Steph's IMCanada 2012 - The Games People Play
Took me awhile to download my Garmins and get a little perspective on this race. But, I think I am ready to put a few thoughts together.
First a little background....I signed up for this race a year ago with my friend Teri Cashmore and was really excited to make it my "A" race of the season. I had decided not to do too many races this year, but I wanted to really focus on my training. Then Teri talked me into signing up for IMSG as well. I have had some on and off knee pain with training and racing and it really came to a head in the Spring. My MRI showed inflammation directly at the point of insertion of the IT band, a little bit of an unusual place for inflammation and pain with ITB syndrome. So, I started diligent physical therapy, rolling and stretching, but the pain continued to get worse. Three weeks prior to IMSG, I got a shot of cortisone in my knee and after two days of awful pain, the pain disappeared. Really....disappeared. I was able to really train again and go a little harder.
IMSG was a disaster anyway for me. In the storm that kicked in 10 min after the swim start, I got hit hard in the head, had a brief period of unconsciousness or at least sub-consciousness and was too confused to figure out where to swim. I got pulled out of the water about 20 minutes into the race. I was really devastated. I've never not finished something that I started, and it totally took the wind out of my sails. And, I kept thinking, "I got that shot of cortisone for nothing!".
So back to training and trying to get my head back into the game. I kept going to PT, rolling and stretching, and was doing great until about two weeks before IMC. The area where I got the cortisone started to show some skin de-pigmentation, and then a little wound opened up (I swear it was RIGHT where that needle went in 3-4 months ago) and started draining. My knee started to hurt with any running, so I shut down most of my run training early.
Teri and I arrived in town on Wednesday, spent some time relaxing, meeting up with the EN folks, and getting ready for race day.
SWIM (1:23:38)
I lined up over to the L side and about knee deep in water. I was worried that I would freak out since my IMSG experience, so I wanted to have a little clear space to start if possible. After the gun went off, I slowly waded farther into the water for about 30" until I was waist-deep and then started swimming. This was the BEST swim I could have imagined. There was some body contact, some pushing, but for the most part I had space for almost the entire swim. The water was beautiful. I saw a scuba diver doing some underwater filming at the turn around.
Since I felt so relaxed, I had to do something to keep myself entertained. I started counting strokes between each buoy, almost like playing "swim golf" between the buoys. Before I knew it, I was at the red buoys to signal the final home stretch. I swam until I was in such shallow water that my hands were scraping the bottom, stood up and found a wetsuit stripper.
T1 (6:18)
Changing tent was pretty crowded, but I dumped out my bag and started to dry off to get on my socks and shoes. A volunteer came to my aid to help me get my arm coolers on my wet arms, then helmet, glasses, race belt, HR monitor and I was off. The HR monitor was a late addition for me. I have not usually used a HR monitor to train or race because I get a lot of chafing from it on my lower sternum where my xiphoid process sticks out freakishly far. But with all the EN talk about HR stuff lately, I decided I really wanted to get some data. So, I put some moleskin on my xiphoid and decided to use the HR monitor.
BIKE (7:05:24)
The bike has been such a weak spot for me strength-wise. My FTP is low, eventhough I'm a relatively small person. I know I have been a little limited in my training due to my knee pain and poor recoveries due to life/work-stress, but gosh....I'm waiting for those gains to come.
I was determined to stick to my plan on race day and keep my watts in check.
As I started, I realized that my HR was not displaying on my Garmin. I tried to readjust the HR band several times, moisten the leads, change the position, etc., but it never picked up. The first 40 miles or so felt relatively fast with a net downhill and wind at our backs. I got to chat with Steve Swanlund for a few minutes on the bike before he rode off ahead of me like the other million people I was passed by. The ride up Richter Pass wasn't too bad, the crowds along the road were awesome.
After Richter, there are some rolling hills called the "seven bitches" by the locals. It was time for another game to keep myself entertained, so I started counting the hills and making up phrases in my head: "Bitch one, over and DONE!", etc. I counted nine of those things however, not seven.
