Ironman Arizona 2012 Race review

WHY ANOTHER IRONMAN?

Well 2012 certainly has been a busy year.  In addition to trying to recover from the breathing problems I was having related to the mold exposure in my office, I purchased two additional insurance agencies, moved my main office to one without mold and opened a 2nd location.  Nothing like a full plate. I also want to thank my wife and kids.  There is a lot of time away from them training leading up to an Ironman race.  I spent hours each week in my basement on a bike trainer or treadmill.  I am grateful for their support and patience!

When you register for an Ironman event you are almost a year out from the event and as I have seen a lot can change in one year.  After not being able to finish Ironman Wisconsin in 2011 I decided I had to do another full Ironman.  I couldn't have my last IM attempt be a DNF.  This would be my one and only race for 2012.

I really enjoy doing the IM events with the groups from our triathlon club, Annapolis Triathlon Club (ATC).  For IMAZ we had about 17 people sign up for the race.  Doing an event like this with a group allows for many training partners as we get ourselves ready for the big day.  It also really helps when getting to the race location to have a group to be around to help calm the nerves.  If you have a chance to do a race with a group of friends I would highly recommend it.  Having friends there on race morning would prove to be my key for even starting the race!

RACE VENUE

The race is in Tempe Arizona (outside of Phoenix) and I loved the city!  It is about a 10 minute ride from the airport.  We stayed in downtown Tempe about a 5 minute walk from the race sight and race transition area.  It could not have been a better location.  We did not need a rental car and there were plenty of restaurants all within walking distance.  If you ever decided to race IMAZ spend a few dollars more and stay in downtown Tempe.  It will make the race a bit less stressful.  The weather was also spectacular and race day would be the same.  Sunny and 80 degrees.

Ok onto the race report..

THE SWIM

The swim is in the dark cold waters of Tempe Town Lake.  This is a man made lake in downtown Tempe.  Now let me get this out of the way up front.  I DO NOT LIKE BEING COLD.  And I especially don't like cold water.  My biggest concern of this entire race was the swim.  Swimming 2.4 miles is never easy.  It is not any easier with 2500 others in a 200 wide space shivering in 64 degree water. This type of swim can be dangerous and you have to respect the distance and the conditions.

Since I have had my breathing problems (related to my mold allergy), swimming has been a bit more difficult.  My most difficult times breathing had been during the swims. I have gotten much, much better since moving my office but the swim always makes me nervous.  I had done the practice swim the day before the race and it did not go well.  I had difficulty catching my breathe and became a bit panicked.  I had actually decided that if I did not feel comfortable swimming on race morning I may just withdrawal from the race.  I did not want to put myself in a position I would regret later or worse yet severely compromise my safety.

As I got ready in the hotel I decided not to race.  I brought my wetsuit and swim gear with me but was ready to tell the race director I was not racing.  I shared my concerns and decision with my friend Jeffrey Lancaster as we walked to transition area to get ready.  He tried to assure me that I would be fine and could do this swim.  For some reason I really feared this swim.  Maybe it was the cold water combined with the unknown "could I do this swim?", but I was really nervous.  Once we got to transition I spoke in more detail with my coach, Ashley Halsey, and another friend Nancy Hill.  Nancy looked me in the eye and sternly stated that "you are getting in that water!"  Ashley told me to remain calm and at least try to swim because he did not want me to be kicking myself 6 months from now for not at least trying.  It was Jeff, Nancy and Ashley that reassured me to at least get int the water and just see how it goes.  I decided to force myself to get into the water and see how I felt. I figured the stern tongue lashing from Nancy would be worse than the cold water :)  Thank you guys!  You had your own race to get ready for and I appreciate your help getting me focused.

So I preceded to get ready for the swim and move with the crowd over to the swim entrance area.  As I started to enter the water I saw many swimmers standing on a ledge at the waters edge walking to the swim start.  So rather than jumping into the water I walked along the edge and eventually did get into the water and just hung onto the wall to remain calm.  Now I tend to hang toward the back of the pack at an IM swim anyway.  An IM swim is a mass start swim.  The cannon goes off and a huge slug fest of arms hands and feet all start churning up the water.  If you are not careful you could get hurt at the start of the swim.  So I hang back a minute or two and slowly start the swim.  As 7am approached I will admit it that I was scared.  I was hoping I could breathe ok and I was hoping I could remain calm and get into a rhythm. 

At 7AM the cannon went off right above me.  The craziness had started.  I slowly made my way out past the start and just started swimming.  Boy was the water cold!  It took me a few minutes for my face and hands to adjust to the cold water.  The swim is a 2.4 mile swim, out and back.  You swim out about 1.2 miles turn left for 100 yds or so and turn left again and head back 1.2 miles to the swim exit.  My strategy was to keep the wall of the lake (to my right) within sight.  I figured if I had a problem during the swim I could swim to the wall and all would be ok.  I know it sounds crazy but the fact I could see that wall for the first part of the swim was very calming.  It allowed me to just keep moving forward and eventually I started to relax and breathe.  Since I was near the back anyway I never had more than a few people swimming near me.  I just kept moving forward and eventually reached the turn for the swim.  Once I made that turn and started heading back I knew I could finish.  We were swimming between two bridges that crossed over the lake.  On the way back I kept looking at the bridge I needed to swim under to get to the swim exit.  I was also starting to shiver a bit.  I could tell my body was getting cold because even though were are moving forward swimming I was starting to get cold.  It is an odd feeling.  I only had about a 1/2 mile to go when I started to feel the cold so I just kept moving forward.  That was my mantra on the swim, keep moving forward.  As I approached the end of the swim things got much more crowded.  We needed to make a left turn for the last 200yds to the finish and that was the most crowded part of the swim for me.

At this point I was still shivering but could see the swim exit steps and was swimming as fast as I could to get the heck out of the water.  The way this swim exit worked you actually had to be pulled up onto the ladder out of the water to be able to stand and climb out.  As I was approaching the ladder I was looking for the exit with the biggest guy standing there.  I had been in the water for an hour and forty five minutes so it takes a few seconds to get your balance when you get out.  So I was looking for big guy to haul my big butt out of the water.  It took two attempts but I did get up on the ladder and stood up and almost fell back into the water.  Once I got off the swim exit steps the first person I saw was Nancy Hill smiling.  Thanks again Nancy for not allowing the fear to overcome me!

Well I did not have the fastest swim in the world but my goal was 1:45 and I was out in about 1:46.  I was just thrilled it was over.  This was the most mentally challenging swim I have ever done.  I really did not think I could get in that water and stay calm.  I could  now get onto the bike, warm up and continue this race.

THE BIKE

Well after the swim the bike should be a piece of cake, right?  Well sort of.  The bike is three loops of about 37 miles each.  You leave downtown Tempe and make your way out to a 19 mile out and back that has a gradual uphill on the way out and a gradual downhill on the way back.  If the winds do not shift too much it could be a great ride.  The first loop was pretty uneventful.  We had ridden one loop of the course a couple of days before so we were familiar with what to expect.  But as on any race day, you cannot always prepare for the wind.  My goal was to finish the 112 mile bike as close to 6 hours as possible. 

On the first loop the wind was not too bad.  There was a bit of a head wind on the way to the 19 mile out and back.  On the gradual down hill back there was a nice tailwind which made for some fast points on the return leg.  At about 10 miles my bike computer totally failed.  A note to racers out there.  If you train using cadence or speed, prepare yourself if the computer fails.  Without any cadence or speed indicators I could only look at my heart rate and time.  I decided to just watch my heart rate and make the best of it.  I made my way back into town and was feeling pretty good.  I made the turn around with the crazy crowds and signs and actually heard Mike Reilly announce my name as I made the turn.  Pretty cool to see!  My first loop was about 2:15 minutes.  Slower than I had hoped but still ok.

On my second loop I started to feel a bit light headed an nauseous.  I don't know if I drank some of the not so clear lake water or what, but I was not felling the greatest.  There was also more of a headwind now.  I was just staying in my aero position with my head down and kept peddling.  Like the swim, I just wanted to keep moving forward.  It was also getting warmer.  Even though I did not have a speed indicator I knew I was slowing down from my first lap.  I had stopped at a couple of aid stations to fill my water bottles and to take on some food.  The few minutes of break time really helped.  I wasn't feeling the best and the extra time and food was good for me.  It felt like we were riding into the wind on the entire 2nd loop.  I drank about 6 water bottles on that second loop and had eaten a lot and I was starting to feel much better.  I finished the 2nd loop in about 2:25.  Still slower than I had hoped but ok.  At this point I decided to abandon any time goals I had set for the finish.  I had one loop to go and had almost 4 hours to finish the bike before the cutoff time.

