Ironman #8 is in the books. Ironman Arizona #5 was a success
with many goals accomplished, including a top 10 finish and a personal best
time by 17 minutes. I achieved some of
my process goals and some of my
experiential goals but fell short on others. Here is the VERY LONG version of
my race. A big reason why it has this much detail is that we had at least 6
people from our Tri Family who signed up for next year’s race and it will be
their first Iron distance who might
get some little nuggets here that could help them in their own racing. Plus our TC Tri athletes may find something useful in here as well.
This full Ironman was going to be a little different for me. Like Silverman 70.3 there would be friends/teammates racing as well. I would get to be out there with Kat and Scott. It was going to be awesome having over 20 people out volunteering and/or spectating, cheering us on and getting "A Taste of Ironman"with Linda doing all the hard work of coordinating, leading, and herding people to where they needed to be.
Coming into the race I wasn’t perfectly healthy, with joint
and muscle ‘stuff’ going on in my back, knee issues and hip flexor pain. On the actual race day all
of that was either resolved or manageable. Friend Phil worked on my back on
Saturday, the knee pain was barely noticed at all, and the hip flexors were
finally good to go when I hit the run course around 1:30pm.
Prepping for race day always seems so ridiculously time
consuming and complicated. Having a list is essential, as Linda had to remind
me. I PRE-bagged everything at home before we even left for Arizona so how hard can it be to gather your stuff? Well, you have to sort into 5 different race-provided bags, have your
bike ready to ride, and have your nutrition planned out and placed where it
needs to be (on the bike, in a transition bag, in a Special Needs bag)?! And
what if the weather is hotter or colder than expected? You need to plan for everything because you can’t
just stop the race, go home, and get something. You have to rely on yourself
and on the volunteers at the race.
The night before nearly everyone had dinner together. (I ate salmon, some rice, baked potato and butter,
and a little bread – skipped the usual vegetables) I got to bed right around
10pm after I was certain all my race nutrition was prepped and all my stuff was laid out for the morning. Up at 4am, dressing, getting nutrition in (smoothie with vegan protein,
coconut milk, supergreens powder but no veggies plus a bagel), and taking care of bathroom
necessaries. Chris Holcroft stopped by and helped me finish getting taped up
with Rock Tape to make my 5 ½-6 hour ride in aero position as comfortable as
possible. It wouldn’t be the last time he would help me have a successful race.
We finally left the hotel room at 5:00, about 15 minutes late.
Linda drove and dropped us off to minimize my walk. I took care of all my
preliminary needs, not forgetting anything. I don’t always take a list to
remind me what has to be done but this time I did. I would have forgotten stuff
without it. I texted Linda, said goodbye to Shepa Corey and Mom, got my wetsuit
on to my waist and warmed up my arms. Saw Kat briefly. I dropped my clothes bag
and lined up “by time” for the swim start. It was orderly and roomy enough.
Water temperature was 63 degrees and pretty comfortable with
a full wetsuit. Many people complain a lot about the conditions of the water
because it’s silty, visibility is 1 to 3 feet, and it doesn’t exactly taste
great. I don’t know: maybe it’s because they’ve never swum at De Anza Cove!
There’s something to be said for experiencing conditions that aren’t as good as
those at the race.
I got help zipping up my wetsuit as I stood waiting in the
“starting chute”/swim start lineup. I did some push ups and chatted with a
woman coach who was with TC Tri (Bay Area) in 2011 and then someone who said I
should move up. I was a little confused because the first group sign I saw said
“Under One Hour” but the 2nd sign said “Between One Hour and Ten
Minutes”. There really wasn’t the one that should have said “Between One Hour
and 1:10” or maybe it was because I was giving too much credit to the sign
maker and they hadn’t proof read it. I moved forward and it turned out to be
the right move.
SWIM 1:01:08 (3rd in age group) A few minutes before 6:40 there was a moment of silence for
the victims of terrorism in France the day before and then the national anthem.
