Post by ebanks2 on Sept 8, 2009 7:52:53 GMT -5
Well..my first ironman, Ironman Louisville, is in the books. I have a lot of different emotions around the race as well as the entire year of training that went into this experience. I figured I would best write this report while it is still fresh in my mind.
The Pre-game
The week before I left for the race, I spent a lot of time working on a ‘list’ of everything that I needed to bring to the race. I was watching the 7 day forecast for the weather, but wanted to be prepared for any conditions, hot or cold. I also made a spreadsheet of all the gear that would go in each bag…AM Swim bag, T1, special needs bike, T2, special needs run. This was really helpful when actually packing up the gear into the ironman bags. It was great to not have to ‘think’…I just had to follow the directions. It is a pretty amazing pile of gear and nutrition that you need to organize.
On Saturday, I got up early and did a short 10 minute run to loosen up the legs. It was pretty humid and I actually worked up a pretty good sweat in the short run even though it was an easy jog. I ended the run at Panera and picked up breakfast for myself, wife and son and walked it back to the hotel. As I was walking back I saw about 200 people riding their bikes in large packs which I thought was a bit risky. I was watching every step I took as to not trip or something stupid the day before the race.
The transition area was open from 12-5 to turn in you bike and T1 and T2 bags. I went down at about 3:00 PM after driving the bike course. I figured no need to get there early and I hoped that I would miss the swarm of folks. There was a small line but it moved fast. The volunteers, who were great, took your bike and gear bags…so all you had to do was walk with them. It was a sea of bike and gear bags. The volunteer spent about 10 minutes with me walking through the transition area and explaining the logistics of swim in, get T1 bag, changing tent, bike out, bike in, get T2 bag, changing tent, run out. I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where I was going. I also counted the number of bike racks and gear bags I had to pass so I knew exactly where to go on race day and would not be scrambling.
I should mention, Louisville is know to be a suffer fest because the late August weather is often hot and humid. Well, the ironman gods were looking down on us as when I checked the forecast, it said a high of 78 and a low of 55. The conditions do not get more ideal than that.
As I was told would happen, I had some trouble sleeping the night before the race. I went to bed around 9:30 and pretty much woke up on the hour until 3:50 when I got up. For breakfast I had 2 pieces of peanut butter toast with blueberries and blackberries on top and two bottles of Boost. I ate one salt tablet as well. I went to the bathroom and left the room at about 4:40 for the walk over to transition. I was feeling good.
In transition, I pumped up my tires, put 3 water bottles on my bike and turned in my special needs bags for the bike and run and was out of there. I did not want to sit around in transition and watch everyone else getting ready and feel all the nerves. The swim start is about a 1 mile walk from transition. When I got to the swim start line, I could not believe how long it was already…and it was only about 5:25 in the morning. I went to the end and pulled out a towel from the hotel and sat on it on the sidewalk. I was glad I got there when I did because it was a steady stream of people that walked by for the next hour. I could not even se how long the line was…..but it was HUGE.
I sat sipping water and chatting a bit with some of the folks that were near me in line. At about 6:45, I started to get myself organized. I took an additional 2 salt tablets, put my ear plugs in, put some glide around my neck and arms, got zipped into my swim skin, cap on goggles out. I was ready to go.
The pros started at 6:50 and it was still pretty dark outside. IMKY has a unique start in that it is a time trial start not a mass start. So basically, everyone waits in line and there is a timing mat at the end of the dock…you cross it, jump in and your day starts.
As I made my way down to the dock, I exchanged some handshakes and high 5’s from the friends I was with in line. The closer you get to the start, the faster the line starts moving. As I got to be about 100 people back, I was jogging down the dock. I hit my watch, crossed the timing mat and jumped in.
The Swim
The swim is in the Ohio River and starts with a 1 mile swim upstream and 1.4 miles downstream to the transition area. I knew from doing the practice swim on Friday that the current makes a big difference….you have to work going into it. As I started the swim, I found open water almost immediately. I concentrated on keeping a nice long consistent stroke and taking it out at a nice reasonable pace. I did not want to burn up all my energy.
About 5 minutes into the swim, in my head I said “holy sh@%! You are doing an ironman.” I had prepared for this specific day for more than a year. I wanted to make the most of it.
About 15 minutes into the swim, I started to hit some ‘congestion’ of other swimmers. It seemed like I could not get any open water. I would take 4-5 strokes and be on top of someone. I just stuck with it and clawed my way though. As I was getting closer to the turn, the water changed colors to almost completely black which I thought was rather strange. I then noticed that I was swimming through a bit of vegetation. The next time I looked up to sight, there was a guy next to me standing up walking and the water was only about to his waist. I just continued to swim as I knew I would be way faster swimming than walking. The water was black from people touching the bottom kicking up all the silt.
