Ironman Canada - TriathlonFull Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Penticton, British Columbia
Canada
Ironman North America
36C / 97F
Sunny
Total Time = 11h 48m 37s
Overall Rank = 599/2832
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 107/313
Pre-race routine:

Arrived via SUV on Thurs - straight drive from Calgary with the 2 kids (3 year/10 month) and the boss wife. Bike on the rack with no disk cover. Got into the hotel after dark, got settled. Went shopping for groceries as we got a suite with a kitchen.

On Friday drove the course and saw TrevorC at the Expo! Stayed away for the most part but still bought some arm warmers and a hat. :)

Pre-race day I did a short swim, 10k bike and a short 2k run. Everything felt good, shoes/socks etc all good. Ate a big pasta lunch with toast, and then for dinner it was chicken breast, rice and lots of asperagus. Chased down with nice delicious tall glasses of Perform Lemon-Lime.

Race morning up at 4:50 to eat 2 poptarts and some oatmeal. Also drank some perform. Got picked up by my training buddy (Brian) who brought me a large Tim Hortons coffee (I had banned caffine for the last 3-4 days) and we went to race start.

Forgot my 2 bike bottles in the fridge - borrowed some of Brian's G2 for the aerodrink to get me to the first aid station.

Event warmup:

None, hit the porta just before the pro start. Thanks to the coffee, lost 2 pounds (perfect timing for the rest of the day no repeat of France this time!)

Swim
  • 1h 23m 22s
  • 3862 meters
  • 02m 10s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was a funny one.

I started dead center about 10 rows back. I can swim 2:00/100 no problem, and have been faster still on my last Oly/HIM but this time I was concentrating on taking it totally easy, no extra effort, no fighting, just follow the bubbles. 5 mins here is 15+ on the run. So I was expecting around 2/100 because of the draft and the wetsuit. 4-6 strokes per breath, no high hr. I shortly found out I sandbagged a bit more than I expected!

What would you do differently?:

I gotta figure out my hard but not too hard pace for swim. Expected a 1:10 to 1:15.

Transition 1
  • 05m 44s
Comments:

I wore desoto long sleeve cooler shirt, and the riviera shorts under the wetsuit and the stripper guy had no problem yanking the suit off. Had a volunteer help me sort out my stuff. I spray my own sunblock - always. No race is worth skin cancer (runs in the fam). I also put on gloves with the desoto skin cooler helmet beanie. Stopped to get a coat of their sunblock cream and bolted for the bike.

Quite the surprise to run out to my bike and see the racks almost completely empty! WTF - over half the field is ahead of me. Got a tall order, but also have all day to do it. :) Whatever, make sure the Garmin is synced and my power display is all good.


What would you do differently?:

Hard to screw this up with all the help. Next time I will skip the gloves and just pad my bullhorns more.

Bike
  • 6h 02m 13s
  • 180.25 kms
  • 29.86 km/hr
Comments:

Bike: P2SL alum with vision basebar, brake levers, PD ski bend aero bars. Stock compact crank and a 12/27 rear. Speedworks bento, the xlab superwing (only 1 carrier on the dead rear with micro bag). 1 cage on the frame. Aerodrink light up front, with custom pvc 310XT mount near the shifters.

Flat kit was 2 butyl tubes, 3 co2, inflator with trigger, multi tool, chain breaker, spare link, crackpipe, 2 park levers, self stick patches.

Rear wheel was a Kinlin 32 spoke box rim, Vitoria Corsa Evo CX 23mm at 110 with wheelcover and powertap SL (I think). Front was a used flashpoint/404 clincher with a 20mm Vitoria Corsa Evo CX at 115. Both with mich latex tubes.

Helmet was the Lazer Tardiz (only one that fits my huge head)

Bike is all about being humble. There is no point going 5:15 and walking the entire run. You are riding your bike to the start of a running race. Rich from EN hammered this home on the free DVD "Long distance" and I really tried to take it to heart. There is no good bike split. There is only a good bike+run split. Listening to some guys talking about how awesome their bike splits were while I'm running past them means NO the bike splits were not awesome because you're walking 5+ hours.

I knew I had done a decent execution when I got to Yellow and felt really good. The climb was not a problem at all, just spun up like my commute hill all season.

For nutrition I went with 1 shot of EFS flask every 30 mins, 3 clif bloks every hour and then alternated Perform or water depending how I was feeling. So 300 cals/hr + whatever I drank. Dumped 1 water bottle on my cooler arms and back every station (sorry). No real heat training in Calgary this year as it's barely been over 25 but I felt really good for the whole bike. I was worried about the helmet but it was a non-issue.

What would you do differently?:

NO aerodrink. I'm done with that mess. I will convert to the front horizontal bottle holder for races with handouts on the bike. I dunno if I'll keep the single rear holder - I didn't use it once. Just the frame and aerodrink (soon to be torpedo).

Oh and figure out why my front derailer is so touchy lately as I dropped chain on a climb (badly enough I couldn't get it back without getting off)

Transition 2
  • 04m 34s
Comments:

Again, another V helped me organise my stuff, I sprayed my own sunblock then went and got the cream. Shoes have my knotted speed laces from France (very funky). Potty stop and out the door.
What would you do differently?:

Change into running shorts. Mine were fine but sticky from all the powerbar crap and they have no pockets. 30s more would have been fine with me in exchange for new shorts.

Do not wear triathlon running shoes with holes in the soles when there's water everywhere.

Run
  • 4h 12m 47s
  • 42.16 kms
  • 05m  min/km
Comments:

Again, I read a lot of race reports and advice from dudes way faster than me. I got my vdot number from my last HM and 10K and had my paces nailed to the wall. 5:30ish for the first 10k then 5:15 for the rest until finish or wall.

