In case you missed Parts 1-5 of the Ironman Arizona Race Recap:
Click HERE for Part One: The Road To Tempe
Click HERE for Part Two: Countdown to Race Day
Click HERE for Part Three: The Swim
Click HERE for Part Four: The Bike
Click HERE for Part Five: The Run
The last mile of IMAZ was one of the longest miles of my
life! It was a dark and desolate stretch of road that made me feel like the
finish line was still so far away, yet I knew it was close . . .
So when I rounded the last bend and saw the finish chute
lined with spectator-filled bleachers and the timing clock reading 13:25 and change—I had
less than a minute to beat my IM Cozumel time—I picked up the pace, a lunatic
grin plastered on my face.
Tom Petty’s Running Down a Dream was blasting (So true!) and
I heard Mike Reilly announce that I was an IRONMAN (again!) . . . and I felt
fantastic!
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| Happy! |
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| 140.6 PR! |
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| An Ironman Again!! |
Immediately after crossing the finish line (and setting a
140.6 PR!!) a volunteer wrapped me in a silver space blanket, her arm tightly
around my shoulders. I think someone may have had me around the waist, too.
Clearly, this is a proactive move meant to keep newly-minted Ironmen (and
women) from collapsing on the ground! They kept asking me questions like, "Do you feel okay?" "Do you need to sit down?" "Do you feel faint?" "Are you alright?"
Yes. No. No. Yes!
Someone removed my timing chip. A medal was placed around my
neck. I was handed an icy cold water bottle and a finisher’s t-shirt, and was
maneuvered toward a photographer taking finisher photos. From the scaffolding overhead, I
spotted Tri Dad and our friends Erik (fellow IMAZ finisher) and his wife Marcia
cheering and waving. Tri Dad and Erik joined me for some happy finisher photos:
And I kept waiting . . . for the bad part to happen. In Cozumel , I felt great when I crossed the finish line, and
then my body began to shut down. I couldn’t eat. The smell of food made me feel
nauseous. So I got a massage instead. The therapist seemed concerned about me.
Someone had to help me off the table. I sat in a chair feeling weak and dizzy
with my head in my lap. I wanted something light and salty—like pretzels—and
there were none. It was more sugary sports drinks (vomit!) and pizza (ugh!) and
fruit and granola bars and nothing I could imagine eating. I needed salt. I
settled on Cup O Noodles. The smell made my stomach roll over. I took a few sips. It came back up again. And then I
was shaking, lying on the ground, covered in a space blanket, my head in Tri Dad's lap. This went on for two hours. I tried to eat some orange slices.
They didn’t stay down. By that point, my husband had conspired with the roaming
medics to coax me into the medical tent. They helped me walk there. On the way, I
hurled into a Gatorade bin. Not my proudest moment. Thankfully it was all but empty—only 4 or 5 bottles
and some ice remaining.
In the tent, I was relieved of my wet, sweaty clothes,
swaddled in space blankets from head to toe, and given an IV. I was not alone.
There were many of us in the Mash-like tent.
And here’s the kicker. I suffered unnecessarily for hours trying to recover on my own before finally giving in to medical assistance. My
electrolytes were out of balance. The IV/saline solution the medics administered by-passed my digestive
system and went straight to my bloodstream to restore my electrolyte balance. Within 15 minutes—I
felt as good as new, though my finisher’s photo—taken nearly 3 hours after I’d
crossed the finish line in Cozumel—make it clear that I was still entirely loopy and out
of it.
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| Crazy town. |
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| Loopy post-IV electrolytes. |
The IMAZ finish line was an entirely different experience
for me . . . an enjoyable experience, and one that I remember much more
clearly.
First and foremost, I was hungry. And when I knew I could
eat, I knew I’d be okay. And did I ever eat!! I had two slices of pizza, a
plate of French fries, some fruit, a granola bar and a bunch of cookies. I
think I had a bag of chips, too. It was delightful!!
Then, after replenishing much-needed calories, I got a
massage. Bliss! Afterward, we collected our gear and transition bags,
returned our bikes to Tri Bike Transport, and changed into warm, dry clothes.
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| Bikes returned to Tri Bike? Check. Warm, dry clothes? Check. |
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| Post-Race with Tri Dad, Erik & Marcia |
The best part was returning to the bleachers to cheer for
our fellow finishers. It was so much fun to be part of the finish-line celebration .
. . something I missed out on entirely in Cozumel .
That night, back at the hotel, my knees were so sore I could barely sleep.
