Ironman Texas - #8 of 30 in 2012

Welcome to Houston!

FINALLY an easy and smooth Ironman race.  I know this may seem like an oxymoron but after my last four races, this one was truly an easy one.  No disrespect for those who had challenges on the day.  Let's quickly review my last 4 races...... 

1 - Napa; had 51 degree swim temperatures, 6300 of climbing with a run that had no flat sections. 
2 - South Africa; had incredible winds ALL day, and rained on the run.
3- Marble Falls; was a relatively easy course but my body just wouldn't cooperate.  We figured it was due to my body still adjusting to the work load and the 41 hour return travel from South Africa - it just had a freak out moment.
4 - St George; 40 mile an hour winds crept on us during the swim and stayed most of the day making this one of the toughest days in Ironman history.  I tried to help Sunny through the day which caused me to chase some very difficult cut offs - love you Sunny.

Hopefully you can see why I would say that this one was easy.... 80+ degree water, 90 degree temps with 7 mph winds on the bike and a flat partially shaded run.  Bliss!  Yes it was hot, but manageable.

Treats for me - Thanks Jane

I flew in late on Thursday and headed straight to packet pick up.  Soon after, I headed to my hotel to get settled in and build my bike that was hopefully waiting for me at the hotel.  I was welcomed by my bike and a very nice care package put together by Jane Lang who was super nice and helped me out with my hotel and car when my previous arrangements fell through.

I woke up early on Friday, as I wanted to get in all my pre-race workouts early and be off my feet for the day.  I met up with Audra Adair and her friend Jody for a easy ride and run before the scheduled swim in the lake.  Despite feeling sluggish all week, the bike was smooth and I felt really good on the run.  The water temp was announced as 80.1 degrees meaning a non-wetsuit swim.  I don't mind this at all.  I would rather swim in nice water without a wetsuit than cold water with one.  The race allowed people to wear a wetsuit if they wanted.  These athletes would start in a second wave and not be eligible for age group awards on Kona qualifying spots. I think it is good that they do this, as not everyone is 100% comfortable in the water.

Me and Steve Lang!  I look short in every picture.

I went back to the hotel and took a nap before heading out to a movie.  Saw the Avengers 3D and really liked it.  After the show, I met up with Steve Lang, who was doing his first Ironman and wanted to ask me some questions and help better prepare him for the big day ahead of him!  It was an enjoyable evening, where I was able to share some of my knowledge and help a fellow athlete.  Turns out, he ended up having a great day and is already talking about an IM in 2013 - congrats Steve!  After all my final prep, I headed to bed hoping for a good Ironman in the morning.



Race Day May 19 2012 Ironman Texas - The Woodlands


I hate getting up early and today was no exception.  I stumbled out of bed and headed out the door for race #8 on the year.  There isn't much to do race morning, as your bike and transition 1 and 2 bags are already in place.  The weather looked great....maybe I broke the wind curse by shaving..... you are welcome Texas!

Look at that CALM Water!!  Me Audra and Jody- READY!!

Practice Swim

I jumped in the water front and right.  Don't ask me why I did this as I have been swam over before by going to the front.  Last minute, I went all the way right and it ended up working out perfect.  I stayed right hugging the bank of the lake and had good space in the water.  The water was dark and dirty.  So dark in fact, that you could barely see your hands as you pulled.  The swim a unique layout where we swam one counter clock wise loop before entering into a skinny canal towards the swim exit.  It was like taking 5 lanes of freeway traffic and merging us into 1 lane.  The last stretch was congested but very cool as all the spectators had the canal walls lined.  You could hear everyone cheering and yelling for their athletes.  This is rare in an open water swim!  My arm started to really hurt during the later stages of the swim and got worse throughout the day.  I am not sure what to do with it.... GRRRR!





I exited the water relaxed and happy.  I will take the 1:19 with no wetsuit and a bum arm!  I headed out on the bike, stayed so chill.  I knew with the course conditions and weather that if I stayed in complete control all day, I could escape with as minimal damage on my body as possible as I head to Brazil.  The rest of the race was really uneventful - YES!!! Well uneventful, unless you call getting a PENALTY eventful.  I rode through an aid station and grabbed a small package of 'Bonk Breakers'.  I opened them up quickly with my teeth and spit out the wrapper shoving the treat in my mouth.  I was MAYBE 10 feet past the 'END DROP ZONE' sign with bottles laying everywhere.  I was completely shocked when I heard a guy on a motorcycle say "I hate to do this to you, but I have to give you a yellow card for littering back there."  As I was heading into a small headwind I asked if the wrapper blew back into the drop section. HA HA HA - He didn't think that was funny.  Before speeding off I laughed and told him that I was excited to get my very first penalty.  In all fairness, I broke a rule, 10 feet or not it was good to see them finally enforcing something.  I saw many people get drafting penalties, which is a good thing to see them police out there.  I stopped at the next penalty tent and had my big number marked.  Unlike a 4 minute red card drafting penalty, a yellow card is just a quick stop, check in and go.

Marked bib number for being naughty!!!  LOVE IT!!  

