Ironman Arizona : Official Thread (Page 58)

Do any locals or returning athletes have any input about tires? I understand the Bee Line and side roads have all been repaved a few months ago, but thorns from brush is an issue. How serious is the flat possibility, and what about sealant? I always assumed the sealant was designed for the MB and CX folks. 

Thanks. 

Flats happen out on Beeline.  I have had them on and off.  I use Conti GP4000s and have pretty good luck with them.  Friends using Gatorskins have had flats there as well, so nothing is bulletproof.  

The new paved road is nice, and I am sure they will run the sweepers through there before the race next week, so we should have it ok.  Much of the usual debris is in the median, and we will not have to ride there as the southbound lanes will be closed off for the race for us to use.

Again, flats happen, but the road seems to be ok on race day.

Awesome, hope it holds together for you on race day.  Been dealing with a little ankle thing myself, adds an extra layer of stress to this whole thing.  Good luck!

Did one last long swim (3200m) today in the pool after not feeling great about my 3k OWS yesterday (started the race 4 minutes late, wasn't able to put on my wetsuit right, took breaks, ect. Just not the way I wanted my last long swim to go.) ...I tried wearing my booties to see how much slower they would make me. Good news is I felt a lot better than I did yesterday...Bad news is those booties slow me down about 15 seconds per 100m! I'll lose around 13 minutes on the swim if I decide to go with them. Now is the time where I decide between comfort and speed...I'll likely end up doing the practice swim and make my decision the day before the race...

Also did my last "long" run...Only 9 miles and I took it super easy. Kept my HR at 140 and felt good. I guess that's it; training is done...Now it's time for the victory lap.

That's great, man!! I've been "rehabbing" an Achilles for what seems like forever now...I pretty much get through all my runs the same way you do- with minimal pain. I just came to accept that it's going to be a little tender throughout this whole experience. It's gotten much better to a certain point and has just kind of stayed there; not getting any worse or any better.  After the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon (okay, and maybe a full in Jan.) I am focusing all my time on getting to a point of running with zero pain all the time.

Only 1.5 weeks.... until Thanksgiving! I totally forgot about it with all of the IM prep going on.

What are your Pre-race rituals? Like week before, not right before you get in the water. I get a haircut before every major race (the only time I cut my hair), put on my disc cover and swap my tires. The last two are more 'general prep' than ritual. I thought I had more but I can't think of them right now...

New rubber on my wheels before all my "A" races, so those went on this weekend.  One beer to relax me the night before. 

Thank you.  Good luck to you, too.  It does add another layer, one more reason to worry about whether I've done enough.  But, it is what it is now, so now we can just let it all hang out!

Thanks.  I think I vaguely remember running with zero pain.  Good luck to you on Sunday.

I'll be Bic'ing my head 2 days before so there's that perfect amount of "stub" on race day...My race wheels/tires will be put on tomorrow as well as a thorough tuning/drive train cleaning for my steed by the dude who built her. Also, my diet will consist of brown rice, sweet potatoes, broccoli & some form of lean protein for the rest of the week. No rituals, really...Just me being completely anal retentive with every single thing that I do. I must be really great to be around right now...

Like you Tim, I get all my haircuts right before races.  So that is in order for Friday morning.  Last year, I got a massage on both Thursday (upper body focus) and Friday (legs focus), and am scheduled to do the same thing on Friday and Saturday this year.

My bike is in the shop as we speak for its A-race tune-up, and I pick it up tonight (Monday).  New tires were installed about 200 miles ago, so they have worn just about right (in my opinion).  Like most people, I will lay-out and go over all my race gear about a dozen times between now and Saturday night.

For those of you using VRBO how did you figure out how far the place is from the race? I tried entering the host hotels zip code and VRBO didn't show anything.  I think a condo would be best for us but I want to be as close as possible.

If you email the owners of the vrbo you are looking at, most will give you at least some general cross streets so you can tell about where they are located.  If you map that to the host hotel, it will give you a good estimate of how close/far they are.

All, I have been fairly absent most of this season on the race forum, but find this a good time to share something I was given last year just before my first Ironman, Florida 2011. So---

Well, we are 6 days out from Ironman Arizona, and now into “taper” mode… nothing you do at this point is going to improve your athletic ability, other than getting some rest. Training sessions are shorter, much more abbreviated, and the key really is to keep from getting hurt or sick. You tend to stay away from people as much as possible if there is even the remotest possibility of catching a cold, and you don’t want to try to do something like play golf when you have not done so on a regular basis.

People wonder about those of us who attempt such a thing… and they do it openly, so some time ago somebody came up with these reasons for what we do.

