Derrek's IMLP 2015 Race Report
Ironman Lake Placid Race
Report
July 26, 2015
This
was my second IM and saw nice improvements over my first with a 54 minute
PR. I finished 33rd in my AG and
had the 4th fastest run. My
goals were to finish strong, race to my potential, swim 1:20, bike within
.67-.68 IF, stay under 300 TSS, and run a 3:45 marathon leg.
Background: At 50 years old, I can
easily say I’m in the best shape of my life (at least over the last 30
years). I had a successful OS, set PRs
in the 5K (19:44) and half marathon (1:27) in March and had a 15% FTP
improvement in OS. My VDot is at its highest at 52, 2 points higher than last
year. I also took on two bold goals that I wasn’t sure I’d accomplish. The first started as a 36-day running streak
(of at least 2 miles/day) from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day…now I’m at day
250. The second was to run 2,015 miles
in 2015, which is an average of ~40 miles/week, and I’m still on target. Since the EN training plans had me running 5-6
days a week, I found it manageable to do an easy recovery run on the rest
days. In hindsight, I think these two
goals greatly improved my run durability, overall endurance and contributed to
my higher VDot.
Pre-Race:
I drove to Lake Placid Wednesday, checked into Wildwood on the
Lake and then walked around Athlete Village area and Main Street. Thursday, I slept in, went to Athlete
check-in and Race Day Wheels. Around 11:00 I did one loop of the swim course in
41 mins and set my race goal time as 1:20. After lunch, I met up with Steve W.
and he was kind enough to lead me on a ride from the bike mount line through the
Keene decent. It was well worth seeing
the tricky bike start and experiencing the much talked about decent. Thanks
Steve! Then, I biked the out portion of
the run course and returned via the 3 Bears at the end of the bike loop. That evening, I attended my first EN team
dinner and enjoyed meeting many team members.
I slept in again Friday morning, attended 4 Keys, and did an
easy 30 min swim. I had a big pancake breakfast Saturday morning, checked my
bike and gear bags, relaxed most of the afternoon and organized my BSN, RSN,
and morning clothes bags. The EN checklists
worked like a charm and removed the “it feels like I forgot something”
feeling. I slept well that night waking
up once to use the bathroom.
Race
Morning:
I woke up 3:30 Sunday morning and had my normal breakfast at
4:00. Arrived at transition area at 4:35
and had a very smooth morning prep checking gear bags, setting up my bike,
checking air pressure and dropping off SN bags.
I was back at the car by 5:10 and chilled for 30 mins. I was headed to the EN Team picture but took advantage
of a very short porta john line and missed the picture by a few minutes, but I
did get a nice picture with Coach P. After arriving at the swim
start area, I got in a 5 minute warm up swim and lined up at the back of the
1:10-1:20 group.
Swim: 1:25
I did exactly the opposite of
what I planned and paid the price. I
planned to line up on the far left and take the first 100-200 yards to warm up
and find my swim rhythm. What actually happened
was I somehow got on the right side and took off with a mass of bodies racing
for the cable. Well, I got caught up in
that full contact mess and was swimming way too hard which caused my HR to
spike and I couldn’t get my breathing under control or relax. I had to stop and
breast stroke for about a minute to lower my HR and calm myself. Since this has happened in the past, I know exactly
what was happening and what I had to do.
After I calmed down, I got going with a relaxed and focused stroke. Other than zig zagging too much, cutting the
side of my foot in the sand after the first lap, and getting gouged on the chin,
the rest of the swim was uneventful.
According to my Garmin I went 2.7 miles with a 1:46 pace, which was the
pace of my RR swims.
T1:
12:14
I exited the swim with less dizziness than normal…yea! I found a wetsuit stripper and slowly jogged
to T1. I barely found a decent seat in
the changing tent and put on socks, bike shoes, arm warmers, and helmet. On the way out I decided to use the bathroom
in T1 thinking I wouldn’t need to make a pit stop on the first loop, but I was
wrong. After getting my bike, I waited about 30 seconds to use a porta john. Even accounting for this stop, my T1 needs
lots of work.
