Ironman Wisconsin

Ironman Wisconsin
Madison, WI
Conditions: Mild

If you don't want to read the entire summary of my 11 hour race plus all the before and after details, then here is the Cliff Notes version: Pre-race was relaxing, swim was right on my goal pace, T1 was slow because of lots of people, Bike was fast for the first half, slow due to wind and being tired for the second half, T2 was fast, Run was fast for 6 miles, slow for 12, fast for 6. Finish was 10:50:59. Recovery was great, no real problems with tiredness or mobility, only some rub marks remain. Chipotle Burrito was perfect. It was a fantastic experience and I could not have done it without Jerry, Jeremy, Denny, the WellFit team, and especially Tanya.

All week before this race, I had been really sick. It was a head cold and my sinus were plugged, I had a sore throat and just felt terrible. I guess getting sick before Ironman is fairly common. They say when you come down off of all the intense training and rest, your body lets down too. Friday I felt a little better, but I was still pretty drugged up. I figured I had two days to get well. But still, I knew there would be some lasting side effects.

I left for Madison on Friday before the race. Earlier this year, my Dad told Tanya that you could tell when I was nervous because I would forget things. In the past I'd get to the starting line and realize I'd forgot my race shoes, I'd forgotten shorts once, and in Triathlons, forgetting something can be disaster. I commonly forget my swim cap... So on Friday morning as I took my first load of gear out to my car, I not only forgot my car keys, but I locked myself out of my apartment. No keys, no phone, no wallet and Tanya had just left for work. My building has a buzzer, but it doesn't work, and even if it did, there are several empty apartments and I only know a couple of my neighbors. My apartment has two possible entries and that means it has two escape routes. I set my gear in the doorway of one of the exits and then stood at the corner of the building, perched carefully so I could see both exits and grab a neighbor who was leaving. After about 25 minutes, my next door neighbor left. I got him to let me in and I was back on track.

I was excited to drive up because I got to use my new roof bike rack (thanks for the birthday present everyone) The drive up was nice, I was by myself and had plenty of time to envision my future pain. I arrived at the Hilton Monona Terrace and unloaded my gear. It took 6 trips between the parking garage and my room to get everything to the room. All the hotel luggage carts were in use, so I just slugged it up. The process took a great deal of time because there was only two elevators that went to the garage, and most the elevators were packed with people with bikes and gear. The room was excellent, had a perfect view of the swim course.

I met up with Jerry & Denny and we had lunch and went to the checkin. Checkin was quick, lots of volunteers helping. One of them saw my name and said "I'm supposed to be cheering for you." She turned out to be a friend of Kelly Noel, not just another Benny Triathlon groupie. That night my and the gang attended the Welcome Dinner and participant meeting. Jerry and I walked up to a Walgreens by the Capital and did some snack shopping. Tanya showed up later, Kelly and Hans dropped her off in a light rain.

Saturday morning Denny, Jerry and the rest of the gang met at swim entrance to get in a little warmup. The weather was great, warm and sunny. I put 20 minutes in the water at a light pace. I discovered a pretty good tear in my wet suit that was going to need to be fixed before the race, I was taking on some water! Jerry and I got in an easy 30 minute bike shortly after that and I did a quick 20 minute run. I was feeling a lot better this day, the cold was wearing off. Kelly had told me not to take any allergy or cold medicine on the day before the race because it dehyrdrates you. Definitely good advice. On Friday night, I had set out all of my gear bags and went through my list of what goes into each bag. Saturday I packed all of my bags and then dropped off the swim-to-bike and bike to run bags. This would not be the last time I would see those. differing reports about the weather on Sunday kept coming in, so I revisited the swim-to-bike bag about 6 more times, making adjustments. The weather report said rain, almost for certain. So this was putting a little of stress on my decisions because I wasn't sure how I should start. But in Ironman, it's best to start with it than without it. I put the foot warmers on my bike shoes, then I took them off later. I rubber cleat protectors on my shoes, then took them off. I borrowed a rain jacket from Kelly & Hans that had removable sleeves, so my final move to was to remove the sleeves. After the bags, I dropped off my bike in the corral. I would come back later to cover the seat with a plastic bag because of the rain predictions. Not sure if that really does anything, because my butt is wet after being in the water.

