Ironman Louisville

October 11, 2015

The players; myself, David Norton, Brian Kiscoe, and the guy that convinced me Ironman racing was a good idea.  Location, Louisvile, KY...why?  Because, I spent a year in 1998-1999 living in the 'Ville and having a great time.  I don't think I actually ran more than 5 times and bought a Mt Bike towards the end of my time there.  To be honest, I worked a lot, ate a lot, and drank a lot more, it was a good year.  I've had my eye on this race since I started training but knew I'd never want to do it in August.  After doing it under ideal conditions (day started at 51 degrees and got up to 80 for a bit but very manageable), I felt justified in jumping on the chance to do it in October.  Lousiville did not disappoint, great people, tremendous hospitality, and a gorgeous venue.  Matt and I got in late Wednesday and started getting settled. We met up with David and crew on Thursday and got a preview ride of the course in on friday and drove the entire course.  We left the drive feeling very comfortable with the bike and later that day we got the final green light that the swim would, in fact, be on!  Toxic Green Algae had threatened to cancel the course but thanks to MotherNature, we were all clear and ready to rock!

Race Day

Wake up call at 4:30 to get up, take a shower, get some food and start the pre-race routine.  All good, no headaches, feeling great about the day so far.  No major anxiety or nerves other than the length of the day.  Was I really prepared to go 140.6?   We had planned to leave before 5:45 and be at the race start line at 6:30, a full hour before start time due to a "first come- first serve" line up policy to the race start. 

SWIM 

We were less than 800 racers from the back, we absolutely failed our first part of the race.  Race gun went off at 7:30 and our timer for getting in the water while walking nearly half a mile to the docks started.  We all jumped in together at 8:02.

Matt and I took the far dock, while Brian and Dave took the closer dock.   Within 200 yards I see Dave swimming and swam alongside, he's as blind as a bat and doesn't see me, so I took off and left him to find his own way. The channel was easy and fun to swim despite all of the people in my way.  I have only one complaint about this race and it's partially my fault for not getting in line earlier but a first come first serve queue-up is not the way to run the start of the race.  Sure my time didn't start until I crossed the timing mat, but several factors that favor stronger swimmers were taken away due to this type of start.  I had no feet to find and draft off of, I had hundreds of people to swim through, over, and very rarely around.   Sighting was easy as the channel kept us moving along and then once we turned at the buoy upriver and headed downstream, I used a trick anyone who has swam Alcatraz knows, Key on the roofline of a building you'd like to hit and head that way.  However, the straight line path was too far away from the buoys and I got sent back in by a kayaker, minor inconvenience.  My Roka Maverick Wetsuit made this swim so easy, smooth, and fun!  Halfway through the swim, I said to myself "I'm having a great swim and I feel great"  I didn't need to push any harder than I was and I knew I'd come out with a PB.  The year of training with Ritch, MBK, Erik, Ricardo, Sandrine, and Arianne had paid off!  Came out of the water and nearly forgot to use the wetsuit strippers to get me out of my suit, I was so excited and full of energy.  Checked my watch and saw 1:02 as I ran into the T1 tent, in my head, I had just gone sub hour as I was sure I'd been out of the water for a bit.  Regardless, best swim at this distance by over 5 minutes. T1, I just kept telling myself, ingest your fluids, get out quick!  8:34 in T1, not great, but not my worst and man did we have to run laps around the transition area on both ends to get anywhere.  I was 30th of 388 out of the water in my age group.  I'll take that all day, and the best part was, I still felt fantastic.

BIKE

I mounted the bike and took off on River Road with a Tailwind and only Matt Rodgers in front of me.  I spent the first 5 miles taking advantage of being amped up and full of energy but didn't push too hard.  My HR was at 153 max and I made sure I did not push above that but maintain my effort through the first 20 miles of the bike.  My goal was to see Matt on the Out and back and then know how much time I needed to gain on him through the rest of the day.  Rolling out through the first loop I felt great.  The course ended up being hillier than I thought but I still managed my effort well.  I was on my nutrition plan of 2 bottles of EFS-Pro per hour, then supplementing with Gatorade Endurance.  I also ate a PickyBar every 90 minutes for calories, BASE salt every hour and 2 Tums at the half way point and 2 more Tums at 90 miles.  Second loop around stopped at Special needs for 2 more of my pre-made bottles.  (Later found out, this is where Kiscoe overtook me!!!)  However, I had these bottles ready for me in my fight to keep the cramps at bay and I was stopping regardless.  On the Second lap, I found myself struggling to keep the same speed I had on the first but wasn't getting fatigued or tired, I had effectively managed my HR down to the high 130's and felt like I could ride like that all day long.  After we left LaGrange, I was struggling with power and started getting passed more than I was passing.  I pushed a little harder and caught back up with some of the packs I had been riding around all day and then started getting burning in my quads and hips.  I had been in Aero most of the day so at first I thought, it's just being in Aero for 3+ hours that's causing it, then my first twinge of cramping in my quads appeared and I started to go dark for a bit; replaying Cozumel all over again, I had overdone it...I was sure I may have ruined my race.  Then it went away.  For some reason around mile 85, I looked down at my seatpost and saw that the sticker I had positioned so well was completely crumpled up and my seat post had sunk over an inch into my seat tube stem.  Pictures below show that the seat sunk almost 3 inches into the stem.  I’m not sure when this happened and I have never had this issue before, but I had my normal pre-race tune up and had not touched the bike myself until our test ride of the out and back.   I had the bike shipped out to Louisville by TBT and   It’s another learning experience for me , check every nut. Bolt, connection, mechanical area of your bike before the race.

