Ironman Wisconsin 2009 9.13.2009
After last year’s disappointing performance at Ironman USA (Lake Placid, NY), where I walked the final 11 miles of the marathon, I had plenty of motivation to draw from this year and I am happy to report that this year I had an amazing day out there. First, I’d like to once again thank all of my friends and family, whom without their love and support I would never be able to attain such goals. To my training partners, thank you for pushing and pulling me through the long and painful training days. Without you it would be very easy to just pack it in and call it a day. Thank you to Detroit Iron, what an amazing group of people doing Great things for a Great cause, I can’t wait to step back on the Moo course with you in 2010! I’d like to thank Christina, Elaine, Brett, Brad, Keith, and Lori for making the trip to Madison and on-course support that cannot be put into words. To Mike and Kristina, you two absolutely rock and crack me up and that kind of levity is needed the days before the race. To Ashley and Damon, way to rock it out! To Jerod, you are an amazing training partner and I know that you will come back next year with a vengeance! Finally, I dedicated this race to the memory of my aunt who passed away earlier in the week, she was a woman who had a heart of gold and loved everyone around her. I know that she was looking down on me.
With each year, a new Ironman journey begins. I think that’s what brings me back over and over again. Each race is different and unique in its own way and the journey to that start line and eventually to the finish line is an incredible story and this year was no different. Each time I arrive in Madison and drive down John Nolen Boulevard during Ironman week, I can feel the energy that starts to build and intensify. Everywhere you look you see other athletes arriving, every car has a bike rack, and suddenly you see spandex obsessed people running all over the place. Madison is a city sandwiched in between two lakes and as you drive in you see Lake Monona the site of the Ironman swim. Once I see the familiar site of the Monona Terrace where the race begins and ends I instantly get goosebumps. As if I needed anything else to get me amped up, but the weather forecast was shaping up to be ideal for me. Most of you know, I get serious anxiety at the thought of rain; however, this year’s call: 77 degrees and sunny, 0% percent of rain. That’s right! 0 % percent of rain. It was going to be perfect!
3:45am Race Morning:
After a couple hours of tossing and turning, the alarm clock went off and I started my pre-race fueling regiment. I started off with two microwaveable chicken noodles soups , a banana, half a cliff bar, and a 20 ounce Coke. Funny thing is that Brad and Christina were obviously still asleep so I ate with a headlamp on. After all the anxiety and build up of the week, I finally had this calm come over me. So at 4:30am, I picked up my gear and headed down to body marking by myself. I enjoyed the short mile walk to the start by myself. It was a surreal walk, slowly you could see other athletes quietly making it to the start. For the most part it was all business, except when I saw a young college couple stumbling towards me…I chuckled to myself and kept on walking.
When I arrived at body marking I decided that being uptight and serious hadn’t worked for me in the past so I asked the body marker to draw a smiley face with a tongue on my right calf. I’m not gonna lie, it was a hit out there on the course!
The rationale behind getting up so early on race morning has numerous reasons, one of which is to perform final bike checks. At this point is about 5am and the collective anxiety begins to build, you can see it as each athlete makes sure the tires are at the appropriate PSI. I have said this many times, but the moments leading up to the cannon are some of the most powerful moments I’ve ever experienced. At about 6:15, I slowly pulled my wetsuit on and made my way down the start. On the way down, a guy was yelling to see if anyone had spare googles, i’m a serious believe in race karma, so I gave the guy my extra set. We made our way down the helix and I ran into Mike and Kristina, it was good to see some familiar faces. As I made my way to the water I saw my support crew, Keith, Lori, Brad, Elaine, Brett, and Christina. After some quick hugs and kisses, I made my way down to the water. I paused for a second and looked around, took a deep breath and slowly worked my was out into the water.
As the anticipation grew, I looked back at the thousands of spectators, wished the guys around me good luck and a safe day.
With seconds before the cannon, you could hear the crowds getting louder and louder, then boom! We were off and the start of our day was underway.
Swim:
When the cannon goes off, it is shear chaos, arms and legs, and arms and legs, this year was especially crazy because I got beat up pretty bad in the first 200 meters. I got kicked in the face and punched a couple of times, but I stayed calm and concentrated on a smooth efficient stroke. With 2701 athletes starting at once, there is a whirlpool affect that pulls you along, but this year it felt really crowded and I didn’t get clear water until the second loop. The water felt pretty warm this year and I almost wished I would have worn my sleeveless suit, at any rate, I just concentrated on not working too hard and came out of the water at 1:20, a couple of minutes slower than last year, but no worries…I was finally off to the bike, where I knew this year would be great for me. I came out of the water in 1375 place.
