So, training hasn't gone so well since the last time I posted. I've gone through several training programs and nothing has stuck. Since my last post I've had a baby and moved. Those things have taken a bit of my time. Plus my job hours were cut, which you'd think would give me more time, but since I'm now on a 4 day, 9 hour schedule, I have long weekends, but less time during the week. So, the bottom line is that I've hardly trained so far this year. I tried to get in a few rides/runs/swims, but nothing that would be considered "training."
Well, this first race came up quick and I figured, what the hell, I'll do the best I can. It's not a big race so it's a good starting barometer. I've decided that going forward from here I'm just going to get in training sessions when I can, but I'm not going to worry about sticking to a schedule, at least for now. The first half of this season will just be fun, and starting in June I'll get more focused as I start training for the Augusta Half Ironman in Sept.
Anyway, back to the race. The swim was a 500 yard lake swim, then a 13 mileish bike ride through what was mainly rolling hills, and then a 5k run.
The swim felt very good, and quite different from the last one. This wave contained five people, where as my last open water swim had 2500 people. A bit roomier. I felt pretty good, considering I've swam 5 times in the last 3 months. Although I got out, I'm hopeful the swim was long, because my time was not good if it were a true 500 yards. I'm a typical 1:43 or less per 100 yard swimmer, and at the race I paced 2:03, if it were accurate. Even in the Ironman I paced 1:45, so I highly doubt I was that much slower, considering I was pushing harder as well.
Anyway, on to the bike. The run to the TA was a joy. Had to run up a short beach, then up a very long staircase, then a slight hill. They never do us much favors with that. I could barely run it, I had to walk a good bit of that. I did a pretty fast transition, and then started running out of transition and I'm running and running, and finally wondering where the hell the mount line is and I yell out and ask, apparently it was a random spot that a few volunteers were standing on, and no one either told me, or they didn't say it loud enough...typically there's a line spray painted. No biggie, that probably only cost me a few seconds. On to the bike...I actually felt great on the bike. The course started with a pretty long, steep climb. All in all it was actually a pretty fun course. Lots of turns, ups and downs, and I surprised myself. I pushed pretty hard and passed quite a few people who had a significantly large head start on me. I really knocked out the hills so that was encouraging for me going forward. I'm really going to try and get more hilly rides in so I can improve in that regard. That is clearly my biggest weakness, and it'll not only help my bike but my run as well. My bike time was around 49 minutes and I averaged right at 16 mph. A little slower than where I was last year, but since I haven't been riding at all, I'll take it.
T2 as usual was super quick. However, I'm starting to think I need tri specific shoes. I'm always have a hard time getting my shoes on barefoot, because the sole slides up with my foot. Sometimes takes a few tries to get it on properly, kind of defeating the time saving aspect of going sockless.
So on to the run. My running seems to have taken the least beating, since that was my best time(not overall, but to me). This run started out with about a quarter mile downhill, so just enough time to let you cool down a bit from the bike, but then went straight into a very steep quarter mile climb. Brutally steep climb, I made up running, but I was barely going faster than a walk. After topping out you were rewarded with an equally steep downhill, so hardly a break. The next mile or so was a steady climb to the turnaround. I think i maintained a fairly steady, solid pace until that point. I knew once I made it to the turn around the rest would be easy. After hitting the turn around I picked up my pace slightly, since I had just a bit over a mile and it was all slightly downhill. As I got closer I kept increasing the pace just slight before breaking out into an all out sprint with about 50 yards to go. It was actually the best I'd felt after finishing a sprint tri. I'm usually feeling pretty lousy and very light headed, but I didn't feel any of that. My run time was 25:46 for a pace of 8:31.
I wound up finishing first in the age group division, but it was only out of three. But hell, a win is a win! I'll take it.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
2012 Triathlon Season is underway - Week 1
Yea, so the whole "I'm going to start posting again thing really didn't pan out so much. Oh well. I haven't had much to say. I had been doing P90X over the past couple months to work on some of my short comings, which is primarily strength. It worked I'd say. I managed to add on a few pounds of muscle, I think. My weight is up about 13 pounds since the ironman, but considering there was thanksgiving, a cruise, and christmas in between there, I would venture a guess that I did not gain 13 pounds of muscle since then. But, I definitely noticed and felt a difference in strength by the time I put an end to P90X. It definitely works, but I just hated every moment of it. I was really happy to get back to tri training this week. Indoor training is not for me. Nor is waking up at 5:15 every day. So anyway, I had done a few runs, swims and bike rides interspersed over the past few months, but nothing really consistent. I did a 10 a few weeks ago. I did finally accomplish one goal, which was a sub 1 hr 10k . I do feel I could've done a lot better with a better strategy. I had actually done the route the week before, in worse conditions, with a slightly better time. I just went too hard at first leaving me dieing over the final two miles, especially the final half mile of steep climbing.
I started up this week with my training set for my target race at the Biltmore Lake Sprint. I'm hoping for a drastic improvement from last years race when I really didn't train for it it all. It was during my down time between training periods and it was just a local race I wanted to race. So I have no reason why I shouldn't beat my time of 1:47 from last year. I did place 3rd in my group though, so it would be cool to improve on that.
My training has been super easy so far, quite a huge change from Ironman training. The sessions are far shorter now, but are focused on higher intensity for the most part. It does make them considerably more difficult than last year, but far far far less time. I haven't really taken my road bike out at all do to weather and laziness. But I have gotten two indoor trainer sessions in so far. It seems that swimming is my most vastly improved segment, possibly as a result of P90X. My upper body strength was easily my biggest weakness, and despite swimming being my strongest sport before, it so far seems even stronger. My running is feeling pretty good too. I'm not watching my HR like a hawk like I had been before, but more running by feel. My comfortable pace seems to be in the 9:45 range, give or take depending on the terrain.
I've become part of a weekly group run on saturdays that focuses on trail runs, so that'll definitely help tremendously with leg strength and endurance. Hills have been a huge stumbling block for me, so this will definitely help a lot.
Well, that about covers it, back to work I guess.
I started up this week with my training set for my target race at the Biltmore Lake Sprint. I'm hoping for a drastic improvement from last years race when I really didn't train for it it all. It was during my down time between training periods and it was just a local race I wanted to race. So I have no reason why I shouldn't beat my time of 1:47 from last year. I did place 3rd in my group though, so it would be cool to improve on that.
My training has been super easy so far, quite a huge change from Ironman training. The sessions are far shorter now, but are focused on higher intensity for the most part. It does make them considerably more difficult than last year, but far far far less time. I haven't really taken my road bike out at all do to weather and laziness. But I have gotten two indoor trainer sessions in so far. It seems that swimming is my most vastly improved segment, possibly as a result of P90X. My upper body strength was easily my biggest weakness, and despite swimming being my strongest sport before, it so far seems even stronger. My running is feeling pretty good too. I'm not watching my HR like a hawk like I had been before, but more running by feel. My comfortable pace seems to be in the 9:45 range, give or take depending on the terrain.
I've become part of a weekly group run on saturdays that focuses on trail runs, so that'll definitely help tremendously with leg strength and endurance. Hills have been a huge stumbling block for me, so this will definitely help a lot.
Well, that about covers it, back to work I guess.
Friday, December 30, 2011
I hate legs and back
Today was legs and back day. I do not like this day. Last week I attributed my problems to being the end of the week of my first week of the program. No such excuses this week. This is not a good set of exercises for me. I've always had issues with light headedness, and this day really sets it off. It's tons of up and down style exercises which makes it much worse for me. Like last week I felt so lousy at the end I couldn't do the ab program. Which was unfortunate because unlike last week I'm no longer scared of it. It still kills me but I can do it. Even though the other days are harder than this one, the act of constantly squatting and standing really gets to my head. I had to take lots of breaks and not necessarily because of being out of breath or tired, I was just dizzy as hell and couldn't stand. Not sure what to do about this. It's frustrating because I don't feel like I'm getting as good a workout as a could if I were able to go at it non stop, as well as being able to go through the full range of motions.
