Ironman – Page 9 – an amazing run

Throwing Caution to the Wind

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2017 TRAINING

WEEK 12 – June 5 > June 11

I first dipped my toe into the triathlon waters in 2012. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I certainly was a newbie to the sport. And I had some trepidation about it all, especially the swim.

As each season passed I gained a lot more knowledge and confidence. Finishing Ironman Wisconsin in 2013 certainly did wonders for my confidence, both in the water and on the bike, taking me distances I had never covered in either discipline.

But I sometimes still have some things holding me back somewhat. I’m prone to having to use my wetsuit in open water, as it eases my anxiety a little. It’s sort of a security blanket for me. In addition to the wetsuit, I have also played it safe with using my full disc aero cycling wheel.

As you start out in triathlon, you tend to make do with what you have or invest in the entry level stuff, with the thought that if you don’t want to continue doing the sport you haven’t invested your life savings into it. But as I grew to love the sport I eventually graduated from my road bike to a tri bike, a regular road helmet to an aero helmet, an off the rack tri kit to a full custom kit, and from standard cycling wheels to aero wheels. And then I bought a full disc aero wheel.

The full disc wheel goes on the rear of the bike and thanks to some aerodynamics that are beyond my scope, is supposed to make you faster. I certainly did notice a difference, finding myself hitting speeds easier than when I used my normal set up. I also found out on the first few rides that any sort of wind made for an adventure for me. One windy day I was nearly blown off the trail with it.

I recently read some posts online regarding using the full disc wheel on the Ironman Louisville course that I will be doing in October. A guy advised that there was absolutely no reason not to use it. I saw some other comments saying that it was less about the full disc and more about the front wheel when it came to feeling the wind, mainly due to the rider weight distribution. After thinking about it a little, I decided I should ride with it more often and this week seemed like as good a time as any.

I rode with it on Wednesday for a short 45 minutes and a Thursday ride of an hour, both with a little bit of wind but nothing to difficult. Then came Saturday. It was windy. I was a little concerned because my route is mainly open farm roads with very little wind buffer. But I figured this would be a good test. So I did it. And it wasn’t too bad. I found myself leaning into the crosswind a little more than usual, but I never felt like was jockeying around too much. So I decided to race with it on Sunday in a sprint triathlon. That went really well, helping me to hit a 21.5 mph average over the 14.7 mile course.

So there you go. I have now graduated from being over-conscience about using the full disc. I’ll be training with that sucker as much as I can leading up to IM Lou.

I also graduated from having to use the wetsuit for every open water swim, doing without it at the ET Batavia Sprint triathlon. It’s a short 400 yards in a man-made sandy bottom swimming hole, but the water is usually too cold for me. Today’s race day water temperature was 73 degrees, so I decided to do a swim warm up and test out my tolerance for swimming without it. I acclimated quickly and found myself swimming comfortably.

I’m starting to feel good about testing my limits. We’ll see where that takes me in this crazy sport.

You can read my ET Batavia Triathlon race report here: 2017 ET Batavia Triathlon Race Report

TOTALS:

3 Swims – 4600 yards this week / 30800 yards total

4 Bikes – 89 miles this week / 859 miles total

7 Runs – 23.5 miles this week / 337 miles total

Gunners-2-1 — **Feeling stronger every day**

Week 11 Fun: Training and Racing

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2017 TRAINING

WEEK 11 – May 29 > June 4

Week 11 was the first week of the Build Phase of the Be Iron Fit training plan that I am following, and I expected it to be a little harder. There was a third swim added, along with some additional yardage to the swim. I was a little surprised that the long Saturday bike was a half hour shorter than Week 10’s 3 hour ride, but I see that the plan now adds a short run after it. The 1/2 hour spin on Sunday was also added, which seemed to feel pretty good to me thanks to some tired legs from Saturday. All in all, not a bad way to start the Build Phase of training.

Speaking of tired legs, I also ran my first road race of the year, a 5K near my home. I wasn’t sure that it was a good idea, as my feet and legs just always seem tired. But I decided to give it a go. I was glad I did, as I finished 10th overall and 1st in my age group.

You can read about the race here: 2017 Summertime Stride 5K Race Report

Speaking of racing, I will be doing my first triathlon of the year, the ET Batavia sprint triathlon in Batavia, Illinois. I’ve done this race three times and I really enjoy it. The swim is super short, about 400 yards, the bike is fast, and the run is a heart pounding 4.1 miles. I’m hoping that the water will be warm enough to forego the wetsuit. I struggled getting the dumb thing off last year and it cost me some valuable time. I do have a speed suit that I might try out this time. Never used it before though. I might have to play with it this week during one of the three swim workouts.

The last bit of news is that my wife Kari bought a new road bike, a Specialized Roubaix from Spokes in Wheaton, Illinois. We were there picking up my race packet and she had been talking about getting a bike. I think she was impressed with the bike shop, and definitely the custom fit that the owner put her through. We were there for almost 4 hours looking at bikes and getting the Roubaix dialed in. They really did a good job and I think Kari is going to have many happy miles of riding. I’m looking forward to having a new riding buddy.

TOTALS:

3 Swims – 5200 yards this week / 26200 yards total

4 Bikes – 89 miles this week / 770 miles total

7 Runs – 35 miles this week / 313 miles total

Memorial Day Reminders

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2017 TRAINING

WEEK 10 – May 22 > May 28

I hope everyone enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday as much as I did. Our plan is to make it up to our new lake home at least once a month and take advantage of the extra day off that a holiday affords us. It can never be that simple though, as my daughter Rebecca is in the marching band and they had to participate in the Memorial Day parade at home. So we took Friday off to play at the lake home for three days, then headed back home Sunday night.

Our town of Mokena, Illinois does Memorial Day right. Led by officials from the local VFW, they start at one of three cemeteries in town and parade to the next, stopping at each one and reading off the names of the veterans no longer with us. A snare drummer plays a 7-stroke roll after each name, and when they have all been read, a trumpet player plays taps. It is somewhat of a somber affair. Heads are bowed, hats removed. Our most recent fallen soldier from town was killed a few years ago. The town certainly keeps his memory alive.

I was not able to do my Saturday bike ride in Minocqua, and I saved it for when I got back home. Due to the wind blowing from the southwest, I chose to ride into the wind and come back with it at my back. The route takes me toward Manhattan and Elwood, where I generally turn around. This turn around spot is just across the street from the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, where many local veterans are buried. Normally I would ride into the grounds for a lap and head back out. Today there was a line of cars coming off the main highway as far as the eye could see. It was another reminder for me that there were those that served our country so that we could all live free to do what free people do. For me it was riding a bike on paved roads under blue skies and next to farmers planting their crops. Not sure if they were planting amber waves of grain, but it certainly is their option to do so thanks to so many who gave their lives serving our country. A glorious Memorial Day indeed.

10 WEEK BASE PHASE WRAP UP

This week marks the end of the base stage of training. I’m feeling pretty good about where I am at this point in training. I feel pretty strong, and the workouts never were too taxing. I chose to do a simpler version of the swim training plan and I feel that I am doing just fine with it. I’m pretty sure I will be adequately prepared for the swim. My buddies will probably out swim me, but they did that before when I followed the harder plan too.

I did some bike preparation prior to starting the 30-week training plan and I think it has paid off. I seem to be averaging around 17.5 mph on my rides, staying in Zone 2. Hopefully I will see an average closer to 18 mph toward the end of this next training phase.

Running is holding on, and I am holding my breath that I won’t suffer an injury during the remaining training. One day my feet will be killing me, and then another day they won’t bother me at all. They never seem to hurt while running though. And my deep butt pain (yes, I’m a pain in the butt) has good days and bad days too. I’m starting to wonder if the pain may be hip joint-related and not muscle related. I guess I am getting old. Too many miles on the body. I’m going to enjoy it while I can.

On to the Build Phase!

