Guest Blog Post: Matthew Sessions Race Report from Rev3 Cedar Point

I have a special treat for this post - a race report from my friend Matthew Sessions.  Matthew is now officially a fellow "Recreational Ironman" - he's got a good job, he's a great parent and husband, and manages to train for and compete in endurance events.  He had a long road to his first Ironman distance race, paved with injury and uncertainty, but as you'll read had a great experience.  Enjoy the report, and congratulations Matthew!
-Matt Rodgers
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Race Report - Matthew Sessions

Full Rev3 Cedar Point
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Cedar Point Amusement Park
Sandusky, Ohio on the southwest shore of Lake Erie between Detroit and Cleveland

Pre-Race

I flew Frontier Airlines as they are on the only domestic carrier to accept hard-shell bike boxes as a standard luggage (no b.s. $175 United Airlines fees).  For just a few $$$ extra at time of booking, you can upgrade to priority seating & boarding, in-flight DirectTV, and two checked bags R/T…a no-brainer.

SFO/DEN/CAK on Thursday and stayed with my Mom and step-Father for the weekend in Cleveland (Hilary and the kids stayed home with the school year just starting).  Bike box made it fine but getting it into the ‘full size’ rental car took a bit of origami.  Successfully assembled the bike Thursday night which is a bit stressful but fun.  Friday I worked remotely and hoped to get a light Lake Erie swim and 5m ride but a massive late afternoon thunderstorm ended those plans.  Did not want to swim in the Lake just after a rain or take my bike puddle-hopping.  My Mom joined me Saturday to drive the hour to Cedar Point for the mandatory bike drop / athlete check in / athlete meeting.  The process was quick and efficient.  Friday night’s storm brought clear skies & cooler temps but 30-40 knot winds on Saturday.  Summer humidity was gone but washed out were the new Olympic distance and KidsTri events.  The good news is we had another 18 hours for the High pressure system to blow through. 

Race Morning

Went to bed at 9pm; fell asleep about 1:30a; alarm woke me up at 3:45a.  After three days of huge meals and no exercise, my stomach felt like sh*t.  I could barely eat my planned pre-race meal of yogurt with granola & fruit; toasted bagel w/honey; a glass of OJ; and lots of water.  Showered, shaved, and then drove to C.P. at 4:40a with Eminem blaring in my iPod.  I decided to stop force-feeding myself and just relax and get focused.  Sipped some more water and my crap stomach eventually progressed to just pre-race butterflies.  My mood was a bit negative as I dropped off my Transition and Special Needs bags – thought that was a good sign. 

Swim – 2.4 miles

·         2.5x triangle shaped course on Lake Erie

      ·         73 degree water - didn’t need a wetsuit but everyone was wearing them
      ·         1:12 chip time
      ·         6^th of 48 in Age Group
      ·         43^rd of 359 overall

I walked in darkness down the beach at 0635 and was hoping the sun would rise soon.  Good news was Lake Erie was completely tranquil and the air temp was about 10 degrees cooler than the water. 

The 0705 mass start was about 50 yards offshore on a knee-deep sand bar.  To entertain those on shore, it was a running start…i.e. we ran in waist deep water / dolphin dove the first 50 yards of the swim.  Mark1 seemed WAY far out and the sun was just rising.  Fortunately a Coast Guard vessel had a flashing strobe at Mark1 which helped my spotting.  Mark1 was located at a 45-degree angle to the left – not straight out.  Utilizing my sailing skills and basic geometry, I walked about 75 yards to the left of all the starters pre-start.  I was the most left on the starting line by 10+ yards.  This was great as I sight/breath right and it was the shortest route.  I swam solo the first 75% of the leg, and best of all, my stomach was settling too as the blood started to pump for the first time in days.  The next five legs were just a matter of settling into a groove and thinking about the few hundred-thousand yards I’ve swum with North Bay Aquatics Masters.  I had some short-lived demons around Leg 4 of 6 thinking that 2.4m of continuous swimming is indeed pretty long.  Those thoughts went away when I could see a stream of fellow swimmers already a leg behind me.  I knew I was doing great and not ‘burning any of my pack of matches’.  Running up the beach at the swim exit was sweet with a few hundred cheering spectators. 

