Kitboo's IMMoo Adventure
Prologue:
One year ago when I clicked the Submit button for this race, I had been swept up by the challenge of Coach Rich’s pink speedo bet and the buzz around doing an IM with all my Chica sisters. I had never set foot in Wisconsin much as less considered doing an IM there. I was still recovering from a running injury and had spent the summer goofing off on my mountain bike.
The running injury lingered until March. I knew that 6 months (after 10 months of ZERO meaningful running) would not be enough time to put together the run fitness I wanted for this race. My motivation to train nearly fizzled out with the cumulative frustration with the running injury. Which lead to:
- Race day FTP being 20 watts lower than “normal”
- Race day Vdot at least 3 points lower
I’m not making excuses for my overall time or splits because the triumph of my race is not in them. Instead, I just wanted to illustrate how nonoptimal my fitness was. I figured that if I couldn’t be fast (for me! It’s all relative.), I could at least be smart about execution.
Act I:
Dave Boyle found me a good Thai restaurant in Madison. Thank you, Dave! The owners are Thai so I had a grand old time chatting with them and ordered up my big Saturday lunch of soup noodles and a dinner of sticky rice, spicy papaya salad (Esan style!), and Thai barbeque chicken. So it wasn’t the austere pre-race meal devoid of fiber and spices. I was just so happy to be eating Thai food.
For breakfast, I just couldn’t stomach the thought of choking down a bagel or toast at 4am. So I tagged along with the Boyles (they are my food heroes) to Panera and bought a Bear Claw. I figured if I had race morning nerves there should be something yummy around that I would want to eat. Yep, I’m a Food Princess. Yep, that Bear Claw was absolutely delicious on race morning
Act II:
I started to the left of the ski jump---rather aggressive considering I never swam more than twice a week during Race Prep, but I wanted to swim the shortest distance possible. I don’t mind the scrum and kept a Care Bear attitude about all contact. I figured Mr. Punchy Kicky and his swim buddies were just trying to nudge me in the right direction along the buoy lines. I peed 4 times on the swim (so Bear Claws are diuretics?)---felt like a frog. You know: you pick up frog and it starts peeing immediately.
A fellow athlete who was probably a former MMA fighter elbowed me in the right eye and knocked my contact out of that eye. I didn’t realize that the contact had jettisoned until I was running up the helix and figured out that the blurry vision wasn’t from foggy goggles. So T1 was a whopping 12 minutes long as I had to find a bathroom with a mirror to put a new contact on my eye.
The first part of the bike was crowded going through narrow bike lanes and country roads heading out to Verona. I found Gina just a bit before Whalen Road. We rode easy, easy watts. I hadn’t seen or talked to my pal, Gina, all week so we’re chatting away. Some woman passes us and makes a snarky comment about me being in the passing zone for a bit too long. After rolling my eyes, I tuck behind Gina and continue our conversation. Before I know it, a race official on a motorcycle is beside me with a drafting penalty. Doh! The official seemed almost apologetic about it since the bike course was so crowded. “I was having such an engaging conversation with my girlfriend.” I said sheepishly. So I stood in the penalty tent in Verona for 4 minutes. The officials there were nice enough to let me pee while I was there. I wasn’t trying to draft or cheat, but it’s race not a Title 9 tea party.
After 90 minutes, my IF = 0.63. Perfect. I settle into some steady riding to keep the IF around 0.68. Folks hammer up the hills ahead of me only to let up and start coasting at the crest of the climb. I do the EN dance of “Pass me on the climbs then I zip by you on the descents”. I’m consuming 250 Cal/hour of Infinit with 24 oz of fluid/hour and 650mg of sodium/hour. I pee large amounts around every 2 hours until 4.5 hours into the ride. At that point I notice that it’s getting warm and my urine output has dropped. I pour 2 bottle of water on myself at every aid station and increase my fluid intake to 35 oz/hour, my sodium intake to 990mg/hour, the caloric intake stays the same.
