Tim Cronk UMFL 2017
UMFL is dedicated to Jim Soroka. Friend, mentor, Kona athlete, and so much more. Jim was signed up to be on crew with Heather for UMFL . Unfortunately he passed away in an accident last summer. We raced together , trained together , daily email interactions mostly about SBR , but lately I find myself wishing he was here to talk anything but SBR. At 5'4", all shoulders, straw hat, and incredibly infectious laugh I can guarantee that by the end of UMFL everyone would have known Jimmy and come away a little bit richer because of it. He was with me on my Road ID and rode angel on my shoulder throughout UMFL. His message to me finishing UMFL would have been "Way to Go Chicken Legs"... Here is a picture from our last race together . Tim, Heather , and Jim @ Eagleman 2016
Crew - Heather Webber, Steve West, and Scott Renick - Best crew ever! These people gave me the most valuable thing on the planet "their time".... 6 full days , briefing day, 3 race/work days, awards ceremony day, and at least a travel day... I will never be able to repay them, unless I am able to crew for them in return ???
The people who made UMFL possible- Special thanks to RD- Chuck Kemeny , Assist RD -Jen McVeay, UMFL founders -Curtis and Leslie Tyler , Announcer - Steve King , Jane B. and ALL the UMFL staff/volunteers. They truly put on a less commercialized, more personal, enjoyable experience , that creates a family called Ultraman. Thank you for allowing me to join the family.
Training, prep, goals etc.... all in this link
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/22273/2017-umfl-training-prep-goals-etc/p1
Nutrition- NOTE : Vegan Athlete
Thursday night - Pasta , Sweet Potato, tahini, small amount of veggies
Friday Race Day#1 5000-5500 calories total
Breakfast- coffee, oats,rice,raisins,PB, coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond milk
Swim- gel and sports drink - 200 cals per hr and 16oz fluid per hr
Bike- cliff bar, cliff blocks, sports drink - 290 cals per hr and 21oz fluid per hr
Post Stage - pretzel roll w/vegemite, avocado, hempseed , 1 qt, cherry juice , pretzels
Dinner - pasta, sweet potato , tahini
Snacks- WFM choc chip cookies and Naked Mango Juice
Saturday Race Day#2 6000-6500 calories total
Breakfast- coffee , oats, rice, raisins, PB, coconut oil, maple syrup and almond milk
Bike- gel, blocks, cliff bars, sports drink, pretzel roll vegemite avocado sandwhich , mountain dew, 340 cals per hr and 24 oz fluid per hr
Post Stage- 1 qt cherry juice, pretzels, fig bar cookies
Dinner- 6 pancakes, PB, banana, maple syrup
Snacks - WFM choc chip cookies and Naked mango juice
Sunday Race Day#3 Breakfast and Run totals 3400 calories
Breakfast - Coffee ,Bagel, coconut oil, dates
Run- gels, blocks, sports drink, mountain dew, tortilla w/vegemite 310 cals per hr and 18oz fluid per hr
Post Race- smoothies, pretzel roll avocado vegemite sandwhich, fig bars, pretzels, pizza, cookies, mango juice
The Week After- Lots and I mean lots of Ben and Jerry's Vegan Ice Cream
Gear Choices and Weather
Day 1 swim - air temp 47, water temp mid 60's , blue seventy thermal suit, cap, and booties
Day 1 bike - air temp low 60's to mid 70's sunny w/light winds , EN LG kit , Lake Shoes no socks , Ventum Bike, Aerohead Helmet, FLO Disc/60 wheels, Turbo Cotton tires w/latex tubes , garmin 520 , lights front and rear
Day 2 bike - air temp low 50's to low 80's mostly cloudy w/light winds and a little rain, Kiwami suit , Bont Shoes w/socks , (vest, arm warmers, and gloves for the first 50 miles) , Ventum Bike, Aerohead Helmet, FLO Disc/60 wheels, Turbo Cotton tires w/ latex tubes, garmin 520 , lights front and rear
Day 3 Run - air temp low 60's to mid 80's humid , cloudy for most with sun the second half.... No Meat Athlete long sleeve tech shirt, North Face Shorts, Altra Impulse shoes, smart wool socks, EN visor.
Results- 9th OA out of 44 - New course record for the M50-59AG by 1hour and 55minutes
Note: T1 is rolled into Day 1 bike- Subtracting the file times from the total Day 1 Time it estimates T1 to be approximately 6 minutes.
Day 1 Swim 6.2 miles - 3:02:10
Day 1 Bike 92 miles - 4:19:39
Day 1 Total 7:21:49
Day 2 Bike 171 miles - 8:40:44
Day 2 Total 16:02:33
Day 3 Run 52.7 miles - 8:25:26
Total Time- 321.6 miles - 24:27:59
The Race Day 1 - 6.2mile swim and 92mile bike
Swim Files-
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1577822916
https://www.strava.com/activities/869554395
Swim goal was for 3hrs based on 6.2miles /10,900 yards.... Garmin measured 11,600 yards at 1:34 per 100yd average pace.... 3:02 comes right in line with my best case estimate and this includes the 2.5 minutes as 5 x 30" seconds stops to refuel ... so very pleased with my swim... We got to swim start early, checked in with race , Curtis did an awesome morning speech with all the athletes surrounding him and all the teams surrounding the athletes... Launched the kayak's , lined up for a mass start, all 44 of us..... 7am we were off.... water was comfy but I was glad I wore all my thermal gear.... Had a bit of a trouble locating Steve at the beginning (he had no problem finding me though) just couldn't see well enough through goggles... Settled into the swim and focussed on nothing but my stroke and Steve positioned at 2o'clock and several feet... Steve had loaded co-ordinates into a GPS and paddled me to a near perfect course... The pic below, red indicates our path and green indicates the best possible path... We still managed to get 11,600 yards but everyone measured long and I imagine some a lot longer... Pretty uneventful 3hrs in the water, swim , stop and drink every 30 minutes, repeat... There was a bridge that we pass under twice that connects the 2 lakes where Heather and Scott were cheering... Felt pretty good the entire distance but still showed a fade in the 30 min splits from 1:30 pace down to 1:34 pace where it leveled off...
Beginning of DAY 1
Swim Start
Steve and Tim from the bridge.
