I have been fully embracing my offseason since Louisville…eating, drinking, kid’s soccer tournaments, starting the home projects I have neglected since January. So I decided to unbutton my pants (since they are getting tight around the waist) and write my race report.
2 time Ironman! That has a nice ring to it!!!!
Only .05% of the entire world population has completed an Ironman and I have now done it twice! I can’t wait for #3!!!
Thank you first and foremost to my wife and kids for putting up with me these past few months….long hours of training is quite selfish and puts a lot of strain on the family unit so I think my entire family are deserving of Ironman tattoos!!!
Also a huge thank you to all my coaches and teammates at Lifetime who were there at the 5am practices pushing and motivating everyone. You are the only one who can get you to the finish line of an Ironman but it was a team that got me to the starting line!
Summary
What a great weekend in Louisville! I would to thank everyone for all the congratulations and well wishes before, during and after the event. It was great to spend time with my teammates and their families and I am happy to say it was a safe weekend of racing for everyone.
Last year my family came up the night before the race and allowed me a little alone time…this year we all drove up together and arrived on Friday in Louisville. First thing I noticed was it was hot. Second thing I noticed was it was hot.
This was my second full Ironman plus my daughter Paige’s 10th birthday weekend so I thought I could experience more with my family this time…I tried to be the best IronDad I could be.
My main training partner Joe was also there with his family and we were able to get rooms on the same hall so our kids could hang out all weekend. Joe and I worked out every morning together and motivated each other to manage training, family, kid’s soccer and careers. Without him, I wouldn’t be writing this blog….it was an honor racing with him that weekend.
That evening we all went to the Ironman Race Banquet and learned about the course and some more interesting facts about Ironman.
· Approximately 3000 racers
· 75% men
· Had at least on participant from every state
· One racer lost over 180 pounds (but did not finish)
· Oldest racer was 77 years old!
On Saturday morning I woke up early, shaved my legs one last time and met Joe and the team at the swim start to test out the water. The water was warm but it helped get me mentally prepare for the big swim on Sunday.
After the swim, Paige and Brandon did the Ironkids event and both rocked the 1 mile run! Brandon may have a future in racing as he started out strong and finished with a 7 minute mile – looking back the entire time to make sure he wasn’t passed by a girl…mainly his sister! Paige races more like me…slow and steady and smiling all the way while running with her friends. Hard act for me to follow….I was pretty sure I was going to be passed by a lot of girls and wouldn’t be smiling on Sunday.
After the Ironkids event we met up with my parents and grabbed a quick lunch in downtown Louisville. Then we headed out to the Louisville Slugger Factory.
That was a fun tour showing us how Major League bats are made and also a lot of history on baseball. This helped take my mind of the race but I was getting antsy left early to try and get off my feet.
Around 3pm I left the family to turn my bike and gear in at the main race transition areas….this was about the point where it really hit me. Looking out on the field of 3000 bikes really put this race in perspective how big this race was and a few other things….my legs were tired from all the walking that day and it was friggin hot!!!
That night it was very hard to sleep; I started to rethink / question everything I did in the past 7 months:
· Could I swim the Ironman distance without a wetsuit?
· Could I handle the hilly Louisville bike course?
· Did I train hard enough?
· Could I handle the 95+ degree Louisville heat?
· Would anyone know if I skipped the UofM jersey?
I am sure these were the same questions every racer was thinking! I probably only got a solid 4 hours of sleep the night before. Next thing I knew my 3 alarm clocks were going off…3am!
Swim (2.5 miles):
Met my team in lobby at 4:15am ready to roll. Setup everything at transition and started to prepare mentally for the long day to come. We were lucky to get a great space in line up front for the start with our entire team. Since this was a time trial start you went into the water single file...all 3000 people!
Starting with my teammates helped ease the nerves and pass the 2 hours we waited in line. Next thing you know they were singing the national anthem and the race was beginning!
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| TEAM Lifetime Ready to Rock! |
This wasn’t a typical mass start but a time trial start so athletes went off 4 at a time jumping off the boat docks and swam into the course. Another big differences on the Louisville swim is if the water temperature is over 80 degrees you can’t wear a wetsuit. I swam in races before without a wetsuit, but never 2.5 miles!
Swim start was calm….the great thing about this is no chaos of a mass start but also makes it congested for most of the first 1000 meters. It was hard to get in a grove until the first turn. Thousands of people at varying speeds made it difficult to pass.
