I am blessed---for the friends I have near and far, for my family, and most of all for my amazing wife and two kids. The past year and a half has been, as Dickens wrote in the Tale of Two Cites...."the best of times." (we'll skip the rest of the quotation...). Ironman Arizona 2011 was always a means to an end for me...I think the best way to sum it up is to say it is the end of my introduction to Ironman racing. Will there be more? I hope so...it is now part of who I am. Do I hope there will be more? Absolutely, 100% yes. Do I want to have a ridiculously fabulous family life as well? 1000% yes. This sport has changed me for the better in so many ways, and I would not be who I am today without it. It has taken a very ordinary middle aged man, kind of lost within himself, to a World Championship, to a place where life is grand and there is nothing that I feel I cannot achieve if I put my mind to it.
It's now time to enjoy family, rest, recover, refresh, and reorganize life a bit, but most importantly, discover how I can manage to be an awesome father, husband, and friend to those that are dear to me, and be able to continue my crazy hobby trying to be the fastest triathlete I can be. Since I recovered from my broken/surgically repaired clavicle in April of 2010, my training has defined the word consistent. I don't think I missed more than 4 workouts in 19 months...that covers ~570 days. I need a break, time off, time to recover physically and mentally (a reboot), time to live a normal life, enjoy my new son Andrew, my amazing daughter Sophia, and the most amazing person, my wife. I know, mushy, but what the last 19 months has taught me is that Jenny is an angel...she has given me so much more than I have ever come close to giving her. It's now time for me to give back in bucket loads. I love you babe...I hope you know how much I do.
So, on with the Race Report...
I'll start this one with my friday workouts...an hour spin and a 30 minute run. I had just put on my Zipp Super 9 disc and front 808 Firecrest wheels (tubulars) and was expecting to fly effortlessly on this ride much like I did last year out to the Bee Line and back from transition with fellow AIMP'er Joel Garza. My legs wanted nothing to do with it...they rebelled. They just never 100% recovered from the massive Kona build, Kona itself, and the work we did in the last 6 weeks leading to IMAZ. I skipped the run; yes, it was that bad. I was concerned, which led to the "please deliver my legs" note on Facebook. After at trip to PT for therapy, still no legs...they never arrived. While they got a 'bit" better by the time race day came, this wasn't going to be anything like my previous 2 Ironmans.
Saturday morning after the pre-swim at Tempe Town Lake, I met up with Chris for a pre-race meeting. The conclusion was this: I am going to learn what it's like to just wake up and go do an Ironman, without having the benefit of fresh legs, mental sharpness, and almost any other thing I would associate with "being ready" to take on an Ironman. I was excited though, to see what the day would bring and to see how long I could hold up---the challenge of not being 100% for some reason was very exciting...could I pull it off and have a good race on a sub par day? I went through the rest of Saturday as planned----I had a big breakfast of low GI foods, same for lunch, same for my early dinner. All chased with tons of water, countless trips to the bathroom. I have the pre-race nutrition planned nailed for sure now---chalk that off the list. Spent the day with the feet up watching movies with my mom and Sophia....just a nice lazy day!
This is not a pitty party, this was an experience I would come to cherish. What I didn't know is that I would learn more than could ever learn from a "primed" race; and ultimately have it become one of those races I am most proud of. Yes, I missed qualifying for Kona by 4 minutes and 53 seconds...that is not the end of the world...it is actually refreshing to not have this "event" to immediately start planning for after I was just there 6 weeks ago. Anticipating another long build doesn't sound like fun for 2012...maybe for another year, but last summer took a lot out of me...refresh, recover, rebuild! That 4:53 has started to haunt me...at the pace the guys in front of me were running, that's about 2.5 laps around a track that separated me from a spot. UGH...I left time all over this course. Some of it was absolutely necessary (family), other portions totally unnecessary...oh well, we move on.
