this past week was a week of change, mostly moving forward...
it is hard to believe that the first episode of ER aired 15 years ago. shocking that it has been on television for half of my life. now granted, i haven't watched the show in years, but wierd to think nonetheless that it is over. the odd part of the last episode on thursday night was that it coincided with my last official shift at evanston hospital. after 6 years of training there between medical school and residency, it is quite fitting that the same show that opened my eyes to life in the emergency room would dim the lights for the last time the same night that i finished my education at evanston. i don;t remember many of the story lines in the show. dr. greene dying was always sad, romano getting his arm severed by the helicopter might have been what caused me to give up on the show. that or maybe all of the cast leaving. but after working in an er now for the past several years the ability to come up with new bizarre stories never ends.
i added mileage to my training this week. got in a 50 mile bike ride...and when the scenery doesn't move on the trainer, and there is no coasting, you work for every last mile. today i logged a 10 mile run. felt nice and relaxed. kept the heart rate average just under 150. it was a georgous sunny day in the high 40's, beutiful running weather. this week i also managed to get in my first brick. 30 mile ride, 4 mile run.
i am in the homestretch now of the residency. 3 more blocks to go, 1 elective month and 2 in the downtown ED. it is hard to believe that it has been 4 years already, hard to believe that there is so little time left. but soon it will be on to the next stage which i am sure will bring many challenges and exciting opportunities as well.
time to go enjoy the rest of my day off.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
could it possibly be?
sure signs that spring is here?
-i am temporarily done with the dreadmill. no more ice, the trails are open for running
-the mooring cans are in the harbors
-it is still late when i get home from work...well at least when i work the day shift
-we have flirted with 70's, it has been in the 60's, back in the 30's
-high of 65 does not mean much with an easterly wind...
-more people are out excercising
-i have hung up the heavy winter coat
-start to think about riding outside on a more regular basis
-seeds for the outdoor vegetables this summer have been planted inside
-it is still cold outside...and it isn't summer yet...but soon
-i am temporarily done with the dreadmill. no more ice, the trails are open for running
-the mooring cans are in the harbors
-it is still late when i get home from work...well at least when i work the day shift
-we have flirted with 70's, it has been in the 60's, back in the 30's
-high of 65 does not mean much with an easterly wind...
-more people are out excercising
-i have hung up the heavy winter coat
-start to think about riding outside on a more regular basis
-seeds for the outdoor vegetables this summer have been planted inside
-it is still cold outside...and it isn't summer yet...but soon
Monday, March 16, 2009
the first ride outside
today i was able to free my bike from the death grip of the indoor trainer and get outside for a long peaceful ride. i had great hopes when it said the temperature was 57 degrees. dressed myself in layers, felt nice and warm. however, i think the slight east/south/east wind was pulling some cold from the lake and dropped the temp just a little bit. needless to say, the changing scenery was far better than anything inside.
somewhere around mile 25 i paused to take some pictures of the sky line and partially frozen lake... just to prove to any naysayers that i was actually outside today riding. well here i am. and there is the frozen lake in the background. it really was a spectacular day, completely blue sky, slight wind, very relaxing.
out on my ride i ran into several of my friends who were out running and enjoying the weather as well.
maybe this is a sign of things to come, maybe the weather might actually be warming up...but then again it is still march in chicago which means that we are probably still in for another snowstorm.
time to go find some toe covers for my shoes, and maybe some warmer gloves, everything else stayed nice and toasty warm.
somewhere around mile 25 i paused to take some pictures of the sky line and partially frozen lake... just to prove to any naysayers that i was actually outside today riding. well here i am. and there is the frozen lake in the background. it really was a spectacular day, completely blue sky, slight wind, very relaxing.
out on my ride i ran into several of my friends who were out running and enjoying the weather as well.
maybe this is a sign of things to come, maybe the weather might actually be warming up...but then again it is still march in chicago which means that we are probably still in for another snowstorm.
time to go find some toe covers for my shoes, and maybe some warmer gloves, everything else stayed nice and toasty warm.
