2026 Ironman 70.3 Rockford Race Report

DATE: June 14, 2026

WHERE: Rockford, Illinois

RESULTS: BIB # 154 5:45:37 finish time

What a difference a year makes! Last year was a fight for survival (link to 2025 race report), and I struggled to finish in 7.5 hours. But this year was almost a perfect day for racing a 70.3. Not only did I achieve my arbitrary goals of running a sub-2-hour half-marathon, but I also got under 6 hours for the race – by a lot, setting a new personal best for myself, too!

Training went really well for me this year. My doctor advised me that my blood work showed a very low amount of vitamin B-12. Once I added B-12 to my day, it made a huge difference. My muscles recovered more quickly and were less sore, and overall, I had more energy.

I stuck with my usual training plan, Don Fink’s IronFit Secrets for Half-Iron Distance Success, which has served me well for my three half-iron races. 16-weeks of training made me well prepared.

Prerace Notes

Kari and I got to Rockford midday on Saturday, and I was able to get checked in and put my bike into transition. We had a nice dinner at the same restaurant we ate at last year, Tavern on Clark, and I opted to not overindulge. Our same hotel (Home2) had its act together this year, and check-in went very smoothly. The only issue I had was not getting a good night’s sleep. Lots of tossing and turning, and dreaming.

Race Day

The alarm was set for 4:30am, but I got up at 4 and took a shower. Even with giving myself some extra time, Kari and I lost track of it and realized we needed to hustle to get to the Ironman Village to set up transition and catch the bus. Kari pulled up to the parking garage, and I hopped out with my stuff and headed to my bike. I set up my stuff, covered in a plastic bag as it was sprinkling, which would end by 6:45am or so. I then walked to the line to catch the shuttle buses to the swim start. Upon getting there, I realized I had not left my eyeglasses with my bike, so I ran back and put them with my helmet. That might have been bad for me. I could have dropped my glasses off at Swim Start, which the IM people would have then dropped off at Swim Out, but I’m glad I didn’t have to do that.

Although I was relieved to have remembered the glasses, the line back at the shuttle buses was now double in length, and I worried that I might have to hoof it down the 1.2 miles or so of trail to get there. I stuck it out and was able to get on a bus, fortunately.

Last year, I got a push notification from IM that the water was 79 degrees, which meant no wetsuit for me. This year, the water was 72.4 degrees! Plus, the dam upstream of Rockford had been opened, which created quite a current. It was going to be a great day for swimming.

I was a little hyped up with adrenaline at Swim Start, but somehow was able to calm myself down, talking with others and comparing notes. We were waiting in our predicted swim time groups to enter the water (I entered the water about 38 minutes after the 7am start time), and the Race Announcer was telling us that the first swimmer had exited the swim in under 20 minutes! This guy was going to be way into the bike ride before I finished the swim! Crazy.

The Swim – 28:40 / 26th M60-64 / 1062nd overall

As it turns out, 72.4 degrees is pretty damn cold! It was a little bit of a shock to the system. I swam in my new sleeveless wetsuit, and although my arms were cold, I slowly got used to it and worked my way into a good pace. After going under the first bridge, I had gotten a little off course when I swam right of this red buoy that marked the halfway point, and I was now struggling to slow down my breathing. I saw a paddleboarder and held on to it for just about a minute to reset myself, then I proceeded to swim back to where I needed to be.

I could see the Swim Out and made a beeline for it, and was shocked to see that I clocked a 28:40 swim. I’m the world’s okay-ish swimmer, typically swimming a half-iron in about 43 minutes. This was a shocker. The Rock River was certainly rolling and in our favor today!

Happy as always to be done swimming and off to the bike.

T1 – 6:40

I wasted over 8 minutes in T1 last year, and I was determined to get out of there faster this year. Due to construction in a park where the athlete village was last year, transition was moved a couple of blocks north of there on the road. There would be no quarter-mile run to my bike this time. I was lucky to basically jog 100 yards to my bike, which was right near the entrance of T1. A wetsuit peeler stripped me of my wetsuit, and I quickly sat down, tried to dry myself off, and struggled to get my socks on. I knew the bike would start with me being cold and wet, so I opted to put on a long-sleeve (and super small – 😂) cycling top. Being super close to the Swim In meant I had a long haul to the Bike Out. I stopped and had a guy add some sunscreen to my neck and face, and he shot a bunch into my ear, and we both laughed. I pushed on to the Bike Mount zone and began what would be a great ride.

