Well I am finally writing my race report. Sorry it has taken so long but I wanted to digest the experience before writing. Here we go:
We arrived in Cancun early Thursday afternoon and I was hoping to get to Cozumel in time to watch the Cowboys game. Unfortunately getting to Cancun was the easiest part of the trip. After our fun getting through customs we bought bus tickets to take us to the ferry that would take us to Cozumel. The lucky thing was the fact that we were the first stop. Along with me there were two other athletes with bikes that were getting on the bus and not too many other people. I thought to myself this won't be too bad. After a few minutes on the bus we pulled up to stop #2 that had a bunch of people with bikes. People were freaking out that their bikes and luggage wouldn't make it on the same bus and it was a big mess that was adding time to the hour that we already waited. Finally, after what seemed like forever the bus was heading to the ferry. Once we made it Playa Del Carmen we bought ferry tickets and were close to heading to Cozumel. The ferry was another nightmare. There were so many people and bike boxes. It took forever to get everyone loaded up. During our wait the weather starting turning worse and it got very windy. Once the ferry took off I knew we were in for a bumpy ride. The ferry was swaying all over the water and the 2 restrooms were filled with sea sick people. Unfortunately there were a number of bike boxes that were not very lucky as there were people vomiting all over them. It was so fun. I thought "I am going to be swimming in this water on Sunday?" This is fucking great! When we finally made to Cozumel the representative, Pedro, from the villa met us and we took a cab to our home for the next 7 days. The trip was rough and I missed the Cowboys game but the villa was awesome and it made up for all we went through to get there. After dinner it was off to bed and up early for what I thought would be a training swim.
Friday morning came quick and it was very windy outside so I decided not to head to the park for a practice swim. I decided to stay in, eat breakfast and put my bike together. After some trouble getting the saddle on I took the bike out for a ride and then it was off to packet pick-up. The packet pick-up was pretty easy and expo didn't have much but we picked a few things. During the expo we ran into Liz and John and we sat with them during the info meeting and then it was home for dinner and rest.
Saturday we woke up early and headed to the park for a practice swim. The weather was great and the water was perfect. You could see all the way to the bottom and it was smooth as glass. No choppy waves to fight. After the swim it was back to the villa for more rest and eating. Later that afternoon I rode my bike down to the start, racked my bike and my race bags. Then it was back home to eat and rest. I went to bed relatively early to get a little sleep before the big day.
3 am came early on Sunday. I was very nervous as I woke up. I get nervous before every race but this was different. This would take everything in me to finish. I got ready quick but I wasn't feeling that well. My nerves were preventing me from eating all that I needed. I just felt like I was going to hurl. I was thinking about my training and was it enough? I had a lot of doubts as I sat at the breakfast table. The cab driver came around 5am and we were off to the race start.
As I got to transition I was still nervous but settling down. I put air in my tires and walked around waiting for the race to start. Around 6:30 I made my way to the ramp that would lead me into the water and beginning of a journey that I would remember forever.
As I watched the professionals start I knew I would be okay and made my way into the water with John. The water was warm and there were no choppy waves. It was perfect. Before I knew it we were off. I felt good despite my shoulder. It was very crowded at first. I have never done a race with a mass start. About 300 meters in I was kicked in the face and my goggles popped off. It took several minutes to get them back on correctly. After about 20 minutes in the water the crowd spread out and we made the 1st of two turns. After the turn the swim was great. The current was behind us and I was swimming at decent pace. During this part of the swim there were a number of scuba divers in the water taking pictures and waving at the athletes. Before I knew it we were at the turnaround to make it to the dock. I looked at my watch and it showed 59 minutes. Many Ironman athletes would be disappointed but I was happy. I was where I wanted to be and felt like I could break 90 minutes which was my goal. As I swam into the dock we were against the current and it was slow but I was still moving well. As I exited the water I looked at my watch and it was at 1:29 and I was very happy as ran to the changing tent.
