The Check-in

The athlete check in was somewhat of a mystery to me until today. Today, we actually checked in at the Ironman event, and received our bib number and a whole sack of other stuff, but before that we had to have the "weight-in". It reminded me of a heavyweight fight where a day or two before the big event the two fighters get weighted and checked and all of that pre fight stuff. In a way, it was kind of like that. When I arrived at the check in desk, I was directed to another table and to an older gentleman who could have been a doctor. He took my name, age, and then had me step on a scale. I had just had lunch at Champions Sports Bar & Grill (8oz burger, fries, 4 glasses of tea) so I tipped the scale at 207.5 lbs (should be 204 to 205 but who is arguing) and a surprising body fat of 11.5% (had been 14 to 15%) and a hydration count of 57%. I was unfamiliar with the hydration number so he told me that the highest he had seen today was about 62% and the lowest about 50% and to try to get mine to at 60% if possible, so I just keep drinking fluid until Sunday morning. He writes down all of that info and then I am allowed to take that into the check-in area where another volunteer asked me for my bib number. There is a board with all of the names and bid numbers listed. I told him I was #2277 somewhat proudly and he said "One moment". Behind him was a table probably 50 feet long with 15 to 20 volunteers seated with numbers at their positions, kind of like when you go to get your car licenced renewed at the county clerks office (for those of you who live in Jefferson Co. you will understand what I mean). I was directed to position #5 where a lady pulled my packet with all of my numbers (I have two bib numbers, number for my bike, number for my helmet, a whole sheet of stick on numbers for all of the special bags of which their are at least 5 of and two other slips of paper with my number on it so if I elect not to collect my gear and bike after the race, I can send someone after it with this number on it). She reviewed all of personal info to make sure that it was all current and up to date and then had me sign the waiver...that's the part where you acknowledge that this is a dangerous sport and bodily injury and even death are possibilities and then you need to sign away your rights so you or your heirs can't sue us or anybody that we know type of stuff (you know the drill). I proceed next to another table where they collected my personal information and the waiver, by passed the travel table (this is where if you are from out of town, they collect info about where you are staying, etc,) and on to the chip check table. They scan your chip to make sure that the chip that you have is assigned to you and is working. Then on to the bag table where you get your choice of black, red, pink or purple bags to carry all of your stuff in. I choose red. Everybody wishes you good luck and out into the expo area you go. Whole process took about 15 minutes. Now...back to drinking or hydrating.

Now What

After 8 months of training and getting ready for this event, Monday morning I wake up to sore throat...not a good sign since most of my sore throat's (when I have them, maybe once a year) usually go to my head or my chest. Time for evasive action, double up on the vitiamns, get an extra nap in the afternoon then go to hot yoga or to the sauna at the Y to sweat it out. Hopefully will feel better in the next day or two, but I really don't have a choice. Just keep my fingers crossed and see what happens.

The TALK

As my friend Mary Sunshine says, Coach Rich of Endurance Nation says that you need to have a talk with yourself about what you are going to tell yourself when the going gets tough in the run, usually around mile 18. See Mary's comments at www.ironmanlouisville2008.blogspot.com.

There is probably not a day that has not gone by since August 27, 2007, (the day after last years IM Louisville event, when I signed up for this year's event) that I haven't thought about this race. I probably have run this race in my mind a 100 times in the past 3 months. Lots of people have asked me why you would want to do an endurance event like this. I guess I would have to say that an event like this challenges you both physically and mentally as well. I think about all the people who have come before me and the ones who will come after me and all of their hopes, aspirations and dreams to compete and finish this race. It is a challenge of the heart and soul of a person, to be able do perform a feat that 99.999% of the other people on this planet can't even fathom. I think of all of the people who can't participate either by infirmity or by age. When the pain and agony get unbearable, I think about the sick kids who have leukemia who I have run marathons for in the past, and the terrible disease they carry with them. The pain of my event is NOTHING compared to what these kids have to endure. That thought has carried me to the finish line of more that one marathon and I suspect that the thought process will carry me again on Sunday. I think about the words "Don't Give Up". I think about people who didn't give up, who when they got to the end of their rope, they tied a knot in it and hung on. I think about the pain being temporary but the glory of the race and the finish is forever. And finally I look at some of my new tri friends like Mary Sunshine who obiviously have had trials and tribulations in their lives and yet they keep moving forward and they keep coming back again for more. These people are my heroes, the ones I am amazed at, the ones that keep me going at mile 23...24...25...when the going get tough....just remember "Don't Give UP!!" The Good Lord will not give you anymore that you can handle. For all of you athletics who are participating on Sunday, I think this will be your finest hour(s) including you Mary Sunshine. So when you see me out on the run course Sunday afternoon and evening at mile 18 and beyond, you will know what I am thinking....what keeps me going, what Coach Rich calls...The TALK.

