Bill's 2016 IMWI (and first IM) RR - MOOOO!
It's right at 48 hours after I finished, and I already feel like I'm forgetting some of the details, so I'll get in what I can remember at this point. I felt decent at the end, but seeing the photos from me on the run that Mariah posted, I'm sure anyone who saw me would be surprised I finished...
Times from WTC, tracking from Garmin (which died on mile 24) and Strava, goals from my delusional brain...
- Swim - Goal 1:20, actual 1:25:59, https://www.strava.com/activities/710322778
- T1 - No particular goal, actual 10:25
- Bike - Goal 7:00, actual 7:08:21, https://www.strava.com/activities/710322909 (didn't start until I remembered...)
- T2 - No particular goal, actual 8:14
- Run - Goal 5:30, actual 5:53:31, https://www.strava.com/activities/710322815 (920 died before the end)
- Total - Goal about 14:00, actual 14:46:30
Details:
Training history already discussed. Not quite all I wanted, but more than I'd ever done previously.
Arrived in MSN late Thursday, swim/meet/greet/4 Keys Friday morning before check-in (which was very smooth), banquet that night. Finally got a chance to meet the one and only SS in person (and others mentioned throughout) after all of his leadership during the buildup. Saturday bike check-in and not much else.
Sunday morning - normal pre-race breakfast/drinking; fluids on bike; pump tires; fluids in T1/T2 bags; team photo; suit up and in the water. High-five Mike Reilly, head out to the boat ramp (on outside edge), chat up Chris Cianella a bit while waiting, cannon sounds and we're off!
Swim - A lot of contact the first 200 yards, but I was coping. Then I simultaneously got kicked in the head and grabbed on the leg, as I was taking a breath, aspirated water, started choking, and panicked. However, I knew all I needed to do was get to a buoy and rest for a bit to get the HR and respiratory rate down. I cut across the traffic (sorry for anyone I hit!) and got to the buoy, rested a few minutes until I felt better, swam to the next buoy, rested for 15 seconds, then took off again. The rest of the way I maintained the pace I'd have expected, and was reminded that I'm much more comfortable swimming over other people than vice versa (a lesson for the future). Still only finished 6 minutes slower than I'd have liked, and all of that time (looking at my TP data) was spent hanging on the buoys... It was uplifting to hear @IronmanVoice call my name as I came out of the water (even if he mispronounced my surname). Peed 3 times while swimming, so my pre-race hydration was good!
T1 - knowing it is a long day, I walked/trotted through to the strippers as I pulled down my WS, pointed at a likely pair, trotted/walked up the helix (which was an amazing experience, even if my face didn't show it in Mariah's picture!), grabbed my bag. Changing room was packed and no available volunteers until I'd dumped my bag and was struggling to get my WS in. Helmet on, bottle and shoes grabbed, out to the bike with sunscreen (although they missed near my jersey in back, so lying down now is tough...) on the way. Drained my bottle before getting halfway to my bike. I wasn't expecting a volunteer to unrack my bike, so that was a pleasant surprise. Shoes on at the wall just before the mount line; saddle up and out!
Bike - Nice and easy; it's a long day; bucket of chicken; yada-yada... My HR was in the high 140s at the beginning, and it slowly decreased, with about the same average and normalized power through the entire bike. My HR is always slow to come down after the swim, but not usually this bad. However, I was feeling good (even if I didn't look like it at the top of Mt. Horeb, Rich and Mariah...). The time over 7 hours on the bike mainly comes from stopping to pee 3 times (just couldn't crack the seal while riding) and going back at BSN (where I peed) to get sunscreen reapplied (from my bag). Drank 2 bottles of standard Gatorade with some Base added while settling in, 1 bottle GE from almost every AS, water from the last 3 AS along with SS+ caps when GE started tasting like ass, about 100 kcal in solids of some from from the first 8 AS (either blocks or gel), finished up hydrated and fueled. No mechanical issues, no chain drops, no flats, so I think I'm pretty lucky compared to some of my teammates; I only smoked my brakes a couple of times on tight turns when someone cut me off. Unclipped and walked up 2/3 of Barlow as planned, but, other than pee breaks, was clipped in for the rest of the ride (surprised at the number walking up Mid Towne). I have to say that for the length and remoteness of the bike course, I was floored by the support of locals and volunteers on the course, and the climbing experience was all it was purported to be. I was surprised with how many were on Barlow, given the logistics in getting there. Eased back into T2, felt pretty good going in.
T2 - not much to say. Took it probably a little too easy. No chairs available, so I sat on the floor to shoe up. Forgot my bottle of GoFar in the bag somehow, but grabbed my go bag and out.
