Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas - TriathlonFull Ironman

Mass start was massive but i enjoyed it...my Garmin 310XT broke off my wrist right at the beginning of the start but i didnt let it frustrate me because i had a long day ahead of me...i train and race by HR so this day i had a brand new way of racing strictly on feel..

i felt really good the whole swim..really just settled into a pace that was comfortable and thought about how much this race meant to me and how many hours i spent preparing for this race and just taking it all in...before i knew it i could hear Mike calling people's names as they exited the water and i was done....i could not have asked for a better swim...it wasnt my fastest swim but it was the perfect pace for me on this day..

not worn my Garmin...dont need it in the swim..

took my time to prepare for the ride...

nothing

lost my Garmin at the swim start so this was a ride by feel only...i used my Cat as my timer for nutrition and cadence...the first part of the ride was just like when we rode it in training..little bit of a tailwind and nice and shady..the best part of the ride if you ask me..this ride is a "gets harder the farther you go" which is great for and Ironman race..bottle handouts worked out perfect and i stopped once at the halfway point to pee...the last 1/3 of the bike is the worst part..its hot and windy and just get tired of being on the bike..i kept on pushing because i was ready to be off the bike and running so the only way to do that was to keep on trucking...based the whole ride on feel and i think it worked out pretty well...i would check my heart rate with my pulse every once in a while and it was hanging around 120-130 for the most part which i knew was perfect for this ride and it wasnt too high so my body was able to absorb the nutrition i was giving it...all in all was a good ride..107mi was my longest ride in training so i was happy to finally get the 112mi accomplished...

Nutrition:
Ironman Perform
Water
EFS
Stinger Waffles
Salt Stick Tabs

376 Cal/hr
886 Sodium/hr
83 Carb/hr


nothing really...i could do my nutrition plan in my sleep so i just kept pedaling and feeding until i was done

got to the change tent and felt like a new person knowing i was off the saddle for good...saw my buddy michael in the run transition bag area and chatted with him briefly..."RacerRik" was volunteering in the change tent so it was good to see him...hit the port a potty to pee and off to the run we go

nothing

the longest i ran in training was 18 miles and that was in march..i started having knee pain at the end of Feb and started going to Houston Spine and Sports to help me. they were my blessing...i totally decreased my run volume and worked with Dr. D for 2 months and what a difference it made...i was nervous going in because i had only completed 50% of the volume that was on my training schedule...

..i really enjoyed this run..i didnt think that could be possible...the aid stations were spectacular and the crowds were great..

the first loop i felt great but i had no idea what my pace was due to my Garmin being at the bottom of Lake Woodlands..i knew i was running a pretty good pace though..i would check my pulse every once in a while and it was around 140bpm which is fairly low for me so i was happy about that...2nd loop was a little slower than the first but i knew i was still running a good pace...3rd loop was amazing...i was able to pick the pace up from the second loop and finish strong..this was my first marathon so i had no idea how i would feel after mile 18 but i had heard stories..my joints were hurting just a little bit but everything else felt great the whole run...

.Brent "BJG85" and his wife were working the "u turn" aid station so it was really good to see them the first 2 loops...i saw a lot of friends spectating and that is what keeps me going.

i just kept telling myself to keep on running...

once i made the right turn to head to the finishers chute my emotions ran wild..it was the coolest thing and i will cherish those last moments forever...

nothing really..i am very pleased with this run

here is where the fun began...i finished feeling great..but as soon as i stopped moving my body was ready to pay me back for what i just put it through...i walked around with mom and jeniffer for about 10 min and was trying to drink water but i just couldnt..it started to worry me beacause i knew i need to get fluids in me..i started to feel light headed so i went and found a volunteer and they got me in the tent and i got 1 liter of fluid via IV....all my vitals were good and they released me..i had a foil blanket around me because once i did start drinking water i got really cold...so now gaven has finished and we are all standing around chatting and carrying on...i have been finished for at least and hour now...i started to feel light headed again..even worse than before so i told jennifer that i needed to go back to the med tent quick...she grabbed my arm and we started walking and the next thing i knew i was on the ground looking up and hearing the guy that i fell into yelling "medic!"
i saw the look on my mother's face and i felt terrible for scaring the
sh!t out of her..gaven was standing right over saying "what do you have, narcolepsy?!...i thought that was hilarious..even though i was on my back after just fainting....they got me in a wheelchair AGAIN! and off i went to the tent..i looked back at jennifer and mom and said, "here we go again"..once i got in the tent for the second time...my blood pressure had dropped quite a bit and i broke out into a crazy sweat..i got 2 more Liters of fluid and 3 cups of chicken broth...after another hour in there i was outta there and this time for good :)
the medical tent staff volunteers are amazing! they think we are all a bunch of idiots but they really do like taking care of us none the less...

i kept wondering why this was happening...i peed during the bike stage..during transition..and 3 times on the run...i emptied my energy tank on the last loop so i guess i had to pay the price at some point...like gaven said..at least it didnt happen at mile 24 on the run while i was still on the course...he couldnt be more right.


this day was a lot of "First's" for me...

First time to race Ironman distance
First time to ride my bike 112 miles
First time to run a marathon
First time to be in a wheelchair
First time to get an IV
First time to faint
First time to hear Mike Reilly say "Jason Brunner, you are an Ironman!"

i learned alot about myself this day..there is nothing i cant do if i am mentally prepared..i could not have scripted a better race if i would have tried...