IMAZ-part One..

The house was a buzzing at 4:00 AM race morning. Hartley and I have our pre-race meals down to an art really, consisting of 2 bagels with cream cheese and peanut butter and our favorite WAKE UP drink called Wired. We loaded up the car and took off in the dark, wetsuits in hand and half asleep. It was kind of strange that we were both doing this thing, I have been spoiled to have H as my sherpa for so long for these things. We were both pretty calm and all in all never really got on each other's nerves the whole week before IM..we parted ways at transition and planned our meeting spot later. After fussing with my stuff a bit more, I was ready. Here is a pic that Duane took of us and Geekgirl at the body marking:

It was pitch black and hard to believe we were about to swim. After a long wait to the porta potty, I jumped into this:

I am the one in the pink cap-ha! My goggles came apart as soon as I jumped in and I calmy put them back together.

The swim start is in the water about 200 yds from where you jump in. So I was treading water for about 15 min. I managed to head up to the front of this fray and kind of in the middle. After the National anthem, then boom! We were off! I swam faster than I normally do in the first few minutes which was the plan. Or tried to swim in this as fast as I could. Yes, this is really how it was pretty much the whole swim!

Usually things kind of thin out after about half the swim but by golly I would swear I got hit, swum over, banged around pretty much the whole swim. I could not gauge how fast I was going but I was using the new stroke Coach Eric had taught me not 5 weeks earlier and felt like I was going pretty good. I never saw the buoys until I was right on them, there were so many people. Finally I saw the last red buoy and the turn into shore and I was psyched. Yes!! I did it! I always have that feeling after an IM swim..Done, at least this part!

As I got out, the clock said 1:15, which was my swim time. PR!! Yay!! Off zipped my wetsuit by the strippers and off to the T-1 tent, which was about 500 yds from the lake exit. That kind of sucked but I was never cold, like I was at IMCDA. The water was a balmy 63 degrees and after Lake CDA in June, that was bath water to me!

T-1 was an uneventful 9+ min. I couldn't find my bike, nor could the volunteer, which momentarily pissed my off-they were suppose to hand you your bike, which is what they said in the pre-race meeting but then I thought damn I am spoiled! IM is the only race where you get your own personal assistant to help you get dressed in transition and then get your bike handed to you..So off I went on the bike..I felt great!