A year of training got me to this day. Hours in the pool and miles on the bike and on foot prepared me for this day. I was in the best health of my life. I was going to enjoy it.
5:00 is an early start for anyone. Not so early for an Ironman Event. This morning I woke at 3:30 after a night of tossing and turning. Too much nervous energy and the heat of the night kept me up. The day before was sunny and in the 90’s. I took in glasses upon gallons of water in preparation of the dry heat the course had to offer. But this morning, there the ground was damp meaning there would be some cloud cover. The day might very well be a good one.
The horn went of exactly at 0700 and 2100 participants took off for the first leg of a long day. I swam trying to be sensitive to the other swimmers. I’ve been hit a few times in other events and my attitude this day was not to win, but to finish the day in one piece. I stayed a straight course between each buoy and counted every stroke to maintain a decent pace. At the first turn a figure appeared at the bottom of the lake, which almost frightened me out of my wet suit. At first I thought it was a dead body. However, it was a diver monitoring our progress from the bottom of the lake.
After 2.4 miles and 1500 strokes, I finally made it back to shore in 1:25 minutes, 5 minutes faster than I projected. Once I got into the grass of the transition area, I was told to drop and 3 women tugged at my wetsuit and stripped it of in one efficient pull.
I called out my number and a bag of my bike gear was in my hand in an instant. A complete change of clothing into my cycling gear and I was off. “One stage down,” I though, “the longest one next.”
Screaming through Main Street is a rush in itself. Everyone roots for you no matter your place. They know the long day you have a head. The first forty miles is a beautiful tour through the peach valleys. I made sure to enjoy the view and take my time because of the climbs the course had to offer.
The first climb of Richter Pass is a daunting 1000 ft elevation change. Most people who took the first 40 hard paid for it as I passed by them going up hill. However, on the next pass at mile 90, the afternoon heat led to cramps and a little fatigue. My saving grace was the cheering crowds urging and pulling every participant to the summit. The spectators would not allow any rider to quit. Because of them, I didn't.
Down hill, the town is a glorious sight after 100 miles of riding. As I screamed back through Main Street, I already saw other runners take their strides out while the elites were heading hard for home. I finished the bike in 6 hours and 49 minutes at 3:30PM, well before the cut-off at 5:30PM.
This day would soon be over. I took the Marathon with the mind-set "Don't get hurt, enjoy the day." Marathons aren't that hard; it's the pounding on the joints that hurt. After a 112-bike ride, the knees don't work as well as fresh legs.
The first five miles were slow, but the next 15 were even slower. To break 13 hours, I needed to pace my self at 10-minute miles. I was up to 10:30. By mile 20 I knew I wasn't going to make my goal and miss by 30 minutes. However, instead of packing it in, I decided to push the last 10,000 meters in an attempt to get as close to 13 hours as possible. With a mile left day faded into the night. “Darn,” I thought to myself, “it would have been nice to finish in day light.” The dejected feeling didn’t last long as the crowds at the finish line urged each runner to finish. Down Winnipeg Street, left turn at Lake Shore Drive, the loop and back down the street. There it was, the finish. 13 hours 17 minutes and 17 seconds.
I could be forever called an IRONMAN. I missed the time but I accomplished so much more. A friend once told me, “When you finish an Ironman, your life will change. Distance, time, effort, and fitness will never seem the same. They are no longer insurmountable obstacles, they are parts of the journey that make the challenge worthwhile.”
I thank Goodness that I finished. I thank my wife and son for the patience. I thank the NW Fitness team for the support. I realized why I did this event. It is the belief that ordinary people could do extra-ordinary things. Fitness is not ordinary to me. Living well is not ordinary nor is good health. They are things that must be worked upon. I believe in health, fitness, and well-being.
I can’t wait for the Portland & Seattle Marathons as well as IM Coeur d’Alene and IM Canada 2003.
Results: http://www.athlinks.com/Race/Event?raceID=108559&courseID=20189
Overall Results
| A/G/O | Athlete | M/F | Age | Bib | Pace | Time | Speed | Time | Pace | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 262 / 1037 / 1290 | Rome E Delasalas | M | 30 | 08:41 | 08:26 | 13:17:19 |
