IMNYC - What's that in my ear...?
IMNYC
Friday:
Jess and I went to brunch around 11AM and I ate until I couldn't move. Banana Pancakes, sweet potato fries, a hard boiled egg, an English muffin with jelly and white toast with jelly and a glass of cranberry juice. We then went to catch the ferry to drop our bikes and Transition bags off. It was almost comical because it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. The diner we were planning to go to for brunch was closed for renovations, then it a massive thunderstorm erupted when we were leaving the new diner. On the way to the ferry we had no less than 3 u-turns because various roads were closed. Every time something like this would happen, Jess and would joke that we were happy to be getting all the bad luck out of the way 'before' the race. Of course when we arrived at the ferry, it was just pulling out so we got to wait a half hour for the next one. Once we got to Ross dock most of out admin stuff was uneventful and we eventually loaded the ferry again to head back to our car. As an aside, this day was our 10 yr Anniversary. We got married on a party liner boat cruising around Pittsburgh and here we were exactly 10 yrs later on a boat cruising around NYC together. It was peaceful and rather nice. Then we were of course stuck in rush hour traffic once we got to our car to head home. One more thing to laugh about. Dinner for me was some fresh pasta with just a little bit of sauce and lots of salt. I had taken several salt sticks throughout the day as well as a couple Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc pills and had been sipping constantly all day on Gatorade and water. I went to bed around 9PM and actually got some sleep.
Race Day:
My alarm went off at 2:40AM and I drank a strawberry flavored Ensure Plus. I got a quick shower and gathered my stuff. We had planned to leave the house at 3:15AM but didn't make it out the door until around 3:22AM much to Jess' dismay. The drive to the ferry terminal takes about 35-40 minutes from our house and you guessed it... By time I parked and got to the Slip it was 4:02AM and surprisingly the 4:00AM Athlete's ferry had shockingly left promptly at 4AM. No biggie, there was an empty ferry that we boarded and waited and waited. Finally at 4:35 the ferry left to make the half hour trip up river. We were not the only athletes on this ferry, but it was mostly volunteers and spectators. When we finally got close to Ross Dock, we suddenly stopped and had to wait some more for the cue of ferries ahead off us to unload. This was nerve racking as Jess kept reminding me how she doesn't like to be rushed and it was my fault that we left the house too late and we were going to miss the start of the race. When we FINALLY got off the ferry it was about 5:35AM and we were cheerfully greeted by John Korff (race director) as we set foot on solid ground. I had a checklist for the morning and I crossed the items off as I got ready. Pump tires, add nutrition, drop off gear bags, etc. It turns out we had plenty of time to spare as people were lining up to get on the ferries but I had planned all along to be on the last one so I simply parked myself on a picnic bench with a bunch of Team ReserveAid peeps and chatted away until the line was mostly gone, then hopped right on to the last ferry. I thought this was going to be a nuisance, but the ferry ride to swim start was actually quite cool. I was sitting on top with about 10 other Team ReserveAid peeps and handed out wax earplugs to most of the folks on the team (more on this later) and we watched the pro's start as the helicopter circled overhead. We could see when the tide started to turn because the kayakers eventually needed to paddle to stay in one place. Yes! Off the ferry, onto the barge and there Was John Korff again wishing Jess and I good luck on the race.
Swim:
Expected swim time: 1:00:xx
Actual swim time: 0:48:36 (current assisted!)
There were less than 100 people left on the barge as I jumped into the water. My plan was to stay as far left as I could the entire swim to take as much advantage as I could of the current. It seemed to work. I quickly got into a rhythm and swam right along the bouy line the entire time. I counted strokes most of the way and usually started over when I got to 60 as this is what I pretend 100yds is when I swim in my endless pool at home. This kept me in a comfortable place. I actually swam directly under 2 of the buoys and for the most part stayed left with just minimal zig-zagging. I think I only bumped into 2-3 other swimmers the whole leg. But I swam passed a lot of people, making it a point to always pass on the left if possible. Because the current was carrying everyone along, this was probably the least congested swim I have EVER done on a triathlon of any distance. If you are a poor or tentative swimmer, this would have been the race for you. Everyone jokes about the water quality in the Hudson, but I thought it was great. It was pretty clean salt water and just about the right temperature for a wetsuit swim. The last 25 yds or so were pitch black in the water as the muddy silt from the bottom got stirred up as people were exiting the water, but I didn't think it was a big deal. I took a volunteer's hand and was pulled up onto the ramp. I pointed to a wetsuit stripper who looked ambitious and my wetsuit was ripped off in about 3 seconds, nice!
