Wendy Graves' Ironman Arizona Report!

 This journey started over a year ago. My crazy training partner somehow convinced me that we should do an Ironman. We chose IM Arizona first and foremost because it fell on her birthday, and birthdays are a big deal to Caitlin. On November 24, 2008 we registered for Ironman Arizona 2009. It’s been an extremely long and difficult journey. There were several times along the way when I was sure I was not meant to be an Ironman.

  December - Insertional calcific tendonosis. No running for three months while in physical therapy. Mind numbingly boring aquajogging instead.

  May - Start running again, just in time to begin our 26 week IM training plan.

  July - Break my foot in karate. Apparently, hip bones are stronger than foot bones.  In a boot for 5 weeks. Miss triathlons, though I do show up for Xterra and do the swim and half of the bike . . . before I decided I was risking further injury if I were to continue.

  October - Our 14 year old cat, Sophie, falls ill.

  End of October - Two weeks of business trips. The second week is my longest week of training at 18+ hours. But I’ve planned out how to get in all the workouts and I’m on track. However, Sophie has to go for overnight stays at the vet on two of our longest bike weekends.  One of these is the weekend when Caitlin did her epic 6 hour spin. I did a 4 hour spin at my house, broken up by a visit to Sophie at the vet.

While in Orlando I discover Sophie’s illness is terminal. That Saturday, I decide to do a 3.5 hr trail run so I’m close to home. By the end of the run, I can barely walk my knee hurts so bad. The next day I start out on a solo 6 hr bike ride. I don’t make it 2 miles before the knee pain is so excruciating I have to turn around.

  Nov 1st – After spending the weekend with her, we say goodbye to Sophie. We miss you.

Three weeks before Ironman:  I have lost my beloved cat, I’m not getting in my long bike rides and I can’t run. I was a mess to say the least. My chiropractor thought he could get me running again no problem. But 10 days away from IM and I’m still unable to run. I contemplate not doing the race. Then I decide I’ll at least do the swim. Then the pain while biking disappears, so I can swim and bike. Then I decide I can always walk 26.2 miles . . .  That’s when I get fitted with a knee brace.

  One week before Ironman:  My stepdad is in the hospital after a fall. I spend the day at the hospital. We hoped he’d come home the next day. But he didn’t. Nor for three more days. They finally release him to go home Thursday, the same day I fly to Tempe.

Thursday before Ironman:  Ironman Athlete Village – I enter it with tempered excitement. So much has happened and is happening in my life. I continuously question if this race is worth it.  But I’ve worked so hard, I can’t quit now.

  Friday before Ironman:  My mother calls to tell me my stepdad had passed away during the night. Two days before Ironman. I REALLY start questioning my priorities. What am I doing in Tempe when I should be at home with my mom? But as before, I decide I have to finish what I started. I know that’s what my stepdad would want. 

  I push my emotions aside and go for a practice swim at Tempe Town Lake. COLD!!!! Phil Kriss had warned me it was cold . . . but it was COLD! I didn’t stop shivering for an hour afterwards. And the air temp was 76! I become concerned about hypothermia on race day, but what can I do at this point? I had purchased a hood, but would that be enough?

  Saturday – Spent the day trying to recover from the emotional trauma of Friday and trying to get in the right frame of mind for Ironman. My 20 minute workout definitely helped my mood! 10 minute swim in the hotel pool followed by a 10 minute run. Followed by our 15 minute bike ride to drop off bikes and gear at the Village. LOVED IT! This was followed by a great dinner at Caitlin’s brother’s house in Scottsdale. Then off to bed early. Caitlin’s sister gave her a fantastic birthday present of 1 night in the host hotel – which was 1 block from the start line! I got to stay as well. Fantastic!

  Sunday, Nov 22:  IRONMAN DAY!!! – 3:30am alarm goes off. So early! Oatmeal for breakfast. Shower, get dressed, head down to the Village. Drop off special needs bags. Get body marked. Freak out a little. Stand in line for bathroom. Stand in line again.

