Full Report is here. http://imroycer81.blogspot.com/...xas-race-report.html
I went into this race with high expectations. The goal was to challenge for a Kona slot. I was calm going into the race. Being a new father has given me much needed perspective. At the end of the day, I have an amazing daughter, a loving/supportive wife, and amazing parents and sisters. Triathlon is a hobby and I am fortunate to have the strength, good health, and support to pursue lofty goals. The day began right on target. I got in the lead pack on the swim and came in amongst the top amateurs. I nailed my pacing with few pennies spent. I was able to swim good tangents and draft a few of the lead guys the majority of the way. Hit T1 in perfect position.
Out on the bike I spent the early miles alone. Thats the downside of being a FOP swimmer. Racing out front can be mentally draining (I don't know how the pros do it). I executed my bike leg well. Best Bike Split had me at 4:08 with target power of 245 watts. Actual numbers.....Bike Split- 4:08, Avg Power- 239, Normalized Power- 241, Variability Index 1.01...the numbers say the ride was well executed. Unfortunately it felt like I was chasing watts all day. They didn't come as easily as I am accustomed at a tapered A race. Nonetheless I got the work done and paced my ride well. By about Mile 20 guys started passing me. There were a lot of heavy hitters on the bike. Guys were hammering. I could not believe how hard people were riding. I'd like to think I'm no slouch on the bike but guys were blowing by me like I was standing still. That was a bit of a mind f*ck, but I tried to block the noise and followed my data and hit my numbers. Last 25 miles felt better than the first 25 miles...felt like that was a good sign going into the run.
The run plan was to hold 150-155 HR in the early stages and negative split my effort by loops. Started out the run on target. The heat made it hard to hit 150 but I was running 7:50-8:00 miles at 155ish while walking the aid stations. The numbers were good but I felt quad weakness and pain fairly early on. I am accustomed to this feeling and it is usually the death knell for a good run. Finished loop 1 on target. Loop 2 HR was at 150 but pace was slipping along with my mental toughness. I made myself run every step of that second loop. By the time I got to loop 3 I was in pretty rough shape. Quads were fully blown out and I was in damage control. Tried to run as much as I could but there was a lot of walking. I'm sure many of you will think that I rode too hard, but the data from the last few years is telling me I rode exactly what I am capable of...but the proof is in the pudding and I need to consider that possibility in light of my disappointing run result. In the end it was my worst Ironman run despite 8 months of my best run training ever....frustrating
The day was weird on multiple levels. We had every type of weather imaginable. Cool overcast skies for the swim and the early miles of the bike, baking heat for the last hour of the bike and the first 2/3 of the run, and then one of the most insane thunderstorms I've seen at the end of the run. I was fortunate that I had only 2 miles to go when the bad stuff hit.....and it was bad! My last mile was into a crazy headwind, driving rain and golf ball size hail pelting me in the head....pretty scary stuff. The finisher chute was pretty un-ceremonial as the volunteers were screaming at me to take cover...that was a new one!
This race was very emotional for me. I think a lot of it had to do with being a new father and having my daughter there. I often get emotional at random times during Ironman. I think it is the combination of extreme fatigue, gratitude to those that support me, and the love for my family. It was amped up at IMTX. I got tearful 4 or 5 times. I also struggled dealing with the pain. Ironman hurts a lot and I spent far too much time thinking about how much I wanted the pain to stop on the run. Wrong attitude if you want to make it to the big show.
I won't sugar coat it. I am very disappointed with the result. There is no magic formula for my KQ chances. If I want to get to Kona I have to run 3:30 with my swim and bike (and even then its no guarantee). Looking at the results, that would have put me in the mix for one of the last slots. It gets harder every year to get up off the mat when these races fall short of expectations. I know I am capable of KQ, I just haven't had my day yet. I am keeping the faith but the yearly pursuit is definitely taking its toll. I guess its good I'm really persistent!
