Ironman #11 – It’s going to be a hot one …

First of all, I’d like to dedicate Ironman #11 to Dr. John Watt for his contributions to science, so I could survive a hot day in Boulder County and see the finish line before the 17-hour mark.

After a disappointing day in New Zealand this March, Paul (my coach) started the guinea pig program with me – a combination of Russian Sprints and Leg Presses became my new friends and with all the other workouts caused a nice bump in my fitness. With two weeks of no travel before race day, I felt “fit and fresh” heading into race weekend. 

Race weekend in Boulder is always special, as I get to see friends all over town that are racing, cheering and volunteering. I also was asked by Ironman’s Dave Christen if I could speak on the “40 Years of Dreams” Panel celebrating 40 years of Ironman – even though I have not raced the World Championships in Kona yet, they wanted the perspective of a “dreamer”, who is chasing his dream via a Legacy Slot – a program established in honor of John Collins, who “invented” this crazy Ironman 40 years ago on the shores of Oahu. At that time, everyone could toe the start line and the person that finished first was an “Ironman” – to continue that side of Ironman the Legacy Program has been established to give everybody a chance to toe that magical line. 

Sunday morning was warm, but nowhere close to the heat that would arrive over the next hours. After some last good byes and a good luck kiss from Esra, I felt good heading into the water for what was going to be a long day in the office and chase that Legacy dream. 

Swim / 2.4 miles / 1:20:33 / 2:05 (100m)  – not my fastest swim, but I felt calm and relaxed, sighting of the buoys and swimming a relatively straight line. As I got closer to the boat ramp, I started to prepare for the exit, as last year I severely cramped on the ramp and was flopping in the water for more than 5 minutes. I saw the guy next to me stand up and could see the concrete of the exit ramp, so I figured I would stand up, too. Well, the guy must have been quite a bit  taller than me, as I barely was able to breathe above the water line – but no cramps – yay me. 

T1 / 13:11 – moved through transition and changed into “proper” bike gear. Before the race I decided I wanted to be comfortable on a hot day, so instead of my tri suit, I packed a Bib Short / Bike Jersey and for later my Run Shorts / T-Shirt. 

Bike / 112 miles / 7:13:03 / 15.52 mph – as predicted it got hot – 95F / 35C in the shade made this bike ride not about speed, but about “keeping a cool head” / body and trying to get to the run in as good of a shape as possible. 

My plan was to stop at every aid station and apply the scientific principles by Dr. John Watt – more commonly known as Evaporative Air Conditioning – dousing my body and head in cold water, which in turn would keep my body cool while riding. Generally, it worked well, but after a few minutes my clothes were dry again.  Around mid-day, a nice wind joined the party – unfortunately for those of us still on the course, it was a headwind on the uphill sections, which is never really welcome. All in all, I made it to the bike to run transition in good spirits to change and start the run. 

T2 / 19:44 – changing again from a biker to a runner took some extra time, but in retrospect it was worth it. 

Run / 26.2 miles / 7:44:11 / 17:43 (mile) – I was actually looking forward to the run to test my theory that I could push my “mental block” aside and really open with a strong run. Thinking about the day, I think I actually did that – even though the final time does not reflect that. I was able to run in a controlled fashion when the course allowed for it (mainly the shaded areas) and recover in others (when the sun was burning down on me). 

I also found out that Dr. Watt’s principles work well when having a certain speed, but do not work as well on the run, due to its slower nature. As the day turned to night, it got cooler, but my body was not willing to run for longer stretches anymore. This is different from past races, where I never really had run legs to start with (which I’m sure now was my monkey brain taking over). 

My personal Super Sherpa showed up everywhere on the course and cheered me on. I’m sure she was worried, as a lot of athletes were sitting on the side lines in the shade being attended to by the medial team. 

Finish Line / 140.6 / 16:50:12– while objectively this was dangerously close to the 17-hour mark (New Zealand in March was equally close at 16:45), I feel that I executed well with the cards we got dealt on this day. With the heat of the day, Ironman Boulder had a high DNF (Did Not Finish) rate and I can happily say I glad to have survived the day with a smile on my face. 