 I finished the bike in 5:35 managing to keep my heart rate at an average of 141.  This was a good sign for me.  I was worried about racing in the heat of Texas because of my experience in Marble Falls.  With my HR staying low, and posting a decent bike time, I knew I was going to be okay for the run.  A good sign is also when you have to pee during the bike portion of the race.  I pulled off to pee, twice, and knew my body was hydrated and processing the my nutrition - YES!  After my issues in Marble Falls, I called the guys at First Endurance, and they helped my fine tune my nutrition plan even further for the coming races.  Thank you FIRST ENDURANCE for an awesome guidance.

Me and coach Sonja!!! 

I headed out onto the run lathered in sun screen, in hopes of a consistent marathon.  It was nice to see that Texas has some love for the Iron Cowboy.  Wearing my trademark hat, I looped the run course three times with little problem.  I wore my St. George finisher shirt during the run, which sparked many conversations out there.  Friend and confidant Sonja was here to support Audra on her attempt to qualify for Kona.  It was nice to hear her friendly cheers and support.  It was fun to hear the support from races and spectators for the efforts of the Iron Cowboy.  I continue to be shocked that people are following the journey - humbled and honored to be apart of it.

Fresh and ready to do it again.  Brazil anyone!

Done and Done.  The Pony will rest for 7 days.

A small group of us went to dinner that night and celebrated a successful day.  Trust me when I say that I understand that every time I make it through an Ironman with ease like that, I am extremely fortunate and blessed to be doing what I am doing.  One of my friends from Utah shared the same misfortune as my wife and was cut off from racing at mile 64 in the St George Ironman a few weeks ago.  Not wanting to lose his fitness, Jared Lees (the MAN) signed up for Ironman Texas.  I texted him on Sunday to see how he did as his results online were not posting.  I quickly found out that his body wasn't handling the heat of the day and he was treated with a Ambulance ride at the 80 mile mark of the bike.  We went out to lunch and discussed where he may have gone wrong and what he could have changed to avoid this type of thing in the future.  I think he left feeling a little better, but man did I feel bad for him.  He was thinking about possibly trying one more time this year in Coeur D'Alene on June 24th.  I love the "never quit" attitude going on here.  I am inspired by Jared's iron will to keep trying.  It is not how many times we fail but how many times we get back up, LEARN and try again.

See you in Brazil!!!!

James Lawrence - The Iron Cowboy

Ironman St George #7 of 30 in 2012

St George Utah Ironman #7 of 30

Thursday May 3, 2012

Expo Time

Lucy and Lily

Just when I didn’t think things could be any harder.... welcome to St. George, Utah.  The week started out normal, as we loaded the van with bikes, gear and food.  St George is a close 3 1/2 hour drive from my home.  My two older daughters decided they wanted to come and hang out with the big people and cheer on mom (Sunny) in her first Ironman.  Lucy and Lily were busy all week, making their signs to cheer us both on.  My buddy Heath Haacke was once again super nice and booked a condo for our family for the weekend. Earlier this year, he was brutally hit by a motorcycle on a training ride in prep for this Ironman and was not able to participate.  Hopefully, he will be back on his feet soon to take on the challenge of an Ironman.  Thank again Heath, your courage is inspirational to me!

Working on all the bikes - Thanks Matt From Lift Wheels

Is THIS drafting.  Me and Kyle Woodruff having fun not getting stressed before the race

We drove straight to check-in and ran into a ton of friends who were spectating and also doing the race.  It was a lot of fun taking pictures with friends and people who recognized me at the expo.  This was my ‘home town’ race and the support was INCREDIBLE.  That night, we went to the pre-race dinner with all the athletes.  This is free for the athletes, but friends and family needed to pay to come in and eat.  They wanted $15 bucks for each of my kids (ages 8 and 9) and $30 bucks for additional adults.  RIP OFF!!!  Are you kidding me?  For dinner it was noodles, red sauce, bread sticks and salad.... maybe it was the cups of WATER that drove the cost of this dinner so high!!!  STOP RAPING US WTC, not cool!!!

Friday  May 4, 2012

Today we slept in as long as we wanted before getting all the bikes and bags ready for the race.  We did a morning ride and run before heading to the swim start to test out the water and get everything situated for the race.  It was a ton of fun seeing everyone checking in and getting a feel for the water.  Little did we all know that this water on Friday was not the same water we would be swimming in on Saturday.  My friend, and local celebrity, Keena had a dinner at her in-laws place where a nice big group of us got together and ate and tried to settle our nerves for what was about to happen to us all in the morning.  In reality we had no idea what was coming, as the weather forecast called for perfect 83 degree temperatures with a non factor 8 mph wind.  Ironman racing is becoming routine by this part of my quest and sleeping the night before is no problem!

Saturday May 5, 2012

So ready for an awesome day together..... not knowing what was about to happen...

The calm before the storm....looks inviting doesn't it??

