With the completion of my Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report, albeit 4 months late, it is now time to officially close the book on that huge accomplishment and look towards the next. My sister and I have kicked around the idea of doing another Ironman in 2013. Sister missed the bike cutoff by mere minutes during IMCDA and she is looking for redemption.
I was considering Lake Tahoe, Canada, Wisconsin and Arizona as possible venues. They all have their challenges in their own right, aside from being an Ironman event! Since Gretchen lives in San Diego and the way the calendar was shaping up, Ironman Arizona at the end of November 2013 looked like a great selection. The event is very popular and we heard it is a kick-ass event since it is the last one of the year in North America. WTC really throws a great party. But Arizona was also towards the end of November and in the training cycle, we would be doing our major build up when the weather was turning cold and rainy in the northwest. Not the best time to be doing 6 hour bike rides and 3 hour runs.
So we looked a bit closer at Ironman Florida. It is the first weekend of November, this will put our training peak about October 13 or so, still decent weather usually. IMAZ is usually very cold in the morning of the event and the swim is in a city canal that can be kind of merky. IMFL is usually warmer in te 50's at start time and the swim is in the Gulf of Mexico from a white sandy beach. Although an ocean swim with waves, current and that despicable salty taste, it will be much better, plus less crowded.
On the IMFL bike course, two very important features make it attractive--A single 112 mile loop as opposed to the 3-loop course of IMAZ; and approx. 300 feet of elevation gain at IMFL over IMAZ's 3,000+! It is pancake flat! This will benefit sister as the hills at IMCDA (6,000+) were very tough.
The run course is a two-loop course that is spectator friendly and will finish right in the heart of Panama City Beach, FL. This event makes more sense and so we decided to jump in!
It was amazing waitng for the registration to open online. These events sell out as soon as they open.... often within hours. We had to be sitting at our computers when the registration opened and right when the clock switched to noon Central Time, the registration icon appeared and I clicked it! Sister and I got in! To our astonishment, the event sold out of General Entries in less than 1 hour!
So what will it mean to train and complete my 3rd Ironman? Here are just a few items....
1. I always want to have something big on the horizon as a testament to my new lifestyle, to keep me accountable and to remind me of the dream that "Anything is Possible."
2. I know I can do better! I know I can go faster! I want to break the 14-hour time barrier. I would be more elated if I could bust through the 13-hour barrier, but that would require massive work. On paper, that could theoretically happen, but paper and Ironman race day are two different animals.
3. Share in my sister's success! I want us to stand side-by-side with our toes in the sand, on the starting line of IMFL! And then I want to be there when she finishes and Mike Reilly announces, "Gretchen Ruff.... you are an IRONMAN!!!"
4. I want to enjoy the training cycle. It is the toughest part about the Ironman, just getting to the starting line. But this time I really want to enjoy the training. I want to work hard and see the results and improvements. I want to be more accountable to my diet and what I put into my body.
There are a few other reasons and goals that I have mulling around in my brain... not ready to put them down on paper yet, but let me just say that I am excited for this amazing opportunity to experience another Ironman and to share it with the people I love.
140.6 mi Total Time: 14:20:24(Personal Record by 70 minutes)
This is what I looked like Aug 2008 at 320 pounds
Two years ago
I reached my ‘Mt. Everest’ as it relates to physical endurance feats when I
finished Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2010.That was an epic journey that was an amazing accomplishment.To go from a morbidly obese non-active person
to an Ironman finisher in 22 months still has many people in awe.But what do you do after you have made it to
the top?Some would sit back, relax, and
do something more mundane.But I
realized that I still needed to go back to Ironman, I needed to have a big goal
that I was striving for and I also wanted to improve my performance and make a
solid showing.Plus, my sister,
Gretchen, was planning on finishing her first Ironman and I just had to be
there with her.So after volunteering
for the event in 2011, I signed up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2012!!!
The Out-Season (October 2011-March
2012)
I signed up
with my old team Endurance Nation which specializes in Ironman and half-ironman
distance events.They have some amazing
training plans and execution strategies plus a team of about 500 athletes that
are a wealth of information.
