Ironman Florida - Ironman Distance - Date: November 6, 2010


Swim: 1:29:51 (2:22/100m)

T1: 0:15:04

Bike: 8:12:13-13.7mph-(22 kph)

T2: 0:10:05

Run: 6:35:04 -0:15:05 min/mile-(9 min/km)

Total: 16:42:16

I want to be an Ironman

Just one short year ago I flew to Panama City Beach, Florida to watch my first ever Ironman Triathlon. A 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. From the beautiful “Sugar White” sandy beaches to the thousands of Ironman athletes and spectators, I was filled with sheer amazement. My most vivid memory was of the neoprene clad athletes that lined the Gulf of Mexico shore for what seemed like miles… and they all piled into the ocean for the swim start of Ironman Florida 2009.

Video:  Ironman Florida Swim Start 2009 (Click Here)

I have had visions of completing an Ironman since my early days of watching the Ironman Triathlon World Championships on television.  And as I stood on the beach that day I could not imagine how I would come to endure the 140.6 mile Ironman distance. It is difficult to comprehend what the world class professionals are actually doing when you watch them swim, bike and run, but after completing my first Sprint Distance Triathlon in 1999 it became pretty obvious that those who make it into the "Ironman World Championships" are truly gifted in this sport.

After thirteen months of daily training, I now stood on the same “Sugar White” sandy beach of Panama City, but this time I was there as a competitor. While I had completed my training to prepare my mind and my body to take on the challenge of this event, no one ever knows what race day will bring.

Pre-Race Preparation

Special Needs Bags

 The race actually begins on Friday. That is when the athletes check in their bike and surrender the gear needed to transition from “Swim to Bike” and “Bike to Run”. This was the first time I had to part with my cycling and running equipment the day before a race, so I felt awkward returning to my hotel room empty handed. The morning of the race athletes had to turn in their “Special Needs” bags. These bags contained the nutrition I would need that was not served on the race course. The nutrition would be available at the half way mark of both the bike and the run. With everything in place, there was nothing left to do but wait.

Race Morning

Race morning the air temperature was a freezing 38F/3C, so I put on my wetsuit to provide warmth while I waited for the swim to start.  

The sand felt icy cold beneath my feet, so I walked through the “Swim Start” arch to the shore line where the water was a welcoming temperature of 73F/23C. It felt like bathwater relatively speaking.

This was my first triathlon "Ocean swim". I was grateful to practice swimming in the ocean just two days prior.  Both attempts felt like a bit of a disaster. My first challenge was with the extremely salty water! I never realized how much water I let into my mouth while I swim!  Needless to say, I figured out pretty quickly how to keep the water from accidentally trickling down my throat. My lips and tongue felt numb from the intense concentration of salt after mere minutes in the water.  I made a note to apply lip balm before facing my swim on race day.

2010 Ironman Florida Race Sunrise

Overcoming the salt water was nothing compared to my first reaction to sighting a sting ray and a jelly fish! I alarmed the nearby swimmers with my intermittent screaming and splashing fits! I am more accustomed to swimming with fish like trout, so these new “Foreign Creatures” were quite disturbing to say the least.

My second attempt at facing the ocean was a little better, but this time I had an argument with the breakers. The winds were high and the waves were crashing against my body, repeatedly pushing me back to shore. I tried to muster the strength to get past them and eventually gave up. As I stood there completely perplexed and exhausted, it was explained that I need only swim under them. After a few tries I was finally successful at synchronizing the timing of my dive with the current of the wave.  This allowed me to get through the initial breakers and I was now able to head out to sea.

I allowed myself to bob up and down with the current. The movement felt so new to me. I noticed that I had traveled down shore quite a bit from my original entry point. I used this experience when positioning myself for my race Swim Start. I wanted to avoid fighting the current before making the left hand turn at the first buoy.

The Swim - 2.4 Miles: 1:29:51 (2:22/100m)

2010 Ironman Florida Swim Course



The swim course consisted of two counter clock-wise loops that required the swimmer to exit the water, run across the shore, and re-enter the water to start the second loop. While I would have preferred to remain in the water for the entire swim, it was actually nice to touch dry land in between battling the Gulf of Mexico.

