Ironman Muncie 70.3

This was my 4th year in a row at this race. It was my 7th 70.3 triathlon. These numbers still amaze me. I remember just starting triathlon. Ironman was just a pie in the sky dream at that time. But over time and with a hell of a lot of hard work and sweat and 4:45 am alarms, I have become stronger and even a little faster. Triathlon is a wild sport. So much to learn, so much to work on. How hard are you willing to push? Will you blow up? Will the legs agree to pedal hard for 56 miles then allow to run 13.1 after a 1.2 mile swim? Where do you plan on making up time? Does chilling 10 minutes on the bike save 20 on the run? Do you just go fast and try not to blow up?

Friday morning the nerves set in. Packed up half my house, which is what it feels like to make sure I have everything for a race of this magnitude. And I managed to forget my pillow. DOH! Once packed I got my massage, had lunch with Brittney and off to Muncie I went. The first nasty storm blew through as I was arriving. The parking lot was a muddy mess. I met Kalen, Katie and Nate at the athlete briefing and then we experienced the NormaTech boots  

After getting our legs massaged, our packets picked up, I attempted to leave. It took 3 different route tries to not get my SUV stuck in the mud. A minivan was stuck in the aisle in between cars. My SUV was filthy by the time I made it out. Off to the hotel to get my room. The 2nd storm arrived while enroute to hotel. The rain was crazy. Then the hail started. Flooding took over roads. This triathlete just hoped it was a cold rain to cool the reservoir water so we could wear wetsuits the next day! I went to my hotel room and brought Vengeance up. I tried a new to me trick, I used Saran Wrap to put my race number stickers on it. That way after the race, there is no sticky residue on the frame. This worked really well. Tires were pumped up and she was ready to rock!

Went to dinner with Nate, Mike, Kalen, and Katie. Always great company the night before a race with triathletes having similar goals. All of us had a 70.3 mile triathlon in front of us just hours away. Back to the hotel I went and got my kit and race belt ready.























Lights out at 9:30pm. Alarm set for 3am. Mike had the unfortunate luck of getting to registration and hour and a half later than me and the 2nd storm shut everything down. So he, along with many other athletes didn't have their packets. They would have to prepare stickers and other stuff before the race in the morning. We all know I like to get to races early to get good parking, now I would have competition! We left our hotel at 3:30am and were at the site around 4. This a picture of the moon still above the reservoir we swam in at about 4:30am.




















The announcement was made. Water temp was 76 degrees! Wetsuit legal by .1 degrees! WHEW! I put my nutrition bottles on Vengeance and carried my stuff into transition. Transition area was set up and back to body marking I went. Thats when I found Colleenand other Team RWB Eagles!




So I walk over to the high school aged girls who are doing body marking. I tell the girl my number and my age (37). I offer my left calf for my age and she says she's supposed to use right calf. I know which calf she uses makes no difference to anyone but me. I didn't want my tattoo covered up in any way. But whatever. She says she will write over it. So in Sharpie, she writes 47!!! Aged me 10 years! OMG!! Now I start wondering if I look 47???? After I see her mistake,  I politely go back to her and ask her to fix this.
 

Thats much better, I guess. After wishing people luck and a few trips to porta potty (yep, I took a poopfie)

I was ready to race!

My wave went off at 7:10. There were 2 waves ahead of me. The start of the swim is always chaotic. Lots of swimmers in only so much room. Bumping, kicking, and the occasional hits are common. I found my rhythm and just moved forward. One big reason I love IM brand races is the many buoys that help with sighting. 

We swam across the reservoir, made a right turn and then another right turn to head back towards shore. On the way back in, the sun was directly in our eyes. Sighting was difficult.  Tried staying in between the kayaks and was always happy to see a buoy. One swimmer actually grabbed my left ankle and held on for about 5-10 seconds. I thought my timing chip was going to get pulled off. I stayed moving forward but was happy to get that done. A quick stop at the wetsuit strippers (my favorite volunteer term!) and off to T1. Its a bit of a jog from the water to T1 in Muncie, but you take whats given to you. Mounted up for the 56 mile bike ride ahead. I had told a first timer a few days before, "Just don't smoke your legs on the bike! You still have a long run ahead of you!" 

