Rory Gumina IMLP 2018 Race Report
R.Gumina 2018 IMLP Race Report
This was IM #2 for me, and it was great to be able to toe the start line, and to cross the finish line! Meeting so many EN Teammates during the week, and being a part of the group race-morning, was both inspirational and calming at the same time. Team EN events are truly special!
Race Summary:
- Main and only goal (really) was to execute the Run
- Swim execution was way tougher than expected … but time was ok
- T1 & T2 were relatively smooth … still some learnings, but times were ok
- Bike execution was to plan (eg. don’t screw up the Run!) … time slower than IMMT last year but in-line with LP camp 4 weeks prior
- Run began as expected, but half-way through leg cramps began which forced extended periods of walking … resulting time way slower than expected
- Nutrition & Hydration as planned … till leg cramps … then adjusted (thx Coach P!)
- Final: 13:03:14 … 11th in AG
Swim: 1:02:05 (1st in AG)
- Started in middle of < 1hr corral … in hind-sight that may have led to issues that followed
- For the rolling start was expecting IMMT-like (8 at a time every 5-10 secs) … this was NOTHING like that … basically mass start but funneled through starting arch
- 1st Loop: People, arms, legs everywhere! … no possible way to find a rhythm … had to stop several times on outward leg trying (unsuccessfully) to catch breath and settle HR
- Honestly had a thought that my day was done in the Swim … first time ever
- But was counting strokes btwn buoys and count was high = fast pace (might have been just inner-speak to fight off demons above)
- Finally moved inside buoy line and was able to settle in … at least enough to control stroke, breathing and HR
- Saw clock on exit … ~30 min time was a boost
- 2nd Loop was hoping for smoother go but didn’t happen … still had to stop a few times, especially inward leg, to find open-water
- Overall ok given time and effort-cost, especially given crisis moment … possible improvements:
- Seed further back at the start
- Swim much further outside of the buoy line
T1: 5:37 … 37 secs slower than plan
- Goggles & cap in sleeve, removed top myself … strippers for bottoms
- Ran pretty hard to transition … per tip from previous IMLP Race Reports! (thank you!)
- Helmet, shoes, gloves, sunglasses … chose not to use arm warmers
- Volunteer was great help with above! … and agreed to put wetsuit in T1 bag for me
- Slight issue getting shoes on … Velcro strap not opened far enough
- On run out of tent made sure to tell bib # to volunteer so bike was waiting
- Base salt into shorts pocket, then fast to Mount line!
Bike: 6:28:14 (8th in AG)
- VERY EASY out of transition and down thru Town!
- Avg. 154 watts, 67% of ftp
- Avg. 119 HR (plan 110-130)
- Drink 1 bottle per hour … drink every 15 min (garmin alert), and after Base salt (every 5 miles, garmin alert)
- Crank e-Fuel bottles first, then Gatorade Endurance from Aide Stations
- Peed 3 times 1st loop, twice 2nd loop
- Eat ½ Cliff / UCAN bar every 30-45 min
- Dropped chain mile 100 (cross-chaining), easily fixed (~30 secs) … tho restarting uphill was “fun”
T2: 2:25 … 35 secs faster than plan
· Socks, shoes, hyrdration belt on, start running w/Go bag (hat, run saver bag)
Run: 5:24:55 (27th in AG) … 30
min slower than IMMT … 1 hr slower than plan
- Hold Back out of T2! … Relax! … HR down (110) … Not too fast!
- HR: 110 to 130 thru Mile 18 … then could increase to 140
- Power: 210-230 thru Mile 18 … then could increase to 240
- Hydration: Base salt every mile (w/UCAN Hydrate or GE) … every ½ mile when cramps started (w/Coke)
- Nutrition: Gel every 3-4 miles (e-Fuel, Clif caff) … pretzels last few miles (gel fatigue)
- Stop/stretch to relieve right leg cramp (inner quad) climbing up from Lisa G’s on 1st loop (mi. 11)
- Subsequent slow run/walk to keep from cramping
- Able to run harder from mile 25 to run across Finish Line
Overall: 13:03:14 (11th in AG)
Race data below, as well as Bike and Run fitness comparisons to IMMT … my thoughts follow, but I’m eager to hear other’s insights!:
- All elements of race plan – execution, hydration, nutrition – seemed on-target and reasonable
- Ritness, especially Run, was better than ever
- Cumulative effect of IM resulted in leg cramps(?)
