So the past week was an interesting one. On Monday, I had my last dental appointment to finish cleaning up the damage after my crash. I got a crown on my #10 tooth. Before two weeks ago, I had no clue what the #10 tooth was or even that I had one. Now I know, it is the canine tooth just to the left of the big teeth in the middle. On my first appointment, my dentist ground the center tooth flat and now it looks good. However, the one next to it was damaged too badly. It was broken well beyond grinding and even beyond bonding. The only savior was to grind it down and put on a crown. Despite not having any dental work until I was in grad school, now I have huge crown. On the bright side, I don’t look like a hill Billy anymore. While it looks great, it feels just different enough to be something to play with my tongue when I get bored.
What I truly appreciate about the offseason is it gives me a chance to do all the things I really want to do while I am training. After a few weeks of normal yoga, we (Charisa, Kin’dra and myself) decided it was time for something new. On wed, I made my first attempt at hot yoga. I know yoga has more specific names but I don’t know enough about them to differentiate. Either Joanna or Charisa found Yoga Tropics in Encinitas and we were off for hot yoga. Unfortunately, I got caught in traffic on the interstate and I was running late. In the chaos, I forgot my towel. Wow this was a huge mistake. After about 5 min, I pulled off my shirt and was sweating like pig. I can’t tell you how hard it is for me to do a balance pose. Now add the difficulty of being supper wet and I really struggling. Fortunately, the instructor found me sitting in a pool of sweat about ¾ of the way through and gave me a towel for my own safety. After an hour, it ended. It is a strange feeling when it’s over. You are dripping wet and feeling gross but at the same time really relaxed and clam later in the evening. We hope to try it again next week for another round of stories.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Offseason
Last weekend was my final race of the year. The dirt dog cross country championships. More importantly, it was a full 48hrs after I was off antibiotics. I am so thankful I didn’t need any operations to cut the infection out. The only remnants are three bumps/discolorations where the infection was. Fortunately, I found some good scar cream during my jaw incident that really helps. The race went OK. It was hot, my kind of weather, and I felt strong for most of the race. I cooked on the last hill but so did everyone else. That night was a great end of the year BSK party at Charisa’s. They had a pizza and I brought an ice cream cake that had a horrible melting incident. Future note, ice cream melts! It was great to see everyone relaxed and playing rock band.
This week I realized that when I am not training I don’t get to see many of my friends, so I decided to hold a little dinner party at my place. Somehow, we managed to cram 18 people inside my little apartment. Good thing we all like each other. The best part was getting Kate’s confirmation e-mail saying “to keep it simple.” Of course I will keep it simple. A couple different appetizers, a salad, a few lasagnas and two different desserts and oh yeah, keep in mind everyone’s food allergies/preferences, vegetarians, lactose/nut allergies, etc... Let’s just say I don’t do simple and entertaining well. I spent most the day cooking but it was fun. Everyone went home full and I have leftovers for the next week or two.
This week I realized that when I am not training I don’t get to see many of my friends, so I decided to hold a little dinner party at my place. Somehow, we managed to cram 18 people inside my little apartment. Good thing we all like each other. The best part was getting Kate’s confirmation e-mail saying “to keep it simple.” Of course I will keep it simple. A couple different appetizers, a salad, a few lasagnas and two different desserts and oh yeah, keep in mind everyone’s food allergies/preferences, vegetarians, lactose/nut allergies, etc... Let’s just say I don’t do simple and entertaining well. I spent most the day cooking but it was fun. Everyone went home full and I have leftovers for the next week or two.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Halloween Chili
Halloween is such a great holiday. You get an excuse to dress-up, make a fool out of yourself and eat lots of candy. What more of a perfect day could you ask for? This year, my work had a chili cook-off competition and with the help of Avi and Lilly managed to talk 10 coworkers into joining our team. A few of us made a pretty good beef based chili and the rest made posters for the event. The theme was at the movies. We took movie posters and chilized them…For example, “Pirates of the Chilibean” and everyone’s favorite, “Brave Fart.” We all dressed up in some costume, we had a lot of Pirates, some karate users and me as Harry Potter. Unfortunately, we didn’t win anything but we did have a lot of fun. Next year, less spicy chili. Below you will see a great picture of Sharmeen and me playing around our both. Please note the posters in the background. 
On a different note, the infection appears to be going away. The antibiotics are finally clearing it from my body and the sores are starting to go down. I am so thankful. Last time I had a Staph infection it was really bad. I guess early warnings are everything.
On a different note, the infection appears to be going away. The antibiotics are finally clearing it from my body and the sores are starting to go down. I am so thankful. Last time I had a Staph infection it was really bad. I guess early warnings are everything.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
It's Back
A few years ago, I had a nasty crash on my mountain bike and broke my collarbone. Somehow, a week after the crash I developed a drug resistant Staph infection (MRSA). Two operations, a couple months of physical therapy, a month of IV antibiotics and a month of oral antibiotics later everything was great. Well not really, but I got through it.
Fast forward to today. After Kona, I took a great couple of days of R&R on Oahu with Dave and Joanna. We did a great hike through Manoa Falls and a couple trips to the Ocean. I came back and ran a little XC race and I thought everything was great. Well, I was still tired from Kona but having fun. (Picture of Joanna and Me at an overlook on the Manoa Falls Trail)
Fast forward to today. After Kona, I took a great couple of days of R&R on Oahu with Dave and Joanna. We did a great hike through Manoa Falls and a couple trips to the Ocean. I came back and ran a little XC race and I thought everything was great. Well, I was still tired from Kona but having fun. (Picture of Joanna and Me at an overlook on the Manoa Falls Trail)
Later that day, I say a little bump on my leg I thought was an ingrown hair. By Sun, it doubled in size and I had another one on my right quad. Fortunately, I had a doctor’s appointment on Mon. Originally, I had hoped for just a flu shot and my asthma medication but now I had something more interesting.
My doctor took a sample of the puss for cultures and gave me some antibiotics to take care of it. Gradually, over the next few days they stopped growing and started to shrink. Thank God the drugs are working.
On Sat, I ran the another race for BSK and the Running Company. The pumpkin patch 4 miler. It started great but on the second lap my legs exploded and I lost over a minute to the group I was running with. On the bright side, I had a great time with the BSK crew but wow, ironman is taking it’s toll on me.
Later that day, I open my mail and got the test results from my culture. The results are………..Heavy Staph, Methicillin resistant. Yes, that’s right boys and girls I have successfully caught two MRSA infections in less than 4 years. I think this is a record that no one wants to match. Fortunately, they caught this one early and my doctor chose one of the few antibiotics that worked against this strain. Lucky me!
I don’t think this is helping my recovery. I thought I got all my bad luck out for the year with my crash in July. I guess I had a few more sins to pay for this year. Oh well, I am getting better and no hospital stay this time.
