Ironman Wisconsin Bike: Brutally Fun

When I left you, I had just finished a choppy swim and was headed into transition. One of the "charms" on Ironman Wisconsin is that transition is on the top floor of the Monona Terrace.  It is pretty unique in that the transition and changing area is inside the building in the ballrooms. Running up the famous "double helix" is a challenge all its own.  I remember feeling downright frantic, clutching my wetsuit, and shivering in the cold as I went round and round wondering if I would ever get to the top of the building.  I was trying so hard to improve my transition time as I knew that was an area where I could find a few minutes over my first two attempts.

The famous helix (random pic from Google)

Finally, I made it to the top and to the ballroom where my bag was waiting in T1.  The volunteers at Ironman are exceptionally awesome people and are always so calm and collected as I am rambling on and on and trying to make sure that I have all my stuff in order. She helped me get my socks and shoes on, sprayed me with sunscreen, helped put my arm warmers over my wet arms (a feat in itself!).  I loaded up my pockets with Honey Stinger Waffles, threw on my helmet and sunglasses, and I was off to find my bike.  Running in bike shoes is not easy, but I hustled as much as I could.  My bike was waiting for me, just as I'd left it and as I got to the mount line, I heard someone cheering and calling my name.  It was Deb! She'd come all the way from Indiana to cheer for me and some of her other friends.  I am so lucky to have supportive friends all over the country!

I got through transition in 11:17 - about the same as Ironman Maryland, but with a much more complex transition and that darned helix so I'll take it as a win!

What goes up must come down and now it was my turn to ride my bike down the winding helix.  I'm thankful that there were no other bikes around me as I rode the brakes all the way to the bottom.  Now it was time to see what I could do on the bike.  I still had hopes of a PR in my mind even though I knew that with 6100 feet of climbing the bike course would be the most challenging one that I'd ridden in an Ironman thus far.  I'm glad that we took the time to drive the course before the race because that helps me so much.  While I couldn't remember every turn, I had a good mental picture of what was coming ahead of me.

Views from our drive of the course (Pic: Karen Baha)

It was cloudy with temperatures in the upper 50s and not too much wind - nothing like the weather I'd trained in, but you would not hear me complaining. I added arm warmers to my race kit and never really thought about the temperatures again, other than occasionally feeling thankful that it wasn't hot.

Getting out of town was a little bit tricky as the route took us on a bike path for a couple of miles before hitting the open roads.  The course is described as a "lollipop" with a "stick" heading out to the loop, which we rode twice before heading back to town on the stick.  This is the same type of course that I have ridden at each of my Ironman races and I like the layout as I tend to think of the day in loops rather than miles (one loop on the swim, two loops on the bike, two loops on the run).

I get better at understanding and using my power meter with each race season and my plan for the day was to ride within my power limits.  I didn't have speed or time displayed on any of the data screens that I was using on my watch.  I had a heck of a ride at Chattanooga last year, the best ride of my life even with an average of 19.2 mph for the 116 miles....but I rode just a little bit above power and I paid for it mightily on the run.  My goal here at Wisconsin was to have a more complete race and to get to the run with some ability to actually run left in my legs.

I knew that there would be big climbs, big descents, and lots of turns so I settled in and got to work.  I had Honey Stinger Waffles and Shot Blocks to eat with water and Osmo in my bottles.  I try to at least nibble on something every time that my watch chimes five miles so that I am getting calories every 15-20 minutes depending on my speed.  I don't always get something in, but that strategy seems to work for me. When training at home in the hot summer it is so hard to chew those waffles, I think that the heat just makes everything more difficult, so I was surprised at how much easier it was to eat in the cooler temperatures.

I was envious of the locals who could train on these roads all of the time because I knew that they would have a definite advantage on the climbs and also a big advantage on the descents.  Some of the descents really had me nervous as there were often turns at the bottom and I wasn't familiar enough with the roads to know where they go.  I was admiring one lady in a bright green kit who was riding near me for a good part of the first loop.  I could usually climb to the top of a hill ahead of her, but she could tuck into aero and descend like a boss! I know that I was not able to fully take advantage of some of those descents because of my chicken-ness.  Always something to work on, right? I just can't think of any descents like that around here on which to practice.

There are a set of three hills towards the end of the loop that I have since learned are called the "Three Bitches." I can see why they are called that because they are just mean.  However, the locals make a party of it and line the hills - it looked like a scene from the Tour de France.  I was in my smallest gear and out of the saddle for most of them (and barely moving at that), but I laughed and smiled the whole way just watching all of the people.  I'm not sure I could have made it up those hills twice without the "encouragement" of the crowd.

 

Somewhere not too long after these climbs, there was a big descent with a sharp turn at the bottom.  There were several warning sings that said "slow" and most of us were heeding that advice.  About that time a guy came around me and I could tell that he was just going way too fast.  "Too fast!! Too fast!!" I was silently shouting.  It looked to me like he decided to take his chances with the soft, green grass at the end instead of trying to make the turn and end up skidding across the pavement.  However, there must have been some kind of bump between the road and the grass and when he hit it he and his bike took a somersault in the air.  It was one of the worst crashes I'd ever seen and it rattled me a bit as I made the turn and kept going.  Another rider passed me and we both commented on how awful that crash was.  I've thought about that athlete often and I hope that he is okay.

