IMFL 2010 - In The Books

Thank you :
First off I want to say thank you to everyone who wished me well before this race, everyone who kept track of me when I was racing around Panama City Beach, and everyone who has sent me congratulatory messages. I really really appreciate every single one of them and I hope I have been able to respond to each one of them....I think I have but if I missed you I do apologize...and in such a case please inform me so that I can make up for this atrocity :)

Without the support of my friends and family throughout this past year (my first full year of triathlon) I would not be where I am today...and where I am today is a good place. I am working at a new office where the people are friendly, they seem to really want me to learn and want me to be a part of their growing business, and they also seem to "get" my triathlon addiction, although to them its just my hobby...little do they know that I spend just about every waking moment of my non-work day in triathlon mode, whether that be eating right (most of the time), hanging at the bike shop making sure my bike is ready to roll), training!, driving to places to train, driving to places to race, getting enough sleep to recover properly, heading to the gym, yoga to stretch, etc.. etc... the list could go on and on.

When I sit back and think about what I have done, what I have seen, where I have been, and who I have met throughout this past year it really is quite amazing. I think that my good friend Mike Corona said it best in his most recent blog This kind of thing is what really matters when it comes down to it. It's about enjoying the sport and enjoying it good company. Mike and I spent many a early morning in conditions that would make southerners turn pale in the face and scare them into the fetal position. We even crashed together one morning...I mean really crashed hard!!! but through all the crappy mornings and the brief pain it only made us stronger triathletes and more importantly stronger triathletes. One year ago I didn't know Mike and today I consider him one of my closest friends.

I also wanted to add one final thought about the overall triathlon community. I refer to this a lot..about how great it is blah blah blah..but once again I was amazed by it down here at IMFL. I know that a lot of people get pissed off at the WTC for what they do and most recently for what they tried to do. I personally have no basis to be angry with them since I haven't been around that long. I have a bit of a personality trait that doesn't care what was in the past so in terms of the WTC I never experienced what IM races were like pre 2010. Frankly I don't care..All I know is that it costs a lot to put on a race of IM magnitude and that to have everything done for me and have all the race set up for me is great. I have enjoyed every single one of my IM events this summer. I did 4 M dot races (2 70.3's and 2 Full's) and sure their might be some things I would like to see changed but on the whole they were run extremely smooth. For me the 300 or 600 dollar registration fee is a small price to pay for the amount of training, sacrifice, and dedication that goes into IM training. Sure I would love it to be less expensive, especially since I don't make a ton of money right now. But I am not going to complain and make a scene like some people do. It really irks me when I see some of the comments on ST about this. Some comments are justified and some are not..and I've got to imagine that some of them are being written by people who make over $100k per year, to them unless they are struggling to support a family of 5 I have no remorse because I know a lot of people who make less and are still paying their dues. But enough about that, I am jaded by my youth, so take my thoughts for what they are worth (not much).

What I was trying to get to in the above paragraph is that I had a really wonderful time here in Panama City getting to know some more QT2 athletes like Charlie and Andy. Andy in particular is a bit older than me and was not at the Vermont camp so i didn't get a chance to meet him this summer. However, I saw him multiple times on the course and cheered for him as he went flying by me on the bike as well as on the run loops. He was hauling! It was exciting to see him trucking along, and exciting for me to see someone else racing that I knew. Then at 2011 registration I met a guy named Jason who lives in Florida and who was signing up for this first Ironman. We got along just like old friends talking about this years race, next years race, his own tri club, etc..It's always great to meet people who are excited about the sport and into the same thing as you. I look forward to seeing him next year as he nails this race!

IMFL 2010 Race Report (or something like that)