After the turn around past Towhead Island I settled into a nice pace and swam in the last 1.5 miles without much issue. Once I saw the bridge and finish area in the distance I knew I was in good shape, gave it a little kick and finished strong.
I finished with a respectable 1:22:28. I was happy with that time, especially without the aid of a wetsuit and I saw Joe in the transition tent when I was leaving so I knew he was also swam strong.
Bike (112 miles):
I went down to Louisville earlier in the season and biked the course so I knew the hills were going to be a real test for me…add the fact it was going to be 95 degrees made me real nervous. I knew I would finish; but I was concerned about what (if anything) I would have left to run the marathon.
The first 20 miles were pretty flat and my goal was to get some fluids and food into my system….so I drank 20 ounces of water and ate a Payday candy bar while I got my legs stretched out from the swim.
To level set on my biking skills….I am not known as a fast or very adventurous biker. I am a strong climber but nervous going too fast and usually brake down the bigger hills much to my chagrin. First major hill I told myself I was not going to brake. At one point I was going 35 miles an hour and I still had someone tucked into their aero positions and passing me! Absolutely crazy…but it was fast enough for me.
For the next 70 or so miles you completed 2 35 mile loops of hills the were relentless…UP, down, UP, down, UP, UP, down again and the temperatures kept increasing into the mid 90s when I was done. It is hard to tell how warm you get on the bike because of the constant motion but I made every effort to keep my nutrition and hydration plan going…as the day got longer I knew that was going to be important. A lot of people ask what do you eat on a 12-14 hour race? I have a unique nutrition plan for Ironman that aligns more with and 8 year old birthday party than with an Ironman athlete. But my goal is to constantly keep fueling without getting sick to my stomach.
· Mile 1: GU Energy Gel with Caffeine
· Mile 20: Payday Candy Bar
· Mile 45: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
· Mile 70: ½ Payday Candy Bar
· Mile 100: ½ Payday Candy Bar
No Powerbars, No Gu energy gels, No fruit (except on the run). I figure I am doing an Ironman and deserve to cheat on my diet a bit! I also make conscious efforts to stop at aid stations to stretch and make sure I get my fluids. I do this more in preparation for the marathon than a necessity to get through the bike. Ironman is 3 disciplines and I can’t expel all my energy during one event.
Around the end of the second loop repeat (mile 80) I noticed the relentless hills and heat was taking its’ toll on people … my feet felt like they were on fire from the constant pedaling, 90+ degree heat and black leather bike shoes! Unfortunately this burning would last for the rest of the race. This was a the point in the race I also saw the racer who lost over 180 pounds on the ground under a tree…he was probably on his first hill loop but looked like he was done for the day…later on after the race I did hear he dropped out but planned to try again in 2013.
As the day got longer I saw more bikers stopped on the side, laying in the shade and a few ambulances helping people. I still felt strong but with the heat I continued to race conservatively. I kept riding, not too concerned about my time, just wanted to make sure I had enough energy for the run. Riding the last 15 miles I felt strong and picked up my pace.
I finished my bike right at 7 hours…looking back on my bike I think I held too much back…I came out of the bike transition feeling strong…a true testament to the 100 mile hill repeat workouts Joe and I did in June and July!
Run (26.2 Miles):
When I finished my bike Wendy asked me if I was ok because most of my other teammates were already finished 45 minutes before me (including Joe)…but that was part of my master plan – I HOPED!!!! See Paige’s photo!
Eating a handful of Mike and Ike’s, I came out of the transition tent and got another dose of sun tan lotion. There was a medical tent right before the run start and it was full of sick riders trying to cool off or getting IVs…that reminded again that I needed to hydrate all race long and it made me nervous as an ominous precursor for the run ahead of me.
I came out of the run start….first thing I heard was “GO Blue”, “GO Michigan”…..then I heard a “GO BLOW, Go Buckeyes!” ….this all within my first 50 feet!!!! Nice way to start! I told the Buckeye fan Ohio State was a bunch of cheats and to blow out his ear!
See, Spartans hate the Buckeyes too!
I saw my parents and family which was a great way to start…I told Wendy to order me a Meat Lovers Pizza and have it delivered to the Finish line in about 5 hours…then I gave Paige a big kiss (it was her 10th birthday) …. B was standing up on a cement block to get a better view of the race and I told him I would see him in 26.2 miles!!!! What did I just say??? I have to still run 26 more miles???
