IMC Race Report: Egg Beater, My Efficient Ass and Ice, Ice Baby!
Hi EN Peeps!
My race report was written for my blog and a decidedly NON triathlete audience at http://jennifermaeedwards.blogspot.com/
Apologies for all the background info. I very much welcome any insight/corrections/critiques etc. All in the name of improvement for 2012!
It was great to train and race with the EN guidance this year and I'm really enjoyed meeting a few of y'all in person in Penticton!
Mahalo! 
IMC Race Report: Egg Beater, My Efficient Ass and Ice, Ice Baby!
Aloha!
First and foremost a big MAHALO to everyone who gave words of encouragement this year, travelled to Penticton to be part of the Cowbell Crew, took time out of their Sunday on race day to check in on my progress, and to YOU for reading this damn long race report! And last, but not least thanks to Mark who makes this all possible AND fun!
*************************************************************************************
The Year of the Data Geek
What a Year! After completing my first Ironman in Canada in 2010, 2011 was all about learning, learning, learning and hopefully improving! As such, my goals shifted from simply finishing with a smile and running the marathon to executing smartly according to a “pace and power” protocol. I joined a team called Endurance Nation which was all about intensity and time management. The swim, my strength and consuming barely 10% of an Ironman day was put on the back burner with just two swims a week until a few months before the race. The big bang for my time investment was to be had on the bike. There I acquired a power meter (built into new wheels!) that measured the amount of pressure I put on the pedals, did my training and racing at very specific percentages of my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and slapped some Endurance Nation graphics on my wheel to represent! On the run, I learned all about my “vDot” which is basically one number that correlated to my speed across all distances. That number was applied to races, tests and training paces. I worked hard all year to continue to make that number bigger… even a fraction of an improvement was cause for celebration!
Life Balance!?! As a result of this training philosophy shift, the amount of time I spent training and prepping for training went down while the overall effort, measured as a Training Stress Score (TSS) went up for a couple of reasons. First of all, I got really comfy riding my bike on the stationary trainer. This eliminated a lot of driving to bike locations, cleaning a dirty bike, dressing for our perma-shitty weather, etc. Instead I just rolled out of bed and into our “Pain Cave” and went to town with a good movie on the TV. 100% simpler and my efforts were rewarded with a continually growing FTP. Secondly , the intensity of the training went up, wayyyyy up. There was no such thing as an “easy” run or ride. Even my long mile runs had segments at tempo pace in them and trust me, four plus hours on a bike trainer at 80% + intensity is no joke either. Consequently, I came into the race mentally fresher, much stronger on the bike, faster on the run and surprisingly even a bit faster in the swim. Most importantly, I made some great “life balance” improvements including playing hockey full time again and conjuring up a bit of a social life!
Peaking. After a year of absorbing data like a sponge, I was really excited to see the outcome. I felt good about my preparation and knew I had managed my training load well. I had rarely been too tired to complete a training session at the prescribed intensity and logged another full year without so much as a cold or an injury. I credit my strength trainer for a well designed program, luck, and I also suppose there are benefits to being built like a tank after all! The taper went well and, according to the new protocol I had “peaked” exactly the day of the race. Nice! This chart below shows the impact of a taper. The blue line represents the Chronic Training Load (CTL) training load over 42 days, the green represents the Acute Training Load (ATL) over 7 days. When your ATL is negative, you probably don’t need this chart to tell you that you are “in a hole” meaning fatigued due to training. The pink line is the money shot: it represents the Training Stress Balance (TSB) representing the your fatigue relative to training load. Ideally the pink line peaks on race day – when your fatigue has faded but before your fitness follows suit!
**************************************************************************************
Pre Race: Nerves and Lucky #5!
Last Train to Penticton! We travelled with our friend Heidi to Penticton on the Wednesday before the race. It’s always interesting to explain to the custom’s agents why you have a boat along to do Ironman – ha! Thursday was a busy day including an excellent open water swim clinic, checking into the race, 2012 registration (I know!), a bike ride on the run course and launching our boat. Mark was all set to be a swim course marshal again and I considered it a great sign that our boat was assigned my lucky #5!!! Friday included another swim and run, Saturday we checked in our bikes and welcomed our Cowbell Crew including Heidi’s husband Tom, her kids Dagmar and Joe and our friends Annette and Michelle. In an instant, it was 3:30 AM Sunday morning, time to do this thing!
