SUCCESS IN TEMPE!

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:59:46 -0700

I am an Ironman!

I can not emphasize to you how much those words mean to me. It’s almost impossible to put into words all the emotions, strong feelings, and the tremendous sense of accomplishment I am currently experiencing -- and will continue to experience the rest of my life -- by crossing that finish line in Tempe, Arizona at 11:34 PM on November 22, 2009. On my third attempt at the Ironman distance, I finally broke thru that wall and dug deeper into my mind, body, spirit, and soul than I ever had imagined I ever could to officially finish an Ironman race.

Yes, I am an Ironman!

I’ve always had the intention of racing at the Ironman distance ever since I started to train for my first Sprint Triathlon race at Lake Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006. I had a five year plan of becoming an Ironman by 2010 and, I actually accomplished that goal in my fourth season of racing. Sprints, Olympic distance, and even Half Ironman were all part of the plan to prepare me for racing at the Ironman level. These shorter distance races are still a great opportunity to race, be actively involved in the various levels of triathlon, to enjoy the spirit and competition with other triathletes, and are an essential element of my Ironman training. But, I have always deeply admired those who can go long and race anywhere from eight to 17 hours to become an Ironman.

When I fell short in my first attempt at becoming an Ironman I was just 8.7 miles from the finish at IM Arizona. After 15.5 hours and about 132 miles of of racing in Tempe, Arizona on April 13, 2008, I missed the last run loop cutoff by about 20-25 minutes. I had myself to blame because I had let petty things get in the way which blocked me from realizing my Ironman dreams: I was upset I didn’t go faster, got caught up feeling so very sorry for myself because I didn’t hit these personal time goals, I wasn’t having any fun, and, more importantly, I wasn’t truly enjoying being alive in “the moment.” When those individuals passed me on the race course that day in Tempe and they, themselves, finished; I knew they had “earned” the right to call themselves Ironman. They went out and truly earned their M-Dot and I really had a lot to learn. In Louisville, Kentucky at Ironman Louisville on August 31, 2008, I had to quit the race after about 75-80 miles on the bike because I was disoriented, started to get a serious case of heat exhaustion, and I was seeing double (and probably triple) on the bike. I couldn’t continue in the heat and humidity. The 100+ degree heat index won that day, finally did me in, and my final race of the season was over.

At the Ironman distance in 2008, I swam 4.8 miles, biked approximately 190 miles, and “ran” about 18 miles. I spent the whole year preparing, training, and racing without reaching my goal of becoming an Ironman. It was going to be a long off-season. More lessons learned.

Which brings me to finishing Ironman Arizona in 2009. I learned my lessons from my two non-Ironman race finishes as well as pushing myself thru to a tough finish on a very hot day at the EAS 5430 Sports Boulder Half IM in the summer of 2009. I trained accordingly to what I’ve learned over the years and I finally finished in Tempe, Arizona. I placed no time limits on myself for this race except those needed to achieve my goal of making official cut-offs and officially finishing the race. I just wanted, in all my heart, to be an official “Finisher.” I’ll worry about improving my times in future Ironman races, but on November 22, 2009 it was all about making that final leap, digging deeper and deeper than I have ever done in my life to reach my goal, and just finishing.

And now, I am part of an exclusive group of athletes who have done something many people cannot imagine, and few have succeeded in doing. I am truly humbled and equally honored to call myself an Ironman.

THE DAYS LEADING UP TO RACE DAY

I got into Tempe, Arizona on the Thursday before the race on 11/19. As soon as we left the house to go to the airport in Denver, Colorado, I was really starting to focus myself on the task at hand. In doing two other Ironman races, I knew what to expect in regard to traveling to the event, the excitement and nerves one experiences at the expo and event location, and making hotel life work as I get ready for the biggest athletic day in my life. If I had to do all of this on my own, it would have been really stressful. My wife Mary was amazing all year in supporting me, being my dedicated “Ironsherpa” and making sure everything ran smoothly so I could achieve my goal. It’s not an understatement to say that without her efforts, I never could have achieved any of my successes this year or in previous years.

Event check-in was easy and the weather was awesome. When I did this race a year and a half ago (my first IM attempt) the temperature was near 100+ degrees and the wind was gusting all day on the bike with headwinds for about half of the 112 miles between 25-40+ mph. This year the weather was forecasted to be in the mid 70s with winds up to about five MPH on race day. But, you never know what you’ll get on race day, so I prepared myself for the worst in Tempe, again.