As I hit the turn (1 mile), I seemed to be able to find open water again. We were in the wider portion of the river now so I think it gave people a chance to spread out. I also started to get some cramps in the arches of my feet. I was able to work though them but I had to really ease up on my kick as it tended to induce the cramp in my arches. I had taken salt in the morning so I don’t know why I was having the cramping issue. I just hoped it would go away. Unfortunately, them kept coming back and were giving me more and more problems. I also started to get cramps in my toes…for those, I had no choice but to stop for a second, and stretch my foot out. This happened several times.
I just took the rest of the swim pretty easy. Any time I tried to push it too hard, I would get the cramps. I was already planning in my head on what to do on the bike to get his under control. You can’t fight cramps all day at an Ironman. I knew from the swim practice that when I passed under the last bridge, I was within 10 minutes of the finish and I could hear the crowd and the announcer yelling peoples names.
The swim exit is a set of stairs that goes into the water. There were plenty of volunteers helping people exit the water. I made eye contact with one and waved my hand to him and he welcomed me home and walked me up the steps. When I hit the top step, I immediately got cramps in both calves but as I started to run to transition, they loosened up.
Swim time 2.4 miles: 1:20:52
T1
Right as I started the run up the hill to the transition area, I heard my wife yell to me. I got to see her and shoot her a wave. That was a great feeling. I knew it would probably be late in the day the next time I got to see her as the bike finish would be right in the middle of nap time for our son.
I wanted to move efficiently through transition but not spike my heart rate. I ran up to where the gear bags were. As you entered the gear area, a volunteer would yell out your number and another would try to get it fetch it for you. They were laid out in rows on the ground in numerical order. I knew my gear was in the 5th row from the transition area scouting the day before. I went down the row and yelled “1412 caution tape” to the volunteer. I put about 3 feet of the yellow caution tape on the bag to make it easier to spot in a sea of identical bags. She found my bag immediately and handed it to me as I ran by, I didn’t even have to break stride.
I went into the transition tent and it was pretty packed at the entrance but near the exit it was almost empty. It seemed like everyone sat in the first available seat closest to the entrance. I took the opposite approach. I went close to the exit. I figured I was about to put my cycling shoes on anyway…the shorter I had to run in them the better.
When I sat down, a volunteer asked if I wanted any help. I gladly accepted. As I was putting my socks and shoes on, he was getting my gear out of the bag. I put my heart rate monitor, tri top which he help pulled the back down for me and helmet. I put 4 bags of cliff blocks in my right back pocket and 4 cliff bars in my left pocket on the back of my jersey. It is the way I do it for every ride. I use the middle pocket in the back for trash.
I had arm warmers in my bag in case it was chilly. I made the decision to skip them as I thought it was warm enough to go without them and they would be annoying after the first 20 minutes on the bike. I made the right call. The temperature was perfect day for a ride.
My swim stuff was spread all over the ground as well as the bike stuff I was leaving. Before heading out, I made sure to thoroughly lube the chassy with shammy butter and vasoline for the long ride ahead. The volunteer told me to leave when I was ready to go and he would clean everything up and repack my bags. It was awesome. I thanked him and was on my way. As I ran out of the changing tent, I got a nice slathering of sun screen from one of the volunteers.
With that I was out of the changing tent and off to my bike rack….the 7th one from the tent. Grabbed my bike and ran out of transition.
Transition time: 6:31
The Bike
The plan for the bike was to start slow and steady and get the heart rate under control. I knew from driving the course the day before that the first and last 8 miles were flat…after that is pretty hilly. I trained on a lot of hills so I was not all that worried about it there was nothing that is all that long or all that steep….just very consistently hilly.
As I got on the bike, my heart rate was much higher than I wanted and I knew I wanted to start taking salt tablets to get the cramping under control. My plan was to take 2 or 3 thermatabs per hour but I knew I needed more than that to get the cramping issue solved.
I kept my RPM’s at 90-95 and just watched my heart rate. I was moving pretty slow and people will passing me in droves. It is REALLY hard to race your race and not get caught up in what everyone else is doing. I was committed to stick to the plan. As people blew by me, I knew I would be seeing them later in the day…and that felt good.
As I rode, I kept saying to myself “right here, right now” as a reminder to stay focused on the present. I needed to stay very focused on keeping up with my nutrition and hydration plan. It is a long day and if you fall behind, it is very hard to catch up. I had a timer on my watch set to go off every 10 minutes. I would take a bite to eat and drink every 10 minutes. I was taking a couple of salt tablets every 15 minutes or so. If I felt any tightness in my calves I popped a few more tablets.
Between the eating, drinking, shifting, watching the heart rate and watching the RPMs, I was pretty busy on the bike. I felt like I was spinning 10 plates on sticks….there was always something to be doing.
There were water stops about every 10 miles on the bike. My goals were to drink 2 water bottles between each aid station and get 2 fresh bottles. I stuck to this and had no problems getting new water at every station. The aid stations were pretty long so I would go to the later portion of the station as the start of the station tended to much more crowded and some of the riders were a bit disorderly with the bike handling as they swerved through the station. There was almost a huge collision between a pro and an age grouper at a station. For some reason, the pro passed a guy on the right side just as he reached out to grab a bottle of Gatorade. The pro lost control of his bike and his foot unclipped out of his pedal. He screamed some swear words at the guy….even though he was clearly in the wrong.
