I am an IRONMAN!!!!

I’m back from my vacation in the Dominican Republic and writing to you as an IRONMAN!!! It may have taken me 14 hours, 54 minutes and 15 seconds but today and for the rest of my life I can call myself an Ironman. This experience was everything I could have wanted it to be and more. It was not always perfect. I still remember the many bike rides that by hour five I was cursing my aching back and uncomfortable bike seat, the 18 mile runs where I could barely move my legs up San Vicente in the scorching heat of a Sunday afternoon while I missed my Bears playing the Vikings or the freezing swims in the shark infested waters of Manhattan beach. I remember tears actually coming to my eyes one morning as my alarm went off at 4am to do a 15 mile run before work and already exhausted from my swim and bike ride the day before. This was not an easy year but the way I felt the moment I crossed that finish line was worth all the fear, uncertainty, pain and tears. Crossing that finish line will remain such a part of me for the rest of my life that I can only hope to relive something as perfect as that moment in this lifetime. So I guess I better explain what led up to that moment that day.

2am wake up:
I woke up at 2am with my throat on fire and barely able to talk. Brian grabbed the advil and I tried to force them down with water but my throat hurt so bad that it was impossible to swallow anything. We heated up some water with honey and forced down the pills and tried to get back to bed for another two hours of sleep. Tears began to fill my eyes as I became overwhelmed with fear of the day that lay ahead of me with my throat hurting so badly. I calmed myself down as I remembered my coach’s advice from the week before. He had explained to me that my race would not be perfect. Things were going to go wrong. What was going to make this a successful race was how I would handle those obstacles I was bound to encounter. Would I acknowledge my adversity and feel sorry for myself and let it spiral into a whirlwind of self pity and negativity or would I embrace it and say, “Today I am going to be an IRONMAN!!!!” Those words struck deep with me in the early hours before my race and I decided that this was just my first obstacle I had to face. Today I was going to be an Ironman.
Swim 1:18:06:
I found myself standing on the white sand staring out at the blue water as the sun began to rise trying to figure out how I possible got here. Brian found me splashing in the shore five minutes before the gun went off and grabbed me to show me where my parents were since they were desperately looking for me. The moment I saw my mom the tears began to flow. I was so overwhelmed with excitement, nervousness and happiness that I could not hold back. This whole year had been leading up to this day and it was moments from finally being here. I get teary eyed now as I think about it. I kissed everyone and wiped my tears and rushed with the girls to the middle of the pack. When the gun went off the tears began to flow again. I was literally knocked back to reality with a swift kick to the face by the person in front of me. The swim was so much worse then I could have possibly imagined. I was kicked, pulled, swam over, held under and even got my goggles pulled off. It was complete insanity for over twenty minutes of the swim. We were like sardines swimming for our lives in the same direction but with no room to move. I began to chuckle with how unbelievably chaotic the scene was. Half way through the first lap I was able to break free and find my groove. I got out of the water from my first lap and could not believe how fast I was going. The current of 2500 people swimming at once caused a whirlpool that pulled me around those buoys. I jumped back in the water for my second lap feeling on top of the world. I saw a jellyfish on the second lap, which caused me to speed up in hopes of just getting out of the water unharmed. I came out at one hour eighteen minutes, which was far faster then I could have imagined. I rushed through the screaming crowds to the transition area. I made my way into the tent where the wonderful volunteers helped me change into my bike clothes and rub sun block all over me.

