Monday, September 11, 2006

Yahoooooo!

I made it!!!!!

15:32~not quite what my original goal was, but it became very clear about 20 minutes into the water that today was going to be about one thing: SURVIVAL. As long as I could put one foot in front of the other, I knew I'd be OK. It was BRUTAL out there....if you would have told me that on my Ironman I'd be shivering with my teeth chattering the whole way, I would've laughed at you. But, in a classic case of "be careful what you wish for, it just might come true," we DIDN'T get heat. We got 51-55 degrees and pouring rain the entire day with nasty wind. Oh well--I made it, and I am so thankful for my amazing family and friends, as well as all the AWESOME volunteers and bloggy friends that I met along the way!

I'm at the hotel now and ready to hit the road---just wanted to say thanks for your encouragement and kind words. It means more than you could imagine.

EVERYONE out there yesterday, no matter what happened, is made of iron.

More to come fo course...you know me....I will provide a full report but it will probably take me a few days, as I gotta get back home by 10-11pm tonight and head to work tomorrow!

IronSara--out! :)

49 comments:

Rae said...

CONGRATULATIONS!! I am in total awe of you and everyone else who competed yesterday!! Way to go!

Congratulations IRONMAN!!!!!

Jonathan said...

congratulations! it doesn't get much worse than that for weather. regardless, way to fight through it.

mouse said...

woohoo! way to go, Sara! Congratulations!

Duane said...

Yes! Congratulations to an Ironman!

Kim said...

AWESOME JOB IRONMAN SARA!!!!! You rock!

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Congrats, Sara! You should be proud of yourself, especially considering the adverse conditions. You're awesome!

Battman said...

You soooooooo earned this. IronSara has a nice ring to it. Congratulations!

Battman said...

You soooooooo earned this. IronSara has a nice ring to it. Congratulations!

Jeremy said...

Huge congratulations to you on your Ironman finish.

21st Century Mom said...

The name IronSara looks good on you!

Fe-lady said...

Congratulations! I am SOOOO proud of you fellow educator! You will be flying on air the whole week...and then you will just crash next weekend! I hope your colleagues and students have a great big party for you (if they even understand what you did yesterday!) Imagine if conditions would have been pristine...but your time was awesome! What was you race# so I can see the finish/pix?

KBGee said...

Congratulations! I'm sure you must be stoked. I bet now you feel like you can tackle anything. Way to go!

jbmmommy said...

COngratulations, IronSara. I'm glad you were successful for all your amazing effort today. Sounds like it was even tougher than a "regular" Ironman as if that's possible. Looking forward to reading all about your experience. Rest up.

Jodi said...

You are my hero!

Awesome, awesome, awesome finish. Way to persevere in the worst of circumstances. Word on the street- coldest Ironman competition EVER.

Wear that T-shirt proud. You earned it!

Laurie said...

Congratulations again! You are an amazing and inspiring IronWoman! You did a great job out there yesterday. It was so much fun watching you cross the finish line and seeing a huge smile come across your face. Walk tall girl, you deserve it!

jeanne said...

YOU ARE AWESOME!!! I watched your progress yesterday (21cmom sent me) and I was cheering you on! I can't imagine doing an ironman, nevermind under those conditions. you ROCKED it! my new hero:

IRONSARA!!!

Nancy Toby said...

Once again, many congratulations, IRON SARA! Can't wait for the full report!!

Pixie said...

WAY TO GO SARA! Congratulations, I can't wait to hear the report.

:)

Donald said...

Way to go, Sara! You should be very proud of your accomplishment.

You're an Ironman. You're in very select company. You definitely earned it.

The Stretch Doc said...

Congrads Sara.. We cannot imagine the conditions that you were in but we all had heart for all of you out there!
IronSara n da house!!!
Rockon`

Flo said...

Congrats!!! Great job in such yucky conditions. Can't wait to hear all the gory details.

E-Speed said...

I can't wait to hear all about it! How did IronJohnny do?

Wes said...

IronSara! I really really like that...

Dr. Iron TriFeist :) said...

ALRIGHT!!! You made on a very tough day. Can't wait to read the full report!

