You are an IRONMAN!!!

IRONMAN Arizona 2013 Race Recap

Nearly three (3) months have passed since IMAZ and I have finally found enough time to capture my thoughts and put them in writing.

In short, this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, ranking up their with climbing the Grand Teton in 2008 and Mount Rainier in 2010.  The commitment required to achieve such a goal is unlike any other and looking back, I'm not quite sure how I did it.

The final six (6) weeks of training were very daunting and took a severe amount of emotional fortitude to complete.  When I began my taper, I woke early on Saturday morning to get ready for my ride and as I sat on the couch mentally preparing, I suddenly burst into tears envisioning myself crossing the finish line.  This wasn't just watery eyes...I literally balled my eyes out and I couldn't stop.  I knew my training was over and there was nothing else I could do.  The anxiety from the previous eleven (11) months finally became reality and was completely overwhelming.

The week before we left (don't ask how) but I dropped my phone in the toilet (completely sober) and I didn't receive a replacement until after the race.  Looking back, this was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to free my mind of all things work and be undistracted while in AZ.  One forgets how pleasant life was pre-cell phones.  

Kylie and I flew to Phoenix on Thursday and headed straight to Ironman Village for packet pickup and to get my bike from @TriBikeTransport.  We then headed to check-in at the hotel and wait for my Mom and Dad to arrive.  We grabbed dinner that night at Casey Moore's Oyster House and went to bed early.

Friday morning we took a family jog to the Ironman Village to meet up with Kat and Sean (@averagetriguy) who got in that morning.  We attended the athlete briefing that afternoon at which time I realized I had forgotten my goggles (Yikes!).  A little panic set in as I really love my TYR Special Ops but I gingerly walked over to the Aqua Sphere tent and picked up a pair of Kaimans which I've used in the passed. So much for the whole "don't wear new goggles on race day!"  

That night, we went to dinner at Four Peaks Brewery which is one of the local favorites.  In addition to great beer, their food is exceptionally good as well.  Sean and I were about the only ones wearing athlete bracelets and indulging in the beer selection (ie. carb-loading).

Saturday morning Sean and I went for a short bike ride on the course and then made our way down to Tempe Town Lake for the practice swim at 9:00 AM.  The water was a little chilly at first but felt great after a couple strokes.  

Kylie, Kat and my parents went and hiked up the Cholla trail to the top of Camelback Mountain.  Kylie was talking a good game leading up to the hike, but I think she got a little more than she bargained for!  I was jealous as I love hiking and climbing, but I took advantage of the alone time to lay in the hotel bed and begin my mental preparation.  

We all met up for dinner around 4:30 PM at Oregano's Pizza Bistro.  We timed it perfectly with only about a 10 minute wait.  Come 5:00 PM the parking lot was full of people on the wait list.  This was one of the best pre-race dinners I have ever had.  The servings were enormous and the food was terrific.  

Race morning, Kylie was kind enough to wake up with me and drive me to Ironman Village so I didn't have the added anxiety of waiting on the shuttle.  I was probably in the first 100 people into transition.  I hate waiting in line and feeling rushed.

SWIM

Based on my research, my plan was to start the swim in the middle of the pack towards the outside (right).  I met up with Sean and Jason Weaver (@WEAVEstrong) in the corral and we entered the water together.  To our surprise, we swam unencumbered straight up the the front starting line maybe 15 meters from the inside buoy.  This was a little nerve wrecking, but I managed to tread water without hitting anyone so it wasn't as crowded as I imagined.  When the gun went off, my fight or flight instinct kicked in and it was a true test of survival of the fittest.  The first 1,000 meters or so was brutal with constant contact with others on every stroke...arms, legs, kicking, punching, etc... 

I maintained the inside line all the way out, but I took the second left turn way too wide and found myself swimming all by myself.  Things slow down considerably when you get out of the draft.  As I was nearing the finish, I took a heal to my left eye socket and wasn't sure if I would ever be able to remove my goggles as it felt like they were permanently suctioned to my face!  

I came out of the water in 01:13:09 at a 1:53/100 meter pace which was just ahead of where I wanted to be.  My Garmin 910XT showed the swim to be 2.6 miles so I may have finished a little sooner had I not drifted off course at the 2nd turn.

T1 
Exiting the water, my wetsuit was stripped by fellow DFW triathletes @BLuebTris and @HeidiRuns. I then ran and grabbed my transition bag, found a chair and began putting on my arm sleeves, shoes and helmet.  As I bent over to put on my shoes, my nose started dripping blood from one of the shots I had taken during the swim.  I then jumped into one of the port-a-johns but forgot to lock the door and to my surprise had another guy step in and join me which was a little awkward, but hey, we're all friends out here!  Time spent in T1 was 00:07:45.

BIKE

The bike course was three (3) out-and-back loops which were relatively flat with a slight up hill on the way out and downhill on the way back to town.  I found a good groove on the way out on the first lap.  

I kept my distance due to my fear of drafting penalties, but there were actual pelotons that looked like a Saturday group ride.  On my way back into town on the first lap, I was holding +30 MPH most the way back into town. 


The 2nd lap was rather uneventful although I did see Sean at special needs

around mile 60.  I was riding faster than I had planned, however, my heart rate was exactly where I needed it to be.  The wind progressively picked up throughout the ride and on the 3rd lap I could only maintain 24 MPH back down the hill into town.  Sean caught me around the century mark and we rode the rest of the way together.  I finished the bike in 05:23:10 at 20.79 MPH which was :28 minutes and over 1.5 MPH faster than I had planned.  I was thinking to myself that this was going to make for an interesting run!


T2
In T2, I took my time and learned from my training.  I sat in the tent, caught my breath, changed shoes, applied sunscreen, ate some Goldfish and sipped on some water.  I was by no means in a hurry to go run a marathon.  I threw on some bright green calf sleeves and headband so I would be easy to spot out on the course.  Time spent in T2 00:09:43 exactly as planned!

RUN
Surprisingly, I felt good when I stood up and began running out of T2.  I wasn't pushing it and just let my legs do the work with a quick turnover.  I caught Sean just after the first aid station around mile 1.5 as he was cramping in the beginning of the run.  I managed to run with him until mile 7 when I started to slow a bit.  My plan was to walk every aid station and Sean didn't take it quite as literally as I did.  I took a splash of water, Powerade and Coke at nearly every aid station.  I ran with a gel flask too and took a pull every 45-60 minutes.  I also ate a Bonk Breaker every hour or so.

