2011 Ironman Arizona (1st IM) - David Lesh
I wrote this long race report for people that really don't know what Ironman is so forgive the general details. I am also including some data from the race.
Data
Swim - 1:07:20
Bike - 5:13:41
TSS: 225
IF: 0.66
VI: 1.03
PNorm: 154
Lap1: 1:43:59 (21.58)
Lap2: 1:44:41 (21.32)
Lap3: 1:45:01 (21.37)
Run (first marathon) - 3:54:57
rTSS: 235
IF: 0.72
Split1: 8:44/mi
Split2: 8:20/mi
Split3: 9:10/mi
Split4: 9:40/mi
Overall: 212
Age group: 38
Pre-Race
Wednesday
When the alarm went off at 5am I had already been awake for half an hour thinking of everything to come in the next few days. The car was packed the night before and we only had to add a few last minute items. A quick stop at Starbucks and a prayer that nothing major was forgotten and we turned the car south toward Arizona. I wore compression tights and sipped electrolyte drink to lessen the effects of the long drive on my legs and the dehydration on the rest of my body. The shortcut around Los Angeles that my Dad had given me worked like a charm and drive was relatively quick and painless. When we checked in at the hotel I was greeted by the same lady that had been behind the desk a year ago when I came to register for the Ironman. She was super friendly and a little crazy. She told me she was giving us the best room in the place, but I had a feeling she tells that to everyone. Katie picked up some Ethiopian food for dinner and we had a little picnic on the hotel bed before passing out early.
Thursday
A few members of my triathlon team made plans for an early open water swim at Canyon Lake just outside of Tempe. I woke up at 7:30 and hit the road at 8:30. The morning air was crisp and clear. As I was leaving town I noticed the huge traffic jam in the oncoming lanes of the freeway and remembered that it wasn’t a vacation for everyone. The drive out to the lake was beautiful. The desert was exactly like you see in movies with giant cacti, sand, and majestic rock cliffs. There was even a ghost town along the way. The road started getting narrower as it wound its way into the hills with dramatic cliffs dropping off the side of the road at times. After coming around a corner I was staring down at Canyon Lake nestled in between those dramatic cliffs.
The area where we were planning on meeting was closed so I waited for a while outside the gate. After a bit my teammates showed up and we found a different location to park. We found a rocky path beside the bridge to get down to the water. The entry and exit was rather treacherous but none of us had any injuries. The water was cool but comfortable. We swam a short loop around a little inlet section of the lake. It felt good to do some open water swimming again as I had only been in pools since my half Ironman race in July. It also was the first time I got to meet some of my awesome teammates (John Stark, David Ambrose, and Jeremy Behler).
After the swim my teammate Jeremy rode with me back into town. We of course talked about all things triathlon and about our expectations for the upcoming race. We were both confronting the Ironman for the first time. Jeremy is a tremendous athlete and had some pretty impressive time goals (that he would actually exceed) but we both agreed that just finishing the race is the main goal.
After dropping Jeremy off I was already near the race venue and decided to register while I was there. I found an awesome parking spot and walked through the expo and got in the short line for registration. The whole process was smooth and easy. You get a wrist band with your race number on it that basically becomes your identification for the rest of the race week. The wrist band gets you into the welcome dinner, practice swim, transition areas, and allows you to get your bike and gear out after the race. They also give you a nice little bag with a bunch of advertisements, a little box of Wheaties cereal, and all of the plastic bags you will need to put your race gear in for the various legs of the race. For instance you place all of the gear you will need after getting out of the water into your “swim-to-bike” bag (helmet, bike shoes, etc.) You pick up the bag in transition use what you need, and put anything you don’t need from the last leg back into the bag. With so many athletes it is a good system for keeping everything organized. The key is to remember to put everything you need into these bags.
After checking in I went quickly back to the hotel to pick up my bike and in hopes of meeting the team for a reconnaissance ride up the Beeline Highway to the turnaround and back. It is the only “hill” on the course and a critical section so I wanted to at least ride it once. We were a little late getting there and everyone had already left. I would have to ride it alone but in a way I was happy because I could devote more focus to learning about the course. There was a little wind and quite a bit of traffic. As the big trucks flew past me their wake would push me around quite a bit. I thought this was good preparation for race day if it happened to be windier than predicted. I was riding my full aero race wheel/tire setup to make sure everything worked well and to get a feel for the speed of the section. I was a little worried about picking up some glass or other sharp object that would bury itself into my tire and wouldn’t give me a flat until half way through the race so I tried to avoid everything I could see on the road. Of course at one point it was like a glass truck had dumped its entire contents onto the shoulder of the road for a quarter mile and I had to ride through it cursing the whole time. I also made a note to not ride on the shoulder for that section in the race.