- Need to continue to increase strength & flexibility of legs … to minimize the inevitable fatigue effects on IM Run
2018 IMLP Ride 
2017 IMMT Ride 
2018 IMLP Run 
2017 IMMT Run 
I’m grateful to have completed 2018 IMLP, and for racing together with EN teammates!
And special thanks, as always, to my sweetie Janet for being there with me!
Comments
As for the cramps on the run, I think you should consider that the bike was made exponentially harder by the strong wind on both loops. I rode the course 5 or 6 times in training this year, and while it is harder than the old course, it was way harder on race day. The highest DNF rate for the 20 year history of IMLP. It was also a slow run historically for IMLP, and I believe that hard bike was a direct contributor to that. Here’s a great website that breaks down all that info: https://www.coachcox.co.uk/2018/07/24/ironman-lake-placid-2018-age-group-results-and-kona-qualification/
And lastly, I agree, racing with EN Teammates makes the experience so much richer!
@Alicia Chase yup in hindsight the way IM handles LP swim makes sense given size of lake and need to get everyone in before 2nd loop begins ... "next time" further back in corral, and further away from cable for me! Thx for sharing that link ... great data!!! ... as mentioned above, ride didn't feel to costly each mile, but cumulatively maybe so ... Thx!
Again, it was great seeing you on the course. Good skill with the Erie Marathon.
Thx for the heads-up on Roka FOTW @Alan Brown! ... I will look into that ... would be pretty cool if they offered it for IMLP 2018! Thanks!
11th in AG on IM #2, 1st out of the water and 8th on the bike! Man you are a fast learner!
Great report and great performance on a legit course!
Congratulations Ironman!
SS
First congratulations. Nice race and great build up to the race. What was your FTP for each IM and did your run power change at all? The bike TSS change seems drastic.
As for comments on your race I notes I have the following:
- Swim contact, and stress can take some out of the rest of your day, particularly when having to stop or getting to the point where you are thinking your are not going to make it through. Being in the scrum can help if you get some fast feet but there is a cost.
- As other have said look further in to the bike data I think you over cooked it - LP IF .74 NP 169 AVG 154 HR 118 TSS 351 IMMT IF .68 156> (I think) AVG 154 TSS 275 HR 119. You did a ton more work in LP.
- You mention your Avg power above 154 but need to focus on the normalized power (NP) of 169. This is where you are burning some matches, increasing TSS and doing more work.
- Going from .68 IF to .74 is huge and could have been too aggressive for the 2nd IM. What were your race rehearsal IF's?
- VI of 1.10 while not great depending upon how much coasting on the Keene descent. Again if you smooth this out you will help the TSS issue above as well. Did you have enough gears for the course? Break down the ride in to 10 watt bins. For IM LP 2017 I rode 1 hour 48' (if I recall above .75). You really want to see how much time over .85 was spent and limit this in the next IM.
- As for the cramping, any issues in training particularly on the race rehearsals? Have you done a sweat test as I noted 1 bottle of GE per hour with Base salt then 1/2 cliff bar every 30-45 minutes. Dig in to your nutrition numbers on the big calories and electrolytes and see if you are getting where you need to be.
- Finally the ranges you set are quite big in my opinion for example 110-130 HR. Sometimes the HR does not settle in or goes higher due to the heat I find it good to have a cap. Both races are around average 118-119 for the bike. Also the nutrition 30-45 minutes on the bike for 1/2 clif bar. To me this is too big. I usually set my every 30' minutes and only deviate due to course i.e. Keene descent hard climb. Just thinking if you held off on 3 of those feedings from 30-45 minutes over your 6h 30' bike you would miss out on 2 feedings of 1/2 cliff bar or 250 calories and 160-200mg sodium you have missed out on. Be as precise as possible with the realization that the day will throw you a curveball or two.
