11:43 the hard way!

This past week at Ironman Coeur d’ Alene was so jam-packed with events, activities and stories that I would not attempt to squeeze it all into one BLOG entry.  Therefore I will devote today to the race only…my race!  Since my training is light (recovery) and I am not traveling for a few weeks, I will have time to fill in the blanks with multiple BLOG’s over the next few days.

Let’s start by saying the water was COLD!!!  I went for a training swim on Thursday and after about 30 seconds I wanted to stop.  I couldn’t breath and my head, feet and hands felt like they were going to fall off.  Apparently the water was even colder the day before and this was the talk of the week…not only were athletes talking about it but so was the local media.  As a matter of fact, race officials lifted the ban on neoprene swim caps (to be worn under the official race caps we all wear) and booties.  So it was a little troubling, but you can’t do an Ironman without the swim…so I/we just had to suck it up.  Thankfully the Iron God’s were smiling on us because by race morning the water heated up to a balmy 59 degrees.  Still pretty cold, but bearable.  As always, my biggest concern on race morning was getting my blood sugar high enough pre-swim that it would stay high enough to get me through the swim.  This being another 2 loop swim allowed me to have a race volunteer waiting on the beach with my glucose meter and two small bottles of liquid glucose so I could test after loop #1 (thanks Vonnie)  When the race started my blood sugar was 210, after the first loop it was 168.  I downed the two bottles of glucose (30 grams of carbs) and began loop #2.  After the 1 hour 16 minute swim, my blood sugar was 180…perfect.  I entered the change tent for a quick change into my bike gear, downed a gel and jumped on the bike.

The bike is the most critical part of the day from a nutrition and blood sugar perspective.  My nutrition plan, one that is practiced over and over and you DO NOT deviate from on race day, had me taking in carbs every 20 minutes…about 25-30 grams each time.  Normally I will see a slight rise in blood sugar in the early part of the bike, sometimes as high as 250, but then I normally settle in between 150 - 200.  The goal here is to get enough nutrition to bike for 6 hours, but you are also “filling the tank” for the marathon.  At the first 20 minute interval, I tested my blood and was 290…a little high but I didn’t panic.  I took in some carbs and kept peddling.  20 minutes later I tested and my BG was 330…uh oh!  I was faced with the dilemma of skipping a “meal” (if you can call what I eat every 20 minutes on the bike a “meal”) or giving myself a little insulin to bring my BG down.  The problem with the latter is that I never have to give myself insulin during long training rides and races.  Also, there is no real precedent, so I didn’t know how much to give and too much could cause my BG to crash.  Not wanting to deviate from my nutrition plan I gave myself a very small bolus of 1/2 unit.  At the top of the hour when it was time to test and eat again, my BG was 390.  Now real panic set in…and I got the feeling that is was going to be a long day.  Again not wanting to skip a meal I gave myself 1 more unit of insulin.  To put things in perspective, if I needed to correct a 390 with insulin while I was at rest (not going 20 mph on a bike) I would probably need about 3 units of insulin.  The next 20 minute interval had me at 230, so I felt a little better, but still feared that I gave myself too much insulin.  At the 2 hour mark I had real reason for panic…my BG was 100!  Way too low, especially since I had about 4 hours of biking to do before the marathon.  The real problem is that since my nutrition plan is designed to MAINTAIN my blood sugar, not raise it…I was not prepared for this new challenge.  The only thing I could do to raise my BG was start taking in A LOT of Gatorade at aid stations.  I honestly didn’t think I would be able to bring my sugar up enough and was prepared for at very least having to take about an hour rest to bring my sugar up, or worst case scenario not being able to finish.  Low and behold I was able to keep my sugar in the 140-150 range for the remainder of the bike…not as high as I would like but enough to start running.

Now to the run…26.2 miles.  With a 1:16 swim and a 6:00 bike, I was realistically in reach of beating my PR of 11:20.  I was thrilled about this not only because of the issues I was having on the bike, but because the course at Coeur d’ Alene is much tougher than Florida where I did my PR (personal record).  I felt very strong on the run and was clipping off sub 9:00 minute miles for the first few miles.  I was able to settle in to a good rhythm and my blood sugar settled in at about 150.  At mile 8 I reached back into my fanny pack to grab my glucoese meter and it wasn’t there…must have fallen out and I didn’t hear it hit the ground (although hearing it smash on the ground wouldn’t have helped much)  “Houston, we have a problem!”  The only other meter I had on the course was sitting in the bento box on my bike.  I decided to once again deviate from my nutrition plan and I turned off my pump…figuring I would error on the high side if anything.  I also started drinking Gatorade and cola at EVERY aid station.  Usually I stick to water.  Running blind like this, not knowing what my blood sugar is, is unsettling.  My legs felt like I could have pushed it, certainly capable of beating 11:20, but I opted to stick to the pace I was running.  At mile 17 there was an ambulance at the aid station, I had a medic test my blood and it was 160 ish…not too bad.  I kept the same pace and was back at the same aid station on the way back at mile 24.5.  The medic who was at the ambulance this time could not find the glucose meter, so this “pit-stop” took 5 minutes.  My blood sugar was 100, definitely low but when you are 1 mile out from crossing that finish line…enough said. 

I kicked it into high gear, and when I made the turn onto Sherman Ave. for the 1/4 mile or so stretch to the finish (in my opinion the coolest finish chute I have seen) and could see the finish line and hear Mike Reilly bringing people in…I could hardly contain my emotions.  From a fitness perspective I felt amazing - legs felt great, very little to no nausea, etc…but with all the blood sugar issues I had all day, at one point not knowing if  I was going to finish…this was the most excited I have been yet to finish a race.  I was actually sprinting the last 1/4 mile until I got too close to the guy in front of me.  You don’t want to share the finish with anyone so to slow down I started doing a serpentine, high fiving spectators on both sides of the barriers. 

Crossing the finish line at an Ironman (now my third time) is like no other feeling in the world.  There is so much hard work and sacrifice that goes into training for this race.  Also, to know that regardless of your fitness level something like a bad nutrition plan could end your day is certainly troubling.  And in my case - knowing that I nailed my training and nailed my nutrition…but diabetes related issues almost ended my day, made for a very proud and emotional finish!!!  Also, if you read my BLOG last week, you would realize that I hit all three of my race goals: 1) Finishing  2) Sub 12 hours 3) Avoiding the medical tent (I did go to the medical tent to test my blood after the race, but that doesn’t count

Stay tuned for more great stories from Ironman Coeur d’ Alene 2008…and anyone wondering how my friend Lt. Colonel Chris De Los Santos did in his first Ironman, you will just have to wait.

 IRON Andy