Monday, March 2, 2009
moving forward
the foot is feeling better. not sure exactly what was wrong, but a day or so later was walking without any pain. it has been 2 weeks now since i last run, since clearly not a bony injury with no xray findings and no pain any longer, will probably start to play on the eliptical soon.
i have been trying to make lemonade despite the minor set-back that was thrown at me. i have taken this opportunity as a chance to try to swim more and get on my bike. the mileage on both has jumped up in the last week. i swam 120 lengths last week - around 53 minutes, and it felt great. i'll just keep adding distance and time. i could feel that i was getting stronger and faster, and the times proved it. i think i took about a minute off of my 100 lap time earlier in the week, which is why i decided to add some distance. the cycling has increased too. i have been holding >20 mph on the trainer, the last two rides i have gotten in 40 mile rides. as a result, i have finally caught up with my distance from last year. unfortunately i had been lagging behind the benchmark i set last year. i am still clearly behind in the swimming department in terms of distance, but i feel better and faster in the water this year. and well running...at least i had the mileage before the brakes were applied, but hopefully that train will leave the station soon as well.
in other news it appears as if spring might be on the horizon, they are predicting 50 degree days soon...it is hard to believe when i drive into work and see the ice covered lake michigan. there is always hope, and it is still only the first week of march.
dinner time, i am hungry.
i have been trying to make lemonade despite the minor set-back that was thrown at me. i have taken this opportunity as a chance to try to swim more and get on my bike. the mileage on both has jumped up in the last week. i swam 120 lengths last week - around 53 minutes, and it felt great. i'll just keep adding distance and time. i could feel that i was getting stronger and faster, and the times proved it. i think i took about a minute off of my 100 lap time earlier in the week, which is why i decided to add some distance. the cycling has increased too. i have been holding >20 mph on the trainer, the last two rides i have gotten in 40 mile rides. as a result, i have finally caught up with my distance from last year. unfortunately i had been lagging behind the benchmark i set last year. i am still clearly behind in the swimming department in terms of distance, but i feel better and faster in the water this year. and well running...at least i had the mileage before the brakes were applied, but hopefully that train will leave the station soon as well.
in other news it appears as if spring might be on the horizon, they are predicting 50 degree days soon...it is hard to believe when i drive into work and see the ice covered lake michigan. there is always hope, and it is still only the first week of march.
dinner time, i am hungry.
Friday, February 20, 2009
challenges
"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which
difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
--John Quincy Adams
roadblocks are often created for a reason. i don't like roadblocks, i don't like it when things get in my way and wreak havoc with plans. at work we refer to obstacles as "work-arounds." in fact, in emergency medicine we have become so adept at figuring out ways around obstacles that the obstacle itself persists but we have forged a way ahead without fixing an (often insurmountable) obstacle. i have learned to deal with work, after all, it is work, and if obstacles didn't exist it probably wouldn't be half as interesting as it currently is.
but things get different when it involves personal time. i recently made the decision to go race in florida with mike. after many years of trying to get some time and the training i was finally able to book a flight, register for a race and start planning. the whole prospect of an early season race in may clearly threw a big giant wrench in my traning plans. maybe wrench isn't the right word, maybe the better way to deescribe it is adding some grease and a big giant push to the wheels of training. i quickly realized that to get to florida i was going to have to train with a purpose instead of just train to train. well somewhere along that road my foot started to bother me.
wierd discomfort, not quite anything that i have encountered during my training in the past several years. anyway went to see ortho today, xrays are reassuring, might be tendonitis. well i can deal with that. a couple weeks of ibuprofen, no running for the time being. given the green light for swimming and cycling. well foot feels better already...which makes you wonder just how much of this was in my head.
but this posed a big giant obstacle for my training. at first i had to ramp up training, now i have to ramp down training, then gingerly get back into the swing. the season is long, i have another 6 months to go before madison. i need to be careful and smart. i need to get back to the starting line healthy, happy, well trained, and ready to go.
so i will take this obstacle and use it as an opportunity to work on swimming and cycling. i will increase mileage and keep the engine strong so that when i can get back to running all of the different parts are ready and the journey to get trained can be a safe and healthy one.
