Jeff Horn IM Louisville Report
I always like to get my thoughts on paper soon after the event before I forget stuff - I am 45 after all. So this was Ironman #12 for me. I came in with no expectations after a really difficult Wisconsin race (and several preceding it). Most of my disasters have related to nutritional conundrums and I feel that every race and lead-in is a new experiment. I've tried so many different drink / food concoctions it is staggering. I have drawers full of half used sword, infinit etc. Thankfully @Sheila Leard has helped me a lot this season and I am forever grateful for her guidance. After Wisconsin she gave me some really useful tips for getting my gut healthy before this event, and I think it really helped. That said, I decided in the lead-in that I was gonna try GE powder and on course minus the solids (the Skratch stuff was too much on - course chemistry).
As some of you know I followed Wisc with a crazy adventure with @Francis Picard at the BFC 6 days later. As fun as that was, I think it really helped me redefine what hard was. Testicle Spectacle and Rat Jaw will forever be ingrained in my mind as the new "bar" for difficulty (see below). I would say that race was very difficult to recover from physically and took almost two weeks before I could run again. Lesson learned.
Thursday: Got to venue Thursday night stayed at Hyatt (very close to finish chute a huge plus IMO). Ate dinner and went to bed -- pasta at Gordon Biersch restaurant was really good.
Friday: Went to registration and then to EN team breakfast...met lots of cool folks. Then went on shopping trip to find a cycling jacket. The weather forecast looked cold and wet and I didn't bring anything. Found a spot 10 miles outside of town and got a Pearl Izumi Tempest 2 jacket. Had removable sleeves in case I got hot. Turned out to be the best money I spent all week (second to that but close was money spent on TriBikeTransport Valet service--they pick up your bike and bags so you can retrieve the next day--saved two miles of walking after the race). Had dinner with my travel/race mates at perhaps the shittiest place ... across river in Jefferson...Buckhead Mountain grill...Avoid at all costs.
Saturday: Ate breakfast at North End cafe..best food all week...highly recommended. Had lunch at the Old Spaghetti factory. Then dropped off my gear and went back to put the feet up. Then realized I might need a running jacket for the cold/wet weather. Back out shopping to Dick's and found a lightweight breathable NorthFace jacket.
Sunday: Woke up at 4:30 and had two ensure, and a muffin. Much more liquid-y breakfast than normal for me as I am usually an oatmeal and apple sauce kinda guy. Sheila had recommended rice cereal for easy digestion, but couldn't find it when I was out shopping lol. Met my crew and off to race start. Got bags dropped and checked bike. Off to walk to swim start. Got down there and sat under a tent for a while (wine over water event the night before?) Found out swim was shortened and honestly was a bit disappointed, but after seeing the current firsthand I was glad. I was in wetsuit at this point and waited for a while to get in the water (I was in 1:10-1:20 group). I was shivering in my wetsuit...I usually sweat a gallon. It was drizzling at this point and was generally a gloomy start to the day.
Swim 15:39: The current was BLOWING. I am a decent swimmer and saw many get in the water and almost not be able to make the right side of the first bridge pylon. I decided to swim further right in hopes of drifting around the pylon. As hard as I was swimming, I was still getting pushed almost directly into it (could touch it as I went by). Now I was frightened as I didn't seem like I was in control. The fog had rolled in a little too, and was tough to see next buoy. I popped up out of the water to sight 4-5x on this short swim which I almost never do. The kayakers kept telling us to swim right at the bridge, but close to the end I saw the red buoy which looked like the finish buoy. Then they said "hard left". At this point I was swimming sideways against the current just to hit the finish line. Glad to be done with that. There was also a strong feces/sewage smell as I neared the exit. Tried hard to to take in ANY water here. Was totally expecting to be sick later in the day. Overall a fine swim, good technique, wasn't losing much time here one way or another.
T1 (8:50): Nothing special here. Ran to transition, no walking. Kept wetsuit on until change tent for extra warmth. Dried off with towel, buttered the chassis, socks and shoes. Then put on Pearl jacket gloves and helmet and was off. Opted to not wear under armor compression shirt on top of tri suit. And I opted not to wear my heart rate monitor...one more thing to chafe. Yeah the data can be interesting but wasn't worth it at the time.
