Late in the day, I surfed the web and found the race to be sold out – long ago. It looked as if there might be charity spots available via the American Cancer Society. However, they weren’t available via the website.

So, just after 6 p.m. on Friday, I drove down to Qwest Field to go to the marathon expo. A visit to the American Cancer Society booth revealed that I’d need to raise $1,200 to get a bib number. After posting about it on Twitter and Facebook, I received an initial commitment for a contribution from friend and former Microsoft co-worker Jeri Johnson. With that, I decided to take the plunge.

A pasta dinner and an early bedtime seemed to be the preparation I needed (or was capable of) to get ready for the race. Unfortunately, I overslept (am/pm alarm mistake) and nearly missed my ride. Thankfully, driver Kelly was kind enough to swing by to pick me up. I quickly dumped everything I needed into a bag and raced downstairs. We made it with plenty of time.

As the race kicked off, the announcer was thanking the pacers. Pacers are runners who carry signs indicating various finish times – 3 hours, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, etc. They allow other runners to gauge how fast they are they going throughout the race. GPS watches (and normal watches accompanied by mile markers and some math skills) really replace the need for pacers, but they are great to have for easy visual cues about how steady you are running. The announcer thanked the pacers and said “the pace is the race.”

With that phrase rolling through my head, I decided to try to hold a pace of 8 minutes and 8 seconds per mile. That’s the approximate pace I ran in the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon, my first 26.2 race and still my best time (3:33:10). I’ve run 5 marathons since then (when including the run portion of the two Ironman races). I’ve tried in earnest to beat that time twice. In 1998, I tried to qualify for the Boston Marathon when I ran the Twin Cities Marathon. At that age, I would’ve had to finish in 3:10:59 (they give you the seconds). I started strong, but cramped pretty severely at mile 17 and walked to finishing time of 3:34:10. In 2005, I ran the Honolulu Marathon and thought that I was trained up enough to beat the 1997 time. Again, the race began well but the Honolulu heat in December was too much for my temperate Seattle training and I finished in about 3:43.

I knew it’d be tough to beat the time of 3:33 in yesterday’s race. The only way to do so would be to avoid previous cramping problems, which meant that I’d have to do a better job on the fuel and food front. I had packed five packets of Gu gel (two of which I consumed before the race because I didn’t really get to breakfast due to oversleeping), one bag of Gu chomps (two servings per bag) and eight Endurolyte electrolyte supplements. That wasn’t going to be enough Gu for my plan of having 100 calories of supplement at the :15 and :45 times, so I picked up a couple extra at aid stations along the way. I took one of the Endurolyte tablets at :00 and :30 each hour. At each aid station, I had a half cup (or whatever I could get from the cup to my mouth) of Cytomax (the official energy drink of the marathon).

As the miles passed by, I was buoyed by the near perfect (for running) cool weather, the thousands of runners, the bands along the course and the supportive crowds. My longest previous runs had been 18 miles a few weeks back and 16 a couple before that. When I passed the 20 mile mark, I knew that I’d finish with a decent time. At mile 22, I calculated that I actually had a shot of getting my PR – but I’d have to average 7 ½ minute miles until the end. Mile 23 wasn’t quick enough – 7:42, and mile 24 was three seconds slower at 7:45. With the end – but not cramping – in sight, I was able to step up the pace in mile 25 with a 7:28. I knew I had to shave more time to beat 3:33, so mile 26 was a limit-testing 7:04. A few hundred yards out, I saw the finish line and was elated to have a little left in the tank for a final sprint (finished at a 4:48 pace according to my watch). Stopping my watch at the finish line and realizing I’d beaten my 1997 time by 41 seconds was an incredible feeling – one I didn’t expect to have when I signed up less than 16 hours prior to that moment.

Overall, I came in 281st out of 4,080 marathon finishers. Being in the top 7 percent is my best placement ever. It’s an even sweeter victory given that I didn’t expect it.

