IMAZ - Race Report - Chuck Peterson
Just wanted to add a little to this fountain of knowledge by posting what happened to me at my first IM. Arizona is reported to be "an easy" Ironman - so much so that a guy I ran into while training here in Boise told me that he was going to do Silverman instead because IMAZ was simply too easy. Good for him. For old slow guys, I thought it was plenty of challenge, especially with the wind, rain and hail. And did I mention dead animals along the roadside during the bike? Coyotte (or fox), German Shephard, and other unidentifiable critters in various state of decay. But back to the event -
I was afraid of the swim until the dam burst and the water emptied. When that happened I thought that I might have made a sound first ironman choice - although without the swim it seemed like there would be even less respect for IMAZ than I had already heard. Then they fixed the dam, refilled the "lake" and allowed it to fester in the heat for a month or so. Kind of looked like chocolate pudding when I went to look on Friday - but it was not too cold by Idaho standards. On Sunday it was just as advertised - 2.4 miles of flailing arms, feet and goggled amusement. After things "thinned out" it was fine. My fear is gone - pulled out of the water at a little under 1:30, I was ready to ride.
But then came the strangest thing - the headwind I had experience on Friday with EN mates out for a little ride - was gone. Tailwind up the hill is not as good as tailwind downhill. Just riding along and made the turn into a blast of cold air that nearly stopped me cold. It got colder and windier and rainy and started hailing and generally making the ride unpleasant. Here's the thing, I am slow. So I expected to be out there a while. Six and a half hours would not have surprised me and would have kept me on pace. But I also had to pee - repeatedly and at times when the nearest porta-john was 10 miles or so away. And at my age I am not going to pee myself and watch it flow neatly down my scrawny leg and into my shoes. I saw that on the course and I suppose that is part of the sport for some - but not for me. Al Truscott told us on Thursday night that even he stopped to pee, so I did the same. The first time I waited 8 minutes to get in the john and nearly ended up with it in my shoe anyway. I had 3 stops during the bike so I lost a little time there. But here's the other thing - my times on the bike got faster each segment. That was a good thing if I understand the EN schtick. Total time 7:12 - which is disappointing and slow and makes it look like that Outseason Training Plan was not worth the investment - but did I mention there was wind and I had to stop to pee?
A word here about transitions - slow may be smooth and smooth is supposed to be fast - but mine seemed both slow and smooth. Add another 17 minutes of eternity.
Which brings us to the run. Walk. Crawl. But do not quit. Off the bike I took some potato chips. They sounded salty good and they were, but they also did not set well. I thought I had taken in enough salt on the bike with my Infinit - but I think that was not the case. I was craving salt and non-sweet stuff and by mile 8,I was walking (which is really just running slower than you hope). John Stark came to my rescue - "you've got all night . . . just keep going! You can do this!" He was right. I could not do it running right then, but after nearly ten miles of chicken broth and a little Coke, I rallied by mile 18 and a funny thing happened. I started running. Running. Legs moving and feet pushing and people passing for 8 more miles. I passed 197 people. Really. Road kill - land carp. And I finished with a smile - which was my one thing.
So there it is. Old slow guy finishes IMAZ with a smile. Not at my goal time or pace. And with one gastric reset.
Thanks R&P. Thanks EN. Special thanks to Stark and friends. Thanks Al for your inspiration. And special thanks to my family for putting up with me for this past year.
Doing IMAZ? Have a blast!
Comments
Your race results and your race report are a definite inspiration to me. Thanks for doing the work, being an Ironman, and writing about it!
Rubin
Dude, that wasn't me! That was "The Machine!"
Way to go, Chuck! You had a great attitude all weekend and it was a pleasure to meet you and seeing you along your march to the finish line. HUGE congrats, Ironman! Wear the mDot proudly!
Your successful finish shows that Ironman is first and foremost about commitment, perserverence, and building confidence through rejuvenation. We are ALL proud of you.
excellent job, Chuck! i thought that was hail on the course! it sure hurt like hail.
you toughed it out and finished. that's what it's all about.
rest up and enjoy your accomplishment.
GH