Darren becomes an Ironman

A Day to Remember

2010-09-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Oct edit... For those who stumbled upon this site that I don't know:
Astrid = Wife
Krista, Laraine, Jeff, Todd & Jenny = friends

Well, where to begin?

I’ve broken this report up into three sections. How I got into it, The Race Report, and the training program with thanks. Skip to whatever part interests you, or enjoy the whole thing.

Part 1: How I got into it

I’ll start by addressing the biggest questions others have asked me. Why did you sign up for the Ironman? Are you insane?

Probably, but this was me in 2004…

The Ironman has always been something I thought was unattainable for me. 5 years ago I would have laughed at anyone who even suggested I try to do something like this. Most people would have agreed. I did not have, and still don’t have, the body of an endurance athlete. I’m 6’2” and 230lbs. 5 years ago I was around 275lbs. The funny thing was, I didn’t think I was that out of shape. I wasn’t lean, but I was active. I skied, I biked, I played Ultimate, and I tried to keep up with Astrid at a few of her sports. I had even participated in a few fun runs, but always placed near the back of the pack. It didn't bother me. I knew and accepted that I didn't have a "runner's build" and just didn’t think I could ever run more than 10km at a time without doing serious damage to myself. I think what prompted me to do something else was the knowledge that I was active, but not lean, and not being lean began to bother me. Everyone wants to be in good shape, but I was frustrated that the body I wanted wasn’t there even though I doing what I thought was necessary to achieve it. I had lost a lot of weight since university, where I came out of school at 315lbs, and so I felt I was on the right track, it just seemed that I had stalled. The reality was, it wasn’t my activities, it was my diet. Unfortunately, I loved food way too much to give up my way of eating. The only other alternative was to step up the training program.

Astrid was into adventure races. I knew I couldn’t train at her level so I enlisted the help of a few friends to do a fun adventure race in Calgary. Laraine and Jeff were the best training buddies I could have hoped for, and for the first time in my life, I started to enjoy going out to do stuff that was endurance related. We had a lot of fun in the race and were eager to sign up again the following year. The hard part was that I soon discovered that my motivation to train was directly linked to the goal I was training for, and once the race I was training for was over, I’d slip back into my old lazy ways, and I’d eat my way right back up to the weight I was at when I started training. I knew that I had to keep signing up for new things to keep me motivated to work out.

About 3 years ago Krista, who knew I had participated in some multisport stuff, told me about an event that was happening in Edmonton. The World Masters Games. One of the events was the Triathlon, and Krista wanted me to sign up and participate with her. I was hesitant, but with the support of Laraine I was able to start training. I owe a lot of my training ethic today to Laraine. She kept me going to the gym, to the pool, and anywhere else I needed to go. Training with Laraine became one of my favourite activities; we’d always have a blast together. Soon, training became racing, and before I knew it I was racing at the World Masters Edmonton ITU race.

Krista had thrown down the gauntlet to see who would win (a pretty ballsy move BTW but it was all for fun and the real goal was just finishing). I was definitely intimidated. I knew she had been training hard, with her Cops for Cancer Group, and it was her idea to do the race, so I expected to get slaughtered. In the end though, I think I beat Krista by ~30min. I’m not saying this to rub it in. I love Krista dearly. It was just a complete shock to me. Clearly all the training I had done with Laraine had paid off. I honestly don’t think I could have gotten to the race today if Laraine hadn’t of been there to help me believe that I could do it. My biggest regret in this entire affair was that Laraine wasn’t interested in doing the Ironman and thus didn’t want to train for an Ironman with me. Regardless, her companionship means a lot to me and I thank her for the support she was able to give.

After the Edmonton ITU, Krista jokingly stated that she wanted to sign up for the Ironman. I laughed it off because the idea was ridiculous. There was no way I could do an Ironman, and I had beaten her by a half hour. Where did she get the idea that she could do an Ironman? Laraine and I headed back to Calgary to continue our training. We had more races on the horizon and needed to keep training. There were many other people that we trained with who all thought an Ironman was something I could do(I’m looking at all you Garage Gang people at Talisman), but I just thought they were being polite. Running is still the most important part of any triathlon. I had never even run a ½ marathon at that point, let alone a marathon, let alone a 3.8km swim followed by a 180km bike followed by a marathon. The idea was still absurd.

In spring of 2006, I was informed that Krista had signed up for the 2006 Subaru Ironman Canada race in Penticton.

Well holy shit.

Whether she intended to or not, another gauntlet had just been thrown down. Krista had signed up for something so far beyond her current abilities, and she seemed excited. She was loving the training, loving the people she was training with, finding purpose in her life, and doing something for a good cause.

She did what most should do with Triathlon, she took her results from the World Master’s Games as a personal victory and was setting her sights on something bigger. She was looking to prove this stuff to herself. When I saw that, I knew I should start giving this race some more serious attention.

Fortunately, my wife was there to carry me the rest of the way. Astrid had started taking an interest in triathlon after my first season with Laraine had ended. She hadn’t been active in multisport for a while and had made the decision to get back in shape and start coming to these events with me. It didn’t take Astrid long to get her endurance back, and in August of 2006, Astrid and I headed to Penticton to watch Krista become an Ironman, and to sign up for the following year. The Ironman had been on Astrid’s radar a long time ago and she was eager to take a crack at it as well. It was very inspiring to watch and Krista finished like a champion. It was such a long day for her, but she looked so happy. I was very proud of her, and motivated more than ever to take on the challenge. $600 later… we were signed up.

