Lake Placid Ironman, The RACE!!!

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. My alarm went off at 4am on July 22. It was time to get up, gear up and go. I was nervous as expected. For worship that morning I asked God to calm my nerves and to speak soothing words to me. I opened my Bible randomly and the first verse I looked at said: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” Proverbs 16:3. The second verse I read said “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” Proverbs 16:9. I quickly bowed my head and committed the race to the Lord once again and took comfort in His Words. I repeated the verses in my head the entire race and it gave me so much peace!!! After worship I was able to barely eat a banana and a bagel. Once my race attire was on and my gear bags loaded I was out the door and headed up to the Olympic Oval. (Thank you Jamie for waking up with me, praying with me and driving me up to the hub-bub.) First thing I did was pump up my bike tires, load my bike up with fuel and drink. Thankfully I noticed that my Sigma bike computer battery was dead and I came prepared with an extra battery. I changed the batter, took some pictures with my phone and then head to the body marking area. After marking my body I dropped off my special needs bags and then waited 30 minutes in line to use the outhouse. After lots of work I managed to get my wetsuit on just in time to cross through the swim gate and strategically place myself in the water for the swim start. The pro’s started 10 minutes ahead of the rest of us. Somehow I was able to find Matt H. in the water and we placed ourselves far right and about a foot behind the start flags. It was a perfect spot.

  BAAAM!!! The gun went off it was time to start the race of a lifetime. We had trained so long for this moment and I couldn’t believe it was time to put it all together. The first part of the swim was crazy but thankfully I never did get kicked in the face, pulled under or trampled on. I had a couple people actually grab my ankle which was the only time I would purposefully kick a little bit letting them know they better not grab my ankle, ever. Haha!!! It’s one thing to hit me or something but there is no need of grabbing. During the entire swim I stayed a fair bit right. Every time I came close to the cord I slowed down due to all the people. By staying far right I was able to keep moving with a clear path ahead of me. It might have cost me a little bit of time to swim wide but I would totally do it again. In no time at all the first lap of the swim was complete and I found myself running on the beach and heading out for my second lap.  I was so thankful for another lap, otherwise it would have been over way too soon. I wasn’t totally sure how to pace myself but I just listened to my body. I tried to move along at a good little clip without going anaerobic. It worked great. Next thing I knew I was out of the swim and laying on the ground with the strippers yanking off my wetsuit. (I love strippers. It would have taken me several minutes to get my wetsuit off). 

  The bike was next. I ran into the transition tent and quickly got my gear on. Volunteers were waiting at the end of all the bike racks ready to hand you your bike. I grabbed my bike and ran it to the mount area. Lots of people were watching, including my family. It was so wonderful to see them in the crowd wearing the awesome red support shirts Jamie made. I jumped on my bike and headed out. Once again I wasn’t totally sure how to pace myself. I knew I wanted to at least maintain an average pace of 17mph but was hoping I was capable of an 18mph pace. During the entire race I listened to my body and did what felt good at that moment. On the hills I was going anywhere between 6-12mph, on the downhill I was going 43-46mph and on the flats I was going anywhere between 20-25mph. The first loop of the bike I was surrounded by other racers. It was a battle not to draft. I saw several teams that were totally drafting off each other for much of the first loop. I did my best not to draft but at times it was really hard. Every pedal stroke I was just trying to soak it all in. Honestly, I was in my glory and just loving every minute. Before I knew it I was entering town and coming close to the different spots my family said they would be. Tears filled my eyes for so many reasons. First of all I couldn’t believe I was actually racing the Ironman. I missed Tucker and Jamie and knew I would be seeing them for a split second very soon. Also I was just really touched with how many people came to support Matt H. and I. One of our childhood friends, Lori S. flew up from Tennessee to support us. It was amazing. The crowds were yelling, screaming and cheering us all on. The energy was unlike anything. I just wanted to pause that moment for a really long time and enjoy every second. After making a sharp corner into town the very first thing I saw was a really blond headed boy on his daddy’s shoulders, both wearing the red shirt. I knew it was Tucker and Jamie and I just fell apart again. Soon after seeing Tuck and Jamie I saw Lori cheering me on and my mom and Jamie’s parents and Matt and Mariah and everyone else. I started to cry at this point, not just tear up. I was so touched. Then I reminded myself that I was losing precious sodium through my tears and told myself to stop. Haha!!! I was so thankful for a second loop on the bike. Never once did I wish the race to be shorter. Never once did I dread going out on a second lap, whether it be during the swim or bike or run. I thrived on every mile, every minute, every second. The second loop on the bike was a bit lonely. People had spread out at this point but I found myself still having to be careful not to draft. Unfortunately at one point, on the straights, I found myself behind a whole row of bikers. I knew I had two choices, either pass them all or slow down. Well, I didn’t want to pass them all because then I would be too tired heading into the hilly section of the race. I also didn’t want to slow down because that goes against every ounce of my competitiveness. While I was thinking through my strategy a good old motorcycle pulled up beside me and told me that I was getting penalized for drafting. He gave me strict directions to pull over in the next penalty box for a totally of 4 minutes. The next penalty box was 30 miles away so I had some good riding to do before I had to stop. The motorcycle worked his way forwarded nailing a bunch of people. At first I was totally bummed about the penalty but then I decided to use it as a strategy. I would push through the next 30 miles a little harder than normal since I would get a nice break 2 miles out from the marathon start. By the time I made it to the penalty box I was ready for a little break. It was actually a welcoming sight. Once I stopped though it was killing me watching all the bikers’ wiz by. Uuuuggg!!! I just wanted to go. After a long 4 minutes the referee told me to mount my bike and get ready to roll. He counted down the final 10 seconds and off I went. I only had 2 miles left until I dismounted my bike and head into the run transition. Near the end of the bike I felt great but was slightly concerned with how little fuel I was consuming. I ate some gummies but that was it. I didn’t touch any of the fuel tapped onto my frame and my Bento-box was still mostly full. Would I have enough energy to get through the run? At the dismount area I handed my bike off and immediately grabbed my run gear. My family was standing close to where my gear bag was hanging so I was able to talk to them for a quick second.  

