The Trip and the Race... well, part of it.

We headed out on Tuesday with Kathi and Kevin Best following along as we took the maiden voyage with the utility trailer all decaled up with some of my current sponsors. I could not believe that the trailer could hold all that stuff and still had a bit more room. Our goal this year was to bring all the food we would need so that we did not have to buy anything up there since the dollar is weak and Canadian goods are so much more expensive. We were a bit worried about getting over the border with all the food, but they did not even want to look in the trailer and let us through. Otherwise we would have to sit at the border ands start eating a ridiculous amount of food.

We got to our condo just fine but ran into a slight room problem since they ‘thought’ that we would want to show up on Wednesday even though I had told them Tuesady. So we got into a fine room, but would have to move to the one that we stayed in last year the next night… no problem.

Wednesday was a beautiful morning and we were able to get things unpacked and situated. Kathi and Jessi did a phenomenal job making this condo like home… or at least the kitchen. We were set in all regards. I really appreciated all the work that they did before leaving up there so that we did not have to scramble and get things while we were up there. It sure made things run smoothly. They really took care of us athletes too making sure that we had enough food, the right food for meals and plenty of it.

Wednesday evening I went for about a 30 minute run that felt great. I ran along a river that flowed between the two lakes in Penticton. It was beautiful and still quite warm. I wanted to run easy, so this was a great place since there was not anyone around. When I got home, dinner was about ready and it was perfect. Another fine meal that hit the spot. As the evening progressed, I started to feel a little ‘stomach sick,’ but I figured it was from the run or something and would be gone tomorrow.

When I woke up Thursday, my stomach really hurt. It felt similar to when you spend a little too long at the bars the night before. Almost like I could not stand up straight. I still had a small breakfast of some Koshi granola and bran flakes. Afterwards I went for a swim. I swam for about 30 minutes and the swim itself felt fine. When I got to the turnaround point, I stood up and noticed that my stomach was still a bit bothered. I started talking with a guy and during the conversation I actually thought that I was going to puke. Nice first impression. So I swam back, grabbed some Recover Ease and retired to the bed where I would stay for about 7 hours. I tossed and turned and felt like I had the flu. I tried drinking as much water as I could, but as you know nothing seems to go down easy when your stomach is upset. After about 6 hours I noticed that I had started to break a sweat, which I thought was good. I started to feel a little less nauseous, which was a welcomed feeling. At about 6:00 Scott Ward showed up with his son Mitchell and that was when I got out of bed. I helped move his stuff in and started moving again.

The Bests and Jessi showed up shortly after Scott from the store and some vineyards to get dinner started since we would be having all the Tri Fusion people over for dinner. Which consisted of the Piciccis, Wyborneys, Bests, Thompsons, Scates, and some other friends of people. Of course, all kids were welcome as we had quite a dinner. During the amazing chicken and flank steak barbque, there was a 5k run that went right by our condo so we went out and watched. There were some pretty fast guys ad then there were some that… well… weren’t. There was a group dressed up like Kiss, and another guy running in a Speedo that should not have had one in his drawer. So it was quite entertaining. Though it was a great time with great people and food, my stomach was not feeling any better. It was constantly cramping to the point I was sweating when it did. We ended the evening with Scott taking the kids down to the ice cream parlor that was right below our condo. Very convenient. We stayed up for quite a bit and talked but knew that we need to hit the sack.

Friday was the last day to register so regardless of how I felt, I knew that I needed to get down there. I went down there to find no line and went right on through. Only bad part about being a bit late was that they ran out of labeled swim caps so I just got a plain one. I never really understand that. There are 2800 participants which means you order 2800 swim caps. No rocket science here, just common sense.

I also when for a ride with Kevin, Kathi and Jessi. We rode up to Summerland at a good pace. I was watching my power an heart rate and all seemed to be good there. Now if I could just get my stomach dialed in. I turned around after about 30 minutes so that I only rode for about an hour. Jessi, Kathi and Kevin continued on for a bit to ride about 2 hours.

Saturday started off with a good swim and a day of rest. I got all my gear together after a bit and took it down to transition at about 3:30pm. I also registered for the 2008 Ironman Canada as well. They allow athletes this opportunity and it seems like a pretty good option. I went home and relaxed. I ate some of Kathi’s spaghetti pie and consumed a ridiculous amount of fluids. Later we had dinner and then called it a night. Sunday morning would come soon, and sleep was pretty important. The status on my stomach was better, but it was still cramping and quite gassy… which Jessi can attest to.

Race morning came at 4:30am. No matter how well you sleep, it’s always early. I woke Scott up and we got our breakfast. Shortly after we got up, everyone else did too. Though they were not racing, active spectating requires you to be ready to go in order to get to all of he right spots on time. Lots of strategy is involved in doing it right. And let me tell you, these guys do it right. They go out on the course the days before to determine when and where will be the good spots to be. They know the intervals at which people are from one another, and they use all the technology they can to get updates from people who are watching from home on line to get placings at intermediate split checks along the way. They are the best. And they don’t just follow one person… they were following about 8 people. So as I left them at the condo, I know that I would see them again soon.

I have to say that I really like the support at IM Canada and how Penticton really embraces the race. But, let me also say that I don’t think I have ever been to a race that is more difficult to get around the start/finish area even for athletes. It’s pretty frustrating. I stood in a bodymarking line for aout 25 minutes… way too long. Someone eventually got a marker and started to hand it back in line to allow athletes to mark themselves. So finally I was out of that mess.