The Transition- No estimates but ended up with around 6 minutes the best I can calculate.... Heather's job was to meet me at the swim exit with a full unwrapped cliff bar and then go to my bike , turn on my GPS and lights, bring bike to the mount line...Scotts job was to meet me with my bike gear at the change tent , provide the current air temp and the forecast air temp for the next hour... Since I had been in the water for 3hrs and the starting air temp was 47 , this was key data needed to help me decide exactly what to wear for the bike.... Temp was low 60's which made my decisions easy.... Scott laid out my shoes, helmet, tri-suit, and handed me a towel, all the while fighting off a few of the teams that were in our space... I continued to stuff the cliff bar into my face, stripped cap, booties, wetsuit , dried a little , removed swimsuit , put on tri-suit (pre-lubed) ... Shoes and helmet on , met Heather at mount line , Scott picked up the gear.... Off I went on the bike... The team picked up T1 and hit the road after giving me some time...
Bike Files
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1578160018
https://www.strava.com/activities/869809312
No time goals but a best guess power estimate was high 150's to low 160's wattage. Actual AP 152 NP158 On the low side but well within range of expectations. Other data avg HR 143 and IF .72
Ride time was 4:15 with moving time of 4:08 indicating 7 minutes at stop lights... Time was faster than I would have estimated and power was pretty close to my best guess. I had driven the first 30 miles of Day 1 bike ahead of time, written the first 30 miles of turns on my BTA bottle, the roads were marked, turns were marked, volunteers at most corners, and my team to guide me. Lights and stop signs were numerous and aggravating the first 30-40 miles. I lost count after stopping 8-10 times. Things finally got going after 30-40 miles on some fast , flat roads with favorable winds and no more stopping... I had 2 close calls on the second half of the bike. 1st was I was riding in a breakdown lane the same color as the sand , next thing I knew my front tire was diving and turning into the sand, I corrected by turning deeper into the sand to keep from going down and then slowly steered out of this. 2nd time I was looking behind , drifted right and dropped off the pavement into the grass , was quite rough and rode it for about a 100yds before going down a ditch then onto a cross road before getting back to the main road... Refueled at mile 50 and mile 70...Communication- Heather would text me which I would receive on my 520 , I would give them thumbs up (I'm ok continue as planned) or thumbs down ( I need something stop when you can ) ... Well I got a bit confused and gave them a thumbs down when it should have been thumbs up... This was a good test... You should have seen the Nascar Crew in action, speed up, pull over, all doors open, everything ready, as I ride by saying I'm sorry I screwed up I'm OK...All hands in the air with WTF looks on their faces.... I'm thinking oh no I may pay for this one... Day 1 is definitely the "easiest" Day.
Day 1 bike front
Day 1 bike side
Crew end of Day 1
The Race Day 2 - 171mile bike
Bike Files
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1595475690
https://www.strava.com/activities/871268191
No time goals. Best guess power estimate was high 140's to low 150's wattage. Actual AP143 and NP150...
On the low side again but within the range of expectations... Avg HR 132 , IF .69.... Ride time 8:40 with moving time 8:31 indicating around 9min at stop lights and refuel stops... We got to the start, checked in with race , got in line for bathroom, time ran out, went to the woods with plenty of time to spare, start temps were low to mid 50's so I opted for vest, arm warmers, and gloves to stay warm until my first planned refuel stop at 55-65 miles... We lined up for the mass bike start in order of how we finished day 1. I was #7 but we were side by side. 7AM start . Drafting is allowed for the first 3 miles and then draft rule of 3 bike lengths is implemented. I did not feel that great at the start of the day , wanted to warm up , not get caught up in the front group, so I let them go , choosing to sit in with the second group, at mile 3 I was warmed up , I waited for a break in traffic and then burned one match to pass the 4 people in front of me and put some distance on them (3 days of competing/racing and I only made 2 racing decisions and this was the first one) I figured the 1st group would come back to me late in the day on the hills... This tactical decision worked well as I rode all day solo, never saw the #2 group again, but only a few of the people in the front group came back to me throughout the day. Day 2 is the reverse of day one as far as stops go, fast , flat with hardly any stops for 100 miles, the hills build and more lights towards the end. Communication on Day 2 failed I was not receiving the texts, I think we went over our data limit. The crew told me mile 55-65 was a no feed zone... I said stop prior to that.... Full stop at mile 50 to shed clothes and refuel...Next stops were 110,130,150 miles where I would stop grab a bite of sandwhich, bottle, and mountain dew. At around 120 miles there is an out and back where you can see your competition. I was surprised to see 3 groups of 2-3 riders per group still together. I'm not saying they were less than 3 bike lengths apart but I sure would like to see a much much larger draft distance employed. I got lost twice. Both were my fault. 1st was a left turn where I only saw the last marking (usually there are 2-3) so I passed the turn by a 1/4 mile or so before reversing, going back over the signals and making the turn, still not fully sure I was correct until I saw my crew again.... There was another crew at the turn and I asked if this was the turn and I got the shrug of I dont know.... The 2nd time I was paranoid and had seen some old construction paint and got scared I missed a turn so I went back a 1/4 mile or so to go over the markings to make sure I didn not miss a turn... I did not and continued on...All total maybe 5-10min wasted... My next stop at my crew I told them watch me close I am getting tired... There are hills in Florida but they are just short and steep... Actually felt good after all the early flat riding... However the back and forth aero to climbing started to wear on my back... Took 2 advil at 6 hrs.... The remainder of the ride was uneventful just seemed to go on forever...
Crew beginning of DAY 2
Tim with Simon the Alligator....
Heather with the EMU???
Steve with the Llama???
Scott with??? OK so he did not pose with an animal but I had to keep with the animal theme... This is a picture of Scott's ASS affectionately named Hillary..... No really !
Crew at end of DAY 2....