T1:
Expected T1 time: 5:00
Actual T1 time: 4:47
As I jogged towards my green and orange tape covered Run Gear Bag, I glanced at my watch and saw 48:xx, whoa! I took my goggles and cap off and pulled my earplugs out then tried with no luck to get the 'water' out of my right ear... By the time I got to the changing tent I could see dozens of people sitting around outside it getting changed so I didn't even bother going in. I went around it, found a spot on the ground and quickly put my helmet and glasses on stuffed my wetsuit in the bag, grabbed my shoes and ran barefoot to my bike. I stopped for a few seconds to have the sunscreen appliers lather up my tramp stamp area and legs on the way. Just before the timing mat, I asked a volunteer to hold my bike as I put my bike shoes on and then headed towards the mount line. Before I mounted my bike, I gave my head another violent shake and tap, to try to get the water out of my right ear but still no luck, it wouldn't pop.
Bike:
Expected bike time: 5:30-5:40
Goal Normalized Power: 210w
Actual bike time: 5:28:57 (21.43 mph)
Actual Normalized Power: 197W (65.23% of my 302W FTP)
Variability Index (VI): 1.05 (a little higher than plan, but not terrible)
The bike leg starts up a very steep 0.3 mile hill and I just kept my power pegged at around 225W and grinded up the hill as many people pushed right past me. There were a ton of spectators as you exited the park area and headed up the hill to the Palisades which was very cool. Once on the Palisades, the course was packed. There were a ton of 'amateurs' riding 4 wide taking up the entire lane and not really passing. This was annoying and I must have screamed "on your left" a thousand times at the top of my lungs. As I would pass people, I would look at them and scream "Stay to the right except to pass". They probably thought I was the biggest A-hole, but I didn't really care, someone needed to tell them and it kept my mind occupied. On probably a dozen occasions I had to cross the centerline to pass, I realize this is not legal, but there was nobody over there so I figured it was better than slowing down or wrecking. I kept trying to pop my right ear which still seemed sealed up. It's not so easy to shake your head while riding through heavy traffic, but I tried. I had one near-crash scare that was completely my fault. As I was leaving the second bike aid station, I was on my aero-bars with my right arm and had a crumpled up water bottle in my left hand. Instead of sitting up to toss the bottle, I threw it with my left hand across my body towards the right shoulder of the road. This twisting motion across my body in the aero position made my front wheel turn sharply to the right at about 18mph. I quickly corrected swerving sharply to the left then back to the right before I caught my balance and straightened out. A quick adrenaline rush and spiked HR were the only consequences. I was lucky that I didn't go down and that nobody was near me at the time. I would have been one of those idiots I was worrying about all day.
The whole time I was riding I kept thinking 'legal draft'... I would always ride on the right when possible and wait until I was a few inches behind the person in front of me before I would dart out to pass, then back into the line. I was overtaking sooooo many people and most people were riding so stupid. I could see them pedaling away in their bullhorns going downhill while I was coasting in a tight aero position flying past them. I kept this strategy for most of the ride and I think it served me really well. My Normalized Power was lower than plan and my VI was higher than plan, but I think both of these were a product of how often I was coasting on the downhills. I was over 35mph so quickly as I was cresting the hills that I could coast much of the hills as I was continuing to weave in and out of passing people. JP Rorech (Team ReserveAid dude who is a VERY strong cyclist) passed me about 15 miles into the bike leg. We had started together, so I figured I had a slightly faster swim and T1 than he did. He flew by me, but after a few minutes I passed him and we literally played cat and mouse for the next 70 miles. He put out 250W on the day, but I could tell I was able to stay aero a lot more than him, and my aero position is much lower so we basically rode at roughly the same speed. It was nice to have a friend to chat with for most of the ride. I was about an hour into my ride before my constant jaw maneuvering and attempts at ear popping finally gave me a little crack in the pressure in my ear and I could hear again, even if it was still just a little bit.
My nutrition on the bike was simple, a 2.5hr slushy cold bottle of Infinit for the first half, a Powerbar at hour 2, a new slushy cold 2.5 hr bottle of Infinit for the 2nd half and a Powerbar at hour 4. I drank every drop of Infinit and ate 1.75 of the Powerbars and took water to drink and squirt off with at every aid station. I also took 5 regular Salt Sticks and 3 Salt Sticks with caffeine during the ride.
