Priore 2010 IMLP Race Report
I hope writing this report will be somewhat therapeutic because I haven’t wanted to post it. On one hand, I did set a PR but my expectations were much loftier. The summary is 11:45:53 which is about 48 minutes better than my previous best and I hadn’t raced an IM in five years. Unfortunately, once again my run let me down, not because of fitness or nutrition but because of ITB pain as well as tendonitis (I think) around the lateral aspect of my knee.
Leading up to the race, I missed several weeks of bike training with patella femoral syndrome (basically a misalignment where the patella doesn’t track properly in the femur). I was aggressive with PT to strengthen my left VMO which minimized the friction between my femur and patella so my plan was to follow the EN execution and ride even easier to make sure I nail the run because I hadn’t had problems running … until mile 10 on race day.
Backing up to race week, everything was according to plan (night before did 2AM Naked Protein Smoothie, Bagel around 5 and Hammer Gel at 6:30 – felt good)
SWIM (57:54): Told Coach P after the race that I should get kicked off the team because this was the best part of the day – lined up within 1st couple of rows and enjoyed the chaos, settled into to counting strokes and upgraded feet drafting status as I went along (if I felt I could go faster, found someone ahead to draft)
Tl (5:32) – had to get bag for myself but overall not terrible
BIKE (5:57:02) – OK considering injuries, tried to stay easy and after downloading file in WKO+, probably too easy although I didn’t stop bike portion until after T2 but NP was 160, TSS=218, and IF=.61 (again may have been altered by not stopping right after but probably was too conservative given FTP of 263, although that was before injury)
T2 (4:02) – again got bag myself and probably could have been faster but had a bathroom break
RUN (4:41:20) – started off according to plan and was good the 1st 6 miles but around 10, the recurring nightmare started with sharp knee pain which altered my stride, ITB flared and I began to almost go off one leg. I saw the EN crew after the 2nd hill into town, definitely appreciate all your support (might not have acknowledged at the time because I knew I was in trouble). After the 1st leg, my wife and my oldest daughter started running alongside me, encouraging me which almost brought me to tears as I was battling the now pretty severe pain. From that point until mile 19, there was a lot of walking … not just the aid stations either. This was the worst part because I encountered the LINE much earlier but not due to poor fitness or execution, but because of knee injuries. I took Advil at mile 17 and had a decent last 10k once that kicked in
I hope this doesn’t come across as a sob story … although it probably did. As I figure one aspect of this sport, there are other issues that arise but I guess that’s part of what motivates us to come back. I sincerely appreciate all the support from my family, friends and the EN crew. One of my best and worst traits is that I am my harshest critic and I felt that I should have broken 11hrs (3:55 marathon was within my ability) so I am trying to figure out my lack of durability. I have used P90X the last 2 years for strength training (will start doing the Yoga routine consistently to hopefully improve hip, knee stability). I have to finalize my registration for next year and I hope to see many ENers out there again. Congratulations to my fellow IMLP EN team
Comments
Hi Joe. I can appreciate your frustration. I battled ITBS at one time and the pain is absolutely excruciating. I am very impressed that you were able to finish the marathon at all. It is clear that you wanted to finish faster and almost certainly would have crushed your PR but a 48 minute improvement is darn good considering all the other issues you were dealing with in training and then during the race. You also obviously have a supportive family that you love very much - kinda keeps things in perspective. I think even after the race, you have to stay inside the box and don't beat yourself up over things you cannot control. Get healthy (don't mess with more training while you have any trace of ITB pain) and then get ready to hammer your new PR by going sub-11 next year. See you there.
From someone who understands what it's like to be your own worst critic, I tip my cap to you. It won't be long before you're able to look back on this one as a success.
Mike
Joe, first of all, it was great to meet you in person. Despite your diappointment, you had a great day. I can't imagine fighting through that kind of pain. You overcame many hurdles just to get to the starting line, and you finished with a big PR. Also, don't forget, our finishing times do not define us.
We can all understand being restrained by injury. We put our bodies through a lot in this game we play. Rest, recover, and heal.
Look at your result this way, if someone said you wouldn't be able to train on the bike as much as you should and then at mile 10 you'd have sharp, stabbing pain for the rest of the run, would you be satisfied with the result you got?
Dave
I ran NYC 26.2 with ITB in full effect and I know how painful it gets. Major kudos to you for still getting it done AND PRing the race
It was great meeting you up at LP this year.
Bonus:
found this photo on flickr@Derek - P90X is a great regimen (due to time constraints w/ swim, bike, run - I stopped other workouts such as core, Yoga) - I'm definitely going to incorporate Yoga year round even if it means sacrificing a run because I seem to have durability issues with my knees and hips
Again, thanks for all the kind words and congrats to all
What has kept it at bay for me is orthodics, ART, religious stretching/foam rollering. I hope you get it under control---when you do, you shall be force to reckon with!
I'll look for you at Syracuse.
Nice to meet you Joe too. And way to get it done through the pain. Amazing what wwe can put ourselves through to get to the finish. Great PR despite what you went through to get it.
@ Jeremy - see you in Syracuse, hopefully I'll be running soon
Great job on your race. It may not have been the PR you were looking for but it was still a PR to be proud of. You hung in there with the pain where many others would have just called it a day. Great job!
P
A PR despite the excruciating leg pain? Now that's Heaven and Hell!
Nice job nutting up and finishing the damned thing; well done.