Beach2Battleship Full Iron- 10/26/2013

     I came into the race tired after a long season.  I had never done so many long events in one year!  Not only that, but the last 3 long races I had dealt with terrible stomach issues on the run.  It had been very frustrating.  I had tried everything; including going gluten and dairy free before Louisville...didn't work.  So instead, this race I went back to basics.  I trained with course nutrition for the weeks before and had a tip from an expert who had dealt with stomach issues.  Take a Zantac 30 min before the start!  I did!  

     My wife and I decided to stay down the road from the race hotel at The Wilmingtonian.  This was a local and historic place.  DOG friendly too!  Chaco was happy about that.  We loved it!  An apartment set up with a kitchen is definitely the way to go!  We got in late Thursday and grab from food and hit the bed.  Friday morning I knocked out everything as fast possible.  Dropped the bags off and bike and got away from the crowds!  We went down to the beach for a bit before heading back to the room.  The rest of Friday was spent laying around.  Decided to cook ourselves and stay in Friday which was great. I was in bed nice and early and ready to go!  This was my race!  I had done this race 2 times prior and knew it backward and forward!

     Alarm went off at 4am....had my morning coffee, 2 eggs, and grits.  From experience, I had a sweatsuit and old shoes to wear to the start and donate.  I walked the half a mile to the trolly that took us over to T1.   Dang it was cold....39/40 degrees.  Got the T1 and did the normal run through.  Put 2 bottles on my bike, 1200 calories of food, and double check that I was in the right gear, checked tire pressure, and walk away:)  Hopped the trolly to the start with wetsuit in hand.  Lots of nervous chatter at the start so I went off on my own and laid down....1 hr out.  30 minutes out I took my Zantac and half a gel.  I drank the rest of my water and put the wetsuit on.  15 minutes out I made my way to the beach and made my way to the front.  Perfect!  Music began to rock and the countdown started...10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-BOOM

THE SWIM

     This swim had NO CURRENT this year.  This would typically be a great advantage to me as a swimmer.  The harder the swim the better!  This year I have not been in the pool at all!  I really slacked on it.  I had been in the water 10 times since January probably...which included races....not smart.  I felt good though for majority!  I kept swimming wide though...I was not sighting well at all.  This killed my time.  Then with about a half mile to go CRAMP!  This was a first for me.  Left calf and quad locked up so bad I had to sit up and scream in pain.  I had to use my hand to force my leg to bend...ouch.  Made it to the end at 58:22.  Not bad but 10 minutes slower than last year...I had work to do.  I made the run over to T1 and it was COOOOOLD!  I threw on arm warmers after struggling to get them over my wet arms.  Wish I had put gloves in there.....oh well.  Time to roll baby!  Out of T1 in 5:03.

THE BIKE

     The start of the bike was freaking cold!  I was numb all over and could not get in a rhythm at all.  I made some good passes and settled in.  Because of the tough swim, I was in no mans land.  It was lonely on the course.  I did not see a soul for 50 miles!!!  I felt great though and was taking it easy and making good time.  Finally ran into someone at mile 50ish near the special needs.  Also, saw the wife, brother, and sister in law and that gave me some good energy.  The other guy seemed to be hurting so I made the pass and pushed on.  Around mile 70, he passed me back.  As I sat up to eat something real quick, one of the pads from the arrow bars stuck to my arm warmer and then dropped to the ground...great.  Now my arm was resting on carbon.  Oh well, at least there was only 35 miles left.  I hung with him and passed back again near 80 miles in.  Around mile 95, he went back by and pushed on hard.  I let him go.  I took it easy for the last 6 miles.  I was having to weave to back end of the Half Iron group.   I was feeling good and honestly had not pushed it at all.  The headwinds were rough all day but I was hydrated thanks to using course nutrition.  That was for sure a smart move!  I think some of my past issues came from too much calculation on the bike and becoming dehydrated.  I hit T2 knowing I was positioned for a PR and the run was all that mattered.  Bike time was 5:20:04.  I was in and out of T2 quick but managed to reset my watch in doing so.  T2 was 2:17 and I hit the run course.

