Pinch Me... Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller

I keep having this dream.  It's a dream where I wake up smiling because it's one of those you want to replay over and over again in your mind.  Then I realize, it was real.  It really happened.  THAT really just happened.  Ironman Mont Tremblant 2013!

Upon our arrival, Kyle and I were greeted by an Ironman flag at one of the most beautiful houses right on the lake.  This kind of attention to detail and welcoming atmosphere continued through our entire trip.  Hats off to the Tremblant volunteers, planning organization and everyone who made this trip so special!! 

We met the lovely couple, Tom and Shelia, who would be our "homestay" or our "billet" as she called it for the next four days!  They were such gracious hosts!

We had a relaxing few days leading up to the race on Sunday, and I felt as ready as I could possibly be to execute my plan all day long.  It's a good feeling knowing you have done every single thing you could to prepare physically and mentally.  All that was left to do was stand on the starting line.  I met with Coach Jesse on Friday after the pro meeting and my plans were set.  The course looked challenging and fair.  Just my style!

It was a nice luxury for the pros to have our own bags on each chair labeled in the change tent.  Again, they really treated ALL the athletes well and I was thankful for these little touches for the professionals that helped our day run as smoothly as possible. Plus they fit my WHOLE last name on the sign and my bib number.  That's a feat in itself!  My good friend Jacqui Gordon was racing as well as a last minute entry.  I was so happy to see her and catch up before the race. 

Race morning we arrived very early and I spent the 45 minutes in the car relaxing and just visualizing my day.  I prayed the same prayers for a safe day for me and all the athletes over and over again.  I was nervous when I arrived, but it seemed to fade away as it was time to get things underway.  

It wasn't even light when we hit the swim start for the 6:36am gun.  I love this shot of Kyle  (middle with his ball cap) getting ready for a long day ahead while I'm out warming up on the swim course!

I lined up right in the middle of these exceptional women.  The quality of the field was extremely high due to some of the highest points on the circuit at the North American Championship.  I had some anxiety about the fact that we would be running in vs. starting in the water before the race (these type of starts CAN be rough with elbows flying everywhere), but I listened to my coach and did what I was told.  His words were as follows: get in the mix and get tough, FIND THOSE FEET and swim those first 400 meters like my life depended on it.  

With a BANG, we were off!  I found some open water and surprisingly, I wasn't getting too banged up!  Swimming hard, I realized I was starting to pack up with some girls so I fought to stay with them.  After a few minutes, they seemed to settle in and I was still alongside the group of about five women and I wasn't struggling to stay in position.  "THIS IS HAPPENING," I thought!  Finally, I swimming with a group!!  Before I knew it, we were rounding the far turn buoys and I started thinking about how I could (and maybe should) be swimming a bit harder.  I pulled out alongside the group to see if I could spot any swimmers ahead, but not one person was close enough to bridge the gap and make a move.  We headed on the back buoy line and I gave it some good thought.  In the end, I knew it made the most sense to stay with these girls.  We may not swim one hour or under (which is what Coach said I was capable of doing before the race), but we would be close.  I could tell and the energy I was saving was worth it's weight in gold on a 9+ hour day.  It was like sailing and I was smiling all the way. 

2.4 mile Swim Time: 1:02:10

Photo Credit: Jean-Christophe Lagace

Out onto the bike, I was very close to my teammate Jennie Hanson and I knew we are very equally matched in our cycling ability so this could keep me motivated with keeping her a constant distance away (of legal distance of course!).  The Tremblant bike course is exceptionally beautiful.  The air was cool as it rushed by at a moderate 65 degrees. It was perfect conditions for a great day.  Usually, I have trouble hitting my first wattage goal for the day, but today was different.  My legs seemed to lack their usual protest from the swim (less kicking - another benefit from swimming with a group!).  The wattage (force on the pedals) was reaching my goal and I was loving life!  I tried to stay in my own little box and not worry about what anyone else was doing or where they were.  Ironman is a long day and you're better off not to think about those things at this early stage of the game.  "Stick to your plan," I told myself.  We headed up the first section with long steady climbs to La Belle.

I felt calm and controlled.  I was drinking my Powerbar Perform and taking my gels every 45 minutes like clockwork.  At the 2:00 mark, I knew I was hydrated and had a successful downhill section to prove it!  I'm growing up a bit as a pro and with every successful move in that direction I feel a bit more confident I will never again have to get off my bike to get the job done!! 