The PLAN

As I mentioned in a previous blog, last weekend I sat down and wrote out a plan for the Ironman event. There is so much to remember, I had to just " write it down". Here is is...

Ironman Execution Plan for Success August 31, 2008

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog

Schedule of events

Saturday August 23

• 7:00 AM Bike 30 miles with the “Tri Group that Could” and then run 5-6 miles brick. Taper and rest the balance of the day.

Sunday August 24

• 9:00 AM Last swim in pool 40 laps
• 2:00 PM Shape and Tone Class at YMCA – rest the balance of the day – in bed by 10:00 PM

Monday August 25

• 8:15 Yoga Core class at Betsy Hot Yoga

• 6:00 PM - Last biker ride w/ Richard Berry ( no more than 10 miles, maybe around the park) – in bed by 10:00 PM

Tuesday August 26

• 10:00 AM Take bike to Bicycle Sport for tune-up – pickup later on today or tomorrow

• Last run around bottom of the park no more than 5K – rest/drink and in bed by 10:00 PM

Wednesday August 27

• 8:15 Yoga Core class at Betsy Hot Yoga

• Check bike over and cleanup, lube chain and crank
• 7:00 PM - If you feel good, attend Yoga at the YMCA tonight.

Thursday August 28

• Eat a good breakfast – drink water/PowerAde throughout the day
• 11:30 Lunch at Champions Café with Coach Kragthorpe – preview of UL/UK football game
• 1:00 PM Athlete Check in – Galt House Ballroom C – pickup extra banquet ticket at race office for Friday night and Monday lunch.
• 2:00 – 3:00 Ironman Expo
• Prepare 5 bags for Saturday – put items on top of each bag as you check them off – only place stuff inside once you are 100% everything is right. Mark with magic marker.
• Dry Clothes – this bag goes with me on race day – place the clothes you wear to the swim start as well as post race wear – include Croc’s, long and short sleeve shirt, short or cut offs.
• T1 Swim to bike – this bag contains everything you’ll need for the bike and goes down with you on check –in tomorrow, includes your helmet, bike shoes, socks, towel to wipe your face, nutritional items (peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pretzel peanut butter), sunglasses, cycling gloves, air pump. Place them in the bag in reverse order so that the first item on top is the first thing you’ll need
• T2 Bike to run bag – socks, running shoes, fuel belt, cap and visor, sunglasses, nutritional items, salt, electrolytes, run shorts, new run top. Remember to pack this bag with the items on the top that you need first. Add knee and ankle brace.
• Bike Special needs: bag goes with me on race morning. Includes a tube/tire/co2 , second bottle for nutrition, extra food, salt, special snack/food – this is a backup bag in the event I need help. Only a 50/50 chance of getting stuff back from this bag.
• Run Special Needs – this bag goes with me on race morning. Should include items need for the second loop of the run including extra nutrition/salt, fresh socks, Advil, technical long sleeve shirt, special snack for that extra edge and a motivational picture/letter (General McAffiulfe) Add ace bandage for knee and ankle.

Friday August 29

• Eat a good breakfast – drink water/PowerAde throughout the day
• Check out Gatorade practice swim, check lighting at 7:00 AM and water conditions and sun location and check current in the water.
• 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Athlete Race Briefing – Galt House Archibald Cochran room
• Check out bike course for any changes from the previous weeks (new construction or paving, rock, sand on the roadway, etc)

• If time, schedule a light massage
• 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Welcome Dinner KICC Exhibit Hall 2C
• Before going to bed rehearse the race in your head, going thru good and bad scenarios and reasons/arguments for each side.