THE RUN

     I was repeating to myself...slow down slow down slow down.  I did and started out nice and easy.  I finally got my watch working and got into the zone.  I ditched the arm warmers, which were still on, at the 2nd aid station as I was finally heating up.  Great to see so many familiar faces before heading out to the lonely out and back section.  They had changed the course slightly which I really liked.  It was absolutely gorgeous around the lake and though the woods.  My first 13 were steady and I felt good!  NO STOMACH ISSUES...THANK GOD!!!  I finished the 13.1 in about 2:07 and was not dying.  I made my way back and this part was brutal.  You had to run right past the finish line...I mean right past and keep going about another mile before making your way back past the finish line and onto the last lap!  I headed back out and onto the one hill before the crowd goes away.  I pushed on.  I was walking some of the aid stations depending on how I was feeling but overall feeling good.  Once I made the final turn with 6 miles to go I started doing the math in my head...was I finally going to break 11.  5 to go....the math was looking even better.  I got a light stomach cramp with about 5 to go and stopped drinking Heed just in case.  I took at sip of coke and that seemed to really help.  3 miles to go and I put everything I had left.  Ran through the aid stations and down to the final stretch on the cobblestones!  I had finally done it.  Almost an even split marathon with a 4:22:33!  Most importantly, NO GI ISSUES!  Wahoo.  Also, a 10:48:01!  PR by 19 minutes with a bad swim.  I was happy and am still happy:)  

I felt pretty nauseated from not drinking the last part of the run because I was so scared of a stomach issue popping up.  I knew it was not smart but I wanted to break that 11!  I got 3 bags in an IV and was good to go!  I love the race and am blessed to have been able to race it 3 times.  I will be back again and again.  SETUP EVENTS puts on an amazing race!  The town and people are great!  I have had so much support from family and friends!  All the equipment, tips, and advice from the experts at All3Sports has been crucial.  It has been a long season but it feels so great to end on a PR!  Thanks everyone for the support and a special thanks to my wife Mallory who does so so so so so much to make my goals become realities!  God has blessed me so much and may He alone be glorified!  

John Tanner Sprint 2- September 7, 2013 2nd OA and 1st AG

I went into this race with no expectations since Louisville was 2 weeks ago.  I had done Tanner 1 earlier this year and I absolutely love the course.  I drove down morning of and the great Mavic rep threw me on some demo wheels as I set up transition!  It was great seeing so many familiar faces here!  I walked down to the swim start talking smack with Brian Wortham, a fellow ALL3SPORTS teammate.  I worked over to my normal swim start area up front and the count down started....

I tried to actually kick on the swim this time.  In Ironmans, I never kick to save my legs.  But why not, it was a sprint and I was a swimmer.....I should be out close to the front.  Kicking helped a lot.  I turned the first buoy in second and on the first guys feet.  Working our way around a pack of four of us hung together as the front runner put about 10 yards on us.  I exited the water with the other four guys all about second place.

I was in and out of the transition pretty quick choosing to put my shoes on first and run out.  I past 3 guys in transition and jumped on the bike.  Peddling out of the park tightening my shoes down and spinning I passed another.  There were now only two ahead.  I saw another within reach and he did not seem to be gaining on me.  I down shifted and hammered.  I usually find my legs dead trying to go so fast in only 13.8 miles.  Today they felt great and I was moving steady.  I caught the second place guy at mile 4 or so as we hit a climb.  I caught a glimpse of Tillery, the first place guy, on a straight away and decided to hammer for 5 minutes to see if I could gain some ground......NOTHING.  HE WAS STRONG and gained 2 minutes on me and was out of site!  Solid.  I was feeling good though and holding Dan off who had moved into 3rd.  I loved the Mavic wheels!  After dodging a cop who was in the middle of the road on my turn into the park, I prepared for the 5k frolic!

