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:
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).
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
*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
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.
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| 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.
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| 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)
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.
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
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.
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| Spotting the fan club, as I head towards the finish :) |
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| Apparently I felt like shooting something (myself?) when this one was done! ;) |
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
