Skip Crawford's IMChoo race report
This report is really a continuation of the IMMD report. My wife and I raced both this year and it was an interesting experience.
I took the entire week to rest and recover. No workouts of any kind. Sunday we drove home from Cambridge, MD. It is a 2 hour drive and we were a little stiff after the ride. By Monday, the legs felt great but I know from past experience that is not a true indication of recovery. I did not get the shortness of breath that occurred after the first two IMs.
Thursday we made the 12 hour ride to Chattanooga. Sadly, we did not arrive in time for the team dinner. Friday, we registered and attended the 4 keys talk with RnP. Saturday was a day to put the bikes and bags in transition and rest.
Sunday - up at 4:00 am for oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar as well as coffee. We made our way to transition to drop off the special need bags and the team photo. After the photo, we boarded one of the buses to the swim start. It was very well run and there were no issues.
We arrived at the swim start and stood in line. I decided to wear my wetsuit as I am not a strong swimmer and I wanted to conserve as much energy as possible as IMMD was only 8 days prior. Once the wetsuit line began to move, it moved very quickly. As others have stated, it was a clean swim start. I followed the buoys. The current was strong and at the turn buoy I made sure to swim to the left of the swim exit so the current would push me into the exit rather than past the exit. My biggest fear was getting pushed past the exit and not being able to swim back to the exit due to the strong current. The plan worked. My swim time was 1:05:46 (a 40 minute PR and a full hour faster than IMMD).
The run to T1 was long and a bit crowded. However, it was uneventful. I took my time in the tent and my transition time was 11:18. I know this is way too long, but I just was not in a hurry at the time as I was taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the process.
My relaxed attitude continued on the bike. At the talk, Rich indicated the first 11-12 miles should be JRA with a bucket of chicken. I extended the JRA ride to the full 116. I stopped to pee three times, stopped at bike special needs, and stopped once to fix my wife's water bottle cage that had become loose. I know it is a race, but I really just enjoyed the bike ride. I really liked the course. My total bike time was 7:22:57. It was not even close to a PR.
T2 was very uneventful as well. Total time was 7:26.
The entire day I deliberately took it easy so I could try to nail the run. In my prior IMs I became very sick on the run around mile 3. My stomach rebelled and I could not run without throwing up. At IMMD, I was able to switch to coke, water, salt tabs, and chicken broth and my stomach settled down after mile 6 so I could run. The plan was to start with the same nutrition that worked at IMMD and try to run almost the entire marathon. I felt great coming out of T2 and ran to the first big hill. The plan was to walk the hill in an effort to keep the heart rate down and let the body acclimate. It seemed to work as I was able to run the first 15 miles. My pace was slower than I would have liked, but I was able to run between 9:30 and 10:30 min miles. At mile 15, my stomach rebelled and I became nauseous. I took more salt, water, and coke but I could not lose the feeling. I was reduced to walking the last 11 miles as every time I tried to run, the nausea became incredibly strong. My legs felt fine and my heart rate never spiked. I am not sure why I continue to have this issue. I did run the last .2 miles or so through the finish. Total run time was 5:22:18. Not a PR.
My total time was 14:09:45 or 1 hour slower than IMMD. Upon reflection, I am glad we did back to back races but I am not in a hurry to do it again. I think my performance in both races was compromised. I did not push MD as hard as I would have liked because I knew we had Choo in 8 days. Despite feeling good, I did not push Choo as I was afraid the wheels would come off the minute I pushed the pace on the bike. I really enjoyed both races and plan to race both again in the future. We are racing IMMT and IMMD next year. The races are far enough apart I think we will be able to push ourselves at both.
I would like to thank RnPnB for all their hard work. I would also like to thank the entire team. I have learned so much in my time at EN and I am convinced I will continue to learn and become a better triathlete. I look forward to training and racing with everyone in 2015.
Comments
"A" for effort, Skip. Great spirit, guts, and stubbornness in the both of you. To paraphrase our Coaches, "We do these things so you won't have to". Now I know the following:
"Upon reflection, I am glad we did back to back races but I am not in a hurry to do it again. I think my performance in both races was compromised. I did not push MD as hard as I would have liked because I knew we had Choo in 8 days. Despite feeling good, I did not push Choo as I was afraid the wheels would come off the minute I pushed the pace on the bike. "
So I won't be tempted to try this. Thanks.
@Tim and @Jodi - I spoke with P and he suspects I should try to simplify my nutr
P suggested I simplify my nutrition and take in more fluids. I think he is on to something and will give it a try after the Dopey.
@Al - happy to be the guinea pig. I have learned so much from you, Tim, and the other WSMs. I look forward to tracking you at AZ and reading your report.
@Tim and @Doug - it actually semed less crazy the closer we came to race day.
@Tim - thanks for taking all the grief. I think it is a sign of how much everyone in EN thinks of you and respects the way you train and race!