Bike 7:16:57:
It was long and flat and windy. Not much else you can say about the bike other than it was long and flat and windy. It was pretty boring. I stopped three times to use the bathroom. I drank all six of my water bottles I had planned on drinking with the help of the cough drops I bought the day before and my wonderful mom that met me at mile fifty with some hot tea to sooth my sore throat (cant ask for a better mom). I ate my peanut butter and honey uncrustables, a bag of cheese-its, and some fig newtons. I cried again in the first few miles of the bike as the reality started the set in that I was really here. All this hard work and I was finally doing it. There were lots of tears during the race. I was one huge bag of emotions. When I saw my mom with the tea the waterworks began again. They were all happy tears though. Well, maybe not just happy tears, they were happy, excited, overwhelmed, nervous tears but not sad tears. The headwind was pretty unbearable. I felt like every corner I turned the wind was coming straight at me. I tried to calm myself down and tell myself how lucky I was that all I had to deal with was wind and not huge hills like all the other Ironman courses. I also tried to remind myself how lucky I was to have my family and friends all along the course supporting me (including my dad stopping traffic so he could snap some shots of me on my bike). I finished the bike in just about the time I had hoped for and I was relatively feeling good and excited to start the run. My throat was pretty raw but I hoped some cough drops would help fix that up quickly. I jumped off my bike and wobbled over to the changing tent ready to begin the real challenge of the race.

Run 6:01:37:
The run started out great. My throat hurt a lot but they had chicken broth on the course that seemed to sooth it for a bit. The course was two out and backs so I tried to look strong because I knew I would see Brian finishing the race and I wanted him to see me happy and looking good since I knew he was really worried about me. I saw him at my mile four and his mile twenty-two and he looked amazing. He stopped to give me a big kiss and tell me he would be waiting for me at the finish line. That gave me the little boost I needed to push me the next six miles. At about mile ten I started to break down. My throat was on fire. I could not swallow any of the cold liquids and the hot chicken broth was starting to make me feel queasy. As I was running in my first lap everyone began to scream for me to run it in hard since I was almost there not realizing I had another lap to go. It was a bit demoralizing having people screaming for me that I was almost at the finish line when I knew I was fifteen miles away. I saw my mom at the halfway point and the tears began to flow again. My throat was so closed up I could barely tell her that I was not able to take down any liquids. Being the most unbelievable mom in the world she was waiting for me with two advil and more hot tea. I took some more cough drops and the notes I desperately needed from my family and friends for inspiration. I tried to run for nine minutes and walk for one minute and read a note every time I had to walk. Those notes definitely helped push me to mile nineteen. I kept telling myself that as long as I did not walk for more than that one minute every nine minutes, I could make it to that finish line. At one point I was jogging so slowly that a guy walked right passed me. It actually made me chuckle a bit because Brian always teases me that he walks faster than I run. At about mile nineteen I completely fell apart. My throat had closed up so much that I could not breath when I tried to jog. I could not drink the chicken broth because it made me feel sick so I tried to gargle it and spit it out to relieve some pain my throat. I did not take down any liquids during the whole second half of the run. The only reason I did not pass out was because I had been so disciplined about my nutrition on the bike. I am so thankful for Paul’s advice. There was a moment when I was out there in the pitch dark of night with only glow sticks around my ankles to lead my path that I looked in front of me and behind me and could not see a soul in sight besides the trees that lined that street. It was the first time I said to myself, “what the hell am I doing here, this is absolute insanity”. Even in that moment though I knew I was going to finish. There was nothing that could stop me from making it those last seven miles. I had heard people talk about it but it was only then that I truly understood the unbelievable capabilities of the mind over the body. I felt so sick earlier that morning that I probably would have thought it unthinkable to go to work yet here I was after a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 19 mile run , only 7 miles away from completing an Ironman. Nothing was going to stop me. I slowly pushed myself to keep going with tears of frustration forming in my eyes until I saw Natalie at mile 21. It was such a relief to see her in my time of need. She could see I was not doing well so she gave me some of her asthma spray and told me she was going to catch up with me and we would finish together. It was just the push I needed at that moment but I was stopped short as I felt whatever was left in my belly starting to come up. I went to the side of the road to throw up as some little boy starting running back to his mom to tell her that the lady was throwing up on the side of the road. A man running by stopped and pointed at me. My name was on my bib and he asked me, “Danielle, is this your first Ironman?” I nodded my head slowly and he replied, “Come with me Danielle, today you are going to be an Ironman” Tears formed as this nice man ran with me for the next two miles until I promised him I was okay and would finish the race. A few minutes later Natalie caught up with me, which was a huge relief. We ran together for the next few miles as she cheered me up and reminded me how amazing today was. About 100 yards from the finish I told her to go ahead because I knew we both needed this moment for ourselves. I had worked so hard and I wanted to soak up all of it. I ran in with the crowd screaming around me. I heard the announcer say, “Danielle Perkel, you are an IRONMAN” and the tears came pouring from my eyes. I was so filled with happiness, pain, pride and excitement. That moment was so much more then I could I have dreamed of. My face in the picture of me crossing that finish line is so horrible but I love it so much because you can see every emotion I truly felt. This race was me finding myself. I faced the guilt and sadness of losing my friend. I felt you out there Ames. I know you were with me. I saw your face at that finish line and I know you were proud. That moment was an accumulation of the past year and a half and everything I internally faced in your death. I hate that it took losing you to be who I was at that moment but I love you for giving me that moment. I did it Ames! Today and for the rest of my life I can call myself an Ironman.

