Ironman Texas - Triathlon


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The Woodlands, Texas
United States
WTC & Memorial Hermann Hospital
88F / 31C
Overcast
Total Time = 10h 27m 34s
Overall Rank = 101/2662
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 19/250
Pre-race routine:

Alarm set for 4am, got up ate my 1000 calorie breakfast which was a bagel w/peanut butter & honey and Gatorade with 300 calories of carbo-pro mixed in. Walked to transition, aired up tires and put bike nutrition on. The gear bags checked in the day before definitely make the AM preparation seem complicatedly simple :) Walked the 3/4 mile to the swim start and just relaxed until it was time to get into the water.
Event warmup:

My first Ironman so I wasn't sure how hard it would be getting to the front of the masses. Treaded water for 15' while waiting for the start of the race. Swam a little bit back and forth but wasn't really much room once everyone started to get in the water. I lined up ~10 yards from the 'straight sighting line' to try and avoid some of the kicking/hitting going on since I was expecting to be around ~50th swimmer or so.
Swim
  • 54m 26s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim felt great, I got to the front of the line which I was a little worried about being run over but after the first 100 or so I was in open water without much effort. I could definitely see the people who went out too hard dropping back during the first segment of the swim. By the time we turned the first buoy the crowd was really thinned out and I was swimming with 2 other guys and no one around us. One of the guys was in a wetsuit and I could tell all he wanted to do was sit on our feet and draft. The other guy couldn't swim a straight line to save his life but he was technically swimming faster than me. So we alternated around, I got a draft for a bit while the guy was swimming a good line... He'd go off course, I'd go straight, he'd catch back up and I'd get my draft again. Slowed down and took a couple breastroke pulls here/there to try and get the wetsuit guy to take a pull but as soon as I did that he slowed down too much.

Really enjoyed the swimming in the canal, it was narrow and by this point we were catching some of the slower pro swimmers (10' head start). It was neat having the crowd on both sides of the water and was a good distraction from staring at trees :) As we were approaching the exit the 2 guys I was with sighted off the stairs and didn't see the red turn buoy they had to go around. Props to race director for putting up a rope not allowing people to cut the course. Thankfully I saw the turn buoy and was turning around it as I watch the other 2 slam into the rope and have to swim out and around :)
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, I just cruised the swim and didn't use much energy at all. Kept my stroke long and controlled. I could definitely tell that adding the 3rd day of swimming a week helped a bunch.
Transition 1
  • 03m 6s
Comments:

Volunteers were awesome! Had my gear bag ready when I arrived, slow jog into the tent and they took care of the rest. Got my shoes ready, sun screened my back/shoulders, arm coolers on and I was good to go.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 5h 03m 22s
  • 112 miles
  • 22.15 mile/hr
Comments:

I was SHOCKED at this bike split. I thought for sure the fastest I would ride was ~21mph depending on the winds but the wind was gentle to us today. My training rides on the course have been 220-230W with my fastest one at 21.2mph and I was only at 209W NP (https://picasaweb.google.com/eric.vondohlen/05182011IMTX#5609650508256865522).

The ride was pretty uneventful, it was overcast outside and it sprinkled on us a little which felt good until it stopped and became a sauna for a bit. Most of the ride was with the pro women and a couple of age groupers but it wasn't crowded at all, felt like a well supported training ride. I kept to my nutrition/power plan and picked up water a every aid station. Nutrition/salt was spot on and I was well hydrated when I got off the bike. With 20 miles left to go I knew I was way ahead of schedule so I shut it down to 195-200W and cruised the rest of the way into T2.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 2
  • 03m 36s
Comments:

Again, volunteers were awesome! Bag was ready to go, made a quick pit stop to the portapotty since I was so well hydrated, changed my shoes, grabbed my nutrition and was off.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 4h 23m 4s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 02s  min/mile
Comments:

Running out of the changing tent, looked down at my Garmin and of course running too fast. I slowed it down to my normal long run pace settled in. First loop was awesome, my energy level was great and pace/HR was spot on. I was hitting every aid station to grab ice/water and sponges to keep cool/hydrated. The crowds were amazing and the volunteers were awesome at the aid stations.

