My Race Day Summary.

Race info: Ironman Arizona
Entry by: twocougz

Ironman Arizona 2008-11-23Tempe, ArizonaUnited States75F / 24CSunny
Triathlon - Full Ironman Total Time = 13h 09m 56s
Overall Rank = 1296/2189
Age Group = male 40-44
Age Group Rank = 280/399

Pre-race routine:Woke up at hotel at 3:50 am. Applied a second coat of sunscreen and got dressed. Ate PB bagle, Oatmeal, OJ, yogurt and coffee. Drank a bottle of Heed and another of water. Packed up the gear and headed off tho the event with my friend, Mike, who was helping in the medical tent all day. Once we arrived, I double checked my bags and tried to relax a bit. I got off my feet for 10-15 minutes and then attended the FCA church service.

Event warmup:After the church service, I quickly changed into my wetsuit and got ready. One last trip to the port a potty and then it was time to head to the water. I found Audrey just before climbing over the fence to the water. I gave her a hug and kiss as she wished me luck. I provided comic relief as I got my swim cap on. As I was pulling it on, it slipped out of my hands and shot off my head, high into the air. Someone about 5 rows behind me recovered it for me.

Swim
Comments:What can I say about an Ironman mass start. I knew going it it was going to be a washing machine, and it delivered as promised. The first 5-10 minutes were chaos. I got a foot in the face, followed by a pretty hard elbow to my right eye, but my goggles stayed on and I rolled over to get the water out. I lost my road ID wrist strap in the first 15 minutes. (I knew I should have just left it at home, but it was a part of the journey). I stayed to the shore line on the way out and then found myself inside on the bouys for the way back. I finally found some open water to swim in on the way back in.
What would you do differently?:Get more to the front for the start. I did try to move my way up, but as I was trying to move forward, boom, the cannon goes off and the day has started. Overall, I was quite pleased with my first IM Swim.

T1
Comments:Ironman transition is quite a bit different than traditional transitions. I went the slow route and completely changed my gear into a dry bike jersey and shorts. This added time. I was surprised at how cold I was while changing. I was shivering trying to get my gear on. The volunteer helper was great, laying out my stuff and packing away all my wet swim gear.
What would you do differently?:I would probably wear traditional tri gear for the swim and not mess with changing out. This could easily save me 10 plus minutes on T1 and T2.

Bike
Comments:My goal on the bike was to conserve energy. I really didn't push hard at all. I was really just spinning my way up the hills to the turn and pressing a little bit harder on the downhill return. My "riding" average was 18 miles per hour, but with the many potty stops and refueling breaks, my actual average was a little over 16 mph. I took my time at the special needs area and got my PB sandwich, some crackers an other solid fuel in.(I think I burnt about 15 minutes here getting off my bike to eat my solid foods). I also gave up some time at the port o potties, but I was really pushing the fluids with my Perpetum bottles every 15 minutes, constant sipping on the water bottle and Salt Stick Caps every 30 minutes. I didn't have any GI problems or cramps!
What would you do differently?:Less potty breaks and probably push a bit harder. I felt like I still had my legs at the end of the day, so I could have pushed a bit more. That being said, I was pleased with my first IM bike overall.

T2
Comments:Quickly got off the bike and handed it to one of the many amazing volunteers. My legs felt pretty good jogging over to get my bag. I was able to change fairly quickly into my tri top and shorts. I was wearing a MyAthlete gps chip for tracking the race. I had to change out the battery in T2. I broke the battery door trying to get the old battery out, but it continued to work well for my friends and family "watching" my progress online. I quickly coated my body with sunscreen and was off and running.
What would you do differently?:As before, I would just wear my tri gear throughout the day.

Run
Comments:The first loop of the run was quite hot. I was taking every sponge and water cup I could at the aid stations trying to keep cool. My plan was to slowly jog the first 5 miles and get my legs. The sun started going down then and it quickly began to cool off. I settled into a good pace and kept at it for the remainder of the day. I really tried to keep my HR below 140 on the run. My run plan was to run between the aid stations, walk while re-fueling and to walk the hills. I stuck with this plan and it seemed to work well. The chicken broth was a life saver. I abandoned my plan of using Perpetum on the run. (I couldn't drink anymore of that stuff after almost 7 hours on the bike). Fortunately, there was plenty of other good stuff to eat on the run and my stomach held up well. I did experience my usual post Perpetum gas at about mile 13, but no other GI problems to report! My legs felt pretty strong all the way around the last lap. I log rolled across the finish line as I heard Mike Riley (The Voice of Ironman) say,

"Kyle Richter, Vancover, WA YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!"

It was an awesome moment that I will always remember. People ask what does finishing an Ironman Triathlon feel like. There are so many emotions that poured over me... Joy, Pride, Elation, Humility, Sadness, and Love. I loved being able to greet my family waiting at the finish line and share that moment with them. You were all a part of my journey to becomming an Ironman. One of the best summaries on finishing an Ironman was from another athlete who was asked what it feels like to finish an Ironman. He said, "It feels as if guy who has been hitting you in the legs with a club for the last 13-14 hours has finally stopped." I couldn't agree more.

The log roll across the finish was a tribute to Jon Blaise, an Ironman in 2005. He was an avid triathlete that was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in late 2004. He was able to train for and compete in the 2005 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. He had made the comment that he was going to cross that finish line...even if they had to roll him across. To see a quick video on his journey, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE


What would you do differently?:I wouldn't bother with Perpetum on the run. There was plenty of other good stuff to keep my fuel needs met.

Post race
Warm down:I posed for pictures with the family and then went off to get some pizza, fries and coke.
What limited your ability to perform faster:Pushing a bit more on the bike with less "Rest Stops" could have easily saved 30-45 minutes. I am otherwise thrilled with my effort. I wanted to be Sub 14 and was almost Sub 13. The unknown for me was the marathon. This was my first Mary and I wanted to make sure I had some "legs" left at the end. As it turned out, I did have running legs left and felt like I could have pressed harder on the bike.

Event comments:I am thrilled with my perfomance in my first IM event. There are so many question marks when competing in an Ironman: Was my training enough? Will I have mechanical problems on the bike? Will my diet plan work? Will my legs hold out? Fortunately, for me, Yes was the answer to all of these questions. My mantra for the day was: Relentless Forward Motion. Fortunately I was able to keep this chant going in my head all day long.

Phillipians 4:14 states: I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. I give Christ the glory in knowing that this great day was a gift from Him and my ability to achieve my goals was would not have been possible without my faith and trust in Christ. Finally, thank you to all my friends and family for all of your support, prayers and aid along the way as I completed this amazing journey. You were all there with me at the finish line and I could not have done it without your love. Thank you to all of you.