Friday, October 31, 2014

Couch to Ironman



Little did I know that almost 3 years ago when I attended Rockcastle Regional Hospital's “Couch to 5K” program that it would eventually lead me to one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

First let me give a little background history, back in late 2011 I had let my weight creep up to about 212 pounds during holiday season.  That was the most I had ever weighed in my life and I was not happy with the way my blood pressure was inching up or the way I looked in the mirror.  I heard about Rockcastle Regional’s Couch to 5K program slated to start in February 2012 and decided to give it a try.

Triathlon Gear
The program was well attended as a standing room only crowd filled the new presentation room on the third floor of the hospital.  We heard from physical therapists, dietitians and many other knowledgeable people on what it would take for each of us to get our butts off the living room couch and complete our first 5K run (3.1 miles),  We were given printouts, planning schedules, diet tips, and other very useful information to help us complete this challenge.

I have always been one who needs a goal to shoot for so I took a look at the Rockcastle Strides race schedule and since many of the races fell on the Saturdays I had to work in the pharmacy, the first race I could expect to compete in was also one of the toughest on the schedule - the duathlon race at the Rockcastle Run, Bike or Hike.  This race consisted of a 5K run, a 16-mile bike ride, and then a 2-mile run. I could have opted for just the 5K race but I figured that a little fear would motivate me to get out of bed in the morning and go running.  I did have one little bitty problem with the biking portion of the race.....I didn’t have a bike.  A trip to Mike's Hike and Bike in Richmond solved that problem and I was off to the races (both literally and figuratively).  I created a spreadsheet to track my workouts and weight every day til my first race.  Five months of training, dieting, and apprehension passed by quickly.  My weight dropped off with both the training and dieting and I was at a comfortable 188 on race day - a full 24 pounds lower than where I had started.  I had read everything I could find on the Internet about running and cycling - fitness had become my new best friend.   There is nothing quite like the feeling of cutting new holes in your favorite leather belt where no holes had ever existed before.

After this first race I was hooked.  I started competing in the local Rockcastle Strides series of monthly races and even set my sights on my first triathlon - the Atomic Man Half Ironman 70.3 in September of 2013.  I knew that both James Messer and Robbie Taylor in Physical Therapy were triathletes so I picked their brains on training strategies and with their help managed to complete my first triathlon in 2013.

Thousands of bikes - Louisville, KY
Finally I started planning my 2014 race schedule and decided it was time to attempt my first Full Ironman race - a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and finishing with a 26.2 mile run.  This was a goal that had been on my Bucket List for many years but one that had seemed impossible to me when I looked at the distances involved.  It was Dwain Harris who talked me into my first race of 2014 - the Knoxville Marathon (26.2 mile run) in March.  We both had good runs that day with Dwain passing me at about mile 24 and finishing a couple minutes ahead of me.  I then ran my first trail run at the Conquer the Cove Trail Marathon near Roanoke, VA - crossing over two mountains during the run.  For the last race in my training series I decided to try the Muncie Half Ironman 70.3 in Indiana.

Finally the weekend of the Louisville Ironman 140.6 arrived.  The race was on Sunday, August 24th, but I had to make trips out to Louisville on Friday for the pre-race meeting and packet pick-up, then again on Saturday to set up my gear and bike in the transition areas (where you switch from swim to bike and then from bike to run).  The alarm went off around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning and I was off to Louisville to start my adventure.

Needless to say I was a little apprehensive - the farthest that I had ever swam without stopping was about 2 miles and the longest I had every biked was just over 100 miles.  Now I was about to attempt my longest ever swim, my longest ever bike, and then throw a marathon run into the mix and do them all in the same day.

Swim Start - Ohio River
I found a parking spot and then, along with about 2,000 other triathletes, we lined up in the morning mist along the Ohio River for the swim start.  The topic of conversation was almost always on the upcoming event, our training, or of past triathlons.  There were people of all ages, shapes and sizes waiting to enter the water.  Finally, after the National Anthem and My Old Kentucky Home were played, we jumped into the Ohio River to start our race.

The swim is upstream for almost a mile and then turns downstream for the remainder of the swim.  At the turn around point I was looking at my watch and wondering if I would even make the swim cut-off time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.  We were already 45 minutes into the swim and I was not even at the mile mark.  Of course I had been swimming against the current and as soon as we swam around the turn-around buoy I immediately turned into Mark Spitz (or Michael Phelps for the younger crowd).  The last mile and a half went by in under 30 minutes.

