"Just Keep Swimming"

Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do? 

Marlin: No I don't wanna know.

Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim. 

Marlin: Dory, no singing. 

Dory: [continuing] Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho. I love to swim. When you want to swim you want to swim. 

Marlin: Now I'm stuck with that song... Now it's in my head. 

Dory: Sorry. 

Surely you remember the classic scene from "Finding Nemo" 

Last week I had a coaching session with my friend Dave who's a swim coach.  I had quite a few "ah ha" moments just the first hour we spent in the water.  Part of my problem in the past has been trying to focus on way too many factors related to my stroke, as there were so many things to correct, but he continues to remind me to simplify what's going on in the head and body - and focus on only a couple of things at a time.  Very helpful.

Between his guidance and some insight I'm gleaning from Sheila Taormina's new book on swim technique, I believe I'm making progress toward getting faster.  I know it's as much a mindset as as skill, and one day indeed I will graduate from the turtle lane at Master's swim class.

Dory's advice is wise.  Just keep swimming.

It's on!

I'm very excited to be working with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County to raise as much money as possible to support their great work with local kids and families, through my upcoming Ironman race in Hawaii. The members of Erin Baker’s Triathlon Team have chosen to give back to our communities by supporting the Clubs through the Ironman/Janus Charity Challenge.  It's going to add a whole new dimension to our racing as it's not about us, but the kids.  Our sponsor, Erin Baker’s Wholesome Baked Goods, has worked closely with the Whatcom Boys and Girls club, providing healthy food for the kids at that Clubhouse.  

The Larimer Chapter I’ve chosen actually has 3 clubhouses... one each in Fort Collins, Loveland and Wellington, CO. I had heard of the Boys and girls clubs before, but had never really taken the time to learn more about what they are and the work they do.  I have been quite blown away with the impact they make for kids who need support the most. Did you know that the cost to attend a Boys and Girls Club is only $5 per year per child?  The rest of the money that is required for staff and operating expenses must be raised through sponsorship and donations.  

Many of the kids at the Clubhouses are from families who are experiencing challenges of one kind or another.  Sometimes they are in need of positive role models, or to be in a safe and supervised environment for part of the day. Most of them receive free or reduced lunches at school.  What the Boys and Girls Clubhouse gives them is the means and incentive to bring out the best in themselves.  Whether it’s help with schoolwork, opportunities to be introduced to and play sports, to learn new skills in areas like music, art or dance, to have access to technology, or to just be in a place that is accepting and nurturing - the Clubhouses provide that for so many kids.

My fundraising goal is $50,000.  I’ve partnered with the Larimer Clubs to help them create a huge event called "Day for Kids" - a fun-filled day of activities and educational events for kids and their families to be held on September 25, 2010 at the Front Range Village in Ft Collins.  It’s free for everyone and we invite you to go to our website(click here) to get more details.  If you'd like to donate, please be sure to do that through the link in the next paragraph so that we can count it toward the Charity Challenge.

In addition to the "Day for Kids," I am asking friends, family, total strangers, local businesses and everyone I can think of - to donate whatever they can in support of our goal. You can do that online at the link here: 

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=331922&supID=298538535

I'm excited to have the opportunity to support the work being done to support these kids in our local communities. On the day before my Ironman in Hawaii, the Janus Charity Challenge will tally up the funds that have been raised by all the athletes who are fundraising for that race.  They will add a financial bonus to the totals of the top 5 fundraisers...:

• 1st place fundraiser: $10,000 extra
• 2nd place: $8,000 extra
• 3rd place: $6,000 extra
• 4th place: $4,000 extra
• 5th place: $2,000 extra

In addition, Janus will add $750 to the total donations of the next 30 fundraisers.

It’s my goal to be the top fundraiser at the IM World Championship, so that BGC of Larimer County will receive an ADDITIONAL 10K on top of what we are able to raise for them.   

Please consider helping us out with a donation if you are able.  We have 7 weeks to get this done. Give early!  Give often!   The Club, the kids and I thank you so much for your support!

