IM Happy Valley 70.3

Ironman Happy Valley 70.3  July 2, 2023

I’m starting this one off a little different. I’ll cover the normal details, the good (swim area, Finish Line!), and the challenging (bike course!) parts. I want to start this one off with full praise on the Happy Valley community!! I’ve been to lots of places and raced in lots of communities. I’ve seen my fair share of lonely bike courses. Which I get it. 56 miles usually out in farm country or long stretches of road isn’t appetizing to see really cool bikes go zipping by. Or being out in all kinds of weather to see runners run by may not be The Best Parade Ever. I believe the community of Happy Valley decided to show everyone else how to spectate and support athletes! I felt the love from the community when we first arrived. Bald Eagle State Park was jam packed with spectators and volunteers (big shout out to the volunteers who stepped up at the last minute to be wetsuit STRIPPERS!)

Then the support continued through the bike course! 

We did 2 miles in the park which was tight but wide enough to get it done. We then journeyed out to Amish country. I was so impressed with the Amish community being outside and watching us cyclists. I waved, they ALL waved back! Kids, adults, everyone showed love! I’ve rarely seen that  it was awesome! Then we ride into small mountain towns and everyone is out to see us! I wave or give a smile and stick my tongue out (I know you’re shocked by that) and these communities yell encouragement or wave back! So much LOVE! Then about mile 38 of the bike course is the long grinder hill. Big group of spectators there with signs like, “Kill the Hill!” (They are a poet and didn’t know it!). About half way, maybe 3 quarters up, there’s a group of like 10 teenagers, around 16ish, all losing their minds cheering so hard! Encouraging every cyclist to get up that hill. I return some love to them, which only fuels their fire to yell for me more. Incredible! I don’t know if any of these people truly know how much they help us conquer these challenges. The end of the ride enters Penn State campus. The love continues. Just a phenomenal community. Off the bike and onto the run, people are everywhere! It’s like they wanted to see everyone succeed. It started raining, the spectators decided that would not stop them. The volunteers on run course only worked harder. Whatever you wanted, you had 2 or 3 volunteers trying to help! Even the security guys who made sure only athletes got into Beaver Stadium were encouraging. I just can’t say enough about the ENTIRE COMMUNITY embracing athletes!! The love is greatly appreciated!!

Brittney and I left Friday morning. It’s about 6-6.5 hour drive from Dayton to Happy Valley. We got to Beaver Stadium  (named after a former Pennsylvania governor) just in time for me to check in and get my packet and sweet shirt. I’m a Buckeye fan through and through. Seeing Beaver Stadium (2nd largest football stadium in the nation) and being on PSU campus was very cool! 

I haven’t seen many college campuses, so being submersed in PSU was a great experience. Absolutely beautiful campus. Then there’s The Berkey Creamery. This campus ice cream store is elite. Brittney is an ice cream aficionado. She may have proclaimed The Creamery has the best ice cream (Death by Chocolate was amazing, she also enjoyed Peachy Paterno). Side note, the small concession store at Bald Eagle state park even sells Creamery ice cream! After finishing the race, athletes were given a scoop of Creamery ice cream! Enough about ice cream…but damn it was good!

Chris joined us for pizza at Faccia Luna which has a cool vibe and wood fired pizza! Washed it down with The Creamery goodness! Saturday morning brought bike check in and run bag check in. 

This race has 2 transitions which takes an extra step or two but isn’t a big hassle. I got some time to chill in my compression boots and increase my carbs! I heart carb loading day! Then got dinner and hang out time with great friends at their cabin! I love being around other athletes the night before a race. The nervous energy and excitement of the event that’s about to happen is fun to be around! It was fun, but had to leave early as race morning always starts early!

Race day! Alarm was set for 3:20. Chris and I left the hotel at 4:20. Parked at stadium and boarded shuttle bus. It’s about a 30 minute drive to Bald Eagle state park. I’ve found I’m kind of quiet on race mornings (this may surprise people). I’m focused on the job ahead. I’ve trained for months to try and do well at these events. I like listening to others talk about their past events, but I want to be focused on that day’s race. 

 I get transition set up and leave transition area so I’m not staring at and 2nd guessing myself. Chris and I had a meeting spot arranged to hang out until race start. Then we headed to the start corral. 

We talked with some other competitors while we waited to start. Tom Sens found us in line. This guy is always smiling and energetic! At his ripe old age of 162, I mean 62, he inspires me that I can continue these events for a long time! There were late shuttle buses which caused a 10 minute delay. Then the cannon went off and we were on our way!

I believe around 2600 athletes were registered for the race. It took a while to finally get to the start line. I distinctly remember “I’m so excited!” By The Pointer Sisters was on when I was given the signal to start my day. I sang that while I swam a lot! I had counted the seconds most athletes were taking as they ran out in the water and then dove in. I counted 6 seconds of running into water and dove in like an Olympic Champion!! (Probably looked more like a big kid falling into water, but it felt good!”). Water was 75.7 degrees and felt fantastic! I popped up and got right into my groove. Stayed relaxed. Swam to the next buoy. Repeat repeat repeat. Drafted when I could. Slapped some feet. Swam through bubbles. Made sure I didn’t get kicked in the face. Typical triangle swim. Water was smooth. I was smiling. It’s still wild to me that I can go out and do this. I didn’t grow up a swimmer. Now I can swim 1.2 miles in open water with a bunch of amazing athletes without a struggle. We only bunched up once or twice, there was no craziness I saw in the water. 

