Ironman Wisconsin

I’ve been mentally writing for days but this is the first chance I’ve had to type anything out. Now that it has been 10 days past, I realize my words will be inadequate to fully describe all I felt and saw. So, here’s my attempt to detail our trip and the power of spectating my first Ironman.The trip sort of started on Wednesday evening when Jim, K, and I went to pick-up the van. I can’t help but share this gem–>

Jim decided when backing up the van that the rental place’s porch needed some work done. He was just helping out.

I can’t recall if it was 4:30 or 5am the next morning, but we awoke to a dark sky and great anticipation of what lay ahead. Much had already been prepared in advance of the day but it still felt like there was more to be done: take care of the cats, pack the last stuff, ensure all the necessary athletic gear was already packed, get coffee in to-go cups (I wouldn’t dream of walking out of the house that early in the morning without that black gold steaming in a mug in my hand). The van arrived and was loaded quickly with our stuff, then we went on our way to pick up the rest of our traveling crew. Spirits were generally high and the trip, though long, was largely unremarkable, save an early event with a cargo truck carrying cars that caught on fire that closed the interstate temporarily. It added about 30 minutes or so to our already 10+ hour trip. It ended up taking us closer to 11 and a half hours with food stops and such. A long day in a van but there was napping off and on and much discussion about what was to come over the next few days.

Our time in Madison was rather hectic and the first night was just a preview. We checked into the hostel and I was pretty much entering panic. I couldn’t locate the a/c unit, it was sweltering in the room, and the simple lack of control of my surroundings was overwhelming. After getting checked in and some grousing from your’s truly, we headed over to the Up North tavern for some beers with the crew and to The Great Dane for a late dinner. Everyone enjoyed plenty of beer, as

the guys had to abstain closer to the race and the mood was jovial and light. Much race conversation ensued but with this crew, it’s par for the course. We got back to the hostel late and sat for a few minutes in the common room. One major issue I had with this place was that it was segregated so I was in a different room than K and all our friends. I was highly anxious and as a panic attack set in, I cried for a few minutes sitting there in a chair in the common room. I could see the worry in K’s eyes so I shook it off and reassured him. This was his time and I knew I would be fine. That night I slept in very sweaty conditions and with my suitcase in my bunk for logistical purposes. The noise of moving it and locking it up that night would have been rude and I’m polite more often than not.

Anyhow, I awoke dark and early the next morning. K messaged me about 20 minutes before we’d set our alarms and I was ready to get on my way for the day (read: get the hell out of that room). We found our way to Ancora Coffee for some pre-breakfast fortification then joined the crew for breakfast. This was mostly a free day, though we had some minor race prep to take care of. I went shopping at the expo and I’ve cautioned K several times to keep his hands off my Ironman running beanie this winter! 😉

Then came the momentous occasion of meeting K’s parents. They are lovely people and we all enjoyed lunch and beer (more New Glarus- this time the Oktoberfest) and hung out for the afternoon. K and I were exhausted so we napped and generally, the fatigue of the trip was starting to catch up with us as well as the weight of what he was about to face seemed to be clouding his eyes. He grew exponentially quieter as the time drew nearer.

We met up with the crew that night for dinner after bidding good night to K’s parents and we kept discussing what sort of gift his coach had sent. The cryptic message was that our friend, John, was bringing a gift for three of the guys from their training coach, Robbie Bruce of RX Endurance, who was “at a race in Las Vegas with some of his other trainees”. The gift was to be opened at that dinner. K and I were met at the door of Paisan’s by Allie, who had travelled up with John and his wife, Carolyn, and she showed us to our table. We were the first of the group to arrive. We turned the corner… and there sat Robbie! I was aghast and K laughed. The responses were similar as the rest of the group trickled in. A very kind and supportive gesture of Robbie to come see these guys he has worked with for 9 months to the end of their journey. Following a properly carb-heavy meal, much laughter, and conversation, K and I retired to the hostel once more, this time saying goodnight without any tears from me.

Another early morning text from K before our alarm time and I was up and out the door in my running clothes. We met with the Fab 5 and Rebekah for the guys’ last workout before the race the next day. Rebekah and I enjoyed a lovely 4.5 mile run on the shores of Lake Monona while the guys swam, rode, then biked. I was in dire straights for coffee by the time they finished their run! K and I went to shower and then headed to Graze, a place I had seen listed online as a good place for foodies such as us. It lived up to the hype though I was disappointed that they over-poached both our eggs for our eggs benedict.

