Punna 2017 IMAZ report
Preface:
Satish Punna, Moncton, NB, Canada. M48, 45-49AG
I neglected to post my race plan (mostly because it wasn't finished until Saturday afternoon the day before the race) so I thought I 'd better get off my butt and file this report ASAP.
I've had a good year, 2 half distance races (June and July, 4th and 6th AG) , 1 olympic (June, 4th OA), 1 sprint (July, 2nd OA), the ITU LD WC in Penticton (late August, 9th AG), and now IMAZ. That's my longest season ever and every race went well so very satisfying so far.
This is my second IM, the first being last years' cold and miserable IMMT. I started doing triathlons in 2011 (a sprint on a cross bike with knobby tires LOL) and have been with EN since my first 70.3 in 2013.
I arrived in Tempe on Wednesday afternoon. Was a bit jet lagged Wednesday and Thursday but got a nice swim in on Thursday morning in Scottsdale and a nice ride on Beeline Thursday afternoon. Gary Lewis was kind enough to organize dinner (and buy beer!) on Thursday night- lots of fun and wonderful to meet everyone and put faces to names after so long here at EN. It was my birthday and David Richmond surprised me with a brownie and ice cream treat! Thanks so much!!!!
The Race:
Coming into the race I had been struggling with a few niggles that just didn't want to completely go away; my left foot issues after Penticton seemed to have improved but the foot and calf haven't felt the same. I suppose I should have sought some professional help, but between work and family and training there just never was a good time to go to the therapist. I had hoped that things would significantly improve during the taper weeks and they did to a point but I was forced to get a pre race massage on Friday- something Ive never done before a race. I guess I'm getting old(er) and the long season has taken its toll. Happily the massage helped and my calves and feet weren't an issue during the race. I do feel I came into race week a bit too tired and mildly overtrained; the training was fine but the September and October work and life stress on top of all of it was something I didn't account for when I planned out my season. This is the latest in the year I have done pretty much any race, ever.
I didn't meet any of my targets for the race; it was a situation of 'take what your body gives you' and make the best of it.
Here is the Garmin Connect file: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2341082969
Race day:
Bed at 8:20, restless sleep (my new normal the last 2 months). Woke at 3:00 am. Usual Core Diet applesauce/whey protein breakfast including 1 banana and 1 bottle of sport drink, all finished by 3:30am. Unlike any other race I went back to bed and fell asleep until 4:20 am (alarm) got ready and headed down to transition around 5 am. Pumped tires, checked computer and watch, checked my run and bike bags and mentally rehearsed transitions then met Gary and the gang for a picture- Tim and Heather arrived - Yay!. David was kind enough to hold my rubber tubing for me to do some swim warmups (thanks!), then off to line up for the swim start around 6:20. Hung around and exchanged nervous chatter with Tim and Matt for 25 minutes then it was time to go. One non caff gel 15 minutes before swim start.
Swim: Hoping for better than 1:04. Actual 1:06 (official). 32nd AG.
I got into the water with Tim at the rear of the 1:00 group and immediately started swimming off course. My lack of open water swimming (none since late August) really showed as I zigzagged down the course for the first leg, and then I swam out wide on the way back swimming on my own for most of it and missing any draft. I apologize for repeatedly running into Tim and who knows how many other people over the first 1500m! I had no idea what my time was as I exited the water which was probably a good thing for me mentally but my legs felt surprisingly good running up to T1.
T1: 4:22. Fairly smooth and fairly fast. Volunteer was helpful. I carried my shoes to bike and put them on there. As I was running the bike out I could see Tim just up ahead so I knew he had a good swim and T1 too.
Bike: Hoping for 5h. Actual 5:14:26. 175w NP, 170W AP, .69IF, 20th AG- a rare for me move up the field on the bike in a long course race.
My Castelli top was flapping around in the wind more than I would like and from the pictures was/is a mess of wrinkles. Obviously need a smaller size for my puny arms and shoulders LOL.