After the ride we went into Tempe to get some lunch. We ended up going to the place Jon and I had gone for lunch the year before when we needed breakfast burritos and a bloody mary, Tavern on the Mill. We wanted a place with outdoor seating for Pollux. They were super friendly and even brought Pollux a bowl of water. I had a super yummy shrimp burrito.
That night we had a dinner with my triathlon team at Monti’s steak house, which is directly across the street from the finish line. The food (sea bass) was good, and it was great to finally meet all the people that I had talked to on the internet. I got some great last minute tips from some of the vets and Katie was able to meet some of the wives of other athletes and find out where they were going to be on race day.
Friday
Friday morning we decided to go down and check out the race expo. We walked around for a bit and I tried to point out where and how the various legs of the race and subsequent transitioning would be taking place on race day. It was a little hard to explain because the race day setup is so different and much more crowded. The Ironman store was of course packed so we decided to skip it and went for lunch. We ended up just going to Tavern on the Mill again as it was easy and convenient. This time we all had the super yummy shrimp burrito.
The rest of the day was spent just relaxing at the hotel and getting things packed into my gear bags.
That night was the athlete welcome dinner. My mom flew in that day and we met my friend and training Ironman training buddy at the Tempe Arts Center. The dinner was catered by Monti’s and was salad, pasta (carb loading), and cookies. Mike Riley hosted the event and interviewed the oldest and youngest athletes as well as playing some kick-butt motivational videos. Following the dinner was the “mandatory” athlete meeting, where they went over the rules and procedures. It was a good reminder of what to do on race day. It started getting pretty chilly toward the end (no hair and all) so I was glad when it was over and I was able to warm up in the car.
I spent the rest of the evening preparing my gear bags and hydrating. I wanted to hit the sack early as this was the critical night for getting rest as the next night would be short and most likely not very restful.
Saturday
Saturday morning was the practice swim and mandatory bike check-in. Unlike other races where you bring your bike and setup your transition area the morning of the race, in an Ironman race you must leave your bike and gear in the transition area the day before the race. Also, at Ironman Arizona they don’t allow anyone to swim in Tempe Town Lake, the race swim venue, at all except for this practice swim. I wasn’t a fan of doing anything physical the day before the race but I wanted to get a feel for the water and the exit point. We loaded the car with my bike and gear bags and headed down to the venue.
It was a pretty crazy scene that morning and you could feel the growing excitement and tension already. On the way in we found Jeremy and his wife sitting on the grass and joined them. There was a line a mile long for bike check-in so I left my bike with Katie and went for a quick swim in the murky and cold lake. I realized that the temperature, although cold, would be fine. I also figured out how the exit stairs are setup and found a way to get out if there happened to be nobody there to help me on race day. The stairs to exit the lake are metal bleacher style stairs and the first step is about 6 inches under the water. There is no graceful way to get up on that first step. I heard there would be volunteers to help pull you out on race day, but I wanted to have a backup plan as well.
After the swim I went and checked in my gear bags and then attended a talk given by my triathlon team coach on race strategy, which was a great reminder of how I planned to execute the race. After the talk the bike check-in line was gone. My bike got photographed and I was allowed to enter transition and rack it. I had heard of bike tires exploding from being left in the sun all day so I let a little air out of my tires to make sure that didn’t happen. I racked my bike in my assigned spot and traced the steps that I would take on race day in reverse while making mental notes of landmarks that wouldn’t change on race day to help guide me to my bike.
I wanted to stay off my feet as much as possible the day before the race and I already felt like I had walked way too much so we decided to go back to the room and let my mom and dad pickup some pizza to eat in the room for lunch. This worked out well and I was able to just relax with my feet up the rest of the day.
After lunch I switched to my usual all liquid pre-race diet and just drank a Jamba Juice smoothie for dinner. I visualized the race from start to finish while laying in bed and it was remarkably easy to drift off to sleep.
