Many of you know that MMCC's very own Anthony Dinger completed arguably the most grueling endurance
event ever created. More specifically, he competed in the Ironman race series in Florida.
Considering that most mere mortals would not even attempt to run a marathon, I
thought it would give everyone a great perspective to see what it takes to bundle in a 2+ mile swim and a Century+ mile
ride by doing an exclusive interview of the man himself. Only on The Juice
For those not familar with an Ironman event (or triathalons in general), the race consists
of 3 stages or legs with 2 transition points. The first leg is a 2.4 mile, open water swim. The 2nd leg is a 112
mile cycling stage. The last leg is the aforementioned 26.2 mile Marathon. Between each leg are the transition
locations where you perform frantic (but controlled) changes in clothes, equipment, and disciplines. Folks, you don't
just roll out of bed one weekend and decide to do this. It takes commitment, passion, and beer!! (<---last item is
not mandatory, but sometimes necessary!)
The Juice (TJ): How did you find time to train for Ironman?
Anthony Dinger (AD): I started training for this back in July.
The first couple of months were spent really building up my base, so I was training about five days a week. For the
next 2 months or so, my workouts moved to six days a week with a couple of back to back daily work outs. My weekends were
the hardest, 2 mile swims on Friday night, followed by a 16 or so mile run on Saturday. Sunday was my ride day, so usually
somewhere north of 85 miles, with most of the ride being with MMCC, which helped. My training peeked with a run of eleven
consecutive days ~45 hours, two weeks before my race.
TJ:
Since this was your first IM, which event leg was your hardest?
AD: Even though I do
a great deal of running, that was the hardest. I have run a great number of marathons, and I am not a natural runner.
So I have had to suffer through my fair share of races, so I know how it feels. I am glad I had that under my belt.
TJ: Was there at any point did you feel like quitting during the race?
AD: I had a bit of a mental breakdown on the run, and just could not focus. I lost
all track of time, though physically I was fine and actually felt great at the end. I have coached a number of people
through there first marathon, helped them with physical and mental aspects of it. I think without that back ground I would
have been tempted to quit.
TJ: How did you handle nutrition during
the race?
AD: I went all liquids; on the bike I carried two bottles, with about
900 calories in each bottle. I used the aid stations to replenish water, so could do that on the fly without dismounting.
The run was the same; I wore a fuel belt with two bottles with about 700 calories in each. At the two transitions I
downed a bottle with 100 calories. The calories in all the bottles were 65% CarboPro and 35% Gatoraide endurance.
For electrolyte replenishment I took Thermolyte, 1 tablet every 30 minutes though out the ride and run.
TJ: Did you take any breaks other than at the transition points?
AD:
No, other than the walking I ended up having to do on the run.
TJ:
Did you have any problems of any kind during the event like flats or shark bites?
AD:
My stomach started bothering me on the run at about mile 9, I could not get anything down me with the feeling that it
was going to be coming right back up, so that really affect me the last part of the run. I started to feel the effects
of not enough calories or liquids in me.
TJ: During the cycling
stage, did you ride / talk / draft with anybody?
AD: No just got passed
a great deal in the beginning. I need to get some aero wheels. Also I was having some hip issues for the first
30 miles on the ride, so could not stay in my aero position for more that about15 minutes at a time, and then had to take
5 minute break. The second half of the ride I was feeling a bit more comfortable and was able to actually start passing
people.
TJ: How did you feel after you crossed the finish line?
AD: I felt great, more than great. I think my last mile was one of my fastest.
When I heard the announcer and knew I was close, my mental issues went away and was able to almost sprint that last half mile.
TJ: How long did it take to recover from this?
AD:
Not long, a day or two. Because my run was not stellar, and I did not push it, I really did not tear down my body too
much. I still have the hip issue, I am dealing with. My physical therapist wants me to stop everything for a while
to heal. I told him I will after the first week of December I have a marathon to do, and after all it is just a marathon
how hard can it be….
TJ: Most important question:
will you don the Ironman suit once again?
AD: For sure, hopefully
soon. Though since you have to sign up for these things a year in advance it is going to be a least a year before I
can do another one, next time wearing my MMCC kit.
I want to thank all the guys and girl of MMCC, with
out you guys it would have been very difficult to get in my rides. You keep me coming out, you guys are great.
Days when I am really tired I hate to hear that word "Attack", but I have to say it has made me a stronger
rider and forced me to push myself when I am tired.
Thanks again Guys…
TJ:
Thank you Anthony for giving us this insight. Maybe this will inspire some of us to sign up for an Ironman. Plus,
you can be the official MMCC coach!
| TOTAL
TIME | LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | SWIM TIME | T1 | BIKE
TIME | T2 | RUN TIME |
| 13:01:12 | DINGER | ANTHONY |
1:12:59 | 7:31 | 6:12:06 | 5:54 |
5:22:44 |
I know, the Juice is not tasting fresh this week. There has been zero major events other than club rides. Nobody
has gone on any off-road excursions. Is it winter already?
But fear not Juice fans...there are new
articles on the way. In the meantime, why don't you guys go ride somewhere cool, or buy something even cooler.
:)
Sidenote: Joe has had a rash of bad luck with his bikes. First he trashed his Campy RD and now has
issues w/ his backup bike. So what does he do? He brings his own hazard barrier so that he can do repairs on the road
safely.
