In the interest of writing a race report that brings you along for the ride, as well as deepens the knowledge of those who still ask me, "You have to do that all in one day?" I present...A Few Days In Panama City Beach, at Ironman Florida - 2008.
First off, I must say that all of this would not have been possible without the immense help, dedication and sacrifice my wife Melissa went through in the previous 9 months, to see that I got to the starting line physically and mentally healthy, trained and ready to go. Some of you will never experience what it was she went through. She was there for nearly all of my races leading up to Florida, and if she couldn't make it, it wasn't because she didn't want to be there. She took over so many of the shared family responsibilities, and although she could never seem to get me to take a nap on the weekends, she never flinched when I needed to put "another workout" ahead of something she might have wanted to do. We didn't get to eat as a family as often as we normally do, but she always had dinner ready or keeping warm for me. It got to the point where she'd ask for my swim goggles, so she could put a coat of baby shampoo on the lenses to keep them fog free for the next race or workout. And because they didn't fog up, I thought of her on those numerous occasions during training or racing. It sounds corny, but sometimes it's just the little things that make or break a race or training session. She's my greatest cheering section, fan and training partner. For that, I owe her a debt of gratitude, which I truly hope means returning the favor of her first Ironman someday. I know she can!Three nights prior to the race, we hosted a small get together with a few friends and members of the Portland, Gecko Tri Club that I knew were going to be racing. Our daughter Rose thought I was inviting the whole line up of participants. If I saw someone with a Gecko shirt, I'd invite them. As it turned out, we had 7 show up out of 9 invited. We enjoyed a plentiful array of ingredients for Build-Your-Own soft tacos, which Melissa and my mom put together while I was out on a training ride. My thanks to them! We had laughs all evening, as well as a ton of tips and information for someone like me who was going to become an Ironman for the first time. It was a really great group and I look forward to training & racing with some of them in the future.
In this picture: Rob & Annie, Barb, Alicia, me, Jorge, Melissa, Tim & Georgia. RACE DAY, Ready or Not!!
Like a lot of Ironman stories begin, my race day started with the alarm clock going off 4:00 a.m. There were back-ups in place in case I didn't hear it the first time or hit the snooze button too many times. Yeah, like that was going to happen. I don't think I slept too bad, as I went to bed feeling assured and calm with my race plan and what the day held for me. At this point I just needed to face the road ahead.
I got in the shower, warmed up the muscles and got dressed in what I knew I'd be comfortable in for a long day. Bodyglide* the appropriate areas of concern and hope that there was still some semblance of it left after the swim. A lot of thought went into just what to wear. As you can see by the pictures, this is not a three wardrobe event. I had options that included one-piece tri-suits as well as two-piece top and bottom. I had different options for better coverage against the sun, as well as slightly warmer or slightly cooler. I knew I had Arm Coolers* and a Head Cooler beanie in the T-1* bag. Cap or visor? I went with the slightly cooler outfit as I do tend to heat up pretty easily. Would this be sufficient on the run, after the sun went down? I guess I'd just have to find out. A decided my Hammer Gel cap would be best for the run. All of this gear was already at the race site in the appropriate transition bags. I ate a bowl of oatmeal and a pb&j bagel along with a 20 oz bottle of NUUN for electrolyte and hydration. I got my Special Needs* bags ready to haul out the door with me. They included two large bottles of dry maltodextrin and a premixed bottle of NUUN, as well as two single serving packets of Perpetuem in case I needed a change of plans, 2 Uncrustables packaged-frozen PB&J sandwiches and 4 individually wrapped whole wheat fig bars. I absolutely love fig bars on the bike, as they are easy to chew, taste fabulous, don't crumbled like regular fig bars and pack a lot of "slow burn" energy in a small package. One of the last things I did before leaving the condo was put a temporary M-Dot* tattoo on the back of my left hand. I knew that every time I looked at my heart rate monitor throughout the day, I would be reminded of why I was out there. To race within my means, to not disappoint those who helped me get here, to not disappoint myself and...To Become An Ironman.
*Bodyglide is an Anti-Blister and Chafing formula that comes in a deodorant style applicator. It's quite amazing how well it works and it goes just about anywhere there could be something rubbing against something else for an extended period of time. Think feet, toes, neckline, armpits etc. It's one of the best "friends" an endurance athlete can have. The stuff works, period!
*Arm coolers are the opposite of arm warmers. They're designed to wick sweat to the surface of the fabric and give you a cooler skin temperature. They also help block the sun. I look so formal in them, don't I?*T-1 = Transition One. This is where triathletes make their transition from the Swim phase to the Bike phase. Transition out of swim gear and into bike gear. There are 2 transitions in a triathlon or duathlon. You can just see the hallway between the 3rd and 4th palm trees. That's where we would be spilling out of after making our way up the beach after the swim. Just outside the picture to the right are the changing tents. One for men, one for women.