Me chuckling at the sunscreen volunteer guy who had just filled my ear with sunscreen. Also, why do I look like a stuffed sausage? *Photo credit Chris Farrell*

BIKE – 3:06:32 / 18th M60-64 / 802nd overall

Most of my training rides of 56 miles took me about 3:20 or so, building up to the race. With the day we were going to have – cool temps and what I considered to be a favorable wind direction – I figured I might be able to pull off 3:10 possibly. I reminded myself not to redline leaving Rockford, as it is uphill for maybe a mile or two, but my heart was pumping hard. We got to the first turn, and it’s a super fast downhill with a sharp turn at the end. Just as we were flying down it, the referee motorcycle rode very slowly past. I wasn’t more than a couple of miles into this race and was afraid I was going to get a penalty for drafting, as there was a pretty big group that hadn’t spread out yet. But he kept going, and people tried to behave when they saw him, and I quickly settled back in.

I was so glad that I had put on the extra layer, as I was somewhat cold for the first hour. Hardly anyone else was wearing an extra top, and I thought I was the crazy one. I’m not regretting it at all.

The ride north was into the wind, but fortunately, I was pretty fresh at this stage and feeling good. It seemed to me that the cross/headwind we dealt with when we started heading west was worse than the headwind we had heading north. At the first aid station, I had a near miss when some dumb rider passed me on the right as I was pulling over to the toilets. She got an earful from me, and I wasn’t nice about it. She could have really messed both of us up. There were lots of people riding out of position. Anyway, I escaped the one close call and put it behind me.

About 32 miles into the course, I turned south and started reaping the benefits of a strong tailwind and some speedy downhill sections. My watch clocked a 35 mph max speed, which was more than likely in one of these sections heading back. I was passing riders a lot heading out, but now I was passing people very consistently and with speed.

At about 46 miles, I looked at my speed and realized that if I managed to keep up this 20 mph-plus average, I might get pretty close to three hours. So I started pushing pretty hard.

The fast hill early on leaving Rockford, was now the last beast I had to overcome before rocking Rt. 20/State Street back into the city. Shocked to see my bike split at 3:03 on my watch, which still had autopause running, and the two stops at the porta-potties cost me a grand total of about 3 minutes. Pretty amazed at that.

This is either coming in to finish the bike or just heading out. Take your pick.

T2 – 4:49

As I dismounted from the bike and started jogging to my transition spot, I wasted as little time as I could. I took off the cycling gear and put on my shoes, grabbed my arm sleeves, bib belt, and visor, and I was off to hit the run course.

RUN – 1:58:56 / 14th M60-64 / 738th overall

I told myself to not go out too fast, but I felt good and was ready to beat feet. About a half-mile into the run, I saw a guy rocking a Rush cycling jersey, and I asked him if he was going to see them in Chicago. He said that he was going to all of the shows (four, I believe!). I’m going to the Monday show, so we talked Rush for a brief spell, and then I kept trucking.

First mile of the first loop. Feeling good.

I started to feel the headwind, and I was starting to feel my effort was way too strong, so I dialed it back and tried to run comfortably. At times I was cold, other times I was hot, depending on whether the wind was at my back or in my face. I walked through most of the aid stations, stopping at one or two to pee, but I was still managing just right around 9-minute miles, which I knew I had to maintain in order to get a sub-2-hour half-marathon.

My wife, with her broken foot, was undeterred in being the best supporter for me out on the run course. She positioned herself in the same shady park area as last year, and I had no trouble finding her and letting her know I was doing okay.

I really like the variety of the run course. It kept things new and exciting. Plenty of cheering fans all along the course. The guy ahead of me had just given five to the kid.

On the second loop, I pulled the arm sleeves out of my back pocket and pulled them on because I was now getting pretty chilled in the wind. I told myself to wait to kick until about 10.5 miles, and then I started picking off runners ahead of me. I got lots of “looking good” and “you got this” from spectators, so it wasn’t just me thinking I had a good pace going.

In the final stretch, trying to pace with this much faster youngin’. *Photo credit Kristy Suriano*

I got to the final stretch and hit the gas, and then floated down the chute to the finish line. I couldn’t believe my eyes – not only did I go sub-6 hours, I also finished in 5:45, a minute and some change faster than my previous personal best from 2014, twelve years ago!

It was a race of a lifetime for me. Certainly, the swim played a role in my overall speed and time. But I earned that bike split and that run split, as they both had equal portions of hard work into the wind and help with the wind at my back. The results will show 5:45:37, and that’s all that matters.

Post Race

Not a pose I generally strike, but I had the towel and water bottle they handed me in my hands. I kind of like it.

I stood in line to get a finish line photo, then focused my attention on recovery. Recovery is always hard for me at this distance (and most others, too), and I could sense that I’d better keep moving and get out of the finish area. I found Kari, and we walked to the backside of transition. Fortunately, the race official there said I could enter, but advised me that I couldn’t take my things out of transition until 1:45pm, as people were still on the course. I made a beeline for the toilet, as I was starting to feel a strong urge coming on. But inside, after unzipping my onesie trisuit and sitting down, I couldn’t do anything. So I made the best use of the time in there to warm up a little and kill some time.