Different
from last time, is that I would undergo a 20-week out season training plan
that, with about 10 hours per week, would focus on becoming a faster cyclist
and runner.Although this wasn’t a huge
time commitment for training, it would be very intense with some very hard
training sessions.
I started my
Ironman 2012 training on October 17 with a bike test out at Vancouver
Lake.A bike test is a 40 minute time
trial, giving it an all out effort for that duration, then taking my average
heart rate as my lactate threshold HR and then calculating my zone 1-5 training
zones.A few days later I did my 5K run
test at Salmon Creek Trail.Again, an
all out effort for 5K’s to determine my threshold running pace.I would end up doing about 5 each of these
bike and run tests throughout the 8 months of training.
On my first
bike test in October I averaged 19.3 mph for 40 minutes, on the last test in
April I averaged 20.4 mph.On the run
test I improved from a 25:23 5K in October to 24:06 in May and a vDot from 38
to 40.
At the end of
February, I added a new weapon to my triathlon tool box.I bought a Kestrel Talon time-trial bike that
helps keep me in an aero position while riding.It is also very light and very powerful giving me some instant speed on
the bike.
During the
out season I also relearned how to swim.I took 12 weeks of swim lessons at the LaCamas Athletic Club.Although this was a big time commitment
during a time that I should be just focusing on biking and running, I felt the
need to become more efficient in the water and learn the proper mechanics of a
good swim stroke.This training was
amazing and the coaches were stellar.My
swim stroke improved by leaps and bounds.We even had a mock swim meet with the masters swimming class and I
smoked the 100m freestyle in 1:09!The
masters swim coach came dashing over to me was astonished that I wasn’t wearing
swim fins.He gave me the biggest high 5
I have ever received!
Early monring swim
The Mental Reset (March 2012)
A new feature
on the training plan is a 2-week mental reset an athlete can have after
completing 20 weeks of the out season and before heading into the race build up
phase.This period is designed to give
you mind and body a chance to take a break from training.This did not bode well for me.I had been focusing and focusing so much on
this training that to step back away from it made it even more difficult to
start back up after the two weeks.I was
in a total funk and was pretty depressed.I think I just got preoccupied with other things around me (work and
life) and to then bring the training back to center stage, it was difficult.
12-week Race Prep Season (March
2012-June 2012)
Here comes
the true ironman-specific training phase.This is the time when we add in the distance on top of the speed that we
have gained the past 20+ weeks.We also
add in swim workouts to the training plan.The hours per week jump from about 10 to 12-16.Suddenly the alarm clock is going off at
4:45am 3 times a week to get in that early morning swim.Long runs on Thursdays and then very long
bike rides on Saturdays and Sundays.
Training for
an early-season Ironman while living in the Pacific Northwest has its
challenges.Too often my runs and rides
were done in the rain, wind or freezing temps.I would curse the weather and declare, “Never again!”It becomes very tiresome after weeks and
weeks of this abuse.But maybe it was
giving me the mental toughness that I will need just as much as physical
stamina come race day.
Sister and I had some fun during swim training
In the middle
of April, sister and I traveled to Lake Berryessa near Napa, California for a
half-iron distance triathlon.This would
be a good way to measure our fitness, test our execution strategies and also
get in some triathlon experience.This
ended up being one of the toughest triathlons I have ever completed.The water temp was 53 degrees and I had a
very, very difficult time adjusting to such cold water.My head was hurting and my feet were
tingly.Out on the bike, I couldn’t feel
my toes for the entire duration.With
exception of a 15 mile stretch, the roads were so hacked up with broken asphalt
and the sharp curves on the insane downhills made for a very unsafe course.But most annoying was the 7 mile very, very
sharp climb at about mile 38.It was
insane and took me about an hour just to climb.Poor sister quit shortly after this climb due to severe leg pain.The run was brutal, out in the broiling sun
and hill after hill after hill.The hill
at mile 10 was a full mile long.However, despite the grueling conditions, I PR’d this distance by
several minutes.The key was my improved
conditioning, but also the experience I have gained from all the previous tough
events I have finished.