Bike – 112 miles

·         Course – First ~17 miles southeast away from Lake Erie to rural (and gorgeous) OH farm country; 2 x 39 mile loop; then return to C.P.

      ·         Roads were open to traffic but every single intersection with a Stop or traffic light was shut down for our right-of-way.  H/T to the local & state police!
      ·         6:18 chip-time (17.7mph).  Strava riding time of 6:11.  http://app.strava.com/rides/21520431
      ·         Fell from 6^th to 20^th in Age Group; 43 to 140 overall

I took my time in T1 (8:24) and lost 23 overall spots from entrance to exit.  Sprinting T1 was not in the plan.  I changed from full swim clothes to full bike clothes…even took the time to de-sand my feet, apply sunblock, drink some water, etc.  I wasn’t going to win the race in T1 but rushing could cost me dearly.  I was definitely heading into the unknown for the rest of the race (this was my first century ride in 3+ years). The first five miles were focused on lowering my HR from the high-150’s.  This was the first time in the race when I started talking to myself – not in my head – but aloud.  I find it much more effective when the ears hear it.  My first words on the bike were, ‘Slow-the-fuck-down-and-relax!’ 

Miles 0-45’ish were consistent…I got dropped by fancy TT bikes.  No worries I kept reminding myself…the race does not start until M80 of the bike, ‘Stick to the plan’.  And it was good to know each of them suck at swimming.

I braked at the 22M Aid station as I did not want to ride further with a full bladder.  Everything came out clear (TMI but relevant).  When I came back to the bike 90 seconds later, my new 3-hour bottle of Perpetuem had been topped off as well as bottle #2 with plain water…these volunteers rocked.  Around the corner, the locals were going crazy as we raced through their town square (remember the vuvuzelas at the last World Cup?).  I left Milan, Ohio with an ear-to-ear grin.

Racing an IM bike leg for the first time was interesting.  I noticed how quiet the race is…most athletes were not too chatty.  A few words here-and-there but it was usually me initiating.  After hearing horror stories of 2,000+ drafting cyclists at WTC events, it was great to not see a single cheater all day.  Everyone was respectful and stuck to the rules.  Despite the relatively small field, a minute did not seem to go by all day when I was not being passed or passing.  One female athlete and I passed each other about 20X - it became humorous by the end.  On the flat rural roads of Ohio, it was great to shift gears often (of speed & HR)…a few minutes to wind up the HR to mid-130’s followed by a few minutes to pace back down.  

My 3^rd of 4 stops was at the 71M Aid station.  I pulled up to a volunteer to help me to make my 2^nd and final 3-hour bottle of Perpetuem.  In about 2 minutes, I learned that Roxy had just lost 120lbs with more to go and training for a 5K run.  I told her what she is doing in life is a 10X greater accomplishment than anything I was doing.  We High-5’d and I told her that I was going to keep giving my best today on her behalf.  Keep focused Roxy…

My nutrition plan was working well – fantastic actually.  Perfect weather conditions of a mild tailwind for the first 40 miles, 70 degree air temp, no humidity, high clouds, and miles of cornfields kept me in a good mood.  I had a small pouch of Advil, salt tablets, Gas-X, and Tumms that I consumed on a consistent manner…no panicking of being behind the nutrition curve.  Around 75M, I did exactly what no-one should do on an IM race day - I experimented with new nutrition.  The Perpetuem was getting boring and my stomach was only about 75% so I decide to start switching over to EFS Liquid Shot.  It was going to be my run nutrition and I figured now was the time to see how the vanilla flavored gel would absorb.  Within miles, my stomach bounced back from 75% to 95%.   About M95 I dumped the last of my Perpetuem and switched over to just EFS + Water at the prescribed dosages. 

Another interesting thing happened starting around 80M - The Race Started.  I had become the passer and not the passee.  Around me hips were starting to rock and shoulders drop.  $7,500 TT bikes were going backwards.  Some who blew by me at M15 were now in my sights.  The best part is that I was not doing anything different…’keep it up’.

Overall, my feared demons never really came out on the bike leg.  The wheels rolled (SRAM S80 - thank you Dr. Mark!) and miles clicked along better than planned.  The headwinds back to T2 for the last 15 miles died too.  In the last five miles, I passed at least ten riders.  At M109.5, I kicked it up to 21mph – to get off my bike sooner as century rides are really long.  At 1450 (10 minutes ahead of schedule) I pulled around the last corner going into T2 and stated, ‘I feel amazing…bring it’.

