2025 Ironman 70.3 Rockford Race Report

DATE: June 22, 2025

WHERE: Rockford, Illinois

RESULTS: 2025 Ironman 70.3 Rockford Results BIB# 1385

I survived. That should be in bold. The day brought mid-90ºF temps with Real Feel temperatures in the low-100ºs. Plus, Mother Nature decided to throw some tough wind at us today as well, and not in a favorable direction. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s dive in.

TRAINING

When it was announced that Ironman was possibly coming to the Chicago area, I got intrigued. I hadn’t done any long-course triathlons since 2021 and was getting a little burned out chasing the 100-mile ultra that I have yet to accomplish. When Rockford 70.3 was announced, I signed up on day one. I encouraged anyone else I could to join me, and was glad when my Gunner teammates Jeff and his sister Jan joined in the fun. Numerous locals also signed up, too!

I dusted off my copy of Don & Melanie Fink’s IronFit Secrets for Half Iron- Distance Triathlon Success and followed the 16-week competitive plan. Training went pretty well. The spring was rather cool, and many training rides and runs were done with layered clothing, but overall, I put in the work I needed to feel prepared for the race.

I switched from using gels as my energy fuel to liquid fuels, opting for Tailwind and GU Roctane to fuel me. What I liked about using liquid fuel is that you don’t seem to have the sugar rush and then blood sugar crash when using gels every half hour. The energy level is more sustained, and you get the added benefit of staying on top of hydration because you are drinking your fuel.

I felt pretty well prepared from my training until the weather watchers on the race Facebook page started predicting the weather. It was not looking good.

RACE DAY

Had no other choice but to accept the day that was given to us.

SWIM – 43:06

I had packed my wetsuit in my Morning Clothes bag to carry to the swim start to use if I could, but as I was leaving the hotel, I got a push message from the Ironman app that the water temp was 79.2ºF, making the race wetsuit optional. I opted to leave the wetsuit in the car and use my swimskin instead. The swimskin is legal to wear regardless of the temperature and is designed to help you glide through the water, but in reality, it’s just a security blanket for me.

Jan, me, and Jeff waiting to get on the bus for the ride to the swim start.

I seeded myself in the 43-46 minute group, and it took 45 minutes for us to reach the water. I jumped in and quickly got into a comfortable swim. I had a few little toe cramps, but I worked them out and just kept pulling myself forward. I was far right in the water, often swimming closely by the kayakers monitoring the swim, but I wanted to avoid contact and had few issues with it. I knew that there were three bridges to go under and kept an eye on those. I could have swum a straighter line, but was happy to get to the Swim Out in good shape. The much-hyped current-aided swim for this event was non-existent. I felt no current assist with it at all, and my 43-minute finish time is right where I expected my finish time to be. I was happy with my swim.

TRANSITION 1 – 8:35

Most of my solid running for the day was from swim out to transition.

Out of the water led to at least a 1/4-mile jog to my spot in transition. Upon getting there, I grabbed a towel and got my feet dry. Then I applied some anti-chafe to my feet (which was beneficial on the run), got my helmet and sunscreen on, and then headed to Bike Out.

BIKE – 3:28:27

I had pre-rode the bike course a month or so earlier and made mental notes about my effort during the various sections. Today, though, the wind direction changed most of my expectations. We had a tailwind heading out, which made that climb north much faster. I started a little too strong and kept telling myself to dial it back, which took me about 5 miles to accomplish before settling in. My 20-mile split time was about an hour, so 20 mph was quite a good time for me.

Then we headed west, and it became more difficult. I was starting to suffer and came close to hitting the wall around halfway, but I slowed down a little and kept drinking the liquid nutrition. I also opted to up my electrolytes by taking a salt capsule every hour. I’m sure that helped quite a bit. I was sweating the whole time and kept an eye on that. I stopped at the second and third aid stations to urinate, and I took that as a good sign about being hydrated. I can usually get through 50 miles on just three water bottles, but I doubled that intake here. We were all drinking extra water.

I saw lots of people walking their bikes uphill, but I just spun up them. Only one hill on the backside of the course made me work really hard, but the downhill afterwards was always a welcome recovery. I hit 30+ mph several times, maxing out at 36 mph on one downhill.

Finishing up, wondering how many matches I had burned. I burned a lot.

I was feeling pretty good coming into T2, and I was happy to be two-thirds done with this sauna triathlon.

TRANSITION 2 – 8:45

I took time to add more sunscreen and wash my face and head off, trying my best to cool down with the hot water I had in transition. Oh well, off to walk on the surface of the sun for 13 miles.

RUN – 3:00:31

According to Ironman, athletes may run, walk, or crawl. I started with a walk, hoping not to crawl.

