It all started with a beer (or a few): My IM Journey by Lee Adams.
Nine years ago as another year of school at UW-Madison was just getting back in session, I was sitting on my girlfriend’s porch enjoying a few beers. There were all these runners going by looking like they’d been through hell. With the power of the internet and some asking around, we found out that they were competing in Ironman Wisconsin, a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. It may have been the beer talking, or maybe something more, but I decided to make the proclamation that I would in fact be completing this same event within the next 10 years! Needless to say it got more than a few laughs since my only current form of exercise was walking to and from class.
Life went on: I married that girlfriend, moved to Green Bay and started a wonderful family. One Sunday afternoon in July, we were visiting Door County and went to watch my brother in-law compete in some race. Turned out it was a half Ironman (a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run) and it was like pouring gasoline on an old flame. I knew after seeing this that I would be going down a wildly different path in life. I enlisted the help of my father in-law on what I needed to do to start running and was directed to buy some shoes and build up my endurance to running one mile. I also got the help of my dad who purchased the first bike I owned since my middle school Huffy. Most importantly, I had the support of my wonderful wife who decided along with me that she’d be joining me down this new path in life.
Fast forward 3 years, 4 marathons, 5 half Ironman’s, 2 Olympic triathlons, 2 bike races, and one half marathon and I just competed my first full Ironman. Looking back on the previous 12 months really brought some laughs and really made me realize the gravity of the commitment I made September 10th, 2010 when I paid the $600 non-refundable entry fee. Since that day, my endurance and appetite (a.k.a. ‘the hunger’) have steadily improved, thanks in large part to my training coach Brian McWilliams; training partners Mike Paul, Travis Haufschildt, and Brian Bulkowski; and my head and nutrition coach Tricia. Since I started racing, I shaved 1 hour 23 minutes off my first marathon and 1 hour 19 minutes off my first half Ironman. By the time I toed the starting line I had completed approximately 150 miles swimming, 4400 miles biking, and 1400 miles running in the last 365 days. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the equivalent of swimming from Green Bay to Madison, biking from Madison to Los Angeles, CA then to Orlando, FL, and finally running from Orlando back to Green Bay! In a similar feat I was also able to conquer some appetizers at a wedding, a quarter pounder with cheese extra value meal, a full fish dinner with appetizers and salad, a Guinness, and 5/8 of a Tombstone frozen pizza…just for one evening’s dinner!
Some odd things have happened along the way. I started eating worse. (We’ll call it calorie depletion) I started drinking more alcohol (Thank you Green Bay Multisport and some great new friends I’ve made this summer) I shave my legs more often than I do my face (strangely comfortable with this). I now consider 5:45 am “Sleeping In” People often ask “What are you giving up in training for an Ironman?” My answer is this:”I stopped watching TV other than the occasional Brewers game. I stopped getting drunk enough for a hangover. Regrettably, and as much as I could minimize it, I spent a little less time with my family. I stopped playing softball and kickball. My turnover on Netflix movies is way down from previous years. I’ve tried to not alienate my parents and brother by hoping they understand there will simply have to be fewer trips to visit them. I know I’ve given up some things and made some sacrifices, but I know the past 12 months have changed me for the better and given me determination and ambition in many other facets of life. I’m reminded of a quote that really sums up what it takes to train for an Ironman, “No one said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it.”
T-Minus one Month to Race Day:
I was out at Zesty’s with the family for "second lunch." You know, about 2:00 when you know “first lunch” wasn't enough. I had a cheese Burger, fries, and a banana split the size of my head in front of me. I had just about tackled the whole feast when an elderly couple approached me and exclaimed "we haven't seen anyone eat that much food in a really long time!" They proceeded to ask me "what did you do, run eight miles today?" I smiled, and answered back, “No, just biked 93 miles." Yeah, I love Ironman training!