Hits Half-Iron Triathlon
May 9 long run report
Pre-Race
Headed to CDA
on Thursday of race week.I had all of
the kids with me this time.I felt it
was important to share this experience with them that hopefully they will be
inspired by the Ironman motto that “Anything is Possible.”Once we got to the Ironman Village, we found
Gretchen and her family and went to go register.Mom was working in the registration tent and
she handed us our event goodie bags and that was a special moment for all of
us.
Aaron was a big helper getting my bags together
That night we
signed Aaron, Lauren, Rachel and Ryan up for the Iron-Kids fun run.A 1.2 mile run through the City Park with the
voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly there announcing the race for the kids.I asked the kids if they wanted me to go with
them for the race, but they said no and the plan was that Aaron was going to
stay with Lauren.That plan was dashed
within the first 5 feet of the race as Aaron took off.Poor Lauren lost her step and fell shortly
after the start.Ooooh, poor girl.She skinned her knees pretty good.But she got right back up and continued
on.I back-tracked on the course and
found Aaron who said he had thrown up already.Not sure about that, but he did take a big swig of my water, wiped his
sweaty head and then continued on towards the finish.A few minutes later I saw Lauren running
along the top of the lake seawall.Silly
girl.She too had a sweaty head.I gave her some of my water and a great big
hug and followed her in to the finish.She gave Mike Reilly a big high 5 just before the finish.
After the
event, Lauren was so upset.She wanted a
trophy and not a ‘stupid’ medal.LOL.Poor little girl.We were all proud of her and her
accomplishment for finishing the race, but her heart was set on getting a
trophy just like Aaron’s baseball trophy he has at home.J
Aaron, Ryan and Rachel after the IronKids Run
Friday
morning found us down at the lake front steps for a reconnaissance swim.I stepped one foot into the cold lake water
and jerked it right back out.“Nope!Not going to do this swim without my swim
socks!” I declared.After the cold swim
in California in April, I have added swim socks to my cold water gear in
addition to my neoprene cap.Ahhhh, that
is much better.What a happier person I
am when my feet aren’t cold.I also used
ear plugs for the first time.What a difference.Sister and I had a great swim together and
did some clowning around when we got to the cylindrical swim buoy out in the
lake.
Race Day
One thing
that I did last time that made such a huge difference was to use a very, very
detailed checklist covering everything I needed to do the night before and race
morning.It took my mind off of trying
to remember things and let the checklist run itself.It alleviated so much stress and anxiety.
As planned I
got up at about 2:30am and ate a PB&J sammie.I then went back to bed and slept for about
an hour before getting up.4:15 came
really early.Mom had gotten sister and
I hotel rooms in CDA so we could be closer to the race site.That was very nice of her.Mom is our biggest fan.She is simply the best supporter of
everything Gretchen and I do.She was so
excited the night before the race, that she went to the City Park and set up
our family pit area and then stayed up all night until her volunteer shift
started at 4:30am!!!She gets my vote
for Volunteer of the Year!
The hotel had
an early morning breakfast available for athletes and their families.We all made out way down there and I made the
joke, “what is everyone up so early for,” as we piled onto the elevator with
about 12 other people.When faced with
stressful situations or when I am nervous, I tend to turn towards humor.
We arrived at
the race site.Found some free on street
parking about 4 blocks from the park.Immediately found my mom and Cheri Boyer who were doing body marking.It was special to have them apply my race
numbers for the day.We shared some good
pictures and good hugs before the event.
Body marking from my mom and friend Cheri
Since I had
my checklists I was able to very quickly drop off my special needs bags, head
into transition and check my bike and run bags and then get the food and water
put on my bike and air up the tires.I
brought in my own pump.I think I spent
more time waiting for others to borrow my tire pump than it took me to take
care of my stuff in transition.While I
employ teamwork, I think I might leave the tire pump at home next time and opt
for the bike tech station.
