Endurance

Inspirational Poem from an Unknown Author

Image via Wikipedia

Best of luck to all of those heading to Ironman Florida this weekend.  This is my favorite triathlon poem for inspiration.  I don’t know where it comes from, but it will fire you up!

 

In my world,

The water is cold,

The wind is hard,

And the road never ends.

 

In my world,

There are no losers.

Only competitors still on their way,

And spectators waiting to be inspired.

 

In my world,

Victory is not weighed in gold,

But in determination and courage.

 

In my world,

There are no boundaries,

No limits,

There is no end.

Every day is the last day of my life,

And the first.

 

In my world,

The word “can't” does not exist,

And nothing is impossible.

Louisville Ironman Race Report

Overall Time:  12:59:13

Swim:  1:28:03
Bike:  5:58:35
Run:  5:16:40

Summary

Louisville 2008 was my 3rd Ironman event.  Although I felt better prepared than my first two, I realize that race day elements can throw a wrench into steller preparation and best laid plans.  We were all prepared that late August in Louisville had the potential to be hot, but no one anticipated a mid-90s day with the heat index above 100.  Battling the temperature was seemingly more challenging than the 140.6 miles of the race.  I have been asked what I would have done differently to prepare for the race.  During the long training period I put int he miles and did the appropriate mix of speed and distance work.  I even practice my nutrition, having my plan down the the number of endurolytes per hour I would take.  I did not, however, prepare well enough for the heat.  During my training, I tended to go out early in the morning to avoid the heat, instead I should have relished in it wearing sweatshirts, long pants, etc to simulate how hot it could have been. 

I wore my Illini Tri club jersey which was a great call.  I couldn't believe how many Illini fans were out there and the I-L-L chants kept me going!

Swim:

The Louisville swim takes place in the Ohio river.  The race begins against the current around a small island and then the majority of the swim is with the with the current throught the heart of the river. Overall, I was disappointed with my swim time.  The biggest mistake I made is that I way "over swam" the race.  I turned a 2.4 mile swim into a 3.0 mile swim by venturing out into the middle of the river only having to back track to the shore at the end.  All the published advice said get to the middle of the river where the current is the strongest.  True, but hugging the shore is the shortest route.  Next time I would hug the shore around the island and stay as close to the shore the entire way as much as possible.  Use the bridge pillars as markers.

Bike:

Overall I was very pleased with my bike time.  It was my first Ironman on my Orbea which felt like a rocket through the entire 112 miles.  The course was hill-ier than I anticipated.  People I talked to characterized the hills as rolling.  There are more real climbs than I anticipated.  The steepest being on the out and back component of the course.  It was on this componeent that I witness a narley accident when a female biker went off the road at 30-40 miles per hour.  To this day I don't know how she is, but my prayers have been with her.  The last 20-30 miles of the race back into town are great.  The wind was at my back and the course is roughly downhill.  My advice would be to use this time to get your legs back in preparation for the run.  Don't try and make up time.

Run:

Nothing to say but brutal.  The course was not exciting, just a long out and back.  Even at marathon time temperatures were still in the nineties and I was having trouble staying hydrated.  I ran out of endurolytes after eatly like a hundred.  My stomach bloated and I felt like I was 6 months pregnant.  The best entertainment was the few miles through the bar district.  Louisville was playing Kentucky in football and there were plenty of drunks on the street.  That said, everyone out there was in the same boat.  We all struggled.  I met some great people along the way including Michael Hall from Sadorus Illinois in the last 5 miles.  Michael saw my Illini jersey and asked me if I was from Champaign.  As I turned to talk to him I noticed that his face was torn up like Arnold Schwartzeneggers in the Terminator.  He told me that a fan grabbed his hand at mile 90 on the bike thinking that he was going to slap the fan a high-five.  Instead he was tossed off his bike and was torn to shreds.  In true Ironman spirit,  Michael kept going and we ran the last 5 miles together.  Just as I was feeling bad, I looked over at Mike and then didn't feel so bad.  He was an inspiration and epitomised the spirit of the Ironman.  The medics took him immediately after we crossed the line.