The male pros went off at 6:40, with females 5 minutes later. I poured some
bottled water down my front with about 4 minutes to go so I wouldn’t start the
swim without getting wet. As it turned out it also made it easier to stand
there and pee in my wetsuit without a problem since water was already dripping
out the bottom (and because… it made me want to pee!) We started 5 minutes
after the Pro Women and once we started it was Move-Move-MOVE down the steps
and into the water without hesitation. I felt crowded for about 200 meters and
only got hit twice – once kicked to the left goggle and once having the right
goggle briefly bumped off my eye, letting a trickle of water in. After swimming
through, between, and even over some athletes who seeded themselves early because
they worried about making the cutoff time, things opened up and mostly
continued to get better. I’d say that this non-mass start allowed people of
similar speeds a better chance to draft. At least I think that’s why I had my 2nd
fastest swim ever. I stayed within 10 to 20 yards of the buoys on this wide
swim course. My pace was steady and strong, but not excessively strenuous. One
other success? For the first time no leg or foot cramps! I think this is
because I did more open water swim training than ever before and I also
frequently reminded myself often to relax my feet instead of kicking like I was
still a competitive swimmer.
At the swim exit the stairs barely extend into the water so
it’s hard to get out. I grabbed the railing, swung my butt around onto the
steps and then was pulled up by the amazing volunteers who practically lifted
me up. Others helped me unzip and I pulled the wetsuit top down. Running
through the wetsuit peelers, AKA strippers, I see Sally. She and another
volunteer helped me to the ground on my back and then peeled my wetsuit off me
before helping me stand up. Leg cramps were about to grab me as I stood but
didn’t take full affect.
I jogged through transition with my wetsuit. Other athletes
passed me but I didn’t want to spike my heart rate for a 10 second time saving.
Had my bike bag handed to me and got into the changing tent where Chris was my
amazing personal man servant. We got my socks, bike shoes, helmet, arm warmers,
chamois cream, bike gloves with hand warmers, and miscellaneous nutrition where
it belonged and off I went to get my bike, drinking water to get my Imodium and
amino acids down.
 |
| Spectathletes eating bfast while I ride |
BIKE 5:21:49 (3rd fastest in age group - in 2nd) My bike was passed to me by a volunteer and I ran down the
center aisle to the bike mount line. Running past it I did my usual running
cyclocross style mount… and MISSED the saddle, ending up rolling up the hill with
my butt on the top tube. That’s never happened to me before and I practice the
mount every week. I finally got right and up and out of transition,
still well ahead of the people who got to the mount line at the same time as
me. My running the extra 20 feet gave me a nice cushion so that even if I
swerved to get on the saddle and clip my feet, I still wouldn’t run into any of
them.
The weather was a cool mid-50s, cloudy, and breezy to start.
I was very glad I took time to put on arm warmers and I left them on for at
least ½ the ride. The course is 3 loops or out-and-backs. I successfully took
it easier than usual for the first ½ loop, sticking to my nutrition plan. I
always find it interesting to see who I pass in the early part of the ride:
fast swimmers of every size and shape, men and women alike.
The return on the first loop is a net downhill. I felt good
and picked up the pace a little. I began to get more competitive by grabbing
the energy I inevitably feel when I pass people. This continued as I pushed on.
I was feeling good, having fun, and relishing being able to race. I really was
loving it. My head drifted, as it often does during a long ride, to my athletes
and I started formulating my pre-race speech for Team Challenge at Bass Lake
(which is only 7 ½ months away!) The
clouds across the valley looked like they’d let go at any time but the rain took
it’s time to slowly at some point; not exactly sure when.
Early into the 2nd loop, after I’d gone about 42-45 miles I
began to pass the slowest swimmer-cyclists who were just starting their first
loop. My heart went out to them as they struggled up the “false flat” terrain,
mostly into the wind. It’s often even tougher for them. I can and did stay
comfortably aero for most of the ride but some of these athletes tend to be
fairly “big units” and have to take a far less aerodynamic position. The wind
just SMACKS them.
I began to underfuel my calories a little though I was hydrating
adequately. I was using Osmo powder (sugars, electrolytes) in my water, which
provided 70 calories in 16 oz. of water. Other calories cam from ShotBloks, which
are ‘gummies’ with electrolytes. My plan was to get in about 250 cal./hour.
During the 2nd loop I had margarita flavored ShotBloks so I thought
of my brother, mom, and dad each time I ate one. At the ½ way point I took in
some caffeine as planned (my first in 2 weeks).
The rain was getting harder and my feet were now beginning
to get wet. Soon my toes would be cold and eventually numb. My body, however
never got cold enough to start shivering. As the rain became more than random
drops I rolled my “arm warmer sleeves” down to my wrists. Being that they were
just bulky tube socks, I didn’t want them to get soaking wet and heavy.
