Watching train

This is from a few months ago, but is one of my favorite photos. He loves watching the trains.

Baby kisses

Des loves giving kisses! And I love every time he does it. I know one day he will be embarrassed when his mom asks for a kiss, but today is not that day

Too cool for me

I love this photo of little Des. He just gets cuter and cuter every day.

Desmond January Update

Desmond came back from Walt Disney World with the flu. Besides that, he was a perfect angel in Florida. Skyler and I caught the bug a few days later and luckily it only stayed for 24 hours. 

Desmond was back to his self in no time. He continues to crack me up all day. Lately, his favorite thing is pushing buttons. He has to turn the lights on and off whenever we leave or enter a room. He has to turn on his fan every time I lay him down for a nap. He has to push the thermostat every time I put him in his stroller (which is right under it).

Desmond has been almost-walking for over two months. He just prefers not to do it. Don't know why. BUT that doesn't mean he isn't into everything! He just recently started climbing. Turn your head for a second and he's sitting on the window sill. 

Desmond loves food. He eats mostly everything, but still doesn't want anything to do with eggs, chicken, or rice. He still enjoys vegetables, which was my main goal of feeding him exclusively veggies when he first started eating. He loves cottage cheese and string cheese.

First Time for Everything

I never buy race photos. It's almost robbery to charge $30 for ONE photo. But it's usually not a hard decision to make because my photos are pretty awful. I mean, I'm pushing hard, my mouth is open, GU stuck to my face, probably eyes closed...it's not a pretty picture (literally). 

But for Ironman, I just couldn't not do it. I thought about it for over two months and finally pulled the trigger. It wasn't hard to decide which photo to buy because all were horrible, except for my finish line photo. It can't get much better than that!

Race Report: Tinker Bell 1/2 Marathon

Last year was the first year of the Tinker Bell 1/2 Marathon at Disneyland. I didn't do it. Why? Because I had just had a baby and I didn't think I would be ready in two months. I regretted it since I jumped back from pregnancy pretty quick.

There was no way I was going to miss it this year. I have done the Disneyland 1/2 several times and have loved it, so I knew this RunDisney race would be the same.

So the "fun" part of this race was when I got the 24-hour flu just days before. It's been a long time since I've had the flu and it completely drained me. My whole body was weak from all the vomit convulsions. I could barely lift my baby, yet I had a long weekend of working and racing. All my training for nothing! I was so mad! Luckily it was gone as quickly as it came, but my body certainly wasn't recovered to race at full potential.

Team Sparkle had a booth at the expo, so I got to be a princess for the weekend. (P.S. Our Princess Headsweats visors were a hit!) It's never ideal to spend 10 hours on your feet two days in a row before a race , but sometimes that's what you gotta do to support your running habit.

Since this was the Tinker Bell race we dressed as Peter Pan characters. Carrie - tick tock crocodile, me - Captain Hook, and Kelly - Mr. Smee. This photo doesn't do our outfits justice because you can't see our skirts!

We were in Corral A, so I actually got to start the race on the front of the start line. Kinda surreal, especially when standing next to some elite runners. A friend from high school and I ran together for the first four miles. We both had the lofty goal of 1:40, but really I was just looking for a PR (under 1:43:00).

The course wove through both parks and really took you for a ride. It's never ideal to have a course with so many turns. You lose your momentum every time you have to make a 90-180 degree turn. We still kept up our pace and I still had hopes of a fast race.

Around mile 7 you left the parks and ran around the streets of Anaheim. My friend had dropped back at mile 4 so I was running alone. And it sure was lonely. Dark and lonely. No one was around me. I guess that's what happens in a mostly-women's race. Once we headed back toward the park I started calculating what I had to do to get a PR. It was still possible, but I had to keep my current speed. No slowing down and certainly no stopping. That's the part that scares me...no room for small errors.

I felt relatively ok during the race. I took my gels earlier than planned, which meant I was a little undernourished and pushing hard. I kept trying to speed up my legs, but I always seem to hold back, scared I will run out of juice, I was surprised I wasn't going faster, but then again, I was surprised I was going as fast as I was too.

