Where did that heat come from...The Chicago Triathlon 2010

I would like to think that I have been generally prepared for most anything a race can throw at me. The one thing that really caused me to fall apart this year on two occasions however was the brutal heat. First back in May down at the Florida 70.3and now this past weekend in Chicago for an olympic distance. I mean really, where did this heat come from. The day tied the record for the hottest day of the summer. The weather people were a little off on this one. Well, it will make for an interesting story to tell nonetheless.

The day started off as a typical early morning wake-up call to get down to transition at the crack of dawn for the Chicago triathlon. This was my 5th time participating in this race, and I will say that the early morning arrival doesn't get any easier as the years go by. I'm glad I arrived at transition early too, there were some people that arrived pretty close to the end and they were struggling to find a place to put their stuff. The only more amusing part were the people that had taken up several places with their towels who were getting apparently rather frustrated when they had to condense space.

Anyway, I got all of my gear set up, and left transition for my 4 hour wait until my heat started.

I found a find a grassy place to watch the sun rise, and then kept waiting for my heat to start at 9:30. I got a little sleep just lying on the ground and was doing my best to stay relaxed and let the time pass.

The morning was quite pleasant to start, in fact there were a couple of times that I almost wished that I had some long pants to stay warm. That however, would all change. Around 8:30, 1 hour before my wave started, started to feel a little warm and was getting a little worried.

Finally the hours moved along and I got my wetsuit on, and stood in the corral waiting the start of the race.

So I have raced in two ironman and have been in the "washing machine" that is the start of that race, and let me tell you something, the ironman has nothing on the brutality that was the start of my heat. Not only was there the requisite kicking, inadvertent punching, and feet grabbing, there was no clean water to escape the onslaught of humanity. It probably took about 2/3 of the way to the first bouy before I finally found some water to swim in and escape the crowds.

I kept moving along and found a really good rhythm and had a really good swim.

I was out of the water in about 27:45 which I was really happy with and might be a new PR for the olympic distance swim. Overall swim time of 30:14 including the run to transition was good for 533/3859 finishers.

Next was the 1/4 mile run to transition and then running through transition to my bike and a quick change and off on the bike. I felt very comfortable on the bike, was holding upwards of 22 mph for a good portion of the ride and was passing lots and lots of people. It felt great to be one of the faster ones out there. Sure I got passed, but I felt as if I was moving along. The last mile I had to slow down a little for the uphill over the river and then sharp descent and turn into transition. Overall time 1:09:22 good for 21.9 MPH and 427/3859 finishers.

Back to transition, I changed into the running gear and moved on out to the run. I felt really good for the first mile. I kept looking down at my watch and was averaging around 7:30 minutes/mile for a pace. I didn't really feel as if I was working that hard either. But that was all about to quickly change.

I started to head around the aquarium and further south and the apparently 90+ degree heat with no shade really hit me hard. I don't remember seeing a race in Chicago with so many people walking and utterly debilitated by the heat - myself included. And so I watched as my great pace turned into a run/walk and then a death march looking for any hint of shade that I could find.

The worst was getting to an aid station and wanting some water but they had run out of cups...uh oh...not a good sign. So I drank from one of the gallon jugs and just kept on moving. One thing I have learned in all of these races is that the finish line doesn't get closer unless you make forward progress. I have no other words to describe this run other than completely brutal and painful.

In all of the olympic distances I have ever raced (including the first one where I could only train for a couple of weeks for the run) I think that this may be the absolute worse run I have ever had. At some point there needs to be a bad run, but I was just hoping that it wouldn't have been yesterday. I had everything set-up for a great race. I had a great swim, a great bike, felt great getting off of the bike and then was simply felled by the heat. There is not much I could have done to fix that problem so the fact that I finished and had a great bike and swim made the day at least a partial victory for me.

I finished the run with a fantastically slow time of 1:01:00 good for 1100/3859 finishers. More importantly I finished 62/474 men in my 30-34 age group. Even with a bad run, I am happy to take a top 13% finish.

So with that I likely end my season. While not as perfect as I would have hoped it leaves the door open for more improvement next year. Of course the biggest problem with starting to think about next year is that the wheels start turning and the possibilities of what to do and where to go seem endless. A couple more days of relaxing and recovery.