Morning Jitters. On race day Mark dropped me off at the swim start to be joined by Annette, Michelle and two rescue swimmers on our boat. On my own for the day, I checked the pressure in my bike tires and added a new helmet to my T1 bag. Yes, against conventional wisdom (and common sense) to try NOTHING new on race day, I’d acquired a new helmet the day before. The temptress was on sale, fit better than any helmet I’d ever worn and PERFECTLY matched my bike – I wilted in her beauty! My new helmet safely stowed, I turned my attention to sunscreen. I hadn’t settled on protocol for the day and unfortunately this was the very moment my nerves set in.
Sunscreen Drama. Seems to be always one little detail that trips me up. Typically athletes don’t put sunscreen on before the swim because it smears your race numbers and can cause your goggles to slip. In the transition area there is a sunscreen station in transition where a saintly volunteer will slather you on your way to your bike. At the last minute, I chickened out on that plan and went ahead and slathered myself with some random SPF 50 they had in the transition tent. My numbers smeared, (no idea why I was surprised) and even then I wasn’t confident I’d gotten all my exposed skin . I headed to the swim start, goggles in hand with the plan to grab some spray sunscreen I’d left in my dry clothes bag on the way to the beach. Goggles in hand I sprayed myself heavily and, satisfied, headed over the timing mats certain I’d be adequately protected. What I didn’t realize is that I’d inadvertently spritzed sunscreen all over the inside of my goggles. Cue ominous music...
**************************************************************************************
Swim: An Egg Beater’s Delight
2011 - 1:08:33, 14th (8.4%)
2010 - 1:05:50, 16th (9.7%)
Blurry and Bruised! Since I’d had a relatively drama free swim last year by lining up to the far left of the swim line, I intended to do the same this year. Apparently I failed. The gun went off and immediately I knew I was in trouble. Elbows were flying, feet were everywhere and all 3,200 competitors seemed to be a BIG dude that wanted to be in my little piece of Lake Okanagan. I got kicked in the cheek (still have a bruise) but luckily my goggles stayed on. I went from super calm and zen right before the gun went of to “am I even going to survive this thing?” about half way to the first buoy. My goggles were fogging up and I had to stop four or five times to rinse them out. Note to self: goggles + defogging solution + sunscreen + spit = can’t see shit!!!
*** Swim Start: Your Results May Vary ***
Eggbeaten. Somehow I was moving forward, rounded the second turn buoy and headed home. I still couldn’t see where I was going and there were still bodies all around. The most frustrating part at this point was that I didn’t feel like I could really swim. I’d take a couple of hard strokes and be right on some feet in front of me and have to slow down again. Arggggg. I felt like the batter in a egg beater: doing nothing, getting beat by both sides and yet somehow moving forward. On the plus side, thanks to our swim clinic I had my best exit ever - I swam right until my chest hit the sand, popped up and was onto the carpet in two steps while others waded in fumbling over rocks and stubbing their toes. The silver lining of the whole melee was I was not A BIT tired from swimming. Seriously not a tiny bit. I was a little mentally tired from “surviving”, but honestly I thought I’d like to turn around and do the whole thing over if they’d let me. Thankfully I was only a couple of minutes slower than last year and had somehow even improved by a couple of positions in my age group. I ran up the timing mat determined to put it behind me and had already plotted my revenge by the time I left transition.
**************************************************************************************
T1: The first transition was no drama-mama. I hadn’t been able to pee in the swim so I lost a few seconds in the port-a-pottie and then I was onto the bike in my schwanky new helmet!
2011 - 0:05:20
2010 - 0:06:48
**************************************************************************************
Bike – My Efficient Ass
2011 - 5:48:08, 8th (4.8%)
2010 - 6:23:58, 48th (29.1%)
Garmin File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110654209
Eye on the Prize. I headed off confidently on the bike leg which has somehow become my strength. I felt really prepared with a solid race rehearsal under my belt and a very specific modus operandi to follow based on months of training. I kept my eyeballs on my the readout from my power meter and concentrated on maintaining a very steady effort. Bonus: My new helmet felt GREAT!
My Efficient Ass. The execution protocol had me push a certain wattage regardless of hills, wind, etc. so it was really funny to see how I moved relative to the field. I’d pull away on the flats and descents and most folks would catch and pass me on the ascents. I felt like I was the only one out there with an ancient Chinese secret: the more steady the effort, the less tired you get even if you finish in the exact same time. I’d been playing this game awhile with another participant and we chatted as we passed and repassed each other. At one point he said “Jennifer, are we gonna do this all day?” I joked “ I can’t help it, I have a big ass!” to which he replied “I’d say you have a very efficient ass!” Ha! My efficient ass. He had no idea what a huge compliment that was!
