Volunteering for Ironman Texas 2011: My Story


Saturday, May 21 2011, The Woodlands TX, was transformed into a location where amazing stories; feats of physical,mental and emotional strength would play out. Forever changing those in any way associated with IronMan Texas’s maiden journey. I volunteered, in several slots and was lucky enough to step forward when captains were looking for help elsewhere. Its a day of memories I will never forget!

 My boss was racing, along with a few other friends. Last year I finished a few women's sprints. This year I was 3 miles from the finish of my first Olympic, when the course was closed due to lightning. I’d never spectated a tri, or volunteered for one. If I had seen the spectacle of an IronMan first I would have never dared my first sprint... Planning to see it all, and offer my services back into a sport that is motivating me into a healthier person, no longer prone to dying on the couch, I volunteered for a few sections.  Once pages of directions for each station began hitting my email.. I realized my day of volunteering would be a different sort of tri in its own sense.

4:30AM I was out the door to make the drive over.  I found my group & changed into a greenshirt, prepped to be a wetsuit stripper by You Tube videos. Water temps made wetsuits illegal & very few of the 2200 racers were opting to wear them. A captain looking for volunteers grabbed myself & a few others. My new station was aiding swimmers up the swim steps!

Talk about exciting! I was nervous! I didn't want to adversely affect any participant with my lack of ‘how-to’. The first pro came. The ducks finally scattered, their dreams of food lost. The music was thumping, the crowd was yelling, the clock was counting ;my heart was in my mouth  for the next couple of hours pulling for each and every athlete. The first wave could be seen! Arms flying through the air, feet kicking, like one large animal, undulating towards the stairs! My stair partner, Allen and I quickly worked out a great strategy, helping our swimmers up the stairs, telling them to watch the top step & to turn left, he’d rip the zipper cover open & I’d haul the zipper down on their swim skins. We were busy. Muddy. Happy.Thrilled to be helping athletes towards that Ironman finish!

Everything slowed down but the clock. Most athletes were out of the water. Three were coming, then only one, left that might make the cut-off. The noise was deafening. The swimmers should have been pulled forward by the combined pleas and encouragement of the volunteers and crowd alone! Allen and I aided the last qualifying swimmer from the water. What a moment. My eyes filled with tears for his cramping, and  the swirl of emotions I could imagine those past the cut-off feeling while still in the water. Officials aided his cramped form a few steps, then off he hobbled towards transition. The officials stepped forward to break the painful news to the athletes still approaching...

 I stuck with Allen & my next stint was pretty exciting too. Transition bike handler. This was valet parking Ironman style! Now a pink shirt and gloves. Little did I know how very important those gloves were! We lined up.The first rider was 30 minutes out, then 10, then running thru the chute, having thrown his bike towards the lineup. The trickle turned into a flow, then a rush of athletes. We were running. Asking for helmets, shoes if they could get them off. Parking these incredible tri bikes carefully. We were running our own race against the horde of Ironman racers.  Funnily,the tallest volunteer caught the shortest athletes bike and the shortest volunteer caught a bike she had to reach up to grab.  Thank goodness for the gloves! Peeing on the bikes aside, I handled bikes with chunks of vomit down the frame, melted power bars, melted chocolate bars, misshapen gummy bear globs... The diversity of foods and fuels stuck to bikes was staggering. It was hot. Bike transition ran out of water for volunteers. A few got sick. My head began pounding.. Another call for 3 volunteers for elsewhere. I went.

Now I was at mile 9, 17, 25(ish) of the looping run course! Simply standing there, reminding  the crowd to keep their feet out of the course, to let people cross, and cheer each runner by.  It was around 3pm.  Athletes weren't the only ones feeling the humidity. I learned to look for the name above the number. I tried to say something to each runner, clapping my hands till they hurt, saying silly things like “think light, be light”, Three loops; one could see the determination, the physical pain showing in uneven gaits, the sweat pouring off to evaporate from the concrete quickly. This was the daunting part, the agonizing enduring part. It might have been physically easier being a volunteer.. the pain came from knowing you couldn't do anymore to help them through.

