Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
WTC
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 58m 42s
Overall Rank = 1274/2974
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 269/459
Pre-race routine:

Hard trying to get sleep the night before my first full IM race. Finally got out of bed at 3:00 after about 4-5 hours of sleep, took a shower, had a wheat bagel with PB, Nutella & honey, banana and some G2. Took my Meltdown pills about 4:00, loaded the car, got Kym and Devyn in the car and headed off for Tempe. Made it to transition when it opened and took care of my bike (pumped tires, loaded fluid nutrition). Surprised when a buddy from CA showed up (he secretly volunteered on kayaks to sign up for 2012 to run next year with me) and we hung out for a few minuted before he had to get to the water. Took some photos with Steve Pilon and Matt Bare, had some Power Bites and Perform and got into my wetsuit. Tried not relieve myself too much, knowing I would need the warmth in the water. Spent some alone-time motivating myself and saying a few prayers. Made my way to the swim holding area and tried to envision the start and how I would function. When the let us go I was in the water very quickly and worked to loosen up. Met a guy (Bob Weaver) from Tenn and we talked in the water and sat on the ledge to watch the pros go out. Waded to my position (right front, about 4 people deep) and waited for the cannon. I enjoyed hearing the awesome local triathlete Dan Cadriel sing the National Anthem (felt bad I could not stand at attention), then waited............
Event warmup:

Some light stretching and positive thinking.
Swim
  • 1h 23m 11s
  • 3850 meters
  • 02m 10s / 100 meters
Comments:

The water was crisp, the lake was crowded, but I came in within my expected range (1:15-1:30).
What would you do differently?:

Perhaps move up a bit before the start. I was going with the pack at good speed, so not many people passed me out where we were.
Transition 1
  • 11m 52s
Comments:

Slow T1, but I took my time purposely. I did not enter the transition tent - I saw it was crowded so I just sat on the grass and did my thing. My T1 bag was full, so it took a minute to organize and get dressed. I decided to wear a cycling bib, so I had to remove my tri top, which was soaked, and put it back on. I wore my bike shoes all through transition - not sure if that was good or bad. Getting my arm warmers on was difficult as I was wet. Even after toweling off I struggled a bit. The biggest problem was I forgot to stop and get lathered up with sunscreen, so my fair skin did get sunburned throughout the bike course.
What would you do differently?:

Next time I will likely not wear my tri top during the swim, and I will remember to get sunscreen on before leaving T1. I think I can improve this time by a few minutes, but with a 112 mile ride in front of me, I do not want to rush too much and forget something more that I will regret.
Bike
  • 6h 34m 9s
  • 112 miles
  • 17.05 mile/hr
Comments:

I rode a good bike split, which set up my run well. I held back on the first loop until the turn, and it helped get me prepared for the rest of the ride. My nutrition plan worked awesome, and I followed it very well, even though I was not always hungry. Fluid intake was excellent, and I had Salt Stick Plus caps which kept me with a good sodium level. No cramps until the last mile and a half, and even then it was a quick pinch of the right quad, and went away immediately. All in all I was very happy with the bike portion, but was glad for it to be over.
What would you do differently?:

Hard to tell. I stopped to urinate twice at porta potties, and am not comfortable urinating while riding. I spent more time at special needs than expected, as I re-filled my Infinit with fresh powder and added water. I suppose saving a few minutes there was about all I could have controlled. I do not want to criticize my ride pattern, as I was very happy with my effort level and the fact that I saved strength for the run (which was obvious to me later).
Transition 2
  • 04m 33s
Comments:

T2 was about as-expected. I got my gear, went into the transition tent, and one of the awesome volunteers stayed with me and helped out. I gathered my run gear pretty quickly and the volunteer loaded my transition bag, so all went smooth. Headed out I did stop to get sunscreen to keep the burning from getting worse.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I thought this was good overall and I really had no wasted time in transition.
Run
  • 4h 44m 57s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

My HR was below my expected peak, so that was good. The cold sponges kept my body temp down until dusk, and that was refreshing. I had Perform and H2O at almost every station, Chicken Broth at about 6-8 stations, and a handful of chips and pretzels once each. I kept away from Cola most of the time, but did take on a few just for flavor, carbonation, and a little caffeine boost. Except for the pretzels and chips (I did not finish either handful) I had no solid substance on the run, which was my plan. My run/walk strategy paid off, and it kept me strong so I could run the last couple miles to the finisher's chute. Here is my funny story - deep inside I wanted to break 13 hours. But my GPS watch (which was low on battery and I shut off just to watch current time after 6pm) was getting right up to 8:00pm, the 13hr mark. When I got to the "left turn" (right turn is for loops 1, 2, and 3), it was right about 8:00 and I gave up my 13hr quest. My brother in law (who volunteered as security for the bike) saw me and ran along Rio Salado with me, motivating me and getting me very emotional (my HR must have soared at this point). I turned the corner and was so ecstatic I never heard Mike Reilly call my name or say those famous words. After crossing the line (here is where the story gets good) I saw my swim coach, Frank Sole, and he told me I broke 13hrs. I turned to see the clock was still under 13hrs and was so excited. It never hurts to pray and turn things over to Him, as I truly believe He gave me strength and kept the clock moving slowly.
What would you do differently?:

Perhaps try and run a bit more, and a bit faster. my HR was down, and I just wanted strong legs, but think I may be able to push a bit harder. However, I would not downplay my run pattern or my effort at all - it got me to the finish and under my hopeful time.
Post race
Warm down:

