IMLoo Race Report
Finally, the traveling has stopped...for the next few days. This has allowed me to put my thoughts together about what unfolded at IMLoo. Here we go:
First I like how the Ville is set up. With the start being close to downtown and the finish in downtown, it was super convenient to get around and to get where you needed to be by just walking. The hotel was a 5 minute walk to transition (and they did not gouge you on the pricing, Hampton Inn Downtown) and a few minutes longer from the finish. This was my first time racing the Ville and if I have a choice it won't be my last.
Waking Up: Whoa, when was the last time I was up at 4 am in the morning? I do not remember but that is what the clock showed when it started beeping. 4 am really? Transition opened at 4:45 and some friends that were racing (and have raced it previously) told me to get to the transition early. Usually, I like to stroll along into transition wearing the flip flops with only a few minutes to spare. Ok, not a few minutes but I think I enjoy the increased pulse from knowing I have 15 minutes to get everything set up. Still, it was 4 am and I was up. Good sign!
Walking to transition was fun. People heading down, people parking, seeing the bright lights of transition, knowing it is go time and, yes, it was 4:55 am. Still not quite 5 am (which seems like a reasonable time to be up). In my mind it was waaaay early but I was ahead of the curve. That came to a abrupt halt after I put the food and drink on the bike and started toward the start.
Starting Line: So, I am up at 4 am, at transition by 4:55 am, and walking to the start by 5:05 am. I am a rock star in my mind for being so effiecient. But wait. What is that up ahead? Could it be the start? It is! Hold on...what is that? Is that the line? Holy crap. It was 5:15 and the line was a 1,000+ people deep. It looked like the old days before the internet when you had to get in line for concert tickets. Or maybe we moved Black Friday up a few months (bypass Halloween and Thanksgiving) and these people were in line for the 3 discounted IPads that the store advertised. But no, they were fellow racers and I was walking further along even though it was 5:15 am. Still, I was there! One thing about the line, the volunteers are very militant about separating the spectators from the racers. Opposite sides on the path and don't think about crossing over. It reminded me a a Jr high dance with the girls on one side and the boys on the other. Kind of funny.
Swim: I loved the swim start. Once the first swimmer jumps in it is a non stop parade of attempted dock dives and cannon balls. Seriously, once you make the last turn onto the long dock before jumping in you are running. Running! Because we were diving (judges gave me a solid 8.5 overall score) I put my goggle straps under my cap. Swimming in the river was fun. A nice change from the fist-a-cuffs of the mass starts. Swim straight out to the booey, turn left, and head back. Simple enough. Unfortunately, when I heard it was a river swim I must have assumed it was a lazy river because the swim was the slowest I have ever encountered and I didn't have a tube to enjoy it from. Took me 30 minutes make the turn which meant 30 minutes back to the start and additional time to transition. No worries I was swimming against a huge current and on the way back I would body surf it in. Ok, maybe not. There was no current and the finish could not come soon enough. I have never swam 90 minutes straight but now I know I can do it if I need to...not that I ever want to but it might come in handy if I ever capsize a canoe in the middle of the wilderness.
T1: Nothing interesting. Just a bunch of guys getting naked as if they were at the gym, minus the free towels and lockers. As Coach P said, slow is fast and that is how I executed it. Everything accounted for and away we go.
Bike: Worked the plan exactly as prescribed by EN. Taped the watt ranges on my bars as a constant reminder of what I needed to do. Rode the first section to the Finger portion under control and well within the watt range. Might have even been a little too easy but it was IM and the day is long. I loved the Finger portion of the ride. A nice combination of long uphills and long downhills. A chance to practice the hill watts riding. Unfortunately, with my size whenever I head uphill the watts are always higher and I had a 12-27 in the back. No problems though and it was some fun riding. Heading out to the 2 loop section I felt like Captain Kirk in command of my Cervelo spaceship. Let's go Spock and get this going. Hit the start of the loop and quickly realized that although there were not many "big' climbs there were lots of rollers. Compared to IMWI, these were not so bad, there were just lots of them. I would describe it as one second cruising at 30 mph and the next second rolling along at 8 mph. This was over and over which meant lots of gear changes. They say the course is beautiful but I didn't notice. I was too busy shifting constantly to notice. The unfortunate part was learning that someone had thrown tacks onto the course over a small section which led to many flats. Nothing like biting the hand that pumps millions of dollars into your local community (editorial comment). I was fortunate enough to avoid them 2x. I did make a new girlfriend on the bike course. She was attractive and we must have liked one another because we spent both loops passing back and forth like a mating ritual. But it had to end and I did not see her as we headed back into town. Luckily, I will have those memories we created for precious miles spent on the bike. To say I was jacked to see the sign "33 Louisville" would be an understatement. Now I would get some riding done with minimal hills and a blistering, but within the watts, pace. But oh no, there was a headwind and it ended up being the slowest section of my ride. No matter, after glancing at the Garmin to make sure I was under the IF goal and Normalized Power goal, I was still on target. Ended up with a 5:49 Nutrition: 1120 calories of Gatorade, 1.5 servings of Chomps, 1 Gu, and 1.5 servings of Stinger Waffles. This came to 273 calories per hr. Perfect. Now how much water...hmm...
