Ironman Arizona 2011 - Full Race Report

I arrived in Arizona on Thursday afternoon in time to check in for the race. I didn’t want to wait until Friday in case something unforeseen happened. The 6 hour drive from San Diego had to be solo due to some family issues that had Linda drive out with Son2 that night. Stayed at our usual hotel – Hyatt Place in Mesa, Arizona – because it’s freeway close to the venue, is very roomy, comfortable, and clean, and is priced well. It’s also close to a huge shopping area that includes Bass Pro Shop and their restaurant where I have my pre-race meal. With this being my 3rd Arizona Ironman I felt less of a need to be there on Wednesday. I swam before I left on Thursday and then skipped the Saturday Tempe Lake swim. The main training I did once there was to ride the run course and the start/finish of the bike course. With the right heel not in perfect shape I opted to do no running and save it all for Sunday.


For various reasons, Son1, Pasadena Trojan, ArmyMat, and Italiphil were unable to make the trip this year as they did in 2010. This year I had 3 “Get Sladed Nation” t-shirt wearers. First let me say thank you to my amazing wife for all her love and support, and most especially on the day. This Ironman thing is IMPOSSIBLE without her. Son2 (22 years old) was a fantastic sherpa who did it with fine humor and focus. I think he got to see his dad in a little bit different light this time and that’s a good thing. Mom also came out for a 2nd straight year with huge amounts of enthusiasm and love.


Coming into the race I had to physical issues. The first was the plantar fasciitis in my right foot (previously it had been a left foot issue). This limited my training mostly to the elliptical machine. I have felt that there is a hierarchy in substitute training, with water running a little below the elliptical. For this reason I focused on elliptical, since it at least offers some gravitational effect. With only 3 weeks left I began to slowly add running on solid ground or on the treadmill.  By race day my longest actual run on solid ground was 5 miles - not the best race preparation! The other issue was also heel related. While icing my heel earlier in the week I left the ice on too long and it was too cold. I ended up "burning" the skin on the bottom and at the back, making socks and shoes very uncomfortable. I was greatly concerned about my discomfort and the possibility of skin breakdown while on the run. Fortunately it was early enough in the week that, with the help of frequent Aquaphor applications, the skin didn't crack or blister and was good on race day. The random scratch/cut that I had on my toe was taken care of with "liquid" bandage.


I did not sleep well the night before. It was frequent waking and sleeping. I didn’t let it trouble me but just tried to relax. On race morning everything went smoothly. Was ready on time, as were Linda and Son2. My checklists were checked and once again nothing, including the bike nutrition (left at hotel in 2009), was forgotten. Arrived about 5:10, got the bike pumped and the nutrition placed, put running shoes into the run bag and the rented GPS tracker in the bike bag. Then I stood in line for the portapotty before taking my Special Needs Bags to the drop spots. It seems like it took forever but was done in less than 10 minutes. For some reason I then decided to go into the changing tent to put on my wetsuit and was surprised to find it to be warm and not dark. I did some stretching and muscle activation in the tent before going outside to use my handled rubber tubing to warm up for the swim – especially my lats, which burn and hurt on the swim if I don’t. From there it was time to turn in the morning swim bag with my warm clothes and other stuff I had used that morning. From there I stood waiting to go through the “Swim Out” exit. While there I realized I’d forgotten my last minute nutrition and wondered what I’d done with it. I decided to let it go since it wasn’t worth trying to push through the crowd to see if it was in the Morning Bag. With the pros in the water they now moved us to the small dock where we were to jump into the 61 degree water. I removed my socks, pitched them in the trashcan, and jumped.


I swam the 100 or so yards to the start. We treaded water, waiting for the pros to start 10 minutes before us and once they were off the age groupers moved forward. Kayakers keep us behind the line if they’re doing a good job, which seemed not to be the case. Mike Riley wasn't doing his usual scolding of the kayakers and athletes this time, though, and I think in hindsight it was because they were preoccupied with a malfunctioning timing mat at the swim exit from transition. Anyway, I couldn’t quite get to the front and was 3 or 4 swimmers back. It gradually began to get tighter and tighter, like sardines in a can. The national anthem was being sung when I felt a slight irritation in my wetsuit sleeve. When I went to adjust it I found my “lost” nutrition right where I had stashed it. I waited for the Black Sabbath Ironman song to play just before we were to start but it never came. In fact, there was no countdown or 30 second warning either. With 20 or 30 seconds before the canon I looked over to my right and saw that it was a bit less crowded so I extracted myself and moved over just in time. 


