Mike Crosby's IMTX RR
Race Name: Ironman Texas Race Date: 05/17/2014
Race Day Stats:
Total Time / AG Place / Overall Place: 11:53:51 / 116 / 538
- Swim Time / AG / OA: 1:26:44 / 288 / 1431
- T1 Time / AG / OA: 8:24
- Bike Time / AG / OA: 5:49:13 / 170 / 762
- T2 Time / AG / OA: 8:36
- Run Time / AG / OA: 4:20:54 / 116 / 538
Race Day Goals:
- Finish Under 12:30:00
- Did you achieve it? Yes
- What helped you achieve it? Proper execution. I knew my proper power and HR zones and stayed well within my box.
- Swim Under 1:30:00
- Did you achieve it? Yes
- What helped you achieve it? The race being wetsuit legal and the sheer drafting current created by a 1000+ swimmers in front of me.
The Swim -- Race Day Evaluation
Target Swim Time: 1:30:00 Actual Swim Time: 1:26:44
Weather / Conditions / Notes:
Air Temp: Upper 60’s / Water Temp: 72F / Winds: SSW 10mph / Water: Light Chop
Challenge 1:
Overcoming Nerves
Response 1:
I did deep-breathing exercises to calm myself. I also retreated into my box and went into
visualization mode, imagining what was about to take place and how I would handle it. I went
over my placement strategy and the swim line that I wanted to take in the main lake as well as
the canal. I also decided that I was going to start from the shore instead of being in the water
as the cannon went off.
Evaluation 1:
The breathing and visualization exercises were very effective. I’m not sure that starting from
the shore made any difference at all. It did cost me at least two minutes on my swim time as I
was caught in the rush to the water with the other athletes that had my same idea. In retrospect,
it was probably more stressful starting from the shore versus the water. I plan to start in the
water next race.
Challenge 2:
Fighting the Crowd and Finding Space
Response 2:
I had a number of reactions to this. First reaction was to slow down if there was a big group
in front of me and just draft off them. Next reaction was to continuously spot for clear water and
make my way to those open spaces. My third reaction was to get more aggressive and swim
into and over people if that was the only way to either hold my line or continue on at my pace.
I also adjusted to same-side breathing in order to better keep an eye on where others were
around me as well as for better spotting.
Evaluation 2:
Slowing down and swimming behind the bigger groups helped keep my heart rate from
exploding right at first, as it’s prone to do. However, the net effect was that the swimmers
behind me weren’t employing the same strategy, and therefore, I was getting my feet knocked
under and tossed about as they moved past me. Spotting for the clear water had mixed
results. It allowed for a few spells of bi-lateral breathing and falling into my usual swim rhythm
without having to worry about swimming up on someone. But, I also wasted valuable energy
and momentum as I changed my lines to go around groups in order to find some clear spots.
Finding a few temporary clear spots also lulled my into a false sense of security, as I didn’t
spot as much and was caught off guard when my goggles were kicked off and another time
when I took an elbow to my cheek. Getting aggressive was a great decision. It gave me the
feeling of having the most control of my situation. It also caused me to be bothered less when
someone got aggressive with me. I actually established a better rhythm this way. Finally,
changing to same side breathing allowed me to better track where other swimmers were around
me, as well as track boats and kayaks. Luckily, being a bilateral breather makes it easy for me
to alternate to either side for same-side breathing as needed.
The Bike -- Race Day Evaluation
Target Bike Time: Sub 6 Hours Actual Bike Time: 5:49:13
Weather / Conditions / Notes:
Temperature: 82F / Winds: SSW 10-20mph / Consistant Cross Wind, Varying Road
Surfaces, Flat to Rolling Hills
Challenge 1:
Dealing with Distraction after Transition: Garmin Vectors over-tightened when putting bike
back together which caused the power module to rub my shoe on every revolution, and heart
rate monitor popped off during the early ride when adjusting my jersey.
Response 1:
Tried to remedy both situations as I was riding down Woodland Pkwy, but couldn’t fix either.
Fell back on the mantra of “focus on the things you can control, and let go of the things that you
can’t." Until I let those two issues go, they were keeping my heart rate up and distracting me
taking in critical nutrition early on the bike.