The run was extremely spectator friendly as I was able to see Kylie, my parents and Kat eight (8) times on the run.  Now I wouldn't say it was easy for them as they had to scurry back and forth across the Mill Ave bridge a handful of times, but there are no words to express how it felt to see them.  Their strategy was to be spaced out so I didn't see them all at once.  I can honestly say that I teared up each and every time I ran past them.  As the daughter of a football coach, Kylie has a certain amount of conviction in her voice when cheering...there's a little bit of "good job honey :)" and a lot of "get you A$$ moving!"

As the run continued, the sun began to set and temperature began to drop.  To my surprise, I was able to maintain my composure throughout the run and avoid the emotional roller coaster you ofter read and hear about.  This run was like no other in that I was able to do just that....run!

Nearing mile 22 on the 2nd loop, I began running up what was the only "hill" on the entire course.  I was the only person running up the hill as all others were walking.  As I neared the top of the hill, I caught up to Jean who is a below the knee amputee running on her prosthetic.  I met Jean and her husband waiting in line for our rental cars and she too is a first timer.  I ran along side of her introducing myself as the guy from the rental car place.  I gave her some words of encouragement and told her she looked great.  Seeing her really put things into perspective.  Needless to say, Jean finished in an amazing 14:49:13.

It wasn't until I came down the hill at mile 23 and I saw my dad that it finally

set in.  My Dad yelled out "YOU GOT THIS!!!" and that was enough to set me over the edge.  I yelled out a couple expletives, burst into tears and gave him the biggest hug of my life!  I was 3 miles from achieving the goal that I had set exactly one (1) year ago to the day.  I then saw my Mom followed by Kylie and that kept the tears flowing.

As I ran the closing miles, I just kept repeating my mantra in my head..."you are an IRONMAN...you are an IRONMAN!"

On the final stretch up to the finishers chute, I had to pick up the pace to pass a girl in front of me so I could have the chute to myself and all but guarantee that Mike Reilly would announce my name.  Sure enough, my plan worked and as I neared the finish line I heard:

"Eric Bunner's our next winner...come on Eric...all for you buddy...from Prosper, TX...first timer...Eric...you are an IRONMAN!"  

To my surprise, I crossed the finish line and was able to remain upright.  I had envisioned myself crawling across the finish line at midnight, but instead I ran across the line finishing in 11:30:13 shattering my goal time by :52 minutes!

I finished the run in 04:36:26 at a 10:33 min/mile pace which I could never have predicted.  I figured my run split would've been well over 5:00 considering I've only ran one other marathon in 4:21 at the Dallas Marathon in December 2012.

It wasn't long after I crossed until I saw Kylie and my parents racing to come find me.  We all embraced in a tearful hug sharing our thoughts of the moment.  Being able to share that moment with Kylie and my parents was one that I will cherish forever.  The only thing that would've made it better were if Avery and Kirby were there to share in this moment as well, however, I'm glad we made the decision to leave them behind as this would've been way too overwhelming for them.

We eventually made our way over to find Kat and Sean who finished in 10:53:27 setting a new PR by :10 minutes.  After checking my bike back in to @TriBikeTransport and picking up my transition bags, we made our way down Mill Ave for some dinner and celebratory drinks.

In my previous blog, I mentioned my friend/coworker Taylor Shultz who was involved in a horrific accident back on September 13th when a blunt steel object flew through the windshield and hit Taylor in the head.  Taylor has undergone multiple surgeries and was just recently transferred from Houston back home to San Antonio and remains in a full-time rehab clinic.  Taylor ran cross-country in college and I often reached out to him to discuss the mental/physical challenges of long distance running.  Taylor once told me that running is the ultimate test in integrity as YOU are the only person that knows how hard you are pushing yourself.  When you go on solo bike rides and runs for 4-6 hours, you have a lot of time to think and reflect.  Often times, when things got hard or I wanted to quit I would think of Taylor and the fight that he has put forth.  I haven't told anyone this until now, but race morning, I wrote Taylor's initials "ZTS" on the inside of my forearm in permanent marker. I continually glanced at his initials throughout the day and I'm convinced that he is a big reason as to why I performed so well.  Thanks T!  

In the end, I'm just a guy who swam, rode and ran a long distance and in some ways not deserving of the title Ironman.  To me, Taylor is the true Ironman!  When placed in his situation, many of us would've given up and quit but Taylor is a pugilist who continues to fight to regain his life every single day.  As of this post, Taylor is doing amazing in his rehab and is able to spend more and more time with his wife and daughters.  He is a true miracle!

As I began to reflect on Monday morning, I kind of felt let down with how easy (relative term) the race was compared to what I had psyched myself out for it to be.  Honestly, I can say that completing IMAZ was easier than completing Wildflower (half Ironman) earlier that year in May.  Given, I aborted my nutrition/hydration plan and completely bonked causing me to walk nearly the entire run.  It is the lessons learned from our failures like Wildflower which ultimately lead to our successes!

I also learned to trust your training.  I struggled through the final long runs (16, 18, 20 milers) of my training often times doubting myself and second guessing my decision to attempt this whole Ironman thing.  It wasn't until I did my Big Day Training on October 11th when I took the day off of work to complete a 4,000 meter swim, followed by a 100 mile TT bike ride and a 10k run.  This day alone was the largest confidence booster and the moment I finally felt achieving my goal was possible.

The next day, my parents went to meet our Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Donna for lunch while we went bar hopping throughout Tempe.  

The week of Thanksgiving, I forever emblazoned my Ironman achievement with an M-dot tattoo on the back of my right calf thanks to Jon at Cat Tattoo in Addison.  Call it cliche if you want, but as the saying goes...pain is temporary, Ironman is forever!

Post-Ironman Depression
My plan was to take the two (2) weeks following IMAZ completely off to recover (ie. honeymoon).  With each passing week, I struggled to find motivation to do anything and the excuses are easier to come by.  My alarm still goes off every morning at 3:53 AM, but I hit snooze for an hour or just turn it off.  My eating habits have been that bad, but when you're not working out 15 hours/week the weight tends to stick which has me up 12 lbs above my race weight!  

