No Quit in These Bones...R2R2R

Another EPIC adventure is now in the books and it time to reflect upon the experience to glean lessons learned for future events.  Rim2Rim2Rim was absolutely incredible made more amazing by sharing the fun (really a lot of misery) with close friends.  Yes…another bucket list event is now lined through.

For the record, I did not talk anyone into doing this.  That responsibility rests solely upon Josh’s shoulders.  I reminded him of that several times during the day (and night) and made sure the rest of the crew also didn’t forget it. 

R2R2R for me started almost a year ago with some casual conversation after the JFK 50.   I am always looking for the next big adventure and steadily climbing my way up the ultra distance ladder.  For over 4 years the concentration has been on triathlon and more specifically upon Ironman.  I became a bit burnt out with it all and started to look for something just a little bit different.   I needed something more. For several years I have been struggling with injuries and overall fitness.  I hooked up with Mark Turner from Team MPI and Brooks Pritchett Ford with Legit Nutrition, LLC to try and figure everything out. 

Carried Load-7 Lbs minus water

Trail running is my absolute favorite thing to do and has been for many years.  I find nothing better than being on a trail during a brisk morning run completely present to the world immediately in front of me. Coming down a steep decline having to concentrate on where to put your feet takes your mind away from how hard the run is or how bad you are feeling.  In essence, you are completely focused on right here and now.  If your mind is anywhere else you are apt to bust your face.  (from personal experience)

R2R2R is a self-supported event that takes place in the Grand Canyon.  The typical route is South Kaibab to Bright Angel to North Kaibab and back.  We chose the Bright Angel to North Kaibab option because it was not as steep but the trade off was that it was longer…48 miles total.   The goal for the 5 of us was to complete the event in about 16 hours.  I really thought we could do it in 14.

I am going to back up just a touch to talk quickly about my nutrition and gear set up.   In working with my two coaches we talked about a nutrition plan that balanced whole food, gels, and liquids.  I really wanted to go 100% whole food based but the weight to calorie ratio was just to big, so the decision was made to split things up a bit.   The plan was to graze on pretzels and macadamia nuts and top off with a gel every hour.  I carried Tailwind for when my stomach stopped wanting to digest whole food and also had a couple quick Clif Bars if I needed something heavier.  Total carried calories was 6076/379.76 per hour.   

Getting things together in the hallway

For clothes I wore Solomon shorts for the pockets at the waist band that proved invaluable for storing trash while on the go.  I wore a Patagonia Capilene ultra light short sleeve top and a Capilene long sleeve shirt for when it was cooler.  Team RWB running hat, Patagonia lightweight shell, Yeti Trail Runners Buff, and Hoka Mafate shoes rounded out the rest of my attire.  I also picked up an Ultimate Direction PB 2.0 with two body bottles.  I really like this bag but really wish I could just make my own. There was a ton of storage; it was that the pockets were awkward for what I wanted to use them for. 

There was no convenient way to store my iPhone 6 for quick retrieval to take pictures and my Rudy sunglasses barely fit in the upfront shoulder pouches.  I did like the separation of compartments in the body of the bag.  I used MountainLaurel Designs cubes to store my electronic charging equipment and first aid kit.  Speaking of first aid kit, I highly recommend you make it as robust as you think you need it to be.  I had to do some maintenance on my feet and was really glad I brought what I did.

We (Beth, Caitlin, Josh, Greg, and I) converged upon Las Vegas on 4 October and planned to leave for the Grand Canyon National Park the next day around lunchtime.  The forecasted temperature was dropping so we decided to make a quick stop at REI for a couple odd and ends before heading out.  We arrived at the park just as the sun was setting for a quick recon trip of the trailhead and a general look around to check out the lay of the land.  Josh took charge of the hotel accommodations and all 6 (Caitlin’s husband Kevin was with us too) of us were jammed into a regular size hotel room with an added bunk bed.   This was interesting as two of our group would have to share a queen bed (not I). 

Start Time-0345

The rest of the evening was filled with nervous energy as everyone tore through his or her bags to check for gear and to make sure all was packed and ready to go.  The plan was to be on the trail and moving down by 0400.  This required a 0230 wake up to get some coffee in us, eat a small amount of food and hope for nature to get things quickly moving (poop).   

