Ironman Texas race report - not the race I wanted but I learned a lot

[andreasjs]

Brief version:

IMTX was my 4th full Ironman race after I took up triathlon early 2011. Having done IMTX in 2012 in 11:04, IM Los Cabos and Brazil in 2013 in 10:30 and 9:45 respectively, and with some solid training leading up to the race in Texas, I hoped I could finish in 9:30-40 and break into top 10 in my AG. However, this was also my first ironman that I tried to race from start to finish and I got schooled. Pushing the pace from the start of the swim to the end of the marathon, reduces the margin for execution and nutrition errors. Big learning! While it will not be easy by any means, top 10 and even higher is within reach; the difference between a good day and a bad day can easily be 20 minutes. I think I executed the swim and the bike well in terms of pace, but it seems like I got nutrition wrong on the bike. The run is usually my strength and in the last 2 ironman races, my marathon was ~3:25 - and with good run training paces prior to the race, I had hoped for a 3:15-20 marathon. Did not happen. Stomach cramps and bathroom stops on lap 2 of the run put a stop to the dreams. On the positive side, I learned a lot in the race about nutrition, pushing through when it gets tough, and that training results do not necesarrily correlate well with race results. Also, time is even more influenced by climate, course etc than imagined. However, I am ready and motivated for next year in Texas and for Chattannooga in September this year. Ironman is awesome, the amount of emotions - highs and lows - you go through on race day is incredible. However, best of all is the day-to-day training. Absolutely love it. I also love the spectator and volunteer support and sharing race week and weekend with friends. It made IMTX 2014 and unforgetable day.

Splits and result:

• Swim: 1:08 and ~70 in AG out of the swim
• Bike: 5:11 and ~37 in AG after bike
• Run: 3:35 and 19 in AG after the run
• Total race time incl transitions: 10:01

Details:

Months leading up to the race:
Despite 60-70 flights during 2014 I managed to train pretty well and consistent. Worst affected by the travel was my swim but with help from my swim coach, I felt my swim was improving despite the inconsistency and tiredness caused by the travel. Going into race week I felt strong and well prepared. Bike and run training KPIs were better than ever. Sub-optimal training was not the reason for not achieving race day objectives.

Last days leading up the race:
Taper went well and I felt good the days prior to the race. Got plenty of sleep, ate healthy and felt relatively at ease. Probably made mistake #1 those days by eating too much and having too much sports drink and electrolites. I wanted to make sure that I was well hydrated and fueled when I toed the start line but probably overdid it… I put the nail in the coffin on the bike though

Swim
I was happy it was a wetsuit legal swim. Swimming is my weakness so any help I could get, was appreciated. I loved the race start, the emotions those last minutes before the gun goes of are priceless. I started in the 2nd row hoping that I could catch someone faster to draft off. However, that did not happen and I swam most of the first leg to the turn-around without any good draft. Did not stress about it and tried to focus on finding a rythm, holding a solid pace and form, and swim as straight as possible. Got hit and kicked a bit but nothing beyond the usual. After the turn-around I caught some feet now and then but the murky water made drafing difficult. The final part of the swim through the canal was not nice at all. Much more contact which broke up the rythm and the focus. Navigating was easy though as I could navigate based on the walls. Swim time 1:08 which was some 5-6 minutes slower than I had hoped for but did not worry about it, the day had just started and the swim was over in an accetable time.

Nutrion: Morning nutrition was 3 small packets of instant oats, peanut butter and a 800 ml bottle of perform. Out at the swim start area I had a GU and a small bottle of catorade. Total calories in the morning about 800. Next time I am cutting a bit down although that is my usual pre-race nutrition.

Bike
Spent the first 60 kms passing a lot of people before it eventually started to thin out. Settled into a steady rythm and the bike was pretty uneventful. The most exciting were 2 dogs crossing the road out at Sam Houston National Park and seeing a huge turtle on the road. I had expected longhorns or amardillos on the road but not a turtle!!!

In terms of pacing, my plan was to pace the first half of the bike a bit easier and then pick it up on the way back on the chip seal and into the headwinds. I wanted to make sure to save something for the run by going easy first part of the run. The wind seemed to come from all sorts of directions though and the chip seal was not too bad so I eventually just focused on holding the pace steady without overdoing it. Bike split 5:11 which was in line with what I had hoped for (5:05-5:15).

