Well as expected it was a long hot day.
Mike and I walked to the start ( about 15min from our motel) and headed to our bikes- we had no real plan to meet up which was a mistake because by the time I got my bike double checked I had lost Mike in the crowd- I decided to start getting my wetsuit on and eventually had a kind strong stranger zip it up for me. I was still looking for Mike but with 3000 stressed athletes wandering around in wetsuits it became clear I wasn't going to find him
I headed down to the water on the far right of the start- that is where I started last year and I was hoping that Mike would find me there so we could have a quick hug and kiss before the start.
As Steve King began counting down the time I was strangely calm- though disappointed I wasn't with Mike at the start.- I kept looking around hoping I would spot him but really everyone looks the same with googles and swimcaps and wetsuits on....
The gun went off and I started to swim- it was such a different experience compared to last year..I was not hit at all, barely any contact, it was smooth the whole way. I did pop my tempo trainer under my cap before the start- I don't know if that is cheating or not but it made my swim so calm- I loved it- tick tick tick- I just concentrated on that- I had set at a very comfortable pace for me - the only down side was that I did not feel like I was "racing". Just very steady the whole way- I didn't speed up to pass anyone or hover behind anyone..I came out of the water not sure of what the time would be because the effort seemed so low --as it turned out I was only 3 min slower than last year.
Myt ransition was slow compared to last year but this year I did not swim in my top and had to struggle to get it on over my wet sports bra- I stopped to use the bathroom and then it seemed to take me 2 min to get my bike unracked.....arrgh- the seat post is too high to roll it under the rack and to roll it out backward it had to be tipped sidways but the other bikes were all there and racked so tight..finally some volunteers came to help but it seemed to take forever.
My bike ride was pretty much what I expected- I was under trained compared to last year- I found the heat difficult especially since for us slow pokes they ran out of water at some of the aid stations!!! I carry all my own nutrition- concentrated- so with little water my nutrition plan was kinda screwed up... I happen to ride past Mike (at around 130km)who was sitting on the grass in the shade- I called to him- asked if he was having a tea party but didn't stop..I knew he would catch me soon enough Turned out he was also having nutrition problems and we ended up riding along bunny hopping each other to the finish- he shared some of his water which was great...Mike was really struggling but as we rolled into T2 I told him I would meet him outside the change tent and make a plan.
Fortunately I had a bottle of eload in my transition so I gulped that down and felt much better- I met Mike outside and he really just wanted to call it a day but I convinced him if we just ran/walked we could get thru the marathon- he agreed and we started on a 2 min walk 2 min run. he managed this for about 3-4 miles but then even that became difficult- as we were talking about what he had eaten etc it became clear that he had only ingested about 700 of the 2500cal he had on his bike- so the next 10 miles became a buffet for him trying to get in as many calories as he could tolerate and still getting enough water. By the turn around he was starting to feel better and we could do a 1 min walk 1 min run, until about 4 miles out he bonked again we walked the rest of the way in pretty much.
Although I felt I could have run more I was happy to hang out with Mike- I know for some that will seem crazy but really I had no goal time- I went into this feeling under trained and really I enjoyed the company- I could have run ahead but to what end- Iwould have come in sooner but would have spent all that time alone suffering at least this way I spent time with Mike (who I love) and really it was pretty flukey that after not seeing him at the start we were able to meet up and finish together- even though we were slow- I had way more fun and could really share the day with my husband and that was good enough for me
Unfortunately I did end up getting another iv (like last year) my mistake was getting tempted by solid food at the finish line...obviously my stomach can't tolerate it - well in hindsight it is obvious

Will I do it again.???...NOT NEXT YEAR... too many other things on the go.... I know I have the capability to come in under 14 hrs and next time I will have a specific goal in mind and go for it

As usual the volunteers were awesome- and the people along the route with sprinklers and hoses etc- and there were some amazing groups of people cheering along the route- one specific group in a boat moored along the lake playing great music - so energizing-- the one guy was yelling "don't worry we will still be here on your way back" and in my head I'm thinking not a chance...but there they were- as enthusiastic as ever...
One sign still makes me laugh I think about it... a woman was holding it and it said " I don't do triathlons ...I do triathletes"...


Thanks for reading