Ea Rayoo!!! I AM AN IRONMAN!!!

So finally, after all this time training long hours, getting up way before anyone I know, the time came finally to race my Ironman!

The swim
So I get up at 3:00am to get all geared up.  You could feel the energy, people with their game face, others with the "why did I get into this" look! But not me, I was all decked up with my hot ass K-Swiss tri uniform, I felt fearless, I was very happy and eager to start my 2.4 swim. I even saw Sister Madonna and asked her to bless me (an 80 year-old nun who races Ironman!) So we get into the wetsuits and jump in the water. Surprisingly, I did not get my ass kicked in the mass start. So we start and it went smoothly. Too easy in fact, that at some point I look at my watch and it said 1:43 and I was not as close as I should've been for that time (heck, I should've been out of the water!) I had not worked hard racing my swim, so now I hauled ass to the end, fearing being cut off in a lousy swim. I kept thinking; oh my God, how embarrassing will it be to get cut in the swim? What would everyone say? So volunteers helped out of the water and can't walk, because my feet are completely numb and the cold water got me off balance. I refused to let that get to me and after being stripped from my wetsuit I was quickly running to get my transition bag. I felt really good to be done with the swim!

The bike
Feeling good and pumped, I run to the transition area where they hand me the bike and continue to the three 37 mile loops (112 miles total) I was about to race. Keeping in mind the forecast: early showers, high of 69, winds of 25-30mph. Um...what??!!
It's ok, all of my long rides were with bad head wind and no drafting, so I had prepared myself for a day like this. Got my bottles with mixes of electrolyte drink, CarboPro and salt pills, and my cookies, peanut butter crackers and organic fruit candy (thank you Liza Vita for the introduction). I started fast, then a little uphill. Not bad for a slight climb. On the way back I realized that the climb was the least of my worries, the head wind was tenacious! It felt so strong I would lose balance when grabbing my bottle or riding in aero posotion. I had to get out of aero and grab the handle bar tight, so that was not fun. It was worse on the second loop! Some guys fell off their bikes, one even broke his clavicle (wouldn't you believe it? They taped him up and he finished the race!). In the third loop we were blessed with shifting winds, so I was able to recover 10 minutes of my already delayed ride.  
Since I felt like such badass after the swim, I was so I high on adrenalin that I forgot my arm warmers head thingie. It was cloudy and a bit chilly, not mention it began to rain and to hail! Still, I was feeling good and strong, despite the fact that it was gonna take me longer than I had initially wanted. I wanted to go harder, but I needed to save leg for the 26.2 run. I only made one quick stop at mile 56, to grab more cookies, crackers, fresh nutrition bottles and my half almond butter bagel.
I, however, did something I have never been able to do in training and it's disgusting, but I'll share anyway: I "went" while riding! I know, eeeewwww!!!!! Since it is a desert, we barely sweat, so the liquid's gotta come out somehow! Sorry, had to share!
The cool thing about the ride besides the amazing volunteers handing water bottles among other things, was all the triathletes, pro's included, saying "good job" as they passed. I began encouraging those I passed as well. But seeing my bitches at the turn around point made my ride so much more pleasant and gave me such push! They had signs with our names, and of course, the infamous "clap if you farted" and "did you poop today!" I was very happy that my butt was not hurting and that my nutrition was right on the money. 

The run
I get off the bike and my legs were so stiff I had to walk a couple of steps before I ran into transition. But quickly grabbed my gear bag and put on my sneakers, arm warmers visor and race belt and off I went to a three loop course to complete the 26.2 miles.
So I started easy. I liked the course, it had a little bit of everything: ups, downs, bridges (just one per loop guys!!) besides my Gu's (for the non-athletes, Gu's are concentrated electrolytes) and salt pills, I also consumed chicken broth and coke from the aid stations, that seemed to do the trick. As I went I had to convince myself that my burning thighs were only temporary, so I did not stop (so yes, I "went" while running....eeeewwww!!)
Waist down, my legs were burning, but I had a consistent pace all through the marathon segment. I was feeling happy that in a couple of miles I was gonna be an Ironman, so that kept me going, and the encouragement of my fellow racers saying, "we got this!" "one more loop and we're Ironman!" As I was approaching, I see Kike, who tells me I'm getting very close. I start hearing the muffled sounds of a man in a loud speaker. As I enter the narrow entrance to the finish line, I got emotional, and I sprinted as the MC says loudly "Celeste Ramirez from Miami FL, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!
My eyes were filled with tears, then I saw Coach Evil there waiting. So I cried more. Then I saw Diane and the Coach's wife Elizabeth, they were crying too. Even Kike cried (sorry Kike, had to say it!) 
Oh yeah, since I had not stop moving my legs for 15 hours, when I tried stopping at the finish line, my legs turned into jello, so the volunteers had to grab me. I gotta tell you guys, what an amazing feeling! I'm so happy all the hard work paid off and will definitely do it again! 

So I gotta give a shout out to my bitches Diane and Kike, who kept me on my feet when I tried to freak out. Also to Elizabeth, who I realized is one funny gal! And of course, Coach Evil himself, he really guided me through this adventure. Can't wait for the next one! I'm glad you all have enjoyed my blog! I was glad to hear many of you have found it inspirational as well as educational. I don't know much about this crazy sport, but I'll be happy to help you in any way I can. 