Click here to see a very short video about of the many BCG successful alumni!

Giving Back

Next week I'm going to get the opportunity to meet with the director of the Boys and Girls Club in Ft Collins for which I'll be fundraising with my participation in the Hawaii Ironman, through the Janus Charity Challenge.  We'll be putting some plans in place, and hopefully coming up with some ideas that are creative, fun and bring in lots of dollars for the kids.

In the effort to juggle career, family, friends and Ironman training - balance is the goal and that's not always easy.  Every day I look at the training tasks and do my best to faithfully execute them.  Most days I do them willingly and with enthusiasm - but sometimes I go into them with residual fatigue from training and work the days before and too few hours sleep.  Even so,  when I remember to bring with me the gratitude for a healthy body, our active lifestyle here in Boulder, family and friends who support me and the opportunities that have been laid before me - it's easier to get out the door and get it done.

While all the time I spend on my training often feels quite self-absorbed and ego-centric, I love having the opportunity to give back through the Charity Challenge.  I'm looking forward to reaching out into the community and make some new connections in Fort Collins.

Stay tuned for updates!

Addicted to Neoprene

It's the family secret nobody talks about.  Addictions.  Drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling....and neoprene.  I have a long-sleeve and short-sleeve wetsuit and I love them both.  Each has a special place in my heart.  The long-sleeve BlueSeventy kept me warm, buoyant and alive during my recent Alcatraz swim.  The sleeveless Ironman wetsuit has seen years of swims, allowing me to move my arms freely but with that extra confidence  of having my own personal inner tube.   But there comes a day when once must face her own inner demons. I have swatted the open water fear thing to the ground, knowing that in a wetsuit it's virtually impossible to drown even during a panic attack.  

When I qualified for the Hawaii Ironman at a race in Lubbock a few weeks ago, I didn't think twice about saying YES to the invitation to compete there.   Yes, it's true that the water temperature is typically above 80 degrees and wetsuits would be really uncomfortable even if they allowed them.  And it's the ocean, with that beautiful salt-water buoyancy. As luck would have it, we were in Jamaica back in April and swam every day in the ocean....it was fine...enjoyable, even wonderful.  Little did I know then that I'd be doing 2.4 miles of that in October.

So today was the first day that I forced myself to swim outside the protected swim area of the Boulder Reservoir "sans wetsuit."  Did one lap with my wetsuit, took it off, did the rest of the swim without it.   The hard part comes when I'm way out there and the thought creeps into my mind "Holy sh*%#$, I'm out here swimming all by myself and out of control...(yes, I apparently like to be in control) ....OMG"  So I made sure that I just paused a couple of times out there, felt that out of control feeling, dealt with it, moved on & didn't die.   I think my swim stroke may even be a little better without the neoprene crutch. Who knew?

Every time I this, it's gonna feel better.  Small steps.  I'm on the 12 step program, today was step 1.  I can do this.  After all, I'm an Alcatraz Survivor.

Leap of Faith into San Francisco Bay

A few months ago my husband Warren started talking about going back to swim the Alcatraz Challenge Aquathon, which he did in 2006.  This is a   swim from Alcatraz Island across the San Francisco Bay to the shore at Chrissy Field - about a mile & 1/2, followed by a 7 mile run across the Golden Gate Bridge and back.  He had done it with his friend John back then, and I done most of the run with him, but remember watching the swim and saying "I'll NEVER to that!"  Way too scary.
Warren kept talking it up nonstop with folks in our triathlon club, until he'd convinced 7 other people to sign up for a group outing.  Geez! -  Looks like I'm going to have to do it after all.  What is it about a group challenge that I just can't seem to walk away from?

To say I was apprehensive about the swim was a gross understatement.  What was I afraid of?  Sharks?  50 degree water?  Powerful current sweeping me under the Golden Gate Bridge and out to sea?  Rough water that was beyond my swimming skill or strength?  And don't forget actual fear itself?  Yes.  All of the above.  A big scary unknown that I did not permit myself to even think about until just a few days before the race - when we got on the plane to go to San Francisco.  Then it became real...an OMG moment.