T-Minus Three Weeks to Race Day:
I now have done a long swim of an hour and 15 minutes of continuous swimming, a 109 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. I’m approaching my long brick of an 80 mile bike followed immediately after by a 15 mile run next week and then the taper period will begin. I can honestly say that the longest week (approximately 19 hours of training) left me wanting more and the rest day that followed made me antsy to get back on my bike.
T-Minus Two Weeks to Race Day:
I killed the 80/15 brick and have confidence in my pace and nutrition. People keep asking “What do you think your finish time will be?” “Do you think you’ll qualify for Kona” I have a tough time with the first one. I know what I CAN do. I have no idea what I WILL do. The second one is easy. “No, now stop asking.”
T-Minus One Week to Race Day:
Tapering is the hardest part of training. I’m going nuts. I can’t eat like I have been. I spent Labor Day hanging out with friends and family who were all kicking back and drinking. I miss the training volume I was used to. I’m not getting good sleep. I can’t not think about Ironman. I’m pleading for work to get busy so I can distract myself. I’m moody. Is it Sunday yet?
T-Minus 4 Days to Race Day:
Just have to give a plug in to my awesome wife. Signs are made, T-Shirts done, bags are already being packed, and she is showing amazing support and patience with me while I taper. There’s no way I’d be where I am today without her support. You really set the bar high. I’m sorry that I know I won’t be able to hold a candle to you next year when I am the Ironman widow.
T-Minus 2 Days to Race Day:
We arrived in Madison around 10:00 and began the registration process. I got my USAT membership checked in, signed my waivers, got weighed in, and picked up my bags/packet/chip. I was still pretty calm about the whole situation at this point; being there last year and working the registration certainly helped. We finished that and I took off on my last bike ride before race day. I was feeling confident and anxious for Sunday. I left Tricia downtown to volunteer and took off with the kids to get checked into the hotel and have some rest time. We were blessed with babysitter who watched watch Emma and Eli while Tricia, Stacey, Mike, Lisa and I went out to dinner at Biaggi’s, one of my favorite Italian restaurants. It was great to have a quite/peaceful dinner. Unfortunately, I needed to be back at the terrace for the “mandatory athlete briefing.” Looking back now, I regret doing this. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know, and I missed out on a fun time and probably some great dessert and there was nothing ‘mandatory’ about the meeting. We all got back to the Norris’ and my Mom and Ed had arrived and were playing with Eli and Emma. Both kids were fast asleep by the time we got back to the hotel at 9:00. I welcomed the end of a long and busy day and was passed out within minutes.
T-Minus 1 Day to Race Day:
Good morning Adams family! It is 6:00am and we’re all up for the day. We got ourselves ready and headed down to the terrace for the first time that day for the kid’s race around the capitol. After some asking around, we found out it was cancelled this year! Emma can be Teflon and accepted running with Daddy to a couple of street signs as her race. Sorry Kiddo! From there we headed out to Middleton to watch Godson Derek’s football game and catch part of Mikayla McWilliam’s Ironkids race. Derek’s team was fighting hard and after a particularly rough play, he thought about coming out of the game, but decided to tough it out and play the rest of the game. I found out two days later he broke his arm on that play, but played the rest of the game regardless! I arrived just in time to catch Mikayla blaze into the finish chute and take first in her age group! After the game I headed back to the terrace (again) to drop off my bike and T1 and T2 bags and do a quick swim in Lake Monona. I decided to forego the wetsuit and jump in for a dip. The water temps were amazing and the water felt great after sitting out in the sun all morning. From there it was on to Gray’s Tide House with the Norris’ and McWilliams’ for some lunch and the end of the Badger game. Brian always keeps the atmosphere light and presented me with a gift for my first Ironman. The contents were: various coupons to fast food restaurants, a massive jug of trail mix, a gift card to Zesty’s Frozen Custard, a book titled *%&# My Dad Says, and a card. After an action packed morning I was ready to have some down time. Eli and I were hanging out at the hotel while Tricia took Emma downtown for some girl time. Buppa Mooker and Uncle Dave took Eli for a swim in the pool while I kicked back and watched. The rest of the support crew was staggering in and it was time to get ready for dinner. After some awesome 13 year cheddar for my typical pre race snack, we headed to Uno’s; party of 20 please! I had a blast sitting on the patio watching our families interact and really was thinking about how lucky I was to have this kind of support. I topped off the night with a fresh baked cookie sundae and we headed back to the hotel for some last minute packing.