Morning video update
I did a 15 minute
easy warm up jog.I contemplated
forgoing the warm up run because it is of little consequence, but I did it
anyway to quell the nerves.Afterwards
it was time to get my wetsuit on.Sister
asked if I wanted to apply sunscreen I told her no, that I would hit the
sunscreen volunteers on my way out of the transition tent after the swim.First mistake I made today--ALWAYS APPLY
SUNSCREEN WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS!
Put on my
wetsuit, gave out hugs good bye and good luck to sis and then made my way down
to the beach.It was packed on the way
there.I don’t know if I am just lucky
but I managed to find my way to the front of the line when they opened up the
access for us to step onto the beach.Hah!I carried a bike bottle of
water with me down to the beach.I
sucked on this to stay hydrated.Just
before going into the water, I tossed the bottle back up onto the sea
wall.
**Checklists
were great
**Always
apply sunscreen and anti-chafe before the event.
2. 4 mi Swim: 1:10:58 (1:40/100 yds)
Standing on
the starting line on the Ironman is a thrilling experience.I took a quick moment to reflect on my long
and hard journey just to make it here.Never mind I signed up a year ago for this event and have been training
hard for 8 months, but the incredible obstacles I have overcome when I was
extremely overweight and was on a road to an early death.I said a short prayer thanking God for this
great opportunity to accomplish something really, really big.
BOOM!!!The cannon blast off!I LOVE cannon starts.Don’t give me a countdown—that is for
sissies.I want a loud, mind blowing
explosion to start my race!I had lined
up in the second row but once I heard the cannon I quickly jumped around the
racers in front of me and plunged into the water and began stroking wildly to
put on some distance.
Incredible mass swim start to Ironman CDA. I am about half way down towards the front
Swim socks!!!
I was so glad
that I had my neoprene cap and swim socks.Ahhhh, no ice cream headache, no feeling of needles in the feet!Even though the water temp was very cold at
about 55 degrees.
I knew I
would start hyperventilating within the first few moments, but I really wanted
to push the swim.I had spent 12 weeks improving
my swim… I want results!I was doing
pretty good at keeping up with the leaders for about 50 yards and then it
seemed all 2400 athletes tried to merge into the same space of the lake.I had bodies everywhere!I had someone kicking my head, pulling on my
arm and both legs and I was on top of another swimmer!OMG!Ironman swims can be really crazy with lots of contact.Here I was in the middle of the rugby scrum.After taking in two gulps of water I had to
rise up and get my bearings.One goggle
was full of water, too.
“I’d better
get on my game, this is serious,” I thought.
I calmed down
and settled into a good pace.About
1,000 meters from shore we hit the turn buoy and just like the last time I did
this event, it was packed.I anticipated
this and tried to stay wide where there was more open water.Yeah, right, it was still crazy.Just had to deal with it.
After making
the turn we headed back to the beach.I
was looking for feet to follow so I could get a good draft, but I couldn’t find
any that worked for more than 2 strokes.So I was pretty much on my own.
Out of the
water for Lap 1.I came up through the
timing arch and heard Mike Reilly call out “Mike Rudolph!”Right on!I later find out that my 1st lap
time was 32 minutes!!! That is smoking fast!I plunged back into the water and headed out for lap #2.
The weather
in CDA can change so fast.The morning
was perfect, very peaceful, no wind, and perfect temperature.A quarter through the 2nd loop
gusty winds kick up and so does the chop on the lake.I was swimming along with my head in perfect
position, gliding and stroking and suddenly I feel something bashing me in the
head.I look up and a wave slaps me in
the face and I gulp water.Oh
goodness.When I breathe on my side I
can see the water beginning to stir with gusty winds.The waves get steeper and steeper.I am heading directly into the wind and
waves.I have done a few ocean swims
while being in the Coast Guard so I just tried to keep my head down and maintain
my stroke and be careful when I breathe on my side.
It was
getting really crazy and I was glad to hit the turn buoy, but one problem, we
had about 100 meters where we were abeam to the chop.So every time I breathed to the right, I got
a face full of water!So I just breathed
on my left until I got to the 2nd turn buoy and was now pointed back
towards shore.Whew!I found out that the slower swimmers had a
very rough time with the 2nd loop of their swims and several people
had to be hauled out.
