My friend, Jim Moss, recently completed his 2nd Ironman, this one in Wisconsin a couple weeks ago. He had an amazing race, taking off 30 minutes from his previous ironman time (IMCDA) and finishing under the 12 hour mark (which I have to say is unbelievable). Here are his results:
Overall Time: 11:49:04
Overall Place: 456 (out of 2,398 finishers)
Swim: 1:07:26
T1: 8:26
Bike: 5:45:34 (19.4 mi/hr)
T2: 4:47
Run: 4:42:53 (10:48)
Following race report was provided to me by Jim:
Race Report: Ironman Wiconsin 2009
Pre-Race: Arrived with Kurt Ogden at the race venue @ around 5:30 AM. Setup bikes, transition bags and then waited in the Monona Terrace Convention Hall for a while. Had a feeling of peace and felt well-rested as I meditated and prayed for a few minutes. At around 6:20 AM we put on our wetsuits and headed down to the Helix toward the Swim start. I spotted Jenny and Lisa standing at the top of the Helix. It was great to give Jenny one last kiss before I headed out to the water. The vibe of the race built as we walked down the Helix. The music was loud and pulsing as Mike Reilly urged everyone to get in the water. Kurt and I zipped up our suits and headed to the water’s edge. I was right next to the cannon when it went off for the Pro start. It woke me up for sure.
Swim: The water felt good. Just the right temperature. I had been debating about where to position myself for the start. I had a poor start at Couer d’ Alene the year before and I didn’t want to repeat that mistake. There’s a waterskiing jump that is directly between the start buoy and the shore. I checked the left side of the ski jump and thought that looked like good protection and was relatively uncrowded at the moment. We treaded water for about 15 minutes before the cannon went off for the mass start. As Mike Reilly says, “If you’ve never seen an Ironman swim start you’re really missing out. It’s one of the most spectacular events in the world.”. I seeded myself about two rows deep but with some room to make a move on a guy to the right of me if I got out quick. The cannon fired and I immediately lunged out in front and started hammering HARD! I sprinted the first 200 meters about as hard as I could trying to move to the left and avoid contact as much as possible. There were a few bumps and tense moments but I felt like I got as good of an Ironman swim start as I could have hoped for. It was pretty clean. Rounding the first and second buoys were crowded and everything came to a bit of a halt as the traffic jam sorted itself out. After the first loop I checked my watch and it said 7:32 AM…this meant I was on track for a good time and had a legitimate shot at a 65 minute swim. I just put my head down and really started to hammer away. On the last 1000 meters it felt like I was struggling a bit with keeping form and staying long and strong. I hung in there and exited the water with a 1:07 swim time. Bottom line, I nailed the swim.
T1: Transition from swim to bike at Wisconsin is long. The run up the helix is challenging but in a way good because the blood really gets back into your legs quickly. I changed quickly inside the change room into my bike gear and then out to the rack to grab my bike and go. Jenny yelled to me from the bridge and I waved to her. Then down the helix on my bike and off I went.
Bike: The bike course at Wisconsin is deceiving. On paper it looks like a lot of flat and easy rollers. The reality is that it is a lot of false flat and challenging rollers and some of the rollers are really steep. I tried the best I could to keep it easy and light the first hour. I was tracking my power output carefully, staying aero and smooth. I was a bit surprised that around 35 miles Kurt blew by me…I let him go and stuck to my plan. I was feeling just kind of “so so” on the bike. Not great but not bad. The heat set in and I could really feel it beating down on us. On the first loop I saw Jenny and everyone at the top of Old Sauk Pass. After the first 56 miles I did a quick check and realized I had a good shot at going under six hours on the bike. That was motivating…perhaps a little too motivating. On the second loop I started to put more pressure on the pedals and was doing the best I could to keep the power smooth. I had caught up to Kurt right before our second time up Old Sauk Pass and we rode together up the climb. After that I put more effort into my pedal stroke. If my calculations were correct I would be in around 5:45 on the bike. That’s a bit fast for me and probably too fast to run. Little did I know that my Variability Index (the variance in power output) was 1.10 – that’s not good and is an indicator that I had way too many power spikes. Not much I could do except just stay smooth and consistent in the final hour. Honestly, the bike for me was not that exciting and I wasn’t that impressed with the course. The course at CDA is much prettier and interesting. I was happy with the result but a little nervous about the fact that I went harder than I had projected. Kurt and I finished the bike together and rode up the helix to T2.
