3 Disciplines Racing

Make sure you have a beverage with ya, a cup of joe or whatever and get relaxed it is kinda
long but it is the blog of PE and SA IM:

Saturday SA IM EVE:
Today was BY FAR the best day since we have been here.  It was mid
70's by 9:00am.  It was the Corporate Challenge going on at 8, I swam about 800m while
they were on the bike and run.  Then we walked up and Donovan and AM grabbed a coffee.
they said Powerbar and Powergel only at the first 2 aid stations so that changed my entire
plan as I did not want to carry anything with me and of course like a person who has done
7 fulls and dozens of halfs I know what I am doing.  I didn't bring my bento box so we
had to purchase one and some powerbars and gels at the expo.  I can't stand buying things
but I had no choice in the matter.  I am I have to say more than bummed about not getting
any Coconut water.  I have used that since last winter in Hawaii instead of water to get
hydrated but again can't dwell on it at all. So I had a chicken quesdilla and we headed
back to the condo to drop off our bags.  Then  
I went and got a haircut as it was out of control, then came back and took a nap then it
was time to go check the bike in.  In the two hours I was taking a nap and in the condo
to when we departed for bike check in the winds were howling, 25mph. it was quick and
painless.  They had 6 lines and someone directing one athlete in each line.  At the end of
each line there was an official.  He first checked the helmet strap and said way to loose
my friend, tighten that up.  Nope, tighten it up some more please, and a little more.  Ok
you have been informed of the high winds and rain tomorrow?  I said yes, he said ok you
are all set.  I then proceeded over to the "BIKE PICTURE" section where they take a picture
of your bike and helmet so they can do a study on the equipment.  Then someone pointed me
in the direction of my rack, then another person took me when I got to my row to my spot
on the rack.  I put the bike in and then he pointed me in the direction to hang my bike
and run transition bags on the transition area racks.  After that I was done and we came
back to the condo where I just chilled out and listened to the wind howl. Donovan was
making comments about the day tomorrow and my response everytime is the same, no worries,
I don't think about it, don't worry about it.  Nothing we can do at this point, everything
is what it is.  If you are not prepared, O well.  If you are prepared, great, if it is
raining and windy well so be it, that sucks but we can't do anything about it.  If it is
a duathlon, such is the sport that we participate in.  My only thing I thought about is I
have a mantra about having fun, along with that is the "challenge" so there is a fine line
with that challenge versus having fun.  There is that part that is hey this sucks but I am
gonna do it for the challenge of it. It obviously is a long way to come to not race but I
race to have fun, to be able to do something I am fortunate to be healthy enough to do.
At 6:15pm Annmarie headed out to grab something to eat and the dark clouds are rolling in
and the winds are even stronger now, the power has flickered several times and the tv has
went out 5 times.  It has not come back on while I have typed this so it will be interesting.    
So I am sitting here in my compression typing away, doing some work as well listening to
things fly all over the place outside. 

THE PLAN:
Coach Tony V says 300 calories per hour, Powerade
every 20 mins. completing one bottle per hour on the bike. I have been STRICTLY instructed
since I have no power or heart rate test results to go by only a few Time Trials in very
different places in very different conditions between Kona Hawaii and Gaylord, MI in April.
So he said I cannot go above 21mph.  Absolutely positively not and he said if I feel I am
pushing it I am going way to hard.  So this is going to be very difficult for me because I
just love that feeling on the bike when my muscles are working and things are flowing but
I am dedicated to his plan here, he is the coach. So on the run I will get off Powerade and
go to water and gel.  The plan there is much easier to comply with if I can say, very simple
walk for 60 seconds at every mile, performing 25 1 mile repeats.  At first you may think
WHAT? well think about it, my longest run since December has been one 2:00 run which I totally
sloshed thru and then 5 or 6 terrible 1:10 to 1:30 runs where I was just fried afterwards.
I was totally out of it after each one of them which as you all have read Dr. G wiped me out. 
So he says very simple, I am not trained for nor am I ready and we both have NO clue if I
can even handle running 26 miles with the Graves thing.  I could shut me down and out at any
point.  So create repeats which I will run between 7:20 and 8:20 each, not going faster than
7:20 unless I feel great with 5k to go I can take off.  So that will be my plan there, taking
a gel at the exit and then about every 4-5 miles.  that is it so we will see what happens. I
think if the winds are what they say that will be a difficult thing to deal with specifically
to my plan. Ok so I am typing now Monday afternoon with very very sore quads, hammy's and calves.
When we went to bed Saturday night it was a full blown storm outside and I laid in bed thinking
if it is like this when we get up there will not be a race and I was totally fine with that.
Some may say how can he say that after going all that way but after I did 05 Kona without
training and suffering through that I said I would not do another event if I was un-prepared or
if it was not going to be fun.  Back in the day when it was about going as fast as I could and
being in the top 10 no matter what race it was it was different.  Now nearly 20yrs. later it
is different, it is about having fun at what you are doing.

