IMTX Race Report - May 2013

My biggest supporter, "a training Trish, is a happy Trish"!!!

Morning clothes bag:

Light jacket

Bottle w/ Hammer Perpetuem

Gatorade for aero bottle

Ziplock w/ peanut butter pretzels, energy blasts, and salt tabs)

Pump

Sunscreen

Wetsuit

Goggles

Swim cap

Protein shake

Gatorade

Chapstick

Body glide

Bike gear bag:

Helmet

Shoes

Sunscreen

Glasses

Anti chafe cream

Additional nutrition (cliff fruit, salt tab container, energy blasts)

Bike special needs bag:

Tube

Co2

Tylenol/ibuprophen

Run gear bag:

Run skirt

Run top

Sunscreen

Visor

Handheld water bottle w/ chapstick

Race belt w/ number, salt tablets, and gu

Body glide

Run special needs bag:

Socks

Tylenol/ibuprophen

Swim:

My plan was to wear a wetsuit IF it was legal. I ended up walking out of the house forgetting my wetsuit. Thankfully the water temperature was 77 degrees, making the swim NOT wetsuit legal. I saw a small contingent of people dressed in wetsuits for the OPTIONAL wetsuit swim. Those choosing to wear a wetsuit started 10 minutes later but were given the 2:20 to finish the swim. The ultimate downside to wearing the suit was that the clock at the finish line would be 10 minutes off. Looking back, I wish I would have worn the wetsuit for (2) reasons. The first being that the wave was much smaller and second that I would have saved some energy. I finished the swim feeling good. I did not have the vertigo that I suffered in 2011 and overall felt strong. I started on the right side of the pack after getting in the water with about 10 minutes to spare. I feel that I was pushed farther back as more participants entered the water. The swim was more brutal than I remembered with swimmers pulling on my shoulder and legs as well as swimming over part of my body. I tried to find a draft and was successful on a few occasions. My mantra through the swim was, “relax and be calm.”

Transition:

After coming out of the water, I passed the wetsuit strippers but never recognized the timing mat. I made a race day decision NOT to worry about split times and to simply watch my clock. I was disappointed when moving up the gear bag line to the tent. The people around me were walking, which meant that I was walking too. I had planned to slow jog/shuffle to the tent. I untied my bag while getting through the line and was ready to dump my bag when I got to the tent. I put on my helmet and shoes first. Then applied sunscreen. I found my spare nutrition had melted into a glob, thankfully I had some already on the bike from the morning.

Bike:

I felt great on the bike. My computer was working great, we had an awesome tailwind on the way up to Richards. I used my 3m to draft as much as possible when passing athletes, trying to save as much energy as possible. At the hand ups, I alternated water with powerade. My nutrition plan called for drinking ALL of the fluids that I took at the aid station. The first 3 hours were meant to be energy blasts and pretzels.  I knew that eventually I would need to grab some gu to replace the lost nutrition. At about mile 30 I grabbed (2) gu packets and stashed them in my back pockets. I took 2-3 salt tablets per hour focusing on taking them when I was on a “water” cycle. I watched my cadence on the computer but ignored the average speed and distance. I rode from aid station and mile marker sign to the next. I started feeling the effects of the distance after Richards. The roads became bumpy and the false flats were unwelcome as ever. I rode past the special needs knowing that I didn’t NEED anything. At mile 60, I made a deal with myself to “treat” myself to the Cliff bar fruit stick at the turn for Jackson. This gave me something to look forward to and to know that I was on my way back in. I had a slight headache that I attributed to the swim cap/goggles so I pushed a couple extra salt tablets to be on the safe side.  Since my last practice ride on the backside on the course, Montgomery County must have decided to refinish the road, it was uneven for much of the way to 105.  Even pedaling into the wind on the way in was ok, I was pushing a great pace and other than boredom, I was feeling excited for the run. I knew that every minute that I finished before 3pm allowed me more time to run the marathon and still reach my goal of a 13:?? Finish. At about 11:30, I started drinking my perpetuem.  About 80 miles in, I started getting an occasional cramp in my left quadriceps on the medial side. I adjusted my cadence and took my foot out of the clip to flex my toes and change the angle of the muscle. I also made sure to take in perform at the aid stations with water in my back up holder. The cramping was manageable but I noticed other riders having similar difficulty so it was in the back of my mind that it could become more trouble. The only part of the course that I had not previously ridden was the last 10 miles. It was different from the 2011 course with added hills. I started hearing a noise that sounded like a flat tire. After pulling over, my rear wheel was flat. I didn’t pay any attention to the time or the computer just focused on fixing the flat.  I estimate that it took at least 15 minutes. Unlike 2011, I didn’t suffer any flats during training rides which made my response time slower. In addition, the new bike operated differently than before. I was able to replace the tube and used (2) Co2 cartridges to inflate the tube.  I had a difficult time getting the tire back on the bike, the chain was messing me up. I was proud of my patience and determination to get it back on.  During this time, someone had yelled out that I only had 5 miles to go. I’m happy they said it because when I got back on the bike, my computer had stopped working. After riding a couple minutes, I hear the noise again that proved I had a flat again. I decided that for five miles, I could ride it in. My pace slowed and I could feel the fishtail when cornering. In my head, I was overly concerned with what other people might think of me riding a flat tire. “Didn’t I know I had a flat? Did I care that I might mess up my rim?” I was so happy to make it back to transition and hand off my bike!

