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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Girl can't run...but how about my swim split?
I'm actually okay with everything - I could do no more. Swim was solid (perhaps some current on the return to assist me, but 10th woman overall is satisfying, and who doesn't love a sub 60 in the books?)....super happy my bike was a sub 6:15 with 5,000+ feet of elevation gain, one dropped chain that I had to stop and fix, and fierce wind blowing me all around....and the run is always ugly for me, but I improved my dismal time from IM Maryland, so there is that. Believe it or not, my last kick was all about getting a sub 12, and I did...another improvement over Maryland, which is an easier course overall.
Any way...thanks for spending your day with me...full report to follow. I'm in one piece and actually in pretty good shape for what an IronMan puts you through! Showered and sitting in bed. Lights out for me! I suspect tomorrow morning is going to be pretty painful! :eek: 0 -
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So what was your run time compared to where you wanted or need it to be? Compared to, say, 3rd place in your division? What's the gap and how much of it can be explained by the fact you had a broken femur a few months ago?
I did a 3:20:60
marathon in Dublin nearly two years ago with marathon specific training via the artist (and coach extraordinaire) formerly known as ecoli. In a perfect world, that would indicate I should certainly be able to muster up a (sub) 4 hour IM marathon. That improvement alone would have put me in third place yesterday..but here's the interesting thing you just forced me to look at - my bike actually was comparatively my weakest leg (12th in my age on the bike, 10th in my age on the run). Wow. I would have bet money it was my run. However, the bike times were closer together, so that tells me a little something about the field and how I stack up. It's my run that fails me. I've had two major injuries since that above referenced Dublin marathon (including the femur fracture), so no doubt those injuries set me back in 2014 and then again in 2015. How much have they contributed to my two poor IM marathons? I have no idea. But I am honestly new to this endurance thing, and a huge part of me believes I have not put in sufficient time banging this out yet. I don't have the years of base training that the ones at the top of the heap have. If you add up the time I've spent training for an IM, it would be less than 4 months last year (coming off major injury) and 5 months this year (coming off yet another major injury). And this is a big reason I knew I would not have a chance at a Kona slot this year. I may never get that slot even with years of training, but I knew it wouldn't happen this year for sure. 0 -
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IronMan Louisville
Sunday, October 11th, 2015
Louisville, Kentucky
USA
Preamble
I chose IronMan Louisville an entire year ago after I had completed my very first IronMan in Maryland last September. I had studied all the various IronMan brand races looking for the "perfect" course that would suit my strengths and weaknesses only to conclude there was no "perfect" course out there for me, rather there were a few courses that might have more positives than negatives, and I'd have to settle for that. In particular, I was looking for either a single loop or a point to point swim because I felt that sort of configuration (minimizing congestion) would maximize my advantage in the water. I also wanted a bike course with some hills since I train on hills and thought that might play in my favor. And, I desired a flat run because I know that is my weak spot at the moment and I honestly didn't want to make the run any harder than it already is for me. I also preferred a race I could drive to so I wouldn't have to ship my bike, I wanted it to be at the end of the season so I could extend my training time in my outdoor pool, and I hoped it would be in a cooler environment than the hotter-than-hell race conditions I seem to always find myself in. The top three races I was looking at were: Muskoka, Chattanooga, and Louisville. Muskoka was tossed fairly early after the bike course elevation gain scared the sh*t out of me (not to mention it did not satisfy any of my other requirements (so, remind me, why was I even looking at it??)). Then Chattanooga was scratched off the list after I realized the swim was all downstream in a typically fast current (with insanely fast times), thus eroding some of my relative advantage. Plus, I have to say, the random dead body found just beyond the swim finish in 2014 wasn't helping Little Debbie's cause either. So, it was Louisville with its upstream/downstream point to point swim, hilly bike, and flat run in October that won my vote.
And now, on with the race......
Swim
Transition opened at 5:15 on race morning, so I scurried out of my hotel room by 4:45 thinking I'd be one of the first ones in line to put my finishing touches on the Black Cat. Hahahaha. Good god, when I arrived at transition 10 minutes later, the line was already out to the road and down about a half a block. :eek: Oh well. So I stood in line and chatted with a few peeps until we started moving forward. It honestly didn't take all that long to get into transition, but it was really annoying that the stragglers were cutting in line right at the entrance. Karma, I kept telling myself, karma will get them. I pumped up my tires, placed my bottles in their cages, and snuggled my energy bars into their appropriate place....then I scampered out of transition to hoof it a mile to the swim start.