RACE MORNING:  
Alarm went off at 4:45am and I didn't even have my eye's open all the way and I could hear the
wind and rain and in the back of my mind I said so what is the temperature?  Sure enough AM
came back from opening the door and said that word COLD.  So we woke Donovan up and made or last
preperations and headed out in the rain TOTALLY un-prepared for that weather.  I quickly got a
few garbage bags and made them in to rain coats.  This especially made me feel like a dufous like
I have done 300 races in my life and I didn't bring rain gear.  So we were 3 blocks from the t-area
checked the bikes, I threw my glasses with the rain lenses in my bike bag, a wind breaker and headed
to the bike.  I checked my tires got a quick couple pumps at bike service and re-racked it and I was
off.  We found a tent that didn't have anyone in it so we quickly pounced on that.  We had lost
Donovan somwehere in the chaos.  People saw us under the tent and it became crowded really fast. The
rain just kept coming down and wind blowing and it was damn cold.  I would say under the tent it was
upper 50's.  So needless to say I was less than excited but I said we will see.  So 6:15 I started
putting the wetsuit on and I finally was warm again.  Then 6:30 I quickly headed over and checked
my swim bag in then ran down to the ocean and jumped in..... Holy Shit I jumped up and said shit
what the hell?  It was as cold as it was last Saturday when we swam, the storm must have blown in
all the cold water again.  Easily back in the low 60's.  People were just freezing and the waves
were crashing, but no time for that.  I took a few strokes and then ran over to the swim check in.
10 mins. to start.

Race Conditions: 3-5 foot waves, winds 40-60mph. temp in the 50's with on and off rain.
(Sounds like cuddle weather to me!) 

THe SWIM:
I made my way through 1800 people up to the front where they had a sign 1 hr.
I have never swam slower than 59 at that distance so I placed myself up there.  Then the rain just
stopped.  I was like hey maybe that is a sign.  So South African National Anthem ended and the
cannon went off.  I placed myself on the inside where I always do.  I would rather the guards bump
me and say inside.  So made it out to the first buoy through the surf perfectly, I was in the front
group and felt great, no worries, I had already mentally prepared myself for the cold after my pre-
swim.  Then we made the left heading out to the bay and immediately was bashed by waves, not
swells and I was like what the heck where did these come from and so started the fight.  The report
after the race was 3-5 footers with a very strong current.  it was so strong when I got to the next
buoy I took 4-5 strokes and the buoy was still in front of me and that was when I realized we were
swimming against a current in those waves.  But that 700m stretch on lap one I am telling you the
truth I started to swim towards the lifeguards 2-3 times becuase I was so frustrated I did not know
how to swim in that.  I stopped and watched some people and I could not figure it out.  I shortened
my stroke, I lengthened it and that was definitely not what to do, I tried gliding under water more
I tried breathing less.  nothing was working and I was getting pummeled.  One time I got hit square
in the face by a wave so flippin hard it knocked my goggles off and I was at that point saying this
is stupid I am not prepared for this.  Our swim in Michigan would have been cancelled for sure.  I
made the turn home and now those waves were with us along with the current it was still difficult
swimming but much easier since we were now with them instead of against.  So at the half way we exited
and I was hoping to see a time but there was no clock so I kinda walked up the beach in a bit of a
daze thinking shit I gotta do that again.  I headed back out making the turn and now the winds had
picked up so much at the top of each wave it was spraying so the white caps and spray just bashing
you constantly I never get sea sick but I was starting to feel it.  I had stopped another couple
times and when I did I looked around and people were just everywhere.  All over the place as far as
I could see.  It was a mess out there, I made it in at about 1:20 or maybe a tad less but I was
totally spent at that point.  My arms, shoulders and lats were just burning as I made my way up to
T-1 I went to grab a chair and missed it and fell over. Everybody was freaking out and I just said
just a little light headed and dizzy I am good.  So I did not want to sit down so I finally got
changed, I don't know how long I was in T-1 but it seemed like forever. I had counted 33 lifeguards
on everything from waverunners to boards, to dinghys for a 1.2 mi. course is pretty good coverage
but I can't even imagine how busy they were.  We heard over 60 did not finish and some folks told us
they watched the boats bring people in just non stop.  So my BIG negative on the swim course which
I commented on earlier was when we heard there were only 4 buoys and 2 of which were right in front
off shore.  You have to have more buoys out there, I don't care if it is flat as a pancake out there
with all the thrashing alone it is hard to spot, and with the conditions today I never saw it till it
was right in front of me.  I was fortunate I swam all week and picked buildings to site for but with
how bad it was with the dark skies and rain on and off it was difficult to see them as well then on
lap 2 with all the wave spray I pride myself on my ability to swim straight and it was difficult as
best and it is something that costs very little and takes very little time.  So because of that and
that alone I give the swim portion a B -.  Add 4 or more buoys out there the swim management would be
an A+.  One person said that many people are just use to swim in the ocean here and use to dealing with
those conditions and that was apparent with how well people swam but you have to account for all 1800
not all those great ocean swimmers.  Like I said if we would have waves like that in one of our races
I would have made it a du. but they are accustomed to that here so it is just like hawaii. 