Final thoughts on Ironman #11 – what a day – Tim Brosious and the whole Ironman Team around him did an amazing job putting on this 5^thedition of Ironman Boulder – from traffic management to heat management everything was top notch and made us athletes safe and well taken care of. 

To Paul “Guinea Pig Wrangler” Buick – my coach and personal slave driver – thank you for challenging and pushing me while keeping up with my ever-changing travel plans. 

I also want to thank all the familiar faces who yelled at me, hugged me and cheered me on – you definitely made me want to move forward towards the finish line.

Last but not least – my Super Sherpa – thank you having my back at all times, which allows me to train and race in this crazy sport. Without your support and love I don’t think I would be able to do this. I’m looking forward to our next adventure together in a few weeks.

Ironman Boulder 2017 – a quick lesson in self sabotage

Ironman Boulder 2017 – a quick lesson in self sabotage

As many of you know, the company I work for got acquired at the beginning of the year and as a result the weeks leading up to IM Boulder were more stressful than usual. Thankfully I took vacation from the middle of race week, so I could rest and recover in order to have a great day.

Well – you know what they say about best-laid plans of mice and men. In the days leading up the race I did not watch my hydration and slowly worked myself towards that state, where you don’t know it (yet), but you are de-hydrated. I also skipped my usual pedicure to remove the callus under my feet, as blisters are no fun during a 26.2 mile run. To top it off, I had something bad to eat on Saturday and my stomach did not appreciate it at all.

The last 12 hours before race start were no fun – I was restless, moody and had no patience. I couldn’t even get the tattoo race numbers to get to stick to my skin and mentally exploded. After no sleep, I decided to get up at 2am, shower and try the numbers again. Surprisingly this time they stuck like they should have the night before. With the stomach still queasy, I decided to play it safe and only had a dry bagel.

Boulder is unique in that you have split transitions and have to take a bus to the swim venue. Esra thankfully drove and I tried to get some rest. We talked about the day and I promised her, that I would not do anything stupid, that could endanger my health. It’s only a triathlon after all.

Once at the reservoir I saw quite a few people I knew and before long, I was in the water swimming. My swims in Boulder are typically longer and I was happy to see a good time when I got to the ramp. However – in line with the day – the race had different plans. As a volunteer tried to lift me upright, my leg full on cramped and I fell on my butt back into the water. It took nearly five minutes to get the cramp to release, while I’m flopping like a gold fish in the choppy waters of the exit ramp.

The new bike course is three laps with a few hills in the process. I was actually doing well on the first laps, not burning too many matches in the process and riding conservatively. However, due to my (de-)hydrated status, I started to feel my digestive tract to tighten up. Like in the past, it was manifested in side stitches in the lower abdominal area. All the water on the bike course could not help me to shake this. I knew that the run following the bike would be challenging, but figured I have enough time to put together a decent Ironman.

The run was a little of a blur. I set off trudging at 18 min/mile pace – as Dave Downey put in the athlete briefing – DQDSKMF (Don’t Quit, Don't Stop, Keep Moving Forward). I tried to increase my hydration status and get back some kind of control of my intestines, but if the past was any indication, this would take a long time.

About 8 miles into the marathon, I felt “movement” – usually a good sign and I was happy to hve this early in the run. In New Zealand last year, it happened at mile 20 and my legs were toast by then. I even could start running and increase my pace – “now we are getting somewhere” I thought. Unfortunately, this newfound happiness did not last for long, as I my legs cramped on the uphill of one of the underpasses on the course. Stopped dead in my tracks it took a while to stretch the cramp out and recover, but as a result, it was walk or slowly run for the rest of the race in order to keep up the target pace of +/- 18 min/miles. Even though I started to get blisters under my feet, I know that this pace would get me through the finish line before the 17-hour marker.

And with that, after 16 hours 39 minutes and 12 seconds, I crossed the Ironman Boulder Finish Line for the fourth time and made it my ninth Ironman finish since I started this crazy sport. As many of you know one of my goals is to start at the Ironman Hawaii World Championships some day and it takes 12 finishes to be accepted into the Legacy Program, which provides you with that opportunity.

While I have no official sponsors, I want to thank the guys at Colorado Multisport – great friends and always there to help, the team at Cuore of Switzerland for making a kick-ass tri suit and Matt Dixon and purplepatch fitness for continuously making me a better athlete.

