IMAZ 2012 Race Report...Fade to Black

Sophia...papa's home!

The Swim Workouts, the Trainer Sessions...

First off, for those of you that are new to reading my "stuff," I tend to write too much---Race Reports, instead of getting shorter and to the point, are becoming in depth reviews of my race....those that have read other posts (a fair amount of you do...thanks!), I can't apologize because it's your choice to come back after previous ramblings.  This post is much more than a Race Report:  I consider it my chance to close out this chapter of racing, what I have learned from it, and if I come back to race IM's again, that I can use these references to get me back up to speed with what worked and made me tick at this moment in time.  My racing strategy is in there, and I truly believe in it...it works for me, maybe not for you, but if I desire to get back to what I have built with Chris, this post will be an invaluable piece of that puzzle...

Five Ironmans in 2 years.  One kid born.  2 moves.  10 words is all it takes to review the past 2+ years. I wish I could have the numbers of yards in the pool and miles on the bike and in running shoes.  Consider that I have trained consistently since January of 2010 (34 months), and looking at 732 miles a month as a decent number, I would estimate I traveled 24,901 miles; OR, I travelled around the world on my own power in that span.  With the 2 moves, and with Andrews birth.  And don't forget Sophia, who was 20 months old when I started this journey...now she's almost 5.

Every Ironman I have competed in has taken on its own meaning, and I have treasured every leg of this adventure...whether successful or a complete failure, each one has been an amazing experience I will carry with my till I'm sitting in my rocking chair with my great grandkids teasing me because I can't move faster than Andrew can at 14 months old.  Crazy, but that would be Andrew's grandkids...

So here's a brief recap of The Five IMs...

#1:  IMAZ 2010 was all about "can I do this?"  with a 9:28, a trip to Kona, and my standing PR, it stands as one of the most exhilarating days of my life.  I'm still unsure it happened...

#2: Kona 2011 (9:59) a dream come true.  For years I thought I'd never do an IM, and here I was in Kona...Amazing experience, and only wished Jenny and the kids were there with us...Andrew was born 2 weeks prior to race day, making that impossible.  This could be the one regret that sticks...it's not every day Papa gets to play in the Super Bowl.

#3: IMAZ 2011 (9:42), six weeks after Kona...still toasted, it became a true test with a burnt-out engine.  As Chris and I discussed pre-race: this was all about just waking up and doing an Ironman; not at your best, just going out and committing to it.  No, it wasn't ideal, but yes, it tested my heart, and I won.

#4: IMTexas (11:08) was supposed to be all about Kona Trip #2.  A crash and grinding my elbow to the bone at mile 10 of the bike curtailed those plans...but I finished, and that was the most adversity I have ever faced...ask Dana Jones ;-)

To shorten it even further: Most Exhilarating, Most Amazing Experience, Biggest Test, Most Adversity...that is why there is nothing like racing this distance for me.  I simply feel the most "alive" when I am on a race course.  

And here we are, #5 in the books, IMAZ 2012.  This one followed suit.  I luckily got a spot in the race on September 24th...7 weeks prior to race day (thanks to the Endurance Sports Travel Wait List!).  After a summer of lackluster training due to zero "A" races planned for the fall, it was either "get a spot for IMAZ, or I am done with IM."  So with 7 weeks to race day, and Chris fresh off his overall amateur win at IM Kentucky on less than huge numbers, we devised a plan that was simple and had it's scapegoat:  Chris told me "It's perfect!  If you have a great race on this volume, we can say A-HA!  And if you don't we can blame the training!"  After a few chuckles, this became the plan.  Not to bore you with details, but there were ZERO long slow runs...nothing over 1h45m.  Could we have added them?  Yes, but the plan was to train for this one with minimal strain on my time away from home.  The biggest week was 18 hours...that would be considered a recovery week in the prep for the other 4.  Add in that this was only weeks, and we basically only had room for 2 build cycles.  The amazing thing?  I never felt stronger than I do now in the swim and on the bike...my run, I thought, was in very good shape going in...based on a 90/9 brick session where I averaged 7:12 off the bike on a hot day in mid October.  With that key workout, I felt I was ready even under the lack of a 16 week build...but let's not forget the huge base I have built!

So, here's November 18th, 2012....

            

My mom, dad and Jeanette flew in from back home (SF Bay Area), which was a special treat, and we spent friday and saturday just catching up and playing with the kids.  I got in and out of Registration on thursday in 11 minutes...and outside of that, I was not in Tempe until the Bike/Bag drop off, which was maybe another 15 minutes.  Zero wasted energy, which kept me at ease and relaxed leading into Sunday.  I had to keep reminding myself that I had an IM to race on Sunday, and just kept hydrating and eating whenever I could.  I was up at 3:45 am Sunday morning after a solid 6h45m sleep, and I bet if I had turned the snooze off, I would have just kept sleeping--RELAXED!  Had my Oatmeal, Ultragen, Flax Seed, Agave Nectar, Almond Milk concoction until I was fully loaded along with a 1/2 dose of OSMO Pre-Load (1/2 dose the night before as well).  I ate 2 clif bars during the night, so I was full!  I knew I was hydrated by the number of times I was in the bathroom throughout the weekend.  My mom arrived and we drove down at 4:15...way too easy to get situated, as we had to wait for transition to open because we were so early and somehow grabbed a spot in the vendor lot which was not patrolled for some odd reason---a bit of good fortune right away.  I had my checklist on my phone so I didn't have to think, and just went through the itinerary until I was standing at the ONE tent for our Pre Race Group Photo.

I met up with Cam Loos while we were putting the finishing touches on our swim prep....Cam and I had chatted on Facebook a lot leading into this race.  Cam's goal was a 9:08, and guess what, he did a 9:08 and won the 40-44...almost nailing his predictions to the minute.  I knew he was out of my reach from the get go, but nonetheless someone to spot in the field as I knew with his strong swim/bike that he would lead the AG.

Swim:  56:34....

• 8th in 40-44
• 24th Amateur (nerding out with some result hunting: 37 Pros swam faster than me, so 61st Overall)

I lined up where I have for the past 3 years...directly in line with the first pilon of the bridge from the south side of the TTL.  I jumped in a bit late and had to swim over a few unsuspecting people on my crash course to the front, otherwise the water was perfect.  I went with clear goggles for the first time (Thanks Brooke!), and wow, I'll never race with tinted goggles again.  I had some good speed around me as I spotted Erica McClurg and Cam next to me.  Canon goes boom, and for the 3rd time, I am untouched off the line.  I settled in almost immediately and watched as Cam sailed off the front as well as Max Beissmann (swim prime...nice job Max!) to his left...I had no chance of going with those two, but found myself in a nice "4 pack" right away, and we stayed together to the first turn.  Again like in Texas...solid group, great line, courteous, and really working well to make the swim easy.  Once around the return buoy, I had a decision...stay with them or swing wide right like I planned.  Luckily, they swung a bit wider than the buoy line and made my decision easy, so I hung in with them, and now we were 3.  I just sat in third position as there was no reason to jump up as the lead guy was straight as an arrow and didn't mind doing most the work...I couldn't have written a better swim plan than this!  We hit the steps, Mike Reilly shouting my name, only to hear him say..."all 3 of these guys are Erik's getting out!"  Kind of crazy if the 3 of us were together the entire swim.  The Ironman swims have all been "no big deal" other than Kona, but this one was my best, and not necessarily because it was my fastest...I wasn't breathing hard at all heading into T1, my perceived HR was low, and I was as fresh as I was jumping in the water.