My doctor took a sample of the puss for cultures and gave me some antibiotics to take care of it. Gradually, over the next few days they stopped growing and started to shrink. Thank God the drugs are working.
On Sat, I ran the another race for BSK and the Running Company. The pumpkin patch 4 miler. It started great but on the second lap my legs exploded and I lost over a minute to the group I was running with. On the bright side, I had a great time with the BSK crew but wow, ironman is taking it’s toll on me.
Later that day, I open my mail and got the test results from my culture. The results are………..Heavy Staph, Methicillin resistant. Yes, that’s right boys and girls I have successfully caught two MRSA infections in less than 4 years. I think this is a record that no one wants to match. Fortunately, they caught this one early and my doctor chose one of the few antibiotics that worked against this strain. Lucky me!
I don’t think this is helping my recovery. I thought I got all my bad luck out for the year with my crash in July. I guess I had a few more sins to pay for this year. Oh well, I am getting better and no hospital stay this time.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Kona 2008
This year’s ironman was going to be an interesting race. It was held 14 weeks after my nasty bike crash where I broke my jaw in 3 places and my elbow. So, I knew going into the race I wasn’t going to set any PRs but thought I could have a solid a day.
The best part about racing Kona is being in Hawaii. This year I was arriving in Wed, racing Sat and then meeting up with Dave and Joanna in Oahu for a few days of relaxation before returning home.
As everyone knows, traveling to a big race can be as much stress as actually racing. Traveling to Kona this year turned out to be interesting experience. Dave Esa was kind enough to volunteer to drive me to the airport at 5AM. Everything went great until I was standing in line and realized I didn’t have my helmet!! I sent a text message to Dave who picked it up from my apartment but he wasn’t getting to Kona until Fri night. OK, the race was Sat so I would have it for the race but I didn’t have for check-in and race training. So, I did the logical thing and tried unsuccessfully to borrow one and then bought a cheap one from Wal-Mart for check-in and returned it after the race. I have 3 helmets I don’t need a fourth.
Everything else leading up to the race was pretty uneventful. I checked out the expo and saw a few friends I hadn’t seen a couple years. I really enjoy big races for that reason. I have moved around the county over the past 10 years and it is great to see old friends.
On race day, Charisa and her entourage gave me a ride to the start line. It was great to have someone to talk to and go through body marking with. After exchanging my helmet and going over my bike, I did a little warm-up, and sat around near my bike talking to an old friend and wasting time until the start.
The start of any ironman has some great aspects but generally really suck. As I walked down onto the beach, it is an amazing feeling to look at all the people watching and your fellow competitors about to hop into the water. For every yin, there is a yang and too many people in too tight a place made Kona this year particularly nasty. I should have know it was going to be a bad day when I moved two times before the race started trying to find some free space. I never really found it. This was the first time I was hitting people while treading water awaiting the cannon.
I new my swim was going to be slower but I didn’t realize how much more physical it was going to be. I spent the entire swim looking for open water and getting hit. I was kicked in the face on at least three different occasions in addition to the standard pushing. The way out to the turn around felt as if it was taking forever, but I kept telling myself it was OK, you might be swimming into a current. Once I made the turn for shore I realized, no current I was just going really slow. Eventually, I exited the water and ran into the change tent. All the chairs were full so I sat on the ground and changed. Once I excited the tent and saw all the bikes gone I knew my swim was ugly but behind me know.
I headed out onto the bike knowing my day was just going to get better. The good news about swimming really slow is you get to catch some of your friends and shout a few words of encouragement as you go by. Just after looping through town, I passed Charisa who was riding strong and started moving my way through the field. For the first part of the bike, the wind was completely calm. However, about the time I was thinking this is going to be a fast day the winds picked-up to a strong gust. I found the sudden build really unique. In my other Kona years, the wind blew hard all day or gradually built up throughout the bike. Not this year, it was almost as if someone turned a switch and the wind appeared.
Once I made the turn toward Hawi, I caught Kim. We exchange a few words where he said it wasn’t his day and I told to stay strong and his luck will change. A little later, I saw Kate moving along and then Patrick on his shinny new Isaac and liteweight wheel both flying toward home and way ahead of me. The wind was strong but I felt OK so I pushed to the turn where Steven and Brian were on the side of the road cheering me along as they awaiting Charisa. As I arrived at the special needs bags, I saw Terry spotted on the side of the road grabbing everything from her bag and not risking crashing while getting her food.
I got my bottles and food and was able to keep rolling along. The wind on the way back is the typical cross-tail until the turn and a few segments pushed me enough to get off the areobars and onto the cowhorns. I was feeling good through about 80 and then my power started moving the wrong way. The next 30 miles took forever, and was not a good feeling. I think this is where some of my injury time showed. However, I was able to keep it rolling and got to transition knowing only a marathon remained.
As I exited transition, I saw 7 hrs on the clock and knew I was way back. I few strides into the run I got a few words of encouragement from Paula and started to think what positives can I pull out of this day. Well, despite how I ended on the bike I was running OK, so I decided to focus on a strong marathon. Nothing crazy because a couple minutes wouldn’t matter but definitely click off a respectable time.
The first part was out and back on Alii, ~ 10 miles, I just keep telling myself to run slow and save yourself for the second half. During this out and back segment, I was able to see Patrick flying along (3:01 marathon in Kona is impressive) followed closely by Daniel. Later I saw Charisa and Terry cruising along and Kim and Kate with, “is it over yet” look on their faces.
Once out on the queen K, the ash from the volcano was blacking out the sun. It was still hot and humid but no blistering run or hot pavement. Strange conditions. I felt OK until mil 16 and then fought myself for the next few miles before gathering myself for the finish. On the run, I just kept telling myself, “14 weeks ago you were sitting on the ground with 4 broken bones and today you’re racing an ironman. Life is good keep going.”
All good things come to an end and after 10 hr 3 min and change my ironman was over. I crossed the finish line and was done! For those of you who don’t know my splits: swim 1 hr 10 min; road 5hr 29 min and ran 3 hr 15 min. Add in some transitions and seconds to get my final time.
Afterwards, I headed over to the message tent and got a brief rub down and some much needed time of simply not moving. After some coffee, I went over for some food and stories with friends. I thought I was doing OK, so I pulled my stuff out of transition and road back to my condo. I got back and started put items away and suddenly I was really sick. My body temp went through the roof and all the food I had eaten came back up. I hoped into the shower and began to cool myself down with cold water....In the past, I have had part hot and cold and then gradually turn off the hot until I can barely stand it. While this time, the hot was off and I was fine in the shower. After 15to 20 min, I cooled down and started to return to normal and enjoy the rest of the evening. I want to say thanks to everyone who made this an amazing season. There are too many of you to list but I definitely couldn’t of done this without you.