  Swim:
Put on wetsuit and gather at the dock. We have to jump in, swim a couple hundred meters and then tread water until the start. I don’t jump in until they tell us we have to (why hang around in the water longer than necessary?). Caitlin’s already in the water and I’ve lost sight of her.  I scull out to the start line, listen to the national anthem, think of my stepfather looking over me and get ready for the beginning of a very long day. The cannon goes off and the chaos begins! Over 2000 bodies all swimming at once! It wasn’t even swimming at this point, it was merely crawling over the top of one another. Fighting for space. I’m not sure how long it took before it thinned out . . . probably ½ a mile. Then I tried to get into a rhythm and just enjoy the experience. It didn’t happen. At least, not the enjoyment part. I started getting cold pretty quickly. I played mind games to keep going. Thought of everything I’d been through. Then I saw the bridge. Our turnaround was just past the bridge. If I can make it to the turn around, I can do this. At the buoys, someone is getting assistance from a kayak. Maybe I should do that. No . . . that will be just as cold. Let’s keep going. My whole body is aching. I stop and scrunch up my body because the backs of my knees are aching (what’s that all about?). I can do this. I keep going. I see the finish line bridges and they’re getting closer. I stop. Catch my breath (I never stop when swimming, again, what’s going on?). Wonder if I can finish. Think about how I might be even colder when I get out. Then I see the turn to go to the stairs. I’m going to finish the swim if nothing else! Hurrah!

  Swim time:  1:30:14

  Up the stairs to the strippers. This was not the experience I was expecting. I felt they were fighting with me to get my wetsuit off. Then I’m stumbling towards transition, freezing, wishing I had a towel. I see the “warming tent” and am corralled into it. The volunteers quickly wrap me in a warmed blanket and put hot packs under my arms. I am shivering so violently that when they try to give me hot broth I am spilling it all over my blanket. The tent starts to fill up so I decide it’s time to move on. I drag myself out of the tent to pick up my T1 bag and into the changing tent. It takes me a long time to change my clothes. I changed everything because I knew I’d be cold and was hoping dry clothes would warm me up quicker.

  T1: 19:32

  Bike:
Off to grab my bike. Coach T’s (my IMAZing Battle nemesis) bike is gone. Damn. Maybe I’ll catch her on the bike. I am freezing. My jaw and neck ache from my chattering teeth. And I want to sleep. Please get warm. I have to do the bike.  Maybe I won’t be able to do the run because of my knee, but I have to do the bike.

  The bike is three out and back loops. I am halfway out before I start to warm up and pick up the pace. I see Caitlin coming back from the turn around. She looks strong. The pros pass me as they are on their 2nd loop. They are loud with their disc wheels. I love the sound.  I am eating and drinking on schedule. I have no idea of my speed because my cyclometer won’t work. I just ride steady, staying in aero position.  Finally the turnaround appears. Yeah! 1/6th done.  Now for a fast downhill section. That feels great! Back at the start I see Dave and Caitlin’s family cheering me on. Start my second loop. I’m feeling stronger now.  I can do this. My mood improves greatly. Halfway to the turnaround I tell myself, I only have one more time to come up B-Line and two more downhill sections. That’s what keeps me going. I’m now to halfway done with the bike. YEAH! And I’m actually on schedule to do a sub-7 hour ride, which is my goal. Keep it up. Stop very quickly at special needs. Grab the food and go. Throughout the ride I grab Gatorade from volunteers as I ride by. This is amazingly easy. I do stop twice to go to the bathroom. No lines and volunteers hold my bike and replenish my Gatorade stock. Love it. This whole time I’m watching for #2551, Coach T, but I never see her.

  Back to the beginning for Loop 3. Only one more loop. The course is much emptier now as all the fast people are on the run. No more whoosh whoosh of the disc wheels. But now I’m the one passing people. I’m feeling strong. I get to the turnaround and head back to town. My back and neck start feeling sore (more sore?). I start getting nervous about the run. Will my stomach get upset? Will my knee hurt? Okay, one event at a time. Just get through the bike and we’ll deal with the run when it happens.

