Drew Hartman

July 23^rd, 2006

Yes!!! Another Ironman experience has been added to my life and I’m feeling renewed pride once again. You’d think it would get old or even a little stale, but it doesn’t. I love this race distance and all the science and physical demands it has to offer. Getting ready for Placid came with its mysteries, its excitement, its pain, and also its glory. I had a bad taste in my mouth about certain aspects in my training and other aspects that I won’t get into, but for the most part I felt that I was stronger than last year. I made some gains in some areas, especially the bike, but I also think I lost a little in my swim. Must be the air with the swim because I know I’m not the only one who needed a break from the chlorine. I had a training plan in place that was dedicated to the bike because I knew that’s where the gains would be on such a tough course. Physically and mentally that plan was in place and I was totally ready. However, if you pour sugar or in my case, salt into the tank it won’t matter how strong you are. All fun stuff I’ll get into later.

Kate and I committed to this race a year ago, the day after last year’s race since it sells so quickly like all Ironman North American races do. The race sold out in eight hours and next year’s race sold out in only ninety minutes. That’s a new Ironman record. It just shows how badly people want to challenge themselves in a location that’s not only breathtaking with the Adirondack Mountains, Olympic history, and of course uber-supportive fans, but also on a course that shows no mercy. I also think this year’s weather played a role in the quick sellout since 94% of the people finished and I’m sure they wanted to come back to relive the experience. Of course, last year’s IM Wisconsin was located approximately one mile from the Sun and it sold out rather quick so maybe that’s a bad theory? Whatever the case, all Ironman races, flat or hilly, are challenging to say the least, but Lake Placid falls on the harder side of the challenge spectrum, especially when you’re from Central Illicorn.

Kate scored a great place about 10-miles away from Lake Placid in Wilmington, which is along a 15-mile down-and-back section of the bike course. Ten of us stayed there and it worked out great since we had a kitchen to cook, our own bedrooms, plenty of bathrooms, and no issues with hotel sleeping. Also, I prefer staying away from all the craziness and nervousness that comes with Ironman races. I’ve been around the block a few times now so for me the quieter the better. Staying with us and doing the race was Kate, Mike Donahue (MD), Chris Daniels (CD), Brian Rossi, and I. Keith and Tricia had their own place and Chris and Cara Sweet were at another house. Mike’s wife Sarah was along for support as was CD’s wife Sloan and Brian’s girlfriend Ashleigh. Not to mention Chris Sweet’s Mom and step-dad. They were all out there giving us 110% of their support and I really thank them for that. You’ve probably heard it a thousand times that familiar faces makes a difference, and it’s totally true and I thank them a thousand times for being out there.

The IronSupport Crew

Eric and Naomi, “Da Uberfans” (said with thick Arnold Schwarzenegger accent), flew out from Bloomington right after Eric’s Evergreen Triathlon and went through hell and back to finally reach our place. Their flight got cancelled then their airplane had mechanical issues and replaced, which caused all kinds of frustrating wait time. They finally got to our place around 1am Sunday morning and were up at the crack of that Dawn chic’s butt to watch the start of the race. You’d think they’d go to bed after that, but nope…they strapped the Globetrotter outfits on and got themselves stationed along the bike course. They weren’t going to miss this race for the world. You guys are da bomb and HOLY COW we appreciate all the support!!!

Race morning is cloudy and cool with the occasional drizzle that would eventually turn into a downpour when the gun went off. Kate and I got there early and took care of the last minute bike preps and such. The bikes and our gear sat out in the rain pretty much all day Saturday so we wanted to make sure we had dry stuff in place with no rushing around. Off to the lake we got ourselves in the corral and found some of the other sharks to get some last pre-race photos.

Kater and I getting body marked

Everyone is in great spirits and ready to get this thing going. For me, it felt like I was in the waiting game more than any other race. Just felt that way, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Kate and I give each other our last “good lucks” and get into the lake to bring it on. This day is going to be once again another one of those special opportunities to prove to ourselves that we’re strong, mind and body, and thankful a hundred times over that the opportunity allowed itself to be presented. Now let’s go do this thing!

Our IronHoliday! The best day ever!

BOOM!!!!

