Coach P: 1, Ironman Cozumel: 0 (or something like that)
Short Version
New personal IM best of 9:23 on a flat, hot and windy course. A fitting end to a long season of solid training and great fitness. And now it's time for some well-deserved rest!
Long Version...You Asked For It
Having had some success in 2017 with a late-season race (read about it here [Link]), the idea of taking my Kona "build up and race" fitness somewhere else was always in the back of my mind. Unfortunately, my best Ironman friend ever [link] told me he wasn't going to race. So this was going to have be a solo sojurn. Still Mexico. Still hot. Still windy. Still, hopefully, bueno.
Transitioning Post Kona
Unlike 2017, I actually ran the marathon in Kona this year. Perfect swim and bike conditions combined with personal best bike fitness enabled me to dial in a great race.
But Cozumel was looming, so I was all in on my prep. Here's what I did:
- I rested hard for five straight days.
- I got back on my bike, on Zwift, and started spinning the legs out. 30 minutes on Day 1. 60 minutes on Day 2. And 2.5 hours on Day 3 -- time to reverse losing that fitness!
- I shut the run down for two weeks all total. Really wanted to protect those run legs.
- I committed to actually swimming my longer swims in the pool, and kept the interval / strength stuff to 30 minutes on my Vasa Swim Ergometer [Link]
A Bit More on the Bike
I had more time until Cozumel than I had for Cabo -- two more weeks for a total of six -- so I set out to continue pushing my bike fitness a bit higher. Given the improvements I made to my FTP before Kona, I decided to focus on efforts that would "prove" I could in fact ride the 20' number I had generated in my test.
This meant doing 30' and 45' and eventually 60' intevals as descending percentages of that high number. Along the way, I did quite a few upper steady rides (think just harder than IM pace) in Zwift. I made it through the 30' session with flying colors but crashed and burned on the 45' one. Seriously...a 45-minute interval??? I was clearly tired, so I decide to keep things upper steady (for endurance) and short and fast (Zwift races) in the mean time. The data suggested I was moving my actual FTP closer to my "earned" one...but that fatigue was real and I didn't want to push too hard.
Indoor Running For The Win!
I dusted off my trusty (old) treadmill that doesn't go faster than 7:30 minute miles. I broke out the space heater, set it next to the treadmill at 90 degrees and started running.
Most of my runs were in the 30-minute range, with a 6- and 10-miler for finishing purposes. That's a lot of Netflix for those of you counting.
But it's critical for maintaining my heat acclimation, at least mentally if the studies don't bear it out. The studies do suggest that heat acclimation from a sauna can be effective within two weeks of an event...so in my last week (slacker!) I ran daily at the local YMCA for 30 minutes than jumped in a 150-degree sauna for 30 minutes. Here's a quick primer online.
Getting to Cozumel
My teammates suggested that flying direct into Cozumel was a gajillion times better than flying to Cancun and taking a bus to a ferry to a taxi to your hotel (only missing a train to bat the cycle!). So I left friday at 4am for a 7am flight, landing at 2pm with the expo closing at 6pm.
This was mainly because the awards post race, should I be in the hunt, aren't until night time...forcing you to stay another night. To minimize time away from the family, this was the best option.
I got a quick cab to my lodging -- El Villas Encantas [Link] -- and then busted out for another four mile run on the course. Then I hustled over the expo. I was registered and out the door in 10 minutes. I grabbed a small dinner, hit the MEGA grocery store and then it was back to the B&B to build my bike. I would only have one chance to ride it (on my way to drop it off at T1 on Saturday AM)...so I had to get it right.
Saturday was up early for a big waffle breakfast, then ride down to T1. I had a tailwind for the 23-minute ride, so I did turn around briefly to see what the headwind would feel like...not pretty, as expected. I dropped the bike, explored the transition area while dropping my T1 bag and then it was a bus ride back to the hotel. Done early...until I realized that I left my computer, turned on, on my bike. Another bus ride down and back...and it was time for lunch and dropping my T2 bag (Separate transitions!). Only then could I put my feet up for the rest of the day.