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom! I cruised through the bike comfortably with my calories, water and electrolytes right on plan. I peed but, um, didn’t stop to do so – a personal milestone for me. Up and down Richter Pass, through the Seven Bitches and love, Love, LOVED seeing the Cowbell Crew on ascent at Yellow Lake – what a boost! Then zoom downhill back into town where there was an unfortunately timed headwind. Soon enough, I was whisked into transition to start the run. In retrospect I learned I’d had some luck making it through the bike without incident. Someone had thrown tacks on the road causing scores of riders to have flats. Also, my front wheel cracked slightly sometime during the race. Neither impacted me and the wheel is currently being replaced under warranty thanks to the excellent service at Wheelbuilder.com. Whew!
Tale of the Tape. There are two things I was most pleased to see when I reviewed my power file. There is a metric that measures essentially how steady (or efficient your ass) is throughout the day called a Variability Index (VI). The closer to 1.00 the better and I ended up with a 1.03 which is spot on. Secondly I was aiming for a certain average wattage of 151w and I finished the bike at 152w indicating I executed almost exactly to plan did didn’t “overcook” myself on the bike.
**************************************************************************************
T2: The second transition was also no drama-mama. A change of shorts (ha!), pee break, more sunscreen and off onto the run!
2011 - 0:07:24
2010 - 0:08:00
**************************************************************************************
Run – Ice Ice Baby
2011 - 5:11:57, 88th (52.7%)
2010 - 5:25:43, 117th (70.9%)
Garmin File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110655696
Hotness! Our team has a resource called “Temperature Impacted Race Predictor” whereby you input your vDot and it spits out what your Ironman paces should be based on the temperature and humidity on any given day. For me, it predicted a 4:17 marathon without heat impact, but predicted a 5:20 on our ninety-four degree day. Although it was disappointing to know I was aiming for a much slower time than I’d hoped for, I knew it was simply the nature of physiology. The pacing tool made sure I didn’t head out too hard only to blow up later. So, off I went, attempting to keep may pace around a twelve-minute mile and stopping to pee probably more than I should have to the tune of about fourteen minutes – ack! Nope, I haven’t gotten up the gumption to pee on the run yet, maybe next year.
Ice Ice Baby. Initially, my tummy wasn’t thrilled with all the sweetness of the nutrition I’d taken on the bike so I switched to pretzels for the first three miles which thankfully settled it right down. At each aid station I’d grab two cups of ice. One was dumped down my front (bras make handy ice pockets!) and one down my back. I also grabbed two sponges and put one in my top and one at the base of my neck. The ice would be melted and the sponges dry by the next aid station where I’d repeat the process. All in all, I never felt like I was really “overheating”, but I could feel the impact of the temperature slowing me down.
Tears. I felt fine all the way to the half-marathon point and it got progressively harder from there. I was pretty close to maintaining my pace (it had been hard to go that slow early on and got hard to go that fast later!) and physically I wasn’t in near as much discomfort as last year but mentally I did hit a rough patch. I never stopped running, though, and chugged along in anticipation of seeing the Cowbell crew at mile 20. Their reward for waiting for me in the heat? I cried. WTF? Yep, I ran right over to Mark, got a big hug, shed a few tears, high fived the rest of the crew as bravely as I could and then took off again. Not one of my finer moments.
What Ifs. My marathon time was slightly improved from the previous year, but I knew my run fitness was MUCH improved so I took a look at my results compared to last year’s ranking. I knew I would come in about ten minutes faster than the race predictor had indicated and that figure was closer to twenty minutes if you took out the pee breaks. One way to try to compare apples-to-apples when conditions are different is to do some math based on the percentile I ranked in my age group. Since my age group is pretty big and my run results are in the middle we can get a fairly good estimate. I finished in the 53rd percentile in 2011 (improved from the 71st percentile in 2010!) so I checked out what the finishers in the 53 percentile ran in 2010. Turns out they ran about 4:29 giving us a rough estimate that the conditions on the run were about 40 minutes slower than in 2010! Yowza!
**************************************************************************************
Finish This!
