With no IM from Oct 2016-Nov 2018, and at the top of my AG, and with multiple interruptions to run training all of 2018 due to wobbly knee and other medical issues, I went into this race as a test: could I still have fun and compete at this distance, looking forward to my #AgeUpYear in 2019.
Targets: 1:20/6:00/4:40/3rd Pl with sub 10′ total transitions
Results: 1:22/5:58/5:03/3rd Pl transitions 8:08/5:34
Of note, the weekend before, I had flown Seattle/Miami and back in three days to qualify for the ITU LC WC at MiamiMan half iron in 88F humid heat. I did that race basically @ IM pace; bike was 2:56, run was 2:17 (swim was non-wetsuit).
Pre-race diet: liquid 1000 cal Jamba Juice dinner the night before; Ensure 350 cal x 2 @ 0130 and 0530, along with 180 cal/12 oz fruit juice.
Swim: Water reported @ 60F; my watch showed 61. Swim course changed from previous years: starting 1/4 mile west; rolling start. Athletes allowed in one-at-a-time @ the timing mat down a ramp. Canon @ 0650; I hit the water about 15 minutes later at the back of the 1:10-1:20 group. No warm-up possible in the water, so it was a bit of a shock for the first 3-5 minutes or so, but after that, I was not chilled, thanks to a spare neoprene skull cap @robin sarner gave me. And, I use the DeSoto two piece system, with 5 mm thick arms. That extra 3mm of neoprene makes a big difference for me in colder water. The stop button on my watch must have been hit about 500 meters from the end, as it only showed 3850 yds/1:10. I appear to have swum fairly steadily, if a bit conservatively, as Final Surge shows a time of 42:20 @ 2000 yds; I’m a very slow stroker, 40/minute for this race. I was 6th out of the water; 1st was about 3 minutes ahead.
T1: 8:08. I walked/ran 0.5 miles during T1, and had the fastest time in my AG. We also had the longest route from our bike rack to the exit, except for those few (including 1&2) who were parked in the AWA area. I put on my helmet and stuffed my wetsuit outside the tent, ran through it with carrying my shoes, and put them on at the bike rack.
Bike: I rode this quite conservatively, Strava estimates my FTP @ 226; WKO @ 219; I used 212 as my number. My overall NP was 133, AP was 130 for a good VI, and an IF of 0.652. The three laps were fairly consistent on both time and HR: 1:59.41/104; 1:58.49/112; 2:01/111. The wind was nominal @ 2-5 mph, and shifting from east to north during the day. My max HRs for the three laps were: 123, 124, 122. I drank every 15 minutes, and ate a part of a clif bar (2 total) or had an oz of EFS gel every half hour or so. I pee’d 2-3 times. So I do not believe I overcooked the bike, nor did I burn any matches.
T2: 5:30. Again, I stayed outside the tent, and took about 50″ in a porta-potti on the way out. My wife has been @ this venue with me multiple times, so she was waiting right outside the fence @ the tent. So we chatted while I put on socks and shoes, and she took a few pictures (see above). I think I was second fastest in my AG, but my T1+T2 was fastest by a lot. My Go Bag® contained EN visor, Race Saver® bag, sunscreen packet, Clif Shot packet, race bib/belt, and sunglasses (my Giro helmet visor preclude need for shade on the bike). I also carried my EFS gel flask from the bike to the run.
Run: 5:05. I saw Tim Cronk as I came out of T2, and proudly waved my still half full GoBag @ him. Despite all the fiddling with that stuff, the first mile was my fastest @ about 9:50 and an HR of 122. Pace/HR slowed to 10:30/116 by mile 5. But in retrospect, I think I was overdoing things by about 30-45sec/mile during the first 8 miles, as I progressively slowed after that with a dropping HR. The set-up in Tempe allows spectators to see runners 8-9 times during the marathon, and Tim was also on his mtn bike, so I knew from them I wasn’t getting above 3rd unless one or both of them blew up on the run, and not losing my place unless *I* blew up. After 27 completed IM marathons, a number them where I *did* have to work to get my results, I know that working as hard as possible is not something I want to do unless I HAVE to. So I let myself slow down, which meant i kept the same RPE, but saw my pace and HR slowly drift south. So be it; I’d only really been running since August, my knee cap no longer has cartilege under it, and my L/R pedal balance on the bike has worsened from 53/47 @ the start of the year to 56/44 in this race. I want to save any heroics for next year.
My nutrition was 6-8 oz of diluted Gatorade Endurance. I started rotating Coke in @ about mile 14, with two cups of chicken broth over the next few miles. I managed to fill the tank by mile 21, causing a two minute stop to drain the excess. I wore the newest (10/18) Nike Vaporfly 4%. They show little wore, resulted omg a minor blister just medial to my L big toenail. Otherwise, I don’t thing they added any benefit to me for the day, but they did feel softer than the normal racing flats I wear. I’d planned on Injinji toe’d socks, but Tim had chastised me for wasting time in T2 putting them on. I timed it out, only about 15-20 seconds. “But what if you miss first, or the podium by 20 seconds (possible – I snuck in my third KQ ten years by a margin of 8 seconds. So I made a decision as I was pulling the shoes out – both socks were in the bag, I grabbed to no-toe Wigwams. That’s shy I’m smiling in the shot above
I got a chance to meet @Scott Schneider as we both started the loop, me on my second lap, he on his first. It was a boost to me to see him charging along, as I knew from the time and his demeanor that he would finally get his finish on this, his third attempt. I also spotted @Kent Gavin and Robin (they’re kinda hard to miss) out ahead of me on both loops.
The result from this race (coupled with the half iron the week before) gives me confidence that with a longer period of run training, and maybe a couple of longer runs during the final build – my three long runs were actually half marathons races all @ 1:53 – I can get close to those times I listed at above a year from now. In the meantime, I’ve got some skiing to do in Dec-Feb, then those ITU LC WC on May 4, and a KQ @ IM Boulder on June 9.