The hardest part about this is where to start. I had a great swim, exiting the water right behind my teammate, Joe Maloy, and right in front of 4-time Olympian Hunter Kemper. We got out on the bikes after a very long run through transition and I slowly lost contact with Joe, Cam Dye, and Hunter. I felt ok, but not quite as powerful as I'm used to in training, despite getting a solid warmup. I pushed myself and had Coach Paulo's words in my head, "hold the gap, keep pressure on." I became aware of my calves cramping halfway through lap two of four, but I didn't think much of it, and quickly drank my bottle of sports drink. When I came off the bike, I had lost some time, but was in 6th place, and I was ready to chance down 5th, maybe someone else if they died.
The first lap I was aware of some odd sensations, but I was determined to push through, and I thought the first 3 miles went alright. I certainly wasn't running as quickly as I had planned, and Matt Reed had passed me, but I thought I could pull him back. Right about mile 4 things started to really fall apart. My legs were starting to buckle occasionally, and my pace had slowed considerably. I wanted badly to walk and stretch for a moment, but after my DNF at Huatulco the prior weekend, there was absolutely no way I was going to stop and risk not starting again.
As I headed across the bridge with 2 miles to go, I could see Matt Reed in the distance, steadily pulling away and I finally let go of the thought of catching him and started thinking about holding 8th place. Or 7th place. I really couldn't remember anymore, I just needed to get to the finish. At one mile to go I remember seeing Brandon Marsh, who told me I had 8th locked down. I wondered if I looked as bad as I felt. Worse maybe. With a half mile to go I remember the photographer on the bridge. That memory may be from lap1 though. The next thing I remember is running through the event expo, which was in the field parallel to the finish line. I had run around 100 meters off course without even realizing it and now had to run back to the road. I remember thinking, "If Manny Huerta passes me because of this I will be so pissed." I'm not sure why I thought of Manny, except that he was the last person I saw on course.
I have a brief flash of memory of collapsing at the finish line. Literally the blink of an eye. Colin O'Brady, a good friend and fellow Pro, was at the finish line and later filled me in on what happened next, as I have no recollection of the following 20-30 minutes.
I lay on the ground where I fell for a couple of minutes before volunteers realized I wasn't just "doing the triathlete thing" and being really tired. Six volunteers picked me up and put me directly into a kiddy pool full of ice. Apparently I was moving and feebly trying to splash water into my mouth. I registered an oral temp of 102.5, which was most likely a bit lower than my actual temperature, as they had been splashing ice water all over my face.
When I finally gained consciousness (in my mind no time had passed) I was lying on a table of some sort and a huge dude with forearms of steel was massaging my calves, which were cramped up like rocks. The pain was unreal and Colin says I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I must have blacked out again because the next thing I remember was being loaded into the ambulance. That is when the real hell started.
The EMTs got IV's into both of my arms and got me hooked up to oxygen I think. I was begging them to put me out because the pain was so bad. I was tearing up I wanted it to be over so badly. They kept telling me I'd be fine as we started driving towards the hospital. I kept thinking if only I could pass out again I would be fine and could just skip all this. Be careful what you wish for.
I started having real trouble breathing, and that coupled with the cramps made for the most discomfort/pain I have ever been in. It was like the worst searing pain I have ever felt at the end of a hard interval session multiplied by 10, and I could do nothing to make it stop. Ever more hopeful for blacking out, every time my lungs managed to sneak a breath I would think, "Great, there's another 30 seconds I have to suffer." Finally I started to become euphoric and I realized I hadn't breathed in a long time and I don't recall feeling my heart beating. It had occurred to me that this wasn't how I had gone out prior to being in the ice bath and that this was more likely my body finally quitting. It had all the characteristics of death as I had heard or seen it portrayed and I figured this was my goodbye to the world. The euphoria made me accept it for the most part and just before it all went dark I heard the EMT say, "O my God, is he not breathing?" He shook me, yelled at me, and peeled my eyes back. No response. "I think he may be having a seizure." I thought, "No dude, I'm dead."