The third loop was pretty uneventful.  Since I was not pushing for any specific time I was going to try and enjoy this last loop.  It again felt like the wind was in our face the entire loop.  I kept a nice steady pace and kept moving forward.  It felt much warmer on this loop and I could feel the heat on my back.  At this point the race course was not crowded as all.  I was able to take in in some of the sights of Arizona.  I was trying to take it in as much as possible.  As I came back to town on that last loop I knew unless there was a major problem I could finish in under 17 hours. Total time on the bike was just over 7 hours.

THE RUN

Now I am no runner so to call this a 26.2 mile run is a bit misleading.  My goal was to finish in the allotted time and make all the time cutoffs to continue.  During Ironman Florida in 2009 I got major blisters on my feet which made it very painful to run.  So my strategy going into this run was to make sure I kept my feet dry.  So as I transitioned from the bike to run I changed just about everything and put on dry socks. 

The run consists of three loops of about 8.5 miles around Tempe Town Lake.  It is a pretty nice run as you pass by the finish area on the first two laps and there is a huge crowd cheering you on.  I set on my first loop determined to run as much as I could.  I started out running for three minutes then walking for one minute.  I did this for the first 2 miles or so. At around mile two I saw Jeffrey Lancaster approaching on his second run loop.  (It was great to see a familiar face even if it was Jeff's).  I was felling pretty good at this point.  Jeff and I stayed together for a bit running and walking until he was ready to move on.  Jeff was having a good race and he was going to keep running.  I kept my run/walk plan in place until about mile 6 when I felt the blister on the bottom of my left foot.  It was starting to get painful to run so I found myself walking more.  Around this time Michael Marvin and Theresa SanLorenzo came past me.  They both looked great and were having great races.  They would both finish their first Ironman!  I also saw Bill Fader about this time and he was really moving.  Bill had a great race and became an Ironman with a sub 13 hour race time.

I was only walking at this point as the blister made it difficult to run.  I finished my first lap and came upon Ashley Halsey and Nancy Hill at the start of the 2nd loop.  I was glad to see them and they encouraged me to keep it up!  I continued walking the second loop of the run.  At this point most of the other racers are also walking and you see the same people around you.  It can be pretty lonely out on the race course at times and it is very peaceful.  There were a lot of people walking around me but we were all quiet.  I think we were all doing the math in our head to see if we could make it to the finish.  Toward the end of the second loop Ron Bowman caught up to me.  Ron and I walked for a bit.  I gave him some salt pills but he was able to run and went on ahead of me. 

I needed to make the start of the third loop by 10PM or they would not let you continue.  I made my start of the third loop at about 9PM giving myself three hours to go about 8.5 miles.  I knew I was going to finish!  I started talking with another racer, Randy.  Randy was 52 and this was his first Ironman.  He had 17 family and friends waiting for him at the finish.  He lived in Tempe only about a 1/2 mile from the race venue.  Randy had a GPS watch and for the next several miles we kept calculating our time and speed.  We were getting closer to the finish.  Randy was not doing very well so I decided to keep walking with him.  The last three miles he kept thanking me for staying with him because he "needed someone to push him to the finish".  I was glad to stay with him and I needed his help just as much.  I knew I was going to finish and I was calm but excited. 

As were getting to the finish I told Randy to go ahead of me and finish.  This was his first IM and  I was happy to let him go ahead of me.  He could not run so as we got to the turn for the finish, about 200 yds to go, I started to jog ahead.  One thing I was determined to do was to cross the finish line running.  I was unable to run across the line in Florida so I was going to finish running in Arizona.  My blister had finally popped so for that last 200 yds I was going to run! I took off on that last turn off the main running loop and headed up hill.  Yes the last 200 yds or so were up hill.  It seemed like a mountain to me.  You can now hear the crowd roaring, the music playing and see the bright lights.  I was having trouble running up the last hill so one of the volunteers grabbed my are and told me "to get up to the finish" where Mike Rowe would call my name.  I thought to myself Mike Rowe is here?  I thought his name was Mike Reilly.  Anyway, I made the final turn for the finish line chute and the crowd was amazing!  The video online does not convey how loud the finish area was.  People were screaming and banging the barriers, it was crazy!  There is nothing like the finish line at an Ironman race.  Truly unbelievable!  I had the last 50 yds of finish line all to myself and it was was awesome.  I heard Mike Reilly call my name (even though he mispronounced it) and YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.  I put my arms in the air and was thrilled to be finished.  I actually made the Ironman Arizona highlight video (at 9:21 of the video, here is a link to the video 2012 Ironman Arizona Race day video) with my arms raised.  At the finish line I saw Sandy Grovesner and Jeffrey Lancaster and told Jeffrey her was going to need to push me in a wheel chair in the airport. Thanks for being there guys!

At the finish line the "catchers" are there to make sure you are ok and they hand you your finisher shirt, hat and medal.  They then take your picture and you are officially done.  I found out a few minutes later that the person that put the medal around my neck was the women's race winner.  Pretty cool that the race winner would come back at 11PM and greet the last finishers.  All I wanted to do now was eat.  So I headed off to the food area and had some pizza. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was my third attempt at an Ironman and my second finish.  After a DNF in Wisconsin in 2011, a very busy year in 2012, and the breathing problems I have been working through, I am thrilled I finished.  I was only able to complete 75% of my training schedule. With life, work and kids it is just not possible for me to train 20 hours a week.  I tried to make the best use of my time with the goal to finish.  My finish time ultimately was not important.  I over came my severe anxiety over the swim and finished!  Even though it was the slowest race I have ever done it was the most fun and rewarding. 

It is official - Ironman Wisonsin 9/11/2011

Well I have done it. I have signed up for my second Ironman triathlon. This time I am heading west to Wisconsin. This is going to be a great time. The first time IM jitters will be gone. My triathlon club (Annapolis Triathlon Club or ATC) has 20 members signed up for the race. I have a year to prepare and unlike last year when training for IM Florida, I will have plenty of training partners.

2010 Nations Triathlon - You have to love the rain!

Well after 21 days with no rain, Mother nature decided she would let the rain come down on Sunday September 12th. The weather reports called for light rain and when I woke up at 4am and it was pouring, I was a bit surprised.

I was driving down to the race with Gus Curtin and we got downtown about 5:30am and had no trouble finding parking. We walked over to transition and started to hear the announcer telling everyone to expect more rain. About 6am the rain started. It poured for about 1/2 hour and made the transition area a muddy mess. As we stood there waiting for the rain to stop it was fun to meet several racers from other parts of the country. I was also thinking to myself that I must be crazy standing here in the rain at 6am waiting to punish my body for the next 3 hours. It would have been easy to not race, especially since my training has been very spotty this summer. I have been pretty busy with work and the training has suffered. But I was there and I was going to race!

The Swim

The swim was pretty uneventful. The staging area for the swim was better organized this year with signs marking the wave times and swim cap colors. The race was delayed by 25 minutes because of the rain, so my wave started about 8:25am. Since the water temp. was 75 degrees it was a wetsuit legal race.

I entered the water and started to tread water waiting for the start. I was a bit concerned because my wrist was still sore from my fall on the bike last week. As I was treading water my wrist was starting to hurt and I thought I was in for a long day. The horn blew and we were off. I took a few strokes and tried to find a clear path to swim. As many triathletes know, sometimes the swim is like a boxing match. I was determined to find a clear path and keep away from elbows and fists. At about 100 meters my goggles started to fill with water. Not a lot of water but enough to slosh around my eyes. I decided not to stop and just kept moving forward.

The swim course had the best markers I have ever seen in a race. The course was marked every 100 meters and the markers must have been 5 feet off the water. It was great to know exactly how much further you had to go. As I made the turn at the 600 meter mark the swim course got much more crowded. I just stayed to the outside and kept a nice calm pace. My wrist was doing ok and my breathing was in check. I was actually feeling pretty good!