The end of the first loop brought us back through Verona and there were people lining the streets to cheer us on.  It was here that I heard my name and saw Deb cheering - I can't tell you how cool it is to have friends cheering on the course, especially when racing so far from home.  One loop down, one more to go - let's get this done!

I'm thankful that I only had my power meter numbers on my watch and not my speed because I probably would have become discouraged and the race went on.  I could tell from the five mile chimes that my speed was decreasing and I could see that my power had dropped a bit too, but I was still towards the top of my power range and that is exactly where I needed to be in order to have a decent run.  Ride to power, MK. That is your job here.

I was having to pee a lot more often that usual - guess there is something about that cooler weather - so I finally hopped off my bike at a rest stop somewhere around mile 80.  It felt so good to stand up for a minute and give my legs a break.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention how beautiful this course is.  Picture red barns, silos, beautiful farmhouses, and rolling fields of corn for as far as they eye could see - it is exactly what you think of when you picture the Midwest.  I always wonder who lives in those homes and what their life is like.  There were also some pretty cute cows along the way - black and white spotted dairy cows, not the standard beef cattle like you see all over Texas.  Wisconsin is a beautiful place!

IM Mooooo (Pic: Karen Baha)

I just kept pedaling (there seems to be a theme to this day - just keep swimming, just keep pedaling) until I found myself a the Three Bitches again.  This time there was an athlete pulling a person in a bike trailer. Members of a local girls cross country team were taking turns running behind the trailer and giving it a slight push up the hill.  I couldn't imagine pulling someone else for the duration of this course nor could I imagine running up those hills pushing a trailer like those girls were doing.  There is no shortage of inspiration at Ironman, it surrounds you.

Just as I got up those tough hills for the second time, close to mile 90, I noticed that there was a light rain falling. I'm not sure when it started, I just realized that it was getting harder to see as I was wearing sunglasses.  This was about the time that I was making that descent where I saw the crash earlier in the race.  During one of my last training rides my back brake cable snapped as I was pulling up to a red light.  This was all I could think about as I went down that hill on the damp pavement....the memory of how that felt was fresh and I wondered what I would do if it happened right then.

I made it through Verona a second time and was heading for the turn back to the "stick" part of the course when I thought that I heard a scraping sound coming from my front wheel.  I pulled over to check the brakes and they were rubbing on my front wheel just a bit.  This happens sometimes when I use my front brakes (which I rarely do) as I did during that last big descent on the slick pavement.  I finished the rest of the loop and headed back towards Madison.

Because I only had my power meter numbers on my watch screen, I had no idea how long this whole ride was taking me.  I knew that it was much slower either of my other Ironman rides, but I was a little afraid to find out how much slower.  I knew that my chances at a PR were long gone, but I was still hoping for a solid race and a finish time that I could feel proud of. I finally took a look when I got back on the bike path near the finish and I felt very disappointed to see that I would be coming in over seven hours.  Both of my other Ironman bike times were in the low 6 hour range and I felt upset with myself for being so much slower. That being said, I also knew that I rode within my power range so I should have a good chance at a solid run.

I always wonder how my people are doing and I thought about Mr K, Baha, and Greg often.  What did they think of those hills? Did they have a much faster time than me? Mostly I was hoping that everyone was having a good day.

What goes down comes up again, right? You guessed it, 7 hours 9 minutes and 20 seconds later I was back to the helix.  It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be.  Either I was that tired or it didn't feel so bad after some of those climbs.  Round and round I went all the way to the top where I handed my bike off to a volunteer.  As I ran into transition, I was quite happy that my legs didn't have that shaky buckle feeling that they did at Ironman Chattanooga. There was hope for me yet!

Ironman Wisconsin: Prelude and Swim

Mr K, Karen, Baha, and I arrived in Madison on Thursday and were immediately smitten with how mild the weather felt compared to the furnace we had left behind in Texas.  The race venue was pretty easy to find and the Athlete Village was already quietly humming with activity days before the race.  Check-in was pretty quiet when we got there, so we moved through it pretty quickly.  It was an honor to check in at the All World Athlete table, which also allowed me a lower bib number and a sweet spot amongst the bike racks in transition.  We were too hungry to shop in the Ironman store, but we did happen to catch Mike Reilly there and I was able to get him to autograph a copy of his book for us.  This was my third Ironman, but it would be the first time for Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman, to call me across the finish line. Our final housemate, Greg, arrived later that afternoon and we stumbled across some of the finest pizza in Madison that evening.

