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11-03-08, 08:21 PM
"An ironman triathlon is 90% mental.
The other half is all physical."
(if Yogi Bera was a triathlon coach)
Prelude:
I have thought about the Ironman distance triathlon ever since seeing the race on Wild World of Sports in the early eighties. I have never been especially athletic and over the intervening years into middle age had let myself get very out of shape and overweight. After seeing some friends compete in a sprint distance race 3 years ago I figured why not go ahead and do one? I spent the next year and half doing several races and slowly getting back into shape. I have arthritis in my lower back but with the exercise regimen a lot of the pain and debilitation had ceased. I figured if I was ever going to do an ironman, this was the time.
As luck would have it, a new iron distance triathlon, the Beach2Battleship was going to be held in Wrightsville Beach and was just too convenient! Only 2.5 hours to travel. Yay!
I trained solidly with focus for a year. My main checkpoint was to complete a 1/2IM in 7 hours, and then with an additional 6 months of training be able to complete the full within 15 hours, giving me 2 hours to spare before the cutoff time of 17 hrs. I was able to do the White Lake 1/2IM in the 7 hours so was on track.
Then, as luck would have it, I got sick 3 weeks before the race. Ug. I spent a week feeling a bit sick, did a couple light swim workouts but each time felt noticeably worse afterward so just decided to quit training and focus on getting well. The next week I got much sicker. The third week, and the week before the race I felt better but decided not to train any as it would not have brought any real benefit and could make me sicker.
I was on the fence about even doing the race as I did not want to do it but not finish. Even in the best of circumstances the ironman is very difficult, but being sick and losing 3 weeks of training made it even more daunting.
On the other hand, the positive effect was that it took a lot of the anxiety away from me as I felt so bad I was not nervous. Even when I got better my attitude was more of a 'give it my best effort' than really having any great expectations. If I fell on my face I could always say I was sick. Even the night before the race I was not all that nervous, where if I had not gotten sick, I think I would have been very nervous. I got a pretty good sleep as well, which is odd for me. Definitely a mixed blessing overall, but then I try to see things in that mode in general.
My overall game plan was to finish the swim and bike by 4pm, this would give me 8 hours to finish the run and could walk it if needed. I had no idea how I would fare and my main goal was to finish. I guaged about 1.5 for the swim, about 7 for the bike, 30 minutes for the 2 transitions, and 6 for the run. For the bike I was figuring on averaging 17mph, and then taking 5 minute breaks every 20 miles.
Before I got sick, my estimates were that if everything went good beyond belief I could finish in under 14, if everything went according to plan I would hit 15, and if things went poorly I would be close to 17.
A big factor in deciding to go ahead and do the race was that the weather was to be absolutely perfect all day. Starting in the 40s, then 50-70 for the bike, then back to 55 for the run, all sun, little wind. It is rare that all these conditions happen so I figured it's a go. Let's do it.
The Race:
As I lined up on the beach at 7AM in 35degree weather I had not been in the water, on a bike, or running in 3 weeks. I was relatively warm due to the wetsuit, but my feet were numb. The water was 67 degrees. As luck would have it though, the cold air temp made the water really warm feeling to me. The swim start was beautiful. The air was calm, very dark, the stars were out and vivid, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon giving the island it's warm red glow, the announcer said a short prayer, played the nation anthem while we gazed upon our flag; and then we turned to the ocean to start the day.
The swim:
As the gun went off I ran to the water. Surprisingly, it felt pretty good. I had been a little concerned as I have never swam in water that cold. I also did not know if I would run out of steam due to the illness or start coughing violently and have to be rescued. I started swimming and soon got into a pretty good rhythm. Cool, I can do this thing. I tend to swim too fast and spastic in races, so my main game plan here was to go slow, stay relaxed, and use the swim as a warm-up for the day.
Spending a lot of energy up front would get me a few minutes but cost me more later in the day. I focused on breathing every 4 strokes, breathing on both sides, and siting every 10 strokes. I could not see the buoys as it was too dark, but could see a water tower off in the distance that took me almost all the way. Luckily there is a pretty strong current in this channel and even luckier this was the peak for the incoming tide. At the time I thought I might be halfway I saw the one big turn that signaled I was almost complete. This gave me a big sense of well being as I felt very strong and calm. Two good things to feel during an ironman. I hit the ladder at 55 minutes. I had ball-parked about 1.5 hours for the swim so was way ahead of schedule.
T1
The changing tent was packed. I had decided to just wear jammers with my wetsuit so my biking gear would be dry. I had heard that salt water can cause some chafing and did not want to take a chance on a race this long. I changed into some nice bibs, a tri jersey, and went for the bike.