*M-Dot refers to the symbol, icon or registered logo of official Ironman licensed events or products. It originally started as a capital M with a lower case "i" running up the middle of it. It has since evolved into a simple flat-topped M with a dot floating above it. Hence, M-Dot.
*Special needs bags are filled with any items you might want or need at around the halfway point on the bike or run. If there's something you just want to have out there, (special fuel mixture, certain food item, new socks etc.) it goes in the special needs bag and is trucked/delivered out to a predetermined location on the course.I kissed Melissa goodbye knowing she'd contact me with their location and take my phone from me at the start. Off I went to the start/finish area with my wetsuit, bags, water for the Aero-Drink* system and the hope that I'd find body marking and a pump before having to stand in line for the porta-potty. Dang, it was cool out, pitch black, no wind, calm ocean and starry skies above. It was cool to see so much activity at the transition area and spectators galore! Volunteers were everywhere and so extremely helpful in getting the athletes where they needed to be, while holding back the crowds so we could get things situated.
*The Aero-Drink system is what you see on the bike at the handle bars. It's essentially a water bottle and straw device that allows you to drink while still maintaining an aerodynamic position. The opening is constructed with a pour-thru cap, designed for fast refills from on-course water bottles and to minimize any splashing of liquids. Some systems are affectionately known as "Aero-Showers" when it comes to rough road surfaces.
Bright lights filled the predawn sky. The smell of big, wide Sharpies from body-marking, assaults my nostrils. People are everywhere!! Hold up your wrist and show your official "get-me-in-anywhere" bracelet if you even stand a chance at getting into transition. I dumped my wetsuit and water bottle at the bike and went in search of the special needs bag drop. I found both drop sites and ran into Jorge on the way to body marking. Pulled up my sleeves and got my tattoos for the day. "Hey, make sure that 50 - signifying my age - is bold enough!" I just want to make sure any younger athletes know when they get passed by an old guy. I notice when I get passed by them too! I run into Barb getting back into transition and she gives me a huge smile, knowing how much excitement I'm feeling right then. I make my way over to my bike and borrow a pump from another guy. One of the first bits of advice I was given was to bring my own pump on race morning. Others said I wouldn't need it. I should have listened. Most pumps were either set up for disk wheels or in such bad shape, I'd have been more comfortable using my own. No problem. I managed to get the tires inflated to where I wanted them. The only thing bugging me since I left the condo was that I could not locate my rubber coin purse carrier for my Hammer Endurolytes.* I didn't have them with me, and I knew they weren't on the bike in the Bento Box.* I could only hope at this point that they were in my T-1 bag and I'd have to get them after the swim. My typical routine was to take three capsules, 1 hour before the start. This way I would not come out of the water in an electrolyte deficit and could resume a routine of consuming 1-2 more capsule each hour, depending on heat and sweat rate. This ensures I don't get muscle cramping should I fall behind on hydration. I didn't plan on falling behind today, but the plan was to ride sanely. Either way, I wasn't worried and the day was shaping up to be pretty cool and dry. Can't worry about things you can't control, right? Besides, Gatorade Endurance - with twice the sodium of normal Gatorade - was the Sports Drink du jour. I'd just consume some of that if necessary. Sorry to all my die-hard Hammer friends who had to read that last part. But a guy's gotta do, what a guy's gotta do.
*Endurolytes are just one of the brands of electrolyte tablets available. Athletes know that an imbalance of the body's electrolyte stores can lead to problems that include muscle cramping or the ability of fluids to empty from the stomach. Once this happens, it's very difficult to keep up intensity levels, keep the muscles properly fueled and the body properly hydrated
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*Bento Box is a small reinforced-nylon holder that attaches to the top tube just behind the handle bars. It has a mesh cover that overlaps the top and enables you to cram it full of gel packets, energy bars, cellphone or camera. It's quick access to things when you need them.
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*Bento Box is a small reinforced-nylon holder that attaches to the top tube just behind the handle bars. It has a mesh cover that overlaps the top and enables you to cram it full of gel packets, energy bars, cellphone or camera. It's quick access to things when you need them.
The announcement for the athletes to start clearing the transition area came about 6:15. I got the call from Melissa and would look for them near the beach. I was still standing in the porta-potty line. In the dark! We made our way towards the swim start like we were in the movie "March of the Penguins." I felt like a lemming as I couldn't really tell if anyone was really going the right way, but we were moving nonetheless. I found Melissa, Rose and my mom, handed over the phone and morning clothes then finished getting my wetsuit on. My excitement level was really starting to ramp up. I kept telling myself, "This is it! This is the day that makes all the training worthwhile. This is the day that I've been preparing for. This is the FUN part." We said our "Goodbye for now." & "See you soon." and I made my way to the water. The Pro field would head out in about 15 minutes, with a 10 minute head start on the rest of us age-group competitors. We could see the start clock and knew that 7:00 sharp was when the cannon fires. Sunrise was at 6:58, so we were still in relative darkness. I met up with Cecilia and Annie on the beach and we all wished each other well. Cecilia and I were both doing this for the first time. We reassured each other that this was going to be a fun day. No pressure, just enjoy each moment. I asked Annie where Rob (her husband) was and she pointed in the direction of the Pros. He was going to be starting out with the best of the age groupers, while Cecilia and I agreed that we weren't quite far enough to the right, outside edge of the crowd. The last thing I wanted to do was mix it up with a bunch of weaving, head-kicking, punching swimmers.
The Pros head out on their cannon and it's amazing how far they get within 8 minutes into their head start. The buzz of the crowd is incredible. The faces show fear, excitement, calm and an occasional game face. People are stretching, sitting and meditative, hugging each other and nervously laughing. With two minutes to go, we are all called to get out of the water. I move more toward the right side and can't believe there are still so many competitors off to my right. I've never seen 2 minutes come off a clock so fast. ...5-4-3-2-1 BOOM!! Were off! Van Halen's "Panama" is blasting out of the speakers. I think to myself, how appropriate. That song will be in my head all day and is now a clear reminder of that single moment in time.
I enter the water knowing we'll have to walk over a sand bar. There are so many others in front of me that at this point I just keep walking deeper and deeper. I reach the sand bar and it looks like I'll see two minutes on the watch before I actually put my head down and start swimming. I love the feel, taste and smell of the salt water. It was on Thursday when I did a practice swim that all those sensations came back. Growing up in the ocean, you never forget how much "at home" it makes you feel. The sand is still visible below us, and the temperature is perfect. I sight off of the boat at anchor in the picture above, just beyond the first red Turn-Buoy. This gives me a larger target and allows me to navigate without raising my head unnecessarily high out of the water. Folks are crashing into each other, while some are abruptly stopping then all of a sudden kicking again. Those are the ones that will kick you in the face, because you're not expecting them to stop, then start again. One guy yells at another for the third time about swimming into him, and I tell him he's the one swimming crooked. Makes me laugh. I feel so elated that I'm doing this. I've been in shorter races over the years where I've asked myself during the swim, "What the hell am I doing out here?" None of that today. We come upon the first Turn-Buoy and of course everyone wants the shortest line around it. Traffic comes to an abrupt stop as we're now packed in a tight group and some of us are trying to swim away from it. It seems as though some folks had trouble sighting the second turn-buoy due to the sun now just above the horizon and right in our eyes. I see the buoy at 4 o'clock from the sun's position and just head for the sun. I make the second turn and already know what I'm sighting at onshore for the inbound trip. It might be all the surfing I did as a kid, but no matter where I'm racing, the inbound leg always feels like I'm getting help back to shore, from waves. In this case it could be from all the people in the water. Melissa says that at the start, there looked to be an actual wave of water being pushed out in front of the swimmers. As I got back close to shore, I couldn't help but feel as though I was getting pulled along with everyone now walking in over the sand bar.
We exit the water, go through the timing chip arch, grab a cup of water and head back out for lap 2. 1.2 miles down, 1.2 miles to finish the swim, then only 138.2 more to go. I saw Melissa, Rose and mom on the beach, but gee, they couldn't pick me out of the crowd. I noticed a lot of folks heading out to the first turn-buoy by cutting the inside guide buoy, even as the announcer was instructing them to go all the way around the outside of the green guide buoys. Oh, well, I'll go around the green buoy and maybe start a trend!
As I was swimming lap 2, I'd glimpse the resort hotels on the beach and think to myself, "This is just like swimming off Waikiki Beach!" I loved it! Saw one jellyfish on the way out. The crowd was better as we were more spread out. I got to thinking that this was just like a cross between swimming and walking into a dark room, while feeling around for the light switch. I was constantly protecting myself from getting kicked in the face. The turns were better and the inbound leg meant I'd be done with the swim real soon. As I got to the beach, I continued to swim past those that had already started walking. Got up on the beach and crossed the timing mat a couple of minutes under my projected time. The first words that came to me were those that my coach Julie had written in my last month of workouts. She said; "Move steadily rather than fast. Running fast at this point is added stress on the body." So move steadily I did. With the mass of neoprene clad bodies around me, it was hard to expect otherwise. I got to the wetsuit strippers*, was helped up off the sand and handed my wetsuit. Made my way through the "cold" fresh water shower nozzles and into the corridor of the race headquarters hotel to exit into the T-1 area. I was yelling out my number but eventually went over and picked up my own T-1 bag.