I hit T2 knowing I would need to run quick to maintain 2nd Overall.  I got out as quick as I could considering I have to have my socks:)  I just ran hard and did not look back....I knew Dan was close.  The hills burned and as I approached the turn around I saw Tillery and knew he was out of reach.  I made the turn and saw the gap back to Dan.  I had it in the bank as long as I didn't trip over myself...which actually happens far too often :)  I pushed hard just in case to the line.  Done!

I love these races and they put on such an amazing series!  I will be back, Lord willing, year after year.  Plus the material the shirts are made of this year rocks....my wife has stolen them all!

1hr 8min 6secs

Ironman Louisville- August 25, 2013

This was my focus of 2013 after wrapping up the double iron in March.  I went in feeling good and ready to do my first WTC race.  This was my fourth Iron distance and at this point I was going for speed and not just the finish.  I was ready!  Nutrition in my last 4 races had been my issue.  Major GI issues around mile 9/10 of the run.  After talking it through with many people, I went all liquid for the race and training.  I also cut ALL gluten for the 3 weeks before the race and no dairy the week of. That was tough but if it worked then I didn't care!  My amazing wife did so much to help me with this aspect!

I road up to Louisville with a great group of friends, 7 others, who had done the race 6 times.  They knew the ins and outs which was nice.  Also, a great group representing All3Sports was in town!  We got in Thursday afternoon to the Gault House and were upgraded to the suites through one of their "connections."  Sweet!!!  The hotel was amazing and historic.  It was also the hub of everything for the race and walking distance from transition.  Amazing.

Friday we were up and checked in after a wonderful breakfast in the hotel.  Friday we did a lot of relaxing and also explored a little of the city.  I took the bike out for a real light spin down to the swim start and transition just to see where they were.  All was good!  Saturday I slept in and made my way down to the practice swim nice and late.  A current!  Everyone said the swim had no current but after the practice swim...there was a current indeed!  Most people were happy with this, especially since there were no wetsuits.  As a swimmer, the harder the swim is the better for me...oh well.  It was probably a good thing since I had been in the pool 4 times in the last 7 months.  After a light brunch, it was down to the 1.5 mile underwear run!  That was good times!  Laid out my transition bags and took a nap for most of the afternoon.  Finally walked down and turned in my bike after the crowds died out.  I get a text from my parents about an hour before that they had drove up and surprised me!  That was so awesome!  Enjoyed an early dinner with my parents and the crew and it was off to bed.....double checked alarms 10 times and then was out.

Race morning.  Up at 4 am and had some coffee, gluten free toast, and some gluten free oatmeal.  Surprisingly was not too jittery.  We had about a mile walk to the start so we began to wonder that way.  The group I was with had it down.  With a time trial start, they knew how to get near the front without getting there early!  That was great.  7am hit and we ended up only about 3 minutes back from the front.  It was on!

Swim

I had a nice awkward slipping jump off the dock.  The swim started upstream for about .6 miles in a narrow inlet before opening up and turning downstream.  I spent the entire first 30 minutes weaving people.  It was not too bad and distracted me from the whole swimming thing.  I felt good the entire time but could definitely tell I did not train at all in the pool.  I made it out in 58 minutes and was through T1 in just over 3 minutes thanks to amazing volunteers.  Onto the bike!