Bike: 6:26:08
The bike went much better than
expected. I actually finished the second
loop about 2 minutes faster than the first loop. Stats: NP 165, IF .68, VI 1.06, TSS 292. I used my power numbers to control my effort
while monitoring my HR. Interestingly, around
mile 35 I noticed my HR was 132, 10 beats higher than normal at my goal NP. At first I thought about backing off to get
my HR down, but the NP was right on target, so after a few minutes of debating
with myself, I decided the higher HR was from the swim/cumulative fatigue and
to monitor for further increases (which was a good decision). My HR didn’t increase until the last 10 miles
or so and only went up to the 138 range.
It was so funny to watch people go hard up the hills and coast down…just
like Coach P said would happen. The last
20 miles of the climb back into town seemed to take forever and I couldn’t wait
to get to BSN, not to get my bag but, I needed a break. At that point I thought I went too hard and that
the second loop would be a suffer fest, but that never happened. Something happened after leaving special
needs. Not sure if it was my caffeinated
nutrition or the energy from the crowds, but I felt a lot better and full of
energy again, so I press the gas. The
second loop felt much better than the first and my thoughts stayed
positive. This time around, the climb
back into town went much quicker and I finished the ride very strong. I stopped twice to use the bathroom…once on
each loop…a total of 3 times for the whole day.
According to my Garmin I lost 5 mins from these 2 stops and my special
needs stop.
T2:
3:18
I was smooth and fast in T2 and even stopped to get sun screen
applied. The Go Bag saves so much time! As I exited T2, a volunteer started yelling
for my bib number. It was still in my Go
Bag, so I had to stop and show them my number…that was a first.
Run: 3:51:12
Based on my time, I had an
outstanding run but, it was a suffer fest after mile 14 and was no longer
enjoyable. I had to dig very, very deep
to keep my pace, especially after the Lisa G hill when I noticed my pace was getting
slightly slower. I ran up this hill both
times thinking it would be faster than walking but I was more worried that if I
started walking, it would be hard to get running again and an easier decision to
start walking later. I walked all the aid
stations except two where slowed my pace while taking in fluids. I filled my Go Bag with ice about every 3-4
aid stations (thanks EN for that tip) and was able to handle the warm
temps. Training in Northern VA had me
use to heat and humidity. I got lots of
mojo from Al every time I saw him on the run getting it done in tough
conditions…thanks! Around mile 16, my
inner thigh muscle started to slightly cramp and got progressively worse. Then, after mile 23 my right inner thigh
muscle started twitching and I knew what that meant. This has happened a few times before and I
believe (IMO) it’s due to my body recruiting other muscles to help out my
fatiguing hamstrings, glutes and/or quads. These other muscles are not use to
being used for running and eventually gives out. My strategy was to slow my pace to just where
my muscle wouldn’t cramp. That would work
for almost a mile just in time for my 30-second aid station walk, which helped
hold off any serious cramping. I started
drinking Coke at mile 19 and would alternate between Red Bull and Coke the rest
of the aid stations. At mile 20, I saw that a sub 12:00 finish was in reach but
realized a lot can happen in 6.2 miles and didn’t get excited at all. Then at mile 24.5 my Garmin showed I had 20
mins to cover 1.5 miles…easy! It wasn’t
until a couple hours after the finish that I saw my official time was 11:58 and
realized I forgot my watch auto stops on the bike. I didn’t account for my two bathroom stops
and BSN stop, which added up to 5 mins.
I’m glad I decided not to take it easy that last mile.
When I got to the Loop 2/Finish
split, everyone around me went left and I was the only one going right. Yes! I had the oval and finishing chute all to
myself.
Total
time: 11:58:17
Conclusion:
-
My family couldn’t be there, but it was very energizing
seeing EN teammates on the course and EN family/spouses cheering for someone
they meet hours to a couple days before the race…WOW! -
I believe my nutrition plan was on target due to my
negative bike split, energy levels and a “full tank” feeling all day. -
I was surprised to be in the top 10-12% of my
AG. Now it’s time to focus on cutting my
T1 time in half. I’m sure there’s a
thread on this in the Forums. -
Things to work on.
- Swim: I know I have the endurance to sustain a
faster pace, practice it. Practice going
out fast and settling into a comfortable pace- Bike: Biggest area for improvement. Need to improve FTP and 5 hr power.
Comments
Yes, you have plenty of time you can shave off. That's one of the things that I find cool about this sport. For many of us that took it up a little later in life, going faster remains an option for many years simply b/c we can recognize and improve on so many little (and big) things.
Congrats and good luck with the next one!
Could you highlight your 2015 running plan in a little more detail since Thanksgiving and the plans for it remaining this year? Typical mileage per day during the week , miles at different intensity , split runs , long runs, and how they coincide with your swim/bike? 250 days in a row is impressive, I imagine your going for 365 at this point , I am a firm believer in a complete day off the legs every once in a while and more extensive rest at least once a year... Funny I went over 1000 miles at the 6 month mark this year (largely in part to a winter run focus for Ultra's) and for a second I thought I too could hit 2000 miles , I quickly gave up on that notion :-) with too many races left to do....
Plans for remainder of the year and next?
You are my hero. I hope I can report similar results when I finish IMLOU for the first time in the 50-54 age group. I'm shooting for under 12 hrs too. Well written and helpful to me as I prepare. Thanks and congratulations.
Derrick - between the transition (6'), bike (45') and swim (??) you have close to an hour you can realistically think of knocking of that time. The transition time is free and easy - there's a post in the wiki on that, as well as simply eliminating any and everything which isn;t absolutely necessary: put on helmet & sunglasses, grab shoes, and go. Everything else needs a really strong justification for inclusion in your transition activities.
With your aerobic engine and lean physique, you have as you say the biggest opportunities on the bike. It may require (shudder) spending a little less time and energy running. You could easily get the same IM result from 30-35 miles a week during IM builds and 25+/- other times during the year, but that might be too hard to give up? In any event, don't neglect the free speed/time you get from adopting and learning how to ride in an ideal position. $$ spent on a quality bike fit might pay off big time. And of course, using EN;s Bike Focus and OS training plans to the max should yield bike results.
Thanks for being and staying in the race. When you motored by me at the start of the run, seeing you at all the out 'n backs kept me honest in my effort.
Derrek,
I really enjoyed watching you get all the work done over the cycle leading up this. You were consistent and you worked hard. I kept telling myself "this guy is going to have a great race if he can execute!" And BAM!, you had an awesome race!
When I saw you at the finish it put a big smile on my face!
Al, gives great wisdom below in his thoughts for you!
I look forward to watching you for future cycles and seeing the monster to yet be unleashed!
Super congratulations on a HUGE accomplishment Ironman!
SS
@ Don - Great meeting you as well.
@ John - Yep, Shaughn predicted I'd have a 1 hr PR. Thanks.
@ Stephan - Thank you and all the best at IMLOU! Stick to the EN plans and you'll crush it.
@ SS - Thanks! And thanks again for all the support and encouragement.
@ Matt - Thanks for the kind works.
@ Al - As always wise words to heed! I think what hurts my T1 time is putting on socks (on half wet feet) and bike shoes. Then running in bike shoes is a slow and careful process. I also should have given my wetsuit to a volunteer to put in my bag instead of doing it myself. More to learn...
Below in reply to Tim's questions, you'll see more about my running. I'm willing to cut back on running and do more biking if I know it will improve my bike fitness/power. Again, thank you!