We woke up today (4 am) to really nice weather and high hopes of a fantastic day!   I ate a small breakfast and we headed out the door to catch the shuttle buses to the race site at Sand Hollow reservoir.  The energy is always very cool at an Ironman event.  The air reeked of nervousness and excitement.  All the athletes lined up and piled into the water.  This would be a mass deep water start.  The water temperature was about 63 degrees, which is about perfect for a wetsuit swim.  The water condition were perfect, nice and calm.  I planned to do the entire race with Sunny and support her in her first Ironman.  I was excited to create some memories and watch her experience what I get to experience on an almost weekly basis this year.  I gave Sunny a kiss in the water and waited calmly for the race gun to go off.  BOOM!  The canon blew and we were off.    I breath on my left side and swam just to the right of Sunny.  I am a stronger swimmer than Sunny, which made it very easy for me to just chill out and keep an eye on her.  When we came up on other athletes in the water, I would swim just ahead of Sunny and clear the path for her.  About 300 meters in, I noticed she was sighting too often and tapped on her shoulder to offer assistance.  I told her just to sight off of me and that I would sight the buoys for her.  This worked perfect and allowed her to keep her head down and just focus on her swimming.  If she swerved to the right, I would bump her and she would straighten out her line.  Things were going perfect and then all of a sudden the water started to rock.  Sunny popped her head up and and asked if we were too close to the boats, thinking this is why the waves started to rock.  I thought the same thing and looked around, but found no boats.  We turned at the far swim buoy and our day just took a huge turn.  We went from smooth water and the excitement of a fun day together, to what looked like a scene from the Titanic.  From nowhere, 40 mph winds set in and turned the lake into blender.  

My heart rate was super low and I hadn’t exerted myself yet.  All of the buoys disappeared and all you could see was walls of water.  I could hear people screaming at the top of their lungs for help.  I looked over to see Kayaks turned over with dozens of athletes clutching on for their lives.  I looked over and saw one of my athletes sitting on a boat with a terrified look on her face.  I swam back to her and helped her back in the water.  We calmed her breathing down and I helped her and Sunny swim in the right direction.  I swam to the left of Melanie trying to block the waves and yelled at Sunny for her to follow my voice.  We slowly made it to the turn buoy and now were headed directly into the wind and waves.  Swimmer at this point were scattered everywhere, some being pushed by the waves all the way across the lake to the other shoreline.... INSANE!  Sunny told me she could not see anything with the waves crashing down on us and the 5 foot swells of water.  She looked strong but wasn’t making fast enough progress through the waves.  She would take four or five freestyle strokes before a big waves would knock her down where she would then need to regroup and get her bearings.  During this regroup time, the waves would knock her back several feet. It was like taking 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.   I kept an eye on Melanie and stayed close to Sunny making sure she stayed safe.  I had a very different experience than most of the swim field, swimming much slower than my skill level, which keept my heart rate very low.  I was under complete control and started playing in the waves.  I would dive in and dolphin kick under two sets of big waves before coming up.  By doing this, I was able to stay in the ‘calm’ water under all the waves.  I was keeping a close eye on my watch and watched the time slowly tic-toc away. I kept telling Sunny that she needed to keep swimming.  The buoys were all being blown off course, so I just told Sunny to swim towards the big rock island in the distance.  The farthest turn buoy was just beyond this massive land mark.  It was amazing, the waves were so big that even this big rock landmark was hard to sight.  Sunny was in control and safe and even yelled out a big “WOHOO” as she rode the waves in an attempt to get closer to the final turn.  Our progress was really slow and 1:40 into the swim I asked Sunny if she felt safe and if she was ok?”  She told me she was great.  I told her I had to go as the time was getting too close to the cut off and I still had some ground to cover.  Knowing she was ok, I took off and started to swim hard.  Again my swim experience was different than most.  I was calm and rested but got to experience swimming hard in these conditions.  I fought and passed a ton of people.  I could hear people screaming and putting their hands up surrendering to the day.  The rescue boats looked full.  I had several boats come by me and ask if I was ok.  I said I was great and forged on.  I rounded the big rock where I could see athletes peached, either waiting for rescue or taking a break.  I could see the swim finish and was now swimming with the waves.  This wasn’t easy either and the waves crashed over you slamming you down with every stroke.  No pictures or video will do this swim justice.  Just know, that it was very intense and easily the hardest swim I have ever experienced.  I jumped out of the water in 2 hours and 2 minutes and waited anxiously to see if Sunny would emerge out of the chaos.  Unfortunately, I knew there was no way she was going to make it.  I stayed on the boat ramp and talked with my friends who anxiously waited to cheer on the athletes who fought to make the 2:20 cut off.  At 2 hours a 22 minutes Sunny stood up out of the water exhausted and emotional.  She knew she had missed the mark but gave it everything she could.  She was shocked to learn that they were going to allow athletes close to the cut off to continue with no timing chip and no official time.  She broke into emotional tears both from exhaustion and excitement with the realization she was going to be able to progress in her Ironman.

