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Ironman Louisville - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Louisville, Kentucky
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
96F / 36C
Sunny
Total Time = 12h 47m 50s
Overall Rank = 671/2157
Age Group = M 20-24
Age Group Rank = 29/102
Pre-race routine:

My pre-race routine technically began when I signed up for this in September of 2009. After a lot of work, worrying and training, coaching through Dan Arnett (Mavarnett) from Endurance Concepts, nearly 3000 miles of biking and 700 miles running, I was ready to race.

I arrived in Louisville on Thursday with Eric (my sherpa) and took a few days to myself to rest and mentally prepare. As the days wound down, I remained surprisingly calm, and the only thing that I was nervous about was forgetting something in special needs bags. I felt confident in my training and knew that I had put the work into the race, and that it would pay off on Sunday. At the same time, I knew my limitations, and knew to keep my effort at a smart level. The hay was in the barn, now its time to execute!

I didnt sleep well the night before. Had some weird dream about the coffee machine not working on raceday and FREAKING OUT because I did not have enough coffee. We all know how I need coffee for a good race. Anyways, I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm went off at 4am, and laid in bed thinking of the day before me. I had a shower (as Dan says, you gotta get clean to get dirty) and grazed on food in the hotel room. Going into the race, my hydration point was at 66 (should be between 50 and 65) so I knew I had enough fluids in me. Drove down to transition to get things setup, and made the hike to the swim start. As Eric and Ryan (my other sherpa that arrived Saturday) left me at the race start to head to the finish, my parents (by some crazy stroke of luck) find me. We chat while waiting in line and they offer their words of encouragement. It helped keep me calm in a situation where I might have pulled my hair out. Turns out, I was 20th from the back of the line (of 2700 people), so I didnt get in the water until 7:33. As the line quickly moved ahead, I hugged mom and dad, turned off everything and entered race mode.
Event warmup:

This is it!
Swim
  • 1h 15m 38s
  • 3862 meters
  • 01m 58s / 100 meters
Comments:

I jump in the water and immediately get to work. I knew that being so far back in line meant I had a lot of work to do and a lot of patched to swim through. I put my head down and dug deep, sighting event 8 strokes or so. The swim was uneventful for the most part. I try to keep my thoughts as clear as possible to keep from panicking, because once I think about it too much, swimming becomes impossible for me. Towards the end, I began to get bored with it (like always) and just wanted to be done. Getting out of the water, I saw that the clock said I finished in 1:15. Seeing as how my goal was sub 1:20, I feel like I did pretty good.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, it was a strong start to the day.
Transition 1
  • 04m 33s
Comments:

I rock at transitions, thats all. As I get out of the water, I am flying by everyone walking to the Great Lawn. I wanted to break 10 minutes for my combined T-times, and I knew I had to hurry to meet that goal. The T-area was a lot bigger than I had imagined, but I hustled. Uniform on, helmet and shoes on, sunscreen on, screamed past the volunteers to get to my bike and I was off.
What would you do differently?:

Not a thing.
Bike
  • 6h 25m 16s
  • 112 miles
  • 17.44 mile/hr
Comments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw

The above video contains the song that was stuck in my head for the whole bike ride. Youre welcome. Seriously, I wanted to shoot myself by the time it was over.

The bike started off great. I felt good, smooth cadence and was happy to be out of the water. I was grinning like an idiot: this is it! Youre on your way to being an Ironman, all the work is paying off right now! I was strictly told that if a hammer-head flys by me, let them go, as I would very likely see them again on the run. That was true for the most part, but I will get to that later. I, in a way, was a "hammer-head" with the way I was passing people. But come on, I was in the very back of the field starting off, I was bound to pass a lot of people in my first lap. Though it seemed I was pushing too hard, I comfortably sat in Z2 on River road and as we went up onto US 42. I had seen this before when I did Cardinal Harbour, so it was nothing new. My nutrition plan started immediately (3x concentrated Infinit every 15 minutes chased with water, gel shot every hour, Cliffbar if I felt hunger pains). On the out and back, I lost a gelflask with 500 cal in it, and a fresh cold water bottle. I tried to make due until the next aid station, but was already feeling hungry when I got new water for my Infinit. I tried adjusting by consuming more every 15 minutes, but I did not panic and down a bottle because I was "late" with my plan.