RACE DAY
Sunday I was up at 3:45...good sleep, no gitters, just ready to get to work. Got down a huge breakfast of Oatmeal/Protein Powder/Almond Milk/Flax Seeds (my everyday breakfast)...added 2 whole wheat blueberry flax seed pancakes and a banana. Topped it all off with sports drink on the way to Tempe, had a bar an hour before the gun, and nothing but water in that last hour. I was confident I was topped off. The morning was insignificant as I was in my own world...I wrote the following on my hands: COMMIT FIND A WAY YES YOU CAN WHO AM I! (watch this youtube video: Who Am I Speech) I missed the ONE photo (brain fart!), and felt late to the party when I walked over the the swim entrance with 2000+ people already in there wetsuits...mine was in the bag still. Before 5 minutes was up, it was on, I had nudged my way to the front of the swim entrance (no one ever wants to get in the water at Ironmans...weirdest thing!), was warming up, and was greeting nicely by Lisa Keller and Kenny Steil at the entrance...I said my hellos, then took the plunge. Mistake number one was realized at this point although very minor...I forgot to take my Pre-Race Capsules and the Gel I wanted to put down right before jumping in...I don't think this made a difference at all as you will see later. After jumping in, it was a nice little warmup to the start line, where the pros were just about to start their day. They were off, and I took position with the same exact plan as last year...starting front row middle right. As I swam to the line, luck would have it that I had 2 ONE members in a kayak waiting for me...Jayson Harris and Joey Gregan. Definitely nice to have them there as after that point I was going to be loning it for the next 6 hours. I was lined up with a group of fast swimmers...I was right where I wanted to be. I sorely missed the playing of Black Sabbath's Ironman...that track should be a requirement at every IM start (WTC!). Last year the water felt electric when they played it...oh well...WTC take note--play that song---it is an amazing way to start the IM journey! True to IM fashion, the gun went off without warning...let the insanity begin.
SWIM: 57:14 1:22 per 100yd pace (still smiling about this) 13th in Age Group, 93rd overall including pros
(2010 was 59:00---new PR!)
My plan was to let the pressure from behind dictate my pace over the first 200 yards. I didn't go out crazy, but I went with a controlled hard effort. Felt fingers for the first maybe 30 seconds, kept the strong strokes going until the fingers were gone on my feet, then focused on settling into my pace as I watched the fast swimmers lined up on the buoy line set their course. I sat along the right side of that pack swimming my pace not concerned about catching a draft. For me, it's just too hard to efficiently draft in water that you can't see the swimmer in front of you through...the opposite of Kona for sure. I was going by my above water targets, and just cruising along steadily...just on the edge of comfortable/uncomfortable...all was good. After about 300 yards, there wasn't anyone on my right, at all...I had room to the right should it be necessary I thought. I got to the bridge, then got through the turnaround and started heading back, taking a line so far outside that I went under the bridge between the north wall and the first pylon while the pack went buoy line. My line again felt right on...I aimed for the furthest buoy on the right that I could see, and just kept that line, all the while seeing the pack on the left that was starting to dismantle as the race went on. Basically, I kept all the "action" to my left the entire swim...my favored breathing side, so I had a good view of what was going on. I dunno if this line is right or not, but it feels right, and I'm only looking at one buoy for 10 minutes...less sighting required is a bonus in my mind. About half way back, I had to pee...swimming while peeing without stopping is a skill I acquired in this race---zero kick, 50% effort, and let it go ;-) Energy levels were great throughout the swim, the #1 told me I was WELL hydrated...pre race nutrition/hydration was a success! Rounding the final buoy was a great feeling....as I sighted the exit stairs, I wasn't noticing a lot of action at all on the stairs....I was is great shape, the swim was perfectly comfortable, and it just felt like "no big deal." A fast swim is very cool because it gets you out ahead of almost everyone, but it was even better feeling like it was just a stroll...Chris, you are an awesome coach to get me to this level of swimming. To do this with 3 days of swimming a week is incredible. I never thought I would be saying any of that about the IM swim....SWIM....check!
T1: 3:24...T1 PR ;-)
(2010: 4:30)
Seems pretty slow, but only one guy in my age group who finished ahead of me was faster, so I'll take it. With all the running to get through transition, it adds up versus the short, fast T1's you get in local races with everything at your bike-side. Of the top 4 guys in my age group, I took 30 seconds out of them at least, so I was two for two...T1...check!
Side note---a clock would be nice in the tent....my helper told me it was 8:04 (I immediately thought 1:02 swim?? can't be!), and I didn't know my swim time until after the race...I didn't go with a "race timer" on my wrist as I already had a Sally band, a Quest for Kona band and my athlete band....too much clutter! So I left thinking I was already behind, but I really wasn't---this played into my psyche a bit on the bike.