Bike

I was ready for this and had been riding with a guy a lot faster than me for months.  He had whooped me into shape.  I really enjoyed the bike course.  It was actually hillier than I expected but this was an advantage to me since I do live in the mountains.  I felt great.  It was gorgeous on a short out in back with some fun descents.  I am glad I was near the front for them though.  I can see why they had some crashes in the main pack!  We had two 30 mile loops before heading back in.  The first loop was nice and quiet with a few of us going back and forth.  I tended to pull ahead in the climbs and get caught in the flats.  5 of us were in the same area for about the entire ride.  About mile 65 or so it got really hot.  I was dumping water on myself constantly and tucking cold bottles in the back of my kit.  I was still feeling great and in my element.  The second loop was crowded!  We were dodging left and right the entire 30 miles.  There were a lot of people walking their bikes up hills or weaving like crazy.  It was sketchy getting around them.  I had a guy drafting me for a solid 5 miles before he got penalized.  I gotta say I was happy to see him get dinged....My pee couldn't even get him off my wheel!  My nutrition was pretty good but I think I needed more liquids.  The biggest mistake was dropping 400 of my calories and not having a backup.  I had to make the call to either have 400 less calories in me or take course nutrition that I hadn't trained with.  I took two bonk beakers knowing they were gluten free.  The last 10 miles I spun out and sat up.  I felt great and was ready for the marathon!  I was off the bike in 5:21!  Ahead of schedule.  It had been hot but I still felt good.  I was out of T2 in under 3 minutes and onto the run.

Run

I started the run with a guy who was shooting for the same time as me.  We ran side by side for 6 miles.  I was trying to ease off and was still running a little quick.  Around mile 7 it happened.....AGAIN!!!  My stomach started aching and I knew it was coming.  I hit the first toilet hoping it would settle down after that.  I slowed down the pace and tried to settle it down.  Didn't work.  I was stopping again....and again.  I hit the turn around knowing the last 13 was going to hurt.  My legs were strong but I couldn't stop my stomach.  Every mile!  I was walking and when I tried to run bad things happened in my stomach.  Around mile 17 the vomit started.  It was both ends and I was miserable!  I was ticked off!  This was happening again...really?  I slowly made my way back.  My GI issues drug me from 8th to 46th.  I was done in 11:32.  I was pretty down but glad to be done.  My parents and a couple friends were there waiting.  It was an amazing finish.  If I wasn't so sick, it would have been even better.  4th Street Live finish is definitely cool.  I got an IV which helped to stop the nausea.  My legs were pretty good and I was walking around fine.  I wish I was not sick and could have pushed the run and been a little more sore.  We hung out near the finish watching the rest of our crew finish.  I enjoyed watching everyone.

Overall, I was pretty frustrated with the race.  I am over it now.  I am glad I have the health to do Ironmans!  God has blessed me!  I had such great support before, during, and after this race.  Time to move on.  Another Iron Distance on October 26!  I am working on finding a great nutritionist and dialing this thing in.  Once this is dialed in....it's on.

Richard B Russell Olympic Triathlon- August 10th, 2013

With two weeks until IM Louisville, this race was a good chance to put a last good effort in.  I was excited that my friend Jesse Turk was making his debut back into triathlons after a 4 year hiatus.  We left Friday late and went to Athens to make the morning drive a little shorter!  I had never done this course before and had heard great things!

Race morning came early and we headed out.  It was great seeing familiar faces in transition setting up. I knew the competition for this race would be tough and with my focus on the Ironman, I was interested to see what happened!  I jumped on my bike to make sure I was in the right gear for transition and I am glad I did; my chain dropped.  I fixed it up and headed to the lake.

The swim felt off...I knew it would considering that I have not been in the pool at all!  The water felt like a sauna and I was not in a good rhythm.  The swim was two laps and I felt a lot better on lap two.  I pushed on and came out in 25 minutes and 7th overall.

I hit T1 and was in and out pretty quick.  I kicked my bottle off the bike as I jumped on and had to grab it real quick.  The bike felt pretty good!  I borrowed a friends ZIPP 1080 rear and 404 front and they felt great!  The course was gorgeous with pretty consistent rolling hills.  I always have a hard time warming up in these shorter distances but I felt pretty good by mile 10 and was able to get a decent cadence going.  I ended up averaging 22.3 mph on the bike.  I passed a lot of the Duathletes out there and held onto my 7th place spot.  T2 started rough with me running in the wrong direction into T2.  The great volunteers steered me in the right direction and then it all went smooth!  On came the HOKAS and it was off to the 10K.  Speed has been my focus since the Double Iron and Ultras of the last year.  This was the first run it all clicked!  I felt great and even passed someone!!!(I DO NOT PASS PEOPLE IN THE RUN)  I ran into 6th overall and 1st age group.  I held 6:48s and did the 10K in right at 42 minutes.  It was nice to feel good on a run!  LET US HOPE THIS CARRIES ONTO LOUISVILLE!!!  My total time was 2:10!

