Dave Halligan IMUSA 2010 Race Report Updated w/ Pics
Executive Summary:
Swim: 1:07 2min faster than 08
T1: 10:16 7 min faster than 08 but still too long
Bike: 5:34 57min faster than 08
T2: 6:07 4’ faster than 08 but still too long
Run: 4:17 20’ faster than 08
72/463 M40-44
415/2611 Starters
2010 11:14:38 2008 12:39:xx
Long Version (Pix to follow):
Prologue: I had no true desire to do another IM after 2008. That was until 2009 when I followed all the EN folks online as they enjoyed a stellar day at Lake Placid. I took a chance and registered online and got in. I wanted to see if I could race an IM, as opposed to completing one like I did in 2008.
I knew two things I needed to focus on were my long running ability and my weight. I’ve always been a decent runner up to the half marathon distance, but after that, it was a struggle. I’ve always also prided myself on being a ‘fast’ Clydesdale. Now I just wanted to be fast and try and lose the Clydesdale status.
I was able to accomplish the weight loss goal. On Nov 1, I weighed 205. I raced at 186.
However, at the end of January, I had my first of three running injuries that set me back considerably and made me wonder often if I’d be able to race the IM at all. I attacked my injuries with everything I could, PT (thanks, Leigh Boyle), chiro, massage, roller, and compression garments.
By the time race came around, I just wasn’t sure how my legs would respond. I knew it would be a roll of the dice.
Wed: We drove up to Lake Placid on my son’s 7th birthday and our 9th wedding anniversary. I hadn’t been back since 2008 and it was nice to be back. Patrick stopped by the restaurant we were at to say hello and it was so good to see him. The last time I saw him I was helping him into a van to be taken to the ER. After dinner, I spent some quality time in a public restroom helping the birthday boy as he was getting sick. Other than that, it was uneventful.
Thurs: Registered, ran into Mike Allen and made plans to ride. After the ride, I went to the airport to get Trent, then we went to the team dinner. So great to meet all the folks I’ve only been able to communicate with online.
Fri: Swim and run with Mike, his friend Tim, and Trent, then 4 Keys Talk. Afterward, my family and I went to the ski jumps which was really cool. The kids loved the chairlift and my wife was petrified.
Sat: Drop stuff off, meet the family at the lake, then head home to chill.
Race Day: Up at 4:30, blueberry muffin and peanut butter with coffee. In transition by 5:30, out by 6:15. My sister dropped off my special needs bags while I chilled. Got to see my entire support crew before heading into the water.
My Iron Wife and kids
Dad and Mom. They weren't able to make 2008 since my Dad had a heart attack 3 weeks prior. So grateful.
My sister (2010 sherpa) and brother in law (2008 sherpa)
As I got on the beach, I almost burst into tears. I really get overwhelmed with the magnitude of the event. I decided it would be a good idea to go right up front and have at it. After treading water for about 7 minutes, the cannon went off and the bar fight began. I almost burst into tears again, but for a different reason. I was never able to get into a good rhythm for the entire first lap. On Thurs, I swam a practice loop at 30 min. My first lap on race day was 40 min. Once I started the second loop, I got a good rhythm and swam well. My second lap was much faster.
Out of the water and into T1 where I grab my run bag, get all the way to the tent before I realize it and head back and grab my bike bag. Changed, hit the porta potty and on the bike where Patrick was cheering us on.
Bike: It was such a relief to have the swim over with. I was hoping for closer to an hour, but hey, no biggie. I emerged with all my body parts uninjured so that was a victory. As we begin the climb out of town, right on cue, all the hammerheads start going crazy up the hill, then stopping at the top, breathing hard, and freewheeling it. There was one guy that kept passing me, standing up, rocking side to side, I catch him at the top then pass him and it would repeat on the next ascent. He was a big guy, too, at least 225lbs. I thought there was no way he can sustain this. As I descended into Keene, I was fast, yet cautious. The roads were slick and I’m not a daredevil descender. I’ll give away a few minutes for my safety.
