Pre-Race
How Did We Get Here?
I was recently told that less than 0.01% of people have completed an Ironman. This begs the question...what possibly made me want to do this?
It started shortly after I completed April's 70.3 race in Oceanside, California. It was an exciting accomplishment; however, I found myself consistently having to correct people asking about my "Ironman race" to emphasize that it was only a half Ironman - only really dumb people would ever want to subject themselves to double that distance. Shortly thereafter, I'm pretty sure I was on a ride with my friend Greg when we discussed the idea of me taking advantage of being in good shape and using it as a foundation for checking the (crazy) full Ironman box. Granted, this was easy enough for him to say - he wasn't signing up to do it! In fairness, Greg was already an Ironman, having completed his full Ironman race in 2014 and he did seem to have a good point...so on a whim, I completed the sign up and made it official - I was one of those really idiotic people willing to subject themselves to training for double the distance.
Next up, it was time to get serious about training. After the race in Oceanside, I talked to one of our local triathlon ambassadors, Tedd Girouard, about my experience. After this fateful decision, I contacted Tedd again to get some tips for training, which thankfully evolved into him agreeing to officially coach me through the process.
Prior to signing up for this race, the longest distance I had run was a half marathon. In looking at what lay ahead, I decided that running a full marathon was mentally important just to know that the run was possible. Much to Tedd's chagrin, I signed up to run the Twin Cities Marathon six weeks before the race in Arizona, pegging it as a long training day and race nutrition rehearsal. If you're bored, you can read about that at this link.
The Training
How much training does it take to complete an Ironman? A lot, but luckily, not twice as much as the half distance.
Sticking to Tedd's training schedule, there were a lot of two-a-days with swimming and running, long weekend rides, and more treadmill and indoor bike sessions than I prefer...but all were pretty manageable. A lot of these sessions were long aerobic efforts with very few brick workouts. Using "Training Peaks", each appeared in my calendar and it was my job to complete them. There were a few scheduling challenges which Tedd and I worked through, but in the end, I don't think I missed one session #trusttheprocess.
As an aside, I think more triathletes need to get out of their gyms in favor of experiencing the road and open water - race day is not the time to learn how to use your bikes shifters, let alone how to handle a cross wind. But I digress.
Our local triathlon club's slogan for the year is #enjoythejourney, a motto which I really tried to take to heart. I made a conscious decision to try to not let this race rule my life. Throughout the training, I tried to take time to enjoy the surroundings on a long lonely ride, give someone else encouragement on a run, or high five a random stranger on the marathon course. For me, it helps make the time go by faster than staring at the clock. I also still enjoyed good (fried) food and an adult beverage from time-to-time. Though I'm sure there were events I skipped or left early, I made the conscious effort to be present in the moment. It was a long journey from registration to race day, but it sure seemed to fly by.
The other part of training is that it truly takes a village. Whether it's the group cycle rides, Master's swim class, your neighborhood bike mechanic, having fellow triathletes to commiserate with, or family to share stories with (that they feign interest in), it is nice to have an outlet. Thanks to all of you.
Preparation for Race Departure
About two weeks before the race, on a whim, I randomly searched for hotels in Tempe. Much to my surprise, Google Travel let me know through FindingFido.com, I could stay at the AC Hotel which was directly adjacent to the Ironman Village. Rooms in this hotel were not available anywhere else, even directly through Marriot. Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity to make the change.
The preparation to leave Las Vegas was a preview to race morning and frankly, kind of a relief compared to a local race due to having to double and triple check each equipment bag to ensure I had everything needed. There was a lot of panic online shopping going on in the month before the race as I wasn't sure what gear I would need with the weather getting colder.
