Mark S. - Wisconsin Report.
Mark Stahlkopf: Ironman Wisconsin Race Report 2018
Finish time: 12:01:31
A few years ago, I posted the question on the EN forums “What is the value of pissing yourself if you are a MOP age grouper?”. One of the replies was “because an 11:59 is better than a 12:01”. If only I had peed my pants……the elusive under 12-hour Ironman would have happened for me on Sunday.
On a more serious note, 12:01 is an 11-minute Ironman PR for me and I’ll take it.
This was my fifth race at Wisconsin (seventh overall) and thanks to all the smart people here in Endurance Nation I’m still getting faster at this Ironman game.
Bike: 7:xx PR
Run: 5:xx PR
Transition: 2:32 PR
Swim: The swim times may not show improvement but, 2017 & 18 were by far the best I’ve completed from a TSS perspective. As an adult onset swimmer, swimming efficiently has been one of hardest things for me to learn. Working harder doesn’t equal swimming faster.
Race report:
3:30 – Breakfast: Naked fruit Smoothie, toast & jam, oatmeal. About 500 calories.
6:00 – Additional 250 calories from EFS.
Swim: 1:24:xx (predicted 1:20 +/- 3 min.)
Lined up at the 1:20 sign. Started easy and worked into a steady pace. Some congestion around the first turn but overall one of the most uneventful swims I’ve had.
T1: 7:32
First time I have felt fresh enough to actually run up the helix & thru transition. Only had helmet and shoes in the T1 bag, so my helmet was on in the building, quick stop at the Port-a-Jon, and carried the shoes to the mount line.
Bike: 5:41:xx (predicted time 5:40)
Goal was to ride a higher power number on the stick & first loop and a half then ride slightly easier and not let the wind affect me at all on the return stick portion back into Madison. Note the three spikes in power on each lap are the three big hills. With an IF at 0.70, VI of 1.06 & Pwr/HR of 3% I couldn’t have asked for a better ride.
Pretty well stuck to my feeding plan throughout the entire ride. I had an initial water bottle with 400 calories of Tailwind and six bottles of GE. Also 700’ish additional calories from EFS liquid shot. Stopped twice to pee.
T2: 2:26
Shoes, Hat, race belt. Out the door.
Run: 4:45:xx (Predicted time 4:30).
Ahhh, the run. Actually, my best Ironman run to date, but I can still do better. Too many walking steps at each aid station and as usual, my pace (and HR) in the first few miles was too fast. Other than the hills I ran between each aid for the entire 26 miles. It’s so awesome passing people in the later miles that had passed you earlier in the run.
Plan was ½ gel at every other aid station & GE in between. My stomach wanted nothing to do with the jell so I tried to eat shot blocks to get in some calories (and salt). After about an hour of that it was Gatorade only. You can see on the chart how the lack of calories made my pace & HR drop some. At about mile 15 I decided to drink a coke & GE each mile (along with some Base Salt) and that helped. Not sure how to work out a feeding plan for the run as you just don’t know what your stomach will tolerate on that day. Will more calories on the bike help this?
So, onto planning for 2019. See ya’all on Zwift.
Comments
Tracked you all day! Great racing! Congrats on your best IM yet!!! That sub 12 is just around the corner. And yeah, I wish I could pee my pants on the bike too 😂!
Nutrition is so tricky. Not for everyone, but it is for me. I am trying EFS products this year. Fingers crossed it works. It did in a half, but a half is no full! Wish I had more to add, but I've tried and still don't have a rock solid plan that I KNOW will work. Happy hunting for that Mark!
@Mark Stahlkopf
I love that 1.06 VI on that course! Your power and HR on the bike look incredibly smooth and stable. Looks like you've cracked the code on the IMWI bike!