Nutrition: 3 powerbars, 6 gels, 2x800 ml perform in my own bottles, 4 bottles of perform from the aid stations, 2 electrolyte tablets, and 1,5 bottle of water from the aid stations. Total about 2200 calories. Had trained with 450 calories per hour without problems at all so I think the # calories were okay but I did not dilute with enough water. Next time I am cutting down on the electrolyte tabs and the bars - and will drink more pure water to dilute the gels, bars and tabs.

Run
Came of the bike feeling pretty good. I was pretty sure I had saved enough for the run bike pacing wise so decided to start strong. The first mile I ran in 6:20 I think. Looking back, that was not a smart thing to do but the legs felt good and I was excited to be off the bike and running - so I did not care to slow down on purpose. A few miles into the run, the pace started to drop but nothing alarming as I was still at target pace at ~7:20 miles (4:35 per km) when I was running between the aid stations (I walked through the aid stations to get cold water, ice, and sponges to avoid overheating). About km 10 or so the pace started to drop off even more and I started to feel weak. I thought it would probably just be a temporary thing but decided not to push the pace for a couple of kms hoping the running legs would return.

However, it went from bad to worse and started to have stomach cramps. Basically lap #2 was spent with stomach cramps, 4 bathroom stops, walking the aid stations and worst of all: seeing the pace continue to drop. Only highlights of lap 2 were seeing my friends cheering and the cheering crowd. I was almost convinced that top 10 was out of reach but I thought “it is not over until the fat lady sings - let me push through this, run all the way to the finish line doing the best I can and see where the cards land”. I stopped taking in calories and only consumed water during most of lap 2 hoping it would make the stomachache go away.

During the last lap I was not running any faster, probably about 8:10 min per mile or (5:10 per km) including walking the aid stations but I felt much better than on lap 2. Started to drink coke with 10 kms to go which helped on my well-being even more. Unfortunately, it did not help my pace. At that point I decided to enjoy the last couple of kms as much as possible. Turning right towards the finish line felt like a major relief though. Felt like I had started in heaven on mile 1, then been to hell and back on round 2. Run split 3:35 and total race time 10:01

Nutrition on the run: 4 gels, about 1L of perform, 500 ml water and 3 small cups of coke. total calories about 900 - which is less than I usually take but my stomach was game over.

Key take-aways
On nutrition and execution: Nutrition is much more critical than I imagined. Maybe I was lucky in my first 3 races to get nutrition right and did not give it enough atttention this time. Next time I am cutting back on the food and liquid the days leading up to the race, cut 10% back on calories on the bike, and dilute with more water. KPIs from training are pretty useless if you mess up execution and nutrition. I knew that in theory but got now I learned it from real life experience. While there is a place for training KPIs, I am going to spend less energy and thoughts on them going forward. The difference between a good and a bad day can easily be 20-30 minutes which is much more variability than a couple of seconds per 100m in the pool or per km on the training runs would cause.

On pacing: I have to be more dilligent with my pacing the first kms on the run. Go to race pace or slower from the start of the run, no matter how good I feel. There will be plenty of time to pick up the pace if I feel great later on in the run.

On training: I will likely never become a strong/FOP swimmer but I have to get close to sub 1h so I can get out of the water with some of the stronger bikers. It is not only the couple of minutes I loose on the swim, it is is more how my swim impacts the bike. So gotta keep working hard, long and frequently in the pool. I have to cut 10-15 mins of the bike split so need to ramp up the bike training. I think my run training and form is where it needs to be as long as I do not mess it up with nutrition and pacing mistakes.

On ironman racing: Ironman racing is a ton of fun. Yes, there are some pretty dark moments along the way but the highs by far outweigh the lows. Going to hell and back during an ironman run is - when looking back at it - a lifetime experience. The spectator support on the run course is amazing. Music, dancing, cheering, high fives etc provides so much light in the dark moments. Even more amazing than the spectator support, however, is the volunteer support.

On objectives going forward: I am hoping to break into top 10 in my AG in my next race and at some point eventually qualify for Kona but it is now crystal clear to me that this is very difficult and there are some high caliber athletes up there in top 5. It will require perfect training, preparation and execution. However, I do believe it can be done although it could require another couple of races and years. Until that happens, I am going to enjoy the journey.

