Paul Curtin 2017 IMLOU Race Report
I blame Al Truscott. This is all his fault. I raced IMLOU last year and had a great race. Just missed a KQ slot, but I felt content with the achievement and didn’t especially need another IM. And then Al stepped in and wrote some blah-blah-blah post about “you owe it to yourself to see what’s possible” or some garbage like that. Yeah, whatever
By December though, the point Al made had hit me … I’m certainly not getting any younger so why not see what’s possible. “What if” became the question … what if I fill in the weak spots … what if I stay healthy and keep things in balance … what if I double-down and try again … what if I pull off a great race. The scientist in me was curious even if only for the sake of running an experiment. I talked it over with Mo. She was rather surprised that it took me so long to decide, as she was all for it. We were in. All in.
Sometime around December 4 of last year I wrote this on the marker board in my pain cave … it was the only motivation I needed
Here’s the link to this year’s race plan:
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/23973/paul-curtin-2017-imlou-race-plan
Race Morning
Race week went pretty much as planned. Hanging with the EN crew proved invaluable; it was a lot of fun. The stuff we did eliminated the opportunities to be stressed from just sitting around in a hotel room
Race morning was rather easy; everything was written down on the checklist. Took in about 700-800 calories (2 Naked Juice, applesauce, bagel, banana). Left the hotel around 5:30. There were no lines and it seemed stress-free: double-checked the bike; added the bottles; calibrated the Garmin 520. At body marking the volunteer asked whether I wanted a smiley face on my right calf. I didn’t initially react. They she said she could draw a turtle. That somehow seemed the better choice. She drew a pretty turtle. I wore it all day long on my right calf
At about 6:50 I started stage 1 preparation: Body Glide, wetsuit halfway on, GE, a bite or two of a Power Bar. At 7:00 I did the final prep: wetsuit zipped, goggles and cap ready, HotShot, and final bottle with Skratch Rescue Hydration. I met Brian Hagan and Jeff Kane in line, near the front of the 1:00-to-1:10 group. Someone sang the National Anthem, and My Old Kentucky Home
Swim
I jumped off the right-side dock right after Jeff and Brian. I had agita from that first shock of the water entering the wetsuit. When that panic hits, I can’t put my face in the water, so I moved off to the far-right side until it passed … maybe 10 seconds or so. Then I started swimming to the plan of staying right and getting into a groove
The water in the channel was relatively calm, given the intense winds that were already blowing. Once we passed Towhead Island there were still a few hundred yards of upriver swimming before the turn buoy. That’s when I noticed how rough the water was. I used a super-short stroke and tried to hold a tight core. Breathing to both sides was still okay, although I had to rotate a lot more to get a full breath
The turn buoy wasn’t that crowded so rounding it was easy. I sighted downriver and noticed there was a huge gap with nobody going down the middle, so I swam straight for it. The current pushed us all towards shore, and I unintentionally swam inside two of the red buoys on the left side. The kayakers seemed overly aggressive in trying to shepherd us back to the right. So much for the plan to swim far right
Overall it was a very clean swim for me. I swallowed water near the first bridge, and had to stop while the gag reflex took over. The only other issue was a calf cramp just as I got to the steps. The volunteers were trying to pull me up but I needed to stretch it out for a few seconds
I saw Jeff and Brian again at the swim exit. We all had near-identical swim times. I asked Brian what our time was, and he said 1:03 something. For me that was 5.5 minutes faster than last year, and about 3 minutes faster than my expected time. So far, so good
Transition One
Kellie had warned us that they may be short on T1 volunteers, but I got lucky and found one. It sure was dark in that tent. I ran to the far end where it was lighter and asked the volunteer to follow me there. T1 time was 5:54, a 2-minute improvement from last year
The Bike
The bike mount line was very crowded, with about 6 people hogging the left side where I wanted to be. So I took an open spot along the right-side fence to swing my leg over the bar. I had practiced doing the flying mount, but that was on grass and when nobody else was watching. Definitely not trying that move
My heart rate started out at about 165, which seemed in line given the chaos of that long run through T2. On River Road, it was easy to hold 24 mph with a strong tailwind, and I tried to relax and get HR down. My Garmin was set to auto-lap every 5 miles. The Race screen showed the usual time, speed, distance, HR, and cadence, plus four power fields: 3-second, 30-second, lap AP, lap NP. Showing the 30 second power was helpful for keeping climbs under control
