ARIZONA IRONMAN - by Go the Distance athlete Gina Anixter

I can’t believe it’s a week away; it’s been quite a journey! I thought I would share what it has taken me to prepare for Ironman. Just a little history before I dive in… I did my first triathlon 8 years ago. I will never forget it, it was a sprint triathlon and when I got to the water’s edge I looked over to my best friend, and I said “did you see how long it looks, I don’t know if I can do this!” tears started streaming down my face. I finished the race and thought to myself, I could not have gone any faster or longer if I wanted. A few years later I did my first half marathon and I brought twenty dollars just in case I needed to take a taxi home. After my first marathon I told my family “I will NEVER” do that again.

So, here we are today…I have been training for 32 weeks, a total of 430 hours, 135 miles of swimming, 3,900 miles on the bike, and 800 miles of running. My peak training week was 22 hours; it included 3 hours of swimming, 13 hours of biking and 6 hours of running. My longest bike ride was 120 miles and my longest run was the SF Nike Women’s Marathon (26.2 miles). My longest day of training was 8 hours spread over 13 hours; this training day is called “the Big Day”. The Big Day of training is planned twice during the 33 week plan; once at 8 weeks from race day and once at 4 weeks from race day. The Big Day consists of a 90 minute swim, followed by 90 minutes of rest, followed by a 5 hour bike ride, followed by a 90 minute rest, followed by a 13.1 mile run. The point of this training is for your body to experience what it’s like to be moving over 13 hours (the average length of time it takes to finish Ironman). During my last Big Day training, I crashed on my bike; I bent my wheel, cracked my helmet, and suffered minor scrapes and bruises. Thankfully, everything including my bike and my body recovered.

People ask me how I find the time to train because I work full time and I do a fair amount of volunteer work. The truth is, I love planning and having a full schedule! Since going back to work in 2005, I have been waking up early to work out. To prepare for Ironman, I added an evening workout three days a week, usually while my kids are at their sports practices. In addition, I have longer training days over the weekend. I wake up most mornings at 4:30 and get to sleep by 10pm. I am lucky to have a supportive husband who last year became a “stay at home Dad”. When I first started training for triathlons I think he thought it was a phase and it would pass. Today he’s come to accept triathlon because he knows how passionate I am about it and how much joy it brings me. Nevertheless, he and the girls are ready for Mom to be home when they wake up in the morning.

Registration for Ironman Arizona opened on November 22, the race filled in less than four hours, so it’s a scramble to register. The cost to register for the race was $600, this sport is not cheap!! Of course, this is only the beginning of the cost for Ironman. When I registered for Ironman, I was dealing with an injury called Proximal Hamstring Tendonopathy, microfiber tears in the tendon which attaches to the ischial tuberosity; it’s literally a pain in the butt! I had stopped running and biking for 4 ½ months to heal my injury before training for Ironman. Unfortunately, the injury was not completely healed when I began my training in April, so I have had weekly deep tissue massage and acupuncture, to the tune of $2,500!! Did I mention this sport is not cheap?


It takes along time to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a marathon. Setting a race goal is something I do for every race. Since I’ve never done Ironman distance, it’s hard to predict how I will perform. I would be satisfied to finish the race in13 hours, but I would be ecstatic if I break 12 hours! The pro women race Ironman between 8:30 – 11 hours. There should be close to 2,000 athletes and about 100 women in my age group. The race starts at 7 a.m. and I hope to be off the course by 7:30 p.m. The race starts with a deep water mass start; this is a little sketchy because you are swimming next to big men with boney elbows. I will be happy to get out of the water and onto my bike. The bike is a triple loop course and the run is a four loop course which can be tough mentally.

Why do I want to do Ironman? Years ago, we huddled around the computer to watch two of my friends cross the finish line at Ironman Louisville; my stomach turned with excitement. The pride and admiration I had as I watched my friends raise their arms as they crossed the finish line was intense. The draw of accomplishing something most can only imagine is powerful. I am driven by setting goals which require extreme dedication, commitment, and focus.

Until I joined Greg Bomhoff, his wife Sherri, and their family at Badwater, I could only imagine what we’re truly capable of accomplishing. Go the Distance has made a better athlete of me without a doubt. I’ve never known an athlete like Greg, he’s a true inspiration! I would not have comprehended endurance racing without seeing it first hand. We are truly capable of so much more than we know or can imagine. Badwater was a gift, an experience I will never forget, an opportunity of a lifetime! When I am down during a training run or in a race, I focus on Badwater and not on the pain. My mind is in a good place, my body is well trained, and I am ready, ready to Go the Distance, to challenge the impossible.

I am grateful for my family and their support, for my training buddies who inspire me and have been by my side during this journey, and to my friends who tolerate my craziness.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes

Recently I was reminded how a simple act of courage can change me. Labor Day weekend we were enjoying the day on the lake boating and skiing at lake of the Pines like I've done most Labor Day weekends since I was a child. The kids all went wakeboarding with their Uncle as I relaxed on the hammock on shore. The boat returned a short time later with a sense of panic and confusion and I was immediately summons to the dock to learn that my son, Gavin, had been run over by a boat! As I made my way to the dock I saw Gavin in his Mother's arms and all in one piece so my heart settled knowing that whatever had happened he was going to be okay. In the following stressful, foggy, emotional moments I learned the driver of the other boat had not been paying attention, came up behind Gavin after he had fallen while wakeboarding and with seconds to spare, noticed him in the water, shut off the engine then the boat went straight over Gavin. From the ski boat that Gavin was being pulled, his cousins and Uncle all saw him go under the boat, not knowing what was going to come out the other end. Their answer was not immediately provided as Gavin's wakeboard became caught between the propeller and rudder and he was dragged beneath the boat for a short period. After a few moments of being trapped under the boat he managed to just barely pull his head up at the back of the boat so he could get air with his legs still in the board stuck under the boat . When his Uncle jumped in to the water to help him he had no idea what Gavin's situation was and what was holding his legs under the boat. He pulled him free to find everything was intact and Gavin was going to be okay. As a parent I wish I was there for him and could have helped him in any way possible but selfishly I'm almost glad I didn't see my Son being run over by a boat, not knowing what the outcome would be. It was a difficult afternoon. All the kids that were in the boat were shaken up and our family definitely had one of those moments that make you realize what is really important. The following morning we got up and pulled out the boat just like we have done every morning since I was a kid. I purposefully chose to be the driver on this morning. There was a tension in the air amongst the kids but the lake was quiet and not a lot of boats were out. The kids all took their turns and skied that morning while Gavin sat quietly bundled up in the bow of the boat. When everyone else had gone I asked him if he wanted a turn. He said Yes. I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to wakeboard. He asked that I come to the back of the boat with him while he got ready. He was shaking as he put on his board! Then he said, "I want to." Nobody else heard him say that....he just said it to me. Then he went out and skied around the lake just like he had done 100 times before. Later he and I talked about it and I tried to make him realized what he had done. Every kid in that boat saw Gavin get run over and was scared to death. That morning they all were looking over their shoulders for other boats and were not comfortable out there. But then Gavin went out and showed them it was going to be okay and he showed no fear to anyone but me as he unselfishly helped us all past that horrible feeling we experienced the day before. He didn't want to go back out there that morning but he did what all heroes do.....and he did it for all of us more than he did it for himself and because he did we all were able to return to normal. He never asked for pity or even wanted anyone to know what happened. In fact, I had to get his special permission to be able to write this blog. I assured him nobody reads my blog.