Local Iron Men in Training: A Test of Endurance

May 28, 2009

Why does anyone decide to do an Ironman?  What does it take to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, and run a full marathon, 26.2 miles, all in the same day?  For elite athletes, that is at least a good 10-hour workout.  For two local athletes, their training time has increased by 10 to 15 hours per week just to prepare for the Coeur d’Alene Ironman, June 21st.  Are they professional athletes?  No.  Do they have careers? Yes.  Families and children?  Yes.  Are they gifted athletes in some way?  They don’t think so.  They are average men with goals to complete something challenging, that is healthy, that tests their physical limits, builds their mental dexterity, and they get to join the elite ranks that call themselves IRONMAN. 

Bill Halden, 41, of Hamilton is an Account Manager for HILTI Inc., a specialty construction manufacturer.  After talking with some triathlon friends and needing some extra motivation to quit his three-doughnut-per-day habit and lose 80 pounds, Bill decided triathlons just might be the ticket. He did his first triathlon at the Griz in 2008 and was hooked.  He then did the Boise Half Ironman in 2008 and before his third triathlon, the Bitterroot Classic last August, he had lost 80 pounds and has kept it off.

Dr. Kirk Crews, 40, of Stevensville has a Family Medicine practice at LifeSpan Family Medicine in Stevi.  He had thought about doing an Ironman for years.  He volunteered at the Ironman in Hawaii three years ago and witnessed that there were mostly normal, everyday people doing this unusual event.  Thirty triathlons, a half-Ironman and one marathon later, Dr. Kirk decided he was ready to commit.

The Schedule

Committing to an Ironman schedule is a subject that is all-consuming because it becomes a major part of your life. Both men talk to others with Ironman experience as much as possible. They also knew they needed some extra guidance and turned to other sources for help.  Dr. Kirk found the book, Be Iron Fit, by Don Fink with a 30-week program.  Bill found Matt Fitzgerald’s “Week-by-Week Plan” on the Internet for a 24-week training plan.  He also purchased a membership to Workoutlog.com to log his workouts.  Dr. Kirk began the week of Thanksgiving.  He described his training as working out “six days per week for a total of 15-20 hours depending on the week:  3 swim days, 5 run days, 4 bike days, and Monday – sweet Monday is my training day off.  Saturday is a long bike followed by a short run, and Sunday is a short bike followed by a long run.”

Bill began Jan. 5th and said his "Fitzgerald plan has me doing between 18 and 24 hours per week.”  He said he does 3 swim days, 3-4 bikes, 2-3 runs and one “brick” [two activities one after another] per week.  Being new to the triathlete scene, Bill said his main focus was on his swim this past winter since he only had "a little over a year’s worth of swim experience.”

Neither Bill nor Dr. Kirk invested hours like this in the beginning.  Living a fit life-style included at least a five-day-a-week workout, but only an hour-plus at a time.  When they committed to the Ironman, training time dramatically increased. They went from 5-9 hours per week to 15-24 . With this much time committed to training, the family is bound to notice.  Dr. Kirk phoned his wife Lisa [who has also done triathlons and a marathon] while standing in line to sign up for the Coeur d’Alene (CDA) Ironman last year. He said that he wanted "to make sure she was OK with it and that she was 100% behind me.”  He gets most workouts in before 8:00 AM, during lunches and weekends.  He said his children (two girls and one boy, ages: 12, 10 and 7, don’t really get what he is doing, but hopes witnessing the event and seeing the incredible mass swim start and feeling the “super-charged” atmosphere” that they will be influenced by it. 

Bill’s family has become quite involved since they have seen him transform from a self-labeled “couch potato” to an amazing triathlete. He was selected for a masters elite start position in the Bitterroot Classic Tri last year, because of his swim prediction time. Yet, he opted out, slightly intimidated by the category title after only having done two triathlons previously.  “My wife [Hannah, a runner and one triathlon under her belt] is incredible and very supportive.  In fact she’s been bitten by the triathlon bug and competed in the Griz this year.  Our children [two boys ages 5 and 7] are also into it. Our oldest loves to ride his bike alongside me while I run. I think the lifestyle is such a great example for our children.”

Nutrition

An increase in physical stamina, fitness and attunement to one's body are noticeable benefits from a three-to-four hour daily workout routine.  And one cannot be working out that intensely without good nutrition.   Fuel and hydration are very important before, during and after endurance activities and is a major component of training and planning for an Ironman.  Many have collapsed during the race or barely finished--crawling over the finish line like Julie Moss in 1982 at the Ironman Hawaii.  Yet others find the balance between intense physical demands and nutrition. Lindsey Corbin of Missoula finished the Ironman Hawaii in 5th place in October 2008 looking lean, strong and hydrated, the ideal way to finish.

Both men are tuning in to their bodies and learning more about nutrition as they experience it.  Bill said his “Nutrition has been very difficult. I travel a lot and stay in hotels.  I also have a slow metabolism, which further complicates my nutrition.  I’m currently eating about 3500 calories a day.  Fruit, cereal, hard-boiled eggs, raisin bread, and Lean Cuisine are staples.  I deviate from this very infrequently.  It just makes it easier and one less thing for me to think about.  For long workout days I just eat more of the same, supplemented with a few gels.  I also take a multi-vitamin that’s tailored to performance.” 

Bill already has his CDA food day planned: “I plan to get up around 3AM and have a normal breakfast, two-to-three hard boiled eggs, raisin bread toast with peanut butter, banana, coffee, and some oatmeal if I’m still hungry.  I’ll also eat a little something about an hour before the race, probably fruit and some protein.  I’m still working out the nutrition for the bike ride – I like to eat real food on the bike as opposed to gels.  I’ll try and get a couple hundred calories/hour on the bike and I probably won’t eat much running.”

