I am an Ironman!

I am a bit tardy on this post but I have been debating on whether I wanted to write about my race or not-but I am an Ironman so here it goes:

November 18, 2012-7 a.m.

Cannon goes off!  We are swimming our hearts out in Tempe Town Lake.  The water is 64 degrees, I am equipped with booties, a neoprene cap, and a full sleeved wetsuit because my 100 pound body doesn't keep me that warm. 



I proceed to get the living crap kicked out of me by everyone!  It is hard being small and even harder when you're in a hand to hand combat situation.  All I could think of was "Do NOT drown-ouch he hit me-why is this guy PULLING me backward by the legs?!"  I had an awful swim which was purely survival.  My feet were numb and my hands were also. 

Swim-1:25:53

Transition 1-My volunteer was amazing!  I was so cold I couldn't feel a thing so she dressed me.  She put on my arm warmers (which took forever on cold, wet skin) and helped me get dressed.  I was FREEZING and starving!

T1-8:59



That would be Betsy and I-food hanging out of my mouth because I dropped it along with my bouncing CO2 cartridges, which luckily I never had to use.  The bike ride was three loops of a false flat for about the first half of the loop, a little climb and then downhill!  It got HOT during that ride and Arizona is dry-hence the desert-and we were feeling it. 

My main complaints were men drafting off of me and I narrowly avoided a huge bike accident on the first loop.  I eventually took off my arm warmers which later became entangled in my frame around my back wheel.  No big deal though!  I felt decent on the bike and excited to have so many others to bike with unlike training rides :)

Bike-6:04:17 18.45mi/h



T2-4:55

After I got off my bike I felt a little wobbly.  I thought "Oh shit I have to run a marathon?"  Nothing tasted good at this point.  Luckily, I had eaten plenty on the bike and it digested to an extent but the thought of eating anything during that run?  NO!

I started out at 8min pace-TOO fast for an Ironman!  My friend Erin told me "Whatever pace you hold between mile 3 and 4, try to hold that steady and even."  My body wanted to run 9:15 pace so I said LETS DO IT!

I actually felt great during the run.  The run of an Ironman is truly a mental challenge.  Whoever succumbs to the "walking demons" will falter.  I was in pain, I had thoughts of just making it to mile 13.1 but then I saw people walking.  For some strange and sadistic reason, I fed off of the walkers.  If anyone knows me, I am THE most stubborn person ever-and that stubbornness helped me through this run.  The only time I stopped was to get my special needs bag at 13.1 to change from my racing flats to my more cushioned Brooks Defyance.

At mile 18 my brother popped up from behind a cactus!  He said "Shelby you are going to break 12 hours don't you WALK!"  I couldn't BELIEVE it!  I was hoping for a 13 hour finish at best-sub 12?  I HAD to keep running!  So I did.  I ran my last loop of the three loop course as as victory lap.  My body hadn't shut down, I hadn't puked, I wasn't cramping.  I was going to be an IRONMAN-and a sub 12 hour one at that!



I have honestly never been HAPPIER in my life.  I had to slow down the last mile to 10:30 pace because I was really close to puking at the finish line.  The minute I heard the people cheer, my eyes filled with tears but as I heard "Shelby Norment you ARE an Ironman" I was ELATED and BEYOND EXCITED!

Run-4:09:23 9:31/mi



TOTAL-11:53:27



Remember Colin?  Try 9:42-now that's moving!  He missed Kona by about 3 minutes :(  He WILL try again!

I have heard people say it wasn't a life changing experience, for me, it was.  I had SO many people tracking me-classmates, clients, old friends, facebook acquaintances, family members, and so forth.  I had people message me, text me, and facebook me telling me they tracked me ALL day and that watching me cross that finish line made them cry.

I had no idea that all of the hard work I put in leading up to the race would have such a POSITIVE impact on my friends and family.  THAT in itself was worth it!  Every morning I got up and had to bike for 6 or 8 hours in the rain and freezing weather, I thought of everyone looking to me for motivation.  Every time I jumped into a freezing lake at 6 a.m. before the sun was up, I thought of my supporters.  Every time I spent three hours in the morning pounding the pavement mile after mile after mile, I thought of what I was doing-I was doing something great. 

