Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Big Hula in The Lava Fields



I sit here typing this race report just after Mary took off 18 minutes ago on her night time trail race, I conjure up the details from this time last week (shortly after 3 pm Hawaii time) and think how fleeting the pain of that day disappears. (Except for my foot), that is for later in the story.
I will skip over the details of getting to the Islands, luckily there wasn't anything to talk about. We had a seamless trip, non-stop flight into Kona from Phoenix arriving at 2pm, simply perfect! The few days leading up to race day where full of the usual. Watching everyone and their brother and sister swim/bike/run 24/7 up and down Alii Drive and Dig Me Beach. I tried to stay under the radar as much as possible. I had nothing to prove, and decided to save as much energy both mentally and physically as humanly possible. Mostly spent my time doing the "have to's"
Have to register, have to pick up my bike from Tribike Transport, have to check in my bike and T1 & T2 bags.
We swam from the pier twice, did a little bike, and ran just enough to not feel bloated and fat :)
One highlight was watching Mary make her debut on the SUP. After quite a fiasco the first morning with said SUP, she got really good at it. Going out everyday for at least and hour or so.
Race morning dawned at 3:30am. I woke up feeling rested and ready to race.
I had my pre race breakfast of oatmeal, bagel, water & EFS drink and we headed to the pier.
Through body marking smoothly (with a lucky #888), and then after the crew secured their spot
on the sea wall over looking the swim start, Mary and I hung out in the hall way of the King K
hotel, just relaxing and chillin before the craziness of the day would start. The pro field was called to the water at 6am for their 6:30 start, and that pretty much was my sign to start making my way
closer to the ocean. Mary and I said our I love you's and shared a few kisses and then she headed
back to her spot on the sea wall as I headed over to the transition area to collect my thoughts and get good and body glided for that salt water swim. The chaffing caused by salt water under your
speedsuit is instant and painful for the remainder of the day if you don't catch it before it starts.
At 6:20 I finally entered the Pacific Ocean with 1900 would be Ironmen and Ironwomen.
6:30 a.m., No count down just the cannon blast and we are off. Elbows and feet ass deep for
2.4 miles. I had decided that I would line up on the most inside line heading the straightest line
to the buoys. Well this was an interesting decision. I'm not sure it was better or worse than the other lines, but it was definitely frustrating. Once you pick the inside there is nowhere to hide. You are stuck there for good, no pulling off to the side to stop the pounding for even a second. So
about every 250 meters there is a pile up at the red buoys as everyone is forced around the outside by the paddle and SUP boarders. Frustrating, more elbows and feet and knees than before. Finally We make it to the turn around buoy and start out way back to the pier. By this time you have swallowed so much salt water that your tongue and mouth are swollen and your stomach is not so happy either. Now this year was a very choppy year in the water with some nice
strong currents on the way back in. With about 1000 meters to go I swear it was just like swimming in a spinning drum. No going forward,no going side ways, just staying in the same spot going nowhere. I just dug in deep here and gave my last bit of real effort to break loose and then before I knew it I was standing in the sand again. Hell yes, get me out of this water,
Swim Time 1:12, T1 3:00
Onto the pink steed, a.k.a. the Bike
Once through the long ass transition area of Kona and onto the bike I didn't feel like I had brought my legs out of my T1 bag. I was being passed like I was standing still one after another, but I tried to stick to my plan and not blow up in the first 30 minutes of the bike. I passed my crew around mile 8ish, I think? They where screaming and yelling their heads off (Loved it), so out to the turn around and then knowing I would pass them again I blew a big kiss as I went by again ( I knew they needed some energy from me as much as I needed it from them)
At this point we head up Palani Hill and out onto the Queen K. Hwy, My main focus for the section out to Hawi (the bike turnaround) was to stay on top of my hydration and nutrition, and to stay within myself, one thing a pro friend told me once was to go one gear easier here than you think you can go all day long. This paid off big time as we started our 19 mile climb up to Hawi I was starting to pass EVERYONE! It was crazy cross winds and I was loving it. This is what Kona is all about :)))) Loved it!!!
During this section is when I get to see all the pros heading back to town, and we get to see how the race is playing out. As usual Chris Lieto was the first bike to pass me going the other way, but
a big surprise, he only had a small lead on a pack of about 5. This race is going to be exciting!
Then after counting about 15 men I see the hammer known as Julie Dibens go flying by me! Are you kidding me? Holy crap, I check my watch and count for the next lady 8 minutes and it is Caroline Steffen, and then Leanda Cave and finally 12 minutes after Julie comes Chrissie. Damn, this is going to be very exciting, I can't wait to get back onto the run to watch it play out first hand. A few minutes and ladies later I see my good friend Linsey Corbin come by and I figure she is in the top ten which is awesome because she will bring back some girls on the run.
Finally I reach Hawi and the turn around and start the crazy descent for 19 miles at 30+ mph into a major cross wind. Love it!!!
Finally we get back to the Queen K and I know I have somewhere around 2ish hours of serious concentrating to get me back. This is the hardest section for me, this is where the winds become head winds and the fatigue and humidity starts to take a toll. Just keep it together and stay focused. I take water at every aid station (every 7 miles) and either drink it or pour it on me.
