Race - Run

Out back into the cold, wet day to run the marathon. I feel pretty good, and tell myself no mater what just keep moving. One it will help keep me warm, and two stopping in the wet & cold might make it very hard to get going again. I would check the race clocks here and there trying to do about a 10-minute mile. During the first loop I see “K” he looks good, and he asks how I’m doing. Less than one minute later I see “E”, and we both acknowledge each other. It’s nice to see someone you know "knee deep" in it with you. As I turn around (at the finish line) for my second run loop I can hear the people finishing and the “you are an Ironman” and I get totally chocked up! Out on the course, and now I’m checking out things from the first loop and running from landmark to landmark. I am about 3 miles from the finish…I am TOTALLY sick of being tired, wet, and cold, so I start running “hard.” After going for 12+ hours “hard” has a whole new meaning. I ran about a 9-minute mile, no one passed me, and felt like I was on a mission. The harder I went the sooner I could stop! I come up the little hill right by the finish. I can’t believe I’m almost done… I think for a second what to do crossing the fifinsh line for a picture I will be very proud to have, and maybe my only Ironamn. I turn the corner and am in the final stretch, I run right past the volunteers waving people to start their second loop with a smile. I get into the finish shoot, I look back, I’m all alone…cool. I put my arms up, the "beep" of the champion chip. I am an Ironman. **12:38:34** Two people “catch” me. I am rtying hard to unlock the keys on my watch so I can stop it. The guy on my right asks something to the effect that it’s important to stop my watch…I reply, “actually it is.” He then asks if I am okay and I say “yea” with I am sure a very puzzled look on my face. You are really out of it at that point. I think since your brain has been processing movement for 12+ hours it takes it a bit of time to "recalibrate.”