0230 came quickly and we were up and moving.  Reported temperature was 31 degrees and we all had on base layers with our running shells.  Sunrise was not until 0630 so we also put on our headlamps for the descent.  Kevin drove us to the trailhead; we paused for a quick picture and at 0345 headed down.  We used a ton of caution going down due to it being dark and the cliffs several feet from the trail.  Unsure of how fast we could go the decision was to error on the side of safety.  We all started to shed layers at the 3 mile rest house and it felt like we got there really quick. Once the sun started to come up the pace quickened and the 5 of us spread out a bit. 

Comin' Round the Mountain

As stated earlier, my plan was to graze on food to keep a steady trickle of calories coming in and supplement with diluted Tailwind.  I cannot take Tailwind at the recommended strength because it makes me feel like I cannot drink enough water.  I stopped at every water stop to top off my bottles.  All water stops were reported as being on thus I just ran with the two bottles on the front of my pack.  I brought a 70 oz. bladder just in case but never filled it.   

The group broke off into two and then into 3 separate groups.  Caitlin and Beth kept their steady pace while Josh, Greg and I pushed it up a bit more to try and get back on the timetable we built for ourselves.  Greg eventually pushed even further forward and finished ahead of us.  Crossing the Colorado River and heading into Phantom Ranch was our first major milestone.  The morning sun was now up and you could really appreciate the beauty around us.  My nutrition plan was right on target and we were pushing a steady pace.  All was well until Cottonwood Campground and my wheels started to get wobbly.  I had great coaching leading into this event but I spent a ton of time dealing with existing injuries and wasn’t as fit as I needed to be.  I pulled out the trekking poles and the pace really slowed down.  This is where our timing really got off kilter. 

The slow ascent up to the North Rim was probably the hardest thing I have ever done.  At the Supai Tunnel I was not feeling well and really did not start to feel okay until about 3 miles from the top.  Beth and Caitlin were completely out of sight behind us and Greg was at least 1.5 hours ahead of us.  This is also when Josh started to feel poorly as well.  I switched my food to strictly gel and Tailwind and this made a big difference, as I was able to push hard to get to the North Rim.  We were now well over 1.5-2 hours behind schedule.  The North Rim was a bit of a buzz kill as it was just a parking lot.  I spent about 10 minutes working on my feet.  I had a blister the size of a grape on my left big toe and decided to pop it.  Applied Neosporin, liquid bandage and wrapped it in fabric Band-Aids.  I left the blisters on my right foot alone to keep from having too many problems all at once.

Trail

Once we started heading down Josh and I felt incredible!  No longer pukey and actually able to run.  We ran into Beth and Caitlin and they passed on that they were going to stay at the North Rim and not attempt to head back.  Truth be told it was the best decision and Josh and I should have probably done the same thing.  Jason Green from Yeti Trail Runners advised us to turn back at 1200 no matter where you were on the course.  We obviously didn’t listen and were punished for it. 

We used a run/walk strategy to Cottonwood but by the time we got there the wheels were really wobbly again.  The decision was made to walk the rest because the return upon investment by running was putting us further into the hole.   Our next milestone was to try and get to Phantom Ranch before having to put on headlamps. 

Kevin the Superhero hiked down to Phantom Ranch and was to meet us with Cokes and chocolate covered coffee beans.  We were way behind of schedule and were not sure he was still there.  Along our bath we came upon a couple rocks along the trail and there was some trail magic there.  Two cokes were set up on the trail between “asshole rocks” and there was only one person that could have put them there.  Kevin was voted President of Phantom Ranch at that moment.  Josh and I collected up the Cokes and pushed on.  We had to put on lamps prior to reaching our goal. 

Supai Tunnel

Side note*** asshole rocks were rocks they put perpendicular across the trail to control erosion.  The issue was that they were about 10 inches high and required lifting tired legs over them.  Yes…there were a lot of asshole rocks on this trip.