The best part about racing Kona is being in Hawaii. This year I was arriving in Wed, racing Sat and then meeting up with Dave and Joanna in Oahu for a few days of relaxation before returning home.
As everyone knows, traveling to a big race can be as much stress as actually racing. Traveling to Kona this year turned out to be interesting experience. Dave Esa was kind enough to volunteer to drive me to the airport at 5AM. Everything went great until I was standing in line and realized I didn’t have my helmet!! I sent a text message to Dave who picked it up from my apartment but he wasn’t getting to Kona until Fri night. OK, the race was Sat so I would have it for the race but I didn’t have for check-in and race training. So, I did the logical thing and tried unsuccessfully to borrow one and then bought a cheap one from Wal-Mart for check-in and returned it after the race. I have 3 helmets I don’t need a fourth.
Everything else leading up to the race was pretty uneventful. I checked out the expo and saw a few friends I hadn’t seen a couple years. I really enjoy big races for that reason. I have moved around the county over the past 10 years and it is great to see old friends.
On race day, Charisa and her entourage gave me a ride to the start line. It was great to have someone to talk to and go through body marking with. After exchanging my helmet and going over my bike, I did a little warm-up, and sat around near my bike talking to an old friend and wasting time until the start.
The start of any ironman has some great aspects but generally really suck. As I walked down onto the beach, it is an amazing feeling to look at all the people watching and your fellow competitors about to hop into the water. For every yin, there is a yang and too many people in too tight a place made Kona this year particularly nasty. I should have know it was going to be a bad day when I moved two times before the race started trying to find some free space. I never really found it. This was the first time I was hitting people while treading water awaiting the cannon.
I new my swim was going to be slower but I didn’t realize how much more physical it was going to be. I spent the entire swim looking for open water and getting hit. I was kicked in the face on at least three different occasions in addition to the standard pushing. The way out to the turn around felt as if it was taking forever, but I kept telling myself it was OK, you might be swimming into a current. Once I made the turn for shore I realized, no current I was just going really slow. Eventually, I exited the water and ran into the change tent. All the chairs were full so I sat on the ground and changed. Once I excited the tent and saw all the bikes gone I knew my swim was ugly but behind me know.
I headed out onto the bike knowing my day was just going to get better. The good news about swimming really slow is you get to catch some of your friends and shout a few words of encouragement as you go by. Just after looping through town, I passed Charisa who was riding strong and started moving my way through the field. For the first part of the bike, the wind was completely calm. However, about the time I was thinking this is going to be a fast day the winds picked-up to a strong gust. I found the sudden build really unique. In my other Kona years, the wind blew hard all day or gradually built up throughout the bike. Not this year, it was almost as if someone turned a switch and the wind appeared.
Once I made the turn toward Hawi, I caught Kim. We exchange a few words where he said it wasn’t his day and I told to stay strong and his luck will change. A little later, I saw Kate moving along and then Patrick on his shinny new Isaac and liteweight wheel both flying toward home and way ahead of me. The wind was strong but I felt OK so I pushed to the turn where Steven and Brian were on the side of the road cheering me along as they awaiting Charisa. As I arrived at the special needs bags, I saw Terry spotted on the side of the road grabbing everything from her bag and not risking crashing while getting her food.
I got my bottles and food and was able to keep rolling along. The wind on the way back is the typical cross-tail until the turn and a few segments pushed me enough to get off the areobars and onto the cowhorns. I was feeling good through about 80 and then my power started moving the wrong way. The next 30 miles took forever, and was not a good feeling. I think this is where some of my injury time showed. However, I was able to keep it rolling and got to transition knowing only a marathon remained.
As I exited transition, I saw 7 hrs on the clock and knew I was way back. I few strides into the run I got a few words of encouragement from Paula and started to think what positives can I pull out of this day. Well, despite how I ended on the bike I was running OK, so I decided to focus on a strong marathon. Nothing crazy because a couple minutes wouldn’t matter but definitely click off a respectable time.
The first part was out and back on Alii, ~ 10 miles, I just keep telling myself to run slow and save yourself for the second half. During this out and back segment, I was able to see Patrick flying along (3:01 marathon in Kona is impressive) followed closely by Daniel. Later I saw Charisa and Terry cruising along and Kim and Kate with, “is it over yet” look on their faces.
Once out on the queen K, the ash from the volcano was blacking out the sun. It was still hot and humid but no blistering run or hot pavement. Strange conditions. I felt OK until mil 16 and then fought myself for the next few miles before gathering myself for the finish. On the run, I just kept telling myself, “14 weeks ago you were sitting on the ground with 4 broken bones and today you’re racing an ironman. Life is good keep going.”
All good things come to an end and after 10 hr 3 min and change my ironman was over. I crossed the finish line and was done! For those of you who don’t know my splits: swim 1 hr 10 min; road 5hr 29 min and ran 3 hr 15 min. Add in some transitions and seconds to get my final time.
Afterwards, I headed over to the message tent and got a brief rub down and some much needed time of simply not moving. After some coffee, I went over for some food and stories with friends. I thought I was doing OK, so I pulled my stuff out of transition and road back to my condo. I got back and started put items away and suddenly I was really sick. My body temp went through the roof and all the food I had eaten came back up. I hoped into the shower and began to cool myself down with cold water....In the past, I have had part hot and cold and then gradually turn off the hot until I can barely stand it. While this time, the hot was off and I was fine in the shower. After 15to 20 min, I cooled down and started to return to normal and enjoy the rest of the evening. I want to say thanks to everyone who made this an amazing season. There are too many of you to list but I definitely couldn’t of done this without you.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The article and off to the big island
The other day I got a great e-mail. Somehow Don Norcross, a local
On Wed, I take off to Kona. I can’t wait. Several of my friends and training partners are already there. I don’t have a lot of vacation time so I prefer to show up late and enjoy myself after the race. Also, as much as I enjoy the Ironman, sometimes Ironman can get a bit much. I find that if I show up at the last minute I don’t have enough time for it to get under my skin before the race. Now, hopefully my taper will be right on and I will have the best race I can. The one thing I hate about big tapers is you always feel bad until a couple hours into the race. Now I just have to trust I did my best to prepare and then go out have a great day and lots of fun. Wish me luck because I will need it.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Long Road Back
Well, after the accident I spent 2 weeks with my jaw wired completely shut. Imagine drinking all your meals through a straw with your mouth closed. Not bad for a bad or two but gets pretty old after two weeks. Nothing taste like soup you have to dilute three fold with broth and then blend for minutes before “eating”/drinking. During this time, no exercise was done and lot of watching the Tour went on.
