my IMWI experience didn’t go as planned. long story made short, i felt great coming out of the water around 1:12, felt really strong on the bike until about mile 80 or so, and entered T2 feeling hungry. i ate some food and headed out for the run feeling ok, but things shut down pretty soon after. by mile 7 i was walking the aid stations – i felt like i was burning up and was getting pretty nauseous. by mile 9, i couldn’t run at all and was barely moving forward. around mile 11, i remember drinking some pedialyte, vomiting, and that’s about it. when i came to, i was in the back of an ambulance getting IV fluids on my way to the medical tent. i later found out i had lost around 12 pounds since the start of the race and was dehydrated to the point my body simply said enough.
my nutrition was spot on through the end of the bike meaning i was getting plenty of fluids, my legs felt good during the first 7 miles of the run, and i don’t think i could have trained / prepared any better. it just wasn’t my day.
i didn’t sleep last night, and played the what if game in my head for about an hour. what if i would have stayed in T2 and rested just a bit longer? what if i would have sat down at mile 7 of the run when i couldn’t run any longer and given myself a few minutes to rest? hell, i was only about ten hours into the race at that point. i could have napped for an hour or two and still finished had i felt better after the rest. but i soon caught myself and asked what was the point. after all, it’s just a race and something i was doing for fun. truth be told, the time i spent training was loads harder, and the personal growth i’ve experienced since the start of this has been invaluable. to throw that all away because of one bad day just seemed foolish.
so my IM experience didn’t go as i had planned, but i can’t say it was bad – just different than i imagined it would be. my brother and his wife gave birth to a healthy little girl during my race, so was happy to hear that. today, while still pretty weak, i’m able to walk, breath, continue living my life. sure i’m bummed i didn’t finish and put a cap on this whole experience. but i got to spend the weekend with some of the most wonderful people in my life, who despite the outcome, showed me nothing but compassion, care, and true friendship. no race medal or t-shirt could ever come close to that reward.
SEPTASTIC! 
So very proud of you for all your hard work training, dealing with injuries/pain and racing the whole damn thing- You earned the finisher’s cape and viking horns in my book 🙂
I am proud of you for so many things. Most of which I’ve already told you in person. 😉 You HAVE grown with this experience and it has been a privilege to be on the sidelines for it. You are and continue to be an inspiration to myself and others, even with your ass being slightly concave now after losing 12 lbs in the IMWI. I know the “what if” game is easy to play, so allow yourself time to let yourself feel whatever emotions you need to as you continue to process the race. You are in the best shape of your life (and even though it’s awkward/weird…you’ve got some damn fine arm muscles!).
I certainly enjoyed myself at the event, I learned new things and were inspired by you and others. What an amazing treat to experience and something I would probably have never witnessed if you were not participating. Thank you for that. Thank you for sharing your journey, my friend.