Enjoy the read --

1. There are 6.5 billion people on earth. About 30,000 of them do Ironman. That’s less than 1 out of every quarter of a million people. That’s reason enough.
2. After clicking “Submit” on the application (or after handing over that check) your first thought is “WTH did I just do?”
3. Because you tear up watching Ironman Kona on TV.
4. After watching the TV coverage of Ironman Kona, you dream of being there yourself one day.
5. To reach down and find strength you never knew was there.
6. Because you don’t get older, you get more competitive as you age up.
7. Beats watching reality TV.
8. You get to create your own “Amazing Race!”
9. For all the times you’ve heard someone say “I’d do one of those . . . I just can’t swim”.
10. Telling people an Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run…only to have them look at you dazed and ask again “now, how far is that race you’re doing again?”
11. Because you told everyone “one day I will be an Ironman!”
12. You can eat more than three times a day.
13. Wearing a form-fitting tri suit is motivation enough to stick to your diet.
14. Testing the endurance limits of the iPod music collection in your head.
15. Spectators cheering your name as you run past.
16. How many people can say they did something for 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. . . hours?
17. The volunteer at the finish line reminding you did finish because you are too disoriented to realize it.
18. Talking about HR zones at 3am after a night out with friends with a buzz.
19. Your bicycle becomes part of the living room décor.
20. Where else can someone ripping off your clothes in public be considered a benefit? (Wetsuit stripper).
21. To prove with hard work anything is POSSIBLE.
22. When people ask how many days it will take, you answer “ONE”.
23. Hearing the National Anthem before the swim start gives you chills.
24. Being in the right place at the right time to meet a few of the Pros.
25. While on the bike leg you are playing with one of your favorite toys and justifying all the money you spent on it.
26. Peeing your pants on the bike or the run is not frowned upon but expected.
27. It’s not just a hobby but a passion.
28. The huge crowds cheering you at each loop of the run each time you pass by.
29. Showing off your compression socks and people know what you’re wearing.
30. The funny looks you get the week after when you’re still wearing your compression socks for recovery.
31. For all the 4:45am mornings when you wanted to stay curled up under the covers.
32. Chicken broth and Coke really ARE the ultimate power cocktail.
33. Making new friends on the run course to keep your mind off the pain you are feeling.
34. The wristband that somehow becomes your favorite fashion accessory.
35. Because you feel like a superhero in your tri kit.
36. You like the repetitive behavior . . . pedal, pedal, pedal for 112 miles only to end where you started.
37. Seeing mile 100 on the bike, a feeling comes over you that no one else can understand unless they have done an Ironman.
38. The fashionable tan lines you get from your tri shorts and tri top.
39. To find out who you really are.
40. Being able to eat salt tabs like candy, especially on the run course.
41. Even when everything is hurting, you can still run!
42. High-Fives from people you don’t even know.
43. You get to tread water with 2,500 other people.
44. Triathlons make you smarter!
45. You get an awesome feeling of freedom going stupid fast on your bike.
46. Looking at your watch and seeing you are 9 hours into the race and knowing someone is already finishing.
47. Knowing that when you wake up at 4am race day, the next time you go to bed you will be a VERY different person.
48. The longer you are on the course the less per hour it costs – you know how to get the most bang for the buck.
49. You get to prove to your math teacher you really did pay attention, formulating your nutrition and caloric needs for race day.
50. You finally get to use what you learned in math class.
51. Because your parents tried to talk you out of it.
52. Being there is ten times better than watching or hearing about it.
53. To fulfill a dream.
54. Boot camp and cross fit just weren’t challenging enough.
55. You can talk about chafing or saddle rash at the dinner table and not find anything wrong with it.
56. Your friends and family sitting on the edges of their seats while tracking you live on the web.
57. Because you got a C in high school chemistry but can now teach a class on lactic acid.
58. Endless amounts of energy you didn’t know you had.
59. People think your perfume smells like chlorine.
60. Your friends still love you even when you lack a social life.
61. There are the same amounts of cheers for last place as there are for first place, and the same finisher medals.
62. Walking to the swim start and facing your fears.
63. Watching people pass you on the bike and seeing them again later as you pass them on the run. Conversely (for me), watching people you pass on the bike and seeing them again later as they pass you on the run.
64. You get to be cranky, irritable and impossible to be around come race week and not catch slack for it.
65. A sprint distance was the beginning; a half-Ironman was testing the waters but not enough.
66. Because everyone knows you’re training and you can’t stop now.
67. Your co-workers think you’re nuts.