I went to my bike and made some necessary changes to my fueling and added a couple things to my transition bags. Other than that, I was ready to go. I started to change into my wetsuit with about 20 minutes before the race. But I also knew I would need one more bathroom stop. So with about 10 minutes before the race, I found myself in line for a porta potty. Not the best place to be, but the way my stomach was feeling, and cramping, I figured this would be a necessary stop. I was in and out and out and needed someone to zip my suit one last time. After that, I headed down to the water with about 5 minutes before the official start… plenty of time. I walked to a place that I thought would be an ideal spot for me and went straight to the front. As I was standing there, I saw Sam just a couple people over from me. Always nice to see a familiar face in such a huge race. This was going to be the largest mass start Ironman in history at about 2800 people. I definitely did not want to get in the wrong place in this start.

The cannon went off and I took off like it was a 400 meter swim. It was perfect, not a person around, I was moving forward, and feeling good. I eventually merged with a small group and swam with them the rest of the way. I did not feel as if I was working all that hard. I just settled in focused on my form and finally made it in. I swam a good swim for me at 56:17. I think I was 44th overall including pros. So I am anxious to see where I ended up as an age grouper.

T1 went fine. I tend to take a little extra time there to make sure that I am taking care of things I need to pay close attention to… like nutrition. I want to make sure that I get everything so I don’t end up getting out on the bike and find out I forgot something

I took off on the bike and was happy to be on it. It’s always hard to think that you will be on this darn thing for 5+ hours, and yet it feels so good in the first couple hours. I really paid close attention to my SRM powermeter. My heart rate (HR) was a bit high, and it normally is after coming out of the water. But I kept at a wattage that was well below my lactate threshold (LT). So even though my heart rate was bit high, the wattage that I was producing was well below my LT and therefore I should see a drop in my HR in a short bit. Regardless, I knew that my body was no longer creating more lactate that my body could not buffer at the wattage I was producing. But as the time clicked by, my HR was not dropping. I decided to trust the watts instead of the HR. A pretty aggressive decision, but it seemed like a good one.

I was flying by people. I think I caught all but one, maybe two, female pros before I even got to Richter Pass (45 miles ish), and they started 15 minutes before us. I passed Heather Fuhr early on in the bike and I wasn’t too sure if that was a good sign or not. Normally when I have been deep into the pros on the bike early on it meant that I was riding a bit too hard. I wasn’t sure if that was the case here or not, but I continued on. I ended up maintaining the same wattage on the climb up to Richter. I was still feeling good and staying in control I thought. I was on top of my nutrition, but my HR was still not stabilizing where I thought it should be. I crossed the first timing mat and was in 1st in my age group. I don’t know where I was overall, but I was definitely up front. After the 11k rolling climb up Richter, (a few false flat sections), I started to notice that my stomach was cramping. Nothing crazy, but it needed some relief. I knew on the backside of Richter there was a pretty long descent. I should be able to soft pedal down that and get thing back in check. Nope, wasn’t able to do that. There were some severe headwinds that dwindled what should have been a 45 mph coast, to a tempo paced pedaling yielding about 22 mph. No much of a rest. I stayed focused and continued on. No people passing me, and I did not understand why. I felt like I was crawling.

After I got to about the 60 mile mark things went from uncomfortable to bad. I started taking in gels and then immediately throwing them back up. I would imagine that anyone coming from behind would think that I had a really bad congestion problem because when gel comes back up that quickly, it just looks like snot. I bit sticky though. I knew at this point that I was in a bit of trouble. Low on energy, no fuel, cramping stomach, about 50 miles to go, and a relentless headwind. Not good. At about this point I did see Jessi, Emma, Kathi, Kevin, Jennifer, Natalie, and Greg which was nice to see. Unfortunately when you are in the mental and physical state I was in, it really I hard to respond to the cheers. You just want to get to the end of the bike.

At the aid stations nothing sounded remotely good. I knew that I needed something in my body that would actually stay down. So I went with the old standby, bananas. Not a lot in them, but they were staying down. I was able to muster my way up Yellow Lake (another major climb) and then started the descent into Penticton. Normally this downhill is a nice, high speed descent for about 15k. A good rest before the marathon. But, luck would have it that it was another headwind all the way down. It was so severe that I passed a guy with a disk wheel (he passed me up Richter) that had one hand on his aero bars and one hand on his base bar to maintain stability because he was getting blown all over the road. I could definitely feel the wind. Even with my 808s, I was getting quite a bit of turbulence. I can’t imagine what the lighter women were experiencing. I ended up passing quite a few people coming into T2. I came into the tent in 31st place including all pros. Not too bad really, but when I got off the bike I cold hardly stand up. My stomach was so cramped up, I just hunched over and walked to my T2 bag and sat in the tent. It was at that point that I needed to think about what was going on. As I was being aided by a volunteer as he dumped out all my gear and was organizing it for me, I told him that I thought I was probably done. I don’t think it really registered with him, but he eventually went to help someone else and then eventually came back to see how I was doing. I asked if he could go and get my dry clothes bag. He said that he wasn’t sure if he could or not, but he was able to and I just kind of sat there watching people come in and transition. I was able to see Scott and Martin, but that was it. I guess Sam transitioned out in the field. I was hoping that they would all have great races, but I knew my was at its end. I have to say that it was pretty fun watching people come through and take off. There were some very interesting techniques.