Did I also mention the biggest blunder of the year when I misplaced my cycling shoes at a local Sprint triathlon two weeks prior to race day? The Sprint race was a point-to-point race with a split transition. Somehow when I was collecting my bike after finishing the race, I left my shoes behind. Not a huge deal for most people, but I do wear a Euro size 49 cycling shoe which are not exactly readily available. Luckily, my shoes had made it to Colorado via the race lost and found and the race director mailed them to me. 😅
One Week Out
During the middle of what should have been my enjoyable taper, I woke up one morning with a massive headache and a nose that wouldn't stop running. I hadn't been sick in a long time and I refused to think this was going to be the time. The next few workouts felt harder than they should have, but I made it through and started a NyQuil and Emergen-C regimen to try to rest and fight the best I could until it was time to start packing.
Arrival
The change to the AC Hotel proved to be one of the best decisions I made. I drove to Tempe on Thursday, checked into the hotel, and immediately found that the one and only Mike Reilly was also staying at the same hotel. It was the perfect sign to kick off the weekend.
After four trips up and down to the car, I finally got everything unloaded. While trekking back and forth to the room, I met a nice guy in the parking lot prepping for a bike ride. He was also doing his first Ironman and had arrived early before joining his family at an Airbnb. As luck would have it, I later saw him finishing the first lap of the run as I was heading for the finish. The triathlon community is great in that everyone that isn't vying for a Kona slot is genuinely encouraging of others to do their best and willing to offer any and all tips.
I made my way over to the Ironman Village just in time to hear one of the "mandatory" athlete briefings. There was some good information regarding the swim start groups and some more details surrounding the gear bag logistics that are unique to full distance races. After the briefing, I proceeded to check-in, did a quick browse around the store tent, and walked past the vendors. As I was walking back to the hotel, I overheard people speaking to someone official on a golf cart so I listened in to hear the answers to the questions I should be asking. It just so happened that this official was the race director, Jennifer, so she was a wealth of knowledge.
Another new to me benefit was a meal voucher for $25 that could be redeemed at a number of local restaurants. I took a look at the list and ended up finding a seat at the bar at The Thirsty Lion. I had a nice meal of a beer, a massive pretzel, and a Poke salad bowl.🤣 I got back to the hotel and tried to get to bed early, but distracting music was coming from somewhere and I had to investigate the source. It couldn't be a neighbor because it was too lounge-like, so I went downstairs and, lo and behold, it was coming from the lobby. The front desk attendant apologized and said that they normally turn off the parking lot speaker near my window at 10 PM. I explained that it wasn't a big deal since I knew the source, but cautioned that a few people might appreciate an early reprieve come Saturday night.
Earlier in the week I saw a post on the unofficial Facebook group promoting the availability for onsite professional photos. The quality of the photos were so good that I had to find out more information. Thankfully, I was able to secure a spot for 8 AM Friday morning. I met the photographer, Mack, near the Ironman Village with another athlete, Sheila. We had a great time taking bike and run photos along the water. It was also a great way to see how the morning temperatures were going to feel around the time I would be getting out of the water.
The teaser photos I've received thus far are excellent and I encourage anyone to contact Mack when you have the chance.
After the photoshoot, the Tri Dot group held a race course preview/run meeting at the main entrance to the park. I still had my bike so I tagged along to their run while coasting in the back. We previewed the swim start/exit and transition areas and John explained that the two loop run course was essentially 2 miles east and west of the Mill Avenue bridge. It was good to get a feel of the distance between the swim exit to the gear bag and transition tent. On race day this helped me make the decision to skip the wetsuit strippers located immediately at the swim exit, in favor of trying to stay a bit warmer for the long transition. In the end, this proved the right decision for me and am thankful for the experience of the course preview.