It was cold! I was freezing before the swim start. Up until Mary and I hit the beach I was nice and warm in my cozy 3 layers of clothing as I checked my gear bags and pumped my tires. The special needs bags were dropped off (and never touched..so someone got a nice powerbar, pair of newton socks, and powergel courtesy of Turbeau Curbeau, athelete #190...I hope you enjoy them!), then we prepared to head to the beach by getting on our wetsuits. This is where I got the coldness set in..40 degree temps with a sleeveless wetsuit is not all that pleasant. I ended up making the executive decision to ditch my hoody and sweats and just wear my wetsuit, $6 dollar Walmart slippers, nike winter cap, $2 dollar Walmart mittens, and nike long sleeve shirt to the swim start. Sounds like I would still be warm right? WRONG! I was still freaking cold and I had to pee like crazy...the bathroom lines, although the smallest of all IM events because of the proximity to the host hotel, were still extremely long and I wasn't about to stand in line for 20 minutes just to go #1..something I would soon be doing in my pants all day long anyways. So as Mary and I were standing on the beach, a few yards from the swim start I decided to warm myself off by taking a leak...it must be absolutely fascinating for a non-racer (spectator) to just see a grown man peeing himself with a big old smile on his face..or at least I think it would be fascinating to watch..but then again I am kind of weird. After I relieved myself we walked through the swim start to engage the timing chip, once through that we had the whole shore to our disposal. I proceeded to jump around for the next 5 minutes attempting to warm my body up...it didn't work all that well. Then the worst part. I had to ditch my hat, my shirt, my gloves, and lastly my slippers...it was now go time! As I made my way to the front line, a little to the right of the first buoy (banking on the current taking me to the left the whole time) Mary and I happened upon Adam a QT2 athlete who was starting his first ironman, its always nice to see a familiar face when you are surrounded by 2,500 other people. At 7AM the cannon blew and we were off. The water brought a welcome warmth to my body as it was significantly warmer than the air. The swim was taken in 4 segments, the first segment was the swim out to the first buoy. It was a fight against the current which was pulling left and their were some pretty decent waves as well. It made for a fun battle and really didn't allow for any time to think about your stroke. It was just swim swim swim and try and not get nailed by a competitor. As weird as some people may think..especially those who have done IMLP, I took more hits here than in Placid, probably because of the waves and current. After the first buoy (which I dove under and around) it was a short straight line towards the way back to shore...this was quick because the waves were going that exact direction...then after the turn it was just swim as hard as you can back to shore. This part was aided by the current and waves and they were flowing in the general direction of land. It was also on this segment of the first loop where the back of my wetsuit broke. The zipper was toast and I could feel some nice cool water on my skin, but most of all I could feel the top of it rubbing against my next (I have a nice little spot on my neck which resembles that of a HICKY right now..to bad its not a HICKY, hmm..I might just tell people it is so maybe the ladies think I have some game. Yes, that is what I will do. Anyways, the benefit of the buoyancy from the wetsuit outweighed the other option of stripping after the first loop. I ran out of the water, onto the beach, grabbed a swig of water, looked at my watch..smiled, and the proceeded to face plant into the sand as another dude forced me into a little sand wall that had been created by the tide..no worries though I bounced up quickly and made it look as smooth as possible..you know like I meant to do it..haha! After that I did about 50 dolphin dives to get out to deep enough water where I could begin to get some benefit by actually swimming. The rest of the swim was just the same as the first loop..my wetsuit was bugging me but that was the only negative. Other than that I really enjoyed seeing some sea life on the ocean floor in the shallow waters...whats the use of swimming in the ocean if you don't take some time to enjoy the scenery! (I saw 3 horseshoe crabs in case you were wondering). During the swim I thought to myself, hmm...I am pretty warm I don't think I will need an extra layer on the bike..I am soooo GLAD I did not go with this notion.

T1-Bike

The wetsuit was stripped off and I headed to the indoor transition, my bag was given right to me and the nice transition people, good bless them, just dumped it in front of me and were at my service...literally doing everything I asked except appealing the cream to my private area. (I don't know why by the term grundle seems applicable here..haha that sounds funny when I say it...grundle..just say it and you will laugh. I don't even know if this term is horrendously offense or not..if it is I apologize) The bike was freaking freezing for about the first 2 hours and then didn't get much warmer than mildly comfortable. It was also pretty windy. No excuses though, a tail wind for the final 11 miles or so pushed the mph average up so I was happy for that. The bike was overall uneventful. The turn around out and back half way was super bumpy for about 5-6 miles..like really bumpy, every 2 seconds it was another bump, I wouldn't say the road was super bad but its just that after 50+ miles in the saddle already a few hundred thumps just isn't the most fun thing to have. But overall nothing horrible...I did almost see one guy yard sale when his front tire caught in a rut, but somehow he managed to steady his steed and keep riding..I didn't see to many of the bike peletons that I heard about from others, yes a couple passed me but not that many. At one point Andy Salmon (QT2 athlete) rolled by me around mile 15 or so..he was in the zone, I wanted to follow but I knew such a move was not in my cards and would ultimately leave me crying on the side of the road somewhere in the fetal position. Once I hit mile 80 it was go time though. I bumped the watts up ~10 and was trying to make up some time that the cold and wind may have taken away from me. Let me state that I wasn't being superman by any means but I was riding at a little higher tempo. I got to see my mom outside our hotel on the way back as well as Curt and Luc Eggers..always great to see familiar faces when racing. I was feeling really good, really high spirits.

