Back to Blogging and Exciting Ironman News: IM Kona 2016

Dear friends,

After 15 Full Ironman Triathlons, I have finally been selected to compete in the Ironman World Championships in Kona on October 8, 2016.  It has been a long journey since my first Ironman in Louisville in 2010.  I was too busy with life and with Ironman training and racing to keep up with my blog.  Let me summarize by saying that I have continued to train with Ironteam while fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I have raised over $25,000 in that span.  I will start up a new season with Ironteam this weekend as I start training for IM Kona.  I hope to be more diligent with my blog and with my swim workouts.  I am a faster cyclist and runner, but still need to work on my swim.

My previous blog outlined my recovery from ACL Reconstruction and provided race reports after each of my major marathons / Ironman triathlons.  This new version will be more focused on the life of an age grouper balancing work, family, and Ironman training.  I hope you find this interesting.

As for my knee almost 7 years s/p ACL reconstruction, its doing great.  I run faster than before my injury and 99% of the time, my knee feels solid and I don't even think about it.  However that 1% of the time, I will have a mis-step and feel a strange twinge and there is that slight instability.  Fortunately, I have not had any falls, but I have had a few close calls during these episodes.  Occasionally after long runs and marathons, my operated knee will feel more swollen and more sore.  That's where ice wraps and muscle stimulation comes in.  More on that in a future post.  Until then, Run Happy!

Alexander "Neomedic"
Marathon Maniac #886

I started this blog 3 years ago to document my journey towards the IRONMAN.  I had just joined Team in Training to train for Wildflower Long-Course and the Full Vineman Triathlons.  Here is an excerpt of my first Post from Dec 30, 2008 :

I started running in January 2006.  I moved from my previous hospital to my current one.  I saved about 2 hours of commute time.  That allowed me to start running and getting into shape.  At the time a mile seemed a long way.  When I ran a 5K in Feb 2006, I nearly passed out at the finish.  Slowly I started to build up the mileage and ran a 8K and a 10K.  I enjoyed the whole race experience, the runners, the cheering crowds, the reward ( food) at the finish.  I decided to sign up for a half marathon and a full marathon... one week apart.  The half was on Memorial Day 2006.  The full was the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, June 4, 2006.  I didn't know anything about carbo loading or tapering.  I assumed that if I could run 18 miles in my training runs, I could run a marathon.  The half marathon went well.  I came in under 2 hours, so I was quite pleased.  I expected to run the full at a similar pace.  I learned the hard way that there is a small gap between the 10K and the Half; but a large chasm between the Half and the Full.  After mile 13, it was a struggle; and by mile 16 it was painful.  I limped the last few miles to the finish.  I thought never again.  I've run a marathon, that's it.  It took about 4 months for the painful memories to go away, and I had the desire to sign up for another marathon.  (Las Vegas, 12/06) 

After that I was hooked...

 Amazing how far I have come since then.  I had to overcome an ACL tear and subsequent Reconstruction.  After months of PT and rehab, I started running marathons again and completed my first Ironman (Louisville 2010) with Team in Training.  In 2011, I trained with Team in Training again and completed Full Vineman, IM Louisville, and IM Florida.  This past month I ran RnR Las Vegas Marathon and the RnR Latin Music Half Marathon in Miami Beach.  Good times.  I think I enjoy racing more than training.  Perhaps that is why I race so much.  I have probably completed more than 30 marathons now, but I've lost track.  Cycling for 5 hours doesn't faze me either.  And I actually feel comfortable swimming in open water, although I can do without the mass swim starts.

My New Year 2012 Goals:  

1) To Compete and Finish 4 Full Ironman Triathlons:  CDA, CANADA, FL, and AZ.

2) To raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to hopefully one day find a cure for Cancer.

3) To become a better person during this process...

To be honest Goal #3 is the most important and probably the most challenging.  But please help with Goal #2 if you are able to.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/ironca13/irondoc

Vineman Ironman Triathlon

Several weeks have passed since I completed Ironman #2: the Full Vineman.  This race was marked by major GI distress on the second loop of the bike course and during the marathon.  Here is what happened: 


I went to a Chinese restaurant in Santa Rosa with my family on Friday night.  I woke up early Saturday at 3am and had a normal bowel movement.  I drank about 20 oz Zico coconut water.  Had a couple bananas, one FRS energy chew, and a Hawaiian bread roll.  ( I was fine with this for Vineman 70.3)
I got ice from the ice machine and mixed it with bottled water and my usual Cytomax powder. ( ? ice is not my usual routine, but I did not have a fridge and I was expecting a warm / hot day)
Pre-swim I had Gatorade G1 and my usual energy bar, along with about 4 oz gatorade at T1 aid station.
I used the Port-a-Potty and had a soft BM ( not diarrhea) ( no soap / hand sanitizer  ? contamination)

Swim 1:21:52 which is a great swim time for me since I'm not a very good swimmer.  No GI issues. ( ? Swallowed a little river water)