Oh well. I just want to get through a few months of this and get back to tri training. Oh how I miss you tri training! I miss the pool, the bike, even running! I think it's the outdoors I miss. Training in a gym is so insanely boring, I dont know how people do it permanently.
Oh well. I just want to get through a few months of this and get back to tri training. Oh how I miss you tri training! I miss the pool, the bike, even running! I think it's the outdoors I miss. Training in a gym is so insanely boring, I dont know how people do it permanently.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
39 days AI(after Ironman)
I wasn't sure if I'd ever get back to this blog again or not, or start up a new one. Well, I'm going to keep this one going. I figure I'll still talk about current, future training and new races that come up. First off, post ironman thoughts...It's been a really strange month for me. I started training for that race just about a year ago. So between the time of January and November of this past year, my thoughts were really focused on the Ironman. Every training session was done thinking about how I was going to go about that race. Everything I ate, did, etc. My life was getting ready for that race. Then, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was over.
The days since have been weird. I actually had a hard time removing the countdown clock from my phone, but fortunately I didn't have to remove it so much as change it to an even more exciting event...the birth of my son. In the time since my race I first took about 2-3 weeks off from exercise completely. That really felt great, but I did start itching to do something pretty quickly. I thought the idea of training would make me sick after that but it was the opposite. I actually started to miss it. I did a few short runs, but no cycling. The weather hasn't been great, plus, cycling tends to be more involved and take more time. I haven't swam yet either. Part of that was because of my awesome new tattoo :)
So what I have done was started P90X last week. I figured since tri season doesn't start till April I was going to try and get through the full session. I know strength is one of my biggest deficiencies so this will definitely help. Then I get back into the full swing of tri training. At this point I'm 11 days in. This is the second farthest I've made it! Once I made it three weeks so we'll see how it goes. I'm at least past the soreness. The first week was absolutely brutal. Everything hurt and it even hurt to sleep. Now at least I struggle through the workouts but I feel fine the next day. It's giving me more encouragement that I'll be able to keep going.
As far as the coming tri season. I'm really excited about it! I got permission from my very sweet and understanding wife to go ahead and get a tri specific bike. That's one thing that will really boost my times, plus make it more fun, and well, give me less excuses. I have a tri helmet on the way too, xmas present courtesy of some cash the inlaws gave me for christmas. So my plan for this season is to really work on speed. I spent an entire year training at low heart rates, and had races that pretty much followed that. Very slow, but easy races. This year I want to move up. My goal is to go from a middle of the pack to top of the pack. I believe I can do it. I was sitting in the middle without feeling like I was pushing myself, especially in training. With the new gear, intense strength training, and tri training geared more towards speed I think I can make the move.
I haven't planned out my race schedule yet, since I wanted to look at them with Rachel and see if there were any places she'd like to go. But the definite races are the Clemson Tri in May, Enka Tri in June, Lake Logan Intl in August, Lake Lure Tri in August. I also want to do at least one 1/2 IM towards the end of the season, and maybe a couple destination races, either charleston, hilton head, myrtle or savannah. Anyway, I'm really excited about the coming year.
I plan to write more often on here in the coming weeks, might be slow for a little while though.
Oh and of course a few Ironman pics....
The days since have been weird. I actually had a hard time removing the countdown clock from my phone, but fortunately I didn't have to remove it so much as change it to an even more exciting event...the birth of my son. In the time since my race I first took about 2-3 weeks off from exercise completely. That really felt great, but I did start itching to do something pretty quickly. I thought the idea of training would make me sick after that but it was the opposite. I actually started to miss it. I did a few short runs, but no cycling. The weather hasn't been great, plus, cycling tends to be more involved and take more time. I haven't swam yet either. Part of that was because of my awesome new tattoo :)
So what I have done was started P90X last week. I figured since tri season doesn't start till April I was going to try and get through the full session. I know strength is one of my biggest deficiencies so this will definitely help. Then I get back into the full swing of tri training. At this point I'm 11 days in. This is the second farthest I've made it! Once I made it three weeks so we'll see how it goes. I'm at least past the soreness. The first week was absolutely brutal. Everything hurt and it even hurt to sleep. Now at least I struggle through the workouts but I feel fine the next day. It's giving me more encouragement that I'll be able to keep going.
As far as the coming tri season. I'm really excited about it! I got permission from my very sweet and understanding wife to go ahead and get a tri specific bike. That's one thing that will really boost my times, plus make it more fun, and well, give me less excuses. I have a tri helmet on the way too, xmas present courtesy of some cash the inlaws gave me for christmas. So my plan for this season is to really work on speed. I spent an entire year training at low heart rates, and had races that pretty much followed that. Very slow, but easy races. This year I want to move up. My goal is to go from a middle of the pack to top of the pack. I believe I can do it. I was sitting in the middle without feeling like I was pushing myself, especially in training. With the new gear, intense strength training, and tri training geared more towards speed I think I can make the move.
I haven't planned out my race schedule yet, since I wanted to look at them with Rachel and see if there were any places she'd like to go. But the definite races are the Clemson Tri in May, Enka Tri in June, Lake Logan Intl in August, Lake Lure Tri in August. I also want to do at least one 1/2 IM towards the end of the season, and maybe a couple destination races, either charleston, hilton head, myrtle or savannah. Anyway, I'm really excited about the coming year.
I plan to write more often on here in the coming weeks, might be slow for a little while though.
Oh and of course a few Ironman pics....
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Ironman Arizona 2011 Race Report
Ironman Arizona Race Report
11-20-2011
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run
14:18:20
Here I sit on the place, about 36 hours, give or take, since crossing the finish line of Ironman Arizona. It’s hard to believe that it’s all over. This entry is probably going to be quite long, so I applaud you for sticking around to the end if you can make it that far. Of course, I did exercise for over 14 hours, so sitting and reading about it shouldn’t be that difficult! So first off, the basic metrics of race day.
The weather couldn’t have been better. The high was in the mid 70’s, the low was probably in the mid 50’s. There were some strong winds out in the desert, however not so strong that you had to kill yourself going into them. More on that later. It was sunny all day, but never hot. The water temperature was a balmy 61o.
Swim: Dream time – 1:15:00, Expected time – 1:25:00 Actual time – 1:15:00
I actually nailed my dream time on the swim. I couldn’t believe it. First off, they had all 2800 of us needing to get through the inflatable gate to work out way into the water. That was quite a site. Nearly 3,000 people standing around in wetsuits and swim caps very very slowly walking towards the gate. Once you got through you worked your way over to the ramp, where you pretty much have to jump in. No easing yourself into that water. However, the whole thing about if you don’t jump right in you get pushed in…not really. There was a lot of space along this ledge, and most people did just jump in. However, if you were one of those who needed a minute to prep yourself for the plunge, you were free to take it. No one forced you in. I only paused to make sure my goggles were on snug and sealed and I made my plunge. Even with the wet suite and neoprene vest under it that water took your breath away. I did go with a neoprene cap and ear plugs. For anyone out there reading this who plans to do a cold water Ironman, I’d wear the cap and plugs. I can’t comment as to what it feels like without them, but I can say that my head never felt the least bit cold. I did have a sleeveless wetsuit and although my arms were freezing at first, I felt completely comfortable after just a few minutes. Get in the water early, swim to the start and you’ll be fine. And I don’t have the highest of tolerances for cold water, considering even in the 80 degree pool, the first plunge still makes me cold. So, I slowly eased my way to the start line. I did do the practice swim the day before, fortunately, because I knew that I’d get over the feeling of not being able to breath and my arms feeling numb. Upon jumping in again on race day, my lungs did contract making it hard to breath. But I knew the procedure. Easy breast stroke taking short quick breaths. Relax, gradually taking in deeper breaths until I could breath normal. Within 50 yards I was completely at ease. I found my spot and hovered there. I started out about 50 yards or so from the front of the pack. I found a nice open area, right in front of one of the bridge supports, my reasoning for that was that I wouldn’t have to worry about some overzealous racer who felt the need to take off like a bat out of hell climbing over my back immediately. Some people out there forget that we have over 2 miles to swim…what’s the rush? So, Mike Riley(the voice of Ironman) gave our prerace pep talk. That got everyone fired up. Then, there was no countdown, the canon blasted signaling the start of Ironman Arizona. I paused for a second to think to myself, “You are now racing in an Ironman,” then I put my head down and took my first stroke, first step, into what was going to be an unforgettable day.
