On June 1, I was spectating and cheering as my hubby
completed Raleigh 70.3, which I was supposed to be racing. That day was so exciting, but that morning
was so disappointing. Dropping off
Anthony to go race a race that I had been SO excited for – I was filled with
some serious emotion. I LOVED being and
Iron-spectator, but I really wished it wasn’t at a race I was supposed to be
racing. Watching that finish line
brought out so much excitement and focus in me.
And so the focus began.
I went to PT, I listened to my body, and I trusted the plan as best as I
could. It was a LONG journey full of so
many ups and downs. There were lots of
days that I went to my PT with a big smile on my face, full of confidence that
we were on the right track. And there
were lots of days that I went to my PT frustrated and confused. New pains and twinges that all seemed related
to my glute/back/hip. What was going on?
Why was I losing so much range of motion in my hip? Why was my back so sore after some runs and
feeling fabulous after others? Why was
my glute not letting me ride in aero for long?
Why was I limping with intense groin pain after just a quarter of a mile
of easy running… 9 days before race day?!
I had some really low points as my body and I got to know
each other a little better. This season
was all about having a good point of view, staying mentally strong, listening
to/learning my body, and trusting that if I treated my body right that it would
let me race on July27. I thought I knew
my body well from years of training, but Ironman training really let me get to
know my body on a whole new level.
Thankfully I had (have) a great team behind me. My fabulous husband continually reminded me
to trust the process and listen to my body while having fun and staying excited
for Placid. Our amazing dynamic duo of
coaches never let me forget that I was going to make it to Placid and I was
going to finish strong. My PT reminded
me not to get frustrated and continually reminded me how strong I was. And lastly our massage therapist worked
wonders while making me laugh and teaching me even more about my wonderful body.
And after months of training hard, training easy, resting, fighting
injuries, having a blast, fighting doubts, and overcoming negativity, July 27th
arrived and I was feeling good. We had a
great 1.5 hour ride on the course on Thursday, a fabulous loop of the swim on
Friday, and a nice easy hour warm-up brick along part of the course on
Sunday. I was feeling good… a little
paranoid, a lot nervous, extremely hopeful, surprisingly ready, and damn proud. I was going to do this.
Family and friends arrived on Friday and Saturday and helped
to keep us distracted when we weren’t training and prepping for Sunday. Before we knew it, Saturday evening
arrived. Easy on the belly dinner at
5:30, bed at 8:30 after a few funny llama and puppy videos, and a 3:40am wake-up. It was go
time and the nerves and excitement were full force. I got here….I couldn’t believe that I got
here. There was so much against me, and
I DID IT. I got to the start line
feeling good enough to go after this dream.
I wasn’t sure I had it in me, but I was damn sure I was going to give it
everything I had that day and have a blast while doing it!
THE SWIM…… I am ALWAYS so
terrified about the swim, and the swim always ends up being one of my favorite
moments of the day. I was able to find
my own space, find a rhythm, and find a few moments of peace as I prepared to
take on the rest of the day ahead of me.
I was in no huge rush to finish the swim, I just wanted to feel strong
and ready coming out of the water…mission accomplished! First loop was a warm
up that got me ready to push it a bit more on the second loop. First loop felt so good. I stopped and stretched my upper body after
the first loop and was SO surprised how well my body felt going into that
second loop! Unfortunately at ~2.1-2.2 miles
I was told to swim to shore due to the thunder storm.
After swimming to shore, cutting my foot on my way out, and
jogging ~.5 miles (maybe more?) to the transition, I was ready to get on the
bike and ride for 112 miles. I got
stripped out of my wetsuit, grabbed my T1 bag, put on my CEP compression socks,
cycling shoes, arm warmers, and helmet and took off thinking “yep, this is happeneing.”
THE BIKE…….It was cold.
It was wet. It was really
uncomfortable.
As I exited transition and made it around the corner I heard
our Iron-spectators yell my name and I gave them a wave and a big ‘ol
grin! Seeing them is one of the
only good moments I had in the first 30 miles
or so.
