Just a warning, because I want to remember as much of this experience as I can, this posting will be lengthy. Also it is now a little less than 48 hours since I crossed the finish line and one of the things I have discovered is that I am mentally exhausted as well as physically. The mental exhaustion seems to manifest itself as having difficulty thinking and remembering. Great news as I am about to attempt to recall everything from my race day. I'll try not to ramble too much and stick to the main details but just like in the race on Saturday, I'm not really sure how I will get to the finish. For now, I will just start.
Taper week. The last week before the event, my taper week, seemed hectic though I was not so busy. I only had two light workouts on the bike and run, and three short workouts in the water. I spent most of the week gathering together the supplies I would need and getting those packed for the road trip. As the week progressed and I spent more time getting ready I became more apprehensive. The day Brian checked out my bike and put on the race wheels with the CycleOps computer I started to wonder how those items would affect me on race day. New things, new questions. Race wheels have extensions, how is repairing a flat different? Would the computer record like it is supposed to? Two days before leaving I was going over my nutrition plan and wondered how would I carry all the gels, and what fluids would I take, or even what race nutrition items would I take from the aid stations. I kept focused on my plan and hoped that my timing strategy was correct. Specifically pre-swim I would take a gel and some water. For the bike I planned on two gels every hour, I had on board water and Gatorade in two bottles. Gels would be taped to the bike frame, fluids were in a cage and an Aero container.
Pre-race. Thursday had been an all day long drive. We left Seattle about 7:00 am and arrived somewhere around 4:00 or 5:00 pm. Going east we lost an hour. Maureen and I and our friends Charlotte and Bob checked in to the Marriott Town Place Suites about a mile from the BoDo area and race center, it seemed perfect. Went straight away to the Quest Center to athlete registration. It took only 20 minutes or so to sign forms and pick up my supplies. There was the usual wrist band with my athlete number, then the packet with the number stickers, then on to the timing chip and strap, don't forget to match the chip with the computer. Finally pickup a very cool Ironman Boise backpack, also the green, blue, and red gear bags, and you are on my way. So glad I was able to get through that night because after the orientation meeting Friday morning the line was hours long. I really have to give a shout out to Boise. It is a great city center, lots of things to do, well organized, great restaurants, and many many greenbelts and parks, all with a river running through it and a major university, within a few blocks or walk-able miles. Thursday night we ate Italian at a place call Assaggio's. It was excellent! No trouble sleeping. Marriott provided breakfast in the morning so Friday starts off well. Funny to see so many triathletes at breakfast consume every bit of food available as fast as it came out. Friday morning Bob and I walked to the center for the orientation, he went to Tully's while I went to the meeting. Orientation meeting. Looked like everyone was there. There was one the night before but the auditorium was full. The meeting was typical, go over the course, go over the rules, ask questions and so on. There were 40 pros signed up. There were also a lot of first timers at this distance like me, and also many for whom this was their first triathlon ever. That was pretty amazing to me. After the meeting, we went back to the hotel to get my bike setup to take to Lucky Peak Reservoir. Bob went for some sun in one of the parks, Maureen and Charlotte went for lunch. After eating we went up to the swim site which was about 30 minutes from town. You could drive across the dam and unload your bike. We parked and all went to check out the start and transition area. It was about 3:30, a little cloudy and a bit windy. Transition was set up very competitor friendly. My bike was three racks from the bike out mid-way down the rack. Easy to spot when coming in from the swim. Good enough. The swim start was in waves, athletes would jump off a dock and wait for the signal to swim the triangle course with two turns. The exit was up a boat ramp and an uphill walk or run to the transition area. It looked quite long, perhaps a few hundred yards. From here we tried to drive as much of the course as was open, which was the first few miles and the last ten or twelve miles. Really couldn't get any idea of the entire course, had to go on what was said at orientation. What I did see was after leaving the dam there was a long fast down hill followed by a long up hill. From the meeting we knew there were a couple of more challenging hills out there but unable to see them now. Also the last part of the race back to town looked fast. From here we went to the gas station and the market to get some more supplies. I was so hungry I got a ready made sandwich and ate it immediately. Then we went back to the hotel and rested a bit. Later that evening we ate at an Indian restaurant, the Taj Mahal, downtown. I was a little worried about the food but it turned out just fine. It was really good and no adverse affects the next day. Finished Friday going to sleep about 10:30.
