IM Louisville Race Report

Meg and I woke up at 3:53 am...no alarm needed. That's how race day started. Whether nerves or fear of oversleeping, it didn't matter, we were ready to get up and get after it. As we sped around the hotel room getting everything together, thoughts of the day ahead were creeping into my mind. It was actually here! 6 months of training all leading to this day! We were rested, we had done all the long bike rides, all the hot runs, and swam farther than I ever imagined I would. Nothing left to do but put them all together.

We hit transition about 4:45 am and dropped off our bottles and aired up our tires. It was a crazy sight to see. Thousands of people all preparing to go through the same adventure. It was a 3/4 mile walk from transition to the swim start. We hustled a little as it was a first come, first serve time trial swim start. We got there thinking we would be close to the start of the line, HA! Not even close. As we kept walking, we were thinking, "Are we going to be last?". Far from it, but we ended up about the middle of the pack. It was a long 2 hour wait for the race to start. Once it started, it was 15 minutes before we finally jumped off the dock and into a river of arms, legs and green and pink caps.

Our plan for the swim was to stay together. Because of the unique start it was the first time we have ever even had the opportunity to swim together, so we welcomed it. Meg is by far a better swimmer than I am, but in open water I tend to be pretty good. I am a little better at sighting the buoys than she is, so our plan was for her to stick on my right hip and watch me and I would sight. It worked great!! We had to swim over a lot of people over the 2.4 mile course, but we got out of the water in 1:02! We had hoped for 1:05, so we were very happy!

We wished each other good luck and parted ways as we went into our respective changing tents. The adrenaline at this point is high as you are excited to be done with one portion and ready for the next. In the swim we both used what is called a swim skin. It is a one piece suit that you wear over your tri suit. It is highly water resistant and works really well for a race that doesn't allow a wetsuit. This was the first time I had ever used a swim skin, so I unzipped it and took it off down to my waist as I raced through transition. I then hurriedly put on all my bike stuff, helmet, shoes, bib number, etc. As I ran toward my bike I was ready to get on the bike and roll! Right as I was about to jump on my bike, I realized I still had my swim skin on! Oh NO!! What to do? Go back to transition and lose time? Just then, a volunteer offered to take it for me, oh thank goodness! I ripped it off and handed it to him while telling him my number so he could put it in my transition bag. I then raced off and jumped on my bike. As I did a thought flashed through my head that, that may be the last time I see that swim skin....

The bike was 112 miles of rolling hills through the outskirts of Louisville. The first 15 miles were fairly flat as we made our way out of town. I tried to get rolling, yet stay calm as its a loooong way to go!! At about the 20 mile mark it starts to get really hilly with some severe up and downhill sections. One in particular is scary as it is an out and back with bikers coming both ways. I heard afterward that there were several crashes in that section. Then it is off to a 30 mile loop section that we do twice. My parents had come with us and were there to support us. Thanks Dad and Debbie!! They were there at the 38 and 68 mile marks in a town called La Grange. It is a fun section as there are thousands of people going crazy cheering.

Throughout the bike I knew I was aiming for 20 mph average. I could tell at times I was ahead and then the hilly sections I was losing speed. I tried to remember to stay within myself and that I still had a marathon to go. There were hard sections were I felt tired, but then shortly after I would feel good again. I was trying to focus on my nutrition as well, which is so important in this race. As I saw the 90 mile mark, I knew it was all downhill/flat from here. I started to roll and knew I would have to go a little harder to get my 5:30 time that I wanted. The last few miles I made sure I was using a high cadence to get my legs ready. I would stand up every once in awhile to stretch and I felt good other than I could feel my IT Bands were tight. I hoped they would be fine when I got off the bike.

I flew into transition in 5:29, right on time. I handed my bike to the volunteers and raced down the sidewalk. Halfway there I stepped hard on a rock right on my left heel. I let out on ouch, but didn't have time to think about it. Once again I passed through the changing tent, making sure I took off all the proper gear this time. A quick stop at the sunscreen tent and port-a-potty and it was marathon time!!