The bike:
I started off feeling pretty good. I could not get above 15mph though, I thought maybe I was feeling sicker than I thought or I had gone too fast on the swim and become fatigued. After a bit I looked back and realized my rear brake pad was rubbing on my wheel! ARG. Fixed that and immediately hit 17-18 with ease. I had gone an hour or so at this point so did waste a bit of energy on that malfunction. For the next 25 miles I felt very strong. After that though I started feeling bad. I was coughing a good bit and could definitely feel my lungs full of mucous. I looked back and saw my brake pad had once again started rubbing. Got that fixed and continued the slog. Around 60 miles was one of my roughest times of the day. There is not too much scenery on this ride and it was getting pretty boring. I am very introverted by nature, but was dying to talk to someone so started talking to myself. I kept the slog going though. My back usually starts to hurt after 45minutes on the bike but as long as I can sit up and stretch I can manage it. It was starting to kick in pretty strong at this point.
Then around mile 70 my knee started to go.
I twisted it snowboarding a few years ago, and think I tore the meniscus which is a counterpart of the ACL and helps stabilize the knee. It only really acts up when my leg and supporting muscles get tired, and guess this was happening. I could pedal Ok but could not stand up on the pedals or sit up as that changed the pressure on the knee and it could not handle it. It basically felt like it would go sideways. Ug. Unfortunately, I have to stand up or sit up in the saddle to alleviate the back pain I always get on bike rides so this was a dilemma. I kept pedaling and stayed aero. Focus. My main slogan or mantra through this race was "just keep moving forward". If I am moving forward then I still have a shot to finish. On the positive side the weather was awesome. The air temp was probably low 70s which is perfect for biking. Slight headwinds, but not bad for this area. The route was very flat but winds can easily whip up to 15-20 and if a headwind can get very rough.
I started counting down the miles to the finish one by one, minute by minute. Back hurting, coughing, and knee wanting to give. Of course all the while am thinking my race is really just about half over, and I still have a marathon to run. I was not sure if I would even be able to walk with the knee, but just kept pedaling. Focus focus focus; and keep moving forward. My bike took 7:45 and I made it into T2 a bit after 4:00, got changed into running gear and hit the road.
Nutrition:
Seems as good a place as any to include this info. I consider nutrition to be the 4th event of a long triathlon. If you don't get the balance of electrolytes, water, and calories correct you cannot complete this race. My plan was to eat a few hundred cals for breakfast, a bagel with peanut butter and a gel and some sports drink. For the bike I made one bottle with 2000 calories. This was a personal mixture of maltodextrin, some cytomax orange for flavor, 20 endurolytes, and some protein. I then use an aerobottle that I just put plain water into so I take a swig of the 'food bottle' and then a swallow of water and am good to go. I planned on the bike taking 7 hours total, and then taking in ~300 calories an hour. For the bike rest stops I am just dependent on them for water and can just grab a bottle, shoot it into the aerobottle and continue on if I don't want to stop. For the run I planned on just eating whatever they had on the route as by that time you never know what will sound good, but sugary drinks and gels get less appealing. This plan worked well for me and would use it again in the future.
Clothing:
For the swim in 67 degree water, definitely wetsuit. I considered wearing my bike gear underneath, and it would have worked fine, but figured with a race this long I would rather have dry bibs/jersey. The air temp was slated to be in the 50s for the morning so did not want any extra chill due to wet clothing. I It only takes a few minutes extra worth it overall. For the run I changed again into some tri bottoms and used my same tri jersey. This system worked fine and would use it again.
The run:
I was not sure if I would finish at this point due to my knee but spirits were still positive. This is one of the times that the race is much more mental than physical. To come into the race area where racers were finishing, in pain, and still facing 7 hours on a dark road takes the ability to just stay honed in on the goal.
My plan at this time was to walk a brisk mile and see if I could still make it before the cutoff time. To my surprise I knocked out a 15 minute/mile pace which would put me at the finish line with 2 hours to spare, pretty much still on my original time game plan. My hopes and attitude soared at that moment as I knew I was very close to my goal to finish! After a few miles of walking briskly, I got them down to 13.5/mile paces. I completed the first 1/2M in 3:15 so had almost 4.5 hours to finish the second 1/2M and knew I was pretty much good to go. I just put on that faraway look in the eyes and pressed forward. The run route was very nice for the most part, taking us through a scenic downtown area and then to a beautiful park with cypress trees and spanish moss abounding.
I started running a decent bit at this time. I also started getting really really sore, not sure if it was due to the running or the day's cumulative efforts, or both. I was still making 15 minute miles so was Ok. I started ticking down the miles one by one. The weather was awesome, probably 55 degrees. The rest stops were packed with coke, broth, heed, pretzels, chex, vaseline, water, etc. each mile. The volunteers were amazing as well. Finally within a mile or so I knew I had it.
And so without further adieu, 15:42 on the clock; I became an iron distance triathlon finisher.