 

Run – 26.2M marathon

·         Double 13.1M loop into Sandusky

      ·         Aid stations every mile with water, ice, bars, Gatorade, pretzels, etc. and great volunteers
      ·         4:47 chip time
      ·         Strava run time of 4:41  http://app.strava.com/runs/21520421
      ·         Total non-run time was therefore ~6 minutes for two toilet breaks & two band-aid stops

My T1 plan was the same for T2 - full change from bike gear to running gear which took 7:30.  Yes – I just lost nine more people here.   

I started the run course in a great mood.  I had run most of the course about six weeks prior so I knew it was going to be pancake-flat.  The run course into Sandusky is a mix of abandoned factories, a nice waterfront on Sandusky Bay, sailboats in new marinas, and a rust-belt town of locals who were gracious, welcoming, and a bit confused why any human would want 140.6 miles of continuous exercise. 

The first 10m or so could not have gone better.  As planned, I ran to each aid station and then walked 25-50 yards to take in the EFS shot + water; topped off by a few ice chips.  Where the bike course was quiet and focused, the overlapping runners in the Half & Full distance courses were mostly upbeat…the end is in sight and it’s time to celebrate making it this far. 

At M12, the usual toe blisters came on very fast. I thought I had some Band-Aids in my belt but no luck.  Fortunately I put one blister Band-Aid in my Special Needs Run bag along with a new 5oz EFS flask which I grabbed just a mile later.  Hit the mid-run mark at about 2:05-2:10 – sweet. 

By M17, I had moved up from 149^th overall to 113.  Knee was starting to hurt but I was already 2/3’s of the way done with the run.  Bad news is I still had a 1/3 of a Marathon to go and the pain factor on my left knee jumped quickly.  Coincidentally (not!) this distance was about 10% longer than I have ever run in my life.  I thought of the term ‘Hurt Locker’ and realized I had just become the poster-child.  My great race was crumbling along with dreams of a 12:00 Finish.  The splits recorded by Strava confirmed it…10:53 (M16), 12:06 (M17), 12:20 (M19), 13:56 (M20 & 21 each).  Eating some food for the first time of the day – pretzels – seemed to help. 

I am going to finish – but this really hurts.  Athletes I passed in the first 15 miles were trotting away.  Speed walking was an instant solution for the pain.  (I found out post-race that I was suffering from a very tight IT band on my left knee for the first time in my life). 

I was literally shrieking aloud in pain but had to continue.  Run ten race cones; walk three.  Run two telephone poles, walk a minute.  I had to play games with my left knee as I was not going to let a great day die at M135.  The pace improved for the last few miles but the pain did not – 13:50…12:50…11:50 splits.  I can see the finish line, ‘keep going’. 

The last full mile at 10:30 pace was just a game with some athletes near me…I wanted the finish chute for myself to savor the moment.  A marathon is 26.2M but it ended for me around M26.0.  The last few hundred yards were a pain-free dance ten feet off the ground.  Spectators cheered, music blared, and here was the finish line.  Tears were choked back as I-DID-IT!!! 

The Finish – 12:35 race time

·         20^th of 48 in Male 40-44 age group

      ·         131 of 359 overall
      ·         http://rev3tri.com/cedar-point/2012-results/

I sat down immediately after finishing and was given an ice wrap for my left knee.  My pre-race photo was plastered on the jumbo-tron and it was awesome to have my Mom and step-Father Dave right there.  Bad news is Mom ‘forgot her camera in the car…’ WTF? Don’t make me do this again so it can be properly documented…

The Race Staff offered to help me in any way but I felt great.  It was as much fun to watch others finish behind me as my own finish…we did it together and everyone was in a great mood.  I had an ear-to-ear grin.  WOW!

