IRONMAN Wisconsin - Madison
SWIM 01:07:30
BIKE 05:51:19
RUN 04:36:23
TOTAL 11:52:11
It was a long summer to say the least. Lots of races, lots of places, but it all came down to IRONMAN Wisconsin. I was a little worried that I did not get enough recovery after Leadville, and my hamstring was irritating me but was still working. Hoped it didn't stop working 10 hrs in, and it didn't.
It should be said that the IRONMAN experience is as much to do with all the stuff leading up to the race as the race itself. With the check in process starting on Friday and continuing through Saturday, I was glad to finally be racing Sunday morning. Don't get me wrong all the pomp and circumstance is fun, and the IRONMAN organizers more than take care of their athletes, but I didn't feel like I deserved the pampering till I knew I could finish the race.
Race morning weather (and weather all day for that matter) was perfect. I got through transition and down to the water plenty early, maybe a little to early but from what I heard transition got crazy later in the morning. I was able to get into the water in time to swim out and be next to the pros when they started, cool but a little anticlimactic. Turns out pros in an IRONMAN put their preverbal swim pants on one leg at a time just like we do. After treading water for about 20 min trying to stay up front like my ex-collegiate swimmer wife always instructs me. I finally got to go and to say the least it was a battle. 2500 swimmers in a mass start is crazy! I spent way more time sighting other swimmers then buoys, and kept worrying about my watch getting kicked off. After 1.5 miles things settled down a bit, just in time for it to get crazy again as we headed for the finish. In the end I came in under my 1hr 10min goal, so can't complain. Up the helix I went to get my bike.
T1 was long. Had to go a long way, and I took my time taking it all in.
Ah, the bike, my happy place. What can I say, other then a post swim gastrointestinal issue, the bike flew by. Great weather, great roads, great views, could not be better. Finished just under my goal of 6 hrs.
T2 not quite as long. Shorter distance to run and enjoyed myself to much on T1, time to see if I could finish this thing.
And then there was the run. I was surprised at how good I felt getting out on to the run course. You head away from Capital Square going down hill, so I wanted to just go all out, but I dialed it back trying to remember I had a whole marathon ahead of me. I had a lot of ups and downs through out the run. I won't say I didn't walk, I won't say that. I kept worrying that I was not saving enough for the end. When I hit mile 20 I still had something in the tank, but I was getting really tired of fruit and energy drink, and solid food at this point was a no go so I was still worried about the dreaded bonk. Once I got to mile 23, I said screw it, I am what I am at this point, so I started to push hard(er) for the last 3 miles. Other then sore feet and the feeling of exhaustion setting in, I was feeling pretty good when I made it back to Capital Square for the last time. The big crowds cheering everywhere really helps keep you going. I picked up my pace for the last stretch around the capital, and was relieved to be done in less then 12 hrs with some time to spare.
Now that I am done, I get asked if I would do another. Well of course I will, that was awesome!
