Ironman Florida 2008: A Flashback

i started this blog after finishing my first full Ironman triathlon, so i never got a chance to describe the day.  The following rights that wrong.  It is not a full race report, but a copy of an e-mail that i wrote to family and friends a few days after the race.

After the recap, you can also find a very short video of Jodi and i (26 minutes after Jodi) crossing the finish line.

Enjoy...

---

Everyone,

i'm walking again, even up and down stairs! i want to thank all of you for your encouragement, both in recent e-mails (fun to read as my body healed) and in person over the past several months and even years. It took a ton of hard work to get to the starting line, but i never would have been able to slide on my goggles or lace up my running shoes if not for the support of so many of you, including folks not on this thread but who are forever in my heart. i appreciate and cherish every kind word and helping hand.

By request, race recap:

* Pre-race: Kept waiting to get nervous but somehow never did. The training was done. Detailed checklists ensured there were no surprises on race day. All gear was exactly where it needed to be. 8 gels taped to bike frame. PBJ sandwiches, salt tabs, bars, more gels, more everything all set. Up at 3am for power smoothie and first to the race site by 4am. Final adjustments made to bike, shared good luck wishes with strangers, slid wetsuit on, headed for the beach and waited for the national anthem. Ready for battle. Tip: It's dark at 4am, especially in a PortaPotty. Headlamp invaluable.

* Swim: Starting cannon fired right next to me, caught a little shrapnel. Was definitely awake now. Good water conditions. Stingray and jellyfish below but no sharks (that i saw). 2200 triathletes flying through the salty water felt like a cross between swimming with a huge pod of dolphins and a stampeding herd of buffalo. Very primal, very intense. Survival. The water was clear so one could face guard in order to get kicked and punched in the arms rather than in the head. It worked for the most part. One loop done. A quick run on the beach and a drink of water, then back in for more boxing/swimming. Didn't kick at all during final stretch to conserve legs. Somehow swam 4 minutes faster than i thought i could. Tip: As you are running over the first couple waves, just before diving in to the deeper stuff to take the first stroke, look back at the beach through the white water spray and the rest of the athletes. Awesome.

* Transition 1: Ran up beach, felt fairly fresh. Found a clear spot and before my butt hit the ground two volunteers helped my rip the wetsuit off over my feet to save time and my somewhat tired arms. Helmet on. Shoes on. Go go go.

* Bike: Decided to leave arm warmers behind, so first 30 miles were on the chilly side. Settled in, sipping lots of water to start and broke into solid food around 45. Was holding over 19mph, which was significantly faster than any of my 100 mile training rides, so wondered if i was moving too fast, but legs OK so just stuck with it. Grabbed my special needs bag -- filled with extra food and drink -- at around 60 miles, slung it around my shoulder and enjoyed a fast stretch of highway before turning into the wind and some rougher patches. Just tried not to crash and hoped against hope for no flat tires. Soon i was back with the wind and getting even faster. 5 hours and 44 minutes flew by. i was thrilled with my time but very ready to say goodbye to the bike. Tip: Do not miss the special needs bag. Stop if you have to. A teammate missed his and he lost 26 pounds during the race.

* Transition 2: Hopped off the bike and grabbed my transition bag. Tried to run in bike shoes but was awkward. Grabbed curb and went barefoot for the run to the transition tent and it felt like i had no feet. Found a chair, pulled on my running shoes and visor, tucked more nutrition in my pockets and headed out for the marathon.

* Run: Felt surprisingly smooth as i settled in. Latched on to one person who i felt had a good pace until about 10 miles. Took my turn in "the lead" and at the halfway point was on a pace for a 3:40 marathon. Knew i only had to run 9s to break 11 hours and that was 2 hours faster than my original goal so I allowed myself a smile. Somewhere after 16 miles my legs got goofy and i started to spin. It was very hard to let that perfect race go, but suddenly my new goal was just to finish and avoid the medical tent for once. Started doing the math and hoped to break 12 hours. Walked 50 steps, ran 100 steps, repeat, repeat, repeat. Kept eating, mostly bananas and coke now. Some chicken broth. Pretty sick of gels by this point. Somewhere around mile 22 i rallied and was back to all running. Watching the sun set over the ocean, i knew now i would finish and that there would even be a little daylight left. At mile 25 i could hear the party at the finish line and i started to float on air.

Turning the final corner, finish line in sight, tears mixed with sweat. A lifetime of running around the planet, biking up and down mountains, swimming in endless circles, lifting heavy objects, overcoming injury and life's many challenges, just finding a way... it was all crescendoing at a line painted in the middle of a road in Florida... And then -- 41 years (give or take), 11 hours, 19 minutes, and 8 seconds later -- my arms were instinctively raised, the finish tape across my chest. i closed my eyes for a moment and when they opened, Jodi -- who had finished her fourth Ironman 26 minutes before me -- was there with arms out, wearing the biggest smile i'd ever seen, screaming at the top of her lungs, "David Seevers -- YOU are an Ironman!" All i could think was, "How can i be this blessed?" Tip: Just keep moving.

