As yet another race season comes to a close and I had a chance to sit around and think about 2009, I have decided that it is time to start thinking about next year and what some of my goals will entail...more to come on those.
I am not sure what events I will do next year, but I do know that the key word for next year will be "PATIENCE". I never had a lot of it, but I started racing smarter this year on a limited training schedule and I am looking forward to carrying it over to next year. I am feeling more confident in my run than I have in the past and feel that it is starting to become something I enjoy after the first 2 disciplines vs. crossing my fingers and hoping for a decent result.
Anyways, I have the Endurance Challenge 50K coming up next week and I am looking forward to a great day of just pure running and conversation with my brother....we haven't had a chance to catch up in awhile, so it will be a great way to do an event together. Two weeks later, I will be doing the Tyranena 1/2 barrel. One of my favorite races!
More to come later.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Ironman Wisconsin 2009 Race Report
To start this race report I would like to first thank all of my Wisconsin Multisport teammates for the amazing encouragement and support throughout the race and most of all, my awesome wife Natalie and beautiful baby girl, Ella supporting me during the most recent season!
This season was very interesting in the way I trained and raced. I knew that I had a couple of years of base under my belt and I wanted to incorporate some speed into my workouts to hopefully have a breakthrough year. I didn't have a lot of time to train because I was traveling a lot for work, and of course, had an infant at home to care for. I made the most of my training and didn't train more than 10 hours a week.
The entire season, I was always torn between spending time with the family and training. I tried to get in as many workouts that I could in the early morning hours, but I noticed that I couldn't go more than a few days without sleeping in. I would get too tired and just wanted to hangout with my family.....it really brought a ying-yang type of season. There were times within the last three weeks of training before Ironman that I wanted to pull the plug on the race altogether. Even the night before when I saw my daughter so tired and crying I wanted to stop and not race. Probably not the mindset going into a major race, but this is the tugging on the heartstrings that occured all season long....
The morning:
I woke up to a crying baby at 3:45 in the morning, but felt like I got plenty of sleep as I went to bed around 9 and slept solid throughout the night. I was able to sleep about 45 more minutes and then decided to get up and start the day. Natalie stayed awake and Ella was able to fall asleep. I got up and ate my usual cliff bar, bagel with peanut butter, 2 banannas, and off I went to go to transition to pump my tires up. I did get to the line of bikes and tried to pump up my tires and I couldn't get air into the back tire. I was using Cam's 808/powertap and I wasn't as familiar with his valve extender, but I thought..how hard could it be to get this tire pumped up. I went over to the mechanic and he took care of it. Apparently the valve closed and it was a bit of a challenge to get it open. Panic levels reduced!!! I dropped off my special needs bike bag with a tube and CO2 cartrtige in it and off I went to the hotel. I got to the hotel and Natalie was up and we had a conference in the bathroom so that we wouldn't wake up the baby. She wished me good luck and we shed a couple of tears and I exited towards the water. Still not in race mode as I was thinking about how Ella was going to handle the day.
The Swim:
I found Mark and Tom by the fence and it was good to see them so that I could take my mind off of the swim and the chaos for a bit. A bit of a chat and a wish of good luck and I was off to the water. However, I did hook up with Steve and we both wondered our we through the crowds of people. We were talking a bit about strategy when Cam popped out over the final spectating area and wished us good luck. It was great to see some teammates before the start. Steve and I wished each other well and we were on our way to separate areas. I knew that we would see each other throughout the race as we are pretty much dead even on swimming and have similar bike splits.
The cannon went off and ouch! The first 600 meters were really rough and I couldn't get any clean water. I started about 100 yards off of the first buoy and was hoping to avoid the chaos. Finally on the back side of the first loop I head some clean water and found some feet. I put it into cruise control mode and tried to enjoy the second loop. About an 1/8 of the way into the second loop, there was a guy in a boat that was giving time in the water and I heard 34 minutes. I thought, perfect, I am right where I need to be. I stayed smooth and was thinking that I would hit around a 1:03 split. Fine with me!
Swim: 1:03xx
Transition: 5:55 - Nothing special here as I was patient and calm...saw Steve so I knew that all was good. It was good to see Terry, Rick, and Brian handing out the bikes. It gave me a nice lift heading out onto the bike course.