Friends that had done the Alcatraz swim before had told me that it was a pleasant, even fun swim.  They had said that it was beautiful swimming in the bay with the amazing scenery and the hundreds of other people around you.  They had said that it was actually quite safe with a lot of kayaks and boats and jetski's in the water around you.  So I held these positive thoughts in my head and started to feel like it was going to be OK.  Five Ironman finishes behind me including 2.4 mile swims....Cowgirl up!,...you can do this, Pam.

Warren & I swam in the ocean in Santa Cruz a few days before the race; the water was calm after we got past the breakers and not really scary at all.  The water temperature was about 58 degrees.  I only stayed in the water about 20 minutes, and I didn't get as cold as I thought I would.  I started to feel optimistic about the cold, thinking it was going to be fine.  I planned to wear earplugs(I'd heard this helped with the cold water) and a neoprene cap under my race-issued swim cap, and of course a long-sleeve wetsuit.

We went to the required athlete meeting the day before the race, and the news was not good.  Race officials had swum the course that day and had found the water to be rough and the current strong.  While the website reported that most years, the majority of the swimmers finished the race in 30-40 minutes, this year it was taking an hour to an hour + 15 minutes.  The day was foggy and cold, and there were 4 to 5 foot swells in the bay - and the same conditions expected for race day.  OK.  Here we go.

Surprisingly I wasn't outwardly panicked, but tried to remain calm knowing I'd just have to do the best I could do - but knew I'd probably be out there a long time.

Then it was race day...foggy, dreary, cold.  Our friends and we climbed aboard the ferry in our wetsuits and along with 700 other competitors, were transported out to a spot in the bay which was just off Alcatraz Island.  I was quite nervous, but thought I was masking it well and maintaining composure - but my friends tell me now that I looked pretty frazzled on race morning.  Before we knew it they threw open the doors of the ferry, we crossed the timing mat and one by one we took the big leap about 10 feet down into the chilly waters of the bay.  Our friend Charles was the first one out - and sped off swimming very fast.  He ended up having a great day, and made it to the Podium!  But even he said that the conditions made it the hardest swim he'd ever done, a full 16 minutes slower than his best Alcatraz swim.

You had to hold your goggles on your face so that they didn't get knocked off with the impact of hitting the water.  When I hit the water I wasn't as shocked as I thought I'd be by the cold but I became strangely disoriented.  Warren jumped right before me, and then looked back at me.  He said I was swimming all wierd kind of like dog paddling with my head up out of the water.  He yelled "put your head in the water!"  which made me kind of snap out of this dazed state I appeared to be in - and I put my head in and actually started swimming forward.  We had been told to immediately swim hard, bearing to the left, to avoid being swept into this section of the bay that was very choppy (like a "washing machine" they said) because of the topography on the bottom of the bay - so I did that and think I was able to get away from it.  Didn't see Warren again til after the race.

The hard part of the Alcatraz Swim in figuring out which line to take to shore.  Because of the strong current pulling you toward the bridge, you have to aim toward certain landmarks to have the end result of landing at a different landmark.  If you misjudge this, you may get "repositioned" by one of the jetski people out there who have determined that you are too far down the bay toward the bridge to be able to swim against the current to get to the finish line.  That's what happened to me - I overshot the finish line and spent 10-15 minutes trying to get back making no progress at all.  So this SFPD jetski comes up and lets me know he's repositioning me(and another guy swimming near me).  They don't ask you...they tell you and you don't argue. So we climbed up on this platform being pulled by the jetski and were taken up the bay a bit to a spot parallel to where we were before, but in a place that was more "current-friendly" to ending up at the finish line.  It was a lot easier to swim in from that point than from our original position, which was pretty much impossible.  You "can't get there from here" kind of scenario.