After they cut the wires off my mouth, I began physical therapy—I could only open my mouth about 18 mm, normal person is 50mm. PT was not fun. My therapist stuck his hand in my mouth and pried my mouth open. While I still couldn’t open my mouth much, and don’t even think about chewing, I was free to breath and got onto the trainer and elliptical. I was so excited to get a workout in, you couldn’t believe it. Unfortunately, this is where my broken elbow became a problem. I could only hold onto the elliptical with one hand and the bike wasn’t much better.
Fortunately, everything kept improving. My elbow healed enough for me to feel comfortable on the elliptical after 3 weeks. By week 4 and felt OK on the bike, so I started to sneak out onto the road for rides. While brave, I thought I would try to have some semblance of sanity by using a full face helmet---you know one of those that the mountain bike/BMW people use. I looked like a booblehead figure going down the road. I think my first weekend out everyone I know saw me. What was even better was too look at the random riders as I road down the coast. I swear they were looking at me so much I thought they were going to crash!
Gradually, my body healed and after 6 long weeks I was cleared to run, my elbow had healed enough to start swimming. The most important thing was I could start chewing food again! OK, I wasn’t eating steaks or raw carrots, but I could have a banana. All the PT and exercises had paid off and I could open my moth to over 40 mm and I was free to resume living!!
As many of you know, living is a lot about racing. I was registered for
I warmed up and was ready for life to return to normal. The gun went off and I ran into ocean. This is where reality met me head on. I hadn’t been able to swim for 5 weeks and my right arm was still recovering from the break so I was really slow. This meant I was in the chaos of the start. Keep in mind I wasn’t completely confident with my jaw and I spent the entire swim looking for open water and not even worrying about the course. Needless to say, it was the longest swim I have done in a while and felt ten times longer. I got out in just over 24 min and was off onto the bike.
The bike course I knew from my time in grad school in SB. It was 34 miles with rolling hills. It was also the first time I had ridden my bike with a normal helmet after the crash. It felt so good to have the wind on my face and not be roasting like I did with the full face helmet. About 5 miles into the bike, I calmed down from the swim and the fun began. I road 1hr 34 min and felt strong coming off the bike. My host screamed some words of encouragement as I ran out of transition and I was off to the run.
The run is perfect for me. It is 10 miles with a couple flat miles at the beginning to get your rhythm and then a nice long hill to the turn-around. I picked up a runner around mile 2 and he stuck to me. I kept expecting to drop him but I just couldn’t. Ever little trick I tried just didn’t work. He stuck to me like glue. To make it worse, on the way down hill through the neighborhood he, started to push the pace. I made the decision to push the last 2 flat miles hard and see just how much he/me had in the tank. After about half a mile, I felt him drop off and I surged like crazy. I put a nice gap on him and finished in mid 58’s for the run, second fastest of the day!
I placed 3rd in my age-group and 8th overall. Not bad considering only a couple months before I was sitting on the ground with 4 broken bones. I had a great lunch and beer at Brophy Brothers looking into the Pacific with my PhD advisor and thought how lucky I was to be back after everything. Now for Kona. It should be fun.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Crash
This year the 4th of July landed on a Fri which falls into every endurance athlete’s dream, a three day weekend with good weather. I had raced San Diego International the previous week and was 3 weeks out from Vineman 70.3, so a perfect big training weekend. The week before, Kim suggested Kate and him were going to do one of the local fun runs on Fri and then two big rides on Sat/Sun. At the same time, Jeff Rangan was organizing a run/hike up Cactus to the Clouds on Sun as part of his preparation for
On Fri, I ran the
On Sat July 5th, the plan was a long ride with Kim, Kate and Terry. We were joined by Trevor (racing IM
We started out to through the base of Palomar and Kim and Kate were still going harder than I could so I once again let them go and road my own pace. At the turn, I finally caught Kim, who informs me he didn’t realize we were going up Palomar. Sorry man, not your day. A little later, I passed Kate and held a steady pace to the top. We regrouped at the top and with Billy’s help were all filled up with food and fluids for a while.
We cruised down the other side and over the Mesa Granda. I had never been up
Immediately, two motorcyclists stopped and one had a first aid kit. About 5 min later, Billy was there simultaneously a fire truck pulled up. The fire truck called and ambulance and they looked over me and cleaned me up a bit and released me to be taken to a hospital by Billy. As many of you know, I tend to talk a lot. I think I said less than 5 words on trip. Originally, I wanted to go urgent care and they saw the damage to my face and set me to the ER at Scripps Memorial. I debated going by home to get my insurance and id but the more I thought about and the look on Billy’s face let me know the ER was the only choice.
After a few hrs in the waiting room, they admitted me and began cleaning up the damage. After a brief examination, they thought I only needed stitches but I convinced them to give me a CT of my jaw because it hurt to talk/swallow. They pushed on it but they thought it was OK, I disagreed. They gave me a chest x-ray and ct scan. The crest x-ray was clear but the ct scan showed I had broken my jaw in three places. They brought in an oral surgeon who began stitching up my face.
After bandaging my wounds and finishing the stitches, they said they couldn’t get me into an OR until Mon/Tues so asked if I wanted to be admitted or released. Well, the last time I was in a hospital I got a drug resistant Staph infection so I was voting for release. The doc thought about for a while and said there might be some problems if they released me so I said I would stay if he would try and get the operation done sooner.
Now it was about 7 PM and I hadn’t eaten since 12:30 so I was starving. Patrick, Paula and Kate took my key from Billy and they dropped off my bike/etc.. and grabbed some clothes and more importantly some chocolate milk to drink. I think that is the best tasting milk I have ever had. The next day they couldn't get an OR but they didn't inform me of this until 3PM so I spent another 15 hours away from fluids but did have several visitors and I could talk with only limited pain so the day pasted by relatively quickly.
On Mon, they got the OR booked at 5PM. The operation lasted 3 hours over which they put a plate into my lower jaw and wired/banded my jaw shut. Jeff and Jen were there when I came out of the OR and talked briefly with my surgeon. Jen was even kind enough to do a brief background check on him to make sure I wasn’t getting a loser. Thanks Jen, that knowledge was really comforting going into the OR. My jaw will be wired close for the next 2 weeks and then have some retainer in it for another 4 weeks. I am still a little fuzzy on this part but he mentioned he would open it after two weeks. I will know more on Fri.
I have some minor abrasions on my arms and leg that are healing nicely. I have about 20 to 30 stitches in my lips, a permanent plate in my jaw and a couple of chipped teeth. As bad as it sounds, it could have been so much worse. As a final stroke of luck, I was trying out the arm coolers made by DeSoto Sports. They are very similar to arm warmers only white and made out of material designed to increase cooling. I don’t know how much they increase cooling but they were keeping the sun off me and on second ride were helping me out. Best of all, they took a lot of the beating and saved my arms from some series damage. Granted it is the shortest period of time I have ever had an article of clothing, I am sure they saved my arms. Thanks Emilo DeSoto.
