What I learned in Canada. . .
by Beverly @ Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 2.0Ironman Canada Race Report
Canada was amazing. It ran the full emotional gamut: sheer joy, sorrow, happiness, melancholy, agony, heartbreak and much more.
I learned that:
DNF means "Did Not Finish". But that is really too simplistic of a definition. I had my first DNF in Ironman Canada. I finished the swim & finished the bike but I did not finish the run. It is a painful experience but I've survived it, I'm learning from it and I'll come back stronger for it.
So what happened? I got sick. And sicker. And then got really sick. I'm still sick now, weeks later.
Since I completed Big Kahuna, my first half-Ironman last summer, while sick with strep throat, I never worried about going to Canada sick. I wasn't happy coming down with a cold three days before leaving, I only worried that my time would be even slower than I had estimated. I never doubted I would finish.
Warning: slightly graphic descriptions...
I woke up race morning feeling terrible, with a major cough. (huge thanks to my wonderful roommate Meggen who never complained once!) I coughed frequently during the swim, but I figured out how to cough underwater while exhaling, so I could inhale when I turned my head. My estimated swim time for myself was between 1 hr 30 min - 1 hr 45 min. My actual time was 1 hr 45 min. which gave me little confidence boost getting out of the water.
My first transition was great. I had a nice volunteer helping me as I took my time and ate half my PB&H sandwich, drank 24 ounces of water & took two enduralytes. Thank goodness I did! I quickly realized that I'd dropped my vial of enduralytes somewhere in the first mile.
The first few miles on the bike, I kept a nice steady pace. I kept thinking about my mentor Christy's advice about really taking it easy on the first 40 miles. As the day started to get warmer, I was worried about dehydrating without my enduralytes, so I made my Heed drinks stronger than usual. Now I was coughing up large chunks of green stuff frequently. I also had to stop at every port-a-potty. I started to have trouble taking in food. By the time I got to Richter Pass, I was really worried about getting more Enduralytes. I was hoping to see someone I knew at the top of the pass. And I did! North Bay Ironteamers were up there cheering and gave me a handfull of enduralytes! I hoped that would get me to my special needs bag at mile 76.
The bike course was even more beautiful than I thought it would be. I think the scenery helped me focus on something other than how bad I felt or how worried I was. The day kept getting hotter and a hot dry wind was blowing constantly. (Bike course high temp was 95F) There was also a lot of smoke in the air from a forest fire burning just over the border in Washington State. About mile 65 I started to wonder if I would make it physically. At special needs, I was well & truly dehydrated and had classic heat exhaustion symptoms (nausea, chills, headache, rapid pulse), but I had a whole vial of Enduralytes and fresh water in my bag. I decided to keep going. I downed as many as possible but wasn't able to eat any food.
In the next few miles, the nausea abated, but my stomach was really distended and the chills were still with me. At mile 85 it dawned on me that I might not make the bike cut-off but I decided to keep trying and pushed harder. By the time I made it to the top of Yellow Lake Pass, I think I knew I was too late, but there was still time on the clock. I had some slightly loopy thoughts that maybe my watch was running a little bit fast or maybe I could squeak in and no one would notice... When I saw some of our wonderful mentors & captains and Coach Kristin still waiting for me just after the last water stop, I did my best not to cry. After that point, the course is all downhill back to town & the transition zone. I peddled like a mad woman all the way down & back. I was peddling a steady 26 mph on the last flat stretch.
I missed cut off by about 15 minutes. And yes, a race official was there, I wasn't able to sneak in. I met some wonderful people in transition: two other women who DNF'd, one I'd met on the course and another from the North Bay team. I met a nice father & daughter, the father was a lymphoma survivor & Ironman Canada finisher! I also met a lovely woman in the transition tent, who'd finished earlier, who shared her own stories of DNFing with me. Later on I figured out just how fast her time must have been if she was already changing to go home at 5:30pm!
Some of my new friends drove me back to my hotel to shower & change so I could come back and cheer my teammates in. I was still emotional (okay I was crying like a baby) and didn't feel as good as I thought I would after my shower and taking in more fluids. I had several phone calls from & to friends & my aunt that helped me calm down. But my heat exhaustion symptoms were building again and I decided to the medical tent. (Thanks Ellen for making me!)
Once there, I was really glad I went. They filled me with salty, hot chicken broth that tasted terrific! (I usually hate the stuff but I swear it was delicious that night.) There were really sick people coming in fast & furious. It was like an episode of M*A*S*H. I was put in the "Walking Wounded" section. I had handsome, fit men on either side of me puking their guts out. Those are images that stay with you! There were many people there much sicker than I. (I deleted the gory details) Suffice it to say, it all made my illness feel insignificant.
