WinterDelight

This is my second time doing the Muncie Endurathon with the first being in 2007.  What is an endurathon?  Good question as it comes up as unknown for the spell checker and Wikipedia does not have an article for the word endurathon.  Anyways, the answer is this; it is a 70.3 mile race that would be equivalent to a half ironman if it would be an ironman sanctioned event.  That 70.3 miles breaks down like this, in order:  1.2 mile swim, 56 miles bike, and 13.1 miles run.  Here I will break down how this event went for me this year with some comparisons to 2007.

First of all, my time was 6:32:47, well long of my goal of six hours.  It was my personal best of the two times I have done this, but I know I can do better.  In 2007 my time was 6:33:29, so I am improving.  I think physically I was more ready in 2007, as I had just run a marathon a month before Muncie and weighed about 15 lbs less.  So this sets up my plan for 2010 being the year that I get that six hour mark.

Swim

I was in the fifth wave and started at 7:18 AM.  The view by that time was great, as there were already 4 other waves in the water.  There were about 10% of the participants that did not have wet suits and I was in that 10%.  The swim was changed from years past and you did not finish swimming into the sun which is a huge plus for an already great course.  The swim is in a “U” shape, with about four tenths of a mile out, parallel to shore, and back to shore.

The water was very choppy with the wind making big waves.  Before my start we were all commenting on how many were swimming to the right of the buoys.  This is legal, but then you have to swim back to the yellow turn buoy, so it did not make sense.   Then I found out why, the waves and wind were driving you that way.  The waves were to your left on the way out, pushing you to the right.  I found myself with the drift we were talking about before the race.

At the first turn you start swimming with the wind and waves.  Soon after this turn I started getting passed by some of the people who started two waves back of me or about six minutes.  This was my first major mental battle.  I could not stand seeing this so early in the swim and would have liked to just swim up to the next boat I come to and quit.  I have never had such thoughts during a race and had to fight through these thoughts.

The second turn came quick since I had been swimming with the wind and waves.  The turn down the home stretch and my attitude is improving.  Now that I found myself drifting to the left of the buoys, but knew why and could compensate for it better.  When I finished the swim it was time to run up the transition area and I was battling feelings of just quitting again.  Why did I have these feelings?  I took my time getting dry and clean before putting on my biking gear, to make sure I was comfortable for the long ride ahead.

Bike

The bike was what I have been most worried about.  I have not been riding as much as I had in past years.  Last year by this time I had done a century ride (100 miles), but this year my longest ride two weeks prior to Muncie had been 35 miles.  I did Warsaw Triathlon two weeks prior to Muncie and knew I needed more bike time before Muncie, so I kicked it up a gear at the time I should be tapering.  I got one long ride around 60 miles in eight days before Muncie and then started to taper.  I think my under training weighted heavily on me during my swim and in the first part of my bike.

I also tried something new for the bike.  I have wanted to use one of the Profile Design’s drink bottle for the aerobars.  Figured this would be better than conventional water bottles and I was right in that it was.  I did learn two things about how to use the bottle correctly.  First, do not fill it with Heed as when you hit bumps it will splash out and get your hands and handle bars very sticky.  Second, would be to try the straw before cutting it too short.  I would have been fine not cutting the straw at all, but looking at it and not testing caused it to be too short.

I started the bike out fine and enjoyed the greenway trail for the first about six miles.  Then it is out on highway 35.  There was cross wind at this point and I knew when we turned west we would have a head wind.  I was not wrong either, head wind.  I cranked away.  At this point it was dark far to the west, but overhead it was clear and I started feeling drops of rain that soon stopped.  My back also started hurting as I was cranking away.  Soon after that a woman passed me and told me my toes were too pointed and that will hurt my back, great advise just as I needed it.

Along this stretch an urge to pee got much stronger and I knew there were port-a-potties at the turn around.  I felt much better after visiting the portable restroom.  I was a couple pounds lighter, gave my legs a break, and had a tail wind, the ride was getting better.  Then at about 30 miles it started getting darker and the heavy rain started.  The cool rain felt great and was very welcome.  About a mile later there was a flash of lightning and then sharp thunder.  In my mind I had concern they would start pulling us off the course and cancel the rest of the event.  More lightning and more thunder, but nobody told us to stop and then just rain again.  We turned to go back north.  Now the rain was washing over my face, mixing with my sweat and stinging my eyes.

I finished the bike and was thankful to get off the steed and run.  Once again in the transition area, thoughts of giving up swarming in my thoughts.  Take off my wet stuff and put on different wet stuff.  I had socks in my shoes and covered with a towel, but they were soaked now.  I wrung them out and put them on anyway.

Run

I had a plan for the run; walk every water break and do not try to run 8:30 minute/mile pace.  I started and ran with a guy from Dayton, Ohio until the first water break.  His wife was also running, but he thought she was ahead of him since she was fast on the swim.  Then I found a 50+ year old guy to run with.  He had on an Ironman shirt, so I caught him and asked him if he has done an Ironman.  The answer was yes, four times he did Ironman at Wisconsin.  We walked through the first water break and then talked more for the next mile.  He was from Lansing, Michigan.  Then I had to stop and tie my shoe and never caught up to him again.

After that I chatted with a few people, but never stuck with anyone for too long.  Just after the turn around, I started feeling my legs wanting to quit, but I pressed on.  My walks through the watering station got longer.  Around 9 miles I started walking up some hills.  Then about mile 11, I switched to walking and running whenever I could.  I usually picked a spot to start running and then picked a spot in the distance that I would allow myself to walk again.  My legs just had nothing left, my body was done.

Then I saw the finish line and figured I should run, so I did.  Gave it all I had, a sprint of sort, but really it was an old man run.  I was done, done, DONE!  I walked around, got my finishers plaque and meal ticket, collected my stuff, changed into something dry, and ate.

Conclusion

I was not physically ready for this event.  Next time I need to spend more time training on the bike and more bricks.  A big plus was walking through the water breaks.  I felt like I took in enough food on the bike course, much more than last time, but it should have been more and taking more gels on the run would have helped.  Electrolytes for the run would be a big help, but I need to find a good way to carry them while running.

I should have never had thoughts of giving up.  That has never happened before and I think it was because of the fact that I did not think I was ready.  I like to learn something spiritually from every event I do and claim it for my own life.  The next morning for Sunday School we were looking at Philippians 3-4 and our main theme was pressing on towards the goal.  I cannot look at what I just did and give up on the race.  It is not just swim or just bike, but I need to finish the race and have a good attitude while doing it.

Philippians 3:12-14: Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.