Ironman Races – they all are like Rubik’s Cubes – Ironman Boulder 2015 Race Report

I don’t think it matters how many Ironman races you do, every one of them is different. In a way they are all like Rubik’s Cubes – some are close to solving (maybe 1 to 2 moves) and some are a far cry from being done. In the end they all want to be solved in order to hear those words “You are an Ironman”.

The training for Boulder started a little later thanks to the eviction of “Herman the Hernia” in March. Six weeks after the surgery we slowly started to ramp up the training and in my mind with a 68 minute PR/PB in New Zealand there were no expectations, take the day as it comes and not worry about the outcome.

Swim (2.4 miles) – 1:17:54

Boulder had a few hot days leading up to the race and with those the swim became wetsuit optional (the water temperature needs to be higher than 76.1F and if you choose to race with a wetsuit you can not win an award or get a Kona slot). Given that my age group (40-44) was the largest one I decided to swim with a wetsuit and start my day with extra buoyancy, which makes the swim a lot easier. With the wetsuit swimmers not separated by swim speed, people started swimming over and under each other – hitting, kicking and punching. I have never seen such a brutal swim. A friend of mine even got a concussion in the swim – you would think with Kona and awards being out of the question, people would be a little bit more considerate … Other than that though it was a good swim – Ironman put out inflatable “helpers” at every corner of the swim (as well as bike and run) – made me smile.

T1 – 0:13:33

As usual when you swim with the bulk of people, the change tent is a challenge in itself. It’s super crowded and also fairly dark with the tent “doors” being the only openings to let light in.

Bike (112 miles) – 6:19:40 / 17.7 mph

One of the big advantages of Ironman Boulder is that we are able train the whole year on the course. Every corner, every incline can be scoped it out. As such there were four critical points of the course for me – the two long climbs going up Nelson, the hill on Hwy 52 and then Lookout. I knew there were no extra points to be made for getting to the top first, so the plan was to stay in an easy gear on the climbs and recover on the downhill sections. The love of my life showed up all over the course, even though she had quite a few four legged customers to attend to. If you ever spectated an Ironman you know that it’s not easy, but thanks to the MyAthleteLive tracker I was wearing, she managed that feat. Every time I saw her it gave me another boost. What I did not account for was that the water bottles that Ironman had this year would not really stay in the cage behind my saddle. I “launched” six bottles – some as soon as 100 yards past the aid station. With that came slight de-hydration – something that creeps up on you and once you realize the issue at hand it is too late. Well, around mile 90 I started to develop tightness in my lower abdominal area and at times it was quite painful – lesson learner – stay on top of your hydration.

T2 – 0:25:01

Arriving at T2 I stayed in the tent for some time hoping that the tightness / cramps would disappear. However, since they did not ease up after some time, I figured what the heck – let’s head out to the run and see who is out there.

Run (26.2 miles) – 7:30:15

The first mile was painful – I could not run and slogged along at a pace that would not get the job done. Trying to run was painful and I could only do 2-3 minutes at a time. Around mile five I decided to “sit it out” on a porta potty and it gave me totally new appreciation for what women go though during child birth (I’m sure it still does not compare). Sit and push - as I would try to relax for the next push, my abdominal muscles would decide to full on cramp and my head subsequently would then slam into the porta potty door - and that would repeat for about 10 minutes (go ahead – laugh – in retrospect it was funny to me, too). Since I still was wearing the tracker David (Smith) and Esra would find me at all corners of the run course – it really broke up my day and enabled me to run at a pace that would get the Rubik’s Cube solved.

Overall (140.6 miles) – 15:46:23

Well, I have solved the cube faster, but I’ve also solved it slower – but the finish line is always magical to me. When people ask why I race, I usually tell them 140 miles is to inspire others that anything is possible and .6 miles purely for me. This one was going to be even more special since it would be the first time my friend Dave Downey from BCC would call me an Ironman. So as I get to the chute I listen for his voice and it’s not there. Now I love Tom Ziebart (another one of the “Voices of Ironman”), but I was looking forward to sharing the moment with Dave. Well, when he reappeared, he then called me an Ironman “again” – but it’s nothing like the moment you cross the line. Well – I guess I’ve got to do Ironman Boulder again next year ;-)

Final thoughts

What a great race Dave Christen and the whole team put on. The fact that it is local makes it even sweeter as we get to sleep in our own beds after the race.

It has been a great day and journey to this race. I want to give special props to Matt Dixon of purplepatch fitness fame, who has been with me on my journey for the last 1.5 years, prepping me for various Ironman and shorter races around the world. I’ve learned so much from him and am a better athlete.

I also want to thank Darren De Reuck, David Smith, the Fliegelman’s, Charles and Laura and all the amazing volunteers who were out on the course pushing me forward. Last but not least I want to thank my wife, who has to deal with me during training and not even a broken collarbone could stop her from cheering all over the swim, bike and run course. I love you so much.

It does not get any easier – just faster – Ironman New Zealand Race Report

Flying to Auckland to compete in Taupo’s Ironman New Zealand is a little like flying somewhere (for a really long time) to see friends. The whole town is Ironman crazy and this year I went back to see people that became friends last year (Arthur and Ann, Linda and Wayne from Boulevard Waters to name a few) and to show my wife Esra why I fell in love with Ironman NZ last year.

