IMFL Re-Cap

Thought I'd scratch down a "quick" race report, while I had a moment and before time escapes and I'm on to Christmas preparations! ;)  We are back safe from our trip/holiday.  This was the first "family" Ironman race we've been able to do together since really starting to grow our family 5 years ago (time flies).  It was a blast flying with Bryn and Ollie, and they loved the entire trip, which made things that much more enjoyable.

As for the race, I began making notes about it, the very next day.  In a lot of ways, racing the ironman distance is like solving a big puzzle and I look at each race as a chance to learn from mistakes and evaluate strengths/weakness. AND because we already picked the next one on August 17, 2014, I have a great chance to keep building upon where I am now, so I will not waste this experience.

Because this was my 3rd time at IMFL, I knew they lay of the land quite well.  Instead of spending time at the athlete expo, going to athlete meetings, the pre-race dinner, the pancake breakfast - I just enjoyed the family time, playing with kids and keeping them happy :)  

 
OK - Race details and thoughts:

I posted this status earlier in the week as a quick summary:

My IMFL 2013 race by the numbers: (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run)
2690 Finishers out of 2880 (ish) starters
I finished 486th overall (95th in my AG of 368)
Out of the water I was 258 overall (41st in my AG) in 1:04:06 (1:39/100m pace- it was a slower swim day)
Off the bike I was 131overall (18th in my AG) in 4:48:08 (37.48 km/hr)*
I ran "backwards" (ended up 95th in my AG out of 368) - in 4:53:20 (6:57/km).

T1- 5:00

T2 - 3:10

Total time of 10:53:41

*IM bike split PR by 3ish minutes

Nutrition on Race Day:

Breakfast (4:00am):
2 Boost plus drinks (360 cals each = 720 total)
1 piece toast with PB and Jam
1 glass of a smoothie I made (OJ, banana, handful of frozen fruit)
1 cup of coffee black

Pre-race:
Half bottle of E-load mix - 45-30mins prior
1 Gu Roctain gel 15 mins prior

Swim:

Not much to say here, the water was rough early on with the big breakers, but I was pleased with the swim.  Not too much contact and I felt very comfortable. In hindsight, I may have changed my route a bit as it appears from my Garmin file that I was a bit crooked at times, but overall no bad.

Bike:

On the bike, I was feeling good :)  I actually felt like coming out of transition, I was more "relaxed" than usual, and my heart rate was not as jacked up - which was part of the plan.  I was able to get rolling well, almost instantly, which was a great feeling - not having to wait for the lungs to settle and the legs to kick in.  

I was smiling early and often - I love riding the Florida course!  The only thing wrecking my day early on, was the blatant drafting I saw.  I told a few riders to back off (not so nicely), as I would pass them, while they were sucking onto someones wheel, but soon thought better of spending my energy on my race, instead of that.   

Aero nerd and proud of it!

Overall, the ride was great - certainly the "fun" part of my day.  Weather was great, with winds that were  N/NW, which meant they were at our back on some key stretches, and only into our faces along a stretch 2/3rds into the ride. Temperature was ideal, I rode with arm warmers for the first 3 hours of the ride, it was perfect.  

I did notice some faint "weakness" in the quads a few times when I stood up on the pedals, to stretch.  I know from experience, that when I cramp in the quads it is a first sign of low sodium, so I upped my intake just in case and I kept firing well.  I went through the first 90kmin comfortably in 2:20, which was plenty quick.  I was in no need to try and maintain that, and planned on being a bit slower over the last 90km, as the terrain was very slightly "harder", and the wind more of a obstacle for a couple sections. I thought if played it right, a 4:45-4:50 ride was within reach, and I ended up being right about that.  

This is the first decent side shot I've got while racing.  I'd like to make some slight changes on the front to this position, but it's working pretty well!

With about 20-30 km to go, I did start getting a tight back. I did what I could to loosen it up, and hydrated, and the only thing I can think to attribute this to is time away from the bike (due to shipping it pre-race) and not being in that position as often up to race day.  It wasn't terrible, just annoying, and I made the choice to ride even easier the last 10-15 km, because there was a little run coming up ;) (oh, and the blatant drafting was still on, as a pack of 15+ went flying by me with about 15km to go.  I tried to ride legally off the back of them, but there was no way.  It was very annoying to say the least.)