The Race Day 3 - 52mile run
Run Files
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1582097130
https://www.strava.com/activities/872684081
Goal was 8.5-9.5hrs.... Actual was 8:25 so came in just under my lower estimate... 9:37 per mile pace, avg HR142... 1st marathon in 4:02 w/138HR 2nd Marathon in 4:23 w/146HR.... Moving time was 8:15 indicating around 7 minutes at crosswalks/pee stops...Got to the start, checked in , started the walk to the start line , forgot my first handheld bottle, Heather ran back to get it, Started at 6am in the dark, drank every mile with short walk break, ate every 3, ran the first 6 miles solo, picked up Steve for pacer #1 and a new bottle , Scott swapped in around mile 11, Heather swapped in around mile 16 , Steve was back in around mile 21, Scott back in around mile 27... Each time they swapped they came with a new bottle and flask for me and carried it all... All I had to do was run, as each mile beeped I would say bottle or flask and it would get handed to me.. A well oiled machine or well sort of... When Scott was on his 2nd run he was trying to juggle all those flask/bottles etc when a sidewalk snake reached up and grabbed one of his shoes, being the acrobatic gymnastic juggler that he is , did a complete forward tumble, coming up on his feet, NO his toes, bouncing around with that look of "I meant to do that" after realizing nothing was broke and he wasnt bleeding we had a good laugh... We started to catch one athlete who was obviously in trouble starting to grab his side... I told Scott he was done and we did catch/pass him never to bee seen again... Around mile 32 we started to catch 2 athletes with 1 coach, then they caught a crosswalk and we did catch them... I'm thinking this is way too early to make a pass... Then I started to think well it is late in the day at mile 32, the sun is coming out, its getting hot, he's a big guy, we are all going to start caving, but they will cave more than me... This was my my second decision to race in the 3 days and the only true tactical decision I made...I tell Scott that after my next fuel at mile 33 we are gonna go... BIG smile he was ready... So we eased up I drank and ate right before mile 33... Then we eased back up to them, I kept trying to get eye contact to mess with them a little, Nothing, So I said OK boys let me through your dogging it here.... They let us thru with a "oh look who it is comment"....So we picked up the RPE , trying to show enough strength, put enough space between us , that I would not see them again.... Scott finished another couple miles and was swapping out with Heather.. I told him to let Heather know we would be running a bit harder... She came out and ran a couple miles before deciding to drop off... Steve picked up and started looking back... I said DO NOT look back.... Kept RPE fairly high and breaks a bit more minimal to mile 39 and started to ease back up again... UH OH by mile 39.5 I could hear them behind me, I had run a full 6-7 miles at a higher RPE and to be confirmed later with the file a higher HR... By mile 40 they had caught me and made the pass back... STRONG runners and I told them so as they went by... In retrospect I had made the wrong move, but if I had to do it all over again I think I would make the same move again... Usually passing someone that late in the day works and at the time I did not know the outcome... OK the wheels were now off , I was entering survival mode, My left achilles was starting to hurt pretty bad, I took 2 advil at mile 40 , and started to drink mountain dew to bring myself back to life , ice towels from the crew every mile , The crew kept me moving forward and never stopping but I was dictating the pace and it was slowing...... Everything starts to get blurry here, they were swapping out pacers every couple miles, I remember passing one more competitor while running with Steve, Heather came back in around mile 48 and Scott/Steve both joined us for the last mile as a TEAM. I hate to use the words suffering or pain while racing instead choosing to use uncomfortable. I will still use the word uncomfortable to describe the finish of this race but I will say I was extremely uncomfortable ....
First few solo miles....
Yep HILLS on the run too! Somewhere around 17-22 miles....
Pause for a kiss.....
The best crew ever bringing me home !
A long hug to celebrate completion and reflect on Jim ! Best hug ever!
Cleaned up.... Yep that EN athlete took 9th place and set a M50-59 course record !
Team at end of DAY 3. If your ever crazy enough to do one of these be smart enough to get a crew like mine !
THE END !
NOTE: I participated in a Sleep Study where they took blood before the 3 days and after the 3 days, wore a bracelet to track sleep, weighed in every morning and evening, had my ankle and foot measured every morning and evening and also tracked my food between stages... However the data is not in yet and the sleep tracking bracelet malfunctioned for the week after the race.... Hope to update this thread when the data comes in.
Questions , comments, criticism, suggestions, anything , everything from anybody is welcome and open for discussion.....
Crew - Heather Webber, Steve West, and Scott Renick - Best crew ever! These people gave me the most valuable thing on the planet "their time".... 6 full days , briefing day, 3 race/work days, awards ceremony day, and at least a travel day... I will never be able to repay them, unless I am able to crew for them in return ???
The people who made UMFL possible- Special thanks to RD- Chuck Kemeny , Assist RD -Jen McVeay, UMFL founders -Curtis and Leslie Tyler , Announcer - Steve King , Jane B. and ALL the UMFL staff/volunteers. They truly put on a less commercialized, more personal, enjoyable experience , that creates a family called Ultraman. Thank you for allowing me to join the family.
Training, prep, goals etc.... all in this link
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/22273/2017-umfl-training-prep-goals-etc/p1
Nutrition- NOTE : Vegan Athlete
Thursday night - Pasta , Sweet Potato, tahini, small amount of veggies
Friday Race Day#1 5000-5500 calories total
Breakfast- coffee, oats,rice,raisins,PB, coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond milk
Swim- gel and sports drink - 200 cals per hr and 16oz fluid per hr
Bike- cliff bar, cliff blocks, sports drink - 290 cals per hr and 21oz fluid per hr
Post Stage - pretzel roll w/vegemite, avocado, hempseed , 1 qt, cherry juice , pretzels
Dinner - pasta, sweet potato , tahini
Snacks- WFM choc chip cookies and Naked Mango Juice
Saturday Race Day#2 6000-6500 calories total
Breakfast- coffee , oats, rice, raisins, PB, coconut oil, maple syrup and almond milk
Bike- gel, blocks, cliff bars, sports drink, pretzel roll vegemite avocado sandwhich , mountain dew, 340 cals per hr and 24 oz fluid per hr
Post Stage- 1 qt cherry juice, pretzels, fig bar cookies
Dinner- 6 pancakes, PB, banana, maple syrup
Snacks - WFM choc chip cookies and Naked mango juice
Sunday Race Day#3 Breakfast and Run totals 3400 calories
Breakfast - Coffee ,Bagel, coconut oil, dates
Run- gels, blocks, sports drink, mountain dew, tortilla w/vegemite 310 cals per hr and 18oz fluid per hr
Post Race- smoothies, pretzel roll avocado vegemite sandwhich, fig bars, pretzels, pizza, cookies, mango juice
The Week After- Lots and I mean lots of Ben and Jerry's Vegan Ice Cream
Gear Choices and Weather
Day 1 swim - air temp 47, water temp mid 60's , blue seventy thermal suit, cap, and booties
Day 1 bike - air temp low 60's to mid 70's sunny w/light winds , EN LG kit , Lake Shoes no socks , Ventum Bike, Aerohead Helmet, FLO Disc/60 wheels, Turbo Cotton tires w/latex tubes , garmin 520 , lights front and rear
Day 2 bike - air temp low 50's to low 80's mostly cloudy w/light winds and a little rain, Kiwami suit , Bont Shoes w/socks , (vest, arm warmers, and gloves for the first 50 miles) , Ventum Bike, Aerohead Helmet, FLO Disc/60 wheels, Turbo Cotton tires w/ latex tubes, garmin 520 , lights front and rear
Day 3 Run - air temp low 60's to mid 80's humid , cloudy for most with sun the second half.... No Meat Athlete long sleeve tech shirt, North Face Shorts, Altra Impulse shoes, smart wool socks, EN visor.