I tried to run when I started the run portion of the race, but it wasn’t long until my body said not to. The first section of the run course was the worst when it came to heat. Other than the breeze across the bridge over the river, it was stagnant, and the heat from being exposed to the sun on the blacktop made me walk most of the first three miles. Some portions of the course were just brutal. The best portion of the course was through a very nice neighborhood that someone on the Facebook page nicknamed “Sprinkler Alley”. These people were in the street with their hoses and sprinklers, offering people a chance to stay cool. I didn’t skip a single one of them. Everyone ran that course thoroughly soaked with sweat and water. Lots of squeaky and squishy sounds were coming from the shoes.

I had had it with Tailwind and switched to taking Coke at the aid stations and sticking with ice and water. Most of the ice went into my trisuit and visor, and some I melted in my mouth.

My mood/energy/pace was picking up as I came through to end the first lap and continue on to the second lap of the run. I tried to jog longer and at least jog from aid station to aid station, but I needed another break along the path that runs along the river. This was a hot section of the run course for me, but the “Sprinkler Alley” area followed along soon, and I was getting a boost from being closer to the finish.

I jogged through the finish chute with a smile on my face, high-fiving some crew and fans along the way. So relieved that the race was done for me.

TOTAL TIME: 7:29:24 / 1274th place out of 1692 / 34th place out of 47 M60-64 age group

Currently, the results show 1692 finishers. There were 2,700 actual registrants, and with an estimated 20% DNF rate, that’s over 1,000 people who either did not start or did not finish.

Not the best performance for me. Pre-race, I was shooting for a sub-6-hour finish. HA! Well, that wasn’t happening on this day. My strongest event, the run, was the one I had struggled most with, which is not really surprising, as running heats you up the most. I’m just glad to have gotten through this tough day. I was wondering at the beginning of the run if I was even going to be able to keep moving forward and finish. But I survived and will proudly display my medal.

Thanks again to my wife, Kari, for putting up with me and these shenanigans. Standing around in 90º+ weather for eight hours is not fun. Thanks also to my son Ben and daughter-in-law Emily for coming to cheer. It was much appreciated. Jeff’s crew included his wife Jill, son Charlie, and his girlfriend Kelly, who also provided much-needed support. Thanks to my Gunner teammates, Jeff and Jan, for joining me in doing this race. Thanks for buying us dinner, Jeff! And thanks to Karen for joining me on the course pre-ride and at the race. Everyone from the area seemed to survive the day as well.

Overall, and after a day or two of reflection, I actually enjoyed the event. Rockford was an awesome host city, the volunteers were spectacular, and I am seriously considering doing this race again next year. Hopefully, it will be a little cooler, and I can coax some more Gunners to join in on the fun.

Oh Boy, Here We Go

IRONMAN 70.3 ROCKFORD TRAINING – WEEK 15 & 16 WRAP-UP – June 16, 2025

As I wrapped up a really bad Week 15, I got busy focusing on this last week of training before the race on Sunday. Commonly called the “taper week”, this should really be called “madness week.” It’s pretty common to have some pre-race nerves leading up to the race, but man, everyone is freaking out, including myself!

Let’s rehash last week. I was up in northern Wisconsin and went out for my Tuesday run, an 8-miler, that has been the norm for the past several Tuesdays. It was cool, and I felt like pushing the pace a little bit. Welp, just before I got to the 6-mile mark, my right hamstring stopped me in my tracks. Yup, I pulled a hammie and had to walk the remaining two miles back to my truck. I got a little down thinking that I had just jeopardized my run race for the 70.3, but I spent the rest of the week laying off running, and it seems to be doing better. It didn’t affect my cycling at all, nor was it bothering me while working around the yard.

Then I tried an open water swim. I haven’t done an OWS in over a year, and silly me thought that it would be old hat. Nope. It was cold in both the air and the water temperatures. It was brutal, I’m talking the mid-50s. Garmin actually gave me the “Arctic Swim” badge after I hit stop on my watch.

A Garmin badge I never wanted and never intended to earn.

I started too fast, and quickly was out of breath. Fortunately, my wife Kari was kayaking alongside so I could take a break if needed. I took three, or maybe four, I don’t remember because my brain was frozen. My planned mile-long swim lasted 866 yards. It was not the confidence booster that I had hoped for. However, my coach-wife and I discussed it and tried to make it a positive experience instead of focusing on the failure. I was reminded that I need to start slow, very slow, and get myself under control. A lot of the high heart rate and being out of breath was due to the cold temperature, and my just not being able to focus on slowing down. But, I definitely won’t have to worry about it being that cold on race day because it’s predicted to be 94 FRICKING DEGREES FARENHEIT ON RACE DAY!!!

