Thought I would type up a bit of a recap on my race at Ironman Arizona as I found prior reports posted helpful during my prep. Text below. Report with photos will be up on jtolandtri.com sometime in the next week.
Pre-Race
Ironman Arizona was a last minute affair for me. Since moving to Boulder for school in August my training has been going great and I've been searching for a final season closer event. Plans for Austin 70.3 fell through leaving me with no plans in the middle of October. I saw that flights were cheap to Phoenix and shot SmileTrain (official charity partner) an email and found out they still had some slots. We were able to find a fundraising minimum that worked and with four weeks to go I was signed up. With an Olympic on the calendar already for 3 weeks out, it would be 2 weeks race specific training plus a week taper. As it turned out I ended up sick after week 1 and that became 1 week race specific training, 1 week sick, 1 week taper. My only two real "race specific" workouts were a 2 hour and 2.5 hour run along with a few 5 hour rides in that week and a half window. I'm typically one who sign-ups for a race with the goal of winning or at least performing to my potential. That ambition was totally out the window for Arizona and this was really my first "just do it" race since starting triathlon in 2012.
A quick non-race specific note- I've done a variety of USAT and ITU short course events so I'm familiar with "big" events. I have to say though that WTC really has the entire operation figured out. I didn't experience a single problem of their doing the entire weekend. It was on par with ITU Edmonton for execution, which was a very well run event. If/when I do another full distance race I will be doing another WTC event.
Swim- 54:29
My experience with the rolling start was fine, although I do wish it was still a mass start. I was lined up 3rd row on the right side of the stairs. Even 3rd row I was slowed by people waiting to jump in front while being pushed from behind. From what I've read/heard/seen it seems as though a rolling start in this case was really a solution to a problem that didn't exist (except bike density, which is certainly a valid reason). Maybe time for some good old wave starts? Spread the density, allow head to head AG racing and reduce contact in the water? Once in the water and swimming I had a bit of contact for the first couple hundred yards before finding my feet. From there on out it was head down and go. I drafted the same guy all the way around the course to a solid 54:29 which was well under my goal of 57 minutes. A great way to start the day out and good enough for the M18-24 Roka first out of the water prize.
Bike- 4:48:53 // 215AP/218NP // VI 1.01
Coming from a short course background I hurried right along through transition. Volunteers were great and I was off and riding in no time. Accidentally tossed on my helmet before putting on my T1 top, but that wasn't too hard to fix. The first "out" on the bike course was desolate. I was passed by one male pro and one amateur EMJ member and passed a few female pros. Managed to keep my ego in check when they rolled by and stuck to my pacing. Compared to short course the first lap felt like soft pedaling. I was constantly looking down at a number way above target and had to shift down and spin to keep myself in check. Of course this problem gradually went away, but it was certainly a nice change while it lasted! I was targeting 220w and rode 221w/220w for lap 1 and 2 and then made the call to pull back to 205w for the last lap to get ahead on nutrition and freshen up for the run. I don't have a solid tab on my FTP at the moment, but wattage is what I would typically expect on a solid long training ride. I would estimate the IF right around .65. Traffic increased throughout the laps, but I don't believe I ever had to slow to pass. Definitely did some yelling, but tried to keep it friendly. Rain set in on the way back to T2, but being a PNW native I wasn't too concerned. Actually nice to finally get some of the sticky crap off my hands. By far the worst part of the bike was all the nutrition and associated stickiness. I'm typically a Milkyway bar/muffin at the shop kind of long ride nutrition person. My race nutrition consisted of a TriSports order placed a few weeks before the event plus an Infinit mix I use when it's warm out.
Consumed (1880 calories // 388 calories/hour):
4 Powerbar Gel's (110 calories)
1 Shotbloks (200 calories)
1 Milkyway Bar (240 calories)
4 servings Infinit (1000 calories)
Run- 3:42:06
This is where the lack of race specific training and first timer naivety comes into play. My realistic marathon target based on my last long run was 3:20-3:35. The smart way to pace would have been to go out at 3:25 pace and then hope to pick it up at the end. Instead I let myself get mixed up with the female pro race and chased Roberts and Vesterby through the first 10 miles of the run holding sub-7 pace. It was incredible to get a chance to run with them and I definitely gained a new found respect for the level they compete at. I did manage to stay on top of nutrition taking in water at every aid station and a gel at mile 5 and 10. Typing this now it is obvious how stupid this pacing was. When you start the run with guys that have been doing this for years with a faster target time than yourself and drop them quickly you really should do a mental check. Needless to say the wheels began to come off at mile 10. I went through half way at 1:36 which ultimately means I ran a 1:36/2:06 positive split. Ouch. I ran and then walked aid stations through about mile 15, but was really just continuing to fall apart. Rob caught me at this point and talked me into running with him. To quote him- "it's a game of attrition" which I think is pretty spot on. Rob got me through mile 21 and round to the other side of the lake, but I needed to stop and walk some more. At this point it was a mental game. I started sampling the various course offerings for some distraction: grapes- awesome, pretzels- good distraction, chicken broth- great, coke- nasty, Gatorade- better than normal, Redbull- disgusting, banana- nice. I ran with a friend from Seattle on track to a sub 12 PR for a while and at this point started to find some momentum again with less than 3 miles to go, all towards the finish. With a mile and a half to go I started running the mental math: 9:20 target was gone, sub 9:30 was still remotely possible. At 8:30 min/mi pace I was moving with everything I had left and still going practically no where! Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough for sub 9:30, but did get me "9:30" with a 9:30:46.
