Infinite Runners

Ironman Louisville Race Recap: Embracing Some Serious Pain

If anyone of the Ironman competitors were approaching this day with any sort of doubt about finishing then they probably chose not to finish when it got hard. It was one tough day for a number of reasons. Here's my race recap.

4:00 am - Wake up.

I ate my breakfast which consisted of a bagel with cream cheese, hard boiled egg, bread with peanut butter, bottle of Ensure, small orange juice and a banana.

4:40 am - I left the hotel room and made my about 5 blocks down to the transition area.

5:05 am - I saw my two friends (Branton and Brent) from check-in that had their bikes right next to mine. I borrowed a bike pump and filled my tires to the right pressure. I then went over and put some last minute items in my "swim to bike" and "bike to run" bags. I then headed to two large trucks waiting to take the special needs bags. Did a quick hand off and then started walking to the swim start.

5:20 am - Walked over a mile to the swim start. During the walk I called my friend and neighbor (Dan) who is doing his first Ironman. He was already at the swim area as he wanted to get there early to get an early start time in the time trial start. It was already about 79 degrees and I was working up a sweat walking over to him. I did bring a Gatorade and another bottle of Ensure to get me fueled up before the day and swim. They say in an Ironman you will burn 5,000 to 7,000 calories. And typically when an Ironman athlete comes out of the swim they are already at a deficit as they would've burn about 1,500 to 2,000 calories. Simply by drinking the two bottles of Ensure it gives me 500 calories and nutritionally they are great.

5:45 am - I walked the line in the darkness and did not see Dan. I give him a call and we connect and ultimately find each other. He is there with his wife Ann and they are just waiting like everyone else.

6:10 am - I use the bathroom one last time before the race and it takes about 10 minutes just waiting in line. There were 1,347 first timers in this race (which is a lot) and I could sense the nervous energy.

6:30 am - Kristin, Braden and Brianne make it down to the start and we see each other briefly and talk for a bit. We also get a couple pictures before the race begins. Kristin is pushing a double stroller and she has her own Ironman ahead of her trying to get the kids around to different spots.

6:45 am - We hear the cannon go off as the Pros begin their race. They also start to consolidate our line to get everyone as close together as possible for our start at 7. When this happens I happen to be standing next to a guy who serves in the army. This will be his second one as he did The Great Floridian last year. One thing that he said which kind hit me at the time was "when I hit the run I will be in my own personal hurt locker." Hurt locker means the place of ultimate pain.

6:55 am - We all are now moving to the start and I wish Dan luck as does he to me.

7:20 (ish) - I jump into the water off the pier and my race is underway. I looked briefly to see if I saw Dan to get an idea of where he was but no luck.

The SWIM:
The first 400 meters I did a lot of spotting (lifting my head out of the water to see where the other swimmers were) but it was pretty uneventful as I was able to find swimming lanes and avoid the other swimmers. The next 800 meters up and around Towhead Island it was tight and I had one swimmer swim up on me and then had many cases of swimmers getting too close and causing me to adjust my stroke or direction. That said, I am pretty aggressive as well but you have to pick your battles wisely in the water to avoid major issues. I did feel a bit tired that first 1200 which could've been from the early morning or just not getting into a rhythm.

I reach the turn and now have about 1.75 miles to swim to the swim exit ramp. The nice thing is that it is with the current although I really didn't feel it. About 30 feet after the turn some guy nailed me as I was coming up to breath on my right side and I did not see him coming. It caused me to angle back into the water most likely from his arm coming down. It caught me off guard and I ended up opening my mouth in water as if to say "what the...". By then it was too late and I had a mouthful of water and degree of initial panic that comes with water in your mouth while swimming in a river. I quickly calmed myself and turned back to push up and spit it out and try to keep forward progress as I wasn't sure who was around me. After another second I was back and focused on the task at hand.

At about the mile mark I was finally starting to get into a grove and kept reminding myself to be one with the water and try to stay smooth (2.4 miles is along way). I would also aim to each bridge that I could see and focus on making it to each one and then moving on to the next. I still had some swimmers hitting me every now and then but it wasn't too bad.

Right when I was really starting to feel good on the swim I got a cramp in my left foot. I tried to stretch it out as a swam but that didn't work so I just left it flexed and continued until it went away. Then about the 2 mile mark my left calf muscle locked up on me and that doesn't feel good. I had to stop and try to massage it but that doesn't really work so well in the water. It didn't seem to help and decided to swim with it locked and hope it would loosen up. I am guessing the 84 degree water may have had something to do with it. It did finally loosen up about 100 meters later which I was glad as I felt pretty good about how my swim was going.

