The Bike-to-Run transition was fast and easy. I hit the loo and then headed into the changing tent it was so warm! Again, the volunteers were attentive and efficient. They helped me unpack my run gear and stacked my bike gear into the same bag as I ditched it - helmet, shoes, bike nutrition and socks. I changed into new socks and shoes and picked up my run belt and run nutrition and headed out the door.

T2 BIKE-TO-RUN 6:06

I was so happy to be out on the run. Ace was right there as I headed out onto the course. How he made it from the bike in to the run out I’ll never know. It was a maze for me - I can’t imagine what it was like for him.

This run course might have been one of my all-time favs. The energy of the volunteers and spectators was infectious, the variety in terrain was a welcome change and the views were great. Like the bike, the run was three loops. Like the bike, I broke each 8-mile loop up into sections.

The first two miles out of transition were along the lake – the high side out featured short little hills and the low side back featured a hard-packed dirt trail right along the water. The next few miles were full of other runners, spectators, the tri club village, two aid stations and a bridge over to the north loop. The loop section included a run along the north edge of the lake (and the IM supply lot), a climb past a dog park and between two boulders and back down to the lake. The last section was what I thought of as the lost section. It was a two-mile section where the Salt River becomes a creek, there were very few spectators and the wind whipped across the concrete.

I let the first loop be an adventure. I have watched videos of the course and researched it with my athletes, but I really didn’t know what to expect. My goal was to run a mile, walk a minute – but that quickly turned into 4:1 run:walk intervals. I took in the people and the course and just let myself go out for a run.

Here are my memories from the run:

After walking and chatting with Neal for a bit, I started my run: walk. The legs felt noodly as expected. The weirdest thing was the big toe on my right foot was so sore. It wasn’t a sharp pain, but a dull ache that almost hurt worse when I walked than when I ran. And it definitely didn’t love it when I ran downhill. I guessed that I had been bumping it against the inside of my bike shoe.

The first aid station was a life-saver. It sat at the top of a hill. From the bottom of the switchback I could hear the leader call out: here’s one water for WON-derful YOU! Here’s one water for WON-derful YOU!

I would like a wonderful water, I said as I crested the top of the hill.

Here’s one water for WON-derful YOU! The water was cold and delicious. I headed down the row of Maurten, Mortal Hydration, snacks and ice and asked for vasoline. Yes! Said one of the volunteers. He led me over to a first aid box and I reached for the popsicle stick that was smeared with Vasoline. I finally….FINALLY had a substitute for my lip balm.

As I reached what I called the Boardwalk section with all the spectators and tri clubs, this guy points at me and yells: YOU are going to be and Ironman today! And I am just going to be a drunk man! I laughed and high-fived him.

Ace caught up with me in that section each time I passed and asked: how’s your nutrition? How’s your hydration? How’s your attitude?

I feel good, I said. How’s your nutrition? How’s your hydration? How’s your attitude?

Right on race pace, he said.

I crossed over to the north side of the lake on a pedestrian bridge. It was undulating - both in energy and terrain. There was a string of club tents and an aid station, then a quiet section along a wall, into a tunnel and up into a neighborhood. Think: music - quiet - aid station - quiet - big cheers - quiet. The terrain was flat, then a slow climb, then a short punchy climb, and then a descent to the lake. On that north side of the lake, I watched as the sun sank lower in the sky between the buildings. I imagined it going down over the mountains and the fields of cacti way out at the bike turn-around. I noticed the IRONMAN supply lot that was filling with bike aid station trucks and there was a dog park that was hopping - with more rabbits than dogs!

Somewhere in the LOST SECTION, I remembered that I had almost fallen after the swim. I remembered the step that stopped me short as I exited the swim ramp. THAT is why my toe hurt! I must have shoved it into the concrete wall and……because my feet were numb at the time…..didn’t feel a thing. Now, there was a dull ache when I headed down a hill.

When I came out of the lost section and back to the Boardwalk, the aid station near the pedestrian bridge was playing Brick House and I danced along. One of the volunteers pointed at me. I see you dancing! She exclaimed!

This is my theme song! I said as I through my arms in the air and dance/ran. She laughed and she walked/danced beside me. Do you need anything? she asked.

I’m great, thank you so much I said as I headed away. Later, I came back through, she yelled at me: HEY HOT PINK! We’re not playing Brick House, but let’s dance! She walked with me a bit and encouraged me to keep it up.

As I made my way into the second loop, I met Ace met me near at the Boardwalk section. I could hear him chanting HOLOMUA BETH ANDREW-A! Holomua is my one word for the year. It means move forward – which is the PERFECT CHEER! I was glad to see him again so soon. We checked in on each other’s hydration/nutrition/attitude and he let me know he was going to get my bike out of transition and take it to the hotel room. I’ll see you back here in a little while. We high-fived and off we went.

The second loop was hard. Knowing that I had to do each loop twice more was daunting. The sun was setting and I was almost at the halfway point. If I can keep this up, maybe I can get in under six hours. But, it was starting to feel so good to walk! In fact, I walked almost all of mile 14 on the north side of the lake. I struggled mentally a little here. Most of the north side of the lake is a blur. I decided to start keeping my eye on other run/walkers.

I tried to stick with number 1135 and I was able to keep him within distance for two miles. He was run-walking also. But, he was fast on the flats. Plus, he was a loop ahead of me. I watched him peel off towards the finish as I trudged ahead for loop three.

Finally, I made it to through the lost section and back to civilization. The volunteer/dancer at the pedestrian bridge aid station greeted me with a big cheer. ONE. MORE. TIME. She said, knowing that I’d only have to come through her aid station once more.

The chute with all the spectators had thinned a little, but there were still a lot of fans to high five. Neal met me and walked with me a bit. In the brightly lit section under the pier I pointed to a guy behind the fencing.

HEY! I shouted. You’re the drunk man!

He laughed and said: I’m out of beer. Do you know anyone with some cold beer? I pointed at Ace and Ace pointed at himself; but we kept walking. Way to go, IRONMAN! The man shouted as we walked on.

One more lap, Neal said. You can do it! Hydration. Check. Nutrition. Check. Attitude. Meh. But, only one more loop to go. I said.

I skipped my personal needs bag altogether – I knew I could get by with water, ice, chicken broth, cola and potato chips at the aid stations. As I came up on aid station one again, I heard the wonderful water woman at the top say something like: ice cold water just like tempe town lake! I joked: did you just say the water tastes just like lake water? Noooooo! But it’s just as cold!

Right before I made the turn from the high side to the low side of the trail I heard this terrible sing-songy beeping down below. It echoed across the lake and up against the high rise building to my right. What in the world? It got louder as I made the turn and ran against the wind back to the Boardwalk section. Eventually, I realized it was a run/walker using a metronome. A very loud one. A runner came up behind me and groaned. Oh, c’mon, he grumbled. I gotta get away from that. I agreed and so I picked up my run and ran until I couldn’t hear it – then made myself run another two minutes. He either never caught up with me or he turned it off.

Mentally, I was doing better. It helped to think I only had a 10K to go.

IRONMAN ARIZONA - PART 3

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