My Wildflower Half Ironman Triathlon Adventure

I'm not sure where to start with regards to the event this past weekend. I could say it all started in January, when my friend Elaine talked me into attending the Team in Training (TNT) informational meeting with her. Or over the holidays, when I wanted to do something positive to break out of the rut I was in. Or over Thanksgiving, when my Dad suggested that we do a cancer fund raiser for our cousin Stephanie, who lost her battle with cancer last year.

In any case, after countless laps in different pools and miles of running and biking on different roads, I found myself face to face with the test this past weekend, in the Half Ironman / Long Course event at the Wildflower Triathlon festval. I'll start with the swim.

The Swim - 1.3 miles

This was the discipline I had the least experience in - as a result, it was the one that scared me the most. When you're tired on the bike, you can stop and rest. Likewise, you can walk when you become too tired to run.. But once you get tired swimming, you kinda drown - and that's no good.

I knew the key for me would be to stay relaxed and to keep my space from other swimmers. To accomplish this, I let everyone in my wave go ahead of me at the start, and I stayed well wide of the "racing line", basically playing connect the dots with the canoes on the outside boundary of the course.During the swim, I focused on what TNT coaches Alisa, Tom, and Joe taught me - rotating my shoulders, extending myself, and making sure my hands entered the water properly. I remembered the "feeling the water" techniques demonstrated to me by my friend and former swim coach Bill "Billswim" Eason, allowing me to maximize my stroke efficiency. I also remembered the advice that my friend and former competitive swimmer Jenn gave me - "Just gliiiiide!"

Thanks to their help, I had the best swim I had ever experienced, effortlessly completing the leg that had once intimidated me to the point of panic - I felt like I could have done another half mile out there! I remember hearing the cheers of my teammates as I headed towards the transition area, where I prepared for the bike ride.

The Bike - 56 miles

This leg was an exercise in self control. Whenever I'm on two wheels, I have this burning competitive urge to pass everything in sight. Just hearing my teammates yelling "GO MIKE" after I jumped on board, I had this burst of energy that prompted me to crank past a couple of riders before we even reached the main road! But with an extremely challenging run following the bike course, I knew I'd have to keep it under control for the rest of the ride.

While I passed a number of people who had passed me in the swim, I was in turn passed by a number of exceptional riders on amazing machines. Thanks to the advice regarding optimal pace and strategy given to me by TNT mentor Chris "Burn-em" Burnham and TNT head coach and multiple Ironman finisher, Tim Corliss, I lopped over half an hour off my previous best time for the course. My heart rate rarely passed the 160 bpm mark, leaving what I felt was plenty of energy for the run (key word being "felt" - more on that later).

After picking off a few more riders on the final high-speed drop down Lynch Hill, I made my way into the transition area for the run.

The Run - 13.1 miles

After checking my splits for the swim and the bike, I thought to myself "I have this in the bag - just pace yourself and take it home." I'll go through the last leg, mile by mile.

Mile 0 - I casually jogged away from the transition area, waiting for my legs to forget about the bike and remember how to run.

Mile 3 - The muscle memory began to return as I settled into a bit of a groove.

Mile 4 - Steep hill. So much for the groove. My calves and quads wanted to just shut down, but I made continued on, marching up the steep grade with several others.

Mile 4.5 - This was where the legendary "naked water stop" was supposed to be. All the girls were wearing clothes though - weak!

Mile 7 - I remember walking uphill towards the campgrounds, when I heard my teammates cherring me on. I tapped into my reserves, ignoring the pain as I jogged on past.

Mile 9 - I tapped into what was left of those reserves as Coach Tim ran alongside us, yelling out words of encouragement.

Mile 11 - There just wasn't much left at that point, as even the slightest uphill grade would make my legs burn with pain. The reserves were close to empty, but I stayed positive and kept on going.

Mile 12 - One mile to go, all downhill. IN THE BAG! Around this time was when a 60 year old lady hustled past me, prompting me to think "You go girl!"

The Finish Line

Despite thinking I had nothing left in the final stretch to the finish line, I remember hearing my name being yelled out over the loudspeaker. I remember the cheers from the crowd, friends lining the fences, and spectators yelling out "Go Team". It was then that my thoughts started to wander.

During that last stretch, I thought about all the miles I ran, biked, and swam over the past four months. I thought about all the people who inspired me, encouraged me, and supported me. As a result, my eyes started to water as I choked up during that final stretch to the finish line - I can't remember the last time I had experienced something so emotionally overwhelming. As I somehow found the strength to sprint to the finish line, I realized I had accomplished my goal, 7 hours and 26 minutes after it all started.It wasn't a remarkable time by any means - but considering that just a few months earlier, I could barely swim a few laps at the pool or run more than four miles, I was pretty darned happy about it!

Final Impressions

I remember talking to one of my teammates after the race. She was one of the people cheering me at mile 7 of the run, when my legs just wanted to shut down. "Great job - you looked strong out there," she said.

"I did?" I asked. "My reserves were running low during that run. How do you figure?"

"Because wherever and whenever we saw you on the course, you were always smiling," she responded.

I thought about it for a moment. The burning fatigue in my legs was pretty intense during that run, but I was doing something I didn't even think was possible just four months earlier. All with the help, company, and support of good people, who shared my goals and enthusiasm - it's only natural to smile!

Together, you supported me by raising well over $3,000 for blood cancer research, and for improving the quality of life for those fighting blood cancers. By doing that, you've all been a part of one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced.

Thanks Team :)

Sincerely Yours,

Mike Solis

I'd like to thank the following people for making all of this possible:

• My TNT Mentor Patty Siri for keeping me on track to accomplish my goals (and congrats on perservering and finishing your first Half Ironman event!)
  
  
• All the other TNT Mentors - Mike, R2, Lael, Burnham, Bill, Chris, Anthea, Brad, Rhonelle, Claudia, and Jessica - for the friendship, support, and encouragement
  
  
• Tim, Alisa, Tom, Joe, Lisa, and all the other TNT coaches for helping me develop the skills to accomplish my goals
  
  
• TNT Honorees Trevor, Clayton, Henry, Lauren, Matt, Brenda, and Vanessa - Thanks to all of you, I view life a little differently now.
  
  
• All of my TNT Teammates for helping make this the experience of a lifetime - it has been my pleasure to train alongside you for the past four months!
  
  
• Gregory "bicyclemech1" for getting my Giant OCR roadbike running as smooth as glass
  
  
• Joe "The Little Angry Bald Super Jew" Horowitz for pushing me 110% every time I threw a leg over a bicycle, helping me build what one teammate referred to as "engines for legs"
  
  
• Bill "Billswim" Eason and Jenn "J-Double" Jane for the swim help
  
  
• Elaine for getting me to the Team in Training informational meeting in Emeryville (as well as suggesting that I try Triathlon instead of the other sport I was considering)
  
  
• All of you who supported my training and fundraising effort over the last four months
  
  
• Zoom Zoom Trackdays, Pacific Tracktime, Keigwins@theTrack, Vision Wells, GotBlueMilk.com, and 10Bomb Motorsports for donating the great raffle prizes
  
  
• Everyone on the Bay Area Riders Forum and in the American Federation of Motorcycles who supported me by making donations or purchasing raffle tickets
  
  
• My Dad, my brother, my sister, my sister in law, and the rest of my family for their love and support
  
  
• My Mom for inspiring me

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