The other half is all physical."
(if Yogi Bera was a triathlon coach)
Prelude:
I have thought about the Ironman distance triathlon ever since seeing the race on Wild World of Sports in the early eighties. I have never been especially athletic and over the intervening years into middle age had let myself get very out of shape and overweight. After seeing some friends compete in a sprint distance race 3 years ago I figured why not go ahead and do one? I spent the next year and half doing several races and slowly getting back into shape. I have arthritis in my lower back but with the exercise regimen a lot of the pain and debilitation had ceased. I figured if I was ever going to do an ironman, this was the time.
As luck would have it, a new iron distance triathlon, the Beach2Battleship was going to be held in Wrightsville Beach and was just too convenient! Only 2.5 hours to travel. Yay!
I trained solidly with focus for a year. My main checkpoint was to complete a 1/2IM in 7 hours, and then with an additional 6 months of training be able to complete the full within 15 hours, giving me 2 hours to spare before the cutoff time of 17 hrs. I was able to do the White Lake 1/2IM in the 7 hours so was on track.
Then, as luck would have it, I got sick 3 weeks before the race. Ug. I spent a week feeling a bit sick, did a couple light swim workouts but each time felt noticeably worse afterward so just decided to quit training and focus on getting well. The next week I got much sicker. The third week, and the week before the race I felt better but decided not to train any as it would not have brought any real benefit and could make me sicker.
I was on the fence about even doing the race as I did not want to do it but not finish. Even in the best of circumstances the ironman is very difficult, but being sick and losing 3 weeks of training made it even more daunting.
On the other hand, the positive effect was that it took a lot of the anxiety away from me as I felt so bad I was not nervous. Even when I got better my attitude was more of a 'give it my best effort' than really having any great expectations. If I fell on my face I could always say I was sick. Even the night before the race I was not all that nervous, where if I had not gotten sick, I think I would have been very nervous. I got a pretty good sleep as well, which is odd for me. Definitely a mixed blessing overall, but then I try to see things in that mode in general.
My overall game plan was to finish the swim and bike by 4pm, this would give me 8 hours to finish the run and could walk it if needed. I had no idea how I would fare and my main goal was to finish. I guaged about 1.5 for the swim, about 7 for the bike, 30 minutes for the 2 transitions, and 6 for the run. For the bike I was figuring on averaging 17mph, and then taking 5 minute breaks every 20 miles.
Before I got sick, my estimates were that if everything went good beyond belief I could finish in under 14, if everything went according to plan I would hit 15, and if things went poorly I would be close to 17.
A big factor in deciding to go ahead and do the race was that the weather was to be absolutely perfect all day. Starting in the 40s, then 50-70 for the bike, then back to 55 for the run, all sun, little wind. It is rare that all these conditions happen so I figured it's a go. Let's do it.
The Race:
As I lined up on the beach at 7AM in 35degree weather I had not been in the water, on a bike, or running in 3 weeks. I was relatively warm due to the wetsuit, but my feet were numb. The water was 67 degrees. As luck would have it though, the cold air temp made the water really warm feeling to me. The swim start was beautiful. The air was calm, very dark, the stars were out and vivid, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon giving the island it's warm red glow, the announcer said a short prayer, played the nation anthem while we gazed upon our flag; and then we turned to the ocean to start the day.
The swim:
As the gun went off I ran to the water. Surprisingly, it felt pretty good. I had been a little concerned as I have never swam in water that cold. I also did not know if I would run out of steam due to the illness or start coughing violently and have to be rescued. I started swimming and soon got into a pretty good rhythm. Cool, I can do this thing. I tend to swim too fast and spastic in races, so my main game plan here was to go slow, stay relaxed, and use the swim as a warm-up for the day.
Spending a lot of energy up front would get me a few minutes but cost me more later in the day. I focused on breathing every 4 strokes, breathing on both sides, and siting every 10 strokes. I could not see the buoys as it was too dark, but could see a water tower off in the distance that took me almost all the way. Luckily there is a pretty strong current in this channel and even luckier this was the peak for the incoming tide. At the time I thought I might be halfway I saw the one big turn that signaled I was almost complete. This gave me a big sense of well being as I felt very strong and calm. Two good things to feel during an ironman. I hit the ladder at 55 minutes. I had ball-parked about 1.5 hours for the swim so was way ahead of schedule.
T1
The changing tent was packed. I had decided to just wear jammers with my wetsuit so my biking gear would be dry. I had heard that salt water can cause some chafing and did not want to take a chance on a race this long. I changed into some nice bibs, a tri jersey, and went for the bike.