Second loop started great as well, energy was still fine and under control. Approx mile 10 I took another swig of my run nutrition (carbo-pro) and it was pretty warm/nasty tasting then around mile 13 my worst fear was happening, stomach was getting upset. I slowed down and started to make sure I got everything I needed at all the aid stations. I wasn't feeling great but I was able to keep moving at a decent pace until the last couple miles of the 2nd loop. I stopped at my special needs bag and swapped out my socks for a little pick me up. Next time I really should put a 2nd pair of shoes in there as well cause the sock didn't stay dry for long although it was better than nothing. As I started the 3rd loop I saw Betsy and my family so I went over to them stopped for a minute to tell them I was hurting and give Betsy a kiss. Rounded the corner and saw the damn sign (Right for 2nd/3rd loop, Left for finish) and told myself next time I get to go left damn it.

Third loop, I started the loop thinking that I just needed to manage ~10/mile and I'd be ~10:15 so I started the walk/run to try and make that happen. I was on track for about 1/2 the loop then right around mile 22 I had to throw up. Got some more water and oranges in me and started to try and jog again, wasn't going to happen. After trying to get moving again a few times and my stomach giving out I accepted the fact I was going to walk most of the loop and tried to hold my head up high and enjoy the environment and awesome crowds that were cheering everyone on. I got to talk to some of my friends on the course and enjoyed being out there even though I was walking. Once I knew 10:15 wasn't going to happen mid-way through the loop, the new goal was 10:30 and to do that I had to 'run' the last mile or so. Once I hit mile 25 I started picking up the shuffle and the crowds made it easy to keep from walking. Entering the market street loop knowing I was done was an amazing feeling. I saw the damn sign again, look my left turn and passed up a guy in the finishers shoot.

Crossed the line and was caught by one of my friends who was volunteering (Ken). Walked me over to meet Betsy and got to give her a big hug even though I'm sure she regretted all the sweat/nastiness afterwards :)
What would you do differently?:

I've been looking at the data over and over and trying to figure this out. I tell all my athletes, no such thing as a good bike and a bad run just a poorly paced bike. However, in this case my bike target (215W) was conservative to begin with and I went under that with 209W. My HR target was 140bpm avg and I was 138bpm.

I think the warm carbo-pro upset my stomach, after the 3-4 swig of it I was getting sick of it and I should have stopped. I ended up stopping after 7 swigs and I think by then it was to late, the damage was done.
Post race
Warm down:

Laid down and raised the feet up while enjoying time with the family.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Run nutrition

Event comments:

I really enjoyed this event, was my first Ironman so I have nothing to compare it to. Everything was done top notch and even though I suffered on my last loop of the run I'm very happy with the results. However, knowing that I could have run 9'/mi with my swim/bike splits would have gotten a Kona slot stings a little bit. I really hate having races that don't reflect fitness so who knows maybe another IM will be scheduled in the future...




Last updated: 2010-06-25 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:54:26 | 4224 yards | 01m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 2/250
Overall: 6/2662
Performance: Good
Suit: Torque
Course: Point-to-point swim heading south for ~1400m then u-turn back to the North part of the lake where we headed East into a canal which brought us to T1.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Shot
Water temp: 79F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:06
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
05:03:22 | 112 miles | 22.15 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/250
Overall: 0/2662
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Lollypop loop with some rolling hills and wind thrown into the mix. There were a few sections of road with some teeth chattering chip seal which was strange cause I rode the course 10+ times and it was never like that before, must have been new construction or something.
Road:   Cadence: 88
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:36
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
04:23:04 | 26.2 miles | 10m 02s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/250
Overall: 0/2662
Performance: Bad
Course: 3 loop course around lake woodlands. Course went through market street and was very spectator/runner friendly. Flat run too which was nice :)
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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] 4