2011 - 12:21:19, 35TH (20.9%)
2010 - 13:10:18, 74th (44.8%)
Finished! The last few miles into town were a blur. That last mile, in particular is a total mind-f*** as you come within a few feet of the finish line and still have to do a half a mile out and a half a mile back on the lakefront. Whoever designed this course is cruel! In any event, I crossed the finish line THRILLED with my day. I knew I’d PRd by a significant margin, had executed well and learned a TON! I got scooped up by Mark, Annette and Michelle and they shepherded me back to the hotel for a quick shower. Then we went back out to mile 20 to watch Heidi come through (looking GREAT!!!), then back town to watch her finish and then at last back to the hotel and to bed with a thud. What a day!
**************************************************************************************
Recovery!
Nemo and Bendy! The next day I felt 10,000% better than I had in 2010 and considered that a sign I was better prepared. We packed up the boat, headed home and turned around in time to be in Hawaii for our Anniversary on September 1st. I finally got that hard swim effort I’d been craving in the form of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim with Mark. The rest of the vacation has entailed lots of Bikram yoga and beachside with Bubba the turtle!
Lessons Learned
Swim – Figure out your silly sunscreen plan. And start left. No really LEFT!
Bike – Keep the rubber side down and power on!
Run – Get lighter, figure out a pee plan and keep doing Bikram yoga for heat acclimatization and continued bendiness!
Signing off 'till next year...
Mahalo!
**************************************************************************************
More Info:
Enhanced Race Results: http://www.slowtwitch.com/enhancedresults/
Power Terminology: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx
Endurance Nation: http://members.endurancenation.us/
**************************************************************************************
First and foremost a big MAHALO to everyone who gave words of encouragement this year, travelled to Penticton to be part of the Cowbell Crew, took time out of their Sunday on race day to check in on my progress, and to YOU for reading this damn long race report! And last, but not least thanks to Mark who makes this all possible AND fun!
*************************************************************************************
The Year of the Data Geek
What a Year! After completing my first Ironman in Canada in 2010, 2011 was all about learning, learning, learning and hopefully improving! As such, my goals shifted from simply finishing with a smile and running the marathon to executing smartly according to a “pace and power” protocol. I joined a team called Endurance Nation which was all about intensity and time management. The swim, my strength and consuming barely 10% of an Ironman day was put on the back burner with just two swims a week until a few months before the race. The big bang for my time investment was to be had on the bike. There I acquired a power meter (built into new wheels!) that measured the amount of pressure I put on the pedals, did my training and racing at very specific percentages of my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and slapped some Endurance Nation graphics on my wheel to represent! On the run, I learned all about my “vDot” which is basically one number that correlated to my speed across all distances. That number was applied to races, tests and training paces. I worked hard all year to continue to make that number bigger… even a fraction of an improvement was cause for celebration!
*** Ready to Represent! ***
Life Balance!?! As a result of this training philosophy shift, the amount of time I spent training and prepping for training went down while the overall effort, measured as a Training Stress Score (TSS) went up for a couple of reasons. First of all, I got really comfy riding my bike on the stationary trainer. This eliminated a lot of driving to bike locations, cleaning a dirty bike, dressing for our perma-shitty weather, etc. Instead I just rolled out of bed and into our “Pain Cave” and went to town with a good movie on the TV. 100% simpler and my efforts were rewarded with a continually growing FTP. Secondly , the intensity of the training went up, wayyyyy up. There was no such thing as an “easy” run or ride. Even my long mile runs had segments at tempo pace in them and trust me, four plus hours on a bike trainer at 80% + intensity is no joke either. Consequently, I came into the race mentally fresher, much stronger on the bike, faster on the run and surprisingly even a bit faster in the swim. Most importantly, I made some great “life balance” improvements including playing hockey full time again and conjuring up a bit of a social life!
*** Our Pain Cave ***
Peaking. After a year of absorbing data like a sponge, I was really excited to see the outcome. I felt good about my preparation and knew I had managed my training load well. I had rarely been too tired to complete a training session at the prescribed intensity and logged another full year without so much as a cold or an injury. I credit my strength trainer for a well designed program, luck, and I also suppose there are benefits to being built like a tank after all! The taper went well and, according to the new protocol I had “peaked” exactly the day of the race. Nice! This chart below shows the impact of a taper. The blue line represents the Chronic Training Load (CTL) training load over 42 days, the green represents the Acute Training Load (ATL) over 7 days. When your ATL is negative, you probably don’t need this chart to tell you that you are “in a hole” meaning fatigued due to training. The pink line is the money shot: it represents the Training Stress Balance (TSB) representing the your fatigue relative to training load. Ideally the pink line peaks on race day – when your fatigue has faded but before your fitness follows suit!