GAASPP! I came to just like every dramatic scene from the movies when someone "comes to". Colin later filled me in that I had been seizing for a couple of minutes and that the ambulance driver had gone Formula 1 and fired up the lights to get to the hospital ASAP.
I lay stunned, staring at the lights in the ambulance, unable to formulate a single thought, sucking in oxygen as fast as I possibly could. The EMT started asking questions and all I could get out was "yeah" I knew where I was. They made it to the ER, got me a nice room full of doctors with needles and more questions, and began dumping more IV fluid into me, a theme that would continue until the next day, when I had taken on a full 6 liters. I was real thirsty.
Joe, Brandon and Amy Marsh, and Colin all kept taking turns sitting with me and asking questions of the doctors that I was in no condition to come up with on my own. I can't thank them all enough for going through that with me, especially Colin, who was there with me during the incredibly scary 10 minutes in the ambulance.
I hope to never experience this again and I am taking things easy getting back into training, reading a lot about heat stroke in the meantime. Coach Paulo has devised a plan for keeping my core cool before the race start and we are examining every detail of the leadup to the race to find the cause of my episode.
I am very glad I finished the race, ending up 8th, my best finish to date. Once I figure out my heat issues, I've got top 5 no problem. Thanks to Athletes Lounge, Rolf Prima, and USA triathlon for supporting me as I grow from every race, and every day of training. I couldn't do this alone.
When I finally gained consciousness (in my mind no time had passed) I was lying on a table of some sort and a huge dude with forearms of steel was massaging my calves, which were cramped up like rocks. The pain was unreal and Colin says I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I must have blacked out again because the next thing I remember was being loaded into the ambulance. That is when the real hell started.
The EMTs got IV's into both of my arms and got me hooked up to oxygen I think. I was begging them to put me out because the pain was so bad. I was tearing up I wanted it to be over so badly. They kept telling me I'd be fine as we started driving towards the hospital. I kept thinking if only I could pass out again I would be fine and could just skip all this. Be careful what you wish for.
I started having real trouble breathing, and that coupled with the cramps made for the most discomfort/pain I have ever been in. It was like the worst searing pain I have ever felt at the end of a hard interval session multiplied by 10, and I could do nothing to make it stop. Ever more hopeful for blacking out, every time my lungs managed to sneak a breath I would think, "Great, there's another 30 seconds I have to suffer." Finally I started to become euphoric and I realized I hadn't breathed in a long time and I don't recall feeling my heart beating. It had occurred to me that this wasn't how I had gone out prior to being in the ice bath and that this was more likely my body finally quitting. It had all the characteristics of death as I had heard or seen it portrayed and I figured this was my goodbye to the world. The euphoria made me accept it for the most part and just before it all went dark I heard the EMT say, "O my God, is he not breathing?" He shook me, yelled at me, and peeled my eyes back. No response. "I think he may be having a seizure." I thought, "No dude, I'm dead."
 |
| Before things got bad. |
GAASPP! I came to just like every dramatic scene from the movies when someone "comes to". Colin later filled me in that I had been seizing for a couple of minutes and that the ambulance driver had gone Formula 1 and fired up the lights to get to the hospital ASAP.
I lay stunned, staring at the lights in the ambulance, unable to formulate a single thought, sucking in oxygen as fast as I possibly could. The EMT started asking questions and all I could get out was "yeah" I knew where I was. They made it to the ER, got me a nice room full of doctors with needles and more questions, and began dumping more IV fluid into me, a theme that would continue until the next day, when I had taken on a full 6 liters. I was real thirsty.
 |
| Still feeling pretty braindead here. |
I hope to never experience this again and I am taking things easy getting back into training, reading a lot about heat stroke in the meantime. Coach Paulo has devised a plan for keeping my core cool before the race start and we are examining every detail of the leadup to the race to find the cause of my episode.
I am very glad I finished the race, ending up 8th, my best finish to date. Once I figure out my heat issues, I've got top 5 no problem. Thanks to Athletes Lounge, Rolf Prima, and USA triathlon for supporting me as I grow from every race, and every day of training. I couldn't do this alone.