- Similarly on the run set a HR cap. You were in 11th spot in you AG so on the pointy end 110-130 is to wide if you are racing.
- Hydration on the run is open to every mile, not sure what your needs are but the plan is pretty wide open. What was your regular in training? What did you take in when you switched to every 1/2 mile? Note that the consumption every 1/2 mile might be too much to sustain while running more. Again you need to find that balance that is right for you.
With that in mind, I'll reiterate what Jeff, Gordon, et al have said - Problems like you had on the run are more often than not due to how you managed the bike. I'm not trying to compare myself to you, but seeing your 3,500 joules and 350 TSS on the bike led me back to my race @ LP in '15. My time there was 6:39, with 3,012 joules, a TSS of 277, and an IF of 0.65. Even with those #'s I barely held on in the run, for a 4:57, reduced to "running"-with-a-wobble by the lake and around the oval. Your IF of 0.74 is a real red flag (and reflects the excessive total power and TSS).
Two things I'm curious about: the file from WTC seems to show faster times on the second loop than the first. Is that how you see it? And why did that happen? Second, I'm not sure I understand the little charts showing TSS in the final 90 days before LP & MT. That seems to show a big jump in run work this year, and more total run work than bike work? Maybe that's another thing which could point the way to a different result next time.
Anyone who can swim his age in minutes (or damn close to it) in an IM swim not only has a big head start on the competition, but also clearly has the athletic chops to make some significant improvements in that bike, where your real performance gains will come. Sounds like a big winter of Zwifting for you, couple with a reassessment of how to pace the race, will result in an even better result next time.
Rob - FTP was 208 for IMMT, 229 for LP. Run power, in general, seems to have increased from 220 to 230 avg. over passed yr.
Gordon (et al) - Does IMLP vs 6/23 LP Camp ride look comparable, or still evidence of over-cooking? Thought gearing was ok but data shows I rode 80 min. above 85% IF. Will look more into Nutrition & Hydration data ... reasoning for the wider ranges was to account for course terrain, but was relying on Garmin alerts (15 min, 5 miles) to trigger. Good tip re: HR caps! On run, and in all RR's, was taking Salt and Drink every mile ... gel every 4 miles with Drink ... adjusted that to every 1/2 mile for salt & drink once cramps started, as well as added Coke at each Aid station.
Al - TP shows 3:20 for first IMLP bike loop, 3:08 for 2nd ... plan was to dial up 2nd loop a bit. No question my run intensity increased vs IMMT ramp ... didn't think it impacted Bike wko's and I followed the Plan but will have to revisit.
Can't THANK you guys enough for your feedback! Clearly thought my bike plan was designed NOT to impact my Run ... but my education continues ... ;-)
Love to hear any follow-up if you see anything additional in the data above ... and again, THANKS!!!!!!!!!
I think it's worth exploring the neuromuscular fatigue theory of cramping. I think these guys at Hot Shot are on to something. http://www.teamhotshot.com/our-science/
You can make your own : https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2016/10/31/homemade-muscle-cramp-remedy-ginger-cinnamon-and-paprika/
Cramping isn't always about electrolytes.
I looked at the bike times of the 5 guys in 50-54 who were in the top 10 of AG both last and this year. all were 10-15' off their 2017 times. Some of that IS attributable to the course change. My analysis of their strava files shows a 400-500' increase in the overall ride profile, which is more than advertised. The weather, particularly wind, played havoc with everyone. Unless you are getting a tailwind, front & crosswinds eat up more watts and mental energy.
The great news of this race is that you are now in the back of the front of the back (BOFOP). As @Al Truscott says, if you want to get more competitive from here you can. Being on this team as an active participant and having these conversations will aid in that!
so, with that, what's up for '19? LP again? MT? somewhere else?