TOTALS:

2 Swims – 3100 yards this week / 21000 yards total

3 Bikes – 88 miles this week / 681 miles total

7 Runs – 25 miles this week / 278 miles total

Week 9 Wrap-up

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2017 TRAINING

WEEK 9 – May 15 > May 21

This week flew by and I barely remember much of it. Here are some of the highlights:

We had temperatures very much consistent with summer, upper 80’s, sunshine, etc. Then the bottom fell out. On Wednesday I ran in shorts and a t-shirt. Friday I ran in pants, jacket, gloves, and a beanie. The temperatures are supposed to rebound, so I’m not panicking.

My pool was driving me crazy! Every year when I open it, it is something new to deal with. Last year it was a torn liner. This year the auto-chlorinator wouldn’t work. And that means my pool was going without chlorine – a situation that would not be ideal. In my usual fashion, I started throwing parts at it. First it was this dumb little microphone that is attached to the pump and is supposed to signal the computer that controls the chlorinator that the pump is on. It has been the issue in the past, so I ordered a new one. Nope. Wasn’t the problem. Next up for me was deciding to keep throwing more money at other parts, or say goodbye to a system that is nearly 13 years old. I decided to buy the water flow sensor just to see if it was the problem. BINGO! That was it! Thankfully, I dodged having to spring for a new $2000+ auto-chorinator.

I have been continually dealing with my high hamstring tendonitis, and to add to that I think I am starting to have plantar fasciitis as well. Yay me! I think I can handle the two issues, but I can’t neglect stretching. I should also probably part ways with my dumb running streak. I’m into year three, but if running everyday is going to affect whether or not I can tackle Ironman Louisville, well I just may have to give it up. My 53 year old muscles need to recover, and I’m not allowing them to do so.

Saturday I had the joy of watching my son Ben graduate college. The day of the graduation was miserable, and I was only able to get in about 3 miles of running, instead of the 1.25 hours that the plan had called for.

Since I couldn’t ride on Saturday, I did the 2:45 ride after the long car ride back from Dubuque, Iowa on Sunday. I thought I would pay for that idea with soreness, but it wasn’t too bad. Maybe it was the nasty cold and wind that took my mind off of it! It turned out to be a decent ride, averaging 17.1 mph over 46.5 miles. My heart rate monitor would disagree with me, seeing that it was alarming me to being out of my prescribed zone, but I felt good.

So the week went well, all things considered. I got in two swims, did my rides and runs (with an abbreviated weekend long run), and got to see my son graduate college! I can’t complain.

TOTALS:

2 Swim – 2600 yards this week / 17900 yards total

3 Bikes – 76.5 miles this week / 593 miles total

7 Runs – 25 miles this week / 241 miles total

I Will Need Two of Everything

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2017 TRAINING

WEEK 4 – April 10 > April 16

I spent Thursday through Easter Sunday in our new lake home in Minocqua, Wisconsin with my family for the first time. It was awesome to get to spend the Easter holiday in our new home on the lake. I had a great six mile run with my son Ben on Friday, and enjoyed our somewhat new running routes. We had vacationed in the area for many years, so the Bearskin Trail is nothing new to us. But it is refreshing to be running on such a beautiful trail again.

Friday we all took a trip to the local Ace Hardware store to get some stuff for the house. We bought a ladder, a rake, and a bunch of other junk that we already own in our main home. But now that I have another home to care for, I need two of everything. And apparently that includes triathlon gear.

I came up for the weekend without my bike so I wasn’t able to get any riding in, and with buying two of everything else for the house, I started to consider buying another bike to have on hand up north. It didn’t help that I had Triathlete and Bicycling magazines on hand with several pages of guides to new stuff to look at. But just with all the other stuff with the house that I know we need, I have learned that we will have to pace ourselves with what we get next. The lake home bike will be a very low priority, but it sure would have been nice to have had one up there.

As for the rest of the training week, I only got one swim done, but it was a decent one. The planned called for a 1600 yard swim with a workout, but I decided to do a straight swim and ended up stopping at 2000 yards. Felt pretty good.

Only two bike rides this week, both half hour spins with a brick run after each. I missed the hour and a half Saturday ride, so I will make that up on Monday of Week 5.

Runs will always total seven unless I break my leg or something. I had a nice uptempo 6 mile run with Ben, who told me that he has some pretty cool running ambitions after he wraps up his collegiate running career upon graduation in May. He’s come a long way as a runner, and I see a bright future for him as a marathoner if he pursues those goals.

fullsizeoutput_e616 — Easter Sunday in Minocqua

TOTALS:

1 Swims – 2000 yards this week / 5200 yards total

2 Bikes – 16.5 miles this week / 152 miles total

7 Runs – 25 miles this week / 98.25 miles total

Texting and Ironman Training

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2017 TRAINING

WEEK 3 – April 3 > April 9

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During last year’s training for Ironman Lake Placid, our group of five buddies decided to get a group chat going through texting. Seeing that we don’t all live that close to each other, it was a good way to talk shop and build support for each other.

But it quickly turned into a competition. To be the first one done with the day’s workout was always a good feeling. And to send that text saying “Day Done,” was just as fulfilling as hitting the stop button on the watch at the end of the workout. It also became quite annoying when the late-night finisher texted “Day Done” at 11:58 pm. I finally figured out that there was a “Do Not Disturb” feature for the group and switched it to ON.

I thought that maybe we would not be as text happy this time around, but I was wrong. We must all have iPhones, because there is a new feature where you can add a response on a text, adding a thumbs up, or a couple of exclamation points, or even a “HA HA” if it struck you as funny. This just makes it easier to respond to a text when you might not have done so before.

The interesting thing about the texting is that we have a group of guys that are supportive of each other and keep each other honest in our training for another Ironman. We all know what the day calls for, but sometimes you can’t do it. And even though you get creative and arrange to fit it in another day, you still feel obligated to tell the group that you missed it or had to do something else. The text is sent, making it known to the others that you fully intend not to let the others down and will definitely get it done. We hold each other accountable, and we hold ourselves accountable.

It can get annoying getting a text from the group that their day is done, and yours is still in the works. But if it takes a text to get us to the finish line together, I’m all for it.

Day Done > send ↑

Week 3 Wrap-up

The weather is starting to get better, with the weekend climbing into the 60’s and 70’s. The pool was closed for Tuesday due to Election Day voting going on at the school. Not sure how that is sufficient reasoning to close the pool, but they did it anyway. And I was away at a conference Wednesday through Friday, so I missed the Thursday swim. So here I am being accountable once again for missing the swim training. Just like the texts we share with the group, it’s a just a little note to remind myself that I need to hold myself accountable and get it done. It’s early yet, and with the weather getting better, I will have my own pool open soon and won’t be at the mercy of the school schedule.

Cycling and running went well, with a few indoor runs and trainer rides. I am starting to get that sore calf issue again, along with some calf cramps that seem to be common when I start adding mileage. I know that it will eventually even out.

The last thing on my mind has been my weight. It seems like I struggled to keep the weight off in January/February/March, getting up around 175 pounds. I have never been that high ever. The puzzling thing is that I am still doing at least a run every day and watching my intake. But it just snuck up on me. After my long ride on Saturday, I weighed myself and was glad to see I was back under 170. I hope to see sub-165 soon.

TOTALS:

0 Swims – 0 yards this week / 3200 yards total

4 Bikes – 52 miles this week / 135 miles total

7 Runs – 27.75 miles this week / 73.25 miles total

Treadmills, Rocking my Brain, & New Digs

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE 2017 TRAINING

WEEK 2 – March 27 > April 2

The weather forced Friday’s 45 minute run indoors to the old dreadmill. I’m very grateful that I have access to two treadmills, and I am very glad to have that option when the weather is bad. But my goodness they can suck the life out of you.