I felt great!! How was this possible after 112 miles on the bike? I knew from friends that no matter what I felt like, I should go slow the first couple miles. I had to consciously slow down, cause it just felt so easy. In the first mile I downed a gel and headed up the only hill of the course. An excuse to slow down, perfect! As I ascended the bridge I felt a slight twinge in my right hamstring. I stopped to stretch it out and luckily it went away. I passed the first mile in 7:02. Right on!! I made the turn around and headed down the bridge as my left hamstring started to speak up. I shook it out and kept going, whew! that was close. Because of the downhill mile 2 was a little faster with a 6:40. It still felt easy, so I decided to just maintain. I felt like I was flying! I was passing people like crazy and all the spectators were yelling, "You look great!". I continued to put out 6:45 miles for the next 4 miles. As mile 9 approached I started to feel something, something bad. My IT bands that had been a little tight on the bike were screaming! Every step now became a fight between my legs and my mind. With every foot strike a stab of pain went through my entire outer thigh. How long could I go like this? I still had over half the marathon to run!! As I got to mile 10 I saw Meg coming the other way. She looked great! She asked how I was and I said, "NOT GOOD!". I wished her luck.

Somehow I managed to make it to mile 13 at about 1:30, still a good time, but things were getting progressively worse. I had taken a bite of banana and now my stomach was killing me. I don't know if it was the banana or just my stomach, but I felt like I needed to double over and throw up. This went on for the next 5 miles! I would stop, bend over and push in on my stomach, trying anything to get it to stop hurting. My mile splits were now creeping well into the 10 minute range. And if that wasn't enough, now the cramping began. My left calf seized up and I couldn't even move. I stood there stretching it, massaging it, anything I could do. Nothing was working. Every time I tried to take another step it stopped my dead in my tracks. I must have done this for a good 5 minutes. Finally it loosened enough that I could shuffle my feet and at least make forward progress. Qualify for Kona was now out of the picture. I was in survival mode. All I could think about was, just finish, just finish! I was going to walk the whole thing if I had to.

Mentally, it was brutal. I knew in my mind, if I could just stop the cramping, i could at least run. But the cramps weren't going away. A nice gentleman saw my agony and offered my some salt tabs. I took them with a thank you. I downed the tabs and kept walking. I was at about mile 20 when the cramps finally subsided enough that i could attempt to run. So I came up with a strategy. I would walk for 20 seconds at the mile mark, then I would run to the aid station, which was about 4 minutes away, walk through that and then run to the next mile marker and repeat!!

It worked! I was able to run at about a 7:15 pace during the part that I could run. So, now I was doing about 8:50 miles. Not great, but better. It was all I could do to make it to the aid stations before walking. The pain in my IT bands was only getting worse and if they had snapped in half I wouldn't have been surprised. Oh and that rock I stepped on in transition, yeah it had bruised my heel and that was hurting now as well!

Mile 25 was a welcomed sight. I knew I was so close! I was determined to run the entire rest of the way in. I did! It was ugly, but I made it. As I crossed the line I heard the announcer say, "Trey Vernon, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" It was wonderful and horrible at the same time!! It was over! Ten hours and seventeen minutes later, the longest, most painful day of racing was finally at an end. As soon as I crossed the line, I fell into the arms of the volunteers. I was done, my body had given everything it had and was shutting down. A big guy grabbed me and yanked me into a wheel chair. I couldn't even put my feet up on the foot pedals, because I was cramping again. I felt like I might pass out and the guy jammed something in my mouth and told me to bite down. I obliged and it was the worst tasting thing ever. Not sure what it was, but it tasted like pure pepper or something, awful!

They sped me off in the wheel chair to the medical tent. I was so out of it I could barely speak. They laid my down on a cot and propped my legs up. They ached so bad!! They asked my how I was, and I replied, "terrible". After 5 attempts they finally got the IV in. I was just too dehydrated for them to get a good vein. They kept wanting my to drink an electrolyte drink, but after 10 hours of doing that, it was the last thing I wanted. I told them I would probably puke it up, they didn't care. Down it went! They also checked my glucose level, 62, not sure what is good, but 62 is not good! They made me drink more and I ate a cookie. It tasted so good.

As I lay there, I was thinking of how Meg was doing. I knew I would miss her finishing and that really sucked. I had always envisioned getting to see her cross the line. After 2 bags of IV they let me leave. As I very slowly and gingerly made my way out, I saw Meg coming in. Her turn!! I asked how she did and she said, 11:14!!! Wow! That was awesome! So fast! She had biked 6 hours and then run just over 4 hours in the marathon! She is amazing! I was so proud! I sat with her as she got her 2 bags of IV and we talked about the race. At that moment I told her I had no plans of doing an IM ever again!