So the time had come, and the athletes were lined up. I decided to position myself in the “Front/Middle”. I remembered watching athletes hesitate to enter the water, so I opted to get out in front and put the burden of other swimmers to swim around me rather than try to pass those that were slower than myself.

My decision worked in my favor!  The breakers that were present during the prior days had calmed down, so the ocean was quiet and the water was relatively calm. When the clock stuck seven, the race began!  



2010 Ironman Florida Swim Start

While the ocean was filling quickly with Ironman competitors, I was beyond the tiny breakers and headed for the first buoy. My greatest fear was losing my goggles, or getting kicked or punched in the face. My face, however, managed to stay safely protected. -- I did get pushed under the water a few times by a several aggressive swimmers, but I used my “Defensive Breast Stroke Kick” to ward off those who tried to swim over me. I did my best to avoid swimming on top of anyone, although, there were times when my hand landed on someone elses back. Having someone swim over you is quite scary as it feels like being purposefully held under water trying to surface through a ceiling of flailing arms and legs. When I did get pushed under I tried to remember that it was not intentional and simply a factor of the number of swimmers congested in one area. I managed to remain calm and continue on with my swim.



Ironman Florida Swim 2010



My first loop I saw several jelly fish. I had become accustomed to seeing them and was not as deathly afraid of them as I was the first time. I did pass one and I noticed my back start to burn. I thought to myself, “HEY!!! Did you just sting me!???” I put the thought out of my mind for the moment as I still had over a thousand swimmers behind me as well as the rest of my Ironman day to contend with.




My second loop I made the mistake of entering the water in line with the buoys instead of starting "wide" and to the right.  The current pushed me toward the inside of these markers and I had to swim against the current to maintain a straight line.  This time, on the way out, I saw a sting ray. I was still horizontal in the water and not planning to stand up, so I did not worry too much about it. After I had made the turns and was heading back to shore, I found myself battling the current that caused me to drift pretty far down stream.  I swam hand over hand heading back toward the “Swim Exit”. In my final efforts to finish, I noticed a crab scurrying across the ocean floor! Needless to say I was grateful that my swim was ending and that I could say good bye to those "Lovely Sea Creatures!"



Swim to Bike Transition (T1): 0:15:04



Carla exits 2.4 Mile Swim

I ran out of the swim and up to the “Wetsuit Peelers”. “Peelers” are often referred to as “Strippers”. They are volunteers that help you remove your wetsuit! I had unzipped my suit and wiggled it down below my waist! I ran up to a volunteer and he yelled, “DOWN!” So I dropped to the ground, legs in the air and off came my wetsuit!  Usually it takes some time to step out of the tightly fitting neoprene.  This was I was done in a matter of seconds when it would have taken close to a minute for me to remove it myself. 

The volunteer gave me a hand up and before I knew it, I was headed to the fresh water showers!  I spent some time under the dangling "Fresh Water" hoses that were suspended from above.  I wanted to get as much sand off as possible so I took some time here.  I then ran up toward the hotel to retrieve my “Swim to Bike” Bag that was numerically positioned the day before. Once I retrieved my "Blue Bag" I ran toward the “Change Area” which was inside the hotel ballroom. One area was designated for the women, and the other area was designated for the men. The rooms where lined with chairs to receive the stream of women that were quickly exiting the water.



Swim to Bike Bags (Blue Bag)



When I arrived there were no chairs, just sheer pandemonium and chaos. Had I understood the logistics I would have ran toward the exit door instead of taking a spot on the floor right by the entrance. I struggled to put on a shirt, arm warmers, compression socks and cycling shoes. I did this while being stepped over and flashed by the women doing full wardrobe changes. It was mass confusion at best. I was particularly thrown off when a volunteer took my bag from me. In all of my triathlons in the past I was accustomed to just leaving my wetsuit and swim gear in my designated transition area. This had more of a “Point to Point” racing feel where my swim gear was deposited in a bag and turned over to be transported to a safe place for pickup at race end.