The swim start at Louisville is unique in IronMan. It is the only jump-off-the-dock-one-at-a-time start in their offering of swim starts, and it is first come, first served. We were told at the briefing that you could not have anyone save you a spot in line at the swim start - we were told that it was up to you to get yourself there and get your own spot. However, it was abundantly clear that spots had been saved based on the number of chairs, sleeping bags, family members, and bodies in line as I walked near. Good god that line was long! It went on, and on, and on. My heart sank a little when I realized I couldn't even see the end of it. My hope had been to get there early enough to avoid the congestion that would quickly become the swim, but it was immediately apparent that clear sailing was not going to be on my aquatic dance card this morning.
The start was scheduled for 7:30 (the sun wasn't to make an appearance until 7:45), and with about 15 minutes to go, the officials asked for the family members to stand aside and for the athletes to condense the line down and to start making their way to the two awaiting docks. The clock struck 7:30, and with one loud bang, the gun made our day come into focus with the realization that the race had begun....and one by one, smooth-shaped rubber-clad silhouettes of various sizes and circumferences were launching themselves feet first off the two docks into the dark water below.
By the time I jumped off the dock approximately 10 minutes after the first swimmer, the water was already polluted with pink and green caps. This first part of the swim was upstream in a protected section with an island to the right and shore to the left - it was relatively narrow for what we were asking it to accommodate - and when you pack that many sloshing sardines into such a defined and enclosed space, the resulting turbulence in agitated water is impressive. Think: gutter lane, but worse. The sun had yet to come up, so it was still quite dark...the air temp was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the water (48 degrees, air...68 degrees, water), so steam was rising off the river's surface..and this whole thing of swimming in the swampy, steamy dark with bodies all around me felt so surreal in an intimate and eerie kind of way. I made my way through the crowd relatively unscathed, passing mountains of people on either side of me. Once we left the safety of the "cove", I thought I could feel more of an upstream resistance to work against, which makes total sense because not only were we now in open water, but I also had fewer swimmers in front of me to buffer the feel of the flow. The turn buoy was still a good ways off, however I now had both clearer water to swim in and a horizon in front of me I could see, and I was able to relax into a bit of a more comfortable rhythm. A sharp lefthand turn around the red buoy just as the sun was coming up in earnest behind me, magically illuminating my way, meant I had 2,500 more meters to go, and now things really opened up for me. I have made no bones about my poor OW skills, specifically my poor sighting skills, but I had done my homework this time around and knew various points in and around the water to sight off of in addition to the yellow buoys. I continued to pass every single body I could see, never being challenged by another, and I worked it like a big girl on a mission. I knew I was nearing the end of my aquatic adventure after I swam under the second bridge and had located the KFC yum Center (not kidding!) smiling at me off in the distant morning sunshine, and I was a bit struck at how quickly time had passed. I started looking for Joe's Crab Shack, and made a slight left into shore once that crustaceous cabana became visible. With about one more stroke to go to the exit stairs, a volunteer grabbed my arm and pulled me up and out...and then another volunteer grabbed my other arm and sent me on my way to the wetsuit strippers who were eagerly awaiting my arrival so they could yank my suit off in one gloriously hilarious and swift fell swoop - it's something everyone should experience at least once in their lives.
With wetsuit off and a "whoop" from my hubby, I booked it into transition to do my Dory-quick transformation from river mermaid to asphalt roadie.
Actual swim: 2.4 miles in 57:07 for an average pace of 1:28/100m...2nd in age, 10th woman, 57th overall
Swim - what I did right - used brand-new ROKA goggles that I treated with anti-fog solution the night before (thank you zico and Oryx!), wore my sleeveless wetsuit (that I felt very comfortable in), knew the course, and sighted very well.
Swim - what I might do next time - wear my long sleeve wetsuit (only after becoming comfortable in it!) in the hopes to shave more time off my swim and to even the advantage of the ones wearing long sleeves.
Post-swim thoughts - I am over the moon with my swim and my swim time. Obviously there was a bit of a current to help me home (it is a river, for crying out loud!), but I also know there were course specific elements of the swim that slowed me down as well. Top 10 woman....and 57th out of the water out of 2,573 athletes (top 2% overall) tells me I killed this swim. No criticism here from me.