Results- 9th OA out of 44 - New course record for the M50-59AG by 1hour and 55minutes
Note: T1 is rolled into Day 1 bike- Subtracting the file times from the total Day 1 Time it estimates T1 to be approximately 6 minutes.
Day 1 Swim 6.2 miles - 3:02:10
Day 1 Bike 92 miles - 4:19:39
Day 1 Total 7:21:49
Day 2 Bike 171 miles - 8:40:44
Day 2 Total 16:02:33
Day 3 Run 52.7 miles - 8:25:26
Total Time- 321.6 miles - 24:27:59
The Race Day 1 - 6.2mile swim and 92mile bike
Swim Files-
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1577822916
https://www.strava.com/activities/869554395
Swim goal was for 3hrs based on 6.2miles /10,900 yards.... Garmin measured 11,600 yards at 1:34 per 100yd average pace.... 3:02 comes right in line with my best case estimate and this includes the 2.5 minutes as 5 x 30" seconds stops to refuel ... so very pleased with my swim... We got to swim start early, checked in with race , Curtis did an awesome morning speech with all the athletes surrounding him and all the teams surrounding the athletes... Launched the kayak's , lined up for a mass start, all 44 of us..... 7am we were off.... water was comfy but I was glad I wore all my thermal gear.... Had a bit of a trouble locating Steve at the beginning (he had no problem finding me though) just couldn't see well enough through goggles... Settled into the swim and focussed on nothing but my stroke and Steve positioned at 2o'clock and several feet... Steve had loaded co-ordinates into a GPS and paddled me to a near perfect course... The pic below, red indicates our path and green indicates the best possible path... We still managed to get 11,600 yards but everyone measured long and I imagine some a lot longer... Pretty uneventful 3hrs in the water, swim , stop and drink every 30 minutes, repeat... There was a bridge that we pass under twice that connects the 2 lakes where Heather and Scott were cheering... Felt pretty good the entire distance but still showed a fade in the 30 min splits from 1:30 pace down to 1:34 pace where it leveled off...
Beginning of DAY 1
Swim Start
Steve and Tim from the bridge.
The Transition- No estimates but ended up with around 6 minutes the best I can calculate.... Heather's job was to meet me at the swim exit with a full unwrapped cliff bar and then go to my bike , turn on my GPS and lights, bring bike to the mount line...Scotts job was to meet me with my bike gear at the change tent , provide the current air temp and the forecast air temp for the next hour... Since I had been in the water for 3hrs and the starting air temp was 47 , this was key data needed to help me decide exactly what to wear for the bike.... Temp was low 60's which made my decisions easy.... Scott laid out my shoes, helmet, tri-suit, and handed me a towel, all the while fighting off a few of the teams that were in our space... I continued to stuff the cliff bar into my face, stripped cap, booties, wetsuit , dried a little , removed swimsuit , put on tri-suit (pre-lubed) ... Shoes and helmet on , met Heather at mount line , Scott picked up the gear.... Off I went on the bike... The team picked up T1 and hit the road after giving me some time...
Bike Files
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1578160018
https://www.strava.com/activities/869809312
No time goals but a best guess power estimate was high 150's to low 160's wattage. Actual AP 152 NP158 On the low side but well within range of expectations. Other data avg HR 143 and IF .72
Ride time was 4:15 with moving time of 4:08 indicating 7 minutes at stop lights... Time was faster than I would have estimated and power was pretty close to my best guess. I had driven the first 30 miles of Day 1 bike ahead of time, written the first 30 miles of turns on my BTA bottle, the roads were marked, turns were marked, volunteers at most corners, and my team to guide me. Lights and stop signs were numerous and aggravating the first 30-40 miles. I lost count after stopping 8-10 times. Things finally got going after 30-40 miles on some fast , flat roads with favorable winds and no more stopping... I had 2 close calls on the second half of the bike. 1st was I was riding in a breakdown lane the same color as the sand , next thing I knew my front tire was diving and turning into the sand, I corrected by turning deeper into the sand to keep from going down and then slowly steered out of this. 2nd time I was looking behind , drifted right and dropped off the pavement into the grass , was quite rough and rode it for about a 100yds before going down a ditch then onto a cross road before getting back to the main road... Refueled at mile 50 and mile 70...Communication- Heather would text me which I would receive on my 520 , I would give them thumbs up (I'm ok continue as planned) or thumbs down ( I need something stop when you can ) ... Well I got a bit confused and gave them a thumbs down when it should have been thumbs up... This was a good test... You should have seen the Nascar Crew in action, speed up, pull over, all doors open, everything ready, as I ride by saying I'm sorry I screwed up I'm OK...All hands in the air with WTF looks on their faces.... I'm thinking oh no I may pay for this one... Day 1 is definitely the "easiest" Day.
Day 1 bike front
Day 1 bike side
Crew end of Day 1
The Race Day 2 - 171mile bike
Bike Files
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1595475690
https://www.strava.com/activities/871268191
No time goals. Best guess power estimate was high 140's to low 150's wattage. Actual AP143 and NP150...
