Almost 2 weeks after Kona, I have some time to sit and reflect on my experience. I think this will be the last blog post on this site as all good things must come to an end and my journey to the Ironman World Championships is now complete. I am grateful that this diary will be on the internet for quite some time. I look forward to my daughters reading about it all and even myself when I need a reminder.
First of all racing on the hallowed grounds of the Hawaiian Ironman has been a dream of mine for the past 15 years. It was 15 years ago that I became a triathlete and I was soon captivated by the Ironman VHS tapes that my brother Mike had recorded from TV. The pros winning at the time were the biggest names in the sport and I admired them just like I had admired Michael Jordan just a few years earlier. In 1996 I graduated from high school and raced in my first triathlon and in the same year Belgian Luc Van Lierde was the first European winner of the race and set the course record of 8:04:08 that still stands currently and still has the fastest ever IM finish of 7:50:27 which he also set in 1996 at what was Ironman Germany.
As I slowly built up from sprint triathlons to Olympic then to half ironman races the reality of completing an Ironman race came to reality in 2000 when I finished Ironman Florida. I honestly picked Florida because I felt it was the flattest and therefore easiest course I could find. I finished in 11:34:14 with swim, bike and run times of 1:02, 5:42 and 4:39. I remember the sun went down pretty early in November and I ran lots of the marathon in the dark and it felt like a painful death march at times. Afterwards walking up and down stairs was dreadful but I was an Ironman and I got my M-dot tattoo on my arm.
Two years later I raced Ironman Wisconsin in Madison. For this race I had a coach and was preparing for this race very well. I was in graduate school at the time and had plans of getting married and moving this year as well. One very unfortunate thing that happened this year is that I suffered an appendicitis over Christmas and had to undergo surgery. This surgery really affected my fitness that year and I still regard it as the first step of me losing my abs! I was married in June and honeymooned into July then we moved to Las Cruces shortly thereafter and Wisconsin was the second weekend in September. Madison was such a beautiful place and I hope to someday go back to that part of the country with the family maybe for a race or maybe not. In 2002, it was Wisconsin's innagural year so we knew very little about the course and how difficult it actually was. I finished in 12:03:34 with swim, bike and run times of 1:03, 6:11 and 4:31. The race itself and Madison was a blast but I was disappointed in my result and the Ironman distance left a sour taste in my mouth.
Twice since 2002 I have signed up for an Ironman event and not made it to the starting line. Once I withdrew from Ironman Arizona because of the poor health my dad was in at the time and the need for me to be traveling between Las Cruces and Socorro. Then I withdrew from Ironman USA in New York because of other personal reasons that got in the way of this hobby. Emma was born in 2005, right around the both of these races and I was now working as a math teacher in Las Cruces.
From then to now I have wondered if I would ever train for and complete another Ironman race, let alone the World Championships. I put on additional weight from those days and another little girl had become part of our family last year. Add to that the fact that I started coaching varsity XC and track. I had always maintained enough fitness to race local triathlons every year since 1996 but an Ironman is so much more dedication in every sense: time, effort, money... Let's just say I had gotten "comfortable."
So thank goodness that the original Ironman founders decided to add a lottery for Hawaii because without that golden ticket I was lucky enough to get I would not have been motivated enough to race another Ironman again. I found out that I was a lottery recipient the day after my 33rd birthday, almost 6 months before race day in Kona. Fast forward through a lot of training over the summer that you have probably already read about on this blog and I made it to Kona 15 pounds lighter, healthy and as good of shape as I have ever been in.
Race week in Kona is so much fun. There are just so many fit people all out training, there is just so much to take in. My personal favorite is swimming at Dig Me Beach in the early mornings leading up to the race. Also, with a little encouraging, Emma and I participated in the underpants run on Thursday before the race. It was a fun way to experience everything about the Hawaii Ironman and have a good laugh while doing it.
Saturday came around quickly and surprisingly I wasn't very nervous at all. I really thought I would be but I was glad I wasn't because it was a whole lot easier that way. Breakfast was oatmeal, a banana and coffee. I got body marked, checked my bike and dropped off the special needs bag for the bike and everything was set to go. I walked over to where the family was along the sea wall and said my good byes before the long day officially started.
