Conquering Ironman Chattanooga 144.6 (Patrick's Race Report)

We are continuing to raise money for the Navy Seal Foundation.  For more information please read this: Supporting the Navy Seal Foundation- Frogman Swim 

There are so many emotions and experiences to document and reflect about Ironman Chattanooga 2015. I will start at the beginning.


Teresa and I started discussing Ironman events shortly after we started participating in triathlon in 2010. She wanted to complete a full Ironman 140.6 race, and I wanted to participate in Escape From Alcatraz.

We both knew we were not anywhere close to the fitness level needed to do either event at that point, but completing Alcatraz and a FULL were long-term goals we achieved in 2015. It was a good year. We started with Sprint distance triathlons, and graduated to Olympic and Half-iron distances. In 2013 we started seriously discussing. We picked Louisville, KY Ironman because it was the closest geographically in which we knew we could get registered without waiting. At some point, Chattanooga was announced and we jumped at the chance. When registration opened we both managed to get registered. It was extremely close as I almost didn't get to register because of the great Active.com crash of 2013 :/

We trained. We were dedicated and positive for the entire year. I had a couple injuries in the months leading up to IMCHOO 2014 (right foot Intermetatarsal Neuroma & broken left rib(s)), but was optimistic about my chances of finishing. If you want to re-live my first attempt on this course in 2014, read this Blog. The short version is that I was really close, but did not finish in 2014. I didn't immediately sign up for 2015, but after talking to a couple people, I decided to try it again.

It has taken me an entire year to get over that night, emotionally. I've been plagued with self-doubt and a severe lack of motivation.

A majority of the year, training in 2015 didn't feel as consistent, positive, or productive, but we did try to train smarter. The last couple months we made huge strides in progress because of Dom Risola and Tripossiblities. Regardless, going into IMCHOO 2015 I still had some lingering doubt. To make matters worse I severely bruised my floating ribs on the right side, days before we left for Chattanooga. Stress.

Pre-Race

Like many, we are horrible at tapering. We rode a final 25 mile training ride with the Wheelmen of NW Florida the night before we left for Chattanooga. This year we drove up a day earlier. The extra day made a big difference with reduced stress.

I was more relaxed in the days before the event. Teresa's parents made the trip again for support and sherpa'ing. We had some great friends racing with us (Gaby, Gary, Jessica, Todd, Sam) and some others that came to Chattanooga to cheer us on (Susie, Ron, Ras, Mike). We have such a great support system!

This year we were also in town for the annual underwear run to raise money and food for the Chattanooga Food Bank. It worked out well because this was our last 2 mile run before the event. We had so much fun running in our underwear, and then standing around drinking beer in our underwear, and raising money for a great cause: www.chattfoodbank.org. The final tally for the donations of food and cash related to the event translated into 3,832 meals to people in need in the Chattanooga/North Georgia area.

Our final swim before the event was an upstream push to the second bridge from swim exit. We swam about 1000 yards and confirmed there would be no need for a wetsuit.

The weather continued to be gloomy in the days before the race. So much so that we treated ourselves to some Fusion jackets. These were instant lifesavers from the chill and wind! Bonus was they were super comfortable for our adventures around Chattanooga.

Bike and Transition Bags drops went well. Things were prepped and ready to go. We are in the final countdown. No more days to ponder; only hours left to check and recheck and try to relax.

Since we did a lot of the tourist things in 2014, we limited the sightseeing to Rock City. It was 95% fun and awesome and 5% creepy.

Creepy = Fairyland Caverns :/

Pea Ridge!

For some unknown reason, I slept better the night before IMCHOO 2015 than any other race 70.3 distance and above that I've ever done. Everything clicked and I was comfortably out. Not only is this a long day, it is an early day. We both jumped out of bed at 3:00 a.m. to get ready and get to the race start. We wanted to be close to the front so I could get the maximum allotment of time on the course. It worked. We could see the entry banners and could hear the announcers. With 2 hours before race start, I napped on the sidewalk.

It is braid time.

Maybe if the woman beside me (not Teresa) would stop talking loudly about how she can never nap before a race, should would actually be able to take a nap in during these 2 hours before the race.
Others COULD nap if you would PIPE DOWN.

Swim

Swim Exit, working my way to Transition.