We got into Phantom ranch and Josh went looking for Kevin.  Beth told us to make sure he got out of the canyon with us.  We were both a bit irritable at that moment.  No Kevin.  We pushed on hoping he had already left.   Of course, we made a wrong turn in the dark and had to backtrack.  It felt like forever to get to the Colorado River and start the long ascent up Bright Angel.  Josh and I were both completely wrecked but still pushing forward.  We were really out of options.  At every rest stop we would take inventory on where we were, how far we had to go, and whether we were safe to keep moving.  One of the required items we all had to carry was an emergency blanket just in case we had to stop and shelter on the trail.  On one stretch of the trail a headlight start moving towards Kevin and us called out, “Well, could it be?”  We both could have kissed him!!!!  He had more Coke in his bag and both of us were a little queasy.  I was sticking with Gels and Tailwind but then started to eat 5 chocolate covered coffee beans every hour.  This made a HUGE difference!!!  Kevin kept the next several hours lively with good conversation that took our minds off of how tired we were. 

The three of us continued our climb and broke the trip up mentally into blocks.  At 4.7 miles out Kevin started to not feel good and this is where the trail gets a little bit treacherous with the cliffs on the sides.  We put Kevin between us (after he dry heaved) and pushed on.  At Indian Garden we made our last gut check and decided to just get it done.  When we were at the last rest stop we had an Air Force PT test (1.5 miles) left and made a hard push to the top.  Of course, a hard push was walk for 20 minutes and sit down for 5.  Cresting the top of the South Rim and seeing Greg there with a warm minivan was an incredible experience.  I truly felt like I had accomplished something really big.  There is no quit in these bones.

There were a ton of lessons learned from this event: 1) Trekking Poles rock!  2) Nutrition is a big factor.  I need to further work on this 3) Practice more by doing long events 4) Squats, Lunges, and Planks…do them 5) Need to work on blister care and 6) Need to rework how I organized my gear.  I felt like I could never find what I was looking for.

Left Over Nutrition

The magic question is would I do this again.  Of course….but differently.  I talked to a lot of people on the trails that were doing a similar trip or just a rim to rim over the course of several days.  I would love to do that.   I am thankful my beautiful wife allows me to do these crazy adventures.  This is one I would like to share with her, just at a slower pace.

***Second side note.  Yes, Beth and Caitlin stayed the night on the North Rim on couches.  They were able to catch a ride (5 hours) back to us the next morning by a fellow Team RWB Eagle.  Never underestimate the power of good people. 

Statistics:  I thought it would take 14 hours and we packed food for 16.  Total distance was 48 miles.  Moving time was 20 hours 2 minutes.  Avg Pace 29:34.  Total time 22 hours 15 min.  Stopped time 2 hours 13 min.  Moving Speed 2.3 Mph.  10370 feet Ascent and 10392 feet Descent.  Data via Gaia GPS

Project Life: 2016....Optimistic!

I spent the morning sipping on coffee and reflecting upon another great year.  It has been a year of great achievement, uncertainty, disappointment, and ultimately full of happiness.  I know, I know the previous four descriptive words don't really go together and I would agree if you looked at them as individual adjectives.  However, if you string them into one line it really just describes my life as one continuous adventure that contains an equal amount of peaks and valleys.

In the past 16 months we have had two military moves to two separate states (joined by one big bridge).  If any time over the course of 26 years you would have asked me if I ever thought I would be stationed in Washington D.C. you would have been met with a very resounding NO.  Life has a sense of humor and I am now stationed in the Washington D.C... and actually enjoying it.  The traffic stinks and the gun laws are pathetic, but I love being close to family.  You spend your whole life wanting to move away and in the end you feel best when close by.

Many people love to bash social media and how we are all connected to our electronic devices.  Of course, they do most of their complaining while typing away on Facebook.  A bit odd don't you think?  Anyway, I for one enjoy social media and the connectivity it brings.  Even though I don't get to see some of my friends or family very often I can follow along with their lives through pictures and events.  Everyone is truly a FaceTime call, instant message or tagged post away.  Over the course of this year I have stayed connected with those who mean the most and have started reconnecting with those from the past.

We all live in a world of uncertainty and inundated with negativity.  So and so hates these people....so and so despises those people...and on and on and on.  By watching television or surfing the internet you would think no one gets along anymore.  Separated by politics, stance on police, ethnicity, religion, etc....you are manipulated to believe we can no longer coexist which other.  I find this view startling  and actually not true.  I refuse to believe the world is bad, I refuse to lock myself in my house and I refuse to hate my neighbor even though politicians and the media thinks I should.  Instead, I am looking to become more connected.  In essence...I plan on "leaning in" and building stronger relationships with those around me.