Part 2 The Race Report.
I awoke at 4:15am to use the washroom. A week’s worth of “hydrating” had done it’s job well. I did my business, turned on the coffee maker, and went back to sleep for another half hour. At 5:00am, Astrid and I awoke to our watch alarms and proceeded to get ready. Transition opened at 5:00am, as did “special need” bags drop off and body marking. Fortunately, we were staying at the Lakeside Resort and Casino, the host hotel for the race and from our balcony we could look right over the transition area. I could already see some athletes walking to their bikes. I wondered how long they’d already been up for. Some had to drive here. I felt fortunate for the extra sleep I was privy to. The announcer’s voice could be heard directing athletes to get their bags dropped off first and then get body marked. After a light breakfast, I had an English muffin with cheese and turkey on it with my coffee, we proceeded down to where the action was. We left our wetsuits back in our room, where we also had a private washroom, which we knew we’d want one more time before the race began.

Even though we still had an hour and a half before the cannon went off, 2600 athletes are a lot to process, and body marking took a long time. After we finally made it through, I went to transition and proceeded to get my bike ready, which had been sitting in transition since the previous morning when bike check-in occurred. After pumping tires, putting food in my Bento box, ensuring water bottles are present and full, and checking what gear I was in, I ran to Astrid’s bike to pump her tires. By then it was already after 6:00am. I still had to get back to my room to drop off the bike pump, grab my wetsuit, and take care of business.

I ran back to the room, which was longer to do than necessary because of the maze of fencing erected by the organizer to prevent the public from accessing the course. Astrid was already there and was having a few “stomach” issues. I used the washroom quickly, grabbed my wetsuit and looked at Astrid. It was almost 6:30am. Pro start was in 15 minutes. Our start time was at 7:00am She could tell that I was getting nervous and told me to head down and get ready. She was going to put her wetsuit on in the room and then head down after using the washroom one last time. I complied and ran out the door. I hoped a fence instead of negotiating the maze and got into transition quickly. I struggled into my wetsuit and dropped my dry goods bag off. Then came to realization that I might not be able to find Astrid before the race.

It sounds stupid. I know we weren’t going to be racing together, but I wanted to know that she had made it to the start line and was ready to go. I started searching for her, but everyone is in a black wetsuit. The guys had blue swim caps, the girls in pink, but there was still 1000 pink caps to look through. I quickly looked around the transition area, but couldn’t see her. There were lots of athletes already on the beach and the announcer was asking everyone to proceed across the timing mats and into the start area. The pros were going to be heading out any minute. As I passed through the beach entrance, and across the timing mats. I was presented with a surreal view. Thousands of athletes crowded into the corner of a bay, and 15000 spectators all along the beach front cheering loudly. Ominous music was playing. TV cameras on fancy dollies were moving around us. A helicopter hovered above us and boats lined the edges of the swim course. It was then that I realized how big of an event this is. This wasn’t just some race I was doing. THIS WAS THE IRONMAN! And I had made it to the start line. Now I just needed to find Astrid.

I started to look through the crowd of athletes. A cannon went off and I saw the pros take off in the corner of my eye. I didn’t really care. I needed to find Astrid. Eventually, I decided it was easier for Astrid to find me. I found a relatively open space for me to stand alone and just looked around. Finally… Astrid found me...with five minutes to spare. We had a touching moment, congratulated each other for making it here, and then split apart to where we both felt comfortable starting. I wasn’t likely to see her again until the run course, but I felt much better knowing she had made it here to the start line. The music began to build, the crowd got louder, and at 7:00am the cannon went off. I was racing in the Ironman.

The beginning of the Ironman is without a doubt the most intense part of the race. It is a mass start. And this was the largest mass start in Ironman history… anywhere. 2600 athletes all trying to find a bit of free water to swim in for the next 3.86km. Positioning yourself at the start line is part of the strategy. Too close to the front, you get swam over. Too close to the back and you spend the swim trying to get past a lot of weaker swimmers. Too close to the edges and you might have a hard time finding someone to draft off of or you might get squeezed out in the corners. Everybody is thrashing about. No one has any direction-sense. You’re all too close together. It can be a little scary. Body contact is inevitable. How you deal with it is what determines your swim time. For me I chose a spot about 3 or 4 people deep and on the left side of middle near an HSBC buoy.

The bay that the swim starts in is quite shallow, so you really can’t start swimming until everyone ahead of you has stopped walking and finally plunged into the water. Fortunately, the people in front of me were just as eager as I was and before I knew it, my face was in the water. The current was the first thing I noticed. 2600 people don’t just create a draft. It’s a current. And it carried me right up into the feet of those in front of me. I spent the entire swim in continuous contact with someone. Either someone to my right, to my left, behind me, or in front of me. For the next hour and eight minutes, I was in a battle with those around me for a little bit of free water. I wasn’t complaining too much. As long as someone was just ahead of me, I knew I was getting some benefit of a draft. I didn’t get punched or kicked, but I did get grabbed once as someone grabbed ahold of my leg when they were trying to move around me. I kicked them off. Otherwise, it was just a lot of brushing and rubbing as arms spun and moved past each other. (Only one uncomfortable moment when a girl and I attempted to take a breath on the ame side, our faces only inches apart.)

As we rounded the buoys, I was impressed with the scuba divers below watching our progress. Houseboats were on the inside of the turns and I could see volunteers watching to make sure everyone was safe. Before I knew it, I was back in shallow water where the impressive current could really be felt again. As I stumbled to regain my balance and find my draw string for my wetsuit, I was in awe of how many people were still watching from the sidelines. Afterwards I discovered that my heart rate had been racing throughout the swim between 160 and 170 the entire time. I was obviously more stressed than I thought.