I made it to my bike, grabbed all of my stuff, and walked to the exit where the staff checks your numbers to make sure you aren’t taking what isn’t yours. I passed through, and Kari and I walked to the IM Village to possibly get some post-race pizza. Ironman makes you walk through the IM Store because they want you to buy overpriced stuff, and I decided to see if I could pick up a name t-shirt and a new visor or hat. I got to the checkout and realized that I didn’t have my phone or wallet, but she said I could use my watch to make the payment. Great! But it wouldn’t work – it kept getting declined. So I cut bait and said I’m better off not spending $140 on three items anyway.

We almost forgot about picking up the morning clothes bag, and I asked someone who was carrying one where they were located. Fortunately, it was in the village, so I made the trek back through the store, this time ignoring the temptation to buy anything, and got my bag. At this point, I was starting to crash.

Kari and I sat for a while until I could find the energy to begin the two-block walk to the parking garage, and as I made my way up the sidewalk, I began to sort of hyperventilate as I walked. I made it across the street, and I sat on a concrete barrier while Kari went to get the truck out of the parking garage. I wrapped the finisher’s towel that I received at the finish around me, and also wrapped myself in my trisuit and sat there waiting. Kari pulled up, we tossed the bike onto the carrier, and my junk into the backseat, and off we drove. I turned my heated seats to high, put on the heater, wrapped myself with whatever towels I had in the truck, and slowly began to feel better. I’m not sure why I get so wrecked post-race (I have had some doozies), but it’s not like you can train for that. I probably needed some food/sugar/liquid, but I didn’t feel like I could stomach that at the moment.

We made it home okay, got unloaded, showered ourselves, and then went to my favorite post-race restaurant for some much-needed dinner.

Conclusion

If you are interested in some of my gear, I used the following:

Zoot one-piece trisuit
Xterra Vortex sleeveless wetsuit
2012 (purchased new in 2013) Specialized Shiv Pro bike
Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire watch
Hoka Ceilo X1 shoes

Many thanks and love go to my wife, Kari, for always being there for me. This lady had a broken foot in a walking boot and still shuffled around after me. She won’t let me do these things by myself, and I got a feeling that if she were sick with the flu, she would be there to make sure I was okay. I’m forever indebted to her for putting up with me.

Thanks to everyone who posted kind words on Facebook about my race. I was just as awed by my finish as many of you were. I hope that maybe you all can join me in racing this race someday.

Thanks to all the other racers, volunteers, locals, and spectators/fans along the course. You truly make racing at Rockford a special day.

Thanks to local friends Chris and Kristy for taking a few action pictures of me today. And congrats to those locals in the Manhattan Tri Club (which I sorta associate with and follow). Chad, Karen, Dan, and several others did a great job!

And always, thanks to my Number 1 Fan, Carl, for always taking an interest and following my adventures. I appreciate that you are entertained and impressed by my performances.

Thanks for reading and all of your kind words.

Team Gunners (me) placed 123 out of 189 tri teams at the race! Go Me!

Race Week Taper Time

Race week is finally here! It always surprises me that I still get nervous with a race coming up, even with having done over 130-something races over the years. Ironman Rockford 70.3 is on Sunday, and I’m pretty excited for it this time.

The weather last year played a significant role in the inaugural race, with super-hot temperatures and a reliance on the locals in what was dubbed “Sprinkler Alley” to keep us cool by hosing us down with garden hoses and making it to the finish line. The weather watchers are already back at it again this year, and although we will have some warm temps this week, race day is looking to be a wonderful mid-70-degree day. Man, that is such a welcome relief. My only concern is that the warm week leading up to the weekend may heat the water up some, pushing us out of a wetsuit legal race. Fingers crossed that the additional rain will also help cool it down.

On Monday, I was already starting to plan out my weekend, thinking about what trisuit to race in, what nutrition I would need for the three events, and trying out my new sleeveless wetsuit for the first time in my pool. It’s a little tight around the neck, so putting anti-chafe lotion on my neck will be a must. Glad I pre-swam with it.

With the weather being cool, that means I might need to add another layer for the bike ride, or at least add some gloves and arm sleeves. Being wet after the swim will make 60-degree temps feel even cooler while riding the bike.

One thing I have learned while training this past 16 weeks is that I have been a little underhydrated and behind on nutrition on my bike training rides. That is mostly due to my bringing just enough on those rides and not anything extra. The race will have plenty of extra water and nutrition for me on the course.

