JD IMAZ Race Report
JD IMAZ Race Report
IMAZ marks the end of my first year with EN and first season competing in the full distance. It’s only fair to start by saying thank you to the members of the EN community for their help, support, and advice through the year. The list is too long to address each one of you, but you know who you are. As the season comes to an end it’s a good time to evaluate the results. When I joined EN I had three goals for my first season: 1) run a half marathon under 2:00, 2) complete my first IM race (IMCA), and 3) complete a second IM (IMAZ). All of the goals have been achieved, but not the way I wanted.
This past year has been crazy in terms of medical stuff. I am a pretty healthy guy who prides in “not going to the doctor” and this year I probably have been there more than the last ten years combined. After breaking the two-hour mark for a half marathon in March things went down. Before IMCA I had Hernia surgery, gallbladder surgery, hematuria, and Achilles tendonitis. This meant that my training had to be suspended or modified and instead of competing I had to “survive” the race. Through execution and with the guidance of the team I was able to do so at IMCA (if you want to know how that went down here is the race report). After Canada I thought things would change and I would kill it at IMAZ. Not the case…. at all. Since Canada I have working on the Achilles with a PT who specializes in sports injuries; the recovery has been slow and this has translated into moderate running. Additionally, it seems that I suffer from the “tile syndrome”, its easier to break me than bend me, so I have been working on flexibility and range extension but I am not able to use the tri-bike yet as the flexibility is not there to withstand the aero position without creating further damage to the extremities and back.
Due to injuries I have not been able to train as I wanted and the results have shown at the races. But that’s enough of that so let’s jump to IMAZ. As usual this might not be a traditional race report and once again it has more mistakes and “what not to do” than spectacular achievements to emulate. I’m sure the rookies will learn something and the veterans will laugh at me.
I’m going to start this report two weeks ago when out of the blue I had a very sharp abdominal pain that ended in an ambulance ride to the ER. Once again just a few weeks before the race I end up in the OR. I think I have the Ironman curse; this is my 4th IM branded race (two half IM and two IM) and in 3 occasions I have ended in the OR before the race. This time it was stones in the vial duct, so they proceeded to remove them and open the duct and “hook-it up” to the digestive system. It was a clean surgery that only took 4 days to recover. The ultimate problem was that after surgery, my stomach has been a mess. It is hard to find foods that settle while working out. I had a solid nutrition plan that saved my ass at IMCA and I was eager to repeat it but all of a sudden none of that food was settling in. I knew this was going to be the toughest part of this race but I came up with an alternative plan that proved to be worthy during a couple training sessions.
With that brief intro lets go to Arizona. I arranged travel plans for Friday morning so I could do registration in the afternoon and then prepare for the race. Our flight departed on time so we were ready to land about 10 am. After 30 minutes of flight the captain tells us that two out of three generators stopped working and we had to fly back to Seattle. Then he said not to worry about the emergency vehicles that were on the tarmac waiting for us, its only standard procedure. Standard procedure my ass! There were more than 20 emergency vehicles waiting for us, but the only thing I could think about was missing the registration cut at 5 pm. We were rebooked at 3:00 pm landing in PHX at 7:00pm. I was in anger and panic, so I call IM headquarters and to my surprise they were extremely helpful and provide me with a solution for Saturday registration. Finally, we were able to get tickets on an earlier flight and made it to registration 1 minute before closing. Big lesson here: Next time make sure to have an extra day, if the race is on Sunday travel on Thursday at the latest.
Saturday was my daughter’s turn to race Ironkids and she has a much more impressive pace than her old man. Really proud and hope one day she and I can do an IM together. This might be also a great time to extend a massive thank you to my wife that has been extremely supportive during the last year.
Now let the race begin.
SWIM: Goal 1:30 – Result 1:32
I was very please with the result. It is consistent with the expectation and the times I have posted both on the pool and open water. The mass start was a bit of a mess. Too many people. I was trying to seed myself with the 1:20 group but it was impossible to get there and I ended up with the 1:30 group. The water was extremely murky as discussed during the race seminar. I decided to go with Gary’s advice and go with clear lenses and it was the right call. For most of the swim I was able to find a clear lane and do my thing; count strokes, focus on extension and rotation. But from time to time I ended up in unexpected boxing matches. The best one by far happened close to the turn when I was corralled by a group of swimmers. I only saw pink caps so I was very gentle to avoid hitting anyone but I wasn’t extended the same courtesy. I was punched and touched… almost abused. At that point the only thing that came to mind in the best Austin Powers impersonation I could think of was “Oh baby…. Behave” and “Groovy”, then the song “Foxy Lady” stuck on my mind for a while. Needless to say, I started laughing at my own thoughts and I highly recommend not to laugh underwater unless you enjoy drinking murky fluids. On the way back and as we got closer to the final turn there were spots with heavy traffic so I diverted and might have lost some time while looking for a clear lane but it was worthy to avoid the kicking.