I lined up for the swim on the far left which I had heard was the least aggressive. I was a few rows back from the start line and I can honestly say that the swim was one of the most enjoyable swims I have ever had in a race of this size. Besides the water being amazingly warm and clear, I just sort of found my own spot for the entire swim. I swam pretty conservatively on the way out and made it to the turnaround in :31. Upon reaching the boat I realized that I was moving and because of that the day was sure to come to an end and it made me a little sad to be honest. I found a good pair of feet to follow on the return trip and I worked harder than I had on the way out but there might have been a current because I exited the swim in 1:05. Slower than my 2 previous IM swims but Hawaii is a non wetsuit swim so roughly pretty identi
cal. I was pleased with this time knowing that my swim training had dropped off some once school started.
Onto the bike and the plan was to stick to my nutrition plan and ride as if it were a training day and not get caught up in a "race." My nutrition plan was a drink of Powerbar Peform mixed with Carbo Pro every :15 and a salt pill and gel every :30. My goal was to be able to get off the bike feeling like I could and still wanted to run. I later read the the temps on the road reached to the triple digits during the race but I didn't really notice the heat or the humidity. What I did notice was wind! There was one section that I feared staying in my aerobars and because I didn't take my hands off the bars I let my nutrition go a little through this section during the out and the back portion of the bike. Momentum slowed for sure during these 2 sections. On the return along the Queen K Highway I started getting tired and the motivation dropped
some. This was to be expected. In a race this long there will be highs and there will be lows. Some advice I got before the race was to not let the highs be too high or the lows be too low. I did eventually pull it out and picked it up coming back into town. Final bike split was 5:53 and I averaged 19 miles per hour for the 112 miles. Like I planned that was a good "training day" speed and not really a race pace. And most importantly, like Forrest Gump, I felt like running.
My run transition took a little longer than expected as I waited a bit for my Garmin GPS watch to locate some satellites. As you would expect from technology it set up very quickly in all of the training I did in Kona leading up to the race but it seemed to take forever on race day. I think the biggest goal of the bike ride was to set myself up for a good run, nutrition included. For this reason I didn't have much of a plan for nutrition on the run. I was going to take the aid stations as they came. If I felt like something I grabbed it and if I didn't I continued running. Ice proved to be my most favorite. The first 10 miles of this course are in Kona and on Alii Drive so there are lots of fans cheering and it passes rather quickly. I was super happy to see that both Lindsey and Mike had rented bicycles in town and were pretty much going to be able to follow my entire run. All of this portion felt great and I ran comfortable 8:20 - 8:40 minute miles. Again, I wasn't trying to race anyone, just enjoy my experience and make sure I got to the line on my own 2 feet and with a smile.
The remaining 16 miles are on the Queen K Highway which we had just used for the bike ride. It was here that my stomach took a turn for the worst and I needed 4 stops at port a potties during the remaining miles. There is also one stretch of an out and back called the Natural Energy Lab and that was a tough section to get through. Similar to the bike I had some highs and some lows on the run and towards the end I was able to find my running legs and get through it. As the finish line drew closer and closer I wish I could say that I was full of emotions. My first Ironman I finished in Florida I couldn't help but let some tears of joy roll down but here in Hawaii they did not come. Not because I wasn't happy or sad, I think I just had come to the end of my journey and I was content. My run time was 4:15:39 or a pace of 9:45 minutes per mile. Although I had been on pace to attain my personal goal of finishing before the sunset, it did not happen with those unfortunate bathroom breaks. I finished the race in 11:27:31 which was 6:27 pm in the evening and the sun had set just a few minutes before.
Upon finishing I was walked over to the medical tent where they checked my weight and since I had only lost a total of 4lbs during the day I did not require an IV but I did lay down for a while with my feet elevated as I was feeling tingly in my extremities. When I finally got up and out of there I made 2 more bathroom visits then gathered my stuff and walked over with my family to a place where I could eat a hot dog and a shaved ice. Although I had thought I might be interested in showering and going back to the finish line for the midnight celebration i simply showered and went to bed, the days work was over and I could rest with my wife and daughters.
The next 2 days in Hawaii were fun and I was surprised how un-sore I was. I was able to play a little at the beach and enjoy some Hawaii time. Since arriving back in Socorro I think I have finally got caught up on rest and washing clothes and unpacking. Things are back to normal and I've even joined my XC kids on a couple of runs. I still don't know when or if I will do another Ironman again but I am already registered for a half Ironman in June so although I am taking some time off now it won't be too much longer until I am back at it, logging miles with a purpose and race in mind.
I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to participate in this race and I know I couldn't have nor would I have wanted to do it without the love and support from my closest friends and family and the XC kids.
Thank you for being part of it all.
