Ironman Texas (Page 104)

I gotta say I definately had a great time.  The cloud cover was great on the bike, but the heat on the run came down with the thunder!  Hip flexor started bother me about mile 26ish on the bike, so I backed off my pace.   Made for a longer than expected ride in the saddle; but made me look more forward to getting off it and start running.

Congrats to all!  Also, the vounteers were just AWESOME!!  You support and words of encouragement helped out tremendously.

I would love to do this one again next year injury free; but I would rather stay happily married throughout the end of this year, and participate with the kids more on the weekends ;-)

Definatley will do another full though.

Swim pace was off goal by 10 minutes - spent the first 15 min battling for position (1:30 vs 1:40)

Bike pace was on.

At mile 4 of the run Hamstrings siezed up, about 3:30pm.  Made for a painful walk/shuffle the last 22 miles.  Man I was ready to cry that last lap. 

90 minutes off goal but I finished and that is all that counts!  And as a sweet bonus I power puked 5 times after I got my medal and got to spend hour getting IVs and massages in medical, came out with time to spare to watch the last finishers coming in and feeling much better.  Hats off to my wife and kids for taking care of me all night and letting me recover with a nap all day today, Sunday.

that was me.  you ok? 

on the bike when we got stopped for 4-5 minutes at 1488, mile ~15? maybe 8:20

on the bike at mile 65 when i blew a spoke.  made it to mile 70 at about 14mph then the wheel finally locked up.  but then my potty dance was in full effect after standing in a mound of fire ants while trying to somehow rig the wheel to get me going again.  no idea on the time

mile .25 on the run... ahhhh F it.  no use in crying.  i learned a lot and will move forward. 

you ask some pretty specific questions.  what gives? 

This.  Nette and I are making this an annual tradition. 

It seemed pretty clear she was better trained for our event than I was.  While Nette was actually a functioning volunteer during the entire time the RWB Aid Station was operational, for the last hour I had to content myself with staying seated and clapping feebly.  Or perhaps I went out too fast, or maybe the 10 hours of driving the day before had done me in.  There were also some dehydration issues, and chafing. 

That's just volunteering... God help those of you who actually RACE iron distance!  Great job, all.

Fattyfatfat:  Yes, Comet is fine - thanks for the message you left with Brittany.  Sounds like you were having a rough time out there yourself.  I'm grateful you had the presence of mind to think of someone else's needs even then; thank you.

KEJ - 2011-05-23 7:17 AM Congrats to everyone! Just home now, gonna take the day off. I'm pretty tired too Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!

Keith, great job this weekend!  This was the first time I was a spectactor at an IM and I was extremely impressed at how well run it was.  Congrats on the inagural IMTX!

smilford - 2011-05-23 8:12 AM Spectating an ironman is hardwork! I'm still sore! I hula'd my butt off... Sorry for anyone who didn't need to see a guy in a speedo, and a grass skirt at that point in their race. I had a blast though!

Thanks for being out there - you all deserve a medal also!  On my death march I was simply putting one foot in front of the other from aid station to aid station just to see you all and get the encouragement I desperately needed.  Hardest part was on that last lap in the dark, in the woods gettng to the Team RWB aid station - I was so happy to get there.  Man I thought that trail of glow sticks would never end!

Congrats to everyone who raced on Saturday!  You guys ROCK! 

I was at aide station #9 (near T1 across from the HEB) and had a blast there!  This is the 1st time I've seen an IM and I was so impressed with all you amazing athletes.  I was there early in the day when the pros were running by, then back again for the last shift.  I was amazed at how many athletes took the time to thank us - it was 11 pm and I know everyone had to be exhausted!  And, I finished my shift in time to catch the final 30 minutes of finishers, which was so inspiring!

I will be back next year as a volunteer and can't wait!  Congrats again!!!

I worked the RWB station (second shift)...here are the most memorable comments or things I saw:

1.  When holding out a cup of Perform, a racer walked up to me with pensive look.  I asked her if she wanted some Perform...she hesitated, looked out into the distance and said "At this point, I really don't know what I want anymore...."

2.  Speaking of Perform, about 8 out of every 10 racers were definitely more interested in water than the energy drink...every once in a while, a runner would reach out for the drink, realize it was Perform, and jump back like I was handing them anthrax! ...one racer looked at me and said "looks like you can't give that stuff away"...my sense was that, by that time in the race, most people had saturated themselves with gels, energy drinks and other sugar fuels....and pure H20 was king.

3. My favorite sign of the day was one that read "Chuck Norris never did an Ironman"..

4.  While I was calling out "Perform!", one guy looked at us smiling and screamed "Peform!?!  Can't you see I'm trying to?!?  Isn't running an ironman enough for you?" 

5.  While almost all racers were appreciative of the volunteers, I was really struck by how unbelievably thankful some of the racers were....I got the sense that some racers couldn't understand why anyone would want to be out there all day trying to help them...it was really very touching....kept wanting to remind them that they had the tougher end of the bargain!

6. I think that, before anyone races an Ironman, they should be required to work an aid station....I am running my first Ironman later this year, and this 4-5 hour experience at the station was a greater lesson than all of my training sessions combined...just seeing the same runners come by three times...and the incredible change in emotions throughout the day....it really hit home how imperative it is to pace the bike ride because 26.2 miles of road are merciless under any situation, let alone the tough conditions the racers faced on Saturday. 

7.  The RWB team is truly one of a kind....I feel honored to have worked with them.   If only an ounce of their passion, work ethic and patriotism rubbed off on me this weekend, I'm a helluva a lot better guy now.  Thanks you guys for setting such a high bar in how you approach life...it gives the rest of us the inspiration to follow your lead and believe in something greater than ourselves....

smilford - 2011-05-23 8:12 AM Spectating an ironman is hardwork! I'm still sore! I hula'd my butt off... Sorry for anyone who didn't need to see a guy in a speedo, and a grass skirt at that point in their race. I had a blast though!

