Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Friday, September 25, 2009
IM Date: 9/13/09 - Race Day - Part 5 - final time
My final, official finishing time was 13 hours, 27 minutes and 25 seconds.(Special thanks to ASI Photo for the picture.)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 4 - the run
RUN - As I made my way out to the run course the crowds downtown were huge. It was about 3:00pm and it was pretty hot, but I knew I would take the first 6 miles easy and then take it from there. I crossed paths with the overall winner shortly after I started my run which I thought was cool to see. The course was two-loops and started by taking us from downtown over to the campus of UW-Madison. We ran one lap around the football field that the Badger football team played on the day before. We then made our way over to a park area around the some campus buildings and just after mile 5 (and again mile 18) encountered the largest hill on the course. After running down the backside of the hill we went back into an area of town with tons of people.
We made the turn around and I was happy to be about 1/4 of the way done. I was hot and tired but overall I felt pretty good, all things considered. We followed a path through some woods around a lake and came back through the same park as before. I chatted a bit with other runners on the course which was nice, especially for someone who does the vast majority of their training alone.
As I approached downtown I finally saw Jodee for the first time all day. I was happy to see her finally and even more happy that she had a big smile on her face. I made it back into down town and could see the finish line as I made my turn to start my second loop. I stopped at the "special needs bag area" and changed my shirt. This felt as good as anything since the compression shirt I had on was starting to feel like it was squeezing like constrictor. I headed back out and felt myself starting to slow down. I knew I was ahead of any time cut-off and ahead of where i thought I'd be at this point so I didn't really care too much. Finishing was the number one objective and now that was in sight.
I tried to just stay hydrated and wouldn't have thought that having cola at the water stops would be as great as it was. I took water and some oranges as well and had my GU gels every 45 minutes or so and made my way through the last half of the course with a combination of running (okay, a jogging-type motion) and walking. The balance between the two slowly (and steadily) shifted from more running to more walking over the course of the two loop run.
The sun started going down as I made my way through the woods on the second lap and it was completely dark by the time I made my way out of the park. I saw Jodee again at about mile 23 as I made my way closer to downtown and again she was smiling which was great to see. When I got back into the downtown area, the crowds got thicker and thicker along the side of the road. I saw my dad just before I made the turn on the last long straightaway and last few blocks of the race. It was great to see a familiar face and hear his words of encouragement and to hear him say how proud he was.
The last couple of blocks seem kind of like a dream...so many people and it was so loud from all of the cheering. All of my aches, pains and fatigue vanished and I felt like I was floating on air as I came up to the big IronMan finish-line archway with my arms raised over my head.
Run Time - 5:01:12 - about what I had hoped for.
The 372 days since we registered had passed.
All of the planning, training, time, money, blood (literally), sweat and tears were all worth it.
It was done.
I made it through.
I had finished.
I was an IronMan.
IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 3 - the bike
BIKE -As I ran out of the convention center, I had to run up one level of the parking ramp to where our bikes were. I heard a volunteer yell my number down to another who had my bike waiting for me as I ran up to him...are these volunteers great, or what?!?!? I then ran down to the bike-mount area and rode down the "helix" and out on to the bike course. As I was leaving the convention center area I saw my dad on the side of the road and we yelled to each other. Friendly faces are always nice to see.
We headed out of town and started the first of two loops. As you can see from the elevation chart above, the bike course was not only long...but VERY hilly. Jodee and I had heard a wide range of comments about the bike course before the race. Everything from "It's the worst" to "It's not really that bad". Well, all I have to say is that all of those people who said it wasn't "that bad" lied! That's right, they lied! There were three of the most punishing hills I have ever ridden in my life on that course. And not only did we get to ride them once...but twice. The coolest part of them (if there is one) is that it was just like watching the Tour de France on t.v. There were people lined all the way up the hills, sometimes 2-3 people deep and some would run along side of you, yelling encouragement to you as you pumped your way up. That was cool...that was really f---ing cool.