top 10

10 things I did this year that I never thought I would ever do...


10. eat two full boxes of mac and cheese

9. go 3 months without drinking

8. do a 3 hour bike ride and call it a “lazy” day

7. accept that there will always be more bike grease on me than on my bike

6. cut all my hair off like a boy

5. been so starving that I spent 20 min imagining how good my arm could taste if it were grilled and covered in bbq sauce

4. go in a porta potty bare foot

3. burn big rectangles across my forehead through the air vents in my helmet

2. eat a once been frozen, jalapeño cheeseburger warmed up in a microwave on the train back from SD

1. ask chris to pee on me because I was so cold in the water (only half joking)

My Dear Amy....

My Dear Amy,

Today I felt your presence as I sat in temple on Yom Kippur and came across the poem you once wrote about in your blog. It brought a smile to my face as I realized that only two years before you read the same words I was reading at that moment. As I was reading that poem, another great quote came into my mind that seems to resonate deeper on this day. It was only a few weeks before you passed away that we were up at three in the morning sitting by the fire discussing Kierkegaard when we were supposed to be studying for a Hume and Hobbes final. You told me a wonderful quote that you felt when taken out of context could be a way to approach life. I only truly understood your interpretation in the months following your death.

"He is not cowardly, he is not afraid to let his love steal in upon his most secret, most hidden thoughts, to let it twine itself in countless coils around every ligament of his consciousness....Having thus imbibed all the love and adsorbed himself in it, he no longer lacks the courage to attempt and risk everything" – Kierkegaard

Sitting in temple reflecting on our sins of the past, I was brought back to these words. I don’t know if I will ever be there Ames but I think this journey has brought me that much closer. I have the first four words on my road id so I can be reminded of them every time I workout. The countless hours alone on the bike, running along the beach or in the silence of the pool have forced me alone with my own thoughts to face that night and all that has followed. You are the reason I am doing it. I hate that it took losing you to remind me how lucky I am but I promise that I will not let you down. I know you will be out there with me on Nov 1st. I hope that I have made you proud Amy. I love you always and miss you each and every day.

30 days away!!!!

“To tell the truth, it was not the exultant finish or peak experience I expected. It felt more akin to being beaten and left for dead, but somehow having survived, and not knowing if it was for better or for worse.” Dakin Ferris

This quote made me laugh. What am I doing!?!?!? I think we all have to be a bit nuts to take on something like this. I love it though. 30 days away!!!! I cannot believe how close it is getting. I did my first 100 bike ride on Saturday. It felt amazing! I love riding up the California coast on PCH. The 16 mile run on Sunday was a different story though. I was in too much pain to enjoy running along the beautiful Santa Monica beaches but I know I will be ready in a month. I have trained hard this year and I know I am ready for Florida but I cannot help but fear what that day will bring. I get a rush of emotions just thinking about it. I have spent a year preparing for one day. I am anxious, excited, scared and sad. Oddly enough, I am sad that this training will be over. This has been an amazing journey with amazing friends that I will remember for the rest of my life. Even if I do decide to do another ironman, nothing will ever be like the first.

