Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman

started the swim in the front row and avoided alot of chaos but still had to fight some to hold my ground. the think about these big time races is the swim field is a battle thru out and you always seem to have people envading your space. after a good start i realized i was far to the right and had problems moving to the left to get an inside track to the turnaround and catch a good pack to draft on. instead i swam mostly in open water and had to expend more energy than i needed to. hit the turnaround at 26:42 on my watch and thought i was flying. on the way back i continued to swim on the outside of the main paceline to my left and again it cost me time. just couldnt seem to get myself to the left. once i neared the mill ave bridge near the end of the swim my left calf started to lock up so i slowed to work it out by flexing my foot. well that didnt work and i had to stop to work it out. at this time it was about 47min into the swim now i am treading water while people swam over me. after about 30-45secs i was able to resume swimming but it was much more conservative pace b/c i tried not to kick what so ever to avoid any further cramping. once i hit the stairs it was 59:30 on my watch and it took another 30secs to get out of the water and cross the timing mat. my swim goal was 57-58min.

i feel i should have definitely forced myself to the inside track quicker to get a better draft. as for the drafting, i just cant seem to avoid these calve and hammy issues on long swims. between the poor lines and the cramps i think it cost me a good 2-3mins.

used the wetsuit strippers to get my suit off and while i was on the ground my other calf completely locked up. it hurt so bad the strippers had to help me back to my feet and then i hobbled to the changing tent with ice cold feet. once in the tent i took my time to change into cycling shorts and arm warmers and i was then on my way.

not much. when you are prepping for a 5+ hr bike ride you really need to make sure you got your stuff in order before you head out.

overall bike leg went really well and i slightly increased my pace each lap while holding a 21+ mph avg thru out. the plan was to take the first hour ez and then start to build on my effort the last 4+ hrs. the bike got off to an easy start and i just stayed in the small ring all the way to the top of the beeline which was a little over the first 50mins. once i started to descend back to town on the first loop it was go time. i dont ever use any type of computer on my bike so everything is feel but it felt like i was flying! i wasnt pushing too hard but there was definitely some effort going on. i must say that my softride and a disc wheel make a wonderful team. i was blowing by several cevelos pumping the same as me down the hill. after the first loop i heard amber yelling for me as i headed back out which felt good. once back out on the beeline to climb again i could no longer hold a pee which caused me to lose some ground on the guys i was pacing with. i had hoped to reach the top of the bee line so i could pee going downhill but i just could wait any longer. this little lull on the bike cost me a min or two but damn it felt good. once that was done it was time to focus and get up the hill. before i reached the top i was swallowed by i huge pack of riders (15 or so) drafting each other. i tried to work around them to get back ahead but they were too strong. soon a marshall showed up and hit at least 3 guys with penalties which felt good. once i made the turn i spotted even 2 bigger packs coming up the hill that disgusted me. on a side note i truly hate drafters and when i get caught in that mess i tend to burn up my legs trying to fight to stay off the front. its not smart on my part to do it but i just cant sit in the middle of that crap and feel good about myself. with that said i flew back down the hill to town, i managed to yell one nasty comment at a large pack, and i made a pit stop at the special needs. once back in town i got another energy boost for amber yelling and then i was off for my last loop. nutrition and hydration was going well so was really feeling strong deep into the bike. once out near the beeline i needed to pee again so with that i took care of business a second time on the bike. once i started to climb the beeline for the last time i was passed by an older guy with another person in tow. i say in tow b/c this guy was sucking wheel really bad and even after a marshall warned this guy 2 different times he continued to draft like a champ. wasnt sure why he never got a penalty but oh well. once i hit the turnaround for the last time i was ready to fly but that was a little tougher the 3rd time b/c the wind had changed and it was now in our face going back to town. however i proceeded to grind it out and keep my pace to finish the bike. bike goal was 5:15 to 5:20.

not much. maybe plan my pees on the bike better so i am going when i have a downhill so i dont lose so much momentum. very pleased with bike split. nutrition was great with me taking in close to 2k in cals with lots of water and salt. i did a great job of staying aero almost the entire race. was really surprised to see i lost so many spots in my AG on the bike with a 5:15 split.

stopped to hit porta pottie before changing tent and lost 1-2min going pee. changed into run shorts and loaded up all run gear and sunblock before heading out.

get that last pee out on the bike to save time.

run started off well with a nice pace once my legs felt normal. however, after a few miles i could tell i was going to have some issues with my infinit run formula going down the hatch. once i tried my first sip it was like my stomach said "i dont think so!" with that i worked down so ice and water at aid stations before trying the run drink again. after 4miles i learned from amber i was 34th after the bike so it was going to take a monster to run to make up some spots for kona. i hadnt lost hope but i was pretty sure i was going to crack top 10. still no luck and i was now 6 miles in and starting to slow b/c i needed cals. my HR was fine and even though my legs were slow i was still able to turn them over. after another 2 miles of minimal cal intake i said "F" this stuff and tossed all my drink bottles in the trash. it was now time for plan B which was take what you can get at the aid stations. by mile 10 it was time to rely on coke. by this time i was really starting to slow b/c i was behind on cals so it was coke at every station with ice and sometimes water. it took another 5 miles for stomach to adjust from feeling bloated and on the verge of puking to being able to run a steady pace again w/o an upset stomach. by this time i was also walking each aid station to make sure i got the coke down and to cool off with sponges. before the last lap amber had told me i was now in the 20s in my AG so i knew for sure i wasnt getting top 10 in my AG. i then did some quick math to see what kind of finish i was looking at and made the decision to get under 10 hrs no matter what. i was now on my last lap and i started to put the legs in motion. the stomach was back to normal and i the legs were so sore but my stride was still fully intact. i really started to hammer at this point and i was flying past people. i would still walk the aid stations to get ice and coke down but between them it was full on running. i know for a fact i was moving b/c guys would try to latch on to me and then get dropped. i also heard several comments from spectators about my stride that made me feel really good. as i crossed the last bridge to head towards the finish i skipped the last 2 aid stations to make sure i hit sub 10. as i came to the last 200m both my hammys really tightened up and i was in lots of pain. at this point i was snaked my another guy in my AG. i tried to hang on to him but it was too painful so i shorten the stride and just focused on the finish chute. it felt so good to hear the crowd go nuts and see the clock under 10. as i finished i was so estatic with my effort. i was also in lots of pain from cramping so i proceeded to stand still for 10mins until i felt good enough to walk. goal was 3:15 to 3:20.

i should have made the switch to coke after a few miles b/c i knew immediately the infinit wasnt going to work. i feel the delayed adjustment put me in a hole that took almost 6-7 miles to get out of. i also think i took too long in the aid stations b/c i would stop at the beginning to get sponges and then walk all the way to the end where to ice and coke were. i should have run to the ice and coke and then got going again quickly. next time i will run sub 3:15!!!!

took in lots of fluids and some pizza. sat for awhile and then hobbled to get my stuff and head home. stopped at fuddruckers on the way home for a burger and fries!!!!


craps on the swim and delayed decision making on the run to adjust my nutrition.


once again IM puts on a good race. lots of support which is the most important thing in my book. this was my 2nd IM and both have been IMAZ. i think its time to find a new destination in 2010. i like AZ but with everything that goes into the race prep and race week i want to experience a different location.