Out on the course, there are photographers. I happened to see one up ahead. I struck this pose going about 18mph. I cracked up after the photographer took the pic and laughed himself. All I could think was how much fun I was having and how great I felt. The Muncie bike course goes out about 5 miles to a closed highway where we do 2 loops then come back the 5 miles to transition. I was all out rocking the bike. I was having a blast. I didn't look at splits or my speed, I just knew I was going fast! There was a tiny voice inside my head that questioned, "Are we going too fast? Don't we have a run left?" It must've been the wind, the other racers, and spectators that drowned that little voice out. Because I just kept hammering. I was passing people, I was using the harder gears to keep up my pace. Straight killing it! Then about mile 51, my legs started getting tired. Uh Oh I thought. Were not supposed to get tired yet. I let up on my speed, tried to stretch out the legs. I came back into transition and clicked my watch. 2:38 for 56 miles! Holy smokes, I just averaged 21 mph for 56 miles!!! That was far and away my best bike split. The race energy filled me to push myself. But triathlon is tricky. To be thrilled about my bike split was a double edged sword. Sure I went fast, but now I had to run 13.1.

I took my time racking my bike and switching shoes. My hamstrings were smoked. My quads didn't think pushing that hard on the bike was funny. My brain screamed at me that we knew better. I kept calm and started the run nice and slow. I used my run walk run intervals. People were passing me. I was ok with that. I kept telling myself, "Just work your plan. Don't worry about others." The Muncie run course is 6.55 miles out and back. Hills and little shade. After 2 miles, I felt a little better. The legs stretched out and my spirit lifted. I just stayed focused on moving forward. At the turn around, I was quite happy my legs were feeling good. My brain was getting foggy though and a couldn't remember when I took my last gel. Or when I was supposed to take another. Thats when I knew it was time to get more nutrition in me! In miles 8-10 I started catching people who had passed me early on in the run. That always helps my spirit. I saw teammates going the opposite direction and those high fives are gold! Absolutely incredible seeing so many friends and teammates out there crushing it! Then mile 11, my right hamstring started to warn me that a cramp was coming. Then the left calf said it didn't feel great either. I slowed down to try and walk it out then tried to pick up my pace. I drank Red Bull at the aid stations. Water and gatorade were drank. I was able to keep moving forward, but not quite as fast as I wanted. Then came the final hill. This hill is a jerk. Its just wrong to be put here at the end of a 70 mile race. I see THE BEST CHEER SQUAD EVER! My Team RWB teammates start cheering for me to get up that hill! This is the face I want to show people.

But this is truly how I felt



I was smoked. Everything was tired. I had used up all my energy. I was afraid of cramps attacking my legs. I allowed myself to finally look at my overall time on my watch and I knew a PR was within reach. I hit the top of the hill and the finish line chute was covered in people on both sides. They were cheering loud! I saw more RWB teammates! I actually kinda looked like I was running through the Finish Line! I stopped my watch and saw 5:53. I really wanted to break 6 hours. Muncie was my first 70.3 race in 2014 and it took me 8:17. Last year was 6:12. I showed real improvement (on the bike ;) and was proud of my effort and all the hard work I had done to get to this level of fitness. After almost 6 hours of hard exercise, I broke down crying. I was extremely happy (and tired). The flood of memories of Fat Matt, the hard work, the sacrifices. The SUCCESS! It all came out in tears. Once I composed myself, I cheered in my teammates and got some food. More teammates finished up and we celebrated our victory.  Now everyone was supposed to look overly tired in this photo, but I was the only one who followed directions. I believe after a few hours, we all felt this way. 

All in all, the race was great! Lessons were learned, fun was had. The best part of triathlon is getting to be around these amazing athletes. People with jobs, parents, students, who make time to better themselves and inspire others. I thank each racer, each volunteer, THE BEST CHEER SQUAD EVER, and all my friends and family who support this crazy life. I was so excited to call Brittney and share my joy with my PR. She told me she watched me finish with my daughters online! Brittney is incredibly supportive and I am one lucky guy to have her! Glad this race report is done, I have IM Ohio 70.3 in 2 weeks!


