Port Macquarie is an awesome spot, with lots of pelicans and nice Aussies and camels. The beaches are beautiful, the rainforest lush and the views scenic.
I was a bit nervous before the swim start, but to be honest not the quivering wreck I thought I might be. The biggest surprise was just how cold it was, so took advantage of the transition tent to put my wetsuit on a little early. Once encased in neoprene I was toasty. After my Taupo Half experience in December, when I had to shed my skin like a snake, I did remember to lather on the sunblock before hand. It is a strange thing to be doing on a chilly morning in total darkness.
I tootled along to the swim start felt more relaxed as I went through my race plan and watched the other competitors around me. I met John from the New Zealand Army - like me he had won a free entry to Taupo and then had to find and alternative race once Taupo was cancelled. It was good to have a bit of company while we waited to be given access to the start gantry so that we could get in the water.
The swim start was a total scrum. I loved it. We were so busy crawling over one another and dodging past that we were halfway to the first turnaround before we even noticed we were swimming. There was quite a strong upstream push from the tide which helped too. This was my first real appreciation for how valuable a bit of good old fashioned distraction would be.
My wetsuit chafed my neck raw, but I didn't even notice, because I was distracted. I am noticing now, but that is why they invented Bepanthen. Swim time: 1:27:49.
I strolled through the showers, taking the opportunity to rinse the salt off my tonsils (yes, my tonsils), then into Transition. I got changed, chatted to the volunteers who were also Ironmatrons (respect) in their own right, then went and found my beautiful bike. As I left transition I must have crossed a timing mat, because the commentator announced my name, and then said "and we won't ask who she is and we won't sing the song". I was very relieved. I have heard the song before. T1 time: 0:7:26
I loved the bike ride. It was beautiful. I really enjoyed progressing through the small coastal towns, the people were out on their lawns enjoying the race and generally being friendly and supportive. I didn't get my usual discomfort (agonising pain in all sorts of unmentionable body parts) on the bike, because I was distracted by the amazing scenery and the great crowd. Terrific. I got patted on the bum climbing a hill. You expect a bit of bum groping in the swim, but it was a new experience for me on the ride. I am 70% sure it was just a fellow competitor giving me some friendly encouragement, and 30% sure it was a dodgy bloke copping a feel. You can never be too sure with Aussies.
The steep steep Mathew Flinders pirate hill didn't disappoint. I stuck with my strategy of hopping off and walking up, and the crowd assured me many others had done the same thing. The organisers clearly anticipated this strategy, and had laid a strip of carpet up the road to make it easy totter up on our cycling cleats. I know of several people who were more heroic than me and biked almost to the top, only to get cramp and fall. Their race was over. But mine continued. Bike time: 7:57:30.
It was great to be out running, I no longer had to worry about punctures or unrecoverable mechanical issues, it was now just me and my feet. T2 time: 0:6:15
Initially had a bit of trouble settling to a sustainable pace. There were still loads of people on the course, the crowd was fresh and excitable, and I felt great. And then a wall came along and hit me in the face. To add injury to insult my felt swelled like wee puffer fish and blisters quickly arrived on my soles. I still had over 30ks to go, so I revised my strategy, , decided walking was more tolerable for my feet than running, figured out a pace I could sustain and went for it. I ended up doing a bit of a Tour de Portaloo as I didn't really adjust my hydration to accommodate the temperature drop as the sun went down. The moon came to the party though and helped with distracting me as I marched on through the night. Apparently it was the closest it has been to Earth for the last 18 years.
I had put my oldest grottiest polypro top in my run special needs bag thinking I probably wouldn't need it and it would be binned with the rest of the unwanted special needs stuff. Of course, I DID need it, so in my finish line photos I look a bit like a homeless person, or possibly someone who has escaped from an institution. And to be honest I felt a bit that way!
Walking up the finish chute was quite a surreal experience. The crowd were pretty hyped for the last 30 minutes of the race, and they really worked themselves into a frenzy. I was very pleased to see them all. Run time: 6:53:39
I didn't do so well once I stopped. I sat in the recovery area for a while, and then apparently went green and white. They bundled me in a foil blanket and monitored my blood pressure. I politely declined a saline drip, opting instead for about three cups of hot sweet tea which were incredibly restorative (I love tea).
Afterwards, my feet looked like this:
Damn! Now that is ugly. But they will heal. And now I am an Ironman. My total time was 16:32:39. My overall place was 1284th. Out of more than 1400. I don't know what happened to everybody else!
So that is the end of the Ironmaiden journey. I've enjoyed sharing it with you all and have been so lucky to have so much support from so many kind people. Now I think I will sit back for a day or two and watch my toenails fall like autumn leaves. And then I will start planning my next big adventure!
Until we meet again, never say never, as the universe will prove you wrong!
love
Ironmatron
