 MY
BEST IRONMAN FINISH EVER
RECAP OF IRONMAN ARIZONA
Ross Hauser, M.D.
You learn early on doing long distance endurance
events that you have to accept what the day
gives you. So was the case at Ironman Arizona
2007. Wind gusts of up to 30 mph on the bike and
run course caused all the athletes to forget
about pre-race goal times. I trained hard over
the winter and was hoping to break 12 hours for
the first time. I was in the best shape of my
life. I tapered and then stopped training for
two weeks prior to the race, so I was well
rested and ready to race.
I set my PR (personal record) in the Ironman 2.4
mile swim with a time of 1:15:45. For me this
was fantastic. I just had a great swim. I kept
relaxed so I was right on course for my best
Ironman time ever. I then started the bike
course. It was basically an 18 mile out and then
18 mile back course that we repeated three
times, in other words, six 18 mile loops. The
first 18 miles was harder than I thought it
would be! I was hoping that the ride would be
easier coming back after the turnaround. It
clearly was not, as the wind picked up
dramatically. It felt like the wind was hitting
me at 15 mph and we were basically going
directly into it. Those 18 miles were horrible
because I was feeling like we would have 112
miles of torture.
The Wind Blew So Hard -
on one
downhill I stopped pedaling and my bike stopped
I was not in a good spot mentally. I saw
Marion
(my wife) at the turnaround. She was with Rob
 Donovan,
whose wife Christine was doing her first Ironman.
Seeing them gave me a lift. When I started my
third 18 mile loop it was clear that this loop
was going to be easier, as we had the wind with
us. I hammered it for the 18 miles. My elation
turned back to torture as we went into what was
now a 20-25 mph head wind. The wind was picking
up. It was then I started thinking of a friend
of ours, Rusty Farst, who does underwater cave
diving. When faced with an adversity or
challenge he says you should “embrace it.” So I
embraced the wind. The wind no longer bothered
me. It is the same wind for everyone. I knew,
however, that my chances of breaking 12 hours in
the Ironman for the first time were not going to
happen, but I still could have a great day. I
then began to smile and encourage other
athletes. Everyone was complaining about the
wind. I didn’t like the wind, but by embracing
it, it just didn’t bother me that much. I
hammered it pretty good on the next 18 mile
loop, as we had the wind with us. The last 18
miles into wind gusts of 30 mph was very
difficult, but I went at a pace that would allow
me to run the marathon course.
To give you an idea of how hard the wind was, on
one downhill I stopped pedaling and my bike
stopped. Now I weigh 152 pounds and my bike and
bottles probably weigh another 25 pounds at
least, so how hard does the wind have to blowing
to stop 177 pounds that is traveling downhill?
Another example was on a flat section of the
course I had to get into my granny gear (I have
a triple) to be able to pedal at 90 revolutions
per minute. The wind was brutal.
I made a quick transition off the bike, changed
into running gear, and started running. My
mantra on the run was just relax. I must have
relaxed too much and not thought of pace,
because by the time I got to my
 second
8.7 mile loop, I realized that if I kept up this
pace I would soon be walking. I altered my game
plan and decided to walk up the inclines (small
hills/bridges) in addition to walking through
the aid stations. I didn’t realize it until I
looked at the results on the internet, but I did
the first 8.7 mile loop in 8:58 minute miles. I
was flying!!! I wasn’t discouraged by adjusting
my race strategy as I, like the other athletes
had to take what the day gave you. My coach Pete
Alfino was there and that is one of his major
philosophies he teaches his athletes. Marion,
Rob and Pete were great to see on the run
course. Seeing a familiar face really helps
motivate you. I did about 10:20 minute miles
until mile 24 aid station. It was there I saw my
friend Rob who was volunteering now at that aid
station. It was great to see him and when he
asked what loop I was on I excitedly exclaimed,
“My last one!” I then felt renewed energy and
ran probably 8 minute/miles til the finish. I
met up with Marion with a quarter mile to go and
we ran in together. We crossed the line at
12:29:33! I was extremely happy. I had a great
race.
One might look at the time and think “I did
12:13 at Ironman Florida and trained all winter
and did 16 minutes slower and think I had an off
day. Well it turns out I gave it everything I
had with the weather conditions the way they
were. The high temperature of the day was the
upper 70’s. In Ironman Florida, I was something
like 865 out of 2200 competitors, but in Ironman
Arizona I was 682! My highest Ironman finish!
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ROSS
THE IRONMAN!
Ross Hauser, M.D.