Thanks for reading and checking out the full blog post
https://www.strava.com/athletes/773280
http://imroycer81.blogspot.com/
teamemj.com
everymanjack.com
I went into this race with high expectations. The goal was to challenge for a Kona slot. I was calm going into the race. Being a new father has given me much needed perspective. At the end of the day, I have an amazing daughter, a loving/supportive wife, and amazing parents and sisters. Triathlon is a hobby and I am fortunate to have the strength, good health, and support to pursue lofty goals. The day began right on target. I got in the lead pack on the swim and came in amongst the top amateurs. I nailed my pacing with few pennies spent. I was able to swim good tangents and draft a few of the lead guys the majority of the way. Hit T1 in perfect position.
Out on the bike I spent the early miles alone. Thats the downside of being a FOP swimmer. Racing out front can be mentally draining (I don't know how the pros do it). I executed my bike leg well. Best Bike Split had me at 4:08 with target power of 245 watts. Actual numbers.....Bike Split- 4:08, Avg Power- 239, Normalized Power- 241, Variability Index 1.01...the numbers say the ride was well executed. Unfortunately it felt like I was chasing watts all day. They didn't come as easily as I am accustomed at a tapered A race. Nonetheless I got the work done and paced my ride well. By about Mile 20 guys started passing me. There were a lot of heavy hitters on the bike. Guys were hammering. I could not believe how hard people were riding. I'd like to think I'm no slouch on the bike but guys were blowing by me like I was standing still. That was a bit of a mind f*ck, but I tried to block the noise and followed my data and hit my numbers. Last 25 miles felt better than the first 25 miles...felt like that was a good sign going into the run.
The run plan was to hold 150-155 HR in the early stages and negative split my effort by loops. Started out the run on target. The heat made it hard to hit 150 but I was running 7:50-8:00 miles at 155ish while walking the aid stations. The numbers were good but I felt quad weakness and pain fairly early on. I am accustomed to this feeling and it is usually the death knell for a good run. Finished loop 1 on target. Loop 2 HR was at 150 but pace was slipping along with my mental toughness. I made myself run every step of that second loop. By the time I got to loop 3 I was in pretty rough shape. Quads were fully blown out and I was in damage control. Tried to run as much as I could but there was a lot of walking. I'm sure many of you will think that I rode too hard, but the data from the last few years is telling me I rode exactly what I am capable of...but the proof is in the pudding and I need to consider that possibility in light of my disappointing run result. In the end it was my worst Ironman run despite 8 months of my best run training ever....frustrating
The day was weird on multiple levels. We had every type of weather imaginable. Cool overcast skies for the swim and the early miles of the bike, baking heat for the last hour of the bike and the first 2/3 of the run, and then one of the most insane thunderstorms I've seen at the end of the run. I was fortunate that I had only 2 miles to go when the bad stuff hit.....and it was bad! My last mile was into a crazy headwind, driving rain and golf ball size hail pelting me in the head....pretty scary stuff. The finisher chute was pretty un-ceremonial as the volunteers were screaming at me to take cover...that was a new one!
This race was very emotional for me. I think a lot of it had to do with being a new father and having my daughter there. I often get emotional at random times during Ironman. I think it is the combination of extreme fatigue, gratitude to those that support me, and the love for my family. It was amped up at IMTX. I got tearful 4 or 5 times. I also struggled dealing with the pain. Ironman hurts a lot and I spent far too much time thinking about how much I wanted the pain to stop on the run. Wrong attitude if you want to make it to the big show.
I won't sugar coat it. I am very disappointed with the result. There is no magic formula for my KQ chances. If I want to get to Kona I have to run 3:30 with my swim and bike (and even then its no guarantee). Looking at the results, that would have put me in the mix for one of the last slots. It gets harder every year to get up off the mat when these races fall short of expectations. I know I am capable of KQ, I just haven't had my day yet. I am keeping the faith but the yearly pursuit is definitely taking its toll. I guess its good I'm really persistent!
Thanks for reading and checking out the full blog post
https://www.strava.com/athletes/773280
http://imroycer81.blogspot.com/
teamemj.com
everymanjack.com