Race Day
Pre-Race
I woke up at 2:30 and consumed around 700 calories of liquid nutrition. Remarkably I was able to go back to sleep until 4:15. I drank a little Perform and checked my special needs bags one more time. It wasn’t very cold that morning , but I wore a ton of clothes to transition as I wanted to be super warm before putting on my wetsuit and jumping in the water. I said goodbye to Katie and gave her a big hug and kiss for the last time before entering the transition area. From there I dropped off my special needs bags, pumped up my tires, and put my water bottle and gels on the bike. I realized I had forgotten the bottle of Perform that I was going to sip on back at the hotel room so I just sipped water instead. My bike pump was definitely an in-demand item. I must have loaned it out to ten people. After checking everything on my bike twice I got body marked. I saw Jon standing at his transition spot and gave him a big hug.
When I opened my morning clothes bag I found an envelope tucked inside. It was from my Katie. As I read it in the dark I found myself crying and everything was quiet. It would become my “one thing”, the thing that would drive me forward all day.
At around 6:15 I started slowly putting on my wetsuit. I took in a gel. As I was dropping off my morning clothes bag I ran into Jon again and stood in line with him. The concrete was cold and I could feel it starting to creep up my body. I heard the cannon go off for the pro start while we were still pretty far from the water and started to get a little nervous that we wouldn’t make it to the line in time. I prepared my goggles and put on my two swim caps. I decided to use two swim caps to get a little bit extra warmth. Before we crowded through the swim arch I knew I would most likely not see Jon again so I told Jon that I was thankful for this last year of training with him and told him this was our day and that it was time to take it. After that things moved more quickly and I found myself at the edge of the dock looking down at the water. It was time to jump.
As the national anthem was being sung I swam briskly to the start line. From down in the lake you couldn’t really see how many people were there. All I could see were the few people immediately around me. I made my way through the green and pink caps to the second row just to the right of center as planned. People were excited and seemed to be in a good mood. One guy turned and asked that we don’t throw too many elbows on the swim. You could tell that others were very nervous. As the kayaks left the start line, I looked around at the crowds, the athletes, and the water bathed in the orange and red light of the morning and thought of all the mornings running in the cold and dark, all of the pain, all of the sacrifices. The sun was about to break over the horizon and I was about to start my Ironman journey.
Swim - 1:07:20
When the cannon went off it was like an explosion in the water. Arms, legs and water flying everywhere. I took a breath, put my face in the water and started swimming. I knew I had to start out slowly and build gradually. I learned that if I went out too fast I would suffer in the second half of the swim. I got kicked in the face once and got pushed under the water a couple times. Other than that there was just incidental contact and never felt that anyone was trying to purposely attack me.
The lake curves slightly in an “S” shape. I wanted to swim as straight a line as possible through the curves. As I swam most of the swimmers started merging to the left. I stayed to the right on my line and found some open water. I got into a good rhythm all the way to the turn buoy. The water did seem very choppy and I took in many mouthfuls of water. The turn was uneventful and as I started the return leg I thought to myself that I just had another mile to go. At one point two swimmers converged on the right and left of me and another directly in front of me. I got a good kick to the goggles, but for some reason that kick sucked them to my face and I could actually see better. No adjustments needed. A strange thing did happen at this point though. Someone swam over my legs a little and my right calf immediately cramped. I had never had a cramp in my leg while swimming before. I bent it slightly and flexed my foot a little and it went away forever. It was scary for a second but not sure why it happened. Oh well.
As I rounded the last turn buoy I could see the stairs and started to visualize my transition. When I got to the stairs everyone was heading to the right side of the stairs so I went left. Grabbed the volunteers hand, put my feet on the first stair, and he pulled me right up. I carefully walked up the stairs.
T1 – 5:22
I pulled my wetsuit down to my waist, found a stripper, laid down on my back and got it yanked right off. I dodged the gauntlet of wetsuits being flung like whips and jogged down the chute. I called out my number as I rounded the corner and a volunteer handed me my bag. I ran into the changing tent found a seat. It felt nice and warm in the tent. I didn’t rush things as I felt a little disoriented from being in a horizontal position for so long. I tried to get the sand and dirt off my feet as much as possible, but I couldn’t get much off. I didn’t have many moving parts, bike shoes, helmet, and then my race number belt as I ran out.
They were calling my number as I ran into the bike racks and as the volunteer handed me my bike he told me that it was as fast as when I had left it there earlier and to have a good ride. I ran to the line carefully as the concrete area was very slippery and mounted just past the line.
Bike – 5:13:41
The first hour on the bike was cold. I was wet and already chilled from the lake. The shivering didn’t stop until I was at the turnaround of the first lap. I didn’t want to wear anything extra in the morning as I knew it would be a warm day and I wouldn’t need it later on the bike and especially the run.