its going to be a big season, if all goes according to plan two 70.3, one full ironman, and an olympic just for completeness sake. i fell better now, thanks.
difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
--John Quincy Adams
roadblocks are often created for a reason. i don't like roadblocks, i don't like it when things get in my way and wreak havoc with plans. at work we refer to obstacles as "work-arounds." in fact, in emergency medicine we have become so adept at figuring out ways around obstacles that the obstacle itself persists but we have forged a way ahead without fixing an (often insurmountable) obstacle. i have learned to deal with work, after all, it is work, and if obstacles didn't exist it probably wouldn't be half as interesting as it currently is.
but things get different when it involves personal time. i recently made the decision to go race in florida with mike. after many years of trying to get some time and the training i was finally able to book a flight, register for a race and start planning. the whole prospect of an early season race in may clearly threw a big giant wrench in my traning plans. maybe wrench isn't the right word, maybe the better way to deescribe it is adding some grease and a big giant push to the wheels of training. i quickly realized that to get to florida i was going to have to train with a purpose instead of just train to train. well somewhere along that road my foot started to bother me.
wierd discomfort, not quite anything that i have encountered during my training in the past several years. anyway went to see ortho today, xrays are reassuring, might be tendonitis. well i can deal with that. a couple weeks of ibuprofen, no running for the time being. given the green light for swimming and cycling. well foot feels better already...which makes you wonder just how much of this was in my head.
but this posed a big giant obstacle for my training. at first i had to ramp up training, now i have to ramp down training, then gingerly get back into the swing. the season is long, i have another 6 months to go before madison. i need to be careful and smart. i need to get back to the starting line healthy, happy, well trained, and ready to go.
so i will take this obstacle and use it as an opportunity to work on swimming and cycling. i will increase mileage and keep the engine strong so that when i can get back to running all of the different parts are ready and the journey to get trained can be a safe and healthy one.
its going to be a big season, if all goes according to plan two 70.3, one full ironman, and an olympic just for completeness sake. i fell better now, thanks.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
the training continues
this month has been challenging for training. unfortunately i have about a 50 minute drive from my house to work. it turns my 10 hour work day into a 12 hour day and makes getting a work-out any longer than about 45 minutes rather challenging. i finally had a day off today, no work, no moonlighting, nothing to do, nowhere to be, no worries. it was nice to wake up without an alarm. i had a relaxing breakfast then went to the gym to work out.
i have been trying my best to run as much as i can this winter. i don't have enough time or a regular enough schedule to run every day, but i am trying my best. as such i have spent many days at the gym swimming and then going for a run immediately afterwards. it makes the drive to the gym a little more worth the time. also it makes the day a little more exciting. so today i swam 2000 meters, felt pretty good the whole time and maintained a constant pace. i then got on the dreadmill and ran 4.5 miles. i am methodically ramping up mileage. goal #1 is to stay healthy. goal #2 is to run faster, run smarter, run better.
i have bigger aspirations for madison this year. most of them all revolve around a faster marathon. i think it can be done. but to get there i need some more training and quicker legs.
the daylight is slowly lengthening, a true sign that spring must be on the way...and then i face the cold reminder that it is still january and the temps are still hovering around zero. until then i will continue to be a gerbil and run on my dreadmill.
i got a job
i have been trying my best to run as much as i can this winter. i don't have enough time or a regular enough schedule to run every day, but i am trying my best. as such i have spent many days at the gym swimming and then going for a run immediately afterwards. it makes the drive to the gym a little more worth the time. also it makes the day a little more exciting. so today i swam 2000 meters, felt pretty good the whole time and maintained a constant pace. i then got on the dreadmill and ran 4.5 miles. i am methodically ramping up mileage. goal #1 is to stay healthy. goal #2 is to run faster, run smarter, run better.
i have bigger aspirations for madison this year. most of them all revolve around a faster marathon. i think it can be done. but to get there i need some more training and quicker legs.
