Hope you're not too tired of these yet.
I've got to say I'm somehat surpised by how the race turned out. This was the least prepared I've felt going into an IM. I went into the race more relaxed than usual b/c I wasn't expecting big things, and consequently did many, many things I normally won't do leading up to a race of this importance. I did the SB long course 2 weeks out which featured a 10 mile run to finish which I feel is on the long side two weeks out from IM. The week before race week I probably drank alcohol 6 of 7 days - I usually abstain at least one month out. Then there was the 6 hour, 104 degree, 75 mile, dehydration-fest one week before the race(I know... 6 hours, only 75 miles? Don't ask). Probably not the best leadup
I was also a little concerned about my pre race weigh-in. I came in at 180. MUCH heavier than I anticipated.
A few things caused me not to be too worried though:
I had 3 bagels, some sliced turkey, OJ, a poptart and a banana for breakfast and headed out to the start. The swim was my one worry as my total swim distance for the last ~4 months was only around 15k and my 2 longest swims were actually during race week and each was only 1.2 miles, half the distance I would have to swim during the race. My one loop swim at the venue took me 46 minutes, so I was expecting to swim around 1:35 when my last 3 IM swims had been 1:16-1:17. This really got me down in the days before the race, but I received some good advice and got out of my funk. The swim was uneventful for me, and I guess it was a bit choppier on the day I did my loop because I finished the swim in 1:25, more than satisfactory given my lack of swim training.
Some people keep songs in their head during the bike, others focus on their HR/watts, etc...I count the people I pass. It helps the miles tick by for me. I was also thinking I might break my personal record of 985 people passed on the bike. Within 5 miles I was up to 200 and almost hit 500 before the start of the 1st loop. By the end of the 1st loop I had passed almost 900 people. I followed Strauss' advice and I went easy up every climb, and used the 39x25 extensively. If people didn't pass me on the uphill, I knew I was going to fast. At the top of every climb I would pick it up over the crest and blast down the hill. It was absolutely amazing how many people I passed immediately after cresting. They would be absolutely spent at the top of the climbs and have nothing to spend on the downhills. I finished the 1st loop in 2:40 and when the heat kicked in on the 2nd loop my pace slowed a bit but I was secretly happy it was going to be a tough day. I continued to pass people through the end of the bike and finished without feeling too spent. I lost count after 1000 or so because I was lapping people but according to IMlive I went from 1611 after the swim to 266 after the bike. I originally thought I had split 5:19, but I guess I started my watch late as my official split was 5:23.
Some bike thoughts: The bike course was terrific. Very scenic, lots of hills, plenty of flats, some technical sections. For a strong cyclist this is an excellent course. The difficulty of the terrain really separates the field and hampers the efforts of those who would draft. I spent 85% of my time in the aerobars so don't listen to people who say this is a course for a road bike. For comparison, the bike course is definitely tougher than the other 2 IMNA IM's I've done: CDA and Canada. I'm very, very happy about my bike split. 70 of 2188 and 15 of 389 in my age group. HUGE improvements! I feel like I've moved up to the next level on the bike. I definitely feel like I'm capable of a 5:10 - 5:15 right now on a course of more normal difficulty and next year I think sub 5:10 is definitely in the cards. I have no wattage info to back this up, but I think the rotors have absolutely helped. I'm very happy with them.
T2 was smooth, but I did stop in the port-o-john for my one and only pee of the entire day.
I figured I could go anywhere from 3:25 to 4:10 on the run. I just didn't know what to expect with my erractic run training. I normally like to get in a 1 x 2:40, 2 x 2:30, 1 x 2:15 and multiple 2 hour runs before an IM, but due to an ankle injury I was way behind that schedule. I wound up doing 1 x 2:15, 2 x 2:00 and 1 x 1:45 instead. I would have like to have been running 45-50 mile weeks as well, but that wound up being 25 - 35 mile weeks instead.