Thanks to Evan for coming out, taking some great pictures, and supporting me when the heat got really bad!

Ironman #2 Success!!!

Well, i have given myself about a week to relax and reflect after the race last weekend and hopefully will have something interesting to say.

I woke up race morning to perfect weather. the alarm went off just before 4 am and i was up eating breakfast and washing down with the first bottle of sports drink for the day. i didn't really sleep all that well the night before so waking up wasn't really that big of an issue. i gathered the last of the stuff i was going to need that morning and headed into downtown madison.

we parked in the garage just a block from the finish line and started to head down to transition. the first stop i made was to get my numbers applied for the day. i'm not really sure what purpose the numbers serve in an ironman especially because are bike are numbered (and we have a helmet number) and on the run we have our race belt...but i think there is something ceremonial about getting your numbers on race morning. besides affixing your chip to your ankle, and arriving at the race site, the race numbers truely signify that the race has arrived and provides your identity for the day.

next i strolled into the transition area for some last minute preparation with my bike. i pumped up the tires, loaded up on nutrition, got my bearings one last time before saying goodbye and going onto the next steps of preparation

i have never really been all that great at putting all of my thoughts down on paper. it is especially difficult to think of everything that was running through my mind in the hour before the race started. there are challenges that all athletes face on the morning of the race...there is a need to find a bathroom, to stretch, to arrive at the starting line resting, mentally prepared and ready to go. finding a bathroom this year was a bit of a challenge...not really sure why, but we ended up going to the basement and ultimately found some peace and quiet. after that we sat down to get our final thoughts in and think about the day ahead.

here my uncle mike seems to have found some peace of mind and is visualizing the race ahead.

i on the other hand am just a ball of nervous energy. the morning of the race i just felt rushed, and without any good reason. maybe i just wanted the race to start, maybe i was just anxious, maybe i was excited. i knew, however, based on last year, that those thoughts of self-doubt, concerns about preparation, or fears of what the race might bring would melt away as soon as the cannon fired, i just needed to get to the start line.

the walk down to the swim start is the first exposure that you get to the helix on race day. it is incredible that it is already lined with spectators getting ready to cheer on all of the athletes...but all of those people do make the journey to the start line a little longer. at the bottom of the helix i saw my parents and evan and we were able to say good morning/goodbye and make our way to the water.

many people have written all sorts of things about the swim start at an ironman. some are true, some are completely exaggerated, and others, well i guess there is some truth in a lot of what people have to say. we swam out from shore to the mass of people. i positioned us about 5 rows back from the start and smack dab between the ski jump and the red turn bouy. i figured i would be far enough behind the initial malay yet close enough that i could get a good draft. well i was half correct. at 7 am the cannon fires and the calm serene waters turn into a sea of flailing arms, kicking legs, and swarming people.

we are all moving to the same goal, we all have the same objective...some people just have interesting ways of getting there. i knew it was going to be a little physical, but i wasn't expecting the pummeling that i was about to receive. i got kicked in the face, had my ass grabbed (several times), felt someone's fingernails dig into my feet, not once, but at least twice, had others swim directly into my side, and at the end of one stroke got my funny bone nailed by the swimmer adjacent to me...not the sensation you want about 300 meters into a 2.4 mile swim. met a huge log jam at the first turn bouy, got kicked a few more times and then started to move trailing a nice pair of feet for a while. as expected i settled into a very comfortable rhythm, often breathing every 4th and just cruising along. i didn't feel as if i was exerting myself and after the field spread out a little was actually enjoying the swim and letting the pre-race jitters work their way out.

i got out of the water in 1:11:04 good for 92/260 in age group and felt great. i hustled up the helix through transition, got everything for the bike, on the bike and through T1 in 8:29. swim plus T1 time faster than year before. sweet! unfortunately on of the many attacks i sustained during the swim the timer on my watch got a stopped and i really had no idea where i was. add that to the fact that my watch is somewhere around 5 or 6 minutes fast...it was going to be interesting.

