It wasn't as packed as a lot of races
that I have done. I got somewhere in the middle, towards the front.
Once the cannon went off, there were a lot of hitting and kicking, but
it still wasn't that bad. It seemed to be more individuals being
stubborn (me being one) than the packed crowd. At the first turn
there was a bit of a crowd and a lot of running into and over people,
but other than that there were no crowded spots. There's always
people who stop at the turns and scout out the next buoy, and causes a
backup. The swim was mostly uneventful, and I came in at the same
swim time that I did at Ironman Florida.

Try to find some to draft better.

One of my focuses on this race was to reduce my transition times,
which added up to 22.5 minutes at Florida. So during the end of the
swim I started mentally going through everything I was going to do in
transition, which clothes I might change (none), what I have to put in
my pockets, etc. So I got out of the water, and my legs did not work
at all. It was really hard to stand up straight. Nonetheless I was
able to run to transition, grab my bag, put everything on, and grab my
bike, and head out in a little over 7 minutes.

Still gotta treat this like a real race and stop obsessing in transition. my time was decent but can me improved a bit.

The wind
also came from the hill, so that made the speed slow down a lot. As I
watched my watch at 17mph or so, I was a bit discouraged and figured
my bike time would be about the same as Florida (6:40). But at
Florida, I stopped at restrooms 3 times, and I was determined to not
go at all on the bike this time, and that would save me a bunch of
time. Of course, such ideas encourage me to underdrink, which is also
stupid. The pavement was also pretty rough in many spots, making it a
bit tougher. I tried to ride on the painted lines when I could, which
helped a lot because paint is a lot smoother and the rolling
resistance is better. I saw this idea on a Tour De France show once,
and I am surprised that I only saw one other person doing that. I
would ride the line, gain some speed, pass some people, and head back
to the line. At one point, a huge pack of cyclists came up on me,
drafting each other (drafting is illegal). They crowded me in so I
could not go anywhere. I sort of dropped back a bit, and eventually a
referee came up and tried to break it up, and they sort of did. It's
a tough situation. You don't want to go slower than you can, but at
the same time you can't speed up and pass them because they are
drafting each other and naturally speed up with little effort.

Once we hit the turnaround to head back into Tempe, it was almost all
downhill. What a rush! I hit 32 mph immediately, and held that speed
for a long time. I was between maybe 22 mph and 32 mph for the whole
19 miles back into Tempe. When I came into town on the first loop and saw that I was under 2 hours, I knew I had a chance for a good bike ride. The 2nd loop was about the same. Halfway through the third loop, I started
getting a sharp pain in my outer right arch, which started making me
worry. I tried to stretch it, and sometimes pedal with one leg, but
it would not go away. I tried some different variations in movement,
speed, and in cadence, and was able to get back to Tempe ok, hoping
that this pain was not going to affect my run. That could make for a
really bad day, or a DNF (did not finish). Add to that, the winds
shifted, and the ride back was in the wind. I did finish the bike in
5:44, almost a full hour faster than Florida. 19.5 miles per hour.
I realized that with a decent run, I am way under 12 hours for a full
race, which is dream-like.

Train more on my race bike, and maybe I won't have arch pain. I also ended up only eating half of my nutrition, a stupid rookie mistake.

When I got done the bike, someone took my bike from me and I ran to
the transition tent. The pain in my foot did not seem to be there.
As hoped, the different pressures/muscles in the new movements was not
putting the same pressure on the arch. I changed into new shorts and
a shirt, grabbed a few things, and headed out to run. My transition
time was about 5 minutes, so overall my transition times were a little
over 12 minutes, which is 10 minutes less than my transition times in
Florida. Yeah! Goal #2 reached (first was no bathroom on the bike).

Consider wearing the tri shorts and shirt for the run, or make it possible to do so. But today I was way ahead of my dreams and could afford the luxury of new clothes.