We didn’t get a transport vehicle this year for my bike in Tempe, so, we went to TriBike Transport (which shipped my bike to the event) at event check-in on Friday to look the bike over to make sure everything worked just fine. Colorado Multisport in Boulder, Colorado did an awesome job getting “007” ready for the big day. My Serotta CXII looked and felt awesome. We’d come back on Saturday morning before bike check-in to rescue my baby and to get it set-up for bike check-in and for race day the next day.

THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE

Bike check-in went great and according to plan on Saturday (the day before the race) and after we did all the necessary tasks for my race, Mary and I stopped by the IM Arizona Race Day Cafe and I had a really tasty cheeseburger, hot dog, some Fritos, a few BBQ chips, as well as water and a couple of lemon-lime Gatorades for lunch to get some extra calories and electrolytes in me for the race the next day. Mary and I also met IM Legend Erin Baker at her booth and she wished me good luck in the race. Very cool.

I learned that the more I keep to myself the day before the race, the more centered and relaxed I become. So, after the expo, I went back to the hotel room, propped up my feet, constantly hydrated like a mad man switching between water and Gatorade, and watched a “Man vs. Wild” marathon on the Discovery Channel. Bear Grylls is one cool dude, BTW. Very resourceful, too. Mary ran out and got some Minestrone Soup and Pasta with meat sauce “to go” from Carrabba’s Italian Grill for dinner and I was done eating by 5PM. I watched a little bit more cheesiness on the Syfy Channel in the form of a medieval movie which seemed to be a LOTR knock off but with some top-flight stars. It was all good. I had a cup of peppermint tea and then off to bed to dream about finishing my first Ironman!

I couldn’t ask for better sleep before this event as I got about seven to eight hours every night in Tempe leading up to the race. The night before the race I was woken up twice in a 10-15 minute span as I was just falling asleep. The first interruption was a phone call from the front desk asking if the extra blankets arrived okay. Bummer, but okay. The second was the drunk dialing call. Go figure. Someone drunk was asking for “Barry” and after Mary hung-up we disconnected the phone. I eventually got about 6.5 to 7 hours the night before the race. I was really rested and ready to go. This was more than I could have asked for, because, before IM Louisville last August I could not sleep before the event and I only got 30 minutes of sleep before an Ironman in 100+ degree heat and humidity.

RACE MORNING

Up at 2:57AM. Yeah, baby, yeah! I actually woke-up before my alarm was supposed to go off at 3:10AM so I knew I was psyched and ready to meet the day! I had a PB&J sandwich and a banana for breakfast, drank half of a XXX Vitamin water for some electrolytes, as well as about 36 ounces of water. I get a very nervous stomach before any triathlon be it Sprint, Olympic, Half, or Iron, so I just went with it and tried to use the hotel room restroom as best I could. Having dinner so early the previous night made for moving things thru my system a little better this morning. I still had to use the porta-potties at the race, but only once this morning. I’m usually in the porta-potties three to five times before a big race but, today, it was only once. I’m happy for that because I almost ran out of time as the line got quite long as the morning progressed in transition.

I got to the transition area right at 5AM when it opened up and went straight to my bike to load it up with my nutrition for the day. For the first time, EVER IN A TRIATHLON, I didn’t load up solid food on my bike. On this day, all my bike calories were to come from the liquid of two bottles of Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem, Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes Powder, and water. This gave me about 250-275 calories per hour on the bike. I have to thank Bill Cummings for saving my ass this day in regard to bike nutrition. With his help, I finally found a formula for caloric intake on the bike which worked like a charm. No effing bonking on the bike, but, more on this later.

I took my bike to a bike tech to have them fill my tires up for the day and this young woman helped me with this task. I asked her what everyone was running as far as tire pressure. I always run at about 105-110 PSI but she said 120 PSI was the way to go today. I’m now going to run at 120 if it isn’t too hot outside. The tires worked like a charm all day at 120. Awesome ride.

So, after dropping off my bike and run special needs bags, which I didn’t end up using anyway, I was off to empty my system, yet again, in the porta-potties one last time (oh, joy) as time was winding down to 7AM. After my business was done, I met Mary for some pre-race pics, a sip or two of her Starbucks coffee, her helping get me in my wetsuit, and a few good luck kisses from my bee-yoo-tee-ful wife. I got a few great comforting good luck hugs from Lauren Jones, as well. Scott, her husband, was in transit so I didn’t get to see him before the race. I told Lauren and Mary “No worries as I’d rather see him at the finish line” -- when I’m actually going to finish -- than seeing him before the day begins! After the wetsuit was on, it was 630AM and time to go to the line to get into the water to start my day.