T1: Goal 0:10 – Result 0:15
From the exit of the swim to the bag area was a long cold walk. I picked up my bag and proceeded to the tent for a full change of clothing. I was scarifying time for comfort as I knew I wasn’t competing for anything rather than finishing the race. The tent was equipped with heaters and that was a nice touch as I embraced momentarily the nudist lifestyle with a bunch of strangers and a lady that decided to use the men’s tent. As I was putting on my cycling jersey, the zipper got stuck and it took 8 minutes to solve the problem. Two lessons here: 1) if you are going to do a full change of clothes bring a backup jersey, 2) maybe it’s time to man up, forgo the full change and use tri shorts and jersey under the wetsuit.
BIKE: Goal 6:30 – Result 6:36
As I mentioned earlier I had to use the road bike (Specialized Roubaix with Sram S80 wheels) instead of the tri bike. I knew I would have an aero handicap but on the other hand I could count with the comfort of the Roubaix. The bike was executed as planned. I manage to stay in my watts for 98% of the time. My NP (178) was a little bit lower than my target (180) but I think it was due to the fast return on every loop. It was a very windy day and at sometimes despite having zero inclination whatsoever, the wind made it looked like a climb. The out was slow, averaging 13-15 mph and the return was crazy fast averaging 25 mph. The three-bike loop was fun and it was really exiting to had a chance to see the pro field doing their thing. The aid stations on the bike were themed based from Star Wars to Minions and that was fun too.
Nutrition and fluids started to fail during the bike. I wasn’t able to process the Gatorade very good. I have been training with regular Gatorade (the one you buy at Costco) but the endurance seems to be different. I was alternating between water, Gatorade, and Nunn and my stomach wouldn’t take any of them. At that point I knew it would be a long day. I had to take small sips to avoid stomach cramps. Every time I drank a more than a couple sips my stomach would act funny. For the first hour I was able to go with my plan of stroop waffles, Cliff blocks, and Humma gels, but after that my stomach wouldn’t receive anything. I forced my self to have some gels but the cramping started right away. Despite all of this I was able to stop and pee twice on the bike.
I had a Vega protein shake on my special needs bag and a mile 60 I stopped for it. It felt very good and allowed me to go for the next two hours without eating anything (not ideal but at least didn’t hurt). I was taking salt every hour but even the salt was upsetting my stomach.
I was able to finish the bike in a close to expected fashion, and was happy about it. The best part was to see my wife and daughter waiting for me at the dismount line. I kissed them both and proceed to the tent while listening at a distance at my wife screaming “are you sure you are ok?”
T2: Goal 0:10 – Result 0:15
As I went to T2 I knew I was in trouble. I was cramping very badly. I couldn’t lift my leg to put my socks, my back and shoulders were killing me so I couldn’t put my EN shirt either. I was a freaking mess. At some point I thought the day was over for me. The only thing working in my favor was that I had almost 9 hours to do the marathon so even if I slow walked, it would be fine. I took two Tylenols, applied some Voltaren stretched a little bit and finally got dressed with the help of some very nice and gentle volunteers who probably would have bet that my day was done.
RUN: Goal: Run the first half, walk run the second half – Result: 6:41
I started walking with a pretty high HR (170). I decided to walk until it came down to the 130’s. At that point I started a slow jog of 11:50 per mile. Within the second mile I was walking already. I thought to call it a day but then I remember that my daughter had bought me at the IMAZ store a medal that said two-time finisher, and I wasn’t ready to disappoint her. By mile 3 I had to find a place to stretch. It wasn’t easy because every stretch ended with another cramp. I decided to power through and try to do at least the first loop. I started walking/running playing mental games like run 0.2 miles and walk 0.1. Then run 5 mins, walk 5 mins. This helped to shift the mental pain. I walked the aid stations and continue to had the same hydration problems. I thought I was going to throw up or crap my pants every time I drink anything. I went to the bathroom but nothing happened, I tried to pee and there was nothing there. I knew I was dehydrating at a fast pace (at least I was able to do something at a fast pace). It was a catch-22: drink and cramp to the point of not being able to walk or don’t drink but know you might not get to the end due to dehydration.
