As I came into the building was this big room that had rows of transition bags. Each row was marked with a range of numbers. I found my bag half way down the row that started 1800 – 1850. Realize that this room contained 2400+ transition bags and each bag contained our whole outfit change from swimming to bike. My bag contained my helmet, bike shoes, jersey, bibs and food. I had been determined before I started the race that I was going to take in as much as I could, so when I got to the transition room (a ball room converted to a men’s locker room) I just sat down and took it in before changing. Modesty rules with me so when I put on my compression shorts on in the morning it was with the intention of wearing them for the swim, bike and run.
I had packed two Cliff bars with the intention of eating them before the ride started as I knew my body would be out of breakfast calories soon enough. Nutrition has been a big part of my training and I have studied quite a bit on when and how to consume fuel. This is one reason for many and for myself triathlons become a lifestyle.
While sitting in the chair, eating my Cliff bar and feeling good about the swim I realized that I was dawdling and wasting time. I put on my jersey realizing after it was on that my bib shorts needed to go on first. I stripped off my shirt and put the shorts and got my shirt back on but I could not find my Butt Butter. I sat down to put my shoes and socks on and the BB packets had fallen into my shoes. After I finished getting my shoes on I tore open the packets of BB and liberally applied in the appropriate areas, for a gentler silky smooth ride. Yea. I grabbed two more glasses of water on the way out to the bike
Here I have to put a plug in for the volunteers; Bill helped me in the first transition, he did everything, opened my bag, got me water, tried to calm me down. I can not say enough about the volunteers and how much they encouraged us along the way. I know that from my perspective they played a big role in making the day special. I had volunteered in the transition area last year so I could register for this year’s event. It was a great time but until you have been on both sides, I did not realize how much they meant to the athletes.
Making my way to the bike, I walked deliberately trying to remain calm. I slid my riding gloves on found my bike. Walking my bike to the bike mount line my son Matt and his best friend Chris (my other son) were waving and shouting at me trying to get my picture. Those guys were nuts but why should they be different from the rest of the crowd. By the time I made my way to the line, I had become focused on the ride and did not see or hear much around me.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ironman Day (The Swim)
After going to bed a little after 9:00 PM, I did not have an especially great night of sleep. I was waking up every hour or so checking my watch. 12:14, 2:01, finally 3:37, it’s time! I got up just before 4:00 AM. I walked to the bathroom with a dull pain in my stomach. I am not sure what compelled me to take a shower this morning since I was going to be in the lake in just over 2 hours but it felt good. I went downstairs to the kitchen and heated water on the stove got out a small frying pan and filled my water bottles. My plan was to eat breakfast as close to 5:00 as possible. I had decided earlier that breakfast was pretty much going to be the usual routine that I have used for most every other triathlon I have done. Two scrambled eggs, oatmeal with a little sugar and a piece of toast. As I was eating I remembered that I needed to put my timing chip on my ankle. I adjusted it a couple of more times through breakfast. I also decided to add a little coffee which I believe now to have been a mistake. At 5:00 we hopped into the car with my special needs bags and wetsuit.
I don’t remember the ride downtown too much; I know that I was intensely focused on what I was going to do throughout the race. We parked at the DPI building and then walked over to the marking area on the east entrance of Monona Terrace. It was a mass of humanity athletes and spectators alike. My marker asked me for my number, he marked 1882 on my arms. What’s your age. 49 went on the back of my left leg. I handed Chris my special needs bags and went into the bike transition area to put my water bottles on my bike and check my tires. I had decided that unless my tires felt soft I was not going to try and pump them up. We walked up to the Starbuck’s to drop off my special needs bags and meet my friend Diane.
We all headed down to Monona Terrace and outside the building, changed into my wetsuit. The announcement came, it was time all athletes to get into the water. We headed into the building and went down the east helix to the lake. As we walked to the water we chatted a little and I got last minute encouragement as I headed toward the lake entry . I gave Chris a kiss and checked my timing chip zipped up my suit then went into the water.