It is no secret that I have drank the Team Red, White and Blue Kool-Aid.  I can think of no better organization than one that has the solid purpose of building community through physical and social activity.  Mike Erwin, the founder of Team RWB, has started another non profit called the The Positivity Project.  I have never met Mike, but his message via social media resonates with me.  In a recent Inc article he outlines 10 Essential Habits of Highly Optimistic and Positive People.

In looking towards the new year I want it to be a year full of optimism and positivity.  Project Life: 2016 will be another year full of achievement, but more in importantly it will be a year full of service to people and optimism for the future.  Life is so much better when you look at it through rose colored glasses.

CrossFit Vs Peace, Love, Ironman

Over the course of the last 16 months life has had numerous ups and downs.  It has definitely been the continuation of the ever-cycling sine wave of love, happiness and fitness.  Actually, love and happiness has been pretty much the same, but fitness has been all over the place.  As I return to the life of the intermittent blogger and do my best to capture my thoughts on the above topics I will start with a look at the previous year of experimentation. 

It is no secret that I jumped into the CrossFit (CF) cult to help solve fitness issues.  I too was among the many who believed CF would cure all and all it takes is more work.  After coming off a decent Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 triathlon I felt pretty good about where I was in life, but knew I could definitely be better.  Now granted, my personality is one to shoot from the hip and ad lib programming.  So I committed myself to a gym and a methodology of programming.  To be honest with myself and the one or two people who will actually read this, I committed to a gym that had a triathlete/multi sport coach on staff and I was super excited about all the possibilities.   I figured I would do everything and anything I was told to do and this would turn me into super “old guy” triathlete.  [cue dramatic music]

Like any new devotee I threw myself into it with all the zeal I could muster.  My form was horrible, I was extremely weak (still can’t do more than a couple damn pull-ups), and I lacked the work capacity to keep up with the newest of initiates.  I tried my best and convinced myself that showing up would make it all better.  Square peg, round hole…bang!  Square peg, round hole…bang!  Square peg, round hole…bang!  Over and over and over again.  It started with elbow tendonitis, moved to low back strain, then over to hip flexor pain, and finally to quadriceps tendonitis….rinse and repeat.  Hurt, hurt, and hurt.  

My failed experiment came to a culminating point with being dropped during a century ride and ultimately my first DNF.  Yes…it is still embarrassing to think about and yes, my buddies still tease the hell out of me.   I couldn’t figure out why my endurance fitness stunk so bad and why I wasn’t getting any better at what I wanted to get better at.  I finished all the required front squats, thrusters, and ring rows.  I paid my expensive gym fees.  I even drank the required amount of pre and post workout shakes.  After following the programming to the best of “my” ability, in the end I failed to progress in the sport I was trying to get better at….swim, bike, and run. 

To be 100% clear…this is not a CF bash contest or even a veiled slight towards the gym I belonged too.  In fairness, the community is awesome, the gym owners are great, and I made some life long friendships.  This is “my” view of CF and how it relates to endurance training.  I still love the idea of CF and what it can do for the specific CF athlete and the everyday person who wants to get into shape.  I have seen folks do amazing things.  On a side note…yes, I have read the CF Endurance books…even used the methodology printed in those books.  There is a reason no CFE athletes are winning at Ironman or ultra running events…just sayin’

After signing up for the JFK 50 I knew that I needed to make a serious change.  I shifted to Mountain Athlete’s endurance plans and it made all the difference.  To be fair to the readers and the CF world, I hurt myself by ramping up the run mileage too quickly, but that was my own fault by not putting in the required run durability while holding on to my precious squats and GHD extensions.  In the end, I finished a 50-mile road race with fitness earned while doing specific endurance training. 

The point of all of this is that it is okay to step outside the box for a bit and experiment with other fitness methodologies, but if you really want to be better at a specific sport then you need to do that specific sport for the vast majority of your training.  The other point of this is that I needed to get this off my chest for quite some time and I believe writing is therapeutic.  I have struggled with moving on and held onto a mixed bag of emotions. I initially felt let down by CF, but in the end it is like dating.  You have to shop around until you find what works for you.  During that time you will try to make something that isn’t working for you work and when you break up it is hard at first but worth it in the long run. 

Peace, Love, Ironman

Epic!  The word for the JFK 50 is EPIC!  It is hard to imagine actually completing something that absolutely scares the hell out of you.  The JFK 50 was that event.  If your dreams don’t scare you then they are not big enough….I think Attila said that. (well…maybe not)  That is a good enough reason to jump in.