It was time to get in a 20 minute run. I took off from the hotel towards the swim start and saw the bridge on Priest Drive that we would take on race day to cross the "lake." It was a bit further than anticipated, but when I reached the bridge I made the left and followed it back towards the hotel where I got to see the Lap 2/Finish split. I got back to the hotel, grabbed my swim stuff, and drove to the Lifetime in Tempe to get in a 1500 yard swim. The outdoor pool in Las Vegas had been closed the last few weeks as they do repairs so this was the first time I had worn my mirrored goggles in months. Of course, no matter what I did, my trusty never leaking goggles would start leaking after every push off the wall. I switched to the pair I had been using indoors and no more leaks. As an added bonus, they were demolishing an outdoor fountain while I was swimming so I got to hear a constant jack hammering reverberating under water and inhale some lovely diesel fumes. Par for the course. 🤣
After finishing my workouts, I checked my Training Peaks app to find that I was awarded two yellow completion grades for going too far on my run and too fast on the swim. These were the first yellow grades I had received in a long time. Probably not the ideal time to go off script. 🤦♂️😀
I showered and made a trip to Target for some throw away gloves and a Teriyaki Bowl in the strip mall before it was time to pick up Jess from the airport. We went back to the hotel to unwind and I showed Jess all that I had learned about the Village. We then realized that our friend from Las Vegas, Monika, was in Scottsdale for work. We found a reservation at an Italian place near her hotel and had a nice surprise dinner in a different city.
It's now Saturday morning...where does the time go? Jess and I walked around Mill Avenue and found a breakfast place where we got to sit outside and enjoy some live music watching everyone else enjoying their mimosas. 😀
It was approaching Ironman's official practice swim and I saw quite a few people coming and going from the water with their wetsuits. I had been advised to NOT participate in the practice swim. The thing that makes this race unique is that the course is very spectator friendly for the swim and run with bridges and two shores where people can get up close and personal. BUT...the "lake" is more of a reservoir of filth than a fresh body of water and is only cleared for humans to swim in a few times a year. In year's past people have gotten sick on the actual race day from the practice swim the day prior. Apparently it's ok to get sick the day after the race, just not the day before.
This was going to be my first race where I wouldn't be able to swim in the actual body of water until race day. I tried to reassure myself it was the right decision to skip the practice swim and focus on the fact that the official water temperature was the same as the Malibu and Oceanside races I previously completed without issue.
After breakfast, it's time to check in the bike and drop off my gear bags. I check my bags for the fifth or sixth time with Jess also verifying that I was not missing anything obvious. We take the short walk over to the Village. There's officially no turning back now.
While dropping off the bike, I saw a great sign for first time Ironman competitors. I took a photo and grabbed a bracelet to wear during the race. I remember looking at that bracelet a few times throughout the race for inspiration.
Apparently the Pros have different rules than us.🤷♂️
Gear bags and bike racked.
A few months back, Jess was nice enough to invite my family and friends to come see my race in person. It's something I would never have done for a few reasons...I wasn't sure I was going to even make it to race day and most importantly, who wants to watch a 12 hour race? Well, everyone else thought it was a great idea and were now arriving by car or plane.
The family was staying at our original hotel, the A Loft, a mile away on the other side of the bridge. Jess' parents arrived from Florida and Shawn from San Diego so we decided to welcome them there. On the short drive over, one of the bridges was closed which we thought was weird, but we were able to get to the hotel without too much issue. After hanging out for a bit, Shawn wanted to get in a run and we wanted to shower and change before meeting everyone for a group dinner. However, that closed bridge resulted in it taking us 40 minutes to get back to our hotel only one mile away. Panic started to set in due to everyone staying at the A Loft needing to get over that bridge to get to dinner. We knew that ASU had a football game earlier that day so I asked the front desk if the closed bridge was a result of traffic control for the game, but they didn't think so.
Luckily for us, Shawn confirmed we were right and the bridge basically reopened after we got back in our room. Most of the group was able to make it to the restaurant without much of an issue. My dad and stepmom rented a car and, like all of my other experiences with the Phoenix rental car facility, it was a nightmare. First, it's about a 15 minute ride west of the airport and the hotel was about a five minute ride to the east of the airport. If you're lucky enough to catch the first bus, you're then stuck waiting to get your car...they were able to join us just as one of the most patient waitresses I've ever seen in a college town was bringing appetizers and our first round of drinks.
In the end, it was really great to have dinner with family and friends from all over. I'm not so sure I was the best dinner companion as I had been REALLY nervous for about a month and now it was actually almost time to do this thing. I truly appreciate that everyone had taken time to be here for me.
