IM AZ....DNF also

Well,
My IM AZ did not go as planned....was sick the week prior, got to Phoenix at midnight on Thursday.

The swim was a PR by 2 minutes but not nearly what I was hoping for (1:40 versus 1:30). But the day got worse....on the bike my stomach felt sloshy after I hit the water and a gel. Dropped my electrolytes (all but 12 emergency reserve and not enough) in mile 4 of the bike. Backed off fluids for 30 minutes, and it did not resolve. So backed off for the first hour and started Perpetuem and water, my usual. Well, Perpetuem was making me sick, so I switched to water and gatorade but was really low on salt. Was fighting the urge to puke the whole bike ride. The winds were 20+mph as Denise said, headwind uphill.

Getting off the bike felt so shaky, but started on the run. Bike time was at the low end of my expectations, but given 20mph+ winds I was glad to be off of it.

Stomach was upset starting the run, and I tried to scavenge some salt tabs in transistion since I did not pack extra in the run bag (HUGE MISTAKE). Well, struggled to drink water and gatorade and hit the porta john at mile 8 or so. Well, when I got out I was disoriented and a volunteer pointed me the wrong way so I 'restarted' lap 1 at around mile 4 or something. I did not figure this out till much later, when I realized I had been running forever and passed the same points twice but never passed the "Finish" right, 2-3rd laps left sign.

At around 7 p.m. I puked my guts out 3 times running down the sidewalk to the big bridge....it was awesome...gripping the chain link fence and hurling away! And staggering towards a volunteer and hurling some more! Felt better afterwards, so started to run /walk (stupid again) and drink coke and water. Still not enough salt, and that chicken broth tasted sour.

Well, kept going and at race mile 18 saw my mom and a good friend (who flew in from New York to watch). I broke down crying to see them and asked if they would be disappointed if I quit. At that point I had to do 1 lap in 2:00 or so. I was just about to officially start my third lap although I had been on the run course for over 6 hours already with my wrong turn /extra miles. We walked together for 2 miles and they said they would walk with me as long as I wanted them to. Well, at mile 20 I started dry heaving again and just broke down at the aid station. A volunteer tried to convince me to keep going, to walk 6 miles in 1:20 but I just fetl like it was impossible.

I pulled the plug and went to the aid station....and then the emergency room for 3 IVs when I started puking in the hotel room. I talked to my sister, a Physicians Assistant, and she said I made the right call that I could have suffered an even more sever injury by pressing on.

I honestly feel like I made the best choice I could but it is a bitter pill to swallow. I was so afraid my family and friends, especially those who travelled to spectate, would be disappointed in me. But they all were so supportive and loving. I did learn alot....last year I had almost a perfect race and I sort of got cocky and sloppy in my planning.

I learned so much; I am not eager to sign up for another full IM yet; maybe a few halfs? IM AZ in November is about the soonest I even want to think about going that long again. My good friend is doing Placid this summer (she came to watch me) and I want to support her and hope she does not make my mistakes.

thanks for the support,
Laura

You know, both you and Denise amaze me. The thought of doing a tri boggles my mind, and an Ironman just floors me.

As far as I'm concerned, you are both Ironwomen. :cool:

Laura, you got so far under such demanding conditions! I hope you are really proud of that--I think you should be, and your strength and determination is inspiring to me.

Laura - What a greuling day. I'm so glad you pulled the plug. It could have been so much worse. Sorry you didn't finish but it's more important that you are healthy and capable of recovery. You could have done permanent damage.:eek:

What a brutal day!!

Laura, you are one tough and smart cookie! I admire your decision to stop when you body told you to, and not keep going on like your mind probably wanted to. It's soooo hard to DNF (I've done it), but especially at an IM. I hurt for you, but I'm sooooooo very proud of you!!!!!
Thanks for sharing your race experience with us. We're all so proud of you for making it so long under pretty brutal conditions!

Admirable decision Laura... My first thoughts were for you when I woke up this morning. Glad you're okay.

Laura-

Both you and Denise still ROCK!

It takes a lot of courage to try an Ironman, more to finish, and even more to walk away when the time is right. I think you both did that!

Congratulations!!

CA

Laura, GREAT JOB.

Good on yer for knowing when enough was enough. Glad you're back to feeling well enough to post!

Now enjoy some well deserved rest - you ladies are my heroes.

Laura, I'm so sorry to hear this. But don't think this was due to lack of training or poor planning on your part.

There were pro's out there who were hurting... bad. One guy I know who places in his AG and was hoping to place for Kona... was vomiting too.

My cousin... started vomitting at mile 82 on the bike... and didn't stop until he stopped racing at 11:45 PM. He expected to finish in 11:30 and finished in 16:45.