The bike:
This was the first Ironman that I used a powermeter and it won't be my last. Cam was so gracious in letting me use it and it was an amazing tool to have on a 112 mile bike ride. I started out and I heard something going on with my front wheel. Apparently, a piece of duct tape was on my front tire and making a nice noise that was driving me crazy. I stopped by the Coliseum and jumped off my bike and ripped off the piece of duct tape. Off I went without a panic. Steve and I were pretty close to each other for the first 56 miles, but I knew that he was stopping to get his special needs, so that was the last I saw of him until the run. The entire ride was comfortable except for the last 10 miles as I was getting a bit fatigued. I caught up with Scott Bowe and we seesawed back and forth for awhile, but I didn't want to get into a "race" mode, so I backed off a bit. Then we were both approaching a hill and I was looking at my powermeter and started to surge. I noticed that Scott was backing off and I was caught off guard and apparently ended up in his draft zone. Next up, a marshall showing me a red card which meant a four minute penalty. I still don't believe I got into this zone, but what are you going to do. I got to transition and I felt fresh, but I was nervous because I lost my electrolyte tablets around mile 100 of the bike and I didn't pack additional ones in my T2 bag....not good. Anyways, once I dismounted from my bike, I served my 4 minute penalty. They put you under this tent and I felt like a bear in a cage. The 4 minutes seemed like an eternity as I am watching bikers come in that I passed earlier! I finally left the tent and went int to grab my running shoes.
Bike Split: 5:10:22
Avg. power: 228
Nutrition: 20 oz. every hour, 1 salt tablet every 30 minutes, 1-2 gels every 15 miles. I started out on the bike with only one bottle of 500 calories worth of maltodextrin, etc.
T2- I wanted to be as fast as possible and ended up with a minute and 11 seconds for transition...but you have to tack on 4 minutes for the penalty.
The Run:
I got out on the run course and I was still bothered by the penalty. I saw my brother right out of the chute and he could tell that something was wrong. I let it get to me way too much. I had a specific plan for swim and the bike, but nothing special for the run. I never went over 7 min/miles at all in my training, so I thought I would be comfortable holding 7 min/miles....big mistake. The first 6 or so miles I was at 7:12 min/miles when in hindsight I should have stuck with 7:45's or 8's for the first 6 miles. I believe I was trying to make up time from that penalty when in realty I needed to be patient. I got through the first 13 miles at 7:52, but I felt like the wheels were coming off from a nutrition standpoint! I got to about mile 15 and I started feeling dizzy and seeing black spots. I was forced to walk and by doing so, I was a drunken sailor walking towards the bike path. I saw Tom Janicki out of the corner of my eye and I started talking with him in a slurred tone and apparently was very low on electrolytes. I then saw Rick and then Doc Bradley started asking me some questions, which I apparently got right. It was weird because the sickness hit me very quickly and I felt awful. At the time I was 5th in my AG with about a 6 minute lead on the next guy. I tried to keep moving and did, but needed some amazing encouragement from my Multipsort teammates. They were all saviors in helping to bring me back to life. I was able to start running again and felt a little better, but made sure to use every sponge, pretzel, potatoe chip at the aid stations. I made the turn on state street and made my way back on the bike trail. What happened next was something that I never experienced in my life. Both legs cramped in my quads and hamstrings at the same time and I buckled to the ground. I was on my back like a turtle and every movement would cause a cramp in my leg. A volunteer helped straighten out my leg and I stretched for about 5 minutes until I could run again. This was the last of the cramping and I was determined not to stop the rest of the way. I crossed the line at 10:06 and was happy for sticking with it and finishing.
Run time: 3:41 - legs felt decent the mind, not so much!
In hindsight, I made some costly errors, but I always feel that no matter what dark cloud lies ahead, there is always a silver lining.
Things I learned:
1. Have electrolytes within reach at all points throughout the race...pretty much a no-brainer, but a detail the hurt me. I should know by now that I excrete tons of salt!
