IM Haines City Florida Race Report 2018
Race Report IM Haines City Florida Nov 4, 2018
GOAL/ ACTUAL
SWIM
1:35:00/ 1:36:37
T 1
0:06:00/ 0:16:38
BIKE
7:00:00/ 8:08:53
T 2
0:05:00/ 0:17:07
RUN
6:30:00/ 5:07:24
TOTAL
15:16:00/ DNF
Nutrition:
A.M. Egg whites, 2 eggs, spinach. Bullet proof Coca.
Before swim,
10 Bodyhealth amino acid pills
1 scoop of UCan with 1 Scoop of base salt.
Sip on Nunn.
T1: 2 scoops of U Can.½ Banana
Bike: Plan
1 bottle aero, 1 speed fill to start.
5 speed fill refills bottles of Nuun, Base salt, Body health amino acids, pre-workout.
4 aero bottles to refill
2- ½ Bananas on course. 1- E Gel and 1 Cliff block.
filled my aero and speed fill once, drank 100 oz total, should have been 192 oz(24 oz an hour) . Was not able to drink and eat as planned on the bike. I was having stomach issues out of the water. After the bike special needs stop I placed my bottle of UCan on the ground next to my bike and someone threw it away, so no Ucan after mile 56 on the bike.
T2 : 2 scoops of Ucan and half of a banana
Run:
Could not eat, forced myself to eat Grapes and chips at first two aid stations on run course. Then coke at every aid station and it was not doing the trick. Had two shots of salt.
*****************
Travel:
Day 1: Thursday – travel day with airlines, rental car at 4 PM, drive 1.5 hour to location, grocery shop, unpack and in bed at 10 PM.
Arrive:
Day 2: Friday had friends pick up my bike from Fraser transport. 2 PM meeting, check in and walk the transition and expo. PM. Pack my race bags
Day 3: Saturday bike check in, expo and back too house for dinner and prepare morning nutrition for race
Day 4: Race Day!
Rise and shine 3:30 A.M. Regular routine, shower and ate.
4:30 A.M. Left house for race. ½ hour drive. We parked and walked about 3 blocks to the transition, body marking, set up, bike & run gear, checked computer, filled water bottles, took some photos.
6:00 A.M. Walk to swim start. Ate the following along the way: 10 Amino Acid pills, 1 scoop of UCan with 1 scoop of base salt. Sip on 1 bottle of nuun.
Swim:
Seeded myself at 1:30 to 1:35 mark, wanted to be in the slow group. I’d rather swim around someone instead of being the punching bag.
The plan:
1 . Hydrate before the swim.
2. Stay in my box, start easy.
3. Find my space and rhythm. Count strokes to each buoy, keep consistent.
4. Positive space, keep head in the game!
Execution:
I was not nervous for the swim this race but knew I would do well if I stayed focused on the above plan.
I started on the far right, stayed to the outside the for the first lap. The swim was very confusing I had to site every 8 to 10 strokes to stay focused at one point I had to stop and look around lost track of where I was in the “M”. 2nd lap of the “M” I felt in control of my placement and finished the swim with out being tired.
T1: I used the wet suit strippers then ran to transition. Picked up my bike bag and ran to the changing building. put my EN bike jersey on , sat down and put on my , leg sleeves, socks, shoes, arm covers, sun glasses, helmet , ate 2 scoops of UCan , ½ banana then ran to my bike.
Bike: The Plan:
Set the bike up for success at the end of the course. (lot of hills at the end)
1. Stay hydrated, drink 24 oz every 45 minutes.
2. First 10 to 20 miles, stabilize heart rate, use my gears on the hills.
3. Mile 108 prepare for run by fueling and monitor heart rate. Consume 1- E-Fuel gel and 1 package of cliff blocks.
Execution:
Was not feeling well when I started the bike but forced myself to drink and took a ½ banana at the first 3 stations. At the 54-mile special needs stop I picked up my bag and filled my ucan bottle. At that point I realized how hot it was and felt over heated. So off I went then just around the corner I saw my daughter jumping up and down yelling “Mom” (surprise visit from Boca Raton) so I stopped and said hi. Defiantly felt re energized for a while and kept pushing and was making good time until then. The rain started, and I had to slow down. Once the rain stopped the wind picked up and I had a difficult time staying in aero. The bike split did not happen. I started pushing it because the 4:20 bike cutoff was at mile 95 and the final bike cutoff was 5:20. I made it back to the transition in time. I did not fuel properly on the rush from mike 85 to 112. So my legs were in trouble by the run.
