Huuuuuuuge IM registration flub!! :(

I just found out that I made a major mistake in the registration date for IMWI '09! For some odd reason, I kept thinking that I had until the 29th to finalize my reserved spot and pay the fee, etc, etc. Not quite the case.

Turns out the deadline was the 22nd. Esta no bueno...

What to do? I guess I don't really have a choice, do I? I keep training. No questions asked. Maybe this will be a blessing in disguise. I have already perused the Half-Ironman schedule for next season, and have picked out a few options, and will work on narrowing them down in the next few months.

So, I will keep the title of the blog the same, as ultimately, we will reach Ironman one way or another, but we'll have a few more stops along the way.

Keep your eyes peeled for an update coming soon on some new bling!

Till then,


-J

Devil's Challenge race report.

Wow, wow, wow, that's all I really can say about the day.

The weather ended up being somewhat on our side. I believe the temp at start was about 60 degrees. Chilly at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. There were a total of 747 participants, and I was bib #783. How does that work, eh?

I left the house bright and early this morning, well not so much on the bright side, I guess. On the road by 5:30 am. Wonderful. Someone please remind me why I am doing this again? "No seriously, I am actually asking you, what do I do here? Any suggestion will do..." Friends, anyone?

I arrived at the North Shore about 10 minutes after registration opened up, which gave me an ideal parking spot and a base locale to go back and forth from. Got my bib, timing chip, my SWEET dri-fit t-shirt, and got marked with my number. After all that hubbub, I got my bike to set-up my transition area, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I got the perfect spot to rack my bike, right on the end of the rail, practically in the lane, so I didn't have to waste any time moving between people and bikes. Good deal, I was stoked about that.

After I got all that set up, I just kind of milled around for a bit, walked the transition running lanes so I would know what to expect when coming out of the water, chatted with some other folks, and got my wetsuit on. At that point my folks arrived and I said hi and kind of explained to them what was about to happen. Also caught up with Dave, who was also in my wave and chatted a bit about the upcoming race.

At about 8am, they called the competitor's meeting, after which I had already taken out my hearing aids, so I had no idea what was said, but Dave assured me that none of it mattered.... yeah right, I think he was just trying to get a leg up on me. :)


It soon became race time.

The swim start was great! There were 78, I think, in my wave, which was a comfortable number, enough for a semi-violent start, but no black eyes or broken noses (that I know of). I positioned myself fairly conservatively, but ended up have to work my way around the pack. Once we hit the first buoy, I found myself toward the front of the pack and pulling away. Sweet. This is the moment everyone dreams of. I had to remind myself to calm down and breathe and keep my rhythm. It worked. I finished the swim in a touch over 8min, which isn't bad considering I had to work through the pack for about 100 yds or so.

Coming out of the water and into T1 I felt great, which was a surprise, but I still didn't want to rush it, I wanted to be sure to get everything right and not forget anything for the bike. Like my hearing aids. Gonna need those, buddy. I also grabbed my arm warmers which ended up being a good call, too, because it got chilly quickly.

This is when it went south. Before I could even mount the bike, the chain dropped off, forcing me to spend another minute fiddling with that to get it back on. Off we go, right? Wrong.

At some point between my test ride this morning, and the race, my front derailleur got bent. I found this out 50 yards up the first hill, when I couldn't shift into granny gear. Which was bad, because I needed that granny gear.

This moment, I think, was the defining moment of the race for me. Here I am, coming into the bike in pretty good position, as far as I could tell, I was still in the top 10 (behind the elite), and I am forced to deal with the fact that I will have to grind up these monster hills without my granny gear, and then not be able to use my big gear to take advantage of the downhills.

I knew I came here for the right reasons when it took me less than 2 seconds to make this decision. I recognized that I have no control over the fact that I can shift my front gears, but I DO have control over the fact that I can still have a great time. And I did. Every hill sucked, but I loved it. I was a true grind fest, and it tested my mettle, and I loved it, pure and simple. Never once did I say "I don't want to be here". Not once.

It was all worth it when we topped out the last hill and re-entered the park, and as you got closer to the parking area, you could hear the rising crescendo of the crowd waiting for you to come flying in. Awesome stuff and it totally gave me goosebumps. I soaked in every second of it. Every second.

T2 was blistering fast for me. So much so that I came out ahead of several people that passed me on the bike a few mintues earlier. I was expecting my legs to feel like bricks. That feeling never came. I guess the adrenaline from this atmosphere really helped me crank through it. I felt like I had a great run. Dave caught up with me, and we stuck together for the rest of the run, and were joined up with another guy, Jay, who said he was tired of chasing us to told us to bring him in. Awesome!

Coming down the chute to the finish was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It was a great experience that I worked hard for, and it felt great to finally accomplish this. And I was feeling good enough that I could soak it in and enjoy it.