2. I haven't earned the right to run 7 min/miles in Ironman yet....slow and steady works better
3. Enjoy the day no matter what circumstances present themselves...this I did.
I had an absolute blast racing on Sunday and I appreciate all of the support I have gotten. Although it was a struggle, I learned so much from this race than any other. I am not sure what the next year will bring. I certainly do want another shot at an Ironman, but I don't know when that will be. For now, I am going to enjoy the off season and spend some time with the family!
-Thanks for reading
This season was very interesting in the way I trained and raced. I knew that I had a couple of years of base under my belt and I wanted to incorporate some speed into my workouts to hopefully have a breakthrough year. I didn't have a lot of time to train because I was traveling a lot for work, and of course, had an infant at home to care for. I made the most of my training and didn't train more than 10 hours a week.
The entire season, I was always torn between spending time with the family and training. I tried to get in as many workouts that I could in the early morning hours, but I noticed that I couldn't go more than a few days without sleeping in. I would get too tired and just wanted to hangout with my family.....it really brought a ying-yang type of season. There were times within the last three weeks of training before Ironman that I wanted to pull the plug on the race altogether. Even the night before when I saw my daughter so tired and crying I wanted to stop and not race. Probably not the mindset going into a major race, but this is the tugging on the heartstrings that occured all season long....
The morning:
I woke up to a crying baby at 3:45 in the morning, but felt like I got plenty of sleep as I went to bed around 9 and slept solid throughout the night. I was able to sleep about 45 more minutes and then decided to get up and start the day. Natalie stayed awake and Ella was able to fall asleep. I got up and ate my usual cliff bar, bagel with peanut butter, 2 banannas, and off I went to go to transition to pump my tires up. I did get to the line of bikes and tried to pump up my tires and I couldn't get air into the back tire. I was using Cam's 808/powertap and I wasn't as familiar with his valve extender, but I thought..how hard could it be to get this tire pumped up. I went over to the mechanic and he took care of it. Apparently the valve closed and it was a bit of a challenge to get it open. Panic levels reduced!!! I dropped off my special needs bike bag with a tube and CO2 cartrtige in it and off I went to the hotel. I got to the hotel and Natalie was up and we had a conference in the bathroom so that we wouldn't wake up the baby. She wished me good luck and we shed a couple of tears and I exited towards the water. Still not in race mode as I was thinking about how Ella was going to handle the day.
The Swim:
I found Mark and Tom by the fence and it was good to see them so that I could take my mind off of the swim and the chaos for a bit. A bit of a chat and a wish of good luck and I was off to the water. However, I did hook up with Steve and we both wondered our we through the crowds of people. We were talking a bit about strategy when Cam popped out over the final spectating area and wished us good luck. It was great to see some teammates before the start. Steve and I wished each other well and we were on our way to separate areas. I knew that we would see each other throughout the race as we are pretty much dead even on swimming and have similar bike splits.
The cannon went off and ouch! The first 600 meters were really rough and I couldn't get any clean water. I started about 100 yards off of the first buoy and was hoping to avoid the chaos. Finally on the back side of the first loop I head some clean water and found some feet. I put it into cruise control mode and tried to enjoy the second loop. About an 1/8 of the way into the second loop, there was a guy in a boat that was giving time in the water and I heard 34 minutes. I thought, perfect, I am right where I need to be. I stayed smooth and was thinking that I would hit around a 1:03 split. Fine with me!
Swim: 1:03xx
Transition: 5:55 - Nothing special here as I was patient and calm...saw Steve so I knew that all was good. It was good to see Terry, Rick, and Brian handing out the bikes. It gave me a nice lift heading out onto the bike course.
The bike:
This was the first Ironman that I used a powermeter and it won't be my last. Cam was so gracious in letting me use it and it was an amazing tool to have on a 112 mile bike ride. I started out and I heard something going on with my front wheel. Apparently, a piece of duct tape was on my front tire and making a nice noise that was driving me crazy. I stopped by the Coliseum and jumped off my bike and ripped off the piece of duct tape. Off I went without a panic. Steve and I were pretty close to each other for the first 56 miles, but I knew that he was stopping to get his special needs, so that was the last I saw of him until the run. The entire ride was comfortable except for the last 10 miles as I was getting a bit fatigued. I caught up with Scott Bowe and we seesawed back and forth for awhile, but I didn't want to get into a "race" mode, so I backed off a bit. Then we were both approaching a hill and I was looking at my powermeter and started to surge. I noticed that Scott was backing off and I was caught off guard and apparently ended up in his draft zone. Next up, a marshall showing me a red card which meant a four minute penalty. I still don't believe I got into this zone, but what are you going to do. I got to transition and I felt fresh, but I was nervous because I lost my electrolyte tablets around mile 100 of the bike and I didn't pack additional ones in my T2 bag....not good. Anyways, once I dismounted from my bike, I served my 4 minute penalty. They put you under this tent and I felt like a bear in a cage. The 4 minutes seemed like an eternity as I am watching bikers come in that I passed earlier! I finally left the tent and went int to grab my running shoes.