Once I got out of the water, I ran up to the awaiting STRIPPERS! Beautiful bunch of volunteers ready to rip off my clothes! Oops..wait wait…wetsuit  rip off my wetsuit! Not my clothes  this almost became my Only tri Fans page! 

I had the wetsuit off my shoulders and slid down on my butt and put both legs up! The guy grabbed the wetsuit and ZING! Wetsuit was off! Phenomenal process! If you’ve never had a wetsuit stripped off you, I highly recommend it! ;)

Into transition and shove the wetsuit and swim stuff into bike bag. Bike stuff on. Ready to go! Except one problem…my bike was too tall to get out under the rack! I spent at least 20-30 seconds trying to figure out how to get my bike out from the rack! Had to move the bike next to mine just to create the room. That’s never happened before. It’s a small thing, but the small things and how you react to those small things can have a major impact on your race. I had to stop, take a deep breath and then try again to get the bike out. Almost bent my straw in half to do it, but I was relieved when the bike came off the rack!

The bike course starts with an out and back in the park. Lots of athletes hopping on their bikes and trying to right themselves for a 56 mile ride. The park road was a decent size road that was split down the middle with cones. We went about a mile down and then came right back up. On the way back, I hear Chris say “Hey!”. 

About 1 minute later, I hear, “Nice ass!”  Chris had caught me quick! I saw a photographer and told Chris I hoped the photographer got a pic with me in front of Chris on the bike  because that NEVER HAPPENS!!

Chris passes me and I don’t see him again for a long time! I see Jim Little and say hello and wish him good luck on his ride. I’m trying to get my heart rate down and yet keep a decent speed on the bike. Heart rate is a little higher than my target but decide to go with it. It’s rolling hills on the way out.  Nothing crazy but not free speed either. The course makes you earn every mile. The road conditions were very nice. The spectators were engaged. Then about 35 minutes into the ride, or 22ish miles, the course goes up  it’s a long steady incline. This doesn’t feel that bad early on. But it’s taxing the legs. I’m working a little harder than I want to be, but I go with it. Finally, a down hill! If you’ve never been to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, let me tell you, it’s hills, all hills. 

There’s one flat spot, but it’s not on the bike or run course! 

After that downhill..you guessed it, a sharp up hill! This isn’t as long, but it’s steep. Our bikes are not going very fast here. I’m feeling this hill. Not even looking at heart rate, just trying to get to the top. Feeling good, but knowing I’m burning matches. Finally crest that steep hill and get to fly down the other side. No surprise, we then start the long slog which is still gaining elevation. It’s nothing crazy, but the long grind is tiring out the legs. 

I started singing, “this is the road that never ends! It goes on and on my friends.” Another athlete said I should sing it for the rest of the ride. I heard him laugh as I started to sing louder! After the super long not flat road, we hit this little town with a big group of people cheering. “Kill the Hill” is the sign I focused on and knew it was game time. It’s about mile 38 where Centre Hall Mountain climb begins. This climb has the bonus of both long and steep! The climb doesn’t even charge you extra for the gross amount of difficulty it presents. There are a lot of cyclists now bunched up crawling up the mountain. I had the same thought that I had in Blue Ridge, “Worst parade of super sweet bikes going ridiculously SLOW!”  People in town were cheering for us, encouraging athletes to just keep pedaling! My legs were not happy. I could feel every foot of elevation I pedaled up. I just kept on pedaling, in the easiest gear I had, slowly climbing. Just keep on climbing. Then I started to hear this group yelling and cheering! I talked about them above. Absolutely giving everything they had to cheer on others! They were fun! They helped immensely! Which was great because one major negative about this race was literally on the other side of this mountain. Usually after you climb a big hill, you get a big downhill speed bomb where you recover heart rate while moving quickly.  

Not at Happy Valley 70.3….Ironman implemented a “Speed Zone” for the downhill. We were told we could not average over 25 mph for this downhill section. If you went over 25, you would be disqualified. They had a timing strip and a camera watching this section. After flying down the Keene descent in Lake Placid, I can’t figure this Speed Zone out. There are some turns but nothing sharp. It’s about a mile or so long and my brakes did NOT like me holding onto them while going downhill. On the Ironman sign, it said, “No Passing Zone”. This is a great idea if everyone is the same on comfort and speed. Triathletes are a wide group who some love the downhill while others do not. It was rather confusing to have both signs. If I want to average 24 mph and the cyclist in front of me is averaging 18, do I not pass and now get stuck going extra slow??? I really didn’t want to be DQ’d, but I didn’t want to lose time due to others going so slow! I finally got to the end of the speed zone and enjoyed the 10 ft left of the descent  before we turned right and continued toward campus. 

There were a few places my tri bike came in helpful as I got some speed but they didn’t last long. There was one left turn at a T intersection where I was coming in hot. I hit the breaks and sat up to make the turn. I believe my front tire made the turn with less than an inch before leaving pavement. I smiled as I knew I cut that close but made it. I knew I was getting close to campus as the number of spectators was increasing. I rode past Snappy’s gas station. I doubt it’s anything special, but they had good signage and I always made a way bigger deal to shout, “Snappy’s!” When I saw it. Then I hit University Dr. You’d think I’d be super happy about this  Gotta be back to campus if I’m on University Dr! But let’s not forget, this is Penn State. So of course, you have to go UP hill on University Dr. After 54 miles and plenty of elevation, you get to climb 2 more miles! Sadistic. Just not right. Challenging!! Taxing! Not fun! Then, BOOM! Huge stadium! Tons of spectators! There’s my beautiful wife! I call out to her. She hears me say how tough that bike course was! Athletes running!! We’re almost off this bike!! Thank goodness that’s over!! Long chute before dismount, and off the bike we go! 

