2008 would be my second ironman. I eventually finished Wisconsin in miserable wet, cold and windy conditions in 2006 on a day when nothing seemed to gel. So I came back to how much faster I could go. My goal was to take 2 hours off my 2006 time, which I thought would be manageable. Mrs. PJT was also going for her second finish, so we had a long spring and summer of extended bike rides, pool time, and running together.

Pre race: We drove to Madison Friday morning and got to registration just as it opened. It only took about 20-30 minutes this time as opposed to over 2 hours in 2006. I weighed in 10 lbs. lighter. We spent the rest of Friday afternoon lounging in the hotel, met some friends and headed to the pre-race dinner/athlete meeting.

Saturday I woke up feeling “off.” There were aches in my back & neck that could have been from the hotel bed or could have been a bug—it was tough to say. We did a 25 minute swim on the course around 7:30 in the morning, then went for a short bike ride. After lunch, I had to do a quick repair job on Mrs. PJT’s bike (broken ferrule on her FD cable was making it impossible to shift). We did one last check of the weather. Depending on who you believed, it would either be clear until 6:00 the next day or rain off and on all day. This time around, I had packed clothing for everything from 40 and rain to 90 and humid, so I loaded my transition bags with gear for both rain and shine. Then we checked our bikes and gear bags and I headed back to the hotel to lie down for the rest of the afternoon.

This was a mentally taxing day. I was trying my best not to dwell on my food poisoning + bronchitis during the Goofy challenge earlier in the year that led to a miserable half marathon and made me DNS the marathon. I kept telling myself I was healthy, I just had a slight ache from a bad bed, and that I felt way better than I did that weekend in January. We had a quick pasta dinner around 5:00 and I took the sage advice of Scott F (beads1985 on Trifuel), and had a big mug of beer with dinner—Peroni Nastro Azzurro for those curious. We were in bed at 8:30 and asleep by 9 or so. Sleep came much easier than the first time around. I probably had 5 straight hours, then another 2 off and on. Can’t ask for more than that.

The alarm went off at 4:00 on Sunday. I still was feeling not quite right, but I never feel fantastic when waking up that early. I choked down as much breakfast as I could stomach. Probably about 900 calories total including pre-race sports drink & a Gu. We dropped off our sepcial needs bags, got body-marked, pumped the tires and put the bottles on our bike, and then returned to the hotel to chill for a while and grab our wetsuits.

Swim: We got into the water just after the pro start about 8 minutes before the race. Just as we were treading water, it was as though all the queasiness, aches, and pains just melted away. The skies were clear and I was ready to go. After the cannon, the full-contact portion of the day started. I think I seeded myself slightly too far back, because I was constantly swimming up on people in front of me. There was no clear water to be found for the entire first loop and I took the expected assortment of kicks, hits, and grabs. Checking my watch at the turn, I saw I had gone 36 minutes, a bit faster than anticipated. Things finally settled down for the second loop and I spotted someone kicking hard in a sleeveless shorty wetsuit. Trying to get a draft, I followed his feet off and on for much of the second loop. Swim time was 1:16:25.

T1: It was a slow trot up the parking ramp helix and to the changing room. I opted for a full bike kit with bike shorts, wool socks, short-sleeve jersey, thin baselayer, arm warmers, and shoes with toe covers on them. Grab helmet, sunglasses, nutrition, apply chamois cream, and go. Time was 11:37.

Bike: It took nearly 25 miles for my heart rate to finally settle below zone 3 with any effort. The arm warmers came off early as the temps reached the high 60s and things stayed dry. Around mile 20, I passed Mrs. PJT and we chatted for a few seconds about the rough swim. After that, I just settled in to a steady state and followed my nutrition plan religiously. I had a 900-calorie bottle of concentrated Infinit, lots of water, and 3 gels for the first loop. I stopped at special needs to get another bottle of Infinit and more gel and “ate” the same for the second loop. The stomach felt fine. The crowds were loud and thick on the 3 big hills outside of Cross Plains. On the second hill, the spectators narrow the road to a few bike widths and scream, ring cowbells, and blow horns so even the slowest age-grouper can feel like a pro cyclist for a few minutes. It is awesome.

Right around mile 60, the winds really kicked up out of the west. Miles 60-75 were brutally slow, but I kept telling myself that there would be a great tailwind for the last 15-20 miles. That’s exactly what happened, and my bike spun easily at 20-22 MPH for almost the last hour. Bike time was 6:17:05.

T2: Out of the bike kit, into the tri top, shorts, and Trifuel hat. Add bodyglide, grab nutrition, and go. 7:16.

Run: The focus was on trying to run the race steadily. My plan was to walk every aid station and start running again at the last garbage can or sooner. The first 3 miles went a little quickly for me, but they were downhill. I settled in to a pace just above 10:00/mile for loop 1. I saw my parents at the turnaround, then saw Mrs. PJT on mile 12 as I was on mile 14. I was very happy that she finished the bike safe, sound, and clearly faster than she thought she would. The crowds throughout were great, especially at the top and bottom of State St.

Somewhere near mile 15, I entered a bit of a rough patch physically and mentally. Mrs. PJT and I jokingly refer to these stretches during long workouts and races as our "dark spots." A coach had told me 2 years earlier that everyone experiences these during an IM. The important thing is to tell yourself that they will pass and to eat, drink, or do something different until the bad feelings go away. I started drinking cola to try to caffeinate myself out of it, but still found myself walking on slight inclines and slowing down. Somewhere around this point, I decided I was going to force myself to smile every time a stranger yelled my name (your name is on your race number, and it happens a lot in Madison). It takes no energy to do this, and it is amazing how sometimes the act of smiling can actually elevate your mood—a complete reversal of what we think of as normal cause and effect. The tough stretch went on until I finished climbing Observatory hill the 2nd time (about mile 18.5) and saw the spectators from my tri club whooping it up at the top. After that, I held on as best I could, but still had a positive split of over 1:00/mile for the second loop. Still, who cares? I thought under best circumstances I might go under 13 hours, and I knew by mile 19 that I would beat that. Coming down the chute, I heard Mike Reilly call my name, gave a yell, and crossed the line with a 4:43:49 run, for a total of 12:36:10. There was even a little bit of daylight left in the sky.

Beat my 2006 time by 3 hours, 14 minutes, 49 seconds.

There's still some room for improvement, especially on the run, but I was pretty darn pleased with the result this time. I'm not sure when my next one will be, but I learned a great deal this time around about how to train and race this distance. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next one will bring.