Race day. I got up about 6:30, sort of puttered around, read my bible and tried to get into my race mode which is somewhere near but not quite scared to death. Ate a pretty ordinary breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, banana and coffee. Around 8:00 I took my blue bike gear bag and my red run gear bag, said goodbye to my mates and headed off to find T2. I had to drop off my red bag and see where I was in the 1400 or so spaces in the racks at T2. This was located right downtown. The transition area was the street itself about the length of the city block. My rack spot was very close to the run exit and of course far from the bike in spot. This made for a bit of a slow walk in with my bike shoes on. I made a mental note that if I could have time I'd get out of my shoes and just leave them clipped in. After that I went to the Quest Center to meet the shuttle buses and wait for my companions. It was really great having my own support group, Maureen of course is always there, but to have Charlotte and Bob as well was very special as we have been friends for nearly forty years. They helped in many ways both logistically and spiritually. The buses were to leave at 9:15, we were in the latter part of the line so left a bit later. It was standing in line again fun to see all the different people and talk with several as you waited. One of the more special aspects of this is the racing community. Most are amateurs, we are of many age groups and we are all about doing our best so consequently everyone is very encouraging to each other. Also, because you tend to wait a bit here and there you have many opportunities to visit. I can't say enough how great that it is to be a part of this event. The bus ride to the dam was fine, it was a school bus after all, and we arrived to sunny skies and good temperatures, not cold and not hot. I tried to get in the shade whenever I could. First I made one of several trips to the porta-potty. Then I checked out my bike and made sure I had all the gear I wanted. We had about 90 minutes before the transition area would close. The typical event circus was on, people wandering about, waiting here and there, comparing equipment. I refilled my tires and filled up my fluid bottles. Then it was wait until time to put on the wet suit. As I waited you could see there were many volunteers all dressed in green t-shirts. Everyone was happy and helpful and there were a lot of them. What I would see along the course is the the Boise community is very supportive and turns out in huge numbers to volunteer for the event. I couldn't tell the exact number but I am sure the number of volunteers was way more than the number of athletes. It was really nice to know and see as the race day progressed. I had done a lot to get here but they were doing a lot to make sure that all of us would finish.
The Swim. I was zipped up in my wet suit, Maureen, Charlotte and Bob were waiting in a small picnic area overlooking the start and I went through the chute to the wave staging area. Here with about 15 minutes to go I downed a gel and the last of my water that I had been sipping. I was in the 4th wave of 14 total. In front of me were the pro men and women and the physically challenged, the purple wave women who were young I think, then my group: 50+ men. We were followed by the 30 to 34 men and women and then waves of everyone else. I was sure that the red hats were going to swim right over me. While we stood in our staged groups the national anthem was played and sung, then it was gun time, no cannon here. the pro men started then a couple of minutes later the pro women and any physically challenged then I was at the end of the dock ready to jump in. Interestingly, one of the elite men had trouble right away and they had to escort him to the warming tent. That was a little unnerving as I waited on the swim dock to have medics bring hip up the ramp. Now it is my turn to jump in the water, I know it is cold, about 53 which is about 11 Celsius, but there is no turning back, no walk of shame. Cold or not in I go. You have to jump, no diving, so I sank feet first a few feet and as the water surrounded me and seeped inside of the wet-suit I could really feel the cold. I had double caps but the strangest thing was that the first thing I noticed was my goggles fogged up. I didn't expect that but I guess the temperature between my face and the water caused that. I rinsed them out but that didn't make much difference. I could see that my range of vision was about 5 feet under water and I had lots of people to follow so I would just swim a little wide and see where that led. Then it was the gun and I was going. I could still feel my feet and hands but that wouldn't last too long and I just tried to find my rhythm. The swimming was good, I soon forgot about my uncovered hands, feet and face and just kept plugging along. I sited every once in a while and was on a true course to the big red buoy. Eventually before I was halfway down the first length other swimmers started to catch up. There was a lot of contact but as usually the tough ones were the swimmers who tended to wander. They would get in front of you and the cross back and forth. During