This is kind of how Ironman Texas began for me, 20 seconds of insane courage. It was over a year ago that I signed up for the race. I had only done 2 triathlons up to that point, but I knew I wanted to be an Ironman.
I wasn't sure if this was the year, the right time, if I had the right training up to that point, or if I even truly understood the time commitment that training for this event would be. I was a ball of nerves that day, waiting for my turn to fill out the form online.
I had a million doubts and fears running through my head, but I jumped, i.e. pressed 'Submit' on the online form. As in, submit to a year of preparation for one race, submit to a sensible amount of pain and sacrifice in the effort, submit to a bit of failure and disappointment along the way, submit to conquering a challenge that seems impossible to so many, submit to the glory of the mind overcoming the body, and submit to the love of a good challenge!
Most of you followed some of my training and racing that led up to May 19, 2012, so I'll just start with race day:
At 4:30am the alarm finally goes off. "Finally!" I said because I had been laying in bed awake in anticipation of the day since 2:30am. I jumped out of bed!
I had a hard time finding a good song to listen to pre-race. This is a very important part of an epic day because it is very likely I will have THAT song playing in my head all day long. It must be a good one! I settled on Sixx A.M. "Life is Beautiful" Kind of morbid, but with lots of energy. Ha! It was perfect!
We arrived at the swim start just before the sun started to rise.
The bridge over Lake Woodlands. North Shore park and the start line are in the background.
First body marking, potty break, breakfast, and some more pictures.
2 out of the 3 amazing friends I did the race with!
By the time my family and friends arrived, it wasn't very long before they were calling the pros into the water. They were off at 6:45am and then it was our turn. I hugged, and I mean REALLY HUGGED my family and friends goodbye. We shed a few tears and headed to the water.
I can't explain the incredible feeling of anticipation that I felt as we walked to the edge of the beach. It was just a 'Wow!' moment. My friend Marium grabbed our hands and we all marched off to fulfill a dream today and accept each moment as it came, no matter what. We all hugged, wished each other good luck, and jumped in.
It seems like every time I get into the water, the nerves just wash away and it's one of the few moments of my life that I actually find myself living in the moment. It was the same here. My mind just cleared and it was just me, 2700 competitors, and the water.
Then suddenly, Mike Reilly (the voice of Ironman) called for the kayaks to move out and the gun went off! Ironman Texas 2012 had begun and I was in the middle of a washing machine of fiercely competitive athletes all headed in one direction.
I felt lucky, because I didn't get kicked or pulled under at all. It took me about 500 yards to find a line and a space to swim in, but I got there pretty comfortably. Before I knew it, we were at the turnaround and heading back towards our right turn into the Waterway canal.
The Waterway is the most unique feature of Ironman Texas because of the amazing spectator opportunities. I know of no other open water swims that you can hear people cheering for you nearly the entire time. Swimming into the Waterway was amazing, but as you approached the swim exit the cheers got louder and louder. You could almost feel it in the water and it was so exciting!!!
I swam to the nearest set of stairs and exited the swim. 2.4miles done! It was a great swim, too! Better than I expected and I felt so energized as I got out of the water that I ran to the changing tent. I sprayed on a ton of sunscreen, put on my bike gear and ran again out to my bike!
I had a prime bike spot on the end, two rows back from the exit! It was great, too, because my family and friends could stand right by my bike, making it super easy to find, and lots of fun to get it ready for the 112 miles I had ahead of me.
The 'fam' even got the chance to set up one of my amazing signs a friend made for me.
Holla!!!
Yep it was all pretty exciting!! I headed out on the bike with a lot of anticipation for my best ride yet. After all, this would be the only time I've biked this course with aid stations every 10 miles, traffic controlled for the race, port-o-potties (a huge advantage!), and even food to eat along the way!! Plus, the added bonus of friends, family, and perfect strangers to cheer me along.
I had a great bike out to the Sam Houston National Forest and averaged about 16mph, which for me is great! The heat wasn't full force yet, and I was still in a great groove leftover from the awesome swim!!