Every time I moved my legs, a bolt of pain shot through my knees, waking me up.
By morning, I could barely bend my knees and I spent the entire day limping around
town as we returned to Tempe
Beach Park
We capped off the trip to Tempe with a fun night out with Erik & Marcia—enjoying a
Mexican feast on the outside patio of a downtown restaurant and indulging on homemade ice cream—before catching an early morning flight out the next day.
Back in Maryland ,
the plan was to REST—possibly for the entire month of December. However, 6 days
after IMAZ, Tri D2’s cross country team was participating in a 5K run and Tri
Dad and I, along with Tri D3, were all registered to run with her. MISTAKE! At least for me it was.
Tri Dad and Tri D2 completely dusted me. I couldn’t even keep up with
Tri D3—my eight year old--so she ended up running alone, well ahead of me. Let
me just say I could not even run the first mile. Both knees locked up completely.
I tried a little walk/run combo in the second mile and it was a big FAIL. By the last mile I was
reduced to walking only.
What really added salt to the
wound (keep in mind I am entirely grumpy and frustrated and unreasonable by
this point) was when the well-meaning volunteers were giving me extra
encouragement as in, you know, the whole clapping and shouting “You can do it!" "Don’t give up!" "You’re
almost there!" And, my favorite—“You’re looking good!” Which, clearly, I was
not. I’m sure the volunteers thought it was my first 5K. Ever. It is unreasonable for me to say this but I felt humiliated and completely humbled. I wished I'd had a sign on my back that read “I did a 140.6 six days ago!!” I was an athlete
on injured reserved. A member of the walking wounded. And I can also say,
without a doubt, that I did my knees no favors that day. In fact, I probably
set back my recovery by several weeks. So, the moral of this story is, do not
race—At All! Not even the shortest distance—within a week of an Ironman!!
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| Finisher's Medal |
Since that amazing day nearly 3 months ago (hard to
believe!) I’ve been taking it easy—treating myself to some down time—and trying
to recondition my body to eat less food!
For two weeks between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, the
only exercise I got involved long hikes and walks in my neighborhood and in the
park adjacent to my neighborhood.
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| Hiking near home |
Since the start of the New Year, the plan has been simple:
Just Keep Moving. The “schedule,” if it can even be called that, looks
something like this:
Monday—Rest
Tuesday—Swim (2400 yards)
Wednesday—Yoga (1 hour)
Thursday—Spin/Cycle on trainer (45 mins)
Friday—Run (5K or less)
Saturday—Strength & Stretch (30 mins)
Sunday—Walk/hike (30-60 mins)
Typically, there is also a 20 minute daily walk with Tri
Dog and Tri D1.
This will likely continue until March, when training for
“the season” begins. What will the season look like, you ask?
Well, when I was training for IMAZ, I envisioned a very
relaxing, low key 2014 season. At my low points, I whined and complained to friends about how much training for IMAZ sucked and to please stage an intervention if I EVER forgot that feeling and started talking about doing another Ironman!
I started talking about doing another Ironman the day
after IMAZ. It just can’t be helped. I have unfinished business with the 140.6.
And, as with childbirth and most other things, you quickly forget about the
pain and suffering involved once you’ve experienced the triumph and
exhilaration of the finish line.
So gums are already flapping about IM 2015. The question is
where . . . and when. Tri Dad, Erik & I tentatively have our sights set on
IM Chattanooga . . .
or IM Florida . . .
Time will tell . . .
Meanwhile, my vision of a low key 2014 went up in flames
when I found out I’d qualified for the 2014 USAT Age Group National
Championships.
Well, that’s just one race you might say. Which is true. It could
have been one and done, but it won’t be. Because another amazing, awesome,
incredible thing happened—I got sponsors. THREE of them.
In 2014 I will be racing for Xterra, SLS3, and the
StrongHope Elite Triathlon Team. So I now have a job to do. A rep to protect.
And I’m gearing myself up for the challenge, adventure and excitement to come in the season
ahead.
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| Use Coupon Code SA-KUHLER to get 60% off! |
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| StrongHope Elite Triathlon Team will raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer |
My longest race this season will be a 70.3, but I may even top out at an Int’l/Oly, as I anticipate having 6-8 races on the schedule this season. So . . .
So much for relaxing! But it’s all good :) Here’s to a great 2014!
Much gratitude to you all for following me on this
journey! I appreciate your support and encouragement more than I can express! So, stay tuned! There's more to come in this triathlon adventure and my quest for the Ironman while striving to live a balanced, healthy, and meaningful life!