Tanya and I had a fun time throughout the day, taking in all of the festivities. We made sure we got all the free swag we could. I took my wetsuit to get repaired. This older Russian women fixed it did a really good job. She was very talkitive and really loved repairing these things. My Mom showed up later in the day. She came down and picked Tanya and I up. We went out to her hotel in West Madison and then met up with Kelly and Hans at Biaggi's. Tanya loves Biaggi's because they have gluten free options. I had my usual pre-race fettucine alfredo with cream sauce and a glass of wine. We got back to the hotel and went back to my bike one last time. I setout my special needs bags for the next day. The next day was going to start early, so I got to bed around 10.

I got a pretty good nights sleep. The experts (Denny & Jeremy) tell you, get a good nights sleep two nights before because the night before you're always restless. I got up at 4:15 and did a short 20 minute run. I call it an activation run because it gets my metabolism running. If I get up and drink or eat something, it sits in my stomach unless I've got everything running. I came back, used the bathroom, took a shower and headed out. I made Tanya go back to bed. She's weird, she wants to be up when I'm up. I convinced her to sleep and she went back to bed. I headed out to drop off my special needs bags. I then took about 30 pounds of gear to my bike. I had all my nutrician for the day with me. I geared up the bike with tools, 2 bottles of water, Gatorade Endurance and Perpetum. I also put a dab of Vasciline under my seat. My friend Jon recommended this because you can use it if you feel rub coming on. I then headed to my transition bags and put in some last minute gear.

The Swim
They had said rain, but it was clear and beautiful out. Some predictions were still saying rain by 10 AM, but I was ignoring that at this point. I'd deal with that as it happens. I met up with Tanya and my Mom at the Hilton and they headed over to the start with me. I got lubbed up and put on my wetsuit and headed to start line. I wasn't with Jerry and Denny, but I was doing alright by myself. I had plenty of time to gather my thoughts. Normally I'm over hydrated at this point and I need to use the 'wetsuit facilities', I think that's one of the reasons they call it a wetsuit. I did't have to go today. I was a little nervouse because I was worried that I hadn't drank enough. I got in the water and swam out to the ski ramp. I figured this was a good starting area because I'd have a little room to operate at the beginning. The Ironman swim is a full contact sport, unlike anything I've ever experienced. As soon as the gun goes off, you will not go more than a stroke with out having your feet grabbed, legs clawed, head pushed under, or just be completely run over. This goes on for over an hour if you're of my speed! I picked a fairly good line, I wasn't way far away from the race line, and I wasn't too crowded. I felt pretty good about my swim as I was going through it. I wasn't going too hard and I kept a even pace. The swim is two loops. I finished one loop, checked my watch and I was right on goal pace at 35 minutes. As I finished the second loop, I picked up the pace for last 200 meters. I got out of the water and got to experience the wetsuit strippers. Yes, it's exactly what you think it is. I unzipped my wetsuit, pulled it down to my waste, layed on the ground and two volunteers came up and whipped off my suit. Very quick, very cool. They handed me my wet suit and I sprinted up the helix of the Monona Terrace, on my way to T1. I was pretty much on goal, 1:14:16 out of the water was just a few minutes slower than I'd wanted to be. But I felt awesome. This Ironman stuff ain't that hard!

T1
The problem with swimming a 1:14 leg, I'm coming out in prime time and there's a lot of people. As I sprinted up the helix, I was passing dozens of people. I got to T1 and found my bag. A volunteer handed it to me and directed me to the changing room. The changing room was packed. Not a place to sit when I came in. I ran around the room until I found a spot. The other problem I had was all the volunteers were busy. I dumped my bag on the floor and got my shoes on, then tried to put my jersey on. My jersey got stuck and I was like a lame duck. A volunteer helping the guy next to me helped get me get my shirt on. It seemed like this was taking an eternity. I then put on my helmet, race number belt, arm warmers, gloves and sun glasses. Because I had no volunteer, I reloaded my bag and took gave to someone at the door. I ran out to the bike area and made a pit stop at the sun lotion station. Two volunteers with rubber gloves and gobs of sun lotion went nuts on me. In the 10 seconds it took, I was completely covered in the white cream. I definitely wasn't going to have a problem with sunburns today. The bike corral was busy, so I didn't get the A treatment I'd heard where volunteers will hand you your bike. I got my bike off the rack and ran to the mount line at the top of the helix. I mounted and away I went, slowly, down the helix. I saw Kelly and Hans at the top, I missed my friends and Tanya and Mom at the bottom. T1 took way too long, 9:21.