SWIM (1:28:59)

I decided to go with my older Quintana Roo sleeveless wetsuit for better mobility, and range of movement, as my sleeved wetsuit had been causing me some serious shoulder problems all season due to some extra weight I gained. The water temperature was about 62-64 degrees so I was a bit nervous about going sleeveless in water that chilly. I did the Accenture Chicago Triathlon in 2007 in water which was about the same temperature, maybe a degree or three cooler than this day, so I wasn’t too worried. Once I got into the water it felt pretty good, actually. I also knew that everything would warm up once the sun started to rise above Tempe Town Lake at about 720AM.

With over 2,500 triathletes getting into the water, the line moved way too slowly and I didn’t get enough time to get myself into position for the swim before the cannon sounded at 7AM to officially start the race. I didn’t even have time to even think of the day ahead for one last mental run though, to mentally get myself in the frame of mind to prepare myself to get flipping hammered in the swim, and to say a little prayer to myself for good luck. And, before I knew it...

BOOM! The cannon sounds and the race begins.

I thought last year was rough, but this year I just got wailed on and beat up in the water. Not just mildly hammered, but really beat up.

I counted about a half dozen really hard and forceful kicks to the ribs which made me reel a bit, a few nasty kicks to the teeth and a couple to my nose where I actually felt to see if they didn’t break anything. Also, too many scratches to count as well. I felt like my elbow had a huge gash on it as well as the bottoms of my feet. It. Was. Rough. Don’t people trim their finger and toe nails before an event or do they grow them out to act like freaking Freddy Krueger? I guess I’ll never know. This was the most beat up I have ever been in a swim. I really did feel like I just went 12 rounds in a WBC Heavyweight Title fight. The swim was absolutely brutal and not for the faint of heart.

My swim time was about 11-12 minutes slower than last year in Tempe Town Lake but seeing that it was so chilly in the water to swim, I had a difficult time sighting due to my goggles acting up due to the cold water, and all the physical abuse I took, I was quite happy with my time. Plus I got out of the water in pretty good shape as I didn’t wear myself out too much trying to finish the 2.4 mile, and what seemed like a 3+ mile, swim.

T1 (19:27)

Yeah, I know, this is pretty darn slow for a first transition. The last two Ironman races I participated in were much quicker for me in T1 but I didn’t finish either of those. So, due to my wife’s request about how to attack T1 (and even T2), I took it much slower this time around. and enjoyed the moment in a more relaxed manner. I’m glad I did, actually. Remember, speed wasn’t the key on the day, finishing the day as an Ironman was.

Because of going sleeveless, I couldn’t wear anything other than my shorts under my wetsuit so I changed into everything for the bike in the changing tent. I laid my bike gear out in front of me, stripped completely down, then methodically got dressed in my bike gear one piece of clothing at a time.

After taking a few deep breaths to prepare for the bike leg of this Ironman, I was out of the tent and confidently walking to my bike.

BIKE (7:33:40)

Last year at IM Arizona (Spring, 2008) I had an absolutely awful and miserable time on the bike. I made the bike cutoff my 25 minutes, but the heat and unrelenting wind quite literally destroyed me. Last year, I bonked at mile 75 of the bike and then again coming out of T2. It was a truly horrible day with me going about 8 hours and 24 minutes for the 112 miles.

Today was much different. I made it in from the bike in around 50 minutes quicker than last year. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Even with lesser winds this year, it was still a difficult and very challenging ride at times.

Coming out of T1 was great, I didn’t over exert myself in the swim and felt golden getting onto the main road. Except that the rear bento box, where I keep my tire changing tools, an extra couple CO2 cartridges, and a tube, were bouncing annoyingly between my thighs during each pedal stroke. I pulled up off the bike to fix this and after 45 or so seconds I was ready to attack the bike course that pretty much wiped me out a year ago.

The bike is a three loop course, which means that you have three 37.33 loops to contend with. After the second year doing IM AZ, I have realized that I absolutely hate multiple loop courses. With the experience of last year’s bike, I was sort of paranoid the wind would pick up again and royally F me again. On the entire first loop, my fears started to be confirmed as the wind was starting to whip up again along the unprotected-from-the-elements Beeline Highway. Luckily the wind subsided a bit more on each subsequent loop.

The first few miles of the first and second halves of each loop is a bit protected from the wind as you maneuver and snake your way thru town. Once you get out on the Beeline you are subject to whatever Mother Nature throws at you. Once you get on the Beeline, there are many false flats and gradual uphills which aren’t bad when compared to hillier Ironman bike courses, but are still challenging on a three loop course like IM Arizona. It’s pretty much all uphill until the turnaround though.

