Here is a brief race report from my first IM. I have been training consistantly for the past 3 years after many years of doing very little since college and being 40 pounds heavier than today. I've been reading this forum for years and thought I would post the following report from a relatively slow, but well executed race (IMHO)....
On Sunday, woke up at 4am, had some breakfast (coffee, bagel, fruit loops and oatmeal) and then headed down to the race site. I drank a bottle of Infinit sports drink while I was hanging around and got ready for the big event. After suiting up in the wetsuit, they chased us down to water and I jumped in to start the day. I lined up about a third of the way back and to the outside and was floating around when the gun went off. Everybody started thrashing through the water and I was thinking to myself that this was the coolest thing I have ever done while I was getting my goggles ripped off and kicked in the mouth. I got the goggles back on and then found some open water to swim in and just started swimming. The first time I looked up, I was halfway down the first leg and feeling pretty relaxed. The rest of the swim was pretty calm and I wound up coming out of the water in 1:18! (heart rate 170, a little high...) I was shocked when I saw my watch as that distance in the pool takes me 1:40 or more. The trip through transition was uneventful and I headed off on the bike. My plan was to take it easy for the first 40 minutes, drinking only water, and then pick it up to a steady pace until the last third. I drank the Infinit from a 3x concentrated bottle every 20 minutes chased with 3 gulps of water throughout. This worked very well and I think I got 2100+ calories down on the bike plus some salt and vinegar potato chips and peanut butter crackers. I got passed by alot of people early on where I was averaging around 16mph, but realed some of them back in over the last 35 miles where I picked it up for a strong finish (22 mph avg). It was pretty hot (but its a dry heat) and the wind was in our facing going into the first lap, but changed directions to give us a headwind on the way back for the 2nd and 3rd loops. After finishing the bike, went through transition, no idea what I did for 12 minutes in there... Upon heading out on the run course, my goal was to hold 10 minute miles from the start and alternate gatorade/water and cola/water at each aid station (every mile) with a gu every 45 minutes. I was determined when I started the run to not walk and finish strong due to all the run training my coach put me through leading up to the event. This paid off big time as I was able to put in a 4:35 marathon (my first) and pass a ton of people. I had a few rough patches during the run with some nausea andd sheer pain, but then I would read a sign on the course like 'pain is weakness leaving the body' which was pretty inspiring at that point. The crowds were also great to help pick up the pace and seeing my wife on each of that run loops ringing the cowbell. I tried not to set a goal for my time since this was my first IM, but secretly I had a 13 hour goal time. When I was a little over a half mile from the finish, I saw a clock that read 12:55:00 so I picked it up as much as I had left, and ran for the finish line to come in at 13:00:44 which I was very happy with! It was really cool to hear Mike Reilly call out 'Bill Symonds of Cary, North Carolina, You Are an IRONMAN'. I finished up this awesome day with a short stint in the medical tent, a massage, and rushing out of the car to throw up gatorade and chicken broth on the neighboring car (by accident).
On Sunday, woke up at 4am, had some breakfast (coffee, bagel, fruit loops and oatmeal) and then headed down to the race site. I drank a bottle of Infinit sports drink while I was hanging around and got ready for the big event. After suiting up in the wetsuit, they chased us down to water and I jumped in to start the day. I lined up about a third of the way back and to the outside and was floating around when the gun went off. Everybody started thrashing through the water and I was thinking to myself that this was the coolest thing I have ever done while I was getting my goggles ripped off and kicked in the mouth. I got the goggles back on and then found some open water to swim in and just started swimming. The first time I looked up, I was halfway down the first leg and feeling pretty relaxed. The rest of the swim was pretty calm and I wound up coming out of the water in 1:18! (heart rate 170, a little high...) I was shocked when I saw my watch as that distance in the pool takes me 1:40 or more. The trip through transition was uneventful and I headed off on the bike. My plan was to take it easy for the first 40 minutes, drinking only water, and then pick it up to a steady pace until the last third. I drank the Infinit from a 3x concentrated bottle every 20 minutes chased with 3 gulps of water throughout. This worked very well and I think I got 2100+ calories down on the bike plus some salt and vinegar potato chips and peanut butter crackers. I got passed by alot of people early on where I was averaging around 16mph, but realed some of them back in over the last 35 miles where I picked it up for a strong finish (22 mph avg). It was pretty hot (but its a dry heat) and the wind was in our facing going into the first lap, but changed directions to give us a headwind on the way back for the 2nd and 3rd loops. After finishing the bike, went through transition, no idea what I did for 12 minutes in there... Upon heading out on the run course, my goal was to hold 10 minute miles from the start and alternate gatorade/water and cola/water at each aid station (every mile) with a gu every 45 minutes. I was determined when I started the run to not walk and finish strong due to all the run training my coach put me through leading up to the event. This paid off big time as I was able to put in a 4:35 marathon (my first) and pass a ton of people. I had a few rough patches during the run with some nausea andd sheer pain, but then I would read a sign on the course like 'pain is weakness leaving the body' which was pretty inspiring at that point. The crowds were also great to help pick up the pace and seeing my wife on each of that run loops ringing the cowbell. I tried not to set a goal for my time since this was my first IM, but secretly I had a 13 hour goal time. When I was a little over a half mile from the finish, I saw a clock that read 12:55:00 so I picked it up as much as I had left, and ran for the finish line to come in at 13:00:44 which I was very happy with! It was really cool to hear Mike Reilly call out 'Bill Symonds of Cary, North Carolina, You Are an IRONMAN'. I finished up this awesome day with a short stint in the medical tent, a massage, and rushing out of the car to throw up gatorade and chicken broth on the neighboring car (by accident).