Bike
For the first mile you can't pass anyone, so you need to hope you're in a speedy group. You also are supposed to respect the drafting rules. It's hard to obey the rules. I passed people and I was definitely in the draft zone, but it was safer for me to do it that way then to be an obstruction. This slower time is beneficial because I got time to make minor adjustments and take on some nutrition. I ate a cliff bar and had some water and Gatorade. When I got to the open road, I hammered down and got up to pace. I got to Verona and was feeling pretty strong. I was going a little harder than I probably should have been, but I felt good. I started the first bike loop and pushed the hills like I always do. I'd done this bike course a lot through the year, so there weren't any surprise. I got to Cross Plains and decided to drop the arm warmers. I knew Tanya, Mom, Kelly and Hans were at Mount Horeb so I wanted to ditch the warmers with them. Well, they weren't in a spot where I could throw them my gear, so I ditched them further up the coarse where no one would see and I wouldn't get penalized. Don't worry, it sounds like littering but animals in the wilderness can use them for something! I waved to my cheer group, Hans yelled at me to quit screwing around. I should mention, Tanya printed T-Shirts and made poster boards with a picture of me wearing clear goggles and gave them to everyone who came. It was very thoughtful and cleaver. It wasn't a surprise because I helped...

As I rolled up to the big hill I ditched a couple of water bottles. I didn't want the weight and I knew an aid station was not far away. I hit the hills and I was more tired than I expected. I still felt good but I didn't attack them like I had on past training rides. It was pretty fun going up though, the whole 1 kilometer hill was lined with a cheering crowd. People had written all kinds of motiviational things on the road in chalk. At the top, Tanya and gang were cheering. I was impressed they got there, because it was less than 15 minutes after I'd seen them at Cross Plains. I cranked through the next hill and made my way back to Verona. I was feeling pretty good, but definitely a little worn. When I got to Verona, I cranked up the pace. Verona was packed with people. It was very loud. I reloaded my water and Gatorade. Matt H. and Jorgen and Family were all there cheering too. I stopped at special needs and mixed a new bottle of Perpetum. I took a cliff bar and that wast the last time I'd see that bag of goodies. I was averaging over 21 MPH and was on goal pace. The nutrition plan was going well, but I was a little concerned that I hadn't had a bathroom break yet. The volume of fluids I had taken, I should have gone by now. Especially since I wasn't sweating a whole lot because of the temperature was very mild. My best estimate was my cold was still kicking around, and my nose was draining a lot. Actually, I missed my arm warmers at this point because they were doubling as Kleenex.

A slight breeze out of the West was blowing now. My pace was noticably slower. On the first lap I was cranking out miles at 21+, now I was struggling to get to 18. The very slight breeze was beating me down. I got to Mount Horeb and Tanya Cheer Squad was at the top of the hill cheering. That was a very nice suprise. That hill was killing me, so I enjoyed the motivation. I got through Cross Plains (Tanya was there again) and up the big hills, but was dragging. I left Verona and started the final 15 miles. I was feeling pretty bloated from all the fluids, and still no bathroom break. So after Verona I cut off all fluids in preparation for the run. I was craving it though because it was hot and I needed the fuel. I saw Coach Keith K. about half a mile in front of me which was great because I needed some motivation to speed up. Catching him took me a long time. About 12 miles to gain make-up that half. I had a brief conversation with Keith and then I tried to put some separation between us. For the last two miles, I shifted to high gears and increased my cadence. I wanted to get my legs read to move faster for the run. As I was coming into Madison, one of the spectator buses was passing me and hanging out all of the windows was Jorgen, Matt and Melanie. I enjoyed that. I got to helix, dismounted and volunteer took my bike. It was a mutual breakup, I didn't want to see the bike and that bike had had it with me! I was feeling tired, but ready for the marathon. And, I had to pee! 5:55:17, about 25 minutes slower than goal pace. Ironman is hard!