Oh boy, here we go again with another triathlon in miserable heat. Fortunately, I have experience in that area. I was a proud finisher of the 2019 Ironman Chattanooga race, a day that was in the mid-90s with a heat index in the low-100s. Somehow, I got through that non-wetsuit swim and the very warm ride and run. Maybe I should re-read that race report: 2019 Ironman Chattanooga Race Report I’m sure I can survive this as well, that is, if I just THROW AWAY THE WHOLE RACE PLAN THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR 16 FRICKING WEEKS!!!

Yeah, the plan was to go sub-six hours; have a great current-aided swim, not dawdle in transition, rock the bike like I stole it, then dial in for a sub-2-hour 1/2 marathon. Best laid plans… Now I will shift my focus to wrapping my head around the swim possibly not being wetsuit legal, and dialing it back on the ride and run to avoid heat exhaustion. And pray that my hamstring doesn’t flare up.

Time to stop focusing on what I can’t control, and get my mind in a better place. I’m off to sort through 13 years of triathlon related crap I own to figure out what I need to bring to the race. Next post will be the race report! Stay tuned.

Keep Dreaming

IRONMAN 70.3 ROCKFORD TRAINING – WEEK 5 WRAP-UP – APRIL 6, 2025

I rarely remember dreams upon waking up, and if I do, I generally can’t remember the particulars. But the other night I was dreaming about swimming. It really wasn’t anything of note, but there I was in the pool, swimming laps. I have a past history of being very straightforward about swimming – I hate it. I consider it something I am forced to do to get to the two things in this dumb sport that I like. Yes, I know that there are duathlons and other biking and running events that don’t even include swimming, but those events don’t have an announcer shouting ” CHRIS – YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” So, therefore, I swim.

But what was my dream telling me? I haven’t even started swim training yet, as spring has just barely started, and I haven’t opened my pool yet. Was it subconsciously telling me that I need to get after it? I remember actually having a fun time in my dream while I was swimming. Is that a sign that maybe I can find a small amount of joy in swimming? Maybe the only way I can enjoy swimming is to dream that I enjoy swimming.

When I started training for my first Ironman in 2013, I can remember how much time I spent thinking about it. Ironman was the only thing on my mind when my head hit the pillow and the first thing on my mind when I woke up. Daydreaming is dreaming, too, right? I spent a lot of time daydreaming about Ironman, from how long it would take me to how to celebrate the finish. When I’m swimming, thinking about swimming is often on my mind because there’s nothing to distract you from it. I don’t have any fancy underwater music players or earphones. You just hear yourself moving through water and try not to think about how much of a drag swimming is. Well, at least for me, that is what I do.

But no matter how much I think I dislike swimming, there is satisfaction when getting it done. It’s hard to beat the feeling of crossing the finish line in a race, but getting out of the water has resulted in some of my best race-day photos. I’m seemingly just as happy to be done with the swim as I am with the race overall.

Looks like I kinda had fun finishing this swim.

It won’t be long, and I will be back in the pool, putting in laps and daydreaming about the next swim challenge that is coming up in June. Until then, I will keep dreaming that swimming is something to enjoy.

Week 5 Totals: Swims 0 – Bikes 3 rides/63.5 miles – Runs 3/18 miles

It’s All Coming Back To Me

IRONMAN 70.3 ROCKFORD TRAINING – WEEK 2 WRAP-UP – MARCH 16, 2025

This week was a little turned around for me. The weather was cool some days, then it shot up to the mid 70s and turned windy. Plus, I had to testify in a big local case that ate up my Thursday sitting around waiting to “speak the truth,” as a former coworker used to call testifying in court. I hadn’t testified in a criminal case in probably 15 years, and that one was a huge case. I admit I had a little bit of nerves, as well as just not having the best start to my week in general. So, following the plan meant making some adjustments this week.

My tri bike hasn’t been ridden with any regularity since I raced my last Ironman race in Chattanooga in 2021. Occasionally I would get it down, pump up the tires and take a short spin on it, but it really has just been literally hanging around in the garage from the ceiling. I have been mostly riding my gravel bike, which gives me the option of riding more than just paved trails and roads. It is a comfortable ride and has been pretty dependable. Since signing up for the Rockford 70.3, I knew that the tri bike would be the better choice for the race.