After I got my dry clothes bag was able to call Jessi. Never really thought about ‘needing’ a phone in my transition bag, but glad I had it. They were still stuck in traffic but were on their way in town. I know Jessi felt really bad and wanted to do something, but there really was nothing to do. I just needed to get out of there and get some food in my body that would stay down. I thought I would just walk back to the hotel room and take a shower. While I was in transit, Emma called and left a message for me on my phone that was basically saying that she hoped I was okay and that my tummy was getting better and that they were on their way. It made me cry to think that I would not have the chance to carry her across the finish line this year. I really did not know how to explain this to her, or even if I did, if she would understand it. It was hard enough for me to drop out of a race (first one ever), but even harder to think that it might have disappointed her day as well.

I ended up staying in the T2 tent for about 45 minutes before I left. I saw quite a few familiar faces. But I eventually had to do the ‘walk of shame’ out of the transition area and out of the race. It’s pretty hard to get outside the ‘arena’ of the race. Once you are in it, you pretty much have to come across the finish line. So I went to Mike Reiley (the voice of Ironman) and he opened the gate and was able to let me out. I’m just glad he did not say, “Roger Thompson, you are not an Ironman!” Kind of funny, but a little depressing too.

I eventually got back to the condo and was able to shower and get a little food in. Shortly afterwards, the crew arrived. I was able to hook up with them and we went out on the course to cheer everyone along that was still out there. As we stood at the 22 mile mark, I found it difficult to watch those people who were finishing in the tops of their age groups come by… the same people I was substantially ahead of going into T2. It’s amazing how much better we feel when we are on the sidelines. But I know I was only fooling myself thinking that I would be up there running that fast.

It was great to see my fellow Tri Fusion friends and be able to cheer them along. It was great to see them all: Martin, Sam, Scott, Keats, and Vicki. I could tell all of them were digging deep and were determined to get to that finish line. I think Vicki was the only one with a smile on her face. The American version of Natasha Badman.

We hustled back to the finish line to try and catch them finishing, but missed a couple of them. No matter where or when you finish an Ironman, you always feel like you won the whole thing when you come down that blue carpet. It’s a phenomenal feeling, and one that is well deserved when you accomplish the distance.

We eventually saw everyone in the park after they finished. I knew they all pushed themselves way beyond what they probably thought they would that day. I knew Sam dug really deep after seeing him in a mild form of shock after the race. I know this race was an important one for him and he left it all out there.

The benefit from racing is that you always learn something from it. No matter what happens, you walk away with a new knowledge about yourself. Some good, some bad. It’s what you decide to do with that knowledge that advances you forward, or potentially keeps you from reaching your goals.

We eventually went to have dinner at a place that was on the run course at the final turnaround with bout 600 meters to go. We ate there for about 1 hour and saw people making that final turn to home. It was pretty inspiring seeing the determination of all the people out there. Some were running, and some walking. But one thing was for sure, they would finish this monumental task. I applaud every person out there that finishes one of these events. Whether it be an 8:30, or a 16:59.59. You overcame so many obstacles that stood in your way not only in the race, but in training as well.

I have to say a big Thank You to all the people who were there supporting me on Sunday. From those out on the front lines at the race, to those people at home texting Jessi and calling her with splits, results, and support. I know that not all people can make it, but it truly does mean a lot to me that you care. When I cross those timing mats, I know that it sends a little ‘hello’ from me to all of you that are waiting to see how things are going on-line. I knew that there would be great question when I did not get a T2 split, but I figured you would contact Jessi and she’d let you know.

In the condo Jessi, Kevin, and Kathi sure helped to make the trip fun and easy. They prepared all the meals. Jessi and Kathi planned all the meals beforehand which made each meal so easy… well, for me anyway. No worrying about where we would eat and the menu. All that was taken care of before we even left. And we even got it all across the border. Nice! Kathi sure said some kind words to me as well after the race that really helped me out. Though she has never dropped out of a race, it seemed like she knew what I must have been feeling.

And to my dear wife Jessi who was there for me and knew that this was not an easy decision, but kept reminding me that it was the right one and not to ever second guess it. She reiterated that there really wasn’t a choice, this is what you had to do. It’s always hard, but when you have the support that I did, it makes its palatable and allows you to learn and look forward.

So thought this race was not necessarily a ‘success,’ I learned far more than if I would have PR’d it. A lot about me, and those around me. It’s the mental aspect of all of this that is tough to train. And that is what was tested on Sunday.

Thanks for reading. I hope you always come away from every race you do with something new about yourself beyond what place or time you got. Sometimes you have to look deep. And other times it is right there in front of you. Because it’s often the people right there in front of you that you learn the most about.

Thanks to all of those that helped to make this an amazing trip. It’s truly one that I will never forget.

Roger

Post IM Canada

Okay, I know it's been a little bit, and most of you know the story, but I will post a full race report from my day soon. I really appreciate all of your kind words on my last post. Thanks for those, they really brighten my spirit.

School started up the day after we got back from Canada and we have been unpacking and getting our rooms ready at Brentwood. Know that I am not 'hiding' and not wanting to tell you all the details. I just want to make sure I have enough time to do a quality job.