Bike:
The bike course is a difficult, but because Madison is in driving distance of Ann Arbor, we trained on the course several times this year. Each time we carefully, dissected the course and made our plans on how to attack the course. The challenge of the course lies in the fact that the terrain is perpetually changing and it is a struggle to find rhythm. But with planning, a strategy can be set to make up time where you can. Some people recommend taking the first loop easy and then attack the second loop. My strategy was to ride steady for the first 40 miles and attack the stretch from Mount Horeb to Cross Plains. That section of the course has a lot of technical descending where I can reach speeds up to 40mph in my aerodynamic tuck position. From Cross Plains back to Verona, the three well-known climbs of the course can take its toll. I take each hill, in my 25 tooth gear, spinning from the bottom to the top, and never getting out of the saddle. For me that works, because cranking out of the saddle builds unneeded lactic acid that will affect you later in the race. After the hills, I ride easy back in to Verona and repeat the strategy for the next loop and take it easy for the final 20 miles back into Madison. The ride went by in a blur and I must note that both times riding through Mount Horeb, my teammates from Detroit Iron, who were volunteering, cheered wildly as if I were leading the race. The emotional boost that they gave me was amazing! In addition, the second loop would be where my nutrition plan would be put to the test. My plan consisted of a double strength blend of Infinit and water for the first 40 miles and half a power bar at mile 15 and 30. By the way, I hate powerbars, so this year I joked with myself by spontaneously saying to myself, “I love powerbars.” From miles 40 on I would take on course fluids alternating between Gatorade Endurance and water. I would get my calories every 15 miles with a GU Roctane. I also opted to carry a flask of First Endurance Liquid Shot. I hadn’t trained with it, but had it with me in case I bonked or started to get cramping. Every year, I can count on something that I didn’t plan for and this year was no different. The temperature was rising much higher than expected and I knew that I needed to take in more water. So instead of taking in 3 Gatorade Endurance bottles, I swapped it with water, and got my needed calories from two extra GUs and the Liquid Shot that I was carrying. For the first time, my body felt fueled and I never felt low on energy! I rolled back into Madison and up the helix in 6:07:XX, I took over 30 minutes off my previous best for the distance. In the process, I passed 524 people.
Run:
In my past races, I usually have an emotional low around mile 80 of the bike. This year I didn’t get it and was ecstatic to get to T2 on an emotional high. Admittedly though and as much as I love my bike, it was time to part ways for a couple of hours. I made it through transition in a smooth and steady manner, grabbed my bag, tied my shoes, put on my Garmin 405, and made my way out to the run. It really was a beautiful day and as I made my way around the Capitol and down State Street the support was awesome! I was moving pretty good and thought about the possibility of breaking 12 hours, that was a bad thing, I should have just thought about the steps ahead of me. I started to feel the run slipping away from me after I finished observatory for the first time. My right calf was starting to tighten up. Geez! C’mon! Subconsciously, I started to favor my left leg and everyone knows, when you start to favor one side the entire running gait is history. I semi-held it together until mile 15 and was now walk/shuffling. At this point, I met up with my training partner and one of my best friend’s Jerod. He was having a serious bout with Gatorade Gut, which I know all too well from Moo 2007 aka. the year of the porta potty run. I walked with him for a quarter mile and then tried to run again. Well, if I wondered where my emotional low was hiding, it was hiding at mile 16 and made its presence very visible for the next 9 miles. However, this year I kept pushing, through the pain, playing the bargaining game with myself. Okay, 2 minutes of running, 2 minutes of walking…no, no, okay 1 minute of running and 4 minutes of walking. When I got back on to State Street both my calves were cramping badly, but I definitely wasn’t the only one fighting the cramps. But the support of the spectators on State Street is undeniable and when they tell you that you can push through it you can. I saw my friends Lori, Keith, Brett, and Brad at the turn around, Christina gave me a huge hug at mile 19 and told me she would see me at the finish line. I continued my little game until mile 25 and as expected as you round the corner by the Fire Station, you can hear the finish line calling for you. I got moving and gave it all that I had for the last three quarter mile, the adrenaline builds , no more pain, it’s there you can see it! It gets louder! The cheers get louder, as I make my way through the chute, the crowd is so loud, and at the moment I point to the black sweat band on my arm and point up to the sky, blow a kiss to my aunt, the crowd gets louder, and I am steps from the finish. It was very emotional and I wanted to turn and thank the crowd. So another lesson learned, come to a complete stop before turning around to acknowledge the crowd, especially if you’ve been cramping. As I turn, both legs cramp and I stumble/fall across the line (see picture below) into two catchers…yes, thank god for catchers and a big thanks to all the volunteers who give it everything they’ve got for more than 17 hours, this race would be nothing without them. I didn’t reach my time goals, but the primary goal is always to finish. 12:33 and change, a personal best. It was great! Have you ever seen someone who can’t stand on their own two feet yet has perma-grin? It’s a pretty funny thing. And, Christina was right there at the finish waiting for me just like she promised and I’ll be there when she decides to take on the IM journey. Thanks for reading about my experience and I’ll see you next year for MOO 2010! Yep, my name is Eric and I’m addicted to this race.
Much needed support during the emotional lows…
Falling across the finish line…“Um…please catch me…”
