seekingmygreaterperhaps

I. Am. An. Iron(wo)Man!

Around November, 2022 I overheard my friend Kristin talking with John about possibly doing the Ironman 70.3 (aka a half Ironman) and wondering about the training plan. I asked John what they were talking about, and thus the wheel was set in motion.

A little bit of my athletic history. I am passionate about doing physical activity, but I am not good at any of them. In high school, I was always on junior varsity teams and only ever received participation awards. This is fine with me. I have a good attitude about participating and know that exercise is what helps manage anxiety and keeps your brain healthy. In high school I was a cross country runner, a swimmer, and a track athlete. I have done I think 6 half marathons, and recently I got into triathlons. I’ve done an Olympic distance and about 4 sprint triathlons. For this context, I am athletic, but not a superstar by any means.

John and Karen Teters have completed 6 full Ironman races. They are in their 50-60s and are the fittest people I know. They both work at EAB and are kind. John is very invested in bringing people up and he is an excellent coach. John had planted the seed in Kristin’s mind about training for the half ironman long before I moved to Brazil, but I jumped on the train and got interested. I asked John if he could send me the training plan he was talking about, and I gave it a look. There are 3 levels, and the “just finish plan” looked manageable. It looked hard, but nothing was a ridiculous ask for the task ahead.

Then I began looking at the information for signing up for the Ironman 70.3 in Florianapolis on April 16, 2023. As a person, I do better when I am working towards a goal and can check items off a list, and with exercise working towards an event is how I thrive. So I said, why not and paid the (extremely high) entry fee. Once I pay for a race, I will do it because I do not waste money. The half ironman costs ˜$450… gross. But I had 6 months to start training, so let the games begin.

In November I bought myself the single most expensive item I have ever purchased- a road bike. And she is a beaut. Thank goodness I got a signing bonus when I joined EAB! This bike cost me an entire months paycheck, and then some. At this point, I was definitely doing this race.

My dad and step mom visited in December, and I took advantage of their luggage allowance and had them bring items for me, some of which would help with this training. They brought me a helmet, bike shoes, and clip pedals. Once I had those, I was ready to rock and roll with training.

My training plan officially started on December 26th. I had been practicing for about a month before then but not anything hardcore. I started on December 26th with a run along Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, and my dad was impressed I actually got out and did the run. For the next 5 months my life became consumed by training.

Monday- rest day
Tuesday- 45 minute run, 45 minute swim
Wednesday- 45 minute run, 45 minute bike
Thursday- 45 minute bike, 45 minute swim
Friday- rest
Saturday- long run
Sunday- long bike

Towards the end of the training, the long trainings on the weekend also would add a brick element, so after the run I would bike for 15 minutes, or run, etc. The long bikes and long runs at their peak was a 2.5 hour run and a 3.5 hour bike. This was the “just finish plan.”

By the time the race was approaching, I was so tired of training. I felt like my weekends were solely focused on training, because when you run so long in the morning you are exhausted and then just want to nap all afternoon. I also cut out alcohol for the month leading up to the race (not that I drink that much, but it is definitely a social activity here in Brazil). I wanted to get the race over with, but kept faithful to training.

Finally, the trip to Florianopolis (Floripa for short and from here on) was here! I had purchased a huge bike bag off the internet, and John came over to my apartment to help me take apart my bike to fit in the bag as well as teach me how to put it back together again. I quickly regretted buying a bike bag without wheels… a very rookie mistake. Upon putting my bike back together, my disk brake had gotten bent. John came to my hotel room to help me fix it so I could compete.

The Ironman village to pick up the race packet was full of energy and excitement. It was finally real. I spotted my name on the competitors list, bought a t-shirt, and was excited that all my hard work was coming to a culmination. I bought myself a finishers jacket- but they don’t give it to you until after you finish.

Which brings us to race day. There were 5 people from my school competing, plus 2 more on a “team” of sorts- a daughter and a boyfriend of a couple who works at our school, so about 7 people in total. It was amazing to have them there because it felt like a team.

The race began at 6:30 with a rolling start. I don’t think I started swimming until around 7. Each competitor has 8 hours to complete the race. This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

It starts with a 1 mile swim in the ocean. The waves were crazy. On the way out, I couldn’t sight the bouys and had to wait for a wave to crest so I could aim to where I was going. At first, it was a bit scary because you’re getting tossed around by the waves, but I found my groove. I love swimming, so this part was fun to compete. I made it to the finish, stood up on the beach to exit and got knocked down and pinned down by a wave. Mother Ocean stole my goggles and got sand in all sorts of places. I popped up and started the run to the transition area.