I head out on the run, not seeing the girlfriend, which we were both expecting.
I thought that I might have come in too quickly for her to expect
me, which was true. Strangely, I seemed to be around a lot of fast
guys. I tried to take it easy, but still ended up with a 8:40 first
mile. I gradually tuned it down a bit to save myself, and I saw a
couple of guys walking, which made me feel better about going slower.
By mile 4 I started to suffer, and by mile 5 I was suffering pretty
badly. To make things worse (or better in some ways), the run course
is 3 loops of twists and turns all around Tempe Towne Lake, and I
usually have no idea where I am, or where the next aid station is.
The course is nicely set up for having a crowd though, and at mile 5-6
I run through the crowd and I see the gf. I immediately felt better.
I told her that I had a great bike but I am suffering badly. But I
will be ok if I don't pass out (I was serious). The nice thing about
Ironman races is that many times, you can adjust to the situation and
you feel better later. Things change. I just had to manage myself in
order to make it. At the time, 20 more miles in my current state did
not seem possible unless I walk the whole thing. Anyone watching on
the web probably thought I was a lock for a 11:45 race, or better. I
was thinking that 12 hours is probably a 50/50 shot, and I will be
happy to beat Florida's 12:40. Looking back now, I am pretty sure I
was severely lacking electrolytes. I might not have eaten half of the
things I planned to eat while on the bike. I did not know that during
the race, however. I guessed that I was probably lacking salt, and I
started drinking chicken broth at every aid station. Oh, that stuff
is one of the race's greatest pleasures. The volunteers at all of the
aid stations were wonderful as well. They have competitions to see
who can be the best aid station. Many times, volunteers ran up to me
well in advance to see what I could possibly want, and then run/walk
with me to make sure I got it. By mile 13 I am feeling better and
confident that I will finish. I am walking at every aid station
(since mile 4), but I am still able to get 10-11 minute miles with
that strategy. At that rate, I will finish in 11:48! Wow, that would
be so awesome. But things could fall apart quickly. Then the sun
goes down, and it gets cooler outside, making me feel even better (it
was 80 for a high). I am still walking the aid stations, but the last
few miles I am doing sub 10s. In the last mile, I realize that most
of the people around me have more loops to do, which made me feel
great. A lot of walkers in that group as well, so you feel fast.
With a half mile left, I start prepping myself for the finish. No
plan to sprint like last year, but I will whoop it up and take it all
in for sure. When the turnoff for the finishers comes up, I look
ahead, and behind, and see that there are not that many of us
finishing right now. Wow. And we seem to be spacing ourselves out
for great photos (funny how that happens). The crowd is cheering, I
feel great. I scream some, and wave my hands. Right before the
finish line, it's packed with people, and the guy ahead of me pulls
out a flag. Then he slows, and heads over to some family somewhere.
Ugh, I guess I will pass him. I thought we were all lining up for our
individual moments! Anyway, I get the crowd to myself, and I yell,
raising my hands, and I throw my arms right on top of the finish line
banner, grabbing it. It felt great. :-) I am not sure if Mike Reilly
announced my name again – probably not. But it was still a great
finish. As soon as I cross the line, two "catchers" grab me, once
from each side, and start talking to me to make sure I am ok. They
take me to my shirt and hat, and are eventually convinced that I don't
"have to" have medical attention. I felt awful, but I didn't want to
head over there just to drink Gatorade. So I grabbed some pizza, and
laid down on some grass. I looked at my watch and it said 11:44:20.
Wow! It was worth it. My marathon time was 4:29, surprising
considering I suffered most of the way.

Set myself up better for the run, while on the bike. Take in that nutrition! Make a plan and stick to it.

After the finish, I was pretty woozy, and could not move very much. I
knew my girlfriend would be at the family area, but I could not get there.
After about 30 minutes, she found me. She was taking care of my
bike while I finished, so she didn't see me finish. She was upset
that she missed my finish, but I was ok because just having her there
was already an incredible help. So she took my bike to
TriBikeTransport, and grabbed my transition bags for me. If I had to
do that myself, I would've been pretty unhappy! She was awesome.

Somehow I was able to walk to the car, get to the hotel, and take a
shower. I still felt really woozy, and I did not want to talk, move,
or do anything. I could not pack for hotel checkout, and I could not
write emails. I forced myself to drink more water until I had to go
to the bathroom, and that made me feel better. I slept well, and I
woke up feeling a lot better. I am still a tiny bit woozy, but not
too much.


Not being smart about nutrition on the bike. But I am able to make adjustments during the race and come out better, and I'm pretty happy about that. Have to somehow manage to drink enough on the bike, while not relying on the bathrooms on the bike course.


In the end, it was a great race, beating my Ironman Florida time by
almost an hour. But I suffered a lot more. At times I wondered why I would ever want to do one again. I am already signed up for Lake Placid in July 2009, and I am still skeptical of that race, but it is pretty common to
think like this right after a race. Ask me in a few days and I will
be excited about Lake Placid.