Ironman Florida Race Report - 2021

This is a long race report! For those that simply want the summary, read these next few lines. However, if you desire, read the longer version of my race summary.
I had COVID in 2020 that nearly killed me. I was scared. I am scarred.
Swim was good. There was a rip tide. It was hard. I survived. I was slower than anticipated.
Bike was windy. It was fast. I like to ride my bicycle!
Run is always hard. I drank coca-cola and had chicken broth. I ran/walked to the finish line.
Total time: 12:47:31.
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Introduction:
This race report begins with an event that happened in July 2020. On July 15, 2020, I woke up sick with a fever. I immediately knew that I had COVID19. Over the course of the next +/- 21 days, I was extremely ill with fever (104+ degrees), chills, coughing, low oxygen levels, staggered ibuprofen and tylenol regimen every couple hours, as well as 3 scary nights in the hospital worried about what the next day would bring.

August, September, and October were filled with emotional and physical pain combined with extreme fatigue. I had resigned myself to “Ironman” retirement and believed my best days were behind me.

During October, though, I recognized that it was possible that I might recover. And that led to the following text message chat with my friend Nate on November 4, 2020.

Within a couple days, I registered for IM Florida, scheduled for November 6, 2021. When I registered, I did not know whether I’d be able to swim, bike or run, whether I’d be cleared by the doctors to resume training, whether my ‘long COVID’ would be a thing that would prevent me from racing or whether I’d be able to participate as I desired.

By November 9, 2020 (a year ago today), I registered. I swam a little bit. I began logging activity within my trusted spreadsheet. I was getting ready to embark on the biggest unknown.

#COVIDsucks

Over the course of those 3 months (after COVID and before registration), I was also going through a lot of other challenges. I was having a mental health crisis and was actively in both personal and marital counseling. Whether you’re a Christian or not, I believe these following words to be true. Within the Christian bible, John 10:10 says the following: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

During that time, I was struggling deeply, and the thief was working overtime trying to take my life and minimize my existence within it. I was plagued by the health scare combined with work, home, and church stresses. Over these past couple of years, I’ve become more open about my mental health challenges, and I believe that openness is valuable for me. I also recognize that my openness might also be valuable for you, and my hope is that if you are struggling during this difficult season, that you seek counsel and guidance to navigate those challenges while also recognizing that there is hope and beauty in navigating those challenges.

Over those next few months (November, 2020 - April, 2021), I was able to build a base of walking combined with some swimming, biking, and running. I had mammograms, ultrasounds, eKGs, stress tests and other medical tests giving me clearance to train by my doctors.

These last 6 months were filled with ‘normal’ race preparation for a race of this magnitude.
I swam a lot.
I biked a lot.
I ran some (and supplemented that with walking).

Race Week:
On Thursday morning, Shanthi & I went to Ironman village to check in along with my teammates Nate & Aaron (and their spouses). Uneventful, for the most part, but it was warm with beautiful Florida weather with shorts and t-shirts everywhere filled with the M-Dot logo for every participant and crew member. We followed checkin with lunch at “Hook’d”. The grouper tacos were the right choice for both Thursday and Friday.

By Thursday evening, the wind picked up and the temperatures dropped. The comfort of an outdoor lunch were replaced by indoor dinner at the Great White Pizza. Jim the owner was awesome, and we recognized that supporting Jim and his awesome pizza joint would work for both Thursday’s dinner and Friday’s dinner.

Basically, we found great food without venturing far outside of those 2 great restaurants! When and if you’re in Panama City Beach, stop by Hook’d for great seafood and Great White Pizza for amazing pizza!

Friday was cold and windy. Before noon, we took my bike and put it in the transition area. During the afternoon, I hunkered down and found a dark room in the condo and was able to sleep for 3 hours. Great nap and always important the day before a big race. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep well Friday night.

At about 6pm, my brother and sister in law, and bike support crew arrived into Panama City. Mason and Liz have been to all 4 of my Ironman races, and we were excited and happy that they were able to join and cheer me on and experience the day with Shanthi & I.

Ironman races are difficult for the athletes. It’s a LONG day!
Ironman races are also extremely difficult for the support crew. The day is LONG! The athletes have been training for months to be able to race all day. The support crew hasn’t been training for the “10” miles of walking and “14” hours of standing up and cheering for their loved ones while also encouraging the other “2,000” athletes out on the course. It’s a big day for them. The participating athletes recognize and adore each and every support crew member at the race. Thank you, Shanthi, Mason, and Liz for being there throughout this race and cheering for me along the course.

Race Day:
4:00am - alarm sounds. I woke up at 4am and took a shower. I realized that I slept better than I expected, and was fairly fresh and ready and excited about the day to come. The fridge contained a bottle of Starbucks unsweetened cold brew that provided me that appropriate 16oz of cold black coffee containing the appropriate amount of caffeine. I supplemented the coffee with a couple of frozen waffles heated to perfection within the $19 toaster that the condo provided.