I couldn't have done it without my friends, family, Colin, and the community supporting me.  I seriously had a a community behind me-borrowed bike box, borrowed wetsuit, massage therapy, food cooked for me, and even a mock triathlon 8 weeks out from the Ironman.

THANK YOU does not even begin to cut it!



Will I do another Ironman?  Probably not.  I may get an itch to see how much faster I can go in maybe five or ten years but I put 110% into that race and the training.  I spent on average 17-20 hours a week busting my ass through grueling workouts, working two jobs, finishing my second bachelor's and commuting two  hours a day.  I was up at 4 a.m. working out for hours before even starting 12 and 15 hour days.  It was beyond exhausting!

Not to mention, the toll it has taken on my body!  It is December 4th and I am still unable to complete a good workout yet.  Ironman is tough-the weak will not survive!  I LOVED the experience but I accomplished what I set out to do-I AM an Ironman!

Superbowl 5k Race Recap

Yesterday I participated in the Superbowl 5k in Novi.  I really hate 5k's (because they hurt a lot) but I wanted to do it to see if I have improved at all with my running since the Kayla O'Mara Memorial Race in August.



The shirts were a really cool design (just white tech shirts instead of black, design as seen above) and we got a sweet Mizuno cap as age group awards.  All finishers received  a pint glass and the post race junk food was right up my alley-hot dogs, meatballs, brownies and cookies. 

The course was slightly challenging, it had a few small hills that kind of made you work extra hard to keep up your pace while going up.  The last mile proved to be kind of challenging because the hill went up for a long time and very gradually.  It was the kind of hill that makes your legs burn, your pace drop and you can't really figure out why!



The course was also an out and back which I happen to like. 

I couldn't really ask for more regarding my race.  Last week I ran more miles than I ever have and ended the week with a 5k.  My legs were pretty tired the Friday before the race so I knew it would not be a spectacular race, yet I managed to squeak out a PR (my PR is not very impressive to begin with haha!) and see a lot of good friends.

Erin won the race with an 18:33.  I think the winning male won with a 15:55 or something crazy like that. 

Overall a good race located right off of the highway which made for a fast and easy drive!  It was a big 5k, with nearly 2,000 participants.  Congrats 5kers!

I'm Back!

After a long break (due to life, school, work and being super busy) I am back.

It was not really my choice to start blogging again, however, I have a class called Writing for the World Wide Web and we are required to use four types of social media that we do not currently participate in.  Blogger came to mind!

Lots of things have been happening since I lasted posted.  First of all, my Christmas present for 2012:





Yep, registration for IMAZ...I guess I will be an Ironman one way or another at the end of this year!!!  I really cannot imagine training this much, going to school full time and working full time in the near future but IM is not for wimps, right?

I have been eating a lot:

Almost busted my left knee cap in half falling on ice for the first time ever in my life this past month:

And I have been running more.

I went to NYC for my 24th (GULP) birthday:

Hope everyone is healthy, happy and training lot!!!

It's Been a WHILE!

I am alive and busy.  Finals week has creeped up and I have been working a lot and trying to combat illness, junk food cravings and an achy body so I can run. 

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to my friend ERIN!  She qualified for the Olympic Trials yesterday with a freaking blazing marathon of 2:43:55.  Phew!  Off to Houston she goes, she deserves this so much and works harder at her sport than anyone I know.



Definitely stole this off her facebook, I'm sure she won't get me for copyright infringement

In other news, I registered for the Bayshore Marathon.  Oh the drama of registering for this popular race!  The server could not handle so many online registrations at once so it crashed and had to be repaired in the midst of registration.  Luckily, I mailed my registration in good old hard copy format postmarked the same day and I got in, phewwww! 



I posted a miscellaneous story but Leah pointed out it was fabricated, darn it, and thank you Leah!  Since I have nothing else to report, check out an amazing speech made by an amazing young man in support of gay marriage.  He is only 19!!!  It is awesome!

