Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman

The start was the usual "Thump and Sparkle" of a deep water start with 2,600 in room for about 1,000. With the added bonus of right-of-center being the most crowded area and folks walking along and coming in off the shore adding to the congestion. I was surprised how many simply slow swimmers were at the front, and very quickly I was jokingly thinking "Uhhh these folks behind are gonna kill us if you guys don't get going". But I didn't crowd anyone and sought my own water just enough to be sure and keep my goggles on. I drafted all the way to the turn, which I took just slightly wide paddling water-polo style while folks who had taken the inside line came to a dead stop and thrashed each other. After the 2nd turn I kept straight as I had seen from the bridge in April that not following the buoys was a much better line, and by then I really preferred having my own rhythm to working the draft which had dwindled.
I rolled over under the bridge and whooped and waved to Amy and Erin. Amy took a couple pictures, I mostly look like a ripple in Loch Ness, and then according to her the camera basically gave up the ghost. It's become expected for our electronics not to work on race day. :-)

I'd been swimming 2.4 in 1:30 as my regular swim training main set for months, and I wrote in my "Iron-Details" list "15mins of Thump & Sparkle, 1 Hour of relaxing Swim" so 1:16 was just right. Looking at overhead videos of the start I might have been further to the inside towards the buoys to avoid some congestion.

"Slow is Smooth."
I planned that transitions would be 16 and 13 mins, and they were 16 and 11. I ate, I stretched, I laughed, and put everything on just how I like it, right down to adding fresh Chamois butt'r and applying sunscreen then washing my hands with Sanitizer. AND I walk, don't run, which is especially why T1 takes so long at this event. It's at least 300yds from the water to the tent and I don't do anything to raise my heart rate or kick in adrenaline, so I can eat all I need to on the Bike and have it all digest.
I saw an empty shot-bottle of 6 hour energy in the corner, and instantly recalling some of the discussions in the IMAZ thread here on BT it made me laugh out loud. But there it was.

Oh I could change it all up and become faster, but that's just not my style.

My vision of "Ironman Biking", of a lone Biker wrestling only their internal demons on long stretches of highway in virtual solitude were rudely awakened when I came and watched this event in April. Compared to that vision this is 3-lap 36-mile meat-grinder with 1 lane open to traffic much of the way and enough congestion to make dodging each other the main event even when you have 2 lanes. But I'd done the Elephant Rock ride here in Colorado in June with 7,000 riders, and at my speed (18mph minus stops) you just take it easy and keep going.
I removed my wheel magnet and used only Cadence, keeping it high and spinning and otherwise going totally on perceived exertion. Because it wasn't registering speed/distance the computer would shut off regularly, but I wanted to to feel the effort internally rather than read the speed, to help focus on keeping the lid on enough to eat tons of cals and have it all digest. The key there is to not go anaerobic, even for short periods of time while climbing or digging out of corners, which would halt digestion.
I began with just water after having a Gel in T1, then started to sip 1,000 cals of Go Juice- Met Endurance and CytoCarb II mixed 500cals to a Bottle- along with the very occasional Gel, and enough water to keep it all dilute. I ate the PowerBar Protein Plus bar, which is almost perfectly 40-30-30 over a long stretch for "Lunch" and that worked out well. I'd practiced taking in even more calories on rides like the Enchanted Circle Century in the Mtns in Northern New Mexico which took 7 hours so this felt normal like a good training ride, with lots of partners.
I never believed I was drafting, but I felt constantly surrounded and aware and had my small end-of-the-handlebar mirror on, and it was very useful.
When the first Pros went by it was an impressive sight. I called out "That's a different race, fellas." to those around me, and someone nearby said incredulously "Like we're standing still!" which was pretty funny to us all, and absolutely true.
The wind was pretty strong and the hills towards the far end of each lap are much more significant now that they've extended the route up into the foothills, so there were times we all felt like we were standing still. But I spun, keeping the cadence in the 90's and the effort low no matter what. There was one point, up the hills into the wind on the 2nd lap at which I began to question whether or not my exertion was too hard for having a lap to go, but I poured some FRS powder in my water at the turn around and the combination of the downhill and the Caffiene improved my mood and I just told myself I was right on target and doing fine, and on I went. I need to point out that I was also downing SaltStick Tabs on a regular basis. It was so dry, even to me coming from a dry climate in the Mtns of Colorado, that I was powering down the water, and the Saltstick Tabs were a big part of my overall success, especially into the run.

