Ironman 70.3 Kansas -- In the Books

Ironman 70.3 Kansas is in the books!! You can call me "Ironboy with an asterisk" (more on that later). I'm safely back in sunny and sweltering Scottsdale after an adventurous, yet extremely fun, race in Lawrence, Kansas. It was great to race with Scott, Michael, West, and Robert along with the awesome support of our cheering crowd -- Carter and Natalie and Jeff and Sarah -- who endured and supported us along the way. Natalie also took some great pictures of the competition which I will post on my blog as soon as she is done with the editing process. This was my first half Ironman experience and it will not be my last. I can't explain how much fun I had.

Here is a brief recap of what went down in Lawrence on Sunday:

BEFORE THE RACE
We rose early to make it down to the race site at 5:30 a.m. The thrill of competition exuded from the main staging and transition area. I calmly entered transition to get everything in order. My bike rack neighbor, Jeff, and I enjoyed some friendly banter back and forth trying to calm our nerves before the race. Then, just as I'm about to walk out of transition to the swim start, I took one final look at my bike. YIKES! My front tire was completely flat. I quickly yanked my tire off my bike and took it to a local mechanic who changed it in about 3 minutes. UNBELIEVABLE -- Code Red situation averted. Has anyone who has been following this blog noticed a trend before races?

SWIM
I made the conscious decision to take it out slow and get into a rhythm. Taking it out slow -- accomplished; getting into a rhythm -- well, that took a little longer. Soon I was able to find my stroke and actually enjoyed the swim this time. I came out of the water in 47 minutes and was happy to be alive and ready for the bike.

BIKE
How many "Running the Race" blog readers think Kansas is nothing but flat corn and wheat fields? I'd say at least 99 percent of you. The other 1 percent are lying because you know where I'm headed. The bike course was the most challenging 56 miles I've ever ridden in my entire life. HILLS and WIND -- together and in symphony with each other. I'm not talking about dinky little "mounds"; I'm talking serious hills. Thankfully, the course was designed with three out and backs. All of the outs were hilly and windy, the backs were nice with winds at your back and fast. After 2:19 on the bike course, I returned to home base thinking to myself -- there is no way I'm going to be able to run 13.1 miles. It is probably going to look more like a shuffle.

RUN
I laced up my trusty Mizuno running shoes and headed out on what I thought was going to be a dreadful run. I knew in the back of my mind that the run was my part of the race. And, to my surprise, I settled into a nice 8-9 minute mile pace and held it. I WAS HAVING A BLAST! I went into the run with a plan -- keep a steady pace and walk the aid stations as a reward. I was doing it. I was on my way to becoming an Ironboy. About six miles into the run, the weather rolled in. The sky was really dark and by mile 7 the winds had picked up. Pretty soon, I was corralled by race officials towards to finish line. The race had been cut short and called off due to thunder storms and a tornado warning for the area. I was a little disappointed since my run was going so well. I really wanted to finish the race, but safety was a primary concern. Because of this event, I have an asterisk next to my Ironboy name. I can hear to announcer now, "Burke, you are an Ironboy*!"

POST RACE THOUGHTS
Will I ever compete in an Ironman or half Ironman ever again? Absolutely!! I'm probably going to save a full Ironman for another two or three years, but several more half Ironmans will be in my near future. I'm planning to take a month "off" where I pull back my training from 5-6 days a week to 3-4 days per week. I'm going to enjoy the summer and the travel that is ahead, but I'm sure we will take another Ironman journey soon.

Two months ago, I almost dropped out of this race because I didn't feel like I was in good enough shape. I was encouraged by the 5 guys mentioned above to stay the course because they've never heard of "an Aggie who quits." That little quote touched a little nerve and made me get back out and continue training. I'm thankful I did. It was a journey. It was an experience. It will be a memory that I will continue coming back to for a long time to come.

Thank you to everyone who supported me with notes and words of encouragement on race day and leading up to the race. Check back later this week for pictures from the event!!