The road to Ironman St. George 2010: couch potato to Ironman and Race Review.

Hey gang, as I mentioned in my last post I took some time off of the Blog to increase my training regimen in preparation for my first Ironman triathlon. If you're primarily interested in the race review, please scroll down a few paragraphs where it's highlighted. It's been 3 months and I completed my dream of participating in and finishing the race. Crossing the finish line was one of the defining moments in my entire life. Later, I joked with a colleague that I wasn't sure if I was happier to finish the Ironman or when my kids were born. He aptly replied: "ANYONE can have kids, you-are-an-Ironman!" Wow, I hadn't thought about it that way. For those who don't know, the Ironman is a race that starts with a 2.4 mile swim in open water, we get out of the water and onto our bikes for 112 miles, then we run a 26.2 mile marathon. It is truly daunting and even after all the training and 3 weeks since the event, I cannot fathom the monumental task. It's just beyond reason. It's been called the hardest one-day race in the world. Below is my review of the race and the events that lead up to it. It will be long winded and likely boring to many. If it never gets read by anyone, I will still have gotten it off my chest.

I am not one of the fortunate few who are gifted with physical prowess or has that genetic gift for superior physical fitness. I train my ass off just to be average in a world of triathletes. I've come to grips with and am ok with that. Having said that, I'm also in better condition than 99.9% of the population. In a nutshell: May 5, 2008 was the first day I rode my bike to work, 20 miles round trip. After 3 months I was getting in pretty good shape and riding my bike to work soon wasn't enough for me. So I started running in the mornings before I rode my bike to work. One day I was golfing and two of our regular guys didn't show up, so the golf course added a pair to our group, one of whom was Brian. As we played I was talking to Brian about my recent weight loss and training. He said that he was a triathlete and that I should join the local triathlon club. It sounded intriguing. Another challenge. I could run and bike, but I couldn't swim. Brian said the club held a swim session every week and that beginners were welcome. I signed up online that night. In December 2008 I took a swim lesson with the club and promptly swam 75 yards before I thought I was gonna die! 3 months later I entered my first race: a local sprint distance triathlon in February of 2009. For the rest of 2009 I had raced in 7 events including two swims from Alcatraz to San Francisco, a Half Ironman triathlon, a marathon, and several other triathlons.

So in 2009 I had fully immersed myself in the triathlon world and had learned of this crazy race called the Ironman. Not knowing or fully understanding the scope of just what this Ironman race entailed, I tried to sign up for a few, only to learn that they sell out in days. It's not something you can just think about, you have to pull the trigger. So when this new race was announced for St. George, Utah I signed up immediately. This was late Spring/early Summer 2009. From that moment on I took the task seriously. I read books on it, I learned nutrition, I queried veterans, and I trained rain or shine...mostly rain, all winter long. I developed a training plan that turned out to be astounding. To summarize: I trained 6 days a week, taking Sundays off. The volume and intensity increased incrementally leading up to the race. The month before the race I was swimming 5 to 7 miles a week, running 40 miles a week, and biking 200 miles a week. Plus, I was doing yoga 2-3 hours a week. I regulated my nutrition: >100 grams a day of protein, <10 grams/day of saturated fat, a pound a day of fruits/vegetables, etc. In 2009 I swam over 250 miles, ridden my bike over 7,000 miles, run about 1,000 miles, did over 10,000 sit-ups, lifted countless lbs of weight, and learned the importance of stretching.

TRAVEL AND VENUE DESCRIPTION STARTS HERE (actual Race Day Review further below, in red):
By race week I was in the absolute best shape of my entire life, including high school and college. My wife and I left a week early and made a mini vacation of our stay in St. George. We packed up the bike, went over our checklists, and drove the many hours to Utah in one long day. Me and 2,000 other athletes had been checking the weather forecast for maybe a month. Rain had been predicted on and off for race day and I'm sure I wasn't the only nervous athlete. The race will happen rain or shine. We decided to try a scenic drive right though the middle of Nevada. We left San Jose, california Sunday morning at first light. We drove toward Lake Tahoe via Kirkwood/Markleeville and proceeded to Carson City, Nevada to visit friends for lunch.

After that we headed east on Hwy 50. One of the best ways to experience Nevada is to travel Highway 50 -- the so-called "Loneliest Road in America." Highway 50 roughly parallels the Pony Express Trail. It was indeed lonely and also ruggedly beautiful. We then took Nevada hwy 93 south which was also very beautiful. And finally 219 south to Utah 18 south and into St. George. We arrived and checked into our room about 9pm Sunday night.

Monday morning was clear, calm winds, and dry. As I suspected, the climate was similar to San Jose's. It'll be about 70 degrees F. today. Nice. This was taper week of course and so Monday was about exploring the town and a light swim at the venue. As recently as 3 weeks prior, the water temperature was a very, very cold 54 degrees F. By race week it was a balmy and tolerable 60. Many were complaining about the cold water, but I swim in the Northern California Pacific. I know cold. After checking the weather forecast again, it seems we are in for some strong winds this week. They're still calling for rain on race day. So off we go to Sand Hollow Reservoir. The reservoir is about 20 miles outside of town in a rural but developing area. After a short 1 mile swim I found that 60 degrees is tolerable enough that I plan on trying my sleeveless wetsuit on Thursday morning.