4:50am - walk to transition with my bike helmet, shoes, etc. Nate & I were supposed to go there at 5:30am, but I was ready early, and decided to head out there early. The 5 minute walk was cold (47* F) and windy (14mph), and those temperatures were a clear eye opener about what was to come with the day. After putting air in my tires and getting my bike ready in transition, I walked back to the condo to relax for a while. I was back to the condo by 5:20am.

6:15am - walked to transition 1 last time with Nate and Aaron for some last minute checks before walking to the water’s edge. The swim is a 2 loop course with 2100 yards per loop. The combined 4225 yards = 2.4 miles, which is the Ironman swim distance. The water looked PERFECT and I was super excited to start swimming to get warmed up!

7:00am - cannon fires for the 1st age group athletes. My race started at 7:09am, and the last thing I remember the race announcer say was “look out into the water and notice how people are veering to the left. Aim to the right, and the water will take you to the 1st turn buoy.” And then I began swimming. My goal time was 1:20x for the swim, and in 3 previous Ironmans, I’ve been within 3 minutes of that 1:20x swim time.

7:20am - At about this time, I turned the corner to head west about 700 yards off the shoreline. The water was relatively smooth and I was feeling great. I remember questioning whether I was swimming fast enough and was wondering how far into the race I was. But I simply kept swimming, knowing that I was comfortable and confident in my ability to swim a “1:2xx” Ironman swim.

8:00am - At about this time, I finished my first loop. I was able to look at my watch and was stunned to see that it took me 45 minutes to do the 1st loop. That meant that my “1:2xx” might easily be a 1:3xx swim time. I was slightly embarrassed, and questioned whether I had under trained my swimming over this past year. But I knew it was a long day, and a day I welcomed and prepared for.

8:15am - At about this time, I turned that same corner to head west again. For the next 5 minutes, I swam, but that corner buoy didn’t move. And that is when I realized we were in a rip tide. It was incredibly challenging to swim west, and although I recognized how challenging it was, I did not panic. Over the 1st hour of the swim, at one point, I was so comfortable I was saying how I felt like I could swim all day in the water and that I may not even want to go for the bike ride as it was so cold while out of the water. Then, around this time, I just realized that I wanted to get out of the water and get on my bike!

8:50am - At about this time, my toes touched the sandy beaches of Panama City Beach, and I felt relief. I looked at my watch, and realized that I was about 25 minutes slower than I desired to go on the swim. I knew then that my most optimal goal time might not be achievable. And that was ok. I had no control over the weather, and I could only worry about what I had control over.
Swim Time: 1:42:26 (goal time was sub 1:20:00)

9:00am - At about this time, the wheels of my bike started rolling. I was wearing 2 layers of clothes in that 49* F air temperature with 14mph headwinds (feels like 39* F) as well as a nice pair of gloves to keep my fingers warm. It did the trick. I never felt cold or warm throughout the next 5 ½ hours while sitting on my bicycle. The wind was rough. I rolled at an appropriate pace with the appropriate wattage without worry about the bikes passing me or the speed I’d be going if the wind was less than 5mph headwind. Within this part of Florida, there are no hills. No uphills (thank goodness) and no downhills. Many people desire downhills, but the problem with downhills is that it’s either preceded with or followed by uphills. I don’t like uphills! The problem with flat courses is that you spend the entire time pedaling and pushing watts. There is minimal relief, and it’s 112 miles (+/-6 hours) of pedaling and sitting on a bike
seat. The wind was strong (from the north), and the first 70 miles were all North East, North West, or due North. I pushed through the pain at that appropriate pace, knowing that eventually, we’d get to the point where I’d be able to have the wind at my back.

12:45pm - By this time, I’d been active for 5 ½ hours and was tired. I had been awaiting this 70 mile spot so that I could turn around and have the wind on my back. It was such an important phase of the race, but also a humbling one. My spirits lifted, and my “19mph” pace for those first 70 miles would increase. My bike computer has splits for every 5 mile interval. Basic math is 15 minutes for 5 miles = 20mph. So, part of the things I think about is how many seconds above or below 15 minutes am I for each 5 minute segment. I could tell that my speed was high, and I averaged +/- 23mph over the course of the next 25 miles. That was a fun hour, but also an hour late in the race where all I wanted to do was get off of my bike. Those last 17 miles were miles and minutes where I simply wanted the race to be over. Although I hoped to average 20mph those last 17 miles, that was purely so that I could get off the bike “3” minutes faster, not so I could finish the race “3” minutes faster.
Bike Time: 5:41:21 (goal time was sub 5:45:00)

2:50pm - I was nearly 8 hours into the race before starting to run. By the time you start the run, your brain no longer works properly. Math becomes challenging. You need your fingers to estimate your finish time. “3:50, 4:50, 5:50, 6:50, 7:20 for 4 ½ hour marathon… 7:20 = 12 hours, 10 minutes… Dang!”. I realized that I likely wouldn’t finish sub 12 hours (my goal), and wouldn’t get sub 11:53x (my personal best). That would have to be ok! A day earlier, I read a quote that I had to remind myself of so that I wouldn’t allow that to bother me. I had no control of the weather and my swim time. I was able to perform on the bike. I would either have to have an unbelievable run split to break 12 hours, or I would have to settle for a respectable finish time. I recognized that I could control my nutrition intake and could control my mental focus while also controlling my pace and effort. The goal shifted from sub 12 hours to finishing the race.