Talking is not fun but acceptable in person. Over the phone it can get very bad because you will not be able to completely understand me and I can’t write out what I want to say. I will be responding to email. I am currently at home recovering. Kona is still on my mind and I hope to get on a bike soon. I will be taking it easy for a while though. I will keep you informed.
Escape from Alcatraz
Escape from
I dropped my bike off in transition and managed to find a good friend Charisa. We talked and relaxed together on the bus and fairy trip out to the start. The start is insane and great. They line the pro and challenged athletes up on the outside of the boat and send them off. Next, they open a 4 foot opening on the front and back of the boat and everyone files out as fast as they can. I was off the boat early and began swimming as fast as possible. It’s swim or get landed on. It reminds me of the old Disney films were they show the Lemings jumping off the cliff. FYI, the boat ride kills your warm-up so I tried put Flex-Power on under my wetsuit and it was a great idea. It kicked in and started warming me up just before I jumped into the bay. My gamble paid off.
The swim is the best part of the day. You start in the shadow of
Once you are out, you run around 1 km a lot the shore to your bike. I swam in booties so I decided to forgo the chaos of finding and putting on shoes and run in them to the transition area. The booties kept my feet safe, no cuts, and off with my wetsuit and time for the bike.
The started out smoothly. I was getting into a great rhythm up the first hill and as I crested, I shifted to my biggest gear for the downhill. Suddenly, my chain was stuck and I had to stop. A volunteer helped free my chain from my bike and I was off. About 30 sec later, I shifted to me biggest gear again and my chain overshifted and was jammed between my cassette and frame. I hadn’t adjusted my gears properly when I changed over to my race wheels. Rookie mistake. Oh well, now I new. The rest of the ride I made sure to avoid my biggest gear and everything went well. I road 54 min 6 sec and counting a couple stops that’s not too bad.
I was off onto the run. I latched onto a fellow competitor coming out of transition and got a great pus for the first mile. The first few miles are flat so I got into a great pace and saw a couple friends on the side of the course cheering me one. Thanks John and Steven. After a few flat miles, you go up some stairs and onto the trails. As I exited the trails, I caught one of the elites and ran with him down to the bay and along the sand. We stayed together until the famous sand ladder. I ran smoothly up the wooden planks that form the ladder with only a couple missed steps to slow me down (2 min 14 sec time). I gapped the guy I was running with and came back on the trail for the run back. I was moving through the runners on their way out well and bringing runners back until the stairs. I go down stairs really badly. I was passed by the guy I dropped on the sand ladder and forced to chase the entire way back. I pushed as hard as I could but couldn’t catch him. I was able to reach out and touch him at the finish line but couldn’t over take him. I ran 48 min 3 sec and ended up finishing in 2hr 19 min and 40 sec. That put my as the 7th amateur, 2nd in my age group and I had the fastest amateur run of the day. I was pretty happy.
To make the day even better, Charisa matched my age-group finish with a 2nd of her own. We topped off the day with an amazing breakfast at one of the local shops before a long car trip. I had a great day and still love this race. I can’t wait until next year.
Brian
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Ironman Arizona 08'
In early April I finish Ironman Arizona. It was my 9th IM finish and my fastest time. Below is my story I hope you enjoy...
I swam 59hr 5 sec; rode 5hr 15 min 10 sec and ran 3 hr 6 min 15 sec, with transitions I finished with a personal best time of 9 hr 26 min and 53 sec. I was 2nd age-group; 5th amateur, 19th overall and had the fastest amateur run of the day. All in all, a pretty dang respectable day.
Now for those of you with time to kill. It’s been a few years since I competed in Kona so I had this strong desire to return and thought IM Arizona would be a good fit. It’s early in the season so I could use living in San Diego to my advantage. It is close enough to drive and lodging in Tempe is pretty reasonable. My general plan was to come into the race with a fair amount of volume but very little intensity and hope everything would go well enough to steal a Kona slot. So other than a couple half marathons and one bike race, everything was low key with a little hard tempo. I knew if I got the slot, I couldn’t peak in April or else I wouldn’t want to race in Oct.
As I started training for IM AZ, I found out whole slew of people who were either racing or going to watch. At this race, I knew more people than at any other IM race I have ever done. It was great. I spent the days before race relaxing with the Wed night San Marcos track group (the other Brian, Charisa, Ken, Jeff, Becky, Steven, Alan, Julie). A few miles away from them were Mike, Birgit and Annika who were staying at a friend’s (Anders) family’s house after a horrible Craig’s list experience. Then several others were out on the course and about 5 more, for example Kim, were racing.
The day before the race was a perfect. I morning mini triathlon followed by turning everything in for the race and back at my hotel for lunch. I spent the afternoon hanging out with track guys and gals from San Marcos and finished it off with a nice dinner with Mike and Anders’s families. My prerace dinner was ideal. Let me tell you, nothing takes your mind off a race like watching a little girl play in the yard and twin boys playing with trains. Combine that with some nice stuffed pasta and life couldn’t be better. Right before I went to bed, I checked my phone and Mac sent me great text; “race smart, good luck and drink a lot”. Perfect advice before going to sleep.
On race day, I awoke around 3:45 AM, as usual a few minutes before my alarm was set. I hopped out of bed, coated myself in sunscreen, had a bit to eat and off to transition. I made to the start right when transition opened at 5AM and began the long prerace process. I managed to get everything dropped off, have a short run and say hi to a few friends before needing to squeeze into my wetsuit and jump into the lake.
For those of you who haven’t raced in IM AZ, the lake water isn’t exactly the cleanest. It is one of those swims where not only can you not see the person in front of you, you can’t even see your hand if you hold it in front of your face. On the bright side it reminded me of the lakes I swam in Texas and Florida when I was just getting into triathlons. However, what the water lacked in quality it more than made up for in ambiance. The start occurs under two bridges that were lined with spectators. I have to admit it was really cool to swim out to the start and see everyone looking down at you.
After getting pummeled at the start of IM Canada last year, I decided to play it safe this time and start near the outside. Fortunately, the course is one out and back loop that does do a slight dog leg. Now, if I could only swim straight and navigate off the blinding sum I would not swim that much extra and hopefully be safe. I went out hard and then managed to find an open stretch of water. I was able to swim out of the anarchy for most of the swim. I knew it was going to cost me some time but better to give up a little here and not get our with a black eye like last time.
The interesting/fun part of the swim is the finish. The shore line is really steep so you can’t walk out. Instead, you swim to a set of bleachers and they have people that pull you out of the water and onto the stairs. I felt like a salmon being caught by a bear as I exited. I say 59min on the clock and thought alright life is good. I am in one piece, feel really relaxed and now it’s time to go for a little bike ride.