I moved on to my last station of the day. Finish Line Athlete Food.  It only took a few minutes to hear the crowd roaring for each athlete has they crossed the line! Inside athlete food, a few pros were already quietly seated, even with a few hours to go till dark.  Foods available provided a nice diversity. I learned pretty quick the best thing to get into an hot tired ironman was the hot chicken broth.. once they could keep that down they needed to be encouraged to eat solid foods. I learned that many of them cooled down too quickly and that the set up of the stairs was too much for many who crossed the lines later in the day. As it got dark medical issues and watching athletes for shock and chills became a real concern.  We ran out of wheelchairs and it was a long way to medical. Being bossy and CERT trained, I got a few sick athletes to medical by asking crowd members to make a chair by locking arms(like you would in boy scouts) and carry the athlete. Medical was packed. I think many out of state athletes didn't plan well for our Texas humidity. Combining the humid heat  and that it melted much of their foods/fuel into unusable gloop likely contributed to the high number of athletes requiring medical after the race.

My best story of that day is: I aided the very last swimmer to make the time cut-off out of the water. He was an older man, cramped and could barely move after 2 hour 20 min in the water for the 2.3 mile swim. I didn't think I would see him again due to the cramping, so turned back sadly to assist the last non-qualifying swimmers from the water.  A bit after dark, at finish line athlete food, I recognized his form wobbling in. I said his number and he turned and gave me the biggest hug.  We both cried. I was so excited to see him. He had just barely made every time cut-off, until the sun dropped and his run improved.. he still had a few hours to spare!

I’ll be there to volunteer again in 2012 and be paying to cross that finish line in 2013. Enduring as an athlete, volunteering for the spirit, spectating and supporting, or working, regardless of post its an amazing day grace.

 I need to start writing again. Having folks read really helped me stay motivated. Its difficulty on a phone but not impossible. Just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean I haven't continued to experience  the trials and tribulations and joys of continually adapting my lifestyle. I've finished a few more tris! and been sick. and once again DNFed the Kemah Olympic...

Please stay tuned as I revamp my blog.

Signed Up For My First Olympic, Crazy, I Know

Crazy. I am. I know it. But if you aren't pushing the edge of something you haven't done before... isn't it really the same experience? A settling into a new ‘comfort zone’?  I could easily trot along, happily doing a couple of sprint distance events every year. However I’ve also completed about 8 full sprint distance training triathlons, starting from my local pool & 2  woman only sprint distances. Both of those were great.  I made goal at one and was off of goal on the second due to  mechanical issues and hesitancy in the swim. Haven't I spent way too many years numbly ‘comfortable’? Unaware of any possibilities within myself. Alive yet not living?  Am I ready for an Olympic? 


While working at Texas Renaissance Festival as a beer & wine wench(earning for a bike rack & HW monitor) , I was thinking and thinking about this. Do I sign up or not? Decide too late & there would be no available slots. This region isn't blessed with an overabundance of Olympic distance triathlons, nor am I over-abundantly financed to be able to travel far with a bike & gear for an event. Am I ready for an Olympic? No. Not right this second, not even next month!  I can do the distances individually. Not happily and not with speed resembling any animal that ambulates at a speed between the turtle and the hare. More like a snail.


I thought back to January, when I slunk hesitantly into the TAMU pool next to Zentriathlon base camp athletes. I didn't think I could do that either. I was almost sick with nerves, hands shaking, toes cramping. The other side of the pool was a LONG ways away. I eventually made a few laps, slithered out of the pool to watch. Art in Motion. These athletes were so sure of themselves, full of technical jargon, spandex, lycra, heart-rate, cadence, low body fat, nonchalant kindness. Maybe they had never been fat, yet each of them was holding their own challenges at bay through triathlon training. I wanted to be a little more like them.


Almost a year of training and two triathlons later. I am a little more like them. An athlete. Yeah, a fat athlete, but still an athlete!  An individual using triathlon to re-pattern a life more sustainable. Transitioning alone, for no one but myself, I’m making those healthy choices more and more often.  A few dates have commented on my ‘weird eating habits’ and my ‘going to bed early’.  I hear them and wonder how much more narrow my compatibility field of life partners is becoming. As I continue forward into my own unknown, the field will narrow until only one is in the focus. I am looking forward till then!