Once on the flats, I settled into a nice pace averaging 26-28mph. On the little rollers, I’d get passed again by my Clydesdale pal, then I’d lose him again until finally he and a group of 3 other riders caught me (they were clearly drafting and working together) and he pulls right in front of me on a stretch of road that was WIDE open. I was startled to say the least, came out of my aerobars and yelled, ‘whoa, dude!’ He turns around and says ‘you should get out of the way!’ At this point, I take note of his name and number and think to myself, ‘I’ll see you again, my friend and you will be in a world of hurt and I will take pleasure in passing you with ease.’ I figured it would be somewhere on the run. He pulled away with his new found drafting buddies and I went back in my box.
The new out and back was nice. I saw a few EN kits pass me the other way and thought, damn, those guys had great swims. After the out and back, I turned onto the climb into Wilmington, monitoring my watts. It was just as I remembered it. Once I got onto the short Haselton Rd out and back, I had fond memories of the TT we did at the 2008 camp and allowed my watts to creep up a bit too high. Whoops.
As I turned onto Rt 86, someone yelled my name from the motel parking lot. I don’t know who it was (Boyles maybe?) but it gave me a great boost to have my name yelled out in the middle of the course so far from town. As I start to prepare to climb, guess who I see up ahead with a lot less pizzazz than the last time I saw him. Yep, my new Clydesdale pal. There were a few things I wanted to do, ride by as fast as I could throwing an elbow at him, cutting him off and telling him to move over, or asking him how he was feeling. I did none of it and just kept on going. Karma, right? There was a good headwind all the way up, but I just did my best to ride smart.
Got to the top of Papa Bear and rode to special needs, got my stuff and continued on. I rode through town like I was in a breakaway in a crit. Way too hard, but I got caught up in the moment.
Passed my family on Cascade Rd and tossed a water bottle after special needs:
Then it was off to start climbing again. The Keene descent got a little scary. My front wheel started to wobble. I ot it under control and was extra cautious the rest of the way. I did see one guy on the side of the road all scraped up checking out his bike. Damn. The rest of the ride was just steady eddie. As I climbed back into town and up Papa Bear, I got some great cheers from Kitima, her husband and the Boyles. Dave Boyle ran next to me and asked me how I was. I replied, ‘I’m cooked.’ I was. I was just beat from the ride, but I was ready to test out my legs on the run.
Got to T2, handed my bike off and went to the tent. I forgot my S caps on my bike and the volunteer ran back and got them. I changed from my bib shorts to tri shorts, but not until after I had already put my running shoes on. Moron. I also had my race belt come off with my bike shirt and didn’t notice until I started running out onto the street. Whoops. No run pix from ASI for me.
I ran past the EN tent and Patrick told me to take it easy and shake out my legs. Going downhill for so long, it was hard to keep my target of 9 min/miles, but I eventually did. I got to see my family again at mile 2, lots of high fives and cheers. I walked the aid stations as planned and felt pretty good. I was happy to be running without issue. After the first six miles, I tried to dial the pace down to 8:45 but I couldn’t and actually slowed. That would be the story for the rest of the run until the end. I accepted it and was just grateful I was still able to run.
After the ski jump bridge, there was a pretty good headwind going back into town, but the temps were still favorable. Passed the family again and I approached a guy who was talking to his wife and saying his stomach really hurt. His name was Jeff and he had a Maine Multisport kit on. Last year, at Mooseman, I met him as we were staying at the same lakeside cottages and he drove me from our cottage to the race start. It was his first 70.3 and he was talking about signing up for LP. Small world. As I approached him, I asked his last name and then introduced myself as we slugged up the climb into town. He was impressed with my memory. I saw him later at the finish and chatted for a bit.
As I ran into town, the pain of the climb was eased by the cheering crowds and Team EN. No stop as special needs. I thought about changing socks, but was afraid at what I might find since I felt a pretty good blister being formed. Made the turnaround and tried to make up some time on the downhill. As I approached my family again, my wife asked me the password to my laptop. She did need it but also wanted to see how cogent I was. I passed the test. Here I am giving her the password:
My son ran with me for several yards. That was cool.
