I will skip all the boring details about travel and pre-race stuff and get to the meat of it right away. The only thing worth mentioning is that I was sick for a few weeks and was starting to feel recovered only a few days before the race. So going in, I was a bit worried how that'd affect my performance. I feel that it didn't affect it much, but it is impossible to know for sure.
I woke up at 3 AM and got the coffee brewing. From past experience, the coffee in the hotel room is crappy, but this time it was actually decent. After finishing a cup of hot coffee, I started sipping on OSMO and also had my usual pre-race Chobani+Granola breakfast. I put on the timing chip and warm morning clothes and was ready to leave.
I reached the race venue at City Park, Coeur D'Alene, at 5AM. We found a parking spot a short walk from the transition. First thing I did before entering transition was getting body marked and then I got in the line to pump up the tires. After a quick final checkup of transition gear, I squeezed into the wetsuit and headed to the swim start. The water was ~60F so I decided to use the neoprene booties for extra comfort.
Swim: 1:06
I seeded myself with the 1:00-1:16 group and we were in the water within 3 minutes from the start. I headed straight for the first buoy and my goal was to swim straight and as close to the buoys as possible. I think the rolling start made the first few minutes feel much more relaxed than they'd have otherwise. I got into an easy rhythm and was constantly scoping out the space around me for a pair of feet to draft. I found a woman swimming roughly my speed and tried to get on her feet, but she was zig-zagging a lot, so I let her go. After 5-10 minutes of solo swimming, I found those perfect pair of feet which I'd follow for most of the remaining swim. I'd lose them at the end of the first loop, but since I now almost recognize the kicking pattern and the shape of the feet, I'd find them again after the turn around and draft to the end of the swim. I was pleasantly surprised at the time, considering the choppy/windy conditions and how easy I went.
T1: 10:32
Upon getting out of the water I was feeling quite fresh. Having wetsuit strippers was a huge help since I usually struggle to get out of the wetsuit. A volunteer handed me my bike gear bag and I rushed into the changing tent. I put on the HRM, sleeveless TriForce jersey and the Giordana aero jersey on top of it. I had the gels already stuffed in the jersey pockets. Quickly checked off other things - apply chamois cream, headband on, helmet on, shoes on - and was off on the bike. It was going to be windy and cold, so I opted to not wear the bike jersey under the wetsuit. I think I had too many things to do in T1 which cost me a few extra minutes.
Bike: 6:28
With two layers and arm warmers I was quite comfortable on the bike. Some would laugh at me, but if I am not warm, I end up miserable on the bike. I started out easy until my legs were warmed up to the pedaling motion, after which I followed my power caps - 150-160W on flats and 180-190W on hills. I wasn't really monitoring my HR. For the whole ride I strictly followed the nutrition plan of 1 Powergel + 1 salt tab every 20 minutes which I think worked out well for me. It was a hard day out there on the bike because of crazy head winds while going south in highway 95. On the second loop, the wind was so bad that I had to pedal even on downhill to keep moving forward. Hydration-wise, drinking to thirst and peeing to pressure worked out well for me. During the last couple of hours I could feel my power wane and it was harder to hold the planned 160W. There has been a definite improvement in my biking endurance, but I still have a long way to go.
T2: 5:xx
Nothing noteworthy about T2. Handed off the bike to the volunteer, and jogged to the changing tent with the run gear bag. Put on running hat, Vaseline-lined socks and running shoes, and fuel/bib belt, and took off.
