Guesneau 2016 IMWI Race Report
“The Executive Summary”:
I reached my dream (KQ). I joined EN last year with the mission to reach Kona and they delivered! I didn’t quite reached my targeted time, particularly on the run but the change in the bike course might have something to do with the 4 minute miss on the total time target. 6 years of hard training, learning to listen to my body, gaining confidence on how much we can push our human body and mind, getting up in the morning, missing very few workouts (I probably missed 1 or 2 wkos maximum per 6 month training plans), good race plans, some crazy athletes that inspire and assist (my wife, Jeremy and Justin particularly), family support and wife’s exemplary determination and race preparation are key factors I attribute for my success.
Disclaimers:
My English is bad (from Quebec) and you will see a lot of bad composition, bad grammar and typo errors in this RR! I am not a super athlete; I would actually categorize myself as a below average athlete compared to all KQ athletes. I am 90% stubborn/determined (I refer myself often as soldier with my head down and will be the last one to quit) and 10% “fast”. I also believe that luck was a contributor to my KQ but I will take it! Luck goes both ways and we need to accept it, good or bad, particularly when we “play more than once” and we have experienced both!
The Long Story: As with many others, KQ was achieved after many years of effort and continuous improvement. I should add however that I jumped in the triathlon very aggressively with no prior bike or swim skills. After 10 years of running marathons (9 years at a diesel pace of 9 min/mile) and the final year at low 7 min/mile pace, I was done with marathons! I always looked at Ironman as the ultimate physical and mental test. I considered starting with a 1/2IM but I was looking for the big jump and didn’t think it was a big enough step from a 4 hour marathon event. Instead, I signed up for IM Saint George 2012. This was a May event (and I bought my first bike in October 2011, only a few months before) and consequently jumped in this crazy race with no open swim experience and maybe a maximum of 10 hours of bike outside my basement. I encourage people to read about this race and its 29% attrition. Since then, I completed 6 more IMs, a few 1/2IMs and Olympics with constant improvements somewhat defying the aging process! Like with many, if you didn’t swim in HS or college, the learning curve is almost flat; the bike improved with training and the run gain is more due to experience.
EN and Jeremy helped me add a couple of key targets in this year IMWI training plan. First was to train harder on the bike but still plan a conservative NP (I did IMMT 15 at 212 NP with a much lower bike strength and FTP and did this race at 202 NP) and pushed the CTL to 140. I also did IMTX earlier this year but was sick and over-trained (winter basement training working to 140CTL is not healthy!), The last long Week 18 crazy weekend was incredibly beneficial for my confidence and preparation achieving 140CTL and producing higher NP than I was targeting at the race. It also caused a right knee pain that required ART treatment. This was the first time that I got close to an injury (been blessed). The point of this paragraph is that coaching and assistance was key for me and I assume 99.9% of us need it to achieve KQ!
Also, please note that I live 2 hours away from the course and spent a lot of time riding the bike course. I probably spent 4 weekends doing 5 or even 6 loops.
Arrival at IMWI:
On the way to Madison, I stopped at the Trek Store to get a final adjustment on by shifting. My Trek SC has been with me since 2011 and has a ton of miles. I decided a few days before the race to replace the crank (switch to a mid after a few climbs up Barlow, changed the rear derailleur (notice the French word here – I didn’t make a typo on this one!), cassettes, tires, blablabla. When I brought the bike to the tech guy, he asked me: “do you plan on racing with this bike?” I confidently answered: “yes!” He said: “Your bike has a lot of miles and your cables are all worn. I am not sure your bike will make it to the end of the race!” With no hesitation, I ordered him: “Fix it!” He looked at me and said: “I can’t. It would take too long and it is not recommended to replace cable just before a race. Cables initially stretch and may impact performance through the race”. I don’t remember what I said after that and left (with my bike).
Spent Thursday night and Friday preparing everything before my family arrived. Friday, I biked 90 minutes on the stick after the Roka Swim session. I also went to Coach Rich seminar which was extremely helpful (and funny). He explained how he only carries one bottle at a time and that totally clicked with me. I was able to take the weight off of one bottle for sure. He also emphasized the importance to find a motivational response or inspiration when we hit the wall. This is something that I always struggled finding. It is difficult to pick inspiration when you are privileged, the last 25 years have been the happiest you never dreamed, you are in total fitness shape and you are about to complete another ironman (sorry – this happiness is not drug induced). It honestly appear counter intuitive to me. How can I inspire myself during a selfish race when so many people and children are suffering in this world? I came up with something – more to follow later!
