2.5 Brick -- 1:45 Bike/45 Run High Intensity

This afternoon I had a pretty tough brick workout where I pushed the whole time. Towards the end of the run I definitely started to slow down and just mentally wasn't pushing anymore not that I was tired, I just wasn't doing it so that was kind of frustrating. The heat was also another factor today so I sweat a lot and drank lots of gatorade to try and replenish what I lost.  Still trying to rap my head around biking another 100 miles on Saturday... definitely need to eat and sleep a lot!!! nom nom nom. T-MINUES 38 DAYS HOLY COW!

1.85 Swim / 8 mile Run

I surprisingly felt really great today following the 112 mile bike ride. I continued on with the training. I also had a lot of time to think about my training as school vamps up here in 2.5 weeks so I am without a doubt going to be doing two century rides over the next two weeks because I know once school starts my training will have to be cut back. Fortunately this mirrors what my training plan calls for so I feel ready. I know now that I can complete the distance....from here on out its about mentally preparing and getting faster. Here's to the next 38 DAYS.... UNTIL IRONMAN WISCONSIN!!!! GAAAAAAH!

112 Miles!

Well, today we are 39 days away from Ironman Wisconsin and I officially know that I can swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, and run 26.2... now just to do it all in one day. The ride was nice, I didn't push very fast and I also had to fight the wind but all in all it was a great ride. I also started the recovery with diet right away so I'm hoping my legs won't be shot for the rest of this weeks work outs. 39 DAYS...wow!

IRONMAN Racine 70.3 - The Report

Lake Michigan 5:45AM

It's been over 24 hours since I finished the race and I still cannot stop smiling. 70.3 miles was everything you think it would be, challenging, painful, and exhilarating. The weather conditions were absolutely perfect for racing. Lake Michigan on was 62 degrees and almost as smooth as glass. One of my favorite parts of the day was coming up over north beach and seeing the sun rise. I knew that it was going to be an amazing race.

Erin and Myself Ready to get after it.

I also had my older Sister, Erin competing in the event as well. Yesterday, is my favorite memory of us together by far. The picture below is us, right before she started. Here is how I felt through all three disciplines and the end.

Swim: I would not be telling the truth if I didn't say my warm up swim was really intimidating since the water was so cold. It took some getting used to but after you got going it felt really nice. I decided to take a new approach to my swimming strategy. Normally I am pretty timid and stay in the back but this time I wanted to be aggressive in the water as well as with my positioning so I started in the second row from the front. However, within the first 250 meters of the swim, I was kicked so hard in the face that I actually choked on water like I had never choked on water before. I came up and was absolutely GASPING for breathe. It took me some time but I regained my composure as well as some distance from the lead pack. From there on out, I had a really strong swim. Eventually the age group waves started to mix and I found myself catching up to the slower swimmers who were not going in a straight line. Unfortunately, I've found that you have to body roll and swim over those people otherwise you cause congestion behind you, it slows you down, and it also puts you in danger of other people swimming over you. I was also really impressed with the visibility in the water--at one point towards the end I tried to touch the bottom thinking I could and it was still too deep. I stood up from the water, relieved i twas over and felt pretty decent except a little bit of dizziness.

Bike: The bike begins with a climb out of the transition area which is always eventful. There were a lot of people falling over and crashing but I had learned from watching lasts years race to have my bike in the low gear. Off I went and I was feeling really strong on the bike. The bike course overall had rolling hills. My one really big negative on the course was how bumpy it was. I passed probably 7 people changing flat tires which is a lot! I honestly think
my butt was more sore following the 56 miles than form any of my long 100+ mile bike rides I have done on the IMWI loops. My nutrition also got a little wonky towards the end of my ride since I only had two water bottles. I ended up throwing a bottle so I could get a water at one of the aid station. I averaged 21.7 MPH which was WAY faster than I was planning to go. In hindsight, I think I may have pushed myself too hard and paid for it on my run since I didn't run as fast as I think I could have or wanted to.