[devashish_paul]

Congrats Andreasjs…close to 10 on a “bad day” is still amazing.

I like this part of your report:

Ironman is awesome, the amount of emotions - highs and lows - you go through on race day is incredible. However, best of all is the day-to-day training. Absolutely love it.

On the bike nutrition front, I’d reduce the number of powerbars to 1 or 1.5 and spread the consumption evenly over the bike. I’d also reduce total calories per hour to 275-350 range. I think 450 is high for most people and I THINK this is why you had a pit stop for the porta potty on the run as your digestive system likely had too many calories that in the end either come out through your mouth (puke) or in the porta potty (been there done that). Also 3 powerbars means a fair amount of protein, also hard to digest (LOL…I did 4 powerbars at IMC 1995…so I know from experience).

I THINK at one point we may have been close to each other during the turtle crossing phase. I was on target for what should have been 5:10-5:15 before my shifter came lose and I had to dial back and mess around with all that…we both came out at 68 min from the swim! The run is another story…my target was 4 hours, not 3:15!

[ggeiger]

Great work, and congrats! I really like your report, and is well thought out. With your mindset, you’ll move forward well…sometimes those issues are things meant to make us stronger. The only thing I might add to what you have concluded and Dev mentioned was that I’d rethink the oatmeal breakfast. That would be too much roughage for me.

Good luck, and you’ve got a great Ironman history going…

[tricuz]

Nice race, nice report. I was ahead of you out of the water but finished 25 min behind you, mainly because you had a great bike split (and I am 10 years older:-)). Just a question: 60-70 flights? Are you a pilot? I only ask because I am an airline pilot and the travel presents a lot of training challenges, but if you know some details about where you are going it can also create some unique training opportunities. Not sure where you travel to but would be glad to trade some ideas if you want to PM me.

[andreasjs]

I’m a consultant. Wish I were a pilot so I would fly less I think I’m at 800 hrs this year almost so I should have the rest of the year off.

Which airline do you work for?

It’s a challenge to get the training done but I’m managing. The worst is that it’s draining with all that travel

[andreasjs]

Yes I’m reconsidering the oatmeal too. Usually it works well but this was the first time racing so might need to rethink breakfast race morning

Dev has good points on powerbars and total calories.

Will adjust in Chattanooga and see what happens

[trigeekjb]

Funny how you mentioned the turtle in the road. I doubt it was the same one, but there was one crossing the road that the guys in front of me dodged. At the time, I was paying attention to them and not really focused down at the road, but when they swerved, i saw it and yelled out. For the next mile, i was laughing at myself and thinking exactly how to explain to friends about how my race day ended due to the fact i ran over a turtle and went over the bars…LOL

[devashish_paul]

I’m a consultant. Wish I were a pilot so I would fly less I think I’m at 800 hrs this year almost so I should have the rest of the year off.

Which airline do you work for?

It’s a challenge to get the training done but I’m managing. The worst is that it’s draining with all that travel

That’s crazy having already done 800 hours of travel this year…I assume that is door to door, which means 40 hours of travel in each of the first 20 weeks of the year. I was averaging around 20 per week for a while earlier in the year.

I hear your pain about trying to be an athlete while having to fly a lot in our professional lives. I manage OK when the travel is only in continental US, but when I have to cross oceans training takes a hammering due to jetlag. Training = work + rest, and amazingly enough, I am able to squeeze in a lot of running, the odd swim in the 12m hotel pool, and lots of weight training (general health/fitness is better than stuffing calories in me in the restaurant), but what takes a beating is rest. While at home I get around 53-56 hours of sleep per week. US travel weeks around 50…Europe/Asia, barely 40-45 and a lot disrupted that really hurts the recovery.

Dev

[andreasjs]

I am probably at 30 hours door to door per week so about 600 hrs. I do get most of my training sessions in but as recovery is affected by all the travel, some of them I have to dial back on intensity and duration

Most of my travel is within Latin America so 1-2 hour time zone difference max which helps but flight options are limited and most flights are medium duration so too long to be quick but too short to actually get a good sleep in. Now and then I have some intercontinental travel, probably every 6-7 weeks.