Cam on the Right, Max probably Top Left, and I was the splash below him, I think!

My takeaway from the swim:  more in Ironman than in any other distance of triathlon, your pace is dictated by your training.  The last 2 weeks of swim workouts were some of the toughest I have put myself through.  Not because of the workout, but how I approached them.  I got my 100 time down to 1:10 on 4 or 5 x 100 with 10 seconds rest.  When I started with Chris, I was swimming 1:30's.  No matter what anyone says, not only is a fast swim a huge advantage, but getting out of the water not even winded and being able to make smart decisions on the bike when you are ahead of everyone else makes racing tactics a blast.  Being up front THROUGH the swim saves a ton of energy, along with zero frustration that I hear about from those behind me...mostly, the slugfest at the start line (in Kona I experienced that "hell" ...while it was crazy and even "fun," I would rather swim by myself).

My swim strategy:  use a fast swim to set the tone for the day.  Get off the line fast, but not anaerobic...just enough to stay clear.  If I can get out before my AG competition, I can control my race intensity much more than if I am playing catch up on the bike, which I am not strong enough to do, and its much easier to be up front on the swim with proper training than become a fast biker with the extra hours it takes weekly.  Granted, I fast bike is sexy, but I am realistic with my expectations and the time I have for training...at this point.  Plus you can fake a fast bike with a fast swim, decent bike ;-)

T1:  4:01
I normally wouldn't be happy with this, but I went the sock route, and I am now a firm believer in socks for the IM bike.  I take everything Chris says as if it was written in the Bible, and this was the first time for socks.  Zero issues, zero hot spots that always creep in, so try it if you have IM bike foot issues.  Otherwise, I carried my Espresso Quick Fill in my back pocket which makes perfect sense.  Why tape it to the frame when ideally you want your nutrition in front of you?

 

Bike:  5:02:31...

• 6th off the bike in 40-44* (or "would" have been 3rd without the non-drafting but getting blocked into a drafting penalty)
• ~23rd Amateur off the bike (73rd Overall)
• First EVER penalty in over 50 Triathlons
• "would" have been 3rd without the non-drafting but getting blocked into a drafting penalty while sitting up and not pedaling for things to clear out

After nearly crashing into a sign coming out of T1 with a version of an erratic flying squirrel mount (Dan M, did you notice that???), I managed to survive the chicane heading out to Rio...and there was no one ;-)  I could see one guy about a 1/4 mile ahead...target #1!  Three targets later I was turning onto the Bee Line, but it wouldn't be right if I didn't mention that I was shark bait once...maybe twice ;-)  Different than the past 2 years, there was a head wind as I traveled up the Bee Line (reverse and worse in 2011 and horrendous in 2010).  I simply "plugged in" my watts, and rode 210-215 all the way to the turn...felt like an easy spin, but this was what my Blood Lactate Testing on Tuesday told us. So below is the SRM file for the first lap.  I think that Green Power Line looks pretty good ;-)  The blue cadence line is bad as well...

Lap 1 Power File

Bryan Dunn has become a fixture at the Turnaround, and seeing his mug up there is welcoming with some news----"you're 8th" he tells me, while trying to count his fingers and hold up the correct number, and the "Kona Bound" sign with your huge smile on had me laughing  ;-).  With that bit of headwind now turning into a tailwind for the trip back to Tempe, I had the race course to myself, and my bike was humming---really, the Firecrest 808 and Disc on the Storck were flying!  Post race, I figure I had made my way into 3rd or 4th in 40-44 by this point with the early catches on the bike--I did notice some 40-44 calf numbers on my way up, and realizing now that Bryan was going off of the Swim placing and looking at the results, I was sitting PERFECT!!!!

The Final Setup...and the best one to date.  2 cages, clean, tidy, FAST!

My cockpit...bottle for water up front (bottle behind the seat for Sports Drink), PC 7 keeping me on track, calories in the Stealth.  Not cumbersome...absolutely perfect finally!!!

Having the Bike Course practically to myself was crazy fun...everyone coming up the Bee Line is staring at you (I can't go without mentioning the Drafting Parties going on though---ridiculous!  Zero separation in at least 10 packs of 10 or more athletes---but who am I to comment ;-).  How fast was the return trip, all alone, on fresh pavement with a slight tailwind?  27.5 mph average---that is HAULING!  My average power for lap one was 212W...with a goal of 210, maybe I was a bit heavy on the throttle, but I felt perfect carrying into Lap 2, and the "feel" was that I was holding back.  The tailwind definitely kept things easy, and my mind was busy making decisions as I made the turn.

Lap 2 Power File

During the final 10 miles of Lap 1 I had peaked back and noticed a foursome catching me slowly.  Once I saw them, my goal was to hold steady and keep them away until the start of Lap 2...luckily this came naturally at my goal pacing, but I was "on alert."

Finishing Lap 1...feeling perfect!

So much to say here...start of Lap 2...Patrick Wheeler (white helmet) blew by me (finished with an 8:55...um, pretty damn fast) and he had carried these other two guys to the Turnaround.  I thought about trying to stay with him, until my watts went out of range---PULL BACK SVANS!!!  Is that you JD watching every move in the ONE jacket???  Also, what was that guy thinking with the Purple and Pink combo?  I was near him all day long....kind of made me feel wimpy.  Actually not kind of, it DID!!!

I was very happy now to have some company after all the fun on the First Lap, and my Lap 2 plan quickly changed and took shape: hold onto the back of whatever formed out of this "pack" legally, saving the effort I would have used here to hold the 220W goal pace for later.  A Zoot Ultra teammate of Bryan's got into the mix, and he tagged onto Patrick, and they were pretty much gone.  I am sitting here writing this wondering if I should have pushed a little out of my "box" to try and work with them.  I knew Patrick from IM Texas, and know how good of a rider he is, so I decided that his pace would ruin me for the run.  I think it was the right call, especially post race knowing that at this point I was sitting 3rd or 4th.  BUT, there is that side of me, especially with how the rest of the day unfolded, that if I had given it a go, that the rest of the day could have turned out better...woulda coulda didn't!

Anyways, back to my weak-minded self sitting on the back of a foursome...it was great as the guy up front was behaving just like my swimming buddy who lead the way to T1.  I was more than happy to take "pulls," but I continually checked my pace/wattage an decided that, heck, if they're gonna just let me sit here, this is perfect...AGAIN!  We kept it legal, and the Marshals were now out on full patrol.  As the caboose, it was easy to stay legal, take advantage and re-fuel and hydrate.  (I was using the reflector spacing as my guide for legal positioning, which was plenty of space).  I kept saying to myself CONSERVE ENERGY.  I simply waited for them to tire out fighting the head wind.  We hit the turnaround, saw Bryan again, mumbled a bit, and a memory from that same point last year popped into my head---a memory about how wrecked I was at that point (the halfway point) last year as I had no business being out there.  Totally different feeling this time...smiling, fresh, and fast.

