Ironman St. George Race Report

The Ironman St. George experience started Wednesday morning when my good friend Derek Morris and I loaded the bikes into his truck to start our 9 hour journey to St. George.  It was a relaxing day, no workouts, just driving and enjoying the moment.  Upon arriving in St. George, Derek and I met up with another good friend, Doug Brasher, and we all settled into our condo we later named "The Athletes Village".

After a great nights sleep we went and registered for the race on Thursday morning.  This was my first exposure to the literally thousands of volunteers from St. George who would continue to be my life line for the next few days.  There optimism and willingness to help at any given moment was so appreciated.  Thank you volunteers! 

Earlier that morning I received an email from Ironman asking if they could do an interview with me about my Kona Inspired video and our cause for Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome.  I was honored that they would ask and very thankful for the exposure that we were getting for these incredible children.  At the athlete registration I met up with Dave Erickson who was on site covering the event for Ironman.  Dave was great!  He was a very upbeat and optimistic guy.  After the interview and a few cut aways of Derek and I walking around the expo we were done.  Thank you Ironman and Dave for that great opportunity!  You can see the interview HERE:

That afternoon we went for a swim at the swim location, Sand Hollow Reservoir and had a short ride.  The anticipation was starting to build and in my heart, I wished the race was the next day.  Waiting around for Saturday to come was tough. 

Thursday night I didn't sleep well.  I felt groggy in the morning, but it passed.  We made all our last minute preparations and dropped our bikes off at T1 (the swim to bike transition) and went back to the Athletes Village to rest.  I took a few hours and watched one of my favorite movies of all time, Cinderella Man.  I believe this movie portrays better than most the strength that comes when you are motivated by cause.  Doug made us dinner and one of the highlights of the week happened, Andrea arrived.  It was so good to see her.  She has a way to put my mind at ease and gives me an incredible amount of confidence.  I love her dearly. 

Sleep came quickly that night and before I knew it, it was 2:45am, time to wake up and start a very special day.  We were bused from downtown St. George to the swim site, about a 20 minute ride.  It was dark but I could see the huge lights from T1 from the freeway.  I reflected on the journey to get here and once again, was overcome with emotion.  I'm normally not an emotional person, but something about those kids and the gratitude in my heart to get to do this for them really gets to me.  It still does even writing this.

Conditions were perfect and they announced that the latest weather forecast showed mild conditions and temperatures in the low 80's.  St. George is know for punishing winds but it looked like we were going to get lucky today. About that moment I felt the slightest breeze.  Little did I know, it was a sign of things to come.

Putting on my wetsuit is always a transforming moment for me.  I love competition and I love to compete and it was time to do just that!  The water felt great.  It was a site to see treading water out by the start line looking back at the spectators lined up and down the shore.  I've never tread water while someone sang the national anthem before.  Not an easy task holding your hand over your heart!  I was ready to race!

The cannon sounded and just like that we were off.  Something amazing about a full Ironman is all the athletes start at the same time.  There were 1432 swimmers all bunched together and all trying to make there way through the water.  You get kicked, smacked, and pushed but it is awesome!  I love the swim start!  I got into a group of swimmers and everything felt perfect.  We were making great time.  The swim buoys seemed to be flying by one after another. 

The course is a big rectangle.  We were just finishing up the first stretch, about 3/4 of a mile when I noticed that there were some swells starting.  No big deal, that's what happens in the middle of a big reservoir.  I made the turn at the corner and was immediately slammed by a big wave.  I thought, "who the heck is out here in a boat making wakes?!"  Then another hit me.  I looked up and could see white caps all around.  I then realized that the wind was blowing like no other and that I was in for a long day.  I continued to try and swim, now swimming across the white caps.  This was nuts!  I could see other swimmers treading water trying to regain their bearings.  Seeing the buoys was next to impossible because of all the spray coming off the white caps and the huge swells.  I was very thankful that we got the swim started before this wind storm blew in because otherwise there was no way Ironman would have let us swim in these conditions. 