I am not going to use the travel as an excuse though, I am single which makes my life very flexible. I can land 7 pm on a Friday and go to the pool, bike or run if that is what I feel like.

By the way, just read your race report again and saw the pictures with you in a very green shirt. I do remember seeing that on the first part of the bike.

[Fleck]

Here’s a suggestion. Sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s a step that many modern-triathletes skip out on these days. Many go right to Ironman racing, and this is a bit of a mistake.

Take a year or two off from Ironman racing and race nothing more than an Olympic distance for the first year of the project and maybe some 70.3’s in the second year. Try and maximize performance, standalone, for the 1500m swim, the 40k ITT, and the 10K run.

When you come back to Ironman after 2 years, if you do this right, I almost guarantee, that your IM performance will take a jump up.

[devashish_paul]

SINGLE or not, that schedule is tough. While I am a parent, with a senior in high school, I have plenty of flexibility and still find travel weeks hard on training progression…the best hope is not fall backwards and gain weight etc!

[r-b]

Stopped reading after I saw your total time. (pink font).

[tricuz]

I’m a consultant. Wish I were a pilot so I would fly less I think I’m at 800 hrs this year almost so I should have the rest of the year off.

Which airline do you work for?

It’s a challenge to get the training done but I’m managing. The worst is that it’s draining with all that travel

That’s crazy having already done 800 hours of travel this year…I assume that is door to door, which means 40 hours of travel in each of the first 20 weeks of the year. I was averaging around 20 per week for a while earlier in the year.

I hear your pain about trying to be an athlete while having to fly a lot in our professional lives. I manage OK when the travel is only in continental US, but when I have to cross oceans training takes a hammering due to jetlag. Training = work + rest, and amazingly enough, I am able to squeeze in a lot of running, the odd swim in the 12m hotel pool, and lots of weight training (general health/fitness is better than stuffing calories in me in the restaurant), but what takes a beating is rest. While at home I get around 53-56 hours of sleep per week. US travel weeks around 50…Europe/Asia, barely 40-45 and a lot disrupted that really hurts the recovery.

Dev

I can’t even count my travel hours. The Europe travel is strange. It creates some great training opportunities but the jet lag sneaks up on you. I got hooked up with a great bike shop in Girona, Spain I ride from when I get a Barcelona trip but the day usually goes like this: fly all night with a 2 hour rest break, get to hotel, nap for 1 hour, pack a bag, take train to Girona, espresso, light lunch, 70 mile ride, return bike, dinner, train to Barcelona. If I am lucky I crash in my bed before 10, then get up the next day and fly home. Usually I am going “Damn, how come I can only average 16mph on the bike?” Yeah, the fatigue takes a toll but still you get to see some cool things that others don’t see.

Dev, was hoping I would get to meet you down in the Woodlands, but I guess you ran with my buddy for awhile on the last lap. He also did St. Croix two weeks previous. Great race to both you guys.

[andreasjs]

I’m a consultant. Wish I were a pilot so I would fly less I think I’m at 800 hrs this year almost so I should have the rest of the year off.

Which airline do you work for?

It’s a challenge to get the training done but I’m managing. The worst is that it’s draining with all that travel

That’s crazy having already done 800 hours of travel this year…I assume that is door to door, which means 40 hours of travel in each of the first 20 weeks of the year. I was averaging around 20 per week for a while earlier in the year.

I hear your pain about trying to be an athlete while having to fly a lot in our professional lives. I manage OK when the travel is only in continental US, but when I have to cross oceans training takes a hammering due to jetlag. Training = work + rest, and amazingly enough, I am able to squeeze in a lot of running, the odd swim in the 12m hotel pool, and lots of weight training (general health/fitness is better than stuffing calories in me in the restaurant), but what takes a beating is rest. While at home I get around 53-56 hours of sleep per week. US travel weeks around 50…Europe/Asia, barely 40-45 and a lot disrupted that really hurts the recovery.

Dev

I can’t even count my travel hours. The Europe travel is strange. It creates some great training opportunities but the jet lag sneaks up on you. I got hooked up with a great bike shop in Girona, Spain I ride from when I get a Barcelona trip but the day usually goes like this: fly all night with a 2 hour rest break, get to hotel, nap for 1 hour, pack a bag, take train to Girona, espresso, light lunch, 70 mile ride, return bike, dinner, train to Barcelona. If I am lucky I crash in my bed before 10, then get up the next day and fly home. Usually I am going “Damn, how come I can only average 16mph on the bike?” Yeah, the fatigue takes a toll but still you get to see some cool things that others don’t see.