The group was breaking apart as we approached the turnaround (half way point of the bike), were I had caught what seemed to be a pack of the Womens Pro field...lots of Zoot Kits in there!  On the way back, I worked through them, but one of them (no names...but I know who you are ;-) passed me back right away.  I waited, passed back, only to then have a group of 3 pass me back again.  We approached two lapped athletes who were riding side by side (blocking!), and after passing narrowly and sitting in third of the now foursome, all of us were sitting up as we reassembled (this happened, gosh, 20 times in Kona last year...you just sit up, stop pedaling, and let it sort out).  Next thing I know "Number 1859, penalty for drafting."  I look over and " hold back with everything I can from saying "you gotta be _____ kidding me!"  We had also just passed the slight rise at the Special Needs Zone which was full of congestion and riders not paying attention to a straight line...I still don't understand the penalty if he was watching the situation, but so be it.  I knew he was back there from a previous glance...I also let him know I disagreed as I was not making any agressive move, not taking any advantage, waiting for it to clear...oh well.  The guy in front of me was not helping, as he was sitting right on a wheel now like he had been since I joined him--maybe I too close for too long, but maybe it was guilty by association.  Hot, I just bolted, doing what I should have done in the first place.  I was almost to the Gas Station on the Bee Line by now, and I just laid it out there riding 220W+ to the Penalty Box stationed just before the Turn for Lap 3.  I got it out of my head as fast as I could, used the 4 minute stop to eat, drink what I had left on board, and watched the Zoot Ladies sail on by.  At least it took them 2:30+ before they caught up to me while I sat....but I had wimped out and got a penalty for being safe.  The "mistake of the day" had been made.  I shoulda chased Patrick and the Zoot guy maybe, I shoulda taken off after the turn definitely...I felt GREAT.  Instead, I was in no mans land now behind the women pros I wanted to pace with as I have learned that they typically pace the bike very consistently...

The Turn for Lap #3...Post Penalty Box :-(

Lap 3 Power File...

I was not in the mood for the crowd coming into the turn around (sorry family and friends...).  Lap 2 was perfect and a failure all in one.  My Lap 1 split was 1:38ish, Lap 2 was 1:37ish (excluding penalty time), and by working with what was around me on Lap 2, I had conserved energy so I could really lay into the first half of Lap 3 to the turnaround to make a move where others tend to crumble a bit. Pre race the goal was to try and hold 210W for the 3rd loop, and I nailed it to the turn.  Still though, I never caught the lady Zooters, and worse, all of this lap I was totally alone working through lapped victims.  The wattage dropped off slightly on the way back here and there, as I sacrificed wattage in order to stay aero. Without the penalty, I would have had a perfect bike leg and gotten to T2 5+ minutes faster than I did, fresher than I did, and without the stomach knots that came on the way back to Tempe.  It didn't destroy my race, but thinking about it and putting it down in this entry, well, if I had a mood ring on, it would be BLACK.  I cleared Lap 3 in 1:41, which I felt was a great pyramid of bike split as Chris had talked about pre-race...

Here's the fallout from my mistake with the penalty---

• I wanted a sub 5 bike split...nope!  
• I wanted to hit T2 under 6 hours...nope!  
• I would have been in 3rd-4th place in 40-44...nope!  
• I would have been A LOT fresher having someone to ride with for Lap 3 (AG'ers fall off, women pros = solid pace!)...nope!
• I could have paced off the Lady Zooters on the run with this fresher me...nope!
• I would have been AT LEAST 4 minutes faster on the day with the penalty time and losing that "place" in the field...NOPE!

Somewhere...who knows when, during the bike...

They got the tracking set up really well for this year...basically, there are 4 sections to each Lap...so Splits 1-4 are 4 even quarters of Lap1, 5-8 for Lap 2, and 9-12 for Lap 3

Lap #1:               27:21       30:40       19:20      21:34
Lap #2:               25:34       28:27       21:13      27:22
Lap #3:               24:42       26:52       23:48      25:38

It's pretty obvious to see that the wind changed directions...blowing down the Bee Line for Lap 1, neutral for Lap 2, then blowing up the Bee Line for Lap3...a typical day on the Bee Line!   Spectators in Tempe thought there was no wind, but I'd say it was about 4 mph all day long.

Nutrition/Hydration on the bike:
As I finished the bike, Chris asked how I was--I said "good" but that stomach issue was lingering, and I spent the last 10 miles of the bike focused on trying to resolve the issue, even stopping at Special Needs on the 3rd Loop to get another bottle of OSMO (I didn't stop prior).  Perform, I have decided after 3 races using it, is awful. I've had the same exact stomach tightness each time versus EFS which has given me zero problems.  I do use Perform mixed from powder in training to accommodate to it, but the bottled version I think is just too concentrated for my gut to handle.  My plan was to sip water every time I took a chug, but I guess I didn't do that enough.  So, no more on-the-bike Perform for me.  My total calorie intake was low...in the 900-1000 calorie range (EFS Liquid Shot, Clif Bar, Gu), but I felt well fueled all bike long.  I simply took in some food when I felt the slightest hunger come on.  1.25 bottles of OSMO, 2 bottles of Perform, and 6 bottles of water sounds about right for liquids on the day.   This seems low for me, but I had a consistent sweat on, and pee'd right out of T2.  Maybe next time add another bottle or 2 in the same 80 degree conditions? Peeing on the bike past the half way point would be an ideal marker.

Takeaway and tactics from the bike:  well, if the above wasn't long enough, I'm still gonna add more thoughts here.  My word for the day was PATIENCE.  I think I was a bit too patient, but really, I think it is impossible to be too patient on the bike all the same...you still have a marathon to run.  I hit the 100 mile mark at 4:24ish feeling fresh, and I gained ground on the bike on this day...this was a first for me, even with the penalty.  I really couldn't be happier about it.  I trained for 7 weeks for this race after all, and my bike fitness 7 weeks ago was suspect.  But I also think IM racing is my "niche" in triathlon...its where I can excel the most and my pacing seems controlled, maintainable, and consistent.  70.3 are the death of me, and the Olympic distance is just plain fun.  I must have the "aerobic gene" versus the "threshold gene."  This would have been my fastest bike split (it was a fast day though), but it was my lowest average power IM bike at 201W average (207W for both Kona 2011 IMAZ 2011).  For a sub 5 bike split at that wattage, I have to be extremely aero...I wasn't out of the aero bars at all until mile 100. Another tactic I used was changing cadence periodically on an pancake flat bike course.  Sometimes I was at 85 cadence, other times as low as 70 cadence.  The variety kept my legs from getting stale, and gave me something to stay focused on.

Bike Power File

T2:  1:56
Ok, its nothing to win a medal for, but the speed of my T2 tells a lot about how I was feeling...decently fast means I was alert and ready to run (last year, I didn't want to leave the tent).  A quick change of socks, shoes on, have my helper put my 5 Hour Energy and Saltstick dispenser in my back pocket, and off I go with visor and glasses in hand.

The only problem?  The Saltstick Dispenser stayed in T2.  If the penalty was the biggest mistake of the day, this was the even bigger biggest mistake of the day.  We talked pre-race about 300 mg of salt per hour starting in T2.  Frickity frack, I didn't realize how screwed I was as I needed it BAD...



Run: 3:45:26...my slowest run split :-(
(no need to figure out where this split was overall...I'll wait for Slowtwitch Enhanced Results to see the damage...

