Post by robreddy on Apr 14, 2005 14:04:13 GMT -5
I got to the end of the swim and climbed the stairs out. All in all this was a very solid effort - but nothing that terribly difficult. Conditions were OK. This was a moderate effort and I was happy.
As some may have heard, the bike course underwent many changes over the three months leading up to the race. In the end it was three 30+ mile loops and a final 7 mile city loop with tons of twists, turns, Uies and crossovers.
I headed out and felt fairly good but wanted to keep the pace in check. By about the 15 mile mark I realized I was ridding pretty fast but effortless and though my foot was cold (It was cold out – in AZ!!) it did not hurt. But….
Just after the ½ way point of the loop you turned back into the wind and WHAM – what had been easy, fast, effortless ridding became hard. The winds were blowing constantly at 25 mph and howling with gusts up to near 40 mph. OK time to think – gear it down, spin, and get L-O-W on the bike. At some points I practically had my head so low my helmet was touching my earo bars. I gotta say those stretches into the wind seemed long.
At about the 50 mile mark I still felt good and decided to pick the pace up. I wanted to ride with the wind moderate and then really try and work the pace into the wind. I figured since there was a fair chance that I would have no run, why not stretch the limits on the bike a bit.
I felt really good about my second loop, particularly the ‘into the wind’ sections. Just kept clipping along, eating and staying alert. By about the 90 mile point I knew I was getting tired but overall felt good. The final 20 miles were challenging, but not a suffering session that can often occur on the bike. I really never felt horrible nor was praying to ‘get off this dam bike’.
I had heard a ton of complaining about this bike course leading up to race day and a few other comments saying it was really easy for an IM ride. Well first off, no the course its self was not perfect, but it was not all that bad either. Yes getting a more IM friendly route would be a huge improvement to the race, but even if the course does not change in the future it is no reason to not do this race.
Second, the ride was not easy. Don’t get me wrong – it is not IMLP, IMC or IMWI tough, but it also was not a pancake-easy goes it ride. I’ve head there was about 2800 feet of climbing – and most came after you had made a U-turn and had lost all momentum. Also, because of the technical nature of the course you had to be thinking all the time – really on your mental game with no rest. Finally, those winds were brutal.
Left T2 and started a weird limp/jog. But I was moving forward and the discomfort was manageable. Les and my brother wanted to know if was going on and I figured hell ya lets see what we can do!
Decided I would do this limp/jog for 5 minutes then walk 2 for as long as possible. During this time I was being passed a lot, but folks were very encouraging - and that was inspirational. At the hour and twenty minute mark my foot was killing me. I sat down and took off the Ace bandage I was wearing and just went with the sock. This was the big gut check time. I was in pain but also knew if a bore down and focused I was not at the point where I ‘had’ to stop.
I decided to just start walking. Within 15 minutes I moved to running (ha ha ha) from point to point and then walking. Some times my foot hurt a lot and some times less. I really just tried to get into my own world and not think about much.
This was the remainder of my race. There was some real pain and down moments, but there were also great moments of fan support, my wife running with me for a mile and my own inner strength coming through. I thought about Bjorn Anderson and his mate - how they walked it in on a really tough day at IMNZ earlier this year, showing that real triathletes (pro or age group) don’t give in just because of a bit of adversity. And that gave me some strength to do the same. I thought about my buddy, Tom Eaton, who badly wanted to do this race but had to pull out for family reasons – some of this one was for him. I thought about Ben and a note he sent me earlier in the week that gave me the courage to stay in the race and Mickey who got me in contact with folks at IMNA who could pull me through – way to go guys. I also thought about the fact that in life we really don’t get the chance to pick and choose the moments where we can define who we are, but all too often when those opportunities do confront us we allow them to pass by. I was not going to let that happen. And I saw my sole out there, who I really am and what I can be if I focus and tri.
In the end this was actually a very nice run course. Lots of scenery, changes of terrain in a good way, and pockets of fantastic spectator support. As I approached the last two miles I really started to break down. It had gotten dark and I was cold (even with the long sleeved shirt – actually I was cold the entire day – odd twist of fate as all I worried about going into this race was the AZ heat). My foot was bothering me and I was tired, but I never hit the wall like at IMC last year. Finally the bright lights of the finish line were in sight and I ran.
Coming down that final 50 meters is AWESOME. I saw Les and I knew I was home. Hearing the announcer call your name and say that “You are an Ironman” makes the sacrifice, that day and all the months leading up to the race, well worth it. Sharing it with family and friends (Andrew man you are a positive influence – thanks) makes it memorable.
Crossed the finish in 12:32:xx - twenty minutes later I nearly passed out. After I stopped and sat down things got pretty bad. I'm not sure what it is like to go into shock, but
I had to lay down and became incredibly cold. I just worked hard to keep my eyes open. I was shivering pretty hard. I think it freaked my brother out.
It takes forever to get out of an IM and thank God my brother and Les were there to help. They got all my stuff. I got up and felt really sick, wanted to puke but held it down. Finally made it to the car. I should have gotten an IV as I was really dehydrated. The hour car ride home was weird - I was awake and talking but other than that
was really out of it.
Came home Monday and went straight to the ER. Broke my foot in the 5th metatarsal (sp?) in two places. Now in a cast.
This sport is a fantastic opportunity to find out who you really are, what you’re made of, and to improve your self if you allow your self to face all sorts of unexpected challenges. A bit into the run I realized that even if I did not finish (though I decided I was not giving up - I'd have to be pulled/dragged out), even though my time was going to be slower than my other IM - Canada (but only by 16 minutes) I was a huge winner.
