I started this blog in 2011 with hopes of going from "couch" to becoming an "Ironman". This race - IM Wisconsin - is the culmination of that effort! When I started this blog, I wasn't really starting from the couch - I had done a couple of sprint distance tri's and a couple of half marathons. But the thought of doing an actual full Ironman was daunting and seemed to be out of reach. One can only dream, right?? And sometimes, dreams do come true!
I signed up for IM Wisconsin the day registration opened last year with high hopes and expectations. I was in the middle of training for what was to become a great Augusta 70.3 race and was feeling very good. After Augusta, I took some time off, then started training pretty hard in the outseason. Then in January, things started to change - I had to give up my membership to Endurance Nation, work travel went up, and my desire to train went down, and I gained some weight.
I won't bore you with all the details, but let's just say that this year was less than optimal as far as nutrition and training were concerned. I never really lost the weight I had gained and my training was way off. Granted, I did train hard for this race and put in a lot of time. But not nearly the time I had hoped or expected - and certainly not enough to have raced a competitive race. Going in, my goal was to just finish within the time limit. When I signed up, my "BHAG" goal was sub-12 hours.
THE DRIVE UP:
Going into the weekend, I had become super excited and quite nervous! I was traveling alone, but found a lot of support and encouragement from other competitors I had met on Facebook and even got to meet some of them. That really helped a lot - and the support from friends and family back home was incredible!!
Shortly after Clarksville, I hit heavy road construction in Paducah, KY. I probably lost at least 45 mins stitting in traffic there. Once past that, I headed into Illinois, which, honestly - sucked!! The max speed in IL is only 65 and about every 10-20 miles, the speed drops to 55 or 45 because of construction. This continued for almost the entire way up Illinois. When I reached Champagne, I stopped again for gas and dinner at Subway - and then got the hell out of IL!!
The only cool thing about Illinois was there were a ton of huge windmills on the sides of the road. I've never seen so many and that was pretty neat.It was dark by the time I got to Wisconsin and I was getting tired of driving - so I just kept plugging away until I got to the hotel. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Middleton, WI, about 9 miles from downtown where all the festivities were. Once I got to the hotel, I unloaded my stuff, watched some football, and went to bed.
FRIDAY:
I got up at around 630am Friday morning and went and did a quick easy 25min run on the hotel treadmill. I then had an omelet and toast for breakfast and headed to Monona Terrace for athlete check in. Check in opened at 9am and I got there at around 9:10am. I would have been sooner but I typed the wrong address into my GPS and went to the wrong side of the lake (I am very directionally challenged!). I then had a hard time finding parking.
Once inside the hotel, finding registration was easy, although took a while. I wasn't very late, but the lines were somewhat long by then. It took a little less than an hour to get through the lines. The volunteers were very friendly and very helpful!
Our "goody bag" consisted of a back pack, license plate frame, a poster, a luggage tag, and a bunch of other miscellaneous junk. We also got our 5 race bags (morning clothes, bike, run, bike special needs, run special needs).
After registration, I headed to the Endurance Nation Four Keys Talk to meet some folks and to hear the coaches give instruction on race execution and other key topics. There were appx. 300 people there and the information was fantastic!! After the talk, I collected a few "BOOM!!!" tattos that I wore on race day.
After the talk, I went to Subway for lunch, went back to the expo and took a bunch of pictures while waiting until the 2pm athlete briefing. Saw some people I knew, shopped a little, and then went to the briefing. Basically I tried to soak up everything I could while I was there.
After that, I went back to the car and returned to my hotel. I unloaded my bags, took it easy for a bit and made a grocery list. After chilling for a bit, I headed to REI for arm warmers (for the run because the weather forecast was for chilly weather at night on race day) and then the grocery store for my liquid dinner on Saturday. I also grabbed some Diet Coke and water, then headed back to the hotel to load the fridge.
After the fridge was loaded, I then headed back downtown to try and meet some of the Facebook people, but could not find a parking spot. All lots were either full or would not take dollar bills (I had no coins), and the street spots were all full. After about 20 mins of driving around, I eventually gave up and went back to the hotel where I ordered room service and watched TV. That might have been the best option anyway because I had been on my feet all day anyway and I could feel it in my legs. Saturday was to be a very light day of activity.