I took my time to hobble over to Transition and find my cell phone.  Just as I reached into my backpack, the phone was ringing and it was Hilary and the kids.  We were thrilled to connect.  Hilary reminded me of the Nice, France McDonald’s adjacent to the Finish of Ironman France packed with athletes…she said I deserve that too.  Volunteers helped me carry my gear the few hundred yards to my car (in a very short lived downpour) and then it was straight to McD’s for the first time in 5+ years.  A Big Mac, cheeseburger, and large fries never tasted so good.  It got even better to wash it down with a 24oz can of Corona from the next gas station.  I’m not sure if open containers are legal in Ohio but talking away on the phone is while driving.  The next hour was celebration calls to family & friends – and still smiling.

Pro’s & Con’s

·         Great location, weather, and overall event organization by Rev3.  Volunteers were fantastic

      ·         Reasonable entry fee, easy travel logistics, affordable housing options if required
      ·         Safe swim start with less than 400 athletes on the line
      ·         Super flat bike & run course
      ·         As much as they tried to rally the spectators, blast great music and emcee, the Finish Line was low-key…IM events have them on this element.  If the Finish line was 200 yards earlier, it may attract some of the thousands of Cedar Point visitors who may hang out and get sucked into the celebration. Instead, the finish area was tucked around the corner a few yards out-of-sight…apparently too far for your average park goer to investigate
      ·         Post-race food provided by C.P. sucked…was widely agreed to be inedible
      ·         Best wheel-based bike racking in Transition – every athlete gets a reserved spot with name.  Transition volunteers took bike security very serious
      ·         Easy check-in, nice sponsor village w/merchandise store.  Cool jumbotron with my photo, name, and hometown for all to see at Finish. 
      ·         I would HIGHLY recommend Rev3 to anyone looking to do a Half or Full Ironman distance race.  We need to support non-WTC events to make the sport better.  Rev3 C.P. is great for veterans to chase a PR but manageable for under-trained athletes like myself.

Just like you don’t decide one Tuesday to become a vegan monk, I never set a goal to become an Ironman.  These decisions and fate just evolved over a long period.  I am not that great of an athlete.  I’m mediocre at three sports and stubborn.  My failed attempt at Ironman France 2011 ended up with significant physical pain and emotional scars.  I think I succeeded just a year later by being more mentally open, less rigid on training, taking the time to learn race-day nutrition, and a lot of luck staying injury free.  I believe anyone can do this with the proper commitment. 

I could thank about fifty of you but the ones that matter most are Hilary, Alexandra, and Nicholas.  To achieve these goals, a lot of selfish decisions have to be made.  I love them more than anything in life and owe my family a lot of makeup parenting.  I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to this fitness level again but I’ve got a lifetime of memories to savor. 

Thank you for motivating me to the Finish. 

Matthew Sessions
Mill Valley, CA
mcsessions@gmail.com

Race Report - Ironman Cozumel - Nov. 27, 2011

Race Report
Ironman Cozumel
Nov. 27, 2011

Pre-race:

Paige, Cassidy, Kendra and I arrived in Cozumel on the evening of Tuesday Nov. 22 after a full day of travel (3 car rides, 2 flights, and a ferry ride). One of my first observations was just how humid it was and how much I was immediately sweating.  That made me glad that I’d have 5 days to acclimatize and reminded me to stick to my plan of hydrating during the days prior to the race.  My friend Jason Hann, who was also racing, and his family had arrived earlier that day and we hooked up with them the next morning.  We were at an all-inclusive, kid-friendly resort about 15 minutes south of downtown Cozumel, and the next few days were a good mix of family vacation and race preparation.  We went into town most of the days to do something race-related (register, pick up bikes, pre-race meeting, etc.), but also had some good pool and beach time at our resort.  Jason and I got in one last easy ride, run, and swim and rested up.  I felt pretty well prepared, although I was a bit worried that I hadn’t done enough long rides (by far the most time-consuming part of IM training) and that I may have tapered just a tad too much, as I got pretty busy with work and life the last couple weeks before the race.  I kept telling myself, though, that “the hay is in the barn” and that I was ready.   Having already done one other Ironman helped my mental state tremendously, and for the most part I was relaxed and calm.  I did find myself a bit nervous and detached the afternoon and evening before the race as my head spun about last-minute preparations (bag packing, fuel preparation, logistics, etc.) and I tried to visualize each component of the race.  I got to bed at a decent hour Saturday night with my alarm set for 4:30 (and a back-up set for  4:35).