I decided to use the treadmill at work for my run. The workout room has a TV, but it’s mounted on the far wall, hasn’t worked in a couple of months, and I can never hear it anyway. But we do have a rockin’ speaker system that I can connect my iPhone music to through Bluetooth. So I usually flip that thing on and crank up the classic rock that was once new rock when I first heard it. Maybe I’m classic now, too.

I pulled up a playlist and hit shuffle. The first artist was The Heavy, with a song called No Time. My kind of tune. After that came Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road. After that song came Runaround by Blues Traveler. It was at that point I decided to try to remember all of the artists that played during my run. I was surprised at first that I couldn’t remember the first artist. It came back to me and then I began repeating them over and over.

Next up was Lynyrd Skynyrd. Then came Billy Joel. He was followed by a band called Grouplove. After each new song, I would restart the process of repeating the artists in order, sometimes having momentary memory lapses, sometimes flipping Blues Traveler with the Boss, and often forgetting about Billy Joel. But it would eventually come to me.

The next groups were Pearl Jam, Genesis, Robert Randolph & the Family, and Jack White. Gerry Rafferty finished up my 5.25 mile/45 minute run with Baker Street.

I must say that trying to remember the names of the artists was somewhat difficult, but also fun. If one of my coworkers had walked in while I was repeating them over and over again, they would have thought I was strange.

But I got my planned run in, exercised my body and my mind, and actually enjoyed the dreadmill for once. I think I will make this a habit.

The rest of the week was easy but also exciting. I wasn’t able to swim due to spring break at the high school and the pool being closed. That’s the easy part. The exciting part is that my wife and I closed on a lake home in Minocqua, Wisconsin. We were up there for the closing on Monday, and spent a couple of nights there. I got in a couple of runs on the local roads and trail, and scoped out the riding options that look to be very hilly. I can’t wait to get up there every month and do more training, especially some open water swimming in the lake!

Can’t wait to enjoy the training perks that the new lake home has to offer. Just need the ice to melt first.

TOTALS:

0 Swims – 0 yards this week / 3200 yards total

4 Bikes – 42 miles this week / 83 miles total

7 Runs – 25.5 miles this week / 45.5 miles total

2014 Ironman Muncie 70.3 Race Report

Note from me: I originally posted this on a blog site called iamtri.com. Unfortunately, that website is no longer valid, but through some magic performed by my computer knowledgeable college son, he was able to recover my posts. I am sharing them here so that I may preserve my memories from my first Ironman 70.3. Chris

2014 Ironman Muncie 70.3 Race Report

July 12, 2014

My First IM 70.3!

For my third triathlon of 2014 and designated “A” race this year, I decided to pick a 70.3 distance, and since I live near Chicago I had three really popular choices to choose from: Racine, Steelhead and Muncie. After hearing about a horrible swim in Racine in 2013, and seeing Steelhead is in the same Lake Michigan body of water, I opted for a reservoir/lake located in the middle of Indiana – Muncie! The only negatives that people had about this location was that the run course was hilly, and that it was hot. Aren’t they all? Signed up in February and goaded my buddies to join me.

Location

The race is held just south of Muncie in the Prairie Creek Reservoir. It is very rural and peaceful. The lake is pretty large, with a great swim area and a new facilities building for washrooms and showers. After hesitating on booking a hotel in Muncie, we opted to stay at the Hampton Inn in Anderson, which was a popular choice with many of the other racers. It was about a half hour away from the race site, but the town had plenty of dining and other options.

I watched this helicopter fly in and land on Thursday night. I wish I knew there was helicopter parking, I would have flown in myself! (Just kidding – triathletes can’t afford a helicopter.)

Friday/Race Day Eve

I got to Anderson late on Thursday and checked in. My friends and I met up on Friday morning and started planning our day. We opted for a short 20 minute run to settle our nerves and knock the cobwebs off of a rest day on Thursday.

We hopped into our cars and headed to the race expo. We decided to take advantage of the optional bike racking on Friday to avoid one less issue on Saturday/Race day morning. After picking up our packets, we stuck the stickers on our bikes and wheeled them into the transition area.

The KX5 all racked and ready to go.

After checking out the expo, buying the expensive Ironman event merchandise and grabbing something to eat, we sat and listened to the race talk. There were hints that the water temperature may be just cool enough for an unusual for Muncie, wetsuit legal swim.

Race Morning

Wetsuit legal! Just barely, but many of us were relieved. The wetsuit for me has become a security blanket of sorts, although I have done races without one. Anytime I spend time looking at a big body of water, I get nervous. Wetsuits take that anxiety away for me.

We got up at 4am and hit the road at about 5am. I slept well, thanks to taking 1/2 of an Ambien that my physician buddy gave me. But I did wake up twice due to stomach issues. Spent a lot of time in the port-a-potty line, and was able to get things taken care of.

I set up my transition, pumped up my tires to 120 psi, and took some time to visualize the trip from the Swim Out to Bike Out.

It has taken me some time, but I’m starting to see the benefit of not bringing all my junk to transition.

The race started at 7am, but my wave didn’t start until 7:55, so I had plenty of time to watch others and my other racing buddies start the race.

Bride and bridesmaid. I had my buddy Dave help me zip up an obviously too tight for me wetsuit.

Can you tell which triathlete needs prescription goggles to see? That would be me. Dave and I picking our swim line.

1.2 MILE SWIM

The water was a perfect temperature. Usually I don’t do well in cold water, but this water was perfect. I chose to swim the inside of the buoys until the turns and had no issues at all with other swimmers. Zig-zagging was minimal. I did start to get a calf cramp in my legs about 2/3’s of the way into the swim. I just slowed down, kicked a little less and was fine. I started to notice that I was catching the white and pink capped swimmers that had started in waves 5 and 10 minutes ahead of me, respectively. That was a positive sign for me that I was having a good swim. Toward the last four or five buoys to go, I decided to pick up the pace. I could see some athletes were standing, but I swam until my fingers hit bottom.

Out of the water declaring “Piece of Cake!” It really was the most uneventful swim.

After getting out of the water I sat down and the volunteer wetsuit strippers (or peelers, as they prefer) yanked off my suit and it was a slogfest up to T1. It was uphill on a rocky path, which was covered with thin carpet. But everyone seemed to be walking. I was like, “Hey, get out of the way! This IS a race, right?”

SWIM TIME: 42:17

After getting by the field of swim zombies heading to T1, I got to my bike and quickly dried my feet and head off and changed into the cycling gear. Heading to the exit, I spied the toilets and went in. I had to go while I was in the water, but just couldn’t do it while I was swimming.

T1 TIME: 5:48

56 MILE BIKE

Everything I heard about the bike course at Muncie was that it was flat and fast. Nope. I will give you fast, but it wasn’t flat. I guess that I’m just too used to the flat rails-to-trails trail that I constantly ride at home. That is flat. The portion of the course that leads to and from the looped highway is 16 miles of hills, turns and potholes. The race announcer said at the course talk that when prepping the bike course, they normally go through about 3 bags of cold patch asphalt. This course required more than 30! Admittedly, it was a little rough, but easily rideable.

My heart rate monitor started chirping at me right away. I was trying to stay in Z3, but was well into Z4 for the first 45 minutes or so. Finally got it settled down and locked in. The two loops were done on a closed highway, which was new for the course. Two twenty mile loops. The two aid stations rocked, helping me reload my bottles while I used the bathroom again. Peeing was a good sign for me, as I was sweating quite a lot. Since I was in a later start wave, I had a lot of fast riders zipping by me on my first loop as they finished their second loops. It was a lot less crowded on my second loop.

Heading out of T1 for 56 miles of “flat” riding. Yeah, right. My son and daughter are behind me in the green and pink shirts.