*** TSS Graph Peak ***
**************************************************************************************
Pre Race: Nerves and Lucky #5!
Last Train to Penticton! We travelled with our friend Heidi to Penticton on the Wednesday before the race. It’s always interesting to explain to the custom’s agents why you have a boat along to do Ironman – ha! Thursday was a busy day including an excellent open water swim clinic, checking into the race, 2012 registration (I know!), a bike ride on the run course and launching our boat. Mark was all set to be a swim course marshal again and I considered it a great sign that our boat was assigned my lucky #5!!! Friday included another swim and run, Saturday we checked in our bikes and welcomed our Cowbell Crew including Heidi’s husband Tom, her kids Dagmar and Joe and our friends Annette and Michelle. In an instant, it was 3:30 AM Sunday morning, time to do this thing!
*** Number Five! ***
Morning Jitters. On race day Mark dropped me off at the swim start to be joined by Annette, Michelle and two rescue swimmers on our boat. On my own for the day, I checked the pressure in my bike tires and added a new helmet to my T1 bag. Yes, against conventional wisdom (and common sense) to try NOTHING new on race day, I’d acquired a new helmet the day before. The temptress was on sale, fit better than any helmet I’d ever worn and PERFECTLY matched my bike – I wilted in her beauty! My new helmet safely stowed, I turned my attention to sunscreen. I hadn’t settled on protocol for the day and unfortunately this was the very moment my nerves set in.
*** Matched and On Sale - I Had No Choice!!! ***
Sunscreen Drama. Seems to be always one little detail that trips me up. Typically athletes don’t put sunscreen on before the swim because it smears your race numbers and can cause your goggles to slip. In the transition area there is a sunscreen station in transition where a saintly volunteer will slather you on your way to your bike. At the last minute, I chickened out on that plan and went ahead and slathered myself with some random SPF 50 they had in the transition tent. My numbers smeared, (no idea why I was surprised) and even then I wasn’t confident I’d gotten all my exposed skin . I headed to the swim start, goggles in hand with the plan to grab some spray sunscreen I’d left in my dry clothes bag on the way to the beach. Goggles in hand I sprayed myself heavily and, satisfied, headed over the timing mats certain I’d be adequately protected. What I didn’t realize is that I’d inadvertently spritzed sunscreen all over the inside of my goggles. Cue ominous music...
**************************************************************************************
Swim: An Egg Beater’s Delight
2011 - 1:08:33, 14th (8.4%)
2010 - 1:05:50, 16th (9.7%)
Blurry and Bruised! Since I’d had a relatively drama free swim last year by lining up to the far left of the swim line, I intended to do the same this year. Apparently I failed. The gun went off and immediately I knew I was in trouble. Elbows were flying, feet were everywhere and all 3,200 competitors seemed to be a BIG dude that wanted to be in my little piece of Lake Okanagan. I got kicked in the cheek (still have a bruise) but luckily my goggles stayed on. I went from super calm and zen right before the gun went of to “am I even going to survive this thing?” about half way to the first buoy. My goggles were fogging up and I had to stop four or five times to rinse them out. Note to self: goggles + defogging solution + sunscreen + spit = can’t see shit!!!
*** Swim Start: Your Results May Vary ***
Eggbeaten. Somehow I was moving forward, rounded the second turn buoy and headed home. I still couldn’t see where I was going and there were still bodies all around. The most frustrating part at this point was that I didn’t feel like I could really swim. I’d take a couple of hard strokes and be right on some feet in front of me and have to slow down again. Arggggg. I felt like the batter in a egg beater: doing nothing, getting beat by both sides and yet somehow moving forward. On the plus side, thanks to our swim clinic I had my best exit ever - I swam right until my chest hit the sand, popped up and was onto the carpet in two steps while others waded in fumbling over rocks and stubbing their toes. The silver lining of the whole melee was I was not A BIT tired from swimming. Seriously not a tiny bit. I was a little mentally tired from “surviving”, but honestly I thought I’d like to turn around and do the whole thing over if they’d let me. Thankfully I was only a couple of minutes slower than last year and had somehow even improved by a couple of positions in my age group. I ran up the timing mat determined to put it behind me and had already plotted my revenge by the time I left transition.