I made the last turn with 100 meters to go to the finish and now it was an all out slug fest. People were punching and pulling at my legs and just flat out banging. It made for an interesting finish.

I exited the water and checked my watch and I was about a minute faster than last year and felt pretty good. I then started on the loooong run to transition. It had to be 200 yds of running on the street, wet grass and then the slippery mud. I saw Tucker Hite and Jeff Jacobsen as I exited the swim and their wave hadn't even started yet. I also saw Ashley Halsey standing in a prime spot for picture taking. All in all I was pleased with my swim.

The Bike

With the rain and the warnings about standing water on the bike course, I made the decision to be a bit more conservative out on the bike. I do have to work and provide for my family and the last thing I need is to get injured. I am a big guy and when big guys fall, we fall hard. Heck, I almost broke my wrist falling in a parking lot! After all we do this for fun right?

I actually had to carry my bike out of my row because of the mud and standing water. I made the run to the bike exit and onto the bike course and I was off.

The bike course was different this year with more slow turns. The pouring rain didn't make it any easier. I do not like riding in the rain and I wasn't really paying attention to my speed. I was watching my cadence and trying to watch the road ahead. I was wearing clear lenses in my riding glasses and the water was just dripping off. I was trying to ride on the right and avoid any standing water and potholes. At about 3 miles I saw the first of probably a dozen people with flat tires. I don't know why but there were a bunch of flat tires.

The rain was coming down pretty hard for the first 15 miles. It was also pretty breezy. The worst part of riding in the rain is the spray from the other bikes around you. I just kept my head up trying to clear my glasses every few minutes. The new bike course seemed to spread the riders out more. With the weather conditions as they were, the other riders were pretty considerate. This was not my fastest bike ride but I was pleased I finished without a flat and up on two wheels. My avg. speed came to 19.2 mph. Not as fast as some of the crazy ATC crabs (Glenn, Jeff & Lise), but fast enough for me.

The Run

I am not going to write much about the run. The run for me is more like a jog. I tried to keep a nice even pace and not worry about everyone passing me (I am used to that now). The run course was also different this year and I really liked it. We ran the first two miles on the street and right around the Washington Monument. We then entered West Potomac Park for the last 4 miles. It was a pretty flat run and nicely supported.

I was wearing the new ATC bike jersey and I had more people yelling support than at any race I have done. I heard "Go Maryland" and "Go Terps" at least 20 times on the run. I didn't mind as I am a proud Terp. I think the new look was very well received.

I have been trying not to focus so much on my time in races this year and just enjoy the race. Even though my time was slower this year I enjoyed the run. Lise flew past me and so did Susan near the finish, but I was glad to see them doing so well and looking strong. As I approached the finish I saw Ashley again with his camera and I tried to smile for a picture. The crowd was great and again heard the "Go Maryland" loud and clear. I had a nice strong push to the finish.

After the finish I started looking for the ATC tent. I found the tent and saw Glenn, Gus, Kate and Steve. I immediately signed up for a massage and went to look for some food. (Unfortunately I was not able to get a massage since Glenn took so long) :)

This was my second Nations triathlon and I thought this years race was better organized even with the rain and the delay. But this is a BIG race with a lot of people. I am going to skip the race next year, but I will be back to do it again.

2010 Dragonfly Sprint - Chestertown, MD....Another hot one without a wetsuit!

Well another triathlon is finished. This was my 15th. The more sprint races I do the more I like them. Once again the conditions were HOT, HOT, HOT! Saw (and met) some ATC members pre and post race. Got to meet Tor's wife and hang out a bit after the race with him and his family. Also so Brie on her comeback tour, Lara and Natalie and a couple of others from Annapolis. Also met another racer from Edgewater that had been thinking of joining ATC but just a little nervous about coming to a group bike or T3 etc. For all you new members reading this, start coming to some of the ATC training rides, meetings and especially the group open water swims. The open water swims have done the most to help me over the past year. You will meet some great people and you will improve! On to the race.....

THE SWIM

The water temp. was over 80 degrees, so no wetsuit. There was some confusion about this with the Clydesdale division, but I decided from the beginning to not wear my wetsuit. I am getting better and better swimming in the open water WITHOUT a wetsuit. That crutch we all use (know as a wetsuit) is easier to get rid of the more and more I swim in the open water. This was a pretty fast, short swim. It was basically a swim to a buoy, a quick turn around and back to the swim exit. There was a bit of a current going out. Once again I started out a bit to fast and had to slow to get my HR down on the way out. I calmed down made the turn and then started moving to the swim finish with the current helping me along. I actually passed a bunch of people on the return leg, which for me is a bit unusual. I need to give a shout out to David Wendkos. During my last OWS he pointed out a flaw in my stroke and once I remembered to do what he told me, I actually felt much smoother in the water and was definitely moving quicker. I need to practice a bit more, but thanks Dave!! I finished in about 15 minutes, but cost myself at least a minute when I slowed down. I was still very happy with my time.

Leaving the water we had to a climb up a ladder out of the water and run 50yds run to transition. Since my feet are still recovering from the blisters I got doing Eagleman I had placed some Crocs near the swim exit for my run to transition. I'm glad I did! I got to transition and made a quick getaway on the bike. Without having to get out of a wetsuit, transition was a breeze.

THE BIKE

The bike was a fairly flat 8.1 miles out, turn around and come 8.1 miles back. There were a couple of small hills but nothing to worry about. The ride was much like Lums Pond. There was a headwind on the way out. That wind was at our back after the turn around and I really picked up some time on the return leg. At about 7.5 miles the first racer came past me on his return leg. I counted 26 other racers before I made the turn around. There were several groups of riders (I'm sure none were drafting) but I was alone. After I made the turn around I wanted to catch some of those guys (and girls). I was able to catch and pass (7) riders during the last eight miles. It felt great because I am usually the one being caught and passed. I don't know my "official" pace but I finished right about 50 minutes on the bike. I felt very good coming off the bike but now the fun was going to start.

THE RUN

So first the good news. I was able to run the entire race with no pain! No new blisters and no cramping. The bad news(at least for me) is I am still a terribly slow runner. I was watching my HR on the run since it was so hot. My heart rate kept getting up there and my watch was beeping like crazy. So I did have a couple of stretches that I slowed down to get my HR in check. It was a short run with no shade and a small hill at the turn around. As usual I had a bunch of people pass me on the run. I don't like it, but I have come to accept that my ancestors were not runners. I must have come from a flat footed tribe of slow pokes. For me finishing the run, actually running, is a victory. I finished the run in about 34 minutes which is slower than I wanted, but I was in fact running and not walking across the finish line. I did see Brie, Tor, Lara and Natalie (as she sprinted past me) on the run. And while we all were hot, non of us gave up.


My overall time goal was 1:45 and I finished in 1:43:36. I was hoping for a top 3 finish in my division since the big name Clydesdale (Glenn Atewell & Jeff Jacobson) would be absent. I was able to finish 2nd in the Clydesdale division, which may never happen again. My wife and daughter were able to come to the race but missed my finish. They are used to me pulling up the rear of the field and by the time they got to the finish line I was already done. They thought I had gotten injured or something when they didn't see me at the usually 2 hour mark.

This was a fun race. I had forgotten how much fun the sprint races can be. And not having to pre rack your bike or race against 1500 others was nice. This race will definitely be on my list for next year.

2010 Eagleman 70.3 race report...can you say tough!

Well I finished my first Eagleman 70.3. I was the last Clydesdale (over 200lbs) to finish. My unofficial time was 8:09:48. Of the approximate 2500 entrants, only 1558 finished. I don't know if all 2500 started the race, but over 900 people didn't finish! So, even though my time was nowhere near my personal goal, I am happy I finished. Of the 15 triathlons I have completed this was the toughest. Even tougher than Ironman Florida I completed in November.

Swim

Well the day started off with a big twist. No wetsuits allowed! For many people this caused great angst. For me my wetsuit is like my security blanket. I know I don't really need it, but I like to have it for the swims because I know if I run into a problem it will help me stay afloat. The swims are faster with a wetsuit, so I knew my swim time would be slower than I planned. I no longer fear swimming in open water. I still get a bit nervous but I have really learned to relax before the swims and not start out too fast. This race was no different.