The wind had come up and was blowing from the NE so that meant a head/crosswind out of Tempe and headwind up Beeline. It was cool at the start and as soon as I started pedalling, my hips and lower back felt unusually stiff. I was hoping this was just because of the coolish temperature and not really being used to a long swim followed by a bike but it pretty much stayed with me for most of the bike off and on. The constant wind was tough. I forced myself to hide from the wind as much as possible, but really had to grip my bars fighting the wind. By the third loop my neck and shoulders were quite stiff- to the point it was difficult to do a shoulder check when pulling out to pass. I did try to coast a bit going down beeline and I did my best to stand every once in a awhile but for the most part it was constant pedalling in aero. Every time I saw someone stuck on the side with a mechanical or injury/accident I gave a silent thanks that it wasn't me and tried to use that as some positive energy, and remind myself to stay alert.
Bike traffic was pretty constant. On the first loop there were the usual uber bikers who blew by as I was 'just riding along' (some of whom I knew I'd see again on the run and others who looked so fit I knew they were gone), and the people who simply refused to drop back when I was passing WTF. Finally caught up to Tim at the start of the second loop, complained loudly about the wind, and then I was on my way. On the second loop there were a few draft packs that I forced myself to drop off the back of, and by the third loop it was just me doing the passing and all was good, however I had to stay very alert for sudden movements of the cyclists I was passing- some of them were all over the road, as well as the manhole covers and road debris.
I hit lap on my bike computer at the start and end of each Beeline section, so I knew pace was gradually increasing as planned. I was keeping an eye on HR and RPE as well as watts, trying to gradually increase all three over the bike. My plan was to be conservative (175-180w NP) for loops 1 and 2 and then turn it up for loop 3 if I felt good, realizing that watts would be higher going up beeline and I could take it a bit easier coming back down). I didn't really feel great at any point, but was able to stick to the plan. I did find I was spinning out a bit much coming down beeline (50/34- 11/28 gearing) so that is something to address in the future. My cadence was unusually low for the first 2/3 which I think was due to body stiffness and the headwind, so tried to make an effort to pedal a bit faster and feel a bit lighter on my legs for the final loop to prepare for the run.
For nutrition I had 4 hrs worth of nutrition on my bike which was finished by 4h30m, supplemented with as much water I could guzzle and finally gatorade at the aid stations. I took one caffeinated gel at 3h30 and another at 4h30. I also took an extra salt stick cap at around 4:30 when I was switching to gatorade but managed to spill all my other saltsick caps. Total calories approx 1400 for the entire ride, 1000mg/hr Na, probably about 8-9 bottles of liquid. I peed at least 4 times. Usually I have no problem peeing on the bike, but usually do it on non-pedalling downhills. Since there was little opportunity not to pedal during this race, I found I could only pee while standing and pedalling- must have looked strange, but whatever.
T2: 2:14. Slipped out of bike shoes with 1 mile to go, rode up to the line slowly, dismounted and ran slowly and more stiffly than usual to the gear bags and into the tent. Volunteer was very attentive and helpful. I had a little bit of trouble as usual getting my long calf socks on but otherwise fairly smooth.
Run: hoping for 3:30-3:40. Actual 3:43:28, 12th AG. I believe this is my 3rd fastest (open or Tri ) marathon ever.
From step one of the run I felt hot, stiff, uncomfortable, my nose started running, and my lungs hurt/felt raw (allergies?). I was in trouble. This is the opposite of how I felt at Penticton when I probably had my best run ever despite an ailing foot. My plan was to stick to my bike HR for the first 3 miles/5k and then see what happens after, gradually increasing to but not exceeding 130-132 for most of the run and then pick it up with 10k to go (after mile 20). I did have to slow it down a bit for the first few km to keep it stupid easy, but after that it was generally a case of forcing myself to pick UP the pace to reach my HR target. My cadence initially was low (167-168spm) but eventually came up to normal (170-172). I forced myself repeatedly to keep my arm swing quick and hands high, which seemed to help.