Swim time: 37:51. This is an excellent time, and faster than I was hoping for, especially with an open water swim in the ocean.

Next comes the 56 mile bike ride. I was cruising, I had just bought myself fancy road biking glasses, I had water, I was ready to go. I am not a fast biker, but I knew I needed to maintain 15mph to make it in 4 hours so I could have a chance at finishing. Because I had a great swim… I got passed a lot on the bike, ha! It was a pretty flat course, with the exception of 6 hills. I shifted down gear and just tried slogging through. Those hills were really difficult. Plus there was a wind as soon as you started on the second half. I was passing those aid stations like I was in Tour de France and tossing water bottles, eating race goo, and feeling like a pro.

Bike time: 3:46:48. This is under the 4 hour time I was aiming for- this race is going great!

The last leg is the half marathon run- 13.1 miles. I started off okay, and then it started getting hot and sunny. I hit a major wall. I knew I would have to run and walk, but then even that got tricky. The sand in my racing suit was creating chaos on my skin. (I ended up chafing so badly that I was bleeding and it was a deep cut. It was all in random places caused by sand, not necessarily the movement.) Also, you are not allowed to listen to music on any part of the course. For “safety.” But when you are slow and running essentially alone, it is torture. My mental fortitude was absolutely drained. I kept getting passed. The run portion was 3 loops of the same course, and it was a boring. Then came Karen. My angel coach. She encouraged me to run/walk with her and was cheering me on. She made me eat at the aid stations and told me to drink the salty water (gross, but important). She was with me for about 15 minutes. I would have cried if I had any liquid to spare, I felt that defeated. I told her to keep going and not wait for me because I needed to walk more. Karen cheered for me and said, “Michaella, you have to keep running.” So I shuffled along. I knew I wasn’t doing well.

There was a guy who was working the event for the run portion on a bike. He was my shadow the whole time and then when I would get to a corner he would bike to the next one and check his watch and his phone. I knew who he was. He was my nemesis. He was the one who would pull people off the course if they didn’t get it done in 8 hours. I did not want him around me. On my last loop, I was running essentially alone. Also the aid stations were starting to run out of aid, and I was getting angry. Racers who had finished, celebrated, and rested were on their way back to their airbnbs with their bikes and medals while I was still on the course. I kept checking my watch and was really worried because I didn’t know how long I had taken in transition, so I didn’t know what my time was. I just wanted to finish. Please don’t pull me off the course.

I saw a new bike guy with a “corrida fim” flag on his bike (which means end of race), and then I really got worried. To my bike shadow I said, “Só quero terminar” in crap Portuguese (I only want to finish), and he replied in English, “you can do it! Keep going!”

By the time I was nearing the finish line, I was struggling and mentally dead. Physically dragging, I heard my people cheering for me across the finish line. I was so disheartened because I didn’t think I made it in the 8 hours. I was hoping they would still give me a medal for completing the race, but I was so mad at myself. I’m not sure if you can see my face, but I didn’t even pose for the cameras (and there were a ton) at the finish line. I couldn’t sprint or pick up the pace either, a training flaw. I was so tired. The 8 hours since the start had finished, but remember, I didn’t start the swim until half an hour later. I didn’t find out until meeting back up with my group that I did in fact finish and make the cut off!

Run time: 3:08:28

Total Time: 7:44:42

Right after you cross the finish line, you have to walk through the 10th ring of hell to get to your medal, water, snacks. Seriously, it was like almost a city block they make you walk around the building, and I was like, am I lost? Just give me a medal! Then I finally arrived and got to get a burrito, a smoothie, an açai, a massage, a finishers shirt, and yes- and medal. My friends were worried that I had passed out because it took me so long to make it out, but I was moving super slow. I DID IT!!!!!

We celebrated as a group with giant burgers and beers. It was awesome that we all finished (I would have been so sad if everyone finished but me- I was last in our group, but doesn’t matter because that medal is MINE.) John and Karen were huge lifesavers. We ended up calling him Papa John because he really helped everyone with the entire process. Karin and Marc who work with us but didn’t race were amazing and took care of everyone before and after the race, and were a big part of the cheering section.

I’m writing this post over a month after I completed this race. I am so incredibly proud of myself for tackling this challenge. I am still missing 3 toenails and my feet are still a little messed up, but I am an Iron(wo)man, and no one can ever take that away from me.

I can’t tell you a whole lot about the tourist side of Floripa because I was very focused on preparing for the race, performing the race, and then sleeping. The beach was nice, even though we didn’t have great weather on our free prep day. Maybe I’ll go back, I guess we will just have to wait and see.