Ironman Arizona - 15 April 2007

Short Version:
I need to work on my sighting; no matter how fast you swim, if you don't follow the buoys your time will never improve. in the swim. Bike was great, even with the 30 mph wind. First loop of the run, excellent, on target for 4:30. Second loop; BOOM. Third loop; suck it up and get your butt in gear.

Long Version:
After 7 of these things I have race day prep pretty much down to a science. Eat and sleep early the days before. Up at 3:00. Out the door by 4:30. At transition as soon as possible. My Dad volunteered to get up early and drive me to the race site, making the start to the day as easy as possible. The flags at the race site are flapping in the pre-dawn. After dropping off my special needs, getting my tires pumped, putting the final pieces of equipment into my transition bags, I had an hour to sit and relax. Mike Reilly was doing his thing, keeping everyone moving, keeping everyone relaxed. At 6:30 I put on my wet suit and joined the slow moving mass of penguins marching over the timing mats on our way to the water.

I had decided long before the race that this was the swim that I has going to nail. I made my way to the back to the middle of the pack at the buoy line. The Star Spangled Banner, the cannon and away we go. I feel great. I'm moving through the water well. There is little bumping. But where is the yellow buoy? I stop in the water and take a good look around. I am half way across the 'no man's zone' on my way to the orange buoys. NOT GOOD. Course correction and I am back on track for a while. A little jostling for position at the turns but nothing dramatic. I zig-zag back to the exit in my usual time - 1:10.

Nothing special about transition ... I'm am a little slower than I want to be, but get out in under 10 minutes.

The start of the the bike is a a twisting and turning route through some of the Tempe streets and over a set of railroad tracks. I navigate these without incident and get onto the Rio Salado Parkway. The wind is already picking up. When I get to the Beeline Highway I notice that I am flying up the slight grade of the road. Wind at my back and I pump up the gear ... I'm going 45 KPH. I keep to my nutrition plan - Gatorade every 10 minutes, gel every 20, a bottle of water in me and an another on me at every aid station. The head wind on the way back to transition is slowing everyone - I have a difficult time keeping 25 KPH. The second loop is wild. On the Beeline Hwy I max out at 51 KPH and dodge tumbleweed that is blowing across the road. The return trip ... there are times when it is a struggle to hold 20 KPH. I check my watch on the start of the 3rd loop and smile when I see that I am on track for a 6 hour or better bike split. I hold back a little on the third loop ... I want to have some energy for the return trip into the wind and the run that is coming up. Back in transition, I jump off the bike, leaving my shoes on the pedals.

Another standard Dick-transition. Nothing special; nothing stupid.

The run is always my weakest event. My hope for this race was a solid 4:30 marathon. The first loop is great. I have my plan, I work my plan and get to the end of the first loop on time - 1:30. Then it happens. My stomach starts to feel sour. I fight for two miles, but I have to stop. At the second aid station I chomp down some pretzels and cola. I'm moving, slow is the only word that comes to mind. Pretzels and cola at every aid station. I end the second loop in a blistering 1:50. One of my goals for any race is to finish before they make me wear a glow stick. Here in Phoenix the sun goes down at 7:00 ... I have to hustle. My stomach is better and I am moving a little faster. I start playing the pass the next guy game. It works for me most of the time. It works even better when I pass people younger than me ... I pass some twenty-somethings and keep moving. In the distance I can see the lights of the Mill Avenue bridges. I keep moving. All of a sudden I'm crossing the bridge and on my way to the finish. There crowd it thick. The energy high. I cross the finishing line at 12:54. Slower than planned, but finish none-the-less.

Ironman Arizona: There is a rematch in my future!