With the increase in fluid intake and heat, I have one episode of regurgitation (not vomiting, but a little acid reflux). I drop my watts to let some blood flow to the GI system so I can absorb the much needed fluid and continue to pour copious amounts of water on myself to drop my body temp (thereby decreasing the amount of blood flow to my skin to cool myself). After 30 minutes, I pass gas out my southern end and stop burping (yes, it’s a lot of TMI but it’s how I monitor myself) and pee in a larger volume. Rehydration achieved and GI motility returns! Woohoo!
That relief is short-lived as my bike computer mount comes undone and I’m holding my Joule unattached in my hand. Well, frickety frack! Kevin had made me a bike computer mount out of PVC pipe and zip ties which was working perfectly, but looked a bit ghetto. So 3 days before the race, I go the bike shop in Madison and get a whole new bike computer mount---and now the stupid thing isn’t even attached to my bike. Do I ride the next 2 hours holding the bike computer in my hands? Nope. I stuck it into my aerodrink. Now I’m the weird girl staring into her aerobar mounted water bottle while riding.
I turn up the effort (IF=0.71) for the last 2 hours and am passing many, many people with my puny watts. I felt so so strong and smooth and happy---I wish I could bottle that feeling! I rolled into T2 with a big smile and no “I never want to see my bike again!” feelings at all. Final IF=0.68, VI=1.05.
Act III:
I’m feeling really, really good (better than any run that followed any bike ride during training)…”But wait, Boon! Cool your jets! Time to run stoopid slow.” I tell myself. The Garmin doesn’t find a signal for 3 miles. Sheesh. I pass the 1 mile marker and find that I’ve gone 1 whole minute/mile faster than I should be running. Crap! I stroll through the next aid stations like I’m at the Country Buffet just to slow my average pace down. Running through Camp Randall Stadium was just awesome. I really like college football and was humming my alma mater’s fight song for the next 5 miles.
At mile 6, I hold that stoopid slow pace because I know I flubbed the first miles of the run. The urine output drops again so I’m drinking water at every aid station and pouring cups of ice down my singlet and into my shorts. I’m feeling really HUNGRY---like I want to eat some ice cream or a pastrami sandwich. I have to be really careful now as I’ve been out on this course for a long time and must judiciously dose my fluid, sodium, and caloric intake. So salt tabs and water for this aid station. The next one: coke and water only. The next one: caffeinated gel and water only.
As the miles tick past, the aches and pains slowly become more pronounced. At one point, I found myself shuffling along with my poor posture. It was then that I told myself to be conscious about my run form for the rest of the race. I thought of the visual cues to stand straight, tilt my pelvis out, roll my feet, load/unload---all those things learned from Coach P’s analysis of my run and discussions I’ve had with Leigh Boyle about proper run technique.
I told myself that I will make relentless forward motion, that there was no good reason to stop running now. At mile 18, I started to count some road kill but lost track around #5 (I suck at math). Instead, I focused on my run form cues and monitoring my hydration status and GI motility.
Around mile 22, I hit The Line. After the aid station under the bridge, there was a small climb which my body convinced my mind that it was okay to walk up. Up until that point, I had only walked (and no more than 30 steps) at the aid stations. I let myself walk an extra 30 steps up that hill. What a mistake! It hurt so badly to start running again that there was no way I was going to walk until I crossed the finish line.
At mile 24, I remember Coach Rich saying something about how folks vying for a Kona spot must go deep into the hurt locker. “So it’s time to hurt yourself Boon!” I said. Not that I was anywhere near a Kona qualifying time (unless they had a division for Bear Claw eating drafters at the BOP). Not that I wasn’t hurting at that point either. I just felt like I had to see how much I could hurt myself MORE. So my pace increases from glacial speeds to that of an energetic snail. I crossed that magnificent Finish Line knowing that I had left what little I had out on the course. It was the transcendental and joyous IM moment I had never had!
The Epilogue:
I hold these truths to be self-evident:
- That race day is truly about execution and not fitness.