The swim has easily become my favorite part of triathlon. I'm still pretty mid-pack, but I don't feel like I'm working very hard. Teresa jumped into the water first and I was right behind her. The water felt great. My goggles fogged, but that was an easy fix. I glided down the river while everyone around me ping-ponged from side to side. Practice sighting people! I climbed out of the river at 1:07 which is about 5 minutes longer than last year. There was much less current in our favor for 2015. I felt really good running into transition. I overshot my Bike Transition Bag, again, because I'm blind. My transition to the bike was a little slow. I'll admit, I was apprehensive. I sat on my sunglasses so I had to straighten them back out. I had trouble putting on my tri top and stuffing the pockets. Somehow I missed my bag of potatoes but I had plenty of Huma (Gu packs) and Uncrustables to get me through the course. I also decided to push forward instead of using the restroom in transition.


Bike

I jogged to my bike stopping briefly to get some sunscreen and only rolling my ankle once. Immediately out of transition I hit the up button on my watch so I could monitor cadence. The button stuck and my watch began to cycle through all the screens and beep. I pulled over to try to fix it, but nothing would work. I got going again and hit a rut in the road, almost loosing it 1 mile into the course. I stayed up-right and moving forward. Just when I was about to take off the watch and throw it away, the button righted itself. I could see everything I needed. The first 10 miles went fast. I decided to stop at the first aid station for some port-a-potty time. I stopped just shy of a woman who was trying to ride back out onto the course. This was the same girl who "rationalized" her decision to cut in front of 2000 athletes before the swim because she was "lonely" and it "didn't matter" because someone told her that faster swimmers were supposed to just "be in front of the line." She just stood there and looked me, and after about 30 seconds said, "I don't think it's on," while looking down at her chain. Everything looked fine to me and I told her as much, pushed passed her and racked my bike.

As I entered the toilet, I heard someone shout, "Oh that sucks," as I saw my bike roll back into the ditch. The volunteers told me that the rack completely collapsed. I lost my Payday candy bar, but my bladder and bowls were now clear and I was much more comfortable. We faced a lot of wind on the course. It was nice because of overcast skies, but wind always sucks. I kept pedaling.

Nutrition was a lot better this year than last. I was drinking every mile, and eating something every twenty minutes. I alternated between Uncrustables and Huma Chia-based gu packs. I also alternated between Caffeine gu vs non-caffeine gu. It worked. I felt good the whole ride. I got a Payday at the special needs stop, and a chocolate milk, and more peanut butter and jelly.

All this, over and over, for 15 hours.

I'm sure it was a mental game, but the second lap seemed faster than the first lap. I think it is because I knew what to expect. I recognized landmarks and mile markers. It was nice this year to not be completely alone. I was always around other athletes on the course. It boosted my confidence and my motivation. My seat and ass finally agreed with each other. I had some lower back tightness (and I have some saddle sores and chaffing days after), but the discomfort was minimal during the race. I successfully flying dismounted after about 7 hours 30 minutes on the bike. I shaved about 1 hour, 20 minutes from last year's attempt. Even still, I was nervous about finishing. I took a little longer in T2 this year. I knew I was in a better spot. I sat on my glasses, again. After a complete change of clothes, re-application of body lube, and re-stuffing of pockets. I was ready for my marathon.

Run

Patrick Willi makes it look easy!! Just awesome!! PEA RIDGE!!
Posted by Mike Everett on Sunday, September 27, 2015

I felt good coming out of T2. A lot stronger than last year. I found my cheer section. Teresa had made it off the bike and was kicking ass. They wouldn't tell me how far ahead she was, but did tell me to go catch her. I was off. My first mile was about 14 pace and I worked my way down to about a 12 minute pace until about mile 9. I leveled off at about a 14 pace. At mile 8 I got a much needed shot of adrenaline from Todd Bizba, the loudest, most energetic athlete I saw all night. We ran together for about a quarter mile then he went to finish his awesome day. Teresa and I passed at my 9, her 12. She stayed about 3 miles ahead of me the entire run. I saw Sam's huge smile at my mile 10. He was chasing Teresa. I was really excited and confident when I hit the second lap at 7:30 p.m.. I wasn't going to relax until I made it past the bridge, where I was pulled in 2014. My stomach was heavy most of the run. I took base salts, Gatorade, water, and ice at all stations, grapes at every 3rd station, and had a gu every 4 miles. Toward the end I started taking broth, grapes, and water. The last couple of stations I downed some soda. My stomach held out until mile 18 when I stopped for another potty break. I passed the mile 20 marker and made the turn toward street level. I knew I had to get up a hill and turn right to pass over the bridge. I made it with plenty of time to spare. Over the bridge was mile 21.

