I did it! It was not pretty, but I am now a 2 time IRONMAN finisher, and with your support, we are very close to our target of raising P226,000 for Breast Cancer.
Here's some kwento:
The race had been going pretty smoothly, and I was chugging along rather nonchalantly, feeling strong, until about 9 hours into my race, when my stomach had shutdown, and was resisting any form of nutrition. With more than 26 kilometers left to run, I was dead tired, dizzy, and somewhat incoherent. I gutted it out, put one foot in front of the other, and finished, in spectacular fashion - at the finish line, before entering the medical tent, I hurled in Linda Blair Exorcist style, like I had done several times on the course.
A few moments later, I was lying inside the medical tent, with an IV in my arm. My BP was at 100/70 (rather low they say), and I was a bit out of it. As I lay there, I really got to feel the reason I was there - To raise money for Breast Cancer. Ironic that I ended up (for a few hours), feeling like one - tired, dizzy and puking. I guess that had to be part of the entire experience.
Despite all of that, I was still able to improve my personal best by 30 minutes, finishing in 13 hours and 27minutes, on what they are now calling the toughest Ironman Course.
Thank you for your continued support, a lot of women will be benefiting from this. I am looking forward to doing this all over again someday - but I guess I might have to find something crazier?
For those who are still asking HOW to donate, please email me.
I've been asked a few times whether I would do it again. The answer is DEFINITELY.
Let me leave you with something from Theodore Roosevelt:
'It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.'
Til next time...
Javy Olives
Ironman Survivor, Breast Cancer Advocate