T1
The distance from the swim exit to the changing tent is fairly long...as is the distance from the changing tent to the bike start. I'm slow at transitions, but comparing my transition times to the top 2 gals' times in my age, I'd say I did okay. Not great, but okay.
Actual T1: 7:16
Bike
It was a wee bit chilly at the start of the bike. I had packed arm warmers, but opted not to wear them as I was betting on the body warming up fairly quickly once it was dry and in the sun. I also had debated on whether to carry two or three bottles of fluids with me, and at the last minute, three bottles won out over two. The fear of finding myself hot and thirsty with no water scared me more than the fear of an extra few pounds to haul up and down the hills.
In really rough terms, this bike course can sort of be thought of in terms of 4 sections - 1) an out section from Louisville that contains some false flats and a handful of rolling hills, 2) an out and back section that contains the sharpest/steepest of hills on a slightly dangerous and narrow road that gets pretty congested with cyclists and has a very tight (and technically difficult for the tri-bike challenged
) U-turn at the course dead end, 3) a very diverse (rollers, steep hills, some flats, sharp turns, you name it!) 30 mile loop you do twice, and 4) the back section into Louisville with its false flats and handful of hills.
The first section of the bike course, as experienced by yours truly, can be described like this - cold, conservative, and containing constant and steady passing by all the guys I had chicked in the water. I eased into the first 10ish miles, just letting myself settle into the purr of the Cat, then upped the effort a bit after that. I was mindful of the hills I'd be facing over these 112 miles, and ever respectful of what they could take out of me if I pushed too hard at any time. I had been instructed to not display my power, but rather to go off of perceived effort...and to be honest, I preferred that approach.
The second section contained some of the prettiest views of the day - sweeping farmland, green pastures, colorful foliage, interesting bridges, and protective canopies. But it also contained some white knuckling by (guess who! :rolleyes:) as I rocketed down the steep and narrow hills with athletes coming at me and athletes coming from behind me. Yikes! But I kept it upright and laid off the brake as much as I ever have in those conditions. I nearly tumbled over at the U-turn, but I held my concentration and made it around the traffic cone at the end of the road to the approving roars of the enthusiastic crowd. I was very glad we only had to do this out and back section once. !!!
The loop section we did was pretty fun, to be honest. There was always something going on to keep us occupied - hills of all degrees, sharp turns, water stops, cheering crowds, and loud music. The highlights for me along this section had to be a) my discovery that all it takes is a downhill for me be able to pee on the bike, b) the raucous festival in the middle of La Grange that made us feel like rock stars when our names were announced over the loud speaker each time we passed :cool:, and c) the ridiculously enthusiastic group of rockers who were blasting Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" as I grinded it up the hill at around mile 60.
The last section back to Louisville found long lines (spaced out, and for the most part legal) of athletes heading back home into an impressive headwind, making it fairly difficult to employ much passing from my perspective. After some intermittent jumping about by my chain, it finally popped off all together around mile 90, forcing me off my bike to fix it. Ugh. I'm not going to elaborate, but let's just say this was one of the things my bike shop was supposed to have resolved. I love my guys, but I think perhaps they dropped the ball. But I shook this off, and once back on the bike, I consciously played it on the conservative side for the remainder of the ride in the hope of saving something back for the run. As the city came into view, cheers could be heard....and as soon as I made my final right hand turn toward the dismount line, I was impressed by the number of screaming supporters who were lining the street on both sides and from end to end. There was no fancy dismount from me, however I had half-heartedly attempted to get my right foot out of the shoe about a half mile earlier thinking I might try finishing like the pros and running into T2 in my bare feet, but when that move was going very badly I gave up with the promise that it's something I'll work on for future races.
Actual bike: 112 miles in 6:14:50 for an average speed of 17.93 mph and an elevation gain of 5,375 feet...4th in age, 74th woman, 526th overall (12th fastest bike split in age group)
Bike - what worked - my nutrition and hydration seemed to be spot on. I had set my Garmin to beep at me every 5 miles to remind me to eat and drink - drinking at every beep, and eating at every other beep. My eating pattern was this: homemade energy bar, Clif blok, homemade energy bar, Clif gel...repeat. And I had absolutely no problem grabbing bottles of water at the aid stations and filling my Speedfill on the fly.
Bike - what I will do differently next time - I will not carry 3 bottles in a race that has aid stations every 10 to 18 miles - it's too much unnecessary, energy sapping, and speed eroding weight I am lugging around when I am more than capable of taking advantage of what is provided on the course. Period.
