Ironman Arizona - Race Day

First time I woke up it was about 2.am, then I halfway went back to sleep, ready to get up at 4.30. After my mental meltdown the day before, I actually had a relatively untroubled night. I do remember a strange dream about getting to the race start late and forgetting my timing chip at the hotel. But in my dreams I actually felt strong, not weak and timid. Race morning my nerves were fairly well in check, some trepidation, not too bad. I still was not sure what to put in my special needs bags. So I ended up putting in very little. Dried apricots and crackers I had not planned on eating for the bike along with some extra chamois butter, and a long sleeved shirt for the run (hey, it might be cold come late evening). After a few bites of breakfast cake and a protein smoothie it was off to the race site. Arriving at 5.45 it was still pitch dark and I had plenty of time to get going. I said my goodbye to my friend Sigrid and dropped off the special needs bags; Bodymarking at transition and into the porter potty line. Just before I put on my wetsuit I called home, last words of encouragement from Roy and then my daughter Kiera made my day: “Good Luck Papa”.

I knew then I’ll be just fine.
Into the water. Tempe Town Lake was perfect at 64 F. and swimming towards the starting line I was calm. As I listened to the national anthem, over 2100 athletes waited for the deep water mass start. Plenty of smiling faces, I guess these were the last smiles for most of us until later that evening. Then we are off. Immediately kicking, shoving, dragging ensued. The swim start was not for the timid and my history of open water swims paid off. I stayed calm, my stroke feeling easy and relaxed. The sun came up on the horizon as I looked ahead towards the turn around. Around me were lots of good solid swimmers. Every so often someone kicked me in my face or hitting my head, it was busy out there for sure. My whole swim though felt good. I knew I did not push too hard and approaching the swim finish I had no idea if I went slowly or fast. At swim exit the first good news. 1.04 and out of the water, perfect as I was hoping for a 1.05. Then the wet suit strippers. I swear, one should have one at disposal during any race. Within a split second I was on my back and then the suit flew off, swoosh. On to T 1. Why was everyone running? “My god we have all day”, I thought, running along. My first Ironman transition went without a hitch, under 8 minutes. No time lost there.

“On the left, on the left, on the left”, the first fifteen minutes that’s all I heard on the bike. Obviously these guys (and gals) had other plans than me, for the bike portion that is. I knew I had to resist temptation and even try to speed along. 112 miles, almost 30 miles longer than my longest training ride. I was not about to kill my legs right then and there. The Arizona IM bike course is a fairly straight forward course. Three loops out and back into the Arizona desert. Fairly flat, with a modest steady incline the last few miles before the turnaround. Pretty soon we
rode into a gusty head wind on the way out, but nothing like the wind gusts I heard about from the spring race. My legs felt tight early on, but not too bad. I started to eat immediately: Odwalla Bars, Power Gels, Endurance Gatorade, Water and every so often a couple of Endurolyte Tablets, yummm.

The most fun part was after the first turn around, with the wind in the back and a slight downhill. All of a sudden, the legs felt fresh, my Cervelo was speeding right along. I was even enjoying the beauty of the desert landscape. “This is fun” I thought (briefly). With the first loop over at under 2h10 I was pleased. The second loop went even better. The wind calmed down a bit and I managed to hold a steadier pace on the way out. I was able to actually drop a few minutes on the second loop, but slowly began to tire. With 79 miles done it was starting to get warm, quite warm in fact (low 80’s). At about 20 miles to the bike finish fatigue really set in and I slowed down, riding now mostly out of aero position. I did not feel like eating anything anymore. Riders started to pass me again constantly. But so what, I decided it would be better to loose a couple of minutes here then to keep pushing too hard and pay a price later. 6h22m, more than ready to get off the bike I came into T2.

Quick change into new running clothes and OMG, my legs actually were able to run. The running course in Tempe, though not really scenic, is entertaining and varied. It was full of motivational signs and messages. “Be Patient” read one around mile 3. “Good Idea” I thought, this is going to take a while. Less than half an hour later I was spent, done, phew. My tummy hurts! Maybe I should not have tried that chicken broth at the last aid station. My run turned into a walk. It was still very warm, for the first time I began to have doubts. “How long does it take to walk 20 miles” I half jokingly asked a fellow sufferer. “You are doing a 16 minutes/mile pace” he replied looking at his watch. These guys have better gadgets than James Bond, I swear!

Eventually, with the sun going down and temperatures cooling, I was able to regain some strength. I began to run again, walking now mostly just the aid stations and any inclines. Water, Cola, Water Gatorade, some grapes, no more chicken broth. Two out of three loops done. Now I knew that I will finish, well under 13 hours and clearly over 12. At around mile 23 I began calculating my time again, “lets beat 12.30 for sure” I decided. 200 yards before the finish line I spot a 45 year old runner ahead of me. “He’s in my age group” I figured and sped up. “Hah, smoked him”, I am evil!

It is 7.22pm, race time 12.21.28 That’s it. I am an Ironman!

The Day before the Big Day

Friday nights athlete dinner and race briefing was an inspirational affair. Meeting the numerous fellow Ironman athletes and hearing several stories of personal achievement over adversity got me into race mood. Many athletes I ran into were veterans, some of them having finished several Ironmans before. But I also learned that no less than 874 triathletes on the starting line were attempting their first Ironman this weekend; clearly I was not alone.

Things fell somewhat apart though on Saturday. I woke up very early at 4.30 never to fall back asleep. At first I managed to take care of business at race site fairly relaxed. An easy 20 minute practice swim felt good and invigorating. Then bike and gear check-in, no problems either.


