So here I am writing a race report for a race that really is indescribable. Ironman Hawaii

Brief Summary: 13:22

Awesome adventure and I thank God for the opportunity.

Swim 1:17 (conservative and enjoyed the draft);

Bike 7:09 (2 flat tires and a 1.5 mile hike uphill carrying my bike to an aid station all in the first 5 miles of the bike- otherwise, aside from brutal cross winds, uneventful);

Run 4:35 (slow and steady and smiling at the finish).

My Novel Length Race Report (only for the Iron willed among you!)

How I Got There:

Those that know me, know I am not likely, at any level, to ever qualify for Kona, so I got in via the lottery system. A system created as a requirement of Ironman founder Commander John Collins, who when he sold it to WTC. required they have 200 slots for everyday folks to experience the world’s biggest triathlon stage.

So for the past 7 years, I have dutifully paid my entry fee and not been selected.  So, on April 15^th, 2010 I got an e-mail saying I was in.  I could not believe it.  Of course, my excitement immediately turned into reality of “holy cow, now what do I do?!”

The Training:

I made one promise to myself at the beginning of this- out of respect for this race and myself, I would give this my all and give whatever I had to Kona.

So I started by getting a coach.  I train and compete with Tri4Him (www.tri4him.com), a Christian triathlon team founded here in the DFW area by a great guy, Jeff Booher.  Jeff was one of my first calls and I hired him as my coach because he promised three things: 1. that my life priorities of God, family, work and then triathlon would remain in place, 2. that he could work with and around a chaotic work and travel schedule, and 3. that together we get me to the finish line in Kona.

With my Coach in place, the rest was up to me.  Jeff had me training 7 days a week, with certain days counting as active recovery.  I was good with this schedule and actually really enjoyed it.  I got an e-mail every morning telling me what my workout was for the day and all I had to do was execute it.  We circled up periodically to review my workout results (everything was timed and uploaded to Training Peaks for his review).  Throughout the ~6months of training, I did not miss any workouts and was really never overly fatigued and certainly never injured. 

Generally my schedule was Monday- swim(higher intensity), Tuesday Bike(thresholds)/brick run, Wednesday-long run(up to 20 miles), Thursday- easy bike, Friday long swim, Saturday-long bike/brick run (did 6+110 mile rides), Sunday run (track workout)

Run and swim training was solid and fairly unremarkable as I was fairly comfortable with both.  These pieces were almost invisible in the training regime as they took comparatively little time to get done.

The bike on the other hand was a total different animal. For those who do not know, I literally did not get on top of a bike until I was almost 30 years old.  In fact, I got on the bike because I wanted to do Ironman Hawaii (a secret few know).  I enjoy the bike, but man does bike training take FOREVER.  I cannot tell you how many 100+ rides I did, but it was a lot and it seemed like many of them would never end…especially in 110+ degree heat.

I would never had put in all the bike miles I did without my fellow Tri4Him teammate Brad Aspgren, who despite having hernia surgery shortly before I started training, would come out and suffer with me for long portions of my ride (up to 70-80 miles) every Saturday.  I would not have made it to Kona without him.  Thanks Brad!

In total since the end of April, I swam 87 miles, biked 2100 miles, and ran 556 miles.  It was a lot but it somehow never felt too overwhelming.

The Race:

Wednesday October 6^th

We left for Kona. Traveling with my parents, a grandmother, my wife, my bike and my 2.5 year old was far more stressful than expected.  Thankfully, all went off without a hitch and we arrived in Kona…just slightly jet lagged.  

Thursday October 7^th

Can someone say time change? I was up at 4am Hawaii time. Actually not a bad thing since I was able to check in with work, get my bike ready, and get ready for the day.

At 7am I was to meet my T4H teammate, Cindy Reeves. Cindy was a lottery winner too, but more importantly, she was a constant source of encouragement and excitement.  I promise that you have never met someone kinder and more enthusiastic than Cindy. She rocks!

I met Cindy and her husband Ronnie at the infamous Dig Me Beach Pier for a practice swim.  This place is called Dig Me Beach because everyone there seems to have 0% bodyfat and is not shy about showing it off!  Since I do not fit that mold, we said a quick pre swim prayer and we were off.  I swam ~1500m and swam out to the coffees of Hawaii boat. Those that know me know I do not drink coffee, but when in Rome…. So I swam up to the boat and had some coffee…not bad.  It definitely was better than the salt water.