Things started well enough and I thought I was on pace for a 3:30 - 3:35, definitely moving faster than everyone around me. About 12 miles in the wheels came off(a bit). I started to regret wishing for hot weather as I suddenly went from 8:00's to 9:45 - 10:15 pace. I had started dumping water on my head almost immediately and my shoes were soaking wet by mile 4 or 5. Now I started stuffing ice in my jersey and hat. I was suddenly staring that 4:10 straight in the face. Strangely enough, even while running this slow, I only think I was passed maybe twice. I had been drinking coke and gatorade consistently and also popping salt tabs(not frequently enough) but I thought some broth might be the ticket. That and a gel brought me back to life a bit after about 9 miles of 9+ minute miles. The only problem I had was the hamstring cramping which started at about mile 17. I started having to lean over during even the slightest incline to avoid a huge knot in my hammy's. Near the end it got bad enough that I actually had to lean way over and swing my legs around to the side to keep them straight during the steepest hills, but somehow I managed to continue at ~8:30 this way. The spectators were great and at the 6.5 mile turnaround I even managed a quick "macarena" to entertain the crowd(It was playing in the background). The last mile was absolute hell for me due to the inclines. I probably would have walked up them but I wanted to go under 10:50 and knew it would be close.
I finished the marathon in 3:50, good for 102 for the day, and finished 117 out of 2188(by far my highest finishing percentage), and even pr'd by 4 minutes. Finish time was 10:49. I can definitely see that a 10:00 - 10:15 is possible next year(maybe even lower), given some work on the swim, a different bike course, a little less heat on the run and a little more focus. Feeling very positive for next year!
I've got to say I'm somehat surpised by how the race turned out. This was the least prepared I've felt going into an IM. I went into the race more relaxed than usual b/c I wasn't expecting big things, and consequently did many, many things I normally won't do leading up to a race of this importance. I did the SB long course 2 weeks out which featured a 10 mile run to finish which I feel is on the long side two weeks out from IM. The week before race week I probably drank alcohol 6 of 7 days - I usually abstain at least one month out. Then there was the 6 hour, 104 degree, 75 mile, dehydration-fest one week before the race(I know... 6 hours, only 75 miles? Don't ask). Probably not the best leadup
I was also a little concerned about my pre race weigh-in. I came in at 180. MUCH heavier than I anticipated. A few things caused me not to be too worried though:
- I don't fall apart in long course races(anymore) so I figured the absolute worst that could happen was me finishing in 11:20 or so. In the last 2-3 years I've done 5 1/2 IM's and 4 IM's and I don't think I've had to walk more than the length of an aid station. I've certainly had bad races and I've made bad raceday decisions, but they haven't resulted in a complete meltown.
- I felt very confident abut the bike. Leading up to race, I had experienced a steady, definite improvement over 8 weeks or so and figured I might rank higher on the bike than the run for the 1st time ever in a 1/2 or IM.
- The weather was getting warmer. I told my mom the day before the race that if the sun came out, that might be the one thing to save my race. Yes, if it was a hot day I would be slower, but everyone else would be much slower. I have always enjoyed training in the heat and always make a point to do at least 1/2 of my long runs in the hottest part of the day as well as 1/2 my long rides. Maybe this is unsportsmanlike to think of it his way, but when it's hot, it's 10x as important to get your nutrition right and many begin to have issues. Fortunately, I am blessed with an iron stomach and I'm accustomed to training and eating in the heat.
I had 3 bagels, some sliced turkey, OJ, a poptart and a banana for breakfast and headed out to the start. The swim was my one worry as my total swim distance for the last ~4 months was only around 15k and my 2 longest swims were actually during race week and each was only 1.2 miles, half the distance I would have to swim during the race. My one loop swim at the venue took me 46 minutes, so I was expecting to swim around 1:35 when my last 3 IM swims had been 1:16-1:17. This really got me down in the days before the race, but I received some good advice and got out of my funk. The swim was uneventful for me, and I guess it was a bit choppier on the day I did my loop because I finished the swim in 1:25, more than satisfactory given my lack of swim training.
