Listen to what Bob Babbitt and Paul Huddle of competitor radio have to say about the event:

http://competitorradio.competitor.com/2010/05/eric-abbott/

“Hardest run course anywhere” – Chris McDonald in his pre-race interview: go to 9:54 to hear the snippet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1TTeVLdG0k&feature=player_embedded#!

Also from what I heard from the rumor mill the race had the 2nd highest DNF of any Ironman event.

Can It Be Done Barefoot?

I have always wondered if an Ironman event could be done barefoot. Ever since I set my sights on running a Marathon barefoot it has been in the back of my mind. I first heard about Ironman races back in the eighties when I was in high school. Big athletic bodies moving out of the water on national television to mount bicycles (Just like in Breaking Away ) and then to run a Marathon (Just like Bill Rogers and company). For a tall skinny kid, the Ironman, in my mind was the ultimate athletic warrior event. No anorexic marathoners did these kinds of events. You had to be strong, you had to be big. It was little wonder that I found my way into the Marine Corps right after high school. I was off on a great adventure to Washington DC to learn how to guard the president. Along the way I found a set of original manuscripts by a Navy Chaplain, Ray Willian Stubbe, who wrote the history of the Marines 1st Force Reconnaissance Company. I was so motivated by this manuscript, that I could think of nothing else but getting invited to join this unit, and so began my journey.

On the corner of Marine Barracks 8^th and I streets you could find me on most mornings in an intense callisthenic workout announcing to the world where I was going. I ran, and I swam like I was possessed. My body began to resemble those mighty runners that I watched on ABC wide world of sports running in Kona. My focus was not going to Hawaii but to take the entrance test for one of the most elite fighting units in the world. At the pre-qual event I was selected to move on to the selection test. “The best we have seen in the water to date” wrote one evaluator. I continued to train. Five others from Marine Barracks joined me on this quest.

80 kilometers
Pack full of sand
on a Solo March
Quantico Virginia in February
Snowing
3AM Swimming
2 Miles of Frigid Water
ICE breaking against my head
Leaking Holy Neoprene
Shivering
3 Hours of Sleep
Hungry
Go Go Go
Wait a Minute Bushes
Map is Gone
100 Pushups the Cost for
a New Map
Run, Run, March
Push, Push, Push
Stay in The Woods
Do Not be Seen
I Am First
6 Hour Gap between
The Next Marine and me
Fastest to Date

AARUGHA!

I was in!

Soon I was married and traded in my adventures to be a Family man.

In 2005 I suffered a severe kidney infection and renal failure that put me in the hospital for a week and in severe pain.

In 2006 I could barely run up a hill 500 yards without feeling like I was dying.

Run a Marathon? Not even in my frame of reference.

Run it barefoot? Not even plausible.

Fast forward to 2010 and here I am watching one of the greatest sporting events ever designed. Ironman! It was here in my town – St. George Utah.

I found a terrific spot, with my four of my children, to watch the bike and run sections of the event just above the corner of Bluff and Sunset. The twins where hooked up to their harnesses and were fascinated by the riders screaming down the long downhill section on their bikes. We got there just in time to see first, second and third place finishers for both the men and women pass by us and starting their first loops of the run course.

WOW!

I kept looking over at Steve Hooper with his family. He had the same glint in his eye. You could tell just by his look that he was signing up for 2011. So was I!

I was inspired, I was stoked, but there was a knot in my gut.

If I ran the St. George Ironman, I would have to run it barefoot!

“I want to do this race.” I repeated in my mind, alternating that affirmation with questions such as: “Can I do it barefoot? Can I drop the enough weight? What do the rules say? Will my feet be in strong enough for a Marathon after the run and swim? And so on.”

The feelings going through my body brought me back to when I decided to run the St George Marathon barefoot. I knew I could do it, but at the same time both fear and adrenaline where pumping through my body.

When I got back home I read through all of the official rules and nowhere did it say that shoes were a mandatory piece of equipment.

That night Michelle and I watched Ironman competitors continue to cross the finish line. It was inspiring. Some breaking down into tears as they reached the last 20 yards to cross the line knowing they achieved something extra-ordinary. Chills went up and down my body. Walking back to our car that night my wife Michelle asked me what I wanted to do, knowing that I was aching to compete in an Ironman. “RUN THE ST. GEORGE IRONMAN BAREFOOT!” I screamed!

It was out. I declared it to the Universe, and Michelle said that I had her full support to do this.

The following day – Sunday – I was just beginning the final hour of my church meetings when I could no longer take it anymore. I had to go and drive the run course. So I quietly left the meeting, jumped in the car, drove the 5 minutes to the start of the run course, and then drove the course. I stopped at the Elks Lodge and got out. Super rough pavement – just one short section though, and not any harder than the St. George Marathon – “Yea I can do this!” I said out loud. I met Michelle and the rest of my family coming out of Church. I was smiling from ear to ear. “Yea it’s doable” I said to Michelle.