Some people give their bike a name, like “Leroy,” or “Black Beauty,” but I have always referred to my tri bike as my “Pile of Money.” Not very catchy, I must admit, but it is true – tri bikes are stupidly expensive. I lifted it off the hooks where it hangs from the garage ceiling, gave it a good mechanical going over, pumped some air in the tires, and waited for an optimal day to ride it. Since Saturday is my typical long ride day in my plan, the weather looked to be better on Friday to do the ride. It was a warm day, but the winds were straight out of the south, maybe a little southwest, but I figured that once I got to the east/west trail, I wouldn’t need to worry about the wind.

I fired up all my gizmos, put my water bottle in the cage, and threw my leg over the seat to head out. Wow. I have forgotten how uncomfortable tri bikes are. I can’t believe that I have ridden this thing through 5 Ironman races and thousands of training miles. My butt had immediate memory recall. That seat is nowhere near as comfortable as the one on my gravel bike. The gravel bike isn’t as nimble but the tri bike reacts to me doing the smallest little movement. It took a little time to get used to that feeling again. I also couldn’t believe how much faster I felt like I was riding.

Then I hit the cross winds. Riding my tri bike with aero wheels is a little like carrying a piece of plywood on a windy day. But that got sorted out pretty quickly.

Then came the calf muscle cramps! Let’s not forget about how fun those are. People will ask why they get cramps when riding, and many will offer dehydration, or lack of electrolytes, and suggest drinking pickle juice for some crazy reason. Sure, I guess those could be things to look at. But for me, Charlie Horse-type calf cramps always occur at the beginning of a training cycle, when my calf muscles just aren’t ready for the workload yet. There’s a reason why we ease into training with a base phase. It reminded me of when I used to coach youth baseball. At the first practice, I would pitch batting practice and end the day with my arm dragging on the ground. I could never remember to get my arm ready for the season. But by the end of the season, I was in no need of a reliever.

Coming home, a nice tailwind that pushed me up to 30 mph. That was exhilarating somewhat, and definitely put a smile on my face. That is one memory jog that made me feel good about riding the tri bike.

While I was testifying, I soon found the questions to be very familiar and could easily predict where the discussion was heading. I settled in and got through it. And with the tri bike, they say that you never forget how to ride a bike. That might be true, but there is a little more to it with getting comfortable again riding my “Pile of Money.” I’m sure getting reacquainted will be quick. I hope I get reacquainted with swimming as easily.

Week 2 Totals: Swims 0 – Bikes 2 rides/35 miles – Runs 3/14.5 miles

Winter Maintenance Paying Off

IRONMAN 70.3 ROCKFORD TRAINING – WEEK 1 WRAP-UP – MARCH 9, 2025

As most amateur athletes do, I beat myself up through spring, summer, and fall, then use winter to recover, maintain fitness and get ready for the ritual to start all over again. Winter maintenance for me mostly means staying out of the cold and training indoors on the treadmill and a stationary bike at my workplace gym. It’s been a pretty mild winter and I did get outside occasionally to put in some running miles, but they were all done at an easy pace.

When I ride the stationary bike indoors, I usually set the level to a slightly hard spin, and just sit and do the work. I often will finish with an hour ride with a 16 mph average, and I wonder how accurate that average is. Sure I am sweating, and I can feel like I used my legs, but experience has shown that when I ride outside, a 16 mph average will kick my butt.

The weather turned nice for early March in Chicagoland this weekend and I decided to join a group ride on Sunday. The post said to expect a 16-17 mph average pace, but seeing that my plan called for 75 minutes of riding, I wasn’t too worried about it as I would ride to join the group and then split off when I needed to. I held on to the group as we casually warmed up for a few miles. But after about 15 minutes into it, I was working pretty hard to hang on. I purposely didn’t bring any gels with me to avoid being tempted to ride farther than my plan called for, and when we reached an intersection about 5 miles into the ride, the group went west, and I turned east toward home. Proud of myself for not overdoing my first outdoor ride since last fall.

Me waving from the rear, where I would start and where I would end.

Upon getting home, the ride ended at 25 total miles, 94 minutes of riding, and an average of 15.3 mph. That was about what I was expecting. Factoring in periods of slowing for walkers on the bike path, slowing for traffic, and the leisurely start pace of the riding group, the effort was probably pretty close to 16 mph average. But I’m not fooling myself, I was worn out, much more so than when I ride the stationary bike. But winter maintenance seems to be doing an adequate job at keeping me close to being ready to reclaim mid-year form. I just have to follow the plan and not overdo the training when a group ride dangles in front of me like a GU pack.

A good start for the first week of training. 4 runs/17 miles, 3 rides/55 miles, and swimming will have to wait until I get my pool open.

Ironman 70.3 Rockford Illinois – Let The Fun Begin!