Bike (6:17:34): Left town cold and wet but realized the Pearl jacket was gonna do the trick. As long as I was down in aero I was quite warm. My hands however were only warm for the first 10-15 miles that my gloves were dry. Once wet and cold the fingers started going numb. It was actually difficult to actuate the di2 buttons at points. This was the first OUTDOOR ride with my P1 pedals. I tried to match them up to my indoor numbers on my KickR/Quarq (both read 22 W higher than the P1...I had to configure my crank length in computer to 175 when they were actually 165...only way to get numbers to match). I JRA'd to the end of the stick and just held a steady number without too much spiking. I tried to Ninj-ecute the course as much as it would allow. It was AMAZING how many people were coasting into hills and then mashing up them. It just reminded my to flatten the hills the EN way. First loop went well then stopped at special needs for bottle changes and potty break (my only pee on the bike). Second loop was nothing fancy, just tried to pick off landmarks (Lagrange, Hill1, end of hills, turn off to loop, etc). As long as I had short term goal in front of me I was ok. Only time I got truly cold on the whole bike ride was at special needs when I stopped. Or if I was up out of aero for too long. As long as I was compact on aero bars was plenty warm. My hands and feet were sloppy icicles but my core was fine. Nutrition wise, I wasn't going to push fluids to the 1 1/2 bottle per hour method. I decided early on to not take solids and just drink to thirst a la Noakes. I took in 3 1/2 bottles of GE powder mixed at 220 cal / bottle (3 scoops). That is all. My stomach didn't shut down, I didn't get sick, I didn't feel like death. Overall, despite a somewhat slowish time ... I was happy! I made it through the bike without taking a grass nap (see Wisc report), and it wasn't 7-7:30 like some recent races. I also got to see/chat with @Alan Brown and @Sam Lawrence on the bike ride. Always good to get teammate energy on course.
T2 (11:36): After my flying dismount (LOL), I walked to the bike hand off then walked to bags / tent (couldn't feel my feet). Once in the tent they had heaters in there and it felt SO GOOD so I took my sweet time. Took a lot of time to dry off feet and put on fresh socks and shoes and put on my new north face rain coat. i thought about keeping the Pearl coat because it was thinner, but was soaked by that point. Glad I made this decision. I would keep the NorthFace coat for the duration of the run. The rain didn't ever really stop, just kept misting the entire evening.
Run (5:22:11): I carried a bottle of NUUN water with me the entire run to sip off (prob drank 2x 24oz). Then if I felt hungry or needed cal, I could supplement at the stations (ate 4 handfuls of chips, three pretzels, a gel, 4 cokes, 4 broths and a chocolate chip cookie). I never cramped once in this race. I started out at a reasonable effort with an intermittent walk. Never got hot with the jacket on (vents under sleeves/armpits). My only goal at this point was to stay in front of my travel mates (we started swim together)...one of the guys beat me at Wisc so I needed revenge. The run / walk strategy went pretty well until mile 18 or so and I think I just ran out of steam (obvious under calorie intake throughout the day). The lack of steam felt more mental than physical....never felt weak or dizzy. My body, especially legs and feet just started to get really tight. KMF. Had a large mental fog and energy lull at this point. KMF. Tried some coke and got a little revival. Was able to walk/trot it in from there. Saw @Jorge Duque on course a couple times here. Every time I got in my dark place, I just thought to myself...this isn't hard...Rat Jaw is hard...that would help me push through...right @Francis Picard ?
Summary: Overall I am pleased. When swim was shortened I secretly hoped to go 11:11. I stayed within my box for as long as I could. Lots of variables out of my control this race but I didn't let the weather stress me out. If I didn't have that Pearl jacket I would have DNF for sure. This was #12 and was thinking that is it for full IM for a while. Of course my wife is like..."what about Kona/legacy?" Haha there's the rub. We shall see. I am really glad the my stomach didn't revolt this race. No endotoxemia @Sheila Leard ! It's been a great year with the EN crew, now time to move back into RDP and get my run game where it needs to be (made good progress last year until PF sidelined me). I'll be doing some ultra adventures over the winter and no real plans for 2019. IMBoulder? Body comp will be a big issue over the winter and will be incorporating more vegetables into my diet for healthier gut.
Comments
@Jeff Horn it was really nice to meet you. Hope we can race again soon. What a weekend and what a race. With all the BS we have to deal with finishing was a victory in it self. I’m glad your stomach game is coming together. You are going to need it for Kona. Congratulations brother
Nice job Jeff! Kept tabs on you and other ENers all day and had no idea about the weather. You hid it well on tracker!
Congrats!