I stumbled my way up the very rocky edge of the lake(why didn’t they clear a path for us?) past the timing mats and into transition 1. I managed to get my wetsuit pulled down below my waist before two people tipped me onto my back and yanked the rest of the suit off. I was helped up, handed my wetsuit, and ushered off to find my Swim-To-Bike transition bag. The change tents were full , but I was already wearing my bike stuff and was able to change outside the tents. Others obviously didn’t want to wait for a spot in the tent and I could hear officials screaming at people that there was “No Public Nudity” allowed. I don’t think they disqualified anyone though.

Before I continue, I need to say thanks to the volunteers and race organizers. Ironman is the most well catered event I have ever been apart of. There were approximately 4500 volunteers at the race, looking after our every need. It really is amazing how much support you receive in the race. There are aid stations on every mile of the run course, and every 10 miles of the bike course. There’s people to help you out of the water, help you out of your wetsuit, help direct you around transition, help you put sunscreen on, help you pack your things, help carry your bike, and most importantly… catch you at the finish line and stay with you to ensure you are ok. They are everywhere, and it really makes the race that much more special.

After I got my bike and started off on the bike course, I was greeted to a new spectacle, Tour de France level crowds. People crowded down the sides of the street, cheering loudly. Cyclists on all sides of me trying to work their way up the line. I remembered to eat a Clif bar before leaving the city. My adrenalin was obvious kicking in quite a bit. I was moving insanely fast and it felt effortless. At one point I couldn’t believe how easy it felt to be travelling at 45kph. Then I saw my heart rate. 165bpm. Too hard. I needed to slow down.

I was calm once I reached McLean Creek Road, the first hill of the day. It’s also the steepest hill in the course, but it’s just 15km into the ride and not very long. Before I knew it I was cruising down the windy downhill back to OK Falls and then south to Oliver and Osoyoos. This 45km section was incredibly fast. I ate perogies along the way, 2-3 every hour. Then you turn the corner at the Husky Gas Station with the gigantic Canadian Flag and start up the famous Richter Pass. That was when troubles started. Climbing just isn’t one of my strong points, and being a Clydesdale in a race full of elite micromachines makes it difficult to keep up with the pack I was climbing with. Added to that was a NW wind that was blowing in your face over the entire climb. I was getting dropped by everyone, but the crowds were awesome. Once again people lined the sides of the road. I was getting cheered on by masses of people who didn’t know me. It was incredible.

Once at the top, you get a fast downhill followed by seven large rollers. Unfortunately, the grind up Richter had actually created a pain on the inside of my right knee, and each roller just seemed to make things worse. I was hoping things would smooth out after the rollers. Unfortunately, the winds just got worse. The ride all the way up the Similkamean Valley was straight into a head wind, and by the time I got to the start of the turn around at kilometre 110, my left knee had developed a pain on the inside as well. At least I had 10km of tail wind before the special needs bag pick up. I stopped for a quick pee break and then headed on down the road.

In the paranoia of getting ready for the race, you try to pack anything you think you could need into the special needs bags. For the bike bag, I had extra food (perogies), an extra tube, an extra CO2 cartridge, and an old tire. What ever you don’t use gets thrown away. I didn’t actually need anything, but I didn’t want to see all that stuff go to waste, so I grabbed a couple of cliff bars, the tube, and the CO2 cartridge, and stuffed them into my jersey.

Back into the head wind again and finally out of Keremeos on highway 3A on the way to Yellow Lake. It starts off as a gradual climb (and unfortunately in light rain), past Olalla, and then the highway splits and you have your final test of the bike course. The climb is not that long, and probably less steep than Richter, but you’re tired by this point. I thought I could feel my left hamstring starting to seize. But there were people everywhere. I know I said it earlier, but I’ll say it again. I felt like I was in the tour going up a mountain pass. There was a gap only 10 feet wide. People were screaming, signs were waved, costumes worn, and the road was all chalked up. At one point to couple of fans ran out and helped give me a quick push. I heard someone call my name and almost crashed trying to see who it was. When I reached the summit, I knew I was going to make it back to Penticton. A woman, who was only wearing what appeared to be a sign made of construction paper that said “Looking for an Iron Husband” greeted me with a friendly “Welcome to the Summit”. The most beautiful words in the world.

I descended quickly back into Penticton, but was greeted with a pounding rain storm and gail force winds that almost stopped me dead in my tracks. My knees were killing me and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to run. What if my hamstring seized up when I got off the bike? As I pulled into transition, soaked, I handed my bike to a lovely volunteer and proceeded off to find my Bike-To-Run Bag.

T2 went very slow for me. I wanted to change clothes. I wanted to rest my knees. I wanted to take some Ibuprofen, which I was smart enough to pack in both run bags, and I needed to tape my nipples up before the run. It hurt sitting down and it hurt even more standing back up. Normally, T2 is faster than T1, but I was almost twice as long in T2. I didn’t want to start a marathon until I knew I was ready to go.

I headed out on the longest run of my life.

The run course has a small out and back along Lakeshore drive, and then a long out and back to OK Falls, followed by a short out and back along Lakeshore drive again before you can finally finish. I wanted to be heading up Main Street to OK Falls before the first pro athlete made it back to Lakeshore Drive. Once again the crowds were incredible. As I headed down Lakeshore, people cheered wildly. Then I saw a real treat. Todd, Jenny, Theo, and Charlie where cheering like mad. It was great to see them. As I left Lakeshore Drive and headed towards mainstreet, I was greeted to another surprise… Astrid was starting her Marathon too. Knowing how fast she runs, I expected her to catch me soon.