I had wasted a whole lot of brain power in the week leading up to the race trying to decide if I should carry my 2nd bottle of Infinit Nutrition or leave it at Bike Special Needs (BSN). I decided to leave it at BSN and this was absolutely the right decision. I didn't have to carry the extra weigh for the first half of the ride, and BSN took me less than 30 seconds. I pulled into the slot near my numbers, yelled to the volunteer to grab the bag with the green and orange tape on it. He brought it right over and as I straddled my bike, I ripped the new bottle of Infinit out of my insulated bag, threw my old one onto the BSN bag and was off as the volunteer offered to take care of the rest.
The 2nd loop up the Palisades was pretty uneventful. Just after BSN I came up to pass my good friend K.O. who at ~230lbs is quite easily the largest member of Team ReserveAid. He was clad from head to foot in White DeSoto cooling gear under his kit. K.O. unknowingly said something to me that certainly perked up my already high spirits, "there's our Team Captain, riding strong like like I would expect". It was simple, but made me smile as I rode past him.
JP finally dropped me a couple miles before the turn around. The last 25 miles coming back down the Palisades were a bit disappointing. I knew I had ridden smart and had saved my legs for this last section of the bike. I knew it was a slight net downhill and I should be able to make up some good time if I continued to ride strong. This was not the case. By this point in the race, I had passed all of the slower riders, and all of the pro's and really fast riders were well ahead of me. So I was pretty much alone. Alone and exposed for the wicked headwind that I got to ride into. Where were all those idiots I was passing earlier, I sure could use them now. Nope, alone. I think I only passed 5-10 people in the last 25miles of the course and I don't think I was passed at all. So even though I stayed very aero and kept my power reasonably steady, this was definitely the slowest part of the bike course for me. The headwind really was relentless. After exiting the Palisades, the couple mile ride downhill back into Ross Dock was actually pretty quick and fun. I was happy with my bike split and felt like I had done what I could to setup a good run.
T2:
Expected T2 time: 5:00
Actual T2 time: 4:40
Not much excitement here. I took my bike computer off and reset it and powered it down as I was running through transition and grabbed my taped up bag. As a side note, I put strips of bright green and orange tape on all of my bags. They stood out like a sore thumb in the sea of similar bags. I didn't need to even look for my number, I could see my bag a mile away and grabbed it in stride as I ran past. Inside the change tent I dumped my bag, put my compression quad sleeves on then my injinji toe socks and my shoes. I had a ziplock bag that contained my fuel belt and my EN visor. The change tent was mostly empty so I asked the volunteer if he could put the rest of my stuff into my bag and get it on the pile. As I ran out of the tent, I had them apply sunscreen for me and I put my visor on and snapped my Fuel belt while running.
Run:
Expected run time: 4:20:xx
Actual run time: 4:48:21
I knew this run was going to be brutal, but I had a plan. I was going to power-walk all of the steep hills and try to run any easy grade and all of the downhills. I wanted to save enough energy to really be able to push the last 10 miles which was the only flat part of the course. For nutrition I was carrying 2-6oz gel flasks full of Infinit Napalm that should last me to Run Special Needs (RSN) where I would swap them out for 2 new flasks for the 2nd half of the run. I would take a gulp of Napalm every 2 miles or so before an aid station and chase it with water. I was carrying an empty lumbar water bottle just in case the aid stations were to far apart and I felt like I needed to carry water. My strategy for the aid stations would be to use them to stay cool. I got ice at every one and dumped into my DeSoto cool wings sleeves. I would dump water on my head and onto my Mission cooling towel which was on the back of my neck. I would also drink water and carry ice with me when I left. I usually put a full cup of ice down the front of my kit top (still in the cup) and carried another cupful in my hands (without the cup). As this ice in my hands melted it kept me cool and I chewed on the ice. Once the ice disappeared from my hands, I would take the 2nd cup out of my kit, drink the cold water and hold the remaining ice in my hands. Occasionally I would put a piece of ice in my visor strap, or put some down my pants. This worked pretty well as I stayed reasonably cool and just kept making my way forward. I think my pace was about what I would have expected. I didn't pay much attention to my Garmin other than to make sure I wasn't getting lazy with my power walking up the hills. If I was at or better than 14 or 15 mins per mile while walking I thought it was good. I was running anywhere from low 7's to mid 8's miles while going downhill. I tried to focus on a high cadence the whole time, but mostly failed in this attempt. my right ear was still a bit 'cloudy' which did make running a little weird.