Out of T2 my family was RIGHT THERE to greet me...smiling, but not long after this, the smiles would be no more...

With that bit of GI issue, I headed out onto the run course stressed.  I felt decent, but all of the sudden the smooth race I was having into T2 was no longer with me.  Pace was 7:10-7:20ish, comfortable, relaxed, but at the same time I was feeling a lot of tightness in my rib cage---a Salt Tab would have done wonders.  I reached around after crossing the Priest Dr bridge...and panicked when I couldn't feel my Saltstick Dispenser.  My damage control instantly went into overdrive as my rib cage tightened to the point that I could only take shallow breaths (zero diaphragmatic breathing).  This defined the success or failure of the day at least from a goal time perspective.  I crossed the bridge back to the south side of TTL eager to see my family there, but I was becoming seriously worried that I would have to run the marathon feeling this way, and I was not even half way through the first lap.

Crossing the bridge on Lap 1 in panic mode...

I mumbled a bit to my family as I really couldn't come up with anything to say...I may have even faked that I was ok here.  It didn't help that as I passed the guy in bright Orange shoes my right foot clipped one of the railing bases heading through the uneven path behind transition while heading down to TTL.  I kept the rubber side down on the bike, but now I can't even run without falling?  It knocked the wind out of me and dislocated my right ring finger.  I know...I am accident prone.

LOTS of 8's....when I shooting for all 7's;  that was the difference between my goal and my actual.... 

From here, I went from racing to consistent attention to damage control all the way to the finish.  The support on the course was incredible--home field advantage carried me through 23 miles with a completely seized up rib cage.  ONE-mates, you are spectacular!  Neal and Dani Gelb: we already talked about our funny moment....one word: delirious!  Ponch: thanks for the hugs!  JD, Carlos, Sue and Rika:  you know how to yell!  Russ, you gave me everything you had to get me going...I just couldn't move any faster!  Thanks a ton bud, that was incredibly cool of you to be out there in the way that you were.
I stopped a few times and took a huge breath while letting my upper body completely go limp and got a little relief, but otherwise, I wanted someone to jump on my back or take what felt like an ice pick in my spine out.  The 5 Hour Energy had to be used at the end of Lap 1, but had zero effect, and I ended up walking every aid station trying to stretch it out, drink some Perform. Chris came to my rescue with some salt at the end of Lap 2.  It seemed to help and I was able to settle into some semi-decent rhythm finally, but at this point my legs were trashed from fighting my upper body for ~20 miles of the run.  I  maintained my position in the race for the last loop, and had just enough juice to keep two 40-44 guys from beating me to the line for 10th by seconds.
9:50 sounds like a good time, and when people tell me "great race" I simply smile and say thanks, but I had my battles out there and created a lot of adversity for myself with some really stupid mistakes---the penalty, not taking stock of the Salt Stick Dispenser, and my little crash on the run.

There were many dark times on the run, but I just kept fighting---but there was no way I was going supra-10.  I made sure I would remember the pain by having conversations with myself about how much it hurt and to remember the mistakes I made that put me there in the first place.  My run splits over the past three years here really make it obvious again as to how bad this run was...

2010:    3:21  (felt perfect---with a perfect 16 week build)
2011:    3:31  (didn't even want to run---6 weeks post Kona)
2012:    3:45  (thought I was going to PR the run pre-race...WOW...24 minutes slower than that)

It's hard to really even call that a run...more like a jog.  Still, it could have been a lot worse, and looking at the training and the issues I had, there is an immediate solution even if I went with a 7 week build down the road; simply add 3-4 long runs in there of 16-20 miles (2-2:30 runs) and change nothing else as long as I had a good base going into it.

What else could I have done?  I could have taken GREAT care of my body versus basically no massage or PT care.  Life this time around didn't allow for those luxuries, and I had been experiencing some rub cage tightness throughout the 7 week build.  It came out 5 fold on race day, and I should know this would happen and should have taken care of it...I almost predicted it as a major concern going in.  Would Salt Tabs have taken care of it better?  Probably, and I almost picked some off the ground while running...THAT would have been stupid!

Fuzzy...how I felt!

I think this is Lap 2...ONE support was amazing all day!  Rika, Carlos, Sue, Dan, Mom, Dad, Jeantte, Jenny and Sophia...you kept me going!  Among others!

So, what's next?  Lots of time with the family; fun rides, runs and swims; relaxing and recovering from the past 2 years.  But I will come back a new athlete, in a new chapter, with an updated engine, and as a member of Team BSR (Big Sexy Racing) and always ONE!
Team BSR is being kicked off this year by New Zealand Pro Triathlete Chris McDonald who lives here in Tucson some of the year.  The team is an Elite group of 45 triathletes from the US and Australia looking to make their mark in the Tri Community in 2012.  My teammate Max Biessmann won the Swim Prime at IMAZ with a 52:37, went 9:15, and was 11th Amateur, punching his second ticket to Kona with a 2nd place in 25-29.  That's some good company and just what I need moving forward to challenge me to get faster...but it won't be in an IM any time soon ;-)  Train hard, race hard, play hard!

Sponsors of the team include...

Tri11

Fuel Belt

Xtri.com

SPY+

Zappos

Reynolds

ISM

Newton

SLS

Brooks Airbrush Studio

Lastly, thanks to everyone for all of your support...Jenny, Sophia, and Andrew: Papa is super excited to just come home every day...you simply light up my life (a little John Denver can't hurt).  To my family, thank you so much for all of your support over the years...near or far, I hear your cheers!  And to my ONE family..you all rock!  John and Cyndi---you are gems, thanks for being who you are ;-)

Onwards and upwards!

Random, but I'm proud of my pumpkin grill---next year I'm taking it to a new level!

Just recording my seat post position here!

Ironman Texas Race Report....

An awesome production done by WTC about the IM Texas...

I keep re-writing this race report.  I've tried every day since the race to get this done, but it ends up being much like the race was.....a bloody mess.  I think this one is going to stick.  First off, I feel incredibly blessed.  The support I have received from the local tri community, my friends near and far, family, Jenny, Sophia, and even 8 month old Andrew...as Jack Nicholson said it so well..."you (all) make me want to be a better man."  IM Texas was SUPPOSED to be an all out attack for my best Ironman---Ironman 4.0 as I called it. The training leading into the race was near perfect, my test Olympic Tri two weeks out was the same (PR of 2:05:10), even though I was sick with a cold with congestion in the chest that would carry into IM Texas.  I trained almost completely alone for 16 weeks---solo 120 mile rides, 2h30m runs...completely alone, hitting the zones, the paces, the recovery, the nutrition.  Outside of work and home life, I was a hermit.  The result of this sacrifice: I expected A LOT.  I wasn't chasing a trip to Kona, I was chasing a top ten amateur result (beating Patrick Schuster in 40-44 is not in my engine...).  Kona of course would come with that "top 10", and I was more looking forward to sharing Kona with Jenny, Sophia, and Andrew than the race itself, as they missed Kona 2011 because Andrew was born 2 weeks prior.  So I was counting my chickens before they hatched, but I had complete faith in myself that I was going to make these goals a reality.  I was so confident (I don't know why I am putting this out there...), that we decided Jenny and the kids would stay home to save money for Kona---one of the bigger mistakes I've made.   Little did I know what IM Texas would become...