Overall I am pleased with the performance given relative lack of specific training and pacing stupidity and feel I could shave some time pretty easily and quickly on future attempts. It was an incredible experience for sure and really fun and humbling to go head to head with some of the top amateurs in the sport (and on the forum). I will be sticking with short course and 70.3 for the time being. When I do race another Ironman and hopefully Kona someday it won't be another "do it" event, but one where I prepare specifically for the event in order to perform to potential.
My take-aways:
-A good swim gets you rolling in the right mindset and allows for conservative pacing on the bike without everyone blowing by you.
-Bike pacing is essential. Unlike short course racing their is no hammering when you are passed. Ego has to be dropped off at the start.
-Two consistent laps with an easier 3rd lap on the bike set me up perfectly for the run
-Go out too hard on the run and you'll pay for it. Use the GPS on your wrist. It doesn't lie.
-Sports nutrition is disgusting but necessary.
-It can be really relaxing and fun to go into a race with no expectations and a "just do it" attitude.
I spent a solid couple hours searching the forums right after signing up for the race and was really impressed by the collective wisdom on here. Everything from nutrition to pacing. ST really is an incredible resource. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to that and hopefully I can add a little bit of info for someone else down the road.
For those interested, Strava links below:
Swim- https://www.strava.com/activities/433821392
Bike- https://www.strava.com/activities/433820973
Run- https://www.strava.com/activities/433821466
Pre-Race
Ironman Arizona was a last minute affair for me. Since moving to Boulder for school in August my training has been going great and I've been searching for a final season closer event. Plans for Austin 70.3 fell through leaving me with no plans in the middle of October. I saw that flights were cheap to Phoenix and shot SmileTrain (official charity partner) an email and found out they still had some slots. We were able to find a fundraising minimum that worked and with four weeks to go I was signed up. With an Olympic on the calendar already for 3 weeks out, it would be 2 weeks race specific training plus a week taper. As it turned out I ended up sick after week 1 and that became 1 week race specific training, 1 week sick, 1 week taper. My only two real "race specific" workouts were a 2 hour and 2.5 hour run along with a few 5 hour rides in that week and a half window. I'm typically one who sign-ups for a race with the goal of winning or at least performing to my potential. That ambition was totally out the window for Arizona and this was really my first "just do it" race since starting triathlon in 2012.
A quick non-race specific note- I've done a variety of USAT and ITU short course events so I'm familiar with "big" events. I have to say though that WTC really has the entire operation figured out. I didn't experience a single problem of their doing the entire weekend. It was on par with ITU Edmonton for execution, which was a very well run event. If/when I do another full distance race I will be doing another WTC event.
Swim- 54:29
My experience with the rolling start was fine, although I do wish it was still a mass start. I was lined up 3rd row on the right side of the stairs. Even 3rd row I was slowed by people waiting to jump in front while being pushed from behind. From what I've read/heard/seen it seems as though a rolling start in this case was really a solution to a problem that didn't exist (except bike density, which is certainly a valid reason). Maybe time for some good old wave starts? Spread the density, allow head to head AG racing and reduce contact in the water? Once in the water and swimming I had a bit of contact for the first couple hundred yards before finding my feet. From there on out it was head down and go. I drafted the same guy all the way around the course to a solid 54:29 which was well under my goal of 57 minutes. A great way to start the day out and good enough for the M18-24 Roka first out of the water prize.