*Wetsuit Strippers are there to help get you out of your wetsuit as fast as possible. You basically fall on your butt, lay back on the ground and let them "strip" it off of you. Some folks went the entire day with sand on their backs.
Rather than make my way into the men's changing tent, I opted to transition outside in the sunshine. A young volunteer came over as I was stuffing my wetsuit in the bag and said, "Here, I'll do that!" To my slight disappointment, the Endurolytes were not in this bag. Must have mistakenly put both holders in the T-2 bag. No problem. Remain calm and enjoy the day. Once I got into the changing tent to exit toward my bike, I saw what a smart decision I'd made. The changing tent was completely dark and full of human humidity. I saw a guy in a helmet, and knowing he was probably "just passing through" got in behind him. As soon as we stepped outside, two ladies were there with gloved hands to slather sunscreen on me. Hit the exposed back areas and my legs and I was good to go.
I pulled my bike from the rack and headed towards the bike mount area and the exit to the bike course. As I got close I was slowed by more crowding. We all get a good look at the Penalty Tent as we headed out. It's like Ironman County Jail. It's not a place I want to spend any time in. I could see the Bike Mount Line and a few were eager to get going as soon as they could. It only took one fall by another competitor to make me decide to go the safe route, and mount further down the chute. The ground was semi-cobbled and some of the others weren't handling it very well. There were even guys fixing blown tires off to the side of the chute. This was probably the most dangerous area I had encountered all day. Once clear we were out on the asphalt and heading through town. Our course would take us west for a while then head north to about the 20 mile mark. I kept things real easy so I could get into a comfortable rhythm. This was made difficult by the long string of bikers and the fear of a Drafting Penalty.* I made it to the only climb at 10 miles out (up and over the causeway, like an overpass, not really considered a climb when you live in the Northwest), maintaining about a 20 mph pace. Gearing was easy so as to get the legs warmed up, and once on the downhill side I switched to the large chain-ring.
*Penalties are accessed based on severity. A Drafting Penalty is awarded for being within 4 bike lengths behind another competitor for longer than 20 seconds. Once in this "draft zone" you must pass the other competitor (your front wheel ahead of theirs) within 20 seconds. It is then their responsibility to drop back out of your draft zone. A drafting penalty will get you 4 minutes in the next penalty tent. They actually hand you a stopwatch with four minutes set, and you watch riders go by. Littering, blocking other riders or being abusive to other competitors or volunteers are 2 minute penalties tacked on to your race time. Any combination of three penalties and you are disqualified from starting the next leg, or if on the last leg of the run, disqualified from the race completely.
Road surfaces over the next 40 miles or so were pretty good. Smooth enough to ride without a lot of unexpected jolts and conducive to being able to eat pretty easily. The aid stations were spaced every 10 miles and the volunteers were abundant and extremely helpful. We hit the special needs area early at about 44 miles. I pulled a few things out of the bag, refilled my fuel bottles, grabbed one of the Uncrustables, a few gel packs and three more fig bars. The ride was difficult at times because of the drafting rules. You'd have to speed up and drop in behind someone, then drop back to stay out of their zone. Doing that for the whole ride can really take you off-pace and expend more energy than just going a constant pace. But there's not a whole lot you can do to avoid it with the number or competitors out there.
We made a turn back west at about mile 48 and I was surprised to see Melissa standing on the opposite side of the road. She caught a few pictures of me just as I figured out it was her. I was so focused on the task at hand, I wasn't even expecting her out there. Truly a nice surprise and mental boost!
After a short, windy, and rough surfaced out-and-back of about 3 1/2 miles each way, we were headed back west again and on to smoother roads. The wind became a tailwind and everything was feeling great. I remember thinking at about the 80 mile mark that I still had 32 miles to go, and I felt fantastic. I could attribute this to good training, proper and consistent fueling and steady pacing. The temperature was pretty good too! The last 10 miles would head us right back to town and into T-2. It was exciting and somewhat bittersweet knowing that one more leg of this adventure would soon be ending. After all, the bike leg is my passion, and so far the bike has treated me very well. 114.4 down, 26.2 to go.