We had to enter the water at a boat ramp and swim out about 50 yds in between two walls. Well let me tell you, that was worse than any swim start. The bumping and hitting each other was crazy in my swim wave. Once we cleared the boat ramp I found a nice clear spot near the back and just waited for the horn.

The horn blew and 248 swimmers in my wave were off. I was about 10 minutes into the swim when I realized I wasn't moving very fast. The current was strong. It was like swimming on a treadmill. I kept looking for the first yellow marker and thinking to myself "is the marker moving". Once I passed the first two yellow markers I started looking for the orange turn bouy at the approximate 1/2 mile mark. Well I would like to make a request to the race organizer. Please don't use a swim cap that is the same color as the turn buoy! My cap was orange so every time I looked I could see 100 orange things bobbing in the water. Eventually I could see the first turn buoy so I just kept swimming and breathing. I reached the 2nd turn buoy and finally thought I would have the current push me back to the finish. Didn't happen! I still kept swimming and breathing and staying calm and relaxed. At that 2nd turn I did see several people walking in the water. While I was going to keep swimming, I knew that if I needed to, I could stand. I finally could see the swim exit and the people cheering. I also started to have leg cramps. I guess without a wetsuit you use your legs more and when I stood up to exit, the muscles in my legs just tightened up. I am by no means an expert swimmer, far from it. If I could give anyone some advice about open water swimming it would be to stay calm and relaxed. Although my time wasn't great, I was pleased to have done my longest open water swim without a wetsuit.

Total swim time 53:06
T1 time 2:45 slow by some standards but good for me.

Bike

I had ridden the bike course a couple of weeks ago and had a nice 3hr ride. When I came out of transition I knew I needed to stay hydrated. My swim time had been about ten minutes slower than anticipated and I was already a bit dehydrated. What I realize now, that I didn't realize during the race, was that the effort to swim without the wetsuit took more out of me than I had imagined.

The first 30 miles of the ride were pretty uneventful except for the near collision with a squirrel at about 5 miles. I tell my clients all the time that if you are driving and an animal runs in front of you it is always better to hit the animal than to swerve off the road and crash and hit a tree. Well the same rule applies on a bike. When that squirrel ran in front of me I had a split second to swerve or hit the squirrel. I was not going to swerve. That fast little squirrel had some quick moves and and came about 4 inches from having his life ended by a 250lb Clydesdale on triathlon bike.

On the bike I was trying my best to keep drinking fluid and eating. Around 40 miles or so I started to feel the effects of the heat and the wind. The effects of the heat and wind didn't hit me all at once, but seemed to be a cumulative effect. I noticed my speed and cadence were slowing. It was at this point I was wishing I had my drafting buddy (Michael Marvin) in front of me to give me break. My legs were hurting and could start to see the sunburn on my arms (I did use sunscreen but not enough). This is the start of the next mental phase of my race. The wind was really in my face now and I just put my head down and kept grinding on the peddles. About this time I saw Jeff Jacobsen fly past me on the bike. He was going strong and it actually help me. I started to pick up my pace a bit. I wanted have strong finish to the bike. The last 5 miles were a blur. I was feeling a bit light headed and needed some cold water. I was also starting to have a blister form on the bottom of my left foot. This has been a problem for me and I really need to find a fix. My bike time was slower than I was hoping, but I finished.

Bike time 3:17:02
t2 9:59 really slow, but let me explain.

My t2 was a perfect example of what not to do. First of all, I was was not able to run my bike in transition. I just felt really light headed and hot. I had planned to take my time and make sure I had Vaseline on my feet and I wanted to put dry socks on. I have a blistering problem in the longer races and was hoping this would help. I was seeing sun burn so I reapplied my sun screen. I also needed to pee. I mean really bad. But I went the wrong direction to the port a potty and had to backtrack. Then after the port a potty I tried to wash my hands (why I don't know) and for some reason rubbed my eye. Well I don't know if it was sunscreen or soap but I couldn't see. I came stumbling out of the john and had to walk back to my transition area to get my towel to try and clear my eyes. The entire time there was a volunteer yelling at me that I was going the wrong way.

This is when I really thought about withdrawing from the race. I was right next to guy who had just done so. I was hot, queasy and had sunscreen burning in my eyes. It is the closest I have ever come to giving up. I actually sat down on the ground. In that moment, I thought about my daughter tracking me online. I was thinking that I could not let her see me give in. I at least had to start the run. If I could not finish the run that would be ok, at least I tried. So with that I was off to the run. All that happened in 9:59.

Run

I left transition to head out for the run and heard and saw Ashley and Ellen. Thanks guys! I was still pretty hot and not feeling that good. I ran about 1/2 mile and needed to walk to get me heart rate down and cool down. I run with a water bottle and I did pour the water on my head but it didn't help much. I started to run again but every time I started to run I would get queasy and and nauseous. When I hit the 2nd aid station they had crackers. I had four crackers and within 5 minutes started to feel a bit better. I was getting water and ice at every chance I could. The neighborhood around the race was incredible. Several parties were going on and the homeowners had their hoses out to spray and cool the racers down. When I got the first "hose down" it really helped. At about 2.5 miles you leave the neighborhood and enter what I would call "death valley". My dreaded blister had formed at this point and I was now walking more than running. I saw Glenn Atwell about this time heading back and asked him how far to the turn around. His response was "I don't know but it is pretty far". I knew I was in trouble.

It was HOT, HOT, HOT. I had to mentally shift from finish in under 7 hours, to just finishing. I knew I had 8:30 to finish the race and I figured even if I had to limp my way back to the finish, I would finish. I had no idea how much the heat can take out of you. I had at least one water bottle at every water stop and my legs were still cramping. I was starting to feel light headed again so I ended up eating some bananas and cookies at the aid stations. I made the 6.5 mile turn around and new I would finish under the cutoff. On the way back I saw Michael Marvin and Fletcher Bauman. We were all suffering the same fate. Heat and cramping. I kept my head down and just kept moving forward.

At mile 8 another problem crept up on me. The insole of my left shoe kept bunching up and pushing on the arch of my foot. I had to take my shoe off every 100yds to fix the insole. After the 10th time I finally just took the insole out and kept walking with an ill footing shoe. I don't know what is going on with my feet and shoes, but I need to get this worked out.

I had planned to try and run (or jog slowly) for the last three miles. Well that didn't work. Every time I started to pick up the pace, my entire lower body would cramp up. So I just kept walking as fast as I could. With about 1/2 mile to go Michael Marvin caught up to me. He was able to walk at a faster pace than me and he went ahead. Finally with about a 1/4 mile to go the blister on my left foot popped and I had a pain shoot up my foot that stopped me right on the spot. I though I might have to hop across the finish line. I was determined to run across the finish line! So I came into the chute to the finish line and I heard the announcer talking about a finisher right before me that had been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer one year earlier. Incredible. Well I managed to run across the line and as I hit the timing mat my legs cramped again and I was done.

Run time 3:45:58

I'm glad I did the race and glad I finished. But this a was tough, tough race. A heat index of 101 is hot. I was not prepared for the how the hot conditions would affect me. I treat every race as a learning experience. And this was no different. I should have eaten more and did a bit more run training. The racers that do this race in 4-5 hours are incredible! Not sure I will do this race next year but I am happy to be able to check the "finished" box on my "bucket" list.

Nanticoke Sprint Triathlon May 2, 2010 Race report!

My 2010 race season started on Sunday May 2, 2010 with the Nanticoke Sprint Triathlon. I did this race 2 years ago and at the last minute decided to do it in 2010.

I arrived early for the race since this is the only race I have done that does not have assigned spaces to rack your bike. I wanted to get a good spot and I did. When I got there the wind was blowing, it was cold and the waves were huge.....

Ok, the weather and conditions were great, it just sounds tougher if the conditions are bad.

I eventually saw Gus Curtin. It is always nice to see a familiar face and have someone to talk with when you are by yourself at a race. I also met Brian (new crab), his brother and another friend. Wearing the ATC race jersey makes it easy to find some friends. Anyway onto the race.

