Here you can find the details of my race:

Run (garmin was stopped about 10 min after I finished)

Enough rest and now it’s time to share my IM experience.  Actually I am getting tired of telling the tale and figured posting the story is much simpler and a way for everyone to get the same version.  Having said that, lets summarize with the following:

1. Days leading to the event were miserable as I was sick as a dog.

2. Swim: Huge swells, extreme current, some sharks were spotted in the area

3. Bike:  Rain would not stop, wind constantly blowing people off the road, hills that never ended

4. Run: hills that never ended, freezing cold, not enough aid stations

5. Spectators: through tomatoes as you pass by

6. Almost did not make the finish cut off

Now that I got your attention let’s get a bit more on my experience. 

Monday night the 3^rd wheel team got on the direct flight from Tel Aviv to Sao Paulo.  All seemed to go to well up till the announcement was made letting us know of the 2 hour delay due to a failure in the entertainment system.  For a normal passenger  this is a well justified delay, after all this is a 15 hour flight.  For a soon to be Ironman you don’t really care for entertainment during the flight as all you want to do is catch up on the much needed sleep.  For us it was even worst as we had to make a connecting flight from Sao Paulo to Florianopolis.  Our short connection became a very long one and we found ourselves stranded for 9 hours in an old airport terminal with not much to do.

Landing in Florianopolis we anxiously waited for our bikes and Endurance Sports Travel (EST) were anxiously waiting for us.  Having booked all our travels with EST (through Issta Sport) all our hotel, meals, mechanic, and transportation were all taken care of.  What was left for us to do was unpack in our ocean front apartment and stare out to the ocean to the sound of gentle waves.  A sound that sadly disappeared as the race weekend approached.

The very next day, Wednesday, my pre-race relaxation turned hectic.  Knee pains, fever, and sore throat hit me hard.  Not leaving anything for chance, I found a pharmacy next to the hotel and got myself some antibiotics.  Smart, not sure.  Took care of the problem, it sure did.  To top this, the mechanic that went over my bike informed me that the metal piece which connects the wheel to the frame was bent.  Nearly 3 hours of stress and the problem was solved.  Now came the next big balagan (mess in Hebrew).  My trusted Garmin 310xt decided to play two tricks on me.  The first was simple, my cadence sensor stopped working.  The second was a bit more complicated, the hand strap broke.  Without getting in to the drama I will just say that Anat came to the rescue and took matters into her own hands.  She magically became a Megaiver and fixed the plastic strap.  Finally we could all “relax”.

Thursday was a day for training.  Jet lag helped us wake up early and get on our bikes.  We rode for about an hour to make sure all is in order and check out the transition area.  Most importantly we got to check out the short but steep wall we will be climbing during the marathon.  Later that morning we put our bikes with the mechanic for a last tune up and went for a swim practice.  The practice took place on the course itself with only one difference, there were no waves during the training.  On the way to the practice we met some interesting people that stayed in the same hotel.  Some making us feel completely unprepared (K-Swiss sponsored athletes who place in the top finishers) while others were building up our confidence (a Harvard & Stanford graduate who’s wetsuit looked like it was chewed by a great white shark and then spit out to swim an Ironman event). 

Later that day we hit the expo to pickup our race kits and spend some extra money.  I was really impressed with how well organized everything was.  We got a bag for each part of the race.  White for prerace, black for the wet stuff after the swim, green for the bike, blue for the bike special needs, yellow for the run, and red for the run special needs. The sponsors were generous and we got lots of goodies including race shirt, IM colon, deodorant, IM sun screen lotion, etc…  To top this off, my parents and sister arrived in Florianopolis to be the best ever support/cheering crew.

Enough of the boring details.  The night before the race we were in bed early and got a solid sleep of about 5 hours.  3:30am the alarm clock went off but its sound was muffled by the sound of crushing waves.  All that was going through my head from this point forward is the countdown to becoming an Ironman.

At the transition area we changed into our wetsuits and Brazil colored wigs (so that my parents can identify us from the 1,650 other beached seals).  Making our way to the beach the excitement and adrenaline grow stronger.  Suddenly the sun was rising, the sky turned orange, Brazilian anthem was playing, and the gun went off.  All 1,650 athletes hit the waves and we started our swim towards the first buoy. 

I tried to remind myself of the tips I was told and staying in control.  Not so easy.  The water was murky and it was difficult to see the man ahead.  I got kicked, punched, drunk water, and could hardly see the buoy.  All I knew was to follow the crowed and soon enough I will get to the turning point.  And so it was.  I kept my cool and was not returning punches.  I stayed focused and was soon enough out and back in the water.  The half way point is marked by exiting the swim and then getting back in to complete a second shorter leg.  After 1:11:00 I finished the swim.  Waw, I was 15 minutes ahead of schedule, amazing, lets run to the dressing room and get ready to ride.  Oh the wet suit.  No problem, some hot Brazilian chick grabed me and yanked it right off.  Wait, was it a chick or a chico?  Ahhe, who cares, need to rush to change.

Arriving at the transition area all I could see is a million people and one angle running towards me with my ridding gear.  I was planning on a fast transition but 2 major problems occurred.  The first was the fact that I never put on my riding shorts over wet shaved legs.  Definitely needed to practice that during training.  It took me forever as the ridding shorts got stuck to my skin and almost ripped when I tried to pull them up.  The second was the fruit buffet in the dressing room.  I could not help it and had to eat some watermelon and orange slices on the way out.  12 minutes later I was on my bike.  12 minutes, my god am I going to regret this after I look back at the race clock when I cross the finish line.

Running into the bicycle parking lot I saw that my carbon horse had the company of only one more 3^rd wheel bike, Raanan’s.  This meant that Anat who made it with me out of the water was already on her bike, what a relief.  I wondered if I will see her at all during the long day ahead.  I felt very strong and was pushing my body yet keeping my heart rate at bay.  During the ride all I could think about is how lucky I am to be participating in an Ironman……. “Lucky? Maybe a bit, mostly I was there because for all the hard work I put into my training over the past 8 months.  Now it is time to enjoy the moment.  Look around you, can you believe it? Amazing.  Oh, here is Anat, say hi and bye, she is racing her own race.  Why did I pass her? Am I going to fast? is my heart rate ok? Forget it, just stick to your plan, you will see her during the run.  Was that a drop of rain or did a bird just pooped on me.  Crap, its raining, but only 2 more hours to ride, enjoy the rain its better than sun screen. Opps I forgot to pose for the camera, hope there is another one soon”…. As you can see I was pretty good at entertaining myself.

I have no clue how I managed to ride for 6 hours with only one short stop to empty my bladder.  I have no clue how I managed to ride so hard without elevating my HR to far.  I have no clue how I managed to beat the hills, wind, and rain.  I have no clue how I the hell I did it averaging 30km/hr, no clue!  What I do know is that having my spectators (family) at the U-turn point which marks the start of the 2^nd loop of 90km helped greatly.  What I also know is that I probably paid the price for the fast ride during my run. 

Getting off the bike at T2 was the best feeling ever.  Even though it was still raining, I knew that there is no stopping me and that I will finish the race with a much better than expected time.  OK, again, I took to long, 12 minutes, darned that watermelon. 

Adrenaline kicked up again knowing that this is it, the final leg.  I started the run a bit fast with a pace of 5:45 min/km.  No more than 5 minutes into the run I felt my ITB (knee) hurting.  This pain would last and get stronger as the run progressed. Running the first 15km was done gracefully.  I was smiling, chatting, drinking without stopping, climbing the wall while running, I was superman.  My stomach started to remind me of my sway away from the nutrition plan, darned that watermelon.  I had shooting pain in my gut.  No worries, the special needs bag packs pain killers.  I kept smiling as I passed by my parents, after all they did come for a good show and not to see me sour.  I got to the special needs back and downed the pain killers.  Doubt they helped.  My knee was killing and my stomach needed emptying.  At the 30k mark I emptied my stomach but that did not help much.  Shortly after that I saw Anat, she was looking very determined.  We run together for about 3 minutes and then I decided to walk through the aid station, perhaps some soup would do good, and cake, and bread,… yes I know.  I was happy to know that Anat will be at the finish line waiting for me.  Oh the finish line.  Crossing the finish line did not stop going through my head.  To join that thought was how to carry the 2 bracelets which mark the final loop when I stand in the arch of triumph.  I got my head together and said pain or no pain I must start running again, if not I will have to make another stop at the port-a-pody which I hate.  The lights and sounds of the cheering crowd helped.  I carried the flag which my parents handed me during the final loop and I held it up high as I entered the final stretch. 

I looked up and saw 12:22:26.  I’m an Ironman!

Thinking back, the day I bought my first bike marks the start for my Ironman training. The date is June 14th of 2009. Since that date I logged 160Km in the water, 5,589Km on the bike, and 2,106Km in my running shoes. That is 50 weeks of training with slight rest, no social life, and little time with the family.