THE BIKE:
The most difficult bike I have ever done in my life bar none and nothing even compares. Immediately
as you exited the transition area the winds were just nailing you
right in the face.  But that stretch along marine drive was a cake walk compared to the 14 mile
climb up to the top of the mountain.  It was the easiest gear I had for 14 miles I think the fastest
I got to was 14 - 15 and the slowest was 7mph.  Each and every lap the winds increased, when I reached
the top on lap one it started sleeting, it was just pelting your skin and bouncing off your helmet.
I looked at the penalty tent and was like this is just plain stupid, what am I doing, I am 18 miles
into 112 and I did not want to be there.  I kept thinking about my dedication to my father and said
gotta keep going it has to get better.  Every single intersections was covered, every single aid station
had more than enough personnel, more than enough stock and there was people absolutely everywhere.  Even
at the furthest spot on the bike there were people at every driveway in the middle of knowhere.  I
have never seen such support, people were bundled up like it was 20 degrees dealing with the rain the
winds I mean the support was incredible, truly incredible.  One negative was all the guys were peeing
on the side of the road all day long and I didn't see a single portajohn on the bike course so for the
females it was not fair for them.  On the second lap one of them asked at the top of the mountain while
I was grabbing a banana.  Plenty on the run but not the bike.  So we made our turn to face the ocean
going down hill and the gusts up there were relentless and had to be 50 mph plus easily especially on
lap 2 and 3.  I just grabbed my bars and hung on, how some of the people stayed aero is beyond me. 
I did not pass a single person on lap 1, seriously not one and at that point I was so out of confidence
I was being passed by dozens and dozens out there just saying to myself WTF is going on here.  Then as
is always the case lap 2 and 3 I started passing more and more and more.  But laps of 2:10 was not
going to get me anywhere or anything so at that point when I started back up the hill on lap 2 I gave
in and said the time now is not important nor do I give a crap who passes me, nor do I care how fast I
go I have got to get to the finish line for my dad.  Everytime from that point when I wanted to quit I
said "cmon dad lets do this" that was it.  If it were not for that I think I would have packed it in. 
Seriously folks, all I can say is it totally sucked.  I don't think I had one minute of fun out there.
Each lap the winds picked up and by lap 3 there is a spot where you turn off the out and back and head
down and you can see the ocean, the waves were so high and it is a pretty steep downhill, when we rode
it earlier in the week we were on the brakes.  I was pedaling going 8mph. I did 95 Kona at that time they
said it was the hardest Kona in the history of Ironman, I watched people get wiped off their bikes right
in front of me as the winds were that strong.  But it still did not compare to this with the cold, the rain
and the constant battle with three laps.  Again with the exception of the portajohns for the ladies I
have to give the race an A with the organization on the bike course.  a plus would have been added with
portajohns as it would have been perfect. Again every single intersection, every single side street, every
potential hazard out there was covered with several individuals and the amount of support both directly with
event management and the people of PE was truly incredible.

So into T-2 there was a nice reprieve from the clouds and rain, there was a bit of sun shining on downtown
PE.  I can't remember the last time I was so excited to get off of my bike.  I can say as I have all week
I totally changed my thought process on a goal finish time and just said I needed to finish due to all the
inconsistencies with training and Dr. G. But I can say I thought even on a bad day I would not be slower than
6 hrs. So to come in and see so many bikes and to look at my time and see 6:30 I was just demoralized, anything
I had left in the tank in terms of internal power was now gone.  I was toast, legs hurt, ears hurt from all
the wind howling in them, so at that point is pretty much when I made the decision if I am going to walk
the entire run so be it, I will have plenty of time. Again what seemed like an eternity in the changing tent