I got to the halfway point of the first lap at about mile 18.65 with an average speed of about 14 mph. In all my trial runs, I knew I had to go quicker. I made a the important decision to really push it -- not go balls out or to hammer it -- but, to make up time while I was fresh. I knew I was running the risk of blowing up but I was confident in my training that if I achieved a certain MPH on the first loop, it would make the day of a very nice 112 mile bike time much more achievable. So, when I got ready to accelerate down the hill back to town I pushed it upwards of 35 MPH for a good portion of the way with settling on mostly 20-25 MPH for as long as I could maintain the pace. My first loop segment after 37 miles was an average of 16.54 mph. I was thrilled at that speed and knew I was ahead of my game for the day so far.

I always viewed the second lap of this bike course as a “maintaining” kind of loop. Don’t go too hard, but maintain the higher average speed you just put “into the bank” on my first loop. Although my second loop averaged 14.75 MPH, I was still on pace for a possible seven hour bike if I could go strong on the third and final loop. The third loop, especially the uphill struggle to the final turnaround point, was more difficult than I anticipated. Not even close to the windy ride debacle of a year ago, but, man, it was pretty tough. I averaged 13.50 MPH on the final 37.33 miles. This was less than I wanted but this speed kept my bike average for the 112-mile ride at 14.81 MPH. Plus, I was strong coming out of T2 for the first time ever! More on that in a bit.

My neck muscles at about the halfway point of the bike this year, once again, were starting to deteriorate to the point where I believe they were going to fail me like last year on this bike course. The last 1.5 to two miles of the bike course at IM Arizona on April 13, 2008, my neck muscles completely failed and I had to ride into T2 with one hand steering the bike and the other holding my head up so I could see. I felt this happening again this year. Luckily, my neck held up long enough to get me thru! It was close, but it worked itself out. Also, bothering me were tremendous hotspots on my feet with felt so debilitating I just had to power thru them and make it the 112 miles. Some unclipping on the downhills and moving the feet around helped out a great deal.

One of the big milestones this year for me on the bike was at about the 70 mile mark in front of the drive-in theaters on the way back to town on loop #2. I believe the theaters are called “The Scottsdale Six.” That is where, last year, I had to get off the bike for about 30 minutes due to trying to recover from a huge bonk where I was seeing actually stars. When I passed that point this year, I took a swig of my liquid Hammer nutrition, a sort of big smile went across my face, and I said to myself, “Not this time, this is your race.” And I passed this personal “landmark” and powered on.

One of the big question marks this year coming into Ironman Arizona was the bike nutrition issue. I have always bonked on the bike on longer rides, especially in races. If I was going to consistently race Ironman, I needed to take care of this situation and solve this dilemma. Solid foods never did it for me as I always had trouble eating and ingesting solid calories. Any endurance athlete will tell you the longer you ride on the bike, and at more intensity, the more solid food becomes hideous to eat. I’m a big guy, so I really need my calories! About eight weeks ago, I got talking to Bill Cummings, a friend of fellow Ironman and dear friend of mine, Lara Ramsey; and he talked to me about what worked for him in his last successful Ironman on the 112 mile bike. No bonking, and a steady stream of 250-275 calories an hour -- just what I needed to avoid the dreaded bonk.

The only thing was, was that I never tested out this formula on the open road and/or on a long ride. The first couple of times I tried this formula on long CompuTrainer sessions (one lasting 112 miles and for a time of 6:09:27) in case it didn’t agree with me and my G. I. Tract. That way I would have a restroom nearby in case a worst case scenario occurred. And, I started using this mixture so late in the game on my ramp up to this race, I ran out of long rides to test this strategy outdoors. Safe to say, what worked in my training room, worked in Arizona! When I got off the bike, I was relieved this all worked, and I was extremely relieved I didn’t have to relieve myself! :-)

Toward the last 50 miles of the bike, there were a few times when I started to have some serious self doubts on the bike about if I could ever finish one of these Ironman races EVER and I started to reach deep inside myself to power through these anticipated rough spots. I think the first time I started to doubt myself was around mile 45-50 when my neck muscles were really hurting for a decent stretch of time. I knew I had it in me to finish this race, especially the bike, and all I had to do was to believe in my training and, more importantly, myself. So, when I looked deep within myself in those moments, I found that belief and powered ahead.

The last 12 or so miles of the bike -- after just completing a century ride -- was a somewhat of a slog to get back to transition. But, I just moved my legs, pedal stroke after pedal stroke, until I hit the bike-in finishing shoot and I knew I had conquered what really had drained and completely defeated me just over 18 months ago. This year, I got off the bike, actually knew where I was, and headed toward transition.