@Tim, you gave me a nice assignment! Great questions...it was worth looking at my running history. So, after IMMT in August 2014, I ran Chicago Marathon (3:26) in Oct and NYC Marathon (3:51) 3 weeks later. I took 3-4 weeks to recover and started OS on Dec 1st (4 weeks after the official start). I took on the streak challenge only because the OS intermediate plan had 5 runs/week and I figured I could manage 2 additional runs at a Z1 pace. Most of my "extra" runs were at Z1 +/- 20" for 3-4 miles. I did 99.9% of the OS bike and 100% run workouts. Two hacks I made to the OS run workouts were doing 1 or 2 more intervals than prescribed (4x1 mile instead of 3x1 mile) for about half of the workouts and consistently doing a 12-15 mile long run on the weekend. The long runs varied from doing the OS wko and adding on Z1 miles to get to 12-15 miles, to doing a few LSD run (Z1+40") for 12 miles. These hacks were to better prepare for my "A" race HM in March. I decided to continue the streak because my fatigue level was manageable. I was also swimming 2-3 days a week in Dec and Jan. Mid-Feb, I went to 3-4 days a week. Swimming 4 days/wk during OS did increase my fatigue level causing me to get more sleep (but not at work). Around the end of OS, I noticed my weekly mileage had me on track to run over 2,000 miles this year. This is a huge increase in mileage for me. In 2013 I ran ~900 miles and ~1,260 miles in 2014. My weekly mileage: Dec: 38, 37, 40, 42, 44. Jan: 38, 41, 40, 28. Feb: 46, 42, 41, 42. March, April, May were about the same and June increased to 43-46. In April I rolled into EN HIM intermediate plan for a May race, which also had 5 runs/week most weeks and I continued my Z1 easy runs on Mondays and Fridays and the same for IM training. Bottom line is all my extra runs were at an easy pace and I don't think it negatively affected my training.
As far as plans for the rest of the year, I'll continue running everyday but my race calendar is blank, which is very unlike me. Actually, I'm doing a couple things for fun (Century ride or two). Before I start making race plans, I wanted to get input from the coaches on what can I be doing between now and next season to get to the top 5% of my AG, specifically on the bike. I've been looking at a few HIMs and even another late season IM. Also, with my bump in running fitness/VDot, I know I can PR my marathon (3:18) by 10-15', but that's not a priority right now.
Thanks for the questions!
I have done this exact same thing consistently for several years. The second of these -- maintaining a long run throughout the OS -- was an "official" recommendation in the coach's notes of the OS Adv plan.
The point about doing 4x mile repeats when the plan calls for 3x is one that as mentioned I've done for years. Truthfully I started this because when running an out-and-back course I wanted symmetry in the headwind/tailwind impact on my intervals!! But now I do it because I think 4 miles of LT running is the right number for triathlon training and seems to work well increasing my run fitness without driving too much fatigue or injury risk (when doing open marathon training I would do 6 mi of LT running in those workouts, with a lot shorter recovery intervals). It's important to note that the structure of those LT sessions is important. While we do a lot of mile repeats, laddering up from 4x1 to 3x1.5 to 2x2 I think is a good idea.
Derrek - Fantastic race! With a 54 minute PR and a negative bike split I think you had a stellar day!
The swim in Placid is tight and if you get uncomfortable with rough contact definatly stay a few yards off the cable as you found out yourself. Not having to slow up and regain composure is easy place to find a few minutes off the clock.Negative splitting the bike is hard to do with the bookend climbs on both loops. Great work there. I agree with the others about spending more time on the bike. From your running background, you have an good base that will not fade as you work on building your bike.
Fantastic run! Period. Every time I saw you, you were looking strong and fluid... and getting closer. I knew it was only a matter of time before you caught and passed me. Was really great to see you go, knowing you were on a sub 12 hour pace!
Was really great to meet and spend time with you. I enjoyed that very much. Thanks too for your company on the Keene decent. Having you and your friend stick around while I changed out my flat was reassuring.
If you ever find yourself looking for a challenging fall marathon, come up and run the MDI with me. This year it is 10/18 and will be my 12th year running it.
Take care my friend and congrats again on a excellent race!