SATURDAY:
On Saturday, I tried sleeping late, but woke up at 4am and had a hard time getting back to sleep. Then again at 6am - finally up at 730am. Got dressed and headed down for breakfast which consisted of a 3 egg omelet, a waffle and syrup. Oh - and coffee - lots of coffee. After breakfast, I packed the bike and bike and run bags and took everything to the car for bike check in. I was on the road by 9:15am and in line for bike check in about 10 mins early.
Once at the hotel, I chilled until lunchtime. At Augusta last year, I found that the Club on a Sub at Firehouse Subs was the perfect "last meal" before the race - after this last meal, I would be on liquid nutrition until after the race. So I aimed to duplicate that experience. I found a Firehouse nearby and went to have my large Club on a Sub, baked lays, and Diet Coke. And then headed back to the hotel for some R&R.
I basically did nothing the rest of the day. Watched college football, kept up with Facebook, and watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad on Netflix. Since the Club on a Sub was my last solid food, my afternoon and evening food selections were all liquid. As I watched Georgia dismantle South Carolina, I sipped on a sports drink. I then had 1 bottle of Naked Juice protein drink, some chocolate milk, and some pomegranate juice. I also had 1 beer from the hotel bar, packed my special needs bags and morning clothes bag and was in bed by 9pm. Again, following the same routine from Augusta last year which worked so well.
RACE MORNING:
I set the alarm for 1am and 330am because I wanted to eat twice during the night. At 1am, I had another Naked Juice protein drink and prompty went back to sleep. And I actually had no trouble getting back to sleep! At 330, I shot up and had 1 cup of applesauce with protein powder mixed in and 1 banana. Ok - I guess technically the banana is solid, but it worked out well.
My nutrition plan for the race was two separate formulas of Infinit Nutrition. I packed two 3hr bottles for the bike and four 1.5hr flasks for the run. Both formulas are custom made from Infinit - the bike has 300 calories/hr, more complex carbohydrates, electrolytes, a little protein and no caffeine. The run formula has 245 cals/hr, less complex carbs, electrolytes, no protein, and with caffeine.
The athlete guide said there would be parking a couple of miles away from Monona Terrace at a $6 fee with shuttle buses. I was not interested in that, so I wanted to make sure I got there in time to get a downtown parking spot. I left as soon as I got dressed and grabbed the bags and headed to Monona Terrace. I easily found a good spot in a parking garage, carried my special needs bags to the designated drop site and went to check on my bike.
I got there before transition opened, so I went and made sure I could find my bike and run bags then waited for transition to open. Once opened, I got in line for body marking, then went to check on the bike. I also put my nutrition bottles on and made sure I had air in my tires. Thanks to my bike neighbor for letting me borrow your pump!! I then went back inside, found a spot to chill and just sat for a while.At some point, I had a Gu gel with some water while I was waiting. At around 620am, I collected my morning clothes bag and headed down to the lake. Once there, I made a pit stop at the porta-potty for my last deposit of the day, donned my wetsuit, and got into the water at around 6:45am.
Ok - race details. All were obviously PR's since this was my first full Ironman.
Overall time: 16:27:45
Swim: 1:50:55
Bike: 7:37:12
Run: 6:36:55
THE SWIM: When the cannon went off, I calmly started swimming and started counting strokes. I knew it was going to be a long swim, so no sense in getting all frisky to start with. Because of the winds (15-20mph from accounts I heard), the lake was fairly choppy which made the swim interesting. Because of the experience I had at Kansas in 2012 (mentioned earlier), I knew what to expect and didn't freak out. The main problem I had was that I couldn't see the buoy's very well. Because I started so far to the right of them, it took me a while to get close to them - and once I did, I actually ran into one of them at one point. A couple of time, I had to stop swimming so I could find the buoy - I wish they were taller or something. Anyway, I kept plugging away until I finished. Pretty uneventful swim. I am fairly slow, but seem to be able to swim as long as I want without getting tired. I had expected to finish between 1:40 and 2:00 - so I met my expectations exactly!
