This year Ironman in Kona was one of the hardest races I’ve ever done. I suffered a lot, I thought about quitting a million of times, but I kept going thinking in how hard I had trained to get here and thinking in all the support I had behind me. Finally I crossed the line in 14th position, not the place I was thinking in before the race. Disappointed with my place at the finish but happy to cross the finish line when throwing the towel was the easiest thing to do…
Things went ok during the swim, I didn´t have the best feelings but I was in the front group just where I wanted to be. The first 50 kms. on the bike I felt good, riding in the first positions of the group, trying to get away with the best cyclists, but from that point to the turnaround in Hawi everything went wrong, I was loosing power, feeling weak and barely been able to hold the pace of the group… after the turnaround in Hawi I could relax a little bit, I started to feel better and I rode the last 40 kms. in front of the group, keeping a good pace to keep the guys in front as close as possible. When I started the run I knew it was going to be a very hard marathon, my stomach was full and I got blisters on my feet. I wasn´t digesting the food I took on the bike, I was really uncomfortable, I stopped at the toilet to see if I could feel a bit better but it didn´t work, I started walking at the aid stations, I was feeling thirsty, all I wanted to have was water. Once I got to the top of Palani and entered the Queen K I thought «that’s it, you still have 26 kms. in front of you, you are feeling awfull, you almost can´t even run, time to quit and go home…» but an inner strength kept me going putting one feet in front of the other. I was still walking at the aid stations but slowly feeling better, I managed to get to the Energy Lab, I stopped there for the second time to put some vaseline in my feet, and from there I started feeling much better, I didn´t have to stop in the next aid stations and even if the first places where far in front of me I knew I was going to finish the race. Finally I entered Alii Drive and run the last hundred meters of the marathon, sad with my performance but at the same time happy for finishing the race and for been able to fight and overcome the suffering and the negativity.
I’ll be back next year, with a great lesson learned from this year Ironman.
Aloha!