Bike and Gear drop off went super easy except I flipped Run and Bike Gears. I put my bike gear in my run gear and vice versa! Wow! That would have been funny not noticing it!!! My son noticed the helmet in the run gear when he gave me the bags at drop-off! Thank you Ben!
After the team photo, I proceeded to the swim launch pad and didn’t want to be rushed like in 2014. I got in the water probably 12-15 minutes ahead of the start and positioned myself about half way between the ski ramp and the left buoy. Previous 2 IMWI race, I positioned myself too aggressively very close to the left buoy in the pack of crazy ex-college swimmers. That has been so violent that I decided this year, I would apply a little more wisdom. I am probably more comfortable in the water than I am actually good at it. Very young, my dad made us swim in dangerous water conditions and I don’t mind crazy water conditions. I also don’t fear a punch or elbow on the face but will avoid it if possible. I think it is best to embrace that possibility rather than developing a fear or anxiety about it. So with a little more wisdom, I made a second good decision by dropping back to the 3rd row of swimmers. Boy was that a nice and calm decision! Last time I did this race, it was totally crazy; I was swimming on top of a guy, another one was swimming on top of my legs and I had elbows knocking me left and right. It was so bad that the guy on my right intentionally grabbed me and pushed me away from him (totally useless since there was another one pushing me towards him!). 400-500 yards like that creates race memories!
SWIM 1:08:04 (PR) 22nd in AG
The swim was the least violent of all races I participated in. Only once I got a good impact on the nose (at the perfect moment when I was thinking this race was smooth!). I also did the best job so far at sighting. My garmin still says I swam 4600 yds but it appear to be straight! I feel I didn’t push as hard as previous race and my focus on better technique must have helped. I did almost 2 minutes better despite a slow down at the end to try to pee. I gave up trying to pee and had to in T1. I was also totally fresh and now my HR stayed much lower than previous 2.4 mile swims. Technique gains!
T1 6:54 (PR)
I was expecting better. I saw the best T1 at last year IMWI done by Jeremy Behler. He was so smooth and crazy efficient. You can read his 2015 Race report for more details. I lost time in the porter potty for my pee brake. It probably had the positive effect of helping slow down my HR. I really didn’t do anything in the changing room. Attach my helmet, grab my shoes and bag with 6 GU. I was sad that I didn’t see my son or got helped from him. He saw me and was busy helping a “faster” swimmer!!
Bike 5:37:40, 202 NP, VI 1.07 (PR) 8th in AG
I followed the plan prescribed by the coaches, trying to lower and keep HR down. Sorry Rich, I never found the bucket of KFC but still managed to zone easy. My plan was go easy the first 30 minutes around 185NP and try to lower my HR. My NP for the first 30 minutes was 182. I was so happy of what I learned during my training and was prepared! I knew that without a swim prior to jumping on the bike, my HR is stupid low 125ish even if I push 210ish NP. If I swim prior, my HR has trouble going below 140. I was prepared for that and didn’t start questioning and going crazy. I didn’t panic about 140ish HR. I also remember Mark Cardinal telling me that he stayed stupid high on his HR at IMTX 16 performance (with a KQ!). Yes, I saw a lot of (younger) riders, going fast up the hills; you could even hear their heavy breathing. It made me smile! After the 30 minutes, I decide to ramp up to my 200NP target. I felt good but was a little stress that my right knee pain would come back. I probably push harder on the left leg to compensate and it showed on the run. I remembered Jeremy and Coach R saying how they focused on going fast on the course via efficiency, turns, etc…. I was thinking I was a Jeremy (except at the bottom of Timber) or a Coach R. I felt good the whole time with no reduction of effort. My nutrition was dialed in, no cramps. I finally peed on S. Syene and filled my left shoe. I regretted not having a bottle of water and chose not to spray myself with Gatorade; smells better but…. Up the helix, I saw my wife and kids who finished their volunteer time in the changing room.
