As I reflect on my race at Ironman Wisconsin 2023, there are a few things that come to mind with the build into the race and the execution of it. I would have to say that I am more of a process driven athlete, opposed to one who thrives on racing. The process leading up to IMWI was highly successful and rewarding. I was able to execute almost all of my workouts as prescribed, did not get injured, stayed healthy from illnesses, and had my nutrition plan in place. In my mind, it was potentially going to be my best Ironman to date. However, I had to contend with an issue on the run that had never happened to me in a race – GI distress.
My swim/bike went well and I was ready to run, but I started getting nauseous by mile 2. Shortly thereafter, I started vomiting and continued to do so on and off through mile 11 or so. I was unable to take in any calories because I couldn’t keep anything down. I had to sustain on water and licking the salt off of potato chips for a large portion of the marathon. Moving on to mile 21, my energy was very depleted and my friends suggested I try taking in some coke. This worked and I made it to the finish line, started collapsing as they were taking my finisher photo, and was taken to the medical tent to be treated for heat exhaustion, dehydration, low blood pressure, and hypoglycemia.
I do come out of the race with a few takeaways:
Having support is of the highest value–It was my family, coach, friends, teammates, and athletes I coach who gave me the drive to finish no matter what happened.
Adaptability is key in racing–I had to adjust my running nutrition plan and be ok with not holding a consistent pace.
The human body may not respond on race day to the way it did in training–I had to accept that a seemingly perfect process in training is not fool proof on race day.
I feel so blessed that I finished the race in spite of the adversity I faced on the run. Thanks so much to all of you who helped get me there throughout the process and during the race itself. As for now, it’s time to get back to work.
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