Shortly after the left turn on 42 we hit the first climb. And just like every other race, on that first climb we got to meet the first of the machismo men. Powering up with such force! It really is impressive. There must be a secret handshake they do at the top of each climb. I rode with a young lady who had a similar style to mine: staying on the aero bars until speed dropped on the hill, then sitting up and spinning out a steady effort, and continuing the effort past the crest and on the downhill. We laughed about the back-and-forth game
I had a mechanical issue that surfaced on the first long downhill. My biggest gear wouldn’t hold and kept skipping back one cog. I first noticed it on Thursday’s preview ride and took it to the local bike shop to get fixed, but somehow it fell back out of adjustment. That meant my spin-out speed was 32 mph instead of 36. I knew I’d lose some time but it wasn’t worth trying to stop and readjust it so I carried on
At mile 36 I recognized a guy in my AG from the 70.3 Worlds race. He wore the same TriSports kit. I passed him just before the aid station on Yager Lane. But after the aid station he came powering by like it was game-on or something. I wasn’t playing and let him go. He rode like the other machismos – such an impressive display of uberness on those climbs! I let him stay in front of me until he burned out at mile 56. I rode up next to him and introduced myself, which seemed to shock the hell out of him. We only chatted for a few seconds or so. I wished him good luck and rode ahead. I could tell he was cooked and was in for a long day
Then I rode up on Scott Dinhofer, just as he was enjoying a pee break while riding. I told him he peed on me. We had a good laugh and chatted for a bit. By that point in the race, I noticed that people were no longer passing me. All the super-fast riders had already gone by, and all the machismos were out of gas. Riding became a continual stream of passes: using the draft to approach from behind, making the pass, and marking the next rider
The worst section of the course was the 1.5-miles on KY-153. It wasn’t closed to traffic, and on the second loop it was mess with trucks and cars and slow bikers. I stayed patient and only passed on the right of cars when there was room, knowing it would clear up after the left turn onto 42
And the wind! Gloriously strong and gusty, and blowing right in my face. And then, on a whim, deciding to blow from the side and swirl all around. It was fierce and I loved it! It would hurt everyone else more than me. I took a Tylenol and a caffeine pill, and kept to my hydration and nutrition plans. My time was slower than planned but I didn’t stress. I got aero and turtled my head and shoulders. I turned myself inside out on training rides just to stay strong on this section
On the last stretch of Route 42 before the downhill I passed two pro women riders. The downhill on 42 heading into Prospect and the section on River Road were uneventful. I backed off the power a bit and stayed behind another rider to help prepare for the run … not so much physically prep, but just get my head wrapped around running a marathon
My official bike split was 5:19:04 – 5 minutes faster than last year. BestBikeSplit initially predicted 5:11:00, and that had gone even lower after recalculating with Sunday’s forecast. But those winds were just nasty, brutish, and squirrely
AP was 200, NP was 208, for a VI of 1.04. IF was .73 and TSS score was 284
Links to the bike data files:
TrainingPeaks: http://tpks.ws/DfHld
Strava file: https://www.strava.com/activities/1232452229
Garmin file: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2118759428
Transition Two
T2 was easy. My bag contained three Ziploc bags: one 2-gallon size with shoes and socks; a 1-gallon bag with emergency clothes; and another 1-gallon bag for my Go Bag. I knew it would get colder but opted to go without any extra clothes. Total T2 time was 5:11, 44 seconds faster than last year. But most importantly … fastest in my AG!!! Woo hoo!!! I’ll miss my old transition persona, Mr. Pokey McSlowpants
The Run
I saw Mo and our good friend David on the run up to Witherspoon Street. Mo yelled out that I was in second place. Okay, there’s work to do, I thought. But my priority was to get into run form and get HR down. The first 5 miles were around 8:45 pace with HR at 145. A good start
Whoever was in front of me was going to get caught. I was certain of that. No one from my AG passed me on the bike, so it was either a great swimmer and an okay biker, or an uber-biker with a decent swim in the lead. And typically, neither of those athlete types are good runners. They would fade and I would catch them. I just needed to be patient and stick the run plan
And the run went according to plan. Nutrition was good, fluids were good, salt intake was consistent. I took an occasional Tums, and had caffeine and Tylenol ready. My pace was surprisingly steady and HR stayed in a very comfortable range. The cool weather was helping, but I knew I was having a very good run
The first EN teammate I saw was Dave Tallo, just past the first turnaround on Southern Pkwy. On the way back I saw others, but didn’t always say hi. I was looking at numbers on calves. I didn’t know when I’d catch this guy in first, but here was out there. I stayed focused