Off we went (3 minutes late at 7:03). I didn’t get hit or pulled on but there was a lot of contact that sometimes inhibited my arms from pulling or recovering properly. This lasted for the first few minutes and was repeated periodically for the first half as we swam east, directly into the sunrise. Unlike usual, I didn’t feel that I swam particularly straight, although I aimed straight at the sun, an easy target. I WAS able to do a fair amount of drafting which allowed me to expend a bit less energy while still maintaining my pace. I made more of a conscious effort to do just that. I stuck pretty closs to the buoys once I was about 2/3 of the way down the first part of the course. As the age groupers thinned out, drafting was less possible or practical. With about 1000 yards to go, leg cramps were right there in the background, ready to grab me. Altering movement slightly, along with more kicking than in past swims, helped.


I got to the seemingly impossible-to-climb metal stairs and got out with the help of a strong volunteer. The swim went well and was at a comfortable effort. Very happy with that split since I held back and had a steady effort, remembering that it would be a long day and to leave my "swimmer ego" at home. Split: 1:00:40, 1^st in age group, 164^th overall.


Once I got my wetsuit off my shoulders I layed down and had 2 enthusiastic strippers peel off my wetsuit, pull me up to a standing position (a cramp in my hamstrings was growing), and off I ran to be handed my bag and get my bike stuff on. In the change tent I got some fantastic help from a volunteer attending to my needs. I opted to skip putting the arm warmers on as I didn’t feel that cold. This was a choice I would regret. I DID remember to put my bike gloves on, something I somehow left in the bag last year. I ran out in my bike shoes, grabbed my bike, watched someone almost wipeout as they ran out the exit in their bike shoes, ran to the mount line, and did my running mount. Knowing that the exit was a slight uphill leaving transition I had left my bike in 2^nd gear to make pedaling very easy. Transition was a reasonably fast (for me) 5:49, 3^rd fastest T1 split in age group, 406^th overall. 


It feels great to get out on the road with so few others out there yet – fewer than 200, including the pros. The bad part about that is it always makes me want to push harder than I should to keep the crowd at bay. Mistake #1 occurred in transition when I chose not to wear arm warmers. While it wasn’t windy, the sun didn’t come out for the first half hour. I froze and literally shivered for the first 10 miles on the bike, leading me to push too hard and hurt my quads. When I finally realized what I was doing I knew I'd likely pay for this later. It showed on the 2nd loop bike split. The first loop was 1:45, probably 5 minutes too fast, while the 2^nd and 3^rd ones were both 1:53. I searched for any way I could to take the pressure off the quads, especially the left one. 1/2 way thru loop 2 it was at least getting less uncomfortable. The 3rd loop my legs felt in better shape. There was a pretty good headwind coming down the "hill" that is the Beeline Hwy. This slowed my 3^rd split some.


Bike nutrition went fine. My 4 hour Perpetuem bottle with about 280 calories per hour was finished at the 3:59 mark. I drank less than 40 oz of Nuun electrolyte-spiked water during that time, though it felt like the right amount given the temperature and humidity. It probably wasn't. I drank Perpetuem about every 15 min followed by some sips of water, plus some more swallows of water in between. Once the Perpetuem ran out I switched to Hammer gel. Originally I’d planned on using a Hammer nutrition bar for 220 calories but in prepping it for the ride I realized it would be too soft and gooey so went with a gel bottle. When the Speedfil bottle of Nuun water ran out I got water on the course to refill it on the fly and had SaltStick capsules in a container. The first water I got would not squeeze into the Speedfil frame-mounted bottle. The next aid station was just after the turnaround so on the way up I yelled to a volunteer that I wanted a bottle with no cap on it. 45 seconds later the awesome volunteer was handing me that requested bottle and in the water went without a problem. I probably shouldn’t have taken all 20 oz since there was less than an hour left and I wasn’t drinking that fast. On the other hand I probably should have been drinking maybe 4-5oz more each hour than I did. Mistake #3: the SaltStick container didn’t work properly (I hadn’t fully tested it in maybe a year… oops!) so it was a challenge to get the caps out without stopping but I problem solved that as well. I also took half a tab of caffeine every 75-90 minutes from a container in my Bento Bag. Plus 1 Immodium at the final turnaround.


Mentally I stayed even throughout. I appreciated the natural beauty along the Beeline Hwy. I had a Navajo healing song playing constantly in my head when I was otherwise quiet. The ride felt way shorter than any of my long training rides.


Biggest negative besides the quads? Many of the uber bikers with their fast and fancy rigs would get into packs and have a draft fest, making little to no attempt to stop except when the refs appeared. Very disappointing to have people do this intentionally. Yes, a 3 loop flat-ish course gets crowded but I'm just saying. I believe I raced with integrity.