i made my way down the helix, no need to ruin the race in the first minute of the bike and start off on the ride. i saw my friends and family who were spectating, as i went flying by them. i headed out on john nolen drive leaving the capitol in the background and getting ready for 112 miles of riding. the bike course presents its own challenges, but on a picture perfect day like sunday, i was ready to ride hard and have a blast.

my game plan was to take it nice and easy all the way out to verona, spin up the first couple of hills, then settle into a moderate pace all the way to the first real hill and the climb into mt. horeb. i was racing my own race, not getting sucked into the people going by and settled into a nice comfortable pace of about 20 mph or so all the way to mt horeb. i didn't feel as if i was pushing it at all. spent some time spinning in the small ring up front, didn't stand up, and just kept up with my nutrition plan and game plant. i had the benefit of having ridden the course numerous times in training, and more importantly having raced the course as well. i knew when to be in an easier gear, i knew when to be patient, when to coast down hills, when to downshift in preparation of he next hill. i felt great, my legs felt loose, my back relaxed, and mentally i was in a really good place without any self doubt.

i make it through mt horeb, up and down the rollers on witte, up the unforseen hill on garfoot #1, fly down garfoot #2, and cruise all the way into cross plains. i average 19.7 miles per hour for the first 40 miles and feel fantastic. now it is time to climb the 3 big hills on the course. at the top of the 2nd hill my family is again waiting and capture some great pictures of me cruising up the hill.

i continue on the first loop and make a quick stop at the half way point to refuel and make a pit stop. after a brief pause i am moving again. then something great happens. as soon as i started the climb out of verona last year i was slowed by an unforgiving nagging pain in both of my knees....this year...nothing. onward and upward. i keep on cruising, feel good, start pushing the pace a little, but really trying to stay seated as best i can. physically i feel great. around mile 70 i look down at my stomach because it feels as if my jersey is tight...it really was odd, my jersey usually is never tight, and i don't really have a big belly...hmmm...i switch from a combo of water and my sports drink to gatorade and my sports drink....if only i had known what this might have been suggesting...

i begin the ascent up the 3 hills again after cross plains and still feel great. my knees are cooperating, my legs still feel fresh, my spirits are high. i guess the 3 century rides this year, and the countless other 80-90 mile rides were paying off.

here i am at the crest of timber lane on the second loop.

after coming off the top of the hill i settle back into an aero position and keep on cruising back to verona.

i pull back on the throttle a for the last 10 miles, still keeping a decent pace but relaxing a little, just to get the legs a little looser, and get my body ready for the marathon that is to come.

overall i was ecstatic pulling into the helix at the end of the 112 mile ride. my time was 6:02:33 for a pace of 18.5 MPH. i dropped just under 30 minutes total and averaged 1.35 MPH faster for the duration of the ride. i was stoked, flew through transition and started the run with high hopes for a great marathon.

I started the run feeling spectacular, much better than last year. i was relaxed, not pushing the pace at all...and i cruised the first mile at 8 minutes...alright slow down a little, second mile was about 8:30....ok...slow down a little more... then somewhere around mile 3, just before camp randall stadium the proverbial wheels fell off the truck.

i'm not completely sure what happened, i thought i had been following my nutrition plan, i thought i had consumed enough fluids, enough energy, enough of everything, i felt as if i held a reasonable pace on the bike, didn't blow up too much, knees felt fine, legs felt refreshed....the problem it turned out was that my stomach just didn't want to cooperate. i was nauseated, felt bloated, and could barely get anything down. not how you want to feel with another 23 miles to run...

so i trudged on, a little walking, a little running, trying to drink whenever, whatever i could, walk again, run again...repeat....one mile after another. it was rough.

the look on my face basically tells the story, i was miserable. physically besides my stomach i felt fine, mentally, i was coming back to the turn around wondering if i had it in me to make it back around the loop for a second time. mentally it was also heartbreaking to watch a great first 2/3 of the race slip between my fingers and the chance to completely destroy my time from the year before slip out of reach. but i figured i had made it this far, and no one ever said that doing an ironman was easy, so i just kept pushing, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

around mile 25 despite not really having had much in the way of intake for probably the 10 miles before i decided that i just needed to dig in and finish the damn race. after pausing to let my stomach settle one more time i made the turn up state street for the last time. i could see the glowing dome of the capitol building in the distance and knew that even though the rest of the course basically was uphill, that i was there, that i was going to finish the race. apparently i wasn't as dehydrated as i thought as i could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. the tears of joy of the people cheering and and the knowledge that just a couple of blocks away was the finish line. one last turn around the capitol and the finish line and finisher's chute comes clearly into view. there is no one else around. and then just like the year before, only a little more sweet this year after not only beating my time but also fighting through an unbelieveably tough marathon i hear what i have worked so hard to hear....