My personal victories were starting to add up in my favor for the first time in three Ironman races and achieving these mini-goals continually propelled me onward towards my ultimate goal of the day.

T2 (15:23)

What a difference a year makes. Last year, I was so gassed after the bike, I stumbled around T2 not really knowing where I was. My entire face, neck, arms, and legs were so crusted over with salt, it looked like I was a walking (and a poorly stumbling) ghost. Seriously and without exaggeration. I had to get a neck massage and a cold compress for my forehead due to all the problems I encountered on the bike. This year, I walked over to get my “Bike to Run” Transition Bag, went to the changing tent, and got ready for my marathon run.

I took a little extra time in the changing tent to get my bearings and to snack on a few kettle cooked salt and vinegar chips. Actually, a few of us were changing into our run gear in front of the enormously gaping tent opening where every spectator walking by could pretty much see us all without anything on. I said, “oh well, screw it, I have an Ironman to finish!” and focused on getting ready for the run. The others agreed, laughed, and could care less, as well.

I found, in training, that the Hammer Nutrition liquid concoction I used on the bike for six to seven plus hours starts to come up a bit when I start the run and some small bites of real food nicely settles my stomach. After getting completely dressed for the run, I sat for a brief moment on one of the changing room tent chairs, ate a few tasty potato chips, and my stomach was settled. Oh yeah, after drinking somewhat bland Orange-Vanilla liquid calories for more than seven and a half hours, those kettle cooked salt and vinegar chips tasted effing awesome.

After a few handshakes and good words to each other for luck the rest of the way on our individual journeys, I headed out for my run and to finally “earn” my M-Dot.

RUN (6:57:08)

This is where it gets interesting. Not only did I finish the marathon portion of the Ironman, this was my first ever marathon finish, as well.

In my two previous Ironman races I never had the ability to run out of T2. To finish more of these races, of course, I have to do this consistently. Last year in IM Arizona I stumbled out of T2 as it was just about to close, bonked a bit, sat down, and barely made the run course. At IM Louisville I never made it to the run. So, besides finishing this year, my other mini-goals were to not bonk on the bike (check) and to run out of T2 (check). I was extremely thrilled as I came out of T2 actually running. I said to Scott Jones as I ran out of T2 to tackle the run course, “It’s time to get me an Ironman.” It was about 4:40PM and I was stoked to be on the run course almost 80+ minutes sooner than last year’s race.

Unfortunately, after the first mile to a mile and a half, my body started to reject all forms of running extended distances. I felt like my hard effort on the bike was starting to take it’s toll. The 12:30/mile pace I had planned on was slipping thru my fingers. As well as my quads, calves, ankles, and legs; pretty much my entire lower body. But, this year was completely different than last year. I don’t know if it was more experience under my belt, learning from one’s mistakes, or better overall endurance, but, I felt like even though I may not be able to run the majority of the marathon, I could definitely push the pace. And I actually did.

As I was now in the 5:00PM hour, I started to precisely figure out where I needed to be at the top of every next hour to be able to finish. I ran, I walked, I ran, I walked, walked some more mixed in with some running. I pushed myself knowing that what I bank when I’m fresher earlier in the run will take immense pressure off of me as the Midnight cutoff approaches, especially if I miscalculated something. But, to be honest, I played that watch like a fine instrument and knew exactly where I had to be at every key moment of the marathon...and definitely made sure I was there.

My nutrition on the run needs work but I was able to consume just enough calories at the aid stations to get me to the finish. I also carried Hammer Nutrition Electrolyte Tablets for electrolyte replacement (two per hour) and that worked fantastic. I timed the tablets to near perfection as I ran out with just two hours remaining on the run.

When I left T2 I was very confident I could finish. At certain points along the run I started to have some doubts. Real serious and debilitating doubts about if I could finish this thing. Plus, my back started to seize up on me at about the 8 mile mark. The shooting and grinding back pain lasted until about the 16-17 mile mark and, then, off and on the rest of the way. Not good. But, I focused on my goal of becoming an Ironman, and then focused some more, and kept moving my legs forward. When I felt like I was out of gas I pictured the scene, at the finish where I would be announced as an Ironman by Mike Reilly, “The Voice of Ironman,” and immediately picked up my pace. This was something I had dreamed about for so many years as I did those 100+ mile CompuTrainer rides, ran those excruciating at times hill repeats, took part in those various century rides, rode 50+ miles many times in 100 degree heat, put in all that effort in my two previous Ironman races only to come up short and not finish, put in those long 8-9 hour training days, and during every step or pedal stroke over the last four years.