My strategy was simple. Run at a slow and steady pace, in my aerobic zone. I was doing 12 minute miles. That’s a crawling speed, but it’s still faster than walking and I knew if I could just keep that up, I’d be passing people. It was one of my goals to run the entire marathon. Half way up main street I saw the lead runner coming back in. After I got out of town, I saw Lisa Bentley leading the females back in. I started having a few gas issues shortly into the run and didn’t touch anything at the first couple aid stations. After that, I started drinking at every aid station, sometimes water, sometimes Gatorade. I think I had a few pretzels at mile 9. At mile 10, I decided to use an outhouse. I was sure Astrid would pass me while I was on the shitter. The hills started. I managed to convince myself not to walk until the turn around. I saw my coach at mile 12. I asked about Astrid. He hadn’t seen her. Where was she?

At the turn around I grabbed my special needs bag and downed some more IBU. Then I started off again. When I reached my coach, I still couldn’t see Astrid, but it was just shortly after that I saw her coming the other way. She was still the same distance back. I knew something had to be wrong. (Later I found out she was having her own GI issues) I kept pushing. I started having chicken noodle soup. On the last hill near OK Falls around mile 15, I finally had to walk. My heart rate was increasing too much, and I thought I might bonk. Once at the top, I had a gel and started running again. With 10 miles to go I started doing gels every 2 miles. That was awesome. I started feeling much better.

I don’t remember when I came to the realization that my knees weren’t hurting anymore, but I didn’t pick up the pace for fear that they might get worse again. When I reached the city limits, I knew I was home free. All I had to do was make it down mainstreet and then the victory lap on Lakeshore Drive. People were still cheering from the sidelines after 12 hours. Krista and Mike cheered me on from the Sag Wagon they were driving. I could hear the finishline as I got closer.

The final turn onto Lakeshore is marked with a 25 mile marker and I could feel a tear whelling up inside me. I pumped my fist into the air to celebrate getting a cheer from the crowd and started down Lakeshore one last time without even looking towards the finish line I was passing on my right. Jenny and Todd were still there cheering. I was elated.

I tried to take one last sip of coke from the final aid station before making an effort to finish strong. I spilled most of it all over me. I had a good gap between the runner ahead of me and the runner behind, and I wanted to make sure the finishline officials had a chance to see me coming and call out my name (not to mention give the photo guys ample opportunity to get my finishline photo). I remembered to peel off the reflective tape I was wearing(screws up the pictures). I took off my sunglasses and hat and proceeded down the finishline bleachers, through the fans. A huge smile broke across my face as I heard the announcer call out, “Darren Arcuri of Calgary, Alberta. YOU are an IRONMAN!”

A guy grabbed me by the arm as I came in. He was quickly replaced by my coach, Grant, who was also on catcher duty. Grant lead me over to where I get my medal. He gave me a finisher’s cap and T-shirt. He was about to lead me off to get my picture when I remembered that Astrid should be right behind me. I wanted to stay at the finish line and see her cross. I was given some Gatoraid and ran into Katie who was also doing a finish line catcher shift. They both waited with me for Astrid. Then my world started to go black and I knew I was about to faint. I warned both Grant and Katie and then attempted to sit down and lie on my back, hoping to get the blood back to my head. It wasn’t graceful, and I think I startled Katie as I toppled over. I was soon surrounded by volunteers trying to offer me Pepsi. I was already feeling better but I took the Pepsi anyway. When I looked up again, Astrid was walking over to me with a confused look on her face. “What happened to you?” she said.

I replied, “I’m an Ironman!”

Part 3 The Training and Thanks
Ironman is a selfish sport. I don’t know how some couples can do it (let alone those with kids), but thank god Astrid was there to train with me. It requires so much of your time and energy. If Astrid hadn’t of been there to train with me, we likely wouldn’t have seen each other. But, as it turned out, we were able to train together all year, and I believe this actually helped strengthen our relationship. I’ve heard about many couples that’ve split up because of the Ironman, and I can understand why. It’s not that you don’t want to spend time with others… you CAN’T spend time with others. The training schedule is very demanding. Astrid and I have a lot of catching up to do with friends and family this year… if they’ll let us.

For those who are curious, here are the yearly stats that I put in to become an Ironman…

253 hours of cycling
189 hours of running
68 hours of swimming
177 hours of misc. other activities (hiking, skiing, etc)
655 hours of total training over 47 weeks (14hrs/week average)

The costs are just as impressive. The $500 US entry is just a drop in the bucket compared to how much you’ll spend on equipment, coaches, programs, memberships, training camps, food, travel, etc. (Not to mention the tattoo afterwards) Though I’m sure it can be done for less than what we’ve spent, your first Ironman will be expensive. It’s definitely not a cheap sport.

The year leading up to the race was a year of great achievements for me. Besides Ironman, I finished my first half marathon in November. (As I said, I had never run more than 10 – 15km at any one time before) I finished my first marathon in May. And I finished my first ½ Ironman in June. (Interesting fact, they say you can estimate your Ironman time by doubling your ½ time and adding an hour. My half time was 5:55:12, which would have predicted 12:50:24. I was 12:51:18. Not bad) I had 3 time goals and 3 personal goals for the race. The time goals were C=17hrs(just finish), B=15hrs(having a tough day), A=13hrs(everything goes great). My personal goals were to run the entire marathon, be out on the run course before anyone had finished, and place in the top half. If you don't count the small section of one hill I had to walk, I made every goal I set for myself.

We worked with a lot of really great people throughout the year. Our program coach was Grant Molyneux (Vitalize). His program, Ironman for Mortals, was a great foundation that we used to shape our training. It’s his philosophies that I used the most throughout the year to help me reach this goal. Leanne Manlove, and the rest of the ETS program trainers provided great workouts in the fall and winter months at the Talisman Centre. Most of my swimming was also done through the Triathlon Swim program at Talisman. Tony Smith, of UCTC, provided excellent training workouts throughout the year, and also put together what is undeniably the greatest training camp on the planet… Maui Extreme. The cherry on the sundae was the Ironspirit training camp in Penticton with Kevin Cutjar(Impact Multisport) and Cal Zaryski(Critical Speed). They provided a lot of insight and experience that gave me alot of confidence going into the race and I’d recommend either of their programs to those seeking to improve on their performance.