Race Day
Rise and Shine
I set my alarm for a 3:30 AM wake up. I was lucky to get some sleep and was startled awake when the alarm went off. It was now really go time. This was also the time I realized that one of the key benefits of an Airbnb vs a hotel is that you can eat your breakfast without waking up your spouse and fumbling around in the dark. I ate my jar of apple sauce, plain bagel, and banana and found myself with nothing to do but scroll on my phone and wait. I was feeling a bit nauseous from a combination of nerves and stuffing a lot of food in me in a short time as the clock seemed to tick by slowly.
Shawn was gracious enough to meet me in the lobby of the hotel at 5:15 AM. He seemed to enjoy the pre-dawn Bird scooter ride across the bridge, which helped distract me from the task at hand. We took the short walk over to the Village. I added a water bottle to the run belt in my run transition bag and tried to picture where I would find both the run and bike bags later. I then headed over to the bike where I loaded my bottles, filled the front hydration, checked the tire pressures, and installed my pre-flight valve cover.😀
Another "Now what?" moment as there is an hour before even the pros start. Shawn and I hung outside transition for a bit and I finally decided it was time to put on my wetsuit...when it was also apparently time to get a little lighter with a visit to the bathroom. After squeezing back into my wetsuit, I applied Aquaphor to my face, put on my swim cap, and got my goggles ready. We walked over to the swim start where I found my middle of the pack 1:21-1:30 group. The pros finally started and the crowd slowly made it's way into the water.
Jess pops in out of thin air to wish me luck as the age group athletes start being herded like cattle to the start line. I take in a Gu and wash it down with some water before I prime my wetsuit with the remainder of the bottle. Though this normally feels good, I'm now shivering and not getting warmer. I remind myself that it's supposed to be better than the water in the lake and just keep moving towards the start.
The Swim
Where the finish almost never happened...I had gone over this moment too many times. Just start my watch, breathe out as my face hits the water, and I'll be fine. And then I remembered what Iron Mike said, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
When the water hits my face I immediately revert back to thoughts of get me out of here, this is stupid, let's go home, why would anyone pay to do this?! I thought this is it, let's just turn around and go to a bar. That might have been the right answer, but I'm too stubborn for that.
I did some breast stroking followed by forcing my face back under water until I finally started to begin swimming normally (for me). I breathe to my left side which isn't great on a long swim where the buoys are on the right. There is a wall on the left, but I can't easily see the course directional buoys. The water is so murky I think I can see my hand and that's about it. A few times I thought I had a swimmer directly on my hip, but it was just glare in my goggles. There are plenty of paddle boarders that I can see, so I know I'm on the right course, but every time I sight forward I notice the herd is about 10 yards to my right. I was really hoping to find someone to draft off of so I keep trying to swim back to the right side, but I keep finding myself in the same position. Looking at my overall swim distance and trajectory it doesn't seem to have mattered, but it felt like I wasn't swimming as straight as I should. There were a few times where I noticed that my feet were really cold and I had an urge to pee, something I can't do while I'm horizontal.
About 1,500 yards into the swim I had another panic moment and started looking around for a safety boat. I started swimming again and tried to use all the tricks I've learned to occupy my time - mostly counting strokes to 20 over and over again. FINALLY, the right turn buoy is in sight! The end has to be near. As I make my way back across the lake, the water gets really choppy and I can see a mass of people but I still don't see the red turn buoy's signaling the exit. I start thinking do we really have to go another bridge? I swear those are the same buildings that are next to the hotel. Now I realize that the mass of people in front of me is actually a gauntlet of paddle boarders making a path for us to get to the turn buoy. The end really is near and it's only two more turns to the exit.
The crowd at the swim exit was huge and it was great to see everyone cheering for me. I exited the water and passed the wetsuit strippers as I wanted to stay warm as I ran to T1.
Official Time: 1:27:59
Pretty consistent pace recorded by the watch and happy to see the heart rate settle down.
