Just What I needed

My pal Ken sent me a link to an inspirational Ironman book:





http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0670023027/

I love to read so picked it up. I'm about 90 pages in and it's just the thing I needed to get back into it. The people in this book are just like me. Most dove headfirst into Ironman without a plan and figured it out as they went.

Partially inspired by this book, I have made a decision for 2012: I want to involve a charity element. My pal Kevin has been associated with The Blazeman Foundation for ALS research and since my Great Aunt was also taken by this horrible disease, I can think of no better charity.

Where to start? I'm not entirely certain but that sounds eerily familiar doesn't it? It rather reminds me of August 31, 2010 when I signed up for IMKY and figured it out as I went.

I have run, swam and biked some since my last update and I intend to stick with a regular regime, just in less volume for now.

25 hilly bike miles scheduled for tomorrow and then may try my hand at some real yoga on Monday.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"Double" the Fun and a Bike Crash

The Downtown Doubler, a 15km/9.3 mile event (there was also the doubler version, a 30 km run) was awesome.  The weather was perfect:  cool with some sprinkles.  Also got to run with some great friends.  Ended up doing it in 1:32 or just under 10 minutes/mile, my best long run ever. 

I also took Jessica on her first real ride on her road bike.  We ended up going a bit over 11 miles on a super flat course.  Near the end was a big left hand turn.  Well, my rookie bike rider wife strayed left out of her lane, clipped my front tire and sent me down!  Just a few bruises, mostly my ego, and no bike damage except for some torn bar tape.

We took our first swim today as well.  I can sense an issue Jessica is going to have.  She can't get the enormity of Ironman out of her head.  The pool is set to 25 meter lanes for the fall/winter.  The Ironman swim is 3862 meters so she does the math and freaks out a bit.  So I tried to get her to think about it in terms of a sprint (400 meters), etc.  We took it easy on our first swim.  She did 300-400 meters and I probably did 600-650.

Finally, I've added another event to my fall schedule:  The Bourbon Chase.  It's a 12 person, 200 mile (322 km) relay event.  I'll be running a total of 11.5 miles in 3 of the 36 legs.   Should be a blast!

What's Next?

I'm now 2.5 weeks post-Ironman.  I know myself well enough to know that if I don't have a goal, I might backslide into the old me.  There is no way I'm going to let that happen.  So, what's on the schedule?  In addition to riding with the LBC and running with Ken (I can't swim yet while my IM tat is still healing), here's the plan:

1.  September 18th, The Downtown Doubler.  This is a 15K (9.3 mile) event.  Nice and flat in downtown Louisville.
2.  October 16th, CF Louisville Half Marathon. Similar course.
3.  Another Ironman length event.  Not registered for anything yet but I will be doing one in 2012 along with another half Ironman, at least.

There is also potentially another Ironperson in my house.  Jessica has expressed some interest but while I'll charge headfirst into something, she normally starts small.  I will say she's already ahead of me in one way, she's already completed a marathon.  But I expect her to try an Olympic in 2012, a half in 2013 and maybe an Ironman in 2014.

Because she doesn't have a bike, I surprised her with this.  We're taking our first ride this Saturday, a nice flat 17 miler that's great for beginners.

Not sure on my posting schedule but I'm going to try to post something once a week.

Ironman Weekend (plus Thursday) Final Thoughts

Now that I've done it, I can simply say it was the coolest thing I've EVER done!  I can also safely say that unless you have an underlying heart or other medical condition, ANYONE can finish an IM if you put in the training.

I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without my training partners:  Ken, John and Kevin.  Ken ran ALL my long runs (up to 16 miles) with me.  John ran most of them and Kevin and I did a ton of riding.  The training weekends put on by iamtri were also crucial.  I got to experience race like conditions first hand, including aid stations, what to put in special needs bags, hill practice, etc.  My wife and daughter also understood when I was gone for hours and hours for about 20 Saturdays in a row.

Now the question everyone asks...what's next?  I honestly can't wait to do another Ironman!  But which one?  Wisconsin?  Good weather but hilly as hell.  Florida? Flat as a pancake but possibly humid.  I've been looking over course maps and information to figure it out.  I know for sure that I'm NOT going back to the old me.  I'm looking for a half-marathon to do before the end of 2011 and then figure out my 2012 plans.

I hope you found this blog interesting.  Visit again, I'll be updating every so often even without an event on my plate. 

Ironman Weekend (plus Thursday) Part V

Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV.