Eventually I pulled them all the way off but tucked them away in case I wanted
them during the final loop.
At mile 63, while carrying some good speed down the hill, I
got hit on the lower lip by a flying insect. It kind of hurt and felt sort of
sharp. I was thinking, uh oh, I just got unintentionally stung by a bee. So I
scraped at my lip in case there was stinger there. Not finding one I pinched my
lip some in case there was venom in there as I started to imagine having a huge
lip while also hoping I wouldn’t react to it enough that it would affect my
breathing or even affect my throat. I was also imagining how funny my face would
look in any run photos and finish line photos that were taken. My lip did feel
like it swelled a little but a half hour later there seemed to be nothing.
I saw my awesome supporters at Linda’s “Hot Corner” at Alma
School Road at least twice but probably 3 times. I was pretty focused on
performance and not sliding out and crashing on the turn so didn’t get to
appreciate them as much as I’d like. I still got a boost of energy and love
each time though. Rain began pelting the helmet around mile 73 for me and it
made a fair amount of noise. At times it seemed to come down pretty hard. I
only slowed down a bit extra for every right, left, or U turn in order to be
safe. I applied the brakes early to ensure that the brake pads and rim surfaces
would be dry and functional. Otherwise I’d say the rain was a non-event for my
performance.
John and Stephanie were aid station volunteers and I got to
see them multiple time – especially John. I took water 3 times during the ride,
dropping a bottle once and having to try again.
I had to pee for the last part of the 2nd loop
and all of the 3rd lap but otherwise I felt really good. Knee pain
barely appeared and never stayed for long. My neck and back were relatively
good too. I felt like I was on pace to have a good bike split but I wasn’t
exactly sure what my overall time was. I also didn’t worry about it since I
wasn’t going to push harder – there was still a 26 mile run after this. For the
first time I shifted into the small chain ring heading up the false flat of the
Beeline Hwy. I was only in it for a couple of minutes. Scott passed me a few
miles from the final turnaround. Then I passed him back for some reason. Maybe
I just felt like I was cruising up the hills, not laboring. He passed me back
again so I figured that would be it. He said, “I’m starting to feel tired”,
exactly as he’d predicted. At about mile 101 I suddenly saw him again… pulled
off to the side with a flat tire. I briefly thought about stopping to help but
then thought, HECK NO, I’m GOING! I did feel badly for him but then thought
that it might be just the short break he could take advantage of to have a good
run.
I did manage to pee once on the bike (don’t tell anyone!) on
the downhill portion of the Beeline – sweet relief. I taken a water bottle at
the final turnaround to partially top of my drink but also to save the water
for a post-pee squirt down so I held that bottle in my “butt crack bottle
holder” (my racing shorts waistband) until needed. Threw it away at the next
aid station trash can.
I eased off just a little and stretched out the back, etc.
for the final few miles (should have done MORE stretching). About ½ a mile from
the dismount I opened my shoes and pulled my feet out of them in preparation
for getting off the bike. I dismounted just before the line, grabbed my Garmin,
handed off my bike, and headed ran to get my run bag. Outside the changing
tent, who do I see but Natalie. I get a big hug and turn to get in the tent.
But who do I see? Chris standing there! Hugs again and then he follows me into
the tent. Another volunteer has started to help me and Chris joins in,
especially helping with the compression socks I think will help me on the run
ahead. I didn’t pre-roll them and they were hard to get on because my feet are
so wet from the rainy ride. We eventually get them on (his method was
brilliant), I put my shoes on, see I’d forgotten to put Aquaphor on my toes to
help prevent blisters, and hoped I wouldn’t regret it.
RUN 4:53:34 (35th fastest in age group - finish in 9th) I push on, out of the tent walking, as I try to take in
another dose of Imodium and my amino acids. I forget to use Then I switch my
Garmin to run mode and push start, a minute or 2 late. I take it easy in the
first mile, walking more than once. Gradually I get my legs going well during
the 2
nd and 3
rd mile and it’s game on. I watch my mile
splits when I notice them but mostly I watch heart rate. I was happy to see it
in the sub-120 early on, which is a zone 2 for me. It continued to rain off and
on, sometimes pretty significantly. I never got cold, fortunately. There is a
section from about miles 2 through 4 (and again at 15-17) where the path is
dirt. With all the rain these sections were treacherous. While I never walked I
tried to be super careful not to slip or do the splits. Either one might have
taken me out with a muscle strain or worse.