Bike Nutrition:
1 bottle Infinit with 1.5 servings (425-450 cals) (586mg sod)
- 2 bottles water with this (this was over the first 1:45-1:50)
- 1 Bottle with EFS, Consumed 1000 cals (1000 mg sod) and about 4 more bottles of water
- Was planning on 2 salt caps an hour, but noticed some minor cramping in my quads 2/3rds in the ride (which is always where the first 'sign' shows), so I upped the intake.
- Took 12 caps total (2580mg)
Totals:
1400-1450 cals (296/hr)
2580mg sodium (537.4/hr) from Salt caps plus 1586mg from Infiinit and EFS = 4166mg total
5-6bottles of water
Ride Time: 4:48 (37.4km/hr)

Run:
On the down side, very early on the quads were cramping, so I took even more salt tabs and the cramps subsided.  Unfortunately though, I seemed to have a pretty low energy level and just couldn't really get going or get the HR up.  I tried to take some additional fuel in the early aid stations, but instead of really helping, it brought on stomach cramps similar to what I faced in 2010 - not fun.  So, from the early kilometers it was a delicate shuffle, trying not to upset the stomach too much, but take in something -which ended up being primarily water.

On the "positive"- it's one thing to say running a marathon in an Ironman is hard, but it's even more so, when from early on, you are "not yourself" and not even running anything close to what you are capable of.  I'm proud that there was never a doubt about getting it done, and that even though it was not near the pace I expect from myself, I was up to the task and kept going (literally, even when I choose to lie down twice - in an effort to put my legs up and relieve the stomach stress/digestion).   There was never a thought of stopping and that's not always easy to keep a clear mind about, especially when things aren't going your way.

Of course, I'd be silly not to mention the huge lift it was to see Jodie and the kids out on the run course.  Somehow, it's always easy to smile when I see them, even on a tough day like this one was.  I'm grateful to them for their support and happy to have IM #6 in the books.

Spotting the fan club, as I head towards the finish :)

Apparently I felt like shooting something (myself?) when this one was done! ;)

Thoughts and preparations are already turning in my head towards the year ahead and in the future, I will post about that stuff.  As I mentioned earlier, I do not plan to waste this race experience and I will be trying my best to learn from it and not have a repeat!

In the meantime, for the next 3 weeks I'll be focused on finally preps for Fiddler - a welcome change of pace for the 3 week "off season"! ;)  

L'Chaim!
Jon




    

   

IMFL Pre-Race Thoughts

Yes, it had been a long time (about 11 weeks, by the look of it) since I have given any updates here - so for the few who may have been left wondering... my bad.  The reasons for my "silence" have been primarily been twofold: first, the fall season has been a super busy time - increased training and commitment to a local musical, on top of the usual, work and family stuff has kept me hopping!   Second, training has been up and down, so rather than report in a low spot or high, I felt I needed to just step back, enjoy the ride and just do my best to execute the plan up to race day.

That may sound reasonable, but it wasn't always easy.  I would say that my prep for this Ironman has been far more "up and down" than previous campaigns.  I won't get into all the "whys", because there's nothing to be done about it now. The main thing, was to just try and adapt and make the most out of each day/week - and I feel that my coach and I were able to do that.

The "ups and downs" have left me a little less certain of my race day abilities / expectations this time around versus last time at IMFL, BUT I am ok with that. Why?  Mainly because of my experience.  This is IM #6 for me, and the truth is IM racing isn't just about "how fast/powerful" of a car you have, but rather, how you drive that car!  In other words, while I may not be the fastest/fittest I've ever been (I may also be?), I believe I can have the best race I've ever had - if I "drive" (pace) properly.   With this in mind, the race day strategy will be to stay within myself on the swim and bike and the first two-thirds of the run in hopes of finishing with a strong run!  Or in other words, race in a way, that leaves me able to run that whole freaking marathon - and not have to walk!! (something I have never managed to do in a IM and its about time I do!).

