Mike Weinmann’s 2013 IMCDA Race Report: “What the…?!?”
SUMMARY:
1. First “A” race with EN; Best execution out of all 3 of my IMs, but I’ll always be wondering what might have been had I been able to race with power…
2. CdA is an awesome venue with a super vibe during race week (and from what I can tell, year round); race was well organized and great for families/spectators with the race passing thru town ~10 times
3. 11:30:30 overall time; 373/2318 OA; 76/285 in M35-39 (18 minute PR!)
a. 1:11:40 swim time; 672/2318 OA; 105/285 in M35-39 (17 minute PR – wetsuit aided)
b. 6:12:47 bike time; 621/2318 OA; 113/285 in M35-39 (hello performance limiter&hellip
c. 3:59:06 run time; 373/2318 OA; 76/285 in M35-39 (16 minute PR and no walking between aid stations!)
4. This report is pretty long and the formatting is off since it was drafted in Word, but I tried to include details that can help first-time IMCDAers…thanks for reading!
PROLOGUE:
1. Training: First “A” race as an EN member: November OS (FTP from 215 à 247; W/kg from 2.6 à 3.2; vDOT from 52 to 54) + Get Faster + 12 weeks of Intermediate IM Plan; Skipped very few workouts but did have to modify the plan to deal with a couple injuries (minor bike spill lead to a wrist injury that still isn’t completely healed; course of antibiotics resulted in two severe calf strains which limited my running for a few weeks – btw, endurance athletes should avoid Levaquin at all costs!); After the OS, I had a lot of trouble hitting my bike intervals and didn’t have any (successful) tests. Need to focus on both those points going forward.
2. Racing: During mile 16 of the marathon of both of my previous IMs, I had to walk after running the previous 15 miles. In TX, it was due to severe cramping, while in NYC, it was due to exhaustion from the crazy hills during the first 15 miles of the race. Therefore, my “one thing” heading into IMCDA was to run the entire marathon
3. Family: my daughters use the expression “What the…?!?” when something unexpected happens. I’m not sure if I should be embarrassed (since they probably picked it up from me) or proud (that they don’t add anything after “the…&rdquo
PRE-RACE:
1. I flew with my family from New Jersey to Seattle on Thursday; rented a car and drove ~7 hours from Seattle to CdA; spent ~1.5 hours stuck in traffic with three kids alternately asking “are we there yet?”; Lesson Learned = pay up to fly as close to the race site as possible (in this case, Spokane)
2. I finished up my race plan (for those interested, I copied an unedited version of my race plan below this report) on the plane ride out while reading IMCDA ’12 race reports from other ENers; worked really well as I added several good tips directly into my plan
3. We rented a house ~3 blocks from Sherman with longtime friend and fellow ENer Gonzalo Canteros-Paz. Our families get along great, and it’s awesome to spend a few days living with them each year and preparing for races together. It was also a great location for the pre-race admin, as well as for our families spectating on race day. After finishing, we even walked down half a block to the CdA public library to watch some late finishers approach Sherman with Mike Reilly’s voice booming in the distance
4. Gonzalo and I went for a quick swim on Friday morning. Initial shock was bad for ~5 seconds, then my feet were cold for ~5 minutes during the swim and after that it felt very comfortable. Was awesome to be in the water with so many other athletes preparing for Sunday and the City Park/lakefront area had a very positive vibe all weekend
5. Big thanks to Peter Carroll for organizing the week’s team activities; Sorry I wasn’t able to meet up with you all, but it was great to feel/give the EN love on the course!
RACE MORNING:
6. 2am: applesauce + bagel (peanut butter + nutella..yummy!) + Gatorade; First time trying this method and it seemed to work fine. Will follow protocol again in the future, but test it during future RRs
7. As a side note, I had cut out wheat/gluten from my diet in the months leading up to the race, which I think helped me cut weight and improve body comp. Added it back race week for carbo-loading and during week 1 of recovery without any ill effects. Plan to go back to a gluten-free diet, as I ramp up for an HIM later this summer.
8. 4am: wake-up, get dressed: 2 x 17oz bottles of Perform + gel before ~640am swim start
9. Quick pre-race transition stop consisting of racking 3 pre-mixed bottles of Perform on my bike, hitting the portapotty and putting on the wetsuit
10. Right before we needed to leave for the swim prep / start, I saw my family for a few moments. In a lucky break that would play a significant role in my day, my son was proud to show me that he was wearing my casio g-shock watch for the day. He had convinced my wife to let him wear it as “Daddy won’t be using it today”…
11. I’m also prone to blisters, but for this race used some ankle tape over the top of a couple J&J blister pads (I can recommend the Advanced Healing Blister pads); With that, we proceeded thru the expo / IM village to the swim prep area
SWIM:
12. My opinion of the new swim start is that it was fantastic! I loved the time trial start at IMNYC last year and had also done a mass start at IMTX. While I’m glad to have done a mass start, I’m more than happy to do time trial or wave starts (probably the best option from a competitive standpoint) from here on out. We were provided plenty of warm up time – I waited until ~10 min pre-gun to get in and swam ~25 yards out to the edge of the warm-up area and back, which was just enough time to remove the shock factor and get in a few strokes before the start. Gun time was 6:30am and it took ~ 5 min to work through the first few seeding groups. Very orderly entry to get in the water and I had plenty of room at the beginning of the swim -- still some contact of course, but nothing like I'd read about in previous IMCDA reports, or experienced first-hand at IMTX. I self-seeded in the 1hr15min to 1hr30min pool (they had two signs connected by rope to separate the seeding groups) and I'd say everyone was in well before 7am. Last note on the swim start is that WTC should always provide for a swim warm-up area -- it makes such a difference to the initial shock of getting in the water.
13. As for the swim itself, it was easy to navigate and tough to get too far off line due to other swimmers as well as the relatively narrow corridor formed by the buoys and kayaks. The course is set up in nice, digestable chunks of ~800m out, ~200m across and ~800m back to shore; Athletes can pick whether to swim on the buoy line (pro: drafting, con: more contact) or off the buoy line in clean water (pro: establish rhythm, con: no drafting). I worked through some minor contact on the edges of the buoy line and generally pushed very hard on the swim following Rich’s advice of swimming as fast as possible while maintaining form.
14. I could tell I was making good time and was excited to check my first lap split when disaster struck. As I was coming onto the beach to go over the timing mat, I looked down to see an empty wrist and realized that my garmin 910xt had been knocked off during the swim! Shortly after purchasing the garmin, I installed a quick release connector to the back of the watch, so I could easily switch between wearing it on my wrist during swim/run and using it as a bike computer during bike wkos. Lesson learned: invest in a bike computer! At that point, I thought of my daughter’s expression and added a few choice words to the end of her “What the…?!?”
15. Thankfully, I had the whole second lap to think about modifying my race plan to account for no power and no heart rate monitor; After a few “angry strokes” starting out on lap 2, I got back in my box and started brainstorming on alternative methods to make sure I didn’t overcook the bike and could run the whole marathon. At that point, I remembered my/my son’s watch and decided to try and get it from him during T1. My wife is always very good about positioning herself and the family at swim exit and sure enough, as I exited the lake, there they were. She was pretty startled when I asked her for the watch, but she quickly grabbed it from his arm and handed it to me as I approached the wetsuit strippers
16. T1 was otherwise uneventful, and I’m pretty pleased with both transition times. I didn’t waste a lot of time and picked out a specific volunteer to help me unload/load my bags each time, thanking them profusely as I left. I got a pretty nasty sunburn on the bike even though I had applied sunscreen prior to swim – decided to forgo sunscreen in T1, which I won’t do again. By the way, I have no idea how the pros get thru transitions in ~1 minute…
17. Losing my PM was especially tough considering I had spent the entire OS, Get Faster and IM build up focusing on using power for the first time and was so excited to use it to pace my bike leg
18. My swim time ended up as a wetsuit-aided ~17min PR vs. IMTX last year (I won’t ever count my Hudson River current-aided 49min swim at IMNYC as a PR), which had me pretty pumped going into T1 in spite of losing the garmin. I’ve definitely been holding back too much on the swim legs of my races and will push harder in the future based on this result. Also, two thumbs up for no swimming during the OS and major use of intervals during the swim wko’s in the GF and IM plans
BIKE:
19. As soon as I was out on the course, I knew it would be cold until the sun came up in full force. My teeth were literally chattering for the first 45 minutes of the ride. Still not sure if the wet arm warmers helped or hurt my body temp, but I can’t imagine trying to put on dry ones in T1, so will likely stick with keeping them on under my wetsuit in future, colder races. Maybe a jacket would help too?
20. I held way back on the initial loop out of town and lots of folks were passing me. It was tough to estimate my power given all of the other variables (elevated HR from swim, garmin fiasco, tapered legs), but I did my best to stay aero and go easy on the uphills while pushing on the downhills.
