Well, first I was shocked by my time.. I seeded myself a far amt to the outside about 2 rows back. I figured i could get some good open water space and just swim a straight line to the most distant bouuy (about 900 meters out).. Well, the first 200 went great..adrenaline and all...and then from everywhere i started to get run over...from the left, the right, behind. At this point i realized i made a mistake. Usually in most tri's im out in front pretty good. Here, i now know its a different story. Stayed calm the whole time...kicking, jostling doesnt bother me...Water polo background comes in handy. Worked my way further outside and realized EVERYONE that lined up outside was working their way in..quickly..Shortest distance, straight line theory never quite registered i guess. Anyways, found some space pretty quick and started to swim.. Now a couple of things...they said that you could swim inside the marking buoys out on the course but had to swim on the outside of the most distant big buouys. I think a lot of people did this because by the end of the first length, i stayed a comfortable distance i thought from the bouy but seemed VERY far away from the majority of swimmers. I think a lot were really inside and i think a lot cut inside the edge buouys but whatever. I probably swam an extra 100 yards or so overall but the work was way less. Was a little tired by the last length and just tried to keep a rhythm. No calf cramps which has been an on/off issue. When i got to shore saw the time and felt pretty goood..Thought it was actually quite a bit slower. Wet suit stripper almost took my left ankle off..suit got stuck but an interesting experience none the less and then a wonderful jog up the helix.

Find a different starting spot.

The guys do a great job. You run into a ballroom, yell your number, they get you your bag. Run into the changing room. Someone unpacks it. I first got my jammers off, and switched into biking shorts with the largest padding i could find this summer. Dried off. Put on socks/shoes..Started to take a bottle of 320 cal infinit. Was only going to do 1/2 but it tasted good...Applied a fair amount of chamois butter. Gloves, helmet, glasses...good to go. Finished off the infinit (smart choice). Got slathered with sunscreen. Got into the port-a-let and off to the bike.

nothing..Slow time but im a slow guy

OUCH! So the plan was keep it mid-upper Z2 for the ride. Decided on garmin for HR despite being able to do it on the powertap computer..This was fortuitous since i realized in the first few minutes...the power tap was on the fritz...speed was intermittent..cadence intermittent. Not sure if battery not right or what..but it didnt matter. Had the garmin. Now..I knew id be slow...But literally i was being passed like i was standing still. HR was in the 140s, and on the way out, going at an 18-19 mph clip...New id should slow down but waiting to see what hr would do. I kept telling my self to back off..but literally it was like I was one of those cars going 45 on the highway while everyone is buzzing by...it almost didnt seem safe. A little over an hour, my stiffness on the bike was gone, HR was around 135, pace around 17 mph, and i met about 500 new people by seeing their name and bib number on their backside. Hills and rollers, i spinned and stayed in the seat (initiallly). Took water for 20 minutes but felt better about the Gel i had before the swim and the 320 calories in T1 so pressure to make up a huge calorie deficit was off. Had a gel flask with about 5 Gu's and a Bento box with another 7 shoved in there. After the second hit from the gel flask within the first hr (giving me 520 cal in 1 hr) The flask popped out..No big deal, had the bento box. Will have to check average speep for first hour or so but think around 18mph. Switched to infinit (640 cal bottle) 1/6 of it every 15 minutes and a gel on the hr...giving me 420 calories an hr. At about 2:30 mark, i realized no IT or gluteus issues on the bike. I was ecstatic!! I thought this was going to do me in on the bike. I spoke to soon. Hadnt hit the hills yets.. After Old Sauk road..which the fans there are just incredible....They make it like the alp-duez. They really will you over that last hill. Anyways i felt a twinge and thought here we go. But really over the next 20 miles it went away. I stayed out of the aero position and dialed down the intensity and it did not act up again. At the half way point i realized it was going to be a long ride..I new i was burning myself out. Thank goodness it wasnt that hot and it became overcast and a little cool out there, otherwise i think i was in big trouble. At special needs applied more chamois butter, and got another bottle of infinit Peed at the next station, clear so hydration ok. Second loop, a little different. Harder to push the big gears, in the small chain ring a lot. The gust had picked up and the out to MT Horeb and Bourbon was a little bit of a grind. I will say my bike flies downhill. I would pass a slew of people (only to then be passed right back when actually effort instead of gravity was involved). After the second time in verona, saw beck and the kids with Peter. It gave me some energy for the next 5 miles of so. By now, Gu was intolerable and i had been getting side stiches right after taking in anything and felt a little bloated. I new nutrition was going to be in issue on the run and i need calories. I stopped the gu, stayed with the infnint but stopped at about the 6hr mark and would just taked sips every now and then. Also, my right knee started to hurt...actually very tender to the touch right on the patella. This has not happened before and was worried about it for the run. FINALLY, pulled back into Madison..got tortured by one more climb up that helix and finally off the BIKE..112 miles DONE...First century...done....Mental note to self...if I ever do this again....I need to get at least a few 100 miles rides in before hand..