I inched closer to the platform where I would exit the swim and just picked my spot on the far side. Before getting to it I did a couple breaststrokes to loosen my legs for the run ahead to my bike. I grabbed the railing and a lady grabbed my other arm and I was up the steps and officially done with the swim.

Swim Time: 1:22:36

T1
I then run up the path on my way to T1 and grab some water to quench my thirst on what was heating up to be a very hot day. I see Kristin, Braden and Brianne as I get close to the top of the path and give a shout out. Since my number is 79 all of my stuff is in the first row which is nice for finding it quickly.  A young lady hands me my bag and I go hopping over the other rows and into the changing tent. I find a seat and do what was a pretty quick clothes change with the help of a guy pulling my racing shirt down in the back. Then race off to row one and grab my bike and pass out of T1.

T1 Time: 6:24

The BIKE:
It was pretty crowded in the bike mounting area so I picked a spot in the middle and got going. I got up to the street and turned left and Kristin saw me but I didn't see them as it was jammed with people and quite noisy. The first 11 miles or so is pretty flat and I remember passing quite a few people in a smooth and controlled state hitting about 21 mph before the hills hit. I took advantage of the flat start to eat a Cliff Bar and drink some PowerBar Perform drink as well as water. I figured if I was cramping in the swim then I certainly needed to get some electrolytes on board through the Perform drink.

My plan was to eat a peanut butter sandwich I had in my back shirt pocket around mile 20 or so as it had a small flat stretch where I could get it down and not have to shift gears. The Louisville bike course is all up and down except for the small portions here and there and the beginning and end, which means constantly shifting gears.

It was tough to get any kind of groove on the bike because of the hills. It was nice that I had rode the course about 4 weeks earlier and knew the nice descents and big hills. Before reaching KY 1694 I guy rode up along side me and said "Hey Brian, how are you doin?" I looked over and it was Branton who I had met the day before at bike checkin. I had met him and his friend Brent and they were both doing their first Ironman. We chatted for a minute and he went on by me saying that we would see each other again.

The first monster descent was on a small turnaround on KY 1694 and you can get absolutely flying down this hill. During our Friday night mandatory athlete meeting they had mentioned that they had some bad crashes at the bottom of this hill in the last few years. I was flying down the hill and was slightly cautious at the same time as what I noticed is that you've got two extremes of cyclists to deal with in this race. There is the aggressive "I'm going for a fast time no matter what" cyclist and the first-time Ironman that may not fully know cycling etiquette but still want to ride fast. The biggest mistake the new cyclist were making today was holding a line as I saw many near crashes.

After making it through the first monster descent and major hill climb I refueled at the next aid station. As it was now probably approaching the high 80s I made sure I kept my body cool by dowsing my head with water every sip I took on the bike. We turned around and were now getting ready to head back down and even bigger descent when riders coming the other way said that there had been a big crash around mile 20 and to be careful. I zoomed down with a degree of caution but it was relatively event free. The one thing I began to notice were riders on the side of the rode with either mechanical or physical issues. This would become very common throughout the rest of the ride. With this out-and-back behind me it was up 42 to the area where we ride two big loops on the course.

I was feeling pretty good when I approached 393 and the beginning of the loop. Again there is another descent and I pushed down this one and was rock'n and roll'n and passing all kinds of riders on the way. Having rode the course I knew when to push and just fly on this rolling descent. There was another Aid station just before turning on 146 at about 34+ miles into the ride and I stocked back up on perform and water. At this point I realized that it would probably be best to throw my water bottle to Kristin in La Grange (where they would be cheering) so that I could just insert there fresh bottles into my holder each time. I then turned onto 393 to head into La Grange and I passed by the special needs bags and saw Branton stopped up ahead. He then pulled out in front of me and I had to pick up my pace to catch him. I passed him this time and said "What's up?" Branton said "I'm stupid. I yelled out my number and picked up my special needs bag." He then followed "So I went ahead and stopped and grabbed some stuff out of it." So he stopped at about 37 miles when it was meant for people to pick up special needs bags at mile 67. So I said "Hang in there and I will see you again." as I passed by. I noticed his age on his calf and said "You realize you have 16 years on me." as he was just 25. He laughed. That would be the last time I saw him as he dropped out of the race for some reason.

