Part 4. My Road to Ironman: Race Day

My first and last open water swim was 2 days prior to the race in Lake Coeur d’ Alene.  My memory is cold.  It was bitterly cold, but as I put my head under the water and felt my breath shorten I thought to myself ‘I’m here.  This is real.  I’m going to rock this!’

This is a fake smile.  Note to self:
 don't drink Odwalla on race day

Nauseated is the best word to describe the night before and morning 

of the race.  Completely nauseated.  I slept 2 hours, I ate next to nothing, but at 0700 on Sunday morning there I was standing on the beach of lake Coeur d’ Alene with 2,800 other athletes waiting for their dreams to come true.  Schuyler and I hardly talked that morning.  Both hooded and hiding behind our IPod’s, we didn’t have time or energy to worry about each other.  This shit was getting real.  I knew I couldn’t think about the entire day without becoming overwhelmed so I stayed in the moment and only allowed myself to think about the very next task at hand.  

The gun goes off and Schuyler gave me a quick kiss and dove in the lake leaving me standing ‘alone’ on the beach looking out across the lake to that dreaded red buoy.  I tell people that I waited a minute and a half, but I’m really not sure how long I stood there.  What I do know is at some point I took a deep breath and jumped it.  The swim was a bit of a blur.  Lots of bodies everywhere.   Some kicking vigorously, some going the wrong direction, some pulled up looking disoriented.  I just had to keep moving.  Schuyler’s words rang though my head “find feet and follow them”  “pull through your stroke”.  That was all I could focus on and before I knew it I was done with the first lap in 45minutes.  Not a stellar time, but for me it was good.  I was actually really excited because I didn’t push that hard, so I started to think that I could maybe finish in 1:30. Unfortunately the weather had something to say about that.  The wind kicked up and before I knew it I was swimming though a tsunami.  Usually when you breathe you see green and pink caps all around you.  Not on this dreaded 2^nd lap.  No caps, just huge waves.  I had to pull up just to find the buoys.  At one point, I swallowed a ton of water and came up gagging.  Thank God there was a kayak right there and I didn’t hesitate to hold on while trying to catch my breath.  I remember the guy asking me multiple times if I was ok.  I honestly wasn’t sure but after what felt like 5 minutes of the clock ticking away I was swimming again.  I finished the swim in 1:45 freezing and thankful that the hardest leg was out of the way. 

I was so nervous about pushing too hard on the bike and having nothing left for the run I paced myself to the extreme.  I describe this ride and ‘hum de dum’.  I never felt too tired or uncomfortable, just out for a Sunday ride.  I also hydrated to the extreme and ended up stopping to pee 6 times.  Oops!  It is a humbling experience to approach a 70-year-old man and barely have enough to pass him.  This happened multiple times.  I’ll be happy if I can still walk when I’m 70.  It’s funny that during the race you always want to be somewhere other than where you are.  At mile 95 what I would have given to be back trudging through those miserable waves.  Any relief from the agonizing pain of my shoulder and hips would have been an extraordinary relief. 

Schuyler greets me at the finish line.  Tears of joy!

26.2 miles left.  No energy to think.  Run.  Eat.  Drink.  Run. Eat.  Drink. Run. Eat. Drink.  I felt hopeful, fatigued, elated, frustrated, miserable, excited, emotional, drained, and energetic all at the same time.  There are really no words to describe the last leg of this incredible journey.  All the energy, focus, early morning workouts, sweat, and tears, culminated to this day, this moment.  The only way to understand this moment is to be there yourself.  You would think after 140.4 miles you would be eager to finish, but the emotion of finishing the last 0.2miles lingered longer than expected.  Even before crossing the finish line ‘what’s next?’ crossed my mind.  How does that happen?  Somehow by becoming one with the pain you actually learn to enjoy it!  The journey becomes the quest and Ironman becomes not what you do but who you are.  I am an Ironman!

My road to Ironman: 14 hr. 10 min - not bad considering the long road...

Enjoy 'Active Rest' This Offseason

Our triathlon season is wrapping up and we are starting to hunker down as the days shorten and our favorite TV shows return to prime time.  It is important to properly recover from your season, prepare your body and rejuvenate your mental focus for next season.  I would like to think that this includes sitting on the couch, drinking beer and watching soccer, but unfortunately this isn’t going to do you any favors come June.   I commonly use the term “Active Rest” with my patient’s.  “Active Rest” is defined as activity that is enjoyable and doesn’t feel like work but really is.  This may be playing soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, doing yoga, Zumba, kickboxing, etc.  These activities seem more fun than the same old swimming, biking and running but will help to maintain your weight and base fitness level in the off season.   It doesn’t matter what you chose, just do something.

I would also highly recommend working on your core strength.  ‘Core’ is all the rage these days but for very good reason.  Every aspect of Triathlon can be improved with proper stability through your trunk. There are tons of core exercises out there and you don’t need to do them all.  Just pick your favorite, or least favorite depending on how you think about this type of exercise, and incorporate them into your workout routine.

Another great way to focus your off season is to pick your weakest sport and work on technique.  This is especially true if you plan a full Ironman for 2013.  There are numerous coaches and clinics that you can attend this time of year and small changes in technique could be the difference in meeting your goals next season.  If swimming is your weakest sport like mine, you may want to check out a Master’s swim class or clinic such as Mary Meyer Life Fitness.