The changing tent was a new thing for me. I am used to having everything in transition. Two transition spots make that impossible. In the changing tent you see some unique things that I will not mention on this post. I will just say dudes are pretty disgusting and you can just use your imagination. After I put my helmet, shoes and glasses on it was off to my bike. Early on the bike I felt really good. I was averaging 22 to 23 mph and I was cruising. When I reached the other side of the island the wind picked up and I slowed way down. After the first loop (40 miles) I felt good except for a health issue I will mention later. As I reached the halfway point of the second loop I was getting very tired. The wind was really getting to me and I was fading. The one neat thing was spotting Norma and her parents towards the end of the loop with the cool signs she made. I needed that pick me up. The third loop was not much better but I knew I was going to make it. During the third loop I also getting angry. There were a lot of people drafting! I just hate when people don't follow the rules! As I reached the end of the last loop I realized it was the least of my worries. I rode an extra 1.7 miles because of course changes and I had 26.2 miles to run. But as I said, I knew I would make it.
When I reached T2 I handed my bike over to the volunteer and I went into the changing tent. The 2nd changing tent was even more disgusting. Someone sprayed so much sunscreen you could not even breath. Even more disgusting were the pot-o-cans. The athletes shit all over each of the cans and it was hard not to vomit. It was so disgusting. After pulling myself together I ran out of the tent and I spotted Norms. I was dragging and hurting but I started running. About 4 miles in I caught Liz and she was hurting bad as well. I talked with her for a moment and pressed on. The health issue that I had was causing me problems. I had a recurrence of a UTI that I had back in March. Needless to say I did not want to run. I kept going the best I could. At the end of loop 1 I spotted John and he looked fresh. I kept my run/walk through most of the second loop where I saw Norma. She had a margarita for me but I unfortunately couldn't drink it because I still had 8 miles to go. I was hurting and dragging but I pressed on. I have never hurt so much. I saw Liz at one point and she look tired and like she wanted to cry. I felt the same way. Norma walked with me for a little bit after I made the 2nd turnaround and then I told her I had to run. It was rough but I kept moving. As I reached mile 25 I started to pick up the pace. I knew I was going to cross the finish line running. When I saw the mile 26 marker I started sprinting. There were so many people cheering that I just had to. As I crossed the finish line I was filled with so much joy. I had done it! I am an IronMan! I saw Norma and I started crying. I was hurting so bad but was so happy. The final time was 13:25:03. It's right where I planned to be.
As I finish this post I have a few final comments. First, the people of Cozumel were awesome. The lined the streets during the bike and run portions of the race cheering all the way. When I was really down the spectators would yell "si se puede". (You can do it!). I really needed it. They were great and they made the race so enjoyable. I had a great time during my remaining days in Cozumel and I look forward to my next race in Cozumel.
Second, I have a number of people I want to thank. Sorry this is my Academy Award speech. I want to thank the folks at Bike Barn in The Village for my bike. I love that bike. She is the greatest. (Yes, my bike is a she, get over it!) I want to thank Johnny Zepeda at Tri on the Run and Raymond Cooper at Finish Strong for all they have done. They supply me with everything from shoes to bike tubes. They have been very supportive of me and TNT. Thanks for everything. I want to thank all my friends who have been so encouraging over the past year. It is so comforting to have the support of those close to you. I want to thank Jay Branson for loaning me the bike box. It worked great, thanks. I want thank John Vigil for doing the Rage Triathlon with me and for racing with me in Cozumel. You are a great friend. Coach Liz, what can I say? I have said this before but you have done so much for me that I can't even put it into words. I know you have heard this so many times but I would not be here if it wasn't for you. You are so awesome and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for me.
Third, I want to thank my family for their patience, understanding and love. I sacrificed a lot to do this race and I appreciate their understanding in this journey. Thank you so much. I love you!
Lastly, I want to thank Norma. She sacrificed a lot over the past year. She drove SAG on all my long rides and runs and was photographer on the 9 triathlons I did this year. She never complained even when she sacrificed her own training. She just wanted me to do well and have a good race. She also organized all the travel for this race. Lord knows I couldn't do it. I am forever in your debt. I love you and thank you for everything you do and for taking care of me.
Well that's it. I have the Houston Marathon in January and then it's a little time off. I'm not sure what is next but I will make some decisions in the next couple months. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and I will update you soon.
Later Dudes!
(pictures will be posted tomorrow)