It's hard to recall very much more of the bike...the words "it was hell" just seem to keep popping up in my mind. I did see my dad on my second loop...just before getting to the big hills for the second time. I saw one poor cyclist just run out of gas on one of the big hills. He was standing up, trying to make it up and just couldn't do it. He then proceeded to fall over...ouch. The only other crash I saw was during my first loop. We were riding along this country highway and we saw an ambulance parked facing us in the opposite lane. As we passed it I saw two cyclists, standing with a medic looking at one of them. As we got passed you could see the whole side of his face was scrapped off and bloody along with scraped and tears in his shorts and jersey...double ouch.
I had to make just two bathroom breaks on the course and my eating went well. But by the end of the ride I was tired of almond butter sandwiches and Hammer energy gels. The ride back into Madison seemed much longer than the ride out of town (go figure) and it was only then where we really felt much wind.
As we approached Monona Terrace I happy with my thoughts that the long, hot (85 degrees and humid) and hilly ride was over. But alas...it wasn't. To end the ride we had then ride back up the helix of the parking ramp to dismount our bikes. All I could think was, "Really? One more more? We couldn't dismount down here and take an escalator or something?" Oh well.
Bike Time - 6:45:56 (16.6 mph pace) - about what I figured. I was ahead of the cut-off times and I was a pretty happy camper.
As I dismounted my bike a volunteer took it for me and I ran inside the convention center to get my run bag and change. Again a volunteer helped me with all of my stuff and I changed as quickly as I could. I took a minute to stretch my hips a bit and ran out of the building. I made a pit-stop at the port-a-potties and the sunscreen station before heading out to the run course.
Transition 2 time - 10:46 - better than my first one, even with the potty break.
IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 2 - the swim
SWIM - We got into the water at approx. 6:50am. Unlike most every other triathlon, the IronMan starts as a mass, deep-water start. What that means is we all get out into the water and when the cannon goes off, we all start at once.
With more than 2,500 of us in the water, when the cannon went off, to say it was crowded would be an understatement. But overall the swim went pretty well. A couple times as I was swimming, when I breathed to the side I could see the convention center with all of the people and all I could think was: "Wow...it's finally here, we're finally doing it!"
By the time we we were about half-way through the first of two loops the "crowd" had begun to spread out somewhat. As I rounded the first lap I was able to take a quick look at my watch and saw I was at approx. 38 minutes; a little ahead of where I thought I'd be. I knew with all those swimmers I'd end up swimming a little more than the 2.4 miles just from trying to stay clear of people and not being able to hug the inside of the buoys. Aside from some kicks and elbows and one instance of being swam over and inhaling a mouth/lung full of water, I made it through the rest of the swim pretty well. It was great to see the volunteer at the edge of the lake extend his arm to help me out.
Swim Time: 1:17:58 - well ahead of where I thought I might finish. I was a happy camper.
After getting out of the water we came up a row of volunteers and one looked at me and said: "Lay down!" I don't know if they find volunteers with super-human strength for this particular assignment, but as soon as I did, she proceeded to strip me of my wetsuit with one big pull. I checked to make sure my little swim briefs were still on me and I grabbed my wetsuit and ran back up the "helix" (which was lined with people 3-deep) and into Monona Terrace to get my bike bag and change. I have to say the volunteers were amazing and once inside, a volunteer come over and asked what he could do for me. He emptied my bag and laid all of my things out for me as I changed into my bike gear. Not sure who you were...but THANK YOU!!! I got in and out about as quickly as I could.
Transition 1 Time: 11:35 - not bad, about what I thought it would take.
IM Date: 9/13/09 - RACE DAY part 1
PRE-RACE
Race came early for Jodee and I as our alarms went off at 3:30am.
We got up and I had my usual race day meal of oatmeal with protein, banana and some brown sugar. (Why break tradition now, right?)
We ate, got dressed and grabbed our wetsuits and morning clothes drop bag and headed over to the Monona Terrace Convention Center. Everything would be centered around Monona Terrace. Our swim would take place in Lake Monona, our bikes were "racked" on the top level of the parking ramp, our bike and run clothes were in rooms in the convention center and we would be changing inside the convention center as well.
After filling our water bottles on our bikes and checking our tires, etc. we met up with my dad and talked a bit before putting on our wetsuits, dropping our morning clothes bags and heading down to the lake. As we walked down the "helix" (spiral down ramp) of the parking ramp, the size of the crowd was unreal. As we walked to the water's edge...it all became very real.
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