It was super nice to see Jen Kurth and her new 2016 new wardrobe collection! It made me wonder how Ian will look on the side of that hill next year! I promise to be there!
T2 2:47
This is total surprise. I thought I was freaky smooth and fast or at least faster than my previous IMWI. Not sure why I wasn’t and will not further investigate. No pee. Put socks, put shoes and grabbed my zip-lock bag just like Coach P shows on his famous video.
Run 3:49:23 (4th AG)
Legs felt heavy for only a few hundred yards. I was actually feeling too good and was not able to slow myself to my targeted 8:45 pace. When I started running, very few people were on the running course or even spectating (including State St.). There was a guy in front dressed in pink with his bib belt super low over his a$$. He looked so much like Jan Frodeno that I went in a trance thinking I was a Pro! He finally disappeared. I saw my pace on my watch and woke up from this stupid dream! This also encouraged me to make sure I was keeping my nutrition up. I caught a lady friend from my town and was using her to better pace me. I lost her at aid station. This brings me to something I decided to do after listening to Coach Rich on at the seminar. He recommended to walk every aid station and use than as rewards. I didn’t want to stop at every one but was OK using them as rewards! I didn’t walk the aid stations until I was begging for it or needed ice. Mile 6 came so quick. It also meant I needed to get on with phase 2 of the run. My watch started acting up and kind of lost its support for a while. By mile 10, I started questioning why I was doing an Ironman and thinking I could just walk the rest. My brain has told me that so many times in races and training, it takes a few more miles before I start listening. Which brings me to what I found to be inspirational and motivating.
Friday night at the hotel with my kids, I asked my family: “Dad needs something to think about and motivate me when I will want to keep going”. My wife said: “C’est facile, Hawaii!” (That’s easy, Hawaii!). I explained that a trip to Hawaii with 4 kids is expensive and “may” impact my motivation (and retirement) negatively. The conversation switched and I never got other suggestions. The same night, walking on State St., my eyes caught a guy about my age, with serious handicaps in his legs having trouble walking and almost dragging his left leg. While on the other side of the street, he locked his eyes on me, started to cross the street towards us and “climbed” the sidewalk on our side. The whole time, he had his eyes locked on mine and I was not blinking away. It was totally weird and could even have been scary (psycho, ghost or spirit like)! Then, it hit me and I said to myself: “I get it. I found my motivation. This guy, about my age, was looking at me, at the best fit level of my life, t-shirts on, veins coming out of my body, etc… was thinking about how f%$##&* lucky I was and how he wished he could be in my shoes”. I didn’t tell my family about this until after the race. So, when I started feeling pain in my legs, I said to myself: “This is good! Pain is a good feeling. How many people including this guy, wish they could be in my shoes and feel the same pain. It seriously worked for me and I was embracing the pain in a positive energy. I hope most readers get it and don’t think I am crazy (although I am, but for other reasons!!!!).
Ian appeared in my mirrors! He looked good and I knew he would humiliate me soon! He did! He executed the EN plan to perfection! Right at mile 22, as I waved at his wife, he passed me on my left and asked me: “Do you know this lady?” pointing at his wife. We smiled and he passed me like he was a PRO. I never saw him again. What a timing! He looked so strong.
So this mysterious guy kept me running! It was also so nice to see my family on the run course. During the first loop, there were so few people, it was not confusing. During the second loop, I lost attention who I was passing or being passed. At mile 23, at the turn of the 7-Eleven, I passed a guy from my AG without noticing it! I immediately heard him say something and he accelerated, repassing me! I felt this was THE challenge I needed to as it could make a difference between KQ and not (there was also another reward my wife promised me if we go to Hawaii but I can’t mention here). I realized he could see my shadow when I decided to stay behind him. I moved back so he could not see me and I could plan an attack. He continuously accelerated at a point that I temporary lost ground on him. I reaccelerated to regain the lost ground and told myself that I will not lose him unless I faint! A few 100 yds later, he started to slow down and I had to make a decision: slow down and stay behind or rev up. We were in the downhill to the Stadium and a hill was coming. I like hills and felt confident I would win the hill. I also thought that I caught up to him; he didn’t just magically appear. I have more energy left!!! I took off and was scared the whole time. I also realized we were more than 2 miles away. I also told myself that I always appear too fresh after a long races and should try to look more like my wife who give herself so much more than me. When I came off State Street, my wife saw me and started running on the sidewalk and kept yelling at me. This was a rare time when she was yelling at me and she was not mad because I did something wrong! She was so encouraging that I was so afraid to ask her if a guy with a little grey hair was right behind me. I was too afraid of the answer. Two turns from the finish line, I had to know if he was still behind. I asked my wife and she told me I was alone. I pushed hard, didn’t look good for the photo finish be was so happy!! The next athlete ahead of me was the #3 of my AG. I finished 4th in my AG! When I arrived, all my kids were right there and my son immediately told me the ranking. Not knowing how many slots were being offered, I wasn’t sure of anything but was still overly happy about my results.
