The time machine

I was driving my two year old son home from his daycare/school yesterday in my 1992 Honda Accord and had some flashbacks.  I have had the same 10 cd's in that changer since 2006.  It's wild how some music and similar surroundings can bring you back in time.  Time machines are fun - even if they are only in the mind.

In 2006, my life was a wreck.  I wasn't doing good to myself, my family, or anyone really.  In the summer of that year, I was dealing with substance abuse and seclusion.  I reached a breaking point in August with my family while on vacation.  I was not myself anymore...  Not even close - I was pretty lost and didn't feel like being found.  In the fall, I knew I needed to change my path and proceeded to try and do so by myself.  I started working at a dog kennel in Boulder and drove this 92 accord to and from work every day listening to a set of cd's in the trunk.  During that time, I was still dealing with trying to rid myself of bad habits (heck, still doing that today), and had gotten very into music production and sound engineering.  I had always been into music, but at this time in my life it had become a better friend.  Things were going to get better.

2007 came, and things were about to change.  I was living on my own and still working at that kennel.  I was staying busy... still driving in that car, forming memories while listening to that same set of 10 cd's in the changer.  I went to Maui with my family over Easter and was consciously trying to make things better with my Mom, Dad, and pregnant Sister.  I decided to get back into triathlon that summer and met my future wife at the Longmont Tri in late May.  My nephew was born in July of that year and realized where I wanted to get to...  I knew that being a dad was something that I was looking forward to experiencing.

I was engaged in early 2008, then married in January of 2009.  Beth and I had one of the most amazing weddings ever.  No joke - it was awesome.  We had bought a house together in mid 2008 before we got married, so it was easy coming back and starting our life out together as a married couple.  Somewhere in 2009, I stopped listening to music in my car and turned to NPR exclusively.  Those CD's sat in that changer in the trunk unused.

By march of 2010, we knew Beth was pregnant and were expecting a child in November.  This was planned and unplanned at the same time.  I had signed up for my first Ironman while on vacation over new years.  I was supposed to race an ironman and have a kid within days.  It ended up happening that way...  I raced IMFL on Nov. 6th and we had Aiden on Nov. 15th.  November of 2010 was a month that took me to another level in life.  It was - and may always be the greatest month of growth I have ever experienced.  I still was not listening to those cd's.  They sat quiet.

Fast forward two years.  I have lost both of my grandparents (on mom's side), had two new nieces come into the world, gone back to school and am about done with my degree, coached for two different swim teams, started coaching triathlon, formed new friendships, raced three ironmans in the span of two months, finished Kona, had two birthday parties and three christmases with my little boy, along with lots of other things.  During this, that set of cd's sat in my trunk not spinning.

So yesterday, while trying to put on some christmas music in the car, I realized that the radio wasn't working.  For the first time in a long time I flipped the stereo to the cd changer.  I threw on a Guster cd that was in the trunk from 2006.  I looked in the rear view mirror at my son Aiden and was able to see where I have come from six years ago.  It was an awesome feeling.

2012 done. IMFL Race Report - bring on the holidays!

Ironman Florida 2012 Race Report

This was a year that wasn’t supposed to be anything like it turned out.  I mean that in a good (very good) way.  One year after doing my first Ironman in Florida (2010) and swearing that was my only one, my wife and I were on our living room couch anxiously re-loading the signup page for Ironman Florida 2012.  We were lucky to get in as the race sold out in something like 16 minutes, and that was that.  My year was to consist of coaching throughout the summer, going to school in the fall, and racing one Ironman in November.  - It didn’t happen like that at all -  In June, I saw that IM Louisville was still open and did a “what the heck” and signed up for that.  Went there, did that, and got a nice opportunity to hop on a plane for a trip to Hawaii in October.

I won’t get too much into my Kona experience other than it was great.  My Mother, Father, Sister, Wife, and two year old Son were able to come and help me check it off of my bucket list.  The race went well, conditions were not the best, but I was able to go under 10 hours (9:48) and carry a picture of my grandparents (both passed in past year) across the finish line.  Hawaii was their favorite place and was the greatest way I could think to honor them.  Kona was a place I wanted to go “have fun” - Yeah, I drank some beers and relaxed - but wow...  As much as I tried to relax and enjoy the race, I couldn’t.  It was the world championship.  It was crazy.  It was intense.  I wanted to be back someday...

