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 Swim
Comments: With the lemming effect and the cold water effect it was pretty hard to seat yourself at the start, since every waited till the last possible second to jump in. So I had a spot middle back with some clear water, but by the time the gun went off it was packed. I was pretty much where I didn't want to be for the first 50 yards or so getting smashed, kicked, and punched. I found a patch of water I started to get in a rhythm and out of the corner of my eye I see someone standing on the lake wall. Oh sh*t I'm at the edge and the lake cresents out. About a minute later I'm looking at a set of bleachers and about 50 people trying to work there way around them and had nowhere to go and everyone from behind is in the same spot running me over. One I clear than, I decided I had to get agreessive and get out of this mess, so as soon as a gap opened I attached and very aggressively worked my way towards the middle of the lake closer to the bouys. After that I was warmed up and in a good rhythm and got into a nice groove and got my Heart rate back down. I stayed a bit outside of the traffic flow right on the bouy line which gave me plenty of space and gave me plenty of hats to nagivate off. I really felt great and started to enjoy the swim. The sun was coming up but was off to the right so it wasn't in your eyes, the spectators on the Rural Ave bridge were cool. I was right on the bouy at the turns, and stayed in that good rhytm all the way back. After the first quarter mile, no contact what so ever, and I even drafted a bit, though I kept losing it as my partner was zigzagging. Got to the stairs, struggled up that first step and it was done. Great swim PR but over 7 minutes. What would you do differently?: This race it probably would have been better to start closer to the inside (middle of the lake) a bit off the bouys. With over 800 first timers the outside and back was very crowded and the lake ended up pinching that area off. Other than that a full wetsuit would have been nice.  Transition 1
Comments: This was the point I cost myself alot of time and probably my chance to break 13 hours. The transition started well, got up the stair found a wetsuit stripper, they fought with the suit stuck on my heal (but alot less than I would have), then off on the long run around the tent to the bags and into the tent. Got dryed off, changed, got my helmet on, everything was going great, then I realized I didn't have my glasses. I also didn't remember seeing a glasses table. I stuff my suit into the bag and find a volunteer, and they think its outside the tent, then the next two have no idea, I go back through the tent, get sunscreened, then ask some more, no idea. Now I'm freaking out. Finally at the bike corral entrance i find someone who at least know there was one and knew who to ask, we headed towards the swim entrance and she found where it was and even ran round to get them for me. Thank you so much, Mrs Volunteer. But I did waste a ton of time. Then at the mount line the whole line was blocked by bikers who had to mount right there. Finally I got space to go through and up a few yards then get on and clip in. Probably lost 5-6 minutes, but I never saw the eyeglasses table. What would you do differently?: Make sure I know where the table is, or put my glasses in my Bento box  Bike
Comments: Loop #1 I made sure to take Paula Newby-Frazier's advice and make sure it felt too easy for the first loop. I got in about 12th gear and just spun nice and easy. Worked my way turn town,letting the speedsters pass, and starting to go back and forth with a few folks. Hit the Beeline and could just feel a slight cross breeze. This was going to be good. Stayed in the same gear as we started climbing and felt good. Saw a number of flats and got paranoid about getting one (I stink at changing flats). Right at the top of the first loop it gets a bit steeper as you go over one of the canals so I dropped a gear and boom you are at the turn. The decent was great, crank up the gears, get tucked and start cranking. My computer was dead (battery) but I felt like I was flying. At the end of the Beeline I dropped back to 13th gear and tried to keep the effort easy. Tried to drink every 15 min and eat every 30. Did well this lap. Loop #2 Several of the folks I did my back and forths with, I passed for the final time at the beginning of the second loop. I kept going well but noticed the wind had picked up on the stretch past the Arizina Casino. When we hit the Beeline the wind had turned to our face on the ascent. Not bad but made it harder. Finished off my second bottle and grabbed a gatorade on the course. This is where I think I got myself into trouble. Don't know why but I didn't drink much of that bottle. Did the accent in 12th gear, but after about 5 miles my left hamstring started twinging, and then a bit later cramped. Worked that out and dropped to 10th gear, Near the top my right quad decided it was its turn. Again I slowed and massaged and stretched on the bike. At the turn, I grabbed 3 endrolyte tablets. On the way down I got lapped by Chris Leeto who was flying. A couple other pros followed, but just as I veered over to avoid the reflector on the white line, #9 zipps past me brushing my jersey. (Later I found Out the #9 won the race, so I almost took out the race winner). Stopped at special need got two new bottles and immediately started drinking per schedule again. Felt good but the cramps had me worried. Lap #3 Now it was time and I was still in 13th gear and it didn't feel too hard, I was getting passed more frequently, but started a back and forth