*** Beaten on Both Sides, Doing Nothing, Somehow Moving Forward ***
**************************************************************************************
T1: The first transition was no drama-mama. I hadn’t been able to pee in the swim so I lost a few seconds in the port-a-pottie and then I was onto the bike in my schwanky new helmet!
2011 - 0:05:20
2010 - 0:06:48
**************************************************************************************
Bike – My Efficient Ass
2011 - 5:48:08, 8th (4.8%)
2010 - 6:23:58, 48th (29.1%)
Garmin File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110654209
Eye on the Prize. I headed off confidently on the bike leg which has somehow become my strength. I felt really prepared with a solid race rehearsal under my belt and a very specific modus operandi to follow based on months of training. I kept my eyeballs on my the readout from my power meter and concentrated on maintaining a very steady effort. Bonus: My new helmet felt GREAT!
*** Eye on the Prize ***
My Efficient Ass. The execution protocol had me push a certain wattage regardless of hills, wind, etc. so it was really funny to see how I moved relative to the field. I’d pull away on the flats and descents and most folks would catch and pass me on the ascents. I felt like I was the only one out there with an ancient Chinese secret: the more steady the effort, the less tired you get even if you finish in the exact same time. I’d been playing this game awhile with another participant and we chatted as we passed and repassed each other. At one point he said “Jennifer, are we gonna do this all day?” I joked “ I can’t help it, I have a big ass!” to which he replied “I’d say you have a very efficient ass!” Ha! My efficient ass. He had no idea what a huge compliment that was!
*** All Smiles as the Alien Approaces the Cowbell Crew! ***
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom! I cruised through the bike comfortably with my calories, water and electrolytes right on plan. I peed but, um, didn’t stop to do so – a personal milestone for me. Up and down Richter Pass, through the Seven Bitches and love, Love, LOVED seeing the Cowbell Crew on ascent at Yellow Lake – what a boost! Then zoom downhill back into town where there was an unfortunately timed headwind. Soon enough, I was whisked into transition to start the run. In retrospect I learned I’d had some luck making it through the bike without incident. Someone had thrown tacks on the road causing scores of riders to have flats. Also, my front wheel cracked slightly sometime during the race. Neither impacted me and the wheel is currently being replaced under warranty thanks to the excellent service at Wheelbuilder.com. Whew!
*** Annette Takes her Cowbelling Seriously! ***
Tale of the Tape. There are two things I was most pleased to see when I reviewed my power file. There is a metric that measures essentially how steady (or efficient your ass) is throughout the day called a Variability Index (VI). The closer to 1.00 the better and I ended up with a 1.03 which is spot on. Secondly I was aiming for a certain average wattage of 151w and I finished the bike at 152w indicating I executed almost exactly to plan did didn’t “overcook” myself on the bike.
*** My Power File. It’s Pretty, Trust Me. ***
**************************************************************************************
T2: The second transition was also no drama-mama. A change of shorts (ha!), pee break, more sunscreen and off onto the run!
2011 - 0:07:24
2010 - 0:08:00
**************************************************************************************
Run – Ice Ice Baby
2011 - 5:11:57, 88th (52.7%)
2010 - 5:25:43, 117th (70.9%)
Garmin File: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110655696
Hotness! Our team has a resource called “Temperature Impacted Race Predictor” whereby you input your vDot and it spits out what your Ironman paces should be based on the temperature and humidity on any given day. For me, it predicted a 4:17 marathon without heat impact, but predicted a 5:20 on our ninety-four degree day. Although it was disappointing to know I was aiming for a much slower time than I’d hoped for, I knew it was simply the nature of physiology. The pacing tool made sure I didn’t head out too hard only to blow up later. So, off I went, attempting to keep may pace around a twelve-minute mile and stopping to pee probably more than I should have to the tune of about fourteen minutes – ack! Nope, I haven’t gotten up the gumption to pee on the run yet, maybe next year.
*** Predicted Heat Impact on my Ironman Marathon ***
Ice Ice Baby. Initially, my tummy wasn’t thrilled with all the sweetness of the nutrition I’d taken on the bike so I switched to pretzels for the first three miles which thankfully settled it right down. At each aid station I’d grab two cups of ice. One was dumped down my front (bras make handy ice pockets!) and one down my back. I also grabbed two sponges and put one in my top and one at the base of my neck. The ice would be melted and the sponges dry by the next aid station where I’d repeat the process. All in all, I never felt like I was really “overheating”, but I could feel the impact of the temperature slowing me down.
