![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/GGSwimFinish.jpg\" "\\"GGSwimFinish\\"")
<\/a>In case you're wondering, that's me without a beard or goatee. First time bare-faced in 15+ years.<\/p><\/div>\n
- \n
- I got to T1, grabbed my bike bag, and entered into the men\u2019s changing tent.\u00a0 Got a lot of help from volunteers but still took forever, like 15 minutes.\u00a0 God knows what the heck I was doing all that time, but whatever.<\/li>\n
- Most people ran to their bikes and ran out of transition.\u00a0 I walked.\u00a0 Nothing inside me said rush.<\/li>\n
- Got onto the bike and began to assess how I\u2019d do with the conditions.\u00a0 They were bad.\u00a0 In the grooves of the road, there was much water.\u00a0 Trick was to avoid the grooves, but that wasn\u2019t always possible.\u00a0 Coming up behind riders meant dealing with the spray from their tires. \u00a0Yuck; it didn\u2019t taste or feel good.<\/li>\n
- About an hour into the bike, I climbed Heartbreak Hill and felt great.\u00a0 Shortly thereafter, I entered into the famed cobblestone section where there was incredible fanfare.\u00a0 We\u2019re talking blaring music, an announcer calling out each athlete\u2019s names, and scores of fans choking the narrow path and cheering us.\u00a0 But, because of the crazy rain, the cobbles were super slick and with the latter portion being uphill, getting out of the saddle forced my weight to the rear of the bike which then made the wheels slip with each pedal stroke.\u00a0 Felt dangerous and inefficient, but it was somewhat mitigated by the incredible fan support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/HeartbreakHill1-198x300.jpg\" "\\"HeartbreakHill1\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- Saw my teammate Lucy shortly thereafter that and she reported being so miserably cold and wet that she wanted to quit.\u00a0 I slowed down to ride with her for a few minutes, which is considered against the rules (IF you get caught!), and to give her a pep talk.\u00a0 She\u2019s such a wonderful person and so nurturing, so I thought that she should know how much I appreciate her\u2026 and that seemed to buoy her spirits.<\/li>\n
- For the first two hours, I averaged about 18.6 mph which would add up to a 6 hour bike time if sustained.\u00a0 It was not meant to be as two major factors decided to join the race:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My neck pain.\u00a0 I\u2019d been doing well for the last month and haven\u2019t felt much discomfort from this nagging condition.\u00a0 For me, the pain resides lateral to the shoulderblades, right near the spine.\u00a0 I\u2019ve gone to my massage therapist and she\u2019s helped a lot, but I know that I need acupuncture and serious physical therapy hereafter.\u00a0 For this race, it dogged me for the rest of the day and made the ride so much more uncomfortable.\u00a0 Even today, the next day, I am in measurable discomfort.<\/p>\n
o\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The winds.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t know how windy it would be, but it wound up being so bad that even going downhill, we were lucky to go 17 mph\u2026 while pedaling!\u00a0 Coasting?\u00a0 Not possible to do so and maintain speed.\u00a0 It felt like someone was holding back my shoulders to prevent me from making progress.\u00a0 Oh, and for some reason, the headwind seemed to be prevalent no matter what direction we traveled.\u00a0 We did notice huge windmills (as in the alternative energy variety) within the valley where we rode, so that should have been a good indication that it was a windy area.\u00a0 They don\u2019t typically put windmills in flat wind areas!<\/p>\n
- \n
- Right around that two hour mark on the bike was when I noticed that I had a headache.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t horrible, but was strong enough to bother me a lot.\u00a0 It never subsided, so I had to live with it for like 9+ hours.<\/li>\n
- Towards the end of the first bike loop, we climbed The Beast, a famous hill on this course that was again lined with spectators on both sides creating a rather narrow riding area, similar to what many have seen on TV during the Tour de France.\u00a0 It was electric; fans were screaming at us to get up that hill, patting us on the butt, and doing everything possible to encourage us.\u00a0 Truly, it was one of the most memorable experiences from this event.\u00a0 I got up the hill with no problem, and passed dozens of struggling riders.\u00a0 I seem to be good at hill climbing, and this experience validated that notion.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take hills over wind any day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/TheBeast2-200x300.jpg\" "\\"TheBeast2\\"")
<\/a>
\n<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/TheBeast-200x300.jpg\" "\\"TheBeast\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- The rest of the ride on that first loop was uneventful\u2026 and slow.\u00a0 Those damn winds.\u00a0 I made it back to Frankfurt but not before being lapped by the eventual race winner, pro athlete Faris Al-Sultan (a German).\u00a0 He won the 2005 World Championship in Kona and has remained a top athlete since.\u00a0 Funny thing about him: he sports a beard with a long ponytail, and races in only a small speedo and tight sports top that looks like a woman\u2019s sports bra.\u00a0 Hard to tease a guy like that who puts up a finish time of 8 hours and 15 minutes!<\/li>\n
