A Little Backstory
I signed up for Ironman Boulder 2018 on August 30, 2017, but the seed was planted long before that. In a coffee shop after a Neighborhood Fun Run 5k in 2012, we sat and talked with our new friends, James and Michelle Bettis of 3W Races. James was a veteran of Ironman, and the Bettis' are a couple who can make you believe you are capable of anything. Like I said, I had just run a 5k, but during and after that conversation, an Ironman didn't seem out of reach.
I tried to catch the triathlon bug a few times, watching some friends complete the Denver Triathlon, I signed up for it for the following year, only to have it postponed and then cancelled. Then I signed up for the Pelican Fest Triathlon in Windsor, Colorado in 2013, completing it with our friend Andy. A Sprint Tri, I was dead last out of the water, taking twice as long to swim the 800 as most of the other athletes. But I smiled the whole time, because I had conquered the water. Or so I thought.
Fast forward to 2017, where I signed up for Evergreen Sprint Tri, which I thought I was ready for, but I ended up panicking and bailed on the swim, and although I completed the bike and the run, I still took the DQ. Redemption for that disqualification came at the Oktoberfest Sprint Tri in Longmont, but I still struggled during the swim, despite having my friends Jason and Andy come out to help me work through things before the race.
It took a few months after I actually registered for Ironman, but I finally hired a coach in the middle of January 2018. If it wasn't for Julie, I probably wouldn't have, but I am so glad I did. Nick Morrison from Cheetah Running and Triathlon Coaching was an integral part of me getting across the finish line. I had some base fitness, and he worked closely with me in a short time to bring me up to the level needed to be able to not only complete the peak workouts, but to do so without hurting myself. From Day 1, I followed nearly all of my training plan (only missing an occasional workout) - well, and except for some core work, because that stuff hurts!
The plan included swim workouts with specific drills to work on form and efficiency. I still don't have fantastic form, but I am truly a better swimmer than I was just six months ago. My big fear of the swim is because I've never been good at treading water, and I still do need to work on that. The pool generally doesn't frighten me because I can always grab on to something, or stand up. Not quite the same in the open water. Because the race is in early June, there were not a ton of open water swim practice opportunities in our area, so we had to make the most of the time we had. We managed to get in eight open water practice swims prior to race day. Five at Grant Ranch in Littleton, Two in Boulder Res (Stroke and Stride); and one at Union Res in Longmont. The last two Grant Ranch swims I did were the longest (1.2 miles each), and the one in Union and one of the Boulder ones had high winds and choppy/wavy water. Although all eight swims (along with all the pool training) were important, I credit these last four swims as the turning point.
The first 1.2 mile swim, James came out and swam alongside me, offering advice and pointers whenever I stopped, which was often at first. He asked if I was stopping because I was tired, or because I couldn't breathe. I didn't have a good answer. I was stopping because I always stopped. After that, I decided that I wasn't going to stop unless I HAD to. That helped me get through the last half of that swim and was a huge confidence boost. The next morning was when my coach came out to swim alongside, which was kind of intimidating, only because I didn't want to disappoint him. Anyway, we got going and, for the most part, I stuck with the "I'm not stopping unless I HAVE to" mindset. We did stop along the way so he could give me tips and pointers. He also mimicked race day by swimming into, over, and around me, hitting and bumping into me, but generally it didn't affect my swimming. In the second half of that swim, I believe I only stopped once at the last buoy and once for sighting. The Union Reservoir swim had winds pick up and the first one-third was swimming into waves and choppy water. The first lap was difficult and I stopped often, but the second and third loop went much better as I gained confidence in the rough conditions. And because of that and the chop at the previous week's Stroke and Stride in Boulder, I was able to swim twice as far in the same amount of time in that week's Stroke and Stride, which was my last pre-Ironman swim.
Practice, practice, and more practice, in different bodies of water with different conditions. That was the key. I wouldn't say that I was ready to tackle the ocean waters of Kona, but boy, I sure had more confidence heading into Sunday.
Pre-Race
Race week I felt extremely calm and peaceful, with very few fits of anxiety, which I thought was strange because up to this point I'd get pretty anxious about everything. I know now that it was because I had done all the training, and I was physically (and for the most part mentally) prepared to make it to the finish line. On Friday I took off work early to head to Boulder to get my packet and attend the athlete briefings. Those who know me would not be surprised that I read the Athlete Guide more than once, so much of the briefings were reiterating things I already found out. I got my stuff, including a support crew shirt for Julie, hung out with a few friends, and then headed home to work on packing my transition and special needs bags.
Saturday morning we headed to the Reservoir to drop of my bike, Eugenie. (The short version of her name is that I bought a black and yellow road bike, which I named Bee-atrice, so when I subsequently bought the Tri bike, I felt it was only natural that I name her after the sister of Princess Beatrice of York, who is Princess Eugenie.) I set her up in the bike transition area and then we walked around to get the lay of the land, including the start and finish of the swim. Seeing the buoys out in the water and getting familiar with the swim course was reassuring. I could do this.
We met up with my friend Ryan, who was also racing, at Pasta Jay's in Boulder for some carb loading. Unfortunately, that also meant we got home and to bed a little later than planned. I had everything organized for the morning, though, so not that big of a deal. We got to bed somewhere around 10:00 p.m. and we got out of bed around 2:30 a.m.
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| Pre-race jitters. |
Race Day (15:52:54)
We got to Boulder and headed down to the shuttles after dropping off the special needs bags and we were on our way to the Reservoir. I got body marked and then went and added some last minute things to my transition bags and then just had to wait. As I walked to a fence to look out at the water, I was overcome with emotion and I began to cry. Actually, sob was more like it. It was finally here. After the years of wondering if I could. After all the hard work and training. Now it was finally time. Once I composed myself, we walked around and just took it all in. The racers, the volunteers, the atmosphere. It was electric.
The Swim (1:36:20)
They opened the water for warm-ups at 5:45, so I got into my wetsuit and got in for a few strokes. It was very calming and helpful and that was probably when I started to relax and smile. We headed up to get in line for the swim and drop off my morning clothes bag. I jumped in line by the 1:41-1:50 swim pace sign, as we projected my swim to be about an hour and 45 minutes. Not exactly fast, but definitely under the 2:20 cut-off. By the time I got in line, the Pro men's cannon had gone off (6:00 a.m.) and we were waiting for the Pro women to go off at 6:10. The age-group cannon went off at 6:20, and then we waited. I finally hit the water at 6:48.
On the way down the ramp, I got to shake Mike Reilly's hand and he wished me "Good Luck". That was awesome. Then I saw Julie and was able to wave and flash the "I love you" sign a few times as we slowly made it down towards the water. Then I heard my name and there was Sarah and Nick (my coach), so that helped me relax and smile. Until Sarah yelled, "We love you, Brett!", which very nearly got me crying again. One last cool thing before they water is I saw Jeannette (a fellow 3W Ambassador and several time Ironman) volunteering and she gave me a hug right before I entered the water. So cool. I dove in and started to swim. I got going a little ways out and then stopped to get my bearings and sighting clear in my head. Then I swam a little ways and remembered to finally start my Garmin. I had two mantras in my head, both from songs. "I got no time to mess around" (in the voice of Diamond David Lee Roth from "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" by Van Halen) and "Whatever it takes" (Imagine Dragons). Both of those stayed with me the whole day, but were especially helpful to keep me going in the water. The only bad part about the swim was that I forgot to put on the Triglide, so the collar was rubbing my neck really bad for the whole thing and there wasn't anything I could do about it so I got a nice burn on my neck.
I swam from buoy to buoy, never looked toward the shore until I turned the second red buoy for the home stretch and I really enjoyed myself and had a good rhythm going. I started out wide, away from the buoys, but on the back section I actually got in there and swam along with other swimmers. I took one good kick to the shoulder and had a few other bits of contact, but it went as well as I could have hoped. I swam up to the exit ramp and who do I see as the first volunteer when I got out of the water? It was Jeannette! She hugged me again and helped me up to the wetsuit peelers and I was headed to the changing tent. I thought I came in around where we predicted, but I was totally surprised and extremely excited when I found out my swim split was 1:36:20, nearly ten minutes faster than expected!!
T1 (14:07)
I drank a bottle of Skratch to catch-up on nutrition/hydration after the swim. Otherwise pretty uneventful, and I changed into bike gear, got coated in sunscreen and headed out find my bike and get on with it.
The Bike (7:45:51)
Heading to the bike I got to see Julie, Brett, Josh, Aunt Kathy, (that I noticed) and that was a nice boost. Due to the heat, I headed over to a water table and filled the transition bottle with water and put it in my jersey just to have some extra on the ride. The plan was to stay on top of my nutrition (1.25 bottles of Skratch Labs per hour on the bike), but also drink extra water to stay hydrated. I got a little behind early, but was lucky enough that I caught myself up. I probably didn't need to, but I stopped at every aid station, every time. I got a fresh water and a piece of banana, and mixed up a new bottle of nutrition if necessary.
During my training, I rode the better part of the course about four times, so I knew what I was in for, except for the heat. The bike was hot and windy, but I made it through the first loop feeling pretty good. I almost literally got blown off the bike by the wind across the fields on Nelson Road - I went to grab a bottle for a drink while in aero, and boy oh boy, that gust of wind changed my mind right away! I got to see Julie, Nick, and Sarah twice - at the turn around on Hygiene Road, and then a few miles later when I traveled through Hygiene on 75th. It was definitely a great thing to hear the shouts of encouragement and the cowbells, especially in between going up St. Vrain and going back up Hygiene. On this loop I made it up St. Vrain with a few breaks and as I took one break on Hygiene, a volunteer said, "Hey man, don't sweat it...one of the pros was walking his bike up this hill." So I replied, "Okay, I'll walk up on the next loop." and got started pedaling again. I do remember thinking somewhere near the end of the first loop that 56 miles was a good distance, and a Half Marathon sounded way better that a Marathon, so maybe there are some 70.3s in my future.
Second loop wasn't great, and probably (definitely) brought my average speed down. I still felt pretty good until I got to St. Vrain for the second time. I ended up walking my bike up for a bit two times before I got to the top. It was at this point that I began to doubt myself. I never really thought about quitting, but I was worried that I'd be able to finish this AND run a Marathon yet that day. There was a combination of things going on in that moment - the heat, the wind, walking my bike, and realizing that I was right around the highest mileage I had ever ridden on the bike. (Most of my training rides were based on time or heart rate, so the highest mileage I achieved was 85 miles.) Anyway, it felt all of those factors were ganging up on me and it made the second time up St. Vrain probably the worst part of the day. So, I finally make it to the top and then zoom down 36 and down Hygiene Road and there at the turn around again was Julie, Nick, and Sarah. That was so what I needed. A shot in the ass to get me moving, back up Hygiene Road (which, I'm pretty sure did NOT involve any more walking!) and then past my fan club on 75th in Hygiene one last time. I finally made it back to the Res and handed off my bike to a volunteer and ran down to the changing tent to get ready for the marathon.
T2 (17:49)
Again, pretty uneventful - just went slow to make sure I had everything. Stopped for the volunteers to slather me with more sunscreen, grabbed an iced towel and put it around my neck and headed off.
The Run (5:58:47)
During training I ran with a handheld water bottle, with a pocket to hold chapstick and whatever. For this race, since I had to carry more nutrition with me, I chose to wear a camelbak race belt, which held everything, including the bottle, in small of my back. Then I remembered why I DIDN'T like that belt. It bounces. A lot. Especially if the bottle is full. And that's annoying AF on a normal day. I pulled the straps as tight as I could, but it still bounced. So, I ended up holding the bottle and trying to run. But then my wet towels wouldn't stay put on my neck. So, I tried to hold them with my other hand. Which probably looked goofy, but it kind of worked. I tried to do some run/walk intervals and I actually came close to my target pace for the first few miles. Eventually I would give up on the towels because even though they kept me cool, they were totally driving me crazy.
About two miles in, I saw Julie, Josh, and Kelsey (who even offered to run the rest of the way with me. She made it a few yards before tapping out). I passed a couple of back yards where they were spraying runners down with a hose, so that helped cool me off. I saw Julie again at the Rayback Collective, where I really wanted to stop, rest and have a beer, but I kept going. It was about mile six where I got to the part of the course which had the turn around for the runners on their second loop. I really wanted to be running more than walking, but the redeeming thing about the marathon was that it seemed EVERYONE I saw was walking more than running.
I probably didn't need to stop every mile at an aid station, but I did want to make sure I stayed on top of hydration. At the end of the day, I ended up with two bags of Skratch that I didn't mix, so my nutrition on the run wasn't as good as it could have been, but I between T1 and the bike ride I had already drank 10 bottles of the stuff, not including what I drank on the run and so I think I found my limit on the lemon-lime Skratch! Anyway, by stopping at each mile, I was able to take in extra water, bananas, and maybe a cookie or two. I was a little confused by the markings near the finish line because you passed the same spot to go up and turn around for your second loop, and turn around to come back and take the turn toward the finish. While it was marked with bright green tape and arrows, at that point in the day, it's hard to make sense of such things. Also, this was a heavily crowded, loud area, so luckily the first time through, Rey grabbed me and pointed me in the right direction.
When I headed back out for my second loop I somehow got the last cutoff times mixed up in my head and I was convinced that I was living on borrowed time. The reality was I was somewhere around an hour ahead of the intermediate cut-offs on the course, but that logic was escaping me at the time. So, I convinced myself that I had to be at the last turn around by 9:15, but my Garmin had died, so I really had no clue what time it was, only that sunset was about 8:30 and it was setting. I finally saw Josh about a mile and a half from the turn around and I asked him what time it was. He told me it was 9:58. I was deflated and dejected (but I was going to keep going until they told me I was cut-off). I said, "WHAT?!" and he said, "oh no, it's 8:58." He started to round up to 9:00 and added the :58 at the last minute. I had new hope! I continued to run/walk to the turn around and when I finally got there and asked about the cut-off, the woman said as far as she knew we were all fine. (The last intermediate cut-off was 10:15, which I had read several times in the athlete guide, but like I said, by that point in the race, I was not really thinking clearly.)
Anyway, having safely made all the cutoffs (even the made-up-in-my-head ones), I pretty much knew I was home free, so I still power-walked and occasionally ran back toward the finish. My legs were threatening to revolt if I tried to go any faster, but there were a couple of times I was able to muster some running. I ran past Julie and everyone near the turn to the finish, but I still had to go about another mile to the park and back. Then I managed to run past Nick and Sarah and then I was finally back there, making the turn, headed up the hill and down the finish chute. I ran back and forth and tried to get as many high fives as I could, I raised my arms and heard Mike Reilly say, "Brett Smith, you are an Ironman!"
As I crossed the line, I maneuvered through the sea of volunteers and saw my friend David holding my medal, and as he placed it on my neck, he said, "Well, I'm not Julie, but..." and I hugged him and thanked him. It meant so much to have someone I knew and someone who has been a part of my journey, place the medal on me. He led me over to where they took my timing chip and he got me my finisher shirt and hat, and then led me over to Julie and everyone else. Hugging David was the first time I teared up since that morning before the race. I truly thought I would cry when I got out of the water, but the swim went so well that I was content and happy the rest of the day. I also really thought I would ugly cry across the finish line, but again, I was so happy all day long that all I could do was smile.
One of the reasons I chose Boulder was because of the network and community of friends and family we have here in Colorado. That support has been immeasurable. I saw so many people I know and love while on the course, and there were even more people that I didn't see. I've told a few people that if I heard a voice and made eye contact, I knew who I was seeing, but just scanning a crowd as I ran or walked past, my brain wasn't coherent enough to register or recognize.
So many people helped me on this journey. My wife, Julie, even though she thought I should have done a 70.3 first, never discouraged me, always believed in me, and insisted I hire a coach She also talked me through many of the open water swims. My coach, Nick Morrison, took my level of fitness and built brilliant training and nutrition plans that not only got me across the finish line, but made it so I could walk the next day. I would recommend him to anyone. In addition, James Bettis, Andy Tuthill, Jason French, Vikki French, David Horst, and Sarah Morrison all took time out of their schedule to help me out in the open water.
The list of thanks is SO much longer, and even if I don't call you out by name, please know that I truly appreciate your encouragement and support. Know that I love you and I am thankful for everything that you've done to help me become an Ironman.
For anyone thinking of jumping in, I would say go for it! Be smart, hire a coach, and trust your training. And do the core work!! (I really did figure out how much more that would have helped me, both in the later training, and also during the race.) My wasn’t fast, but I had fun, smiled, thanked everyone and crossed the finish line.
Completing an Ironman was hard, but despite how hard it was, how long the day was, how hot it was, how windy it was, I truly, truly had fun and had an amazing day. That night I pretty much said that was my first and only Ironman, but by Monday morning, I was definitely talking about doing another one, so that I can improve on things. I know I was being conservative because of the heat and it being my first time, but I spent over 30 minutes in transition, and nearly an hour at aid stations on the bike course. Just based on that, I can definitely shave time off of my finish. It won't be next year, for sure, but beyond 2019, who knows?!