Now I got my tattoo.

the man who rode with Ben-Gurion

Just finished the 1st week of the peak period.
The weeks with the highest training volumes of my trainig plan.

The week started with my first ocean swim of the season. Puting on my wetsuit I was thinking how all the winter leg weights workouts paid off, “this is so tight”, till i realized i forced my right leg into the arm sleeve… after fixing my suit i met Gadi the TI-Zen-man and his freinds that kindly invited me to join them for a 4k swim in the super flat ocean. was great!

Saturaday, while Anat was swiming with the Zone3 no-smilin’-while-trainin’ team, Tamir & I had the honor of riding with one of the courages 26 that did the first Israman race (Back in the days the dinesores walked the Earth). Roni (“we used to ride into Gaza, eat humus & ride back” ) came carrying a modest nutrition plan – 2 bananas & few dates, and while we were swallowing 300-400 calories per hour he was kicking our asses climbing the hills on the way back. Overall was a great 140k ride (Roni did 170 riding from home… ) to Emek Ha’ela with perfect weather and a 30 min run around Einat for desert.

My weekend concluded early Sunday morning with a 30k run.

To summerize – feeling good, no pains/injuries, just very very tired…Next weekend, bike peak with a 180k ride.

5 Weeks to IRONMAN BRAZIL!

and Tamir… you must get some sunshine on your white shaved legs…

Who would have thought, just a week before our arrival there was still some snow on the ground and cold wind in the air. Once we arrived all that was gone and we were left with some cold temperatures (not to cold) yet beautiful skies.

We are so caught up on our training that no time, or energy, was left to write about our Italian adventures shortly after they were finished. Nevertheless, here is a short attempt to collect all the great moments. OK the video on the bottom of the post will certainly help share with you our experiences.

So…. On the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday Anat and I landed in Milano and started to 380km drive to Riccione. Riccione is located in the north east coast of Italy’s Romana region. Lucky for us the navigation system did not work and so Anat played the role of Christopher Columbus which came along with full control of the map (iPhone). As for me I played the role Mario Andretti which came along with full rights to the driver seat. On the way there we decided to stop for lunch at a great little Italian restaurant where we enjoyed the best pasta of our lives… no kidding… and fueled up for the expected week (3 riding days) ahead.

Once we arrived to the hotel we were greeted by the sweet smell of espresso and a key card to our suit. The hotel is just perfect. Small and modern, situated about 100 meters from the beach. First thing we did was head to the hotel bike storage to rent our Carbon Scott bikes and be “fitted” by the on-site mechanic. Not to bore you with the details, the hotel was all inclusive. Pre-ride breakfast, Snack (sandwiches, bananas, sports drinks) while riding, post-ride lunch (pasta), dinner (pasta), and all the coffee and beer you can possibly imagine.

Each night they would post the next day bike routes which were divided into 4 categories: Espresso (recreational tours), Cappuccino (avg. speeds of 20-22 km/hr), Cappuccino Super (avg. speeds of 22-25 km/hr), and Limonciello (not for the faint of heart). The routes were very scenic with hills and hills and hills, and hells, and hells…

We felt nice and strong the first day. Our confidence was supper high, after all we both did over 180km ride just 3 days ago. “hey why not go for the Cappuccino Super group and do the 130km ride?” surely we can do this. And YES WE DID !!! and it was great. Midway through the ride, after a 16km hill with the last km being 18%, we stopped at a restaurant for some well deserved pasta. The group members were all nice and experienced riders, the instructor old and professional, Anat fit right in there. As for me… I survived…. Kind of. I felt very strong and kept up with the group. I felt so strong that I decided the instructor was my spinning instructor. When he stood on the bike, so did I. When he slowed down or sped up I was right there…. And at the 100km mark my knee decided to teach me a lesson and remind me that I am still an amateur. Some sharp pinch in the inner left part of my knee gave me a rude awakening. What a way to start the bike holiday. And so with almost a tear in my eye I swallowed my pride and fell to the back back back of the group. Thank god there was a Jacuzzi, ice, and another 3rd wheeler in the hotel.

Day 2 was a rest day. Much needed for my knee. By rest I mean an hour run and a 2km swim. Later that day we drove through the country side and took in the great views. To bad we did not bring our wet suits as it is still considered winter and the sea is to cold for a semi-naked swim.

Day 3 we decided to take it easy and ride with Cappuccino (regular).

Was a nice 80km ride but the team was not at our standards. No one was communicating, people rode sloppy, Anat almost killed a little boy how toppled over into the grass so that he does not run into her wheel after her unexpected technical problem causing her to come to an abrupt stop. No worries, Anat survived his fall.