I forced myself to have small sips of water combined with salt (after so many visits to the hospital you learn something). I tried different foods but nothing was working. The gels made everything worse, bananas didn’t do the trick, pretzels didn’t help either. I stuck to water and salt. Gatorade, Rebull, and soda didn’t feel good either.
A very good friend of mine who was very young (41), in great shape, and was an avid climber unexpectedly had a stroke two weeks ago and died. I asked the body markers to write his initials in my chest and as I was searching deep for a burst of energy I remember this and like a crazy person I started talking to him. At that point I knew I was losing it but who cares. By mile 6 I was feeling better and for the first time I realize I was going to make it to the finish line. It’s funny how a source of inspiration comes out of the blue at the least expected time.
The next seven miles was actually fun. I embraced the suck and decided I was going to have a good time. I smiled, talked to people, joke around with the volunteers and spectators and that gave me enough energy to keep a constant pace of 0.1 run, 0.1 walk for 8 straight miles.
Once loop 1 was finished I knew I was going to make it. 13 down, 13 to go. Time for a kiss. I stopped by the special needs area and retrieve my running flashlight as there where some parts of the course that were pitch black. Decided not to take the extra gels since I couldn’t eat them anyway. As a guy used to run in the Pacific Northwest I didn’t feel a need for a long sleeve jersey so I left that one behind. In hindsight I should have taken it with me and give it to someone on the course as I saw many people shivering.
The second loop was mostly walk. I could handle very little hydration and shared the pain with a lot of people. Chicken broth and grapes saved my night. One grape and two sips of broth per mile. There was people hurting all over the place. Since college I haven’t seen so many people throwing up on the same night. I embraced the second loop, made 200 new friends, talk to everyone I could, hugged strangers, and danced at an aid station.
By then end I was toasted. I tried to change my stride and the cramping almost makes me fall. I was stuck in one speed and one speed only. As I got to the finish line I kissed my wife and daughter. I threw an imaginary ball in the air and hit it with an imaginary bat to signify that I had just knocked out of the park…. Big mistake. I fell and couldn’t stand up. I had to crawl to the finish line, but run, walk or crawl I was an Ironman for the second time. In a self-embarrassing act, I am posting my triumphal arrival.
Overall it ended up being a terrible great day. Not as expected but will never forget it.
Year one is in the books. I am looking forward for next year. I have signed up for Victoria 70.3 and IM Louisville. My goals are going to be focused on execution. I don’t want to finish a race, I want to compete. I want to improve my times next year and execute more efficiently. For that I know there are some areas to work:
1. Weight: At 215 lbs. these races take a toll. The goal will be to get rid of 15 lbs.
2. Swim: It seems I have hit a wall. No matter what, my times are not improving. It’s time to work on technique with a coach.
3. Bike: Continue to improve flexibility in order to be able to ride the tri-bike again. My FTP is around 260, and I would like to improve it by 20 watts.
4. Run: This is the area that needs more improvement. I will continue to rehab my Achilles and focus on longer steady runs. Not looking to get crazy fast, but hoping to be consistent and injury free.
Thanks for taking the time to read this report. As always I value and appreciate your comments. And now in the words of every Super Bowl MVP, if you ask me what is next…. I am going to Disneyland. (Time for massive SAU points)
Comments
While you underplay your gall bladder surgery, I suspect that was the biggest culprit in your issues with taking in nutrition during the race. When we have surgery on a limb, like a knee, we get pretty good mental feedback about how things are healing. But the gut seems to do a poor job of communicating to the brain about how it's doing. You may have felt pretty good as far as surgical recovery, but somebody did mess with your small intestine - the bowel does NOT like to be handled - to get that bile duct attached to it, and it was probably not ready for the level of stress you were putting on it.
Work on those 4 areas you note, and remember that success - however you want to define it - in Ironman is usually a multi-year process.
Regarding the zipper issue in T1: I like the backup jersey idea; a full change is clearly the way to go unless you're contending for an award
And oh my gosh, that's funny about the finish line! I would have been too embarrassed to share it, so thanks for the laugh!