I rode through the main section of La Grange and looked for Kristin but it was jammed packed with people on either side of the road and I didn't even see them on this first loop. I powered on through and made the next turn onto Ballard School Road which is a great country road that winds through some farms and houses. I hit one small hill and mis-shifted and dropped my chain. I stopped and popped it back on pretty quickly without missing a beat. I then turned onto Old Sligo Road and hit a small hill that just jumps on you if you are not prepared and you have to push hard out of the saddle to crest it. That went fine but the hills now were starting to stress my feet and I could feel them starting to throb but nothing major just yet. I then made it all the way back to 393 and saw many riders on the side of the road either taking a break or giving up on the day. As I cranked along 393 I was really looking forward to mile 67 and the special needs area as I wanted to take a quick break to massage my feet while I get my bag. I stopped and did just that in addition to taking a quick bathroom stop. I then hopped on my bike and continued on as that seem to help my feet.

It was a short ride up 146 into the main viewing area of La Grange and this time I sat up on my bike as I rode through looking for Kristin. I looked intensely and had my water bottle in my hand ready to throw. People were everywhere and as made it farther and farther down the street I thought I had maybe missed them. Then on my right I spotted Kristin holding Brianne and she yelled out to me "Go Brian!" I saw she had one hand free and over the barrier where she waved and I said "Catch this!" I threw my water bottle in that instance and it was like the perfect throw and she made the perfect catch with her one free hand. I yelled back "Nice catch!" as she was not expecting it at all. She later told me that the people around her also said "That was some catch."

Side note: A nice police officer noticed Kristin holding Brianne and walking with Braden back to the car to head back to downtown and he offered them a ride in his squad car to where they parked. That was a huge thrill for Braden although he ended up leaving his Gatorade bottle in the car.

The next aid station I came to they handed me Perform and a water bottle with the cap off - "What?" I said. Apparently this station had run out of cold water bottles and handed me a bottle filled with a hose. It bothered me at first as I wasn't sure what to do with it. Then I realized I could put it in my upright holder and put the Perform in the slanted holder. At least it was water as the temperature was now in the 90s. I weaved through the roads on my way back to 42 and couldn't wait to make that turn to head back to the city. It would still be about 34 miles but at least I was heading in the right direction on 42 - to T2.

I would stop again around mile 87 which was the last aid station before 106. I got off my bike and again took my cycling shoes off and massaged my feet. This aid station was low on water as well but a supply truck came as I was there. They also had a small pool of ice for the drinks and I reached in and poured some ice water over my head. I could really feel the heat now. I felt good and was glad I stopped (even briefly) and was rejuvenated for the rest of the ride (well at least the next 10 miles). Seemed like I had a decent pace over the rolling hills but it was certainly slower than when I started.  My mind was starting to transition into "Okay, you've got 26.2 miles to run next." My feet didn't like that but the rest of my body felt good. I did take about 6 salt tablets throughout the ride to keep my salt levels up on this hot day. My ride nutrition ended up being 2 Cliff Bars, half a peanut butter sandwich, 2 bananas, Snickers bar, 1 GU, and a PowerBar.

It was nice to finally hit River Road as it was now all flat riding back to the city for the last 10 miles or so. While it was nice mentally, my feet were pulsing in pain with every press on each peddle. These last few miles also challenge you as you can see the city way off in the distance and you have to focus on short distances ahead to move closer and closer and not get discouraged by how far it looks.

With the city getting closer I can now see the end in site. I turn onto Witherspoon and get ready to enter the transition area. The crowds are big and loud and I hop a small curb down the path to the great lawn where I dismount the bike.

Bike Time: 6:25:55

As I step off the bike I try to run but each step is painful and I figure it might just be the biking shoes. I stop and quickly take off my shoes and try to run in my socks but that hurts just as much but I push on. I grab my run bag and head to the tent to change. I sit on a chair and remember feeling I am glad that's over but was concerned with what lies ahead (26.2 miles). I massage my feet again and towel off. I put my running shoes on and do a check on what I need for the run. Which in this case is a GU and a couple salt tablets. After taking my time I head out on the run course.