The swim was nothing like I expected. I had watched video’s, read reports and heard stories. I was fully expecting something more like full combat swimming, where I would be deflecting as many arms and legs as strokes I’d be taking. It was nothing like that at all. Now, don’t take this to mean it was like a relaxing swim with nothing but my thoughts, there were 2800 people in a fairly tight space, however, as long as you kept your wits about you, and kept your head on a swivel, you could find your own space fairly easily. I could only really remember about 2 people being idiots and clobbering me. Most other people would hit you once, adjust, and you’d never be bothered again. I was able to really keep a nice smooth pace throughout. It really is amazing though, how far 2.4 miles is when you look at it over water. The turnaround was about 1-1.1 miles away. You couldn’t even see it from the start. You knew you had to go under the bridge, which was somewhat visible, unfortunately, I was thinking it was immediately after the bridge. It was not. I got to the bridge and realized no one was turning for the foreseeable future. So I just kept on going. Finally after a few more minutes I spotted was a huge orange buoy(the sight buoys were all yellow) which signaled the turn around. I made it to the turn around, and for future notice, do not take the turn tight. Stupid. Everyone tries to take the turn tight so it winds up more congested there than even at the beginning. So congested in fact that no one can even swim. The best you could manage was a weak doggy paddle or breast stroke. It was about 50 yards till the turn buoy to head back the way you came. So the first thing I did was swim across the line of swimmers to get away from the buoy. That worked like a charm. I made the next turn without so much as even touching anyone. I made a slow smooth turn without breaking my stroke. I took a peak at my watch, expected to be in the 35-40 minute range, and to my surprise it said 25 minutes. I was shocked. I knew I wasn’t quite halfway there, but I was way way way faster than I expected. So, now that I’m on the return trip, I knew all I had to do was just keep up the same pace and I’d be golden. I was tired, breathing heavy or anything. I was really able to just make it a nice long relaxing warm up for what lied ahead. I wish I had some more excitement to talk about for the final mile or so but it was such an easy swim that it was completely uneventful. So, skipping ahead to the final turn, which lead to about 100 yards away from the exit point I just kept on at that pace. I kept eyeing the exit stairs and before I knew it I was reaching for the hands of the volunteer who helped pull me out of the water and just like that, my ironman swim was done. Getting out was pretty funny. I knew they had wetsuit strippers, but I didn’t really know what to think. That is truly what they are. You get your arms out, they really do the rest. They’ll pull them down, you get on your butt, lift your legs up and two people in a matter of seconds rip the rest of the suit off you. In a time of just 1:15:00 I was well ahead of where I had hoped to be. I ranked 108 in my division and 874 overall.
T1:
That led to the first transition. I didn’t realize how far away it was. Now, my swimming ability FAR exceeds my overall Ironman ability. So, I basically exited with people who were in it for far more than just finishing. My plan was to walk the entire transition chute, which became exceedingly difficult with not just the hundreds and hundreds of screaming fans, but all the other racers who were running past me. I really felt like I should’ve started running, but I said to myself, “What’s the hurry? We all get the same medal.” So I kept on walking. Finally got to the bags and the volunteer was in way more of a hurry than me. He went jumping over lines of bags to retrieve mine. He grabbed it, and came rushing back to give it to me. I smiled, sort of laughed, cause he thought I cared about my time, thanked him and proceeded to walk to some open grass to throw on my bike gear. That proved to be pretty difficult, as expected. I followed some advice that I read about wearing a long sleeve shirt under my jersey. Not so much for warmth but protection from the elements. It was actually a bit cold starting out leg 1. So I was extra glad for it, but more on that later. It was difficult because getting a tight shirt on wet skin is surprisingly difficult. It took my three tries to get that shirt on over my arms cause it kept twisting on me. One stupid thing I did was not pre pack my GU’s into my jersey pockets, so that was just extra pointless time packing them in there. I should’ve had everything I was going to take on the course in my jersey. But that wasn’t a major mistake. I probably also didn’t need to bring my GU belt, I only did so to store my salt tablets in. They’d have been fine in one of my jersey pockets. I had a remarkable slow transition time, 5-10 minutes slower than I anticipated, but I also didn’t anticipate a 5 minute walk to get there. But it gave me a lot of time to rest. Still a lot of day ahead of me. So after finally getting all my gear on I headed out to the bike area, but not before getting a nice lathering of sun screen from the sun screen volunteers. They really have someone out there for every aspect of the race. All you did was stand there, tell them where to put it and they went to work. Next stop was to pick up my bike. Again, more volunteers to do that for you. You yell out your number, someone goes running and grabs your bike, you just stand there and your bike is delivered to you. From there it was time to head out to the desert and solitude.
Bike: I caught my first glimpse of my family and Rachel starting out on the bike. They were waiting for me in the chute that you rode out to get to the main part of the course. I was so glad to see them there before getting out cause I knew it would be a long time until I had another chance. Plus I knew they were most concerned about the swim, because of the stories I had told them. So I was able to relax knowing they knew I was safe. The first ¼ mile of the bike is absolutely awesome. Maybe longer I don’t know. There are literally thousands of screaming spectators cheering you on as you make your way out of the city. It’s perfect. For me the start of a long bike ride is the hardest. Your computer is still showing not just minutes, but seconds and you know how far you still have to go. So having them out there really gets your energy and your spirits up. Thus I began the longest leg of the day. The course consists of three loops of about 37.4 miles. The loops are 18.7 mile out and backs. It consisted of 8 miles with a bunch of turns in the city, then 10 miles continuous through the desert. From a mental standpoint it was easy to break it down into 6 shorter sections. I broke down each leg into city, desert, desert, city, and so on. You just couldn’t go out there thinking 112 miles to go. So leg number one was a really tough one for me. As I stated before, I’m a strong swimmer, far stronger relative to cycling. So for my first leg I was out there surrounded by much stronger cyclists than myself. So I was being passed constantly, and I had to really force myself to keep my speed down and ultimately my heart rate(henceforth known as HR) down. It required going a lot slower than I had anticipated. I was hoping to be able to maintain 17 mph for the race. That hope was shattered quickly as my HR got up to 150 only going in the 16’s. I needed to keep my HR under 140 for the first leg or I’d have a lot of trouble with the run. I did know that the outbound trip was slightly uphill, so I had hoped to make up some time on the return trip. I was able to keep my HR in check by slowing down a bit. For most of the first 10 miles I was able to keep my pace around 16 mph with my HR in the mid 140’s. That first leg became tougher and tougher as we approached the steeper section. The final four miles start turning into a legitimate climb as you approach the turn around. What was also not so pleasant of a surprise was the stiffening head wind as we were trying to climb. My speed eventually slowed to between 11-13 mph. But that was as fast as I was able to go while keep my HR down. Even at that, by the time I reached the peak I had hit 170. I would never reach that number again. After the turn around though was sheer joy. Without even trying, I was coasting down the hill, with the wind at a comfortable 25-27 mph. It was great! I was able to get my HR back down below 120 before the hill finally leveled out. Even at that I was able to continue at around 20 mph for most of the return trip. After that first leg I thought I might be looking at a 7.5 hour bike. I did not want to be that slow. That’s just a long time to be sitting on the bike. Not comfortable. Upon approaching the turn around the crowd support began to increase again. Once you got back into Tempe I was again riding amongst thousands of fans. Their energy was intoxicating. It was incredible, I was feeling like a rock star. I’ve really never experienced anything like it. It was a huge lift to help you get started again on loop 2. I think loop 2 was the worst. Nothing bad happened, but you’re just in the middle of the grind. The excitement of loop 1 is over, you’re no longer fresh. You’re not beat or exhausted but the weight of the day is starting to hit and you know you still have another loop to go. I also knew that this leg was much tougher than the return trip due to climbing and a head wind. Oh well, suck it up and get moving. So I just buckled down, put my head down, dropped into my aero bars and proceeded. There was a noticeable increase in speed on lap 2. It seemed that I was finally settling in and was able to cruise along. Lap 2 was actually pretty cool cause it was my first view of the pros. I saw them on lap 1, but they were going the opposite direction and everyone looks fast coming at you. But they passed me on this leg and it was amazing how fast they were able to go. I can explain how incredible it is to truly be sharing the same playing field with athletes who are the best in the world. So back to me(that’s what this is about anyway, right?). I finally reached the desert section again. This time however, my speed was up, my HR was down and I was feeling good and strong. I was going significantly faster than the first leg. Almost 2 mph faster. I thought I was just having a second wind kicking in. I was locked in and slicing through the wind. After about 20 minutes or so it hit me like a ton of bricks. On the first leg I felt a lot of wind on my face even though I was going slower. I realized that the wind didn’t feel light on me, I didn’t feel any wind at all. As if there was more wind coming