LP my 1st IM
LP my 1st IM - 14:17:xx - 1505 OA - 33/88 AG - My prerace stated goals - "finish with my head held high and sub 14 if the temps are favorable". Overall i'm very happy with my race performance in spite of not making my time goal. In particular i'm thrilled to have adapted/executed my race plan with the changing weather/race conditions like a good EN ninja.
Background - 56 yo male - caught IM bug watching son compete @ 2009 IM Wisconsin - 2010 competed in a couple sprints - fall 2010 join EN - 2011 = HIM - 2012 IMLP.
I can't say enough about how well EN prepared me for the big day. This summer while training with some local tri friends (who have personal coaches) only reinforced how much better prepared we are. For example most of the locals have no idea about - sweat tests, cal/hour consumtion, sodium requirements, proper bike pacing, how to use/understand power meters, run pacing, and most importantly - a race plan.
Lately i've been thinking a lot about how lucky i was to have everything come together for me on race day. I showed up in LP injury free and 100% confident in my race day fitness. I've noted a few key points of my training that i want to replicate for next year.
- BBW - i did a local 4 day just before i began the 12 week IM build.
- EN Blue Ridge Parkway camp @ week 4 of 12 - WOW what an awesome venue with Great EN folks - 4 days - 375 miles, 32,000 ft climbing - resulting in huge confidence & fitness bump
- LP camp - @ week 6 of 12 - 3 days - bike 220 miles - run 20 miles - swim 4 miles
- RR2 weekend - @ week 9 of 12 - 4 consectutive wko's (FTP test, 150 min run, 2.4 swim, 6 hr bike/run) - each requiring a different mental prep/execution to meet the wko objectives - i nailed each one with negative splits and/or proper pacing/hydration/nutrition - i knew i was ready.
Race Day
0200 - early breakfeast - 2 Ensure = 500 cal
0415 - wake up - pop tarts & water = 500 cal - gather gear and walk to the oval
0530 - gear bags hung & bike is ready
0600 - body marking and people watching - eat more calories - 200
0630 - EN photo, gel, ready to enter water
0645 - In the water - the setting is surreal with the sun rising between the mountains, calm waters, music, the spectators, and Mike Reilly getting everyone jazzed up.
Swim - 1:20 estimate 1:18 actual
0700 - the gun - about 1/3 of the people in the water and 2/3 lining the shore. I'm in the water about mid start line 15 rows back. i'm looking around thinking this is gonna be a good start for me. i had clear swimming for about 5 minutes then the fast guys from the shore started to overtake us. I got dunked 2x and punched kicked numerous times - kind of what i expected but still a rough go for awhile - no panic/anxiety but had to stop a couple times to get my bearings - stayed in my box counting strokes - turn buoys are tough to navigate with the crowds - things started to thin out on the 3rd leg - hit the beah @ 37 min feeling good - back in the water for 2nd lap - less crowded but still some jostling - out of the water @ 1:18 - felt great - HR=92 - not sure why but 2nd lap was 41 min.
T1 - run to the oval and heard family friends cheering on the way - in the tent crowded but uneventful - taking my time to insure i don't forget anything - grab bike and head to the mount line.
Bike - 7:00 estimate 7:12 actual (7:02 moving time)
IF = .68 VI = 1.06 TSS = 284
FTP = 230w (2.95 w/kg) Racing @ 156w ave HR = 110
Nutrition plan = "live off the land" - Perform in lower Speedfill, water in upper aero Speedfill - grab a bottle of each @ every aid station - drink 1 bottle of Perform & 1/3 water between stations - extra water is dumped on me - eat one gel per hour.
Mount bike and head out - a couple people with flats before they're 100 yds into the race - a suck way to start a long day - start riding nice and easy thru town - eat a gel before the 1st climb - lots of Ricky Racers passing me on the 1st climb - i keep my power in check - my Garmin signals time to feed (every 10 min) - i've ridden this course 10x over the last 2 yrs so i know it well - it's beautiful morning with perfect temps - i hit 45 on the descent into Keene - JRA on Rt 9N - 1st aid station i grab my 2 bottles - top off my lower bottle with Perfom and drink the rest - dump water on me and toss it - 2nd aid station repeat of 1st - heading out to Ausable turn around and it's time to pee - find a slight downhill and stand out of saddle and it starts to flow nicely - i look up and see the friendly camera man - i'm busted 
- sure enough when i look @ my finishers pix i find that one
The rest of the 1st lap is mostly uneventful - lots of drinking, climbing and pee 6x - climbing Papa Bear lots of great EN fans - stop @ special needs for more Gu and my custom powder blend of Perform/Gatorade (for better taste) and Mt Dew for caffine/sugar bump - 2nd lap is pretty much a repeat of the 1st lap - holding my watts in check on the climbs - pee 5x - i did stop 2 x to stretch lower back - wind has picked up considerably - especially on the last leg from Wilmington back to town - nutrition plan works well for the bike segment - feeling good heading to T2 but anxious to get off the bike. On the second lap the crowds had thinned out and i found myself riding most of the way with a dozen or so cyclists - most would pass me on the climbs but i would catch up on the downhills - i saw all of them on the run course and all were walking on the 2nd run lap.