I was most emotional running over that bridge. Even finishing didn't give me the same lump in my throat. It was getting to and passing the point from last year. Being better. Seeing and feeling a difference in my ability. I had a couple of those choke up minutes. It was each time I realized the time and that I was going to finish (unless I got hit by a car or fell off a bridge).

Coming up the killer hills at miles 22/23 killed my quads. I was planning to push through and finish before the 15 hour mark, but I didn't have it in me. IB profin wasn't cutting it. I kept moving forward but I knew I was slowing. I ran down the last big hill, and curved under the bridge through the downtown area. I walked half-way over the pedestrian wooden bridge and down the hill to the last curve. I remembered Teresa talking about the last bit of the run and how she would never forget it. I understand that now. Adrenaline started to surge. I heard someone say 350 yards left. 3.5 football fields. I could do this. I wasn't going to sprint because I knew every muscle in my body would cramp. I started my final steady jog. I could see the finish. I could see the crowd and the chute. That final carpeted section is so surreal. High-fives. Cheers. Smiles. Exhaustion. Hunger. I finished. Patrick Willi from Pensacola, FL, you are an Ironman!

Patrick Willi from Pensacola...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!
Posted by Mike Everett on Sunday, September 27, 2015

My catcher was extremely sweet. I wish I had more awareness and to be able to talk. I would have rather had soda than water. A blanket would have been cool. Hooking me up to a bag of IV saline would have probably been fun.
Where's my damn pizza?


Post-Race

www.WeRaceTogether.com

I was a little irritated that the volunteers wouldn't let Teresa back in photo area so we could get a photo together in front of the IM backdrop. I stood there in protest until Teresa ordered me to leave.  I found my damn pizza, and soda, and Little Debbie snacks. We then went to the hotel for quick showers before hitting Waffle House. My stomach didn't feel right until 3 days later.

Reflection

It's hard to notice improvement as it is happening. During training I don't realize how fast I've gone until I upload my numbers. I never feel fast in the water because regardless of how fast you are going you are still working so hard it feels like you are crawling. The same can be said for performance on the bike. Side-by-Side comparison is where you see improvement. I've never claimed to be fast, but I am consistent. This should prove it:

IMCHOO	2014	2015
Swim	1:02:08 *strong current	1:07:54
T1	12:58	11:53
Bike	8:47:01	7:27:59
T2	8:39	11:09
Run	Pulled past mile 20.6 (5:19:23)	6:12:08
Overall	DNF 15:30:09 on course to 139.1 miles	15:10:33

Looking back at this year, there is very little I would do differently on race day.  Yes, there are places I could have pushed a little faster (Transition, Special Needs), but these areas wouldn't have shaved a lot off my time. Bathroom breaks costed me about 5 minutes total, I'd estimate, but again, I'd rather be comfortable. I'm still a little hesitant about the saddle on my bike. I guess the search will continue on that. A tight triathlon top and wet body makes it hard to stuff pockets. I carried too much extra stuff, but you never know. More variety of food on the bike would be welcome.

When all was said and done, I had a good day. I was comfortable in the water and on the run. I was positive on the bike. The 116 miles is still my least favorite part, but it is also the best place for me to make gains. The race atmosphere and the volunteers really make the race. Everyone was nice and positive and encouraging.

Because of how IM has started doing the special needs bags, I had to sacrifice some equipment I didn't need to take with me. I said farewell to:

• My Pensacola Sports Association (PSA) arm warmers :(
• A Harbor Freight flashlight 
• Bike tube and CO2
• Bottle of Core Power Protein drink
• Peanut MMs
• Band-aids and Biofreeze

At some point during the race, I decided that I don't want to do that distance again. So I don't have plans to do another 144.6. I am happy to stick with 70.3. It has been a hard couple years. I'm happy to have finished what we started and while the 2014 attempt is always there, I know that I am better now, physically and emotionally.

I am an Ironman. 

 

Onward and upward. Keep moving forward.

Teresa and I are continuing to raise money for the Navy Seal Foundation.  For more information please read this: Supporting the Navy Seal Foundation- Frogman Swim 

We've been blogging for a while now. If you enjoyed this one, you may enjoy others. Look though the Blog Archive on the right, for more of our experiences and random thoughts. 

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