Run: 4:24
I started conservatively at 9 min/mi pace. Since I was also walking through the aid stations, it was putting me at ~9:30 min/mi avg. pace. I was mostly scared about the second half of the marathon, so didn't want to increase my pace. I made the first loop in 2:03, on-track for a 4 hr finish. What I did differently was drink Coke instead of gels+water. The very first gel I had on the run made me feel nauseous. I immediately switched to Coke and popped a salt tab every 20 minutes. I was peeing at every other aid station, which made me think that I might be over-hydrating, so I dialed back on the Coke and started eating some chips and oranges at the aid stations. It seemed to be working very well for me. I hadn't yet had RedBull which they were offering for the first time on the course. I was saving it for the final miles. At mile 15, I started having some pain on the outer side of my right knee. At first I thought that the dreaded had happened - the IT band has given up. But this time it wasn't the IT band; it was something else. I stretched and massaged it a bit, walked for a minute and tried running again. The pain had gone, but only to return after a mile. It wasn't as bad as the IT band injury at IM Louisville last year, but the pain was annoying and keeping me from running my normal gait. I stopped at the next aid station and found a medic. He tied a bandage gauze around my knee and also gave me an Ibuprofen, just in case. The knee strap seemed to be helping, but only partially. After a lot of self debate, I decided to do the unthinkable and popped the Ibuprofen. Like magic, the pain vanished in a few minutes. My mood was elevated again, I was able to focus on my run and enjoy the atmosphere. However, I was also getting really tired and my legs were on the verge of cramping. It suddenly occurred to me that I was so engrossed in fixing the nagging pain, that I forgot to take my salt and nutrition. I immediately popped a couple of salt pills and decided that it was time to give RedBull a shot. I was past mile 20 when I had my first RedBull, and then something magical happened. I could feel a sudden burst of energy and I found myself running an avg. of 8 min/mi pace which I was able to hold all the way to the finish.
I woke up at 3 AM and got the coffee brewing. From past experience, the coffee in the hotel room is crappy, but this time it was actually decent. After finishing a cup of hot coffee, I started sipping on OSMO and also had my usual pre-race Chobani+Granola breakfast. I put on the timing chip and warm morning clothes and was ready to leave.
I reached the race venue at City Park, Coeur D'Alene, at 5AM. We found a parking spot a short walk from the transition. First thing I did before entering transition was getting body marked and then I got in the line to pump up the tires. After a quick final checkup of transition gear, I squeezed into the wetsuit and headed to the swim start. The water was ~60F so I decided to use the neoprene booties for extra comfort.
Swim: 1:06
I seeded myself with the 1:00-1:16 group and we were in the water within 3 minutes from the start. I headed straight for the first buoy and my goal was to swim straight and as close to the buoys as possible. I think the rolling start made the first few minutes feel much more relaxed than they'd have otherwise. I got into an easy rhythm and was constantly scoping out the space around me for a pair of feet to draft. I found a woman swimming roughly my speed and tried to get on her feet, but she was zig-zagging a lot, so I let her go. After 5-10 minutes of solo swimming, I found those perfect pair of feet which I'd follow for most of the remaining swim. I'd lose them at the end of the first loop, but since I now almost recognize the kicking pattern and the shape of the feet, I'd find them again after the turn around and draft to the end of the swim. I was pleasantly surprised at the time, considering the choppy/windy conditions and how easy I went.
T1: 10:32
Upon getting out of the water I was feeling quite fresh. Having wetsuit strippers was a huge help since I usually struggle to get out of the wetsuit. A volunteer handed me my bike gear bag and I rushed into the changing tent. I put on the HRM, sleeveless TriForce jersey and the Giordana aero jersey on top of it. I had the gels already stuffed in the jersey pockets. Quickly checked off other things - apply chamois cream, headband on, helmet on, shoes on - and was off on the bike. It was going to be windy and cold, so I opted to not wear the bike jersey under the wetsuit. I think I had too many things to do in T1 which cost me a few extra minutes.
