On October 4, 1998 I did my first triathlon, the Mission Bay Sprint consisting of a 500 meter swim, a 15K bike and a 5K run. It took me 1 hour and 24 minutes and finished in the back of the pack. I had just turned 40 years old and figured that a Sprint distance triathlon a year would be a great goal for staying in shape. I did the same race in 1999 and 2000. Then in 2001 I participated in an International distance triathlon consisting of a 1000 meter swim, a 30K bike and a 10K run, exactly twice the distance of a Sprint. This race took me 2 hours and 30 minutes and again I finished in the back of the pack. So the next year in 2001, I did a Half Ironman distance triathlon consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. This is a bit more than twice the distance of an International. The race took me 6 hours and 57 minutes and I finished in the back of the pack. I am consistent if nothing else.
I was clearly hooked. In 2002, I did my first full Ironman consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. The race took me 13 hours and 8 minutes and finished once again in the back of the pack.
Clearly, my goal had changed from a Sprint a year. My new goals are:
1) do at least a half or full Ironman every year
2) do at least 10 full Ironmans
3) do the Hawaiian Ironman when I turn 70
So far, I have done 19 half Ironmans and 8 full Ironmans. I have a friend, 17 years my senior, who I train with. He inspires me to keep going. I will need to be careful, listen to my body, rest enough and frankly, be very lucky to continue enjoying this sport for the decades to come.
My last Ironman, done a few weeks after I turned 60 years old, was the 2018 Boulder Ironman, a race that has been discontinued. It was a bit more difficult than I expected. I mentally and physically fell apart on the bike which was a surreal experience for me. I am not a strong biker, but losing my mental concentration concerns me. Though I finished in 16 hours and 2 seconds, I am now questioning my training program. Click here for more details.
I have used a few coaches over the years and settled into the not very well-known Coach Fackler Program. I swim, bike and run enough to finish whatever race is ahead of me. I do put in the necessary distance, but I don’t go super hard as it hurts too much. My lungs, heart and muscles don’t like the pain and agony. I eat good food most of the time. I enjoy adult beverages in moderation. I relax and have fun. The Coach Fackler Program served me well until this last Ironman. I am not sure if my bike issues were due to the reported 104 degree temperature on the bike, my lack of anaerobic training or some random occurrence. Due to my uncertainty, I hired a coach again.
Craig Zelent coached me for the 2019 Oceanside Half Ironman (70.3). Craig and I settled on a goal of sub 7 hours for that race. My fastest for the race was 6:02 in 2005. My last time in 2016 was 7:22. So sub 7 hours was decent goal. I completed the race in 6:51 and feel ready to train on my own again.
However, due to COVID and laziness, I did not enter a race in 2020 and 2021. In April 2022, I finished the Oceanside Half Ironman (70.3) with my worst time ever 7:35. I was undertrained and suffered. Not being a quitter, I have signed up for the 2023 Oceanside Half Ironman (70.3). I am looking for a personal trainer who can help me rebuild my core and alignment. If I can get back to sub 7 hours again, I will do the IM California in Oct 2023.
I have slowed down in the frequency of the full Ironman regime for a couple of reasons. First, it is hard on the body and I don’t want to hurt myself. If I am going to achieve my goal of doing my 10th full Ironman when I am 70 years old, I need to be very careful and not ruin my knees, hips, back, etc… Secondly, full Ironman training is a rather selfish endeavor. Kathy has been supportive of my obsession since I did my first in 2002, but being intentionally selfish leaves me with sort of a creepy feeling.
See you out there. Train safe. Train smart.