Ironman Arizona Race Report

Let me just preface by saying that this race report will be a lot of "what didn't go well" than anything else. There are some positives, but they are overshadowed by the low-lights. For some context, I was going into this race as a deferral from the IMCA cancellation 3 weeks ago. I was sick 1 week before IMCA and I was feeling really unsure about how I'd do at IMCA. So the cancellation and then getting into IMAZ with a limited open slots was the best thing that could have happened. The 2 weeks of build after IMCA cancellation went really well. I was able to get in some good swims with wetsuit that boosted my confidence in the swim. My bike power was at it's all time best and my aero endurance was better than ever before. Run was the biggest wild card due to the pain in the left foot arch which had forced me to keep all training runs super slow at sub 9:20 min/mi pace. I had also not done any runs longer than 2hrs. Contrast that with 2017 IM Santa Rosa training when I had multiple 2:30hr and 2:45hr runs at 8:30-8:45 pace. Long story short, I knew going in that I was not going to have a fast run. My only hope was to be able to maintain a good 9-9:15 pace and finish in respectable time. And now without further ado --

Swim: 1:07:xx

What went well:

• Was able to sight well and didn't veer off course
• No chaffing
• Water temp came in just under 64.5 so was able to wear booties
• Transition to T1 went really well

What didn't go well:

• The mask was hanging under my chin when I dove in the water. As I pulled it out, my ears plopped out from under the swim cap
• Never felt fully loosened up
• Could not find a pair of feet to draft (or maybe I didn't try hard enough)
• Left shoulder and elbow were giving out during the last 1K
• Transition to T1 was quick; wetsuit peeler worked great

Bike:5:33:xx

That's an Ironman bike PR for me by 2 minutes. The ride did not feel as hard as some of the previous races despite the crazy winds on the way out on all 3 loops. Ended up with 151W NP for the ride with roughly same speed as in training. 

What went well:

• Nailed the nutrition
• Drank 1 aero bottle per aid station (hit 8 aid stations in total)
• Successfully peed 3x on the bike
• Felt strong throughout 

What didn't go well:

• Was feeling a bit bloated by the end of the ride
• Mouth was feeling dry despite drinking a lot
• Tire pressure was not right for the road conditions -- I should carry my own pump on race morning in the future

Run: 4:48:25

This run was a disaster of epic proportions. Going in I was not expecting to have my best Ironman run anyways because my training had been on the slower side due some foot issues mentioned above.

What went well:

• Foot never hurt so bad that I could not run at all -- had to manage the effort so that I was right on the edge. Pushing any more would have made the foot worse.
• Did not cramp at all
• Nutrition of coke and salt went well for the first 15 miles or so. I'd take 2 cups from the table and fill it in my handheld bottle and finish it before the next aid station
• Had 2x Hotshot which I believe helped stave off any potential cramping
• I was walking more frequently on loop 3 but realized that even super easy jogging was significantly faster than walking, and was able to jog most of the last 3-4 miles. 

What didn't go well:

• Foot was on the edge of hurting the whole time. Couldn't run faster than 9:15-9:30 pace
• Was feeling a bit bloated as I started the run and had to go pee at the very first aid station
• Had to stop to poop at the beginning of loop 2. From that point on, stomach started feeling weird. A couple of miles later I switched from coke to gel and a few sips of Red Bull every other aid station. But the stomach kept feeling worse. Had to stop to poop again at the beginning of loop3 and then again at mile 24.
• Could not take in any gels or coke or Red Bull during most of loop 3. Tried switching to some solid foods like grapes and chips but it didn't help much.
• Not taking in much nutrition on loop 3 caught up to me during the last mile where my left foot toes were on the verge of cramping and I barely made it across the finish

Post Race:

I was feeling quite miserable post-race. Dena stuck around until I finished, and it was really great to have someone to talk to and hang out with after the finish as I collected my bike and bags. I took an Uber to the hotel, unpacked, showered and changed. I was still not feeling hungry but I ordered some food on DoorDash anyways. After the shower I was shivering a lot so I got into the bed and tried to sleep, but couldn't. I think I was running a mild fever so I popped an Ibuprofen. Within 30mins I started feeling better, stopped shivering and was finally able to sleep. I woke up around midnight starving! I ate the food I had ordered through DoorDash and then went back to bed. I quickly checked the IM tracker and was happy to see that everyone I was tracking had finished! I woke up next morning at 8AM feeling much much better.

