Time To Retire From Ironman?

Well, it finally happened: after 5 years of being COVID free, Linda and I both got it in mid-February. We both feel like we’re back to normal but it did force me to evaluate things.

It’s been awhile since I really wrote something and this is a long piece so feel free not to read. I have often shared the ups and downs of my triathlon journey so I felt like I should do at least one more post. 

Last year, plus two months into this year, has really been challenging. I have often felt like I’d get into training for about 2 or 3 weeks only to have it interrupted by 2 or more weeks of no or modified training - repeatedly starting over at square one with fitness and training. It seemed like it was happening every month so it was like I could never “get going”. Multiple illnesses (a few colds, 2 pneumonias), a GI system not cooperating at times, a falling injury that kept me from swimming for almost a month, a rib injury from a middle-of-the-night fall that led to an Urgent Care visit for pain, doing testing to rule out Parkinson”s, a diagnosis of a bicuspid (instead of a tricuspid) heart valve, lung function testing, PT to work on my balance issues, some of the typical “old man” body function stuff that will go unnamed here, and carrying around 20 lbs of extra weight. That doesn’t include spending time with our granddaughters (which I was grateful for and happy to be able to do but which was usually a training interruption too). That’s not a complete list but 2024 saw me getting sidelined more than I have since I started multisport back in 2006,

Going from a feeling of being Superman, doing 15 full distance Ironmans, and uncounted half Ironmans to doing two 16+ hour Ironmans and barely being able to finish under the cutoff time, has been quite a blow to my self-image. I went from a place of high self-confidence to the realization that I’ve lost a great deal of hard earned endurance fitness, not to mention outright abilities, that I will likely not get back as I age to 69, 70, and beyond. It's not to say that I intend to quit working out and trying to regain it but my focus really is switching away from training specifically for a 140.6 mile Ironman and towards working out so I can live a healthy, physically active life, especially as compared to others my age. I am trying to come to terms with this and letting go of Ironman racing (NOT LETTING GO OF COACHING or TRIATHLON) but it’s hard to do when your heart tells you something else. (Can I say it again? - coaching is still very satisfying and rewarding and I intend to continue to help guide others to find their own successes.) That said, if I manage to get into good enough shape to do a sub-17 hour Ironman, I reserve the right to come out of retirement to do it at age 70+. That will only happen if I get consistent, quality training in that points to me being able to do it physically. Ditto for a 70.3 - the training will tell if I can make it under the time cutoff.

It is somewhat surprising for me to be writing those words. From the beginning of this journey my goal had always been to qualify for and race in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Looking back over those 14 years of racing 15 Ironmans, I never had an end planned. I thought I would just keep going. Well, I guess I should have had a plan. With Kona being the ultimate goal, achieving that and getting to race in Hawaii was a logical end point for me, especially since Kona is so costly and not something I feel I can even try to qualify for again. 

My relatively poor performance in Hawaii was not the way I wanted it to end. But things don’t always go the way you want. Even on my worst day I never imagined going slower than 14-something hours, let alone 16:49 like I did. I still can’t tell you what happened out there but it points to why I was able to turn around 10 days later and do Ironman California in Sacramento. 

There’s no way around it: Hawaii was a big disappointment for me when it came to my performance expectations. Barely making the cutoff time was not even on my radar. The funny thing is that the way it unfolded aligned perfectly with something I’ve emphasized in coaching others: I’ve always advocated for experiential goals. I lost sight of that initially, but in the end it was the most important part of the race for me. Having Linda, Mom, Marc and his family, and Corey, plus so many others there supporting me; the only reason I crossed the finish line is because of family and friends. And that’s the absolute ultimate - to have so many people cheering, pushing, pacing (yes, a rules violation), and willing me to finish before the 17th hour is something I will never forget. To think about that now - it was the perfect way to end this Ironman journey, absolutely perfect.

I have only a glimmer of hope that I will manage to come out of retirement to do one more race (140.6 or 70.3). But I will always have so many amazing memories. Without Linda, Mom, Corey, Marc and Courtney, and their support during racing and/or long training over the years, co-existing with the training plan, nursing a broken body, enthusiastically cheering, being spectathletes and sherpas - I couldn’t be more grateful. I will take away so many memories and nearly all of them are centered on the people - including everyone connected to Team Challenge, all those who I raced with, and all those who weren’t racing but came out to support me - there are just too many to name!

I want to say that these amazing experiences I’ve had were much better and much more meaningful because they were shared with the people I love. Without everyone, especially Linda, these experiences would not have helped me become a better version of myself. I am truly grateful.

Saying “retirement” outloud is not something I’ve looked forward to. Admittedly I think I’ll be in a funk over it for a while but it’s a relief to share. Thanks for reading all the way through. And If you are one of the many, many people that supported me in some way along the way - THANK YOU!

Ironman 70.3 Arizona 2023 - plan and race report

 IRONMAN 70.3 ARIZONA 2023 (Skip down further for race report)

Predicted Splits:

SWIM - 35:00 (32:01 in 2019)

T1 - 06:00 (8:32 in 2019)

BIKE - 3:15:00 (2:51:39 in 2019)

T2 - 04:00 (4:14 in 2019)

RUN - 2:55:00 (2:09:49 in 2019)

TOTAL - 6:55:00 (5:46:12 in 2019)

Pre-race

Mom and I are driving to Arizona early Friday for this Sunday race. This race follows Salem 70.3 which was 12 weeks ago. My run was a very disappointing 3:16 in Salem. Training for me has been the most consistent for the run the last during the last few weeks, although long runs have been shortened in favor of running more frequently. The Arizona air temp is expected to be 95°on race day but I didn’t have an opportunity to heat acclimate. There is not really any shade on this course, unlike at Salem. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if the run takes over 3 hours.

The swim, on the other hand? At this point the water is 80°: VERY warm and wetsuit optional. I won’t be wearing a wetsuit and if that temp holds I’ll still probably overheat a little, which will have an affect on performance. The swim exit is fairly close to transition this year, not the more than ¼ mile distance it has been in the past. T1 should take much less time.