Here's what I think I can do on race day, IF I manage to pace smart.  The 'x' factor for my guessing, is the bike split - for two reasons:  I've had some "hiccups" the past couple weeks on some bike workouts (one unavoidable explosive flat, and some others that just were not well executed, for likely a combination of factors like fatigue and switching back to my road bike a week ago, as it was shipped to Florida) and two, I don't ride terrain like Florida in training so its a little hard to equate my training times/effort to what they could be down there.   That said, here's where I think I may be on race day:

Swim: 1 hour (+/- 2mins)
Bike: 4:45- 5:00ish (yes, that's a big window for a flat course, but I truly will have to see how the body is firing on race day and adjust accordingly)
Run: 3:30-3:45 (I wish I could say it'd be faster, but I need to be realistic).
Transitions - 7-8 min total

So, where does that leave me?  Somewhere between in the 9:50-9:30 range.  Truthfully (and somewhat sadly) a 9:30, will likely leave me "on the bubble" for a Kona slot (going by previous years), but I'm not sure I have faster in me this time, and I'm ok with that.  I can't control who shows up, and how fast others will go, so my thoughts going in are solely on listening to my body, fueling smart, and executing my best race - the other "stuff" is what it is!

Ok, I can't wrap this post up without a huge shout out and thank you to my wife!  There is no way, this journey would be possible without her support and the continual (daily) planning of "who's doing what, when" and working together to get it all in.  I am thrilled that she will be in Florida with me, and I can't wait to see her, B and O on the sidelines to help carry me through the day :) 

I think that's all for now! 5 days, 9 hours and some change until the gun goes off. It should be a great week gearing up for the week, I'm looking forward to it all.

Jon

BE NOT AFRAID

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-Marianne Williamson

I love that quote - it is worth reading many times over, but I'll make it easier for you the second time - here is where I 'think' I first encountered the piece, in a wonderful film entitled "Coach Carter". 

The background to that clip, is a young man who Coach Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) had identified as having great talent, but was constantly self-sabotaging his own life by making poor choices.  Throughout the film, Coach constantly asks him, "What are you afraid of?", and finally by the end of film, he comes to see what he was getting at, and responds as you just saw in the clip. 

Can you identify with this at all?  I sure did, and still can.  I'm not sure why we do it to ourselves, but for some reason there is a part of the brain, that likes to try and talk us into settling or  "under-shining". 

Have you ever picked a goal, and worked hard towards getting it?  Along the way, you no doubt, made great efforts and changes, and likely saw some success.  BUT, with that success along the way, have you ever found that you just settled or were tempted to?  Instead of sticking with it to the end and hitting that big goal, you buy into some thinking like "I've come so far, this is great. I don't need to ______".  And with that inward concession, you give yourself the out; while most look at you and see no real difference because that talk was likely just between your ears and no one else heard it.

Why am I writing this now?

I am just under 11 weeks to go until Ironman Florida.  I have been thinking, planning, and training for this event for the better part of the last year.  You would think, that as it get closer, the ability to focus and execute becomes easier, and it can be, BUT I face that same trap of self-sabotage, if I am not careful.  I have come super far this year, and there was a time when I wondered if I would get back to the fitness I had in 2010 when I last raced there.  Well, guess what?  I have. AND I actually think I am fitter.  

I had a great race a week ago in K-town, and sometimes success can be both good and bad.  Good because it builds confidence, but bad, because you can loose the hunger to keep improving, and get satisfied.  For a moment, there was part of me who thought "Yes, you nailed a good race, relax.  You don't need to keep pushing, eat some junk and chill".  For a few days last week there was a back and forth conversation in my head between giving it my all for the big goal ahead or just "taking the foot off the gas" for a bit.  Thankfully, (because this is not the first time I've had that type of dialogue), I recognized it, and was able to stay focused on the task at hand.  I have come to far now, to shrink my goals and listen to that stupid voice that can whisper to all of us, that we don't deserve to go after our best.  

To myself, I've made it clear again:  I'm going for a Kona Slot in Florida.  I want it, and I believe I can get it.  I am going to execute the best I can between now and then and give myself every chance possible to have my best race on that day.  I will lay it all on the line again, and if the "chips" don't fall my way, that's ok.  What isn't ok, is giving into that stupid little voice that, even as I type this, is trying to silence me and "dim my light".   