T2: Had a bit of a challenge finding my Bike to Run bag. Found it and quickly changed.
Run: Out on the run I felt the heat immediately and at the time it felt real intense. Truth is, I think I was more overcooked from the bike than anything. Jenny and the crew were at about the first half mile point by the capitol. It was great to see all of the crowds. I settled into a very conservative 9:30 to 9:50 pace. Very easy and I was concentrating on keeping it reeled in. Kurt almost literally flew past me at Mile 2. I stuck to my plan of taking it easy. On the course we ran through the University of Wisconsin Badgers stadium, which was really hot. Out on campus there were some challenging hills to overcome. I walked the steep hills. At about Mile 5 or 6 I passed Kurt. My pace though was deterioirating even before I got to 10 miles. I saw Jenny again at the turnaround which was about 6.2 miles into the run. As I ran back into Madison I just tried to keep the pace consistent and minimize the walking. At the half marathon turn around I had a real mental challenge with the idea of doing another 13.1 miles. It was daunting. It was around Mile 14 when I started to have to walk quite a bit. My gut was hurting and running made it hurt worse. Miles 14-19 were pretty much a walk/run approach and most of that was walking. I was starting to mentally throw in the towel and feel like I had no idea how to solve this Ironman run mystery. At Mile 19 I decided I needed to begin running again because Jenny and everyone in our group were at the 20 mile mark turnaround and were cheering us on. I knew I would see them and they would be snapping pictures. No way was I going to let them get a photo of me walking in the Ironman. So I picked up my feet and began running again. I ran by Jenny and got a lift from the crowd and then kept running as I passed Kurt (who was behind me about half a mile). Funny thing is, running now felt batter than walking. I actually felt pretty good and decided to keep running as much as I could along the lakeside pathway where it was shady and cool. I did more running than walking (which was good) up until about Mile 23. At Mile 23 it was decision time. I checked my watch and realized I was about 32 minutes away from the 12 hour mark. A big goal for me was to break 12 hours. I checked with some guy on the road to verify the time. I needed to do a little over 3 miles in 32 minutes. That meant I had to run most of it. So I told myself I wasn’t going to walk anymore and I was going to run uphill, downhill, wherever I needed to run to get there. As I started to run I started to feel better. My resolve strengthened and my momentum continued. People seemed to encourage me like they knew I was on a mission. I was checking my watch and was having some of my best mile splits of the run. In short, I was killing the last 3 miles and it was almost like I was doing one of my “Tempo Finish” long runs – thanks goodness I did a ton of those and taught my mind and body how to handle fast final miles when your body is shot. I charged up State Street, and around the capitol and then down the finish chute. The clock said 11:XX and I knew I had made it. I crossed at 11:49. I was most excited to see Jenny and hug her after the race. She is my #1 fan and best supporter – none of this is possible without her.
I learned some valuable things about myself from this race. When the demons come…and they will…I have what it takes to beat them. I think one of the keys to dealing with the demons on an Ironman run is to use the walking as a strategy to let your body recover for 10-15 minutes. I think what happens though is some let the walking consume them and they walk for the rest of the race. At the time when I started to walk more than run I allowed that to defeat me a bit – like saying, “well, I guess I can just walk the rest of this” instead of taking the walk break and then forcing myself to run again. I think it is okay to let your body rest up for a mile or two but then force your mind to allow yourself to get running again sooner than later. There’s a good chance that your body will respond just fine to running again, especially if you are able to get fueled, hit the bathroom, etc. I learned that I really need to have a realistic goal and need to set goals during a race on the fly. I need to find that thing to motivate me on the run like I did in this race to get running and keep a good pace. Bottom line though, this is a proof point I can draw on again in future races when it gets seemingly unbearable.
