Ironman Wisconsin - Triathlon

This was my first mass start. I'm not a strong swimmer. I just learned to swim last year. I had a decent number of OW swims this season. Based on those, my 2.4 mi time estimate was about 1:27:00. Then in August I did the Madison OWS race right here in Lake Monona. There were about 350 people in my wave so there was some contact. My time was 1:43:00. I was surprised it was so slow. Now fast forward to race day...

I had planned to start way in the back inside the buoys. However, we didn't get in the water till 6:59. So we just stayed in the back to the left of the boat launch where we entered the water. We had to swim quite a way just to get to the starting line. The first leg felt good. All of the fast swimmers shot out in front so I had a lot of clear water. My goggles fogged up right way even though I cleaned them. After about 500 yds, I stopped and cleared them with my finger. A little water got in and that kept them clear for the rest of the swim. After the first turn I felt the chop. I was surprised by it. The second leg is short (~200 yds). Then at the second turn buoy we headed right into the wind/chop. This leg is long (~1.1 mi). You can't see the end even in calm water. I kept plugging away. I had a lot of contact on this leg. About 2/3 of the way down the back stretch I knew I would not be getting a time close to my estimate (1:40:00). My new goal was sub 2 hrs. I finally got to the third turn buoy. The chop was more manageable on this leg. Then finally the fourth leg and the home stretch. Now we had the wind and chop pushing us. I could feel that I was moving faster. My Garmin data bears this out. (above) When I finally saw the clock at the finish, I was around 1:55:00, so I at least beat 2 hrs. :-)

Over the last 1/2 mile, I was starving. I had planned to sip some Gatorade before the swim but I didn't have any. I took one bite of a Larabar pre-swim.

I need to further improve my swim. I put a lot of time in the pool and OW but I need to work on maintaining my form over long distances.

I also need to eat a second meal/snack closer to swim time.

This is a long T1. My garmin put it a .49 miles. The volunteers are great though! I usually have my wetsuit half off before Iget to the strippers. However, I need to carry my garmin (910 with quick release) in my swim cap. If I wear it on my wrist, it always loses the signal and I have no swim data. So I was fumbling with my cap/goggles/garmin and never got my suit unzipped. The volunteers turned me around and unzipped me and got me out of the suit in no time. :-)
I ran up the helix and into the changing room. Another great volunteer helped me. He dumped out my bag and handed me everything. He even put on one of my socks for me.
I wear my bathing suit all day and just slip my bike shorts over the suit. This works well for me. I need to have a full pad on the bike.
I had planned to run in my bare feet and put my socks and shoes on at the bike. However, I forgot and so I ran in my socks. I didn't want my socks getting all wet and gritty and then riding in them for 112 miles. It was ok though. I did make a stop in the porta potty. I had to take a wide stance since I was in my socks. :-)

Nothing. I was happy with this. The time is what it is.

As I was leaving T1, I saw my GF's cousin and wife. They said to go catch Donna! I had assumed she beat me out of the water but I didn't know by how much. I still didn't know.
The bike segment was good for me. The only real problem was my stomach. During the end of the swim I was starving. I was thinking to myself that I couldn't wait to get on the bike so I can start eating. Right away I ate about 200 calories of my bars. I brought Clif bars and Lara bars. I also had plenty of Salt Sticks (which I swear by). I had planned to eat about 350 cal/hr. I burn about 700 cal/hr while exercising. My plan was to eat a segment of one of the bars (80-100 cal) every time my watch buzzed at the 5 mile intervals. I would also grab Perform/water and bananas at the aid stations. However, by mile 10 my stomach was feeling a little bloated. Rather than have real problems later, I decided to back off on the food and drink and just take in as much as I could w/o making my stomach worse. I managed to do this for the rest of the day. I always felt like my stomach was on the verge of revolting but never quite did. That said, I think I was somewhat dehydrated and undernourished for the rest of the day. I did pee 3 times during the day so I wasn't too bad.
I rode easy on the stick to Verona. I just kept a pace that felt good. My watts were in check and my HR was low. I wanted to limit my watts to 160 on the flats, 250 on the smaller hills, and 300 on the big hills. I did this pretty well.
On the first big hill my friend Josh was there with his go pro. He ran up the hill with me. He told me my girlfriend was 2 mins ahead. And he would see me on the 3rd hill on the next loop. It's great to see friends out on the course!
I caught Donna the special needs and we talked (and peed - not together).
I had thought that if I still felt good I would pick up the pace on the second loop. I did feel good but figured it was better to just keep riding the way I had been for the first loop.
I definitely passed more people on the second loop. I think my pace was steady and they were slowing down. In the last 30 miles, I was flying by people.
On the second set of big hills I saw more friends. The crowds are fantastic and all of the cheering and signs really helps you keep going!
Around mile 80 I noticed my big toe was hurting. It felt like I was getting a blister. Then it felt numb. I tried to adjust my shoe and shift my foot. It felt a little better but now it felt like I was losing that toe nail. No big deal but I was wondering how it would affect my run.
The return stick was a little tough. By now you have 96 miles in your legs and you are facing a head wind. I just kept plugging away, ticking off the miles. At one point I was climbing a hill into the wind. I was doing 8.7 mph. I was passing 2 people. One of them said "we're doing 8 mph!" We were all thinking the same thing. We were barely moving!
When I finally got back to the Alliant Energy Center parking lot, I could see the capital dome. The end was in sight!
Got back to Monona and a volunteer grabbed my bike for me. I trotted into T2 and grabbed my bag.

