prepared as possible and ready for anything.

Validation isnt necessary for me on this one. I was at my WORST which in my opinion makes me at my best every minuet after that. Those deep, dark, and awful moments where you are fighting with everything you have and pushing through make us better athletes later. Better people. and just better all around. That's what Ironman keeps doing for me. That's what I want to help it do for others too!

Next up: Ironman Chattanooga!! CHOOO CHOOO- Sept 2015!