I come back into transition and the crowd is enormous. I feel like a star! I dismount, people are cheering and I'm ready to run my bike back to it's place on the rack. Just then someone comes alongside me and says, "I'll take that for you!" Now I really feel like a star. Someone's actually re-racking my bike for me so I can grab my Bike-To-Run bag, make T-2 and head out on the run. I grab my bag, sit on a curb and proceed to swap bike shoes for running shoes. A gal comes along and bags up my helmet and bike shoes while I get laced up for the run. Glasses on. Hat on. Hydration belt on. Wow, a full marathon ahead and the weather is near perfect. That and the fact that my adrenaline is now quite ramped up and I know I'm on may way to the finish line. That is, after 26.2 more miles.
I head out of the run chute and forget that I'm carrying cleat covers and a gel flask I don't need. I immediately see Melissa and Rose along the spectator fence and can only smile.
I hand off the unneeded gear and press on. The run course is lined with people and folks are definitely in the "party-on" mode. They're cheering each and every one of us and motivating us to stay strong. I see the Pro Men and Women coming by on the way back to the finish line. I can't really tell what lap they're on, but I know they're way ahead of me. Each of the top three Pros is being lead by a cyclist with sign signifying their position such as, "1st Men's Pro" or "1st Women's Pro" so the crowd knows too. I see Tom Evans once and Bela Comerford about three times. They go on to win the men's and women's pro divisions. I feel pretty good on my first leg out and the double loop format doesn't bother me mentally. I know that each leg out and back will be 6.55 miles, and the only way to get back from the turnaround, is to run back. The aid stations are handing out cold sponges and this helps to alleviate the heat. The temperature is probably about 72 degrees, but when running in the sun, it feels quite a bit warmer. I grab some ice water and a couple of sponges. I see folks tucking them under their shoulder straps and this seems to work pretty well. Aid stations are well stocked and abundant. Volunteers are well staffed and upbeat. Several of the yards in the neighborhoods we're running though are well stocked with partiers cheering on friends and enjoying the scene. I make it into the Park where we'll make our turnaround and thankfully know where that's going to take place. I see the photographer as I come back from the turn.
Just past the photographer is the Ford Inspiration Station. Running over an electronic "reader mat" with our personal timing chip triggers a message to scroll up on a large highway size reader board. Back at the Athlete's Village, Ford had a kiosk set up with computers that folks could use to send messages to the board for their athlete. As I came across the mat and towards the board, my message from Melissa and Rose came up and it literally brought tears to my eyes. Still does to this very day. I was having a bit of difficulty with soreness on the tops of my ankles, and it was getting worse. Oh,well, forward motion is good and all I can think of is "One step forward gets me that much closer to the finish." I can't believe the number of people lining the streets and because we have our names printed on our race numbers, they are cheering for us by name. I see Tim, Jorge, Annie and Barb along the route at various locations, as well as several folks I chatted with on the bike route. We'd see each other and yell out some encouragement to keep the energy levels up. I came back in to head for the halfway turnaround of the four lap run course. This is a difficult turn to make because the finish line is "Right There!!" a few hundred feet beyond. Oh, well. I'm here to do the distance. Just a half-marathon -13.1 miles - stands between me and the coveted title of Ironman Finisher. No Sweat!
I was looking for Melissa so that I knew what to expect on my way back in on the final leg. Our plan was to have Rose cross the finish line with me but I didn't know exactly where she'd be located. I also wanted to ditch my hydration belt as I was doing fine with the course offerings and saw no need to carry it. I had already emptied the bottles in anticipation of being able to hand it off, but I couldn't find them and the crowd was so loud, I guess I couldn't hear them either. I looked for them along the fence line again, but no luck. No problem, I only have 13 miles to go and I know I can do this. After making the turn at mile 13, I became even more aware of the pain in the tops of my ankles. I'd never had this kind of pain, or worse, this intense amount. I was forced to walk between attempts at jogging to see if I could get my pace up again. At this point my pace was going to make for a rather long second half of the marathon. I just could not run through the pain, and it really started to bug me. The shoes felt okay, nothing bugging me elsewhere. Well, if walking is what I had to do to finish, then that's what it was going to take. I wasn't going to dwell on it. I kept reminding myself of one of my favorite saying that comes from Ultra-Marathonman, Dean Karnazes. He's says, "Run when you can, walk if you have to, but never give up." Sometimes it's in these moments that you need a little mental push like that.
One of the things I was looking forward to on the run, because of the time of day I knew I'd be out running, was being able to catch the sunset. With clear skies leading up to race day, the sunsets were spectacular. And when do you ever get to do a marathon into the night time skies? We're usually getting up at the crack of dawn to be at some starting line freezing our butts off while we wait for the gun. I got to see my sunset!