Post-bike thoughts - Honestly, I am delighted with a sub 6:15 bike. When I studied the course and considered my average training ride speed for similar elevations, I figured I'd be close to 6:15, but I wasn't 100% sure I could pull it off. But I pulled it off even with my mechanical. Yay. However, I had a sneaking suspicion during and immediately after the race that perhaps I took it too easy on the Cat. It's really a hard call - I didn't want to die out there on the hills, and I didn't want to compromise the possibility of having a good run - so I did what I thought at the time would be most advantageous to my race as a whole, and that was to dial it back and keep effort way below the red. I'll never know for sure, but looking at my Garmin file and the power and speed data, I have to think I should have pushed it a bit harder than I did. Tough call. Also, I know what the course looked like, and that's not reflected in that Garmin data, but it is reflected in the decisions I made while out there.
T2
Nothing too remarkable here, except for some unexplained reason I changed my socks.
Actual T2: 6:40
Run
I was out of the tent and on the run with my fresh pair of socks, and the first mile really didn't feel completely awful. In fact, it wasn't barf-city-bad at all. But the sun was out in full swing and it was pretty hot running on that black asphalt. If it's one thing I have, it's total respect for the heat while running. So I took the opportunity at the very first aid station to douse myself with water, fill my tri top with ice, grab some refreshing orange slices, and down a bit of coke...and when that station spit me out at the other end, I thought I had been given a new lease on life. Hahahaha. Silly girl.
The run course was more or less an out and back twice. It was mainly flat, and mostly in the city with decent crowds and lots of law enforcement blocking all the streets off....and it passed by Churchill Downs, of Kentucky Derby fame. And, it was home to some of Louisville's finest homeless, including one extremely enthusiastic, high-fiving gent on mile 3 (and then again on mile 16) who could have used a good scrubbing and shave. I guess it's all part of the urban charm!
The run itself was pretty unremarkable, in truth. There were plenty of runners around me to keep me occupied, but I never really ran with anyone in particular nor engaged in any meaningful exchange. Unlike the early stages on the bike, there weren't loads of athletes passing me at any point during the marathon. Not to say that was I wasn't passed, because I most certainly was passed by my share - some with more steam in the their step than others, like the first place male, the second place male, the first place female, and the blind athlete and his guide - props! I was also passed by the second place finisher in my age group on mile 20. Obviously I had no idea who she was (other than in my age group) when she trotted up next to me...and she couldn't give me the time of day as I tried to stay with her for most of that mile, running on her left shoulder, noticing she had changed into a comfortable looking pair of running shorts.
I passed my share of runners too, but I knew I wasn't putting in a stellar performance. My main issue? I was walking thru all of the aid stations. And when I say I was walking thru all of the aid stations, I mean...I was walking thru ALL 26 of the aid stations. Yeah. You heard me. All 26 of them. All of them. Walking. And grabbing water, and sponges, and ice, and coke, and gatorade, and more water. I was tossing and stuffing and drinking and dousing. I'm not sure if I actually needed all of that, but that's what I did. What I wasn't doing was consuming any of my gels or bloks. What I wasn't doing was consuming any calories. The gal who has been helping me prepare for this race, Leslie, had given me clear guidance on nutrition, and I had totally tossed that out the window. My gal Leslie had also asked me not to start walking at any point in the marathon - she said once you start, it's hard to stop. I'm not totally sure she was including the aid stations in her no-walk request, but the spirit of what she was trying to have me avoid (and what I was failing miserably at) certainly rings loud and clear. It wasn't until after mile 11....after one of Leslie's coaching friends (who was there in his coaching capacity to support his athletes) introduced himself (she had warned me that he'd be watching for me, but she hadn't warned me about how cute he'd be!!!) and started running with me...and started asking me all sorts of questions - how was I feeling? how was I doing? was I eating okay? was I drinking enough? was I eating...was I eating...because I had to eat...was I following Leslie's nutrition plan? was I getting behind in my nutrition? He knew the answer before I told him - he could see it in my hesitation. He gave me a gentle lecture on eating...and then a bit of a pep talk about forcing myself to eat...and a promise that I'll feel better in the end. He also told me I looked great and imparted a few words of genuine encouragement. It wasn't until after that mile 11 that I took my first gel since starting the marathon. I saw this adorable coach once more on my return back out (mile 15?), and he told me he had called Leslie with a full report on how I was doing - he reiterated how good I looked, and wished me well once more. Sweet guy. Never underestimate the value of experienced guidance while in a race.