I find myself sad, tired, easily agitated, etc...all at once and unfortunately, I'm not the only one who's noticed.  The problem is that I can't snap out of it.

Here I am almost three (3) months later and all I've managed to accomplish are a couple CrossFit WOD's, a couple masters swims, one (1) trainer ride and a single 3-mile run.

Yeah, yeah....poor me!

Conclusion
When I did my first sprint triathlon in August 2010, I never could've imagined ever finishing an Ironman.  In closing, I want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement along the way...friends, family, Skanska coworkers, neighbors, Frisco Masters, the Tri Shop, Richardson Bike Mart, Dr. Ron Tribendis at Performance Chiropractic and Sports Medicine and the list goes on.  

A special thank you goes out to my Mom and Dad for joining us in Tempe and cheering me on throughout the day.  For it was their upbringing that taught me about goal setting, hard work, dedication, will power, sacrifice, temptation, accountability, etc...of which all of these qualities were put to the test.  From high school sports to driving 2-4 hours every weekend to my college football games, my parents have always been there to cheer me on!

The BIGGEST thank you of all goes out to my wife Kylie, since without her none of this would've been possible.  She's the one who gave me the idea this was even possible.  She's the one that got me registered online for a race which sold out in :45 seconds.  She's the one that got the kids ready every single morning as I left the house at 4:30 AM.  She's the one who allowed her husband to train every Saturday and Sunday morning, sometimes well into the afternoon.  She's the one who reminded me to stay positive and gave me encouragement throughout my training. She's the one who put up with a grumpy, fatigued, absent, etc...husband/father.  

I saw a shirt once that read "Behind every IRONMAN is a woman of STEEL!" and this couldn't be more true.  Thanks babe!

I'm not exactly sure what the next chapter or challenge will be, but it will definitely be hard to top this.  My 2014 season will consist of a handful or more local sprints and Olympics.  I'd like to find a mid season half Ironman, but am having a hard time deciding.  I have the Form Follows Fitness 5k coming up February 22nd followed by the St. Patrick's Triathlon (sprint) on March 16th. Hopefully, these will get the taste back in my mouth.


Oh yeah, we are expecting our third child in late August which will definitely be a game changer!

RedMan Triathlon

My training plan for IMAZ calls for a half Ironman eight (8) weeks out and the RedMan Triathlon in OKC landed exactly on that weekend.  I didn't sign up for the RedMan until a month or so prior as I was contemplating doing the PrairieMan again due to the convenience of it being here in DFW.  After asking around the tri community on which race I should do, the unanimous decision was RedMan and it did not disappoint....well, the venue that is, my results were less than desirable!

RedMan is held on a Saturday, therefore, they keep the expo and packet pickup open until 9:00 PM Friday night to allow all those traveling from out of town to work the majority of the day.  My plan was to leave Dallas around 1:30 PM following my last scheduled conference call of the day.  That's would've put me in OKC ahead of traffic around 4:30 PM for packet pickup, followed by dinner from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM and then in bed by 7:30 PM.

Here's how it actually went down....I had two (2) proposals that had to be completed on Friday so my 1:30 PM departure quickly slid until after 3:30 PM.  I-35E leaving DFW was already backed up until I got past Denton.  I'm very regimented when it comes to my pre-race dinner and typically eat 13-14 hours prior to race time.  Considering I would be driving at that time, I used the GPS and found a Hideaway Pizza in Norman, however, the exit I needed was closed and it kicked me back out on the highway.  I drove a little further and saw a sign for a Double Dave's on the South side of Moore, but I took that exit and the bridge going across I-35 was closed.  I'm rather irritated at this point but jumped back out on I-35.  My GPS then pointed me in the direction of a Mazzio's in Moore.  I parked to go inside only to learn that they are covering for another store and the wait was 30-45 minutes!

At this point I looked at the girl and said "You're making me angry....you won't like me when I'm angry!"  Ok, so maybe I didn't say that, but that's how I felt!  I slumbered back to my truck, famished, and headed further in to town and found a Little Caesars.  Luckily the line wasn't too long, I dropped $5.40 on a Hot N Ready and climbed back in my truck disappointed.  At this point I sent a text to Kylie expressing my frustration and hoped her evening was going better.  I got back on the road and nearly punished the entire pizza on the drive to Lake Hefner.

As I parked and was getting my bike out of my truck, Kylie called and said "I know you're having a bad day, but listen to this...." she then read me the Caring Bridge update on a friend/colleague of mine, Taylor Shultz, who was seriously injured in an accident the Friday before when a blunt object flew threw the windshield at 70 MPH and struck him in the head/face.  The update was incredible....he was able to respond to questions in writing knowing his daughters ages, how many cats and dogs they have, etc...some movement had returned to his left foot and he suggested that he had vision in his left eye!  This quickly put things into perspective and I immediately began to relax and reflect.  Sometimes in life, we take things for granted such as the ability to walk and talk, let alone travel and compete in triathlons.  There I was...angry because I left work behind schedule and didn't eat dinner when I wanted to, all the while Taylor was battling for his life in the ICU.  You can follow Taylor's progress here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorshultz/journal

After picking up my packet and racking my bike, I walked over to the swim start/finish to familiarize myself for the morning.  OKC has received near record amounts of rain this year and Lake Hefner was plum full.  This was a pleasant surprise after my last trip to OKC back in March and the water's edge had receded probably 150 yards from the bank.

I sat and watched the sunset on Lake Hefner which always brings back the fond memory as this was the very setting in which I proposed to Kylie back on April 1, 2004.  Wow, how time flies!

After that, I went to the hotel and called it a night.

RACE DAY
The alarm came early Saturday morning as I wanted to arrive transition early.  Athletes had to park down by Redrock 0.75 miles away saving the closer lots for the volunteers and spectators.  It was only 56 degrees that morning and I was bundled up in sweatpants, fleece jacket and beanie.  When you live in +100 degrees, 56 feels darn cold!  I set up my transition, talked to a few people I know as well as some strangers and then headed over to the swim start.

