The first thing I noticed at Ironman Chattanooga is this hill the racers must scale after getting out of the water. It is at least 100 yards from the Swim Exit (which would be in the right in this photo) and a pretty steep climb.
Here’s a look from the other angle.
This is the Swim Exit and while I was getting my Ironman-Geek on I learned that tomorrow’s current will be far less than it has been. I’m hearing it was 26,000 today and will be in the 8-10,000 range tomorrow. There is also a serious question about water temperature and most I talked with were thinking it would NOT be wetsuit legal. But I have a feeling they will figure out how to get people into their wetsuits.
Here are bike bags. Unlike Louisville, which I just did, the bike and run bags are separate. The bikes are just off to the left of this photo and the Bike Out is waaay down at the end. I expect relatively slow T1 times in the morning.
Here’s a shot of the run bags. Bikes are in the background. Run Out is to the left of this shot and goes back toward downtown. Run transition times should be pretty quick.
These guys are getting ready, but hopefully we won’t need them.
It’s never too late to dial in your swim before Ironman Chattanooga. Check out the simple and fast C26 Swim Stroke analysis video below for more information.
As promised here is the full video I shot at Ironman Wisconsin. It includes the Mass Swim Start, the bike hills, and run in downtown Madison. It was an awesome and inspiring day at Ironman Wisconsin and I hope you like the video.
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The current is a HUGE topic for the folks at Ironman Chattanooga. If this video below (shot by Crushing Iron personnel) is any indication, there will be PR Swims all over the course on Sunday . . . but, I have read Friday current (due to energy demands) is typically way stronger than the weekends. We shall see . . . and we will also soon know if a lot of racers will be making the questionable choice of wearing a wetsuit. For race updates on Sunday, follow me on Twitter @miketarrolly.
I’m not in Chattanooga yet, but as you know Crushing Iron has the hook up. And I know there is a lot of anxiety and nerves floating around, but don’t sweat it, I’ll be there around noon ready to capture your pre-race Jitters on camera. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for race updates: @mtarrolly
Here are a few pictures from the river, revealing a beautiful setting for an Ironman . . . along with the absolutely greatest sign by this youngster.
I don’t usually get caught up in viral video, but this one was different. It was raw and resonated at the core.
He pours it on the line. We are greedy and selfish people who don’t stand behind what we preach. We are self-centered and worried more about what people think of us than doing the right things.
We are zombies, moving through life hoping the next corner will unveil something that excites us even more. Something that jolts us into living again. A quick fix that blows off the rust.
The reason I signed up for Ironman was because I wanted to crack open my shell and watch corrosion fall from my bones. I wanted to drain the toxins and learn how it felt to “feel.”
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and it still isn’t.
Everywhere you look there is trickery and temptation promising to make the hardest things simple. Ploy after ploy convincing us that something worthwhile doesn’t take time and focus.
In our hearts, we all know it’s not true, but we have become a society that accepts the lie. We have given in to the fact that “having character” is a rare and don’t expect it from people.
We are a “headline society” that is content without knowing the full story. We overreact to five or six words and set our judgements in stone because admitting we were wrong is too hard. We don’t believe it’s necessary because so much is wrong, and truth, real truth –at the core kind of truth– doesn’t seem to matter.
So, I continue my journey to live with right intention. I try not to hide from my faults and am getting better at accepting them.
Nobody’s perfect. Let’s make mistakes, learn, forgive, include, and transcend. Oh, and love like you race.
The following are five answers from five people I know when asked “How they felt” as they left T2 after their 112 mile bikes in Ironman. They are each of relatively close skill level.
“Great,” said racer number 1.
“Great,” said racer number 2.
“Great,” said racer number 3.
“Great,” said racer number 4.
“Not bad,” said racer number 5.
Racer number 5 was last off the bike and had the fastest overall time. This is a true story and I’m sure it means something, but I’m not exactly sure what yet.
After you read through this post, come back and listen to our Podcast on swimming with 8 solid ways you can be stronger, faster, and more efficient in open water. Please subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. Thanks.
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The other day I was thinking about my swim at Ironman Louisville (non-wetsuit) and how great I felt after getting out of the water, as opposed to the delirium I felt at Ironman Wisconsin (wetsuit) and posed this question to my triathlon text group:
“With the water temperature and downstream swim, would it seriously make sense not to swim in a wetsuit?”
Within two minutes my coach told me he’d been putting together a blog post on that very topic, which is below.
I know it may sound crazy, but not only did I feel much better after my Louisville swim, I cut nearly 15 minutes off from Wisconsin. Granted, the latter was in choppy lake, and the wetsuit did give me “security” in the mass start, but with a smooth downstream swim and no congestion? I definitely think ditching the wetsuit is worth contemplating, and Robbie points out some great reasons.
In 4 days thousands of athletes will line up at the inaugural Ironman Chattanooga and plunge into the mighty Tennessee River. The biggest question between now and then will be “What is the water temperature?”
The obsessive panic around water temperature usually starts about 2 weeks out from a race and I would venture that 99% of the athletes are praying for wetsuit legal temperatures. Most triathletes will admit that they are less than stellar swimmers and a good portion would likely claim the swim terrifies them.
Wetsuit legal swims are a race directors dream. Add in an assisted “with the current” swim and the race is all but guaranteed a sell out. Every. Single. Time.
Water temperature looks to be right around the cutoff line of 76.1 come Sunday morning. But regardless of weather, and if the swim is deemed wetsuit legal, I challenge you to take the following into consideration before donning your neoprene.
6 Reasons You should NOT wear a wetsuit
To Use The Current. The swim will be with the current. A wetsuit, by design, is very sleek and slippery piece of equipment. However, with an “aided” swim that can can be a disadvantage. You dont want the water to slip over you, you want to use the current to grab every piece of your body. More friction.
At Ironman Louisville I even opted out of a swim skin. The current was up and I wanted to let it grab my tri suit, including the open pockets, and drag me down the river. It did just that. If you are trying to get pushed downstream do you want to be the slippery pebble or the jagged rock?
To Avoid Mental and Physical Stress. A lot of people wear wetsuits because it makes them feel “safer” in the water. For others, it can cause an claustrophobic ridden panic attack. If that applies, then skip the wetsuit. The lack of mental, emotional and physical stress will far out weigh the minute or two you save by having it on.
The Time Factor. Faster swimmers get less of an advantage that slower swimmers from a strong current. If you fall into the “I might save a minute category” I would skip it as well. In fact, you will likely gain that minute back coming out of the water, stopping for a wetsuit stripper, carrying it to the T1 tent, then packing it in your T1 bag.
Chronic over heaters. Need I say more? Skip it.
Lack of Practice. Skip it if you have not done enough wetsuit swims at RACE PACE or even above. Four or five easy wetsuit swims is not appropriate preparation for racing in your wetsuit. The practice swim the day before won’t cut it either. Havent had any quality bike sessions FOLLOWING those wetsuit swims? Skip it. ** See numbers below.
Arm Fatigue. If you feel your wetsuit causes restriction, then skip it. Many triathletes sight sore shoulders and fatigued arms after a wetsuit swim because of restriction caused by the wetsuit. If you fall into that category, skip it. You might gain 1-2 minutes on the swim but you will lose ALL OF THAT and more on the bike. Heavily fatigued arms/shoulders/lats/neck are the primary reasons people sit up out of aero on the bike. Sit up for even 5-10 minutes on the bike and you just soaked up all of those minutes “saved” on the swim.
By The Numbers
– You will save around 2-4 minutes on a 2.4 mile swim with a wetsuit in normal swim conditions.
– The average IM swim time is around 1:15 (75mins).
– You will have your wetsuit on for around 10-15 minutes prior to entering the water.
– You will have your wetsuit on during the swim for around 75mins.
– The average persons HR increases around 10 beats per minute just STANDING in your wetsuit. Average beats “wasted” standing = 100-150
– The average persons HR increases around 10-20 beats per minute SWIMMING in your wetsuit. Average beats “used” swimming in your wetsuit = 750- 1500.
– Total additional beats attributed to just WEARING your wetsuit is around 850- 1650.
– If you are trying to AVERAGE a certain HR you will have to slow down more at the beginning of the bike in order to get it under control after wearing a wetsuit.
Whats your number? Are all of those beats worth it?
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EDIT: This post gets a ton of views and I want to add a little nugget since I’ve actually raced Chattanooga now. While I think this is a solid theory if you are a good swimmer, I would probably wear a wetsuit now if I did this race and it was legal. The issue I had last year was they slowed the current considerably and wetsuits were flying by me. It’s the first time I realized the distinct advantage a wetsuit gives you. That said, my swim wasn’t near what it should have been for this race. Thanks for reading! Mike.
Yeah, I wrote “loom” into another blog title. I like to say Ironman looms, like it’s a beast you can’t escape or a tax deadline, or something. But, it really does fit.
It’s the date on the calendar that even old guys like me can remember.
It’s etched in stone and basically the benchmark for which all plans are made. “Oh, shit, you’re getting married and I’m the best man and ‘Boyz II Men’ are playing the reception after a helicopter ride to a secluded Caribbean Island with the guy that landed the plane in the Hudson River?”
Damn, I’m sorry, my Ironman’s that day.
It feels a little odd that I’m not doing a race so close to home and so celebrated by local triathlon clubs. The problem was, it sold out in a day, and I still hadn’t done my first Ironman yet. I’m a risk taker, but that one seemed inappropriate.
I’ve been following all the chatter on the Chattanooga Facebook page and while there’s been everything but a social media riot about the extra four miles of biking and a shorter amount of time to finish, I’m pretty sure everyone (well, most everyone) is sick of talking and ready to toe the line.
I can’t wait to see the course, which can’t help but be beautiful. It will be all I can do to stop from cutting that swim line and jumping in that gorgeous river. And the mountain scenery along with the trendy, but approachable feel of downtown? This race is sure to be a keeper.
What’s very intriguing to me is how well the town will support this race.
Many like to call Chattanooga the “Boulder of the South,” but I also hear that once you get outside of Chattanooga, you’re in Tennessee. They wouldn’t dare heckle the bike riders, or worse yet, throw out tacks like every other city, would they?
Ironman Maryland was made up over over half first-timers and I’m guessing Chattanooga will have a similarly high rate. There will be a ton of anxiety that morning and, as usual, I will be available for last minute temple rubs.
And after that, I’ll be everywhere, camera in hand, shooting video another free publicity video for Ironman starring tons of people from Nashville and anyone else who wants to join the Crushing Iron archives.
Good luck, everyone, and be sure to stop by tomorrow for a piece that could literally change your racing strategy for Ironman Chattanooga.
For a lot of triathletes, the swim is just the swim. It’s an hour or so to warm up the race. But, no matter how you slice it, it’s like the beginning of a long baseball game, and a pitcher never wants to struggle in the first inning.
For me, the swim comes down to four goals:
1. Getting over any and all anxiety
2. Keeping good form by staying under control
3. Being refreshed more than exhausted at the end
4. Relax and enjoy
Calming Anxiety
The swim is like the first inning. Nerves are high and you’re thinking about a no-hitter before the game even starts. But you can’t afford to look ahead because a couple early mistakes can put you in a big hole.
Water is intimidating and there is no way to fight it. You have to swim every inch of 2.4 miles, so you might as well do it right.
Finding Form
A lot of times pitchers are so jacked up they over-throw in in the game, but bad form and over-exertion can lead to an avalanche at the start of an Ironman. You go way out of your comfort zone and the next thing you know you’re still breathing hard 10 miles into the bike.
Two things have helped me tremendously: Warming up right and forcing myself to go slow.
I do a lot of arm circles and hip rotation stuff every time I swim (and did a ton of it before Louisville). Expending energy before a race used to sound strange, but now I realize it’s important to get the heart pumping a little before you actually “do” anything.
And I don’t do it “as much” but if my breath is whack at the beginning of a swim, I will purposely breath toward the sky. I assure you this isn’t the proper way to swim fast, but it can help slow you down.
Speaking of Warm Up
I truly think the swim is the only event where you can actually feel better at the end. I feel like I proved it at Louisville and think a lot of great pitchers who go the distance would say the same thing.
You want to be ready to go before the game, but each inning sets up the next just like swim sets up the bike . . .
I stayed in the pocket and just let the swim come to me. I also think it helped that I wasn’t in a wetsuit which seems to make me feel like I’m going to the local dungeon without a payoff.
Relax and Enjoy
My ankle problems took away much of my running, but in the month leading to Louisville I bet I swam 20 times. For a two week stretch I swam every day and loved it.
I became way more relaxed in the water and that translated to less effort. I cut nearly 15 minutes off my last Ironman swim and felt far better getting on my bike.
The last thing you want to do in Ironman is climb out of a hole because of careless mistakes. You lose focus, give up a couple walks, a hit, make a big error and the next thing you know you’re down three runs.
Ironman Wisconsin was inspiring enough, but to be walking around with a camera and have random people grab me to say they read Crushing Iron blew my mind. One of those guys was Brad Garrison, who was with a big support group, and ready to tackle his first Ironman. He yelled out, “Crushing Iron!” and that moment landed him in this Ironman Wisconsin Swim Start teaser video. Below is the story of how watching Ironman, then going on simple run became the catalysts for making Brad believe, anything is possible.
Sportscry and Inspire for the Rest of Your Life — Brad Garrison
Having been a fan of “Crushing Iron” for quite some time, it was an honor to meet Mike Tarrolly at the top of the Monona Terrace helix prior to the start of Ironman Wisconsin on September 7, 2014. Being a recent resident of Nashville and East Nasty runner, I knew of him through, Daniel Hudgins, another one of the “Fab Five.”
I jumped at the opportunity to guest-blog and offer a brief glimpse into my journey to become an Ironman, hoping to offer some inspiration and insight related to my pursuit of such a challenge. I vividly remember watching in amazement as my brother, Brian, became an Ironman at Lake Placid in 2011 amid the unraveling of my marriage. Witnessing his journey caused me to turn to running which helped alleviate the stress of my divorce, the hatred I had for the person I was divorcing and the City of Madison where we had moved together. This was the beginning of a positive change in my life.
Brian and Crystal, his wife who became an Ironman at Louisville in 2010 while they were dating, became a source of inspiration for me, not only to begin running, but throughout my journey. Had they not displayed a potential for challenging their limits, I might not have known that I could find happiness in movement, and in challenging my own limits thus making positive life change. It’s the journey and transformation that’s really awesome. Although much of the training for Ironman is directed towards a once unfathomable goal of 140.6 miles within a single 17 hour period on a particular calendar date, it’s the incredible emotional change that occurs over that period of training that is truly remarkable, awesome, and inspiring.
I will tell you that I thought Ironman was impossible for somebody like me. Compared to my brother, I’m four years older and have always been a little shorter and quite a bit thicker. If you look at pictures from 2011, I wasn’t what could be described as athletic. Brian has always looked fit, so the fact that he became a runner and transformed into a triathlete and an Ironman wasn’t terribly surprising, but I remember thinking he was crazy and that only “fit, athletic people” were capable of taking on such challenges.
The impossible started becoming possible with a simple jog on August 20, 2011. That simple jog led to running. Running led to friends. Friends led to biking. Biking led to interest in triathlon. Interest in triathlon led to swim lessons. And after spending 2013 trying to put it all together, 2014 became the year that I would become an Ironman!
That’s what’s great about running and triathlon. You don’t have to look athletic or be any certain size to begin making forward progress. You only have to be inspired to start moving forward, and through that movement, you can find further inspiration.
Training provided days when the thought of 140.6 miles seemed somewhat attainable, usually followed by humbling days where the idea of biking the 112 miles alone seemed completely insurmountable. That’s what’s awesome about the relationship between the human body and the mind. The body is willing and able to respond to crazy ideas that the mind has, once the mind has been afforded the opportunity to strengthen its capacity for challenging fear, limitations, and negative thoughts.
While working to train my body and mind, I also learned the power of “#sportscry.” Have you ever felt #sportscry? Maybe you’ve experienced it when you watched Rudy or Miracle, when you crossed a finish line for a PR that you worked hard for, or witnessed a “physically challenged” athlete cross a finish line. Perhaps you felt #sportscry for a friend or family member like I did watching Brian become an Ironman in Lake Placid, as it typically anoints itself related to the accomplishment of a goal or hearing an inspiring story. #sportscry truly embodies everything that running and triathlon has meant for me and is a connection I feel towards my fellow athletes, becoming a personal mantra that I even wore on my tri kit for Ironman Wisconsin.
Ironman’s slogan is that “Anything is Possible” and it truly is. It’s also said that once you swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles, you can “brag for the rest of your life.”
What I hope is that I will never forget my motivation and inspiration to begin moving along on this emotional journey to become an Ironman and that instead of bragging to others, I can channel the power of #sportscry to inspire for the rest of my life. I hope you’ll do the same!
Tweet me about your own #sportscry experience at @BradleyGarrison
Brad Garrison
Kansas City, MO
Ironman Wisconsin 2014 Finisher – Bib #1684