Finally dressed I scurried around the hectic room trying to figure out where to go next. My helmet was on and my cycling glasses were fogging from the heat generated by my face. Eventually I was directed to the transition exit and then headed out into the parking lot to find my bike.

My bike was racked clear across the parking lot, so I trotted carefully in my cycling shoes toward my bike. I raced with Keo Look Cleats which actually have a non-skid rubber surface on the bottom which provided well appreciated traction.

Bike in hand I headed for the Bike Start area which, of course, was back across the parking lot. I tip-toed carefully… guiding my bike past other competitors who were searching for their bikes. I wish all of this running would count toward the 26.2 mile marathon that follows the bike. – FINALLY at the Bike start I had crossed the mount line and was able to clip in. I was ready to settle in for the longest leg of the triathlon, the 112 mile bike. Here we go!

The Bike - 112 Miles:  8:12:13-13.7mph-(22 kph)

One of the more attractive aspects of the Florida Ironman is  the single bike loop.  Many Ironman races have bike courses that are two and sometimes three loops.  While there were a few sections of this bike course that were "out and back", the basic path was a single loop.  This style of Bike Course is not spectator friendly as the athletes can "disappear" for five or more hours.  The single loop bike courses are, however, very appealing to the Ironman athlete. 

The other aspect of the course that was initially appealing is the course was said to be "Dead Flat".  In my opinion, flat is a relative term.  While the total elevation gain was within a few hundred feet, I found the terrain of the bike course to resemble a series of "Soft Roller" rather than a "Dead Flat".  I definitely noticed every single 1% - 2% rise and fall of the roadways as we traveled away from the beach front and headed into the back country roads of Panama City Beach, Florida.

The roads were lined with beautiful green trees which reminded me of the many training rides I did in Boulder, Colorado.  I enjoyed the feel of the countryside as I embraced my long day in the saddle.

The first 20 miles I was still wet from the swim as I faced the high winds from the North. The sun had yet to come out and the air temperatures were less than ideal while riding in the shadows of the buildings and trees.


After turning onto Highway 20 the sun started to shine. I felt myself begin to dry off and my body reach a temperature I thought would be more tollerable for the remainder of the ride.

Around mile 50 there was an "Out and Back" section of road that I immediately named "Crotch Break Hill" The cracks in the road had a "Rumble Strip" effect that was not "Saddle Area Friendly!" I decided to stand on my pedals for as long as I could, sitting only when tired.  My only distraction was knowing that the "Special Needs" area was near. This would also be the first time during the bike that I allowed myself to come to a complete stop.

I restalked my nutrition bottle and was on my way. Looking forward to the right hand turn that would mark the end of the "rumble strips"!

I enjoyed the next stretch of road along Hwy 20. Even though there were rolling hills I managed to push a good pace through that section. I relaxed into this single loop bike knowing that when all was said and done I would not have to loop back out on the same course before completing the 112 mile bike.

The next aids station was the "Super Hero Station"! Everyone was dressed in superhero costumes. The bottle drop area was a "Spiderman" Web that was rigged to deposit the bottles in the bed of a pickup truck! Quite creative and delightful! I had deposited all of my bottles before the end of this drop zone so I did not get a chance to interact with this creation directly.

The wind played a big role in the day as well.  The 19 MPH/30KPH wind gusts felt like pedaling against an invisible "Brick Wall"! I remember rising out of my saddle on one of the "descents".  Initially I was hoping that I could traverse the terrain of the bike course with a bit more speed than I had on the day, but that thought came to an abrupt end as I rode into the wind. 

In spite of my cadence and speed concerns, I was able to successfully execute my  hydration and nutrition plan.  The aids stations were spaced approximately ten miles apart.  My plan was to drink a full bottle of "Ironman Perform" electrolyte replenisher by the time I reached each aid station.  To help myself stay focused, I decided to play a little "Drinking Game".  This is far from anything that was done on a college campus, however, it served as a wonderful way to make sure that my bottle was empty and ready for refill at the ten mile intervals.