Thx for the links @Sheila Leard ! May have to give HotShots a try, or make my own concoction using the homemade recipe ... !
@Scott Dinhofer - first, am sorry you couldn't race IMLP and we couldn't meet (but good on ya for crewing VT100 for @tim cronk!) Agree, from all the feedback, and the data, that Ride stress contributed to Run cramps ... as @Al Truscott said, gonna have to up my OS/Zwift game! Next for me is Erie marathon next month to get baseline, and Aug. 2019 target for next IM. Thx for all your input!
@Alicia Chase yup, evidently the Ride took a bigger toll than I perceived ... and 100% agree am pleased with the effort and Finish ... but not satisfied. Thx for your additional thoughts!
A couple things I noticed from the additional data:
- Your HR for IMMT and IMLP races are 17-21 beats per minute higher than just the century rides. This is not bad just a note that swimming prior to riding and your heart rate does not settle in to the same area as just a ride. To me this indicates race rehearsals with a swim prior to ride/run are important to knowing how things will progress on race day.
- Not saying that you can't make it to the .74 but that is definitely the pointy end for IM racing for age groupers. IF for the other data you provided only have a .67-.72.
- The 306-326 TSS is on the upper bound or over for a good run. While you don't want to leave too much on the table getting in a solid run then earns you the right to push harder on the bike. See the TSS chart here:
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/20951/tss-and-pacing-for-im-friel-chart
- A more conservative bike of .70 would have still put you in the outer edges of the TSS chart.
- I also like the VI reduction on the back to back days in LP. Again smooth this out as much as you can.
- I have not used my stryd much so take these comments for what they are worth. Your run power is at the top end of your IM range 210-230 for all brick runs this year. All you run power numbers for this year at 230+. I assume that the 230 is for the hills or harder sections and would be harder than outlined for race rehearsals. Race pace bricks at zone 1 +30 seconds for pace athletes or for HR the average HR from the bike from the last 60-90 minutes. The HR causes some issues given the aforementioned HR being lower in non-race bike/run race rehearsals. So what is your power for pace at zone 1 +30.
- Don't get in to speed work on the run race rehearsals to test your fitness especially two weeks before the IM race. The 7/9/2018 with 245 NP and 137 HR should not be happening on the back end of a 104 mile ride.
Re: Run Power - below is from my pre-IMLP 18 mile run ... note I was intending to hold 9:15's at IMLP ... further below are laps from the 6 mile brick run at LP Camp ... first two miles weren't intending to be so quick ... finally dialed it back at mile 3 ... appreciate your continued objectivity to my Run data, as I continue to learn ... thx!
I'd be interested to know your VDot? A 9:15 TRP pace is around a 41 VDot.
As for the run data I'll make a few higher level comments. I think you definitely did some damage on the bike as mentioned but couple this with the fast run start which (both pace and watts) made for a tough day at mile 18-20 and well below your pace at LP.
As for the run race rehearsal data posed above I see too much power on the front end of your run and not enough on the back end. For a 3 hour IM race rehearsal run you are looking for 30/50/20, that is 5-6 miles zone 1, 7-9 miles at TRP and 3 miles zone 2 or as close as possible. You went out too fast as noted with power above your 210-230 race day limits. Basically the runs are set up to push harder at the end because at the end of an IM you will be running harder, HR will be climbing but you are typically just holding pace or limiting the decline. So you are trying to condition your body to running harder. Going out strong and fading on the long runs is not what we are looking for. Basically you need to flip the powers you have around with the 225, maybe slightly easier at the start and end with the 230-240 stuff.
In the limited data you have provided I see a lot of going out hard from you at the start of a run. That is the above 18 miler, and even the three runs below. Camp week runs following the 100+ mile rides are to be at zone 1 pace plus 30 seconds.
As you are racing at the pointy end there are some tactical things that others that race can most definitely help you out with. Finally I tend to be a little more conservative so when racing on the edge you will need to take some calculated risks on pushing the pace. As this was only your 2nd IM there are a lot of moving parts some of which can only be experienced by racing more.