It’s way easier to rack my bike than it was to remove the bike. Much more room when there aren’t bikes blocking all around. Shoes come off. Socks are wet. Decision is made to change socks. Dry socks and running shoes feel much better. Off to the run I go! Pickle juice down the hatch. Feeling great! Let’s crush this run! I see Brittney again and tell her I love her and that I’m feeling great! Go another quarter of a mile and realize I need to chill. Heart rate check, 166! Oh shit! 166 is very high for me. I want to start in zone 2. Closer to 125. So I walk. Breathe Matt. Chill. Get the heart rate down to 130 and start to run. Heart rate spikes again. I walk. Repeat 2 more times and finally I settle in. The spectators and volunteers all around the course are phenomenal! Lots of signs, lots of cheering, lots of cowbells! The course is cool because it’s all on the PSU campus! It goes up and down, in between buildings, on the sidewalk next to their little “downtown” area. It’s a sight seeing tour of PSU that if you missed something the first loop, you  could see it on the 2nd loop!

The course ran past the Nittany Lion statue,

 some really historic buildings, up into the technology building and through this buildings. I made one mistake though, I told Brittney a good place to be to see me. It was very close to The Creamery. She was right where I told her to be when I came by. Then I hit the turn around and expected to see her again. But guess who was in line to get some ice cream while I ran by??? To be fair, it was close to noon. There weren’t many lunch options other than the Creamery, and Brittney doesn’t miss ice cream opportunities!! She had also gotten up early and ran the campus before coming out to cheer and support me. She’s an amazing wife, I’m super lucky to call her mine!

As I ran, I noticed how much I was sweating. It was kind of ridiculous. Humidity had hit Happy Valley and it was making me sweat. I had to keep taking in fluids. I used as much ice as I could to keep body temp down. I set a heart rate limit of 150 now. Let myself work but not get out of control. My pace wasn’t anything fast, but I never cramped and never had a negative mind set. Stayed within my mile, kept moving forward. Found myself back at the intersection close to Creamery and there’s Britt! Such a beautiful sight! Then head down the out and back and Chris is coming towards me! We high five and wish each other luck to the end. I keep on moving. Feels slow, but I’m moving forward. I start down the street where I know there’s a split. Left side is to head to Finish Line! I stay left. I know I’ve made it. I hear a whistle! It’s Jamie Viers! Dude crushed his bike portion then came out to cheer!  It’s time to savor the Finish. I enter the Stadium tunnel with a decent number of security making sure only athletes enter the tunnel. I’m taking it all in. It’s so cool! Then the entrance to the field is bright! It’s my favorite time! I run out and am surrounded by this enormous stadium with 2 huge score boards and fans in the stadium! 

I’m thinking of how many Ohio State games have been fought on this very field! I hit the red carpet and look behind me. No one there! The finish line is all mine!! I wave at the crowd! Put my hand up to my ear! Give me noise crowd! The announcer says, “Matthew Kennard from Dayton,Ohio wants to hear something!” The crowd gets loud! I flex! 

I smile from ear to ear! Absolutely eat up every part of this finish on the 50 yard line!! I cross under the banner and another 70.3 is conquered. I get my super sweet medal and some water. I walk a little and just take in the sights of the stadium. It’s incredible how big it is. 

Almost as cool as The Shoe in Columbus…almost ;)  Then I break down in tears, crying like a baby. It never fails, knowing I was a guy who let himself be overweight and lazy, who has dealt with ups and downs, who has tried to balance being a good husband and father while training for triathlon on top of a full time stressful job…and again being successful in this endurance challenge with the support of my wife, I’m just so blessed and thankful. This challenge always strips me to my core and I have nothing but raw emotion left. Feels good to let it out. I walk out and get a choice of chocolate , strawberry or vanilla Creamery ice cream! I think Brittney would like chocolate the best, so I take a chocolate. Brittney finds me. She shares a little ice cream but let’s me eat most of it. We talk then find the athlete food tent. Ironman did not have good signs out to let athletes know where this was. Ironman did do a great job of having a clearly marked gluten free chicken wrap which was delicious! That was appreciated!! Then Britt got some brisket nachos from a food truck and those were good also. We found the Rogue team hanging out under a tent. It seemed like everyone had a great day. Talked to some other athletes and then the rain started picking up. Got my bags and bike. We almost made it to the car before the rain started dumping on us!! I was very thankful I was able to just throw everything in the car!

I’ve had a few days to think this one over. Would I race it again, absolutely. Am I in a hurry to do it again, no. That bike course kicked my ass. As this race is at the end of June and beginning of July, there’s a decent chance weather gets hot. We were lucky to have overcast and light rain for most of it. (I know the 7-8 hour athletes had to fight the down pours!)

The community embraced the race. Ironman does a great job. But after back to back 70.3 races with stupid hard bike courses, I’m ready to race some without mountains! I hope they remove the Speed Zone from bike course. I pray they keep the Finish Line at the 50 yard line! 

I can’t thank all the volunteers enough! Without them, we don’t get to play triathlon. It was nice seeing friendly faces on the course. 

To Brittney, my beautiful wife and best friend. My biggest supporter. This was a spectacular weekend away and I love you so much!! Thank you for all you do for me and our family!!

IRONDAD’s journey continues in Milwaukee in early August to race USAT Nationals Olympic and Sprint distances!

Virginia Blue Ridge 70.3

 Virginia Blue Ridge 70.3. 

