Racine Race Report by Bob Mitera

Everyone has them from time to time. Even the all-time greats have a bad day when things just didn't come easily. Days when Tiger Woods plays like Nathalie Wood or Michael Jordan plays like Jordan "the wonder dog"...it happens to everyone.Sunday was the Spirit of Racine 1/2 Ironman - 1.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan, 56 mile bike on chippy old cement roads and farmland, and a 13.1 mile run along the lake and Racine Zoo. The best part of the weekend was racing with so many friends and Team Polar teammates. To be completely honest, if you weren't there, I may have abandoned after the bike but I just couldn't with everyone out there. I had to press on.Pre-race: I got a bike warm up a run and a swim. Unprecidented of completeness in my warm up. I was ready.Swim: 66 F water temps and me cozy in my DeSoto T1 wetsuit; the world's greatest wetsuit without a peer. The first 1/2 Ironman sand/beach start where I didn't biff on my run into the water! I actually did everything right and was into an early lead for a short time before the sprinters got to me. I got the lead group and then seemed to swim thru some slower folks from the earlier waves quickly but after some minor contact with one larger gal I had lost the feet of the fast dudes and now was swimming solo. RATS! I got a bit of a cramp in my right calf so I suppose I was kicking harder than I normally do. The waves and current were sorta strong but not really out of the ordinary. Based on this swim, I am redesigning my swimming training for the remainder of this season and will significantly change my preparation for next season. I saw Mark Rouse from Runner's High in Arlington Heights and tried to smile and wave but I probably looked like a person reaching for help. 34:09 to the entrance of T1 (includes about a 2 min run) 170 avg HR 85% (about right) with a 183 max 91%T1: I had my wetsuit top off quickly and got my arms out of the suit and started to remove it before I was even at my bike. The change went quickly and I was away. Good start. I waved to David Fix as I went up the hill. David probably thought I should have been more dialed into the race...I agree. 1:52 176 OR 88% AVG and 91% or 183 maxBike: They changed the bike a bit and it felt slower than last year by the end of the course. I rode my Zipp disc wheel which was a mistake in the wind and new "slightly" hillier course. I saw a few guys changing wheels on Sunday morning to a Zipp 404 or 909. At times, I felt like I was dragging someone behind me. I went thru 25 miles in 1:10 which is around 2:38 pace based on how I get tired. 1:10 + 1:10 = 2:20 at mile 50 and 18 min for the last 6 miles at 3 min/mile. (I was hoping to go thru in 1:07 and from my training rides before this race I even had entertained the thoughts of 1:05.) I had increased my salt tablet intake for this race as I do not like the Infinite Sports Drink mix they use on this course. Last year I was cramping badly from not enough salt. I kept my upper body wet with water during this ride and really felt fine physically; I just wasn't putting out the wattage I normally see at those heart rates. Bummer. I just kept hammering away on the bike and said to myself, "Just get to the run. Maybe your going to have a strong swim and run today if the bike isn't happening." 