The wind changed direction completely on the 3rd lap and was in our face on the way in, which was hard to believe, but the downhills after the turnaround were still awesome.
I found that the painted lines and especially the wide shoulder, where available, was MUCH smoother than the road, and rode there when I could. Plus riding on the painted line on and off was kinda fun.

If I had had any idea where the cameras were for taking our photos I would have looked up. :-)
Each time I was in a crowd and either resetting the cyclo-computer or reaching for a drink.

Simply faster than I had predicted and believe me, I took my time again, stretching and eating, lubing and getting everything just right.

The crowd coming right out of transition was great, and isn't something you can train with. I had planned to walk certain sections and run others and I immediately added that I would run past the start/finish area where the crowd was. For as I broke out of my walk and began to jog, they cheered, almost like they had done it, which I really appreciated.

The first aid station is only about 1/4 mile from transition which is great. :-) It allowed me to get past the crowd, get the drinks started, and get into the groove.
I ran the 1/2mile or so before each Aid Station, ran all the Bridges, ran all the downhills, and ran past the crowd. I walked the one significant uphill, which is conveniently just after an Aid Station anyway, and stopped to talk to my family and hug and hold the babe for a minute once a lap. Otherwise I had my watch set to an alarm every 20mins to consider a number of things- Running, Saltstick Capsule, Stretching, and calculating my per mile pace being ahead or behind 15mins a mile. At one point I was "up" 25mins which was 1.5miles ahead of my goal pace, but I knew as I changed my socks on the 2nd lap and used the restroom that it would all even out, and it it did. Besides the planned spots, I ran or walked as the mood or my belly or the terrain seemed to dictate and it worked out great.
On the 2nd lap I told my brother that if I didn't just crash and burn (which seemed unlikely given my conservative pace and food-fluid intake to that point) that this was going to be the coolest thing I had ever done. That statement was partly based on the sheer joy I felt right at the time from the runners high I was enjoying, coupled with the confidence that I'd begun to feel that I'd really finish, which had really been an unknown that wasn't helped by watching the race in April, when about 1 in 5 dropped out. When I left, my brother said to my wife that I looked like I felt better than he did, and that may have been true!
I had written into my IronDetails time-line that the sun would set at 5:22 on a moonless night, and with a high of 80-81 the early sunset was welcome. When they went to hand me my glow ring at the start of lap 2 they were surprised to find I already had my own, but I made sure they gave me a 2nd and from then on with the combination of 2 glow-rings and the fluorescent yellow shirt I was wearing, it was easy for the family to spot me coming across the Bridge.
In general and especially on lap 3 I chatted with anyone who wanted to talk. A couple of those folks were still on lap 2, facing that Ironman was more challenging than they had anticipated, and wondering whether or not to continue onto lap 3 or call it. It reminded me that it's not all fun and games out there every time for everyone, it actually seems very easy that if things don't go well one is faced with those kinds of decisions. In each case I tried to be funny, keep it light, reminding them there would be another chance if they so desired no matter what they decided, and wished them well, and it sure made me thankful I felt like I did and that things were going smoothly.
On the last lap, at the Aid Station before the uphill I came upon someone I thought I recognized from being on the stage at the athlete dinner. I wasn't sure, but then the age on her leg gave it away and I asked "Are you on BT? Because I'm erodda." It was GymGirlX, "Let's run together!" she said. Well both because I knew she meant "run" as a figure of speech-we were walking up the hill by then- and because I really appreciated the company and sense of familiarity, I really enjoyed seeing someone from BT, AND we had posted responses to each other in a thread just a couple nights before. Just before she began to run again, sooner than I, she suggested she'd wait for me... "Don't be silly." I said, "Go on, you're doing great!" and she was gone. Bravo to the 18 year old!
I had heard so much about "Try the Coke" and I did have just a little early on, but it never settled in my stomach at all. Chicken Broth, however, turned out to be just right. I was thinking "I want electrolytes but I'm not sure I need/want more calories right now..." (AND the Gatorade is so darned acidic), but the Chicken Broth was "thin enough" calorie wise, but still had the electrolytes... and it was mighty tasty contrasted with all the mostly sweet stuff I'd had all day.
I would walk slightly out of the path of other folks at the Aid Station and stop to take in my drinks, and often use this opportunity to stretch just slightly, especially my quads.

