IMAZ 5

jogged over to the transition area where all the bags were...it was hard to tell where we were coming from so i just started yelling my number...and volunteers were pointing and grabbing my bag for me...i ran up my row...grabbed the bag and ran to the top of the row...where my father-in-law was volunteering and directing traffic...gave him a smooch and headed around the side of the tent...there was a bank of potties right there...no line...i was pleased...so i ducked in one...always a good feeling...grabbed my bag again and headed to the ladies tent...as i was walking up a volunteer made eye contact...perfect...she grabbed my bag and led me over to an empty chair...may i dump your bag...yes you may...she saw my note card...looked at me and said "focus" and handed me my card...nice! i think she's done this before..she held up each item in my bag letting me decided what i needed...yes arm warmers...which i almost didn't take...i was feeling pretty warm but i didn't want to be cold out on the bike...no gloves...lube yes!...shoes...race belt...helmet sunglasses...and i thanked her and was out the door...got my face and shoulders sun screened (i think this should really be a spray booth that you walk through) since i had arm warmers on and jogged down to the bikes...

somewhere near my bike....i started calling my number...and found my row...found a guy at the end of my row...said 2121 and he sprinted down to my bike...un-racked it...and started running towards me...so cool...i said thanks...and took my bike...and jogged out to the center...and out onto the bike course...i remembered from watching in april that the bike mount area was kind of tight...so i ducked to the side...hopped on my bike and mounted clipping in with eyes forward...using some of my amazing bike handling skills to get moving away from the masses...saw j and my parents and some others lining the path out to the course...so amazing to have seen so many people so far yeah....there was a guy running with his bike (he had not even gotten on yet) who had a flat...i thought happy thoughts about my bike (no flats no mechanical)...crossed my fingers...then got aero and got down to business...

the beginning of the course had a few turns in it before getting down to the main portion on the bee line highway...i was happy to have driven the course to know...ok right...left right...left right...then just get comfy...could feel that we were riding into a head wind...and told my self not to push it too hard into the wind because i could count on help on the way back in...my stomach was feeling a little bubbly...mostly gassy (i know more than you want to know...but hay it's a race report)...which happens sometimes after i swim hard...it has happened in other races so i wasn't worried...i just wanted it to go away...and i knew what i needed to do...kept my eyes open to where the aid stations were...avoided the first few staying left as people ducked right to grab food etc...as i started to climb the one hill (more like a roller on parmer...but harder out here when you are riding into a head wind...) i tried to eat a little of the bar that i have as part of my nutrition...one piece every hour was the plan...this had been just fine during training...but wasn't happening for me this day...ok i said...i have enough in my bottles for 6 hours...if all goes well that is all i will need...if not plan b was going to be gels and gatorade out on the course...good...i have a plan just in case...now focus and ride...it wasn't stomach issues that made the bar unappealing it was just too dry...and even adding water wasn't helping...i was good with my decision so i stuck to it..

my speed was starting to slow as i was climbing the hill...i was passing people...saw the leader on the bike go by the other way fast! (he was on the second half of his second lap)...looked down at my computer and was at 12 mph...ugh...reminded myself again that the way back into town would be easier...and i knew that once i hit the top of this hill that the turn was near...crested the hill saw the aid station on the left...(you hit it after the turn)...then i saw the turn!...woot!...and a timing mat...i crossed it thinking of my coaches glued to a laptop somewhere watching my first bike split come it...grabbed a water to fill up my aero bottle....tossed it when i was done...popped it in a big gear and cranked...i easily hit 25, 26, 27mph....and made up for lost time...changed up the cadence...zoom!...made it back to the last aid station before town faster than i expected so that was awesome...i decided to stop...use a potty (hoping this would help my bubbles)...before heading back into town...it helped (one bubble down one to go)...i was worried that i was going to have GI issues...that called for Imodium...but nope...i was relieved...hopped back on the bike...and was doing the turns into town...

saw the buildings on rio salado...and knew that my folks would be around there somewhere...looked at my watch...and realized that i was going to hit just under my A goal time for the lap...then i heard it..."yeah jess kolko"...the whole fam...j included was on the median....woo hoo...made the turn around by mill avenue..crossed another timing mat...and on my right...there was an explosion of cheering...the whole T3 squad was there...it was awesome...saw the folks one more time...then it was back out the way i came...

i told myself just to keep it steady like the last loop...no problems...i knew what was coming...and i knew what i needed to do...kept steady with the nutrition...kept my focus...kept doing what i needed to do...there was some interesting things going on out on the course in the second lap...i saw the aftermath of a crash...which included a shattered disk wheel...a guy in child's pose at an aid station with nutrition scattered all around him...not looking happy...a guy doing the pee off the bike thing that they do in tour de france....and a girl peeing off the bike...yeah...not subtle at all...found myself at the base of the climb...staying with the same program as the last time...sweet...took a sip of nutrition...knew i was hitting that because i was done with my first of two bottles...and i was 1.5 laps in...nice...made the turn around...grabbed water...pulled off for second...switched bottles in my rear cages...and cranked up the big gear again...

it feels good to go fast after climbing a hill...i kept wanting to tell all those people on the other side of the road that it would be ok when they made the turn...then i just started trying to guess what lap people were on...keeping my mind on the course...thinking about where my buddies were out there...boom...i was back in town...looked at a mile marker...they had three mileages on them...one for each lap...the one i saw had 109 on it...that time it wasn't for me but i smiled thinking wow...i'm going to be really excited when it's for me...

saw the fam at the same spot out in the road...and some T3 folks by the turn...then i was headed out on lap three...oh yeah...hit the first aid station for water and another potty stop...i was hoping to get that last bubble gone before the run...pulled up on a volunteer there...he grabbed my bike...asked me if i needed anything while i was in the bathroom...i said no...did my thing..he handed me my bike and i was off again...ironman is awesome...that kind of service is great...that stop did the trick...i was feeling much more comfortable...then i started plying games...well other people were playing games with me (or that is what they were doing in my head :D)...i was trying to get away from them....i would pass...they would pass me...i would pass...they would pass me...the i would get fed up...shift...and get out of there...did that until the hill....i was on the hill for the last time...yeah!...checked my speed and saw that i was at 14...realized that it had been easier...and thought it strange that the wind could have shifted that dramatically in that short of a time...it did...weird...crested the hill...crossed the mat...and was on my way back in!!!!!!!

tried to hit the same speeds as before but wasn't able to with the shift in the wind...i was still above 18 so that was good...i was getting close to hitting my average of 18 for the whole bike and that was making me excited...as i started making the first of the turns into town...i could feel i was tired of sitting on the bike...so i kept my gear big...and did a little biking off the saddle just for a change in position...then i would sit back down again....then back up...did that a few times...and then i was back in town...and the 109 mile marker was for me...i know i had a huge smile on my face...then i was at the dismount line...then they took my bike away...i must have looked nervous that they took my bike because the volunteer said "we will take care of it for you"...nice...and i was off the bike...6h 10m