Race Week
I was a nervous wreck the weekend before the race. It seemed like I didn’t have anything that I needed nor would I be able to get everything ready to go for when we hit the road Monday night. MH is a saint for putting up with me. I know I had to have driven her crazy with all the last minute items I needed to buy. We got on the road Monday right after work and rolled into Grayton around 930. Just getting down there helped me to calm down a little bit. The plan was to what little bit of training was on my schedule and just relax as much as I could. A short ride on Tuesday was skipped b/c a gasket in my pump blew out. I got a good 5 mile run in that evening. Wednesday morning I drove over to PCB to meet up with a few people that I’ve met on beginnertriathlete.com to go for a swim. I was pretty nervous. This was my first swim in my new wetsuit…my first real swim in the Gulf…and there were only 4 of us going. We hit the water around 715 and swam straight out for probably about 1000m. We made a few stops along the way so everyone could get back together. We made the turn and started back in. This swim helped my confidence a lot. I knew I could swim the distance, I just didn’t know what the water of the gulf would be like. Now, if only there was a way to simulate swimming with 2500 other people. After the swim, I hopped on my bike all geeked out with my sweet aero helmet and rode down the run course to the state park and back to the car. The wind was whipping. This was my first time on my race wheels. You can really tell a difference with the wheels and helmet. I didn’t feel like I was a brick on wheels pedaling into the wind. I got back to the car and switched into some dry clothes so I could go wait in line for athlete registration. The line was only about 50 athletes deep at this point. It didn’t take too long before I was at the tent, signing all my waivers, and getting my swag bag. They set up Ironman Village rather nicely. You walk out of registration straight to the expo and IM shop. I picked up a few things…stickers, a visor, and compression socks. Then I went and got us checked into our room. The first of Heather’s family was getting into town on Wednesday afternoon. I headed back to Grayton to load up her and little man for our stay in PCB. It was pouring down rain at this point. Rather than unpack in the rain, we went to the house her family was staying at. We visited for a while and then left Lucas with them so we could go unpack. So, I’m sure that our room at the Boardwalk Resort was nice when it was first built, but by today’s standards not so much. They charged you like it was some beach side villa. Once we got everything of mine into the room, we looked and decided it would probably be better for MH and Lucas to stay at her parents’ place. Lucas would have gone crazy in this room and in turn so would we. It was lonely in the room, but it was a good lonely. I was able to focus on the race, go thru my gear (multiple times), make lists of lists that I need to make, and get some good sleep. Thursday morning was more of the same. I didn’t get in the water, but I did get a quick and easy brick workout done. The run was cut short b/c it started to thunder and lighting and I didn’t want to end my race before it even started. That night, the entire family went to Mikata for dinner. All the carbs and sodium from the rice are great for you on races like this. We all said our goodbyes and called it a night. Back in the room, I laid out all of my gear again and made lists for each transition & special needs bag (again). Friday morning, I woke up and stepped out on our balcony. Wow…the waves were rockin. Around 8 I slipped on my wet suit and headed down to see just how bad the water was. A few people actually went out swimming. The rest of us made it out about waist deep and just watched as the waves came crashing in. It was those waves that would knock you over if you weren’t paying attention. At each break of the waves, we would look at each other with wide eyes and you just knew…you knew they were thinking the same thing…Please God let the water calm down by tomorrow. After the “swim,” I headed back up to the room and quadruple checked all of my gear before I took it to the drop off points. Leaving your bike and gear is a weird feeling, but it also made the way for a calmness to come over me that day. The rest of that day was full of rest. I curled up with little man and took a nap that afternoon. That evening, MH and I headed back to the room for the night.
Race Day
I woke up around 300 to eat my first meal (waffles with PB & Honey). I was getting a little nervous at this point. I tried to fall back asleep, but that just wasn’t going to happen. I made a cup of green tea and just sat there. I tried to go through the race in my head. Tried to think through my strategy for each leg of the course.
