Bruce Thompson 2015 Kona Race Report
Short Version: I ran (no walking except inside aid stations) the entire marathon (4:34 split time) which was my only goal for the day. Just Kept Running. Finished in 12:35, a 64 minute PR versus Kona 2014. 29th in AG. Felt good all day and never had a major bad patch. Probably could have pushed harder on the bike and end of run, but so what. I’ve very satisfied. Also I had the best support team ever with JT and Kathleen, and I was glad to fulfill their belief in me with a solid race.
Long Version: Swam 1:26, T1 6:06, Bike 6:21, T2 :6:16, Run 4:36. Total 12:36
Ate my usual pre-race breakfast. JT and Kathleen got me to the race with plenty of time to spare (I get nervous about getting to the race, not the race itself). Got hugs from JT and a kiss from Kathleen and headed into transition. Got my bike ready, but made my first mistake of the day. I filled my torpedo bottle with Infinit instead of water (bottles looked the same in the pre-dawn light). So I had to drink just plain water prior to race start but had extra Infinit on-board. Ate a power bar 45 minutes before the start.
Swim: Got into the water and swam to 10 yards behind the start line, about in the middle of the start line. Looked around and told myself that I was so lucky and blessed to “get” to do the Kona Ironman with all these other great triathletes. The cannon boomed & off we went. It was congested but not too bad, just the usual banging, unlike others who experienced more mayhem near the buoy line. I found some feet and followed. About 500 meters in, my goggles started to leak so I rolled over on my back, adjusted them, and swam again. No problems the rest of the way. Felt good to the turn around and for the first 1/2 of the inbound leg. By now the current was strong and in our face, so the pace was much slower. I also swallowed a big mouthful of salt water when I got run over by a convoy of fast women swimmers coming up from behind. I started to feel slightly sick, so I just made an extra effort to focus on form to put it out of my mind. Made it back to the pier without any more trouble. Time: 1:26. Slower than last year by 4 minutes but the current was much stronger this year.
T1: Got rinsed off. A volunteer helped me quickly get my new EN sleeved kit top on, and headed to the bike. I did stop to pee, and this added about a minute to my T1 time.
Bike: My bike worked perfectly the entire race…no mechanicals (I had a new chain, new cassette, and new shifters installed prior to the race), no computer issues, all good. I got settled in at 170 watts, but immediately began drinking the Infinit in my torpedo. I wanted to refuel myself and empty the torpedo so I could fill it with water at the first aid station.
I rode along in aero at 170 watts (.65IF) and HR of 125 bpm basically all the way to Hawi. I just let the speed be what the course gave me. Many folks were passing me but I just let them go. At each aid station, I’d rack a fresh water bottle, grab a banana, get a 2nd bottle of water to fill the torpedo, and get a 3rd bottle of water to spray myself to completely cool myself down.
On the climb to Hawi, I looked out on the Pacific Ocean – it was so blue and such a sight. S screamed out load with glee. It began to sprinkle, then rain hard with strong winds. While the road got slick, it sure was a nice to cool down. On the descent from Hawi, I rode conservatively, at about 35 mph until the road dried out. After a while, Turby Wright passed me and we talked for a minute or two. He looked great, very strong, and he eventually rode away from me. I was glad to see him having a good race.
In the last 30 miles of the ride, the wind picked up in our face. I just stayed aero, and focused on maintaining my watts and fueling plan. I came into T2 feeling so much better than I recall feeling last year even though my time was faster. As I look back at my data, I probably rode too easy the 2nd half of the race with an IF of only .6. I rode IMMT at IF .7 and at a HR 10 bpm higher than Kona. Oh well, the bike set me up for a good run at Kona.
Overall: 159 avg watts (.6IF), 17.7 avg speed, 90 avg Rpm, 123 avg HR
T2: My legs felt ok running the perimeter of the pier, and I stopped to pee. Put Body Glide on my toes, pulled on compression socks, shoes on while a volunteer put water in my hand-held bottle of infinit. Grabbed my go bag, and took off.
Run: My run training leading into the race was weak. After IMMT in August, I had a bit of patella tendonitis in my right knee. As a result I had only done one 12 mile run leading into Kona, and had to stop running altogether for 10 days about three weeks before the race. My knee felt better by race day, but I wasn’t sure how it or the rest of me would hold up for 26 miles.
It was hot on the run 89F and the sun was blazing the entire way. At each aid station, I would put a cup of ice in the go bag, and put the bag inside my top right over my heart. This worked great and I never felt over-heated during the run.
At the 2nd aid station, I departed just as a woman was leaving. We were running the same pace so we started talking. She was from Belgium and her name was Sigi. Her goal was the same as mine – run the entire marathon except the aid stations. So we decided we’d run together. We did this until mile 19 when she picked up the pace a bit and I stayed at my current pace. In the end she finished about 2 minutes ahead of me.
I normally use Infinit on the run, but in the heat of Kona, it was no good. The powder had been in the heat since I racked my bike the day before and when the water was added to it in T2, It just wasn’t drinkable. The mixture was rancid. So I switched to Gatorade Endurance on the course. At each aid station I’d drink a cup of water, a cup of GE, and refill my go bag with ice. I also took 5 S-caps during the race.
It felt really good to still be running the last 7 miles after leaving the Energy Lab (last year I walked most of miles 10-26). It was dark now and I just focused on my form and cadence. When I got to Palani, I was able to pick up the pace. I passed 6 people in the last mile, and felt strong coming down Ali’I Drive. I saw JT about 300 meters from the finish and he said Kathleen was up at the finish. I was able to maintain an 8:30 pace the last mile and finished in good form coming across the finish. Overall, my run was 4:34, and I was 64 minutes faster for the entire race than last year. I was very satisfied with my time, but more importantly, that I was able to run the entire marathon.
Thanks so very much to Kathleen and JT for inspiring me to do well at IMMT to qualify for Kona, and for being in Kona with me. Thanks also to my training partners Matt Aaronson, Claudia Langarica, Melissa Bowman, David Salzman and the entire EN team.
Lessons learned:
1. If you want to run well, you can’t over cook the bike on a hot day. Got to keep cool on the bike. Dah!!
2. I can use GE from the course on the run. It means I don’t have to carry the concentrated Infinit in a hand-held bottle. I think that will help me race better.
3. It helps to have a knowledgeable, caring and inspirational support team.
Comments
Bruce, it was so great to finally meet you and to spend some time with you, Kathleen, and JT. I'm so glad you had such a great race after a tough one last year. When I saw you on the bike I could tell you felt great and were taking it all in! Very smart racing on a hot, windy day! Enjoy a nice rest and I'll look forward to seeing and racing with you soon.
Bruce, I'm really impressed (and pleased) with your performance. Had you been at the breakfast the next morning, I would have tried to corral you into the pact I made with Juan and Turby. Our ages are all five years apart, as is yours. We agreed we had a plan to meet up again same time same place in five years, meaning another go round @ KQ when we all age up in 2019, for a race in Kona 2020.
Keep cool, keep loose, and stay healthy.