We both rushed through the change tents as I guess there was now a T1 cut off.  Never having experienced this part of the race I had no idea this cut off existed.  We scrambled and ran out of transition with our bikes into the 40 mph winds.  Sunny was exhausted and tried to get her calves to loosen up.  She had never swam for more than 2 hours before, let alone kicked and fought like that for 2 hours 22 minutes and 15 seconds.  She tried to start the refueling process and see if she could get her energy levels back up.  She was wearing a custom hand made Tu Tu that garnished a lot of attention by most of the spectators.  As we were biking out to the start of the first loop, the winds were relentless.  It was work on the ups, and the downs were difficult due to the cross winds.  I kept a close eye on the clock knowing we started this bike section behind the eight ball.  In my softest voice and without wanted to nag or be annoying (which I failed at), I looked at the 13 mph we were traveling and told Sunny we needed to be going faster if we wanted to make the bike cut off.  Obviously she handled the news well, but I knew she was super bugged that her Ironman was now defined by chasing cutoffs.  She told me this isn’t how her Ironman was suppose to go.  "I’m a good biker."  She kept telling me, "I’m so exhausted from that swim.  I was suppose to have an easy ride and enjoy the run.  This isn’t fun."  I felt awful, but I knew if we had any chance of making it to the run, I needed to kindly remind her that we needed to do some work to get this job done.  She picked up the pace and pushed on through the wind.  I would drift up the road hoping she would try to keep pace.  When she didn’t, I would drift back to see how she was doing.  At about mile 30, when I drifted up, Sunny blew a tire.  She yelled up to me, but with the winds I didn’t hear her.  After about 5 minutes, I pulled over noticing she was no longer behind me.  I pulled over to the side of the road to wait, but no Sunny.  A motorcyclist came up to me and explained that Sunny had flatted.  I turned around and went backwards on the course, getting many strange looks from racers.  I found Sunny over a mile back, just getting back on her bike.  She had done it, a successful tire change.  The continuous winds and this flat has really put us in a pinch.  

Sunny and James

On my own doing work!

Sunny Fighting!

John Rose and James

A race official came up along side of us (who happened to be my LIFT wheel sponsor) and I asked about the cut off.  He told me we had to be at mile 64 by 2:05 or 2:06 to make the FIRST bike cut off.  I wasn’t thinking intermediate cutoffs, just the final T2 cut off.  I looked at my watch, did some math and started to panic on the inside, I couldn’t miss a cutoff.  I looked at Sunny again and said, “I’m sorry, but I need to go again!”  I took off from Sunny at mile 40 and biked like it was an Olympic Triathlon race.  I biked HARD for the next 26 miles and made the 64 mile bike cut off by 1 minute.  I saw the official standing on the side of the road looking at his watch as I went by.  I didn’t stop to chat or even look back.  I just kept biking grateful he didn’t stop me.  I passed my  good friend Kyle at the special needs which was several miles to the cut off.  I looked at him and told he we needed to GO!!  This years Ironman was a redemption year for him as last year he was the LAST person to cross the line and he was determined to have a different experience n 2012.  Kyle was the last person to make this 64 mile cut off.  I later found out on the run that he didn’t make the final bike cut off and was pulled off the race.  I was sad for him and all the hundreds of cyclist I passed racing towards the cut offs knowing they would not make it.  I rode nice and easy the rest of the 112 mile bike ride knowing I had enough time to calmly make the few final cut off and be able to run the marathon.   I knew Sunny would not have enough time to make the final cut off and I knew our day together was over and there would be no marathon, and no memories in the finish shoot.  I later found out that she flatted AGAIN on the bike loop!

Done Done and Done - get me off this bike!!!

I came into transition saddle sore with 4 consecutive weeks riding 112 mile in an Ironman and the ride time today was more than 7:30 hours.  I was happy to be off my bike and happy to have made the run, too many close calls today!  I knew I had all the time in the world and could take my time transitioning and on the marathon.  I picked up my T2 bag and noticed it had grown in size.  I dumped it out in the tent and found Sunny's tutu.  She found a way to get it into my bag.  In honor of Sunny, I gladly threw on my run clothes and the brightly colored tutu for the run portion of what has turned out to be the toughest Ironman ever for most!  I headed out into the streets of St George, excited to see friends both racing and spectating.  It was hot, but I didn’t care, I was happy to just be running.  

This ones for you Sunny Jo Mama

The beard looks pretty good with the tutu if you ask me.

I was overwhelmed by local support.  Cheers for the IronCowboy made me smile for 26.2 miles. I was sad to see Sunny on the other side of the barriers with my kids, she was suppose to be out here with me.  The tutu was a big hit out on the course.  I easily ran the entire marathon, other than through the aid stations and to stop for my family friends and athletes along the course.  Thank you to all the local who cheered all day long and into the night.  People had made signs for me and I even saw one for Sunny Jo Mama, just awesome.  I ran down the finish shoot and took my time.  I high fived as many people as I could and in honor of my 9 year old Lucy, I did 4 cartwheels across the finish line.  I was tired from a long day and just wanted to go home, shower and lay in bed.  I could not be more proud of all of my friends and athletes who brave enough to take on this day.  Getting to the start line of an Ironman is one thing, getting to the start line of the St George Ironman is another thing and crossing the finish line at THIS St George Ironman is a thing all on it’s own.  It is hard to describe, unless you were there and fighting - but it was awesome.  I can honestly say, I had a blast today and will remember this Ironman forever.  I am so proud of Sunny for staying calm in the waters and actually swam the entire 2.4 miles in those conditions.  This Ironman had a 30% DNF (did not finish) percentage which is the highest of any Ironman ever.  It was also the slowest winning time by a male professional.  Here is a news write up about the event - http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/54055727-77/race-didn-george-athletes.html.csp

IRONMAN ST GEORGE FINISH!!