T1
The transition from the water to the bike bag and changing tent is about a half mile run so everyone has a longer than normal transition time. The volunteers at the gear bag are great and I quickly grab my bag and head to the changing tent.
Wow, what a scene! The entire tent was so full that people were spilling out the back by the porta potties and sitting on the ground. I was lucky to find a seat in the back row and start to get my things situated. I had heard that there would be volunteers assisting, but they were overwhelmed with people that actually needed help as they were shivering and hardly able to move.
Prior to the race, I made the decision to make full changes into appropriate sport clothing due to starting to get some chaffing the last few miles of the 13.1 mile run in Oceanside. I also wanted to have a more cushioned cycling chamois for what was going to be at least 5.5 hours on the bike. It's a decision I still don't regret.
I took my time changing and took a few extra minutes drying and getting the grass (hay) off my feet before putting my socks and shoes on. I take in a gel I left in my bike bag. Without a reliable personal assistant, I was on my own to get my wetsuit and things back into the bag before I head to the bike. As I'm about to leave, I have the urge to use the restroom so I head out the back of the tent to the porta potty and realize I have to take my jersey back off because of the cycling bibs. 🤦♂️ Now that you could have binged an entire episode of Cobra Kai in the time I've spent in transition, I finally make my way to the bike.
The Bike
During the athlete briefing, they labeled the course as "technical." Triathletes must be (are) really bad bike riders because I can't think of anything less technical than this minimal turn course. I guess slowing down for a few U-turns is the threshold for triathletes.
As I make my way to the Beeline Highway, I'm feeling good and settling in on the bike. It has been almost two hours since I started the day and as a result, the first bottle seems to be disappearing very quickly. I also notice that my heart rate isn't being broadcast to my bike computer and I start fumbling around trying to force sensors to pair, searching for sensors, and only finding other rider's power meters. I finally remember on the watch you can force heart rate broadcast from the Main menu and that does the trick. This is the first of a few follies that I would like to fix for any future events.
I'm doing a decent job staying in aero navigating around a pretty congested course of better swimmers. I make it to Beeline and as the road curves to the right I'm hit with the headwind that would be with us the rest of the day. It's not dissimilar to the rides around home and I just hope that it doesn't turn into a crosswind.
About a mile before the first aid station on the return side of the road, there was a horrific crash scene with two people being stretchered away and debris everywhere. At the beginning of my second lap, I saw someone coming from the other direction crash into the median and tumble over the center divider in the road with no one around. I could only guess that they were finishing their third lap and while prepping for the transition, lost focus on the road, and hit the small curbing protecting the light rail lane. Besides the swim, this was one of my other fears about the race. An accident or mechanical on the bike can ruin your day at no fault of your own. Luckily, I had no issues other than spilling some hydration all over myself and the bike while trying to do a refill and hitting a bump. Compared to the alternatives, I can deal with being sticky.
The second lap is mostly the same as the first except I'm starting to get really uncomfortable staying in the aero position, especially uphill, so I spend more time sitting upright than I wanted. My average speed on the first lap was almost 19.5 mph so I was confident that I'd still be able to complete the 3 loops in the six hour range. I did the best I could to stay comfortable and stay out of the headwind, but the headwind was winning. I had been very cognizant about staying on top of my nutrition and was consuming a Gu-like product every 30 minutes. I passed the last aid station on my side of the road before the turn around and make my way towards the U-turn. I'm really bad at estimating perceived distance and the last aid station to the turn around was almost 8 miles and the hilliest part of the ride. It seemed to go on FOREVER each time - I literally never learned. I also had an urge to pee, but the turn around didn't have an aid station, only porta potties, so I told myself that I could make it to the first aid station on the return side of the road. I stopped at the aid station, used the bathroom, and refilled all four of my bottles.
Throughout the ride, there were bike parts, bottles, and wrappers all over the course due to it being fairly rough pavement, having large expansion cracks, and the wind. I witnessed someone just tossing a bottle in the shoulder without a care in the world nowhere near an aid station, which is my absolute pet peeve. I get that stuff happens with wind and bumps, but this gives us all a bad name.