Have a good Monday!

At What Point?

At what point should you consider yourself a runner?
I think this answer varies with everyone, as does how to interpret a book and so forth.

I am a very black or white person so the grey area is hard for me to imagine.
When do you consider yourself a runner? 

For me, this answer is simple.  I am NOT a runner.  I ran track in highschool, I was a 400 meter girl.  I still never felt like a "runner." 




 I have a time goal in mind (as we all do) but I don't think I'll ever achieve that.  If I ever do, maybe I will call myself a runner.  Are you a runner if you only run marathons?  If you just love to run?  If you can run sub 6 minute miles?  If you run over 100 miles/week?  When are you a runner?

Since I cannot answer any of these questions, my answer remains the same, I am not a runner.

What do you guys think?

For some reason, I have always considered myself a cyclist.  Let me elaborate here, I am NOT the fastest cyclist in the world.  I will say that most of my victories in triathlon do come from the bike portion but I am not the fastest. 

I think that I just love biking and I love my bike.  I never even thought twice about calling myself a cyclist or when I should start?  I know that road cyclists may disagree, but I still consider cycling my love and passion. 

Maybe that is what happens when you love to run?  You just call yourself a runner? 

Ahh, the mysteries of life!





Beer Binges, Woops

This upcoming Saturday marks exactly two weeks after my marathon.  It also marks exactly one week from the time that I really pulled the $hit out of my right calf, hamstring and glute *sighhh.



I was feeling so motivated and I biked on Saturday, ran 4 miles on Sunday (along with biking again) and then decided it was necessary that I do some light handstands/flips. 

I'm not sure why I do this, EVERY TIME I get inured!  I am too old to flip anymore on hard surfaces.  I feel like it is an acquired skill that I never want to take for granted though.  I mean it's a cool party trick!



The sad part is, I was feeling particularly motivated to run a few days after my marathon.  That is the addiction of endurance sports, right?  "I could have gone faster."  "I can do so much better."  "That wasn't good enough."  Crap!

I braved the pool, the weight room and even the local brewery.  I decided that since my leg muscle was out of commission, my esophagus was not. 



And I may have ended up doing a little of this...



Or a lot...

Okay so no AA meetings soon for me.  I woke up this morning feeling miraculously better and I think I'll attempt a little 2-3 mile run realll slow. 

Pull it together Shelby!  I am trying!

What is your post race guilt?

Have you ever re injured yourself right after a race and been down for the count for a while?

Betsy Butt and Burning Body

Betsy and I had a GLORIOUS reunion!  I set her up on her trainer right in front of the big screen in the living room and we rode an amazing 30 minutes yesterday and today.  I said to Betsy, "We have to get fast so we can do well at Arizona."  Betsy silently agreed.  Betsy is like my trusty horse who will never leave my side.



She said she is excited to be decked out in her racing gear and she wants me to stop neglecting her for my running shoes. 



She did tell me that she is excited to be out of bike room and that she likes to see daylight every once in a while.



Betsy I have MISSED you! 

Okay, enough on Betsy.  Today marks exactly the 8th day since the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.  It also marks my first run since the race.  I honestly thought that my legs would be okay.  My legs were not okay.  My lungs were not okay.  My stomach was doing flips.


But, I did it and after my week long binge of simple sugar, alcohol and sitting around, it felt SO good to work up a sweat.

On a random note, Erin and I have decided to do a Christmas bake-a-thon.  We will include the following recipe:

If you are interested in checking out the website that we got this bad boy recipe from, check it out!

Oh and do not forget to check out the recipe itself!

Our list of foods will include several other things.  We have not really narrowed it down, as we are game for anything that is probably highly caloric and highly simple sugar.

Any suggestions?  Let us know =)

What did you guys do this weekend?
Solved people's pain through exercise, drank wine and stayed up too late

What is your FAVORITE holiday dessert?
Oooh since dessert is my main food group...I'd have to say...fancy popcorn