What an awesome day.

-J

Devil's Lake warmup

I headed up to DL this afternoon to check out the swim course and get a bit of a warm-up.

BRRRR!!!

Not really being used to open water swimming, this was definitely a bit on the chilly side for me. Good thing I had my wetsuit. This thing rocks! One of the few wetsuits that fits a tall, lanky guy like me. I'm used to having some extra space in the suit, which in turn creates drag, but not this sucker. I felt like Phelps flying down from one buoy to the next. Sweet stuff.

It was foggy and wet, and probably a fairly accurate preview for what tomorrow will be like. I'd like the roads to be a tad dryer for the bike leg, mainly for safety, but I saw the volunteer crews out there sweeping gravel off the tricky spots. Thanks! The brings my mind to ease, at least a little bit.

By all regards, there have been many positive things said about how the Wisconsin Triathlon Series is run, and tomorrow should be no exception, cruddy weather or not.

Be sure to check back in a day or two for the full race report!

-J

Devil's Challenge tommorrow!

The Devil's Challenge Tri in Baraboo, Wisconsin is tomorrow! This will probably be the final tri for me this season, although the Jay-Hawk Latebird tri is looking pretty appealing...

Taking place at Devil's Lake State Park, which is actually just south on Hwy 12 of Baraboo, athletes will get a chance to take in some breathtaking views of this gorgeous gem in south central Wisconsin, while completing a 440 yd swim, 15 mile bike, and a 3 mile run.

Here's a link to event info: http://www.witriseries.com/id13.html


The bike course is notorious for it's killer hills, although we are still not quite what this year's course will entail. Construction on one of the main roads started a few days early, leaving the race director scrambling to work with the town of Merrimac and the local sheriff's department and get a route set down. This will prove to be a very interesting course, as they are basically saying that they don't know yet what the course will be, but that there will be volunteers and signs at every turn. At least we won't get lost! :)

I'll be heading up there this afternoon to practice some open water swimming and try out my new wetsuit, the BlueSeventy Reaction! It's a sleeveless, which I actually prefer since you still get the flotation and warmth, but less restriction of movement than a full-body suit. I'll try to snap some pics of the crummy weather and some of the set-ups that are likely going on at the moment.

I will definitely be posting a race report on here tomorrow evening, as well as reporting in at www.beginnertriathlete.com. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and Meggen will be able to snap some good pictures of the action.

See you then!

-J

Welcome!

Hey everyone! Welcome to the blog that will be chronicling my next 366 days! That's right, on September 13, 2009, I will be embarking on an adventure that I will remember for the rest of my life; Ironman Wisconsin 2009!

That's right, I AM absolutely out of my mind. This is an event that kicks off at 7am, beginning with a 2.4 mile swim, followed by one of the toughest 112 mile bike courses on the Ironman circuit, and capped off with a grueling 26.2 mile run. Most consider themselves lucky to finish by 10pm that day.

Why?

That's what this blog is really all about. The coolest thing, I think, about this event, is that it is rarely about the event itself, but more about the journey to this event. Training for Ironman is no joke. It requires more out of you than you ever thought was possible. This is going to be more of a journal, where you will get a firsthand look at what's going on inside my head as I go through 4am 13 mile runs, 3 to 4 mile swims, and some bike rides that will send my crying home for momma.

A little background on myself, for those who don't know me. I am 26 and living in Madison, WI. I love it here. I have seen much of this country with my 2 dogs, Tenzing and Zephaniah. We put down roots here in 2005 and haven't felt the urge to move since. That's a good thing, I guess!

I am coming fresh off of selling a business that I started, which built whitewater kayak paddles, mainly out of wood. I got out of it because I suffered from a full blown anxiety attack, and decided that I am way too young to be dealing with that kind of pressure. I actually started tri training back in the spring as a way to deal with the stress, and it seemed like a healthier option than smoking... Now tri training is teaching me things about myself that I never would have found otherwise.

Now I am a happy, relatively stress free guy, working at the Ace Hardware Center on Willliamson St near the Capitol Square in Madison. I have been working there part-time for two years, and am now on full-time there. I absolutely love this job. People ask me what I do there, to which I respond "there's not really much I DON'T do...". I have really gained a sense of pride lately, being a part of the greatest hardware store in the store!

I have also really come to love this area of town. The Willy St neighborhood is definitely one of a kind. I have the great fortune to meet some really cool people, that all have a unique life story to tell, and are always interested to hear mine. I truly enjoy every day that I spend on WIlly St. So much so that I often ride my down there on my days off and hang!

Anyhoo, that's a bit about me. You will get more glimpses of my personal life, and my family in the upcoming entries. Thanks for checking the blog out and looking forward to seeing you out there!