The ride tends to be surprisingly fast considering it’s a “technical” course, unlike any other that I’ve seen. It’s 3 laps and each lap contains five 180° turns, plus a number of right and left turns. I’m hoping for the ride to take a little longer than the ride in Salem but I don’t know how realistic that is. I have gotten my longer training rides in, although I missed a few shorter rides in order to get the longer ones in during the week when I was traveling or working on the weekend.

I still have the goal of finishing under 7 hours, just like in Oregon. The conditions will make even this a challenge so I will, as always, be happy if I race to the limits of my current abilities. I intend to race with a feeling of joy, and an appreciation for the volunteers. And I’ll race with gratitude: for my mom being with me, for my so supportive wife, for all the wonderful people who have been a part of my triathlon life over the years, and for still being able to do this during my 67th year.

—------------------------------

Someone asked me about my nutrition plan, so here it is, with limited explanation/justification. As I usually tell my athletes, don’t leave your nutrition to chance. Winging it is not smart. (Note: I race with caffeine so I have been off of it for over 2 weeks in order to obtain the most benefit from it.):

1 day before race: normal b’fast; Salmon burrito from Rubio’s for lunch; protein, carbs, and fat in the form of a blended shake/smoothie for dinner (this is to limit waste in the digestive tract and speed up emptying).

Race morning, pre-race: same blended shake/smoothie as last night along with half a bagel. No psyllium. Drink water with some electrolyte on site at the race. Consume one UCAN Edge gel ~30 min prior to the swim.

T1: 2 UCAN Edge gels (140 cal.) + water

Bike: My aero bottle holds 24oz+ of water and 1 NUUN electrolytes tab. I will refill it with water at 2 aid stations. My Speedfil bottle, mounted in the frame, holds about 40 oz. It will hold 2 x 320 cal of Maurten’s powder mixed with 34 oz water + 4 SaltStick capsules that have been opened and emptied into it. That’s 640 cal and 860 mg of salt. Total calories, including T1 = 780 cal. In my bento bag I’ll carry an extra 200 cal in a Clif Blox package. I also have the option of grabbing a gel or gels at the aid stations.

T2: I will consume 5 tablets of Perfect Amino brand tablets and 1.5 caffeine tabs, all crushed into powder and consumed with water.

Run: I intend to take a Maurten’s gel from the aid stations at miles 1,4,7, and 10 or more frequently if needed. The idea is to take in about 100 cal every half hour. I’ll carry SaltStick brand Fast Chews and aim to consume 2 around the time of each gel. I’ll also carry some Base Salt with me just in case. I also know that Red Bull is available at the aid stations and this is well tolerated. 

MORNING SCHEDULE

(5-6:30 Transition open)

3:45 Breakfast, bathroom

4:45 leave hotel

4:55 Park in structure

5:15 To transition - lay out stuff, check tires, add air, add nutrition to bike, bathroom, wetsuit, swim warm up,

6:20 swim start (no pros)

Race Report

Saturday I rode my bike after breakfast for about 15 min. I crossed my fingers that the battery for shifting would last long enough during the race since my charger didn’t seem to work. It also turned out that I lost my sunglasses after the ride so I hoped it wouldn’t matter that much to not have them for the race. I didn’t want to go look to buy a new pair late in the day - I needed rest more! When I turned in my bike they were telling people to let some air out of your tires because the heat and sun were popping inner tubes as they heated up on the rack. When I left my bike (with blazing sun beating on it) I hoped I had let out enough air but brought extra inner tubes race morning just in case. I had shifted into an easy gear in prep for the start and we headed for lunch at Rubio’s as planned. I got a Langostino Lobster bowl instead of a salmon burrito - muy delicioso!

I got up on race morning at 4:11, 26 minutes late! I’d set the alarm for 3:45… for Tuesday! Mom saved the day. I quickly mixed my blender breakfast, used the bathroom, and got ready to go. We were only 5 minutes behind schedule, though I was short on bathroom visits. We parked in the parking structure for the first time and made the short walk to the park and transition. There were no lines at the first portapotties so I chose to immediately take advantage. 

Did my thing in transition while Mom waited outside - refilled my tires, placed nutrition, set up my stuff on the ground and went to meet Mom and go to the swim start. The start was from the boat rental docks, very convenient compared to where recent starts took place. The exit was right there too so we didn’t have a ¼ mile + run to get to the bike.

The water was a warm but more mild 74.9° than the 80 I saw online. I decided to wear a sleeveless wetsuit anyway because the leg buoyancy would help my deteriorating swim, the slick surface would help me swim a bit faster, taking this wetsuit off would be quick and easy, and I could swim without the small amount of drag that a tri kit creates. I lined up near the front of the athletes, being about 110th to start, at 6:24 am. (They sent 2 at a time, 5 sec apart.) The swim went fine, only swallowing 3 gulps of water total. I was able to draft behind someone for about 6 or 800 meters on the first part of the swim. Before half way my legs felt somewhat heavy/fatigued but I chose to ignore that and focus on the task, hoping the feeling would go away. It did.

SWIM SPLIT - 34:44 (predicted 35:00)

Exiting the water was pretty easy, especially when compared to the stairs they used to use for Ironman Arizona. Walked and jogged to transition. As I began to wheel my bike to the “bike out” I realized I had failed to fill the aero bottle with water. My 2 NUUN electrolyte tabs were in there but nothing else. I went back to my stuff, grabbed a water bottles and filled up the reservoir. I walked my bike to the mountline, feeling a little too unsteady in bike shoes, to run or jog.