I had a good race overall. Cut nearly 30 minutes off of my Ironman time on a course that I believe is harder than Couer d’ Alene. I’m happy to have finished my second Ironman – I’m still in awe at what it means to be an Ironman. My training build for Wisconsin was about as perfect as it could have been. My bike fitness has come a long way and if I would have gone a little easier (smoother actually) on the bike I might have had a really good run. But as it stands, I took matters into my own hands on the run and said, like I have before, “I will not be denied” and used that mantra to go sub-12 hours at Ironman Wisconsin.
As for the course and the venue, I’d give it about a 3.5 out of 5. People rave about Ironman Wisconsin but I wasn’t a big fan of the logistics at the Monona Terrace. Parking and getting to/from the venue was much more challenging than Couer d’ Alene. I like the CDA course much better – the hills are steeper but there are long, straight sections of flat or mostly flat road where you can really dial in your pace. The run course at CDA I think is also more consistent. Actually, after thinking even more about this I much prefer the run at CDA.
I’m not finished with this Ironman thing just yet. I’m determined to figure out how to solve the run. I’m as excited about training and racing Ironmans now as I was two years ago. St. George will be a completely new challenge and will test me harder than I have been tested before. I’ve got to figure out how to stay smoother and more consistent on the bike or I will be eaten alive at IMSG. I’m ready to embrace it. Someone asked me “how many of these do you have left in you?” and I said at least two more. After St. George I plan to do Ironman CDA again in 2011.
Ironman is an incredible test of the human spirit. The body simply can’t go that far and that long…therefore the spirit, will and determination of each person who finishes plays a big part in completing the event. I am always amazed at how many people say to me, “I could do the bike and run but no way could I do the swim”…when I hear that I think of one thing, one emotion and that is FEAR. An Ironman swim is scary and you have to be willing to get in and mix it up with 2,200 people and overcome your fear of getting bumped, hit and smacked around. And the fear factor is what keeps most people from doing and Ironman and on the other hand it is what makes those who do it so special – they can overcome fear, doubt and anxiety about themselves and their abilities. You can’t be an Ironman if you can’t handle and overcome fear and doubt.
Pre-Race: Arrived with Kurt Ogden at the race venue @ around 5:30 AM. Setup bikes, transition bags and then waited in the Monona Terrace Convention Hall for a while. Had a feeling of peace and felt well-rested as I meditated and prayed for a few minutes. At around 6:20 AM we put on our wetsuits and headed down to the Helix toward the Swim start. I spotted Jenny and Lisa standing at the top of the Helix. It was great to give Jenny one last kiss before I headed out to the water. The vibe of the race built as we walked down the Helix. The music was loud and pulsing as Mike Reilly urged everyone to get in the water. Kurt and I zipped up our suits and headed to the water’s edge. I was right next to the cannon when it went off for the Pro start. It woke me up for sure.
Swim: The water felt good. Just the right temperature. I had been debating about where to position myself for the start. I had a poor start at Couer d’ Alene the year before and I didn’t want to repeat that mistake. There’s a waterskiing jump that is directly between the start buoy and the shore. I checked the left side of the ski jump and thought that looked like good protection and was relatively uncrowded at the moment. We treaded water for about 15 minutes before the cannon went off for the mass start. As Mike Reilly says, “If you’ve never seen an Ironman swim start you’re really missing out. It’s one of the most spectacular events in the world.”. I seeded myself about two rows deep but with some room to make a move on a guy to the right of me if I got out quick. The cannon fired and I immediately lunged out in front and started hammering HARD! I sprinted the first 200 meters about as hard as I could trying to move to the left and avoid contact as much as possible. There were a few bumps and tense moments but I felt like I got as good of an Ironman swim start as I could have hoped for. It was pretty clean. Rounding the first and second buoys were crowded and everything came to a bit of a halt as the traffic jam sorted itself out. After the first loop I checked my watch and it said 7:32 AM…this meant I was on track for a good time and had a legitimate shot at a 65 minute swim. I just put my head down and really started to hammer away. On the last 1000 meters it felt like I was struggling a bit with keeping form and staying long and strong. I hung in there and exited the water with a 1:07 swim time. Bottom line, I nailed the swim.