*** Not Feeling that Hot (Ha!) - Sponges are Fashionable! ***
Tears. I felt fine all the way to the half-marathon point and it got progressively harder from there. I was pretty close to maintaining my pace (it had been hard to go that slow early on and got hard to go that fast later!) and physically I wasn’t in near as much discomfort as last year but mentally I did hit a rough patch. I never stopped running, though, and chugged along in anticipation of seeing the Cowbell crew at mile 20. Their reward for waiting for me in the heat? I cried. WTF? Yep, I ran right over to Mark, got a big hug, shed a few tears, high fived the rest of the crew as bravely as I could and then took off again. Not one of my finer moments.
*** The Best Hug EVER. ***
What Ifs. My marathon time was slightly improved from the previous year, but I knew my run fitness was MUCH improved so I took a look at my results compared to last year’s ranking. I knew I would come in about ten minutes faster than the race predictor had indicated and that figure was closer to twenty minutes if you took out the pee breaks. One way to try to compare apples-to-apples when conditions are different is to do some math based on the percentile I ranked in my age group. Since my age group is pretty big and my run results are in the middle we can get a fairly good estimate. I finished in the 53rd percentile in 2011 (improved from the 71st percentile in 2010!) so I checked out what the finishers in the 53 percentile ran in 2010. Turns out they ran about 4:29 giving us a rough estimate that the conditions on the run were about 40 minutes slower than in 2010! Yowza!
**************************************************************************************
Finish This!
2011 - 12:21:19, 35TH (20.9%)
2010 - 13:10:18, 74th (44.8%)
Finished! The last few miles into town were a blur. That last mile, in particular is a total mind-f*** as you come within a few feet of the finish line and still have to do a half a mile out and a half a mile back on the lakefront. Whoever designed this course is cruel! In any event, I crossed the finish line THRILLED with my day. I knew I’d PRd by a significant margin, had executed well and learned a TON! I got scooped up by Mark, Annette and Michelle and they shepherded me back to the hotel for a quick shower. Then we went back out to mile 20 to watch Heidi come through (looking GREAT!!!), then back town to watch her finish and then at last back to the hotel and to bed with a thud. What a day!
*** Yay!!! ***
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Recovery!
Nemo and Bendy! The next day I felt 10,000% better than I had in 2010 and considered that a sign I was better prepared. We packed up the boat, headed home and turned around in time to be in Hawaii for our Anniversary on September 1st. I finally got that hard swim effort I’d been craving in the form of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim with Mark. The rest of the vacation has entailed lots of Bikram yoga and beachside with Bubba the turtle!
*** Waikiki Roughwater Swim Route (Garmin Struggles Underwater) ***
Lessons Learned
Swim – Figure out your silly sunscreen plan. And start left. No really LEFT!
Bike – Keep the rubber side down and power on!
Run – Get lighter, figure out a pee plan and keep doing Bikram yoga for heat acclimatization and continued bendiness!
Signing off 'till next year...
Mahalo!
*** Bubba ***
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More Info:
Enhanced Race Results: http://www.slowtwitch.com/enhancedresults/
Power Terminology: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/power411.aspx
Endurance Nation: http://members.endurancenation.us/
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Comments
EPIC race report. It was awesome to relive the race through someone elses eyes. Your preparation and execution were right on and your massive improvement in time (and your age group ranking) are a reflection of that. Im also super-impressed with your VI of 1.03! (and where did you drop the 655watt effort?)
Again, great report and great race.
And I totally support your helmet purchase. When it matches the bike?? C'mon! Must have it.
Looking forward to seeing you out there next year! Good luck in the Pain Cave this winter. I'll be with you in spirit from London, Ontario looking for those extra watts this winter.
---Ann.
Well done.
Thanks Guys!
Bill, Michele , JT - So glad you enjoyed the read!
@ Brendan - I hadn't even looked for that 655w 'till you mentioned it but it looks like it was within the first 10'. I think I was trying to avoid someone, if I recell correctly. My best hour was in hour three.... somewhere deep in those Seven Btches!
@ Ann - Can't wait to see your 50-year-old ass go flying by me on the run next year! You really take aging gracefully to a whole new level. Congratulations!
For me, your race report goes into the archives, and will be brought out and read just prior to my next IM adventure.
Hi!