Afterward
I did have success in Canada: I successfully raised over the $7,500 amount I pledged for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I completed two legs of Ironman Canada. I didn't stop until forced to do so. I was able to see & cheer on several of my teammates crossing the finish. I survived to do it again. I signed up for 2007. And I've learned an incredible amount about racing and myself.
Once home, I went to my doctor and found out I had an ear infection, sinus infection & bronchitis. I took antibiotics for two weeks and slept like a zombie for a few days. The last few days on the antibiotics, another sore throat started but it only lasted a few days. Even with the new sore throat, I felt well enough to do the Pacific Grove Sprint on Spet 10th. (I'll post that separately.)
I took many photos on the trip. They can all be viewed on the South Bay Ironteam's website photo gallery along with photos from the whole team.
I'm glad I went and I'm looking forward to going back.
Stay tuned for Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 2.0... or Redux, Part Deux, or Part II-Electric Boogaloo (Thanks TW!)
Canada was amazing. It ran the full emotional gamut: sheer joy, sorrow, happiness, melancholy, agony, heartbreak and much more.
I learned that:
- My teammates are all rockstars!
- My coaches are the best, most supportive people you could ever hope to meet.
- Canadians are even nicer than you hear.
- British Columbia is even more beautiful than you hear.
- Ironman Canada is hard.
- I'm going back next year.
DNF means "Did Not Finish". But that is really too simplistic of a definition. I had my first DNF in Ironman Canada. I finished the swim & finished the bike but I did not finish the run. It is a painful experience but I've survived it, I'm learning from it and I'll come back stronger for it.
So what happened? I got sick. And sicker. And then got really sick. I'm still sick now, weeks later.
Since I completed Big Kahuna, my first half-Ironman last summer, while sick with strep throat, I never worried about going to Canada sick. I wasn't happy coming down with a cold three days before leaving, I only worried that my time would be even slower than I had estimated. I never doubted I would finish.
Warning: slightly graphic descriptions...
I woke up race morning feeling terrible, with a major cough. (huge thanks to my wonderful roommate Meggen who never complained once!) I coughed frequently during the swim, but I figured out how to cough underwater while exhaling, so I could inhale when I turned my head. My estimated swim time for myself was between 1 hr 30 min - 1 hr 45 min. My actual time was 1 hr 45 min. which gave me little confidence boost getting out of the water.
My first transition was great. I had a nice volunteer helping me as I took my time and ate half my PB&H sandwich, drank 24 ounces of water & took two enduralytes. Thank goodness I did! I quickly realized that I'd dropped my vial of enduralytes somewhere in the first mile.
The first few miles on the bike, I kept a nice steady pace. I kept thinking about my mentor Christy's advice about really taking it easy on the first 40 miles. As the day started to get warmer, I was worried about dehydrating without my enduralytes, so I made my Heed drinks stronger than usual. Now I was coughing up large chunks of green stuff frequently. I also had to stop at every port-a-potty. I started to have trouble taking in food. By the time I got to Richter Pass, I was really worried about getting more Enduralytes. I was hoping to see someone I knew at the top of the pass. And I did! North Bay Ironteamers were up there cheering and gave me a handfull of enduralytes! I hoped that would get me to my special needs bag at mile 76.
The bike course was even more beautiful than I thought it would be. I think the scenery helped me focus on something other than how bad I felt or how worried I was. The day kept getting hotter and a hot dry wind was blowing constantly. (Bike course high temp was 95F) There was also a lot of smoke in the air from a forest fire burning just over the border in Washington State. About mile 65 I started to wonder if I would make it physically. At special needs, I was well & truly dehydrated and had classic heat exhaustion symptoms (nausea, chills, headache, rapid pulse), but I had a whole vial of Enduralytes and fresh water in my bag. I decided to keep going. I downed as many as possible but wasn't able to eat any food.
In the next few miles, the nausea abated, but my stomach was really distended and the chills were still with me. At mile 85 it dawned on me that I might not make the bike cut-off but I decided to keep trying and pushed harder. By the time I made it to the top of Yellow Lake Pass, I think I knew I was too late, but there was still time on the clock. I had some slightly loopy thoughts that maybe my watch was running a little bit fast or maybe I could squeak in and no one would notice... When I saw some of our wonderful mentors & captains and Coach Kristin still waiting for me just after the last water stop, I did my best not to cry. After that point, the course is all downhill back to town & the transition zone. I peddled like a mad woman all the way down & back. I was peddling a steady 26 mph on the last flat stretch.