I am looking forward to Kona now, and I hope to have a better performance than I did last year. And I was pretty happy with last year's race.

Getting Better In Canada

Saturday, August 25th.

The Day Before Ironman Canada

This morning I found a little more relief from the stomach tension I have been experiencing the last few days. It's definitely still there, but not quite as frequent or intense. I know I can tolerate the pain in the race, but my concern is the absorbtion of fluids and nutrition when racing under tough conditions. But there is really nothing I can do but take care of myself and rest. If I cannot get fluids and nutrition in, I'm pretty much dead in the water. A boat without gas is simply driftwood.

According to theweatherchannel.com it is supposed to be a high of 71 degrees and about 10mph winds. Morning is supposed to be about 55. So conditions look pretty good from my perspective. I wish they were a bit cooler with a little rain, but it should be good conditions for a long day of racing.

The support up here has been great in terms of friends coming up and supporting the 8 Tri Fusion people racing. I'm excited to see them all out there tomorrow whether it's from the top of Richter, or from a car, or from a road side bitro. A familiar face that knows you name is always welcomed.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow no matter what happens. There is a lot of work, time, and sacrafice that goes into one of these days made by so many people. I think I am 'blessed' and it is a true 'gift to my life' that I have such amazing friends that would take time out of their vacation time to come up and join us in this day of celebration. And to think that Kona could be even bigger? Yikes.

Not Feeling So Well In Canada

Thursday, August 23rd

So I woke up this morning with a bit of an upset stomach... nothing crazy, but not perfect. When I woke up I went for a swim at about 9:00am and it went fine. Nice to get in the water here and stretch it out a bit. But when I got back I was a bit dizzy and my stomach was not feeling all that much better, actually worse.

I walked across the street to our condo to get some breakfast. The whole time not feeling great with a headache and feeling like I spent a little too long at the bar the night before. I eventually decided to retire to the bedroom where I would be for about 6 hours. Nothing ever felt good, and I just could not get any food or fluids in. So I stayed in bed and tried to get some sleep, but I was just way to uncomfortable. I finally broke a sweat, and started to feel a little better.

I still have a bit of an upset stomach, but I hope that it's on the mend. Better today rather than Saturday I guess. But I hope to be back at 100% Sunday.

Okay, I'm Back!

So, what has been going on you might be thinking? Well, I'm not going to rehash what has happened because it would take way too long. But in brief, this is where I am at in regards to my triathlon racing, here we go:

March:Oceanside 70.3
I have done this race a few times and it’s always humbling for a Pacific Northwesterner to go down to the warm climate of Oceanside and pull off a good result. But I always come away with a new found knowledge of where I am, and where I need to go. The swim down at Oceanside is a bit confusing with so many age group waves and the general course layout. So I am pretty happy to come out in the top 5% of my wave there every year to get on the bike. This would be my first year that I would be racing my new Felt DA. It performed very well. It felt effortless and I came away with my fastest ever bike split down there taking off about 12 minutes off my prior bike splits with less effort. My run went okay, but not comparable to my bike. I was disappointed with my 19th place finish, but it was early and it definitely let me know what I needed to work on.

Whitworth Sprint Triathlon
This was an early season sprint race that was a lot of fun. I was able to test out my new bike on a short technical course and see how it would perform in race conditions… it worked very well. This was a very technical course since it was 13 laps of a 1 mile course. Very mentally challenging not only remembering which lap you were on, but staying mentally sharp for the corners and other participants on the course. I ended up coming away with the overall win at this local race. Great training for future short course events.

April
Spring Thaw Duathlon
This was a great duathlon that kind of starts off the multisport season for the surrounding communities of Spokane. A great turnout with some great competition. It’s definitely a runners course, so you get some great runners there as well. I seemed to have a good race there setting a new course record and winning overall. Another test to see that my speed was still there… even though it was pretty painful.

May
Napa Valley Half Ironman
This race was a great test for me. I wanted to work on my Ironman pacing and try out some new nutrition and intervals for it. I had a great swim, a super bike, and a solid run. I ended up severely cramping on the run at about mile 9 in my right calf, but I was able to maintain an ‘altered’ running gait to finish the race winning my age group and coming in 2nd overall to professional Gordo Byrn.

June
Blue Lake
Blue Lake was a USAT Olympic distance race that was a Tri Northwest Club Championship as well. There was a large turn out with a couple professionals in attendance as well. The race went pretty well for me. It was the first Olympic race that I had done since ITU World Championships in 2005. I love that distance, and my body seems to adjust well to it too. I ended up having a phenomenal bike split (fastest of the day) followed by a strong run. I ended up winning my age group and placing 2nd overall to Matt Lieto. A very competitive field so I was very pleased with my fitness for that distance since I have been focusing on Ironman and half Ironman races.

Trailblazers Sprint Triathlon
Another great local sprint race that brings out a lot of great competition. A very fast course. I jumped into this one at the last minute. I was not sure I would do it with it being only a week out from Ironman Cda. But what the heck. It’s a race that would be less than an hour and it was a great opportunity to see a lot of the local athletes and find out about how their season has been going. Everything in this race was strong and felt solid. Again, my bike was perfect. I ended up winning overall.