The biggest surprise debris I came across was a lone seat and saddle bag in the road. There is a story from a participant claiming it was his seat and that it came off around mile 60, and he rode standing for the next 40 miles. However, he hasn't explained how it happened or why he didn't try to retrieve it, so I take it with a grain of salt.
As I returned to town, my two lap average was still a little over 19 mph, which was a good sign. I made my turn around for Lap 3 and got to see the family again cheering for everyone.
I started feeling a little hungry so I stopped at the first aid station and took a Nutri-Grain bar. I proceeded to fumble with trying to open the damn thing for what seemed like two miles before I was able to enjoy whatever flavor I managed to grab. The third time up Beeline seemed to have a bit less headwind, but the gravity of having to run a full marathon in an hour started weighing on my mind and I backed off a touch.
I make the final U-turn and know that it's (literally) all downhill from here. My neck was bothering me so I applied ActivICE from time-to-time, which did some to relieve it...almost enough to attempt to see if it would fix my "sitting" pain, but that didn't seem like a bet I was willing to wager 👀.
Out of nowhere, my left quad starts cramping/spasming on the down stroke. I backed off a bit to see if it would subside, but every pedal BAM there it was. I had some SaltStick tablets in my jersey which took what again felt like two miles of fumbling before I was able to get them in my mouth. I'm not sure if it was the time or any of the other nutrition kicking in, but the spasming went away for the rest of the ride back to town. I was thinking this is going to make for a really fun marathon and wasn't sure if it would come back, but luckily, it never did.😅 As I returned to town, I started focusing on the things I needed to do for the run and was very happy to see that even with all the little hiccups, I was still able to average 19 mph overall.
Official Time - 5:57:22
T2
I dismounted my bike and handed it to the valet who quickly whisked it away. I grabbed my run bag and headed into the changing tent which was much less chaotic than after the swim earlier in the day. I changed out of my cycling kit and took time to apply Body Glide in all of the right places, including my toes to help prevent blistering as I somehow tend to rub my right big and index toes together. At the Twin Cities marathon, my calves were the primary muscle that started cramping towards the finish. I decided to keep the calf sleeves on as I felt the slight compression had kept my calves feeling good on the bike and I could always push them down if they were bothering me later. I took a quick spray from a BOA Blast and remembered I had a perfect key holder pocket it would fit in. Not much else to say here, it's now time to finish this race.
Run
After the bike I really wasn't sure how my legs were going to feel, but I felt "fresh" leaving the transition. Start Slow! Start Slow! I kept telling myself as I joined the running path.
The aid stations were everywhere, well stocked, and supported by amazingly enthusiastic volunteers. On the bike I refilled my bottles with the Gatorade Endurance provided, but it was way sweeter and more acidic feeling than what I had brought. At this point I really didn't want any more of their Gatorade. Instead, I took the water cups at each aid station in addition to the one bottle of my nutrition I had with me. I saw that they also had grapes and I tried a cupful. It was a welcome relief to have something to crunch and actually chew after only consuming gelatinous calories for the last several hours.
The course is great in that you are mostly along the lake-front path so you can see where you are and have something to look at. However, as I previously mentioned, I'm REALLY bad at estimating distances and constantly think that the next mile marker should be closer than it really is. Thankfully, this is not too big of a deal as I'm actually feeling great and not too overwhelmed with the knowledge that there is still almost another four hours to go.
My goal was to at least run the half marathon distance before potentially altering to a run/walk plan. I assessed how I was feeling every mile or so and I remember being surprised with how good I felt. I remained diligent about eating and drinking as now was not the time to get cocky. I could feel some soreness in my upper hamstrings with every step, but overall there was no real joint pain so general soreness seemed like something I could tolerate.