Somewhere in here my right knee starts to really hurt. Are you kidding me? I bike 100 plus mile bike rides every week of the year and no knee pain, what the hell is this? So I try to minimize then pain of pushing to hard with my right leg, I change positions, everything but no good, just get off this bike and onto the run ASAP! I end up losing about 10 minutes in this last two hours, but still within reach of my goal to be running before 7hrs. Into T2 and start running away from that bike so happy to be running, even if it is only into the change tent. Another very speed transition and we are off.
Bike 5:39, T2 3:00
Out onto the run and instantly my foot is in pain. No, this is what I dream of all day, time to smash the run, my foot just is asleep from the bike, it will go away just keep running. Well mile 1
I stop and take the shoe off, there has to be a nail in my shoe or maybe a beach ball. Nope, nothing in there. Well just keep moving, it will go away, just forget about it, block it out and get running.
So mile 1 1/2 I come up on my crew, they are screaming and cheering and jumping up and down,
some great energy from them, I give Mary a kiss and keep moving. Just 3 ish miles and I get to turn around and head back to them. That was a long section, I keep feeling my foot with each foot fall and tried to think about everything and anything else. I finally stopped for my first pee of the day? What, I have been drinking non-stop and it is now 7 1/2 hrs late and only one pee. Not good.
Also along this section I have a hell of a time keeping my race number belt up around my waist, I must have lost some major weight on the bike because it won't stay up. Finally I stop and a spectator takes it from me and tries to tighten it up. No go, well lets go old school and just pin the
damn thing. Finally I hit the turnaround and head back towards town. a few miles later I get a lift
from the drunken part of the crew screaming out from the bar as I ran by "Beaver" the Buckeye's are winning. This preoccupies me late for a few miles trying to figure out if they where telling me a lie to make me feel better or where they really winning?
So I finally turn off Alli Dr at about mile 9 and there is my crew again Mary high fives me and tells me Crowie set a new course record and that Chrissie is just around the corner in first with less than a mile to go. Now we made a semi deal that when we passed each other she would high five me, so I stopped and put my hand out, and instantly could read her face and eyes. She was out of it and totally focused on getting to that finish line first, I slapped her on the butt and keep on running. Wow, chills go up my arms and a tear in the eyes at seeing this amazing sight. It can't be put into words, you had to be there to see and feel the strength and internal fortitude that women
exudes. Simply AMAZING!!! Just two minutes later I pass Rinny she is hammering and I yell over to her as well. What a freaking race. They both break the old run course record on a day that
many a pro blew up on that hot run. As I head up Palani Mountain and make the turn onto the Queen K again, I pass Leanda Cave, she is in 3rd place and digging very deep. I send her some energy and keep on trucking. At this point the women's race has and is playing out just two feet away from me. So Stellar, I Loved it!!! Unfortunately my foot still is killing me and I just can't land on it or push off normally. This is a loooooooong section out to the Energy lab, never seems to end. Finally at about mile 15 I am forced to walk for a minute through an aid station and my teammate Erica "Hank" Mcclurg passes me. So happy for her, she is having a nice day. As much as I try to pick up the pace to run with her I can't get another gear. My mind says your strong go, my body and partially my foot says you don't have another gear. Come on, get to that Energy lab.
I pass Linsey around this point and give her some encouragement and her me. Later I found out that L.C. had some major issues for over her last 6 hours and it wasn't her day, but I assure you she will be ready to win IMAZ in November!!
Now I have Michelle Simmons come up and start running with me and we keep each other company for several miles. Finally up ahead it is The Natural Energy Lab, I make the left turn and enter. It is just a little out and back in there but seems to go on forever, I make the turn around and start back out, no special needs bags for me just keep on moving. On a side note, probably the funniest thing ever found in a Special needs run bag at an Ironman, Michelle's daughter pack her a shovel, you know the little sand shovels for the beach! So Michelle picked it up at mile 18.5 and carried it all the way to the finish line. Love it!!!
Anyway, finally we hit that last climb out of the energy lab past mile 19 and back out on the Queen K for our return trip to Kona. By this point my foot is on FIRE, and this is really the first time I start to question if I could keep running. I kinda ran/walk here for about a mile or so. Finally I remembered what Samantha Mcglone once said, "the fastest way to the finish line is to keep running" and I am ready to be done. So I start making deals with myself at this point. Just run to that aid station, and then once I get there then I pick another small goal, anything to keep me going. I even make a deal with myself that I only have to get to mile 25 miles and then it is just a 1.2 mile victory lap. When I hit mile marker 20 I can not carry my water bottle any further and I drop it right onto of mile 20. Ok only 5 miles to go and a 1.2 mile victory lap. I keep running and
promise myself no matter how much it hurts I am going to run that last hill before turning right onto Palani at mile 25. Finally there it is mile 25, now that down hill is a major quad buster at this point of an Ironman, especially when you are on a screwed up foot, but I just suck it up and finally make the last turn onto Alii Drive, I have nothing left, I wanted to pick it up the final 400 meters or so, and I could not. I see my crew and Mary and barely can manage a low five. There is the finish line and I just want to get there. I climb the last little incline ,raise my hands and after about 5 seconds give myself over to the medical staff.
Finish Time 11:00:50
I am finally handed over to Mary for about :30 seconds before I am then taken to see the medial
tent for an hour. That is another blog, for another day.
Stay tuned:

