Whenever I mention to someone that I just completed my first Ironman triathlon, they always ask “are you crazy” and “how was Hawaii?” Although many associate the Ironman as only being in Hawaii, there are several others around the world with Hawaii hosting the world championship race in October every year. The race I chose was Ironman Arizona on April 9^th, 2006.

After running for about 3 years and doing triathlons for 2, I decided to go ahead and attempt a full 140.6 mile full Ironman race which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon and yes…..all to be completed within 17 hours or a disqualification. I did mine in 13.42.05.  Not too fast, but I finished which was more than 200 out of 1900 that did not.

The race was easy compared to the 6 months of training involved getting there. I owe my wife and two children so much for their understanding, commitment and support. My wife is the greatest. Who else would do my chores, endlessly wash training clothes, fill water bottles, mix Cytomax, time my splits, come pick me up whenever I bonked, flatted or just needed someone to talk to whenever I hurt or had doubt about what I was attempting to accomplish. What I’ve learned about doing an Ironman is first you have to have a very understanding family who is as committed as you are as well as an employer who understands why you’re tired and grumpy at times with your mind floating somewhere else. Secondly, you have to be crazy enough to register for and hit that “finish” button online. Thirdly, you have to be able to withstand pain and suffering and then you have to teach your body to how to tune out the pain or learn to love it! I can say I did a little of both.

The reasons for doing an Ironman are endless. Some do them on a bet with a friend, others do them for a loved or lost one, while others just for the personal challenge and the bragging rights to say they’ve done something that only one half of one percent of the population has ever attempted.

My training went well and I felt like I did what I needed to do in order to just finish injury free. As the race date got closer, I started being very careful and kept wondering “will I actually make it to Phoenix?” “what if I crash in a training ride or get it hit by a car?” “what if I get sick the day before the race or what if my bike doesn’t make the plane trip?” I got so worked up and worried, that I finally had to step back and say I can only do what I can do and God will work out the rest. And work it out He did. I made it to Phoenix as did my bike, my wife and my parents. So far so good! I had a couple of days to practice swim and ride a little and then Saturday afternoon came with the bike and gear bag check-in. Bike shoes, helmet, glasses, etc. in transition T1 bag and running shoes, cap and Advil in the transition T2 bag. Saturday night came for me like a 10 year old on Christmas Eve. I was very excited, a little nervous, but mostly proud to have made this far. I went to sleep praying that this time tomorrow night, I would be an Ironman.

Sunday morning with a 4:30am wakeup, I jumped from bed, ate my normal breakfast, mixed my Cytomax drinks, packed 16 Carb Booms and more snacks and food than a lunch buffet and then drove to the site. By the way, I needed to consume approximately 3800 calories on race day in order get through the race. My bike was still there along with 1900 others. Good!! I aired up the tires, got body marked with my number of 880, pulled on my wetsuit, told my family thank you for everything and got into the 65 degree water for a 7:00 start. Waiting for the gun to fire was a very quiet time for me. Just treading water for 10 minutes and reflecting back on 6 months of hard work made me smile as it does now. I remember saying to myself while in the water, “I can’t believe I’m doing an Ironman.” The gun went off and I was officially on the clock. 1 hour and 26 minutes later I exited the water, crossed the timing mat, peeled off my wetsuit and headed for the changing tents. I felt good except for a small headache due to the cold water which passed within 15 minutes.

The bike went fine and with 3 loops, I had several opportunities to see my family along the way. Finally after 112 miles in 6 hours and 32 minutes, I came back into transition and gladly stepped off the bike and really didn’t care to see it again for a long time!

Now the real suffering was about to begin. I laced up my running shoes, grabbed my cap, sunglasses and headed out for only my third ever marathon. This is where I started to see the effects of dehydration and I’m thankful that I wasn’t one of the unfortunate ones that were starting to fail and break down after getting this far. In order for me to get through the day, I had to force food, gel and liquids down even when my body said “no.” It was all part of the training and my watch was my reminder. Drink every 15 minutes and eat crackers or gel every 45. Without it, I would not have made it. By around mile 18, I was seeing some runners getting sick, crying with family members and some even passing out only to be carried off by the EMT.  I admit that there were times when I had my conversations with Him as well as some imaginary friends I made along the way! I finally made it to mile 22 and as I passed my wife and parents, I stopped to visit for a few minutes. It was almost dark and I remember saying “I think I’m actually going to make it.” I took back off with a smile on my face knowing that within an hour I would be an Ironman. I can’t describe the last 4 miles because I was in another world and I could have run them in 28 minutes or 58 minutes. I don’t remember. I was just running. Coming down the final quarter mile, I passed my wife, grabbed a kiss and told her that I would see her at the finish. After 140 miles and 13 hours later, as I ran down the blue Ironman carpet and finishers chute into music, lights and the cheers of hundreds, every single pain in my body went away. At that moment, I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof. I watched myself cross the finish line on the Jumbotron as they announced “Michael Johncock………You are an Ironman.”

That was April of 2006 and I’m still on a rush. For anyone considering doing one, then I wish you the best. It will change you forever. Try not to think too much during day of what lies ahead, but instead remember why you are there and the sacrifices you and others made to get there. Stay in the “moment” and the “now” in order to enjoy every minute of the day and whenever the pain sets in, thank God. It’s just a reminder that you’re alive and healthy!