I planned to take in 200 calories per hour of Powerbar Perform and gels. I trained to eat the products they provide on course and only had one bottle rack between my aerobars. This strategy worked out well. I would take a bottle of perform at every other aid station and rack it. Then I would take a bottle of water and drink/wash before discarding it at the end of the station. I would then take in a caffeinated gel after every loop.
The ride up to the turnaround was uneventful, but I did get my first taste of the drafting packs. In Ironman racing drafting, or using the rider in front of you as a shield from the wind, is illegal and cheating. If you have ever seen the Tour de France you know that they ride in packs that allow them to conserve energy because they don’t have to face the wind. Well, I saw some packs that looked like they were in the Tour. I told a few of them that they had a really nice draft pack going as they passed but they never even blinked an eye. I was very careful to back out of any packs and be very mindful of my spacing so as not to draft illegally. Even if I didn’t get caught, I don’t want to know in my mind that I cheated. Having to do this did disrupt my pace a lot. At times I would get stuck coming up on a pack and would have to use a lot of energy to pass the whole pack. After doing that two times I decided to instead be careful and stay back out of the pack reserving energy for the run even if it meant a slower bike split.
I planned to go easy the first hour on the bike before getting serious and dropping into my race pace. I was passed like I was standing still during this time. I just kept thinking that either they are all much better athletes than I am or else I will see them on the run and stayed within my box. After the turnaround it is a gradual downhill all the way back. On the first loop this section had a tailwind and I flew down this section spinning out in my highest gear. It was pretty awesome.
I came into the start/finish turnaround on Rio Salado all by myself and it was amazing. People were lined three to four people deep on the fence and were cheering and ringing cow bells. I even got my name called over the loud speaker. It felt like I was a professional in a major race.
On the second loop the wind switched directions. There was now a tailwind heading out to the turnaround on the Beeline Highway and consequently a headwind coming back. I saw a ton of people sitting up on the bike and just hammering into the wind. I stayed tucked down in my aero position and just flew by them. I gained a lot of confidence from this. I knew that I was conserving my energy and going faster than they were. I had trained specifically to stay aero for a very long time and did everything I could to make myself and my bike slippery in the wind. I wore arm coolers with a rough texture and calf guards with a golf ball like texture in hopes of reducing drag as much as possible, my nutrition plan allowed me to reduce the number of bottle mounts, I worked to come up with a way to store my tools and spare tubes in the most aerodynamic way possible, I wore an aero-helmet, I used low rolling resistance tires and tubes, and used an aerodynamic front wheel and a disc cover over my rear wheel spokes. All of this took a lot of research and planning but I feel it helped even if it just gave me confidence in my setup.
I passed one of my teammates (David Ambrose)and yelled some words to him. He later pulled up alongside me and told me he was going through a tough patch but I inspired him to push out of it and he disappeared into the distance. It made me feel good.
On the third loop the wind really picked up. Coming back on the Beeline people were really pushing into the wind and a lot of drafting was going on. A marshal mulled up next to me and flashed a red card and said it was for drafting. Nobody was in front of me so I was confused. I looked over and they were pointing to the guy right behind me. I saw them pick off two more people in front of me (although it should have been more). Because of this I really had to back off my pace a bunch of times because the packs were so large and almost impossible to pass without exerting a ton of energy. I just told myself that I would be even more ready for the run. A lot of people were also noticeably uncomfortable on their bikes at this point. I saw a lot of sitting up and stretching. I was of course feeling the hours of wear on my butt. However, I had been using the turns, turnarounds, and aid stations to sit up and get myself off the saddle for a few moments. I think this really helped get me through the bike course comfortably without breaking aero much.
As I got onto the last stretch of Rio Salado I prepared myself for the transition. I put my Garmin on my wrist and got my feet out on top of my shoes. I carefully navigated the chute and slowed before performing my flying dismount.
T2 – 1:42
As I entered the transition area a volunteer grabbed my bike from me and I continued around the corner to get my run transition bag. As I turned the corner I could feel the heaviness in my legs from pedaling for over five hours. I was a little unstable. They called out my number and a volunteer located my bag. He handed it off to me like a quarterback in the NFL as I ran by on my way to the changing tent. As I was making my way to the end of the row a volunteer kneeling on the ground suddenly turned around right in my way. I jumped to the side but my weak legs weren’t up the task and I fell into some chairs. No harm done though as my arms caught me on the chair and righted the ship. A volunteer grabbed my bag and dumped the contents on the ground. I quickly grabbed my shoes which had my pre-rolled socks in them and rolled each sock on and then slipped my shoes with elastic laces on. I asked the volunteer to bag my helmet. He said “Wow you’re an easy one, you hardly had anything in there.” What else would I need? I grabbed my hat and put it on as I ran out.