It's really a beautiful bike ride through some great Texas countryside with rolling hills throughout. Around mile 36 you hit the forest and its so nice. The forest is super shaded and stays much cooler than most of the rest of the course, but there is a really fun turn that allows you to ride down hill for nearly a quarter of a mile. It was so fun and I guess you could say, relaxing, to just kind of coast downhill in this beautiful national forest for a while.
Again, there were spectators everywhere throughout this race and they were all over this bike course too! I loved the little LSU group I kept seeing out there, moving all over the bike course - they were really obnoxious in the best way possible! Every time I passed them I'd yell out my best 'Geaux Tigers!'
As we headed into the small town of Richards, TX my body started to ache. Not just soreness and fatigue setting in, but I was just aching all over. I had accidentally dropped my bottle of salt tablets in a port-o-potty back at T1, that I was NOT going to reach in for! That bottle also contained my Aleve for just this sort of pain. I was suddenly cursing the convenient little pocket on the side of my shorts that I put the bottle in. The same pocket that held the same bottle that I landed on in my bike crash in the Galveston 70.3 that bruised the crap out of my hip. Yeah...I'll be finding a new way to carry those tablets from now on.
Some of my family made it out to mile 63 on the other side of Richards, TX. They had a smallish (not!) sign that made it easy for me to spot them from nearly a mile away!
Pretty sweet, huh!? Another cool surprise! I was so glad to see them because it gave me the opportunity to put my order in for some Aleve. It was like the telephone game, but I had to ask my family in Richards to call my husband, waiting at mile 110, to get some Aleve and salt tablets in a baggy ready for me when I rode by the house (at mile 110) some 3 hours later. Here's what that looked like:
But they got it and I was on my merry little way again, praying mile 110 would get here faster than I expected! I remember just as I was leaving the 'fam', my dad yelled out "You're doing great and averaging 16mph!! Keep it up!" Yeah, that little bit of motivation blew away with the headwind I turned into as I headed south back into The Woodlands.
I hate wind! I'm sure all cyclists hate the wind. It is so demoralizing because it is completely out of your control. A hill is somewhat within your control. All you have to do is get to the top, then it stops, and the fun begins. Wind does not care how hard you just worked to get to the top of the hill, it will still make you work just as hard, or harder to get down the hill too. I hate the wind!
But this was the Ironman, and before the start of this day I made a promise to enjoy every moment of this day because I would never get it back. No matter what, I was going to find it within myself to thank God for whatever this day brought me because I just felt so lucky and privileged to be able to be a part of it. So I thanked God for the headwind. I thanked him until the headwind was gone, then I thanked him for the heat, then the aching in my legs because that meant I was working hard, then I thanked him for the volunteers, the water, the downhills, the miles that I had already done...before I knew it, I was thanking him for the mile 90 sign!!
90 miles down, then 100 miles down! 12 miles to go and I was back in The Woodlands and closer to my biggest cheer squad's location. As I approached the little stretch of road in front of my house I got a little teary-eyed. The anticipation of seeing my husband, my kids, my best friends, and neighbors and extended family with all of the Miles for Mitzie road signs was so exhilarating. So was the thought of finally get some Aleve ("I hope Kyle got the message!" I kept thinking)!!
Finally, I turned the corner and there they were!! Cheering their hearts out for me and all the other athletes, too! SO AWESOME!
Just a few of the crew!!
And look at all these amazing signs!!!
I stopped because I was so scared that the Aleve hand off would not go well. Ha ha! I did not want to fall in front of all my adoring fans - or at least my amazing support crew! I tried to acknowledge them all, but it was impossible. It was a big boost for those last 2 miles to T2, though, that's for sure.
As I headed into T2 I spotted my former Team In Training coaches yelling for me. Another great surprise! I got off the bike and offered it to some ladies in the crowd, for free! I was pretty sure I was done with this biking thing and would never want to get on it ever again. That feeling has faded, only slightly, since then.
I was so glad to get off the bike that I just walked into the changing tent. I needed some time to cool down and get my feet back under me.
In the changing tent I had another great surprise. The volunteer who helped me get my run stuff together was our Honored Teammate from Team In Training last year. Honored Teammates are survivors of leukemia or lymphoma who we all compete in honor of their fight. Nicole was a big boost to me there, very uplifting, and just one more reminder of why I do these events - so we can have more inspiring people like her around!