I made it through transition, relatively slow, but I was calm. I got coated in sunscreen by a few volunteer upon exiting the change tent in hopes of not getting my race number burned into me and hoped onto my bike. The course is three loops around Tempe and the Indian reservation---note not a pretty as it sounds. To my surprise, I looked down and say my heart rate was really low and stable. Normally, I spin really easy for about 20k to lower my hear rate, not today. I had to push a little to get it up to my pace. Wow, a guess I sandbagged the swim a little too much.
On the way out of town, the wind was really strong. I thought to myself, I knew it was good thing I was a few pounds heavier than normal. The extra weight should help to keep me and disc wheel from getting pushed off the road. On the way out of town it was your standard IM chaos. A lot of people were flying by me trying to “make-up” for their swim. Around 5 miles into the course I found myself riding along with Rachael Ross and this other girl. I tried to pass them a couple times but every time I did they came right back by so I just stayed behind them. It was actually really nice. First we had a USAT official escorting us out so I didn’t have to deal with anyone drafting or blocking us. Second, I was sitting just behind a couple cute girls. It helped to distract me from thinking about the wind. On the downside, I was a little concerned about my fitness because my power and HR were right were I wanted them to be.
We hit turn around and the tailwind began pushing us all the way back to town. I let my HR and power drop a bit and stayed calm the entire way back despite getting passed like crazy. I knew it takes a lot of effort to put time on someone in a tailwind. Unfortunately, I dropped my female escorts and began the second loop riding by myself.
On the second loop the wind picked-up a bit and I began to lap competitors. I felt really bad for these people. All I could think was, stay clear of them and boy they are going to have a long day out here with all this wind and heat. On the second loop you pick up your special needs bag, mile 63. I timed it well because there were not a lot of other athletes around me so the volunteers had my bag ready for me so I didn’t have to stop.
In my bag I was able to refill my food supplies and get a couple bottles. At the end of the second lap I was passed by a guy I raced against from Colorado. I knew he was pretty quick so gave me confidence I was having a respectable race. Just an aside, here: I normally wear one watch and one HR monitor (another watch) when I race. However, I never look at the total time or my overall splits. I used it mainly for salt/food timing on the bike and getting a couple mile splits on the run. In general, I concentrate on fellow competitors or HR/power. So, despite having more timing gear than everyone else I am clueless how long I have been out there.
At the end of the second loop, I felt something really disturbing. As I was shifting, I felt my rear derailleur cable fraying. I knew/hoped I had a lot of strands remaining, but I didn’t want it to break while I was riding into the wind. So, on the third lap, I was really nervous shifting. This is part of the problem when you are lazy and don’t have a bike shop sponsor. I adjusted my gears and looked over my tires but didn’t check my cables. Ops. Fortunately, on the third loop the wind died down. It didn’t go away but it dropped at least 5 mph and the gusts were fewer and more time separated them.
I held to my plan, shifted less, but I pushed the top of my zone on the way out and let it drop on the way back. By then, the course was littered with competitors I was lapping and others who were drafting like mad. One group of 5 passed me and I could see the last two guys looking over there shoulders for officials. In my opinion, that is the difference between an honest mistake and cheating. If you are looking for the official you are cheating! Eventually, an official came by and broke up the group. As soon as he did, I passed them like they were standing still. The good news about the tailwind finish was it let me rested right before I got off the bike. By holding to my plan of easy with a tailwind, my HR dropped to the lower end of my IM race zone just before the run.
I dropped my bike off to the volunteers and took my standard clumsy steps into the transition tent. All in all I was feeling OK, with only some minor leg tightness. When I entered the tent, I started to think I must be doing better overall because I had two volunteers helping my out. One was grabbing stuff out of my bag and the other was applying another layer of sunscreen. I managed to stop off at the port-a-pot before leaving transition and pee. I good sign in hot weather. I exited the tent and was off on the run course.
The run is three laps around Tempe town lake and the surroundings. The loops are a series of nested figure eights. On the bright side, you can’t see that far ahead. The down side is you can’t get into a good rhythm because you are constantly turning. After passing through and aid station about 200m into the run, you head out along the lake and through a parking lot onto a street.
Having never done the course, I thought I was going the right way. However, there was no one around me. Let me tell you there is nothing scarier than running along feeling relaxed and not seeing anyone. Really, all I saw until mile one were mile markers for different laps (big number) and orange cones. About the time I was starting to freak out, I saw mile one and the silhouette of a Pro woman in the distance. I started my watch to get my split and took a big sigh of relief.
I was feeling good and really holding back on my run. I went through the next mile in 6:32 and then the next mile in 6:45, I had to hop over a concrete barrier after following another athlete to the wrong side of a barrier while crossing a bridge, so that meant I was running about the same pace. Now, no need to look at me watch until the next loop. Relax and eat/drink.
My general plan was go out no faster then 6:30 and no slower than 7, unless I needed to run slower. I knew I could run faster but I still had a long way to go and boy would it hurt later. My plan was to treat it like a normal marathon, run easy for 16 miles and then gradually turn the screws until the tank was empty. With three loops it worked out great, two loops of easy running and one loop of, so how bad do you want to go to Kona.
The first two loops went just as planned. I was running easy and found several of my friends watching around the course. It was great because they were in different locations, Dave on the bridge, Ken in the wasteland, Julie start/finish, and Jeff/Becky on the back side loop. A couple miles from the finish of my second lap, the guy who won the race passed me like I was standing still followed by Jarred Japp ( I actually passed him on lap one and ran most of lap two just ahead of him). Both of these guys managed to chase down one of my friends from my Austin days James Bonney just before he finished. Sorry man, I can’t imagine what it is like to lead from the swim and get passed by three guys in the last 5k.
Just as I started my third loop, I passed a guy I thought was in my age-group. While I could only make out the 3 on his calf, he looked about my age and it took me 4 miles to run him down. I caught him and saw the 16 mile mark so I surged and began racing. I was still feeling strong through 18 and as I was going through the next aid station, they didn’t have any ice. I was placing ice in my cap to keep cool and they didn’t have any. I was in race mode so I didn’t grab any water to toss on myself, instead I just keep going. At the next aid station, I grabbed my normal food but there were too many people in the way to get ice and once again, I didn’t compensate and douse myself with water. Big mistake that cost me.
By mile 20, I was not feeling good. When I came off the bridge I was wondering how in the world was I going to finish. My pace had slowed to what felt like a walk and I felt as if my head was going to explode from the heat. When I hit the next aid station, I walked through it and got some much need ice and water. I shuffled my way to the next aid station, walked through it and was passed by the guy I overtook at my 16. I couldn’t do anything about it. Fortunately, I wasn’t aware we were first and second in my age-group at the time or else I might have tried something stupid.
After the second easy aid station and a couple slow miles, I started to come back to life. It was a really slow process but I was starting to feel better. I knew it was bad because I passed Jeff who was giving me splits and encouragement to chase down the guy ahead on lap two, but this time all he said was “keep it up.” With about two miles to go, I passed Kim and I was finally back to “normal” running.