Lesson learned: If a goal seems impossible, set that goal high anyway because you can do way more than you think you can do.

Race pictures posted in a few weeks on Facebook.

Again, thanks from the bottom of my running shoes. Your inspiration means the world to me.

dave

---

Finally, here is that video of our finishes.  It was a great day...

Ironman Nutrition: Just How Many Calories Will I Need?

Over the past several weeks i have been using a calorie counting site called My Fitness Pal to keep track of what i am putting into my body.  It has been a powerful tool in making sure that i am getting enough proper calories to power my training.

But what about on race day?  At my first half-Iron triathlon in 2008 i did only a fair job at keeping up with the nutritional requirements of such an endeavor and the last half of the run was not fun.  i ended up in the medical tent.  Later that year at my first full Iron i did a much better job and had almost a perfect race nutritionally.  In the picture at left you can see me right after i picked up my special needs bag about halfway through the bike leg.  In it i could put whatever i want.  i hardly remember but i'm sure there was extra gel, PBJ sandwiches, pretzels, energy chews, and the like.  This leg is often called a rolling buffet and its purpose is to get as many calories as one can stomach before the more gut wrenching run is at hand.

How many total calories did i consume that day?  No idea.  How many should i consume during my next Iron challenge?  No idea.  So i should probably have a plan, no?  Yes.  Let's get to it.

The harder i push during the race, the sooner i can get to the line for a slice of pizza and some ginger ale, but until then it'll be a losing battle trying to keep up.  Twelve hours (i hope) of vigorous effort will require so much more than i'll be able to ingest, but why not try to get as close as possible?  So what might that look like?

Let's say that for my age, sex, weight, fitness level, etc. that my normal metabolic burn for twelve hours (hope hope!) is 760 calories.  That is just a guess, but so is all of this.  Still, better than nothing.  Next, if i search around for some online calculators and average them all out, maybe i will burn 820, 4500, and 3000 calories in the swim, bike, and run legs respectively.  That all adds up to 9,080 calories.

9,080 calories could be replaced by one of the following:
1) 82 chocolate chip cookies,
2) 65 bowls of Breyer's Oreo Cookies and Cream Ice cream,
3) 29 pieces of  Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza from Gino's East of Chicago, OR
4) 9 Chipotle Barbacoa Burritos with Rice, Black Beans, Tomato & Green Salsa, Cheese and Sour Cream.

i'm having some cravings.  Moving on...

Trying to be more realistic, how many PowerBar Strawberry Banana gels would i need?  At 110 calories a shot, it'd be 82.  Seems like i'd enjoy the aforementioned cookies a little more.  i do remember in 2008 taking 1 before the swim, 9 on the bike, and maybe 5 on the run.  That gets me "only" 1,650 calories.

OK hold on.  Before i continue, i'm wondering how many calories i should really shoot for on race day.  9,000+ seems impossibly high.

i found a calculator that "uses fitness, intensity, distance, weight, and use of fat vs. glycogen to calculate an approximate amount of total calories required for the event."  It can be used for anything from a Sprint to a full Ironman.  It estimates that i will burn 8,320 calories -- 36.31% from fat -- requiring 5,299 calories from glycogen.  Adding in some wiggle room, let's make it 5,499.  Let's say that going into the race, i have 1,800 calories in my glycogen stores.  That leaves a requirement of 3,699.  That seems more manageable.  Now how to manage it?

Well, as much as i wish the kayak volunteers served pizza, i won't be taking in any calories during the swim.  Let's say i am then on the bike and run courses for 9.67 hours (hope hope hope!).  That means i will need 383 calories per hour during that time.

So maybe i tape 9 gels to my bike, grabbing one every 12 miles or so.  (Cumulative calorie total: 990).  i down 8oz of slightly watered down Ironman Perform every 45 minutes or so or about 61 oz. or around 457 calories (now i am at 1,447).  Throw in a PBJ "Uncrustables" sandwich (210 --> 1,657), a pack of Clif Shot Bloks (200 --> 1,857), and 400 calories of a "food to be named later" (400 --> 2,257).

Now on to the run.  Perhaps i can choke down 5 more gels (550 --> 2,807),  40 more oz. of Perform (300 --> 3,107), 8 oz. of Coca-Cola (100 --> 3,207), 6 oz. chicken broth (59 --> 3,266), a banana (105 --> 3,371), half a pack more of Shot Bloks (100 --> 3,471) aaaaaaaaaand, um, wow i really don't feel like eating any more.  i am 228 calories short and i haven't even checked my math.

Close enough?  Maybe, but i should really find a way to eat more on the bike.  Still, that makes me feel a little better than i have a chance at keeping up with my nutrition.

So i am done!  Oops, wait.  What about water and electrolytes?  If i don't have a proper intake there, i will bonk before i even have a chance to eat.  Hmm, i think i'll save those calculations for a bit later.  i'm going to have a big bowl of cereal.