We arrived at Post Falls on Thursday before the race. Angela and I rented a house right on the Spokane River which was awesome. After a quick unload of the car I went to the Expo/start area to hook up with Bonnie to register and shop while Angela went to grocery shop for the week. There were booths from many vendors selling their tri goodies, be it bikes, wheel sets, aero bars and even scales! I met Bonnie and Jen in the North American Sports (NAS) tent - this is where you buy Ironman logo items. This tent was packed with people grabbing everything! After spending some money and witnessing one gal dropping over a $1000 on swag we went to get into the line for registration.
NAS does a great job, along with 100's of volunteers, to make everything go as smoothly as possible. At registration, they checked my ID and USAT card, gave me a liability form to fill out along with a form for the Chamber of Commerce that asks where I was staying and for how long and how many people came to town with me (overkill!). After filling the forms out, I weighed in at 170 lbs. Right where I wanted to be! Then I was called by name to a table to get my transition bags, stickers for your bike and helmet, race numbers and timing chip. Registration accomplished. I am now an "official" participant!
I parted ways with Bonnie and sat on the wall overlooking the lake. The swim course wasn't marked completely so it was hard to tell how far out we were going to swim but I had an idea. It was fun to talk to a few other athletes from around the country while waiting for Angela! I tried to explain the bike course and hills to one woman from Missouri who told me that her toughest hill was a freeway overpass! I wonder how she did Sunday?!
Angela picked me up and we headed back to our house to unload groceries and get ready for the dinner we were having for our BT (beginnertriathlete.com) friends and some of their family members. It was a fantastic evening of friends and food, and just relaxing on the deck next to the river, sharing stories, talking about our training, and catching up on life.
Pictured: Dan, Katherine, Stan, Chris, Bonnie, Jen, Pam and me.
FRIDAY
My plan was to swim Friday morning to feel how cold it was.
Here is some background on the lake temps leading up to the race: First, this winter was the snowiest for CDA since records were kept. With all of the snowpack and then a rapid melt just before Memorial Day, there was flooding on the lake. Lake temperatures Memorial Day weekend were the upper 40's with debris covering the lake. 2 weeks before race day, it snowed again in CDA and the water temp hovered around 52. 1 week before, the race director decided that neoprene caps and booties could be worn on race day. I have to tell you, I have been swimming in cold water since May, but 1 week out I was worried! Enough so that Angela bought me booties "just in case"! THANK YOU HONEY!!!
So Friday morning I went down to the lake to swim. The course today is fully marked and it doesn't seem that far, so the plan is to swim one loop. My friend Chris and I suited up and acclimated to the water temp for about 5 minutes. As I looked around, I am one of very few swimmers with a sleeveless suit on. When I thought I was ready, I started off. I got about 200 yards and began a little hyperventilating. I slowed down, caught my breath and continued on. What I found was that anytime I took water into my mouth, the cold water in the back of my throat caused me to gasp. I knew I'd need to be careful of that on race day. When I came to the first turn a group of us got caught in some swells from a float plane that had taken off so we bobbed up and down until the waves subsided. By the last turn, my breathing had settled down and, although my arms and lips were numb, I knew that if the temp was like this Sunday, I would have no problem. I finished that swim in 40 minutes which made me really happy because I wanted to do 1:20 or faster on race day. After a quick change and talking with friends Katherine and Pam, Angela and I walked around the Expo area and headed home to start welcoming our family and friends.
Throughout the day, our friends and family arrived: our son Jake came to Portland from Colorado and drove over with our daughter Jessi and her boyfriend Colin; our friends Gary and Wendy and their daughter Charlotte came over from Vancouver; Angela's brother Bill and his son Jeremiah arrived from Oregon City with Bill's adult daughter Melissa, who lives in Yakima; Angela's sister Chrystal flew into Spokane from Maryland with her kids Sean and Athena; my mom and dad brought their RV over; and my brother Rick and his wife Remay came over from Sammamish, WA.
I had to go to a mandatory athlete's meeting on Friday evening, so Angela dropped me at the dinner and then went back to the house for a family dinner. This is probably going to be the only thing that I can complain about. The dinner was in a circus tent at the CDA resort in their parking lot. Over 2000 people in a vinyl tent with no circulation. We picked up dinner on the way into the tent. First up was a salad of iceberg lettuce and carrots with your choice of Ranch or Italian dressing. For God's sake we are Triathletes, I for one DO NOT eat those types of dressings! Next up a chocolate chip cookie bar. Huh? Then the main course of curly white processed pasta with a red sauce to put over it. Some steamed carrots with zucchini (the best part of the meal) and some white processed dinner rolls with butter. OK let me just say this, I know it is just one meal but I have been so diligent in my diet that I was shocked at what they had available. I know that with 2000+ people to feed it is the easiest way to go but come on....white pasta and rolls? End of Rant!