Below is the Garmin data from my watch. The overall pace and mileage is a bit off, as the watch didn’t quite adjust to the long I-90 tunnel run. I lost signal and it threw the pacing of a couple miles off (13/14), which made the overall pace displayed too low. My real pace was 8:07 per mile – 1 little more than 1 second per mile faster than my 1997 time. The pace is the race.

If you’d like to support the American Cancer Society (and my improbable, unplanned run yesterday), visit my fundraising page. A special thanks to all of those who’ve already contributed to this worthy cause.

*I say “mildly successful” because I had my fastest time in a half distance, but struggled in the race. This year’s Boise 70.3 race provided some really tough weather conditions – 60 degree water, 21 to 26 mph winds on the bike (with about 75% of the course feeling like headwind or severe crosswind) and a warmer than I’m used to temp of 81 degrees on the run. Craig Alexander, last year’s Boise champ and the current Ironman World Champ (Kona winner in 2008 and 2009) had a tough day in Boise, too. He won the race, but his time was 11 minutes slower than his winning time last year – when it rained and hailed throughout the race. After hearing that, I didn’t feel so bad about going slower than planned. Click on the picture below for my results (Note: 1153 total triathletes finished the race and 1229 started. There were 175 finishers in my division – M35-39.) -

Ironman Boise Results - Scott Stanzel

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Thanks to Mark Webb of Road Runner Sports and Teresa Nelson of TN Multisports for putting the event together.

Pre-race information
I found the website of Ironman Wisconsin to be more user friendly and complete, though most of the concerns about the Ironman Switzerland site were likely due to the fact that it wasn’t created in English.
Winner – Wisconsin

Travel
It goes without saying that it was much easier (and less costly) to get to Madison than it was to travel to Switzerland. In order to adjust to the time change, it is wise to travel to Zurich sooner than you’d need to travel to Madison. I arrived in Madison on Thursday night, but took an overnight flight to get to Zurich on Wednesday morning prior to the race (both are on Sunday). While Madison is a great town, Zurich is beautiful and historic. You have to do some searching in Zurich to find a spacious (and affordable) hotel room. The rooms in Zurich are generally pretty small and pricey. While Madison is convenient and friendly, the experience of going to Switzerland and seeing a new country was incredible.
Winner – Switzerland

Race Check-In and Expo
Both were very well-organized, thorough and helpful. There was more merchandise for sale in Madison. The Zurich expo was outside, while Wisconsin’s was in the convention center.
Tie

Transition Area
The transition area in Madison was located in the convention center and was comprised of multiple rooms (T1 bag room, T2 bag room, separate areas for M/F changing). The Madison area also required running and biking up a circular ramp at the end of the swim and bike. The transition is quite a distance from the swim area, as well. In Zurich, the transition area is all in one space outside. There is no grabbing of a bag at the transition. All of your things stay next to your bike. In the event of inclement weather, Madison would be marginally better. However, if it isn’t raining, the Zurich transition area is far superior for it’s simplicity. My transitions were much faster at Ironman Switzerland.
Winner – Switzerland

Swim
Both swims employ a water start (rather than a beach start). The water in Lake Zurich was amazingly clear, making it very easy to see how the swarm of swimmers are moving along. Lake Monona in Madison isn’t murky, but the Lake Zurich water might as well come from a bottle of Evian. Water temperatures were quite similar with both in the very comfortable mid-60s. The course in Wisconsin is better, however. It is two counter-clockwise laps around a rectangle. The Zurich course was different and involved a short run over an island – see the course here. While the water clarity in Zurich was great, the course layout made the swim a bit more chaotic. The buoys in Wisconsin were larger, which made sighting easier (particularly when coupled with the easy right angles).
Winner – Wisconsin