the swim I never felt tired per se, I maintained my general stroke cadence. After the first turn I picked it up a little. Someone hit my foot and I thought I lost my timing chip, but no it was intact. The swim was about 55 minutes and that is a long time to be in a lake just chugging along. I actually remember seeing some of the features of the shore and also clearly remember as I would turn my head to breathe I could see a moisture ring around the sun. As I got closer to the finish I realized that I was in a big crowd that was all going in to a narrow exit. It got really crowed quickly. I kept swimming and could see people on the shore yelling and taking pictures. Some with families and young children oblivious to the action in the water. Instead they were more interested in chasing their brother or sister. I finally reached the ramp and staggered up. Someone gave me a hand to get going in the right direction, "how are you doing?" he asked and pulled the zipper for me on the wet-suit. As I walked/jogged up the ramp I tried to pull my arms out but I couldn't so when I got to the wet-suit strippers I opted to have them do the work. Just a note here to remember not to sit down too fast on the ground, it hurts. Good idea because though I didn't know it I was hypothermic. Out of my wet-suit, got some sunscreen from a volunteer who had gobs of white on her blue gloved hands. Stopped off at the toilet because I really had to go. Then on to the bike racks. I dumped out everything and packed my wet-suit, cap and goggles in the bag. This is what they call a clean transition so everything you leave behind has to go in the blue bag then the race people load it up to come back to the end of the race. After the bag was packed I put on my jersey and then hit a wall trying to put on my arm warmers. My body was so cold that as I tried to grip the arm warmers and pull them up my hands would cramp up. It took at least 5 minutes just to do that. I finished that, got my helmet, sunglasses, shoes and socks, took a quick drink, grabbed the bike and started running to the bike out mat. I needed the arm warmers on the ride so I am glad I took time to put them on. Once there I heard the timing chip chirp and I mounted up on my way. Still very cold and a little shaky.
The Bike. I remembered that there were several speed bumps leading out across the dam so I took it nice and easy. There was a lot of bottles, gel packs, and CO2 cartridges on the ground every time you came to bumps or irregularities. Some parts of the course were very smooth but a good portion was like a washboard. Immediately after crossing the dam you make a left on to Hwy 21 with a long steep descent. I kept it down while others passed but I needed to warm up and get control of my body without having a mishap at the very start. As I sped downhill a gust of wind hit me and turned my front wheel. It startled me and after it happened again I was prepared for it. A little scary but no tragedy fortunately. After a few minutes I was on the flat, we had one lane to ourselves. Soon after began the long steady climb out of the valley. It was anywhere from 3 to 6 percent climb, within my ability but slow. And as the day would prove this was many of the times that others would pass me by. Before I had gone 10 miles the eventual pro first place finisher passed me going the other way headed in to town. There's a wake up call for you. For me I had to focus on what I was doing and since I had the CycleOps readout I knew that I just had to keep my average around 15 mph, I could see the percent of the climb and I could also see far enough ahead of me to see how long I would be in the climbing mode. This was extremely helpful. This helped me through the entire ride. On flats I was faster, nearly 17 to 20 mph and on downhills I was as fast as 35+. I felt very confident with my downhills and rested when I could. I was cautious at turns to make sure I didn't lose control, and then I would stand and accelerate out of them. There were a few hills that slowed me down along with the altitude of Boise in general but I managed to huff and puff my way past a few riders. When I got to the first aid stations about 15 miles in I had to use the toilet again. Just a quick stop and one that I was grateful for. As I dismounted my bike a volunteer ran up and held my bike for me. Amazing the help I would get all day long. Then I felt better on my seat and pressed on. At this point I just tried to keep my speed above 15 or so and kept pushing. There were some flats and rollers and one short steep climb at the second aid stop but I was moving ahead. I was still being passed but I also passed others. I knew by aid station 2 that I would make the cut-off for the bike, I just needed to stay steady and keep going forward. I had several interesting experiences while on the bike. Many younger men and women who passed called me by name and encouraged me onward. My bib number also had my first name printed on it so others knew who I was and my race age, 63, was written on my left calf so they knew something about me there. One woman said something like "great work Harry, 63 and still rockin it." I have to say it did make a difference. In the