Ironman Wisconsin - TriathlonFull Ironman

I am a slow swimmer. I wanted to go about 70 minutes after competing at IM Louisville last year, but ended up swimming the same time. I'll be getting some technique work done this off-season. Regardless, I was strong, dealt with the constant wrestling, and made it in feeling like nothing had really happened. Very smooth, but a bit slow

Learn to swim. Otherwise it was text book......oh except speed sleeves, if the seal breaks and you get water in them, they slide. I ended up loosing one in the water.

This was slower than I expected, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with this race. The helix was longer than I anticipated....This is just one of many hills I underestimated on race day!!!

Run faster, have a better idea of where things are.

So I went from 937th after the swim to 317th after the bike...Nice. I told myself after Louisville last year and a great race season in 70.3 events this year (PR 4:45:00!!!) I could go hard as long as I felt good and I stuck to my nutrition plan and drank well. I felt like I was flying, the downhills were a lot of fun. My family went out to verona and then on to the climbs to see me. Those climbs.....I felt like I was in the tour de france with the fans screaming and cheering. It was awesome!!!! The ride back into town was more difficult than I expected. We may have had some headwind. Not sure, but my average slowed a bit here. Overall, great ride....retrospectively maybe a bit too hard.

Train more hills, pre-ride the course, tone it down a bit early on.

Fast transition. Loved it. Volunteers are so great!!!

Nothing

Well....I felt a little weird when I got out of transition. Things felt tight, but nothing that I haven't dealt with before. I ran miles 1 and 2 at my 7:45 pace that I wanted to hold. At mile 3 WHAMM!!!! Full body, mouth to toes CRAMP!!!! I had no idea where this came from. I just locked up....and so 23 miles of run a tenth, walk a tenth, run a tenth...repeat. It was brutal!!! I had trained very well and had pulled out PR half marathon times in my 70.3 events, so this was a surprise. I switched modes from a PR finish to just finishing, and finally when I got closer to making sure I broke 12 hours. It was hard not to feel bad about walking....I can be a big talker sometimes and I had a lot of people on the course that knew what I was shooting for. Regardless, I still had a blast!!! Looking back, I've never dug deeper, and really focussed mentally...overall a success.

More salt, more water, slow down, realize that 70.3 is way shorter.

Got some salt in me via broth and tabs, just kept walking so I wouldn't lock up. Went to dinner with Alicia and the fam, met some new friends and just enjoyed the moments.


I have no idea what happened. I trained to get close to 10 hours, and I was ready. My body just didn't respond or physiologically I missed something. Perhaps I needed longer runs off the bike. I did bricks constantly, but rarely went over 10 miles off the bike.


I will do this again.....but first I am racing IM Cozumel next year. I graduate from Dental school in May of 2012 and then begin my time in the Navy, so next year may be my last for a year or two until I figure out what I can and can not do while being a Navy Dentist. ALL Navy Tri Team? Gotta get faster. Anyway, Ironman racing is the best thing in the world. That finishing stretch, at 8:45 or at 17 hours is life affirming. I'd suffer like that again and again and again to have that feeling of triumph at the line....and hearing your name...."Matthew Priess You are an Ironman for the Second Time"..... I hope to do this for the rest of my life all over the world......Love this sport!!!!!