I dont know, my pace ended up being real slow which is where it belongs at this point in my Tri training. I probably should have gone slower and then could have gone faster the second lap. Bottom line, its in the books

they grabbed the bike and i walked to transition. The changing room looked like a war zone..People sitting on chairs not moving, people lying on ther back, stretching, not moving, Stuff strewn all over the place. Was not so lucky getting someone to help with my bag. No big deal. Ditched my shorts, changed into new pair on tri shorts..very comfy from 2xu. Touched my knee...uh oh...ouch..Went to grab my motrin...NO MOTRIN! This meant it was in special needs...13 miles away and i dont know how many hrs till i get it..This was not good. There was a table full of various things in the corner...no motrin. Started asking around..One guy gave me two of his....About another 400 mg id say were talking but it was nice of the guy and i took it. Running shoes on, put on a running shirt and ditched the tri/bike top. Started to leave when i realized i had my biking gloves on...Went back to find my back...in a pile of other. Took a minute to find it...no big deal. Hit the porta potty again...And off i went.

pack motrin, take off gloves.. I could have moved quicker but i was kind of spent.

Did not know what to expect..Having never run more than 15 miles in the apst, much less a full marathon after a 112 on the bike..needeless to say..new territory for me here. First things was to check out the knee...Felt ok at first...Then the foot which had been in an immobilizer for a week 2 wks ago. Its was a little achy...this was not so good. Out i went, Garmin waw reading hr in the 130's and pace 8-9 pace. As i wound my way around the capitol, saw/met the famous Trixie...I dont think she had approriate press credentials for BT but anyways, saw my parents, the kids and out I went. Now, this was going to be my secret weapon on the run.. I know Madison. I lived here for 4 yrs...I had been everywhere and this was going to be like going down memory lane. This was going to get me thru things. The PLAN...Throw HR out the door. Run @ RPE 12-15, and WALK every aid station. Start 50 yrd before, get water, gel every 30 minutes, walk past 50 yards and START RUNNING Again.. This plan for the most part... Worked like a charm. Right away the foot and knee where getting to be a problem. After every stop though the pain improved and this was good. Things started out good. Decent pace first 6 miles. I stuck mostly with water and couldnt even think of gels. Had coke, but it wasnt flat..too bubbly so tried a few pretzels figuring their carbs right? I walked the hills, sufferred the downhills with my knee. The foot settled but the knee was getting worse and worse. After the first 13 miles which was at a pace that shocked me. And this was despite walk breaks of at least a minute every mile or so...or maybe its because of them. I think its faster than my run split in last years 1/2 HIM. Saw my family at the capitol and FINALLY Got to my special needs bag and immediatly popped 800 mg of motrin. As soon as i got away from the throngs of people at the capitol and state street...started to feel a little woozy..MY thinking was not too clear. All along the way, i was able to keep a running dialogue with myself. Keeping a sense of how i was doing. I figured that i needed sugar..I needed it fast..those carbs in the pretzels were not digesting quickly enough. I had 4 gu's in my pocket, but couldt take the thought of choking them down. They were my last reserve. I decided id take the coke...Then i saw them ORANGES...You give OJ to diabetics with low blood sugar right...it must work pretty quick...right...wait..im a doctor..I know it works pretty quick. I took 2 slices and 1/3 cup of coke. I walked a long time to make sure the acid/carbonation didnt slosh around too much. It handled it well. The next 2 aid station i did this..2 slices of orange some coke...and after about 30 minutes or so i was back in the game..And the motrin had kicked in...The knee felt much better. Hills were still a bitch which i walked, but at this point i knew id finish. Funny things...as im coming down the side of Bascom hill, someone yells Jeremy. It looks like a student. Its actually the physical therapist i worked with for months with my piriformis issue. He has since moved to kansas but was there to cheer on a friend. He ran with me a little bit.. Thanked him for all the help he gave me along with his flexible scheduling. Didnt go into the littany of injuries since he left. Anyways...miles 20-22 felt pretty good. Then i looked..If I hustled..i could break a 5 hr marathon...on the other hand i was spent. I was pretty sure i was living aid station to aid station for glucose and sdidnt want to screw this up. Also, the run around the concourse aorund the capitol is uphill and i wanted to run this one in...So...I took it a little easy. I thought it was just a little ez. but a 20 minute mile 25? oops. Anyways, ran it home.. I thought i might break 14 hrs but didnt realize i was that under.

Take in sugar/calories from the get go. Love the oranges

got "caught" at the finish. They wanted to shuffle me to pics, but i wanted the picture to be with the kids. New rule this year, only one kid to run thru with you. I decided to avoid the whole controvery and have no one and just get pics with the kids...which is what they suggested at the banquet. Well, they wouldnt let the kids in..Despite the fact that there were a ton of kids getting pics with their parent because they ran thru and disregarded the rule...My guess NA sports is going to ban this whole thing. Anyways, i told the staff i didnt care. Then some yahoo in street clothes wearing an IM finisher shirt from years past starts telling me...no kids, the photographer's are getting back up from all the "extra picks". I said first of all, i didnt take a picture yet. I only want one with my kids.. Second, this was what they told us to do at the banquet/dinner. Dont have the kids run thru..get a finshers picture with them. Last, I told him to mind his f-cking business. Bottom line i took my kids in, got a pic with them, downed a ton of soup broth, grapped a sub and some pizza slices....soon to be followed by 2 gyros.. So the bottom line was i got into an arguement for a cool down.


Training time, time on the bike, injuries...but its done.


Unbelievable. I dont have another venue to compare, but il echo what everyone else has said. The town/communities is awesome. Both in madison and verona and around..they really go crazy.. The music, the cheering, the volunteers, the lining of old sauk pass, they really help keep the energy there when you think you have no more inside. An amazing life-time event. I will do this again...but not next yr. Promised the family a little more time with them...but there will be another IM in my future.