I will not be afraid.

No matter what journey you are on, I want to remind you as well - BE NOT AFRAID.  You can do it.  If you've set your mind on something, then go after it and don't let anything or anyone - including yourself, get in the way!

Aiming High,
Jon

Feeling like Pacman - Ktown Race Report!

Well, it only took until August, but I finally put together a successful long course tri result this year!  What a difference from a month ago, when I raced in Peterborough (previously blogged below).  It was like night and day.

The biggest difference going into this race versus Peterborough was in my daily hydration.  I was determined to confirm the impact this had on my performance and was not going to allow for this issue to be a possibility on this day.  IF I showed up flat again, then it was not going to be because of a lack of hydrating, and showing up under fueled.

Going in, the plan was simple:  Swim smooth, to set up a strong bike and run combo.  My expectations, were to feel strong on the bike and hopefully average something north of 37km/hr on this rolling moderate hilly course.  On the run, I was cautious with expectations (with Peterborough still fresh on my mind), but I was hoping to be able to run sub 4:30/kms, but I was really more focused again on feeling strong throughout.

Mom and dad showed up to support, which is always special and I also had some other family members come out as they were in town that weekend for other reasons and made time to come check it out - thanks!

Before the gun went off at 8am for the deep water start of the 2km swim, it was clear I was hydrated... I peed 3 times within the hour leading up to the start! :)  As planned, I eased into things on the swim, and was able to find a great line to the first buoy.  The rest of the way was pretty uneventful.  Waters in Lake Ontario were pretty calm and the temps were ideal for wetsuit swimming.  I popped out of the water around 32 minutes - not blazing fast, but feeling like I had stuck to the 'swim smooth' plan.  I would soon know whether or not the race was going to be on - because for me, it really starts on the bike!

After a quick transition, I was on to the 49.6km bike course.  It did not take long to see, this race was going to be different.  Within the first 10-15 minutes on the ride I had passed 10-20 riders... way more then I ever did over the 90km ride in Peterborough.  I was rolling the pedals over and no one was passing me.  In Peterborough, at every hill or slight incline, I felt like I was going backwards, but now, I was feeling like Packman - eating up every incline, and closing in on whatever rider was in front of me!  I came off the bike averaging 37.4km/hr, and had only 2 guys pass me the whole way, and they were both on relay teams.  It was a great ride, except I wished it was much longer!

Another quick transition into the running shoes, and again, I knew quickly - within 300 meters of this 15km run, that this day was definitely going to be different.  The legs were turning over, and as I headed through the first km, in sub 4'/km pace, I thought - ok, be smart, keep fueling and stay strong.  The run course is a mix of flats, with a few short steep and medium length hills.  On some of the climbs I felt the muscles in my back tighten up a bit, but I just tried to relax and turn the feet over quickly.

By far the best part of the run, was that final 600 or so meters, when you come around onto the home stretch.  You can see the growing crowds ahead, and the finish banner in the distance.  I had paced it well, and started to lift my pace to empty the tank - I did not want someone passing me at this stage of the game.  I was feeling strong and with 200 meters to go, my eyes were on the line, but my ears heard the voice of my dad yelling something like "Go Jon-boy, Go!".  It really doesn't matter the exact words, but hearing him and closing a race strong, made me well up with emotion that you just can't replicate.

Driving home for the finish.. This was right about when Dad was yelling out, and the finish was nearing!

When it was all over, I averaged around 4:18/km on the run course.  Good enough for finishing 3rd in my age group and 19th overall out of 201 competitors.   It was a wonderful feeling, and a needed boost to the psyche to put this race together. I am about 13 weeks away from Ironman Florida and the volume will be that much easier to "get up" for, on the heels of this result.  


Moving forward I have the remainder of August to keep improving, before I get to test things out really good in Ottawa on a Half Ironman course with flat terrain, similar to that of Florida.

Thanks for following along, and to those of you who keep supporting me with words of encouragement - I really appreciate it!