The first lap was uneventful. I chatted with random people, enjoyed the scenery and just took it all in. The Festival in LaGrange was incredible. The crowd support was awesome! And might I add, that I had no issues with tacks in the road like some people experienced in previous years. The locals were more than supportive of every athlete out there.

As I begin the second loop, I notice it getting hotter. I up the fluid intake and try to maintain a steady smooth bike pace, always keeping the thought of the marathon in the back of my mind. Two aid stations back to back were out of water. WTF?? No good WTC. Anyways, I had begun to notice that, despite the heat, my sweat rate was way lower than normal. I thought it odd, but I felt fine so let it go. Coming to LaGrange for round 2, I saw Ryan and Eric at the corner of my eye as I flew past. I could not have been happier as they cheered me on. What a difference it makes to see a friendly face on the course.

By mile 90, I had mentally checked out. I wanted out of the saddle, and I was hungry. Hunger pains do not normally bother me, but I felt different, like my stomach was not absorbing any liquids I was putting in it. The aid stations that were out of water had Ironman Perform instead, which I took. The stuff was awful, and my GI did not like it, but it was liquids.

The last 12 miles on River road was a blur. I wanted off and was flying by people in an attempt to get home. I came back into transition ready to put the marathon to rest.




What would you do differently?:

New saddle? Back pains have got to go away. Adapt nutrition on the fly.
Transition 2
  • 05m 6s
Comments:

Once again, I rocked socks in this T2. I took a bit of extra time changing socks and tying shoes (I could have used speedlaces) but its not a big deal. Was still flying by people the whole time.
Run
  • 4h 57m 17s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

Starting off the run, I ran into Mom and Dad and chatted with them a bit. No need to rush, I had to calm down a bit or else go out too fast. Same thing with Eric and Ryan after the bridge, chatted a bit to cool off. From 30 seconds into the run, I knew that something was off. My stomach was sloshing and my gels did not feel good. The sensation was strange, like it was just sitting in the top on my stomach. I attempted a running belch to reset things, but it never came. As miles 1 2 and 3 went on, the cramps became worse and worse. Eventually, I found myself walking. By mile 5 I was on all 4's vomiting into a bush. A slurry of Infinit, water, Gel and grapes came out. I thought that was all I needed to reset the system, and my race was back on. Yeah right, mile 8 or so I was right back on the ground loosing my guts. What was going on??? I had never experienced running stomach cramps like this before, the pain was unbearable. I wanted to run so badly, I wanted to hit my sub 4:00 mary, but I knew it just was not possible. I got to special needs at mile 13 and took 5 Tums (THANK GOD). This helped some and I started running a bit more.

I get to the turnaround for lap 2 and the cramping gets worse. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Salt. I had noticed it all day. People were white with salt and were taking salt tabs like candy. Why had I not noticed it? And whats worse, why the hell had I not trained with them??? I immediately start scanning the ground. I pick up 4 salt tabs that someone had dropped, and at the next aid station, I played chemist. I opened op all 4 into a small cup of water and immediately downed the slurry. It was disgusting, but I knew it was the quickest way to get salt in my system. Within minutes I felt better. The cramps were subsiding. But this was mile 15, the damage had been done. As I find more and more salt tabs, I take them at each aid station and I pick up speed.

Dan says that the race begins at mile 20 of the Marathon, and he was right. For the entire race, I was preparing myself to pull it out for the last 10k. I felt good enough to run, but it was still slow progress. But that did not matter at this point, as I was passing the death marchers in droves. The miles ticked down, and I kept picking up speed. As I passed someone, I would say to myself "Just who the hell do you think I am?!?" Each mile, a boost, and I got more energy. Finally, with .25 a mile to go, Shanks (EC Coach) found me. "This is it, this is your moment" he said. I gave him my hat and glasses, and took off. As I turn the corner onto 4th st, it hit me like a ton of bricks. People everywhere, bright lights, the drone of cheering and applause. And the finish line. I was picking up speed without even knowing it. I could not feel my legs. My lungs were burning and I had tears in my eyes. I pumped my fist and looked up at the lights. I could not believe that I was there after the hell of 26 miles I just ran through. I saw an outstretched hand to the side that I slapped as I went by (at the time I had no idea, but it was Dads). As I approach and pass under the arch I hear the fated words "Daniel Harris, you are an IRONMAN!"
What would you do differently?:

Salt
Post race
Warm down:

I cross the finish line and collapse. Like a flash, I was in a wheelchair and surrounded my finish line catchers. I just broke down in sobs. I was so overcome with emotions, I can not even begin to describe it. They wanted to roll me to medical, but I insisted on walking (an extra 200m was not going to kill me). A bag of IV (from salt deficiencies) and 30 minutes later I was good as new.