Run: The run was an out and back, two loops course along the beach. It is my favorite part of
the triathlon and I always feel so relieved to have 2/3 of the events over with. I started off at a 7:05 pace which was what I was hoping to hold for the entire course, if not get faster, however about mile 8-9 I began to have some significant side aches which you can clearly see by my running splits dropping to a 7:45-7:50. I'm not sure where the side ache came from but it was right on my diaphragm. I continued to run through the ache, even attempted drinking some warm, non-carbonated cola at the aid station thinking it was my body telling me I needed more sugar/calories. My other favorite part of the run was seeing all of my fellow Badgers from the UW Triathlon team and most importantly my sister running the course at the same time. At first I didn't even know I had passed her and then I heard "I love you Brock Polnaszek" being yelled from behind me which made me laugh and smile. From that point on, we high-fived each other every time we overlapped on the course. I couldn't have asked for a better boost!!! I also think, the run is when it hit me.....I was actually doing an a half Ironman....something most people will never do. I loved seeing all the athletes stretched out over the course, watching the volunteers rake the hundreds of cups into trash cans and offer words of encouragement, knowing exactly what each athlete was experiencing since I was doing it as well.... it is a memory that will always give me chills.

Volunteers: I also want to give a shout out to the amazing volunteers and the residents of Racine. The volunteers went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed and their energy really helped make the race memorable. I appreciated the few resident who put sprinkler heads on ladders that showered us with cold water on the run.

The feels: I definitely had a lot of emotions over this race. Setting up transition and wracking my bike the day before, I got really  teary eyed thinking about how hard I had trained to get here and the 9 day arthritis flare I just overcame. Crossing the finish line was like nothing, not even qualifying for the Boston Marathon, I have ever experienced. I felt absolutely like crap, nauseous and I just hurt in places I never knew I could and yet, I couldn't stop smiling. I always get emotional after working out for a long time (hours on end) and it was amazing to have my awesome support crew (pictured below) there to give me hugs and to congratulate me. I am so very lucky to be doing what I am doing and blessed to have all of the amazing love and support around me. I also want to give a huge shout out to my girlfriend for driving out of her way to help me reach this goal. After the race, all I could think was how in the hell am I going to double this distance in September. I tried to stop thinking like that and just enjoy the accomplishment.  A day later, I would without a doubt sign up for another 70.3 and am still trying to wrap my head around the 140.6 mile journey that lies ahead for IMWI. For my first half Ironman I finished in 4 hours and 58 minutes, placed 25th in my age group (25-29), and 196 overall. Not bad for a guy with arthritis. :)

Amazing support crew that helped me reach my goal. L-to-R: (Brother-in-Law Eugene, Older Brother and person responsible starting the Ironman journey Alex, Sister Erin, me, Girlfriend Jenny, and Sister-in-Law Mae)

WE DID IT!!!

Can't believe it happened.

Arthritis Related News!: Today, I had the pleasure of life coming full circle. I finally had the opportunity to work alongside a Pediatric Rheumatologist at the American Children's Family Hospital. To be honest, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed my time with the team. I have never been so engaged and I think I could see this specialty as a career in my future. Still keeping all options open but I think the ability to relate to patients and families after going through the journey, not knowing the side effects of new medications that enable me to do things like Ironman and marathons, will be unparalleled. I hope to pull on these things over second year when I am spending hours in the library studying the various systems.

Brick Day 2hr bike/45 minute run

Had a pretty big brick today onto of a busy day. I am working on finishing my manuscript from the research I did this summer with the hopes of having it submitted by August 2nd and I also participated in a paid study here at the UW. Funny story was that it's an exercise study and they couldn't get my heart rate very high haha, so Ironman training is good for something I suppose!

The brick workout went well, I ended up doing it pretty late so the bike was a little cold and I started to get the swarm of bugs. I branched out onto a new road with some hills which was fun. I also had one of those days during my workout where my stomach gets these sharp aches the entire time during my work out. I'm never sure what causes it, my fruit intake has been lower than normal but still weird. Hope it doesn't happen on race day.

Racine is coming so quickly!!! Gaaahhhhh. Keep sending me positive thoughts.

Peak Phase of Training

Well, I've finally made it to Week 17 of the 24 week program which marks the beginning of the "Peak Phase" of training. At this point, I can likely finish an Ironman event but now the training is to help me get faster so I can enjoy it.

Today I had a 1:40 bike and a 42 minute run w/speed drills built in. The weather today was beautiful, a little on the cooler side so I was able to really push on the run. I dipped down to a 5:55 pace for awhile there which is really fast for me. Feeling great and about to take a nap. Getting really nervous for this Sunday but a good kind of nervous! It's RACE WEEK!

Back into the pool

I finally got in the water today after the flare and things went alright. Still my weakest sport. Swimming always nocks me out too and makes me really tired AND HUNGRY.