Ironman Cda
The day started off like all the other days this week… windy. The fortunate part is that the temperature was a bit cooler. Almost unseasonably cool. It felt more like a fall morning than a summer one. The past 4 Ironman Cdas have been so incredibly hot, that this was a welcomed change. But the wind was not welcomed by most. I loved to see the wind on the swim. I was actually excited to get started. It was going to be a tough swim.

Everything was set in transition and ready to go. I had mentally gone over the race over and over. But no matter how many times you check and re check, you seem to think that you will forget something.

Before the swim start, they announced that athletes could opt out of the swim. People choosing this would not get age group awards or qualify for a Kona slot, but in case anyone was afraid that they would not be able to swim in the conditions did have an alternative. I like this announcement because it was letting all the athletes know that the water conditions were as bad as they looked. It instilled a little more fear in the participants, and the overall feel of the day. Me… I was excited! I love chaos. I love tough conditions. I love it when the course may be considered ‘dangerous.’ Bottom line it’s water, there are waves, and you swim. If you have been swimming in a pool for the past year, this may be a little more than you would want to see right now. But I was actually really excited for this race to start.I started on the front line in a spot that looked like to me was a straight shot to the first turn. But when you are looking at about 750 yards out, everything looks like a straight shot. The wind was moving the markers a bit, so I just wanted to be sure that I knew where I was going because when your head is in the water with those waves pounding against it, sometimes it’s tough to spot.The cannon went off and the race began. I took off pretty hard with a shorter stroke count to battle the consistently larger waves. Kind of like riding in a smaller gear and spinning up a hill. I went about 200 yards and then started to look around to see who was around me. It did not seem like anyone so I started to wonder if I was going in the wrong direction. Soon I started to merge with the rest of the masses on the buoy line and things got a little tight. But it soon settled in and the typical bumping was going on. Nothing to unusual, a couple flagrant grabs here and there, but nothing that really screwed me up. As I rounded the 1st lap of the swim, it felt good. I did not know my split, but I was definitely in a front group. The second lap was a pretty easy swim to settle in to. My only problem in the swim was when we came up on some slower swimmers that we were ‘lapping.’ I ended up getting more upright and pointing my toes more erectly downward which cramped up my calves. This happened 2 times, once to each calf. It hurt so bad that I had to start kicking with my foot at a 90 degree angle to my leg for a bit… kind of like wearing a hiking boot. Not the best form, but with my Blue 70 suit on, it did not seem to impact me too much with the leg flotation. But it was pretty painful and a bit nerve wracking. I was a little concerned about the impact this would have on the rest of the day. But for the time being I needed to get done with the swim and get on my bike.

I ended up coming out of the water in an hour and a few seconds. My slowest wetsuit legal swim to this point. But considering the conditions, I thought it might be good. I later found out I was 60th overall which was good. So the course must have been slow, or the conditions made the course slow.

I had a pretty good T1 and was on my bike quickly. The air was cool, but the sun was out and I knew the day would get warm. I had my race plan and nutrition pretty dialed in. I was going to stick with the same, or similar, plan as the one I used in the half IM in early May. My intensity zones (HR) were adjusted for longer distance. I had a lactate threshold test done a few days prior at Champions Sports Medicine by Ben Greenfield to determine exactly what my body could do. For the first 45 miles, things felt good. The bike felt effortless. I wanted to make sure that I was not going too hard early on (common problem) and then pay for it later. I kept monitoring my effort and HR. I was breathing through my nose, felt like I could hold a conversation with someone… all the signs that things were good. I was all by myself on the bike. I almost felt like I was on the wrong course. I was in 14th place overall by the 34 mile with one of the fastest bike splits, and I felt pretty good. But I was noticing that my stomach was feeling a bit ‘gassy.’ I could not figure out what was going on, but I decided to stick with my nutritional plan. After about 30 minutes more, my stomach was feeling worse and I started to notice a decrease in my hydration interval. My heart rate started to drop a bit and my intensity was still feeling the same. This all tells me one of two things: More food or more water. But nothing was going in really well. I knew I was getting behind on nutrition and my race was starting to suffer. From about miles 45-65 things were rough. I felt like this great ride I had established was going to start falling apart. I rolled through Special Needs on the bike and grabbed my bottle that I had planned to and made a bathroom stop. After leaving the Special Needs section I was not feeling like things were doing any better and I started to try and figure out what was going on. At about the 80 mile mark I decided to abort my nutritional plan and go with the one that I have used in the past that was more gel based and water. But that this point in the race, I was way behind. I did not know how far behind, but I was definitely going downhill. I started feeling a little better with about 15 miles to go on the bike, but things definitely were impacted from my lack of nutrition. But the bike was over and all I had left was a marathon.