Where do I begin?? I’m going back to April 2018. Kevin Sturm and I run the Blue Ridge Marathon. The tall tale of superhero Joe Cobb is born. The challenge of hills in the area makes me love the city for endurance events. Then the relationship is made with the real Joe Cobb, who ends up becoming Vice Mayor of Roanoke. A local doctor gets the idea of putting on a 70.3 in Roanoke. Ironman signs a contract with Roanoke and boom, a 70.3 is born  Kevin participates in 2021, the inaugural year and gets medaled by the one and only Joe Cobb!! Kevin also comes back to tell of how the bike course is extremely difficult due to a section called The Claw. With the adventure mindset and want to continue seeing new places, I decided I needed to try my fitness at this 70.3.  

What I didn’t know was that the swim was in Carvin’s Cove. 

Carvin's Cove

This is a protected reservoir that feeds the city its water. There is no swimming in Carvin’s Cove year round, except for the 70.3 race. I love getting these opportunities to do things most people don’t. I had no idea that the road to Carvin’s was a 1 lane road that was tight for a school bus to get down. Athletes weren’t even allowed to go there before the race. Spectators were not allowed to go there before or during the race. Athletes had to check in bikes the day before the race and Ironman had a company load up the bikes and transport them to the cove. This race was different! This was my 15th 70.3  I’ve always been able to see the water we swim in and I’ve always racked my bike. 

Then there’s The Claw.  Technically it’s a 4.7 mile stretch of road that goes up about 2,000 feet at an average grade of 5.5% . 

Elevation chart for the course

The Claw leads up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I over researched The Claw  I found people using the terms Epic and Brutal to describe The Claw. Living in Ohio, I don’t have a 5 mile straight up climb to train on. I do have a great training plan from the 80/20 group and big hills in Waynesville though. I used that and Alp du Zwift on Zwift to try and prepare the legs for this challenge. I became quite nervous about this climb. Ironman even threw in a sub challenge to the fastest male and female athletes up The Claw wins a new cycling computer.  They had timing mats to keep track of everyone’s speed up the Claw. I’ve made the mistake in a 70.3 more than once of killing a bike course and fatiguing my legs so bad I couldn’t run. Throwing in this 5 mile stretch only magnified the opportunity to blow up and have a really long day! Kona Paul always taught me to never grind up a hill, always spin easy. Kevin told me people were seen walking their bikes up The Claw. I did not want to do that. I wanted to beat The Claw and have a decent run. Everyone has their own version of what a decent run is during a 70.3. 

The day before the race was freaking hot, real hot! Like 87-88degrees of full sun. Chris went to Roanoke to train for his upcoming Ironman race and drive me home. He melted on his bike ride (100 miles of riding the same course I did, but then he rode it backwards also). Chris came back to the hotel and assured me I’d be fine on The Claw but I needed to respect the difficulty level of the climb  and not over do it. Another athlete had broken down the bike course as: First 23 miles has 600 ft elevation gain.  Next 8 miles, 2000 ft gain  Last 25 miles has 400 ft gain. I knew if I could make it to mile 31 on the bike, I’d be okay. The run course was flat except between miles 10-12 which had 2 or 3 hills. Nothing terribly hard or anything to worry about. 

A few days before Chris and I are scheduled to leave, I reach out to Joe Cobb and invite him to dinner on Saturday. Friday arrives before I know it. Chris and I drive down to Virginia and the adventure has begun!

Saturday goes smoothly. Get my daily mile ran, check in for the race. Sticker the bike and turn it in. Chill and nap at hotel. Then dinner with Joe Cobb and his husband James. 

Dinner with amazing friends!

I think it was as cool for them to get to hear the stories Chris, Marie, and I have, as it was for us to hear the stories of Joe’s political career and how it affects their family life. As an extrovert who loves meeting people and learning new things about an area I’m racing in, my heart was so happy! And this relationship materialized out of nothing more than Kevin and I taking our minds off our legs by using political signs is just too funny to me. After dinner, Chris and I decided to go see The Claw. We drove out and up, up, up, up we went. It seemed like it went on forever. And that was in the car. Reinforcing the idea The Claw was a real challenge and had great potential to overcook the legs on it. On the drive out from The Claw, I had never seen so many deer! They were everywhere! In a few of the peoples back yards, in the grassy areas, on the road! Ton of deer!

Sunday! Raceday!! The best day!!

Alarm goes off at 3:10am. Hotel Roanoke offered a shuttle to Ironman Village where shuttle takes us to Carvin’s Cove. It’s about a 20 minute drive. Then we sit and wait for about 15 minutes. We are 2 miles from The Cove. Due to the small road, we had to wait for the other buses to get out of the cove before we could drive into it. A full school bus loaded with antsy triathletes just sitting still, you could feel the nerves. Finally we drive down. It’s about 5am and still pretty dark. I’m setting up transition when someone says, “oh man!! Look at that view !” 

I turn around and realize the sun has rose just enough to show us the beauty of the mountains and Carvin’s Cove! It’s freaking gorgeous. Water was so calm. Area clean. I felt blessed just to be there. 