If I add up your calories on the bike, assuming 180 calories in each bottle of GE, I get 2,180. Over 5.75 hours on the bike, that's 379/hour. Did you have any gut issues on the run? As @Trish Marshall notes, nutrition is very individual and it is hard to make sweeping generalizations, but more than 379 calories / hour on the bike sounds like you would be approaching the upper limit of what the body can process during an Ironman.
You didn't mention peeing on the run. Maybe the issue on the run wasn't a lack of calories but lack of salt and fluids, i.e. dehydration? => "At about mile 15 I decided to drink a coke & GE each mile (along with some Base Salt) and that helped." It looks like at the 2:55 mark the HR finally leveled off and began to climb; is that when you went to coke and GE and salt, i.e. more fluids and sodium? If so, maybe focus on the fluid intake next time. You might need to pee more than 2x on the bike in order to get to the run in a more hydrated state, or at least take in more fluids at the run aid stations.
Anyway, I'm trying to crack the nutrition code as well. We have so few opportunities to practice IM fueling: 2 race rehearsals and the race. One thing I'll be doing in training next year is teaching the gut early on to handle more fluid and calories, especially on long sessions and on intense sessions so that it hopefully doesn't blow up from the stress of the run on race day. I'm also thinking about working with the Core Diet people to see if they can help with a race day nutrition plan. I'll be experimenting with EFS products, like @Trish Marshall and might also try Infinit. But after 6 IMs, 5 at IMWI, I'm still trying to figure it out.
I'm an adult onset swimmer as well. I'm going to try a Masters swim class this fall with some video to see if I can shave 10 - 15 seconds per 100 yds for next year.
Sorry @Mark Stahlkopf -- one more thing. Have you read the RDP blog posting yet :
https://www.endurancenation.us/blog/case-study/imagine-what-running-every-day-could-bring-you/
@Tim Sullivan is a wonderful example of what is possible for us to achieve on the run. I'll be referencing this post as I try to improve my run for 2019.
Thanks @Tony Ledden.
Yes, gut issues actually started on the bike and continued throughout the first part of the run. I need to get better at diagnosing the issues sooner. I did pee once on the run but I'm sure I wasn't drinking enough.
EFS Liquid Shot has always worked well for me. Not sure why I didn't use it on the run.
@Mark Stahlkopf it looks like you had a great swim and absolutely nailed the bike execution (I'm not surprised)! Congrats as that was certainly NOT easy to do on that windy day. And your run was much better and I'm sure it will continue to improve. You might have "only" had an 11 minute PR, but what I think is WAY more substantial is how far you moved up relative to your competition. Your previous 12:12:47 was good for 54th in your AG and your previous best was 52nd. This race you were 27th in your AG. Moving up THAT many spots in your AG as you approach the pointy end is a LEGIT improvement.
And you were under 10 mins combined for your transitions which was even harder this yr with the longer run from the water to the Helix. Nice job!
So at a minimum, you're now at the very front of the MOP or more likely the tail end of the FOP! The good news is that you're near (or in depending on your definition) the FOP now. The bad news with that is that you lost your only excuse to not pee on the bike. FWIW, I peed ~5x on the bike and 1x on the run (and did not stop for any of them) 🤨...
@Mark Stahlkopf I looked at your run time first, and loved seeing that...then I checked the bike and was even more excited. You nailed the bike and then laid down a steady run, meaning you didn't give in to the walking dead.
Theoretically, the ability to absorb calories decreases with each passing hour from the start of the IM. Trying to hold a steady intake usually results in trouble hours down the road. On the bike, I take in more on the first half than the second. It's a mental challenge for me. On my IM runs, I;ve only been able to take in 2-3 oz of gel @ miles 5, 11, and 15 or so. I rely on GE, DILUTED @ each aid station, then add Cola in the second half.
11:59/12:01 who cares? You broke 5 hours by a lot on the run, had the bike you SHOULD have ridden, and took home a big PR. I started IMs @ age 50, and didn't get my PR until 60. You've still got a future, brother.