Ironman Wisconsin

I'm not sure where to even begin this one. I guess I'll just say that before last Sunday I wasn't a triathlete. I was just a guy who wanted to do an Ironman. However, on Monday morning I woke up a card carrying full fledged triathlete who can't wait to race 140.6 miles again.

The Ironman is a truly eye opening experience. You don't know what you can truly do until you've finished one. I'll now give you a quick recap on the 12 hours and 45 minutes on last Sunday.

I awoke at 3:00am after a solid night's sleep (I can't believe it either). I consumed my 6 frozen waffles smothered in peanut butter and mom's famous strawberry jelly, 2 cans of Ensure, 2 bananas, a blueberry muffin, and 2 cups of black coffee while I caught up on Saturday's college football highlights. At 4:45am I headed to downtown Madison to join the droves of fellow athletes. I headed to the transition area, got my body markings, dropped off my special needs bags, and prepared my bike. After inflating my tires and pulling off the plastic bags from my gears, aero bars, and seat, I headed inside to reorganize my transition bags...again (about the 4th time now). The latest weather update was 20% chance of rain...down from 80%.

The atmosphere inside the Monona Terrace was surreal. Imagine an entire room of 2000 people in quiet anticipation. Most of the athletes were dead silent. Others were talking incessant nonsense as a way to curb their anxiety. After finishing with my transition bags and making the necessary updates for the improved weather, I changed into my swimsuit and headed outside to meet Molly. The sky was just showing signs of light and Molly was waiting with Scout and the entire family. I waited in line to use the porta potties (3rd time now...hey, it's biology!) At 6:25am I put on my wetsuit and headed down the helix to the water. A couple last pictures with Mike Alfino and I was in the water at 6:32am.

It was Pete's suggestion to get in the water early and relax...and that's exactly what I did. As I waded in the water listening to Coldplay's Viva La Vida as the sun crested the horizon, I knew I was "here". I don't know what "here" is, but it was a place of excitement, preparedness, and pure adrenaline. The canon sounded at 7:00am and all hell broke loose. I had positioned myself on the outside of the swim to avoid the early race chaos. I kept saying to myself "long and smooth", "long and smooth" with each stroke. Before long I was rounding the first buoy, and the pack was just beginning to separate.

I stayed wide the entire first lap of our 2.4 miles, but rounding the 4th buoy I decided to join the foray to start picking up time. Lap two was met with flying arms and legs, but nothing uncomfortable. I tried to find the one athlete who was passing me just faster than myself, but I found myself doing the passing. Rather than conserving my energy I decided to just go for it myself and push the second lap. Before long I was rounding the last buoy, sun in my face, and heading to the beach. I was hoping to come in around 1:10-1:15, but when I stepped out of the water at 1:03 I went crazy. I ran to the wet suit strippers who yanked off my wetsuit and I headed back up the helix. Passing Molly and the family, Pete, and Mike Sokol was an exciting feeling...I had survived!

I quickly changed into my bike gear--I even put on my helmet before my bike jersey (I was a little jacked up.) As I ran to my bike, volunteers yelled ahead of me to have bike number 385 ready. I arrived at my waiting bike, quickly ran to the mount line, and headed out for the next 112 miles of my day. Being excited from the swim and transition, it took nearly 45 minutes before I got my heart rate back to zone 2. After settling down and preparing for the long road ahead, I started taking my fluids, drinking my Perpetuem, and getting comfortable. The bike proved frustrating as I was passed by absolutely every rider in the Wisconsin Ironman (or so I thought at the time). I toasted most of the riders around me up the hills (a testament to my hill work here in Colorado), but I just could not keep up with the field down the hills and on the flats.

The bike course was a two lap course and each lap was aided by Molly, Pete, and my family who were waiting on a gradual uphill climb around mile 45 and 90. After passing them the second time--once again passing everyone on the hill--I headed for the "home stretch" at 6 hours and 51 minutes...about 51 minutes slower than I had hoped for.

