Cary Blanco's semi-breif IMLP 2012 Race Report (mostly what I did wrong, so you don’t have to do the
Well, it started out Semi-breif …
IMLP 2012 would be my second Ironman, I did Lake placid in 2010 and had an amazing day that I enjoyed every minute of. In 2010 in raced smart using the EN 4-keys to guide my way through the day, my goal for 2012 was to race even smarter.
I knew going in to this event I had a few issues that might cause me some problems.
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I developed a problem with an extremely elevated heart rate when running at just about any pace that caused me to tired out quickly, some days just getting in 5k is hard. The problem it’s not always there but it prevents me from getting a lot of volume in. Doctors still don’t know the cause, and I’m working solving this problem.
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I’ve had a hydration issue over the past 2 months that when I consume sports drinks they really “dry me out”. I moved to water with GU and bars for calories while I’m on the bike. I had previously used an Infinit concentrate mix with success, but any sports drink seems to cause me have dry mouth and decreased performance.
Even though my FTP was up a touch I expected to lose about a half hour overall (of my 2010 time) due to my heart rate issue and decreased run volume this year.
The Race:
Potential mistake #1: I bought new goggles the day before (Zoggs Predator, they’re awesome by-the-way) I tried them out for 20 minutes and told myself I would not wear them for the race - nothing new on race day - Well, I ended up wearing them anyway and they were great, I “lucked out”. Check out Zoggs if you haven’t had a chance yet.
Swim: I believe the swim was more “violent” this year, there were more people in the water and I felt the athletes were a bit more aggressive. It took a very long time to find my own space in the water. I exited feeling good at 1:17 (two minutes slower than 2010).
T1: I had an issue with someone accidentally taking my bag while it was on the ground but the volunteers sorted it out by the time I picked up my bags after the race - the volunteers are great. Time: 8:52
Bike: I tried to go really easy on the first loop, but I still felt a bit depleted on the second loop, headwinds while climbing back in to town didn’t help the physical or mental aspects of the effort. It was a fairly hot day - I splashed my head, back, groin and arm coolers with the water bottle every 15 minutes, this worked well. I drank a lot of water as I had in race rehearsal and had GU, powerbars and bananas (from the aid stations) for calories at different intervals. I finished in 7:22, 30 minutes slower than 2010, I didn’t expect that, but I didn’t let it bother me, I had a marathon to get through.
Bike Mistake #1: at the end of loop 1 at the bottom of Papa Bear I saw Brenda Ross in an EN kit, my mind not being 100%, I yelled out “Barbra” - Do yourslf a favor, Do Not Make This Mistake 
- JK Brenda!
T2: Uneventful, I saw EN Teammates Paul Takac and Ryan Miller leaving the tent right before I did. Time: 7:11
Weather in Lake Placid on July 22, 2012 via Wolfram Alpha
Run: In roughly a quarter mile I caught up to Paul and Ryan, we agreed to stick to roughly 10:30/miles and we’d try to stay together and keep each other honest. That plan worked pretty well, but we started diverging a bit and nature breaks lead to eventual separation. We would all go on separately after mile 5 or 6. I continued drinking a cup of water with a sip of coke at the aid stations, I knew it was hot and I didn’t want to dehydrate, I hadn’t pee’d since T2 and I thought I needed more water. Right before the turn on Mirror Lake Drive at around mile 12.5 my stomach went bad, really bad, I just wanted to throw up. I made the turn and started to noticeably slow down. By the time I was half way down the out and back I was walking. I kept drinking water as I thought it would calm the bad stuff in my stomach. an hour and a half later at mile 19 I finally threw up (a lot of liquid). I felt better almost immediately and I had a bit of a spring in my step. I got to the next aid station and got a cup water, after all, I just got rid of all the water I had in me, I didn’t want to dehydrate. I threw up again at maybe mile 21 and 23 and I kept drinking water.
I slowly made my way to the finish line My 13.1 split was roughly 2:30, I spent the next 4 hours walking and trying to throw up and eventually throwing up three times. Dead legs are one thing, a bad stomach completely took me out. After I crossed the finish line (right after Natalie and Liebs) I asked to see a Doctor, within a few minutes I was talking to one relaying my story. He told me I had too much water and that I need to stay warm, he asked me to put on a mylar blanket and that I drink warm colored liquid (coke or broth) and eat some “real food” (pizza or subs) in order to reset my gut. If I didn’t feel better 10 minutes later, he would see me again. A couple of slices of Pizza and warm coke did the trick and I was feeling normal within 5 minutes. Run time: 6:28
So I now know I that I obviously drank too much water and I know how to recognize the symptoms and how to deal with it in the future. I look forward to not doing this to myself again.
I finished in 15:24 adding almost two hours to my previous IMLP finish time. I never thought about quitting, no matter how bad I felt. I now know that Ironman gets harder the longer you’re out there. And, it doesn’t matter what time you finish, there’s nothing like going down the finisher’s chute at an Ironman event, you’re smiling and happy to be there.
Note: I was in my tri team kit, but It was great seeing so many EN kits on the course, we represented well!
I’ll be back to Lake Placid for the Ironman again one day. I know I can do better than my 2010 effort and I think I’m more prepared to avoid and deal with a nutrition meltdown now.
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Comments
Very inspirational
@dottie, @lauren, @john & @peter - thanks for the comments.
@brenda - thanks for taking the joke - I wasn't sure you were going to read this, I'm glad you did and I promise not to let that happen again
@wick - It was great seeing you on the course as well. I'm glad my presence help to make you calm (that's quite a compliment thank you). Ad the HR thing is a year and a half old, the sports drink thing is new, so I don't think they're related. And the guitar is coming next time!
I didn't realize there was an EN breakfast - oh well.
Hopefully you'll figure out the trick to the sports drink thing (I'd almost say that if it's just your mouth that is dry, but the drink still moves through your system - then it is what it is. However Brenda has a good idea that there may be a vitamin or other nutrient deficiency. Interesting)
Wow, tough persistence, Cary. I remember last year when I finished IMCDA 2 hours slower than the time before. While it wasn't so hard physically (walking is ALWAYS easier than running), mentally, it was harder than any race I ever did.
Way to get it done.