Once again, thanks to all our family and friends for their support. The words of encouragement and astonishment really meant a lot. I’ll probably do another one, someday, but not for a few years. That said, I don’t want to lose the fitness I’ve achieved this year. I’d actually still like to improve, but I don’t want the training to take over my life like it did last year. I’ll probably do some half ironmans, some Olympic distances, and a few sprint distances (my fav) but I want to spend more time mountain biking, hiking, skiing, touring… and spending time at the new place in Invermere.

Hope you all can come out.

2010 Subaru Ironman Canada Race Report Pt1

2010-09-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've had alot of good feed back over the years because of this blog. A couple of clubs have even asked to repost the article in their monthy journals. The biggest question I get is... What have you done since finishing the Ironman? Well... here's the answer.

After IMC2007 I took some time to enjoy my freedom from training to catch up with friends and family. I didn't quit traing, I just didn't let training come first when there were other options. Astrid was still motivated to continue with Ironman, so I became her support crew. I still signed up for some races, but I must admit that I started to obtain a bit of an ego for having finished an Ironman. I had signed up for 2 Half Iron Distance races in 2008 (Oliver & Great White North) and I knew I still needed to train for them. But I let my ego falsely lead me to believe that a Half Iron Distance race wasn't worth taking seriously. When Oliver rolled around, I had gained back a fair amount of weight (not too bad, but definately not race ready) and I had barely put in the training distances. The end result was a pathetic race, my worst yet, and the closest I've ever come to quiting. I was baddly dropped on the bike and my running was terrible. My wife destroyed me. She had stayed focused on the next ironman goal, while I had stayed focused on the next TV show, and I paid the price. I refocused my efforts to get ready for GWN and managed to salvage my race season with a decent result there, though Astrid still crushed me. Astrid went on the finish IMC 2008 with an amazing 12:13:15. Her time the previous year was 13:09:22. She was almost an hour faster, and it wasn't problem free either. If things had gone smoothly, she probably could have gone sub 12. She had crushed my previous time of 12:51:18. I wasn't jealous. I was extremely proud of her, but I was also very curious to see if I could do something similar.

Unfortunately, where Astrid had been able to capitalize on the fitness she had built in 2007 before her 2008 season, I was not in Ironman shape at the end of 2008 and didn't want to sign up again until I was already in great shape and able to make the most of it. A buddy of mine, Todd Houston, had also started taking an interest in Triathlon at that time. He was thinking he'd like to tackle IMC one day and wanted to join me for some training. I agreed to train with him and that our goal was to complete IMC2010. Thus, I had 2009 to get my ass back in shape, and 2010 to see what I could do with it. There was only one small factor complicating things...

Astrid and I wanted a baby.

Originally, our plan was to try for a child after IMC2007, but Astrid really wanted another Ironman shot and so we waited until after IMC2008 to start trying. In early 2009, we found out that we were expecting. Now you might think that this was going to end our triathlon career, but Astrid and I had already commited to continue with the triathlon lifestyle, even post kids, because we knew it was a healthy lifestyle and one we'd want our kids to see us doing. It was just going to mean that we couldn't both do an Ironman in the same year. Thus 2010 was still going to be my next shot at Ironman, and a test for Ironman life with kids.

After the 2008 season I decided to start using a nutritionist. I had a goal to change the way I eat in 2009 and hopefully be a healthier eater. I knew that I might not be able to put in the same training hours I did in 2007, but if I could improve my diet, I might not need to. Astrid was also interested in using a nutritionist and we decided to use Jason Hagen with Fit Metabolism. Jason's goals for me were very aggressive. He figured I could lose 50lbs in 8 months, which would drop me below my Ironman weight by almost 30lbs. I didn't get quite as low as that, but by summertime I was in the best racing shape of my life and lighter than I ever had been. I had PBs in almost every race I did. I was even close to qualifying for Clearwater at Ironman Calgary 70.3 at the begining of August. I was right where I wanted to be going into an Ironman year and Todd Houston and I went to Penticton to sign up for IMC2010.

That was the end of the Aug in 2009. Now, ideally, I would start on the Ironman training and build on the success I had in 2009, but with the impending arrival of our child, which was due Sept 30th, I was a little distracted to say the least. I also stopped using Jason at that point. He was fantastic, but I wanted to see if I could stick with my meal plans without having to be accountable to anyone other than myself.

Greta Isobel Kalmet Arcuri was born on Oct 10th, 2009. It had been a rough pregnancy and delivery for Astrid. I had alot of vacation time saved up and was able to take most Mondays and Fridays off for the rest of the year to help Astrid at home. Unfortunately, my training practically disappeared during this time and I ate poorly(I'd call it sympathetic pregnancy cravings, but it was really a convenient excuse to eat crap). Needless to say, I lost alot of my fitness and gained alot of weight.

Greta is definately one of the best things that ever happened to me, but having an infant in the house made training alot harder than I anticipated. With only one working parent, I dropped alot of the training programs I had been involved with in the past and didn't sign up for any training camps. I also didn't want to deprive Astrid of her own love for training and signed her up for Oliver in June as a training goal to help her lose the baby weight (a goal of hers). This meant I had to share the available training time. Astrid was good about trying to encourage me to get out training, but the reality was that it just wasn't feasable. I accepted that I wasn't going to be able to train as hard as I would have prefered, but I figured if I could focus on my nutrition, I could still lose alot of weight and more than compensate for the lost training volume.