from behind than I was going through. For instance…I was going 17 mph, and the wind from behind was going 20 mph. I started watching the vegetation closer….Yep. Sure enough all the shrubs were being pushed down in the direction I was going. I was not getting stronger, I had a huge tail wind. My spirits were dashed, but I did realize that I would not be having a massage negative split like I was thinking. So, I quickly changed my tune towards being grateful for having a tailwind to help push me up the climb. The climb was far easier this time around. What I did at 12 mph with a 170 HR last time, I was able to move around 15-16 mph with an HR around 155-160. The moment I hit the turnaround I felt the wind instantly. It was powerful. This return trip was not the fun cruise it had been a few hours prior. Fortunately, the first 2 miles were steep enough that you were still able to cruise though it with little effort. Although, what had once been a 26 mph screamer, turned into 17 mph push. Once it leveled out though, it was definitely a solid challenge. The return trip of the second loop was definitely the most difficult. My first leg was slower, but I also knew I’d have a fast downhill afterwards. This time I knew when it was over I’d be turning around to go back uphill. Upon arriving back in Tempe and nearing the turnaround the spectator energy really got you amped back up. Riding through that crowd completely reenergized you for the final leg. It was also an awesome feeling knowing you were heading out for the last time. The final leg was probably my strongest. I did a great job pacing myself on the first 75 miles and still felt fresh. We still had some wind at our backs for most of the way out, which made that final uphill leg very easy. Funny thing happened on that leg however. As I was about 5 or so miles from the turn around all of a sudden the wind was back to being in my face. This made me happy. I knew I could cut through it for the rest of that trip, and I also knew that meant I’d be able to get much more rest than I thought I would on the final trip back into town. At the turn around I just dropped back into my bars and coasted the whole way down the first few miles of hills. Fortunately, there was nothing too eventful about the return trip. I did the best I could to rest, not push, after all, I still had a marathon to run after this. Hitting the 100 mile mark felt great. What was even better was knowing that I wasn’t the least bit tired yet. My legs felt great, even more importantly, my head was in an even better place. I knew getting through the bike would be the toughest thing. It’s the longest and loneliest part. The run is littered with spectators, you can talk to other runners, you can walk, etc. About 10 miles out, I knew I’d be finishing the Ironman. The final few miles of the bike felt great. Chatted with a few other fellow racers, soaked in the crowd energy and really loved riding through the final chute with spectators lined up cheering us as we finished up the remaining few feet in the epic 112 mile bike ride. My dream time was 6:00 and my expected time was 6:30. However, between the wind and the unaccounted for stops at the bathrooms and special needs station, I finished the ride with a total time of 6:50:23. At this point I was 180th in my group and 1782nd overall.
T2:
The second transition was a bit quicker than the first. Not surprisingly considering how much more you have to put on for the bike. But I grabbed my bag and went into the changing tent. One of the fantastic volunteers helped me with just about everything short of putting the stuff on for me. He got everything out, laid it either on the chair or ground. And when I say everything, I mean a lot of stuff. There’s quite a few things you need on you when you’re about to head out for a 26.2 mile run. Hat, shoes, new socks, GU’s, salt tablets, fuel belt, GU belt, new shirt, etc. I chatted with him for a bit while I got my stuff on. And after getting all ready to go I made my way out of the tent, had them put more sunscreen on me, used the bathroom and set out to run a nice quick marathon. My time was 7:33 in transition.
Run:
The run was one of the more interesting runs I’ve ever done. It consisted of three loops of 8.7 miles each. Mostly flat, with 2 climbs, neither of which were too bad. Between resting at the end of the bike and taking my time in transition I was able to get my HR back down to the 130’s. My prerace plan was to keep it under 151 for the first loop, 160 for the second, and 170 for the third. I also planned to run 5 minutes and walk 1, unless it climbed too high at which point I’d walk it back down. The plan changed about 15 minutes into the run. There was no way I was able to keep it under 150 and still run. My legs felt fine to run slow, but I wasn’t ready to walk just yet. So I changed my plan to 158, 170, 170. So the first loop it did climb up and over 158 a few times so I was forced to walk a bit more than I wanted. I brought perpetuem in my fuel belt because that’s what I used during training and I didn’t want to change things up on race day. I was getting really really sick of that stuff by the run. But I forced myself to keep drinking it every 10 minutes or so. It’s not too bad when cold, but warm, yuck! Not to mention the massive weight of a full fuel belt was very annoying when running. I felt it bouncing around the entire time. That was about the only good thing about drinking it was that the weight became less and less each time. The stuff did serve me very well though because I never felt hungry, thirsty, bloated, nor felt any GI issues whatsoever. My nutrition plan worked perfectly for the course of the entire day. I also increased my GU intake for the run, from every 45 minutes on the bike to every 30 minutes on the run. I also continued taking a salt tablet every 30 minutes. I actually enjoyed myself on the run. There were just so many people out there cheering us on. The sun began setting during the end of my first loop and the desert really makes for some stunning sunsets. I was also able to see my dad at the end of that loop so that helped brighten my spirits as I headed out on loop 2. Unfortunately, I also missed Rachel, Mom, and David, so that was a small downer. Now that I had already seen the loop I knew what was coming. I knew the stops, the hills, the turns, etc. I was better able to break this loop up into a lot of small sections. Once again, I continued the same nutrition and run/walk patterns and felt really good throughout. Finally on this loop I found my Mom and David, but of course this time Rachel had to finally quit waiting and run to the bathroom, just minutes before I got to them. I didn’t care. I had a 6 hour marathon, I really didn’t care about waiting 5 minutes for her. It was really big for me to be able to see her. It was difficult out there, and having missed her on the first loop really sucked, I was going to wait as long as it took till she got back. Finally after a few minutes she showed back up. I chatted about the race for a second, gave her a hug and kiss and headed back out to continue loop 2. Right after that meeting I saw my dad who was just waiting on the other side of them. Right after that was about the half way point and I was finally able to dump my fuel belt at my special needs bags. I figured I’d be fine using perform and whatever else they were offering. The rest of the second loop went without much issue. It was on this loop that they brought out the chicken broth and oh wow was that stuff good. It was cold out there, so the nice and warm chicken broth tasted oh so good. The Perform was wonderful. After drinking my warm to hot sport drink all day, the cold perform was terrific. At this point I was walking the aid stations as well as my 5/1 ratio. I didn’t care about time at all. My goal all along was to finish and I knew at this point it was definitely going to happen so long as I kept doing what I was doing. Finally I got to the straightaway leading to loop 3. This was the last time I’d be passing the divider separating you from the finish and another loop. This was when I finally started feeling some major soreness in my legs. Despite the pain my heart rate never rose again. I stopped paying attention to it all together because I just wasn’t an issue at this point. I was obviously running extremely slowly, but it sure didn’t feel like it at that point. Anyway, I kept on moving, kept on walking the aid stations taking in everything they had to offer, except food. I don’t know how people eat solid foods when they run. My GU was plenty. And I never actually got sick of it. This loop I started trying the flattened cola and even that wasn’t bad. I wasn’t sure how much I’d want that stuff, but at that point I was enjoying anything and everything they were offering my way. I kept on moving. However at this point, around mile 18-20 it was getting to the point that it was harder to start running from a walk than it was to just keep running. I decided here on out that I was just going to walk through the aid stations but other than that no more walking. It was just easier not to stop. My legs were hurting so bad at that point, but I still had a huge smile on my face, despite the pain. I knew I was an hour or so away from being an ironman. The final 6.2 miles was broken up mile by mile and each one was dedicated to someone in particular who offered me extra support along the way. Those people(in no particular order) are Mike/Cindy, Drew, Maria/Jeremiah, Dad, Mom/David, and Rachel. Each mile I spent focusing on the support and encouragement each one of them offered me throughout my training period. Finally, after 5 hours and 45 minutes I was allowed to make a left into the finishing chute. It started out up a long parking lot, then you were corralled into the final chute. And oh my god this was what it was all about. It felt like me, and thousands of screaming fans. It was an experience like nothing I’d ever felt before in my life. It made the previous 14 hours and 15 minutes worth every grueling second. I slowed down even more. I wanted to take this in as much as possible. The chute bent to the left up ahead so I couldn’t see the finish line just yet. So I went from side to side high fiving as many people as I could. My smile stretched from ear to ear. I was becoming overwhelmed with emotion. As I rounded the bend I saw it. The huge arch with the words “Finish Line” written on it. The main clock. The grand stands. The thousands of people screaming endlessly. I continued going from side to side high fiving everyone. I let out a huge scream. Then about 10 feet away I began running one last time. Each step bringing me closer….the finally, the last time, I crossed the finish line, and that was it. Josh Wexler is an Ironman.