68. Your family thinks you’re nuts.
69. You know you are nuts!
70. For everyone who ever asked you “why?”
71. For the ones that believed you can.
72. …and the ones that didn’t.
73. Building confidence in yourself.
74. Inspirational messages of chalk written on the road.
75. Finishing your last hard workout knowing “I’m SO ready”.
76. The sponge is a fashion statement.
77. Because marathons were not long enough.
78. Because ultra marathons were not long enough.
79. Glow sticks on the run after dark.
80. The 12-step program to make you stop hasn’t been invented yet.
81. Because Winston Churchill said “Never give up. Never, never, give up!”
82. To say “I am an Ironman!”
83. Being in the middle of your doubts at one point in the race – finding a new meaning of being scared.
84. Finding out that you’re stronger than those doubts you had a few miles earlier.
85. Seeing people spectating on the side of the bike course and telling THEM “it’s a long day – hang in there” and seeing them smile for a moment.
86. Ford inspirational mile billboard with your name in lights!
87. The feeling of ice cubes in your hat or down your tri top on a hot run never getting too cold.
88. Your gear being organized in bags and not scattered around your bike.
89. The thousands of volunteers that make it possible.
90. Learning the power of determination and commitment.
91. Finding a new level of patience.
92. Because people said you were a fighter.
93. The IV’s feel so good after the race.
94. To Tri and finish before midnight.
95. Hearing people yell “you’re almost there” all day long.
96. Weekend plans are made around your training schedule rather than your training schedule made around your plans -- and it being okay.
97. An excuse to be bipolar on your LONG training days.
98. That moment you KNOW you are going to finish for the first time all day.
99. Being nearly almost there – for real!
100. The first time you think “Holy crap – I’m doing an Ironman!”
101. Thinking you are crazy for doing this when you see a 20hr week of training.
102. Being able to neglect chores around the house because you had a 6 and half hour bike ride and are tired.
103. Indulging on dessert because you earned that extra scoop of ice cream or second slice of cake.
104. Sharing a smile with people wearing the finishers T-shirt the next day.
105. Running along Tempe Park.
106. The thought of someday running down Ali’i Drive (IM Kona).
107. Because you’re a fighter.
108. The Bragging rights.
109. A level of excitement you have never felt before because nerves are mixed in.
110. It’s not a race because you have all day!
111. You get to explore the city you live in because you have a 6hr bike ride!
112. Ice baths have never felt so good!
113. It’s never too late to shoot for the stars – regardless of who you are.
114. Learning the anatomy of your own body.
115. You persevere when everything, including your insides, hurt.
116. You build character.
117. Smiling for the photographers on the course regardless of how you feel.
118. Not knowing how to stop after you finish because you have been going all day long.
119. The energizer bunny’s theme becomes your own (“… and they keep going, and going and going. . .&rdquo
120. Watching the sun rise as you start your swim and seeing the sun set as you finish the race. (or while you are still running)
121. Having the energy to still dance to the music on the run course even though every muscle in your body is aching.
122. You know it’s not easy.
123. Lots of “pace booty”.
124. You are an inspiration to others.
125. For the love of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream!
126. Who needs a list of New Year’s resolutions when you are training to do 140.6 miles in one day?
127. Watching the race site being built a few days before.
128. Makes everything else seem so short.
129. To finish near the deadline, and having a Pro there to put the medal around your neck.
130. To see if it really feels as good to do as it does to dream it.
131. Seeing mile 25 on the run!
132. THE FINISH LINE !
133. The first step after your cross the line, all the pain goes away for a split second and you think “Oh.  . . My . . . God . . . !”
134. Hearing Mike Reilly say “_______________, YOU are an Ironman!”
135. Getting the M-Dot tattoo.
136. The 140.6 sticker for your car.
137. The Medal!
138. The finisher Hat and Shirt.
139. After realizing you really finished, your first thought be “I think I looked down for my finisher photo!”
140. Because I say I can!
140.6. The feeling of accomplishment!

I wish a great race to all...

Of course there is always the possibilities of "different variables"...I could have just been having an off day. I could have been a little tired from my OWS the day before...The time loss may not all be due to the booties. However, I took them off and did an easy 100m at the end and could absolutely feel the difference. I finished that last 100 in 1:48 with the same perceived effort as the 3100 I did before where I averaged 2:10...2:10!!!

I really didn't feel the difference while I was swimming either...I was super surprised to look down at my watch and see how long I'd been swimming. Oh, well...It's really the only thing that I'm undecided on at this point so I guess it could be worse.

But we can all laugh at the fact that it's 16F here and snowing.  Guess I'm not getting out for a ride today...