- That last minute changes before race day (except consumption of Bear Claws) is a dumb idea.
- That emotion-less analysis and thinking during the race will solve most problems.
I would not have had the run I had without Rich and Patrick’s pacing guidance and mental strategies. Never in a million years. Thank you to the Coaches and the wisdom and support of my EN family!
What a wondrous journey this year has been! I could never have imagined such a fun, funny, and spectacular race weekend. The pink speedo show nearly caused me to crash on Midtown. Completely unexpected! My eyes zeroed in on 5 pink spandex clad crotches and I just about fell off the bike.
At mile 18 on the run, the pink speedo brigade plus EN Sherpas cheering, dancing, a$$-slapping (both ways)---all with set to music!---was certainly a sight to behold. I’m too young to have ever been to Studio 54, but I think that experience beats it hands down.
A gazillion hugs to my Chica girlfriends who supported me through the entire year. I am blessed to have you as my friends and sisters.
Lastly, my deepest gratitude and love to Kevin who is the best IronSherpa EVER and an even more wonderful and extraordinary DH!
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Comments
Wonderful RR, Kit!! You were sooo completely solid out there. I was so upset when you got that penalty, but clearly it didn't hurt ya much !!
I am so stinkin' happy for you. So cool, such a great report. You are Awesomeness. Congrats.
cm
you rock, even if you are a bear claw eating drafter! I was surprised you didn't fall off your bike at mile 48... you were so shocked to see the guys in speedos... too funny, I wish I had a picture of that.
In any event, great to meet you and an honor to cheer for you and the chicas.
And great report... I've been taking notes from all the reports I've read since LP... and the contacts tip is a great one! I would be done if I lost a contact and that would be so horribly wrong... and thanks for all your help and advice about bike stuff... looking forward to power in the off season!
Bear Claw? Good call. I actually had one before the Oly where I got my first hardware. Panera bear claws are awesome race nutrition!
And I gazillion hugs right back! What are we doing next?
Bear claw, schmare claw. That stupendous day is directly due to that double-meat-egg-biscuit travesty I saw you eat with my own two eyes on Saturday morning.
Trust me people, it was an ugly egg sammich. I thought sure that thing was coming up in Lake Monona.
I could not be happier for you. You got your head in the game, stayed strong and focused, and there are the results. Congratulations so much!
I had a great time hanging with you and Kevin, absolutely. Tons of fun, and much laughing. Rest up, my friend. We've got more to do together in the future.
PS--I have your tube. I'll ship it to you when I dig it out of my unpacked bags.
Awesome - drafting penalty! You are hard core!
I saw your finish - you looked so frickin' cute! Nice job getting it done on a challenging course!!
Hilarious RR. nice job on the execution as well. and love the drafting penalty - seriously
my tolstoy novel is sounding so tolstoy-like at the current moment (ie very long and boring!!!)
I couldn't believe it when I heard you got stuffed in the penalty tent. Wha!!??? That ain't right puttin' a chica in the penalty tent! It sounds like you used your time wisely though!
You were awesome running through to the finish! All smiles. Congrats!
Now...time to pump those 29er tires and roll on some dirt!
Kit I didn't know you got a stinkin penalty!!! Hate those..got one once and it made me so mad!! Fun seeing u on the run...thanks for the encouragment I think you passed me as I was walking trying to figure out what to do about my hydration problem. You are so right about execution and thinking through problems to fix them. I was thinking, gotta get rehydrated as trouble was looming.....you looked very determined to keep running....I remember thinking, "how can she run like that when I feel so crappy
" Way to git er dun gf!!
You can listen to Kitima's podcast with me here:
Great report and great race Boon!
PS- I saw the chichory flowers on the course and thought of you :-)
Kitima,
I don't know if you can track my posting. do you think it's worthy of getting it to RnP's attention about how cold fluids slow gstric emptying. That would be useful in the case of a person suffering from GI shutdown?!?! I know you were smart enough to deal with that when you had GI issues on the bike. I unfortunately was not that smart