Much of the time I was swimming I was pretty much alone out there with no one near me, and times when I couldn't see anyone.  The water was very rough, and I felt very beat up and vulnerable.  I breathe to the left and fortunately most of the swells were coming from the right - which was a blessing for sure. I usually tend to avoid other swimmers in an open water swim, but not this time.  It was comforting having someone else around and scary when I looked around and saw no one - no boats, no people...and no shore anywhere near me.  There were a couple of moments that I felt that strong uneasiness out there, that in the past has lead to outright panic.  The physical manifestation of this is typically hyperventilation and racing heartbeat.  I did stop for a couple of moments and collect myself - and then it was OK and I just kept swimming.  For much of the swim I kept a silent mantra in my head:  "Calm, Steady, Strong.  Calm, Steady, Strong...."

When I finally got out of the water, my hands were feeling really cold, even numb.  An hour & 15 minutes was what it took me to get across.  I got my money's worth as I swam a ridiculous zig-zag crazy path all across that Bay.  Warren finished about a half hour faster than me...he swam extremely well!

I spent almost 4 minutes in transition, putting on some clothes I thought I'd need to stay warm in the run & struggling to get the wetsuit off with hands that weren't functioning well.  But once I was off on the run, it was all good.  I had a decent 56-minute run for the 7 miles - missed having the fastest run time in my age group by just a few seconds.  However, it's damn near impossible to come back from a swim that slow to have any chance of ending up near the top of the age group standings - my finish place was 5th in the 10-year age group 50-59.   On the bridge run, I collided with a little Asian gentlemen that stepped out just as I was passing him.   He was very apologetic. :-)

My coach George said that I'd be glad I did this race after it was over.  He is right.  It was a great opportunity for me to experience and manage the nervousness of a challenging swim - no doubt a preview of my upcoming swim in Kona.  Only that one will be without a wetsuit....which is how I need to be swimming for most of my open water swims for the rest of the summer.  I need to!  Time to let that wetsuit dependency go.

I'm so proud of my friends who excelled and represented for our BTC team on the podium at the Alcatraz Challege....Charles, Amanda, Megan....and of course the rest of our team members who took on and conquered this weekend....Warren, Dieter, Andy, Laura, Rebecca.  Thank you so much to all of you who encouraged me so much.  I leaned on you and soaked in your energy and I hope you feel the love I send back to you,

I have to go back and do this again next year.  I know I can do better.  You should come too.  Maybe with a little luck we'll get a sunny day and the kind of Alcatraz swim that these other people say is wonderful.  That's gotta be a completely different experience - here's hoping we get that one next time!

Peaking at Boulder

The Boulder Peak Triathlon is a well-known Olympic Distance race that draws athletes from all over the country.  Boulder is of course a great vacation destination, and the mountains nearby offer lots to do for families of athletes before and after race day.

We are so proud of our adopted Aussie son, Tim Reed, who went into the Boulder Peak saying he didn't expect to make the top ten among the pro's - and ended up SECOND behind Tim O'Donnell.  Tim had such a strong performance and we are very excited for him.  His adorable girlfriend Monica (aka "Amanda") arrived here in Boulder on Friday and raced the Peak as well - and it was great that she was here to share in Tim's great day on Sunday.  We know he has "heaps" of good races ahead of him in the months and years ahead.

My greatest competition on race day locally typically comes from the many strong women in my age group right here in Colorado. It's usually the same familiar faces that show up on the podium.  Many of  these women have been Age Group All-Americans for many years.  They were collegiate athletes usually in running or swimming, and they routinely kick each others' butts at races all over the country.  My goal this year has been to get a little closer to their golden performances, and to try to figure out what they are doing that I'm NOT doing, in hopes of improving.

I did have the good fortune of finishing third in my age group at Boulder Peak yesterday. I pushed a little harder on the bike from the beginning of the ride, up a gradual incline before a really big steep climb on Old Stage Hill.  My quads were already aching before I even got to Old Stage...oops, bad news.  Turned out ok though.  I am loving my Kestrel Air Foil bike so much these days.  Had a blowout in my front tire coming down a steep descent this week, and was able to keep it in control - feeling very comfortable on this bike.