I continued to battle to the next turn.  Now it was time to go directly into the waves and wind.  During the swim, there are dozens of kayaks and people on long boards out there providing support and help when needed.  After the turn I saw one of the kayaks tipped over and holding on to his kayak.  I also saw a boat full of swimmers making their way back to shore.  There were at least a hundred athletes that called it quits for the day during the swim.  At one point in time there was a life flight helicopter hovering overhead.  I said a silent prayer in my heart that we'd all make it out ok.  These are a few comments I've seen on different websites about the swim:

"This was my first ever triathlon and I have never been that scared in my life. At one point I looked around and couldn't see another person, boat, buoys, etc. It turned into survival mode for me. Finally I swam to a buoy and clung for dear life. Just then a boat came by and told me that I had gotten incredibly off course and that I probably couldn't make the time cut off. I swam anyway and by a true miracle barely made it in time. I saw grown men sobbing in the T1 tent. It looked like a medic tent in a war zone."

"At one point I felt like I was in National Guard Training! Last year I swam the same course in a 1:13, this year at the one hour mark I was less than a mile in and disoriented and panicked. It was time to get out. When the kayaks are capsizing and athletes are clinging to race buoys? I think it is safe to say it was crazy."

"I was one of the volunteers on a kayak, and I could barely paddle against the wind and waves, I couldn't imagine swimming in that water. I saw people being pushed off their stand up paddle boards from the wind. We all just kept thinking, "I hope the swimmers that are still out there are ok" We were told that only about 6 life boats and kayaks were still out there helping."

At no point did I ever feel unsafe or worried that I wouldn't make it through the swim, but it changed the way I approached the rest of the swim.  I wanted to conserve energy because I knew I still needed to bike 112 miles and run a marathon, but I also knew if I didn't swim hard I was going to be going backwards with the waves.  Not being able to see the buoys, I found an island that I knew was going in the right direction.  I swam and luckily the island kept getting bigger so I knew I was making progress.  Finally after what seemed like a very long swim, the swim out transition was in site.  Stepping foot on the boat ramp was great.  When I stood up, I was almost blown over by a gust of wind and that's when I realized the biking portion was going to be interesting.


My first turn on the bike course put me directly into the headwind and a mouthful of sand.  I know how important it is to have a positive attitude during these races.  I refused to let any negative thoughts come to mind.  I started joking around with some of the other cyclists which helped lighten the mood, but it was still a little daunting to consider that not only did I have 112 miles in front of me on an already difficult course, but that the hardest stretch of the course would be straight into a 20-30 mph headwind.  I settled in and just kept peddling. 

I felt good and was keeping on top of my nutrition.  Around 30 miles in is where I really hit the wind.  For the next 20 miles I was going directly into the wind and was moving at a snails pace.  Everyone had their head down and was grinding it out.  There are some big climbs during that portion of the race.  We were all getting a baptism by fire of what it means to be an Ironman.  Mentally my mind would drift briefly into a pity party, but I would quickly pull it back.  At this point in the race I really had to focus on my purpose for doing the Ironman.  I remembered the support from everyone and the prayers being offered on my behalf.  It helped tremendously. 

Around mile 50 we turned and now had a tailwind now.  What a relief!  We were all FLYING through the course.  At one point in time I was on a flat straightaway and looked at my speed.  I was going 40mph.  It felt great!  I also got to ride with Doug for a while which was great.  Being halfway through the ride and onto the second lap of the course was encouraging.  The only challenge is I had to fight through the dreaded 20 mile uphill stretch again.  Luckily the wind wasn't as bad but still present.  I paced myself and continued to have a good attitude.  I love interacting with the fans and people watching the race.  I'll never pass up an opportunity to give someone a high five or thumbs up.  Half the battle was just having fun and enjoying the experience.

Mile 112 finally arrived and I hopped off my bike.  Wow!  My thighs were on fire!  I had been on my bike for 6 and a half hours straight and trying to run through the transition area was kind of comical.  I'm sure I looked pretty funny.  I sat down and quickly put my shoes on.  Time to stand back up and face the marathon.  I started to run and my legs were gone.  I was a little concerned, but I kept saying, "put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time".  I did this and literally had to keep telling myself this every step for the first 6 miles.  I had a good pace, my heart rate was great, but my legs were hammered.  I hate to keep referencing this, but I stayed positive and that made all the difference even though my body kept screaming to stop running.  Around mile 7 something amazing happened.  My legs came back and I felt a renewed sense of energy.  I'm not sure how or what happened, but I felt much better.  I kept a good pace and continued to push.  The miles continued to pass but the effort required to get through them increased.