Race day:

As I anticipated, neither of the alarms were necessary and I was up on my own about 4:20 having had a pretty good night sleep.  I did final fuel prep – mixing two 3-hour bottles of Perpetuem for the ride and four fuel-belt bottles of my Perpetuem/HammerGel/water “paste” for the run, and distributing 42 Endurolyte tablets and 24 Advil throughout my various race gear and attire.  Breakfast was a 1.5-hour bottle of Perpetuem, a Clif bar, 3 Endurolytes, all my vitamins, and a caffeinated energy drink.  I drank two bottles of water throughout the morning and felt sufficiently fueled and hydrated.  I was also able to take care of that ever-so-important morning-of-a-big-race task in the bathroom before leaving the hotel.

I met Jason in the lobby and we boarded the shuttle to the swim start.  I could feel that nervous/excited energy pulsing through the mix of casual conversation and silent meditation on the bus.  I did some of both, and listened to a bit of music on my trusted training companion iPod shuffle, which has 4 days of awesome music yet somehow seems like it’s always repeating.  I guess that means I did enough run training!

We got to the start and did final prep – pump up tires, load bottles, get numbered, apply sunscreen, etc.  We saw our friends Tracey and Kristina and walked out to the dock to get ready to enter the water.  Waiting along the edge of the fence separating the spectators from the race was Paige, Cassidy, Kendra and Jason’s family.  Seeing my family there to cheer me on got me all choked up and further buoyed my spirits. They are amazingly supportive of my training and racing, for which I am eternally grateful, and seeing them throughout the race is like a shot of emotional and physical adrenaline every time.  I love them so much and seeing them right before the race was the perfect sendoff.

Despite the promise of a pre-race dolphin show, the officials were herding everyone into the water even though it was still 15 minutes before the official start time.  I waited as long as I could, then jumped off the dock into the water and maneuvered pretty close to the front. The field was starting to push forward past the starting line, so a minute or so after they announced 4 minutes until the start, the horn sounded and we were off!  Fortunately I was ready and started stroking.  The spectators got to see the dolphin show after we started, but those of us in the water were now focused on the next 140.6 miles.

The Swim:

The swim for Ironman Cozumel is spectacular.  The water is warm (no wetsuits allowed, which as a swimmer I like) and crystal clear.  Along the entire route you can see the scuba divers they have positioned for safety and fish swimming through the 30 feet of water between you and the mostly sandy bottom.  The first couple hundred yards or so were relatively smooth in terms of traffic, but things got completely bunched up at each of the first few buoys and swimming became a full-contact sport, with hands, feet, knees, and elbows flying and colliding.  I remained calm and steady throughout the melee, and after a half mile or so I got into some open water and a nice rhythm (despite the guy drafting off me and touching my feet every other stroke for 40 minutes.  I don’t mind people drafting off me in the swim, but if you’re going to hitch a ride at least have the courtesy not to continually touch your draftee’s feet!).  I had a smooth, comfortable swim, rarely exerting myself, and cruised to a 58:24 swim split.  That was about 5 minutes faster than my last Ironman and I felt awesome.  I got out of the water, ran past my cheering family, and spent 5:46 in T1 gearing up for the long ride ahead.

The Bike:

The dominant descriptor for the bike route in this race is FLAT.  In 112 miles there was no rise steeper than my driveway or longer than a city block.  What can affect the race fairly significantly, though, is the wind.  The course is 3 loops around the bottom, then through the middle of the island, and the south and eastern sides of the island are pretty exposed.  On race day the wind was primarily east to west, which meant a headwind for the shorter (5-7 mile) section along the southern stretch then a cross-wind up the longer (15 mile) eastern side.  This was good news to me, as a cross wind slows you down a bit but isn’t nearly as bad as a headwind for the longest section of exposed course.

I felt great on the bike and settled into a nice rhythm (easy to do on a flat course).  I was averaging about 20 mph down the western side of the island, then only slowed down to 17 or so for the windy section.  Crossing the center of the island brought a big tailwind, which got me back up into the 20’s.  The first lap flew by and I did a good job of maintaining my fuel, water, and electrolyte intake plan: a couple sips of Perpetuem every 20 minutes (pacing to finish each bottle in 3 hours), drinking and dousing myself with a new water bottle between aid stations, and 3 electrolyte tablets/hour. 