Around 500 I drank a protein shake. I started to get crazy nervous at this point. I put on my jammers and just kinda bounced around the room. Around 6:00 is when it got ugly. My stomach was in knots. I tried to just lay back and listen to some music, but the nerves were just too much. I ended up getting sick that morning. (Caution TMI: luckily it was just liquid that came up and not all my nutrition from the morning or else I would have freaked out). Afterwards, I felt fine. I was ready to do this. I put on my wet suit and headed down to the beach around 6:20 and I’d look for the fam after I swam a little. I walked over to the swim exit to see how it was set up and heard someone calling my name. It was Sophia! It was good to see a familiar face. We talked for a bit and took a picture. Then I headed into the water to try and do a little warm-up swim. I was only able to swim for about 5 mins before they announced for everyone to get out of the water. I headed back onto the beach and started looking for my family. They should’ve been easy to spot in the shirts they had made for the race.
I saw Keith with Jackson on his shoulders and then the rest of the family. I gave everyone hugs, kissed MH and little man and headed towards the chute. Can tell everyone how much it helped having cheerleaders out there. They were decked out with signs and everything!
A nice calm came over me once I left the cheering section. I just stood there and looked out over the water while we sang the National Anthem. This was going to be an awesome day!
The Swim (2.4miles)
The cannon sounded and we were off. I high stepped through the waves until it was about waist deep and then I dove on in. I’ve heard this described as being in a washing machine with hands and feet…that’s pretty much the truth. The first loop was nothing but hits, slaps, leg grabbing, and kicks. I decided that I wanted to try and stay
in the pack on the first loop. I never got hit very hard nor did I just lay into anyone. I took one good kick to the side by some D.A. doing the breastroke in the middle of everyone. I don’t have a problem with racers doing the breaststroke, but if you have to do it, move to the outside. That stroke takes up so much room. The turn at the buoy wasn’t as big of a cluster as I thought it was going to be. I had heard rumors that it gets jammed up and you end up hanging out treading water for a few minutes while everyone makes the turn but that was not the case at all. After the next turn towards shore, I felt started digging a little harder. Every few strokes I’d look up to make sure I was still swimming towards the turnaround. About 30 yards out from the shore, I stood up and started high stepping through the waves. I ran across the timing mat and saw 35:38 on my watch…I was killing the swim. I grabbed a cup of water and took back off into the surf. The hordes had thinned out on the second loop. You still got the occasional smack in the head or kick to the ribs but nowhere near what it was like on the first loop. I made the two turns without any major issues and started heading back into shore. I was out of the pack on the way back in. I’d catch the current every once and while pulling me off course. I stood up at about the same point again and took my time walking to the swim exit. It was jam packed full of swimmers. I crossed the timing mat and saw my time on my watch of around 1:18. I was shooting for around 1:15/1:20 so I was pretty pumped. [Swim Time 1:18:46; Overall 1374/2405; Div 144/204; Sex 1127/1832]
As I exited the water, I unzipped my wetsuit and pulled it down to my waist. After I crossed the mat, I found a stripper to rip my wet suit off my waist & legs. I stood up, grabbed my wetsuit, and made my way to the change tent. I looked up to see all the in-laws up on the breezeway outside my room cheering me on. The change "tent" was about the biggest cluster that I have ever been a part of. Over 1800 guys trying to change clothes and not lose anything. I was hoping that I could get in and out of transition in about 7 minutes, but that just wasn’t going to happen considering it took 7 minutes for me to get to a spot where I could change. I decided I’d rather take my time and make sure I didn’t forget anything than rush through and forget something. I exited the change tent and ran by the SPF crew. My friend Kate was volunteering with the SPF crew. I got in front of her and was greeted with a scream and a hug. I got some put on my face and made my way around the parking lot to where my bike was racked. A volunteer had it waiting for me. I ran it to the exit, saw my awesome cheering section, mounted up and made my way out for 112 miles of fun. [T1 Time 19:08; Overall 2264/2405; Sex 1728/1832; Div 196/204]
The Bike (112 miles)