As I approached transition I undid my bike shoes and road with my feet on top so I could jump off and run in just my socks. I also eased up a little during the last mile or so and backed off the gears to hopefully help me run off the bike. Was it a benefit to back off? Doubtful. Split: 5:31:50, 2^nd or 3^rd fastest split in age group, 504^th overall. (Intermediate split: 100 miles ~4:50) See detailed splits below.


After dismounting and handing my bike off to a volunteer, another volunteer called out my number while a 3^rd retrieved my bag. Into the tent I went. Yet another volunteer attended to all my needs, asking if I needed this or that item. I gave him my helmet and other unneeded items which he put into the bag, handing me my compression socks, etc. I put on my belt with a nutrition bottle and zipper pouch attached, pulled on my pink breast cancer hat, and ran out of the tent, avoiding the volunteers smearing sunscreen on people. (I use Scape sunblock.) My time in transition was much shorter than last year’s 6+ minutes, only partly because I forgot to stop and pee. Transition 2 split: 2:46, 4^th in age group, 340^th overall. I left transition in 1^st place for my age group.


After less than a hundred yards I realized I still had my bike gloves on! It was an easy choice to not stop and go back to drop them off. I just had to decide what I’d do with them. After a couple hundred more yards I stopped at the portapotty to pee while restfully leaning on the wall. That was a very nice, calm and quiet minute and a half stop.


Had hamstring cramps twice on the first 2 mi. but was patient, held it together mentally, and didn’t rush to get back running. Looking back I’m surprised that I actually handled this so wisely and with clear thinking. I think it was because I knew this was just the beginning of the run and if I tested them too much in the beginning it could very easily turn into a very long, slow 26 mile walk. The cramps were likely a consequence of compensating on the bike for smashing the quads and trying to adjust. Thanks to this being a 3 loop figure 8 course, I had access to special needs after a mere 4ish miles. I learned from IMTX to stash ace bandages in the bag and wrapped my left hammie with one. Because I didn’t think I’d have access to the bag a 2^nd time, I carried the 2nd ace with me just in case. I probably should have wrapped one of my calves with it but never did. The other benefit of grabbing the SNB was that I could stash my bike gloves in that bag and not have to continue carrying them the rest of the way. Not realizing I should have stopped right where I got the bag, I walked maybe 50 feet with the bag. A spectator took it and returned it to Special Needs for me. (Technically I suppose that was a rule violation… oops.)


Plantar F-ing-itis heal pain arrived at mile 6 and was a constant companion, slowly increasing as each mile passed. I don’t know if my splits will bare this out but aside from the appearance of pain and the mental concern that this caused, the act of running was starting to feel good and to feel right at this point. Those feelings lasted to a varying degree through much of the 2nd loop. Sidenote: when I went to pack my shoes away for the trip home I discovered some gum or candy stuck to the bottom of the right heel (my bad foot). Stuck in that gum was a small rock about ½” think. I heard this clicking noise somewhere mid-race and thought a small piece of gravel had gotten temporarily stuck. I had no idea it was still there. Probably didn't do my heel or running gait any good!


The quads hurt the entire time but I suspect that's true for everyone pretty much. Didn't cramp any more but I walked a tightrope with that, being cautious enough not to do something to jeopardize my ability to run. When I saw the Get Sladed Nation for a second time around the 3^rd loop, Linda told me that I was in 3^rd for my age group. This gave me incentive to dig deeper on that 3^rd loop and try to maintain my effort. I was about to tell them that 12 ½ minute miles was all I had in me. I managed to run the hill in Papago Park on the first two loops but had to walk it the 3^rd time. That 3^rd one gave me my worst mile split of the day – 15:04. I knew my mile pace was slowly crashing but I could do nothing about it. It had nothing to do with cardio conditioning. It was all about lack of specific training and muscles unable to do more. My mile splits are below. I missed more of the mile sign markers than usual, or else they just weren’t there. A nearly one hour gap on splits makes them a bit less useful. Most disappointing part? I just didn't have more to give than I did.


Nutrition went pretty smoothly. I took in the ½ strength/diluted gel I was carrying before every or every other aid station, followed by water or ice water from the stations. Put ice under my hat when it was available to help stay cool. I took in electrolytes in the form of SaltStick capsules at every other station. I walked every aid station as planned since I use a run-walk-run for distance running. For the first time in any of my Ironman races I never had to resort to taking in the aid station sports drink, or defizzed Coke, or other food on the course.


The last mile or two before you get within about a ¼ or ½ mile from the finish is the quietest, darkest part of the course. I was aware of another 55+ year old near me so I did not walk or take nutrition in at the last two aid stations. I had a feeling that others in my age group had passed me at some point during the final loop but it is dark in many places on the course and you also never know who is on their 2^nd loop or their final one. I did know that I could do something about the guy I was aware of and considered it a race between he and I. Eventually, though, I couldn't find where he was.