SWIM
The water was 75-76 so deemed wetsuit legal and the water felt so warm after standing outside for two (2) hours.  The swim was a one (1) lap rectangle and I thought it went fairly well until I saw my time when I exited the water at 37:17 (1:47/100m).  My goal was to finish in less than 35:00 so I was a little disappointed as I headed to the bike.

T1
I was in and out of T1 rather quickly in 1:36.  My bike was racked in the first row and only a matter of a few yards from the Bike Out.

BIKE
The bike course surprised me as it had a lot more rollers and undulating hills than I had anticipated.  No "climbs" to speak of, but they were just enough to break your momentum.  The bike course was also a single lap and only included about a 10 mile section in which the roads were pretty shotty.  My goal on the bike was to average around 21.5 MPH knowing I could still run off the bike at that speed.  I paced myself pretty well and finished the bike in 02:33:46 at 21.9 MPH just a fuzz faster than I wanted to be but I was also trying to make up a couple minutes from the swim.

T2
My time in T2 could have been quicker, but I took a moment to grab a bite and a quick drink.  I was in and out in 1:49.

RUN
And here's the moment you've all been waiting for....the debacle!  I took off on the run course feeling great ticking off the first mile in 7:40 followed by the second mile at just over an 8:00 pace.  I settled in around an 8:30 and was still feeling good until mile 4.  Now I admit that I came out a little too fast, but when I hit mile 4 my back locked up and nearly shut me down.  I was holding my breath at times because it hurt to breath.  That said, I walk/ran the final 9 miles which was extremely painful.  I had a couple 10:00 and 11:00 minute miles mixed in and finished the run in 02:10:25.  My back hurt so bad that I almost stopped in the finish chute and walked it in.  I must have looked funny arching my back to the side so I could breath!  I'm not exactly sure what caused my back to spasm, but my first guess is my shoes so they are being retired.

Based on my training, I should have easily been able to run a 01:51:00 down around 05:05:00.  I guess I'll have to wait for 2014!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME
I had my finish time around 05:24:50 and then Kylie called to let me know that I received a 4:00 penalty for drafting.  This is absolute BS as I know exactly when/where the motorcycle official was behind me.  It was between miles 20-21 on the bike which he probably got me for "blocking" (riding in the left lane without passing and interfering with other cyclists attempting to pass) as the road conditions were horrible and you had to dodge potholes, patches, loose gravel, etc...

ANYWAYS...
I found my way to the massage tent and got worked on for about 20 minutes, but my back would still not relax.  I then met up with a couple of friends from OKC after the race and we enjoyed a couple beers at Louie's on the Lake.  We sat at the bar watching all of the finishers run by.  Kudos to those that completed the full IM, very inspirational to watch you run by.

I drove back to DFW that evening and got home around 8:00 PM, the drive was every bit as uncomfortable as the run as my back would still not relax.  Much to my surprise, Kylie had already put the girls down for bed so I hopped in the shower, took a Flexeril and called it a night.  Luckily, the Flexeril worked as my back felt fine the next morning and hasn't acted up since...hmmm???

I was rather disappointed as my time was nearly identical to that from IM 70.3 Austin eleven (11) months ago.  It's a little discouraging when you put in the hours of training and see no improvement, not to mention, that IMAZ is only eight (8) weeks away and I am beginning to second guess myself.

I found this quote online and it is said to be by an unknown author, so hopefully they don't track me down for superimposing it on the Mdot logo.  This quote says a lot and I read it every day.  These final two (2) months are definitely going to hurt and require dedication, willpower, sacrifice, etc...

Wish me luck!

USAT Age Group National Championships

Being from northern Illinois and having gone to college in Wisconsin, I thought it was only fitting for me to participate in the USAT Age Group National Championship (USATAGNC13) held downtown Milwaukee. 

We always try to make it back once a year to visit friends and family, so when I received the e-mail saying that I qualified for the race I thought why not. Plus, my Ironman training plan called for an Olympic distance race right around this time. 

I felt somewhat bad as my dad was not going to be home when we were there, ironically, he was in Big Spring, TX flying in the US Hang Gliding Nationals. How cool is it that a father and son were both competing in the national championships for their respective sports on the same weekend! 

We flew from Dallas to Chicago on Wednesday night and drove out to my parents where we hung out all day on Thursday and let the kids run wild with thier cousins. Friday morning, we packed up and headed to Milwaukee for packet pickup and bike check-in. I used Raceday Transport to ship my bike which was effortless...I can only imagine the anxiety I would have if I tried to check my bike on the plane in addition to us already lugging around three (3) suitcases, a backpack, diaper bag and two (2) kids! 

This was by far the largest race that I have participated in as they announced that there were 3,026 athletes registered for the Olympic distance race on Saturday morning. Surprisingly, I thought the venue was extremely well organized and did not feel overwhelming at all. I also thought that it was very spectator friendly, however, Kylie thought otherwise and corrected me by asking "when was the last time you were a spectator?" Point taken! 

After checking my bike in, we then headed to our friends house who lives in Oak Creek about 20 minutes South of Milwaukee for the night. Two (2) of our other friends came by to let the kids play and eat some pizza and then it was off to bed for me. 

My wave was not scheduled to start until 8:48 AM so I went to bed with the notion that I would "sleep in" but that didn't work as I was wide-eyed at 4:00 AM. I stumbled around the kitchen, ate breakfast, gathered my things and headed out the door. It was a little chilly that morning with the overnight low in the upper 50's so I wore sweatpants, fleece jacket and a beanie to keep warm. I was getting looks from the locals like I was crazy! After getting transition all set up, I went and found a grassy area where I could lay around, stretch and wait for Kylie and the girls to arrive. 

Swim 

The swim was in a protected cove of Lake Michigan and we entered the water off of a dock/pier below Discovery World. There was a scheduled 20 minute break between my AG and the one prior, however, they would not let us down to warm up. We all had our wetsuits on and stood in the sun for 15 minutes waiting for them to let us enter. When they finally let us down, the announcer comes over the loud speaker and says "hurry up...you only have three (3) minutes!!!" I scurried down, dove in and took a couple warm up strokes and then stopped to relieve myself. The water temp was 69 degrees and felt cold at first but was very refreshing. Before I finished, they were hollering at everyone to get back to the start line. I barely made it back in time before they sounded the horn and off we went! 