Race Morning:
My alarm was set for 3:30, but that didn’t really matter. I woke up at 2:15 and knew immediately that I was up for the day. At least I fell asleep pretty quickly the night before so I got a solid 5 hours of shut-eye. I started slowly eating my breakfast: 2 Ensure Plus (350 calories each) a banana (75 calories) a Kwik Trip muffin (500 calories) and a bottle of Acai/Blueberry juice (150 calories). 1425 calories by 4:00am? Not too shabby! I found myself checking and rechecking my email, Facebook, Twitter, and Word Feud for something to do. I was so anxious to get started! Thankfully, Cousin Otto had stayed in our room so Tricia could take me downtown for the start without having to worry about kids. We arrived at the terrace and dropped off my special needs bags and I hit up T1 to pump my tires. I had a few issues getting air in the tires (valves must have closed again on me!) Eventually, I was confident that I had the right pressure in there and went back to find Tricia to try and relax. We went to the roof of the terrace where I found an empty bathroom and then met up with the Bulkowski’s, McWilliam’s, and Kristin. My mom and Ed came shortly after and the socialization kept the mood light. 6:25 came; I put on my wetsuit and bid farewell to the support crew. I made my way down the helix and ran into Mike and Travis getting ready for the start. We quickly lost Travis, but Mike talked me into joining him right smack in the center of the swim and near the front. Something I was seriously questioning that actually turned out to be a great decision.
The Swim:
I heard the cannon go off and hit start on my watch. The race was finally here! I was expecting to get mauled the first ¼ mile, but something weird happened. I found open swimming space within a couple of minutes and started to establish my stroke. I was amazed. I began by swimming a straight line right up next to the buoys and aside from a couple of minor bumps and tugs I was cruising along unbeaten. I knew the biggest test would be “Moo Corner” (The first turn where swimmers file in like cattle around the bend). Although it was crowded once again I wasn’t getting punched or kicked and made it through clean! I began thinking karma was on my side today. I got to the back stretch and was expecting to see or hear the flyover for 9/11 that was promised by the race announcer. Nothing. I kept thinking I was either swimming great or I missed it. I made the final turn of the first lap and still no jets. I knew I didn’t swim a 30 minute first lap so I was disappointed I missed it. Lap two was wide open. I had all the space I needed and was able to find person after person to draft behind. I started really getting a good pull with each stroke and just started thinking about how the rest of my day would go. The last back stretch was almost meditative. I hadn’t looked at my time, I didn’t over exert myself and I vowed to swim smart and was doing just that. I got to the home stretch and made a b-line for the arch. I was ready to start biking. As I got out of the water I finally looked at my watch…1:14:50! Holy Crap! I had planned on 1:25 (at best).
1:14:50 -- 881st Division -- 88/169 Age Group
T1:
1:14:50! Are you kidding me??? I was beaming from that welcome news as I made my way up the helix. I heard the crowds on the helix were awesome, but my expectations were blown away. The fans were going nuts! Just before making my way into the terrace to change for the bike I spotted Tricia. I was able to make out something like “Oh my God” or “Are you kidding me?” Shocking her with my swim time was just another drop in my bucket of happy thoughts/good Karma to keep me going strong throughout the day. The astonished look on her face was priceless. (Thanks Tricia!) I made my way in, was handed my bag from a volunteer and was directed to the men’s changing room. Talk about chaos! It was like walking into a hornets nest with bodies and gear flying everywhere. I decided to just start running in. As I made my way down one of the crowded isles I actually leapt over a volunteer kneeling down helping another athlete with his shoes. Another volunteer witnessed the event and gave me kudos for my agility and found a chair for me. I got my bike gear on, headed out for a quick sun screen lube, and was off to find my bike. When I got to my bike another volunteer had everything ready for me to go. I threw on my shoes, Garmin and sunglasses and headed out down the other helix.