A lot of people will never get to see that in person. This racing lifestyle has put me in so many epic places! I’m truly grateful to do this and see so many amazing places! Then the announcer asks a new request. Anyone here want to sing the National Anthem?? I have no idea if they had someone lined up who bailed or if they planned to just play a recording, I don’t know. The announcer said if they had a volunteer, they’d have to answer a question or 2 and maybe sing a line, then they were hired. Her name escapes me, but a young lady stepped up and knocked it out of the park! Absolutely amazing job! I’m not sure if she was an athlete or volunteer, but she did great! All athletes gave her a lot of love after her performance! Marie and I made our way to the starting corrals and BOOM! The cannon went off  

We were led to the end of the dock and jumped off 2 at a time every 5 seconds. Marie and I started at the exact same time. Water was 72 degrees and flat as glass. I experienced very little contact with other swimmers. Even the turns that usually bunch people up had no traffic jams. I stayed consistent and relaxed. I tried drafting other swimmers but most were faster than me and I was not here to use all my energy this early. I felt great  I tapered well. Swim went by pretty easy. 

I saw 40 minutes on my watch and was happy with that time. Found my bike, removed wetsuit, put wetsuit and goggles in bike bag. Dried off feet and put cycling shoes and helmet on. Then we had to run the bike up a small hill before we could mount the bike. Just so we could pedal maybe twice before we started up another hill! We had to climb out of the Cove to  get to the main road. There was a little more climbing on the main road before we started descending again. The plan was to go fast without burning up the legs for the first 20-22 miles. Then easy spin the next 8 miles. There was a small town we rode through  that had a sign as you entered, “The Gateway to the Shenandoah Valley!”  I made a huge production about this in my head. It’s what I do to entertain myself instead of stressing about what was ahead. Very nice people in this town who showed us a lot of love. I made an extra effort to wave and say good morning to these fine folks cheering for us. Then at mile 13, I’m going up this small incline. My chain drops! I’m not sure why or how, but it drops. At least I’m like 90% up this hill. I fix it pretty quickly and jump back on my bike. This is not the course to have chain issues. I remember a guy on the video of tips and tricks saying,” be prepared for a few things to go wrong, it happens, fix it, recover and move on.”  That’s what I did.  I tested a few gear changes to make sure Vengeance was good and never had another chain issue. I took in some good nutrition and set my mind for the challenge ahead. 

Ironman had a big inflatable entrance sign welcoming cyclists to “Conquer The Claw!”. It’s game time baby! I try taking all speed and momentum with me as the road started to pitch upwards. Then I see a sign that wasn’t there last night.  “Ironman The Claw Turn 1 of 8”. This may have been bad for some but to me it worked great. I love breaking things down into small pieces. I just needed to find the next sign. The Claw road is smooth but winding. It’s all up hill but for the majority, it isn’t overly steep. There are 3 or 4 left turns that get steep, but they aren’t super long.  I looked at my watch, I remember seeing 1:10 for my cycling time when I started The Claw. I had my easiest gear going. 

 Climbing The Claw!

I was pedaling easy but could feel my heart rate rising  Tried to stay chill. Wasn’t my plan, but I was passing people. Most looked like solid riders. I was feeling good and my confidence rose with every “The Claw turn # of 8” sign I found. When I hit turn 8 of 8, I knew I had it licked. There was another sign, “You have conquered The Claw!” In my head, I said, “Fuck yeah I did!” And now let’s do this! The road hit a flat spot, a small turn….and then another climb!! I knew this was coming but it was like, “Cmon man!! I want to go fast!”  Then the next surprise hit. The cloud cover had really set in on top of the mountain. Most people call this fog but I’m racing in the mountains, so I call it clouds! 

you should be able to see way out here

bikes would disappear and reappear through the clouds

I know I should be able to see epic views, but nope! All I can see is clouds! The double yellow lines splitting the traffic lanes stands out but not super far. 

 out of the clouds!

 aid station in the clouds!

And now the road starts the descent! My bike is flying! I’m not even pedaling. I’m smiling and laughing. I can’t believe I’m bombing down a mountain with very low visibility at about 35-40 mph on a tri bike.  It’s wild!! A little scary!! A ton of fun! Then a cyclist goes flying by me and DISAPPEARS into the clouds! I saw the dude, and then he was gone! The clouds were so thick!! You couldn’t see more than 10ft in front of you! Then after all that bombing down, we hit another climb! We were at mile 33 and I remember thinking, “so much for the climbing being done at mile 31!” Back to easy spinning up this hill. Now I’m climbing through the clouds!

Climbing in the clouds!

And it’s getting cold! COLD!! Yesterday Chris was melting up here, and I’m genuinely cold. Then I catch this guy wearing a dark purple “F@ck Cancer” kit. Dark purple has always been my favorite color! And we all know people who have been affected by cancer. So I compliment the guy on his wicked awesome kit. I get a half assed “Thanks” back.  Ewwww, he’s in a bad place mentally. I said, “come on man! This fun!” He replies, “Fun?? This whole race is a joke! This ain’t fun!”

“Keep your head up brother!” I say as I cruise on by  poor guy had such an awesome kit in an epic opportunity and was all mad or angry. I just pushed on  we start bombing downhill again. I’m laughing. I’m smiling. I see signs about specific view points. All I can see is white clouds. I slow way down when signs show curvy roads. It’s always safer to go slow than to throw caution to the wind and crash. Finally, after descending for quite some time, the clouds disappeared and I could see trees again. Legs are feeling great after recovering on the descents. I’m taking in nutrition. Feeling good. Get to the city and finish off the slower section and back to transition. My watch says 3:05 for the bike ride. I’m super happy with this result. 56 miles with all that climbing in 3:05, and I feel ready to run! Hell yeah!!

I get to transition. I get my run stuff on and off I go! 

Hit The Pose!

