Eric DePoto's IMWI 2018 Race Report
2018 IMWI Race Report
Days leading to the race:
Tuesday I arrived to Madison and was staying in Middleton, just 20 minutes away from the race. I checked in around 1630 and received my bike through bike flights. I got it upstairs to my room and got my room in order. After that I went to dinner as I was hungry. After dinner I returned to the hotel and began putting my bike together. This was the first time putting my bike together as I only had the bike for a few months. I had the bike pretty much together and decided to stop for the night and finish in the morning.
Wednesday morning I awoke at 0500 (still on est) and began the day. I had 2 cups of coffee and some oatmeal with a banana and PB with milk. After that I rechecked the bike and prepped for a rehearsal ride of the loop. The loop was approx. 40 miles long and even though it was close to the race Coach Patrick and I both agreed that I would be fine for the ride.
The weather that day was really rainy. I decided to pack everything in the car and try my luck on the loop anyway. First though I wanted to find a bike shop that I could run the bike to for a quick look over and a pump (as I didn’t have one). I arrived at Rocket cycles in Verona and they were excellent. I was given a tour of their business and met both owners. The rain became worse and I decided not to take the chance of riding in the rain and rick injury. So I left the bike there and went and had lunch. After lunch I drove the bike course 2.5 times. I wanted to make sure I knew the turns and had good situational awareness. I returned to the hotel, got a 30 min. run in on the treadmill, then stretched for 45 mins. After that, I cleaned up and went back to the bike shop where I had a beer at their social and picked up my bike (all was good on the bike). From there I went back to the hotel, had dinner and chilled out for the night.
Thursday I woke up again at 0500 and had the same meal. After which I decided to ride a portion of the course that I could get to from the hotel. This was great because I was able to ride the most technical portion of the course. The distance was approx. 25 miles. I was finished, showered and headed to Madison to meet up with some friends and have lunch. After lunch I checked in at the con center and did a brief walk around the area. From there I drove the run course for situational awareness. My only concern was Observatory hill, so I was glad to put eye’s on it to have a better understanding of what to expect. After that I returned to Middleton and had dinner then relaxed for the night.
Friday was the same as the other morning but after breakfast I met up with EM members and went for the morning swim. Prior to the swim I had GI issues and was in the bathroom quite a bit. There were no issues with the swim course. Other than the start being further down, the swim seemed pretty simple. After that I walked around the venue and just relaxed as the day was pretty nice. Later I met up with my wife (who flew in) and we got my bags ready for drop off on Saturday.
Saturday I woke up and had PANCAKES. Yes finally a different taste. Again, this morning I had GI issues and was on the toilet quite a bit. After that I got my stuff together and took it to the venue to drop off. After that I went to lunch then went back and chilled out. That evening I went to church, then went to dinner and was in bed by 2030.
Nutrition prior to the race.
On all days prior to the race I took in a good amount of carbs, protein and fat. I took in lots of Gatorade mixed with water to water it down. At night I would have a beer or a glass of wine. I also took a multivitamin, some fiber (until Friday on) and extra magnesium. I think that the extra magnesium led to my GI issues.
Race Day:
I woke up at 0330 and had 1 cup of coffee and my usual oatmeal mixture. I followed to the T the EN packet as I knew I would be more relaxed. I did have GI issues, but not nearly as bad as the days before. I got my stuff together and off we left to the race at 0445.
I arrived at the site at 0515 and went right to my bike. I dropped off my bottles and then dropped off my SN bags. After that I went and met up with EN members at the bottom of the helix by 0600. We took a pic then off we went to the SS.
SWIM: 1:14:54
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3002463149/1
I placed myself in the 1-1:10 slot for the swim. I was with other members and we enjoyed the sun rise. I took this time to take in a gel (e-gel) at 0620. I also took the time to relieve myself a couple times and got warmed up. I wore my wetsuit, goggles an swim cap on top of my goggles.
0650 We entered the water via “Rolling start.” I have done rolling starts and mass starts, this to me felt the same. I never was swimming by myself and was constantly being hit the whole time. The water seemed to have a current going down south west and the water was choppy. The first leg of the swim (1200yd) had no issues but I felt my stomach was uneasy with the gel in it. At the first turn, I had no issues. The second leg (300yd) was not too bad and my stomach felt better. Next turn was fine and the long leg (1650yd) was full of choppy water and the sun. Since I couldn’t see the buoy from the sun, I used the sun as a guide to keep me in the direction. Next turn was fine and finally I could see the buoys. From there I was able to swim in and get out of the water. Out of the water I ran past the initial strippers and found one (then two) to take my wetsuit off.
