IMFL 2010 Race Report - finally...
Florida RR
So on Saturday November 6, I found myself on the shores of the Gulf of
Mexico with about 2500 of my crazy friends getting ready to embark on
a king sized journey. The air temperature is high thirties or low
forties and we are about to go for a swim. See I told you they were
crazy. But first a little background on the trip.
Debbie and I arrived in The Sunshine State on Wednesday with rain,
scattered thunderstorms, wind, low temperatures and forecasts of more
to come. My plan on Wednesday was to drive the bike course, get
through athlete check in and do a quick ride to be sure all was in
order. It rained all day on Wednesday including the time I waited
outside in a reasonable line to take care of athlete check in, I
correctly thought the lines would be much longer on Thursday as those
lines would include new arrivals and those folks who had sense enough
to stay out of the rain, i got checked in, picked up my bike also in
the rain and made a quick pass through the expo deciding to save the
ride for Thursday.
Thursday dawned, okay you couldn't see the sun due to the cloud cover
but I just know it was there, with some light rain. My bike was dry
and ready for a check ride. Deb drove out a few miles ahead of me and
I rode about three miles before it started to rain pretty hard. I
really had wanted to ride a bit more of the course but it just was not
to be at that time. Did I mention it was windy and cool? About noon
on Thursday I saw blue sky for the first time. There wasn't much but
it was there. So on went the wetsuit and out to the Gulf I went for a
swim. There were about a half dozen or so people in the water and it
felt really good. The water was in the low 70s so warmer than the air
by a bit. I got out of the water and went for a very easy run and
then my onsite prep work was complete.
I took Friday completely off. Friday morning the cold front had
arrived complete with "angry ocean", big wind, and cold. Hmmmm, uh,
Sunshine State? I looked out the window and saw several folks headed
out to swim - I am sure just to get a feel for it and get their minds
right in case that was the hand we were dealt. I decided to deal with
it Saturday if necessary. The talk on Friday was swimming was tough
with big current and waves. The weather guys were predicting the
coldest day in Panama City this year for Saturday and the locals were
worried about plants and trees. I went to bed early.
I woke up at 2am to eat and had actually slept pretty well. After
eating I stared at the ceiling a bit but also got a bit more sleep
before I was up for good about 4:15. Left to walk to transition at
about 5 and breezed right through body marking. The volunteers were
great here, I had two working on me at once. Shoulders marked, thighs
marked, calf aged and "Believe" on one forearm and "Execute" on the
other. I then rolled my bike over for air. There were three people
ahead of me so as I got closer I loosened my valves. The rear core
flew off at about 100 miles an hour. Of course there was zero chance
of finding it in the dark so I moved to the bike tech tent for a new
valve extension. No waiting, valve core replaced, tire aired,
disaster averted. I went into the hotel to find somewhere warm to sit
down. That was such great idea over the next several minutes the
entire population of the United States wandered in with me. There was
no one by the swim start and no one seemed to be in a hurry to get
down there. We finally had to suit up and go. I stopped by the VIP
viewing area to tell Debbie and Taylour bye and stubbed my toe going
up the stairs - great - a stubbed frozen digit. I said my goodbyes and
was actually one of the early ones across the swim mat. I stood in
the water to keep my feet warmer until they made us get out. During
the National Anthem i looked around to take in the whole scene, tons
of people, spectators and athletes, anxious faces, music, nervous
adjusting of goggles, shouts of encouragement. Then BOOM - it was
time to go. A whole bunch of people moving into the water at once,
deeper, deeper, a bit further, now swim. I ran aground on bodies,
okay, slide off and swim again. Big right to left current, stay to
the right and let the current carry you over to the buoys. Big kick
to the left side of the face, no blood, no foul, swim on. Arms
flailing, legs flying, multiple body blocks, there have been less
physical UFC fights. It was a tough start to the first lap - but as
always, it clears up and you can get in a rhythm and get your swim on.
Beautiful clear water and some interesting wildlife to look at, oh
that's the orange turn buoy. Make a left turn and let the current help
you, now turn back to shore and stay inside as much as you can so the
current doesn't carry you down the beach. The last few yards of the
swim loop were really much colder water, noticeably so. Out of the
water, across the mat, look, there's Debbie and Taylour, halfway done,
a quick drink and then follow the line back into the water. Much less
contact on the second loop. I have heard the water on the second loop
is usually rougher but I didn't really notice a difference. Make the
turns and bring it home. A pretty even split and an okay swim overall
for me. Wetsuit stripped and then through the hanging hoses for a
rinse. Could it be colder?
Into T1, just methodically got dressed and moved on out. I went with
a compression top, jersey and arm warmers and kept them all on the
entire bike ride. Many wore more, many wore less, but I think I was
dressed just right for me. I had taken in some salt water on the swim
so I went with just water to try to dilute that and the possible
effects for the first 15 miles or so before I started hitting the
calories. I didn't feel sick but I didn't feel great either so I just
took it easy on the ride and tried to get in some water. Out 79 to 20
was uneventful but the calories were just not going down and I was
getting further and further behind on my eating plan. I hear Rich in
my head sayIng less is better so I am okay with it, just aware. Look
at that sign, i think it is indicating bears in the are, that's
interesting. About mile 30-35 the leader goes by at mile 80-85, now
in a word, that kinda sucks..I have a long way to go. By the way the
wind is picking up and it seems to have been on my nose in both
directions. I make the turn to go south and it is not only a nice
road, it is downwind...ahhhh...speed. And then it ends, we turn again
onto 388 and there's the wind - really how can it be in my face again?