After running over the last bridge, with about a mile and a half to go I used the restroom and got kind of a dizzy, then an anxious feeling getting back on the course. Like a chill, and just a sense of weakness for a moment. I got 2 Saltstick capsules out on my way down the hill to the Aid Station and sort of without thinking put 'em in my mouth before I had the Gatorade in my hand. As I breathed out to say "Gatorade" a puff of electrolyte "smoke" was emitted form the popped capsules, much to the delight of the volunteers who joked that I really needed cooling off, saying "Man you are smokin!" Luckily I didn't breathe in instead and choke. But the laughter snapped me out of whatever concern I had that I was about to crumple to the ground or whatever, and after the Aid Station I began my "run for the finish". This was really just a nice jog-shuffle but with a smile like a Cheshire cat, and constantly looking back to insure I got my moment in the chute all to myself. There was a guy in front of me I was not interested in, and had little chance of catching, but the guy behind just kept running, and running, and I was thinking "Dude, I am not sharing the chute with you!" Finally with about 600 yds to go just before making the turn I stopped and let him go by and walked it in about 12 seconds behind him. My family was in the corner leading into the chute, which was perfect because I couldn't hear a thing in the chute except the cheering and the thump of loud music. It was a real treat to high five folks and do my little "Pride, Determination, and the Heart of a Champion" gestures, ending in a one-handed wave for the finisher's photo as I eased across.
Then I mistakenly asked for an XL Shirt- wow it is huge- and enjoyed the attention of the catchers. They are really professional about it, and I assured them I was not only fine, I was happy as a lark and feeling fantastic.

I made my way over to the food tent and found 2 surprising things.
1. That little thermal blanket is really warm as the night air was plenty cool once I stopped moving and
2. They had FRENCH FRIES. Ha.
Great Big Steak Fries with what looked like Rock Salt on 'em. I actually said "Are those French Fries?!" out loud to essentially nobody and dug in!
Gus and Amy and the baby made their way over, congratulated me, told me I looked great, and asked how did I feel. And we pretty quickly headed to the car after sitting down for just a few minutes with the Fries. I had intended to shower on the floor like I read some others doing, but my issue wasn't quite so much overall exhaustion as it was my quads did not want to bend anymore. So standing up was the only way to go and I took a warm shower and ate Fajitas Amy had brought from wherever they ate dinner.
That weak and anxious feeling returned as I was trying to go to sleep, but it was short-lived and I popped more electrolytes and ate another bar figuring it had to be blood-sugar or the need of electrolytes. :-) My mind unwound from all the mental effort and kind of wandered. I decided I was a little sad it was over, but VERY satisfied.
First thing the next morning, these old gaunt guys, who had obviously done multiple IMs were asking at the hotel breakfast "Well, how'd it go for ya?" as they did the Ironman shuffle with their cereal, and my immediate and continuing response was "It went well enough I probably don't have to do it again." :-)

One last thing- I want to share that I was surprised how tired I was in the next 2 days. There was really very little sense of "Celebrating" that could be enjoyed after about the first 45mins that night. The next moring I went and got my Special Needs bags and bought some Photos and I was so low energy that packing was brutal and we barely made the check out time. Then we drove to Albuquerque, which is about 5 hours, and for at least 2.5 of those hours I was in and out of an exhausted sleep- which isn't much fun in the car. Then when we got to the hotel I brought in 2 bags, the bicycle, and barely got my shoes off before falling asleep ON the bedspread in my clothes. No blankets, no jammies, dead freaking asleep almost all night.
I have brother who lives in Phoenix who we stayed with until the night before the event. If I had known how tired I was going to be I would have scheduled to just move over to his house the next day and nap and by that night and the next day I bet I would have been fine. Everyone's mileage may vary, but if you can, just chill the next day, picking up stuff at the race site and eating lunch and napping and then see how ya feel.


All the volunteers were very enthusiastic and that energy REALLY made a difference for participants.
I can't thank those who gave of their time and talents enough. It made a world of difference that everyone took care of everything so well and all I had to do was just keep going.