ironman california

PreparationI set out to accomplish this goal about 10 months prior to the race. I had completed three 70.3 (half Ironman) distances and had some teammates that decided they were going to push for a full distance for the first time. I decided to join them, knowing if I was ever going to try one, it’s best to have people around you working toward the same goal. I honestly did not think it was achievable for me. I doubted myself the whole way through. However, I did not want to let fear or doubt stifle me from even trying. I wanted to fight as long and far as I could but be proud of myself and still celebrate even if I did not cross the race finish line. I wanted to redefine what success/failure would normally look like in my mind for this goal. I wanted to push farther than I thought I was capable of, something I felt was impossible, to more deeply experience my God-given life and His strength. I wanted to model this level of commitment, challenge and hard work for my kids. I entered the training season, guided by my wonderful coach, Jason Wilford with One80 Multisport USA, knowing I had some feet/ankle injuries to be cautious about. After many unsuccessful treatments, and about 6 weeks prior to race day, my coach advised me to stop running. He said it would be better to come to the start line on race day a bit more unfit for the run portion than to start in pain. I went into panic mode, feeling it would be an even more impossible feat, but stayed in the game and moved to a more unconventional training program. I was devoted to my bike and swims, aiming to make those disciplines as strong as possible, and substituted my runs with elliptical sessions and aqua jogging. I was thankful it was during the summer/early fall so I could enjoy the sunshine and outdoor pool. Peak training worked up to about 20 hours per week. Additionally, I continued with therapies to help recover and heal my body. If you are interested in learning more about my unconventional training program and/or recovery therapies I found helpful during my training, please click here and comment your interest. I am happy to share more details with you!
Race DayCome race day, I was so scared. It seemed like such a daunting task ahead of me…to face one of the most challenging and physically demanding single-day sporting events in the world, one that less than .01% of the population has completed. I felt out of my league. I felt fairly confident I could finish the swim and bike but wasn’t sure what the marathon would bring. Ironman California is touted to be a fast course with a downriver swim and flat bike and run. Therefore, it is often in the running for an ideal course for first-time Ironman racers. However, the wild card with this location has been the weather. The inaugural race in 2021 was cancelled due to a bomb cyclone. In 2022, athletes struggled to fight high winds. We were all hoping the old saying of “the third time’s a charm” would indicate perfect weather conditions for 2023. Surely the race couldn’t have bad weather three years in a row!
The swim - The good news is that it was downriver and sea lion friends were waiting for us to join them in the water. The bad news is that the temperature was 61 degrees and even with a wetsuit and neoprene swim cap, it took my breath away (I was glad I participated in a brief practice swim the day before to prepare myself for the shock and also brought a cold plastic water bottle with me the morning of the race to dump down the inside of my wetsuit prior to the swim). I was thankful that the current gave me a little help and I made it through the 2.4 miles in less than an hour. When the American and Sacramento Rivers converged, the current increased and with the other swimmers around me, despite aiming to the right of the turn buoy, I got pushed into the buoy and tangled in the rope that anchored it down. However, I didn’t get sucked under for long, got myself out and was able to recover quickly. If you set out to tackle this race, I recommend swimming far right of this buoy to ensure this does not happen. My face and feet were numb when I exited the swim but was thrilled with my time.
The bike - I knew given my swim time, if I could push and do well on the bike, I’d be setting myself up well to have plenty of time to get through the marathon. I was doing well for the first half of the bike, enjoying the scenery of the countryside and vineyards…and then the pouring down rain and wind hit. I could barely see through the rain on my visor, the roads were slick and there were several accidents and emergency crews on the course. I slowed down a bit to stay on the safe side. This was the first moment I thought about calling it quits…or thought about pushing through to finish the bike and then tap out while feeling accomplished with a decent swim and bike. At the end of the 112 miles, I was soaking wet and happy to get off my bike. I went into transition to assess how I felt and changed into dry running clothes (thank goodness I put an extra set of clothes in my transition bag, and bless those volunteers who helped me change quickly and made sure I didn't forget anything!). I felt fresher after doing this and headed out to tackle the marathon.
The run – Given my limited run training, I set out to do a jog/walk interval and was able to stick to it most of the time. I would lightly fuel during each of my walk sessions. Around mile 6, I started having significant pain in my right foot. I knew at mile 12, I would reach my special needs bag where I had stored another pair of shoes. I worked to get to that point to see if changing shoes would give some relief. It started pouring down rain again about mile 11 and now I was drenched in my running clothes. Puddles and slippery patches of mud started accumulating and it was clear the run course was not equipped with the drainage needed to handle the amount of rain falling. I hoped by the time I got to my fresh pair of shoes, the rain would stop, but it didn’t. I still decided to change my shoes and carried on. Miles 14-22 were cold, wet, muddy, dark, and lonely. While the aid stations and volunteers held steady and were wonderful to come upon (especially when they had warm broth), I think a lot of the community cheerleaders had given up on the rain and turned in for the night. This is when I prayed a lot and had to dig deep. I heard everyone’s words of encouragement and wisdom running through my head and felt God carrying me through. Then my best friend Cristy, who came to support me, found me on the course around mile 23 in the dark. It was a surprise and relief to see her, and we both cried and then laughed and her presence gave me some more energy to push through. As I approached the capital and could hear the announcer, I started getting tears in my eyes and finally believed I was going to finish this thing. I saw my coach, some teammates, and my rockstar husband/race sherpa right before turning into the finisher chute and was flooded with so many emotions. After so many hours of training, so many doubts, setbacks, and such a grueling day, I cannot describe the feeling of running down the red carpet to hear that I was an Ironman. I freaking did it!!! I had 17 hours to finish and I finished in 14:38:43. This race was later dubbed as "swim, swimbike, mudrun."
Your people are essential for completing such a task. I could not have done this without my wonderful husband and his endless patience and support in this process, my parents who also came to endure the long day and awful weather to cheer me on, my multi-Ironman brother for sharing his experiences and words of wisdom, my best friend who was determined to train some herself so she could find me and run on the sidelines when she knew I’d need it the most, my coach and teammates, so many family and friends who sent encouraging words and prayers, and my nephew-in-law for holding up the home front. I hope to encourage you with my Ironman story. Don’t let fear or doubt hold you back. Do the thing that scares the heck out of you. We can do so much more than we think we are capable of and can learn so much about ourselves and God when we challenge our human weaknesses. If you want to learn more about what I packed in my special needs and transition bags, please click here and let me know in the comments!
NutritionThe fourth discipline of an endurance event like this is mastering the nutrition plan that suits your unique body and needs. While we all want the perfect recipe delivered to us, it doesn’t work that way. It is not a “one plan fits all” type of thing. It takes a lot of experimenting and is an important process to undergo during your training. Having said that, I am happy to share my race day nutrition plan with you as an example. Simply click here and comment “Ironman nutrition plan.”
A Greater PurposeDuring this process, I also had a fund-racing goal. I was thrilled that these efforts raised $800 for the development of the secondary school of Bethesda (this project is shared in more detail under the Senegal section of this site).
If you would like to learn more about my time in the Sonoma area and my post-race celebration, click here.