12 months in the making, 10 months of training. Hundreds and hundreds of miles on the bike and pavement. Countless hours in the pool. I can now proudly say, my journey from man to Ironman is officially complete.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
11-20-2011
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run
14:18:20
Here I sit on the place, about 36 hours, give or take, since crossing the finish line of Ironman Arizona. It’s hard to believe that it’s all over. This entry is probably going to be quite long, so I applaud you for sticking around to the end if you can make it that far. Of course, I did exercise for over 14 hours, so sitting and reading about it shouldn’t be that difficult! So first off, the basic metrics of race day.
The weather couldn’t have been better. The high was in the mid 70’s, the low was probably in the mid 50’s. There were some strong winds out in the desert, however not so strong that you had to kill yourself going into them. More on that later. It was sunny all day, but never hot. The water temperature was a balmy 61o.
Swim: Dream time – 1:15:00, Expected time – 1:25:00 Actual time – 1:15:00
I actually nailed my dream time on the swim. I couldn’t believe it. First off, they had all 2800 of us needing to get through the inflatable gate to work out way into the water. That was quite a site. Nearly 3,000 people standing around in wetsuits and swim caps very very slowly walking towards the gate. Once you got through you worked your way over to the ramp, where you pretty much have to jump in. No easing yourself into that water. However, the whole thing about if you don’t jump right in you get pushed in…not really. There was a lot of space along this ledge, and most people did just jump in. However, if you were one of those who needed a minute to prep yourself for the plunge, you were free to take it. No one forced you in. I only paused to make sure my goggles were on snug and sealed and I made my plunge. Even with the wet suite and neoprene vest under it that water took your breath away. I did go with a neoprene cap and ear plugs. For anyone out there reading this who plans to do a cold water Ironman, I’d wear the cap and plugs. I can’t comment as to what it feels like without them, but I can say that my head never felt the least bit cold. I did have a sleeveless wetsuit and although my arms were freezing at first, I felt completely comfortable after just a few minutes. Get in the water early, swim to the start and you’ll be fine. And I don’t have the highest of tolerances for cold water, considering even in the 80 degree pool, the first plunge still makes me cold. So, I slowly eased my way to the start line. I did do the practice swim the day before, fortunately, because I knew that I’d get over the feeling of not being able to breath and my arms feeling numb. Upon jumping in again on race day, my lungs did contract making it hard to breath. But I knew the procedure. Easy breast stroke taking short quick breaths. Relax, gradually taking in deeper breaths until I could breath normal. Within 50 yards I was completely at ease. I found my spot and hovered there. I started out about 50 yards or so from the front of the pack. I found a nice open area, right in front of one of the bridge supports, my reasoning for that was that I wouldn’t have to worry about some overzealous racer who felt the need to take off like a bat out of hell climbing over my back immediately. Some people out there forget that we have over 2 miles to swim…what’s the rush? So, Mike Riley(the voice of Ironman) gave our prerace pep talk. That got everyone fired up. Then, there was no countdown, the canon blasted signaling the start of Ironman Arizona. I paused for a second to think to myself, “You are now racing in an Ironman,” then I put my head down and took my first stroke, first step, into what was going to be an unforgettable day.
The swim was nothing like I expected. I had watched video’s, read reports and heard stories. I was fully expecting something more like full combat swimming, where I would be deflecting as many arms and legs as strokes I’d be taking. It was nothing like that at all. Now, don’t take this to mean it was like a relaxing swim with nothing but my thoughts, there were 2800 people in a fairly tight space, however, as long as you kept your wits about you, and kept your head on a swivel, you could find your own space fairly easily. I could only really remember about 2 people being idiots and clobbering me. Most other people would hit you once, adjust, and you’d never be bothered again. I was able to really keep a nice smooth pace throughout. It really is amazing though, how far 2.4 miles is when you look at it over water. The turnaround was about 1-1.1 miles away. You couldn’t even see it from the start. You knew you had to go under the bridge, which was somewhat visible, unfortunately, I was thinking it was immediately after the bridge. It was not. I got to the bridge and realized no one was turning for the foreseeable future. So I just kept on going. Finally after a few more minutes I spotted was a huge orange buoy(the sight buoys were all yellow) which signaled the turn around. I made it to the turn around, and for future notice, do not take the turn tight. Stupid. Everyone tries to take the turn tight so it winds up more congested there than even at the beginning. So congested in fact that no one can even swim. The best you could manage was a weak doggy paddle or breast stroke. It was about 50 yards till the turn buoy to head back the way you came. So the first thing I did was swim across the line of swimmers to get away from the buoy. That worked like a charm. I made the next turn without so much as even touching anyone. I made a slow smooth turn without breaking my stroke. I took a peak at my watch, expected to be in the 35-40 minute range, and to my surprise it said 25 minutes. I was shocked. I knew I wasn’t quite halfway there, but I was way way way faster than I expected. So, now that I’m on the return trip, I knew all I had to do was just keep up the same pace and I’d be golden. I was tired, breathing heavy or anything. I was really able to just make it a nice long relaxing warm up for what lied ahead. I wish I had some more excitement to talk about for the final mile or so but it was such an easy swim that it was completely uneventful. So, skipping ahead to the final turn, which lead to about 100 yards away from the exit point I just kept on at that pace. I kept eyeing the exit stairs and before I knew it I was reaching for the hands of the volunteer who helped pull me out of the water and just like that, my ironman swim was done. Getting out was pretty funny. I knew they had wetsuit strippers, but I didn’t really know what to think. That is truly what they are. You get your arms out, they really do the rest. They’ll pull them down, you get on your butt, lift your legs up and two people in a matter of seconds rip the rest of the suit off you. In a time of just 1:15:00 I was well ahead of where I had hoped to be. I ranked 108 in my division and 874 overall.