I’m extremely disappointed, probably more so now that I’ve had time to digest the day and wonder where my day went wrong.    However, as anyone who’s done long distance events knows, “Shit happens, deal with it” So, at mile 90, I pulled over at the top of one of the false rollers to see if I could fix it.  After a few attempts of trying to pull the seat up and out and banging it with my fist, I realized I needed my multi-tool, which was conveniently packed in my suitcase, back at the house.  I got back on the bike and hovered my way home against the wind.  Not more than 2 minutes down the road, the SAG scooter passes me.  Timing is everything, I didn’t flag them down and in hindsight, WHY DIDN’T I?!?  Anyway, back to the race and riding into the wind all the way home.  It seemed like every turn we made, turned us right into the wind!  Not an overly difficult wind to pedal against, more of a nuisance.  Half way through, I had really thought sub 5:30 was possible, and now I was doing my best to stay in the 5:30’s however, my compressed position on the bike cost me some time on the last 22 mile segment, my MPH avg was down to mid 18.5 as opposed to the 20mph avg I held for the first 90 miles.  Normally I would say it was fatigue and lack of fitness, but I had held managed my fluids and fuel very well all day and managed my Heart Rate down to a sub 140 without the usual spikes to over 150 and in some cases in the past over 160 bpm.  Anything over 155 for me, is burning matches too fast for me to catch up and looking at my Garmin file, nothing over 150bpm for the last section, so I’m going to say I lost power and efficiency due to the seat dropping over 3 inches. 

Ironman Lake Tahoe 9-22-13 Finisher's report Icee's Ironman

14:44:10

EPIC

This journey started in June of 2010 with Matt Rodgers, Jonathon Turner, and Tracey Turner at Paige's Birthday party, when the phrase, "You have to do an Ironman before you're 40" was uttered.   The challenge was laid down and Matt and I set out to find a race conducive to getting it done.  We decided on Cozumel in 2011 and figured the family vacation would keep the family as focused on the prize as we set out to be.  The year leading up to it and the event itself was an awesome experience however,   I pulled out of IMCOZ officially at 14:37:42 that night due to severe hydration and cramping in my legs that could not be pushed through.  See that report here: http://iceeimsanity.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-ironman-cozumel-race-report.html

    

After that day, I swore that in 2 years I would get an Ironman done.   When the WTC announced that they were hosting an IM in Lake Tahoe,  I signed up within the first 7 minutes and then asked Skye.  I wouldn't recommend that to any aspiring Ironman athletes or any existing athletes.   A happy spouse makes for guilt free training and you need that leading up to a challenge like this.  So again, I put my best sales hat on and explained how great this would be due to all the training we will have to do in Tahoe.  Who wouldn't want a Summer spent in Tahoe for the family!!  I began training in earnest at the beginning of the year, and put the Napa Valley marathon on the schedule to make sure I had the running legs ready for an Ironman.  Brian Kiscoe came out to do the entire race with me, Matt ran the second half with me. I put down my fastest marathon time to date, but injured myself in the process and nearly derailed the whole thing.  I have been dealing with Calf issues since stepping up to Marathons and Iron distance events.  This year, I discovered, Hoka One One Shoes which have had an amazing impact on my running and more importantly, my recovery.  By the end of July, I was injury free in my lower legs for the first time in 3 years.  I'll fast forward through the summer of training but spending time in Tahoe was one of the fringe benefits to doing this race.  September 22, 2013 was the goal.

Matt and I spent the week in Tahoe at JT and Tracey's house. to make sure we were as prepared for the altitude as we could be.  Let me tell you, tapering for an Ironman event is a nerve wracking test of patience during a normal life, but when you are holed up in a Cabin with a buddy who's tapering too, it gets even more interesting.  Luckily we had a lot of fellow athletes up there with us and we got to hang out with the EveryMan Jack crew and Ritch Viola.  We grabbed dinner with their team a couple of nights, our families showed up late Friday night and the weekend was upon us.

Then it snowed...

We were at Dinner in Truckee with our 3 families and Ritch's family at the table next to us.  The normal Pre race buzz was louder than normal.  I was beyond anxious, and not so much about the daunting challenge but about the fact that this race may be compromised due to the snow!  I wasn't concerned for my own safety or the cold or the potential for slippery roads on the bike, I wanted a FULL Ironman course.  I have replayed Cozumel every day in my head since the race and I would be damned if they were going to shorten my shot at redemption.  After dinner, we headed home to finish packing for the day ahead and tried not to worry myself silly over details beyond my control.  Surprisingly, I was the calmest I'd been for any of my races.  I knew I had prepared enough, I hit all of my major milestones this past year, I was injury free, and I had so much pent up energy that I wanted to race a week ago!  All of the hay was in the barn and as far I was concerned, I was going to get this done!