2:42:10 (20.7 mph), HR 158 avg (79%) and 178 max (89%)T2: Went fine 2:01. I had to stop and help the guy on the other side of me because he was struggling to hang his bike and was smashing it into my disc wheel. My choices were to help him or risk a smashed up disc. I helped. I saw Dean Hewson at the T2 exit and I smiled and motioned like, "Hey, this is hard but I'm still fighting" He kinda laughed and I think he knew I wasn't "on". Avg HR 140 (70%) max 150 (75%)Run: My plan was to run this 1/2 M smartly. I looked like I was at a BYOB party with a bottle of Gatorade and my gels. In the future, I'll work a different system to carry my nutrition. I would park my heart rate at 79-80% for the first out section where they added another hill (thanks a bunch). I actually ran the first miles in 8/mile and felt decent and the first "out" trip was over quickly. On the way back, I just stayed in check and ran comfortably. Some guy running with Heather Haviland was a jerk and said, "Get out of our way Team Polar guy" (mind you...I was on the FAR RIGHT and they had 12 feet to pass me on the left and if you've seen Heather - she could pass me if she had 16 inches - that sorta rubbed me the wrong way but he said it and she didn't so no slam on Heather...and at 8:20/mile to their 6:20/mile - well, what can I say? It wasn't even worth a response.) Seeing all my friends on the run was like a "high five" every 400 meters. Arlene, Caryn, Big John, Big/Tall John, Jay, Don, Laura, Kimber, Tony, Tara, Kevin, Dr. D, Mark, Lisa, Patrick, Patti, Anne, Matt, Ken, Padra, Bret, and Dean. I apologize if I missed somebody but it was really fun. At the end of the run about mile 12 I caught Bret Lucas and we ran a bit together but I was winding it up for a strong finish. I waved to Dean as I ran into the finish area and high fived Matt Wade as I crested the last hill just before the finish. I was able to finish strong catching a few folks on the road to the line and finished with a buffer before and after me so I should have a decent finish photo; if not a great time. Run Time: 1:59:03, avg HR 163 (81%), max 185 (92%).Not my best day racing but I didn't quit trying which is always a victory. Some days you just have to be thankful you can actually finish these races. Today was one of them.Final Time: 5:19:16Kcal burned: 49516th place in the Men Open Under 39 - 185 to 199 weight categoryLastly, I was able to help several racers on the day after the finish as a "guy with the band" drove his car on the finishing straight in order to drop of "stuff for the band". He blocked the turn around and finish and no other spectators would do anything but scream at him. So I walked up the hill and asked a police officer if he could help move the car. They did and finishers later on didn't have to deal with that.I was also racing with Padra (Richter) Meyer and didn't realize it. I swam with Padra at Palatine Park District when our club team won the state swimming championship. She is still a great athlete as I caught her on the bike but she out ran me. It was good to see her after about 15 years! I'll see her again at Pleasant Prairie. Nice work P! I'll be trying to catch you at Pleasant Prairie!What's next?Time to put in some serious training and perhaps train thru Pleasant Prairie...if I decide to race the USAT 1/2 IM Nationals...that is a nasty course but I wouldn't mind trying it again because the fast racers were so cool. I have no crafty ideas for that race other than to go and try and beat the time I did last year.