I've heard it so many times: Ironman racing is about managing the things that can go wrong.  Nutrition, hydration, mechanical, flat tire, penalties...I felt prepared for most of these (mechanicals notwithstanding).  I had booked this adventure through Endurance Sports Travel...awesome company, people...highly recommended!  I flew into George Bush Intercontinental on the Wednesday before the race to give me some time to get used to the humidity (AZ has been hotter than Texas), the 2 hour time change, and get some final prep work in.  Bill Jones and I ended up hanging out wednesday and thursday....Bill, it was a great time! We did some easy SBR workouts, including a swim at the Conroe Natatorium---a very nice 50 M pool about 2 miles from the race epicenter.  I was feeling fishlike in the water, aero and stealth-ish on the bike, and the my leg turnover on the quick runs was fast, light, and easy.  Again the taper was absolutely perfect, even with the cold I had been nursing---Chris, you are a triathlon God ;-)  Bill and I were relaxed, joked around a bit, drove the entire bike course and were almost in disbelief with how fast it looked (of course in a car that is easy to say, but there was also no wind when we drove it).  Friday checkin came and went (skipped the pre-game swim in the lake....coach didn't want us to get sick from the water....GOOD CALL!!!).  I met up with Darren who is also an AIMPer (and is racing 3 IM's in 6 weeks!!! (Texas, CDA, and Austria/Switzerland, can't remember which one).  An hour spin over the first and last 10 miles of the bike course confirmed what Bill and I had thought....FAST!  I felt like i was on the Autobahn, just spinning EZ at 20+ mph with the WHOOSH of the disc humming in my ears.  So...friday night I settled in feeling perfect...with a huge very bland early dinner.

As a side note, The Woodlands surprised me...a wonderful community with all sorts of great activities, restaurants, and a very open community for us IM people to come in and take over their town---thumbs were up everywhere I turned.  If you are thinking about IM Texas...I highly recommend it.  The conditions are tough, for spectators it is ideal (except for the high heat/humidity, which is one of the reasons Jenny and the kids stayed home...), and the course is awesome, which I'll get to in the report.  So, if you are thinking about it, book it, you will really enjoy racing there.  I was a skeptic, but I'd be back if it fit the schedule down the road.

Race morning, I was up at 3:30am----slept well, wasn't nervous, ate breakfast, took a hot shower, and relaxed a bit before jumping in the transport to transition.  I had my concerns at this point---I felt like I didn't have the fire I've had in the past.   IMAZ 2010 and Kona 2011...pretty hard not to be excited at your first IM start and I would think at any Kona start you'd be dead to not be juiced to be there, athlete or spectator.  I felt more like I was going to work (no offense) than about to fulfill a dream.  I started having thoughts of "no kidding!  this is 4 Ironmans in 19 months!"  (Bryan/Ritch, you don't ned to state the obvious ;-).  All the same, I was ready for battle---I would argue that anyone about to head into war is giddy with excitement.  Maybe I was just so focused that the excitement was replaced with determination.
I made a few mistakes in my pre-race prep, like forgetting to take my First Endurance Pre Race caps (how the hell could I forget those!!!).  Trivial things nonetheless.  I was more concerned about getting in the water early enough to position myself in the front/center of the non-wetsuit wave.  A final high five to Bill, a small leap, and I was in the crappy Lake Woodlands (for real, it was brown as bull shit).  I got to my spot easily, wished Caroline Gregory a great race (fellow AIMPer), and before I knew it, the canon fires...

Swim:      58:48...9th division...67th overall
My goal for the swim:  go hard the first ~300 yards to get clear (worked at IMAZ both times), settle in to a solid pace, find a group, then decide whether to hammer the canal section or hold place.  The swim start was rougher than I expected---300 yards in and I was getting sandwiched and hit from all sides.  The swim start was narrow, and maybe I was a bit too complacent with my start speed...OR, the competition is getting fiercer.  It was a battle (although swimming was not the issue, just the clutter) for the first 500, then guys started to drop, and by the time we made the first left turn (maybe 1500 in), it was decently clear.  I was completely alone as I hit the second turn buoy, and it was looking like I had missed the second pack, which was 25+ yards ahead at the mid way point.  There was another small group to my left, and as they pulled up on me, I jumped in and continued with them into the canal...this group of 6 or so was a stellar pack.  It was almost like a draft line on the bike, with the head swimmer pulling off every 100 yards or so...everyone knew their role, and everyone obeyed the "rules."  I swam with them for about 500 yards, then started to cut into the canal a bit earlier than they wanted to as my goal was to hug the shoreline on the right as much as I could, which ended up being the perfect line to take.  The "pod" ended up following suit, and we funneled into the 15 meter-wide canal--awesome way to end an IM swim.  I had noticed a guy with some tattoos in the group, and when we hit the steps to end the swim, I heard Mike Rielly say, "and all the way from Kailua Kona, Jano Soto!"  What am I, chopped liver?  Well, I think he is well known in the triathlon world ;-)  He was one of my "marks" on the day as I knew he would be in the mix (he finished 11th, but it looks like his marathon led to his fall from the top 5 as he got off the bike close to the eventual 3rd and 4th place 40-44 men).

don't worry, it's not an obsession, just a mark ;-)

Another sde note:  The canal section of the swim was amazing, and if you do this race in the future, make sure your family is there and is on your dominant breathing side---you are staring at every one of them as you swim, and they are less than 10 yards away from you and could easily walk/jog to watch you swim all the way to T1.

T1:  3:17
Quick and easy...next time start towards the bike while putting your helmet on!  Swimskin off, shoes on, cliff bar into jersey pocket, helmet on...go!  Even then, I passed 2 guys in 40-44 in T1, and was sitting in 7th to start the bike.

Bike:   5:27:47...23rd in 40-44....168th overall
Jumped onto the bike, heard a few GO ERIK!! yells (Dana and co, I think that was you at the bike mount line...I heard you!!!  First good sign: not a lot of people on the course...and Jano Soto was immediately in front of me, sitting 6th.  The goal on the bike was to take it easier the first 40+ miles (210-220 watts) to save myself for the ride back to town, including 40+ miles into a decent head/cross wind.  So I just sat there...about 10m behind Jano as we hauled in bikers, and had a couple other guys join us all the same.  The pace was decently fast, and the effort was easy; I was fully aerobic and I thought..."perfect, just sit here and let it come to you, don't force ANYTHING."  We had passed a couple more 40-44 guys in the first 5 miles, which means we were sitting about 4th-5th in the AG...ugh.   I figured if someone blew by that I would consider going with them as it felt soo easy, but that never happened.   I took a couple turns in the front, and would then drop to the back of our line, feeling like I was barely working. We kept passing bikers, and no one was passing us...again perfect!  As we approached the first aid station, I took inventory of my "stuff," and decided I didn't need to grab anything (what the #$%#% was I thinking!!  Always grab a new cold water at the very least!).  Chris told us to stay cold as long as possible, even if it meant feeling chilly---why didn't I listen???  My bottle of water was 3/4 full, so I guess I was thinking mile 20 aid for a new one.  At the same time, I was in the back of the group, so I sat up and let them get their aid.  With us moving slower, and thus a bit bunched up, I turned my attention to the other guys as they jockeyed with their hands full.  A little swerve from one, a small reaction from another, and my front end goes haywire.  I am  suddenly out of the saddle having a "Matrix" moment...my quads are up against my bars, hands out front of the wheels. My hands had slipped off the front of the bars, and my momentum carried me forward---I hit a "sinkhole like" depression in the road, that I definitely felt, but never saw.  The "OH SHIT" moment came (that moment when you realize there's nothing you can do to correct, and down you go), and here I am, slamming onto my left hip an elbow, followed by a 10 yard slide grinding holes in my knee and elbow the worst, but also leading to some decent road rash on my ankle, knee, hip, back, shoulder, and hand (thankfully just the right hand).

