Michael Q's 2016 IMAZ Race Report
IM Arizona 2016 Race Report
AG Male 35-39 (36)
Finish Time: 10:32:48 (31st in AG) (PR by 53 mins)
Swim: 1:14:48
Bike: 5:20:49 (PR by 15 mins)
Run: 3:49:10 (PR by 10 mins)
Pre-Race-
2016 was my 3rd year in triathlon and second full season with EN. AZ was my 4th time toeing the 140.6 start line and after a very disappointing DNF in Madison in September at IMWI, the motivation to have a great race was at an all-time high. Not only was I determined to finish, I wanted to PR (11:25 @ Nooga in ‘15) and really compete in my age group. My next goal was to go sub-11 and my stretch goal was 10:45.
2016 was a big year from a training load perspective. I started with an OS plan in Nov ’15 that transitioned in the early spring to a HIM plan for St. George in May. After a Get Faster and Bike Focused plan, I transitioned to the full IM plan for 12 weeks leading into IMWI in Sept. I was in the best shape I’d ever been going into a race even though I had battled some run injuries during the build up to St. George. After Wisco, I had a 9 week training block to prep or Arizona. Since I didn’t run the marathon at Wisco, my legs were fresh but I had an abdominal injury to recover from, which left me roughly 6 weeks to ready myself for a big effort at AZ. I was determined that IMAZ was going to my best race from an execution standpoint and all the stars were aligning for the possibility of a fantastic day: Home course, great fitness, good weather, and strong team presence on the course. The stress levels are much lower with a hometown race and I felt great about the course…especially having done a 2.4 mi swim race at Tempe Town Lake the previous weekend. I was really able to relax and get a lot of the normal admin stuff done early on in the week so I could get off my feet Friday and nearly all day Saturday…all in the comfort of my own home. This was a first for me and I believe it helped me immensely by allowing me to be very relaxed and focused on the race.
Swim: 1:14 (83rd in AG)
I’ve become a big fan of the self-seeding rolling swim starts as opposed to AG waves or mass starts. Most everyone seemed to be seeded correctly and there was very little contact throughout the entire swim. I lined up with the 1:10-1:15 group, which was just about perfect. The water was 65 degrees and VERY dark…I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face under the water. However, the overcast skies certainly made sighting easier for the way out which I was expecting to be a challenge. My biggest challenge were the stairs used to get in and out of the water which took some special maneuvering. Especially getting out as you had to rely on a volunteer to basically pull you up out of the water while you catch your footing on the first step…which I missed banging the heck out of my left shin. Ouch!
T1: After a short run from the swim exit over the to the strippers, I got double teamed by two eager and well skilled wetsuit strippers. Can’t really say enough about how brave these volunteers are! After a short run over to the change tent, I grabbed my bag, and quickly headed to the porta potty (still can’t seem to go in my wetsuit unless I’m fully stopped in the water- you’re welcome wetsuit strippers!). Next, I quickly removed cap/googles and replaced with helmet and sunnies. Then put on cycling shoes, grabbed my bike and jogged it over the nice grass to the bike out. Slow was smooth, and smooth was semi-fast.
Bike: 5:20:49 (45th In AG)
Strava file: https://www.strava.com/activities/788484962
NP Power- 180 watts
IF- 64%
Avg HR- 144 bps
Loop 1: 1:48:16 20.3 mph / 165 W AVG
Loop 2: 1:43:15 21.3 mph / 176 W AVG
Loop 3: 1:45:16 20.9 mph /185W AVG
AZ is a 3-loop course that consists of a handful of turns over the course of about 4 miles before hitting the Beeline Hwy. The Beeline Hwy heads up NE at a low grade (1-2%) for the first 9 mi or so, then turns slightly steeper for the last 2 mi or so. This slight incline, plus the head wind in this direction makes for the easiest opportunity to make a mistake on this entire course. My plan was to go VERY easy until hitting the turnaround (17.2 mi) at Shea- this would allow me to get my HR down after the swim, get some nutrition down, and then hit it on the downhill back toward transition. This plan worked very well and by the start of loop 2 I had increased my intensity and started to pass a lot of people. Lap 2 was much less crowded than Lap 1, so I was able to really find a good rhythm on the way back up Beeline and punch it at the turnaround. The only mistake was having my gel flask fall out of my bento somewhere around the start of lap 2. I tried my best to remain calm and adjusted my nutrition plan to continue munching on the wafers stuffed in my kit and to pick up some cliff blocks on the course to supplement my lack of Powerbar gels I had lost. I had trained with those blocks periodically throughout the year so I wasn’t worried about any disruption. Lap 3 was VERY crowded on the way back out Beeline but I felt very strong. The extra traffic caused me some time but was probably better to back off Lap 2 pace a bit. I backed way off at mile 109 to really start prepping myself to run.
One thing worth pointing out is that I really concentrated this season on the bike. I was unhappy with my bike performance at Chattanooga last year so I was determined to improve this discipline. I worked hard in the outseasone and rode a ton of hills prepping for St. George 70.3 in May and Wisco in Sept. My FTP increased roughly 10 watts from where I was at for Nooga last year going into Wisco and AZ. The other thing I’d point out is I found a SUPER LBS (Cyclogic in Scottsdale) to assist me in finding a new bike and getting a proper fit that would allow me to run my very best coming off the bike. I upgraded from my 2012 BMC TM02 to a 2016 Trek SC 7.5. The bike + the fit has made a huge difference in my racing at AZ (first race on new rig.) Interestingly enough, my new positioning isn’t as “aero” as my BMC fitting, but my comfort in aero position is drastically improved. I never became uncomfortable on the AZ course like I had in my previous 3 IM races. Usually, by mile 80 I’m ready to be off the bike and running! I feel I benefitted greatly between the extra bike focus and equipment/fit upgrade.