I missed cut off by about 15 minutes. And yes, a race official was there, I wasn't able to sneak in. I met some wonderful people in transition: two other women who DNF'd, one I'd met on the course and another from the North Bay team. I met a nice father & daughter, the father was a lymphoma survivor & Ironman Canada finisher! I also met a lovely woman in the transition tent, who'd finished earlier, who shared her own stories of DNFing with me. Later on I figured out just how fast her time must have been if she was already changing to go home at 5:30pm!
Some of my new friends drove me back to my hotel to shower & change so I could come back and cheer my teammates in. I was still emotional (okay I was crying like a baby) and didn't feel as good as I thought I would after my shower and taking in more fluids. I had several phone calls from & to friends & my aunt that helped me calm down. But my heat exhaustion symptoms were building again and I decided to the medical tent. (Thanks Ellen for making me!)
Once there, I was really glad I went. They filled me with salty, hot chicken broth that tasted terrific! (I usually hate the stuff but I swear it was delicious that night.) There were really sick people coming in fast & furious. It was like an episode of M*A*S*H. I was put in the "Walking Wounded" section. I had handsome, fit men on either side of me puking their guts out. Those are images that stay with you! There were many people there much sicker than I. (I deleted the gory details) Suffice it to say, it all made my illness feel insignificant.
Afterward
I did have success in Canada: I successfully raised over the $7,500 amount I pledged for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I completed two legs of Ironman Canada. I didn't stop until forced to do so. I was able to see & cheer on several of my teammates crossing the finish. I survived to do it again. I signed up for 2007. And I've learned an incredible amount about racing and myself.
Once home, I went to my doctor and found out I had an ear infection, sinus infection & bronchitis. I took antibiotics for two weeks and slept like a zombie for a few days. The last few days on the antibiotics, another sore throat started but it only lasted a few days. Even with the new sore throat, I felt well enough to do the Pacific Grove Sprint on Spet 10th. (I'll post that separately.)
I took many photos on the trip. They can all be viewed on the South Bay Ironteam's website photo gallery along with photos from the whole team.
I'm glad I went and I'm looking forward to going back.
Stay tuned for Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 2.0... or Redux, Part Deux, or Part II-Electric Boogaloo (Thanks TW!)
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What I learned in Canada. . .
by GoBevGo @ Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 2.0
Ironman Canada Race Report
Canada was amazing. It ran the full emotional gamut: sheer joy, sorrow, happiness, melancholy, agony, heartbreak and much more.
I learned that:
DNF means "Did Not Finish". But that is really too simplistic of a definition. I had my first DNF in Ironman Canada. I finished the swim & finished the bike but I did not finish the run. It is a painful experience but I've survived it, I'm learning from it and I'll come back stronger for it.
So what happened? I got sick. And sicker. And then got really sick. I'm still sick now, weeks later.
Since I completed Big Kahuna, my first half-Ironman last summer, while sick with strep throat, I never worried about going to Canada sick. I wasn't happy coming down with a cold three days before leaving, I only worried that my time would be even slower than I had estimated. I never doubted I would finish.
Warning: slightly graphic descriptions...
I woke up race morning feeling terrible, with a major cough. (huge thanks to my wonderful roommate Meggen who never complained once!) I coughed frequently during the swim, but I figured out how to cough underwater while exhaling, so I could inhale when I turned my head. My estimated swim time for myself was between 1 hr 30 min - 1 hr 45 min. My actual time was 1 hr 45 min. which gave me little confidence boost getting out of the water.
My first transition was great. I had a nice volunteer helping me as I took my time and ate half my PB&H sandwich, drank 24 ounces of water & took two enduralytes. Thank goodness I did! I quickly realized that I'd dropped my vial of enduralytes somewhere in the first mile.
The first few miles on the bike, I kept a nice steady pace. I kept thinking about my mentor Christy's advice about really taking it easy on the first 40 miles. As the day started to get warmer, I was worried about dehydrating without my enduralytes, so I made my Heed drinks stronger than usual. Now I was coughing up large chunks of green stuff frequently. I also had to stop at every port-a-potty. I started to have trouble taking in food. By the time I got to Richter Pass, I was really worried about getting more Enduralytes. I was hoping to see someone I knew at the top of the pass. And I did! North Bay Ironteamers were up there cheering and gave me a handfull of enduralytes! I hoped that would get me to my special needs bag at mile 76.
