Lowell's IMAZ Race Report
IMAZ Race Report
Date: 11/22/2009
Time: 7:00am
Location: Tempe Town Lake Park
The day began like any other race day. But keep in mind this was my first M-dot and iron distance race, so I was not within my zone of comfort. There were many unknowns for me. The first thing I did was drink two bottles of Ensure Plus (700Cal) at 1:30 am. I had another half bottle and half a bagel at 5:00am. Several of us from NC rode together on the hotel shuttle over to the race site. I was surprised to see how many spectators were crammed around TA. The atmosphere was definitely highly charged with excitement.
The age group swim started at 7:00am, but we had to get in the water early to be sure every one had time to swim the 200 yards or so to the starting line. Water temperature was 60 something and cold. I must admit, it felt good for a while. Before the start, I fiddled with my goggles, b/c they started to leak which is something that hadn’t happened with this pair. Maybe that was a sign of things to come? I seeded myself about five or six rows back from the front. In rehearsals, I had swum the distance in 1:06 and 1:09, so I figured I was seeded well. That was the best part of the swim. After that, it was one thing after another. I had planned on being crowded for the first 500 meters or so, but it seems like I was fighting for space the entire swim. I think I got some relief for about 500 meters after the second turn buoy. But right after that turn is when the cold hit me. I wear a sleeveless suit. Also, about 3 years ago, I had a panic attack in the water (during training) so I cut a slit in the neck of the suit to loosen it. That slit lets in a lot of water. I think it’s time to sew it and/or get a full body suit. So a little while after I got cold, I started getting nauseous. I wear silicon ear plugs to prevent the temperature differential from making me sick, but something was upsetting my stomach and making me dizzy. Between the cold, the nausea, and fighting other swimmers, I knew my pace was horribly slow. To make things worse, my goggles were foggy the whole time and I couldn’t see anything but splashing. Then, under the North bound Mill Ave. bridge, my legs started to cramp. It started with the right foot and calf, but didn’t stop there. Both legs were fully cramped up and my bottom half was sinking. I felt paralyzed. By the time I got to the steps to get out of the water, the legs had relaxed a bit and I was able to pull myself out. Swim time was 1:21:53.
I hobbled to T1 shivering cold and very disoriented. I noticed one athlete on the ground in the fetal position being helped by a volunteer. He was cold. Although the sun was up, I knew I wouldn’t get warm by standing around the TA, so I got changed as fast as my cold hands would allow. Grabbing and mounting my bike was no problem, but staying steady was.
After mounting the bike, I realized that I was still shaking from the cold. Not as violently as when I tried the use the Port-O-Let in the TA. You can image how useless it was to aim! But I was shaking enough that I was too unsteady in the aero position. So I stayed in the base bars for about 10 miles which is about the time it took me to warm up. My gearing for the bike ride was:
1st = 140w
2nd = 145w
3rd = 150w
4th = 160w
That was based on an FTP of 210w and IF of .70. Once I got settled into the aero bars, I focused on maintaining that 145 watts. I would post some real numbers here, but I haven’t been able to upload them from the PowerTap yet. That’s another long story that I won’t go into here. Nothing wrong, just my lack of forsight. So my first loop on the bike felt good and I’m pretty sure that I kept the watts right near 145… while I was on the bike. I had to stop twice on the first loop just to urinate and once to fix my brakes. But during that first loop, there was a tail wind on the way back (downhill too). Each time I checked my power during the second and third loops, I noticed my watts were well below the targeted 145. Also, I had to stop for pee breaks at least three more times before the bike was finished. I was carrying three bottles of Infinit with the goal of consuming 300Cal/hr. On one RR ride, I bonked with 250Cal/hr and the next one was perfect with 300Cal/hr. RnP recommend 200 to 250Cal/hr, so I knew I was going against advice, but I can’t ignore the results of my RRs (confounded as they may be). Perhaps I didn’t bonk in RR due to low energy. It could have just been a bad day. But on race day, I didn’t use all my Infinit and I estimate that I actually took in about 275Cal/hr. I felt good, just slower than the target. I dissolved salt tabs in my aero bottle water which must have worked b/c I didn’t suffer any cramps the whole race after the swim. My target sodium intake was 1000mg/hr, but b/c I didn’t use all the salt tabs, the actual sodium intake was closer to 700mg/hr. Bike time was 6:52:37 (includes stops).