Taking it past =================, the road turns to crap. There are
cracks every where and your junk is bouncing. There are water
bottles, tubes, CO2 cartridges, a Thanksgiving turkey, all manner of
fodder scattered on the road. Pay attention here, dodge the stuff, try
to find a smooth spot and it is about here that it feels i have slowed
to a crawl and the distance isn't moving on my power meter. Just ride
through it, the feeling will subside, moods oscillate all day, let's
ride. There's the turnaround. Head back, bumps continue. Wind in my
face out, wind in my face back, perfect. Turn right onto ======. Guess
what, yep, wind in my face. Three miles and then back onto 20. Now
this is interesting, not only is the wind in my face but those look
like hills.....NO......NO.......NO.......Florida is pancake flat.
Folks, if your pancakes look like that, don't call me for breakfast.
Shut Up And Ride, you baby. Mmmmmm, my left Achilles seems to be
tightening up - monitor that. Stop at the aid station and stretch at
mile 70 or so, mount up and let's get this done. Feeling pretty good
at this point. Make the turn at highway 79 expecting a tailwind, nope.
But it is not too bad, just no help either. Turn to the Steelfield
Dump, wind across me, turnaround, wind across on the way back too.
Drop back onto 79, take it back into town, turn on the Beach Road and
get blown around as the wind channels through the buildings, be alert
here, almost done, don't let anything bad happen now. Look at the
calm water in the Gulf, and the breeze in onshore now instead of
offshore as it was this morning. At least that explains some of the
bike course wind. Bear to the right on Thomas and woohoo there's the
dismount line. Thank you, marvelous people for taking my bike. I head
to transition.
I feel okay now but I am concerned about my lack of calories. I have
taken in less than half of what I expected. I stretch a bit, change
into dry comfortable clothes and prepare for what I know will be a
long marathon. As I come out of T2 i ask a volunteer to tell Debbie
(who was volunteering at the finish line) that I was heading out on
the run. This was the only volunteer to let me down - he didn't get
word to Debbie - but I believe he tried and was just unable to find
her. I worked my run/walk strategy through the first few miles
keeping my pace in check and monitoring my Achilles and other
ever-present-by-this-point aches, but nothing seemed critical. I got
to the park before dark so I got to see the park in the daylight which
was good as I had heard it was dark and lonely later in the evening.
I was intrigued by the Don't Feed The Wildlife sign until I came upon
the alligator sign. A guy beside me said, "don't worry, they move
really slow in the cold". HELLO, have you checked my pace. I am moving
really slow too. Out of the park and back toward the turnaround I go.
Happy to see lights and a few people. Back onto Surf drive - this is
a party - and then veer onto Thomas to get down to the turnaround. I
would really like to go to the right but i have another lap So out I
go, less runners, oh yeah, it's getting late, keep up the pace - you
are fine. I can tell I am slowing but only minimally at this point,
Achilles is not happy, stomach is not happy, head and heart team up to
tell them to Shut Up. I am struggling at the entrance to the park,
there are not many other runners, I am wondering just how fast IS a
cold alligator, but I keep moving, running a bit, walking more.
There's the Ford Inspiration Station - look, there's my name, Debbie
says, "hurry up". I laugh and run a bit. About 6.5 miles to go.
Let's get this done. You know the next 6 miles, they hurt, period.
It hurts to walk, it hurts to run, it just hurts. I run as I can, my
Achilles screams, I walk - over and over. Then I see the turn to Surf.
This will be over soon. I stop to get a rock out of my shoe that I
have enjoyed for about 12 miles. Don't ask why I waited until now. I
couldn't tell you, but I am thinking I don't want that rock in my shoe
at the finish line. It made sense at the time. I make the two little
curves onto Thomas and can see the Alvin's Island that leads to the
finish chute. I am beginning to run a bit. Hey, nothing really hurts.
There's the finish. Listen to the crowd. High fives on both sides of
the chute. I hear I am an Ironman for the second time. Wow, this
finish line is heavEN.
Debbie and Taylour catch me. A great moment to share with my wife and
daughter. Debbie puts my medal around my neck. An unforgettable
moment. Off to food and massage. What a day.
Retrospectively, I had a tough day, no excuses. Just a tough day. Some
things didn't work out the way I planned but the EN mojo works. Having
an execution plan is important. Being able to adapt and improvise
intelligently is critical. I appreciate all of Team ENs help in that
education. I don't know how someone without this resource could
possibly get close to the combined experience and brains in here. Two
years ago (almost to the day) I met Rich, explained I was slow and
wondered if EN was right for me. His response, "you may be slow but
you can still be smart", it was smart that got me through Saturday.
Thanks to everyone, you all own a piece of my medal.
Comments
Hey Brian,
Great race report! Yep, I remember meeting you after my 4k talk at IMAZ a couple years ago. Thanks for your support over the years!