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Butterflies, Already! WTF?


I hate to start my blog post the way I started my last one, but...
I know is has been forever!!
OK, Now that is out of the way.
AS I sit here typing this , I have this really crazy feeling of confidence and excitement.
For what you ask? Today is Sept 1st, meaning as soon as this month fades into the distance I will be 4 days away from heading back to Kona to get my pay backs from last time.
The strangest thing is that I started training for this years trip to the Big Dance without any pressure or really any illusion that I could go over and do anything special on Oct 8th. I mean come on, I can just go to Hawaii, have a very average day and still come out a winner. After my last appearance in 2009 (following my bike/car accident) and resulting in a surgery, 8 screws, a metal plate, and shit for training, I could go over, have fun, not push myself and still come out with a 1-2hr faster performance than the last time. That would be winning in most people's book.
A funny thing happened on my may to training for an average day Oct 8th!
I started getting extra motivated, starting getting (unofficially )some coaching advice, and I have found my sweet spot when it comes to suffering in the heat.
Yep, I am actually getting that feeling I have had right before the two best Ironman races that I have ever had (both Kona qualifiers). That feeling of peace and inner harmony. Sounds corny,but the best way for me to explain it!
Don't worry, we are still going to have a TON of fun, just this time I will have that feeling of total accomplishment! 37 days and a wake up call :))))

Friday, June 17, 2011

It's that time again!!



I know it has been for ever, and ever since I have blogged. Too be very honest 5 days after my last blog all of our lives where changed forever here in Arizona and all over the world! The day of Sally's death still seems to be beyond words. I just could not bring myself to blog about anything else because nothing else seemed as important as her death, and I felt like blogging about something else would be as if I had just went on with life like nothing even happened, like I had just swept in under the rug and ignored it. The other problem was that I just couldn't bring myself to talk about that day and that horrible feeling in a blog.
Today, I felt it was time. As I prepare for the week leading up to my next Ironman, Sal is so fresh in my mind. She was to be my training partner this summer, we where to spend endless miles biking and running together as we where preparing for Kona. We where to go there and suffer on the lava fields together, and she was about to snap some necks as she came from nowhere to set a new run course record, and make her name in the sport of triathlon.
Well, now I carry her memory, her strength, her passion with me. I will be channelling her as I go to that dark place when the real suffering starts. June 26th will be Sally's first full Ironman, as I race IMCDA with her. It will be a great day for us to get used to each other over a 9-10hr day, because when Oct8th gets here we need to be 100% on the same page as we SMASH the Lava fields and Alii drive together. This will just be a great first step towards that day.
I'm not making any predictions on time or finish place, but I have a feeling it will be a special day out there.
Check back to see how we do:))))