- The second loop was considerably slower than the first, and I felt like poop for most of it.\u00a0 Thank you wind, neck pain, and headache.\u00a0 I tried getting in more calories as well, but my body began to reject the gels and granola bars.\u00a0 After a while, they just didn\u2019t taste good anymore, so I opted for just getting my calories via fluids.<\/li>\n
- Finally, at the end of the bike, I got to the dismount line for the bike and handed my bike to a volunteer who valet-racked it for me.\u00a0 Nice perk!\u00a0 I then headed to the changing tent where another volunteer grabbed my bike bag.\u00a0 I noticed however that there was only one tent for both genders, not two like at T1.\u00a0 My volunteer emptied my contents and helped organize things for me.\u00a0 I told him that I wanted to change my shorts; where do I do that?\u00a0 The porto-john?\u00a0 He answered me in German.\u00a0 I said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I don\u2019t understand,\u201d and he repeated himself.\u00a0 I said again, \u201cI\u2019m sorry sir, but I still don\u2019t understand.\u201d\u00a0 He then yelled the same answer and realizing that I wasn\u2019t getting it, he threw his arms in the air, exhaled in exasperation, and demonstratively marched to another volunteer for help and pointed back at me.\u00a0 A 65\u00a0 year old woman came over and asked me what I wanted, and I told her about wanting to change my shorts and that I didn\u2019t know where to do that.\u00a0 She said, \u201cRight here.\u201d\u00a0 I looked around and asked if that was okay in front of all of these people, women included.\u00a0 She said very matter-of-factly, \u201cWe\u2019re Germans.\u00a0 This is okay.\u00a0 It is what we do here.\u00a0 Take your pants off.\u201d\u00a0 I paused a moment, considered my options, and said screw it\u2026 and dropped the shorts.\u00a0 I expected her to turn around to at least feign privacy, but she folded her arms and stared right at me… looking down!\u00a0 It should be known that after riding a bike for six and a half hours, I was not\u2026 how one would say\u2026 at my full \u201cpotential\u201d.\u00a0 Picture George Costanza coming out of the pool.\u00a0 Without batting an eye, she then gathered my things and sent me off on my way.\u00a0 Wow, what an experience for T2!<\/li>\n
- I ran into my teammate Anne right away at the beginning of the run, and we ran together for a little while.\u00a0 She had nausea and needed to hit every bathroom along the way, so I pressed on alone.\u00a0 I felt like I was making great progress and I had it in my mind that I\u2019d run that first loop without stopping, thereby completing a quarter of the marathon course.\u00a0 Aside from a 10 second stop to get water, that plan worked.\u00a0 But then the wheels came off the bus.\u00a0 I had to walk at the start of the second loop and had to incorporate a run\/walk strategy thereafter.\u00a0 I tried to develop that strategy based on the course and the separations between aid stations.\u00a0 I tried to walk the uphills and downhills (there weren\u2019t many) and when I did walk, to do so briskly.<\/li>\n
- I still couldn\u2019t take in any substantive fuel, e.g. gels and the like, so I wound up just drinking Coke for caffeine.\u00a0 When I got more tired, I drank more Coke, but not so much that I\u2019d get a side cramp.\u00a0 They had sports drink, water, snacks, gels, pieces of fruit, etc., but again, Coke was the only thing I could tolerate.<\/li>\n
- During the second run loop, the rains came back again.\u00a0 It was a weird weather day overall.\u00a0 The sun did come out a number of times, and during some of those sunny\/warm spells, it was still raining.\u00a0 I was either too warm or too cold.\u00a0 Hot, cold, wet, dry, and every combination therein.\u00a0 Mother nature really had it out for us.\u00a0 Anyway, on the second loop, that rain was very heavy for a good two kilometers, but then it subsided a bit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/GGRunLoop2-200x300.jpg\" "\\"GGRunLoop2\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- It was on this second loop that Gunner, then Grazi, then eventually Anne, all passed me.\u00a0 G & G were actually looping me and they each finished with amazing times.\u00a0 I believe Gunnar had an overall time of 11:55 or something, and Grazi finished just 2 seconds over twelve hours.\u00a0 Amazing!\u00a0 After all we went through this year, to think that we were in the same category was clearly a misperception.\u00a0 They are rock stars.<\/li>\n
- On the third run loop, things got worse for me.\u00a0 I felt that a few of my toes were becoming sore and problematic, likely a function of being totally wet and rubbing and banging within my shoes.\u00a0 Ultimately, this has become the most prevalent physical issue from this race; the toes and feet.\u00a0 I had to, as a result, really slow down and walk a lot.\u00a0 I still tried to get to every aid station and only walk for a short while thereafter, but some walks were longer than others.<\/li>\n
- On the fourth loop, I ran into teammate Alberto, who was passing me, and just before that, my friend Israel who also passed me.\u00a0 I was happy for them both, and just accepted the fact that there were better than me.\u00a0 I could live with that.<\/li>\n
- With just four kilometers left, I saw Alberto again and told him what my walk\/run strategy was for the remaining distance.\u00a0 He seemed to be on board, but I later found out that his nutritional deficits robbed him of the ability to really run well anymore.\u00a0 So, I bid adieu and started my final run to the finish with about 1.5 km left.\u00a0 At the 1k marker, I decided to really put down a fast pace.\u00a0 I figured, why not; it\u2019s just a mile.\u00a0 I can run a mile.\u00a0 I was surprised that I was able to sustain it and with about a quarter mile to go, I passed Israel\u2026 and true to form, both from him and of triathletes in general, he cheered me on.\u00a0 I love that aspect about our sport.<\/li>\n
- In this event, given that there were four loops, each athlete had to cross the run start area repeatedly.\u00a0 Before finishing each loop, about 3k from such finish, athletes were given hair scrunchies of different colors:\u00a0 light green for finishing the first loop, white for the second loop, purple for the third, and neon green for the last loop. \u00a0When approaching the run start\/finish area, signs pointed athletes to the left if there were loops left, or to the right if it was the end of an athlete\u2019s fourth loop.<\/li>\n
- As I got to that point on my fourth loop, and made that right turn, I remember pumping my fist, smiling, and saying to myself, \u201cI did it.\u00a0 YES!\u201d<\/li>\n
- I made the final turn into the finish area and encountered a very special scene.\u00a0 I was running on a narrow red carpet with barricades on both sides.\u00a0 Fans lined these barricades and held out their hands to be high-fived.\u00a0 Music was blaring, and blue and white lights bathed the area as if it was a disco scene.\u00a0 I took my time on this part and held out both my hands to the sides to touch hands with everyone.\u00a0 Just 50 feet later, that path opened up to a grandstand finish line area, and the scene was electric.\u00a0 Again, loud music, an announcer\u2019s booming voice, the blue strobe lights, flashing cameras, cheering fans\u2026 simply amazing.\u00a0 Trying to articulate how special it was is impossible.\u00a0 I heard my coach Robert yell out my voice as he took rapid-fire pictures of me.\u00a0 I held out my arms towards the sky at 45 degree angles and looked up, as if to say thank you to God, and shook my head in disbelief that I had just faced the demons and still succeeded.<\/li>\n
- A couple of feet before the finish line, I stopped, brought my left hand up to my mouth, and kissed my ring.\u00a0 That was my message to Roya that throughout all the hardship I faced, and it was one of the hardest days of my life, she was with me.\u00a0 Whenever I needed a pick-me-up and a simple memory to lift my spirits, I thought of her.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/KissingTheRing-198x300.jpg\" "\\"KissingTheRing\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- When I finally crossed the finish line, I bent over, hands on my knees, a finisher\u2019s medal around my neck and a towel and tin foil blanket on my shoulders, and began to cry.\u00a0 I remember muttering, \u201cWhat the hell was that?!\u00a0 So crazy.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe this.\u201d\u00a0 Moments later, after being herded into the finisher\u2019s area (aka the Athlete\u2019s Village), I bent down again to cry.\u00a0 A volunteer saw me and asked if everything was okay.\u00a0 I said, \u201cYes, I\u2019m just crying,\u201d to which she screamed out, \u201cMedic!!\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cNo No No, I\u2019m crying from happiness!\u201d\u00a0 She smiled, patted me on the back, and said congratulations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/GGFinish2-200x300.jpg\" "\\"GGFinish2\\"")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/GGFinish1-200x300.jpg\" "\\"GGFinish1\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/FinishLine-300x199.jpg\" "\\"FinishLine\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/FinishLineNight-300x200.jpg\" "\\"FinishLineNight\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- My next thought was to get a massage, but the sign at the tent said that I needed to shower first.\u00a0 So, I got the bag that I had checked that morning containing the clothes that I had worn to the swim start, then went to the shower area.\u00a0 They had a tractor-trailer that was specifically for group showers.\u00a0 I entered into the male area and was immediately presented with male genitalia from all angles.\u00a0 Well, it IS Europe, so I took off my clothes, got the small bottle of soap they were giving out, and stepped up into the trailer.\u00a0 It was literally hip-to-hip tight in there.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure prison offers more space.\u00a0 And, straight from the pages of \u201cyou can\u2019t make this stuff up,\u201d I wound up dropping my soap bottle.\u00a0 A very careful and well-choreographed crouch (not a hip-bend!) later, I got my soap bottle back and completed my Caligula adventure.<\/li>\n
- It was freezing cold outside at this point, so getting changed into my dry clothing was the only thing that made me move quickly.\u00a0 I then made it to the massage tent where I was asked what needed attention. I said the neck, but maybe also the thighs.\u00a0 She heard me and took care of the neck, and poorly at that.\u00a0 No legs.\u00a0 Oh well.\u00a0 If nothing else, it validated how great my NYC massage therapist is.\u00a0 Shout out to Elisa Hendrickson at Hudson River Massage.\u00a0 She literally beats me up every time I visit, and I\u2019m always better and stronger because of her.<\/li>\n
- After exiting, getting my finisher\u2019s shirt and finisher\u2019s certificate, I went to retrieve my bike and run bags, and my bike.\u00a0 That was another long haul for my broken feet and I had to walk very slowly and methodically.\u00a0 I decided, upon successful retrieval of everything, that I\u2019d ride back to the hotel.\u00a0 That was no easy feat, but even at a slow rate of speed, it was better than walking.<\/li>\n
- Roya and I chatted a little while later and I told her about my experiences, and she revealed that she had been OCD with hitting refresh on her phone to follow my progress online.\u00a0 It was obvious to her, and to my buddy Brad who texted Roya with my progress, that I got slower and slower with each leg and time split.\u00a0 Regardless, I teared up again as I told her about kissing my ring and how emotionally draining this thing was.<\/li>\n
- I met up with friends for a glass of champagne a little later, but we got beer instead and that did not sit well.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t really eaten since 1 pm or so, and burned a total of 11,000+ calories, so I needed different stuff than beer and a few potato wedges, so I left early, tried to find an open food place, and opted instead for a couple of sugary snacks before hitting the sack.<\/li>\n
- Once in bed, I was wired.\u00a0 Roya should feel fortunate that she wasn\u2019t there for this.\u00a0 I was cranky and irritable, and I annoyed even myself!\u00a0 TV on, TV off; TV back on again, TV off again…\u00a0 Let\u2019s try music; no, that song sucks, it\u2019s too loud, music sucks altogether, try the TV again\u2026\u00a0 Eventually, maybe an hour later, I passed out and finally got a great night of sleep.\u00a0 I woke up a phone call from Grazi inviting me to breakfast, but I passed and instead opted to pack my stuff instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
There are innumerable other stories and vignettes gleaned from my own memory and from my friends and teammates.\u00a0 As I remember them, I\u2019ll try to keep a record and put them into another post.\u00a0 For now, I\u2019m happy to be sitting and off my feet, and I\u2019m hoping to regain a normal appetite.\u00a0 Eating seems to be my biggest challenge as nothing feels filling and nothing tastes that good.<\/p>\n
I have 10 weeks and 5 days until my next Ironman, the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.\u00a0 Plenty will be written about that event in the coming weeks and months, but for now, my attention is squarely on starting my honeymoon with Roya.<\/p>\n
Cheers to all of the people in my life who shared in my daily struggles, who provided support directly and indirectly, and who offered encouragement in any form.\u00a0 I did a roll call during the swim and thought of all of you.\u00a0 By that virtue, you were with me and I owe you a lot for helping me once again become\u2026 an IRONMAN.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To say that the 2011 edition of Ironman Germany was difficult would be the understatement of the year.\u00a0 We faced fierce winds, torrential rains, cold temperatures, and more.\u00a0 There are so many memories from this event and trying to remember them all will be difficult, so I\u2019ll bullet-point them below: It felt like forever between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=653"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":670,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653\/revisions\/670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- When I finally crossed the finish line, I bent over, hands on my knees, a finisher\u2019s medal around my neck and a towel and tin foil blanket on my shoulders, and began to cry.\u00a0 I remember muttering, \u201cWhat the hell was that?!\u00a0 So crazy.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe this.\u201d\u00a0 Moments later, after being herded into the finisher\u2019s area (aka the Athlete\u2019s Village), I bent down again to cry.\u00a0 A volunteer saw me and asked if everything was okay.\u00a0 I said, \u201cYes, I\u2019m just crying,\u201d to which she screamed out, \u201cMedic!!\u201d\u00a0 I said, \u201cNo No No, I\u2019m crying from happiness!\u201d\u00a0 She smiled, patted me on the back, and said congratulations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\n<\/a>](\"http:\/\/www.gregghgordon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/TheBeast.jpg\"){kind=link}