Hobbling into the change tent at T2 I felt done. Just jogging down to pick up my bag was laborious. I wanted to hurry, but I could only go as fast as I could get some things done.
During the second loop of the bike my big, left toe started to hurt. It wasn’t a blister, but it was painful. I only felt it during the downstroke of my climbing efforts. My toe was jamming into the front of my shoe and I could tell that I was forming a bruise under my toenail. Since I’m a mid-foot striker I wasn’t going to last long if I didn’t get some padding on that toe.
The volunteers were really cool and asked what I needed. “Gauze and tape!” I was just going to wrap this toe up and do what I could. Unfortunately they didn’t stock the change tent with some basic medical supplies so it was looking like I was out of luck, but then one medical volunteer happened to be in the tent and had large bandaids and some tape. Perfect!
As I went to set my bag down and settle in to let the volunteer wrap up my toe I bent over and my lower back just seized up! I had been feeling discomfort in my lower back throughout the ride, but this was pain. I literally could not bend forward without causing some serious pain.
So I’ve got a crapped out toe, a bum back, and now have to run a marathon. Yep, sounds about right, this is an Ironman after all, right!?
Fortunately the volunteer also had some ibuprofren…800 mg worth! Downed those, lubed my feet, replaced the socks, grabbed my nutrition and went straight to the sunscreen station. “You need some of this?” Me: “I’m a red-head. Don’t miss a spot!”
Lathered in sunscreen I was ready to roll. Glancing at my watch I quickly did some math. Goal time of sub 11 was way out of the question. It was already 4 o’clock in the afternoon. A two hour marathon will never happen even as a stand-alone race! K, need a new goal. What about a 3 hour marathon? Could that happen? Probably not. My training had me targeting a 3:30 and cutting half hour off of that with my back was going to be extremely difficult.
You know what, bag it…just run. Let’s see where we’re at after the first loop and get settled into this thing. So I was just going to run and run and run. Again, just finish as fast as you can.
Just before the first mile it happened, the Larsen Family Reunion! Finally!!! High fives, fist bumps, and “Go Dad” mojo was just what I needed. My Mom and Stepdad John were also there. It was awesome to see them as well. My Mom had never seen me in the long races and I was proud to be representing the family that day!
Because this was the first time we were seeing each other and the Ironmanlive Tracker had gone down during the day, my family had no clue how far along I was. D’s energy deflated when I told her it was my first loop, my back was done, and I had no clue what I was going to be able to pull off. It had already been a long day for her and now she had to gear up for who knows how long to herd the kids and prepare for the possibility that it was going to get really rough for me. She was going through the same gut-check that I was. Without her I have no clue where I’d be! She is a stronger Ironman than I ever will be!
I had what I needed now…my family was behind me no matter what and they would be at the finish line when I got there…no matter what time that was!
My back was tight, but based on my form it wasn’t affecting my run as much as I thought it would. My legs just needed to keep moving and I needed to allow myself time to settle into a rhythm. No rush, no expectations, just run!
Legs not quite under me yet
The nutrition plan was simple, simp on a dilluted EFS liquid shot every 2 miles and finish one bottle each hour. But the mile markers weren’t marking every mile and someone forgot to hit start on his watch when he exited transition. So knowing when I was at each two miles was not going to happen.
Another issue to solve on the fly. The Aid stations seemed equidistant so the new plan was to sip just before each aid station so I was taking on additional water to help dilute the calories for quicker absorption. This worked great for the first lap and a half.
During last year’s Kona livestream I caught on to the fact that the pros had a system at each station and used the ice to keep them cool by dumping it down their drawers. I’ve always had issues with my adductors during races so I was going to try this.
My system: nutrition, sponges if up front, water to sip and pour on head, cup of ice, a few chips in the mouth and the rest down the pants then grab more sponges if they were available. This worked to a T! I never felt overheated or that I was thirsty. All but two aid stations I was able to run through knowing my system and what I was looking for. I couldn’t have been more pleased with how well this worked for me.
Alright, back to the run….the run course consists of three prongs that are out and backs with one long out and back after the third prong. Each out prong was down out and up back. The percentage of grade wasn’t steep enough to really push you down the hill, but it was just steep enough to slow you down heading up. Annoying really! :)
My plan going in had been to let my legs recover during the downs & keep a steady pace & cadence heading up. It worked, but the first loop was going a bit slower than I had anticipated. On my way down the second prong I recalled why I was racing today “Celebrate & Honor”. Well, the best way to Honor my Dad was to get a bit stubborn. It was time to start pushing it a bit and see what we could pull off.
