A few notable events from this winter: Participated in a ‘banana relay’ at my Lifetime Fitness in December.  Great event.  Small.  About 30 runners came out.  Relay’s of 3 ran 1/4, 1/2 and 1 mile sprints — while holding a banana !!! Last person on each team to finish had to eat it.  I had that distinction ….. I have to tell you — it was a little soft!! But still a fun day.  I logged times of 6:26 for the mile, 3:10 for the half mile and 1:21 for the quarter-mile.  At this point in the season, I was definitely pleased with my times … but I couldn’t stop there.  Had to keep improving. 

My friend Jo and I competed in the Polar Dash 10k on New Year’s Day.  COOLLLDDD!!!  But a great event sponsored by Team Ortho.  Hot Chocolate at the finish with goodie bags of fruit (and my favorite… Muscle Milk) Participants also received a Polar Fleece:

Other than those 2 events, I’ve been training!!! Nose to the grindstone!!! Plus, I have another training partner!!! Our new dog Colby:

 She is a retired Greyhound.  As you know, they possess amazing speed, but only for short distances.  I try not to extend her too much — a mile or two at a time.  Walking is her favorite thing to do (and sleeping)

Also picked up some new running shoes and a new bike jersey over the winter months — went to  Nike ID for shoes.  Very cool feature to get to design your own shoe! I plan to do it again for Ironman Wisconsin. My father-in-law has the connections for the jersey — LOVE IT!!! 

So that’s my winter in a nutshell — so far.  My 2011 Event Calendar is completed — here’s the list:

Buffalo Olympic triathlon – June 5th

Vineman 70.3 –  July 17th

Ironman Wisconsin – September 11th

Chicago Marathon – October 9th

Haven’t signed up yet, but a good possibility of running the Stillwater Half Marathon in May and then the Columbus Half Marathon in late October.  Full schedule this year — can’t wait!

  Gearing up for the big race.  Some new runners in the crowd!!

Everybody showing off their bling at the end of the race — well done!!!

The reward??? The Jr. Thurmanator at Thurman’s in Columbus.  Yeah — that’s the JR. size — the bigger one is gigantic!!! Tasty.

The whole weekend was a blast.  A couple of friends made the trip with us and were outstanding in the motivation/cheer department.  So first and for most and big thank you to them.  If you are a runner or triathlete, you know how much they can help — and they did. 

Our hotel was less than 2 miles from the start, so on Saturday, we scoped out Michigan Ave. and hit up the expo. 

 One word. Massive. 

Picked up my bib and some goodies and it was go time. 

I’ll never forget race morning.  Over 30,000 runners walking down Michigan Ave. on a Sunday morning at 6am.  What a sight.  In hind sight, I should have taken a photo.  But my focus was on the marathon and breaking 4 hours. 

I felt really good that morning.  But runners know all too well that a “good feeling” can be quickly erased in a few short miles. 

I was really pumped for the start.  But I knew I made a mistake right away.  I lined up on the left side of the street.  The 4 hour pace crew was on the other side.  Once the race started, getting back over there was a nightmare.  It just didn’t happen.  Bad vibe #1.  Bad vibe #2 occurred about 2 minutes in.  After the first quarter-mile, the marathon route takes you under a bridge.  That underpass lasts about 5 minutes.  Underpasses and GPS watches don’t go hand in hand.  I came out the other side and saw this message: “NO SIGNAL”. Awesome! After another minute, the watch was able to obtain signal again, but the timer was still going, and it already logged my first 1/8 mile.  The whole thing was a mess from there. 

So let’s rehash the first 10 minutes of the race.  No pace team and no GPS watch.  It became old school quickly: instinct and math. 

After the first few miles, I settled in nicely.  I would run through downtown Chicago all day if I could.  Crowds were great, streets were flat and I was cruisin’. 

  Here is mile 6. Running about 8:58 per mile.

I hit the halfway point at 1:59.  I was right on target.  Up until this point the math and the instincts were both on par.  4 hours was definitely in reach. 