Big Kahuna/Malibu Triathlon

I decided not to write a race report because Big Kahuna did not turn out to be my best race. I will spare you the details and leave it at some tummy problems from swallowing too much sea water .Big Kahuna was supposed to be my last big race before my Ironman so I was a bit bummed out that it did not turn out to be the confidence booster I was hoping for. I was pretty upset about the race until this past weekend when I got to be a part of a very emotional, inspirational experience that I decided was more important to write about.

My friend Meghan joined a group called Team in Training that I am sure most of you are aware of. I have been a part of Team in Training for a long time starting out in marathons and slowly moving my way to triathlons. I have raised over $10k for the leukemia and lymphoma society over the past four years. Last year I was the captain of the west los angeles tnt group that Meghan joined. Meghan joined to get in shape, meet some friends and raise money for a good cause along the way. She knew little to nothing about the leukemia and lymphoma society. About 2 months after training began, I received shocking news that Meghan's routine biopsy of her lymph nodes did not come back benign, but that she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Luckily for Meghan, her support through the difficult times came from the very team she had been training with. While we provided the emotional support she needed, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society guided Megan to the proper healthcare and treatment required to fight the cancer. She had to give up her immediate goal of training for the Malibu triathlon but she was in for a much bigger fight. In April, Meghan called me with the wonderful news that she was in remission. Meghan decided it was time to start training for the triathlon she had originally signed up for. This past Sunday Meghan completed the Malibu triathlon. Everything finally came full circle as she was able to do the triathlon she had to put on hold the year before in order to endure months of chemo and other various treatments. I ran with Meghan for part of the run portion of the race and was brought back to my negative thoughts of my race earlier in the week. I felt ashamed as I looked at this girl running next to me who had been through so much this year and was still pushing herself to get through this event and I was complaining that I had a bit of adversity in my silly race. It was a good reminder of how lucky I really am. This inspiration came at the perfect time as I am getting into the scary part of my Ironman training. I needed a little kick in the butt to remind me how lucky I am.

Latigo Canyon

I finally feel like we are really training. Two weeks ago I accomplished a huge feat I had been dreading for months. I climbed Latigo Canyon! Latigo has always been this mythical thing that cyclist talk about. It is a never ending climb from pch to the top of the Santa Monica Mountains. In the past year, I must have asked Brian a dozen times if he thought I was ready for Latigo. Well, I received my workout schedule a few weeks ago and ready or not, I was going to climb it. It was just as tough as I had expected but just as rewarding as well.

This weekend will be my craziest weekend so far. Tomorrow I am doing a 45 min bike ride in a high heart rate zone, followed by a 2:30 run, followed by a long swim. Then, on Sunday we are riding 88 miles from Irvine to San Diego.

I feel like I am really in it now. I am training for a full Ironman. Ready or not, this thing is around the corner.

Team Bear Naked

I am sponsored by Bear Naked Granola!

They were looking for people who do endurance sports and are leaders in their community. I filled out an application last month and found out last week that I got chosen. I received all my free gear today! I am super excited for all the great workout clothes and enough granola to last a year.

Vineman 70.3!!!!

Vineman 70.3! What a beautiful race! I guess if you are going to torture yourself for almost seven hours, it might as well be in one of the prettiest places in California. And everyone that knows me knows I love my wine, so there is no place I feel more at home then in Sonoma. Overall, it was a challenging but wonderful race. There were a few rocky moments but I finished in 6:40 with a smile on my face. Okay, let’s break it down.