It was great to see so many Team ReserveAid peeps on the course and many of them looked like they were in a substantial amount of pain. I passed JP on the run much earlier than I expected. The pain he was experiencing was already evident in the chiseled lines of his face. I encouraged him to stick with me for a while, but he encouraged me to keep moving and crush this race. My good friend Gab (aka Z-Man) ran with me for most of the first out and back. His calming presence was great to keep me focussed. I had another funny thing happen about 2 miles into my 2nd out-and-back... As I was struggling up one of the biggest hills, I felt a strong slap on my bum. I looked up and saw my friend and fellow Team ReserveAid member Mark Simmer who had just blown by me. He had a sheepish grin and said "That's just didn't quite feel right because I know you're a full lap ahead of me but I had to do it anyways".
I had just about finished my 2nd gel flask full of Infinit Napalm as I approached RSN. I yelled my number up ahead and a frantic search ensued. One of my close friends was volunteering in RSN and I saw him yelling at people and looking everywhere for my bag. I yelled that it was covered with green and orange tape, you couldn't possibly miss it. All of my other bags I had spotted for a mile away, but my RSN bag was nowhere to be found. As I left empty handed, I told Brian if he found it to just grab my insulated bag with the 2 Napalms and please run to bring it to me. As I ran under the GWB, I knew I would have to think of a new nutrition plan. There was a water stop just before you climbed the stairs to the bridge, so I got a drink and got wet.
Up and down the stairs I went without any issues. At mile 16.2 with 10 miles to go, I was at ~9:15:xx total race time. So all I had to do was keep moving at ~10 mins per mile and I could finish under 11 hours. I had dreamed all along that I could run low 9-handle miles in this 'easy' flat part of the race, so I really believed a 10-handle race was possible at this point. I don't really remember crossing the bridge, but most other people said it was nice. I do remember John Korff greeting me kindly by name just before I exited the bridge. I thought that it was kind of cool that the race director was out there on the course welcoming every athlete into New York. Just after the bridge is where I think I made the first of many nutritional mistakes in the 2nd half of my run. There was an aid station just after the bridge and I approached it the same way I had all of the run aid stations so far, I focussed on staying cool. Water to dump on my head and a couple sips to drink. Cup of ice down my kit top and a 2nd cup to hold. I did grab a small chunk of banana and 2 pretzels and kept running. [So the last time I took in nutrition was at mile 13 and here I was at about mile 17 and only took one stupid chunk of banana. I didn't actually think that was stupid at the time, but only now with the benefit of hindsight...]
I crossed 'The Line' at mile 18 and smiled because I still felt good. I knew I now had permission to start going hard, and decided to self assess. I had been taking salt pills regularly and I had 2 plain and 2 caffeinated salt sticks left. I decided to take a plain one and save the caffeinated ones for later. This section was supposed to be flat and easy, but it seemed brutal for some reason. I expected it to be flat but there was a surprising number of ups and downs to get over to the water's edge. Once I got to the water, it was hot ~88 degrees with no shade and the whole time I was running into a wicked headwind coming off the water. There were plenty of 'spectators' around however it didn't seem as though anyone knew why a bunch of us were running like crazy people with number belts on. Most people were simply doing their normal Saturday picnic or playing their regular game of Dominos... At this point, I was still feeling relatively strong and every time I ticked off a mile that was less than 10 mins, I mentally banked that extra time away for later.
The next aid station was farther than a mile from the last. This was starting to get cruel. At this point of the race we really needed aid stations every single mile and instead they were spread out to 1.5-2.0 miles apart. I kind of knew I should be doing more for nutrition, but I didn't want to try anything new and get myself sick. I started to get dry and very hot,so the aid stations continued to follow my cooling routine. Water, ice, small chunk of banana, couple pretzels, another water, keep moving... Still walking 15-20 steps though the aid stations, but still running fast enough to average under or around 10 min miles. 6 more miles, then 5 more miles... I new I needed nutrition so I went to the reserve Strawberry-Banana caffeinated Powergel that I was carrying in my belt. I actually had 2 of them in there, but had no water to chase it with and had been carrying an empty lumbar water bottle for 21.5 miles now, why didn't I fill it up? Finally, an aid station... I took the gu and the last 2 caffeinated Salt sticks I had. I don't drink coffee and never ever take caffeine so I figured this little caffeine bomb might give me a little kick to finish the last 4.5 miles. More Ice and I was off.
At 22.2 miles, I remember thinking 4 miles to go and nearly 45 minutes to break 11 hours. I was still running at ~10 mins per mile and had 'banked' almost 5 minutes. Keep running strong.