Miles 16-18 were awful.  Just awful.  Knee pain crept in and stayed in.  My pace slowed to 9:10.  I was still minutes ahead of the 4 hour pace team, but I knew it … I was fading. Fast.  The knee bad became so bad at mile 20 that I started walking.  I knew at that point it was over.  When the 4:15 pace group passed me, I wanted to crawl into a hole.  That sight hurt me more than my knee pain.  But I knew I had to battle on.  Not finishing is not an option.  For me, it’s about the people there to support me.  Finishing for them is important.  That is how I show my appreciation.  4 hours and 37 minutes after I started, I limped across the finish line at the Chicago Marathon.  Tears and all. 

I finished just ahead of half of the runners that day … still a personal best by 22 minutes.  By all accounts, it was a successful day, right? Wrong.  I look at it as a learning experience.  A building block.  You know what date I have circled on my calender? 10.9.11.  Redemption. 

That time below is no lie — fastest swimmer came out 5 minutes before everyone else …

 Most filling Bloody Mary ever … cheese curd and jerky included.

Sponge volunteer duty at Ironman Wisconsin.

Ol’ buds from the ol’ neighborhood getting together for a run.  Then you have to enjoy yourself once in a while with a tasty wing.  That’s how we do.

9 months until 9-11-11 … Ironman Wisconsin!!

In the meantime, it’s back to status quo.  “Status quo” meaning marathon training.  The Chicago Marathon will be my second marathon in as many years.  Completing the Twin Cities Marathon last year was amazing.  It taught me a lot about setting and accomplishing goals.  Discipline.  Training for a 70.3 Triathlon is not easy, but using the tools I leaned in marathon training made the transition easier into those longer tri races. 

With a marathon under my belt, Chicago becomes a bigger deal.  I’m at a critical juncture in my Ironman training now.  Every race, every half/full marathon, every triathlon becomes an important training tool that I can learn from and use as confidence for Madison next fall. 

Only 8 weeks remain until Chicago.  It’s getting serious.  My goal last year was to finish without walking — which I did in just under 5 hours.  It’s a different ballgame this year.  Anything over 3:59:59 will be a disappointment.  That’s why these final 8 weeks are so critical.   Still being a relative newbie to running, it’s hard to know when to push myself during a marathon.  13 miles? 16 miles? Earlier? Later?  It takes time to really get to know your body well enough to make those kinds of decisions during a race.  Hopefully 8 weeks from now, I’ll know a lot more. 

Crunch time.

Saturday was hot.  So hot, that I remember saying “Boy, I’m glad the half-iron is not today!”  Well, it turn out Sunday was not any cooler.

When we arrived in Racine on Saturday, it was 93 degrees! Ok, the cool breeze of Lake Michigan made it 90.  We arrived close to 2pm – parked – and walked over to the expo and registration area. 

I picked up my race bib, signed a waiver saying their company wasn’t responsible if I died, and checked my timing chip.  Good to go.  But here’s where the fun begins.

The transition area for the race was over a mile from the expo.  Awesome.  We walk the bike over with the rest of the gear.  Before I take the bike into transition, I say “I better check tire pressure, make sure I’m good for the morning.”  Pushed the nozzle onto the tire.  Pull it back out.  Uh oh.  Air is rushing out my front tire!! What in God’s name is going on?!?!!   A flat — and 14 hours before the race — perfect.  Tech support was there to save me.  Only problem … they were set up back at the expo.  Awesome #2!! I tell the rest of the fam to go grab a beer, I haul back to the expo area with tire in tow.  $17 later, I had a new tube — my day a little better at this point.  Now it’s time to relax!

Pre-race dinner: Veggies, Grilled Chicken and ribs (I had to get a half rack– I just couldn’t walk out of their without ‘em)

10 pm — my head is on the pillow and I’m out — feeling good.

Race Day:

I can’t even begin to describe the range of emotions that day.  Nervousness, excitement, anticipation, etc, etc.  A day that I had been working towards for 6 months was here.

I was at transition by 5:30 am to set up my area.  Checked the tire pressure.  Everything was ready.  But I was ancy.  I was ready to race.  All the athletes started making their way to the swim start (which, of course, was a 20 minute walk).

