Great news! He finished. Matt is an Ironman.
Starting pre-race, he was quite a bit more confident with noticeably less pre-race jitters than I usually have or frankly, expected that he’d have. We made sure everything was dropped in the correct trucks, bags were filled with the right amount of gu packets, his special needs bag for the bike had his bottles in it, tires were inflated, clothes were set. He put on his swim cap, walked into transition, and with a final good luck kiss from Jenny and a handshake from me, walked into the swim corral.
On the swim: He absolutely crushed the swim out. He started quite a bit off to the side so as to avoid as much of the chaos of the swim as he could, but caught up to it and got stuck in a group about 10 swimmers wide making the turnaround. While making the turn, he said he started to panic due to repetitive kicks to the face. He couldn’t get in a groove and at the same time couldn’t move out to the side to catch a break. He started treading water, yelled out “BOARD, BOARD!” for a paddleboarder to come over so he could grab on and regain some composure. He felt ok, calmed himself down, then right as he was about to take off again, puked all over the nose of the paddleboard - to which, the lifeguard simply chuckled a bit and responded “fish food.” He regained himself and swam back in between groups of swimmers, and just into the swim back a school of spinner dolphins who he credits for bringing him back in.
Into the first transition he looked great, took his time changing, and was out onto the bike. His heart rate must have been a bit higher than he expected, because when he was walking out, he stumbled a bit and crashed his bike pretty hard into one of the barriers, which bent his chain. He started off on the bike but had to flag down a bike tech to make a quick repair (seriously quick - F1 fast. The guy broke the chain, pulled it, took the back end apart, fixed everything, put on a new chain, and matt was off smiling, yelling, cheering in about 3mins). Beside that, the bike went perfect. We had ridden the course for the week prior so Matt knew what to expect, and he said conditions were exactly as we’d trained in. Winds were just as strong as we’d expected, and his only run-in with the devastating crosswinds was coming out of Hawi, when he stopped to make sure someone flagged down medical after he watched a girl get blown across two lanes of traffic, off the road, and flipped over the guard rail.
In his second transition, he took more than his sweet amount of time getting changed, getting composed, and headed out onto the marathon course. He didn’t have any issues with cramps, joint pains, or any of the major impediments to finishing the run. He said after about 6 miles, he started to get really light headed and dizzy, so he slowed down in an aid station, ate, had some water, gatorade, and kept going. Held a steady pace out of town, into the energy lab, and said that he was never more excited in his entire life to see a pile of rocks than he was to see the one we built at the run turn-around. (Backstory: It’s tradition for first-time Ironman Kona athletes to build a pyramid of lava rocks on the side of the course, as your “power pyramid” or temple of sorts. We built his right at the run turn-around late at night as I was driving him back to the hotel the night before the race.) Up out of the Energy Lab he said he could start hearing the cheers and see the glow of the finish line lights from about 5 miles out, and he just put his head down and kept going.
At approximately 11pm HST, after 16hours, 13minutes, and 140.6 miles, over the gigantic PA system that was set up at the finish line, in front of several thousand people standing in bleachers, on the road, on risers, in restaurants, you heard “Matthew Michelsen, You are an IRONMAN!”
As he wobbled down the finishing line runway, he was greeted by a very happy to see him Jenny, and was given his finisher medal by Chrissie Wellington, who earlier in the day won the Women’s race. We then walked him into the medical tent, got him food, fluids, and he got his legs massaged, then he hobbled up to the room, showered, and we headed home.
It’s been my pleasure to report on Matt’s progress throughout, and I felt like an absolutely worried parent all day long, frantically checking his telemetry, gps, and cross-checking those numbers with reports we were getting from on-course to see how he was doing, gauge his pace, guess how he felt. It was incredible watching him cross the finish line, and while I know he’s already thanked everyone, thank you all again for being a part of the journey.
Signing off,
-SD
I have to start this out with thanking you all for the support, the kind words, the encouragement. It’s come in many forms, emails shared with friends and family, tweets, supportive facebook comments, impressed (and often concerned “are you sure you’ll be ok doing this?”) phonecalls.