the daylight is slowly lengthening, a true sign that spring must be on the way...and then i face the cold reminder that it is still january and the temps are still hovering around zero. until then i will continue to be a gerbil and run on my dreadmill.
i got a job
Sunday, December 7, 2008
back in the water
well, almost 3 months later i have finally dragged my behind into the pool. oddly enough, it felt great. granted my arms were a little tired, but i will attribute that to the lifting that i did two days ago and not the fact that i haven't swam in 3 months... the first swim was a nice relaxing 1500m swim, swam basically the entire distance with only a short stop at each 500. which by the way is far better than i have ever been able to do at the start of swim training earlier in the year. i guess i still have a somewhat decent foundation in place, or at least preserved the technique. another month of decent base creation and then come january to increase the load. about 10 months to madison, there is plenty of time, plenty of time.
anyway, i have spent the past several weeks trying to become a runner. trying to develop a more consistent schedule, more frequency. i was doing alright, it is a heck of a lot easier when the weather is nice. running inside on the perpetual hamster machine is a bit challenging mentally at times. but, it will be another several months before i can really start to think about going outside again. the temps don't bother me, but rather i am not really in the mood to destroy an ankle, or even a wrist. so, i will just have to find a way to make the running more exciting. i might try to learn how to run intervals, or maybe even add an incline, maybe oneday i will just let the computer pick a work out for me.
this week i was back on my bike. went for 2 rides. hopefully more rides this week. and more rides of course means more movies, because really, apart from actually getting in shape, watching movies in the winter is seriously one of the best benefits of training on the bike.
oh yea, i got new shoes today. i think it was about time. not sure how many miles they had on them but there was definitely a marathon in there somewhere....
back to more productive endeavors
anyway, i have spent the past several weeks trying to become a runner. trying to develop a more consistent schedule, more frequency. i was doing alright, it is a heck of a lot easier when the weather is nice. running inside on the perpetual hamster machine is a bit challenging mentally at times. but, it will be another several months before i can really start to think about going outside again. the temps don't bother me, but rather i am not really in the mood to destroy an ankle, or even a wrist. so, i will just have to find a way to make the running more exciting. i might try to learn how to run intervals, or maybe even add an incline, maybe oneday i will just let the computer pick a work out for me.
this week i was back on my bike. went for 2 rides. hopefully more rides this week. and more rides of course means more movies, because really, apart from actually getting in shape, watching movies in the winter is seriously one of the best benefits of training on the bike.
oh yea, i got new shoes today. i think it was about time. not sure how many miles they had on them but there was definitely a marathon in there somewhere....
back to more productive endeavors
Monday, November 3, 2008
8 years ago
8 years ago i was sitting in a library studying for classes during my last semester of college.
8 years ago i was watching the polls wondering what was going to happen in an election. the watching and waiting then continued for several more weeks as chads were counted, and recounted.
8 years later, i am closer to finishing residency. closer to trying to find a job.
8 years later, i am watching the polls again, wondering if the country is going to get "right" this time.
the several weeks following the ironman were rough. between being on call at county...q3 should be abolished, it really just cannot be good for the body in any fashion - and the total body destruction involved, and the physical recovery following the race, and just wanting to chill out, i did approximately no physical activity for about a month and a half. this past week i have started to get into training again. i have gone running the past 4 days in a row, not huge miles but somewhere around 3 miles a day. i feel great. i have been smiling, running with friends, getting back into the swing of things. i am looking forward to putting on the miles again. next step is to start riding my bike again, the trainer is itching to be used.
game on
314 days to go
8 years ago i was watching the polls wondering what was going to happen in an election. the watching and waiting then continued for several more weeks as chads were counted, and recounted.
8 years later, i am closer to finishing residency. closer to trying to find a job.
