Scenic route through Idaho

We got settled in at the campground and got a surprise visit by my sister, her husband, and their two kids, who were on a roadtrip from Alaska. It was so great to see them and have them and my parents there to experience the race with us.

For two days prior to the race we got to pretend to be pro athletes. Everything we did and thought was related to the race. Whenever we’d go into a grocery store or gas station, people would see our race bracelets and wish us luck or say something nice. Plus, just seeing all of the athletes walking around downtown was pretty cool. It seemed like the entire community was buzzing with everything Ironman. It really made us feel part of the event and connected with the other athletes.

All of our registration and race preparation went well. The only snag I had was a broken shifter cable, which happened 2 minutes into my “final check” ride. I was able to get it fixed at the Ironman bike tech tent, though, so it wasn’t too stressful. I’d never broken a cable before, so I wasn’t sure if this was a bad omen or what. Better to happen before the race, though, right?

Swim (2.4 miles; 1:21:40)
In the three previous triathlons I’ve done I’ve always been super-nervous right before the swim. It’s usually caused by a combination of overall race nerves and the fact I’m not the strongest swimmer. This race was no different. Heidi and I were standing together on the beach with the 2000+ other racers. She was all smiles (of course) and I was shitting bricks. I knew it was going to be mayhem since it was a mass start, but didn’t realize it was going to be as crazy as it was. It felt like I was crawling over people (and getting crawled over) the entire first lap. I’m glad I’m really comfortable in the water because there were times when things felt a bit out of control and I was getting kicked a lot and pushed under water.

Swim start

It got better on the second lap, however. I was happy with my swim and felt strong until the last 300m or so when my calves started cramping and my stroke got a bit sloppy. But, I made it out of the water without any major issues was looking forward to getting on the bike.

Bike (112 miles; 6:02:20)
I got a good perspective of how slow I am in the water the first few miles on the bike. Where did all of these people come from? The first half of the bike loop is pretty flat and it was really congested. My bike mantra was “Take it easy. Take it easy. Take it easy…” so I didn’t feel like I was going crazy, but it still seemed like I was passing a ton of people. Yet around every corner there were more and more bikes. I had lost track of Heidi during the swim (not hard to do when there are thousands of people flailing around in the water) so I didn’t know if she was ahead of me or behind me. I caught her about 24 miles into the first loop and was able to say hi to her, which was great.

Climbing on second half of the bike loop

The second half of the bike loop has some super-great views, along with a bunch of twists and turns and, of course, climbs. I wanted to make sure I didn’t blow my legs up so I resisted the temptation to kill it on the hills and just went slow on all of them. All in all the first loop was uneventful and pretty enjoyable. I hit a rough patch during the second loop (around 60 miles), but worked through it. It was getting hotter and windier so the hilly section was tough. I was sticking to my nutrition plan and was feeling like I was getting enough fuel. I tried to take on some extra calories on the bike so I would be ready for the run. As I mentioned, it was getting hot and I was feeling really thirsty so I started drinking some water in addition to my sports drink. All-in-all I was pretty happy with the how the bike leg went. I was fueled, happy with my time, and in good spirits when I dumped my bike at transition 2 and got ready for the run.

Run (26.2 miles; 5:21:32)
Oh, the run. My arch enemy of triathlons past. I left the changing tent thinking this was the race where I was going to slay the dragon and have a solid run. I felt pretty good the first couple of miles and was starting to get into a rhythm. But then the water baby in my stomach started kicking and made things less than comfortable. I remember seeing the 4 mile mark and thinking, “Oh shit. This is going to be a long 22 miles.” I made a deal with myself that since there were aid stations every mile I would run between them and allow myself to walk the length of the aid station and “rest up”. Aside from the cramps in my stomach, the biggest issue I was having was I wasn’t taking on any calories. The thought of eating something made my stomach turn so I just kept going. This worked until mile 11 or 12 when I finally had to stop running. A few seconds later I was slumped over in the middle of the road puking. This happened another 3-4 more times until I hit empty. Having not eaten anything I was so dizzy and light-headed that I couldn’t muster the energy to run. I felt like I was getting “crazy eyes” like in Fantastic Mr Fox.

Crazy eyes on the run

I had to walk and allow myself some time to recover. I think I did this until about mile 20 when I finally started feeling good enough to get some cola in my system. Not the best nutrition, but enough sugar, caffeine, and calories to get me going. But, I had been speed-walking for over an hour so my calves were cramping like crazy. (This is an Ironman, right?) I started doing some calculations and thought if I got my act together I might be able to get in under 13 hours. So I started running again and was able to keep that up (slowly) for the last 6 or so miles.

On the run

The final 1/4 mile on the run is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Even though I had been racing pretty hard for about 13 hours I didn’t want it to end. I mean, I was completely tapped out and was grateful to finally see the finish line, but really didn’t want the experience to end. There are so many fans and so much positive energy in the finish chute that you feel like you’re gonna burst when you try to take it all in.

Finish

What a great experience. And, it was all the more special being able to do it with Heidi and to have my family there. Now that it’s over — “it” being the race as well as the hours and hours of training — I feel a bit empty. I’m sure we’ll find a new challenge to pursue — hopefully that will include another Ironman. Perhaps Wisconsin 2012? We’ll see….

If you don’t have time to read this likely lenghtly recap the quick summary is both Matt and I finished our first Ironman and loved the journey.

The days leading up the event were special with all the calls, voice mails, emails and text messages we received from family and friends. There was no doubt in our mind we were fully loved and supported which means so much to us. Each of you should know you were with us throughout the miles on Sunday. Thanks for keeping us company in spirit!

