This was my third year doing IM WI, and after the heat and wind of 2005 and the cold rain of 2006, I figured we were do for some decent weather. I spent most of the week watching the Madison forecast change on a daily basis, and focused on a nice easy taper.

My wife and I arrived in Madison Friday morning. I got in line to pick up my race packet at about 8:30. Last year the race packet pick-up took several hours to get through. This year I was done in about 45 minutes, so I was happy to not have to stand in a long line. The only order of business I had to attend to was to get myself into the correct age group. For some reason NAS had me listed in the Women's 30-34 age group. After about 4 e-mails to NAS sports, they finally got me listed in the Men's 30-34 age group, but because the race numbers had already been assigned, they told me I needed to talk to the volunteer at the timing chip table to get into the correct age group. So on the Friday before the race I got my sex change ;-)

Saturday was mostly spent relaxing. I did a nice easy 15 minute swim and a 10 minute run. I dropped off my bike (after a test ride down to transition) and my transition bags. The rest of the day was spent relaxing with my family.

I awoke at 3:30 am (alarm was set for 4:00) and couldn't fall back asleep. I got out of bed at 4:00 and drank a Boost and ate a Baker's Breakfast Cookie. Then I took a shower and got dressed. At 5:00 we headed to transition and I got body marked and got my bike all set with some Clif bars and two bottles (1 with Gatorade and one with water). Then I headed down the helix to the swim start area.

The Swim

I was a little worried about the swim. I didn't spend as much time in the pool this year and my short swim Saturday didn't leave me feeling comfortable for some reason. But I got suited up and in the water. Once I was in the water I calmed down a bit. At 7:00 the gun went off and I took off. I took the usual number of kicks and punches but felt calm and strong on the swim. The corners were crowded as everybody tried to turn, but this wasn’t any different than previous years. Next time I do this race I need to make a point to swim a little wide on the corners. By the second lap I found some space and got into my groove. I got out of the water in 1:13:29, which was about 4 minutes better than my previous two years. I was happy with my time.

T1

After a quick stop by the strippers, I took a slow jog up the helix. My heart rate spiked at about 179. But I kept a nice calm jog going, and as I ran the helix I soaked up the energy of the crowd and also managed to get my wetsuit rolled up so it would be easier to stick into my T1 bag. Once I got inside the building, I grabbed my bag, found a clear spot on the floor, and dumped the bag out. Then I stuffed my wetsuit, goggles, and swim cap inside the bag. I put on my sunglasses, helmet, race number, and socks, then grabbed my shoes and headed out to my bike. When I got my race number of 2154 (after accidentally being placed in the women's age group), I thought I would end up having to run the entire length of the bike area while pushing my bike. But this year they set up the bikes different, and I somehow managed to be only about 15 rows from the bike out of the transition. I got to my rack, put on my shoes, grabbed my bike and went. I mounted and clipped in and was off down the helix. T1 Time = 7:13.

Bike

Once out of the helix I focused on getting comfortable and eating a gel and then drinking some water. The first few miles of IM WI aren't conducive to passing, so it actually forces you to get settled into a rhythm. That was a good thing. Once we got out of the city, I started passing people. My legs felt great on the bike, and my nutrition was spot on. The weather was perfect: cool with almost no wind. I made it through 56 miles and was averaging almost exactly 20 mph. I was a little worried I had pushed too hard on the first loop, but my legs felt strong, so I continued to push on. I didn't take my special needs bag (which only had a tube and a CO2 in it) and continued on. My nutrition for the bike consisted of water, Gatorade, Powergel, a lot of bananas, and two Clif bars. I find the Clif bars give me something substantial so my stomach actually feels full. The temperature warmed up for the second loop, and the winds picked up some, but it was still nothing too bad.

I noticed a LOT of race officials out on motorcycles. I also saw a lot of people riding with slashes through their numbers, so it looks like the officials were handing out penalties. In my opinion there was almost no blatant drafting going on. When you put 2209 people out on the bike course, there is bound to be some crowding. But I didn’t see any pace lines or peletons, so the racers were behaving and/or the officials were doing a good job of policing the course. I saw my wife, parents, siblings and nieces several times on the course, and that was always a big boost to the morale.

The second lap was a little slower than the first, but I still felt great. I made it up the last few difficult climbs without having to get out of the saddle. The last few miles into town always feels great. I don’t think I have ever been so excited to run a marathon! After getting up the helix, I got my feet out of my shoes and dismounted at the line without any problems. My legs felt strong and I ran into T2. My plan was to ride a 6:00:00 bike, and I beat that by over 15 minutes. Final Bike time = 5:43:54 (19.5 mph).