Immediately I was in total shock...WHAT JUST HAPPENED?  I was laying on the ground with my right shoe still clipped in---I think that saved me from going straight over the handle bars like I did in 2010 when I broke my clavicle.  Almost immediately, a support vehicle was there to help.  While I took inventory of the blood all over the left side of my body, these two guys jumped into action repairing my bike---front wheel was 45 degrees skewed off line, but all else seemed okay.  Looking back at this 3 minutes of horror, I can see it so clearly it haunts me.  I remember the panic I felt, the disbelief of what had just happened; this was my version of dropping the baton in the 4 x 100 relay for the Gold Medal in the Olympics.  How could this happen I thought?  What the heck were you thinking Erik!  I could go on and on and on with all of the thoughts that popped in my head all at once...I had just ruined all the work I had done to get there with a stupid lapse in attention.  So if you can't tell, I am still not over it.  Quitting was not even in my vocabulary at this point---I jumped back on, and fired away down the road...no longer in that "comfortable" 210-220 W range.  It took a few miles to regain my sanity---I wasn't racing with an HRM, but that data would be "fun" to look at for sure.  10 minutes later, I needed water...lots of it (go figure). My right hand was basically dripping blood from my fingers, as was my elbow and knee.  Everything felt numb--I was in shock for sure.  I finally took a good look at my elbow, and by this point it was also swelling up and too hard to diagnose as it had shredded skin all around its borders.  The support guys assured me that I didn't need medical attention at that point, so I just simply went with it..after all, it wasn't hurting...yet.

As time passed it actually seemed like I was holding my own---I was feeling like I still had a chance at pulling this one out.  Right after the crash I decided to just dig my elbow into the aero pad, and it was okay, but by the time I hit mile 40, the shock and numbness were wearing off, and the pain to my elbow and hip started to take over my day.  My left IT band was not working, and my normal pedal stroke was aggravating with every turn.  My left elbow was now pulsating with pain, and I could only handle 30 seconds in the aeros before it was too much for me to handle.  My race...was over.  I had no choice but to sit up and ride.  I constantly surveyed my conditions---wrist, hand and fingers on the elbow-mashed side were ok.  Left hip continued to keep me from pedaling with any more than 50-75% effort.  Right hand was luckily torn up in spots that were not in contact with the bar (4 road rash sites along the medial side of my palm and up along my thumb.  Left knee road rash wasn't big, but it was ground down to what felt like that little bone protrusion on the side of your knee.  I kept thinking---"Thank God you are wearing RED!!!"  But really, it would have been cool in a sick and twisted kind of way to have been in a white kit..but then I would have fainted for sure (#skiddish!).

I became content with becoming a middle of the packer, as that's where I was quickly heading.  Highlight of the bike was watching a pack of 30+ guys and 2 girls (who were high in the women's AG race) sail by, most of them sitting up, having a chat, riding 2-3 abreast, with at most a 5 foot gap in between.  Great job guys...you all suck.  Even better---the marshall that pulled up on them, slowed down, then just kept going---honestly, I just have nothing to say.  This was not the only incident, and there were 2 more where the Marshall just rode by blatant drafters..and some of this was earlier where these guys were all in the hunt for Kona slots...I give up.

So back to me, because this is what this blog is about ;-)))  The final 40ish miles were just brutal...I was getting slaughtered, even by the AG women while I sat up and took the 40 miles of "very decent" headwind in the chest versus hiding from the wind in the aero bars.  I was fairly insane at this point and chuckled a few dozen times as I recalled what I had said at least 10 times in the 2 days leading up to the race..."all these guys buy TT bikes, aero helmets, deep dish wheels and discs, yet they ride "up" for most of the race versus in the aeros."  THAT WAS ME!!!!  By the time I made it back to the streets of The Woodlands, I was done..I just couldn't handle the crash issues any more. The entire left side of my body was destroyed pretty much, I had just ridden 100 miles AFTER crashing, and my mind was not in a healthy place.  I kept fighting and fighting, but had convinced myself that there was no way I could mentally handle running a marathon in this condition after biking 100 miles with it.  I was a cortisol factory.

But I did stay in the game through all of this...my nutrition and hydration plan staying intact, except for the lack of aid over the last 20+ miles of the bike (where was the mile 90 aid station???).  I remember riding into the T2 chute thinking "how do I quit?"  "what do I do, just walk into transition and stop?"  If Chris would have been on the fence in T2, I would have never left.  I aimlessly followed the volunteers directing me to my Run Bag.  I saw Dana Jones and told her what had happened and that I was not going to run...told the same thing to Grant Harrell.  But into the T2 tent I went with my Run Bag in my arms.  I sat down, put my socks and shoes on, grabbed my visor and Oakleys, and put my little baggie of salt tabs and Pre Race into my back pocket as well as a 5 Hour Energy for a late run B12 boost.  I was out of it...am I going to run????  Like I said before, I didn't know how to do anything other than keep going.  Falk had passed me in T2 (fellow AIMPer), which told me I was still in decent shape...so I exited T2 and wandered onto the run course...am I going to do this?  2 minutes later Chris and Steve Fried were there to assess and I gave him the news.  His response: run a lap (8.4 miles) at least.  So I again settled in with pain and kept moving---that about sums up the pace---moving.  Matt Russell blew by me (lapping me)...I still felt like I had no clue what I was doing out there.  Am I still racing?  Do I push this hip?  Do I quit after one loop?  Do I just walk the entire thing?  Aid stations became buffet tables (ah Steve Fuller...just for you).  At least I'm going to enjoy the snacks along the way if this is what its going to be.  I would jog a bit, but the hip would tell me who was boss, and I'd be walking a minute later.  I don't remember feeling hot at all, but it was 95 degrees and humid...if you can't tell, I was pretty much lost...