  In the run transition tent I swear I just stood there while the volunteers did everything. They put my belt on, my watch on, my shoes on, sunblock on and so much more. I literally just stood there. It was amazing. I kept telling them over and over how awesome they were. In no time at all I was running through the run out gate starting the marathon. Once again I spotted my support crew who gave me a great boost going into the run. The first thing I noticed on the run was how I looked like a runner’s buffet. I had Gu bulging from my pockets, pinned to the outside of the belt, in my jersey pockets and everywhere else. The stuff was so annoying I actually started throwing it out. Glad I did too because I ended up not able to eat anything but 3 small pretzels, 5 grapes and 4 orange slices on the entire run. Thankfully I was able to drink though, which was my saving grace. I saw a lot of people walking and throwing up on the side of the road. Some athletes were screaming in pain as they worked through leg cramps, while others lay, what seemed to be, lifeless on the side of the road. I was so thankful for every step of progress I was able to make. I was concerned I was going to run out of steam at some point since I ended up doing my swim and bike faster than I thought and since I wasn’t able to eat much. The calories from my morning banana and bagel were long gone. Mentally though I wasn’t anywhere close to being done. Again I repeated Proverbs 16:3 to myself and kept praying that the Lord would give me strength. He sure did too!!! I was able to run the entire marathon without any trouble. I had nausea the entire run but never bad enough that I had to throw up. I never had any cramps and the blisters on my feet were minimal. I was worried because I was running on new shoes that had never been run in before. (It’s a long story but I don’t recommend buying new shoes right before an event and running in them for the first time during a race).  As I climbed back into town the crowds, once again, were yelling, screaming, and cheering us all on. I felt like the crowd and my support team reloaded my mental energy box and I was ready to head out for my final 13.1 miles. At this point I wasn’t dreading the last loop, instead I couldn’t believe how close I was to being done. I didn’t want to be done. It was all passing by like a flash. Thirteen miles was nothing compared to all the training I had done and all the miles I had covered already that day. Thirteen little miles was all I had left and I just wanted to soak in every step. Before I knew it I was at the run turn around farthest from town and found myself running toward the finish line. About 4 miles from the finish line I ran past our Inn where the Harlow gang was cheering us on. Eric S. ran beside me briefly and informed me that I was placing. Now, Eric S. knows his stuff and is one amazing athlete but I figured he must have been mistaken. There was no way I was going to place. Surely my time wasn’t that good. It’s important to note that I wasn’t looking at the clock at all that day. I knew if I saw how long it was taking me to finish the different legs of the race I might get discouraged. I just needed to run my race without any pressure and feel good. So I ignored the clocks, watches and timers. I just listened to my body. Anyway, I was shocked to hear that I might be placing. Unfortunately I didn’t have much to give. I had thoughts that I would just have to miss out on placing if I saw someone from my age group pass me. I didn’t have much left. The hardest part of the run was the second to last mile. But even that mile wasn’t bad. I was on my final mile and everything seemed surreal. I couldn’t believe that I was getting ready to run into the Olympic Oval and under the finish line. I started thinking about being able to place and decided I would never forgive myself if I slowed way down during the final mile and let a competitor pass me. I picked it up that final mile and before I knew it I was running around the Olympic Oval. I could see my support crew and I could hear all the people yelling but then I heard the words “Alicia Trott, from Topsham Maine, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!! I fell into the arms of a volunteer after crossing the finish line and all of a sudden I felt like I got hit by an eighteen wheeler. My tummy hurt so bad, I had no idea how sick I was on the run until I stopped. I knew I had nausea bad but drinking the flat Coke on course seemed to help me avoid throwing up. Thankfully the volunteer that caught me was Sue C. a friend and mentor from Brunswick Maine who was volunteering at the finish line. Sue has done several Ironman and was such a big help during my training. She was such an awesome sight. She escorted me to through the finish line, got my hat, and shirt, took me to get my picture taken and got my finisher medal. She helped me walk out the race legs and took me to my family. GREAT BIG thank you to Sue!!!  My tummy was in turmoil and nothing I did relieved the pain and discomfort. My family told me I looked green. It took a solid hour before I finally started to feel better. Once my tummy pain went away I was up and at it and ready to roll. Physically I felt great and mentally I was just high. What an experience. What a day!!! What an amazing group of volunteers and I’m so thankful for the best support crew ever!!! My final time was 11 hours, 47 minutes and 28 seconds. My goal was to finish the race somewhere between 12 hours 40 minutes and 12 hours 20 minutes. God gave me strength and a little speed. God helped me finish the race in much better time than I thought I was going to. God gave me such a smooth race; one that I will NEVER forget!!! What happened after the race is another story. We did find out that I actually did place 3^rd in my age group. I was in shock and had no idea that was possible. I wish I had basked in the glory that Ironman night more than I did because everything was about to get tough and agonizingly hard the next morning. To this day I am still crying over what happened next and can’t wrap my mind around why things had to happen the way they did. It might all seem minor to you all but it’s kind of a big deal to me. I haven’t been able to blog about it yet and am not sure when I will but soon enough you will learn about the hardest part of the entire Ironman. My feelings to this day are raw. I don’t want to talk about the race, I don’t want to talk about the Ironman and I can honestly say I haven’t been able to enjoy having finished the Ironman since that Ironman night. BUT my heart is at peace with what happened and I know that in the end what happened was the right thing. To be continued…