The Run:
I finally headed out and walked the first minute as instructed which I think was good.  Then the Garmin beeped
and I was off.  I had some spring in my legs and glanced at the watch, 7:11, O shit dude what are you doing,
slow down, so 7:45, good this feels good.  I hit the first beep, walked a minute and I was off 7:22, slow it
down just a tad, 7:45 good right there, keep it right there.  I hit the first aid station grabbed a powergel
and wached it down with a water sachet.  Next mile 7:35 feeling great, AM saw me and said are you doing what
you are supposed to?  I said yes, walking one minute. So as you run along Marine drive there are literally
hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of people camped out along the road.  They have their 10x10 tents out
grilling, screaming, drinking I mean it is just one huge 3,4,5 mile long party.  Those people were out there
the entire time, dealing with all the elements as we were.  Half of their tents were just ripped apart from the
winds.  But with the exception of Ali drive in Kona there is not another place that has that many people supporting
the race. We have been to a lot of them, all over the country, the world with me, sure you have the run along
the water in Tempe, or spots at Wisconsin, etc. etc. etc. but it still is not like this I mean this is a
holiday event for these people as long and as far as the eye can see.  The fact that they were out there in
those elements all day was just again incredible. Aid stations were about every 2k, so not our mile so my plan
did not have me walking at those aid stations which in hind sight I should have adjusted to match those.  They
were stocked with Coke, Powerade, Power Gel, potatoes, Powerbar, bananas, sandwhiches and sachets of water and
sponges.  Probably 25 plus people at every one of them and they were all saying keep going, your doing great
I mean none of the people just not wanting to be there and they had every right to feel that way.  You could tell
they were trained and well and told what to do, how to do it and why. So next beep walked my minute and took off
again and hit the four mile mark.  I glanced at the watch did some quick math added 20 minutes and said I got
this at the worst I will be 4 hr. marathon.  that will bring me in between 11:40 and 12:00.  Mile 5 came and I
looked I was at 8:11 and felt the same so that was the sign of things to come.  I felt like I did at 7:35 but
I was 40 seconds slower.  At 8 I started my minute walk and then walked thru the aid stations to make sure I was
getting what I needed.  I did a power gel every 4th aid station with water at the rest and an occasscI
came around the university and you could see all these dark clouds rolling in again, the winds picked up
even more than they were the temperature dropped even more as well and next thing you know it started pouring
rain again with little ice crystals in there.  I was just like are you flippin kidding me, seriously as if we
have not dealt with enough today so that lasted about 2 miles as we headed back into downtown.  I made the
tough decision to walk when my watch beeped up to the aid station which added another 3 minutes of walking
which happened to be the turnaround where you collected your wrist band.  That is how you and they keep
track of your laps.  Red lap 1, blue lap 2, white lap 3. So coming back through town I saw AM and I asked her
if she had our garbage bags from the morning, she thought I was asking for my jacket which she didn't have, I
said I have got to get warm, I was shivering while running and at that point I dropped to mid 9:00s and knew my
last lap was in big trouble unless I could get warm.  I made it to the final turnaround it was dark now so they
started handing out light sticks.  I was freezing and the people at the aid station were wearing these big green
garbage bags.  I asked them for one and I put that on, I felt better immediately, instantly I started running
better.  So I took a look at my watch and said this is it, if you do not buckle down now you are going to be
in the 13's and I wanted no part of that.  So I made the executive decision to run the last 5 miles without
stopping.  I was running between 8:30's and 9:15 those last 5 miles, it was again just damn cold, the winds were
relentless and there was a little mist with drizzle in the air.  I have to say that last 1000m was rough I was giving
everything I had to keep it together.  I felt my pace slipping and I just kept saying "lets bring this home dad"
So I rounded the chute, came through the arches and crossed at 12:40.

The Finish:
 When I crossed the finish I started shaking
and could not stop.  I was freezing from head to toe, I was dizzy my legs were aching and my heart rate was elevated
They had a volunteer escort each finisher much as they do at all IM events.  She was great, she asked me if I
wanted medical I said no I just need to relax, so she sat me down for a few minutes.  Then I somehow made it in
to get my picture.  then they walked me to massage.  they asked me a few times if I was ok, I knew something was
wrong as after a 20 minute massage I was still freezing and my HR was still beating, tingling in my extremities so
Annmarie said lets go to medical.  They were absolutely awesome, wrapped me up put a blower on me with heat and
took my vitals, they had an issue getting blood as I did not have any in my finger tips.  BP was a tad high with the
heart rate as well.  So I was in there for a good 30 minutes plus.  But they were just incredible, AM told them
about my Graves disease crap so they knew what was going on and I just told them I needed to relax and calm down
a bit.  So after that we headed over and grabbed my finishers shirt, then to the food tent which I have to say
receives another less than favorable mark if it were not for the nice hot vegetable soup I would not have eaten
anything.  It was just about a 10 or 15 x 30 foot tent for 1600 athletes.  But the pizza looked like it was hours
old, there was just little pieces of fruit like it had all been picked over and then you received what they call
a hamburger.  Acutally it is called a "Spur" burger which of course was not fresh so I took one bite of that and
tossed it.  So I ended up with one cup of vegetable soup, which I must say was good.  So the food tent I give a C.
Sorry I just think for a 140.3 distance event and that type of entry fee you have to provide something a little
better.  I know you get a post race awards dinner which hopefully is good, but a lot of people will not go to that
and need something after a race like that even under great conditions.

