Full Version (short version also available below)
For some reason I had the crazy idea to do a full Ironman this year, and with Coach Ben egging me on, a free flight available with Alaska Air, and space available in the race schedule, I decided to go for it this summer when the ministry workload was down and plenty of time to train was available. Despite it being my first Ironman AND first full marathon ever, I was optimistic about racing well, and was looking to be somewhere in the 9 hour region.
Not being able to convince anyone to come out with me to New York from Seattle, I was lacking my usual race support personnel for this round. Surprisingly, I managed to keep all the details organized and somehow showed up to the start-line on time without going insane. Long distance triathlons require a ton of little details!
SWIM: 2.4 miles in 1:13
The only major hiccup in the race plan was that I assumed (wrongly) that the swim would be wetsuit legal. You may know that age group racers can race in a wetsuit at up to 76 degrees, while professionals have to ditch the wetsuit and go for what is called a “swim-skin” at 72 degrees. Fortunately, the TYR reps at the race expo saved my butt and set me up with a swim-skin the day before the event. A swim-skin is made of a closed-cell membrane that makes one faster in the water than just wearing traditional race clothing, but has no neoprene to provide buoyancy and so is not considered a wetsuit.
The Pros started out 10 minutes before the age-groupers, and as usual I was dropped by the main field almost immediately. This swim featured a two lap swim of 2km each, and to my surprise the age-groupers were already coming around me by the end of the 1st lap! If you know much about tri racing, you will understand that racing with a wetsuit is much faster than going with-out, and being in the pro field does not in anyway make me a better swimmer than many of the age-groupers.
Going into the 2nd loop, I was getting “rolled up” by everyone and their Grandma. My race strategy changed to “just don’t drown” as it seemed that I was getting pummeled by every age grouper that came around me, and every time I made contact with someone (or rather they made contact with me) the lack of wetsuit just made me more freaked out and likely to drag my legs to ensure I got another breath, slowing me down considerably. Somehow I made it out of the water, relieved to be alive, but obviously about 20 minutes down on the leaders already.
BIKE: 112 Miles in 5:05
The bike course is a 2-lap course that can essentially be divided into a beginning flat/downhill section, followed by a shorter section of rolling uphill back to the start. Overall it is a very challenging course. I probably came out of the gate too fast, wishing to come around every age grouper that was now in front of me. Every time I executed a pass, it left me hungry for another. Pretty soon I was rolling 26-28 mph on the flats, blowing by most of the riders around me. At about mile 40, I paid the price as we exited the flats and onto the hills back into Wilmington and eventually the Lake Placid area. I tried to go easy/moderate back into town, not allowing the heart rate to go much over 160.
Coming back into Lake Placid, you feel like you are in a full on time trial in the Tour de France. There are fans everywhere, and barricades are placed on the roads in town to keep them off the course much like in the Tour. Let me tell you, it actually does make your legs feel about a million times better when a crowd is cheering you on then when you are out on some lonesome road, only able to think about how much pain you are in!
Leaving town and starting the 2nd lap, I realized quickly how strange my stomach felt, and how weak my legs were. Now, keep in mind that fueling for an Ironman, or really any long triathlon, is quite tricky business. If you don’t fuel enough, you can run out of glycogen to fuel the muscles, and hit the dreaded “wall” as it is known. However, almost as disturbing is over-consuming calories, as you get a sort of appetizer effect that makes you feel hungrier, and also you have too much blood going to the stomach to digest the food, rather than to the working muscles. In most races, I am always riding a constant fine line of too much/too few calories. In this case, I was feeling hungry, and didn’t know what it was from. I made the decision to switch to plain water as opposed to sports drink and not consume any energy gels for about 30-40 minutes. Once my stomach cleared out, I felt awesome again, and getting onto the flat section once again, was ready to pound out the rest of the miles.
Not having quite as much gusto as the first lap still, I pressed on at about 24-26 mph on the flats, but going into the final hilly section, I believe I had the greatest second wind I have ever experienced, and really dominated the hills back into Lake Placid. 5:05 was the 10th fastest ride in the pro field, which is pretty solid for me.