Marble Falls Texas #6 of 30

Marble Falls Texas-

I had only been home for one day from South Africa.  The trip home turned out to be 41 hours of travel.  I was tired from doing my second Ironman in two weeks and adjusting to the new schedule, then to have this extremely long travel home didn’t help matters.  One of the most important factors for me this year is going to be the sleep I can get after  each event.  Well, if any of you have ever tried to get quality sleep on an airplane, it is a tough thing to do.  Arriving home Wednesday night, I tried to get a good night sleep.  My body had started adjusting to South Africa time, so I would pop up super early in the morning not getting the rest I desired.  My one day at home was eaten up quickly with am early morning massage, a few clients at work, sorting out my Visa for Brazil and prep for my trip out to Texas the next day.  Needless to say, it was NOT restful.  I had about an hour of free time to play with my kids and spun them all till we were all dizzy!  Before bed, a heard a knock on the door and a gentleman asked me, “Do you know who’s trampoline that is out in the street?”  I looked out and realized that our kids’ trampoline had been picked up by the wind, hopped the fence and was being blown down the street!  He helped me to pull it back to the house and we tied it to the tree for me to deal with in the morning before my flight - not exactly what I needed to happen.

Luckily I had one of my stud clients Chris Taylor over first thing for some threshold riding on the Computrainer.  He was able to help me take the trampoline, from being tied to our  neighbors tree out front, back to the backyard.... I hope we can get the tramp back to a useable condition, it is a huge source of entertainment for my 5 little ones and cousins.  My friend Jess has been huge help this year and takes me to the airport when he can, knowing that Sunny would have to load up all the kids to make this trip.  Jess was available today and took me to the airport.  I know I have said it before, but it is all the little things that people do for me that will make this year not only a success, but will make it a journey for all of us!

Dolly standing amongst the damage.

TYRELL!!

It so happened that one of my best friends, Tyrell, was working in Austin Texas area. Austin is the closest airport to the HITS race in Marble Falls.  He generously offered to host me for the weekend, what fun!  Normally Delta charges $200.00 to check a bike, so I was pleasantly surprised but still DISGUSTED when the agent told me it was going to be $150.00  I still can’t figure out Delta’s need to charge so much to check these items.  I flew to SOUTH AFRICA and Jet Blue only charged me $80.00 to book my bike and coming home, South Africa Air charged me $ZERO$!  So to go to South Africa and back it cost me $80.00 total and to go from Utah to Texas it cost me $150.00 ONE WAY!    I left my bike with Tyrell in Texas and he will ship my bike to Houston to be there for my arrival in a few weeks after my race in St George this weekend.  Thanks to Russell at Pro Structures and Brian and the crew at Timp Cyclery for helping me get the bikes I needed to make this journey possible. 

On Saturday, Tyrell and I headed to packet pick-up.  It was a great venue and I was overjoyed when I heard that water temperature was 74 degrees.  We jumped in for a practice swim and I am happy to report that my arm is starting to feel great!  Tyrell did a great job swimming.  I coach Tyrell and we have worked hard on his swim.  He has had major anxiety in the past in open water.  Not any more - he handled himself great and sliced through the water like a dolphin.  I am hopeful he will be able to do my final event in Palm Spring with me!!  After we did our practice swim, the kids race and novice race were about to start.  This is one of my favorite times at the HITS races.  People experiencing triathlon for the first time.  I remember my first race and all the details of it like it was yesterday.  HITS does a FANTASTIC job creating great memories for kids and newbies to the sport.  When the kids gun went off, we jumped in the water to help the kids get through the 100 meter swim.  It was a lot of fun seeing these tiny tiny bodies fight to complete their 100 meter swim, just as we do to finish out 2.4 miles swimming.  Like EVERYTHING in life, it is our perspective of the events we are going through.  I could look at these struggling novice athletes and scoff at the ease it should be to cover 100 meters in the water, 3 miles on the bike and 1 mile of running.  But for them, this is an Ironman...this is their Ironman!  That 100 meter swim is just as scary to some of them as our 2.4 miles.  I respect and applaud all those who were brave enough to get up off their butts and ‘tri’!  I wrapped up the day with a 20 minute ride and a 15 minute run, just to test the bike and get the blood flowing.  We went to dinner at the Texas Road House and then off to bed!  Riddle me this - Should a Texas Road House in Texas be called the Texas Road House or just the Road House?

Sunday, April 29th, Marble Falls, Texas - HIT Full Distance race

Like any Ironman you are up and out the door very early.  One of Tyrell’s friends and co- workers, Rob, wanted to come and hang out for the day.  The three of us headed out and had no idea what the day was about to have in store for us!  We arrived to the race site with plenty of time to set up.  It is always fun for me when people come up to me and wish me good luck on the race, and the year!  I enjoy taking pictures with people and making new friends.  The weather was nice, a few clouds, not much wind and a high projected temp around 88 degrees.  The water looked flat and I was finally going to be able to swim without fighting mass amounts of people and big swells of water. 

Coming out of the water

The swim went perfect and I turned in a solid conservative swim of 1 hour and 16 minutes.  It was a very simple, two lap, well marked course.  I avoided most all contact and swam the entire swim.  I was so so so happy that upon exciting the water I could feel my hands and my feet!!  Off, onto the bike.

Still feeling good...but it's early!