Because we had to check in our run bag on Saturday , I had not filled my handheld bottle with water. It had my infinite blend but I needed water. There were some young ladies handing out water cups as you started the run. I asked if one young lady would pour 1 or 2 into my bottle. She used all 3 she had and filled it perfectly. I asked her to remove my red wristband off my right wrist because she just became my favorite volunteer! She smiled so big! Then one of her friends said, “dang it, that’s her 2nd one!”  Those volunteer appreciation bands are hot commodities! I hit my pickle juice just as Chris was walking up towards me. Always makes me cough! I tried explaining how much fun I had on that bike course without taking all day and off I went. Goal was now to keep heart rate low to start the run. So of course it tried to spike just over a half a mile in.  Walk a little and breathe. Stay calm. Back to running. 

I try and say Good Job or Good Work to all the other athletes. I don’t get very many encouraging words back. I’m giving these faster athletes some leeway as they were probably suffering more as they were pushing harder than I was. The run was 90% bike path. Close to 3.5 miles out and then back  to start. That made sure you got to see lots of athletes.  It wasn’t too long before I see Marie coming towards me looking strong and fast! In our true rivalry fashion, she tells that I better hurry up if I’m going to catch her! That isn’t going to happen! I’m content controlling my heart rate and staying in control. Life is good. Just find the next mile marker. Volunteers are awesome! Get us whatever we need. Always encouraging. Legs are now getting tired. I’m about 9 miles in and want to slow down. I remember Joe Cobb is awaiting me at the finish line. I must keep it moving! Just passed mile 10, I hit the downhill. Feels good switching up the stride. 

Athlete in red is an engineer who graduated from Purdue. Has 2 daughters.

Cross a bridge and there’s a DJ rocking out dance music. It helps keep me moving! Hit that turnaround and talk to another guy who has 2 daughters. We only talk briefly, but it helped. Walked up the hill and back to running. We’re almost there now! I know when I make the left turn off the path, the finish line will be in sight. 

And it’s glorious!! People on both sides! I’m getting all the high fives I can get! 

Then I see Chris and Marie! I hear the announcer say my name! I cross the Finish Line and stop my watch. 6:15! I’m thrilled with a 6:15! I wasn’t sure how I would do with this huge mountain in the middle of my race and I still nailed a 6:15!! Hells yeah!! Success!!! Plus I’m not hurting and didn’t  cramp! That’s a big win!

Vice Mayor Joe Cobb then came over and placed my well earned Finisher Medal around my neck! Man, that was the icing to this amazing cake! 

After a quick chat about the course, Joe had other responsibilities to get to. Chris then tells me he has already collected my bike and all my bags and loaded them into my car! He brought my phone to me so I could call Brittney. If you can bring an Ironman as your Sherpa, do that! It was awesome to just get some food and walk back to the car! 

Unfortunately, due to road construction on the Blue Ridge Parkway next year, there won’t be a Blue Ridge 70.3 in 2024. Joe Cobb believes the community wants the race to come back in the future. I would absolutely race here again! I might even be able to have dinner with the Mayor next time! Fingers crossed 🤞!! #joecobbformayor

I have to thank my beautiful wife and wonderful kids for their support. They all have responsibilities and events and didn’t get to join me on this trip. They have been to so many races and always understood Daddy needs to exercise to stay sane. I thought of them a lot during my weekend away!

Chris gets a big thank you for all his help and putting up with me in the car on the ride home. I was tired and feisty!

Ross Heart Hospital TriFit Challenge

 Why Hello Friends! It's your old friend the Irondad with a tale from the land of Buckeyes and the OLENTANGY River! The tale includes the results from a scientific experiment, a lack of communication and direction, a strong effort, a quickly changing range of emotions, and a dragon fight! 

Let's begin from the top. A "local" triathlon company HFP Racing posted a race called the Ross Heart Hospital TriFit Challenge. The race had multiple distances, super-sprint, sprint, and Olympic. The race was touted to finish inside the Ohio State Stadium. Being a Buckeye fan who wanted to race an Olympic tri, this was perfect. I had to wait for the kids schedules and then the planning of our vacation to see if I'd be home for this race. As luck would have it, the stars aligned for me to be home 2 days before race day. Perfect! The science experiment was set; How will my body respond to racing a triathlon after taking 10 days off of training? To be transparent, I had to keep my run streak alive. I ran everyday on vacation, most days 1-2 miles. Never more than 4 miles. Take into account that 3 days were Universal theme park days which had me over 20,000 steps every day. 

Heidi and I got to meet Optimus Prime!

Throw in Florida heat and humidity in mid-July. I wasn't exactly sitting around doing nothing, but I didn't swim or bike for 10 days before this race. What I can attest to is that before we left for vacation, I've been consistently training since January. It's that consistency that I believe led to great fitness. The 10 day break allowed everything to set in and the muscles to recover. That's what I'm going with anyway!

 I don't know what changed but we got an email July 11 showing the run course had been changed.

If the jury would please note the line, " The entire loop is a 5k. The Challenge distance will repeat the 5k course..totals 6.4 miles". Fair enough! And easy! 2 loops, got it! I guess we aren't finishing in the stadium anymore?? No mention of that!

The race director would then send out 5 more emails. Which I kept to reference. Which I read. I attended the athlete briefing at 3pm and listened to the race director. Never was it sent in an email or mentioned at the briefing that the run course was NOT a 5k, and there was now an intersection. This my friends, is my biggest gripe, where my frustration lies. Triathletes pay good money to do these races. We have an expectation of good course marking. We get told, "It's on the athlete to know the course!" It should've been a red flag to me when Doug and Heidi Calvert said they tried to figure out the run course the day before, but couldn't. With no mention of run course changes at the athlete briefing, I figure we are solid. I follow the signs, I run 2 loops. It totals 6.4 miles. No problem. 