Jon
       

Hydration

As previously documented (below), things did not go well a week ago when I towed the line for the Peterborough Half Ironman.  After an initial day or two of moping in disappointment, I got to work trying to figure out what went so wrong.  Since then, I have done lots of reflection, and had many discussions with those around me - mostly with my wonderful coach and friend Sandy.

In a nutshell, we soon targeted that my "flatness" and under-performing was most likely due to a fueling/hydration issue.  Since it seemed I was off form, from almost the onset of the bike, it seemed to me this had to be a bigger issue then what I did or did not do during the race... I had only been racing for about 45 minutes (swim included) before I had been riding long enough to know things weren't feeling right!  So, it seemed something in the bigger picture of what I was or wasn't doing had to lead to this.  The leading candidate soon became hydration and now it seems clearer how I got in that mess.  So here is what NOT to do, and then I'll list what I am doing to hopefully make things right!

What NOT to do:

1. Do NOT treat mid-week "short" runs as though they don't require fluid. This may sound crazy, but I rarely used my fuel belt (an accessory for carrying water bottles and gels) for any run unless it was more than 1:15-1:30.  In and of itself, its not that big of deal and the body can certainly do it - but when its done regularly (week after week) you are always running a deficit, and it can be hard to catch up.  This becomes even more critical with the warmer weather that summer brings, and I certainly did not adjust my habits that worked in the spring, for summer training.  

2. Do NOT short change yourself on fluid.  Just because you can do a workout on no or little fluid does not mean you should.  I was notorious for this.  Even when I did take fluid with me on long runs, it often was not enough.  Or when I ride, I purposely waited until 30, 45 or sometime 60 minutes, before starting to drink just so I'd "have enough" to complete the ride and wasn't really thirsty yet.

3. Avoid point-to-point long routes in training, unless you are sure you can stop somewhere and get more fluid.  Most of the time, you start and end your workout at home and although not as "fun", even for a long ride you are better to do loops back to your home, so you can refuel/fillup bottles if necessary.

What TO DO (this is what I'm shooting for and practicing):

1.  Daily hydration - the recommended formula here is to drink half your body weight in ounces every day, and the key is with electrolyte (ie. 190lbs / 2 = 95oz).  Yes, this is a lot of drinking and it does NOT include what you drink during workouts or additional fluid that you will drink in the day like a glass of milk or water :)  I never gave this any thought previously in my training and can honestly say that so far, it seems like a very good move! In fact since doing this, my body weight has gone up 4-5lbs in a week - this indicates to me, that I was in fact under-hydrated for quite some time.

2. Increase hydration during workouts - In both quantity and frequency.
The fuel belt is not just for long runs!  I am now going to take fluid with me for every run (except maybe the short 15-20' transition runs (scratch that - I'll even grab 1 flask and carry it with me for those runs as well - good race practice, and keeps the hydration going - Credit the coach for that one, thanks Sandy!)
On the bike, I am going to drink every 15 minutes minimum.  I used to aim for 20, but 15 will help me get more in.

3. I was advised that in a long race you should have to pee about every hour and half (I just read one article that stated if the athlete was not peeing a very hour it was an indication things may be going very wrong - granted this was for an extreme endurance event in extreme temperatures).  I can honestly say, I've never been anywhere close to this - in daily practice or racing!  I am now much more aware of this, and weird as it may be, am going to be aware of how often I am going and try and at have to "go" during longer workouts.

4. I am going to be using Infinit sports drink as my primary fuel ( I have used this in the past, and I'll save the story for why I wasn't this year so far - its not that exciting).  I have been advised to take 1 to 1.5 servings per hr, during training.  This will equate to approx. 750ml - 900ml (minimum) an hour, and also approx 350-420kcals per hour.  I used this tonight in a ride, and it was excellent.

So, that's the plan right now.  I am hopeful that this will keep me topped up, and fresh for the demands of training and racing.  I also just came across this post, for some additional information to test out and try if you are trying to educate yourself more about hydration here's the link:

Fuelbelt Hydration Tips

These next two weeks will be a real test for me, as I have some serious training to get done, and if I can execute it well, it will serve as a nice conformation that I am back on the right path.

Drink Up!

Jon