I have done many things in my life that I am proud of, yet I might say completing the Ironman may be one of my top achievements. I have never been so dedicated and fully committed to one goal, I spent countless hours and poured literal blood, sweat, and tears into this journey. Even as I think back on it now, it still makes my heart flutter to think of the planning, training, and execution of this goal.

I came into Ironman knowing very little. One of the things that I love about this sport is how much I learn after each race. I would keep little notes after each race of things that I could improve on and what to look out for in the next race. I used to be petrified of U-turns and have slowly worked my way to feel more confident about them. I have also gotten better at remembering where my bike and transition bags were. For the full, I had to learn how to change my tires, something that I always hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with in my previous races. Nutrition and making sure I don’t cramp during the race was another huge issue for the full. I am so lucky to have seasoned teammates and Jerry who is my constant support and source of helpful information.

When I first started riding on the trainer, I could only last around 1 hour and I would be bored out of my mind and be dying to get off. As I started training more and finding ways to past the time (Harry Potter audio books and a LOT of Kona highlight videos), I was slowly starting to get to 4 hours… then ultimately 6 hours! If my previous self had heard this, I would have 100% not believe it. Many times while I rode and watched the uplifting (and brainwashing) Ironman videos, I would tear up and be filled with emotion. The videos are super hyped up and are made to tug at your heartstrings, but I agreed with every single word they said. Swimming was also something that I found myself enjoying more and more. I used to dread waking up so early to jump into a cold pool, but as I went to more and more squad sessions, I found myself looking forward to the feeling of gliding through the water (most of the time!). I was so happy with my progress and felt so empowered week by week. I was crushing workouts that I only dreamt about months ago.

Obviously there are some low points too. Sometimes I didn’t feel like I was as strong as I should be getting, that the progress was slow. Training for an Ironman is mentally taxing and sometimes you just have off days. In moments like these, it was so important to remind myself that I am sticking to my training plan and it’s ok to rest when your body really needs it. Once again having Jerry there was indispensable and he always encouraged me and gave me good feedback and examples from his own experience.

During the race, I was really lucky and I did not have any bike mechanical issues. My front water bottle was slipping off and my power meter did run out of battery (software issue) but luckily I did not have any flat tires or other major problems. I was also lucky that I did not have any cramps during the run. I always went into a race with a goal time. With an Ironman, it was a little more difficult since it is such a huge race with many opportunities for delay. During Jerry’s first full, he basically limped through half the 42 km with a painful cramp. Ultimately I settled for around 14 hours and sub 14 was something that I REALLY wanted but did not think was actually feasible.

During the race, I surprised myself by how powerful my body felt. Yes, there were some painful moments and I did have to remind myself of how much I had trained to get to this moment, but overall I was shocked by how my body carried itself after hours and hours of physical exertion. During the last 10 km, I was constantly reminding myself to not slow down and to push it as much as I could. I knew that if I allowed myself to slack off and then missed my goal, I would be so frustrated with myself. I will never forget the feeling of turning the corner into the carpeted finish line… the flashing lights, the cheering, and the drum like banging of hands against the railing… and realizing that I had finished in 13 hours and 37 minutes. This was a time that I was not expecting at all and at that moment I felt stronger, more powerful, and capable than ever.

Doing an Ironman has shown me that not only could I do anything I put my mind to, but that I could do it way better than I had imagined. It also showed me that I had the will power and dedication to prepare for something so taxing. Obviously this was my own choice, but when I look back on the months leading up to the race, I remember all the social events where I had to leave early or not attend at all to make sure I could wake up bright and early the next day to train. I’ve also been so blessed to be surrounded by supportive friends and loved ones (and also friendly strangers! I love the triathlon community) who were so excited for me to embark on this milestone and who celebrated and cheered (both in person and virtually!) as I charged towards that finish line. This journey is something I will never forget and was not SO traumatic that I will definitely be tackling another full soon!