The last mile came and I knew I had to hold my fast pace. Then came the hill. It was a tunnel that went under the park. We had already run it earlier, but here it was again...at the end of the race. SO MEAN. I met the course designer later and gave her a piece of my mind. I was flying when I came up and booked it to the end. 

Done. I did it. Another PR. 1:42:09. I wish I could have shaved off those last 9 seconds, but really I gave it my all. I had sprinted to the finishline and almost fell over at the end. (I knew I had really pushed myself when I tried to run three days later and my legs were still toast!)

Mile 1 7:47

Mile 2 7:49

Mile 3 7:43

Mile 4 8:04

Mile 5 7:57

Mile 6 7:53

Mile 7 7:49

Mile 8 7:54

Mile 9 7:55

Mile 10 7:43

Mile 11 7:36

Mile 12 7:45

Mile 13 7:25

Mile 0.13 0:53

1:42:09

7:47 pace

12th in division

64th woman out of 10,553

I haven't beaten that elusive 1:40, but I still have plenty of time. I'm running the Princess 1/2 Marathon in Florida next month. Same circumstances of working two days before the race, but this time I'm not getting the flu. Maybe Florida will be my lucky state.

December Fun

It's been a busy few months for us. December came and went way too fast. I kept waiting for it to feel like Christmas and before I knew it, it was gone. We had a fun month of being a happy family. These photos are random and out of order, but enjoy anyway.

Christmas light spectating

Hanging with Grandpa

A non-crying visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus

At my parent's association Christmas party

I ran the Las Vegas Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon dressed as a runaway bride

Sad face

Christmas Eve at the Salas house

Watching the Christmas train in front of our house

Eating a chocolate chip cookie on Christmas Day at Dave and Kristine's house

Desi's first sled ride with Sky

Family run

Christmas Eve

One of my favorite photos ever

Three generations of Wallace boys

Christmastime at Disneyland. Mom and Des date.

Dinner at Los Cabos with Uncle Eric (who didn't make it in the photo)

Still Love this Guy

12/27/12 marked nine years since Skyler and I met. Yes, we met at a wedding where Skyler was a groomsman. And quite a handsome one I might add. Can't believe we've known each other almost 1/3 of our lives. Life has gotten better every day since then. 

BFF

I came across this photo today (it's from 2008 or 2009 I think) and was reminded about how much I love Jill. From our "first date" almost seven years, I knew I had found the one. We've been on lots of trips together, quilted together, eaten way too sweets together, been pregnant together, and I have yet to get sick of her. Isn't that the sign of a true friend?! It's not her birthday or anything special, I just wanted to say how grateful I am for her.

December 23

This date is one that I'll always remember. 13 years ago my friend Scott Dougall was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He originally wanted to be baptized on Christmas Day but then realized it might conflict with others schedules. So instead he picked December 23, which is Joseph Smith's birthday.

I remember playing the piano during his baptism. I remember watching Jesse Anderson, his best friend, baptize him. I remember Scott being so excited that day.

Scott and I met in high school. After graduation we both attended CSUF, as did Jesse. Jesse soon left on a mission to Taiwan and Scott and I hung out together a lot. He played pool at the institute across the street from school. We went to lunch together. We went to young single adult dances together, driving in his silver Camaro. He even took several classes together at school. Scott also said we should get married. He was such a fun guy, although we never dated.

He eventually transferred to a different school and I met Skyler. We still saw each other, since we had mutual friends, but it wasn't nearly as much.

About a year after Skyler and I got married, I got a phone call telling me of Scott's death. He was hit by a truck on his motorcycle. I was stunned. We were too young for this kind of thing to happen.

Scott's funeral was the first I remember attending...ever. He wasn't an ailing older relative. He was a friend that I shared lots of memories with. I will never forgot him and his always-happy attitude. He was a wonderful person that I will see again someday.

One Year Old Stats

This little one-year old is getting big. You wouldn't believe the lightning speed he can crawl at and he's sooo close to walking. He took his first step a few days ago with both of us watching. He can stand fine on his own and for a long time, but then he squats down and crawls. Why walk when you can crawl even faster?

Desmond loves getting into everything! I leave one cupboard accessible and stock it with tupperware and safe kitchen toys. He loves taking everything out of the cupboard and leaving it there. He likes turning tupperware upside-down and using as tools to put his hands on top of to crawl faster. He's a smart kid. We've been teaching him to crawl upstairs and down. He has no fear so he likes to tumble downstairs head-first. He needs to learn we won't always be there to catch him.