Answering the most asked question of : Why are you doing this? I am doing this for myself, but didn’t expect how many people I’d touch. I truly didn’t anticipate that it would have such an effect on so many? It’s been incredible how many people have said that after hearing about this journey, watching a video, talking to someone about it, that they were inspired to start getting active again.
So few times in your life do you get an opportunity like this to truly press the reset button. Over the last few months I’ve accomplished so many things that I previously thought were impossible for me to do. I’ve finished workouts that I thought only those lucky skinny guys could do. I’ve learned an entirely new genre of nutrition, how to eat on a bike, what to eat, how much of what to eat when. I’ve started to look at food differently, started eating healthier, started drinking more water.
Looking back to when I started this journey, it feels so surreal. It’s come so much faster than I could have imagined. To think that in the beginning of the year, I couldn’t run a mile, I couldn’t swim to the other side of the pool, and I didn’t have the slightest idea how to operate a road bike (what do you mean you “clip” your feet to the pedals?) It’s incredible to think that a 6hour, 100mile bike ride feels like a “normal workout” now. I would have never imagined comfortably running half marathons, or swimming several miles (faster than Sean) in open water from La Jolla Shores to the Cove and back (he still blows me away on the run, I’ll take my jabs where I can get em).
Like so many other people, I’d tried to get back into shape several times before and would hurt myself, burn out, or for whatever otherreason give up. The difference this time was that I set a concrete goal for myself, and enlisted the help of a professional, my coach Roch Frey. Having him looking out for me, telling me which workouts to do when, giving advice and incredible insight all along the way. Roch, I couldn’t have come this far without you. You’re the best out there, and I absolutely could not have completed the two thousand training miles over the last six months without you.
As I look around Kona, going through check-in, sitting having lunch, it’s wild to know that I’m surrounded by the best in the world, and there’s no other sport on earth where a regular guy can on the same day, at the same time, compete on the same course as the people setting off to set a world record. Over and over I keep telling myself that while for these other athletes, this is a pinnacle of their season, for me it’s the beginning. This time it’s about completing. It’s about setting a goal, going after it, and finishing.
The most important supporter I need to recognize is my bride Jenny. Thank you for putting up with the travel, the training, and my newfound love for compression socks.
“How is it even possible? How can anyone finish an Ironman?”
…one mile at a time.
Tomorrow is the big day! #Kona2011
As tomorrow’s swim start nears, here’s some of @rochfrey’s incredible tips that got me this far. http://t.co/M90GsRjd
Here we are - the final update of Matt’s training that I’ll be sending from our office in San Diego. As workouts begin to slow down, the packing, sorting, and planning gets kicked into high gear this week for our Friday afternoon flight to Kona.
For those of you who have been following along for a while, you’ll probably notice that workouts for the week were a bit shorter. It’s the part of the training regimen called “tapering” of which, Matt is not a fan. I found myself more than a few times this week saying things to the tune of “No Matt, we don’t need to run another hour, we just did an hour and a half. Stop it.” Or on our Sat bike ride, “No Matt, we shouldn’t do hill repeats, we’re 55mi in and you’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
Workouts for the week were:
- M- 1h Swim (La Jolla Cove again – 2mi open water) / 45m Bike (12.4mi)
- T- 45m Run (4.14mi)
- W- 2h45 Bike (44.08mi) / 1h15 Swim (2.1mi)
- Th- 1h45m Run (A hilly 8mi)
- Fr- 1h15 Swim (2.1mi) / 1h30 Bike (29.02mi)
- Sa- 4h Bike (61.78mi)
- Su- 1h15 Run (7.1mi – huge thank you to September Lulu and Kelle Rock for leading the group) / 1h Swim (La Jolla Cove – 2mi open water)
- Totaling – Swim 8.2mi / Bike 147.3mi / Run 19.24
- Month-to-date
- Swim 28.12mi / Bike 642.98mi / Run 90.38mi
- Down to 182lbs – down total of 5lbs in Sept.
This week’s pictures start out with a lovely little visitor that we stumbled across trying to sunbathe prior to our workout on Tues am. …always an exciting way to start the day.