21. Stating the obvious, but losing the garmin underscores the importance of avoiding 100% reliance on power. Based on some comments in the forums (THANKS ALL!) leading up to the race, I was more focused than I would have otherwise been on HR and RPE during the RR rides. I used the watch to check my HR a few times during the bike by multiplying heart beats during 6 seconds by 10; was at 11-12 beats per 6 seconds during most of the climbs, which implies 110-120 which was pretty close to my bike RRs; I also checked the clock time when I started the bike and going into the race, I thought I’d be 6+ hours on the bike, so kept that target in mind as I passed the mile markers
22. Bike course was an execution challenge as there was very little flat road other than the 2 shorter out & backs near the lake; the longer out and backs on Hghwy 95 were quite hilly; mainly uphill on the way out and generally downhill on the way back
23. The wind and temps picked up on 2nd loop and I started feeling fatigue in my legs on the second loop; I wasn’t sure whether I was overcooking the bike, or that’s how I was supposed to feel, but I didn’t change the pacing at all; Was generally being passed by lots of people on the uphills and I would re-pass some people (but less) on the downhills
24. I struck up a few conversations on the bike; one guy in particular would pass me on the uphills and I’d pass him on the downhills; I checked the results afterwards and he ran a ~6hr marathon, so another check in box of EN-style execution!
25. For nutrition, I started the bike with 3 pre-mixed bottles of perform and ~10 gels in my bento box; I also had one EFS Liquid Shot + Clif Blocks in the T1 bag and carried those in my jersey; Other than that, I picked up one bottle of Perform at most aid stations and ended up over-hydrated – I peed ~7x on bike -- even when not peeing, I felt like I had a full bladder and that impacted my comfort in the aero position, but did not impact how much time I spent in aero. Going to try Powerbars going forward, as I love the Peanut Butter flavor and I seem to do well on Perform. I also probably only need two bottles of Perform as I start the bike – I saw several folks used the second bottle holder behind their seat to hold a spare tire, which I’ll probably do next time as well. I’ll also note that I followed Rich’s advice to ignore aero during the OS and rode most of my intervals sitting up. I was able to hold aero as much as I wanted during the race and had lots of aero practice during the GF/IM build
26. In retrospect, I may have been able to push harder on the bike, but I’ll never know. Look forward to experimenting in future IMs.
27. Nutrition overall was great and I’m a full convert to Perform + Gus on bike and perform only on run
RUN:
1. Run Nutrition: at least one cup of Perform at each aid station. The amounts in each cup varied from 2-4 oz, so took 2 cups at certain stations. After mile 16, I took in some non-Perform nutirition, ‘cause that’s what my body was asking for (grapes, potato chips – delish!, orange slices); Was kinda annoyed that one aid station didn’t have any ice – took that as a sign to take in more calories (“food is mood&rdquo. No socks for the bike or run, which worked well. Inkling of blisters during the final 5 miles of the run, but nothing major.
2. As stated above, my one goal was to run the whole marathon (other than walking the aid stations). After a solid T2, I ran the first mile in ~7 min, so came out way too hot; pulled back to a ~9min pace for the first 6 miles
3. Run splits were pretty consistent, but I faded slightly on the 2nd half which was likely due to more walking at the aid stations
a. Split 1: 2.2 miles @ 8:39 min/mile
b. Split 2: 4.4 miles @ 9:17
c. Split 2: 4.4 miles @ 8:49
d. Split 2: 4.4 miles @ 8:52
e. Split 2: 4.4 miles @ 9:29
f. Split 2: 4.4 miles @ 9:22
g. Split 2: 4.4 miles @ 9:24
h. Split 2: 4.4 miles @ 8:39
i. Total: 26.2 miles @ 9:07 min/mile
4. The residential section of run course near the lake was full of parties and partiers and gave the runners a big boost. On the way back into town at the end of Lap 1, I started playing to the crowd and got a great reaction. In what was probably not a coincidence, I started cramping shortly thereafter. Lesson learned: don’t play to the crowd too much until you hit the finishing shoot
5. An especially (mentally) challenging part of the run course for me was running parallel to Sherman to the lap 1 / lap 2 turnaround. It seemed to never end and once you hit the turnaround, there was a steady climb back up Lakeside Ave. to start the 2nd loop with very little in the tank
6. I felt cramps coming on during mile 14 and immediately flashed back to mile 16 at IMTX and IMNYC. I backed off the pace and started taking as deep of breaths as I could. It didn’t take the cramping away, but made it bearable to keep running until the next aid station. The great thing was that the Perform didn’t make the cramping worse, but I was taking in pretty limited quantities to avoid compounding the problem with stomach issues. This time, I was able to push through mile 16, which gave me a huge mental boost and the cramps pretty much went away after mile 18
7. I was really pumped to finish mile 16 without walking and that catapulted me to “the line” at mile 18. Shortly after that, I made it to the big hill for the second time. I needed to keep running up the hill to meet my goal and that’s what I did. Had to smile (on the inside) when I heard a couple athletes commenting that running up this hill was “crazy” as I passed them. At that point, I officially entered the zone RnP so frequently mention about the final 8 miles of an IM marathon, and I was starting to pass tons of people both between and at aid stations. My cramps had subsided, and it was now a matter of dealing with that “dark place” and telling my legs to “shut up!” I was so grateful for each aid station and was now extending my walk breaks to the last possible item (porta-potty, garbage can, etc.) that officially ended the station and started me back running. I made it through miles 21-25 thanks to the town crazies and rounded the last few turns uphill to the finish and “emptied the tank” as I sprinted down Sherman to break 4 hours in the marathon – I had started the Casio’s stopwatch function at the beginning of the run, so I could track my pace and overall run split. I thought I had an 11:2x in the bag as well, but it turned out I was a bit off on that, as I finished 11:30:30. Had some tears well up after crossing the finish line, as I felt a great sense of accomplishment in meeting my goal for the race and gratitude to my family and friends for the support in this journey.