Pretty much from the start of the run my box had shrunk down to the distance between aid stations which was not ideal and I knew I was in for a long day. There were already people walking however so anytime I passed someone walking I tried to use that for some positive energy. I walked the aid stations, initially probably a little too much but as the race progressed and I got a better idea of how the stations were organized I walked less (probably half the length of the station by the end). I also had to walk periodically to take in a salt stick cap (every 30 minutes) but other than that it was all running/shuffling, thinking of cadence and form, and trying not to get too negative. Usually during a triathlon run I have good energy that increases and I am high five-ing people and offering words of encouragement to other racers. I regret for this run I was in tunnel vision mode and barely acknowledged anybody, even the throngs along the waterfront. I was in a well of despair the whole run and wondering if I had what it took to suffer for (what I thought at the time) 4hrs+.
The run is two loops on mostly concrete pavement in the direct sun with no shade. The good thing about a course like this is you know what's coming, and the bad thing is ...you know what's coming. As I was out on the first loop I saw the mile markers for the second loop and tried to imagine how (good) it would feel when I was passing those markers for real. My pace went up and down but pretty much settled in at 5:15/km or so, well below my target of 5:00km (8' mile). I required a potty stop at mile 11 where I lost some time but other than that it was fairly steady. At mile 13 I spotted my wife Carrie who had flown all the way from home THAT DAY to support me. I came over to her and gave her a kiss and told her 'I'm tired' and then continued on down the path. It was however an unbelievable boost to my psyche to see her and know that she was there to see me and look after me.
I went by the mile 18 marker and had CoachP's podcast 'mile 18' voice in my head but I wasn't ready to push yet. Of all the marathons I have done most have ended in a blow up at the end so I like to play it conservative now. I passed by mile 19 then 20 (10k to go!!!) but I still wasn't ready. Finally at mile 22 I knew I had only 6k to go and cautiously started upping my effort and was thankful I had the energy to do it. Every once in a while I had a small calf or hamstring twinge which forced me to back off a bit, but nothing bad happened except for an almost rolled ankle when I wasn't paying attention. At that point I knew there were only three aid stations left so I made the plan to use the first two and bypass the last one and I was all set for my jog down the carpet.
During the run David Richmond was periodically beside me on his bike kindly giving me updates on where Tim was (increasingly closer and closing fast according to David-
!) and finally where Matt was toward the end (just 45s ahead on the final climb up Curry rd). I could see Tim at some of the turnarounds and he looked strong. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't keeping track of my age group competition much but I really wanted to stay ahead of Tim and this forced me to a place on the run I didn't think existed for me. I passed Matt with about 5k to go, offered a mumble of encouragement and pushed on. With 4k to go ("Tim is 1:30 behind"- at which point I rather rudely told David to stop talking to me which I really regret ), I decided I was going to go for it as hard as possible and Tim was going to have to catch me to be first EN. Thankfully I managed to hold it together over those last 2 miles and came down the chute utterly physically and mentally spent. This run was , I think, the hardest thing Ive ever had to do over such a long duration.
For nutrition my plan was to use gatorade and water and switch to coke when necessary (second half) , but I was ailing so badly from the get go I started with coke at the first aid station and from then on it was coke and water, occasionally gatorade at every aid station as well as ice in my race-saver bag and down my shorts. Salt stick cap very 30 minutes and extra caps every once in awhile if my stomach felt bloated or there was any kind of muscular twinge. I also had two gel flasks with concentrated sports drink (100 cal and 700mg Na each) which I sipped on periodically until they were both empty ( about halfway through ).
Coming down the chute- that 30seconds of joy and hearing Mike Reilly call my name for the second time seemed to make all the suffering worthwhile. I had the carpet all to myself and gave high fives to some of the spectators as if I was winning the race and then crossed the finish line. Heather and Gary and David were all there and to be honest I'm not sure what I was babbling on about but I'm pretty sure I was talking non-stop - so relieved to be finished. Shortly after that Matt and Tim came across and we were all there together and it was/is a precious moment for me which I will never forget.