3:57 am wake up, Bathroom stop #1 done!  Breakfast of english muffin, almond butter, banana, and Osmo Pre-Race hydration.   Shower up to wake up completely and progressed through my normal activities.  This time though, put the wet suit on as I was getting ready due to the fact that when I walked out onto the deck it was iced over.  28 degrees out and as far as we knew, we were on for a full race.  We packed into Matt's car with Molly, Paige, and Kristina and headed to the swim start to prepare our bikes and get ready for our swim.  Having swam in Tahoe for the last 4 years without a wetsuit, I was more than comfortable swimming in the Lake and I was looking forward to swimming in my New ROKA wetsuit.  On the way to the Swim Start, we got stopped in rush hour traffic.  We finally made it to the 267 Turn off and Matt and I jumped out of the car to rush to T1.  I barely had time to drop off my morning clothes, prep my bike and get ready to swim.  As I rushed down to the Swim start after rushing through my Bike prep, I ran into Dave Norton.  I was so excited and could not stop smiling.  I have never felt this good before a race this big in my life.  The energy, the music, the chill in the air.  As I looked around and saw the sun rising over snow capped peaks, I couldn't believe this was all real.  Dave looked at me and said, "mate, will you stop smiling!"  I couldn't, I made it to my second IM start healthy and ready to race.  I had my new ROKA wetsuit on and was ready to enjoy the swim in the warm (65 degree) water of Tahoe.  Since the water was warm and the air was so cold, as the sun came up, a 6 foot layer of Steam and fog started to sit on the surface of the lake. 

     At the time, I didn't think much of it, but as we started swimming, I quickly realized I could not sight as I normally would.  The swim was 2 loops and the turn around for the second loop was in shallow water, so there were plenty of people walking.  Since my goggles were starting to leak in one eye, I decided to put my feet down quickly to assess the issue and see if it was just a sealing issue as I may have been smiling too much during my swim.  quick check of the watch showed just under 35 mins and I knew I was on pace and within my own limits of taking it easy but don't lose too much time in the swim.  I would be happy with anything around the 1:15 mark as I swam 1:07 in Cozumel and may have used up too much of my day in the water.  Fixed the goggles and headed back out for the second lap which was going to be easy.  Found a partner to swim with for a bit and swam the first leg together, but then the bottle-kneck started happening.  Turn buoy 1 was crowded again as was turn buoy 2 and the last leg of the swim was spent picking swimmers off who were slowing down.  As I passed the last buoy and kept swimming into shore, I was surprised to see people already with feet down.I swam till I started pulling sand with my hands and got up and out of the water at my goal mark.  Official swim time was 1:17 and I was happy and feeling great.  Now time to get warmed up, dry, and head out on the bike...

T1 was a shit show!  The tent, which normally is fine for the quick change, was packed with dudes trying to warm up and get dry. I looked to go in, then made the decision to do my complete change in the doorway.  Full clothes change, rip off everything wet, baby powder my feet and legs and put full Bike kit (jersey, bib shorts, and undershirt) on with arm warmers, Vest, and full gloves.  The dude next to me was already hypothermic and shivering uncontrollably, I offered him my bike jacket but he said no thanks.  I moved as fast as I could, but there was no room to move let alone get all of my gear on. I remembered to take in my hydration, I used a full bottle of 1st Endurance Ultragen and 15 minutes later,  after a quick pee stop, I was finally on my bike.  The crowds and spectators were awesome!  Got out to the road and mounted the bike, still in full smile, the ride to Tahoe city was great.  It was a cold ride but honestly I didn't feel it for a while and before we hit Tahoe City, Dave Norton rolled up on me again.  We rode together through the first family checkpoint and words can not explain the emotions I was feeling then.  To see the girls, Skye, and our friends so excited to see us was extremely uplifting and exciting.  The next 10 minutes were spent going fast until I finally talked myself into scaling it back again as was my plan.  The ride from Kings Beach to Truckee is Fast.  Got to Truckee and was excited to roll through town as all week there was a massive party planned.  The main drag was fenced off and there was music playing but 9:30 in the morning on Sunday in 30 degree weather was not encouraging a large spectator base.  Oh well, time for the first of 3 climbs that would rock everyone's world for the day.  This was a short climb out of Truckee to a bike trail where no passing was allowed and until 3 days before the race, there had been a giant boulder blocking the path.

 This had been the topic of several freak out sessions on the Facebook IMLT page, amongst such other riveting topics such as the Tahoe Rim Fire, the American Fire, Gearing for the climbs, water temperature, racing at altitude, and the daily Smoke check.  Boulder was removed and this little section was probably more of a nuisance to guys like Ritch than it was a time of respite for guys like me.  We biked Up through some neighborhoods and past a church where there was a stopped line of traffic and then on to Martis Camp for the first of our 2 massive climbs on the day.  I had planned to take it ultra easy on the climbs and make sure that I was not burning my legs beyond saving.  I had switched my gearing to 32 tooth back ring and boy was I glad that I did, even with the extra gearing I found myself nearing the top of Martis looking for another gear.  