T2

I ran through T2 and grabbed my transition bag from the volunteer’s waiting clutch. I sat down, took off my helmet, and then slipped on my running shoes and visor. I stuffed my helmet in my bag, and grabbed my water bottle. On the way out of T2, I got lathered up in sunscreen, made a quick stop at the porta-potty, and hit the run. T2 time = 3:22

Run

I started out on the run just trying to get my legs. I saw my family again, and after a quick high five from my 3 year old niece, I was off running. My stomach was doing good, and I continued to sip on Gatorade and water and eat bananas and gels. I like to run with a water bottle, as it allows me to sip on liquids every couple of minutes vice having to down cups every mile. Plus, if it is really hot, I can fill the bottle with ice and water and use it to cool myself.

My legs continued to feel strong, and at about mile 6 I felt incredible. Being an engineer/geek/math head, I started to work the numbers in my head on what I would need to do to go sub 11 hours. I figured it would take me running about a 3:50 marathon, which is my PR for a stand-alone marathon. I knew I probably wouldn’t get there today, but I knew I would easily finish less than my 11:30 goal time. I hit the half-way mark at about 1:56 (8:53 pace). I didn’t have a special needs bag, so I didn’t need to stop there. My legs started to hurt a bit, and I started to walk through every other aid station. About 16 miles in I gave in and had to walk for a few minutes. I had energy, but my legs were feeling stiff and my quads were hurting. I mustered on, and still managed to run up the big hills on the course. My pace was slowing, and I continued to do the math. At the rate I was going I didn’t think I would be able to break 11:20, but I knew I could break 11:25, and that made me happy. As I neared the last two miles, the thought of getting this thing over with was enough to get me running. I also took in a lot of energy from the crowds that lined the street and continued to cheer all of us racers on. I must have pulled out a few quick final miles, because I crossed the line at 11:17:49! I got my medal, t-shirt, and cap, and then had my picture taken. Final Marathon time was 4:09:53.

Post Race

My family was at the finish line and I met them outside the finish area. I was hurting a lot worse than my previous two IMs. My wife grabbed me some food, and I sat down. I couldn’t eat anything, and I still felt pretty bad. So I walked over to the medical tent thinking I might be a little dehydrated. My pre-race weight was 193, and my post-race weight was 191. I only lost two pounds, so I guess I pretty much nailed my nutrition. I sat down for another 10 minutes, still felt bad, so we headed back to the hotel. Once at the hotel, my appetite came back and I ate some pizza. After eating, I got a bad case of the chills (I think all of my blood rushed to my get to get some food!). I was shivering so bad that my hands curled up into fists and I couldn’t open my fingers. I got back to my room and jumped in a hot shower. That did the trick. After cleaning up and warming up, And with some food in my belly, I felt much better.

Final Thought and Observations

I really couldn’t have had a more perfect race. The worst thing that happened to me all day was that somewhere on the swim I lost my Road ID bracelet. That was it. Otherwise, I had a great swim, T1, bike, T2, and run. The weather was near perfect (it did get a little warm on the first loop of the run, but I really can’t complain).

I was very happy with my final time. In 2005, my first IM, I did a 12:43. Last year I managed to break 12 hours and did an 11:54. This year I managed to shave over 35 minutes from my PR. I guess the next stop is to try to break 11 hours. Yeah, much easier said than done!! Maybe it’s time to get some aero wheels to buy a little time on the bike.

The volunteers were awesome (as usual). I can’t believe how much fun they were having and how much encouragement they gave to the racers.

I spectators were great too. The only trouble I heard about was on one of the steeper climbs where many people collect and tend to crowd the street. It is pretty cool because they crowd in on you as you climb and it can give you a lot of energy. The bummer is that there sometimes isn’t enough room for two riders. My wife saw one instance where a racer had to actually go behind the crowds on the street to get by. Last year I almost ran into a guy who was running next to his friend and not being mindful of the racers. But this year I was lucky enough not to have any problems.

There were two people on the course that really inspired me. Jeff Glasbrenner did IM WI in 12:21:47. Oh, and he did it with only one leg. I passed him about 38 miles into the bike and was humbled by what he was doing. The second was Frank Ferrar. My wife and I stayed until midnight to see him come in with about 3:30 to spare. At 78 years of age, his accomplishments are amazing.