As promised, here is my race report from Rhode Island. After the hilarious banter from Eagleman and a posting that kind of took a life of its own, I figured I would start the post. As a Clydesdale Athlete, I believe I represented the larger athlete well on Sunday and am satisfied with my progress since June. I still have plenty of work to do, but I am happy with my current level of fitness. I have 6 weeks to Canada, plenty of time to get to where I need to be. Although I was 2 minutes slower in RI than Eagleman, it was clearly a tougher course as my strategy and goals were different.
Below is my race report from Sunday’s Half. A special thanks to the Slowtwitcher who shouted out to me on the run! You put a big smile on my face, thanks for the support.
Ironman Rhode Island 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)
As I sit here writing this report, I have had a full 24 hours to reflect upon this race. Like every race, your impressions change as you digest the event and begin to translate your times and data. Wake up this morning was great, as I experienced enough stiffness to feel like I pushed yesterday, but did not feel wrecked as I do after a full Ironman; nothing a rest day will not solve.
Race morning began early with a 4am wake up. Transition was a 20 minute ride and logistics for the race were a bit challenging (more later). I had the normal breakfast, oatmeal, OJ and a blueberry muffin. I took care of business and some last minute equipment checks and we were off to the race.
I stayed at a friend’s house and Rob graciously drove us to T1 at 4:30 in the morning. Maggie, Greg, Carlos and I packed into Rob’s car and we were off. An uneventful ride, although the traffic to the beach was extremely heavy for 4:30am, as 2000 athletes and support members begin to add up. Quite a strange site for the area that time of day I am sure.
We hit transition and I began my normal routine of inflating my tires, setting up bike nutrition, walking T1 and applying body glide. Before you knew it, transition was closing and I began to head down to the water.
Slightly overcast day as temperatures were perfect, around 70 degrees. A storm had come in over night and the water was extremely tough; so rough, that the race director had to delay the start 15 minutes in order to reset some of the buoys on the swim course and gave athletes the option of pulling out of the swim and completing the bike and run portions only. I will tell you, as I looked out on the water I had negative thoughts as the water was ROUGH. “This is going to suck” I thought, and then proceeded to jump in and get in a warm up swim. Five minutes into the warm up I realized a warm up was silly; the waves were pounding me and I would have ample time to deal with this experience once the race begins. I quickly exited the water and simply waited for my destiny.
I was scheduled to start in wave number 9, so after a few minutes of watching the pros go off and several age groupers, it was my turn. When the cannon sounded, I got a good jump and entered the water with a solid start. I dolphin swam the first several yards and then got into a rhythm. Ocean swims are different, as you expend a bunch of energy getting out, and it seems to take a bit longer to settle into a rhythm. I was alone on this one, as I did not have any feet and could not really see the buoys. Wave after wave kept pounding my head. I did a good job breathing and gliding, but seeing the course was tricky. I eventually hit the first turn buoy and realized I was swimming like Stevie Wonder. Oh, well, I was unscathed and felt comfortable. I took a wide turn, not on purpose, and then began to head back in. The ride in was fast, as you could surf the current if you timed your stroke properly. I swam until my hand touched bottom and began to run out of the water into T1. When I stood up out of the water, I looked at my watch and it read 30:12. Not as fast as I was expecting, but under the conditions, I was happy with that. I immediately realized how much longer I must have swam due to my inability to swim straight. Under the conditions I felt no worries with the extra 3 minutes or so that I lost.
T1 went smoothly. The wetsuit strippers were a nice touch, but the transition bag was a pain in the ass (more later). All in all, I got through T1 in about 1:51 with most of that time being the run up from the beach. I exited T1 in good shape and immediately settled into the bike. This would be my last real tune up for Ironman Canada, and I was determined to ride this course at IM pace. I saw Larry Dean at the exit, shouting words of encouragement to me; that was awesome! It took commitment on his part to travel down to the swim start at 5am considering T1 was 30+ miles away from T2.
The first 20 miles or so, were pretty flat and I figured I would hammer and set the tone early. My power goal was to average 325 watts for the bike, as this should be my IM pace. Things went pretty smooth on the bike. At mile 20, I was averaging 327 Watts and 27 mph. I had driven the course the previous day and knew the hills and rollers would be upon me any moment, but no worries, this was all part of the plan. Between my Infinite drink, my GU’s and my salt tablets, I was in great shape nutritionally. I handled my nutritional responsibility very well on this leg of the race.
Around mile 20, I passed a fellow Clydesdale athlete, or so I presumed, as he was a pretty big guy. Jacked up, not fat, but big; his leg read 45 which told me he went off about 15 minutes before me. I passed him at a reasonable pace but he was motoring fairly well. I guess this motivated him, as he re-passed me about 2 minutes later. This actually made me smile as clearly this pretender was not prepared to dance….lol……I gave him some glory for about 5 minutes as we hit a decent climb and I kept to my game plan of pacing the hills while spinning up them. He got out of his saddle to prove to me he was strong and could take me on the hill. Good mental occupation at this point, as this little cat and mouse game, filled one of many complacency moments we all experience out there from time to time. At the top of the hill, this pretender became pre-occupied with collecting his lungs off the pavement; I simply dropped him and continued my journey.