T 2: Went as planned. Drop off bike, change shoes, EN visor and race belt with fuel, ate ½ banana and ucan. I carry a 24 oz bottle with me when I run. Keep refilling at aid stations, that never happened on the run.
Run: The run was extremely hot in the start, not able to eat or drink much.
The Plan:
Set up the run so that the race started at mile 18.
1. Start easy with walk out of T2 until the first hill. Heart rate down.
2. Hydrate focus on nutrition plan.
3. Keep heart rate between 135 and 145
4. Find my rhythm, only walk the aid stations.
Execution:
Walked out of T2 and knew I was in trouble. My body and focus were done before I started. I walked, ran and tried to eat at the first 3 aid stations. It was extremely hot, and I was having a difficult time getting my heart rate to drop. Was spiking 150 ,160 and going north every time I tried to run. So, I decided to just run walk. The first loop with the in and out of the maze was daunting. Finally, the rain started, and my body started to cool off. By that time, I discovered my race belt was upside down and I did not have the energy to change it. Plus, I could not eat any Ucan. Coke and chips became my go to at the aid station. After the first loop I saw my husband and he said I better pick it up by 2 miles an hour or I would not make the 18.60 mile cut off at 10:07 PM. So, with that I tried to step it up, the aid stations were out of coke. I tried to angry walk (@Trish Marshall Marshall told me just walk angry don’t stop, was thinking of you the entire run with, Bob and John) and run. More salt, but my legs were on fire. Defiantly, lack of nutrition. It was 10:00 PM and I had 1 mile to go and knew it was over. I made it to mile 18.60 by 10:13 PM and the race was over for me.
Conclusion:
My focus, nutrition, drive and energy was not up to par.
This was not the race I planned, everyone out there had the same playing field. I did not have what it took this time. I was so disappointed but knew I left everything out on the course. Had a difficult time walking to my car after.
My mind and body was in overload not only from the race but life leading up to the event. In hind site I should have deferred to another race.
Congratulations to everyone that finished !
Looking forward to 2019 racing! April, EN Spain, August HIM Traverse City, October IM Louisville.
Yvette 😊
Comments
Yvette
Sorry about your race day. I know it's frustrating racing with GI issues and not being able to perform how you know you can. I think the key line from your report is, "...but knew I left everything out on the course". When you can say that, it was the best you had on that day. I hope you figure out what caused the GI issues. Recover, rest and keep it moving. Thanks for sharing.
@Derrek Sanks thank you. I did not have gi issues. Just couldn't eat. Everything tasted old and stale. Even my drinks. When I look back I think on the bike I was just overheating. Just a long day, that was not mine. This is the first race that I had issues the week after. Extremely sore very tired and mentally drained. It's been a week and I am going to swim for the first time. Aloha!
@Yvette Metz
I'm curious about your regimen of using amino acids while racing? Have you used this in training?
Also, I have found that women who use UCAN need to be extremely cognizant of hydration with other fluids. Hot UCAN can be a disaster. Even if it's cold you run the chance not being able to get the volume of fluids in necessary for hydration.
Great to see you willing to do it again in 2019! :)
@Yvette Metz - I am sorry you didn't make it but you were so-so-so close and should take a lot of pride in that. There is no doubt that the Haines City course is so much more challenging than Panama City Beach, and on top of that it was such a hot and humid day until the storms came in. The SUPER long transition distance was enough by itself to have caused you to miss the final loop cut-off! A lot of people had stomach issues out of the water (and some rashes too) so it's possible that you picked up a small bug from Lake Eva that interfered with your nutrition.
I enjoyed being on the course with you and other EN athletes and hope Florida provides you a good motivation base for a successful 2019 season!!
Hi ! @Sheila Leard
Yes, I use Amino Acids during racing all the time. Helps with leg soreness and hunger cravings.
I trained and raced with Ucan all year and definitely need more fluids.
What's your take on Amino Acids?