Given the nature of this blog (scroll up for title in case you are not following me), you will understand how big of a deal this past week was for me. YUP! It was IMFL 2011 race week, which means I had thousands of thoughts going through my mind, thinking on how important this week will be for me a year from now.
As I mentioned on my first post one of the reasons why I decided on IMFL as my first IM was a group decision; what started as a group of 20 people potentially doing IMFL 2012 and going down to volunteer this past weekend, ended up on 14 of us heading down.
Part of the 'Alpha Ironman 2012' group
Unfortunately for me one of the people that had to back out on her decision to race next year was my sister Raquel. Some of you might have read my posts on FB so this will be a bit repetitive, but basically she started nursing school this semester, she has always been very dedicated to her studies and her GPA shows it. I like to say she’s got the brains in the family. So after two tests significantly below to what she is accustomed to she had to really think about her decision of committing to something like IM training when she already has a big commitment with school.
So Wednesday evening I get a call from her asking me to ‘pull email’, she couldn’t even talk about it, we had planned this for a while now and we were super excited to share this journey together. And although is the smart thing to do for her, the idea of not sharing it with her just makes me sad. After I got through the initial shock I realized my traveling plans for the weekend where now up on the air. After a shout out to the group, the guys offer to take me in their car, the schedule worked out great for me and I took them on the offer.
We headed down on Friday around 10 am, share some funny stories and made our way to Panama City
For those that are unfamiliar with the rules, IMFL is one of those races that fills out rather quickly. Athletes get first priority (they get a chance to register before the race), and then the day after the race volunteers get a chance to do so, after the volunteers they open registration to the open public (those that are physically there) and lastly if there are any slots available they open it online. Well, we definitely made the right decision because online registration sold out in 12 min. It is just CRAZY!
After a short meeting we headed for dinner and then to bed, out of the 10 girls in our condo we all had different shifts but we were all as excited. Race morning we headed to the swim start so that we could see the whole thing unveil. Let me tell you, that was nerve racking! Walking down to the beach I had butterflies in my stomach, the closer I got the more emotional I got. There is something about a mass start that just makes it for a unique experience and I am sure the only thing better than watching it is being part of it.
Me, Stacey and Sarah were in the women changing tent (T1). It was so cool!, one min. the first swimmer was entering the room and the next one you didn’t have room to even move with all the bags and clothing and people in that tent. It was so great to be able to help the athletes, and was even more special when we had friends walking in. I have to say that 99% of the people were very thankful and relaxed, it really was a great experience.
T1 Volunteers
The shift couldn’t have ended any better with Sina entered the changing tent way before the swim cut off, we were all very worried about her. We knew that if she made the swim cut off she was good to go, but after having a friend of mine not making the cut off last year I knew it would have been devastating. Sarah, Stacey and myself kept checking the clock and looking at the tent entrance. When I heard her yelling my name I burst into tears, it was so good to see her and she was in such good spirits!
Sina getting ready to get on her bike
After our shift was over we knew we had a while before everybody started making it back from the bike, so we headed for a run, took showers got lunch and found a good location on the run course to see everybody.
It was great seeing everybody out there, it is one of those things that if you have never experienced you HAVE to do. I am one of those people that just love watching others race but there is something special about IM races, the energy, the vibe, the excitement, it is just surreal. I really can’t put it into words everything that goes through your mind every time you see one of your friends go by. Smiles took over the run course and emotions just ran through, just imagining next year’s race I get goose bumps.
I have to say that there were a lot of emotional moments; Sina finishing the swim, seeing her Dana, Bonnie and Cheryl on the run course with a big smile on their faces. Darin, Jeff and Carl cruising by making it look easy, but what really got me was when PT Solutions team mate Tony C ran by us at mile 25, at that point he knew he was about to cross the finish line and get his ticket to Kona. We all started cheering for him and the look on his face was just priceless and one that I will never forget, he kept saying ‘I am going to Kona!’, we were all caught on the excitement and it was truly amazing!
I can not think on anything more motivating than a day in IM land, needless to say I can’t wait til May when I will be traveling to Lanzarote (Spain
Sunday morning we woke up and headed to register for 2012, registration was schedule to open at 9:00 around 5:30 we got a text from Michelle saying there was already a line! Since most of us were awake, we just headed down and froze our little behinds off. Luckily the line was so long that they decided to open up at 7:30 which made it for an earlier than expected trip back home.
People lining up to register for IMFL 2012
Needless to say I am static about this upcoming year, I am thrilled to share this experience with so many friends and looking forward to a very exciting 2012 season. Happy training!!!
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