T2 was a breeze compared to T1. I was able to quickly shed my bike clothes and don the shoes/cap and out the door. At least that’s how it felt. I actually lingered a bit.
Running has been my limiter since I started running competitively. The best I’ve been able to run a 5K has been 22:20 for a vDot of 43. So my plan was to run the first six miles of the marathon at a 10:30 pace. Everyone always warns each other to be careful b/c we tend to run faster than we think we are, especially after the bike ride. I could be the exception! I felt like I was running at 10:00/mi so I was going to slow it down a bit. One look at the GPS told me I was running at 11:14/mi. Oops! So I held it there… for as long as I could. I was near mile four when I felt something terrible in my gut and I realized that I had consumed a lot of water on the bike, but hadn’t urinated since. My stomach had stopped. Soon the awful feeling turned into pain. I had to walk. For the next14 miles, I alternated walking and running. Scott Johnson from the Wilmington, NC team joined me about mile seven and we ran/walked together. His companionship kept me with the game and my mind off the pain. But something new happened. I began to embrace the pain. I recognized it as a part of me. And the pain gave way to a new sensation. I had passed up most of the aid station offerings, so by mile 15 I was a bit disoriented and my mind was fuzzy. At the aid station right before the hill (in Papago Park) I took some flat cola and a couple of cookies. Normally, I don’t care for sweet carbonated drinks, but this actually tasted good. Clarity returned and I felt much better. With one more loop to go, Scott and I parted ways. At that point I picked up a run expecting to walk shortly after, but the walking didn’t happen. When I crossed mile 18 and saw the EN logo, I was ready to start counting road kill. Of course, by that time, RnP were long gone and the only road kill to count was already walking… slowly. But I lost count of the people I passed. For the last mile, I ran a 8:00/mi and picked it up to a 7:30/mi as I came down the chute gathering some more road kill along the way and slapping hands with exited spectators. Run time was 6:16:21.
Overall time was 14:52:45. Ironman Arizona was an excellent race. I’m very happy with my performance and my time, even though I know I can do better. Although I didn’t get to meet all the EN athletes there, I did meet Gina, Eric and Dave at different points a long the bike route. I even heard Gina’s name announced soon after I finished, but I couldn’t find her in the mayhem.
There are many lessons to learn from this race for me. Perhaps the easiest lesson is that I may have taken in too many Calories during the bike ride. That’s the only reason I can find for my stomach problems. I will have to experiment with that in the upcoming year. For the swim, I’m not sure what to do. My goggles caused me problems, but had never done so in the past. For cramping, I may need to try heavy electrolyte intake with my early morning Ensure. And more electrolytes with breakfast. As for the crowded conditions and fighting, I think I just have to deal with it. A long sleeve wet suit will help against the cold and some Tylenol will probably help with the nausea.
All in all it was a great experience and I have so many people to thank, because this isn’t something you just decide to do all by yourself. For me, the social network that I strengthened during training and the electric atmosphere of the race were awesome.
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Comments
when will you have the power data? that will help with the analysis.
what was different about your RR #2 and race day that worked out so different? any thoughts? While based on very little info I would also guess that you ate too much on the ride. This is based totally on the fact that it sounds like once you had time to digest what was in your stomach you ran out of gas but then were able to add some calories and keep going. Seems like it is always better to err on the side of too little food than too much. You are never too far from food in an IM and it is a lot easier to eat more than to walk until you can process the too much.
Other than maybe eating less on the bike what are your take a ways from the day? what do you intend to do differently? what did you learn?
Oh and congrats on your first IM, kinda cool huh?
Lowell,
Congratulations on finishing your first IM; well done. I pinky promise you that racing/doing an IM can be better/easier than what you just experienced. Well...maybe not THAT much easier... Anyway, stick with it and keep refining you knowledge and understanding; it'll get better.
Overcoming those challenges only makes the day sweeter, Lowell. Great job on your first IM. I can empathize on the swim - that water was frickin' cold. Funny how magical that cola is later in the run (M-dot is too cheap to buy real Coke!).
Lowell
Congratulations! You are an Ironman. Enjoy some much deserved R&R.
Dave
Also, when I jumped in water, the guy next to me was only wearing a speedo!!!! Hope he made it.
Congratulations on your first IM---there's nothing else like it for sure! A full wetsuit or at least one without the neck cut out would be nice Christmas present.
Congrats Lowell! Sounds like just getting through the swim was a challenge and you did a great job dealing with everything that followed.