I remember passing the swim start area and thinking how only a short time ago this now completely still water almost derailed my entire day. That's when Jared popped out along the course and ran with me for about 1/4 mile. He then let me know I was looking good, but I could stand to speed up a bit. 🤬
I crossed the bridge in cruise control mode, but then remember that the Mile 14 marker was WAY back on the other side of the course. How do these loops work again?! I finally see the "hill" that has been mentioned and, despite my previous opinion, it is indeed a hill after the last hours of exercise. This is the first time I slow a bit to a walk, but only because I do not want to spike my heart rate. It's now downhill and across the bridge to start Lap 2.
I'm very envious of those making the right for the finish but it's also only another 2+ hours to go. I pass the swim finish area that is near our hotel and see my adoring fans again. Jess runs along with me for a bit and tells me that she is going to give me a sweatshirt when I come back after the turn around a few miles in the other direction. The weather was perfect running weather, but the sun was beginning to set. I make it to the turn around and back to Jess where I grab the sweatshirt and abandon my sunglasses.🤫
I have now officially made it to the half way point. I remember where I saw Mile 20 on the other side of the bridge and think let's make it there before we walk/run. As I cross the bridge, I can see the right hand turn where Mile 19 is and all of a sudden I get really light-headed. Everything else has been the same - I've been diligent with the nutrition still taking a gel every 30 minutes, using the BOA spray almost every time before I have a drink, but with the cooler temperatures, I had started to drink less than I had been the rest of the day.🤷🏻♂️ I stopped running and started walking towards the end of the bridge. My heart rate came down and I started to feel better, but I was afraid this might be it and it might be a march from here to the finish.
I stopped at the aid station, took some potato chips and a small sip of Coke, and filled my bottles before taking a pit stop in the porta potty. That combination made me feel a lot better and I started running again. I began to fast walk uphill sections of the course and settled back into a nice running pace on the flats. I was finally at the hill again and knew the end was near. I checked my watch for the field that estimates your finish time and I saw that I was still on pace to finish in around 4:20 - not bad for my second marathon ever. It was all downhill at this point.
As soon as I saw the Mile 24 sign I got a surge of energy and sped up the pace significantly, almost too much.😅 I started to hear the crowd at the finish line and it seems to give everyone another boost. At this point I thought maybe I started my kick a bit too early, but there was no slowing down now. I made the left towards the finish and could see the chute lined with people. I made sure to enjoy the moment and give out a few high fives and the mandatory fist shakes in the air.
12 hours 12 minutes and 30 seconds after the start, all of those hours and months of training, blog reading, nervous shopping, and doubt that I could do this, I FINALLY heard Mike Reilly announce: "David Lehrner, You're an Ironman David!"
I'd like to think that I'm in deep in reflection here but I was probably just blinking.
Official Run Time - 4:18:05
You can see the walking sections pretty clearly in the graph below.
Finish Line
Volunteers walked with each finisher to make sure they were ok and I just remember thinking, I can't believe how good I feel. I thanked her for being there and made my way to the obligatory photo stop before going into the Athlete's Village. I grabbed some food and headed out to meet everyone on the other side of the fence. We hugged, we took a few photos, and I heard some of the stories about how they spent their day. It was time to head back to the hotel. I took a shower and went to bed without eating anything.
After Race
Observations
The water was much colder and choppier than anticipated. I learned later that some of the chop was from boats responding to swimmers in need of help due to being too cold and from the same wakes those boats were creating.😊
Overall, 89 people were pulled from the water, while several others never left the T1 tent. The fact that I never once stopped to tread water, float on my back, or grab onto a kayaker, makes me proud knowing how much anxiety I had leading up to the swim.
The bike had an exposed highway section with a slight uphill that was dead into the wind. Apparently it was a soul crusher to those that only ride indoors.🤷♂️ It was really no different than the long practice rides I had in the weeks leading up to the event. I said it before, but I think triathletes need to get out in the real world more frequently.
I think it was also serendipitous that my first race was Mike Reilly's last North American race. It was an honor to be declared an Ironman by him. I think he sums up the last few months incredibly well in this post below.
