My First Half Ironman: Ogden Valley 70.3

 I finished my first half ironman yesterday.  I JUST finished my first Half Ironman yesterday!  I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST HALF IRONMAN YESTERDAY!!!!!!!

Sorry for the yelling... well, I wasn't really yelling, but more like trying to express my enthusiasm and almost disbelief that that actually happened yesterday!

Let me take you back to August 16th.  I ran the Jordanelle Olympic distance triathlon to gauge where I was in regards to my training and preparedness for Ogden Valley.  After Jordanelle, I was done 

Jordanelle Tri

mentally.  It was discouraging being the last on the course, seeing everyone leave while still racing, and coming in DEAD LAST FINISH.  Funny thing was that even though coming in dead last, I still got an age group award!  haha.

I really thought that this race would be the end of my running triathlon altogether - that's how defeated I felt.  I talked with a teammate, Erich, who told me to give it time.  I then shamefully shared my race recap with one of my running groups sharing that I was going to give up my dream of running a half iron.  My teammate, Brook said, "I think we have to have hard races from time to time to make us really see what an accomplishment it is to race at all!!! Don't you quit! I am looking forward for your update after your half iron man!"  It meant a lot to me to hear that.   I then read our teammate, Joshua's, open letter blog post to our friend Jill.  It made me cry, and gave me the inspiration to move forward.  I also received an outpouring of love from other tri teammates, family, and friends.  It was only when others saw my potential did I break through the mental wall that I hit, and pushed forward with this feat I had before me.  I'm also the type that doesn't quit very easily, but I needed to be prodded a bit after a harsh blow.

So I used the last month to prepare for this half.  I even took a marathon prep (mental preparation) this past week to help me find ways to stay mentally focused during my race.  One of the negative thoughts I had written down (in which we exercised methods to counter) was "What if I don't finish?"  Our instructor, Nate, asked me why I wouldn't finish?  Cut off times were a big fear of mine.  He then asked me what my definition of finish was... It gave me something to think about.



Thursday, September 11, 2014.

FeliAnne & I at Pineview Reservoir

My friend and fellow tri teammate, FeliAnne, joined me on my final open water swim before my half ironman.  We went up to Pineview Reservoir to get a feel for the water.
I was so scared it was going to be freezing, and felt a sense of anxiety loom over me.


We saw another guy out there who was preparing for his first tri at Bear Lake Brawl.  He said the water was warm.  The sun was already starting to set and the air and sand were so cold, so we hurried and got in!  The water was absolutely perfect! 

Pineview Reservoir at Sunset

We didn't swim too incredibly long since the sun was setting rather quickly.  We got out and the wind was so incredibly cold!  We hurried out of our wetsuits and got in the car to head home.  My anxiety level of the water being cold dropped 200%!  Bring it on race day!



Friday, September 12, 2014

I was exhausted by 3pm!  I headed out of work a bit early to get my bag and gear prepared and then head out to dinner with my Run Aways team.  We had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square.  I stuffed my face with bread and pasta... sooooooo yummy!  I'm glad I got to share an evening with positive uplifting friends, a few of which were getting ready for their first marathons!  I was so excited to share in their journeys and their excitement, but most of all their willingness to follow through with their goals.

I was able to get to bed early and get a good amount of rest when I got home.  My hubby went out to a concert with his best friends.  I'm sad that I missed getting to hear Coheed & Cambria, but sleep was more important tonight than anything else.  Priorities.  Gotta love being an adult.

Saturday, September 13, 2014 - Race Day

4:30am wake up call.  This is it... this is the day I've been waiting and training for.  Forget all the could and should haves... there's no more time left for that.  I got the car ready and double checked my bag before getting Ezra up. It was a chilly morning and and even colder one when I got to Huntsville.  I parked at the T2 area and got check-in and body marked.

The ground was frosted over, so everyone's feet got cold while we set up our transition area.  I was already shivering and my fingers and toes felt numb.  I could barely get my bike off my bike rack, it was so cold!

I pumped up my tires, got all my gear together and headed out to T1 at the beach, almost 2 miles away.  The cold made all of us feel like our fingers and toes would fall off!

We got our T1 areas set up and got ready for the start of the race.  A few of my tri teammates were there too.  I'm always in awe of all the other triathletes, as I feel I'm an amateur compared to most.  It's an honor to be racing with them!

I'm glad I got my bathroom issues out of the way early this morning, too, as there was no TP in the Port-o-Potties!  Yikes!

We also found out at the race meeting that the bike course changed again from 2 loops to 3 loops (but with a loop around the Monastery twice).  Talk about having to mentally prep on cue!

As cold as it was, I was really looking forward to getting in the water!  White caps (that was my wave) went off first.  It was amazing that I felt no anxiety in the water this time!  It was such a blessing!  I felt more and more comfortable in the water with each race.  But most importantly, I didn't try and compare myself to anyone else this time.  I focused on me, and only me.

The swim went great!  I used my safety stroke when I was tired, and just kept moving forward.  I felt like I finished my 1.2 mile swim in a shorter amount of time than I anticipated (though I haven't checked officially).  I felt at home in the water and I didn't even need to hang on to a kayak to rest this time!  That's success enough for me!  Then, out of the water, and up the hill to T1.

I stripped off my wetsuit and donned my bike gear, and finally took Sparkle out for a ride.  My legs and my chest felt heavy, but I finally was able to get my body to adjust to the bike portion.  Round and round I went.  By my 3rd loop around the reservoir, I felt like I was the only one left on the bike course.  I wouldn't allow negative thoughts to consume me.  As soon as I felt negative thoughts arising, I'd counter it with a positive.  I told myself, "Joyce, I believe in you.  You're doing great!  You got this!"  I felt my legs inner quads start to get cramps, but I had to keep going.

I finally got in to T2, and a lot of competitors were already done with the half.  I don't think there was ever a time when I wanted to get off my bike so badly!  I wasn't sure I could go forward.  I was ready to throw in the towel.  Ezra found me and thought something had happened to me.  There were  3 guys sitting in T2 who nudged me to keep going - thank goodness for them!  They informed me that we rode 60 miles instead of 56!  And one guy in particular said, "Keep going - you can do it!  You know you'll regret it tomorrow if you give up now."  That's exactly what I needed to hear.  Corinne caught me as I headed out on the run, and stocked me up on hydration and fuel!  She told me to keep going and just finish, no matter how long it takes!  What a life saver!  Love you, Corinne! 

I tried to run, but my legs hurt so bad and my stomach felt sick.  I wanted to vomit.  I tried to run a bit, but walked A LOT!  It was hot out and the miles felt like they stretched out forever.  I still tried to maintain a positive attitude telling myself, "I have come this far, I can't stop now."  I enjoyed the beautiful scenery around the reservoir which kept my mind off of negative thoughts.

 The sun was beating down on me.  Most of the runners were already heading back for the second half of the half marathon portion of the

race.  My stomach still felt awful, my legs were in pain, and my feet were blistering and felt like they were going to bleed. I texted Ezra and said that I didn't think I was going to make it and that he might have to come pick me up.  I reached mile 5 and chatted with the young man manning the aid station.  He lifted my spirits and kept me going.  He said that even though the course closed at 4pm, that they would still be out there as long as the last racer was on the course.  I moved forward, texted Ezra back, and told him that I'd see if the SAG vehicle would come pick me up first - I wasn't going down without a fight (my own fight to the finish, that is)!  I ran into the guy ahead of me.  I asked if he knew if they had SAG vehicles out there (the SAG vehicle is a racer's worst nightmare - they're the crew that comes to pick you up if you haven't made the checkpoint cut off time) and he said he didn't know.  He told me he was going to keep going and find out.  So we both continued along.  We were way past the cut off time, so what did we have to lose?  I reached the last aid station where they had full fat Cokes!  I think the calories from the sugar and the caffeine, along with everyone's uplifting comments, made me feel so much better!  My pace on the way back was a bit faster than on my way past the mile 5 mark.  Even the young man noticed!

As I was heading back to the finish, a truck came along.  I thought "this is it... they're coming to pick me up!"  But, it was the young man at the aid station along with Randy, one of the race staff.  We met officially back at Jordanelle after he saw me at East Canyon.  He told me how proud of me he was!  I asked him about cut off times, and if I could finish.  He told me to take as long as I needed.  I told him how awful I felt on my run, but he made me feel so much better about coming this far and still wanting to finish.  So on I went...

Ezra & FeliAnne at my finish

Ezra & FeliAnne at my finish

I only had 3 miles left, but they felt like the longest 3 miles of my life!  It was hot, I was tired, and I just wanted to finish.  Ezra and FeliAnne were waiting for me!  I got a little lost on the way back, since I was so tired and all the other volunteers had already left.  I was so excited to see the finish line area!  Everyone was gone, except for Ezra, FeliAnne, the guy who finished before me, and his family.  The finish line was up, but the timing mats were gone.  But I didn't even care because
I FINISHED!  

Randy & Blake

The young man at the mile 5 aid station gave me my medal.  His name is Blake.  I found out that he's Randy's son!  No wonder he was so positive and uplifting!  And he was definitely placed where I needed him most - when I wanted to quit and have Ezra pick me up!

I'm so grateful both of them were there today!  They're one of the many people who didn't let me quit! 

Blake told me that a lot of people had their family and/or friends come pick them up around that same place I wanted Ezra to pick me up.  He commended me on persevering!  I didn't receive any awards, and I'm sure according to the timing company, I received a DNF (Did Not Finish), but that didn't matter to me at all.  I broke down that mental barrier and finished even when the cut off time told me I didn't.  I heard a quote at church today which went a little something like this:

"SUCCESS IS MEASURED IN THE ATTITUDE OF OUR HEARTS."

 ~ Sister Banks

 

Nate really did give me something to think about when he asked me "How do you define FINISH?"  
I certainly finished, and the people who knew I could do it were there to witness that!  There is no greater award that I could have received than that!  I felt like I rock star, and so I stood on the podium. By. Myself. Just. Because. I. Could.  Because I knew I had a heart and mind that would not give up!  And because I would not give in to failure!

Thank you to all of you who have supported me on my journey: my family, friends, B4K/Desert Sharks, Run Aways, RunJunkees, and anyone else that I forgot to mention!  It was a tough season, filled with ups and downs, but because you believed in me, I was able to believe in myself again!  Thank you TriUtah for an amazing race season (especially Randy & Dan), and I look forward to more fun next year!

A big thanks goes out to Alberto and Heather who came out to celebrate with me last night!  And for allowing me to wear my medal while I chowed down on my burger!