The Swim (2.4 Miles)

The gun goes off and it’s (insert text from last 5 Ironman race swims here). Yeah, this race was no different as far as the ace-whooping that occurs. If you’re a patient person like I consider myself to be (with A.D.D.) then you really need to give it a good 10-mins before you get any kind of open water. Protect the family stuff at all costs and keep your head gear from getting knocked off. That’s where a good portion of your yardage in the pool should be practiced!!! I plan to invent waterproof battery powered manikins that you can throw in the pool and have them beat you silly as you swim! It’s probably the only way to get good at IM swimming unless you’re a pack leader and that not be me!!!

The entire course was lined with a cable around 5-6ft down that you can easily see the entire swim. I used this line rather than sighting the buoys so it made it much easier to stay on course. I would get tangled up on some of the little buoys attached and there was definitely more congestion in this area, but for the most part I preferred this. Halfway through the loop I look down and see Scuba Steve taking pictures of us. Haven’t heard anything about those being available yet, but I’ll keep an eye out. The first loop comes through and I’m in around 30:40, which is exactly where I wanted to be. The 2^nd loop got screwed up somehow. I drafted behind a guy who I thought was pulling some big water and he had a great kick. I thought, “this is nice, big water, no effort, just a beer and some pretzels and life’s perfect!!”. Ummmm…right….bad idea. I realized after following him for half the loop that he was the “Pokeymon of Mirror Lake” so the 2^nd loop was slow. About 3 to 4-mins slower so I was a little bummed how the overall swim turned out. Again, no big deal. I get out of the water and followed Cara out and gave her a tap. She had a great swim with her own encounters of battery. I’m still not quite sure how I got a better time than her since I followed her out. Pays to have bigger feet sometimes, I suppose.

Done with the swim. Hey, looks like Cara just behind me!

The Bike (112 Miles, 2-Loops)

I felt like I was slower than everyone going through T1. Just too much thinking going on and some struggle getting the arm warmers that Kate so graciously loaned me. Those arm warmers turned out to be worth their wet weight in gold since it was pretty nipply that first loop and I nearly shivered myself off the saddle going down the big decent. Anyways, I get going and after a mile or two I catch Cara who was obviously better prepared to get out of T1 than me. I go by and give her a good luck and I’m off.

This 2-loop course is challenging with the hills and you’ll hear from all angles that you need to stay conservative on your first loop. This fell into my plan and I made a serious effort to hold back on that first loop. I attacked the initial hills like I always do and the legs felt pretty good, but I also tried to stay very relaxed. The hills start right away so it’s a little hard to ease into a warm-up. A couple more miles into it I pass Rossi and give him a “Yo”. He passed me shortly after then I get him back. I figured I’d see him later for a quick chat to relieve the legs and mind. On to mile-10, the big decent.

What a cooker this 5-mile section is going into the town of Keene. From mile-10 to 15 it’s all downhill and fast. I don’t use a speedometer when I race so I can’t say exactly how fast I was going, but it was dang fast. I was hitting at least 50-mph in some sections. I did time the first loop going down and that 5-mile stretch took about 9-minutes, which averages around 34mph. The 2^nd loop I know was faster because the roads dried off and I was a bit more confident going down. What a blast and definitely one of the highlights for me on that course. When I got to the bottom of the decent I pass a guy and he looks at me and says, “I think my teeth are going to chatter off!” It was dang cold by the time we got the bottom and once again thankful for the arm warmers. We joked the night before about the temps being cold and figured we’d just “ride harder”. Funny…but don’t do that!

I’m 20-miles into the ride, feeling good and continuing to try to hold back the effort. I do think I got caught up with some of the IronButtHeads out there trying to create their own Tour de Placid. It amazes me how many Ironman athletes insist on pack riding and not eating wind for the entire 112-miles. I spent a lot of energy either trying to stay ahead or behind these guys and it really got me ticked off. Big Jackholes! Obey the drafting rules or go race ITU!!!

I think it was around mile-30 or so at the top one of climbs, I see Chris “Cameron” Daniels (CD). At the same time I see a familiar site, two Globetrotters cheering everyone on! I can see that Eric finds Chris and is going nuts. He then sees me and is now in an ubernuts state. I get him a hand slap and get a good kick out of that.

Get’n some skin from Medalark Eel with CD just behind me.

