The Iron(y) in Ironman

I drove 15 hours post IMCDA so I had a lot of time to reflect. Here are some ironic moments from the day:

• In the days leading up to the race, I experienced nausea due to nerves. Come race day, nothing.

• I wore white on a day that saw me piss my pants at least 6 times on the bike, a record for pissing on the bike for me.

• I was smiling all day even though I was racing to my second worst time for an ironman.

• I'm the 40 year-old with a 2:39 marathon to my credential, but it was the 55 year-old woman that went flying by me during the run telling me to hang in there.

• I spent hundreds of hours preparing for what could go wrong, but during miles 18-22 I was totally clueless and walked aimlessly (and all I had to do was eat, which I eventually figured out at mile 23).

• For something that is supposed to be fun, I sure went to some dark places with these thoughts being an all-time low: I'm not doing IM Canada; I'm going to quit blogging because I'm so embarrassed, I'm probably going to be the butt of a lot of jokes; but not once, did I think about not finishing.

• Though I fell FAR short of my goals and had a bad race, I was so happy running down that finish, and so happy post race in the athlete area talking to my teammates and friends.

• After 11+ hours of pain, I'm doing it all again in two months at IM Canada.

And now, my thank you's:

Bree Wee for sending those texts pre-race and and telling me something that made me happy post race.
John Murphy for that voicemail message, I too thought this was going to be my year. The year is not over and I do have Canada?
Charisa Wernick for your text messages pre and post race to check-in.
Matt Cusack for making my first day there one of my most memorable ironman first days, it was easy, relaxed, and fun.
Teresa Nelson and Mark Webb for inviting me to your pre-race dinner and to Mark's mom for boiling my eggs for race day.
Kim Schwabenbauer for sending me the bat phone number just in case.
Libby Bergman for taking the time to compose one of the best letters I've ever received. Regardless of my result, I really really read the letter...four times.
Michelle Simmons for using energy to advise me to spin up the hills during the second loop of the bike.
Mary Tanner for that hug right before the start of the race.
Joshua Schoenfeld, Evan Kerr, Jay Ridgeway, Mirek Boruta, and Jason Jacobs for always cheering me on when we crossed paths.
Kara Teklinski, Sandy Liaw-Myers, and Tricia Gellman for the best bike support crew and post-race support crew.
Gardi Jackson and Bert Schaeffer for being everywhere on the course.
Frank Kim for telling me to run with him...but I only lasted 400 yards?
Beth for introducing herself on the run saying that she reads my blog, and then proceeded to leave me in her dust, made me laugh.
Genevieve Priebe for that huge shout out, I was totally out of it and couldn't respond but it hit me about 5 seconds later.
Jamie Brooks and Ray Pajek for dinner convo and just generally hanging out.
And to the rest of you who sent me messages on FB and such. They say ironman is a journey and not a day, I wholeheartedly agree.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene

Going into the race, the goal was to either break 10 hours or sneak in and a get Kona slot…or both! It became apparent once I saw the list of names racing and the size of the 40-44 men’s field that a Kona slot was not likely, so I focused on breaking 10 hours. In the days leading up to the race, I was yet again suffering from nausea, a new pre-race phenomena for me this year, but I managed to take it all in stride. Physically, I felt great everyday during the taper, and at times, I thought maybe too great. I actually like my body to feel a bit tired, like a couple of days after a good training day (foreshadowing). Socially, race week was simply awesome. I got to finally meet Michelle and Matt, hang out with Teresa and Mark some more, and I had a lot of teammates and friends from home doing the race. Spending time with good people is the other draw of the ironman experience. Onto the race:

The swim: 58:06
I lined myself far left in the front with a straight shot to the first buoy. I was prepared to battle as this was probably the ideal position for the shortest line. The cannon went off and I was surprised at how quickly I found clean water. Within 100 yards, I had nobody in front or on either side of me. But once we reached the first buoy, everybody converged and things got a bit busy, but never bad. Throughout the swim, I knew I was having a good swim instead of a great swim. A great swim (54 min) feels like my heart is about to pop out of my chest, but yet I can maintain. I weighed the factors and I decided that it wasn’t worth the increased heart rate for a 2-minute time gain, unbeknownst that it would actually be a 4-minute time gain. I was a bit disappointed in the time, but knew I was still pretty high up in the field. Unlike many people, the cold was not an issue, must be from all those years of racing Escape from Alcatraz.

