Ironman Wisconsin - Race Report

Well I haven't had many forced reasons to write this season.  IM MOO as it is known is my second and last race of 2011

My little buddy (hint: she's fast!)

So MOO (Ironman Wisconsin, it's in dairy cow country), my friend Barb was doing it for her first and my buddy and Tepper classmate Chris was doing it.  It was on the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 where I lived and worked at Ground  Zero.  The second plane flew over my head into the south tower.  I also decided to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the war on cancer.  When I was 16, I held my mom's hand while she died of this wretched disease.  I decided on a $5 thousand fundraising goal and have since passed that goal (if you want to push me  further over the limit...http://tinyurl.com/2d6d9kk).

Yeah my world was emotional this day, but you dig deep in this life...period end of sentence.  There are no ifs, second chances, redos, mulligans, this is it.  So go big or go home.  That's our household motto.  Creates its fair share of physical therapy and other problems, but well worth it.

Swim 1 hour 21 minutes: yeah I learned on my way in the water that we would not be exiting.  The flipside of being the mellow calm fellow, is um yeah you don't know what's going on sometimes.  I confirmed with Barb and 10 other people that yeah just swim 2 laps and then exit.  I did and it was fine sans some of the people I clubbed in the head with my paws.  I was hoping for closer to 1:15 given the work I had done on the swim, but I think I just went too light, I did not feel my normal tired, groggy self after the swim and that is a good thing, with 138 miles to go.  6 minute PR so that will work.

T1, like 10 minutes, MOO transition sucks!

Bike 6 hours 38 minutes: Ouch, wind, heat and humidity are not a 185 pound man's friend for 112 (btw my Garmin said 113) miles.  I have discipline and held back till mile 70.  But man I wanted to bail in the heat.  Then I remembered, 10 years ago living and working at Ground Zero and watching people jump from the heat.  It wasn't that hot.  I think like 1 minute slower than Placid.  No complaining!

T2 I think around 5 or 6 minutes.  MOO Transition SUCKS!

Run: I train for the run, no worries.  I just plowed through it, soaking in all the emotions and the experience.  It was great seeing Barb and Chris out on the run course too.  Made it more friendly.  The crowds were awesome in Madison.  I got to give my wife and friend Joe a high five on the run, which was sweet!  Always great to see support out there!  4:16 ish and another PR about 4 minutes.  So you will recall 6 on the swim, 4 on the run and -1 on the bike.  But only 1 minute faster overall vs Lake Placid at 12:29.  And I repeat transitions SUCK @ MOO!!!  But whatever, its all for charity and the war on cancer in my book.  And I nailed that goal to the wall!!!

3X Ironman Finisher, Jason Bezon, I like the ring!

Banzo of course nailed a Kona spot first try.  Awesome job for her first IM.  She and her awesome family made it that much more fun.

And my awesome family makes it all possible year in and year out.  Thank you Ironmate!

A special shout out to my buddy Joe Doucas and his family.  He had no business driving the 140.6 (yeah we raced the same distance) from Chicago to Madison on a Sunday with work to do on Monday, but he did it.  He also took most of these awesome pictures. Thanks Joe, you're a good friend!

The whole crew!

Happy Training

2010 to 2011 Transition

Well I have been the absentee blogger as of late.  Both this blog and my food blog have suffered.  So now it is mid January and I will update both and re-commit to better blogging.  So where has the triathlon world left me.  Well I did run the Denver Marathon.  Note run not race, I was careless in my prep and over weight, about Ironman Lake Placid + 15 pounds.  Anyway I finished in 3:55, 23 minutes better than LP, at altitude and fat.

Next up was deciding my approach to 2011.  I thought about a coach and thought about staying self coached.  I decided to buy some of Joel Friel's canned plans that load into TrainingPeaks.  Great value as I have email access to his coaching staff and can reuse and move around the plans as I need.  This is really the balance I need, being a student of triathlon training and coaching.

Now next on my list, how to improve the bike.  I took the plunge and bought a Computrainer for the off-season.  This thing is incredible.  It's like having a bike lab in my basement.  I can get power, create ergometer workouts, ride Ironman courses in 3D or ride other courses with a pacer robot.  Very cool and gets me motivated.

Next up was fixing my swim-slacker issues.  I joined the local Tri-Masters swim group in my neighborhood rec center (If you know the Ranch you know neighborhood is a bit of a stretch, but our facilities are second to none, superb!)  Anyway tri-masters kicks my butt and is getting me motivated to swim.

Lastly trying to get some social benefits from triathlon, I decided to join the Bike Source Multisport in my 'hood. Again superb value.  I have not got to meet up yet, but it looks like from the calendar it picks up in March.  Until then if I am not skiing in my backyard of Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge or A-Basin, I will hit up the Sunday swim.

So that's it, I have made some commitments and moved the ball forward.  The A race for 2011 will be Ironman Wisconsin on September 11, 2011.  I will be raising money for Livestrong in memory of my Mom who died from cancer and remembering those who lost their lives having lived and worked at Ground Zero.  There is my motivation!

Happy Training!

Endurance & Charity

So there seems to be a very strong connection between the world of endurance sports and charity. This starts at the very entry level of running/walking a 5k for a local cause. It ratchets all the way up through Team In Training, Livestrong, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Team Challenge, Endure to Cure (E2C), and my personal endeavor for 2010, Ironman - Janus Charity Challenge.

Team In Training raises money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Livestrong Challenges raise money and awareness for all types of cancer. Crohn's and Colitis raises money for those respective diseases. E2C, started by Jason Sissel, raises money for pediatric cancer. The Janus Charity Challenge allows an athlete who is racing in a full distance Ironman to raise money for the charity of their choice. Janus provides the management and documentation tools. For Ironman Lake Placid July 25, 2010 I will be raising money for Autism Speaks. I will be trying to help children like my cousin, Malachi Fleck-Raybuck, in their battle with Autism. The more we raise the better the odds of getting matching funds from Janus.

So where does the tie between endurance and charity begin? That's a tough question, but I think it lies in the initial motivation to undertake something outside of our comfort zone. Endurance activities particularly on the longer end of the spectrum aren't done on a whim. They require planning, sacrifice, prioritizing and often a single minded focus. These qualities lend themselves very favorably to a fundraising campaign. The similarities are not lost on potential donors. People see someone willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears in preparation and completion of some event, and figure OK I can put a few bucks behind that.

It becomes quite the virtuous circle. The athlete has motivation for those early morning training days. Donors have something tangible to cheer for in the fundraising and the event. The charity receives more money than is likely through simply asking for donations. The awareness raised also pushes those buttons in others, who think, "I could pick up that torch and carry it too!" When all is said and done, the completion of the event is icing on an already fantastic cake.

Happy training!