Now that it is over, I look back and try to take it all in. What an adventure to be sure! Although I wasn't fully satisfied with how mine ended, I knew it was my first one and it happens. I know know that I have to do another one, just to prove to myself that I can do it without stopping next time!

P.S. I never did see that swim skin again...

It's showtime!

Well, after 6 long months of training, race day is finally in sight. Sunday is the day! It feels like it came quickly, but looking back it has been a long and trying process. There have been many ups and downs, good days and bad. Through them all Meg and I tried to stay focused on the end result and trust in our training plan.

Am I ready? Yeah I think so. Legs are starting to feel better. It's always hard getting that taper thing down. Especially when you have never done what you are about to do. I think we got it pretty close, but we shall see. I think most of all it is the fear of the unknown. Neither of us has done this, so only in our imaginations can we try and picture what it will be like. Will my bike be fast enough? How will my legs feel when I get off to run? What should I take for nutrition? All things that only can be answered after the fact. But like I said, we have to believe in the work we have put in thus far. I know we have worked hard and I don't know if there is much more we could have done.
This whole process has taken its toll both physically and mentally. All the early morning runs in the dark, the Saturdays spent melting on the bike in 100 degree temps. All leading up to Sunday!
We are excited for this adventure and are going at it with open minds and determined hearts. Whatever the result, we know we will put everything we have out there in the course. Hopefully somewhere in the mix of swimming, biking and running we can take a little time to soak it all in and realize what a cool thing it is we are doing.
If you would like to track us, you can do so either by going to ironman.com and clicking on the Louisville link and searching our name or bid numbers. 201 for Meg and 1223 for myself. My dad will also be giving updates on my Facebook page. Thanks for all your continued support and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

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Buffalo Springs 70.3 Race Report

Well, the first 70.3 of the season is under the belt. I can say one thing about Lubbock, TX. IT'S HOT!!! The day of the race it hit a high of 110 degrees!! Luckily Meg and I were done before it got to that temp.

After setting up our transition, Meg and I headed to the start of the swim and put our wetsuits on. I was a little nervous, which is normal. My friend Chuck was also in the race and in my age group. He is a stud. He won our age group. I figured I would try and stay on his heels in the swim as long as I could. That lasted about 200m! After about 5 minutes of the swim, my arms didn't feel that great. This usually happens, but tends to get better as the swim progresses. I was left in no mans land for the first half of the swim, then I caught the heels of a group with about 1000m to go. It is so much easier to swim in the draft of someone else and conserve some energy. I got out of the lake and was a little disappointed with my time as I thought I had just swam 28 minutes. Later I would learn it was 26:52, which is not bad for me.

I had a bit of trouble in transition getting my wetsuit off my left foot, but finally did and ran the bike to the mount line. I was off on the bike. We had a pretty steep and long hill right off the bat.
It was a hilly and very windy course. The wind was blowing 15-20 the whole time. I felt like I was doing okay on the bike. I was getting passed by a few of my age groupers, but was trying not to let them get to far ahead. There were 2 out and back portions where you could see how far behind you were. Right before the 2nd turn around we had to go up a winding hill. About half way up I heard a hissing sound. I knew exactly what it was and I could not believe it. A flat!! Especially since I was borrowing wheels from a friend and they were tubulars. I had never ridden tubulars. It was supposed to be an easy fix with some Pit Stop fix a flat, but I couldn't seem to get it to work right. I put one cartridge of air in the tires and it seemed to hold. I made it about 6 miles and I realized I was still losing air. I put a 2nd cartridge of air in the tire and took off, praying that I could make it the last 15 miles on what I had left. It seemed to work, but I know the air in the tires was not what it needed to be. To make matters worse, the last part of the course was right into the wind. I grinded hard to make up for lost time, but paid for it. My legs started to burn and cramp. I tried standing up, but that didn't work. After the one last hill, I was so glad to see the transition area.