Don't take this as my preaching nor self aggrandizement - I just think we often over look the character aspect of what we can build and show from being triathletes.
As some may have heard, the bike course underwent many changes over the three months leading up to the race. In the end it was three 30+ mile loops and a final 7 mile city loop with tons of twists, turns, Uies and crossovers.
I headed out and felt fairly good but wanted to keep the pace in check. By about the 15 mile mark I realized I was ridding pretty fast but effortless and though my foot was cold (It was cold out – in AZ!!) it did not hurt. But….
Just after the ½ way point of the loop you turned back into the wind and WHAM – what had been easy, fast, effortless ridding became hard. The winds were blowing constantly at 25 mph and howling with gusts up to near 40 mph. OK time to think – gear it down, spin, and get L-O-W on the bike. At some points I practically had my head so low my helmet was touching my earo bars. I gotta say those stretches into the wind seemed long.
At about the 50 mile mark I still felt good and decided to pick the pace up. I wanted to ride with the wind moderate and then really try and work the pace into the wind. I figured since there was a fair chance that I would have no run, why not stretch the limits on the bike a bit.
I felt really good about my second loop, particularly the ‘into the wind’ sections. Just kept clipping along, eating and staying alert. By about the 90 mile point I knew I was getting tired but overall felt good. The final 20 miles were challenging, but not a suffering session that can often occur on the bike. I really never felt horrible nor was praying to ‘get off this dam bike’.
I had heard a ton of complaining about this bike course leading up to race day and a few other comments saying it was really easy for an IM ride. Well first off, no the course its self was not perfect, but it was not all that bad either. Yes getting a more IM friendly route would be a huge improvement to the race, but even if the course does not change in the future it is no reason to not do this race.
Second, the ride was not easy. Don’t get me wrong – it is not IMLP, IMC or IMWI tough, but it also was not a pancake-easy goes it ride. I’ve head there was about 2800 feet of climbing – and most came after you had made a U-turn and had lost all momentum. Also, because of the technical nature of the course you had to be thinking all the time – really on your mental game with no rest. Finally, those winds were brutal.
Left T2 and started a weird limp/jog. But I was moving forward and the discomfort was manageable. Les and my brother wanted to know if was going on and I figured hell ya lets see what we can do!
Decided I would do this limp/jog for 5 minutes then walk 2 for as long as possible. During this time I was being passed a lot, but folks were very encouraging - and that was inspirational. At the hour and twenty minute mark my foot was killing me. I sat down and took off the Ace bandage I was wearing and just went with the sock. This was the big gut check time. I was in pain but also knew if a bore down and focused I was not at the point where I ‘had’ to stop.
I decided to just start walking. Within 15 minutes I moved to running (ha ha ha) from point to point and then walking. Some times my foot hurt a lot and some times less. I really just tried to get into my own world and not think about much.
This was the remainder of my race. There was some real pain and down moments, but there were also great moments of fan support, my wife running with me for a mile and my own inner strength coming through. I thought about Bjorn Anderson and his mate - how they walked it in on a really tough day at IMNZ earlier this year, showing that real triathletes (pro or age group) don’t give in just because of a bit of adversity. And that gave me some strength to do the same. I thought about my buddy, Tom Eaton, who badly wanted to do this race but had to pull out for family reasons – some of this one was for him. I thought about Ben and a note he sent me earlier in the week that gave me the courage to stay in the race and Mickey who got me in contact with folks at IMNA who could pull me through – way to go guys. I also thought about the fact that in life we really don’t get the chance to pick and choose the moments where we can define who we are, but all too often when those opportunities do confront us we allow them to pass by. I was not going to let that happen. And I saw my sole out there, who I really am and what I can be if I focus and tri.
In the end this was actually a very nice run course. Lots of scenery, changes of terrain in a good way, and pockets of fantastic spectator support. As I approached the last two miles I really started to break down. It had gotten dark and I was cold (even with the long sleeved shirt – actually I was cold the entire day – odd twist of fate as all I worried about going into this race was the AZ heat). My foot was bothering me and I was tired, but I never hit the wall like at IMC last year. Finally the bright lights of the finish line were in sight and I ran.
Coming down that final 50 meters is AWESOME. I saw Les and I knew I was home. Hearing the announcer call your name and say that “You are an Ironman” makes the sacrifice, that day and all the months leading up to the race, well worth it. Sharing it with family and friends (Andrew man you are a positive influence – thanks) makes it memorable.
Crossed the finish in 12:32:xx - twenty minutes later I nearly passed out. After I stopped and sat down things got pretty bad. I'm not sure what it is like to go into shock, but
I had to lay down and became incredibly cold. I just worked hard to keep my eyes open. I was shivering pretty hard. I think it freaked my brother out.
It takes forever to get out of an IM and thank God my brother and Les were there to help. They got all my stuff. I got up and felt really sick, wanted to puke but held it down. Finally made it to the car. I should have gotten an IV as I was really dehydrated. The hour car ride home was weird - I was awake and talking but other than that
was really out of it.
Came home Monday and went straight to the ER. Broke my foot in the 5th metatarsal (sp?) in two places. Now in a cast.
This sport is a fantastic opportunity to find out who you really are, what you’re made of, and to improve your self if you allow your self to face all sorts of unexpected challenges. A bit into the run I realized that even if I did not finish (though I decided I was not giving up - I'd have to be pulled/dragged out), even though my time was going to be slower than my other IM - Canada (but only by 16 minutes) I was a huge winner.
Don't take this as my preaching nor self aggrandizement - I just think we often over look the character aspect of what we can build and show from being triathletes.
