Ironman Wisconsin - September 9, 2007
The first thing I want to share with all of you is the tremendous gratitude and thanks I have for all the prayers and support for this big moment.
The year in preparation:
After we had our second child in August and getting the blessing from my wife knowing the sacrifice ahead I wanted to sign onto a North American Ironman. Since it was late in the season Wisconsin or Florida were my only options. My friend and neighbor, Eric, was eyeing these races as well. We discussed it together and decided to do one of these if we could get in. It really made it more fun to have a friend to train, race and share the process with.
Obviously, we got in and the work and fun began. What a year ahead, a big race, a lot of directions to go with and a lot to do. I first solicited as much advice and information as I could get from veteran Ironman warriors about the course and the whole process of training. After doing a few shorter triathlons myself and understanding the advice given, it was going to be much more than just training. An Ironman impacts everything! It affects your spiritual life, family, health, employment, friendships, finances, morale, and even your belongings (house, automobiles, etc.). If planned properly all these things will be even better in the end. Well… maybe the car needs to be washed, and I have a few more weeds in the yard but my love for God, family, friends and morale has only grown stronger through all of this.
In the early prep periods I invested in some books to give advice to help make me stronger. Here are some of the ones I liked, Going Long (Gordo and Joe Friel), Advanced Marathoning, The Lance Armstrong Performance Program, and The Triathlete’s Guide to Swim Training (Steve Tarpinian). Also, I took some great info from Runner’s World that worked excellent.
Knowing that I had a long year ahead I wanted to plan other races before to “step” my way into it. I wanted to do a marathon first for the confidence and help build the run base. This never worked out for me because of injury from increased run volume. But I did learn what works to help build up for long runs. “RICE” works, shoes with great inserts, don’t let more than 50% of your volume be from long runs (Dr. Fields), do long runs every other week for extra recovery and that Salem Lake is one great place to run!!!
Also, to add to the times of injury and recovery I had to take time off for the legs. After plantar fascitous and patellar pain (from bad bike seat adjustment) time off was no longer an option, I had to do it. I was discouraged but all was not lost – I could still swim and it was a good time to work on my diet. Control on the diet is an enormous part of athletic success and should be paramount in the process. It shouldn’t be last on the list, even for fit people. I focused on this, lost excess fat and increased performance followed. A great sports doctor gave exercises with weights that helped recovery too, which helped lead to weight room time with strength training. To lose weight and gain strength while recovering is a very positive thing. Lance did it, why can’t I?
The next step was to do the White Lake Half and with some speed this time around. This was a great race for me but I did get my lesson on following the race rules about drafting. It was a disappointment to be labeled a “cheater” when it wasn’t intentional. It’s very important to know the rules and avoid situations by going out of your way to prevent them. The next in the training plan was to get some long century rides in the mountains. In doing this I picked to do a ride called Blood, Sweat, and Gears. The ride was in June in Boone, and it involved all 30 of my gears, sweat burned my eyes as I climbed the 13,000 feet of vertical climbing, and blood did leave my body after going down hard on a decent that I am utterly surprised that I didn’t break any bones. (Thank you, Jesus!)
After going through some times of hard lessons learned and healing from some of the hurts it was time to start preparing from the Ironman itself.
Swimming was and still is my weakness in triathlon, so I needed some help and confidence. I used an Ironman training program out of Steve Tarpinian’s book. I did this because it was well structured and did help build my confidence, endurance and speed.
It was never too boring because every week had a different series of workouts that focused on different areas. Other things that I did to help with the swim weakness was to do a few local triathlons with good open water swimming. This was for fun and good training overall.
Cycling was great fun in the training. I did many different things to keep it fun and beneficial. Doing the mountain century rides early season was fun and great training for the hills. BSG, Tour de Loins, Triple Mountain Madness, and Bill Rabley’s team were all great rides for experience and training. The weekly Farmer’s Market rides were used for speed work along with some indoor spinning when the weather forced it. Also, some creative rides like riding to the in-laws home in Fuquay-Varina from Jamestown (89 mi), Chapel Hill(121) roundtrip, and multiple Hanging Rock(102) round trips were very fun adventures for the training as well. **Very important on the long rides was to do a short run directly after to prep for the transition (usually about two miles). I did take two Wednesday’s off from work just to do Hanging Rock x2. This was great and helped insure separation from the really long runs on the weekend.
