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April 13

Swim
  • 1h 05m 54s
  • 4200.00 yards
  • 01m 34s /100 yards

I managed to survive the crazy swim start. I've never had so many people swimming on top of me. I just tried to stay calm and remain focused on swimming smooth.

Bike
  • 8h 10m 55s
  • 112.00 miles
  • 13.69 Mi/hr

Today's bike is best described as a learning lesson in nutrition and how the stomach works. I had to battle through some retained chest congestion & a runny nose, fix my handlebars mid-ride, and go without a functioning rear-derailler for the last 20 miles. Despite all of the problems, I survived.

Run
  • 5h 05m 19s
  • 26.20 miles
  • 11m 39s /Mi

A much better marathon than I expected. My legs retaining a good amount of energy. I had some tight hamstrings, but avoided cramping. A good mix of running and walking helped me pass a lot of people.

I can't believe I survived to be named an Ironman. Freakin crazy! The day unfolded completely different than I expected. The swim portion went exactly as I was hoping (good time & relaxed pace). Although, the mass number of people in the water simultaneously was crazy. The bike was nothing as expected. I thought I would easily sustain a relaxed pace (16mph) without any significant issues. Boy was I wrong! The nutrition plan was a complete failure. My stomach shutdown roughly 30-45 miles into the bike. I had to ultimately stop right before the mid-way point in the bike for roughly 30-40 minutes. I had zero appetite and forced food and drink made little progress. Luckily with time things improved. However, by the time I finally finished the bike I had probably stopped for a total between 60 minutes and 90 minutes. While it destroyed my overall average pace, it did allow me to complete the course. The run actually went better than I expected. I thought my legs would be destroyed following the bike, but I actually found that I had pretty good reserves. I adopted a strategy to run 1/2 to 3/4 of the flats and all of the downhills; while walking the uphills. The time actually went by really quickly on the run, and I felt pretty good during the whole marathon. Although the splits for my run are messed up. It looks like my chip didn't get recorded at perhaps the first timing mat, and then my total run for the first roughly 11 miles were logged for the first split. It certainly didn't take me over 3 hours to run 3.5 miles. I may email the ironman director to ask if there were any issues. I just have this crazy nightmare that the race directors are going to say I cut the course (which certainly wasn't the case) and ask for my medal, shirt & hat back, and say I'm not an Ironman. I really hope it's not a big deal, and get solved without issue. Overall it was a great experience, and I learned a truck load (like use salt tabs or E-caps next time). I hope everyone else on BT that participated had a great day. I appreciate all of the support and tips during my training. I hope I can repay you all some day.

  • Health data: Sleep: 3 Hours slept: 7 Overall Workout: 3

April 12

Run
  • 18m
  • 2.25 miles
  • 08m /Mi

My legs felt a little weak today, but it may be just nerves.

Wow, I can't believe IMAZ is only 24 hours away. When I woke up this morning it really hit me that I'm one day away from one of the biggest days of my life. Crazy. Today's agenda consists of a 15 minute run, obtaining my bike from Tribe Multisports, a quick 10 minute test of the bike, checking my bike and transition bags, and then driving the bike course with alltom1. I'm hoping to have everything done by 2 or 3 pm so that I can relaxed and take some quiet time for reflection.

  • Health data: Sleep: 4 Hours slept: 7.5

April 11

Run
  • 15m
  • 1.85 miles
  • 08m 06s /Mi

A quick run this morning. I felt really good. My lungs are finally starting to clear up.

Swim
  • 10m
  • 400.00 yards
  • 02m 30s /100 yards

I used the hotel's lap pool. What a crazy invention. Since the jets were blasting I used the resistance to practice OW siting.

I'm trying to maintain my sanity. I hate to say it, but I feel more relaxed avoiding the pre-race crowds. I chose to use the lap pool as opposed to the OWS practice. Something about the tension and intensity when all of the racers get together punks me out. Although, I am looking forward to the registration and walking around the race village this afternoon.

