Race Report: Silverman 1/2 (Patty Collins)

From Patty Collins, Nov 2008:

So, yesterday was my first 1/2 IM since losing my leg, so I thought I'd give you all the run down.  Lots of lessons learned, but overall a really fun day.  Sorry if some of the details are "gimp" specific:

 

First off T1 and T2 (the places to transition from swim to bike and then bike to run) were in two different locations.  That, in and of itself is a challenge.  Now, try to figure out how/where to preposition legs, and trust a nice volunteer with your cycling bag and leg or running bag and leg and hope they will get it where it needs to be is a bit un-nerving. So, I don't think I slept more than 4 hours the night before b/c I kept waking up from dreams thinking my legs were not where they were suppose to be and I'd have my bike, but not my cycling leg, etc....

 

So, race morning was met with lots of wind, rain, and dust blowing.  Remember that for later.  So I laid out all my cycling stuff at the top of the boat ramp where we would exit the water.  I turned my liner inside out so it would be quicker/faster to put it on once out of the water (remember the dust blowing and the rain....note to self, leave your stuff in the bag, and take the extra 30 seconds, rather than showing up to find a liner covered in muddy water knowing you're wearing it for the next several hours)

 

The swim, no kidding was windy, pouring rain, and it even lightening...but we were already half way through the course, so there was no more efficient way to get us out of the water safely, so we all kept swimming....I felt pretty good, and finished in a respectable time, 4th fastest in my age group.

 

I exited the water and looked for my leg, which was not where I left it, or rather it WAS exactly where I left it, but the person who was "watching it" was not there, so it was a bit of a challenge getting someone to bring it to me at water's edge.  I walk/jogged up the hill to my bike where two volunteers stripped my wetsuit and tried to help me get ready to bike.  I was shivering and out of breath from the swim, wet hands trying to put on a liner and cycling leg, put on cycling gloves, helmet, sunglasses, etc...I just had to stop, exhale, relax and take my time.

 

The bike was incredibly hilly, like crazy hilly!!!  I thought 3 1/2 hours would be a reasonable bike time, but I was no where even close to that with all the hills...I think it took about 3:45, and the wind just continued.  The first 20 miles were mostly a tailwind, but then it was headwind or crosswind for the rest of the ride.  No kidding, there were people walking their bikes up hills...insanely steep...did I say never ending?  Silverman is touted as the toughest IM and 1/2 IM in the world...why didn't I pick something easy????  I think it was 6500ft of climbing over 56 miles....holy cow!!!  I tried to keep a conservative heart rate b/c while I had the endurance base for this race, I didn't have the power or speed I would have liked.

 

Anyway, the upside was I stayed hydrated and fed, and it wasn't hot at all.  By the time I rolled into T2, I couldn't wait to get off my bike, although I was not looking forward to the run.  The nice volunteer was really trying to be helpful in taking my bike from me at the transition, but I wasn't quite unclipped from my pedal on my prosthetic side and we tipped over...me, bike on top, volunteer on us...not pretty.  He was a young kid and felt terrible.  I think I said, "Hey, I know you are trying to help, but this isn't helpful"  So I stood up, assessed that me and the bike were fine and then hobbled over to the changing tent on my peg leg cycling leg.

 

Miraculously, my run bag had my running leg!!!!  Hallelujah!  I actually had a really fast transition there and was out on the run course.  The first mile was a gradual downhill, and felt pretty good.  It's still a bit of a transition to go from bike to run, but this was not so bad.  Then you hit the mile 1 marker and begin climbing for the next two miles...and then just kept doing more of that for the next 10 miles...Uuuugh!!!

 

I was tired and just couldn't turn over the legs any faster, the hills had taken their toll, and running is still a challenge, but there I was out on the course doing a 1/2 IM.  Somewhere around mile 2 or 3 the emotions of that enormity started to creep up on me, and then I saw some old co-workers who had come out to cheer me on and well, I almost lost it....SWALLOW, keep running, stay focused.....gulp, OK, game face back on:-)  I met some happy folks running as well, and was able to share most of the run with someone moving as slowly as me.  It was really nice.  We talked about the hilly bike course, the cookies at the water stops, kids, other athletes (the ones not smiling and yucking it up with us) etc.  It really made the miles go a bit faster.  There was a portion of gravel for about 1/2 mile that we did twice.  That's just harder for me, so it was a bit of a mental game to get through that.  There were a few young kids playing football and passed the ball to me during the run and I somehow managed to catch it, and return it, while running, and stayed upright!

 

 

One particular standout moment was when a woman running toward me (lots of out and back, which I liked b/c you see lots of the same people) and I don't know if she was ahead or behind, didn't matter, and she yelled, "you're F'ing Awesome"  That just made me laugh.  I didn't feel particularly awesome, but then that emotional creep was crawling up my throat and I swallowed it down again...

 

At about one mile to go a volunteer on a bicycle joined me.  I met him the day prior at bike check in.  He asked if I minded if he rode along until just prior to the finish chute.  Turns out he has a son in the Army, so we had a nice little chat.  He asked how many legs I had, etc...and before I knew it I was .1 miles from the finish and just entering the chute...

 

And before I knew it, I was done!  I had thought somewhere around 6:30 would be acceptable for my first 1/2 IM (significantly slower than my first 1/2 IM with two legs) and so crossing the line just over 7 hours, was initially a bit disappointing. 

 

Then again, the conditions were pretty significant, the climbing insane, and suppose the altitude played a factor and flying in the day before the race wasn't exactly my best plan either..

 

Nonetheless, it was pretty incredible and I was pretty happy.  I reviewed my stats and apparently I can still swim and cycle as well as other age groupers, and just need to work  more on the run...at the end of the day I can run.  It's not pretty, it never really was, but there are roses to smell and I'm making plenty of time to smell them.  I can still do what I loved doing....it's all still here!!!!

 

At the finish line a nice man who was holding his 6-7 year old daughter struck up a conversation with me.  He knew there would be some PC athletes at the race and he wanted his daughter to see us.  Just then he took her jacket sleeve off and revealed 1/2 of an arm.  She was born without it.  She was just the sweetest looking cute little girl, and, well, that's when the emotions of the day really caught me....AGAIN!!!!!  So we had a nice little chat, and her dad told me he cuts her no slack on things she can't do, and she's doing really well.  He said he wanted her to see people like her and what they were capable of accomplishing....HOLY COW!!!!  don't cry, don't cry, be strong, this little girl will think you're nuts, stay positive, don't melt into a pile of mush...and so we talked about sports and school, and a little bit about the challenged athlete's foundation ,and then they left.....

 

and that sort of made the entire day worth while.  I don't know their names or if I'll ever see them again, but that was sort of all it took.  And that never would have happened if I had two legs....Hmmmmm

 

Not to end on a sappy note, I again made the poor decision to take a red eye home, yes, folded up like apraying mantis in a plane seat next to less than skinny people, so I could be at work today....I'm an idiot!!!  Totally sore today, just about everywhere....but still on that high of achieving a goal...

 

To my cycling pals from Ft Leavenworth, thanks for giving me a good foundation.  It turns out I'm still a decent climber, and I can suffer on a bike as well as I used to....yup, would sure love the abuse of you guys on a long weekend riding 70 miles to Lawrence just for coffee and bagels! 

 

And Happy Veteran's Day to those of you who serve or have served.  It's nice that we live in a country where we have the freedoms to pursue our dreams!  Thank you.

pc