I can proudly say I walked less than ever on this run, despite my heel and my lack of training. I did not give in to any extended walks (except for that final hill walk in Papago Park.) There are a number of reasons for being successful in this area. I was mentally prepared more than ever for this, thanks to my mental training with Kirsten at Awesomeness of You and also thanks to my 3 previous Ironman races. It was my goal to be mentally strong and stay mentally even during the race in order to accomplish this. My run split may not have shown this because my overall speed suffered from lack of training. 


I was also able to run more because of the previously mentioned information I received from Linda that I was in 3^rd place. Even if I had no control over how fast the others were racing I knew that to give into the walk would be giving up on placing. My splits show that I slowed down significantly but it wasn’t a result of giving in to the pain. Finally I had another internal incentive to keep running. It came from a comment from one of my online training plan coaches. I emailed a question about how I should alter the taper given that I had not been able to run more than 5 miles and had instead relied on the elliptical for training. His comment to me was that I should not do longer running than I’d already done but should add walking since I would likely be running and walking in the race. This was actually sound advice but in my quick reading of it I took it to mean that I couldn’t run the marathon as expected and that I would be walking a LOT. This turned into a challenge in my head which lead to a “you don’t know who you’re dealing with” attitude. Run split: 5:05:53, 23^rd in age group, 1338^th overall.


One more thing about the run... As a result of severe Ulcerative Colitis back in my late 20's I had my colon removed. This makes nutrition and bathroom "management" a challenge sometimes, especially in an Ironman. Around mile 8, at the end of the first loop of the run, I began to get gas and umm, waste, build up. Due to my "altered plumbing", gas cannot be released by itself without "other consequences”. The only way is to have a seat in the portapotty or the gas, etc. backs up in the small intestine. Not very comfortable. I weighed my options and chose this discomfort because I wasn't sure I'd be able to stand back up if I sat down in one of the orange huts on the course!



One of the things I am pleased with about this race is that I managed to once again have fun out there, making quick jokes with spectators and volunteers, expressing gratitude, and embracing what the day brought. I can also report that, unlike Ironman Texas, I did very well at being emotionally even throughout the day, thanks in a huge way going to Kirsten and her guidance. In addition to training long and hard physically, I worked hard on the mental side so that I could race well and so that I could reach my goal of “staying emotionally even”. While I started that mental training knowing I was strong mentally, I also knew there was room to improve. I found that improvement with Kirsten’s help. The two other people who were part of my “team of coaches” were Diane Buchta who taught me the ways and methods of strength training that she first taught to Mark Allen (among others) many years ago, and the coaches behind the MarkAllenOnLine training plan that I followed for the 19 weeks leading up to the race.


Sorry, one more thing about the mental side: even though I was struggling on much of the run I still appreciated my surroundings and the actual running. Despite my declining splits, I did well at focusing on the whole race and the process, not just the splits. I paid attention to what my body seemed to be capable of. I would note every split I took on the run but then I went back to the “doing”. Being in the moment, in the present, not getting ahead of myself, helped me race the way I did. It could have been ugly out there if I hadn't kept my head focused on where it needed to be.


11:46:56, 9^th place in my age group and 699^th out of 2,565 who started, was way slower than I'd hoped for but it was still a best time by about 5 minutes (11:52:02). I can honestly say that I'm proud of this anyway because I had NOTHING left in the end. It was an amazing and painful day, a difficult and rewarding journey, that I will ultimately remember for all it’s successes.


Bike Splits:
Loop 1 - 1:44:49 (58:19/46:29); HR137max/121ave and 138/120
Loop 2 - 1:52:56 (60:00/52:56); HR138/119 and 128/115
Loop 3 - 1:54:01 (54:03/59:58); HR131/120 and 133/118
Run Splits:
Official - 
2.5 mi - 10:58/mi
9.0 mi - 10:09/mi
8.5 mi - 12:02/mi
6.2 mi - 13:39/mi
5:05:53 - 11:40/mi
Watch splits -
1mi ? – Heart Rate 127max/118ave
2mi 12:29 – 127/117
3mi 8:38 – 129/122
4, 5 mi 21:32 (10:46ave) – 136/125
6, 7 mi 21:09 (10:35ave) – 129/125
8, 9, 10 mi 30:34 (10:11ave) – 141/127
11mi 11:26 – 124/117
12mi-17mi 58:18 – 129/116
18mi 12:12 – 122/114
19mi 24:35 (12:17) – 129/117
20mi12:13 – 120/113
21mi 24:51 (12:26 ave) – 119/113
22mi 15:04 – 115/106
23mi 12:39 – 115/109
24mi 13:42 – 120/112
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