Swim

The water and conditions were really pretty good. Nothing like it was two years ago when there were waves rolling in. Pretty flat water and about 65 degrees. I am a slower swimmer in a pool and it seems to always take me a while to get going at a decent pace. This race was no different and when you add 75 men in a narrow channel it can get physical. The swim out to the turn around would have seemed pretty straight forward but the channel is pretty narrow so on the way out we actually encountered the first wave coming back to the swim exit. So I had about 100 yds I had to swim with my head up to avoid a collision. Once I made the turn around I had the same problem with the wave after me heading towards me. So I again was swimming with my eyes ahead of me. Once I got to about 30o yds to go I was able to get into a nice groove and pass a bunch of other swimmers. I am sure I had a negative split on the 2nd half of the swim. Even with the oncoming swimmers it was still a decent swim and nothing like my swim the first time I did the race 2 years ago. Swim time 18:08

Bike

This is a flat fast course. I have grown to really like the bike leg of the races. I have also spent a bunch of time on the trainer this year hoping to improve my cycling. I felt great on the bike and after about a mile or so just put my head down, kept my cadence up and just peddled as fast as I could. There was a bit of wind on a couple of sections but nothing to bad. My goal was to try and complete the bike in under 45 minutes. I was close to that but I also got past the elusive 20mph barrier in a race. Bike time 45:07 @ 20.2mph

Run

Awe yes, the run. The fear of every big man. I have been working at getting faster on the run. I have very modest running goals, less than 10 minutes per mile. I came off the bike and was having some cramping in my calves and it took a few minutes to get loosened up. The run was pretty flat but there was no shade. As Gus mentioned in his report the sun was out. Yes you can get a sunburn in only 30 minutes of running. I have a red ring around the top of my head (were the visor didn't cover) to prove this. I saw Gus on his return loop of the run and he was moving! I normally get passed by a bunch of people during the run and this race was no different. But I did finish at a 9:55 pace. That is slow by many standards, but for this 41 yr old 250lb man it was a blistering pace. Run time 29:43

Total race time 1:37:03

Overall I am glad I did the race and I was pleased with my result. I took off over 25 minutes from my total time from two years ago and I felt much better after the race. For the first race of the year it felt great!

Let the season begin!!!

The long winter is over and the first race of the season is this weekend 5/2/10. This has been a tough winter and off season. I have trained much more this year than last. Hours in the pool, on the bike trainer and on the treadmill will hopefully get me off to a much better start to the race season this year.

I will be going back to the Nanticoke sprint triathlon. This was the very first race I ever attempted 2 years ago. It is also the the one and only race I ever considered quitting. When I look back on it now it seems like so long ago. But in 18 months I went from almost quitting my first race to completing an Ironman. It really is pretty amazing. The Nanticoke is a nice early season sprint. The swim almost did me in the first time. My swimming has improved tremendously since then. I am really looking forward to the race and putting in a strong effort.

No Ironman for me in 2010

I have made the decision to not do the Ironman Louisville race in 2010. I hope to do it at some point and a number of friends form the Annapolis Triathlon Club (ATC) will be there so I am disappointed that I won't be there. Training for an Ironman distance race takes a lot of time. I have had some major changes in my business this year and training for sprint races has been difficult. I didn't want to commit to the race (and pay the entry fee) and then have to back out for lack of training. So the plan is for another Ironman in 2011, possibly Wisconsin. There are plenty of races closer to home that I can race in this summer.

My daughter is also getting excited about doing a few races this summer. There are four or five races we are looking at and she really wants to enter an Ironkids event. It should be a fun summer!!

Winter training blues and crappy weather!!

I used to wonder why when people retired, they always moved to Florida during the winter months. Well, as I have gotten older I like the cold winter weather less and less and I can now understand the draw to a warmer climate. To make matters worse, we have been experiencing a really brutal winter.

Those in the Northeast now what I am talking about. The winter training has been, swimming, bike trainer workouts and treadmill runs. If can get very boring especially on the bike trainer. I just keep telling myself that spring will be here soon and the first race of the season won't be far behind! That is when the fun starts.

So what now?

Will it has been over 4 weeks since Ironman Florida. The night of the race I told my wife that I was probably done with the Ironman distance races. Well after a good night sleep I had a 14 hour drive home the next day that gave me plenty of time to reflect on the race and what had happened. I try to use every race as a learning experience. I either learn something positive or negative and I try to take that information to better myself. What I learned at IMFL:

1) I in need to not forget my socks and put vasaline(or some other lubricant) on the bottom of my feet when I am going to bike or run really long distances.
2) I need to train harder on the bike.
3) Staying calm in the water really works.
4) Your nutrition plan is just as important as your race plan (or they should go hand in hand). My nutrition plan went great.

I am going to do another Ironman race. I'm am not sure it will be in 2010. What I learned this year can only help me get better. A bunch of friends from the Annapolis Triathlon Club are going to do Ironman Louisville 2010, so who knows. They are also talking about putting a group together to do Ironman Wisconsin in 2011.

I just started training again but it has been tough but it felt good to get back in the pool and on the treadmill. The weather has been terrible and it is tough to get motivated to workout around the holidays. If I can get by the next couple of weeks and get back into a routine I should be fine. I am going to really step up my training on the run and bike.

I have a busy race schedule planned for next year. This is the tentative schedule:

5/16/10 Cascade Lake sprint
5/23/10 Columbia Triathlon Oly.
6/13/10 Eagleman 1/2 Ironman
6/27/10 Columbia sprint race (new in 2010)
7/10/10 Mussleman (NY) 1/2 Ironman
8/15/10 Lums Pond sprint
8/29/10 Ironman Louisville (maybe)
9/12/10 Nations Triathlon Oly.
10/3/10 The Half Full Tri (70 mile race new in 2010)

In addition my daughter wants to do a few kids races. So we should have a 2010 summer packed full of triathlon.

Cool video

This is a video I found posted on another blog I follow. It is a little dramatic but it does sum up how I feel. I am already planning my Next Ironman!

2009 Ironman Florida Race Report part 3

THE RUN

Now I am not a runner. I had a knee injury this summer and my body was just no built to run. Throughout the day I had been keeping to my race plan of keeping myself hydrated and fed on the bike, and keeping my hear rate in check while not killing myself on the bike. I had met both of my time goals on the swim and bike and I was feeling pretty good. My neck and shoulders were now feeling much better and my feet were getting some feeling back.

When I was starting my run the ladies 1st place finisher was just crossing the finish line. The crowd was going crazy. I could not believe how many people were at the finish line. It was like a giant street party. I started to run and figured if I could run close to my training pace I would be fine. Except for my feet, I was feeling pretty good. At the first aid station I did have to hit the porta jon. I had been drinking so much I figured it was about time. At about 5 miles Nancy Cooper and I passed each other. Although Nancy wasn't feeling well she was having a great race. Right after I saw Nancy I had to stop and walk for a moment. I was starting to feel some blisters forming on the bottoms of both of my feet. So my plan was to start running for 10 minutes and walking for 5 minutes.

At this point I was walking next to a guy named Todd. He was from Florida and we started talking and we were both doing our first Ironman. I told him my feet were hurting and what my plan was. He said that sounded good so for the next 7 miles (the first loop of the marathon) we ran and walked. I think my pace for that 1st loop was about 13 minutes a mile. I told Todd at the end of that first loop that I had to stop running. I could tell I had blisters on the bottom of both of my feet and I was really hurting.

What I haven't mentioned to this point is the crowd support and the aid stations on the run. It was unbelievable. Especially closer to the finish it was like a big party. Music was playing and everyone is cheering. There was one house that had a bunch of men and women dancing in costumes. Another aid station was set up like an army hospital. They called it the MASH aid station and it was complete with an old army jeep and they were all dressed in green army fatigues. They even had the theme song from MASH playing. There was even a guy with a keg of beer handing out cups of beer. And these people were out there all night.

Right before the first loop turn around I saw Neil Cooper. He was walking with someone and looking pretty good. After I saw him I started to pick up my walking pace a bit. I wanted to catch up to Neil. I caught up to Neil at around mile 14. Neil was walking with a guy named Jason from Dallas, Texas. Jason was hurting and Neil was walking with him. Jason was 26 years old and Neil was helping him get to the finish! For the next 5 miles or so I walked with Neil and Jason. During such a long day it really helps when you have someone to walk with when you are not feeling the best. I could tell Neil was hurting a bit but he just kept plugging along asking Jason every few minutes how he was doing. We eventually saw Nancy again and she was heading for her best finish. Way to Nancy!!