It was a HARD day out there for everyone. It wasn't poor planning or training. It was the heat. I saw on the news that typically the temperature on that day is 84... the record high being 99... it was 94 degrees!

Don't be so hard on yourself. Your family, friends... and everyone here is so proud of you! You did a great job.

Laura, you are a total hot BABE!!!! :D
We are so proud of you! We followed you as best we could and cheered you on! (and with those extra miles you ran by accident, you did the 26.2 miles I'm sure. You are IRON!!!!)

I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes. What physical and mental anguish you have been through! It takes courage to start an Ironman and I think it takes even more to stop. You did the right thing. Never, ever question your decision.

Laura: Both yours and Denise's descriptions of the day sound absolutely miserable. KSH said most of what I was thinking. You both should be very proud of yourselves -- you put in months of hard work, and this was one day in that time, and a 94 degree, windier than heck rotten day! You guys definitely ROCK. Congrats on such hard work. Hope you both are feeling a bit better today.

I know that I am late coming in here, but I just wanted to say that both you and Denise did a great job on a very horrible day from all reports given.

I am glad that you had family and friends to support you in your efforts as well as assist in making sure that you were physically ok before, during and afterward.

Congratulations on all of your efforts and time. I can barley comprehend the time you have devoted to this sport.

It is good to know that you are home safe and sound and can recover in a healthy way.

Ellen

Laura-You were there, you gave it your best shot & listened to your body.

Give yourself a pat on the back & take some time to recognize what you did!!! :)

Hey Laura,
What a tough day. It must have been a really hard decision. I am so glad that you are ok, I was following you guys on the computer, and I got really worried about you. I don't do throwing up, so I would have been out at barf number 1 !!!!!

Rest, recover, relax, and take it one race at a time.

Laura - I have absolutely no concept of even trying an IM. You Rock!

And THREE bags of IV fluids, in the ER :eek::confused::eek:
I thougth my two bags after a Grand Canyon hike was bad. But Three???

Relax, take it easy, drink plenty of fluids, eat some nice meals. Then go for a run / bike ride / swim when you feel up to it. But not all three on the same day.

{{{{{{LAURA}}}}}}}}
That is the biggest hug I can give you!!! I was so worried about you, and when your run split wasn't coming up I knew something was amiss.
You made it WAY farther than I did (or would have even if I pressed on).
That day was by far the most brutal of all 4 years of this race. 05 and 07 were windy, but at least they weren't hot. This year was a double whammy.
I'm actually considering November now. But it's so hard to tell where my life will be in a year and a half??:confused:

Well girlie, I'm so glad we at least got to see each other before the race. It was great to see your smile.
Rest up! With the effort you put out, it's going to take awhile for your body to heal. Take good care of it and let your immune system get back in order. Don't push anything!

ciao bella

Denise

Both of you Laura and Denise have all of my respect, both for going out there and trying and for knowing when to stop. Those conditions were horrendous. You both are amazing.

thanks all of you!

I am feeling a little better now, back home. Talked to lots of IM buddies yesterday and all said 'right choice, don't regret it; learn from it'. So I will do my best to do that.

Denise, I was so glad to see you before the race too! You know, I am already thinking of NOV 09!! But I don't even know where I will be then either; and to get a slot I will have to come out in Nov this year to sign up (not that like that is a bad thing).

Sorry you had a tough time too! I hope you are feeling better now as well!

thanks again,
love
Laura

Hey Laura! I just wanted to tell you that it was very exciting and inspiring for me to root for you and Denise this past weekend. I'm sorry that this year didn't work out but it's good to see that you're feeling better and are already thinking about November '09.

IMs are so incredible to me and I think you're awesome for just getting out there and pushing through those conditions and knowing when to stop. Sometimes thats more difficult than continuing on only to hurt yourself.

Thank you for posting this report. I think that it helps a lot of people, as they learn from your circumstances. It certainly has given me a lot of food for thought as I head to my first HIM (of 2 this year) and my first IM next year.

I haven't been in an IM, but I've completed a marathon with injury. I've also DNS (bronchitis) and DNF at the same marathon that I'm going to try to finally tackle this year. Fortunately my DNF was in the same year as the marathon I completed, so it wasn't as bad a blow.

Thanks,

N.

I am just starting out on my own tri journey and am in utter awe of people who attempt IM. I agree with everyone here who has said that you two rock! I also agree that it takes more courage to know when to stop when things aren't going well. As endurance athletes we tend to push through all sorts of discomfort and it's a very smart person who doesn't push themselves past the brink of no return. IM will always be there but your health (and life!) may not.

Laura,

How did you like the L/S jersey you wore for the IM?

Alex