The bike course was even more beautiful than I thought it would be. I think the scenery helped me focus on something other than how bad I felt or how worried I was. The day kept getting hotter and a hot dry wind was blowing constantly. (Bike course high temp was 95F) There was also a lot of smoke in the air from a forest fire burning just over the border in Washington State. About mile 65 I started to wonder if I would make it physically. At special needs, I was well & truly dehydrated and had classic heat exhaustion symptoms (nausea, chills, headache, rapid pulse), but I had a whole vial of Enduralytes and fresh water in my bag. I decided to keep going. I downed as many as possible but wasn't able to eat any food.
In the next few miles, the nausea abated, but my stomach was really distended and the chills were still with me. At mile 85 it dawned on me that I might not make the bike cut-off but I decided to keep trying and pushed harder. By the time I made it to the top of Yellow Lake Pass, I think I knew I was too late, but there was still time on the clock. I had some slightly loopy thoughts that maybe my watch was running a little bit fast or maybe I could squeak in and no one would notice... When I saw some of our wonderful mentors & captains and Coach Kristin still waiting for me just after the last water stop, I did my best not to cry. After that point, the course is all downhill back to town & the transition zone. I peddled like a mad woman all the way down & back. I was peddling a steady 26 mph on the last flat stretch.
I missed cut off by about 15 minutes. And yes, a race official was there, I wasn't able to sneak in. I met some wonderful people in transition: two other women who DNF'd, one I'd met on the course and another from the North Bay team. I met a nice father & daughter, the father was a lymphoma survivor & Ironman Canada finisher! I also met a lovely woman in the transition tent, who'd finished earlier, who shared her own stories of DNFing with me. Later on I figured out just how fast her time must have been if she was already changing to go home at 5:30pm!
Some of my new friends drove me back to my hotel to shower & change so I could come back and cheer my teammates in. I was still emotional (okay I was crying like a baby) and didn't feel as good as I thought I would after my shower and taking in more fluids. I had several phone calls from & to friends & my aunt that helped me calm down. But my heat exhaustion symptoms were building again and I decided to the medical tent. (Thanks Ellen for making me!)
Once there, I was really glad I went. They filled me with salty, hot chicken broth that tasted terrific! (I usually hate the stuff but I swear it was delicious that night.) There were really sick people coming in fast & furious. It was like an episode of M*A*S*H. I was put in the "Walking Wounded" section. I had handsome, fit men on either side of me puking their guts out. Those are images that stay with you! There were many people there much sicker than I. (I deleted the gory details) Suffice it to say, it all made my illness feel insignificant.
Afterward
I did have success in Canada: I successfully raised over the $7,500 amount I pledged for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I completed two legs of Ironman Canada. I didn't stop until forced to do so. I was able to see & cheer on several of my teammates crossing the finish. I survived to do it again. I signed up for 2007. And I've learned an incredible amount about racing and myself.
Once home, I went to my doctor and found out I had an ear infection, sinus infection & bronchitis. I took antibiotics for two weeks and slept like a zombie for a few days. The last few days on the antibiotics, another sore throat started but it only lasted a few days. Even with the new sore throat, I felt well enough to do the Pacific Grove Sprint on Spet 10th. (I'll post that separately.)
I took many photos on the trip. They can all be viewed on the South Bay Ironteam's website photo gallery along with photos from the whole team.
I'm glad I went and I'm looking forward to going back.
Stay tuned for Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 2.0... or Redux, Part Deux, or Part II-Electric Boogaloo (Thanks TW!)
Canada was amazing. It ran the full emotional gamut: sheer joy, sorrow, happiness, melancholy, agony, heartbreak and much more.
I learned that:
- My teammates are all rockstars!
- My coaches are the best, most supportive people you could ever hope to meet.
- Canadians are even nicer than you hear.
- British Columbia is even more beautiful than you hear.
- Ironman Canada is hard.
- I'm going back next year.
DNF means "Did Not Finish". But that is really too simplistic of a definition. I had my first DNF in Ironman Canada. I finished the swim & finished the bike but I did not finish the run. It is a painful experience but I've survived it, I'm learning from it and I'll come back stronger for it.
So what happened? I got sick. And sicker. And then got really sick. I'm still sick now, weeks later.
Since I completed Big Kahuna, my first half-Ironman last summer, while sick with strep throat, I never worried about going to Canada sick. I wasn't happy coming down with a cold three days before leaving, I only worried that my time would be even slower than I had estimated. I never doubted I would finish.
Warning: slightly graphic descriptions...
I woke up race morning feeling terrible, with a major cough. (huge thanks to my wonderful roommate Meggen who never complained once!) I coughed frequently during the swim, but I figured out how to cough underwater while exhaling, so I could inhale when I turned my head. My estimated swim time for myself was between 1 hr 30 min - 1 hr 45 min. My actual time was 1 hr 45 min. which gave me little confidence boost getting out of the water.