Bike
The rolling hills of Wisconsin were great. The speedy course along Lake Zurich and the climb to overlook the Swiss city were both fantastic. Both rides were comprised largely of two loops. Both were quite similar in that you had the opportunity to go through some small towns and see numerous farms. Swiss dairy cows were a bit different than their Wisconsin counterparts, but both made for nice scenery. The crowd support during the bike in both Wisconsin and Switzerland was outstanding. Both races had a short climb where spectators lined both sides of the street and cheered loudly with signs, much like you’d see on the climbs of the Tour de France. The crowds in the small towns of Wisconsin were a bit larger and had a little more variety in their chants, though maybe I just didn’t understand the cheers in multiple languages in Zurich. The roads were quite smooth in and around Zurich, slightly better than the roads outside of Madison.
Winner – Switzerland

Run
In Madison, the run was two loops in the city which had a number areas where you had to double back. In Zurich, there were four loops in the city and there were also areas where the course would double back on itself. I prefer two loops to four. The Zurich course was more flat than Madison, though neither was too hilly. The aid stations in Madison and Zurich were both well stocked with a variety of drinks (though I prefer the Gatorade of Wisconsin to the Powerade of Switzerland), foods and other goodies. Stations in Wisconsin and Switzerland were both manned by enthusiastic volunteers. The music in Madison was motivational – a sampling of rock and pop hits. The music in Zurich, well, left a bit to be desired – old, not so great pop tunes from the U.S. and some German pop (not pleasant).
Winner – Wisconsin

Odds and Ends
Similar temperature. Similar altitude. Both have great finish chutes. In Wisconsin, everyone runs through a tape. Nice touch. In Switzerland, they have a more developed post-race area of food, drinks and even hot tubs and showers. The competition in Switzerland is faster (elite athletes from all over Europe). The competitors in Wisconsin are more friendly and there is more camaraderie (the numerous languages in Switzerland probably inhibit that a bit).
Tie

Verdict
For me, choosing a favorite between Ironman Wisconsin and Ironman Switzerland is what I imagine it’d be like to choose a favorite child. Both have strengths in different areas and are equally outstanding. So, it’s a tie. You couldn’t go wrong competing in either. Good luck, Pooyan!

Yesterday, I completed the Ironman Switzerland race in Zurich in 11 hours and 5 minutes. The Ironman race is comprised of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run for a total race distance of 140.6 miles. Or, in the European metric style, that’s a 3.8 kilometer swim, 180 kilometer bike and a 42.2 kilometer run for a total of 226 kilometers.

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time training for the race this year. According to the training program I followed (LINK), I spent approximately 460 hours in the 36 weeks leading up to the race swimming, biking and running. That doesn’t include the time spent getting ready for workouts, traveling to the pool, gym or ride location. And, it doesn’t include time spent getting gear, food and other supplies needed for the training and race. Competing in an Ironman race is certainly difficult, but deciding to spend the time training for the race changes your lifestyle months in advance.

Training for and competing in Ironman Switzerland has definitely changed my life this year, so I wanted to share (and save) some thoughts and musings from the race. Without further ado -

Race Day Report
I participated in the race with my friend Sean Kevelighan. I met Sean while working at The White House, when he was serving as the Press Secretary for the Office of Management and the Budget (OMB). He now works for Zurich Financial. While he lives in New York City, he has traveled numerous times to the Zurich Financial headquarters in Zurich and has a sense of the city. That was helpful in the few days leading up to the race.

On race day, we gathered up and took a cab with our gear to the start/finish/transition area at 5:30. It was just a couple kilometers from the hotel, but we decided we’d need to use all of our energy for the race and decided not to walk.

After arranging all of our gear in the transition area, it was time to get ready for the swim. With wetsuits, goggles and neon yellow Ironman Switzerland “powered by EWS” swim caps on, we just had to wait on the beach for the opportunity to get in the water. Amusingly, the race director said at the briefing that the EWS logo side of the swim cap had to be on the right side of your head so the media cameras could capture it). The professionals started their race at 6:55 and we were then allowed in the water at about 6:57.