After getting my medal, thermal blanket, finisher's hat and shirt, and having my picture taken, I went in and met up with Kym and Shawn and got congrats, then signed up for my massage. Waited about 30 minutes for the massage (they are worth the wait!), and during that time had some fries and pizza and a Pepsi and talked with John Dean of ONE Multisport (great organization) and some other athletes. Met up with Kym, Shawn, Keri, and my brother in law Scott and told some stories, then got my massage and hears Mike Reilly call out Stephen Pilon's name as an Ironman (totally cool). I saw Steve outside the massage tent and talked to him before he went to medical (he was very dehydrated and got a refreshing IV). We got my gear and loaded the car, then Kym and I went back and watched the finish line for about an hour and a half. We went home about 11pm, I took a shower and watched the midnight hour on Ironmanlive to see the last few finisher's and one lady who crossed after the 17hr mark.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Nothing except inexperience with this distance I think. I was thrilled with my performance and my effort level all day, and felt strong throughout. My legs were tired, but that was to be expected, so with this under my belt I can work towards getting a better time.

Event comments:

WTC is the greatest, and Ironman races are like nothing else on earth. The whole place and environment is electric, the volunteers are totally awesome, and the spectators are as motivating as you could ever ask for. So much positive, I do not see how anyone could have a bad day without major medical problems. Just being here is incredible, and finishing is all the more memorable. For those who did not cross the finish line, I say get back in there and keep moving forward - you will do it, and you will be an Ironman. For those who crossed the line, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!!




Last updated: 2010-11-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:23:11 | 3850 meters | 02m 10s / 100meters
Age Group: 288/459
Overall: 1400/2974
Performance: Good
Ironman swim start - it was all I have read it to be. The 'rubbing' going on was more intense and voluminous than I have ever experienced. That being said, I did not have any of the horror stories I have read about. No one kicked me or swam over me, and I swam over no one. One guy hit my upper lip with his hand, but it was not bad and I kept moving forward. My calves cramped up a little, but never to the point it hindered me. I just stretched them and stopped kicking for awhile, then went back to my form. I checked in with my form regularly, and had a good, smooth stroke going most of the swim. The only thing that made me upset was that I did not start my GPS watch correctly and that messed up my whole timing later on. Oh well. Water was crisp but bearable and after warming myself up, I was fine and ready to go. Starting in the dark was different for me, but by the time we made the turn the sun was in our face. IM says the turn is just past the Rural Rd bridge, when in reality it is about 300m past, so the map and description are a bit misleading. Again, no matter - the swim is what it is and everyone deals with the same stuff. My sighting was pretty good throughout, and with the exception of a couple of occurrences where I was fading to the right, I kept in a pretty good line and more or less where I wanted to be along the side of the lake. I actually tried to draft some this race - not sure if it really helped or not, but I gave it a go.
Suit: Orca S3 Full
Course: Counter clockwise rectangle
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 61F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 11:52
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
06:34:09 | 112 miles | 17.05 mile/hr
Age Group: 342/459
Overall: 1621/2974
Performance: Good
My GPS watch was all messed up on the clock, so I tried to use it more for HR. Until I saw it change on the run, I thought the HR monitor was broken, as after climbing to 144 avg on loop 1, it stabilized at 142 and stayed there the rest of the ride. I guess I just managed to control my HR well. My goal was to keep this under 145 avg, and that was accomplished in a major way. I was very happy with my HR control. Loop 1 saw us with a slight cross-head wind on the uphill, then we caught the tail wind downhill and I was often at about 28mph, so it was an easy first loop. Then the winds changed and picked up, and we had a cross-tail wind going uphill, and a head wind coming downhill, so we worked harder downhill and there were times going downhill I was at about 14-15mph. Loop 2 was the worst, and it was obvious with my slower time. I opened things up on loop 3 and was going 22-23mph on the early parts of Beeline Hwy, passing people at will. Then I let up and watched them catch up and some go by. Fair enough. My previous long ride was 101mi, so this was an all-time long, and I held up well.
Wind: Cross-winds
Course: Three (3) loops heading from Tempe up to Beeline Hwy, then up to Shea and back to Tempe (37mi loops). Pretty flat, with a 6mi slight uphill (1% grade) before the turn around.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 86
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:33
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
04:44:57 | 26.2 miles | 10m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 269/459
Overall: 1274/2974
Performance: Good
As with the bike, my HR rate was excellent all along the run. On the run I keep current HR (on the bike I watch avg HR), and it stayed below 160 most of the way, with a number of times sitting below 150. My run/walk strategy paid dividends as I walked the bridges and when I took on nutrition, then ran the rest of the way. I put in a 2hr first half-marathon, which was way ahead of my planned time, and that was the pay off from holding back on the bike a bit. Plus, I was able to run more than I expected, and that too was a result of my bike effort. Thrilled with my run effort, even if my time was about 25 minutes more than I was envisioning.
Course: Three (3) loop figure 8 around Tempe Town Lake, with one (1) hill (Curry Rd). Aid stations every mile or so, with awesome volunteers, great atmosphere, SPONGES!!!!!!, Perform, H2O, Chicken Broth (after dusk), Cola, Ice, Pretzels, Chips, Cookies, Gu, and who knows what else. Best support an athlete could get. Spectator-friendly course, and my family was able to see me a number of times.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5