Julien's first Ironman at Mont Tremblant Race Report
Background: this is my first year in EN and the main objective of the year was to complete my first ironman at Mont Tremblant. Prior to that I have done 3 70.3s completing in low 6hrs. I have felt that the full would be a serious stretch but started building some confidence over the year.
Race week: I arrived in Tremblant on Wednesday and stayed in a condo very close to transition. There are lots of activities and the family was kept busy. I followed the recommendations from EN on the areas to do the training rides / runs, I bumped twice into Lionel Sanders then - he may have access to our wiki :-) I also did a training swim in the lake which was nice and clear. They had a coffee boat there too.
Race day: The main objective was obviously to finish, hopefully with a smile, go by feel as to how much to chase minutes throughout the day. Reading all the EN information, I felt I had the right mindset and focus on execution.
Swim: 1h14 (expecting around 1h20 to 1h30) Start was delayed due to fog. The whole swim was really busy especially the first half. There was a lot of contact probably due to the difficulty in sighting, got my goggles kicked, got pushed and shoved. I moved out of the pack and swam around 4k but I was quite happy to come out in 1h14 and not too tired.
Bike: 6h52 - moving time 6h38 (expecting about 7h - BestBikeSplit had me at 6h30)
I stuck to the plan, both in terms of power targets and nutrition and was disciplined. My nutrition plan after sweat test was to go for 2 gatorade an hr and 4 blocks. I started having gut issues towards the end of the first loop, but despite that, finished the first loop in 3h15. This started to get worse in the middle of the second loop - I felt I was close to throw up but was trying my best to breath calmly to keep it in. It was really hard to keep pace with my nutrition with that going on and I could not even think about eating another cliff block. Second loop 3h40 but I felt I had an active problem to fix wrt my nutrition. After the race I saw some comments that the canadian gatorade is not the same as the US gatorade endurance and that it needs to be supplemented with salt. I am not sure whether this is true and if so whether it explains the issue, but clearly I should have done my homework on that one.
Run: 5h05 (was hoping for around 4h30)
As soon as I started running I knew I was in trouble, my HR shot up and I had to continuously run/walk to keep things under control. Ingesting anything was close to impossible and I did the first half in about 2h50+. At that point I thought I am going to have to let it out, empty my gut and figure out how to go from there. With my stomach empty, I felt much better and able to run. From there I ran non-stop through the second half marathon, getting coke at the aid station. I could do the second half in about 2h15 so I wish I taken the bull by the horns earlier.
Overall: it was a great experience, the training, the race week, the race planning and the race itself - fantastic memories. I was surprised how quickly I recovered (barely any muscle pain) and how quickly my mind got set to looking for what would be my next race. I definitely have a lot of work to do both in terms of pure performance on all disciplines but also on race execution and better planning around nutrition and contingency planning.
Comments
@Julien P Congrats on a major accomplishment. Was good to see you on the course in the EN gear and shout out to you. It definitely helped with the mojo.
Nutrition in IM is key, and after 6 of them it is still a work in progress for me. I learned I definitely need to take advantage of all the EN resources to a greater degree than I have in the past.
Hope to race with you again!
@Julien P nice work getting it done out there. While we didn’t get to meet in person before the race, it was great seeing you on the course. Sounds like you managed the nutrition issues of the day like a pro. Stayed within your box, figured out the issue and finished strong. Congratulations!
Congratulations @Julien P! There is so much going on in this sport, the first race can be pretty overwhelming. I remember sitting on the floor in a pile of gear and trying to pack my bags... After a couple hours, my wife left because she couldn't bear to watch it anymore!
I just wanted to pass along a couple things to think about next time around.
No matter how much you prepare, IM throws unexpected things at you all day long. As you read race reports, you'll see that nutrition is probably the one that most people struggle with the most. One thing I've started doing is really practicing my nutrition. The amount of calories/hr (≈500/hr) that I take in on the IM bike is substantially more than I need to execute a long bike without a run, so historically I would try it a couple times leading up to a race, but do most of my long bikes with less calories. After a couple bad experiences, I practice it as a discipline, eating and drinking more frequently. You have to develop an iron gut to tolerate all the stuff we put in it on race day, and I believe this takes trial, error and practice to develop.
Another thing to think about is how to eliminate any time in your day that is not moving towards the finish line. It is 140.6 miles... try to be reducing that number every second of the day.
It is pretty normal that our HR acts differently on race day than it does on other day. As you transition from sport to sport, you should expect your heart rate to be wonky. You should spend the first 30 min or so on the bike getting some nutrition and hydration in your body (you'll be dehydrated after the swim) and getting our heart rate down to something close to normal. Same goes for the Run - everyone finishes an Ironman dehydrated. nearly everyone loses the ability to consume anything solid at some point during the run. So use the first aid stations get fluids and calories in your body while you can still tolerate them and settle your heart rate.
It sounds like you had an awesome day and made good decisions all day long. Congratulations again!
How long did you wear your race bracelet after the race ended? ;-)
Thank you so much - lots of good info to keep in mind as I prepare for the next steps. I definitely need more nutrition practice.
Getting to the end of your first IM, especially when your body is rebelling, is a singular accomplishment. Strong work. As Tony and Rich have noticed, nutrition on the IM is what makes it a different sport from other triathlon distances. Age, size, experience, environmental conditions, and effort level are all factors in how many calories we can handle during the IM bike. 2 Bottles of GE + 4 Shot Blocks should equal about 310-325 calories, which should not be too much on the bike. Maybe going with a more varied array of calorie sources on the day, along with a bit of solid food (like a clif bar) in the first three hours of the bike might help?
Thanks @Al Truscott it makes a lot of sense and will be one of the main lesson I carry into the next one. I need more food options with some solid option and practice that in training.