At 7 a.m., the gun went off and chaos ensued. The swim is always a mass of swinging arms and kicking legs, but this start seemed to be more of a battle than the Ironman Wisconsin swim last year. The water in Lake Zurich is incredibly clear and tastes like bottled water. The clarity allows for a pretty good picture of all of the bodies swimming in a pack. It wasn’t until the first turn (approximately a half mile into the swim) that I felt that I had some space to swim and wasn’t getting kicked, swam over, grabbed or shoved.

In an open water swim, you don’t have the luxury of looking at the lines on the bottom of the pool in order to stay swimming in a straight line. So, sighting to the turn buoy is the way to judge if you are going in the right direction. Some people are pretty good at doing that, while others are not. There was one swimmer who was particularly disruptive in my area. He was in a bright blue wetsuit, so it was easy to pick him out from most of the other triathletes wearing black wetsuits or ones with a few bits of color. He swam just a bit faster than me, but was swerving back and forth. Imagine Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading a NASCAR race after downing a 12 pack of Budweiser. Bluesuit was careening from left to right, causing swimmers to veer into and swim over each other in an effort to keep moving forward. It wasn’t until the halfway point that I was able to get a good distance from Bluesuit and the mayhem he was causing.

In my view, the swim is the easiest leg of the Ironman, but it is also where the race can be made or broken. If you panic and spend quite a bit of time jostling around, you’ll expend precious energy that you need for the bike and run. While the swim in Zurich was chaotic, I felt like I developed a good breathing and stroke pattern and was able to keep consistent progress. I had hoped to beat my time of last year’s Ironman swim (which was 1:13) and was happy to come out of the water in 1 hour 7 minutes and 56 seconds.

After a quick transition (some transition practice and a concise transition layout helped me eviscerate my T1 – meaning the transition from swim to bike – time from last year), I was out on the bike. The bike course was two loops near Lake Zurich with a portion heading into surrounding hills. On the bike, my mindset is to go as fast as possible with the least effort expended. The first portion of the bike was a fast, flat ride along the east side of Lake Zurich. I was really surprised that I was getting passed by nearly every biker. I was going about 22 miles per hour in that first stretch (my goal was to go about 19 miles per hour for the entire bike – I averaged 19.4), but was getting passed frequently. Resisting the temptation to “race” every triathlete who passes you is important to having a consistent race that goes according to plan, so I just kept reminding myself that they were blowing through their energy reserves and I’d have the opportunity to pass them later in the bike or run.

The turn to head away from the lake and into the hills is a critical gut check point. I was sticking to my food and hydration plan of 100 calories of food (Gu, Gu Chomps, banana, PB&J, etc) every 45 minutes and almost 200 calories of Gatorade or PowerAde every hour. Along with the food intake, I planned to take one Endurolyte electrolyte capsule (LINK). The first serving went as planned, but a problem arose when I went for serving two at the 1 hour 30 minute mark of the bike. I realized I had dropped my Ziploc bag of Endurolyte capsules (which had been in the little pouch near the handlebar stem of my bike). That’s bad news, as the Endurolytes help me prevent cramping by replenishing lost electrolytic material while not having to force my stomach to digest even more food or Gatorade. More on that later.

The ride in the hills southwest of Zurich was very pretty. Smooth, rolling roads through small Swiss villages and farms made the time go by quickly. I particularly enjoyed the farms, with the brown Swiss milk cows and fields of corn. It reminded me of home and the whole purpose of the “Tri for Ned” (LINK).

“The Beast” was a long, steep climb during the hill section of the bike loop. The switchback road was a challenge and I wish I would’ve switched my cassette to the lower-geared version that I used for the hilly Ironman Wisconsin ride last year. On the second lap, “The Beast” gave the first glimpse of the leg cramps that would come later in the race.

After “The Beast,” the steep downhill was a welcome rest and a way to make up considerable time lost during the slow climb. If you didn’t watch your speed, you could easily get a bit out of control. As the race organizers said during the informational briefing, “don’t ride faster than your guardian angels can go.”

