IndyFlies: Bonus fun before the bonus fun

Wait ... what?

Stupid right? Unless you're one of those super athletes who can maintain a close-to Iron distance base, it takes a good 8-10 months to properly train for Ironman. And I'd planned on 10+ months. Two months is pretty nuts, but I figured that anyone can train for two months, and I'd simply adjust my goals and race plan accordingly. And essentially view the effort as bonus fun for 2024.

More on that in the next post. This post is about one of the ways this Ironman is unique. It's only one of the weekend's races!

So there were lots of distractions and mini-adventures before the start of my race.

Getting there and getting around

I decided to drive the Gypsy Rover out to Madison. It meant comfort in so many ways - not only having all my gear with me, but also my small happy home on wheels. I needed that time (~14 hrs driving) of calm and reflection and simplicity. And I was looking forward to trying out the Rover's newest improvement - her very own foldie, Felicity/"Flick."

What a fabulous addition Flick turned out to be. The hotel where we were staying was about a mile from the Ironman village, and with friends racing the half-Ironman the day before my race, having a wheels to tool around on was a life-saver for my legs. Plus she just makes me smile. I even rode up the Lake Monona Convention Center helix that Scarlett would climb at the end of the next day's bike leg. For having 12" wheels, she climbs like a billy goat!

On Thursday, my partner in crime Alison and I drove the bike course. I have a few mental "rules" for driving courses, starting and ending with: Don't. Primarily because I've found that it freaks me out knowing how far down I'm pressing the accelerator going up a hill even though I know from experience that it doesn't correlate to how I'll feel biking the hill. In this case, the steepness of the hills didn't bother me (plus, I was the passenger so no accelerator-induced anxieties), nor the number of hills (though the word "relentless" is apt). Rather, the quality of the road surface had both of us swearing like sailors. To call it rough would be a compliment. It felt as though every time we turned a corner or crested a hill, our hearts dropped a little more when we saw the crazy pavement ahead of us.

When I got back to the hotel, I immediately went to the drugstore to buy every kind of hair tie and elastic band I could. Without them, I'd lose one or both of my water bottles and I kinda needed them.

I volunteered at registration on Friday. I always enjoy volunteering - meeting first timers, feeling their excitement, seeing how big their eyes are when they take in the Ironman environment. And hanging out with teammates was very special. There's nothing quite like supporting others to take my mind off my nerves.

And it's SO much fun cheering on friends doing their firsts - first half-Ironman, first half-marathon (the half-Ironman is also a relay which is wonderful for encouraging first-time participation). It was extra special to watch my roomie Kathie conquer her first half-Ironman.

Kathie the poser before her first half-Ironman.

And I can't express how emotional it was to hug my beloved friend Teaka after she finished the swim leg. You've met Teaka before. 15 years, two months and 17 days before, to be exact, when she pulled me the last 10 miles into the parking lot after I'd broken my elbow on the 120 before my first Ironman. "When people show you who they are," Maya Angelou said, "believe them the first time." And that's who Teaka is. The kind of person to help out a near stranger. We've become friends and sisters since that day. And since the day, 15 years and 9 days before when she completed her first Ironman. To see her conquer some swimming demons was freaking awesome. So proud.