Another side note: Dan Thomas, you are the man, and probably why I had a great T1...I ran through without breaking stride as my bike was ready and waiting for me...VIP service..you rock, and I'll hope to do the same for you in 2012!
BIKE: 5:05:57 NOT a PR... 9th in Age Group, 98th overall including pros
(2010: 5:01:10)
Onto the bike course I go, and I'm actually feeling decent...I start thinking that maybe I'm gonna have a good day after all. The course was barren (good!!). On the first way out I was passing a couple female pros, but more important, I was being passed by some age groupers...2 in my AG specifically. Last year I was "the passer" through this section, but I stayed calm and stuck to the plan, which was to take the first lap very cautious. Chris had told me that I wouldn't be able to race the entire 112 miles, so the plan was to race the last 75-80 miles while taking the early portion "just a bit lighter." Well, Chris is a genius coach and was right on, we had built a massive engine inside of me, and I screwed it up a bit...pushing the wattage up too high too fast...it was only 10W above what we wanted, but I think I paid the price for this later...but back to Lap #1. The first lap was otherwise insignificant other than I delayed my nutrition plan as I felt strong, nourished, hydrated, and really didn't feel like I needed to dive into my nutrition plan of taking something in every 20 minutes to average 300 cals/hr tops. I had a half bottle of Coconut water on my aero bars that I started sipping once on the Bee Line, but then promptly dropped it...butterfingers. My plan was to keep a bottle of water on the aeros fastened with one of those Profile industrial rubber band things---don't try this, it was a bit of a disaster...a hair tie or a bottle cage is the way to go (hair tie in Kona worked perfect---why tinker?). Bryan, it was great to have you at the turn...I looked forward to your comments...but I had nothing to give ;-) As I rounded the Tempe turnaround to finish Lap #1, according to the plan it was now time to push the pace...push the wattage up 30W compared to Lap #1. I got into a good groove and had the number somewhat pegged. I had what I felt was good control over my nutrition and hydration, rode until I couldn't handle the pee build up anymore, then slowed to relieve the situation that was getting in the way of power output. As I did, the guy who I had been working with threw out a nice comment: "your bike is leaking." This was at mile 65...again a perfect time for the pee to happen as I knew I was well hydrated. If dropping one water bottle wasn't enough, I lost one of the two bottles on my rear Xlab setup---my plan to stick with EFS only was out the window now, and I was gonna have to count on PERFORM...ugh. I decided I wasn't going to use Special Needs, and I just went with it...I used PERFORM in Kona and it was alright....but not really as I re-learned on this day. The cardiac drift never came, and I wasn't sure what to do about the lack of HR dropping...I just kept on the wattage regardless, finishing Lap #2 averaging the same wattage as Lap #1 (NOT according to plan!...) and it was about to get worse. As I approached the Tempe turnaround to start Lap #3, I was still with my "pee buddy"...I went for the Jolly Ranchers (Kenny that's what I was fussing over ;-), and both of us were on a bit of a break through the turn. We continued to head back out, and the effort was controlled and I was able to stay above the "floor" wattage we had set for lap 3. I have to add here that I was already 7 capsules of Pre Race deep...that's a lot of caffeine, taurine, malate...! Mile 90 came and went, and I could feel the wheels starting to fall off...I would have panicked a bit, but I was just too tired to start caring...I was cracking mentally all of the sudden. Then, we hit the turnaround and bam, just like last years race, a nasty headwind to fight all the way back to town---the mental status took another hit. I was well into a bottle of PERFORM, and just like Kona, the rib cage cramps were there almost immediately (I think the stuff is good when mixed, but the bottle form is just too concentrated for me). A cramp that wouldn't go away, the nasty headwind...put them together, and you have me riding out of the aeros for the first time all day because it was just counterproductive---aero and LOW watts shifting all over the place, or on the bar at least able to put watts down but being blasted by the wind. The one good note is I passed 2 guys in my age group somehow...the same two who had passed me early on---at least there was some sort of consolation to the way I was feeling. T2 seemed to take forever to reach... I wanted off for the first time in an IM...I was done. The third lap was 8 minutes slower than the first...I obviously raced the first 80 miles versus the latter 80 miles...BE PATIENT and follow the plan! BIKE...no check
T2: 3:48...OUCH!