Dr. Kirk's CDA menu includes "a bagel and peanut butter followed by a granola bar and Hammer gel ½ hour before the race.  During the race, I will take a Hammer gel shortly into the bike, and drink 16oz of Perpetuem during the first two hours.  After two hours on the bike, I have found that a PB&J sandwich is easy to tolerate and is a good source of energy.  I will also take a flask of Hammer gel and eat bananas on the bike course.  During the run it will be mostly liquids and a combination of Hammer gel, Gatorade, and bananas.”

The Physical Challenge

The beginning of the race is a particularly challenging aspect: a mass “free-for-all” start in the water with no personal space—all going forward with a goal to round the first buoy and the second and so on until you take your final strokes and touch land again, finding your land legs, unzipping your suit and pulling out your arms as you clamor up the exit path, not seeing anyone, and usually oblivious to cheers, forgetting the struggles you may have had in the water, now focused on your transition and bike ride: what you will eat, what you will put on first, second, last, taking off as fast as possible and staying focused on the next leg of the race.

Dr. Kirk has experienced a number of open-water mass starts.  They are all very similar, but you learn a few tricks in smaller races, hoping not everyone will be aware of certain things to give you a slight advantage.  But, at the Ironman level CDA, a mass start of 2,200 athletes, everyone is usually experienced open-water swimmers. Kirk confided that the “big open water swim is always a heart racing experience.  It will be important for me to get my head comfortable so I can get past freaking out about all of the people and the bubbles and just focus on swimming.”

Planning the race strategy is something that easily pops into mind while spending hours swimming, biking, and running.  For his bike leg, Dr. Kirk plans to “remember that it IS 112 miles, and to make sure that during the first 70-80 that I keep myself composed and fueled so that I don’t get behind on calories before the run starts.”

The Mental Challenge

All sports have their mental game and triathlons are no different.  Yet, because of the distances and physical demand, the Ironman has more than a few head trips.  An athlete can feel like he has been beaten and bruised in the mass swim start, not to mention wanting to punch back when you keep getting clobbered, the possibility of losing goggles or just getting water in them. Then finding a broken helmet strap in transition, missing a gel, a flat tire, trying to stay calm while scrambling to fix things with valuable minutes passing by. On the bike and run, they can be psyched out and their energy zapped if they let their guard down watching another athlete pass them without effort while they may be struggling. Or by the time they are on the run, after seven or eight hours of strenuous activity, mile 18, 19, 20, 21 can be very intense. They could feel like a machine or like they cannot take another step because of heat, dehydration, hips, ankles, knees or back pain.  But then the challenge kicks in once again and re-energizing thoughts of all the time, preparation, and family sacrifice they have put into this will get them over the finish line NO MATTER WHAT.

According to Bill, he is prepared for the mental aspect of the race and said that he has “been working on ‘tough moments.’” He affirms to himself that how he feels “at a particular moment is irrelevant.  This is a long day and my only focus is the immediate task at hand.  So in the swim my focus will be to find a comfortable place to swim.  Biking, I’ll focus on my strategy of keeping my heart rate low, nutrition, and ensuring that my pace will leave me somewhat fresh for the run.”  He has a sense of humor and honesty about the demand and intensity of the event saying that, “While running, I’ll most likely just cry a lot. I found myself to be a basket case in the Boise Half Ironman.  The emotion is overwhelming for me; It’s the culmination of a lot of sacrifice for me and everyone close to me.  It’s the achievement of a dream and I have a hard time not getting choked up just contemplating it.” 

For the mental aspect of the run, Dr. Kirk said that “Running 26.2 miles on any day is hard, but at the end of 6-8 hours of working out, it is very easy to get really, really psyched out.  Making small goals, and trying to find people to run with who are running at my pace will be key.  If I can find someone to run with, then the race goes much faster.  Doing a hard race like Wildflower [Half Ironman in Ca., May 3rd, he was 94th in his age group out of 273, 5:55:21]. taught me more about myself during a hard run and also gave me some new tricks/confidence to keep chugging when I no longer feel inspired to do so.”

A Way of Life…

The mental and physical lessons won’t end after the race for either athlete.  Dr. Kirk explained that in the process he has continuously been surprised by what “normal” has become.  “A normal run, swim or bike is now routinely what I would have previously called a long one.  I also appreciate how efficient I have become with my time.  But when you take time from somewhere, you lose it elsewhere.  I miss feeling like I have free time, and a nice one hour workout is sounding good right about now.”  But he adds, “The most important part of this race is really the journey and the learning about myself along the way.  Every time I finish a long run or a long bike or a hard swim, I feel like I am already winning.  Finishing in Coeur d’Alene with a smile on my face will just be the icing on a very nice cake."  And Bill would concur stating that his "family prefers the lifestyle we're leading now as opposed to the sedentary option...and while it's been a huge commitment, I think we all know it's just the beginning."

See Bill and Dr. Kirk at the Coeur d’Alene Ironman June 21st.  Anyone can come and experience the energy and commitment of these athletes and perhaps be inspired yourself.

Antara Croft

For more information and the event schedule see: http://www.ironmancda.com/ .

You Tube of 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp4rkfQeJx8&feature=related

Triathlons in Hamilton/Como Area – volunteers welcome!

July 25th – New Lake Como Triathlon – www.lakecomotri.com (under construction)

Aug. 22nd – Bitterroot Classic Triathlon - Signups June 1st @ www.bitterrootclassictriathlon.com

See Antara Sports for more info. www.antarasports.com