I was in pretty bad shape physically until I was able to eat a few small squares of pizza. We all headed back to the hotel, cleaned, and then headed back to see more finishers, while grabbing a bite to eat!
The next day, I went to the awards with very little sleep and a lot of soreness. The athlete who finished 4th overall took first in my AG. When he received the award for his swim time, I went to him to congratulate him, explained that I was also from Quebec (like him) and that I was the #4 in a group where 3 slots were given. He looked at me scared and quickly wanted to know if I had a Tonya Harding baseball bat edition hidden behind me! He explained that he was going to Kona in 2016 but not in 2017. Although we are both French speaking Canadians, I had so much trouble understanding what he was telling me and kept asking him to repeat. He laughed and told me: You are going to Kona! After the roll down, he emailed me and said (I translate): “It was so nice to see your happiness and excitement when you were called. Congratulations. Inspire your community”. Wow what a gentleman and crazy athlete!
Kona will be another lifetime memory event for the Guesneau family!
I think this report is long enough. I apologize for the length and not spending more time shortening it up. It is more of a dump of my thoughts! I will be totally happy answering questions or clarifications. Good luck to everyone in your next goal! Thank you to my family, friends and the incredible EN community.
I reached my dream (KQ). I joined EN last year with the mission to reach Kona and they delivered! I didn’t quite reached my targeted time, particularly on the run but the change in the bike course might have something to do with the 4 minute miss on the total time target. 6 years of hard training, learning to listen to my body, gaining confidence on how much we can push our human body and mind, getting up in the morning, missing very few workouts (I probably missed 1 or 2 wkos maximum per 6 month training plans), good race plans, some crazy athletes that inspire and assist (my wife, Jeremy and Justin particularly), family support and wife’s exemplary determination and race preparation are key factors I attribute for my success.
Disclaimers:
My English is bad (from Quebec) and you will see a lot of bad composition, bad grammar and typo errors in this RR! I am not a super athlete; I would actually categorize myself as a below average athlete compared to all KQ athletes. I am 90% stubborn/determined (I refer myself often as soldier with my head down and will be the last one to quit) and 10% “fast”. I also believe that luck was a contributor to my KQ but I will take it! Luck goes both ways and we need to accept it, good or bad, particularly when we “play more than once” and we have experienced both!
The Long Story: As with many others, KQ was achieved after many years of effort and continuous improvement. I should add however that I jumped in the triathlon very aggressively with no prior bike or swim skills. After 10 years of running marathons (9 years at a diesel pace of 9 min/mile) and the final year at low 7 min/mile pace, I was done with marathons! I always looked at Ironman as the ultimate physical and mental test. I considered starting with a 1/2IM but I was looking for the big jump and didn’t think it was a big enough step from a 4 hour marathon event. Instead, I signed up for IM Saint George 2012. This was a May event (and I bought my first bike in October 2011, only a few months before) and consequently jumped in this crazy race with no open swim experience and maybe a maximum of 10 hours of bike outside my basement. I encourage people to read about this race and its 29% attrition. Since then, I completed 6 more IMs, a few 1/2IMs and Olympics with constant improvements somewhat defying the aging process! Like with many, if you didn’t swim in HS or college, the learning curve is almost flat; the bike improved with training and the run gain is more due to experience.