Everything I had done, all those hours of training, and every single moment of my life lead up to this point. All of my efforts on the day would be lost if I didn’t keep my eye on the objective, the goal, the prize; to be an Ironman. I had to finish.

One of the lessons I learned from last year at IM Arizona, and at the Boulder 5430 Half Ironman this past August, was the ability I had in myself to keep pushing myself when I felt I could go no further. So, when I felt like I couldn’t move ahead at the 12 mile mark with over 14 miles to go and the clock ticking away, I ran a little more until I couldn’t run, then I walked as fast as I could. Troy Jacobson, a retired Professional Triathlete and renowned Triathlon Coach, once said about those who succeed at Ironman that “It’s not necessarily who goes the fastest, but who slows down the least.” So, I remembered what Coach Troy said throughout the run and pushed onward toward the finish line.

One of the big personal milestones for me on the day was making it to the third run loop at mile 17-18 before the cutoff. Last year I made it to this point by about 10:40PM. The official run cutoff was 10:15PM. This year I made it to the last run loop by a few minutes after 9:00PM. That was a great feeling to know I got this far and it was so cool that I was, finally, in unchartered territory for myself at an Ironman. I had never made it this far in an Ironman race and now I can focus solely on getting to the finish. But, let me tell you, the last eight or so miles this night were extremely difficult physically to get through. I really struggled on this last loop but I knew if I kept pushing on I would become an Ironman.

I have never dug down so deep in a race as I did during this race, especially during the run, and, especially, on the last loop of the run course. Did I mention I hated multiple loop courses? I tried moving forward as fast as I could with my back seizing up more and more. During a 45-60 minute stretch of the run, was one of the more painful experiences I have ever experienced in my life. My body wanted to completely give up but my mind wouldn’t allow this to happen. I trained for this moment of doubt and knew I had, now, what it took on this day to push forward past the body’s screaming doubt. And this was during a race that turned out to be painful the entire day because I was pushing myself as fast and as hard as I could all day long.

Speaking of pushing one’s self...Last year at Ironman Arizona I heard many athletes on the run say that they hammered the bike so they could more casually walk on the run portion of the race to finish. To me, this goes against the spirit of being a true Ironman. I made a life-long promise to myself, at that particular moment back in April of 2008, that I would always “race” at an Ironman. I will always push as hard as I could, always give my best possible effort, and always, and I mean always, give the race the proper respect it deserves by giving my all every single time I hit that starting line. If that meant I had to walk on the run, I would walk as fast as possible and run when I could even if it hurt and hurt a lot. And I did so on this race day. And, trust me, it hurt, a lot.

As I approached the 25 mile mark with one full hour to go before the Midnight cutoff, I knew I had really made it and I would finish. My emotions were going crazy, mostly tears. I was tearing up most of the last half of the marathon but had to keep it in check so I could reach my goal of finishing. I had dreamed of what was about to happen for so long, after failing (and I hate using that word) more times at something so physically taxing and difficult and over such a lengthy time frame than I’ve ever experienced, and I was now on the precipice of fulfilling a dream. Everything came streaming into my mind from a life’s worth of experience and it was an amazing feeling. I would finish an Ironman. I’m gonna do this. I cannot believe it!

THE FINISH

As I got to the finishing chute, with just a few hundred yards left on my long day, I realized that getting to this point had always been “one day I’ll get there, I just know I will,” and, now, it was “I’m here, this is me, I’m going to do this. Oh my goodness, I’m actually, in my heart of hearts, going to be an Ironman!”

I’ve always seen others achieve their Ironman dreams on countless Ironman television race programs, watching on my computer’s monitor until the early hours of the next day as individuals ran down the finishing shoot on Ali’i Drive close to midnight, and talked to others personally over the years about the feeling of what is was like to actually run down a finishing chute and finish as an Ironman. All of which I’m now about to experience. They all achieved their dreams as they ran down that chute to be considered an Ironman and now is the time for my dreams to be realized. I finally made it. I’m here. I’m gonna be an Ironman!

As I came out of the finishing shoot into the finishing area just before the official finish line, Mike Reilly was to my right announcing me like I’ve heard so many others get announced as they were about to finish their own individual Ironman races. I shook his hand and gave him a brief hug. I found my wife in the crowd and gave her a big emotionally charged kiss. I looked at the event clock one last time to keep an eye on the time and to make sure I had enough of it to truly savor my victory.