I also had a shift tonight at Salvation Army volunteer for MEDiC which is our student run free clinics. We had a very busy night and the shelter was very full. Always a great reminder of the good medicine can bring. I hope to have made a difference in some of my patients lives tonight.

"Be grateful for what you have because not everyone is so lucky" 

Back at it - 40 miles on the Bike, 10 mile run Sat, 20 mile run Sunday!

Well, I finally broke down and went back out on the bike--I took it easy but managed to squeeze out about 40 miles. So far so good and it was really nice to get back out there. Makes me really appreciate it and I'm hungry for the training again.

T-minus 6 days until my half Ironman Racine 70.3...I cannot believe that race is here already. Gahhh, so nervous.

Flare - Day 8

I went on a walk down to the Bank and Barrique's coffee shop down on Monroe street today to get out of bed. It was nice to get moving around again but I am definitely feeling really strange--I think it is a side effect from the steroids. Kind of a weird feeling to describe but my legs just feel like they have a ton of energy but yet I feel tired so I've been napping on and off all day. My joints also feel really strange-not painful or stiff. My elbows can extend farther than they have been able to in a really really long time so I guess that means the meds are working. I've decided to hold off on working out until Sunday and take a full week off to let my body sort things out. All in all, I can't wait to get back on my bike, or back into the pool, or back with my music on a run.

I also want to give a huge shout out to all my family and loved one who have been so amazing at helping me and making sure I know I have people I can count on. You guys are awesome and I don't know where I'd be without you.

"If you can't stop thinking about it, don't stop working for it"

Arthritis Flare - Day 7

Woke up this morning feeling about the same as yesterday. I'm finally feeling human (and way better than on the worst day of my flare, Monday) but still not back to normal so another day laying around in bed which if you know me at all then you know it is REALLY starting to drive me absolutely insane. The stiffness and pain is pretty much gone away but I still feel crappy and drained.

I also got a cryptic message in my chart last night from my doctor:
"no concern about doing ironman after steroid injection, however I think there is a real risk that exercise might cause the arthritis to worsen"

To be honest, as a patient I was very frustrated especially because during my appointment I point blank asked about my Ironman training and we had made decision about my care so that I could finish my 70.3--was he just warning me that it could get worse? Was he telling me to stop? Was he being like all the other doctors who told me I would never play sports, run a marathon (I've run 4--including qualifying for the 2015 Boston Marathon), do an Ironman. He was just being my doctor, telling me that this is a risk...which of course it is-I have a debilitating disease...BUT that doesn't mean I shouldn't try for something I really want... Mind over matter.

 My newest thought as of this morning is that my goal for Ironman is moving from being competitive/being one of the top finishers in my age group---to just being able to cross that finish line at all. I just want to hear those words... I don't care at this point if it takes me 11 hours or if I barely make the cut off time. I just want to be able to do it, to tell my kids and my patients how I did an Ironman while in medical school despite everything saying I shouldn't. I am confident that I will be able to do the half ironman distance in 11 days at Racine but my confidence level for completing the full Ironman is definitely wavering. Given the recent events, my plan now is to cut back on the intensity of my training...my training program was following a Level 6 of 10 levels which is described as a triathlete who has a goal of qualifying for Kona and crushing your first IM. I will drop back down to a Level 3-4 and just really watch my body and listen to how it responds to the training. If I flare again and thing get worse, well then I think I have my answer but maybe this is just my body's way of telling me that I need to slow down and that I can't do it all. Funny, it has a way of doing that sometimes. I also have to think realistically about all of this occurring as I am about a month away from starting the hardest year of medical school and attempting to do this...yes, I hate to admit it but even I have limitations.

So today, I'm laying in bed thinking about all the things that could go wrong and hoping that they don't---wishing and praying that my body and my arthritis holds up long enough for me to hear those sweet words..."Brock, you are an Ironman" on September 7th in Madison WI. Keep sending me any positive mojo you have.

Arthritis Flare - Day 6 + Rheumatology Apppointment

Well, I had a pretty awful day yesterday and ended up calling my doctor to set up an appointment. I really felt like I was run over by a truck, almost flu like without the fever/chills but just absolute fatigued and in a lot of pain. I have to give a huge shout out to my rheumatologist at the UW, Dr. McKown who is the head of the department. He is an excellent physician who discussed my plan of care and always helps me makes decision that will meet my goals. We ended up deciding to move onto a systemic steroid injection to help me get things under control and feeling back to normal more quickly. He also could tell how awful I was feeling as soon as he walked in the door. As a future physician, I hope I am able to remember my patients as well as he does.