At about mile 19 we had to enter a park for a loop and head back into town. At this point the park was pitch black. I mean it was dark. I was clear and cool and and I could see tons of stars. Neil told me if I wanted to go ahead of him to go. I was able to walk at a little faster pace at this point. So Neil and I shook hands and he congratulated me and I went ahead. I felt a bit guilty about leaving him. I know he didn't need me to finish, but part of me wanted to stay back there with him and Jason.

As you leave the park you have a final 6 mile push to the finish. The run course is pretty empty now. Compared to earlier there are maybe 200-300 people still left out on the course. I was amazed that there were still people sitting in the front yards clapping for every one. It seemed like the last 3 miles took forever. As I walked thru the final neighborhood back to the main finish area I kept having to walk over speed bumps. The speed bumps are what hurt my feet the most as I had to put pressure right on the ball of my foot. After what seemed like 10 speed bumps I could finally start to hear the music and crowd at the finish line. All the spectators left on the course are congratulating you and giving you high fives, as they know you are going to finish.

One of the thing I kept telling myself is that I wanted to have enough energy left to run to the finish line. So with about 200 yds to go I tried to run again. Now after walking for 13 miles I had stiffened up a bit and I still could not put an real pressure on my feet, especially my left foot. I kept trying to run but I just couldn't. As I was getting closer the finish line there was a guy running behind me and the time was approaching 16 hours. I slowed down a bit to let him pass. I wanted to cross the line by myself. Now my original time goal was 14:30. When that time past, I was thinking 15 hours. Now the clock was at 15:57 and I told myself I was going to make it under 16 hours. I picked up my pace for that last 200 yards to make it under the 16 hour mark. I entered the finish chute and tried one last time to run and I took two steps and just had to stop. So I walked across the finish line. I never heard my name called and I don't remember the crowd cheering and I had no idea were the camera was. I had this plan before the race that I would be pumping my fist or jump up and down or something at the finish. But all I could think about at that moment was I hope I didn't look ridiculous. I was thrilled I had finished, but really disappointed I had to walk across the finish line. But I finished and I am now and and forever an official Ironman finisher!

At the finish there are people there to grab you and hold you up. I felt ok physically, except for my feet. They gave me my medal and asked what size shirt I wear and handed me a shirt, hat and one of those silver blanket things. They then walk you over to a place to have your picture taken. Then it was over to the medical tent. I had my feet checked out, the blisters popped and cleaned and relaxed a bit. When I was in the medical tent I heard the announcer call out Neil Copper's name. I wanted to be out there when he finished but they were still working on my feet. Sorry I missed you Neil, but I did cheer for you in the tent. After about 25 minutes getting my feet fixed up I was looking for some food as I could smell the pizza.

I saw Neil and Nancy sitting at a table and we just sat there eating our pizza looking very tired. After all that, we then had to go pick up all of our gear and bikes back at the transition. So we had to walk about 1/2 mile back to transition, get 3 big bags of gear and our bikes and then walk back to the condo. This is not an easy thing to do! Neil ended up riding his bike back to the condo so Nancy and I walked back.

As we were passing the finish line to head back the 17 hour mark was approaching. We could see the last few runners coming towards us. It was now 16:57 into the race and a woman was coming down the road so Nancy said she wanted to wait and cheer her into the finish. After nearly 17 hours of calling out names the announcer came running out into the street with his microphone. He started running with her calling out her name with microphone in hand. She was going to be the final official finisher. The crowd was going crazy. Well that lady, whoever she was, was almost sprinting to the finish. She came around the final turn to the finish chute with about 30 seconds to go. We were all screaming now and she sprinted to the finish in 16:59:43. She had 17 seconds to spare. It was awesome to see!

My final official time was 15:58:17.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When I called my wife after the race I told her I was going to be retiring from Ironman distance races and I no longer had a desire to run a marathon. Somehow I probably knew that wasn't true. I am already planning for my next Ironman!! If it wasn't for my feet I think I would have had the perfect first Ironman. I never even considered that something like blisters could slow me down so much. Before the race I was most concerned about how my altered internal anatomy would affect my nutrition and hydration during the race. Well, that turned out not to be a problem at all. I was right on target for my HR, cadence on the bike and pace on the swim. I had no stomach issue at all and felt pretty good the entire race. I do need to work to improve my performance on the bike. I think I will be spending more time cycling and less time running for my next race. I want to again thank everyone for your support especially Neil and Nancy Cooper. This has been a great triathlon year for me. I finished all 6 of my races this year and met some great people. The ATC has been great and the open water swims helped my confidence tremendously. So the 2009 race year is over for me. I am going to take some time off of training for now and start planning for 2010. I have (7) races planned including two 1/2 Ironman events. And who knows I may even be crazy enough to go for another Ironman.

2009 Ironman Florida Race report Part 2

112 Mile Bike

As you leave the transition area we had to ride thru about 50 yard of barricades to get to the road. Ashley has told me to run past the bike mount line to avoid a crowd of people getting on their bikes. So I walked my bike about 20 yds past the other racers and got on my bike. My plan for the day was to take things calm and steady and not rush anything. So I didn't see the need to be running everywhere during transition. With a 112 miles, my strategy was to pace myself for the 1st half of the bike and see how I felt for the 2nd half of the bike. I have talked with several Ironman finishers and they all said to not blow up on the bike. So I was going to keep my heart rate between 130-140 bpm (zone 2) and make sure I could finish the bike. Let face it, I am 6'3" and weigh 240lbs and it takes a lot of energy to keep moving.

The first ten miles or so we were riding along the beach. As soon as I got out onto the road I noticed that my bike computer was not working properly. My cadence was working but my speed and mileage were not registering (cadence is the measure of how fast you are peddling the bike. I was targeting a cadence of 80-85). I decided to stop and try to see if I could fix the computer. I figured my sensor had moved and I could fix it. So I stopped and within 2 minutes had it working again. I had planned most of my nutrition and hydration plan based on time and mileage and I needed to know how far I had traveled. So I was glad to get everything working.

As I started the ride the wind was not that bad. After about ten miles we changed direction and the wind was now coming from the right. This first part of the bike was in total sun with no shade at all. There were also miles of rolling hills. They were really what you would call false flats. The road looks flat but it is really going slightly up hill. One of the things about flat road courses is that you really never get a chance to rest. If you have some hills on a course you get a chance every once in a while to coast and rest your legs. There was very little opportunity to rest especially on the first half of the course.

At about 20 miles we made a right turn. At the turn there was a race official yelling "get ready for the headwind". Did I mention that the bike ride was windy. Now this is just my observation, and other racers may have a different opinion, but I thought the wind was tough. My average speed was dropping and the wind would not let up. Because everyone was slowing down there were big packs of riders riding together. Drafting on the bike is not allowed in most triathlons, but I will tell you there were many people drafting. Whether this was intentional or not, I don't know, but people were riding 5-10 in a row. I did not want to draft. I am not racing against anyone but myself and whatever time advantage I may get is just not worth it to me. There were race official giving out time penalties for drafting and there were plenty of people serving penalties.

There were aid stations about every 10 miles on the bike course. At about 50 miles the bike special needs area was set up. This is the area where we could get our special needs bag that we had dropped of earlier in the morning. There are special needs bags on the bike and run. This is a bag you could fill with whatever you might think you will need for the rest of the bike or run. I had put 2 PB&J sandwiches, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2 and an extra tube and CO2 cartridge (in case I had a flat tire. I also had 2 tubes on the bike with me). I ate one of the sandwiches replaced the bottles and was off.

Once we left the special needs area we made a right turn and the wind died down a bit. To be honest with you the next twenty or so miles are just a blur. I was just down on the aerobars grinding away on the pedals. There is really nothing to look at and the bikes had spread out so I was by myself for most of this leg.

When I hit mile 70 I was pretty happy. Then I did the math in my head and realized I still had 42 miles to go. It was also at this point that we hit some really rough roads. There were large cracks in the road every 10 yards or so and there were water bottles and bike parts all over the road. I had to keep standing up on the large cracks because I was worried I might get a flat tire. This was also this point when my shoulders, neck and the bottom of my feet began to hurt. I had experienced the neck pain before on my longer rides. I knew it was from staying in the aero position straining my neck to look forward. But I had not experienced the foot pain before. It was like the bottoms of both of my feet were going numb. I made the decision that I would have to stop at the next aid station, unclip from the bike and take off my bike shoes.