His doctor gave him an OK to eat anything. He's off formula and loves his whole milk. It must be warm though. He will try eating anything at least twice, but he will spit it out if it's not to his liking. He doesn't like eggs or rice still. I was surprised that he liked our pork tenderloin crock pot dinner, as it's the first meat he's taken an interest in. It's so nice that he can eat whatever I'm making for dinner now. BUT that means we need to eat healthier. He's also learned how to throw his food off his high chair and feed to Pumpkin. Oh boy! He also likes rubbing his food in his hair.

He got a new car seat which faces forward. He loves being able to see outside instead of a seat. He still likes being taken for walks and runs in his stroller. He doesn't fall asleep anymore though. Desmond is starting to mimic sounds and words. He can say, "Hi Dad" on command. We are still working on "Hi Mom." He can also wave and give high fives. He loves copying Skyler when he clears his throat and also motor boat sounds. He still tried to eat everything he comes in contact with.

Desmond has always been a great sleeper and he continues to be that way. He usually goes to bed around 8:30-9:00pm and wakes up between 6:30-7:00am. He still takes two naps a day. I love this guy and can't wait for every day that we get to spend together.

Height: 83% (31")
Weight: 45% (22'10")
Head 89%

Still smart, tall, and skinny.

Race Report: Long Beach Marathon 2012

So rewind a few months to August when Carrie and I decided we wanted to run the Long Beach Marathon in just 6 weeks. Yes, you heard me right. We gave ourselves 6 weeks of training. This is not recommended. BUT I will say that I was planning on doing some long training runs to get ready for my Ironman already, so this wasn't entirely out of the blue.

We did 4 longish runs, with the longest one being 18 miles. 18 is far, but it's still 8.2 miles away from a marathon. Still I knew we could do this....this meaning get a PR. Our last marathons were almost three years ago and we have come so far since then. Our goal: sub-4.

Kelly decided to join us last minute. She had been marathon training for four months prior, so this would be "easy" for her. A marathon is never easy.

Of course we had to come up with some killer costumes. I think these are my favorite yet: superheroes! Introducing Super Woman, Bat Girl, and Wonder Woman.

I've done the Long Beach 1/2 marathon before, so I knew what the first 10 miles would be like. We had a blast running together, as we hadn't run a race together since our first marathon 2 years ago. Carrie was so awesome, as she ran on my left side to protect anyone from touching my elbow. Remember my huge bike crash? Yeah, that was two weeks before this race and it was still so sensitive (and still is). What a sweet friend!

The best part of the race was around mile 17 when Skyler, Desmond, and Carrie's family was waiting to cheer for us. I was so excited to see them! 

The course was great and scenic, not boring at all. I felt great almost the entire race, except for the last 3 miles. Suddenly I needed a port-o-potty immediately! Oh joy. Luckily I was fast and my friends waited for me. Just a few miles to go.

Then I made a rookie mistake, I forgot to eat my last gel. So I hit a wall and I was having a hard time finishing. Just one more mile and I was fading fast. Luckily Carrie was there to pull me through. She encouraged me all the way to the finish line.

And BOOM we did it: sub-4 marathon. Just barely. 3:58:39. 

Desmond and Skyler were there to greet me at the finish line. I was so happy to see them! They are so wonderful, especially Skyler, for supporting me.

Side note: the issue I was having with my stomach was very similar to the issue I had at Disneyland 1/2. I'm wondering if my issue is related to the running shorts I wore under my skirt or if it's the Spibelt I was wearing. Something was off and I can't figure out what it was. To fix, I'm eliminating both items so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

My Little Boy Turns 1

I'm not a super creative mom. I didn't handmake all the party invitations or decorations. But I did pick a great theme for Desmond's first birthday: dogs. I've mentioned before that Desmond LOVES dogs. When we go to the dog park he just squeals and laughs the whole time. Pumpkin is his best friend. So it made perfect sense to have a dog party for my cute little one-year old.

We served hot dogs, "dog food", and "dog treats." I also had a dog smash cake made just for him.