T2: More of the same. Guys naked and sweaty. Volunteers getting water for you. Moving slow because slow is fast. Everything accounted for again. Time for the race to start.
RUN; I now remember peeing before the run (sorry Coach P I forgot) but it was a little too yellow. Not good. But I went and that was positive. Little did I know that I failed to listen to coach's advice about having 2 potty breaks on the bike minimum. Important to note because this would come back to haunt me severly. Followed the run plan and was right on target. First 6 miles at 9 minute pace and then pick it up. A few were a little slower but that was ok. Slower is better then faster. Headed out over the bridge for the out and back and I loved that section. So cool. Finished the bridge and was able to give a few kisses to my two mini humans, mom, and GF. I love doing that! Weaved through downtown and headed out of Dodge. Still felt fairly good through 8 miles although a little slow but at mile 9 it seemed like Thor smashed me with his hammer (nerd reference). The miles went from 9+ right into the 11 range. Oh-Oh. Not good. Now about this not peeing on the bike memory... It now is rearing its head and mocking me. Just daring me to walk a little more. As much as I tried to battle I was losing and losing quickly. The 11's became 12's which became 14's. Not good. Walked the aid stations drinking coke and water, taking sponges, putting ice in the cap, anything to fight back. But I knew at this point the battle turning for the worse. Then at mile 14 something that never has happened to me ever occurred, I left my stomach contents on the side of the road. Definitely, not good but my stomach did feel a little better. Still I knew I was dehydrated and I was now planning new goals of not hitting the 15 minute per mile mark. Kept pushing on, finding shade where I could, and taking on fluids. Never had any cramping which meant I had enough sodium (positve again) but the run was becoming an epic fail. As with everything I start, not finishing was not an option so I pushed on. I love IM and with all of them no matter how crappy you feel, as soon as you realize how close you are to finishing, the legs find a little extra motivation to do some actual running. I made the right onto 4th St and into the bright lights of the finishing area. What a great finishing area!!! 5:10.
The Finish and Some Notes: At the finish was my family and friends along with Coach P. I can not say with enough gratitude how much I appreciated Coach being there. He knew from the questions he asked me that I was dehydrated and immediately set out to help. He went and found a wheel chair for me to get into (another first) and proceeded to get me to the food/chocolate milk. Yes, a personal push from the man in charge. He made sure I got some milk and then got me to medical so that I could get an IV (another first). Now I had really just met Coach two days before and again when I carried a box full of dvds to the talk. I am now a ENer for life. He didn't have to help since my family was there but he did. I felt guilty since there were lots of ENers still racing. Eventually, I got him to go but I am eternally grateful. So thanks Coach P from the bottom of my heart.
Post Note/Lessons: I sweat a lot and should have been more diligent with my fluid on the bike. I took about 28-30 ozs per hr but that obviously wasn't enough. That peeing 2x is so important. Something to work on for sure. The end of the race did not go the way I planned but the EN journey to get there was irreplacable. I had high hopes for this race. I was leaner, setting PR's on the run, racing faster overall, and in the best shape of my 41 yr old life. I finished which was good. Luckily for me, the GF did a Jedi mind trick (nerd reference) and convinced me to race IM Tahoe. So I will be with EN again chasing the dream for another year after a short break. I was lucky enough this past weekend to be able to watch the GF race the 5150 AG Elite in Des Moines which just reaffirmed my love for this lifestyle. I was also able to watch my friend Dan win the Male AG Elite and the Mini Cooper along with some cash!!! (beers on him). Seeing someone set a goal, make the plan, execute it, and deliver is awesome. It is the same feeling I have with EN.
Sorry so long but thank you for reading fellow ENers. I hope your journey is rewarding as mine. Now I need to work on setting some new "1st" goals that aren't related to dehydration.
Comments
We shared alot of common experience on this day....(though my stomach contents remained inside)...and I didn't get to meet a cutie on the bike...dang...I must have been too slow!
Congrats on your day!!!!! (and great report)