Meanwhile my quiet version of crazy will continue and increase. I have the goal of my 1st Olympic triathlon to train towards.Come out and cheer me on Sunday April 3, 2011 at Kenmah in Galveston Texas at Gateway to the Bay!

Adjusting Chain Limit Screws

 Last week, after having issues with my chain on the bike portion of the 2010 Austin Trek Triathlon, I learned about the limit screws  for the bike chain. Since I couldn't get the white-board drawing into my blog... I found this awesome video. The arrows really help. Don't be intimidated!  If I did this you can too. This is easy bike upkeep that any one of us can do at home. it helps if you have a bike stand.... I don't(yet). You will need you multi-tool. If you don't have one of those, get one! Don't let a loose chain drag you into the LBS... unless you need an excuse to browse their new jersey collection.

Pictures & Time Are In

My triathlon photos & times are in. Click the links to check them out. My swim time wasn't as bad as I thought... The chain coming off blew my bike time away. The pictures are good evidence that my running form is TERRIBLE & needs the most improvement. All in all, I didn't feel completely blown out which means I held back & didn't go all out. This is probably true.... in the back of my mind I was worrying about not falling asleep during the long drive home...The pictures and the time are great lasting benchmarks to improve against. 

 Id love to find someone around my speed to occasionally train with & to enter a triathlon with. I feel like having someone around my speed to directly compete against would be beneficial for us both. Anyone want to play triathlon? I have tentatively selected my next race for Sunday April 3. Payment opens Oct 18.

Pro & Cons of Trek Triathlon (IMO)

Its 4 days after my 2^nd triathlon, the Trek Womans Sprint triathlon in Austin Texas. I feel pretty darn good!   Caught up on sleep & awoken by the TAMU Aggie band blasting a brassy 6AM good morning through my open window! Fall in Texas is incredible. Sneezing like crazy, but that’s simply this time of year allergies. Going to Golds spin class this afternoon & back in the pool tomorrow. Giving my toe/foot pad another week before running… it’s swollen up & still hurts.

 Yesterday I had a nice after action review chat with Brett of Zen & the Art of Triathlon.  My swim start has improved!  Other improvements included the purchase of a race number belt, soft timing chip strap, bento box & shoe lace toggles at the Bicycle Sport Shop Expo. Laying out & packing my transition bag on Thur, then re-laying out on Sat was a great help. Since I had plenty of room in the tri-beetle, I had extra towels that came in handy since there was a T1A & a T1B. The new size 2 Enell sports bra combined with a size L supportive yoga top worked great for the swim & bike & was almost enough anti-bounce( I’m always looking for Complete anti-bounce for 36-38 F/G.. if you know of a product) for the run. 

Pre and enroute nutrition also felt good even if I may have eaten more than I needed. At 6AM I ate the eggs from inside some breakfast tacos, at 7:15AM  ¼ an avocado & ½  banana. On the bike I packed too much liquid. 2 waters & 1 bottle of Vega sports drink combined with Hornet Juice. I also peeled & split up a tangelo & a few strawberries into a baggie in the bento box. I drank about 1/3 of the sport drink combo and slurped 4 tangelo wedges & 2 strawberries..I’m still not great at pulling the water out form the behind the seat rack to drink so I slugged down water at T2.

 Triathlon is all about you improving yourself. Improvement comes in self and external knowledge. Brett suggested that I start out even slower to avoid the asthma & hyperventilating excitement. When we were talking about the bike portion, I learned about ‘limit screws’ for the chain. My run-walk time and calf soreness both are reflective of lack of hill work training. I tested my outfit both weekends prior to the race, but at the last minute I decided to use the race shirt as my shirt over my swim set-up. My arm undersides were chaffed to bloody speckles… Always test your equipment and attires and then use the tested stuff! Something to work on for future events J And yeah.. there will be future events.