morning I wrote a verse from Proverbs 10:28 on my forearm, "the prospect of the righteous is joy." That and the other competitors reinforced it all day long. I was given joy by others all day and I focused on having a heart of gratitude all day. Meanwhile on the bike I took in a gel every 30 or so minutes, water or Gatorade every 10 or 15 minutes. Did not eat anything during the race except that. My stomach felt pretty good, I was a little hungry, uncomfortable in a good way. I think now I might have been able to get a few more gels in or maybe a banana during the ride but that is about it. I was so preoccupied with the ride itself that I really didn't notice. During the ride, on the out and back which was in the most desolate of the terrain I spotted a woman coming the other way as I was headed back anticipating the last steep climb. She was gesturing pointing to the ground and called out "snake." Well that got my attention and as I got to that point, sure enough a 3 foot long sidewinder was making it's way across the road. That was a surprise. The last 10 or 12 miles was mostly flat or downhill and my bike performed well. I moved along quickly and confidently. Near the end with maybe less than 3 miles to go I was pretty tired and sure enough there was a hill, about 3 or 4 percent, somewhat long, 5 minutes, in traffic. I did not expect or need that at all. Along the course in various spots because the ride was in undeveloped countryside, desert, and developed neighborhoods, people lined the streets to cheer you on. Some had picnics and family outings on the lawns to pass the day encouraging participants. As I turned into town and came down Capitol Ave. I think, I could see about a mile ahead the Bike in arch. Whatever I had left I spun it right to the end. When I got off the bike my legs felt pretty steady but I had not taken off my shoes so I had to clip walk to the end of the racks. When I got there another volunteer helped me dump out my run bag and switch over to the shoes and hat. They packed all my bike gear up for me to come back for later. Made a stop at the porta-potty again and it was out the chute.
The Run. I was a little disoriented as I started the run. The exit route was right next to the transition area marked by a KSwiss fencing, and my legs were a little weird. People there cheered you on and then you made a turn to go right by the finish line where the announcer was reading off the names of finishers, yeah and I had only begun my half-marathon. Anyway this part of the run, less that a mile had the most people watching and cheering of any place on the course. It was intimidating seeing the runners come in knowing that some were making the turn for the second lap of the run and others were headed for the finish itself. The bulk of the run was on a river front trail through a beautiful green belt, park, or past the Boise State campus. There were aid stations about every mile or so and toilets maybe every three miles. At all the aid stations and in a few places along the way there were people to encourage you, but most of the miles between you were on your own. You would come across a course volunteer at turns or talk with someone else running but mostly you were on your own. The weather was not hot but it was humid and the course was almost entirely shaded. It was lonely out there and I talked with almost everyone I came across. I visited with a woman who was 50 something, Colleen, a mother who had lost 100 pounds in order to come to this day, her first triathlon ever. I visited with a man who had knee issues and we would yo yo back and forth until it loosened up and he went on ahead. I also visited with competitors who I met at T1, who had numbers close to mine and were in my age group. Everyone had time to encourage each other. My breathing was good considering we were at over 3000 feet of altitude but my legs were heavy. As I noticed this I thought about my nutrition on the bike and considered that maybe that was the culprit. Anyway all I could do was press on. And also at the start of the run I had a little stitch on my right side so I might have had fluid too close to the start of the run. I kept moving forward dividing the run into 5 minute segments, run 4 walk 1 or just run it, and if I wanted water, Gatorade or ice at the aid stations I would walk there as well. On my second lap Maureen, Charlotte and Bob met me with some flat Red Bull and some ibuprofen, my low back was not good. I also had a gel the last hour. Both of those helped with a little boost. Needless to say, there were way more people in front of me than behind me so the encouragement I got on the route particularly the 2nd lap really helped. The end of the first lap I had to run almost to the finish and then turn around. The crowd on 8th Street was still good and loud when I started my 2nd loop but by the time I got back there, many were gone. The last 2 to 3 miles I actually ran my best, as I neared the finish line I knew I was going to make it. I took some fluid at about 2 miles out and then just put my head down and tried to pick up the cadence. The turn for the last mile was at the Anne Frank memorial, and I walked through that, thinking of the meaning