T1:
That led to the first transition. I didn’t realize how far away it was. Now, my swimming ability FAR exceeds my overall Ironman ability. So, I basically exited with people who were in it for far more than just finishing. My plan was to walk the entire transition chute, which became exceedingly difficult with not just the hundreds and hundreds of screaming fans, but all the other racers who were running past me. I really felt like I should’ve started running, but I said to myself, “What’s the hurry? We all get the same medal.” So I kept on walking. Finally got to the bags and the volunteer was in way more of a hurry than me. He went jumping over lines of bags to retrieve mine. He grabbed it, and came rushing back to give it to me. I smiled, sort of laughed, cause he thought I cared about my time, thanked him and proceeded to walk to some open grass to throw on my bike gear. That proved to be pretty difficult, as expected. I followed some advice that I read about wearing a long sleeve shirt under my jersey. Not so much for warmth but protection from the elements. It was actually a bit cold starting out leg 1. So I was extra glad for it, but more on that later. It was difficult because getting a tight shirt on wet skin is surprisingly difficult. It took my three tries to get that shirt on over my arms cause it kept twisting on me. One stupid thing I did was not pre pack my GU’s into my jersey pockets, so that was just extra pointless time packing them in there. I should’ve had everything I was going to take on the course in my jersey. But that wasn’t a major mistake. I probably also didn’t need to bring my GU belt, I only did so to store my salt tablets in. They’d have been fine in one of my jersey pockets. I had a remarkable slow transition time, 5-10 minutes slower than I anticipated, but I also didn’t anticipate a 5 minute walk to get there. But it gave me a lot of time to rest. Still a lot of day ahead of me. So after finally getting all my gear on I headed out to the bike area, but not before getting a nice lathering of sun screen from the sun screen volunteers. They really have someone out there for every aspect of the race. All you did was stand there, tell them where to put it and they went to work. Next stop was to pick up my bike. Again, more volunteers to do that for you. You yell out your number, someone goes running and grabs your bike, you just stand there and your bike is delivered to you. From there it was time to head out to the desert and solitude.
Bike: I caught my first glimpse of my family and Rachel starting out on the bike. They were waiting for me in the chute that you rode out to get to the main part of the course. I was so glad to see them there before getting out cause I knew it would be a long time until I had another chance. Plus I knew they were most concerned about the swim, because of the stories I had told them. So I was able to relax knowing they knew I was safe. The first ¼ mile of the bike is absolutely awesome. Maybe longer I don’t know. There are literally thousands of screaming spectators cheering you on as you make your way out of the city. It’s perfect. For me the start of a long bike ride is the hardest. Your computer is still showing not just minutes, but seconds and you know how far you still have to go. So having them out there really gets your energy and your spirits up. Thus I began the longest leg of the day. The course consists of three loops of about 37.4 miles. The loops are 18.7 mile out and backs. It consisted of 8 miles with a bunch of turns in the city, then 10 miles continuous through the desert. From a mental standpoint it was easy to break it down into 6 shorter sections. I broke down each leg into city, desert, desert, city, and so on. You just couldn’t go out there thinking 112 miles to go. So leg number one was a really tough one for me. As I stated before, I’m a strong swimmer, far stronger relative to cycling. So for my first leg I was out there surrounded by much stronger cyclists than myself. So I was being passed constantly, and I had to really force myself to keep my speed down and ultimately my heart rate(henceforth known as HR) down. It required going a lot slower than I had anticipated. I was hoping to be able to maintain 17 mph for the race. That hope was shattered quickly as my HR got up to 150 only going in the 16’s. I needed to keep my HR under 140 for the first leg or I’d have a lot of trouble with the run. I did know that the outbound trip was slightly uphill, so I had hoped to make up some time on the return trip. I was able to keep my HR in check by slowing down a bit. For most of the first 10 miles I was able to keep my pace around 16 mph with my HR in the mid 140’s. That first leg became tougher and tougher as we approached the steeper section. The final four miles start turning into a legitimate climb as you approach the turn around. What was also not so pleasant of a surprise was the stiffening head wind as we were trying to climb. My speed eventually slowed to between 11-13 mph. But that was as fast as I was able to go while keep my HR down. Even at that, by the time I reached the peak I had hit 170. I would never reach that number again. After the turn around though was sheer joy. Without even trying, I was coasting down the hill, with the wind at a comfortable 25-27 mph. It was great! I was able to get my HR back down below 120 before the hill finally leveled out. Even at that I was able to continue at around 20 mph for most of the return trip. After that first leg I thought I might be looking at a 7.5 hour bike. I did not want to be that slow. That’s just a long time to be sitting on the bike. Not comfortable. Upon approaching the turn around the crowd support began to increase again. Once you got back into Tempe I was again riding amongst thousands of fans. Their energy was intoxicating. It was incredible, I was feeling like a rock star. I’ve really never experienced anything like it. It was a huge lift to help you get started again on loop 2. I think loop 2 was the worst. Nothing bad happened, but you’re just in the middle of the grind. The excitement of loop 1 is over, you’re no longer fresh. You’re not beat or exhausted but the weight of the day is starting to hit and you know you still have another loop to go. I also knew that this leg was much tougher than the return trip due to climbing and a head wind. Oh well, suck it up and get moving. So I just buckled down, put my head down, dropped into my aero bars and proceeded. There was a noticeable increase in speed on lap 2. It seemed that I was finally settling in and was able to cruise along. Lap 2 was actually pretty cool cause it was my first view of the pros. I saw them on lap 1, but they were going the opposite direction and everyone looks fast coming at you. But they passed me on this leg and it was amazing how fast they were able to go. I can explain how incredible it is to truly be sharing the same playing field with athletes who are the best in the world. So back to me(that’s what this is about anyway, right?). I finally reached the desert section again. This time however, my speed was up, my HR was down and I was feeling good and strong. I was going significantly faster than the first leg. Almost 2 mph faster. I thought I was just having a second wind kicking in. I was locked in and slicing through the wind. After about 20 minutes or so it hit me like a ton of bricks. On the first leg I felt a lot of wind on my face even though I was going slower. I realized that the wind didn’t feel light on me, I didn’t feel any wind at all. As if there was more wind coming from behind than I was going through. For instance…I was going 17 mph, and the wind from behind was going 20 mph. I started watching the vegetation closer….Yep. Sure enough all the shrubs were being pushed down in the direction I was going. I was not getting stronger, I had a huge tail wind. My spirits were dashed, but I did realize that I would not be having a massage negative split like I was thinking. So, I quickly changed my tune towards being grateful for having a tailwind to help push me up the climb. The climb was far easier this time around. What I did at 12 mph with a 170 HR last time, I was able to move around 15-16 mph with an HR around 155-160. The moment I hit the turnaround I felt the wind instantly. It was powerful. This return trip was not the fun cruise it had been a few hours prior. Fortunately, the first 2 miles were steep enough that you were still able to cruise though it with little effort. Although, what had once been a 26 mph screamer, turned into 17 mph push. Once it leveled out though, it was definitely a solid challenge. The return trip of the second loop was definitely the most difficult. My first leg was slower, but I also knew I’d have a fast downhill afterwards. This time I knew when it was over I’d be turning around to go back uphill. Upon arriving back in Tempe and nearing the turnaround the spectator energy really got you amped back up. Riding through that crowd completely reenergized you for the final leg. It was also an awesome feeling knowing you were heading out for the last time. The final leg was probably my strongest. I did a great job pacing myself on the first 75 miles and still felt fresh. We still had some wind at our backs for most of the way out, which made that final uphill leg very easy. Funny thing happened on that leg however. As I was about 5 or so miles from the turn around all of a sudden the wind was back to being in my face. This made me happy. I knew I could cut through it for the rest of that trip, and I also knew that meant I’d be able to get much more rest than I thought I would on the final trip back into town. At the turn around I just dropped back into my bars and coasted the whole way down the first few miles of hills. Fortunately, there was nothing too eventful about the return trip. I did the best I could to rest, not push, after all, I still had a marathon to run after this. Hitting the 100 mile mark felt great. What was even better was knowing that I wasn’t the least bit tired yet. My legs felt great, even more importantly, my head was in an even better place. I knew getting through the bike would be the toughest thing. It’s the longest and loneliest part. The run is littered with spectators, you can talk to other runners, you can walk, etc. About 10 miles out, I knew I’d be finishing the Ironman. The final few miles of the bike felt great. Chatted with a few other fellow racers, soaked in the crowd energy and really loved riding through the final chute with spectators lined up cheering us as we finished up the remaining few feet in the epic 112 mile bike ride. My dream time was 6:00 and my expected time was 6:30. However, between the wind and the unaccounted for stops at the bathrooms and special needs station, I finished the ride with a total time of 6:50:23. At this point I was 180th in my group and 1782nd overall.