The next picture was from one of the Cove Swims that I didn’t go to, leaving Matt swimming by himself. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be an issue, there’s lifeguards, tons of other swimmers, not a big deal. The issue however, is that the wetsuits we use have a zipper designed opposite the way almost every other suit is on the market, and is extraordinarily difficult to zip up by one’s self. Once again, not normally an issue, find another swimmer, done. The problem with this swim was that all the swimmers had left, and one gentleman offered to help, was struggling, and was assisted by four other individuals to help Matt get zipped up.
The final two pictures of the week are from a meeting we had with Roch, where he did a full explanation of best practices, tips, and tricks when changing bike tires on the race course. Roch wanted to be sure that after all this time, effort, and training that a flat tire isn’t going to be an end to Matt’s day. After Roch was satisfied with Matt’s technique, the two discussed a mile-by-mile plan of nutrition, pace, what to expect, and final thoughts.
“How do you finish an Ironman? One mile at a time.”
T-Minus 11 days.
Our videos chronicling Matt’s road to Kona can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ironmantriathlon
If you’re interested in attending the Oct 8th Ford Ironman World Championship at Kailua-Kona, please feel free to email or call me and I’ll be sure to shoot over our travel, lodging, and event plans.
#Kona2011 Bib#142 Matthew Michelsen M 40 M40-44 USA
Followup doctor’s appt: “These bloodwork results look like they’re from a different person.” #Kona11 #Triathlon
Afternoon everyone, this week was Matt’s last key training week, with the upcoming week being shorter, faster workouts followed by travel and a tapering off of the workouts prior to Kona.
Workouts for the week were:
- M- Day off
- T- 1h Swim (La Jolla Cove Swim - 2mi) / 1h30 Bike (29.06mi)
- W- 45min Run (4.14mi)
- Th- 1h30 Swim (3800 yards) / 2h Ride (Speed Intervals – 34.15mi)
- F- 45min Run (4.2mi)
- Sa- 2h Run (Two laps Lake Miramar – 10.05mi)
- Su- 1h Swim (LJ Cove Swim – 2mi) / 6h Bike (La Jolla -> Dana Point -> Home) 100.87mi / 55min Run (4.35mi)
- Totaling – Swim 6.31mi / Bike 164.08mi / Run 22.74mi
- Month-to-date
- Swim 19.92mi / 495.68mi / 71.14mi
- Down to 184 – down 3lbs in Sept.
Pictures from this weekend are both from yesterday’s epic workout, the first being what Matt looks like walking into the water for a two mile, open water swim, at 8am. The other what he looks like ~48miles into a 100mile obnoxiously windy ride when we stop and he gets a chance to grab his regular ice cream sandwich / gatorade combo.
Workouts for the week were mostly routine, with the exception being this weekend. The run on Sat went well despite a bit of dehydration and a we-almost-lost-the-keys incident. Sunday’s workout however, was tough. The ocean was much more choppy than it has been the last few times we’ve done the swim to/from La Jolla Cove, with the addition of a few hundred scuba divers, which made navigation a bit more important than usual. Matt cruised the whole swim – I only made it one way (seasick like you wouldn’t believe) - and met Matt back at the Shores to change into bike gear.
The bike started out as a bit of a challenge with an immediate 25min uphill leaving La Jolla, then a leisurely bike along the coast for the next 30 miles. As soon as we hit Camp Pendleton, the wind picked up (was headed conveniently directly head-on) and gusted over 30mph. Once again Matt powered through (averaging a blistering 23mph despite the wind) and I ended up bailing out after 72miles. Matt kept going and made it home totaling just over 100mi.
Matt’s workout yet continued after having made it home, changing into running clothes and taking off for a 55minute run. Finished strong, and was finally done for the day after 7 hours and 55 minutes of working out.
…thus begins our final preparations for Kona. 19 days out.
Our videos chronicling Matt’s road to Kona can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ironmantriathlon
If you’re interested in attending the Oct 8th Ford Ironman World Championship at Kailua-Kona, please feel free to email or call me and I’ll be sure to shoot over our travel, lodging, and event plans.