We were both far too hungry to complain though. K was deep in silence by this point. The race was looming and he retreated into his head. Me? I was along for the ride and to support him however he needed it. I had asked for a couple things from the trip only: to bring home cheese and New Glarus beer. The New Glarus was already in hand and we tackled getting some cheese from Fromagination that afternoon. I’m glad that place is not in Nashville! I would be an additional 100 pounds. It was a really great cheese shop though and we enjoyed tasting our way around.

That Saturday was interesting because K was completely preoccupied with the race. His silence gave way to a bit of irritation in the middle of the day when we had great difficulty locating a place that was open outside of regular lunch hours. Really? Does no one eat between 2 and 5pm in Madison? I kept watching him, worried for what he had to tackle the next day, and feeling how heavy this weight was on him. That changed around dinner time.

K’s friend, Eddy, had arrived from Chicago with another Nashvillian, Steve, in tow that afternoon. We decided to eat Greek food for dinner and his parents met us there as well. It was in the midst of that dinner that I saw the weight lift from K’s eyes. Wide-eyed, effervescent, with a sort of mad look to him, I could see he was ready for this. Really ready. The stress had transformed into this glowing energy. His laugh came easily that early evening following a morning of tense staring, looking into the distance of what lay ahead… how I love that laugh.

Now all he needed to do was sleep. Me too, though I joined Eddy and Steve for some ice cream. In the land of dairy, you partake! It was really tasty ice cream and the 3 of us (we had dropped K back at the hostel to prepare for his day) meandered along State St, contemplating just how young college students appeared and how we never felt old(er) until we were around such young people. Then it was time for bed though sleep did not come easily for me. I was as excited as if I was the one racing, perhaps even more so.

Then came 3:30am. Race Day.

I packed what I needed for the morning, threw on my trusty Chucks, jeans, and my new Crushing Iron shirt. All the support crew was wearing them. I met K in the hostel kitchen and we had a few quiet, private moments before being joined by Daniel and then Steve. We all set out to the swim check-in for the guys to get marked. We had a nice time hanging out at the top of Monona Terrace as everyone took care of last minute details. K’s mom was kind enough to grab me coffee from the hotel lobby nearby (Saintly, really!) and the energy was high, even though it was only 5am.

Then everyone moved down to the swim start. From here on out the day was a blur of movement and jostling for position among the other spectators for these 3000 athletes. I could attempt to describe what we as spectators went through but instead of offering a play-by-play of an exhilerating and exhausting day, I will instead offer a few race pictures:

I was only particularly nervous at two places in the race: waiting for him to come out of the swim and after he crossed the finish line. At the swim to bike transition, I was simply nervous because it was the start of the day and I didn’t know what to expect. I was also concerned I would miss seeing him but he emerged smiling from the water and from then on we had the My Athlete GPS tracker to see where he was.

The second time was a different sort of nerve-wracking experience. He ran across the finish line and disappeared into the chute. I ran from my position around to the area he should have come out at… and he was nowhere to be seen. For about 20 minutes, he was nowhere to be found. I was so scared and reaching panic that an elderly woman next to me started to reassure me and helped me flag a volunteer to try to locate him. He wasn’t in the food tent, wasn’t in the medical tent, and at this point, I started looking for him where his GPS last tagged him. He was NOWHERE. As I neared tears, I got the information that he had called his mother and he was at The Great Dane, where we had all agreed to meet if we couldn’t find each other. I told his mom I was going to hurt him for causing us so much worry, though truly I was just relieved that he was okay. We found him sitting on the steps of the pub.

Unbeknownst to us, he had been sick to his stomach for the last 8 miles of the race so when he came through the chute, he pretty much just kept going. His brain honed in on the fact that we were to meet at The Great Dane, so he got himself there without waiting around. He claims he looked for us at the finish line chute but I was there within seconds of him crossing. Anyway, he was safe and we were all reunited. Jim and his wife, Bettina, joined us shortly after. It was time to relax and eat and hear the tales of the race!

It is really hard to describe this journey, or the longer one the Fab 5 undertook to get to Madison. All I can say is, while it was not a restful trip, it was certainly a memorable one I would not have missed for anything. So, when’s the next one? Thankfully not in 2014. My Ironman is taking a year off so we can travel and have some other adventures. 2015? Perhaps. I get the distinct feeling I should make sure I’m prepared…