On the low side again but within the range of expectations... Avg HR 132 , IF .69.... Ride time 8:40 with moving time 8:31 indicating around 9min at stop lights and refuel stops... We got to the start, checked in with race , got in line for bathroom, time ran out, went to the woods with plenty of time to spare, start temps were low to mid 50's so I opted for vest, arm warmers, and gloves to stay warm until my first planned refuel stop at 55-65 miles... We lined up for the mass bike start in order of how we finished day 1. I was #7 but we were side by side. 7AM start . Drafting is allowed for the first 3 miles and then draft rule of 3 bike lengths is implemented. I did not feel that great at the start of the day , wanted to warm up , not get caught up in the front group, so I let them go , choosing to sit in with the second group, at mile 3 I was warmed up , I waited for a break in traffic and then burned one match to pass the 4 people in front of me and put some distance on them (3 days of competing/racing and I only made 2 racing decisions and this was the first one) I figured the 1st group would come back to me late in the day on the hills... This tactical decision worked well as I rode all day solo, never saw the #2 group again, but only a few of the people in the front group came back to me throughout the day. Day 2 is the reverse of day one as far as stops go, fast , flat with hardly any stops for 100 miles, the hills build and more lights towards the end. Communication on Day 2 failed I was not receiving the texts, I think we went over our data limit. The crew told me mile 55-65 was a no feed zone... I said stop prior to that.... Full stop at mile 50 to shed clothes and refuel...Next stops were 110,130,150 miles where I would stop grab a bite of sandwhich, bottle, and mountain dew. At around 120 miles there is an out and back where you can see your competition. I was surprised to see 3 groups of 2-3 riders per group still together. I'm not saying they were less than 3 bike lengths apart but I sure would like to see a much much larger draft distance employed. I got lost twice. Both were my fault. 1st was a left turn where I only saw the last marking (usually there are 2-3) so I passed the turn by a 1/4 mile or so before reversing, going back over the signals and making the turn, still not fully sure I was correct until I saw my crew again.... There was another crew at the turn and I asked if this was the turn and I got the shrug of I dont know.... The 2nd time I was paranoid and had seen some old construction paint and got scared I missed a turn so I went back a 1/4 mile or so to go over the markings to make sure I didn not miss a turn... I did not and continued on...All total maybe 5-10min wasted... My next stop at my crew I told them watch me close I am getting tired... There are hills in Florida but they are just short and steep... Actually felt good after all the early flat riding... However the back and forth aero to climbing started to wear on my back... Took 2 advil at 6 hrs.... The remainder of the ride was uneventful just seemed to go on forever...
Crew beginning of DAY 2
Tim with Simon the Alligator....
Heather with the EMU???
Steve with the Llama???
Scott with??? OK so he did not pose with an animal but I had to keep with the animal theme... This is a picture of Scott's ASS affectionately named Hillary..... No really !
Crew at end of DAY 2....
The Race Day 3 - 52mile run
Run Files
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1582097130
https://www.strava.com/activities/872684081
Goal was 8.5-9.5hrs.... Actual was 8:25 so came in just under my lower estimate... 9:37 per mile pace, avg HR142... 1st marathon in 4:02 w/138HR 2nd Marathon in 4:23 w/146HR.... Moving time was 8:15 indicating around 7 minutes at crosswalks/pee stops...Got to the start, checked in , started the walk to the start line , forgot my first handheld bottle, Heather ran back to get it, Started at 6am in the dark, drank every mile with short walk break, ate every 3, ran the first 6 miles solo, picked up Steve for pacer #1 and a new bottle , Scott swapped in around mile 11, Heather swapped in around mile 16 , Steve was back in around mile 21, Scott back in around mile 27... Each time they swapped they came with a new bottle and flask for me and carried it all... All I had to do was run, as each mile beeped I would say bottle or flask and it would get handed to me.. A well oiled machine or well sort of... When Scott was on his 2nd run he was trying to juggle all those flask/bottles etc when a sidewalk snake reached up and grabbed one of his shoes, being the acrobatic gymnastic juggler that he is , did a complete forward tumble, coming up on his feet, NO his toes, bouncing around with that look of "I meant to do that" after realizing nothing was broke and he wasnt bleeding we had a good laugh... We started to catch one athlete who was obviously in trouble starting to grab his side... I told Scott he was done and we did catch/pass him never to bee seen again... Around mile 32 we started to catch 2 athletes with 1 coach, then they caught a crosswalk and we did catch them... I'm thinking this is way too early to make a pass... Then I started to think well it is late in the day at mile 32, the sun is coming out, its getting hot, he's a big guy, we are all going to start caving, but they will cave more than me... This was my my second decision to race in the 3 days and the only true tactical decision I made...I tell Scott that after my next fuel at mile 33 we are gonna go... BIG smile he was ready... So we eased up I drank and ate right before mile 33... Then we eased back up to them, I kept trying to get eye contact to mess with them a little, Nothing, So I said OK boys let me through your dogging it here.... They let us thru with a "oh look who it is comment"....So we picked up the RPE , trying to show enough strength, put enough space between us , that I would not see them again.... Scott finished another couple miles and was swapping out with Heather.. I told him to let Heather know we would be running a bit harder... She came out and ran a couple miles before deciding to drop off... Steve picked up and started looking back... I said DO NOT look back.... Kept RPE fairly high and breaks a bit more minimal to mile 39 and started to ease back up again... UH OH by mile 39.5 I could hear them behind me, I had run a full 6-7 miles at a higher RPE and to be confirmed later with the file a higher HR... By mile 40 they had caught me and made the pass back... STRONG runners and I told them so as they went by... In retrospect I had made the wrong move, but if I had to do it all over again I think I would make the same move again... Usually passing someone that late in the day works and at the time I did not know the outcome... OK the wheels were now off , I was entering survival mode, My left achilles was starting to hurt pretty bad, I took 2 advil at mile 40 , and started to drink mountain dew to bring myself back to life , ice towels from the crew every mile , The crew kept me moving forward and never stopping but I was dictating the pace and it was slowing...... Everything starts to get blurry here, they were swapping out pacers every couple miles, I remember passing one more competitor while running with Steve, Heather came back in around mile 48 and Scott/Steve both joined us for the last mile as a TEAM. I hate to use the words suffering or pain while racing instead choosing to use uncomfortable. I will still use the word uncomfortable to describe the finish of this race but I will say I was extremely uncomfortable ....