The beauty and the specter of this course was on full display as we rose up to the Ritz on top of Northstar.  I remember looking back at one point and seeing the valley floor and realizing the enormity of the event again.  There were at least a dozen times on the day that I became overwhelmed with emotion due to the beauty, the pride, the sense of accomplishment for even making it to the start line and the amazing support of the thousands of volunteers and the folks there to watch.  Having the cowbells and people at the top of Martis was motivating as the hill never seemed to stop.  Once we got up to the Ritz, the decent was harrowing at times and exhilarating at others, but the entire time I was grateful to be off the pedals and coasting.  Then we exit Northstar back to 267 and up Brockway... I was prepared for 24 mins of pedaling up hill again, I had done this climb 4 or 5 times already this summer and knew what I was in for.  Again, the plan was, sit up, get the chain on the big ring in the back and just do the work.  Up and over and another decent awaited me.

Second lap was under way and I was feeling great.  I was on my plan of a bottle of Osmo Active Hydration every hour and was actually a little ahead of that plan.  I had also been following my plan of eating a Picky Bar every hour as well and supplementing caffeine gels where needed.  I had on my bike packed 3 bottles of Osmo, 3 picky bars, Cliff Blocks, and 2 Gel packs of Caffeine laced Gel, I also had Endurolytes and Tums.  As I rounded the entrance to Squaw and saw the Family the second time, I was extremely Pumped!  Still feeling great and knew that the best part of the ride was ahead of me.  Squaw to Truckee was fast both times and despite a bit of a sprinkle the second time, it was warmer than the first lap.  Once to Truckee though, the thoughts of the climbs started creeping into my head.  I was still feeling good through town, and to the start of Martis Camp.  The start of the climbing back up to the Ritz was upon me and the carnage was already in full effect.  Guys pulling out, people walking their bikes and the aid stations had more of a "relaxed supported ride" feel than an all out race to death!  Brockway was more of the same, carnage everyone, people were hurting, I stayed true to my plan but at this point I had just hit the 90 mile mark and still had some climbing to do, the first thought of, "what the hell am I doing here?  I'm not even done riding my bike and I still have to go run a marathon!"  Mile 100 had a different kind of feeling, I had recovered and was on the ride from King's Beach to Tahoe City, Getting off the bike was in sight.  Into the Squaw entrance and saw the family again, the ride up to T2 was nice and easy, stretched a bit and kept myself from hammering it home.  T2!!!
So glad to be off that bike!  Nearly a full change, sat down for 10 minutes, and took my time as well as took in half of my next bottle of 1st Endurance Ultragen.  Off on the run, no matter how much you train for it, running after riding 112 miles is tough.  I really wanted to take it easy out of the gates but the crowds got me going, and I was running close to an 8:00 mile for the first mile and a half.  I slowed it down after the first aid station and shortly after saw Ritch Viola coming in, I gave him a High Five and he was flying.  In hindsight, the dude was winning the Amateur race, and as we passed, he yelled, "Have a great run!"  3 miles later, I made it to the family and again, I don't know who was more excited, but the energy bump I got from seeing them was amazing.

 Tracey started running with me.  I was feeling good and comfortable in my stride and my pace and I knew that I was going to make it.  Tracey's done 9 IMs so her advice was timely and important for the rest of the day.  As she ran a couple miles with me, she reminded me, that I will have a couple of dark moments ahead, but that they are only moments... keep running.  As she peeled off she left an amazing thought in my head with this simple phrase... "Remember, your run muscles are different than your bike muscles, so they're not tired, keep running!"  I pulled up to David Norton at mile 5 and was so excited to see him!  Dave had committed to this race to make sure I finished and now that I was in front of him, he assured me he would make sure that happened.  Up the Truckee River to Tahoe City was a phenomenal run, such an amazing place to have this race.