Evaluation 1:
Mental training was key here. Having key mantras to fall back on, and a race plan drilled into
my head allowed me to move on with very little ill effect on my performance.
Challenge 2:
Dosing out my effort on the bike.
Response 2:
I kept my IF down at .64-.65 for the first 45 miles, knowing that I was heading towards the
Bermuda Triangle up near Richards. As I got through that stretch at mile 75, I was at my target
of .68. I dialed it back a bit the final 37 miles and ended up at .67.
Evaluation 2:
I feel like I left a lot of time out on the bike course. I felt an overwhelming sense of pressure
to ride conservatively in order to preserve my run. Judging from how I never faded or hit a wall
on the run, I feel like I could push my IF goal towards .70-.72. I realize that that could be playing
with fire, but I believe there is some room for gains here.
The Run -- Race Day Evaluation
Target Run Time: Sub 4:30:00 Actual Run Time: 4:20:54
Weather / Conditions / Notes:
Sunny, 85F, 10-20mph SSW Winds/ Full Sun to Full Shade, Multi-Surface, Crowded. Great
crowd support along with quiet stretches. 3 Loop Run.
Challenge 1:
Dosing Out My Effort
Response 1:
Followed my pacing plan and walked 30” through rest stops. During the run, my heart rate
never got above Z 2.1. After every rest stop, it dropped to Z 1.5. The final 2 miles crept up to
Z 3.1.
Evaluation 1:
Just like on the bike course, I feel like I left some time out on the run course. With my overall
goal being to finish, combined with watching the progressive carnage on the run course as each
lap passed, I think that I kept it really conservative out there. I have a marathon history of hitting
the wall at mile 19, so I feared that may be looming, even though I was feeling good. My run is
definitely my strength, and I believe that next time I will listen to my body as well as the heart
rate data, and try to up the pace a notch if all signs are good.
Next Time -- Overall Lessons Learned
Use the space below to capture a few critical things that you learned, not covered above, that you will want to remember for your next big race!
Next time, I will focus on my pre-race breakfast. I somehow ignored that piece of the nutrition plan, and got lucky to be rooming with a teammate that bailed me out.
I will take a pump with me into T1 pre-race, as many athletes are not willing to start passing their pump around.
I will make sure to leave my sunglasses in my T1 bag instead of accidentally on my head at the swim start. Thanks for bailing me out Coach. Sending some Starbuck’s love your way for that!
I will study where the rest stops are on the bike course to see if it’s possible to have only one or two bottles on the bike instead of three, based on conditions, to cut down unnecessary weight on the bike.
I easily have 8 free minutes to capture if I practice my transitions. They were abysmal.
I will continue to race in my box, but just a little closer to the edges of it.
Comments
Mike, great report and just plain smart on your race execution staying in your box bro!
Now, as you described below, you can race a little more towards those edges on round two coming up.
I really enjoyed meeting you at camp and sharing the journey together.
Hope recovering is coming along well for you.
What is next?
IMUA!! SS
Excited to see what's in store for you in the future!
I started the IMCDA bike last summer with 3 Perform bottles and dropped down to two for IMTX this year to save some weight and didn't have any issues. I averaged ~1+ bottle per hour and even skipped a few rest stops, but never came close to running out of Perform.
Can't wait to follow your progress!
@Gonzalo- Brenda posted a link to the RR form that I used. It's a little "dry" compared to other's race reports, but the format is great at capturing race day details.
@AS- It was nice meeting you after the Team dinner on Thursday night. I remember following your training and thinking that I was never going to complain about how bad I thought my winter weather was. You showed the heart of a champion after the way your race went down this year. I know you'll get another chance to shoot for the race you were hoping for. That's what keeps us going, right?
@MW- thanks for the kudos. I agree with the bottle assessment. My average speed meant that I was going to hit 2 rest stops an hour, which was the number of bottles that I needed to consume. I ended up only using my aerobar-mounted Speedfill bottle for the last ?'s of the ride and left my rear two bottles empty the rest of the ride.
@CK- I'm not sure. I have a half that I'm racing in Aug. As for another full, I'm going to have to wait a little while before the wife is willing to discuss with me