Up ahead, I saw a couple of EN kits I hadn’t seen on the bike. I said hello to Tom Nelson, then Atif. They both looked strong and focused. As I got on River Rd, I started to have some gas pain. I stopped in a porta potty looking for a bit of relief, got some, but not much. I guess it was good as I think it got my HR down a bit and was amazed at how much I was sweating. At this point, every aid station stop and start was getting tougher and tougher. I just needed to get to mile 18. I did. Patrick was there and asked me how I was doing. I said, ‘I’m in a world of hurt.’ He said I was supposed to be. It was mile 18 of an ironman. I started counting people and got close to fifty. My left calf and Achilles was getting really tight. I stopped, stretched, did a little downward dog, had a volunteer approach me only to be stopped by another one that said I was just stretching. I ran some more. Stopped and stretched again. This time I got dizzy and I wasn’t doing d-dog, just stretching my foot on a guardrail. I got my bearings and continued on thru the Ford inspiration station and my message was Go, go, go! So I went, went, went. I got to see all the EN kits on the other side of the road, Jed, Derek, Joe, Kevin, Mike Allen and Mike G, giving each a nod and a wave. We were all in our box. However, each time I saw Cary, he was yelling and cheering for me. He had great enthusiasm that helped me for sure. When I saw Suzanne, I yelled to her, but she had a laser like focus and kept looking straight ahead. I understood.
Now to the ski jump bridge. I knew I should walk it. I was on downward spiral and not sure if I’d be able to finish running or not. My leg was tight beyond belief and felt like the calf or achilles would snap at any moment. I though better to walk it up and run on the flats if possible. I thought for sure Jed would pass me here. At the River Rd turnaround he was very close and running very well. At this point, my time goals were out and I just wanted to finish. I started running again down the long, lonely stretch past the airport and I just wanted to get to my family one more time, then I knew, I’d be able to climb into town and finish. My family was gone except for my Mom. As I approached I asked her if she was going to the finish. She said yes. She asked me if I was ok. I said yes. We both lied. She couldn’t make the walk to the car so she stayed back. I was lightheaded and out of sorts, but knew it would be over soon. She has since told me that as a mother, she wanted to take me off the course and into her arms because I looked that bad.
I limped up the hill into town, but I did not walk. As I made the turn and ran by the EN tent, Kitima slapped me so hard on the back side, my arse had a painful tingling sensation in it for the rest of the climb onto Mirror Lake Dr. That was good since it took away the pain I was feeling everywhere else. At the aid station on Mirror Lake Dr, a volunteer asked me if I was Dave. I didn’t know at the time, but it was Allesandro. He got me some water and wished me well. It seemed like forever to get to the turnaround, but when I finally got there, I turned on whatever jets I had left and ran as hard as I could. For me, it was slightly under 8:30’s. I got into the oval and looked behind me to make sure I had some space between me and the next person so I could run down the chute and take it all in. I saw my family in the stands and gave them a big wave and a smile, then crossed the line. Ironman number two, complete.
Epilogue: I was thrilled. I actually was able to run. After all my stops and starts during training, I was able to run the marathon. What a great day, what a great year of training. The journey was complete, and what a tremendous journey it was. The tough parts were hours in the pain cave, winter runs with frozen icicles on my beard, long runs in the 90’s and torrential downpours, and being so shelled after some rides I couldn’t stand up to take a shower. The good parts were those runs that felt effortless, many encounters with deer, fox, turkeys, and hawks, the rides in NH, CA, and my home roads of Essex county all with such beautiful backdrops, and the peaceful open water swims with my sister as the sun was rising.
I owe a debt of gratitude to my wife, Caroline. If it wasn’t for her suggesting I sign up for an Ironman back in the summer of 2007, none of this would have happened. She’s been my biggest supporter, and she’d give me a kick in the pants when I just didn’t feel like doing the work.
Also, my friend and friend of EN, Rex who came with me on my long rides toward the end just so I’d have company, one of my local cycling pals, Terry for his constant support and interest and generosity in lending me his race wheel, my friend Brian for always kicking my arse on the bike and making me stronger, and my sister for doing the last few weeks of swim workouts with me were all very influential in me getting the toughest part of the training done.