7 am: Beeper goes off.  The first wave of pro athletes were in Lake Michigan.  So now what to do? I had 1 hour and 8 minutes before my wave went off.  I was able to get in a quick swim, stretch and make some new friends.  Before I knew it .. 8 am .. time to line up.  As our age group lined up on the beach of Lake Michigan, I made sure I was in the front.  The last thing I wanted was to get stuck behind swimmers, trying to weave in and out of traffic for 1.2 miles.  That ended up being a good move.

8:08 - The horn goes off.  It’s go time.  I positioned myself in the middle of the first line to hit the water.  After a 10 second run-up, I was swimming.  That is the first time that the magnitude of the race hit me.  Great conditions in Lake Michigan.  At the time of the swim, water temp. was a balmy 62 degrees — not bad at all.  Around the first buoy, the water was very calm.  Good pace.  Everything was working out nicely.  As I made my way down the 1 mile stretch to the next turn, the water started getting choppy.  Boats were lined up to my left, more congestion — it started feeling more like swimming in an ocean.  Up and down, up and down.  As I made the right turn to head to shore, I could see the sand slowly becoming eye level — maybe the best feeling all day.  I place my feet down and stood up to run out of the water.  Wobbly.  Dizzy.  Maybe the up and down motion had taken its toll.  By the time I regained my focus, I started running towards shore, about 15-20 seconds.  Seeing my family at this point was amazing.

With cowbells in hand, they were cheering as loudly as possible.  What a great feeling.  But I couldn’t get to excited — I was only 1/3 of the way done!  34:52

T1:  Less than 5 minutes.  Pretty happy with both transitions, actually.  The only blip was when I got back to the bike rack, I almost fell right into it!!! I was still trying to get my footing after the swim.  And to be honest, I didn’t feel all that great because I got so dizzy — Bummer!!! The question was how long would that last?  Andcould I overcome it?  4:53

Bike: The Dizziness didn’t last too long.  5-10 minutes.  I was back in the game.  It’s amazing – when you’re on the bike, even though you’re surrounded by 2,000 other competitors, it can feel like the loneliest time in your life.  I just think of it as good, quiet time — only racing as fast as you can to beat those 2,000 other people.  There is no question of how pretty the Wisconsin country side is — I had a really good look.  The course was a 56 mile loop heading North, NW then back towards the starting point.  After the first couple miles, I was feeling good again.  Drank some fluids for the first time all race.  The first food station was 10 miles out.  Great location.  By that time, I was ready for some nibbles.  Grabbed a piece of Powerbar and some Gatorade and I was right on pace.  The mostly rolling hills course provided a good challenge, although, the biggest beef I had with the course (along with many other athletes) was how bumpy the roads were.  There were many bikers parked on the side replacing tires and tubes.  Many bikers lost water cages and bottles.  On mile 50 – I lost my trip computer… Awesome!! That’s how bumpy and cracked the roads were.  Not great. The weather MOSTLY cooperated.  Pure sunshine until mile 40.  I look behind me and all I see are black clouds — hovering — waiting to just dump rain all over.  Didn’t have to wait to long for that.  Sheets of rain starting coming down.  For a good 5 minutes, the wind picked up to 25 miles per hour, pushing me sideways on the road like I was a feather.  And just as quickly as the storm came … it was gone.  That rain turned out to be a good thing, because after that shower, God turned off the air conditioner.