IRONMAN 70.3 ROCKFORD TRAINING – WEEK 1

Back in June 2024, my running and Ironman friend Susan messaged me to ask if I had heard any rumblings about a new Ironman 70.3 race coming to the Midwest, specifically the Chicago area. We were trying to come up with which community had the best shot at it – Chicago? Crystal Lake? Maybe the North Shore area? I had not heard anything about a new race, but it started spreading excitement and it wasn’t long before Ironman made the announcement that Rockford, Illinois would be the newest race on the 70.3 circuit. Although I wasn’t really planning to do any more long distance triathlon racing, I was definitely interested. Once it was announced and sign-up opened, I decided to be among the first racers in this inaugural race.

Rockford is located about 90 minutes from me, so having a race that I won’t have to travel far to is a nice bonus. Once the weather warms up, I plan on driving out and doing the bike loop to see what will be in store for us on race day. I have run the now defunct Rockford Marathon twice – 2009 and 2010 – the prior being my return to marathoning after a long break from running that distance. So the return to Rockford for the 70.3 is somewhat befitting, since it has been four years since my last Ironman and eleven years since my one and only 70.3 in Muncie, Indiana. Time to get that adrenaline rush going again and enjoying triathlon training.

Two of my Gunner teammates will be joining in on the fun – Jeff, who is also planning on doing Ironman Wisconsin, and his sister Jan. This race might be the first half-iron race for them, but they are experienced Ironman finishers. There are also a few local friends doing it as well – Jennifer, who just rocks whatever race she does – Leah, who has officially dipped her toes into the triathlon waters and now is ready to do a cannonball into the deep end – and Chad, who I met last year on a local gravel ride and has since finished Ironman Chattanooga. I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. I think Susan opted to pass, but I’m sure I will see her on many of the training rides this summer.

I will be following the competitive 16-week plan in Don and Melanie Fink’s IronFit Secrets for Half Iron-Distance Triathlon Success, the same book I used for training before.

Monday is a rest day, and today, Tuesday called for a 45-minute Zone 2 run, which I did on the treadmill. I got through it somehow. Swimming will have to wait until closer to May when I open my pool up. I tend to just swim straight and practice some simple drills for 30-45 minutes, which should be sufficient for this swim in the current aided Rock River. Biking will be done on the stationary bike at work until the weather gets better. Which reminds me, I better get that tri bike out of the garage and give it a good going over. It hasn’t been ridden in several years. I know for a fact that the rear brakes need an overall, and the chain might need to be replaced. I will get on that soon.

So there you have it, back in the saddle for some more Ironman-ish fun!

One Week To Go!

2021 IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA TRAINING

WEEK 29 – September 19, 2021

29 weeks down, 1 week to go! I’ve gone from Week 1 back in March and doing my workouts inside, to seeing farm fields go from untilled dirt, to not being able to see around turns due to the corn being fully grown. I’ve gone from being mentally burned out, to being very atuned to how great I feel. I’ve been so far from being ready, to feeling like I’m ready to rock this race. All it took was a day to day effort, following a great plan for the fifth time, and having the support of my Gunner teammates and the local friends that have been very instrumental in making this training block pleasurable. Let’s roll!

Last “long” ride of the training before the race. I had to wait for a choo-choo while training for Choo.

I try to plan out a race day plan for myself and in 2019 it became very clear that the day would be about surviving the heat. It was a scorcher and I won’t ever forget it. I don’t really try to worry too much about the weather or water temperatures for race day, but after 2019 I’m not ignoring it either. So when a couple of casual checks of the long-range forecast revealed that the temperature might be in the 70s and sunny, well that changes my mindset a little. I may be going from planning to pace an Ironman to racing it instead. It means instead of a 16.5 mph average on the bike to maybe an 18 mph average. It means that I may be able to run a sub-4.5 hour marathon instead of something over 5 hours. I’m definitely bringing the wetsuit, like always. But last time I knew I wasn’t going to be using it. This time? There might be a wetsuit legal swim for the first time in Choo history. We’ll see, I’m not holding my breath, but it would be awesome if it was.

So, let’s wrap up these 29 weeks and get ready for race week. Here’s a summary and a link to all previous weeks. I’ll give you a virtual medal for going back and reading all these blogs.

Week 1 – Getting pumped for Ironman #5! PUMP IT UP!

Week 2 – Yeah, I eat junk food. Who doesn’t? I’M SHOCKED!

