IMFL 2012 Race Report - 1st IM ever
Just over a year ago a buddy of mine basically challanged me to beat his time at IMFL (11:46:56) - another EN race ninja - Shawn Thompson. So i took the challange after not having done anything tri - ish since late 1999 early 2000. I have ever done an IM or even a half. Everything written below is purely factual and not geared towards any i love me statements, i hope this report helps those thinking about doing one or maybe there is one nugget in here that helps them in their race:
IM time: 11:07:44
Age group 45-49
Finished on my feet and running!
Enjoyed every moment of the race!
I arrived in Panama City the Sunday evening before the race - decided i would make this a family trip and not just my IM race. Never executed an open water swim in competition in my life just a few swims at the beach is all prior to this.
Monday: Contemplated swimming but after seeing the waves and talking to some locals decided against it. Ran in accordance with the IM Intermediate race plan on the run course. Rode for 45 minutes on front beach road to route 79. Chilled for the day and saw some local stuff
Tuesday: Again attempted to swim but decided against it due to the same 2-3ft waves and riptide warning. Chilled with the family.
Wednesday: Swam for about 30 mintues with a few local people i met at a bike shop. Just tried to get used to the chop and find some rhythm in the water. I am a right side breather only. Swam out to the second set of tiny white buoys they leave in the water all year. Quickly figured out to sight to the left side of the tall boardwalk hotel when swimming back into the beach. Rented some Zipp 808s from race day wheels and rode the "loop" Coach P mentioned during his seminar on IMFL. Have never ridden on any wheels other than what came with my Cervelo P2 - so i wanted to get used to the crosswind blowing me a little. This "rehearsal" on the course was very helpful in the fact that i quickly understood how the crosswind effects your steering and showed me how VERY responsive 808s are to your movements in aero poisition.
Thursday: Swam again (much calmer-than Wednesday) for about 40 minutes and finally found a little rhythm in my stoke between swells. Rode a final time for a systems check - stayed on the east side the race start - straight madness with people on bikes west of start/finish line. Ran on course for 30 minutes at race pace. Packed race bags 3 times until i was happy.
Friday - Attended 4 keys talk - so awesome both RnP were there! Turned in bike and bags. FEET UP! At a huge grilled chicken sandwich lunch at red robin restuarant. Prepared nutrition for bike (Infinite) and placed in freezer, packed run special needs bag and bike special needs bag. Had a little tomato soup for dinner and went to bed at 7pm - took 1 ambien to make me sleep.
Race Day: woke up at 0300, drink 1 cup of coffee then ate my 3 cups applesauce, 1 banana, a scoop whey protien, and 24oz of gatorade. at 0500 i ate a bagel with peanut butter and drank 8oz water. Made my way to T1, turned in special needs bags, got body marked and then set up bike - put both nutrition bottles on bike, 3x gels and 1x powerbar in dark bike bag, put valve extenders on both tubes and squared up repair kit on bike, put 910xt on bike and turned on - when synched with satellites i turned it off, and finally pumped up tires. I hung around for about 30 minutes with my family then i put on my Desoto First Wave Concept (two piece) wetsuit and made my way to the beach. I also stuffed an extra set of goggles in the small of my back under my wetsuit. 15 minutes prior to the gun i took in 2 gels (no caffeine).
Swim: Two loop course. i positioned myself about 2/3 of the way to the right in about the front 10 rows of people as we were all wading in the water. Told myself this race was about execution now and only think of things that i could CONTROL myself. The gun went off and the madness began. Pretty awesome sight for me and started my 300m sprint to get ahead of the stupidity. Well the stupidity caught me quickly and i began taking on a lot of water. I think i made it to the second buoy before the vomitting began - continued swimming breaststroke and got rid of all the unwanted water and salt..Too funny i thought - 27yrs in the military and have never failed at anything but here comes an IM swim to knock me out. Not a chance - after all i had a trash talking buddy that i would have to answer to as well as plenty of peers back in the unit that would never let me live this down - Type A peeps tend to be really good at this. So i continued swimming counting one stroke at a time and breathing every other stroke for the entire first loop. Hit the sand to cross the pad and could feel the nausea begin again, got back in the water and started wretching again while doing the breast stroke for another few minutes. Finally got into a groove after hitting the turn buoy on the second loop and started counting strokes (more than 3 i made it to). Hit the beach again and had my top completely off with my cap and goggles stuffed inside of it prior to being completely out of the water. Had the strippers take off my bottoms (big mistake - sand all up and down my backside) and started running thru T1.
Swim time - 1:12
T1: Got my bag handed to me and sat down in chair to put on in order: helmet, shoes, then stuffed my salt tabs into my back pouch on my top. the volunteer was awesome - he called out items and i told him where it was going (back in bag, in my hand...). He stuffed my wetsuit in the bag for me and i was on my way. Hit the sunscreen ladies and told them to put some on my lower back and my cheeks and arms. This is when i found out how much sand was on my back as she scrubbed the sunscreen into the sand on my back. Not her fault - just when i found out how sandy i was from the stripper mat. I also wound up with sunscreen on my glasses because they were on my face already (rookie mistake). Stuffed the glasses in my jersey pouch and went to find my bike. Found my bike and ran outside of transition about 150 meters past the mount line. it was awesome, no one was here and i got on my bike very easily and had no interference at all
time- 6:35
Bike: rode the first 30 miles as told in the race execution guidance = just ride along. It felt real easy and i took this time to take in a powerbar and get water back into my system after losing it during the swim. at about the 15 mile mark or so i lost my first bottle of nutrition on the bike. About every 10 minutes I would reach back to make sure they were there and seated properly but somehow one popped out. I had 2 bottles set up for 1.5 hours each so if i did lose one at least i had another one before i hit special needs. This also prevented me from totally relying on course nutrition. Remaining portion of first half of ride was uneventful and just focused on my power numbers. hit bike special needs and grabbed my other 2 bottles of nutrition (1.5hrs each again) and my cooler cap and arm coolers. About 3 miles later i lost another bottle of nutrition - other side of my Xwing set up. Grapped a bottle of perform to supplement my nutrition as i did earlier. About mile 75 the pelotons showed up and made the remaining portion of the ride very difficult to execute as passing them and them passing me became an exercise in frustration. At any rate i finally broke out in front of them about about mile 100 and finished strong on the bike. Nutrition called for infinite every 15 minutes/ 1botlle per 1.5 hrs, 1 gel per hour - no caffeine until hour 4. one powerbar during each 56 mile porion - executed everything as planned minus the infinite nutrition that i lost but did supplement the same amount of perform instead. i really felt as if i underperformed because i have never felt so fresh as i did after riding 112miles - at least while the training plan had us really working every single day including the race rehearsals. Basically, i had fresh legs - imagine that! WORK WORKS!
Bike time - 5:25
T2: Pretty quick turn around on this one as I only had to put my socks and shoes on before i departed and slip some gels in my jersey pouch. Again the volunteer was awesome helping me out calling out things and me telling him where to put it while i got my socks on. I did prep my feet and take them out of the bike shoes the last 200m and left my shoes on the bike - ran barefoot into T2 with no issues at all. lots of people taking their time in T2 looking real smoked from the bike. I felt fresh and ready to run.
Time- 3:33
Run - funny thing about the run is i feel this is my strong suit with being in the military for so many years. This is also my biggest problem - not being able to slow down is something that will take years to break me from. So i tried my best and i do mean that, and ran as close to the pace as i was supposed to for the first 6 miles. The dictated pace was 9:56 a mile for 6 miles - this includes the 30 seconds to it, instead i ran an average of 9:13 per mile for the first 6. Then the pace was to be 9:26 until the LINE. Well the line for me happened right at mile 20. I averaged right at 9:28 for the first 19.5 miles and then started to break down. I had some nausea during the run and drank coke to help solve it. I used caffeine gels every 5 miles as my nutrition as well as walking every aid station and alternating water and perform. I took on Sponges and ice for the first 8 miles when available placing them inside of my hat and had the volunteers pour ice down my arms coolers - this kept my temp down and helped me continue running. At about mile 22 I realized i was going to beat the "time" that i was working towards for the past year and slowed way down. This was great since my mind was telling me to slow down as well. I got to see both coaches at the entrence to the park on both laps and again a half mile from the finish line - that was seriously motivating - those guys rock! To backtrack a little, i hit the run special needs bag and took about 2 minutes to change my socks and adjusted my orthodics in my shoes. This was well worht it as my feet were soaking wet and webbed from all of the liquids that poured down my body and into my shoes.
Run time- 4:19
End notes:
1. Listen to the 4 Keys
2. Sit down shut up and listen to the coaches
3. Follow your training plan and put the effort out that it calls for - dont short change training at all
4. Have back up plans for your nutrition along the course (if it has never happened to you in training, it will during the race)
5. Dry socks at run special needs!
6. Dramamine might help for rougher water - or maybe just swim in the ocean more......
7. Know what your one thing is before race day!
8. That "LINE" will show its ugly head at some point
9. Execute the plan - You are fit regardless of what you think your performance showed during race rehearsals
10. You dont need to race Sprints or Half Ironman races before embarking on a IM race - WORK WORKS and it will get you there.
I hope this helps at least one person.
Mike
Comments
Peer pressure - the best motivator of all. Looks like you put your trust in the right system - you followed the Rules and got a great result.
BTW, I personally hate bottle racks behind seats - I've seen too many crashes from someone either not being able to retrieve/put back properly, or someone else hitting a bottle which has gone flying out.
Coach P,
He doesnt owe me anything literally. But to me just him knowing a dude 7 yrs older than him smoked his time and he has to spend at least the next 12-18 looking at it before he gets to race again is all I need him to owe me..... I have to tell you and Coach R that seeing you both out there supporting all of us really made a difference and was very motiviating! I will only be able to race again once this year Florida 70.3 and then i am going to have to take a per say "race break" for two years due to my upcoming assignment. However, if you guys ride 6 Gap in the next two years please let me know as I am moving to Dahlonega summer of 2013. Thanks again.Mike
Well done.