The swim here is spectacular.  There were literally times I forgot to breathe because I was looking at fish, coral or scuba divers swimming below me. The water is absolutely crystal clear.

Post swim, I headed to the infamous Underpants Run.  Yes, I participated.  This event was started to poke fun at triathletes that wore minimal attire (banana hammocks) around town in training and when not.  It now raises funds for Special Olympics and is just a great time to blow off steam and poke fun at ourselves. If you ever go to IM Hawaii, do not miss it. It is a great tension release.

Breakfast was at Lava Java.  If you are ever in Kona please do not miss this place. The view and the people watching here is spectacular.

Then off to athlete check in and I was officially given the gold Kona bracelet signifying me as a competitor. I felt cool.

Afternoon was spent at the Slowtwitch.com party, Iron Prayer, buying a speeds suit (Thanks Dean at Blue Seventy) and the Welcome dinner with 3000 of my newest friends.

Friday October 8^th

Practice swim in my new speed suit (PZ3TX)- felt awesome. It definitely streamlines the body and made me slipperier(real word, I promise) in the water.

Breakfast with my wife and Father-in-law at Lava Java. I told you I love this place.

Drove the bike course. My very patient and loving wife drove the bike course with me without a/c so I could get acclimated to the heat and humidity.  I was very glad we drove the course. The hills were not near as bad as described. Lots of rollers, but nothing outrageous.  I got out and rode about 10 miles on the way back. Felt great.

Went to bike check-in.  This was comical. There are industry reps lined up as you walk in. All checking out you and your bike to see what brand you have, etc.  Needless to say, nobody was impressed by my Leopard road bike…it did make me laugh though.

One thing you are struck by is the fact that everywhere you go, you are treated like royalty. At bike check-in you are given a personal escort who helps you get racked, get your gear put where it needs to be and generally escorts you anywhere you need to go.

Back to the house to relax.

Saturday October 9^th Race Day

I slept well the night before (~7 hours).  Up at 4am and ready to go. Ate my ritual peanut butter and honey bagel and single serving of oatmeal plus a diet coke (those that know me know DC goes with everything)

Packed the car and headed to the Pier at 5am

The energy at the Pier on race day is fever pitched.  The best I can come up with is a teakettle about to explode. 

I made it to the Tri4Him pre-race prayer (great job Cindy) and then it was back to the Pier to get the show underway.  I really had to focus on relaxing before the race. My nerves were on edge, so I just sat down and relaxed as best I could. 10 minutes before the start, I headed to the water.

The Swim- 1:17

By far the coolest part of the Ironman was the moment or two before the cannon goes off.  2000 people treading water in the Pacific Ocean, all equal at this point and all waiting the opportunity to take on the day.  The peace and chaos at the same time is amazing to experience.  I chose to go straight to middle of it all.  I figured I was here to experience Kona, so why not get the full washing machine experience. 

The swim was amazing.  Crystal clear water, rolling swells, mild chop.  I was able to track from feet to feet and keep a very relaxed pace.  One thing was clear, the caliber of folks here was very high.  I rarely needed to sight and could simply trust the feet in front of me.  There were only a few fists and kicks to the head and a few people that tried to swim across me, but otherwise the swim was uneventful. 

For the record, I swam in a Blue Seventy  PZ3TXspeed suit .  I was torn as whether to get one of these speed suits or swim in normal jammers.  This thing was great, it kept my body streamlined and the swim was relatively easy. 

Several people gave me the advice that you have a box of matches when you start the an Ironman race, be careful how you use them. I purposely swam conservatively here and was thrilled with the 1:17 time.

The Bike: 7:09

Let’s get it out of the way, 2 flats in the first 5 miles was not how I planned for my bike to go.  After exiting the water, and running the bag gauntlet, I changed into my bike gear, slathered on sunscreen, and headed out.

When I got to my bike I realized my back tire seemed low. Hmm, not how I planned this.  I hurriedly ran through the transition area trying to find a bike tech with a pump.  I found him at the very end of T1.  He asked me “do you want me to change it or pump it and see if I holds?”  First bad move, I answered, “let’s pump it first.”  Sure enough, he pumps it and we watch it and it seems to be holding air, so off I go.

