March 04, 2003

news

February 5th 2005
I know it has been too long since the last update, over six months!! Things are going really well with me, off season was really good, with plenty of much needed rest and important time spent with friends and family. Base training is going well, feeling really strong, and able to make through the winter without any major illness. (Knock on wood!!)

I am really excited for the upcoming season, I am going to be focusing on more distance racing, doing 2 Ironman races this year. I am also proud to announce that I am a part of the Ironman North America Professional racing team this year. I feel lucky to be a part of the team and am happy to be associated with the other athletes on the team as well. You can find more info about the team and other members at www.ironmannorthamerica.com.

Ironman Coeur d' Alene June 27, 2004

The day of my first ever Ironman started off like every other race this year, with an early rise. This day came with more nerves than any other this year, nerves due to the unknown of my first Ironman experience. So, I ate and I was off to the races!!

The race started in the beautiful Lake Couer d' Alene, clear and smooth, perfect conditions. With the horn, my nerves are gone, and time to go to work. I settle into a comfortable pace in third position when my nightmare of a swim begins at about 800 meters. At this point my calf cramped, so I fell back to 5th and try to settle in. Unfortunatley once it started there was no going back, 5th, to 8th, 8th turns to 10th, and by the second lap both legs were locked up, and I had to resort to pulling (not kicking) the last 1.2 miles of the swim in severe pain. This was definately the toughest swim I have ever had, simply due to the pain, and the first race I ever had to recieve assistance from the kayaks on course. (I stopped twice at the kayaks to try and unlock my calfs, with no success) But realizing that an Ironman is a long event I decided to see how the day unfolded.

So I exited the water in 30th place, in 54:54, about 5 minutes from where I should have ended up with no cramps. The pain lasted through the 1st transition which I hobbled through dragging my cramped left leg behind.

Getting onto the bike my legs relaxed and I found myself feeling good, but riding angry, due to the poor position I was left with due to a horrid swim. I pushed the first 30 miles quite hard so that I might catch the first group and try to pace off some of the stronger racers. In the first 30 miles I pulled myself from 30th to 6th, and tried to settle down into a more comfortable pace. I did pay for the effort a bit though, slowing significantly in miles 35-50.

After getting in those much needed calories, I was able to keep a steady pace for the entire second lap, never really slowing too much. The course was a good one for me, fairly flat and windy with a few climbs and some fairly technical sections. The difficult part for me was just staying motivated while riding out of sight of anyone for about 80% of the ride, this is mentally tough, just trying to keep a steady fluid pace. I entered the second transition area in 6th, only one minute of my goal bike split, with a 5:01:00.

Trying not to focus on the fact I had to run 26.2 miles, I started out my run, trying to hold a comfortable pace. After 2 miles I found my legs feeling fresh and ready to run. (for now at least) My first 5 miles were faster than my goal pace with an average of about 6:30 pace, and I decided to try and slow a little not knowing if I could run the distance at that pace. Keep in mind the longest I had ever run before this day was 2 hours, about 18 miles.

So, half way through the run that "fresh" feeling was long gone, and fatigue had set in on my mind and body. When asked by big brother Chris, "how are you feeling?", I always replied, "THIS IS HARD!!!" The second lap of the run was purely a mental challenge for me, keep eating, keep focused on hydration, keep cool, keep motivated, and most of all KEEP RUNNING!! I found myself in a haze, just surviving through the aid stations. For me it was aid station - 3 minutes of feeling cool and hydrated - 5 minutes of just keeping moving waiting for the next station, where water, oranges, and coke, were taken in as much as possible. With one mile to go I found my average pace slow from my first lap at 7:10, to my second lap average of 8:20.

My last 800 meters was very emotional for me. The whole day came back, all those times when I thought that I might not make it, and here I was in the finishing shoot!! My entire journey in triathlon came back to me as well, remembering that 240 lb guy watching his big brother race an Ironman in Hawaii, and here he was in his first one coming to the finish line in 8th place!! So I am a little embarrased to say a tear or two fell, but what are you gonna due? I am a big softy!

So the day ended in 9:21:58, with a 3:21 marathon. 8th place Overall, and 7th Professional. I was quite glad to be done, and not really wanting to do another one anytime soon. To my suprise I realized I had qualified to race at the World Championships on October 16th, in Kona, where my triathlon hopes had started 5 years prior!!! See you at the next one!! - Bigmatt