My First Ironman

On Sunday, I completed my first Ironman in Lake Placid, New York. What an experience. As usual, the night before the race didn’t go as planned. I ate lunch two hours late and thus didn’t have dinner until almost 6pm (I hoped to eat by 4:00). I went to bed at 7pm and, to my surprise, I slept the entire night through. I woke up race morning and began my pre-race ritual – eat, drink, pace, eat, pace, drink, pace, pace, pace…. We left the hotel at around 4:30 for transition. The Whiteface Inn provided transportation to the start line. This was great in that I didn’t have to second guess my preparation by over-hearing how well my fellow racers’ preparation went, what they ate, how many centuries they rode and marathons they ran the week before the race, etc. (Believe it or not, one tri-club swam the entire course, road 56 miles and ran 10 miles the day before the race!). Upon arriving at the oval, I quickly moved through body-marking and checked the pressure in my tires. Speaking of tires, Richie from Elite Bicycles completely over-hauled my bike on Saturday morning and made some key adjustments. Next time you race an Ironman, seek him out. His work is excellent and he’s a really nice guy. Anyway, after preparing my bike I dropped off my special needs bags. Then, I waited, waited, and waited some more. After what seemed like an eternity, 6:30 rolled around and I headed toward the swim start. After crossing the timing mat, I swam to the rear of the holding area. To say I’m not a great swimmer is an understatement, so I started in the rear of the pack. Upon reaching my desired position in the back, I stood up and began waiting some more. Nervously, I tightened my goggles. Then, the unthinkable happened – they broke. There I stood in Mirror Lake minutes away from the swim that had caused me many sleepless nights with a broken pair of goggles in my hand. “Don’t panic” I said to myself. “You’ve prepared for everything.” And I had. For some then unknown reason, I’d thrown a spare pair of goggles in my dry clothes the morning of the race. I turned toward the spectator covered hill and held up my goggles. A collective gasp shattered the otherwise eerie silence of race morning. I walked toward the hill where my sister sat watching. The look on her face was that of sheer horror. She knew how nervous I was about the swim and I knew she thought my race was over before it started. I yelled up to her, “Can you throw me my spare goggles from my bag?” She dug furiously and finally found them. She tossed them down to me and I in turn tossed her up the broken pair (the best souvenir I have from the race). I said with a smile, “I’ll see you at the finish line” and headed back out into the water to await the cannon. With a thunderous bang, the race began. As I said, I’m not the best swimmer. However, with the exception of a cramp in my right calf about 2 miles in, the swim went well (at least for me). Over an hour and a half later, I exited the water elated. I had survived the swim. T1 went well and soon I was on the major descent into Keene. While my legs were flatter during the ride than I had hoped, and the head winds on the second loop were nearly 20 miles per hour, I completed the bike leg without incident. By the time I reached the run course, the temperature had gone up significantly. At this point, however, I didn’t care. I was 26.2 miles away from becoming an Ironman. During the run, a lot of things go through your head. I thought of the countless hours I had trained for this, my friends and fellow athletes from Team Polar and the multisports.com camp, Paula Newby-Fraser telling me at breakfast on Friday to remember that today was my day, my guardian angel Judi from Virginia (she’s the wonderful volunteer who checked me in, and who I ran into 5 times over 3 days, including at the pancake breakfast and the church service the night before the race – her support and encouragement were unparalleled), my family and friends who inspired me (especially my sister who could be heard screaming over the entire crowd – “Ron, you’re a rock star. You’re going to be an Ironman!”), my training partners at home who without them I wouldn’t have even reached the starting line, and I of course thought about Mike Reilly saying, “Ron Kowalczyk, You are an Ironman.” While difficult (and slow I might add), the marathon went by quicker than any I had previously run. As I reached the 25 mile marker, something indescribable came over me and to try to explain it would be futile. It was if I had just awoken from a long sleep, full of energy and excitement. The last mile of my first Ironman may very well have been the fastest mile I ever ran. I was passing people like they were standing still. And then I saw it – the entrance into the oval, the final lap before the finish. Turning the corner I saw the finish line. It was surreal. To be honest, I only vaguely remember the last 50 yards of the run and really don’t remember the moment I crossed the finish line. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, there was an arm around my shoulder and someone congratulating me. My handler was awesome. “Congratulations” he said, “You’re an Ironman. How do you feel?” I felt great. Strangely, I was actually hungry. “That’s a good sign,” he said. “What would you like to eat?” “PIZZA!” I replied. “Well, I have good news for you. We have pizza.” He went on to say, “The fact that you want solid food at this point is great. You’re going to be just fine.” He removed his arm from my shoulder, congratulated me again and pointed me to the pizza tent. I think those two slices were the best pizza I’d ever had. After eating and stretching, I found my family and collected my belongings from transition. After dropping everything off at the hotel, we went back for the finish line party. Whether you are an athlete or a spectator, the finish line party is something everyone should attend. It’s truly amazing. In short, I was blessed to have had a perfect Ironman experience. Thanks to everyone who helped and inspired me along the way. I couldn’t have done it without you. But don’t think you’re done – I’ve signed up to do it all again next year.

Bowers An Ironman

Congratulations to Tony Bowers on completing Ironman CDA. Here's what Tony had to say about the race: "What an interesting day. The day began with some choppy waters in Lake Coeur d'Alene, causing the race organizers to offer the option of a duathlon (bike and run portions of the race only) to the athletes. This was a first for an Ironman event. The bike course was changed from years past and is now considered the most difficult course for a North America event. It is a two loop, very technical course, but was very fair. What really made it difficult this day however was the head winds. The run course is nicely laid out, but this event offers its version of Heart Break hill at miles 7 and 20 with a one mile climb that is quite difficult. I was very conservative on this day as I was just looking to get to the finish line, but I am looking forward to IM Wisconsin in 10 weeks. I am pround to now say however that I am an IRONMAN! Good luck to the rest of you guys on a wonderful racing season."