Every ironman race around the world has the same announcer at the end,
proclaim "You Are An Ironman!" At 9:08 pm, June 27, 2004, the words I longed to hear were proclaimed "Ross Hauser You Are
An Ironman!" Before this the announcer said number 1012 is Ross
Hauser from Oak Park, he is a doctor and this is his first ironman. Then
14 hours and eight minutes after I had first jumped into Lake Coeur
D'Alene I heard the words "Ross Hauser You Are An Ironman!"
The
ironman triathlon race consists of a 2.4 mile open water swim, followed
by a 112 mile bike ride, finishing up with a 26.2 mile run. Most
athletes train for about a year putting in 2-3 hours of exercise. So
what compels the athletes to do it? I, like a lot of athletes, came from
a non-triathlon background. I loved running, but when a stress fracture
of my tibia, didn't allow running for 3 months, I decided to learn to
swim. Eventually my friends also taught me to bike. Well, then I could
swim, bike, and run...a triathlete was born.
I had a unique opportunity to train with a good friend of mine Peter
Blakemore. We had one year together, as he was between college and
medical school. We decided to spend time together training and a many
adventure we did have. We ended up training in Illinois, Wisconsin,
Florida, Idaho, and St. Croix in the
Virgin Islands. We had an awesome week that culminated in both of us
finishing our first Ironman.
What does it mean to be an Ironman? It means that on one day you can
swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run a marathon. But when you get home
you still have to do the dishes and help with the laundry. It has given
me no special privileges except in my heart it has helped me get my
passion back and passion can take you a long way.
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PROLOTHERAPY HELPS ME COMPLETE MY DREAM OF RUNNING
THE 2005 BOSTON MARATHON
Ross Hauser, M.D.
Ross (In Yellow during the Marathon)
Read the story |
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 DR.
HAUSER'S PERSONAL BEST 5:17 IN THE STEELHEAD
HALF IRONMAN!
August 4th, 2006
Life is funny or crazy depending how you look at
it. On June 13th I spent 7 hours in the
emergency because I was sick. I was very
nauseated, had no appetite and I was loosing
weight. I had an intestinal parasite called
Giardia. Within two days of getting on the right
treatment I started to feel better. So good in
fact that on August 4th, 7 weeks later I was
setting my personal record in the half ironman.
After I started feeling better, the first thing
I did was start training with Marion. This was
fun. It was fun training with her again. She is
my wife and I love her. She has really turned
into a very good cyclist and I enjoyed seeing
her do so well with it. She was training to do
the 56 mile bike loop on a relay team at the
Steelhead Half Ironman in Benton Harbor. I was
scheduled to do the whole course. Because of my
illness I was very appreciative to be able to
swim, run, and cycle again. I just loved being
out there. Everything was fun. When we arrived
at the race I had no idea what shape I was in. I
was just happy to be there! Marion and I stayed
in a hotel in St. Joseph, Michigan and enjoyed
that town very much.
For two days we ate great food and watched a lot
of funny movies. We all got a beautiful race day
with temperatures in the 60’s. My plan was to
enjoy the swim and enjoy the bike until mile 30
and see how I felt. Throughout the swim and the
first 30 miles of the bike I wanted to feel no
tension. In other words, pace myself so I would
have energy for the rest of the bike and run.
I did my plan and then at mile 30 I just
followed on the bike an overweight woman dressed
in pink. She was cycling the perfect pace for
me. I stayed 3-4 bike lengths behind her.
Basically when she passed someone I passed them
and when she took a break I took a break.
Throughout the whole race I had no idea of my
pace. I taped up my speedometer and on the run I
didn’t have a watch on.
When I got off of the bike it was the first time
in a long race I definitely had my legs. I got
into a rhythm on the run and basically passed
people for 1 hour 44 minutes. This was the time
it took me to complete the 13.2 mile course. I
was ecstatic when I crossed the line in 5 hours
17 minutes. Basically beating my previous PR by
40 minutes. It felt awesome!
What I learned from the race is the following:
-
Racing for me
is very mental. I have to stay mentally
relaxed the majority of the race. My mantra
during the race was to have fun. Whenever I
wasn’t having fun I slowed down. This
strategy worked great.
-
Have fun in
training. Training is about having fun also.
Fun should be the priority. When you have
fun you do well. When something feels like
work, performance will go down.
-
Have a plan
and stick to it. I did it in this race.
What is next?
Ironman Florida. Hopefully I can do the training
and continue to have fun. If I continue to enjoy
it I am
sure I will do well.
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