Final time was 10:10:30 , 10th age group and as it turns out fastest Canadian in my age group as well. I was honestly astounded it ended so well it wasn't until later that night when friends were messaging me that I realized I had placed so high. I believe I am capable of eventually hitting my targets and going under 10h but it was not possible on this day and I have to accept what my body was going to give me.
I think in the future I need to be a little bit more aware of creeping fatigue and stress and family commitments if I am going to do a race late in the season, it's a different beast than training during the summer. I also think I could have had a less flappy shirt on and better gearing for the ride but those are small things. I didn't leave anything out there, and I went to a place which alternatively kind of scares me but also makes me wonder what's on the other side of that. Anyway I don't plan on another Ironman for 12 months but I hope to be back in 2019 when I age up.
Congrats to Tim and Matt and all the other racers who were out there with me that day, and best of luck in all your future races. Thanks Gary and Rhonda and Betsy for hosting and David for the great pics and video, and for cracking the whip and also the Birthday Cake. Go EN!
Satish Punna, Moncton, NB, Canada. M48, 45-49AG
I neglected to post my race plan (mostly because it wasn't finished until Saturday afternoon the day before the race) so I thought I 'd better get off my butt and file this report ASAP.
I've had a good year, 2 half distance races (June and July, 4th and 6th AG) , 1 olympic (June, 4th OA), 1 sprint (July, 2nd OA), the ITU LD WC in Penticton (late August, 9th AG), and now IMAZ. That's my longest season ever and every race went well so very satisfying so far.
This is my second IM, the first being last years' cold and miserable IMMT. I started doing triathlons in 2011 (a sprint on a cross bike with knobby tires LOL) and have been with EN since my first 70.3 in 2013.
I arrived in Tempe on Wednesday afternoon. Was a bit jet lagged Wednesday and Thursday but got a nice swim in on Thursday morning in Scottsdale and a nice ride on Beeline Thursday afternoon. Gary Lewis was kind enough to organize dinner (and buy beer!) on Thursday night- lots of fun and wonderful to meet everyone and put faces to names after so long here at EN. It was my birthday and David Richmond surprised me with a brownie and ice cream treat! Thanks so much!!!!
The Race:
Coming into the race I had been struggling with a few niggles that just didn't want to completely go away; my left foot issues after Penticton seemed to have improved but the foot and calf haven't felt the same. I suppose I should have sought some professional help, but between work and family and training there just never was a good time to go to the therapist. I had hoped that things would significantly improve during the taper weeks and they did to a point but I was forced to get a pre race massage on Friday- something Ive never done before a race. I guess I'm getting old(er) and the long season has taken its toll. Happily the massage helped and my calves and feet weren't an issue during the race. I do feel I came into race week a bit too tired and mildly overtrained; the training was fine but the September and October work and life stress on top of all of it was something I didn't account for when I planned out my season. This is the latest in the year I have done pretty much any race, ever.
I didn't meet any of my targets for the race; it was a situation of 'take what your body gives you' and make the best of it.
Here is the Garmin Connect file: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2341082969
Race day:
Bed at 8:20, restless sleep (my new normal the last 2 months). Woke at 3:00 am. Usual Core Diet applesauce/whey protein breakfast including 1 banana and 1 bottle of sport drink, all finished by 3:30am. Unlike any other race I went back to bed and fell asleep until 4:20 am (alarm) got ready and headed down to transition around 5 am. Pumped tires, checked computer and watch, checked my run and bike bags and mentally rehearsed transitions then met Gary and the gang for a picture- Tim and Heather arrived - Yay!. David was kind enough to hold my rubber tubing for me to do some swim warmups (thanks!), then off to line up for the swim start around 6:20. Hung around and exchanged nervous chatter with Tim and Matt for 25 minutes then it was time to go. One non caff gel 15 minutes before swim start.
Swim: Hoping for better than 1:04. Actual 1:06 (official). 32nd AG.