TRANSITION 1 SPLIT - 9:07 (predicted 6:00)

Got out onto the “technical” bike course and gradually settled into the ride, immediately taking in water with electrolytes and liquid calories. This course is 3 laps, all within the town of Tempe. Each lap has FIVE 180° turns and many more rights and lefts. Given that, it is surprisingly fast. I rode this turn-happy, sometimes undulating course mostly in the small chainring, shifting often. Twice I went into the big ring, the second time I managed to drop my chain. It was on the best little downhill of the ride so I coast down to the bottom and stop to fix it. As I was, a roving bike mechanic pulled up to help me, not 10 sec after I’d stopped. We got the chain on and then he gave me a nice push up the hill that followed the downhill. I was very grateful for his help! At about mile 30 I felt some fatigue similar to what I felt during the swim. I didn’t think that boded well for the rest of the race but of course I let the thoughts go and just kept going.

There were 2 aid stations per lap, double what most 70.3’s have. Getting the handoff of a water bottle at the 2nd station and being very unsteady as I refilled the aero bottle, I decided I was no longer able to do all of that without stopping. For the remainder of the ride, I stopped twice more when I got water. I felt the need to pee with about 3 miles to go. To me that indicated good hydration. I had less than 6 oz. of liquid nutrition left, so I think I did a good job fueling.

BIKE SPLIT - 3:13:57, average pace 17.43 mph (predicted 3:10)

When I got off the bike, my lower back hurt some, so it took walking the bike back to the rack for me to straighten up and to feel passable. I racked the bike and sat down to remove shoes from my grass-covered feet, spray Aquaphor on my toes, put socks and shoes on, and get my race belt on (which I had to go back for it when I forgot it iwhen I did this race 5 years ago). Last time I was able to pee on the grass as I sat there but not this time. Used the portapotty and then got out of transition.

TRANSITION 2 SPLIT - 8:45 including portapotty stop(predicted 4:00) 

The temperature was over 90° at this point, with an eventual high of 99°f., which became the toughest thing to deal with and manage. I had 2 instant ice packs (the kind used in 1st aid) stashed in my waist that I was gonna burst open to quickly turn cold when I needed them. I walked and “ran”, alternating randomly, trying to get it going. It was already feeling hot, much more than on the bike where you at least get some cooling from the riding, whether there’s a wind or not. Both attempts to use the ice packs after breaking their inner seals failed. There was supposed to be very little shade, which was the case. There was shade in the shadows of some buildings and the sparse trees along the lake. When I could run I ran in the sun and walked in the shade. I also dealt with the heat by getting 2 cups of ice into my hat and carrying a 3rd cup with me to chew into a slushy at every aid station. (Ironman did a GREAT job making sure each aid station was well-stocked with ice.

I abandoned my nutrition plan right away. With all the heat and sun I didn’t think I could stomach the Maurten gels on the course. Instead, the Gatorade Endurance, especially when it was cold, was much more appealing. I pretty much took in 1 or 2 cups each mile. 

My body felt fatigued and my legs were heavy. The running, especially during the 2nd of 2 loops, seemed more like a shuffle. The only metric I monitored was heart rate. I noticed that even walked keep my HR in Zone 2 and for awhile I would run until HR got near Zone 3 before walking again. Eventually I basically ignored HR and tried to run when I thought I could. Sometimes that ended up being 3 or 4 steps and then walking again because it felt too hard to run. I did manage to drop 5 or 6 lbs since Oregon so I was 15 lbs over race weight instead of 20!

RUN SPLIT - 3:51:05, 17:06 average mile pace (hoped for 2:55)

I saw Mom about 6 different times altogether during the race and that made me very happy. A couple of those times she was trying to figure out where I was by the tracker and didn’t look up even when I shouted to her. She did meet a random nice guy, whose wife was racing, to help her figure out where I was and when I was coming. She did a great job, hanging in there from before the start all the way to the 2:21pm finish and the hour recovery that followed. The race announcer did a fine job with announcing, including giving my name and mentioning that I was “67 years young”.

FINAL TIME - 7:57:35 (hoped for 6:55:00)

Here’s a paragraph that I originally left out, probably because it's a TMI, but I’ll try to be delicate - here it is. During the run for the last few races, I’ve felt the urge to go #1. As I get to an aid station I go into the portapotty and stand there while nothing happens. Finally I give up and continue running. At the next aid station a mile away I feel I need to go again. I waste more time in the portapotty, standing and waiting, but nothing to happens. This continues to happen. And it happened at Kona last year and IM California, and at a race or 2 before that. Fed up, I decided to let it trickle while I was walking and that worked! It probably helped that it was hot and dry out and that in reality it wasn’t actually a full bladder even though the natural urge was there. I did it 4 or 5 times, each time waiting until I was close to an aid station. I’d let it trickle and the grab a half cup of water, pull out my waistband,  and pour it down to keep myself “fresh”. I worked and I didn’t have to use the portapotty until after the finish line.

Ironman 70.3 Oceanside

 Ironman 70.3 Oceanside – 30 October 2021

A week after Ironman California, Oceanside 70.3 was on my calendar. I anticipated it to be a “participation” race as opposed to a “race”. When IM Calif. in Sacramento was cancelled, this was an opportunity to use my fitness I’d built over the year. It was mentally hard to shift focus but I thought I was fortunate to have the race just one week later. Linda and I didn’t figure out right away that we were also going to be in LA for Halloween weekend with our twin granddaughters. We agreed that she should go to LA and I would race without her. We jokingly said, “It’s only a half (Ironman)!”

My first 70.3 was in Oceanside 2009. I have nearly never not had a 70.3 or full Ironman on the calendar since then. Because of the pandemic, the past year and a half have been my worst long distance training in a long time. As it is with many people, I had to adapt to the options available: more trainer bike rides indoors, strength training with home equipment, and moving all my pool swims to “dryland swims” and year ‘round open water bay swims. Trainer rides are great but it’s not the same as riding outside. Running took a hit from a combination of wavering motivation, a hernia, and the subsequent surgery. My running and riding have not come close to returning to previous levels.

