Beagle269’s BodyBlog

Ok, so if your reading this report, start with the blog a few before this one, and read your way from bottom to top, so you can read the details in order.  hummm, kinda confusing, sorry about that lol. (My pre race report, then my swim report, then my bike report, then my run report. make sense?  And if its too long, don’t feel bad, because only the addicted triathlete might kind of enjoy the reading.
OK, so so far feeling good about my race, my Bike split was as expected, but a little faster than projected because I planned on saving more energy for my run.  But ok, feeling motivated, and having the time of my life.  Finished the 2.4 mile swim, the 112 mi bike, and now it’s time to go running for the brisk 26.2 miles. lol

Stats so far 1:26:37 Swim, 4:14 T1, 6:17:22 Bike, 5:00 T2

Head out onto the run course, the run is way spectator friendly in my opinion.  The first 2 miles is a route along the beach and sideways from downtown, then it heads out into downtown and out into the countryside.  I remember feeling good, talking to those around me, asking how they were feeling.  A few of them, in fact many, didn’t seem to be doing to good, all the while boosting me because I felt good, errr, something like that, ok I suppose. I complimented them and told them we had this race pretty much in the bag,   then they responded like uhhhh, not really heheh. so funny.

My race strategy, it’s only 4 10k’s right, just do one at a time and no big deal.  So, along the back, and through downtown.  The first 10k done, without even walking once.  My pace is slow, feeling slower then my hopeful 10 minute mile pace, but then again I forgot my watch.  first 10k done, I’ll walk a short distance, so I relax my heartrate and body by walking about 100m, then running again, after another 3 miles, my body is burning, by bowels, my lungs.  Amazing that it can hurt so bad when you are running so slow, I’m feeling famished,

The chicken soup and oranges seem to hit the spot at the aid stations, but still on my way.

Forgot to add what else I’ve had for nutrution.  So, Total today so far, not counting breakfast, 2x Gu at T1, During the bike 5x Gu (120 calorie packs) packets during the bike, 2 water bottles of 3x concentrate Accelerate, 450 calories each water bottle (a high carb/energy/proetein drink),  2 banannas, (in halfs at hand offs) a half of a clif bar, a full pack of Ritz crackers, (in one crackers at a time portions to aid with water) Then in T2 another Gu packet and a handful of pretzels
The whole run I ate as much as I could without my stomach feeling 100% miserable, it was 60% miserable without the complication of food at all.

So, mile 9 is about where I started breaking down, the walking at the aid stations turned worse from here, the sponges and water over my head, oranges, banannas, pretzels and chicken soup as possible.  The last few miles before and after the turnaround had some rolling hills, and at this point my body aching with agony, screamed to stop.  The hills before the turnaround I had a goal to run up and down them, and I did just that.  The mile before and after the run turnaround was in another small town, the crowd cheering for me. yay!

After the turnaround, I remember feeling famished.  wondering how it was possible, the mental up and downs during something like this are amazing, you can feel great in an instant, then the crowd was cheering me on, then a minute later be feeling at the bottom of the bottom.  I walked portions of the hills on the second half of my marathon.  Then coming down a long stretch of road, at the bottom of a hill, there was my dad.  Cheering me on, I think he could tell I was struggling.  The many I had passed during the first 9 miles of the run, were now passing me slowly, one by one.  But seeing my dad was very motivating and refreshing.  the next 6 miles were very difficult, long and enduring, my body felt like a worn out Oldsmobile, rattling and rambling down the road.  At one point I climbed a small hill next to the run, and laid down, rolling down to try and make someone next to me laugh.  Hardly a smile hahah.  There was one yard with a sprinkler on, and I got up close, inches away from the sprinkler and let the water spray high pressure into my mouth and face, it felt so good.  Drinking and eating what I could.  I ran next to many friends, but you couldn’t really become friends, just support for each other.  I remember seeing the ambulances going up and down the road, picking people up who had stopped and laid down on the side of the road.  several of them were in stretchers with IV’s hooked up all crazy.  dang, this is crazy, and fun, and so risky.  The "Sag wagons"  picking up quitters, for whatever reason, both legit and not so much.
ok, onto the finish, this race is sounding terrible, but it’s really not, the last 6 miles of my run went good.  All the while much slower pace than I had hoped, I chugged along, the miles going away, becoming completed one by one.  Tried to pick up the pace for the last 10k, but that lasted only about 400m before I realized it was too soon to try and pick up the pace, then at the 23 mile marker I decided to try and pick it up.  What felt like an 8 minute mile was actually a 10 minute mile, but none the less, I was feeling better, who cares about my upset stomach, or my aches and pains, this one is supposed to hurt, and not just a little either.  On to the finish, my last 2 miles went good, picking up the pace, then my last mile, picking up the pace,  I think I passed 4 people in the last mile, they weren’t looking good.  And across the finish line!  Holy cowzers, 13:15:46  with a run time of 5:22:35, pace of 12:19. My slowest marathon ever, yet my largest accomplishment ever.