I came up with the idea of registering for the race over lunch after a local 5K.  You have to admit…that is kinda funny.  While sitting at lunch one of the other runners stated that the JFK 50 was a huge Team RWB event the previous year and despite the mandatory qualifying times active duty military could just sign up.  Since I am not fast…in fact, I am pathetically slow (but I have a big heart and a hairy chest) I figured I would count this as my Boston Marathon.  It was a race that not everyone could get into, but I had a “in.”  Sing with me…I’m so fancy… uh oho oh….

With most crazy, epic, and utterly stupid ideas I knew that my best buddy Josh would jump right in.  He always hates me at some point, but in the end he puts a smile on and signs up.  We ended up with four of us signing up (1 had to cancel due to a military commitment).  Josh, Steve, and I were going to tackle this beast.   I have to throw it out there…there were lots of folks talking a good game but in the end only 3.5 of us put our money where our mouths were. (I will give Quentin an out because he had to work…plus he is training for Boston and can outrun all three of us lined up back to back).  I will also say there are a bunch of chickens out there.  I feel better now that I got that off my chest. 

About two months out I started to get heel pain immediately after running that continued to flare up during the day.  After much research I self diagnosed myself with plantar fasciitis.   I tried everything and couldn’t shake it.  After fighting the scourge of ancient civilizations and root cause of the ebola epidemic I decided that I couldn’t continue to train and basically dropped out of the race.  Josh and Steve were sticking with it and I turned to super Sherpa.  Added to the stress was the move from Dover, DE to Lusby, MD. 

Josh flew in on Thursday prior to the race and we went for a quick run.  My heel felt pretty good!  After not training for well over a month I felt okay.  I thought to myself, “self, maybe we can do this.”  Hmmmmmmmm  That got the brain working.  I asked  Quentin what he thought and he said, “what is the worse thing that can happen.”  Of course, Penny replied with “you can get a stress fracture.”  Yes, I guess that would be the worse thing that could happen.  I mulled it over for the rest of the day and decided to throw my name back into the mix.  That night I grabbed all my running gear and threw it into bags to sort out at the hotel.

From racing Ironman I have learned that you get into registration, get your stuff and get out.  The weird race vibes always make things odd.  After packet pick up we met up with Steve at Benny’s brewpub for beers and food (excellent on both).  Then came the task of figuring out what the heck to wear.  It was going to be a touch chilly but not too cold.  We knew that we needed every single minute we could find to stay ahead of the relentless cutoffs.  I settled with shorts, long sleeve under armor, merino wool top, and my Team RWB shirt.  I also decided to stick with the same pair of shoes to simplify the race by eliminating the drop bag.  Josh was a lifesaver and full of great information.  He studied the race and just about had everything figured out.

Race morning we were up early and ready to go.  Oatmeal with applesauce and coffee got things moving.  Woot woot!  No pooping on the trails.  We arrived at the start ahead of the massive wave and were able to pee twice (nervous pees).  At 0645 we made the walk to the start line and promptly at 0700 the cannon went off.  The start was straight uphill for 2.5 miles.  This is where a month of no training shows itself.  But…It was all good in the hood.  The race itself is broken up into three distinct sections: 1) 15.5 miles on the Appalachian Trail , 2) 26.7 miles on the C & O Canal, and 3) 8 miles of rolling hills.  I have to say…each section posed different challenges.  The key to the race is to solve problems and stay ahead of the cutoffs which run all the way until the finish.  The hard cutoff of 1600 at mile 38.3 was my internal go/no-go 

The start was enough to bring the reality of my lack of preparedness to the surface and the AT exposed everything I had.  Here I was running a beautiful trail on the and all I could think about was taking the next step.  Sightseeing was not an option.  The AT portion was extremely rocky and ended with 1,000 feet of extremely steep switchbacks.  When we got to the bottom Josh and I high fived because we were a solid 55 minutes ahead of the cutoff and feeling pretty good.  Our top priority was to pad the cutoff as much as possible because we knew we would need it for the back half of the race. 

