Hello everyone!
The three months since I wrote my last post in February certainly flew by! Here we are at the end of May and my journey to becoming an IRONMAN is complete! As many of you might have seen via Facebook, I completed Ironman Texas in 12:54:45, more than an hour below my goal time of 14 hours.
I started to give a glimpse into training in my February update and will dive a little more into that here. At the time of my last post, my long workouts consisted of 4-5 hours on Saturdays, followed by a 90 minute run, 45 minute bike and 30 minute swim on Sundays. The next month kicked everything up a few notches. My long rides on Saturday jumped to 6 or 7 hours and my Sunday workouts jumped to 60 min bike, 2 hour run and 45 min swim. I found the time increase to be far more difficult mentally than physically. Most of my long rides to that point were done inside but now I had no choice but to get outside and hit the pavement. My mid week workouts also jumped up a bit to 4000m swims on Wednesday and 3 hours of a combination of biking and running on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Once those long days were in the bank, there was nothing left to do but get to Houston and put my training to the ultimate test.
On to the (pre) race!
I sent my bike using the service Tri Bike Transport. Since this was my first Ironman distance race and it was long way away from home, I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of disassembling and reassembling my bike before the race. I flew in on Wednesday for the Saturday race. This gave me enough time to get acclimated to the area and also spend some time with Sam’s aunt and uncle (who were kind enough to host me for the first few days of my trip). The only snafu I had was that the airline lost my luggage on the way to Houston which had all of my gear. Luckily it showed up a day later and, when it was all said and done, it was nothing more than a headache.
Sam and my dad flew down on Friday night, and my mom and sister graciously watched the boys. Mentally, the first few days in Houston were a little intimidating being by myself. Jose had to keep me grounded a few times. I have a ton of respect for anyone who does an Ironman without any fan support. That would certainly not be easy. Needless to say, it was a huge relief to have Sam and my dad there. Once they arrived, we did one last tour of the transition area and swim start and made our way to dinner (Macaroni Grill) and then to the room for some shut eye. Sam and my dad were able to get a good night’s sleep, but I don’t think I slept more than an hour or two at the most.
The swim! (2.4 miles)
4 a.m. didn’t really come that early, as not sleeping made the night seem like it went on forever. Once I got my breakfast down and was on my way to transition, the sleeplessness started to fade and the nerves of the day started to set in. I would sum up my feelings for the race simply as TERRIFIED.
The gun for the pro race went off at 6:25 and that started the countdown to the age group start at 6:40. Everyone began lining up, I gave Sam and my dad one last hug and I started the slow walk towards the water’s edge. Once I crossed the mat and hit the very chilly 81 degree water, my nerves subsided and it was go time.
The swim was a point-to-point 2.4 miles, with the first 1500 meters down, 1500 back and then 900 meters down a canal to the swim finish. The first 1500 flew by as my main focus was on preserving my energy and staying out of the craziness that is 3000 people swimming together.
When I hit the first turn buoy, I was surprised how quickly it came up, and I started to gain some rhythm and confidence. The next 1500 was a little tricky as the sun was in my eyes, but once I hit the canal, it meant there was only 900 meters to go. Surprisingly, Sam and my dad spotted me from the canal’s edge (a benefit of the IMTX swim course), so I was able to flip over and give them a quick wave and then make my way to the swim exit.
When I exited the swim I quickly saw Sam and my dad. I asked Sam what time it was, and she said 8:11 am so I knew my swim time was right where I wanted (83 minutes). I gave a quick fist pump and into T1 I went.
The bike! (112 miles)
My plan for the bike was all about pace, consistency, and nutrition. For the first 30 miles or so, I was averaging about 19 mph and there was a steady stream of participants passing me. Mentally that was exhausting, since I knew I could ride faster, but I also knew I needed to stick with my plan which was to hold back on the bike and save my energy for the run. Somewhere between mile 30 and 50 everyone started to settle into the race and there wasn’t much movement or passing. I also think everyone was bracing for the headwinds which lived up to the billing from mile 50-90. The pace dropped from high teens to the mid-teens. The temperature also started to jump during this part of the day. We saw temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s with very high humidity to top it off. From mile 90-112 I started picking up the pace partly due to the head winds being behind us and partly because I felt really good. I ended the bike with average pace of 17.2 mph and my confidence was running high since I didn’t suffer any mechanical errors and I stayed on top of my pace and nutrition.