I loved seeing Andrea and all those who I knew while I was running.  It helped tremendously.  By mile 20 I was out of gas physically.  My legs hurt like they've never hurt before.  I was dizzy and my body was begging for me to stop.  I've read about this before.  I've read that the last 6 miles of an Ironman is all heart.  I could now understand what they meant.  I had to dig deeper than I've ever had to in a race.  I knew I was getting close, but I knew running 6 miles wasn't something I could just coast through so I did the only thing I could do, put on a smile.  I ran by Andrea about this time and had a huge grin on my face.  I'm sure everyone that saw me thought I must have been dogging it or that I wasn't working hard, but believe me, physically I was spent, but mentally I refused to give in.  The miles continued to pass and the finish line got closer and closer. 

On the final turn off of Diagonal street it hit me, only about a mile to go and I would be an Ironman.  Tears welled up in my eyes and the pain of the day began to pass.  I could hear Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman, saying "You are an Ironman" to those crossing the finish line and I knew it would be my turn soon.  I couldn't help but think once again about the amazing support from so many.  I again visited in my mind the images of these children and how badly I want them to find their forever family.

I made my final turn and entered the chute that all Ironman finishers dream of running down.  Excitement overcame me and I felt better than I had felt all day.  Then I heard it, "BRADY MURRAY, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" as I crossed the finish line.  The race was over. I had finished.  I had finished an Ironman! 

Andrea was the first person I got to hug.  We hugged like we had been apart for an eternity.  What a great moment.



I've learned a lot from being a part of this.  I learned just how important it is to stay positive.  Life will give us crashing waves, huge headwinds and long distances but there is NOTHING that will be thrown at us that we can't handle.  I learned that if we have sincere desires to serve and be part of something that is bigger than any one person, that those opportunities will be given to us.  I learned how important it is to surround yourself with positive support.  Everyone from family, to friends, to coworkers.  Positive and encouraging people make all the difference.



So now what you may ask?  My commitment as a husband to Andrea, and the father of my children will always be my #1 priority.  I have an unwavering commitment to my faith, my extended family and friends and to my employer.  With that being said, I feel like during the last 6 months we have just written a great introduction to a book that is going to have a very happy ending for many orphans with Down syndrome.  I did not sign up as a temporary volunteer for this cause.  Andrea and I feel that this is something we will be a part of for the rest of our lives.  Together with anyone who has a genuine desire to be involved, we will work tirelessly until every child has a forever family! 

Priorities for the cause at the moment are to find a way to win the Kona Inspired competition, race at the Ironman World Championships and most importantly share these children's story with the world!  I plan on racing the Boise 70.3 (half Ironman) in June for the children as well.  In addition, I hope to find opportunities to present and share these children's story in as many group settings as possible.  I really enjoy public speaking and that is a wonderful way to share the message.  We are also about $2,000 shy of reaching our goal for Maggie.  That is something we hope to have taken care of sooner than later.

I also want to grow the RODS Racing team.  To become involved is very simple.  You simply need to have a desire to become part of this cause and a willingness to use your talents and abilities unique to you on behalf of these children.  I'll post more about RODS in the future, please feel free to contact me if you would like to learn more. 

I want to wrap up this blog post by saying that I know that EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US has unique talents and abilities that have been given to us.  What we do with these talents and abilities are dependant upon us.  We can use these talents and abilities for much good if we choose to or we can allow fear and idleness to steal our opportunity.  Listen to those thoughts that come to your mind and your heart.  If you listen and act there will be many individuals who you will inspire, motivate, and truly make a difference for in so many small and simple ways and occasionally in big ways.  One step at a time, we all can and will make a difference!

This Day

There is less than 24 hours until the cannon goes off to start the 2012 St. George Ironman.  What seemed like would never arrive has arrived and I couldn't be more excited.  I've been in St. George the last 2 days and have been filled with many emotions.  Excitement to finally get to put myself to the test in a Ironman.  Peace of mind knowing that I've done everything in my power to train and prepare for this day.  That ever present uneasiness in my gut not knowing exactly what to expect.  Gratitude to get to race not for myself but for all the precious children with Down syndrome waiting for their family. 

I continue to reflect on the last 6 months since being introduced to Reece's Rainbow.  I can't look at a picture of Eli lately and not get choked up.  I also feel a sense of urgency for Maggie and Megan.  They have the funding in place, we just need their family to find them. 

Today feels like a crossroads.  I don't know what will come in the future for the children, RODS Racing, and the role that my beautiful family and I will play.  What I do know is that I feel a burning desire like I've never felt before to stand up and fight for these kids.  To tell the world their story and save each and every one of them, one child at a time! 