I was in a lot of pain but the finish was approaching and I just wanted to get this thing done. I made the turn to the finish line and paranoia set in. I didn’t want to look over my shoulder but I wanted to know if anyone was near so I was asking the volunteers if anyone was behind me. They said no and then I started to ask the next guy because I didn’t trust the first one.
Just before the finish, I ran past Charisa and Steven who were sprinting to get me crossing the finish line. I then looked up at the clock and saw 9:26 and was in shock. I had no clue I was going that fast. Then on top of that, the Pro women were spraying champagne everywhere. I have to admit it was the first time I ever ran through a mist of champagne. Heather Gollink totally coated me.
I crossed the finish line and I was done. After talking to Charisa, I was told Steven has a great picture of me crossing the line and I look like I am going to pass out. I guess a picture is worth a thousand words. I was confident I had a Kona slot but didn’t have a clue were I was on my age-group. I didn’t know where I finished until a few hours later when Andy called me and told me. With all the loops you just don’t know where you are at. Needless to say, I was really happy when I got off the phone with him.
The next day at the awards ceremony, I discovered I had the fastest amateur run on the day. That was cool and a repeat of my Lake Placid performance a few years back. Thanks for reading this far. I want to say thank you to all of you who helped in my prep. I can’t say how much it helped to have people with me for all or part of my long rides and runs. Also, to everyone who called/wrote to wish my luck or congrat’s. Thanks it means a lot to me. Now it’s time for celebration along with some pizza/burgers and beer.
Brian
I swam 59hr 5 sec; rode 5hr 15 min 10 sec and ran 3 hr 6 min 15 sec, with transitions I finished with a personal best time of 9 hr 26 min and 53 sec. I was 2nd age-group; 5th amateur, 19th overall and had the fastest amateur run of the day. All in all, a pretty dang respectable day.
Now for those of you with time to kill. It’s been a few years since I competed in Kona so I had this strong desire to return and thought IM Arizona would be a good fit. It’s early in the season so I could use living in San Diego to my advantage. It is close enough to drive and lodging in Tempe is pretty reasonable. My general plan was to come into the race with a fair amount of volume but very little intensity and hope everything would go well enough to steal a Kona slot. So other than a couple half marathons and one bike race, everything was low key with a little hard tempo. I knew if I got the slot, I couldn’t peak in April or else I wouldn’t want to race in Oct.
As I started training for IM AZ, I found out whole slew of people who were either racing or going to watch. At this race, I knew more people than at any other IM race I have ever done. It was great. I spent the days before race relaxing with the Wed night San Marcos track group (the other Brian, Charisa, Ken, Jeff, Becky, Steven, Alan, Julie). A few miles away from them were Mike, Birgit and Annika who were staying at a friend’s (Anders) family’s house after a horrible Craig’s list experience. Then several others were out on the course and about 5 more, for example Kim, were racing.
The day before the race was a perfect. I morning mini triathlon followed by turning everything in for the race and back at my hotel for lunch. I spent the afternoon hanging out with track guys and gals from San Marcos and finished it off with a nice dinner with Mike and Anders’s families. My prerace dinner was ideal. Let me tell you, nothing takes your mind off a race like watching a little girl play in the yard and twin boys playing with trains. Combine that with some nice stuffed pasta and life couldn’t be better. Right before I went to bed, I checked my phone and Mac sent me great text; “race smart, good luck and drink a lot”. Perfect advice before going to sleep.
On race day, I awoke around 3:45 AM, as usual a few minutes before my alarm was set. I hopped out of bed, coated myself in sunscreen, had a bit to eat and off to transition. I made to the start right when transition opened at 5AM and began the long prerace process. I managed to get everything dropped off, have a short run and say hi to a few friends before needing to squeeze into my wetsuit and jump into the lake.
For those of you who haven’t raced in IM AZ, the lake water isn’t exactly the cleanest. It is one of those swims where not only can you not see the person in front of you, you can’t even see your hand if you hold it in front of your face. On the bright side it reminded me of the lakes I swam in Texas and Florida when I was just getting into triathlons. However, what the water lacked in quality it more than made up for in ambiance. The start occurs under two bridges that were lined with spectators. I have to admit it was really cool to swim out to the start and see everyone looking down at you.
After getting pummeled at the start of IM Canada last year, I decided to play it safe this time and start near the outside. Fortunately, the course is one out and back loop that does do a slight dog leg. Now, if I could only swim straight and navigate off the blinding sum I would not swim that much extra and hopefully be safe. I went out hard and then managed to find an open stretch of water. I was able to swim out of the anarchy for most of the swim. I knew it was going to cost me some time but better to give up a little here and not get our with a black eye like last time.
The interesting/fun part of the swim is the finish. The shore line is really steep so you can’t walk out. Instead, you swim to a set of bleachers and they have people that pull you out of the water and onto the stairs. I felt like a salmon being caught by a bear as I exited. I say 59min on the clock and thought alright life is good. I am in one piece, feel really relaxed and now it’s time to go for a little bike ride.
I made it through transition, relatively slow, but I was calm. I got coated in sunscreen by a few volunteer upon exiting the change tent in hopes of not getting my race number burned into me and hoped onto my bike. The course is three loops around Tempe and the Indian reservation---note not a pretty as it sounds. To my surprise, I looked down and say my heart rate was really low and stable. Normally, I spin really easy for about 20k to lower my hear rate, not today. I had to push a little to get it up to my pace. Wow, a guess I sandbagged the swim a little too much.
On the way out of town, the wind was really strong. I thought to myself, I knew it was good thing I was a few pounds heavier than normal. The extra weight should help to keep me and disc wheel from getting pushed off the road. On the way out of town it was your standard IM chaos. A lot of people were flying by me trying to “make-up” for their swim. Around 5 miles into the course I found myself riding along with Rachael Ross and this other girl. I tried to pass them a couple times but every time I did they came right back by so I just stayed behind them. It was actually really nice. First we had a USAT official escorting us out so I didn’t have to deal with anyone drafting or blocking us. Second, I was sitting just behind a couple cute girls. It helped to distract me from thinking about the wind. On the downside, I was a little concerned about my fitness because my power and HR were right were I wanted them to be.
We hit turn around and the tailwind began pushing us all the way back to town. I let my HR and power drop a bit and stayed calm the entire way back despite getting passed like crazy. I knew it takes a lot of effort to put time on someone in a tailwind. Unfortunately, I dropped my female escorts and began the second loop riding by myself.
On the second loop the wind picked-up a bit and I began to lap competitors. I felt really bad for these people. All I could think was, stay clear of them and boy they are going to have a long day out here with all this wind and heat. On the second loop you pick up your special needs bag, mile 63. I timed it well because there were not a lot of other athletes around me so the volunteers had my bag ready for me so I didn’t have to stop.
