Wearing a company branded blue and pink triathlon suit, Rob Videon, owner of Lowcountry Basement Systems stood barefoot on a cold, wet, wooden dock, shaking his arms; loosening his muscles. It was Sept. 24, 2017, and the sun was still rising in Augusta. A sharp blast from the starting pistol launched Rob and 20 other triathletes into the cold Savannah River below. His 70.3-mile-long Half Ironman race had officially begun.

However, Rob’s personal goal started eight months earlier when he had a rude “wake up call.”

At the age of 46, Rob noticed things about his life that he didn’t like, mostly physical things, he said. “My decision to train again and prepare for a half Ironman event and eventually a full Ironman event this coming year was motivated by a lifestyle change that started with a wakeup call! It had been over four years since I regularly exercised, and it had been almost six years since I did the Augusta Half Ironman with some friends from Fellowship of Christian Athletes Endurance group.”

Earlier this year Rob observed a decline in his health and decided to educate himself on new healthy habits for a better lifestyle. Rob and his wife Nancy watched many Netflix documentaries, inspiring him to live a healthier life.

He started incorporating fruits and vegetable into his diet, then smoothies; eventually he was on a 100 percent plant based diet. Once he developed better eating habits, Rob began to slowly build an injury-free training plan. Not long after, he bought and read several books on how to train for an Ironman. He was fully committed!

Training

After Rob committed to the Half Ironman, he knew that training would be a crucial part to finishing the race. Rob began working out, and slowly built his stamina over time.

“I trained with a heart rate monitor from the beginning and when I started I had a high resting heart rate of 75-80 beats per minute and it would spike quickly with exercise. Now my resting heart rate is about 10 beats per minute lower than when I started at 65 bpm. I also don't see an instant spike in heart rate when I start exercising.”

Rob’s typical training week prior to the race was scheduled to consist of the following activities:

Monday: Rest.

Tuesday: Run for an hour and a half, and bicycle for an hour.

Wednesday: Swim 2000 meters in the morning, run in the afternoon for an hour and a half.

Thursday: Train on the bicycle for two hour and a half hours.

Friday: Swim 2500 meters.

Saturday: Long bike ride, or run for two to three hours.

Sunday: Run for an hour or two.

The Race

The day of the race Rob was anxious, “I had to go lay down in the car to get my heart rate to settle down!”

The race started with a 1.2-mile-long swim in the Savannah River. This point-to-point swim took Rob a total of 33 minutes to complete and transitioned into a 56-mile-long bike ride throughout Georgia and into the countryside of South Carolina.

The rolling hills, slow inclines, and rapid downhill descents gave bikers a challenge as they traveled through the beautiful scenery of Georgia and South Carolina. Rob described this section of the course as a “ride to remember.” Three hours and 17 minutes later, Rob hopped off his bike and prepared himself for the most physically challenging part of the marathon. 

The last leg of the race was a 13.1-mile two-loop run throughout downtown Augusta.

Cheering him on along the way was his wife, Nancy. She had been with Rob every step of the way. From the inspirational healthy documentaries on Netflix, to the drive to Augusta.

 

 

The Finish Line

After seven hours of strenuous demands on his body, Rob finished the race, breaking his personal record by 10 minutes! Nancy and other spectators cheered him on as he crossed the finish line in downtown Augusta.

“I felt great! It felt good to be six years older and beat my younger-self by 10 minutes. I was sore, and tired but overall feeling good. About 24 hours after the race my foot was hurting a lot more than just soreness and I believe I suffered bruising, sprain or a minor fracture. It’s been a week now and the foot feels much better. I can walk on it with little or no pain.”

After recuperation, Rob plans on training for a full Ironman race next year in Lake Placid, New York.