The bike path was plenty wide for all of  us and the river just before dusk is pretty magical.  As I was approaching the Turn Around at mile 10 I saw Matt for the first time.  He probably had 5 or 6 minutes on me and I thought I may be able to chase him down.  However, mile 11 to 13 was a bit of a rough spell for me.  It was staring to get cold and I was indeed thankful that I had packed a long sleeve shirt in my Special Needs bag and had an Almond Butter, Nutella, and Jelly sandwich in there as well that I was so excited to eat.  Got there, put my shirt on and tried to eat my sandwich, one bite and I was done.  Throughout the run, I had developed a process of running to the aid stations, walking through the aid stations and grabbing, a Coke, a chicken broth, and a cup of water.  This served me well through the rest of the night.  The Chicken Broth was a life saver, as it was warm, salty which had cost me my finish in Cozumel and the coke gave me a jolt of energy to keep going another 10 mins.  The second turn around for this run was a major teaser!  Literally 10 yards from the finish line, you have to split off and head back out into the night.  However, the crowds lined the way all the way in to the village and all of the way out as well.
As you can see, I'm still moving and still smiling.  This is just about the distance I called it a night in Cozumel 2 years prior and I knew that tonight I was making it back to this line.  I picked up Kristina out there around mile 19 and she ran with me for a bit and let me know that everyone was waiting for me at the Finish line and that I was going to do this.  The best part of the race was at Turn around 3, so short, and back up the hill, past the "Banging Pan Guy" and 2 miles left to get done.  As I mentioned earlier, I had many moments of reflection and overwhelming emotions throughout the day but as I ran back to Squaw, past the Rave House Party and saw the lights in the near distance, I could not keep from crying and smiling.  It was pitch black so no one saw me.  The Last Aid station was upon me which meant less than a mile to go...  I could hear the music and the crowds and could not wait to see the family.  I ran through the village and my pace kept getting quicker and quicker.  I made it to the chute, saw Skye to my right but did not see the girls, I kept running under control of the lights ahead of me, I hear Mike Reilly Say, Jason Hann...You are an IRONMAN!!!!

Thank you Skye, Bella, and Sadie for being the best support crew ever.  Your love, admiration, and pride drove me all day long.  I am so happy to share this with you.  Thank you to everyone who had a hand in supporting me over the last 3 years in this quest...Mom, Dad, Carrissa, and Jenna for pushing me beyond my boundaries and for those who came before me, thank you for the opportunity to achieve this!









Must respect to all who toed the line on this day and regardless of the outcome I am eternally grateful for sharing such an epic day with you all!

2011 Ironman Cozumel Race Report

This was an Amazing experience on many levels.  Before I start my report I must thank  Skye and the girls for their  understanding during the last year of training.  Although, the phrase that hurts the most is, "Does Daddy have to train again today?"  their support kept me pushing through the 14+ hours I was moving forward.    I also regret my decision to withdraw from the race with 8 miles left in the run but my body was not cooperating and although I constantly try to remind myself of this fact it doesn't help soothe my thoughts of not finishing.

Now on to the report.

We landed in Mexico on Tuesday November 22, 5 days before the race, which was good to help acclimatize.  Once we exited the airport and we started loading our bags into the van, I began to literally drip with sweat.  It was pouring off of me in buckets and I was barely doing anything...little did I know how important this moment was.  We spent the next few days hanging around the resort, did a short run, short ride and a short swim in the days leading up to the event.  I had been fighting a major cold for the two weeks of my final taper into the event and it finally lifted on Thursday!  I felt this was a positive sign and my body was raring to go.  The night before the race was not my most restful night of sleep but I wasn't too anxious yet.  The real anxiety came when the alarm went off at 4:27 AM race day.  I was already awake and had been for some time.  I checked and rechecked my nutrition.  Skye woke up and started taking pictures and video and I was really nervous.  I was not excited about the pics or the video.
Used the bathroom at least 3 times before I left and ate my normal pre race meal of Peanut Butter and Jelly with Banana English muffin.  I washed it down with some EFS Electrolyte Recovery drink and headed for the lobby.  Stopped off and filled my nutrition bottles with Ice for the long hot day and then met up with  Matt Rodgers and David Norton as we waited for the bus.  Dave had to run off for something so it was just Matt and myself on the bus.  I sat down next to Caleb, who had been staying at the Allegro with us.  We chatted for a bit and the conversation was the normal pre- race chatter, "Is this your first IM?  How many have you done?  How are you feeling?"  The bus dropped us off about a quarter mile down the road from the Swim Start and T1.  The walk to T1 was the easiest walk I've done before a race.  All year, this year, I've been tired before races, amped up mentally but I've felt heavy legged before each one of my races.  I've also had the longest taper of my Tri career in the last month which led to many more questions than answers.  Dropped off everything I thought I needed on my bike and reapplied Body Glide to various areas, mainly the armpits and got in line to get body marked again.  They marked us the day before but we're in Cozumel and it's hot and humid so by race day, most numbers were gone.  I still have a perfectly tanned 2 on my shoulder due to the great marking job they did. 
  The Swim