Mom/Jayne and I arrived before 5am and walked at least a ½ mile to transition. I got set up and then met Mom and Phil and waited on the beach to line up for the rolling start. I had my wetsuit on part way to stay warm and wore an old throwaway sweatshirt. I also decided to wear my neoprene booties when I saw there was no carpet down the middle of the rough asphalt of transition/parking lot. I did a warmup using my resistance tubing, made a last minute decision not to wear a neoprene hood (announced water temp of 65°), and then lined up with the athletes who’s predicted times were :30 to :32. Once the fasted people started, time went quickly and I was in the water within 2 or 3 minutes. I got past the waves, seeming to swim straight towards the big buoy while others seemed to be swimming a bit crooked. After a right turn I encountered a few large clumps of kelp but just swam straight through it. We swam pretty much straight towards the harbor entrance, me staying a little wide of most people, and then swam into the calm harbor to the boat ramp. I mostly walked to, and into transition, along the carpeted edge. Swim split 33m23s.

Transition 1 took longer than expected. I quickly got the wetsuit off and put my aero helmet on first. Phil and Mom watched from beyond the fence and yelled at me that the helmet was on backwards! I didn’t move very quickly getting things done. I took time to put on my cheap “arm warmer” sleeves (tube socks without toes). I put shoes on as usual without socks and then walked out of transition pushing the bike to the mount line while trying not to fall. T1 split 10m03s.

At the mount line I took my time getting on the bike to avoid a fall. Confidence in doing the usual “flying mount” has waned – so have most of my bike handling skills. I was thankfully in my small chain ring for the 1st small hill leaving the harbor. As it was, I still swerved, nearly hitting a traffic cone. Within a few minutes I had dropped my chain and had to stop to put it back on. It took a couple of minutes because it really got wedged in. The 2nd half of the ride has climbs, small hills, and plenty of undulation. I’d only remembered the climbs so the ride was no joke. I really needed an easier gear to shift into. I stayed in aero when appropriate, which was a small victory since all my training on the trainer did not include riding in that position. I was also not in shape for climbs since summer training was all about prepping for Sacramento, a very flat course. Bike split 3h21m18s.

I walked my bike awkwardly through transition to my spot, got rid of my bike gear, and put on my run gear. Why this took so long I don’t know. The portapotty only accounted for 2 minutes at most of the slow T2 split 10m00s.

On the run I ran and took walk breaks all along as I had planned. The course itself is pretty flat except for some short, steep uphills and downhills. Since I alternate running with short walk breaks I walked these sections. When I was younger I’d more or less run the downhills but not this time. All I could visualize was me doing a face first splat… so I walked down the steep hills. The course has 2 out and backs. My quads gradually hurt more and more. During the first half of the 13.1 miles I would look at my watch and see what my mile pace was. It reflected exactly how I’d trained – slow for me. I didn’t continue checking because I knew that wasn’t going to help motivate me to go faster. I was doing what I could. I saw Mom cheering me twice on the run. I was surprised to see Bev, Pia, Tristan, and Jen out there spectating. The last few miles were difficult in spite of knowing I was nearly done. I even decided that a portapotty stop with just 2 miles left was necessary for my old man bladder. As I ran down the finish chute, I saw Kat to my left cheering for me. Seeing her brought me to tears which I tried to quickly stuff so I could get to the finish line. I usually cry upon seeing Linda after a full Ironman but not at the end of a 70.3. This time the 70.3 just felt so hard despite my slow time (for me). Run split 2h40mi 18s.

6:55:00 Finish Time, 15th of 24 in my age group.

After thinking about this performance and this finish for a few days, I have made peace with it. It reflects my fitness level very well. The swim was pretty decent considering I have really only swum in open water for the past 18 months, not returning to the pool. Because of my long-time swimming background, I am gradually getting slower as I age. The most I can hope for is that I limit the slowing. This doesn’t apply to my bike and run because my athletic age in those sports is younger.

My training for the run has been less than great. I often ran 2+ minutes per mile slower than I did just a few short years ago. That may reflect my very inconsistent training in 2020 when I had 3 training interruptions due to an abdominal hernia and surgery. I have yet to find my old self. A lack of motivation due in part to the pandemic also was a factor. Also, when I consider how sore my quads ended up being the days after the race, tells me I probably did almost all I could on race day. Soreness ranked up there with how I feel after doing a full Ironman. Finally, I also began getting infusions for my “colonless colitis”. How that affected things, positively or negatively, I can’t say for sure. I think it made things better but my reduced level of energy - causes unknown - are also part of this confusing mix.

Finally, bike training has been less than stellar too. I spent more than a year only riding on the trainer and this affected my bike handling skills and comfort. In some ways I got very fit but when it came to endurance, that was certainly diminished. I put in an adequate number of 95 to 115 mile training rides but they were slow for me. They did help me gain some lost endurance but in the end it wasn’t enough for Oceanside. It also didn’t help that my bike, well ME actually, weighs nearly 20 lbs. more than my usual race weight.

All these thoughts on my performance give me perspective and food for thought. I find it difficult not to compare previous performances with this one even though it’s not always fair to do that. And besides, there are other goals besides time or pace. Processes, execution of a plan, experiences, etc. also are important. Performance is only one component but that tends to guide and drive my training. Since training is a process regardless of the race, I have reasons to train anyway but with this year’s 70.3 Oceanside being a full 1 hour 30+ minutes slower than my best time and with me signing up for the 2022 Oceanside race, I have plenty of reasons to refocus, work consistently, and do more to have a better race in 5 months. Even at 65 years old there are things to work on and things to improve on. They aren’t all race specific but for me, a race on the calendar helps me focus.

In the end I am grateful that I’m still able to physically do this. I’m grateful and thankful for the love and support I get from family as well as my great friends near and far.