At this point we had to make a right turn for a 4.5 mile ride out to a turn around. This section was tough. The road again turned really rough and my feet were hurting more. We also turned right into a head wind again. My speed dropped to 12-13 mph for the next 4 miles. This is when the mental part of the race really started. Ashley had told my there would come a point were I would have to mentally tough it out. This was it for me. I still had almost 40 miles to go and I was starting to hurt. I made the turn around and the aid station was right there. I stopped and got off the bike and just took a few minutes to collect myself and move my feet around with my shoes off. Stopping really helped so I decided I would do the same thing at all the remaining aid stations. I was watching my elapsed race time and I knew I was on pace to finish the bike in 6 to 7 hours, so a few lost minutes at each rest area would be OK.

Now the best thing about that turn around point is that I now had the wind at my back. We were now entering a stretch of road I had read about. From about mile 75 to mile 90 the wind was at my back and the road was finally smooth and going a bit downhill. I was able to use my weight to my advantage and post some much faster speeds. I think my top speed during this stretch was about 34 mph.

At the 90 mile mark we hit our last aid station. It was at this point I had my "pay it forward" moment of the race. When I stopped at this station there was a fellow racer on the side of the road standing next to his bike. His wheel was off and he had a flat tire. He had a set of Zipp 808 deep dish wheels (I have the same wheels and they require a tire tube with an extra long stem) and his spare tube had a tear at the valve stem. He said he had been waiting for about an hour for race support to come and help him. He asked me if I had tube with a long valve stem that he could have. I had two extra tubes on the bike with me and I thought that my chances of getting two flats in the next 22 miles were pretty small so I gave him the tube, told him to have a good finish and I was off. We were both out there trying to finish and I would hope someone would help me if I needed it.

For the next 10 miles the road was the smoothest of the race as it had just been repaved a couple of days before. Again the mental toughness had to kick in. My feet were really hurting me now, my cycling computer was going crazy and I was getting tired. As crazy as it sounds I actually yawned a couple times during that stretch. At about 100 miles we made a left turn back onto the main road heading back to the beach. We had a straight ride up and over a bridge back into Panama City Beach. When I crossed over the bridge a guy riding next to me said "we are at the home stretch now". So we only had about 10 miles to go.

I had no idea how hard those last ten miles would be. We turned left to head back to transition and again turned right into the wind. This time though the wind was coming right off the water. For me, grinding out the last 10 miles was brutal. My neck, shoulders and feet were hurting me and I just wanted to get off the bike and start running. My speed was dropping again down to 12-13 mph. It was this point I just put my head down, got into the aero position and did not get up until I had made it to transition. I just kept pedaling and I finally made it. It was a tough ride but I had made it. I checked my time and I knew I had made it in under 7 hours. I had kept my heart rate in check and came off the bike with an average heart rate of 134.

T2

Another difference between a regular triathlon and an Ironman race is coming into T2. As soon as you are off your bike there is someone there to take your bike from you and then another person hands you your bike to run bag. So I grabbed my bag and went into the changing area. My feet were still sore and I wanted to change my socks. I also had some water, took some salt pills and put on my running shoes. I took a few minutes just to rest and collect myself again. I knew at this point unless something bad happened I would finish. I had almost 8 hours to finish the race and figured if I just ran my regular training pace for the marathon I might even break 14 1/2 hours. What I did not know was that something I had not even thought about would almost ruin the day.

So my total time on the bike was 6:57:32 and my total race time at this point was about 9 hours.

2009 Ironman Florida Race report Part 1

Well I finished and now it is time for the race report. I like doing these reports because they allow me to think about the race and really helps me keep a record of what I have done. I am going to break this down into three separate posts (swim, bike and run). But I wanted to start first with some quick facts and observations from my experience.

Quick Facts

• During the race I consumed 7 GU packets (nutritional gel), 5 bananas, 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 6 bottles of Gatorade G2, (7) 24oz bottles of water (and a countless number of cups of water at aid stations), 2 peanut butter Cliff bars, 7 cups of chicken broth (good for sodium intake), 6 salt pills, several handfuls of pretzels, 4 cookies and 3 grapes.

• I lost approximately 18 pounds during the race.

Observations

• No matter what anyone tells you Florida is not completely flat.
  
• Germans are really big, and I don't mean fat.
• 112 miles on a bike is a long distance to ride.
• Everyone should go to at least one Ironman event in their lifetime (either as a spectator or racer) to see average everyday people push themselves to the limit.

I also wanted to again thank everyone for your support. To Tricia, Christopher and Sarah thank you for putting up with the training (especially the last month when I some long runs and bike rides to do). To Neil and Nancy Cooper for allowing me to tag along with them in the few days before the race and for their advice and support during the race (and especially the parking pass to your condo). To everyone at work for your help when I had to leave a bit early to ride or when I was out during the day swimming. And finally thanks to Ashley Halsey (my coach) and everyone with the Annapolis Triathlon Club (ATC). The training tips and group swims we did this summer really helped. OK now onto the race report.

RACE MORNING

I woke up about 4am race morning, got dressed, ate a poptart and protein shake and was out the door by 4:30am. I only slept about 4 hours but this is pretty normal for me the night before a race. I got to the Cooper's condo and waited until 5am for Neil and Nancy. We walked the 1/4 mile or so to the transition and it was then that I noticed the wind. It was pretty cool outside and I could hear the wind blowing and the surf coming in. The forecast for the day was sunny with winds 5-15 mph. Neil had brought his tire pump so we added a little air to our tires and then we just talked for a bit going over the day ahead. At 6:30am the transition area closed so we got on our wetsuits, put our clothes in the morning transition bags and headed over to the swim start.

SWIM

It was at this point when the nerves being to settle in. I had read a race report (thanks Ashley) that had said the sand can be cold in the morning and wear some kind of shoe or even a pair of socks onto the beach. So I decided to wear my socks onto the beach and I am glad I did. When you enter the beach all the athletes have to go into a swim holding area. The race didn't start until 7am so we were in that area on the beach for a good 20 minutes before the race started. The sock idea worked like a charm because several people around me had cold feet (not about racing, they really had cold feet) and I was fine. It was at this point that big change was noticed.

We had done the practice swims on Thursday and Friday and for the most part the water was pretty calm with a little bit of wind, but really no waves breaking on rolling in. Well, race morning was totally different. The wind had really picked up and the waves, especially further out were rolling in. Looking out from the beach the wind was blowing in straight into my face a bit to my left. So going out we would be swimming right into the wind and chop. It was at this point that I remembered the news reports about a hurricane brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. I don't know if it was the hurricane or what, but the conditions were the worst they had been all week. Now I am not talking 10 foot seas or anything, and I was never afraid for my life, but I knew we would be swimming in 2-3 rolling waves and it could be difficult. The funny part though, was I was not nervous at all. I had a maximum goal of 1:45 for the swim with a stretch goal of 1:30. So I just told myself that I had done plenty of swims in open water (thanks ATC) and this was no different and I would be fine. I had spent hours swimming in the pool and I just needed to stay calm, breathe and relax.

At 6:50am the gun went off for the pro's and then at 7am the gun went off for everyone else. When the gun went off 2450 people headed for the water all at once. We had decided before the start that we would enter the water to the far right and swim a straight line for the first turn buoy. We wished each other good luck and we were off. I actually did not enter the water until 1 minute and 30 seconds had passed and it was 2 minutes before I had walked past the sandbar so that I could swim. It takes a long time for 2450 people to get into the water.

The way the swim loop was set up there were yellow buoys to our left every 200 yds or so and then there was a red buoy where we had to make a left turn and swim parallel to the shore for a couple hundred yards. The there was another red buoy and another left turn to head back to shore. On the way back we had orange buoys to our left until we got back to shore were we had to run up onto the beach and around a fence to start the 2nd loop.