Run (31st in AG)
Strava File: https://www.strava.com/activities/788484850
Total Time: 3:49:XX
Pace- 8:43/mi
Avg HR- 146
I’ll start by saying running is where I have the most experience and is my strongest of the 3 disciplines. I took a bit of a different approach to the AZ marathon than I had in previous races. Last year in Nooga, I followed a very disciplined plan to stay at my bike AHR for first 8 mi, increase to Avg Long Run HR for miles 9-22, and then open it up to the finish. When it was all said and done, I felt like I left too much on the course. My plan for AZ was to try to hold an avg HR a couple beats higher than the bike average but a few lower than my long run avg (~150 bmp). I was pretty locked in to 148 bpm until mi 17 where things got to be drastically more difficult…difficulty I wasn’t expecting until mile 20 or so, but I was determined to keep working as hard as I could. My pace slowed by about 45 secs/mi from my average pace and my HR fell roughly 5 bpm for the next 6 miles, but I kept telling myself there was more in the tank. I knew that by mile 24 I’d be hearing the noise from the finish line that would hopefully work as suction to the finish…Luckily, I found someone to pace those last few miles with which is just what I needed to punch hard to the finish.
There are a few things that without a doubt helped me on the marathon. The first was staying well-hydrated leading into the race as well as fueling on the bike. I peed 4 times on the bike (most ever!) and stayed disciplined with my caloric intake. 1.5 GE’s and 2 gels (or sleeves of blocks) per hour. I also consumed 4 GU wafers at miles 25, 50, 75, and 100 (I love those things!) Second, the weather was fantastic for a marathon…light wind, overcast skies and amazingly low temps (~74 degrees). This was a huge surprise given the local weather for the past few weeks, which have remained unseasonably warm, dry and windy. Lastly, the EN team mojo on the course. I couldn’t go more than about 10 mins without seeing a teammate donning he red and black kit or the super support from Rich, Mariah, EN teammates, and my wife Erica! The Tri Sports gang was in full effect as well! Tim Cronk was all over the course and really got me fired up around mile 23 to dig deeper and finish strong…can’t explain the pickup that provided me…I’m so very thankful!
To close, there are a few things I learned from the AZ experience that I’ll apply to future races. The first is to trust more in my bike fitness. Even though I’m happy with my bike split results, based on my RR’s, I had a little more to give that wouldn’t have jeopardized my run (although, I’m kind of happy it worked out this way at this race…perhaps a bit of a blessing given I hit “the wall” a bit earlier than anticipated on the run). Next, I will continue to tinker with my marathon pacing. I think I came out a little too hot in the first 6 miles and it cost me time at miles 17-23. I’m not sure what the net is here, but I think slowing my pace 15 seconds or so thru first 5 miles would have allowed me to sustain my effort level at miles 19-23. Last, I will now plan to arrive at my next long course event earlier in the week opposed to the normal Thursday night. Things just set up much better for me from a mental standpoint on Sunday if I can take as much of the stress out of Friday and Saturday as possible finding more time to kick back and relax before entering “the ring.”
Any and all feedback welcomed. Hope you enjoyed my report!
Comments
Congrats on a truly great race. That 5:20/3:49 combo is legit! You're probably just scratching the surface. Work on getting that swim down to 1:05, move the bike IF up above .70 while raising FTP a few, streamline the transitions and then dial in the run - you will be really mixing it up with the big boys in your AG.
Your run file shows a classic IM fade that almost all of us have experienced: steady HR and pace decline from Mile 13 to 20, then recover and finish. To go through that and still go sub-3:50 means you have big-time potential. Assuming you did everything right on the bike, you either went out a bit hot on the run, didn't have deep IM run fitness and/or just weren't ready to bury yourself when things got stupid difficult on race day. And don't take that as a critique, because it's not. We have to have the run weapon ready for race day, which takes a ton of healthy and smart work and some luck; we have to conserve most of that weapon on the bike; and we have to be willing to go to a dark place to which most sane people wound't send their enemies.
I predict and expect big things from you. Looking forward to watching them materialize.
MR
@MR - thanks for the great points...very helpful! Should have mentioned that "swimming straighter" is definitely at the top of the list of areas to improve and hopefully a way to knock off some time. Also, continuing to strengthen my cycling and raising my race IF up to .70 is definitely going into the 2017 IMMT race plan...and better run durability is something that I want to prioritize in this outseason I'm getting ready to crank up. Thanks again for your top notch POV.
@ Mark- Thanks for the encouragement....btw, I noticed you're from Cola-- I'm a saddened Gamecock after the beat down Clemson put on us!
53 min PR and and 10 min IM run PR after PRing the bike on a 3:49 marathon ===>>> Enough said!!
Holy Crap man!
I know you faded a bit near the end, but man did you have a great race and just lay it all out there!
Agree mucho with your comments about going in well hydrated and trusting your bike fitness! I think you nailed that which allowed you to better leverage that run weapon of yours.
Looking forward to training and racing IMMT with Michael!
Sincere congratulations IM!
SS- following you this season thru the forums and Strava have been a huge inspiration to me...you're a beast and a great dude. I look forward to the build up and race day @ IMMT! '17 is going to be a fun year!
Revenge day in August 2017
Congrats again on the huge PR.