The running program I used was from Runner’s World called “Less is More”, 3 day a week marathon program. This was an aggressive program that I didn’t follow 100% but did stick to the format. I didn’t do speed work as much as I would have liked but didn’t want to risk injury and didn’t make as much time to go to the track. In place of the ones I missed I used speeder runs from races as a substitute, hill repeats, a brick or just filler runs. The long runs got tougher in the end to keep injury at bay. I certainly kept the long runs every other week but made sure I could still meet the BIG long runs listed. Remembering no more than 50% of run volume from long runs. It works!!! The two significant runs that I did were at Salem Lake, 3 laps approx 21 miles each. These were very good for the confidence and experience.
Other important events in preparation were doing some local triathlons for the fun of it along with just good training. Triangle tri and Mission Man were done for several reasons, to get more value out of my new racing bike, open water swims, speed work and just enjoy some of the fitness. Ironman training doesn’t exactly translate to fast sprints, but they sure were fun. The other highly valued race was Bandits Challenge. This race was great in prep for Wisconsin and really set the tone for my IM race.
The taper is a relieving and frustrating time for me. It is a relief because the very hard training is coming to a close and frustrating to stop the volume of good eating and great long workout feelings. In combat of this I stuck with the “Going Long” plan for the taper. Not easy, but taper down. It was great to follow some structure at the end because it’s easy to waste all your efforts of training by overeating, overtraining, or under training down to the end. In this time I tried to focus on lower carbs, higher protein, and I fasted from caffeine for most of the 3 week taper, with exception of one caffeine gel during an initial taper brick training session.
Time to enjoy the journey’s end was at hand. The bike and gear was on the way and so were we. Along the way we saw some interesting people. I saw Roy Williams at the airport. He dropped his boarding pass and before I could pick it up, the person in front of us, a Carolina fan, got it and said “coach, you dropped something.” I shouldn’t be helping the enemy anyway; I’m a Wolfpack fan!!!
We were very fortunate to hook up with some local veteran athletes who helped us get great rooms at the Best Western at the Park. This was a great location with very good amenities all around. Hot tub, pool, restaurant, location, and friends were all great here!!! I checked into the race on Thursday to avoid the crowd, which was smart because some Friday folks had to wait in line for hours. Friday, Eric and I did a swim in the lake, the water was very rough but the swim was good considering and helped with swim fears since the forecast was still in question 48 hours prior to race start. Also, on Friday, I started to pick up my carb intake, but not too crazy. Paula Newby-Frazier gave a forum on nutrition and I truly believe this could have been a make or break for me. She said things like “eat normal, don’t go crazy and eat too much the morning of, don’t over do it on the bike, GI problems are common because of the fear of bonking, don’t overeat, you have an infinite amount of fat.” Her advice said changed my nutrition plan a bit to avoid eating too much, which I believe I would have done if I hadn’t heard her.
Saturday was a brief morning swim again but for the most part a day off (after the bike turn in and transition bags set up). I watched college football most of the day, which I’m not sure if it can be considered a rest day when your team loses. Sleep, was something that sacrificed more than ever during this whole endeavor. I was hoping to get more sleep during the taper and trip but it still didn’t feel like enough. Two nights before the race is said to be the most important, but even then I was a little nervous and didn’t get the best sleep. The hot tub was very nice to help out with those ailments like IT band tightness and feet pains before the race also. (Good stuff!!!) This trip was also a time where we decided to leave the kids at home and enjoy our time for a change. This was very nice. It helps tremendously to have your primary supporter to be happy and excited during this time. Your family is the base and to reach the peak the foundation has to be solid.
