I had mixed feelings about Ironman St George. It had been over five years since my last Ironman and I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm a little bit older and my opportunities to workout had diminished three-fold with the addition of my children; something I cherish each and every day. However, I was soon to discover that my time management skills quickly became the critical feature to achieving the desired effects. After moving to Colorado Springs last year, training in the cold was something I wasn't accustom to. I was determined to put in the miles despite several minor injuries that delayed my running fitness during the winter months. It was finally time to put up or shut up.
The venue was beautiful. I had spent the last seven years in the Southwest so the landscape was a pleasant reunion. With the swim 15 miles to the east of town, careful planning was required in order to accommodate for the lack of easy accessibility to gear and support peeps. The swim was a one lap course held in a sand Hollow reservoir. The water temp was in the mid-50's so wetsuits were a necessity. The swim was a deep water start. However, a majority of athletes elected to remain on the shore at the gun. This alleviated the standard thrash that typically accompanies the first ten minutes. It was fairly easy to get into a groove early on. Chop was minor so sighting posed no issue throughout the swim. Based on my training being limited to the Air Force Academy pool, I surprisingly had no issues with the water temps. With a friend manning the medical tent, Keith later reported that 80+ individuals received care and most withdrew do to hypothermia. I finished the swim up in 1:03+ which is typically an average time for me.
T1 was well coordinated and execution was very smooth, even though the changing tent was a zoo. I guess that's one of the negative aspects to being an average swimmer. Even though there was a chill in the air, embarking on the bike leg is always a welcomed transition. It was time to get to work. The first section of the bike was a true confidence builder. Despite a few minor short climbs the first 20 miles back into and through town, the course was relatively fast (24+ average). Much talk preceded the race about the difficulty of the bike course, however, if this was any indication of what to expect I was more than ready. Unfortunately I was sadly mistaken. After making the first turn towards the north around mile 20, it was apparent that the overall terrain was going to be a gradual ascent. To add salt to the wound, the surface itself was fairly rough and the winds were predominately out of the north. Things were definitely not in our favor anymore. This was mounting into a potential textbook detonation of monumental portions. I attempted to sit back and try to relax as much as possible, however, I have a difficult time showing any type of restrain. To make matters worse, the windy roads before us led up through what appeared to be a canyon. This naturally formed flume created a wind tunnel affect, forcing that extra bit of wind velocity to tame any attempt to develop momentum. It was a continuous grind, concluding with a minor, yet lactate overloading, switchback where any positive unit of speed was a good thing. Upon reaching the summit, and yes I am classifying it as a “summit”, the clouds parted and all elements rapidly turned in favor of any tested athlete still generating energy to move forward. The roads were smooth; winds were now in our favor, and the uncontainable grin-producing descent lay before us. Out of the eight Ironman’s I’ve completed, I can honestly say this specific downhill is the only descent I have actually used my brakes on. After taking a quick glance at my computer, it took a moment for the “58” to register. I immediately thought of my wife and kids and decided it would be best to work for any additional speed somewhere else on the course. Although, tapping 60+ would have been epic, my mortality engulfed my consciousness and thought better of my risky behavior. This dramatic shift in my perspective of the course quickly took another dramatic plunge once I made the transition to lap number two. Rinse and repeat, minus the desired levels of energy. This was the first true test of my motivation during the race and unfortunately my positive attitude took a short recess. To make matters worse, the first and only biker to pass me all day was a Navy triathlete! This was absolutely unacceptable. At that point I bit the bullet and began the long grind up the canyon, maintaining a draft-legal close proximity to my fellow service member. I owe some credit to my sailor buddy because he helped me get through the mentally challenging section of my race. I was able to rebuild a healthy gap on Navy as I continued to drudge through the rest of the bike course. Out of the numerous courses I’ve had the pleasure to ride, there’s nothing like finishing the bike leg in a descent (Canada, St George, and Austria). The last mile into T2 was rejuvenating. There’s something about crowds, speed, and a computer riding 111 that makes it inspirational.
I knew I was somewhere between 10th and 20th but I wasn’t quite sure how I’d hold up on the run based on a recent run-in with a cell phone laden driver, thus the catalyst to my recent adoption by PowerTri courtesy of Jameson. Thanks to the charitable and persistent generosity of Jameson I was able to procure some KT Tape. During the Expo I caught wind that the athletes at the PowerTri booth were giving away free samples. After being struck by a clueless driver on a cell phone, I sustained a minor ankle injury four days prior the race. The injury was annoying enough to pursue some type of stability support. I had used KT Tape on previous injuries, but had no clue where I was going to procure tape this late in the game. After approaching Jameson he diligently worked hard to hunt down a previous customer whom he donated a sample to. After numerous phone calls and several trips out of town in an attempt to find her Condo, I met my Ironman guardian angel, Julia Van Cleave. Julia graciously gave me her KT Tape as long as I earned a Kona slot. Pressure was on…to be continued.