T2: 11:24

The RUN:
My mind was ready to run around 9:00-9:30 per mile pace as that is what I felt I could do. As I take each step up the chutes through the crowd my feet just didn't feel right - I could run but it hurt. There's a good size crowd all the way to the bridge (KY 31) so that helps carry me forward. Once on the bridge I try to focus ahead and get into my own world. This world would soon become my personal hurt locker. The heat was now in the mid-90s and the humidity was over 90 - it was hot! I was grabbing sponges, water and Perform. I made it off the bridge and then ran up north 3rd street where the crowds were pretty heavy. Once I crossed over Chestnut street my feet progressively felt worse. The best way to describe the pain was like I was stepping on tacks with each step and they were getting deeper as I ran. And it was hitting right on the balls of my feet which are integral in running or walking. I set a mini-goal to get to mile three and then walk the aid station and see how I felt. Ironman tracking says I ran the first 3.39 miles in 29:10 or 8:36 pace per mile. While I normally would be concerned about pace I just wasn't as my feet hurt that bad. It was brutal. After the aid station I began to walk and it hurt just slightly less so I kept walking as I could make decent progress with the thought that I will run again soon. I would try to run a few times up through 8 miles but it just wasn't happening. My feet really wanted to stop but I still had 18 miles to go.

Making the turn around at 8 and heading back to the city helped a little bit psychologically but I really had no idea how long it was going to take me now (first time I've ever had that feeling.) My body was extremely hot and I was grabbing ice water, Perform, Coke and orange slices at most stops. My stomach just couldn't handle any other food items. Since my feet were not cooperating I sought out an aid station and had a lady take a look at my feet. She said they looked a little bruised and offered a band aid for each. I took it as I had nothing to lose. It didn't help.

Just like on the bike course I saw many runners lying in the grass or sitting on a curb. I made it to mile 11 and then became one of those runners sitting on a curb. I took my shoes off and tried to massage my feet but they just hurt to bad to the touch that I just sat there for a few minutes. Just as I got my shoes back on I saw my buddy and neighbor Dan coming the other way on his first loop. It gave me a boost of energy as he had struggled in practice and now had made it to the marathon and was actually running. I gently got over to him and we smacked hands and talked for a second. He was also in trouble as he was having IT band issues as well as nutritional issues. He looked better than me and I said "You may catch me on the second loop."

I then made it down to an aid station at mile 14 where I saw Kristin, Braden and Brianne. I came over and sat on the curb with them to take pressure off my feet. I remember looking at Brianne sleeping peacefully in her stroller and thinking how nice that would be to sleep outside in the shade. I explained to Kristin what had happened and she took a look at my feet. They were painful to the touch. After a brief visit I pushed ahead walking of course. I hate to walk but I knew this was the only way I was going to reach my finishing goal today. As I passed by Fourth Street Live onto Ali Blvd. I saw Ann and her mom sitting on the curb waiting for Dan to come by. I mentioned I had seen him and told them about my condition as I passed.

I should note again that the pain in both feet was excruciating. I made it back to about 15 and saw Kristin and the kids again. My pace according to Ironman was now somewhere around 16-18 minutes per mile. As I continued on up 3rd street I kept saying you've got to run again. So I made a plan that when I hit 16 I was going to run as far as I could. 16 hit and a slowly shuffled my feet and got running again (at a very slow pace - maybe 10 minute pace) Each step really sucked but I was committed to the plan. I made it to the first aid station and said there is no way I am stopping so I just grabbed an ice water and ran on through the station. I then was confronted with a dilemma. I saw a very sweet mom and her shy son who appeared to have just come out to cheer up ahead of me. I heard the Mom say "Stick your hand out so the runners can hit it for luck." Having kids I know how much a small gesture can mean to them so I veered painfully off my straight running line and hit his hand. I said "Thanks buddy!" and turned my head back to see him smile. It brought a smile to my face as well. I would continue on running through mile 18.5. My feet just said that is far enough.

So my next goal was to walk up to the turnaround up around mile 20. If I made it to there then I would reward myself with a break and sit down. As I reached the mile 19 aid station they were out of cups of all things. But I still had my cup from a previous stop so I got more water and Perform and some more orange slices. I then started walking with a woman who was also doing her second IM. She said that this one just wasn't going well and I relayed my story of the same theme. We reached the turnaround and I told her my reward was to sit for a minute or two which I did by myself. When I stood up the pain in my feet was intense and very hard to get going again but I did. I also saw a group of 4 runners on the curb laying out finished and saying in my head "That's not me." I then set another goal that when I made it to mile 21 I would run again for however long I could. Mile 21 hit and I numbed my brain, I shuffled and got going. Now both feet felt like they had cuts in them but I know they didn't - it was painful. I made about a mile this time and had to walk again. The sun was now down but my body was hot and I could just sense it.