Around mile 50 is when I started to stiffen up, too.  Maybe it was the anticipation of running 13 miles that bore down on my brain.  This was going to be interesting.  A finishing time of between 6:30:00 and 7 hours was still in range.  Going into the run, I had to post a time of 2:20:00 or better to get that.  3:40:23

T2: THE question coming into this transition was HOW WET WAS MY BAG?? I brought an extra pair of socks just in case.  Well I needed those.  I was soaked from the rain storm, I need a change of socks or I was in trouble for the run.  Well that scenario didn’t work out.  The entire transition area got soaked, too.  My bag, my shoes, my socks … everything.  Oh and did I mention it was 95 degrees out.  4:07

Run: It’s amazing what thoughts are running through your head at this point in the race.  More than 4 hours in, I was still standing … that’s what I was thinking.  I made it this far, it’s not stopping now.  One mile at a time … one step in front of the other.  I was going to cross the finish line … but when?  During the first mile of the run, I was just trying to get my legs under me.  Trying not to go out too fast.  Trust me, that part was easy.  It felt good to finally get off the bike seat.   My legs needed to stretch out.  I felt normal again after the first mile, but it was hot.  There were no bones about it … if I was going to do this, it was going to be in 95 degree heat and unbearable humidity.  The people of Racine were fantastic.  The run took us along the shore for 3 miles, then back again.  2 loops.  The people who lived in the houses along the water front, were out all day with hoses and sprinklers to aid runners as they went by.  Thank you!

Miles 2 through 5 were great.  Felt good.  My legs were back and I was right on pace for a 2:20 half marathon time.  And then it happened.  Tightness in the calf. Uh oh.  I knew it wasn’t good.  And it wasn’t.  Tired legs I can handle.  Cramping, I can’t.  First the left leg, then the right.  Who cares that it hurt.  Cramps are going to hurt.  But as soon as I felt my legs tighten, I knew my chances of running a 2:20 half were done.  And they were.  But my attitude didn’t waver … it didn’t change.  Walk or run, I was going to cross that finish line.  And so I started to alternate.  Run, walk, run, walk, run.  Every 1/8 mile or until I started cramping, then I would walk.  At mile 10, I waived down the aid golf cart and borrowed a roller.  I tried everything to get those cramps out of my legs.  It wasn’t working.  Run, walk, run, walk, run, walk.  I was almost home.  I could hear the announcer calling athletes names during the last mile.

It was hard knowing that even my legs were cramping, the rest of my body felt great.  The 2:20 was attainable — just not today — not with cramps.  And I was OK with that.  As I came up the final hill, my emotions got the better of me.  What a great experience. Hundreds of people you don’t even know, cheering you on as you come down the final stretch.  I tried to run, but it was painful.  But I wasn’t going to let cramps ruin the moment.  6 months of training validated in just seconds.  As I crossed the finish line, I heard the announcer call my name and say “Way to go baby … you finished”.  That was all I needed to hear.  I finished.  70.3 miles. 2:50:21

http://www.youtube.com/vsadrz

7:14:36 – That’s how long it took me to get that medal—>

Was it worth it? Absolutely.  Even with cramps, I was only 14 minutes off my latest goal time.  But knowing that I was right there with a chance, was all I needed to know.  It was a great first experience.  Would I do it again? I already plan to do two Half-Ironmans before next years Ironman Wisconsin. Even though it’s been a few weeks, the magnitude of finishing the race still has not completely sunk in.  Maybe I don’t want it to.  Realizing how far 70.3 miles is could put 140.6 into perspective.  And maybe it’s better no to do that.

A couple of thank you’s:  Thank you to my family — without your help, crossing the finish line wouldn’t be possible. And thank you everyone else for your support.  This journey is only half over … 1 year to go … your support means the world to me.  Thank you.

Again, more video at http://www.youtube.com/vsadrz

Next stop: Chicago Marathon.

Everything is in place for this weekend’s big race — (nerves included).  This will no doubt be my longest sporting event to date.  But I do know this: I have swam 1.2 miles; biked 56 miles; and ran 13.1 miles —– just not ALL at the same time!  It should be an experience of a lifetime.  It will also be a learning tool for me.  I plan to compete in 2 MORE Half-Ironmans before Madison next September (hopefully Cali in the spring and Cali again next July).  This will be a good gauge to see where I’m at with training for the real deal. 

For those of you who want to follow the race this weekend, my bib number is 1575 — wave 16 of 19 — starting at 8:08 am.  You can follow at http://ironman.com/ .

Thanks for all the support – it should be fun!  I will post pictures throughout the weekend through Twitter (which you can find to the right –>