I think of my son Nash and his innocence.  I remember when Andrea held Nash right after he was born, after we found out he had Down syndrome.  The look in her eyes of unwavering commitment and love still brings peace to me knowing that all will workout as it should and that this child is part of a bigger plan.

I think of my sweet little 6 year old princess and what a protector she is for her brothers.  I think of my very active 2 year old son.  The way he looks at me.  I want to make him proud of his Dad.  Of course I think of the love of my life and the 10 years we've been married.  How did I get so lucky to get to spend my life with her! 

So here we go!  In recognition of what's to come tomorrow, enjoy this video about the St. George Ironman.  Let's do this!

IRONMAN TRAINING

Today is special day for me.  We are about a week away from the big one, Ironman St. George. I've completed my training program and feel great!  I know I've done all I could have done and that gives me peace of mind for the race.

The seed to race a full Ironman was planted in 2010 while I was training for my first half Ironman.  I bought an Ironman hat and I figured if I was going to wear that around I better do a full Ironman to make it official.  Really the thought of swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 then running 26.2 was a very daunting to say the least.  At the time, I hadn't even done all of that in a weeks worth of training let alone all in the same day. 

After racing the Boise half, the thought of doing a full Ironman became even more foreign.  I could hardly even walk let alone go do the entire race all over again!  Plus both of my knees were killing me.  The day after the race I figured I had done some permanent damage to them because they had a hurt that was much more than just sore.  It was the kind of hurt that I felt in my shoulder before I found I had to have surgery during my first year of playing baseball in college.  I went to a physical therapist for a month and it didn't get better.  He recommended I go to a surgeon.  I did, the surgeon had me do an MRI (this was getting to be an expensive sport :) )  and he visited with me about the results.  He said that I had incredibly tight IT Bands and that was the only thing wrong.  I asked him if I really needed an IT Band and if he could just take them out and donate them to charity.  We both laughed and then he told me I might want to take up a different sport.  That was in July of 2010.  I stopped training for the summer and was close to selling my bike and other gear.  I decided to give it a break for a while instead and see what happened after a long break.

I didn't think much about Ironman again until the early spring of 2011.  I had the bug to start training again but I was very worried about the IT Bands acting up again.  They felt normal since I had just taken a 8 month break, but it was in the back of my mind.  I started training again, this time taking every precaution possible to take care of them and things went well.  I had gained a bunch of weight and it started to come off.  I continued to ease into running, biking and swimming and ended up having a great half Ironman race that year in Boise.  The thought of racing a full Ironman crept back into my mind, but still, 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and then run a marathon was still a very foreign concept.

I did a few olympics the rest of the summer and before I knew it, fall was here.  A few friends and I started kicking around the idea of racing Ironman St. George in May, but I just wasn't 100% ready to commit.  It was about this time that I found Reece's Rainbow and learned of the situation of so many special little children with Down syndrome living in orphanages scattered across the globe.  I knew I needed to do something to help them.  This wasn't just a desire to help, but more so an actual prompting that I needed to act and act now.  I knew I was supposed to become involved, I just wasn't sure how.

 

Over the following weeks the images of these children continued to flood my mind.  Andrea and I would stay up at night and read their profiles and look at their pictures fighting back the tears.  That's when it hit me.  I knew I needed to do a full Ironman and that I needed to do it to create awareness and raise funding for my precious little orphans.  Without hesitating, I committed to race Ironman St. George on May 5, 2012.  I would race for orphans with Down syndrome!

No longer did the distance of a full Ironman seem daunting.  No longer did I question if I could put in the time and energy needed to do this.  There was no fear and I had no doubt that I could make this happen.  You see, I was not racing for Brady Murray.  I wasn't racing so I could tell my buddies that I was "an Ironman", I was racing for orphans with Down syndrome!!  Not only would I race an Ironman for these kids but I'd run through a wall for these kids!