Saturday August 30

• Sleep in late. Get as much rest as possible
• Eat breakfast at Dairy Queen
• If you feel good, go to Yoga class at 9:00 AM – do a lot of stretching
• 11:30 – 12:30 Eat a big lunch – carbo load
• 2:00 Mandatory Bike & Gear Bag check –in Great Lawn – walk the bike and swim to bike and bike to run bags down to the transition area – preview area including exit area from the swim into T1. Know where your bike and gear are and know how to get there from the water exit. Review exit out of T1 into the street.
• Drink plenty of water – rest and put your feet up and relax
• 5:00 - Dinner – light something to eat yet to be determined
• Home by 7:00 PM – prepare liquid nutrition for race day –
• one bottle of PowerAde and freeze for the bike,
• one bottle of Hammer Perpetuem electrolyte replacement and freeze for the bike,
• freeze two bottles of water for the bike,
• load gu holder for the bike,
• pack Endurolytes caps for the bike and run – 3 caps/hr for bike total of 21 caps – 3 caps/hr for the run for a total of 15 caps. Put in two separate baggies.
• Freeze two bottles of Ensure and take 3 liquid bottles in a cooler with you.
• Freeze 1 bottle of Hammer Recoverite for after the race. Put in cooler and make sure Paula knows it is there and have it at the finish line.
• Prepare and freeze one peanut butter/jelly sandwich for the 2^nd half of the bike and put in Bike Special needs bag.
• Prepare turkey sandwich for the 1^st hour on the bike. Pack 2 packages of shot blocks, one for the bike and one for the run.
• Layout breakfast items for the next morning.
• Pack as much into the car as possible less the freezer items.
• 9:00 PM - Bedtime – set watch alarm for 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM

Sunday August 31

• 2:00 AM – Wake up take in liquid nutrition 400 to 600 cal – 1 to 2 bottles of Ensure
• 4:00 AM – wake up , get race gear on including timing chip, pack dry clothes bag – make sure to take old pair of flip flops to get from the bike to the swim start (3/4 mile walk – don’t go bare footed )
• Breakfast – oatmeal, eggs, toast, coffee (no milk or OJ) – get stuff out of freezer and put in cooler. Put PB/J frozen sandwich in Bike Special Needs bag.
• Write “Patience” on one arm, “Discipline” on the other arm and “Don’t get stupid”
• 5:00 AM transitional area opens – arrive by 5:00 – leave house by 4:30 AM
• Get body markings – head into transition area to check bike setup
• Check tires for air pressure, put bottles on your bike, add other nutrition/salt/etc as needed.
• Drop off bike and run special needs bags
• Apply sunscreen,vasoline -
• Eat a gel and drink a bottle of water
• Stretch out and do a little Yoga to relax
• Head down to the swim start – make sure to cross the start mat

Notes about race execution

• Swim only as fast as my form will allow. Remember that the course is 1/3 upstream and 2/3 downstream. You will pickup time going down stream due to current
• Count strokes to take your mind off of the swim.
• Remember to relax and get into your breathing routine early.
• Using lighter goggles if light is not too great to allow greater visibility.
• Were tri shorts to swim in and to bike in. Don’t have to change at T1
• On the bike, conserve energy and heartbeats
• Go out slow for the 1^st 30 minutes and final a comfort cadence. Keep heartbeats under 150
• Consume turkey sandwich after 30 minutes on bike
• Drink fluids every 10 minutes – 2 to 3 swallows each time – alternate between fluid items – stay hydrated – drink all 4 bottles by the half way point
• Equal pressure on the petals
• Setup good bike splits for a great run (30 to 35 minutes to River Road/US42, 1 hour to Hgy 1694, 40 minutes for 5 mile out and back on 1694, pass thru LaGrange at 2 hrs 10 minutes, 30 mile loop again thru LaGrange should take 1 hr 45 minutes, 40 minutes to Sligo and 2 hrs back to Great Lawn
• Second half of the bike, dial in nutrition, keep consuming 250 cal/hr – eat PB/J sandwich before getting back into LaGrange at mile 68.
• At River Road and US42 – 10 miles left in the bike – start to loosen up and get in any other nutrition – you have about 35 to 40 minutes left – stretch and get up off of the saddle
• At the stone bridge on River Road, 1-1/2 miles left – down shift and increase cadence to loosen up legs – loosen straps on bike shoes so you can step out and the finish and keep the shoes in the clips.
• Approaching green lot and exit of the bike, keep focused and be calm – Get in/get out – Keep it simple,
• Keep bike shoes in clips, step out of shoes and go to T2 in your socks.
• If bike shorts are in good shape, keep shorts on and change tops, change socks, Vaseline feet, put on new socks, and put on running shoes, put on visor or hat (if hot >90 degrees, wear hat for putting ice under hat for cooling, if mid 80’s were visor and sunglasses. Put sweat bands on ankles to keep feet dry.
• On the run, jog the first 3 to 5 miles (10:30 to 11:00 miles) after then try to maintain 10:00 to 10:15 minute miles. Set yourself up of a 4:30 to 5:00 hr marathon. Keep heart rate at or about 150 bpm.
• Walk each aid station taking fluid from the LAST person and then walk for 15 seconds and drink(alternate water, Gatorade, chicken broth, Coke) or take the nutrition. Rest as much as possible to save energy and heartbeats for the last 8 miles of the race. Pick a physical place to start running again, i.e. manhole cover, light post, mail box, etc.
• Decide what you want at the aid station before you get there.
• DON”T GIVE UP – Remember General Anthony McAuliffe and the Battle of the Bulge “NUTS” When the going gets tough, the tough get going. You have trained for 8 months for this moment. Don’t let the person in the mirror keep you from achieving your goal(s) Goals – finish in 14 hours or before dark if possible without major blowup, meltdown or injury.
• KEEP MOVING FORWARD – count the number of people you pass after mile 18 and in particular if they are in your age group.
• Keep smiling and cross the finish line looking good J
• Recover gear from T1/T2 area
• Go home and do a cold water soak – get some sleep.