When you out there for this long, you have a lot of time to think and I realized I’m very lucky to have an amazing family and friends that are there for me during training and races. A special thank you to my personal Sherpa, best friend and love of my life – I know you must have been concerned more than once before and on race day, but you talked me up, smiled and made sure the day was a little brighter. Thank you.

Ironman New Zealand 2017 – Dinner is served

Travelling to Taupō is a little like travelling home – over the last four years I forged friendships, met a lot of new people and had some of my best races. Due to the duration of the flights, it feels like travelling to the other side of the world (figuratively and literally). I always like to fly to Auckland about a week before the race, as it gives me time to disconnect from the busy day to day we all have and relax for the race.

This year was no different – with a larger than usual group (Esra racing the Ironman, Michael Stone racing the 70.3 and a surprise sherpa – Steve Richard) we swam, biked, ran and did some sightseeing in the area. No different than previous years, too, Athlete Check-in was looming for Thursday and before we knew it we were  officially registered with wrist bands,  bags and other swag. All the pre-race proceedings were uneventful and we felt so comfortable, that Esra and I made last minute changes – remember the old saying “nothing new on race day” – well, a different shoe model surely doesn’t count – right?

Amuse-bouche (aka “the morning of the race”)

When we woke up in the middle of night, we heard the waves crashing on the beach in front of our hotel and the winds howling. While we expected a “little rougher weather” mentioned in the weather forecasts, this was certainly the worst I’ve seen in my four years racing here and made me review the “contingency plan” from the Athlete guide. Even Mike Reilly’s statement on the beach in the morning “when the sun comes out, the wind is going to ease up” did not help to calm the pre-race nerves.

Appetizer (aka swim) – 1:27:39

This was the slowest swim in all 9 Ironman races I’ve done. The waves were so high, that sighting presented a challenge, I had to sight multiple times in a row to see the buoy and then swim that way. There were waves that tried to flip you over and overall all this made for a tough swim and even though a ”personal worst” – I’m happy with the swim – I kept my breakfast in, swam right next to my wife for a while and finished with time to spare.

Entrée (aka bike) – 6:55:00

As I was getting through transition, I wondered what would shield me from the winds – bike jacket, thermal arm warmers? With Mike’s weather advice still in my head, I settled for the light sun sleeves and stuffed an emergency blanket under my one-piece suit – well, I should have unfolded one before – those things are huge – I had to fold it four times over and even then it came out of every gap in the suit (which explains my sliver neck lining in the picture).

The bike course at Ironman New Zealand is straight forward – two laps and after a few twists and uphill sections, it is mostly straight and downhill for roughly 20 miles to the turn around. Given the strong wind on race day and it’s easterly direction, I made quick work on that section from Taupō to Reporoa, only to find that the combination of downhill and tailwind becomes quite evil when you turn your bike 180 degrees to go back. So back up the hill I sloughed, only to find the same grades and winds on the second loop. On the bike I saw Esra and Michael, who both were flying downhill, just to find the same uphill / headwind combination on their respective trips toward Taupō, too.

Dessert (aka run) – 6:38:58

After getting shaken, twirled and beaten during the swim and bike, I headed off to the run. In Taupō it’s my favorite of the three, as there are tons of people out to cheer you on and the course is very scenic.

Thankfully the sun came out in full force, so the wind slowed down a little and it became hot – which is good and bad, as you need to drink a lot more in hot conditions. Since I did not keep up enough with that concept initially, I got a headache and my balance was slightly off – steps felt “deeper” than they should have. Thanks to advice from Michael and purplepatch coach Paul Buick, I upped the water intake and added coke to get more sugar – that did wonders.

Recently I won the purplepatch camp “relentless bastard” award and this year I wanted to be “relentless” – thanks to Esra, our support crew and Paul on the course (and my stupidity to share the tracker link with him – he found me multiple times and threatened to take my award back)  I ran / walked all the way to the finish line.

This is my second fastest Ironman run time, second only to IM NZ two years ago on the same course. However – even if it was 5 minutes slower, I feel this was a breakthrough run for me, as my body was certainly more damaged from the swim and bike this year and I still run / walked the entire distance.