I had an additional goal for 2010. Become a better runner. Running has always been my weakness and I had tried over the years to improve, but never really got better results. In the fall of 2009 I read a book that heavily influenced me... Born to Run, by Chris McDougal. The author really spoke to me. He sounded like he shared my problems and the theories he described sounded well thought out. For those unfamiliar with the book, it has been adopted by many as the barefoot running bible. It's a history of endurance running mixed with science and human evolution inside an interesting quest to find the fastest runners in the world. After reading the book, I quickly bought a pair of Newtons and Vibram 5 Fingers and set off to change my running style. I really had nothing to lose. I was a terrible runner with a slow cadence and little efficiency. Barefoot style running(I say "style" because I'm never truely barefoot) definately helped me. It was an adjustment at first and I suffered from sore achillies for the first few months while my calves adjusted, but soon I was able to run up to an hour at a time, with the vibrams on, or a couple of hours, with the Newtons, with no problems. Things seemed to work well enough because by the time May hit I was able to run the Vancouver Half Marathon in 1:58:47, a feat I was amazed to accomplish. 21.1km with a pace of 5:38min/km. For the first time in my life, I felt like a runner. I also broke another milestone this summer when I placed in my category at the UCTC Sprint distance race this year. Yes, sprint distance can be seen as triathlon for beginners, and I definately had alot more experience over my competitors, but it gave me some good confidence going into the big training months of June and July. I did have a few knee issues in May while riding, but I had Grant Molyneux (Vitalize) take a look at my set up and make some adjustments that helped considerably.

Astrid completed Oliver in early June. I was very proud of her and excited to have my own training to focus on. I was able to get in a pre-ride of the IMC course(pain free) that weekend as well. Little did I know it would end up being my longest ride of the year. I was looking forward to July and August when I'd be on parental leave and, in theory, able to put in some significant training volume. My long rides and runs were improving, and I competed in the Wasa Lake Oly Tri that month. The race went well, but I was disappointed in my bike performance. I did the same race the previous year, and definately suffered by comparison. I wrote it off as a bad day and tried to focus on my training.

I was looking forward to July. Not just because of the training, or the leave, but because we were going to spend it in Italy. Astrid's family had rented a Villa outside of Venice for her entire family. Astrid and I had been to Italy numerous times before, so this was an opportuniy to live in Italy as opposed to seeing Italy. I was also excited about the training possibilities there. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the insane heat. Europe was suffering through an incredible heatwave the entire time I was there. Most days were in the high 30s and quite humid, which really limited how long you could train for. I brought all my gear, including my bike, and managed to get in some great rides (including L'Alpe D'Huez during the Tour de France), but I could never ride for more than 2 or 3 hours without being completely drained. Runs were limited to earlier morning jogs, and whether it was from the heat or some other reason, I started suffering from leg cramps. My calf felt like it was going to tear from time to time, and rather than risk an injury so close to IMC, I forced myself to take it easy and hoped to recover.

When we got back, I started seeing a sports therapist right away about my legs. The cramping was getting worse and I was supposed to do Ironman Calgary 70.3 the following weekend. I managed to complete the race, but I was forced to take it easy on the run. I honestly felt like my body was breaking down. This was the worst time to be suffering from injuries. Ironman was only 4 weeks away and my training volume was about half of what it should be. I continued to see the sports therapist a few more times for massage and accupuncture but my legs always felt like they were going to seize up in the evenings.

I still managed to get in some decent training in August, even with my new position as a full time stay-at-home-dad. Ironically, constantly looking after Greta is alot more exercise than I would have thought. I actually lost a fair amount of weight in August and ended up being slightly less than my weight was in 2007. There was definately a bit of fear related to the lack of training I had done. Based on my training logs, I had put in approximately half the effort in 2010 that I did in 2007, but I was starting with a much better base so perhaps the results would be as bad. The longest ride I had done was 200km in 2007, 160km in 2010. I did the Vancouver Marathon in 2007. The longest run I had done this year was 25km, but I was running faster. It would have to be enough. And with that, I set off for Penticton once again.

2010 Subaru Ironman Canada Race Report Pt2

2010-09-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

***Make sure to read the previous post before tackling this one***

I had no idea how the race would go. The "A" goal when I signed up was to do something similar to what Astrid had done and best my previous time by an 1hr (~11:51). The "B" goal was to match my 2007 performance or do slightly better(~12:51:18). The "C" goal, as always, is to finish before the 17hr cut-off.

I rented my cousin’s house in Penticton and invited 3 of my friends (Todd, Dan, & James) who were also competing to stay with me. It was a great atmosphere in the house as everyone was relaxed and ready. Dan, James, and I were all Ironman veterans. Todd was doing his first, but didn’t show any nervousness. Astrid and Greta flew out a couple of days before the race to show support. It was wonderful having them there, but it was a lot of work for Astrid and caused me a bit of stress too. The main goal of the last week of training before race day is to get as much rest as possible. Astrid knew this so she was, by default, responsible for looking after Greta in the middle of the night (so that the “Ironmen” could sleep). Astrid had been going through a hard transition back into the workforce after her maternity leave and equally needed the rest, but I wasn’t able to provide any help until after the race. It would have been a lot easier on both of us for Astrid to have just stayed back in Calgary, where looking after Greta is an easier task, but she wanted to show her support. Though I worried about her, I was glad she was there.

I actually slept pretty well the night before the race and wasn’t anxious at all going through my morning routine. I grabbed my gear, ate breakfast, used the facilities, kissed Astrid goodbye, and headed off to the race start with my friends just after 5am. In just under 2 hours, I was about to race my 2nd Ironman.