T2
This transiiton went a lot better than the first. I stripped the bike gear, strapped on the Lunar Racers and was out the door. As soon as I exitted, I got lathered up by the lotion people again. Jon and Andrea were cheering for me in the transition. Before I left T2, I stopped in the port-o-lou. I appreciate Jon continuing to cheer for me. With the bathroom stop, T2 was good, 3:21. I was on the run now.

Run
Jeremy and Denny had given me cautionary advice not to take the run out too fast. Too fast is hard for a simple runner like me to understand. When I run, I run as fast as I can for as long as I can. I did my best to respect their advice. I took the marathon out at 6:30 pace for the first 6 miles. With the sun, I was getting pretty warm. The temperature had gone up too, it was now in the 70's. I saw Sharone and Jeremy very early in the run too. They both suggested I slow down a little. I would, eventually... My initial running euphoria wore off after 6 miles of the run. My pace slowed 8 minute miles. I saw Denny and I estimated he was about 20 minutes ahead of me. I briefly contemplated trying to catch him, but he was running about the same pace, and I was slowing down. There were a few hills that I hadn't really realized were going to be there, and they were a challenge. But they worked out well because the hills broke up the lactid acid buildup in my legs. On the State Street turn around, all the awesome people that traveled to see this race were there cheering. I did my best to put a on a good game face, but I was hurting bad. About this time I decided I needed caffine. But I waited until I got to the run special needs bag at mile 13. I got to special needs bag, grabbed a Red Bull, and walked for a minute. I started the second half of the run hoping caffinee would save me. As I left special needs, I caught up to Jerry on his first loop. Jerry looked good and seemed to be doing well. Not long after I saw Sue and Keith. Everyone was in good spirits still. I continued to run 8 and 9 minute miles, every two miles I'd take soda, every mile I was taking water. I felt pretty drained. At mile 21 the race changed. Suddenly my legs felt better, my heart rate picked up and I was on my way home. I was back running 7:30 miles or less until the finish. Possibly it was finish line excitement, but I really felt great. The finish was really fun, I blew some kisses and pumped my arms thanking all my friends and family as I sprinted to the finish of a 3:28:46 marathon.

Official Finish Time: 10:50:59, 233 place

I didn't spend much time in the finish corral. Tanya joined me and I said to her "that was long." I didn't feel like eating anything so I skipped the snack tent. I probably needed to eat something real, but I really wasn't having it. I hung out with my family and friends for a while, then decided to go get cleaned up and come back and cheer in Jerry. I came back and met up with Denny and Jeremy. We saw Sue finish and waited for Jerry. Jeremy took off up the coarse to run in with Jerry, but ran right by him because I didn't mention to Jeremy that Jerry was wearing a jacket now. Jerry actually spotted us as he finished. Tanya, my mom and I took the long walk to Chipotle, where I ate the most delicious burrito ever made. Oh, and it was starting to rain.

It was a great day for all of us. Denny, Jerry, Don, Mindy, Keith, Sue and I all had good stories to tell. Most of the fun was all of the training leading up to the race. Believe it or not, but I enjoyed waking up at 3:30 AM every weekend to go ride or run with the guys. 20+ hours a week of training is a part time job, but it was also an unforgettable experience. I learned a few lessons for future Ironman's. I believe I can make huge improvements on this race by doing a few small things differently. I guess we'll find out next year!

Thanks to all of my friends and family that supported me at the race and throughout the year. Thank you to Hans and Kelly for driving Mom and Tanya around, they did an amazing job! And thank you to Tanya, who still agreed to marry me even after I put her through 11 hours of stress. Love you babe!

Official Results: