One of my favorite topics regarding Ironman (Wisconsin) is pain. Specifically running with pain. Today I talk about a few strategies to practice pain and be prepared for the inevitable meltdown on the Ironman Run. I share a great run training tip from Dominant Woman Spartan Racer, Amelia Boone and talk about a few things I work on to prepare for the pain of an Ironman run. Make sure to follow Crushing Iron on Facebook and @crushingiron on Twitter.
IMWI 010 – Breaking Down Ironman Wisconsin Swim Course
I raced Ironman Wisconsin in 2013 and spectated (and made a tribute video) in 2014. Today, I break down the swim course with race video to show:
– How much time you need to get into the water pre-race
– The mysterious HELIX transition
– Sighting
– The energy of the crowd
Till this day the Ironman Wisconsin swim is probably one of the favorite memories of my three Ironman races. I loved the energy, the fan support, and the spectacle of a mass start.
This video also reveals the first guest in my upcoming podcast series and offers you a free t-shirt.
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IMWI 009 – Getting Back Into Swim Shape
The swim at Ironman Wisconsin can be daunting, but not because of the distance. The mass start offers tons of unwelcome contact and the lake water can be very choppy. I also found it tough to sight.
With that in mind, my swim shape goal is to be 100% confident with swimming for an hour or so. As I get back into shape I’m totally focused on time in the pool. I’ll work up to three times a week for an hour. But for now, I’m not even close, so I have to make compromises to get there by adding breast stroke intervals to lower my heart rate.
Over time I’ll likely improve my pace, but that won’t be a focus. It’s very hard to become a faster swimmer and the effort (for me) isn’t necessarily worth it. I’ll move that extra time to the bike.
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IMWI 008 Push-ups, Planks, and Carbs
If you like to watch TV, use the commercials for push-ups and planks so you core is crispy for Ironman Wisconsin. I more or less pay $150 a month to watch Badgers’ hoops and an occasional Seinfeld re-run, so it’s the least I can do to get my money’s worth. Other than that, I’m climbing back on the pasta train with my sights set on some bike-trainer-intensity a couple times a week. Following Ironman Chattanooga, the first thing I said to myself was, “That marginal run I just put in was all about the bike.” Yeah, the bike felt decent, but my hamstring and hip-flexors were too tired to run. Follow Crushing Iron on Facebook or @crushingiron on Twitter.
Here’s my list of 50 Ironman Wisconsin race reports.
The "Voice of Ironman"
Someone once told me, “Everywhere you go, there you are.” Lately it’s been, “Everywhere I go, there HE is.”
Over the last 5 weeks I’ve driven to Louisville, Wisconsin, and Chattanooga for Ironman. Once to compete, twice to spectate, and within minutes of arriving to these wonderful cities, a powerful voice of inspiration floods my ears.
As of Ironman Chattanooga 2014, Mike Reilly has announced 138 IRONMAN races and if you haven’t seen one, you have no idea how impressive that is. His voice rings in the air from 6 am until midnight and the pitch never waivers.
I didn’t make it to the Swim Start in Chattanooga, but Mike was there, pumping everyone up and calming nerves at the same time. When you nervously await the start, as an athlete or a spectator, his voice is omnipresent and the words always seem to be right.
I had a brief meeting with Mike at Louisville pre-race as I was noodling around near the sound board. I was about to walk into a furnace and Mike knew it. He likely knows more about IRONMAN than most. On this day I was trying to impart my strategy when Mike politely stopped me and simply said, “Take it easy out there and try to have fun.”
He was right, of course, but I didn’t listen. I went after the run like a dog in heat and it ate me alive.
Yesterday, he stood high above the crowd in Chattanooga as the last swimmer battled to get out of the water. He did everything in his power to help her get home.
It was one of those moments that stops you in your tracks. She was alone in the water, battling demons while hundreds watched her labor to reach shore.
“Keep going, we’re all here waiting for you!” “Doggy paddle if you have to, you can do it!,” said Reilly with a combination of compassion and the tenacity of a father.
His day started before sunrise and he was still going as I watched the live stream from my hotel room until 12:15 am. His energy and passion for what he loves was just as enjoyable to watch as the finisher. He danced, joked, shouted encouragement, and dished high fives as the last runners crossed the finish line.
At 12:16 the lights went out and Mike Reilly was gone from my sight, but his voice was ringing in my core. “You are an Ironman!”
People always ask me why I write about Ironman and travel around to races and I think the simple answer is, I love it. I love to surround myself with optimistic people who stop at nothing to push their limits, and Mike Reilly has certainly been a great representation of that lifestyle.
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Here is Mike Reilly from this morning after handing my new buddy, Dave Richter his award and Kona slot.
Rolling Start at Ironman Wisconsin?
Edit: I’m now being assured there WILL be a mass start at Wisconsin. Let’s hope this holds true.
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I’ve heard a couple rumors that Ironman Wisconsin is changing to a rolling swim start this year and have mixed emotions. Fear can be a great motivator and I can honestly say the looming mass swim start at Wisconsin has pushed me to work harder in the water.
It’s not that I think a rolling start will be easy, but the thought of battling my way through a sea of humanity has crossed my mind nearly every day since I signed up. I’ve watched dozens of online videos and am always captivated. I imagine myself right in the middle, fighting for position, trying to keep calm, then emerging to settle into my race. It has literally been one of the most exciting thoughts in my life.
Check out this video where you can even hear Mike Reilly (The Voice of Ironman) in the background around the 40 second mark say, “You are witnessing one of the greatest spectacles in sports today, the mass swim start of an Ironman.”
I definitely understand their safety concerns and don’t want to criticize the decision, it’s just that I really wanted the experience. I can talk about the bike course all I want, but when I show friends and family the swim start, they are typically in awe.
The truth is, doing Ironman has a certain level of danger and I completely understand the anxiety of the swim. Earlier this year I had to stop and catch my wits in the middle of a 300 meter pool leg of a Sprint. But, I have worked very hard to be a better swimmer and get past my fear. It’s part of the deal. When someone signs up for Ironman, they know what they’re getting into and have to realize a mass start is not a little picnic down by the beach. I have worked very hard to keep my cool in the water. To me, it’s a big part of the training.
It’s really no different than flying down a hill at 45 mph on the bike. If someone is afraid or anxious about that, they use their brakes, and I feel like the same should be true of a swim start. If you’re not feeling up to a scrum, start in the back or off to the side and slow down.
I was reading a forum on Slowtwitch.com and someone brought up an excellent point about mass starts, in particular Wisconsin. They said people will typically get in the lake 15 to 30 minutes before the start and tread water, which helps you warm up, get acclimated to the water, and relax. On time trial and rolling starts, you just jump in and go, which I think is a lot tougher on the anxiety meter.
It’s not the end of the world, but a mass swim start was definitely one of the factors that had me fired up about Wisconsin. The lake is wide and perfectly suited. While many talk about fear of the “washing machine,” I’ve heard and read plenty of reports that there was plenty of room. I’ll be there either way and it won’t take away from the accomplishment, but I truly wanted to be amidst the swell of humanity that makes for one of the most amazing visuals in sport. 
Oversleeping or Listening to Your Body?
I have never been a morning person. It’s not that I don’t like them, I love to wake up slowly and naturally with the world. I can also get a lot more done when I’m up with the birds (or my crazy dog). It’s just very hard for me to get moving and I have a theory on why that may be to my advantage in the later phases of Ironman Wisconsin.
I used to love playing football with my buddies as a kid. My best friend was the quarterback for our high school team and we spent hours in the summer playing six-on-six sandlot games in a local field. In retrospect it was pretty dumb because we played tackle without pads and there were some vicious hits. I was fearless and would stick my head into any play, and anyone who knows me will surely acknowledge that this has had an effect on my thought process.
My friend, the quarterback, spent most of those summer days trying to convince me to go out for football. He’d claim that I was the best wide receiver in the school. I’d be his favorite target and would catch a ton of passes (and get even more girls). There was only one problem . . . I could not talk myself into getting up for the early morning summer practices.
So, while I slept in on those late August days, my friend would be sweating his ass off and puking at 7:30 in the morning. It was the first of two practices a day and, in between workouts, he’d come by and wake me up around 10 o’clock.
He was wide awake and prodded me for about 15-20 minutes before I’d get out of bed. Then, without fail, by 11 o’clock I would be alive and ready to go. But it was too late. I couldn’t be on the team if I didn’t go to the early practice.
When the season started I was right there on the sidelines rooting my buddies as they tackled their way through the Big 8 Conference in Southern Wisconsin. The pads crackled in the crisp Fall air, and I would drift to a place of regret. I knew I could play for this team, but why couldn’t I get up and go to early summer practice?
Sometimes I think it’s a cop-out to say I’m not a morning person. But years of evidence don’t lie.
At the core of this problem is the fact that I am just “slow to warm up.” There is something going on with my body chemistry that always makes me want to ease into things. It is very evident in my workouts, whether they are at 7 am or 10 at night. The warm up makes a huge difference in my performance.
I have seen it in every race.
The one that really stands out is my first Olympic, the Nashvegas Triathlon. It started at 7 am on a cold, rainy, and mucky Saturday morning in September. I stood on that river bank shivering before diving in and nearly losing my mind. I was tense, tight, and still wanted to be in bed. I nearly panicked and quit two hundred yards in. But instead I tread water for about 5 minutes and decided to keep going. Slowly, but surely I woke myself up and by the time the swim was over, I wanted more.
It was still raining when I got on the bike, but I was awake and embraced the 25 mile ride with confidence. I had the same feeling on the run course. I was a relative novice, but felt like I had a much more in the tank when I crossed the finish line. Slow to warm up, fast to finish.
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I had a great 5 mile run last night with the East Nasties. The route was 4.3 miles in and out of Shelby Park, but Mark Scviner and I added an extra loop around the lake that included sprints.
I had a great 5 mile run last night with the East Nasties. The route was 4.3 miles in and out of Shelby Park, but Mark Scviner and I added an extra loop around the lake that included sprints.
This was the second morning in a row that I over slept a workout and once again, I feel okay with it. I don’t particularly like the idea of “slacking” but I am listening to my body and what I’m “hearing” is a re-birth. I can literally feel my legs warming up and building strength. They have been through a lot lately and I see nothing wrong with giving them an occasional break.
I have a serene peace of mind that is hyper focused in the moment.
In some ways, I almost believe I could finish an Ironman right now because of how good my body feels. It would be a struggle, but if I “feel” good, I believe I can do anything. Something about getting closer to your accomplishment gives me a huge surge of energy. It’s that feeling you get when you’re a kid. That ability to play sports all day and night. That ability to suck it up for one more deep post route or fast break. I don’t know where the energy comes from, but you dig deep into the reserves and do what needs to be done to finish.
A Flattering Look at the Ironman Wisconsin Team
If you’re on Facebook, please feel free to like our Crushing Iron page. We’ll be posting as a team and it’s likely to be full of fireworks that won’t be posted here.
This is Mark’s proud grin after being elected team captain for post-workout beer parties. 
Coach Robbie wondering what the hell he got himself into.
Kevin’s recovery program in action. 
Daniel raising $3,000 for the homeless with his hair. 
Jim fighting a “mysterious illness” in week one of training. 
Shot of Mike from an emotional scene in one of his earlier movies. 
Ironman Wisconsin Training Video
Here’s the first in a series of Ironman Wisconsin training video from members of the “Fab Five.” Jim kicks it off with a reflection on the excitement “just signing up” for an Ironman can bring.
It should be noted that Jim is the only Fab Five member in this video. I shot it while he was doing tempo runs with another group in preparation for the Huntsville Marathon.
Fab Five Predictions for Ironman Wisconsin
Jim kicks it off with his prediction for which of the Fab Five will cross the line first at Ironman Wisconsin.