"David Salzman, a 31 year old physician from Chicago...

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!!"

it was a really special day and i felt lucky to spend it with my uncle who won his age group and qualified to go to Kona in 2010. what a fun season, it started with the 2 of us down in orlando at the florida 70.3 and ended in madison with the 2 of us racing again.

and just as fast as it had started the race was over. one of these days i'll likely go back and race an ironman distance race again. i had a tremendous season this year. i had PR's at every single race that I did. apart from the marathon at the end of the ironman i significantly dropped time on each of the run segments of every race. hopefully i will be able to carry forward the running training and learn how to be faster, more efficient, and a better runner next year. maybe with a year or two of short course racing i can develop some speed and then transfer that over to longer course racing. we shall see what happens. i have no races in the books for next year...yet....but i've already started looking. a little more time of enforced rest and then i'll gently get back into working out again. just not yet.

thanks for all of the support this year!

this is it....it's time to race!!!!

Well this is it. The last post before the start of the race. The last post before the adventure begins again. I know the race is brutal, it is mentally and physically challenging. But really, I think I have accomplished one of the most challenging parts of the ironman. I have managed to make it to the starting line. I am here, healthy, not injured, haven’t destroyed too many relationships, I have a job, friends, family, and I still love this sport. Really I figure that is 99% of the battle. There would have been too many times where I could have folded, not gone out on “that” training ride, or run, or swim. Other times when I could have stayed out late and slept in later. But I am here. I have soaked up the entire pre-race energy. I am ready for the race. Whatever happens tomorrow, happens. I have done everything I could have done to prepare for the race, and still have a somewhat balanced….alright fine, completely lopsided life. However, I am here, I didn’t overdo it, I got to travel around the world, run along the pacific coast, Turkey, Argentina, ride and run in the beautiful northwoods of Wisconsin. My races have taken me to florida and Wisconsin. I have completed 2 half ironman and one Olympic races. I have lived and breathed triathlon and I can’t wait to race again. The other amazing feat is that I am returning to the starting line just one year after finishing my last ironman. I have figured out a way to stay healthy for almost 21 consecutive months. I am ready to race, I am ready to get back on the course, I am ready to toe the line and get to the finish.

pre-race day

with one day left until the race begins, i spent the majority of the day today getting the last steps accomplished for the race. after a quick and easy swim in the lake with beautiful 75 degree water temps, i brought my bike to the transition area and got it all squared away. below is my bike sitting in the hotel hallway before we left for the morning.

after dropping off the bike we dropped off the bags into the transition areas. my swim to bike bag is where the 3 people are gathering in the upper left part of the picture.

finally, we had a great brunch, wandered around the capitol square at the farmer's market. tomorrow night this is where all of the action will unfold. the day is almost here.

first sights of madison

here are some quick pictures of day #1 in madison

seeing the arch is a true sign that this is getting real.


my racer number

the pre-race dinner

the capitol illuminated at night. what a great sight

tomorrow the support crew arrives which includes evan, the fearless leader of the crew and my best friend. he has put up with my countless hours of training, the even more countless hours of pondering training, the smelly clothes, wetsuits hanging in the bathroom, and general state of disarray. he deserves more thanks than is possible, and far more than is ever given. without him, travel to, and even participation in many of these races would have been very lonely. i couldn't have gotten here the first time without your support, and the second time without your encouragement and even greater support. thanks for being there for me.

along with him my mom and dad also arrive. they instilled the desire to achieve greatness and to keep pushing myself beyond limits that i thought existed. although it may have taken me a while to find a sport in which i could excel i was always encouraged to try new things and explore. with this encouragement, and lots of food, (especially the great home cooked meals, the frequent replenishing of costco food has made everything easier and fueled my ability to get here. i look forward to trying to find you on the course on sunday.