Around 40 miles I had an issue. A little before I had taken a drink of Gatorade and got back into an aero position and had a little acid reflux. Nothing too bad, but gave me some discomfort. But the real issue I had was I tried to eat a GU and I swallowed it a little rough, causing some coughing and throat irritation. I dealt with that for at least ten miles. I couldn’t get my throat cleared, and it was to the point I was gagging. Finally got over it, but it was not fun.

The last of the second loop on Highway 35.

The sun had finally made an appearance on an otherwise cloudy day. I knew with the run coming up, having the sun out would not be good. Fortunately, the skies cloudy over again.

My kids watching the action on the bike course. Well, Ashley was watching with her eyes closed.

Coming in to T2 I had that feeling that 56 miles was hard. Even though I had done a full Ironman less than a year before, I couldn’t fathom having to do another 56! Glad I was coming in for the run.

BIKE TIME: 3:01:31

The second transition was quick. I grabbed the water bottle that I had in transition for rinsing my feet off, and used it on my head. A good sweat rinse felt great. I downed another GU, put on the visor, bib belt, and running shoes and I was off to get some sunscreen and run a half marathon.

T2 TIME: 3:16

13.1 MILE RUN

I was concerned I had pushed too hard on the bike and would suffer a little on the run, but in reality I felt great. I got to the first aid station in 7:45 according to my watch. I told my self to back it off. I hit the first of several really great aid stations and hit the water, ice, cola, and pretzels to get me going down the road. The aid stations are about a mile apart, and were well stocked and manned. The volunteers were once again, pretty awesome.

At every aid station I would take ice and shove it into my trisuit to get my temperature down. Seemed to work pretty good. Take some ice water, drink the water and then shove the ice in my clothes. I took a banana a couple of times, but mainly stuck with my eating a GU every half hour, plenty of fluids, and a salt capsule every hour or so.

Around the 5.5 mile area, I spotted my buddy Dave ahead and started to catch up. Just before seeing him go by, his brother John was passing by heading back to the finish. Big boost to seeing him. John started in the wave before us with a 5 minute head start. I knew I had work to do to try to catch him, so I gently started picking up the pace. I passed Dave right around the turn around, and started in on the hills back to the finish.

The hills were brutal. A lot of athletes were walking up them. I just kept my turnover going and powered through. At mile 9, I decided to start pushing. I passed a lot of people those last 4 miles. In all, I can only remember getting passed by one guy on the course, who was younger than me, and he had a good pace going. The only other runner that passed me was a younger girl who outkicked me in the chute after I had already passed her a 1/2 mile earlier.

I had driven to the event site several times on that run course, so I knew I was getting close. The few sprinkles that had started were more of a relief than a bother. I was already soaked. My feet squished when I took a step. I got to the final climb and really pushed through that last hill, feeling relieved to see the tents and finishing chute. I could see my family and hit my watch to see that I had easily broken 6 hours in my first 70.3 attempt.

RUN TIME: 1:53:18

FINISH TIME: 5:46:10 (PR)

RECOVERY AND POST RACE

I knew I was spent and just wanted to walk a little. I met up with my family and sat down in a chair. After a few minutes I decided to head to the medical tent to see if I could get some Perform to drink, and after talking with the staff, I decided to enter and sit down. They got me a wet towel and I put it around my neck, and started drinking the cold Perform. Thank goodness it was Lemon-Lime flavor. Before I knew it they had a blood pressure cuff on me and advised me that I was 100/70. A little low, but not dead. I told them that I had hydrated well, and had taken a salt capsule every hour. The doctor offered an IV, but I turned it down as I was starting to come around.

Once out of the medical tent, I met my buddies who now had all finished. We swapped stories and race recaps and ate a little from the athlete food tent. After laying around for a while, we claimed our bikes from transition and headed back to the hotel in Anderson.

THANKS

Thanks go once again to my great family, who spent their weekend watching me do my thing. It is truly a blessing to have such support. The photos my wife and kids took were awesome.

Thanks also to Carla for setting up our hotel for the weekend and being such a great planner and photographer.

And finally, I know I wouldn’t have as much fun doing these tri’s without my lifelong friends, Dave and John, and also Dave’s son Alex. I love the fun we have, and certainly the friendly competition. Alex, being only 19 and on the U of Iowa Tri-Hawks team, will always come in first. But with the finish order this year – John, me and Dave – we now have each had a race in which we have won. That is pretty cool.

Another awesome triathlon experience, shared with my best buddies and family. I am blessed.

Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Race Report

Note from me: I originally posted this on a blog site called iamtri.com. Unfortunately, that website is no longer valid, and through some magic performed by my computer knowledgeable college son, he was able to recover my posts. I am sharing them here so that I may preserve my memories from my first Ironman. Chris

2013 IRONMAN WISCONSIN Race Report

September 8, 2013

I AM AN IRONMAN!!!

I did it! And surprisingly enough, I really enjoyed it!

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Okay, so it may not looked like I enjoyed it, but I actually did! Kind of a smile/cry thing going on at this point.

When I started this adventure, my friends and I debated as to whether to try to do this together. I was somewhat torn, because I felt that my experience running marathons and good training would help me race the Ironman. And my friends seemed to prefer to be just finishers. And then I rode the bike course. Three flats, a broken spoke, a monumental bonk, and watching my buddies ride the course with ease on that first ride gave me a huge reality check. I now had to respect the hills, and I made the decision then that I would train hard and race smart. Finishing was now my goal. And my friends would also soon see their potential. We spent 30 weeks getting ready for September 8, 2013, and had a great time training together. I will long remember the training as well as the race. I’ve said over and over that the training was the hard part, the race will be the reward. And that statement proved to be true.

Here is how I became an Ironman.

INTRO TO TRIATHLON/IRONMAN

My training partners, Dave and John, are my lifelong friends. We have known each other since 1969 or so. Dave and I went from kindergarten through college together, and his little brother John was always a shadow to us. We spent a huge part of our youth together, so naturally, when John got an interest in triathlons, he started ingraining us with the idea of doing it with him. As a runner, I always thought marathons and 5K races were plenty for me to handle. And whenever I watched the Ironman on television, I would always shake my head at how that was even possible.

John worked his magic on me and Dave, and we finally committed. Then reality set in – I had to learn to swim! Well, I had the basics down, but there was no way I could swim effortlessly for even 50 yards, let alone a mile. So, I started doing a lot of swimming in my pool. I found that I was trying to swim too fast, sprinting instead of pacing myself through the water. I had to develop technique and pace.

First up for me was a sprint tri that didn’t go so well. What should have taken me 12 minutes or so to swim 500 meters ended up being a 17 minute survival swim. But the bike and run went well, and I was hooked. As we were driving to that tri, Dave asked me what I thought about doing an Ironman. Here I am trying not to freak out heading to my first triathlon, one I should mention, that was not wet suit legal due to the 82 degree water temp, and he wants to know if I want to do an Ironman! I don’t remember what my response was at that moment, but I had a feeling that wading in the water of an Ironman start was going to be in my future.

I was able to do one more triathlon in 2012, the Olympic distance of the Chicago Triathlon. We had a great time and did really well. I was becoming a triathlete! So, on September 10, 2012, we three sat at our computers and hit submit on a race entry for the 2013 Ironman Wisconsin. When it was accepted, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was almost sick about it. But we were in!

TRAINING

Dave had some experience training for his marathon and triathlons by using training books by Don Fink. He suggested that we purchase his book, “Be Iron Fit” and follow the competitive training program to get us through the Ironman. I wasn’t so sure. The more I looked into the Ironman, I saw time and again that using a coach might be the way to go. So I contacted a local coach and met with her. In reality, I thought I was contacting the head of a local club, but she made it very clear that she was a very good triathlete and coach. Her advice was just what I was wanting to hear. Then she advised me of her fee – $200 per month. It was clear – Don Fink’s book it is!