T2 - find an open seat and changeout shirt, socks, and grab nutrition - racers on either side of me in tough shape - both complaining of cramps and general fatigue - i give them some of my salt pills - explain how to use and then head out.
Run - 4:30 estimate 5:26 actual
Nutrition plan = 3 salt tabs/hour + water + Gu chomps @ each aid station for as long as i can
My one thing = "I want to be one of Rich's 11:00 superstars"
My run Z1 = 10:15 - i hit the run course planning 1st 6 miles @ 10:45/11:00 - looking @ my HR as i leave town and it's sitting @ 130 ish with pace @ 11:00 - with temps in the mid 80's this isn't a big surprise - thinking back to a conversation I had with coach P @ LP camp - he told me race run HR should be 10-15 bpm above your bike HR - so i slow down my pace to 11:45/12:00 and HR drops to 120 ish - i decide this is a good place to be and move on - i was warm but i was feeling great - i did the EN run/walk thing perfectly - grabbing water/Gu chomps and walking 30 steps while drinking - popping a salt tab every other aid station - i was using sponges/ice where available - my mile splits were very consistant in the 11:45/12:00 range - i ran the whole 1st lap including the hills except the 30 steps routine - i saw family friends @ top of the big hilll in town and coach P at the turn around with encouragement - heading out for the 2nd lap i was thinking hold this pace and maybe pick it up @ mile 18 - i knew my sub14 hour goal was gone but was happy to have the run going well considering the heat (i always struggle in the heat) - heading down the ski jump hill i tell myself i can walk this hill on the return if i run the river road segment according to plan - around mile 15 i start to get a little light headed - i was holding to my nutrition plan so i didn't think i was bonking - i had been using a lot of ice down the front/back of my tri bib - i stuck my hand down the front and found a lot of ice in my "nether" region and i started to think maybe blood flow was being redirected away from my head to the cold areas - so i removed all the ice and found my plumbing was numb - stopped to walk while i kept my hand on my external parts till they warmed up - i'm sure that was a sight to see but hey this IM world we do whatever it takes - my Garmin data revealed about 5 min of walking - back to my run plan - things going well to the turn around @ 17.5 - starting to feel the "suck" coming but i'm able to keep running - i'm passing lots of people - chicken broth is awesome but takes longer to down causing longer walk breaks of 40-50 steps - finish off the river road section and get to the ski jump hill - as a reward i get to walk that hill - top of the hill running again knowing i have about 5k left - i stop @ the 2nd last aid station (just before the big hill) for a couple minutes trying to take in as much as i could for the final push home - i run up the big hill feeling really good and have lots of encouragement from local tri club friends who sort of own "Rich Clark" hill - the guy with the moose antlers and megaphone is a friend and an annual fixture on the hill - my wife runs most of the hill with me - i make the turn to town with 2 miles to go - it was getting dark so my goal if finishing before the sunset is done - i stopped at the last aid station for some water and regroup for the final push - i was with a group of 3 other racers and we all agreed to spread out a little so we could each enjoy our finish line moment - then some guy came from behind and screwed up that plan 
- oh well - had my photo taken with my wife who somehow managed to get into the finish area - sat down and ate pizza & fruit and talked my wifes ear off about the race, the journey to get here and thankful i was for the EN preparation - Normally i'm the quiet/listener guy so my nonstop talking was a surprise to both of us.
I was really proud to have run the whole marathon except my 5 min warmup session and the ski jump hill once. I know i left some time on the course as i was running conservatively to insure a solid finish rather than turn myself inside out and risk a long walk or DNF.
For next year
- sub 14 for sure
- raise my FTP so i'm not sitting on the bike for 7 hours
- work on learning more about the correlation between my run HR and long run pacing. Many of my long runs were done in high temps (upper 80's) but HR always stayed in 110 range - so when racing i was unsure how long i could last @ 120 ish
Many thanks to RnP for putting together an awesome system that us busy AG er's can fit into our lives.
Comments
Jeff - a Poster Boy EN First Timer! Runing instead of walking at the end is what it's all about.
As to HR issues - your heart is probably the strongest, best trained part of you, and can easily handle 120/130 for a marathon. My maximum HR is in the 160 range, and I routinely run IM marathons in the heat in the range of 123-132. Unless you have a history of heart disease or are restricted by your MD, the usual IM training will have produced a situation where your muscles will give out before your heart at the pace you are running. Follow your pace plans based on your training and the day's temp, let your HR take care of itself.
You are an Ironman!