     They ushered us onto the docks and we walked down the entire length and about halfway down we saw the families!  This was great!  We shared high fives, took a few pics and shared a few last glimpses of the familiar faces that have supported us all year.  I felt great, still a little nervous but beginning to calm myself as we walked.  In the pre-race meeting they kept telling us that they had something "super special" planned for us before the start of the race so Matt, Tracey, Kristina and I waited as folks jumped in the water a full 15 minutes before gun time.  However, the officials were telling us we needed to get in the water.  We all shared hugs and wished each other good luck and headed our various ways to start our day.  Totally missed whatever they planned which I'm told was jumping dolphins.
I made my way to the front of the dock and a little towards the right, closer to shore. When the announcer told us we had 4 minutes to start time, I started to move forward to where I thought I'd be comfortable with my pace group, I had planned to not be in front but not be in the back either.  Being a bigger guy, this is one area where I can use my size to my advantage, as I moved forward in the pack, the horn went off and we were all scrambling forward.  Either that was the quickest 4 minutes ever or they blew the horn early. (Later I learned they had to blow the horn early as many athletes were creeping over the line)  I was now in the crazy full contact sport that is a mass swim start. 2300 athletes all crammed in to roughly 200 yards of a swim start line aiming for the first buoy 800 yards away.  I tried my best to stay wide and keep my line for the buoy but several folks who needed to get to that buoy first were crowding my line.  I stayed calm and in my zone, rounded the first buoy and headed for buoy #2, made the turn there and settled into a nice long and smooth stroke.  I kept hearing Coach Ken and Don's voices in my head to keep my head down and use the entire stroke.  This swim was awesome and about this time, I was totally settled in and feeling good and I became overwhelmed with the enormity of this event!  I yelled in the water, "I'm doing this MFer!"  The water was so clear you could see the bottom and  all of the safety divers they had positioned along the way.  I very rarely looked up to sight as you could see where the next diver was and where the next buoy was anchored the entire way.  I did see some huge fish about half way through the course and as I started to track the turnaround at the submarine, I thought that maybe I was closer to an hour swim compared to the 1:15 I had planned to swim so I backed off a bit and took a break for a while.  We rounded the sub and headed to the final big turn for home.  As I rounded the last turning buoy, I was along side a guy who was my mirror opposite for a while.  He and I matched each other stroke for stroke, for most of the way home.  I started powering it up as I could see the finish area and got to the steps before I even knew it.  I got out of the water and felt great!  I couldn't believe how good I actually felt!  I raised my hand to my family and gave them a big smile as I ran past.  This swim was awesome, clear, warm water and even the little jelly fish stings were nothing to worry about!

I ran into the Change tent feeling on top of the world. T1 was uneventful, other than having difficulty getting my tri top on and the fact that I didn't drink anything nor did I reapply sunscreen.  As I said, I felt great!  I was out of the water in 1:07:03 and out of T1 in 7:03, so my time starting the bike was 1:14:06.





THE BIKE

   As I exited T1 and hopped onto my bike and as a seasoned Ironman athlete had warned me, my legs did indeed feel like never before!  I felt so good that as I powered onto the course I let out a very loud war cry whoop!  I'm pretty sure I scared the crap out of the guy next to me.  Anyway, the first lap of the bike was awesome!  I had told myself that I needed to work on getting my heart rate back in the 130s on the first lap and it took me nearly the entire 33 miles to accomplish that feat.  Another rookie mistake was made in the first 10 miles of the bike.  I neglected my nutrition plan for the first 10 miles of the bike and did not force myself to take on Endurolytes or water for the first 10 miles.  I also think that I may have misjudged the amount of Perpetuem I needed in each bottle and should have taken 3 Two hour bottles instead of 2 Three hour bottles. The first lap was great and the fan support was amazing.  I felt like a Rock Star when I got back to town. and pumped up the crowd as well as did my best Hulk Hogan impression.  Then back to Allegro, still feeling strong. The straight stretch down to the Allegro was awesome, fan support at the swim start and along the way at various points still rocked.  Went by the family for the second time and still feeling great!  I stayed in aero position for my pictures and waved at everyone as I passed.  The girls had worked hard on making signs for us and it was great to see them!

Tracey passed me just after seeing them and I was unable to stay up with her which should have been my first sign that I was in trouble.  Once I hit the windward side of the island I began to struggle, and I started to feel my quads burning a bit.  I made sure that I didn't draft all day and I didn't ride inside of anyone on the windy side and it may have hurt me a bit as well.  I was starting to get over-heated and made a deal that if I could make it to the last aid station, I'd stop and get some ice to cool down.  I stopped at the aid station and as I stood up to dismount my bike, my right quad seized up in a vicious cramp.  It sucked up so far into my quad that my skin around my knee was instantly wrinkled beyond recognition.  I spent the next 10 minutes trying to massage the muscle and release the spasm, then I packed ice in my shorts leg and got back on the bike to get going again.  By the end of the day I would be very solid in my pronunciation of hielo (ice).  I tried to eat part of my Macrobar at this point and I had been good at taking my 3 Endurolytes per hour on the bike.  The cramps were here to stay.  Lap 2 was worse than the first and Lap 3 of the bike was a game of making it to every other aid station for refill on water, hielo (ice), and shade.  I faked it past the family for pictures but Skye knew at that point I was in trouble as I didn't interact with anyone I just rode through with a smile on my face. 

It started to rain as I pedaled into town and at this point I was unsure if I was even going to make it out of T2.  I finished my little bike ride in 8 hrs and 55 seconds.  I fought the cramps for the last 5 hours and I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to put pressure on my leg to run after that.  I dismounted my bike and I didn't collapse so on to transition and hopefully some magical recovery agent that would allow me to complete a marathon.


T2

Surprisingly, I was able to walk.  As I walked into the tent, I was pissed, however, there were several guys in there with me in the same boat.  One guy told me he had his girlfriend grab him a hotdog.  At the time I thought he was crazy.  In hindsight, he's an Ironman vet and knew what he was doing.  