The bike: 5:53:56
I took the first lap out very controlled and focused on my nutrition: about 100 calories every 20 minutes, sip of fluid every 10 minutes, and a salt tablet every 35 minutes. The plan was to split the first lap in a 2:45-2:50 and pick it up a bit in the second lap for 5:30 bike split. In order to go under 10 hours, I had no choice but to split 5:30 or faster. I started to feel a bit fatigued just before the end of the first loop, but you always have a low point during an ironman, and then you come back to life. Thus, I just kept calm, carried on, and I waited to come back to life. I went through the first loop in 2:48 and thought, I’m still on pace. But I never came back to life, and I just kept getting more fatigued until I bonked. It was during this time that I felt like I was just plain out of shape, sort of like when I do my first long ride of the season. So many times, I fought to get back into the race. When Michelle went by me, I set a goal to stay with her until the end of the ride. All I can say is that on this day, I learned that even though the mind is willing, the body can’t respond. My mind was so willing but my legs burned so bad and had nothing. It was at this time that I let go of breaking 10-hours and focused on getting back to T2; and in the process, find the joy in this ironman as though it was my first.

The run: 4:20:34
As I was approaching T2, I decided that I would at least salvage this race and try to PR my ironman run split. I felt great starting the run, my turnover was quick, and I was in really good spirits. Nobody passed me the first 11 miles and I played the game, how many runners can you pick off. I started to get tired at about the 12-mile mark but soon saw Michelle up the road. I set a goal to run up to her and if I got tired, we could help each other through the second loop. But it took me another one or so mile to even catch up to her, she picked up her pace! Once I got up to her, I felt good so I continued my pace and passed her. But as soon as I made the pass, a wave of bonk came over me. I hit the aid station and had to walk, and slowly, things deteriorated. From mile 18 on, once again, the mind was willing but the body would not respond. I would will myself to run but the body couldn’t do it. For the next 5 miles, it was mostly walk with attempts at shuffling, and eating everything in sight: pretzels, orange slices, and chicken broth. Finally, the nutrition kicked in and with it my spirit and the drive to run the last two miles. And oh the finish, did I milk that finish. I was waving my arms, taking bows, kissing my biceps (a little trick I learned from my new friend Hank), and pumping up the crowd. I found the joy in ironman racing as though it was my first. When I crossed the line, I wanted to turn around, run back out, and do it all one more time.

The result: 11:19:40 [362nd overall; 73rd age-group]
This FB update from my friend Mark expresses my sentiment quite well: “Ironman CDA yesterday was not my best day for 140.6 BUT I got er' done. There are some days you just have to finish what you start. Yesterday was one of those days! :). Onward...” And remember the foreshadowing part? My gut instinct tells me the reason I felt great during the taper was because I was just plain out of shape. I know myself and I know that I lose my fitness real quickly, thus, I don’t usually rest that much during a taper. But I also wanted to try and see if resting a lot more would work because statistically, most triathletes go into races too tired and not rested enough. At least now, I know with confidence exactly what works for me.

A Tale of Two..Uh, Seven Ironmans

My first was Vineman in 1999, where I suffered two flats and spent an hour on the road waiting for support. The second was IM France where my buddy and I did not do our homework and flew in five days before the race, not enough time to shake the jetlag. The result was a DNF for both of us. The third was IM CDA and a disappointing 4:40 run split. The fourth was IM CDA part deux where I decided to take a nap under a tree in the 90° heat, and awoke in an ambulance ride to the med tent. The fifth was IM OZ last year where I finished with a PR of 10:27, but still far from a good race. I got a bit excited exiting the water with the second pack of pro's and somehow thought I could ride with them for the first 40K. Th result was a blow up and a 3:58 run split. The sixth was Vineman again last year and after a 56 swim, 5:22 bike, I blew up on the run once again.