2011 St George Ironman – I will be there, sans shoes, with a number scribbled on my arms and legs.

Michael Carroll

Some pictures of local heroes, and a link to a story
about the guy (Jeff Rodes) who crashed and finished.

Lindsey Merrill – Local age group favorite ends up with 2^nd place finish

Lindsey Merrill on the bike

Lindsey Merrill – 2^nd place age group

Steve Olson – Another speedy local –Should have been ahead of Lindsey – Hmmm.

Jeff Rhodes is the hero of the day!

So here we are watching the top pros go by, then the top age groupers, and then we see this guy all bandaged up running up 18 in his first loop of the marathon. He is getting huge applause and chills are running up and down my arms and neck. With speeds that we were seeing from cyclists coming down 18 you know this guy has crashed at high speed. Somehow he has climbed back on the bike and made it to T-2 and refuses to give up. Seriously this guy is an Ironman in the full sense of the word. I wonder what he said to the paramedics who patched him up. We could only guess whether he finished or not, my bet was that he did.

This morning I found the full write up for the rest of the story for this champion:

t

http://ironman.com/columns/ironmanlife/kevin-mackinnon-catches-up-with-three-men-who-truly-embody-the-spirit-of-ironman

Dang! I just think about this story and I get chills.

The twins – future triathletes – completely wiped out!

Last Note

From an organizational standpoint I was blown away by how clean the race was. “Leave no Trace” was certainly the word of the day.

When my son saw the edit he said that it looked like you were walking. What the video does not do very well is show how steep the terrain is. As I was finishing my run I smacked my big toe on a piece of lava rock – which would explain the blood at the end of the video. Running in this kind of terrain demands focus. Holding a camera off to one side is just enough to get hurt. LOL!

http://redrocksbluesky.com/fivefingerfinder

This is my first attempt at putting video up on the blog. Let me know what you think?

It has been raining like crazy. My feet finally healed up enough to have a bit of fun. Running barefoot in the mud is the only way to go. YES!

I would first press, against the wall or my footboard of my bed, alternating pressure on the backs of my calves, achilles, and foot, by pushing my  knees forward and down.

I would then go into a monkey squat and work out any remaining tweaks in my lower body from my knees to my feet by adjusting my body weight left and right, forward and back.

Ok now fast forward to 2010 and my a new season of barefoot training. On my agenda this year are two races; the Sapper Joe 50K, and the St. George Marathon. I will do the first in homemade huaraches, and the latter barefoot. Both are rough course races. To prepare I have been running trails and asphalt that are rough. One thing that is peculiar about the start of this season though is that I am waking up in the morning with none of the soreness and achy-ness that I described above.

Hmmm…

1. I took an extended break about 3 months November to January. Running minimal miles.

2. I feel stronger in my feet, calves, and upper legs than I ever have since I have started running.

3. I have eaten well.

4. I am having more fun running barefoot than I have ever had.

Michael Carroll

When you run barefoot you can expect to feel some aches and pains in your feet and ankles when doing some hard training — especially when you wake up in the morning. At least that is my experience. What I did not expect was blood in my urine when I returned from a fast 8 miles with my Dog around 10pm last night. The air temp is still 100 degrees when I went out. I do not think I had enough water, but I drank at least a pint on the run. So I am not sure if the blood in the urine was from impact on my feet, or from enlargement of the membrane that keep the blood separated from the urine, or from the the walls of the bladder hitting each other. The last can happen if you bladder is empty. Mine was after the first 1/2 mile. The tinge of blood in urine happens to distance runners, and to barefoot runners. It is not a serious problem from what I understand unless is happens consistently. Basically I am taking this as an indication of how much I am pushing myself to increase my speed.

Now that was not the only surprise for me. As many of you know, I have been documenting my weight gain, even though I am certainly burning huge calories. I have been striving to change my diet from a eat anything and run hard and long, to eating and training smart. So before I took off on this run I ate an incredible dinner prepared by my wife Michelle of Salmon, sautéed baby squash and onions, on rice. My beverage was water. The surprise was when I woke up to get take care of the twins (they are just a few days shy of 1 year of age).

Normally after a fast run like I did last night I can expect my calves, ankles, and feet to be tight and sore. Sometimes taking a few minutes to stretch out when I get up, and for the soreness to subside. As I slipped my feet off of the bed there is this pause and hesitation as you are going from sleep to walking to brace for the wobbliness as you get on your feet. So I step down, stand up and take the corner around my bed to see why one of the twins is crying. As I am doing this I have this huge realization that my feet, ankles, and calves are not tight, sore or creaking. My guys are teething and so a few ounces of cold milk in the bottle seems to be quite calming. I get the bottle from the kitchen, return to the crib, back to my bed, and quickly back to sleep. Since I have twins you know that this pattern will repeat again. It does, and again I feel the same ease in steps to the crib, to the kitchen and back. I feel the same way when I wake for the day.

Now yesterday was the forth of July. I ate my traditional fare of food. Waffles and eggs for breakfast, chicken and beans burritos for lunch and a lot of crap for dinner. Potato chips, dips, Coke, veggies, and dips. This morning as i woke up, I am back to my routine of lower body tightness, creakiness, and soreness.

