Auburn Half Iron Man Triathlon - ATTITUDE is everything!

Auburn, CA is dubbed Endurance Capitol of the World and has received International recognition as Most Scenic and hosting the World's Toughest Half Iron Man event. Auburn is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada moutains, 40 miles north of where I live in Sacramento.

I belong to the Sacramento Triathlon Club (STC!); a warmer, and more inviting group of triathletes will not be found on the planet. I was fortunate enough to do some brick work on this course with STC members leading up to Auburn, and knew exactly what I was in for; staring into the eyes of beauty while feeling the pain.

This was my third triathlon: sprint March '10, Olympic April '11 so yes this was a natural progression....NOT! As a brief rewind I was 300lbs 2 years ago.

Last year I voluntered at the STC aid station on the run course, if you call the side of a mountain a "course" but more about that later. I saw the faces of the runners as they descended and ascended the mountain ravine and thought holy crap these people are dedicated to pushing their body beyond the limit, just plain crazy, or both.


A few weeks ago I was describing Auburn to Dave Scott, and he said "I would never do that" when I asked why he responded "because I like to race, and that is an endurance event." Said The Man who won Kona 6 times. So THAT was my approach. I finished 3rd (AG) in my 2 previous triathlons, but this was going to be about: ATTITUDE endurance, and pace.

Leading up to Auburn I had a few issues with my shoulders and right hamstring, but I refused to hyper focus on them, or talk about them, because I did not want to give them "life" outside of me. I went to an accupuncturist the week prior for relief on my shoulders, and it seemed to help. Taper week consisted of daily foam rolling, stretches and yoga poses; most of all it was about mental preperation and controlled positive energy: visualization of: my ATTITUDE, my pace, my "center" and most of all the ability to believe that I would be prepared to handle any situation with a great ATTITUDE and peace of mind.


Amy my wonderful partner, the cornerstone of my support system, and I, went up to Auburn the day before the race, picked up my registration packet, and dropped my run gear off at T2. T1 and T2 are 7 miles apart. We spent the night in a hotel.

Race morning I awoke at 3:30 which is normal for me; I had a routine breakfast of: banana with almond butter, oatmeal with nuts, seeds, dates, sliced pear, and a side of OJ. I brought a coffee filter, and my regular morning coffee grounds so that I could have "my coffee." This was all prepared and eaten in our hotel room 2 1/2 hours prior to the start. The temperature was 55 degrees at the start and reached a high of 75 that day. It was California perfect.

I am pretty anal about my preperation so that I have to do very little thinking on race day. Everything went as planned and oddly enough I was very much at peace, and had no anxiety, or nervousness. Finally as we got closer to the event my heart started to beat a little faster...phew! I'm ALIVE!!

Setting up in T1 was great because as an event sponsor STC has preferred bike racks, which in addition to preferred postioning, it also means all 11 club members racing that day prepared together. There where hugs, high fives, knucks, and all sorts of expressions of love and support. From that moment until my head hit the pillow you could not find a man with a bigger smile, or more joy in his heart. Thanks, STC!

Swim: 1.2 miles

The swim at Rattlesnack Bar park on the Folsom Lake was in clean water that began as snow in the high Sierra and flowed into the North Fork of the American River. This portion of the lake has narrow shorelines surrounded by high canyon walls and very calm water. To say it is picturesque is an under statement. The water was 64 degrees, which to me felt like bath water compared to the 53 degree water I competed in last month. A 10 minute warm-up in the water was mandatory for all triathletes. Now I must tell you, I have had some difficulty with pacing myself, and with a consistant breathing pattern in my 2 prior events; the best I could muster was a one stroke breath, one stroke breath. Needless to say, very draining. This time in the warm-up, I went out calm, 4 stokes breath, 4 strokes breath...hey! I was pretty excited. My plan was to conserve on the swim, because, well, you'll see. The course was set up to do 2 laps around that section of the lake. I swam the course relaxed at a steady pace and my heart started to soar. I was smiling, singing, and just as happy as could be. As I exited the water and ran to T1 I noticed 5 other STC members in the area, and felt even better.


Bike: 56 miles 6500ft of elevation climb.