First few solo miles....
Yep HILLS on the run too! Somewhere around 17-22 miles....
Pause for a kiss.....
The best crew ever bringing me home !
A long hug to celebrate completion and reflect on Jim ! Best hug ever!
Cleaned up.... Yep that EN athlete took 9th place and set a M50-59 course record !
Team at end of DAY 3. If your ever crazy enough to do one of these be smart enough to get a crew like mine !
THE END !
NOTE: I participated in a Sleep Study where they took blood before the 3 days and after the 3 days, wore a bracelet to track sleep, weighed in every morning and evening, had my ankle and foot measured every morning and evening and also tracked my food between stages... However the data is not in yet and the sleep tracking bracelet malfunctioned for the week after the race.... Hope to update this thread when the data comes in.
Questions , comments, criticism, suggestions, anything , everything from anybody is welcome and open for discussion.....
Tagged:
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Comments
Tim, I love the pictures in this report and my favorite part was the run write up!
I did see one pic in there where you deployed the secret weapon, looks like it was on the back half of that Very Uncomfortable run when you needed it the most.
I have no words........but thanks for sharing everything, inspiring and always leading!
Sincere congratulations Ultraman!
SS
Love the pics with Heather.
Enjoy the well deserved rest and CTL free fall
Love the pics....and the tribute to Jim. I can see why he would call you chicken legs
On the stoplights......that's a lot of stopped time. Are you allowed to deviate from the course? For example, could you turn right on red then do a u-turn and turn right again rather than waiting for the light to change?
The bike IFs are impressive...those are IM level IFs for much more than IM distance. Did the fact that you had about 12 hours of recovery before your run started play a role in this?
Do you use Normatecs or Air Relax boots? For big volume, multi-day activities I find them incredibly helpful and surprised not to see any mention.
I have to admit....this gives me the bug big time. I think it will be another 10 years until my kids are out of high school before I could train appropriately, but I want to do this. And actually...my goal is to break your M50-59 record! I'll be taking applications for support crew if anyone is interested
Tim,
Great performance and congrats on the new Ultraman record. A couple notes and questions:
- I noticed the temperatures were a little low for your liking and cool water. Nice job getting the proper equipment and getting through the early morning cool spots
- Thanks for all the detail on the caloric intake over the 3 days. I particularly noted the 6 pancakes after day two. Something lighter to help with digestion for the long run on day three?
Asking a speculative question here but given the extremely uncomfortable state you ended in on day three in retrospect would you push the day 1 and 2 bike power numbers a little more into your high expected ranges a little more?
What was your recovery like each evening? Did you do anything outside of eat/sleep, i.e. normatec boots etc.
Again it was great to follow you over the three days and a big thanks for putting it all out there for the team. I'm looking forward to seeing you in Lake Placid again this year.
A great next step away from the WTC only mindset, after last year's Sea to Summit.
So apparently, starting to race with 20 miles to go is too early? My call would be to just stay at whatever pace was slowly bringing you closer to that pair. Uncomfortable might have met you further down the road.
bottom line, you knew what you were capable of when you signed up for this, you trained to compete at that level, and you cashed the check with a little interest added on. A successful day - my highest praise.
I really loved your report. I crewed a few ultracycling races with some good and some really bad experiences. It is great to see how much you appreciate your crew. I loved your comment "These people gave me the most valuable thing on the planet "their time"" Because you appreciated them I know it must have been special for them to help along the way and felt just as good (or even better) than it did for you when you crossed that finish!
Congratulations again!
Course deviation- I don't think that the right turn, u-turn, right turn would have been allowed, although it was never addressed. In most of those cases you would have run into traffic for the u-turn, and you still would have come to a complete stop and put a foot down to make a right turn if the light was red. They were also very strict about stop signs as well as red lights. Stop signs it was mandatory to come to a complete stop , unclip and put one foot on the ground before proceeding. There were staff at many of these to make sure we complied and I think most of us did because it was worth a 6 min penalty if you did not... Infact if your crew was observed not complying to traffic laws they could buy you a penalty as well... In the end I think it evens out and is fair... Turning left at a red light was another issue, I had 2 scenario's where I was at a light with no cars to hit the triplate in the road, and had to instruct cars behind me to pull up to the trip plate. The crew can and was helpful in trying to trigger most of the crosswalk lights etc but it was a challenge. Part of the challenge of an open course race.
Recovery Times and IF vs. Run - I got 16hrs recovery from end of day 1 to start of day 2, and 14hrs recovery from end of day 2 to beginning of day 3... Something to think about for those that barely made the daily cut-offs had a lot less time between stages.... Ironically I felt much better at the beginning of Day 3 than I did at the beginning of Day 2.... I don't think going any easier IF on the bike day1/2 would have resulted in a better run on Day 3... And probably more appropriately I dont think I could have gone "much" harder IF on Day 1/2 bikes and then hurting my run on Day 3. If anything I would say I could have gone just a tad harder on the bikes without hurting the run.... for reference I usually ride an IM at .74-.76 range and upwards of 3.25 w/kg just because I have to , to be competitive , and it usually does not hurt my run , but if I do a ride like that in training I CANNOT ride like that again the next day... Which actually brings me to another thought/comment I never made on my training.... I always found the 2nd ride on back to back days harder than the 1st ride, and I always found the 2nd run on back to back runs to be easier than the 1st.....
Recovery Boots - I did not use them. I have tried them at the IM expo's and liked them OK. I have read about them quite a bit. I understand the theory behind and how they work for fighter pilots and medical uses like surgery. But I have yet to read anything that proves they actually work other than everyone likes them. I'm also a big believer in natural recovery and adaptation (IOW anything done to reduce inflammation like icing etc can stunt the adaptation process) but if that theory is correct than it should really only be applied in training and NOT Racing. I have also never been a fan of compression socks and always seem to feel more sore after wearing them... Now having said all that I will say I am about ready to try a pair of recovery boots just to see for myself anyway... My feet and ankles blew up like balloons for almost a week after UMFL (they were fine thru all 3 days) but all that traveling was horrible for them.