I got into the water with Tim at the rear of the 1:00 group and immediately started swimming off course. My lack of open water swimming (none since late August) really showed as I zigzagged down the course for the first leg, and then I swam out wide on the way back swimming on my own for most of it and missing any draft. I apologize for repeatedly running into Tim and who knows how many other people over the first 1500m! I had no idea what my time was as I exited the water which was probably a good thing for me mentally but my legs felt surprisingly good running up to T1.
T1: 4:22. Fairly smooth and fairly fast. Volunteer was helpful. I carried my shoes to bike and put them on there. As I was running the bike out I could see Tim just up ahead so I knew he had a good swim and T1 too.
Bike: Hoping for 5h. Actual 5:14:26. 175w NP, 170W AP, .69IF, 20th AG- a rare for me move up the field on the bike in a long course race.
My Castelli top was flapping around in the wind more than I would like and from the pictures was/is a mess of wrinkles. Obviously need a smaller size for my puny arms and shoulders LOL.
The wind had come up and was blowing from the NE so that meant a head/crosswind out of Tempe and headwind up Beeline. It was cool at the start and as soon as I started pedalling, my hips and lower back felt unusually stiff. I was hoping this was just because of the coolish temperature and not really being used to a long swim followed by a bike but it pretty much stayed with me for most of the bike off and on. The constant wind was tough. I forced myself to hide from the wind as much as possible, but really had to grip my bars fighting the wind. By the third loop my neck and shoulders were quite stiff- to the point it was difficult to do a shoulder check when pulling out to pass. I did try to coast a bit going down beeline and I did my best to stand every once in a awhile but for the most part it was constant pedalling in aero. Every time I saw someone stuck on the side with a mechanical or injury/accident I gave a silent thanks that it wasn't me and tried to use that as some positive energy, and remind myself to stay alert.
Bike traffic was pretty constant. On the first loop there were the usual uber bikers who blew by as I was 'just riding along' (some of whom I knew I'd see again on the run and others who looked so fit I knew they were gone), and the people who simply refused to drop back when I was passing WTF. Finally caught up to Tim at the start of the second loop, complained loudly about the wind, and then I was on my way. On the second loop there were a few draft packs that I forced myself to drop off the back of, and by the third loop it was just me doing the passing and all was good, however I had to stay very alert for sudden movements of the cyclists I was passing- some of them were all over the road, as well as the manhole covers and road debris.
I hit lap on my bike computer at the start and end of each Beeline section, so I knew pace was gradually increasing as planned. I was keeping an eye on HR and RPE as well as watts, trying to gradually increase all three over the bike. My plan was to be conservative (175-180w NP) for loops 1 and 2 and then turn it up for loop 3 if I felt good, realizing that watts would be higher going up beeline and I could take it a bit easier coming back down). I didn't really feel great at any point, but was able to stick to the plan. I did find I was spinning out a bit much coming down beeline (50/34- 11/28 gearing) so that is something to address in the future. My cadence was unusually low for the first 2/3 which I think was due to body stiffness and the headwind, so tried to make an effort to pedal a bit faster and feel a bit lighter on my legs for the final loop to prepare for the run.
For nutrition I had 4 hrs worth of nutrition on my bike which was finished by 4h30m, supplemented with as much water I could guzzle and finally gatorade at the aid stations. I took one caffeinated gel at 3h30 and another at 4h30. I also took an extra salt stick cap at around 4:30 when I was switching to gatorade but managed to spill all my other saltsick caps. Total calories approx 1400 for the entire ride, 1000mg/hr Na, probably about 8-9 bottles of liquid. I peed at least 4 times. Usually I have no problem peeing on the bike, but usually do it on non-pedalling downhills. Since there was little opportunity not to pedal during this race, I found I could only pee while standing and pedalling- must have looked strange, but whatever.
T2: 2:14. Slipped out of bike shoes with 1 mile to go, rode up to the line slowly, dismounted and ran slowly and more stiffly than usual to the gear bags and into the tent. Volunteer was very attentive and helpful. I had a little bit of trouble as usual getting my long calf socks on but otherwise fairly smooth.