The Run 

  The "Death March".  I walked out of the tent and saw Skye and I was more upset than I've been in any race to date.  I threw down my ice in a fit and told her that I would be lucky if I finish.  Then I saw my "Support Crew" Mom, Sis, and the girls and I started to run.   I ran with my buddy, "HotDog guy"  through the first aid station which was over a km from Transition.  Just a little way past that I had to start my walk/run/walk game to push towards the finish.  So 1 mile into my run I knew I was going to be running for bits and walking for bits.  The good news is that almost everyone still out on the course was in the same boat.  This was also our first aid stations with Pepsi, so I took some of that and some Gatorade and started to feel a little more human.  I filled up my FuelBelt bottles with water and had more Perpetuem and some EFS electrolytes in the bottles.  In the future I will have all EFS in my run bottles.  I also only budgeted for 4 hours of Endurolytes in my belt and given that I had gone over my 6 hour ration on the bike by 2 hours I was in severe need of hydration and electrolytes.  I managed to push through to the Half Marathon point in just over 3 hours and knew that if I could maintain this pace, I'd finish.  However, as I made the turn on the second lap headed back to town, I started cramping again.  I yelled for hielo (ice) at the aid station but the volunteers didn't hear me.  So I stopped to turn around and pick up a bag.  Mistake!  As I turned back around to resume my shuffle both of my legs below the knees felt like they were asleep and stuck in concrete.  Both of my feet and calves started to cramp and began to seize up.  I had been locked in my own zone of trying to maintain a 15 minute mile and now I didn't think I'd take another step.  The medics came over and kept asking if I was ok.  I couldn't speak to them, my voice was all but gone and all I could do was wave them off and try to massage my cramps out.  Eventually the muscles released and I could pick up my feet.  I moved forward again with the grace of Frankenstein for a few steps then realized my speed walk was now a walk.  I thought I could get back to my 15 min pace but I was stumbling pretty bad.  Now I wasn't sure I would make it back to town.  I tried to jog and couldn't, I tried to get back to 15 min/ mile pace and couldn't, I was now in the late stages of dehydration and my body was shutting down.  Somewhere along the way I had stopped sweating and the cramps were so bad that I slowed to a 22 min/ mile pace.  I started doing math in my head the best I could and thought I still had a shot but 30 minutes later I started to come to grips with the fact that my night was done.  I made a deal with myself, make it back to town and see Skye and the girls and then see what happens.   I made it back and told Skye and Carrissa I was done.  

The girls were all asleep on the sidewalk and everyone was tired.  Matt had finished almost 2 hours before and was waiting to try to push me on, to no avail.  My journey on this day was done, the Med tent and fluids were in my future.  

20/20
  Hindsight being what it is, I am truly disappointed in my inability to finish this race but after compiling this rather lengthy report I understand more clearly why I ended up in the shape I did at 14:20:36 of the race.  I failed to plan properly for nutrition and hydration and I was not prepared for the worse case scenario.   I spent almost 2 hours longer than I had planned to on the bike and my run was doomed from the start.  I did not plan for that kind of electrolyte deprivation.  Overall, this experience was awesome!  I enjoyed the path to getting here and the milestone achievements of epic rides, runs and swims leading up to the big day!  Thank you again to everyone that helped along the way. Also, thank you very much for my support crew of Skye, Bella, Sadie, Carrissa, Mom, Ellora and Cai!  It meant a lot to have my family there with me! 

I am planning on taking 2012 to get my nutrition locked up and do a couple of Half Ironman races as well as continuing to work on my running.  Ironman Switzerland in 2013!!!

8 weeks to go, things just hurt...

I have 8 weeks to go to the physical challenge of my life. If I make it through October, I'll be ready to rock this bitch. My weight has stabilized a bit and I need to get back to the 195 threshold that I want to race at. Between starting PTP and this I am drained every night. I will try to update more frequently as we get closer. I just mapped out October to fit around all of our scheduled activities and it is still going to be a challenge I did get a new bike and that has been fun to ride. I'll be on it tonight in my garage. Tomorrow is a big day as I'll be running home from work, 18 miles. October must be a month of discipline and focus.