Time: 7:20
The Bike:
At this point there were roughly 881 athletes ahead of me on the course. Swimming is typically my weakest discipline and biking my strongest so usually there are plenty of people for me to pass. I knew there were going to be a lot and was prepared to take advantage of all the bodies for some free drafting as I passed by biker after biker. I was approaching the coliseum and was welcomed by a great surprise. Two fighter jets came screaming over the coliseum on their way to the terrace for the flyby (if you know me at all, you know how I love flybys)! Just keep filling that bucket of good karma. I was still getting myself situated on my bike around mile 3 when I came on some railroad tracks and one of my two pill tubes with electrolyte pills popped out and went rolling down the road. No time to go back. Just need to ration myself the rest of the day. The bike was flying by as I was pulling past other bikers. I came upon Erin Feldhausen at mile 12 and said a quick ‘hello.’ Next up was Shannon Riley at mile 16. I got to share a quick conversation with her and joked that I’d be seeing her again when she caught me on the run.
Things kept moving along in that fashion until mile 26 coming off one of the many climbs. As I was shifting back to my big chain ring my chain dropped. I spent the descent coasting while trying to feather the chain back on the ring, but with no such luck. Finally, I pulled over and manually put the chain back in place. I figure I only lost a minute or two, but I let myself get paranoid that I was going to keep doing this all day. The Madison IM bike course is one of the toughest IM bike routes there is. There was certainly a small level of nerves going into the climbs (4 major climbs x 2 loops). When I came to the hills I was amazed at the crowds there cheering on the bikers and the impact it had on making the climb easier. (Thanks Luke Hoffman!) I spun my wheels up each of the hills, yet was still passing people at a steady rate. I was surprised to see Tricia and some of the support crew on one of the toughest climbs; not something I was expecting. I got another pick-me-up in Verona seeing more supporters from our group as well as a surprise cheering section of old friends from West Salem who had come down to cheer on Shannon. (Thanks Kelly Jo and Alyssa.)
Loop two started and I hit my least favorite section from Verona out to Mt. Horeb. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but it was definitely my low point of the ride. Things just started to drag on. Funny thing is, I actually started looking forward to the hills again, and just so I could get a lift from the crowds. I was starting to see some riders really paying the price from going out too hard on the bike. I witnessed two bikers pulled over, spilling their breakfast into the roadside ditch. Too bad, they were going to have a LONG marathon! The sight kept me focused on staying within my training plan and not going out too hard. I was paying attention to everyone’s calves so I could see how many guys in my age group I was passing, when I came upon a woman just outside of Verona. Instead of the customary age, this woman had a finely stamped “P” on her leg. I just passed a pro!
The loops were over and I headed back into the festival at Verona. It seemed the crowds had grown since the first loop and as I approached the known cheering section of Adams’/DePrey’s, I was looking for one last ‘hoorah’ before starting the run. I was amazed at the 20+ red shirts all together in one place giving it their all to show their support. The sight and sound gave me goose bumps from head to toe. You guys are awesome! The last 14 miles soared by. I cruised on in to Madison with a nice tailwind, the last 14 miles of uneventful, yet speedy, riding.
5:30:16 -- 20.35 mph -- 176th Division --20/169 Age Group
T2:
Getting off your bike after five and a half hours and 112 miles is certainly interesting. Your legs aren’t exactly sure what they’re supposed to be doing. I started this weird, almost drunken, staggering into the terrace to find my gear bag. I was helped by another volunteer into the changing room once again. Unlike T1, T2 was almost empty! I had passed 705 men on the bike and countless women as well, and now there were less than 200 people in front of me! I threw on my socks and running shoes, grabbed my visor and 16 more electrolyte pills and was on my way outside. I opted for another sunscreen lube up and made my way for the run course. I managed to catch a glance of a race clock 6 hours, 55 minutes. I did some quick math in my head and determined I needed a 4:05 marathon to break 11 hours, or a 5:05 to break 12 hours. I wasn’t sure which one was a more realistic goal so I dismissed the thought and got running.