About mile 40, my heart rate started to settle in nicely and I could push a lot more power at a lower heart rate. I was getting in the groove. The ride through La Grange was great. There were huge crowds of people though the main street of town. I waved to the crowd and enjoyed the cheering as you rolled though.
As I started my second loop, I was picking up speed nicely. I started up a fairly long hill and I could hear my front tire hissing. I pulled over and noticed a tack sticking out. I said ‘that sucks’ but focused on getting the change done. I kept my emotions in check as people flew past me. Lots of people asked if I had every thing I needed. I got the change done pretty quickly and jumped back on to head up the hill.
Unfortunately, after about 100 yards I could hear the tire hissing again. I started the routine over again. Thankfully I had another spare…my last. The first tube I put on had a bad stem. Again, I just kept focused on getting the tire done so I could be on my way. Paul Lentini from Cleveland Triathlon Club rode by, asked if I was ok and stopped and gave me an extra tube. That was really cool. As I was re seating the tire, a support guy on a scooter came by. He asked if I wanted help. I gladly accepted. I asked if he could put the finishing touches on the tire while I repacked my gear into my seat bag. I shook his hand and was on my way. I don’t know how long this little tire routine took but it seemed like forever!
As I got back on my bike, I felt great. My speed was really increasing while everyone else seemed to be slowing down. I was passing people in droves. I more than passed all the people that blew by me in the morning. The plan was working beautifully. It is a real boost of energy passing all those people late in the bike. I was loving it. My heart was in the zone….and I could push as hard as I wanted and keep the heart rate right on target. It was great. Wait, my timer just went off…time to eat drink and salt. I skipped the special needs bag which I had packed with all types of goodies in case I had a craving for something.
A couple of things to mention on the bike. First, it was REALLY cool of Eric Gibb to let me borrow his race wheels. They make a big difference and he is very selfless in letting me borrow them. Second, it was great seeing the Cleveland Tri Club folks that went down to cheer the racers on. It was always a pick me up when I saw them screaming for me.
By mile 70, I had yet to pee all day. I finally felt like I had to go but did not want to waste any time stopping. I tried and tried to pee but it was not going to happen while I was sitting on my seat. I found a nice steady downhill stood up on my pedals and let it rip. My first successful bike pee! I dumped a water bottle on myself to rinse off.
From the athlete briefing I knew there was an aid station at mile 87….but not another one until mile 107. I took an extra water bottle to make sure I had enough to get through. I caught up to Paul Lentini (the guy who gave me a tube) at about mile 100. He asked if I had any extra water and I jokingly responded “for you no way.” We had a small chuckle and I passed him my extra bottle. His ironman ‘pay it forward’ strategy worked well and I was glad I was able to give a thank you on the course.
It was a great feeling going up the last hill of the day. I knew I only had the 8 mile flat to the finish. I felt good and tried to spin out the legs for the last mile or 2 to get them ready for the run.
First bike segment 22 miles (1:18:19) 16.85 mph
Second bike segment 37 miles (52:56) 17.00 mph
Third bike segment 67 miles (1:53:18) 15.89 mph (2 flats)
Final bike segment 112 miles (2:13:36) 20.21 mph
Total bike 112 miles (6:18:09) 17.77 mph
T2
I dismounted my bike and handed it off to a volunteer to re rack. It was a long run from the bike in to the T2 bags. I stopped and took off my bike shoes so I could run faster. My T2 bag was easy to spot as it had the yellow caution tape.
As I went into the changing tent, I was surprised at the lack of speed which people were moving. A volunteer dumped my bag out. I packed a pair of run short in case I felt like changing out of my bike shorts….I definitely wanted the change. I also elected to put on my garmin as I wanted to watch my mile time splits. I changed my shorts and socks, put on my hat and fuel belt and was on my way. I did stop at the sun screen station and again got a nice coating of white goop as it was still very sunny out.
Transition time 6:45
The Run
My plan for the run was very similar to the bike. Start slow, find my legs and keep my heart rate under control and most importantly, always moving forward! As I started the run, people were running pretty fast and I was passed by a number of people. I knew they would not be able to keep up that type of pace. I felt good and settled into a nice groove. The run starts with a run over a bridge…which is basically a long slow uphill. I just watched the heart rate and moved up it very conservatively. It was very sunny and the temperature was probably close to 80 at this point but the humidity felt low.
On the run, there were aid stations every mile. I would grab 2 sponges from the first volunteer and use those to wipe cold water on my arms, back of my neck and head. I would then get a water and Gatorade. I would mix the Gatorade into the water and drink it. I did this same routine at every station and always ran through them. By mile 2, some people were already starting to walk.
I got in a nice groove with the pace and heart rate. I wasn’t running all that fast but was passing lots of people as most were running very slow if at all. I started taking Gu at mile 3 and was eating them every few miles. The miles seemed ticking off pretty quickly but the Gu’s were getting harder and harder to eat. I knew I needed them for the calories and energy, but every time I ate one, it would give me some pain in my gut that would take me awhile to work through. At mile 13, I passed the special needs bags but skipped it as I did not need anything. I packed some extra nutrition, socks and a long sleeve t-shirt.
At mile 14, you pass within about 150 yards of the finish. I knew this going in so I didn’t let myself get into the mind set of ‘oh I wish I was finishing now.’ I just kept doing my thing. Shortly after the turn, I got to see my wife and son for the first time since the Swim finish. I was thinking about them all day and hoping things were going well with her and my son. She had her own ironman in trying to keep a 2 year old entertained for not just the race but the entire weekend. I felt really good and she yelled to me that I looked great…although I think she would have probably said that no matter how I looked! I yelled “hey garbage man” to my son who seems to have that as his #1 career choice at age 2.
Just after mile 14, I was started to wonder how long I had been going. I had no idea what time of the day it was, absolutely no clue. I could not even have guessed what hour. I started to look down at my stop watch which I started when I jumped in the water in the morning to calculate a finish time range but decided not to look. My race strategy was working and I did not want to change anything that was working so well. Why risk imploding just to meet some try to reach a certain time. Weather wise, the sun was headed a bit lower in the sky and the buildings were blocking the direct sun. There was much more shade and lower temperatures as I started the second lap.
By mile 15, my pace was starting to slow a bit and I hit a couple of miles that had splits above 10 minutes/mile. I held off as long as I could but it was time to start drinking coke at the aid stations. At the mile 16 aid station, I took a coke and a water…drank the coke, washed it down with the water. I did this at every aid station until the finish.
I was definitely getting tired but I still felt strong. I was passing people in droves at this point which was a huge mental boost. Lots of folks were walking and it seemed like everyone but me was walking the aid stations. As I approached the aid stations I would yell out “water and coke” to let the volunteers know what I wanted. I had to weave through the walkers to get what I needed.
The 2 loop course was really neat in that you got to see all the other CTC races throughout the run…and of course a really drunk Durno screaming his head off at the turn around. I always made sure to yell out and give a wave to people when I saw them.
At mile 21, I was still feeling good, the coke was doing wonders, and did not hit any type of wall like I have in open marathons. I could see my mile splits were getting faster and faster but I still did not feel like I had the race in the bank just yet. At mile 22, I passed a Cleveland Triathlon Club guy I know and asked how he was doing. His response was “I am in the hurt locker.” It made me laugh as I have never heard that expression. He looked at his watch and said that I could make it in under 12 hours if I continued at that pace. It was the first time all day I had any idea of how I was doing relative to my time. He said he was going to try to pace off me but dropped back as he walked the next aid station and I ran through.
At mile 24, I felt like I had the race in the bag. I still felt good and was running well. I allowed myself to pick up the pace and let my heart rate drift higher for the first time in the entire marathon. I was having a blast. As I made the final turn to the finish, the street was lined with screaming people. I had a huge smile on my face and slowed down a bit just to take it all in and enjoy it. I had a million thoughts running through my head about the entire ironman journey and all the work/training I put into it. I looked down at my watch and it said 12:08 as I turned the corner…I guess the math was a bit off from what the guy told me at mile 22!
I had the finish line all to myself. I heard the announcer yell “Eric Banks From Westlake Ohio” but it was so loud I didn’t hear the “you are an ironman.” As I crossed the line, I raised my arms for the finish picture. A volunteer gave me a mylar blanket and asked if I was ok. I told her I was fine and did not need medical. Thankfully, they take your chip off you ankle for you. There was no way I could have bent over to get it!
I could not wait to find my wife and son. I just wanted to see her and my son to let her know I was ok. Right after I crossed the finish, I got to see them screaming at me from the rail. I had a huge smile plastered on my face and she snapped a few pictures.
Before the race, my wife gave the goal of finishing before my son’s bed time of 8 PM. I was happy I could make that happen.
First run segment 3.38 miles (31:24) 9:17/mile
Second run segment 8.25 miles (48:49) 10:01/mile
Third run segment 13.1 miles (46:39) 9:37/mile
Fourth run segment 15.33 miles (22:59) 10:18/mile
Fifth run segment 20.19 miles (49:37) 10:12/mile
Sixth run segment 25.04 miles (46:59) 9:41/mile
Final run segment 26.2 miles (10:26) 9:51/mile
Total run 26.2 miles (4:16:53) 9:48/mile
Finish totals:
Swim: 1:20:52 Bike: 6:18:09 Run: 4:16:53 Total: 12:09:10
Afterthoughts
Ironman is quite a journey. I could not be more happy with my results. I ran the entire marathon and never walked a single time and passed tons of people. I over came the adversity of the 2 flat tires to have a strong bike. When I set out on this adventure my goals were to finish strong, enjoy the day and feel good enough at the end that I could take in the atmosphere and enjoy it. I do not think it could have gone any better. I followed the race plan to the letter and was rewarded with a great day. My wife was a real trooper for the last year in supporting me not just for the race but for the year of training that went into it. Without her support, I would have never made it.
The Pre-game
The week before I left for the race, I spent a lot of time working on a ‘list’ of everything that I needed to bring to the race. I was watching the 7 day forecast for the weather, but wanted to be prepared for any conditions, hot or cold. I also made a spreadsheet of all the gear that would go in each bag…AM Swim bag, T1, special needs bike, T2, special needs run. This was really helpful when actually packing up the gear into the ironman bags. It was great to not have to ‘think’…I just had to follow the directions. It is a pretty amazing pile of gear and nutrition that you need to organize.
On Saturday, I got up early and did a short 10 minute run to loosen up the legs. It was pretty humid and I actually worked up a pretty good sweat in the short run even though it was an easy jog. I ended the run at Panera and picked up breakfast for myself, wife and son and walked it back to the hotel. As I was walking back I saw about 200 people riding their bikes in large packs which I thought was a bit risky. I was watching every step I took as to not trip or something stupid the day before the race.
The transition area was open from 12-5 to turn in you bike and T1 and T2 bags. I went down at about 3:00 PM after driving the bike course. I figured no need to get there early and I hoped that I would miss the swarm of folks. There was a small line but it moved fast. The volunteers, who were great, took your bike and gear bags…so all you had to do was walk with them. It was a sea of bike and gear bags. The volunteer spent about 10 minutes with me walking through the transition area and explaining the logistics of swim in, get T1 bag, changing tent, bike out, bike in, get T2 bag, changing tent, run out. I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where I was going. I also counted the number of bike racks and gear bags I had to pass so I knew exactly where to go on race day and would not be scrambling.
I should mention, Louisville is know to be a suffer fest because the late August weather is often hot and humid. Well, the ironman gods were looking down on us as when I checked the forecast, it said a high of 78 and a low of 55. The conditions do not get more ideal than that.
As I was told would happen, I had some trouble sleeping the night before the race. I went to bed around 9:30 and pretty much woke up on the hour until 3:50 when I got up. For breakfast I had 2 pieces of peanut butter toast with blueberries and blackberries on top and two bottles of Boost. I ate one salt tablet as well. I went to the bathroom and left the room at about 4:40 for the walk over to transition. I was feeling good.
In transition, I pumped up my tires, put 3 water bottles on my bike and turned in my special needs bags for the bike and run and was out of there. I did not want to sit around in transition and watch everyone else getting ready and feel all the nerves. The swim start is about a 1 mile walk from transition. When I got to the swim start line, I could not believe how long it was already…and it was only about 5:25 in the morning. I went to the end and pulled out a towel from the hotel and sat on it on the sidewalk. I was glad I got there when I did because it was a steady stream of people that walked by for the next hour. I could not even se how long the line was…..but it was HUGE.
I sat sipping water and chatting a bit with some of the folks that were near me in line. At about 6:45, I started to get myself organized. I took an additional 2 salt tablets, put my ear plugs in, put some glide around my neck and arms, got zipped into my swim skin, cap on goggles out. I was ready to go.
The pros started at 6:50 and it was still pretty dark outside. IMKY has a unique start in that it is a time trial start not a mass start. So basically, everyone waits in line and there is a timing mat at the end of the dock…you cross it, jump in and your day starts.
As I made my way down to the dock, I exchanged some handshakes and high 5’s from the friends I was with in line. The closer you get to the start, the faster the line starts moving. As I got to be about 100 people back, I was jogging down the dock. I hit my watch, crossed the timing mat and jumped in.
The Swim
The swim is in the Ohio River and starts with a 1 mile swim upstream and 1.4 miles downstream to the transition area. I knew from doing the practice swim on Friday that the current makes a big difference….you have to work going into it. As I started the swim, I found open water almost immediately. I concentrated on keeping a nice long consistent stroke and taking it out at a nice reasonable pace. I did not want to burn up all my energy.
About 5 minutes into the swim, in my head I said “holy sh@%! You are doing an ironman.” I had prepared for this specific day for more than a year. I wanted to make the most of it.
About 15 minutes into the swim, I started to hit some ‘congestion’ of other swimmers. It seemed like I could not get any open water. I would take 4-5 strokes and be on top of someone. I just stuck with it and clawed my way though. As I was getting closer to the turn, the water changed colors to almost completely black which I thought was rather strange. I then noticed that I was swimming through a bit of vegetation. The next time I looked up to sight, there was a guy next to me standing up walking and the water was only about to his waist. I just continued to swim as I knew I would be way faster swimming than walking. The water was black from people touching the bottom kicking up all the silt.
As I hit the turn (1 mile), I seemed to be able to find open water again. We were in the wider portion of the river now so I think it gave people a chance to spread out. I also started to get some cramps in the arches of my feet. I was able to work though them but I had to really ease up on my kick as it tended to induce the cramp in my arches. I had taken salt in the morning so I don’t know why I was having the cramping issue. I just hoped it would go away. Unfortunately, them kept coming back and were giving me more and more problems. I also started to get cramps in my toes…for those, I had no choice but to stop for a second, and stretch my foot out. This happened several times.
I just took the rest of the swim pretty easy. Any time I tried to push it too hard, I would get the cramps. I was already planning in my head on what to do on the bike to get his under control. You can’t fight cramps all day at an Ironman. I knew from the swim practice that when I passed under the last bridge, I was within 10 minutes of the finish and I could hear the crowd and the announcer yelling peoples names.
The swim exit is a set of stairs that goes into the water. There were plenty of volunteers helping people exit the water. I made eye contact with one and waved my hand to him and he welcomed me home and walked me up the steps. When I hit the top step, I immediately got cramps in both calves but as I started to run to transition, they loosened up.
Swim time 2.4 miles: 1:20:52
T1
Right as I started the run up the hill to the transition area, I heard my wife yell to me. I got to see her and shoot her a wave. That was a great feeling. I knew it would probably be late in the day the next time I got to see her as the bike finish would be right in the middle of nap time for our son.
I wanted to move efficiently through transition but not spike my heart rate. I ran up to where the gear bags were. As you entered the gear area, a volunteer would yell out your number and another would try to get it fetch it for you. They were laid out in rows on the ground in numerical order. I knew my gear was in the 5th row from the transition area scouting the day before. I went down the row and yelled “1412 caution tape” to the volunteer. I put about 3 feet of the yellow caution tape on the bag to make it easier to spot in a sea of identical bags. She found my bag immediately and handed it to me as I ran by, I didn’t even have to break stride.
I went into the transition tent and it was pretty packed at the entrance but near the exit it was almost empty. It seemed like everyone sat in the first available seat closest to the entrance. I took the opposite approach. I went close to the exit. I figured I was about to put my cycling shoes on anyway…the shorter I had to run in them the better.
When I sat down, a volunteer asked if I wanted any help. I gladly accepted. As I was putting my socks and shoes on, he was getting my gear out of the bag. I put my heart rate monitor, tri top which he help pulled the back down for me and helmet. I put 4 bags of cliff blocks in my right back pocket and 4 cliff bars in my left pocket on the back of my jersey. It is the way I do it for every ride. I use the middle pocket in the back for trash.
I had arm warmers in my bag in case it was chilly. I made the decision to skip them as I thought it was warm enough to go without them and they would be annoying after the first 20 minutes on the bike. I made the right call. The temperature was perfect day for a ride.
My swim stuff was spread all over the ground as well as the bike stuff I was leaving. Before heading out, I made sure to thoroughly lube the chassy with shammy butter and vasoline for the long ride ahead. The volunteer told me to leave when I was ready to go and he would clean everything up and repack my bags. It was awesome. I thanked him and was on my way. As I ran out of the changing tent, I got a nice slathering of sun screen from one of the volunteers.
With that I was out of the changing tent and off to my bike rack….the 7th one from the tent. Grabbed my bike and ran out of transition.
Transition time: 6:31
The Bike
The plan for the bike was to start slow and steady and get the heart rate under control. I knew from driving the course the day before that the first and last 8 miles were flat…after that is pretty hilly. I trained on a lot of hills so I was not all that worried about it there was nothing that is all that long or all that steep….just very consistently hilly.
As I got on the bike, my heart rate was much higher than I wanted and I knew I wanted to start taking salt tablets to get the cramping under control. My plan was to take 2 or 3 thermatabs per hour but I knew I needed more than that to get the cramping issue solved.
I kept my RPM’s at 90-95 and just watched my heart rate. I was moving pretty slow and people will passing me in droves. It is REALLY hard to race your race and not get caught up in what everyone else is doing. I was committed to stick to the plan. As people blew by me, I knew I would be seeing them later in the day…and that felt good.
As I rode, I kept saying to myself “right here, right now” as a reminder to stay focused on the present. I needed to stay very focused on keeping up with my nutrition and hydration plan. It is a long day and if you fall behind, it is very hard to catch up. I had a timer on my watch set to go off every 10 minutes. I would take a bite to eat and drink every 10 minutes. I was taking a couple of salt tablets every 15 minutes or so. If I felt any tightness in my calves I popped a few more tablets.
Between the eating, drinking, shifting, watching the heart rate and watching the RPMs, I was pretty busy on the bike. I felt like I was spinning 10 plates on sticks….there was always something to be doing.
There were water stops about every 10 miles on the bike. My goals were to drink 2 water bottles between each aid station and get 2 fresh bottles. I stuck to this and had no problems getting new water at every station. The aid stations were pretty long so I would go to the later portion of the station as the start of the station tended to much more crowded and some of the riders were a bit disorderly with the bike handling as they swerved through the station. There was almost a huge collision between a pro and an age grouper at a station. For some reason, the pro passed a guy on the right side just as he reached out to grab a bottle of Gatorade. The pro lost control of his bike and his foot unclipped out of his pedal. He screamed some swear words at the guy….even though he was clearly in the wrong.
About mile 40, my heart rate started to settle in nicely and I could push a lot more power at a lower heart rate. I was getting in the groove. The ride through La Grange was great. There were huge crowds of people though the main street of town. I waved to the crowd and enjoyed the cheering as you rolled though.
As I started my second loop, I was picking up speed nicely. I started up a fairly long hill and I could hear my front tire hissing. I pulled over and noticed a tack sticking out. I said ‘that sucks’ but focused on getting the change done. I kept my emotions in check as people flew past me. Lots of people asked if I had every thing I needed. I got the change done pretty quickly and jumped back on to head up the hill.
Unfortunately, after about 100 yards I could hear the tire hissing again. I started the routine over again. Thankfully I had another spare…my last. The first tube I put on had a bad stem. Again, I just kept focused on getting the tire done so I could be on my way. Paul Lentini from Cleveland Triathlon Club rode by, asked if I was ok and stopped and gave me an extra tube. That was really cool. As I was re seating the tire, a support guy on a scooter came by. He asked if I wanted help. I gladly accepted. I asked if he could put the finishing touches on the tire while I repacked my gear into my seat bag. I shook his hand and was on my way. I don’t know how long this little tire routine took but it seemed like forever!
As I got back on my bike, I felt great. My speed was really increasing while everyone else seemed to be slowing down. I was passing people in droves. I more than passed all the people that blew by me in the morning. The plan was working beautifully. It is a real boost of energy passing all those people late in the bike. I was loving it. My heart was in the zone….and I could push as hard as I wanted and keep the heart rate right on target. It was great. Wait, my timer just went off…time to eat drink and salt. I skipped the special needs bag which I had packed with all types of goodies in case I had a craving for something.
A couple of things to mention on the bike. First, it was REALLY cool of Eric Gibb to let me borrow his race wheels. They make a big difference and he is very selfless in letting me borrow them. Second, it was great seeing the Cleveland Tri Club folks that went down to cheer the racers on. It was always a pick me up when I saw them screaming for me.
By mile 70, I had yet to pee all day. I finally felt like I had to go but did not want to waste any time stopping. I tried and tried to pee but it was not going to happen while I was sitting on my seat. I found a nice steady downhill stood up on my pedals and let it rip. My first successful bike pee! I dumped a water bottle on myself to rinse off.
From the athlete briefing I knew there was an aid station at mile 87….but not another one until mile 107. I took an extra water bottle to make sure I had enough to get through. I caught up to Paul Lentini (the guy who gave me a tube) at about mile 100. He asked if I had any extra water and I jokingly responded “for you no way.” We had a small chuckle and I passed him my extra bottle. His ironman ‘pay it forward’ strategy worked well and I was glad I was able to give a thank you on the course.
It was a great feeling going up the last hill of the day. I knew I only had the 8 mile flat to the finish. I felt good and tried to spin out the legs for the last mile or 2 to get them ready for the run.
First bike segment 22 miles (1:18:19) 16.85 mph
Second bike segment 37 miles (52:56) 17.00 mph
Third bike segment 67 miles (1:53:18) 15.89 mph (2 flats)
Final bike segment 112 miles (2:13:36) 20.21 mph
Total bike 112 miles (6:18:09) 17.77 mph
T2
I dismounted my bike and handed it off to a volunteer to re rack. It was a long run from the bike in to the T2 bags. I stopped and took off my bike shoes so I could run faster. My T2 bag was easy to spot as it had the yellow caution tape.
As I went into the changing tent, I was surprised at the lack of speed which people were moving. A volunteer dumped my bag out. I packed a pair of run short in case I felt like changing out of my bike shorts….I definitely wanted the change. I also elected to put on my garmin as I wanted to watch my mile time splits. I changed my shorts and socks, put on my hat and fuel belt and was on my way. I did stop at the sun screen station and again got a nice coating of white goop as it was still very sunny out.
Transition time 6:45
The Run
My plan for the run was very similar to the bike. Start slow, find my legs and keep my heart rate under control and most importantly, always moving forward! As I started the run, people were running pretty fast and I was passed by a number of people. I knew they would not be able to keep up that type of pace. I felt good and settled into a nice groove. The run starts with a run over a bridge…which is basically a long slow uphill. I just watched the heart rate and moved up it very conservatively. It was very sunny and the temperature was probably close to 80 at this point but the humidity felt low.
On the run, there were aid stations every mile. I would grab 2 sponges from the first volunteer and use those to wipe cold water on my arms, back of my neck and head. I would then get a water and Gatorade. I would mix the Gatorade into the water and drink it. I did this same routine at every station and always ran through them. By mile 2, some people were already starting to walk.
I got in a nice groove with the pace and heart rate. I wasn’t running all that fast but was passing lots of people as most were running very slow if at all. I started taking Gu at mile 3 and was eating them every few miles. The miles seemed ticking off pretty quickly but the Gu’s were getting harder and harder to eat. I knew I needed them for the calories and energy, but every time I ate one, it would give me some pain in my gut that would take me awhile to work through. At mile 13, I passed the special needs bags but skipped it as I did not need anything. I packed some extra nutrition, socks and a long sleeve t-shirt.
At mile 14, you pass within about 150 yards of the finish. I knew this going in so I didn’t let myself get into the mind set of ‘oh I wish I was finishing now.’ I just kept doing my thing. Shortly after the turn, I got to see my wife and son for the first time since the Swim finish. I was thinking about them all day and hoping things were going well with her and my son. She had her own ironman in trying to keep a 2 year old entertained for not just the race but the entire weekend. I felt really good and she yelled to me that I looked great…although I think she would have probably said that no matter how I looked! I yelled “hey garbage man” to my son who seems to have that as his #1 career choice at age 2.
Just after mile 14, I was started to wonder how long I had been going. I had no idea what time of the day it was, absolutely no clue. I could not even have guessed what hour. I started to look down at my stop watch which I started when I jumped in the water in the morning to calculate a finish time range but decided not to look. My race strategy was working and I did not want to change anything that was working so well. Why risk imploding just to meet some try to reach a certain time. Weather wise, the sun was headed a bit lower in the sky and the buildings were blocking the direct sun. There was much more shade and lower temperatures as I started the second lap.
By mile 15, my pace was starting to slow a bit and I hit a couple of miles that had splits above 10 minutes/mile. I held off as long as I could but it was time to start drinking coke at the aid stations. At the mile 16 aid station, I took a coke and a water…drank the coke, washed it down with the water. I did this at every aid station until the finish.
I was definitely getting tired but I still felt strong. I was passing people in droves at this point which was a huge mental boost. Lots of folks were walking and it seemed like everyone but me was walking the aid stations. As I approached the aid stations I would yell out “water and coke” to let the volunteers know what I wanted. I had to weave through the walkers to get what I needed.
The 2 loop course was really neat in that you got to see all the other CTC races throughout the run…and of course a really drunk Durno screaming his head off at the turn around. I always made sure to yell out and give a wave to people when I saw them.
At mile 21, I was still feeling good, the coke was doing wonders, and did not hit any type of wall like I have in open marathons. I could see my mile splits were getting faster and faster but I still did not feel like I had the race in the bank just yet. At mile 22, I passed a Cleveland Triathlon Club guy I know and asked how he was doing. His response was “I am in the hurt locker.” It made me laugh as I have never heard that expression. He looked at his watch and said that I could make it in under 12 hours if I continued at that pace. It was the first time all day I had any idea of how I was doing relative to my time. He said he was going to try to pace off me but dropped back as he walked the next aid station and I ran through.
At mile 24, I felt like I had the race in the bag. I still felt good and was running well. I allowed myself to pick up the pace and let my heart rate drift higher for the first time in the entire marathon. I was having a blast. As I made the final turn to the finish, the street was lined with screaming people. I had a huge smile on my face and slowed down a bit just to take it all in and enjoy it. I had a million thoughts running through my head about the entire ironman journey and all the work/training I put into it. I looked down at my watch and it said 12:08 as I turned the corner…I guess the math was a bit off from what the guy told me at mile 22!
I had the finish line all to myself. I heard the announcer yell “Eric Banks From Westlake Ohio” but it was so loud I didn’t hear the “you are an ironman.” As I crossed the line, I raised my arms for the finish picture. A volunteer gave me a mylar blanket and asked if I was ok. I told her I was fine and did not need medical. Thankfully, they take your chip off you ankle for you. There was no way I could have bent over to get it!
I could not wait to find my wife and son. I just wanted to see her and my son to let her know I was ok. Right after I crossed the finish, I got to see them screaming at me from the rail. I had a huge smile plastered on my face and she snapped a few pictures.
Before the race, my wife gave the goal of finishing before my son’s bed time of 8 PM. I was happy I could make that happen.
First run segment 3.38 miles (31:24) 9:17/mile
Second run segment 8.25 miles (48:49) 10:01/mile
Third run segment 13.1 miles (46:39) 9:37/mile
Fourth run segment 15.33 miles (22:59) 10:18/mile
Fifth run segment 20.19 miles (49:37) 10:12/mile
Sixth run segment 25.04 miles (46:59) 9:41/mile
Final run segment 26.2 miles (10:26) 9:51/mile
Total run 26.2 miles (4:16:53) 9:48/mile
Finish totals:
Swim: 1:20:52 Bike: 6:18:09 Run: 4:16:53 Total: 12:09:10
Afterthoughts
Ironman is quite a journey. I could not be more happy with my results. I ran the entire marathon and never walked a single time and passed tons of people. I over came the adversity of the 2 flat tires to have a strong bike. When I set out on this adventure my goals were to finish strong, enjoy the day and feel good enough at the end that I could take in the atmosphere and enjoy it. I do not think it could have gone any better. I followed the race plan to the letter and was rewarded with a great day. My wife was a real trooper for the last year in supporting me not just for the race but for the year of training that went into it. Without her support, I would have never made it.
And I'm totally serious - I want to know! 
