Don Nowak - 2015 IMLP Race Report
Don Nowak
5'8"; 170 pounds
FTP: 207 vDot: 35
First Ironman; 3rd year in the sport
Thursday: Arrived in Placid at 4pm. Went through registration and then met the team at the Crowne Plaza for drinks and dinner. It was great to meet Al, Tim, Teri , Brenda, Mariah, Doug, Steve and all my camp buddies again. We had a great time sharing beers and stories on a gorgeous night outside.
Friday: Slept in then headed down to Mirror Lake for a warmup swim. Then to the 4 Keys which was fun to see live. Had lunch with Bill and Paula Bejin and Mandy Midgett and my wife Nancy. Good times. Picked up my bike from Tri Bike Transport and headed to our house in Keene. Did a shakedown ride from the bobsled facility to a few miles past the turn in Keene. Bike worked great. Dinner at home. A little bummed I missed the opening ceremony.
Saturday: Have a big pancake breakfast after sleeping in again. Went to bike checkin around 1pm - no lines (thanks Coach R). Grabbed a sandwich for lunch and headed home for a nap. Pasta dinner at home with the family. In bed by 9. Slept only about 4 hours.
Sunday: Alarm wakeup at 3am. Applesauce+protein powder+banana+gatorade+coffee. Left house at 4:30 - in transition at 5am. Got tires pumped, T1/T2 bags updated, nutrition in place, headed to team picture and just missed it. Got a picture and pep talk from Coach P. Wished other teammates good luck and headed to swim warmup. Swam about 100m - water was cooler than on Friday. I wore my sleeveless wetsuit, which was a good call for me (more comfort).
Swim: 1:36
I tried lining up 10 feet off the cable, but it was no better than close to the cable. I had a lot of contact - like swimming in a wash machine. Got kicked in the face, punched, grabbed. It was full contact swimming. I counted strokes and tried to keep moving forward always. I took a gel after loop one. Overall, I was happy with the swim - I really did not think I could go much faster based on my workouts.
T1: 8:32
I jogged to transition. Slowed down to high 5 my family. Had a big smile on my face - loving life. Swim is OVER!
Grabbed my T1 bag and into tent. Use my EN bike jersey over my EN tri top. Worked great. Used gloves, but no arm warmers. This also was a good call for me. Got bike, mounted and had no issues getting out to the course down the treacherous exit.
Bike: 7:36
My goal was .68 IF or about 141 watts (160 max on hills). I was also watching my heart rate and wanted to keep it in the 130's. My race rehearsals were upper 130's. I really wanted to ride my "should" bike split since I've never run longer than 13 miles - ever. I figured I need reserves and could not afford to blow heartbeats on the bike. I ended up with an avg HR of 127. My AP was 126 and NP was 131 for a VI of 1.039. TSS was 275. IF was 63.3. I think I left some on the table, but I was totally ok with that since I really wanted to run well. I ate off the course (Gatorade Endurance) and had two gel flasks with Powergels in them. I also had two Powerbars for something solid on the first loop. I grabbed water at every aid station and poured it all over to cool off. Also, I peed 5 times (3 times on the bike). I re-applied Chamois Cream twice (no pebbles). There were a lot of riders down needing ambulances. I had a good day on the bike though.
T2: 7:40
I ran in my bike shoes, grabbed T2 bag, into change tent. Socks and shoes on and go bag in hand. Volunteer sunscreened me and I ran out.
Run: 5:58
Saw Coach P and he said to get ice in my hat. I had the ziplock and got ice at every other aid station until the end and kept it on my head. The heat did not bother me (helps I live in Hotlanta). With my bike HR so low, there was no way I could run at 127 beats. I wouldn't even be running. So I allowed a 140 ceiling for the first 6 miles (my training bike HR). I planned to only walk aid stations and I pretty much accomplished that for the first loop, but then I entered unchartered territory.Things began to get tough around mile 15. I switched to Coke for the rest of the race. I started various run/walk intervals. I saw the mile 18 sign - nobody there! But, it was gratifying to see it since it's mentioned so often in the haus.
I walked up ski jump hill, ran up most of townie hill, then onto Main Street. The atmosphere was rocking. Turned onto Mirror Lake Drive for the out and back (yeah, that SUCKED), then got to the oval and slowed down to put distance between me and the people in front and back - I wanted to cross alone. It worked and it was one of the best moments of my life. What an experience.
Comments
Great job Don! And great report. Smart execution for your first with no training runs longer than 13 miles. Definitely better to undercook the bike than the alternative. I haven't done LP, but the course looks/sounds tough and you nailed it. Congratulations Ironman! JL
Was great to meet you and spend some time together, I really enjoyed it.
Excellent execution all around and a good report. Love the finish line video.
Well done Ironman!
I was waiting/looking forward to this report! I think you executed the bike perfectly and smart coming in with that 275 TSS. You stayed focused and discipline on the nutrition as well (which is more than I can say) and all that added up to setting the conditions for a successful run!
Great to have you on this team bro! I was very conscious of mixing pebbles with my chamois cream after your enlightening input at camp!
Super congratulations!
SS
the VI # is extraordinary. take out the Keene Descent and you are probably as close to perfect as one can get on a course like that!
Great meeting you in LP, which i didn't have the problems I had as I am usually a lot more social.
see you next year?!
It was really nice to meet you this year. The excellence in execution starts with the application of Chamois Cream without any pebbles or other debris...LOL. That was a great story from camp and thank you for sharing.
In my opinion, with the temperatures going up I think you made the right call being a little more conservative on the bike to be able to have a success on the run.
You did a great job training this year and on Sunday. Congratulations!!!
The rest of us need to hear the chamois cream/pebbles story now!
Not to be denied! Sounds like you played it very smart, stayed in your box, and saw it through to the end. The unknown was getting to you. Aches and pains were popping up. And, you stepped up to the line, played that hand you were dealt, and finished the drill!
Not to mention, what a GREAT place to get that first IM....I don't travel much but I did get to race in LP and I want so bad to go back b/c it felt like such a special place.
Anyhow, CONGRATS & rest up. What's next around here? Anything short/convenient just for fun racing?
@Chris Thanks for your continued support and well wishes over the last year and a half. You've been my biggest local cheerleader on the EN team and I appreciate that you've kept up with my progress. I'm thinking about doing Tugaloo Oly in September and maybe the half-iron in Macon in October. I already have pretty firm plans for a half iron distance in Sardinia, Italy in April and I'm feeling pretty sure about IM Chattanooga next Sept.
Don-
Loved seeing you on the course and finally getting to meet both you and your wife in person! Especially since we missed each other in Knoxville. Great race report and fantastic job staying in your box at IMLP!
Mandy
Congratulations Don, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!! Great job out there and it was a pleasure meeting you!!
Congratulations on a successful first Ironman! That was one steady bike, and a persistent run which apparently ended with a smile!
Don,
Congrats on the first IM. It was great to meet you at the team dinner and see you on the course.
Gordon