Dev, was hoping I would get to meet you down in the Woodlands, but I guess you ran with my buddy for awhile on the last lap. He also did St. Croix two weeks previous. Great race to both you guys.

Jet lag is a killer. At least my time zone difference is usually just 1-2 hrs but I at home I wake up at 5 am so when in Bogota, I wake up at 3 am. That is okay but my colleagues initially had a hard time grasping that 7:30 pm lights were out

[devashish_paul]

I’m a consultant. Wish I were a pilot so I would fly less I think I’m at 800 hrs this year almost so I should have the rest of the year off.

Which airline do you work for?

It’s a challenge to get the training done but I’m managing. The worst is that it’s draining with all that travel

That’s crazy having already done 800 hours of travel this year…I assume that is door to door, which means 40 hours of travel in each of the first 20 weeks of the year. I was averaging around 20 per week for a while earlier in the year.

I hear your pain about trying to be an athlete while having to fly a lot in our professional lives. I manage OK when the travel is only in continental US, but when I have to cross oceans training takes a hammering due to jetlag. Training = work + rest, and amazingly enough, I am able to squeeze in a lot of running, the odd swim in the 12m hotel pool, and lots of weight training (general health/fitness is better than stuffing calories in me in the restaurant), but what takes a beating is rest. While at home I get around 53-56 hours of sleep per week. US travel weeks around 50…Europe/Asia, barely 40-45 and a lot disrupted that really hurts the recovery.

Dev

I can’t even count my travel hours. The Europe travel is strange. It creates some great training opportunities but the jet lag sneaks up on you. I got hooked up with a great bike shop in Girona, Spain I ride from when I get a Barcelona trip but the day usually goes like this: fly all night with a 2 hour rest break, get to hotel, nap for 1 hour, pack a bag, take train to Girona, espresso, light lunch, 70 mile ride, return bike, dinner, train to Barcelona. If I am lucky I crash in my bed before 10, then get up the next day and fly home. Usually I am going “Damn, how come I can only average 16mph on the bike?” Yeah, the fatigue takes a toll but still you get to see some cool things that others don’t see.

Dev, was hoping I would get to meet you down in the Woodlands, but I guess you ran with my buddy for awhile on the last lap. He also did St. Croix two weeks previous. Great race to both you guys.

Jet lag is a killer. At least my time zone difference is usually just 1-2 hrs but I at home I wake up at 5 am so when in Bogota, I wake up at 3 am. That is okay but my colleagues initially had a hard time grasping that 7:30 pm lights were out

On the jetlag front, I have found the 12 hours time change to Asia much easier than 6 hours to Europe. When I travel I work out in the morning before work, which means a 5:30 am wake up regardless of time zone. In Europe, this means that I am doing my workout right in the middle of my East Coast EST REM sleep time. In Asia, I am basically working out between 6-8 am, which is 6-8pm back home and my body is in a zone where it is “awake”. I am easily 10 seconds slower per kilometer when in Europe at least for the first 3-4 days…then it is time to head home. I generally decline work dinners with colleagues, or I schedule a conference call with the guys back in HQ in North America which forces dinner to be short and then I am back in my hotel on a conf call which then ends early getting me to bed as early as my jetlag will allow. Whatever happens, I stay lying in bed from 10 pm to 5 am,

[runnerwv]

Great race ! Good luck with the rest of your season

[devashish_paul]

Brief version:

IMTX was my 4th full Ironman race after I took up triathlon early 2011. Having done IMTX in 2012 in 11:04, IM Los Cabos and Brazil in 2013 in 10:30 and 9:45 respectively, and with some solid training leading up to the race in Texas, I hoped I could finish in 9:30-40 and break into top 10 in my AG. However, this was also my first ironman that I tried to race from start to finish and I got schooled. Pushing the pace from the start of the swim to the end of the marathon, reduces the margin for execution and nutrition errors. Big learning! While it will not be easy by any means, top 10 and even higher is within reach; the difference between a good day and a bad day can easily be 20 minutes. I think I executed the swim and the bike well in terms of pace, but it seems like I got nutrition wrong on the bike. The run is usually my strength and in the last 2 ironman races, my marathon was ~3:25 - and with good run training paces prior to the race, I had hoped for a 3:15-20 marathon. Did not happen. Stomach cramps and bathroom stops on lap 2 of the run put a stop to the dreams. On the positive side, I learned a lot in the race about nutrition, pushing through when it gets tough, and that training results do not necesarrily correlate well with race results. Also, time is even more influenced by climate, course etc than imagined. However, I am ready and motivated for next year in Texas and for Chattannooga in September this year. Ironman is awesome, the amount of emotions - highs and lows - you go through on race day is incredible. However, best of all is the day-to-day training. Absolutely love it. I also love the spectator and volunteer support and sharing race week and weekend with friends. It made IMTX 2014 and unforgetable day.

Splits and result:

• Swim: 1:08 and ~70 in AG out of the swim
• Bike: 5:11 and ~37 in AG after bike
• Run: 3:35 and 19 in AG after the run
• Total race time incl transitions: 10:01

Details:

Months leading up to the race:
Despite 60-70 flights during 2014 I managed to train pretty well and consistent. Worst affected by the travel was my swim but with help from my swim coach, I felt my swim was improving despite the inconsistency and tiredness caused by the travel. Going into race week I felt strong and well prepared. Bike and run training KPIs were better than ever. Sub-optimal training was not the reason for not achieving race day objectives.

Last days leading up the race:
Taper went well and I felt good the days prior to the race. Got plenty of sleep, ate healthy and felt relatively at ease. Probably made mistake #1 those days by eating too much and having too much sports drink and electrolites. I wanted to make sure that I was well hydrated and fueled when I toed the start line but probably overdid it… I put the nail in the coffin on the bike though

Swim
I was happy it was a wetsuit legal swim. Swimming is my weakness so any help I could get, was appreciated. I loved the race start, the emotions those last minutes before the gun goes of are priceless. I started in the 2nd row hoping that I could catch someone faster to draft off. However, that did not happen and I swam most of the first leg to the turn-around without any good draft. Did not stress about it and tried to focus on finding a rythm, holding a solid pace and form, and swim as straight as possible. Got hit and kicked a bit but nothing beyond the usual. After the turn-around I caught some feet now and then but the murky water made drafing difficult. The final part of the swim through the canal was not nice at all. Much more contact which broke up the rythm and the focus. Navigating was easy though as I could navigate based on the walls. Swim time 1:08 which was some 5-6 minutes slower than I had hoped for but did not worry about it, the day had just started and the swim was over in an accetable time.

Nutrion: Morning nutrition was 3 small packets of instant oats, peanut butter and a 800 ml bottle of perform. Out at the swim start area I had a GU and a small bottle of catorade. Total calories in the morning about 800. Next time I am cutting a bit down although that is my usual pre-race nutrition.

Bike
Spent the first 60 kms passing a lot of people before it eventually started to thin out. Settled into a steady rythm and the bike was pretty uneventful. The most exciting were 2 dogs crossing the road out at Sam Houston National Park and seeing a huge turtle on the road. I had expected longhorns or amardillos on the road but not a turtle!!!

In terms of pacing, my plan was to pace the first half of the bike a bit easier and then pick it up on the way back on the chip seal and into the headwinds. I wanted to make sure to save something for the run by going easy first part of the run. The wind seemed to come from all sorts of directions though and the chip seal was not too bad so I eventually just focused on holding the pace steady without overdoing it. Bike split 5:11 which was in line with what I had hoped for (5:05-5:15).

Nutrition: 3 powerbars, 6 gels, 2x800 ml perform in my own bottles, 4 bottles of perform from the aid stations, 2 electrolyte tablets, and 1,5 bottle of water from the aid stations. Total about 2200 calories. Had trained with 450 calories per hour without problems at all so I think the # calories were okay but I did not dilute with enough water. Next time I am cutting down on the electrolyte tabs and the bars - and will drink more pure water to dilute the gels, bars and tabs.