I decorated with my favorite printed instagram photos of Des. I also might have used some leftover decorations from my birthday the week before.

When it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" Desmond seemed to be excited to get all the attention. Check out the video below. And don't mind me shoving my nephew out of the way (sorry Diego!).

Then the cake was all his! And what did he do with it? Nothing. Not too interested in it. Even after I gave him a few tastes. Oh well, more for me.

Desmond's party was a few days before his actual birthday. On November 27th, he woke up so happy that he was dancing in bed. No kidding. He must have known it was his birthday.

Desmond and I had a fun mommy and me day. We brought a picnic lunch to the park and got dirty crawling around on the grass. Des is getting such a personality. Check out his face. He's so funny!

He's loving the swings even more now. I must have pushed him for 20 minutes. We also had our first experience on a slide. He wanted to crawl back up, but couldn't figure out why he was slipping. We had so much fun playing together. Sometimes I wish he would stop growing up.

It is truly amazing how fast a year flies by. Just one year ago Desmond entered our lives and changed everything. I can honestly say that every day that goes by I love him even more than the last. Happy Birthday Desmond!

Race Report: Turkey Trot 10k 2012

Turkey Trots are some of my favorite races. Mostly because they give me an excuse to eat lots of food on Thanksgiving day and not feel too guilty. It's been three years since we've raced one because last year I was 9 months pregnant and the year before we were in St. George (and sadly they don't have a Turkey Trot there).

This year we decided to get my family involved too. After an email filled with lots of peer pressure, I got my brother, sister, and dad to commit to running a 10k with us. I was so excited we were all going to race! My mom volunteered to watch Desmond (thanks Mom!).

So as the day gets closer my focus is only on Ironman. I really didn't even think about the fact that this Turkey Trot was just four days after Ironman. Oh well. I can make it a fun run, right? In reality, I don't think I have any "fun run" genes in my body...too competitive. 

I was super excited for the family to be together for this race. We lined up on the starting line and the race began. I ran side-by-side with Eric, but we kept Holly in our sights. I think Eric really wanted to catch her. Holly is fast so I figured I didn't have a chance.

Eric and I stayed together and I was super impressed at how fast he was running. Holly stayed about 30 seconds ahead of us, near my friend Kelly. Eric and I were feeling great and were actually negative splitting each mile. We ran past Holly at the turn-around and Eric was even more determined to catch her. The last two miles descend onto the Santa Ana River Trail, my local training grounds. Eric and I slowly started to reel Holly and Kelly in. After a few minutes we passed Kelly who was having an asthma attack. About 1/4 mile from the finish line we approached Holly. She was throwing up and pushing really hard. Eric sprinted past her, but I slowed a bit to see if she was ok. She looked at me and said, "I don't think I can finish." This was hilarious to me because the finish line was really just steps away. I said she'd be ok and sprinted ahead (am I a bad sister?). She was right behind me. The Salas siblings finished just seconds apart from each other.

Even though I was excited to have such a great race, I was even more excited for Eric, Holly, and my dad, as this was their first 10k! I was so happy to watch my dad cross the finish line. He has been there so many times to watch me, and this time I got to watch him. I'm the proud one this time! Great job Dad!

Even though we should have been struggling to even walk from our Ironman four days earlier, Skyler and I both PRed at the 10k distance. I can't believe how fast Skyler ran! He's so amazing! 

Skyler 41:21 (6:41 pace) 1st in age group

Elise 46:06 (7:27 pace) 1st in age group

Post Ironman

I expected to be unable to roll out of bed the next day because that's happened plenty of times after a race. Or at least it should have hurt to walk downstairs (because walking downstairs is actually way worse than walking upstairs). But to my surprise I felt great!

I had worn full-leg compression tights to bed the night before, so maybe that had something to do with it. Or maybe my new running form is less painful than my old running form. Or maybe when you run a slow marathon it doesn't hurt as much. Who knows?! I am just grateful I could walk like a normal person the next day.

The only pain I had was from chafing from my wetsuit. My wetsuit is relatively new and seems to be a bit big in the arms. This results in chafing near the armpits. No biggie though.