After that we headed over and grabbed the bike and bags, very thorough and very strict with everything, it was a
step by step process it took more time that I would have liked but it was fine and then we just walked about 30
feet over to KFC and proceeded to buy a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, all breasts! and some mashed potatoes
and gravy.  then we made the trek back to the condo.  We walked in, I dropped everything by the door took 5 steps
to the bath, turned it on, walked 5 steps and got undressed, 10 steps back to the kitchen grabbed the KFC, 5 steps
back to the bath, got in and relaxed for a bit, took some deep breaths and then proceeded to eat KFC in the
bathtub while soaking.  What better way to enjoy some KFC then sitting in the bathtub after completing Ironman. 
Then I got on my compression gear and headed to bed.  We kept saying we want to go out and cheer on Donovan but
we just didn't have the strength nor did we have any dry clothes left but shorts so there was just nothing we
could do but sleep. 

Monday post race:
So we had planned on buying some tshirts for Christmas presents at the expo Monday but there was no place to do so. 
We had thought possibly they would have something later tonight at the awards party but there was nothing there
either.  I don't get caught up in buying all the IM crap, one jersey or shirt that says the name of the race is great
to show the accomplishment.  But 75% or more of the expo was all just IM stuff, not South Africa IM.  so that was
dissapointing.  The finishers shirt we got was a polo but the finisher is in grey and it is screen printed.  I
have to say I don't understand why you would screen print on a polo shirt, it is just not something I want to wear
not just because it is screenprinted it just is not that nice I would have rather had a regular T shirt with their
logo on it with finisher but o well.
So we just hung around waiting for the award ceremony, we headed over there and it was a buffet style with sweet/sour
chicken, lamb and beef with potatoes and salad and rolls and pay for your beverage.  It was ok, certainly better than
a huge 50 lb. pile of overcooked pasta.  The rest of the evening was a nice job, video, presentations, awards, etc.

Monday night awards ceremony:
LET ME SAY IF YOU WANT A WELL RUN EVENT, in terms of Ironman event management this is top notch! It is as good if not
better than Kona and I mean that.  I have been there several years, as I said Annmarie and I have been to IM events
everywhere and this from top to bottom was great.  I think better than any other one I have been too Paul Wolfe truly
puts the athlete first and back pocket second.  You see AM and I have a difficult time with events now because we
can't just go race we put everything under the microscope.  Over 400 events produced we look for and at everything, the
things the average athlete would never notice from safety issues like making sure the stakes are all covered so people
don't fall on one.  To things like people wearing gloves at every aid station.  I am telling you this was just awesome. 
my only nit picks was the portajohns for the ladies on the bike, the post race food, the finishers shirt
my only management issue is the 4 buoys, no big deal to throw out 4-8 more and would help a lot of athletes.
There are just way to many pluses to mention, just the support from the community alone is worth the trip!

So at the awards the officials said it was the second toughest IM in the history of all Ironmans. Avg. swim time 1:37
Avg. bike time 7 and avg. run time was 5:02.  About 300 people did not finish and only 5 people swam under an hour.
Only 11 broke 9 hrs. I was 370th out of a little more than 1500 starters, 4th from USA. 71st in age group of 377. 
No complaints, no regrets, if you finished this you can finish anything it was truly that tough.  So we fly out today
Joburg to Amsterdam to DTW. then time to rock and roll, the season starts.

one last plug, if you want to do your first Ironman this is the place, but let me warn you, you may just be dissapointed
if you do another one somewhere else.  I would even say look for any produced by Paul Wolfe! If you have been dissapointed
with others in the states, this is your repreive event save the money and make the plans to head to PE next April 14th.
I am going to do Abu Dhabi and we will see if we can fit this in somehow? It would be nice to do it in different weather!
I was told by Donovan and his relatives that there were half the people out there that normally are and I can't imagine
there being more support.   pics are on facebook.