2.4 miles is
a long way to swim, but in an Ironman, it is the shortest duration of the 3 and
this time it seemed to go by really quickly.
All done with the swim
Transition #1
Instead of
walking I decided to run up the beach to the transition area.I got to the wet suit strippers and whoosh—my
wetsuit was off and I then turned to get my bike bag.Before I ran into the tent I heard someone
shout out my name.I was in such a blur
I didn’t know who it was.Got changed in
the tent, handed my wetsuit and bag to a volunteer and I was out of there!When I got to my bike I heard a very loud,
“Wooo-hooo! Go Mike Rudolph!!!”I looked
up and there was Jon and Nikki Seehorn, longtime motorcycle racing
friends!I was so thrilled!
Gretchen heading out on the bike
112 mi Bike: 7:08:35 (15.7 mph)
It was still
cloudy so I did not put on my sunglasses but tucked them in my back
pocket.Got on my bike and headed
out.It is so cool to ride through town
during the Ironman.So many spectators
cheering and ringing their cow bells, signs and the course is cordoned off so I
feel like I am in a Grand Prix car race going through town.Well, that is what I think about anyhow.
I rolled up
my arm warmers and tried to settle in.As
we cleared town I looked down at my heart rate and it was 140 (Z5+)!Aye caramba!I slowed down to calm myself, it is a long day and I need to pace
myself.
I tried
something new on the bike this time.Remember from the half-iron distance triathlon in California I did in
April, and how I couldn’t feel my feet until the run because the water was so
cold?Well I put some air-activated toe
warmers in my bike shoes and taped hand warmers to my aero bars.This worked so amazing!Even after coming out of the cold lake and
then getting on the bike, my toes and hands warmed up really quickly.I commented to myself, “what a difference
warm hands and feet can do to a person’s attitude.”
The new heart
rate monitor is great.It alarmed
whenever I was outside of my zone (120).I also had a countdown timer going off every 12 minutes reminding me to
eat or drink something.My nutrition set
up was Infinit (carb, protein, electrolyte) mixture in my aero jug, a water
bottle in the front bottle rack and replacement Infinit in the back bottle
rack.I had PowerGels and cut up
PowerBar.Plus a coin dispenser with
endruolytes (sodium pills), Tylenol and vitamins.
The key to
finishing an Ironman is proper pacing and execution.All of the training and testing I had done
over the past 30+ weeks has helped me dial in the exact pace and zones I need
to be in so I can have a proper run.The
strategy for the first 90 minutes is to just ride along.Keep a very easy pace that is barely zone 1
(<116 HR).Luckily my HR monitor
would alarm whenever I got outside of this so I could quickly get it back in
zone.
The first 15
miles are very scenic as we head east along the lake and then flip-it and head
back to town.Then we head out to US Hwy
95 for a long section south.The bike
course is new this year.I had not
ridden the Hwy 95 section.I didn’t know
much about how bad the climbs would be.Driving in a car they didn’t seem too bad… um on a bike, it is a lot
different.The climbs were really
tough.They were steep and long, very
long.I had to keep it in my small chain
ring and just spin up the hills while everyone was passing me.
Notice my glasses are still in my back pocket!
Stopped at
the Mile 20 aid station to pee.I had
peed 4 times during the swim and now I was raging again.That’s ok, good to be hydrated and everything
working properly.Shortly after the aid
station the sun had finally made an appearance and I decided to put on my
sunglasses.I reached behind me into my
back pocket and…..felt nothing!Oh
no!My expensive, special ju-ju, rockin’
sunglasses had fallen out!Oh
goodness.This could cause my whole race
to collapse!Hah!Not really.My coach teaches us to worry about only the things we have control over.There is really nothing I can do about losing
my sunglasses so I need to just deal with it.But, this did consume my thoughts for about 60 miles of the bike.More on that later.