Heading out of transition, I felt great, ready to attack this course.  Up a couple of hills and things seemed difficult.  1.5 miles in and I realize I have a flat back tire.  Off the bike, wheel off, tire off, old tube out, new tube in, CO2 screwed in and… miss fire (cold compressed air shooting everywhere but in my tire).  One more CO2 cartridge loaded and ready to go.  Full launch on this one, the problem is that it popped my tube!  SHOOT (this was 100% my fault-user error).  I am now out of CO2 and tubes.  I had one option; head to the next aid station for help.  The problem was I was at the bottom of a large climb to the turnaround where the aid station sat.  So wheel in one hand, bike over the shoulder, up the hill I went.  Seriously, I would have tried to walk 112 miles if necessary. They were going to have to drag me off this course. 

The whole time, I am praying, talking to God and talking to myself telling myself to relax and remind myself it is a long day and that God is here and in control.  I kept thinking of Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life.” Never put God in a box, He is too big. 

I never panicked or really reacted, I just kept pressing forward.  Don’t get me wrong this was not my ideal plan, but if it was God’s plan then that could have been the end of my day and I would have accepted it.  I would have been disappointed, but I have 100% faith that when God is in control, my life is better served (even when I don’t agree with short term outcomes- always because I do not see a bigger picture).  Thankfully, today He had me moving on.

As I made it up to the turnaround, the owner of Bike Works came running down to me with a tube and pump. Before he said hello, he had my tire off and was assessing the issue. He checked the tire, replaced the tube and pumped the new tube.  I gave him a high five and off I went.  The whole episode cost me a little over a half-hour. 

During the whole episode, I was calm (in hindsight almost eerily so).  In fact, aside from scripture, I kept envisioning Norman Stadler several years ago as he threw his bike in te lava fields and cried “Anoder flat steenking tyre!”  It made me giggle. 

After having  a great swim (for me), I was not happy to give away free time for a mechanical issue.  As I got going, I had to fight the urge to recover the lost time.  Remember the matches analogy?  I was doing my absolute best not to burn a few matches here.  Off and rolling now, I was feeling good and trying to prepare myself for what was to come.

Rolling through Kona to the Queen K was great, I saw my family and despite not smiling due to the tire issue, I greatly appreciated their support.

My Coach had me on a set heart rate pace chart that I was to follow for optimal performance.  I can say this safely now, but I was on the very edge of my permissible HR zone (ok, maybe a few beats over).  I was riding conservatively but with purpose.

Heading past the airport and toward Hawi, I just kept looking around and thinking, “I cannot believe I am out here in the THE lava fields in THE Hawaii Ironman!”  The course is interesting. It is constant rolling hills, nothing too big (yet).  Before I got to the turn towards Hawi, the pros came blazing by.  I could see Chris Lieto in the lead and gave him a hearty cheer.  Very cool perspective to see the Pro train come rolling by with the cameras, helicopters and whole entourage in tow. Very cool to be in the same race as them (despite being 70 miles behind).

The turn towards Hawi- I had been warned by Kona veterans that the winds were humbling.  Actually, the consistent message was that the heat, hills, humidity and winds were all brutal.  In the end, the heat/humidity is what it is and I was prepared for that after training in the Texas sun. The hills were not too bad and I was well trained for those and able to spin up them on my road bike.  The wind (more specifically the cross wind) on the other hand was absolutely humbling.

Heading up to Hawi is a good climb. It is lots of pitches followed by flats and then more pitches. Nothing was ever big enough of a pitch to get me out of the saddle.  Instead, I was able to spin up everything Hawi presented.  The problem was that I was spinning at 9 miles per hour! The wind was merciless, constant and always coming straight into my face…that is unless it would come blasting across and snap my handlebars or blow me across the road. Seriously, I have never ridden in anything like it. I mean I lived and literally learned to ride in Corpus Christi, TX, home of huge gulf winds. The winds howl there and I had battled them ad nauseum, but they have NOTHING on these winds.  Bottom line is that it was brutal going up BUT it was even worse coming down.

