mikewhitesides

I’m a strong runner with a great sprint kick. I am competitive to a fault and I’m a fighter. After four Ironman races and many other crazy endurance escapades, I think I’m pretty tough. Why then did I allow someone to pass me within the last mile of Ironman Arizona to take my slot to Ironman World Championships in Kona? I was beat by 43 seconds in a 9 hour 42 minute race.

In 1982 I saw Julie Moss on NBC Sports crawl over the finish line to place 2^nd in Kona. In the late 1980’s, I saw Dave Scott and other heroes battle for victory on the Big Island. Somewhere deep within, the Big Island called my name. While I was an avid runner and cyclist in high school and college, I couldn’t swim to save my life so triathlon seemed impossible.

Then it happened. In 2007, a good running and cycling friend encouraged me to sign up for a sprint triathlon. I told him about my swimming woes; he would help. For the next three months I learned the meaning of ‘swim a 100,’ pull buoy, and bilateral breathing. The big day of our local sprint triathlon finally arrived. I entered the 55 degree water full of anxiety but somehow muddled through the swim without dying. I rode my bike as hard as I could, transitioned to the run and quickly learned why triathletes do ‘brick’ workouts. The result, I won my age group and placed 4th overall. I was immediately hooked! Triathlon was like discovering a long lost friend. In an instant, my nascent dreams of racing in Kona were rekindled. The Big Island was calling.

In 2010, I completed my first Ironman triathlon: St. George Utah. I trained well, was disciplined, avoided injury, and had a good race although my time of 11:47 was far slower than my expectations. In 2012, I raced in Ironman CDA. This time I moved to a new job and state three months before the race. While my preparations were okay, I still didn’t know how to race an Ironman. Race strategy and nutrition left me short of my potential. In 2013 I raced Ironman Arizona. This time I worked with a coach who helped me develop a solid aerobic base and improve my race-day nutrition. Unfortunately, I developed hamstring tendonitis several weeks before the race. I finished in 10:30 minutes; happy but still short of my potential.

In 2014, I was better prepared than ever for Ironman Arizona. My aerobic base was good and I added more speed and strength workouts to my training program which dramatically improved my run and bike fitness. My swim speed tests indicated I was about equivalent to 2013. I arrived at the race excited to do well but still not confident I would qualify for Kona. My approach was to run my own race and see what happens. The gun went off, the swim was choppy and crazy. I had a hard time catching my groove. At one point I wanted to stop and regroup but realized a thousand people were right behind me ready to swim over the top of me if I stopped. I kept swimming and eventually finished the swim slower than anticipated; a mental set-back.

On the bike, I was excited to ride with both a power meter and heart rate monitor to guide my effort. The wind was strong so we all struggled for speed up the Beeline Highway and enjoyed a quick ride back to Tempe (repeat 3x). After 112 miles in 5:05, I transitioned to the marathon. While I was happy with 5:05, I didn’t think it was enough to recover from my slow swim. I ran at a decent pace but started to lose focus around mile 17. I kept running. At mile 22, my brothers told me I was in 7^th place in my age group. My chance to qualify for Kona suddenly seemed real. I picked up the pace and thought I passed three guys in my Age Group over the next two miles. I suspected I was in 4^th place and assume five guys in my age group would go to Kona. There I was, in the final mile of a 140.6 mile race and I actually felt relatively good. I added a 22 mile long run in my training prior to Ironman which gave me a lot of confidence for the final miles of the race.

Then it happened. A guy without a visible Age Group marking on his calf (at least to me) blazed passed me like a demon. I quickly assessed and thought he was in a different age group and therefore not a threat. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! It turns out, he was in my age group. I only passed one person in the final 4 miles of the run so I was actually in 6^th place with one mile to go. The two-loop run course meant I lapped people so my counting was off. Due to the roll-down process, the top 6 people in my age group qualified for Kona. When passed with minutes to go, I was bumped to 7^th place in my age group which meant the guy who passed me would go to Kona and I would not.

I later learned that the guy who passed me saw me off in the distance and slowly gained on me. Right before passing me, he stopped at an aide station, stoked up on nutrition and then snuck up behind me and passed me with all the gusto he could muster figuring a quick pass would demoralize me. His strategy worked.

Months later, I’m grateful for the lessons learned. To make sure I’m ready to qualify for Kona in 2015, I’m doing four things:

This year, I am training smart with a coach that will use a combination of heart rate and power meter data to push me smarter, harder, and farther than ever.
I joined One Multisport which is full of amazing people that have a wealth of knowledge. Besides, life is more fun with friends.
I matched my skills to my next Ironman. I am light and strong so I climb hills well. While I love the generally ideal conditions and fast flat course at Ironman AZ, I need some mountains to take out some of my competitors. I also like a little adversity so perhaps elevation, cold water, and foul weather will take out a few more competitors. This year I will race Ironman Lake Tahoe.
I’m hungry. 43 seconds is tattooed (figuratively) on my wrist. Every morning I wake up well before the sun rises and think 43 seconds…. It’s time to train. Every interval I think 43 seconds…. push harder. Every easy day I think 43 seconds…. go easier. Every swim drill I think 43 seconds…. do better. When I race Ironman Lake Tahoe, I will think about 43 seconds the entire day… to drive me faster than ever. No one will pass me in the last half of Ironman Lake Tahoe, period and I will fight for every second because every second matters.

The Big Island is calling my name.