I was out of the water by 9am. After a snack and shower, we head off to drive the bike course. So the bike course will begin at Sand Hollow Reservoir. We will get out of the water and ride the 20 or so miles of rolling hills back into St. George where we'll begin two 45 mile loops into the surrounding red rock hills. During the drive I discover there will be a lot of climbing. Some 30 miles of steady climbing per loop and 15 miles of descent back into town at the end of each loop. My GPS showed about 6,600 feet of elevation gain for the bike course.

The rest of the day was spent checking out the town and grocery shopping. If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting Utah, I highly recommend it. The red rock canyons and rugged beauty are simply astounding.

Early Tuesday morning it was clear with a slight warm breeze. Tourist day, no training. We went to Snow Canyon State Park about 15-20 minutes north of town. It was sunny and about 75 degrees outside. Simply stunning. I'm guessing that since the air is very dry, 75 in Utah feels like 78-80 in San Jose weather.

Woke up early Wednesday morning to a gentle wind, blowing about 10-15 mph. I planned to ride the bike course. I've found that the wind kicks up predictably in St. George, pretty much every day. But Wednesday they were calling for 60-80 mph winds and I wanted to be out off the bike before that came! I rode 85 miles and just during the last 5 or so the wind came, it was manageable at first. Fortunately I got off the bike before the real wind came. It blew HARD, HARD, HARD that day and all night long. I'm sure there were plenty of nervous athletes in town that day. Garbage cans were strewn about, the wind was like a tornado without the twister. I mean it was just ferocious.

The Ironman Expo opened on Wednesday. The whole idea that I was really gonna do this race was slowly sinking in. I got my first butterflies. I took the opportunity to do the Athlete Check-In and get my packet and number marking. They were doing something new and had "tattoo number markings" for our arms and legs. It was some kind of airless body paint that would last a week. It would save time from having to do it race morning. Since this was my first Ironman, I couldn't wait to get marked. I got tattooed on both arms. I walked around that day proudly showing off my Ironman status =)

During our time in St. George we met some wonderful people, both athletes and locals. The locals were very excited to be hosting this event and it showed in the smiles and hospitality we were shown. While in the Ironman store, we met two of the nicest people: Dave and Louise from Canada. St. George would be her 21st Ironman! And at 69 she was the oldest female athlete.

By Thursday morning it calmed down to a gentle breeze, and it appeared the system was blowing though. The weather gods were now saying that race day may be nice. 2,000 athletes crossing our fingers and hoping for a small miracle for nice weather. I met up with my triathlon club friends Paul and Audrey for one last swim before the race. After a nice 1 mile swim I decide that the water's gonna be fine for me to race in a sleeveless wetsuit. I'm happy about that.

Thursday night was the Ironman Welcome Dinner. This was the first time I saw all the athletes and organizers in one place. It was awesome. The presentation, music, and speeches were truly inspiring. They brought out one of the original finishers from the very first Ironman on February 18, 1978 on Oahu, Hawaii. He talked about his experience and how things have progressed since then. He had to borrow a bike, cut his jeans to make shorts, and bring money so he could buy drinks (beer in his case!).

Finally Friday arrived. The Day Before The Race. No wind, few clouds. Oh weather gods, please be nice tomorrow. My wife and I planned a day trip to Zion Nat'l Park. It's about an hour drive or so. The drive was nice. The park is absolutely a MUST SEE. Words cannot describe the scenery. We have such a beautiful country and there's so much to see!

Bike drop-off is today. Pumped up my tires, put nutrition on my Bento Box, mixed my Carbo-Pro fluid for the bike, and it's off to the first transition area where my bike goes to it's assigned location.

A long day of hiking and I'm ready for an early bed time. Gotta get up around 3am. I slept fitfully 'til about 2:30am. Of course I didn't need the alarm.
RACE DAY and REVIEW STARTS HERE

Finally, Race Day and the weather gods were with us. Clear skies and no wind! I had two alarms set for 3am. I didn't need either one of them. Paul and Audrey were going to pick me up and drive to downtown St. George. From there all the athletes were to be shuttled by bus to the swim start some 20 miles east. In a nutshell, the swim start and T1 were quite a ways outside of town while T2 and the finish line were right in the middle of town. The logistics seemed a bit complicated, but the Ironman organization made it run as smooth as silk. Long story short on the logistics: They had everything for us at the finish area, labeled, bagged, and ready for pick-up.

It was dark and cold outside, high 40's or low 50's. All three of us are a bundle of nerves and not much is said in the car. We get to downtown which is about 4 minutes away, park the car, and I forgot my wetsuit! Without complaining (at least outwardly) Paul takes me back to get it. Fortunately St. George is a small town and we were early. After we get back and park the car we meandered over toward the buses. It was orderly and fast getting on the buses. The volunteers were already up and chipper, guiding athletes, buses, and cars to and fro with utmost efficiency.