So as I am
riding along still consumed with the loss of my glasses, we were climbing up
another hill and right there on the double yellow line of the highway, what do
I see?A pair of sunglasses!!!I couldn’t believe my eyes.I turned around and stopped to pick them
up.They were an old pair, probably
tossed from a vehicle.They were very
scratched and would probably look better on a woman than me, but they were
sunglasses!!Yay, I was elated.I put them on and continued on.
The next
thing that I started worrying about was that I failed to put on sunscreen as I
left the changing tent back in T1.Oh
goodness.I could feel my back and neck
starting to get cooked.Just a few
moments later I see a small tube of sunscreen on the road.But I was cruising pretty good and decided
not to stop.I just couldn’t grasp my
unbelievable luck!
I then
stopped at the Mile 30 aid station to use the restroom again and made sure to
apply sunscreen this time, but I could tell that the damage had been done.My skin stung really badly.
Continued on
the course and finally made it to the turn around and then headed back towards
town.Luckily we had a bit of a tail
wind and I could feel the speed finally coming.I saw Gretchen heading the other way, I figured I was about 10 miles
ahead of her.So great to see her on the
course.
For nutrition
I tried to suck down the Infinit in my aero jug in the first 2 hours and then
refill it with my concentrated bike bottle and then add water to dilute it to
the proper mixture.The trouble is that
I forgot if it was a 3hr or 4hr mixture and so I put too much water in it.It became too diluted and it lost its
effectiveness.Good advice for next time
is to write this information on the bottle!
On the way
back to town I got to bomb down the steep hills and got my bike up to 44
mph!And that was in a narrow section
near the guardrail and everything.Wooo-hooo!It was crazy but the
adrenaline in my gut felt so amazing.Reminded me of my old motorcycle races!
Mile 60 just before Bike Special Needs Station
Came back
through town at the end of the first loop and then headed back out along the
lake.It was about mile 60 at the last
Ironman where I started getting really fatigued and had to slow way, way down.I was still feeling fresh and knew my plan
was working much better.
At mile 60 or
so I stopped at the Special Needs Station and restocked my gels, energy bars
and slopped some Infinit powder into my bike bottle.I had to pee so badly but the line was too
long!!About 4 miles later, we hit an
aid station where I grabbed some water bottles and diluted my Infinit jug.Once again, I couldn’t remember if it was a 3
or 4 hr bottle, plus with the powder packed in there really well, it never got
fully diluted.It was more of an oatmeal
goo.Yuck.
Back out on
Hwy 95 I decided to stop at the Mile 76 aid station to pee again.The sun was coming down pretty good now and I
could tell that I was getting cooked.I
had a worker apply sunscreen to my back again, but it stung so badly.
The hills the
second time around feel so much steeper!OMG!On tired legs, you really
feel it.I just stuck to my plan, kept
my HR in the proper zone and spun up the hills trying not to think about the
discomfort.Often times on the bike I
would stare at the white or yellow line and just day dream.Thinking about all sorts of goofy
things.It helped pass the time.
During most
of the bike I couldn’t stop thinking about losing my sunglasses.I thought of scenarios and possibilities of
where they could have come out. I
surmised that they had to have come out when I was at that first port-a-potty
stop.So when I was at Mile 106, I did
something illegal and crossed the course over to the opposite side aid station and
asked some of the workers if they had any unclaimed sunglasses.But there were none to be had.Oh well, I need to let them go.
My legs were
getting tired but overall I felt pretty good.A little sore in the tush.At
about Mile 110 we turned off of Hwy 95 and onto Northwest Blvd that would take
us to transition.I stopped for a moment
to get a picture with our old friends Kellie & Kelly and Pat.It was so great to see folks out on the
course cheering us on.
Coming back
into town, I felt like a rock star!Although my bike time was much slower than I had aimed for, I was
feeling awesome!Although the crowds
weren’t thick, the cheering was very loud and exciting!
Almost to the bike dismount line
Transition #2
Off the bike
and I made the joke to the volunteer, “has anyone told you today that they
don’t ever want to see their bike again?”He laughed and answered, “no, you are the first one!”Got into transition and grabbed my bag and
into the tent.A volunteer helped me get
changed out.Took off my Timex HR
monitor and put on my Garmin HR monitor and GPS.Also turned on my iPhone.I changed my shorts and socks and headed out
the door.Remembered to have the
volunteers apply more sunscreen, ooh it was getting hot and I knew I was burned
pretty badly (I have said this 3 times now).Off and running!