We counted back 30 weeks from 9/8/13 and started our training on 2/11/13. Mondays were always a day off recovery day. Tuesdays were swim and run efforts. Wednesday was a bike to run brick. Thursday was a swim and bike, with Friday being a run. Later in the program, a third swim for the week was added on Friday. Saturdays were long bike rides, and Sundays were long runs. As the program progressed, a brick bike/run was added to the weekend.

Coming off a hard year of running in 2012, I was glad the program started very easy. It obviously progressed in the typical fashion until we went from an hour long weekend ride to a 6 hour, near century effort. I realized how well thought out the plan was, and started to trust it completely.

I was a little worried about the swim, so I started that in January, hitting the local high school pool. I quickly realized I am not a fast swimmer. I started looking at YouTube videos and found a link to a DVD called “Total Immersion Swimming,” which was geared toward open water swimming. I bought it and learned a lot, especially how to break the swim down into its basic components. Swimming is all about technique, and I focused on that as I also increased distance.

The worst part of training was being stuck indoors on the treadmill and trainer. Nothing worse than riding your bike in the basement during winter. I watched a lot of home improvement shows during those rides.

Getting outside was tremendous. I was riding my Trek 2.3 road bike, which served me well. But when I rode with Dave and John they would drop me easily. I thought maybe that my bike was heavier (it is) and my gearing was smaller than theirs (it is). But what was really going on was that they just flat out rock the bike. Very good cyclists. We decided in the summer to head up to Verona and ride the infamous hilly course of Ironman Wisconsin. We got a late start at it due to a rain storm and started a little low on fuel. The ride started out horribly. I got two flats within 15 minutes of leaving. We got lost several times just trying to get out of Verona. Then I got another flat in Mt. Horeb after getting dropped by Dave and John. I fixed the flat and then we hit the rollers of Witte Road. Then I broke a spoke on my rear tire going 35mph down the first hill. My luck and confidence were non-existent at that point. It was really then that I decided I would need a bike upgrade, more training time in the saddle, and a new plan to make sure I survived the bike so I could do the run. Racing IM Wisconsin was no longer in the plan.

In July, I went to Spokes in Wheaton, IL and told the guy sitting there that I wanted to go fast. He fitted me for a tri bike fit for a pro, emptied my wallet and I went home with a new Specialized Shiv Pro. I regretted the purchase at first, but after a few long rides with my partners, it became apparent that I made a good choice. I really improved my cycling with that bike. Now I wasn’t so worried. But I feared I made a rookie mistake by buying the bike and trying to get used to it too close to the event. However, it didn’t take long to master the different riding position.

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Me and the “KX5.” Looks fast standing still. The bike, that is.

I had some great weeks and some not so great, but I stuck to the plan as close as I could. I am convinced “Be Iron Fit” prepared me well. Over 30 weeks of training I covered over 217,000 yards of swimming, 2500 miles of biking, and 800 miles of running to get ready for my 140.6 mile adventure.

THE 2013 IRONMAN WISCONSIN RACE

We arrived in Madison on Thursday night and checked into the Monona Hilton, which is ground central for the race. The expo is right there, along with where the course finishes. My room had an awesome view of Lake Monona and of the top level of the Monona Terrace parking garage, which is where the bikes are racked for the race. If you are thinking of doing IM WI, this is a great place to stay.

Friday we checked in, which is required – no Saturday registration. We sat in on the “mandatory” course talk and race rules. I don’t know how they would know if you attended it or not, but we listened and got nervous. Actually, all of Friday and Saturday were just filled with anxiety for me. I was having trouble not letting the event make me more nervous than I wanted. Just looking at the enormity of the lake was something I found I couldn’t do. John is a doctor and uses Ambien to help him sleep on nights before big events like this. I had turned him down before other events, but I decided to try it on Thursday night. I slept well. Friday, I opted not to take it and did not sleep as well. I knew I’d take one on Saturday night.

We also sat in on the Pro panel, which featured 2 top women and 3 top male pros in the race field. The eventual winner of the race was one of them, Maik Twelsiek from Germany. Mike Reilly, aka “The Voice of Ironman” asked them questions. I got more nervous listening to them.

Mike Reilly – aka “The Voice of Ironman” – in the red hat.

My Run Gear Bag (2585) in a sea of others.

John had his bike checked by the Trek crew there and they informed him how messed up it was! All summer long I had to listen to his chain squeal when we rode. They said it was junk, as too was his cassette. They ended up giving him a nice granny climbing gear, which allowed him to spin up the tough hills easily. This made him happy, as he thought he was going to have to walk them.

Dave making us enough PB&J’s to feed all of the triathletes. I remember eating

a couple of bites in T1, but we really just had them in our bags as a back up in case

we needed real food.

We made the same mistake most newbies make by walking around on an 85 degree Saturday, checking out all the exhibits and turning in our bags and racking our bikes. It was hot, we were getting too much sun, and we were on our feet for way too long. At about 2pm or so we ended up at Francesca’s, an Italian restaurant about a block up the street from the finish line. I had angel hair with marinara sauce, and some bread and felt very full. Later around 6pm, we ate a little more, some cheesy bread, some salty french fries (not sure if that was advised, but they tasted good) and a portion of a grilled cheese sandwich. I made sure I drank a few bottles of water and some Gatorade and kept pretty well hydrated.

I finally retreated to my room to watch some college football and relax, and await the arrival of my very busy family. My son is a XC runner at Loras College and had his first meet. Dave’s kids go to U of Iowa and picked him up on their way from Iowa City. They got there late. My wife arrived around 9pm with my two girls, a high schooler who had marching band practice all day, and my 6th grader who had a late afternoon soccer game.

My cheer crew! Daughter Ashely, Mom-in-Law Darla, Son Ben, Wife Kari,

Daughter Rebecca, and Dad-in-Law Gary.

We made sure we didn’t go through the finish line. We didn’t want

to jinx ourselves. Walked around in the heat too much on Saturday.

Newbies.

John (left) and his brother Dave with their racked bikes. My two best buddies.

I took the Ambien and the next thing I heard was the alarm at 4:15am. It was go time!

The Ambien did wonders. Not only did I sleep well, but for the first time since getting there, I actually felt relaxed and emotionally excited. I got up and ate a plain bagel with peanut butter, a banana and had a cup of coffee. I spent some time in the bathroom making sure everything was taken care of. That went well. I met the others and grabbed our swim stuff and headed to the transition to pump up our tires and load up the bike with our bottles. I packed about 1/2 the nutrition that I would have normally consumed on a solo ride of that length, just to make sure that I had the flavor I liked. Weighed me down though.

Getting body marked by a volunteer.

We got our bodies marked and I had my first freak out of the day. She asked my how old I was and I immediately sensed that I was going to get marked with my actual age and not the crazy way USAT wants it done. I’m 49, but in tri’s you usually are marked with the age you will be on December 31 of that year. I checked with another body marker and they said that they were told to go with the actual age. Okay then, mark me 49. Not five minutes later I see my buddy Dave and he’s marked the other way. C’mon, Man! Oh well, it didn’t matter anyway, because I used so much Tri-Slide on my wet suit that it erased the markings.

Donning my tri dunce cap. I wear glasses and my goggles are prescription, so I

need to wear them to see. I’m practically the only one wearing goggles pre-swim

and in T1.

Fairly happy trio, all things considered. Dave, John and myself.

THE SWIM – 2.4 MILES – 1:30.37

The weather gods blessed us. On Saturday, we had hot sun, mid-80’s temperature and could feel it. Race day morning arrived with a forecasted high of 74 beautiful degrees and overcast conditions. The only caveat was that there was a 12-15mph wind forecasted for the day. That made for some choppy waters.