At about mile 6, the breaking point came...all I can say is thank you Dana Jones and the rest of the Jones team.  I came around a bend and there they were---Bills support crew...all in orange, and cheering me on as if I was Bill.  It reminded me of Kona when I was having issues on Alii, and there was my family in their Orange shirts as well.  This is hard for me to write...I completely lost it, and I still lose it just thinking about that moment.  I had been alone for 6 hours dealing with this crash and the pain that came with it...I needed to just let everything out that I was keeping in...so sorry to Dana and the kids, as I probably scared the crap out of them.  I stopped, bent over, put my hands on my knees, and started sobbing uncontrollably.  Thinking about it now, I think it was mostly the pain, but also the disappointment in what had happened that just became too much for me to keep in anymore. I was so done being done, I was just ...done (JD, for you).  Dana called Jenny for me, I told her what happened, and asked Dana to post something so that the people tracking me weren't worried that I was in bonkland or headed to medical because of the heat illness. I know it wasn't the best trip for Jenny and the kids to be on due to the heat, but I was so pissed that I made that choice for them not to come...I never needed Jenny more than at that moment, but I would have scared them to death all the same.  For that 5 minutes, my race was over...but, I had gone this far, and I wanted that medal.  I know someday I will look at that thing and chuckle...I imagine it will become a symbol of determination in our house.  So after my on-course one-actor soap opera, I moved on...I still have 20 miles to go.  I managed to actually put some decent miles together in the middle stages, but as I hit the high teens, my hip screamed "no more."  I was relegated to walking 90% of the final lap (a nice 12:41/mile pace) completing 8.6 miles in a blistering 1:48:51...almost slower than the first 13 miles in Kona where I ended up walking 50% with cramps (wimp).   To compare this to my goal for the day...it was 1:0x per lap (8.6 miles).  As I finished this thing up, Chris was there to greet me in the last mile...when I saw him, I couldn't say a word.  I just gave him a high five, put my head down and shuffled along---no words or encouragement was needed.  It's as if he knew that nothing could be said that would fit the day for me.  I think he by knows by now what makes me tick.  But with that, the pains went away as I hit the final turn towards the finish.  It was almost like nothing had happened, I could suddenly run...I was high 5ing with my road-rashed hand (sorry people, you had your hand out...).  I had been visualizing about the finish line the entire run---kind of like when you are on a long road trip heading home, and all you want to see is your turnoff, your street sign, and then, your driveway.  What would I do?  Would I lose it again?  Would I just walk across the line with a smirk on my face?  Well, the atmosphere of that finishing area, it was hard not to be excited and happy even though inside I was shelled more than I ever have been in my life...with the high 5's came 2 hands raised over my head as I crossed the line.  After 3 great races keeping a sub 10 streak intact, I had conquered the "bad race" going 69 minutes slower than my previous worst time, on a day that  I thought I would set PRs across the board SBR and overall time.  The experience of this Ironman will go down as a complete failure in my book (don't try to convince me otherwise), but at the very least, I got that medal, gave it to Sophia on the way home, and will be certain that she knows what her papa went through to get it.  IM Texas.....CHECK!  Moving on....

CONGRATULATIONS???  Eff you!

If you ever want to see the results broken down to every little detail possible, here's a link to the enhanced results page on Slowtwitch...perfect for the nit picker like me  Enhanced Results

It's now 5 days since IM Texas.  Here are my takeaways from the race:

Pre Race:  write down the game plan, to a "T" and carry it with you...I always forget, and it would be nice to not have to use brainpower to try and remember what I should be doing/taking/eating/drinking in the final hours before the race.

Swim:  I think I have the IM swim figured out...BUT it would be good to work on the start speed a bit more...get a faster start!

T1:  The top of the food chain in the AG IM race is becoming so competitive that these seconds are starting to count.  9:32 took 3rd in 40-44, and 9:38 took 6th...and there were 6 slots for Kona for us.  Looking at the comparison of 6th place 40-44 transitions to 7th place 40-44 transitions, 6th place guy was 2:28 faster through T1 and T2, and beat the 7th place guy by 3:08 in final time.  If they were equal in transition time, the gap was down to 40 seconds...point proven.

Look at how close 4 through 7 are...and Schuster: Go Pro ;-)

Bike:  I have nothing to say here...I am an idiot...focus!!!  I was feeling great on the bike.  I know I was strong enough to get through the bike, and into my running shoes feeling strong for a great marathon while holding a good pace to keep me in the AG podium race, if not better.  I ended up with a 5:27 bike split, riding non-aero at 20-30 watts lower than my goal wattage, and I gave up the last 20 miles of the ride.  Three negatives plus 5 minutes of stoppage due to the crash, and I bet I would have biked a 5:0x, possibly slipping into a 4:59...BUT I just don't know because I ruined that opportunity.  The hardest part of this is building this engine and not knowing what it was capable of (talking about myself in the third person...great...). The day after the race, I felt like I didn't even workout on Sunday---or, I felt like I did a long base ride at 190 watts.  Hardly the effort I was planning on...

Run:  I would have had to run a sub 3:30 marathon (8:00/mi pace)...and I felt like I had that in me, easy.  I was going in thinking 3:15 (7:30 pace), but somewhere in that range of 3:15 and 3:30 would have been just fine.  Woulda...coulda...shoulda....again, I ruined that chance to see what I could do with the pain of the late miles of the marathon.  I will never know...

The End

Rio Salado Race Report

Some ONE boys heading out for some fun!

 After seeing what happened in St George and also sharing the weekend with IM Australia and Wildflower, I hardly feel like what happened here in Tempe this past Saturday was a "race."  But it was, so here's my race report for this local Olympic Triathlon...swam in a man made lake without a ripple, a bike course that's largest hill is an overpass, and a run that is fairly pancake flat as well.  Ho-hum to the 40 mph winds in St George (not to mention the climbs...), and the challenge that Wildflower presents to the competitor--"Mr Toad's Wild Ride"-as I have nicknamed that course for years (I did the long course 6 times, but haven't been out there since 1997).  I am humbled by my 40-44 stud friends.... Bryan Dunn's AG win at St George, and Ritch Viola's AG win at Wildflower....I need to find some slower 40-44 friends to make me feel faster.  Add coach Chris into this mix (along with all you other guys....you know who you are ;)   So...on to the RR, I have to give Rio Salado Olympic some justice!!!

With 2 weeks to go to IM Texas, I was happy to have this race fall onto the calendar more or less as a test and a chance to blow off some steam before the Texas race completely takes over every thought in my head.  It almost is a nice distraction, maybe even a psychological stimulant, to have this "in the way" of the race I've been focused on for 14+ weeks.  The week prior to this race was anything but normal...the monday prior I was visited by "Mr Cold," not to mention the allergies that were kicked into full gear due to the Palo Verde trees dropping millions of little yellow flowers all over the valley.  Claritin D and Mucinex were both called upon to alleviate the symptoms, but the damage was done, and I was put on a "48 hour hold" from training.  24 hours in, I felt fat, out of shape, and thought I had lost all of my fitness (of course all not true ;-)...I did get to watch "We Bought a Zoo" with the family---such a great night to let me know what life will be like post-IM, not to mention that movie is one of the best I have seen in a LONG time...I even got a little teary!  So the week went on, Chris gave me the "go"  to race on friday, so I registered last minute...but I was excited to race finally!

