Ironman Florida (IMFL) 2020 - Race Report - Jonathan Benson

Prelude -

Initially I signed up for Ironman Gulf Coast 70.3 in May with the intentions of getting my first sub-5 hour finish at the distance and then later signing up for IMFL. I have come close a handful of times, but historically over-biked and ruined my run. With this being the year of Covid-19, Gulf Coast was postponed to the same day as IMFL, so I transferred up to the 140.6 in April and continued to train almost as if races weren't cancelling around us every week. I took the approach that if I got to September, October or later and the race found itself cancelled or postponed further that while I would be disappointed I wouldn't look in the rearview mirror and consider the body of training put in to be a wasted effort. I would have trained no matter what, IMFL just gave me a carrot for that little extra bit of motivation.

From a fitness perspective, this was a breakout year for me built on a very solid November Outseason starting in 2019. My FTP rose through the course of the year from 325w at IMChoo '19 to ~400w heading into tapering for IMFL '20. I also logged a new 5k PR in the low 18' range in March coming out of the Outseason. Going in to this race though I had to make a few adjustments in training. I learned a very tough lesson at IMChoo '19 by barely swimming. I kicked off swimming in March and other than a forced Covid shutdown break for 8 weeks, I stayed pretty consistent in the 7-9k meters per week. I also took part in the Best Bike Camp in August which helped update my FTP, align my nutritional needs on the bike, and helped Coach P, Matt Limbert and I to find a race pace on the bike that made the most sense - more on that later.

Previous races I have stayed in hotel rooms. For this race we chose to stay in a house in Rosemary Beach. Super nice, roomy, and comfortable. I may never go back to a Hilton property. 😂

Disclaimer - Ironman was forced to make some changes to the course, transition area and race venue to aid in social distancing. So future years may be the 2019 course, or they may keep with this new Pier Park 2020 layout. Fairly similar course overall though.

Race Morning -

I woke up at 2 am. 1 hour before my alarm. There was no way I was going back to sleep and so I went ahead and got up. Started the breakfast/coffee/bathroom process and actually used the extra time to chill in the Normatec boots and watch Netflix. Breakfast was oatmeal, a perfect bar, amino acids, and coffee. Ironman was pretty clear that they didn't want extra people around the race venue if it could be avoided so this day was a solo effort from the start. Transition was to open at 4:30 so I was in the car heading there around 4 looking to get a close parking spot and avoid any potential temperature screening lines. Made it to the venue and into transition easily. Make no mistake, this was a big transition area for the 1,200 or so bikes that were there. Dropped off my bike special needs bag. Loaded my bike with nutrition, pumped the tires, put the e-tap batteries on and I was done. As a change due to Covid, there were still bike and run transition bags that you were required to put your things in, however they stayed with your bike, as did your morning clothes bag -think HIM, but nothing laid out. Ironman had you wait in transition with your bike until your swim group was called (estimated by finish time). Once called, you marched off toward the beach.

Swim - 1:15 (31st AG, 244th OA)

The water was 73 degrees and therefore wetsuit legal. Admittedly I was aiming for something sub-1:10. I will also admit that I bucketed myself in the sub-1 hour start group. Some of you may be scoffing at the idea of having to swim past/over me, but I feel the same when I cruise by you and the caravan you are riding with on my bike in the first 20 miles, so we are even. 😂 In all seriousness though, I don't mind contact in the swim, and by starting earlier it can reduce the number of people I have to surge past on the bike by hundreds in first 30 miles. Ironman did a great job at distancing people in swim shoots. AG race start at 6 am and I as in the water inside of 3 minutes. 2 loop course clockwise around the pier. Initially I thought the pier could be used as a reference point for sighting but that wasn't realistic once I was out there. First half of the first loop was bumpy as expected then settled down rather quickly. Lesson learned - I likely will not be using blue tinted goggles in race environments in the future. Men were in green caps and ladies in pink. This tint made the green caps resemble the the yellow buoys going out and the pink caps resemble the red buoys coming back. Not an identical match mind you, but close enough that in a split-second sighting attempt you could get a little confused. I also used the buildings to sight off of when swimming back in. It was far easier to see that big hotel and swim in relation to that rather than "where is the next red buoy." Otherwise not much to report on the swim. This swim venue was better with a steeper incline from water to beach so you could swim more and walk less coming into the beach. Same goes for going out for the second loop. Also, the sand running between loops was terrible. It shot my HR up by 15 beats and while I didn't feel that in the second loop, my HR stayed elevated through the remainder of the swim. I didn't feel like it was a difficult swim, but based on my position place in my AG and overall, it must have been a little slow. My finish time wasn't what I envisioned, but I also would have thought a 1:15 would place my lower...

Transition 1 - 5:04

This transition felt like it had the makings of a 10' time. Out of the water, beach run, cross the street, run through an outdoor mall then into the backside of the transition area. My bike was 20 yards from the bike out so more running on the front end. No wetsuit peelers - thanks Covid, but that turned out not to be an issue. Running to the bike, I knew I came out of the water fresher than in previous races. I was able to operate with determination like I was actually in a race, it was also a bit of a ghost as there were spectators but no other athletes exiting with me. By the time I was at the bike, I was in a position to throw my helmet on. Carried my bike shoes to the mount like which was a run. I was close to the bike exit but the mount line was much further. Lots of barefoot pavement running which had implications for later in the day I think.

Bike - 4:50 (5th AG, 45th OA)

The start of this course wasn't the racetrack I was expecting. I had a plan to stick at 240w with an expected finish in the 4:40 range. The entirety of the first 30 miles was headwinds, which I suspected but wasn't entirely sure until I got to the fist u-turn and a volunteer shouts, "Now for the tailwind!" A couple of years ago I stopped displaying speed on my devices. I know myself too well. My watch does lap every 5 miles which gives me a vague idea of where I am, but looking at a speed every time I look down only opens me up for a thousand opportunities to make an emotional decision. I knew that first 30 felt slower than it should. I was pushing 10 watts above target goal pace and just didn't feel like I was rolling the speed I should be. I should also note that no one permanently passed me on the bike. A handful of passes took place when I rolled through aid stations but they were quickly reigned in a my target watts. So I was moving slower than I wanted by passing people and treating them like consolation prizes. I fueled with a similar plan to IMCHOO from 2019. 4 homemade bottles (~400 cal per) of Carbopro, Gatorade Endurance, some caffeine, and amino acids. 2 on the bike at the start and 2 in special needs. Water used as cooling agent at aid stations and stocking Gatorade Endurance as needed. I ate 1 clif bar in the first 10 miles, 1 pack of clif bloks throughout, and took a few salt pills. Sounds like overkill, but I am a very salty sweater and I think this (almost) overhydration plan worked well on a day it turned out to be a lot warmer than in years past. I think most people fueled for a cool run and paid a price. Another Covid change - special needs was a rack your bike and go get your own bag situation. Worth having my own bottles, but still a longer stop than planned. Miles 60-73 were also a headwind as we went out to the turn around on highway 79. Continued to maintain race watts which was fairly easy at this point but the wind was getting a little tiresome to deal with. Once at the turnaround on 79, miles 73 to 105 I averaged north of 26 mph with the tailwind. I was out of gears and rolling between 200-220 watts at 80 rpm. I didn't see a benefit to increasing my cadence (which would have been outside my comfort zone) to reach 240w for the limited speed benefit it would net me. This was also a competitor dead zone. For all of the people I passed in the first 56 miles, I may have passed 3 in the second 56 miles. They were fast, fun and lonely miles. The few small hills and singular bridge on the course were dispatched without issue. I allowed myself to bump to 315w to climb them. It was less than 80% of FTP to do so and didn't seem to carry much in the way of negative impact. The last 5 or so miles were on Front Beach Rd with wind typical of a beach front. They were slow, less fun, and I was thinking about T2 execution and starting the run slow. Overall I peed three times on the bike which I have found to be a good indicator of hydration. It was a little difficult on find the right coasting opportunities on this flat course but got it done and each time it felt like a million bucks. No shame.

Transition 2 - 4:55

Not much to speak of here. At the dismount I took my shoes off and ran barefoot again, but felt like I was in and out without much delay. I set up my Run bag in the order I would unload things. I actually took my race saver bag and loaded my few run nutrition items in it to unload into pockets while running. Socks, shoes, hat on and everything else was done on the run toward transition exit.

Run - 3:44 (11th AG, 77th OA)

Run was a two loop out and back. PSA Covid change - Aid stations were every 2-2.5 miles rather than every mile to limit touch points maybe? The athlete guide said every 2 miles and maybe it was close but there was some discrepancies in the distance. To start the run I felt fine but over full. I took a pitstop at mile 2 which cost me a few minutes but the idea of running 24 more miles the way I felt was a non-starter. Other than spitting up Gatorade for the first 5 miles, I was feeling fine. The overfull feeling was something I knew would pass. The run course was also fairly empty for my first lap. Notice how through my report I have mentioned wide open spaces on course? It was a new experience for me to be somewhat in front of a majority of the racers. The entire run was windy. Running into a headwind is a real thing. 🤣 It wasn't fun, neither was running with the wind and not feeling any breeze at all. I felt like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. At mile 10 I felt a hamstring cramp coming on. I downed Gatorlytes and kept it moving. Around this same time the bottom of my feet starting to throb too. All that barefoot pavement running I wonder? I chose to run in Hoka Carbon Rockets. Probably will try something different in the future. Has never happened before. I was fortunate to keep my shoes dry through much of the run. Around mile 15 my pace started to slow. Honestly I could lie and say I was giving it all I had, but truthfully I lost focus. I didn't have any support to say that you're gaining on them, your making progress, etc. It wasn't until mile 20 that I realized how close to a sub 10 I was and I started to will myself to run a little faster. Lean forward a little more. Pick my feet up a little higher. For the first time in an Ironman marathon I started to use people in front of me as carrots to chase and pass. I had come back around mentally and started to deploy those mental tools we all envision using in a race while we are training. I stared at the backs of a few people for 15 -20 minutes, never gaining or losing ground, until I started skipping aid stations. At mile 24, a sub-10 was all mine for the taking and I rolled toward the finish without slowing. Admittedly I thought I had 90 seconds in the bank for a sub-10 so you can imagine my surprise once I had crossed the line, walked through the shoot and turned around to see J. Benson 9:59:59. Holy freaking cow. I had no idea it was that close. Zero inclination.

Total - 9:59:59 (8th AG, 63 OA)

While it wasn't as fast as I imagined it would be, I have to say that I am happy with the result. Every race has its fast days and slow days due to water conditions, weather, etc. I have to believe this was a slightly slower day based on where others fell. I think I have better performances in my future and there is so much positive for me to take away outside of a standalone finish time or placement. Strong cycling against the field while I was at .6 IF (effectively cruising speed). Having the ability to push deep into the marathon before slowing and then having the awareness to try to push myself on the run against other runners for the first time ever if only for a few miles.

Had I been thinking more clearly while running, I would have extra mental ammunition to push harder to avoid Coach P trying to schedule a Run focused January OS in my future. After this race, I don't think there is a need to go back to the drawing board completely. There are tweaks to make around race nutrition, running shoe choice, maybe update my bike fit to try and improve my aero position, but a lot went right. I feel like I have the bike fitness of a 9 hour ironman and the swim and run of a 10:30 -11 hour ironman. It was only my third attempt at the distance and with each I seem to execute better and show up more mentally prepared for the distance. EN has absolutely fast tracked my timeline for success in the sport and I couldn't be happier with my race. I wouldn't mind a KQ which they are currently navigating virtually. I'm not super hopeful that this performance will get me there but I am hopeful for a Kona slot in the years to come. I enjoyed the course overall. The only thing challenging about IMFL is that you can't participate in the November OS and have to wait for January. I am three days post race and while I haven't outlined my 2021 or signed up for my next IM, I am already hungry to get back to work and continue improving. Did someone say FTP in the 400s? Let's go get it.

Thanks for reading! I'll probably mull this race over for a few more days before moving on to the next one.