I came off the bike in 18th overall and had a fast T2. As I started out on the run, I wanted to make sure that I did not go out too hard. I figured if I stayed at 8:00 miles, I would be in good shape. I started off slow for the first 2 miles but still found myself at 7:30 miles. So I eased it up a bit more. My stomach was feeling sour and I just wanted to throw up or something. I thought that if I had to run 26.2 miles with my stomach like this, it was going to be tough. My mile times started to drop and so did my HR. I knew what I was experiencing was again a result of improper nutrition on the bike and now it was impacting me on the run. I made it through the 1st lap okay, but I was getting slower and slower. At about mile 18, things just went from bad to worse. My calf that had flared up in Napa that I had been going to PT for since was getting tight. I walked through the aid station and went to run again and my calf said no. I knew that I could potentially do some serious long term damage if I were to keep pushing it, so I was limited to a walk. Not the best situation to be in at mile 18. To walk 8 more miles was going to be long. Fortunately at the aid station I grabbed a couple fists full of cookies and a couple cups of water and Gatorade. I wolfed those down like the true Cookie Monster. I ran into some friends on the side of the road and chatted with them or a bit. I could have stayed there all day, but I figured I should get going if I was going to finish by dark. After about 3-5 minutes I started walking again. I walked about 2 miles, through a couple aid stations before I attempted to run again. The run actually felt better than the walk, but I was not going fast. I think I was at about a 10:30 or so. I finally reached the turnaround at Bennett Bay and was happy to know that I was heading home. I continued to run and was going to try and run the rest of the way back hoping and elevate my pace. My stomach was feeling better and felt like I finally had something in my stomach to work off of. I think that the cookies (though not the best for quality calories) had calories, and sugar, in them that my body needed. I think that by consuming so many calories and walking for a bit allowed my body to absorb the calories and get caught up. I got the mile 23 and started drinking cola and running harder. It was feeling pretty good… well, as good as you every feel at the end of a marathon. With about 1 mile to go I elevated my pace a bit more. I really was not noticing anyone cheering. I was pretty much in a zone, and not necessarily a good one. As I approached the turn to the finish, I was happy to watch all the people continue to the second lap. I made the turn to see about 400 meters to the finish. A beautiful sight with a slight downhill grade. The bad part of this sight was that there was a guy about 75 meters ahead of me that looked like he was in my age group. Now I have always said that by running faster, or sprinting, in the last 200 will not make up time, but it will make up places. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to close this gap but I elevated my pace a bit more and started striding out a bit. I could tell I was closing on him, but the finish was approaching fast. The crowd was cheering louder and louder sensing me, the guy from behind, might just pass this guy. Since this happened, he turned to look back and see what people were cheering about. When he saw that I was closing in, he increased his pace as well. Crap! The finish line was getting closer and closer. I was in the better position to close, but did I have the kick to do it. As I was running down the stretch, I was a lot of familiar faces cheering their hearts out. It really helped me out. As I got close to him, with about 125meters to go, I saw that he was 27… not in my age group. But I had worked so hard to get to where I was. It would be silly not to attempt the pass. I got up next to him and he elevated his pace one last time. We were now approaching the stands and the finishing arch. I took a deep breath and let it fly. I got by him pretty quickly and he pretty much gave up and settled back in to his original pace. I looked back to see that I had a pretty good gap on him so now it was time to celebrate in the finishing stretch. I have always said that of all the areas to ‘run fast’ this was not the area. The final 40 meters is all about you. The crowd, he announcer, the banners,… it’s all there and I think it’s so important to absorb this. But I could not go from a 6:30 pace to walking. So I spun around and acknowledged the crowd and ‘high fived’ both sides as I came to the finish. It always feels like you won the race here no matter what place, or time you come in. It’s just the energy.

So though my run did not go very well to put it mildly, I still came in at 10:15. Not too bad for that course, but bad since my swim was a 1 hr and bike was 5:09. That leaves over 4 hours for the marathon. Yikes! Slowest marathon ever for me. But it also goes to show you that perseverance does pay off. I was able to get a Kona slot because my age group got 10 and 3 did not take them. I was 12th in my age group so I ended up getting one. Whew! I was really thankful of this because in the race I figured I was at about 30th in my age group. The difference between 12 and 9th was about 4 minutes. The same amount of time that I stood talking with some people on the run after I started to walk at mile 18. You can always look back and find places where you ‘could have’ made up time. But it does not change the outcome. So it was nice to get this taken care of here. I will still race IM Canada and hopefully put together a good race up there. I had a great race there last year, so that might be tough to top.

After Ironman Cda I did a couple more races to prepare me for the Regional International Championships in Federal Way. The importance of this race was pretty big. It was a qualifier for 2008 ITU World Championships in Vancouver Canada. I really wanted to get there, but you needed to win your division. More on that later. But before that I did a race in Helena Montana 2 weeks after IM Cda. Here is my report on that race:

I raced this race back in 2005 and it went well after swimming off course and having a sprint finish with Adam Jensen in the last 200 meters. I wanted to test my fitness after IM Cda this year to see where I was and was not. The race went well. I swam on course, biked fast and had a solid run. I was disappointed in my run time, but knew that I was still recovering from IM. I ended up winning overall there with a similar time as 2005 when I was specializing in that distance. So I was happy about that, but not ecstatic.

After Spring Meadow I race Tiger Tri in Colville, WA. Nice race, and we had a ton of peoplr from Tri Fusion up there. We ended up getting the top 4 overall in that race. Pretty cool. Here's my brief report on that event:

This quarter Ironman race that is always tough and brings out some of the faster athletes in the area. I won this race in 2005 and was looking forward to another good race here again. It did go well, but not perfect. I had some ‘volunteer’ difficulties in both transitions that cost me about 40 seconds. But the race goes on. I had a great swim coming out 10 seconds behind the lead swimmer, my bike split once again went very well, and the run was steady. I ended up getting passed by the eventual race winner with about 1 mile to go. He beat me by 17 seconds so that lost time in transition haunted me a bit. But that is just the way it goes sometimes. Better here than at Worlds.