26.2 mi Run: 5:50:13 (13:22/mile)
My goodness,
my legs are working!I can’t believe
it.At the last Ironman, this was the
most difficult part.I was in a very
deep and dark hole that took 2 miles of walking to dig myself out of.But here I was actually running great right
off the bike!
It took a bit
for my GPS to start working but when it did, it showed I was doing a 9:30/mile
pace!Eeegads.I need to do about 11:15 to start out.So I slowed it down.Whoa!
My strategy
for the run was to maintain a stupid slow pace for the first 6 miles, walking
about 30 steps at each aid station (about every mile) and then settle in to my
zone 1 long run pace of about 10:45 for the remainder.Well, that was the plan anyhow….
The first 6
miles went very quickly!OMG!This is working!I had settled in to a very slow but easy
pace.I was feeling really good and I
would walk at the aid stations and also a little at the mile markers.My pace per mile was about 12:26.I ascended the Bennett Bay hill, which is the
toughest part of the run course where we climb this hill 4 times.Eegads.I hit the turn around and then started heading back to town.
At the aid
stations I would dip my bandana in the cold water and used that to cool
myself.I took in water, potato chips
and pretzels.I put ice in my hat to
place on my head.That helped keep me
cool too.The pace for the second part
was about 12:24/mile.Still right on
track!Woohoo!
Special Needs Stop with Lauren
At mile 14
things started coming apart.I was
getting dizzy and nauseous and I just wasn’t feeling right.I had been going pee quite often, but I
hadn’t gone in an hour and could feel things starting to unravel.I slowed down considerably and tried to get
in some more nutrition.In anticipation
of getting to the half-way Special Needs Station, I guzzled down all of my
remaining G2 in my run bottles.I was
going to restock it with G2 powder and refill with water from the aid
station.Once I got to Special Needs,
there wasn’t any water!!!Uh-oh.I had to wait until I got to the next aid
station, which felt like it was 5 miles away!!!This was enough to do some damage.
Miles 14-20
were the hardest and most painful of the marathon.I was dizzy and my stomach was in knots.Since I had been doing a lot of walking, when
I did try to run, my whole body went into revolt and it was hard to get any
rhythm to my breathing.So I would have
to go back to walking again.I continued
to suck down my G2 and take in as much aid as I could stand at the aid
stations.My pace for this section was
16:46/mile.
Finally made
it to the Bennett Bay turn around.I
made a deal with myself that I would walk the half-mile back up to the top of
the hill, but then try to run most of the way back to town.I was on a mission and I had just less than 6
miles until the finish!I CAN DO THIS!!!
As the last
remaining miles clicked off and I got closer and closer to town, I started
feeling better and better.Sure my body
hurt like heck, but my spirit just felt uplifted and I managed my fastest pace
on the run the final 6.7 miles (12:09).
At the last
aid station before the finish, with the sun setting in the west, I ditched
those roadside sunglasses I had found on the bike, and thanked God for the
lovely gift!
During the
last Ironman, the finish was epic, but there were lots of it that I missed or
don’t remember, so this time I wanted to soak it in!
The run down
Sherman Ave, through the beautiful Coeur d’Alene, at the finish of an Ironman
event, is unlike anything I have ever experienced.There are thousands of spectators lining the
last half-mile of the course, cheering wildly, yelling, ringing cowbells,
giving high 5s and doing crazy stuff.The lights are bright and they are shining on YOU!The music is blaring, it is loud and it is
good!
I could
finally see the finish chute, the last 50 yards of this epic journey.As I approach the final chute where the
bleachers are located I scan the crowd and see Wendy and the rest of the posse
right at the edge.I point excitedly at
them and stop to give them all hugs and high 5’s.It was so amazing.I looked around to make sure no one was
around me as I basked in the final dozen yards.I heard it clearly this time, “MIKE RUDOLPH…… YOU ARE AN
IRONMAN!!!!”I wildly crossed the finish
line holding up two fingers signifying my second Ironman finish! Wow!!!
