She is an IRONMAN, full of courage and bravery.

Do you know what 140.6 means? If you have ever done a triathlon or know someone who has, then you know. Let me break it down…it is a 2.4 miles swim followed by a 112 miles bicycle ride, then quick shoes changed to end it with a 26.2 miles run. Not to mention, all done with NO break in between. Do you think you’d do something like that?

I totally would, you know me and challenges but come on now. Must be realistic LOL But I do know someone, 2 actually who just ROCKED it last month. She is a friend of mine and I want to honor her hard work and her race by writing a piece on her because what she magical. I followed her the entire way(virtually) and waited for her to cross the infamous finish line which was epic.

Her name is Elise and she is one of the ladies behind of Sparkle Athletic. She actually did the race with Carrie her best friend, which is another master mind behind the sparkle. They did the IRONMAN Arizona on November 20. Here is Elise’s experience in her words:

What was the toughest part of training?

The toughest part of training was finding the time to get it all done. Most weekends meant a long bike ride in the morning followed by short run, then long run the next day. During the week I would have a few days of double workout days. Besides that, cycling is my toughest leg. I love cycling, but I’m just not fast at it.

elisewallace-1482464369990

Did you have any fears, nervousness going into the race?

Yes, I was terrified going into the race, even though I had done one before. I fear hypothermia in the water because I have been hypothermic in a few races before. I fear crashing on the bike because I have crashed on my bike before. I also fear having a technical issue on my bike because that’s something out of my control.

We saw that you did the race with your best friend, did that make it easier? Did you two train together?

Carrie and I did a lot of training together, especially the biking and running. Training is a lot easier when you have a friend. A 6-hour ride is not nearly as fun as when you get to ride with your close friend, exploring new bike trails. We didn’t plan on racing together, but I knew we would be close to each other because we are equal in all of the disciplines. During the race, we swam together and ran together, and biked together for 30 of the 112 miles. We motivated each other to keep going. Many times during the race we would tell each other to go on without the other, but we were in the same place, going the same pace, so we were lucky to have each other.

thisiscarrie-1482465520135 — Carrie and Elise smiling and sparkling

What was the most difficult part of the race?

The hardest part of the race was something I wasn’t planning on: nutrition. My stomach usually holds up pretty well during races, but during this race it gave up on me pretty early on. About 20 miles into the bike I starting feeling nauseous and feverish. It was very hard to keep food down, but I knew that in order to finish the race I would have to stick to the plan.

Was it more of a mental or physical battle?

IRONMAN is definitely more mental than physical. That’s funny to say because of all the endurance training involved and the whole time you are slowly draining your body of calories. I don’t push my muscles to the extreme because I need to endure for a long time. So I wasn’t sore the day after the race. After my BQ marathon, I could barely walk, but that’s because I was red-lining the whole time.

Once you came around that last corner and saw the lights and knew this was it, the finish line was just ahead and your family was waiting as they have been all day, what was running through your mind?

The finish line chute is the moment I envisioned every day that I trained. It’s dark outside, the lights are bright, people are cheering all around me, and there’s nothing between me and the finish line. I remember that moment from my first Ironman, but this one was so much sweeter because Carrie was by my side. There couldn’t have been a better way to end our journey to Ironman.

What is one moment that you will never forget from this entire journey?

There are so many memorable moments during the race, but if I had to pinpoint to one (or two), it was the moment before the race started when Carrie and I hugged and wished each other good luck. The other is similar, it was a hug after we finished. We believed in each other and that’s what made this race so special. It’s kinda weird to think that a day when I did something scary, pushed my body to its extreme, and felt sick was one of the best days of my life.

I am honored to know both of these two ladies and so glad to they choose to be unstoppable! They had their family post and follow them on instagram. And it was so emotional and exciting to watch them tackle the BIG 140.6. They inspire me and motivate me to keep dreaming BIG. Congratulations Elise and Carrie.

elisewallace-1482464222470 — After 140.6 miles THIS is how you cross the finish line.

#TeamSparkle is more than just sparkle skirts and vizors, they give woman support and the boost of confidence that is sometimes need. It’s a tribe of woman who lift each other up and give hope, strength, and courage.

-gelcys

the Scoliosis runner, powered by Sparkle 😉

Comments

One response to “She is an IRONMAN, full of courage and bravery.”

Pippa @ Pip in Motion

December 23, 2016

That’s such an inspirational interview- I love how Carrie and Elise did it together in terms of training and having eachothers backs. That’s the real message of the sport! ❤

She is an IRONMAN, full of courage and bravery.

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