Ironman Louisville - TriathlonFull Ironman

Did very little swim prep this year. My coach felt like the swim would be what it would be. I wasn't committed to spending the amount of time necessary to really improve my time. Did join master's swim and tried to attend 2 times a week. I think I improved my eff, a little but could see it go away on the long swim due to boredom. Shortly before i jumped in, stopped said a short prayer for myself and Michael for safety and the oppotunity to effect someone else's race positively. I chose to dive in off the pier in order to clear the area faster and not have someone jump on my back. Don't worry, I was very careful to allow the swimmer in front of me to clear before diving. Worked well. Started swimming at an easy steady pace and maintained that the entire swim. I stayed out of the bulk of the swimmers most of the time. Chose to swim wide in order to be alone. Actually swam closer to the barges than most people. It was still a straight shot to the exit, so no problem there. Several times, someone would touch my feet, which is understandable, maybe even touch for 2 or 3 strokes, but when they continue to do it over and over, I excercise my right and kick like crazy for a few strokes and they always seem to move. Funny how that works. I am a defensive swimmer but have no issue becoming offensive when I need to, just ask about 5 other people. If I touch you from behind, I go around, I expect the same from others. All in all, I was ok with the swim time.

Nothing

Volunteers were great. Helped with every aspect of transition. Put my socks and shoes on , HR monitor, chamious butter and headed out to sunscreen. The girls greased me and helped me put my shirt on. Placed helmuton noggin, sunglasses, and race belt. Away I went.

Nothing

I had a plan to take it easy on the first section of the bike. Drink and eat to get ready for a long day. I stuck to that plan like clock work. Remember, I was starting with a shortage due to the throwing up earlier. Well, it would eventually catch up with me but not because I was blowing the bike up. I did the race in 2010 and did blow up the bike. I swore that wouldn't happen again and it didn't. My coach and I planned to maintain a HR below 150 average, understanding that it would spike on the larger hills and that I was to do the best that I could to control thesee spikes. I set my watch up to show HR in the large sreen and average pace in the smaller one just for information purposes, also total mileage in a smaller window. I focused on the HR all day. I think, can't prove it because I didn't save the workout correctly, but I think my HR only got above 160 on 5 different hills! My average HR for the whole bike ride was 138. No one can say I blew up opn the bike! You can say I suck at riding a bike, you can say dang man you are slow, but you can't say I didn't follow my plan on the HR. Nutrition on the bike went well. I had watched several Endurance Nation videos on You tube and formulated a plan. I covered this plan with my coach to make sure he was ok with it and away I went. The Endurance team nailed the nutrition and bike plan, based on my previous race in Louisville, and I felt like it would work great. I would drink like crazy out of the water, 3 full bottles, until the first aid station, use what I had left to wet myself down and replace the bottles with 3 new bottles. I also use a speedfill on the bike so I would top of the speedfill prior to entering the aid station. I follow this the entire bike course. Used gel and sport beans for calories. One gel every 25 minutes and fill in between with the sport beans for an hourly intake of around 300 to 325 calories, also one salt stick every hour. Based on all of my rides on the course, (this would be my 4th), I expected the final 33 miles back into town to be fast and mostly flat to downhill,with a tailwind. I would maintain my average pace around 17.5 all day and pick it up a little on the last 30 miles to increase my overall average to around 18.5. Enter the wall! the last 30 miles was into a dead straight head wind. No tailwind at any point. I think the head wind was around 40 mph? Don't quote me on that, but it was close. Watched my average pace steady drop by hundreths of a mph for the next 1.5 to 2 hours, very disheartening. Still I didn't freak out and over do it on the bike, maintained my HR in the zone and cranked forward. At mile 90, the deficit in calories caught up with me (I guess). My right hamstring locked up in a massive cramp. Was able to stop without crashing, stretch it out and proceed with caution, making sure not to stress it to much and cause another cramp. Before the end of the bike, my quads on the right side were starting to cramp as well. This is when my mind started working on me. I had a pie in the sky goal of 13 hours, I realized following the cramps that that wasn't going to happen. As I already said, I have already done this distance and didn't have anything to prove to anyone so I wanted to stop. Of course I still had to get back to Louisville so
I kept spinning. When we turned on river road, had about 10 miles left, I went ahead and took my feet out of my shoes in order to allow my feet to dry and toughen back up before exiting the bike leg.