Ironman Arizona 2019 Race Report

Here’s my typical, long race report for Ironman Arizona 2019. Feel free to move on. As usual there’s some introspection along with some of the race nitty gritty. It’s far from thorough but already too long. If you’re just looking to be amused, jump down to the Run section…

Ironman #13 is DONE. It turned out not to be what I’d hoped for or wanted but it was not totally unexpected. To summarize the day: it’s pretty much always true that if you want to perform well or great, you need good or great preparation. I did not have that! I’m not a fan of excuses but I had 5 pretty poor weeks of training leading into IMAZ after doing the 70.3. Truth is it took most of a week to recover and then I got sick for 2 weeks. This didn’t shut me down completely but it certainly limited what I could do for final prep. I also have had high levels of fatigue related to pouchitis, a colonless person’s version of ulcerative colitis. This, on top of being sick, limited the number of workouts, their duration, and even how they were done. Preparation and, above all, consistency have been the keys to my racing relatively well in the past so when I’m not consistent it very much has an effect on performance. I know most people don’t much care about whether I take 11 hours or 14, but of course I do.

The day before the race we went down for the practice swim and to turn in our bikes and gear bags. Ate lunch at Rubio’s and then back to the hotel to relax, prep nutrition, and watch the USC vs. Ucla football game. I opted out of dinner and went with 2 smoothies to minimize “traffic” in my GI system, a strategy that worked well for AZ70.3.

In bed before 9pm for the 3:30 alarm. Did not sleep very soundly or deeply. It’s common for me to have interrupted sleep but this fell well short of restful. Got up, woke Linda, and did my usual preparation, knowing Mom would be ready before we were! Got to the venue, did my stuff, and walked to the swim start with Linda and Mom. I was among the first dozen to arrive. In hindsight, we could have slept another 15 min. or half hour. I got my warm up in, put the wetsuit on, and said goodbye. Got into the coral in the 1 hour to 1:10 group with John. It was a much better set up than last year when I couldn’t squeeze into where I thought I should be. Genna snagged a volunteer job to help patrol the area. 

Swim 2.4 miles – 1:05:03, 2nd of 92
The rolling start was fairly calm, especially once you got pass the first few hundred meters. Pretty minimal contact for me except at the 1st major turn buoy 1000+ meters in. The swimmers spread out again once we headed west. Water was 61 or 62*f. I would guess. Having poured water into my wetsuit and on my face just before helped make that fairly comfortable. Also having done plenty of early morning open water swims with Sally certainly had me accustomed to it. 

I was conscious of my legs and feet as I’m very prone to cramping. I was relieved to get out of the water unscathed. I think it’s cool getting to swim under the bridges. They seem so high when you’re in the water. And when I see spectators it makes me want to look for my support crew or even just wave or yell to any random people looking down. I sighted extra going east just to take in the pretty sunrise. I felt a little drained of energy with about 800 m to go. That’s never happened before but I backed off a little at that point. 

Transition 1 – 15m30s
Volunteers helped me up the ramp and then I found some stripper to take off my wetsuit top. I chose to leave the bottoms on for warmth as I ran/jogged the long ¼ mile or so to transition and the changing tent. After trying to get the wetsuit bottoms off (and putting my thumb through the rubber), I sat in a chair and got help with the it. The volunteer gave it a yank and yanked me right onto the ground. Little did I know that wouldn’t be the last time I’d land on my backside! Fortunately I wasn’t injured. He said it would be easier if I wasn’t so muscular. Not in the mood for a discussion, I thanked him and then took quite awhile to get my stuff on so I’d be warm enough on the ride. I did not want to be shivering or worse during the first part of the ride. Besides, finishing was the absolute priority.

Bike 112 miles – 6:15:26, 28th of 92
Did my usual running bike mount, rode up out of the expo area, and hit the fairly rough road for the 1st mile. Then had a headwind for about 12 of the 19 miles out to the turnaround on the Beeline Hwy. Going up the hill, which is really mostly just a “false flat” I was often going 12-16 mph. After the turnaround I felt like I was flying back, easily hitting 30+ mph. My back started to hurt by end of the 1st lap of 3 total. If you’ve read my race reports before you know that I sometimes pee on the bike. You’ll be glad to know that I used the portapotty 3 times instead! The first time I decided was because I didn’t want to get cold. The 2nd and 3rd I used the time to stretch my back, which provided 15 minute of temporary relief.

I decided to take my caffeine early in hopes of masking some of the back discomfort. Fatigue also showed up part way into the 2nd loop. Given my output power and reasonable (for me) heart rate, this was not a good sign. The caffeine helped some for both issues but fatigue and back pain still remained. I didn’t ignore my mental game: don’t look too far ahead. Plan but stay present. Problem solve. Get through this. “What if you are stronger than you think?” (Thank you Kat!) Out near the turnaround for the final time, near Red Mountain, my mind wandered to “I’d like to get off this bike and go hike that mountain.” I pushed it aside, excited that I was about to blast back down the hill for the last time. I also periodically reminded myself to not give in just because it was hard. I thought about how many weekend long rides I had done, how much time I’d put in, and how those training rides took me away from Linda so I better make this worth the sacrifice.

One more recounting: I wore homemade disposable arm warmers, a windbreaker, and those little instant hand warmers in the sub-50* air. The clouds hung around for about ¾ of the ride. When it finally got warm enough I ditched all the extra outerwear, including leaving the jacket at an aid station in case someone behind me needed it.

Favorite sign: “If you’re looking for a sign… This is it!”

T2 – 6m29sec
It was a huge relief to get off the bike. I knew it was a much slower ride than I had hoped for but that’s happened before so I was still open to having a good run. But I was also realistic knowing how I felt going into IMAZ. I got the running shoes and race # belt on, etc. and headed out of the tent. It’s hard to forget stuff (like I did at AZ 70.3) when it’s all in your bag for you to grab. 

Run 26.2 miles – 5:36:56, 38th of 92
It was a rollercoaster of a run. The 1st 2 miles were a struggle but they usually are. I started to find a flow but then I’d lose it – this happened repeatedly. Not long after I would get into a good rhythm then I would begin to feel lousy or feel a hamstring think it might show me who’s boss, and I’d start to slow down or walk again. While I ran most of this marathon, there were plenty of walking blocks. There was also plenty of something else…

OMG! Skip has OMB! Yes, it’s true. I have Old Man Bladder. I stopped 6 different times to pee during the run. Six! It was ridiculous! Each time I got into a portapotty I couldn’t help singing to myself, “Let it go, let it go. Can’t hold it back anymore” from the Frozen song. On the bright side I guess I stayed relatively hydrated and, considering my performance, those 6+ minutes mattered not at all.

