Ironman Arizona 2011

To view my finish line video, click on the link:

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event_video.asp?EVENTID=80362&BIB=830&VLOC=Finish


Just returned from one of the best family vacations I've ever had!  Of course, most if not all of our family vacations include a race of some sort.  I've been waiting and preparing for Ironman Arizona for one year, volunteering at the 2010 race to make sure to get a spot for 2011 to participate in my second Ironman.

Checking in to the race and my prerace short biking and running workouts went well, and I felt great!  The welcome dinner on Friday night was very inspirational and motivating as it was meant to be.  The race statistics were interesting.  Some of them include that most of the participants were between the ages of 35 and 45, and only a little over 500 participants were over the age of 50. There were 45 teachers participating in the race.  The best tip Mike Reilly gave was to let the day come to you and not to do as many athletes do and try to seize the day.

I was kinda dreading the practice swim on Saturday morning, but I knew I would feel more prepared if I did it and felt the water temperature.  Surprisingly, the water was refreshing.  There was a slight chill when I jumped in, but I felt warm within minutes.  After a 30-minute swim, I put my bike in transition and positioned my bags.  Ted, Tony, and I had a big lunch, and then I stayed at the hotel.  Ted and Tony went to the ASU football game, so that gave me the peace and quiet time I needed to relax and concentrate on the big day.

I felt calm and collected on race morning; however, after I had finished setting up in transition, had my wetsuit on, and was ready to go, the nervousness started to come.  I was a little teary eyed and scared not just because I knew how difficult the day was going to be, but because you still have fear of the unknown.  You never know what's going to happen on race day.  I did feel confident, though, that I had done the training and preparation for this distance and that it was all good!

After I borrowed someone's cell phone, called and talked to Ted, I felt much, much more calm and ready.  Allison, another Breakaway Athlete, and I wanted to get in the water and start the race together.  Our plan was to be about 3/4 of the way back and find an open spot in the water at the start to avoid getting kicked, splashed, and swum over.  To enter the water, you must jump off a dock and swim about 1/8 of a mile to the start and then tread water until the cannon is fired to start the race (one of my favorite parts of the race).  As we were chatting, we started to notice how slowly the line to get in the water was going.  As we got closer to the dock, the announcer started hustling everyone into the water.  He was shouting, "Get in the water, get in, get in, get in...90 seconds to the start."  At that point, it was mass chaos!  It was like the sinking of the Titanic!  Athletes were climbing over the dock railings and jumping in!  It was crazy!  I was on the dock looking for a place to jump in, but there were people everywhere, and I was afraid I was going to jump on someone, but I was afraid to stay on the dock or else someone would push me in!  After I found an open spot to jump in, I immediately was looking for Allison.  We found each other and began frantically swimming up to the start line.  We made it, wished each other good luck, and the cannon fired!

The swim start was brutal as usual.  I just kept looking for open spots.  It thinned out quickly and then I settled in, just thinking to myself to concentrate on the matter at hand and not to think about the bike or the run or anything else, just swim, think about your form.  Finished the swim in 1:28, felt pretty relaxed and warm the whole way.  Went through transition and took the time to change into completely dry clothes because I wanted to be comfortable as much as possible.  I noticed that I had severe scrape marks on my right shoulder and armpit from my swim top that started burning as soon as I noticed them.  I thought that odd because I had applied a lot of body guard and I used that same top in all of my other races, but, oh, well, put vaseline on it and get on the bike.

I saw Ted and Tony as I exited out onto the course on my bike.  I was glad that the swim was over and now I could focus on the bike ride.  I took it easy on the first half of the first loop.  When I hit the turn around point, the wind seemed to be pushing me on the slight decline, and I was able to fly!  I thought to myself that loops 2 and 3 were going to be great with these conditions!  However, I was sorely mistaken because the wind had picked up tremendously and no matter which direction you were going, you were getting slapped with wind!  I was happy to see Ted and Tony in town as I made the turn for my last loop.  I hit mile 100 at exactly six hours, which was pretty dang fast for me!  I had done 100 miles in a little over six hours in training too!  However, after that point, I felt like I was done, done, done.  I struggled for the last 12 miles, which took me a sluggish 51 minutes.  I started to let my mind waver and wonder how I was going to be able to run, but then I thought about how time changes everything and to give it a while and I would feel better.