As I am writing this 2 days after the race, my soreness has almost fully disappeared already, which is very surprising considering how beat up I was feeling after the race. But now that I think of it, it makes sense because I was not really able to push myself due to stomach and foot issues, and I usually get more sore only when I push to my limits.

What's Next?

Immediately after the race I was sure that I'd not even want to see my bike, my helmet, wetsuit or any of the tri gear for months, but the next morning I was feeling more motivated to come back stronger and fitter. However this time around I'd like to be more focused and smarter about it. Full IM training has been quite taxing on personal life, so my current thinking is to focus on a few things in 2022:

1. Strength: Building a STRONG strength base in the off-season
2. Running: Focus on upping the run fitness by aiming to BQ in 2022
3. Xterra: Focus on Xterra off-road Tri racing in 2022
4. HIM: Maybe do 1 Half Ironman towards end of 2022 season

MTB Tweaks!

I am currently prepping for Tahoe MTB 100K race on July 17. I had tried MTBing about 6 years ago but didn't enjoy it for some unknown reason. But I picked it up again while we were quarantining last year in the Sierras, and I haven't looked back since. My trusty old Specialized Camber FSR has served me well, but I wanted something lighter that I can call more of a "racing machine", so I splurged on the Ibis DV9 hardtail. Many had recommended to go with HT as it is stiffer, lighter and good enough for most California trails. 

I love my DV9, but even after some initial tweaks, I was not feeling 100% comfortable on that bike. More so, as I am training for the 100K, I have been trying to do some 5-6hr rides on Saturdays but just haven't been able to nail one until today. After 3 weekends of botched rides, I decided to make some concrete changes to how I was approaching these long training rides. So without further adieu, here are the tweaks I made:

1. Shorter 30mm stem and raised it by 1 spacer: This brought the cockpit and relative position to the saddle much closer to the measurements on my other MTB (Specialized) which is super comfy.
2. Seat height adjustment to match leg extension to that on my other MTB: Upon close assessment I felt my legs were feeling but bit more extended on my DV9 compared to the Specialized. Dropping the seat post by just half a cm seems to feel much better.
3. Used both isotonic (Hi5) and non-isotonic (GU) gels (alternating): This probably had the most bang for the buck. Only GU+chews was making me nauseous and drowsy after ingesting all that sugar for 4+ hours. I had tried Hi5 (and also UCAN) in the past but it didn't work for me. Recently I read somewhere that isotonic gels (longer glucose molecules) have a different metabolic pathway (through the liver) than non-isotonic gels (simpler fructose molecules) that get absorbed in the small intestine. By consuming both, one can increase the rate of energy absorption significantly. Today was only 1 data point, but I will continue to test this theory in the coming weeks.
4. Consumed more salt (3 Nuun tabs instead of 2 in 1 bottle of water): Well, it was HOT, so more salt. That's pretty much a no-brainer.
5. Closely watched HR throughout the ride and paced myself better.
6. Picked clean lines with no jumps: I like going DH fast and jumping over small rocks and obstacles. But the downside of it is that it tires my arms, and the legs take a beating, especially with a HT. Today I tried to pick clean smooth lines as much as I could, which I believe reduced the stress significantly.
7. Didn't go crazy on the DH: Mostly for reasons mentioned in #6, and also tried not to spend all DH time out of the saddle although that is difficult with a HT.
8. Walked some technical short climbs where I'd otherwise burn quite a few matches: There are at least 5 different short technical patches where one needs to really put the power down while also shifting the weight forward AND picking the right line AND on occasion getting over ledges/rocks. 
9. Dropped the pressure in the front suspension -- it was way too high for my weight -- and it made a world of difference