Week 3 – A little optimistic that I was 1/10 done with training. One Tenth Done

Week 4 – Ended March with some unexpected motivation. Inspiring Motivation

Week 5 – A cold ride brought out the MacGuyver in me. Three Plastic Bags and a Popped Balloon

Week 6 – Trying to recall some meaningless training info. I Can’t Remember

Week 7 – A calf injury had me a little concerned. Running Injury? A Minor Inconvenience

Week 8 – Feeling guilty about inspiring others to join in this dumb sport. (not really) Regretfully Inspiring Others

Week 9 – Roared into May with a light-hearted post. I’m In The Cool Kids Club

Week 10 – Glad to hit the 1/3 done mark. One-Third Into the Training

Week 11 – Back soreness had me worried. I Was Spineless, But Now I’m Back

Week 12 – Wondering and thinking can lead to some crazy ideas. I Wonder… About Week 12

Week 13 – I had to remind myself that you can’t have the reward without the journey. Work First, Brag Later

Week 14 – Sort of an odds and ends week. Week 14 Hitting Hard

Week 15 – Not a great finish to 15 weeks of training. Limping It In At The Half-way Point

Week 16 – I gave myself a gold star for this week. Grading Myself

Week 17 – Torch Run with the coworkers, and the start of vacation. Ins and Outs of Week 17

Week 18 – Foot injury and vacation meant let the training slide a little. Vacation Overrules Training

Week 19 – I had issues this week, some good, some bad, some ugly. The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Week 20 – An off-road tri, and things we triathletes fear. Fear, Part… III

Week 21 – My friend Tom takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Rub Some Dirt On It

Week 22 – Couldn’t do this dumb sport without her. My Coach Wife

Week 23 – Swapping the weeks around. An Easy Week?

Week 24 – My first 50K ultra; thinking less about Ironman. Field of Dreams

Week 25 – Trying to get something out of training instead of doing the opposite. Yielding a Better Return

Week 26 – I know I don’t have to do this dumb sport, but I still do it. By My Own Choosing

Week 27 – Had a pretty good training week to round out the endurance phase of training. A Not So Dreadful Week 27

Week 28 – Some bike maintenance and the welcome of the taper. Bring on the Taper!

And there you have it. I’ll wrap up Week 30 in the Ironman Chattanooga race report. Time to start packing and getting ready for Choo!

SWIMS: 3 – 3780 yards

BIKES: 3 – 67 miles

RUNS: 4 – 22 miles

Bring on the Taper!

2021 IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA TRAINING

WEEK 28 – September 12, 2021

The taper is here! I’m finally winding down the training and enjoying the feeling of accomplishing what I needed to do to get myself ready for my fifth Ironman. I’ve trained on cold days, hot days, windy days, rainy days, and beautiful days as well. I think that it’s okay to start celebrating the work that I have done even if I haven’t got to the starting line yet. So, after 27 weeks of building up to long bike rides and long runs, it’s time to start pulling back.

The band Boston certainly played a huge part in the soundtrack of my youth, and I still enjoy their music today. Of course, the first two albums were what made them, but their third album Third Stage was a big hit as well.

I’ve been hearing the song We’re Ready quite a bit lately on SiriusXM’s Classic Rewind and I find one verse of the lyrics very fitting for this third stage of Ironman training. I certainly feel like I’m ready.

We’re ready now
Catchin’ a wave to ride on
Steady now
Headin’ where we decide on
And I know that there’s something that’s just out of sight
And I feel like we’re trying to do something right
Come on make it if we hold on tight
Hold on tight
We’re Ready! C’mon we’re ready
We’re ready

There’s another song on that album called Cool The Engines, which is also very appropriate for the taper. I took advantage of the cooler weather this week and the lighter training load to push my pace a little bit. Maybe I just wanted to rev the engine somewhat. But in the back of my mind, I could hear my brain reminding me to not overdo it.

Take me for a ride
Take me all the way
Take me where I’ve never been
Someplace I can stay
Don’t get yourself too hot
Don’t get yourself too high
If we don’t take it easy now
We can kiss it all goodbye

Cool the engines
Red line’s gettin’ near
Cool the engines
Better take it out of gear

I’m no fool
Gonna keep it cool
Take it day by day
We won’t know where we might go
‘Til we make it all the way