I made sure to do several running-form checks along the way. This will seem silly, but the way I check run form is by singing the song “Shipoopi”. Yes, that song from the musical The Music Man. Here’s Buddy Hackett singing from the 1962 movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jj622vbrrU
Here’s why it works: good form for me starts with stride rate; if my stride is good then my arms must be swinging forward and not inward, feet are landing properly and not over-striding, and the hip and glute muscles are doing the work. My stride rate just happens to match perfectly to the tempo from Shipoopi
I love the halfway point on the Louisville run. We head back into downtown and the crowds line the streets cheering like mad. It’s total chaos, and I couldn’t see Mo or David or anyone else. I didn’t get any updates on position, and had no idea where I was relative to others in my AG
Miles 14-18 were just steady, hyper-vigilant running. At mile 20, just before the turnaround on Southern, I see him. It must be him. I pick up the pace. Then, after I make the turnaround, I see this other guy behind me. He was in my AG, I just know it. And his run form is good, this was not his first lap. At that point, I figure I have two minutes on the guy behind me, and suddenly a Neo moment hits. "No" ... he is not going to catch me. I'm not going to finish third again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bzjuPNnqWk
And that guy who was ahead of me? I caught him. He was in my AG, but he wasn't the one. You can tell when someone is on their first lap or their second lap, and clearly this guy was on his first lap. Well dang. Whoever was in first was still out there, so then I shifted focus to staying ahead of that guy behind me
I don’t remember much those last few miles. It got dark for me. Strava says I ran mile 22 in 8:18. I remember looking at HR and pushing it whenever it dropped below 155. I drank Coke at the aid stations but never stopped running
When I got close to the finish I saw Mo and David and heard screaming and yelling. The finish line at IMLOU is just incredible. It’s a wonderful experience
I stopped my watch at 3:45 or so and knew I had a great run. I finally negative-split a marathon!
People said I had my game face on. Here’s what it looked like – this is just when the volunteer met me at the finish – I broke into a huge smile shortly afterwards
Here are the run data files:
TrainingPeaks run file: http://tpks.ws/lVWvn
Garmin run file: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2118839750
Strava run file: https://www.strava.com/activities/1232475284
Post-Run Epilogue
That guy in front of me? He never existed. I was in first place the entire run! My wife lied to me when she said I was in second place. 29 years of blissful marriage and unquestionable trust, and she tells me a gigantic porky!!! She confessed at dinner that night, claiming that if I knew I was first I’d get complacent and let people pass me. I’ll be darned, but I think she was right. Here’s my reaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnbj-_oPfys
Turns out that guy behind me got pretty close. I’m so glad that the smart EN race protocol works. I was in control of everything from The Line to the finish
Post-Race and Monday Morning
My race target time was 10:30; that’s what Coach P and I figured would be both achievable and keep me in contention for Kona. It’s a cool feeling to beat that by 11 minutes. Here are the splits and a comparison from last year.
I’ve done two other IMs: Ironman Canada 1998 in about 12:35, and Ironman Wisconsin 2002 in 11:38. I’ve got a good streak of continual improvements with each race!
Winning the AG and getting the KQ is an indescribably-great feeling. I didn’t sleep a wink Sunday night (way too much caffeine in my system) but that didn’t matter, the buzz still hasn’t worn off. Last year, the Monday morning Kona allocation was dreadful because I was 3rd with 2 spots in my AG. And of course, I didn’t get the roll-down slot. This year it was a lot less stressful
As for Kona next year, I know there’s one person I won’t rely on for updates during the race. But I probably will anyway … she seems to know what she’s doing
And by the way Al, thank you for the inspiration to race IM again, I owe you one my friend
Comments
You were very focused in the days leading up to the race including your TSB, bike, run strides and stroke at the YMCA. Well done Paul!
You were even more focused from when we met before the swim start all the way through your amazing run!
That bike was a thing of beauty. I know you have focused on your VI, and executing a 1.04 is stout! I am sure we could all learn from you on that.
I will never forget the look on your face during the run. I've heard of this look, but I have never seen it. Also, a negative split on an IM run is so very impressive!
Congratulations again on your KQ, first place finish and well executed race.!
MR
Also, despite all your laser like execution, I knew there would be singing somewhere in your day. Music Man for the win!!!
Recover hard, and can't wait to follow along the next year as you point your training and effort towards the big show...what tune will make that race report??? Only time will tell!