I got through body marking fairly quickly, then did my last minute bike checks, pumped up the tires, set up food and liquids, and was able to get in line early for one of the limited port-o-potties available. I was very relaxed and after finally using the facilities I got zipped up in my wetsuit and headed for the swim start.

I managed to find Todd and Mike Smith (another friend of mine and the husband of Krista from my 2007 blog) and wished them both a good day. The start of Ironman is always the most exciting part of the day and for the athletes it’s filled with incredible tension. It was obvious that Mike and Todd were nervous(this being their 1st Ironman), but they also looked ready and I gave them the usual “Be proud! You’ve made it to the start line!” speech. For myself, I was surprisingly calm. My heart rate was only around 65bpm. I chose to start near Mike and Todd on the right side of the swim course. Technically speaking this will make for a longer swim, but it is usually less crowded. I don’t fear the crowds, but with 2800 people starting (a new Ironman record) I was concerned that it might get a little crazier than I was expecting.

At 7am the horn sounded(No canon this year). We were off. I managed to start swimming fairly quickly and was punch and kicked quite a few times as everyone sorted themselves out, but I managed to stay relaxed and before I knew it I was swimming with a fast pack and getting a good draft. In 2007 I overexerted myself in the swim trying to stay with certain swimmers and was lightheaded getting out of the water. This time around I just focused on myself and tried to stay calm. I managed to stay in a fairly straight line on the way out to the first buoy, and fought my way through the congestion to the second buoy. I had to make a few course corrections on the way back home after the second turn, but I still felt great and crossed the swim finish with a new PB of 1:04:13, 5 minutes faster than my 2007 swim. And I wasn’t light headed at all. I swam faster and with less effort. It was a good start to the day and I was able to get through transition quickly (5min, compared to 6 in 2007). Now it was time to start the bike course.

IMC2010 was forecasted to be cool weather, with a high of 20. There was debate about what to wear on the bike since it was going to be around 10 degrees after exiting the swim. I was fine with my regular gear and avoided putting on anything extra. I was excited about the ride. I was on the same setup that I was in 2007, but I had upgraded to race wheels since then and purchased an aero helmet. I flew down to Osoyoos. I completed the first 65km in under 2hrs. Granted, it’s mostly downhill and with a tailwind, but I was careful not to push too hard and still managed to stay with the lead pack I left the swim with. New purchases justified. Unfortunately, once we started climbing Richter Pass I was dropped like I was standing still. I could hold my own on the flats, but couldn’t stay with them going up the big hills without going anaerobic. In 2007, I got frustrated that I was getting passed in the hills and started pushing harder to prevent much damage. This caused me to have knee issues later in the ride and I debated quitting while sitting in T2 with such sore knees before a marathon. This year, I let them go. I kept reminding myself to think of the bigger picture. There was still a lot of riding to do and then the marathon.

I continued to get passed on the rollers, which were made more difficult by the headwind blowing down the Similkimeen Valley, but I managed to hold my own on the flats to Keremeos. I enjoyed the southern portion of the Out & Back(with a tailwind again) and restocked my perogies (potato, cheese & bacon) at the Special Needs station. Perhaps it was just psychological, but it was at this point that I decided I needed some more energy before heading back into the headwind and the climb to Yellow lake so I stopped using Nuun (my electrolyte drink) and switched to Gatorade. In retrospect, there was no need for this. I wasn’t tired, I just couldn’t keep up without going anaerobic. Drinking Gatorade wasn’t going to solve this, but it might allow me to feel better about going into the sugar burning zones knowing I had excess sugar waiting to be used. This was dumb and was a dangerous situation. Once you commit to using sugar, the body reacts by producing insulin and if you don’t maintain a constant supply, you will eventually bonk. Some athletes do well on sugar, but if you are not used to it, it can hurt you. Sugar is also the number one cause of GI issues (Methane is a by-product of sugar burning). Besides the gas, excess sugar ferments so you need to make sure that you burn every ounce you intake to avoid too much fermentation in your gut. But these are thoughts you have when you are sane. After 120km of cycling and staring at more brutal riding to come, Gatorade seemed like a good idea. I would pay the price later.

I got through the northern part of the O&B without too much difficulty and turned the corner at Keremos to start the long climb to Yellow Lake. It’s not a hard climb, with a gentle grade most of the way, but the winds were blowing VERY HARD and right into your face. On a 2% grade, most people were in their lowest gear and barely staying above 15kph. Then, to add insult to injury, it started raining. Aero wheels really don’t do alot when you can’t get over 20kph, but the aero helmet was actually a great thing to have in the rain as it sheltered my head and neck and allowed for better vision through the visor and not rain soaked glasses. The last section of the yellow lake climb is steeper and the crowds line up to cheer you on. I felt good. No knee problems, and I wasn’t getting passed anymore (perhaps I finally got sorted to where I should be). The descent back to Penticton was fast and I managed to gain back a few spots, but when I finally crossed the line, my split was 6:29:34, almost 17min slower than 2007. Hmmm... Good thing I had those race wheels. On the plus side, I handed off my bike to a volunteer and ran through transition quickly in 6.5min, 4min faster than 2007 (thanks mostly to my knees feeling good).

The net loss at that point was only 7min less than 2007, but it was looking unlikely that I would reach my “A” goal without putting in the run of a lifetime. That said, as long as my running had improved, I should still be able to beat my previous time and meet the “B” goal. I started the run still feeling fresh. My legs were barely affected by the bike, which surprised me given how few brick workouts I had done. Never-the-less, I was running at the pace I wanted to be at and wasn’t about to complain. But after a couple of kilometres into the run the Gatorade came back for revenge and I was forced to stop at the next 6 aid stations to use the facilities. When I was running, I ran at a decent pace, but all the stops were adding up.