It started to heat up as we made our way on the back half of the first loop with these kicker hills that you are wise to try and get in your easiest gear and grunt out as long as possible before you have to stand.  I saw Kyle and Coach Jesse and they encouraged me to stay on my numbers.  On the second loop, I started to see my proximity had me gaining on a few girls.  While I didn't get too excited about it, I used it as motivation to try and keep the pressure on my target wattage and be smart.  I was making some headway and Jennie and I continued to switch places on an off as some age-group male athletes interspersed themselves with us making it hard to not pass all 6 of them to stay legal.  We had many officials with us throughout the day so that was nice to see.  I made sure to pay attention to legal distance.  

Finally, I started feeling that "get me off this bike" feeling around mile 100 and even though I didn't know exactly what place I was in, I felt I had made some headway on the bike and ridden smart hitting my targets exactly.  It was time to see what I could do on this run!

112 mile Bike Time: 5:11:20

Mike Riley "the voice of Ironman" did an wonderful job of keeping all the spectators informed and keeping the athletes pumped up

Let's face it, I love the Ironman run.  Sure, I'm a runner, and I know it's going to be hard, but at the very least you lessen the chance of something random, like a mechanical issue, taking you out of the race.  I headed out optimistic that I could do some damage if I had the right day and see where I landed.  The temperature was perfect for a great run day at 77 degrees with very little humidity.  I would get to see Kyle, our homestay family and Coach Jesse (and many more) people out on the course which is always a great pick me up!

You head out of town and encounter some snappy hills (my course elevation from my watch showed 2,200 feet of elevation change total for the run course) that make you grunt a bit!  You know in your heart that the second time around they might hurt quite a bit more (but you try not to think about that!).  Eventually, you head out onto a shaded crushed gravel path to a turn around and back into town to end your first 13 mile loop of the two loop course.  This gravel path is a great chance to see who's ahead of you (and behind you!).  My heart rate in the early stages of the marathon was even a little low and I had been instructed to take the "pace" feature off my watch so I didn't know how fast I was running.  I pushed the hills to try and get the heart rate up a bit and it steadily climbed until I was happy heading out onto the path.  Around mile seven, I could see another athlete ahead and I started realizing I was gaining a bit on her.

When I hit the turn around, I passed her shortly after. Although I passed with some gusto, she hung on tightly for the next five miles right back into town! Little did I know at the time, this was the very well known and very talented Erika Csomor!  She was TOUGH and would not let me go! Her coach was yelling at us in her native language (Hungarian I think!).  I tried not to worry about her, and instead, focus on what was ahead.  Right at the moment I needed them, there were Kyle and Jesse as I headed out of town.  Coach Jesse informed me that we weren't far off 5th place, so to keep my eyes open.  Just over the hill, that's exactly what I saw my friend Haley and the 5th place biker.  I must have gotten excited and picked up the pace and I finally didn't hear Erika's footsteps right on my heels.

I took over the 5th position right around mile fourteen and as my biker turned around and pointed at me and held five fingers up I nodded and committed to the fact that I was going to run the next miles with all the heart and fortitude within my being.  The tricky part was there were NO mile markers, only Kilometers!  I didn't do my math homework before this race so at some point you start trying to calculate things and it just doesn't work you are so tired!  I resigned after the turn at the gravel path to make it to 2 hrs 30 mins because SURELY there couldn't be much over 4 more miles to run (7 mins per mile x 4 = 28 mins).  My legs were crying out in that achy pain with each and every step, but I thought about all the people watching when crossing each mat and knew that everyone I knew was pulling for me!!  I looked down at my arm and there were the initials, an "M" on one arm and a "J" on the other.  I couldn't let these girls down.  They each were fighters and so was I.  Coming into this race, I never expected to be in this position.  I knew I was having a very special day that was a blessing from above.  I wasn't about to waste it.

The countdown was on.. "Make it back to town" I told myself over and over.  I sung songs, I prayed and sometimes I just tried to blank out and think of nothing.  The pain was creeping in, but it wasn't enough to stop me.  I barreled on hoping my legs would continue to do what my mind and heart were asking.

Finally, I started winding into the town section and a funnel lined with people on both sides with sheer masses of screaming people were amazing!!  I felt like I was flying!  They were carrying me to the finish!  The finish turned off quickly to the left and I almost missed it.  Grabbing a volunteer to not totally fall over, I made the quick pull to the side and finally started to smile.

