ST’ers:
Below has to be the best race report I’ve read all year. This from my friend Tim who, early in the summer, was pulled off his bike by some thugs, broke stuff in his shoulder, and was only able to do some minimal training in the last few weeks. So much for the preview…
4 weeks to an Ironman
“Hit it and Quit it”
Before the launch of Ironman Louisville even got off the ground there was an idea jotted down on Thursday July 30th on a napkin at Byrd’s Bar & Grill. A pro and con column had been formed. I think it was a stalemate. Ken Woodford offered up the tie breaker extraordinaire. The “Hit it and Quit it” tag was set and the plan to do Louisville was set in motion.
When your first triathlon of the year is an ironman you have no fitness bench marks and therefore no worries. This year I did everything different. Completed my first 2.4 sans wetsuit swim, raced without electronic feedback rather just intuition, went sans quesheet, used a camelback powered by nouns, phrases and clauses and threw on a rear hydration bottle if not just for the race, but to carry my co2’s. Aero helmet: left it in the trunk, ran in shoes from the clearance rack, last person to check my bike and then last to leave the transition area the next morning. Budded in front of about 1500 at the start line because well…what would Amy do? I didn’t want to be behind 2500 in a staggered start. Rode my bike no handed through LaGrange, simulating the wave to a crowd thirsty for stimulation, steered my bike in the ditch behind the aid station only to pedal out at the far side.
This was just past the “Cheaters Tent”, so some cried penalty box, others lamented in amazement at the antics of TK1 Cyclocross. The guys who encouraged me to keep it on the road recognized me throughout the day and they kept the humor going as they helped out at various aid stations all day.
Race morning we walked past the finish ten minutes after 5 AM and then a mile and a quarter to transition and a mile to the swim start. Got Sarah’s aero rack installed, tires inflated and good luck kisses. It was time to ask bike tech if they could get rid of my squeaky seat post. There I bump into CJ who bails at the first sign of me making a fuss over a mechanical issue. Let’s just say the bird didn’t want to second guess about anything he may have overlooked.
The guys in line with me at the swim start had already completed 5 ironmans this year as part of their Janus Charity Challenge Fund Raising, which was already at $100,000. They were both excited and weary of the IM Wisco bike course that they were informed was “challenging”. I agreed with the assessment, but I bet it will be more exciting than any of the other courses so you may just end up enjoying yourselves.
Onto the OhiO River. Yes, not even Jerry Seinfeld’s take on Ohio being a “hi” surrounded by two o’s could make up for the fact the water quality was the color of runny poop. As I looked in the distance I couldn’t help but think that someone driving over the JFK or George Rodgers Memorial Bridges may have been thinking why are those people swimming in the Ohio River?
Both Sarah and CJ were in fine spirits when I saw them out on the course. Sarah presented herself on the bike at mile 56, but didn’t see CJ until coming back from the turnaround on the run course as I had made it out of the water first.
“Music is emotion” say it with me “ Hit it and Quit it” on tour with CJ Werley…. where can you get it? Sarnovision 508 State Street: O.A.R. “City on Down:” Only at the Exclusive Company, Madison.
“Skanking it Easy” Bob but not on the swim or run: she’s my Sarah Fashun. Running through my head was my version of Tina Turner: Luh vul Be Good to Me. Be Good Better Be Good To Me Be Good To Me Be Good Be Good Be Good To Me.
Turner Tina
BETTER BE GOOD TO ME
Best rock vocal performance, female (1985) A prisoner of your love
Entangled in your web
Hot whispers in the night
I’m captured by your spell
Oh yes I’m touched by this show of emotion
Should I be fractured by your lack of devotion
Should I, should I? You better be good to me
That’s how it’s gotta be now
Cause I don’t have no use
For what you losely call the truth
You better be good to me I think it’s also right
That we don’t need to fight
We stand face to face
And you present your case
And I know you keep telling me that you love me
And I really do wanna believe
But did you think I’d just accept you in blind faith
Oh sure babe, anything to please you You better be good to me
That’s how it’s gotta be now
Cause I don’t have the time
For your over loaded lines
You better be good to me And I really don’t see why it’s so hard to be good to me
And I don’t understand what’s your plan that you can’t be good to me
What I can’t feel I surely cannot see, why can’t you be good to me
And if it’s not real I do not wish to see, why can’t you be good to me
CJ is probably thinking “Right Here, Right Now” I am doing a workout harder than Darren Fortney’s. Right Here, Right Now let’s end this road show.
Whether we saw Bon Jovi or that I was the first ever to order a Portabella double Angus burger twice the size the ones the pros downed after their race…… I still would have been treated to a symbolic end to my day as I rolled across the finish in remembrance of Jon Blaise on what would have been his 38th birthday. Apparently I wasn’t the only one to risk being DQ’d as the volunteer immediately recognized the tribute. He asked if I was okay…” I just did an Ironman. You know I know you know. I rolled it for the Blazeman.”
I skip the photo op and ran upstairs, our hotel at the finish line, for a shower. Man this is living except wouldn’t you know the key card didn’t work. I had to get another one. Got in place and lucky enough I didn’t miss Sarah as she came by sometime in the next 20 minutes. Sarah is joyous at the finish line, but it quickly fades to I want to puke. I get her upstairs to the showers.
The food tent is blocks away and I’m waiting for CJ to finish with Sarah.
Right about now
the funk soul brother, check it out now
the funk soul brother, right about now
the funk soul brother, check it out now
the funk soul brother, right about now
‘Bout now, ‘bout now, ‘bout now
‘Bout now, ‘bout now, ‘bout now
‘Bout now, ‘bout now, ‘bout now
Tribute to 802 - CJ Werley 4 weeks Hit and Quit It - You Are Ironman”
We get a phone call from him. He’s got his bag and walking back to the hotel. He had a good last 6 miles and we missed him finish. I’m still a little miffed how that didn’t work out better.
I could feel the layers of the onion peeling off as we got out of Dodge.
Louisville has a somewhat hilly bike course, though the climbing never gets out of control. A fond memory is after going out on 4th Steet live on Thursday and we went to the lounge upstairs where there was a bar. Certainly they don’t cart all the alcohol in and then CJ showed me the secret access to the liquor cabinet (BPG worthy) hidden behind artwork covering a door.
Leaving the usual buzz building-up to Ironman at home was key and the single most contributing factor to the overall enjoyable experience. Nobody asked each other what time do you think you’ll finish. Sarah didn’t even have a watch to keep track of her time. Shoot, I didn’t even ask CJ if he was planning on doing anything past “toeing the line” as he said. There was that napkin and we had taken the effort to write down a goal. Surely that meant something because we learned on the Hit it Quit it Tour: Ironman is not something that you train for: it is a state of mind.* (cj werley) So in summary, Ironman Luh vul(spoken with a mouthful of rocks) not just an Ironman destination or and end to a season, but the kickoff and birth of refreshing perspective.