  • Health data: Sleep: 4 Hours slept: 8 Overall Workout: 3

April 10

Okay, here's the run-down for today. There are some things I am thankful for, and some things that are stressing me. The positives: I luckily had NorthWest Airline reservations, and I successfully made it to Tempe without any delays or cancellations. The negatives: I was stupid while packing, and had to throw out half my bike nutrition because I packed Gatorade and my honey-bear in my carry-on. So now I have to reconsider my nutrition or find a grocery store. Next, Elise and I arrived at the hotel and it was a $hit-hole. There were roaches (in the middle of the day?) and I don't believe the room had been cleaned in 3 years. Third negative, I called Tribe Bike shop and after determining where my bike was located, they informed me that my bike is still in its box. So apparently I won't get my bike until Saturday...no practice bike session prior to race day. Overall it was a crazy day, from getting up at 4:00am, to the long flight, to the nasty hotel, to figuring out when I will get my bike. But overall, I feel more relaxed than earlier. We successfully found a new hotel, right next to the Tempe Town Lake (and Orbitz is going to reimburse most of the previous hotel bill); the new hotel has a lap pool and workout room, so at least I can get some workouts in without any problem; and Tribe has scheduled to deliver my bike on Saturday prior to the cut-off time for bike check-in. Hopefully everything comes together over the next 2 days. I keep telling myself I can only stress over things in my control; anything out of my control isn't worth worrying about!

  • Health data: Sleep: 2 Stress: 2 Soreness: 5 Fatigue: 5 Hours slept: 4

April 9

Swim
  • 25m
  • 1500.00 yards
  • 01m 40s /100 yards

1,500 yard straight swim. Nothing fancy, just a focus on gliding, rotation and entry.

  • Health data: Sleep: 2 Soreness: 4 Fatigue: 3 Hours slept: 7.5 Overall Workout: 3

April 8

Run
  • 21m 34s
  • 2.75 miles
  • 07m 50s /Mi

Went for a really quick and relaxed run. I wanted to maintain a slower pace (target of near 8:20 mile pace). Despite the faster pace, the excersion level felt closer to an 8:20 mile pace. I hope that I feel the same way on Sunday.

Strength
  • 05m

  • EXERCISE

    Sets
    Min
    reps
    Max
    reps
    Min
    wt.(lb)
    Max
    wt.(lb)
  • ABS - Bicycles
    3
    20
    20
    0
    0
  • ABS - Crunch, Twisting
    3
    20
    20
    0
    0
  • ABS - Crunches
    3
    20
    20
    0
    0
I'm looking for a little input. I initially had not planned to put an emphasis on the IMAZ run, and was only going to take my Polar watch the bike to keep track of time. Although recently I've considered bringing my Garmin so that I have better pacing and a better idea of time for the marathon. However, I'm a little concerned about bringing the Garmin and losing it and the need for such a bulky watch during the run. I was curious what other people think on this matter? Bring the Garmin or just wear my Polar watch that I use for biking?

  • Health data: Sleep: 3 Soreness: 4 Fatigue: 4 Hours slept: 8.5 Overall Workout: 4

April 7

Bike
  • 20m
  • 5.80 miles
  • 17.40 Mi/hr

Short & easy spin. I determined the reason for my hamstring soreness. I think the saddle sits a little higher on my extra bike, so my legs are getting a little extra stretch compared to my tri bike.

Run
  • 22m 13s
  • 3.01 miles
  • 07m 23s /Mi

A quick brick run. I felt much better today. I'm still have a lot of congestion to work out, but I was able to hold a much better pace today without nearly the perceived exersion. I'm hoping to force a lot of the crap out of my chest by the end of the week.

  • Health data: Sleep: 4 Soreness: 3 Fatigue: 4 Sick: 3 Hours slept: 7.5 Overall Workout: 4
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clarkar12's Training Log


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