As I looked back down the chute, there was nobody coming up behind me so I wanted to give thanks in some personal way for all the support people gave me the entire day. From all those spectators and volunteers who motivated me throughout the day during my entire 140.6 mile journey, I was ever so thankful for their time and positive thoughts. Plus, it was freaking cold out with everyone bundled up in their heavy coats and still so many people lined the finishing area. Everyone who had stuck around to Midnight was as loud and boisterous as I’ve always heard crowds are in the last hour of an Ironman down the chute near the finish. It was truly an amazing experience to finally be a part of this.

I took a step or two back from the finish line area barriers toward the middle of the finish line area, took off my cap, bowed, and thanked everyone to the right for their unbelievable support all day. I glanced down the chute, once more, and still no other triathlete approached. I turned around, looked at those gracious spectators and volunteers to my left, and did the same as a moment before.

I put my cap back on, looked at the big finishing arch with the Ironman logo, the event clock, the sponsors listed on the arch, the smiling volunteers on the other side of the finish line, the lights, and the finishing mat where I’ll shortly get beeped one last time on this day. As I looked at the area directly in front of the finishing line, I realized that this is “what was before” and once I pass onto the other side of that Ironman Arizona finish line, I will finally understand “what will be.”

After thinking briefly about what everything meant to me on this day, everything I had gone thru, and what I was about to accomplish, I looked straight ahead to that glorious, exquisite, wonderful, spectacular, welcoming, and truly precious finish line. I took one final deep breath and I shot myself ahead.

I finally crossed that finish line, and...

At 11:34PM on November 22, 2009 in Tempe, Arizona at Ironman Arizona, I heard Mike Reilly, “The Voice of Ironman” say those words I have always dreamed of hearing him say, “JEFFREY KERN, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”

What a perfect ending to a perfect day.

2009 IRONMAN ARIZONA TOTALS
Tempe, Arizona
November 22, 2009

Jeffrey Kern
Bib #1500
M40-44

OVERALL TOTALS
Total Swim (2.4 miles) 1:28:59
T1 (Swim-to-Bike) 19:26
Total Bike (112 miles) 7:33:39
T2 (Bike-to-Run) 15:23
Total Run (26.2 miles) 6:57:07
TOTAL TIME 16:34:34

SWIM
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 miles (1:28:59) 2:20/100m

BIKE
First Bike Segment
37 mi. (4:02:39) 16.54 mph
Second Bike segment
37 mi. (6:33:11) 14.75 mph
Final Bike Segment
38 mi. (9:22:04) 13.50 mph
TOTAL BIKE 112 miles (7:33:39) 14.81 mph

RUN
First Run Segment
3.5 mi. (10:25:20) 13:40/mile
Second Run Segment
8.6 mi. (12:42:43) 15:58/mile
Third Run Segment
8.3 mi. (15:01:35) 16:43/mile
Run Finish
5.9 mi. (16:34:34) 15:45/mile
TOTAL RUN 26.2 miles (6:57:07) 15:55/mile

Boulder 5430 Half Ironman: The Good, The bad, and the really ugly

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:33:24 -0600

The EAS 5430 Boulder Long Course Triathlon is now in the history books. Thankfully. Here’s my race recap:

Race Conditions: Sunny, no clouds, with a high of 82 degrees. It felt hotter than it was, though; especially during the run.

The Good: My swim, my bike, and finishing.
The Bad: My horrible sunburn.
The Really Ugly: My run.

This is one of those races where you’re just happy to get the “W” by just finishing. You especially hear talk about “Just getting the W” in professional football. You hear someone say, “It was one of those days where we didn’t play our best, where the day was just plain ugly, where we just weren’t on our game, but we persevered, we ground it out, and in the end we just wanted to come up with the ‘W.’”

That was my day yesterday.

Pre-Race

I woke up at 3:15am and had breakfast (about 500 calories), shaved, showered, used the restroom a few times, and got everything ready to get to the Boulder Rez for the race. I drank a good amount of fluids and had a breakfast bar in transition as I set up for the day. I finally got completely setup in the transition area by 6:15am and hit the porta potty. By the time I got out of the beautifully smelling facilities, the transition area was 30 seconds from being closed at 6:20am. I checked my setup one last time before leaving transition and it was off to the swim.

The Swim (42:57)

For the first time in three years I had a decent swim at the Rez. I never swim well in Boulder but today was a good swim. I predicted a 42:30 swim and I came in at 42:57. I believe I swam quicker than my predicted time because it was a small run to the timing matt and T1. Overall, the melee of the swim wave start wasn’t too bad. I was hit/punched hard in the head once or twice, kicked a few times, had someone try to pull me completely under the water to get by me, and the obligatory yanking and pulling of my ankles as someone always tries to do this sort of bullshit move to get some sort of advantage. Just a usual morning at a triathlon swim!