To all the folks within the community of Endurance Nation, your support has been so influential. From forum posts to personal messages to emails, it all adds up and makes such a difference. Special thanks to Leigh Boyle for helping me rehab my running injuries. And to Brian Massey for sending me an email before the race titled: Question Authority and the email read:
‘Crush the climbs, coast the downhills, eat as much as you can, hard the first six miles running...and just see how it goes!
Enjoy the day...I'll be watching’
Classic, it was just what I need for a good laugh before the race.
Finally, Patrick and Rich, your guidance and support have gone beyond any and all reasonable expectations. I appreciate all you have done as both coach and friend. Thank you.
Gratefully,
Dave
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Comments
OK Halligan, you had me all teary eyed and choked up, and then threw this in which caught me totally off guard at the end! I feel like I've gone through all the emotions of Ironman racing just reading this post!!! Congratulations on such a well deserved PR. What a fantastic year the EN Clydesdales have had this year!
Dave, great job! I am very happy you conquer it. Time to rest and recover.
Congratulations Dave! That is a significantly large PR. I enjoyed the RR very much. You worked extrmely hard and made it through some adversity to race triumphantly. I could feel your pain on the run. You sucked it up and persevered. Also great reading about how you took the high road with your clydesdale friend.
So great that you have such a large and loyal support crew. Can't say enough about it.
Rest up and enjoy some down time!
(Start the violin music...)
You may have dropped your Clydesdale status but The Halligan will always have a Clydesdale-sized heart...
(fade violin music).
Nice report! In case anyone wants a visual of Dave in compression capri's, here you go
Dave, this is a beautiful race report. And your mom is awesome.
Congratulations on Ironman getting Ironman two in the books. I'm amazed that so many of you could have backed off, taken it easy and completed the second (or third, or fiteenth) turn at a race, but you all keep showing up and racing hard. Very inspiring.
I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats..!
Omg seriously Dave, you slayed me; I may have to leave work right now, my mascara is running.
You rocked it - what amazing work you have been doing on the bike! And the run, don't let me forget the run!! After those injuries? Wow. Triumphant comeback - and a kick-ass report!
Great job Dave! I saw you several times on the run and you looked strong and steady. I can only hope to improve my second time around as much as you did. See you next year?
BTW, you say were going "slow" as you ran by the tent...Well, my friend, I was going anaerobic trying to keep up with you and pulled a hammy trying to make contact with your butt before it pulled away from me.
Great report, Dave. I am very happy for you and happy that you were able to experience it with friends and family there.
Much respect and congratulations!
Vince
Just simply could not be happier for you. Pure and simple, I'm thrilled. Awesome and inspiring in every way. The run had me cringing, but you did yourself proud from start to finish. Many hugs of congratulations to you. So, so happy!
Congratulations Dave! Great race; fabulous race report. Bravo!
Cheers,
Alessandro
p.s. Dave and I were going to make a sign for you that said "Unleash the Halligan". Kind of like those ToC socks everyone got since every time Dave wears his we joke that that's what they should say.
Dave,
Excellent job and that's quite the improvement. The compression capri's will come in to style one day don't worry.
Gordon
Stellar report and day!! Congrats to you on many, many levels.
That is an awesome PR! Great execution. You looked like you were going well all day. Best thing is that there is a really easy additional 10 minutes that you can get rid of next time in transition alone. What the heck did you do for 17 minutes in T1 last time?
You must be so proud of what you accomplished this season. Superb race report, I truly enjoyed the read, it gave a great recap of your awesome day.
Matt
Your preparation for this race was so sound. I know you were bummed and worried when you started to have your run training thwarted by injury. Way to manage your day and all that it threw in your direction. I cannot believe you busted out a downward dog during the race!!!! That would have been a great pic!!
I'm so happy for you and I hope that you are enjoying some well earned recovery and rest now and that you can spend time with your son....when he's not in his own little world of hurt.
You rock Halligan!
Dave, Great job !! You looked strong everytime I saw you both on the bike and run. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a wonderful report. It is very helpful to hear what was going through your mind, the emotions, the pain and how we have such an abililty to rise above it all and get stronger.
Your ability to train hard and be so mentally tough definately showed on Sunday, congratulations !!!
If those socks get made, count me and Kevin in for a pair!
Great job Dave! You looked great all day.