Ironman Louisville, 2011 by Dianne Morrison

Sep 5, 2011

Ironman Louisville, 2011 by Dianne Morrison

Anne Marie asked for a story so I just have to share.


After Louisville last year I realized this year that I really need to work on swimming without my wetsuit. So as soon as the canal warmed up enough, so I wouldn't squeal like Scott, I was swimming without the wetsuit. By August I was beginning to feel like a swimmer and it paid off because when I jumped into the Ohio River at 7:12 am I hit the water swimming and that I did with absolutely no problem. Other than the typical male swimmer who don't sight so hitting people is normal for them. I do admit though you could not see the feet of the person in front of you as the water is brown.

By the time the swim was over I was half hour faster than last year and got out of the water at 1:29:40.

So the only problem this half hour shorter swim, my bike was not standing alone and there were lots of people on the bike course. So instead of passing people I was getting passed by people. Lots of people but that is okay I wasn't going to let it bother me. What amazed me this year that althouh it was the same bike course as last year there were more hills and bigger hills than last year. But I was determined not to lose any of the time that I had made up so I only stopped at two aid stations (port-a-potty stops) and once at the special needs bag. That last wee bit of the bike course is really down hill and than you get to the 10km of the bike. Well let me tell you 112 miles doesn't not equal 180km. It equals 184km because I was at 180km on my bike and buddy beside me was at 110 miles. God it seemed like the longest part of the bike because by this time it hurts to sit, it hurts to stand and you just was off.

Coming into the transition again like last year I had to yell at Jim or he would have missed me and I got off the bike faster than last year by just under 7 minutes. Okay so I am not a biker but those people that passed me on the bike were about to be passed on the run! (7:31:54---actual bike moving time 7:21)

The first mile of the run heads out over a bridge to Indiana so inside my head I am singing, Indiana wants me, lord I can't go back there....Just thought you might all want to know what goes on inside of the head of a person doing an Ironman.

After a couple of miles my legs started to feel like moving and the run became a run to aid station to aid station. I was actually moving okay. Stopping for gels at every other aid station, pretzels and orange at the every other aid station and that was working until. One went into a port-a-potty came out and actually had to stop running until I stopped gagging as what I saw was disgusting. AFter that no more port-a-potties, (luckily is was hot enought I didn't need to pee) but I could no longer stomach the gels, which I had not had a lot of, so my run was fuelled by a cup of coke and two pretzels at every aid station. Hey it seemed to work, I don't understand how. But as I was getting closer to the last turn around I was starting to get antsy as I knew I was going to do it and I knew I was going to finish faster than last year. I just so wanted to be finished and as I was watching my watch approach the 14 hour mark I was wondering how Mark was doing out in BC and which of us was going to get to the finish line first. Well finally the second last aid station only 1.2 miles left. I took in my last coke and pretzels and off I went running again and by now my smile was really getting hard to control. Yes I am finishing this. As I turned the final corner there were two people in front of me and as I didn't want to ruin their finishing picture I ran by them, hoping they wouldn't not in turn run by me and I was also hoping not to trip on the the cobble stones. Well none of that happened, I finished sprinting...okay I saw the finishing video, apparently I sprint funny after 140.6 miles of racing. But I was done! Number 7 was a success! My run time was 5:02:12, 17 minutes and 27 seconds faster than last year. Overall 53 minutes faster.


So I do believe I am done with Louisville. Next year a 70.3 in Georgia and in 2013 Ironman somewhere. Florida perhaps? Anybody interested?


D