Run: hoping for 3:30-3:40. Actual 3:43:28, 12th AG. I believe this is my 3rd fastest (open or Tri ) marathon ever.
From step one of the run I felt hot, stiff, uncomfortable, my nose started running, and my lungs hurt/felt raw (allergies?). I was in trouble. This is the opposite of how I felt at Penticton when I probably had my best run ever despite an ailing foot. My plan was to stick to my bike HR for the first 3 miles/5k and then see what happens after, gradually increasing to but not exceeding 130-132 for most of the run and then pick it up with 10k to go (after mile 20). I did have to slow it down a bit for the first few km to keep it stupid easy, but after that it was generally a case of forcing myself to pick UP the pace to reach my HR target. My cadence initially was low (167-168spm) but eventually came up to normal (170-172). I forced myself repeatedly to keep my arm swing quick and hands high, which seemed to help.
Pretty much from the start of the run my box had shrunk down to the distance between aid stations which was not ideal and I knew I was in for a long day. There were already people walking however so anytime I passed someone walking I tried to use that for some positive energy. I walked the aid stations, initially probably a little too much but as the race progressed and I got a better idea of how the stations were organized I walked less (probably half the length of the station by the end). I also had to walk periodically to take in a salt stick cap (every 30 minutes) but other than that it was all running/shuffling, thinking of cadence and form, and trying not to get too negative. Usually during a triathlon run I have good energy that increases and I am high five-ing people and offering words of encouragement to other racers. I regret for this run I was in tunnel vision mode and barely acknowledged anybody, even the throngs along the waterfront. I was in a well of despair the whole run and wondering if I had what it took to suffer for (what I thought at the time) 4hrs+.
The run is two loops on mostly concrete pavement in the direct sun with no shade. The good thing about a course like this is you know what's coming, and the bad thing is ...you know what's coming. As I was out on the first loop I saw the mile markers for the second loop and tried to imagine how (good) it would feel when I was passing those markers for real. My pace went up and down but pretty much settled in at 5:15/km or so, well below my target of 5:00km (8' mile). I required a potty stop at mile 11 where I lost some time but other than that it was fairly steady. At mile 13 I spotted my wife Carrie who had flown all the way from home THAT DAY to support me. I came over to her and gave her a kiss and told her 'I'm tired' and then continued on down the path. It was however an unbelievable boost to my psyche to see her and know that she was there to see me and look after me.
I went by the mile 18 marker and had CoachP's podcast 'mile 18' voice in my head but I wasn't ready to push yet. Of all the marathons I have done most have ended in a blow up at the end so I like to play it conservative now. I passed by mile 19 then 20 (10k to go!!!) but I still wasn't ready. Finally at mile 22 I knew I had only 6k to go and cautiously started upping my effort and was thankful I had the energy to do it. Every once in a while I had a small calf or hamstring twinge which forced me to back off a bit, but nothing bad happened except for an almost rolled ankle when I wasn't paying attention. At that point I knew there were only three aid stations left so I made the plan to use the first two and bypass the last one and I was all set for my jog down the carpet.
During the run David Richmond was periodically beside me on his bike kindly giving me updates on where Tim was (increasingly closer and closing fast according to David-
!) and finally where Matt was toward the end (just 45s ahead on the final climb up Curry rd). I could see Tim at some of the turnarounds and he looked strong. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't keeping track of my age group competition much but I really wanted to stay ahead of Tim and this forced me to a place on the run I didn't think existed for me. I passed Matt with about 5k to go, offered a mumble of encouragement and pushed on. With 4k to go ("Tim is 1:30 behind"- at which point I rather rudely told David to stop talking to me which I really regret ), I decided I was going to go for it as hard as possible and Tim was going to have to catch me to be first EN. Thankfully I managed to hold it together over those last 2 miles and came down the chute utterly physically and mentally spent. This run was , I think, the hardest thing Ive ever had to do over such a long duration. For nutrition my plan was to use gatorade and water and switch to coke when necessary (second half) , but I was ailing so badly from the get go I started with coke at the first aid station and from then on it was coke and water, occasionally gatorade at every aid station as well as ice in my race-saver bag and down my shorts. Salt stick cap very 30 minutes and extra caps every once in awhile if my stomach felt bloated or there was any kind of muscular twinge. I also had two gel flasks with concentrated sports drink (100 cal and 700mg Na each) which I sipped on periodically until they were both empty ( about halfway through ).