Race day
I woke up around 3:30am before my 4:15 wake up call and just couldn’t sleep for fear of missing the race and nerves. I felt really horrible and felt like I would certainly have a migraine that day without good neurological recovery. The forecast was as good as it can get for an Ironman race. The water was calm, 76° F, morning air was 55° F and the wind was relatively calm. That morning I watered up, ate a power bar plus half of another, banana, grabbed my sweet wife out of bed along with special needs bags. I met up with the very special lady and her friend that hooked us up with the room in the lobby at 5am sharp. (Was she an angel??) Jilly was her name; an IM Wisconsin veteran 6 times over, she lead us to the start and helped set me for the massive swim start by starting from the side and far back. Before all of this I said my very emotional good byes to my wife, at that moment I was so nervous and felt so much love at the same time I was ready for what Ironman had to offer.
While making the way to the water the crowd of swimmers was unbelievable. It seemed to take forever to get 2200+ people in the water, in the mean time the music was blasting with some really motivational tunes, helicopters were flying and the buzz in the air was very electric, it was so loud I didn’t even hear the pros go off with the horn. With only a few minutes to spare I followed Jill to the “spot” close to the big gun. Boooommm goes the cannon!!!!! Well… I hit my watch and said to myself it’s on like donkey kong now!!! Twenty seconds later after walking over a few underwater rocks I started paddling and was completely amazed that I wasn’t getting plowed bumped and hit as much as I did. The swim start position was good for a more relaxed start. I took it fairly easy for most of the swim. It was no sense in me wasting energy in my novice event. I drafted when I could and did have to adjust to the bright sunshine.
After the first lap I couldn’t help but to briefly look at my watch and saw 19 minutes and felt different feelings, either the course was short or I swimming the swim of my life. Knowing that I wasn’t going hard, I thought they shorted us but still started to pump the arms a bit just from excitement. A few minutes later I looked again and was still at 19 minutes. I must have got bumped and the timer stopped. No big deal I didn’t need to be looking at the thing in the water anyway. From then I just tried to stay smooth, relaxed and steady. I got a little hungry towards the end of the swim, but I sensed this was a good light hunger. Leaving the water I cleared and started the watch again. I looked at the time of 8:28am on the watch and knew that it was a good swim for me. Inside and outside I was smiling. My hardest event went down with ease, and now I can start my race for real.
Going up the helix to transition I started to notice my competitors. From the pre-race banquet they mentioned the 350 Mexican nationals that were participating in the race this year and how they increased their number at this race from only 1 person last year. In my American pride I had to include them in on the victims list along with my other age groupers. Out of transition I took the sun block that was a good idea since I’d been getting hives from the sun lately. I guess I’m getting older but wiser. Onto the bike was a slow start through the tunnels and the city. Out in the country the rolling hills began and I remembered the advice from Mike Beaman who had qualified for Hawaii from this race last year in very nasty cold and wet conditions. “Don’t power, but spin up the hills and don’t get caught up in the first lap frenzy.” I took his advice; I did speed a bit on the flats but knew from my training this is a good thing and didn’t take away as much from legs so long as my cadence was high.
Days before the race, Eric and I drove the course and found it to be technical and challenging. Not a complete surprise but well noted in the brain. After going down hard earlier this year I chose not to speed too much on the descents. No way!!!! I did get brave the second time around. The up-hills were a joke to me; of course I was spinning all of them and couldn't pass up them because of the Tour de France type crowd that was cheering us up. It was fun and I loved every bit of it. Especially after reaching the top and blasting by people with perceived tailwind. Wow!!!! This was fun!!! The second lap was slower due to stronger winds but not a wash. I did opt for the porta-potty at mile 70 instead of peeing in my shorts and washing it off like a pro. I could have saved a few minutes but enjoyed the break. I finished the last hills strong and the last miles were in the wind but I decided to stay easy and get some nutrition in for the run. On the bike I had 7 gels, 3 banana halves, 1 cliff bar, 780 calories of Perpetuem, and approximately 96 ounces of water.