To make matters worse, the leg cramps which had plagued me for the past few months flared up and forced me to walk up a few hills, and by the time I reached OK Falls, I knew I was going to be walking most of the distance home. My “B” goal was now out of reach. All that was left to do was to try and enjoy myself and avoid any further injury that might force me to abandon. It was a long walk, made worse after a volunteer accidentally dumped water on my left shoe, but I finally made it back to Lake Shore Drive where I found Astrid and Greta waiting for me. I pushed through the pain for the last couple hundred meters, my left foot aching from the blisters that had developed, and managed to get the crowd cheering as I entered the finishing chute, crossing the line in 13:37:04.

When I crossed the line in 2007, I was tired but relatively pain free. This time around, my legs were dying, but I was barely winded. Grant Molyneux, a former coach, happened to be my finishline catcher and he thought I looked perfectly fine. I wasn’t that interested in hanging out in the finishing area very long. I grabbed my finishing gear, got my picture taken, and left to find Astrid.

What I wanted was to get home and share some beer and pizza with my friends. I didn’t achieve the race results I was looking for when I signed up but I can’t complain about the results given the training I had put in. My friends had all achieved personal bests, finishing well ahead of me, but I still had lots to celebrate. I had managed to complete an Ironman in the same year I had a baby.

REFLECTIONS:

What worked well...

• I had a great base. I think this, more than anything else, is what was able to get me through Ironman in a decent amount of time and still feel fresh afterwards. I lacked the power to go faster, not the energy. In other words, the machine was working well, I just needed a bigger engine.

• I had a fantastic swim. Swimming is all about technique, and clearly I've improved since 2007. I also didn't lose too much technique training on my own this year and training less frequently.

• My position on the bike was good and I didn't suffer from any aches and pains. The only question I have now is whether I can get more aggressive with my position and still ride pain free.

• My transitions were fast and I felt good starting each event.

• My running started out great and I was able to keep up with those around me. Infact, when I was able to run I was passing a fair number of people. If only I could have avoided the cramping.
What needs improvement...

• Not having a nutritionist this year meant I had no one to be accountable too, and I wasn't able to lose the weight I should have. Endurance racing is all about Power to Weight ratio. Which means you get much more benefit from weight loss than strength training. Unfortunately, though I'm a healthier eater today, I'm still not as healthy as I should be and need that accountability to stay focused

• My bike fitness has declined. I could argue that weather conditions were worse this year, but that wouldn't be enough. The race wheels and aero helmet should have compensated for that. I could also argue that I pushed too hard in 2007, but realistically I just didn't have the power. My weight might have been similar to what it was in 2007, but I wasn't as lean. Which means I was still in better shape back then and had a better P:W ratio.

• Gatorade is terrible. I drank it for the psycological boost and suffered from GI issues as a result. It was during one of my port-o-potty visits that the cramping started. Going from a run to the sitting position without a cool down is a recipe for disaster. I think if I could have avoided the facilities, I wouldn’t have felt leg pains for quite some time. That said...

• My legs were not accustomed to long runs. It was obvious after the half way point that my legs were done. They just weren't used to running that far. I hadn't gone over that distance since 2007.

• I’m not sure I chose the best shoe for the marathon. I bought a pair of Zoot Ultra Racing Flats (aka “Zoonies”) the previous season that I used only in competition. They were great in everything I competed in, and should have been an excellent shoe for “barefoot style” running. The Zoonies are designed to be run in barefeet. For ironman, I threw on a pair of socks. When barefoot, water drains easily out of the shoe. With the socks on, I developed blisters in the shoe that got wet. I’m not certain I wouldn’t have developed blisters without the socks, but if socks were important, I should have stuck with the Newtons I did all my long training runs in, including the Vancouver Half Marathon.

• Lack of rest and recovery. Though both are important to complete a training cycle. Having a newborn meant that rest and recovery were low priorities compared to giving my wife a break and spending time with my daughter and helping out around the house. I learned the hard way that you can't do both properly. I don't regret having a child, I regret having the expectations that I could do everything.

THANKS

There are two people I really want to thank this year. The first is my wife who supported me in going after another Ironman knowing we were going to have a baby. Hopefully I wasn't too much of a burden this year. It was a very tricky balancing act. I love her and can't thank her enough for making sure our daughter was always well looked after while I was out on a long ride or run.

The second is Todd Houston. Todd has been a friend of mine for years and has always been active in cycling among other things. He and his family came out to IMC2007 to watch and Todd obviously got the bug, because he decided he wanted to sign up. He had never done a triathlon before and I tried to take him under my wing and help him out wherever I could. Todd is also the kind of guy who, once he decides to pursue something, he commits fully. Todd immersed himself in Triathlon and it wasn't long before he was more knowledgeable in the sport than I was, and beating me at every race we competed in together. And as much as I wanted to push Todd, he was able to push me as well. He was also incredibly well disciplined, completely changing his diet and lifestyle to become the best performing machine he could be. Some might have called it obsessive, but I feel he was just committed. He never neglected any of his family or friends and became the perfect model of how to live life as an Ironman. It was incredible time management. I can honestly say that I envy his accomplishments this year more than my own and I'm very proud of him. He finished IMC2010 in 11:52 (yes... that was my "A" goal... bastard) I can't wait to see what he's going to do next year. I can only hope that I’ll still be able to keep up with him and help him train.

As for myself, the next Ironman won't be for quite a while until I know that life will allow for the proper training to take place... but that day will come again.