While I had the fastest run of the age group by over a minute, and the third fastest bike, that fact is diminished by a swim that was 7 minutes slower than #1, and 12 minutes slower than #2.  I did swim a few minutes faster than the last time I did this race in '09, but it's ridiculous, really, that I try so hard on this swim thing and get such small improvement.  Obviously the things I'm trying aren't the things that will get me faster in the water.

It's a little frustrating how the swim comes so easy for some people.  Geez, they even look forward to swimming and smile when they know it's a swim training day.  I don't hate it anymore and sometimes it's pleasant with good mojo, but I'd MUCH rather be running along enjoying the trees and the sun even when it's a hard run workout - than scooting along with my face in the water.  One thing I do differently now is making sure I have the right attitude before going to the pool or the lake to do what needs to be done, and work on staying positive.  Maybe one day it will be fun. :-)  I have hope.

This coming weekend I'll be doing the Alcatraz Challenge.  It's a 1.5 mile swim in the bay, followed by a 7 mile run across the Golden Gate Bridge.  I'm trying to be positive about it, as jumping into a cold ocean doesn't seem anything close to fun to me.  I'm also trying not to think about it and seeing it as a way to toughen up, in keeping with my mission to to expand my comfort zone with challenging endeavors. Warren has promised to swim with me the whole time.  Not really.  I expect him to swim off and leave me within seconds.  I just gotta be a big girl and suck it up.  And I am not afraid to cry if I need to.

My Perfect Storm at Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon

When I was planning my race season this year, I thought twice before including the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon.  Warren & I raced it last year - it was where he got his qualifying slot for the 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater.  My day there last year was less than impressive....I went into it feeling undertrained as my coach at the time was bringing me very slowly along toward a peak for the 70.3 at the end of September. My time was very slow and I was a disappointing 7th in my age group.

But a race you can drive to is always much less of a hassle, so among 70.3 races in early summer, it was between BSLT in Lubbock and the one in Kansas.  We did Kansas in ’08 - not a bad race but we figured if we went to Texas we could also see our daughter who lives in Austin ( a mere 6 & 1/2 hours away from Lubbock). Plus BSLT offers the rare situation of both one Kona slot and at least one Clearwater slot in each age group - since my age group is smaller than most others, we only get one Clearwater slot.  The goal for me this year was to qualify for Clearwater, and so I thought I had a better chance of getting lucky on the rolldown.  And, BSLT has a reputation as a tough race with hills, heat and wind - which apparently keeps a lot of people away because the race never sells out.  So, maybe less people competing with me for those magic slots? Maybe.

Unfortunately, one of the women in my age group is many-time Ironman Age Group World Champion, the legendary Missy LeStrange.  I saw an article online listing her as one of the top 10 all-time Age Group Champions in Kona.  So, pretty much if she shows up for the race, it’s a given that she will win the age group. I googled the names of some of the other 55-59 women that had also signed up for BSLT this year.  There were some strong contenders based on their previous race results, but I thought MAYBE if I trained hard and was able to bring it on the day, I might just have a shot at the podium.

Last year’s BSLT race was rainy and humid, but not as hot as it had been in previous years where the temperatures rose above 100 degrees. This year the forecast was for low-mid 90’s.  Hot, but not too bad.  The worrisome thing for me was that the water temperature was really close to being non-wetsuit-legal.  I think they even said “don’t count on wearing wetsuits” at the pre-race meeting (which I didn’t attend).  Facebook posts the day before kept saying “no wetsuits at BSLT.”  Of course we wouldn’t know for sure til race morning. Though I had borrowed a skinsuit just in case wetsuits were no-go, I’d never swam in it.  Though I’ve come a long way in terms of being comfortable in open water, my wetsuit gives me just a little more confidence, and this was going to be my first non-wetsuit triathlon.  Our resident Aussie pro triathlete Tim kept telling me that he thought I might even swim better without the wetsuit, but it was a matter of a voice in my head saying “no wetsuit...OMG!”  In my conscious mind, I kept telling myself, "no worries! You’ve been swimming well, this is all good" - but nevertheless, the night before the race that worry voice in my head kept waking me up giving me another dose of “oh crap! no wetsuit!”