FLORIDA

Our family left for Colorado the day after the race in Kona, and Ironman Florida was less than three weeks away.  Getting back to Boulder, I was seriously over the thought of training any more but was excited at the thought of racing another 140.6 in a few weeks.  The first week back I ran twice, second week I ran a total of 35 miles and rode 50, then race week a ran 8 miles and rode 30.  Not much training, and I was happy about that.

We got to Florida on Wednesday evening and checked into the Boardwalk (host hotel) and registered the next morning.  This was my Wife's first time racing the distance, so I wanted to make sure that this was her race.  She got to go through the whole process twice already this year and I think that helped her mentally prepare.  We had some great dinners and enjoyed great weather leading up to the race.  For anyone who was there in 2010, this was a nice change from that year!

Race

I woke up on race morning at my usual 3:01 am, drank a monster energy drink (or two) and headed with my iPad down to a restroom to lose some weight.  I headed back up to the room to wake my wife up and lay in bed and eat 2 bagels with peanut butter and a few cookies.  Race day always feels like a pig-out fest... I was glad this would be the last one of the year for me.

We then headed over to transition to top off our tires and load our bikes with bottles and nutrition.  After dropping our special needs bags off, we were back to the hotel to sit and wait.  I was so excited for the conditions that day because of the forecast for no wind and a little heat.  I had raced very well in the Kentucky and Hawaii and knew the hotter, the better.

Swim

The waves picked up over the night and it looked like it would be an interesting swim.  A few days prior, I was stung by some jellyfish, so I was excited to see what this day would bring.  After the pro start, my wife and I said goodbye to our family and headed through the crowd into the swim start.  I gave her the biggest hug that I could and we chose our start positions.  I started out front to the left.  

The first 5-10 minutes were rough and had lots of contact.  There were some rolling waves out there and sighting was so-so.  I finally felt comfortable after the first turn back towards the beach.  My swim training had been very poor all year (longest pool workout of 2300 yds) so I told myself I would be happy with a 1:05.  I exited the first loop at 29, dove back in and swam solo for the rest.  No jellyfish, some waves, no real wind, all was good.  I did the second lap a bit slower but got it done in 1:04:01.  I was cool with that.

T1

I got my stuff on.  Glad there was no jacket needed this year!

Bike

I was looking forward to this!  Flat and no wind... Nice change from the previous 2 IM races of the year.  I felt great the whole way out to the out and back section.  I didn’t see tons of drafting going on in the first part of this race and was happy about that.  The out and back was bumpy and was just thankful I made it the whole way without a flat.  The thought of myself and wife getting flats was honestly my biggest concern for the whole bike portion.

At the turnaround, I felt the headwind... Not bad, but there.  Got to 56 miles at 2:20:xx and knew I needed to ride a 2:39:xx to ride sub 5.  I knew that was going to be doable.  Fatigue settled in around mile 75 like usual but just kept looking forward to that run.

Back into PCB, there was a bit of drafting going on and was a bit annoyed by it but just did my best to ignore it and stay legal.  Felt the tailwind pick back up with about 20 miles or so to go and took the opportunity to stretch and prep for the run.  I love the marathon part of Ironman racing and this was going to be great!  Done in 4:48:09

T2

I joked with the volunteer to see if I was as coherent as I thought I was.  I have made it a point to do some sort of mental check after the bike just to make sure the most important part has it together.  I made him laugh a few times - I was good to go!

Run

I love running!  Took off running by feel and was aiming to hold around 6:45 to 7:10’s for the first 20 miles or so and hold on from there.  I started my Garmin 110 and it took about 2-3 miles to find satellite link for pace.  Once it found pace, I was at 6:45’s and feeling good.  The temperature was a bit warm so I knew I was in luck.

I knew that I was in 6th coming off the bike so I knew if I wanted to get back to Kona, I needed to run smart.  I knew there wouldn’t be many guys (or thought) under 9:20, so if I ran a smart race, I knew I would get them eventually.  Within the first four miles, I knew I had passed two and possibly three already.  I found another 25-29 near the turnaround at the state park and was not able to pass him before I had to stop and pee.  After that I lost him for a long time.