Swim 00:39:37.9

What a beautiful swim! The swim was in the Russian River, which was a perfect 73 degrees, with no current and gorgeous redwoods lining the shore. All the 29 and under women started in the water at 8:14 in the morning. There was a feeling of fear and excitement in the air. Steph, Katie, Linda, Em and I huddled together in a circle to give a quick “GO TEAM” before the race started. It was amazing having such wonderful friends by my side at the start of the race. The contagious excitement of the girls getting ready to start their first half ironman eased my nerves as the announcer began to count down. With my heart rate spiking and a few kicks to the face, we were off. I took it easy the first half of the swim hoping to calm my nerves and save my energy for the second half. I turned the corner and realized I had been swimming for almost 21 minutes. I felt a slight panick since my initial hope was to come in under 35 minutes. I tried to push myself on the way back but could not make up for the lost time. I came in just under 40 minutes. I was a bit disappointed with my time but happy that I could learn from this experience and improve for Big K. BTW, I BEAT BRIAN!!!!! BRIAN CAME IN AT 40:51. Okay fine, he beat me on the bike by almost an hour and beat me in the run by almost 30 min but I BEAT HIM IN THE SWIM!!!

Bike 03:27:44.5

The first half of the bike was AMAZING! I took Kimberly into aero and pushed as hard as I could. I was flying up the hills and staying in aero down the hills. Riding through the gorgeous wineries with Kimberly was a breathtaking experience. Then, mile 30 hit. A headwind started up, my back began to hurt from staying in aero for such a long period of time and my legs began to weaken. I watched my average speed slowly drop from 17.3 to 17.0 to 16.8 and all the way down to 15.7 at one point. I was miserable. I hit a wall and could not mentally get beyond it. Watching my average speed slowly drop was extremely frustrating. When I tried to get back into aero to pick my speed back up, my back would begin to ache with pain. I was completely miserable. At one point I even thought about riding my bike into a ditch on the side of the road so I would not have to finish the race. I tried everything to get myself out of the spiraling negativity but I could not get beyond it. I knew there was a huge hill at mile 45 that I was dreading for the past 15 miles. When I finally got to the hill I convinced myself that if I could just get to the top of it then I could finish the rest of the race. Someone in a peppy mood came up behind me in just the nick of time to cheer me up the hill. He pumped me up and I cranked all the way up the rest of the hill. I felt amazing flying down the other side. I brought my speed back up again and was able to finish the race with an average speed of 16.2 mph. I also finished in under 3:30, which was a big accomplishment for me. I was a bit bummed about my ride since I hit such a negative wall for over an hour but looking back now, I am so glad that it happened. I have come to realize what a mental game triathlons are. Training only goes so far, it is an inner strength that will get you to the finish line. I am glad I went through this experience because now I know that if it happens during my Ironman, I CAN get passed it.

Run 02:23:12.4

I have never been so ecstatic to run before. I would have done just about anything as long as it meant getting off of the bike. My back was aching, my legs were screaming and let’s just say sitting on a little seat for that long is not the most comfortable place to be. I think I may have lost my ability to have kids one day. Oh wait, I think that only happens to guys. Anyway, I felt great when I started my run. I decided to do 9 min running and 1 min walking. Mentally, It was great for me since I did not have to think about the 13 miles ahead but rather the 9 minutes until I could take my walk break. At about mile 2 I saw Brian coming towards me on his way in from the run. Seeing him added a pep to my step as we yelled our “I love you’s” (super cheesy, I know). I had a wonderful time on the run chatting with everyone that ran next to me. It was great seeing the girls out on the run with their smiling faces. At about mile 10 I began to really hurt. I realized that I was paying the price for skipping some of my long run workouts. I forced myself to keep running and finally made it to the finish. It was wonderful seeing everyone yelling and screaming for me. I was happy with my run time considering my lack of training but I know I really need to improve before Big K.

Finish 06:40:40.6
Overall, I had an amazing experience. The course was challenging but beautiful. It was wonderful having all of my friends at the finish to celebrate in each others accomplishments. I am especially proud of Stephanie, Katie, Linda, Annie and Chris who all finished their first half Ironman!!! You guys are amazing! And of course my fellow irongirl Emily who kicked my butt in the run and finished the race in 6:25! Awesome job Em! I love these races. The training can be tough at times and sometimes I cannot imagine getting out of bed before the sun comes up, but there is nothing I would rather be doing in my life right now. There is such a wonderful sense of accomplishment that no one can take away, not only finishing these races but tough workouts as well. Every day I reap the rewards of my hard work. Besides the sense of accomplishment, I also have such amazing friends to experience it with!