I was feeling really good on the bike as I passed our family cheering section, complete with cowbells and hand-made signs, after the first lap.  A tiny voice in my head told me I might be pushing a bit too hard, but the one that said “you feel awesome – keep it up” drowned it out.  Just prior to the turn into the headwind on the second lap, a large group of 15-20 riders came up on me.  They weren’t going much faster than I was and I latched on to ride in the pack for a while.  I know that drafting is not allowed in Ironmans, and if I were a professional or competitive in my age group I would be very opposed to the practice, but where I am in the pack I think you take what the race gives you, and this race gave me a group of riders going about my pace on the same part of the course I was on.  The group would splinter a bit at the aid stations then regroup into smaller packs afterward, and that lasted for about 20 miles.  The pace was a little faster than I was shooting for, so even though I wasn’t using as much energy by riding in the pack I eventually backed off and settled into my own rhythm.  Another great tailwind pushed me across the middle of the island, then I started back down the west side for the 3^rd and final lap.  One of the only logistical bummers of the day for me and the family happened when I rode past their designated viewing point a couple minutes before they arrived back there; I had given them a time range of when I would pass and was 5-10 minutes ahead of my best-case scenario!   Fortunately I saw the wife of an Aussie racer that we had befriended during the week and I told her to tell my family they just missed me.  My (and their) disappointment in not seeing each other was offset by the excitement around my accelerated pace.

The third lap continued to feel good, although the “you’re going too fast” voice was a little more persistent.  More than once I thought about the “matchbook” analogy for triathlons – you start each race with a finite number of matches, which correspond to bursts of sped or energy, and once you burn one it’s gone, and when you burn the last one in the book there are no more.   I definitely burned my share on the ride, but I kept telling myself there were still more in the book.  I also made one fueling mistake on the 3^rd lap and fell off my nutrition plan just a bit because I was feeling so good.  I didn’t quite finish my second bottle of Perpetuem and probably didn’t take in as much water as I should have as a brief rain shower cooled us down.  Nevertheless, I cruised into T2 having cranked out a 5:47 bike leg – beyond my wildest dreams.  I took my time in T2 reapplying BodyGlide and sunscreen and getting my shoes, visor, and FuelBelt on.  As I started the run right at the 7 hour mark, with visions of a sub-12 hour race in my head, I remember this thought going through my mind: “I have felt better every minute of this race than I ever felt during my first Ironman!”

The Run:

After 1 mile on the run, this thought went through my mind: “There wasn’t a minute of my first Ironman during which I felt as bad as I feel right now!”

I saw my family as I began the run and it had its usual, awesome, inspiring, effect on me.  I felt the standard post-ride rubbery wooziness in my legs, but I trudged through a 9-minute first mile.  “That’s great,” I thought, “I’ve got a couple minutes/mile to slow down to and still have a great race.”

And then, the proverbial piano fell out of the sky and landed on me. 

Ugh!  Already?  I figured I would hit that point eventually, but this early?  I was seriously bummed.  I was dizzy, light-headed, and having trouble focusing my vision.  The thought of trying to suck down my fuel paste disgusted me and I honestly thought I might not finish, much less break 12 hours or my 13:32 from Coeur d’Alene.  “I’m never doing another Ironman again”, I thought.

At that point I needed a few things – some mental toughness, a plan, and something that tasted good to consume.  For inspiration, I remembered many of the anecdotes I had just read in Iron Will (about the beginning of triathlon as a sport and the Ironman in particular) and in Iron War (the book about Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and their incredible battle in the 1989 Ironman).  It’s said that at that point in an Ironman it’s basically mental (although physically I was completely fatigued and out of fuel), so I tried to rally myself.

As far as a plan, I began executing what I call my “Ironman Shuffle”.  I walk 100 paces, then run 200 paces.  Then repeat.  Then repeat again.  Then repeat again.  When I hit an aid station, I walk thru the aid station then start the cycle again.  Then do it again.  You get the picture.  I like this routine for a couple reasons: 1) I don’t have to think about it; It’s just a repetitive pattern.  I’m not negotiating with myself to run to the next light pole or start running when I pass the next tree.  And 2), I can knock out “reasonable” paced (+/- 13-minute) miles doing it.  I feel like I can recover in 100 paces and keep up a good pace for 200 before the fatigue sets in, and that that’s faster than jogging slowly or walking.  So while it was a good 10 or 15 miles before I anticipated having to start the “shuffle”, I started it and said to myself “If I have to do this for 25 miles I will”.