We were in CDA with Matt’s parents and got a welcomed surprise from Matt’s sister and her family as they were on a summer road trip and couldn’t resist coming to CDA to support and cheer us on. It was so specialy for us to see the Swanson/Truesdell crew several times throughout the day and at the finish line.

After much anticipation and pre race preperation after our arrival in CDA on Thursday we were eager for the start early Sunday morning. I really wanted to soak in the day and live in the moment and not think about what was coming so broke my day into chapters.

Swim (chapters 1 & 2 ~ one chapter for each 1.2 mi loop)
We have never done a mass start open water swim before so wasn’t quite sure what to expect. We were standing on the beach with our fellow 2,500 athletes watching the pros swim their first lap and waiting for the cannon to go off at 7 a.m. Matt and I stood on the beach together but had a strong feeling we would lose each other very quickly (we did see each other briefly at some point in the first lap). The cannon goes off and we are all getting in the water. The first 1.2 mi lap was a rugby match as opposed to swimming. I have neoprene bootie scratches on my chin to show for the body moshing that was going on. It was nice to get out for a quick jog between laps and I could actually swim more the second lap as the crowd was broken up more. I also didn’t realize that us triathletes pray to the red turn buoy diety as everyone was stopped at the turn buoys and yelling at each other to keep going. I was happy with my swim time as it was in line with what I did at the half Ironman in late March.

The T1 and T2 transitions were very organized and staffed with tons of volunteers to keep the flow moving. I was leary about not having all my gear in one place since in Ironman races they make you put everything in transition bags but the process works really well. They even rack your bike for you when you come in from the bike so you can get ready for the run. The nice volunteers even gave me wet clothes to wipe my face between the bike and the run. Now that is service!

Bike (chapters 3 & 4 ~ one for each 56 mi loop)
We drove the bike course earlier in the weekend so had an idea of the terrain and scenery we would experience on race day. I enjoyed the route and took in all the sites. At mile 24.5 I heard someone say “hey rockstar” and Matt came up alongside of me on his bike. I was out of the water a little before him and had a slightly faster transition so it took him a little bit to catch me (rarely happens where I am ever in front of Matt while biking). It was so great to see him and know he was doing ok and enjoying his race. Before I knew it he was gone so I continued on my ride. The first loop felt great but needed a “pick me up” so was happy to get my special needs bag around mile 60 and drink the red bull I stashed even though it was as hot as a fresh cup of coffee. That helped me bounce back and complete the second loop which warmer and more windy than the first loop since it was later in the day.

Run (chapters 5 & 6 (one for each 13.1 mi loop)
I haven’t changed clothes before in a race but I wanted to wear my Pancreatic Cancer Action Network shirt for the run so decided to change clothes for the run which actually felt nice to have fresh clothes on for the next 5.5 hrs of the event. My right knee/upper quad was getting sore on the bike so it didn’t surprise me on the run that I was having a hard time getting into a run rhthym. I didn’t want to risk injury and not being able to finish so I decided to jog/fast walk the marathon portion of the event. During training I had this as a plan B which I was completely ok with as my goal was to finish the event, no time goal. Even though I knew it was going to be a long last two chapters of the day I still enjoyed every moment of it. I just continued to take it all in and cherish the last steps I had of the day. I saw Matt 3x on the run and knew he was going to finish too. He didn’t tell me but he was getting sick on the run but the tough cookie pushed through it and crossed the finish line in under 13 hours.

At the end of the first lap there is a guy that stands instructing the athletes to go right if you have a second lap or go left if you are on your finishing lap. It was so exciting to go to the left and know that in a couple steps I would be turning left onto Sherman and be approaching the finish line. As I turned left and saw all the spectators lining Sherman and hearing them cheer I was overcome with emotion and started to cry and almost hyperventelate. I told myself to pull it together so I could continue to run to the finish line. As I ran down Sherman towards the lights of the finish line I saw Matt and his family to the right and blew them a kiss and mouthed “I love you” as I continued down the finishing chute giving spectators high fives and hearing the announcer call my name and call me an Ironman.

My sister flip video’d her computer screen while watching the live finishing coverage and captured our finishes. Here’s the link to the quick videos:
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/a3eb43e297ea028d1bf8d2b952c3fe78/video/15671501

~Heidi

Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:45:11 -0700
From: mswanson75@yahoo.com
Subject: official
To: brandhe@hotmail.com
I got the registration conf. e-mail (and peeked at your hotmail acct to make sure you got it to). Looks like we’re officially registered babe!!! Hope you have a good trip.
ly
matt

It has been approximately a year and now we are less than 2 weeks away from “tri ing” to execute on the journey we have been training for for the past 12 months. I know we have both put in the training time and now it is time to get refreshed to feel fit, fresh and focused for the start line.

We started our taper (reduced training volume = more rest/recovery) this week and I am already starting to feel antsy to race (good sign). Even though I am starting to feel restless I am taking this time to touch base with friends and take care of things I have been neglecting over the past year. I will also continue to pack for our road trip which starts on Tuesday, 6/21 to Idaho.

Here are our race bibs if any of you want to track us on race day, Sunday, 6/27. My goal is to cross the finish line so no time goals for me.

http://www.ironmancda.com/

Matt 603
Heidi 2288

I am so thankful for all the support we have had during this journey. I will tap into this support during highs and lows during the race as a reminder of how lucky I am just to be out there and experience each step. I will be sad to countdown each stroke, pedal and step to the finish line as this is a journey I am not ready to see end.

–Heidi

–Heidi