IMLP Race Report - Dodds
This was my first IM distance race.
Times:
Swim: 1:23:xx (1:30 target)
T1: 6:09
Bike: 5:50:xx (5:30 - 6:00 target)
T2: 2:52
Run: 4:05:xx (sub 4:00 target)
Total: 11:27:55
Pre-race: I ate dinner early on Saturday (3:00) and tried to relax. Got back to my place by early evening and did the last prep action items - making up and freezing bottles of Perpetuem as well as making sure my special needs bags were set. Early to bed and was able to sleep.
Race morning: Up at 4 A.M. to beat the road closure crews on the drive in from Keene. I was able to park on the street fairly close to transition and relax for a few minutes before heading to transition. Morning prep ran smoothly except that next year I will try to drop special needs bags before leaving my sandals in my dry clothes bag in transition. (That is a long walk with bare feet and wetsuit on.) I ate a Hammer Gel and took a pack of supplements about 30 minutes before race time.
Swim: I am NOT a strong swimmer. A good friend who was doing the race for the 10th time said start all the way to the right. I entered the water, swam across, and then stood in the shallows close to the shore. When the gun sounded, I waited a short time and then started swimming. I was not worried about my swim time and kept thinking about someone's mantra, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." After about a hundred yards, I stopped and treaded water to wave to my family on the shore. Yup, not really worried about my swim time. Water was clear until the first turn but I have the sense from talking to others that what I experienced at the first turn was nothing compared to some experiences. Got knocked a couple of times on the 1st lap return but nothing serious. Finished first lap in 40:xx which is faster than any 1/2IM swim I have done but I certainly did not feel taxed. Rinse and repeat. Second loop was more of the same except for getting kicked twice by the guy doing the breast stroke right in the middle of the main flow. Seriously? I ended up on the inside of the buoys for much of the second loop but even there there was some bumping. Finished the swim and was happy to see my time of 1:23:xx. Yes, I need to work on my form but for that day, 1:23 was great for me.
T1: I began the odyssey through T1 with a quick strip (wetsuit that is) and then the trek to the actual transition area. That is a long run for transition. I really think they should credit that mileage against our marathon run - that only seems fair. T1 went smoothly thanks to RnP advice to have the bag stacked in the order things were to be used. Glasses, helmet, socks, race belt on, grab the gloves and shoes and go. Gloves on on the way to the bike, get the bike, run to the mount before putting shoes on. Yes, socks got a little dirty but it was way faster to run in socks than in cycling shoes.
Bike: My bike was non-eventful. I took the first half of the first loop very easy, perhaps too easy. The second loop was faster and I never really felt fatigued on the whole ride. Nutrition was good. I just used two bottles on the frame. One was filled with Hammer HEED and supplied my hydration and calories for the first hour. The second was filled with thick Perpetuem that supplied my calories for the rest of the ride. I had frozen it the night before and it stayed drinkable the whole way. I had a second in special needs but never used it. Once I finished the HEED, I switched to water from aid stations for my hydration. I also used Hammer supplements of 3 Endurolytes, 2 Endurance Aminos, 2 Anti-Fatigue Caps, 1 Race Cap Supreme, and 1 Mito Cap. Every hour I popped a pre-assembled mini-ziplock bag and chased it with water. I saw a lot of people that passed me early on the bike as I passed them on the second loop.
Finishing Lap 2:
T2: Off the bike leaving the shoes in place. Quick pit stop, throw the shoes on, and grab my ziplock bag with everything else. Only 2:52 for T2 (including potty) thanks again to RnP and the ziplock strategy. Maybe the ziplock could be used to skip the potty also - nah!
Run: Started too fast and knew it but found it extremely hard to slow down. Out to the first turnaround still feeling good. Started to feel fatigued on the way back and it dawns on me that I have only eaten one Hammer Gel on the run so far and that I am bonking. Mentally I don't want more gel. I start eating oranges and mixing coke with energy drink at every aid station. Walk each aid station and run to the next. The miles start adding up and I start to feel better again. I manage to run both uphills on the 2nd lap (after walking the hill in town on the first lap) and I'm finally feeling strong again with 2 miles to go. Better late than never. With 1 mile to go, I came up on a young guy who asks for help to finish under 11:30. We push each other and get to the line with 2 minutes to spare. That push also helps me pass another guy in my age group who had slowed to high five spectators - so I can boast that I finished 92nd instead of 93rd in my AG - Sucker!
Finishing Lap 1:
When I finished, I went and got some food. I sat with Derek and a couple of other EN'ers but I'm pretty sure they had no idea who I was and I was too brain dead to realize it at the time. Along those lines, to all the other EN'ers in the race that I kept saying hello to, yes, I was the one in the full Hammer Nutrition kit. Recovery has been good despite boarding an airplane Monday night for a business trip. I heard people say that recovering from open marathons is tougher than IMs. Now I believe it.
Lessons learned: Living off the land really is the best approach. Worked great on the bike and worked on the run once I figured it out. I can definitely go harder on the bike and I definitely need to slow down in the first miles of the marathon - or just get faster overall. I don't need to wake up to pop extra calories in the night - the gel before the start was enough to top off the glycogen stores.
Lesson reinforced: If I keep doing these triathlons instead of duathlons, I need to improve my swim form.
Thanks for all the support leading up to the race and thank you all for the collective wisdom that allowed me to come away with an acceptable time for a first attempt.
Cheers, Jeremy
(Thank you to Pete Davis for the photos.)
Comments
Jeremy, that's one hell of a first IM. Congratulations, that's a race to be proud of. We got get you some kind of EN tatoo or something so you we can cheer you on appropriately at the next race.
Dave
What a great day you had. Looks like there's more where that came from too. Congratulations.
That's a KILLER result on a tough course for a first timer. So many other (like you) just crushed their virgin attempt...so impressed!!!! Next time we gotta get you an EN visor or something!
P
That is a solid result! Now that I see your race kit, I remember you passing me on the bike and shouting some encouragement on the run! I didn't recognize you on the course without the EN kit! Congrats! Awesome, awesome result, first time or 10th time!
"Acceptable"? I'd fight you to the ground for that finish time!
That is a job extremely well done! Congrats, Jeremy. Way to make it happen big time in your first IM!
Great Job! Good race on tough course.