T1 (5:10)

Not bad time at T1 at all, seeing I took my time to get everything on and organized. Because I had gained some weight that I’m still trying to lose I was unable to wear my bike jersey under my wetsuit for the bike leg. I had to get into everything in T1. A good first transition of the day, though.

The Bike (3:27:11)

I had predicted 3:20 for the bike and I came in just 7+ minutes over that predicted time. I was very happy with my performance on the bike. I knew I wouldn’t come close to breaking 3 hours due to not really having 100% strong bike endurance at this time in my year plus carrying an extra 25 pounds in weight in comparison to last year’s race -- but I was very happy with the bike. My overall average speed for the 56 miles was 16.2 mph. I was able to average about 18.1 mph on my first 26 mile lap, but the lack of strength and endurance to hold that was my downfall on this day. I rode the first half of the course about a week before the race and couldn’t average over 15.2 mph. Seeing I got a sub-3:30 on the bike for the race, I was pretty happy with my overall effort.

T2 (5:41)

Yes, T2 is supposed to be a lot quicker than time spent in T1 but I had to use the restroom to empty my system after eating and drinking on the bike. That, of course, takes time. As a result, a longer T2 time than usual. No worries as I was ready for the run. Well, I thought I was ready...

The Run (3:35:38)

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Did I say, “Ouch?” My running today was an ugly sight. Hide the children and avert your eyes -- this was one ugly half marathon. I actually felt very strong before the race, had some very good training runs in my race build-up, and thought I had done enough run training to warrant a 2:25 time prediction. Boy, was I wrong. I ran the first two miles at a 11:30/mile average clip which was about 30 seconds faster than what I thought I would run at today for the full 13.1 miles. And I was even running slower than what I wanted to, to properly pace myself for a long run. When I got to the top of the first climb at mile 2, my legs seemed to shut down. I ate OK to pretty well on the bike (about 1,400 calories) and started the run by eating another 200-250 calories in the form of a large banana and an organic fruit roll-up bar, but at mile #2, I started to struggle with everything running related. For the remaining 11.1 miles all I could muster was spurts of running very short distances. It was a slow walk with some running and that was it. It got to the point where I tried to run between two signs and that’s all I had...for 3+ hours. Not fun, but I was able to push myself to the finish line. I also had to push through a bad headache at the halfway point of the run, too. Having a bad headache on a hot day with over 6 miles of running to go -- or what I tried to make look like running -- isn’t a lot of fun.

The sunburn

Oh yeah, I got freaking toasted. My left leg looks like a variation of Neapolitan ice cream: vanilla, strawberry, and dark cherry. I absolutely got hammered by the sun. This is probably the 3rd worst sunburn I’ve ever had, after #1) On my honeymoon where I got third degree burns from the Hawaiian sun during a snuba session at Molokini (no kidding, yes, third degree burns), and #2) In Santa Barbara CA when I was a teen where my sun exposed areas blistered completely up. The last two years of racing in Boulder, I managed just fine without sunscreen and I never got burnt at all. So when I forgot to put the sunscreen on this year, I thought no worries. Yep, I got screwed by the sun gods. As I write this over a day after the race I’m still really hurting. But, I did finish!

So, what would I have done differently to have a better result?

I definitely need to still work on my nutrition and fluid intake (especially nutrition on the run). It’s so much better this year but I still have lots of progress to make before IM Arizona in late-November. I also believe that if I was at my Boulder Half Ironman race weight of last year -- at 220 pounds compared to 245 this year -- I may not have had the problems I did this year. The extra 25 pounds, in retrospect, really wore on me especially toward the last quarter of the bike and during the run. I also feel I was a bit undertrained for the race. My bike and run endurance need to improve if I’m to have a finish at IM Arizona on November 22, 2009.

The Positives

I FINISHED. That pretty much is a great result seeing I’ve had my difficulties lately in long course triathlon -- at IM Arizona and IM Louisville in 2008 -- where I didn’t finish at all. I found what I needed to do to cross the line in Boulder to have positive end to my difficult race. In Arizona, I was unable to run more than a hand full of times which sealed my DNF-doom. In Boulder I was able to walk/run enough times to get a “W” for the day; and, as a result, ended up being an official finisher. I made some good progress at this race (on the mental side of things) and I look forward to implementing what I learned during the tough times at this race to help me succeed in the future.

Introducing the News Section

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:07:02 -0600

I’ve decided to split the news and blog section of my website into two separate sections. I think it will be much easier to keep you informed of more newsworthy items on this page while being able to blog about whatever I want to blog about on my blog page. I think that makes sense.