I know I am not the world’s best bike handler, but I am not the worst (am I?).  Coming down from Hawi, I was trying to recover some of the time I spent with the mechanical and on the climb up.  I hit 35+ mph on one decent and as I did, a huge gust came along and snapped my handlebars left and I almost shot off the bike.  Literally, this was one of the scariest moments I have ever had on a bike.  From that point on, I decided that staying upright was the key to getting down the hill and I rode much more conservatively the rest of the way down.  The cross winds were brutal the entire way back down.  It was white knuckle, with hands on the brakes the whole way.  I saw several people just stop on the way down in order to eat, hydrate or mentally recover. It was crazy.

I saw two people carted off in ambulances from crashes on the decent.  I said a prayer for them and could only imagine the frustration they were experiencing (aside from the pain) as they were being pulled from the course.

Slowly but surely, I made it down and headed back to the Queen K.  Here is where the fun occurred. For a short stretch, I had a tailwind and NO crosswinds.  I was able to average 35 mph for a brief stretch, including up some good hills. It was a much needed refresher.  Even in this stretch, I  could never totally relaxed as I never fully trusted that a cross wind was not going to blast me at sometime.

Back on the Queen K and ready to grind out the final 30 miles. The winds were there, but at this point, I would not have known what to do without the winds.  I played leap frog with a group of folks for most of the way home.  I would cruise by them as I spun up hills (benefit of the road bike) and they would blast by me on the way back down (benefit of the tri bike).  This continued all the way back through the lava fields, past the airport and back into town.  I was ready to be off the bike, but EXTREMELY thankful I had no more flat tires or other mechanicals on the bike.

Overall, I was pleased with my bike (particularly if you took off the 30 minutes lost with the tires).

For the record, I drank two bottles of Infinit (500 calories/each), 5 nutra-grain bars (140/each) and 1 bottle of coke (more on that later). I took at least one water at every aid station, drank some and dumped some on my head and went through 5 full bottles of water on my bike.

Run: 4:37

Now we are in my area.  I may not be fast, but I know what it takes to run a marathon…just not necessarily after swimming 2.4 miles and riding 112 miles!

Heading out on the run is cool and disheartening at the same time.  The crowds on the exit are extremely supportive. The problem is that you do a quick loop and join the top age groupers as they take the same path to the finish. It was a little disheartening to turn left on Alii Drive when others were turning right to the finish line.  I tried my best not to look at the finish line (I did sneak a peak and vowed to be back).

To say I was running is a slight overstatement.  At best, I was waddling and plodding along. The thing that immediately stuck out was that I had a massive headache and unsettled stomach.  Neither is a good sign. Not because a headache hurts (it does), but because it is usually a sign of a couple of things namely dehydration and sodium/electrolyte deficiency.  The stomach issue was very unfamiliar. I pride myself on having an irongut and the ability to eat/drink anything.  The only thing I can attribute it to was the cola on the bike.  In hindsight, the bottle was 20 oz of defizzed coke. In training, the most coke I took in was ~7 oz and I did it casually versus glupping and throwing the bottle.

The focus became righting the ship.  I started my regimen of Endurolytes (~salt pills) and 1/2 cup water/1/2 cup Powerade and sponges aplenty.  That and I kept moving. 

I broke the run up in 5 mile increments.  I promised myself that no matter how bad I felt, I had to make it to mile 5 before I walked (outside of aid stations).  By mile 5, I was starting to feel a little better, so I made the same challenge to mile 10.

Heading to mile 10 is the Palani hill.  My secret weapon was that my wife and support team was there and cheering me on (you can’t walk when people are cheering you and taking pictures).  Also, she was ready to hand me an Excedrin Migraine pill (yes, outside assistance I know).  I took the pills and plodded on.

A weird thing happened once on the Queen K, I started feeling good.  I was alternating taking in chicken soup broth and Endurolytes and suddenly I was back to normal.  At mile 10, I committed to making it to mile 15 without walking outside of the aid stations. 

As I headed out to the Energy Lab, it got dark. Not just sunset dark, but I am in a black hole dark.  It was somewhat comical.  If you want to catch a Hawaiian sunset, you better look fast. For whatever reason, the sun seems to set here as though it is racing the moon for a personal PR. Seriously sun down to darkness is like 5 minutes. It is crazy.