I made it out of town and I was FREEZING. I was unsure whether I was going to make it
to the end of this race if this weather held up. I tried to focus on nutrtion and keeping my
legs moving and my body as warm as possible.
I made it to an aid station and used the porta-potty and got a trash bag
to warm my body….at this point my jaw was sore from shivering, my hands were
turning purple, and anything that was going to warm me up a bit was more than welcome. I didn’t mind that it wasn’t an aero option,
I just needed warmth to give me a little confidence that I could finish.
At about mile 30 or so the sun came out and I was able to
take off my fashionable aero trash bag!
I was SO happy to see that sun and I told myself that I would NOT be
upset if it got too hot later on because I would much rather pour some water on
my hot body than deal with that fear of hypothermia. (Yes, Nicole Frie I
definitely sang our good ‘ol ALHS Track “hypothermia” song in my head a few
times..!) The rest of the ride was SO
MUCH FUN.
At mile 80 or so I saw more family TWICE! It was SO nice to see everyone there
cheering!! I couldn’t have been happier!
For first time spectators, our family and friends rocked the house!! The
second time up papa bear was harder than the first, but just knowing that it
was almost time to run made it that much easier…112 miles on the bike done and
I LOVED the majority of it. I had a
blast. I held back a lot out of fear
(newbie ironman fear), but I had so much fun.
I nailed my nutrition (~1 bottle of custom Infinit/hour with some sips
of H20 from aid stations a few times.
That’s it…so easy and it worked like a charm!!) The Lake Placid bike course makes me
happy. I can’t wait to go back in the
next few years.
I was feeling well fueled and well hydrated with lots of
confidence and smiles going into the run!!
THE RUN…. The second I ran out of transition I saw family
and friends cheering for me and at that moment I knew this was going to be an amazing
run! 26.2 miles…no problemo!! I
was feeling strong, happy, and ready to run!!
I eased myself in to the run, I knew I would take off too fast, so I had
to focus on finding a comfortable pace that wouldn’t fatigue me too much. For about 8 miles or so I thought that a
9:30/9:40 average pace was really doable, but my hips had different plans.
I kept a nice solid pace when I was running, but my hips
needed a lot more walk breaks than I would have preferred. The good news is that I was having so much
fun that I didn’t even mind. The scenery
was gorgeous and when I was running, I was holding a solid pace. I ran as much as I could while holding a
solid pace and when my hips screamed to stop I walked for a bit and that’s just
how the run went. I walked the big hills
(there were quite a few…) and I smiled, a lot.
Hugs from family and friend and a fist bump from my nephew
along the way really made kept me from falling into any bad places. Did I mention that I got THREE sweaty hugs from my hubby on the course... talk about lifting me up and making the run even better! I’ve been in dark lonely places while
training, but I never had those moments on race day… I was shocked. I focused on putting calories in my belly, staying
hydrated, and staying happy and that’s just how the run went. Run, walk, run, drink, nibble a pretzel or
two, run, walk, run, walk, water, coke, run…. And I never forgot to smile! J
Getting to the top of the hill into town was a BIG
highlight..so close!! And then….the out and back that never ends… It just goes
and goes and goes. I got to the turn
around and then I felt like I was REALLY close.
I ran/walked until about .75 miles from the finish and then I just
couldn’t help but to give it everything I had left and “sprint” to the finish.
I was surprised how much I had left in the tank! And then I heard the words I had worked so
hard to hear “Margaret Nelson, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” And that was that…the perfect first
Ironman. Family and friends at the
finish for hugs and Mama Nelson’s pasta and beer at the house waiting for us! We stayed up until 1am chatting, eating, and
enjoying a few beers with our Iron-fans to end a PERFECT DAY!!
THANK YOU MARNI AND KAREL SUMBAL and all of our supporters!!
What a journey! Can’t wait to do it
again..and again..and again… ;)