Bike Split: 5:10:22
Avg. power: 228
Nutrition: 20 oz. every hour, 1 salt tablet every 30 minutes, 1-2 gels every 15 miles. I started out on the bike with only one bottle of 500 calories worth of maltodextrin, etc.
T2- I wanted to be as fast as possible and ended up with a minute and 11 seconds for transition...but you have to tack on 4 minutes for the penalty.
The Run:
I got out on the run course and I was still bothered by the penalty. I saw my brother right out of the chute and he could tell that something was wrong. I let it get to me way too much. I had a specific plan for swim and the bike, but nothing special for the run. I never went over 7 min/miles at all in my training, so I thought I would be comfortable holding 7 min/miles....big mistake. The first 6 or so miles I was at 7:12 min/miles when in hindsight I should have stuck with 7:45's or 8's for the first 6 miles. I believe I was trying to make up time from that penalty when in realty I needed to be patient. I got through the first 13 miles at 7:52, but I felt like the wheels were coming off from a nutrition standpoint! I got to about mile 15 and I started feeling dizzy and seeing black spots. I was forced to walk and by doing so, I was a drunken sailor walking towards the bike path. I saw Tom Janicki out of the corner of my eye and I started talking with him in a slurred tone and apparently was very low on electrolytes. I then saw Rick and then Doc Bradley started asking me some questions, which I apparently got right. It was weird because the sickness hit me very quickly and I felt awful. At the time I was 5th in my AG with about a 6 minute lead on the next guy. I tried to keep moving and did, but needed some amazing encouragement from my Multipsort teammates. They were all saviors in helping to bring me back to life. I was able to start running again and felt a little better, but made sure to use every sponge, pretzel, potatoe chip at the aid stations. I made the turn on state street and made my way back on the bike trail. What happened next was something that I never experienced in my life. Both legs cramped in my quads and hamstrings at the same time and I buckled to the ground. I was on my back like a turtle and every movement would cause a cramp in my leg. A volunteer helped straighten out my leg and I stretched for about 5 minutes until I could run again. This was the last of the cramping and I was determined not to stop the rest of the way. I crossed the line at 10:06 and was happy for sticking with it and finishing.
Run time: 3:41 - legs felt decent the mind, not so much!
In hindsight, I made some costly errors, but I always feel that no matter what dark cloud lies ahead, there is always a silver lining.
Things I learned:
1. Have electrolytes within reach at all points throughout the race...pretty much a no-brainer, but a detail the hurt me. I should know by now that I excrete tons of salt!
2. I haven't earned the right to run 7 min/miles in Ironman yet....slow and steady works better
3. Enjoy the day no matter what circumstances present themselves...this I did.
I had an absolute blast racing on Sunday and I appreciate all of the support I have gotten. Although it was a struggle, I learned so much from this race than any other. I am not sure what the next year will bring. I certainly do want another shot at an Ironman, but I don't know when that will be. For now, I am going to enjoy the off season and spend some time with the family!
-Thanks for reading
Friday, August 14, 2009
Updates or catch up???
I haven't posted in awhile and for good reason. Between traveling for work, having a 5 month old to look after, and getting in some training, I haven't had a lot of time to sit down at the computer and plug away with any updates.
I won't bore you with any of my race reports, and quite frankly, don't have the time to write about the races that I did this past summer anyways. If I had to evaluate the season so far, I would put it as average to above-average with regards to what I wanted to achieve and what the end results have been. My goal this year was to focus on my family and fit in workouts where I can.
