Ironman St. George - The Wife's View

Beware: the following post is nearly as long as an actual Ironman...

Probably about 18 months to 2 years ago, I'd be up in what was my home office and the TV would invariably be be tuned into some channel showing the Ironman Championships in Kona, or some other location with my husband glued to the screen. I'd glance over and see the leaders as they were followed by a cameraman on a motorcycle, looking nothing but serious and determined. Then every once in a while they'd capture the absolute devastation written all over some pro's face whose bike had gotten a flat for the umpteenth time and there was no hope to recover. I laughed a little at the guy who threw his tire and kicked his bike....all the while cursing and yelling in a funny accent, thinking, "who does these events, anyway? Who would be crazy enough to put themselves through 140.6 miles of what looked like pure torture?" 

I can still hear Mike gushing over the athletes and their stories - and by athletes, I mean every single participant...not just the Pro's. There were plenty of Pro's for sure, but there were also stories of a 70-something nun, a man who just recently diagnosed with Lou Gherig's disease traversing the 140.6 miles to raise awareness before his body would fail him, those doing it in honor of a loved one...no shortage of inspiration. I knew Mike was enthralled, but when he said he was going to do an Ironman, I really didn't think much of it. I've known this man for half of my life...and I should have known better!

Fast forward a bit, and you have Mike riding on a friend's dad's borrowed 10 speed that was too big. Practicing laps in the local Y's pool (this, the guy who absolutely would NOT go swimming, no matter what after he was "forced" to dig the footprint for the aboveground pool at his parent's house many years ago), reading everything he could get his hands on regarding endurance, technique, nutrition, training, recovery...running (also the guy who believed running was torture and a punishment and never ran a race until the 2008 Philly Marathon)...who was this guy? Did I know him? What the heck did he do with my Mike? 

I played along...not really thinking that things would keep progressing (again, I don't know how I disillusioned myself)...but there he was, swimming, biking and running, reading, researching and learning...he set his sights on his first triathlon - an Olympic distance race held in July. After that was a local Half-Ironman...which was on mostly hilly terrain...then came the time when he got super-serious and got ready to sign up for a Full-Ironman but the one he originally selected had sold out! The only thing left to do was sign up for the newest and most difficult Ironman out there...St. George, Utah. How difficult could it really be? 140.6 miles is ridiculous...what's a couple hills thrown in for good measure?

In retrospect, I'm glad he chose an event so early in the spring (technically speaking)...that way all the hours of training done on his bike was indoor on a computrainer...if I had to run out for some reason, I didn't have to schlep all three kids with me wherever I needed to go...of course there was the time I came back and the door to where he was training was locked because they had pestered him to no end (only happened once!)...but while he may have been largely inaccessible, I knew exactly where he was and didn't have to worry.

Oh yeah - that...worry. I come from a line of worriers. I've tried to fight it...but it creeps up on me and WHAM! There I am...stress hormones flowing, mind wandering (dark places)...I did pretty well up until the time he got hit by a car while in VA Beach...(I really wish he hadn't told me about that). So anyway, take away the worry factor, give me a few hours to get errands run by myself, and I'm pretty happy.

Fast forward even more...past the 6-7 consecutive hour "bricks" on the weekends, couple hour swims, and long distance running...we're at race week. The plan is for Mike to go ahead of us and get acclimated, ship all his gear and receive it in time...etc. Sounds simple, right? Did I mention I have 3 kids under 9? Luckily my brother in law stepped up to the plate and offered fly out with the kids and me, and Mike would come home with us when all was said and done. Sorry, Eric...you really had no idea what you were getting into.

Monday am, I wake up with sore lungs and a scratchy throat. Kid #2 starts coughing. Tuesday kid #3 starts coughing, I feel achy, tired and have a runny nose. Kid #2 still coughing. Wednesday, Mike leaves for UT, I feel like crap, Kid #'s 1, 2 and 3 all have a cold of some sort. Thursday, all 3 are still not feeling well, I still feel like crap, have found that I've literally broken out with a rash on my face from worrying, and kid #3 now has a fever. Awesome.

Friday, kids #1 and 2 seem better, but kid #3 is coughing (a lot) and continues with a fever. I worried about how he'd do with the cabin pressure...turns out that was the least of my worries. Eric picks us up at 8 am and off we go. Get to the airport, check in and....2 hour delay! Ok, no problem...just keep the kids occupied...stop thinking about the race tomorrow...next we hear the announcement "The aircraft repair could not be done within a reasonable time, so US Air is substituting with a smaller aircraft. Rows 27 and higher do not have seats on this plane". Guess which row we were in? 29. 

Eric jumps up and heads over to the gate desk...then disappears for a while. I'm NOT thinking about how we're going to get to UT. NOT thinking that Mike does not need this on his mind...WON'T. 

Head over to another gate desk with the kids in tow to see Eric talking to another US Air rep...being very patient...while surrounded with (for the sake of this blog, I'll be kind) ladies making a gigantic stink about how this airline was ruining their chance to bet on the big horse race in Vegas. Let's just say their language was more than colorful and were so loud, I think the people at baggage claim could've heard them. And so did my kids. Kid #1 in particular. As she started ramping up the complaining and the "US Air is ruining my life" diatribe, I quickly tried to diffuse the situation by telling her that "people who talk like that are dumb...they don't know how to use real words to say how they feel"...I KNOW that's going to come back and bite me later.

After what seemed like forever, closed out tickets, seemingly no way to get there but to wait until tomorrow morning....we finally get a flight plan...but instead of straight to Las Vegas then a short drive to St. George, we're now going to arrive in Salt Lake City around 10 pm CST via Houston via Phoenix. Then we get to drive from Salt Lake to St. George. A five hour drive, by the way, which will put us there around 4am. Just in time to see Mike out the door to the starting line. Ok, LET'S GO!!

After the initial debacle, the rest went smoothly, and all three kids were serious troopers. I could go hug and kiss them right now for that. They were complimented many times by the airline crew and passengers about how good they were...someone from first class even bought them cookies.

Three flights later, we're in Salt Lake City...and need to rent a car with 2 booster seats for kids #2 and 3. Only problem is they don't rent car seats if you're returning the car to another location. "There's a Target nearby" was one clerk's response...I think it took everything Eric had not to rip into her. We drove away with two boosters, 3 sleeping kids, and a promise to ship the car seats back to car rental company (shipped from NJ for nearly $80, by the way).

One stop at IHOP for what looked like an extra large cup of caffeinated coffee and we were off...again...I don't remember much of any conversation...but we stayed pretty well awake until about 1 hour away...then finally we were THERE. I've not seen Mike so happy/relieved...and thank God we got there when we did so he could have a clear head for the day ahead. I tried to sleep for a few hours...but aside from the travel induced-stress-adrenaline had a difficult time doing anything but doze off periodically. 

I specifically asked for Mike's sister and dad to go to the swim area...I don't know if I could have handled it. I think that's definitely the worst part for a spectator...You see them out there, but you have no idea which one belongs to you. There are some that lag behind, some that swim to a buoy, or boat - possibly in distress...but you have no clue who they are. Needless to say, I was much happier after receiving the text "He's out!" Whew. One down, 2 more segments to go.

The Perfect Spot

Round up the kids, back to the car, and off to the bike course. We're guessing on where to go at this point, but find what was around mile 23 and park it. I find the perfect position to snap some photos as Mike rides down the road...Eric's out ahead a bit and once I see him react, my plan is to start shooting...then kid #3 starts telling me he wants to stand with me, so I have to cross back over the road to get him...kids #1 and 2 do something to make him angry, and as I bend down to help I hear Eric yell and then Mike yell something as he rides by.... and I TOTALLY MISS HIM!!! ARGH! I believe the word that flew out of my mouth was one that those "nice" airport ladies were using....and it was loud enough for Mike to hear (and later tease me about). Great example, mom.

Back to the car and onward...we've got a few hours to kill before he comes back around the loop, so we find a very kid-friendly area with a water park, food, vendors and entertainment. Kids happily get soaking wet, kid #3 continues to cough violently if his respiratory rate increases for any reason, and I try not to think about how many miles and hours lay ahead. 

We meet up with Amy & Tom - everyone's happy to see each other and relieved we have more in numbers to commiserate with. Eventually we make our way to a section of flat road (one of the few!) where we wait by a water stop...I'm determined (!) to get some good photos of Mike this time...and thank God I've got extra hands to keep the beasts at bay while we wait. All of a sudden, someone shouts, "There he is!", I pick up my camera and indiscriminently start shooting...and see a flash of white fly by with what was the biggest, whitest, most amazing flash of a grin that I've ever seen....I'm not sure if it's because he looked happy, if I finally got some photos of him, or I'll-be-damned-if-this-guy-is-actually-having-fun, but I felt like I could've run 100 miles right after him...

Next stop - food, bathroom and wi-fi area to post one of my photos of the grinning competitor...low and behold, the Starbucks we settle on not only has free wi-fi, an endless supply of cold water and caffeine, but it's right on mile 110 of the bike, and mile 2, 10, 15 and 24 of the run. Yep, that's right - he'd RUN by us 4 times - the marathon course was an out and back loop that needed to be done twice. Torture!

By this time it's what feels like 90 degrees without a cloud in the sky. While a little bit too hot for us spectators, it's not unbearable because we can move in and out of the shade and it's dry heat. Kid #3 is quickly melting, though...the fever is back and Aunt Amy is there to the rescue...so another dose of Advil and in no time he's back to his fightin' self. The participants however must be suffering by now - you can see they are covered with salt marks on their shorts and shirts and some are already showing signs of a wicked sunburn where they neglected to apply loads of sunscreen. We estimate the Mike should be there fairly soon...and set up camp across from a water stop disguised as a country-western town and some very energetic volunteers boisterously cheering the participants on. I'm hearing some Johnny Cash, and thinking Mike'll love this part. 

I've finally got it in my head to be looking for a white helmet, white long sleeve shirt, and some crazy-looking blue and red compression sleeves on Mike's legs...and THERE HE IS!! Camera is up, trigger depressed, and a succession of shots are now taken...and that smile is still there...maybe not showing pure elation now, but still there which makes me feel relieved...he's going to do this!!!

New Girlfriend?

We figure it should be about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes until we see him again climbing up just the beginning of what seems like endless hills at mile 2 of the run. So we cross the street and wait. And wait. I'm hoping he ditches the white shirt so we have no difficulty spotting him wearing his singlet with the big giant Pro-Activity logo...my kids have devised a game using a 1/4 full water bottle - throwing it into the dirt and seeing how far it can go. Once they tire of that (and seemingly after plucking every flower and branch off poor unsuspecting plants within a 10 foot radius) they sit on the curb to cheer the runners on their way back down the hill...a cute little girl decides to sit down right next to Andrew...and he gets so embarrassed he doesn't know what to do (I only hope he stays that way for a long time!).

Finally we see him...as he passes by, he tells us to "go get some dinner. It's going to be a long night." Didn't matter - he was done with segment 2, onto segment 3 - 2/3 of the way there! We cheer for the leading women, count the people in Mike's age group as they pass by, eat some snacks...by this time my kids are covered in the dry, orange desert dirt - from top to bottom and I'm convinced that they'll each be about 3 lbs lighter after we wash them off. Every once in a while we hear the screams of ambulance sirens - and each look at each other and roll our eyes thinking, "ugh". We're also seeing a number of entrants off to the sides, either walking their bikes down the hill, or walking off course along the sides...done. All that training...for nothing? Not an encouraging sight.

After what seemed like forever, we spot the Pro-Activity logo making it's way down the hill...his hat pulled down low over his face and I just know that he's pissed - he's running slower than what he's capable of and I can see that he's beyond angry. As he comes toward us, we start yelling and screaming, trying our best to pick him up, give him our energy to carry him through. My kids can see there's something up...and I keep telling them to cheer - daddy's ok...he's going to pull through and finish...he's going to do this...don't worry....and away he goes around the bend through a side-street that he'll be out of in a few minutes. So we move further down the course to wait...and I'm relieved again the next time I see him that he's pulled himself together, looks better and gives the kids hi-fives as he passes by. Not really knowing what to say (I don't know if he's hurting physically, if he's just exhausted mentally and physically...) I yell "You WILL do this, Mike! YOU WILL!"

We walk to the middle of the road to wait for him...and see the welcome sight of that logo...another round of cheering, yelling, clapping...and he says again that we need to go get dinner...it'll be a while. We finally relent and go grab some food at a 50's themed restaurant, charge up iPhones and gear up for the rest of the night. Fearful of missing him, we quickly head back out and walk further up the run course...around the 5K remaining mark...they've got music blaring, a water stop, and some pretty awesome views. It's starting to get dark now...and I'm feeling pretty giddy - after 36+ hours of little sleep and stress/adrenaline hormones I start singing songs with my own lyrics that include anything from Mike rounding the corner - NOW, or where are you...etc. The kids are racing around and I'm pretty sure at any moment one of them will wipe out and cut themselves open...but thankfully that never happened.

Downhill 5K left

Then...we see Tom give a wave - Eric, who went out further than us let him know Mike was on his way and we all got in position to help cheer him on for the final 3.1 miles to the finish line. Only 3.1 miles to go! He was almost there and it was a sure bet that nothing would stop him now! We see him jogging toward us and start going crazy - Eric's running along side (not really legal, but at that point, I think anything goes), we're all clapping and yelling and jumping up and down...YOU ARE ALMOST THERE!!! Go! Go! GO!

He smiles (a little bit, anyway) and passes by and we all literally race to the cars to head to the finish line...I tap out a quick status update on FB as I'm running - I know there are a few waiting for each update and want to make sure they know he's on his way in...jump in the car and away we go...get close to the finish line, park, and again race to find a good spot to watch him come in. Aunt Amy & the kids wait just by the entrance, Tom finds a spot closer to the bleachers, I try to get to the actual finish line but can't (ARGH!) and wind up climbing to the top of the bleachers to try and take some more photos...

All of a sudden I see that AWESOME logo shirt come around the bend and I start screaming...everyone turns and looks at me but I don't care and keep yelling, cheering, sort of jumping up and down (knowing me, I'd miss the bleacher and fall on someone below me) and snapping photo after photo of Mike running with his arms up in triumph....HE DID IT!!! "Mike Eisenhart of Annandale, NJ, YOU are an IRONMAN!"

Well, actually, the announcer butchered his last name when he said it...but it was still for Mike...all those hours of planning, researching, reading, swimming, biking, and running all culminated into this one big, gigantic moment - the completion of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run - all in 14 hours.

I quickly weaved my way down through the bleachers and ran over to where Amy & the kids where, told them to meet in the medic area at the end of the finish line chute...we all raced over and saw him walking somewhat steadily with a couple volunteers - I started yelling his name and eventually caught up with him...grinning from ear to ear and gave him the biggest hug ever - in relief it was over, in excitement that he'd done it, and in pride and awe that he just did something incredible...

He made his way down the rest of the chute, looking more and more tired as the elation wore off. He got just through and sat down...I didn't like the way he looked...and he kept saying he was tired...I asked my sister-in-law and father-in-law to take the kids somewhere...I didn't want them to worry - and I didn't want to let Mike out of my sight... Eric hopped the fence and sat next to him trying to coax him to eat something...Mike refused and just looked very uncomfortable...I was fighting with myself at that point - not wanting to hover, but worried...finally they settled on some warm (hot) chocolate which Mike was able to sip every minute or so...I finally decided that I'll act like I'm not hovering, just hopping the fence to be with them...and started jabbering on about anything I could think of - all the people following and commenting on my FB updates, how hard the course must've been because everyone was walking, how the kids handled the day...etc. It took about 10 minutes or so, but the hot chocolate was working its magic and Mike was looking better and better...it's really amazing and scary what can happen when your stores become totally depleted. We finally got up and managed to retrieve all the bags of gear and headed back to the condo where we were staying.

Thanks again to my father-in-law and sister-in-law for cleaning up the very dirty kids who were sleeping peacefully by the time we got back - I'm sure they were asleep before their heads even hit the pillows. I honestly can't really even remember what happened between walking up the stairs to the front door and waking up in the morning...but I certainly felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted and was finally able to relax and soak up some Utah beauty...

Snow Canyon

So, now I'm no longer an "Iron Widow"...what a ride it's been and I'm certain it's just the beginning. Anyone taking any bets as to what's next?!