8 years later, i am watching the polls again, wondering if the country is going to get "right" this time.
the several weeks following the ironman were rough. between being on call at county...q3 should be abolished, it really just cannot be good for the body in any fashion - and the total body destruction involved, and the physical recovery following the race, and just wanting to chill out, i did approximately no physical activity for about a month and a half. this past week i have started to get into training again. i have gone running the past 4 days in a row, not huge miles but somewhere around 3 miles a day. i feel great. i have been smiling, running with friends, getting back into the swing of things. i am looking forward to putting on the miles again. next step is to start riding my bike again, the trainer is itching to be used.
game on
314 days to go
Thursday, October 16, 2008
just for fun
today i went back to my roots.
the sun was out, wind gusting from the north, mid 50's, leaves turning yellow, lake front deserted. i took out my old mountain bike. a 1998 gary fisher hoo-koo-e-koo (in blue) and wandered all along the lakefront. in and out of parks, over hills, and under trees. i had no planned route, no spedometer, no place to be. just a relaxing ride with my old friend.
it felt great to be out riding again. i had taken out my tri bike earlier in the week for a ride when the weather was a little warmer. today i had a grin the entire ride. sometimes it is fun to just do things without a purpose, without a plan, without a goal. just riding for the sake of riding.
best of all, the urge to start training is coming back. i knew it would, just had to wait for the body to tell me it is ready.
looks like it is time to start planning for madison 09...
the sun was out, wind gusting from the north, mid 50's, leaves turning yellow, lake front deserted. i took out my old mountain bike. a 1998 gary fisher hoo-koo-e-koo (in blue) and wandered all along the lakefront. in and out of parks, over hills, and under trees. i had no planned route, no spedometer, no place to be. just a relaxing ride with my old friend.
it felt great to be out riding again. i had taken out my tri bike earlier in the week for a ride when the weather was a little warmer. today i had a grin the entire ride. sometimes it is fun to just do things without a purpose, without a plan, without a goal. just riding for the sake of riding.
best of all, the urge to start training is coming back. i knew it would, just had to wait for the body to tell me it is ready.
looks like it is time to start planning for madison 09...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
the greatest adventure
I will try to capture my thoughts from the day and incorporate pictures to tell the story of the culminations one of the greatest adventures i have ever undertaken. unlike prior race reports this one will not have a short version...sorry.
however, before i begin i wanted to thank my support crew who were out on the course with me for the the entire day moving from place to place. following me with the GPS tracker i had, relaying messages to the rest of the family at home, and always in the right place, at the right time, cheering me on.
my alarm goes off at 3:45 on race morning. i wake up and start to eat breakfast, mix bottles of nutrition, and feverishly log on to the internet to check the weather...can it be true, has the chance of rain really gone away. wow...i feel like the luckiest person in the world, forecast is for the high 60's, no rain until late, but some steady wind from the west building around noon. i can deal with that.
i finish my bagel with peanut butter, cliff bar, and bottle of nutrition, pack up the rest of my stuff, grab a banana, diluted gatorade, and head to the car. i was staying northeast of madison and as i drove into the capitol the illuminate dome of the capitol building appeared and the excitement started to build.
i dropped off my special needs bags, headed for transition to get my numbers, pump my tires, lube the chain, load the bottles, gu etc. i figured at this point i would lose my friend so i said good-bye to evan. little did i know that i would see him again about 15 minutes later.
i wandered through monona terrace making a pit stop, stretching a little, and then putting on my wetsuit. at about 6:25 i started to head down to the water. there was a fantastic sunrise on the opposite shore.
as i approached the lake i started to hear the announcer encouraging everyone to head on in. i reset my watch with the race clock and headed into the lake just before 6:45. as i got closer to the start line i found a bit of open water and floated on my back. i was just staring up at the sky trying to minimize energy spent and think through my race. i realized that the hardest part of the race had already occured. up until that point the hardest thing was sticking with the training plan, preventing injury and balancing work with training. i was ready for the final part of the adventure. i looked back to land and was amazed by the sheer number of people lining the waterfront. i ended up floating about 1/2 way between the ski jump and the big red corner bouy. with ten minutes before our start the pros begin.
the national anthem is sung, the clock ticks down. the water is calm, the air is cool, the sun is rising over the opposite shore. there is a sense of anticipation in the air, an eager anticipation for the journey that was to lie ahead. then the cannon fires and the calm water is turned into a sea of flailing arms, kicking legs, and organized chaos.