We were still standing on the ground at 6:50 when the cannon went off for the pro athlete start. It was now very real. As soon as that was done, they kept pushing us to get in the water which we did. I downed a Gatorade Prime pre-race drink and ate a gel. We then entered the water and waded over to the back middle of the start area and I got separated from Dave and John. We weren’t in the water for more than 5 minutes when 7am hit and the cannon went off. They wanted to be closer to the inside, but I had decided that I would angle over on the front stretch. I was hoping to avoid getting pummeled and swimmed on. Didn’t matter. It was tough! At times there were people swimming perpendicular in front of me. I kept sighting, not only for the next buoy, but also for open and clear water to swim in. I think I had maybe one full minute of peaceful swimming during the whole swim. I got hit in the goggles about four times, each time causing me to stop and readjust my goggles. I was getting a little ticked off.

I MOO’ed when I went around the first buoy, as it is the tradition at IM Wisconsin. I kept up my plan of trying to stay in clear water and just swim buoy to buoy. On the back stretch, things got interesting. We were heading into the wind and the water became very rough. Rough as in there were waves, rough. I usually bi-lateral breathe, but ended up breathing on my left side, because I was getting more water than air on my right. To add to that problem, my goggles had leaked a little water in the left eye and was mixing with my anti-fog and burning my eye. Having water in your goggles is no fun, and especially crummy when its burning your eye. I toughed it out, but when I exited the water I could tell that my eye was not right. I felt like I had a little bit of film on it, and also like I had something in my eye. It got better on the bike as I rode through the next stage of the race.

I’m in there somewhere. This is the last leg of the swim, heading to the swim exit.

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Coming out of the water in 1:30. Not sure why my wetsuit is not slick like the

others. Also not sure what the guy behind me is yelling about.

T1 – SWIM TO BIKE TRANSITION – 14:18

I let the strippers do their job and two of them ripped my wet suit off of me while I laid on the ground trying not to get emotional. I was so glad the swim was over. I took my time getting my land legs back under me and jogged up the Helix (the curly ramp to get to the top parking level where T1 is located). I went into the room where the swim-to-bike bags were located and the volunteers asked if I needed help finding it. I had put some pink tape on the bag and drawstrings to help me find it, and I found it with ease. Next up was the changing room, aka the “Get Naked Room” where there were plenty of naked guys standing around. I found an empty seat and a volunteer helped me get my junk out of the bag. I grabbed the PB&J sandwich and took a couple of bites. I toweled off a little and put on my cycling jersey. I kept on my tri shorts, as I had worn them under the wet suit in the swim. I put on socks, grabbed my shoes and out I went. I headed outside and debated about putting on sunscreen on a cloudy day. I played it safe and had a volunteer put some on my arms, neck, ears, and nose. Then I made the long run to my bike and headed to the mounting area. Not sure how that ended up being 14 minutes of transition time. I think I was a little emotionally spent sitting in the chair getting changed and took a little longer than I would have normally.

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Just crossing the timing strip and heading out onto the bike course.

THE BIKE – 112 MILES – 7:33.51

I had a blast on the bike. It was truly the best part of the day. The crowds and volunteers were outstanding. There was rarely a time when you didn’t see a spectator cheering you and a volunteer helping you. As I rode down the Bike Out helix and onto the bike path, I felt a little cold. I kind of expected that, as I had just got out of the water and was still wet. But I wished I had donned my arm warmers. I rode the stick out (the course is a lollipop type course, where you ride out to a two loop course and then head back) and was struggling to get my heart rate into a manageable range. I had planned to keep it around 120 bpm or so, but was hitting the 140’s throughout the first 45 minutes of the ride. When we finally got to the loops in Verona I noticed that I had finally settled it down.

I am so glad I had ridden the loops in training, as it gave me no surprises. I could have rode the course without volunteers directing us along. And, I was actually enjoying the ride for a change. My plan was to stop at every aid station and eat and replenish my reserves. I would eat one GU gel every half hour, and I set my timer to remind me to do so. Every hour I tried to drink a full bottle of water or Ironman Perform, but I wasn’t liking the Perform so much. I drank about 1/2 bottle every hour. I took one Salt Stick salt capsule every hour, along with eating a Bonk Breaker bar (the snack size is what they had on course, which is half the size of a regular bar) and a chunk of banana. I also used the bathroom at several of the stops, as peeing on the course was a DQ. And there was no way I was peeing myself on the bike. Yuk.

Coming into Verona and the aid station on the first loop.

The second loop had much fewer fans, but I was still feeling pretty good.

The hills were no problem for me this time on the course. I just sat and spinned up as best as I could, only getting out of the saddle a couple of times. I also made sure that I GU’ed about 5 minutes before getting to them. Being on a sugar high makes a big difference on the hills. The section of the course that has the toughest hills have the nickname of the “Three Bitches,” and I passed several struggling riders on those hills. Matter of fact, I don’t think anyone passed me on any of the tougher climbs. Lots of fun going up the hills. On the second loop, I actually popped a little “wheelie” to entertain the boisterous crowds. I got a big cheer for that.

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Just hitting the top of the third of the toughest hills. You can see how far back

the hill climbs, and there were several like this. And you had to do them twice.

On the first loop I had made it about 30 miles or so into the ride and was reaching the fun rollers of Witte Road when things got exciting. A motorcycle cop whizzed by and a little bit after that came the first pro, Romain Guillaume, a Frenchman who we dubbed the “Little Guy” at the expo. He was booking. It wasn’t long before other pro riders were whipping by.

The rest of the ride was terrific. My time was about where it I thought I would be, but when I looked at my GPS watch it said I had 20 minutes of stop time! I should have not spent so much time in the aid stations! The watch also revealed a top speed of 43mph, a new high for me!

After getting home I saw that Ironman had uploaded a race day video of the race and I viewed it. I was very surprised to see that I was in it, at about the 3:27 mark, riding my bike in a group of about 4-5 riders heading up some hills. You can see it here:

T2 – BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION – 11:28

This transition was much smoother for me and quicker as well. I decided to get naked and change into a fresh pair of tri shorts for the run. I had three shirt options, but I chose the matching tri shirt because it had a zipper that I could unzip if I got warm, and I liked the idea of a snug fitting top so nipple chafing would be minimal. Normally, I run without a shirt on warm days, but its not allowed in Ironman. I rubbed Body Glide all over the soles of my feet. And then I used the creamy version of Body Glide and coated my toes with it. Tossed on a pair of good running socks, threw a little baby powder into my shoes, and pulled them on. I took off my heart rate monitor strap due to the watch still being on my bike, donned bright yellow/green visor that matched my shoes, and out I went. The sun screeners offered sunscreen again, even though there hadn’t been any sun all day, and it was about to be twilight. I let them put a little on my ears, neck, bald spot and shoulders, and headed to the port-o-john. I ate a Bonk Breaker bar, which along with bananas, I had been eating about every hour on the bike, and headed out to the run out exit.

THE RUN – 26.2 MILES – 5:07.18

The first step of a marathon always seems to be the hardest for me, because you know there will be thousands more to follow. My plan was to run from aid station to aid station and eat and drink what they had on course. I carried two gels as a back up in case I didn’t get one at the stop. But the course had plenty of everything as far as nutrition was concerned. I had brought along a Gatorade Recover from my bike gear bag, and sipped it for the first few miles until I didn’t want to carry the dumb thing around any more. I didn’t need it anyway.

The weird thing about the marathon was that it seemed like I hit the wall in reverse order. The first six miles were somewhat of a struggle for me. I felt hot and was sweating early in the race, and then I would get cold. Not sure if getting off the bike, where there was constant cooling going on made me feel hot at first, and then after sweating for a few miles, getting chilled when I actually got away from the shelter of the downtown buildings and felt some breeze. But anyway, it wasn’t until mile 7 that I felt like I was running well and feeling good. Matter of fact, mile 7 through 17 or so felt great.

Early on in the first loop of the marathon.