The water was cold near the shore and took my breath away a bit, most people were standing near the shore waiting until the last minute to take the plunge. I swam about fifty yards out to the Ford sign and back, it felt good and I was beginning to warm up. By this time the coffee had also kicked in and for the first time since I purchased my wetsuit I peed in it. I swam out about a hundred or so yards from shore where the start was to take place. I arrived 8 minutes before the pros were to start at 6:50. While waiting for the start I laid on my back in the water just trying to focus and keep my heart rate down. The cannon for the pros went off right at 6:50 according to my watch. Good, now I know my watch is on the same time as the race clock. People crowded to the start area and I found myself in the middle of the pack. At about three minutes to 7:00 they sang the National Anthem and tears poured down my face for what would be the first of many times during the race.
Just before the cannon went off I had one last pee in the wetsuit. I had violated my own rule twice in the last half hour. Boom! Derek had advised me earlier in the week to start near the front outside. I forgot. The course is a rectangle marked on each corner by a large orange buoy with numbered yellow buoys in between. People were all over me and I them as we started on the swim. Bodies, arms and legs were everywhere. It was at about buoy #2 where I recalled Derek’s advice. Damn! I attempted to swim to the outside but quickly realized that was not happening so I waited for the group to spread out a little. At buoy #6 someone kicked me in the goggles and the suction caused me to lose vision in my right eye momentarily. I stopped, adjusted my goggles and everything was fine again. When we hit the first orange corner buoy everything came to a halt again, everyone was mooing as we turned the corner to the next orange buoy. It really did remind me of cows going through the chute. As we rounded the second large orange buoy I was able to keep Monona Terrace in my field of view during the swim until I was perpendicular to the large steel grain bin apartment building. I was pretty much free from hitting others so I kept myself occupied by looking and counting the smaller buoys as they passed until we reached the next corner. When I reach the final corner buoy I was at the half way point and had the urge to check my watch to check my spilt, I resisted and just kept on going. Finally, I had hit the last long stretch back and I had plenty of room to swim. I thought I must be doing ok as there seemed to be a fair number of swimmers behind me. Then I get kicked in the right hip. I spent the rest of the swim in something of a protective mode wondering if I was going to get it right in the (you know where I mean). As I swam by Monona Terrace for one last time I thought about how my swim had improved since June, all be it at the expense of my swimming over classmates. When I turned down that last buoy toward the steel building and shore I was wondering about my time; just how far off was I from the 1:30 goal? I went by the ski jump and kept moving toward shore finally touching the launch with my hand as I swam. Derek would have been proud that I hadn’t stood up yet. When I did stand I looked at the clock 1:24….big smile, very cool, five minutes faster than I had planned.
The crowd was cheering and I was taking my wetsuit off. The wetsuit strippers helped me remove it from the bottom half of my body. It was pretty cool, my legs cramped a little but all was good. As I ran up the helix to the transition the first person I saw that I knew was Julie, one of my classmates for swimming. I often would unintentionally run in to her during classes. The swim was my payback…everyone ran into/over me. Another huge wave of emotion hit as I saw my family and friends on the helix cheering. I am generally not a crier,however; emotion was going to be a theme for the day. I was just glad that I was still dripping from the swim no one could see the tears.
I don’t remember the ride downtown too much; I know that I was intensely focused on what I was going to do throughout the race. We parked at the DPI building and then walked over to the marking area on the east entrance of Monona Terrace. It was a mass of humanity athletes and spectators alike. My marker asked me for my number, he marked 1882 on my arms. What’s your age. 49 went on the back of my left leg. I handed Chris my special needs bags and went into the bike transition area to put my water bottles on my bike and check my tires. I had decided that unless my tires felt soft I was not going to try and pump them up. We walked up to the Starbuck’s to drop off my special needs bags and meet my friend Diane.
We all headed down to Monona Terrace and outside the building, changed into my wetsuit. The announcement came, it was time all athletes to get into the water. We headed into the building and went down the east helix to the lake. As we walked to the water we chatted a little and I got last minute encouragement as I headed toward the lake entry . I gave Chris a kiss and checked my timing chip zipped up my suit then went into the water.