T1 8:14

Bike 6:20:24  which is a pretty good ride, but considering that my first 56 mile loop was just under 3 hours, the second loop was slower than I would have preferred.
I was feeling good to great through the first bike loop.  Then on my second loop I started to feel very "gassy" and whenever I got into the Aero position, I felt abdominal pressure and the sensation that I wanted to have a bowel movement.  So not being Aero and the fatigued legs probably contributed to the slower 2nd loop on the bike.  I just tried to suck it up until I could hit the Port-a-Pottie in T2.
I had 2 bottles of Cytomax and 1 of Gatorade from the aid station, along with 1 pack Clif Shot Blok Margarita flavor and 1 or 2 energy bars during the first loop.  I also took 1 salt tablet around hour 3.
Second loop I had 1 bottle of Cytomax, 1 bottle of water, 1 bottle of Monster Maize which I took in last 45 minutes of ride.  I had 1 pack Clif Shot Blok Margarita, 1 pack Shot Blok Tropical Punch, 1 pack Power-bar gel blasts, and 1 salt tablet around hour 6.

T2 6:43  I had a slow T2 because I had to use the Port-a-Pottie and as I had feared it was diarrhea.  I couldn't eliminate completely because I wanted to get out of T2 ASAP.  ( Again no soap / no sanitizer)

Run 4:49:58 which is not good for me, since running is my strength.

  

I started the marathon and the first 9 miles I was OK, although I felt gassy and I could hear the fluid sloshing around in my bowels.  I wanted to "fart" but was afraid I would have a diarrhea accident, so I tried to hold the gas in, which led to cramping and a lot of abdominal discomfort.  I didn't drink or eat as much because I didn't want to contribute to the "gassy", fullness sensation.  I skipped the first couple aid stations and then had a small cup of cola or water at the other aid stations.  I carried a pack of Powerbar Gel Blasts and I ate them sometime during the first or second run loop.  

As I passed the port-a-potty at each aid station, I debated whether to stop or not, I ended up holding it in until the bitter end.
I ended up alternating between walking and jogging.  By mile 16, I hit the "wall", I felt behind in my hydration and nutrition, but didn't think my GI system could handle anything.  But I forced myself to drink some Gatorade and water and I started eating grapes at the aid station.  ( I stopped the cola because I thought it might be making the gassiness worse) 
I had to "slow down" and walk, so that hopefully I could recover and go faster in the end.  By this point I had gone over 130 miles and been out for over 11 hours, quitting was not an option.  

Fortunately this worked.  By mile 20, I was able to pick up my pace and start run / jog again.  
After 12:47:11, I became an Ironman ( for 2nd time and set a PR)  

Post-race I had diarrhea.  I was able to tolerate some soup, but I couldn't even look at solid food without causing some GI discomfort.  (This is very different from IM Louisville, where I was so hungry after the Ironman that I ate 3 or 4 slices of pizza and a sandwich shortly after the race and then after the L'ville course closed I went out and had drinks and more food at a 4th Street Live restaurant.)

I returned to cheer on my Ironteammates until past 10pm, but due to additional GI distress, I returned to the hotel and had several more episodes of diarrhea that night / Sunday morning.

Lessons learned: 

1) Avoid new restaurants the night before Ironman
2) carry sanitizer pre-race for Port-a-Potty
3) Avoid ice from hotel ice machine
4) Try not to drink murky river water
5) Re-examine each component of my race day nutrition and make sure they are not the culprit.

2 years after ACL Reconstruction: Vineman 70.3 PR and Full Vineman Ironman Next

Wow, so much has happened in the last month.  Training.  Racing.  Work.  Nutrition.  Sleep.  Repeat...
Vineman 70.3 was a great success.  I set a PR.  I completed my Half Ironman almost 20 minutes better than my Best Case Scenario Goal Time.  I was expecting temperature in 80s, but we had the best race conditions possible with temp in 60s and low 70s.  This allowed me to push it a little harder on the bike and still have a great half marathon time.  Now if I can only have those conditions again for my Full Vineman ( 140.6 miles) this weekend.  I am once again in taper mode this week.  I need to catch up on a few things, tie up some loose ends, and then start packing and trek up to Northern California again.  It seems like I was just there last week... Oh yeah, I was there last weekend for 70.3

Having a great time cruising up Chalk Hill.


With everything going on with Ironteam, finishing up my fundraising, and my work responsibilities, I almost forgot my 2 year anniversary of my ACL Reconstruction.  That's a good thing.  My knee use to remind me on a daily basis that I had surgery.  Now I usually don't think about my reconstructed ACL even after a Half-Ironman!  I was ready to PARTY after Vineman 70.3 and thanks to teammate Jazzy, we had a great celebratory get together that evening.
I am setting new PRs in triathlon.  Earlier this year I set a marathon PR.  I am about a minute off from my 5K PR ( and I don't run very many 5Ks since I've been training for Ironman).  So once again, my thanks to my great Orthopedic Surgeon: Dr. Raffy Mirzayan at Baldwin Park Kaiser.  Thanks again to my Physical Therapist: Nazly Behnia at South Bay Kaiser for pushing me and encouraging me during those tough months immediately after the surgery.  It was literally learning to walk again, jump again, and run again.  Tearing an ACL is never a good thing, but with the right surgical / medical team, a supportive social network, and one's own "will power" and determination, those of you about to undergo ACL reconstruction will once again be doing the things you enjoy most and resume your active lifestyle.  Good luck to all.