So, it’s time for me to cool the engines and bring on the taper! We’re ready!

~~~

I took the time on Friday to fix my rear brakes and to put on new tires and throw on Conti 5000’s for the first time. The brakes are working well again, and the new tires were like floating on air on Saturday’s ride.

I rode with a group on Saturday and by the time we spread out I found myself riding mostly with Julie, whom I had never met before at these rides, but her pace and mine got us through Elwood and I enjoyed getting to meet another local rider. Julie is an Ironman, and said she was training for Ironman Waco in October. Good luck, Julie!

I have to take a moment and brag on my son Ben a little. He ran a local half-marathon called the Hidden Gem and nailed a PR for himself – 1:16:34, a 5:51 pace! My kid is smoking fast! Great job, Ben!

I’m also excited to hear that another Gunner fence-sitter may have committed to joining Jeff, Jan, and I on this dumb idea. YESSSSSSSS!

On Sunday I wrapped up my week with a 2-hour long run on mine and my wife Kari’s 29th wedding annniversary. I’m so lucky to have shared 29 wedded years with this woman, and I look forward to many more! I’m also very lucky she tolerates these adventures I go on.

SWIMS: 1 – 1500 yards

BIKES: 3 – 105.5 miles

RUNS: 5 – 32.5miles

A Not So Dreadful Week 27

2021 IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA TRAINING

WEEK 27 – September 5, 2021

I usually refer to Week 27 of the Be Iron Fit Ironman training plan as the “Dreaded Week 27.” It’s the toughest week in the 30-weeks of training, ending in a 6-hour bike ride with a one hour run right after it on Saturday, and a 3-hour long run on Sunday. But I took a little sting out of it by basically doing that workout at the end of Week 26. I did that for a couple of reasons. First, the opportunity presented itself last Saturday to ride an extra half-hour when I rode with Susan and we were managing our effort very well, staying hydrated and fueled on a very hot day. So as we got closer to getting back I just committed to it and it worked out fine. Same with Sunday, I was feeling good and figured I would just go an extra 15-minutes and make it a full 3-hour run. On the Friday before those two days I was somewhat dreading the weekend, but after getting out there and doing the extended portions and feeling good afterwards, it was a huge confidence builder for me.

Secondly, my wife Kari and I planned to head north to our lake home to enjoy some lake life and take care of some fall house and yard needs, and I thought that if I did the workouts a week ahead of time, I might not be so pressed for time or be so wornout if I swapped the planned workouts. I may even cut the long Saturday ride and long Sunday run down and start my tapering a little earlier this time around.

Here’s how the Dreaded Week 27 went for me.

Monday is usually a rest day, and I usually putter around the house and do the things that get neglected during the week; catch up on laundry, mow the grass, get groceries, etc. But after a couple of walks I was bored and thought why not do a swim. So I put on some tri shorts and jumped in. 30-minutes is my typical swim workout, but I was feeling good so I pushed it to 60-minutes. When I got to sixty I was still feeling pretty good, so I pushed it another half-hour, and before I knew it I had swum 4300 yards – covering the distance of an Ironman swim. There was no tiredness, no calf or foot cramps, and really no boredom, which surprised the heck out of me. Knowing that I can easily swim the 2.4 miles in my own backyard pool in 1.5 hours was a good feeling. Oh sure, I have done the Ironman swim four previous times, so I know that I can do it. But I still needed to train for each one of those previous attempts, and prove that it can be accomplished with smart training. Could I actually be enjoying swimming? Let’s not get carried away.

Tuesday ushered in a little bit less heat for the day and I ran at a time when there was a coolish breeze and it was overcast. I did the 10-minute warm-up and then started in on the five 6-minute repeats. I was pacing them pretty well. My legs were a little sore at the start, but when I picked up pace I did so easily. My turnover felt smooth and comfortable. I felt like I was rocking it! I skipped the swim due to the previous day’s effort, and opted to vacuum the pool instead.

Wednesday was quite a different day weather-wise than what I had last weekend. Much cooler, with a strong northeast wind. I hopped on the bike and was flying along heading south on my usual route. I saw my buddy Charlie attempting to run on his two injured toes and wished him a good run. I must have been averaging over 20 mph heading south, but turning around and coming back north was not fun. The ride ended with a 18 mph average, so I guess I was doing okay. A quick change to running shoes and it was off on a 30-minute run. I didn’t feel the wind as much, but the cooler temperature had me running with a good tempo. I like to use the Wednesday bike/run brick as a hard effort instead of staying in a Zone 2 heart rate zone. It’s the one day I like to hit the gas.

Thursday ushered in another cooler day and the winds were better for me as well, which caused me to push myself a little more than I should of. I could feel my calves tightening, but the 1.5-hour ride went well. I jumped in the pool afterwards and tried to swim, but I was getting some calf cramps and called it a day after 21 minutes.

Friday I got in my 1.5-hour run and then jumped into the car with Kari to head to Wisconsin.

