IMC 2013 Race Report: No SIPE in sight, a zero MPH crash and the Kona question...
Greetings EN Peeps!
Below is a copy/past from my blog at http://jennifermaeedwards.blogspot.com/ LOTS of lessons learned here and very much welcome your input!
- J
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Ironman Canada 2013 Race Report
Ironman Canada 2013 Race Report
Smooth Swimming, a Zero MPH Crash, the Port-a-Pottie Parade, the Kona Question and Doubling Down in 2014.
It’s Go Time! It really does take a week to do an Ironman. After a late night trip to Whistler we fell into bed at about 2 AM Thursday. The next few days were spent checking in, doing tune up workouts, successfully launching the boat and enjoying the village. Yep, race day came quickly! For the first time (ever, I think) Mark was out the door before me at 4:00 AM. He rode his bike in the dark (in the thick of bear country!!!) to rendezvous with the CBC camera crew he would be piloting at the swim start. Heidi and I took the shuttle to the start, wished each other well with biiiiigggg hugs and got down to it!
*** Mark at the raw launch in his underwear. Why not? ***
Swim
The layout of the swim start was pretty unique with the start line perpendicular to the shore followed by two loops in the small shallow lake. That meant that the front of pack swimmers would venture out to start in deep water, but many folks remained on the shore creating kind of a triangle of starters. I couldn’t bring myself to wait on the shore and seeded myself up front as usual. My plan was to swim conservatively for the entire outbound leg of the first loop to hopefully avoid another SIPE incident. It would be challenging with this arrangement!
*** Swim Start – Most of the swimmers lined up within the yellow circle. ***
And booooom!!!!! The race was on! It was tight quarters for sure but I didn’t get hit in the head and occasionally even found a tiny bit of the lake for myself. There was no panic or drama and honestly holding back was harder than pushing hard. By the first turn buoy I knew my lungs were fine and resumed my usual pace. Two short laps later I was exiting the water in 1:07:xx. Sure it was well off my 1:04:xx PR but I was pleased to have had no drama, was around the top 10% of the field and excited to get onto the bike!
*** In this video you can see the swim start and Mark piloting our boat in the background. ***
Bike
My bike was almost over before it started. I crossed the mount line and got clipped in. As I pushed off (straight!), a gal to my right was also pushing off. She started to teter (left!) towards me as I shouted increasingly louder “on your left, on your LEFT, ON YOUR LEFT!!!!” to no avail. She did a 90-degree turn smack dab into me and took me out. The crowd went from a roar of cheering and clanging cowbells (and you know I LOVE cowbells) to so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I get it, stuff happens, but then she just pushed off without so much as an apology or checking to see if I was okay. Now that was just plain RUDE! My retribution would come much, much later….
I pulled myself together and assessed the damage. My bike was fine but my knee was scraped and bleeding. I washed it off, gave myself a slap in the butt, garnered all available moxie and pushed off for the second time. The crowd redoubled it’s efforts - cheering and clanging their cowbells like I was Rudy or something. Well that was an exciting start to say the least!
Once on the road I felt great and was looking forward to capitalizing on my strength. Within the first few miles I hit a hard bump and lost my nutrition. This would prove to be a pivotal moment, as from thereon out I relied on nutrition available at aid stations. I pushed along at the prescribed watts, but didn't do math well on how many calories I should be taking in and got behind.
*** Zoom, zoom zoom… ***
The course lived up to its tough reputation summed up nicely by pro Matt Russel: “I think this was the toughest bike course I've ever ridden. Trevor Wurtele thought the same. I think Trevor had a little over 6000 ft of climbing. I rode the fastest time which was 4:42. If I was at Kona I felt like my effort would have been a 4:32 as I have ridden mid 4:40's at Kona both years.” Up and down, up and down, up and down I went on the hilly course enjoying the views and pushing merrily along save for being stung in the chest by one very tenacious bee.
My only frustration with the race itself was on the very flat 30 miles of the course there were long tightly grouped pacelines that went unregulated by the referees. I’d pass these groups of 5 – 15 men only for them to get their knickers in a twist and pass me back. I knew I was riding steady watts, so that jockeying was ALL ON THEM. This led to me having an unnecessarily unsteady effort in that segment because to stick to my plan so I’d have to pass them back as they invariably slowed few minutes later. My only consolation was Heidi had convinced me to buy a #YOUGOTCHICKED t-shirt at the expo and I figured at least I had legitimately earned the right to wear it.
**** Yep. Get over it! ***
By the end of the bike I should have taken in about 1,800 calories and I estimate I took in only 700. That I'm not sure is a clear indicator I don’t do math well within a race. I should be able to say precisely what I took in. This is arguably the most critical point of executing an Ironman and a total rookie mistake on my part. D’oh, d’oh, d’oh! In any event, I finished the bike in 5:51:xx which was also near the top 10% of the field. I didn't realize I was behind on my nutrition at that point and hopped off ready to RUN!