Taper Down....

The training is difficult but you know what to expect. With the taper down, your body still wants to go but your mind has to say no...it's time to rest. By this time I feel "spent", burned out and ready for a break. My last long ride (35 miles) was yesterday morning and my last long run (5 miles) was right after that for a "brick". Today I turned a 1000 meters in the pool and that was the last of the long swim. Tomorrow will be a 10 - 12 mile ride and then Tuesday a 3 mile run and then rest up the balance of the week and try to save all that energy for next Sunday. Now is the time to get the mental focus for the race

Plan for the WHOLE Race

Planning for an IM event is a daunting task. There are so many details to remember, items and equipment you need, things that will be forgotten if left unattended. For the past week my mind has been racing about what needs to be done when and where and a million other details....then I found Endurance Nation and Coach Patrick & Rich. I purchased their DVD, "Four Keys to Long Distance Triathlon" several weeks ago but had not any time to look at it until this past Saturday. Once started I was hooked on their ideas and process for organizing the race week and race day. I immediately began to write my own plan which turns out to be about 4 pages long starting on Tuesday before the race on Sunday. After training for 8 months, I don't want to leave any thing to chance at this time or as they say in the DVD, "look in the mirror and tell the person you see that you aren't going to mess me up on race day". After two day, I finally have my plan for week which I will post on the blog soon. I am glad that is behind me so now I can try to relax and focus on the task at hand...lets keep moving forward.

Swim the WHOLE way

It sounds like a relative short distance, the 2.4 mile swim of an IM event. It's just 12, 100 feet, 4000 meters....but in the water that is a fairly long distance. Up till last Friday, I hadn't swam the whole distance in one session. I started to feel very nervous about the distance...my mind started to run away from me....what if I couldn't finish the swim, what about cramps, what if I trained for the bike and the run and never got to either of those events, and a million other doubts. I guess at this time in the training for an IM event, everybody starts to feel tired, edgy, constantly asking yourself questions whether you have trained enough yards, miles, etc or gone long enough and an hundred other doubts. I decided to put an end to all of that... I usually do my swim work on Friday evening in the YMCA pool which is 25 meters.... and 2.4 miles is a 160 laps..back and forth. I don't like running on a treadmill and swimming in a 25 meter pool is just like swimming on a treadmill...so I went to Mary T which has a 50 meter pool and is a different venue and a change of scenery. Once i got started and found my rhythm the 80 laps came relative easy in 1 hour and 50 minutes...another goal and fear accomplished and conquered. Let move on....

Riding the WHOLE Course

I finally got to ride the whole bike course on 7/26. Several people from Louisville Ironman Blog jointed up to ride together....that lasted about 15 miles of the 112 mile ride. Everybody has their own pace on the hills and on the flats. Most people seem to meet up at the Marathon station in Sligo (seems to be a favorite place for cyclist to stop for a break, get a bottle of water or a drink). I enjoyed the course until the "second lollypop" or the second loop thru LaGrange. General George S. Patton of WWII fame had a famous saying that he hated to pay for same real estate twice (he never liked to retreat) and I hate to look at the same real estate twice so the second loop is somewhat of a drag expecially knowing that for the most part you are going away from the finish line for sometime. In running a marathon, they say a lot of people hit the"wall" at 20 miles. In biking I think the "wall" is at about 80 miles. I stopped at the Starlight General Store (which has become my favorite place to stop) at mile 93 and I was ready to be done. Nonetheless, we held on for the last 19 miles home to finish the WHOLE bike course in about 6-3/4 hours