I am an Ironman

Well it finally happened. For the past months, indeed the year, I've been having this race hang over my head like a guillotine.

On Sunday June 27th at 7am i stood on the precipice of the most difficult experience of my life to date. I surveyed the crowd of over 2200 fellow participants, each suited for battle in their wetsuits and quickly took in the raw reality of what was about to happen to my body. To put it simply - if my body was someone else, a friend for example, rather then part of myself. Well I was about to kick the crap out of it.

Somewhere in the distance unheard by me, a gun shot went off. Suddenly the mass of 2200 neoprene wetsuits rushed into the cold waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene. I'm not a good swimmer - lets just make sure you know that. I just learned to swim a year ago. Swimming by yourself is tough, but swimming with 2000 people surrounding you is impossible. I really can't count how many elbows to the head, kicks to the arm that i got. Sometimes it was a struggle just to stay afloat. Somehow I came out of the water in 1hr19min. Super fast for me. Best part, I was feeling great and smiling!

After having my suit ripped off of me by some volunteers I made it out of the transition area in 6.5minutes. Not bad. Finally! On my bike, my favorite part. Or so i thought. I absolutely killed the first loop of the 112miles. Completed it in 2hr48min. But alas the second loop not so good. At about the 60mile mark disaster struck. My quads began to cramp. I tried to work around them, but then on one of the steeper hills in the course both of my knees completely locked up in a spasming cramp. I could do nothing but stop the bike and just stand there with knees bent, praying for them to release. After a minute they did. And I walked the hill. For the rest of the 52miles I biked through cramped legs. I had to lower my pace on straights, only able to reach my high gears on a few downhills. Then there was the uphills. I biked as slow as I could go with keeping my cadence high enough to not enact a cramp. However, they eventually seized. While the pain was nothing new, this time I refused to get off the bike. Often unclipping one foot while it cramped and pedaled with one foot to let it regain itself. I finished the last 52miles in 3.5hrs and had to get off the bike only once (shameful I know). I didn't know what made me pedal through that kind of pain, all I can remember the last 20miles was "Lord, get me off this God forsaken bike". In hindsight, Im not sure why I wanted that, because I next had to run 26.2miles.

Coming into the transition area, the dawning of the run came pretty quickly. Any hopes that the motion and operation of my legs in running being different then that of biking would save me from the cramps were quickly and effectively destroyed. I tied the shoestrings, and took one step to feel my right calf seized and my body jump into a hop/run. A form of running i would learn to perfect through the next 26.2miles. Running on cramped muscles in my legs is the most difficult experience I have ever gone through. I have heard the term "mind over matter" all my life, but never realized as I did Sunday. I could only hobble on my legs for 20-40 yards before my entire lower body spasmed and siezed up causing my run to diminish into a walk. This was the pattern that I followed for the rest of the race. After 26miles I turned the corner for the last .2mile downhill stretch through downtown Coeur d'alene.

"What's another .2miles of hell huh? Pain heals, toughen the F*&% up. Here i go"

With everything I had left in me, I sprinted. Within 50 steps my right thigh seized, but i kept the forward motion. 100 steps both calves go, somewhere around 200 steps the knee muscles are shot. But I was accustomed to the pain now, I knew i could keep my legs moving forward. The homestretch took me down a corridor with bleachers of spectators on either side, I know there was a roar of a crowd, a commentator saying that "Alec Cattain, you are an Ironman" but I couldn't hear it. I lifted my arms to either side, my legs didn't hurt anymore, they were an unstoppable machine, pushed forward by gravity, momentum, and shear will. I lifted my arms one last time, thanked the creator who made my body, and knew it wouldn't fail me. I crossed the finish line. 13hr18min.


Those are the words of the most painful and difficult experience I have ever done. I had to overcome a mental and physical barrier that I could not imagine. Its hard to capture in the moment what pushed me forward. Some of it was disappointment, in myself, in my friends, and in my family. I didn't want that. Some of it was the challenge, how bad did i want this? Can you do it?

But ultimately, a tribute to a God who created me uniquely and loved me enough to inspire me to do such things. It would have been great to have done the race without cramping, maybe get a better time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My legs, the pain, provided more then an obstacle, it built my character.

Hell week(s) - A running/biking/swimming dialog

I'm a little under 4 weeks away from my Ironman race. Seeing as the last two weeks before the race are taper weeks, this leaves the next few to be "Hell weeks" in regards to training.

I just wanted to take the opportunity to document this time. As its probably going to be the most draining two weeks so far in my life, not only physically but also emotionally I think.

Friday - May 28th
Rode my bike in the basement for about 2.5 hours. I figure that works out to around 45-48miles. I watched the movie Legion (don't recommend it at all). Luckily it was over at the 1.5hr mark, so i took the opportunity to blast some worship music for the last hour. Riding a bike and singing at the top of your lungs is difficult.

Saturday - May 29th
Woke up early and got down to Greenlake for a morning swim. The lake is still cold, even with a wetsuit, but there is something about being up just as the sun is rising and being surrounded by water - I HIGHLY recommend this experience.
Ran around lake Union and the ballard locks for 1.6hrs. Did 12 miles I am pretty sure. Really hurt, this running thing isn't a whole lot of fun ;)

Sunday - May 30th
Woke up at the crack of dawn and jumped on the bike again. This time I rode to Fairhaven for the Ski to Sea festival (95miles). Tough to start the ride, but brilliant none the less. Beautiful weather, great music, and good nutrition made this bike ride to Bellingham much better then the 1st one I did.
SIDE NOTE: Also hiked Oyster dome and camped at the top. Not to mention trail ran to lake Lilly for a little excursion. Some places like that lake are hidden for a reason, the stillness there made the pain of running to it worth it.

Monday - May 31st
Woke up ontop of a mountain with the trees soaked with dew, raining on our tents. The root in my back made the night's sleep difficult, but Brian Bauer's body heat couldn't be matched! Haha. Got back to Seattle and ran around Greenlake a few times, 7miles. Then swam greenlake late at night 1.5miles. Swimming at night is just better'd by a early morning swim. I'm pretty sure at one point i switched to my back and watched the stars for a little. ;)

Tuesday - June 1st
Trying to get today's bike ride in what a tough cookie. Slept in til 8 instead of waking up early to bike. As I type this I actually have a editing project I should be working on...so this should really be short. But I biked Lake Washington today (51miles) and felt great! I did the math, and I think I averaged somewhere between 19 to 20 mph, which is pretty ridiculous. Best part is I feel great!

Wednesday - June 2nd
Today's lesson, don't eat a foot long subway sandwich, three white chocolate macadamian nut cookies (i needed the calories) an hour before you run 12miles. Yah. Off day tomorrow!

Friday - June 4th
Woke up bright and early this morning and swam 2miles in Greenlake. It was an overcast morning with a light rain on the lake, but the water was super calm. Felt great swimming, my own little world. Finished today with an 30mile bike ride in the basement, nice and easy. Longest run of my life tomorrow. Yay :/

Saturday - June 5th
I completed the longest run of my life so far today. 18miles. It was a beautiful day for the run, absolutely glorious, no complaints at all. My hampstring started to cramped at mile14, well have to work on that. Here's to hoping for the same weather for tomorrow's bike ride!