Run
I hit the run ready to execute a 10:00 pace. The first mile clicked off at 9:40. Good, I told myself… now slow down. The second was 10:03 and then I suddenly found myself struggling through a 10:30 and distinctly hit the wall like never before. My legs felt like concrete and my head spiraled as I tried to figure out what was happening. I began thinking through the bike leg, began realizing how behind I was and started trying to mindfully recoup the caloric deficit. The girl who took me out at the mount line on the bike passed me. I felt horrible for not being able to execute for Mark who had escorted me on so many successful long runs. By mile five my pace was holding steady at about 10:30 which I considered a minor victory at the moment but then the port-a-pottie parade began. At first I was in and out in a minute or two, but the stops became increasingly unpredictable and, um, lengthy. Sigh.
*** Plod, plod, plod… ***
Without the lure of a PR or even what I would consider a successful run, I did some serious mental gymnastics to keep plugging along. Everything hurt. My knee hurt. My head hurt. The list of excuses and pseudo-injuries that plague any Ironman athlete could go on and on. I’d knew I’d be seriously tempted to DNF at the half-way point as the course conveniently takes you on two loops though the village. Why not just call it a day at 13.1 and live to fight another day? Time to HTFU, I told myself.
Why finish? Pride? Yes. A years’ worth of training to earn at least afinish? Absolutely. A trip to the finisher’s merchandise tent to see if I could melt the mag strip on my credit card in the morning? YES! Mark’s hug at the finish line. Unequivocally.
Mark was waiting in the village at that tempting half-way point. We had a quick conversation while he ran alongside me for a few minutes. I had a mini pity-party, let him know that my goals had been significantly revised and tried to find some humor in the moment so he wouldn't worry. At that point, goal #1 (to survive) was probably still on the table. Goal #2 (to have fun) was a bit difficult at times but I promised to do my best. My new goal #3 was a stretch goal and that was to keep running - no walking it in! Things were looking up. I felt better and better as the run progressed and I re-passed the girl who took me out at the mount line of the bike. Sweet (mini) victory.
*** Have I mentioned the scenery?!? ***
Finisher!
At mile 20 I had my most lengthy port-a-pottie stop on the day. I actually started to feel woozy in there had visions of passing out and not being found until the morning. That certainly wasn't the way I wanted to end my race, so I peeked out and I asked a (saintly) volunteer to check on me in a few minutes if I hadn't emerged. She stood duty like a Canadian Mountie and met me with a bit of chicken broth to kick off that last 10K. Thank you AGAIN volunteers!
I was able to plod along steadily enough to the beautiful Whistler finish. I missed the bear sighting and was in before dark though perhaps that would have prompted a faster run?!? Coming into the village the crowds lined the course and Mark popped up at all the right moments. I crossed the finish line for my fourth Ironman in 12:26, well off my 11:35 PR. Regardless, I can honestly say this was my proudest finish because of the mental fortitude it took to just.keep.going.
“I'd rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed.” Robert H. Schuller
Thanks to Nicole for the image!
Hindsight is 20-20 Two weeks of reflection has brought me to some key points to implement next year. Between now and then I will:
- Revisit my nutrition plan and be able to do math on the fly if I need to move to plan B. Or C or D…
- In addition to the nutrition SNAFU on the bike, the variability of my ride was my worst to date. This had been a strength of mine and I was surprised at my result. It means I wasn't as steady as I could have been and wasted effort. Moving forward I will analyze my bike file after race rehearsals break the bike into logical segments. I’ll be able to identify where opportunities to smooth my effort lie and further refine the details of my race plan.
- Figure out how to NOT poo up and down the course.
*** Would be glad to never see another port-a-pottie! ***
The Kona Question Yes, of course someday I’d like to race in Kona. Fortunately, there are now three ways to get there: talent, stubbornness and luck.
Talent will get you to Kona if you place within the top few in your age group. At most races that means I’d need to be in the top two or three of 100 – 150 finishers. They offered double the usual slots at IMC 2013 as a carrot to encourage people to come to the new venue. A member of our Endurance Nation team summed up the result pretty succinctly: “Just general observations, but now that all the results are in, it was extremely competitive out there in the KQ hunt. It seems like the promise of double slots drew a significant number of would-be potential qualifiers from other races. Kind of ironic that looking at the times and how tight the groupings were, looks like you'd have had a better chance to KQ at some of the less popular 50-slot races like IMLOU this year than you did at Whistler.” Truthfully I’d have done IMC anyway. I like being able to drive and that Mark can participate on the swim course. I suppose I'll continue to attempt to “outwork your talent” as they say.