of it compared to the meaning of my efforts that day. Then I turned on to the straight away and caught sight of the finish about 4 or 5 blocks away. At this end there were few people but as I got closer and closer the crowd was larger and the noise level increased. You could hear the announcer and music and cow bells, so many cow bells. The street for three blocks ahead was empty of runners, yet in the middle of the street was a car, who knows how it got there, with two policemen talking to the driver. They made him move to the wrong side of the street so I could pass. Crazy. Then two long blocks. The noise getting louder, then the last block. The finish chute with people lining the fences on both sides, yelling encouragements. "You can do it, looking good, great job..." I smiled, this is it, the announcer read my name, where I was from, my age, and exhorted the crowd to cheer me on. I smiled even bigger. I saw Maureen and then I stopped at the finish mat, raising my hands hoping to form the best 'Y' I could, Monroe Family YMCA, and listened to the timer beep. I had finished what I started. And there were still more runners behind me. The elation was amazing. Someone gave me a space blanket, then a medal and a hat and I just stood still as someone else removed my timing chip. Next thing I know a woman is directing me to take a picture in front of an Ironman logo backdrop. Then I walked out of the recovery area and it was over. "Where are the bag pick ups?" I asked. Then Maureen took a picture. She told me that Charlotte and Bob went for the car. She waited to hear from them at the finish line and I wandered through the food area grabbing a banana. Next I went to the bike transition and picked up my blue and red bags and bike. Charlotte and Bob met me there and we walked over to the car across the street in a parking lot. Maureen joined us there. We loaded up the gear, I climbed into the car and we headed back to the hotel. Physically I'm not sure if I could have done anything else that day or gone any faster, I was done. I had to struggle during the run to keep going mentally to keep going physically. At this point I was done. My mental state was somewhat confused as well. I had trouble processing and was just getting bits and pieces of what people said. I was glad to be finished. In minutes we arrived at the hotel. We unloaded and went to the room. We talked while I sorted out my gear and in deference to the Beasleys, consumed my first beer of the day. Slowly I regained my senses and realized how tired I was. I ate something, had another beer, and after I was sure my wet-suit was rinsed, gear set aside, I took a shower. After that it was straight to bed. No trouble sleeping there but my body was sensitive to pressure so it took a little while to relax.
The day after. That night I was elated and slept until about seven. I got up, had some breakfast with coffee, waffles and hard boiled eggs. Then I just sat. Bob was out walking, Maureen and Charlotte were not yet moving. Charlotte got up, grabbed some food and we visited for a while. Soon Bob came in and Maureen was moving. We slowly got ready to go, eventually getting packed up and ready to leave by 10:00. The drive home was long, uneventful, just long. We drove through Baker, then LeGrand for gas and lunch at Safeway. Then on stopping for gas again in Yakima, dinner at the Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum. It was good, and they had great pie! Sometime late in the day we finally arrived at Charlotte's in Greenlake, bid all farewell and made the last part of our trek home. Unloaded the car, put things away and finally went to sleep about midnight. I was pretty tired during the drive home and thankfully Charlotte drove a few hours. We also stopped quite often which allowed me to stretch my legs which were tight. While driving I continually thought about the significance of the event. Something two years ago I could not conceive of doing let alone accomplishing. I thought of the many many volunteers with smiles and helpful hands that it took to make this happen. I thought of the organization that orchestrated this. I recalled fondly the people of Boise who lined the roads and streets, who cheered for me and 1500 athletes. I loved my experience there. It was great no doubt about it. Today I am still overwhelmed with the thoughts about the race. I am still very much physically and mentally exhausted. Muscles are sore but my joints feel good. I'm not thinking ahead, because I know I have work to do. Each day I'll come back to the training bit by bit and I'll start to consider what I must do to finish what I've started because Boise is the validation, and Kona is the goal.
Dedication. If you're reading this, thank you because you too are part of the team. You all contribute in significant ways to the possibilities that I have found in triathlons. I am lucky to know you and have your support. In the lore of Ironman there are two things that I'll be thinking about: finish what you started, and, anything is possible. So until the next time, a hui hou, thanks for following, and I'll see you on the road.
Race details:
Total time 8:07:16
Rank 1173
Swim 54:54
Bike 3:38:43
Run 3:12:48