The next day Skyler and I headed back to the race venue to purchase official Ironman finisher gear. You don't want to buy that stuff before the race because what if you don't finish. I bought stuff to wear every day of the week. Why not? I worked my butt off to complete this event and I want to have plenty to show for it.

Sadly, we had to head back home to California that morning. I would have like to have one more day to relax, but our little boy would be waiting for us when we got home. Or so we thought. My mom had taken him to Utah with her and their flight was supposed to get in at 8pm that night. Well, their flight was cancelled and I didn't get to see Des until Tuesday morning. Almost a whole week without my boy!

Our reunion was sweet and I spent the whole day just hugging and kissing him.

You Are an Ironman!

Race day: Wake up time 4:40am. Not easy, especially with one hour time zone difference, but when I was awake I was ready to get up. All of our stuff had been ready for 2 days, so there wasn't much to do in terms of getting ready besides getting dressed and eating some food. I ate two mini blueberry muffins, apple & cinnamon oatmeal, a mango coconut water, a banana, and some Honey Stinger chews.

We arrived at the race venue around 5:45am. We hit the port-o-pottys first, which was a great idea. Very productive I should add too. We got body-marked, finished dropping off all bags, and got in our wetsuits. 

Photo

We waited until about 10 minutes before race time before getting in the water. I got super emotional at this point. I knew the water was cold and the long day was about to start. I was crying. I made myself stop immediately and jumped in the water, making sure to hold onto my goggles so they didn't come off. The water was very cold, but surprisingly didn't feel as cold as the day before. Although, it was colder, but because it was cooler air temp, it didn't feel that way.

Skyler and I sat next to each other on a ledge in the water until the cannon went off. We jumped down and were on our way. Skyler said he swam next to me for 20 minutes, but I didn't know that because I only breathe to my right and he was on my left. It was a hectic start because everyone, all 3000 athletes, start at once. I got slugged in the face twice, but I survived. Maybe it didn't hurt because I was numb from the water. The sun was coming up just as the race started. I longed to feel the warmth of it on every stroke.

Photo

The half-way point approached and I was glad to be heading back towards the beginning. About this point I began to notice that my body was shaking and my teeth were chattering. I was so cold! I've swam in colder water before, but never for this long. I couldn't wait to be out of the water and moving on with my day. It's funny because the swim was the least of my worries for the race, yet it was a stark reality at the moment. About 3/4 of the way I noticed my shoulder start to get tight. I had to adjust my stroke on my left arm to make sure it didn't bother me too much.

Elise Swim 1:22:55  (Goal: 1:20:00)
Skyler Swim 1:29:05

I couldn't have been happier to get out of that cold water and surprisingly my time was pretty fast. The volunteers must have seen that something was wrong with me because they immediately pulled me up the stairs and over to the blanket station. They wrapped one around me and sent me over to the women's changing tent. They walked me over to the heater tent section to help me warm up. I was hypothermic and couldn't stop shaking. I tried putting on my bike shoes, but my legs were shaking too much. I took a few minutes to relax and warm up. I was thankful I had packed arm sleeves to warm me up. Normally my T1, swim-to-bike transition, is a few minutes long, but this time I took all the time I wanted. It may have seemed like I took a nap because I took so long. Oh well. On my way to the longest bike ride of my life.

Elise T1 13:32 (Goal: 5:00)
Skyler T1 6:06

Normally Skyler and I tell each other to "Go Fast!" before each race. This time the motto was "Go Slow." You don't want to burn out your runs with too fast/hard of a bike ride. So as excited as I was to be starting the bike portion of the race, I tried to hold back.

The bike course consists of 3 loops of approximately 38 miles each. The way out was a 1/2 flat and 1/2 slight uphill, so the way back had a slight downhill then flat for the second half. For the first loop there was a headwind, so going uphill was a bit of a challenge. Nothing I hadn't trained for. I remember getting to the turn-around at 1:15. I did a quick calculation in my head (which I did a lot of during the race since there's not much else to do) and realized that my bike split would be super long if I kept that pace. But I had totally forgotten that the way back would be faster, especially with a tailwind. I finished the second half of the first loop in 57 minutes, for a 2:12 total for the first lap. Also on the way back I stopped to use a port-o-potty. I had needed to go to the bathroom for over an hour, but it was just not happening while sitting on a bike. I timed it perfectly when I approached someone leaving a port-o-potty. No line for me!

