Redman Race Report

First off, let me just say that I FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!
1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run in six hours, 14 minutes. Not the time I was hoping for but the day was full of the unexpected. Oy Vey.

We rode-tripped it up there on Friday with Davis and Graham. It was a fun ride and it's been a long time since I had a road trip. We made it to Oklahoma City. Got to the race site, checked in for the race, got all signed in, dropped off our bikes, and went for a practice swim. I have to say, the practice swim was quite a surprise. The lake had a cement bottom. Well, not the whole lake but where we entered the water was cement. I'm sure it was a boat ramp or something but still cement vs. mushy, grodie, muddy lake-floor is a nice change. Did a little bit of swimming but got out pretty quick. The water was cold and I didn't put on my wetsuit for the practice swim.

We then went to the hotel; checked-in, and met up with a bunch of other folks we knew who were doing the race for dinner. Pre-race diners are my favorite -- Carb Loading. I love carbs. I could sustain on pasta and every other type of carb and be perfectly happy. I inhaled my pasta and then it was back to the hotel for some rest.

Rest is relative the night before a big event. I slept in 20-minute intervals for most of the night. The anxiety was killer.

We woke up to a nice morning. A little overcast. 60 degree's-ish. And headed out to the race site.

Since the bikes were checked in the night before, there wasn't much to do that morning other than set up my transition area which entails putting out my bike stuff and run stuff so it's ready for when I get to that stage of the race. I double-checked my tires at the LAST minute just to make sure I was aired up, in the right gears, and ready to go. GUESS WHAT??? Flat rear tire. Yup. Flat. And these are my race wheels so the tire is glued to the wheel. There's no changing this puppy easily. Luckily, and I am so glad I am anal, I had a back-up wheel set in the car. I found Shawn (who had the car keys). We RAN to the car, grabbed my other wheel set and swapped out the wheels. We made it with five minutes to spare. Disaster. Recovery. Nice.

Then the sky opened up and it poured. I mean pouring rain. Monsoon. The storm stalled over the race site for about an hour. Since this was at the lake it was all grass and dirt. Which quickly became mud. It was disgusting. The race start was delayed for over an hour and we weren't sure it was even going to go off. There was talk of cancellation. Here is an early morning "race pic" that Shawn took. I thought it would be the only one of the day. Notice the level of the water. Ankle deep. This was the start and the theme for the day. Ugh.

At least I was dressed for the occasion. When else does a wetsuit come in so handy????

After an hour+ the race director decided that the race would go on. This race was the National Championships. Everyone who has been winning Half-Ironman's across the country qualified to compete in this race for a chance to win the National title. I think that was the reason the race went on. If it were a normal race it would have been canceled.

I was ready to bail but I think Davis and Graham were on the fence. Graham, at a minimum, wanted to get the swim in. While I tried to talk some sense into these boys Shawn snapped a picture. Here we are huddled under a tent trying to stay warm and dry. Notice the matching wetsuits. Coincidence.


Okay, storm passes, drama over, time to race. I have to admit, I was nervous. I had a horrible morning, anxiety was in overdrive, weather, and race conditions were horrible. But this was part of our Ironman training and if the weather is bad on Ironman day, I have to deal with it. So that's what I did.

Davis and I were in the same swim (start) wave. Graham was in the wave after us. Davis and I get in the lake, cannon goes off, and we start swimming. It took me a few minutes to get into my groove. I swam slow and stayed towards the back of the pack. After some time swimming I had to give myself a swift kick in the butt and a pep talk. I picked it up a little bit and swam like I was an Ironman in training. There were a few moments of panic during the swim but I dealt with it and finished the swim in 37 minutes. Wow. That's all I can say. That is a good time for me. And somewhere along the way I passed half of my swim wave to get out of the water in the top half of the age group.

On to the bike. When I got to the bike EVERYTHING was soaked. I put on my socks and bike shoes, grabbed my bike and hoped for the best. It started pouring again at about mile 2. And it rained on and off for the entire bike ride, 56 miles, which I did in three hours. I averaged 18.7 mph for 56 miles. Not at all the fastest bike time of the race but I'm proud of me. OOOOOHHHHHH and at mile six, the road was flooded. Yup. 6+ inches of standing water. We had to get off our bikes and carry our bikes across this impromptu pond. If my feet weren't wet enough already. I almost fell once on the bike but recovered. Don't know how. But I did.

About mile 30 on the bike, I started to feel a little sick to my stomach. Nothing gross but I just felt "full." So I laid off the gu's and the Gatorade for a bit but it didn't help. Drinking or trying to eat wasn't helping. I finished the bike and transitioned into the run.

The run was horrible. I ran for about three seconds and quickly knew running wasn't in my future. I was not feeling so hot. I was also getting worried because I was feeling worse and I hadn't eaten or drank anything in hours. I walked 90% of the run but made sure I was running whenever I passed the photographers so I at least looked good in the race photos (hey, I have my priorities, even when I feel like death is calling).

I've never pushed my body so far or so hard. I never knew my limits and I'm still not sure I know how much further I could have pushed. But I finished. I'm not the most spiritual person but there are times when you have to thank God for what he allows us to do. I know I wasn't alone on that racecourse. There was definitely someone above looking out for me and giving me strength. It was humbling and exhilarating. A miserable day and a day full of rewards.

Going into this weekend, my goal was to finish under six hours. I very quickly went from that objective to just finishing. And I can't thank Shawn and Gayle enough for being out there and cheering us on all day. hey were stuck out in the rain and mud for hours. But with smiles on their faces and words of encouragement.

Race pics to be posted once I get them. I know there are a few cute ones. That's all for now. Now my week of ZERO training. Yee hah.