During the ride, there wasn’t as much chatting between riders as there had been during Ironman Wisconsin. I suppose the variety of languages and the stoic nature of the Swiss contributed to the silence. However, I did talk off and on with a couple of riders. Pete from the UK rode up beside me and startled me when he said, “with freckles like that, you must be happy with the cloudy weather.” Pete was a redhead with similar complexion. He was a strong rider and I ended up running for part of one of the four marathon legs with him. Another rider I spoke with was Andrew, who was also from the UK. He pulled up alongside me during the second bike loop to inform me that he planned to follow Andrea, an attractive and speedy German woman who had just passed us both, for the rest of the ride. True to his word, Andrew did his best to follow Andrea until she pulled off to go to the bathroom later in the ride.

At the end of each of the two bike loops, “Heartbreak Hill” was the final challenge. The steep, winding city street which rises above Lake Zurich was lined with screaming spectators cheering on the riders as they slowly climbed the incline. It was pretty impressive and reminded me of the mountain climb scenes from the Tour de France. At the top, an announcer with a loudspeaker called out each rider by name. “Scott Stanzel, from THE Seattle, Washington, USA!” greeted me as I reached the peak. It was a nice energizer heading into the final few miles. I had hoped to break six hours on the bike (last year did 6:33) and was very happy to come in with a bike time of 5 hours and 45 minutes.

My transition to the run was quick, as I didn’t change clothes other than shoes and swapping a hat for the helmet. This is probably too much information (but it is actually important to the course of my race), but I hadn’t taken any bio breaks during the day. During the bike, I had consumed about 100 ounces of Gatorade, PowerAde, water and Coke. Still, I was not hydrated enough to precipitate a bathroom break. Hydration management is one of the most critical aspects of completed an Ironman race. I once read that the best guide on hydration is that if your urine (I know, TMI) looks like water, you are in danger of overhydration (LINK) problems (rare for an Ironman). If it is lemonade colored, you are in good shape. If it is comparable to apple juice or something darker, you are running the risk of dehydration (LINK). Unfortunately, I was in the last category. That, coupled with the fact that I hadn’t been taking the Endurolyte capsules that I accidentally dropped early in the bike, meant that I was on my way to cramping problems.

To combat cramping, you have to take in enough electrolytes to replace the ones lost during exercise. That means drinking Gatorade and PowerAde, as well as eating the Gu gels or Chomps. The problem arises when you’ve consumed so much liquid and sweet gels that your stomach cannot digest it quickly enough to keep up. So, you end up with an upset stomach and electrolyte deficit that you aren’t able to fend off because it is difficult to consume anything more and you risk throwing up all of the fluids you’ve taken in.

On the first lap of the run, I worked to drink plenty of water and PowerAde – while ignoring my upset stomach. It didn’t really work and I soon had to back off the sugary Powerade. During lap two, I tried to have some of the warm chicken broth (they actually have it at aid stations for this very purpose) to calm my stomach and provide some liquid with high sodium content. It wasn’t very easy for me to drink soup while running, so I switched to munching on pretzels (also at aid stations) for some salt without the sweetness of Gu or PowerAde. During lap two, the cramps materialized. Both thighs, hamstrings and calves locked up. A fellow triathlete saw my issues and handed me an Endurolyte tablet to help. I took it, but knew it’d be a battle for the last 14 miles.

During lap two, the battery on my Garmin 405 died (the life is only about 8 hours, which is partly why I ordered the new, 20 hour battery life Garmin 310XT [LINK] – which I had hoped would arrive before the race). So, I didn’t actually know how fast I was running. I didn’t ask anyone else, as I just figured I’d try to complete the race as quickly as I could. This became a blessing and a curse. I didn’t obsess about how I was slowing down in the second half of the marathon, but I also didn’t know how close I was to breaking 4 hours in the marathon. A few more minutes shaved off the marathon would have also led to me breaking the 11 hour mark for the entire race. Psychological and meaningless barriers really, but ones I still noted.

The run became a real struggle. Striding out in a way that didn’t cause cramps and taking whatever I could keep down became the mission of the last 10 miles or so. I ended up having more Coke towards the end of the race. It was a different taste and I think the caffeine helped wake me up and mask some pain.

As I kept moving through the last lap, I just kept telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. I only looked down so I couldn’t tell how far I had to go. On any normal day feeling the way that I did, I wouldn’t have probably walked from the living room to the kitchen. But, training for the Ironman helps you learn how to compartmentalize nagging pain and perceiver through the miles. I couldn’t wait to get to the finish line and feel the satisfaction of completing the race.

My friend, and now fellow Ironman, Sean passed me during his second lap while I was on my fourth. We joked about who came up with the idea of doing Ironman Zurich, which provided some much needed levity.

In the final mile, I tried to pick up the pace and come in strong. My fourth lap was faster than my third, as the finish line motivation is strong even when you are feeling awful. In this video (LINK coming soon, technical difficulties), my brother asked me how I was feeling. My answer of “like dirt” was the polite response.

During the final paces, running through the gathered crowd and knowing you’ve accomplished something significant brings a wave of emotions. As I ran towards the finish and saw my time for the first time (I assumed I’d be closer to 11:45 because I thought I’d slowed down more during the run than I actually had), I was surprised and elated. The sacrifices made in order to complete hundreds of hours of training, the support from friends and family, and the memories of my Dad overwhelmed me. I sat in the recovery tent for quite awhile soaking it in. It was an incredible day I’ll never forget.

Note: I couldn’t have finished this race without the unwavering support from friends and family. I’d like to thank everyone contributed to my “Tri for Ned” (LINK), read/endured my posts on Twitter (LINK) and Facebook (LINK), cheered me in person (Mom, Ken, Steve, Allen, Tony, Julie, Marilyn, Alex) and sent gifts to help me with the training and race (Veronica, York). You made this Ironman journey very memorable and special. I can’t thank you enough.

The official results from Ironman.ch (LINK) are below. There were 2136 people who started the race and 428 men in my 35 to 39 age group.

Scott Stanzel
BIB – 1223
AGE – 36
Seattle, Washington, USA
PROFESSION – Public Relations

TOTALS
SWIM – 1:07:56
BIKE – 5:45:11
RUN – 4:04:27
OVERALL TIME – 11:05:00
OVERALL RANK – 762/2136
OVERALL M34-39 DIVISION POSITION – 200/428

SWIM (3.8 km) – 1:07:56
PACE – 1:47/100m
SWIM OVERALL RANK – 522
SWIM M34-39 DIVISION POSITION – 124

BIKE (180 KM) – 5:45:11
BIKE SPLIT 1:
90 km (2:46:35)
32.42 km/h
BIKE SPLIT 2:
90 km (2:58:36)
30.24 km/h
TOTAL AVERAGE PACE – 31.29 km/h
BIKE OVERALL RANK – 930
BIKE M34-39 DIVISION POSITION – 240

RUN (42.2 km) – 4:04:27
RUN SPLIT 1: 10km 10 km (54:43) 5:28/km
RUN SPLIT 2: 21km 11 km (57:49) 5:15/km
RUN SPLIT 3: 31km 10 km (1:03:31) 6:21/km
RUN SPLIT 4: 42km 11 km (1:08:24) 6:13/km
TOTAL RUN 42.2 km (4:04:27) 5:47/km
RUN OVERALL RANK – 746
RUN M34-39 DIVISION POSITION – 188

TRANSITION TIMES
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE – 3:59
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN – 3:27

All of those questions are largely out of my hands and it is now almost time to simply get it done. A good percentage of the race day effort is mental. Deciding you can push on when pain and doubt creep in is almost as important as your swim stroke, pedal cadence or running gate. So, I’m resolved to have fun, take what the day brings, soldier on and do my best.

