Loop 2
As I finished loop 1, the race announcer says over the PA system, "Peter Urmston, you have 2 hours and 25 minutes to make the 9:15 cut off time." Two hours and twenty-five minutes? I know I could do that. It took me less time to finish this first loop.
So I tried running in that first mile of the second loop and it still wasn't happening, but I felt a big sigh of relief for having finished the first loop. I walked to the first aid station content knowing I was going to make the 9:15 cutoff time. I started to think it would be really cool if I finished with just one minute left, or less. I would get so much sympathy applause it would be crazy. Somewhere between mile 2 and 3 I started to panic again. If I take 2 hours and 25 minutes to finish loop two, that would only leave me 2 hours to finish the final lap.What if something went wrong and I didn't make the time? That's where I decided I really wanted to finish this thing; that I wasn't going to mess around, and I was going to figure out a way to "try that running thing everyone else was doing."
I had established a good system for cooling down. Luckily there was still a large supply of ice at the aid stations. I would wrap ice in the Cool Wrap cloth thing that Jill Urmston gave me, and put it on my neck. The rest of the ice went down the pants, and I'd drink whatever I could. I hoped this would help because I was determined to run.
First 60 steps running then 60 walking, but I would walk all the hills. Next thing I knew I was putting together 120 steps running. A few people helped along the way. There was a volunteer who seemed to be everywhere and he would say, "looking good uranium!" There was a mom and her to kids. They must have been in first and third grade. I told them a joke along the way and then the loop back. "Why are there no Ironman races in Africa? Too many lion cheetahs." The last time I passed, the little kid had a joke, "Why did the TRex cross the road? Because the chicken wasn't invented yet." There were the dudes, at the top of the loop, who started their party during the first loop. By third loop, you could hear them cheering from 1/2 a mile away. They were screaming as loud as they could, and doing the wave as runners went by. I finished the second loop 10 minutes faster than the first. As I finished the second loop I remembered that they were giving out glow sticks to people running in the dark. By this time it was dark and nobody had given me a glow stick.I felt jipped.
Loop 3
Loop 3 was dark and lonely. I was running/walking fine and my mind turned to my family. Porter who had recently told us he had found a girl and they were going to be married. Tanner who was away in Peru, who I would like to run a marathon with someday. I wished he was there pacing me like he did at the end of my first marathon. Garrett who was going to college and Talmage who would now be the lone offspring in the house. I thought about my brothers, their wives, and my parents. I would not be hurt or surprised if they weren't there at the end. They had already been there a long time. Deep in thought I had a bright shining moment when the dude drove up in his truck holding the glowstick neclace out the window. He told me to take more than one because I was the only one running out here. I passed the crazy party guys who, by this time, had trouble doing the wave without falling down, but they were even louder now. I came through the last aid station and the guys were now cooking sausages on a hot plate. All along I would randomly burst into tears. As I came to the last mile, all the spectators were gone, the cones had been picked up, and as I ran through the residential street, I heard a solo clapping. I started crying again. Then I told myself to think of something funny, and get it together. I was not going to get the sympathy cheers from everybody at the end, AND cry. I came up to the last stretch and started my last 60 steps of running. The only problem was I started my sprint too early. After 60 steps I still had about 20 more steps to finish. My legs were used to the 60 steps running then walking by now, so my calves started cramping up after 60 steps, and I limped across the finish.
The Finish
I don't know what happened to me. I came across the finish. They gave me a medal. I could see Elaine go by, and my brothers, and parents. They took off the timing chip, which took a bit because I couldn't stand up very well. When I walked over to Elaine, I gave her a hug and then the strangest thing came over me and I just started bawling. I am pretty sure I was totally exhausted, physically and emotionally, and it all just caught up with me. However, I could not believe that my parents were still there. I expected them to have gone back to the house. I was very grateful for them, and the others, for supporting me. In the end, my takeaway from this event is, 1) you can't fake being an ironman. If you don't put in the training, you shouldn't expect to succeed, and 2) I felt like running to the finish may be a little like running in to Heaven. I now believe that the "Pearly Gates" are actually a finish line tape, and all our loved ones there are cheering us in, not sympathy cheers, but total empathy. They will know what it takes to get there. I'll run to Open Arms and start bawling from exhaustion and relief.