After getting off the bike (one of the most gratifying feeling EVER) I changed into my spandex running briefs, running shorts, and running shirt. I opted to pass on the traditional triathlon spandex for comfort. The run began beautifully. My legs felt ready and fresh, maybe a result of my slow bike, and I began working on maintaining my "Chi Running" form (a great book by Danny Dreyer). The atmosphere on State Street was electric, but I had an amazing cheering section which made the run even better. Miles 1-19 were smooth and relatively steady. My 13 mile split was 10:13. At mile 19 the world began to change. I could feel the fatigue and cramping beginning to set into my quads, and as I continued it got progressively worse.

One of the common "tough spots" on Ironman Wisconsin's relatively flat run course is a long climb and descent of Observatory Hill. I had heard rumors about how "even the pros walk it", but I was skeptical. On my first lap of the run course I ran 3/4 of the hill up and fully down. However, as the pain in my legs continued to worsen, lap two was a whole new ballgame. I walked up the hill starting to feel a little sorry for myself but was well determined to run back down. The pain was borderline excruciating. My only saving grace was the knowledge that my family and friends waited at the bottom of the hill on State Street.

The last four miles of the Ironman Wisconsin marathon were the most mentally challenging four miles of my life. The pain in my quads were beyond comprehension, but I knew if I had walked now it was over. I pushed through every single mile of those last four miles knowing Molly was waiting at the finish. As I rounded the final corner to the finishers shoot, I knew all my hard training had really paid off. I raised my hands high in the air, pumped my fists a few times, and enjoyed every minute. As the music blasted through the speakers that overlooked the capital building I heard it. "From Denver, Colorado, Jonathan Gentine...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

Make-A-Wish

I don't know how I originally got turned onto the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I have ALWAYS enjoyed working with children. Ever since high school when I helped tutor at the local elementary school, I enjoyed being around kids. I never really thought I'd end up in the field of education, but one thing led to another and it's been five years of teaching and another one around the corner. Kids have an aura of innocence and joy that most people lose with the daily grind. Kids laugh more. They smile more. They enjoy life more.

That being said, there are all-too-many unfortunate kids who struggle through childhood and are forced to deal with adult situations in their young bodies and minds. I think that's where the Make-A-Wish Foundation comes in.

On September 7, 2008, at 7:00am I will attempt to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles. This is relatively unprecedented for me (someone who, historically, despised endurance sports). Since visiting the "Big Island" of Hawaii on Molly and my honeymoon, I have wanted to complete an Ironman. This has been a wish of mine for the past two years, and hopefully on September 7th I will have accomplished this goal.

That is more than what can be said for lots of young boys and girls who are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases. Many of them will never be able to swim, ride, or run even a fraction of what is called for in an Ironman. I am lucky.

Anyways, I've really wanted to raise money for a cause for quite some time. Triathlon is an individual self-centered sport. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's not a team sport in which you MUST work with others. Over the past six months I have been training by myself and for myself. With the exception of my swimming which I've done with others at Masters class, my riding and running has been relatively solitary.

What I have found through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, is that triathlons DON'T have to be individualistic if you are doing them FOR someone else. This will sound like a cliche, but on my hardest runs and longest rides, when the legs are burning, and my energy has hit rock-bottom, I think about the difficulties those KIDS go through, and my pain is nothing. I'm almost embarrassed (truly) to even think about my STRUGGLE when in reality the run or ride I'm doing is on my own accord. Nobody is forcing me to do this. I could stop at any time. I could even get a massage if I need one. The kids in the Make-A-Wish program don't have that luxury. Their pain won't just stop. Their sore legs and aching bodies don't feel better after a big glass of chocolate milk and a Clif Bar.

Because of this, I'm raising money for these kids. They need to see their dreams come true just like I hope mine do. They need to feel the satisfaction and delight when their wish is granted. We are so lucky in our lives. Many of us have never been afflicted with anything that forces us to change our entire outlook on life and question what we'll do before our day is upon us. God has blessed us and it's time to give back.

Here is a link to Blacktie Colorado which is the fundraising organization that works with Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado.
https://www.Blacktie-Colorado.com/online_sales/nonprofit_donation.cfm?id=857

Below is a link to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado website where you can donate to the Foundation.
http://www.wish.org/help/donate

Please think seriously about donating to this organization. There is no hidden agenda or alternative motive. They just want to see kids happy by granting them wishes. How cool is that!?