The Morning After
The next morning I popped up at 5:30 AM with no chance of going back to sleep. I snuck out of the room and made my way down to the lobby where there was another athlete sitting wide awake. We chatted a bit and I decided to walk to the Starbucks on Mill Avenue. My legs were sore, but not much different than after the marathon. At the Starbucks two other athletes came in a few minutes after me and we started reminiscing about the day and how we wish we were still sleeping like our spouses.😀
Wrapping it Up
Jess and I made the smart decision to stay an extra day. Her primary reason was so she could watch the USA vs Wales World Cup game, mine was so we weren't rushed to get home; not that I was able to sleep in. We went to a great local brewery, Four Peaks, where many USA fans had assembled to watch the game. After the game we went back to the hotel and PASSED out for two hours...I thought it might already be Tuesday when I woke up. We then walked to dinner at a great restaurant named Culinary Dropout and were back in bed by 9 PM.😀
The next morning I again woke up super early and walked to the Starbuck to start writing this blog when I found out that someone had successfully changed my credit card password without my knowledge. My would be relaxing morning was instead spent resetting all of my passwords before meeting Jess back at the hotel.😔
I was pleasantly surprised at how well I felt physically. I had general soreness, but no joint pain or anything warranting taking any kind of medication. I think it just reiterated that I had completed the correct training for the event. We decided to head up to the top of "A" mountain (Tempe Butte) and commemorate the trip with a few photos. It was a great view of the swim and run course and gave me another opportunity to take it all in before heading home.
Now that it's all over, I have already started getting the question, "What's next?" When I decided to do this I told myself that this was a one and done. Right now, I'm going to stick to that statement but I do remember at some point during the run thinking to myself, this isn't so bad, I can see how people do several of these throughout their career.
It is at this point I will reflect on my performance. I will start by saying I am extremely happy and content with my overall time; my main goal was truly just to finish. Prior to the race, I estimated a 12 hour finish was possible and being only 1.5% over that target is still a success to me. Finishing in the top 1/3 in my age group and close to the top 1/4 by gender is a great showing for anyone's first full distance. BUT...I like to take an honest look at my performances and see what could be improved for next time; whether that is a 5K, a sprint or another full Ironman.
• Swim - I'm really happy with my swim. Just being able to be mostly comfortable and taking minimal stops for 2.4 miles was a win. BUT with the amount of time I have spent in the water I know I can/should be under 2:00/100. I'll be conservative with my estimate, but if I were to do this race again with the exact same conditions I would hope to be at least 5 minutes faster.
• T1 - 🤣😂🤣😂 Well the positive is that I still think I made the right decision to wear my wetsuit to the changing tent. Looking at other competitors times I can safely say there was probably 5 minutes that could have been saved here. Before the race I had waffled on using a triathlon suit or changing into a regular cycling kit. I went with the regular cycling kit because I was unable to do a long ride with the triathlon suit as I wanted to have my phone with me for safety. In hindsight, with my bike seat comfort issues I'm not sure it would have made a difference either way. I'll be trying to get that dialed-in for any long distance races in the future.
• Bike - I'm happy with the bike overall. I will be addressing the comfort issue and I feel just by being in aero more I would have been several minutes faster with the headwinds we encountered. I also feel that I could have pushed a little harder and still been ok on the run, but the fear of the unknown held me back and that's ok. Still, I think 5-10 minutes could be saved here without much effort, including minimizing the aid station stops. And Coach Tedd also seemed pretty confident that there is still plenty of room for improvement here.
• T2 - This one is tough as I don't think I was dilly dallying too much here. I still think I made the right decision to change into run clothes and address all potential chafe/blister points that have been issues in the past. But numbers don't lie, the vast majority of finishers were out of T2 well before me.
• Run - Again, I am really happy overall with my second ever marathon.😌 Could I have averaged a 9:40/mile pace instead of 9:50? I think it is definitely possible just by running the whole race. That's another 4.5 minutes.
And with that, it's time to rest, recover and enjoy Thanksgiving with family and friends. Thank you to everyone for supporting me and believing in me when I had trouble believing in myself. You make a difference.