I feel my fitness is coming along and I feel fresh for this time of the year. In 2007, I had a big July build and then went flat in August. I trained through August but with little enthusiasm. I also had a three week taper the past three years and I am changing that to a two week taper to eliminate between flat...my body seems to respond better when I am doing either a lot of intesity or larger volumes.
So what has been my plan for 2009...stepping back a bit, sorry!
1. Stay healthy and fresh throughout the season
2. Focus on speedwork...especially with regards to running
3. Stay even on the bike....it doesn't matter if you can bike a 5:00 IM split if you run a 4:10 marathon
4. Build month switch from July to August....seems to be working a lot better
5. Two week taper vs. three week....everyone is different, but I need to stay sharp all the way up to race day and this hasn't happend in 3 years.
6. Enjoy racing......which I have and it is amazing how much less I have done and have gotten better results by being patient on the bike and working the run.....I used to shatter myself on the bike and hope.........hope never has been a good strategy!
That's all for now, but will continue to post more as we come closer to IMWI.
I won't bore you with any of my race reports, and quite frankly, don't have the time to write about the races that I did this past summer anyways. If I had to evaluate the season so far, I would put it as average to above-average with regards to what I wanted to achieve and what the end results have been. My goal this year was to focus on my family and fit in workouts where I can.
I feel my fitness is coming along and I feel fresh for this time of the year. In 2007, I had a big July build and then went flat in August. I trained through August but with little enthusiasm. I also had a three week taper the past three years and I am changing that to a two week taper to eliminate between flat...my body seems to respond better when I am doing either a lot of intesity or larger volumes.
So what has been my plan for 2009...stepping back a bit, sorry!
1. Stay healthy and fresh throughout the season
2. Focus on speedwork...especially with regards to running
3. Stay even on the bike....it doesn't matter if you can bike a 5:00 IM split if you run a 4:10 marathon
4. Build month switch from July to August....seems to be working a lot better
5. Two week taper vs. three week....everyone is different, but I need to stay sharp all the way up to race day and this hasn't happend in 3 years.
6. Enjoy racing......which I have and it is amazing how much less I have done and have gotten better results by being patient on the bike and working the run.....I used to shatter myself on the bike and hope.........hope never has been a good strategy!
That's all for now, but will continue to post more as we come closer to IMWI.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
B double E, double R U N
The Tyranena Beer Run is certainly a highlighted event on my calendar. This run is held in Lake Mills and they have a half barrel (13.1 miles) and the quarter barrel (4+ miles). A group of 8 of us did the run (1/2 barrel) and enjoyed the windy, rainy conditions. The first 6 miles or so are on some hilly terrain, but then it flattens out and you run on the glacial trail for the 2nd half of the run. I think I had some residual effects from my infection as I couldn't get going right off the bat.
The run was a good time to work on some pacing and break in my new shoes. I ran within sight of about two guys the entire time and just got into a zone. I ended up with a 1:22:04, but it was more like a 1:23:30+ as the course was cut short by about 15 guys as they had the signs pointing us in the wrong direction. It was about .3 miles short, but it didn't effect anyone's placing.
A fun race and great beer!!
The run was a good time to work on some pacing and break in my new shoes. I ran within sight of about two guys the entire time and just got into a zone. I ended up with a 1:22:04, but it was more like a 1:23:30+ as the course was cut short by about 15 guys as they had the signs pointing us in the wrong direction. It was about .3 miles short, but it didn't effect anyone's placing.
A fun race and great beer!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
2009???
I've had some time to reflect on 2008 and I can say that it was another great year of training (injury free) and racing. This was the year to have some fun and work on a few things. I didn't take the season too seriously and enjoyed what was put in front of me. I learned a lot over the last 7 months, and hope to use that knowledge in 2009.
About 2009....my goal is to start a regimented training schedule in January and re-evaluate things in March. With a newborn coming our way, I am making that the number one priority and figure things out from there. I am planning on participating in Ironman Wisconsin, but not sure if I will be racing....big difference.
We shall see what happens, but the snow is about to fall and I am looking forward to some good strength training and low heart rate spinning. The Tyrannena Beer Run 1/2 marathon is this weekend and I am looking forward to the race. I ran a 1:24 last year and hoping to hit that mark or beat it by a minute or so...we will see.
