Ironman North Carolina - Race Report
After my Ironman 70.3 Miami was over, I knew I was going to run an Ironman in 2016. The initial question was, which one? The one I wanted was Ironman Louisville. It was touted as one of the best finish lines on the circuit, and it had been the race I was looking at for nearly 2 years. It just looked good to me, so I signed up in December of 2015.
Unfortunately for me, after riding a few times, I had realized that there was no way I felt I could prepare for that race, and the 5300+ feet of elevation gain, properly in Pensacola. By this point, Ironman had already purchased what was previously known as "Beach2Battleship", and the field was not looking like it was going to fill up. I immediately transferred to that race, as it was very similar race conditions to what I was living with.
Training for this race began in January with a lot of weight lifting for strength. I was determined to get my legs strong so I can push those big gears. I also had an early season 70.3 race, Rev3 Knoxville, to give me a gauge of where I was in my prep for this race.
I'll be the first to admit, that after Knoxville, my head started getting out of this race. I started losing desire to get outside in the heat and put in the miles like I know I needed to. I'll be honest, at one point I thought about just quitting, but my competitive spirit wouldn't let me. So I kept on doing my thing. And "my thing" managed to get me heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and not the results I wanted. I was getting nervous, but I couldn't let on that I was scared about not even being able to finish.
Then Hurricane Matthew came up the coast and hit Wilmington pretty hard. At first I was worried about the race being cancelled. It wasn't. However, the bike was shortened to 50 miles, and later changed to 56 miles. I honestly debated on not even going. I felt that all my work, what little there was, was for nothing. I was mad that I wouldn't be an "Ironman" because it wasn't the actual distance. But I finally decided to go.
The drive up was peaceful. My family didn't go with me, so I had time to think and cool down. 12 hours of driving, including a pitstop in Columbia, SC to hang with my boy for a bit, and I had finally calmed down and accepted the race for what it was. It was an Ironman with a shortened bike course.
CHECK IN
Friday morning was a crazy day. I was up at 7am so that I could get to the practice swim at 8:30 on Wrightsville Beach. The swim was at the start for the 70.3, and it was really just to test the water and get familiar with the wetsuit. Let me just say, the water felt AMAZING! It was a cool 74 degrees, with a current that was almost like a river. You could see it while standing on the shore. I only lasted about 15 minutes in the water, but ended up being there for almost an hour. Once done, I drove across town to the convention center where athlete check-in was, as well as the expo. I arrived around 10:30am, and there was a line wrapped around the expo, into the hallway, and out the door of the convention center. It wasn't moving quickly either. I finally got checked in around 11:45am, took a quick scroll through the expo, and headed back to my hotel room.
When I got back to my room, I had to pack my transition bags, something I had not done before, and turn them in. For the transition bags, you get a bag for each of the following: Bike Transition, Run Transition, Run Special Needs, and Morning Clothes. Normally there would be a "Bike Special Needs", but with the short course, no need for that. Packed my bags, loaded the bike in the car, and off to drop off everything.
Dropped my bike, Jericho, off first Made sure she was in the right spot, facing the right way. Then dropped off my Bike Transition bag. Immediately as I left, I got that feeling that I forgot something. Luckily I was able to access the bag in the morning before the race started, so If I did, I could fix that.
Next I headed back to the convention center to drop off my Run Transition bag. It took me nearly 40 minutes to get across town, but I finally got there. I dropped off my bag, still thinking I forgot something, and then walked the transition area as if I were leaving during the race. I swear it was an additional 1/2 mile to exit. Once I left transition, I was done. Time to go back to the room, rest up before dinner, and prepare for the next day.
DINNER
Dinner was simple, pasta and chicken at Olive Garden. Kept it simple, and had dinner with my friend Dave who was also racing. It was relaxing, and I took my time eating as I didn't have anything else to do except go to bed. Finally around 8:30 I left dinner, and headed to the room. By 10:30 I was in bed, trying to go to sleep. I had an early wake-up call, 3:30am.
RACE MORNING
My alarm went off at 3:30, and not many songs are more motivating than "Til I Collapse'. Yes, that was my wake-up call. Immediately jumped up, made my oatmeal and Shakeology for breakfast. I packed the nutrition for my bike, my wetsuit, got dressed in my hoodie and sweats (tri kit was underneath of course), and headed across town to the convention center, yet again. Being there solo meant that I had to drive to the finish and catch a shuttle to the Bike Transition area. Once I got to the convention center, Hood went up, ear buds went in, and Pandora went on. My "Beast" playlist went into action, with the first song being "Cut the Cord". I was immediately in the zone. Got to transition, went to the bike to pump up the tires, fill up the nutrition (3 bottles of Gatorade, a tube of Base Salts, and my protein balls). Time for the wetsuit to be put on and head to the bus line to get to the swim start. I know, lots of busses to ride to all these different places.
The bus ride took about 5 minutes, and then we had to walk what felt like a mile to the swim start. That was where I dropped off my morning clothes, and anything else I wanted to be at the finish line waiting for me. That also meant my keys and my phone with my hoodie and sweats. With just a few minutes to go we headed to the swim start on the beach. The sand was COLD, the air was colder (about 55 degrees with a 20-25mph wind), but the water was still a warm 74 degrees. Time to get this started.