i start swimming and feel great. i hardly feel like i am working at all to move forward. in the first lap it remained pretty tight. i got kicked in the jaw, punched in the side, jammed my finger on someone's hip, had someone grab my leg, and got into a total cluster around the bouy. i reached the 1.2 mile mark around 34 minutes. i had no idea that i was moving that fast, but i felt completely relaxed and was breathing every 4th stroke so i figured i would keep on going. somewhere on that first leg heading out from the 1/2 way point the crowds in the water thinned out and i found some nice water where i could swim without constantly bumping into people.
i got out of the water in 1:10:46, got my wetsuit stripped off and then started to run up the helix.
i saw my family there and gave them a big high 5. i was thrilled and somewhat shocked that i was out of the water that fast. i think the picture shows my utter confusion. i cruised on up the helix, which wasn't as hard as i thought it would be, with a huge smile on my face.
i get into t1, get my arm warmers on (by the way, the absolute best purchase of anything that i bought the entire year), socks, shoes, helmet, sunglasses, gloves...time to rock and roll.
i head down the helix, apparently miss my friend taking pictures (sorry) and head out on the bike ride.
i really felt good on the first part of the ride. i was trying to not go full out on the stick leading out to the loop. i figured i would have plenty of time to ride later in the day. i tried to stay as relaxed as possible, stay in the saddle as much as i could while climbing, and stay true to my nutrition plan. everything seemed to be working well. i had a good cadence, a nice pace, and felt really comfortable. i was having a great time on the course. tackling the hills, keeping a really positive attitude, and cruising along.
i reached cross plains and decided that it would be a good time for a quick stop to unload the bladder. i then headed off to my favorite part of the course. the 2 climbs that end with timber ln are just fun. the first, unknown to me was lined with people cheering us on. it really had a fun and festive atmosphere. then i reached timber lane and felt like the most important person in the world. my uncle ran a brief section with me and i was able to give him my thoughts on how i was feeling to relay back to the family.
i head back to verona, feeling good, notice the wind has picked up a little but excited that the first lap is just about done. i stop for special needs and begin the second attempt at conquering the loops.
well the second loop did not go as well as the first. i never felt tired, my muscles never were fatigued or sore...but my knees started to blow-up. it got to the point where every pedal stroke was starting to hurt. i tried standing, moving back in the saddle, sitting upright, basically anything i could to try to feel better. the climbs up the hills by timber lane, and then again later were not as much fun as before.
even cruising through verona was not enjoyable. i reached a dark point between miles 90-112 where i wasn't sure if i was even going to be able to finish the race. i started seeing people i had passed a while back catch up with me. i made a conscious decision to pull back a little on the bike to try to save whatever i could to make it through the marathon.
bike time 6:31:54
i make it up the helix, get off the bike, head to t2, change, make a quick stop in the port-o-potty and start to make my way out of t2.
i am standing at the start of the marathon trying to convince my body that running would be a good thing to do. my body is just not listening. i think mostly because i was scared that my knees would kill and the race would be over. i hear someone either a spectator or a volunteer yell..."hey david...try to find your rhythm." something inside of me obliged and i started to get a cadence and run. and would you believe it, my knees felt great. whatever i was doing on the bike that caused the irritation was gone and i was moving.
i saw my family again in mile one and stopped to give my mom a big hug before continuing on with the rest of marathon.
i had planned to have one cliff block every mile of the marathon...let's just say that plan fell apart at mile 2 when my stomach did not like them anymore. instead every aid station was some water, some gatorade, some grapes....they were really good, a couple pretzels here and there, some oranges, and water soaked sponges in the front of my jersey.
i walked up the big hill both laps...was walking almost as fast as some of the people were walking. i started to get my usual knee discomfort somewhere between mile 16 and 18, at that point i just kept running when i could and walking when i couldn't.
i reached mile 20 to hear a spectator say, "you only have a 10k to go." the miles started to melt away, 6.2 turned into 5.2, and before i knew it i was winding my way back up to state street and around the capitol.