I have an easy week to finish out and hopefully get to Sunday to let it rip instead of hoping to survive like last year. So, here’s to a good last week of preparation! Up next is race day!

Are We There Yet?

“Are we there yet?” was something I’m pretty sure every kid would ask mom and dad when travelling in the car on some boring trip somewhere. And when I run, I sometimes get to a spot on my running route in which I ask myself that very question. Sometimes it’s because I’m cold. Sometimes it’s due to being tired or sore. And sometimes it’s because I’ve run this same route for 20-plus years now, and the routine can make you wish that the two or three miles you have left to go would just be over. I would definitely spend one of my three genie wishes on ending some of the runs I have been on. Certain marathons come to mind.

But today wasn’t one of those days. The weather was upper 40s, mostly sunny, and calm. I was dressed appropriately for a change, and I was putting in some long, slow time on my feet. And it was feeling great. I am currently enjoying some pain-free running, which wasn’t the case in the past couple of years. I was running twelve miles today, using my typical run/walk pace plan (2 minutes each), which has been great at helping me build miles, while not tearing my muscles up with the harder straight run efforts. I will run eight miles or less straight with no walk breaks, but with several months ahead of me before my backyard ultra in September, I figured I shouldn’t push too hard at this point.

But the question of “are we there yet” can also be one of anticipation. When I had reached that point on my route today, where I sometimes ask myself how much more of this to go, I had a different thought. I was feeling great and thought I could get home, top off my bottle with more Tailwind, and possibly head out on the route for another twelve miles. I wondered how well prepared I am at this current stage, and how much longer until we get to that backyarder in September? I’m feeling ready!

“Am I there yet?” Not quite, but I am getting closer.

~~~~~

ODDS AND ENDS

I switched to wearing Hoka shoes back in 2017, after I got tired of what ASICS was doing with their shoes. I’ve tried various Hoka offerings, starting with the Clifton, but kept seeking out more cushioning, something Hoka is well known for. I have fallen in love with the king of cushioned shoes, the Hoka Skyward X. These shoes have tons of cushioning for my sore knees, and are carbon-plated to add extra spring and bounce to my footstrike. They also tend to last me a long time. I typically need to change shoes every 300 miles or so, but I can get 600 or more out of these before I even sense that they are getting worn out. I hope Hoka never stops making this shoe, but it has an issue: It’s illegal to race in them. They are on a banned list of shoes prohibited from most sanctioned road races, and that includes Ironman competitions. The racing ruling bodies that govern shoes have declared that a 40mm stack height is the maximum allowed, and the Skyward X, the monster truck of running shoes, exceeds that 40mm. Fortunately, the Hoka Cielo X, a road racing shoe that I have run the Chicago Marathon and last year’s Ironman Rockford 70.3, is legal and still provides a great ride for me.
THERE WERE SKELETAL REMAINS FOUND ON MY RUNNING ROUTE! I was coming back from a weekday run, heading past an old farmer’s field about a mile from my house, when I noticed a couple of county deputies and a guy in the field. Turns out, the guy was doing a land survey and found a human skull! It didn’t take more than a couple of days before the coroner identified the person. He had been missing since last June. Not sure yet how he got there or what caused his demise, but it was a little unsettling to know that a dead guy had been lying in the field I run past on almost every run.
I’ve been doing my Saturday (and sometimes, Sunday) long rides with the local cycling group when they pop up, and I’ve been really enjoying the rides. The wind direction often dictates which way we ride, and all of the rides have been out to the west to have a tailwind coming back. I joined my first “Tap Ride,” which is a fun Wednesday evening ride on the crushed limestone Wauponsee Glacial Trail out to a small farming town called Symerton. The group will stop there for a refreshment before heading back in the dark, with our lights illuminating the trail. Riding at night was not something I’ve done much of, so it was a nice change for me.
Temps next week will be in the 70s, so I will start working on getting my pool ready for some lap swimming in preparation for the 70.3 in Rockford, Illinois, in June. Last year, the three-year-old pool heater sprang a leak and stopped working just before the season ended. So I need to get that figured out and fixed. Pools are great, but sometimes I wonder if I should fill it with dirt and move on.
I have my first race coming up in May, a unique 5K time trial race in which you run a 5K every hour for 6 hours. The fastest cumulative time wins. I won’t win, but earlier this week, I ran an 8-mile training run, which started out very strongly for me, so I decided to see how fast I could cover 10K and recover with the last two miles. It went very well, and I think I might be able to cover a few of the 5Ks in around 26 minutes or so. Not sure if I can average that for all of the 5Ks, but I’m willing to be a Gunner at this stage.

That’s all for now. Back to training and getting ready for the season.

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