After sitting down to eat, the fun began. On the jumbo screen they played the video "You will do this". I have posted this on my blog before but will again. I was not the only one beginning to cry during this :-) Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman, was hosting so that was really neat! They introduced the youngest contestants (both 18 years old) and the oldest (65 year old female and 72 year old male). I think it was at that time that I decided my "calling" was to do Ironman until I die of old age. The lady that was 65 had done 3 triathlons before this and the look in her eye said it all. Mike had a showing of hands of those who had lost weight in the 8 months prior to the Ironman. A type of "Biggest Loser." 2 men had lost 85 pounds. More tears came to my eyes and the energy was amazing coming from the crowd! It made me think of my weight loss journey over the last couple years, and how far I've come from being a spectator at Angela's marathons to now, in the best shape of my life and ready to rock the Ironman course.
The last item on the agenda was the athletes meeting. This is where they go over the rules and any last minute changes with the race. With the low water temps, everyone was anxious to see what the final decision would be for the swim. The race director announced that neoprene caps and booties would be allowed, but NO gloves. There were some sighs of disappointment but I agreed with the RD - the water wasn't cold enough to justify gloves. What Andy the RD announced next blew everyone away: they would have 2 hot tubs set up right out of the changing tents and have 2 yurts heated to 90* to warm up in. I was thinking how nice that would feel after swimming!
After the meeting, Angela picked me up and we headed back to the house. I started to feel really relaxed and was surprised at how calm I was. Having family and friends around was exactly what I needed.
SATURDAY
Saturday was a day of warm sun, threatening skies and bike check-in. The weather forecast was for strong thunderstorms late afternoon and evening so the Wells' men were pretty excited (I think it the Midwestern blood). I woke up early and put my transition bags together (T1 bag with helmet, bike shoes, etc.; T2 bag with running gear). Jessi and Colin took me to check my bike and bags in at the expo area. I just wanted to get in and out as fast as possible because of the nervous energy that was there. The bike racks were all numbered and had your name and race number stickered to where your bike was to go. A volunteer told you which way your bike was to be pointed based on your number. At other triathlons that I have done, the bike set-up is always a challenge with people crowding you and setting their bikes up incorrectly, so the organization was fantastic. They took my two race bags and added them to the rows and rows of bags that were sorted by race number. A no brainer here (at least for me) but seeing people freaking out about this was just confirmation I needed to get out of there fast! I took Colin and Jessi around the expo a bit and then showed them the finish area, then we headed back to the house. We stopped at Post Falls for a few minutes and checked that out. The falls are pretty cool and it was amazing how much lower the water was from Memorial Day.
That evening, we had an early dinner with family. After dinner, Angela handed out buckets to each of our guests with cow bells and tshirts and other good stuff, and we went over the logistics of race day (who is driving to the race site, what time to be there, what to bring, expectations/hopes for cheering, and stuff like that). I reminded people that they couldn't run with me or hand me things, and told them how much I appreciated having them come to experience this with us. We took a group photo and then I said my goodnight and went to bed.
During the night a storm blew through. The wind was incredible! I woke to the sound of the wind howling and then the rain started pelting the side of the house. It was blowing in through the open window right onto our pillows. CRAZY! I just closed my eyes and told myself that whatever the weather will be race day will be OK.
SUNDAY - RACE DAY!
I woke up at 3:30 AM and ate my peanut butter bagel and started to load up the car. It had definitely rained and some of the stuff on the deck had been blown around, but it didn't feel very cold and it looked like the rain was over. Again I felt so calm it was scary! On a race day I am usually a "jerk" ( I am working on this) being short tempered but today wasn't like that. I think knowing that all of my bags were ready to go and triple checked helped in the calming effects.
Rick and Remay had decided to join us for the early departure so Rick could get all of his video and photography equipment set up. As we left the house and were driving down the road I saw up ahead what I thought was a person riding a bike in black. What the hell? As we came closer we saw that it was a moose! I freaked out seeing this cow moose trotting down the road looking over her head every so often to check on us. She ran in the lane of traffic for about a 1/4 mile and then bailed off into the woods. This had to be a sign from the Tri-Gods. A "sending off" for me.