My AG (35-39) was one of the larger waves of the day with 197 athletes. This was the most crowded swim that I have done. The start at Wildflower was crowded until the first turn bouy, but then it thinned out. I swam this entire race in the middle of a crowd and if I wasn't swimming over top of someone, they were coming over me! After looking at the results, there were 34 people in my AG that finished the swim +/-0:30 from me. Unfortunately, we weren't the fast crowd. I finished the swim in 25:15 (1:41/100m) which was a minute off of my goal pace and only good enough for 89th/197 in my AG. Its a little discouraging when you miss your mark on the swim knowing that you have to make it up...time to drop the hammer! 

T1 

After climbing up the ramp out of the water, I began stripping my wetsuit and running down the path towards transition. It was about that time when I heard Kylie yelling for me and I quickly spotted here and the girls as well as my best friend Mark who let out a "Let's go EEEEEEEEE!!!" which took me back to the glory days! I also heard Avery and Kirby yelling "Go Daddy!" which is always motivating. I was in and out of T1 in 2:20 which was about what I had predicted. 

Bike 

I spent a lot of time analyzing the bike course online and determined it was going to be flat and fast. Coming out of transition, I was surprised to hear Kylie and the girls yelling for me as they ran all the way around transition! With the 20 minute break between my AG and the one prior, it left the bike course wide open so it was time to put in work. I put my head down and started hammering. 

Part of my race strategy was to go all out on the bike and suffer through the run. Well, I did just that beating my goal time for the bike split by over 2:00 finishing in 1:01:56 averaging 24.1 MPH which was a new PR split for the Oly distance. To my surprise, this was only good enough for the 54th fastest bike split in my AG and 346th overall! The guys at the front of the field all had sub 1:00 bike splits with the fastest guying finishing in 55:13 at 27 MPH! I'm gonna guess that he has a little more invested into his bike than I do! 

T2 

I saw Kylie and the girls once again near the dismount line as I stumbled just a bit getting off the bike. I was in and out of T2 in 1:38 which was a little slower than I wanted, but I took a second to catch my breath and take a couple sips of water. 

Run 

My previous Oly PR was 2:26:54 and I told everyone that my goal for this race was to finish in under 2:20:00, but let me be honest, my burning desire was to finish in sub 2:15:00 and coming off the bike I had it in sight! All I had to do now was run the 10k in 43:50 at a 7:04 pace, nevermind that my PR for an open 10k is only 44:45! Not long into the run, I developed a side stitch on my right side which slowed me tremendously and did not subside until 2 miles in. At that point, I knew 2:15:00 was out of the question so I just tried to manage through the remaining 4 miles. I finished the run in a disappointing 47:19 (7:36/mile) which was the 147th slowest in my AG. Can you guess where I need the most improvement? 

Anyways, coming down the finish chute was intense with music, bleachers and people lining both sides. I even got a kick out of listening to the announcer call my name "Here comes Eric Bunner from Frisco, TX...or is it Buhner...no I'm pretty sure its Bunner!" 

My overall time was 2:18:29 and was good enough for 88th/197 in my AG. All in all I had an absolute blast doing this race and I have no regrets. Sure I would've liked to hit my outperform time, but you can't really be disappointed with setting a new PR by over 8:00! 

I want to thank Kylie once again for toting the girls around all by herself to come cheer me on. I think she is more worn out after these races than I am. I know it's a difficult chore, but words can't express the appreciation. I also want to thank my mom who's attendance was TBD, but she made the two (2) hour drive race morning all by herself to come watch me and then turned around and headed home. What can I say, I'm pretty special to have both of these women in my life! 

Later that day, we all headed out to the Hamel's house in Sussex, WI for a post-race celebration which may have ended with doing reverse donuts in the Ford Fiesta rental car in their backyard! 

Up Next:  My first century ride of the year is next weekend at the Hotter N Hell Hundred in which my goal is to finish in under 5:00:00 (+20 MPH). I also just registered for the RedMan Triathlon (half) in OKC which is exactly eight (8) weeks out from IRONMAN Arizona as planned.

Playtri Festival

First of all, I didn’t register for the race until Wednesday of last week, but I was lacking motivation for training and in need of a confidence boost after Wildflower.  Not to mention that I got dropped by a girl on a group ride a couple weeks ago.  She’s won top amateur at every race so far this year and is about to turn pro so I don’t feel so bad I guess (that’s how I rationalize it)!

The OWS went good and I set a new PR for 1500 meters and that was pretty much the highlight of my day. 

From there, I raced over to my bike, threw my helmet on and took off out of T1.  I had (or thought I had) pre-clipped both of my shoes on my bike only to realize that as I was mounting my bike that my right shoe was gone (MISTAKE #1)!  I shouted a couple expletives, threw my bike down and ran back into transition to find my shoe lying on the ground a couple of feet away from my rack position.  I grabbed it, ran back out, hopped on my bike and took off.  Not only did it cost me probably 30 seconds in transition, but it took nearly 15 minutes for my HR to come down out of Z4 from a combination of fury and trying to make up for lost time.

Here's where it gets better....I forgot to wash my aero bottle from the previous weekends ride, so I soaked it overnight in the kitchen sink full of sudsy dish soap.  Race morning, the sink had drained and I forgot to rinse out my bottle before filling it (MISTAKE #2).  So my hydration plan on the bike consisted of sipping Dawn flavored water every 15 minutes!

And finally, I miscalculated the run course which was a series of out-and-backs and I thought I was approaching the finish line when it was actually the turn around to begin the second lap (MISTAKE #3)!  I definitely didn’t negative split the run as I was demoralized...how I mistaked 3 miles for 6 I have no idea!

I screwed up my GPS in the water before the start so I raced blind, other than HR (MISTAKE #4).

Not that these mistakes would’ve put me on the podium, as the competition was ridiculous for some reason.

All in all it was a great race...OWS, bike course was flat & fast and the run was mostly shaded. It was very spectator friendly as well. I'd definitely do it again.

I finished 7^th in my AG out of 36 and 26^th OA out of 250 men (including those in the Open).  1st, 2nd & 3rd in my AG all finished in the Top 7 overall. I was in 3rd in my AG and 8th OA off the bike but got smoked on the run.

For comparison sake, my friend won the 30-34 AG but was 10th OA...yeah, 35-39 was stacked!