  Bike:   6:43:42

  Back in town and into T2. Dismount bike.  My bike time is under 7 hours, which was my goal, and I’m pleased. I am on schedule to do no worse than a 14 hour event if I can do a 5 hour run.Grab my gear bag and into the changing tent. Moving a little faster than in T1 . . . but not as fast as I’d like. Change, again. Dry shorts, dry socks, hat, knee brace, remove jersey and run in jog bra. Water bottle holder on. Glide on. Volunteers slather me with sunscreen. That was fun.

  T2:  6:49

  Run:
The run begins. I trained to run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. Try to turn on my watch for those intervals. It won’t work. Crap. Oh well, I have my other watch, so I’ll just have to check it regularly. My legs are bricks. I feel like crap. Get through mile 1. Okay, 1/26th of the way done. Mile 2, 1/13th of the way done. Stop thinking that way. Just think “5 more minutes”. Sponges are FANTASTIC! Keeping me cool because by now it’s in the mid-70’s and I don’t deal well with heat (yeah yeah, I get hypothermia in the swim and overheat on the run).  I see Dave around mile 3. He asks how I’m doing. Crappy, but my knee’s not hurting, so that’s great! It’s so good to see and talk with him.

  I pass by Caitlin’s family twice and scream both times while flexing my muscles. YEAH! Then, I’ve finished the first of three run loops. 8.7 miles done. On to Loop 2. The brick feeling has gone and I’m feeling much better. I’m sticking to the 5 min run, 1 min walk plan. I’m eating and drinking regularly. My stomach is feeling good. I’m not overheated. This is all good. I look for Dave at mile 11 but don’t see him. However, I do see my amazing training partner Caitlin. She’s on her last loop. We talk for a while. I tell her how I have cursed her name over and over throughout the day. But I still love her and she’s having an amazing race. I’m so proud of her. Then I leave her behind. I’m feeling fresh and strong and she’s struggling a bit on her last lap. I can’t wait for her. But . . . why not? This is stupid. We trained for this together for so long. I want to bring her in to the finish line. I want to hear Mike Reilly say those words . . . Caitlin Norton, you are an Ironman. So I stop and wait for her to catch up. We run together the last couple of miles, talking about our day. As I’m bringing her in, I start yelling to the crowds and pointing at Caitlin “Here’s an Ironman!!!!”  I wish her Happy Birthday and tell her to show them what an Ironman looks like as I split away from her and she goes down the finisher’s chute. I continue on with my last loop.

  The adrenaline rush of seeing Caitlin off to the finish has taken a bit out of me. Why can’t I be done, too? Suck it up. Just one more loop. Keep on schedule. I see Dave again and he tells me that there is a bike split missing for Coach T. Did she DNF? Did I pass her without knowing it? Am I winning the Battle? This gives me a burst of energy. That and the fact that my pace has been steady and I’m sure to do a sub-5 hour run. I think I’ll finish in 13:30. Dave tells me if I keep up the pace, I can easily make it. I see him again on the bridge. It’s so nice to have him supporting me. Not much further to go. I’m now at mile 25. No more walking. I’m finishing this thing. I start yelling at spectators “I am going to be an Ironman”! Some nice woman asks if she can have my abs. I tell her only if she wants to finish the race for me. Hmmm . . . no takers. Oh well. As I approach the chute, there is Dave again, helping me finish. Then he veers off so as not to get me DQ’d. I start yelling to the crowds “I AM GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN!” They start cheering and I high five everyone along the route! Uh oh . . . where is the finish line? Did I get too excited too soon? Do I have enough in me to keep going? Hells yeah! Right before the finish I burst ahead to pass one more person and cross that finish line. Did Mike Reilly say something? No idea? I was too busy digging at the finish line . . . cause what else would the Gravedigger do? 

  Run:  4:50:24

  Then my catcher grabs me, wraps me in mylar and walks me through the line. This was amazing. My catcher told me he did a full Ironman and four halves this year. More impressive, last year he weighed 400 pounds. And this guy looked like an Ironman. I told him he was way more impressive than me and it was an honor to meet him. Wow.  What an end to an amazing day.

  Total Time:  13:30:41

  Wendy Graves – You are an Ironman!!!!
 

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