The First Step

After several months of contemplation, soul-searching, and nausea-inducing thoughts, I did it--today I registered for Ironman Wisconsin 2006. I still can't believe I'm going to do it--it's been one hell of a ride so far, and I'm pretty sure the journey truly is just beginning. However, as one of my training partners, fellow Weight Watcher, and fellow IM WI 06 athlete Sue keeps reminding me, IM is not just a race--it's the final leg of an incredible journey. So, here I am--keeping track of my thoughts and experiences along the way.

If anyone would have told me a year ago that I'd be doing this, I'd have probably requested a breathalyzer test...considering that I started excerising in general about a year ago and had no intention of doing anything more. My friend Crystal started the insanity (or at least threw down the first of many challenges) by encouraging me to run a 5K--started training for that (and running in general) in January. That led to discussions about sprint triathlons, which led to me signing up for the multisport team, which led to me doing 4 sprints, 30-, 50-, 60-, and 100-mile bike rides, 2 5K's, a 7-mile, and a half marathon...and now this (after I do the Disney marathon in January). Crazy?? Absolutely, but in the best possible way. I've never had so much fun or felt so good about myself and about life...almost like a part of me that was buried for so long has been unleashed and that the person I'm meant to be is finally becoming a reality.

I had never considered an IM--well, I considered it insane, but I guess that's beside the point now. Sue brought it up at some point this summer--can't even really remember when--and I guess planted a little seed in the back of my mind that just really took root. After I started training for the sprint tris, I found that things were going well--and being the ridiculously type A person that I am, I started pondering more...and after I hit the 100-lb mark on my weight loss, IM became a way to slam the book shut on the old me and start a new book altogether. I jokingly say I blame Sue, but in reality, I thank her every chance I get for planting and nurturing the seed in my mind...she's helped me become so much more than I ever thought I would be. I talked to a bunch of people, read a ton of stuff on IM and triathlons in general, and spent a lot of time thinking...after all, one needs something to focus on when one is training on long, somewhat boring runs...

Which brings me to the official start of my Ironman journey, which began over the weekend at IM WI 2005.

Friday, I took the day off work, drove to Madison, and met up with Sue and Michele, both of whom finished IM WI 04 and will be also be training for IM WI 06. We swam one lap of the swim course--it's open Thurs/Fri/Sat morning of race weekend to competitors and the general public, which is very cool. All in all, not bad--we took it slow w/ Sue in the lead, but made it without incident (except for Michele's goggles, which have since found their way into the trash). I'm glad I let Sue talk me into doing the swim course--it was very intimidating driving in and looking at Lake Monona with the swim buoys marked off, but after I did the 1.2 mile lap, I realized I could do it--it's just pretty boring after a while and I resorted to singing songs in my head. I have a lot of work to do on my technique, pace, etc., but at least I know I can do it and hit the cutoff time of 2:20...provided I make it through the mass start.

We walked the expo afterwards--I bought an IM flag which is now hanging in my garage so I'll see it every time I leave and get home. They had a volunteer shift, so I bid them goodbye and took off to drive the bike course. I'd heard it was hilly...that's an understatement. Lots of rolling hills and some pretty technical stuff--downhills into winding roads, uphills into winding roads, and a kicker of a steep uphill toward the end of the loop...which I'll get to do twice on race day. But, I figure the town of Verona will be about the best looking town I'll ever see when I get to it on loop #2...and I'm glad I drove it because now I have incentive to train my butt off. As I was driving back, another friend and IM WI 06 competitor, Erin, called--I gave her my impressions of the bike course and we both decided that we'll be doing lots of training in Wisconsin next year. As we're both also shopping for shiny new bikes, we rounded out the conversation as we often do these days--talking about road vs. tri geometry, drop bars vs. bullhorn, etc., etc.

After watching Iowa State CLOBBER Iowa 23-3 on Saturday (I sold my ticket to the game so I could go to Madison on Sunday...talk about seller's remorse), I attempted to sleep, but was too wired and excited to experience an IM race, even as a spectator, to sleep much. So, I woke up at 2:30 am Sunday to drive to Madison to watch IM WI 05 with Sue and Michele. After checking out the transition areas (both the bike rack and the Monona Terrace changing rooms), we got our spot along the parking ramp helix where the athletes run up from the swim to the transition. One of Sue's and Michele's friends from Madison (another Sue) has a sister who races pro--she joined us along with a couple of their other friends so we could watch her sister and everyone else. By that point, the athletes were walking down the ramp to the swim start--some already in wetsuits and some holding them, some looking nervous enough to puke and some looking as calm as ever. I can't imagine what my emotions will be on race day, but I'm pretty sure I'll be more nervous and excited.

The swim start is incredible--from a distance, it looks like a huge mass of churning that slowly spreads out, which I guess is what it is by the time the 2000+ athletes start swimming. I was amazed, though, at how quickly things spread out along the course--much better than what I was expecting, so hopefully I won't get clobbered/kicked/swum over too much next year. The pros came in at about 47-48 minutes--Sue's sister Linda (the pro) was the second person out of the water--absolutely incredible. When the age groupers started coming out, it was fun to see the smiles and relief plastered on most of their faces...also sort of amusing to see who had their goggles cranked down so tight they seemed to leave permanent imprints. The whole parking ramp spiral was lined with spectators cheering, ringing cowbells, holding signs, etc.--that has to be pretty inspiring as an athlete. We watched the whole swim--all 2 hours and 20 minutes, and cheered on the last guy out--a guy named Rudy who made it out with one second to spare before the cutoff.

