September 27, 2015
RACE DAY!!!!
I actually did not sleep well, mostly because I was
concerned that I would oversleep. My alarm
sounds at 4 am, but I was already
awake. Brandi and I chat for a bit and finally get up to start collecting our things.
I realize that I had not applied my “tri tats” so I grab wet paper towels and
apply the “44” and the M-dot (the Ironman brand) to each calf. As I check my
handy work, I realize that I applied the “44” vertically and not
horizontally…don’t judge, it was 4 am…lol I begin to laugh at myself and shared
my blunder with Brandi, she offers to apply my arm tats and I agree to apply
hers.
Tat blunder #2, I forgot to remove the backing from one of
Brandi’s sets and it stuck to the paper. I actually cried about that one, I
felt so bad. I apologized profusely and her reply “we’re TriTwins, so since
your shoulder is taped and you have to write your bib number on the KT tape,
just write on my arm.” Reason number 1, 345, 298 why I have the best TriTwin
ever.
We head down to meet Richard and Carlos to head over to
transition; I could not shake the feeling that I was forgetting something. As we got closer to transition I see a
lady take a drink from her water bottle and boom… ALL OF OUR BOTTLES were in
the refrigerator at the hotel. I immediately share my revelation with Brandi
and Richard and he reassures us that he will get our hydration…no worries. He
returned with bottles before I was satisfied with my transition set up.
The Start
|
The Best. Husband. Ever! |
I was very emotional as we headed down to the swim start and
very happy that my family was there. I hug and kiss my husband, hug my father
and stepmother who flew in from Indiana to watch me race, and hug my daughter,
Tiara. They were all wearing the shirts I designed with my bib on the front. We
snapped a few pictures and continued our way to the start. Dorian took so many
pictures and captured some candid moments, many of them caught Brandi and me crying.
The Swim:
I line up with my wave and see Veronica Wright; she has such
a sweet spirit. She shares that “everyone” is there and she will point them in
our direction so we can see them before we start. Before I know it here comes a
portion of the Black Triathletes Association Support Crew-Valerie, Tasha Mack,
and Tony. We hug, take pictures, and I line up with my swim wave. Janelle, my soror is volunteering! Dee, is racing and is in my wave. I was really happy to see them too. BTA was rolling deep in Augusta!
As we walk to the dock, I am really having a good time, just
being silly. We make it down to the dock and I get into the water to fill my wetsuit
and wait for the gun. Some chick says to me “move over.” I reply “no, I was
here first, you walk down and find a spot.” She scoffs and stands there. I
shrug and I inform her “you better not jump on me.” She walks away. The gun
goes off.
I hang back as my wave starts and allow others to go, I
still am not comfortable swimming with the pack. Once things clear a bit I
start my stroke; after about 8 strokes I suck in water, panic, and flip on my
back. “Okay, get your shit together, Elle.” I flip back over after a couple of
minutes and hear Carlos say “buoy to buoy!” I nod and begin to swim…buoy to
buoy. I finally settle in and all of a sudden something I feel something
touching my foot. Shit, it was the wave behind me…the men! I was so afraid of
them swimming over me that I kicked a little harder when someone touched me and
my stroke was a little wider. I did that for a while and the rest of my swim
was uneventful. I exit the swim. Yes!!!
Goal: 41:00 Actual: 44:25
|
I'm Out!! |
T1: Swim to bike-8:49
OMG, the run from the swim exit to transition was so long.
My legs felt heavy but I felt good. I spotted the wetsuit strippers and they
had my suit off in seconds…that was fun. I run to my bike and change into my
gear. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. My helmet felt weird, it was on
backwards. My hands were shaking. I begin sipping on Infinit and head towards
the bike exit. Oh shoot, my Garmin was still on my wrist. I take it off, put it
on the bike and off I go.
The Bike:
I LOVE THE BIKE. LOVE THE BIKE. I felt so good. I had a
strategy for my nutrition and how I would tackle this 56 miles. I set my Garmin
to alert me when it was time to drink and I would take it easy on the hills. I had
an idea of the course, I rode it during the summer. I had reviewed the YouTube
video of the course, and I reviewed the course sheet Brandi made for us. I slowed down my pace; I knew what was
waiting for me…DISRESPECTFUL HILLS!
Mentally, I clustered the 56 miles into 5 sets of 10…plus 6.
After every 10 I would say out loud “Elle, you have 4 more sets…3 more
sets…etc.” I was passed… a lot. I
passed… a lot. I got tickled when I called out “Elle on your left.” I cursed the
hills, I remember crying around mile marker 44 as I rode through the Wounded
Warriors memorial, and I remember smiling as I saw Janita around mile marker
50. I had a good time.
Goal time: 4:15:00. Actual: 4:07:22
T2: 4:41
I was still feeling so good; I was diligent with my
nutrition and finished my bottles (Infinit Custom Blend). My legs felt heavy,
but I wasn’t concerned, the feeling was familiar. I changed my shoes, grabbed
my hand held water bottle, and visor.
The Run: 3:22:20
I am not a fan of running, but I am happy because this is
the last leg. I see Richard and Carlos; Richard shouts out words of encouragement
and shares where my family and BTA are located on the course. Richard also
shares my time and that Brandi is about 15 minutes ahead of me. I ask Richard
and Carlos to get away from me because I don’t want a penalty, they drop back.
The run course feels flat and it is lined with spectators,
everyone is cheering. It was amazing. I start my 3:1 intervals and they lasted
all of 4 miles, after that, the fun was gone and the misery began shortly
thereafter.
Mile 7sh, I check my time and I am on pace to finish in
about 8:20:00ish, but then it happens, “The Gush” happens. The freakin’ Gush of
urine. I pee on myself. I am mortified because I did not feel the urge to go. I
run to a port o potty, struggle with clothes, the flood gates open, I struggle
with clothes again. I feel so relieved. I can’t believe I didn’t know I had to
pee. I continue on my run and grab water at the aid station and douse my girl
bits. Shoot, now my shoes are wet. I am worried about the time I lost.
I see my husband and he calmly says, “baby, you need to pick
up the pace” (or something like that). I reply, “okay, it’s time to finish this
shit.” I remember Melana, Diana, and several other BTA folks began to chant,
“finish this shit! Finish this shit. I smiled. I love my BTA Family.
I change my watch to the time of day vs. elapsed time; this
gave me a better understanding how much time I had. I remember thinking “Elle,
you have to keep a 15 min/mile.” I pray. I actually beg for strength to push. I remind myself “you need to finish by
4:36pm. You can do this. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up. Don’t DNF.” I
see my dad and Jessie; they are ringing the cowbells and cheering. I see Carlos
and I ask him how much longer until the finish. He explains the last bit of the
course and I yell for him to get away, I cannot afford a penalty. He moves…I
think.
I finally pass the finish line…again heading into the final
loop. I pass the Marriott…the aid station, turn the corner, and another, then I
see the finish chute. I look at my watch. I run a little faster. I give high 5s.
I begin to cry. I cross the finish. I see Brandi and she puts my medal on. I am
done. I am done. I see my baby girl, T’Lai, my son, Christopher, and Lai’s
friends. I cry more. I am so excited. So tired. I am finished. This is how my story ends.
Goal finish time 8:29:59 Actual: 8:27:37 (I actually had to finish the entire course 8:30:00 or I would have been received a Did not Finish...DNF)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that my Infinit custom blend is the best. Other than sucking on an orange slice to taste something different and a couple cups of water, Infinit was my only source of nutrition once I got on the bike. Prior to my swim, I used 3 scoops of UCAN. The only issue I had was a side stitch heading into the final couple of miles on the run.