Wow!

There is no question in my mind that the correlation of this lower body tightness, creakiness, and soreness is directly related to my diet.

On David Goggins on competitor radio. It is pretty cool.

Michael Carroll

My Dad had a heart attack directly related to diet and stress in 1992, and again this year he needed a number of stents put in to open some severe blockages.

I made some changes in my life, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and doing a few repeats up the hill on my bike every day, but I kept the Mountain Dew habit, and the stressful job. My body tone improved and I could deal with stress much better, but I was a far cry from my days as a Marine Force Reconnaissance man.

In high school I was bone rack skinny and could not eat enough to put any weight on my body. I ran cross country and track, skied and snowboarded. We never starved in my home. Each sunday was filled with meat, mash potatoes, gravy, and lots of fresh veggies from the garden. It was our pattern to sit and eat and eat until we could not move. We were under direct orders to eat everything on our plate, and if for any reason we left food on the plate we were served up a good dose of guilt “don’t you know people are starving in Africa.” I always wondered how I was going to ship the napkin full of cooked peas I was hiding in my lap across the Atlantic. I could easily win any eating contest and I held the neighborhood pizza and burrito eating championship.

By the time I got to the Marine Corps my physical activity picked up and I found the love of running that I just could not find during high school. For the first time in my life I ran a sub 18 minute three mile. I ran and swam on a daily basis. I was a regular on the grass corner of Marine Barracks 8th & Ist in Washington D.C. methodically pumping out a Force Recon / Navy Seal work out each morning. Working out was becoming an obsession for me as I had the goal of making it into an elite 2nd Force Reconnaissance Co team. in North Carolina. I read the Navy Dive manual and knew in my heart that I was going to graduate number one from the Arm’s Combat Swimmer School. When I tried out for the pre-entrance screening test, written on the bottom of my evaluation form was the words “best swimmer to date!”

Needless to say my appetite for food was off the hook. I was in the chow line four times a day. A trip to McDonalds would look something like this: 2 BigMac, 2 Lg Fries, 2 hot apple pies, 2- 32 oz orange drink, and 12 Chicken McNuggets.

Fast forward now 16 years, I was running my own business (Architectural Shutter & Blind), and was about to go through one of the toughest times in my life- business failure and divorce. I was working long hours, eating poorly (fast food everyday), and I had discovered Diet Coke. Not just a can here and there, but at least 2-3x 64oz drinks per working day.

I did not have time to be sick. What started out as a bladder infection, soon had me screaming in pain and cold sweats, and I felt like someone had stuck a hot knife in my kidneys. Business was still good, but things were not working the way they should. Our largest customer was trying out the competition because our supplier was taking too long to deliver our large tube systems, and my marriage was failing. I pushed through trying to work and suppress what my body was acutely telling me. Then I could not ignore reality anymore as my simple infection had now turned into full blown kidney infections. It landed me in the hospital on the strongest anti-biotic drug you can have put in your body. I was inches from losing my life.

I was not quite sure of the source of the initial infection, but my doctor concurred with me that it was connected to my diet of Diet Cokes. The drugs were working, and I was recovering quickly, but my craving for a Coke was still with me. One of my visitors in the hospital asked if there was anything they could get for me. I of course say “can you get me a Diet Coke?” Before being admitted into the hospital, I was given an oral sulfa drug. The side effects were the most acrid, nauseating, things I have ever experienced. To take the drug I would have to focus and work up the courage to take the pills because of these side effects. With all the drugs in me, the sip of Coke, had the same reaction as when I took the pills. That is all it took to cure my Diet Coke habit, and I have never gone back to Diet anything.

That time in my life was tough, but on the up side they jump started my old love affair with running. It was cheap therapy and it made me smile. I could barely run 2 miles and up a hill 500 feet tall. In three years I have transformed my body. I can run a marathon in bare feet, a 50k in minimalist shoes. I can swim more than a mile in a lake and sometimes hang with Rich Hurd (triathlete) on one of his slower days.

However, the point of my blog today is to express my deep respect for Marc Rubin. He transformed his body, and he changed his unhealthy familial eating patterns. What a great gift he is giving his son.

Although I am faster, stronger than I have been since the Marines, I have yet to reform my eating habits. As my distances have grown so has my weight as I struggle to get enough calories in my body. To little and I am walking around in a daze, too much, I feel good — but the middle grows. I am more keenly aware of my eating patterns than I have ever been. I am still struggling with my cravings for carbonation — the SODA! I am wondering what I am holding on to, and when I will be ready to change the way I eat.

One last thought. How many of us equate health to working out, but not to eating?

Best regards to all those who are building better lives for themselves and their families,

Michael Carroll

With my son Benjamin

What good is a run without pushups at the top.

The run on the way back. Steep and fast. The surface is roughened concrete. Secret – keep the feet turning fast.

The view from the top. Does it need words?