As I entered the park for the second time, I saw a race marshall with a box of Glo-Necklaces as he was setting out some traffic flares. The Glo-Necklaces are handed out so that in the darkest parts of the course, we don't run into each other. I had planned ahead and had a strobe attached to my hydration belt which I'd clip on to the visor of my hat. It was starting to get a little darker as we got farther into the park. One more turn and it's homeward again. I met up with a gal going about the same walking pace. She was recovering from lyme disease, and here she was doing an Ironman. We walked out to the turnaround, she was on her first lap. Unfortunately, the photographer had just "pulled stakes" before we got back to him, so no Run Picture for her. With the darkness came cooler temperatures. With the cooler temperatures came steaming-hot Chicken Broth. Chicken Broth? Yep! Nice and warm, but most of all, nice and salty. I came back through the inspiration zone where she and a friend of hers who'd caught up to us, decided it was time to run again. So off they went. I walked a little farther on and could see the 22 mile mark up ahead. I only had 4.2 miles to go. I thought about and visualized all of my routes around home, and where a 2.1 mile halfway point would place me. It's basically just past the Les Schwab Tires store on Main Street Battle Ground then back home, to get 4.2. At this point, I'm so done walking. I decide that I'm going to run as fast as I can over these last 4 miles, and I'm not going to stop until I hit that finish line, I don't care what it feels like. And run I did.
I was passing folks along the way and people were cheering and yelling encouragement to "Go For It!!" or "Finish Strong, Man!! or "Now, There's Nice Kick! Go Get It!!" It made me smile to near tears. I could hear Mike Reilly ("The Voice of Ironman") from at least two miles out and the crowd seemed to roar each time he spoke. I could see the lights of the finish line blaring into the night sky. Wow, this is it!!
Surprise number two of the day is Melissa standing along the side of the road about 3/4 of a mile from the finish line. I'm movin', she's cheering and here come those tears again. I ask "Where's Rose?" She yells, "At the finish, she'll be watching for you!" Alright Rosie, here I come!
I round the last stretch towards the finish and folks are still heading out towards the park. I wish them well and give them a "Lookin' Good, Keep It Up!!" as I pass. Some are still saying "Nice Finish!" I head in, catching a couple of other guys in the process. After telling one of them, "Let's get this over with." He says he's going to hang back so the guys ahead of us are not in his picture. He says, "I paid too much for this, I don't want them in my finish picture." Smart thinking.
I get closer and there's Rose off to my left. I slow down to have her join me and we run hand in hand to the Finish Line. I tell her, You gotta raise both hands in the air when we cross the line. She's smiling, the lights are blazing and the "The Voice" yells out, "Douglas Carr...from Battle Ground, Washington...YOU are an Ironman!!"
Road surfaces over the next 40 miles or so were pretty good. Smooth enough to ride without a lot of unexpected jolts and conducive to being able to eat pretty easily. The aid stations were spaced every 10 miles and the volunteers were abundant and extremely helpful. We hit the special needs area early at about 44 miles. I pulled a few things out of the bag, refilled my fuel bottles, grabbed one of the Uncrustables, a few gel packs and three more fig bars. The ride was difficult at times because of the drafting rules. You'd have to speed up and drop in behind someone, then drop back to stay out of their zone. Doing that for the whole ride can really take you off-pace and expend more energy than just going a constant pace. But there's not a whole lot you can do to avoid it with the number or competitors out there.
We made a turn back west at about mile 48 and I was surprised to see Melissa standing on the opposite side of the road. She caught a few pictures of me just as I figured out it was her. I was so focused on the task at hand, I wasn't even expecting her out there. Truly a nice surprise and mental boost!
After a short, windy, and rough surfaced out-and-back of about 3 1/2 miles each way, we were headed back west again and on to smoother roads. The wind became a tailwind and everything was feeling great. I remember thinking at about the 80 mile mark that I still had 32 miles to go, and I felt fantastic. I could attribute this to good training, proper and consistent fueling and steady pacing. The temperature was pretty good too! The last 10 miles would head us right back to town and into T-2. It was exciting and somewhat bittersweet knowing that one more leg of this adventure would soon be ending. After all, the bike leg is my passion, and so far the bike has treated me very well. 114.4 down, 26.2 to go.
I come back into transition and the crowd is enormous. I feel like a star! I dismount, people are cheering and I'm ready to run my bike back to it's place on the rack. Just then someone comes alongside me and says, "I'll take that for you!" Now I really feel like a star. Someone's actually re-racking my bike for me so I can grab my Bike-To-Run bag, make T-2 and head out on the run. I grab my bag, sit on a curb and proceed to swap bike shoes for running shoes. A gal comes along and bags up my helmet and bike shoes while I get laced up for the run. Glasses on. Hat on. Hydration belt on. Wow, a full marathon ahead and the weather is near perfect. That and the fact that my adrenaline is now quite ramped up and I know I'm on may way to the finish line. That is, after 26.2 more miles.