I have to say it was a first for me today in terms of treatment haha, but now I can say I know what it is like to get a shot in the good old cheeks (yep, in my @$$). I feel pretty jittery and got a headache shortly after the injection. He said I'd probably have increased energy, appetite (as if my IM appetite wasn't enough) and insomnia. I get insomnia when I just take the pills so I'm sure it'll hit me pretty hard but I should feel better in 48-72 hours. Thank goodness--I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I have to say this is probably the worst flare I've had since high school/beginning of college when my knee was drained the last time and I was on crutches for a week. Yesterday, I was moved to tears I just felt so awful so I am grateful for the medicine today.

The best part of the appointment (and probably the conversation I was the most scared to have) was that he told me I still have the green light to train and compete at Ironman Racine 70.3 in 12 days and Ironman Wisconsin. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I had been starting to lose sight of why I was training so hard day in and day out for this race. This flare up, for whatever reason, is an amazing reminder of how fortunate I am that the medications allow me to be as mobile as I am able to be. I think back to when I was on the Juvenile Arthritis Family Network Panel, listening to a young high schooler discuss her mobility issues and joint replacements... I am a lucky one. I'm not doing Ironman just for myself, but for all those patients who have arthritis or anyone who is physically disabled due to pain and who struggle to complete simple daily activities like brushing your teeth or washing your hair. At the peak of my flare this week, I started to experience some of those devastating limitations....honestly, it doesn't get any more motivating than that.

For now, finally watching the show Dexter on Netflix and lots of rest and relaxing until the injection takes effect. Thank you for all the well wishes, prayers, and positive thoughts. They have been heard.

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't--you're right."

Arthritis Flare - Day 5

I ended up calling my rheumatologist before the holiday weekend to get some Prednisone just in case and yesterday, I finally caved and started the dose. I am a big supporter of less meds is more but I know that I would not be doing what I am doing without my medication. My right elbow is still giving me a lot of trouble so I  just want to get it under control again. I knew its as bad when I was having trouble reaching out to pick up things or even washing my back in the shower / brushing my teeth. Today I woke up feeling pretty overall just drained and ill so just going to plan on taking it easy. I unfortunately had to cancel a clinic shadowing experience which is always just an added hassle. I hope that the medications start to work and that I am feeling better soon. My plan is to call my doctor tomorrow if I am still not feeling well to see if I should come into the clinic. I forget how frustrating this disease can be when you just want things to be normal. Makes me appreciate everything that I am able to do when I am able to do it. I found this website that made me chuckle and I'm hoping it can help some of my other fellow RA patients as well: http://www.rheumatoidarthritisguy.com/you-know-you-have-rheumatoid-arthritis-when/

I had a pretty successful training weekend (except for the fact that I haven't done any swimming since last week Wednesday) and even managed to get a bike/run preview of the half Ironman Racine course  while Jenny was taking her USMLE Step 1. Shout out to her and so proud that she is finished the biggest exam of her medical career - I know she rocked it. I can't believe Racine is already in 13 days AND that today marks the 2 month point from Ironman Wisconsin so things are getting real. I think a lot of people wonder how I am able to run/bike while flaring and its not that I don't have pain, of course I do, but I have found that the exercise often helps me stretch out and feel better by getting the adrenalin going and joints moving. It is way better than just laying in bed for hours on end. I find my mind wandering to all of the what ifs..what if they have to drain my elbow, what if I need a cortisone shot, what if I can't keep swimming training as much as I want to/need to, what if this is the time the medications stop working for me... but I keep reminding myself that there is no point in worrying about anything I can't control. Just need to take it all in stride. Here's to hoping the flare turns around soon. Sincerely, one frustrated Ironman-with-rheumatoid-arthirits-in-training.

Bike/Run 7/2 and Arthritis this AM

I had easily one of the scariest biking experiences of my training. Yesterday, I was coming back from 1:35 minute ride and I was traveling on Whalen, one of the main straight aways of the IMWI course which has a lot of bikers on it. I attached a map with where it happened outlined in red. Yesterday, there were a lot less bikers on the course because the weather wasn't ideal. Not to mention the road isn't idea, on the sides there are huge chunks of the road that are missing, which makes staying out of the lane of traffic even more difficult.