I hadn't been watching the clock too much, nor had I really done any math in my head to figure out where I was or what targets I might have in my grasp, but as I was closing in on the final few miles, I took the time to start doing some simple addition and subtraction and I realized that I might be able to come in under 12 hours for this IronMan. Giddy up! That would be a pb, and on a harder course than Maryland. I'll take that, thank you very much. The sun had gone down at this point, and on mile 24 I passed a stand that was lit up like 4th of July on steroids and blasting AC/DC's "TNT". Talk about a life changer. That was my nod to start my final sub 12 kick...and kick I did. I was passing folks right and left (where was this kick when I was dragging myself around on the previous 24 miles?) and rocketing myself towards the cheers of the awaiting finish line crowd in the heart of downtown Louisville. I will have to say, the finish line in Louisville is pretty spectacular, and very loud. It did not disappoint. I saw the time on the clock, 7:38 pm, as I passed under the line, and I knew then that I had probably made it. A young volunteer came over to greet me and escort me down the line of medals, blankets, hats, shirts, water and photos...and then when I had assured him I was totally fine, he released me into the care of my hubby. I took a few extra minutes to soak in the sights and sounds of this most magical finish-line-moment in downtown Louisville when normal people became IronMen and IronWomen, and when I was sure the celebration was commensurate with the achievement, I turned with a smile on my face, glad to have this day under my belt and in my pocket, and I made my way back to the hotel, feeling very satisfied for what I had just done.
Actual run: 26.2 miles in 4:31:41 for an average pace of 10:22 min/mile...7th in age, 103rd woman, 537th overall (10th fastest run split in my age group)
Total race time: 11:57:34, with final placing as noted above on the run
Run - what I did well - I stayed relaxed and fluid the entire time, and had a great kick at the end.
Run - what I did wrong, and what I need to change - Ugh. How much time have we got? In a nutshell....nutrition was horrible, and walking every single aid station is awful. I think this comes down to both mental and physical conditioning. I also think I might consider changing into running shorts (maybe even running top?) in T2.
Post-run thoughts - I have 30+ minutes of unwanted time I need to shed. Some of this will come from modifying my aid station tactics, and most of this will come with more endurance training and conditioning. The run is the race - it is what separates the winners from the losers - the men from the boys. It is as physical as it is mental, and it can break you if you let it. I'm not exactly sure how I'll get my run back, but it's something I'll be working on over the next 6, 12, maybe even 24 months. Mark my words.
Post-race thoughts - IM Louisville was as good as advertised - I loved this event! Great venue, fantastic volunteers, well organized, super friendly, easy to access, and a convenient host hotel in the heart of the city within walking distance to everything. As far as my overall performance goes, I think it is a fair reflection of where I am at the moment - solid swim, okay bike, ugly run. Let's face it, I'm new to this. I don't have an accumulation of impressive bike/run miles to wave at anyone, nor do I have years of IM specific training in the books to condition the body to do what I am asking it to do. To be good at anything, it takes time, especially in endurance sport - I know this to be true - I knew this going into this race. I think Louisville provided me with an abundance of information, experience and enlightenment - some good lessons were learned here, and I got to see what world-class women in my age look like. Impressive, the top two gals in my age. And now I have to figure out a way to beat them both. In due time.:) 0 -
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Fantastic read, very constructive. Sounds like you got 2/3 on the race bang on and know what you need to do for the run next time... when you will knock it out of the field! Well done on the swim in particular- are you sure you'd tinker with that time wearing a sleeved wetsuit next outing?... crustaceous cabana... cold, conservative, and containing constant ...cheering crowds... the celebration was commensurate...consider changing
This report has been brought to you by the letter C 0 -
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Well done Dory. Great race. Sounds like you paced it very well and had some energy left for the run, alot of Ironman reports I've read has people dying on the run. Jan Frodeno used the same aid station strategy as yourself so it can't be that bad an idea Seriously though it seemed to work for you so I wouldn't call it a bad idea, it helped you keep cool and if you over heated it would have had a bigger effect on your time than short walks through aid stations. Well done, plenty of learning for the next one. Enjoy the rest time after it. 0
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I couldn't have asked for a better read for my 10 o clock coffee on a Monday morning DD, thank you. You did great and the best part is that you're so honest with your reflections and I've no doubt that pick off that 30+ minutes without too much effort. You rock 0
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