This year I had a bit more baggage – I took 20 Bears for the Fireman Rob Foundation to Starship Children’s Hospital, I had a Shiv that was “not safe to ride” (due to Specialized Safety Notice) and on top of that I had a inguinal Hernia that would be the deciding factor on the bike to setup the run.

The days leading up the race were uneventful and slow paced – we swam across the lake (4.2k) on Saturday (since I cramped on the swim, I found that I needed to increase my magnesium supplementation during the next few days) and rode the bike course on Sunday with our local guide Ann. The rest of the week was spend on spending money at the expo / merchandise, getting the Shiv fixed by Specialized NZ excellent onsite team, finding a solution for BTA hydration, as the fix meant I could not use the ZIPP bracket anymore, getting ART (a first for me), a great massage and various check-in activities.

I also created my protein bites with local ingredients (they do charge $20 for a small jar of Almond Butter – definitely will bring that from the US next year) and while not as solid, they were amazing. The other staple was roasted potatoes – a welcome change on the bike.

Swim – 2.4 miles – 1:10:11 (PR)

What’s not to like about the 2.4-mile swim in Taupo as long as the wind is calm and today it was calm (for now). I found a nice group of swimmers and decided to stick to their feet as long as they would have me. During the swim I had a feeling today would be fast, which would set me up nicely for the rest of the day.

T1 (16:50)

The transitions are where I could easily shave time, as I currently re-dress completely for the bike. I like to ride comfortably, but at some point I should review comfort vs. time.

Bike – 112 miles – 6:26:28 (PR)

The bike course in Taupo is not easy – there are always up- or downhill sections – just no real long flat roads and the wind can be blowing in all directions. On the first loop I actually was faster on the return storming up on the mountains than on the outbound (more downhill) direction. Speak about tailwinds ;-). On the return leg of loop one my Hernia decided to chime in, which probably was a little earlier than I would have wished for. At least it was predictable, as I had burning sensations in my groin / hip area and it could be managed by riding out of the aero bars and stretching the leg out. I even named the little guy during the bike ride (Herman the Hernia), but because he is not a good sport on the bike, he is getting evicted soon. As for nutrition, I alternated between two servings of protein bites and one serving of potatoes every 20 minutes, which worked well. The fix for the Shiv meant that I would not run the BTA Bottle as planned, which “just” meant more time spend refilling the bladder inside the Shiv frame. With pre-measured portion pack this turned out to be not a hindrance. Overall I came of the bike feeling fresh and ready to tackle the run.

T2 (11:40)

I don’t think the medical staff was ready for a quick act of reducing the hernia by me in the transition tent, but since I knew the hernia would not be an issue on the run, I figured 3 minutes well spend.

Run – 26.2 miles – 6:33:47 (PR)

I ran out of transition and immediately was happy about form and posture – something that was a first for me. During the first few miles I was hitting my splits head on and even had to slow myself down a bit (it’s a marathon not a sprint ;-). During my strategy meeting in Hawaii with Matt (Dixon) I asked for more resilience of the bike in order to get my act together and get a solid run. Well, “Daddy knows best” and even though I (might) have cursed him on some of the workouts, especially during the last few weeks leading up the race, I got what I asked for. The first 13 miles were more of less dead on what I wanted split wise and at mile 16 I started to “run the numbers” in my head 10  miles to go – 180 minutes before 15 hours … let’s not get over confident, but so far right on schedule. For the first time I also did not carry a fuel belt, but just a light race number holder with a pocket for pills and inhaler. So much better – I did refill my hand held bottle very two aid stations (3 miles) and snacked on protein bites, chips and later on Clif Blocks. I also added a Magnesium tablet every second or third aid station just to make sure I do not cramp up. Weather wise I think 2014 was a demo version (blue sky, no wind, etc.) and this year Taupo wanted to make sure we see the range it had to offer. I started with a bike singlet for the extra pockets, it started to rain and got windy and I got cold. I added a plastic poncho from an aid station and got warm – a little later I got too warm and the poncho came off. Once the sun started to set I got cold and put on my sweater in special needs – as on cue it started to rain again and I got cold. I again added the plastic poncho from an aid station, which stayed with me until the finish line chute. Lesson learned – next year I’ll have a light rainproof jacket in my bags, as the poncho is not great for running.

Finish Line – 14:38:57  (68 minute PR)

When I was asked for goals, I said Sub 15 would be great, Sub 15:47 would be a PR and sub 17 would be a reason to celebrate, too. I feel that as long as I’m not in Kona contention (which would need Sub 10), you might as well have fun with the race, spectators and volunteers. I thanked all volunteers on the course, entertained some of the spectators and had fun on the day. Throwing in a 68 minute PR – amazing. I love the journey my body has been on for the last years and love racing Ironman, as it shows me what more is possible.

Final Thoughts

Taupo did not disappoint – I made new friends there, rekindled my love with the town and race and got to show my wife why I think the ~18 hour trip is “worth it”. Granted, the “cost of admission” to Ironman NZ is a winter of training in Boulder, CO where it can snow one day and be 70F the next.

I want to close this race report with a little thank you to Fireman Rob (aka Robert Verhelst) – after the race I had the opportunity to deliver 20 little Bears to Starship Children’s Hospital around various wards. What a great and gratifying experience that was.