My nutrition plan was working much better for this Ironman than the last one.  On the last one, I ate more solid foods, Bonk Breakers and Cliff Blocks, and by mile 80 my stomach didn't feel right.  It was heavy with food and it was just sitting there and not digesting.  Then when I got to the run my body was saying, "Um, do you want me to run or digest?  Pick one!"  So I decided to go pretty much with a liquid diet for this Ironman, and it was working.  I got my new nutrition strategy from reading I'm Here to Win by Chris McCormick.  His nutrition plan included drinking the old people's drink Ensure before the race and all the way through the bike and then flat Coke on the run.  This sounded like a fit for me, so I had been practicing this strategy faithfully during my training.  Before the race, I had a peanut butter sandwich, a banana, and an Ensure.  After the swim, I drank another Ensure, and every two hours during the bike I drank another Ensure.  I nibbled on one Power Bar during the bike ride, and I switched between bottles of water and Ironman Perform during the bike.

I finished the bike ride in 6:51, which was 40 minutes faster than my CDA time.  Once again, I changed my clothes completely which was very refreshing and comfortable!  I was getting more excited after I got off the bike because I was on my last leg of the Ironman!  I saw Ted and Tony about a half mile after I started the run, and it was so good to see them.  They said they were going to stay right where they were for every loop of the run, so I could count on them being there for encouragement.  So I set off for the rest of my first loop.  I got about a mile and a half into the run, and I started to get a stomach ache, and thought, "Uh-oh," so I made a pit stop at the next aide station, and after that I was fine for the rest of the run.  I was only able to run slowly, but I was able to run unlike my first Ironman where I had to do lots of walking!  I did walk through the aide stations and drank flat Coke which tasted so, so good, and I also made sure I switched between water and sports drink too. 

Let me tell you, the spectators and the themed aide stations (Pirates of the Carribean, Reno 911 with Lieutenant Dangle, and a disco theme) really, really helped get me through the run.  There were some crazy, hilarious people out there!  My favorite spectator's sign said, "This is some epic shit!"  I couldn't stop laughing at that one and thought of it often during the rest of the marathon.  After my second loop, I stopped again to talk to Ted and Tony, only this time, they would be heading up to the finish line to wait for my arrival!  The whole last loop, I just kept running and thinking, yep, this is the last time I'll step here, this is the last time I'll cross this bridge...etc.  Then I made the turn into the parking lot and around the corner to the finish line!  It's so bright with lights and so crowded with people that it is very difficult to see or hear anything.  I couldn't find Ted and Tony anywhere as I was giving high fives and cheering!  I couldn't really hear what Mike Reilly was saying either, but still the finish line of an Ironman is one of the most awesome feelings!

I found Ted and Tony after I crossed and they told me I was looking for them on the wrong side of the finish line and that they were screaming as loud as they could at me, but I couldn't hear their voices among all the other noise.  I keep watching my finish video, and I love what Mike Reilly said, "Jeanine Huebner, San Marcos, former United States Marine, you are an Ironman!"

My times were:  Swim: 1:28; T1, 9:51; bike: 6:51, T2, 7:00; run 5:23, total time 14:00:02.  This time was 1 hour and 43 minutes faster than my first Ironman.  I came in number 30 in my age group out of 81.  I'm proud of myself, and I can't wait to do it again at St. George, Utah, in May!

We left Monday morning and headed for the Grand Canyon.  We spent two and a half peaceful days there.  We had a blast!  And we all agreed it was one of the best vacations we've ever had!