The run back into town was good, I was still feeling fine and switched to my coke and salt pill only diet at mile 7 or 8.  At the half marathon I was treated and delighted to hear my parents yell that my wife was off the bike and ready to catch me!  I actually saw her at the half marathon and contemplated going back to run with her for a few minutes.  We exchanged words and separated on the course soon after.  Special needs gave me a sugar free red bull and was off for the second loop.

I saw the second place male at the state park again and knew it might be a race for 2nd.  I thought there were only going to be two slots to Kona this year. Damn.  It was a race... Like a crazy race that I didn’t want to be a part of.  I was in the lucky position of being behind him (very close) for the last four miles.  With 1.2 miles to go, Roland (the guy I was racing) walked an aid station and I made the mistake of passing him. Damn.  It was a 1.2 mile all out race at the end of an Ironman and in the end I had a little more (thank you Billy Edwards).  Run time 3:10:32

Total time: 9:10:26, 2nd M 25-29, 6th OA Age Grouper

My wife finished a bit later in 11:49.  I am so proud!  Sharing this with a spouse is an amazing experience.  

Summary:  3 Ironmans in 10 weeks is actually fun.  I get to go back to Kona.  Roland (the guy I raced for 2nd) gets to go to Kona for the first time - I am very glad I didn’t rob him of an amazing experience.  I could never do this without family... This year has been what it has been because of an amazing wife, sister, mother, and father.

Ironman Louisville Race Report

I did my first (and only IM) event in Florida in 2010 - eight days before my son was born and neverreally wanted to do another. Then, this past year, my wife got the itch to do her first one, so we were deciding between FL or AZ in November. We ultimately decided on FL and were lucky enough to get in on time. I think it sold out in like 15 minutes or something like that. So my year was going to consist of the Boulder tri series and then Florida in November. Then in early June, I read on a slowtwitch thread that IM Louisville was still open. I had a severe hangover that day and thought that signing up for an IM would make me feel better.
I did end up thinking about racing it and on fathers day, after the Boulder 5430 Sprint and a few beers at my parents, I signed up... So I basically went into this race with no real expectations or anything. I was looking forward to getting to do something different.
I got into Louisville at midnight on Tues/Wed with my (almost) two year old son and parents. We stayed at they Hyatt and had a few awesome days touring and getting to know Louisville. My wife joined us Thursday and went to Churchill Downs, ate some great food, etc...
I started swimming three weeks ago after the Boulder 70.3 (only swam in races up to that) and went to this race VERY undertrained in that discipline. I wasn’t looking forward to that river at all! I am very glad that I decided to go down to the practice swim on Saturday and do one of the loops. The water was absolutely perfect and MUCH cleaner than I would have ever expected. I was also able to get my hands on a speed suit and I think it made a fairly big difference. Temp was perfect and I really think that it was much, much cleaner than the Boulder Res back home. Had dinner that night at an awesome seafood restaurant across the street and enjoyed a glass of wine and local Bluegrass Brewing Co. beer.[/img]

Race day came and I was up at 3:03 am. Didn’t really sleep at all that night so it wasn’t a big deal getting up. Rolled down to try and find a bathroom to park in for half hour or so and was amused by all of the drunks getting in from 4th street live. I had some nice comments from some women carrying some pizza - “you doing the f**king ironman?... thats dumb”
The bagel shop opened at 4am and the line was crazy. Got two chocolate chip bagels with cream cheese and was off to transition with my awesome wife. After dropping my stuff off and toping off the tires, we walked over to the crazy long swim start line. Got there at 5:20 or so and was able to get a spot that would eventually get me in at about 7:15 or so. Line was cool and met some really nice people.