I think it was for the next 15-miles or so CD and I switch back and forth and were able to gab a little, but we were both caught up in the dang peleton trying to get out. It was ridiculous. Somewhere around 45-miles I got fed up and charged a climb to get away from them all. I didn’t know it at the time, but Chris was still in this pack trying to get out. Once I got clear I didn’t see him so I was thinking, “Dang, that boy pulled out the quad-cannons and is gone!” OK, keep steady and stick to the plan. Chris is using that Hammer stuff so I know I’d catch him!!! Chris, just kidding!!! J

The last 10-miles are pretty tough going back into Lake Placid. All the major climbs are named for good reason (they hurt) and when you’re not climbing in this section you’re still going up hill. Real bear of a place on the 2^nd loop. The last big climb going into town (Papa Bear) is lined with people and that’s pretty cool. I see Ashleigh and try to say something, but I’m also trying to keep my heart in control so it was hard to give out all the hoots. I get through the first loop in 2:33 and that gave me some concern since the plan was to negative split this thing. Yeah, a 22mph average on that loop was not exactly conservative. I decided to back it off some then pick it back up later, but no neg-splitting today. I also knew I would be slower on the 2^nd loop now because the urge to pee was coming and once the seal is broken…well…you know. If you’re not stopping to pee you’re slowing down to pee. Either way, it’s slower.

I get back through the big decent again on dry roads, which was a total blast this time around!!!  I’m moving along fairly well and had to do one big climb before I get to The Globetrotters again. They were a welcome site after that climb. I could tell the body took a hit on that one so when I saw The Trotters I got a little something back. Eric lets me know I’m about 2-mins back from Chris Sweet and Gabe, which was just FYI for me. I realized my tank was getting numb so I was kicking into survival mode.

At about 90-miles…WHAM…I totally hit the wall and now scrambling to get the body back. What the heck happened? Did I feel so good on the first loop that the effort I put out didn’t match the calories I put in? Possibly. Was it mental? Did I mentally let go and transition from a Prime Triathlete’s positive way of thinking to one who’s glass is completely empty? It’s amazing the negative thoughts that can creep in your head when you’re in this state and still have 20+ hilly miles to go. I have been in this state before so I knew I just had to spin my way to the next aid-station and try to dine as much as possible. I grabbed a banana and a couple gels they provide rather than my own. Just something different. I had some espresso gel with caffeine and along with the nanner, which seemed to pick things up a bit. I lost a lot of time on this stretch and I knew it was going to hurt me on the run, but I’m still moving. Life is great!! Yes, bring on Papa Bear…I’m now on Papa Bear….PB is winning….friggin P-Bear sucks…PB wins…PB says, “Get fast or quit!!!!” I hate friggin bears!!! J

I get through the town again and very happy to be done riding. I loved the crowds, but it was taking too much effort to turn the pedals at this point and I was feeling tanked. Let’s just get out on the run and see if things shake out.

The Run (26.2 miles)

So now it’s time for the big marathon, the section of truth, the section that grades how well you paced, ate, and drank all day. The section that reminds you that you’ve been hurting all day and demands that you hurt a lot more. The section that if all goes well you’ll once again hear the voice of Ironman welcome you home. The section the allows you to make eye contact with fans and athletes, where the true memories are imprinted in you mind and soul forever so that IF you do make it through this one you’ll be signing up for the next. I swear to you, an Ironman athlete can suffer for 25.95-miles of a run on top of the entire day and can will it all away the last quarter mile because the finish line is that special. It’s the run that stamps those memories in place.

Got a good clip going at this point

This run was no different. The first 3-miles I spent getting my running legs and waiting for the energy and rhythm to kick in. It’s typical for me. My strangest issue at this point was salt buildup on my face. Every time I hit an aid-station I was washing the salt off my face. I never have a salt issue during an Ironman or any other race, but one thing different about this race was it was very comfortable temperature-wise. I don’t think I was sweating as much and it’s becoming apparent that I took in way more sodium on the bike than I needed too. I’m doing an OK job of clipping off the miles until about mile-8 then the rot-gut started. My stomach was starting to tighten and I was extremely bloated. I said “excuse me” more times than I can count. Fart blossom!!  Just before I get into town CD comes up behind me and I try to pick it up to run with him a bit. I thought if I could talk with Chris that it would possibly shake out the funk and he could help me get my pace back. We run together into town and hit the last big hill coming in. It halts us both to a walk, but as we get halfway up we say “screw it” and start running. All the gang is there and we get lots of cheers from the Lake Placid fans.