Sunday Morning
With a 7:30 am start, and buses to T1 not starting until 5:30, it was a relatively late IM start. I enjoyed the sleep...and then hustled to the bus. Note to those of you considering the race, be AT the hotel EXACTLY at 5:30am...I was there at 5:40 and got on the second - and last - bus. Yikes!
T1 was pretty quick, just setting things up on the bike. Hit the port-a-let to avoid later lines and then took the shuttle back to the swim start (did I mention two transitions). By the time I got there, it was 6:50 and there wasn't much time to get ready and get in the chute!
The Swim: 1h 2m
Basically you walked out onto a pier and then jumped in to your left and then swam along the shore "down" to T-1. Conditions had been super windy all week and as such the swim was REALLY close to shore. This meant fighting a wave "break" and lots of kelp floating in the water.
I tried to focus on a high cadence in my swim stroke but found myself struggling with the waves which (moving right to left) and the swells from the wind which were originating directly behind from behind me (moving front to back).
There were times of the swim when we were just flying and other times when we were moving very slowly. You can see this via the green "pace line" above. Started fast....middle slow...finish fast.
I still have trouble asserting my swim stroke in the water with ocean-like conditions, but I was sufficiently happy with how it played out. I never got tired and honestly thought the swim was faster than the clock said. I guess time flew by while I was floating!
The Bike: 4h 53m
I could tell from the transition area that several bikes were gone but it wasn't as many as I had feared. I made quick work of mounting the bike and getting right down to business.
The course is 2.75 loops of the island, as we end up at a different place for T2. Tailwind down the western side of the island, headwing up the eastern side, with heat building all day.
Given my success with Kona, we concocted the same basic plan: ride hard until the heat starts to build (to a specific mile mark, with a Training Stress Score (TSS) target), and then dial it back to stay fast without increasing heart rate or unnecessary fatigue.
My plan was to hold 265 W (about 73% of my FTP) for the first 64 miles..about 150 TSS. At that point I would dial things back to 245 W with the last 8 miles a bit easier if I felt like it. Total TSS would be about 245.
It took me about 15 to 20 minutes to kind of get settled in with all of my gear and to feel my bike legs come around. By that point in time we were already turning the southernmost point of the island towards the headwind! I took advantage of a slight descent to pee. Hydration, check!!
While the wind was tough coming at us from about 1 o'clock on the dial, it wasn't terrible. The terrain was rolling enough that there were a few breaks in the wind. But it was legit and I knew it was only going to get more chaotic with more people. I did my best to stay aero and get to the first loop pretty quickly.
All told the first loop took me about an hour and 40 minutes so I knew I was right on schedule in terms of time. I enjoyed the tailwind section and continued to push through the building headwind on the second lap. I was already dreading that third time around!
As I started the third lap, I finally caught up to athletes who were going roughly in my speed and begin to engage with me in the typical back-and-forth fashion that I consider typical Ironman bike racing. They were a strong group though, and my back began to complain forcing me to sit up and stretch for a while. Eventually I had to make the decision to let them go because it was long past time for me to dial my effort down a little bit.
The goal was to drop to 245 W to avoid accumulating too much heat. That seemed like an oxymoron since the winds were so strong that it didn't feel that hot at all. But flipping through the screens on my Garmin 810 I could see that the road temperature was pegged at about 91° -- time to be smart and really focus on staying wet and hydrated.
Strangely enough it was about the last 45 minutes that I finally found myself dialing in a very efficient and effective aero position on the bike. I had slammed myself really far forward on the nose of my saddle and was tucked perfectly and was still able to hit 23 miles an hour at the lower watts. Something for me to plan on next time for sure.
It's worth mentioning that the second and third labs were definitely more crowded with other racers who were at different parts of their day. Some people were really struggling and the winds and from the heat; you could see it in their body language. Do not do this race without an excellent fueling plan and aero position!
I had to be careful to not run into anyone who was swerving due to the winds. Coming into transition, I was looking forward to the run although I was really annoyed by a guy who'd been drafting right on my wheel for the last 10 miles.
The Run
After my usual pit stop in transition for a quick pee (Hydration, check!!!) it was off to run. I had been doing all of my training indoors with the space heater on me and the treadmill set at about 7 1/2 minute miles. That's not a particularly hard pace but it's pretty consistent with what I run on race day when I feel good, so I left it there.
The Cozumel Run Course is three loops; a direct out and back. Outbound you run into the wind and then on the return trip you have a tailwind, making you much hotter.
As I took off on the run I could tell that it was very sparsely populated on the course and I felt pretty good about my position. Early on I had another racer asking if I wanted to work together in the wind, but I told him it was too early to determine whether or not we actually would be suited for one another. I saw him later on the side of the road with a cramp so I think I made the right call to run my own race.
For the geeks out there, I used my Garmin watch, dialed into my Stryd running power meter [Link] to make sure that I was around 320 W. If I was there, I knew my heart rate would be right between 140 and 145 bpm.
Heading down towards the first turnaround I could see the other athletes coming back to me and it was clear that there were quite a few solid Age Groupers mixing it up with the pro-men who were already an hour ahead of us.
It's hard to tell how old folks are but I had a good sense that there were two or three people in front of me in my issue. In Cozumel they write your AG category as a letter on your calf, but it's not compulsory. So it's quite hard to tell who was in your age group.
I decided to stay internally focused, with my mission being to run through as many of the stations that I possibly could. This is a big change from in the past when I would stop at everyone to get what I needed. In Cozumel the aid stations are just 1 km apart which is manageable when you are in the heat and feeling the effects of the race. Not sure if I can do it at a North America race with mile-long gaps between the stations!
Through the first lap I felt really strong, and my numbers show that. I was using a field on my watch for the last lap pace and my goal was to keep it between 730 and 745 minutes per mile for as long as possible. With the exception of a few miles towards the end I was right on point!
Just like the bike, the last two laps of the run began to get very crowded. It became increasingly harder to run through aid stations efficiently and to keep my momentum. I resorted to eating quite a few bananas because my hands were strating to feel the effects of dehydration.
As I started the third and final lap, I was at about mile 18 which we refer to as "The Line." To prepare for this final 8 miles I quickly took some extra salt and slammed a few tiny cups of Pepsi. Then it was time to get to work.
I knew this is where the race really happens and I had to be sure not to make any errors here. The plan was to identify where on the return trip I could pick up the pace. On the way out I was able to identify what I thought was the highest point of elevation. I was going to use that as my mental mark to pick things up.
As I ran out to the turnaround again for the final time I grabbed a couple cups of ice, loaded up and got to work. About three or four minutes in someone from a different AG passed me and he was moving quite well. I did my best to stay with him even though he was pulling away. Thanks to pushing myself to follow him, I saw someone else who actually was in my AG.
I saw him at about mile 24 and closed the gap down over the last mile. With the 25-mile marker in view, I decided to pick things up and push for it. Without anyone on-site to tell me my place, I had no choice but to push for the finish in the event that he had started with or behind me in the time trial swim start.
I shot past him at the 25 mile mark thinking to myself "it's just one mile, you got this!" Little that I know that mile would last for an eternity and I nearly blacked out just before the finish line. Thankfully I put a two full minutes on him in the last mile and change. Turns out he had also started the swim three minutes behind me.
Post Race
My finish time was a 9:23, which allowed me to lock in fourth place in my AG and 38th overall with my third-best Ironman marathon time ever (3:20 baby!). Very pleased to see that I only slowed 20 seconds per mile over the second half of the marathon. I had a feeling there would be four slots in the M40-44 AG, and there were actually FIVE because the M75-79 (!!!!) athlete didn't make the swim cut off...and we got that slot as the biggest AG.