T1: Transition from swim to bike at Wisconsin is long. The run up the helix is challenging but in a way good because the blood really gets back into your legs quickly. I changed quickly inside the change room into my bike gear and then out to the rack to grab my bike and go. Jenny yelled to me from the bridge and I waved to her. Then down the helix on my bike and off I went.
Bike: The bike course at Wisconsin is deceiving. On paper it looks like a lot of flat and easy rollers. The reality is that it is a lot of false flat and challenging rollers and some of the rollers are really steep. I tried the best I could to keep it easy and light the first hour. I was tracking my power output carefully, staying aero and smooth. I was a bit surprised that around 35 miles Kurt blew by me…I let him go and stuck to my plan. I was feeling just kind of “so so” on the bike. Not great but not bad. The heat set in and I could really feel it beating down on us. On the first loop I saw Jenny and everyone at the top of Old Sauk Pass. After the first 56 miles I did a quick check and realized I had a good shot at going under six hours on the bike. That was motivating…perhaps a little too motivating. On the second loop I started to put more pressure on the pedals and was doing the best I could to keep the power smooth. I had caught up to Kurt right before our second time up Old Sauk Pass and we rode together up the climb. After that I put more effort into my pedal stroke. If my calculations were correct I would be in around 5:45 on the bike. That’s a bit fast for me and probably too fast to run. Little did I know that my Variability Index (the variance in power output) was 1.10 – that’s not good and is an indicator that I had way too many power spikes. Not much I could do except just stay smooth and consistent in the final hour. Honestly, the bike for me was not that exciting and I wasn’t that impressed with the course. The course at CDA is much prettier and interesting. I was happy with the result but a little nervous about the fact that I went harder than I had projected. Kurt and I finished the bike together and rode up the helix to T2.
T2: Had a bit of a challenge finding my Bike to Run bag. Found it and quickly changed.
Run: Out on the run I felt the heat immediately and at the time it felt real intense. Truth is, I think I was more overcooked from the bike than anything. Jenny and the crew were at about the first half mile point by the capitol. It was great to see all of the crowds. I settled into a very conservative 9:30 to 9:50 pace. Very easy and I was concentrating on keeping it reeled in. Kurt almost literally flew past me at Mile 2. I stuck to my plan of taking it easy. On the course we ran through the University of Wisconsin Badgers stadium, which was really hot. Out on campus there were some challenging hills to overcome. I walked the steep hills. At about Mile 5 or 6 I passed Kurt. My pace though was deterioirating even before I got to 10 miles. I saw Jenny again at the turnaround which was about 6.2 miles into the run. As I ran back into Madison I just tried to keep the pace consistent and minimize the walking. At the half marathon turn around I had a real mental challenge with the idea of doing another 13.1 miles. It was daunting. It was around Mile 14 when I started to have to walk quite a bit. My gut was hurting and running made it hurt worse. Miles 14-19 were pretty much a walk/run approach and most of that was walking. I was starting to mentally throw in the towel and feel like I had no idea how to solve this Ironman run mystery. At Mile 19 I decided I needed to begin running again because Jenny and everyone in our group were at the 20 mile mark turnaround and were cheering us on. I knew I would see them and they would be snapping pictures. No way was I going to let them get a photo of me walking in the Ironman. So I picked up my feet and began running again. I ran by Jenny and got a lift from the crowd and then kept running as I passed Kurt (who was behind me about half a mile). Funny thing is, running now felt batter than walking. I actually felt pretty good and decided to keep running as much as I could along the lakeside pathway where it was shady and cool. I did more running than walking (which was good) up until about Mile 23. At Mile 23 it was decision time. I checked my watch and realized I was about 32 minutes away from the 12 hour mark. A big goal for me was to break 12 hours. I checked with some guy on the road to verify the time. I needed to do a little over 3 miles in 32 minutes. That meant I had to run most of it. So I told myself I wasn’t going to walk anymore and I was going to run uphill, downhill, wherever I needed to run to get there. As I started to run I started to feel better. My resolve strengthened and my momentum continued. People seemed to encourage me like they knew I was on a mission. I was checking my watch and was having some of my best mile splits of the run. In short, I was killing the last 3 miles and it was almost like I was doing one of my “Tempo Finish” long runs – thanks goodness I did a ton of those and taught my mind and body how to handle fast final miles when your body is shot. I charged up State Street, and around the capitol and then down the finish chute. The clock said 11:XX and I knew I had made it. I crossed at 11:49. I was most excited to see Jenny and hug her after the race. She is my #1 fan and best supporter – none of this is possible without her.