Specifically regarding nutrition, on my training rides in Ohio I would consume around 48 oz. of fluid during an entire 100 mile ride. During this race, my goal was 48 oz. per hour (thanks to the advice of a few race veterans). I ended up in the 36 oz. per hour range, primarily due to some stomach cramps that I attribute to accidentally swallowing lake water during the swim. The stomach cramps also caused me to alter my solid food consumption. I was planning to eat 3 bars during the ride but could not stomach that much solid food so I replaced one bar with an additional GU so I was still getting my calories in.
In reflecting on the bike, it doesn’t seem like I was out there for six and a half hours. I think this has to do with the fact I didn’t allow myself to look at my odometer the entire ride. I kept telling myself just to keep riding until I return to transition. With a mile or two to go I began shaking out my legs, downing the rest of my fluids and stretching my calves. By the time I hit transition I saw Sam and my dad, dismounted and made my way through transition and onto the run.
The Run! (26.2 miles)
Once I got off the bike, I immediately knew my legs felt okay. I didn’t know how long they would feel that way but my confidence and comfort were high knowing I could at least start the run feeling pretty good. My plan for the run was to run the first 4-6 miles at a “do no harm” pace, so roughly 10 or 11 minutes per mile. I also really wanted to see how my stomach would handle the transition from the bike to the run. Luckily over the first 4-6 miles my stomach settled down and I was able to eat a GU, half of a banana and some pretzels. Once I got past mile 6, I decided to just keep doing what I was doing because my legs felt good. I also attribute my legs feeling good to my consumption of salt pills at every aide station. The Texas heat was taking its toll on a lot of competitors so I really focused on my salt intake.
I got in a good rhythm through the run and seeing Sam and my dad every 3-4 miles was a good mental boost. The course was a 8.5 mile loop and after the first loop I kept telling myself just make it through the second loop and let my adrenaline carry me through the last one, and with the help of a little Coca Cola and Red Bull that is pretty much what happened. Every once in a while I would walk through an aide station and quickly stretch out my hamstrings and calves. Those little breaks really helped me mentally and physically.
I made it through the second loop without any real struggle or hiccups. I started to really feel some discomfort and pain at mile 23; but at that point I really just relied on my adrenaline and the energy of the crowds to carry me through that last 5k stretch to the finish.
Coming down the home stretch, I tried my hardest to reflect on everyone who helped me get that point. My first thought was to my wife and kids who relentlessly cheered me on during long and boring training rides in our living room. Alex thought my foam roller was cool and would help me stretch out. Christian would have trouble sleeping at night sometimes and would join me on the bike while Sam was at bible study.
There is not one single instance of support I can draw on for Sam, as she was there for every up and down of my training. This achievement truly would not have been possible without her, she was my cheerleader, nutritionist, coach, partner and friend.
There were certainly days that were struggle with training for example, April 3rd was good Friday and we went up to my aunt’s for a fish fry and then on to my parents’ cottage to celebrate Alex’s birthday. That Saturday I had to swim for an hour, bike for an hour and run for 90 minutes, which wasn’t easy between travel back to Oxford and spending time with Alex on his birthday. The next day (Easter Sunday) I had to ride 100 miles. Both boys woke up sick so we missed church and once we got them cuddled on the couch, I headed out for my ride.
A 100 mile ride takes about 6 hours and when I returned I broke down emotionally because during the whole ride I just wanted to be with my boys and Sam. Sam kept calm and assured me the goal of becoming an Ironman was a team (family) goal and we were all in this together.
Beyond Sam and my boys, this race would not have been possible without the constant support from my parents and in-laws, specifically my brother in law who made multiple trips down to Oxford to join me for long days of training, including gutting out a 90 mile ride with me on a hot southern Ohio day and a freezing cold February ride. My coworkers have also been tremendous in supporting me through the last six months, being flexible with my schedule and fatigue. In addition, a few coworkers joined me on swims, bikes, and runs throughout training.
As I crossed the finish line, I knew my support team was watching back home so I pointed up to the cameras as a simple gesture of thanks for everything that they have done to support me.
Now that I have finished the race, the question I keep getting asked is if I will do another Ironman distance race. The answer is yes, that feeling I had during the race and crossing the line can’t be duplicated by anything else. However, I will wait a while before doing another one or at least until Jose (my brother-in-law) signs up for one.
Lastly, I need to acknowledge that part of this race was extremely selfish. I wanted to prove to no one other than myself that I could set a goal that a few years ago seemed impossible (when I was back stroking a sprint triathlon) and accomplish it. When the start gun goes off, there is nothing to get you through the race except you. 140.6 miles later, I was able to say “I am an IRONMAN” and that is something I will hold onto for the rest of my life (along with my new tattoo).