So the training began.  I had a good base from the training I had done throughout the year already for the smaller races, but it was time to take it up a notch.  This is what my typical training week has looked like since January:

Monday        5:00am-6:30        Cycling Intervals (30 miles)
                    7:00am - 7:30am  Hard Run   (5 miles)
                    Noon - 1:00pm    Swim  (1 mile)
Tuesday        5:00am-6:30am   Long Course Swim (2 miles)
                    7:00am-8:00am   Running Intervals (7.5 miles)
Wednesday   5:30am-7:30am   Cycling (40 miles)
Thursday      5:00am-6:30am   Long Course Swim (2 miles)
                    7:00am-8:00am   Recovery Run (7 miles)
Friday           5:30am-8:00am   Long Run (13-20 miles)
                    Noon - 12:30pm  Swim Drills
Saturday       5:00am -11:00am Long Ride (100-112 miles)
Sunday          Rest

To make this schedule work I had to learn to go to bed earlier than I was used to.  I would be in bed by 9:30pm each night and I admit, there were a handful of nights that I was in bed by 8:30pm because I was dragging! 

I travel a fair amount with my work added another dimension to the training.  I have trained at Grol's Gym in Preston, Idaho; Sports Academy in Logan, Utah; Clearfield Rec Center in Clearfield, Utah and Gold's Gym in Orem, Utah and of course, the YMCA locations here in Boise.  I always wonder what the person checking me in at my hotel would think when I'd come in with what appeared to be a weeks worth of luggage, a bike, bike trainer and my trusty foam roller and only stay for one night.

Another aspect I've learned is so important is the nutrition you take while you are training as well as throughout the day.  I am ALWAYS hungry.  This is very hard.  I will eat all my lunch at work and feel like I could eat 3 times that much food.  The evening is the worst.

During my training rides and runs I keep very close count of the amount of fluid I bring in to my body as well as the amount of calories.  On average I will eat/drink around 400 calories per hour in a long ride and drink around 260-320 ounces of fluid during a 6 hour ride. (That's 8-10 32 ounce Gatorades!)  Lots of bathroom breaks!  Here's a picture of my nutrition for one of my long rides.

During the last 5 months I've been humbled by the experiences I've had.  From seeing Eli find his family, to so many friends coming forward to help, donate and spread the word for these kids.  To get to make a video with Nash and receive comments from around the world from individuals showing their suppot to name a few.  I remember the initial promptings in my mind back in November to do this and I am reminded that this is nothing of my doing, but truly is the doing of a loving God watching over his precious little ones.  I have no doubt that if we have sincere desires to serve him, he will put us to work!!

Andrea has been so supportive of me all the way.  The reality is she really has made this whole thing possible because of her selflessness and willingness to let me do what needs to be done to prepare for this race.  I've made it a point to do almost all of my training before my children wake up so I can have my evenings with them.  We love reading stories each night and my daughter and I are almost done reading the book "Ramona Quimby and her Father".  It's been a lot of fun!

I am also very thankful for Harold at TriTown and his wise ways.  He's my coach but I also consider him my friend.  It will be awesome to have him and his calming personality there in St. George next week.    

So here we go.  Time to strap on my helmet and clip into the pedals.  It's Ironman time!  I promise to write a full report once I'm back home and have had a moment to unpack.  You can follow my progress of the race live by going to the Ironman St. George website and using their athlete tracker program.  The race starts May 5th at 7:00am.  I hope to done by around 7pm or so that evening.  It's going to be a long day, but in the end, it's an absolute honor to get to do this for these precious children!!

BY THE NUMBERS

Here's my stats starting in January of 2011

Yards SWAM        295,100
Miles BIKED         4,884
Miles RAN            1,192
Total HOURS        549

KONA INSPIRED VIDEO IS DONE!

I mentioned in my last post that we had some exciting news to be announced this week. First, a little background.

As you may already know, I am training for Ironman St. George on May 5th (only 16 more days!!!). My purpose in doing so is to raise awareness and funding for orphans with Down syndrome, and in particular Maggie.

About a month ago I received an email from Ironman announcing a competition they put together called Kona Inspired. They have given anyone the opportunity to submit a 90 second video into this competition telling their story of how Ironman has helped them believe that "Anything is Possible". Winners will be given the opportunity to race in the Ironman World Championship in Kona in October and most importantly, they will get to tell their story on NBC's nationally televised broadcast of the Ironman World Championship!

When I first learned about this opportunity I knew that this truly could be an opportunity to tell the world about these children and most importantly, create the awareness that is needed to truly make a difference for them!!

So Nash and I made a video! Before I show it to you, I want to explain how this competition works and HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOO! Between now and May 31st, all videos can be viewed. Based on total VIEWS and total VOTES, 15 will be chosen to compete against each other in the finals in June. The top 2 will go to Kona! So, back to how you can help. Your view and vote can be counted once each day. However, it is perfectly OK to vote more than once a day if you view the video from a different computer, laptop or phone and then vote from that device  To vote, just look in the lower left hand corner of the screen while watching the video.. We have plenty of days left between now and May 31st! You're vote is much appreciated, each and every day :) !!