It had rained the night before and by the time I got to the transition area we had to walk barefooted through mud to pick up our swim to bike transition bags.  The transition tent was like a sauna in the August heat but I managed to find a chair, clean the mud off my feet as best I could, strapped on my bike shoes and was off to find my bike.  I picked up some mud in my cleats on the way out of transition but it did not seem to affect my ride.

112 Mile Ride
112 miles is a long distance to cycle by any standard.  If fact, the longest I had ever biked in my life was 108 miles and that was a leisurely jaunt through the country-side with several stops at convenience stores and fast food joints along the way.  This was a timed race and my plan was not to stop at all.

During my previous two attempts at the Half-Ironman distance (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run) I had some problem with leg cramping near the end of the ride portion of the race.  I suspected that I had not taken in enough water or electrolytes during those rides and I was determined not to let that be the problem on this ride.  I downed at least 3 bottles of Perform sports drink in the first 20 miles.  That led to an unplanned pit-stop at the porta-potties at the second aid station around mile 30 or so. Waiting in line for 4 minutes seemed like an hour as you watched countless riders pass you by on the road.  Finally I was back on the road and with the short rest my legs felt fresh and I managed to pass a couple people on the long climb on the dog-leg section of the course.

Then we entered the two loop section of the course.  This was a section of rolling hills and by the time you have finished the second loop you have ascended/descended a vertical mile in total elevation change.

At about mile 90 I felt a little twinge in my right quad – the same place I had cramps during the Muncie IM 70.3 race a few weeks earlier.  I immediately took a couple salt tablets and downed the last of my Perform and eased my pace a little.  Luckily the last 15 or so miles back into Louisville is mostly flat along the Ohio River so I had most of the hills behind me.  My final average speed over the 112 mile course was around 17 mph.

Back in the transition area we had to switch from riding to running gear.  Due to the August heat, I had been dumping cold water over my head during the ride and my feet and socks had been soaked for over 6 hours on the bike – add that to the 80 minutes in the Ohio River and they looked like white prunes by this point.  I also noticed that I had developed some hot spots on the balls of my feet.  It was not looking good for the 26.2 miles of running I had ahead of me.

Running in the Darkness
After about mile of jogging I noticed the hot spots getting worse and by mile 2 they had developed into silver dollar sized blisters on the balls of both my feet.  I checked my time and I still had almost 8 hours before the witching hour of midnight when all runners had to finish the course or receive the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish).  At this point I had a decision to make, risk running on the blisters and making them worse or opt for a “long fast walk” marathon and guarantee at least a finish in my first, and probably only, Ironman event.  I opted for the long walk, as I noted did many of the participants around me.  The marathon course is about as boring as it can be – out and back twice.  This means you cover the same territory 4 times during the course of the marathon.  We walked and walked and walked – in fact at about mile 22 you could have filmed a scene for the “Walking Dead” and spliced it right into the show and no one would have known the difference.

The finish line for this race made up for all the long miles of walking into the night.  4th Street in Louisville is already famous for all the restaurants and nightlife but as the finish to the Ironman it was like finding an oasis after walking through the desert.  You could hear the music, the announcer, and the crowd at least a half mile away.  A few of us started to jog again and I decided that blisters be damned – I’m going to finish this event running.  As you cross the line you get to hear the announcement over the intercom…..”Ed Talbott – You Are an Ironman!”

Finish Line Photo
I got my finisher cap and my medal, got my picture taken, and then headed off to the food area. When I got there I realized that all I wanted was some chocolate milk.  Nothing else looked good to me even though I had probably burned over 10,000 calories that day.  I got my mylar space blanket and just sat in the corner for 15 minutes or so to recover and sipped my chocolate milk.

The problem was that my day was not over and it was 11 p.m. at night.  First I had to make my way down to the Great Lawn transition area and retrieve my bike and gear, then I had to walk all that back to the parking building, and finally I still had the long drive back to Richmond, KY that night.  Once I got everything back on the truck I just sat in the parking building and tried to psych myself up for the drive ahead.  I knew there was a rest area about 25 miles outside of town and that would be my first stop of the night.  I managed to make it there and decided just to rest my eyes for a minute – 35 minutes later I woke up and felt refreshed enough to continue. One more cat nap at the second rest area between Louisville and Lexington and I made it back to Richmond.  I got a shower and collapsed on the bed, 24 hours after the alarm clock had went off Sunday morning.  I fell asleep in about 30 seconds.

I was not as sore as I thought I would be the next day but my feet were killing me from the blisters.  It would take several days for them to heal up but in the end it was worth it.  At age 50, I had completed one of the toughest endurance events in the world, got to check #45 off the ole Bucket List, and had forever earned the right to call myself an Ironman.  

Adding the Vanity Stickers to my truck


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