This race had a lot of splits, which was great for our family and friends who were tracking at home. Every time I passed one of the timing mats, I thought about everyone getting to see my times. I wanted them to be proud.

The second loop was pretty uneventful. I did ride beside a woman for about 10 minutes and talked with her. It's actually illegal to ride next to someone because of the drafting rules. But we weren't drafting, we were talking. Riding for 112 miles gets quite lonely. On this lap, the wind was going the opposite way, so I got to the turn-around faster than the first time. But on the way back, the wind was blowing in my face. I stopped at mile 63, which was the bike special needs station. In my special bag, I had packed some Cliff Shot gels, a banana, a granola bar, and some Nuun tablets. I ate the banana, took the gels, and took off my arm warmers.

Back to the start and I was ready to start lap 3. My second lap was also 2:12. I forgot to mention that I saw Skyler on every half-lap. Since I had a lot of time to think, I calculated where I would see him each time, factoring in his faster speed. Turns out my math skills are excellent and we are consistent cyclists because my timing was perfect every time. Also at the turn-around that's near the race venue, John and Deby were waiting to cheer us on every time I went past. It was so, so, so awesome to have them there! Racing is very emotional for me and having family there is so important.

Lap 3 was very similar to lap 2, but my neck and shoulders were really starting to hurt. I wish I had packed advil in my special needs bag (next time). The ride back into town was very exciting. I had survived the bike, which was my worst fear, and I was ready to start running a marathon. My legs didn't feel too tired because I had ridden so conservatively.

Elise Bike 6:37:23 (Goal: 7:00:00)
Skyler Bike 5:40:41

I rode into transition and passed my bike to a volunteer (pretty cool that they take care of putting our bikes away). I grabbed my T2 bag and headed over to the restroom. Ironman is a long enough race that I didn't feel bad stopping to go to the bathroom. I went into the women's tent and again was greeted with lots of naked women. I had never considered changing into running short, but after chafing a bit during the race, that may be something I consider for my next Ironman. I sat down to put my running shoes on and my new friend Missy came in and sat next to me. She had just finished the bike too and had a flat tire. Glad she was doing well!

Elise T2 7:32 (Goal 5:00)
Skyler T2 3:50

I headed out of the tent and was on my way to running 26.2 miles. I always gets too excited when I start the run and knew I needed to hold back my speed so I didn't waste too much energy. I had decided beforehand that I was going to walk all of the aid stations. My goal was a five hour marathon, which is about 11 minute pace. The first 7 miles were great. I was eating my gels and drinking a little at most aid stations. I also tried some salt pills to make sure I wasn't losing too much salt. Around mile 7 I started getting a side stitch on my left side. I rarely got these in training and it was usually from dehydration. I made sure I drank more electrolytes, but not too much where it swished around in my stomach. I had to jog/walk off the side stitch for about 2 miles until it finally went away. It never came back.

The run course was also a 3-loop course, each loop being approximately 8.7 miles. During the first lap, I spotted Skyler across a bridge on his second lap. He was about 5 miles ahead of me. I was so happy to see him!

During the second lap I spotted a new friend who was also wearing a Team Sparkle skirt. We had similar time goals for the race, so I knew we would cross paths eventually. This was her first marathon too! We ran together and talked for about 4 miles. On a downhill I got in front of her and never saw her again.

The aid stations were spread about 1-1.5 miles apart. Here's the order of stuff: Perform, water, food (oranges, bananas, gels, pretzels), coke, water, Perform. At each aid station I would stop and take whatever my body wanted. Sometimes it was coke, sometimes it was pretzels (for the salt), and sometimes it was nothing. Later in the day, they also offered chicken broth. It was delicious and I would definitely drink it again in a race.

The began the last lap and I was so excited to be near the end. Each lap started where the finish line was so I got to see a glimpse of the excitement at the finish line. I got a second wind at the beginning of my last lap. I had already run about 17 miles and I only had 9 more to go. I was running pretty fast and I kept hearing people ask why I was running so fast. My pace was probably about 9:00, which was fast considering most people were shuffling or walking. My knees were hurting a bit, but mostly only when I transitioned from walking to running.