First few K, exactly as everyone says, you feel great and want to go fast. Ack sub 5, slow down, keep it 5:30, ack sub 5 again - idiot stop doing that it's hot out. But HR is low, come on maybe you can do a 3:30 (close to standalone) no no no slow down, lot's of run to go BACK OFF, don't outrun your fitness, but common, etc etc etc. That went on for awhile.

It got REALLY hot right, but the long sleeve cooler shirt seemed to work great because of the wind and the sponges keeping everything wet. Also asked the V's to put ice in my top spine pocket which kept the blood cool.

Funny thing about the ice in the neck pocket - it clinks. One time later I was running alone and though "Hrm, some dude is going to pass me running in bike shoes!" - but it was just my own ice clacking away.

My hat got super heavy being wet. That was unplanned. Also the shirt had crap pockets for running - anything in there bounces. Should have brought a small belt for a flask. I carried the same EFS gel bottle in my hand for almost 3/4 the race before finally tossing it. :)

My FEET. Ugh, I knew about making sure the hoses etc didn't get the feet wet but the sponges were running down the legs and the shoes have drain holes in them for Oly/whatever other tri races. So stepping in puddles meant wetter feet. By the halfway point I felt the soft squishy feeling of soon-to-come big blisters on both feet bottoms.

So the first half was a decent 1:55 for me (paced slow, was secretly hoping to pick it up) but lack of 30+km running and the wet feet (and probably the heat) did me in and I did several walk-run segments before running in the last 5km.

What would you do differently?:

Pace a bit slower % on the run, and do some more +30km runs even if they are under pace. I had two 30km runs everything else was in the 20s. I gambled that I could get away with skipping the really slow long runs. I was wrong.

Obviously the heat was a factor, but with how much support is available I can't use that as much of an excuse. Now my wet shoes and feet, I absolutely can and will plan for that in the future.

Now that some time has passed I wonder how much the foot pain really bothered me vs me using it as a mental pass to walk. I guess it really takes several IMs to get the wall idea down and be able to deal with it properly.

Post race
Warm down:

Not much - I felt pretty good but obviously totally exhausted. Had a slurpee and Burger King and went to bed. I wanted to go back down to the line but wife and kids and barely being able to walk won over.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Lack of long (2:30 hr+) runs. Heat. Wet feet.


Event comments:

Great race, already chomping at the bit to have another go, but with the little kids this will be the last IM for 2-3 years. I will use the time to get faster at running and work on some short course bike.

I would love to hit 10:59 next time.

Went for a 5k run on Friday, and an 9k run on Sat. Totally flat speedwise but I feel good. Legs are still sore so I'm still taking it easy for the next week or so. Haven't hopped on a scale since race day - hope it's not too bad.

This was an awesome race. In a perfect world, I might have run down an 11:30 or so but whatever, it is what it is and I'm ok with everything. And the day was HARD so no matter if it was a 9:00 or a 16:59 everyone paid their dues.

I can't WAIT to be back.




Profile Album


Last updated: 2010-10-05 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:23:22 | 3862 meters | 02m 10s / 100meters
Age Group: 235/313
Overall: 1866/2832
Performance: Below average
3.97 km, course was 5 mins slow. Track was straight. First 500m: 9 mins. Mostly draft I presume. 2nd 500: 9:59, then 10:31, then 10:22, then 10:25 then 10:51, then 10:51 again and finally 10:16. Maintained breathing every 4-6 strokes. No real contact other than guarding space.
Suit: Blue Seventy Helix
Course: Mass 2800 start, 1 triangle loop. Total distance on the 310 was 3.97km, and the course was running about 5 mins slow due to wind according to the gurus (and Jordan).
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 22C / 72F Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:44
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:02:13 | 180.25 kms | 29.86 km/hr
Age Group: 154/313
Overall: 881/2832
Performance: Good
Power power power. I barely use 1/10 the functions, but the one I use is Jordan's "DON'T EAT THE PASTE" display. Ie, I had my latest FTP number (216) from a few weeks ago and my %'s for all the segments of the course based on %s from other successful riders. Richter, Rollers, Mclean - keep it under 185. Flats? 150. Yellow? 160. Shoot for an average of 150. Don't ever look at speed. If over 200, back off immediately. Ignore the wind and pedal at least 100W going down the hills until spin out. Avg Pwr: 137 - so a bit under target. Several kms with 0 avg cause of coasting but still, maybe 5-6 mins could have been gained without screwing the run. Max Speed: 75.4 km/hr (would have been faster but damn headwind) Avg Speed: 29.8 km/hr (goal was 30) Avg HR was 131. Though that may be in error as my HR was reporting stupid high maxes on every lap (like 200+). I don't watch it in the race just something to note afterwards.
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: IMC Course, lots of detail in other posts. FANTASTIC course. I liked it more than France. I have never ridden it before, but drove it on Friday, and I had already viewed all the good bits on Google street view so I knew what to expect (sort of). Driving it in the car was a bit demoralizing - my v6 was chuggin up some of the climbs. Much bigger than I was expecting. But the day was great and with all my race gear and good pacing I found it just right. Those 7 "rollers" after richter are not rollers - those are climbs!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 78
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:34
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
04:12:47 | 42.16 kms | 05m  min/km
Age Group: 75/313
Overall: 435/2832
Performance: Below average
First half of the run, 1:55 - right on target for a 3:50 marathon. Second half, my god the bottom of my feet hurt like daggers. Dropped above 5:30 pace splits at km 28 then it was walksville. :(
Course: Out and back, on what I was TOLD was a flat course. I rode the first half and got a taste of a few hills, ok, and knew about the big one at the turn around - but there's quite a few more that were a nice surprise. Super hot but aid stations every mile it's crazy good support. I had no problem with ice and sponges etc.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4