Sign me up for your CREW !
Pancakes are the ultimate maple syrup delivery system. I certainly would not call them lighter in anyway shape or form especially with all the PB and syrup on them but I do find that they digest very well and are great for consuming large amounts of carb/calories in a short amount of time... I also practice that meal in training, I mean how else can you get good at eating pancakes but to practice... In fact I'm gonna practice some more tomorrow am before heading to the desert to ride my MB while Heather does a long run. The IF's and recovery questions are pretty well covered above in Jeremy's post answers... I will also address a little more of the recovery with Doug in a few posts.... YES look forward to seeing you again at IMLP this year. Got another great crew gonna be there including UMFL crew member Scott Renick and some guy named Woody:-)
Whats next? - well I am gonna watch Gabe do the Leadman Series this year.... I have 3 IM's for the remainder of the year IMLP, KONA, IMAZ and I have high expectations for all 3... Next year 2018 is going to be the year of the Ultra with maybe a 50k or 2, the R2R2R and a 100 miler , although I think I am shying away from the Leadman Series... More from a perspective of avoiding all the travel and the 100MTB is not really something on my list.... The part that is absolutely impossible is the 100 mile run... So I'm starting to look for a 100 miler that fits... So far its looking like Vermont 100 in July... Its a good rookie 100 with only 14k climbing LOL but good surfaces, nearby by summer address, and good time of year.... And I'd be lying if I didnt say I'm interested in Ultraman Hawaii (maybe 2019) but will hold comments on that to after KONA and my hopeful crew for Simon Shurrey. So maybe NO IM's for a couple years...Also have Survival of the Shawangunks I wanna do soon.
The Crew- I'm glad you brought up the crew and I really appreciate your perspective because I know your background. My crew treated me like a 9 month pregnant lady, let me get that, let me carry that, get your feet up, you shouldn't be doing that, go to the room , shower , get your feet up... Everyday they hauled my bike, gear, etc back and forth... All I had to do was swim, bike, run.. They maximized my recovery between stages and maximized my efficiency during the stages... Truly a team event!
Now you're just padding your Forum Posts by all of those individual responses the way you padded your SBR stats with 3 consecutive days of racing...
Of course I'm kidding. It was fun to watch your preparation for this race and I really don't think there is a single person who knows you that was surprised by the result. That's not meant to minimize your accomplishment, but simply to say that you have demonstrated a pattern of clearing a very high and deliberately approached bar.
Thanks for sharing all of your nutrition and preparation details along the way. It was really a good read and fascinating to peer inside your head as the days went on. It's mind-blowing to me that you still had your "racing" hat on midway through a double marathon for that long of a stretch... Seriously, picking up the pace for a block or two or through an aid station would have been comprehensible to me, but for 7 miles. Just Wow! Not to mention you set a 52 mile average pace (after 2 grueling days of racing) that most mere mortals could only dream of running in a 70.3 run leg with perfect conditions on the day...
Hell of an effort buddy! We're all so very proud of you and Thank you for all that you do for this community of virtual (and in-person) friends!
Tim, I'm sure your friend Jim would be proud. The size of your tribute to him says a lot about what a person he was. I trained in Clermont and area this week and saw a lot of "um >" makers on the roads. Like, a LOT. Frig, that is a far distance you went on person-power alone. Mind you, there is not one person who knows you that would have a millisecond of doubt that you would not succeed. I'm glad it was a great experience and outcome for you and your crew, and I am repeatedly impressed and humbled to train alongside you, when I can keep up, but it' mostly behind you.
Good work and congratulations to you and your crew.
I was delinquent in putting up a crew perspective report, and honestly don't have a lot to add that you didn’t already cover. If anyone is going to crew in the future and has questions feel free to DM me.
I’ll say that in describing your “miscommunication” at the end of day one you neglected to include that you were laughing as you rode by us after our NASCAR pit crew exit from the vehicle (and we DID talk about revenge as we reloaded).
Also, I am glad that I didn’t post my side because you embellished my catlike recovery on the run even more than I would.
One thing from my synopsis was that crewing for your UMFL campaign was a long hard weekend, and one of the coolest things I have gotten to be a part of in sport.
Your preparation & attention to detail made it easy on us. The fact that you were at the front end of the pack made it more fun for me, and mercifully gave us more recovery & prep time each day.
Give me a call if you need someone for your UM Hawaii bid, I’d crew for you any time.
Wednesday Pre-Race 5.5hrs sleep - was up late to get crew from airport
Thursday (night before Day 1 ) 8hrs sleep
Friday (night before Day 2) 6.5 hrs sleep
Saturday (night before Day 3) 6hrs 10 min sleep
Sunday (night after Day 3) 3.5hrs sleep
Love the data...thanks for posting!
I tried to write it up to be understandable... Bottomline there was a HUGE amount of inflammation measured post race compared to pre race... And also compared to 4 other data readings done outside of this test of which some of those were "TOO" high.....
Below are my questions ....
Below is The answers...
So the “hs” just means high sensitivity – just that the test used to measure it was more sensitive than ours (able to detect lower limits); we didn’t use hsCRP because we expected all of you to be inflamed already from training so much, but whether it is CRP or hsCRP the only difference is in the units.
For example your value of 4.1 mg/L would equate to 4100 ng/mL – we just used different units.
I am not sure when the measurements you have were taken; exercise is capable of drastically increasing CRP in the blood, as we saw with your post-race value of 27,323.5 ng/mL (27.3 mg/L).
Below is my Data of hsCRP from inside tracker done outside of this study.... As you can see from the study's answers and data there was no doubt as to inflammation... Their post equivalent number of 27.3 is almost 8 times higher than my highest inflamed reading of hs CRP 4.1 which was well into the red via inside tracker...
hsCRP (mg/L) 1 , 1.9 , 4.1 , 0.5
C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
C-Reactive Protein Pre (ng/ml)
180.5
C-Reactive Protein Post (ng/ml)
27,504
C-Reactive Protein Change (ng/ml)
+27,323.5
If you have scrolled this far... I cut and past the total study results again...
