REALLY OVER DUE HALF IRONMAN Report

Well I failed to post this here and as it has been pointed out I should post here more often.  This is the write up I did for another forum on my Half Ironman race.

Well I finally have a minute of spare time that isn’t allocated to catching up with and making up for lost time with my wife and kids, so I figured I have had sufficient time to reflect back upon my FIRST of hopefully many 70.3 Triathlons.

The race on September 30th was the result of over a year of work. I can honestly say that 2 years ago I never dreamed I would be sitting here recapping what 70.3 miles was like much less actually having participated in a race of this distance.

In April of last year after having to pull out of my first sprint triathlon due to a shoulder injury I decided to go big and sign-up for a Half Ironman event. I the day I registered for the race back in February like it was yesterday, my hands were shaking as I wa****ting the submit button to finalize the registration.

Life events had side tracked me from my training for the past few months but I knew I had built a good base and physically was capable of finishing even if it wouldn’t be me strongest showing. So like all good athletes I trusted in my training to carry me through physically, I trusted in my faith in myself and the love and support of those around me to carry me through mentally.
When planning the trip to Augusta I made sure to get a hotel room downtown that was actually located on the run course to make it convenient for my wife since she would have my kiddos (10, 8 & 1). This would allow her to take them back to the room when they would have an hour or more before they would see me again.

We drove to Augusta on Friday afternoon so we could spend the day relaxing and I could get my packet early before the lines got long, I was nervous enough and didn’t need to be standing in line for endless hours, plus I had money to blow at the expo.

Saturday morning I headed to the host hotel with my family which was just a couple blocks away, and luckily I arrived before packet pick-up opened and I was about the 20th person in line. I went through the pick-up process and then headed into the expo and got the obligatory T-shirts for myself and kids and some cowbells for them. My wife found the place where they were giving free massages to athletes (yeah I still have a hard time referring to myself that way) so I headed over and had a nice massage to loosen up my calves and hamstrings attended a briefing and then it was chill time for a bit.

We met up with my friend from OH Jillian who is an amazing Triathlete for lunch/dinner at a nice pizza place where I had a piece of pizza which is rare for me, I figured I would enjoy it because I knew it would be 24+ plus hours before I would eat real food again. My stomach tends to get the best of me before big events so I stop eating at 4pm the day before a long race.

After lunch it was time to get the bike set-up and checked into transition. So in the Hotel room I go over the bike making sure everything is good with it, Brakes working, wheels running true, gears shifting and then inflate the tires and affix my race numbers. Transition was about 1.5 miles from my hotel so I get my cycle gear on and ride down to transition, while my wife and kids walked to the swim start and followed the shore down to transition. I got to transition and it was massive compared to the sprints I am used to. I find my spot in the rack and walk around learning where things in transition are, like the entrance from the swim Bike In/Out and Run out. I head down to the exit from the water and waited for my family, looking up there river at where the second bridge was the only thing I could think of is DAMN! That is a long way to swim even with a current pushing me. I met a few over the other athletes while waiting for my wife and kids. Met up with the family finally and we head back to the room to relax for a bit. Saturday evening I decide it is time to go over everything and get my water bottles ready for the morning. I go through my transition bag going over my checklist and everything is there I love my checklist! I am then getting my bottles filled and prepped when I realize I can’t find the straws for my aero bottle (the one that mounts to my handle bars) it is my main hydration source holding 50oz conveniently an inch away from my mouth while riding. This is bad as this accounts for a less than 50% of the fluids I will need to take in one the 56 mile ride. I tell myself this is no problem because I have room to carry 3 bottles on my bike without the aero bottle and I will be fine as long as I take on new bottles at each of the 3 aid stations. I am in freak-out mode but manage to calm myelf and finish getting stuff together and head to bed.

2:30am Sunday morning I am awake and force myself back to sleep and finally get up at 3:30 and start my race morning rituals getting my race suit on, kiss my wife and grab my bags to head over to the shuttle that will take me down to transition.

Arrive to transition dark and early and find my spot on the rack again, going over the bike one more time. I then take my time and set up my transition area with bike and running shoes, race belt nutrition for the run and visor. Bike is prepped and transition set-up so I head to the swim start and run into Jillian on the way who again reassures me everything will be fine. I seriously do not know how I would do before a race like this without her or Bill as they have always been at my First of a big race.