The tow-path along the canal was beautiful and flat.  We quickly went through the aid stations to keep ahead of the clock.  I would fill my shirt up with food and eat while running.  I was given the advice to eat as much as possible to make sure you don’t bonk.  Well, I ate too much at the beginning and spent hours feeling sick and throwing up in my mouth (chunky).   At aid station 38.3 is the infamous red velvet cake…it was worth 38.3 miles.  Like I said earlier this was my internal go/no-go point.  I was going to take a hard look at how I felt and most importantly how I was affecting both Josh and Steve.  While inhaling the cake, with 2 waters and 1 coke I decided that I was okay and we were still about 40 minutes to go the good.  Time to press.

Coming off the tow-path I had this thought process that the race would mellow out and it would be a ton more maneagble.  Well…that was a lie.  The giant hill that met us at the transition point brought things back to reality.  This race was by no means over.  It came down to running light pole to light pole and doing a ton of math to make sure we were still okay.  15-minute miles became a tough goal and with each mile we slowly got closer and closer.  Josh pushed us along until the absolute end.  At 11:40:57 (6:40:57 PM) we crossed the finish line.  It is hard to explain what it feels like to accomplish something that seemed so insurmountable.  Best of all…I was able to experience it with two great guys.  Josh and Steve…you guys rock (like Van Halen)!!!!  Motto for the race...there is no quit in these bones.

Party on!

"Clovis"

1st Lieutenant Clovis T. Ray  of San Antonio, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.  He was killed in action on March 15, 2012 in Asadabad, Kunar province, Afghanistan, of injuries caused by an improvised explosive device.  He died a hero to this country and a role model of devotion to duty.

Veterans Day is a day to reflect upon the sacrifices of those who have or continue to serve.  The men and women who answer our nation’s call and don the uniform are becoming more and more a shrinking sliver of the overall American population.  In the current era the burden of war is placed squarely upon the shoulders of the few.  The nature of modern conflict has made asymmetrical an emerging norm and it will be these veterans who will again answer the call in our communities.  There is no need to say thank you or offer a free dinner at a chain restaurant, as military service is now a choice.  Instead, honor them with quality VA benefits to mitigate the side effects of war and help provide meaningful skills for those returning to the civilian work force.  No veteran requires anyone’s pity nor wants a handout, what they truly yearn for is a sense of community and acceptance into society at large. 

In the Tabata Times article Veterans and CrossFit: Why it Works, the author states, “Our entire military career is built on the foundation that the people around us are our family.”  It is after the veteran returns home and attempts to assimilate back into regular society that the issues start to arise.  Gone is the “battle buddy” who shares the same core beliefs and sacrifices.  The issues of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, marital discord, and even suicide can easily become a new norm for the individual veteran unless a new sense of community is developed.  In comes CrossFit, Team RWB, TeamRubicon, etc…  These organizations are extremely popular with veterans as it provides a sense of belonging to a new tribe that also shares common values, respect, and trust.  It is through these fraternal groups (or those like them) that society can again come together and build common bonds.

Today my CrossFit Box, CrossFit Sweat Angel, honored 1st Lieutenant Clovis T. Ray with a Hero WOD. 

LT…your sacrifice is not forgotten.

“CLOVIS”

For Time

Run 10 miles

150 Burpee Pullups

We performed the WOD as a team of 2.

My Battle Buddy, Devin--Before

After

Beach 2 Battleship Race Report

Beach 2 Battleship October 25, 2014 Race Report

It has been quite the year that culminated into finishing my second Ironman distance triathlon.  I signed up for the race almost a year ago and in that time I deployed to Djibouti for 5 months and then made a military move from Georgia to Delaware.  My fitness was not quite where I wanted it to be but in the end I just had to get ‘er done.

Josh and I rented a condo for the 4 days leading up the race.  This is truly a key to success for any large fitness event.  For comparable pricing we had our own bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, and kitchen.  Other than the Thursday night meal everything we ate we made at the condo.  This kept our out of pocket expenses to a minimum. 

I headed down to Wilmington, North Carolina right after work on Wednesday to set myself up for enough time to leisurely check in, swim, bike, run, and pack race bags.  I arrived around midnight and was up early on Thursday.  Headed down to the expo to check in right at noon and made it through with no issues.  The event staff and volunteers were fantastic and on top of the entire process.  The expo was really, really small with only the bare essentials.  I didn’t need much so it was not that big of an issue.   That afternoon Josh, Emile, and I took our bikes out for a 20 minute spin to cycle through all the gears and then followed it up with a run around the block.  All was in working order.