TOO LONG

Well, it's been way too long since I've updated (Nic claims the word "update" is an exaggeration...computer jerk!) the blog so I figured today (for reasons I'll go into) is a perfect day. Early summer training was spotty at best. Molly and I headed over to Europe to visit Amanda for her 30th birthday. It was a marvelous time. Seeing Amanda, Molly's German relatives, our cousins, friends, etc., it was great to spend time together, take in some once-in-a-lifetime sights, and make some great memories. I would like to go into our trip further, but because I'm chronicling my expedition to the Ironman, I'm going to mention that our trip to Europe seriously set back what was some pretty good consistent training.

That's a tough thing to say considering the trip was so great. However, I'm learning every day that Ironman training is about consistency. You read about it and people talk about it, but until you are truly consistent, you'll never understand. That being said, training in the month of July has been better than ever. I feel like I've made some tremendous gains as far as time on the bike, distance on long runs, and pushing through some mental barriers are concerned. Because I feel like progress has been going well, I had a tough decision to make today. I was scheduled to race in the Spirit of Racine 1/2 IM on Sunday. I planned to drive to WI, stay with Josh, run the race, and drive home on Monday. Here comes the consistency part of things...that schedule screws everything up!!



At the suggestion of Pete, I made a last-minute decisions to nix the race (Molly was excited).
I'm going to miss getting to hang out with Josh, but one of the parts of Ironman training that I've come to accept is sacrifice. I HATE sacrificing family, but Josh assured me this is a good decision (and he now has time to work at raising money for the Cholive...available on the web at "thecholive.com").

Finally, please take some time to read my next blog concerning some fund-raising I'm going to be doing for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado.

Update

It's been quite some time since I've blogged...that's obvious! My lack of postings is an indication of my current schedule and training (not to mention crunch time for AP class). Here's a quick update before I head out to run for the day. Left knee has been doing well. The pain I experienced this winter has waned. I changed shoes and seem to be having luck (hopefully it continues). I have general aches and pains in the body each day, but that's all part of the progression (they are good aches and pains). Riding has been going well. Last weekend I enjoyed an epic ride. We started with temps about 45 degrees and insane winds. By the time we got downtown it was blizzard-like conditions and we were soaking wet. Upon getting home it was sunny and warm and we had completed four hours and covered 56 miles. I went for a run afterwards and felt great. Ran for 20 minutes and would have gone longer. Tomorrow is more of the same.

I've been thinking about buying a triathlon bike (also called a time-trial or TT bike). I tested out a Cervelo last week. It was a great ride, was really stiff and responsive, and was a blast. It's also INSANELY expensive! After reading Pete's recommendation Iron Will, last fall, I have CURRENTLY determined that if some of the great Ironmen of history can record great numbers on road bikes, so can I. My only clause to this is a few too many aches and pains on my current ride. I have to make some adjustments to my seat position (maybe get a bike fit) and I'm sure my boy (my bike that is) will be just fine. I have a hard time spending a lot of money when I don't know my future in triathlons. Talk to me on September 8th.

Finally, I have a few races planned for this summer. Next week I'm getting everything rolling with the Littlefoot Triathlon at the Bear Creek Resevoir in Littleton. I'm doing this for sentimental purposes as it was the first tri I ever did. I'm also doing the Elkhart Lake International on June 28th, the Spirit of Racine half-Ironman on July 20th, and finally IMWI on September 7th. It's funny that I live here in CO but doing my races in WI (can't leave the Mother Country I guess).

Friday is the AP test for my 13 AWESOME students (my favorite class of students EVER), and after that I will have more time to update.

Progress

Today I visited the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic here in Denver. This is a nationally renouned clinic for athletes from around the country. Some of its patients include the likes of Kobe Bryant, European soccer elites, and the infamous (and drunk) Bode Miller. I figured if this place was good enough for them its good enough for me (oh, yeah, they also take my insurance!) I met with Dr. Boublik and after some initial x-rays, he said my knee cap was in a great position and everything looked wonderful. However, that's only the initial step, and I have an MRI scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. We'll see where it goes from there.