It was super exciting to be up on the podium for my AG, and even more thrilling to have my name called for a Kona slot. This makes my tenth trip to Kona, which is just unbelieveable. In many ways this past year was one of my best training years yet. I was smart to curb the run, ramp up the bike with some training camps [Link] and have a ton of fun.
This early qualification is huge as it will allow me to refocus on the task of prepping the Team for the 2019 season. From prepping for our Key Races at Eagleman, Lake Placid, Chattanooga and Kona to the ultrarunning madness that is sweeping our team and all the other new events we support online here so much awesomeness happening.
I also anticipate using a lot of my free time preparing for my role as a newly elected member of our School Committee. We have a great group of dedicated people making a fresh start, and I want to be just as prepared as I am excited about my return to public service. 😱
Thanks for reading this far! If you have questions about Cozumel or my race, feel free to ask me!!!
Comments
So inspirational. Congratulations @Coach Patrick 👍
Nice job @Coach Patrick . Congratulations on #10
Not only an epic race, but an awesome RR to help us understand the prep, planning and execution of a great race! congrats on KQX
@Coach Patrick Another solid race and successful use of the IM fitness from you great race in Kona this year. That 3:20 marathon is excellent in the heat.
Congrats on another Kona Qualification.
@Coach Patrick congrats on the PR baby and thanks for the RR!!
Fun to read what goes on in the mind of a front competitor. It's amazing that you dug so deep in that last mile. Congratulations @Coach Patrick . Number 10! That's cool.
@scott dinhofer - KQX....I kinda like that!
@Sheila Leard - thanks...I was dialed in this race for some reason. I think it's a really interesting counterpoint vs Kona where I am just trying to survive.... 🤣
@Coach Patrick Always inspiring! Let's just say you are a beast. It's easy for people to think that might be an "easy" Ironman course which it DEFINITELY is NOT. That swim is beautiful, but the changing currents make it a lot of work. The wind is brutal and the rising heat make it a lot of work. And making that turn to start a 3rd lap of the run is both mentally and physically tough. Way to handle the entire day like the Champ you are! #Awesome
Love KQX... Not many people get to wear that moniker.
Amazeballs again! Congrats on a great 2018, your election and cheers to the off season (for just a bit!)
well done @Coach Patrick and thanks for all the knowledge you share with the team
Congratulations on a great race and PR! Building on your fitness and power all year is no easy task.
Thanks for the report @Coach Patrick. I especially appreciated following your intuition during the 6 week KONA >> COZ transition - making adjustments on the fly as your response to training stress dictated. And of course, your on-course micro adjustments as the day dictated. As I said after Kona, you are truly a Pro, in that this is (a) your life and (b) you have internally assimilated the long, deep dive you have taken into this sport over the past two decades, and are able to let that data flow through your race day execution without worrying too much about it all.
One comment about saunas. If you read Stacy's "Ten Tips", I would suggest there are a few which need to be taken with caution. I've been doing this protocol for several years now, approximately 3 weeks on and three weeks off, three times a week after a run. Number one caution: when I first started doing them, I was drinking every five minutes in the sauna. Then, after reading her take, I switched to no fluids. I noticed two things: first, I could not get my body water %-age up to where I wanted it (Tanita scale) on the subsequent day. Two, and most important, I developed a bladder stone. (Which was NOT a fun thing to get.) A local kidney specialist said, basically, "Duh! What did you expect?" It might be my age which led to this. I would caution anyone over about 45 to seriously consider the value of absolute dehydration and prolonged heat immersion. I limit my time to about 20-22 minutes, and am back to drinking about 15-20 oz of Gatorade Endurance while in the tank.
Nice trophy, by the way!
@Coach Patrick - thanks for the great report and many congrats on your 10th KQ. To quote a ST hackneyed saying: "Wow, just wow!" :)
@Coach Patrick "After my usual pit stop in transition for a quick pee...." You STOP to pee during a race...and you are still that fast!?! Wow. ;)