The winds had started to pick up, but that was ok, nothing could be like the winds last week in South Africa.  The sun was out, I was nice and warm and I shot out of transition onto the bike course.  I noticed my heart rate was a little high, so I tried to just calm down and start my First Endurance nutrition plan, which has been flawless so far this year.  The bike course took us out into the country, where I could enjoy some good old Texas beauty.  Tree lined road and rolling hills. 


It took me a while, but I finally got my heart rate back within reason, still a little high but within reason.  By mile thirty of the bike, I had caught the race leader and took over the lead in the race.  I was reliving my first race of the year in Naples, where I took over the lead early in the race and never looked back taking down the win.  The way that I was feeling, I thought we had a chance to get my second win of the year!  Well, let me say this, Ironman is a long day and never count your chickens before they hatch.  The day had a few surprises for me that were yet to come.  I continued to hammer through the bike, feeling good and under control.  It was a lot of fun having Tyrell and Ron out there cheering me on and taking some fun pictures and video of the day.  I just love having the lead and a motorcycle escort, make me feel fast and important. 

In the lead.... what fun... I just couldn't help myself.

By mile 100, I started to have some cramping issues in my upper inner leg.  It started to grab and cramp when I would engage my right leg, especially in a climb where I would get up out of the saddle.  I managed to limp into transition having biked the last 12 miles mostly with my left leg.  When I got off my bike, I remember telling Tyrell that I was in trouble.  I hoped running would relax my leg, as I would be doing a different motion with it.


I headed out on the run and was running my normal pace but felt super labored.  I looked down at my monitor and was holding my normal pace but my heart rate was 176 and not the normal 147 it should be at this point of the race.  I knew something was wrong and told Tyrell that I need to walk in order to bring my heart rate down and back under control.  I could barely get my heart rate into the low 150’s while walking.  I felt ‘ok’ and thought something may be wrong with the reading, as it was quite high on the bike all day too.  At mile 4.5, I told Tyrell I wasn’t feeling very well and proceeded to throw up what seemed like my body weight it liquid.  Tyrell shocking asked, “Where the hell did all that come from?”  Just as I has suspected, my body wasn’t processing ANY of the nutrition I was putting in.  So I wasn’t getting any hydration, or electrolytes needed to perform. 

Reduced to a walk.

I started running again and proceeded to walk-run over the first 8 miles of the run.  My heart rate would climb when I was running and still stay too high when I was walking.  I started to get a buzzing in my left year and the sound came and went.  I have had this happen once before and I knew exactly what was going on.  I stopped on the biggest climb of the day and just for a second wanted to lay down on the ground.  I got down and instantly regretted the decision.  My right leg issue, from the bike, grabbed so hard it took all my hand strength digging into the muscle to try and get it to release.  I had Tyrell help me up quickly to see if I could shake it out.  I was frozen, locked up not able to walk.  I told Tyrell I was done and after a few minutes, we got the muscle to relax enough that I could again start walking.  I walk-ran it all the way back to transition, slowly trying to get fluids back in my body.  It still wasn’t happy and I kept throwing up what I was putting in.  The race director was at the half-way bags and I told him to have a few IV’s ready for me and that I would see him in a few hours.  About a mile away from transition, I told Rob and Tyrell, who were shadowing me making sure that I was safe, that I was going to have to no longer walk-run but just walk this one in.  As I was walking, the cramps went from my inner leg, to my quad, to my hamstrings.  My entire upper leg was now shaking and locking up on every step.  I had my heart rate under control now that I was walking, but I knew I was dehydrated.  I knew I wasn’t risking my health if I continued to walk.  At about mile 17, things went from bad to worse.  We had just passed an aid station and Tyrell could see me starting to lean.  He jumped out of the truck and asked if I was ok.  I took a few more steps.  The cramping quickly shot into my calves and through the bottom of my feet.  My entire body, legs, chest, back and stomach all locked up and I started to go down like a tree in the woods.  Tyrell says my entire body went stiff like a metal rod.  Rob pulled the truck up and helped Tyrell get me to the back, where I could lean on it.  I threw up a another huge amount of liquid, this time really perplexed as to where it was all being stored and unused.  Tyrell and Rob quickly rounded up medical to come, as it was now impossible for me to take even one more step.  Let me be very clear that I did not quit... I went until my body physically would not take one more step.  There was no more mind over matter , if you tell your body to do it, it will.  I was done, finished, cooked.  Medical laid me on the ground, covered me with blankets and proceeded to pump 2 bags of liquid into my body, bypassing the stomach.  After about an hour, I started to feel much better but not in a position where I thought I could continue.  I had my legs loosened up and my fluids replenished.  I then received a phone call on Tyrell’s phone from my wife and 9 year old daughter Lucy.  Lucy says "Daddy you have to get up and finish the race, it’s a world record.   Can’t you walk?  I said “No, sorry sweetheart.”  Then she said “Can’t you crawl it daddy?” I said “No I’m sorry sweetheart it’s too far to crawl.” Then she said “Can’t you do cartwheels the rest of the way?” I laughed through my tears and said “I would try sweetheart.”  I  hung up, pulled out the IV and set out to finish the race I started.  I had 9 miles left to go and still had 7 hours left to do it in.  I couldn’t bend down to put on my socks and shoes so Tyrell helped me with that.  We then took off walking into the night to get the job done.  15 hours and 2 minutes after the starting gun went off I crossed the finish line on my face.  I didn’t just cross the finish line I did a cartwheel across the finish line.  Thank you Sunny and Lucy for making that call and helping me through a tough moment.  Thank you to Tyrell and Rob who helped me through some of the toughest miles I have ever had to cover.  Thank you to all the people who sent all the love and energy my way.  Every little bit helped.  Six down.... 24 to go.  We head to St George Utah on Thursday where Sunny will attack her first Ironman race and I will do the whole race with her!  I can’t wait!!!!!