In my bag I was able to refill my food supplies and get a couple bottles. At the end of the second lap I was passed by a guy I raced against from Colorado. I knew he was pretty quick so gave me confidence I was having a respectable race. Just an aside, here: I normally wear one watch and one HR monitor (another watch) when I race. However, I never look at the total time or my overall splits. I used it mainly for salt/food timing on the bike and getting a couple mile splits on the run. In general, I concentrate on fellow competitors or HR/power. So, despite having more timing gear than everyone else I am clueless how long I have been out there.
At the end of the second loop, I felt something really disturbing. As I was shifting, I felt my rear derailleur cable fraying. I knew/hoped I had a lot of strands remaining, but I didn’t want it to break while I was riding into the wind. So, on the third lap, I was really nervous shifting. This is part of the problem when you are lazy and don’t have a bike shop sponsor. I adjusted my gears and looked over my tires but didn’t check my cables. Ops. Fortunately, on the third loop the wind died down. It didn’t go away but it dropped at least 5 mph and the gusts were fewer and more time separated them.
I held to my plan, shifted less, but I pushed the top of my zone on the way out and let it drop on the way back. By then, the course was littered with competitors I was lapping and others who were drafting like mad. One group of 5 passed me and I could see the last two guys looking over there shoulders for officials. In my opinion, that is the difference between an honest mistake and cheating. If you are looking for the official you are cheating! Eventually, an official came by and broke up the group. As soon as he did, I passed them like they were standing still. The good news about the tailwind finish was it let me rested right before I got off the bike. By holding to my plan of easy with a tailwind, my HR dropped to the lower end of my IM race zone just before the run.
I dropped my bike off to the volunteers and took my standard clumsy steps into the transition tent. All in all I was feeling OK, with only some minor leg tightness. When I entered the tent, I started to think I must be doing better overall because I had two volunteers helping my out. One was grabbing stuff out of my bag and the other was applying another layer of sunscreen. I managed to stop off at the port-a-pot before leaving transition and pee. I good sign in hot weather. I exited the tent and was off on the run course.
The run is three laps around Tempe town lake and the surroundings. The loops are a series of nested figure eights. On the bright side, you can’t see that far ahead. The down side is you can’t get into a good rhythm because you are constantly turning. After passing through and aid station about 200m into the run, you head out along the lake and through a parking lot onto a street.
Having never done the course, I thought I was going the right way. However, there was no one around me. Let me tell you there is nothing scarier than running along feeling relaxed and not seeing anyone. Really, all I saw until mile one were mile markers for different laps (big number) and orange cones. About the time I was starting to freak out, I saw mile one and the silhouette of a Pro woman in the distance. I started my watch to get my split and took a big sigh of relief.
I was feeling good and really holding back on my run. I went through the next mile in 6:32 and then the next mile in 6:45, I had to hop over a concrete barrier after following another athlete to the wrong side of a barrier while crossing a bridge, so that meant I was running about the same pace. Now, no need to look at me watch until the next loop. Relax and eat/drink.
My general plan was go out no faster then 6:30 and no slower than 7, unless I needed to run slower. I knew I could run faster but I still had a long way to go and boy would it hurt later. My plan was to treat it like a normal marathon, run easy for 16 miles and then gradually turn the screws until the tank was empty. With three loops it worked out great, two loops of easy running and one loop of, so how bad do you want to go to Kona.
The first two loops went just as planned. I was running easy and found several of my friends watching around the course. It was great because they were in different locations, Dave on the bridge, Ken in the wasteland, Julie start/finish, and Jeff/Becky on the back side loop. A couple miles from the finish of my second lap, the guy who won the race passed me like I was standing still followed by Jarred Japp ( I actually passed him on lap one and ran most of lap two just ahead of him). Both of these guys managed to chase down one of my friends from my Austin days James Bonney just before he finished. Sorry man, I can’t imagine what it is like to lead from the swim and get passed by three guys in the last 5k.
Just as I started my third loop, I passed a guy I thought was in my age-group. While I could only make out the 3 on his calf, he looked about my age and it took me 4 miles to run him down. I caught him and saw the 16 mile mark so I surged and began racing. I was still feeling strong through 18 and as I was going through the next aid station, they didn’t have any ice. I was placing ice in my cap to keep cool and they didn’t have any. I was in race mode so I didn’t grab any water to toss on myself, instead I just keep going. At the next aid station, I grabbed my normal food but there were too many people in the way to get ice and once again, I didn’t compensate and douse myself with water. Big mistake that cost me.
By mile 20, I was not feeling good. When I came off the bridge I was wondering how in the world was I going to finish. My pace had slowed to what felt like a walk and I felt as if my head was going to explode from the heat. When I hit the next aid station, I walked through it and got some much need ice and water. I shuffled my way to the next aid station, walked through it and was passed by the guy I overtook at my 16. I couldn’t do anything about it. Fortunately, I wasn’t aware we were first and second in my age-group at the time or else I might have tried something stupid.
After the second easy aid station and a couple slow miles, I started to come back to life. It was a really slow process but I was starting to feel better. I knew it was bad because I passed Jeff who was giving me splits and encouragement to chase down the guy ahead on lap two, but this time all he said was “keep it up.” With about two miles to go, I passed Kim and I was finally back to “normal” running.
I was in a lot of pain but the finish was approaching and I just wanted to get this thing done. I made the turn to the finish line and paranoia set in. I didn’t want to look over my shoulder but I wanted to know if anyone was near so I was asking the volunteers if anyone was behind me. They said no and then I started to ask the next guy because I didn’t trust the first one.
Just before the finish, I ran past Charisa and Steven who were sprinting to get me crossing the finish line. I then looked up at the clock and saw 9:26 and was in shock. I had no clue I was going that fast. Then on top of that, the Pro women were spraying champagne everywhere. I have to admit it was the first time I ever ran through a mist of champagne. Heather Gollink totally coated me.
I crossed the finish line and I was done. After talking to Charisa, I was told Steven has a great picture of me crossing the line and I look like I am going to pass out. I guess a picture is worth a thousand words. I was confident I had a Kona slot but didn’t have a clue were I was on my age-group. I didn’t know where I finished until a few hours later when Andy called me and told me. With all the loops you just don’t know where you are at. Needless to say, I was really happy when I got off the phone with him.
The next day at the awards ceremony, I discovered I had the fastest amateur run on the day. That was cool and a repeat of my Lake Placid performance a few years back. Thanks for reading this far. I want to say thank you to all of you who helped in my prep. I can’t say how much it helped to have people with me for all or part of my long rides and runs. Also, to everyone who called/wrote to wish my luck or congrat’s. Thanks it means a lot to me. Now it’s time for celebration along with some pizza/burgers and beer.
Brian
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