The bike:
I started off feeling pretty good. I could not get above 15mph though, I thought maybe I was feeling sicker than I thought or I had gone too fast on the swim and become fatigued. After a bit I looked back and realized my rear brake pad was rubbing on my wheel! ARG. Fixed that and immediately hit 17-18 with ease. I had gone an hour or so at this point so did waste a bit of energy on that malfunction. For the next 25 miles I felt very strong. After that though I started feeling bad. I was coughing a good bit and could definitely feel my lungs full of mucous. I looked back and saw my brake pad had once again started rubbing. Got that fixed and continued the slog. Around 60 miles was one of my roughest times of the day. There is not too much scenery on this ride and it was getting pretty boring. I am very introverted by nature, but was dying to talk to someone so started talking to myself. I kept the slog going though. My back usually starts to hurt after 45minutes on the bike but as long as I can sit up and stretch I can manage it. It was starting to kick in pretty strong at this point.
Then around mile 70 my knee started to go.
I twisted it snowboarding a few years ago, and think I tore the meniscus which is a counterpart of the ACL and helps stabilize the knee. It only really acts up when my leg and supporting muscles get tired, and guess this was happening. I could pedal Ok but could not stand up on the pedals or sit up as that changed the pressure on the knee and it could not handle it. It basically felt like it would go sideways. Ug. Unfortunately, I have to stand up or sit up in the saddle to alleviate the back pain I always get on bike rides so this was a dilemma. I kept pedaling and stayed aero. Focus. My main slogan or mantra through this race was "just keep moving forward". If I am moving forward then I still have a shot to finish. On the positive side the weather was awesome. The air temp was probably low 70s which is perfect for biking. Slight headwinds, but not bad for this area. The route was very flat but winds can easily whip up to 15-20 and if a headwind can get very rough.
I started counting down the miles to the finish one by one, minute by minute. Back hurting, coughing, and knee wanting to give. Of course all the while am thinking my race is really just about half over, and I still have a marathon to run. I was not sure if I would even be able to walk with the knee, but just kept pedaling. Focus focus focus; and keep moving forward. My bike took 7:45 and I made it into T2 a bit after 4:00, got changed into running gear and hit the road.
Nutrition:
Seems as good a place as any to include this info. I consider nutrition to be the 4th event of a long triathlon. If you don't get the balance of electrolytes, water, and calories correct you cannot complete this race. My plan was to eat a few hundred cals for breakfast, a bagel with peanut butter and a gel and some sports drink. For the bike I made one bottle with 2000 calories. This was a personal mixture of maltodextrin, some cytomax orange for flavor, 20 endurolytes, and some protein. I then use an aerobottle that I just put plain water into so I take a swig of the 'food bottle' and then a swallow of water and am good to go. I planned on the bike taking 7 hours total, and then taking in ~300 calories an hour. For the bike rest stops I am just dependent on them for water and can just grab a bottle, shoot it into the aerobottle and continue on if I don't want to stop. For the run I planned on just eating whatever they had on the route as by that time you never know what will sound good, but sugary drinks and gels get less appealing. This plan worked well for me and would use it again in the future.
Clothing:
For the swim in 67 degree water, definitely wetsuit. I considered wearing my bike gear underneath, and it would have worked fine, but figured with a race this long I would rather have dry bibs/jersey. The air temp was slated to be in the 50s for the morning so did not want any extra chill due to wet clothing. I It only takes a few minutes extra worth it overall. For the run I changed again into some tri bottoms and used my same tri jersey. This system worked fine and would use it again.
The run:
I was not sure if I would finish at this point due to my knee but spirits were still positive. This is one of the times that the race is much more mental than physical. To come into the race area where racers were finishing, in pain, and still facing 7 hours on a dark road takes the ability to just stay honed in on the goal.
My plan at this time was to walk a brisk mile and see if I could still make it before the cutoff time. To my surprise I knocked out a 15 minute/mile pace which would put me at the finish line with 2 hours to spare, pretty much still on my original time game plan. My hopes and attitude soared at that moment as I knew I was very close to my goal to finish! After a few miles of walking briskly, I got them down to 13.5/mile paces. I completed the first 1/2M in 3:15 so had almost 4.5 hours to finish the second 1/2M and knew I was pretty much good to go. I just put on that faraway look in the eyes and pressed forward. The run route was very nice for the most part, taking us through a scenic downtown area and then to a beautiful park with cypress trees and spanish moss abounding.
I started running a decent bit at this time. I also started getting really really sore, not sure if it was due to the running or the day's cumulative efforts, or both. I was still making 15 minute miles so was Ok. I started ticking down the miles one by one. The weather was awesome, probably 55 degrees. The rest stops were packed with coke, broth, heed, pretzels, chex, vaseline, water, etc. each mile. The volunteers were amazing as well. Finally within a mile or so I knew I had it.
And so without further adieu, 15:42 on the clock; I became an iron distance triathlon finisher.