RUN: 26.2 miles in 2:52
The run course at Lake Placid starts out with a nice downhill, and then a very long out and back section along a river. Eventually you have to run back up the long hill you came down, take a short 2 mile out and back through town, and then do it all over again. Going into the run, Coach Ben told me to take the first 3 miles easy, running at about 6:30-6:45 pace. I was trying to float through the first downhill section, which actually meant I was hitting somewhere in the 6:00/mile region. Getting onto the flats, I was running the opposite direction as the leaders, and noticed that the first pro male, Ben Hoffman, had about 7 miles on me! Ouch. He certainly wasn’t coming back! However, I thought there was an outside chance of catching 5th place, which would be a $2000 pay day. I figured I would go for it or die trying.
I felt amazing running 6:00-6:15 pace on the flats, and must have completed the first half marathon in around 1:20-1:22. However, the next loop crushed me into a fine pulp, and my thoughts of fifth place quickly diminished. I assumed (wrongly) that if I kept taking in calories at the aid-stations that I would not hit the dreaded “wall” at the 20 mile mark.
At about 20 miles, my vision was starting to get just a bit fuzzy and my concentration declined. I could barely put one leg in front of the other coming up the last hill, and heard reports that my pace during the last 6 miles was somewhere around 8:00/mile. At one aid station, I stopped to grab a bushel of grapes and consumed them while continuing to jog. My stomach just could not handle the sugars in the energy gels and sports drinks any longer, but I still needed calories badly.
What proceeded my crushing was the greatest plot twist to ever happen to me during racing. Fully expecting to cruise in the last mile at a wobbly 7:30 pace, suddenly, despite my unbelief, I saw another pro competitor a scant 50 meters in front of me, struggling just I was to bring it home. At this point I had to think fast. Do I float about 10 feet behind him, and surprise him as I sprint past in the last 75 meters? Or is that too risky, and should I just get past him as soon as possible and assume I am stronger? Before I was done discussing the strategy with myself, I was on top of him, and he noticed my presence. The crowd went absolutely insane as I first passed him, he surged and passed me back, I surged past him, he counter-attacked and went past me one more time, and then I finally threw down a kick worthy of a 5000 meter track race, finally leaving him behind and securing 8th place! My run, 2:52, barely gave me the fastest run split of the day.
Finish Time: 9:17 with transitions
This race was indicative of the entire season. I can run pretty much as fast as anyone in long distance triathlons, and the run will always be my strength. I believe that my run could even be better in an Ironman like this, considering the limited amount of work I do in the run department. The results at Lake Placid were pretty tight, and even running 2.5 minutes faster would have given me 6th place. However, I have some serious work to do in the swim department if I want to make it to the next level, as I am constantly left behind at the beginning of the race, leaving me in a dispirited position even before the bike leg starts. My bike has in the past been a strong point, but this year it has been curiously mediocre this season. I am going to have to figure out what exactly is going on with it if I am going be in contention in these big races. Overall, the race was a great success, and according to coach Ben, my “biggest” result to date!
I just competed in the Lake Stevens Half Ironman and that race report should be ready in short order. So look for it!
Matt
Short Version
For some reason I had the crazy idea to do a full Ironman this year, and with Coach Ben egging me on, a free flight available with Alaska, and space available in the race schedule, I decided to go for it this summer when the ministry workload was down and plenty of time to train was available. Despite it being my first Ironman AND first full marathon ever, I was optimistic about racing well, and was looking to be somewhere in the 9 hour region.
SWIM: 2.4 miles in 1:13
The only major hiccup in the race plan was that I assumed (wrongly) that the swim would be wetsuit legal. You may know that age group racers can race in a wetsuit at up to 76 degrees, while professionals have to ditch the wetsuit and go for what is called a “swim-skin” at 72 degrees. Fortunately, the TYR reps at the race expo saved my but and set me up with a swim-skin the day before the event, which is made of a closed-cell membrane that makes one faster in the water than just wearing traditional race clothing, but has no neoprene to provide buoyancy.