As I walked I pass a young woman doing her first Ironman. I asked if she was alright as she seemed off to me. She said she felt off balance and like she might trip. I said that I felt the same way and just tried to stay focused ahead and look at where I was stepping. I also ask her if she wanted a sponge as they seem to help me by every once in a while pressing it against my face to wipe it and cool it off.

Around mile 22 I saw Dan coming the other way and said to him "You got it buddy. Stay strong. You'll finish." I continued walking and kept saying "Okay, at mile 24 run it in." At least that was what my mind was saying. I repeated it with each step as I got closer to mile 24. When I finally got there my body wouldn't respond so I said "No matter what you are running at mile 25."  That was plugged in and once I started I was committed to the finish line. There was one last aid station before 25 so I poured ice water on my head, drank some water and was ready to go. The build up I had to do mentally was huge but when mile 25 hit I just completely entered my own world and was now going to the finish line. As I ran my final steps on 3rd street some people cheering said "Good pace. Keep it up." I then turned onto Chestnut where it is quiet before the noise. You can hear the people but a building blocking it makes it dark and not as loud. I then make the turn onto 4th street and can see ahead the finish area. I am moving at a decent clip and passing people. As I cross over Muhammad Ali Blvd. I hear Kristin and the kids cheering from my right side and see a woman runner just ahead me and start thinking if Jed (my friend) is watching this live then he will say "You let a girl out sprint you." So I dug extremely deep and got around her before heading up to the finish line.

Run Time: 5:56:24

Overall Time: 14:02:33

I had a tremendous sense of relief when I finished. A nice volunteer from Canada helped me to a chair where I sat for a while. I then had to get a finisher photo and was given a finisher hat, shirt and left the area. I looked for the nearest wall and sat down. "Wow! That was hard." I said to myself as I sat quietly. I then realized I needed to move so that Kristin could find me better. So I painfully moved to a street corner and sat against a newspaper stand. As I sat there I started to feel worse so I laid down right there and tried to keep and eye out for Kristin. That became increasingly tough as I wanted to sleep and not get sick. Then a nice volunteer named Chad came by and asked if I was okay. I asked if he would get me a bag of ice which he did. My body was hot. He then asked if I needed anything else and I replied a coke sounds great. I moved very slowly 10 feet over to the volunteer tent and laid down on the ground with the bag of ice behind my neck. I then asked if he could get a cart or something to take me back to my hotel room. He tried but it was already tied up so he offered to walk me back and watch me. I made it back to the Marriott 2 blocks away with his help and met up with Kristin and the kids in the lobby. I made it to the room and pretty much went right to sleep until 11 am the next day. When I woke up and checked my feet the next day they had huge blisters on the balls of my feet in addition to being bruised. I knew I would be embracing the pain but I had no idea it would be that painful.The upside would be that the next one has to got be easier.

Swim Solid - Run Improving - Bike Needs Work

Had a pretty good workout today at the YMCA. Swam about 2000 yds. and then ran 3.5 miles. My swim consisted of 10 warm up and cool down laps with 10x100 as the main set. I took about a minute break between each 100 to let my heart rate come down a touch and drink some water if necessary. I averaged about 1:40 with the last one in 1:31. It was a gradual improvement on each one with negative splits. It was hard and yet I didn't feel wiped out which was good.

My run was an easy 3.5 miles on the treadmill. I say improving in the title as it was smooth and nothing hurt. I am looking forward to start ramping up my miles in the very near future.

I had about a 23 mile bike ride down on the Newtown Trail on Friday and it was just okay. My total time was 1:23:12. It was a cold day and I did feel cold riding the second half but managed to keep a solid pace. I am going to need about a month or so before it starts to click like last summer when I was riding.

What drives someone to do a second Ironman?

I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I am trying to find something I can focus on throughout my training for my second Ironman - Louisville August, 2010. I started my training back at the beginning of January and it is going well as I just started to build for when the big stuff kicks up in March. One benefit of training is that you can think about anything while you are swimming, pedaling a bike or running. Here are my thoughts on it.

For my first Ironman (Couer d'Alene 2008) it was as if my brain said "Do it!" and I signed up without doing any research on it. From that day forward it was the fear of the unknown that drove me to workout everyday and push my body farther and harder because I just simply didn't know how my body would react. I read about the event (and training) and that made me more uneasy about it, which added to my drive. Even if you put the training in there is that unsure feeling about having the right nutrition on race day. It seems like one salt tablet short and your race could be destroyed.