Get to swim start and sit with my buddy Jay as it is highly uneventful except for repeated trips to the Porta-John. As the sun starts coming up things start happening at the swim start as we all star climbing into our wetsuits and finding our start waves in the line.

One by one the waves start Pros first then Old guys to younger guys I am in the 7th wave and every 4 minutes a new group climbs down to the dock and enters the water until it is my turn. I enter the water and am feeling fairly comfortable. I remember I have trained for over a year to do this. I tell myself it is just another swim and I feel a calmness. Horn goes off and my wave is off. I start swimming and am comfortable in my stroke and breathing pattern and then it happens! I swim into a group of guys and get kicked and swam into and there goes my confidence. I do the breast stroke a bit and then try back to freestyle and it happens again and my confidence is shot! I know I can do the swim and manage to swim over a mile using the breast stroke and back stroke I tried the freestlye a few more times but my goggles were fogged to the point I couldn’t see so I went with what I knew I could do. 44 minutes after my wave started I climbed out of the water and standing right there is my wife and kids, JUST WHAT I NEEDED. I head into transition and gear up for the bike, after hitting the port-john because I knew ******g while riding was more than I am up to at this point.

Exit transition with the bike and Here some friends cheering me on and then my family, Heading out on the 56 mile ride I am confident this has typically proven to be my stronger element of a tri. About 5 miles into the ride I grab my bottle off my seat tube and take a drink and as I am putting it back in the rack it falls, so I stop to get it and when getting off the bike launch one of my 2 other bottles into a storm drain, now I have about 40oz of water to get me to the first aid station! No problem…. Hit about mile 15 and I hear something drop and slide across the ground, a lady passing me informs me I dropped my glasses… **** they are $200 Oakleys!!! Yes I turn around go back about 200yds and slowly ride the edge until I see them. Yes the bike isn’t going as well as it could. I make it the first aid station and take on a bottle of water, taking 3 drinks I am feeling ok. I take in a gel as I know since I am about 20 miles out It is time to take one. At this point I am feeling good and continue at my pace. Around mile 30 things start to go wrong I realize I have been so focused on making progress I am way behind on my hydration so I drink and when placing the bottle in the rck behind my seat it falls. I now have about 10oz of fluids to get me to the second aid station which I do not remember getting to or even taking on another bottle. I again start remembering approaching the 3rd aid station with about half a bottle of water I take a couple gulps and take on a new bottle. I now know I am WAY!!! Behind on both hydration and nutrition and getting into a very dangerous situation, as my mind really isn’t working well. I know this because numerous times after shifting into an easier gear to go up a hill I would later think “Damn I am working hard and not going hardly anywhere” only to realize I forgot to shift back into a gear that would give me more speed. I monitor my intake on the remaining few miles as I know I am dehydrated at this point. I make it back to Transition with about 1/3 of my bottle of water left. I carefully dismount which was probably the best dismount I have ever done. I hit the porta-john again and am reassured by the pain that I am infact dehydrated. I head back to my spot take in the remaining bottle of water and gear up for the run. Bike was done in 3:18 and change all things considered it was a decent time and one of my faster at this distance.

Heading out onto the run I pull out my bottle of Powerade from my hydration belt and down about half of it. Normally I don’t change up my race day strategy from what I trained but earlier in the week I had picked up some salt pills as I sweat a lot. I took one and continued on the run. This would become a run that was mind over matter and purely fought for 1 block at a time as I instantly starting getting severe cramps in my legs from the dehydration. I set a plan in place that I would walk 1 block then run 1 block, I would drink no less that 2 cups of water per aid station and would gel 1 mile, salt pill 1 mile and 2 chomps the 3rd mile and rotate this schedule for the while 13.1 miles. I saw my family at the start of the run but then was on my own again until about mile 5 when I saw them again, man what a relief to see them and hear them cheering for me. Shortly after I see and hear my friend Jackie who high-fives me and then I am off for another 5 miles before I know I will see anyone again. I continue with my walk run and take my time to talk with a few of the other athletes following the same plan as mine. At this point my time isn’t as important as the finish! I didn’t even mind the fact that Jillian chicked me at mile 3.5 and then I was her 2 more times on my run the last time as she was walking to her car to get out of the rain. Oh yeah about 3 miles from the end it begins to rain and I thought damn could use some cool downright now…. Remember the old saying “Careful what you wish for” yeah so true. I ran my last 2 miles in what seemed like a monsoon, my shoes and socks got soaked and each step hurt more than the last. Finally I see the finishers shoot and know that it is almost over. I crossed the finish line and saw my wife and kids off to the side and walked to the fence to see them. I never could have imagined what it would feel like to actually cross the finish line, so many different emotions from “Hell yeah!” to “Was it worth the pain”.