Transition:

I jogged while on the grass through the bike racks. Once on the concrete, my shoes made it difficult to run. I was stuck behind a couple of girls that were walking VERY slowly so I nicely asked if I could get past them. I got my bag and found some grass on the side of the gear line to jog to the tent. As before, I untied my bag on the way to the tent. This time, I was greeted by a volunteer that asked to help me. I handed her my bag and she directed me to a chair. She asked to pour water down my back and I reluctantly agreed, it was warm water. She had a teenage helper that I asked to fill my handheld water with ice water. Meanwhile I started shucking clothes. My volunteer had dumped my bag and was trying to lay my things out neatly for me and help me determine what I needed and what I was finished using. I knew I had been in there longer than I planned but felt like I didn’t waste too much time. After leaving transition, I used the restroom. I knew I hadn’t gone to the bathroom since before the swim and needed to know where I was with hydration. I hadn’t really felt the need to pee on the bike but I knew I had taken in plenty of fluids. Luckily, I had much success and thought I was leaving on the right foot for the run.

Run:

Again, I had no idea where the transition ended and the run course started. I walked toward the aid station and was happy that I didn’t have to stop to get fluids. I grabbed a perform for good measure and off I went. I started jogging and was quickly reminded of the heat. My mind wanted to move but my body was not responding. The course started with a dirt out/back trail before climbing a short steep hill into the parking lots. I walked this trail and continued walking for at least 3-4 miles. My plan was to run 1 mile/ walk 1 minute, 26-1mile repeats. I kept trying to run but was only successful for about 50 yards then would be overcome with lightheadedness and chills. I took in 2 salt tablets on the half hour and decided that I would continue with this pattern each hour. I ate a gu on the hour. At the aid stations, I filled up my hand bottle with water but would take perform and/or cola as offered throughout the course. When I got to the waterway, I found some shade and made a larger effort to jog. I continued a jog/walk pattern but was slowly increasing the run time. It took me 2 hours to complete the first lap which would make it hard to finish in the early 8pm hour. It started to cool off on the second lap. I jogged much more, especially when it was shady on the course. My body felt better but my walk times were still longer than 1 minute. Starting the third loop, I knew it would be difficult to make an 8:59pm finish time putting my clock at 13:59. I decided that I would run the entire last loop and only walk the aid stations. At mile 22, I met up with a facebook friend, Paul that would run the remainder of the course with me. His pace was faster than mine but I kept up with him. I knew that it would bring me closer to the elusive 13:?? Finish. At mile 24, we entered the waterway and felt like it would be the LONGEST 2 miles ever! We had slowed down a bit, I just couldn’t keep pushing that pace. Looking at my watch, I still knew it was possible to finish but it would take all I could give on the course. When I entered the finish chute, I had hope but Ironman  had put in the ultimate haze…an out/back including an incline to the finish line. I finished at 14:01:54, so close to my goal. This time represents a personal record of 38 minutes from 2011.