Ride to SD!!!

I am terrible at updating my blog. I do have a pretty good excuse considering I work 60 hours a week and I am training for an Ironman but I PROMISE I will try write a little more often. A couple of weeks ago I did my longest ride ever and took Kimberly all the way from Irvine to San Diego. 80 miles on a bicycle is not the most comfortable way to spend five hours but I would not trade that time for anything. With Brian right behind me (drafting off of me the whole time!) we made our way along the coast to San Diego. We had a few funny incidents, including a young girl in a black BMW (her daddy probably bought for her) yelling at us to get off the road. When Brian decided to be a smart ass and slow down in front of her, she screamed, “AT LEAST I HAVE A F***ING RIDE!” It was classic.

We got to ride through Camp Pendleton where I managed to drop my recovery powder (which can easily be mistaken for cocaine) in front of the military guards at the gate. They did not seem to notice a thing as they stood fully dressed from head to toe in the unbearable heat. All they wanted was a picture id and a smile and they let us right into the base. We took a break at the park and took some pictures on a huge tank and ate our peanut butter and jelly uncrustables. It was a nice feeling riding through Camp Pendleton and reliving my very first triathlon I did on those very roads less than a year before. It is such an exciting feeling realizing how far I have come. It is hard to feel the progress I have made on a day to day basis but looking back at my little sprint triathlon made me proud of how much I have accomplished over the past year.

After Camp Pendelton, we were lucky enough to run into a few people from the Team in Training Ironteam. We joined a few of them as we made our way up what looked like the biggest hill I have ever seen in my life. It was more like a mountain you had to climb in order to get into San Diego. Okay fine, maybe it was not that big but after being on a bike for 70 miles, anything looks impossible. We slowly trudged our way up the hill only to find that the directions we had were useless since there was construction blocking all of the roads. Since Brian had lived in SD for 3 years, we figured it would be safe to trust him to find our way to our destination. Boy, was that a mistake. As he started taking us down a very big hill I made him promise we would not have to come back up it. A few minutes later he had his google maps out and broke the news that we were about to go right back up that big hill we flew down. Luckily Brian sucked up his pride and decided to ask someone for help. A wonderful, amazing, incredible lady running gave us a short cut (that did not include the big awful hill) to Pacific Beach. In the end Brian was right (yes, I just said you were right baby) and we ended up getting back an even shorter way than the original directions showed us.

I made it! It was such an amazing ride. It was a day I will cherish forever. I cannot imagine something more wonderful than being able to accomplish something so challenging for myself while being able to experience it with my boyfriend and the ocean by my side.

Kimbery La Kuota

I would like to introduce you to my new best friend. Her name is Kimberly La Kuota. I got Kimberly a week ago but I did not have time to get fit to her so she was sitting in my room staring at me for the past week. I think she thought I didn’t love her. It was killing me. On Saturday I went to Ian to get fit and went to Helens to get some last minute presents for Kimberly. She is a spoiled little princess that loves when I got shopping for her. She was finally ready to roll yesterday. I decided to see what Kimberly could do and took her out for 60 miles yesterday. It was AMAZING! She was worth every penny. It is so nice to finally be on a good bike. It definitely took me a while to get used to the aero bars. I was swerving all over San Vicente trying to figure out how to use those silly things. Once I figured it out, it was unbelievable. My neck is in pain today from staying in aero for 4 hours but I cannot wait for my next ride. This season is going to be amazing. Vineman is less than 4 weeks away and I cannot wait to go show Kimberly off at a race.