T1: 9:17
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3002463149/2
I ran up the helix and into the con center and grabbed my bag. I took in a gel (e-gel) and a Hot Shot drink. Then I quickly dried off, put my top on and grabbed my shoes and ran with them. Getting to my bike I called out my number and as they were getting my bike I put on my shoes. I was very close to bike out so this made running without shoes great.
BIKE: 5:59:46
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3002463149/3
Avg. Pwr: 154; NP: 169; VI: 1.09
Heading out on the bike I felt good and had no issues. The roads were not great but that is a known factor. I got on the bike path and was off before I knew it. I saw that I was getting out of my zone and had to continually reel myself back in. I felt like I was getting excited and had to constantly stop chasing people down and just ride my ride. Calming down, I rode but had a difficult time watching my computer and keeping my eye on the roads as they really sucked in many of the areas. My mind set was to ride the first 40-56 miles easier than normal and build up to where I wanted to be. I took in 3 btls of nutrition (Infinite nutrition with on scoop of base salt) in the first half of the ride as well as a gel (PowerBar gel) every hour. At a time of 2:55 I hit SN and was empty. I quickly refreshed and looked at my time. I then realized that a KQ was out. Having thought that, I then took the time to hit a port-a-jon and relieved myself for the first time. Throughout the first half of the bike, my computers kept telling me that my power meter batter was low. Also my power kept going in and out on the computer. The second loop went about the same as the first but the winds picked up. On the north end of the loop the wind was brutal and kept everyone slow. I took in another 3 btls of nutrition on the second loop as well as about 1 btl of Gatorade Endurance. I also took in 2 gels (Power Bar) per hour. I did not take in the last gel I had for the bike. At mile 80 my left medial quad muscle tightened up and I had to spin a higher cadence for a while. Then at mile 98 my right medial quad did the same thing. This led me to stress mentally as I have never had this happen before. Also around mile 75 I was drinking my nutrition and hit a major pot hole. This rattled me bid time as I thought I broke my bike.
Riding the “Stick” into Madison was rough. The wind had picked up and which led to a slower pace which furthered my mental stress. Coming into the con center I kept repeating to myself to get your shit together as the run was coming up.
T2: 8:29
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3002463149/4
Yes that’s right, I took my time!!! I got into T2 and grabbed a Gatorade off the bike as well as the extra gel and headed into transition. I got my bag and sat down. This volunteer came up, grabbed my bag and dumped it out saying “Wow you got a lot of shit in here.” Then he kept saying hurry up and let’s go! I finally had to tell him “Lets slow it down, I ain’t going to Kona.” He didn’t like that so he said he was going to help someone else. I sat there let my legs chill for a second and put sav on my foot (right). I also put some more crotch cream on and sun block on my head. I put on my fuel belt (more about that later), grabbed my sun visor bagged up my stuff, handed the bag off and headed out.
RUN: 4:22:09
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3002463149/5
On the run I had a plan to really take it easy for the first 6-8 miles, but coming out of T2 I decided to extend that further given my legs. I told myself that my pace would be based off of my legs and that was around an 8:45-9:00 pace. All felt good and I was taking in my nutrition (F2C endurance with one scoop of base salt). I told myself I would take 10-15 steps every even aid station and I felt it working. I did this similar tactic in Choo and it really worked well. I hit Observatory hill and had no issues and felt good heading into SN. At SN I put in new btls of nutrition. I had the opportunity to take in a btl of 5 hour energy (usually only works for about 2-3 hrs during an endurance event) but I did not do it. Heading out on the second half of the run I was really ahead of where I thought I would be. I felt good and my legs were not too bad and my HR was super low. Within the first mile of the second half I knew something was up. I lost energy and didn’t feel right. I felt like I was losing focus and drive. My pace was significantly slower and my HR was not high. Also my fuel belt was starting to really irritate me, it was super tight as it was a size small.* By mile 18 I was going into a run walk and was mad. My right foot started to have a blister develop on it on the ball between the second and third toe as well as on the lateral side of my foot. Not long after that I started having IT band (left) issues as well. From there it became a full run walk and my mental fatigue was in. Also my thoracic muscles ere also in the same state. From that point I just muddled it in to about mile 25. At that point I did my best to run in the last mile with a smile on my face as it was still sunny out and that is my minimum requirement for my races.