I maintained the same eating pattern of a GU gel every half hour, but since the aid stations were every mile, I started the buffet eating, snacking on a combination of bananas, potato chips, and pretzels. Those three went very well together for me. I usually followed it up with some cola and some ice water. I also maintained the Salt Stick salt capsule every hour. But no matter how much or how little I ate, any swallowing was followed by an urge to pass gas. There is a saying in triathlons that says “never trust a fart.” I heeded that advice, and visited the port-o-john at several aid stations to be sure. But, as soon as I passed gas, the urge went away until the next eating session. This repeated itself nearly every mile.

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I have teased my son that he looks like the “Keep on Truckin'” guy from the

70’s when he runs. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, I suppose.

A highlight of the course takes you into Camp Randall Stadium, where the UW Badgers play football. Very cool to get to run on the field. We made two passes through the stadium on the two loop run course. Neither time did I see a photographer, so I was a little disappointed not to get a photo of that. The campus was awesome, lots of cool old buildings and great crowds. There was one hill called Observatory Hill that I walked. It was a brutal hill, and most everyone walked it.

I had great team support on the run. I saw Dave’s family several times, with his son Alex running along with me a few times. Great kid and a good triathlete. I’m sure an Ironman is in his future. My family rocked the run course. Although I only saw them twice on the bike course in Verona, I saw them numerous times on the run course. My son Ben and wife Kari would run to different check points to see me, thanks to the friendly layout of the two-loop, out and back course. I didn’t think that I would like the course the way it was laid out, having to run within a couple hundred feet of the finish line at the 13.1 mile mark and turn around and head back out. But seeing it once helped me digest where I was going and how much more I had to do.

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Coming up to check in with the family. I was using them for support and they were

assessing my condition. I felt pretty good. The two girls behind me chatted the

whole time they were together.

It got dark on the second loop, and the trail portion of the course became a little scary at times. There were times that I would step funny, not knowing where my foot was landing. Also, on the course you often had people running the opposite direction of you. There were a couple of times I entered the port-o-john and came out not remembering which way I was heading! Fortunately, I never made a wrong turn.

After about the 16th mile, I switched up and sometimes skipped the banana/chips/pretzels combo and just went with liquid. By this time chicken broth was being served and I took it at every station that had it. It was just warm enough to drink it down and it tasted great. I would follow that up with a cup of cola, and the ice water. I felt like I had nailed the fourth discipline of triathlon, nutrition, very well.

Around the 22 mile marker I was my wife and son again and they found me in pretty good shape. I told them I would see them at the finish. But my son met me again between mile 24 and 25 and ran with me a little. At this point, I was running like I had just started a 5K, passing people left and right. Ben took a short cut to the finish, and I paced myself closer and closer to the finish.

As I made the final turn toward the chute, I looked behind to make sure no one was coming up behind me and that I wasn’t going to catch up too close to the guy finishing ahead of me. I wanted to make sure I had a little moment in the chute to myself. I saw my family and tried to high-five all of them, and reveled in the crowd as I crossed the finish line. “Chris Hedges from Mokena, Illinois, (and some other guy) you are an Ironman!” said Mike Reilly in a somewhat relaxed manner. It didn’t matter how he said it, all I heard was that I was an Ironman.

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Not sure what I was doing with my arms! Not very Ironman-ish.

I was immediately met by some catchers and peppered with questions. I told them I felt great. They gave me a mylar blanket, a finishers shirt and hat, and of course, the Ironman finisher medal. The girl reminded me to hit my stop button on my watch, which I had forgotten about. They asked me if I would like a photo, and I said “heck yeah!” and he held my stuff while I gave a smile and said cheese.

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Proof that I am an Ironman!

POST RACE – 140.6 MILES – FINISH TIME – 14:37.31

I was quickly met by Dave and John, who I knew had beaten me to the finish line. Not only beat me there, but they personally CRUSHED their inaugural IM’s. We started out with me thinking I would race it and they would survive it, and in the end, they just flat out slayed it, and I was content to be the finisher! Dave had a sub-13 and John was just a little over 13 hours. Very impressive for their first Ironman, heck for anyone’s first time for that matter.

We went into the recovery area and I was given a cola and more Ironman Perform. I was starting to feel a little light headed, a little hypoglycemic, so I made sure I got some sugar in me. I asked for a bag of ice and rested it on the back of my neck for a little while. I quickly came around and ate a slice of pizza, while comparing race notes with John. My wife wasn’t allowed in the recovery area, but I could see she was monitoring me very closely, because she has had to deal with quite a few of my post-marathon crash and burns! But there would be no crash and burn this time. We spent about 30 minutes in the area and then went back to the hotel. The decision was made to go get our bikes and gear bags, so we limped our way down to the transition, where the great volunteers happily gathered our stuff for us.

We made it up to the hotel room and I decided that I had enough for the day and took a shower and tried to go to bed. But being so close to the finish, I could hear the runners being announced. And since I had overdosed on caffeine from the cola and GU/Roctane all day, I was wide awake. I decided to try to watch the finishers on the live website feed, but I couldn’t pull it up. There was about 1/2 hour left and I decided that I was going to go down and watch the final finishers. Kari was not so sure it was a great idea. But, I wouldn’t be able to sleep with all that noise anyway. I saw John, whose room was right next to mine, and found Dave eating in the hotel lobby, and told them we were going to go watch the final finishers. They joined us about five minutes after Kari and I got there. I have to admit, I am so glad we went down to watch. It was so uplifting to see these final people meet their Ironman goals with minutes, sometimes seconds, to spare. One of the final finishers was a 2013 Ironman Wisconsin Facebook group friend, who managed to finish with less than two minutes to spare. Later on, I discovered her story got better. She made the swim cut-off by 20 seconds! She made the bike cut-off by like a minute! And now she, in her first attempt, became an Ironman in 16:58. Not only that, she was in the 60-65 age group, and finished with a podium placing 5th in her A/G! Barely makes the cut in each segment and podiums! Outstanding. There were many awesome finishers, and Mike Reilly was right there in front of us welcoming them all home. What a perfect way to end the day!

Here is a link to my Finisher’s Pix race day video. I shows me at various checkpoints in the race. I don’t remember high-fiving the volunteer at the 13.1 turn, but I’m glad I did!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuxDzKJ66To&list=FLBHNceAyJ1iqiYYmINSxUeQ&index=3

CONCLUSION

Here is a wrap up of my race equipment.

Blue Seventy Reaction wet suit
Bike – Specialized Shiv Pro, equipped with a Fuelselage (an integrated hydration bottle), two bottle cages, two saddle bags with CO2 cartridges and tire levers and spare tubes, SRAM Red with 52/36 and 11/28 gearing
Timex Ironman GPS with heart rate monitor for the bike ride
TYR tri shorts for the bike, with a full zippered Champion Systems cycling jersey
LG tri top and shorts for the run
ASICS Gel-Nimbus 14 shoes for the run

Here is my nutrition routine for the race.

Gatorade Prime and GU taken prior to the swim start
Two bottles of Gatorade to start the bike ride, then replenished with Ironman Perform on course, about one bottle per hour, along with water
One gel every half hour, alternating regular GU and Roctane (bike and run portions)
One Salt Stick salt capsule every hour (bike and run portions)
One Bonk Breaker Bite every hour (bike portion)
Bananas (about 1/5 of a whole banana) every aid station when I felt like I wanted it
Small amount of potato chips and pretzels at nearly every aid station (run portion)
An occasional GU Chomp when I wanted something to chew on (bike portion)
Cola and chicken broth at every aid station (run portion)
Ice and water every aid station (run portion)

(Note – the liquids on the run were very small portions, of which I sometimes took extra, and sometimes didn’t finish it all.)

What I did right –

I got a good night’s sleep the eve of the race thanks to an Ambien.
I had my bike checked at the shop two weeks prior to the race. No issues with such a new bike, but the cables were tightened and the bike got a thorough looking over by a pro bike mechanic.
I didn’t freak out in the water when it got rough with the other swimmers.
I paced myself well and stayed within my race plan.
I nailed the nutrition, never really feeling hungry or hypoglycemic.
I used my own bottles. Several riders used the bottles on course and I saw dozens of full bottles laying on the road side at every bump on the course.
I rode the course a couple times during training! That was vital.