This was it!!!!!!!!!!!!

26.2 mile Run Time: 3:03:45* (*fastest female run split of the day)

Photo Credit: Jean-Christophe Lagace

Sheer joy - Final time 9:23* New Ironman PR

Sheer thankfulness - Fifth place female pro

Finish Line Video (courtesy of Kyle!!)

When it was all said and done, with the help of God, my husband, coach, family and friends, I had put together the best day I could.  A day I would never forget.  The time or place didn't matter to me as much as those facts.  I just wanted to show what the last 10 months had been about, the early bedtimes, the attention to nutrition, the early mornings and the runs in 97 degree heat.  

Kyle was right there by my side, as he always is, supporting me, loving me and always believing in me.  I swear he believes more in me than I do in myself sometimes.  I'm so thankful for him and I could never do any of this without him.

Congratulations to all of the other female competitors and to Mary Beth Ellis on a huge win! Thank you to all of you who have reached out via facebook, email, my blog, and via text.  I appreciate each and every one and don't take one message for granted.  Thank you to my coach, Jesse Kronpelnicki who has been with me through every step of this journey building me and molding me into the athlete we both know I can become!  Thank you to the Wheelers for letting us stay with you and being such wonderful hosts!!  We loved our time getting to know you!!  Thank you volunteers who helped us through every step of the way!! Thank you to my sponsors NormaTec, Top Gear Bicycle, Beyond Aero, QT2 Systems, Rudy Project, Fuel Belt and Powerbar for your assistance through product and services!  I am very thankful to have you in my corner!!

Time to celebrate!!

"I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds it" -Ralph Abernathy

PS.  No word on qualifying for the Ironman World Championships yet for those of you who have been following!  We will know more after this weekend's races, but it is going to be close!  I may make it, I may not, but either way, I'll know I left it all out there.. and that my friends is what it's all about!!

The Things That Really Matter.. IronMeg

It hits you like a ton of bricks.  Your stomach drops...your eyes well up.  No one can prepare you for news like this and your world quickly turns upside down.

Two weeks ago, I had a moment like that in the car while driving back from our Savage Triathlon Camp in Deep Creek, Maryland.  We had just come off the exciting high of having a spectacular weekend of learning, fun and new friendships.  Our campers sent their coaches off with a feeling that we'd helped some people not only get faster, but find a love this sport and a renewed sense of fellowship with other endurance athletes.  There were plenty of tough climbs, laughs, good food, open water swimming and lessons learned.  It was an overall positive and wonderful experience which I will post about in more detail at another time.

It's hard to keep the car on the road when you hear the words I heard from my fellow coach, and friend, Jeremy.  He said their had been an accident that Sunday morning.  Our good friend Megan had been riding her bike and hit some sort of lip on the road and taken a very hard fall where her head took a majority of the first impact.  Her brain had swelled and a piece had to be removed. She was now in a coma and he didn't know much more.

It made all the other things in my life seem so very small and the reality of my friend and what she and her family were going through felt like the weight of world on my chest.  I was speechless, you don't know what to say.  What CAN you say?  I'm not going to lie at some point you also see yourself in that situation and how life could change in such a short instant. We all know these things, but we gloss over them or we would never be able to spend as much time on the bike as we do.  We don't have to face them that often, but in times like this you know that it's just as likely to be you laying there fighting for your life.  That reality is thrust in front of your face and all the emotions that come with it proceed to fly out while you are also processing this horrible news. Your emotions are raw and right at the surface. You are scared, you are upset and you are not yourself. You look around for answers, and there are none. This is life, this is how it goes, but it doesn't make it easy.

Since that time, Megan's family has been updating us and there has been progress in the right direction.  She is now in a medically induced coma and she is healing, but only awake for sort periods.  I've been praying every day, sometimes multiple times per day, that God will give her doctors wisdom, that he will heal her.  I pray she will come out of this with very minimal brain damage and get to do what she loves again someday.  Megan is one of us.  She's an athlete.  She's competed in tri's of all distances, including Ironman.  She came from a Division One swimming background and is one of the most talented swimmers I know.  I've known Megan from Masters swimming and from years of being in the same endurance community.  Her strength is in her love of her friends and those around her.  She has a huge heart and always makes you feel like you are the most important person in the room.