I had been kicked in the face during a race earlier in the summer, so I made a decision to swim to the outside of the buoys and try to avoid contact as much as possible. For the most part it worked. I had to start and stop several times (especially on the first loop) to avoid other swimmers. An interesting thing about the water is that is gets warmer the further out you go. So after 200 yds or so the water warmed up and it was pretty comfortable. This also was the point that the waves were rolling in bigger. I was still very calm and was managing to time my breathing with the up and down motion of the waves and felt pretty good. As I was heading to the first red turn buoy the chop in the water got much worse. When we made that turn the sun and wind where now directly into our face. You could really feel the up and down rolling motion of the water now. I heard several people coughing as I am sure they were sucking in some water at this point. I had read an article in one of my triathlon magazines that talked about swimming in choppy water. What I remembered was that the author had said to "look to the sky" when the water is rough. So that is what I did. I just turned my body more and kept looking up and I was able to keep my breathing under control and water out of my mouth. As I made the turn for the shore on that first loop the waves were coming from my right and behind me. I again swam a wide loop to avoid the congestion. It was very hard to sight off the bouys (sighting is when you look up to make sure you are not swimming off course) because of the rolling of the waves. So whenever I felt I was at the top of a rolling wave I would look. I decided to not worry so much about looking for the bouys and just swam in the same direction as everyone else. I figured we were all trying to get to the same place. I completed my first loop in about 42 minutes. I was pretty pleased. I was under a 1:30 pace.

As you leave the water and head for the second loop you can see and hear the crowd. There were several thousand people cheering and ringing those cow bells. We had to turn left around the fence that was set up and head back into the water. I grabbed a drink of water to rinse off my face and rinse out my mouth of the salt water. Even though I didn't swallow any water it will still get in your mouth when you are breathing.

The second loop was very much like the first loop. It was less crowded as the swimmers were more spread out and water conditions were about the same. I think the wind may have helped me on the second loop coming back to shore because I felt like I was passing people in the water. It could have been me hallucinating, but I felt like I was moving along pretty good. It was at this point that I swam into I guy I thought was dead. I was swimming along and I kept hitting my right arm into someone. I stopped swimming to look and there was guy in front of me just floating with his head in the water. I pushed him away from me and he did not move and I thought I was going to have to start CPR or something for this guy. I pushed him again and he slowly rolled over and started to move his arms. I guess he must have been resting but it kind of freak me out for a moment. So after the guy swam off I put my head back down and headed to shore. When I stood up to get out of the water I looked at my watch and it showed 1:27. I was thrilled. I had done the swim in less than 1:30.

One of the unique things about an Ironman race are the wetsuit "strippers" These are people that will help you out of your wetsuit after the swim. These people were crazy. As we ran up the beach the wetsuit strippers were screaming at me to lay down. I looked and all I saw was sand and I was not about to lay down in the sand so some guy could rip off my wetsuit. I figured the 30 seconds I would save was not worth having sand in some unmentionable place for the next 7 hours on a bike. No way, not for me. So I ran right past the screaming wet suit strippers and headed into the first transition area or T1.

T1

As we left the beach we had to run thru a tunnel to the parking lot where transition was set up. As you leave the tunnel you shout out your race number and a volunteer will grab you T1 bag and hand it to you. We then had to run about 50 yards to a building where they had seperate mens and womens changing areas. Now all week long the race officials had stressed no public nudity. Well that did not apply to the changing rooms. It was a zoo inside the changing areas. Naked people were everywhere putting creams and gels in all kinds of places. I know we are all adults but that was just something I was not prepared to see.

I wear a once peice tri suit and I just put on a pair of cycling shorts over top of that and put on a shirt with sleeves. I knew it was going to be sunny so I tried to put on some sun screen. I had purchased some compression sleeves to wear on my arms and I put them one (They worked great). Then it was socks, riding shoes, helmet, sunglasses and race belt with my number attached and I was off.

I had to run (ok I actually walked) back out the 50 yards or so to the bike racks and again you call out your number and someone gets your bike and meets you with it. When I got to my rack my bike was the last one left so it was easy to find. I knew when I was racking my bike the day before there were some serious guys around me. There are some hard core atheletes that compete in these races. I am just not one of them.

So I walked my bike out to the bike mount area and I was off for 112 miles off riding into the wind.

My official time for the swim was 1:28:10 and T1 was 12:36. I was feeling great and I was right on target. And then the winds came...

I am not dead!

Well I did finish the race, and Mary I am not dead and did not leave my wife and kids fatherless. I am going to post a race report later today when I get some time. My race was going as planned and I felt really good until about 5 miles into the run. I will go over all the details in the race report, but blisters can really hurt. My overall time was 15:58:17. I am thrilled to finish, but I did not hit my goal of under 15 hours. But I did finish alive and for the most part uninjured.

I also wanted to thank everyone for their support. I had no idea people would be so interested in my progress. Tricia said people were calling to see how I was doing and how to track me during the race. So I appreciate all your thoughts. Once I knew so many people were following me I knew I was going to finish. There was no way I was going to have a DNF. Thanks again and check back later for all the details.

Bike Check In

We have a mandatory bike check in today. We have to rack our bikes and have our transitions #1 (swim to bike) and transition #2 (bike to run) bags pack and checked in as well. So I have all my gear stowed in the correct bag and headed down to the race sight with my bike. This was a very well organized process. I parked and walked my bike dow to the transitions area and was met by several volunteers who immediately took my T2 bag and showed me where my rack was. The bikes are definitely crammed onto each rack. There would absolutely be no room to put on bikes shoes or change in the transition area. After I racked my bike I dropped off my T1 bag.

We actually have to take our transition bags and go into a building to change. One unique feature of an Ironman race is that you usually don't have to get your bike off the rack. There are volunteers that are supposed to get your bike and meet you near the changing area near the bike exit. When you come back in after the bike they will take your bike again and rack it. I hope this works out because I am racked pretty far from the changing area.

They have the swim course all set up with the swim exit in place. I am meeting with the Coopers for dinner tonight. I am actually looking forward to getting the race underway. I am posting the pictures I took earlier showing the transition area and the swim course.

Friday Morning Swim

The weather here has been great. the beach and water are just spectacular. The sand is a bright wight and the water is crystal clear. I am used to swimming in dark murky water so it is a bit strange to see the fish you are swimming with. I met up with the Coopers again and we walked over to the swim on the beach. The water was a bit less choppy today as the wind has shifted. We are supposed to have perfect weather tomorrow, 75 degrees and partly sunny. Nancy and I only swam for about 15 minutes. Neil went out for a longer swim. There are some pretty large sand bars about 100 yds from shore. We are going to have to run that 100 yds into and out of the water. I hope tomorrows conditions are like today, it was perfect.

Pre Race Meeting

We had a mandatory pre-race dinner and meeting last night. The food was ok but company was good. Nancy and Neil are staying very close to the host hotel. They had an extra parking pass they gave me to use and it has been great. I have a secure place to park on race day and that is a big stress reliever for me. So I met up with them and we walked to dinner and sat with some other friends they knew.

After eating, the Race Director and the announcer got up to speak and go over the race day rules. There are about 2800 registered participants, with 1300 first time Ironman participants. The oldest man racing is 75 and the oldest woman is 65. She did her first triathlon at age 59. The youngest racer was a kid from Georgia who is 18. We are meeting again in on Friday morning for another swim.

Race Check In

Now I am trying to stay positive and not complain as much. My wife has a great idea to only surround herself with positive people, so I have really been trying hard to be positive and not complain so please forgive me on this post. Check in was a long, long wait.

I got to check in and could not believe the line. So I decided to go buy some race memorabilia figuring the line would go down. Race check in is usually in the same place as the race expo so I didn't have to walk more than 20 yards to the expo area. I met back up with the Coopers again and the line was still over an hour wait. So we walked over to a couple of tents set up selling race gear across the street. I was able to find some arm warmers and a 1/2 price tri suit to replace the one I left at home. When we finished there, Neil and Nancy went back to their condo and I again headed to race check in.

Well it was about 11am and now the line was even longer. So I just waited, and waited and waited some more. I finally made it to check in at 12:20pm. Check is much different than most races. Once you check in you had to be weighed and then you actually had to sit down while a volunteer described how to get your bags set up. There are actually (5) different bags that are going to be used. There is one bag for to put our morning cloths in, one bag each for the swim to bike transition and the bike to run transition and one each for the bike and run special needs
bags.




One of the interesting things I saw while waiting in line was the area set up for family and friends to make signs. They will be putting up over 1000 signs on the race course made by the family and friends. So there were all these kids coloring and making signs for their mom or dad. We have the mandatory dinner and race briefing tonight.