T2-Run

I got off the bike and tip toed to T2. I am not an accomplished dismounter of the bike with no cleats yet, this is something I will work on next year. Trying this for the first time in and IM event is not the correct place and would probably have left me with some open wounds and a mangled bike. T2 went pretty good overall, the volunteers were again like little angels sent from heaven. The only dump move I made was forgetting to take off the Mellow Johnys Bike jersey I wore because of the cold (thankfully I packed this! The arm warmers would not have been enough. Next year I will be packing a really good base layer to put on over my tri top after the swim to help warm me back up and keep the core temp up, I think the cold might have dropped my heart rate on the bike to a lower than normal level..but whatever I will look at that later..REMEMBER NO EXCUSES ON RACE DAY..IT IS WHAT IT IS...SUCK IT UP AND DEAL) So after I remembered this I took it off and chucked it at a nice little girl who was like "WTF is this idiot doing" I told her my number was #190 and thanked her. Truthfully I didn't expect to see the jersey ever again, nor would I have cared...but the little angel stuck it in my bag and it was there for me when I picked it up. The first mile was good, 7:20, exactly as planned..then the next mile sucked. I just couldn't keep the pace. I ended up pulling over and taking a leak while I walked..gross right? Not really when you think about the dude that pooped himself..I didn't see this but it was all over ST that some guy had done some work in his white pants and was leaving behind a nasty smell as he ran his marathon...After that the next ~5 miles were good, or something like that. Clipping off ~7:30's and feeling the way I thought I should feel based on training, etc. This didn't last long though, for some reason the giddy up wasn't their, I suppose the wind on the bike took more out of me than I thought..maybe? None the less I kept eating, kept drinking and made my way around the first loop and into the second, thinking back I really am angry I couldn't get myself to push to another level, this is something I need to work on going forward..yes I was hurting but everyone else was too. I knew this! and I knew this going into the race but still there are times when you think..damn I didn't execute as planned. I had kept this mindset for the majority of the day but at the end of the run when I think about I let it slip. When I check my watch with 6 miles to go I knew that sub 10 was pretty much out the window unless I decided to morph into Ryan Hall for 10 minutes and make up 2 miles. So the last 6 miles I am angry at myself because I didn't floor it. I didn't make myself go beyond the wall, I ran hard the last mile but the damage was already done..the damage was done at mile 10 when the legs weren't firing at sub 7 pace. So be it! It's over now, and I have gained valuable knowledge about myself and where I need to place focus on..both mentally and physically. As I entered the finishing shoot I had the whole thing to myself as I was in no-mans land for the last 1.5 miles. I saw my mom and dad, high fived my dad, and crossed the finish line smiling....little did I know that I was smiling for the camera as it was being streamed over the internet. Glad I wasn't being grumpy or obscene. HAHA. I put my arm around the nice lady that gave me my medal, thanked her, collected my t-shirt and hat and made my way to the food tent for a cold coke and banana. I felt pretty good all things considered. What does this mean? I didn't go hard enough, I want to cross the line in a haze where they have to cart me off to the med tent..haha (I bet coaches love to hear that right?) Anyways, I found my parents again, gave them a hug and proceeded to get my dry clothes bag since I was already getting cold from no longer running.

And that was that. I got my bike and took it to the Ironman bike store (best $175 dollars I ever spent, they took my box and built my bike on Thursday, had it built and tuned in 3 hours, picked up and test rode it, raced on it, and then gave it back to them after I finished and they proceeded to re-box it for me all I have to do it take it to the airport and check it in...it was great!!!) picked up my Transition bag (aka T-bags, hehe). I then caught up with the Eggers and found Mary after she finished.




PS: I went to McDonalds for breakfast today and on my coffee cup they had the monopoly peel off sticker game, and I won! I won a free small fry. Looks like I know where lunch is going to be today!!! Then I am thinking maybe another meatball sub from subway for dinner..I've really developed a craving for those, haha! I am going to enjoy some tasty foods for a couple more days and then once I get back on the wagon I am going to stay their! I've got a lot of work to in 2011 but I've got everything in place to get me where I need to be. One year from now I will be back here in Panama City recovering from IM #3. I can't wait to look back and see what 2011 was like.