It was still pretty cold by the time we got out on the bike. I was wearing my bike shorts, tri jersey, arm warmers, long sleeve under armour shirt, and a large plastic bag under my outer layer to act as a wind breaker. The big “no no” when on the bike course is to draft. It seemed like there were a bunch of us that tried so hard not to draft and then everyone else just didn’t even care. On some of those roads, a string of 6-10 bikes would come humming along. It was a little irritating. The first 56 miles went by pretty fast. I was hammering along pretty good. I took it very easy the first 30 minutes. At this mark, I took in my first bit of nutrition since breakfast. I had a card attached to my aero bars that broke down what I was going to eat every hour and a reminder to keep drinking fluids. My goal was to take it around 370 cals every hour on the bike (1 mini clif bar, 1 Gu, 20oz of IM Perfomace (drink)). The aid stations were great. Just holler out what you want and they would run it up along next to you so you could grab it and be on your way. The wind didn’t feel too bad for the first 20-35 miles. Around mile 45 it seemed to pick up some. Then around mile 50, we hit the out and back section where our special needs bags were waiting for us. I couldn’t wait to chow down on that uncrustable. This was the roughest section of road on the course. Bottles & spare tubes littered the ground. I hit the turnaround and go to my bag in just over the 3hr mark. I felt great on the bike. I was averaging close to 18 on the first half which is pretty good for me. The second half of the bike is when it got a little more interesting. The packs had thinned out. There were 3 or 4 of us that seemed to play leap frog for the next 50 miles. For miles 60-85 the wind was killing us. I dropped out of my big chain ring up front because my knee just started throbbing. I tried to just spin when I could and coast down the hills…yes, that’s right, hills in Florida. Toward the end of this stretch, I saw 4 orange shirts at the next intersection. As I got a little closer, I could tell it was Aunt Debra, Uncle Rusty, Mamaw, & Papaw. Once I got close enough where they could see me, I threw a hand up and waived. The bike course got a little lonely, and seeing some of my family at that point gave me a new found energy to finish up these last 30 miles. As I got back into PCB and took the left off of Hwy 79, I saw more of my cheering section yelling for me. I didn’t catch who all was there. I know I saw Dave and Briana. Hearing people cheer you (specifically you) on is way too cool. The wind on Front Beach Road sucked. It was the longest 7 miles ever. I weaved back onto Thomas drive and rode down the chute that was lined with spectators yelling and cheering for everyone. I hit the dismount line and passed my bike off to volunteer. She treated me well today. I saw all my orange clad family and friends, waved, and made my way into transition to get suited up for the run. [Bike time 6:47:10; Overall 1925/2405; Sex 1560/1832; Div 179/204]
T2
I tried to run into the change tent, but my legs did not want to cooperate. My first thought was how in the hell am I going to run 26.2 miles with my legs feeling like this. I got into the change room and found a chair. T2 wasn’t nearly as packed and unorganized as T1. Again, I took my time so I wouldn’t forget anything. I stopped by the SPF crew again to get some on my face (thanks again Kate!) and made my way to the run exit. Leaving transition was a weird feeling, all that stood between me and becoming an Ironman was 26.2 long miles. [T2 time 13:57; Overall 2188/2405; Sex 1681/1832; Div 193/204]
As I started out on the run course, all my cheering section was out there yelling. I felt so energized at this point. I tried to keep an easy pace. After the first mile, my HR started going crazy, breathing was off, and stomach was cramping. I just had to start walking. After about 10 minutes, my HR and breathing were fine, but my stomach was not. Anytime I tried to pick it up and run, I got a shooting pain. I started sipping water thru the aid stations and chewing some pepto chewables like they were candy. Around mile 5, I felt a good bit better and decided to try and run through it. I started my watch and started my 4/1 run/walk. This put me out of the neighborhood and into the state park. Around mile 7, they have what is called the Ford Motivational Mile. Heather was able to type me a message that flashed on the screen as I passed it. “You can & You Will”. The park was the lonely part of the run. There is only 1 aid station and not much lighting. My buddy Carroll and his wife were on the course around mile 11. He jogged with me for a bit to see how I was doing. This helped a lot. He was very encouraging. I