Now the fun begins. Right away I was climbing 1200ft in the first 6 miles. I knew this, so I also knew not to get too excited and start powering up the hills, plus there was another 5300ft waiting to be had. People were lined up along country roads to cheer us on, and there were volunteers a plenty. Most of the ride was spread out through the hills, but we did encounter a few intersections, and freeway on ramps. Each of those were controlled by the local Police, or Highway Patrol; which was nice because we did not even have slow down. At mile 8 there was Amy on the side of the road.

I don't know if I can describe the rush one gets by seeing a loved one when you are doing an event, but if you have experienced that, you know what I mean. The bike course had 2 basic features: up or down. I was either peddling up climbs like: Oh Shit Hill, Cobra, or Lemond Walked, or I was barreling down mountainsides like Bear Creek at 44mph. Here I am riding halfway up Bear Creek, the longest climb of the day:

I stuck to my strategy of pace, and trying to stay out of my lactic release point. Which was impossible on some climbs. On occassion I would chat up another rider or offer words of encouragement to a fellow athlete struggling, or walking up a hill. At no time did I feel I was close to a breaking point, but don't get me wrong...it was BRUTAL! I took time to enjoy the sound of birds singing, the sound of water cascading down off a mountain, or running along a stream, and just could not stop smiling. At mile 40 after just struggling up Cobra a mandatory lactic acid release with thighs burning I started to enter the road leading back to town, oh sweet mother of Jesus, but then....I had to turn right instead of left, and had to do a 5 mile out and back. The back is a nice long downhill speed fest; which of course means the out is more thunder on the thighs. Once I  finished playing that game I rode 2 more miles and there was Lemond Walked. Yes, it is named that because Greg Lemond (Tour de France winner) walked the last big climb of this course. There were 2 people walking as I peddled up the hill. 

I forget how many aid stations I came upon, but each one of them handed out bike bottles of water or cytomax, I took water. I fuel with Hammer Perpetuem in my aero bottle, and had no issues. Each bottle lasts 2 hours so I stopped midway, and re-mixed another batch. As I was passing back through town approaching T2 there were people out cheering, and a few even dressed in animal outfits.

 As I got closer I saw 3 of my fellow tri club members (spectators) and  they yelled out words of encouragement. Entering T2 I saw Amy right there and again, my heart soared. For some reason I decided to hand her a few items, and forgot to do the most important thing, drink my chicken noodle soup. Yes, chicken noodle soup. Mark Poole our fearless leader on Auburn group rides for the past 4 months has done Auburn a number of times he said chicken noodle soup would replenish the salt I would lose on the ride, and help me on the run.


The Run: 13.1 miles 4500ft of elevation climb


As I leave T2 and head towards a steep embankment on the run-up to a trail that traveled along a creek I hear "Go Lee!!" from the group on the bridge. As I climbed my legs began to cramp, bad. I already have a short stride, but now it was shorter. Chicken noodle soup! I had depleted my body of the necessary salt, and now I was paying the price. Soon Rebecca Reichart the STC Queen of the Podium and a great person was running alongside me, but I said not a word about my situation. Hey why spread misery. Before long she was off, and just sharing the time together kept me smiling. As I approached the first aid station I called out for salt tablets and water. It helped a little.

The run course is a 7k loop that I ran 3 times. The first loop was brutal on my legs, and tested my resolve, but never my spirit. I smiled the whole way. The run course took me down, down, down, this moutain road, and then up, up, up this mountain road. The course was closed to cars, and best of all there was an aid station on that road that was loaded with members of STC!! Since we had to run this loop 3 times, and pass the STC aid station twice per loop, this meant Rock Star treatment 6 times!! As I started the second loop I came across a young man (28) David from Santa Monica. He seemed to be struggling a bit, and I was just starting to find my legs again, so for the last 8 miles David and I paced each other to the end. This was his 1st triathlon! We talked almost non-stop to keep our mind off the suffering, and there was plenty of suffering, but we just kept talking and laughing. As we approached the last turn I asked him if he had it in him to "finish strong," he said "let's hit it," and we did....sprinting the last 40 yards to the finish line.....

.....arms raised as we screamed out in joy. 7 hours and 45 minutes later.

From the moment I crossed the finish line.....

until my head hit the pillow that night Amy heard these words over and over again......what a great f*cking day! And it was.

Cheers!