I began sampling everything in the aid stations.  Normal Gatorade began tasting good, as did the occasional sip of Pepsi.  Probably not the calories that my body needed at that point, but I was in survival mode and I could stomach those things.  So that’s what it would be.  Gradually I started to feel better, and my mood and outlook improved dramatically over the next several miles.

The next few hours are kind of a blur, as we did the 8.7 mile out and back 3 times, but I remember several things:
-It rained.  Hard.  For like 45 minutes.  It also rained during the run on my first Ironman, and I remember thinking “so I guess it rains on the run when I do Ironmans”.  Shoes and clothes got sopped.  Every step was squishy.   I could feel the blisters forming.  Oh, and one of the streets flooded, so 6 times we had to walk through 8-10 inches of water for 25 yards.  Ugh.

-The crowd.  Cozumel goes crazy for the race and the entire island comes out to support it.  The mayor gives everyone the day off the next day so it’s like a holiday to them.  Despite the rain they were out in force clapping, cheering, and drumming the length of the run course.  It helps a ton.

-Seeing my family.  Paige and the girls were stationed right before the turnaround (miles 9 and 18) and seeing them twice in a 2-minute span each time I passed buoyed me incredibly.  Every time I saw them I got a huge rush of emotion and energy.  Those turnarounds were two of the few times I broke my “Ironman Shuffle” pattern as I ran confidently past them blowing kisses and high-fiving.

I’m always doing math in my head while training, and this race was no different.  I think it started during all my long swimming workouts as a kid, when you’re alone with your thoughts and the pace clock.  I’m constantly calculating elapsed, split, and projected times.  At some point I felt pretty good about breaking my Coeur d’Alene time.  And then about breaking 13 hours (my stated goal for this race).  And then I set my sights on 12:45.

I didn’t have any miraculous recovery or sprint finish, but I trudged through the entire run and picked it up just a bit for the last half mile or so.  I saw Paige and the girls in the bleachers along the finish chute and I waved and pumped my fist in the air as I approached what one triathlon writer called “the gates of heaven” – the finish line of an Ironman.  My final time was 12:42:15, a full 40 minutes faster than my previous Ironman.  I was overcome with the enormity of the moment and ecstatic about my results.  I saw my family shortly thereafter and hugged and thanked them for their love and support.  They rock.

And at some point in the last 5 hours of the race, and in the days since, another thought began creeping into my head: “I think I could break 12 hours for one of these…”

And so begins the "official" training...

Today was "officially" day 1 of an 8-month program to prep for Ironman Cozumel. 

I use the "parenthesis" for a couple reasons:

1) I've essentially been training non-stop for about 3 years now.  I did IM Coeur d'Alene in 2009, then spent most of 2010 working on my running, culminating in the California International Marathon in December.  I took it a bit easy the last couple months, but I'm not exactly starting from scratch.

2) I have an 8-month program that I'll follow, but certainly this far out I'll follow it somewhat loosely.

Which brings me to the topic of today's post: Training Plans and Coaching

As I began thinking about this Ironman, I was faced with a dliemma about coaching.  When I did CDA I hired a coach (Dusty Roady) from Whole Athlete in San Anselmo, CA, and it was an amazing experience.  I had done a lot of training in the past, but had never prepped for a 12+ hour race.  Dusty and I worked out a program that worked with my schedule.  She gave me 6 - 10 workouts a week, covering all 3 disciplines as well as strength work and cross training.  We exchanged emails frequently and met when I felt like we needed to chat.  I have a ton of respect for certified coaches, especially those that are accomplished racers as well.  Just having someone to come up with all those workouts and schedule them out was invaluable!

It was also pretty expensive.  So when I began prepping for this Ironman, I wasn't sure I wanted to pay for coaching again (and neither was my wife).  Plus I'm still trying to convince her that I "need" a new tri bike!  I still had all my workouts from my previous training.  I had a decent feeling for what I needed to do more and less of this time around.  I began investigating my options. 

I ended up downloading an Ironman training program from Triathlon Dominator, which focuses on training efficiently in a reasonable number of hours per week.  (Definitely attractive to "The Recreational Ironman"!)

I imported the plan into Training Peaks.  I haven't completely analyzed it yet, but it looks pretty good.  I'll edit as I see fit (which is a whole other topic for a separate post!).  I'll let you know how it's going as I get deeper into the plan.

But now I need to go to sleep.

Time to start updating this blog!

I recently signed up to do Ironman Cozumel 2011, which will take place over Thanksgiving weekend, so I think it's now time that I actually do something with this blog.  I plan on updating it with a few items between now and then.  There will be some boring training and race results, but the focus is going to be as stated in the intro to the blog - to tell you how I am able to train for an Ironman despite everything else going on in my life.

So here is my first of many pointers:

Get buy in from your family, including, if necessary, choosing a "destination" Ironman. 

My wife Paige was incredibly supportive of my first Ironman (Coeur d'Alene 2009).  It was a big life goal for me and coincided with my 40th birthday, so she was completely on board with the long hours of training and intermediate races.  She was amazing.  She also thought it would be a one-time thing.  Maybe because I told her it would be.

Then, as some Ironman triathletes had warned me, I got to thinking "maybe I should do another one!".  Doing one was incredible - one of the top 4 or 5 achievements of my life, and simply crossing the finish line was awesome.  I still get goosebumps when I recall hearing "Matt Rodgers of Corte Madera, CA... You are an Ironman!"

That said, I had no idea what to expect that day, never having done anything close to that long of a race. Afterward, the competitor in me began thinking "I could go an hour faster, especially now that I know what it's like".  Instead of stopping after just one, I want to progress up the learning curve. 

So I spent most of 2010 focused on my running, and exploring timing and locations for another Ironman.  My wife was tentatively supportive, but made one thing clear:

"If you're going to do another Ironman, it better be in a sweet location, because this one is about me and a family vacation!"

Coeur d'Alene is a nice place to visit, and had the weather been better it would have been a delightful vacation, but for my second act I needed to up the ante.  So one day I said:
"How 'bout we spend Thankgiving week in Cozumel, Mexico next year, and I'll do an Ironman that Sunday?" 

Done.

So the moral of the story is, you'll probably get a free pass on the location of your first Ironman.   But if you're going to make it a periodic thing, start thinking about your family and their enjoyment.  My buddy Jason Hann will be doing Cozumel as his first, and his wife and daughters will be playing in the sand as we taper the last few days.  I invited my friend Matthew Sessions to join us in Cozumel, but his wife said "I prefer France - you can do Ironman France", and voila, he'll have a great family vacation this summer in the south of France.  The Recreational Ironman needs the support of his team, so he must see to the needs of that team.

Until next time...
-Matt

Ironman Cozumel Here I Come!

I did it!  I committed to doing Ironman Cozumel on November 27, 2011.  I logged on the day after the 2010 race and was able to get through on the Active.com site within about 15 minutes and signed up.  I paid my exorbitant entry fee, and now it's real.  Stay tuned... more to come.

Santa Cruz Triathlon (Olympic) - Sept. 26, 2010

I had a great race in Santa Cruz today.  Here are the details:

 

The start was delayed 40 minutes so the fog could lift.  It was a typically cold but relatively calm (for the ocean) swim, the bike had a slight headwind on the way out & tailwind on the way back, and the run was under clear skies and a rapidly warming sun, although we finished before it got too hot (high of 95 today).

 

My race:

 

Total time: 2:24:11

 

14th out of 70 Men's 40-44

 

72nd male, 82nd overall out of 702 finishers

 

Splits:

 

Swim: 21:02 (1st Men's 40-44, 13th overall)

Bike: 1:08:25 (21.7 mph, 16th Men's 40-44, 102nd overall)

Run: 49:08 (8:03/mile, 29th Men's 40-44, 227th overall)

 

This was my 6th time doing this race, and I've never been under 2:36, so I'm thrilled with the results.  One more Olympic this season (Marin on Oct. 31), then the Cal Int'l Marathon in Sacramento in December.  Than I'm strongly (strangely?) considering another Ironman for next fall!

 

All for now!

-Matt