Just before mile 23 there was a little hill to get up before you got to the M-shaped zig zagging section. I walked this hill like I had walked all of the previous hills of the day, but something now felt very different. It felt like it was 120 degrees. I couldn't jog when it leveled out. a few volunteers on the hill asked me if I was okay. Was I okay? I could see the aid Station up ahead, but I couldn't jog to it... I could barely walk to it. I started to slow to a stop as I approached the aid station and a bunch of the volunteers ran out to me. "are you okay" they asked over and over but I couldn't answer. Now that I had stopped, I could barely stand. I started to fall to the left and barely caught my balance. It was incredibly hard to stay upright but I also couldn't move forward. "We're calling the Paramedics, you are done" I vaguely heard through the fog in my head. "No F-ing way" was my response... "I just need a minute, can you get me some nutrition?". "What do you want" they asked, "Perform, chicken broth, coke?". I asked for 2 of everything and proceeded to drink 2 waters, 2 cups of Perform, 2 cups of coke and 2 cups of chicken broth. I hate Perform, and hadn't had coke in at least 5 years but desperate times called for desperate measures. I was done worrying about the on course nutrition making me sick. The only thing I could think about was staying upright and staying on this course. I think I had spent about 4 minutes at this aid station and paid for it because my quads and calves started to cramp up from not moving. The volunteers said to wait patiently and the Paramedics would be here soon. F- that I said, I'm just gonna start walking and see what happens. As I left the aid station at a slow walk, one of the volunteers walked with me. I couldn't walk in a straight line, but at least I was moving in the right general direction. After about a minute I decided to test out a jog and was able to hold ~14 mins per mile for about 20 steps, then I walked, then jogged, then walked, then jogged again and was able to get it down to about 12:30 per mile and now I was mostly going in a straight line.
A couple minutes later I came up to the EN cheering section. This should have been the most awesome part of the race. It seemed like there were 20+ EN peeps there screaming at the tops of their lungs and I was supposed to be powering past at 10mins per mile on my way to my 10-handle glory. Instead I was humiliated. I was one of those losers that could barely shuffle at the end of the marathon. And here were all of my teammates to cheer me on and I was so focused on the spot of the ground in front of my foot so I didn't fall over that I couldn't even thank them for being there. To be honest I couldn't really speak or hear or think at this point, I just had to keep moving forwards by whatever means possible. At some point, Brian Lee was next to me in his volunteer shirt. The same guy who was at RSN was now walking and jogging next to me asking me if I was okay. He stayed with me for the better part of 2 miles. The aid station volunteer who left the aid station with me re-appeared on a bike asking me if I was okay. Brian told her he knew me and would look out for me so she rode back to her aid station.
The last 3 miles of this race may very well have been the hardest thing I have ever done. Brian left me alone with the final mile to go so he could go back and catch the rest of the Team ReserveAid members. Cruelly, the race directors saw it fit to add a few more hills before you make it to the final stretch. By this last mile, I was able to maintain an 11:00 per mile pace for about the whole mile, but it was simply will power to get to the med tent sooner. I can't tell you if the finishing chute was cool or not, I think they said my name, all I really remember was finally crossing under the banner into the arms of my catcher... All I could whisper was"please take me to the med tent".
I didn't actually get an IV bag at the med tent and for some crazy reason my BP was unusually high near 160/110 (it's usually super low after races). I laid on the cot and was packed in ice. They brought me hot chicken broth and pretzels. They took my shoes and socks off and stretched and massaged my legs. After about 30 minutes I could stand on my own and was released out the door to the food line. I walked over to get my morning gear bag and they had a little surprise for me. In addition to my morning gear bag right next to it was my RSN bag in the row. It was the ONLY RSN bag in the whole area.
Overall:
Expected Finish: ~11:30:xx
Actual Finish: 11:15:21
Division: 35-39yrs. 70/318 22.0%
Overall: 329/2146 15.3%
Epilogue: "my crazy day after Ironman day"
My ear was 'thick' the next morning like it was all day during the race... We're flying to Disney World on Wednesday so I figured I should get some drops or something so I went to Urgent Care. Turns out part of my wax earplug broke off and was still stuck deep down in my ear. I guess I know now why I couldn't get the "water" out of my ear after the swim... They squirted stuff and dug down in there for about a half hour and finally got it out. They gave me antibiotics and ear drops just so I wouldn't get an ear infection from all their digging. Then we drove into the city and went to the Expo and picked up our bikes. I actually felt pretty good given the carnage that occurred the day earlier on the course. Jess and I grabbed a few slices of pizza to eat at home, then I took my amoxicilin and used the Cipro ear drops and sat down to eat. After about 20 mins, I got super hot and my hands and feet felt like they were on fire. Turns out after 36 yrs, I'm now severely allergic to Penicilin... My lips and eyes swelled up and I was laying on my floor shaking and throwing up trying to breathe as my tongue and throat started to swell shut. Jess called 911 right away (her quick thinking probably saved my life) and the ambulance came. My BP was 80/33 and they couldn't find a pulse in my wrist... They gave me 2 different IV drips on the way. Apparently they also had to give me a shot of epinephrin. I don't remember a whole lot about the first couple of hours in the ER. After several hours, I ate and felt fine and asked them if I could leave.