Thank you for visiting my blog!!
Until the next one!!

Best wishes from...

Ironman finisher Celeste Ramirez 
(I always wanted to say that!!)

2381

Tempe, Day Two

Once again I wake up hours before my alarm clock does. But it's ok. I'm thinking of how cold our 1,000 meter practice swim will be. Oh well, it's gotta be done. Me and Coach Evil ride our bikes to the venue and there we met our peeps. As I touch the water, it doesn't feel that bad. But when I jumped, man, a whole different story!! My lungs suddenly got really tired, my hands and feet became numb, and oh my God, I thought my face had fallen off!! So I took it easy as I acclimated, then having my feet numb was good because I just didn't feel a thing!! 
As I got out of the water I felt good, confident. I was second guessing what to wear, how to layer, what to discard at what transition. At the end of the day, I'll do what my peeps tell me to do: stick to the plan!
So there's no turning back now, in a couple of hours I'll be doing the hardest thing I've ever done in my life! 

So see you on the other side my peeps, I have an Ironman to attend!!

A Day in Tempe

In just 24 hours!!!

I can't believe that after signing up a year ago, after beginning a nine month training, the time has come to race!! Yesterday we went to the Expo, registered, bought some Ironman merchandise, met with the rest of the peeps. The energy in this place is awesome! People of all walks of life walk down the streets with their blue bracelets. Some are already horribly body marked (they've been branded by an ugly smudge, that in many cases you can't even read the number!) some wear their previous Ironman attire, as though they're saying "yep, I've done this before!" there's an 18 year-old, as well as an 80 year-old participant. There's really fit and there's overweight people. This is anyone's game. Our support system, or as me and Frank are referring to as our bitches, are watching me every step of the way. Kike double checks every move I make. He doesn't let me go to my little dark place (which unfortunately is so easy to do) Diane has been an awesome company! She insists to help me get stuff done faster, always has a wonderful smile on her face, and knows that when I become psychotic or annoying (which, if any of you have met me, know that is very possible), she steps up and says; "shut the fuck up Celeste!"
Kike and Diane...I love you guys!!!

Now, the weather here is frikkin' bipolar!!! In the morning, it was a little cold, but very nice. Then suddenly was very cold, then we were burning up and even sweating. Then it got chilly again, then we were taking our jackets off. And in the evening it felt really cold, although it said it was high 60's, low 70's! Oh, and of course, the only thing constant is the water temperature...a whapping 61 degrees!!! I am SOO NOT looking forward to my 9am swim, but it must be done. 
Because of all these weather changes, I feel there's a cold in my horizon. My voice is sounding deeper this morning, and my throat is acting funny. I'm drinking EmergenC and Airbone, also zinc pills. Let's hope for warmer waters and better temperatures foe tomorrow. Although the weather service said it might rain. Come on!!! This is a desert! Act like one!! Well guys, I'll write you more later, peace!!!

I think I can, I think I can, I KNOW I CAN!!!!

8 days to go!!

Well, it has been one hell of a couple of weeks. In the past six weeks I've lost my job of ten years, lost a dear aunt to a stroke, then lost one of my three favorite male cousins to cancer (I have a lot of cousins!) Make ups, break ups, you name it! Oh I also had a horrible 70.3 that brought all sorts of doubts to my mind about whether or not I'll be able to finish the Ironman. It's been one emotional roller coaster I tell you! The way I see it, at this point, there's no turning back, it must be finished! I must go out with a bang!

Last Thursday I officially finished a 2.4 mile open water swim. I've swam longer than this distance, but in the pool, with a bottle of fluids for when my mouth goes dry, without a wetsuit on, stopping if I need to. Totally different story in the ocean! The time before I swam over an hour and couldn't breathe in the beginning. The wetsuit was suffocating me. Eventually, my breathing regulated, but I wasn't too comfortable. But last Thursday Henry helped me stretch it the right way, and after him pinching me all over, it was a very much bearable swim. I wasn't going too fast; in fact was very calm. I am more confident that I will make the cutoff time, since I had plenty of time to spars at the end, taking it super easy and finishing fresh. Still, 1:43 is an eternity, gotta do better than that. 

Even though Coach Evil says not to worry, I can't help being worried about my ride. Due to my cousin's passing, I flew to Puerto Rico on Sunday, so I missed an over 3.5 hour bike ride. Then I almost missed the bike transport, but thanks to my cousin I made it the night before and was able to deliver the bike on time. Unfortunately I didn't get to do my last good workout on it. Fortunately for me I am able to use my sister's road bike. 

This is the week where you wonder if you rode long enough, if you truly had the right nutrition to carry a 10 plus hour workout, if you will have enough punch to maintain such endeavor. Oh yeah, you also wonder, is it really gonna be as cold as everyone else says it'll be? Deep inside I hope to the higher power that maybe this year the water won't be as cold as previous Ironman say it'll be. I'm praying for 70 degrees....hey, one can dream, right?