I feel like this is my second hardest race ever, both mentally and physically.  A touch harder than my first 50k trail run at the Mackenzie river trail in Oregon, and a bit easier than my first 70.3 half Ironman, in Lake Stevens Washington,

So much fun, into the massage tent, another hour and a half before I could even find my dad.  Pizza and cookies.  Drop off my bike at tri bike transport, so convienient.
Remember finishing the race, and 2 people behind me, simply couldn’t even walk, to the medical tent, they were carried over to it. The volenteer holding my arm at the finish line was impressed my me, walking tall and strong, he held my arm firmly to make sure I had my footing.

What am I going to do different next time?  I canceled out my intensity training workouts to focus soley on endurance about a month and a half before my race. I think the intensity couldv’e helped me a lot.  I think also going to run less junk miles.  Read some others’ blogs about their junk miles, and I run a lot lot lot of them.  I.E. running without purpose, just running to run.  It would be so much smarter to always run structured and specific workouts, while the long, 12,18,22 mile runs are necessary, I needed a lot more structure.

Something else I would do different for my next Ironman, is get to know more triathletes.  New to the San Antonio area, I haven’t yet had the chance to meet close friends.  While I have a lot of training friends, I think some close ones are very important.  By the end of Ironman, I realized I had put my personal life on complete hold in training for Ironman, my friends sort of became less of friends, my girlfriends, thought I was crazy and would come, and mostly go.  heheh  so,  The Texans here in San Antonio, are mostly lazy, and enjoy watching TV and being indoors, people at work and church mostly think I am crazy.  It’s the select few, and also the ones I meet when I’m out riding, at a local triathlon, or a tri/cycle training group that allow me to feel accepted.  Hummm,  I felt a lot more accepted in the Seattle area, but maybe because those were friend I had built from time also.

Anyways, whats next?  Gonna do it again, for sure, Ironman Brazil maybe, maybe Florida as I have some friends signing up for that one, maybe Australia, or Switzerland.  would be fun to travel.  A few sprint tris, and Olympic distance stuff this fall, one 70.3 called the long horn, but might save expenses and not do it.  I want to get a new tri bike, need to do more homework and buy when the time is right. I think the 70.3 distance I am better at, but gonna have to do a few more fulls too.
Need to change up my training regime, my peak of triathlon is done,  more intensity, structured training, gonna do crossfit this fall and winter.  Gotta help motivate some around me to swim and bike more often, Very interested in Cyclocross mud riding this fall and winter, but no one here in Texas even has ever heard of it, so….  not to mention, very infrequent mud.
What an awesome job to all the volenteers and staff, racers and spectators.  The race and coordination couldn’t have gone any better.

And a special thanks to my dad, couldn’t have done it without you, the camping for an Ironman made it extra special, and made me feel like even more of an ironman!  You helped me acheive the accomplishment of a lifetime, and it’ll always be ours.
Special memory to Walter Wiwchar 66 years old of Canada, who died during the swim portion of the Ironman Canada, while he didn’t drowned, last report read they think it may have been heart related.
anyways, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed

-Travis Stecker

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 13th, 2009 at 12:31 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.