After we arrived at the start area I went and checked on my bags to see if the rain had soaked anything. The bags to my surprise were dry and I could tell that the volunteers had re-closed each one. HOWEVER, my bike was wet. No biggy, just that my aero pads (elbow pads) were soaked like a sponge. Again, Oh well nothing I could do about it.
Rick and Remay set off to set up the camera and Angela and I walked around a bit and ran across Katherine and Pam and pretty much just sat until it was time to watch the pros start.
As 6:25 came closer (pro start time) the music started to get louder and the energy began to build. Angela and I worked our way to the wall to watch the pro start and had a good view. Ironman starts with a cannon that goes off and I wasn't ready for how loud (or close) it was so when they started I jumped out of my skin! Wow were they ever fast swimming! After the pros came around the first lap they let the rest of us get down onto the beach to get ready for our start.
Up until this point I was feeling fine and pretty relaxed, but when it came time to go to the beach it really hit home. I was about to do the Ironman! I had made it. I succeeded in making it to the starting line and through my training, my injuries, my triumphs and my disappointments. I was about to do something just a few short years ago I would never have imagined. I kissed Angela and gave her a hug with tears in my eyes and reeled those back in. It was NOT time to cry but to celebrate! It was the time.
Along with the masses I got to the beach and went into the water to start to get use to the temp. I knew immediately that the water had warmed up and I knew I wouldn't need a hot tub or warming hut. Whewww good news! I seated myself to the right of center for the swim and just took it all in. The helicopter was flying all over, the music was getting louder, yet still my heart rate stayed low. Mike announced that a 14 year old girl was going to be singing the national anthem which always chokes me up so again I had to hold some tears back. When the gal finished singing the anthem I couldn't hear a thing. The crowd was so loud. Then the cannon went off!
I started following the mass of people into the water and began to, shall we say, swim(?) This is not the word to describe what was going on. I knew that this would be the most physical swim that I had ever done but there is no training or preparation for this. It is a mass of arms being thrown and feet being kicked in every direction. I just couldn't seem to move out of it. I would get behind someone and try to draft them but they would stop for some reason and that in turn would make me stop and so on and so on. As we started to round the first buoy the "body mass" just seemed to stop. It seemed like everyone angled toward the buoy which just created a traffic jam. I felt like we were salmon trying to swim upstream. More legs. More arms. More kicks. More fun! When I made the next corner to start swimming back toward shore I started to smile and giggle. I was just so happy thinking "I am doing the Ironman!" that I couldn't quit smiling. Coming out of the water to cross the timing mat, I saw that I was right on my 1:20 swim pace and felt so strong. Back into the water for another lap and I thought it would be less physical. Nope. Wrong Randy. This lap was even more of a challenge. I tried to stay to the closest inside line that I could but found that everyone had the same thought. I pulled out a bit but then I wasn't drafting as much as I wanted to. Again when we came to the turns we all just jammed up and beat and flailed one another. Heading in from my second lap, I began to hear Mike Reilly on the PA system with the music playing and again thought to myself "Holy crap, Randy, you're doing Ironman!"
As I neared the shoreline I began to kick my feet as hard as I could to help get the blood flowing again and I started to see the bottom of the lake! My swim was about over and still I couldn't quit smiling. I got out of the water and ran towards T1 where the wetsuit strippers took my suit of in less than 10 seconds!
I ran out of the water and into the T1 tent. The tent is rows of chairs lined up with guys changing into their bike gear and also the awesome volunteers to help you in any way that they can. I found a seat and the volunteer pulled everything out of my bag and lined it up. He told me to just relax and tell him what I needed. This was so cool. The first thing I told him was "a bathroom". I was happy to discover that I did not have to leave the tent and go to the row of portapotties - they had a urinal in the corner. Whew! Then on went the helmet, shoes and sunglasses. I ran out of the tent and stopped to get covered in sunscreen. I kind of forgot where my bike was so I got a little worried but I was able to get to it pretty quick. I grabbed my bike and ran down the chute and then climbed aboard at the mount line for a fun 112 mile ride.
I started off the ride very comfortably. I didn't want to "eat the paste" and go out too hard or too fast so I just kept my cadence up and spun. I had to keep easing back on the bike because I would catch myself starting to go faster. All things were good and on the way out to Higgins Point we began some little climbs. I was amazed at how many people were out of their saddle and riding "hard" to go up these hills. I just stayed seated and spinning and was soon to the top before the drop to Higgins Point (mile 10).