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Talked in to another Crazy weekend race!!


Every since my wonderful wife did her first Ragnar relay a few years ago she has raved about how much fun she had, and has tried to talk me into putting together a team to do it with her. I have always been able to come up with an excuse to why I couldn't do it each year.



Well this year she asks again, but I don't have a good enough reason to get out of running almost 200 miles with a team of 6 runners over roughly 24-30 hours, in one van, with ZERO sleep or showers!



Next thing I know we are all packed up and on the road to Wickenburg, AZ



We arrive, as per usual about 2 hours early. We kinda hang out, kill time, hit the Port a Potty a few times, and next thing you know our first runner (Kris) is off and starting our LONG trip to Tempe.



Now I won't go into every little things that happened over the two days blow by blow.



The first four runners went off with out much fanfare, or issues, everyone was just clicking off the miles and looking fresh and fast. I being the 5th runner started my first leg just as the sun was setting, being the oldest I was given the longest leg of the weekend (17.7miles), The thing I have heard over and over about Ragnar is you try to pass as many other teams as possible (a.k.a. ROADKILL). So instead of focusing on the miles ahead of me, I focused on as much road kill as possible, counting each person I flew past with a smile and a "good job, keep it up", as the sun finally ducked down it was my first time experiencing the constant stream of blinking red lights on the road ahead, each one another potential Roadkill for me. I actually past 6 different people that I knew in that first leg, as I spotted the 1 mile to go sign I felt and heard another runner behind me, Oh no you don't. I will not be someone else's roadkill, so I buried the hammer and smashed the last mile to keep that young kid from catching me. (this became a bit of a theme). I hit my relay point, handed to wristband to Jenifer and was so excited that I had passed 38 runners in 17.7 miles, 2:04 and a split time of 6:59 per mile. I changed my clothes, and we headed off for the next relay zone.



Mostly we just went from relay zone to relay zone while each runner took their turns smashing their legs and legs. Now it started to get wayyyyyyy past my bedtime by the time my next leg came around. roughly 1.am., this was a much shorts and faster 8 mile leg, as I excited the relay zone a paused to fix my watch and water bottle and some young guy goes flying by me. What, I will not be passed, Of course I knew he wasn' t running the Ultra so I only had like 4 miles to track him down before he handed off to his next teammate, so even though I had another 4 miles after that point I was going hard to catch him, and just as we enter his relay zone I pass him, Yes, i knew I could do it. Hell at this point I might as well just keep hammering and get this over with, i roll into the relay zone to hand off to Jenifer with a total run segment time of 51:00, 6:42 per mile split. and another 27 roadkills. At this point things start to get blurry, we are all fighting lack of sleep fatigue.



The good news is that we all knew we just had to do one more leg and we where home free. I even managed 30 minutes of shut eye just before the sun came up. As Kris rolled in to the relay zone and ending his day, Mary started flying down 9 mile hill into Rio Verde and now we where back into my neck of the woods, no more surprises, I know the remaining miles very well. Up into Mcdowell Park, heading to Fountain Hills. When Rachel finishes her last leg and hands off to Brandon we all know he has some major sharp climbs ahead, and he eats them up and spits them out. Freaking stud, he hands off to me for my final leg, (thank godness), I decided from the get go that I will smash it will all I have, clickinfgoff 6:30 miles, and counting the roadkilll as I go, as i finally hit the 1 mile to go sign I see a red shirt up around the corner and decide that i will try to catch it before the hand off spot. I start picking it up, faster and faster, and faster until with 1/4 of a mile to go i catch and pass this young fast kid, instantly I feel him jump in behind me, and I push just a little harder, (in my mind I am thinking, i have ran over 33 miles, and not been passed once, no way i am letting this kid pass me back), we round the corner with about a tenth or so to go and I push it one more time, then he comes up next to me and passes me by about a step, I dig down one more time and say to myself NO WAY, get him! I push with all I have left and catch back up to him just as we enter the relay zone, and pass him by half a step before handing off to Jenifer for the last time. Shit!!! I AM SPENT!!! After I catch my breath I check my Gps, my last mile of the 33.2 miles comes out as a 5:40 split, bu far the fastest of the weekend, I have no idea where that came from, crazy actually, that is about what I have been doing my mile repeats on that track at.