with a Team Zoot Gu teammate on a P2C with a disc wheel. We leapfrogged each other through out the lap. I'd feel good and pull away, then he'd feel good and come back and pass me and pull away, it went on right till then end of the lap. The wind had shifted an was know in the face for the decent. Did good on the climb and finsihed my 2nd bottle easy on the Beeline. Again I picked up a Gatorade and just didn't drink enough. It didn't help that the bottle was leaking all over me every time I drank but I needed to drink. No cramps till right at the top my left hammy cramped, but I got thru that ok. On the downhill I certainly wan't cranking this loop but I keep a good pace and just rode an easier gear. Very good ride, over 30 minutes faster than my PR at Florida. What would you do differently?: Drink more and take more electrolytes. Did fine when it was my Gu2O but just cut way back when it was a gatorade from the add station. Transition 2
Comments: Another rough transition. Came in feeling OK, got ready to get off my bike and cramp city, then almost took a dive with my bike shoes. The volunteers were told to keep an eye on me as I was very unstable but once I had their help getting the bike shoe off right there I was able to walk to transition and get my bag. Really took my time and changed socks gooped up with body glide on my feet, and put on a long sleeve shirt under my jersey. Visited the porta potty, but overall just felt rotten walking to the run start What would you do differently?: See the bike segment.  Run
Comments: Loop #1 Ok, starting off I just felt rotten, my quads, and hammies were cramping, my stomach just felt bloated, and it was hot. I grabbed sponges at the first aid station and put them behind my neck and dumped water on my head and shirt. I shuffled along best I could till the 2 mile mark when, that Ironman moment happened. That voice inside my head said,"Andy you are hurting, in trouble, and you have 24 miles to go. Do you really have what it takes today" You have to understand that there is no wrong answer at this point. I had nothing to prove, I was a two time Ironman and I was suffering. But the answer my heart gave was,"You are not a quiter!! Walk if you have to but let's see if we can't find a way to right this ship." So it was now full damage control mode, do what you can do, till we can plug these leaks. For starters that meant having to do something I have never done in an Ironman, walk. I walked from mile 2 thru mile 4 and then walk/jogged my way from aid station to aid station. I started trying prezels and oranges, drinking water and gatorade, and kept doing the sponges, finally I started grapes and cola and it started to help. I got around to the hill and was walking up it when I passed another person suffering. As misery loves company, I stuck up a conversation as we trugged up the hill, she was a PA with the military and barely got out to the race due to exams, but she hurt her hip. We talked a bit, and at the top of the hill the photgrapher was taking picture so she thought we should try and jog. We did and kept it up to the next aid station and got going again, Unfortunately she had to stop but I was feeling better so I trudged on. Survived loop #1 Loop #2 I continued on with the run walk the hills were my quads cramped, and walk the aid stations, but I was finally running more than I was walking. The sun started to go down and it was getting cooler, so than helped too. I started with the chicken both, coke, and grapes. Wasn't going fast but I was going. Walked the hill again but got going and felt good the rest of the loop. Lapped the 76 year old guy, who was doing his third IM this year after open heart surgury in January(he finsihed in just over 16 hrs). The sun went down at about 13 miles and I watched the buildings around the lake light up and observed Venus and Jupitor in the sky. The holes were plugged and I started getting the looking strong comments. Lap #3 This is where the magic began. Our hero had hit rock bottom due to his own actions, but had refused to give up and pulled himself thru the depth to this moment. Now it was time to shine. At the start of the lap I was actually running freely for the first time, from aid station to aid station. I was behind a 37 year old CEO in the CEO challenge who was asked about the time, and the guy he was talking to said 6:30 I guess sub 13 hours is out of the question. I started doing the math in my head. About 8.7 miles and 90 minutes, humm. I folloed the CEO for the next mile, then passed him just after the Priest Street bridge. I was still walking the aid stations to make sure I got evey thing down, but I was actually running a fairly decnent clip between aid stations. I walked the hill up to the Mill Street bridege then said, thats it you are running the rest of the way (except aid stations) and then it was on. Looking at the splits the last 5.9 miles I actually picked up the pace by over 2:30 min/mile (still walking the aid stations) and I ran up that friggin hill and hammered my way home. "Where does the strength come from to see the race to its end? From within"- Charots of Fire All along the last loop everyone was commenting that I was looking strong, and those comments got louder as I crossed the bridge and was in that last 2 K to the finish. I pulled off my glow stick and hit a running 6 footer in the trash can and got a cheer. Now it was the last half mile and I was cooking. I had no right to be feeling this good especially considering where I was just 3-4 hours earlier, I passed several folks coming back to transition and then the crowds got heavy and the emotion starts to build. I am trucking