(2010: 2:51)
I wanted to get out of my cycling shoes when I was passing ASU stadium...I was that done. I hung on for another 60 seconds, slid out of the shoes, did the old flying dismount (but was polite in my handoff ;-). First two steps into T2 had me immediately saying...how the hell am I gonna run (again, never felt this way off the bike before)! They handed me my bag (volunteers rocked...all day long!) and then I hear "KEEP IT STEADY" from Chris who was waiting along the fence...I just about lost it with the humor I heard in that simple comment. I think he chuckled...I know I did because I was anything but steady. I grabbed a seat looked around, and noticed 2 guys in there looking worse than I felt...just blank stares on there faces---good, I wasn't alone, but this is not how I planned on feeling. I did everything I could to just stay in T2...put CEP's on, socks on, shoes, visor, glasses, turned my number belt around---the last 3 items there I usually do as I head out, but I was standing still...still. I was looking out the door to the run course, and it wasn't inviting me...I felt like I had already run the marathon. But off I pushed...3:48 felt like 10 minutes---it should and would have been less than 2 on any other day....T2...no check as well
RUN: 3:32:30 10th in Age Group, 96th overall including pros
(2010: 3:20:49)
Little did I know I was sitting in 9th at this point, almost equal to my IMAZ 2010 time...can we get scoreboards out there??? ;-) A live tracking feed in the tent would be VERY cool. The clock at the Bike dismount was not correct...ugh again and again. Knowing my bike time was 5:05 and not knowing my swim time...I thought I was out of it. I will never race without a race timer again ;-((
I was welcomed to the run course by my mom and Kenny...I was so happy to finally see familiar faces, and it raised my spirits where I needed them most. 100 yards later, you guessed it, time to pee again, and I hit the same port-o-let spot as last year...another break! After the relief, I was now ready to go get it;-) I was greeted now by Joel Garza! Great, a running buddy...just what I needed. We both settled in and I let a gap develop between us...we yo-yo'd a bit, and were eventually joined by another AIMP'er Caroline Gregory...a pro out of San Diego who was running solid. I don't know Joel well enough and didn't want to run side by side thinking I would be holding him back. If I could go back and do one thing different in this race, I would have tried to hang on, settle in next to him. We could have done damage together and motivated each other to get Kona slots...20/20 hindsight of course, but it would have been a good idea.
The original plan Chris had for me was just like the bike...find my legs and settle into Lap #1 without pushing too much, then start increasing the pace on Lap #2, then trying to hold it on Lap #3...."find em, hold em, push em, survive em."
The first half lap was behind me, and the highlight of the race was next...seeing Jenny, Sophia, and Andrew for the first time together on an Ironman race course. Sophia was too small to make it last year, and they missed Kona with the birth of Andrew 2 weeks before. I could have stopped right there and not continued, and not because I was beat up, but because it was just a blast. Sophia handed me a card with a drawing on it, and in return I gave her a lollypop I had been carrying with me...I was smiling and crying at the same time...there was no pain for that 30 seconds...there was not even a race going on. The rest of the first lap was uneventful, and I managed to carry a 7:35/mi pace while stopping at every aid station for 2 cups of coke as my staple, and added in banana, orange slices, and water. This was my routine every aid station...I totaled over 30 Dixie cups of coke, but in doing so probably wasted 5 minutes of time while I slowed to ingest them. I felt like I was balancing the caloric intake pretty well, and a couple of times I overdid it---then backed off the pace till I felt the fullness dissipate (not longer than 30 seconds), then picked it back up and skipped the next aid station. The intake was obsessive, but between the quick jolt of caffeine and sugar, it was exactly what was keeping me moving forward...from one aid station to the next. My hunger was satisfied...to a definite fault (I have a fear of running out of calories; once that happens, you're done)...this isn't a picnic, geez. Jumping back a bit to the end of Lap #1, Jenny was there with another card for me...this time I just stopped, walked with her for a minute as I read her very special note. The course was empty, and for another awesome moment, I wasn't on the course, I was with her, just her, just loving the moment. I was again, in no pain. A kiss, some private words, and I was off, totally rejuvenated from her card and our time. I passed the ONE tent, then Chris, then the start of Lap #2....and into the busy-ness that comes with a multi loop course. I actually settled into a steady pace from there to mile 20, seeing friends and family everywhere, keeping on my nutrition "plan." Chris and I were actually having a blast with this...he knew I was wasted, I knew he knew I was wasted...he kept me moving. What I didn't know was that I was close (like I said above)...close to Kona-ville. The 3 guys in front of me were crumbling at a pace very similar to mine....I know it didn't matter, and probably wasn't feasible with a fairly severe left knee pain when I landed just wrong, and it was almost debilitating on the downhills. While the plan for Lap #2 was to push em and I was somewhat successful, the Lap #3 plan was to survive em, but I was also planning to push em some more, much like I did in Kona finishing with a 7:11/mi pace over the last 9 miles...I just didn't have that on this day---no extra gear, nothing in the tank. But then again, maybe I did, I just didn't dig. I kept saying COMMIT, but nothing came out of it...put me back to the start of Lap #3 and tell me I have 4 minutes to make up on guys running 8:20+/mi, and I would have quickly calculated all I needed was 7:40's to catch them all...yeah, you are saying woulda coulda shoulda....didn't. It wasn't superhuman, it was just a solid effort that was needed.