T1:
I got to the swim-bike room, grabbed my bag and went to the changing room. I took off my tri-shorts that I had worn under my wetsuit, put on bike shorts and my tri top - lubed up my "area", put on my socks/shoes, helmet, gloves, etc. and ran out to get my bike. The volunteers were incredibily helpful during this entire process - from handing me my bag, helping me change and organize my stuff, putting my wetsuit back in my bike bag for me, to grabbing my bike from the rack. Awesome!!
After getting my bike, I ran it to the mount line, mounted, and rode down the other helix to start my 112 mile bike ride. Up to this point, I must confess, I had never ridden more than 86 miles or longer than 5.5 hours. But I felt confident in being able to complete the ride.
THE BIKE:
The Madison bike course is considered to be one of the tougher bike courses in the US Ironman circuit. The course is hilly with a couple of challenging ones, and there are few opportunities to relax and just ride. There are always things to do - change gears, turn, uphill, downhill, on and on. That, plus the wind, made for a long day on the bike. It is also considered a "lollipop" course because it goes out for 16 miles (the stick), has two 40 miles loops (the lollipop), and back 16 miles (the stick again).
I had predicted a bike split of 7:15 - 7:30 which wasn't very far off. One of the major take aways from my time with EN was to not leave everything out on the bike. So regardless of the conditions (hills, wind, etc), I tried to maintain a steady pedal stroke. I don't have a power meter, but I tried keeping my HR and effort low. I knew if I pushed for 112 miles, I would be dead on the run.
I eventually settled in to the ride and loved the presence on the course from the fans and volunteers! Everyone was cheering and yelling encouraging things! Loved the signs! I felt really special - especially going up some of the tougher hills. It felt like I was riding in the Tour de France with the crowds lining the streets, the costumes, cheering, running beside us! It was awesome and really helped get up the hills!
Halfway through - right after starting the 2nd loop, I hit special needs and re-lubed my "area", got a new tube for my tires in case I got another flat, swapped nutrition bottles, and went on my way. It felt good to stop for a little bit and stretch.
The 2nd loop was uneventful and because I was so slow, many of the fans had left - most likely to head back downtown to watch the run. I felt very appreciative of the ones who did stick around and to the volunteers.
Upon completing the 2nd loop, I hitched a ride on the stick back to downtown. On the 1st half of this section, I really felt the impact of the wind. There were some fairly straight stretches on what seemed like flat roads, but the wind really seemed to push back. I just plugged away until we changed directions and I seemed to find some speed again. When I saw we were close, I started getting excited as I was very ready to be off that bike! When we got back to Monona Terrace, we had to bike back up the helix to transition where we gave our bikes to someone to rack for us.
T2:
I ran into the bike-run room, grabbed my run bag and headed into the changing room. I took off my bike shorts, shoes, sox, helmet, and glasses and a kindly volunteer helped me change. I put on new shorts, new socks and my running shoes. I also put on my race number and my Fuel belt which had 2 bottles of nutrition for the run. Oh - and my running visor. And I headed out on my way out of transition. The run was two 13.1 mile loops.
THE RUN:
At this point, I have no recollection of the first couple of miles other than my right side felt like it was cramping. I have no idea how I got out of transition and onto the road, which direction I went in or anything like that. I just have a few flashes of images of being downtown for those 1st couple of miles.
Just as with the bike, the volunteers and fans during the run were absolutely amazing!! At certain points, especially along State street, we just felt like rock stars!! Just incredible - and it helped feeding off of their energy!!
One cool thing was that we got to run (or walk) on the University of Wisconsin football field - once for each loop. That was neat getting to run on that carpeted field.
At the halfway point, near the capital, was the run special needs area. I stopped and swapped nutrition bottles. I carried 2 and had 2 more in my special needs bag. I elected not to wear the arm warmers I had previously purchased because it wasn't that cool to me. I also didn't change socks, which would come back to haunt me later.
