Mikey's Iroman CDA 2008 race report
Posted on Wednesday, June 25 @ 21:17:40 MDT
Topic: Race information
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 First the list of people to thank for help and support is too long to place here, but hopefully they know who they are and how much I appreciate it.
The swim at CDA was cold but we were allowed booties and a neoprene cap so I never really noticed the cold, by the time the adrenaline wore off, I was already used to the water.
Swim - I was standing next to Tigger and he said, just another long training da...(boom) the cannon went and I hit the water and started swimming. My goal for the swim was to get through with the least amount of effort possible (drafting the whole way). So I executed that pretty well. I started using Playtri theory so I was waaaaaay to the right and didn't get caught in the middle where the carnage is. The turns are a washing machine so IF you can draft stay behind someone and let them clear the way for you. They take the beating and you get where you are trying to go without having to fight for it. CDA has two loops which is a nice break up in there. You get upright, stretch out the back a little and back in the water. The swim went without a hitch. Came out of the water and saw Sho and Paula Newby Fraser said hi to both and they said hi back. Very cool.
T1 - Ran into the wet suit strippers, they are throwing me around and pushing me on the ground and pulling off my suit. I kind of had a similar fantasy but the ending was different. Anyway, I ran down the row to get my bike bag and accidently ran past it, hit the brakes, slipped on the grass and fell down. Funny. Got into "Naked City" (Diesel calls it that) and met my new friend Jason. I grabbed him and said,"You're my guy right?" and he helped me get ready for the bike. HUGE help. My race belt broke as I was putting it on and Jason fixed it while I got everything else together. Awesome.
Bike - Get out of transition and you go through the center of town, you are a rock star, everyone screaming and carrying on. It is really cool. Get outta town and move on to the first turn around. Not too far, not too bad, great way to get your stuff together after the swim. Started nutrition (this becomes important later). My nutrtion was one gel every 15 minutes, water ever 5-10 minutes, and 8 salt tabs an hour. There was an actual cheerleader group out there, hundreds of thousands of people all over. I tried to find a legal draft (4 bike lengths back) but basically impossible because of all the hills. I go up hills slower and down them faster. The curse of being a fat kid. There were a couple of treacherous turns at the bottom of some hills that were a bit scary but the hills aren't too bad, you just have to get up them easy. Most were long and steepish but not really hard. Most people pushed the first of the two loops too hard, so I ended up passing a few folks on the second loop that went waaaay too hard on the first loop.
Got off my nutrition and made my first (fatal) mistake. I didn't stop and get my special needs bag because it wasn't all that hot. I had salt tabs in there a couple of gels and fresh socks. Didn't need the socks, had plenty of gel and since it wasn't that hot, I decided that the salt tabs weren't necessary. My lesson, stop at special needs whether you need it or not, you will need it. The two minutes I would have lost there would probably have translated into 30 on the run.
Finished the bike, no worse for the wear. Heard a couple of nasty accidents happen behind me, I don't know if anyone was hurt but they sounded bad, especially at one of the aid stations. People inherently are stupid and want to go through aid stations at the same speed they are doing the rest of the course(can't lose that time you know). So when you crash and break your bike or your leg, how much time do you lose there? Save 10 seconds or DNF. Your call. Whatever.
T2 - Ken was my new buddy in Naked City. Pretty easy transition, looked at the watch and knew that I can walk the marathon and I am an ironman. How freakin' sweet is that? Felt good, and was ready to rock and roll. BUT I came to a realization, no matter what, I was going to be an ironman finisher!
Run - I started out with a huge salt deficit, large-ish calorie deficit and dehydrated. Stupid. I knew better and didn't try to fix it when I got off my schedule. Started the run. Still a rock star. Your name is on your race number so people are yelling for you" Go Mike, Looking Good Mike, Tear it up Mike, etc." Awesomeness. Mile 15 was the end of my run. I was moving at a really good clip and then I noticed that I felt like I was running the same pace but the HR kept dropping and the legs were starting to creep to a seize (left hamstring and calf) no salt, nobody had salt and I feared the chicken broth, can't handle gatorade and I walked every aid station and drank water at all of them. I eventually picked up (found) a bag of salt tabs on the road and took them. I was in bad shape. Stopped sweating at mile 17-18 and knew I was in a bad way.
I walked quite a while, got back to normal started running again and then, about two miles later, fell apart again. Salt and more salt, water and more water. Noodle, don't noodle....
Finally got to the last two miles. People are falling out all over the place, people are starting there first lap, people are in worse shape than me. Perspective is a hell of a thing. I made friends with these south africans that were about 1 mile out from the finish. They told me to Dap gat (afrikaans for move your ass) the last mile and I got on my horse.
When you go on the second lap you do this funky little turn to go around the finish. When you finish you go down a different fork in the road. The pain goes away (not really but you don't care as much) turn left at the libary, take a right and then a left to the finishing chute. 300 yards of greatness. Down the chute, you have millions (okay maybe an exaggeration) of people (still reading my name) GO MIKE GO MIKE ALMOST THERE MIKE...Such incredible greatness. I started sprinting (a fast shuffle at this point) big smile, Mike Sexton, from Bedford, Texas, 33 years old YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!
Awesomeness. I really have to say that moment is amazing. I was so happy to finish the journey. To finish the race. To finish running (I was a mess). CDA is a great venue. You pass the same section 8 times (not including transition) so people can watch you. The town LOVES the race. You have support everywhere and the finish was a monster. So great to see all my friends and my wife screaming for me on the way in. Such a great moment. This sport is selfish and self indulgent and to finish that way was even more so. Because for that 300 yards it was all about me. My time on the bike, in the pool, on the run, in the gym. All the beers I missed with buddies, all the cake and ice cream I took a pass on, all the sleeping in and late nights I missed. It all culminated into the perfect storm in the span of 300 yards. I can tell you that every bit of it was worth it at the end. I was happy with my time, happy knowing I left time on the course and happy knowing I am an ironman. Whether you do it in 9 hours or 16:59 you are still an ironman and for me that is all that mattered.
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