I think the physical abuse got so bad that mentally I was just shelled...I had put up the white flag long before the final 6.2 miles due to the limited information I had onboard. All the more reason to feel the need to recover, refresh, rebuild and come back stronger for a Kona bid, whenever that may be...that white flag should have never been in on the ship. Insult added to injury, the 7:38 pace over the same section last year is a bit of a slap in the face...another ugh.
My overall reflection of this race is two sided: I am disappointed slightly that I wasn't tougher---but it has made me tougher just the same. I should have trusted the endurance I have built...I ran my "all day" pace on the run. My overall time was 14 minutes slower than last year, and I was 13 minutes slower on the run this year---it was just the wear and tear of the year that started in January and never let up. I should have taken a break mid season...I had tunnel vision towards Kona, but now I understand the need for this break if I am going to race in October and November with 281.2 inside of 6 weeks...maybe I shouldn't have raced in the spring at all---that's what I would have changed. The other side of this is very gratifying...I was 13th, 9th, and 10th respectively in the SBR for IMAZ...I don't think that could be more well rounded. I don't understand how I had the 9th fastest bike split in 35-39...I felt like I was flailing all over the place, and I don't consider myself the strongest biker. To those of you trying to qualify: last year I was 6th on the run and finished 6th, this year I was 10th on the run and finished 10th---do I need to say the obvious? I know I will be working the run big time in 2012---70.3 is the perfect distance for that ;-)
On another note, part of me is saying that I was afraid to go deep into the well and fail. An ego-preservation mechanism I guess. You just have to leave it all out there every time...do the race justice...treat it like it's the last Ironman you will ever compete in, because it just may be the case. But then again, I did leave it all out there and then pushed for more...I ran somewhat steady the entire run and was proud that I pulled off a 3:32 feeling the way I did off the bike. To miss Kona by 4:53 will probably eat at me a bit, but really, I think it is a blessing. I need time off to be what I said in the opening paragraph...this is my hobby, not my job. Another reality is I really got to enjoy this one with my wife, kids, and mom. I like to cry while I race...I dunno why. As I approached the finish, I was sniffling again, just like in Kona when I saw the personal notes coming out of the Energy Lab. I knew Jenny was there waiting, and I knew this time I was going to stop, tell her I love her, give her a kiss, and let her know how much I truly appreciate the gift that she has given me to be able to train the way I do for something I love so much to compete in. I managed to get the "I love you so much" part out, but the rest was too much for me to say, I was just overwhelmed with the moment after thinking about it the last few miles of the run. As I left her in the quiet of the final corner before the finish chute, I just looked at the ground as I ran to the line...missing the hands that were stretched out for high fives. I was amazingly calm---not upset, not let down---just very calm knowing that life is grand from this day forward because I have a beautiful amazing, supportive family to spend the rest of my life with. It wasn't just me running to that line, it was Jenny, my kids, and I running into the next chapter of our lives together. This was every bit of a family wide sacrifice---and I wish we were still in the days of having our kids cross the line with us, maybe even having your loved ones right on the other side of the finish line would be a decent compromise. But, Kleenex I'm sure would need to become a sponsor. There will be more Ironmans, more Konas, but for now, I want to snuggle up on the couch and watch movies, eat popcorn, and play lava monster like my dad did with my sister and I when we were little squirts...but the goggles, bike, and Nikes won't get dusty just yet...I've never been more excited about the future as I am today.
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