In 2018, I raced Ironman Canada and then took a 2 week break to recover before starting Age Group Nationals in Cleveland. That experience taught me I can take a break and still complete an Olympic distance tri. I might not be in top form, my legs might hate me, but I can complete it. I used that experience to stay pretty chill about this race. My brain also wondered if the 10 day break meant I was well rested and ready to go for this race. I decided to test my body. Lets see what happens if we stay relaxed in the water, push pace on the bike and run like I stole something! 

I awoke at 4:15 am. I made my way to Ohio Stadium. This was a 2 transition race. T1 would be in Antrim Park, just outside of the lake. T2 was in a practice field behind Ohio Stadium. I delivered my run shoes and race belt to my rack. I looked around T2 and found no porta potties. That's odd I thought. I walked around and found some about a quarter mile away. I returned to my car and grabbed my swim and bike stuff and rode the shuttle to T1. I'm still pretty chill at this point. I met a friend named Brian and his 38 week pregnant wife Jules. Brian raced, Jules cheered. Doug and Heidi Calvert were ready to race. Got my transition set up and started making my way to swim start. I run into Bart and Eileen Girdwood. I love seeing friendly faces that I didn't know I was going to see! We chat right up until race time. I'm still pretty chill. No stress. Not nervous. Lets just see how this goes. 

Athletes get called up by gender and age group. As were lined up, 2 or 3 dudes push past me to get in front of me. I sized them up. My brain said, "those dudes should not be starting in front of you." Maybe this is egotistical? Maybe its my race experience? Maybe it's my competitive brain. The thought that they pushed past me triggered a fire in my brain. My brain said, "OK, you start in front of me. Go ahead. Have at it. I'm going to smoke you in the water! I'll freaking show you I'm a better swimmer when I pass you." It happened quick. That trigger kicked in hard. When I dove into the water, my brain and body said, "Lets do this!" I was thrilled to death that I felt great in the water. Lake was clear and flat as a pancake. I thought of Ivan Drago in Rocky as I was passing dudes. "If he dies, he dies." I was swimming with passion. I saw swimmers stop and lift their heads up. Different strokes being used. I was in my groove and swam what I think is my best swim to date.

 I used that fire from guys pushing past me to propel my arms. I'm learning more and more about what I term positive and negative motivation. Some people do really well staying happy and just being in the moment. At times, that positive motivation is great when pacing myself. I've tried staying positive in races where I want to go fast and it just doesn't fuel my fire like negative motivation. This may be a personality flaw or issue with "past demons", but when I want to go fast, I need to get pissed. The other dudes that pushed past me may have meant no disrespect at all. They could have wanted to join friends? Maybe they thought I wasn't a threat to be a better swimmer? But my brain latched on to the thought that they were now targets for me to pass and steal their energy. Show them my fitness is better. CRUSH THEM!!!

After 2 loops in the drink, I jump out feeling great. I wanted a sub 30 minute swim and I got it. I start running towards T1. I'm not messing around, I want to get on my bike. I've missed cycling. Its game time. This is only a 24 mile ride and I want to go FAST! Had to take an extra few seconds to get everything including wetsuit into a plastic bag that HFP would later transport to Ohio Stadium for me. No problem here. I get to the mount line and hit the button on my watch to start the bike portion of the triathlon setting. It looks like it doesn't take. So I hit the button again and start pedaling. Legs are good. I hit the road and my quads are ready for this. I'm feeling confident. I'm not looking at heart rate today! I'm pushing pace. I'm daring my legs to blow up. I double check my watch to see it says I'm in T2 mode. Shit!! Apparently the first button press was enough! I let it go for a few minutes trying to decide if I try to fix it or just let it go. I don't want to waste the time. I do want better data for my upcoming training. I decide to go through the buttons and save the swim data. Once the data is saved, I set the watch on bike mode and hit start while cycling. I got 22.7 miles logged on Garmin at 21.4 mph During the bike course, there's a bit of a downhill just outside of a neighborhood. Section of road easy to speed on. There was a "Your Speed" radar sign! I saw 31 mph while I flew by! That made me smile! I was straight cruising. Never looked at speed or heart rate, just pedaled. I tried not to crank too hard, but I knew I was working. I then go to take in some Base Salt. This is a process I have down really well. Unless I hit a storm sewer grate. I about launched myself over the handle bars. It was a good save. I then put the Base salt tube down. I didn't need that anymore. Short scare! Then we proceed to a left turn. The cyclist in front of me is wearing an event shirt. It's flapping in the wind. I'm thinking the shirt is not very aero. The cyclist doesn't slow down very much for the tight turn and totally eats the curb! Ker pow! He rolls over in the grass. I ask if he's ok as I roll by. He says, "I'm alright." My brain says that's what he gets for wearing the event shirt before completing it! ;). I finish the bike strong and I'm ready to run!

T2 goes flawlessly. Rack the bike, switch the shoes. Race belt on. Grab hat and handheld water bottle and off I go. Legs are good. I'm feeling good. Time to go to work. Watch beeps after 2:30 for my intervals. Nope! Not today! Today is push the legs. I follow the signs. I follow the orange arrows. I'm passing people on the run course. I'm breathing hard and can feel my heart rate is up. I know I'm pushing myself and just hope I don't cramp or blow up! Running around Ohio Stadium and seeing all these athletes all around is just fueling my fire to keep running. I walked through an aid station or 2 but I kept pushing. I believed this was a PR race. I felt that good. 