Finish time: 11:54:08
*After the race I was amazed at how uncomfortable my fuel belt was. Here is the background and prognosis. Throughout the year I have been using a size medium belt. But it finally became fatigued and I lost some weight. So as I would run, it would bounce and become quite irritating. So I had another fuel belt but it was a size small. I tried it a couple of times prior to the event and it seemed to work. However my longest run with it was 1.5 hrs. So, after 2+ hrs. my abdominal area was having issue with it.
A few days after the race, I was in PT and discussing my issue with my Dr. She stated that due to the tightness of my belt it kept my stride from being normal and created a “Side to side” stride. This led to my IT band issue. Now my body was starting to compensate for the issue and my right leg was actually striking more as well as not striking properly. This led to my blisters. She also said that this also could have led to my fatigue as I couldn’t let proper blood flow to the legs and my diaphragm to properly work.
Ultimately the race was a success as I had my best place finish. However there is a lot of things I learned and things to work on.
Comments
49th in AG on swim, 41st on bike and 36th on run I'd say is pretty impressive, especially considering the issues you had to deal with! Congrat's on your best place finish!
@Alan Brown Thanks. All in all I am pretty pleased with how it came out. However, the triathlete in me says, "Are you crazy, you're better than that."
@Eric-- You had a solid race considering the issues, but you also left a lot of low hanging fruit on the table for the next race... I'm convinced all of your Zwifting this winter will get you even stronger on the bike! 😀 I also think getting your FTP (and 5hr power) up will allow you to ride at a lower VI, which will set you up better for the run as well.
Also, you left a free ~9 mins in Transitions. I know this wasn't a focus for you during this particular race, but when you really start "racing", it will need to be.
And the disaster your words describe your run in don't describe a ~4:22 IM Marathon which is still pretty darn fast. So imagine how fast you could run if your bike was easier (but faster), and you didn't have any of the issues on the run...
I can't wait to see what comes next for you.
(And I also didn't realize you know Caitlin Martin... Small world!)
@Eric DePoto Loved the detail in your race report! Sub 12 on that course is a huge accomplishment and sub 6 on the bike, your first time out on that bike course, is a huge positive to buid on. I'll be looking for you on Zwift this winter.
@John Withrow, yes you are right. The low fruit was left and it wasn't my intention, but it I allowed it to go down that path. I do plan on really making some gains this winter. Coach P said I am where I left off in 2015 and if I wasn't so burned out, I would have kept going. I am not so burned out this time around and still feel ready to go after it. Thanks for the insight!!
@Tony Ledden, You're welcome on the details. I never really appreciated a good RR until you dive into these files to get a better understaning of what you are going after. Also looking at other ppls race plans prior to the race is another big assist on preparation. Thanks for the words and taking the time to read it. Hope it helps.
"Ultimately the race was a success as I had my best place finish."
@Eric DePoto - I agree with @Tony Ledden that sub 12 on that course is a major accomplishment bro!
4:22 marathon after that bike says a lot of work got done here!!
The more you race, the more gains you will make. RRs with swim up front before bike and performed on race course are where you will get the highest ROI, learnings, mental notes and adjustments to be made going into race day.
Fantastic work Ironman!
SS
@Shaughn Simmons Thanks, and I agree. Any time you can get on a course is some of the most valuable info you can get. I did it first in Choo and did a little bit in WI. What little bit I did in WI was helpful in the sense of situational awareness. My next one I may not be able to get out there a head of time, but I really need to have the Coach talk. Again, thanks for your insight.
@Eric DePoto First off, I got a good LOL from your T2 volunteer story. No Starbucks card for him!
In the spirit of "What will it take to get to Kona?" (You put it out there, so I'll run with it...) Among other things, you have to consider the value of losing some weight for the run. Not your body comp, but the boutique nutrition. I'm not sure what your valuing about the F2C, but I bet you could find a gel (Like EFS) which has some protein in it, and add whatever else you need, and just carry that in hand, replace @ SN, and use water and GE and cola from the course. When I see those Fuel Belts (and I have trained with one for years, in the past), bobbing in front on me in a race, I think - that can;t be good for trying to keep a fluid, symmetrical pace when I'm all tired out from six hours of biking.
Success at Ironman is ultimately not about any one big thing, but a mass of little improvements in training, attitude, race day execution, and equipment that eventually add up to a big improvement in time.
@Al Truscott Sorry I am getting back to you so late. I was out of town and took a true break from things. You bring up a point I was actually thinking about over the last week. I am going to look at streamlining my system both on the bike and the run. I normally don't have a problem with the belt, but I want to get to that "Race" status that I am wanting to reach. Thanks!