In the meantime, it's been quite some time since my last post so here's a quick update. I've been biking and swimming consistently for the past month. I'm getting about 100+ miles per week on the bike and swimming about 8000 yards. My body has been hurting a little (mostly my back from the longer rides) but I feel good otherwise. I've been eating like a champ recently as well. I'm getting more fruits and vegetables than ever, my energy levels have been consistent, and, with the exception of being more gassy than usual, my gi tract seems to be on an even keel.

As I talk about feeling good and getting some consistent workouts in, March is a training nightmare. We have family and friends in town from this past weekend all the way to Easter and beyond. It's tough to get my Sunday workouts in so I'm ramping up the weekly milage a little. Nothing to kill myself, but enough to maintain my legs on long rides...I think it's the only option. The nice part of weekends in the mountains with friends is that I'm still exercising on the slopes. Between non-stop runs down Vail's Riva Ridge, or all day powder fests in the backbowls, my legs are burning and I'm sweating throughout the day. I have to remember to maintain reality, and for me that includes time on the slopes with family and friends.

I'll update again when I have more solid information about the direction of my Ironman training over the next couple months.

ART

I always used to joke about the granola loving Commies of Colorado. Those people only eat nuts, twigs, berries, and organic carrots. They drive around in hybrid cars, get some voodoo medicine when sick, and live in tree forts in Boulder. I used to joke about these people. Today, I'm finding a little bit of them in me each and every day.

With my latest injury to my left knee, I've been a little down and out. I've seen doctors before who gave me the x-rays, MRI's, and pain killers. I personally love the medical cliche "I think you need to ice it for 20 minutes and stay off it for about 2 weeks." Hey, thanks, I couldn't figure THAT out! I think the new Hippocratic oath requires doctors to avoid giving any REAL explanation because if they're wrong they'll get sued, medical insurance will go up, and they'll need a new building to practice in because they can't afford the old fancy one. (Okay, I know it's harsh but I'm fed up with them.)

This takes me to the notion of holistic medicine. Holistic medicine is about trying to let the body heal itself rather than "killing" what's hurting the body. It's not as if holistic doctors forgo medicine or surgery, they just seek out ways to allow the body to heal the problem. I've never been "about" holistic medicine and frankly I've been pretty closed minded to the notion of it. I even went so far as to rule out chiropractors because they were "quacks" (sorry Niccer.) Anyways, with the annoyance of conventional doctors firmly imbedded in my system, I decided to take Nic's recommendation to see a chiropractor who specializes in something known as Active Release Technique (ART).

"ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART." I saw Dr. Hyman last Saturday and was pretty impressed with this "quack". After moving my knee around, digging around in my hip, and making me wince in pain from time-to-time I left his office feeling pretty confident that this man could help me out. He too was confident HE could help ME out.

While the jury is still deliberating the eventual success of ART (I have another appointment next Monday), I'm happy to be seeing someone who has answers, hasn't simply told me the ole' ice and time mantra, and hasn't prescribed me a couple pills that will dull the pain while filling the wallets of a big medical company.

So while I continue down the road to health, I am going to begin recommending that injuries be solved through a chiropractor, I'm going to advocate for ART, and all the while I'll join my fellow Coloradoans with a big bowl of yogurt and granola with a side of organic apple. Hey, who knows, I might even vote Michael Moore for president (okay, maybe I'll stop with the apple!)

Peaks and Valleys

Let me just start by saying that I'm in a valley. There is no doubt about it. I'm trying to climb out of a valley right now, and I'm finding it tough. Tentative about running because of my knee, I'm relegating myself to the pool and bike. I'm looking for a new swimming group because the dynamics of this group has changed...so swimming isn't where I want it to be. Life on the trainer is going fine...but I'm on a trainer. Needless to say...I'm in a valley.

The question I have to ask myself is how do I get out of that valley, and fast! It's a long road to September 7th, but the time is upon me to develop the solid base for hard-core work come this summer. Without a truly solid base come April or May, I'm behind the game. Time is flying so now is the time for consistent training, long, steady workouts, and frequency as my body further adapts to triathlon conditioning.

For now I'm in a valley, but talk to me next week and hopefully I'll be ascending the hills that will take me to the peak come September 7, 2008.