Don't throw up at 3:30

Decided to walk the transition since I was sure my wife and family would understand and allow me to quit. Just didn't rush and get out of shape.

Rush since my family wouldn't let me quit and I would have been under 14:30:00 for the race!

I suck! Could just leave it at that, but you want more right?
I had a plan of running to each aid station, getting nutrition and walking 1 minute to consume. So much for that!

After the bike, after transition, I found my family. Told my wife, I had nothing to prove and didn't want to continue, just wasn't important enough to me. Already had the tattoo! If I couldn't hit my goal of sub 13, I wasn't interested. Thats the only reason I was doing this again. I expected her to say it was ok and that we could just cheer on Michael and Rhonda the rest of the day. She said "you can't quit", that was seconded by my adult children as well. Guess I should have left them all at home, then I could have done whatever I wanted. I agreed to keep moving forward for a little while longer and see what happened. I asked my son to find me a ice cold coke so I could see if that would help. It didn't. Still
I kept moving. Would run a little , then walk a little, trying to maintain some sort of pattern. Not sure waht that pattern was but I was maintaining it! Keith, my son, calculated what I would have to run to be sub 13, and It was still doable at this point, theoretically, but not practically. I told him it wasn't going to happen, but still I kept going. He followed along for about 3 miles when I finally told him, either he stopped and waited for me right where we were, or I was going to sit down and not move another inch. For those that read my race report from 2010, you will understand. That year. he did the last 13 miles at my side and made me the proudest father in the world. Even took off his socks and gave them to me and never said a word about the blisters forming on his feet! If you have time, go back and read it. Any how, I didn't want that to happen again and I put my foot down. I made it out to the turn and back and there he was waiting for me, along with my wife, daughter and grandson, in order to give me whatever I needed. I told him I was ok and was going to stop at special needs and change socks and shoes. Had a hotspot forming on both feed and didn't want to go through the blisters again like in 2010. Guy at the special needs are asked If I was ok, when I proceeded to gripe about feeling like crap and not wanting to be there. I turned to look at him and realized he was in a wheelchair and would probably give anything to be able to do what I was doing. I can't tell you how small I felt. Shame on me! God blessed me to be able to do this and I was complaining? What a tool I am. Got up and thanked him and started moving again. At about mile 16, I just started walking again, content to just finish in whatever time I could. At the final turn, my family was sitting there waiting for me so they could encourage me again. Asked Keith if I could be under 14 hours, he said no, asked if I could beat my previous time, he calculated it and said, no problem. Well I got stupid and asked what it would take to be under 14:30, he calculated it, gave me the time I needed to run the rest of the leg in. I programmed it into my watch and said " I think I can do that", turned and headed out. After about 100 yards or so, I heard someone beside me. "Dad, can I run with you" It was my daughter. The last 6 miles of my run were the fastest of the day because I was enjoying my daughter's company so much! We talked about her upcoming Sprint tri in October, her first. Even talked about her doing an ironman one day. It was great! God truly has blessed me! They got me though to the end, I made myself stop and walk the last several hundred yards in order to enjoy every minute of the moment. I can't even remember crossing in my first ironman and that wasn't going to happen this time. I smiled, high fived and talked to anyone that would speak as I walked down that shoot and I didn't need Mike Rielly to say a word, he can stay in Cananda! I am a 2 time ironman finisher and there ain't many people in the world that can say that! As far as run nutrition, whatever!

No Idea

Being sick that morning I believe


Volunteers were great. Race is great, Krazy Tall Chick and her husband were great, Michael Draughn and his family were great, Rhonda Howard and her family were great, the town was great, Leana, what can I say, wish I had bought you before your husband did, you were great. My family was is and always will be great, especially my wife. She has put up with this crap for 3.5 years and never complained. Now its her time!
Above all, my God is great. I am 50 and able to do this because He choose to allow me to. I prayed that Michael and I would be able to be a blessing to someone during the race but it is very clear, I was blessed for 14:34:43, by all of the people He put in my path.

Thanks James Daniel for being my coach this year and putting up with it all!