Completing the Ironman event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, this last June 29, 2003, was an amazing and life-changing experience. My time was 14:17:18. I had hoped for a time approximately 2 hours less than that. Circumstances of the day derailed that plan. I exited the water in 1:25 which was my target time for the 2.4 mile swim. I had spent a lot of training time on my swimming, in large part because I wanted to feel very comfortable with that, the most daunting part of the Ironman. Something about a 2.4 mile open water swim that is intimidating. It is not like swimming in a 25 meter pool, with lane lines. You swim or you drown. And, it is important to exit the water very relaxed as there is a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run yet to complete.

When I came out of the water I felt great. It had been a wonderful swim. My coach, Michael Ross, has encouraged me to stand on the shore and wait for the approximately 2000 competitors to take off with the gun. He said, "Wait 30 seconds after everyone is in the water and then go." As difficult as that was, that is exactly what I did. I waited and then entered the water. Consequently, I avoided the chaos off the start and was able to sight ahead and swim around people. I passed 700 people on the swim and was only kicked once, by a breast stroker who hammered me in the ribs.

The transition was smooth and quick. The wetsuit strippers are unique to Ironman events. At every other tri you have to remove and sometimes struggle to remove your wetsuit. I us lots of PAM, the non-stick frying pan spray and that really works to make your wetsuit slide right off. I had a tube of Chamois Butter (Butt Butter) in my transition bag but for some reason (speed perhaps) I didn't put any in my shorts. That was, in retrospect, a big mistake. Out of the transition zone on my bike I was cheered on by my friend John Bockmeyer who yelled, "Looking great....the bike is your strong suit....go for it." It was a great send off out of the shoot. Just around the corner and up the road I saw Dia, the love of my life, who yelled, "Yeah Ron, you're doing great. Your swim was awesome!"

And I was off and up the road with 112 miles to go.

I love my bike. I have been a titanium bike guy for five years...since I bought my first Litespeed road bike. I like the feel. My triathlon bike is a Litespeed Sabre that I found on eBay. It was a great buy with only 1000 miles on the frame and one season of triathlon use. It was complete but for wheels. I added Spinergy Carbon SS's, with Continental Force tires (the front is slightly smaller at 22mm than the rear at 23mm). The bike is a thrill to ride, although not as comfortable as my road bike on a long ride. I am fast and strong on my bike, so I expected to have a good bike split. My aim was to do the bike easily at 6 hours. With a marathon at 4.5 hours I would have a 12 hour time which is very respectable. Well, such was not to be the case.

In an Ironman, once you have built your aerobic base, it becomes clear that the race itself is all about pacing, nutrition and hydration. During training I did a number of five hour bricks. A brick is a bike ride followed immediately by a run. I would do three hours on the bike and follow that with a two hour run. It is quite a work out. And, it is good practice for the actual event as you must learn about pacing, nutrition and hydration.

I had a very strict plan for hydration and nutrition. I set my watch to beep every 12 minutes and I drank on cue and ate my bars and hammer gel (my preferred brand). Unfortuntely, the weather did not cooperate. It had been averaging in the 78 to 82 range in the days leading up to the race. Race day, the temperature in the shade on the bike course was as high as 104. On the blacktop it had to be as high as 120. It was unbelieveable. It became impossible for me to hydrate. Many people dropped out of the race. In fact, the DNF rate for Coeur d'Alene was the highest in Ironman history. It is amazing how your strength drops with dehydration. My training buddy, Kevin Conroy, caught up with me on the bike at about mile 100 and said he was spinning at 65 rpm. I said I was doing the same and happy to be doing that. Typically we spin at 90 plus.

I had a bike split of 7:14. It was tough. I had gastrointestinal problems beginning at mile 80 on the bike, and they lasted through most of the run. But, on the run, I was able to bring my temperature down. I put ice under my cap and drank water every mile and rehydrated as the temperature dropped. My legs were strong and my endurance intact.

During training I had spent a lot of time on core strength and endurance muscle work. My base was very secure. I had never trained in the heat. I ran the entire marathon, walking through the aid stations every mile. In many ways, in an Ironman, you think of the run as 26 one mile runs. That makes it easier. Those aid stations come pretty frequently at that rate. I finished with a very strong kick. My run split was 5:22. It was my first marathon ever. I expected to be much faster, but was just happy to finish. Recently I did a 1/2 marathon in 2:02 with ease. I have run a 1/2 in 1:48 and feel that I can run one faster than that. Running a marathon in faster time after biking 112 miles and swimming 2.4 miles is another matter.

As I ran the marathon, on four occasions I passed my family who was positioned on the course to spray me with water and yell encouragement. They were fantastic. It really does add spring to your step. That spring was, however, gone just moments after the finish. After going to the medical tent for some chicken soup I had to be helped into our SUV. My legs were no help. Climbing the stairs to our rented house was an ordeal.

Would I do it again? Now, with some time passed, absolutely. The training and the conditioning that comes with it is incredible. I would love to qualify for the world championship in Kona. That takes some luck and effort. This year I plan on doing a half Ironman. Maybe I will qualify. I will do several smaller events as well. I look forward to competing in these events for years to come. The comeraderie is wonderful. The feeling of accomplishment is great. It feels so good to do it. In fact, it is a bit addictive.

I just got home from doing some laps at the pool. It was good.