I'm crying as I write this because of how hard this situation is, but how it also reminds me that what we are doing as athletes is much bigger than races or a result on paper. Her sister, Erin, wrote a beautiful update today and said it so much better than I ever could:

"When people ask Meg why she does Ironman, or ask me why I skydive, they often ask because they wonder why we would do crazy things like jump out of a perfectly good airplane (ps there is no such thing :-p) or run a whole marathon after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles. Part of it is the excitement and the challenge, but what I’ve learned from Meg’s friends and my friends this past week is that it is the community of friends—an extended family—that keeps us coming back. The laughs, tears, and celebrations you share, and the support and encouragement you get when you are pushing toward the toughest finish line you’ve ever faced—whether that’s in the water, on the land, or in a hospital—make the challenge just a little bit easier."





I too, believe that wholeheartedly.  The friends I have met, the people I have encountered, the stories they have told me, the bonds I have formed are so much bigger than swimming, biking and running.  There will come a day when I'm not doing this anymore and I know that I'll still be in touch with these people because they enrich my life and make it better than it was before.  If I needed something, they are people I can count on and who will be there when times are tough.  This outpouring of love around Megan these last two weeks has been nothing short of amazing, but I know exactly why. It's because the people that are in this sport and that are part of this community are nothing short of amazing themselves.  We have a love for one another and a kindred bond that can't be broken.

I'm struggling with all of this, but I know that Megan is strong and that the people around her will be strong for her in her times of weakness or struggle that may lie ahead.  I can only do what I am meant to do and that is to continue on and do what Megan has always done - raced the race that is set before her with perseverance.  Below is a prayer that a friend & fellow athlete said this past weekend at our local triathlon that is very moving so get your tissues ready if you watch it.



People are coming together in such awesome ways and I actually feel blessed just to get to witness their outpouring of support and caring.  It brings new meaning to the race I'm about to do and a new light to the purpose of us getting out there and competing because we can.

If you would like to read more about Megan's progress please do so here at their CARING BRIDGE website and please say a prayer or drop a line of support if you would like through the site.

I wanted to go see her yesterday when I was in town, but I've been a bit under the weather with a cough and bit of a cold since last week so I was worried about her immune system and after talking with a good friend decided it would be best to wait until I returned from Tremblant to visit.

This weekend I have a job to do and that job is to go out there and have a blast all day long doing what I love to honor my friend.  I hope that my day will show her that we are strong women who can do anything with faith and support of those we love around us.  I love Megan dearly and I know she is going to come back to full strength and get back to doing what she loves if it is God's will for her life.  Needless to say, she, along with my best friend in the world, Jocelyn, are my duel VIP's for this weekend's race.  Jocelyn has not had an easy go of it by any stretch this year after a sports hernia and a stress reaction in her pelvis took her dreams of a first professional season and shot them to the ground after New Orleans 70.3

She's spent the summer sitting around doing arm exercises, healing from surgery and wishing she could be out there swimming, biking and running.  I know she'll come back next year with a vengeance and have a great season, but she's really been struggling as you can read above in her blog (as we all do with injury).  It's mentally exhausting and this was physically extremely painful so she's pretty much been through the ringer.

I'm always so inspired by her strength and tenacity whether she is going to PT to heal or ripping it up on the race course.  I'll be thinking of both these amazing chicks all day on Sunday, that is a promise.

So, here we go!  There's nothing left to do but race and be thankful for the many blessing I've received in my life.  Kyle will be there so that is a wonderful thing, as well as, my coach, Jesse.  I couldn't be more excited to see where things go and most of all, to honor my two friends whom I love and wish the very best for in these upcoming years.  If you see a "M" and a "J" written on my body, you'll know what that's about.

Feel free to follow me on Sunday at Ironman.com - Just use the tracker to search professional women.  Thank you for all your comments, following me, notes, and best-wishes in advance!  I could never have the courage to do this without you!  See you on the other side of 140.6!!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such as great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easliy entagles.  And let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith -- hebrews 12, 1-3. 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."  --Theodore Roosevelt

Strong-Willed

“Easily mistaken, it is not about a love for adversity, it is about knowing a strength and a faith so great that adversity, in all its adverse manifestations, hardly even exists.” 
― Criss Jami

People say a lot of things about me.  I'm pretty sure one of them has never used the word complacent or indifferent in a sentence that has anything do with who I am.  It's been a blessing and a curse, but for the most part I've always been pretty darn strong-willed in all aspects of my life.  At times, this has lead me to jump straight off the cliff as every single sign and person I knew was telling me that it was a pretty far fall and I might want to rethink my trajectory.  Good or bad, that's pretty much been the way my life has been thus far.