Pace wasn’t great but at mile 4 I think I saw a 10:38 mile or something like that. My race brain took a while to calculate things but knew that an 11:25 pace would still get me under the 5 hour marathon. That was my new goal! It didn’t last very long. Even though I resorted to my affirmation question and also to something Sally said that I distilled down to “What if you knew this was your last time being able to do this? What would you do?” Even with all of that I still couldn’t push past everything..

Run nutrition didn’t go very well yet again. I had a plan but I started to stray from it around 5 miles. I tried different things that were available at the aid stations. Nothing went down very well, though at least it all stay down. When I was coughing or heaving, nothing came back up. I think the dry heaving I experienced was probably mostly caused by the dry air than from what I ate/drank. Anyway, I just didn’t get in enough calories. Another unsolved question: I ended up with very sore and very tired abs in spite of all the core training I’d done! How can that be?

I saw family and friends most memorably near the half way mark. Coincidentally I was running pretty well for much of that mile. It was great to see them at that moment and it gave me an energy boost. That didn’t last and again I slowed and sometimes walked.

Some of the running was closer to a shuffle and thanks to my shuffling I found an uneven sidewalk seam that was raised up maybe half an inch. I manage to trip and go down, falling onto my hip. There were 2 or 3 other runners right near me and a young woman quickly asked if I was okay. I was too tired and my mind was too fried to feel embarrassed. I looked up and said, “Yes,” even though I wasn’t quite sure. She then asked if she could help me up. I put my hand up and said, “Yes please” and she pulled me up. I was so grateful for her help and told her so. If she hadn’t helped me I don’t know how long I would have been there. During an Ironman run I’m unable to even bend down to retie a shoe by mile 4 or 5 let alone get up from the ground. Once up I gathered myself, assessed things, and started walking. I had some small abrasions, a little blood, and a hip bruise but nothing really hurt.

I carried on, undulating between feeling like I could run like I had in training and then feeling like I couldn’t run another step and had to walk. There were some moments where balance was a little off and I was asked more than once if I was okay. Eventually I finished, running, staggering, stumbling, and walking.

Favorite signs: “Your high school gym teacher would be so proud of you!” and “Stop reading signs and RUN!”

Finish line 140.6 miles – 13:19:21, 21st of 92
I ran the final ¾ mile to the finish line. I couldn’t wait to be done. A fellow athlete’s wife was volunteering in the finish area and “caught” me. We hugged and I was close to letting go of my emotions but realized I needed to find Linda first. She gave me my medal, shirt, and hat. We found Linda and I immediately went to her and hugged and cried with relief. Mom was next, then food (which I didn’t really want), then friends and sitting and telling stories, and finally gathering up equipment to take back to the van. We ended up at Dave’s BBQ 30 minutes before closing… terrible food idea! Too bad!

It was quite the day. I had lot’s of new experiences at this Ironman, even though it was #13. You never know what you’re going to get on the day and you don’t have control over a lot of that. I got on the “elevator” and it took me to lower level parking instead of the penthouse. I thought I would at least come out of this with less soreness because of my slower performance but that was a wrong and silly notion. 1 day after the finish I felt it just as much. My back also isn’t very happy and the body is tired and in need of a good recovery. So I truly did suffer out there, which is always a goal of mine.

In hindsight I went into this race knowing that I just needed to finish. I didn’t have true expectations that I would place under the circumstances. I also experimented with my training this summer and fall and was less prepared physically than ever before. Even though I have a long, consistently built base of endurance, that can only take me so far when it comes to my own peak performance. I know I’m capable of a faster race than this 13:19 finish but will I ever beat my best performance from 4 years ago? I don’t know. I don’t know yet if I’ve reached my triathlon peak. I certainly don’t want to believe that but I really won’t know until I’ve left no stone unturned and also know I’ve trained the best that I possibly can.

Now I need a break. I need some rest physically and mentally. Next year I have Ironman 70.3 Oceanside on the calendar in early April, which will keep me eligible for the Kona slot. If they don’t get to my name on the list for Kona in 2020 then I don’t plan to do a full 140.6 mile Ironman next year. In 2021 I’ll see where I am mentally and emotionally. I’m guessing that’s when the legacy slot will be awarded to me. I also age up to the 65 to 69 age group. Maybe that will be a chance to try to earn a Kona slot by winning a race. For now it’s just a dream, though. I’ve been striving for this goal of qualifying to race in the World Championships for 11 years now. The rewards have been many despite falling short 13 times. Finding motivation and using that to push my preparation is the key to my success. I’ll need a little break if I’m going to find that again.

I’m grateful for all the love, support, comments, and encouragement I always seem to receive from so many before, during, and after these races. I feel unworthy but I do always try to bring my best on race day. I just want to thank you all very much: Linda, Mom, and my friends who came all the way out to Arizona; family and friends who followed remotely; my Team Challenge family - it wouldn’t be the same without you all.

Where's Your Race Bib?!

Here’s the race report for Ironman 70.3 Arizona 2019. It’s long so feel free to move on by. 

#TCFamily #TeamChallenge #NoGutsKnowGlory #getsladed #DeSoto #IM703AZ #SheridanCycling 

First let me say that I had very low expectations for this bike course. If you look at the map it has 3 “laps” with multiple out-and-backs and MANY left, right, and U-turns so I expected it to be slow and crowded. It was none of these. They did a good job slowly putting us into the water at the start so that we were reasonably spread out on the bike course. I ended up LOVING the ride. It was constantly changing, had varied terrain, and had good scenery too. 

GOALS: Overall I had a successful day. I set what I thought were some realistic time goals, aka performance goals, for what I thought the course would present in the way of challenges, including weather conditions and course layout. 