On Friday, the three of us met up with the  B2B Facebook group for a swim off the dock at the swim exit (across from T1).  There was a group of about 20 athletes that swam for about 25 minutes to get the feel of the saltwater and the lay of the land.  I am not a strong swimmer and this was invaluable to me.  It is just that extra step to help alleviate anxiety. 

I used an Endurance Nation plan for last year’s Ironman Florida race and I loosely followed it this year.  I 100% believe in their racing philosophy and the needed steps to successfully set up a good race experience.  After swimming, the rest of the day was all about resting and getting the right food into my stomach.  Big breakfast, turkey sub sandwich for lunch, and chicken with sticky rice for dinner.  Lights out at 9 PM. 

Saturday morning Josh and I heading out to the convention center to jump on the trolley to T1.  We arrive at 0515 (15 minutes early) and were surprised to jump straight onto a coach and head over.  The whole morning process went as planned and I was able to get my bike set up, tires pumped, and T1 bag checked in.  It was a little confusing on where to get body marked, but it all worked out.  Always, always, always have a flashlight.  We then caught another trolley to swim start.  We arrived very early and stood around for a good hour.  At 0700 we put on our wetsuits and started to walk down to the start.  It was an absolutely beautiful morning with temperatures in the low 50s.  Expected water temperature was 69-71.  PERFECT!  We met back up with Emile and enjoyed some quiet time before it started.  Josh and I were able to get into the water to warm up and this was key to our great start.

0730 Swim start…the atmosphere was electric.  BANG!!!!  We were off.  I lined up towards the back and was able to get all the fast swimmers in front of me.  The inlet was so wide that I rarely touched another swimmer during the entire first leg.  I zig zagged quite a bit until I was able to settle in with bilateral breathing and just move forward.  Before I knew it I was at swim exit and getting out of the water.  I looked down at my watch and it read 58 minutes.  HOLY SMOKES!!!  That current was fast!

Swim: 1:00:45

T1 entailed a quarter mile run across the street to the changing tents.  On the way I jumped under the hot water showers to get the salt off of me, grabbed my T1 bag and headed to the tent.  I didn’t change and only grabbed my arm sleeves.  My helmet, gloves, and shoes were already on the bike.  In and out…

T1: 7:21

Bike.  The start of the bike was good.  The temperatures were great and I felt really good after the fast swim.  The grate across the bridge was probably the most sketchy part of the race.  One guy in front of me went down and my back tire slid side to side.  My heart rate wasn’t reading on my monitor so I used RPE for pacing.  I started my nutrition plan right away and was able to get fluids into me.  I trained with HEED and did not like it.  My biggest mistake was sticking with HEED instead of figuring something else out for the bike nutrition during training.  By mile 20 I was already sick to my stomach from the stuff.  I held steady until mile 60 and the combination of not feeling great and the arch in my right foot cramping caused the ride to become quite miserable.  I chunked out the remaining miles into 10-mile blocks and just pushed it.  This is where my lack of fitness really showed and came back to haunt me.  By the 112 miles I just wanted off the bike.

Bike: 6:42:34

T2 was uneventful.  I grabbed what I needed and headed out. 

T2: 5:49

Run.  I was hoping the cramp in my foot would loosen up once I got off the bike, but that didn’t happen.  I peg legged run (like a pirate) the first 2 miles and was not sure I would be able to finish.  Fortunately for me my Dad was on the course racing the half.  When I ran into him I asked if he had any pain meds…he is always prepared.  800 MG of Motrin and 20 minutes later the pain was gone.  The next issue I needed to solve was I was really nauseous.  I ran past the BASE salt folks and decided to give it a whirl.  10 minutes after that I felt great!!!!!  I kept up the salt and water at every aid station and used Cliff Shot blocks for food.  I kept this until mile 19 then switched to coke.  At mile 23 I picked up the pace to run it hard into the finish.  Other than the first couple miles I felt great on the run.  

Run: 5:24:42

Total: 13:21:09

The finish was awesome!  My Dad, Josh and Emile met me.  Our super supporter crew of Gen, Amanda, and Ben were right there as well.  I grabbed a pizza and we hammed it up for pictures.  I was able to see both of my sisters finish as well.  All in all it is a great race and I highly recommend it.