As we walked into the transition area on race morning, the Race Director was shouting to the arriving athletes “Wetsuits are legal.”  Oh happy day.  My stress level immediately dropped about 80%.  Would I have been OK without my wetsuit?  Probably just fine.  But it’s all about what’s going on in your HEAD, not necessarily reality.

The game plan was to try to push the swim more than I have in the past, then steady on the bike, picking it up in the last 10 miles if possible, and steady on the run picking it up in the last 3 miles if possible.  The time goal was 6 hours.  

I was in the second wave, set to go off at 6:35.  The good thing about that is that we get started early hopefully to finish before it got too hot.  The bad thing is that faster waves behind me will be swimming on top of me.  And they did.  I got my goggles knocked off my eyes not once but twice.  My vision is about 20/400 so without my contacts I’m blind as a bat and wouldn’t have been safe on my bike had I lost them.  So, twice, I stopped dead in the water, shook the water out of my goggles, got them back on my eyes and then started swimming again.  Frustration.  I felt I was swimming pretty well.  I know I need to do a better job of swimming behind another swimmer for the drafting advantage - I tried and did a few times.  My tendency when it gets congested out there is to avoid those aggressive swimmers who are swinging arms fast and furious, and kicking hard...the best way to do this is to stay off the main traffic line, which obviously means I’m not really swimming the shortest most direct route start to finish.  So this obviously cost me some time on the  swim.

Came out of the water in 39 minutes.  Last year my swim time at BSLT was a ridiculous 51 minutes.  39 minutes is not GREAT but better and I find hope in improvement.  

Wetsuit strippers waiting to pull off your wetsuit.  I love that.  On to T1.

So my coach George had told me that I’ve spent too much time in transition in previous races, and he's right. So I was determined to get in & out of there ASAP.  Shoes & helmet on...grabbed my bike....ran out and across the timing mat....then realized I had left my sunglasses back in the transition area on my towel.  Damn!  For a moment I thought, just go without them!  But the wind was already blowing and I thought how bad it would feel  for 56 miles with the bright sunshine glare and dried out contacts - I knew I had to go back and get them.  There was a volunteer standing there and I yelled to him “hey take my bike please - I have to go back to transition” - he looked a little confused but took the bike and I started off to my towel at the OTHER end of the big transition area, running in bike shoes,  and I heard a crashing noise in just a few seconds - I looked back and my bike was on the ground!  Damn again!  I kept running (in bike shoes) back, dodging other athletes with bikes coming toward me in the narrow walkway toward the bike exit - really frustrating for me & them!  Got my sunglasses, started back toward the bike exit, got behind two people with bikes who weren’t in much of a hurry to get out of there - damn again! - finally back to where my bike was on the ground.  Now I’m noticing that all my liquid nutrition that was in the bottle between my aero bars has spilled out on the ground.  There goes my nutrition plan!  I’m starting to calculate in my head how I will replace those calories...guess I’ll be drinking gatorade on the course.  Plus my bike time is going to be 2-3 minutes slower than it should be as I’d already crossed the mat and then had to run back to transition.  Damn again.

Finally on the road on the bike.  Hmm, it’s a little windy.  I’m passing people, it’s good.  One of the few upsides of being a slow swimmer is passing tons of people who beat you out of the water.  :-)  Passed a couple of women in my age group in the first 10 miles.  

Then up the road a bit I see a woman who looks like Missy.  Is it her?  Really?  Can I really be passing her?  OMG. Go for it Pam - pass & keep going.

Now it’s really in my head.  I think it was her!  And, by golly, she is NOT going to catch me.  Bring the heat, push the bike, go!

By the middle of the ride, the wind has picked up.  There are 7 big hills on the bike course, but those annoyed me way less than the headwind in the last 10 miles.  Took in some salt tabs in the last half of the bike as it was also getting hot. The bike was hard, but knowing that I had to hold off Missy, I tried to keep pushing it with the best pace I could muster and staying relaxed in my upper body.  Really glad to see the bike finish line.  