The ride was good. I would probably eat more before the swim so I wouldn't be tempted to eat too much right away on the bike and avoid stomach problems.

I rode up the helix and handed off my bike. I trotted into T2. At first they couldn't find my run bag but then they found it. No problem. I slipped off my bike shorts and slid on my knee supports. I wear my compression sleeves for the bike and run, so I already had them on. I slipped on my shoes (I love my speed laces), grabbed my cap and belt and headed out.
I stopped at the massage tables. My friend Josh (who did this race last year) got a massage in T2 and it sounded like a great idea.
I asked the woman to work on my calves and hamstrings. She worked my glutes too. I thought I was on the table for 5-7 mins but when I look at my heart data, it looks like I was only "relaxing" for 4 mins. That is a very small price to pay for the benefit I received! She then threw me out of there and I started running.
I ran into some friends outside the door and stopped for a quick hello and a picture, then I was off.

Nothing, solid T2.

I have never run more than 13.1 miles before, and I did that just a few weeks ago. I had a foot injury over the winter. I couldn't ride for 3 months or run for 5 months. So I didn't have time to build up the run volume or intensity as much as I would have liked to. I thought I had been running well though so I figured I would have a good day. I planned to run the whole race except for short walks (30 secs) at the aid stations and Observatory hill.
My goal was to run a 10:30 pace. I had watch some Endurance Nation videos and their philosophy was to run 30 sec slower for the 1st 6 miles. It would pay dividends later. So, I tried it. I started off easy. I immediately stopped at SN to get my sport beans. I then stopped at the water stop. I probably stopped for a total of 40 sec between the 2 stops. After the first mile my pace was 9:47. DOH! Need to slow down. The 2nd mile was 9:55 including a water stop. Gotta slow down! Next mile was 10:42 and then 11:00's after that. When the 6 miles were done, my HR was right where I wanted it (sub 140) so I decided to keep running 11:00's. These became 12:00's. But I felt good and HR was good so I kept at it. I did this till mile 19.
As I was approaching the mile 13 turn-around, my friend JC popped out of the crowd. It was great to see her! She ran with me for 1/4 mile. Then I saw Josh again. We talked and ran for a bit. I forgot to ask him if sub 15 was still doable. I figured I would ask him after the turn around but I never saw him again.
At mile 19 I tried to pick up the pace a little. Miles 20-22 were in the 11:00's. I was hoping I could finish sub 15 hrs. I started talking to a guy just before mile 22. He said we had 54 mins left before 15 hrs. If we held 13:00 miles, we were golden. I got separated from him at a water stop but I kept at it. I ran a 12:28 in mile 23 but then the wheels started coming off.
At mile 24 my pace had slowed to 13:34. I was barely catching people that were walking. I had seen some really encouraging signs about giving it your all so I wanted do my best to run the entire marathon.
I had continued to have stomach issues since mile 10 on the bike. I could only take in a little food or drink at a time. At mile 24 I started to get light headed. I think the dehydration was catching up with me. I hear about marathon runners going to a dark place late in the run. I think this was mine. I kept plugging away though. Mile 25 was 13:28, mile 26 was 14:20 (I walk at a 15:00 pace!). I started my watch a little early in T2 so my total run came out to 26.82 mils. The last .82 was at a 12:46 pace. The crowd on State St really helped again. I tried to go even faster but I felt a cramp starting in my calf so I held back. When I made the final turn into the finish chute, I had it all to myself. The crowd was deafening! I raised my arms in the air and they roared even louder! It was amazing. You really do feel like a rock star! I heard Mike Riley call me an Ironman and I crossed the line. I saw my finish video later and I was barely trotting down the chute. :-)

Given time, I would train with more run volume and intensity. Since this doubled my longest ever run, I was very pleased with it.

The catchers came out and grabbed me. They wrapped me in the space blanket and got me 2 chocolate milks. I said I was ok and just needed to sit down. So they got me over to the photo and sent me on my way.
In the athlete tent I was chatted with a nice guy who was an 8 time finisher. Very impressive.
Then I started to get very cold. I asked him where the med tent was. He said I probably just needed some electrolytes. I think he was right. I moved to a warmer area (out of the wind). The volunteers got me some water and chicken broth. I tried to eat some pizza (slowly). It took about an hour or so but I started to feel better.
I got an update from some friends that wy GF was coming in soon so I sloooooowly stood up and sloooooowly walked over to the finish chute. She didn't see me but I saw her run down the chute.


Mild stomach issues.
Needed more intensity in my bike training, volume was ok.
Need more volume and intensity with my run training. Injury limited this.
Chop in water.
No complaints though. It was an awesome experience!!!


The fan support is second to none! This is the only full IM I have attended (as a fan and a participant) but I hear what others say, including the pro's. They all say this is the best course for fan support and course difficulty/variety.

The run split data on the IM site seems to be way off. It doesn't match my Garmin at all. Some segments say I averaged a faster/slower pace than any mile in that segment according to my Garmin. The Garmin isn't perfect but it is pretty reliable on my run splits. Just an observation.