I did the Discovery Run 15K two weeks ago and felt fatigued and out of sorts. I inherited an upper respitory infection a week earlier and shut down after about 2 miles. I enjoyed the event and tried to hold a pace that was comfortable for the situation at hand. In the end, I screeched to a 6:45/mile average and couldn't do anything about it.
About 2009....my goal is to start a regimented training schedule in January and re-evaluate things in March. With a newborn coming our way, I am making that the number one priority and figure things out from there. I am planning on participating in Ironman Wisconsin, but not sure if I will be racing....big difference.
We shall see what happens, but the snow is about to fall and I am looking forward to some good strength training and low heart rate spinning. The Tyrannena Beer Run 1/2 marathon is this weekend and I am looking forward to the race. I ran a 1:24 last year and hoping to hit that mark or beat it by a minute or so...we will see.
I did the Discovery Run 15K two weeks ago and felt fatigued and out of sorts. I inherited an upper respitory infection a week earlier and shut down after about 2 miles. I enjoyed the event and tried to hold a pace that was comfortable for the situation at hand. In the end, I screeched to a 6:45/mile average and couldn't do anything about it.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Race Report
Race Morning
First off, I want to thank all of you who have been checking in and of course my support crew here in Hawaii. The race itself was spectacular and I enjoyed every minute of it....for the most part.
Navy Seals dropping in
The day started at 4:00 a.m. as I had a good sleep throughout the night and felt rested. I went over to body marking and checked out my bike and put my bottles/food in place. I went back to the house and sat for about an hour and had my typical bagel/peanut butter along with a bowl of oatmeal. I didn't really feel nervous for this race because I didn't have too high of expectations and wanted to let the race come to me. As we were walking out to get into the water, two Navy Seals jumped out of a plane as they were doing the race that mornining..very cool. As we approached the pier, we saw 4 more jumpers from the plane and it gave me goose bumps just seeing it.
I got into the water at about 6:40 and the pros went off at about 6:45. They had Hawaiian drummers out on the wall and it was very loud and energizing. The helicopters were all over the place with NBC covering the event from all angles. The national anthem was sung and the cannon went off for the pros. You would have thought the cannon went off for the age groupers as they swam out to the swim start. It is a deep water start, so you end up treading water for about 15 minutes....not fun with all of the pushing and jockeying of postion that went on.
I got into the water at about 6:40 and the pros went off at about 6:45. They had Hawaiian drummers out on the wall and it was very loud and energizing. The helicopters were all over the place with NBC covering the event from all angles. The national anthem was sung and the cannon went off for the pros. You would have thought the cannon went off for the age groupers as they swam out to the swim start. It is a deep water start, so you end up treading water for about 15 minutes....not fun with all of the pushing and jockeying of postion that went on.
All of a sudden, the cannon went off and it was a sea of arms and legs all over the place. I tried to get into some clear water, but there was none to be found. I felt like the entire field passed me on the swim as I didn't feel like I was moving very fast. I only got punched in the face once, but got slapped a few times. Once we hit the turn, I felt some chaffing going on with my inner arm and it was burning as the salt water hit the open wound. I drank a few cups of salt water and before you know it, the swim was over.
1:10 - I was hoping for 1:00...but again, 10 minutes isn't that big of a deal.
The bike
Enjoying the start of the bikeThis was a very interesting bike course. At the beginning, I was looking down at my odometer and was averaging over 22 mph. and I thought that it was a nice pace and I was comfortable. At about mile 30 the winds starting picking up and I thought, if this is what we were going to get for wind today, it wouldn't be that bad. Well, I didn't realize that it would just get stronger and stronger as you get closer to the Hawi turnaround. Two people were blown off of their bikes and it wasn't a pretty sight. I was feeling pretty good at mile 80, but all of a sudden I popped at about mile 95. I am not sure if it was because I grinded against the wind too much or what. I saw my average go from 21 mph to 20.8, 20.7, etc. down to 20.1. I felt frustrated, but I got over it and tried to salvage a good marathon out of it.
A few "hot laps" before going out of town
End of the bike (below)
5:34 bike split - not pleased, but still enjoying the race
Time to Run!