Cadence picked up and I started reeling people in. Fortunately I had run this course once during my training so I knew exactly what to expect heading back up the third prong. I knew that it would hurt a bit, but this wasn’t the most difficult course in the world either.
The way up from the third prong leads all athletes into a steady, 2.5 mile climb that tests your climbing legs for about .5 mile up Main street. This was also the part of the course where the aid stations were furthest spread apart. You really had to take advantage of each station because they were far enough apart that by the next one you did “need” the station.
The aid station along Diagonal (about 3/4 through the long climb) was awesome. Jungle themed and the neighborhood came out in droves to support. They had a DJ and a steady flow of food, popsicles, and two misters! Loved running through this station.
When I hit the turnaround point after this climb it was time to recover and let gravity do it’s thing. Turning over the legs quickly my pace picked up to low 7s and sub 7s and it felt great. Carrying that momentum back down Main street over to the end of the loop I started to feel really good. I had just knocked out around 8.5 miles in a little over an hour and my second wind was just coming on.
As I was starting my second loop my Mom and Stepdad were there along the fence to shout and cheer. It was such a motivator and pushed me to keep this pace going through the second loop.
Cautioning myself though I wasn’t going to finish or “win” this race on the second loop so I did need to save something for the third. That said, it was time to just keep running and let my body dictate what happened. It felt like I cruised through the second loop, confident and doing well. Nutrition & hydration were spot on and I was being stubborn. It felt good to feel like I was “racing” in the Ironman run not just surviving.
Second loop, second wind
On my way back out to the long climb my stomach started to get that “full” feeling. I would need to watch my intake of water and nutrition, but I couldn’t just stop either. This would be interesting. Even with that thought I made a critical error when offered a popsicle during the climb. It just sounded good and honestly the cold ice felt great on my throat, but that syrup wasn’t welcome!
Coming around starting the third loop I could feel that I had reached a limit and needed a pit stop. Short and sweet took care of things, but obviously all momentum was halted. Exiting the pit-stop I walked for the first time through the aid station that was right there. I needed to give myself that 100 feet to get my legs back under me from just having sat down.
The stop worked though and I was feeling good, but not as good as I had felt leading up to the stop. A possibility of meeting or even beating my PR marathon time of 3:35 was still a still open, but that window was closing quickly and my pace was slowing down, especially on the Ups.
Stubborn thoughts is what kept me pushing. Yep, stubborn. That was the word of the day. It was going to take a stubborn, determined attitude to keep running and not stop and walk. There is nothing wrong with walking during the run of an Ironman, but I wanted to run, race, and push.
Even with the slowing pace I was still feeling good about my run. I was ahead of my previous Iron distance run and as long as I didn’t give up I would bury that time. Making the final turn on the third prong I felt such a mix of emotion. I couldn’t wait for the day to be done, I was excited to push through this, I was cautious not to blow up during the climb, and I was frustrated that I couldn’t go faster.
All that said I was more excited than anything. I had 4 miles until I was an Ironman and I had it in me to keep running. Again though my stomach rebelled a bit and I had a choice to make. Stop and empty the system before I made the final push, sacrificing some time, but giving myself the ability to run OR do what I could and hope my stomach didn’t turn on me before the Finish Line.
Being that my time goals were already blown I chose to be able to finish as fast as possible which meant I stopped and emptied the system. This helped a ton, but as soon as I sat down I was hit with a small dizzy spell. It was so weird, but expected I guess. My system was pulling on its final reserves and trying to shut itself down.
Again, I walked through this aid station grabbing a small sip of coke and some ice. As soon as I approached the final table I picked up my pace and started pushing for home. About a half mile or so after the turn-around was mile marker 25. Time to drop the hammer and give it whatever I had. It was such an awesome feeling to know I just had to run 1.2 more miles and give it all I had to get over the line.
I hit the turnaround point before the finish line and my heart was full. My kids, D, my Mom, & StepDad were about to see me cross the line after a grueling day. I was beginning to appreciate the effort that I and everyone else out there that day was putting forth. It was an amazing & humbling feeling.
As the day would have it I didn’t see D and the kids before I crossed the line. My gaze took me further ahead than where they were so, hey, they saw me, but…oh well!
Coming down the shoot I started to raise my arm in the air and then pointed heavenward. The day had been about celebrating and honoring and at that moment, crossing the line, I knew I had honored my Dad and the rest of my family. It was a day and a race I will never forget!
In celebration and honor