About 8 miles into the run, I was averaging about 13:00/mile, and decided to shift my goal from “finishing” the race to finishing sub 13hours. As I said earlier, math is difficult at this phase of the race… ‘13:00, 26:00, (x2) = 52:00 x 2 = 104 ( =1:44:00) for 8 miles…, therefore __:__/mile for the remaining 18 miles… {Insert shrugging shoulder emoji here}. I couldn’t figure it out. But what I could figure out is that running for portions was faster than walking, so I began a very consistent run/walk strategy. 6 pylons of running followed by 3 pylons of walking… Repeat. “1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 1...2...3…” Those were the only words I remember saying to myself over those next 18 miles. It seemed to work. For many miles, that run/walk strategy led to 10:20/mile pace. Either the pylons got further apart or my running/walking speed slowed down, though, and the last few miles were at about 11:10/mile pace using that same 6/3 run/walk strategy.

My run nutrition is always weird for an Ironman race. I’m very consistent on the bike (super concentrated Infinit nutrition. My run is less planned. All I recall is that I had 24oz of super concentrated Infinit nutrition for the run, and supplemented that with about 3oz of coca-cola every mile at the aid stations. Who knew? Why haven’t I ever had Coke at a race before??? About 3 times over the course of the marathon I had chicken broth. I loved that as well.

7:45pm - At this time, I was about 1 mile from the finish line. I knew it was another great day of racing and I could hear the announcers voice cheering people on and saying “______, you are an Ironman”. I knew I would hear my voice in a few minutes. I continued with my same 6/3 run/walk strategy until the camera was in my face, and I was running along a red carpet with the Ironman logo in front of 100s of fans cheering ME on. None of them knew my backstory and the challenges I’ve had over this past year ½ leading up to the race. None of them knew the medical challenges, the physical challenges, nor the mental health challenges I’ve navigated over these past months. But ALL of them wanted to see me finish the race and cheer for me as I crossed the finish line.

7:56:33pm - the race was over. I crossed the finish line with my arms raised high celebrating my 4th Ironman finish. It was such a great feeling, but yet it was also a feeling of sadness knowing that this training journey is over. My finish time was about 1 minute faster than the other time I did Ironman Florida (in 2018) on a different course. Those last few miles were “calculated” so that I would finish sub 13 hours. But, it turns out that I was able to finish faster than when I was younger. Also, faster than I was before I had COVID19.
Run Time: 5:06:50 (goal time was sub 4:30:00)
Total time: 12:47:31.

Oh ya… COVID. Over the course of the entire day, I never once thought about COVID. I never once thought about those who said hurtful words to me. I never once thought about negative items. It was such a positive day!!!

COVID scared me!
COVID scarred me!

My COVID scars have healed enough for me to rip off that band-aid and expose myself as who I was before COVID. The scars might still be visible, but there was considerable healing over this past year.

I love to train for races, and this race and this journey meant a lot for me. Over the course of the past year, I swam a lot, I biked a lot, and I ran / walked a lot so that I could get to the starting line of the race. Along the way, I began writing a book, I navigated pain, I made friends, I gained confidence.

The Next Day:
The next morning, Mason, Liz, Shanthi and I walked to get coffee at Starbucks. We walked to Ironman village where I could get some “Finisher” gear. The weather was perfect! Warmer… No Wind… Perfect day to spend with family and friends and my support crew who were part of the journey from the beginning through this post race day. Love you guys!

Early in the report, you saw the text that I sent to Nate where he responded within 1 minute saying “OK I’m in”. Yes, Nate was also racing, and he was doing a great job. About 13 miles into the run, though, he ended his race due to knee and hip issues. He’s a rock star of an athlete, though, and struggled on race day as did some others. Nate’s “OK I’m in” is the text that I’ll associate and remember most about Ironman 2021. Over the course of this past year, we trained together weekly. We’d ride side by side for hours. We’d run side by side for hours. We’d swim together on occasion. We’d chat about the next upcoming run or ride throughout the week. We ‘trained’ together. Thanks, Nate, for saying “OK, I’m in” and giving me the kick start I needed to get to the starting line of the race.

Over the course of the 363 days between when I signed up for Ironman Florida and the day I raced it, I logged many hours. I added a new component to my training this year… walking. After COVID, I began walking, and my constant partner in walking throughout the entire year and entire training cycle was my wife, Shanthi. Of these 747 walking miles, my guess is that Shanthi and I walked 700 of those together. Same speed. Same distance. Same pattern. Together. We’d chat while walking. We’d spend time together. We’d long for that portion of the day to get out and walk, whether it was “November 9, 2020”, “December 31, 2020” or any day from then to now, we’d make an effort to get out and do this together. That time, and those miles were an incredibly important component to my training season, and one that I’ll continue to maintain in upcoming training seasons. Thanks, Shanthi, for walking with me and being a part of this journey with me.

Peace!