RESULTS:http://mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=7589
*The bike and run distances were short so the paces are misleading.

Next up is the Disco X50 which is a repeat of last year and will serve as a good race to meas progress. 

31st Annual Wildflower Triathlon

Well, a month has passed since the Wildflower Triathlon in Bradley, CA and I think I have finally recovered enough mentally to write about it.

For those that don't know, the Wildflower Triathlon is one of the largest and oldest triathlons in the country.  This year will be the 31^st annual Wildflower which has been held at Lake San Antonio in central California since 1983.  Lake San Antonio is located about 20 miles inland from the coast and 15 miles West of Paso Robles, CA. 

Known for a particularly hilly and grueling course with over 5,000’ of elevation gain, this race draws 7,500 athletes and 30,000 spectators each year.  Wildflower is commonly referred to as the 'Woodstock' of triathlons and ranks near the top of the ‘must do’ triathlons.

Sean and I pulled out of Frisco at 2:30 PM on Wednesday to begin our 24 hour drive to California.  Surprisingly, the drive went a lot better than anticipated with the worst section being that on Hwy 287 from DFW to Amarillo.  Too many small towns and stop lights.  The 1,000 mile stretch on I-40 was a breeze. 

We rolled into Paso Robles around 12:00 PM PST on Thursday and made a pit stop at Walmart to gather our final necessities before heading into the hills.  We wanted to make it to the park early on Thursday as everything on the internet lead us to believe that the campsites fill up quickly.

Once we pulled in the park, we made our first right into the Redonda Vista campground which was our first choice.  We stopped at a lone campsite with three (3) guys sitting in the shade with a pile of empty PBR's in front of them and they invited us to become their neighbors....we should've known better!  To be honest, it turned out to be a great campsite, 100% shaded and relatively quite.

The rest of Thursday afternoon was spent setting up our campsite, driving the bike course and drinking beer with the neighbors.

Friday morning, Sean headed into town for a couple hours to get some work done.  I rode down to the lake mid-morning for a warm-up swim.  While putting my wetsuit on, I struck up a conversation with a fellow athlete who happened to be from Madison, WI who was waiting on some friends.  I went in and swam a couple laps and as I came around the second time, I couldn't help but notice that the friend she was waiting on was 2012 Wildflower champion Heather Jackson!  I swam one final lap and then got out and could resist but to grab my phone and ask HJ for a picture.

I tweeted Heather to tell her thanks for the pic and she was even kind enough to reply!  Come to find out that that "fellow athlete" I struck up a converstaion with was Jackie Arendt who is also a pro who has her own list of accolades including back-to-back runner-up finishes at IM Louisville.

After the swim, I rode the first couple miles of the bike course back to our campsite which included a mile long climb up Beach Hill Road....granny gear all the way up!

I rode back down to transition later in the day to meet Sean and walk the expo.  This time we rode the course backwards and went up Lynch Hill Road...I'm not sure which was worse, but there is nothing that resembles either of these within 200 miles of DFW!

Friday evening Sean's baked ziti cooked on his new Coleman grill, a glass of wine and an early bedtime.

We both woke early Saturday morning and were just lounging at our campsite when they guy from the motorhome behind us (who we were given warning) walked over to the tents next to us and started shaking them furiously while yelling "GOOOOOOD MOOORNING WILDFLOWER!!!  WAKE UP, YOU HAVE A RACE TODAY!!!"  It was hilarious as he continued to do this all throughout the campsite until he was far enough away and we could hardly hear him in the distance.

Sean and I packed our final things and headed on down to transition.  The morning was calm and the weather was perfect!

The swim start at Wildflower is rather unique in that you begin on the boat ramp and the first 50 meters is swam in a narrow chute in between two (2) docks.  This video is not of my AG but gives you an idea of what it is like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo-flbVnsK8

Sean and I stood near the middle of the pack and allowed all of the crazies to be up front.  The last thing I wanted to do was get all caught up in that and spark an anxiety attack!  Our philosophy worked as the swim start wasn't near as bad as I was anticipating.

The entire swim went great and I set a new PR at that 1.2 mile distance finishing it in 35:36 (1:50/100m).  What's even better is that at the end of the race they formally announced that the swim distance was long and was actually 1.3 miles which put my pace at 1:42/100m.

T1 was smooth and I was off on the bike.  The bike course is a single loop 56-mile course which circles the lake.  The first challenge on the bike course is the climb up Beach Hill Road about 1 mile into the course.  Half way up Beach Hill stood a female college student wearing nothing but a bikini bottom holding a sign over her head which read "My eyes are up here!"  That was perfect timing as it took a little bit of the edge off and allowed me to settle into my groove.

The early parts of the bike course were going great as I was not pushing hard and just keeping my HR under control.  I dropped my chain on a climb around mile 15 but was able to recover rather quickly and repassed everyone that snuck by.  The first 40 miles of the bike course could not have gone any better.  I had not been passed by a single bike and I hit the 40 mile mark just under 2:00 so I was averaging just over 20 MPH up to that point.

And, that's when the wheels fell off....not literally, but I might actually have been better off!  At mile 41 on the bike you begin a 5 mile long 900' climb up what is referred to as Nasty Grade.  Sean caught and passed me at the base of Nasty Grade and I steadily watched him ride away from me.  He wasn't the only one as it seemed like everyone on the course rolled passed me with ease including a little old lady in a wheel chair...ok, maybe not, but it felt that way!

I was about half way up Nasty Grade when I realized that I made a fatal mistake and had completely forgotten about my nutrition plan.  My gel flask was full with five (5) gels which I was supposed to take one (1) every 0:30, however, I forgot to add water to the flask to thin out the gel, otherwise the gel is too thick to come out.  I did take a hit off the flask at about the 0:45 minute mark into the bike, but that was it.  I began the bike with two (2) water bottles which I was supposed to drink 1 bottle/hour....well, I drank 1 bottle over the course of the entire 3:00 bike ride.  And to top it off, I was supposed to take one (1) SaltStick Cap every hour throughout the race and failed to do that as well.

Needless to say, my goal time of 2:45 on the bike was blown by over 0:15 as my bike split was 3:01:49 at an average of 18.4 MPH.  That means that I averaged only 15.5 MPH over the final 16 miles of the bike course which included a 2 mile long descent at +40 MPH. 