EN and Jeremy helped me add a couple of key targets in this year IMWI training plan. First was to train harder on the bike but still plan a conservative NP (I did IMMT 15 at 212 NP with a much lower bike strength and FTP and did this race at 202 NP) and pushed the CTL to 140. I also did IMTX earlier this year but was sick and over-trained (winter basement training working to 140CTL is not healthy!), The last long Week 18 crazy weekend was incredibly beneficial for my confidence and preparation achieving 140CTL and producing higher NP than I was targeting at the race. It also caused a right knee pain that required ART treatment. This was the first time that I got close to an injury (been blessed). The point of this paragraph is that coaching and assistance was key for me and I assume 99.9% of us need it to achieve KQ!
Also, please note that I live 2 hours away from the course and spent a lot of time riding the bike course. I probably spent 4 weekends doing 5 or even 6 loops.
Arrival at IMWI:
On the way to Madison, I stopped at the Trek Store to get a final adjustment on by shifting. My Trek SC has been with me since 2011 and has a ton of miles. I decided a few days before the race to replace the crank (switch to a mid after a few climbs up Barlow, changed the rear derailleur (notice the French word here – I didn’t make a typo on this one!), cassettes, tires, blablabla. When I brought the bike to the tech guy, he asked me: “do you plan on racing with this bike?” I confidently answered: “yes!” He said: “Your bike has a lot of miles and your cables are all worn. I am not sure your bike will make it to the end of the race!” With no hesitation, I ordered him: “Fix it!” He looked at me and said: “I can’t. It would take too long and it is not recommended to replace cable just before a race. Cables initially stretch and may impact performance through the race”. I don’t remember what I said after that and left (with my bike).
Spent Thursday night and Friday preparing everything before my family arrived. Friday, I biked 90 minutes on the stick after the Roka Swim session. I also went to Coach Rich seminar which was extremely helpful (and funny). He explained how he only carries one bottle at a time and that totally clicked with me. I was able to take the weight off of one bottle for sure. He also emphasized the importance to find a motivational response or inspiration when we hit the wall. This is something that I always struggled finding. It is difficult to pick inspiration when you are privileged, the last 25 years have been the happiest you never dreamed, you are in total fitness shape and you are about to complete another ironman (sorry – this happiness is not drug induced). It honestly appear counter intuitive to me. How can I inspire myself during a selfish race when so many people and children are suffering in this world? I came up with something – more to follow later!
Bike and Gear drop off went super easy except I flipped Run and Bike Gears. I put my bike gear in my run gear and vice versa! Wow! That would have been funny not noticing it!!! My son noticed the helmet in the run gear when he gave me the bags at drop-off! Thank you Ben!
After the team photo, I proceeded to the swim launch pad and didn’t want to be rushed like in 2014. I got in the water probably 12-15 minutes ahead of the start and positioned myself about half way between the ski ramp and the left buoy. Previous 2 IMWI race, I positioned myself too aggressively very close to the left buoy in the pack of crazy ex-college swimmers. That has been so violent that I decided this year, I would apply a little more wisdom. I am probably more comfortable in the water than I am actually good at it. Very young, my dad made us swim in dangerous water conditions and I don’t mind crazy water conditions. I also don’t fear a punch or elbow on the face but will avoid it if possible. I think it is best to embrace that possibility rather than developing a fear or anxiety about it. So with a little more wisdom, I made a second good decision by dropping back to the 3rd row of swimmers. Boy was that a nice and calm decision! Last time I did this race, it was totally crazy; I was swimming on top of a guy, another one was swimming on top of my legs and I had elbows knocking me left and right. It was so bad that the guy on my right intentionally grabbed me and pushed me away from him (totally useless since there was another one pushing me towards him!). 400-500 yards like that creates race memories!
SWIM 1:08:04 (PR) 22nd in AG
The swim was the least violent of all races I participated in. Only once I got a good impact on the nose (at the perfect moment when I was thinking this race was smooth!). I also did the best job so far at sighting. My garmin still says I swam 4600 yds but it appear to be straight! I feel I didn’t push as hard as previous race and my focus on better technique must have helped. I did almost 2 minutes better despite a slow down at the end to try to pee. I gave up trying to pee and had to in T1. I was also totally fresh and now my HR stayed much lower than previous 2.4 mile swims. Technique gains!