The splits vs. goals: Swim :32:01 vs :33, T1 8:33 vs 7 min, Bike 2:51 vs 3:00, T2 4:15 vs 3min, and Run 2:09 vs 2:15 for a total time of 5:46 vs 5:58. For the outcome goal I hoped for a top 5 in the age group and I got 5^th… barely. My process goals were mostly achieved as far as effort was concerned. Transitions were a bit shakey and nutrition was less than intended. (More on that later!) I executed the swim, bike and run pretty much as planned effort-wise. Experientially I was also pretty close to what I wanted to do. I interacted with volunteers and fellow racers quite a bit but didn’t see many kids actively spectating so no fist bumps or high fives. I did smile, was grateful to be out there, and hopefully represented everyone – family, TC family, and friends – positively. I didn’t go to my limit on the run because a hamstring didn’t feel 100% and I had in the back of my mind that Ironman Arizona was in 5 weeks so I didn’t want to come away injured.

THE DETAILS: I tried something different the day before. After a 2pm lunch, I had smoothies for dinner. The intention was to allow my GI system to "clear" earlier. It worked out very well.

The swim start was moved to the east end of the lake this year. For the 1^st 17 min. they let one athlete go every 5 seconds. After that it was 2 athletes every 5 seconds. This was a self-seeded start and a much calmer lineup than I expected. I got to the start very early, did my warmup with the stretch cords, and waited for people to line up. You walked down the ramp that was the exit last year, got into the water, and do some multiple turns before heading west to the ramp they used for entry last year. My first step down the ramp onto sand caused my toes to cramp and I belly-flopped into the water. It took about 300 meters before the cramp let go and I was fine the rest of the way. It was a pretty calm swim start and I only bumped into 1 guy. Some slower people who wanted to start early got swum over I’m sure. Sighting was very easy. The water is “silty” – you can’t see past your hand – but I never swallowed any water. There were wetsuit strippers at the exit, which was great! The water was 71*f. so 95% wore wetsuits.

The run to transition was reportedly 300 meters. It seemed to go forever. There was a 3 ft. wide strip of carpet running the whole way so it was a fairly comfortable jog for the feet. I took too much time getting ready in transition. I got my usual stuff on but also put on the “cool wing” arm sleeves in anticipation of a hot ride. They are worth using but I would have been fine without them. I drank down a drink, grabbed my stuff, and ran to the mount line.

The ride, as I said, was fun. While some of the road was a little rough due to construction or “expansion bumps” due to the heat and sun, most of it was fine. I was never actually cold out there and never felt the heat. Admittedly I started relatively early. There were 2 aid stations on each lap, which made an unusually high 6 altogether. The best one to use is the one near the top of a short hill in Papago Park. Bikes are slowing anyway and there are 2 wide traffic lanes. It makes it easy. The U-turns can be dangerous if you don’t slow down. Same holds true for some of the 90* turns but most are wide turns that you can really line up on. You DO always have to be alert on this course, making decisions about gear choice, cornering, passing, controlling your effort, and so forth, but I think all of that makes it fun. As I finished the bike I hadn’t thought it through. Usually I take my feet out of my shoes and hope off at the dismount line to run barefoot from there. I did the same this time but BARELY got my feet out before I hit the line. I managed to get off very UNgracefully as my front wheel reached the line. My bad!

Ran into transition, racked my bike, and sat down to get my run stuff on. I had needed to go #1 for the final 30 min of the bike but my old man bladder held. As I put Aquaphor on my toes and put my socks and shoes on, I let it go, watering the grass. With my extra water bottle that I always bring to transition, I “hosed” myself off. I grabbed my nutrition, looked at what was left at my spot, and ran off to the run exit, proud of myself for multitasking and saving a minute in the portapotty. 

At run exit they said, “Where’s your bib? Go get your bib!” Rookie mistake! I hadn’t seen it and forgot to grab it. I ran the length of transition and found the race belt under my backpack, out of sight, grabbed it, and ran back. I had also screwed up my Garmin since I hadn’t practiced the night before in “triathlon” mode. Eventually, while running, I switched it to run mode but not until after the first mile! Oh well! Another mistake but no biggie in the scheme of things. I run mostly by feel and by heart rate so knowing my pace is more important to me after the race. During the race it’s nice to know pace if that keeps you motivated to push appropriately. Otherwise it can be a negative. 

The first mile or so was rough, but as expected, things improved. As I got going, I did worry a bit about the hamstring, which hadn’t been an issue during training, so I was restrained. I really began to feel pretty good around mile 5 or 6 and that lasted, more or less, to the end. Mom was pretty much in the same spot so I saw her 4 times during the race, giving her a wet (but not sweaty) hug at the halfway point. At aid stations I grabbed water, Red Bull, and ice on the course and carried Clif Bloks for nutrition. I have them pour ice in my hat that I then allow to melt and drip down my face and onto my arm coolers. I was comfortable the entire time. With about ¼ mile to go I removed the arm coolers for the finish line and did my best to finish strong and with a smile. Mom was there waiting at the finish line.

My nutrition feel well short of what was planned. I probably got in 650 calories on the bike and 4-500 on the run. While I felt hungry at times during the run (especially during the final mile) I by no means bonked, nor did I feel like I wanted  much more. I’m not sure this is a problem as long as I’m not slowing down (I didn’t) due to lack of fuel. I did negative split the ½ marathon so that tells me something. Maybe I’m more fat adapted metabolically speaking, than I think.

We went back for the awards ceremony so I could pick up the 5^th place award. We purposely left before the 70.3 World Championships roll down. I think my age group had one slot anyway but traveling to New Zealand isn’t in the cards at the moment, though it’s on Linda’s and my wish list.

Would I do this race again? Heck yeah! It is well-run and has a course that is fun. The number of participants is a bit lower because they don’t want the bike course too congested. Be aware that it is usually a hot race but I highly recommend it if this sounds like your cup of tea!

