Ironman Cozumel - Triathlon

After having our swim practice cancelled twice the two days before race day, due to very strong winds and currents, we were notified the night before that our swim had been changed. They moved the swim start and shortened our swim course from 3.8km to 3.1km. We complained online the night before, but there was not much we could do other than hope they would not cancel the swim.
So on race morning we were fortunate that the conditions turned out to be much better with some strong current, mostly favorable, but no major winds.

Right after the pros got their start at 6:45, we went into the water and the ocean temp was really nice. We treaded water for about 15 minutes and then went for it. As expected, we had a lot of contact in the first 500-1000m including a good punch to my eye that nocked my goggles off. I was then able to settle into a comfortable pace and it really helped that this was a beautiful swim in clear ocean water, where you could watch small fish and other cool things (unlike my previous IM in Texas where you could not even see your hand in front of you).
The current worked in our favor most of the time, which made for a beautiful and really fast swim!


Not much

As soon as I got out of the water I got the urge to release some liquids (my bad luck that it didn't happen during all the time I had to swim :-), so I lost a few minutes running to a porta potty before heading out to the changing tent. Since we were blessed with a fast swim, I took my time in the changing tent getting my sun sleeves on, my fitbit (wanted to break my step record and what better than an Ironman race) get some more sun block, etc. I then proceeded to get my bike and run to the start line where I was pleasantly surprised by my wife and baby boy who made it all the way down and very early in the morning to see me, this made for a great start to the bike!

Run a little faster

The bike consisted of three loops around the island. I was using my new tri-bike which I had only been able to test-ride on 3 long rides before the race (before that I was using a road bike), but the bike and course felt fast for the first ten miles until we hit the other side of the island. The eastern side was desolated, but with beautiful beaches and where we had our first taste of strong headwinds for the next 15 miles. Although it took more effort, I was trying hard to go only slightly higher than my HR target zone (at around 150-155). On the nutrition side, I started drinking only water and then switched to my first of 2 bottles of carbopro mixed with gatorade.
After getting out of the headwinds and turning back towards the populated western side of the island we got hit by a heavy downpour which helped cool things off a little. We then proceeded to the section where we could ride a little faster and then back again to the eastern side with the headwinds which were already stronger than on the 1st lap. Nutrition wise I was doing ok, taking endurolyte caps every 30 min and alternating between a gels and power bars. By the end of the 2nd lap it was getting really hot, but we got hit by a second strong downpour which helped cool things off again. By this time I was feeling some discomfort trying to hold the aero position for prolonged periods of time.
By the third lap I was a little tired but in good spirits and enjoying the experience. By the time we hit the desolated side of the island for the 3rd time, the head winds were even stronger than on the 2nd lap, which made for a really tough last section of the bike (especially trying to keep my HR down without slowing down too much). To make matters worst, I was working hard to pass a big group of riders when a rookie official on a scooter showed up and started accussing everyone of drafting. I explained to him that I was passing, not drafting, but he did not care and I got my first ever race violation and with that a tough 4 minute penalty. At the next stop only 3 of us (out of supposedly a group of 20) stopped to serve our violation and we had a nice lady there taking our time and then our picture to try to make us laugh a little while we lost our precious 4 minutes. I then proceeded to tackle the last hard part of the island with about 15 miles left to go to the end of the bike. By now I was feeling tired, sore from my new bike, and just looking forward to finishing the bike. Nutrition wise, I had not been able to eat any gels/bars for the last 45 minutes and just took water.


Practice more on my bike. Due to business travel and family events I had to skip a number of key long rides. Also get my new bike measured properly and spend more time on it.

Got into T2, dropped my bike, hit the porta potty, got my running shoes and hat and left for the run with no major issues. It was hot out there by now.

Nothing

The run was a 3 loop run through the town and some of the hotels, which made for great crowd support. I started the run not feeling too good, so I settled into a slower pace while trying to stabilyze myself. I took some coke and pretzels at the first station to see if that would help with my stomach. After the first 3 miles and drinking some gatorade and water, I started feeling a little better and was able to improve my pace. I tried not to stop at aid stations, but just get what I needed and keep going. At the half-way point, mile 13, I was feeling so-so and had made it in a time of 2:06 which was not bad, especially if I could hold that pace for the rest of the race.
I got to see my wife and son outside of our hotel where they had a tent and support crowd which was great moral boost! A little after the half-way point I started experiencing severe knee pain (ITB) and became concerned about how it would affect my chances to finish the race. Since a DNF was not an option in my mind, I decided that as long as I could stop to stretch it out and reduce a pain when it became too strong, I would be able to finish regardless of how tough it became (and the famous saying was vivid in my mind "Pain is temporary pride is forever").
The other challenge during the run was that we got hit by 4 different heavy downpours all the way till the end, which flooded the streets and dispersed the suppot from the crowd. Eventhough my shoes were soaking wet (Asics Noosa 8), I was fortunate that I did not get any blisters nor any other major challenges, other than my knee.
By the third and final lap my knee pain was almost constant and intense, but I knew I did not had much farther to go, and even better, that my wife and baby son would be at the finish line waiting to see me. After digging really deep, I was able to find the last dose of energy that I needed to keep me going, stopping only to stretch my knee and that carried me all the way to the end of the 3rd lap. I then took the turn to the finishers chute with a huge sense of relief and took my time high-fiving everyone in the crowd and really letting the moment sink-in until I saw my wife and son along with the group of Guatemalan friends. I stopped to blow kisses to my wife and son, grabbed a Guatemalan flag from them, raised it over my head and ran slowly to the finish line with the biggest smile and feeling of joy one can experience. I was able to finish with a new PR of 11:36 which was 1:08 lower than the time for my first-ever Ironman in Texas the year before.


Train harder on the bike to come out better prepared for the run.

After crossing the finish line and getting my medal, I went directly to the massage tent where I got a great massage from a really nice lady which restored me almost back to normal. I then met my wife, son and friends from Guatemala who had also raced and their families who where cheering us. After a while cheering other athletes, I felt better and was able to go out for dinner and a beer!


Tough bike with strong winds wore me down a little and affected my nutrition intake. Intense knee pain during the run from the half-way mark also affected my time, where I had to stop around 15-20 times to stretch my ITB muscle. Running in heavy downpours with water soaked shoes did not help either.


Great race in a beautiful place which keeps you motivated despite of how bad you may be suffering! Pre-race and post-race activities could be a little better (I can only compare with IMTX) but the race location and the support from the locals more than make up for it. I will definitely do this race again in the near future and totally recommend it to others!