Ice Cream (aka Finish Line) – 15:24:51

Esra says “there is always room for ice cream” and this year I said I would walk the finish chute and take it all in. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans – as Steve was running with me, I asked him how close the next competitor was and he said “about 100 yards and closing”. Seems there is a competitive gene in my body, as I told him “that will do” and sprinted to the finish line.

Finish lines are always magical – especially after a long day with the wind we had and hot temperatures later in the day. Esra and Michael were there to put the finisher medal and towel around my neck and walk me into the finisher tent. There I got a massage, some food (darn, they used to have ice cream) and then we made our way home.

Looking back – it was a brutal, but honest race day. While an Ironman is never easy, some days are easier than others. I feel glad I have this experience in my “tool box” and if I encounter tough situations again, I can look back on Taupō 2017 and say to myself, I’ve seen and handled  worse, so thank you Ironman New Zealand – see you next year.

While we are on “thank you”: Ann and Arthur – you guys are great friends and I’m always amazed where you show up on course and during race week to support. Michael – for being a friend and sounding board – I know I can always count on you. Steve – thank you for making the trip last minute (1,320 minutes to be exact) and supporting all of us. It’s been a pleasure to spend some time with you outside CMS. Matt Dixon and Paul Buick of purplepatch – for coaching me and pushing me on every workout (and even out on the run course) – I feel privileged to be coached by you.

Last but on least my wife and love of my life. Most of us know it’s never easy to juggle training, life and work, but it’s truly difficult when two people are training for an Ironman. I knew after a disappointing Ironman Boulder last year, this race was especially important to you and still you supported all my training and made my life easier whenever you could. I’m so happy you had a great day out there and I’m hoping to re-pay the debt when you start playing in the mud to train for your next (XTERRA) races.

Ironman Boulder 2016 – it’s a family affair

Before you start reading this, cue the Rocky Theme (RockyTheme).  In the weeks leading up to race day, Esra and I joked on who would reign supreme at Ironman Boulder this year and in my mind I needed at least one hour on her leaving T2 in order to have a fighting chance. Given that I was the stronger swimmer and stronger biker I thought I had an opening.

On race morning we got up really early and made our way to Boulder to check in special needs and board one of the many school buses provided to get to the Boulder Reservoir. As I had GI / cramping issues in previous years, I was really careful with nutrition & hydration over the last 24 hours before race start. Here is what did the trick for me: light dinner (yogurt, banana and granola) and easy breakfast (sourdough bread with cream cheese & jam), paired with a salty focaccia slice with hazelnut butter about 45 minutes before race start and then another slice of salty goodness in T1.  

With the warm up done Esra and I headed to the swim start and said our goodbyes for the day. I got out of the water in 1:17:39 (Swim) and into T1. In order to win valuable time, I wore my new tri suit and was on the bike after 0:09:43 (T1). 

Starting out strong, I figured this would be where I get my hour, only to get my hopes crushed about 10 miles into  the bike – ahead of me on Lookout I saw a white Shiv with the rider carrying green bottles – well, I might have had a good swim and strong initial bike, but Esra must have had the day of her life so far. Well, the hour was out of question, but it was more a sign for the things to come, too. With a good bike and more importantly no stomach / GI issues, I got to the Boulder High School in 6:21:02 (Bike) and after some logistical issues – remember to prepare your compression socks and roll them up, as it is a nightmare you put them on in T2 otherwise – I exited the track in 0:15:10 (T2) – clearly room for improvement here for Ironman New Zealand next year J.

Esra was slightly ahead of me and between seeing her and our friends on the course (David Smith, Mark Plaatjes, Mark Loehr, Jen Boxhorn, Steve Richárd and so many others) I was really enjoying my day. I might not have been running as often and for as long durations as planned, but I was making good progress towards the finish.

When I reached the Confluence on the second run loop on my return from the Baseline leg, word got to me that Esra was not doing well and wasn’t keeping fluids or food down (she always has a hard time with this side of long course racing and I’ve seen it in Wisconsin on her first Ironman). She was in medical and refusing to quit. I probably would have thrown the towel, but she is a trooper.