I'll keep you posted on how things are going. Here's the link to our video. Enjoy!!!

RACING FOR ORPHANS WITH DOWN SYNDROME

One Step Closer To Home UPDATES!!

I wanted to take a few moments and give some updates on some of the children we have been focusing on over the last few months.

ELI
Our favorite little boy Eli is doing great.  His family has completed their home study and are making great progress towards their adoption.  We received an awesome card in the mail from Eli's family thanking us for the things that have been done on Eli's behalf.  I'm especially excited because it looks like my work next year will take me to the same city where they live!  I can't wait to get to meet little Eli in person.  That really will be a special moment to know that we played a small part in Eli finding his forever family!

MEGAN
With so much great fundraising that took place in the beginning of 2012 I thought for sure Megan would have a family by now.  Last time I checked, she has the most funds in her adoption account by far.  Unfortunately there have been some challenges in the region where she lives currently and adoptions are at a stand still for the time being.  This has been challenging for everyone involved because time is of the essence with Megan.  She has already been transferred to an institution and each day that passes there is a day that could have been spent with her family and receiving the nurturing that she so desperately deserves and needs.  Our prayers continue for Megan.  I realize that many things are out of our control, but I am optimistic that in the end it will all work out as it should. 

VICTORIA and the BONNER FAMILY
There is some great progress taking place here.  Their home study is done and all of their paperwork has been submitted and is in the process of being translated so it can be sent to Victoria's country.  They expect to hear back sometime in early May.  We will be anxiously waiting to hear how everything goes.

By way of update from the company that I work for and our efforts towards helping with fundraising for the Bonner family.  Through March we have paid 358 life cases.  Everyone is focused on doing their part and I'm confident that come December 31st, we'll have hit our team goal for the Bonner family.

MAGGIE
And last, but definitely not least, our little princess Maggie.  This has been very fun to educational working on behalf of Maggie.  As you may know, we are focusing primarily on fundraising through our RODS Racing team and through the races that we are doing.  Our goal is to get to $10,000 and we are currently at $6208.  I've been humbled by the generosity of so many for donating towards Maggie's account.  A special thanks to each of you!

Where Maggie has already been transferred to an institution, the information available is very limited.  From the last update, she is still available for adoption and is still as beautiful as ever.  As is the situation with many of the orphans, we will rely solely on our faith and prayer to hopefully make this happen for Maggie.  Please remember these children by name!

RODS RACING
I expect that our website will be launched later this week, www.RODSRacing.org.  It's looking great by the way!  Our focus will be to continue to utilize the triathlon, cycling and running community to spread the word and raise funding for these children.  Our aspirations include organizing races as well as designing racing jersey's that individuals will be proud to wear during their races.  Stay tuned this week for some exciting news about a project Nash and I have been working on and the goal to race in the Ironman World Championship in Kona this year!  

BY THE NUMBERS
Total orphans with a family committed          1
Total orphans with funding raised                 4
Total Donations Raised since Nov 2011        $50,225

Have a great week!!!

Brady                                 

Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome (Oceanside 70.3)

We had a great week in California as a family.  After a few days at Disneyland we made our way to Oceanside in preparation for the first race of the season for RODS Racing.  The last 4 months have been filled with some very serious training.  This was to be my 3rd half Ironman and my first time racing the Oceanside course and my first time racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome.

The weather was overcast with a misty feel to it.  Tempature was around 55 degrees with an expected high of 63 for the day, perfect for racing.  Race morning started at 3:30AM for me.  Not necessarily because I needed to get up at that time, but the anticipation to get to race was ever present.  I remember feeling this way when I was a young kid on Christmas day as I waited for my Mom and Dad to wake up. 

I rode my bike down to T1 from where we were staying.  The transition area was brightly lit.  Athletes were filing in pretty heavily when I got there.  I immediately started to setup and the pre race excitement continued to grow.  It would soon be time to put the months of training to the test.

  

My wave was number 21 out of 22.  There was almost 3,000 athletes that would start before me.  Total wait time was 1 hour and 5 minutes from the time the pros started to when we got in the water.  It was hard to see athletes start, finish and be on the bike course before I even finished putting my wetsuit on.