Back out on the course - what a shot!

Port Elizabeth South Africa - #5 of 30

Port Elizabeth South Africa (also known as the windy city ;)

Welcome to South Africa!!

These international races are tough on me, but I LOVE the challenge.  A full week or more of being away from family, friends and work.  I sure do miss my blonde crew when I am gone.  Good thing we have Skype to keep in touch with loved ones.  I flew out late Tuesday night and flew all night...and day.... arriving in Port Elizabeth on Thursday afternoon.  One of my gym clients Quinton (who is originally from South Africa) graciously set up a place for me to stay while visiting and racing.  I was greeted at the airport by Neil, who is the son of the family hosting me.  Mom and Dad were Gayle and Kevin.  Kevin reminded me a lot of my dad, a big jokester and Gayle reminded me of my mom, she took care of everything.  They were incredibly nice to me the whole week and took care of all my needs.  It is amazing that people from around the world will open their homes to me and treat me like family - simply amazing and what a blessing.  They fixed me lunch and then I headed straight for a nap.  They woke me for dinner then I went back to bed for 13 hours.  it is going to take a lot of food and sleeping to get me through this year.  The name of my game is recovery!!!

The Pier in Port Elizabeth - Mandela Bay

Friday, April 20, 2012

The weather was very nice, so I headed out the door to find the race site and do some exploring.  I found everything without a problem and got all checked in for the race.  I ran into a friend from Russia who happens to be a pro and doing the race.  He informed me of a meeting they had where they were told a weather system was on it's way and would arrive late Saturday, just in time for the Sunday race.  The system called for high winds and rain.  The race directors came up with a plan to cancel the swim for the age groupers and have the pro field do one lap of the two lap swim.  I was in shock with the news as the weather was perfect!  I couldn't believe that I was about to relive New Zealand all over again... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!  I went home and the boys were headed on a campout with the church.  Passing on that opportunity, I went out to dinner with Gayle and her mom.  We gossiped like a bunch of school girls and had a great time!

ALL SET!!

 Saturday, April 21, 2012

This is the coast line we biked and ran along

I woke up today and could see the weather turning.... It turns out the weather was the real deal and it wasn't just a cruel joke on me.  I packed all my bags and just prayed that the swim wasn't going to be cancelled tomorrow.  I put on all my bags, jumped on my bike and headed down to the pre race meeting and gear check-in.  As I sat and listened to the meeting it sounded like things were a go for race day.  We were going to SWIM, bike AND run.  At the very end of the meeting they called up the race director for a special announcement.... 'OH NO!, here it comes' I thought.  He proceeded to go over 'plan B' in case of weather problems. Apparently there is a 'good' wind direction and a 'bad' wind direction for water conditions.  The winds had shifted and so far were going to be favorable for the morning swim and SO FAR we were going to be able to do the full 140.6 miles of racing (or doing in my case;).  I headed to transition for the mandatory helmet check, bike and gear check-in.  To my surprise, my helmet had the smallest of cracks in the foam, which got me turned away and denied entry 'till I had a 'safe' helmet.  I was instructed that I needed to find another helmet to race in.  My only option at this point was to buy an over priced helmet from the expo.  I have more than enough helmets at home and I could certainly get one for cheaper back in the states.  Disappointed, broke and with no choice, I bought a new helmet so that I could race the next day.  EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!!!  It turned out that at the same time I was buying my helmet and explaining to the guy what I was doing this year, there was a magazine owner there who overheard and wants to do a piece on me.  Ha, how about that!!  I was all bummed about having to buy a new helmet.  Then it turned out that this purchase put me in a place where I landed a good media piece for the charity!!  I headed home for final prep, dinner and off to bed.

Sunday, April 22, 2012.  Port Elizabeth South Africa Ironman #5

Beach Swim Start

I kept getting woken up at night by the gusts of wind and KNEW they were going to cancel our swim.  I had my breakfast and then was taken down to the race site by Kevin - thank you as this is an early favor to ask someone to do on their weekend.  It was raining and nasty, but the water looked good enough to swim in.  At 6 am they made the final announcement - "Athletes, we will be swimming today and you will compete in the full Ironman in Port Elizabeth!'  I was overjoyed and then realized that I now had to race in these conditions.  It was going to be a rough day but I was so happy to just be racing after the possibility of a cancelled swim.  The rain let up right before the gun went off for our beach start.  It was a cool experience to hear a national anthem I had never heard before and have traditional African dancers kicking off our big day!  The gun sounded and 1800 of us poured into the ocean.  The first lap of the swim was pretty hectic with big congestion at the turn buoys.... it was a fight to get around them.... SO FUN!  I love this sport!  At the first turn, I got kicked hard in the face tossing my goggles off my head.  I stopped to locate them and was kicked in the gut and then a shot to the groin.  I managed to gather myself and get my goggles back on so I could continue swimming.  My right lens wouldn't seal and I was pissed trying to swim with salt water in one eye.  Half way through the first lap, fighting my way around each turn, I noticed a guy who suffered the same goggle fate as me but wasn't so lucky to get his back.  He was swimming without goggles... all of a sudden my one leaky lens wasn't so bad.  No matter how bad we have it, there is always some chap that has it worse.

