IMMT race report - William "Skip" Crawford
Short version: It was a long, hot, and hard day for me.
Long version:
We arrived in town late Thursday night after an 11 hour car ride. My wife, Kathy, was also racing. We checked into the Residence Inn where we have stayed in the past as we like the short walk to transition. We missed the team dinner since we arrived too late. Friday and Saturday were uneventful. We met up with friends and tried to stay hydrated and rested. We went for a very short swim to the coffee boat Saturday morning and also rode a few miles to make sure the bikes were in good shape.
Woke up at 4:30 Sunday morning and had my oatmeal and coffee. After eating, we walked to transition to put our nutrition on the bike and drop off special need bags. After we returned to the room to use the bathroom and rest. We made our way to the swim start and put on our wetsuits. I was drinking water throughout the morning and also had cliff shot blocks before the swim start.
The swim was as expected. I tried to draft, but when you swim as slow as me the people you can draft off of generally stop to site and I decided it was just easier to swim on my own. Total swim time was 1:46:20. I really need to work on the swim.
Once out of the water, I found great wetsuit stripper and was off to the change tent. I dumped my bag and was ready to go our of the tent. I asked a volunteer if he could help re-pack my bag and he advised me they are no longer allowed to assist.
I really like the bike course and was looking forward to getting on the bike. I carried my shoes to the mount line, put them on, and was off on the course. I noticed my legs felt heavy in the first few miles. I figured they would loosen up after thirty minutes or so, but I was wrong. By mile 20 it was clear I was having a rough day. My legs were still heavy and I was feeling sick. My plan was to drink 20 ounces of Infinit per hour, 20-28 ounces of water per hour, and add base salt and cliff shot blocks to add the extra calories and sodium. I was not able to drink at the required rate. I know I need between 40 and 48 ounces of liquid per hour to stay hydrated, but I could barely drink 20 ounces. I elected to skip the water and made sure to take in the Infinit. My wife saw me around mile 25 and told me after the race she was very worried as I "did not look good at all." I could not generate my usual watts and rather than trying to hit a specific target, I just rode by feel making sure not to go over my watts.
At special need, I forced myself to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and drink a lot of fluids. I actually stayed at special needs longer than usual to get in more hydration. The break and extra hydration seemed to help as I was able to continue. By the end of the second loop I began to feel a bit dizzy and lightheaded. I was afraid I would fall over on the climb up Superior. I decided to finish the bike and then make the decision on whether to drop out once I was in transition.
I fully expected a bike split of 6:30 based on my knowledge of the course and my prior races on it. I managed 7:16:24.
I entered the tent and was stopped by someone with medical aide. Apparently I still looked as bad as I felt. I was asked several times if I was ok and whether I needed medical attention. I decided in that moment I was ok and I would finish this race. I declined medical assistance and got ready for the run.
Due to the heat, I elected to carry two ziplock bags for the run. I figured I would keep one in the front of my shirt and one in the back of my shirt. I began the run slowly and elected to walk the hills out of town to try and get my heart rate down and and cool off my body. I began to feel a bit better and was able to run the downhills and the out portion of the trail. I drank gatorade and water at every stop. I would also take coke at every other stop. I was able to keep up my pace until mile eight. At that point, I had to either walk or I would be sick 
. I revised the plan and figured if I could keep taking in nutrition and hydration I should be able to run the second loop. Again, I was wrong. I kept trying to run and I kept getting .
I run a stand alone marathon between 3:25 and 3:35 without any marathon specific training. I mention it because my goal was to run a sub 4 hour marathon. I was not even close. My marathon time was 5:34:29.
I do not know why I became sick so early in the bike. A friend suggested I likely swallowed a lot of water during the swim. I was not aware of taking in a lot of water, but it certainly is possible.
I have just take an complete week off from structured activity. I feel recovered and will now turn my attention to IMMD. I have a few weeks to try and revise my nutrition and hydration plan. I am going to experiment with Skratch and real food.
Thanks for reading and any thoughts you may have regarding my day.
Comments
Great job finishing that sufferfest. Man, you really gutted it out - literally. Sounds like you were dehydrated to a substantial degree. Once behind on fluids on a hot day like that, you're pretty much screwed. Sorry you suffered so much. Hopefully your reunion tour next year will yield a better race experience.
I'm doing the skratch and real food approach and (apart from the logistics) it is really helping. I normally cook a batch of rice cakes on Thursday (put the rice on before the long run and finish them after) so that I have them for the Sat/Sunday rides. I carry a feeder bottle of Skratch. It is a clear bottle marked w/ a Sharpie in 2 oz increments. Each 2 oz represents a 20 oz water bottle - so at aid stations, I fill my Shiv bladder with water then squirt 2 oz of Skratch concentrate on top.
That part of my meal plan worked well for the bike at IMMT. On the run, I was carrying the singles packages to dump into my fuel belt bottles... they got wet and the rest was history - so I am still working that part of the logistics.
But - I have easily been able to hit my fluid volumes and total calories since switching to real food and drink and I generally feel TONS better.
Good luck - and reach out anytime if you want to discuss ideas about how to make it all work.
@Rich- I appreciate the feedback and may take you up on your offer to contact you to discuss ideas on how to make it work. I will try a feeder bottle.