IMCDA Race Report Steven C.
When I started planning out my 2014 season I picked IMCDA over IMTX based on the unique destination and I definitely think I picked the right race. This was my second IM race with the first being IMFL and I went into CDA with a lofty goal of trumping my 11:22 Florida finish. Leading up to the race, the weather forecast for race day was all over the place so I don't think anyone knew exactly what type of weather we would get but what we got was a whole lot of wind.
Race morning: I actually slept well the night before which is rare but I was up an out of bed at 4:00am. Started right away on getting 2.5 cups of applesauce, protein, banana, and sports drink down. I was able to get dressed quickly, put on sunscreen, and headed out the door at 5am. I had my support crew let me out of the car so I could drop off my special needs bags and head into transition to get my bike situated. Once I headed to meet my crew I noticed the chop on the lake from the wind and hoped that it settled down. I had a bit of prerace nerves that caused some GI issues so I hit the bathroom not once but twice. I was able to catch the pro swim start with a few of the other EN team members before heading down to the beach.
Swim: Actual 1:08:49 Goal 1:05
I had a few minutes to kill when I got down to the beach so I sat back and watched the pros finish the first lap while I downed a powergel. I lined up in the middle of the 1:00-1:10 pack and was in the water by 6:43. The start was slightly crowded going out on the first loop but what I really noticed was the chop and waves on the water. Either way, i focused on counting strokes and not lifting my head much to sight so I could get through the chop faster. Coming back in was fast and I got a shout out from Mike Reilly as I started the second loop. I somehow managed to swallow way to much of the lake water which made my stomach hurt at the start of the bike. Overall, it was an uneventful swim so the second loop went by relatively fast.
T1: Actual 5:30 Goal 5:00
I had a fast transition and was trying to be a fast and smooth as possible.
Bike: Actual 6:21:42 Goal 6:00
I started the bike off easy just trying to keep my power low until we hit the out section on 95. I noticed that I was already getting pushed around in the wind just on the out and back by the lake. Once I got out to 95 and started to climb I realized that my wheelset might not have been the best choice. I was riding FLO 90's with an aero cover on the back wheel and was getting pushed around so much at points I couldn't stay in the aerobars. On the first loop out I managed to lose all of my salt tabs and decided against going back to pick them up...luckily this did not hurt me later. After the turn around, going back in was a breeze and I didn't get pushed around hardly at all.
The second loop seemed to take forever and the wind got worse so my fight to stay aero continued....I was so happy to see the turnaround this time. I also got stuck behind slower bikers on the no passing section....they were heavy on the brakes which almost made it unsafe for the rest of us. I also ended up peeing 3 times on the bike which slowed me down at points. This was my IM racing with power and while I kept my watts in check on the hills I think I could have pushed with a slightly harder effort at points.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/536147396
Run: Actual 4:01:05 Goal 4:00
I was very happy with my run effort! I did start out too fast coming out of transition because I was fumbling with my go bag but I slowed it down a bit rather quickly. I made sure to immediately take in a salt pill since I missed taking any for the majority of the bike. I stopped to pee at mile 3 and it seemed to be the longest pit stop ever! Once I got to mile 6 I took my pace down to 8:58...and just focused on each mile and how many walkers I was already passing. I was feeling good and focused on mile 18 the whole way...once I got to 18 and still felt good it was on! I kept pushing my effort between aid stations and made sure I hydrated properly. Before I knew it, I had a 5k to go and decided it was time to hammer it as much as I could. I saw my girlfriend Kristin with about half a mile to go and I slowed down a bit so she could jog to the finish line! The crowd was great coming down Sherman and it was an awesome finish!
Overall Actual 11:39:20 Goal 11:15
I was very satisfied with my overall race result knowing that CDA is a much tougher course than IMFL. I do think I left something on the bike course but I will never know how much. It's hard to compare this bike split to Florida but I was drastically slower 6:21 in CDA vs 5:35 at IMFL. However, I did manage to shave 19 minutes off of my marathon time on a tougher run course so that is also a plus! Luckily, I still have IMCHOO this year to look forward to getting some redemption on the bike.
Comments
From the accounts I have read, this was a tough day (for example http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/15979/Default.aspx) etc.
I had a quick look at your bike file and you certainly didn't over-cook the bike. Your heart rate is pretty steady over the whole bike, which is a good indicator. Also, your Pnorm was 164 watts for the whole race, while your best 60 mins was the last hour, with Pnorm of 174 watts. So no tailing-off of your power! Also running well is another indication of a controlled bike.
Your total VI was 1.07, which is a little high, though that didn't hurt you on the run.
Given this brief analysis, I think you may have left some free time on the table on the bike.
BTW, what's your FTP?
Steve - you sure looked strong on the run. Given your goals, and the environmental conditions, I'd say you met your targets on the swim and bike, and you over achieved on the run. That course is probably 35 minutes slower than Florida for an 11 hour racer on a good day; the wind added 3-4 minutes to 60/70 minutes swimmers, and maybe 15-20 minutes for 6 hour bikers. So I'd count that as a distinct improvement over your first IM.
I agree with Peter that going faster or harder was probably not where you needed to improve on the bike, but rather steadier. I managed 1.034 VI on the first loop and 1.07 on the second, which had harder winds and as you say more issues on the downhill no pass sections. You should be able to get 1.05 or better on a course like that with no technical downhills and very few turns. Let the speed comp naturally with improvements to your FTP; focus on learning how to ride steady up and especially down hills.