Run - My wife's FB photo of me heading out on the run belies how decently I felt at the time. Just tried to keep the AHR around 138, which I knew I could sustain from a CV standpoint. Soaked up the Capitol Hill crowd before heading down Dayton. Passed the men's OA winner coming in and collected some of that energy. First half in about 2:45 is what I'd planned. Collected much mojo from seeing my teammates on the course, even the ones who couldn't look up when I called out their names (I got there about mile 22). Seeing Mariah and Rich at the State Street turnaround helped keep me moving. Walked AS (30-40 steps), Observatory (steep sections) and the steep ramps in/out of the stadium; other than that, only walked 10 steps between AS twice in the second half. Just couldn't push the HR to keep it up to my goal, and it continued to drop through the entire run. However, I kept running, partly because I didn't want EE yelling at me like he did at Legend 100 last year (see, Ed, I was run/shuffling when I saw you after you finished
), partly because I knew the only way out was over the finish line and walking wasn't bringing that closer. Probably my two most inspirational moments on the run were seeing Lindsay heading out on the run, knowing she'd conquered the bike, and seeing Mariah (master of photographing my backside apparently based on the SmugMug photos...) on Dayton near the end, in the dark, telling me how good I looked (when I knew I looked like $#!+) and pushing me to continue running through the end. Again, I can't say enough how seeing all of my teammates on the course (and Rachel in her giraffe costume!) kept me moving through the end. It got pretty dark (literally and metaphysically) at times, but I knew all of you were there doing it along with me, and that kept me going.
After the Garmin died (includes the finish) - I thought this deserved its own heading. After seeing Mariah on Dayton and starting the circle around the Capitol, it finally hit me that I was going to finish, and I was going to still be "running." I actually realized this somewhat at RSN and teared up a little, but here's where it really hit me. I fought back the tears (which are threatening again; FBOW it doesn't take much) came around the corner onto Main high-fiving everyone. I somehow missed my wife at Main/MLK (although, based on her blurry FB photo, I probably high-fived people on either side of her), came down the chute at a moderate pace to try to soak it in, and threw up my hands when I heard my name (pronounced correctly this time) from Mike Reilly pronouncing me an Ironman! The catchers thought I was going to go down afterwards apparently, probably because I looked like I was about to cry again (which I was) and partly because, although I could walk straight, I stumbled every time I tried to turn. They finally left me halfway through the medal photo line, after which I finally found my wife and kissed her again after 15 hours (like I'd promised just before the swim start). Real time comment - Alan Brown just reminded me that I saw him at bag pickup; that's just a very vague memory; my memory is pretty patchy until watching Lindsay cross the line on my laptop back in the hotel (Joanne wasn't feeling well, so that's the excuse I'll use rather than just having physical difficulty convincing myself to walk back up the hill after dropping off my bike) and cheering loudly enough for the neighbors at the hotel to hear (and crying more; remember it doesn't take much, and that was much).
Lessons:
- Start the swim further back; although starting more forward works for some, for me, swimming over people is more comfortable.
- Pee while riding (not sure when I want to practice that...). That alone would have gotten be below 7 hours
- Speed up the transitions. More practice and being willing to push it.
- Work more on the run. More durability would have helped me push the HR through the end.
- I've got a great group of teammates here. People on both sides of me on the skill/endurance spectrum who really care and are very dedicated. Ed Eovino asked me if I was going to do IMMT 2017; I hedged waiting on how I felt about this race. Let's just say that WTC is probably going to get more of my money in a couple of days, and it's mostly because of all of you! All of you animals pushing me on Strava and in the forums, finally having some faces/voices for names (other than Todd Glass, who didn't facially recognize me after 20 years, but with good reason...), you have helped me transform my life into something better than I would be otherwise, and I can't thank you enough!
That's enough for tonight. There's much more detail I could put (if I could remember) and people I didn't thank directly (like Doug Johnson for the pushing on Strava, even if he wasn't at this race), but I worked 14 hours today and will do the same tomorrow, because for some reason, no one else respects the race! Thanks again all, and MSN/volunteers, for a great past 3 months!
Comments
No worries - the only thing you will forget about this is how badly it was hurting towards the end.. that's why we keep coming back :-)
Congrats!! Well done!
Was fantastic seeing you out on the course working it Bill!!!
WTG and congratulations IM!!
SS
I was excited when you signed up for WI and it's so great to you complete the journey! I mentioned to my friend (at bag recovery) that I don't think Bill knew who I was! You shared great mojo on the run every time I saw you! Congrat's Ironman!!!
Perseverance pays, eh?
Back-to-back 14 hour days, as soon as you got home? I can remember a few of those - retired now, I can't imagine how I ever got through some call days being unable to walk properly downstairs.
@Al - if it were 14 hours patient care, it'd been more tiring; most of it was meetings and other admin BS. However, lots of stairs and ramps, and down was very difficult Tuesday. By today, 11 hours didn't feel nearly as bad...
@Mariah - I love that you are out there trying to photograph with all of the cheerleading you do. I just had to say something about the butt shots, but I really appreciate all that you do.
@IMMT peeps - Cruising around the 'net this evening, I stumbled upon this: I guess that means I'll be there with y'all next year! I'd said that I wouldn't do it until I knew I could physically recover in a reasonable timeframe from an IM; this week has shown I can do it. It'll be great doing this again with all of you next year!
I am a crier (started during this post!) and every IM is emotional somewhere in the day!
You will love IMMT! It is so beautiful there, they love IM racers and you'll have the team there for all the MOJO!