Now, anyone that has done one will tell you that the hardest part is all the training and hopefully getting to the starting line healthy. I managed to do just that for my first one and had a decent result (12:10:16). The big negative is all the time you have to put in to train. And the other big unexpected time cruncher was preparation – getting bike ready, plotting routes & distances, clothes, nutrition selection, showers and driving time if necessary.

Some benefits include:

• Losing weight
• Realizing that cross-training is actually a good thing
• It may reduce your cholesterol
• Having more energy to do things
• Meeting great people
• Living a healthy lifestyle (You treat your body like an engine and watch what you eat)
• Raising money for a non-profit to help others

You can see that there are many benefits. Perhaps the biggest benefit not listed above is that it forces you to prioritize the important things in your life. For me that meant doing my workouts around family time, not watching TV, giving up sleep to fit work and workouts in if necessary. Many of my runs were done at 11pm at night or later, which meant I was out until 1 am on the 10+ mile runs.

I do think one driving element may very well be the fact that you are doing something that few people have done. One song that drives this point home is Eminem's "Lose Yourself" where is he states "you only get one shot." I listened to this song all the time on my runs as I realized that "this may be the only opportunity I got" to do an Ironman.

And maybe that's it. That those of us that decide to do an Ironman Triathlon — whether your first, second or tenth — understand what we are doing could be our only opportunity to push through fear ... and shine.

I leave you with a poem by Marianne Williamson that I think powerfully captures this point.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. 

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. 

It is our light, not our darkness

That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves

Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? 

You are a child of God.

Your playing small

Does not serve the world. 

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking 

So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, 

As children do. 

We were born to make manifest 

The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; 

It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, 

We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 

As we're liberated from our own fear, 

Our presence automatically liberates others.

The Site Launches

After two years of many late nights, heavy programming, revisions and getting the site ready — we finally launched Infinite Runners (http://www.infiniterunners.com) this past weekend. One can not imagine how much goes into the most simple feature on a social networking site. When everything is linked together even the smallest feature can become exponential in creation. But when something is your passion those late nights just seem worth it. We hope you check out the site, register, play with it and make it part of your daily running routine. And then tell 10 of your closest running friends to sign up.

We have some great stuff still yet to come such as adding groups as separate pages as well as being able to rank against other runners in your group. I hope to see you on IR and at the races.

"Are you okay?"

Today was the first day my wife Kristin ask me if I was okay due to training.

Here's the scene. I was laying on the hallway floor outside our upstairs bathroom around 12:30 pm.  We all went upstairs to change into our outside clothes as Kristin was going to do some lawn work while Braden and I wash my car. I stopped in the hall bathroom to brush my teeth and Braden decided to do his as well. I finished mine and he was still going strong so I looked for the nearest flat (semi-comfortable) surface and that was the hallway floor — this, of course, was so that I could lay down for 1 or maybe 2 minutes. Kristin saw me laying there and asked "Are you okay?" I answered with a quick "Just taking a break while Braden finishes brushing his teeth. I'm fine." I take advantage of these short breaks a lot lately.

Let's go back to 7:00 am so you can fully understand why I laid down. My alarm goes off and after hitting the snooze I get out of bed around 7:20. This was a bit tough as I went to bed around 1:00 am as Braden was up late last night and I had a pretty good hill workout on the bike yesterday. By getting up now I knew that I would most likely get back when both Kristin and Braden would be getting up which was great.

I made it out of the house just before 8 am and headed down to Lunken Airport to run for 3 hours or what I thought would be a 20 miler. I really debated where and when to run and finally came to a conclusion late last night that Lunken was the answer as I could swing by my car after every loop for water, Gatorade, Gu or whatever I needed. Each loop is exactly five miles and I figured it would be like running a really long mile on the track (4 laps). (Trying to make this incredibly long distance seem like a walk in the park.)

LOOP 1 - 5 Miles - 39:31
It's 8:15 am by the control tower parking lot. With the start of my watch I am off running. I almost always run based on what my body tells me. In my head I am thinking I should be around 8:40 to 8:45 per mile pace to make it the whole way and stay consistent for the 3 hours. The weather is absolutely perfect - sunny and 60 degrees.  I go by the first mile and it say 7:35. I immediately say "Ease up, it's a long way." So I go by the next mile and it's a 7:53. I say "That's good, but should probably be slower still." I am now up on the levee part of the trail that overlooks the airport and the wind is in my face. I figure I will just let my body tell me what I should be running and whatever it is fine. I run the next three miles to finish the loop and hit about 8 minutes dead on for each mile. I felt fine, so I figured that is what it should be the rest of the way. I stop for a minute to drink some water and Gatorade.