So there I am, plodding along the magical Queen K.  At some point, I thought to myself “you know, anywhere else and the Queen K would just be considered running on a random highway and people would complain, but put in Hawaii and hold a historical race there and somehow running on a highway seems like a great privilege.”  I may have been getting a little loopy here, but I was ecstatic to be “running” on the Queen K. 

As I clicked the miles away, it really simply became an aid station oasis to aid station oasis race.  Each aid station was a shining oasis in the midnight desert.  With music blaring, volunteers cheering and food and drink at the ready, each aid station was a wondrous site.

As I made the turn for the fabled Energy Lab I got teary eyed (again, I was loopy at this point). The Energy Lab is a historic portion of this course.  It is where champions are made (of course they are made hours before when the sun is still blazing, but whatever).  I was proud to be here.  Through the out and back, I made sure to focus and not drift on my pace or effort.  Ultimately, this was still a tough stretch.  It was pitch black and lonely. It gave me lots of time to continue my conversation with God about the day and the opportunity He presented me.  Down and back out of the Energy Lab I went.  I was now heading towards meeting my current promise of not walking until mile 20.

At mile 20, I made the commitment not only not to walk until the big hill heading back into town (mile 25), but also to pick up the pace.  Aid station to aid station was the mantra.

By Mile 23, I knew there was not one thing in this world that was going to stop me from the finish line.  This was really the first time in the entire day that I thought about finishing.  I’ll admit it, I got emotional thinking about it. I got emotional thinking about all the hours of training, the 4 am wake ups, the sacrifice of any free time, the pain following hard workouts, but most importantly, the sacrifice made by my family, particularly my wife Cindy who took care of our daughter alone so I could train.  So there I was, alone on the Queen K talking to God and fighting back tears.  Then I just started laughing at myself thinking. “Thank God it is dark out here and nobody can see what a dork I am.”

Aid station to aid station, I clipped on. I finally got to the hill heading back up to Palani. There was no way I was walking that bad boy. Instead I pushed the pace. As I crested the hill, I could hear the finish line and see the lights. At this point I knew I had done it.  I was about to do what 6 months ago I was not sure I could.  I was about to do what a number of folks say I could not do.  I was about to do what so many wished they could do.  The excitement at this point became unbearable.  I was high fiving aid station folks and random people still cheering from the streets.  As I heading down the last mile, I thanked God one last time for the opportunity to be here, the opportunity to compete on a Christian triathlon team (www.tri4him.com), the opportunity to discuss my faith with race participants before and during the race and most importantly the opportunity to use this race as an opening share His message of unearned grace with my triathlon friends.

Making the final turn on Alii Drive was magical. Lights blazing, people packed all along the street and in the stands.  It was unreal.  I high fived everyone. I saw my wife and family screaming for me. I could see their excitement, which again almost caused me to lose it.  I headed up the finisher ramp and across the line. Done.

Hands raised, I could not express to you the relief of being done. It was a culmination of a lifetime dream (it was the reason I learned to ride a bike).  About the best description of what the finish felt like is a combination of being a kid on Christmas Day, my first kiss with my wife, and the Longhorns winning the national championship all in one. Bottom Line-  It was awesome.

Post Race-

You are escorted through a maze (again by your own personal escort) on the pier back to the back of the King K hotel where you get your medal, shirts, etc. More importantly, my sister-in-law somehow snuck through security (she is crafty) and met up with me.  She helped me get everything and took some great pics. She was a true trooper all day (and all through the training). From helping with our daughter to helping herd the family (my wife and daughter, my parents, her parents and a grandmother) to where they needed to be to see me, she is a superstar.  Additionally, she was the facebook updater and historian of the day.  She was an awesome iron-teammate.  She got me to a chair where I could get my feet elevated for a few minutes and I could try to gather myself a little bit.

Next, my wife and daughter made it back. It was awesome to see them. Both were very proud of me, which is just about the best feeling a husband and dad can ever experience.  There were kisses and hugs and pics aplenty.

Next it was back to Alii to make sure we saw Cindy Reeves of Tri4Him finish strong and then we waited to see the final two finishers make the cutoff by seconds. Exhilarating.

At Midnight, we headed home.  I showered and hit the bed. Many told me I would not sleep, but I found no problem sleeping and slept a good 7 hours.  The next day I was shocked at how minimally sore I was.  I have had days after marathons hurt so bad I could barely move. This was really not bad. My legs and core hurt, but nothing too bad. 