First few miles were pretty easy, coming off a 112 mile bike the key for me is to get my legs stretched, hit the water and sponges and try and cool your body temperature down….you don’t realize how hot you get on the bike because of the speed and wind and I think a lot of people can get tricked into thinking they are hydrated and cooled down.
On the out and back bridge I continued to hear “Go Blue” almost every 100 feet ….I was running a long side of another lady (Emily) and we started talking to pass the time. She worked at the University of Indiana and actually had to drop out at mile 128 last year. She felt she had unfinished business on this course and she was determined to finish. All I could think at that moment was I hope to god I finish because I don’t want to do this again. We would keep tabs on each other the rest of the race.
I told Emily about all the fundraising we did this year for the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UofM jersey I was wearing was the result of a lost bet. She got a big kick out of that and I told her I was just going to pretend to be a Wolverine for the next few hours.
Around mile 3 I was feeling good…no stomach issues and decent energy but my knee was really hurting...throbbing pain. Not sure where it came but I get this from time to time from overuse. I was getting concerned that I was not going to be able to finish…I stopped a couple times to stretch but not much was helping. I tried changing my stride…running more of a gallop / limp. I continued to do this for the next 6 miles. Not real fast but consistent….I only walked thru the aid stations where I would grab one chicken broth (for sodium) and one water (for hydration).
The Louisville run was a big out and back which was nice because I could see all my teammates the entire race no matter where they were on the course... I saw Joe around mile 6 and he looked strong but was cramping. The bad thing about an out and back is the mile markers can really kill your confidence….You pass mile 10 and then a mile 20 marker and you think about having to run that all over again! I figured the best thing to do was to not stop… no walking and I would be fine.
AND THERE IT WAS THE FINISH LINE….but wait I was mile 13?!?!? Son of a bitch…some cruel Ironman joke! I could see and hear the finish line!!!! And then the course turned back around and I needed to repeat then next 13 miles. At the mile 14 marker I saw Emily and gave her congratulations for making it past her distance last year…she looked strong and I knew she was going to finish.
At this point I am not sure what happened but my knee had periods that there would be no pain….my pace picked up from a fast limp to a normal jog. Maybe I can catch up to Joe who started 45 minutes in front of me? I just kept saying don’t stop, keep running … 2 hours to go.
At the end of my race you could see white rings around my arms and waist from all the chicken broth salt I sweated out…luckily I probably won’t need to wear it again.
For those thinking of doing an Ironman in the future please jump forward to the end of this report. Around mile 20 my knee pain came back – it was the marathon wall! Holy crap…just need to finish. The sun was starting to go down and I could see the ambulance lights along the course taking care of runners that have gone down. At least three that I could count during the last 6 miles alone. People cramping, throwing up, on the ground… it was a surreal moment. Maybe it wasn’t that bad, but in my head that is what it seemed like. I just kept running and there it was mile 25!
The Fourth Street Live finish …. all lit up on the horizon! I was so excited for my 2nd Ironman finish…I was looking ahead at the finish line for my family and ran right by them cheering for me…so they told me later! I felt bad about that but I was in the zone. And I finally passed the finish line I heard the legendary words:
"Rob Skrewupiski ??? From Wixom Michigan
YOU...ARE...AN IRONMAN !!!
Oh well, he butchered my name but it still sounded great! The finish line was crazy, people all over the place. Medical came to me immediately to see how I was doing but incredibly I felt great! Just another training day. I found out I finished only one minute behind Joe but didn’t see him at the end! Just in case Joe is reading this I stopped and looked in all the ambulances on the run in just to make sure he wasn’t in there, I also stopped at Jimmy Johns for some dinner….I am sure if I wouldn’t have done that I would have beat him. J Anyways, we trained all year long together and finished exactly how we always thought we would….I swim a little faster, he is a better biker, I run a little faster and when you look at all the pluses and minuses we always even out.
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| IRONDADS!!!! |
Not bad…finished in 14 hours and some change. But the most special part of this entire day was we were able to raise almost $15,000 for the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center! We would like to thank everyone for your support all year. We are extremely pleased with the amount of money raised for the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer for Pancreatic Cancer. It is our hope that the money raised in Ralph's honor will help aid the research to learn more about preventing, detecting and finding a cure for this disease!
Always remember…
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years!
Go Green and Go Blue Too!
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR
