Jason Brandt IMAZ Race Report 11:20

IMAZ Race Report- Jason Brandt                M44 6th Ironman 11:20

·        Thankful to have the support of my family to keep racing Ironman. This was my 6th Ironman race. They’ve already given their support to do another.

·        Thankful to have remained injury free over the past 6 years of racing long distance triathlon

·        Thankful to have a really good friend, Kent Gavin, who is into the sport, trains with me and competed with me at last two Ironmans.

·        Thankful to have been able to have a decent performance coming just 9 weeks after IMWI completion.

Pre-Race

               @Kent Gavin and I caught the first flight down Thursday before the race. Airline forgot to load our bags so we had to return to airport at 2:30PM to get them. Used the time to get checked in (no line and super easy given we were ahead of most athletes in getting checked in). Walked the expo and for the first time ever tried Normatec Recovery Boots for 15 minutes since there was no line. I loved the boots but can’t justify to myself the expense although my kids probably would like them as well for recovery from their sports.

               Drove down to Tucson Thursday afternoon so that we could have dinner with my Mom who moved there in August. On Friday visited the Boneyard at Davis Montham Airforce Base and toured the Titan II ICBM Missile Museum. Both were absolutely fascinating and didn’t expend a lot of energy. Enjoyed our time at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and their amazing breakfasts.

               Saturday morning drove back to Tempe in time to get checked in, practice swim (glad I did as hadn’t worn wetsuit since IMWI and reminded myself of the 60 water temps), IM Foundation lunch (got picture with Mike Reilly) and then put the feet up. Dinner again with my Mom and Kent’s parents who had flown in for the race.

Race Morning

               Awoke 3:30 to eat 3 cups applesauce, 1 scoop whey protein, banana and a bottle of Gatorade. Laid back down with multiple alarms sent for 4:45. Showered, dressed and departed hotel at 5:15 to walk to TA.   Body Marked, Tires Pumped, bottles filled and then got the heck out of transition to avoid the nervous energy. We walked east just past run special needs to find a bank of porta potties with no line. Hung there with Kent and just kept the HR down and relaxed. After using the port potty 2-3 more times got my wetsuit on and headed west to the new race start. Pushed our way up to just behind the 1:00 swim sign and awaited race start. 

Swim

               I miss the mass swim start which seems weird writing given that the swim was what I used to fear the most about Ironman. The upside of the current swim start is it has significantly less contact and sighting was easy. We were told to keep all buoys on our right so I was thrown at the end when I had started swimming towards the exit but had one last red buoy to round this time on my left. That probably added a minute or two to my time. 

 I’ve done 6 Ironman races and my swims have all been between 63 and 69 minutes. I swim year round and I wonder if I could swim less and still turn in the same swim time and apply those hours to running which clearly needs to improve. Seven years ago I would have classified as a weak swimmer and now I enjoy it but I wonder about the efficiency of the amount of time I spend in a year swimming. 

T1—The run to T1 is a lot longer than the previous swim course configuration. The change makes it easier for spectators to see their athletes and swimmers get to go up a ramp versus negotiate the stairs which always caused some to stumble. I sat outside change tent, put on socks and shoes and helmet and asked the volunteer to put my suit in the bag. Time was 5:54 which I think is pretty good given the distance we had to run to the tent and then to bike out.

Bike 5:17:59. I enjoy the flat bike course though I think I am better vs the pack on a hillier course. Goal was 183W and I ended up at 181W with my 3rd lap power down a few percent over the first 2 laps. Given the 3 loops there is a lot of legal free draft, unavoidable draft given the number of riders during lap 2 & 3 and inevitably illegal draft packs. I had a group of 4 that were clearly in cahoots to draft their entire bike leg and I resisted the temptation to say anything but I smiled as I passed them at the end of bee line on lap 2 as they waited out their drafting penalty. They did later pass me again either not caring or unaware of the rules. Nutrition went well though I need to adjust for future with more gels and less liquid as I peed probably way more than anyone should ever pee during a bike leg.

T2 was 1:59. Just a footwear change and grab my gallon Ziploc and race belt. Stopped for sunscreen.

Run was 4:46—So my race had gone very well up until this point. I biked hard but didn’t feel that I had over biked. I found myself lacking motivation on the run and questioning why I race. My mental weakness caused me to start walking intermittently during each mile which slowed my pace from a planned 9 minute to one of 11:04. I need to reflect upon this before I race again. My first couple ironman I didn’t have this problem (3:53) as I was out to prove a lot to myself and show my family what is possible. I’ve been there, done that and now feel like I’m completing Ironman more than racing Ironman.  Similar story at IMWI though at that race I had a lot of GUT pain.

               So I’m sure that having done IMWI 9 weeks ago had me carrying fatigue into this event. Admittedly I didn’t run this year with the frequency or intensity that I should have. Most importantly though I need my “One Thing” or multiple one things that I can keep top of mind when I am thinking about walking during the run.

Afterwards

               I had mixed emotions after the race. I’m proud of doing another and doing it under 12 hours. I’m proud that I’ve now done 6. I’m disappointed in myself that I walked as much as I did during the run and I have a bit of post race blues. Writing this race report has helped…today is better….I’ve bought a smart Wahoo Kickr Core that I need to unwrap this weekend and likely I’ll be signing up for IMSR for May 11th 2019. If you want to help me be accountable, ask me about my running frequency and intensity.

Thanks Endurance Nation for all of your support, guidance and education you provide me on this journey.