I haven't had too much luck at the IM distance and this weighs heavy on my psyche. Also, apparently pre-race prep involves nausea this year, something totally new to me. I am positive it is nerves, but from everything I've learned, this is fairly common with people, just new to me. But this week has been absolutely awesome: feeling good, feeling fit, and spending time with some good people.

The best remedy for a shaky psyche is support from your friends. All this week, I've received some amazing messages from friends and with each message, my psyche gains stability. I want to thank you all for taking the time to shoot me a quick message, I store your words to recall them on race day. I have every intention of being a game-day'er tomorrow, and to bring it when it counts...on race day. Besides racing tough as nails, I also plan to smile, acknowledge some spectators for their cheers, thank some volunteers, and support my fellow racers. Let's rock and roll!

15 Hours to Fulfill A Goal

Yesterday, I drove 15 hours in hopes of fulfilling a goal. By 10 PM, I hit my breaking point and called it a day, just a little over one hour shy of Coeur d'Alene. This morning I arrived to CDA amidst a thunderstorm and showers, and a much anticipated ride with Michelle, Teresa, and Matt was delayed. By 11 AM, Matt and I were able to ride 2+ hours, and the sun and warmer weather eventually greeted us. Then it was off to check-in and I run into the awesome Sue Hutter, looking way cool jetting around town on her scooter. After check-in, I went for my 30-40 minute run with some pick-ups. If only 6:40 miles would feel as easy on Sunday as they did today. Good stuff.

And then I got back to my hotel room to a barrage of text and FB messages. I got the sense that a lot of people were thinking about me today, and I definitely felt the love. This "thoughtfulness" is so unique to ironman. I was riding with Matt today and I told him, I feel like I'm carrying each of my supporters with me on this ride, I feel their presence. Today was a full day and even after 15 hours of driving yesterday, I felt like I had more than enough energy to attack the day. Thanks for the energy my friends. It was a great start to this ironman adventure. Some pics to better tell the story:

10 Questions with Beth Shutt

Sports Background before triathlons?

I grew up as a runner. Lord knows I don't have enough eye-hand coordination to play any other sports! I ran cross country and track in high school and then for Penn State University. I was by no means a superstar but I absolutely adored running growing up and in many ways it has shaped my life. I think running will always be my first love!

Pre-race ritual?

I have a pre-race happy dance that I do every race morning! Luckily though, only my husband gets to see it because I usually do my happy dance in the hotel before we leave for transition. :)

Strange place you bodyglide?

Just the normal places. Ankles, wrists, neck (and everywhere else in between).

What are the two most played songs on your ipod?

Right now I'd say they are Manifesto (by The City Harmonic) and The Greatness of Our God (by Hillsong). At Eagleman I had The Greatness of Our God song stuck in my mind for the entire race. I sang the chorus over and over and over again in my head. Not a bad thing at all but by the end of the day I was ready for a new song! :) Hillsong is one of my all time favorite groups and they are actually coming to Pittsburgh in August!!!!!! (they are from Australia and don't tour in the US often)

What do you crave when you are bonking?

Usually something really salty. Like Fritos. But then again I've been known to dream of ice cream Snickers bars on long, hot rides too... :)

How many #2's pre-race?

At least 2! (or there is trouble...)

What is an obscure website you visit?

I visit LetsRun.com pretty much every day. It's not obscure to those runners out there but triathletes from a non-running background might not know it. It's how I keep up on all the running news!

What's in your special needs bag?

Well last year I did my first IM and I was utterly overwhelmed at the concept of special needs bags. I had no idea what to put in them! So I put one of everything extra (gels, salt, PowerBars, flat fixing materials in the bike bag, etc...). I never took the bike special needs bag but I did take the run one. Mostly because I was moving so slowly through the energy lab that at that point, the special needs bag seemed like something fun to do. :)

Team Macca or Team Crowie?

I was always a Team Crowie member because I really admire the fact that he just gets the job done. Not a lot of talk or bravado, just solid results year in and year out. But then I read Macca's book and realized that perhaps I had some misconceptions about him. I have a lot of respect for Macca and what he does for our sport and also for his passion. Can I be a member of both teams?