My second transition went better than my first.  Bike shoes & helmet off, sox & run shoes on, hat on....go!  

The run was pretty slow but it was steady.  I slowed to a walk for a few seconds at about half the aid stations but then picked it back up to run.  Took gatorade and water(to drink and pour on my head & body).  They ran out of coke, I hated that - needed some caffeine!  I used the wet cloths they were giving out, those helped cool me down a lot.  I was passing some people and though some men were passing me, only a few women did.  I came up on a woman in my age group around mile 6 and passed her - gave me some added incentive to stay steady so she would not pass me back - and she didn’t. 

The last 3 miles were especially hard.  I didn’t have any cramping which was good, but my legs just didn’t have much life in them anymore after the hard bike ride.  So that was when I knew I was going to have to dig in and find some happy in my head to get me through this.  Physically I focused on keeping my arm swing strong and letting my legs follow, and staying relaxed.  I remembered some of Mark Allen’s articles and his book Fit Soul Fit Body, and started find that connection to nature to draw on that strength, and reminding myself how grateful and blessed I am to be out here doing this in the first place.  It worked; even as tired as I was I found an extra reserve of energy to pick up the pace after mile 12.  Something about knowing the finish line is near works wonders.

My finish time was 6 hours 4 minutes.  I had taken 28 minutes off my 2009 time at this race.  It felt good!  I saw Warren right after finishing and he told me that Missy had come in before me - so I was wrong about having passed her.  Damn again!  But, doing the whole race feeling like I was “hunted” instead of my usual “hunter” position, it was a good thing because I knew I had to keep the pressure on and not ease up.   Was it super fast...no...but it was as fast as I could go on the day and THINKING that I was ahead of her gave me a boost.

So George called and said that I’d finished second in my age group, which meant, woo hoo....I would get my Clearwater slot!  Missy was first and of course she would get the Kona slot.   We tried to find out if she had maybe already qualified for Kona at another race, but didn’t find anything to indicate that was the case.  No worries... I was happy...my Clearwater goal had been achieved!

Fast forward to the Awards Ceremony that night.  I saw Missy and went up to congratulate her.  I introduced myself...she apparently recognized my name as the second place finisher.  Then she spoke the golden words, “You know, I already have my Kona slot so I won’t be taking it today.”  OMG.  I am getting a Kona slot.  No Clearwater for me, baby!

I was stunned.  I hugged her - she probably thought I was a complete babbling idiot - I was shouting to Warren amidst the loud music playing and it was completely surreal and unbelievable.  As it turned out Missy put her name in the Ironman Lottery this year and got a slot that way.  Wow, really?!  Whatever! - it was my good fortune that the Lottery gods smiled on her, which opened the door for ME to get the Kona slot in Lubbock!   It was indeed the Perfect Storm of conditions setting this up for me - her getting the lottery slot, me choosing BSLT to race after being disappointed there last year, me thinking I'd passed her so I pushed myself more, coming in second to her...  Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen....I always thought my trip to Kona would be as IronMate to Warren when he qualified.  The only way the day could have been better would have been if he’d gotten a slot at BSLT too.  He is so deserving and will get there one day, I’m sure of it.  Thanks so much for your support of my race and my dreams, my Big Wazza! (Tim’s new name for him! :-)  )

So I ended up finishing less than 8 minutes, behind Missy.  She kicked my butt in the swim by about 11 minutes (!!!)) - but I beat her by about 7 minutes on the run.  She was a little faster on the bike, but then she probably didn't have to run back & get her sunglasses. ha.  I feel good about keeping it together mentally in delivering my best performance on a tough day & a tough course, against world-class competition.  

Thanks so much to all my friends who sent good wishes after hearing the news of my unbelievable good fortune!!!  The support has been so great and I will definitely be looking to all of you IM Hawaii alumni for advice as I begin this journey.

OMG.  I’m going to Kona.  Now the REAL training begins.  After all, I'm sure Missy's afraid of me now.    (Even bigger ha ha)

Cheers, everyone!