Post
It is such an
incredible feeling to finish an Ironman.After at least a year’s preparation and all of the sweat and sacrifice,
it is finally over.It is done!You are glad that you have finished, but at
the same time I am usually bummed that it is over.I mean think about it, what will I do with my
mornings and weekends now?LOL.
Kids loved the pizza at the end
After the
finish I made it into the recovery area where I was glad that I didn’t need any
medical help or IVs.But I was in search
of something that I had been thinking about for at least 8 miles….
Pizza!!!Mmmm.I grabbed 3 pieces and a coke.Then met up with Wendy and the kids.The kids were so excited about my finish and
I gladly shared my prized pizza with them.Such an incredible experience.
But oh did my
body hurt.My IT bands on both legs hurt
like hell.My legs were really hammered
and I was low on energy.But the worst
was my sunburn.Definitely the worst
sunburn I can remember.It was so burned
that it blistered on the 2nd day.I even felt feverish and the heat from the burn was intense.Yikes!
My finish
time was a 70 minute improvement over last time.My goal was to finish under 14 hours, but I
missed that by 20 minutes.I blame the
wasted time worrying about my sunglasses.Hah!One of these days, I’d like
to improve that time.Time will tell.
So what
happened to sister?Sister trained just
as hard as I did and was well prepared for the event.But an Ironman is a difficult event.She had a great swim with a time of 1:32 and
was looking good on the bike.But during
the second loop the wind had picked up and the hills were just too much.With just 2 miles left to go in the bike,
after pushing hard through 110 miles, the race officials pulled her off the
course as the time cutoff came and went. As you can imagine she was devastated.I felt bad for her, but knowing my sister,
she won’t let this keep her down.She
will be back again, better trained, better equipment and she will become an
Ironman!I am still very proud of my
sister.
I have to mention
the incredible support from my Mom.My
mom lives her life vicariously through her kids.It seems she has always done that and is the
best support person I have ever known.She dives in with both hands and goes above and beyond to ensure I have
everything I need to be successful.Sister and I appreciate her so much.She has helped us realize many of our dreams and accomplishments.She really went all out for IMCDA ’12.Thank you mom!
And of course
I need to thank Wendy and the rest of the family.Being with an Ironman athlete is hard because
you have to divide your time with the training time and sometimes that training
time will win over dinner and a night out.She took this in stride and was supportive throughout and shared in the
excitement of this huge accomplishment.
So what about
the months afterwards?Here it is
November and I am finally finishing this report.I don’t have much explanation except that I
have experienced some kind of post-race depression.I had this in 2010 also.After working hard for a year on something,
consuming all of your thoughts, once it is finally over, it is just
that….over.Reintroducing yourself to
your old life takes some time and for a type-A Ironman personality, which often
comes slowly when you are not swimming, biking and running every waking moment.
So there it
is.Some said I couldn’t do it, many
said I was stupid and even more said I was crazy, but I finished my second
Ironman.I did this event for a few
reasons.I wanted to share this
experience with my sister.She has been
the best coach and cheerleader throughout my weight loss transformation and I
wanted to support her with this huge goal.I wanted to improve my time.2010
was seeing if this was even possible, 2012 was about efficiency and fitness and
nailing a big PR.I also wanted to share
this with my kids.Erik was so elated to
see me out there all day.Aaron and
Lauren may not have known the totality of the day’s events, but they got to
share in its excitement and see their dad do something incredible.I am sure they will remember this and
hopefully use this experience in the many facets of their lives in the years to
come.I also did this as a testament to
my new lifestyle.Exercise, physical
fitness and reliving dreams and goals has become a huge part of me.This is the way it has to be for the rest of
my life.And while I may not always be
able to do an Ironman, at least if I am afforded the opportunity and have the
ability I am going to GO FOR IT!!!
Thank you
everyone for your love and support.Thanks for believing in me.