CONGRATS!!! It was great to meet you @Jeff Horn! What a day we got dealt weather wise eh? So glad you were able to find the jackets you needed for the day. I have learned to pack everything!
This year Bob suggested and brought nitrile gloves for us to put on before our cycling gloves. Kept the wet out and blocked a bit of the wind. I always get cold feet and hands in cooler temps. While my feet were soaked in 5 minutes and frozen for the rest of the ride, my hands were good all day.
I'm so glad you had a good gut day. I had issues on the run again. 🤷♀️ Maybe #10 I'll get it figured out? ;)
Enjoy your recovery and hope to race with you again!!!
wow, what a day that was! I've done this race 2x and I fear the day that I get to race in 40s & wet... Looks like you did a great job of preparing for the day, buying the right stuff..
I haven't tried these yet, but I bought a pair of the shower's pass water proof gloves I also bought a pair of the sox. The sox seem very thick and i need to see if they will even fit in my bike shoes. After this story, I think these items will go in my bag of tricks for every IM regardless of forecast..
Now your report makes me want to do the Barkley "easy" marathon!
Congrats on getting the legacy!
Congrats Jeff! And Congrats on earning the legacy - what a tough day to do it!
Great job Jeff! I appreciated your banter and smile as you went by me on the bike. So glad you got the nutrition day you deserved! My guess is you will never forget Barkley and now you will never forget Lou! Congrats!
@Jeff Horn Well dont you appear to be the genius at IMLOU this year. I think the only thing you could have done smarter was to stay in bed when the alarm went off. Which is exactly what I may have done. I looked at the weather that day and said , thats probably bad enough I'd just bag it. No really huge congrats on finishing that day. Next thing we know you'll be at big Barkley with @Francis Picard
The last 2 years have been tough for that race. But again you did great. I find it harder to race in the cold than in a heat.
Same for me now, nothing can be as hard as Rat Jaw !
Did laz sent you the secret email link for the big Barkley BTW ?
@Jeff Horn Many great things happened in this race for you! Solving the gut mystery never ends. Being a little hungry is a good thing ... gut is flowing not backing up. Your lack of steam was probably a bit of both needing extra calories because of the cold and just plain brain fatigue.
Stay on course with gut health ... veggies, Kombucha, yogurt, ect.
That was a medal well earned. Congratulations!
I've been shivering just reading these reports. Like @tim cronk I am so glad you did this race and not me. For 10+ yrs I bike commuted in lots of drizzlerable weather 13 months a year in the Pac NW, and learned in weather like that, you can be either cold and wet or warm and wet. The latter is always the better choice, as your core and hands' results told you.
@Jeff Horn - I am going to name you "Lionheart" after this year of epic feats!
1) IMWI is a tough course
2) The briar patch at BFC and grade/distance of the hills is mentally mind numbing painful for me to imagine.
3) IMLV and such a long day in cold/wet conditions is truly just damn difficult.
HUGE year in my view, running towards challenges, taking them head on, and leading from the front with great passion!
Glad you're on our team!
Congratulations!
SS
@Jeff Horn wins the internet with Ninj-ecute! Congratulations!
Also forgot to put the bike stats up from my TP....
@Trish Marshall my buddy mentioned the nitrile gloves the day before the race and I forgot to buy them at Walmart
@scott dinhofer I like those gloves you posted. My racing buddy bought a pair of waterproof kayaking gloves at Quest adventure store the day before the race...he said they were stiff, but dry. Whatever works lol. Also liked your idea of the "shitty weather bag" with the just in case items.
@Sheila Leard yeah I'm going to continue to baby my gut and keep it happy from here out. Hopefully can continue feeling good at long races. This last one was a big step in right direction.
@tim cronk warm bed would have been good. There was so much negative energy leading up to the race..."weather will suck" "i don't have the right gear" could have easily talked myself out of it.
@Shaughn Simmons I love the lionheart tag. Maybe this was the year of mental fitness and next year the speed will show up with some extra work.
@Francis Picard no secret email for me. I guess if I got one though I would happily be the sacrificial lamb for the year.
@Al Truscott yeah i couldn't stand how wet and cold my feet were in the open mesh tri shoes. I had a pair of full boot shoe covers that were conveniently home in my garage. The warm core made me not care too much about it though after a while.
Congratulations Jeff on finishing in extremely tough conditions! So glad you (and Sheila) figured out a nutrition/hydration plan that works for you. I'm sure it's ingrained in your memory (and written down) for your next IM. Congrats on number 12 too; you should go for the legacy slot and experience Kona!