CD and I climbing into town around mile-11

As we get to the next aid-station, CD grabs a quick drink and picks up his run. I can’t get it going anymore. My gut is locking me up and it’s sapping my juice. I need to figure this crap out. For the next eight or nine miles I’m stopping and starting a run, but it sucks. I’m trying to push out the cramps in my gut, but nothing’s working. Finally I get in the ditch and start puking everything out. So now I’m a big puker! Nothing like getting that kind of flow going. I puked and puked and puked. And what sucks is it didn’t help the cramps in the gut, which is starting to tick me off. The last thing I want to be is mad at this race, but it was hard not to be frustrated.

A bit frustrated at this point

After a couple intakes of chicken broth, which made the cramps worse I realized what the problem was and I needed to start diluting the system. So for the remaining aid-stations I took in lots of water and big chugs of coke for energy. It wasn’t until just before mile-25 when I saw Eric and Naomi that I started to feel good again.  The cramps went away (the gas didn’t!) and I could pick it up and run.

Finally able to pick it up with only a mile to go. I made lemonade!

Eric’s running with me and he’s really pumping me up. They both ask me if I can taste it? If I can taste the finish line? It was at that moment that all the mental pain went away. Yes, I can taste that finish line again! This was a little down-and-back section so Eric said he would catch me on the way back. As I get to the turn-around I’m in full throttle and do a quick watch check with only a mile to go. My legs are moving and I’m actually holding a good pace. Eric hooks back up with me and says I’m doing great and I’m getting more and more excited to find the finish line. I make the turn into the Ice Skating oval and nobody’s really around me so I take it all in.  I’m so happy and also a bit choked up. The 8-month buildup to this day is finally being released.

Little bone-rack guy in all muscle pose. Pumped to be home!

There’s the finish shoot! I’m once again an Ironman finisher. This is the 6^th Ironman for me and the special sensation you get feels the same every time at the same level. Every race has blurry areas and a lot of it, for mental and physical self-defense purposes, you completely forget, but I remember every single finish line experience and can summarize each Ironman journey experience as amazing. It is truly special. 

So now I’m done, but I have one last stop at the med tent before I’m off to find Tater. They decided to get an IV bag in me and take care of that gut cramping. It was exactly what I needed. After an hour with them I was off to go find the gang and get the scoop on Kate. I get reports that she’s moving along so I decided rather than go find her on the course that I’d wait for her at the finish line. After a couple hours I see Cara coming through and heard that Kate wasn’t too far behind so I bolted down to the finish line to wait for her. During this time I got myself between the athlete catchers. These volunteers catch the athletes as they come through and walk them to wherever they need to go, be it the food tent or the med tent.  I was so into waiting for Kate that I didn’t realize that I was pretty much blocking the camera for the finishers. Dork!!! After waiting for a bit I was trying to keep the legs moving and with some old disco tunes thumping I started doing the “Drew Sway” method of dancing. Yeah, no requests for instruction please!!!! Basically, I’m doing my little subtle moves for the whole world to see and got plenty of crap for it when I got home. I had that one coming! One of the catchers kept looking at me and I told her I was just waiting for my girlfriend. She asked me if I wanted to be her catcher and I thought that was perfect. She gave me a wrap to keep Kate warm then I do a little more waiting. Here comes Kate and she’s looking very happy. I get to the finish line and catch her, give her the big finisher’s kiss, and wrap her up. What a relief!!! We both made it home unscarred and safe. Life’s once again, fantastic!!!!!

Kate’s now a 3-time Ironman Finisher

Kate and I get a group finisher’s picture then we’re off to get some food. Not long after the downpours started and its raining buckets. The athletes still out there racing must be chilled to the bone if they’re not moving fast. Fans and supporters are still out in the rain giving it all they’ve got to help get everyone home in time. That’s true support when it’s as crappy as it was and they’re still out there cheering everyone on. The town really steps up for this event.

So there you have it. Another Ironman experience added to our lives.  We’re proud to have done it, but also happy it’s done. For me, I’ve got a couple weeks of easy play then its time to start ramping up for Ironman Florida in November. Between now and then we’ll be cheering friends on at Ironman Wisconsin and then off to Hawaii to cheer our two friends who got Lottery slots. What are the odds of that? So we’ll be able to be supporters for the next couple and that is beautiful thing. We can’t wait!

Train Smart,

Drew.