This was a two lap swim, where we got out of the water and ran up the beach around a marker before getting back in the water for our second lap.  I flipped my goggles over hoping this would fix my seal problem.  Turn out that was a good move and did the trick.  The weather on the swim continued to get worse as the waves got bigger and bigger.  By this point the swells were big enough that it made it hard to sight to the next marker and when I would go to take a breath, I could hear the wind swirling around me.  It turns out, the swim was a tough one for everyone, with the pro field going 10 minutes slower than normal.

In normal conditions this bike course would be daily routine and simple, relatively speaking.  But with this wind, it was going to be a big challenge.  Only one week ago I thought I had done a tough bike ride in the hills of Napa.... that thing was easy compared to what I was about to experience.  Basically, the course was a big rectangle with head/side winds on the way UP, NASTY cross winds along the top and bottom and tail/cross winds headed back along the coast.  I did the first lap and got a good feel for how tough this was going to be.  We passed transition after each lap and after my first lap, I glanced over and was shocked at the amount of bikes still in transition, meaning these people didn't make the swim cut off.  I found out later that around 30 people didn't make the swim cut off.  My arms were starting to get sore from holding on so tight trying to keep my bike upright.  I had deep dish wheels on which acted like sails in the wind.  I headed out for another lap around the city and coast line.  When the wind gusted, it would kick up sand and violently throw in in our faces like a sand blaster.  This hurt like hell and also filled my mouth with sand - neither were very much fun.  Looking around, the field of cyclists looked beaten down and broken.  Most people were up and out of the aero position, concentrating on keepimg their bikes going forward without falling over in the gusts.  I finished the second lap thinking "OH MY HELL, I HAVE TO DO THAT ONE MORE TIME!!"  I passed transition for the final time and headed out for one more beating. The crowds were incredible, as they cheered us all onward and upward around this course.  I forget to say that on the second lap, I saw two guys crash as the wind blew their bikes out from underneath them.  They were both on downhill sections, where I was braking down the hill in order to not have this same crashing fate.  I felt beaten, but not down as I finished up the third leg of the bike.  We found out later in the awards banquet that the race officials almost pulled us off the bike course and reduced the bike to only 2 laps... now that would have pissed me off!!

Sasquatch On the Lose

Thrilled to be off the bike without harm, I quickly transitioned and headed out onto the three loop run course.  With almost no chance of winning my time bet with my friend, without putting too much stress on my body, I wisely settled into a comfortable pace for the marathon.  I felt good after averaging only 136 HR on the 112 mile bike in hell.  The winds didn't let up on the run and it was the first time I actually drafted on the run (which is legal).  The cross winds would push you off line and when running into the wind you could tuck behind one or two runners and get some relief from the continued beatings.  I proudly picked up my mandatory glow stick and headed out for the third lap of my run.  I felt pretty good until the rain picked up it's intensity and combined with the winds beat us further.  I remained in good spirits   interacting with the loyal spectators braving the same elements we were.... but with no glory.  Thank you to all the spectators and incredible volunteers in South Africa.  Now wet, cold and tired, I forged through the last 3 miles of my marathon finishing just over 4 hours and a Ironman time of 12:39:58, and I'm damn proud of that time!!!  Having raced last weekend, this was a good test to see how my body would feel racing week after week.

I headed to the post race massage and food tent.  I looked up and thought I recognized the guy sitting across the room from me.  I walked over to him and asked him his name.  Just as I had suspected it, was the current world record holder for the most Ironman races done in a year, the same record I am trying to beat!  I shook his hand, introduced myself and told him what I was up to.... he didn't seem threatened or nervous.  Well he should be CAUSE I'M THE IRON COWBOY!!!  Or maybe he didn't understand what I was saying because he didn't speak English very well.  It was cool for me to see him there and have the chance to walk up to him and shake his hand.... it was like the passing of the torch ;)

My travel home was ridiculous as I spent the next 39 hours on planes and airports.  For those of you who have read this far should get a good laugh here.  My last few long flights home have left me exhausted, not being able to sleep much.  These international flights have on demand movies for us to watch.  So I watch these movies....but I'm so hammered and tired that I find myself crying in a pillow like a girl at the sentimental parts of these 'chick flicks'.  So for a good laugh, picture me mid flight, middle of the nigh,t crying watching these movies.... the two most recent were New Years Eve and Crazy, Stupid, Love.  Laugh it up - Enjoy!!!  See you in Marble Falls Texas Next week then St George to cap off this series of 4 in a row.  For now that was #5 in the books.

 

This larger than life Mandela statue is all made out of little BEADS!

Space Shuttle!!  The pilot said we will never see this again - So I took a picture!