T1 6:54 (PR)
I was expecting better. I saw the best T1 at last year IMWI done by Jeremy Behler. He was so smooth and crazy efficient. You can read his 2015 Race report for more details. I lost time in the porter potty for my pee brake. It probably had the positive effect of helping slow down my HR. I really didn’t do anything in the changing room. Attach my helmet, grab my shoes and bag with 6 GU. I was sad that I didn’t see my son or got helped from him. He saw me and was busy helping a “faster” swimmer!!
Bike 5:37:40, 202 NP, VI 1.07 (PR) 8th in AG
I followed the plan prescribed by the coaches, trying to lower and keep HR down. Sorry Rich, I never found the bucket of KFC but still managed to zone easy. My plan was go easy the first 30 minutes around 185NP and try to lower my HR. My NP for the first 30 minutes was 182. I was so happy of what I learned during my training and was prepared! I knew that without a swim prior to jumping on the bike, my HR is stupid low 125ish even if I push 210ish NP. If I swim prior, my HR has trouble going below 140. I was prepared for that and didn’t start questioning and going crazy. I didn’t panic about 140ish HR. I also remember Mark Cardinal telling me that he stayed stupid high on his HR at IMTX 16 performance (with a KQ!). Yes, I saw a lot of (younger) riders, going fast up the hills; you could even hear their heavy breathing. It made me smile! After the 30 minutes, I decide to ramp up to my 200NP target. I felt good but was a little stress that my right knee pain would come back. I probably push harder on the left leg to compensate and it showed on the run. I remembered Jeremy and Coach R saying how they focused on going fast on the course via efficiency, turns, etc…. I was thinking I was a Jeremy (except at the bottom of Timber) or a Coach R. I felt good the whole time with no reduction of effort. My nutrition was dialed in, no cramps. I finally peed on S. Syene and filled my left shoe. I regretted not having a bottle of water and chose not to spray myself with Gatorade; smells better but…. Up the helix, I saw my wife and kids who finished their volunteer time in the changing room.
It was super nice to see Jen Kurth and her new 2016 new wardrobe collection! It made me wonder how Ian will look on the side of that hill next year! I promise to be there!
T2 2:47
This is total surprise. I thought I was freaky smooth and fast or at least faster than my previous IMWI. Not sure why I wasn’t and will not further investigate. No pee. Put socks, put shoes and grabbed my zip-lock bag just like Coach P shows on his famous video.
Run 3:49:23 (4th AG)
Legs felt heavy for only a few hundred yards. I was actually feeling too good and was not able to slow myself to my targeted 8:45 pace. When I started running, very few people were on the running course or even spectating (including State St.). There was a guy in front dressed in pink with his bib belt super low over his a$$. He looked so much like Jan Frodeno that I went in a trance thinking I was a Pro! He finally disappeared. I saw my pace on my watch and woke up from this stupid dream! This also encouraged me to make sure I was keeping my nutrition up. I caught a lady friend from my town and was using her to better pace me. I lost her at aid station. This brings me to something I decided to do after listening to Coach Rich on at the seminar. He recommended to walk every aid station and use than as rewards. I didn’t want to stop at every one but was OK using them as rewards! I didn’t walk the aid stations until I was begging for it or needed ice. Mile 6 came so quick. It also meant I needed to get on with phase 2 of the run. My watch started acting up and kind of lost its support for a while. By mile 10, I started questioning why I was doing an Ironman and thinking I could just walk the rest. My brain has told me that so many times in races and training, it takes a few more miles before I start listening. Which brings me to what I found to be inspirational and motivating.
Friday night at the hotel with my kids, I asked my family: “Dad needs something to think about and motivate me when I will want to keep going”. My wife said: “C’est facile, Hawaii!” (That’s easy, Hawaii!). I explained that a trip to Hawaii with 4 kids is expensive and “may” impact my motivation (and retirement) negatively. The conversation switched and I never got other suggestions. The same night, walking on State St., my eyes caught a guy about my age, with serious handicaps in his legs having trouble walking and almost dragging his left leg. While on the other side of the street, he locked his eyes on me, started to cross the street towards us and “climbed” the sidewalk on our side. The whole time, he had his eyes locked on mine and I was not blinking away. It was totally weird and could even have been scary (psycho, ghost or spirit like)! Then, it hit me and I said to myself: “I get it. I found my motivation. This guy, about my age, was looking at me, at the best fit level of my life, t-shirts on, veins coming out of my body, etc… was thinking about how f%$##&* lucky I was and how he wished he could be in my shoes”. I didn’t tell my family about this until after the race. So, when I started feeling pain in my legs, I said to myself: “This is good! Pain is a good feeling. How many people including this guy, wish they could be in my shoes and feel the same pain. It seriously worked for me and I was embracing the pain in a positive energy. I hope most readers get it and don’t think I am crazy (although I am, but for other reasons!!!!).