I head out of the run chute and forget that I'm carrying cleat covers and a gel flask I don't need. I immediately see Melissa and Rose along the spectator fence and can only smile.
I hand off the unneeded gear and press on. The run course is lined with people and folks are definitely in the "party-on" mode. They're cheering each and every one of us and motivating us to stay strong. I see the Pro Men and Women coming by on the way back to the finish line. I can't really tell what lap they're on, but I know they're way ahead of me. Each of the top three Pros is being lead by a cyclist with sign signifying their position such as, "1st Men's Pro" or "1st Women's Pro" so the crowd knows too. I see Tom Evans once and Bela Comerford about three times. They go on to win the men's and women's pro divisions. I feel pretty good on my first leg out and the double loop format doesn't bother me mentally. I know that each leg out and back will be 6.55 miles, and the only way to get back from the turnaround, is to run back. The aid stations are handing out cold sponges and this helps to alleviate the heat. The temperature is probably about 72 degrees, but when running in the sun, it feels quite a bit warmer. I grab some ice water and a couple of sponges. I see folks tucking them under their shoulder straps and this seems to work pretty well. Aid stations are well stocked and abundant. Volunteers are well staffed and upbeat. Several of the yards in the neighborhoods we're running though are well stocked with partiers cheering on friends and enjoying the scene. I make it into the Park where we'll make our turnaround and thankfully know where that's going to take place. I see the photographer as I come back from the turn.
Just past the photographer is the Ford Inspiration Station. Running over an electronic "reader mat" with our personal timing chip triggers a message to scroll up on a large highway size reader board. Back at the Athlete's Village, Ford had a kiosk set up with computers that folks could use to send messages to the board for their athlete. As I came across the mat and towards the board, my message from Melissa and Rose came up and it literally brought tears to my eyes. Still does to this very day. I was having a bit of difficulty with soreness on the tops of my ankles, and it was getting worse. Oh,well, forward motion is good and all I can think of is "One step forward gets me that much closer to the finish." I can't believe the number of people lining the streets and because we have our names printed on our race numbers, they are cheering for us by name. I see Tim, Jorge, Annie and Barb along the route at various locations, as well as several folks I chatted with on the bike route. We'd see each other and yell out some encouragement to keep the energy levels up. I came back in to head for the halfway turnaround of the four lap run course. This is a difficult turn to make because the finish line is "Right There!!" a few hundred feet beyond. Oh, well. I'm here to do the distance. Just a half-marathon -13.1 miles - stands between me and the coveted title of Ironman Finisher. No Sweat!
I was looking for Melissa so that I knew what to expect on my way back in on the final leg. Our plan was to have Rose cross the finish line with me but I didn't know exactly where she'd be located. I also wanted to ditch my hydration belt as I was doing fine with the course offerings and saw no need to carry it. I had already emptied the bottles in anticipation of being able to hand it off, but I couldn't find them and the crowd was so loud, I guess I couldn't hear them either. I looked for them along the fence line again, but no luck. No problem, I only have 13 miles to go and I know I can do this. After making the turn at mile 13, I became even more aware of the pain in the tops of my ankles. I'd never had this kind of pain, or worse, this intense amount. I was forced to walk between attempts at jogging to see if I could get my pace up again. At this point my pace was going to make for a rather long second half of the marathon. I just could not run through the pain, and it really started to bug me. The shoes felt okay, nothing bugging me elsewhere. Well, if walking is what I had to do to finish, then that's what it was going to take. I wasn't going to dwell on it. I kept reminding myself of one of my favorite saying that comes from Ultra-Marathonman, Dean Karnazes. He's says, "Run when you can, walk if you have to, but never give up." Sometimes it's in these moments that you need a little mental push like that.
One of the things I was looking forward to on the run, because of the time of day I knew I'd be out running, was being able to catch the sunset. With clear skies leading up to race day, the sunsets were spectacular. And when do you ever get to do a marathon into the night time skies? We're usually getting up at the crack of dawn to be at some starting line freezing our butts off while we wait for the gun. I got to see my sunset!