I learned some valuable things about myself from this race. When the demons come…and they will…I have what it takes to beat them. I think one of the keys to dealing with the demons on an Ironman run is to use the walking as a strategy to let your body recover for 10-15 minutes. I think what happens though is some let the walking consume them and they walk for the rest of the race. At the time when I started to walk more than run I allowed that to defeat me a bit – like saying, “well, I guess I can just walk the rest of this” instead of taking the walk break and then forcing myself to run again. I think it is okay to let your body rest up for a mile or two but then force your mind to allow yourself to get running again sooner than later. There’s a good chance that your body will respond just fine to running again, especially if you are able to get fueled, hit the bathroom, etc. I learned that I really need to have a realistic goal and need to set goals during a race on the fly. I need to find that thing to motivate me on the run like I did in this race to get running and keep a good pace. Bottom line though, this is a proof point I can draw on again in future races when it gets seemingly unbearable.
I had a good race overall. Cut nearly 30 minutes off of my Ironman time on a course that I believe is harder than Couer d’ Alene. I’m happy to have finished my second Ironman – I’m still in awe at what it means to be an Ironman. My training build for Wisconsin was about as perfect as it could have been. My bike fitness has come a long way and if I would have gone a little easier (smoother actually) on the bike I might have had a really good run. But as it stands, I took matters into my own hands on the run and said, like I have before, “I will not be denied” and used that mantra to go sub-12 hours at Ironman Wisconsin.
As for the course and the venue, I’d give it about a 3.5 out of 5. People rave about Ironman Wisconsin but I wasn’t a big fan of the logistics at the Monona Terrace. Parking and getting to/from the venue was much more challenging than Couer d’ Alene. I like the CDA course much better – the hills are steeper but there are long, straight sections of flat or mostly flat road where you can really dial in your pace. The run course at CDA I think is also more consistent. Actually, after thinking even more about this I much prefer the run at CDA.
I’m not finished with this Ironman thing just yet. I’m determined to figure out how to solve the run. I’m as excited about training and racing Ironmans now as I was two years ago. St. George will be a completely new challenge and will test me harder than I have been tested before. I’ve got to figure out how to stay smoother and more consistent on the bike or I will be eaten alive at IMSG. I’m ready to embrace it. Someone asked me “how many of these do you have left in you?” and I said at least two more. After St. George I plan to do Ironman CDA again in 2011.
Ironman is an incredible test of the human spirit. The body simply can’t go that far and that long…therefore the spirit, will and determination of each person who finishes plays a big part in completing the event. I am always amazed at how many people say to me, “I could do the bike and run but no way could I do the swim”…when I hear that I think of one thing, one emotion and that is FEAR. An Ironman swim is scary and you have to be willing to get in and mix it up with 2,200 people and overcome your fear of getting bumped, hit and smacked around. And the fear factor is what keeps most people from doing and Ironman and on the other hand it is what makes those who do it so special – they can overcome fear, doubt and anxiety about themselves and their abilities. You can’t be an Ironman if you can’t handle and overcome fear and doubt.
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Congratulations again, Jim! You made it! Thank you for the continued inspiration and counsel. Looking forward to doing IMSG with you.
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