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Ironman Wisconsin, Madison, WI, Sunday, September 10th. Hello Mark--Well, you probably know by now the results of IM WI. I am actually still pinching myself. I was able to shave off 59min, to finish 2nd in my age-group, and 6th female amateur overall. I therefore qualified for World Championship in Hawaii, in Oct 2007. Here's my race report: It was a very cold morning of Sept 10th. My roommate didn't want to let me know that a rain front was on its way, but it didn't matter: I was going to war. I had done the IM twice already, and this time was not about finishing, but about racing it with all my power. I didn't want to put too much pressure on my shoulders that morning, so I told myself that I would be proud, regardless of my ranking, as long as I give it my all. My race plan was also to concentrate during the run, and not let the crowd, the friends, distract me. The gun went off at 7am, and immediately I got kicked in the face, grabbed on, swam on...When you swim with 2450 people, that's what happens. To make matters worse, the water was very choppy and waves were coming at us. I managed to keep my cool and swim as fast as I could to get out of there. My time was 5 min slower than last year, but I didn't want to feel bad already...only an hour into the race! So I grabbed my bike, and the rain started pouring. It would let up, but it never stopped that day. It was windy, slippery and crowded. I knew the course by heart, and was "tricking" my mind to look forward to the next corner, the next hill, as it was more fun than the previous one! I had to do this twice, for the 2 loops on the bike. I finished the bike portion only 5 minutes faster than the previous year, but considering the conditions, I was pleased with that. I hadn't seen a lot of women out there, and had no idea which position I was in. Then the run started. You can break or make a race with the run, and I didn't know which one it was going to be. I gladly realized that my legs were feeling quite responsive, thanks to many "brick" workouts. I knew my pace was a little too fast, but I didn't want to slow down. I had 2 choices: slow down, so I can make it for the entire marathon, or keep going at this speed and risk hitting a wall. I took the chance and hung on to my pace. I had to concentrate not to let the strangers yelling my name distracting me. It was a fun feeling, and I usually respond with a smile, a wave, but not this time. I had to remain focused. At mile 10, a guy, out of nowhere, yelled my number and the fact that I was in 2nd position in my age-group. I wasn't sure I wanted to know that: I still had 16 more miles to run! After panicking a little, I reminded myself that I was going to be proud, regardless of my ranking, as long as I was giving my all. And that's exactly what I was doing. No women passed me. I crossed the finish line at 11:20, after a 3:39 marathon. I was happy to be done, and happy of the result. This was a great experience, but painful at the same time! I am recuperating right now, as food & sleep are my friends! Thanks to everybody who supported me, who believed in me, when I doubted myself. Thanks to a special friend who came down, straight after a his own bike race to watch me finish. Thanks to BBS help, technical support, advices, friendship. Ok...got to go back to bed! I will be coming down to LaCrosse on Oct 7th, and will make sure I stop by the shop. I have some pictures for you guys! --Maggie |
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This site was last updated on: June 28, 2010 01:56:28 PM -0500 |