Saturday was rainy of course, but it wasn’t too bad, and after a hearty breakfast with Kari at Tula’s in Minocqua the rain was turning to a misty drizzle on its way to ending. I planned to do a 5-hour ride and I stuck to it. I headed down Hwy J towards St. Germain to pick up the trails and head into the beautiful Northwoods. I hadn’t even gotten a few miles into it and the wet road and what little leftover sprinkles had me pretty wet. But it was bearable and I kept pushing on. I had never went further than Boulder Junction before so I continued onward and found the trail toward Manitowish Waters to be beautiful.

I took a couple of minutes on the way back to stop and enjoy some scenery just west of Boulder Junction. The trail here was beautiful.

I was thinking of how much fun I was having and four hours of the ride was just perfect. The last hour, not so much. Back onto Hwy J I was greeted with hills and headwind and an overall lack of energy. At one point my thigh muscles started to cramp, which had never happened to me before. I decided to slow down and fuel and hydrate more and limp it home. I got off my bike and sat down and took a minute to watch my calf muscles twitch uncontrollably. Good times.

I decided to not do the 60-minute run after the bike after watching the twitching going on.

Sunday was beautiful. I had recovered enough from yesterday’s bike ride that I talked myself back into doing a long run after talking myself out of it during the latter portion of yesterday’s bike.

I headed to the Bearskin Trail in downtown Minocqua and before I realized it, I was was crashing a marathon and half-marathon in progress. It was fun to see the runners coming back in with determination on their faces. I ran out seven miles and turned around and headed back. There were spectators cheering me on, as they didn’t realize that I wasn’t in the race. I said, “I’m not in the race, but I love your enthusiasm!”

It wasn’t long and the 3:45 marathon pacer caught up to me as I was walking and taking a gel. He was encouraging everyone to join in, and after telling him that I was on a training run he still wanted me to pace with him. I ran with him chatting about my Ironman and ultra coming up and I then took a detour to avoid the finish line, as I already felt awkward being on the trail with the others. I made it home with an extra mile added due to the detour, making it 15 total miles and some fun memories of running with those runners. Maybe I will join them for real next year.

Time to enjoy some lake life one last time before pulling the boat out of the water for the season.

SWIMS: 2 – 5312 yards

BIKES: 3 – 130 miles

RUNS: 4 – 36 miles

By My Own Choosing

2021 IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA TRAINING

WEEK 26 – August 29, 2021

My coworkers are kind people and take a passing interest in what I do outside of work. As I train for my fifth Ironman, it’s pretty obvious at this point that my weekend will be filled with a long bike ride and a long run. This weekend would be no different, but the kicker is that it was going to be hot outside, with temperatures in the 90s. So when my coworker Tracy asked what I was doing this weekend I replied that I was biking for 5.5 hours and running for an hour on Saturday, and running for 2.75 hours on Sunday, with somewhat of a “not too excited to do this” tone in my voice.

Then Tracy went full mom mode – YOU KNOW YOU ARE DOING THAT AT YOUR OWN CHOOSING. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT!

I closed my eyes and shook my head. I almost felt like I was being scolded for doing the things I like to do. Yes, I know that I choose to train for an Ironman, and yes I know that it is hard sometimes, and yes I know that you mere mortals find it somewhat perplexing as to why any of us training for an Ironman would put ourselves through such miserable efforts and give away our weekends doing it. But I choose to do it because I like riding and running (swimming, not so much), and being an Ironman is a goal that I pursue because it empowers me. It changed my life.

Later that evening my family and I met my son Ben and “kind-of daughter-in-law” Emily (just get married already!!!) for a birthday dinner for Ben and I mentioned once again that I was dreading doing my long bike and run this weekend. And although Emily didn’t chastise me as harshly as Tracy did, she said the same damn thing – You know, you choose to do it – or something to that effect.

This time I chuckled, hearing the same admonishment twice in a single day, but what was surprising was that it was coming from Emily, who as a runner herself knows full well what it takes to do amazing things. Maybe the empathy I was expecting and didn’t get was the amusing part for me.

Oh well, I guess nobody cares that I choose to do this dumb sport in an extreme way on a very hot two weekend days. And sometimes the only person to impress worth impressing is me.

Another good ride with Susan on Saturday, and it was pretty much a repeat of last weekend except we both decided to add a little extra, and instead of doing the planned 5.5-hour ride, I ended up doing 6.25 hours and reached 100 miles. I followed up the ride with 6-miles on the treadmill because, well, I’m not dumb. It was insanely warm and humid outside. Smart move and I felt great after that long day.

On Sunday, I parlayed the success of Saturday into Sunday, adding some extra time to the run, running an extra 15 minutes to hit 3-hours. I’m still playing around with a run\walk ratio, and I added 15-seconds to the walk interval. I think that is a pretty good option right now, and I will keep toying with it on my long runs.

On to the dreaded Week 27, which won’t be so dreadful because I pretty much did that week’s workout this weekend. Getting closer to race day and feeling more ready every day.

Swims: 2 – 3000 yards

Rides: 3 – 146 miles

Runs: 5 – 42.3 miles