P.S. Just tri it!

Triathlon tips and tricks

So Triathlon season is upon us and my first big tri is rapidly approaching.

Ironman Muncie 70.3 is this Saturday July 8th. I've met some new people who are new to triathlon or new to 70.3 distance triathlon. So I thought I'd offer some of my thoughts on how to be successful in this crazy endurance sport. I want to ask those who have completed a 70.3 to offer their tips or tricks in the comment section. I was told to keep ears open, listen to advice, then pick out what works for me and not stress about the rest. I will complete this post in the way I'll complete this weekend. I am using this post as a pre-plan for me in hopes to help others. Whether you're running Muncie, Ohio 70.3 or any other long distance tri, I hope you find a little help here.

#1. Only stress over what you CAN CONTROL. You can't change the weather forecast or the water temp. (although don't think we haven't thought of dumping large amounts of ice into the swim water an hour before they take the temp)  Always take your wetsuit with you in case the race is wetsuit legal. If its not, you may decide to use it anyway and start in the last wave. Its your call. But don't check the forecast every 10 minutes the last 5 days before the race. The day before will give you a good idea, but it could change. Just be prepared to ride your bike in the rain, slow down a little, or have a hat/visor for full on sunshine on the run. Be flexible with the weather.

#2 Have addresses ready at hand of where you go to pick up your packet, transition areas (which may be the same as packet pick up) hotel address and maybe restaurant ideas for pre-race. 

#3  Make a list of all items needed and check it off as packed and loaded into your car. If it doesn't feel like you're moving out, you're probably forgetting something. I start my list with swim, then bike, then run, then nutrition. Then change of clothes. If you use something specific in training like Infinit in your bottles, take that. If you plan on using on course nutrition, make sure you slow down to not miss it while biking or running.

#4  If you use a watch or something that needs charged, like bike gear shifters, charge them up and take power cord with you. Just in case you need to charge something up over night. 

#5  Volunteers are amazing. THANK them! In the events I've been in, Muncie, Ohio, and Louisville, The volunteers will yell at you as you're coming in what you want. Yell back water or gatorade, or 1 of each! They will have what you want ready when you reach them. Then THANK them! These people keep us hydrated and motivated all day long. Some aid stations will have fruit, bananas or orange slices. Some will have candy. Coke or Red Bull is usually a staple. Whatever you choose, LOOK into the cup before you drink it. There is a small possibility you picked up the wrong cup or a bee decided to go for a swim in your drink. And if you drink that bee, it could be bad. Luckily, I spit the one bee out that actually made it in my mouth. Yes, it happens. Learn from me, LOOK in the cup before you drink. Try and stick to what you have trained with. If you haven't trained with coke, maybe save that for later if you start to feel energy crashing. The rush of caffeine helps pick you up but can mess with your stomach. Its a delicate decision.

#6  Your stomach. This crazy sport of exercising for hours on end can wreck a body. Hopefully you've been training to teach the body this is your "new normal" now and exercising for 3-5 hours is just what we do. If you read that last sentence and thought "what is he talking about?", I refer you to Cesar's Creek training with 40 minute swim, 2-4 hour bike followed by 15-30 minute run. The long training days is what teaches the body how to handle this. These training days are where you practice what nutrition works for you. I know when to use a Gu gel on the bike and run. I use mile markers. I also make sure I have Stinger waffles on me. You may get hungry. Use what you've trained with first! If you get hungry maybe try a banana or orange. But be prepared for the stomach to possibly start to hurt. Hydrate and walk it out, or slow your pace. Mental toughness may come into play here. Sometimes you gotta suck it up buttercup!