The game was simple.  I had ten miles to drink the 24oz/710ml bottle.  So at mile five, I had to be half way through, otherwise, "DRINK!"  There were roughly eleven aids stations so that meant eleven bottles before the end of the bike course.  While it was challenging to keep drinking on such a cold and windy day, I knew that hydration and nutrition would be the key to a successful run leg. 

First Challenge of the Day

Around mile marker one-hundred my legs cramped up.  Not the calf or the quads, but something around the inner thigh area just decided that I should stop!  I could feel it "twinging" several miles prior but as I stood to climb up the highway entrance ramp I had to struggle to unclip before both legs completely locked up.  This had happened once before on a training ride, so I did not panic.  I simply walked a few steps with my bike until my legs were able to relax.  I clipped back in and continued my ride.  I walked less than a quarter mile/400 meters.  While I felt the twinge every time I tried to go hard I opted to adjust my power and continue.  I was less than twelve miles from the bike finish so I was almost home.

I wanted to make sure that I was fully fueled for the run, so I forced down the rest of my nutrition and drank the remainder of my hydration.  I have heard the bike leg of an Ironman referred to as the "Buffet" because you are constantly "Eating and Drinking", but as you can imagine, eating or drinking was the furthest thing from my mind.  Lucky for me I have had several experiences during training where I neglected to eat and drink properly, so I knew what the consequences were.  This helped me override my desire to bypass my plan and helped me get down the last bit of my nutrition.

Bike to Run Transition (T2): 0:10:05

Bike to Run Bags (Red Bag)

One-hundred twelve miles done!  No mechanical problems! No physical injuries!  I dismounted gracefully and handed my bike to one of the volunteers.  I was headed now to retrieve my "Red Bag" which contained my running shoes, visor and head lamp. 

While there was a tiny trickle of people filing in behind me, the transition area was a total contrast from earlier this morning.  This time I had plenty of chairs to choose from once inside the changing area.  So I sat near the exit door and made my first attempt to put on my running shoes.

Second Challenge of the Day

CRAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Both legs started to spasm just as they had on the bike!!!!  I stood up and walked around wincing.  I tried to sit again and CRAMP!!!!!!!!!!!   I was not sure what to do!  The volunteers were equally as puzzled as they watched my flailing antics as I tried to deal with "What- ever- was- gripping- inside- my- legs".

Carla heads out on 26.2 mile run



"Must get shoes on! Must hurry!" That was all I could think about... I finally managed to sit "straight legged" and flip the shoe over my toes... I hopped to my feet immediately as the cramping had started again.  I finally got my foot seated properly in my shoe and I tried to stand still long enough for the volunteer to tie it for me.  One shoe down, one to go. 

My visor was on and my head light perched on top.  I took a few minutes to put my race belt around my waist.  My legs had calmed down a bit but were still "twinging".

I flipped the other shoe over my toes and tied that one myself.  The shoes were so soft inside.  The cushion felt amazing.  I was ready to go... so I headed toward the "Run Start" to face the final 26.2 miles that were ahead.

The Run- 26.2 Miles: 6:35:04 -0:15:05 min/mile-(9 min/km)

Now the run course would be two Half Marathon loops.  The course takes the athlete down the main street, Thomas Drive, through what seemed like a residential area and once around a loop in the State Park then back again for round two.

Ironman Florida 2010 Run Course

Loop 1:  My game plan was to execute a 5/1 Run/Walk Interval.  I knew I could run for three hours after a hard bike, so instead of thinking about facing an entire marathon, I focused on the next three hours. 

My time on the run was not idle.  I had to keep up with my hydration and nutrition needs just as I did on the bike. So every few intervals I sipped from my nutrition and drank from each aids station being mindful to stay hydrated and well fueled. 

My cramping had subsided and I was happy.  My Garmin Wrist GPS was set to notify me when my five minute run effort was up so that I could transition into a brisk walk.  I knew that three hours would be thirty intervals so I counted down to myself focusing on moving as fast as I could during the run interval and keeping an urgency during the walk intervals. 