SWIM: 1:05:45
I jumped in the water to get some kind of a warm-up. Stayed in the water for the National Anthem, and listened to the final race instructions by Mike Riley. Before we knew it, the cannon went off, and "Lose Yourself" started playing over the speakers. Racers started funneling through the starting arch.
I got in the water and expected the worst. I had heard about swim starts being brutal for athletes, so I wanted to jump in and find my groove and space immediately. Luckily enough, I was able to. I got right into my groove because I decided to stay a bit wider at the start. The swim felt great. There was a chop, but I am a right-side breather and the water didn't bother me. I stayed as close to the buoys as I could, at least for the first few. I don't recall which one it was, but I swam right under it, spotted the next one, and swam until I didn't feel anyone around me. Somehow I managed to swim a bit far to the right and was off course, but it was an easy adjustment, with only a slight angle to catch back up. Before long I was back at the buoys, and still moving.
Before long, I heard voices and music. I looked up to spot, and I saw people getting out. I swam with everything I had left to get to the wall. I touched the wall, and got pulled up, I WAS OUT! I started getting out of the wetsuit as I entered transition, and ran. I felt GREAT.
BIKE: 3:12:59
I made my way through transition, got ready for the bike, and headed out on the bike course. The air was still chilly, but I didn't have any long sleeved shirts, I just went out and rode. Got started, and took it slow getting on the roads. I knew I had 56 miles to go, and I didn't need to push beyond my limits with a marathon looming.
At first the wind wasn't really a big factor. Even though it was blowing, I was still noticing myself doing 17-20mph at times. It wasn't until we hit the first highway (highway 17) that the wind became a factor. It had turned into a crosswind, with traffic zooming past the racers on the right. The wind either blew you into passing riders, or you staggered into the cones. I actually saw the aftermath of a crash involving 4 riders. It didn't look good, but I kept riding. At the end of Highway 17 there was a bridge, though nothing to be worried about, but a gust of wind blew and almost knocked me off the bike. That might have been my only "pucker" moment. Got off of 17, and headed to the first turn-around.
The wind was finally at our back, unfortunately it was only for 3 miles. Once we hit the turn around, it was a 17 mile ride straight into the wind. I don't think my average speed was over 13mph. It was demoralizing, really. That turn-around couldn't come fast enough. And there it was..
Once the turn-around was hit, speed went up and you could feel the end of the bike. I noticed that I hit 26mph at one point, and it was effortless. I kept pushing, and those 16 miles felt so much faster than heading north. The transition was finally in sight. I got off the bike, and felt great. Handed my bike to the bike catcher, grabbed my transition bag, and hit the changing tent.
RUN: 6:23:22
I hit the run course, and I was feeling good. I had a running strategy going into this, and I wanted to keep it. My plan was to run between aid stations, and walk the aid stations. I also wanted to keep my average pace for the entire run under 14:00/mile.
The first mile, I was running fast. I had to slow down, and I did once I hit the aid station. Strategy. I managed to keep this up for the first 4-5 miles, and running with new friends along the way. Unfortunately, after mile 5, the run started hurting, and in a completely physical way.
Every time my foot hit the ground, pain kicked in. Every part of my toe, the mid-part of my foot, the sides of my feet, radiated pain with every step. I kept going though because I remember hearing in an Ironman video, "everyone is in pain, the challenge is how you deal with it.". So I pushed on. Eventually me knees got in on the pain act. Parts of my knee that I had never felt in pain, were shooting pain with every step.
Finally, I returned to the finish line. I could hear Mike Riley calling people's names. I turned the barrel, and headed towards the finish chute. Unfortunately, I had a 2nd lap, so I made the left turn and kept on running. That might have been the most demoralizing part of the race. Knowing that the end was right there, and you had 13.1 miles left to run. But, we press on. I stopped at my special needs bag to refuel and grab my long-sleeved shirt because that run around the lake was a bit chilly.
On the 2nd lap, I managed to run with a friend for a few miles. She was in pain like me, so we would run in intervals, just picking a starting and ending point and going. That lasted until about 6 miles, and then I started running a bit faster (not really that much faster), and slightly longer.
Finally, I got out of the woods. I reached town, and started seeing finishers wearing the pajama pants. The cheering was getting louder. I kept on pushing. Then I got to the FINAL MILE! All of a sudden, I didn't care about the pain anymore. My feet didn't
hurt. I stripped of the long-sleeved shirt with less than 1/2 a mile to go. I could see the finish line. I was fighting back tears. I could hear Mike Riley yet again, only this time, I was going INTO the chute. I hit the red carpet, and heard Mike say my name. And then I finally heard those MAGICAL words, "You are an Ironman".
TOTAL TIME, 11:01:28
After thinking about the race, I cannot wait to do my next Ironman. Unfortunately, it wont be until 2018, but that's neither here nor there. This experience was amazing. The worst part about this race was not having my family with me. It's amazing how much a hug at the finish line means. They watched from home, but it wasn't the same for any of us. Until we meet again....