Time: 3:22
The Run:
The first three miles of the run were hell. Yes, the crowds were great, but it’s amazing how moody a guy can get when things are tough going. At the first aid station, after already dropping half of my planned electrolytes on the bike, I dropped 6 of my remaining 16 pills. I was going to have to ration, again. Then it was hot. There is not a lot of shade those first three miles and the temps had reached 85 degrees. Next, there was this ‘extra’ little turn around by the Kohl Center that I had not planned on or was aware of, adding another 300 or so yards to my run. I also was under the impression that I had missed seeing my family on State Street and was in need of a good pick me up. That’s when I hit bottom. As I was coming up to Camp Randall, I saw my mom. She was holding a sign that read, “Tonight’s gonna be a good, good night.” If you know me at all, you know that I think that is the worst song ever made. Ever. I believe I said something like “I hate your sign” or “your sign sucks” as I passed by. I saw Tricia just before I went into the stadium and was asked how it was going. I was honest. I had to give the thumbs down sign. The next 300 yards around the turf in the stadium were my turning point of the day. 1. It felt glorious to be running on turf instead of concrete. 2. I remembered my vow to finish before dark and I would be dammed if I was going to have a ‘good, good night’ I was going to have a ‘good good day.’ So, as much as that sign bothered me, it served a great purpose in getting my butt in gear! (Thanks, Mom!) 3. I thought again about the great group of people waiting for me to come out of the stadium. When I saw Tricia again, I was all smiles and gave the ole’ two thumbs up! Time to get running again!
I got myself into a rhythm of running to an aid station, then walking through while I refilled on fluids and soaked myself with a couple of sponges. I had a routine and it definitely kept me going. I was welcomed again by the lake shore path and a ton of shade. I made the decision to walk for the first time outside of an aid station when I got to Observatory Hill. There really was no point in killing myself with another 18 miles to go. From there it was on to State Street. As I ran passed the Humanities building, I just kept thinking that I was sitting in one of those classrooms ten years ago to the day when I heard the news on 9/11. The thought made me once again realize that my work today paled in comparison to the job that is asked of our service men and women. Suck it up and keep going! The rest of loop one was pretty uneventful. I did see Mike for the first time since 7:00 am and gave a quick high five and “keep it up!” Run to aid station. Walk through. Repeat.
I was nervous about the turnaround at mile 13.1. As you are approaching the half way point you can actually see the finish line, right before you turn back and head back down for another 13.1 miles. In my training run, this was demoralizing. Today, that fear was wiped away by cheering fans willing you on including Tricia and more of our support team. 1:57 for my first half of the marathon. I needed a 2:04 second half to break 11 hours. Ouch. I knew it would be a challenge and needed everything to go perfectly for this to happen. It didn’t.
The first three miles of loop two were much easier than the first three of loop one. They shouldn’t have been, but they were. I think I just knew more what to expect and had my routine down. I crossed paths with Travis coming in from his first loop, just a couple miles back from me! Good to finally see him and know he was having a good day. That is when my stomach started to revolt. I found the first porta potty I could find, sat down, then nothing. C’mon! Nothing. Time to keep running. I soon saw the lead female coming my way, no one I’ve heard of, and then just behind was Green Bay native Jessica Jacobs! I gave a quick “GO JESS” and though how cool it would be to have a local win this thing. Mile 16 approached when I came upon Coach Brian and his whiteboard and was asked how I was faring. Couldn’t help but spit back his own mantra and proclaimed, “Doing everything I can to ‘embrace the suck.’” I was at another low point and was trying to keep plugging along. I made it to the lake shore path and some shade and decided to walk for about 100 yards. Then my stomach issue came back. I barely made it to the next rest stop and this time the plumbing worked. Thank God! I felt much better and knew I only had a 10k to go!
