No more Ironmans for me - Challenge Roth Race Report
A few weeks ago I did Challenge Roth for the second year in a row... It was my 8th Iron distance race - and will probably be my last for the foreseeable future...
Challenge Roth is the world's largest Iron distance race with more than 3.300 individual starters and 500 relay teams.
We started the swim in groups - and I was seeded in one of the first (faster) groups... Personally I prefer the mass starts, as I find it easier to find a good pair of feet to draft when everybody stats at the same time.... As I'm a slow swimmer (1:20-1:25), and as the swim starts are usually seeded based on the expected overall finish time, I often find myself in groups with swimmers who are a lot faster than myself.
This race was no different... I usually position myself in the very middle and to the front in the water - and at this race this meant that I was imideately overswum by most of the group I was swimming with. Nothing that worried me, I just quickly found myself swimming alone. When I realised that the slow swimmers all swam to the far right (Doh), I moved to the right and found small groups of slow (like me) swimmers.
The Roth swim is probably one of the easiest swims out there. From the start, you swim straigh for maybe 1200 meters, make a turn and swim maybe 2500 meters, maje a turn and swim to the swim exit... Thye swim is in the Danube river, and the river is not wider than you can see the sides at all times - regardless of which side you breathe to...So it is imporrible to swim in anothing other than straigh lines.. :-)
Just after the first turnaround, I found a pair of feet that I decided to follow... They were a little slow, bit as I am both a poor and lazy swimmer, I decided to stay behind the feet for as long as I could. I could see by the color of the swimcap, that the feet I drafted belonged to a person who had started 5 minutes before me... So I assumed that he was slow, but following him was very easy - his pace was very steady - so I didn't mind. I eventually stayed right behind mih for the entire 2.500 meters straight - only letting go whenever a groups of faster swimmers came up from behind and overswum us... Luckily, I was always able to find him again and recatch him quickly.
I always lose any sense of time when swimming, so I gaige my swim time by how many different groups of swimmers passing me.. As all groups (starteíng every 5 minutes) had different color swim caps, it was easy to keep tab... By the turnaround we had been overtaken by 2-3 different colors, but had also overtaken a few people that had started 5 and 10 minutes before me.... So it wasn't all bad...
At the turnaround, we all got into a bit of a fight and I finally lost the feet that I had been drafting for the past maybe 2.5k... I had to do some swimming on my own for a while until I found another par of feet to draft..
From the turnaround, everybody seems to be sprinting to the swim exit, and I tried my best to hang on to the increased pace...
Eventually, I made it to the swim exit... It had been the easiest swim I had done in a long time... I felt like I could easily do another few k's...
I had mentioned to my family that if I swam as I usually did, I would come out of the water in 1:23... But they should expect me to be slower - as I had only swum about 14-15k since my last Ironman in September las year (12 of these during a week long swim camp in Lanzarote about a month ago)
My official swim time was 1:25:xx - which was fine
One of the upsides with starting in these seeded groups (which were faster than me) was that everybody else from my group had already exited the water, and all the transition bags from my group had already been taken. So finding my bag (and bike) proved very easy... No other bags or bikes were anywhere near... Embarrasing perhaps, but very easy :-)
As always my race doesn't start until I get in the bike, and this year was no different.
On the bike, I started slowly... I knew the course from last year, and was happy with just rolling for the first part of the course.
I had planned to do the majority of the ride @ just under 230W - and I kept this plan as well as I could. I hadn't logged as many miles on the bike as I usually do (and should) and I quickly found it hard to keep the Watts. Still, I have done enought bike rides and Ironmans to know that this is just a temporary low and that it would soon change... I just don't feel like this until later in the race... Anyway...after a few miles (and a bit of caffeine) I was back at my target watts and overtaking people by the hundreds (or so it felt)..
But it wasn't long until I had a falt and had to stop...Luckily it coincided with me needed a toilet break, so I didn't mind too much...Unfortunately, there was a bit of a wait at the portapotti - so it ended up taking quite a lot onger than planned..
Eventually I arrived in T2 - a lot slower than expected. (5:28 or something) On the upside, I had followed my nutrition plan and was thus full of energy and caffeine - ready to run.
At just about all the Ironmans I have done so far, I have had problems on the run. Stomack cramps. Over the years, I have tried everything from changing the way I breathe when swimming, different pacing strategies on the bike, (pre) race nutrition, all sorts of pills, etc. etc. etc. I usually feel a cramp like sensation just under my ribs - and somewhere between the 5k mark and the 10k mark, I have to stop running.
This happened again in Roth, and as I this year had consultet several doctors, had changed everything nutritionwise and had been eating several pills (lowering stomach acid etc.) to no effect.
So, by the 15k mark, I was walking and having stomach pains... The legs were fine, but I was just unable to run...
I have done enough Ironmans to not wanting to walk home just to collect a medal...I'm only interested in the finishers medal if I feel like I have deserved it by pushing my body (legs) to the very limit..and this problem is preventing me from doing that...
I have now done 8 ironmans and can really only recall 1 where I'm sure I didn't have this problem...That means that there is an almost 90% risk that I will have problems in future races as well - and that is really too much for me to justify the time spend training, time away from the family and the expences connected with doing Ironmans !