 About the race environment: FABULOUS. Pace Bend Park is west of Austin Texas situated on the limestone hills above and along the lakes. Accommodations within the park included tent and RV camping or rooms at the Highland Lakes Camp & Conference Center.  This year the weather gods gifted Texas with a utopian vision of fall.  The curvy rolling hills of the bike ride were flanked with blooming lantana, cardinal flowers, gay feathers, fall aster, wild petunias and many others. The trees were green; the grasses were plumed with seed heads, waving in a gentle wind. The lake was brown and smooth with water temps in the low 80s. The best thing about the lake was it didn’t stink! Now if only the entry hadn’t been a boulder-field!  I even saw a small tarantula participating on the run portion! My room was about 40 steps from the bike rack area! The camp allowed a late checkout, so the shower was incredible after the race!  I’d recommend races in this area simply for the environment(excepting the rocky swim egress!).

Maybe I was spoiled at my first race, the Skeese Greets Womans Sprint Triathlon; but there were a few things I thought could be improved.  Packet pickup location was revealed last minute. There were no lights at T1A or T1B, so if you do this race next year a headlamp will help you set-up your transitions, because its dark at 6AM. Bring an older pair of tennis shoes for the T1A to T1B 1/3 mile run from swim to bike racks, so you don’t have to wear wet shoes on the rest of the run after the bike segment. It would have been nice to get a professional pre-race photo.  I never really saw anyone checking bike numbers with participant numbers… I believe athletes and their support are not likely to walk off with someone else’s bike, but… My big disappointment was the finish line party… Crossing the timing mat, you received a water bottle & pretty finisher’s medal and there were bananas & snack bags of Chips Ahoy cookies. Yet massages were a $1/minute, bbq was available for purchase and that was about it. In contrast, the Skeese Greeets Tri had an after-party, loud music, New Belguim Fat Tire beer, frozen yogurt, gourmet fruit slices, hamburgers and more, along with free massages, action wipes, and assorted vendor booths were available for the athletes (& I think the supporters could purchase items) The Trek Traithlon finish was anti-climatic. 

Time to focus on improvements and select another event!  One thing about triathlon; the very best part is the amazing, inspiring, encouraging, every day individuals crossing the finish line to their own best personal victory!

Perseverance equals Finish!

Howdy y'all,


The 2010 Austin Texas Trek Womans Sprint Triathlon is complete!!!


That's the good news. I finished the course. I crossed that last timing mat. I collected my water bottle & medal. Even now that chunk of metal, strung on UT burnt orange ribbon, rests around my neck! I earned the darned thing the hard way with aching collarbone & gasping lungs.


Here's the bad news. I still panicked in the swim.... Not as bad as before, but yeah.. Hyperventilating with breast(my worst), back & dogpaddle strokes. Had to swim on back & pry inhaler out of cleavage. Somewhere around 40 minutes for the swim :-(. Ohh & cut my foot on a rock. ROCKS! Rocks everywhere. A boulder field for your bare swim feet.


After a mini T1 into run shoes, I gamely trotted up the incline 1/3 mile to T1b. Out of run shoes into bike shoes. The exits were narrow. There was a bike jam at the mount up spot. Let the hills begin! My computer, which worked yesterday on a 4 mile test run opted out for the day. Then my chain came off. Once. Then again. Then 2 more times! In between coming off it was slipping & regrabbing. I didn't know what I could do aside from continuing to put it back on. There was no water or aid on the bike portion. Between the chain & asthma rearing it's ugly self, the race turned into an exspensive training mission.


Finally back in for T2. I slugged down water. Slipped on my Bug Clinic Cap. Wedged into soaking wet run shoes for the second time. Trotted off down the hill & up the hill. Hit the inhaler probably more times than I should(it wasn't keeping up with the constricting slimy cough in my throat). Walked. Trotted. Didn't step on the crawling tarantula I passed. Walked. Gasped. Trotted. Wondered Why I thought this sounded like a good thing to do.


Hit that spot when you are suddenly pissed off. I had trained for a Race not a mobile asthma attack. Felt tears pricking my eyes. Didn't cry. That would have made me more slimy than I already was. Huffed. Coughed. Hacked. Spit slime out of my throat.


Made it to the last downhill. Transitioned to off road again. Trotting. Supressing the coughs, I trotted through the shoot, across the last mat. I think I smiled for the camera...


Forgive the misspells, this is from my phone. I'll do a pro/con on this race setup & add pics later. 4 hour drive home....


Thanks for sending out good thoughts!!!