Papa Louie said...

Big Congratulations on becoming an Ironman!

Trifrog said...

Way to go - riding and running in the rain during training paid off!

Hollyfish said...

Very impressive woman!! Cold and wet is NOT my idea of fun - you toughed it out and met your match. GREAT performance...and even better that you're heading right back to work!! The kid's'll be proud!!

crazy tri mama said...

Congrats IronSara!!

I've enjoyed following your journey! What an inspiration!

Afternoon Tea With Oranges said...

Many many many congrats!!! What an experience - not only did you complete the Ironman, you completed it in BRUTAL conditions - AMAZING! "IronSara" has a nice ring to it!

Bob said...

Way to go...I hope to do the same in 2008!

tryathlete said...

Congratulations Sara! Where will that tattoo go?

Seriously, it's been one hell of a TriSaraTops adventure. I'm glad I came along for the ride.

Jennifer P said...

Congratulations on fighting so hard for what you worked even harder for.

Chris said...

Sara,

Great job at the race yesterday! You made it, Iron(wo)man! :)

Sorry I missed your finish. I went to go get dry, massaged, ice bathed, and put some food in my belly and you finished somewhere during that time. But that's what you get for being so darn fast!

I was *GREAT* meeting you. It's a shame that we don't live closer and/or didn't have more time to spend together.

I look forward to reading your race report. I love reading the different perspectives of what the course handed out that day.

I hope we'll keep in touch even if we're not training for the same event. Unless, of course, you signed up for IMWI 2007???

Chris

ShesAlwaysWrite said...

You are one sneaky Ironman!!
I totally staked out your T2 bag and watched it obsessively and listed for your number. It couldn't have been more than 20 feet to my left... but somehow you slipped past and it was suddenly gone!

Then I worked the finish line from 9 - 12, and I was totally watching for any of you guys but didn't see anyone. I found out from RobbieB that you'd finished and gone right past me in the crowd.

Congratulations! It was an absolutely insane day and I am in awe of all you guys who braved the elements. Although I did get a bit cold and wet while I worked, it was nothing remotely like what you guys went through.

William Lobdell said...

IronSara. that has a nice ring to it. congratulations! you ROCK!

Cliff said...

Rest up..i agree..anyone out there in that brutal weather is iron...

christine said...

Awesome...Just...Awesome. You preservered under some incredibly harsh conditions. Sounds like one hell of a day. Can't wait for the report. IronSara you rock!!!!

Anonymous said...

great job, chicka. i'm proud.

Lance Notstrong said...

IronSara.....that has a nice ring to it :-)

Habeela said...

15 hours is super respectable! Toeing the line is super respectable! As you said, it's all Iron at this point! :) Congratulations!

Mojo said...

Congratulations, Ironwoman Sara!!

Sounds like brutally cold conditions, way to stick it out. You definitely "steeled" yourself.


You are so humble. You just go back to school the next day like you ran a sprint. I'm amazed you can walk! You are probably the coolest teacher in the school.

I'm in awe and so very impressed!

Janet Edwards said...

Woohoo Sara! You totally deserved it. Guess all the wind and rain training was a good idea!

It has been so wonderful to watch this journey of yours. Many many congratulations to you!

Chad said...

Sara,

Congrats Ironman!!! Nice seeing you out there - you looked awesome. Can't wait to read your race report.

Legs and Wings said...

IronSara! Congrats girl!!

Tri-Thomps said...

Congratulations Sara! You are an Ironman! I'm so happy you were able to make it through the day. It was more tough mentally than physically. Great Job!

Tracy said...

I am so proud of you my sister. So so proud :)

Tammy said...

OMG OMG OMG!!! Where have I been?

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xt4 said...

Congratulations Sara and well done - what a race! It was so great to finally meet you, and I was sending you happy mojo all day long. What an incredible day! Can't wait to read the rest of your report - you are an Ironman!!!!

Ellie Hamilton said...

Yay, Sara! I was looking for you in the Track an Athlete feature but didn't know your name :-( You rocked, finishing in such a great time on such a miserable day. Congratulations!