Oceanside 70.3 recap.
I hate to admit it, but getting hit by a truck while running hurt me a lot more than I like to acknowledge. In addition to several sprains, a stress fracture and tendinitis it made my RA & fibro flare with a vengeance. I still haven't missed a day training in 3 + years but the quality of my training suffered for this race. Plus with the stress fracture I haven't been able to run for over 6 weeks and was in a boot last week. So coming into the race my goal was to be able to finish the run without too much pain and not dnf.
My swim went well. The water temperature was nice. It felt very congested as we got to the turn around and I spent a lot of time trying to get around other swimmers. The waves made me a little sea sick but it was manageable. (49:52)
Transition was super slow. I didn't want to run barefoot and risk messing up my leg before I even started so I walked.T1 7:49
The bike was by far my favorite part of this race. My grandfather has told me stories my entire life about his military days & time he spent stationed at Camp Pendleton. Being on base gave me a visual to go along with the stories. I had no idea how beautiful and how big it is. It is like a giant nature preserve. It was a challenging ride with nearly 3000 ft of climb and a few really steep hills & plenty of wind. But after taking it easy for the past 6 weeks it felt amazing to push my body. I love a challenge and it helped me feel like "me" again. (3:36)
Again not a fast transition. I made sure my socks were on straight and headed off to see if I would be able to run. T2 10:37
I started the run cautiously. The stress fracture is in my right fibula and isn't completely healed yet. I saw my orthopedic surgeon last week and he X-rayed it. He put me in a boot to help speed the healing and gave me his "ok" to race. He said the bone had healed enough that it wouldn't snap, but that it would hurt so I could try to do the race if I wanted to. I had tried to run on Tuesday before the race but couldn't make it a quarter mile without sharp pain and limping so I was very nervous about the run. I decided before hand that I was not going to limp 13 miles just to say I finished and was prepared to dnf if I couldn't manage it. But it held up, I couldn't toe off very hard without the pain getting sharp so I slowed my pace to where I could manage it and just putted along. It was awesome to see so many friends on the run. SLTC & BAM kits were everywhere and everyone was cheering each other on. I love the sense of family & the support we have for each other in our local community. It makes this sport fun. (2:28)
I came across the finish line and I was very emotional. My leg was hurting & I was incredibly grateful that it had held up so that I could finish the race. I was happy to have completed my day and even happier that it wasn't a full distance race today. I was happy and sad. I love Ironman. I love to race. I love the difference it has made in my health. I am currently waiting to hear back from IM on a recent rule change that no longer allows snorkels for any reason. It is medically necessary for me to wear mine to swim. I hope that they will amend their rule and if not I am prepared to fight them on it but I hate that I might have to. I want to participate & I want others who have the same physical challenges to be able to compete as well. The Ironman dream changes lives. It makes us better, stronger people when we can believe that "Anything is Possible."
Overall time for the day 7:13:17
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