Day 4 we were back in the arms of Cappuccino Supper and Anat’s new found friend, a 10 time Ironwoman who gave her many interesting tips and gave me a “full monty” (when we stopped for a pee).

The day was perfect. 100km ride to Urbino, a beautiful mountain top city. We made it back to the hotel just in time for a tortellini workshop and at night a prize ceremony where we were awarded a bottle of wine for Anat’s great tortellini skills.

In conclusion, Hotel Dory is a must for anyone who wants to get a good feel for the Romana country side. We will be back!

The four weeks of the 2^nd build month are behind me. Ah… recovery week…

This weekend, ending this training block was an “Iron weekend”. Doing an Ironman distance in 48hours.

Friday 4k swim+11k run

Saturday 200kride+5krun

Sunday 32k run.

The main reason for this Iron weekend was of course low self-confidence. It worked! As stupid as it sounds, after the 200k doing 180 seems no big deal. Doing the 32k run 14 hours after getting of my bike was definitely not the best injury prevention practice… but also contributed to the confidence build up. And surprisingly, overall feeling great, no injuries (hamsa, hamsa…), and ready for a nice relaxed recovery week before the final-push month toward the training peak.

7 weeks to go!…

Earlier this week I did what I should have done 6 months ago, I went to get tested for HIV.  Just kidding, HIV testing is much less stress full, I got tested for my VO2 Max and Lactic Threshold. 

I should have known it will be hell when they shaved my chest and slapped on a mesh vest to hold the HR monitor cables in place.  After we exchanged some smiles and jokes the doctor got serious and let the running belt loose from under my feet.  I felt like a horse strapped to a carriage with a mask that pretty much lets you see and breath in a forward direction.  The walking part I liked and even enjoyed the light warm-up jog.  Then little by little, or every 2 minutes to be exact the belt made a noise and my feet moved a km/hr faster.  I started with a 9 km/hr wajog (that’s walk jog) at a 2% incline.  After 14 minutes of getting pricked in the finger for my blood every 2 minutes I was at 16 km/hr.  By the way, the test was performed at Meuhedet Sport Tel Aviv by Dr. Golan, a real professional.

So what’s the problem you ask?  I’ll tell you what is the problem.  I tried to be super matcho because Anat was watching.  If she was not there I would have given up at 14 km/hr with a max HR of 185, where my max HR should be given my age.  But NO, I had to show her that her man is supper man, more like supper damb.  I pushed to the limit and reached an HR of 196.  Yes, that is 196.  All the formulas in the world tell you that at the age of 35 your body should have a max HR between 184 and 187 (look it up).  But for me its different, I have the body of a 24 year old.  Think about it.  The most common formula to calculate the max HR is 220 minus your age.  That means 220 – 35 = 185… normal.   Abnormal is 220 – 196 = 24…. My physiological age…  so in conclusion, Anat how do you like dating a 24 year old stallion?

Now to the problem.  Having trained comfortably in zones based on a 185 HR was great, no sweat.  Starting now I will need to actually work harder and use my new zones:

Oh what a pain in the a$$ that will be.  Yesterday I was huffing and puffing on the trainer at zone 2. 

If you ask for my recommendation I would suggest getting your tests done as early in your training as you possibly can. 

On a positive note, think how much my performance will improve now that I know the optimal rate for my pump.

7 weeks since the half Israman, finished the 1st build period of my IM training, and now recovery week!…mui kef & mui rest…

The period ended with a heavy 12hour training weekend which included my first 180k ride. I actually didn’t plan on doing a 180k ride (160 was the plan) but Ariel-“the handsome coach”-Heller that spontaneously joined our ride, easily convinced me with the “you already killed your Saturday morning so why stop at 160?…”. Very happy I did it. Great confidence boost (although the “how do I complete a marathon after this” demon is still very much alive…)
Felt good during the ride, like with every run/ride I do, no matter how long it is, the last 30 minutes are tough. I finished feeling relatively good but definitely not enough to take on a marathon.
I practiced handling the nutrition load on the bike (=eat till you feel sick test) with ~380calories/hour consuming 2,700 calories in just under 7 hours:
6*0.7L Gatorade (900), 3*0.7L water
2*PowerBar Bites (600)
6*gels (600)
2*bananas (200)
1* PowerBar blasts (200)
1 Cliff Blocks (200)
8*salt caps

This (with the 21k run the following morning) concluded a 17hour week and the first BUILD period of my training plan. My (amateure-self-made..) training plan structure consists of the following periods:

Jun, Jul, Aug – PREPERATION – learned the basics of swimming & riding, did my first Sprint & Olympic triathlons, total 8-10  weekly hours
Sep, Oct, Nov – BASE 1 – long runs/rides increased to 21-24k/80-100k, total 10-12 weekly hours
Dec, Jan – BASE 2 – rides of 100k, more hills, preps for the ½ ISRAMAN, total 12-14 weekly hours
Feb, Mar –  BUILD 1 – increase swim to 3k, first 30k run, first very long ride, total weekly hours 14-17
Mar, Apr –  BUILD 2– increase swim to 4k, several 30+k runs, several very long ride, total weekly hours 15-19
May – TAPER – training volume reduction toward race day May 30th

Overall on track according to plan, slightly exceeding original volume targets and most important no major injuries! (hamsa, hamsa, hamsa!)

11 weeks to go!..

- Flights to Bangkok – CONFIRMED

- Flights to Samui – CONFIRMED

- Hotels Samui & Pangan – CONFIRMED

- Baby sitting – CONFIRMED

7 days to Israman, 9 days to sawadika!…

This past Saturday, the 9th, Anat and I joined Amos (see Anat’s bike fitting) on his team ride. We were impressed to be riding along with 20 other riders some of which are experienced iron distance triathletes. It was a freezing cold morning and we were not properly dressed but the sun shined upon us and soon enough our fingers started to defrost. After about 50km we broke away from the group and continued on for another 25km before turning to head back. Our total ride was 122km, short but full of learning experiences.

The first learning experience was obviously not wearing the appropriate winter gear.

Next came Anat’s attempt at jumping over a pothole. The jump was successful but the casualty was her water bottle which did not like the ride and leaped off the rear of her bike (see video).

The final and most disappointing experience came with my flat tire which occurred on the road I hate most…. Flat is a nice way to describe it as my tire was actually punctured. Fixing it was kind of fun as we learned for the first time how the co2 cartridge was a genius replacement of the classical air pump. As in every learning experience you have to get injured to actually understand and value the lecture… for that I got a nice frost bite on the figure which was holding the co2 cartridge which once deployed drops to about 40 degrees below zero in a nano second.

Shalom to all. Its Raanan (AKA “The Candle Holder”).

The3rdWheel team

Its official. We are in Ironman Brazil 2010. Well, almost official. Today I got another “don’t worry so much, you have the slots” from Michael our registration man. The fact we paid two weeks ago and still didn’t get the registration code doesn’t seem weird to him at all…

But first, some history where did it all start?…

6 months ago, after the Tel-Aviv 2009 Marathon we (Tamir – my wife’s brother – “Gissenu” & me, Anat wasn’t born yet) had an itch. An itch for something new. Triathlon.  So we registered for the Tel-Aviv Sprint triathlon. A couple weeks before the race we bought some cheap 2^nd hand bikes, did some laps in the pool and were mainly confused with all these new bike/swim details we had to learn (Just joining the ITA “Union” can kill your triathlon desire).

Totally armature, looking pretty pathetic, we faced our first triathlon, “Transitions”? no problem, “drafting”? bekef. But we did it. And felt great. The second it was done we knew, there is no escape, an Ironman is inevitable.

So… the next step was do decide on the specific ironman race we are going for. Yalla Google… “Intense” research on ironman races, courses, elevation maps, whether, water temperature, kona slots, participation lists & more. After this comprehensive analysis phase we complied it all and conducted the decision call – “I see on the web that Brazil is still open” “Brazil sounds sababa, yalla sagarnu”. History was made. On May 30^th 2010 we’ll be doing Ironman Brazil!

Since that day, we designed a training plan (Google), did another Olympic tri & registered to the dreadful Israman (half).

Gissenu, registered to the NYC Marathon, flirted on Facebook with other Israelis registered to the race. And very soon, KULULULU, met Anat (“Gissatenu”). Gissatenu, a 27 year old blonda, is a veteran triathlete, one of the top female triathletes in Israel. Just what we need in our team (younger than us, better than us, smarter than us).

Love is in the air. And in the water and on the bike. Gissenu became Romeo (“I can’t stay for breakfast at lalaland after my long run, Gissatenu is waiting for me”) and Gissatenu started thinking “yes I can” (“if these two jokers are doing an Ironman…”). And so, Gissatenu registered to IM Brazil and the team was officially founded.

Hope you will enjoy following our journey & I hope Michael the mother fxxxer would sof-sof get us the entry slot codes

Raanan, TCH