What a race! I have to start by saying that IMSR was the most satisfying Ironman I have had to date. I hear about people getting emotional while crossing that finish line, but I had never experienced it until now. It is not that I PR'd, or that I met my run goal, but there was certainly something unique. It is impossible to explain the feeling and even more impossible to imagine it without actually experiencing it.
Race Summary:
Swim: 1:02:45 (1:24/100yd)
T1: 7:56
Bike: 5:36:12 (19.99 mph)
T2: 4:52
Run: 3:49:52
Total: 10:41:35 (AG place: 21/203)
SWIM (1:02:45)
Roughest swim ever!
It was a mess at the turn buoys
Loop 2 was even worse
Got my leg pulled hard once
Got punched once with a bloody lip
Goggles filled with water twice
Garmin 920XT almost got knocked off from the quick release mount
IM swim PR for me, but still a bit disappointed since I was confident about going under 1HR.
Getting faster:
Getting faster:
- Get to the pool consistently
- Do hard sets
- Keep good form towards the end of long workouts
- Better sighting
- Steer clear of cluster-f***s around turn buoys
T1 (7:56)
SLOW as hell! Really need to work on my transitions. On top of that, Coach was watching me in the changing tent as I was rummaging through my transition bag.
Getting faster:
Getting faster:
- Practice transitions
- Don't think during transition
- Make transitions second nature
Bike (5:35:12)
Pretty happy with the bike split given where my bike fitness was, which was not great. My bike power has been suffering in the past year. Too much sugary gels caused drowsiness on the bike until I downed a couple of caffeinated gels. After getting some caffeine in the system, power went back up. Unlike past IMs felt good off of the bike. Overall happy given bike fitness, but lots of room for improvement!
Getting Faster:
Getting Faster:
- Increase FTP
- Improve aerobic power
- Don't skip hard sets
- Do anything else coach tells me to do
T2 (4:52)
Not as fast as I would have liked, but OK.Run (3:49:52)
Hardest run ever! This is the pace I trained for and I did it, but it was not easy. I have suffered from IT band injuries in all past IMs, triggering progressively later in the run for each subsequent IM. This run was definitely a turning point for me with no cramping, no injuries and meeting my goal. It was a 3-loop run course. 1st loop was, as per plan, a "survey" of the course. Felt quite comfortable on 1st loop, averaging 8:35 min/mi. 2nd loop was painful and I was a tough place mentally. Just took it 1 mile at a time and kept chugging along. Legs weren't feeling great and was worried about cramping, so slowed down a bit. Averaged 9:17 min/mi on 2nd loop. 3rd loop started slow, but I picked it up at the turn around. The last 4 miles were an emotional roller coaster - something I have NEVER experienced before. At mile 25, one of the nasty blisters that were building up, popped! Shooting pain went to my brain but I kept pushing. I had 1 mile to go and was not going to let a measly blister hold me back. I was really pissed off and ran the last mile at 7:19 pace. It was great to have Coach Coady and Andrew cheering us on on the run course less than a mile from finish. Erin drove out 2 hours to cheer us on, which was amazing! It was a winding and narrow 0.5 mi to the finish, but as I entered the finish chute, I could feel the electric environment of the finish line. For the first time after 3 IMs I ACTUALLY heard Mike Reilly say my name (as best as he could) followed by "... You are an IRONMAN!"
Getting Faster:
Getting Faster:
- Improve aerobic pace by slowly increasing pace for longer runs
- Don't get injured!
- Run a few marathons
- Work on strength