T2:
The second transition was a bit quicker than the first. Not surprisingly considering how much more you have to put on for the bike. But I grabbed my bag and went into the changing tent. One of the fantastic volunteers helped me with just about everything short of putting the stuff on for me. He got everything out, laid it either on the chair or ground. And when I say everything, I mean a lot of stuff. There’s quite a few things you need on you when you’re about to head out for a 26.2 mile run. Hat, shoes, new socks, GU’s, salt tablets, fuel belt, GU belt, new shirt, etc. I chatted with him for a bit while I got my stuff on. And after getting all ready to go I made my way out of the tent, had them put more sunscreen on me, used the bathroom and set out to run a nice quick marathon. My time was 7:33 in transition.
Run:
The run was one of the more interesting runs I’ve ever done. It consisted of three loops of 8.7 miles each. Mostly flat, with 2 climbs, neither of which were too bad. Between resting at the end of the bike and taking my time in transition I was able to get my HR back down to the 130’s. My prerace plan was to keep it under 151 for the first loop, 160 for the second, and 170 for the third. I also planned to run 5 minutes and walk 1, unless it climbed too high at which point I’d walk it back down. The plan changed about 15 minutes into the run. There was no way I was able to keep it under 150 and still run. My legs felt fine to run slow, but I wasn’t ready to walk just yet. So I changed my plan to 158, 170, 170. So the first loop it did climb up and over 158 a few times so I was forced to walk a bit more than I wanted. I brought perpetuem in my fuel belt because that’s what I used during training and I didn’t want to change things up on race day. I was getting really really sick of that stuff by the run. But I forced myself to keep drinking it every 10 minutes or so. It’s not too bad when cold, but warm, yuck! Not to mention the massive weight of a full fuel belt was very annoying when running. I felt it bouncing around the entire time. That was about the only good thing about drinking it was that the weight became less and less each time. The stuff did serve me very well though because I never felt hungry, thirsty, bloated, nor felt any GI issues whatsoever. My nutrition plan worked perfectly for the course of the entire day. I also increased my GU intake for the run, from every 45 minutes on the bike to every 30 minutes on the run. I also continued taking a salt tablet every 30 minutes. I actually enjoyed myself on the run. There were just so many people out there cheering us on. The sun began setting during the end of my first loop and the desert really makes for some stunning sunsets. I was also able to see my dad at the end of that loop so that helped brighten my spirits as I headed out on loop 2. Unfortunately, I also missed Rachel, Mom, and David, so that was a small downer. Now that I had already seen the loop I knew what was coming. I knew the stops, the hills, the turns, etc. I was better able to break this loop up into a lot of small sections. Once again, I continued the same nutrition and run/walk patterns and felt really good throughout. Finally on this loop I found my Mom and David, but of course this time Rachel had to finally quit waiting and run to the bathroom, just minutes before I got to them. I didn’t care. I had a 6 hour marathon, I really didn’t care about waiting 5 minutes for her. It was really big for me to be able to see her. It was difficult out there, and having missed her on the first loop really sucked, I was going to wait as long as it took till she got back. Finally after a few minutes she showed back up. I chatted about the race for a second, gave her a hug and kiss and headed back out to continue loop 2. Right after that meeting I saw my dad who was just waiting on the other side of them. Right after that was about the half way point and I was finally able to dump my fuel belt at my special needs bags. I figured I’d be fine using perform and whatever else they were offering. The rest of the second loop went without much issue. It was on this loop that they brought out the chicken broth and oh wow was that stuff good. It was cold out there, so the nice and warm chicken broth tasted oh so good. The Perform was wonderful. After drinking my warm to hot sport drink all day, the cold perform was terrific. At this point I was walking the aid stations as well as my 5/1 ratio. I didn’t care about time at all. My goal all along was to finish and I knew at this point it was definitely going to happen so long as I kept doing what I was doing. Finally I got to the straightaway leading to loop 3. This was the last time I’d be passing the divider separating you from the finish and another loop. This was when I finally started feeling some major soreness in my legs. Despite the pain my heart rate never rose again. I stopped paying attention to it all together because I just wasn’t an issue at this point. I was obviously running extremely slowly, but it sure didn’t feel like it at that point. Anyway, I kept on moving, kept on walking the aid stations taking in everything they had to offer, except food. I don’t know how people eat solid foods when they run. My GU was plenty. And I never actually got sick of it. This loop I started trying the flattened cola and even that wasn’t bad. I wasn’t sure how much I’d want that stuff, but at that point I was enjoying anything and everything they were offering my way. I kept on moving. However at this point, around mile 18-20 it was getting to the point that it was harder to start running from a walk than it was to just keep running. I decided here on out that I was just going to walk through the aid stations but other than that no more walking. It was just easier not to stop. My legs were hurting so bad at that point, but I still had a huge smile on my face, despite the pain. I knew I was an hour or so away from being an ironman. The final 6.2 miles was broken up mile by mile and each one was dedicated to someone in particular who offered me extra support along the way. Those people(in no particular order) are Mike/Cindy, Drew, Maria/Jeremiah, Dad, Mom/David, and Rachel. Each mile I spent focusing on the support and encouragement each one of them offered me throughout my training period. Finally, after 5 hours and 45 minutes I was allowed to make a left into the finishing chute. It started out up a long parking lot, then you were corralled into the final chute. And oh my god this was what it was all about. It felt like me, and thousands of screaming fans. It was an experience like nothing I’d ever felt before in my life. It made the previous 14 hours and 15 minutes worth every grueling second. I slowed down even more. I wanted to take this in as much as possible. The chute bent to the left up ahead so I couldn’t see the finish line just yet. So I went from side to side high fiving as many people as I could. My smile stretched from ear to ear. I was becoming overwhelmed with emotion. As I rounded the bend I saw it. The huge arch with the words “Finish Line” written on it. The main clock. The grand stands. The thousands of people screaming endlessly. I continued going from side to side high fiving everyone. I let out a huge scream. Then about 10 feet away I began running one last time. Each step bringing me closer….the finally, the last time, I crossed the finish line, and that was it. Josh Wexler is an Ironman.
12 months in the making, 10 months of training. Hundreds and hundreds of miles on the bike and pavement. Countless hours in the pool. I can now proudly say, my journey from man to Ironman is officially complete.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Week 19 wrap up...1 week left!!!!
101 miles,9 hours.
So this was taper week 2. The last full week of training, next week is a few short sessions plus traveling, so this week really wrapped up the last significant training session. My workouts this week were mainly low intensity and a lot of miles on the bike. Everything is looking good. I had a terrible workout on thursday which I couldn't explain. Only a 40 minute run, but no matter how slowly I ran I couldn't keep my heart rate under control. However, today's run was a 90 minute run and I had a much easier time keeping my HR down. Weird, but whatever. Happens I guess. Now I'm truly in rest mode and I'm bored!!!! This next week is going to go slow!
Still a few things left to do. I dropped off my bike yesterday at the bike shop for a final tune up and to be packed up for the flight. Tomorrow I hit up REI for some last minute needs.
I can't believe I'm here. I actually go to arizona in 3 days. This week seemed so incredibly far away when I got started and now it's here. Exactly a week from this moment, I'll be doing the marathon segment of the Ironman.