My first transition was great. I had a nice volunteer helping me as I took my time and ate half my PB&H sandwich, drank 24 ounces of water & took two enduralytes. Thank goodness I did! I quickly realized that I'd dropped my vial of enduralytes somewhere in the first mile.
The first few miles on the bike, I kept a nice steady pace. I kept thinking about my mentor Christy's advice about really taking it easy on the first 40 miles. As the day started to get warmer, I was worried about dehydrating without my enduralytes, so I made my Heed drinks stronger than usual. Now I was coughing up large chunks of green stuff frequently. I also had to stop at every port-a-potty. I started to have trouble taking in food. By the time I got to Richter Pass, I was really worried about getting more Enduralytes. I was hoping to see someone I knew at the top of the pass. And I did! North Bay Ironteamers were up there cheering and gave me a handfull of enduralytes! I hoped that would get me to my special needs bag at mile 76.
The bike course was even more beautiful than I thought it would be. I think the scenery helped me focus on something other than how bad I felt or how worried I was. The day kept getting hotter and a hot dry wind was blowing constantly. (Bike course high temp was 95F) There was also a lot of smoke in the air from a forest fire burning just over the border in Washington State. About mile 65 I started to wonder if I would make it physically. At special needs, I was well & truly dehydrated and had classic heat exhaustion symptoms (nausea, chills, headache, rapid pulse), but I had a whole vial of Enduralytes and fresh water in my bag. I decided to keep going. I downed as many as possible but wasn't able to eat any food.
In the next few miles, the nausea abated, but my stomach was really distended and the chills were still with me. At mile 85 it dawned on me that I might not make the bike cut-off but I decided to keep trying and pushed harder. By the time I made it to the top of Yellow Lake Pass, I think I knew I was too late, but there was still time on the clock. I had some slightly loopy thoughts that maybe my watch was running a little bit fast or maybe I could squeak in and no one would notice... When I saw some of our wonderful mentors & captains and Coach Kristin still waiting for me just after the last water stop, I did my best not to cry. After that point, the course is all downhill back to town & the transition zone. I peddled like a mad woman all the way down & back. I was peddling a steady 26 mph on the last flat stretch.
I missed cut off by about 15 minutes. And yes, a race official was there, I wasn't able to sneak in. I met some wonderful people in transition: two other women who DNF'd, one I'd met on the course and another from the North Bay team. I met a nice father & daughter, the father was a lymphoma survivor & Ironman Canada finisher! I also met a lovely woman in the transition tent, who'd finished earlier, who shared her own stories of DNFing with me. Later on I figured out just how fast her time must have been if she was already changing to go home at 5:30pm!
Some of my new friends drove me back to my hotel to shower & change so I could come back and cheer my teammates in. I was still emotional (okay I was crying like a baby) and didn't feel as good as I thought I would after my shower and taking in more fluids. I had several phone calls from & to friends & my aunt that helped me calm down. But my heat exhaustion symptoms were building again and I decided to the medical tent. (Thanks Ellen for making me!)
Once there, I was really glad I went. They filled me with salty, hot chicken broth that tasted terrific! (I usually hate the stuff but I swear it was delicious that night.) There were really sick people coming in fast & furious. It was like an episode of M*A*S*H. I was put in the "Walking Wounded" section. I had handsome, fit men on either side of me puking their guts out. Those are images that stay with you! There were many people there much sicker than I. (I deleted the gory details) Suffice it to say, it all made my illness feel insignificant.
Afterward
I did have success in Canada: I successfully raised over the $7,500 amount I pledged for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I completed two legs of Ironman Canada. I didn't stop until forced to do so. I was able to see & cheer on several of my teammates crossing the finish. I survived to do it again. I signed up for 2007. And I've learned an incredible amount about racing and myself.
Once home, I went to my doctor and found out I had an ear infection, sinus infection & bronchitis. I took antibiotics for two weeks and slept like a zombie for a few days. The last few days on the antibiotics, another sore throat started but it only lasted a few days. Even with the new sore throat, I felt well enough to do the Pacific Grove Sprint on Spet 10th. (I'll post that separately.)
I took many photos on the trip. They can all be viewed on the South Bay Ironteam's website photo gallery along with photos from the whole team.
I'm glad I went and I'm looking forward to going back.
Stay tuned for Beverly's Adventures in Ironland 2.0... or Redux, Part Deux, or Part II-Electric Boogaloo (Thanks TW!)