What's your ride?

Cervelo P3 with Sram components. I don't know a lot about bikes and all their parts but here is a picture of it! :)

*Simply put, Beth rocks! She recently won her age-group at Eagleman 70.3, finishing 10th woman overall, pros included, and earned her slot to both Worlds 70.3 and Kona. But more importantly, she is a damn good person!

Fresh and Loose!

7:40, 5:27, 4:01, 2:37, 75, 31: these are numbers I have not seen on the track all season...until last night. I had no intentions of running this fast, my hips and joints dictated the speed. I know bodywork is important, and I learned just how valuable it can be last night. This sport costs a pretty penny and well, I don't have the financial resources to do everything I would like to do. Yesterday, I bit the bullet and paid $125 for a 70 minute session with an awesome massage therapist. To my surprise, there really wasn't much massaging, mostly stretching and pressure point stuff that felt somewhat like an ART session. I have to admit that once done, I was a bit disappointed because I didn't feel much of a difference, and I felt a bit cheated that my muscles didn't really get massaged. But later that night, when I was warming up for my track workout, my hip and joints just felt fresh and loose. I instantly noticed the difference when I did my first interval, my body just felt young. I didn't feel like a 40 year-old, but more like my 20's (well, I might be embellishing here, probably more like my 30's). I've had massages and ART sessions but to be honest, none of them made quite the difference like the one I had yesterday. I'm sold that you get what you pay for and that if you pay enough, bodywork makes a huge difference! My plan is to cut back on eating out 4 times per month so that I can substitute one bodywork session.

Well, summer has finally made it here to the Bay Area and I LOVE the freakin summer! I turned my grades in on Wednesday and was officially finito with school. On Thursday morning when I woke up to swim, I realized that I did not have to go to work for the next two months, and I let out a big "Woohoo!" (yes, I really shouted woohoo at 6 AM from my bed). Summer means light at 5:30 AM until 8:30 PM, naps, mid-day coffee shops, reading, volunteering, recovery, warm weather, visiting Kona, and of course training and racing. My serotonin levels must be really up and up right now. I'll just ride the wave. And I'll leave you with a quote that one smart cookie told me, and it really hit home:

Your dreams should inspire you and not haunt you.

Silicon Valley Long Course

©Brightroom 2011
A half ironman two weeks out of an ironman is tricky, but this race made it less tricky in that it was only a 1-mile swim and 9-mile run. The run is what destroys your body and makes the recovery part difficult, so I was confident that 9 miles instead of 13 was A okay. What I didn't realize was how mentally hard it is to do a race but not race. The most difficult part was having people go by me, people that I knew I could hang with in a race. But once I let go of my ego, things got better. Pre-race, I felt nauseous. I'm not sure if it was nerves or what but every now and then, a wave of nausea would come over me, definitely not the norm for me.

The swim: 22:12
I really wanted to swim focused, always looking for the best line and finding feet. The swim seemed to go by so fast because I was always trying to focus on these two things. The only disappointment was that I felt like I had way too much at the end, almost like I was swimming ironman pace. Looking at my time, my gut response is mediocre. If I don't get some fast swim splits, I'm going to lose what little credibility I have left as being a fast swimmer.

The bike: 2:39:17
From the get-go, I just didn't have it on the bike which is understandable given that I had a full week of training. I just focused on finding that slightly faster than ironman pace and hold. Once again, just like at Wildflower, I started to get nauseous on the bike and felt like I need to hurl. I took a salt tablet and gagged and had to hold down some vomit. Thus, I thought swallowing a pill might be the culprit and went off my salt pill plan. The nausea did subside but not taking salt wore on me and I definitely began to feel the bonk come on. With about 15 miles remaining, my remaining bottle of fluids went flying off the cage-just like it did at the full Vineman last year. Mental note: find a new drinking system for the aerobars. I rode the last 15 miles or so with no fluid so I really had to back off my pace and effort. I started to get angry with myself and then, just like when I let go of my ego, I let go of my disappointment and any judgment of myself, and things got better. From then on, I just problem solved and was kind to myself. Also, number 2,358 reason not to wear a white race kit: if you pee on the bike, people are gonna know.