i made the turn to MLK drive and saw the people, the lights, the ironman arches, and could finally see the finish line. as i was moving toward the line i heard the line that exactly one year prior created chills and a sense of awe in all of the competators. my hands were above my head, fists pumping in triumph.
i had covered the 140.6 miles, i had made it to the finish line. i heard mike's voice over the loudspeaker say "David Salzman, a 29 yr old physician from chicago....YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" i crossed the finish line, the happiest person in the world.
my finishing time was 12:50:24. it was 10 minutes faster than my goal time of 13 hours. i ran my first ever marathon in 4:49. i completed my first ironman.
i spent the rest of the night trying to rehydrate (being a doctor with access to IV's does have it's benefits...), get my appetite back, and hang out with my family. sometime around midnight i got my appetite back, wolfed down a cheeseburger and fell back asleep. the day was done, the journey had reached its finish line, but the memories will last for a long time.
thanks for reading, but an even bigger thanks for supporting me along this crazy journey over the past year.
however, before i begin i wanted to thank my support crew who were out on the course with me for the the entire day moving from place to place. following me with the GPS tracker i had, relaying messages to the rest of the family at home, and always in the right place, at the right time, cheering me on.
my alarm goes off at 3:45 on race morning. i wake up and start to eat breakfast, mix bottles of nutrition, and feverishly log on to the internet to check the weather...can it be true, has the chance of rain really gone away. wow...i feel like the luckiest person in the world, forecast is for the high 60's, no rain until late, but some steady wind from the west building around noon. i can deal with that.
i finish my bagel with peanut butter, cliff bar, and bottle of nutrition, pack up the rest of my stuff, grab a banana, diluted gatorade, and head to the car. i was staying northeast of madison and as i drove into the capitol the illuminate dome of the capitol building appeared and the excitement started to build.
i dropped off my special needs bags, headed for transition to get my numbers, pump my tires, lube the chain, load the bottles, gu etc. i figured at this point i would lose my friend so i said good-bye to evan. little did i know that i would see him again about 15 minutes later.
i wandered through monona terrace making a pit stop, stretching a little, and then putting on my wetsuit. at about 6:25 i started to head down to the water. there was a fantastic sunrise on the opposite shore.
as i approached the lake i started to hear the announcer encouraging everyone to head on in. i reset my watch with the race clock and headed into the lake just before 6:45. as i got closer to the start line i found a bit of open water and floated on my back. i was just staring up at the sky trying to minimize energy spent and think through my race. i realized that the hardest part of the race had already occured. up until that point the hardest thing was sticking with the training plan, preventing injury and balancing work with training. i was ready for the final part of the adventure. i looked back to land and was amazed by the sheer number of people lining the waterfront. i ended up floating about 1/2 way between the ski jump and the big red corner bouy. with ten minutes before our start the pros begin.
the national anthem is sung, the clock ticks down. the water is calm, the air is cool, the sun is rising over the opposite shore. there is a sense of anticipation in the air, an eager anticipation for the journey that was to lie ahead. then the cannon fires and the calm water is turned into a sea of flailing arms, kicking legs, and organized chaos.
i start swimming and feel great. i hardly feel like i am working at all to move forward. in the first lap it remained pretty tight. i got kicked in the jaw, punched in the side, jammed my finger on someone's hip, had someone grab my leg, and got into a total cluster around the bouy. i reached the 1.2 mile mark around 34 minutes. i had no idea that i was moving that fast, but i felt completely relaxed and was breathing every 4th stroke so i figured i would keep on going. somewhere on that first leg heading out from the 1/2 way point the crowds in the water thinned out and i found some nice water where i could swim without constantly bumping into people.
i got out of the water in 1:10:46, got my wetsuit stripped off and then started to run up the helix.
i saw my family there and gave them a big high 5. i was thrilled and somewhat shocked that i was out of the water that fast. i think the picture shows my utter confusion. i cruised on up the helix, which wasn't as hard as i thought it would be, with a huge smile on my face.