I jumped off the bike and was hoping to make up some time on the run. I started out and my legs were sore already. I figured I just had to shake out the bike and I would feel better after a mile or so. 2 miles past and I wasn't feeling better. I knew I had pushed too hard and was paying the price. There was a brutal hill at mile three and I felt like walking, but didn't, although I think I would have gone just as fast. After a second big hill and 2 miles into the wind, we hit the half way point. With the wind at my back, I started to feel a little better and my pace quickened by 30 seconds per mile. I felt okay, other than my quads were begging for mercy with every step. I was starting to catch some of the people that had passed me on the bike and it was giving me energy. The last 2 miles, were the longest ever! I made my way to the finish in a time of 4:36. I ended up getting 5th in my age group which wasn't bad considering my poor bike split.

I had to get an IV after the race as I was just too gone. I felt much better after, although the lady had to poke me in both arms to get the needle to work. Not sure how that was as you can basically see my veins in my arms. Two days later I am still feeling sore. It was a tough, tough race and I learned a lot. Thanks to all the people that spent the weekend with us, it was great!!

Father's Day

Once again its been too long since my last post. Since last time I have been swimming, biking and running...A LOT!!! The routine has stayed pretty steady, 4 swim, 4-5 runs and 4 bikes. Meg and I have gotten up to a whopping 5 hour ride in which I covered 100 miles! My first time ever!

We also got up to a 2:40 run which covered 24 miles. Let me tell you that was a long weekend and my legs were super sore.

Today we did a 2:20 run and I covered 22 miles. We have been using hydration backpacks during our runs, as it is the only way to carry enough water. They are great and a life saver.

Next Sunday is our Half Ironman in Buffalo Springs, TX, so we are pretty excited. Hopefully it will go well!

KC Tri

Well, it is a good thing that I am a better triathlete than I am a blogger! Sorry for not posting anything for so long. During that time, Meg and I have both been training very hard. Lots of running, biking and swimming. We are starting to see some improvement, which is always good.

This weekend we raced our first Olympic Distance Triathlon of the season. We also had our first day off in about 6 weeks. We participated in the KC Tri on Sunday and it went very well. I won the overall race with a time of 1:59.55 and Meg won her age group! She took over 10 minutes off her time from 2 years ago! I was able to take 7 minutes off my time.

It was a great day for a race, the weather was overcast and cool for the most part. I had a pretty good swim, although the water was pretty choppy coming back into the beach. I came out of the water in 23:30, which was 2 minutes faster than the last time I raced there.

As I got onto the bike, I really wanted to stay focused and try to push all the way through the ride. It was a little windy at parts, but not too bad. It was a 2 loop course, so after one lap, I had a strategy for the 2nd time around. I attacked the hills and tried to rest on the downs. I ended up with a bike time of 1:01 and an average speed of 24 mph. I was very pleased with that. I did have a little bit of a scare as I almost wiped out on some loose gravel coming into the finish of the bike. Luckily I somehow stayed upright and didn't crash.

On the run, I knew I would have to have a pretty good one to make it under 2 hours, which was one of my goal times. I felt tired the first 2 miles, but then started to settle in. With 1 mile to go, I looked down and knew I had 5:30 to make it 1.2 miles, so I took off. I reached the finish just under 2 hours! My run was 32:55, which was really good!

Overall, I was very pleased and excited about the race. I then went to cheer on my wife as she finished up. I am so proud of her, she did really well! Hopefully we can take this experience and work on some things for the next race.

Emporia Tri

It's been awhile since I wrote. I have been training very well the last couple weeks. This week was especially good. 4 Bikes, 3 Swims, 4 runs and 2 lifting sessions. It would have 4 swims, but lightening derailed that attempt.

Today Meg and I did the Emporia Spring Migration Triathlon. It was a beautiful day. We made a little mistake and put our swim times, much too slow, but other than that it was great. I swam about 6:30 for the 400m and then had a great bike ride. Not sure what the split was, but I got off the bike a little over 40 minutes in. I was really working on the bike, so the first mile of my run was pretty tough. Final time of 56 minutes. Good enough for 2nd overall! Meg was 10th overall and first female with a time of 1:06!!!

1 swim, 2 swim, 3 swim....

3 consecutive days of swimming!! Finally feeling like my swim is starting to take some shape. After working on my stroke last week, this week I have been working on my kick. I think it is paying off, I just need to get stronger with my legs.

Monday - 1 hour swim, tired so skipped bike
Tuesday - 10 mile run - 1:03, 1 hour swim
Wednesday - 26 mile bike on the trainer, 1 hour swim (10x100m) avg. 1:35