Run – 3:54:57
As I ran out of transition I made sure I set a pace that was slow. I planned to run 30 seconds (or more) a mile slower than my goal pace. Everyone was flying by me in the first 5 miles. Again I stayed in my box. I took in just water at the first two aid stations and then started taking in water at every aid station and Coke at every other. I walked a few steps every station to get in my nutrition and also as a reward for running the entire length between each station. I would take cold sponges at every aid station and squeeze them on my hat, neck and arm coolers. Then I would stuff them into the front of my jersey and whenever I would squeeze them a nice stream of cold water would run down my chest and stomach. I got a lot of comments from spectators about my “giant muscles”. After 6 miles I caught up to a woman that had gotten off the bike at the same time I did and had run way ahead. She recognized me and wished me luck the rest of the way and I did the same to her. I past her and never saw her again.
After mile 6 my plan was to drop into my goal pace for the run if I felt good. I felt good so I went for it. I ran smooth and focused on form. After about 7 miles at the faster pace I started to feel a little sign that my stomach was backing up. I decided to back down my pace at that point as this was my first Ironman and my first marathon and wanted to be prepared for any monsters waiting for me in the miles ahead. I took in only water for a few aid stations and from then on only took in nutrition when it felt right.
The north side of the run course is very empty and really highlights the craziness of the crowds on the south side. You get a huge boost running through the crowds and seeing your family and friends. However, on the north side you really need to keep yourself strong mentally. I noticed many people talking about how much it hurts and how they are going to be walking for so long. They were in a bad place. It is easy to fall into that state of mind when you are tired, in pain, hungry, and dehydrated. I am really proud of myself for staying mentally strong the whole race. My “one thing”, my family, my friends, my team, and the confidence I built in myself, all helped me to keep pushing each step.
At mile 20 I saw Coach Rich. He gave me a handshake and told me to keep it smooth and get it done. When I got to the “hill” at around mile 22-23 I hit a sort of mental wall. I knew that once I got over that hill I would make it but I was afraid to blow up on that hill. I took it a little easier and took a little bit longer walk at the aid station. I am not sure I needed this but at the time it seemed like a good idea. After the hill I slowly started to increase the pace with each step toward the finish line.
The last 2 miles were a blur. I remember feeling like I was flying. I was weaving through the other athletes like they were standing still. The crowds were massive and they seemed so loud. The sun was setting and I saw the last bit slip below the horizon. I heard my mother yelling my name. When I reached the fork in the path to either start your second/third loop or head to the finish I was the only one to make that turn. It felt so great not having to go out for another loop. I ran through the deserted parking lot and made my way up the street. When I turned the corner I was staring down the finishing chute lined with cheering crowds. I high-fived Katie and a bunch of others down the chute. I started to tear up. There was no more pain. My feet no longer touched the ground, I really was flying. This was the moment I had gone over in my head so many times when I was out training. It was the moment I was to become an Ironman.
Overall time: 10:23:02
Position Overall (including pros): 212
Age group position: 38
Post-Race
When the volunteers caught me I couldn’t stop smiling. They carried me to get my hat and shirt. I had my picture taken. My parents hugged me and told me they were proud. I saw Katie on the wall and walked over to her. Her support was such a huge part of my day and I broke down in her arms thanking her. We had done this thing together.
Comments
Saw you cross the finish, but it was hard to hear names on the live feed.
Congratulations!
David - Smart racing. Super fast time. Congrats on a great day. You are an Ironman!!
Dave,
Congrats on a GREAT first Ironman!
What did the note say?
. David - your last paragraph says it all - what this race meant to you and how it made youi feel. If more long distance tris are in your future, the sky's the sky's the liimit for you.
I'll agree with the above posters: if you choose, you have a bright future in long-course triathlon.
Well done.
WOWSER! Move over pros. Great job and report!
Great Race David! Compared to the numbers thrown around during our drive back from Canyon Lake you demolished the course! Solid EN Ninja execution all around...I'm sure there's more great things to come from you.
We enjoyed getting to know you and Katie over those few days. I hope our paths cross again soon at another race.
Also -.....is your w/kg around 3.4? Curious as we had very similar bike splits.