Ironman Day…
Woke up at 230…finally fell back asleep at 4.
Alarm went off at 5 am so we could load up and get to the transition area for me to make sure my bike and gear were ready.
The official water temperature was within the limits of making the swim wetsuit legal.
Elsen dropped Paul and me off at the transition and took the truck to the parking lot for the day.
It was surreal walking in to the transition area by myself to get ready for the swim.
First I got my bike and made sure my tires were inflated properly. Nothing like riding 112 miles on underinflated tires!
Transition closed at 630, and the first elite athletes got into the water at 635. I made it in with my swim time group about 651. I hit the water and started swimming.
Just keep swimming…just keep swimming…
Then the stings began.
I knew nettles/jellyfish were going to be a thing. I had swimsafe, a sunscreen that helps protect against them, covering me, but I’m not sure how much of a difference it actually made…
Imagine the feeling of touching your tongue to a nine volt battery. Except it’s on your hand. Your head. Your foot. Your arm. It jumps around and all over. Like swimming with a bunch of batteries.
I was cruising and feeling good, right on track with my pace. Swimming for distance in open water is really different. Having to sight to make sure you on course every other stroke is way different than having the black line at the bottom of the pool.
Getting out of the water I was greeted by my brothers cheering me on! Also it was my first brush with the wooziness of the day. 100 minutes of swimming and then just getting out and trying to hustle to transition was the first time I almost tripped…*smile*
The wetsuit strippers were for real!! I didn’t have to do anything, they just peeled me right out of it. Then walking to the changing tents to get my ride gear on.
Shorts.
Shirt.
Helmet.
Belt.
Socks.
Shoes.
Sunglasses.
Start walking to the bike loading area.
And then start flying. I was cruising at over 17mph pace starting off. Feeling really good and just pumping away on the pedals. Like the greatest training day I had ever had!
Passing some people, the same people passing me back, and alternating back and forth!
And then I started to slow down…
I just couldn’t keep that blistering pace up.
My pace slowed down until my average was 15.4 mph…
Little did he know…
At an aid station I doused myself with water, and started singing the song my son William and I wrote for his band, Red Bakk
Appropriately titled…”Can’t Run No More.”
And somewhere I found a new set of legs to pump the pedals. The cadence of the song revitalized me.
And I sang it for the next three hours just cranking the pedals to the rhythm.
For real, I couldn’t believe how good my legs felt. My average climbed back up to 16.1 by the time I finished the bike race. I finished the bike in 6:33, an hour faster than I planned.
Coming in off the bike, I stripped out of my bike shorts, got fresh clothes on and headed out on the run.
Paul & Elsen were right there cheering me on as I left transition and hit the run course.
The run course is three loops of the same course. Out one way, back the other. And again. And again.
Right about mile 5 my knees started started saying no more…so I started walking.
And walking.
And walking.
I found someone who was walking what seemed the same pace and we teamed up to walk the rest of the marathon together.
One foot in front of the other. Over…and over…and over…
Larry was from Juarez! We had a great time talking and sharing the day. He had started walking because he was dehydrated. We talked and he was able to keep his mind off of that and focus on just putting one foot in front of the next.
We were walking at about a 1520 pace, fast enough to get the event done, but not destroy the knees.
Every lap, I saw Paul and Elsen cheering me on!
And suddenly, we were at mile 24, with 2.2 left to go. And it started to get real. I could feel it.
At mile 25, I couldn’t help fist pumping as I walked past the spectators cheering us on to the finish.
Getting in the finisher line on the final stretch.
Every step down the chute I was yelling myself hoarse. Pumping my arms, taking in the moment.
I crossed the finish line with Larry and saw my brothers right there waiting for me! Somehow they were both there, shirtless with writing on their chests celebrating my accomplishment.
Total time of 15:15, when I had thought probably 15:30 would be my total time.
I got my finisher t shirt, had, they took my timing chip, and then took my finisher photo.
And then the fun really began…we shuffled back to the VIP tent where they had a bowl of food for me, cold beer, and good conversation. And they shared how their day went…how the VIP ladies had guided them around all day from place to place to be at the right place at the right time. And how they had been able to help with the bar at VIP to save the day.
Then, once my belly was full, we walked down the steps to the side of the chute and we cheered. Pounding the sides of the chute like giant rectangle bass drums to the rhythm of the music and yelling hoarse with every athlete that came through.
We got to cheer Team Agar down the chute. Jeff and John Agar are a father son team. John has cerebral palsey, he competes with his father. And we cheered ourselves hoarse for them.
We. Shut. The. Place. Down.
Stayed until the very last athlete that finished it made it across the line at 12:02am.
A chill stroll back downtown to get in the truck and head back to the hotel.
Where they pull a freakin farm tank out of the room, fill it with 70 lbs of ice and I take an ice bath right in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express!!!
Finally in bed falling asleep about 130am, passed out like a rock.
And now we head home today. What an epic journey.