LOOP 2 - 5 Miles - 40:03
I ran the loop in reverse as I figured it would be more like the 2 loop marathon for the Ironman. It was incredible as this loop I just clicked off 8:00 minute mile after 8:00 minute mile. I felt good up until mile 9 to 10 as the wind was really strong in my face but I held pace. It was on this loop that I realized that my faster pace would mean I would be running more than 4 loops - so I started to say "It will only be a mile or two more." Trying to downplay it. I stop for a Gatorade, water and an Orange Gu and take off after a 2 minute stop.

LOOP 3 - 5 Miles - 39:35
This loop was in the same direction as the first and matched the intensity almost exactly. My first mile or mile 10 to 11 was a 7:36 so I slowed down the second mile to an 8:06. I then picked right back up with 8:00 minute miles the next 3 to finish the loop. It was on this lap that my legs started to hurt a bit so I tried to run in the grass in places to take some pressure off. Seemed to help a little but I probably did it more for mental reasons. I had a lot going through my head and kept reminding myself of pain management. This was a term I heard from a top triathlete on doing the Ironman in Hawaii. He said "You know it is going to hurt and you just need to manage the pain." I knew this run was going to hurt today and if I could keep my mental state focused and relaxed then things were going to be fine. I stop for a Gatorade, water, a Lemon-Lime Gu and some Jelly Beans. I decide the Jelly Beans are not for me and drink quite a bit of water before leaving. The stop takes 4 minutes.

LOOP 4 - 5 Miles - 40:05
I head back past the control tower and up a small, small incline and the pain in my legs intensifies. Once I crest the hill (if you can even call it that) I am on flat ground and I settle back into my rhythm/pace. This lap was the hardest to hold but I managed to stay right on pace and hit 8s. Mentally I was fine — I think it was just my legs saying "Do you remember those hill climbs yesterday? We do." It was a great day for a run and I was certainly hot, but it stayed just cool enough to keep me from drenching my shirt. I had to come down a small, small hill after mile 18 and that was just as tough as running up the other one. I was able to settle back into pace and then hit the wall of wind for mile 19-20. I turned a corner right at mile 19 and it was as if a jet engine was turned on 10 feet in front of me. I kept saying "There is no way wind is going to take me off pace" and I looked down and tried to get as aerodynamic as possible and pushed ahead. I knew I was doing okay as I passed many of the other runners and even riders that were heading my way on the path. I held pace and was very satisfied and relieved to make it to the car again. I drank some water and Gatorade and headed off after 3 minutes to finish.

1.5 Miles - 13:40 - 21.5 Miles Total
I ran 1.5 miles up on the top path and that actually took me to 3 hours and 2 minutes total time. The pace is slower for this 1.5 but mentally I was done after 20 and figured this was icing on the cake. It was hard and my legs were throbbing and ready to be done. The .5 mile walk down was good but along the way I kept saying "That was one tough run." I have not run like that since my varsity cross-country days at Bowling Green State University.

Now, can you blame me for wanting to lay down for a minute of two.

Also, I knew what was still to come. I had a 1 hour swim in the afternoon and then I have a 5+ hour bike ride on Sunday. The swim was hard and I managed to cover 1.25 miles. I am beat and my legs are very tired and sore. It will be interesting to see how they respond on the ride tomorrow. I now need to go figure out where I will ride for 90+ miles, what food/nutrition to take with me, what to where based on the weather and get my bike ready. This Ironman thing would be so much easier if there wasn't all of this preparation work piled on to the time your actually swimming, biking or running. Oh well, just taking it all in stride.

And yes, "I'm okay, very sore, but okay. Thanks for asking."

How Far?

I had a busy day cleaning out the garage, trimming the yard and playing with Braden. So after he went to bed (9:45 pm) I headed out the door for a 1.5 hour run through the streets of Anderson Township and Mount Washington. It was a beautiful day that turned into a great night for a long run as it was about 62 degrees and pretty calm.