Run
Came of the bike feeling pretty good. I was pretty sure I had saved enough for the run bike pacing wise so decided to start strong. The first mile I ran in 6:20 I think. Looking back, that was not a smart thing to do but the legs felt good and I was excited to be off the bike and running - so I did not care to slow down on purpose. A few miles into the run, the pace started to drop but nothing alarming as I was still at target pace at ~7:20 miles (4:35 per km) when I was running between the aid stations (I walked through the aid stations to get cold water, ice, and sponges to avoid overheating). About km 10 or so the pace started to drop off even more and I started to feel weak. I thought it would probably just be a temporary thing but decided not to push the pace for a couple of kms hoping the running legs would return.

However, it went from bad to worse and started to have stomach cramps. Basically lap #2 was spent with stomach cramps, 4 bathroom stops, walking the aid stations and worst of all: seeing the pace continue to drop. Only highlights of lap 2 were seeing my friends cheering and the cheering crowd. I was almost convinced that top 10 was out of reach but I thought “it is not over until the fat lady sings - let me push through this, run all the way to the finish line doing the best I can and see where the cards land”. I stopped taking in calories and only consumed water during most of lap 2 hoping it would make the stomachache go away.

During the last lap I was not running any faster, probably about 8:10 min per mile or (5:10 per km) including walking the aid stations but I felt much better than on lap 2. Started to drink coke with 10 kms to go which helped on my well-being even more. Unfortunately, it did not help my pace. At that point I decided to enjoy the last couple of kms as much as possible. Turning right towards the finish line felt like a major relief though. Felt like I had started in heaven on mile 1, then been to hell and back on round 2. Run split 3:35 and total race time 10:01

Nutrition on the run: 4 gels, about 1L of perform, 500 ml water and 3 small cups of coke. total calories about 900 - which is less than I usually take but my stomach was game over.

Key take-aways
On nutrition and execution: Nutrition is much more critical than I imagined. Maybe I was lucky in my first 3 races to get nutrition right and did not give it enough atttention this time. Next time I am cutting back on the food and liquid the days leading up to the race, cut 10% back on calories on the bike, and dilute with more water. KPIs from training are pretty useless if you mess up execution and nutrition. I knew that in theory but got now I learned it from real life experience. While there is a place for training KPIs, I am going to spend less energy and thoughts on them going forward. The difference between a good and a bad day can easily be 20-30 minutes which is much more variability than a couple of seconds per 100m in the pool or per km on the training runs would cause.

On pacing: I have to be more dilligent with my pacing the first kms on the run. Go to race pace or slower from the start of the run, no matter how good I feel. There will be plenty of time to pick up the pace if I feel great later on in the run.

On training: I will likely never become a strong/FOP swimmer but I have to get close to sub 1h so I can get out of the water with some of the stronger bikers. It is not only the couple of minutes I loose on the swim, it is is more how my swim impacts the bike. So gotta keep working hard, long and frequently in the pool. I have to cut 10-15 mins of the bike split so need to ramp up the bike training. I think my run training and form is where it needs to be as long as I do not mess it up with nutrition and pacing mistakes.

On ironman racing: Ironman racing is a ton of fun. Yes, there are some pretty dark moments along the way but the highs by far outweigh the lows. Going to hell and back during an ironman run is - when looking back at it - a lifetime experience. The spectator support on the run course is amazing. Music, dancing, cheering, high fives etc provides so much light in the dark moments. Even more amazing than the spectator support, however, is the volunteer support.

On objectives going forward: I am hoping to break into top 10 in my AG in my next race and at some point eventually qualify for Kona but it is now crystal clear to me that this is very difficult and there are some high caliber athletes up there in top 5. It will require perfect training, preparation and execution. However, I do believe it can be done although it could require another couple of races and years. Until that happens, I am going to enjoy the journey.

Also related to Fleck’s points, between now and Chattanooga, I would largely focus on intensity and not exactly for why Fleck said. I would like to see you raise your swim FTP and bike FTP (well as much as possible).

This will allow you to ride at the same wattage at a lower percent of your FTP and less trashed from the swim, meaning you will be able to more easily absorb your 1500 ish calories on the bike and thereby unlock your STRENGTH which is your run. Don’t waste a lot of time with long training, just work the swim and bike intensity which actually would be a good path given your travel schedule anyway. I’m not your coach, but this is what I am observing based on what you have said here.