SWIM:

The TT start was actually great. I think that it did spread people out fairly well and I was able to pass or be passed without any sort of chaos. It was also just great walking in that line and getting some cheers from all of the spectators and awesome volunteers - swim start felt very festive. The start of the swim went “up” river and around a little island. Everyone was nicely spread out and had no real encounters with anyone. My biggest fear about this race was the swim and had no workouts in the past 3 weeks over 2400yrds. I had been swimming every day, but was not in shape to go as fast as I could have. I was able to find a nice grove and was feeling pretty great! I have only ever really done wetsuit swims and I think that the speedsuit made a HUGE difference in being able to swim with my natural stroke. Honestly throughout the swim, I felt great. After I was around the island and past the turn to go back to transition, I had a hard time knowing if I had one or two bridges to go under. I went with a goal of 1:05 to 1:10 and knew I would get that if it was just one bridge. It ended up being both bridges that I needed to get under but luckily I didn’t gauge the distance that well and it was closer than I thought. I got out of the water at 1:02:53 and was very very happy with those results. Transition went off without any real hitch, got sunscreened up and off with my bike.[/img]

Bike:

Is it just me or is the bike ridiculously long in an IM distance race!? I had no idea how hilly this ride would actually be, and didn’t know how I would physically respond to the course. I opted not to use an odometer and just went with my Garmin forerunner 110 with time to get an approximate overall pace.
For some reason, the bike always is a blur to me. All I can really recall was pretty cool spectators scattered along a beautiful course, a ton of non stop hills, and stuffing my body with as much food and liquid as I could get down. At mile 70 or so, I dropped my flat kit that was in one of my water bottle holders. I opted to stop, grab it, and toss one of my 350 cal bottles to the bike help truck that was conveniently 100 or so feet away. Never flatted - but glad I stopped to pick it up! Only think I lost 1.5 or 2 minutes there.
After the final loop, heading back was lonely and hot. I opted to use an aero helmet and it started to get pretty rough. I don’t ever think that I overheated much but it was just a bit uncomfortable. I am glad I chose aero and would recommend it... I think the savings outweighed the discomfort for the last few miles.
Last 10 miles I peed about 3 times and emptied myself out for the run. Overall, I was expecting to ride a 5:15-5:25 with all of the hills. Overall time was 5:04:55. Used a 900 rear and 808 front on a cervelo P3[/img]
what my kid did during the bike

Run:

I love running and was looking forward to this all day... I got in transition and the volunteer said that it was in the mid 90s and I had no idea how it was going to go. My feet started to cramp up on the bike so I didn’t know if my day was about to become really long or if I would just DNF. Up and out of transition, I was actually feeling great. I loved the out and back on the bridge and remember it hearing one of the river boats playing “it’s a small world” - that gave me a good laugh and reminded me that this is only a hobby and to have a bit of fun.
I saw my wife, son, and parents right off of the bridge and she told me I was in first or second place. I knew this in the back of my mind but never dreamed of finishing in that position. Throughout the first loop, I felt great and was able to hold 7:03-:7:25’s with little effort. I felt like I was managing the heat well and did’t mind it much at all.[/img]
I ended up bringing 25 saltsticks on the run (ended up using all) and I am glad I did.
I did start to feel the fatigue at about mile 14 though. By that point, I had taken the lead and just wanted to keep it. I kept getting the cheers for the bikini dude/speedo guy (I wore a speedo) and that helped. The second loop got hotter and I felt it. Cramps and gas started about mile 16 and just had to play with coke/gu/salt/pretzels to keep it in check. I never ever got to a point where I thought I had to walk and found the last 4 miles incredibly enjoyable even though I was a bit stiff. I got ice at every aid station and just started to chew it as I ran. With a mile to go, I knew that I was probably going to win the ag and go under 9:40, a pipe dream at the start. Seeing 4th street live was amazing - truly one of the coolest finishes I have ever seen/heard of in the sport. I had a goal of running 3:15-3:25. Ran a 3:20:41. Overall time was 9:37:14... Good enough for 1st in 25-29, 6th overall AG, 12th overall w/pros , and a trip to Kona. Was back to the finish by 6 with a beer in hand... stayed there partying till about 1am and it was awesome![/img][/img][/img][/img]
This kept me up till 12+



This race was incredible and first class all the way. Louisville is amazing, people are awesome, and the finish makes it all worth it! Very glad I did this and would highly recommend it as a race for anyone!

The only downside is that I am now racing 3 IM’s in about 2 months. Hope I will be able to walk by christmas.