i get into t1, get my arm warmers on (by the way, the absolute best purchase of anything that i bought the entire year), socks, shoes, helmet, sunglasses, gloves...time to rock and roll.
i head down the helix, apparently miss my friend taking pictures (sorry) and head out on the bike ride.
i really felt good on the first part of the ride. i was trying to not go full out on the stick leading out to the loop. i figured i would have plenty of time to ride later in the day. i tried to stay as relaxed as possible, stay in the saddle as much as i could while climbing, and stay true to my nutrition plan. everything seemed to be working well. i had a good cadence, a nice pace, and felt really comfortable. i was having a great time on the course. tackling the hills, keeping a really positive attitude, and cruising along.
i reached cross plains and decided that it would be a good time for a quick stop to unload the bladder. i then headed off to my favorite part of the course. the 2 climbs that end with timber ln are just fun. the first, unknown to me was lined with people cheering us on. it really had a fun and festive atmosphere. then i reached timber lane and felt like the most important person in the world. my uncle ran a brief section with me and i was able to give him my thoughts on how i was feeling to relay back to the family.
i head back to verona, feeling good, notice the wind has picked up a little but excited that the first lap is just about done. i stop for special needs and begin the second attempt at conquering the loops.
well the second loop did not go as well as the first. i never felt tired, my muscles never were fatigued or sore...but my knees started to blow-up. it got to the point where every pedal stroke was starting to hurt. i tried standing, moving back in the saddle, sitting upright, basically anything i could to try to feel better. the climbs up the hills by timber lane, and then again later were not as much fun as before.
even cruising through verona was not enjoyable. i reached a dark point between miles 90-112 where i wasn't sure if i was even going to be able to finish the race. i started seeing people i had passed a while back catch up with me. i made a conscious decision to pull back a little on the bike to try to save whatever i could to make it through the marathon.
bike time 6:31:54
i make it up the helix, get off the bike, head to t2, change, make a quick stop in the port-o-potty and start to make my way out of t2.
i am standing at the start of the marathon trying to convince my body that running would be a good thing to do. my body is just not listening. i think mostly because i was scared that my knees would kill and the race would be over. i hear someone either a spectator or a volunteer yell..."hey david...try to find your rhythm." something inside of me obliged and i started to get a cadence and run. and would you believe it, my knees felt great. whatever i was doing on the bike that caused the irritation was gone and i was moving.
i saw my family again in mile one and stopped to give my mom a big hug before continuing on with the rest of marathon.
i had planned to have one cliff block every mile of the marathon...let's just say that plan fell apart at mile 2 when my stomach did not like them anymore. instead every aid station was some water, some gatorade, some grapes....they were really good, a couple pretzels here and there, some oranges, and water soaked sponges in the front of my jersey.
i walked up the big hill both laps...was walking almost as fast as some of the people were walking. i started to get my usual knee discomfort somewhere between mile 16 and 18, at that point i just kept running when i could and walking when i couldn't.
i reached mile 20 to hear a spectator say, "you only have a 10k to go." the miles started to melt away, 6.2 turned into 5.2, and before i knew it i was winding my way back up to state street and around the capitol.
i made the turn to MLK drive and saw the people, the lights, the ironman arches, and could finally see the finish line. as i was moving toward the line i heard the line that exactly one year prior created chills and a sense of awe in all of the competators. my hands were above my head, fists pumping in triumph.
i had covered the 140.6 miles, i had made it to the finish line. i heard mike's voice over the loudspeaker say "David Salzman, a 29 yr old physician from chicago....YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" i crossed the finish line, the happiest person in the world.
my finishing time was 12:50:24. it was 10 minutes faster than my goal time of 13 hours. i ran my first ever marathon in 4:49. i completed my first ironman.
i spent the rest of the night trying to rehydrate (being a doctor with access to IV's does have it's benefits...), get my appetite back, and hang out with my family. sometime around midnight i got my appetite back, wolfed down a cheeseburger and fell back asleep. the day was done, the journey had reached its finish line, but the memories will last for a long time.
thanks for reading, but an even bigger thanks for supporting me along this crazy journey over the past year.
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