At last year’s Ironman Wisconsin, I managed to achieve two goals – completing the race and finishing in less than 13 hours. This year, the first goal is the same and the second is to beat last year’s time of 12 hours and 27 minutes (1:13 swim, 6:30 bike, 4:17 run, + transitions and breaks). I think it is achievable, but parts of the bike course are gruesomely hilly. The weather is supposed to coperate, with a high of approximately 70 degrees expected.

I couldn’t have done the Ironman Switzerland and my “Tri for Ned” without the love and support of family and so many friends. So, to all of the cheering section both here in Zurich and back home, a heartfelt thank you.

Note – For updates during the race (begins at 1:00 am ET), you can check out my Twitter page – @scottstanzel, as my brother has agreed to post a few notes during the race. Full report, pictures and video in the coming days.

Injury Free at the 2008 Ironman Wisconsin Finish Line

1. A basic problem that many beginning runners have is blisters. Not being acustomed to new shoes and the pounding of the pavement can cause painful hot spots on your feet. To combat blisters, getting fitted with shoes that feel comfortable AND fit your running style is key. Instead of picking up shoes at the mall or at a large department store, it is best to go to a running or triathlon store where experienced staff can watch you run outside or on a treadmill and make recommendations about what shoes might be best for you. This might add a little cost, but it’ll be well worth the investment over the many miles of training. Also, be sure to get synthetic socks that fit well and don’t bunch up in your shoe. Finally, pick up some BodyGlide. It’s an anti-chafing balm to help combat blisters and hot spots. The proper application (it rubs on like a deodorant) can solve almost all blister issues before they start. Apply liberally before any workout. It is also helpful when preparing to sit on the bike for hours on end. You get the picture.

2. Stretching is key to preventing nagging soreness. By putting so much stress on your muscles over the months of training, I’ve found that it is easy to become less flexible. So, every morning when I wake up I make sure I do some basic stretching exercises to maintain flexibility. Stretching thoroughly before a training session is important, but stretching after may be just as key to helping muscles recover from the strain and stress.

3. Taking in protein following long workouts is also crucial to helping muscles recover. I like Boost high protein energy drinks. Consumed within 15 minutes after a long workout, they provide about 240 calories and help those sore legs get the nutrients they need to recover and get stronger.

4. Because of the pounding that your joints can take over the course of a long run or even bike ride, icing your sore spots – particularly knees or hips – can prevent inflamation and next-day soreness. After a long run, you can simply jump in a cold lake (while training for the 2005 Honolulu Marathon, my Team in Training group used to stand in the chilly water of Green Lake or Lake Washington for 10 minutes immediately following a long run), take an ice bath or wrap your legs with cold wraps. I’ve found that the Trio Hot and Cold wraps are very handy and can simply be kept in the freezer until you need them. You can pick them up at Target.

5. The proper application of a Band-Aid over the nipple will help prevent the bloody mistake that guys will not want to make twice. Don’t leave home without them on. I think the cheap plastic ones work the best because they stay on through rain and sweat. The pain of ripping them off after a workout is far better than causing yourself pain like these guys endured. This is not an uncommon sight at races, but it is one that makes me cringe. And, don’t wear a cotton shirt. That’s an invitation to unwanted chafing.

6. Wear sunscreen. You’re going to be outside for a long time, so remember to put on the sunscreen before you even get dressed for your workout. My favorite is Kinesys sport sunscreen, because it withstands to sweat of a workout. Coppertone Sport continuous spray is also good and is less expensive than Kinesys, though I’m not sure it has quite the staying power.

7. Finally, listen to your body. Over the many miles of Ironman training, your ability to tell the difference between soreness and the beginnings of a possible injury will become more finely tuned. If there is nagging pain in a joint or muscle, vary your workout schedule or take a day or two of rest. Swimming is obviously low impact and is a good way to keep working on one of the triathlon disciplines while giving your tired legs a break. If you are hurt, you won’t be able to stick to your training schedule. So, focus on staying healthy and then work on keeping up with the training.