<img src="https://www.drfields.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ironman-Cozumel-Mexico-2015-Logo.jpg" alt="Ironman Cozumel Mexico 2015 Logo" width="250" height="126" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-224" />

<h6 class="text-center">Sunday November 29, 2015
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run</h6>

<strong><u>PROLOGUE</u></strong>
[caption id="attachment_231" align="alignright" width="115"]<img src="https://www.drfields.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cozumel-2015-initials-115.jpg" alt="Cozumel 2015 Initials 115" width="115" height="241" class="size-full wp-image-231" /><strong> Dr. Fields with his parents initials written on his forearms</strong>[/caption]<strong>Never say never</strong>
My parents taught me to never to give up no matter how difficult it may seem.
This, and all my races, are dedicated to their memory.

Thirteen years ago three different neurosurgeons told me that if I did not have surgery on my low back, exercise would no longer be an option in my life.
Then I found out about the wonderful world of Regenerative Orthopedic Medicine. Sunday November 29th, 2015, I finished not only my 2nd Ironman race in 2015, but my sixth Ironman race overall.
<strong><em>Regenerate First; Surgery Last!</em></strong>
<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<strong><u>RACE DAY</u></strong>
The day started off like any other Ironman competition day. I woke up about 3:30 in the morning so that I could have enough time to have breakfast and get everything ready before I went down to the transition area around 5 o'clock a.m. After getting everything settled at the transition area where my bike was, I then boarded a bus that took me approximately 2.4 miles down to where the swim started. This is because this race is a point-to-point race. That means you start at one point and end at another point on the swim. The same is for the bike. So after getting down to the swim start I put on my very thin and tight speedsuit (a suit similar to what they wear in the Olympics) over my racing suit. Wetsuits are not allowed in this race due to the temperature of the water. I then went to get in the appropriate corral for the start. 

<strong><u>THE SWIM: 2.4 Miles</u></strong>
[caption id="attachment_243" align="alignleft" width="160"]<img src="https://www.drfields.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cozumel-2015-swim-275.jpg" alt="Cozumel 2015 Swim 275" width="160" height="301" class="size-full wp-image-243" /> Dr. Fields after the 2.4 mile swim[/caption]The start was being done in waves this year so to avoid the cluster of over 2500 competitors starting all at once.I seeded myself in the second corral, which is for competitors swimming between 1 hour and 1 hour 10 minutes. Most people told me that I should seed myself faster but I was very true to my time knowing I would finish between 1 hour and 1 hour 6 minutes. Due to the small size of the pier that we to go off of, they only let about five to seven competitors in at a time. This made for a very easy start since you did not have to swim over a lot of people. As soon as I got into my stride, which only takes me about 5 minutes or so, I started passing people. And ended up passing probably 50 people, which meant that a lot of people had seeded themselves faster than they actually were. The water was very warm at about 82 degrees and very clear. You could see the frogmen/lifeguards and photographers down below and also many colorful fish along the way. Halfway through the swim I looked at my Garmin watch, which I wear on my left wrist, and noticed it was glowing slightly green. I figured some water had leaked into it. I was going to stop and take a look but then realized that I was in the middle of the ocean and there was nothing I could do about it anyway!

I swam very well and passed over 50 people, which was a lot as not many had started before me. As I made my way towards the finish and made the final turn two headed towards the pier I really picked up my strokes. My final time was about 1 hour and 4 minutes, which was good enough to make me first in my age group in the swim. As I climbed out of the water and looked down a my Garmin, I realized that the whole front face had somehow become detached and I was actually looking at the circuit board. Well, at that point, I knew the watch was useless. I ran through the shower and then grabbed my transition bag and into the transition area. I quickly dried off and stripped off my speed suit. Underneath this I had my tri suit so just I had to put on my socks, shoes, sunglasses, suntan lotion and grab some nutrition to carry on the bike and I was off to find my bike. I also left behind my Garmin watch, which was useless at this point. 