The run: 1:04:11
I was definitely scared of the run given the water bottle fiasco on the bike. But once I got into T2, I took my time, grabbing a bottle of water and downing the entire thing. The plan was to treat the 9-mile run like an ironman marathon. Thus, that meant a stop at the porta potty. Once I got running again, the stomach was definitely sensitive and on the verge of a hurl. So I sipped and took small amounts of gel. The first two miles, I was holding 7:30 pace. I felt better as the run went on, and other than an episode of dry heaving at mile 4, which had the aid station workers backing away from me, things really did get better. I ran controlled and it never got painful, even when I dropped down to 6:45 or so pace. I was now known as the happy guy, smiling from ear to ear, cheering for everyone. The run really did feel great and mentally, I felt like I could have held that pace for an entire marathon, very unlikely, but it felt like I could. I ended up averaging 7:07's (probably faster had I not jumped in the porta potty) which is much faster than my goal ironman pace.

The result: 4:08:30 [20th overall, 8th age-group]
Post-race, I was feeling good and mentally I wanted to get out and do my extra ride to get the mileage up for the day. I asked and asked but nobody could wrap their mind around as to why I would want to do this. A lot of people responded that mentally, they couldn't get up for a ride. I took it as a good sign and an indicator of good fitness that I wanted to get out there and ride. Fortunately, my teammate Natalie was on the same plan and her schedule called for a 1.5 hour ride (she too is doing IM CDA). To both of our surprise, we felt really really good on the 26 mile ride, like scary good. The overwhelming feeling I'm now left with is that things are going to go wrong at IM CDA, it just seems to be the year of racing mishaps. But the lesson I learned today is to not beat myself up, to be kind to myself, and just problem solve. Being reminded of this lesson alone is good enough of a reason to justify doing the race. Onward and upward folks. Sorry for the lack of pics, I couldn't find any.

Major Props

In January, I bought a Schwaggle for a half-off entry to the Silicon Valley Long Course triathlon. However, I failed to read the fine print that said I actually had to register for the race, and that my buying the Schwaggle did not enter me into the race. Fast forward to race week (yesterday and two days before race day), and I noticed I still had not received confirmation. Well, I learned of my unfortunate mistake and immediately emailed the race director. I got this response just 1 HOUR later, "Kiet, not a problem, please check in with Janice tomorrow at packet pickup and she will get you all setup in the race."

I know the Ironman branded races are really in right now, but please please if you can, support the local races put on by smaller operations like USA Productions. We should all do our part to spread and share the wealth that is triathlon. I've raced with USA Productions for the past 15+ years, when they went by other names. They are really good people. When I sent off my email informing them of my mistake, I was very ready to accept consequences and either not get an entry or pay an extra fee. But deep down, I knew all would be okay because Ryan, the man behind USA productions is a good person. And good people always make you feel better when you are down. I've been asked to plug a lot of things on my blog, and my rule is that I only plug things as they become relevant in my life. I'm plugging Ryan and USA Productions because they bailed me out in a big way, and I would love to see their operation grow and thrive. Good people deserve good things.

And thanks to Ian for setting me up with these Reynolds clinchers. I'm testing them out for IM CDA. In fact, this whole race is really in prep for IM CDA. I know it's not a good idea to race a half-ironman two weeks out of an ironman, but:

This race is not a full half, the swim is only 1 mile and the run is only 9 miles.

This is a big team race for PacWest.

I want to practice my bike set-up, my nutrition, and my ironman pacing. The plan is to swim very hard, bike less hard, and don't even have hard come to mind when I'm running. I've had a very full week of training so I don't think I could even go hard for 4 hours.

And finally, my main reason for doing this race? I've learned that you can have the best of preparation going into and ironman and still have a bad race, so it should hold true that you can have less than ideal preparation, and have a great ironman race.