Defensive biking is mandatory because just by probability with how long I spend on the bike an accident may happen. I heard a dump trunk coming behind me, when I looked back I could see that he was traveling very fast with no intention of slowing down. As I turned my head forward, I could also hear another car coming over the hill and I knew that they were going to meet at the crest of the hill and I was going to be caught between them. The dump truck didn't slow down, in fact I think he sped up and before I knew it I was caught between them with two options 1) get plowed over by dump truck or 2) head for the ditch. I veered off to the right down into the ditch and unclipped. I managed to keep my bike in control and stay upright. Moral of the story: Please be aware of other cyclists/bikers on the road. We are 1,000x more vulnerable out there, especially when we are clipped in. I was definitely a little shaken up but I had nothing left to do but press on and finish the bike. I was grateful to be running with both feet on the group after that for about an hour.

Arthritis: Today my right elbow is giving me trouble. Interesting that it is asymmetrical but I have a feeling it was from the way I slept last night. Lots of stretching to hopefully get it feel better and increase my range of motion. I also took some NSAIDs to help. I feel like most people who hear that I am doing an IM and I have arthritis don't understand how that is possible. To them I say, arthritis is a part of who I am and it's something I live with every day. I feel like most people don't know what arthritis actually looks like and that is what's tricky. To someone who has never had it, you can't really see it unless my joints are actually swollen. My elbow is a little tender and it does have some fluid in it but that is my training as a medical student that allows me to see it. For patients like me with RA, we feel some sort of pain or fatigue almost every, single, day. I attached pictures showing the limit in my range of motion on my right side of almost 25 degrees this morning. I also have pain with movement, particularly flexion/extension or any type of exertion (e.g., carrying groceries, washing my back in the shower). Arthritis sucks sometimes and there is no and if or buts about it. Hopefully it clears before the holiday weekend!



I leave with my motivational quote for this week: "Pain is weakness leaving the body"

ITU World Triathlon Recap - PR 2:21

This past Saturday I competed at the ITU World Triathlon in Chicago. It was an amazingly fun, fast, and flat race that helped me to shave off 11 minutes from my previous time. The race was extremely spectator friendly and the back drop of the Chicago skyline couldn't have been any better. I also loved watching Gwen Jorgensen dominate the women's elite field (Go Badgers!) I had to deal with some of rain especially during checking in my bike and setting up my transition. Luckily, it was beautiful by race time.

Finish Line

The swim was right in front of Grant Park in Lake Michigan. The water was crystal clear and very calm because it was in a breaker area. Starting race waves were separated by about 20 minutes to prevent congestion on the bike course. My age group 25-30 was the largest one of the Olympic distance with 118 people and man were there some great athletes. Compared to previous races, there was a lot more congestion. I got kicked in the face and also had someone grab my ankle and kind of pull me under. I also had to body roll some people mid stroke when they started to swim completely sideways to stay above water. All in all, it was great practice for Ironman races and have everyone start at the same time. Again while I was in the water I realized this is my weakest sport out of the three and that I like it the least. Just kind of need to grin and bare it.

Swim Area

The bike was absolutely the fastest and flattest course I've ever done, I averaged 25-26 mph over 4 loops! My favorite part was when we went on Lower Wacker into the tunnels. It was like a vacuum that seemed to suck you in it and make you go even faster. By the time you turned round, you had to go up a little bit of an incline but nothing compared to IMWI. Once you exited the tunnel, we had a pretty strong head wind that slowed the entire field down around the U-turns and long straight aways. The other factor was just dealing with the size of the transition areas and trying to find your bike. At one point, I ran right past it.

Transition Zone

The run was hot and centered around Buckinham Fountain and included 3.5 loops. Compared to marathons that normally don't loop, run portions of triathlons frequently loop or overlap and make you run the same area so that is something I am having to train my brain into doing...it takes a lot of will power to keep pushing yourself knowing that you are doing the same thing over and over again. My best tactic so far has been to focus on the positive so instead of saying oh man 2.5 loops to go, I say 1 loop down. Sometimes its the little things. I still managed to have a pretty great run split but had to deal with cramping that I think was caused by gatorade during the bike so it is definitely something I need to figure out nutrition wise for the longer 70.3 & 140.6 distances because it can be a   deal breaker. Overall I ended up 33rd in my age group and 251 overall at a big race.

Finisher Certificate