Two weeks later I would head off to my next 'A' race, Federal Escape. A bit longer of a race report, but here goes:

Federal Escape Triathlon- 2008 World’s Team QualifierThis was a race that I have had my eyes on for about a month. I really wanted to race ’08 Worlds which will be in Vancouver Canada. It’s so close and such a HUGE race. I really wanted to attend this one again. Since USAT Nationals were the week after IM Cda, I knew that I would not be in good form to race an Olympic race, and do well, that soon. USAT offered 8 regional qualifiers for ’08 Worlds to fill the remainder of the team. Our regional qualifier was Federal Escape. Only challenge, you needed to WIN your division. I have had some great results throughout the years, but I don’t think I have ever gone into a race saying that I was going to ‘win.’ I normally know it’s a possibility, but I just want to race my best. And if I do that, normally things fair well.

There were a few guys that I saw on the race confirmation that were fast. One guy who can run 10ks in about 33 minutes. So I knew I would need to have a solid day with everything going right. My goal was to get an ITU slot… that’s it. I knew that would mean going hard from start and to finish without any mishaps. The swim went very well. A lot of bumping, positioning, but nothing out of the ordinary. I came into T1 with some familiar faces from our Tri Fusion club, Ben Greenfield and Joe Byers. That was good to see since they are very strong swimmers. But already out of T1 and on the road was professional Chris Tremonte over 2 minutes ahead.

The bike course was a very technical course. It was a 4 lap course with about 9 turns per lap. Congestion could be a factor as well as maintaining speed. I took off on the bike and started to reel anyone I could in. I maintained a steady effort and power output. Ironically, as the race went on, my heart rate dropped and my power output and speed increased… that’s good. I had not clue where I was overall in this race by lap 3 since there were so many people on the course and you did not know which lap anyone was on. Jessi told me I was in first, but I did not know by how much… but it really did not matter. All I knew was that I needed to keep going and push the bike to gain as much time as I could over these phenomenal runners.

I came into T2 alone. Always a good sight to not see any bikes in T2. I took off running a solid pace letting my body settle in and get comfortable. I ran the first 5k in about 18+ minutes. For me, a solid 5k in an Olympic race. Jessi could not tell me how far 2nd was back since she had not seen him. She knew it was more than 50 seconds. I picked up the pace on the second lap a bit to give it what I could. I was now seeing more runners on the course that were on their 1st lap. I wanted to get past them so that anyone that was chasing me would have a tough time finding me in the mix. At mile 4 I elevated even more, and then again at mile 5. I knew the last half mile would be a tough one, so I was prepared. I knew that I WOULD NOT get passed with a half mile to go. I was pushing it harder and harder and saw the finish line in sight. Jessi said that she could see him now, and to not let up. I knew he would have to run about a 3 minute mile to close the gap, but Jessi just did not want me to slow for anything.

I ended crossing the line and winning overall. I secured my slot for the 2008 ITU World Championships. I was so excited. In the process I beat one of the fastest short course pros in the Pacific Northwest. It was a great result for me. Possibly the best race of the season so far. I have not seen the official splits yet, but I know that solid splits in every leg played a role. My swim, bike, and run all went to plan. I have to give a little extra credit to my bike split since I know that is where I gained the most time. This course definitely favored a technical rider… thanks for that.

So after Federal Way it was back to increasing volume again to prepare for IM Canada. It would be a tall order, but thinking 'I Can't' is not an option. I was in this same position last year going into IM Canada. That is, having a Kona slot and punishing your body again in another IM. Well, I don't think you can ever 'just do' and Ironman. I would like to be the best prepared to have a solid day. My goal again, as it is in every IM, is to race a smart race and have things come together. I never expect to do anything unexpected, just do what I can and not have things out of my control influence the end result.

I have been using an SRM Powermeter since Tiger Tri and I had some testing done again with Ben Greenfield at Champion Sports Medacine and Pacific Elite Fitness. We were able to corelate my power thresholds with my power outputs. Hopefully this will help out in my pacing in IM Canada and eventually Kona. I hope to be able to ride a little easier, and smarter, and then have another good run as I did last year in Canada. I like to look at what I did on the bike in the races I have a good run in. If I have a crappy run, I really don't care what I did on the bike because I probably went too hard and my un suffered because of it. But I do think that IM Canada has a pretty fast bike course, so I hope to have a faster bike than I did last year because I really think my overall bike splits have been faster. But I will be watchin my effort and watts and really give any interest in my speed or time.

I have to give to shout outs to those people and businesses that have been behind me thus far.

Julie and Shawn Talbott at Wicked fast Sport for proving Recover Ease that has allowed me to train hard day after day. As well as Energ Ease that gives me that little pick up to train and race with (http://www.recover-ease.com/).

PowerBar for all their amazing products that make racing and training meld together and keep me well fed (http://www.powerbar.com/).

Ben at Blue Seventy for getting me into the fastest wetsuit on the earth. Sure makes the swim not only easier, but faster (http://www.blueseventy.com/).

Ben Greenfield at Pacific Elite Fitness for helping me with my training as well as LT testing and nutritional support. He really takes the ‘guesswork’ out of it all and allows me to focus on going fast (http://www.pacificfit.net/).

Alex and Natalie at Ironman Activewear for keeping me comfortable and looking good in their clothing during the race and training (http://www.ironmanactivewear.com/).

