IMCDA Race Report - Zero to Ironman in 6 months
Background
To set some context: this was my first Ironman and first triathlon, I have not swam, biked, or run more than a mile in about 20 years. I used to be in top shape from 17 years of hockey but for the past 20 years I have been working primarily in front of a computer so I was feeling like a slug. In mid-December, I decided it was time to set a BIG goal that would give me the motivation to really get back in shape. The Ironman seemed like a worthy goal so I checked ironman.com and IMCDA was the closest one. The only challenge was that it only gave me 6 months to train. Luckily, I found EN.
Race Plan
I knew from RR1 and RR2 that I could do the swim in about 1:30 and the bike in about 7:00. The run became the big question due to stabbing knees coming off a long bike. I tried foam rollers, new shoes, and running more frequently with less intensity but nothing seemed to help. So my race plan was to get the swim and bike done in about 8:30 and (if knees stab) walk the marathon at 4mph in 6:30, leaving myself 2 hours for transitions and anything else that comes up during the race.
Pre-Race
Swam with the team Friday morning in the choppy and cold water and drank about a gallon trying to swim into the wind. Saturday, listened to Rich's 4 Keys talk, checked my bike in, and got out of town. Rested and had a large early dinner for two. Watched a movie after that while sipping on a 300 calorie bottle of Infinit and then off to bed at 9pm. Race day I woke up at 4am and drove the 40 minutes to CDA and had another 300 calorie bottle of Infinit. Body marking at 5am, put bottles on bike and in transition bags, dropped off special needs bags, and then found my family. 6am, back to transition, waited in long bathroom line, 6:30 put wetsuit on, dropped off bag, and headed to the beach.
Swim - 1:40
I lined up in front of the pole about a 1/3 of the way from the left and about halfway up the beach. The swim out to the first turn buoy was so crowded I swam with my head up the whole time to keep from getting kicked or elbowed in the face. Swimming that way was more tiring and got my heart rate up but there wasn't much choice as slowing down meant getting run over. It seemed like the first turn buoy would never come and most of the way out you can't even see it. The corners weren't as bad as I thought they would be but probably because I was wrestling all the way out to them. It wasn't until the way back to the beach that it started to spread out enought that I could attempt swimming with my head down. This took awhile to get into a rhythm due to my heart rate. At this point I felt like I had been swimming forever and was expecting my first lap to be over an hour. I was completely surprised to see 47 minutes when I got out of the water to start my second lap.
Heading back down to the water for lap 2, I felt dizzy and sick in the stomach so I walked slowly into the water and took my time starting to swim slowly. Lap 2 was pretty unevenful and I was able to count strokes and get into a good rhythm. Even doing this, the second lap seemed like it took forever. On the way back, I found myself swimming inside the marker buoys and was by myself so that was nice for a change. Coming out of the water, I couldn't believe it said 1:40. I remember thinking to myself "I'm never doing that again" while stumbling up the sand to the transition area. Overall, not bad for my 4th open water swim ever and first in a crowd.
T1 - 9:29
I took my cap and goggles off and left them in the wetsuit sleeve while pulling my arm out (never to be seen again). Then took my Garmin 310XT off the quick release and pulled the other arm out. I remembered to hold my shorts (thanks Greg) when the volunteers pulled off my wetsuit. Then walked to get my bag and head to the tent. I would say the most time was spent getting the sand out from between my toes. Then off to my bike where a volunteer had already took it off the rack for me.
Bike - 7:30
As I rode out of the transition area, I heard my dad yell out one of his nicknames for me when I was a kid. That gave me a smile and reminded me to have fun and enjoy this experience. The bike is by far my favorite event in the Ironman so I was glad to have the swim behind me and settle in for a nice day of riding. The first out and back along the lake was good and I did my best to take it easy and let my body recover from the swim. After half an hour, I started on my Infinit. I had my Garmin set to beep every 8 minutes to remind me to take a sip of Infinit. I had tested this in the RRs and that would make one bottle last 3.5 hours. Coming into the hills around Hayden Lake, my legs felt great. As expected, I got into a cycle of getting passed on the uphills and passing the same people on the downhils and flats. I must have passed the same 50 people about 30 times throughout the day. My RR pace was 16 mph (not including restroom breaks) so my race day average of 14.91 mph was about right due to all the restroom breaks and sore knees on the hills during lap 2. Since I knew it was going to get up to 75 degrees before the bike was finished, I loaded up on water at each drink station. This mean stopping at almost every restroom on lap 2. Another thing I was happy about is that I was passing everyone around me when going downhill at 40+ mph so I think I have my aero dialed in. I was even passing people with aero helmets. So I finished the bike in 7:30 with the additional 30 minutes being a good trade-off for staying hydrated.
T2 - 3:53
My transition was pretty quick since I wore my runing shoes during the bike so all I had to do is change from bike jersey to singlet, helmet to hat, and strap on hydration belt (1 bottle of Infinit). Most of the time was getting suntan lotion from the volunteers and making another restroom stop.