It's really quite amazing what can happen when leaders step up and lead like @Al Truscott
and the downstream ripple effects on others.....in this case that has lead to another leader @Paul Curtin also stepping up and leading, re-assessing, putting together a wicked smart plan and executing on race day to a KQ performance!
I'm just a small fish in a big pond surrounded by bad asses! Not a bad place to be.
Had you on my tracker and followed you as you literally ran down the competition to your win. So happy for you and so glad you are on the EN team.
Thanks for posting and sharing. Sincere congratulations!
SS
This was one of the most awesome race reports I have ever read. Driven, methodical, relaxed, and relentless. You had a plan and executed. It sounds so simple as I type it, but over an entire year of training and over an entire 140.6 miles of a race, surprisingly few people can actually pull it off... You had an aggressive Ironman plan then methodically beat that aggressive goal in every single discipline, not to mention win the race in the last 12 miles of the run against a dude who was running well and trying to chase you down.
Very well done!
Congrats! and as i've told you by email, you've inspired me in a number of ways this weekend, and hopefully I will get that prize in July and join you in October!
Congrats again!
Super super congrats on an amazing day. Your write up above shows your planning and execution were spot on. It also shows the power of the mind....gotta love Mo for helping in that department! As someone who saw you racing on the day...you were certainly a man on a mission...a mission that would end successfully. We enjoyed meeting you last weekend and will look forward to following you next year.
Enjoy the success and many congrats!
I'm not the best cyclist, but usually am in the top 5-10 of my AG. When you beat me in Chattanooga (even though it was just 1 minute
I was following along every step of your run Sunday. Seeing (virtually) you turn on the jets as #2 got within 40 seconds of you was the thing of legend. I mean.....negative splitting a freaking IM Marathon? Just nuts. Most people can't do that in a regular marathon. Oh...and also...the fact that you negative split an IM marathon with a time that is only 5 minutes off a Boston Qualifier.
Impressed. Amazed. In awe. Not enough words. You have set the bar vary high. Enjoy and savor the hell out of this. You have a long road until Kona...pace yourself and have fun along the way.
Welcome to the AGW club, brother, it’s a special place to be.
Aloha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klY_a-bQrEA
@Trish Marshall -- not sure about next year's song yet, but I've already signed up for ukulele lessons. They're nice and small, one should fit in the run special needs bag
It's funny how that song Shipoopi works to keep my form. It got in my head on a long training run this year; must have been from watching a rerun of that Family Guy episode. I like how Peter says "I made a touchdown" at the end of that clip
And to @Mike Roberts, @Al Truscott, @Tim Cronk, @Jeremy Behler and others that I chatted with … thank you. Getting advice from folks who have qualified was incredibly helpful; there’s a common set of characteristics and disciplines that I gleaned and it helped tremendously
Al, that's funny about you shouting "NOW" ... I must have heard you
@Barbara Feinstein -- Louisville can be a great first IM race. The bike is a challenge but if you can train on rolling hills, it’s “just a bike ride” as Rich liked to say. What makes it a great race IMO is the mostly-downriver swim, the flat run, and the cool mid-October weather. And for me August and September are great months for the bike and run builds
@Barbara Feinstein This was my first full and it is a great course. I was a little worried about the bike but it really is not that bad and executing it the EN way really helps. The run is flat which really helps me a lot. I really enjoyed it an I am really thinking about coming back to this one again in the future.
You had a good race at FOP last year but this year you had a perfect race that dwarfed the competition leading to a win. 30 min improvement over an already high level from last year required more than just hard work, it required a disciplined preparation. I love your motivational message board in the pain cave. I too have written stuff like that where I can see when on the trainer. I wonder for those that are the cusp of that KQ goal you could go a little bit more in depth to your disciplined approach to this race. Not just reaching out to WSM's and P for discussion but things you Paul Curtin did differently from last year that you would qualify as over and above? Diet , not missing wko's, doing extra wko's, recovery, taper, sacrifices, or any other abnormal prep??? Something like this just didnt happen , you worked yourself into it, and you deserve that #1 WIN... Also of NOTE are those Transitions - I dont think you needed them but its another example of how important that are since you picked up 3 min over last year and many positions along the way.
I surely will read this report several times over the next year as I have signed for IMLOU 2018
@tim cronk -- that was a great idea ... I wrote up a few slides on what I did differently this year, and just did a webcast with Coach P ... it should be posted soon
@Barbara Feinstein - this was also my first full and highly recommend it!