I only did a partial taper for this race, knowing the Arizona full is 5 weeks away. I will recover for 2 or 3 days before easing back into training again before doing a “real” taper. I’m looking forward to Ironman #13 in Arizona and then I won’t do another full until I get called for the Kona Legacy slot OR I age up to 65 to 69 age group. At least that’s the plan for now.

ODDS AND ENDS: 

The morning started off with an unexpected road closure. Our usual route was blocked for the race course. We went down 2 exits, got lost, returned to the freeway, and found that the eastbound offramp wasn’t closed. We managed to get our usual spot with more ease than usual! It did throw my game off because I though my time schedule was very critical. Losing that 15 minutes turned out to be no big deal! It for sure would be a problem if it happens at Ironman AZ in November.

I saw Mom twice on each loop of the bike. And thanks to my bike computer it let’s me know when it pairs with my cell phone. Since Mom had my phone it let me know every time just before I went past here!

Odd things I saw on the ride: 1) a credit card laying in the bike lane and 2) an unopened piece of mailing laying in the street.

Best sign I saw: Swim – don’t drown, Bike – don’t crash, Run – don’t trip!

Thank you John Sheridan for having my bike in top-notch shape. It worked flawlessly!

Thank you Dave Borys, Steve Brooks, and Chris Thomas for sharing you knowledge about the course.

Thank you to all those who followed my progress on race day.

Thank you MOM for accompanying me on this latest triathlon adventure. You were a great Sherpa and excellent supporter. I love you!

And finally, thank you LINDA for you endless love, support, and encouragement. And thank you for picking up the slack and coaching Team Challenge on your own while I was away having fun!

Ironman Arizona 2018 Race Report Part 3 - Afterthoughts and Perspective

This is part 3 of a 3 part race report for Ironman Arizona. Part 1 is the usual word description and thoughts (click here for the link). Part 2 is the numbers: times, splits, heart rate, etc. This one has my afterthoughts and perspective; more a stream of consciousness. As with all of this, feel free not to read all, or any, of this!

FIFTEEN

I have been training and racing triathlon since 2006. In 2009 I did my first ½ Ironman and first full Ironman triathlons. Ironman Arizona 2018 was my 12^thfull distance Ironman race. I never could have done all of these without the support of Linda. She sees my passion and the positive effects it, in so many ways, has on me. She supports my training and racing, rarely complaining as we juggle things to find the right balance. I also get tremendous support from family (including Mom). They put up with my too frequent inattention to them and allow me to be obsessed.

Ironman for me has rarely been about “just” finishing. For many people that is THE goal and I’m certainly not denigrating that in any way. In fact, my respect for all of those who even make the attempt runs very deep. I understand what goes into dreaming big and making that attempt. My goals, in part, have always included getting faster, improving, racing others, testing how much I can push myself, and qualifying for Kona with my performance. 

I have had 15 opportunities to qualify for the Ironman World Championship over the past 10 years of racing if you include Oceanside 70.3 (it used to offer Kona slots). People have been so positive that I’m going to qualify and I appreciate their belief in me and the faith they have and their positive sentiments. Unfortunately it doesn’t come easily. I’m not some uber-cyclist or super-runner and being a good swimmer doesn’t win a race. Ignoring the “Legacy Slot” option for a minute, just like any goal that is challenging and difficult to achieve, what it takes for me to reach the goal realistically seems to be out of my reach, at least for now.

I’ve fallen short every time. I have come close 3 times. I placed 3^rdin my age group at Ironman Texas in 2011. There were 2 Kona slots. Ironman Arizona 2017 I placed 4^th. There was 1 slot. This year at Ironman Chattanooga I placed 4^thagain and again there was just 1 slot. The journey has been long and every time I’ve fallen short of qualifying of course I’ve still achieved other goals. And I’ve still received rewards of a different sort; learning, personal growth, and hopefully evolving into a wiser coach and better human being. But it has been a long journey. Each Ironman race has involved around 400-450 hours of specific training, sometimes with friends but many times on my own. I am goal driven and race driven and the pursuit of Kona has been my passion. Qualifying for Kona has probably been the goal I’ve held and pursued for the longest time in my life.

And yet I’ve fallen short each time. I’ve “failed” by not racing fast enough to earn a spot at the biggest dance. I’m proud of my pursuit but . To get philosophical, in the end it’s not about achieving the goal, it’s about the journey I took day in and day out; the discipline; the consistency; the challenging of self; the health gains (and losses); the fun; the adventures; the friends made. I’ve gained so much from this pursuit. 

But I also recognize that the sacrifice my family and friends have made has been significant. I’ve missed out on things with family and friends when I’ve chosen to train instead of being with them. Linda throws herself into my goal and journey in so many ways. I could never do this with out her love, support, and enabling. She makes it possible. Jayne, the ever-supportive and energetic mom, is also there for me. She is always up for the events, always encouraging, always ready to help in any way she can, always sharing her pride in her first born’s pursuits and achievements. My kids have their own lives of course but they are impacted by my triathlon focus/obsession. Schedules, travel, training, and family get-togethers always take into account the triathlon calendar. Like non-triathlete friends, they all get shortchanged sometimes.

In spite of being inspired by my trip to Kona to coach, spectate, and take in the whole amazing scene, I feel very drained from racing Chattanooga and Arizona. I also feel guilty about this time consuming pursuit that, while inspiring to many (I’m repeatedly told), also takes time from other things (as noted in the previous paragraph). While I don’t intend to stop – I will get that legacy slot – I think letting go of the ABSOLUTE focus of getting every training in, needs to move down a notch or three on the priorities list for a while.  From the outside looking in, this may not look very different. For me, though, it will be deciding to compromise a training session more often than once every few weeks. It may include training harder but shorter. It will include racing and volunteering at other, shorter races that will also refuel the tri fire. There may be other changes too, who knows?

I don’t know how to finish this stream of consciousness. I hope it wasn’t too rambling and I’m sorry if you read this far and wished you'd moved on to something else! I just felt a need to write more about some things that are important parts of my triathlon pursuits that went beyond the initial race report.