my aunt also arrives, and while i fully anticipate her support, she will have plenty of requirements to cheer on my uncle who is also racing...so i wont' put too much pressure on her, but i am glad that she is here to join in the fun.

and of course to everyone watching at home. i hope you enjoy the race as much as i will.

returning to the start line

So it is with great excitement and trepidation that I get ready for the start of this years ironman. I remember the peace and serenity of the minutes before the race started last year. despite the crowd yelling from the shore, the music blaring over the loudspeakers, and the people splashing in the water there was a complete peacefulness that existed in the water. Floating in the water, lying on my back, looking up at the sky, just relaxing and soaking in the entire experience. It is quite bizarre that in a mass of people fuelled with energy both physical and emotional that I could be so relaxed. Of all of the parts of the ironman that I have been looking forward to repeating for the past year the start is definitely one of the few incredible moments in my mind. I can envision the walk down the helix, walking through the masses of people, then wading into the water to sit and relax while awaiting the blast of the cannon and the rapid change of the calm water into a massive collection of flailing arms and legs churning the water as the race starts.

My memories of the swim are one giant blur. I remember looking off my right shoulder and seeing the thousands of spectators hanging over the edges of Monona terrace, sitting on the edge of the shore, and looking out the windows. Despite being in the churning water you can feel the energy from the shore. After a quick swim, out of the water, wetsuit stripped off, and the run up the helix.

What a brilliant race design, the helix in itself is really intimitading. Just think, having to run up the equivalent of 4 stories after just finishing a 2.4 mile swim. But the turns move quickly with the hundreds of spectators cheering you on.

There are a couple of thoughts that stick out in my head from the 112 mile bike ride from last year. the first was my excitement as I hit the first hill after turing off of paoli. I was smiling and said, alright hills…bring it. And with that, the race began. Little did I know that 40 miles later I would be cursing those same hills…but that is experience. I loved climbing the hills near old sauk pass. It is so much fun with people cheering you on and banging drums. Despite being in a lot of discomfort for the last 30 miles of the ride, I still remember somewhere around mile 100 some people holding a sign indicating that I would be “saved”…um yea, right….

Things that I will try to remember this year are the following: don’t try to go fast the first loop and you will pay for it on the second loop…but don’t go too slow…or you will be paying for it for the rest of the day. More sitting the first loop on the hills, the second loop then perhaps think about getting out of the saddle and going. Don’t carry around the empty bottles or extra bottles of Gatorade just in case…it is just extra weight that I have to get up the damn hills.

Also…don’t sit around in transition, just keep moving

The run, well, I remember how excited I was at mile 20 of the run last year. I knew that I was just 6.2 miles away from finishing…a walk in the park really. I also loved giving the volunteer at the turn around a high five. I am going to make sure that I do that again this year. that was awesome. I am going to try to run more, walk less, keep my head up, soak in every minute, and get to the finish line with nothing left.

And of course the finish line… how could you ever forget the finish line. The sun had just set, the lights were on, the crowd was cheering, and it was just me, all alone, running down the finish chute, arms above my head. YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!

Let’s do it again.

thanks

I really do think that one of the hardest parts of getting to the starting line is the challenge of balancing work, friends, family, travel, and everything else. I simply wanted to give my thanks to many, many people who have helped me along the way. I am greatly appreciative of my colleagues at work who have been able to switch shifts to allow for my travel, race, and training schedule to fit in with my work schedule. I also can’t forget the egging on that I got about 2 years ago from another one of my colleagues that got me on this crazy journey in the first place. I am thrilled that my family has been able to come to races and join me as well. Being able to spend the race knowing your family is at the sidelines and then going to get brunch afterwards really makes racing a lot more fun. Specifically it has been fantastic to be able to race with my uncle this year…and by race with him I mean to be on the same course at the same time, because in reality while we might be on the same course he is clearly in a different league. My friends have also been far more understanding than I could have ever expected, from going home early on nights out to get up early the next day and go on another long day of training. Thanks for your understanding. Well there is one more race to go, one more big push, one more big chance to show that the extra training, the extra time away from everything, the extra time spent getting ready for the race is going to pay off. I’m really looking forward to the start, thanks for all of the support along the way. And bring your sunglasses on Sunday…..it looks like you are going to need them J

getting ready to race

so today was one of the first days when it really hit me that the race is coming up...and by coming up...it is this weekend. i feel ready, i am excited for the race, really hoping to throw together a fantastic day. i have prepared physically, i am resting this week, i have gone through the entire course in my mind. i have a nutrition plan that worked last year. i have legs that are stronger. i have race experience. i am planning on a great day.

