Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Ironman Final Thoughts

Dear strangers, I write this now on the eve of our Ironman departure. In a few short hours we will head south, Paul Cyclemon and Larry in tow, off to war.

I'm freaked out.

Like, really freaked out.

Over seven months ago I registered for this Ironman. I thought then that going from being able to swim two laps  to having to swim over 2 miles seemed like a stretch. And I had never set foot on a road bike and thus could not even imagine what 112 miles on one might feel like. Especially after that 2.4 mile swim in probably shark infested open water. Oh yeah, and then there's a marathon at the end.

Like, really, seriously, freaked out.


But so much has changed in those seven months. For one, I kind of, sort of, learned how to swim. Also I started consuming 20 times the calories (unfortunately many many more than I needed). Paul Cyclemon came into my life, as did most of you. And I made it through a whole Utah winter without once thinking, "please dear snow. Either cease, or kill me already." I guess I was too busy to really notice that there was a reason to be greatly unhappy again (winter).

And here I am now, just three short days away from the big event. Where did the time go?

Ironman training is an odd thing. Different than I expected, but every bit as strange. The April workouts that I glanced at in October seemed like a series of typos, where numbers were uniformly accidentally doubled and words like "hours" were overused. But by the time April rolled around, those workouts were sort of just the norm. Difficult--but doable. And during that process, the social life was buried under a pile of training-related excuses, accepted by most friends who were supportive enough to be proud that I was trying to accomplish something I had no business trying to accomplish. And I will always appreciate that undeserved attention and encouragement. It's that kind of thing that reminds me that I know so many great people. 

But it's not just the wonderful friends I know personally, but it's also all of you strangers out there who have listened to my swimming-related rants and exposés about biking across The First Eye dwelling locations that have helped make this Ironman experience so memorable. Your support will be remembered as I trudge through the water, convinced that every submerged object is a Water Moccasin darting toward the exposed part of my neck. It will act as a motor as Paul Cyclemon and I climb a vertical wall at 97--that number referring to both the mile and the temperature. And it will perhaps be most needed as I make my way on foot, sobbing hysterically (let's be honest), for the last several hours of a long day.

Like, incredibly, seriously, really, unbelievably, freaked out.

But also a little excited.

~It Just Gets Stranger

22 comments:

  1. Good luck, Eli! You will do great!!

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  2. You're my hero. I'd love to watch it all happen. Best of luck, and let's be honest, you got this.

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  3. Good Luck . . . Cant wait for the story after you finish!

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  4. Go get 'em tiger(s). You, Larry, Dan, Liv, Paul, and Seymour are ready.

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  5. Good luck, man. You got this! :)

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  6. Best of luck! Just remember - you've got this! Finishing is the ONLY option. ;) (at least that's what I tell myself during those last few miles...)

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  7. Even though I once encouraged you to call in sick to this, I am very proud of you for doing it. It's something I couldn't do.

    And if it's any comfort, all those people thrashing about and carrying on in the water will scare away anything wanting to kill you. Just make sure to stay with the splashy, thrashy pack.

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  8. I wish you the best of luck! If you fall behind first place, surely there's a prize for the most vomiting episodes, you could always shoot for that.

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  9. Good luck! I am sure this will result in some (very entertaining) stories. If you start sobbing at any point during the race, it will just look like sweat, so don't hold back the tears. That's one of the main ways I've made it through a number of races.

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  10. Good luck! I'm sure Paul Cyclemon and Larry will bring you home to the finish!

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  11. Go for it! The sense of accomplishment will make up for all the scary-ness you went through.

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  12. You are going to do great. I can't wait to here about how it goes!

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  13. the strangers are cheering you on! Trudy says "go get em' girlfriend".

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  14. I have always wanted to do a triathalon, but always was convinced the swimming part made it impossible. Reading the stories of your Ironman training have been great motivation. Good luck!

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  15. Good luck! Prayers and good wishes! All the girl scout cookies will surely provide enough fuel for that final leg of the journey. :)

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  16. Good luck! Prayers and good wishes! All the girl scout cookies will surely provide enough fuel for that final leg of the journey. :)

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  17. Good luck Eli! I am sure you will do great. I can't wait to read about it.

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  18. Good luck Eli!! I'll post pray for you!

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  19. So that was just supposed to say pray....thanks swype!

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  20. I can hardly wait to hear about your adventure from this weekend. It will be your most memorable cinco de mayo in your life!

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  21. Where on earth is the rest of your IronMan story??? I'm dying here. With over 300 people DNF, I just have to know where you came out in all of this. Hurry up, please? That is, if you've recovered and can sit up well enough to keep writing. Cheers.

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