What I could improve on –

I should have adapted to the cool race day temperature and allowed myself to push my limit a little further. I think it could have been a sub 13:30 day had I taken advantage of the 75 degree and overcast day.
I wasted far too much time stopping at each aid station. My GPS watch showed that I had 20 minutes of stoppage time on the bike! Add up the time spent walking through the aid stations on the run, and I could have easily wasted 30 to 40 minutes there as well.
I bought my tri bike late into the training. Although I adapted quickly to the different riding style, my neck and back could have benefited from a longer training season.
I shouldn’t have carried all of my necessary nutrition on the bike in my cycling jersey pockets. There was plenty of nutrition on the course, and you could have grabbed one or two extra at each stop if you are afraid of dropping one.
I had three options for running clothes in my bag. In the end, I went with what I had originally planned to wear.
I brought every piece of triathlon equipment I owned and didn’t really need it all. Security blanket, I guess. There was plenty of stuff at the expo that you could buy if you needed something.
Lastly, transitions! I pride myself at flying through most smaller race transitions, but I wasted too much time in the Monona Terrace.

Also…

“Be Iron Fit,” by Don Fink. An excellent training manual for the Ironman triathlete.
“Racing Ironman Wisconsin,” by Raymond Britt. A complete guide to everything you need to know about IM Wisconsin by a guy who has done it many times.
“Total Immersion Swimming” – A good open water/distance swimming dvd.

So, I am an Ironman. I took my time, executed my plan, and really enjoyed the day. I can’t think of a better way to experience Ironman.

THANKS

I have to give thanks and credit where credit is due. Without the support of my family and friends, it would have been a long summer.

Thanks go to…

My friends Dave and John. Thanks for sharing this wonderful adventure with me. I would have never done it without you guys. Another awesome life experience among the many I have shared with you two over the years. You are my brothers. I love you. You are Ironmen!

Ironfriends. Ironmen.

Dave’s wife Carla. Thanks for putting up with us. And especially, thanks for being our official travel agent and fan. Every event we went to we would have been sleeping in our cars if it wasn’t for your great skills at getting us the best of the best hotel rooms. Thanks for monitoring us, keeping us on track, keeping us in line, taking photos, and being a great fan.

Elizabeth and Alex, for making the trip from U of Iowa, and picking up my son Ben along the way. And special thanks to Alex for running with me during our week in Pentwater, and along with me at several of the points along the run route. It definitely was a pick-me-up. I hope some day that you too, will fulfill your dream of doing the Ironman. I know you want to! Don’t worry about Grandma Sally. We got your back! Also, Dave’s two little guys. It’s hard to have dad training so hard, but you two guys were great supporters. I also see a future triathlete in Max for sure!

Mandy and baby Lilly, for putting up with John and us. Being a new mom and having a Ironman training husband was tough, I’m sure. You deserve something really nice from John!

Sally and Al, Janet, and Connie for coming out for support. See Sally, it wasn’t so bad.

My in-laws, Darla and Gary for putting up with me and watching my kids and filling in when I wasn’t able to drive to soccer or whatever. Gary, don’t think I didn’t notice that huge smile on your face when I was on the bike route! Darla, thanks for bragging on me to everyone you know. Thanks for being my fans.

My Facebook friends, who at first thought this might not be a well-advised event, but quickly learned that I was going to do it anyway. Thanks for putting up with all my bragging and posts of my running and tri results. (Especially, Peggy, who may be the only friend that bothered to read these weekly posts that I threw together every Sunday!)

My work friends, especially Lou and Julie for taking the time to track me during the event and sit in front of their laptops watching the live feed to see me finish. It really meant a lot to me. Thanks for listening to me drone on and on about my training, Lou!

My children Ben, Ashley and Rebecca. I have tried to be a good role model, and I’m glad to see that my running has rubbed off on, well 2 of the 3! I’m not giving up on you, Ashley! I was blessed with three wonderful kids. Thanks to Ben for running with Mom and meeting me along the route. I can’t say enough how much that meant to me.

And lastly, my wife Kari. She has had to deal with my numerous marathon efforts, running races, long absences on the weekends, and the money I spent to do this crazy event. Thanks for being so supportive and loving. You are an Iron-wife! I love you.

Chris Hedges – Ironman

p.s. – MOO!

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 30

WEEK 30 – July 18, 2016 – July 23, 2016
So here I am, the last week of training leading up to the big day, Ironman Lake Placid 2016! Thirty weeks of preparation to do anything certainly is a long time. I have always said that the preparation throughout the thirty weeks was much more taxing and harder than the race itself is, and I still believe it. I always compare it to baking a cake, the work goes into getting the ingredients, mixing it up, baking it, and decorating it. The eating of the cake is the easy part. May not be the best analogy, but I like cake. Enjoy the fruits of the one’s labor, I suppose is what I am getting at.

So after thirty weeks, I thought I would take a look back at each week and see how I got here. Here’s a brief summary of each week and a link to the post if you would like to review the whole thing.

2016 IMLP Training -WEEK 1 – Birth of the Gunners! Standing at the bottom of the mountain taking those first steps to get to the top.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 2 – Worried about missing swims, but thankful for being able to ride outside in January!

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 3 – Trying to justify being happy about having to train indoors.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 4 – Dealt with a cold.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 5 – Life got real – the participant list came out! Realized I was old.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 6 – A meat and potatoes week. A mention of what to wear during cold winter rides.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 7 – A day by day account of weekly training.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 8 – A dial back recovery week. Rode with Todd for the first time.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 9 – Realized what a commitment to Ironman is.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 10 – Ended the first 10 weeks and the base phase of training with a ride with my Gunner teammate John.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 11 – The training load increased and the weather got better.

2016 IMLP Training – Week 12 – First freak out of training and learning to deal with the many issues that pop up.

2016 IMLP Training – Week 13 – The research of the Lake Placid course begins and I start my race planning.

2016 IMLP Training – Week 14 – Full aero disc wheel gets ridden, no swimming.

2016 IMLP Training – Week 15 – Half way done! I mention that the race will be here before I know it. So true.

2016 IMLP Training – Week 16 – An awesome week culminating with a ride with my Gunner teammates.

2016 IMLP Training – Week 17 – A taper week highlighted by a peacock sighting.

2016 IMLP Training – Week 18 – Raced a half marathon!

2016 IMLP Training – Week 19 – Uh oh! My in-ground swimming hole is broken!

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 20 – Not a great training week, but got to watch my son run a track meet.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 21 – A Gunner long ride that I hosted, and new Gunner tri-suit designs finalized.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 22 – The first week I actually felt the challenge of training.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 23 – I joined the rest of the cool triathlete club and got a GPS tri watch!

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 24 – The high mileage weekend training hits. A day by day recount of the week. Raced a sprint tri.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 25 – A mid-week 5K and a long ride out to Kankakee, exploring new routes to ride.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 26 – Pretty much the same as Week 25, just hotter. My teammates and I decided we hate this sport. (Not really)

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 27 – The hardest week of the thirty week plan. Awesome long ride with my Gunner friend John.

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 28 – The taper begins, but it doesn’t really seem like it! The new Gunner tri kits are in!

2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 29 – Spent some time getting life in order. Tough week emotionally.

And with this summary of Week 30, there you have it. All that’s left to do is just 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running. I am really looking forward to Sunday’s race. I get to eat the cake!

(I will wrap up the few days traveling to the race and race itself in my typical race report fashion in a post race blog post.)

WEEK 30 TOTALS:

Swims: 2 total, 1:20 hours, 3850 yards

Bikes: 1 total, 38 minutes, 8.25 miles

Runs: 6 total, 2:23 hours, 16 miles