Happy medal monday
As I recoup all my memories of yesterday’s spectacular event, I process those emotions, and integrate the body and spirit for a day filled with achievements, gratitude, adventure and friendships. Here is a “short”recap with lots of pics ( all taken by friends and family.. I had no phone for the race !!)
2am early wake-up after a restless sleep. The nerves were high.
The next 2 hours were spent attempting to use the facilities unsuccessfully and gobbling down a banana and oatmeal and by 4am was on the road to the race. 430am the transition station opened.. the dawn was breaking.
Amongst the almost 1300 athletes prepping and laying out their gear and bikes for the race, the adrenaline was high and the music was loud and the familiar faces were refreshing. BY 5am another trip to the long lined porta potties was made and by 530am my coach and team made it to the swim start.
On the way met so many friends who were volunteering and cheering the atmosphere was as radiating as the sun getting ready through the misty clouds for the day. Nerves were calmer. I was relaxed. Just wanted to get the day started. I lined up for the SWIM in the corrals per the Ironman rules after the national anthem was sung with pride and emotion. 3.. 2…1. Go.. the buzzer hit and I waded into the Connecticut river….
Then something unexpected happened. I am not someone who is afraid of the water, especially not open water, and I am quite accustomed to wetsuits. I could not breathe. My heart rate just suddenly jumped as I immersed my face into the water. I immediately knew this was not going to be a good omen for the swim leg. I doggy paddled and I backstroked for a bit, basically anything to keep afloat. I was not worried about the other athletes around me ( a common problem in these swims). I was not anxious, but I was now unable to diagnose the problem. I realized that the water was cooler than I was used to at 62 degrees, and I had not warmed up yet.
AT 200 yard buoy I seriously contemplated giving up and stopping the race. I thought about my family who had also come at 430am to support me. I thought of all my fellow friend athletes and online friends who were rooting for me and cheering me on. I thought to myself, what lesson will I learn in this moment that I can share with the world. 2 things emerged. The first that it is always a choice to give up, but if we give up just once, it becomes a habit. SO I refused to give up. I kept trying to calm my breaths and warm my muscles up. I then decided to sight and go from buoy to buoy along the entire length and use those as support to catch my breaths and recover. I wasn’t thinking about the whole 1.2 miles ( which for me is no feat, but in that moment it felt like an eternity towards death). I will focus on 1 buoy at a time. This was the second lesson. In life we cannot see the end of journey, and we are not asked to. WE are simply invited to take one step at time towards our goal. So I did not quit.. I kept going.
Made it downriver to the swim exit, and then the LONG walk to transition helped to recover my heart rate. The warmth of my family waiting for me as I came out of the water gave me solace and courage to keep moving forward. Every step forward was another step closer for me to finish the race.
The BIKE leg. I am going to be brutally honest. Yes I just learned how to ride a bike 2 years ago and have put on a ton of mileage and plenty of long 100 miler rides. I hate the bike. I don’t like hills. The ONLY thing I enjoy about the bike is if I am riding with friends. Otherwise forget it. I was so cold from the water and the chilled early morning air on the ride out of transition did not help my desire to love the bike. I was about to embark on quite the hilly course. Earlier in the week, I had driven the 56 miles with my coach and completely freaked out at the rolling hills and the steep mountain climbs. I had come back home and told the wife I was going to drop out of the race. Good thing I let myself feel all my emotions ( the ebb and the flow) before making decisions. I realized I had done ALL these hills in training last year for my other Ironman races. I had suffered even worse hills at lake placid and my friend reminded me as I messaged him of my freak out moment, of a particular course he had taken me on which was a vertical climb of pure suffering. And I had conquered that road, so this would be nothing.
Well I surprised myself. I pushed and pushed to meet the various timing cut offs and beat them by 45 min each time. I was my fastest on the bikes hitting 39mph on downhills and 17 to 18 mph on many of the course routes. I averaged 15mph. At each aide station I had to pee like a racehorse. The cold and the proper hydration was filling my bladder quickly. That was also a great impetuous for me to get faster.. get to the next aide station to pee.
The course was well marked and thank goodness for the police directing traffic. I thanked each one as I went by. The bike course was a lot tougher than expected due to the innumerable turns. All the momentum I gained doing downhill fast, was lost as I braked and turned, most annoying. Yet the turnout by the community and all the cheering of volunteers was so welcomed and appreciated, it made for an amazing bike ride. Even the climb up the mountain I actually appreciated. It felt effortless. I had done all these roads, their familiarity made it a better experience.
There was a 76 old lady who passed me up the mountain going faster, I yelled out ” you passed me going up a mountain, you are a badass” she laughed and said “ I am cyclist, you are one too” and off she went… I yelled back “ YES I AM” and felt more inspired. When I charged towards the end I loved the bike ! What a transformation.
Then came the RUN leg. 13.1 miles. My favorite. Started off at a decent clip 9 min mile, felt great. Bumped into all kinds of people running. One guy was born in the same town as I was in England and he immigrated here years ago ! One guy narrated his life story to me. he was 69 years old and this was his first long distance event, his goal was to do something epic by age 70 ! By then the temperature had risen from 58 in the morning to 82 by the run portion. It was getting hot very fast. At each aide station I placed ice inside my hat, my friends poured ice down my front and back of my shirt and I sipped Gatorade endurance while eating oranges and bananas when I cramped at mile 11. I kept cool and laughed and meeting total strangers and striking up conversations.
What truly fueled me was seeing my family ( kids, wifey, parents and mother-in-law ) as they kept going ahead of me to be the best support crew. ALL my fellow athletes who were competing as I saw them on each legs. The incredible friends who were volunteers assisting every one diligently and especially when I came in at the run, it was like my own personal pit crew.. fuel, ice, hugs, GO. The one thing I really found spectacular was the community who had come out to support the athletes. Strangers cheering strangers. If only we did this daily, the world would be a much closer and tightly knit community filled with love not with egos. The “ hey nitin you got this “ all around me from the mouths of friends, family and strangers, was inspiring and rejuvenating. At one point an out of state runner from France next to me, says “ Are you some kind of celebrity? Every one seems to know you, and you know everyone !” I laughed, I explained this was a hometown race for me, and these were all my friends from the RYH, 4run3, Team RWB and cyclonaut groups.
So much gratitude for everyone showing up, and their love and support from the start to the finish and moreover the journey in between. My heart is full. Time to rest, reflect, get the body back into normal mode, get the mind centered on life again and its priorities. This year started out chaotic and juggling family, work, training was insane emotionally and time wise seemingly impossible. These races are usually spiritual awakenings for me as I up-level emotionally, mentally, physically each time. Time for a pause to be grateful for being alive and all the experiences encountered and everyone I meet along the way.
What a journey of life indeed. I am glad I get to do this.
……………
I Love you ( sincerely )