Ironman Sweden is in 5 weeks, but I really see no point in going..
Looking at the where the pain come from and a comment from Penny Wilson), I'm starting to think that the problem is with my lower esophageal sphincter - which somehow can't handle me sitting in the aero position for an extended period of time... I get problems on the half distance as well - but never enough for it to stop me from racing (but just enough to stop me from pushing hard). Funnily enough, I have never been able to replicate this in training.
I will be going back to the doctor to try to explore this some more, but as it stands now, I will not be doing any more Ironmans for the foreseeable future...
So, the question now is....what should I do with all my new spare time :-)
- Focus on HIM's (even though I still get some degree of pain)
- Go back to cycling
- Go back to running marathons
- Start watching soaps and get fat ....?!?!?!..
As it stands, I'm leaning towards focussing on running and maybe training for the Comrades Marathon in South Africa next year (56 miles)... I guess that could be another way of finding my limit...I just fear that I will miss the cycling...
Anyway...that was my race report and my thoughts following the race...Let me know if you have input or questions..
Bo
Comments
Way to give it your best.
Would be nice to see you do Sweden and get the report on the day. But do what seems right.
You have adjusted your diet you said. Maybe look at Dr. Lim's ideas. Guy used to (still does?) work with Garmin cycling team. Recent article in one of the triathlon magazines about lowering carbohydrates in drinks (90 calories to 20 ounces I think it said) and increasing electrolytes. And getting the majority of calories from solid food.
As you state, Ironman is way too hard both on race day and during training to do it half-heartedly. We are all designed differently, and need to find the sports and activities which fit out bodies and personalities the best. Sounds like you are still searching; maybe gearing back to individual events in both cycling and running will be your forte. Given your interest and ability, you certainly shouldn't give up on biking.
If bike position is indeed a possible source of your stomach cramping on the run, a different position might be worth an experiment at Sweden, given you've already invested the money for the race and most of the training already.
Roth is so much fun I hope you get a rematch. Good luck.
Time went by and I was able to train again. In this non-IM year I figured a HIM was doable this September. I have race 3 SC races and have had a ball. So much so I don't even want to train for the HIM. I'm enjoying NOT having to do anything except keep a level of fitness to drop into any SC race I find interesting. Like you I want to run more as well but I don't want to give up the bike because I'm happy with the progress I've made and want to keep up with the gains.
IM is not the be all end all of life. Here in the US football is a big sport and the BIG game is the Super Bowl. The team that gets in each player gets a Super Bowl ring, like a medal, so what I'm trying to say is once you have made it to the big show IM, how many more do you need to do to get a medal/ring what ever the prize.
There is a great big world out there so go get some. Your option 3 sit on the couch well you can do that too but I don't think that will last. You will find your own I'm sure.
Good luck, D
You deserve that medal as you did push your body to the limit! So what if you're not able to run; don't give up hope that it will happen one day. I like you have never been able to run the marathon (usually a physical ailment but occasional GI issue) but I keep trying.
Keep the faith!
Joanna
Ever since I was in my early 20s (46 now) I realized that I could not drink too many fluids whenever I would be in a sitting type position for too long a period (think 3 hr airpline flights). Basically if I did drink too much (like more than 12 ounces during that 3 hr flight), then my stomach would be in knots and I could not urinate for a number of hours (even more pronounced if I drank fluids too quickly - think chug). I never did talk to a doctor about it for years until I got into running races in my mid/late 30s. After my last race of that 1st yr of running I drank a ton of fluids and couldn't even sit in the car long enough to make the 15 minute drive home. So I saw a doctor. After 10 months of testing & searching and finding nothing, I told them they seem to be looking in the wrong place - its like the fluids don't even make it to my bladder, it gets blocked up higher in the system. So they discovered a small cyst (urachol cyst) by my belly button and removed it in year 2000. I thought this was the end of it.
Then I bought a bike and started training for tris. I had no problems initially and got thru my 1st IM (B2B) w/o incident. But this race was cool weather and my IF throughout the race was extremely low (pre-EN) and I just wanted to finish. I got off the bike 4 times during the race and I wasn't aero more than 50% of the time (new bike).
Next up - IMLP 2011. No incidents in training leading up to race day. Race day was warm (i'm 200lbs and heat eats me up me more than hills). I peed pre-swim and then not again till mile 50 of the bike. I probably drank more than usual and was much more intent on stayin aero and not stopping. By the 2nd loop I sensed I may have an issue. I stopped 2 more times on bike, but couldn't pee. I thought once on the run my body would loosen up. The opposite seemed to happen. The more I ran, it actually became more painful. I couldn't pee, but had to hydrate or wasn't gonna make it - so I was betw a rock and hard place now. By mile 5 I was done - too painful to run .25 miles. I stopped at mile 10 (in town) and spent the next 4 hrs in ER with a cathater (?). And I didn't just starting pee like a waterfall either - by this time I was very dehydrated but just blocked up. They did a number of tests and couldn't figure out the problem. Back home the MRI didn't pick up too much - we thought the cycst might have grown back (but now I don't even know if that is true problem).