As I entered the park for the second time, I saw a race marshall with a box of Glo-Necklaces as he was setting out some traffic flares. The Glo-Necklaces are handed out so that in the darkest parts of the course, we don't run into each other. I had planned ahead and had a strobe attached to my hydration belt which I'd clip on to the visor of my hat. It was starting to get a little darker as we got farther into the park. One more turn and it's homeward again. I met up with a gal going about the same walking pace. She was recovering from lyme disease, and here she was doing an Ironman. We walked out to the turnaround, she was on her first lap. Unfortunately, the photographer had just "pulled stakes" before we got back to him, so no Run Picture for her. With the darkness came cooler temperatures. With the cooler temperatures came steaming-hot Chicken Broth. Chicken Broth? Yep! Nice and warm, but most of all, nice and salty. I came back through the inspiration zone where she and a friend of hers who'd caught up to us, decided it was time to run again. So off they went. I walked a little farther on and could see the 22 mile mark up ahead. I only had 4.2 miles to go. I thought about and visualized all of my routes around home, and where a 2.1 mile halfway point would place me. It's basically just past the Les Schwab Tires store on Main Street Battle Ground then back home, to get 4.2. At this point, I'm so done walking. I decide that I'm going to run as fast as I can over these last 4 miles, and I'm not going to stop until I hit that finish line, I don't care what it feels like. And run I did.
I was passing folks along the way and people were cheering and yelling encouragement to "Go For It!!" or "Finish Strong, Man!! or "Now, There's Nice Kick! Go Get It!!" It made me smile to near tears. I could hear Mike Reilly ("The Voice of Ironman") from at least two miles out and the crowd seemed to roar each time he spoke. I could see the lights of the finish line blaring into the night sky. Wow, this is it!!
Surprise number two of the day is Melissa standing along the side of the road about 3/4 of a mile from the finish line. I'm movin', she's cheering and here come those tears again. I ask "Where's Rose?" She yells, "At the finish, she'll be watching for you!" Alright Rosie, here I come!
I round the last stretch towards the finish and folks are still heading out towards the park. I wish them well and give them a "Lookin' Good, Keep It Up!!" as I pass. Some are still saying "Nice Finish!" I head in, catching a couple of other guys in the process. After telling one of them, "Let's get this over with." He says he's going to hang back so the guys ahead of us are not in his picture. He says, "I paid too much for this, I don't want them in my finish picture." Smart thinking.
I get closer and there's Rose off to my left. I slow down to have her join me and we run hand in hand to the Finish Line. I tell her, You gotta raise both hands in the air when we cross the line. She's smiling, the lights are blazing and the "The Voice" yells out, "Douglas Carr...from Battle Ground, Washington...YOU are an Ironman!!"
Hit the Play button above to see my finish video.
I found my mom at the finish. She had my sister on the phone already. I was trying to hear with the chaos that constitutes a bunch of sweaty athletes. I was feeling on top of the world. Looking around me, there were others who were not feeling the same. I had always heard that as soon as you cross 'The Line" there is a volunteer assigned to you to make sure you're doing okay. They stay with you until they feel comfortable that you are well enough to be on your way. Well, I must have looked fine, because nobody even approached me. It must have been the ear-to-ear smile that was permanently etched across my face. I still smile to this day when I think about the accomplishment. I got my photo taken just as Melissa appeared.
Ironman rules of competition state that you must finish the swim within 2 hrs and 20 mins. You must be off the bike by 5:30 p.m. and finish the run by midnight, exactly 17 hours after you start. My times break down as follows:
Swim = 2.4 miles
1:18:41 for a 2:05/100M pace. That put me at 97/173 in my division, 1433 overall for swim.
T-1
10:20 pretty slow but room to improve.
Bike = 112 miles
5:39:56 for a 19.8 mph pace. 62/173 division, 860 overall for bike.
T-2
4:09
Run = 26.2 miles
5:00:16 for an 11:28 min/mi pace. 85/173 division, 1291 overall for run.
12 hrs : 13 min : 20 sec for 1104 overall place out of 2271 entrants and 2183 finishers.
Thanks must also go to our girls for their understanding and sacrifice during this pursuit. There we things we just didn't get to do together during the time taken away for training and racing.
I owe thanks and gratitude to Julie Browning for coaching me through to the end. Julie has a way of communicating ideas and concepts that is second to none. She was always there for a phone call when I needed clarification on some aspect of a workout. There were times when I thought, "Man, she's trying to kill me!" But in actuality, I know for a fact it only made me better and stronger, both physically and mentally.
Having my mom join us for this experience was something I'll always treasure. My mom has been my rock, all my life. From my days of little league baseball to the years away in the Navy, she was always there for me. It was just two months previous that we had lost my dad after a lengthy illness. She was his rock too, giving undying love and care. The day she decided she would join us is one of those moments that never clears your mind. I was so happy know she'd be there after such a huge and recent loss. She made the whole trip so much fun!!
Thanks, mom! Thanks, Melissa! Thanks, Sera, Malia & Rose. Thanks sisters Momiala & Iwalani who always pushed me to compete with their accomplishments.
Thanks, Geckos and Ironheads. You know who you are.
Lastly, a huge thanks to Ron Wooding of Battle Ground. One of the best and most patient training partners a person could ever ask for.