Some people keep songs in their head during the bike, others focus on their HR/watts, etc...I count the people I pass. It helps the miles tick by for me. I was also thinking I might break my personal record of 985 people passed on the bike. Within 5 miles I was up to 200 and almost hit 500 before the start of the 1st loop. By the end of the 1st loop I had passed almost 900 people. I followed Strauss' advice and I went easy up every climb, and used the 39x25 extensively. If people didn't pass me on the uphill, I knew I was going to fast. At the top of every climb I would pick it up over the crest and blast down the hill. It was absolutely amazing how many people I passed immediately after cresting. They would be absolutely spent at the top of the climbs and have nothing to spend on the downhills. I finished the 1st loop in 2:40 and when the heat kicked in on the 2nd loop my pace slowed a bit but I was secretly happy it was going to be a tough day. I continued to pass people through the end of the bike and finished without feeling too spent. I lost count after 1000 or so because I was lapping people but according to IMlive I went from 1611 after the swim to 266 after the bike. I originally thought I had split 5:19, but I guess I started my watch late as my official split was 5:23.
Some bike thoughts: The bike course was terrific. Very scenic, lots of hills, plenty of flats, some technical sections. For a strong cyclist this is an excellent course. The difficulty of the terrain really separates the field and hampers the efforts of those who would draft. I spent 85% of my time in the aerobars so don't listen to people who say this is a course for a road bike. For comparison, the bike course is definitely tougher than the other 2 IMNA IM's I've done: CDA and Canada. I'm very, very happy about my bike split. 70 of 2188 and 15 of 389 in my age group. HUGE improvements! I feel like I've moved up to the next level on the bike. I definitely feel like I'm capable of a 5:10 - 5:15 right now on a course of more normal difficulty and next year I think sub 5:10 is definitely in the cards. I have no wattage info to back this up, but I think the rotors have absolutely helped. I'm very happy with them.
T2 was smooth, but I did stop in the port-o-john for my one and only pee of the entire day.
I figured I could go anywhere from 3:25 to 4:10 on the run. I just didn't know what to expect with my erractic run training. I normally like to get in a 1 x 2:40, 2 x 2:30, 1 x 2:15 and multiple 2 hour runs before an IM, but due to an ankle injury I was way behind that schedule. I wound up doing 1 x 2:15, 2 x 2:00 and 1 x 1:45 instead. I would have like to have been running 45-50 mile weeks as well, but that wound up being 25 - 35 mile weeks instead.
Things started well enough and I thought I was on pace for a 3:30 - 3:35, definitely moving faster than everyone around me. About 12 miles in the wheels came off(a bit). I started to regret wishing for hot weather as I suddenly went from 8:00's to 9:45 - 10:15 pace. I had started dumping water on my head almost immediately and my shoes were soaking wet by mile 4 or 5. Now I started stuffing ice in my jersey and hat. I was suddenly staring that 4:10 straight in the face. Strangely enough, even while running this slow, I only think I was passed maybe twice. I had been drinking coke and gatorade consistently and also popping salt tabs(not frequently enough) but I thought some broth might be the ticket. That and a gel brought me back to life a bit after about 9 miles of 9+ minute miles. The only problem I had was the hamstring cramping which started at about mile 17. I started having to lean over during even the slightest incline to avoid a huge knot in my hammy's. Near the end it got bad enough that I actually had to lean way over and swing my legs around to the side to keep them straight during the steepest hills, but somehow I managed to continue at ~8:30 this way. The spectators were great and at the 6.5 mile turnaround I even managed a quick "macarena" to entertain the crowd(It was playing in the background). The last mile was absolute hell for me due to the inclines. I probably would have walked up them but I wanted to go under 10:50 and knew it would be close.
I finished the marathon in 3:50, good for 102 for the day, and finished 117 out of 2188(by far my highest finishing percentage), and even pr'd by 4 minutes. Finish time was 10:49. I can definitely see that a 10:00 - 10:15 is possible next year(maybe even lower), given some work on the swim, a different bike course, a little less heat on the run and a little more focus. Feeling very positive for next year!