I had a great dinner friday night with the Dean's at Gordon Biersch (yes, I even ate the garlic fries...I needed as much salt as possible!), then it was home to get the gear in order.  This "test run" for IM Texas had a few new toys in the game...a new aero helmet from Airpark (Bell Javelin Helmet), new race kit from TYR (TYR Carbon Line), and new running shoes from Nike (Nike Zoom Elites).  To review these all together:  they are all amazing products---the helmet is very aero, and very comfortable (the shield is the way to go on an aero helmet, and theres is perfect).  I can't quite say why I like the TYR kit so much---the material is truly space age, comfortable, and does everything it should do and nothing it shouldn't.  The Nike's were better than I thought they would be as well----better for me compared to the Lunaracer+'s I wore last year (a bit more of a shoe, well worth the ounce or two as I approach 40 ;-)  I'm not one to just say "everything is great," but with these 3 changes, I will not be going back to something I liked more, because, well, I like these more ;-)

For breakfast race morning, I had my usual...oats, flax seed, scoop of Ultragen, almond milk.  Took my Optygen HP, MultiV, Salt Stick Tab (just one).   I slept great (I sleep in Fia's bed on race nights...kind of a good ritual for sleep if you know what I mean when you have 2 little ones at home ;-)  Off to TTL, I sipped on a 24oz bottle of EFS...I wanted to make sure all systems were topped off as I knew it would be hot.  I hit transition, said hi to my racing buddy for the day (Stephen Stromberg---racked together, rode together, ran together ;-).   Then it was off to my warm up routine, which serves the purpose to simply let key heart know what I am going to put it through on race day.  I head up to the bridge, do pickups across and back, and I'm ready to go.  A few swigs of Liquid Shot Kona Mocha (there is NOT a better tasting gel out there...well, maybe Peanut Butter GU...okay, it's a tie!)(EFS by First Endurance), half a Clif Bar--I felt well fueled with 30 minutes to "go" time.  Also, in went the 3 Pre-Race Capsules---yup, the First Endurance products are all over the place in my triathlon life ;-) Surprisingly, they announced that the race was WETSUIT LEGAL...I dunno about that, but I went with it, but should have gone speedsuit--it was warm.  Went through a good warmup for the swim muscles, and I felt pretty decent about racing while being sick all week. After a slight delay for race course issues, it was time to jump in...

My race strategy was to use the Wave Start to my advantage.  0-39 were in Wave 1, starting 3 minutes in front of my wave (40+).  My goal was to hammer the swim to close their 3 minute "lead" and allowing me to see the cushion versus having to run from behind.  Luckily, it worked, and I felt like I had a good feeling about where I was placed the entire race, and could gauge my effort somewhat to work with the gap and hold my position.  BUT it would be nicer if we had an Elite wave where we would all be on the same time...just my honest opinion.  At Nathan's Olympic in the fall they reverse it...35+ is wave #1...I can't have that working for me all the time I guess..

I'm trying to cheat...I'm the front most guy on the right side, white goggles.

yup, must have cheated...I'm in the lead 5 yards in.  I'm glad I didn't line up in the
middle, but look at the chaos in the back!!!

 

I got my clear water, but a bumpy road was ahead..

Swim:  I could tell on the jump-in that Speed Suit was the right call...oh well, too late now.  I decided to line up inside front versus my normal outside front spot---mistake number one.  The gun goes off, it's clear sailing, but only for what seems like 200 yards.  I had another "blue cap" to my right (must have started outside!!!), and we were pacing together well, but all of the sudden I was in a traffic jam, and watched the blue cap head outside along the shoulder of the jam into clear water while I proceeded to "bob and weave" the wave that started 3 minutes prior.  As I hit the traffic, I watched that blue cap head off into the Wave 2 swim lead...arg!!! Back to my bad choice, it wasn't without incident, but I managed to find a way through the maze relatively untouched (but had to use my head up drill to find a route every third stroke), except for the one poor guy that got my hand crunched onto the top of his head at the turn (sorry buddy...there was room for 2 swimmers but there was 3 of us...).  The buoys were flying by, but at the turnaround I started to get overheated---the lats were melting!   I learned my lesson and stayed wide after the turn, got to the final turn buoy, and started my "land prep" kicking harder to get some blood into my legs...I couldn't wait to get my wetsuit off.

                                       

Out of the water---reaching for the zipper pull when it's
right there in front of me ;-)

Brian, eventual winner, and me 5 seconds back in the red...
almost caught him from 3 minutes back on the swim

I look pissed ;-)

T1:  I think I've simplified my transitions over the years to the point that, well it is this:  wetsuit off, helmet on, grab bike, and GO!  The built in visor saves a second or two, and everything else I have accounted for in various ways...like tying rubber bands to the straps on my shoes for a flying mount...works like a charm for these short races.

The new helmet and kit are sweet!

Bike:  Chris didn't need to tell me much for this race:  it is simply "hammer the entire race."  So, I hammered the entire race, but maybe minus 5% for self preservation.  I just kept looking at the watts, and they were high, but it felt good.  If you don't know this bike course (I think I could do it in my sleep now), it is full of turns (its 2 loops), including 4 u-turns.  Not exactly a course that lets you settle in and create a good rhythm.  It felt a bit forced the first loop, but I was having fun seeing that I was in perfect, if not better than perfect position.  I had passed most of the only wave that started before me in the water, and I was happy to see that I was ahead of those I considered race favorites, although I needed maybe 100 more yards to catch Brian Folts, as I exited the water 5 seconds behind him.  Once on the bike, he was gone---but Josh Terwoord (who I thought was the guy to beat along with Folts) to my surprise, was behind me, so I had 3+ minutes of cushion if I could just stay near him on the bike.  Josh and Stephen caught me midway through the 2nd lap, and I just hung off the back of this group ...which gave me a chance to back off maybe 1-2%, and re-passing was just the stupidest thing I could have done.   We hit T2 lined up and now it was time to simply control the damage that Josh could do on the run, knowing that he is a superb runner (a sub 3 marathon at IMAZ in your first IM kind of gets everyones attention).   Nutrition/hydration wise, I tried something new, and it was perfect as well..I had one bottle of VitaCoco Coconut Water (diluted a bit with water and ice) on the bike....quenched my thirst, and kept me feeling hydrated.  I also took in a GU at the beginning of the second lap, and that was it for calories all race.

T2:  I fumbled at bit, bit again kept it simple:  helmet was off while running to the rack (and flying dismount = no shoes).  Shoes on, grab number belt, visor, glasses, and a 10 oz water bottle (which was key on this hot day!).

Run:  We kept our lineup intact, with Josh in front, Stephen in the middle, and me in the rear heading out onto the run.  Josh started to pull away, and I used just about everything I had to stay with Stephen.   That 10 oz water bottle allowed me to drink without slowing at all, and the cold water over the head at every aid station seemed to be the perfect plan.  Maybe I could have used a GU (I had one in my back pocket), but I was just too lazy to reach for it.  Onto lap 2, and I managed to catch up to Stephen, and that was all I had, so I ran with him.  at mile 4 I did a time check on Josh, who was 2 minutes ahead (did I already say he is a speedster???).  So I had 2.2 miles to go, and had 1 minute of cushion before Josh would pass me in the standings...but it was no time to let up.  I stuck with Stephen to the bridge, and then fell off his pace as we crossed the bridge---there was no way Josh was running :30/mile faster, and if he was, he earned it.  I was on fumes coming into the finish...I guess a good sign that I had left it all out there.  I was hoping for 2nd overall amateur, and I did it!  I was very stoked to have beaten a guy I feel is an amazing athlete, and is just the feeling I needed coming out of this IM "test" race.  I had no shot at the overall win, but I'm happy with my result and my approach more importantly---I'm not in my 20's anymore, using my wisdom is hopefully becoming my trump card ;-)

The Finish Chute..that flask was a GOOD call!  If I held it for 6.2 miles, it was treasured...

Me 2nd, Brian 1st, Josh 3rd...yeah they are youngins ;-)