Coming down the chute- that 30seconds of joy and hearing Mike Reilly call my name for the second time seemed to make all the suffering worthwhile. I had the carpet all to myself and gave high fives to some of the spectators as if I was winning the race and then crossed the finish line. Heather and Gary and David were all there and to be honest I'm not sure what I was babbling on about but I'm pretty sure I was talking non-stop - so relieved to be finished. Shortly after that Matt and Tim came across and we were all there together and it was/is a precious moment for me which I will never forget.
Final time was 10:10:30 , 10th age group and as it turns out fastest Canadian in my age group as well. I was honestly astounded it ended so well it wasn't until later that night when friends were messaging me that I realized I had placed so high. I believe I am capable of eventually hitting my targets and going under 10h but it was not possible on this day and I have to accept what my body was going to give me.
I think in the future I need to be a little bit more aware of creeping fatigue and stress and family commitments if I am going to do a race late in the season, it's a different beast than training during the summer. I also think I could have had a less flappy shirt on and better gearing for the ride but those are small things. I didn't leave anything out there, and I went to a place which alternatively kind of scares me but also makes me wonder what's on the other side of that. Anyway I don't plan on another Ironman for 12 months but I hope to be back in 2019 when I age up.
Congrats to Tim and Matt and all the other racers who were out there with me that day, and best of luck in all your future races. Thanks Gary and Rhonda and Betsy for hosting and David for the great pics and video, and for cracking the whip and also the Birthday Cake. Go EN!
2
Comments
You deserve to feel proud of your accomplishments this year; take some time to smile, recover, and then return refreshed and ready to roll in 2019. You have a chance to do things you have not yet thought of in this sport.
I hope we have the chance to share a course together. Enjoy your time off.
Congrats on an outstanding race and year. It was so much fun following your success via the online tracker. When I first rode with you in January 2015, I learned the painful way that you were a tremendous cyclist. It's been fun over the years watching your swim and run catch up, with you becoming a scary-fast, all-around racer in the process. Your result in Tempe was no surprise to me, although I couldn't see any of the distress from the comfort of my couch. You're now definitively on the IM doorstep; whether, when and how you choose to take the next step is up to you. As Al so correctly says, long-course racing is a multi-year thing. And to have your perfect race, a lot of things have to come together: training, body comp, no injuries, perfect execution, a little bit of luck, and a willingness to visit a very dark place. If all the stars had lined up for you, I know you could have gone 1:02, 5:05 and 3:35, and a 10:04 in the 50-54 would have netted you an expensive, painful vacation to Hawaii if you had already aged-up. Doorstep. I got one year on you, so we should definitely race together next year. After that, I will be imposing a four-year PRE (Punna Race Embargo).
Oh, BTW, you have a 12k bike set-up and you wear a puffy pirate shirt on the bike? WTF? Sleeveless tri top would have been much faster. And how often did you need that 34-28 to spin up the 1% incline? In all seriousness, the worst part of the 11-28 choice was that you missed out on the 16 and 18 that you would definitely use on a flat course like AZ. I would have gone 52-36 and 11-23 or 11-25. That's about all I could find to critique.
Enjoy some time off, relish this major accomplishment, and come back strong in '18.
MR
"I didn't leave anything out there" ==> That's the only way to truly race, otherwise you're just competing
"I went to a place which alternatively kind of scares me but also makes me wonder what's on the other side of that" ==> There's only one way to find out
@Mike Roberts. A puffy pirate shirt is what be deserved for wearing an item for the first time in a race. ARRRRH matey.
Great bike followed by a great run, like me it seems that this course suits you well!