From there it is off to the finish line in Tempe to wait for Jenifer, as she comes around the last corner we all meet her and run across the finish line as a team. Clock time 27:38:03. We are home!!! What a great group of people, some serious super start performances. From here it is food bed and 16 hours of sleep.






Tuesday, March 1, 2011

My first official Ultra Marathon


So last year I decided to run the Pemberton 50K trail race as a relay with my friend Kelsey. After we took first place and set a new course record my whistle was wet. I started thinking that I could do the entire thing myself, and even be somewhat competitive.



Fast forward one year:

I find myself toeing the line of shaving cream in the dirt, that marked the start and end point of the 2011 Pemberton 50k. To make this year a little more special the race would start at 5pm, meaning that everyone would run at least half of the race in the dark. This not a road race with street lights, this is out in the middle of nowhere in the desert on trails, in the dark!

I had planned in my mind to really train for this race and to shoot for a fast finish time, of course having never ran a Ultra or having never run a race on trails in the dark, I didn't really know what "fast" would mean. Unfortunately, I never really put in the kind of training I would have liked to be as competitive as I could have been, and went in to race day not having run farther than 18 miles in over two months, and I only did that once. Oh well, just give it what you can on that day. I know it will be a "PR" as long as I finish!

The race director yells go, and we do. I started off running with the top guys, these are the guys that run 100 mile races on REAL trails all over the world, and in the dark, so I thought just see what happens. Well mile 1 = 6:37, ok keep going and see what happens, mile 2 = 6:35, ok, are you stupid, this is more like my current marathon pace for a road race, back it off some.

So I let the top 3 or 4 guys go, to never see them again.

From here I decided to just run comfortable and try to go as far as possible before it gets dark.

Heading into the last 10K of the first 15.5 mile loop It is down hill all the way, I already started feeling my quads, and knew that it would be a painful recovery from this race, (little did I know how bad at this point), I came through the first loop pretty much unscathed, 1:52 minutes, just as I started loop number two It was time to click on my new head light Mary got me for Xmas. Instantly I noticed that my pace was dropping and not because I was tired (at least not yet), but because I could not see all of the little ups and downs quick enough. I also had not seen another runner for over 10 miles and just decided to do what i could and get myself to the finish line without breaking something, especially my clavicle again. I had one relay runner pass me 3 miles into the 2nd loop and that was it, no one else until the finish line. Where my beating the shit out of myself came was from throwing on the brakes every time I went down a sharp hill, so as too not fall, in addition to that I was also holding my neck in a weird position so my light would hit the ground and that caused a unbelievable pain in my traps for the 4 days following the race. Anyway, I finally made it back to the final 10k section, again straight down hill. My quads where SCREAMMING!!!!, but I thought to myself I can either lay down here and take a nap and wait for Mary to come by or I can just suck it up and get it over with even with the knowledge that my legs are in a world of hurt, and it is going to take a few days to recover from this. So I dug in and trashed myself all the way to the line. I ended up finishing 7th Overall, and 2nd in the masters division.
I guess not bad considering, but way slower than I thought I would be able to go. I ended with a finish time of 4:15, I was shooting for 3:59:59, but just didn't handle the night running well.
After finishing i climbed into the back of the Xtrerra and sleep for a few minutes and waited for my Mary too finish her first Ultra as well. She Freakin crushed it breaking the 5:30 mark and ending up 11th woman overall, finishing :01 second behind the great Pam Reed. Wow, what a great story to be able to tell. Finishing your first Ultra with Pam Reed. great job sweat heart, you ROCK!!
Ok, off to ice my legs and get ready for the next running extravaganza.