But it was all downhill from there though. During the afternoon my nerves got the better of me. My system went into denial mode. I wanted to sleep, sleep badly, curl up somewhere in a corner. I felt sick, stomach churning, head aching and incredibly tired. Sigrid did her best to keep my spirits up, she nudged me along for a little afternoon excursion to Scottsdale, a bit of mall ratting, then into the movies to see 007, usually the perfect escape. I managed to enjoy dinner; head back to the hotel and fell asleep. At 8!

2 days to IMAZ - I'm here in Tempe!

We got into Tempe late last night. Me meaning myself and my friend Sigrid who is joining me on the trip, calming my nerves and documenting the adventure with her camera.

After a leisurely breakfast we headed to the Ironman Village. My first impressions: this is quite different from any of the races I have done so far. It's bigger, more serious, very organized and a bit intimidating. Guys and girls with hot bodies, hot bikes in very colorful outfits running, cycling, shopping gear and souvenirs. But after a few moments of awe I realize, "hey, I am one of them". So I get in line for registration. After the weigh-in, a wonderful registration volunteer in her sixties immediately pegs me as an Ironman newbie. "I can always tell first timers by their body language" she tells me. So one thing's for sure, I won't fool anyone here, this people have done it, or at least seen it all before.

With registration out of the way, it was over to the good folks at Tribike Transport to get my Cervelo. What lovely service. within minutes my bike is race ready. So, all I needed to do this morning I have done. It's warm (quite warm in fact), very dry and we are hungry.

So, lunch at PF Changs , back to the hotel for some rest and figuring out all those colorful transition bags.

4 days to IMAZ

As of now I am done with work (f0r the time being). Yesterday I made an appointment with a doctor to grab a new prescription of ear drops, just in case my ear starts getting worse again. With doctors approval I actually went for a last swim team workout. I know that the triathlon swim should not really give me any major troubles, but I also know that the swim start will likely be the most nerve wrecking part of the day and I wanted to feel as solid as possible on my swim conditioning. With three serious swim workouts within the last seven days I feel good about it.

Tonight I am planning to simply enjoy a relaxed family evening at home and plan to worry about packing my bags in the morning.

6 days to IMAZ

My ear seems to be responding to the drops. It's not getting worse, slightly better actually. So hopefully this will be a non-issue in a couple of days. Beyond that, I am mentally beginning to plan my trip. Read through all the pre-race instructions and athletes guide on the subway on my way home from work. Though not much new information was in there, my stomach is starting to get a bit queasy.

7 days to IMAZ

Ouch, Ouch, my left ear started to hurt really bad yesterday. Almost by the hour it had gotten progressively worse. That's all I needed, a painful ear infection only a week before the big race. I know this will not get better without treatment, only much worse. Rummaging through my bathroom luckily I found some ear drops from about a year ago. A quick check on the label, not expired yet. After a treatment last night they already seem to be working. I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed. Still, Ouch though.

This morning the temperature dropped about 20 degrees here in New York. It is cold and windy. With my messed up ear this is definitely no time to head out on the bike. So, the gym it was instead. 40 minutes in a spin class followed by 25 minutes on the treadmill. I was not really planning on such a little brick workout, but I feel good. Just wanted to do a fairly light workout but still get a bit of intensity in there.

8 days to IMAZ

It is a warm, rainy Saturday here in Park Slope. Last night I went for a nice TNYA swim workout and then walked to the Metropolitan Opera for an evening of cultural bliss. Well, the parts I stayed awake for at least. I have no idea why I felt to dead tired after the swim, but I decided to take the day off today and plan an hour bike ride for tomorrow instead.

While relaxing, I am beginning to fill my head with more and more Ironman war stories, taper advice, race day preparations etc. Reading through all that advice, gets me thinking more and more: I am ready, or at least at ready as I will be. So, I am shutting off this computer now, heading to a coffeehouse and think bout something else.

9 Days to IMAZ

Just another Friday at the office so far. Been busy enough not to think too much about the race, but I am about to head out the door for a swim workout and then directly to the Metropolitan Opera. Definitely looking forward to this evening.

10 days to IMAZ

10 days left before Ironman Arizona. After spending the first part of this week mostly in work meetings and filling up on work dinner, luncheons and a few martinis, last night I got through a 3000+ yeard swim workout without trouble. Today, an hour of running on the treadmill (it was raining today in New York). I am trying to relax as much as I can, reading Ironman blogs and race reports and slowly getting my brain focused on the task at hand.

My bike is off to Arizona

This morning I took my bike to Cadence Cycling in Tribeca and sent it off on its way to Tempe AZ. Guess this means its only days before my very first attempt to become an Ironman. Not quite sure how I feel about all this these days. Clearly I have mixed emotions. Am I prepared? Did I train enough? What if its hot and windy? Blah Blah Blah.

On the other hand, my last few workouts were all pretty solid. While I never rode the full 112 mile distance on the bike, my last few bike rides felt good, at times almost effortless and comfortable. My runs are slowly evolving into a slower but steady trot. For the most part I have been injury free, just a slight harmstring pull. With only twelve days to go, this is not the time to worry about my training or any lack of it. Now it is simply time to taper, to start resting up.

Over the past days, I have feverishly read up on race reports from IMAZ veterans. Most of them left me worried, disturbed as they talked about high winds, excessive heat, horrible conditions. Then I try to calm myself down, arguing in my head that the weather in later November should be ok, much cooler than the traditional April race date.

So, in short this is my state of mind right now. For one minute worried, scared, the next, confident and eager to get the race going. What fun the next 12 days will be.