I passed the time by listening to some songs that I typically trained to.  Songs such as How Far We've Come by Matchbox 20, This Town by O.A.R, Watching You by Rodney Atkins, and of course Hearts on Fire by John Cafferty.  I also took a moment to think of why I was doing what I was doing.  I thought of Eli, Megan and Maggie, our little orphans across the world that we've been trying to help.  I knew that no matter how hard the race got, I would not give up because these kids depended on me.  The anticipation was building.

Finally, it's go time.  As I entered the water, I was reminded that indeed this was salt water and it was chilly, around 57 degrees.  We swam out to the start line and before I knew it, the gun went off.  We were off and the race had started.

I felt I had improved greatly in the offseason as a swimmer, but for whatever reason, things were not clicking that morning.  There was a lot of contact with slower swimmers from other waves and as we got out to the turn around we were dealing with heavy ocean swells.  I felt comfortable the entire time, but this was definitely a different element.  Swimming back to the bay I knew I wasn't going to have a good time, but I knew my best disciplines were still to come.

I came out of the water and sure enough, I didn't have a good swim.  38 minutes flat.  I didn't allow it to get in my head and I committed right then and there that I would put the swim behind me and only focus on the rest of the race. 

The bike transition was smooth and before I knew it I was on the course.  My legs felt great and being at the very back of the pack because of my wave start time, I started to pass a lot of cyclists.  This always builds confidence and this went on the entire bike course. 

Conditions were perfect throughout the bike course, but it was very congested with other cyclists.  This made it difficult to pass in many of the tight spots as well as the no pass zones on a few of the downhills.  I had a lot of fun on the course and felt great throughout the entire 56 miles.  Most of the bike course was on the military base Camp Pendleton which was very cool.  Lot's of great scenery and some fun and challenging climbs.

Coming back into town I encountered a slight headwind, but still felt good.  Total bike time was 2 hours 38 minutes.  Average speed was 21.3 and my average wattage was 256.  Not my best bike time, but I'll take it!

Now on to the run.  This was the wildcard for me.  I've had more focus on the run this offseason than any other discipline and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.  My best run time prior to Oceanside was 1 hour 47 minutes (8:15 pace).   

Jumping off the bike is always a moment of truth.  You never know how the legs are going to feel.  Luckily my legs still felt great and the conditions were still perfect, overcast and cool.  Off to the run course I went.  I focused on taking it fairly easy in the first few miles but noticed my average was great.  I continued to feel good so I continued to pick up the pace.  By 7 miles in I knew I had a good thing going.  It was the fastest I'd ever ran in a race and still had a lot of gas in the tank.  I focused on keeping hydrated and my nutrition was dialed in with the power gels I was eating every 3 or 4 miles. 

Throughout the run I kept seeing my family. Seeing my beautiful wife and 3 adorable kids is fuel in and of itself.  Race day can be a long day not just for the athletes but also for their families.  Between naps, temper tantrums and messy faces, my family always seem to be cheering louder than anybody out there.  Andrea is always so supportive of me and the time that's required for training. She never complains when I'm turning lights on at 4:25am when I can't find my shoes or swim bag. I love it when Brynlee, Nash and Ridge poke their heads in the room while I'm biking or running on the treadmill and tell me good morning. We all get a kick out of high fiving and cheering Dad on each morning.

 

At mile 8 I decided to turn it on.  I kept my pace below the 7:00/mile average and kept picking it up each mile.  My last mile was at a 6:32 pace.  I had to dig deep those last few miles, but things were clicking very well.  The months of training were paying off.  Final run time was 1 hour 32 minutes (7:02 average)

 

Down the stretch I didn't have any idea what my overall time was going to be.  I set a goal for the year to break 5 hours.  I knew it might be close so I just kept pushing harder and harder.  When the final time was posted I saw I came in at 4 hours 53 minutes!  It was exciting and certainly has fueled the fire to keep pushing and keep getting better.  I came in 18th out of 249 athletes in my age group.  In my mind, the seed has been planted that I can get better, much better. 





Overall it was a great experience.  The city of Oceanside were great hosts and we were lucky to get to have some great friends to spend the week with.  I'm guessing we may end up doing this family trip again someday!  I consider my first race for Orphans with Down Syndrome a success.  It was also a great warm up for the big one coming up on May 5th.  We'll see you all in St George!





 

"For My Brother on Down Syndrome Day" By Ace

I just watched this video and loved it!  Enjoy!