It was great to meet Mike Reilly, The Voice of Ironman

There are two big lakes in Madison - Monona and Mendota.  The swim was in Lake Monona and the house we were staying in was on Mendota.  There are bike paths and lanes all throughout the town, so it made picking up our bikes from Omar with I Love My Bike Transport easy as we were able to ride to and from the house down to the race area.  I can't recommend Omar enough, our bikes and bags arrived in Madison and then back home without any worry.  We drove the bike course on Friday afternoon, this always sets my mind at ease a little just to get a mental picture of what the roads and scenes would look like. I had heard so many people say how challenging the bike course is and it would be quite daunting but I also knew that it was nothing I couldn't handle.

The view from our house on Lake Mendota

I felt calm in the final days leading up to the race.  I had moments of "oh no, what about...." or "did I remember...." but I tried to maintain a balance preparedness while not spending too much energy worrying. I knew that it would be a long day and there would be highs and lows, but I would be doing something that I love. 

Just Keep Swimming

The alarm sounded ridiculously early on race morning, not that I was sleeping that soundly anyway. I'm fortunate that Mr. K is an excellent breakfast cook and is willing to make a small serving of scrambled eggs and toast for me before we head out to the race. Ironman Wisconsin is unique in that the transition areas are inside a ballroom in a convention center so we were able to hang out inside before heading down to the water.  Temperatures were in the upper 50s, which felt downright chilly to us. The four of us put on our wetsuits, posed for a few pictures, then headed towards our respective starting areas.

All smiles at the practice swim

Baha and I waited for the swim start together, Ironman uses a rolling start now and we seeded ourselves according to our planned pace.  It was hard to tell where the pace groups were as the people holding the signs were moving all over the place.  While we were waiting they mentioned an athlete who would be completing their 200-something Ironman that day.  I can't even begin to imagine what their life must be like and I wondered how long they have been doing this.  Ironman has only been around 41 years, that is a brisk pace!

I think that we noticed that the water looked choppy, but none of us really wanted to acknowledge it or talk about it.  One guy near us did note that we would be swimming the longest portion of the race into the chop.  We were in the lake the day before for a practice swim and the water was so perfect - there was sunshine and it was calm and beautiful.  I'm not sure what happened to that lake, but it was not the lake we would get for our race.  It was pretty cool to see Mike Reilly in the middle of all of the athletes, sending us off with such positive energy.  I love Ironman Day!!

"Put on your goggles" Baha said as I stepped into the water. Minor detail.

As soon as I started swimming, I noticed that it visibility was going to be a challenge.  Right away I could hear voices from the kayaks telling us to swim more towards the right.  The swim was a single large rectangle and I felt way on the outside during the outward bound side of the rectangle.  I could see other swimmers and kayaks to my right and I knew that as long as I could see them I wasn't too far out.  Buoy to buoy is the name of the game in a long swim like this and I got to work.  I felt like there were constantly people around me, but I held my own this time - unlike in the past.  I knew that life was going to get a lot more interesting when we turned the first corner because we would be starting to swim into the worst of the chop.

Racked and ready to go in transition

I was thankful to reach that first corner because that meant the first part of the swim was over.  Now to turn the second corner and swim that longest section that was directly into the chop.  It felt like a tough swim, but I didn't let myself dwell on just how hard it was.  Unlike cycling or running, it is impossible to talk to the person next to you and say "wow, does this seem exceedingly tough?" So I just kept my head down and just kept swimming.  At one point I noticed a sea of green caps (men) around me and very few pink (women) caps - and it reminded me that we need more women in Ironman. Lots of traffic, lots of contact, but I just kept swimming.  Halfway through this long stretch, the buoys turn from yellow (outbound) to orange (inbound) - this was encouraging because I knew it meant I was halfway through that long side of the swim.  It was difficult to see the buoys at times, so I just made sure that I could see swimmers and kayaks to my right when I was breathing.  At one point I convinced myself that the next orange buoy was really red (a turn buoy), but it just wasn't true and I grumbled to myself and just kept swimming.

I am really lucky in that I never experience cramps on the bike or on the run, but both my calves cramped a couple of times during this swim.  I must have been working that kick harder than usual? Finally I saw that red turn buoy in the distance and I swam with sheer determination to get to it.  I had not looked at my watch a single time because I just didn't want to know how far I'd gone - or better yet - how far I had to go.  I think that I really was in denial about how difficult it had been because when I finally did glance at my watch, as I swam to shore, I was disappointed that I was missing my time goal by more than 5 minutes.

I gave it my best kick as I swam towards the exit and as I went to put my feet on the ground, my left calf gave me one final cramp.  Thankfully it passed quickly and I saw 1:37:37 on my watch as I headed towards the wetsuit strippers.

Despite all of that, I still swam a personal best!  It just goes to show you how much I have improved as a swimmer since my last Ironman swim in Maryland two years ago (remember, the swim was cancelled at Chattanooga last year).  According to my watch, I swam 2.9 miles but I'm not sure how accurate that is with all of the other people around me and with the clouds in the sky. It was probably the worst chop that I've ever swum in and I held my own.  I can't think of a better confidence boost, I'm really looking forward to trying the distance again in much better conditions.

Now to focus on climbing the helix and getting through transition and to my bike at the top of the building.