SPRTYMAMA: November 2008

Being up last night after midnight with the vampires nearly killed me.

I admit it.
I have a hard tme staying awake past about 9:00 pm.

The premeire of TWILIGHT was last night. At midnight.
I went with Avery and her friend and the friend's mom.
I think I was one of the oldest people there. And I was not wearing black.

The theater was packed full.
Knowing nothing about this series prior, I have to say it was a pretty good movie.
The experience was all the more fun since it was a school night, after hours adventure.
I had to have the biggest cherry coke and popcorn sold.
I was not staying up that late for nothing.

I cannot help but think that I am missing out on quite a few things by being in bed asleep by 9:00!

With Ironman, if you can make it through the beat down of training for months on end, the race itself is a great party!

I really loved every minute of the race, except for about the first 5 miles of the marathon.

My family and I drove over to Panama City on Wednesday before the race.
Checking into our condo was a two hour nightmare not even worth detailing. It was highly frustrating. I was hoping it would not be a reflection of how the weekend was going to be.
Thankfully, it was not.

Thursday we went over to get registered. # 2273 reporting for duty!
Next it was off to get some burgers. The rest of the day was relaxing and nothing special.

I will say that the beaches in Panama City are beautiful.
Crystal blue water, silky sand beaches.
This is quite a change from the East coast with its hard packed sand and dark water.
I decided to get the wetsuit on and go for a test swim..
Since it was cold, this was a real test of faith for me.
I met some Germans coming out of the water and asked them how it was. They both replied, “very warm”!
I suspected they were going to say that.
The swim was short but sweet. I mostly just wanted to make sure my goggles fit right.

Friday morning, Avery and I made the short walk to check my bike and gear bags into transition. I had packed all my gear the night before and was quietly hoping I did not forget anything. My bike was the first one on the rack and it looked a bit sad and pathetic there all by itself. I left the bike and waked over to get a quick massage on the legs.
God, the masseuse was great! Too bad he was from Tampa.

Avery and I then walked around the expo, which was really small compared to marathon expos. Since it was Halloween, all the people with a sense of humor were in costume.
We had our picture taken with Patrick from Spongebob and the best ever was the guy dressed as Spartacus in a speedo. He had a cape on and everything. I made sure to get a picture with him too.

My twin was coming in from Texas to cheer me on, but she would not arrive until Friday afternoon. I was really looking forward to her getting there. I needed to hang out with someone who had been down the Ironman road of crazy before.
Since Wid did this race last year, she was great for my nerves.
Although she did say several times how she was soooo glad to not be doing this race.
I had to tell her to put a sock in it!

Once my sister arrived, we got Aidan dressed up in his costume and went down to the Pier Park shopping center for some safe trick or treating.
Score on the candy! Avery and Aidan both got a ton of candy. Too bad I was being good and could not eat any.
But, I had plans to make up for that once IRONMAN was finished. When we got back to the hotel after the candy hunt and dinner, I made each kid give me a piece of candy from their loot bag and I packed it in my special needs bag for the race the next morning.

Off to bed!

The day of reckoning finally arrived and I woke Wid up to get ready with me.
I was really relieved to not have to go down to the race start by myself.
Being around 2500 racers can be a lonely experience.
We parked and walked over to the start.
Since it takes about 20 minutes to stuff my butt in the wetsuit, I figured I better get started.

I made my move down to the beach to get ready to start. Since I could not take Wid in the corral with me, I made small talk with anyone who would respond.
Two ladies from NJ were my first victims.
They were really nice, but one of them asked me why in the world she was doing this. I wanted to tell her to shut the hell up, but instead I told her she was doing this because she could.
That answer seemed to work. I wished them both great races and the cannon went off.

Now, the swim was actually the thing I was worried about the most.
It can get rough out there with all the bodies thrashing about.
At least that is what I have heard.
I can concur.
The swim was rough. I got clocked in the ear once. Damn!
Note to self: STAY AWAY FROM LARGE MEN! THEY KICK AND HIT HARD.
The most congestion was at the turn buoys. I just got it done. I hate feet as it is, but having feet in your face can get really annoying. I was happy with my swim time. Slow and steady. I am a suck ass swimmer, so I was not expecting any miracles and my swim time was right what I expected.

As I grabbed my bike bag and made my way to the change tent, I decided now was not the time to get shy.
There were naked people everywhere. I was ready to strip down and get some dry clothes on.
I am so happy I packed a towel, even if it was really just a hand towel from the condo.
The volunteers really make this race great! At the inspirational dinner on Thursday, the announcer told us there were 2500 people racing and 3000 volunteers. What a fantastic ratio.
I walked out of the tent and the volunteers slathered sunscreen on any exposed skin.

Next step, BIKE!

I planned to ride comfortable for the distance. I did not want to be riding the pain train for 112 miles.
I was making my way down Front Beach Rd when I saw Wid and Avery off on the side of the road. Thanks to my support crew! I would see them again about three times until mile 50 and it gave me something to do to keep an eye out for them.

The first 50 miles of the bike seemed to be in a headwind so I was not keeping the speed where I wanted it. I was fine with that as I had a serious side stitch or cramp in my stomach under my rib cage. It sucked and I could not really get comfortable. Is the stomach even by the rib cage? I have no idea but whatever it was, it hurt!

At the 50 mile stop, I got off the bike and waited my turn for the porta potty. I ate a peanut butter sandwich and walked around a bit. It seemed to help the cramp a little.
I said my byes to Wid and Avery and got back on my loyal stead. The next 60 miles for me was all about keeping it steady in as much comfort as possible. My gut was killing me. I made sure to follow the eating and drinking plan for the rest of the ride and I was stoked to finally get to the hundred mile mark. I was on the countdown to step three.

I finally rode into transition and handed my bike off. I was really happy to see it go. 6 1/2 hours on a bike is more than enough! I wish it took me less time, but now I have something to work on for the future.

In the tent getting ready for the run, my stomach was killing me! I could hardly breathe without pain.
I decided to get moving even if it meant walking until the cramp went away.
I had a 5 hour energy boost that I had bought at the Jiffy Mart. I put it in my pocket and waited to take it until my stomach settled down.
As I was making my way out to the run course, it was hard to see people coming in from their first loop of the run. UGH! MOVE IT, MOVE IT that is what I kept telling myself

I just started walking. It kinda sucked because the run course has spectators all along the course. I felt like a loser to be walking.
By mile three I knew that if I did not get my butt running, it was going to be a long night.
I took a cup of cola at one of the aid stations and it seemed to make my stomach feel better.
At that point I knew it was time to down the 5 hour energy shot.
Secret weapon!
Mile three was a tough one as I realized just how far I had to go.
Only 23 more miles!!!
Shit! I gave myself a silent bitch slap and got going.

From then on I did a 5 minute run, 2 minute shuffle. It helped my mind to break it up waiting for my watch to beep.
After the turn around for the second loop, I see this older couple sitting in chairs on the side of the road and the old guy has a dog in his lap.
For some reason, I needed to hug this dog. I just knew it would make me feel better.
So I crossed over and asked if I could give the dog a hug. The guy looked kinda surprised, but then he said “of course, he is a sweet dog”
I pet the dog and moved on.
And even though it’s kinda dorky, I DID feel better.

The last two miles of the run were magical for me.
I never once thought I would not finish.
I was going to finish if I had to crawl. I had worked too hard to get here.
I decided the last mile I was runnin’ straight in.
As you run down Thomas St, the crowds are crazy. It was great.
I heard PRINCE’S 1999 blaring at the finish line. This song was perfect for me as I am a huge PRINCE fan!
Words cannot describe the last 50 yards of the finish at IRONMAN!
I felt like a rockstar, and trust me, in my own mind I WAS A ROCKSTAR!

Even better though, I heard Mike Reilly, the voice of IRONMAN say:

“Courtney Spratt from Ponte Vedra Florida, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”