LESSONS LEARNED (some copied from body of text above):
8. Post race plan to EN forums during race week for commentary/advice from teammates
9. Pay up to fly as close to the race site as possible
10. Use a bike computer when racing with power, so I don’t have to rely on garmin to multi-task
11. Try 2am applesauce, etc. before race rehearsals – was not a problem this time, but better to test it out prior to race day
12. Use the sunscreen appliers in both transitions
13. Consider a jacket for bike rides under 60 degrees
14. Train with and use on-course nutrition; I didn’t have to stop/slowdown for bike or run special needs; Don’t overdo the liquids for a race with reasonable/cool temps
15. Don’t play to the spectators too much until you hit the finishing shoot
16. Don’t sacrifice bike sessions in the name of running; I’m going to shave the most time by getting faster on the bike and that needs to be the focus for the next training cycle
EPILOGUE:
1. Next year will bring another IM with another set of objectives (#1 among them is to race with power at an increased FTP!)
2. I enjoyed a few days of R&R in Southern California after the race and discovered a couple perfect transition week workouts – standup paddle boarding in the Pacific and a 12-hour walk thru Disneyland!
IMCDA Race Plan (struckthrough text shows completed tasks)
“Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast”
Pre-Race:
Week of June 10, 2013: prepare race week, race day checklists; relax, smile, joke; ignore weather forecast; read Athlete’s Guide with focus on new swim start format; buy cheap cotton socks and cut toes off for arm warmers; get cardboard at post office and put it down tri top to keep warm; buy ear plugs; sign up for TriBike Concierge program ($35); check on blister solutions for running shoes
Logistics: Park in the new parking garage
THURSDAY: Unpack and make list of things to buy if forgot something; buy applesauce for race morning; buy socks for arm warmers; research and FIX HRM; post race plan to EN website
FRIDAY:
9am: swim in the lake to get used to Lake CDA; watch out for boat traffic; swim out 300m, turn parallel to the beach and come back; Swim recon notes – stand on the swim beach and identify sighting tips;
10am: Bring photo ID; Athlete Check-In; Pick up bike from TBT
Afternoon: Check Bike out (in particular bottle holder with Garmin); Bike/Run Recon? Drive to Mile 18 and ride to the turnaround; Drive to Big Hill on the Run; Pick up Items for Special Needs?
Evening: Clean face screen of bike helmet; Pack Gear Bags; Set up EN Race Tracker on T/Sole’s phones
Saturday: no training!
8am: Big Breakfast (Carbo Load)
10am-noon: drop off bike/run bags, then lunch with families; check the weather forecast for Sunday
Noon: Large Lunch (2 entrees – no salad)
Check Weather and Bike/Run calculators; Print off Race Plan for tomorrow!
Afternoon: set-up / charge Garmin; try to stay off feet; set Lap/Intervals in Run / Bike settings
6PM: light dinner; pack gear bag for morning:
· Blister treatments
· 2 Perform bottles + gel for pre-race
· 3 Perform bottles for bike
· Bring gels in a Ziploc bag to load onto bike race morning
~8PM: go to bed
~2am; eat 3 cups of applesauce + bagel + sports drink; (600-800 cals)
Spectating Areas for Family:
Swim – “line up on sea wall or the hill/grassy knoll”
Bike – Bike Mount Line (downtown); no option to go to the highway
Run – corner of Sherman & 8th; Sherman lined with restaurants and bars
Race Day:
4am: Wake up; Put on gear (tri top, tri shorts, calf sleeves, arm warmers) + warm-ups; REMEMBER TO BRING NUTRITION (Bottles + Ziplock); Bring Chip, Wristband, and Swim Cap; take allergy medication; chamois cream; check list (on back of other checklists)
4:30am: Transition opens; Top off Tires; Load Nutrition onto bike
5-5:30am: Body marking; Wear arm warmers under the wetsuit; Wear latex cap + Neoprene cap + race cap; Secure goggles under one swim cap; Pre-race EN Picture?