Ultraman Florida 2017
Orlando Florida, February 17-19, 2017 Results
Finishing time: 24:27:59
Stage 1 Time: 7:21:49
Stage 2 Time: 8:40:44
Stage 3 Time: 8:25:26
Body Weight
Weight Pre (kg)
56.2
Weight Stage 1 Pre (kg)
56.5
Weight Stage 1 Post (kg)
55.7
Weight Stage 2 Pre (kg)
56.3
Weight Stage 2 Post (kg)
57.3
Weight Stage 3 Pre (kg)
56.5
Weight Stage 3 Post (kg)
54.6
Weight Post (kg)
56.3
In the table above you can see the changes in your body weight throughout the entirety of Ultraman Florida. As expected when exercising for 10 hours a day, your body demands high amounts of energy, so much so that it is near impossible to intake the amount of calories that you need. As you can see, after most stages your body weight declined due to the losses in water, fat, and protein your body used to complete the duration of the exercise. Most mornings you were at a greater body weight than the night before, which we can expect due to proper hydration and fueling your body needed to compete at a high level again the next day.
Body Fat Percentage
Fat Percentage Pre (%)
6
Fat Percentage Stage 1 Pre (%)
7.6
Fat Percentage Stage 1 Post (%)
8
Fat Percentage Stage 2 Pre (%)
8.6
Fat Percentage Stage 2 Post (%)
9
Fat Percentage Stage 3 Pre (%)
8
Fat Percentage Stage 3 Post (%)
6.8
Fat Percentage Post (%)
6.3
Total Change (%)
+0.3
As you can see in the table above, your body fat percentage looked to fluctuate quite a lot throughout the entire race. The scale we used to measure your body fat percentage sent a small electrical impulse through your feet and measured the time it took for the impulse to go through your body and back to its starting point. Based off the time recorded, we could estimate your total body fat percentage by using a calculation. This value can be easily altered by your hydration status. If you are overhydrated the electrical impulse will travel faster and estimate a lower body fat percentage, and vice versa in the dehydrated state. Keep that in mind when looking at your body fat percentage.
Foot Circumference
Foot Circumference Pre (cm)
22.5
Foot Circumference Stage 1 Pre (cm)
21.7
Foot Circumference Stage 1 Post (cm)
22.5
Foot Circumference Stage 2 Pre (cm)
22.3
Foot Circumference Stage 2 Post (cm)
22.3
Foot Circumference Stage 3 Pre (cm)
22.4
Foot Circumference Stage 3 Post (cm)
22.7
Foot Circumference Post (cm)
22
Total Change (cm)
-0.5
The table above shows the changes in your foot circumference throughout each stage of the race. This measurement was taken to asses if any swelling or accumulation of excess fluid occurred in and around your lower extremities. Contrary to expectations, it appears that no swelling occurred in your foot following race stages. These results may have been caused by an array of recovery techniques such as compression clothing.
Leg Circumference
Leg Circumference Pre (cm)
19.1
Leg Circumference Stage 1 Pre (cm)
19
Leg Circumference Stage 1 Post (cm)
19.8
Leg Circumference Stage 2 Pre (cm)
18.9
Leg Circumference Stage 2 Post (cm)
19.5
Leg Circumference Stage 3 Pre (cm)
18.45
Leg Circumference Stage 3 Post (cm)
19.3
Leg Circumference Post (cm)
19.7
Total Change (cm)
+0.6
Similar to foot circumference, the table above shows the changes in your leg circumference throughout each stage of the race. This measurement was taken to assess any swelling or fluid accumulation in your lower limbs throughout the race. As hypothesized, some swelling of your leg occurred over the duration of the race as seen by the 0.6cm increase in your leg circumference.
Total Body Water
Total Body Water Pre (l)
38.6
Total Body Water Stage 1 Pre (l)
38.2
Total Body Water Stage 1 Post (l)
37.5
Total Body Water Stage 2 Pre (l)
37.6
Total Body Water Stage 2 Post (l)
38.1
Total Body Water Stage 3 Pre (l)
38
Total Body Water Stage 3 Post (l)
37.3
Total Body Water Post (l)
38.6
Measured as a percentage, total body water has been estimated to be approximately 52-75% of total body weight. As you can see, total body water decreased progressively throughout the race, with the greatest drop during the run portion of the race. This is what was expected when compared to the other legs of your race. Unlike biking, when you are running you don’t have an endless amount of water on you, making it much more difficult to eat and drink. Weather also plays a large role in total body water, specifically in sweat rates. As you can imagine, sweat rates in Florida are increased greatly due to the high humidity and increased fluid intake may be needed.
Sleep
Date
Latency (min)
Wake Episodes
Minutes in Bed
Minutes Asleep
2/15/2017
7
4
372
330
2/16/2017
8
2
514
480
2/17/2017
10
4
1111
390
2/18/2017
11
7
711
370
2/19/2017
13
3
333
210
2/20/2017
9
5
524
415
Sleep quality can be measured by looking at a few different variables, with the first being sleep latency. Sleep latency is the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep once you lay in bed, the shorter the latency the higher quality of sleep. The second variable used to measure sleep quality is wake episodes, the less you wake up during sleep the higher quality the sleep was. As you can see in the table above you had a relatively consistent sleep latency which is great! For your wake episodes, you were less consistent ranging from 2-7 episodes. These wake episodes can be caused by a plethora of things such as caffeine consumption during the day, or just sleeping in a new environment. As for total time asleep, your nights are inconsistent with some nights only sleeping for 210 minutes and others for 480 minutes. This variability can be caused by many different things such as body temperature, diet, stimulants, and much more. Sleep can be difficult to keep consistent, especially when undergoing such an intensive exercise bout such as The Ultraman Florida, but a good tip is to keep yourself on a regular routine even on the nights of your races.
C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
C-Reactive Protein Pre (ng/ml)
180.5
C-Reactive Protein Post (ng/ml)
27,504
C-Reactive Protein Change (ng/ml)
+27,323.5
C-Reactive Protein(CRP) is an acute phase response of inflammation that is produced from the liver, and is stimulated and regulated by IL-6. Basal levels of CRP in the healthy population has been shown to vary anywhere between 100ng/ml to 10,000ng/ml. The 27,323.5 ng/ml increase following the Ultraman race, this was as to be expected. Your body’s inflammatory response to 517km of exercise should be very large due to the excessive stress you are undergoing.