So now I go into IMMT in a few weeks with this issue unresolved. But at least this time I know it can happen and can plan for it better. I do plan to listen to my body better and pee as soon as my body tells me to. I can pee now just about anytime, anywhere on the course (that sounds terrible, but hey we're triathletes). I just have to relax my body. I plan to be on the hoods whenever I'm climbing hills. I plan to stop once an hour and straddle my bike if only for 25-30 seconds to relax my body and stretch. I don't plan to ever gulp any fluids at one shot - take it in smaller sips (no sucking down 8 ounces of fav drink at special needs). Keep my liquid calorie mix on the lighter side and eat more solids. I will no doubt sacrifice some minutes on the bike - but if it gets me to run w/all body parts working - that is success.
Don't know if this is similar to your situation, but maybe something will hit home for you. Maybe its just about easing up on the bike in one way or another to get you to the run pain free. Next year I'm taking a break from IM to go short course and I'll be curious if this issue ever arises then.
IMHO, if I were you, I would do IM Sweden and just use it to experiment w/some type of changes you think might result in a pain-free race.
Bo,
Great RR- thanks!
One of my favorite aspects of endurance sports is that it can serve as a laboratory of infinite proportions. There is literally no end to its level of complexity and depth. You can literally explore the deepest recesses of your body, mind and soul, and that is why it is such a superior sport to all others. You can't get that kind of internal perception from a bowling league or flag football. From water bottle placement to swim stroke to the mile 18 conversation; you can twist, bend, squeeze and even break every convention, habit and technique you have to discover your best you. That's a lot of fun for me.
The other wonderful gift this sport provides is the ability to diagnose problems, develop solutions and flex your adaptation muscles. Adaptation is arguably the single most important advantage humans have perfected to climb to the top of the animal kingdom. At the expense of being overly dramatic and cheesy, it is what makes us unique. Even today, as our planet warms, our economy crumbles and oil rises and falls with no rhyme or reason, we have a seemingly endless ability to 'go with the flow.'
I feel like you are so close to isolating your problem! You say that you have tested everything from your racing posture to your nutrition and supplementation, and all kinds of doctors. But you have highlighted the one commonality for this reaction: always in a long-course race, but you said that this never happens in training. To me, this presents two starting hypotheses: nerves and anxiety, or the effect of either the swim and/or the bike in a full race environment. Or maybe it's psychosomatic.
After taking the necessary time off to determine if this is an activity you care to continue, could you not then commit 2013 toward systematically working through the process of experimenting with all manner of bricks and full, non-organized (solo) race rehearsals, to attempt to replicate and "tease out" the root cause? Adding time and distance until to produce the cue that produces the reaction?
I mean, Good God man! 7 out of 8 Ironmans? That would just embolden me to kick someone's ass, even it's my own. Now I'm mad.
Right now, you're in a dark place, no doubt- full of frustration and doubt. As a veteran racer you know that without the deep valleys, there can be no corresponding peaks in this sport. In time, I think (and hope) your hunger will return. I think you have a formidable challenge, but nothing is impossible. If you can collect eight iron-distance medals, you can do anything! And that includes isolating, identify and unlocking the puzzle of your GI.
Ironman is about nothing, if not the overcoming of seemingly overwhelming and impossible challenges. But not all can be solved physically, with more physical stimulus and stress. Some are more complex. I encourage you not to give up on your journey. You are clearly an exceptional endurance athlete, and you stand at the one-yard line of your full potential. (I don't know if that translates across the pond!) Call time-out, look at some film, run some play-action and develop a new strategy to push across the goal line! (Cue 'Chariots of Fire' please...)
And if not, there's always re-runs on the tube.
"You cannot solve problems with the same level of consciousness that created them." --Albert Einstein
I am to have the colon area scanned and have a camera-pill to examine the colon...but if this really is the problem, then it is likely a showstopper...It would require major surgery - with nu guarantees....
One thing which is different this time, though is that I can usually 'only' feel the pain on race day and then 1-2 days after that... Not this time...it has now been 3-4 weeks and I still get the pain... Today I was out running (slowly) and I had to stop running after 8 minutes !!! due to pains... Something is definitely not right...
I am kinda planning to run Comrades marathon next year and forget about IM's for a while...but if I can't even run 5 miles - how should I be able to run 56...?!
@Pete... Interesting read...some of it sounds similar some not... I'll show you story to the docs and see what they say
I'm thanks for the RR, I'm glad to see you may be finding out the cause of your problems.
Are you completely against doing Sweden at this point? Is your head not in it? Can you try to ride for a certain amount of time, say an hour, the stretch to elongate your colon and get some oxygen in and then ride more?
I'm looking forward to hearing how you solve your problem.
Scary. Dont forget in the 90 s, two pros ... Chris Legh and Julianne White... Each lost a significant portion of their colon due to ischemia when racing @ Kona. Blood flow to the gut is reduced during an IM due to need to send blood to muscles, a crimped bowel just makes that worse.
Bowel lining regenerates in 48 hours, so longer time for pain is worrisome.
could you let us all know?