Thoughts on Ironman NC 70.3, My First Ironman: Things That Made Me Smile
At body
marking a volunteer wrote 65 in big
black numbers on my left calf. (I was
still 64.)
I took a trolley to the swim start!
In a corral
for an hour before the swim start. I forgot water, but when I asked a fellow
competitor if there was water available, she said “no” and then shortly after
came and found me and gave me one of her bottles.
It felt warm
to get into the water. The swim felt
good: the current was at my back.
After the swim,
I had the help of a wetsuit stripper for the first time ever. Amazing!
Arm tug. Done. Laid on back. Leg tugs. Done. No struggling. Love this
concept!
In T1 tent:
Volunteer sun screened me with SPF 50 that they provided (and I had
forgotten). What a luxury!
On the bike:
a woman in a green helmet with the name “Scooter” on it came up from behind and
said, “You know what most 65 year old women are doing today?” I said, “Knitting
or crocheting?” She responded, “Not
THIS!” and biked off. During the tough
times in the wind, I kept thinking about this. It helped me keep going.
Toward the
end of the bike ride with the wind finally at my back, a young woman came up
behind me and said, “Quite a pace you are riding!” I said, “Feel free to pass
me.” Her response? “I can’t.”
I never saw her again, as I kept trying to make up for lost time
earlier.
A guy
commented on my Island Bike and Triathlon jersey. “Cool shirt!”
On the run
we went through Old Town Wilmington.
Shady. Cool bars and restaurants along the way. Lots of people cheering you, by name!
Much of the
run was along a beautiful lake and in the shade.
Icy cool,
wet sponges that I put in the back of my trishirt.
Pretzels and
chips at the aid stations. It was great
to have the salt and real food!
Coke at the aid stations.
Nice for a quick energy fix.
The run began and ended along the water on a beautiful
walkway.
We received 70.3 FINISHER pajama bottoms that I quickly put
to use as I cooled down.
There was pizza and beer at the finish. It reminded me of my first triathlon, The
Capitol View in Middleton in 2009.
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