As hard as those times were, they taught me so much about the things I cherish and the things I value.  Relationships take work and require nurturing and care.  People are flawed, all of us, and we will all eventually disappoint each other but if the bond we have is strong then things can be amended.

Only children are often credited as being selfish and stubborn, prone to self-imposed stress and have a strong sense of a personal agenda.  I'm sure some of that is true for me and has been true since I was young.  The same things that at times have hindered me, and hinder all of us, can the same positive aspects we exhibit should we chose to use them wisely and learn about their proper management.

In the sport that has become such a big part of my life, I'm pretty sure my will has been the saving grace at times pulling me out of deep dark places that I didn't know if were possible to leave at the time.  I also believe in having an internal locus of control meaning that the quality of my life is largely determined by my own choices and actions.  That ultimately I am responsible for who and what I am and how I will react to what the world dishes out is my choice.

I see this in my clients at times that their locus is very external and they believe they are passenger on the freight train of life, sailing into the future with no control over "what happens" to them.  If they miss workouts or make bad nutrition choices, it was because life handed them lemons - what else could they possibly do?? There were no options, no way out.  They HAD to make that decision or life-choice.  My goal is to try to change this particular viewpoint and help them see they are not only capable, informed, and smart, but they are the gatekeepers to their decisions and actions.  We don't have to to just accept things going one way or the other.  If you don't like your poor choices, change them.

Sure, bad things happen, bad things happen to everyone.  It's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN.  Ultimately, it is about how we respond to those things that determine our own story, our own destiny, our own life.

There's a balance to being strong-willed though, and I've seen that time and time again.  Sometimes we hold so tightly to something that we make it too important, too big and we lose perspective.  Just as in training for Ironman, we spent countless hours upon hours of time preparing, believing, planning and just like that, in one instant, everything changes.  If the source of our will isn't congruent with our belief system we can quickly get ourselves into trouble.  These days, I have to check myself regularly on if my heart is in the right place and I'm viewing this journey I'm on the way I should be viewing it so that I don't lose that precious perspective.

Sure, I've put so much time and energy into training for this one day, August 18th, but in one fell swoop I could be off my bike and on the ground.  Does that mean my training will have all been for nothing?  Not if I've been enjoying the journey like I should.  Not if I'm stopping to enjoy the sweet taste of nailing a workout or smiling as my heart rate is so low I feel like I'm walking but I'm actually running faster than ever before!  These victories and experiences are just as important as what happens on race day and there are far more of them than there are one 10 hour day in August.  Even this strong-willed girl knows that.

I've loved every second of the last ten months.  Wait, scratch that, I've enjoyed 95% of my training over the last ten months and the other 5% I've just gritted my teeth and gutted out because that's what we have to do sometimes.  No one gets up every day and wants to ride their bike for 5 hours. Some days you just keep your eyes on goal and realize that it's the sum of many days that will eventually lead you to your destination.

Often times I've thought of the Ironman Texas marathon and how utterly grueling that race was for me.  I've never hurt so bad or dug so deep in my entire life and I'm thankful I now know that I'm capable of digging in my heels to that extent and just refusing to give in.  I needed to know where that place was and that, if necessary, I could access it again if need be.  There were years of dipping my toe into that place and seeing what it was like to feel the water, but that day I cannonballed in and never looked back.  That's belief, that's will, that's knowing that sometimes you have to go too far to see how far you can really go.  I was moments away from compete and utter system failure and it was super scary, but also pretty intense to use my mind and spirit that hard to drive my body to do what I felt like I was supposed to do.

In two weeks I'll be in that place again.  There will undoubtedly be challenges and things that go astray.  I'm sure more than once I'll ask myself why I'm even doing this incredibly hard thing, but then I'm pretty sure I'll remember why and all the situations of my life that lead me to this one exact moment.  The best we can hope for is to have a little luck on our side, trust the plan and believe that everything will work out exactly as it should (whatever that may be).  I'm excited to see where this one goes!