Into the run changing area I went and once again the volunteers were awesome!  I was lucky to be helped by a fellow Landshark, Carlos.  Before I could blink, I had Perform, Coke and water next to me.  A fellow athlete also shared a gel with me (another great tri dude) so I immediately felt ready to go.

I changed into running gear from head to toe, including dry socks.  This was a huge deal to me: comfort!  I also had a hand held Nathan water bottle that I could fill up with ice water during the marathon.  My plan was to run to the base of the 2nd St. bridge, walk up to the top and then get on a regular run/walk plan.  I saw a couple friends as I started the run portion and got to see Jessica and Sarah twice at the bridge.

Even though I had my run/walk plan in mind, I ended up pairing up with a guy on the bridge who was keeping a similar pace and we went with a slightly different plan.  We agreed to get to an aid station, run from it for a while, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 mile, walk to an aid station, repeat.

At the first 5-6 aid stations, I took water, Perform and whatever looked good that I could stomach at the moment:  pretzels, cookies, fruit, gel, etc.  I also began using cold sponges on my shoulders and neck to stay cool.  This was amazingly helpful!  At the first turnaround, they began offering warm chicken broth, which was the best thing I've ever tasted!  It provided calories, sodium and felt good in the stomach at the same time.

I repeated this walk/run/nutrition pattern until I got to run special needs at about mile 13.  In my bag, I had a Honey Stinger waffle and a Red Bull.  I had a volunteer fill my water bottle with ice and enjoyed a nice cold drink!  We approached the end of the first loop and it turns out you get within about 200 meters of the finish  line.  Seeing that, hearing people being crowned Ironmen and drinking that Red Bull had me absolutely flying high!

About this time, I found that my running partner was having trouble keeping up with me so I went ahead without him.  I luckily ran into another iamtri member, Beth, and we ran for a couple miles.  She began to suffer a bit so we decided to part ways and I moved ahead.  I paired up with one other person for another 3-4 miles, then she moved on at about mile 23 and I was on my own but feeling great!

At mile 24 or so, I came upon the LAHPA aid station and one of my hockey pals hugged me and told me how proud he was.  Since he's a little older than me, it was like having a parent there.  I was stoked for the finish.  The last friendly face I saw before the finish was Andy Murphy, President of the LBC.  He was on his bike and next to me for a couple minutes and took a nice picture.

I ran the last 1-1.5 miles and quickly became a basket case as I neared the finish chute.  Running down it was the most exciting thing I've ever done.  Except for getting married and the birth of Sarah, it was also the most emotional thing I've ever experienced.  As I got closer, I looked for Jessica and Sarah but it was so loud!  So loud that I didn't even hear my name being called.  Little did I know that the ladies were just beyond the finish line, screaming.

As I crossed the line, I saw my 2 running partners, Ken and John.  John put the medal around my neck and both led me through the finish line process including a picture with my medal, a hat and a t-shirt.

The final totals:

Swim 1:40:49
T-1 15:01
Bike 7:32:24
T-2 15:41
Run 6:12:03
TOTAL 15:55:58

On the way through I also got to see Jessica and Sarah who were right at the line, for a couple kisses and hugs.  We met up at the end of the finish area and we walked to Sully's where several of the Landsharks were hanging out.  I got a beer but I really had no interest in it so drank only about half.  Since Sarah had to be up early for school, we said our goodbyes and I headed back to the hotel.

Once in the room, I was shocked that I was freezing but also feeling great.  I think I could have gone another 10 miles, which tells me next time (yeah I want to do another) that I can push harder on the bike and run.  I took a nice long hot shower but was still freezing and still not hungry.  Kevin arrived shortly after and at about 3 am, we were still wired but now starving so we ended up at White Castle, stuffing our faces!

Tried to sleep but Kevin was snoring like a chainsaw :)  I slept off and on but finally gave in about 6:30 and heading for the expo to check out the finisher gear.  The line was 100/200 deep at 6:40!  I ended up with 2 t-shirts, some stickers, a track jacket, a heavier jacket, a key chain and a water bottle.  Not cheap but well worth it.

Later that morning, we headed to the awards brunch, where we heard from the pros and got to see the race and volunteer videos.  I made the race video on the bike ride.  In the evening, I joined Ken at the volunteer banquet and he gave me a personalized Louisville Slugger bat.  What a great guy!

The last piece of the puzzle was yesterday, the IMKY tat on my right calf.  Yeah, trite, but I had to do it!

Last part coming tomorrow: photos, videos, thank and some general thoughts about the experience.

Ironman Weekend (plus Thursday) Part IV

Here's Part I, Part II, and Part III.