Ian appeared in my mirrors! He looked good and I knew he would humiliate me soon! He did! He executed the EN plan to perfection! Right at mile 22, as I waved at his wife, he passed me on my left and asked me: “Do you know this lady?” pointing at his wife. We smiled and he passed me like he was a PRO. I never saw him again. What a timing! He looked so strong.
So this mysterious guy kept me running! It was also so nice to see my family on the run course. During the first loop, there were so few people, it was not confusing. During the second loop, I lost attention who I was passing or being passed. At mile 23, at the turn of the 7-Eleven, I passed a guy from my AG without noticing it! I immediately heard him say something and he accelerated, repassing me! I felt this was THE challenge I needed to as it could make a difference between KQ and not (there was also another reward my wife promised me if we go to Hawaii but I can’t mention here). I realized he could see my shadow when I decided to stay behind him. I moved back so he could not see me and I could plan an attack. He continuously accelerated at a point that I temporary lost ground on him. I reaccelerated to regain the lost ground and told myself that I will not lose him unless I faint! A few 100 yds later, he started to slow down and I had to make a decision: slow down and stay behind or rev up. We were in the downhill to the Stadium and a hill was coming. I like hills and felt confident I would win the hill. I also thought that I caught up to him; he didn’t just magically appear. I have more energy left!!! I took off and was scared the whole time. I also realized we were more than 2 miles away. I also told myself that I always appear too fresh after a long races and should try to look more like my wife who give herself so much more than me. When I came off State Street, my wife saw me and started running on the sidewalk and kept yelling at me. This was a rare time when she was yelling at me and she was not mad because I did something wrong! She was so encouraging that I was so afraid to ask her if a guy with a little grey hair was right behind me. I was too afraid of the answer. Two turns from the finish line, I had to know if he was still behind. I asked my wife and she told me I was alone. I pushed hard, didn’t look good for the photo finish be was so happy!! The next athlete ahead of me was the #3 of my AG. I finished 4th in my AG! When I arrived, all my kids were right there and my son immediately told me the ranking. Not knowing how many slots were being offered, I wasn’t sure of anything but was still overly happy about my results.
I was in pretty bad shape physically until I was able to eat a few small squares of pizza. We all headed back to the hotel, cleaned, and then headed back to see more finishers, while grabbing a bite to eat!
The next day, I went to the awards with very little sleep and a lot of soreness. The athlete who finished 4th overall took first in my AG. When he received the award for his swim time, I went to him to congratulate him, explained that I was also from Quebec (like him) and that I was the #4 in a group where 3 slots were given. He looked at me scared and quickly wanted to know if I had a Tonya Harding baseball bat edition hidden behind me! He explained that he was going to Kona in 2016 but not in 2017. Although we are both French speaking Canadians, I had so much trouble understanding what he was telling me and kept asking him to repeat. He laughed and told me: You are going to Kona! After the roll down, he emailed me and said (I translate): “It was so nice to see your happiness and excitement when you were called. Congratulations. Inspire your community”. Wow what a gentleman and crazy athlete!
Kona will be another lifetime memory event for the Guesneau family!
I think this report is long enough. I apologize for the length and not spending more time shortening it up. It is more of a dump of my thoughts! I will be totally happy answering questions or clarifications. Good luck to everyone in your next goal! Thank you to my family, friends and the incredible EN community.
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Comments
*and this was one of the best RR I've ever read... Can't imagine what you'd have produced in French.
Félicitations for your race, really enjoyed your RR !
Grats on the KQ and enjoy HI !
We are blessed to have you on the team - see you on the island!
Being in the same AG and working on figuring out the KQ puzzle, i am thoroughly energized by your story & accomplishment. Great training & execution discipline!