I completely fell apart!

Here is the profile of the bike course:

The bike courses ends with a mile long descent down Lynch Hill into transition which allowed me time to catch my breath.  T2 was uneventful and I was off on the run.

The run course is equally, if not more hilly than the bike course.  It's another single 13.1 mile loop that meanders through the park and campsites.  I knew I was in trouble when I had to stop and walk before the first mile marker. 

The first 4 miles are relatively flat as you run along the lakeshore, but then you turn onto a dirt path and head straight up a hill that I'm not convinced I could run up it on fresh legs.  Everyone, I mean everyone, was walking up this hill.  Once I reached the top, I tried running but my legs we shot.  I was struggling to run for 60 seconds at a time. 

Instead of boring you with the details of my 13.1 mile leasurely hike (naked buy riding a bicycle at mile 8), I'll shorten it by saying that it was the worst 02:40:49 of my life!  I did manage to run the entire length down Lynch Hill and even put a smile on my face running the finish chute!

My overall time was 06:25:17 which put me at 118th in my AG and 721 OA.  Results I am by no means proud of, but they beat the hell out of a DNF!  This took me exactly one (1) hour longer than IM 70.3 Austin back in October 2012 and I am in unbelievably better shape today than I was six (6) months ago not to mention that my training for Wildflower was much more regimented.

The good news is that I took this one off the chin and didn't let it get me down.  I made a mental mistake with regards to fueling and hydration which I will NOT make again.  Plus, I'm glad to have learned this lesson at Wildflower and not IMAZ in November!

I found Sean shortly after the race and we drank a couple beers and ate some nachos before jumping on he shuttle to take us back to the campsite.

The remainder of the evening was spent drinking beer, pitching washers, playing beer pong, conversing with complete strangers, cooking pizza pockets on the grill, etc...  Surprisingly, I felt great that evening after fueling my body appropriately.

On a side note, the guy who parked his mobile home next to us was Dick Nordquest who has completed over 70 Ironman races and competed in Kona 22 times! 

We did retire relatively early that night as we had to wake up early Sunday morning, tear down camp and be out of the park by 7:00 AM before they close the roads for the olympic race Sunday morning.

The drive home was anticlimactic other than relentless binge eating at McDonald's, In-n-Out Burger, Taco Bell, etc... The was a close run in with some zombies in some small town in New Mexico, but we managed to escape! 

I will be taking the month of May rather easy prior to beginning my training for IMAZ in June.

The Best of the Best Triathlon

The Best of the Best Triathlon was an invite only event in which you must have finished in the Top 10 at a Dallas Athletes Racing event during the 2011 or 2012 season to qualify.  There were a total of 196 competitors (69 female/127 male) and the competition was rather stiff.  With the forecasted high exceeding 100 degrees, the start of the race was moved up to 6:45 AM.


This was a 250 meter pool swim at the Denton Aquatic Center (indoor 25m pool).  I estimated my swim time to be 3:30 so I was a little nervous when I saw my bib number was 22.  The swim was rather uneventful as I did not pass anyone and only one person passed me (who happened to have the fastest swim of the day 3:17).  I came out of the water in 4:00 flat (1:36/100m), my estimated time was assuming this to be a 50m pool in which you can take advantage of the draft.  I had the 3rd fastest swim in my AG and 23rd Overall.  I could have pushed it harder on the swim and flip-turns would have shaved a few more seconds as well.


Running out of the natatorium toward T1, I was pleasantly surprised to see/hear Kylie, Avery & Kirby cheering me on.  I always manage to push myself harder when my family attends...something about accountability and the fear of letting them down.


That said, I was in and out of T1 in :56, much of this was attributable to the location of my bike rack being within 10 feet of the 'Bike Out' (benefit of low bib number).  I did the flying mount again, but struggled to get my shoes on.  I completely forgot to grab the heel tab and was trying to do it by only using my foot.  This cost me some precious seconds as the folks I passed in T1 flew by me as I had to slow down to slide my feet in my shoes.


Once strapped in, I started hammering to make up for lost time.  The bike course was one of the best I've ridden yet as it was a simple out and back on FM428 with some rolling hills and no turns other than the turnaround at Aubrey Middle School.  The highway itself was rough (chip-seal), but the shoulder was butter smooth (asphalt) and one lane wide which gave plenty of room for racing.  I was soon passed by the eventual Overall winner, Benjamin Drezek, who happened to be the 2010 NCAA National Sprint Triathlon Champion! 


I wound up riding the majority of the bike leg with a group of five (5) other guys.  It was rather nerve wracking and difficult to get in a rhythm as there was a ton of passing and jockeying for position.  I knew we were walking the line with regard to "drafting" so I was not too shocked or disappointed when I saw I was assessed with a 2:00 penalty.  What did surprise me was that only myself and one other guy in the group was penalized when all six (6) were guilty at one point or another.


DRAFTING
Drafting - Keep at least three (3) bike lengths of clear space between you and the cyclist in front.  If you move into the zone, you must pass within 15 seconds.


Position - Keep to the right hand side of the lane of travel unless passing.


Blocking - Riding on the left side of the lane without passing anyone and interfering with other cyclists attempting to pass.


Overtaken - Once passed, you must immediately exit the draft zone from the rear, before attempting to pass again.


Based on the timing of when the referee pulled up next to us on the motorcycle, I assume he nailed me for either Blocking or not completing a pass within 15 seconds.  Oh well, I'll chalk this up to experience.

Once the Aquatic Center was insight, I backed off a touch to take in some fluids, catch my breath and let my heartrate recover before the run.  I still do not have a computer on my tri-bike so I was unaware of our speed out on the course.  My goal time for the bike was 45:00 (21.5 MPH) so I knew we were flying as I hit my lap timer crossing into T2 at 41:56 which was right at 23 MPH...like I said, we were FLYING!!!  I had the fastest bike split in my AG and 5th Overall.  The only thing that kept me from having the fastest Overall bike split is about $4,000!!!