Again, another amazing race put on by Tri the Parks!  Such a well organized race with the best volunteers!  Now, IM Louisville awaits!

Mistletoe Sprint Tri- July 20, 2013

This was a new course to me and I was excited about the race.  The swim worried me a little because I had not been in the pool in a couple months.  The race started out well.  Coming out of the water, I was in the top 5/6 and hit T1 feeling good.  I was in and out of T1 quick and on the bike.  The course was great with consistent rollers.  I could not seem to pick up my pace fast enough.  I think that is my biggest issue!  I cannot get warmed up quick enough in 12 miles.  I hopped off the bike and into T2 first in my age group and 9th overall.  Brian Wortham, fellow ALL3er, was a few seconds behind and a better runner than me.  I hit the woods as fast as I could knowing that he was on my tail.  Sure enough, within the first half mile he was on me.  We hit a tough 30 yard hill on the tail and he past.  I tried to hang but within the next mile he had put 30 yards on me.  I pushed and pushed and he kept putting time.  We made it back to the road section and a mile to go and took off hard.  He put more time on me!  I had a blast!  Great course and great people!  Ended up 1st in my age group and 10th overall.  It was a good time!

John Tanner Sprint- April 27, 2013

This was my first triathlon since the Double Iron.  I really had NO idea what to expect.  I am lacking in the fast twitch muscles right now.  I always love the Tri the Park Series!  The races are well put on and the environment is always a blast.  When I showed up I expected rain and cold but the day turned out great.  It stayed dry the entire time!  The swim was pretty normal for me.  I was a little slower than expected but after training for longer distance swims, I was not surprised.  T1 was pretty terrible.  I could not get my wetsuit off and then it was a slow process of getting my NON TRI shoes on.  I felt like I was hanging out in T1 forever watching people run out.  Onto the bike finally.  My legs were shot!!!  After a long training week and 50K race, I felt like I was peddling squares.  I finally got into a groove about the time it was time to run!  My T2 went a lot smoother.  I was in and out.  This was the part I was clueless about.  I cannot remember the last 5K I ran.  I jumped on the heels of a guy who looked stronger than me.  When we hit the first hill, I cruised by.  I pushed hard to get him out of mind and to try in keep him from hanging with me.  By the time I hit the turn around, I felt great but needed to keep my foot-speed up.  I had a guy on my tail and he passed with about a mile left.  I quickly re-passed and pushed hard to the finish.  I had a lot of fun out there!  I could definitely tell that I have had zero speed work in the last two years.  It was a great day hanging out with all the All3Sports athletes and I managed a 2nd in my age group.

SWEET H2O 50K

I came into the race just hoping to enjoy the day and not take it too seriously.  I wanted a good training run to prepare for the upcoming Cruel Jewel 100.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous!  I met my brother and friend Ryan down there and so it began.  We started out quick and I had told my brother that I just planned on hanging with him.  We were going faster than I wanted but I just hung in there with my brother.  The course started pretty flat with some short ups and downs.  By mile 10 it started to spread out and we were able to get into a rhythm.  We began passing a good amount of people and I felt great.  We hit the gas lines(really the only major climbs) and had a good couple miles of walk/run.  We hit the TOP OF THE WORLD and headed down to the river crossing.  The river was high and cold but felt great.  After a short loop, we made our way back across the river and back out for the final loop.  Again, we made great time in the lower sections and hit the gas lines.  We made our way back to the top and then pushed our way back to the finish line.  Ended up breaking 6hrs(5:52) and coming in 21st out of 197.  I was happy.  Most importantly, I felt fresh.  This helped to show me that I have a good base for the upcoming Cruel Jewel!  Great Race with amazing volunteers!