Molly at Rudy Project for keeping my head safe (and fast) as well as providing protection for my eyes that looks amazing too (http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/).

Robin at Fitness Fanatics for supporting me with my bike and many other triathlon needs at her shop (http://www.fitfanatics.com/)

PZ Pearce at Champions Sports Medicine. Dr. Pearce has provided the facility for my testing and also aided in getting my calf injury identified to get the proper PT for it. Nice to have the best sport med doctor in the world here in Spokane (http://www.champsportsmed.com/).

Craig Hemmenway at Apex Physical Therapy for giving me the PT all the way up to race day. Without that, I know I would have been in trouble (http://www.apexpt.com/).

Cheryl and Gordon Fagras from Cee-Gees for getting me the best hydration system available. All my fluids stayed in my aero bottle, not on me. Also for the most comfortable aero bar pads. I felt like I could go forever (http://www.cee-gees.com/).

Tri Fusion, the most amazing triathlon club in the world, for all their support in training and then again on race day with the cheering and support on that tough day (http://www.tri-fusion.com/).

Also all my friends and family have made it out there to cheer me on. Some have been there at every IM, some that get to the races they can, and some that will be there for the rest. I appreciate all of you encouragement throughout the year as well as race day. It sure makes the race feel like you are in your won backyard.

Emma, who cheers as loud as she possibly can and shakes her cow bell for everyone. He cheer, ‘Go Daddy,’ is what I reflect on whenever times get tough.

And finally Jessi, who was not able to be on the sidelines again this year because she was racing as well. I love the fact that I can see her out there, but I missed her all over the course as well at IM Cda. But I think I love it this way too. She is the one that really makes it possible for me to do any of this. From meals, shopping, mental sanity, sacrificing her sleep to train at 4:00am, to making sure Emma has a sitter when we have a conflict in training times. It’s amazing to me that the two of us can have jobs, a family and social life, and still both be training for an Ironman. We make a pretty good team. I love and thank you for all that you do for not only me, but everyone.

So, that's it. I'm currently sitting in bet at the Golden Sands Hotel after a great day here in Penticton.

The first person that comments on my blog I will give $1. That tells me that you have not given up on me :)

Emma's Snowman

We finally got a good enough snowfall that we were able to make a snowman. Jessi and Emma went shopping with Ntalie and Lorie. While they were gone I made a big snowman... roughly 7 feet tall! I was pretty excited for Emma to return to see this giant in her front yard. Unfortunately, Emma was asleep when they drove up so I had to wait for her to get up from her late nap. She finally awoke at about 8:00pm. We went out to chek out this cool creation (nice pun). It did not take long before we decided to bombard it with snowballs and Karate chops. It's head was the first to go. Emma got one heck of a belly laugh from that. It was exciting for her to see this huge snowball fal from 5 feet up and crash onto the ground. It was pretty much all over from that point. Jessi decided to go and get he camera and was able to salvage some shots before the snowman was completely demolished.




After we destroyed the big one, I created a smaller one that Emma pushed over and jumped on. now I'm not too sure if this is the message we should be sending her as she goes off to school, but it sure was fun. I would imagine that in a year or two we will get a phone call from school saying that Emma ruined someone's snowman at school by jumping on it's head. It's a little different picture han the Hallmark image that we all want to have as the dad lifts the child up to the snowman's head and then the child places the hat on it or the carrot nose. Instead, I lifted Emma up high enough to get the head so she could kick it off. I think my activity brought a bigger smile to her face... and mine.

Of course with all of this vandalism going on, it turned into a snowball fight. I have to say that Emma started it. It almost ended as soon as it started when Emma got a bit of snow in her eye. But she quickly rallied by throwing a couple snowballs at me. She was pretty relentless. I was even hitting her with some and she just got more to throw at me. We then decided to make a prince and a princess print in the snow... Emma's idea. It was a little heavy to be doing angels, and perfect for making prints. Emma made a few an so did I.




Our hands were getting a little cold, so we decided to head in. Not to mention that it was 9:00pm and Emma was screaming and laughing and I started to wonder what our neighbors would be thinking. As we headed in, Emma wanted to take in a little snowman that she could put by her bed. I was able to convince her that the sink may be a better home. So there it melted.

I'm sure I did some lifelong damage to her by robing her of her Hallmark moment. But I guarantee yu that we had a lot more fun.

What doesn't look right in this picture?

This is Jessi posting for "gimpy" who has his foot elevated after spraining his ankle on a run this evening. We just got back from Urgent Care and got the good news that nothing is broken, but that the sprain is pretty bad. No running for 2-3 weeks, but he can swim and bike as long as it doesn't hurt. He has to stay off it completely for a few days though. Rog actually rolled his ankle twice on this run, and the second time it nearly brought him to his knees. But being the brilliant man he is, decided not to go to one of our friends' houses just a block or two away, but jogged another mile home. Grrrr! Anyway, the swelling is even improved since earlier tonight (these pics are probably 50% better than earlier tonight) and Rog doesn't look quite as nervous as he did when it was really starting to swell. He'll be on the mend in no time and is grateful that it happened now and not a few weeks earlier.




Someone wanted a picture of her feet to be included too... she was really sweet to her Daddy and kept telling him how brave he was at the doctor's. I could tell though that she was pretty nervous to see her Daddy hurting. Emma loves her Daddy SO MUCH!