20 minutes later we arrived at Sand Hollow Reservoir, still dark of course since it's like 4:30 am. Amongst the chaos of darkness and athletes pouring in, the ever helpful volunteers kept things going. They were absolutely amazing. After checking my bike and stuff, I had to find a porta-potty. Here was the first glitch. Imagine 2,000 nervous athletes. All need to pee, from the pros to the oldest age-groupers. The lines were long and slow. There definitely were not enough outhouses. This seems to be a common theme at triathlons.

The sky began to light up around 6:30 and the pros soon got into the water. The lines were still long for the outhouses. The pros went off at 6:45 and the rest of us slowly wandered toward the water. The lines were still long for the outhouses! Finally, I made the executive decision to pee in my wetsuit. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Walking toward the water in a mass of wetsuit clad athletes, the National Anthem started. The crowd slowed to a stop. I listened and much to my surprise I began to cry. First of all, I'm a patriotic American. Second of all, it finally hit home that after nearly a year of seriously focused training, it all boiled down to this. After that we started wandering toward the water, it was an awesome sight! Black Sabbath started playing over the loud speakers: "I AM IRONMAN...Now the time is here, For Ironman to spread fear..." At that moment I thought truer words have never been spoken!

The water was about 59 degrees F as expected. I was still waist deep and about dead center of the mass when the canon went off. Let me tell you if you've never done an Ironman and you're nervous about the swim start, it's every bit of a washing machine as you can imagine. You will get kicked and grabbed. You will also do some kicking yourself. If you have any trepidation you will want to stay out of that mess. Also, it pretty much did not thin out. For the entire 2.4 miles I was always within 5 feet of someone, and 5 feet was breathing room.

Getting out of the water I felt solid. I had trained. But...I WAS COLD, shivering. Others were in the med tent being treated for hypothermia. Determined, I ran/shook my way to the changing tent. Shedding my (sleeveless) wetsuit, I worked slowly, wrapped myself in a towel, and changed. Finally after 12 minutes I made up my mind to move on. I had a 14 minute T1, Yikes. Once on the bike, my first thought was, "I have a long day ahead of me." I shivered for about 15-20 miles even with long sleeves on.

The Bike Course. It was clear and cool Saturday morning. Volunteers and spectators lined the course leaving Sand Hollow. Once on the road it was down to business. I stuck to my nutritional and energy expenditure plan and it worked like a charm. We rode the 20 or so miles back into St. George where we then started the first of two 45 mile loops. The road from Sand Hollow to St. George was hilly, mostly rollers with some climbs and steep, fast downhills. Once in the loop it's about 30 miles of steady climbing followed by several miles of rollers and finally 10-15 miles of steady downhill where we reached speeds of around 45-50 mph. I think that out of 112 miles there might have been a grand total of 6 flat miles.

Climbing on the bike course was challenging. I saw athletes on the side of the road either pushing their bikes uphill or just simply exhausted. One guy in particular looked like he was taking a nap, now that's tired. I had to do a double-take to make sure he wasn't in serious condition but it looked like his head was propped up on his helmet. I was thinking, "If you're tired now..."

It was a fast descent coming into T2, with spectators lining both sides of the street, many people deep. For me it was just amazing flying by people just 3 to 6 feet away at 35-40 mph. I can only imagine what it looked like.

The Marathon. Coming into T2 with the bike is very cool. This was my first Ironman and I love the organization. You get off the bike, a volunteer takes it, and another volunteer hands you your T2 bag with shoes and stuff in it. It's just as smooth as silk.



The run course was two out-and-backs of 13 miles. Leaving T2 there's about 200-300 yards of flat. Then it's a left turn onto a very slight rise. From there it only got steeper and steeper for then next several miles. Not kidding. All by itself this would've been the most challenging marathon for myself and all the other athletes I spoke with. But in conjunction with an Ironman, it was absolutely brutal. At the end of the first loop, the downhill was a godsend. But being so close to the finish line and knowing that I had to go out on that loop again was a mind game unto itself.

While I saw a few scattered instances of fatigued athletes on the bike course, the marathon ate athletes up for lunch. Ambulance rides, IV's, even a helicopter evac was nearly common. I haven't seen the final stats, but early indications showed 20-30% DNF. The marathon was just vicious.

Finally with the end in sight, I quit using the aid stations at about mile 22. St. George and the local community came out in droves. They supported this race like you cannot believe. From the numerous and fantastic volunteers that all seemed to have a cheerful face, to the spectators who lined the streets many rows deep, it was just phenomenal. I could hear the loudspeakers and the crowd during my last mile and I cannot explain the feeling. I started skipping and jumping and nearly fell with 20 yards to go! In the end I feel like my training and nutrition regimen was perfect. If anything, I probably would've trained running more on some BIG, long hills. I accomplished my dream. Couch potato to Ironman in 24 months.