If you add up my typical 1:05 swim, and 5:45 bike to my *** yet unproven** 4:20 run, plus transitions, my overall “perfect day” race would be 11:15. Historically at IMC this would place me somewhere around 10th – 20th while at Ironman Couer d’Alene this would place me 4th or 5th. Add a little roll-down luck to my “perfect day” and yes, anything is possible.
Stubbornness will now get you to Kona under the new “Legacy” program. This allows a person with twelve Ironman finishes to race Kona. I have four to date – just eight to go!
Luck can get you to Kona as well! The race has a lottery where ANYONE can win one of 100 spots to race. They simply have to validate their spot by completing one finish that year.
I’m moving forward on all three fronts: trying to outwork my talent, continuing to be stubborn by working towards those twelve finishes and playing the lottery for a little luck.
I’ve asked myself and Mark the ultimate litmus test for our adventures: “If Kona sank into the ocean tomorrow (or the Legacy program was discontinued or I was unable to race for some reason), would we be glad to have put so much into the process?” The answer for both of us is an unequivocal YES! We love the sport, the people and to train. It really is about the journey, not the destination.
I’ve asked myself and Mark the ultimate litmus test for our adventures: “If Kona sank into the ocean tomorrow (or the Legacy program was discontinued or I was unable to race for some reason), would we be glad to have put so much into the process?” The answer for both of us is an unequivocal YES! We love the sport, the people and to train. It really is about the journey, not the destination.
*** Talent, Stubbornness or Luck! ***
Doubling Down
In 2014 we will be doubling down and I’ll be racing both Ironman Couer d’Alene and Ironman Canada. This will give me an opportunity to earn two finishes towards the twelve for the Legacy program and also to race at a different venue which may play more to my strengths – who knows!?! One thing is for sure - the races are four weeks apart and managing them both will be a new adventure!
*** Looks downright tame compared to the 6K + of IMC! ***
Diana Nyad’s quote rings particularly true this year. “I have three messages. One is we should never, ever give up. Two is you never are too old to chase your dreams. Three, it looks like a solitary sport, but it takes a team.”. A sincere to everyone who has been a part of the continued journey. The training partners, understanding and interested friends and family, the bevvy of doctors and specialists and of course Mark for making sure it’s always FUN!
*** A boat in T2 – Always a fun adventure with Mark ! ***
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Comments
Great report! It really helped me as a newb who recently completed my first IM. I had a similar problem with my nutrition. I missed my first feeding and didn't keep up with my planned IM Perform consumption. I found I couldn't drink them fast enough. I did keep pace with my gels. At the end of it I had no idea how many calories I was behind overall. How do you keep a mental note of how many bottles you are consuming on the course if you fall of a schedule? Maybe I'll buy a golf swing or lap counter and add it to my gear 'click click click'
Fortunately I got lucky and it didn't impact my performance, but I realize how important this is and I don't want it to be a problem at the next race!
Your report really inspired me. I had similar goals to you in my race and had a few serious setbacks and made several key rookie mistakes. Your commitment to your finish with the right mental attitude really made me smile and start to "itch" for the next race.
Thanks!
@ Al, thanks for the question and I'd really appreciate your input (or anyone else's) on the VI topic. The question I posed in my crucible submission was this:
- I raced IMC on the old course 3x and had a VI of 1.04 or 1.05.
- I also did a RR on the Whistler course at 1.04 so I’m very disappointed with the 1.06 VI
- I’d like some guidance on exactly how to bring the VI down.
- For example, I see the descents have a very high VI. Can you please provide some specific guidance on how to bring that down? Do I get a bigger gear to keep pushing?
- I think my first ascent was too aggressive, however my overall average wattage was actually below target. ( I was trying to get my average back up after the decent.) Can you provide some guidance on how to keep the average up where it needs to be with large descents that bring the average down?
My TSS points were 288, on par with my last two IMs where I was able to run as expected...
Thanks again!
So i assume you have tried full off the course nutrition and have probs with this?
I don't understand why you had under- nutruition yet still had diarrhea. Peeing was ok? You hydrated with Perform so not hyponatremic?
Also the bike execution suggests a VI of 1.06 is ok on a hilly course.
i'm with Robin on this one. I would think under calories and fluid might lead to bonking or dehydration issues, but not having to "go" every mile on the run. I'm wondering if there was another reason why your GI track was messed up. Does Perform have something in it that you are not used to? Have you ever trained with it? Did you eat something in the morning or night before that caught up with you on the run?
Maybe you are already doing this, but you may want to practice your "plan B" for on the course nutrition during some of your long rides to make sure you have that dialed in and to rule out that as a cause.
But wonderful to read that you were proud of your race - we all have ones that don't meet our expectations....that's all part of the journey!