The run course is 2 “loops” that have out and back portions.
It’s easy to “chunk” the run into 4ths because of the layout. Also because of
the layout you get to see supporters/spectathletes multiple times on the
course. It’s a nice set up. I loved getting to see Linda, Corey, Mom, Phil,
Cyd, Tam, Joel, Sally, John, Genna, David, Bev, Stephanie, Natalie, and Chris
during the race.
During the first loop (I think) I got word from Tam that I
was on 11:07 pace, which stoked my fires. Also I could hear Sally giving me the
words of encouragement I was looking for – she remembered (of course she did!)
that for me this race was about LOVE – that I Love This; that I love the
pain/suffering that can take place and that I want to embrace. The 11:07 would
have been a dream finish and I heard it during a point where I was feeling
really good.
I got to the half marathon point, feeling pretty good. I’d
peed twice which was unusual for me. I think I probably hydrated enough (or
even too much) on the bike considering the cool conditions. I decided I
wouldn’t make it for another 2 ½ hours without paying the homage to the
J-pouch/colitis devil so I “broke the seal”/”popped the cork” and went into the
portapotty to do some of my own waste management. I hoped that I could run the
rest of the way without having to go again.
Just past transition, heading off to the out-and-back of the
2nd loop, someone named Joanne starts talking to me because of my
Team Challenge race kit. She realized who I am and we then talked about
ulcerative colitis for 2 ½ miles! Her husband has it and she and I had
connected on Facebook 7-8 months ago and had even spoken on the
phone once. Crazy she found me on the course!
I needed to pee yet again at mile 14+ but all 4 spots were
occupied so I decided to wait for the next aid station a mile away. I thought I was going
to die and almost couldn’t hold it. Finally got to a portapotty and went again.
The mud was again treacherous but had improved a
little compared to the first pass. My pace seemed to be slowing some but I was
still doing alright. Somewhere around mile 18 I spoke to someone from Ireland
who was doing his first IM and also has Crohn’s. He lives in the San Francisco
area now so of course I tried to sell Team Challenge as we ran. He listened and
then ran off – much faster (and younger) than me!
I then just missed a chance to advertise the TC mission and
endurance program for the Ironman Arizona race day video. Someone from
WTC/Ironman was on course with a camera, recording people and asking them
questions like why they were doing the race. He interviewed the person ahead of
me. I thought he’d keep running along and do me next so I was mentally trying
to have my bullet points ready. Instead he swung around the other way and
started recording someone else running in the opposite direction before I could
even think to say, “Ask ME!”. I kept running, feeling disappointed for about ½
a mile.
My stomach wasn’t thrilled with my nutrition. Again I was
using Osmo and ShotBloks. It just wasn’t pleasant so I took in less.
Dehydration was less of a concern because of the very mild temperature. I ended
up pretty short on calories – easily less than about a hundred an hour. On the
other hand I never felt like I bonked.
My mile splits slowed as I ran on the north side of the river.
I followed my “walk through aid stations, run between stations” formula except
for some short “hill” sections where I took an extra walk break. Overall I
believe I ran my race except for the walk breaks. The final 6 miles were tough
and I reverted to the cadence chant I used in 2013. “I love Lin da” went
through my head – each foot strike being a syllable of that phrase.
My heart rate never really got as high as I’d intended. I’m
sure it was because my aerobic fitness wasn’t the limiter to going faster –
heavy legs and fatigue were! I saw Bev just before the finish and she told me
the TC Flag was waiting by the Jumbotron and then she yelled and me to go or
something about badass or something – I don’t remember now. Just after the turn
at the finish chute Corey was holding the flag, ready for the handoff. I
grabbed it quickly and kept running. I looked around me and didn’t see any
athletes nearby so I held the flag up high behind my head, knowing I wouldn’t
block someone else’s finish line picture. I ran in strong and crossed without
knowing my time or how much I’d faded.
Mr Mike Riley, the voice of Ironman, called me across the line (though didn't mention Team Challenge this time.) I wobbled a little as I walked. The volunteer kept asking me
how I was but eventually turned me loose with my hat and shirt, to have my
timing chip removed and my picture taken. At the railing Corey saw me first and
got the first hug. Then Mom and Linda. As usual I hugged Linda and cried on her
shoulder. It is always such an emotional relief to finish and let it out.