The doctor came in and said I had to stay for the full 6hrs of observation. He said and I quote "you were in bad shape when you came in here. We gave you some medicines that are reserved for people who are dead, or very close to it.".
After I was back to normal and ate some dinner and Ice Cream (yay to recreational sugar) Jess made sure to tell me "the next time you 'almost die' please do not do it the day after an Ironman!"
And now off for a couple of weeks of eating unhealthily and some much needed recovery before I start training agin for IMFL in November. Life is precious, Cherish it!
Comments
I never use earplugs and after reading this I don't plan on changing. But I want to know how you carry and eat powerbars on the ride. Do you leave them in the wrapper? Where do you put them on the bike?
You're one tough racer. Put yourself through a lot more than most can handle. Rest up, before your body rebels and puts you on your back for a week or two!
And, BTW, going through all of that and still crushing your goal time on the day is freakin awesome!!!
It is now time for some serious RECOVERY INTERVALS...not sure how well that will go at the Mouse House, but please try. Also, as previous FL residents with little kids, I am happy to share tips/techniques on how to 'do Disney' with little ones in tow.
Enjoy lots of ice cream and Disney!
Also very glad Jess was quick with the 911 call - make sure you get some testing done to see if there is anything else you may now be allergic too... Hope you are enjoying (enjoyed) Disney and take a few weeks easy before you think about FL....
John,
Great job digging deep to get to the finish. I think the American Zof race gave you confidence that you can fight thru anything in a race.
And Wow about the allergies. 2x times what JT said about going to see an allergist and getting some tests done. No need for any more surprises. We have a long history of allergies, some life threatening, in our family so please get checked out. Once you know the score, you can plan to avoid the stuff that causes you to go into shock. Knowledge is everything with allergies.
And congrats to Jess for being tough, fast and smart taking care of her man.
Thanks everyone! Just back from Disney, feel fat, refreshed, and ready to start moving again.
I actually wore a camelback lumbar bottle fuel belt for the entire race (it's what was holding my Napalm flask bottles and I thought the aid stations might be far apart so I was carrying the empty bottle "just in case"). I am stupid not to have utilized it. I wish I had grabbed a handful of gu's at any aid station after RSN and put them in the center pocket. I also wished I would have filled up the empty 24oz lumber water bottle that I was carrying at the same time. Something about being 130 miles into a hard race caused my brain not to function... Must remember to force myself to slow down a bit and be lucid in the future. Then I could have blamed my spectacular blow up on cooking myself on the hills instead of nutrition issues. I'm sure they both played a part. I don't want to fully hide behind a nutrition excuse... At IMFL, I will also try to take in more nutrition early on during the run. I have 8 or so weeks to experiment in training.
@Paul-- I had a Dark Speedworks Bentobox. In it I keep 2 Powerbars and a small pillbox for saltsticks. I open the Powerbars in the morning before the race and simply close the foil wrapper back around them. Piece of cake.
@Beth-- Believe it or not, I'm all Ice Creamed out at this point and I don't even want to look at another cookie or brownie...
@JT and Bruce-- Good advice, I plan to go to an allergist soon. This was the first time in my life I have had an allergic reaction to anything. weird.
@Coach P-- A) agreed, the run was brutal.
Wow John - I know how hard you trained and dedicated you were for this race. I was not expecting the story to end like it did, way to stick it out in the end. It's a shame you can't really remember the finish. I'm glad you're okay after the run nutrition problem and your penicillin allergy.
You now have a bunch of things that you know not to do in Florida.
Hope to meet up with you again in NYC soon.
Holy bejeezus! Glad to hear you ok and had a great time with the Withrow clan at Disney!
I've been to an allergist before, but for pollen. Can you get tested for various common antibiotics? Might very well be worth getting screened up..