Part of Ironman is being able to adapt to whatever is thrown your way. Having a back-up plan to your back-up plan is key to a successful Ironman, and adapting to situations as they come up. So here we go with the first of many back-up plans. I started down the back side of Higgins Point and I knew that I would pick up some speed and time. Great! I was happy I was able to ride the course a month earlier so I would be familiar with the road conditions etc. So down the hill I go, passing everyone. Now, for those that aren't familiar with it, an aero bottle attaches between your aero bars and holds about 24 ounces of liquid. It has a straw so you can take drinks when you need to, and instead of a lid, it has a sponge stuck into it that keeps the liquid from coming out. So here I am flying down the hill, and I couldn't be happier - until I hit a pot hole and out flew my aero bottle sponge. The bouncing of the bike made Gatorade splash the bike and me... Let me tell you: a pet peeve of mine when riding and running is being sticky. So I figure, "Oh well, I am going to be sticky and there is nothing that I can do about it." Adjust and adapt.
Heading back into town was amazing. After you wind your way through a neighborhood you start dropping down into the center area of the race. The streets are lined with people cheering for you and the feeling that you get, I can't describe. I heard my Dad honking his horn and glimpsed real quick a few green shirts!
When I had reached Hayden (mile 21 about) my lower back started to get a dull ache. This surprised me because I really hadn't been riding that long and I didn't think that I would start aching this quick into the day. When we started riding the hills I found myself passing people going uphills but a few of those folks would rip past me on the flats. Interesting. I had quite a head wind coming back into town but just kept with my plan of not eating the paste. Back into town this time I saw more family and friends which put a bigger smile on my face. I had finished loop 1 of the bike!
I knew coming up I would be stopping at special needs (mile 63 - at Higgins Point) to replenish my nutrition so I started pedaling a bit faster. The volunteer at special needs was wonderful. She held onto my bike and even helped me really kick my leg over the back so I wouldn't fall. God it felt good to get off the bike for a few minutes. I read an inspirational card from the family and one from Angela which made me start to cry but I sucked that emotion back in telling myself "Not now." I drank some water, stretched the hamstrings and continued on my way through loop 2. My special needs bag also had a thawing bottle of Heed, gels and Uncrustables. I put a few things in my shirt pockets. I only ate about half an Uncrustable - it just didn't taste that good.
This loop is where I started feeling bad. My lower back was killing me and my speed was slowly dropping. People began to pass me but I still climbed better than most. A strange thing occurred to me right before I started climbing English Road for the second time. I started yawning. What the hell Randy? You're yawning while doing Ironman! I'm not sure what was causing this but I was yawning a lot on the second loop. I ended up stopping at 3 aid stations on the ride just so I could get off the bike and stretch to get some relief for my back. I was being passed by so many people that I started getting some negative thoughts into my head. I have to admit this, that at one point on Government Way coming into town (around mile 105) I thought that I would take a DNF. Quit. Stop. Give up. It was so strange to be thinking this to myself and actually think it would be okay to quit. Well I stopped those thoughts and kept pushing on through the headwinds coming into town. As I approached the hot corner (mile 110) I saw a bunch of my support crew, which was great, and I made the turn for the last short out and back and started to ride as hard as I could. When I came into transition the volunteers grabbed my bike, handed me my bag and told me what a great job I was doing. Awesome...... the ride was over.
Into the change tent I went. This volunteer was the KING! He offered me a couple of cool wet towels for my neck and had everything out before me in less than 30 seconds. Now I wish I could say that 30 seconds was my transition time, but it wasn't. I sat in my chair for awhile thinking how good it felt and I started thinking that a nap would be nice so I knew it was time to get up before it was too late! I stopped outside for my sunscreen coating and started to run. I saw Angela at the exit to transition and gave her a quick hug. My legs were feeling really good at the start of the run and my plan was to run from one aid station to the next. When I would get to an aid station I would walk through it and refuel.
Great plan, but it only lasted the first 6 miles! Ok, time for my back-up plan. I will do 4 minute runs and then walk 1 minute. Great plan again. This lasted 3 miles. Back-up plan to the back-up plan was to run 2 minutes and then walk 2 minutes. This lasted about 8 minutes and then it was time for the "run until you can't and then walk for a bit but you have to start running again sometime" back-up plan. This seemed to be working well. I just would run from one place/object to the next and then walk. You get the idea.