I did decide to strap on my old Sony Walkman and listen to some tunes to help pass the time. The run was a bit hard as I think I am still feeling sluggish in the legs from the race last week. On runs like tonight it is easy to let your mind wander and think about stuff. One thing that kept coming into my mind is that it is hard to believe that the Ironman will take place next month.

It was about this time last year that I actually started running again after 4 years of doing nothing. Those first runs were tough as I remember going down to Lunken Airport after work and running 1-2 miles on the trail and it hurt. Back then my reason for running was to qualify for the Boston Marathon as my friends Jed, Jim and Gary were going to try and qualify in 2008 and it seemed like a great goal. Somewhere along the way (after a month of running) my mind switched over and said if you are committing to that goal why not just commit to doing a full Ironman Triathlon (something I have always wanted to do). I figured I would be in great running shape and just add the swimming and biking on top. Sounds easy enough - right?

Well, I did a mile time trial on the Lunken trail in June of last year to have a benchmark - a time for me to see how far I've come in a year's time. That mile was a 7:32. And I thought I was going to die after it and took the following day off to recover. Fast forward to this year and last week's race in particular and I have managed to not only improve on that time (7:17) but hold it for 13.1 miles and bike 25 miles beforehand - and swim 2.4 miles the day before. My friends keep saying I am ready for the Ironman but inside you know how long it could take and can only guess at how much it will hurt.

It was about this time (I think around 7 miles) that Matchbox Twenty's song "How Far We've Come" came on and it just hit the spot. I think I ran a 6:50 mile from 7 to 8. In some regards the race can't get here soon enough to see how far I've come.

Visualize. Make It Happen.

A friend (I won't name names) called me today and said that he needed some motivation to get back to running seriously. He is a very good runner and I was surprised that he was calling me, as it was his motivation that got me running again and ultimately on my current Ironman path. I have a number of stories I could share but I think this video might do the trick for setting goals, visualizing success and making it happen.

Billy Mills ran one of the most incredible races in all of track and field history. He had to improve over 2 minutes in the 10,000 meters to have a shot at winning the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. That is a whole bunch of time at that level of competition. In the first video he explains his approach and what he had to do to prepare and then talks about the race. (YouTube is awesome for finding stuff but the video quality is not the greatest.) The second is a recap for a sports program and the video of the race is a bit better. It give me chills just watching the final stretch and the excitement of the announcer.

Sore Today

I took yesterday completely off and still today my quadriceps are very sore. It hurts to walk down steps and sit down - not nearly as bad as when I've run a full marathon. I will swim later today which should help them spring back to life.

Full Effort For Half The Distance.

Overall I would say the Columbus 1/2 Marathon was a great day and I am very pleased with my time. I was able to stick with another runner who was shooting to run a 1:30. Stick with them up through 10 miles and then hang on for the last 3.1 miles.  Here's a run down of the weekend in photos and descriptions.

Running and holding a 6:59 pace for the distance was a surprise. It was hard as my quads and right foot hurt bad the last two miles but that is why it is a race. Today's time beat my previous best of 1:37 from back in 2001. I credit this improvement to all the cross-training I have been doing in preparation for the Ironman.

The weather conditions were perfect for the 1/2 as the start temperature was in the low 50s. My son Braden is enjoying a Power Bar in preparation of cheering duties (hard work to be pushed around by mommy).

This is me just after the 9 mile mark crossing the street to high five Braden.

Gary and Jim look surprisingly good in the finish area as they both struggled a bit in their Marathon efforts. Gary finished with a time of 4:07 while Jim was around 4:15. They said the small hills and the heat got to them.

On Saturday, Braden took part in the Red Nose Run. This is mommy and Braden getting ready at the start. It was an extremely competitive field in the diaper dash division.

Braden is extremely proud of the medal he won. It is hiding a very big smile.

Columbus 1/2 Marathon On Sunday

I will be competing in the Columbus 1/2 Marathon on Sunday as part of my overall Ironman preparation and to see where I stand timewise. I can use my finishing time to help me set a realsitic goal for the marathon portion of the Ironman and to help guide my upcoming run training. I would not be doing this if not for Jim and Gary who are my long run training partners. They both are going to try to run somewhere between 3:50 and 4:00 hours for the full 26.2 miles. I will be shooting for 1:36 and will be happy with anything under 1:45 for the 13.1 miles.

Also, my 3-year old son Braden will be competing in the Red Nose Fun Run on Saturday. He is always ready to run laps in the family room everyday after work making him the perfect Ironman training partner as he never wants to stop.