After getting a bite to eat and a bottle of water I began walking with my family back to the hotel and cheering people along as we walked, then I remembered I forgot my morning bag at the finisher’s area and had to walk back to get it. I continued to cheer for the people still on the run course because I knew how much energy it gave me. I saw one guy walking at mile 10 and told him “5K left you got this” he looked at me and said “Your right I can do a 5K this will just be the slowest 5K I have ever done” then he started running again.

The hours and night after the race was probably some of the most painful I have experienced at one point I couldn’t even lift my legs onto the bed.

Looking back now I can say I learned a lot about myself training for the race, but really learned what I am capable of during the race. I can say that the longer you have worked the better a piece of pizza and a banana taste. Oh yeah I am going back next year!

Times were as follows:
Swim: 44:02
Bike: 3:19
Run: 3:09

Both my transitions were in the 9.5 min range.

I didn’t have the greatest timed but I was not a DNF or DNS and that is the important part. Next year will be better as I learned a lot this year.

I will try and be better and post here more often.

Thanks! How are your ribs doing?
  
I used you as an example the other day in a discussion about getting active after WLS and that you don't have to be a skinny pole to do those things and feel healthy. I'm in transition to a more active life style everyday and it sure helps to see examples of just how far you can take it.   

Thanks
Stoney

Ribs are doing better.

You saying I ain't skinny? LOL

Sorry.... but not as skinny as a pole!!!

What's your thoughts on "mentally" getting ready for a half or full Ironman. Mostly physical preparation or are there other things that you do to help with the mental part? I'm struggling to get back to a full blown weightlifting routine. Some is physical with a back issue but a lot seems to be mental right now. I'll get a few days in then mentally I talk myself into not going to the gym. I think part of my problem is right now I still lose weight without the extra work in the gym but that's not where I want to be and I know that won't last. Ok, here you are with broken ribs not training as much and there is a full Ironman out there waiting.......what are thinking? 
Thanks for any input,
Stoney

in my Journey to the Half IM Distance I faced a number of challenges from all aspects.

Physical

Mental

Nutritional

Motivation wasn't an issue, but when hit with an injury it became difficult to step back and let the body heal.

Physically my challenges were mainly overcoming an injury and then getting my base back in place or working back to my pace.  I was in the gym any where from 1-3 hours a day between 5 and 6 days a week.  Workouts were cardio and weights then I moved the cardio into more endurance logging more miles or minutes and this did away with most weight training session.  I was really beating my body up and didn't think through my training plan very well as I left little time for recovery.

The mental challenges for me was simply believing in myself that I could do this.  To be totally honest in the year leading up to this race I kept telling myself I could do it, but I think my friends and family knew I could.  During training moments of self doubt would creep in on a long run or ride when I was out by myself that is when the little voice kicks in telling you that you are still fat. It would be demoralizing huffing my way to the top of a small hill on the bike as people would come flying past me on their rides. The real mental challenge**** during the actual race.  When you legs, body and mind are totally exhausted and you really question if you will finish, looking down at your watch and seeing your goal time slip away to the point you simply want to finish.

Nutritional challenges were and still are learning how to eat and that what we have been told since day 1 of looking into WLS doesn't and can't apply.  I loved my 90% protein diet downing upwards of 200oz of protein a day and maybe 50 net carbs.  But this diet was one of the causes for my injuries, yeah I did the protein for recovery but I didn't properly fuel my workouts and towards the end finally was able to begin adjusting my diet to include more, MANY more carbs, not to mention trying to eat between 2000-3000 calories a day.  After all wasn't eating all the time what made me fat?

As for right now...

Well I went into Augusta this year with IM LOU as my 2013 goal but Augusta taught me many things that I really needed to learn about doing the long course, add to that the fact my 1 year old daughter has 2 surgeries in the next 6 months, and I know that IM LOU is not a smart move for me.  Next year I am going to try for 3 70.3 distances and a number of sprints or OLY distance races to dial in my plan.  IM LOU is waiting for me in 2014, but 2013 is Augusta again with a great group of friends. 

If you are looking for something then you can always join us!  After all Augusta is the Largest 70.3 IM Event in the world.

Good Job!!

Attaboy! That is how you do it!