Big Kahuna Race Report- 9-11-2011

Epic Day for me in my first Half Ironman distance event.  One of my favorite quotes from NBC's 2010 Ironman World Championship is that "Ironman is just one long tedious conversation with yourself".   I had several moments during the race where I was inside my own head trying to manage myself to give a little more or back off so I could maintain later in the race.  I'll highlight those in the race report below.  Overall, a great event,  I think the production company and the support along the way was great.  Thanks to all of the great volunteers that helped keep all of us fueled all day. 
      I went into the race with a clear strategy for the first time ever.  I was planning to take it easy for the beginning stages of each leg to allow my body to warm up and acclimate for the task at hand.  The swim started off exactly to plan.  I think that doing Trans Tahoe has helped me with this as well.  I dove in and focused on my stroke, nice and easy and breathing.  I tried to remain as calm as I could and not allow myself get too amped.  This worked out great.  I used the first 250 to 300 yards to warm up and get into a rhythm  and kept my body in an efficient position.  I kept hearing Coach Don and Texas Mike's words in my head of long strokes push all the way back and enter in front of your shoulder.  I made it to the first buoy and I had already passed some swimmers from the group ahead of me, (the 30-34 year old men had started 5 minutes ahead of us) so I felt like I was in the groove,  Once I rounded the buoy, I started to add a 3 to 4 beat kick and rounded the 2nd buoy and caught site of the swim finish.  I did not know where I was on time, but I felt like I was moving pretty good.  About 300 yards out from the finish a swimmer from the group behind me (the blue caps) swept past me, so I tried to stay on his feet the rest of the way in.  I got out of the water feeling good and smiling for the first time in 14 Triathlons.  My swim was 32:40 and I felt fine running out of the water.  I also came out of the water 18th of 82 in my age group for men 35 to 39.
     T-1 was about a quarter mile run from the swim finish so I had plenty of time to get my land legs back.  Wore my CEP compression socks for the first time during a triathlon so T1 took longer than normal.  My transition time was 7 mins long so I may not use the full socks in half IM's or shorter going forward.  The bike started out nice and easy.  Guys with really nice bikes were passing me in the aero position.  But for the first time, I also began to pull people in.  It was during the bike that the real tedious conversation with myself started.  I had to remind myself to keep some fuel in the tank and only take sips of my Sports drink as well as drink enough water.  I started using Hammer's Perpetuem and it worked out well.  Gave me the energy I needed but not the stomach issues I've had in the past with Accelerade or Gels.  I did the first half of the bike in 1:18 so I thought a very solid time was in the cards.  When I hit the turn around, I quickly realized that a great time was going to be hard work as the head wind we were now facing was brutal.  That explained the 22 to 24 mph avg I was able to keep up on the way out.  Now I had to try to remain positive when all I could say to myself was, "man this wind really sucks"  Now the real conversation started happening.  First I'd say this sucks, then I'd tell myself...everyone has to deal with this...which I translated into just make it home in one piece and get out on an enjoyable run, you've been training for the run so save your legs and get home around 3 hours.  With about 10 miles to go, the bike course veered back away from the ocean and we got out of the wind.  Combine this with the fact that Skye and Paige and the girls had driven out 6 miles from transition to cheer us on and I was pumped.  I was able to crank it back up over 20mph and got back to town with a sub 3 hour bike firmly in my sights.  My strategy was to relax for the end of the bike and rest my legs for the run but when I realized I could bust out a sub 3 hr, I kept on hammering the pedals.  I made it back to the final turns and couldn't help but smile as I was just over 2:50 and made it into transition by 2:55.  Felt great, got off the bike, got my fuel belt, my visor, and my shoes, took a quick drink of water and got out of T2 in just over 2:00.  Felt great coming out on the run and got up the hill to the bluffs feeling strong.  I looked down at my watch and 8:00/ mile avg was pretty easy to maintain.  I told myself at this point, "if it feels good and your heart rate isn't spiking let's play this out for as long as we can".  I started thinking a sub 2 hr Half marathon was in my sights.  I ran the first 4 miles in the low 8's and felt good.  Mile 5 started to get to me and I struggled to run a 9:45.  I saw Mike Kelly just before I got to the turn around and he was on his way back in and then I saw Matt.  I thought if I could get back to a sub 9:00 pace, I may be able to make up some ground but the long day was starting to wear on me.  I had to stop for a bathroom break and that destroyed all of my momentum.  It's funny how stopping once can convince your brain that it's ok to stop again and eventually it's ok to walk for a bit.  Around mile 8 of the run both hamstrings felt like they were cramping up and my stride shortened even more.  I remembered that there was an aid station with bananas coming up and I got myself talked into running to the station.  Once I got there, I downed 2 half bananas right away and immediately felt better.  I started running again after that aid station and got back to a sub 10 min pace fairly easy.  This only lasted for a mile and I still have 2 miles left.  Now the mind games started in earnest;  Reward myself for running to each remaining aid station by a nice long walk through the station.  I got through the 11 mile aid station at 1:50 of the run and told myself 20 mins and you're done.   Two 10 min miles would put me at 2:10 and I had a goal of doing the run in 130 mins so I thought I was on pace.  I was inside of a mile to go with the finish line in sight and my hamstrings started to cramp again.  I sipped some water, slowed down and told myself, this pain is temporary.  I got to the beach and picked up the pace, then I saw my crew.  My wife and girls, Matt and Mike all waiting at the beginning of the chute.  I felt great again and Bella ran out to hand me a little flag that we brought to pay tribute for 9-11 and she and I finished the rest together hand in hand.  5:51:34  I wanted to be faster than 6 hours and I got it done by 8 and a half minutes.  If I can figure out this run thing some more, I will improve again.  I now know that I'll finish my Ironman in November.  It now becomes an issue of how painful that will be.  The deciding factor will be my training from here on out and I will make sure I get the miles in.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this quest and everyone who cheered along the way.