Sue and Michele are both big on visualization, so after the swim, we took off on a run that encompassed the last 2.5 miles of the run course (well, technically, it's miles 10.6-13.1 and 23.7-26.2--it's a two-loop course) so I could get at least some of it imprinted in my mind. We ran out from the Hilton and picked up the run course just at the run-out section, then cut over on State St and picked up the bike path along Lake Mendota. We cut through a part of campus and picked up the IM course again at the Camp Randall arch to run the 2.5 miles to the finish. I took some notes when we got back so I could remember--I'm looking forward to seeing the capital building and the square for sure. Great run, and now I have something to play through my mind on the treadmill...

We spent most of the afternoon cheering on athletes--first at the run-out area, and then on the square. It was a hot day, but most of the athletes seemed to be in good spirits coming off the bike--pretty impressive considering it was also pretty windy on the bike course. I'm still amazed by the variety of competitors--from the pros to the normal people with normal jobs to Frank, the 76-year old from South Dakota. The emotions they must go through have to be incredible--the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Our location on the square was right across from the special needs bag area and close to the loop turnaround/finish area--pretty cool to watch the athletes at such a milestone in the race.

Sue and Michele had another volunteer shift Sunday night (catching people at the finish line), so I went back to the square area and cheered my heart out. It was awesome to see the looks of accomplishment, relief, agony, and sheer joy on faces going by...and by the time I got done, I was hoarse and my hands hurt from clapping, but it was incredible. At about 11:45, I walked over to the finish area and watched the final folks come in--the people who got through on their grit and determination alone. I got choked up when a woman named Kimberly came through at about 11:50--I saw her heading out for her second lap earlier in the evening and it seemed as though she might not make it, but she did and she crossed the line with her family. We got back to the hotel about 12:30 or so...long day and lots of sensory overload, but so, so worth the experience--what an amazing thing to behold.

At 5:30 this morning, the alarm went off, and Sue, Michele, and I got ready. Jeremy (a fellow pizza person and tri newbie) met us in the lobby, and we went to Monona Terrace to wait in line to register for next year's race. Even though we were there at 6:30, we certainly weren't the first people in line, but I'm glad we got there when we did as the line was crazy long by the time registration started at 9. We talked with a guy named Mark who has been doing tris for 25 years and has done several IM races...very interesting to hear his take on training (keep your heart rate low), nutrition, and tris in general.

At various times in the waiting process, I went through waves of panic, nausea, disbelief, and general surrealness (if that's a word)...I think Jeremy was going through some similar emotions because we'd look at each other periodically with expressions of mild panic on our faces. An then, at 9, registration started, and this whole crazy insane idea became one step closer to a reality. I signed up, paid my registration fee, got hotel reservations, and managed to do so without puking. Sue came over when I was waiting in the hotel line and told me to turn around...she was checking to make sure I hadn't pooped my pants or anything...so I of course retorted with some mild profanity and rounded out the joke. Erin, another friend and training parter, called shortly after to let us know that she got through online and registered...so our little training group made it official all the way around.

The four of us went to breakfast at Marigold's and talked--Sue and Michele shared their experiences from last year's race with us and gave us a bunch of things to think about. We decided we'd meet for breakfast the Monday after next year's race again--same bat time, same bat channel.

On the drive back, my friend Vardo called (her name's Julie, but I just can't call her that) to see if I got in--she actually drove to Indiana from central Iowa to race in my first tri with me and has been a voice of reason throughout my whole athletic experience thus far. She has had IM as a goal for a while and thought I was nuts to go after it this quickly (admittedly, probably true to some extent), but has been incredibly supportive throughout my decision process. I told her I was in...her reply--"Oh doody, you're in for it now." About the time I got to Hoffman Estates along I-90, she called again...this time to ask me if she was crazy if she signed up, too. I was stunned--Vardo's plan had been to do IM Florida in a couple of years, although recently she started toying with IM WI instead. Her logic was that she's going to do one at some point--might as well be with someone else new to the experience, too. This whole thought process cropped up in about 15 minutes...and she was already on active.com registering when she called. I started crying when she told me she hit the "send" (or "register") button...always a good idea while driving...but I am SO SO SO excited that she's going to be there racing, too. She's been one of my close friends for a long time--through college, the adjustment phase to real life after college, the weight gain, the weight loss, and now this--I'm overwhelmed by the thought that we'll be doing this incredible life-changing thing together. So, when I got home, I sent her all of the info I had on training programs, etc., and I'm sure we'll have many more discussions to come. Even though we live in different states and will be training with different people, I have a feeling we'll be each other's support through and through...and that's pretty damn cool.

All in all--one of the scariest and yet most exciting days of my life...it's pretty awesome to know that I'll be doing this with some new friends (Erin, Jeremy, Sue, and Michele) and with a very good friend who has known me a long time (Vardo)--let the journey begin!!!