HA!  You were awesome dude!  You made me laugh and that was needed!  Thanks for being there!

You guys were awesome out there, even when I was hurting my 3rd loop I was looking forward to passing by. The energy was great thanks for coming out!

smilford - 2011-05-23 8:12 AM Spectating an ironman is hardwork! I'm still sore! I hula'd my butt off... Sorry for anyone who didn't need to see a guy in a speedo, and a grass skirt at that point in their race. I had a blast though!

smilford - 2011-05-23 8:12 AM Spectating an ironman is hardwork! I'm still sore! I hula'd my butt off... Sorry for anyone who didn't need to see a guy in a speedo, and a grass skirt at that point in their race. I had a blast though!

That was you in the hula outfit? Hilarious stuff, and I needed anything to make me smile that I could...

Here's my short version of the day:

Swim: Didn't like it much, I have to say. Especially when I got into the canal. All that churn bouncing off the concrete walls on the side seemed to turn the canal into a washing machine...  Ended up about 10 minutes or so slower than I hoped for, but such is an Ironman.

Bike: Bike went great, especially with the cloud cover and that light misty rain. Sun came out for me towards the end, which made that last hour just a slight bit tougher. Kept the pace and HR that I wanted, cause I had a good idea of what was coming next.

Run: Ouch. Just really really hot and humid (surprise!). I tried to hydrate and cool at each aid station and just keep a semi-decent run pace and avoid walking. Last loop it took all I had not to walk (although I did visit the side of the run course to empty my stomach around mile 22...).

Thanks to all of you that volunteered and/or cheered us on!!!

JD

The volunteers ROCKED !! Thanks so much for being out there for us !  Really, the smiles, concern and encouragement were fuel, for the mental tank, to get around the course !

I finished! Running (my version of it, at least) aid station to aid station for the last 2 1/2 laps...  I want to say thanks to Herron (from DC) on lap 2 and Big John (from Spring) on lap 3 for dragging me around he course w/ them...  It was awesome to have someone to share the journey w/...

smilford - 2011-05-23 8:12 AM Spectating an ironman is hardwork! I'm still sore! I hula'd my butt off... Sorry for anyone who didn't need to see a guy in a speedo, and a grass skirt at that point in their race. I had a blast though!

Glad you had the grass skirt on.  Thanks for the encouragement, by the third lap I really needed it.

Steve,

Thanks for being out there. You're right. The speedo and the skirt were kind of a shock to the senses. You had me smiling for another two miles after I saw you.

Didn't see you on the third lap. I guess you were off signing up for 2012?  ;>

Mike

Its funny, during the run and after, I was like "NEVER AGAIN" and now I'm forgetting the bad and remembering the good.  I'm sure my husband will be more than happy to remind me.

Swim was insane but also you had to laugh at the craziness.  I had a hard time not getting freaked out though - I've NEVER had the sensation of people literally pushing me down and trying to swim over me, not to mention over and over again.  No bruises and I did not get kicked in the face, so that's all good.  Even got some clear water on the swim north from the turn around in the canal.  I hit my goal time, so go me!  (I'm a swimmer and I get REALLY crabby when I don't swim well).

Bike was really good.  Held my HR zone and just enjoyed the ride.  I got stopped twice - once at 1488 (the guy said "traffic has been waiting for 20 min, we'll make sure they adjust your time"  BS, and the more we had to wait, the more angry our mob of bikers got - it was SCARY).  Second time was coming back crossing 105, although they only made us wait a minute or so (versus 3.5 at 1488).  I came in 10 min faster than predicted, so again, very happy.

Run was going to be the thing that got me - I knew that.  Being that it snowed a week ago and they de-iced our plane on Thurs flying here, I had no heat tolerance.  The promise that I made to myself was that walking was ok, puking, being dehydrated, and needing medical help was NOT ok.  Coming off the bike, my legs felt GREAT.  I ran a half mile and then my stomach was unhappy.  I tried doing a run walk thing as I felt I could for the first loop (which was ok) and part of the second loop. I'd just run until the stomach cramping started up.  I just couldn't drink my Infinit, and at the start of the second loop, I started to get really dizzy and out of it.  That's when I realized I was doing a whole bunch of walking.  I started taking Coke at every aid station but it took a full hour before I perked up again.  By that point I had a monster blister on the ball of my foot and doing the run/walk thing was actually slower than just walking.  Its funny, walking a marathon doesn't sound all that hard, but it was HARD.  Probably harder than running.  Second loop was really horrible (I was CRABBY) but by the third loop, I just told myself that I only had 2.5 hrs left, which is NOTHING compared to all my training and that day.  Finished with a smile on my face and no medical tent. 

Looking back, I feel like maybe I should have pushed more.  Kinda like "all my friends ended up pushing and puking, maybe I should have too".  Which is dumb dumb dumb.  Once I start puking I don't stop, so my decision to slow it down was probably a really good one.  Just bummed because my legs felt good but my stomach was not.  Still, I'm an Ironman now

Also: I think I've eaten about 2 lbs of bacon since yesterday morning.  Its awesome.

 we had the same experiance at aid station #5.  nobody wanted the perform.  COLA on the other hand....it was like liquified crack and people just couldn't get it in their mouths fast enough.  they would call out from 50ft before the aid station, "COLA....COLA!!" with the most intent look on thier face.  some of them just threw it in their face like water hoping to get a little in their mouth and then they'd chase it with a water in the face.  crazy, but hey...you gotta do what you gotta do i guess.

congrats again to everyone who finished!!  can't wait to see it again next year!