PR's

We've all been out on a training ride, run, or swim, feeling surprisingly good, and thus we continue to increase the effort. Next thing we know, we establish a PR. This type of PR is always a pleasant surprise. I've had several season PR's go this way, in fact, I think the majority of my PR's this season are happenstance. The happenstance PR is win-win. If you get one, great! If not, you weren't supposed to get a PR so you didn't fall short of anything. Yesterday, I went out and earned a PR the hard way.

The schedule called for a strong effort ride with hard efforts on two climbs. Since I've been claiming how fit I feel of late, I knew I had to back up this statement. There is no reason why I should NOT believe that I should get a PR. I'm three weeks out of my A race for the season, and I feel well prepared and ready to rock and roll! I should be in the best of shape and well capable of a season PR. The PR where you plan and then must execute is much tougher psychologically. The difference is the element of failure. But I had no time to think about failure, I was too busy working on believing in my capabilities. As luck would have it, I had read the article on Lukas Verzbicas, the high-schooler who just set a national record for the 2-mile (8:29:46), just before my ride. In the article, he said, "Setting a goal time is the first step in a record assault. I knew in my mind I had it the whole time, belief in oneself is a very powerful tool in my opinion." And with this thought in my head, I set out to set some PR's.

The first climb went off without a hitch, and mentally, I was in it to win it. The result was a minute plus season PR and about 30 seconds off my lifetime PR. Approaching the second climb, I was in a tougher place mentally due to fatigue. I found myself beginning to cushion myself for possible failure. Kiet, it's okay if you don't get this, you ran 16+ miles two days ago. I started to come up with excuses as to why I would not set another PR. And all of a sudden, the word "BELIEVE" popped in my head. I BELIEVE I can do this! And I spoke this word over and over again, all the way to the top of the climb in a season PR. As I was rolling home, I also realized that it was great that I got that second PR, but even more important than earning the PR, was believing I could do it and going for it. Believing in yourself and putting yourself out there to succeed has nothing to do with the outcome. You've succeeded the instant you decided to believe in yourself and go for it! I love this type of reflection when I'm out swimming, biking, or running. And this story was for you Libster.

Benchmarks

We all have benchmarks that give us feedback about our fitness. With three weeks remaining until IM CDA, my benchmarks lead me to believe I am fit and ready to race. Today's 2-hour run felt speedy, effortless both physically and mentally, and I maintained a 7:15 pace for 16.60 somewhat hilly miles. Yesterday's straight 3200 swim, descending 800's, felt best the last 1600. This past Saturday's 4-hour ride on the trainer ("turbo" for all you Aussies/Kiwis) was mentally easy and went by in a flash, even the 1-hour at IM effort/cadence. The 9-mile run off that ride was equally effortless. I am in good spirits.

I told Charisa this past weekend that I wished IM CDA was this coming weekend. I made this comment mostly out of fear, fear that I would screw things up in the three weeks of waiting for the race to come. If anything, I need these three weeks to do some increased intensity and to taper. I know I won't screw up but if I were to screw up, here's how:

My OCD mind thinks I need to keep up the volume and train more to keep my fitness. But my body needs something completely different. My body needs less volume, more intensity, and proper recovery. I need to shut my mind down and just listen to my body. It's important to plan at this time, to avoid those "extra" or "padded" miles just to appease the nervous mind.

And speaking of Charisa, here is a comment I left on her blog: So proud of you, looking at you on the stage with all those big names, in a race format that doesn't necessarily play to your strengths, I am inspired...as always. Good stuff Charisa! This girl just keeps getting faster and faster.

The Wheels are Still On!

I'm happy to report that after the massive volume weekend, the body is still happy. I really focused on proper recovery and I think it's made a huge difference. Yesterday, I was able to do a more intense trainer workout in the morn, and then a speedy track workout in the evening without any hiccups. Unlike my last volume push where I felt really run down the ensuing days, this time around, I just feel really fit, whew! La Niña is starting to play havoc on the training, we've had nothing but rain and more rain. The ski resorts are actually planning to be open for SKIING over the 4th of July weekend. There is a 70% chance that I'll be doing a 4-hour ride on the trainer tomorrow. No worries because I'll be occupying my time with movies and tracking my favorite peeps racing Hawaii 70.3. Go out and make it a great weekend!