I benefited again from the bike rack location and was out of T2 in :41.  My legs felt squeamish and I gave Kylie a "I'm not sure about this" look as I ran by them exiting T2.  The run was a flat and fast 2-loop course which circled the Denton ISD football stadium and then finished in the stadium with the final sprint down the middle of the football field.  I kept the lead pack in sight and managed to overcome one of them and did not get passed on the run which is a first!  I had a good rhythm going and felt strong but had no clue what pace I was clipping along at hoping for low 7:00's.  Nearing the end of the second lap, I glanced at my watch and noticed I had a chance to finish in less than 21:00 so I picked up the pace and then sprinted the length of the football field across the finish line (oh the glory days!) finishing the run in 20:25 (6:48 min/mile) which was only good enough for 7th in my AG and 34th Overall.

My goal time was 01:12:35 and I crushed it by over 4:00 finishing in 01:08:00 and I was only :25 seconds behind the winner of my AG and 5:10 behind the Overall winner.  Even with the 2:00 penalty I still managed to come in 2nd in my AG, but it dropped me from 7th to 16th Overall.  I'll take these results any day of the week!

Considering my first sprint triathlon was a little over two (2) years ago, Gatorbait Memorial Triathlon August 2010, where my splits were 1:44/100m swim; 17MPH bike; 10:07 min/mile run, I'd say I've come a long way.....and to think, I thought I was in shape back then!

Going forward, I have officially registered for my first half IRONMAN 70.3 in Austin on October 28th.  My parents have already booked their tickets and we have reserved a condo downtown on 6th street for the weekend.

Kylie also registered US for the Dallas Marathon...yes, the full 26.2 miles....on December 9th.  This is a goal of her's and I want to help her achieve it (I'm second guessing this decision)!

Up next is the Disco Triathlon X-50 (1-mile swim; 40-mile bike; 9-mile run) which will be my first true endurance test and my longest race to date.  I only have three (3) weeks to train, one of which we are on vacation at the lake, so I will need to remain true to course and take advantage of the challenging terrain in Southwest Missouri.

Wish me luck!

TexasMan Triathlon

The weather finally cooperated for my first Olympic distance triathlon of the season.  Conditions were low 70's and partly cloudy with a 10 MPH wind at race time.  This was a 1-mile (1,609 meters) open water swim in Lake Ray Roberts.  This was a beach start which was a first and there were two (2) waves (39 and under; 40 and over).  The wind played a factor on the swim out as it create 1-foot rollers which made it difficult to find your stroke rhythm.  About half way out I popped my head up to take a breather and felt a panic attack coming on so I immediately rolled over to my back until my heart rate came back down.  I met a guy after the race who actually stripped his wetsuit on the way out and handed it to one of the kayakers!  Once you made the final turn and headed to shore, you could almost body surf on the rollers which helped make up a lot of time.

I finished the swim in 24 minutes even (1:36/100 meters) which was 4th in my AG and 44th overall (192 men).  I felt good coming out of the water and took advantage of the wetsuit strippers.  I then ran to T1, grabbed my bike and took off.  This was the first time I preclipped my shoes and did a semi-flying mount which saved a ton of time.  My time for T1 was 2:10 which was above average, the overall winner's T1 time was 2:08.

The bike leg was on chip-seal roads with some Texas hills.  About the 6 mile mark, the Olympic distance separated from the Sprint and X-50 and turned right for a four (4) mile out and back.  After I made the turn, I fully expected to see the leaders on the way back but no one was in sight.  I finally came across the leader about a 1/2 mile from the turnaround.  I couldn't help but count the number of riders in front of me and I was riding in 19th place at the time (39 and under).  That was enough to fuel the fire as I began picking them off one at a time.  I eventually climbed up to 15th until I was passed by the guys who finished 1st and 2nd overall.

I had the fastest bike split in my AG at 1:06:30 (21.7 MPG) and 18th overall.  Unfortunately, that performance may have done me in on the run!

It got a little squirrelly at the dismount as I had slipped my feet out of my shoes and attempted a flying dismount which I bailed out on before it turned ugly!  Kylie was quick to point this out afterwards.  I was in and out of T2 in :54 and could have been a little quicker as I took the time to stuff some GU Chomps in my top and take a Saltstick cap.  I also chose to run sockless, which also hindered my run.

My legs felt good coming out of T2, but I knew it was going to be a long 6.2 miles.  This was a two (2) loop run on concrete sidewalks throughout the parks and was mostly shaded which was appreciated.

I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to my splits or time elapsed until I hit the halfway point of the run when I realized that I had just eclipsed the 2:00 mark and could shatter my goal of 2:45.  I tried to pick up the pace on the second loop, but my tank was running on empty and I had to stop and walk several times to let my heart rate recover.  Once I knew I had achieved my goal, I then got more aggressive and wanted to finish in under 2:30.  Once I heard the announcer, I dropped the hammer and flew across the line finishing in 2:26:54.  This was a :28 minute improvement from last year!  

The run continues to be my achilles heel as I finished it in 53:18 (8:36 min/mile).  I somehow need to find a way to shave a minute off my pace to be more competitive.

I checked the unofficial results and to my surprise, I was 3rd in my AG!  I was a little skeptical as I always seem to drop a few places once the official results are posted.  The official results were posted to nolimitstiming.com (https://www.nolimitstiming.com/results/default.aspx?event=12423) and I did indeed finish 3rd in my AG, however, there were only 17 competitors in my AG.  I also finished 36th overall out of 192 men.

All in all, I am totally pumped about my performance today, especially knowing I have plenty of room for improvement on the run.  Kylie, Avery and Kirby were there to cheer me on as I came out of the water, dismounted the bike and as I crossed the finish line.  Trying to contain Avery and Kirby is a chore in itself and I think Kylie may be more worn out than I am!

My next race is The Best of the Best sprint triathlon in Denton.  This is an invite only event from Dallas Athletes Racing and competitors must have one (1) top 10 finish in a Dallas Athletes event within the last year.  Needless to say, the competition will be stiff and I'll need to PR on the run to even compete.

I have a reminder on my calendar this Tuesday to register for the IRONMAN Austin 70.3 in October. I was a little skeptical during the run today as I couldn't fathom running another 7-miles.  Now that things have sunk in, I guess I'll roll the dice and see what I'm worth!

Dallas Athletes Racing has an X-50 distance (1-mile swim; 40-mile bike; 9-mile run) on July 15th I may do to help me prepare.

Until next time.......