Congrats on the KQ!!I love your story. The little vignette about racing an AG competitor at mile 23 on the run will forever be emblazoned on your brain, I bet. To know you both WANT to win and CAN.
When I got my first KQ by 2 roll downs @ IM Wisc 11 years ago (also on a 9-11, after six years of training&racing), and told my wife I was lucky, she said, "You know that luck is the intersection of opportunity and preparation." Never truer than in your case.
Well done my friend. Enjoy your moment!
Frederick - Wow! Great story and congrat's on KQ! Way to push thru and accomplish your amazing goal!!!
Your report was perfect! I was smiling the whole time reading it and you got the storybook KQ roll down! Just awesome! I love that you had your whole family there to share your joy and your day! Congrats IRONMAN! And ALOHA!!!
Congratulations on a fantastic race. Very happy for you. And a great report. Pretty much a how-to textbook for those of us lacking super powers: train smartly and consistently, get body comp in check, eliminate any weakness, be competitive in all three, ace the transitions, make no mistakes, then go into full assassin mode with 10k to go. Enjoy the well-earned tropical vacation.
Mike
I don;t know how I forgot this important detail in my report which is an incredible skills I never thought I could accomplish. I will protect the identity of who told me about it first. I actually peed twice on the run course without ever slowing down! I think I actually peed more comfortably while running than biking!!!!! It really made a difference and I am convinced that stopping in a porter potty would have costed me the KQ! Only in Ironman!!
All, thanks so much for the nice feedback. I really appreciate it.
@ EE. Thanks! I appreciate the compliment. I think you are the craziest one! Inspired by an awesome group of crazy people!
@ FP. Oui! By the way, you do the same… you swear in another language and is convinced it is “acceptable”. Funny!
@ Mariah. You are 100 times more!
I don;t know how I forgot this important detail in my report which is an incredible skills I never thought I could accomplish. I will protect the identity of who told me about it first. I actually peed twice on the run course without ever slowing down! I think I actually peed more comfortably while running than biking!!!!! It really made a difference and I am convinced that stopping in a porter potty would have costed me the KQ! Only in Ironman!!
All, thanks so much for the nice feedback. I really appreciate it.
@ EE. Thanks! I appreciate the compliment. I think you are the craziest one! Inspired by an awesome group of crazy people!
@ FP. Oui! By the way, you do the same… you swear in another language and is convinced it is “acceptable”. Funny!
@ Mariah. You are 100 times more!
So glad we got to meet and race together. I sensed you where up to something big at the dinner and lead up time...
I absolutely love these kind of stories! Not only did you put in the disciplined work, following a vision for what you wanted to accomplish, but you found something extra late on race day and refused to let it float away.
That guy that you raced and beat out for a KQ is a local hero in Wausau. He's a 12 time Kona qualifier, and has been to the big Island I think seven times. He's raced around 22 IM's winning his AG many times. He is as gritty as they come, and while he is a super nice guy, he is a fierce competitor and race course assassin. He was looking for a ticket. You beat him! You deserve to go to the island! Massage that through your head for the next 13 months and unleash YOUR beast in Kona!
Congrats!!
Ian
Frederick, first, what a beautiful family you have, fantastic pic!
Second, your English grammar is really good, but your actions are quite extraordinary! Very rare combination to find both a gentlemen and a bad ass! Those are always the damn strong and smart ones.
Loved the way you shook all the ladies hands on the podium. True class.
I remember seeing you briefly at CAMP and how hard you worked yet how gentle you were with the others. Again, qualities that have KQ written all over them.
Well deserved pass to the big Island man! I learned a few things from my short time with you and look forward to more down the road.
Congratulations Ironman!
SS
Ian, same with me. Thanks for the ego boost relating to whom I passed at the end. I am still on a cloud and can't believe it. I feel like one more drop of ego and I will explode! It was also very nice to meet you and your wife. You are in a crazy super fast age group but I would not bet against you to make the KQ at the next race. You had to have a negative split on your run. Jen was incredible through the whole course (I didn't see her during the swim but I might have not been looking enough!). I used her charisma and encouragement a lot and it probably kept me ahead of you a little longer.
As I am writing this, I am just thinking that IMMT 17 KQ would be sweet and we would race together!!!
Frederick