When I was along the lake heading towards the turnaround my friend Chris came by me and we chatted a bit. I thought to myself how good he was looking and I decided to try to run with him. Nope. My legs at this point said no running so I wished Chris well and watched him take off.
After what seemed an eternity I was heading back into town and I started worrying about my time. I remember seeing a bank clock when I was leaving town and it said 4:30 and I started trying to figure out how long it was taking me to do the first loop. I tried as hard as I could looking at my watch to figure my time but my mind starting shutting down. I was walking down the main road with people cheering for me, thinking why are you cheering? I'm walking. This is when I saw my friend Ted who was there helping Dondria with her job with Regence. I think Ted was filming me and wanted me to start running. I'm not too sure but my body said no to the running. I was feeling really bad at this point and knew that I was starting to bonk. This only added to my confusion because what the hell? Bonking at mile 15? Maybe at 21 or 22 but not this early. I remember seeing Angela and asking her if I had enough time to finish. I remember seeing Rick and Remay and having Rick ask me what I needed and I told him just to have this over with. I saw and said hi to Sister Madonna Buder on the little out and back and thought I was hallucinating until someone else did the same thing. She said I was looking good and wished me well. Wow! (She is an amazing woman of 73. She started running at age 49 and has completed over 200 triathlons, including 13 Ironman races.)
I started eating more in the 2 aid stations on this out and back which would soon begin to help. When I was leaving town I was still in bad shape. I saw Jake and he asked if I would like him to walk with me for awhile which I said yes to. He walked along the sidewalk for a while. I remember thinking again that I couldn't finish a half marathon in the time left. I asked Jake to figure out if I could do it at this pace. Well after some calculations he said to me "Dad, even if you were to walk at a 22 minute per mile pace you would still finish in time. Right now you are going at a 13 minute pace, so don't worry."
After hearing this and having the food start to take effect I started to come to my senses. Needless to say, I continued to walk but I felt so much better knowing I was going to finish the race AND possibly finish before dark. I ended up in a group walking back into town and we started exchanging stories trying to pick up the pace. I thought to myself that with 3 miles to go I would start to run. That didn't happen. At mile 25, I heard Jessi and Colin call out my name. It was so wonderful seeing them there and feeling their love and encouragement pushing me along. I was able to start to run and it was amazing how fast I ran that last mile. I looked at my watch and told myself that I wanted to finish before 10 p.m.
When I turned the corner onto Sherman Avenue the crowd was huge along the street. The people were 4-6 deep and everyone was screaming my name! At the end of the street I could see the beginning of the chute and hear Mike Reilly calling out names. The crowd grew larger and I was on the heels of a girl heading toward the chute. I slowed up to give her room in the chute for her moment. When I came to the beginning of the chute, I started waving my arms at the crowd in the grandstands which got them louder and more excited... I began my final few yards and at 9:57 p.m. my Ironman journey came to an end.
I heard Mike call my name. I am an Ironman! When I broke through "my tape" a volunteer took me by the arm and said "Great job." She began asking how I felt and let me tell you this, I have never felt anything like that and I hope to again one day. I had my photo taken and then I saw my family. Hugs, tears, smiles and congratulations were given. I decided after a few minutes that I wanted some pizza so I ate a couple slices and decided it was time to go home. All the family and friends there to cheer me on were completely awesome! We all headed back to the house. On the way, I called Jessi to have her stop and get me a milkshake, burger and fries. It just sounded so good. We got back to the house, left everything in the car, and just sat around talking with people and telling them about my day, and hearing the neat stories from them about their day. Just about everyone had stayed down at the race site the entire time, cheering people on. Everyone was exhausted! I took a shower (WONDERFUL!) and then Jessi and Colin arrived with my food, but I could only eat a little bit of it. The inside of my mouth felt raw and trying to eat anything just hurt. Especially the salty fries. I managed to drink some of the milkshake before just giving up on the food idea. I managed to stay up until just after midnight, then fell exhausted into bed!
My eternal love and gratitude to Angela who saw me through all of the aspects of the wanting to do Ironman. The training, the diet, the sacrifices, the smiles, the tears. The laughter and the self doubt along with the confidence that grew inside of me. She was my coach, my motivator and believer. Thanks for your belief in me and helping me acheive my dream.
Also, thanks to my family and friends, those who came to Idaho and those that cheered from home... It has been an all-consuming thing to train for this race, and I appreciate everyone for being encouraging and patient and "there" for me. I love you all.