Once I got there, we quickly talked, analyzed what the final ~ 8 miles would be like and a plan was forged – simple in nature, but hard in execution (for her): she would keep walking forward and I would keep track of time to make sure we finish under 17 hours. So we set off as a couple – step for step towards the finish line.

By now the Rocky Theme should have stopped playing (in your head or otherwise), so here is the next song Every Step You Take.

I knew that 30 min/mile pace would do the trick and we started out with a strong 18 min/mile pace, but with her situation not improving, I figured we bank as much as we can early. Actually we never got worse that 23 min/mile on the Boulder Creek Path for a decent split, given the circumstances of  07:54:39 – Run.

There were so many people we recognized and they walked a few (or more) steps with us, so Esra never faltered and we made our way to that finish line hand in hand coming though as the “Ironman Couple” as Mike Reilly would call us for a total time of 15:58:13 and I’m so proud of Esra doing it with me and even getting it done under 16 hours.

So Ironman Boulder became a “family affair” where splits did not matter anymore and the whole mattered so much more than it’s individual parts.

As our “Ironman family” is quite large – here a just a few thank you notes:  David for being on course and for relaying information about Esra, Mark for being there and keeping Esra company in the paramedic tent at the confluence – I’m sure they would have pulled her form the race if she would have been there on her own.  The whole “extended Ironman family” – Dave Christen, Dave Downey, Mel Downey for putting on such a spectacular hometown race.

A special thanks to Bill Garrels for being out there, volunteering at the swim, on the course and then again volunteering at the finish line (it feels like there is more than one of him as often as you see him on race day) and also for that bear hug at the swim start.  

Last but not least – thank you Esra for being my training partner, my best friend and love of my life – I couldn’t have thought of a better way of spending my evening with you.

Ironman New Zealand 2016 – A Race Story

Typically after a race I write a lot of details about the Swim, Bike & Run, but this time there is not much to tell in that department. It was a great swim (1:10:47) , a sub average bike (7:12:49) with severe pain in my right lower abdominal area, which then was finally matched nicely by a sub average 26.2 mile walk (7:16:15) (due to the pain – which subsided around 20 miles in to the marathon, but at that time my legs were done already) to the finish line, where I arrived after a long day in 16:02:23 for 140.6 miles.

What was more interesting this time is the things that happen around you during race preparation that make you carry on on a difficult day.

As many of you know – I’m friends with Fireman Rob (http://www.firemanrob.com / http://www.firemanrobfoundation.com) and last year Esra and I delivered 20 bears on a #BearASMILE mission to Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland.

 This  year Rob went overboard and shipped 36 little bears to my home. I traveled to Auckland with a whole duffle bag filled to capacity with soft and cuddly Gund Bears and was able to provide them to nearly every child in two different wards and even have a few left guys for some of Starship’s outpatients. It’s amazing when you hear the stories of the children and what they and their families have go through.

When we do an Ironman it seems like a grueling event, but it’s something we pick and choose to do – the children at Starship did not “pick” to have Cystic Fibrosis or receive a heart transplant, but they battle day by day with their families and do not give up.

Yes – it was a hard day and I was more then once ready to call it quits. However – having this experience under my belt – it did not seem right to just quit. We struggle – yes – but at the end of the day we are done – it’ll probably hurt for a few more days and then we are looking forward to a new chapter in our stories.

Well, this chapter is in the books and I’m ready to move forward with new lessons learned, revising my bike fit, trying out (for me new) Hoka One One shoes and rediscovering the fun in my training.

However this report would not be complete (even though it had a different format) without a few thanks (and I’m sorry if I forgot someone):

Jan Tate at Starship Children’s Hospital for organizing my visit – as you can tell – the Bear Mission ’16 was very important on race day. Mark and the team from Top Gear Cycles in Taupo – great customer service up and beyond the call of duty to make sure I have a saddle to ride on. Ann, Arthur, Felicity and Scott for entertaining me and being out there on race day making sure I don’t get lost. Last but not least – my love of my life – Esra – I know it was hard watching me train all winter with purpose and following the race from afar instead of being on the course with me, but I love you for the company on long bikes and runs, the “gopher duties” like bottle refills and fan adjustments (and for so many other reasons – too many to even list or count)