Once I got my run gear situated and I headed out of T2, I got super excited to get my run on! It didn't even occur to me that it was a complete marathon that I was about to do. I was just beyond thrilled to be off the bike and closer to the finish, with my favorite event standing between me and that little white line!
The marathon is 3 loops around the southeast side of The Woodlands. A good portion of the run is along the amazing Waterway where the crowds are especially enthusiastic and fun!
My first loop went great, perfectly! I felt good and was enjoying the run. The ice at the aid stations was a great relief to keep me cool and I kept up a nice pace.
The second loop started off great, but I was getting tired. I never felt the soreness or muscle fatigue I usually feel on a marathon, but my body was approaching complete exhaustion. I remember at one point closing my eyes for a second and fighting the urge to fall asleep. I was just so tired.
It took a while for me to find my family and friends again along the run route, but when I did it was at just the right time. I was feeling so tired and kind of 'down' that when I rounded the corner right at mile 16 it was a huge relief to know they were there.
Walking, trying to smile, 10 miles to go!
One of my best friends and co-conspirator in triathlons and marathons, Christie, totally picked up on my attitude. Couldn't hide it from her - ha! She ran up with me and just having her to kind of talk to helped so much. I literally and figuratively turned the corner at that time. After Christie's pick-me-up, I felt more determined than ever to run that final lap as much as possible.
As I rounded another corner my Team In Training coach popped up in front of me. Luke had done this race last year, so I couldn't exactly hide my exhaustion from him either. He ran with me for a while too and helped get my mind off everything. He was another huge lift, right when I needed it.
Then I approached the beginning of lap 3, my final lap! And there was EVERYONE...Christie, Michelle, Luke, Norma, my sister Sarah, my dad, my step mom...WOW!
I was suddenly thrilled to be running, and even more thrilled that it was my third and FINAL lap. I started high-fiving the crowd and waving at the spectators when I had an extra energy to spare. It was a great place to be!!
It's a unique run because you run just underneath the finish line several times before it's your turn to finish. It's so fun and motivating to hear all the other finishers before you being called an Ironman, you just wish it was your turn. Well on that third lap it finally hit me that my turn was coming. Only one 8-mile loop stood in my way.
I ran as much as I could and finally approached the Waterway again. My current coach, Karen found me and pumped me up even more. The crowds get particularly crazy and fun once the sun sets so that was awesome. My family made it around to both sides of the Waterway which also ROCKED! With every single step the excitement kept building and building. I was almost there!
I ran past my teammate Kristine just as she was making the turn to the finish. I gave her the biggest hug I could...I was so proud of her!!!
Then I hit the last water stop, and as any self-respecting, soon-to-be-photographed-a-lot female athlete would do, I fixed my hair. Ha ha! Now, I was ready to be an Ironman!
I made it to the split and ran up the finisher's chute to volunteers and spectators yelling "Congratulations!". I passed my TNT coaches at one end and then my family on one side of the chute. The crowds and the music was so loud. The lights were bright and I was feeling my rock star moment coming on...minus the rocking guitar solo.
I made sure and walked the last 100 meters or so. I wanted to make sure I would remember this moment, so I slowed down to take it all in. It was great! The crowd, the high fiving, the music, the lights, and then Mike Reilly's voice "From The Woodlands, TX!" (Crowd got super excited at that!) "Lauri Mazeikas, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" (He even said my name right!!!) Then he said "Once a homemaker, now an IRONMAN!!" (To which my son said "Is that because you clean our house?") Rock star moment achieved!!!
15:03:44!!
Seriously, an incredible end to an incredible day that I am still thanking God for! Thank you to everyone who made it possible, all the amazing support and encouragement along the way, and for all the incredible donations to help fight the disease I am trying so hard to change!!
I highly recommend Ironman Texas to anyone looking for a great race, lots of spectator opportunities, and an awesomely supportive community to compete in. I'll be there next year too...except as a spectator this time, at Mile 110 cheering you on to T2 and the finish!
Seriously, anything is possible!