After leaving special needs, I continued my "run 5 mins for each aid station" routine until about mile 16 or 18 - somewhere in there. At around that time, I had done the calculations and knew that I was safe with finishing in time if I just continued to walk and stop running. At that point of my day, my "run" wasn't much faster than my fast walk anyway, so I decided to stop running and just power walk the rest of the way. Unless I slowed to a crawl, or just collapsed, I knew I would finish. And with no time goals in mind, that was all I was intent on doing anyway.
Now, back to the socks. One of the other reasons why I chose to stop running was because I was developing a blister on the bottom of my right foot. I could tell my socks were wet and were rubbing on my foot - step after step, mile after mile - until the blister formed. The walking didn't help much, but it was better than the running, I think. By the time I did finish, the blister hurt like hell and was about the size of a silver dollar. Shoulda' changed those socks to dry ones, I guess!
During the walking portions of the race, I met quite a few people who were in similar shape as me - I don't remember any of their names, but I enjoyed the company and the exchanges of encouragement. Some areas of the run course are dark and desolate - and it was nice to have some company along those stretches. As people came and went, the miles just kept piling up and I was getting closer to the finish. I remember hitting the 23 mile mark and the lady I was walking with and I talked about how all we had left was a 5k - something that would have been considered a quick, easy run session during our training. Just an easy 5k. But this was one tough as hell 5k - especially with the blister and the slowing of our pace.
Coming to the last mile, I realized I was indeed going to become an Ironman. Barring some catastrophic event, it was going to actually happen and I started to get excited! I wanted to run the chute towards the finish line, so as soon as I got to near the capital, I started my slow jog. Coming down the chute was one of the most amazing and thrilling things of my life! Being in the middle with the blue "Ironman" logos on the signs on each side - all of the fans screaming - and Mike Reilly in the middle of the lane near the finish waiting for me. As I approached I heard the words I had waited over a hear to hear... "Greg Babb. You. Are. An Ironman!!" As he and all of the spectators screamed it!! Wow!! Simply amazing - something I will never forget!! Oh - and I then had about 10-20 more feet to run to get to the actual finish.
I continued to be out of it at this point and just went with the flow - and by looking at my finisher picture, that is evident. I think I was blinking, but you can still see the exhaustion in my face.
AFTER THE RACE:
After the picture, I went to the food tent to sit - tried to have some pizza but nearly threw up. Tried a Diet Coke because I had been craving one for hours, but that too almost made me throw up. So I settled on water and just sat for a little while and listened to the other finishers behind me come through. How exciting!!
I eventually got composed and made my way back to the transition area to collect my bags and bike. I found my morning clothes bag and changed back into the clothes I had been wearing way back since before I put on my wetsuit. I also texted Crystal to let her know I had finished and then went to get my bike. I grabbed it, all of my bags, and hauled it back to the car.
By the time I got back to the hotel, I was getting hungry, but because it was near midnight, nothing was open. So I grabbed some food from the hotel pantry, heated it up in the microwave in the room and had a bit to eat. After a refreshing shower, I collapsed in the bed and tried to sleep.
And that, my friends, was my Ironman Wisconsin experience!! I again want to thank my family, friends, the race staff, volunteers, fans and spectators!! This was truely a life changing experience!!
WHAT'S NEXT?:
My next adventure?? I can, without a shadow of doubt, will NEVER do another race or event this far out of shape. This event has firmly planted in my mind that I will drop the weight and get in shape. So after a week of "doing whatever the hell I want", I will begin the process of dropping the weight and getting healthier. My goals for 2014:
- Mercedes Full Marathon in February - sub 5 hours is my goal. I will mainly be doing marathon training over the winter with some very select, specialized bike riding just to maintain some bike fitness. I know this is contrary to the EN philosophy of not doing a marathon, but it is just something I want to do - run a "real" marathon.
- A 70.3 race sometime in the late spring/early summer. Perhaps Nola, Raleigh, or Kansas again. I would like to do sub-6 hours again like I did at Augusta.
- Ironman Chattanooga. Yes, I will again go with a BHAG goal of sub 12 hours with more "realistic" goal of sub 13 hours. After the weight loss and improving my running, plus the swim being in a river will set me up well to do much much better at Chattanooga!
Until next time...
