Sunday, May 6, 2012 was IRONMAN ride day in Minnesota. From the 6 ride choices, I picked the 68 mile untimed ride. 68 MILES!!! 2011 was my first time riding the Ironman and I tackled the 30 mile ride. The weather was horrible, I was sick and I had an old, heavy, never been tuned mountain bike. It wasn't pretty but I did it. So it seemed only right that this year I challenge myself to a longer ride.
Thanks to a mild, snowless winter and early spring, I was able to get almost 300 miles of training rides in. When I couldn't ride outside, I kept up my training at the health club. Even after my 500 day streak, I didn't back down. I made the commitment to myself to ride the Ironman and I wasn't going to let myself down. So every morning at 5:15 or so, you will find me at the health club putting in my workout.
The Ironman wasn't meant to be just a physical test for me. Because all aspects of my life are so intertwined - physical, mental and spiritual - this ride would test all of that. So of course I need to train all areas of my life to successfully complete my challenge. And if you have read my previous posts, you know that April was a huge mental/emotional challenge for me, as well as a test of my Faith. I am pretty sure the God used the situations of the last month and a half to build up that spiritual strength. I find it truly amazing how much I continue to grow in my Faith. It seems that I have come so far, and yet there is still so far to go.
The week before the ride I tapered - reduced the intensity my workouts - my last long ride of 36 miles was 6 days before Ironman. I knew that it was necessary to taper but mentally it was killing me. I like my intense, push to the limit workouts to help clear my head and I wasn't able to do that for 6 days. Just another part of the challenge. The countdown continued and more obstacles were thrown at me - a great nasty head cold two days before the ride, a blown radiator hose in my car the day before, torrential rains the morning of the ride.... what else was Satan going to try to get me to give up on my ride - and perhaps myself??
Yet I didn't let Satan bring me down. I stocked up on cold medicine to help me get through my ride, my husband and I managed to work out the vehicle situation so that I could take his truck on ride day and God was listening to my prayers on Sunday morning because it stopped raining as I was exiting off the freeway in Lakeville - just miles from my ride start. Yes I was happy but I still had a 68 mile ride to get through.
I started my ride at 7:35 a.m. I had a map but it really meant nothing to me as I am not familiar with that area. And as a side note - elevation maps are very deceiving!!! But I was off, on my own like usual and thankful to be riding. The big hill on the map was in Jordan, near our first rest stop - and a hill it was. But I told myself I had trained for this ride and any hill is doable. Felt great and knocked out 15 miles in my first hour - which I thought was pretty darn good. Little did I know that the rest of our ride would be through the very scenic rolling hills amid fragrant dairy farms!
My speed dropped some, especially on the hills and at times so did my enthusiasm and confidence in myself. I don't like hills - not ashamed to admit it. Thankfully every training ride I did, I made myself do the hills on the way back home at the end of my ride - just to prove to myself that I can do it. My challenge on this ride was to NOT WALK THE HILLS!!! Last year I walked up 7 hills - there was just no way I could do it. But I wouldn't let myself do that. I have been training since last May and really there was NO reason I couldn't bike up every hill.
I'll be honest - it was hard! And several times I took to yelling at myself to try and motivate myself to get those legs moving again. After the second rest stop, I really started to get discouraged by the fact that I would get to the top of a hill and look ahead and see ANOTHER HILL! And all I could think was there is no way I can do it again. But that little burst of speed cruising down the hill would help refresh my thoughts and I would give it my all. Yes there was a hill where my speed dropped to 5 mph but I never stopped pedalling and made it up that hill with my heart beating out of my chest.
I thought it was wonderful to see that sign that said 1/2 mile to finish - until I remembered that to get back to Lakeville High School - you have to go up a hill before you can ride down the hill to the finish. So that last 1/4 mile had me grumbling quite a bit - but I knew I was so so close to the end.
Sheba and I cruised down the final little hill to the finish line. 5 hours and 19 minutes riding time to do 68 miles. For me - an incredible feat. Compared to the guys who did the 100 mile timed race in 4 hours, 40 minutes, I was travelling at a snails pace. But I remind myself that I wasn't out there to compete with anyone but myself. I kept a pretty even pace - people passed me, I passed people and I held my own. Physically I was tired but not exhausted - so I feel I did an okay job training for the ride. Mentally I got down on myself at times but it was what I need to push harder and finish the ride. Spiritually I spent a lot of time thanking God for getting me to where I was and for allowing me the opportunity to ride. Lots of praise was sent up during my ride.
Will I participate in the Ironman again? You bet. God has led me to this wonderful "hobby" that I LOVE! Cycling challenges me in all areas of my life and has allowed me the opportunity to prove to myself that I am the NEW Shari that God wants me to be. For as far as I have come in the last two years, I think God is okay with me calling myself IRONWOMAN. And as I am sharing my Faith - you will hear me roar!!
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