I ended with a personal best of 11:29:27, very close to my
goal time. My run was about 25 minutes slower than hoped but my bike and swim
were faster. The run transition was slow but that was thanks to my use of
compression socks and poorly prepping them for putting on wet feet.
I got my picture taken, got a little food, received a nice massage, grabbed some warm clothes, and waited for Kat to cross the finish line. We celebrated some more and then headed straight to dinner so as not to keep exhausted spectathletes from some much needed food! Famous Dave's BBQ was open until 10pm so the waited for us. Salmon, onion strings, french fries and iced tea were my meal. (I'd already eaten 3 Clif bars and drunk an O'Douls in the previous 3 hours.) Unlike 2 years ago, we didn't return to the finish line for the final finishers. Everyone was exhausted and wanted to find their beds. And six had to get up early to sign up for next year!
We had a quick breakfast on Monday morning and went back to transition to watch the race video, the awards, and the Kona slot distribution and roll down. Returned to the hotel, packed the car, and drove home. WHAT A WEEK! Thank you one and all!!!
Conclusions:
- I am so very grateful for
the love, support, sacrifice, and encouragement from my understanding Linda, who
makes this possible.
- I am also so very grateful for all the love, support, and
enthusiasm from my amazing mom and Corey (head Sherpa!) and family and friends who were out there on the course or watching from afar. You all, collectively, give me
just one more reason to push through the tough spots and get to that finish
line. I’m so fortunate to have you ALL in my corner!!!
- I have an old man
bladder! 1x before the swim, 1x on the bike, SIX times on the run! Geezer!!!
- A slightly easier effort on the bike could yield a faster run.
- A slower first half of the
run would yield an overall faster run time. That said, I believed I was running
at a sustainable effort that would yield that faster run as fatigue built.
- A more perfect final 6 weeks of run training would also make a difference.
Time and Goals wrap up:
- Experiential goals were mostly achieved. I felt love, joy,
and gratitude during many parts of the race. I took in the natural environment, especially on the bike. I relished the pain but will wonder if I could have pushed harder on the 2nd half of the run.
- Process goals were mostly achieved. I swam and rode with
awareness of form and technique to perform well. My nutrition plan was not
followed very well but that didn’t seem to hold me back.
- Performance goals were generally a success. My goal time was
11:26 and being just 3 minutes off doesn’t make it a “miss”. I’m disappointed
in my run split and it’s not even as good as my 2011 split. On the other hand,
my final 6 weeks of run training were compromised by Silverman 70.3 recovery
and slight injuries. This led to a less than perfect final peak and taper.
- Outcome goal was met. I was aiming for top 10 and got 9th.
- I'm signed up for Ironman Arizona in 2016. I will have to improve my run to exceed my run goal of this year while maintaining my swim and bike splits if I'm to have a chance of qualifying for Kona. Having only the 35th fastest run time this year but finishing 9th is pretty telling.
2015 splits – 11:29:27 – Swim 1:01:08 (1:34/100m)/ T1 5min23s / Bike 5:21.49 (20.88mph) / T2 7min33s / Run 4:53.34 (11:12/mi) – 9th of 149 in age group, 377th male, 458th of 2681 overall.
2015 Goals – 11:23:00 – 1:04 / 7min / 5:40 / 6min / 4:26
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2013 splits – 12:06:14 – 1:04.56 / T1 7min51s / Bike 5:25.46 (20.63mph) / T2 6min52s / Run 5:20.49 (12:14/mi) – 13th of 106 in my age group, 740th male, 912th of 2652 overall.
2011 splits – 11:46:56 – 1:01 / 5min49s / 5:32 (20.25mph) / 2min46s / 5:05 (11:40/mi)
2010 splits – 11:51:07 – 1:03 / 6min57s / 5:45 (19.47mph) / 6min41s / 4:49 (11:02/mi)
2009 splits – 12:32:02 – 1:01 / 7min32s / 5:44 (19.51mph) / 6min 11s / 5:33 (12:43/mi)
#IMAZ #getsladed #sladecoaching #IronmanArizona #Mission1660
Wave 12 started at 7:14am. I handed off my morning bag,
dumped my socks, walked down to the water via the boat ramp and finally got to pee
in the wetsuit. They sent us to the start line about 40 yards out where I lined
up at the front-center. For the first time I was racing with a friend and
training partner in my wave. Phil’s first 70.3 was about to begin!