I started the marathon with a new plan that I had practiced on hot days during the summer months. I packed 12 oz. of chicken broth in a gatorade bottle to start the run and drank it until it was gone. I believe this paid off later in the race and was glad that I did it. The run started out great as I saw all the people that came out to Kona for support and it gave me a lift in energy. Bottom line...I enjoyed this race vs. racing to kill myself. However, I still wanted to make something out of the marathon as I trained for this all summer. The sun was hot and my pace was pretty steady for the first 8 miles. My heart rate was around 155 and holding at this point, so I tried to keep it in that range. I know that I can run 13-15 miles with a HR of about 167, but I didn't know the course well enough, plus it was hot, to start hammering.
I turned right on some street, I can't remember the name of it and then I saw the eventual winner, Craig Alexander ripping down this hill towards the finish. Wow, I think he ended up with a 6:18 pace...insane. I got out to the Queen K highway where there is nothing but an aid station every mile. No spectators, a hot sun, and nothing but bodies moving slowly. I came across Desiree Ficker (2006 runner-up) walking and hunched over. Then I came across Blake Becker...walking (No disrespect to him because he puts down some wicked times). The Hawaiian heat hurts people. I was so amazed to see what 108 degrees can do to someone's mindset. Not only do they throw you into the energy lab at mile 17, they also show you a thermometer before you make the 4 mile journey. I looked at a lot of people's splits and most, if not all, dropped off a lot at mile 17. I came out of the lava field feeling ok, but had a cramp in my left hamstring. I stopped and stretched for about 20 seconds, but knew that I couldn't continue stopping as my Garmin watch was reading a 35 minute pace..not good. I started feeling fresh again as I was heading back to Kona. Hit an aid station, walk through it to maximize fluids, and continue on.
At mile 24, I saw my buddy Brad Dettman with a video camera in hand and I asked him what time it was. He said, it was 5:15 p.m. At that moment in time, I set a new goal....finish under 10:30. I looked at my Garmin and I was doing 8:15/min/mile pace. Not fast enough (I trust my Garmin over Brad...just kidding, buddy!), eventhough he told me I shouldn't have a problem getting in under 10:30. I picked up my pace the last two miles and clocked off 7 min/pace and felt ok because of the cheering and sighting of the finish. Brad was at the most perfect spot for support because, at this point, you are very close to town, but you are mentally spent......I don't know if he had an instinct about that spot, but Brad got me under the 10:30 mark. I whipped through the last aid station, grabbed some water, and headed home. I came around the bend on Ali'i Dr., and I saw 10:29, but I couldn't make out what the seconds looked like. I was 100 yards away and the time should 10:29:09. I knew that I would get in under the 10:30 mark....the time, 10:29:26!
Run time: 3:38 - felt comfortable and didn't kill myself
What a great experience! It is one of those things one can treasure forever! After I had a chance to digest the race, I am satisfied with how it went. Sure, I would do some things differently, but that is how you learn! I don't remember who stated the quote, "It is the journey, not the destination." That is what makes me look back at this experience with the fondest of memories.
With mom and dad
With Natalie
We had some issues getting over to Maui, so I haven't been able to get pictures uploaded, but I should have some time tomorrow. Thanks for checking in and thanks to those that flew 4000 miles for support. I can't begin to express my gratitude. Most importantly, thanks to my wife, Natalie, who sacraficed many early mornings and racing weekends to make this dream come true. I couldn't have done any of this without you and of course, our soon to be addition to the family on March 17th!!!
Sunburn!
Thanks for taking
the journey...pics to follow!
Craig Alexander - the champion
A Magical Day
Wow! What a challenging race that was. This will be very short report...a longer one will follow. The experience itself was so spectacular. The atmosphere was amazing and the energy was like nothing I have ever seen before. I was pretty happy with my race considering that I faded a bit on the bike due to the strong winds out on the course. However, I tried to get into a groove on the run and stick with my plan...which in my mind, worked out pretty well. The temps reached 108 degrees yesterday and it crushed a lot of people.
Feeling pretty good today minus the sunburn and the 2 gallons of salt water I drank.
More to come.
Feeling pretty good today minus the sunburn and the 2 gallons of salt water I drank.
More to come.
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