made the turn back onto Front Beach Road and could see the turnaround as well as the people that were finishing up their marathon and heading to the finish line. As I neared the turn around, my knee was aching. Uncle Rusty hopped out and ran with me a little ways to the turn around which helped me ignore the pain for a little bit. I saw all the rest of the fam at the turnaround. MH was there yelling how she was proud of me and that she loved me. I think I shouted back I love you, but I know I locked eyes with here and gave her a look like OMG I’m about to die. I grabbed my special needs bag and fished out my long sleeve Auburn shirt. It was pretty darn cold out there at this point. For the next 13.1 miles, I was greeted with War Eagles and did you hear that LSU beat bama. (It was turning out to be a great day!) Some people like looped courses…me, not so much. I hate know exactly how much I have left. But, hearing her words kept me going. There was no way I wasn’t going to finish this thing. I kept on with my 4/1 strategy up until mile 20. My stomach started cramping again and my knee was killing me. I tried to just keep sipping water at the aid stations. I was given a glow stick so that volunteers and traffic could see me better since it was night now. I munched on some grapes and pretzels and as the night carried on, I looked forward to the warm cups of chicken broth every mile. I hit mile 23 and tried to run again, but it just wasn’t going to happen. My stomach was fine…my knee was not. Every stride sent a sharp pain across the front of my knee. Even walking was hurting at this point. I wasn’t just plodding along, I was close to speed walking. I hit that last mile marker and just kept on repeating…I Can. I started running. I wasn’t running fast, but I was moving. Before you make a couple of turns to get out on Front Beach Road, you could see the lights from the finish line light of the sky and the announcers voice calling out racers as they crossed the finish line. I made my turn onto Front Beach Road and saw the finish line. I started running harder. I was gonna do it…I was gonna finish this thing. I passed Alvins Island and entered the finishers chute. I flung my glow stick to the side and laughed when spectators yelled that’s right you don’t need that thing anymore. As The last 100 yds came up, I start throwing my hands in the air getting the crowd pumped up. I could see the orange shirts in the bleachers, but all I could do was look straight ahead at that finish line. The last 10 yds I ran as hard as my legs would let me and heard the words I will never forget…”Eric O’Neal…You…are…an…Ironman!” [Run time 6:33:06; Overall Place 2129/2405; Sex 1648/1832; Div 194/204]
My final time was 15:12:05 [Overall 2053/2405; Sex 1612/1832; Div 191/204]. Overall I was pleased with my race. If I had to change anything, it would have been the run. I might have tried to run more or when I did run, run faster. It's easy to look back and see thing that you would do differently. While I was on that run, I wanted to go faster & I wanted to run more, but my knee just wouldn't let me.
After I crossed the finish line, got my hat and medal and made my way around to see the family. I know that they had to be frozen. I was on cloud 9 at this point. It was weird…on the course when I thought about finishing, I’d get a little teary eyed, yet when I crossed that line all I wanted to do was smile. When I got to see MH and little man I got a little choked up. Thinking of them is what helped get me thru this. Recovery wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Yes, I was sore, but I wasn’t immobile like some people were that next morning. Thanks to everyone for following me that day…for thinking about me that day…and for praying for me that day. It meant a lot to have so many people be a part of this weekend. And to those that don’t know…yes, I did get some ink.
We have a ton of pics and only a few that I’ve actually gotten to put online anywhere. Check out the two links below. One is for pics that MH took and the other is for the official pics from IMFL. I’ll post new links as I get them online.
Here is a slideshow of all the pics from MH's camera. A lot of duplicates and random ones...
Here is the link to the "official" photos from IMFL.
And Lucas…one day you’ll get to read this or hear about this I’m sure. I want you to know that you were a big reason I did this. You and your momma mean the world to me. Anytime in life, when things get tough, just remember to keep telling yourself these two words “I Can”.
No quote this week. Instead, I ask that you take just a few minutes to click the link below and read more about “People for bikes.” If you feel so inclined, sign the pledge. Thanks!
http://www.peopleforbikes.org/