Cindy Reeves, the best tri-planner of all time, told me I had to be at the King K for finisher’s gear when the store opened.  She, of course in her over achieving way, was there before it opened and was already going in when we got there to wait in a huge line.  Buying the finisher gear was fun.  I have always avoided wearing anything Ironman branded simply because I was not one. Well Today I wore that little red dude proudly.

Off to breakfast at Lava Java and then to Cindy’s house for a post race massage she had arranged (seriously she is an amazing planner- I never even thought of this).

Post Script:

Days after and the inner excitement is still there.  I am proud to have accomplished this but I know I could not and did not accomplish this alone.  It takes a village to raise a triathlete and I had an awesome village.  There are too many people that helped to thank everyone individually, but please know how much I appreciate everything all my friends and family did to make this dream a reality: There are a few folk I need to thank in particular (no particular order):

Jeff Booher- or Coach Boo (I still call him Jeff)- Jeff was an immense resource. He took a bare bones triathlete who had a dream, a hectic work and family schedule and turned him into an Ironman.  Jeff, you stayed true to your word. You were flexible and understanding, but you challenged me to put in the work to make this happen.  I cannot thank you enough for training me. Not just physically but spiritually as well. Tri4Him has been a tremendous accountability partner for me. It has made me a better triathlete, but more importantly, a better husband, father and man.  Being a better triathlete at the expense of the others would not be rewarding. Jeff, you are a true role model of Christian leadership and I thank you for leading me on this journey.

Brad Aspgren- Brad is some random guy I met while riding the Sunnyvale loop 2 years ago and I have not been able to run him off since! Just kidding.  Brad is one of the most caring and selfless people you could ever meet. Brad had hernia surgery this Spring, but despite that he was out there for just about everyone of my long rides.  Not because he was training for anything or did not have anything better to do, but because that is the type of selfless person he is. Again, another tremendous example of Christian servant leadership.

Cindy Reeves- I had never met Cindy until I got to Kona, but she and I regularly e-mailed and called each other leading up to the race.  It was comforting to have someone in your same shoes, someone who experienced the same doubts, fears and excitement about this endeavor as I did.  That said, Cindy was clearly heads and shoulders more prepared for everything than I was! God has clearly gifted her with planning and evangelism. Planning, because I swear to you she had thought of every detail prior to getting to Kona (except a speed suit-Ha!). From massage therapists to the right lua, she had it down pat an she and her family were gracious enough to let me tag along on her planned activities. Her gift for evangelism was also clear. She was God’s shining light on that race course. From stopping and praying with folks, to encouraging everyone on the run, she was a beacon of light and truly an inspiration to me.  Cindy and her family were a blessing and I thank God for having our paths cross. Cindy, I know your Dad is proud of you…and not just for finishing this race.

My wife-or as I call her Pants (because she wears the pants in our household).  I cannot thank my wife enough for letting me do this and putting up with my craziness (seriously, you guys have no idea what living with me is like!).  She never complained about the ridiculous training schedule, the fact that she essentially became a single parent on Saturdays, the fact that her own schedule was completely overtaken by mine, the fact that laundry piled up, or the fact that garbage day was sometimes missed.  She is a saint and deserves a far better husband than me.  My life and this journey would not be the same without her.  It is somewhat trite to say she is my best friend, but the fact is she is more than that.  She is what gets me up in the morning and makes me want to be a better dad, husband and man.  There was nothing more special to me than the kiss she gave me after the finish line when she told me she was proud of me.  To top it off, she is funny…just ask her.

To my daughter Madison. She has no comprehension of what her daddy did, but she is proud of me (She says “Daddy, I Proud”) and that is all I could ever want.  I hope I can instill in her the benefits of an active lifestyle and I hope we can share in this together as we both get older.

To all my friends and family. You were all an indispensible part of this journey. It would not have been the adventure or the success it was without you, your prayers and your support.  From my Kona veterans breaking down the course mile by mile (Andrew) to my Mom (new hip and all) and Dad traveling to Hawaii to see their son do something I am not sure they still fully comprehend.  Thank you all for joining me on this journey.

Now the real question…what’s next?