6am: Swim warm-up; “Athletes will be directed to self-seed on race morning based on their projected swim time. Volunteers and staff will be in the staging area with signs and will assist with this process. Self-seeding will not be mandatory but will be encouraged. All athletes will have access to a dedicated warm-up area in the water located adjacent to the swim start.”
SWIM:
Out – 800mm, 200mm, 800mm; run on beach / timing mat, then onto lap 2
Seed according to [projected swim split = 1hr15 – 1hr30]; “Swim as fast as you can, while maintaining form; If forms suffers, slow down and regroup and recapture your form”
From EN website: What's Your Top Swim Tip? At the turn to parallel the beach, sight off the top of the hill in front of you (or you'll be looking directly into the sun).
T1:
Wetsuit off; Find a volunteer and ask them for help; no sunglasses as I can use visor on aero helmet; SUNCREEN; arm warmers should be on under wet suit
BIKE:
160W for 30 min; then target steady 170W for duration
“Eat and drink, if at all, very cautiously in the first 30', then, once you feel your HR has settled down, drop into your feeding and hydration schedule.”
2 bottles of Perform each hour; Gel/EFS at each 30 min interval; Pee at least twice on the bike; “You should eat on the bike until your body pushes back (burping it up), at which point you can delay or skip a feed cycle.”
Determine apparel; Be aware of pedestrians in town; Target AP of 170W; Pay attention to the wind when turning left on to the highway; No passing zones?; on Downhills max top speed of 35/36mph – coast as little as possible; Go EASY on the hard parts; Go HARD on the easy parts
“You're basically warming up until about mile 40 of the bike. Don't worry, the hammerheads will come back to you or you'll see them on the run. The bike course is very unforgiving and they will pay, don't worry.”
Try to pee during the last 15 minutes of the bike, so you can save time in T2
T2: Sunglasses; Run Shoes; Race belt on; Helmet off; Pee break; Blister Treatments; Cool Wings
RUN:
First 6 miles at 8:24 min / mile; Settle into pace targeting 7:54 min / mile; PUSH only starting at Mile 18
Nutrition Plan: one 4oz cup of Perform at each aid station (walking); additional gel every 6 aid stations (4x during the run)
EN tip: “Run very easy for the first 6 miles, then settle into your pace, preparing for the real race that starts at mile 18. At mile 18, put your head down and get it done. Count the number of people you're passing and keep your head in the game. You can do anything for 8 miles!"
Comments
We also flew into Seattle since it was a lot cheaper and we were getting there lunchtime. Didn't work out so well when we United instead put us there at rush hour. Whoops.
Nice report! Enjoyed reading it.
No excuse for your doc that precribed levaquin. Terrible choice. For skin infections, only infectious disease docs should be rxing this category of drug in rare situations. Unless there are some other details i don't know, just bad bad bad.
Personally, i never wear a computer during the swim. Just cheap watch. Or as others do, Under sleeve or in cap.
Imo, supported by good science i think, no reason to skip wheat at all ever. Unless one has a true wheat allergy.
Side line on the bike course. Eight IMs for me. Two cdas. Last one was last year on the new bike course. I get more and more sensitive about the safety of the bike courses. Cda has done a poor job with safety on the bike course. Imo. Bike hills going out on the second part of the course, one is inches from trucks going 50 mph. And on the way back, steepest and fastest part of the course, no pass zone. Just ridicuously dangerous and poorly done. Different this year ??? Your thoughts ???
Congratulations on your outstanding execution. Very well done!
Robin, I think i'll go the cheap watch route going forward on the swim, so thanks for the tip! On the wheat/gluten-free diet, no allergy for me, but I have found that to be helpful shortcut for me to cut out unnecessary sugar/carbs from my diet. I also feel a difference in terms of less peaks/valleys throughout the day when avoiding those foods and concentrating on Paleo-type nutrition outside of training. Re: bike safety, I was surprised by the section of Hwy 95 where they let traffic get so close to the riders and the no pass zone was a drag. I don't think they changed the course set up from last year at all.
after some back & forth with Garmin customer service and working with the local Running Co. store where I originally bought the 910xt, I was able to buy a brand new replacement watch for $200 (retail price is $399). still sucks, but makes the mistake/learning oppty a bit less painful