Bike- 4:48:53 // 215AP/218NP // VI 1.01
Coming from a short course background I hurried right along through transition. Volunteers were great and I was off and riding in no time. Accidentally tossed on my helmet before putting on my T1 top, but that wasn't too hard to fix. The first "out" on the bike course was desolate. I was passed by one male pro and one amateur EMJ member and passed a few female pros. Managed to keep my ego in check when they rolled by and stuck to my pacing. Compared to short course the first lap felt like soft pedaling. I was constantly looking down at a number way above target and had to shift down and spin to keep myself in check. Of course this problem gradually went away, but it was certainly a nice change while it lasted! I was targeting 220w and rode 221w/220w for lap 1 and 2 and then made the call to pull back to 205w for the last lap to get ahead on nutrition and freshen up for the run. I don't have a solid tab on my FTP at the moment, but wattage is what I would typically expect on a solid long training ride. I would estimate the IF right around .65. Traffic increased throughout the laps, but I don't believe I ever had to slow to pass. Definitely did some yelling, but tried to keep it friendly. Rain set in on the way back to T2, but being a PNW native I wasn't too concerned. Actually nice to finally get some of the sticky crap off my hands. By far the worst part of the bike was all the nutrition and associated stickiness. I'm typically a Milkyway bar/muffin at the shop kind of long ride nutrition person. My race nutrition consisted of a TriSports order placed a few weeks before the event plus an Infinit mix I use when it's warm out.
Consumed (1880 calories // 388 calories/hour):
4 Powerbar Gel's (110 calories)
1 Shotbloks (200 calories)
1 Milkyway Bar (240 calories)
4 servings Infinit (1000 calories)
Run- 3:42:06
This is where the lack of race specific training and first timer naivety comes into play. My realistic marathon target based on my last long run was 3:20-3:35. The smart way to pace would have been to go out at 3:25 pace and then hope to pick it up at the end. Instead I let myself get mixed up with the female pro race and chased Roberts and Vesterby through the first 10 miles of the run holding sub-7 pace. It was incredible to get a chance to run with them and I definitely gained a new found respect for the level they compete at. I did manage to stay on top of nutrition taking in water at every aid station and a gel at mile 5 and 10. Typing this now it is obvious how stupid this pacing was. When you start the run with guys that have been doing this for years with a faster target time than yourself and drop them quickly you really should do a mental check. Needless to say the wheels began to come off at mile 10. I went through half way at 1:36 which ultimately means I ran a 1:36/2:06 positive split. Ouch. I ran and then walked aid stations through about mile 15, but was really just continuing to fall apart. Rob caught me at this point and talked me into running with him. To quote him- "it's a game of attrition" which I think is pretty spot on. Rob got me through mile 21 and round to the other side of the lake, but I needed to stop and walk some more. At this point it was a mental game. I started sampling the various course offerings for some distraction: grapes- awesome, pretzels- good distraction, chicken broth- great, coke- nasty, Gatorade- better than normal, Redbull- disgusting, banana- nice. I ran with a friend from Seattle on track to a sub 12 PR for a while and at this point started to find some momentum again with less than 3 miles to go, all towards the finish. With a mile and a half to go I started running the mental math: 9:20 target was gone, sub 9:30 was still remotely possible. At 8:30 min/mi pace I was moving with everything I had left and still going practically no where! Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough for sub 9:30, but did get me "9:30" with a 9:30:46.
Overall I am pleased with the performance given relative lack of specific training and pacing stupidity and feel I could shave some time pretty easily and quickly on future attempts. It was an incredible experience for sure and really fun and humbling to go head to head with some of the top amateurs in the sport (and on the forum). I will be sticking with short course and 70.3 for the time being. When I do race another Ironman and hopefully Kona someday it won't be another "do it" event, but one where I prepare specifically for the event in order to perform to potential.
My take-aways:
-A good swim gets you rolling in the right mindset and allows for conservative pacing on the bike without everyone blowing by you.
-Bike pacing is essential. Unlike short course racing their is no hammering when you are passed. Ego has to be dropped off at the start.
-Two consistent laps with an easier 3rd lap on the bike set me up perfectly for the run
-Go out too hard on the run and you'll pay for it. Use the GPS on your wrist. It doesn't lie.
-Sports nutrition is disgusting but necessary.
-It can be really relaxing and fun to go into a race with no expectations and a "just do it" attitude.
I spent a solid couple hours searching the forums right after signing up for the race and was really impressed by the collective wisdom on here. Everything from nutrition to pacing. ST really is an incredible resource. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to that and hopefully I can add a little bit of info for someone else down the road.
For those interested, Strava links below:
Swim- https://www.strava.com/activities/433821392
Bike- https://www.strava.com/activities/433820973
Run- https://www.strava.com/activities/433821466
Last edited by:
JTolandTRI: Nov 17, 15 6:59