Nothing special about bike to run transition, just that I used plenty of bodyglide, got some more water, and took the sun block again. The run was very difficult to start. My feet and ankles were aching. I was thinking at the start, “How in the world can I do this marathon?” I hurt pretty bad all over but knew it wasn’t bad enough to stop and walk. I did walk through most of the aid stations and snacked lightly for fear of the road ahead. Part of me says that I should have ran through a few more and another says I did it right. It was a very good run and a great day overall at this point. I was still running!!! The run was a good and an interesting course; I enjoyed walking up the aggressive hills. It was the smart thing to do because it made little sense to run when you could walk faster than you could run. I looked forward to these and the change. The course was neat; the weather was getting cooler and if you’re a runner this is a good thing. Sailboats were all over the lake and they were enjoying some 20 mph winds. It was very nice and I know I wasn’t the only one having fun. Going up State Street near the university of Wisconsin – lined solid with fans was a fabulous experience as well. My speed jumped in these moments and loved the comments from the fans and supporters.
On the run, I had things to occupy my thoughts continuously. I saw a young man with one leg doing this race also. He had supporters with shirts that said “one leg, one heart, one tough Ironman” (something like that). It really moves me to see people like him go for it even with enormous obstacles. The run remarkably had much more highs than lows for me. However, I did have to take some Ibuprofen at mile 17 due to back spasms that started to scare me a bit. On the end of loop 1, heading back to the Capitol building and finish area Hillary Biscay passed me and I thought how in the world? But then I saw the P for pro on her leg and noticed her run form and said “Oh’ that makes sense.” In the final miles I drank cola and ate pretzels. MMMM yummy to my tummy!!! Also, I like the warm chicken broth. Not bad with a little nip in the air. In the end I wanted to pick up the speed a bit but the legs probably would have cramped with too much extra exertion and was happy with were I was. However, I did finish in sprint style, strong and happy with a shout of joy. A wonderful volunteer rapped me up in a thermal blanket, made sure I was ok, handed me a finishers hat, medal, and shirt. Then my sweet supporting wife hugged and kissed me. We walked it off some and great relief and accomplished feeling wrapped around us both.
After my race I ate pizza, sandwiches, Chinese food, and just about whatever I could get my hands on. After a brief shower and change I watched my friend Eric’s finish. We relished in the moment a bit and planned to return to the finish at 11 pm for the remaining Ironman finishers. After one serious power nap Jilly grabbed us out of the room and we went down to the line. We cheered all the finishers, shouted and had a great time. Then the most chilling time was about to take place. The clock rolled toward to cut off time of 17 hours with 3 minutes left and the volunteers said “he’s coming, he’s coming!” with great excitement. The announcer said “Frank’s coming!!! Everyone get ready!!!” Frank Farrar is 78 years old and a former governor of South Dakota and doing another Ironman. When Frank made his way around the corner and to the spotlight they played the start of Ozzy’s song “Ironman.” Frank was wearing prescription goggles like racquetball players wear and running like a 78 year old at the end of an Ironman. He had mad determination all over his face like I’ve never seen. The crowd of thousands went crazy and took the show to a whole new level. I love it!!! IRONMAN IS FUN, MAN!!!!!
Kim – My wife, my babies’ mommy, love of my life and number one supporter.
Eric – My friend, training partner, and motivation to go harder than just finish.
Susan – Mentor, coaching advice, tremendous care for her triathlon friends.
Pastor Eliseo – My spiritual leader and the man who helps bring the word of God to all areas of my life.
My Mom and Dad – Who has made me the warrior that I am. I could go 140.6 again for you. For real!!!
Priscila, Tom, and Judy – for watching the girls during race week and helping them watch Jeff cross the line over the Internet
Other people that have help me through the journey and gave solid advice that made it possible. Paul de (swimming master), Mike Beaman (thanks for the bike fit and bike rt. Tips), Cherri Bailey, Mike Shank, David Greene, Dennis Hutchinson, IronMike Townsend (for the veteran knowledge), Alison Falls, David Garrison, and Tommy Gray (for taking me under their wind as a novice cyclist), Naomi (for her kindness and all she does for other friends at the Y), John Dewey (for keeping us tri geeks outfitted with the right stuff in GSO), Brian Eitzen (making the Chapel Hill journey with me), Dr. Field’s (excellent sports Doc that kept me in training and dealing with injury), Jilly (for the advice at Wisconsin and the really good room that she help us with), Darrell Parks and Jason Neuman (for marathon and run training advice), Brian Land (advice with good and bad supplements), and with all the help I’ve gotten I’m certain I’ve forgotten someone.
**Can you tell? The caffeine fast is over!