The water was cold near the shore and took my breath away a bit, most people were standing near the shore waiting until the last minute to take the plunge. I swam about fifty yards out to the Ford sign and back, it felt good and I was beginning to warm up. By this time the coffee had also kicked in and for the first time since I purchased my wetsuit I peed in it. I swam out about a hundred or so yards from shore where the start was to take place. I arrived 8 minutes before the pros were to start at 6:50. While waiting for the start I laid on my back in the water just trying to focus and keep my heart rate down. The cannon for the pros went off right at 6:50 according to my watch. Good, now I know my watch is on the same time as the race clock. People crowded to the start area and I found myself in the middle of the pack. At about three minutes to 7:00 they sang the National Anthem and tears poured down my face for what would be the first of many times during the race.
Just before the cannon went off I had one last pee in the wetsuit. I had violated my own rule twice in the last half hour. Boom! Derek had advised me earlier in the week to start near the front outside. I forgot. The course is a rectangle marked on each corner by a large orange buoy with numbered yellow buoys in between. People were all over me and I them as we started on the swim. Bodies, arms and legs were everywhere. It was at about buoy #2 where I recalled Derek’s advice. Damn! I attempted to swim to the outside but quickly realized that was not happening so I waited for the group to spread out a little. At buoy #6 someone kicked me in the goggles and the suction caused me to lose vision in my right eye momentarily. I stopped, adjusted my goggles and everything was fine again. When we hit the first orange corner buoy everything came to a halt again, everyone was mooing as we turned the corner to the next orange buoy. It really did remind me of cows going through the chute. As we rounded the second large orange buoy I was able to keep Monona Terrace in my field of view during the swim until I was perpendicular to the large steel grain bin apartment building. I was pretty much free from hitting others so I kept myself occupied by looking and counting the smaller buoys as they passed until we reached the next corner. When I reach the final corner buoy I was at the half way point and had the urge to check my watch to check my spilt, I resisted and just kept on going. Finally, I had hit the last long stretch back and I had plenty of room to swim. I thought I must be doing ok as there seemed to be a fair number of swimmers behind me. Then I get kicked in the right hip. I spent the rest of the swim in something of a protective mode wondering if I was going to get it right in the (you know where I mean). As I swam by Monona Terrace for one last time I thought about how my swim had improved since June, all be it at the expense of my swimming over classmates. When I turned down that last buoy toward the steel building and shore I was wondering about my time; just how far off was I from the 1:30 goal? I went by the ski jump and kept moving toward shore finally touching the launch with my hand as I swam. Derek would have been proud that I hadn’t stood up yet. When I did stand I looked at the clock 1:24….big smile, very cool, five minutes faster than I had planned.
The crowd was cheering and I was taking my wetsuit off. The wetsuit strippers helped me remove it from the bottom half of my body. It was pretty cool, my legs cramped a little but all was good. As I ran up the helix to the transition the first person I saw that I knew was Julie, one of my classmates for swimming. I often would unintentionally run in to her during classes. The swim was my payback…everyone ran into/over me. Another huge wave of emotion hit as I saw my family and friends on the helix cheering. I am generally not a crier,however; emotion was going to be a theme for the day. I was just glad that I was still dripping from the swim no one could see the tears.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Finish
OK I am now in the recovery stage of my training. I heard the words this past Sunday Jim Henning you are an Ironman. During this down time, I plan to blog about the journey the past month or so. It has been an incredible ride. I have started the article about Sunday and my experiences and thoughts during the race. I will also include my post race reflections.
I do want to leave with two thoughts however.
1. Ironman was a great goal and dream of mine but it was not the finish......It is the START.
2. You have in your control how and when you are going to live. START now!
I do want to leave with two thoughts however.
1. Ironman was a great goal and dream of mine but it was not the finish......It is the START.
2. You have in your control how and when you are going to live. START now!
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