The Pros started out 10 minutes before the age groupers, and as usual I was dropped by the main field almost immediately. This swim featured a two lap swim of 2km each, and to my surprise the age-groupers were already coming around me by the end of the 1st lap! If you know much about tri racing, you will understand that racing with a wetsuit is much faster than going with-out, and being in the pro field does not in anyway make me a better swimmer than many of the age-groupers.
Going into the 2nd loop, I was getting rolled up by everyone and their Grandma. My race strategy changed to “just don’t drown” as it seemed that I was getting pummeled by every age grouper that came around me, and every time I made contact with someone (or rather they made contact with me) the lack of wetsuit just made me more freaked out and likely to drag my legs to ensure I got another breath, slowing me down even more. Somehow I made it out of the water, relieved to be alive, but obviously about 20 minutes down on the leaders already.
BIKE: 112 Miles in 5:05
The bike course is a 2-lap course that can essentially be divided into a beginning flat/downhill section, followed by a shorter section of rolling uphill back to the start. Overall it is a very challenging course. I probably came out of the gate too fast, wishing to come around every age grouper that was now in front of me. Every time I executed a pass, it left me hungry for another. Pretty soon I was rolling 26-28 mph on the flats, blowing by most of the riders around me. At about mile 40, I paid the price as we exited the flats and onto the hills back into Wilmington and eventually the Lake Placid area. I tried to go easy/moderate back into town, not allowing the heart rate to go much over 160.
Not having quite as much gusto as the first lap still, I pressed on at about 24-26 mph on the flats, but going into the final hilly section, I believe I had the greatest second wind I have ever experienced, and really dominated the hills back into Lake Placid. 5:05 was the 10th fastest ride in the pro field, which is pretty solid for me.
RUN: 26.2 miles in 2:52
The run course at Lake Placid starts out with a nice downhill, and then a very long out and back section along a river. Eventually you have to run back up the long hill you came down, take a short 2 mile out and back through town and many fans, and then do it all over again. I was trying to float through the first downhill section, which actually meant I was hitting somewhere in the 6:00/mile region. Getting onto the flats, I was running the opposite direction as the leaders, thought there was an outside chance of catching 5th place, which would be a $2000 pay day. I figured I would go for it or die trying.
I felt amazing running 6:00-6:15 pace on the flats, and must have completed the first half marathon in around 1:20-1:22. However, the next loop crushed me into a fine pulp, and my thoughts of fifth place quickly diminished. I assumed (wrongly) that if I kept taking in calories at the aid-stations that I would not hit the dreaded “wall” at the 20 mile mark.
At about 20 miles, my vision was starting to get just a bit fuzzy and my concentration declined. I could barely put one leg in front of the other coming up the last hill, and heard reports that my pace during the last 6 miles was somewhere around 8:00/mile. At one aid station, I stopped to grab a bushel of grapes and consumed them while continuing to jog. My stomach just could not handle the sugars in the energy gels and sports drinks any longer, but I still needed calories badly.
What proceeded my crushing was the greatest plot twist to ever happen to me during racing. Fully expecting to cruise in the last mile at a wobbly 7:00 pace, suddenly, despite my unbelief, I saw another pro competitor a scant 50 meters in front of me, struggling just I was to bring it home. At this point I had to think fast. Do I float about 10 feet beind him, and surprise him as I sprint past in the last 50 meters? Or is that too risky, and should I just get past him as soon as possible? Before I was done discussing the strategy with myself, I was on top of him, and he noticed my presence. The crowd went absolutely insane as we I first passed him, he surged and passed me back, I surged past him, he counter-attacked and went past me one more time, and then I finally threw down a kick worthy of a 5000 meter track race, finally leaving him behind and securing 8th place! My run, 2:52, barely gave me the fastest run split of the day.
Finish Time: 9:17 with transitions
Overall, the race was a great success, and according to coach Ben, my “biggest” result to date!
I just competed in the Lake Stevens Half Ironman and that race report should be ready in short order. So look for it!
Matt