Around mile 22 I approached an aid station which was at a park. I glanced to my left and noticed Skyler sitting on a wall, wearing a jacket. I said hi and kinda kept going. I shouted, what are you doing here? And he replied that he's see me at the finish line. I assumed he was finished and was just out on the course cheering me on. But I thought it was weird that he was at this location. So I turned around and went back, just in time to see him vomiting. Uh oh! Something was wrong. I then found out that he hadn't finished yet, but was sick again. His stupid stomach has messed up every endurance race longer than 8 hours. He told me to keep going, but I wanted to help. Since we were close to an aid station I ran over and got some water and a sponge for him. He sat on the wall for a bit and I told him that I would wait for him. He told me to keep going again, but I said it would be fun to finish together. He didn't want to let me. After a bit he managed to stand up and we walked through the aid station and kept going. He said I was allowed to walk with him up the hill and then I had to start running again. I didn't want to leave him, but I knew that's what he really wanted for me. So away I went, just a little over 3 miles left.

I don't know if it's because I was stopped for a while (about 20 minutes) or because I just was excited to finish, but all of a sudden I had so much energy and I was running fast. People kept looking at me running by and were whispering, where did she come from? I probably wasn't really going that fast, but it just seemed that way since most people were walking. I was also getting so many cheers! I bypassed every aid station that was left between me and the finish line. I was getting there as fast as I could.

Soon I was finishing my third loop and made the turn to head down to the finish chute. I had envisioned this moment almost every day since I signed up for this race. That feeling was what I wanted so bad. I knew it would be an emotional moment and it was. Tears were streaming down my face. I had done it and here was MY moment.

The last 50 meters was the finishers chute lined with thousands of spectators. I was alone and sprinting as fast as I could. I knew that my friends and family were watching live and that gave me even more energy. Then I heard the words I had been dreaming about, "Elise Wallace, you are an Ironman!" I had done it! All my hard work had paid off. I had become part of the elite club call Ironman. No one can ever take that away from me.

Elise Run 4:46:34 (Goal 5:00:00)
Skyler Run 6:31:25

Elise Total Time 13:07:56 (Goal 13:30:00)
Skyler Total Time 13:51:07

I was on cloud nine...for about a minute. Then I became concerned with how Skyler was doing. I had left him at about 3 miles to go. Calculating how fast you can walk 3 miles, subtracting the time since I left him, I figured he should be coming in about 15-20 minutes later. I waited and waited and waited.

My legs were tired from standing, so I sat down. But then people kept coming over to ask if I was ok. After almost 45 minutes of waiting, I saw him being pushed through the crowd. There was a medical staff person on each side of him. All I cared about at that moment was making sure he was ok. I followed the three of them over to the medical tent to assess the situation. He thought he might need an IV because he had been throwing up so much.

While I waited to see what happened I got to hang out with John and Deby, as they were waiting for us at the finish line. Thank goodness they were there to calm my nerves. Skyler was able to communicate to me that he was cold, so I went to retrieve our morning clothes, bikes, and bags. I passed near the finish line area to get where I needed to go and realized that I was missing out on all the fun. That is my one regret, that I didn't get to enjoy finishing my Ironman. Obviously Skyler is more important, but this was my first one and I didn't get my massage, post-race food, photos, or sharing stories with other athletes. Sadly, this is the only photo I have from the race (and you can't even see my skirt!).

After hanging in the medical tent for about an hour, Skyler was deemed ok and we left the area. We were both kinda hungry and grabbed some drive-thru fried chicken (Raising Cane's) and sodas. I had too much adrenaline to go to sleep, so I took an ice bath and watched tv until probably 1:00am. But sadly my appetite wasn't the best so I didn't enjoy all of my cupcakes like I wanted to. Only had one bite.

The next day everything started to sink in. I am an Ironman! We headed over to the race venue to buy more Ironman clothing. I didn't want to buy any before in case I didn't actually finish. Now I have enough to wear every day of the week.

The one thing I feared was how I would feel the day after an Ironman race. Surprisingly, not sore. I know!...it's crazy. Was it the compression tights? Could I have pushed harder? I don't know. I'm just thankful I could walk up and down stairs without being in pain.

Coming up...the aftermath.