Run - 7:06
Coming out of T2, my legs felt great so I thought I would try jogging slowly to see if my knees would hold up. I only made it up Sherman Ave to 3rd Street before both knees started stabbing. The decision I made at that point was not to run at all since I had given myself about 7:45 to finish the run and I knew I could walk it in about 6:30 at a 4mph pace. I was worried if I tried to run I would put enough stress on my knees that I might not even be able to walk the marathon. Since my goal was just to finish by midnight, I felt like this was my best strategy. So off I went fast walking through town.
I made it to about mile 5 before getting blisters on my left foot. Within a few miles I had blisters the width of both feet just behind the toes and across the back of both heels. That meant 21 miles walking on blisters. Ouch! I think this was partly due to using elastic laces (not tight enough) and walking on surfaces that weren't level (causing lots of foot movement in the shoes). I managed to keep my 4 mph pace through lap 1, which seemed to take forever. It was tough walking through town hearing all the "you are an Ironman" anouncements a block over and knowing I had 13 painful miles to go. I decided to stop at the Run special needs and change socks with a clean pair inside out since the outsides were smoother and would grind less on the blisters. This slowed me down 10 minutes but I figured it would improve my chances of keeping the 4mph pace for lap 2.
Lap 2 was the toughest thing I've ever done. Walking by yourself in the dark for hours in pain is definitely not my idea of fun. All I kept thinking was "going through all this pain and not finishing would suck" and "what would I post on Facebook if I didn't finish by midnight". The other challenge is that my knees started stabbing at the beginning of lap 2. So now I'm dealing with stabbing feet and knees on both legs for ever single step. I kept trying to find someone else walking to talk to get my mind off the pain but everyone wanted to run the downhills. Finally, with about 2 hours to go, I found someone about my height who was also dealing with knee issues and planning to walk it in so we agreed to walk together and keep each other at a 4 mph pace. Another decision I made was to stop taking in water with about 2.5 hours to go as my knees would start to sieze up when I stopped for a restroom break. I felt that once I stopped walking I was in jeopardy of not being able to start again so I decided to just keep moving for the last 2.5 hours.
Finish 16:31:15
Rounding the last corner onto Sherman Ave, I congratulated my new friend and he decided to run it in from there. I didn't think I could run if I wanted to so I kept walking. Coming down Sherman Ave walking down the middle of the road with all the people running out to high-five me was a cool experience. Then I came up to Crickets and the EN team came running out to cheer me on. I remember telling coach Rich that my knees were hurting too bad and I was going to have to walk through the finish line. He said something like "who cares, you're going to be an Ironman!!" After high-fiving the rest of the team, I continued walking down to the final shoot. Once I entered it, adrenalin from the crowd took over and I ran it in the last 150 feet. It was a painful day but "You are an Ironman" made it all worth it.
Shout Outs
Big shout outs to RnP for their training plans and race execution guidance that helped me get my swim and bike good enough to allow me time to walk the marathon with only 6 months of training. Shout outs to my EN teammates. Being part of a team made the Ironman experience so much better than if I had just trained and raced by myself.
What's Next
Now that I have achieved the bucket list item of becoming an Ironman, I will probably shift over to half Ironmans as a way to stay in the sport and stay in shape. The big question is whether I can figure out how to get my knees conditioned enough to run off a long bike. If not, I will probably just stick with short triathlons. But I have definitely caught the triathlon bug and will continue to train and race in some capacity for the years to come. I may try to do the Lake Stevens HIM if I can recover in the next few weeks and if I can build up enough SAUs ;-)
Comments
One thing that I noticed when I was coming up behind you on the bike is that it seemed like your knees were going out away from you a little as you pedaled upwards (instead of staying in a straight line). In thinking back, it's possible that that could be contributing to your knee problems on the run. I could be mistaken, but maybe take a look at your leg alignment as you pedal and see if that is in fact the case. Also, the fact that you went from out of shape to an Ironman in 6 months could be the reason as well.
Hopefully I'll see you in Lake Stevens in a few weeks.
Allen Eskelin YOU are an Ironman! It takes major cajones to walk a marathon especially at the end of an Ironman. Congratulations! Hope to see you at Lake Stevens but regardless I'm so glad to hear you’re taking a little time to reflect and are sticking with the sport. Cheers!
Congrats!
way to tough it out, Allen.
best of luck at your future races!
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Allen- great job finishing the race. You are an Ironman. I think you are wise to try some shorter races and let your legs get accustomed to the stress of triathlon training and racing. Have fun and enjoy while your tendons and ligaments get use to the effort.
Congratulaitons!!! See you down the road.
It's a tough nut to crack, going for your first Tri with an Ironman. But you did it! Great to meet you and hope to see you at Lake Stevens.
Allen - Frankly, I'm a bit in awe of what you did. The swim and the run were BIG chellenges for you; yet you had a smile on your face every time I went by you in the afternoon. Try the Triple Threat on July 16 at Ft Lewis - triathlon without the crowds, distance or high prices!