I'm expecting that first loop to be 3.1 miles long. I get back to the practice field where we started at 2 miles on my watch. "Oh this isn't good!" I hit the intersection of doom and see a sign that says, "2nd loop turn right", there's an arrow pointing right. I turn right and go in between the tennis courts. Out into campus we go. Back to what looks like where I just ran. This isn't good. I can't do math very well, but 2 loops of 2 miles I was pretty sure equaled 4 miles. And wouldn't you know it, at about 4 miles on my watch, I hit the intersection of doom. Same sign there. No other signs. I ask the volunteer, poor lady, "Where do I go after my 2nd lap?" She replies ever so gracefully, " I have no idea!" My brain is stunned. I already did a 2nd loop. Where do I go? Another athlete runs up and says, "If you already did a 2nd loop, you go straight thru." OKAY! I run straight thru. I find more arrows! Yay!! Race is saved!! Now I'm in a different part of campus! Here's the last 2.5 miles! Thank goodness!! Don't stop legs! Keep pushing!!

I hear the finish line announcer. I see a long line on both sides of the finish shoot. I look at my watch. 4.9 miles ran. WTF!!!!! I ask a course volunteer if the course had been shortened? Nope! It should be 6.5 miles. I'm not happy. I'm gassed. I don't think I can fix this. I run down the finish shoot and stop my watch at 5.01 miles ran. I'm handed a medal. I don't think I've earned that medal. I ask the next athlete who looks like they did the Challenge distance what mileage he ran. "8 miles! I ran the 2nd loop twice because that intersection didn't say where to go!" So I ran 5, he ran 8. Another guy said he didn't have a watch so he didn't know how far he ran. I made my way to the timing table. I explained I only ran 5 miles due to course confusion. I self reported. I did the right thing. I was mad. I busted my ass in all 3 disciplines to be told, "Well, that will DQ you." If I had tried to short cut it or did something against the rules on purpose, I'd be good with a DQ. I'm still frustrated as I type this that the course was changed, it was never communicated, and staffed with a volunteer at the problem spot who did not know how to guide runners.

How the company allowed this mess to happen, blows my mind. I was riding high. I have no idea how I was doing compared to my age group peers. I just know I busted my ass out there, to be DQ'd. Very disappointing!! I gave my medal to a little girl named Nora. She will enjoy it much more than I would. I'm bottling up this anger and frustration. It just so happens that the Zoom Olympic distance at Caeser's Creek is next Sunday. Revenge race coming up!

Side note, 2 weeks ago, this company, HFP Racing held a race at Caeser's Creek. It was not their fault that the county had tore up a road and chip and sealed it, dangerous for tri bikes to ride on, but the company chose not to tell athletes until race morning, which was raining. Chip and seal plus rain= very bad for tri bikes. They state athlete safety is their main concern but choose not to communicate road hazards or run course changes. I don't see myself giving HFP any more of my money any time soon.

On a positive note, I showed myself I can still race Olympic distance triathlons. Really race them. Push speed. Push heart rate. Run fast! Bike fast! Go hard! My 2nd run mile was a 7:59! 8:03 for the 3rd and 8:04 for the 4th mile. I was cooking! After a hard swim and fast bike! This all lines up well as I start to prepare for my last A race of 2022, IM Muncie 70.3. The science experiment showed that a long consistent training plan can allow for an "extended taper."

I will go to bed tonight and the sun will arise tomorrow. I'll take these lessons learned. I may start to ask more questions before races. Race directors need to be held responsible and able to answer why or how things are done. Life goes on. Triathlon goes on. I'll keep my head up with my newly minted DQ. I got in a great workout today. I thanked as many law enforcement officials and volunteers as I could. I smiled a lot. It was a good day with a poor race ending.

You know I welcome your comments on these posts! I just put it out there. I'm honest. I'm open. I can take criticism. Irondad out!

What worked for IM Steelhead run

 Some thoughts about what worked for Steelhead run....

Race was on a Sunday

Started real Carb loading Thursday - Pasta for dinner Thursday and Friday. Pizza with chicken topping night before race. Fruity Pebbles Treats, Honey Chex cereal for snacks. Rice cakes. Eat all the carbs! 

Drank Pedialyte on Saturday and a Gatorade. Hydrate on electrolytes!

Deep muscle massage including strip and split calves on Thursday. Give 2 days of recovery. 

Epsom salt bath Friday. Hot soak to help loosen up muscles. I did run 5 miles 2 days before the race as per Paul's plan.

Brittney made Blueberry Muffins for the trip. I had 2 muffins and a banana with peanut butter before the race. Had another Gatorade before the race also, 

Don't forget the Nitrous pills!!

Use the Alt Red during the race.

Maurten gel as soon as we start biking. another gel every 45-60 minutes of cycling. Infinit also but use those gels.

Keeping heart rate in check on bike! 115-120 HR. Good range. Don't watch speed, watch HR

Find a buddy! This is easier said than done. If you can make a friend like Maddy and talk through the run, it helps! If you can't, believe in yourself and the training. Watch HR to not blow up, but believe in your legs. They will hold up. 

Pickle juice shots. Take one as soon as you start running. Another at hour 1. Have a 3rd ready if needed! Don't be afraid or skeptical to use it! Take it! Its worth it if it helps!

Stay hydrated! Drink all the drinks. Its a freaking race, use the caffeine!

Every 2-3 miles, hit a gel. Stay fueled!! Wanna keep running strong? Keep taking in calories with Maurten gels! Switch between non-caffeine and caffeine gels!

Short walk breaks are fine! If you need a short walk break, take it! Then get your butt in gear and run some more!