in other news the weather just took a change today....um...well how do i put this....i guess, without sounding too happy, i am pretty excited. now i know that it is still 4 days out, and a lot can change, but there aren't any remnants of hurricanes coming our way....and well, the chance of precipitation just went down to 0%. hey, i'll take that, even with a slightly higher chance of rain, say 20 or 30%. granted it will be a little warmer but the winds aren't forecast to be that strong...i'll believe it when i experience it on race day.

in the meantime, more rest and getting ready to head to madison for the big race.

as I get closer to the starting line and am spending less time training I have plenty of time to think about other things. Instead of trying to figure out how far, and where, and when I am going to run, ride, or swim, I have instead been thinking about the past year of training. There is no doubt that I have covered some amazing distances this year. clearly not to the level of a pro, but a lot of distance none the less.

Totals so far

75 miles swimming

2750 miles bicycling

645 miles running

total: 3470 miles

so what does this mean…it is about the equivalent of ORD to LHR, or just short of the round trip from ORD to LAX, or almost from Chicago to anchorage on the ground…yea it’s a long way, but there is still another 140.6 miles to go.

motivation

There are really just 2 types of people, those who say I can’t, and those who say I can. These people have been summoned here, by themselves for their 1700 different reasons. Their unity comes from their mantra, I can. And their destination, a place they absolutely have to get to. What they will do to get there is monumental by anyone’s standards, even their own. The unknown we all fear it, and right now there is an ocean full of it. This is also about limits, reaching them, exploring them, exceeding what you thought yours were, or maybe, coming to the conclusion that there aren’t any limits.

This is the Ironman.

Ironman is a swim, a bike, a run, its what I do every day of my life. It becomes almost addictive once you’ve done it once you want to do it again. Sort of like a drug in a way, Ironman is the drug.

Limits, what limits. There is no can’t in Ironman. Anything is possible, I can, I know I can.

A 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles on the bike, then a marathon. The man who started this said, you can quit and they don’t care, but you will always know. This is the Ironman.

t-10 days

well, i am getting closer and closer to the start date. they released our racer numbers yesterday and i am racer #503. i like the low number, but then again it is only a number. it is the area code for portland and refers to a http error code. it appears as if the numbering started again with the youngest age groupers and then progressed up to the older people....clearly not based on expected finish order.

so tomorrow the 1st weather prediction arrives on the 10 day forecast. friday and saturday look nice, hopefully the trend will hold out. those couple of days will be cool, so the prospect of a huge heatwave coming in overnight is unlikely, and hopefully no rain. it might juset be a perfect day for racing.

i got my bike back from the shop after its pre-race tune-up. as expected i needed a new chain. i also found out that when i bought my bike they installed the "wrong" front derailleur which is why i have been throwing my chain and having trouble shifting as of late. my guess is that it worked for a while but the combination of the tired chain, the loosening or stretching cables made the incompatibility more pronounced. oh well, another small cost that was slightly unexpected but will hopefully the bike will run better. after the tune-up i had my race wheels installed, brakes fine tuned and and the shifting dialed in. i know that it is not all about the bike....but it helps to have a bike in sweet working order. tomorrow i will take it out for a ride, all decked out in race wheels and new gear. it looks ready to go, hopefully it will feel nice and smooth on the ride tomorrow. it needs to ready to go 112 miles in 10 days.

i am well into my taper at this point. i have gone on some short quick runs, some more swims and a shorter bike ride. this weekend and the week ahead has another medium swim, a medium/short ride, and a short run. then just a couple more quick bursts at the beginning of the week, an opportunity to let the legs rest, and yet stay focused and ready to race.

keep your fingers crossed for the weather