Bike: 6:28
With two layers and arm warmers I was quite comfortable on the bike. Some would laugh at me, but if I am not warm, I end up miserable on the bike. I started out easy until my legs were warmed up to the pedaling motion, after which I followed my power caps - 150-160W on flats and 180-190W on hills. I wasn't really monitoring my HR. For the whole ride I strictly followed the nutrition plan of 1 Powergel + 1 salt tab every 20 minutes which I think worked out well for me. It was a hard day out there on the bike because of crazy head winds while going south in highway 95. On the second loop, the wind was so bad that I had to pedal even on downhill to keep moving forward. Hydration-wise, drinking to thirst and peeing to pressure worked out well for me. During the last couple of hours I could feel my power wane and it was harder to hold the planned 160W. There has been a definite improvement in my biking endurance, but I still have a long way to go.
T2: 5:xx
Nothing noteworthy about T2. Handed off the bike to the volunteer, and jogged to the changing tent with the run gear bag. Put on running hat, Vaseline-lined socks and running shoes, and fuel/bib belt, and took off.
Run: 4:24
I started conservatively at 9 min/mi pace. Since I was also walking through the aid stations, it was putting me at ~9:30 min/mi avg. pace. I was mostly scared about the second half of the marathon, so didn't want to increase my pace. I made the first loop in 2:03, on-track for a 4 hr finish. What I did differently was drink Coke instead of gels+water. The very first gel I had on the run made me feel nauseous. I immediately switched to Coke and popped a salt tab every 20 minutes. I was peeing at every other aid station, which made me think that I might be over-hydrating, so I dialed back on the Coke and started eating some chips and oranges at the aid stations. It seemed to be working very well for me. I hadn't yet had RedBull which they were offering for the first time on the course. I was saving it for the final miles. At mile 15, I started having some pain on the outer side of my right knee. At first I thought that the dreaded had happened - the IT band has given up. But this time it wasn't the IT band; it was something else. I stretched and massaged it a bit, walked for a minute and tried running again. The pain had gone, but only to return after a mile. It wasn't as bad as the IT band injury at IM Louisville last year, but the pain was annoying and keeping me from running my normal gait. I stopped at the next aid station and found a medic. He tied a bandage gauze around my knee and also gave me an Ibuprofen, just in case. The knee strap seemed to be helping, but only partially. After a lot of self debate, I decided to do the unthinkable and popped the Ibuprofen. Like magic, the pain vanished in a few minutes. My mood was elevated again, I was able to focus on my run and enjoy the atmosphere. However, I was also getting really tired and my legs were on the verge of cramping. It suddenly occurred to me that I was so engrossed in fixing the nagging pain, that I forgot to take my salt and nutrition. I immediately popped a couple of salt pills and decided that it was time to give RedBull a shot. I was past mile 20 when I had my first RedBull, and then something magical happened. I could feel a sudden burst of energy and I found myself running an avg. of 8 min/mi pace which I was able to hold all the way to the finish.
The atmosphere at the finish line was electrifying. The crowd was all charged up and cheering like crazy. I saw my wife and daughter and took a few seconds to give them a kiss and continued celebrating toward the finish, high-fiving the crowd. There was a time during the run when I was thinking, "Why the heck did I sign up for this?" But it was only a few minutes after the finish that I knew I wanted to cross that finish line again. With the final time of 12:15, it was a 1:43 PR over IM Louisville last year. A big improvement, but I know that I am not yet even close to my physical limits.
 |
| Finisher Certificate |
- Need to put in more focus on bike training if I want to go sub-6 on the bike on my next IM.
- Big focus on the run and do 2 marathons by end of year.
- Swimming once a week + cords is good enough to maintain my swim fitness.
- I had a very weak core and imbalances in muscle groups. Regular strength training helped me get stronger and improve my endurance.
- Getting injured on the marathon (again) goes to show that I still have some muscle imbalance/weakness that I need to shake out.
- I think I have nailed my IM nutrition, and don't intend to change it unless I drastically change my racing strategy.
1 comment:
Congrats!! It really sounds like you NAILED it! Pacing, nutrition, and staying smart and adjusting intelligently you when things didn't go as planned. BRAVO!
Post a Comment