The last aspect of the off-season that I feel is very important is to address is your overall wellness.  Get some sleep, eat healthy, and address lingering injuries.  A physical therapist can help to correct muscular imbalance and get you pain free for the start of the training season.  My favorite PT clinic in Seattle is Real Rehab.  Schuyler and I have both seen Bruk, who is a triathlete himself, and knows his stuff.  He comes highly recommended as he taught Schuyler to run just 7 months before his first Ironman!!

Happy ‘Active Rest”! 

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Swim Goggles.

Everyone at one point or another has had problems with their goggles – sometimes they leak, sometimes they fog, or other times they don’t stay on very well.  This isn’t a big deal if swimming in the pool, but what about your longer open water swims?  Or when you’re doing a triathlon?  Luckily, there are some simple solutions to remedy your basic goggle issues. 

Leaking

Leaky goggles are caused by not having a good fit around your eye socket.  This can be for a number of reasons.  You may need new goggles but chances are the leakiness can be fixed by adjusting the goggle strap and nosepiece.  First, tighten the strap a little bit.  You may already have it tight but remember, those goggles are putting up with a lot of resistance travelling through the water, in order to function properly, they need to be tight.  Next, look at the plastic nose bridge.  There are usually groves that allow you to widen or narrow your goggles based on the width of your nose.  If you have a narrower face, try using the using the smaller setting and vise versa if you have a broader face.  If this doesn’t work, it may just be best to replace your goggles.  If you do decide to replace your goggles, be sure to try them on at the store.  As a rule of thumb, a good fit can be determined in the store.  Adjust the nose piece to where you think it best fits you, then without putting the goggle strap on, try to ‘suction cup’ the goggles over your eyes.  If they stay on for a few seconds independently then you can assume that is a reasonably good fit. 

Fogging

Goggles that fog are caused by you – the harder you work, the more they fog.  As you perspire (yes, even around your eye socket) you warm up the air in the goggle making it warmer than outside while at the same time raising the moisture content.  This moisture sticks to the inside of the goggles and won’t dissipate until you regain equilibrium with the outside – but that’s not going to happen anytime soon unless you take your goggles off. 

There are 3 easy tricks you can use to help with foggy goggle syndrome. 

1.      Spit – simplest and oldest. Just get a little spit inside each eyepiece and rub it around. I know, doesn’t seem the most hygienic but it will work for that swim workout.   
2.      For a less bacterial intensive solution, you can use anti-fog drops. Most goggle manufacturers make their own. They’ll even tell you that their anti-fog drops ONLY work with their goggles.  For the most part this is false, but we found it actually is true for AquaSphere.
3.      Shampoo. A nice substitute for anti-fog drops.  Since goggles sit so close to your eye, I would even suggest using baby shampoo. Just dab a little on the inside of each goggle and rub it around.  Just remember, a little goes a long ways.

Generally, it’s a good idea to keep your fingers out of your goggles.  By touching the inside of your goggles, you’re spreading dirt and oils from your skin.  It may not seem like much, but these tiny dirt and oil molecules actually attract moisture and will cause your goggles to fog quicker. 

Luckily, fogging is temperature dependant.  While this may be a problem you struggle with a lot in the pool, it happens less frequently when in the open water. 

Strap doesn’t stay on very well

I’ve heard from many people that their goggles don’t leak when worn correctly, but they have a hard time keeping the straps in the right place.  Like leaky goggles, I suggest tightening the strap.  If this doesn’t work, try wearing your goggles under a swim cap.  The cap will help keep your goggles in place.  If this also doesn’t work, you might want to get new goggles.  There are many kinds that offer split or double straps to get a better fit. 

Event Swimming

If you’re participating in an open water swim race or triathlon, I suggest everyone wears their goggles under their swim caps – you don’t want to loose your goggles midway through a race!  You never know what’s going to happen, you may accidentally run into someone on the back half of their stroke and they catch your goggles with their pinky and slip them off.  If this happens, stay calm, pull up and reapply your goggles.  You’ll be glad you had them on under your cap.

Also, don’t worry about learning how to swim without your goggles.  We’ve all heard the story of Michael Phelps winning one of his eight gold’s in Beijing with goggles that had flooded, but you’re not Michael Phelps.  Nor are you in the 200-meter fly in the Olympic Finals.  You’re swimming a distance event in the open water; your time will be more affected by not correcting your goggle problem than by trying to swim through it.  

Prescription Goggles

If you’re like me, you have the unfortunate situation of being optically dependant.  Sorry about that, I feel your pain.  And as a swimmer, I’ve always just swum ‘blind’.  I can’t stand contacts but I’ve heard they are hard to wear under goggles anyway.   A few weeks ago, a friend of ours turned me onto this site where I was able to find prescription goggles for less than 20 bucks!   I had always assumed they would be expensive and never looked into it, but I am overjoyed to report that I can now see when I’m swimming!  Now I can’t wait until my next open water event!   All you need to know is your negative diopter number.  Then, come find me in the lake and join me for a swim.  I’ll be the one who can tell where he’s going!

Happy swimming!