After walking back up Observatory, it was time to get back to my routine. By this time I was slamming a full glass of coke, a full glass of Ironman Perform, and a full glass of water at each aid station. Amazingly, my stomach was okay with this. I made it back to the path and some more shade and was just ticking down the miles, not looking at my watch. I ran passed Shannon Riley coming the other way and calculated she was about 3-4 miles back, having a great day as well! I then saw Rob, the Madison Fireman who was doing the entire 26.2 miles in 65 pounds of full fire fighter gear in honor of 9/11. Amazing! 3.1 miles to go and Coach Brian comes cheerily riding up again. Brian: “Hey Lee, 27 minute 5k and you’re in under 11 hours!” Lee: “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” Apparently, my inner jerk comes out during the later stages of Ironman races. Sorry Brian, thanks for the encouragement, didn’t mean to snap back at you! As much as I wanted to run it in to the finish, my body was telling me it needed more fluids and I kept walking through the aid stations. I was damn proud of my accomplishment regardless of what would happen the last 3 miles.
As I made the last turn on State Street, I let myself start to take in all that I had been through and was ready to enjoy the last .75 miles. I threw away the sponges, zipped up my jersey to show off the GBMS advertising, and threw on a massive smile. There were plenty of other runners near me but all were just completing their first lap. As I broke off for the finish line the crowds picked up and I trotted in through the finish chute at 11:02:01. I was an Ironman!
11:02:01 -- 163rd overall -- 15/169 Age Group
Post Finish:
Immediately after finishing, I was ‘caught’ by two volunteers who walk with you to make sure you’re doing okay. I grabbed my finisher’s shirt, medal, and hat and took a quick picture. I saw some chairs that looked amazingly inviting, but then I saw my family waiting for me. Sitting was going to wait! I found myself circled by 18 amazing fans while I hugged it out with the super fan herself, Tricia. I don’t think they fully realized or realize now that I would not have been nearly as successful as I was that day without their unwavering support. It is one of the most humbling and gratifying feelings I’ve experienced. I cannot thank them enough. Eli was still awake, but holding on by a thread and was more interested in my lemonade than giving me a high five. Emma was passed out in the stroller; surely, a trying day for her as well. I know I put a lot of people through a long and difficult day and I’m sorry. Thank you all again for your support! I finally found that chair and forced down some fluids and food. The chicken broth was great! We hung out to watch Mike and Travis come in and congratulated them both on their accomplishment.
Post Post Finish:
The party after the party. We ordered three massive pizzas, chugged down some spotted cow and even made our way to the bar for the customary post race shot. Sorry, B-Mac, it was Crown Royal, not Jameson. I need to throw in a special thank you to Meghan and Brian Bulkowski not only for the beer and shot, but for the great support throughout training and throughout the day.
I’m very much looking forward to being a spectator at next year’s race and I’m enjoying a couple days rest. What’s next? I’m not sure yet, but I hear my bike calling my name!
Thank you again to the support crew that made it down for the race—Mom, Dad, Ed, Dave, Emily, Anne, Mark, Mary, Megan, Shane, Chris, Tara, Norah, Jane, Matt, Otto, Emma, John, Vince (he counts), Steve, Beth, Lucas, Matthew, Jack, Stacey, Mike, Derek, Natalie, Lisa, Alex, Ben.
Thank you for all the support from Green Bay Multisport—Brian B., Meghan, Brian M. Kristin, Jodi, Mikayla, Ethan, Deb, and Jess.
Thank you for all the support from the people at EarthLink, especially Kristin for being amazingly flexible with my schedule and my time off for training, and for always diving in and learning all about the crazy endeavors I embark in.
Thank you to Coach Brian for preparing me to become an Ironman.
Most of all thank you to Tricia, Emma, and Eli for being there to support me over the last 12 months and get me to the finish line. I could not have done it without you!