Wildflower

Wildflower!!! Now I really feel like the season has started. I have my first race of the year under my belt and we are less than six months away from Florida. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about Wildflower. Hills have never been my forte and anyone that knows WF, knows it is anything but a flat course. I was super nervous the night before my race since my butt and quads were already aching from having to climb the hill from the lake to the campsite all day. I was also nervous about the bike ride knowing how much I had struggled with the hills at training weekend a month before. But I have to admit that my biggest fear was not the brutal swim with people kicking me in the face, or the bike portion that had kicked my butt weeks before or even the run that had the never ending hill and unbearable heat. My biggest fear of WF was having to wear a trikini! I knew once I could get passed the fact that hundreds of people were about to see my butt jiggling in my trikini bottoms, the rest of the race would be a piece of cake.

Race morning- had a great nights sleep. Woke up to bagels, peanut butter and bananas already prepared by Todd and Brian. Yummy! Scarfed down breakfast, got my gear together and jumped on my bike. It was quite tough riding down lynch hill with a tri bag on my back, wearing a parka and uggs but I am sure it was an amusing sight. Since my wave only started at 10:10, we had ample time to goof around, take pictures and check out all the gorgeous men in tri shorts. It was great having all my friends in transition to ease each others nerves before the race started.

Swim – 29:40 The swim was great! There were no waves and the water was the perfect temperature. I decided that my swimming had improved a lot over the past couple of months so I might as well push my way up to the front of the group and make the most of it. The swim was pretty brutal but I was prepared to get a little roughed up. I got kicked in the face a few times and even got my goggles ripped off. I took a deep breath each time, calmed myself down and continued on my swim. I took it easy the whole first half and then pushed once I turned the middle buoy. I felt great coming in and I was ecstatic when I came out of the water and saw that I had a sub 30 time. I struggled a bit getting my wetsuit off but got a rush of energy when I saw Brian and the others cheering for me.

Bike – 1:44:46 The bike turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would be. I took it easy up Lynch hill knowing I had a lot of hills ahead of me. After I got out of the campsite, I kicked it up a notch. I had Brian in my head the whole time telling me to push down the hills and to stay out of my granny gear going up the hills. I felt great all the way out to the turn around point. I really felt myself pushing up a lot of the hills instead of just spinning through them. The way back was a bit tougher and I did have to get in my granny gear for two of the hills but I was still happy with my progress. It was very exciting seeing my friends pass by on the bike. It was also very inspirational seeing all the challenged athletes out on the course. Watching someone cranking up the hills using only their arms makes you realize how lucky you are. I also took some time during the bike to enjoy the beautiful scenery. I cannot imagine a bike course more beautiful than that one. Riding out on the open road surrounded by other triathletes in the middle of nature is an amazing experience that almost makes up for those awful hills. It turned out to be a great bike ride. Not really sure what I was so scared of. It was the run I should have been dreading after all.



Run – 1:04:12 Okay, so the run was not my best but it was hot and hilly and oh so painful. I have always considered myself a runner since I initially came into the sport as a marathon runner but I think I have been using that as an excuse to skip some of my running workouts. This run was definitely a reality check for me. I told myself I would not let myself walk the entire race so I just kept putting one foot in front of the other trying not to think about never ending hill ahead of me. I was running so slow I even had people walking faster than me up the hills since my jog had turned into a slow shuffle. But I didn’t walk! When I finally made it to Lynch hill I knew I would be okay from there. I made my way down the hill and turned the corner to see hundreds of spectators cheering me on. I decided to give it all I had for the last 100 yards. I am sure everyone loved the sight as my trikini decided to ride all the way up my butt when my jog turned into a sprint. Oh well, I finished the race in 3:26:28 and felt great! My original goal was around 3:45 so I was ecstatic about my time.



Overall, it was an amazing experience. Having all my friends at the finish line made me realize what a wonderful group of friends I have and how amazing the race was to be able to share it with all of them. It was a wonderful, emotional feeling crossing that finish line after months of hard training to have my friends waiting there for me with open arms. It is a feeling that no one can take away from me. It is those moments that I have to think of when I am cursing at 5am when I have to jump in the pool or go on a long bike ride that takes up my whole Saturday. I love triathlons. This was a nice reminder of why I torture myself with tough workouts.