#7  Mental toughness. I remember showing up to my first Muncie 70.3 and seeing bikes and athletes that just looked more badass than at running races. I was in awe and didn't think I belonged. I was overwhelmed. I completed that race but learned there was a whole lot more to this than I had ever imagined. Don't get intimidated by someone with a aero helmet and fancy bike. I've learned some people try to buy all their speed and fail to train the engine, their own legs and heart. That being said, there are a lot of speed demons out there who will go kill this race. It won't be their first 70.3. If someone yells, "on your left!", move to the right as safely as you can. Do NOT be discouraged when the person who passes you has 68 on their leg indicating they are more than 2 decades older than you. Yes, this happens. Its just impressive. I figure they've just had more time to train than I've had. :) The mind may play games with you. It may tell you that you're tired or sore. It may say the swim is too long. Be prepared to fight that demon. Be prepared to say, "I just need to find my rhythm and make it to the next ....(buoy, street turn, light pole) then keep pushing forward. Have a motto, "Nice easy even effort" sang in my head over and over again tells my mind this isn't hard, its easy. I'm just moving with an even effort means the work load is separated evenly throughout the body and no part is worse than the others. Find your motto, fight the demon, and SMILE. When you smile, you tell the brain you're enjoying what is going on. Even if you're in pain, by smiling, it dampens the pain. The brain says were happy, it must not be that bad. Less stress, less pain, more energy moving forward. If you get in a bad spot, smile at it and let me know after your race how it worked for you.

#8  Other competitors. Don't be afraid to talk to other competitors. Before the race during or after. The triathlon community wants all to succeed. As long as you're covering the distance and not interfering with others, we all will cheer you along. Many athletes are nervous before the race. Its good to talk through it. You may be able to help someone chill out before the race starts. During the bike its cool to yell out to friends or others competitors nice job or good work. On the run, if you can find someone running about your pace, talk them up. Listen to their story, tell them your story, make a joke, if you can take your mind off your legs, you are winning. I've crushed 2-3 miles without realizing it because another athlete and I have kept each other from thinking how tired our legs are. If you happen to be part of a team, like RWB!!! Always give outran EAGLEUP! or EAGLEFIRE!! to other team members! It can perk you up while helping someone else.

#9  Goals. I've figured out that most of us are competitive in nature. We like to push ourselves. We have an idea of how fast we can go on each discipline. I like to be successful. It keeps me motivated to stay in the sport. So I set 3 goals in every major race. for example: goal 1- Finish the race, standing on my own 2 feet with no medical help needed. 70.3 miles is a LONG WAY. To be able to swim bike then run is incredible. We work our tails off to do it. So finishing a race of this distance is just impressive. No matter how fast I complete it in. Goal 2. Beat 6:12. Thats my Muncie course record. If I come in faster, I set a course PR. and course PR's usually mean I earned Dairy Queen that day. Goal 3. My "Pie in the sky everything went great and I finally run the entire run course without walking more than my intervals allow goal"  Beat 6 hours. I've beaten 6 hours on another 70.3 course but it was wetsuit legal and the run wasn't all that hot that day. Muncie's run has very little shade and is usually hot. My legs don't love running in the heat. I'm hoping this year that my run goes a little better than ever before. If it happens, great! If I beat 6 hours, I have earned Dairy Queen. If I don't beat 6, oh well. Life goes on and I focus on the next race. BUT I know I was successful because I hit at least one goal by finishing. If I come in officially at 6:01, I may get irritated with myself, I will complain about what I could've should've done different, but I will still get Dairy Queen later ;).

#10  Your family/friends/spectators. No matter what happens in your race, and you will tell as much as you can remember because its just so much fun!...THANK your family and friends for supporting you. We have to sacrifice time to train. We may miss out on family time or not get chores done as quick as we should (anyone wanting to mow my grass??) and we need to recognize those people who support us! If someone comes to your race just to cheer you on, they've given up their time to support you. They may get some beach time, but most of their time is spent waiting to see you in transition or a quick bike pass, or on the run. Seeing you finish your race may be great, but as Tom Petty says, "The waiting is the hardest part." So Thank your people!

Its late, there's a ton more I could say, but I think this list is a great start. At least this give athletes a few things to think about. Again, I encourage others to share their thoughts. If you have questions about any of the above, please ask! Someone else may be wondering the same thing. I love talking triathlons (thats no shocker) and I will answer any question about my previous experiences. My first Muncie I was way underprepared for the bike and it humbled me! Last year I rocked the bike but fell apart on the run. It's a learning experience. It's a ton of fun and just wild. I hope this helps at least one person in at least one way. When you get to your race.....CRUSH IT!!!