to the arrow that says "Finish", then its up thru the parking lot to Ash. A lady says, "You got it - 13 hours" (I thought that meant I had a shot at 13 still). Another guy challenged me to catch the guy 10 yards in front of me. I took the challenge and caught him as we turned for home. Now I felt obligated to push it down the last stretch to open some space so he would get a good picture. The crowd was going nuts and then I hear Mike Riley's voice and my hand go up in the air and I crossed the line. "Andy Rosebrook-Royersford PA. YOU are an Ironman" On a day where I PRed the Swim, Bike, and Overall, my proudest accomplishment will be what happenned out there during a 5:21:24 marathon. It was my slowest marathon ever, but it was the single hardest and most triumpant challenge of my triathlon life. "Never Give Up" -Jimmy Valvano What would you do differently?: Nothing Post race
Warm down: I felt amazing afterwards. I got my picture(No backdrop which was strange), got my medal, T-shirt and hat. Then I got some post race food, (had a fry go down the wrong tube), then got my dry clothes and got changed, got my bags and bike and dropped my bike off with Tri bike transport across from transition. (Really great service and it elimianted a ton of hassles, good price too). Then drove home got a Mint Oreo Milkshake, and took a shower/bath. Then watched the last 75 minutes of coverage on Ironman.com and check out the BT viewing thread. What limited your ability to perform faster: Got behind on my nutrition/hydration on the bike and paid for it. Event comments: THis was a top notch event. They actually had too many volunteers over 3500 and had to turn some away. The community fully supported the race and the extras (Welcome and award banquets) we well done. The expo was a bit sparse but I rarely spend much time at the expo. We actually got Mike RIley to lose his voice by the awards banquet, Last updated: 2008-02-15 12:00 AM
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United States
NA Sports
76F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1266/2189
Age Group = M35-339
Age Group Rank = 230/369
An Ironman is about the journey not so much the destination. Each time you accept the journey, a brand new adventure unfolds. We are so very fortunate to be able to go along for the ride.
The fall Ironman AZ was quite a journey. It was a story. It had the stars (Tammy and myself), it had a great supporting cast (My boys, my friend at work, you all at BT, the race support, the volunteers, and everyone I spent 13 hours with shoulder to shoulder on the course). Like any good story, it had a beginning, I got locked out of IMLP because my boss came in for a chat during the 9 minutes it took to close out, and I also missed out on IMFL due to personal indecision. Just when it looked bleak, I got an email from NA Sports saying they were moving IMAZ to the fall and would be offering 2 races in 2008. And the journey begins.
I had a great start to the year, I got into the Boston Marathon in April, and set a HIM PR two weeks later at the NJ Devilman. But then the drama began. First wasn't a big deal, Tammy started teaching Tai Chi classes on Saturdays so my racing schedule was trimmed dramatically, then I got a promotion at work, with a catch, I had to spend most of the summer living out of a hotel in Wilkes Barre. But a dealt with it, bringing my bike trainer to the hotel, and even running daily at lunch inside the fence at the plant (met several triathetes up there as well). I did the IMRI 70.3, which went OK, then the real drama begins. For the first time in since I was in 9th grade I had an overuse injury pop up. A lingering pain in my right glute/upper quad/hip. I lost a month of running in August except for the Timberman 70.3 which I did anyway. At the Timerman I got an Alignment check done on my leg and got some align system insoles. Wearing those daily and slowly working the running back in, it got better, although I could still feel it till early November. But as a result, I didn't do any runs greater than the 13.1 miles in my 3 HIMs (and the marathon in April).
I flew down to AZ on Wednesday (it was snowing on Tuesday in Philly), did the pre race stuff on Thursday (checking in, etc). Met Andy Potts who was giving OWS advice at the Gatorade swim on Thrusday morning. I didn't even know I was talking to an Oympian and 70.3 World Champion until they annouced it, very cool guy. Did the swim on Friday , Man that water was cold, and the welcome banquet. Met Two Cougz (Kyle) who ended up sitting next to me, and a 60 year old woman from Toroto who was doing her first Ironman, and she ended up finishing second in her age group, and went sub 13. Picked up my bike on Saturday from Tribike Transport and wheeled it across to transition, dropped my bags and spent the rest of the day plopped on the bed watching college football before going to bed at 9:00.
Got up at 4:15, Grabbed my special needs bags, and head to the US Airways parking Garage, ate a couple apples and a bagel and drank a green tea. Headed to transition and got body marked and hit the porta potty and looked at my watch and it was 5:15, just found a place to sit a relax for the next hour, got on my wetsuit, dropped my dry clothes bag off, found the prescription glasses table and dropped my glasses off, then waited for them to hurd the pros thru and to the dock where you jump in ans swim about 100 yards to the start, then they hurded the rest of us in and told us to hop in. The pros went off at 6:50 and at 6:53, I braced for the cold and jumped in. A quick swim to the start to get some heat going then float for the national anthem, and it was show time!