At the 1/2 way point, I stopped at an aid station to change out my nutrition. I have used Infinit and in the past have a 3.5 hour bottle on my bike and a 3.5 hour bottle in Special Needs. The problem with this race, however, was that the SN station was at 2/3 of the race, not 1/2. So, I needed a change of strategy. I decided to take a 3.5 hour bottle on the bike and put 3.5 hours of powder in a ziplock in my bento box. At the aid station, I had a volunteer hold my bottle, I dumped in the powder, mixed it with water and was off again. Only took about 60 seconds to complete. Other than the Infinit, I added a bottle of water to my Speedfil at every aid station and had to stop one time to pee. Nope...no peeing on the bike for me.
Miles 80-100 seemed to take forever, I was ready to get off my bike. But the crowds on the climb to Yellow Lake made it a little more fun. Finally to the top and ready for the downhill slide into town.
T2 (3:33)
Helmet off, shoes off, bike belt off. Volunteer dumping out my bag and handing me everything. Hat on, shoes on, run belt on, 910XT on, quick stop in the porta potty and off on the course.
RUN (5:01:01)
Immediately felt my knee screaming at me, and I really wasn't sure if I should run at all, or if I should just walk. But, I decided to jog it out for a few miles and then re-evaluate. The first time I glanced at my watch - I realized it was completely picking up my HR! I'm still not sure why I could never get it to read on the bike, but had a perfect reading on my run. However......my HR was 160! I haven't been training with my HR monitor so I don't know what it usually is, but I was pretty sure that was MUCH higher than I wanted it to be. So, I slowed it down and was able to get my HR down close to 150.
After two miles, I felt like I could still run, so I decided I would run the first 10 miles and then re-evaluate the knee pain. That was the game I continued to play through most of the run. Run to an aid station trying to keep my HR lower than 155, walk through the station gathering ice to dump down my front, ice to dump down my back, sponge in my cleavage pocket (HA, like I have a cleavage pocket!), water and coke in with a gel every 3rd aid station. Then back to my slow run, trying to keep the pain in check.
The last six miles were the worst. I think I was out of calorie/energy reserves, frustrated that I had not been able to do the run split that I had imagined for my "A" race, and really struggling through some pain. The last stretch down Lakeshore drive I totally changed my mindset. This was going to be my third IM finish! I had overcome my swim fears from IMSG. I had really enjoyed most of the day, even if it meant playing some games with myself along the way. And.....I had pushed through the worst pain I have ever felt while running/training/racing. I was really proud of myself. My smile as I crossed the finish line was totally genuine.
TOTAL: 13:39:54
Not my best IM. I haven't compared, but not sure I did a PR on any part of the race. But, really really really happy with the result.
Definitely learned a lot, have a lot of things that I can improve upon. Next year is IMLP and I am going to have a great year!!
Comments
Steph, solid job good on ya. Yep, that 80-100 mile section is so mentally tough way to soldier thru it. And indeed, we all muster great form and speed once hitting Lakeshore. They should have a camera at the entrance to lakeshore to show before and after pictures.
Stephanie -- great job managing your race to a successful outcome. EN ninji execution the whole way. Congrats!!
You are an EN Ninja
Great report Stephanie! Way to push through a tough year and set (and reset!) solid goals. Your T2 particularly awesome considering it INCLUDED a pee break! And hooray for the cleavage ice pocket! Curious: Did you ever get the HR data off of your bike? I captured mine too and found that my AHR on the bike was about 5 BMP higher than on the run. Not sure what to make of it but glad I have the data. Would be interested in your results as we explore the HR execution concept across EN. Best wishes for a perfect knee an awesome LP race!
Hope that knee comes around soon and allows you a terrific season next year!
---Ann.
I'm right there with you - NO injuries, NO cortisone (and preferably NO MMA bouts in the water) next season! Bring. It. ON IMLP!!!
Steph,
Excellent race day management and you've got me wondering if I can manufacture some cleavage for myself by IMCDA next year...