I don't even really know what to say at this point. This training session has been by far the most difficult thing I've ever endured in my life. I thought marathon and then half ironman training was challenging but this surpassed them by far. Marathon training was really one tough workout per week. Half IM was a lot of training sessions but nothing very long. This was basically the toughest elements of both combined. Tons and tons of very long sessions. The training locations were brutal as well. Because the race is mostly flat I had to seek out flat terrain, which in Asheville is a very difficult thing to do. I was left with really one option for the bike, and two options for the run. I probably logged 400-500 miles on Riverside Drive, which is basically a 10 mile stretch of relatively flat terrain that I had to go back and forth on over and over again. I did virtually all my runs at either Carrier park or the Biltmore estate. The only two places I know of near me that are flat. Needless to say, the running became very dull and monotonous. Fortunately training like that has really helped build up my mental toughness to help with race day, where both the bike and run are loops that are repeated three times each. So I'm used to spending hours and hours on the same terrain.
It seems so strange to be at this week. I never thought I would do an Ironman. I never thought I could stick to the kind of training required for a race of this magnitude. Now that I'm here, I have the feeling that it's not that hard, which I know is crazy. I mean, I've done two 100 mile rides and I felt fine after. I've done several 14-15 mile runs and they too were pretty easy. I have not however, done those kinds of distances after the massive bike rides. But, my short runs following the long rides have gone well. My legs felt really good, even if my HR was pretty high. I really do believe that I'm not going to have a problem. I have trained my butt off. I trust my training and I trust my body. I trust my nutrition program. I also know that I'm going to be hurting out there. But I have persevered through extremely painful ordeals in the past. I survived a stabbing pain in my rib cage during an olympic distance. I managed to finish a run despite a torn up pinky toe that screamed in pain with every step. I survived my first half IM when I experienced horrific "man pain" around mile 4 of the 13 mile run. I know now that I can push through any pain I may experience out there. If it takes me 7 hours to do the marathon so be it. I will cross that finish line. I'm excited, confident, but still incredibly nervous about the race. I have never swam in such cold water, but from what i hear, you adjust to it pretty quickly. I'm a strong swimmer so I know I'll come out of the swim feeling just fine. My 100 mile bike rides taught me a lot, but mostly that I can do that kind of distance and still have a lot of energy left. I really think I'm going to enjoy myself out there. It's going to be a hell of a day and I can't wait to push myself to the brink. There's nothing like the feeling of pushing the boundaries of what your body can do. Crossing the finish line of a mega race is an absolutely indescribable feeling. I've had that experience twice now, each time I reached a new peak. Crossing the marathon finish line and the first half Ironman finish line. Both times the feeling was indescribable. I can't even begin to imagine what it's going to feel like to hear those words, "Josh Wexler, You are an Ironman!"
So this was taper week 2. The last full week of training, next week is a few short sessions plus traveling, so this week really wrapped up the last significant training session. My workouts this week were mainly low intensity and a lot of miles on the bike. Everything is looking good. I had a terrible workout on thursday which I couldn't explain. Only a 40 minute run, but no matter how slowly I ran I couldn't keep my heart rate under control. However, today's run was a 90 minute run and I had a much easier time keeping my HR down. Weird, but whatever. Happens I guess. Now I'm truly in rest mode and I'm bored!!!! This next week is going to go slow!
Still a few things left to do. I dropped off my bike yesterday at the bike shop for a final tune up and to be packed up for the flight. Tomorrow I hit up REI for some last minute needs.
I can't believe I'm here. I actually go to arizona in 3 days. This week seemed so incredibly far away when I got started and now it's here. Exactly a week from this moment, I'll be doing the marathon segment of the Ironman.
I don't even really know what to say at this point. This training session has been by far the most difficult thing I've ever endured in my life. I thought marathon and then half ironman training was challenging but this surpassed them by far. Marathon training was really one tough workout per week. Half IM was a lot of training sessions but nothing very long. This was basically the toughest elements of both combined. Tons and tons of very long sessions. The training locations were brutal as well. Because the race is mostly flat I had to seek out flat terrain, which in Asheville is a very difficult thing to do. I was left with really one option for the bike, and two options for the run. I probably logged 400-500 miles on Riverside Drive, which is basically a 10 mile stretch of relatively flat terrain that I had to go back and forth on over and over again. I did virtually all my runs at either Carrier park or the Biltmore estate. The only two places I know of near me that are flat. Needless to say, the running became very dull and monotonous. Fortunately training like that has really helped build up my mental toughness to help with race day, where both the bike and run are loops that are repeated three times each. So I'm used to spending hours and hours on the same terrain.
It seems so strange to be at this week. I never thought I would do an Ironman. I never thought I could stick to the kind of training required for a race of this magnitude. Now that I'm here, I have the feeling that it's not that hard, which I know is crazy. I mean, I've done two 100 mile rides and I felt fine after. I've done several 14-15 mile runs and they too were pretty easy. I have not however, done those kinds of distances after the massive bike rides. But, my short runs following the long rides have gone well. My legs felt really good, even if my HR was pretty high. I really do believe that I'm not going to have a problem. I have trained my butt off. I trust my training and I trust my body. I trust my nutrition program. I also know that I'm going to be hurting out there. But I have persevered through extremely painful ordeals in the past. I survived a stabbing pain in my rib cage during an olympic distance. I managed to finish a run despite a torn up pinky toe that screamed in pain with every step. I survived my first half IM when I experienced horrific "man pain" around mile 4 of the 13 mile run. I know now that I can push through any pain I may experience out there. If it takes me 7 hours to do the marathon so be it. I will cross that finish line. I'm excited, confident, but still incredibly nervous about the race. I have never swam in such cold water, but from what i hear, you adjust to it pretty quickly. I'm a strong swimmer so I know I'll come out of the swim feeling just fine. My 100 mile bike rides taught me a lot, but mostly that I can do that kind of distance and still have a lot of energy left. I really think I'm going to enjoy myself out there. It's going to be a hell of a day and I can't wait to push myself to the brink. There's nothing like the feeling of pushing the boundaries of what your body can do. Crossing the finish line of a mega race is an absolutely indescribable feeling. I've had that experience twice now, each time I reached a new peak. Crossing the marathon finish line and the first half Ironman finish line. Both times the feeling was indescribable. I can't even begin to imagine what it's going to feel like to hear those words, "Josh Wexler, You are an Ironman!"
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Woah...10 days to go...
Wow, I'm really getting down to it. Only 10 days till race day. I can't believe it's almost here. Less than a week till I get to Arizona. Two more considerable workouts and then, for all intents and purposes, I'm done. the next week really only consists of very short, easy workouts. basically keeping my body used to the sports, without any intensity or duration. I had a pretty crappy workout today unfortunately. Had a short 40 minute run where I just could not keep my heart rate down despite going incredibly slow. so about halfway through I just gave up on monitoring my heart rate and just started running. It still didn't feel all that hard, but my HR was pretty high. Maybe it was the wind and the cold, I dunno. Just lousy. I hope this weekends goes better than that. Should be perfect weather for it though. I have a 45 min swim/3 hour ride brick on saturday. I really don't feel like doing it, but what are ya gonna do. I'm done cycling workouts after that. Not a moment too soon either as my bike is really not running all that smoothly. Making a lot of clicking noises and it's very annoying. Probably just a matter of needing a tune and clean up. Hope anyway.
It's been quite a ride so far. It's almost over. I'm excited and nervous about race day. I've read a lot of stories about it and it really could go many different ways. However the 10 day forecast is calling for ideal weather. Upper 70's, no rain, no humidity. No mention of winds though, which is going to be the big thing. The race has been known for it's winds. So I'm really really hoping for a calm down. I think I'll be solid if the winds are calm, if they're not...gonna be a long bike ride.
It's been quite a ride so far. It's almost over. I'm excited and nervous about race day. I've read a lot of stories about it and it really could go many different ways. However the 10 day forecast is calling for ideal weather. Upper 70's, no rain, no humidity. No mention of winds though, which is going to be the big thing. The race has been known for it's winds. So I'm really really hoping for a calm down. I think I'll be solid if the winds are calm, if they're not...gonna be a long bike ride.
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