Tampa Double Iron Race Report

Tampa Double Iron Race Report

I arrived in Tampa not really knowing what to expect.  I had some ultra runs and iron distance races in the books but this was a new animal.  It was good to be going after the goal with some great friends and a great crew.  I had set a goal of around 30 hours but being my first race at this distance, I just wanted to finish.

The swim started out about as I expected.  As a swimmer, I really didn't train in the pool but figured I should still be close to the front.   Within the first half mile, it was evident that myself and Paul Thompson would be the first two out.  I hung with Paul for the first hour and he was going strong.  I passed once but that was short lived as he went back around me within minutes.  He was stronger than me and pulled out of site the second half.  I finished up the 4.8 miles second in 1hr 55min, a minute and a half behind Paul.

My transition went smooth, thanks to a great crew, and I was off on my bike!  This was uncharted territory for me.  I had never ridden over 130 miles but my miles always had long climbs.  So what the heck, here goes 224 miles.  I felt great and the bike is always my favorite place to be, so I settled into my zone and began knocking out laps.  The front guys flew on by me early but I was doing my own thing and stayed calm.  The temperatures were much cooler than expected so a few miles in I was handed arm warmers and wiggled them on as I road.  I had set a goal not get get off the bike except for the bathroom breaks and so far all was good!  A few hours and ham & cheese sandwiches later I was at 120 miles and averaging 19mph.  Feeling good!  The miles blurred on...road on and off with folks but maintained 18.9mph through mile 185.  It got cold!  40 degrees!  As night fell and lights came on, I made an unscheduled stop to throw on my knee warmers!  Then things turned.  During the last 35 miles my legs felt great....my stomach, not so much.  I was nauseated!  I had messed up somewhere and I was paying for it.  I'm thinking it was a lack of sodium.  It got to the point I was picking spots in the loop as vomit points.  I threw up 17 times(nothing better to do than count) those last 35 or so miles.  I was ready to get off the bike and calm my stomach down.  My crew tried everything to help me but I couldn't hold down any solid or liquid!  I finished the 224 miles with a 17.5 average in 5th place with too many vomit stops!  

My second transition was slow.  I sat for 15 minutes trying to calm things down but I had to get moving!  I was freezing and holding back sickness but I hit the run course walking.  It was dark and I didn't want a headlamp so I walked trying to hold 15min/miles until my stomach would relax.  I was on the run course alone with the four leaders who looked like gazelles blowing by me knocking off miles.  I wanted to run so bad but each time I tried...bad things happened in my stomach.  After warming up thanks to some sweat pants and hand warmers I was slowing starting to get moving.  The lack of any calories in my body was really messing with my warmth and head.  I pounded a half dozen tums and some coke around mile 18 and finally I felt good enough to run.  I began to run on and off and got into a much better groove.  By this point, the stomach problems had allowed many to gain miles and miles on me!  The good news was that a lot of them were my friends and we were able to run on and off together.  I was still having issues drinking or eating much without my stomach turning but I was happy to at least feel good enough to run.  I was passed early a couple people including Chuck Schultz who was running well!  Doc passed me as well while I was walking.   During the final 4 miles, Susan Allen blazed by me to win overall female.  I finished up at 29hrs 51min in 9th place, just under my goal!  I'll take it!  

I learned a lot during this race!  I have to figure out my nutrition.  The training was there for a much better time but nutrition was key!  Also, without an amazing crew, I would have been worthless.  They were huge in keeping me moving, fed, and mentally stable.  The ultra community is so great!  The triathlon community is so great!  The combination is amazing!  My favorite part is the people.  Even though I am young for the ultra community, hence why they all decided my name was "the kid", I really fit in.  You really get a bond with people when you suffer together!  Steve Kirby at usaultratri puts on a great race with great volunteers!