Ironman Florida State Park Loop

The first lap of the run was so energy packed and exciting.  Each water station had a theme and many of the volunteers were dressed in costumes to compliment their station.  There was music!  There was dancing!  The outfits were outrageous and very motivating to me as an athlete!  I really got a sense that the people were really into supporting the racers as well as having a good time themselves... and before I knew it, my first lap was up.

Third Challenge of the Day

There is a seventeen hour time limit to complete the Florida Ironman and as I hit the half way point of the Marathon I realized that my current pacing would not get me to the finish line on time.  I had to somehow find a way to go faster or at a minimum maintain my current pace. 

So I had to defer to "Plan B" which I made up on the fly.  I would forgo my one minute walk effort and run as hard as I could for as long as I could and only stop at the aids stations. 

Loop 2:  Off I went on my "serge"... my legs were not cramping so life was good.  "I want to be an Ironman!" I kept telling myself... "You have to dig deep!" ...  "Go NOW!"  

Becoming an Ironman was my dream... my fantasy... and it was so very close... so close that I did not want it to slip through my hands!  So with all my might I ran forward... I was now running toward my dream... I let the dream pull me... carry me... give me the strength to keep moving!  I melted into the distance... moving as  fast as I could... I did not worry about what I would have left for the next mile instead, I focused on the "Here and Now!"

I was not sure if my pace would slow as the miles went on... if my legs would cramp like the many I saw stretching on the side of the road.   I tried not to burden my mind by thinking about my past performance in stand alone marathons... the only thing I knew in that moment was that I could still move...and in that moment, that is what I did!

Mile after mile I gave everything to hold my pace... I tried not to think about "blowing up", reaching that point when the body stops in spite of ones will to keep moving.  I decided to focus on swinging my arms and trusting that my legs would somehow match the pace.  I slowed only briefly to sip the warm chicken broth that was served at each aid station after night fall... the air was cool, but I was not cold... it was dark, but light enough for me to see... I kept up with my hydration and nutrition as this was *NOT* the time to let that part of my race plan fall behind! 

I remember every single inch of that final loop... every single foot strike... every single exertion to move myself forward.  I saw so many people walking in pairs... I even had a few invitations to join them.  "We'll make it if we just keep moving," they said.  I knew ,based on my watch, the exact mile splits that I had to maintain to reach the finish line "On Time"... I smiled in acknowledgement of their offer and declined in silence as I shuffled onward with all of my remaining might.  Time was of the essence!

Ironman Florida Finishers Shoot 2010

The Final Mile:  Slowly but surely the miles simply fell away as if they had never existed... and I could now hear the announcers voice in the distance.  I was beginning to see the brightness of the lights that lined the finishers shoot.  While it was so close, it seemed so far... each step requiring every bit of energy I had to give.  My body was moving on auto-pilot.  I think it would have continued on even if I had tried to stop.  My mouth dry as the last few aids stations did not have water.  But I could see it now... and I still had time to get to the line... it was going to happen, I was going to be an "Ironman!"

I hit the edge of the finishers shoot!  The crowd was going wild!!  Both sides of the stands were doing the wave, screaming and cheering!!! The weight of my own body seemed to disappear... I was now energized and light footed as I headed down that last stretch of track.

I felt the smile of extreme accomplishment and personal success sneak across my face!!!  My arms were opened wide as I "airplaned" my way through the finishers shoot.  I ran from one side of the stands to the other to touch the hands of my "many fans"!  The lights were blindingly bright and in spite of the noise level, all of a sudden, it seemed quiet... I felt like I was moving in slow motion... suspended in time... floating on air... gliding across the finish line! 

"Carla Thompson, You are an Ironman!" 



Carla Thompson Ironman Florida 2010

My arms were high above my head in triumph!  My time was sixteen hours, forty-two minutes and sixteen seconds!!!  I did it!  All of the early mornings and late evenings of training had paid off... every sacrifice I made seemed to be returned to me in that moment.  I was so happy!  So incredibly filled with pride!  It was an amazing experience... a journey I can not wait to embark upon again!

Video:  Ironman Florida 2010 Finish (Click Play)