At mile 35, I snuck up on a woman who seemed to be making a bunch of racket with her gear selection. So much so, I actually looked down on my bike for a quick equipment check of my own. Realizing it was her, I continued on my way; no sooner did I pass her, did she shout out, “go Luther!” A quick turn with the head, and I confirmed it was Maggie. “WOW”, I immediately thought, she is doing fantastic. Considering she cannot swim, I was surprised it took me so long to catch her. I was happy for her and knew she was having a good day. I was a bit worried for her early on, as the water was rough and Maggie is a world class du-athlete, not by any means as solid swimmer. Maggie began the race about 20 minutes in front of me as I believe she began in wave 3. Good for her I thought as I was convinced I would see her on the run; she can flat out haul there.
I pushed as designed and took what the course would give me. At one point on a flat, I remember thinking I was fighting a tough headwind. I passed a flagpole and noticed the flag was completely still and I smiled, realizing the wind was simply the speed at which I was going. 32 MPH calls for a bit of wind……lol……
My final aid station was a learning experience as this was the first big take away of the day for me. I had prepared my aero drink with powder but no liquid. My intention was to simply fill up this bottle at the last water station and finish it by T2. I did not want to fill it up before the bike leg began, as I figured I could save some extra weight. I had a speed fill bottle below and that would suffice for the first 40 miles. All was going to plan. I finished my speed fill of approximately 40 ounces of fluid and grabbed a water bottle at the final bike aid station. I filled up my aero drink quickly and tossed a half empty bottle in the trash dump area. I immediately gulped my aero drink, only to taste 10%water and 90% powder. Instinctively, I immediately spewed out the contents of my mouth only to cover my arms, cockpit and hands with this crap! Not only did it just look like I threw up all over myself, but I had nothing to rinse it off with as the next aid station would be 20 miles away. “Dumb Ass”, I remember thinking……lol….but the reaction was simply instinct. For the next 10 minutes, I would be soaked and my hands were very slippery. So much that I had to focus on holding on to the aero bars. 10 minutes later, I could not remove my hands from the aero bars as they now were sticky…….what a mess….lol……Mental note to self, next time add just enough water to make a serious concentrate and this will not happen.
I cruised for the rest of the bike and hit T2 in great shape; 2 hours and 20 minutes feeling very fresh and ready to run. I averaged 318 Watts on the bike at 23.7 mph. In looking back on the data, my power and speed both diminished the last 15 miles or so and I absolutely blame this on my throw up incident. My PT was covered in slime and I could not read it for the last leg of the bike….lol……I am laughing as I type as this was a completely unexpected set of events. It’s all good, but certainly a move to avoid in future races.
I hit T2 strong, exiting the bike like usual, pacing well into transition. I heard Ernie and Jana shout out as I came into transition. T2 was a maze and I did miss my rack (1st time ever). After about 20 seconds or so of searching, I found my spot. Being a separate transition area, I did not have any of my stuff set up and could not differentiate my rack from anyone else’s. They all had a bag under the bar and racing off the front of the pack, there were no bikes simply hundreds of red and white plastic bags. I collected my gear, put on socks, dawned my new K-Swiss Kona shoes and was off. T2, 1 minute 50 seconds.
I hit the run course in great shape. I immediately got into a rhythm and settled into a good pace. I saw my support crew on the first hill, or should I say mountain! Steeple Street in Providence is an Everest which all of yesterday’s athlete’s had to contend with twice. Emma shouted out as usual and Max just gave me that look of approval. Between Bethany, Howard, Carol, Ron, Bill, Lara, Corey, Arlene, Ernie, Jana, Larry, Sandra, Gary and someone I am missing I’m sure, I had a very solid cheering crew……AWESOME, as I lunched on that energy all day.
I felt fantastic all day! I cruised the first 7 miles, averaging 7:55 per mile and feeling great. I was moving so well that I passed on the Gatorade at each aid station opting for water and sponges only. (Note to self, take the Gatorade idiot!..lol). At the turn around, I figured my pace to bring me to a 4:38 finish. Simply maintain and bring it home I thought. Problem being, Everest appeared before I knew it for the second time and zapped whatever momentum any of us might have had. I had a game plan, and that was to speed walk this sucker rather than waste the legs on a death crawl. Good idea, and easily executed; problem being, this plan gives time away time like a hole in a ship taking on water.
At mile 10 I hit a small wall. I clearly was beginning to slow down and was doing everything I could do to stay on track. “Run tall, feet under waist, quick cadence” I would remind myself, but nothing seemed to bring the pace back up. I had to go pee very badly at this point and could not go in motion. I choose to hit the next port a potty, then grabbed some Coke at the aid station and hammered out the remaining 3 miles. I did mange to perk up a bit after the port a potty and coke, but the damage was already done as I was in arrears.
I pushed hard the last mile, going a fast as I could, averaging 7:30 pace and hating every minute of it. With about 500 yards to go, the final pretender of the day decides to pass me just before the entrance of the finish shoot. The funny thing is I let him go for about 10 seconds and then I woke up. “Hell No….” I remember thinking and now it was “Fights on Baby”. I began to sprint and he clearly heard me, looked back and took it up a notch himself. We now had about 200 yards to the finish and the crowd was going nuts; Clearly two idiots gunning for the win. I took it up another notch and smoked him to the finish! He gave me a high five after the line, and I completed a very satisfying race. Final time: 4 hours 47 minutes.
This race proved to be very successful in many areas. Although I missed my goal of 4:30, I made some significant improvements from Eagleman on a much more challenging race course. The swim time loss for me was conditions, as I have no real take a ways there other than continue to build swim fitness and go into IM a bit stronger. The bike gave me great experience pacing and maintaining. I executed my nutrition and had plenty in reserves to ride similar at Canada. And finally the run, as the first 7 miles proved rewarding due to my track workouts over the last several weeks while the final half of my run demonstrated the work I have left to do in my final IM build up. With 6 weeks to go, I have ample time to build additional strength and speed on the run to carry me to Kona. The only question on race day will be my willingness to suffer.
This race site was extremely challenging. I will say, race day was executed extremely well, with professionally organized support, logistics and race direction. The course was beautiful as I enjoyed every aspect, including Everest! It proved to be challenging and rewarding and in the end, I was happy to have participated in it.
Pre-race was a completely different experience. Not sure what happened, but the events leading up to race day were the most disorganized, unprofessional set ups I have yet to experience with Ironman. The stress levels created by IM pre-race were completely unacceptable as the entry fee clearly did not equate to value or substance. Between the website, the misprints in the athlete guide, check in procedures, the expo, the lack of pre-race volunteers, the transition logistics and the lack of energy, I am amazed this race turned out as well as it did.
I would recommend this race after completing it but with one very big caution. Be EXTREMELY prepared to go though the dark prior to racing, dealing with heavy stress loads and incompetent race organization. IM really needs to adjust their pre-race organization at this venue. I will not be back at this venue any time soon, but in the end, remain grateful for the opportunity to gain the valuable insights I did and feel tremendously blessed to be able to participate in this athletic competition.
I have to give a shout out to my sponsors, partners and supporters:
My Zipp wheels and Cranks were outstanding. Clearly the fastest equipment out there as I gained confidence knowing I was riding equipment that complemented my own abilities. If you are not riding Zipp, you are not riding. www.zipp.com
Sunrise Tri set me up nicely pre-race and talked me through some pre-race equipment challenges; Thanks guys, well done as usual. www.sunrisetri.com
Kswiss, the newest sponsor for Team Maniac was outstanding! The K-Ona performed as promised. Light, fast and very dry! Great racing shoe. http://www.kswiss.com/cat/183/Men/Sport/Triathlon/Triathlon_Shoes.html
Coach Troy, got me to the starting line, healthy, confident and ready to race. www.coachtroy.com
Rob and Caroline graciously put me up race night, transported me to the starting line and then feed my entire family post race like only an Italian Family can do. Great Company, incredible food and a wonderful time had by all.
And finally to my support crew. I cannot thank everyone enough for coming out and supporting me in this event. Although sometimes, I could not acknowledge the cheers, I heard them all, and it fueled me all day. Bethany, Emma, Max, Libby, Howard, Carol, Gary, Corey, Arlene, Gabriel, Lara, Primo, Bill, Larry, Ernie, Jana, Rob, Caroline, Elle, Erica and Ron. Wow, that is support. To everyone at home tracking me online and sending me emails after the race, your cheering was felt even if it was not heard.
A special shout out to Joe Donahue, a true competitor and gifted athlete who encouraged me on the run as he finally passed me at mile 11. Thanks Dave Slavinski for the shout out and encouragement on Steeple Street. To Greg, Maggie and Carlos, my Team Maniac Teammates; seeing you out there suffering was awesome, great job. To Michael Lovato, the Race Winner on the professional side, for shouting out to me, encouraging me to dig deep in the middle of your own battle with Ritchie Cunningham…….you are a STUD!
Last but not least, to my Wife. Without out your support, none of this would have come to pass, as your support, organization and commitment to me and this incredible sport is second to none. I hope I can execute as well for you at the NYC marathon as you have done countless times for me.
This was my last Half Ironman distance race of the year. I have 15 minutes to find at this distance as I know 4:30 is out there for me. I will now have a year to find it and look forward to joining Joe D in the 40-44 age group next year,
Next up, NJ State Triathlon (Olympic Distance). Bring you A game guys, because I will be coming hard. Train smart, train safe.
God Bless,
Luther
Pretty impressive for a 225-pounder though, but being humble goes much farther than smack talk, at least in my opinion.