I was surprised how long the swim to T-1 path was but took my time and decided not to run it.  Entered the transition area to get my bike bag and the volunteer asked if the sunglasses on the top of my bag were mine.  They looked it, so I grabbed my bag and headed into the changing tent.

The tent (and all) volunteers rocked!  Ended up sharing my towel with a fellow athlete and he also discovered that he thought he put his sunglasses in his run bag.  He left and I got dressed.  Turns out the shades I thought were mine were his but there was no way to find him.

T-1 time was about 15 minutes and headed out to my bike after completely changing for comfort.  As I clipped in and got going, I saw both Ken and Jessica.

I took my time down River Rd as I knew from prior experience that being an idiot on that part of the course leads to big problems later.  Got to the first aid station and grabbed a water and a Perform.  I had already filled my aero bottle with water and brought 1 bottle each of Perform and Perpetuem.  So I now had plenty of fuel on board.

I also began eating a Pro Bar as I approached the corner of 42/River where I saw Tommy and Dave from the Louisville Bicycle Club directing traffic.  So begins the first "climb" of the course on 42.  Not sure how it came to be called a climb but no biggie.

Now begins the first real test of the IMKY bike course:  the 1694 out and back.  You go screaming down over the creek, knowing the whole time you will have to climb back out.  I hit 40 mph+ on the descents and probably 8 mph on the climbs back out.  But once it's complete, you know it's done for the day.  We were also seeing a wind issue and my race wheels were feeling unstable, especially in  a crosswind.

On to the 2 loop part of the course but I also know I'll get to see Jessica and Sarah soon.  The section of 146 through downtown La Grange has to be one of the coolest things I've ever done.  I felt like a rock star.  There were thousands of people cheering and I got a high five from Sarah as I rode through.

This is when my nutrition began to go sideways.  I had trouble stomaching more Pro Bars.  Not that I was having cramping or stomach upset issues, but just couldn't bear to eat another.  So I started to take on more bananas at the aid stations, ate some Clif Shot Blocks and upped my consumption of Perpetuem.

Finished the first loop and know again that I'll be seeing the ladies soon.  This time I stopped for a moment to get a couple hugs and kisses.  It was worth the few seconds.  My last bike hurdle came at about mile 80 (of 112).  I went zero for three picking up bottles from volunteers so ended up riding about 25 miles without anything but 1/2 bottle of water.

I made it to an aid station at about mile 107 and was able to get a decent amount of fuel in my system before reaching transition.  One of the nice benefits of doing a well supported event is that I just had to hand off my bike to a volunteer instead of re-racking it.  Heading off the bike I saw Doug Brent from the LBC and into the changing tent for another full change.

To be continued...

Ironman Weekend (plus Thursday) Part III

Click for Part I and Part II.

Wake up call came at 4 am.  Since I showered the night before (and I was going in a pretty grimy river), I put in my contact lenses, brushed my teeth and got dressed.  We headed down to a little bakery in the hotel to grab a quite bite.  I ended up with a cinnamon muffin and started sipping on a bottle of sports drink.

Walked over to the transition area/body marking.  Got my bike set up including tire inflation, filling up my aero bottle and putting a bottle of sports drink and nutrition on it.  Headed over to body marking to get 2112 written on my arm and 43 written on my calf. 

The swim start line (Louisville is not a mass start like most IM events) was huge when we got over there.  Was worried that it might take 25-30 minutes to get in the water.  That time counts against the 17 hour limit.  About 30 minutes before 7 am they started moving family and friends out of the line and opened up some space toward the front and we moved a huge distance toward the water. 

National anthem played, the cannon went off and I saw my wife just before we got to the front of the line.  It was a welcome sight and I'm certain she put in almost as hard a workout as I did making her way all around the course.  Nerves built up a lot but I felt confident in my training.  I ended up hitting the water at about 7:12.  It was also nice to see two local tri club members I knew, who were getting the athletes into the water.

After about 5-10 minutes of swimming, I saw a volunteer on a paddle board come screaming across the course.  I thought it looked quite dangerous but I saw a guy in distress about 20 feet away.  Little did I know that this athlete had ended up drowning.  It was the 15th death in the history of Ironman events. 

Took the swim nice and easy, keeping my heart rate low.  Didn't notice any meaningful current in either direction but on the way back I did find myself heading toward shore a bit too much as the swim exit buoys started a fair distance out in the water.  I ended up having to snake back to get in between those buoys but I made it into the chute.

To be continued...