Icebath, compression, Endurox and sleep :)

Event comments:

Aside from running out of water and ice, a well organized race. Just get your game together with supplies and I will be back.




Last updated: 2009-10-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:15:38 | 3862 meters | 01m 58s / 100meters
Age Group: 35/102
Overall: 797/2157
Performance: Average
Suit: Tri shorts
Course: Point to point, starting at Tumbleweeds Restaurant, around Townshead Island and back down to the Great Lawn. 3/4 mile upstream and the rest with the current.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 85F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 04:33
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:25:16 | 112 miles | 17.44 mile/hr
Age Group: 41/102
Overall: 1082/2157
Performance: Average
Wind:
Course: 2x loop out to Lagrange with an out and back thrown in.
Road: Rough  Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 05:06
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:57:17 | 26.2 miles | 11m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 31/102
Overall: 706/2157
Performance: Below average
Course: 2x out and back down 3rd and 4th street
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2010-08-31 3:10 PM

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Expert
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Roswell, GA
Subject: Ironman Louisville


2010-08-31 6:42 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Master
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Johns Creek, Georgia
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Great race report, and way to overcome the run.  I saw you out there as I was heading out on my 2nd lap and you were finishing up.  I didn't realize it was you until you had passed and your race number and name Daniel registered in my head.  I was a little bit out of it.

Nice job!
2010-08-31 7:10 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Master
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2000500
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Congratulations on a great race in horrible conditions. I cannot believe they didn't have water at two aid stations in that heat. You rocked it! Onward to CDA!
2010-08-31 8:04 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Master
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Atlanta, GA
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville

Congrats....interesting the salt had that much impact.  Great problem solving.   I am not sure I would have been solving problems after a few yak sessions.  Impressive fortitude ad focus.  Given the conditions, you time is more than respectable.  A little cooler and salt earlier in the race...you are going to have a great IM next year with the experience.

2010-08-31 8:31 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Master
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Chicago
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville

Great race report....I am SO sorry you got so sick...but CONGRATS on finishing!!!

I was out there spectating, so I know what you guys went through...

I felt like I was on the run with you with your details...absolutely gut wrenching!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

2010-08-31 8:50 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Great job out there Ironman.  I love your run..."finding your solution". 
Very inspiring in not giving up!


2010-09-01 6:00 AM
in reply to: #3074894

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Master
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Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Way to go Daniel!  You looked great out there!  I'm very impressed with your salt solution - good thinking on the fly.
2010-09-01 7:41 AM
in reply to: #3074301

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Expert
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Lancaster, PA
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Congratulations and Great Job on your race Daniel- way to push forward on the run and overcoming those Ironman obstacles. 
2010-09-01 7:58 AM
in reply to: #3074301

Extreme Veteran
597
500252525
Atlanta, GA
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville

Congrats on an impressive Ironman in brutal conditions. I'm glad you were able to find some unused salt and were able to turn around your marathon. Congratulations.

2010-09-01 8:08 AM
in reply to: #3074301

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Master
2380
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Beijing
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Great job on looking for salt tabs on the ground.  you really saved your own bacon.  

Congrats on the finish!
2010-09-01 1:47 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Veteran
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100100
Fayetteville, NC
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Congratulations on your ironman finish!  That was some really good thinking on the salt tabs.  I wish I had thought of that.  I can't believe they ran out of water on the bike.  That is just unforgivable!!

We were apparently very close together on the bike portion.  I was looking at the Endurance Concepts tracking on facebook today and they were calling us the "EC Unit".  You lost me on the run though.   Great job!


2010-09-01 8:40 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Champion
6962
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Atlanta, Ga
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Dude....awesome work!  I am so impressed with your resilience and problem solving. 

It was my pleasure coaching you to your first IM.  There is only one first.  I kept wondering if you and Carol saw each because you were next to each other the whole time.

Congrats again man...so proud!
2010-09-01 8:52 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Expert
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Johns Creek, Georgia
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Great job man.  Wished I had met you.  Thanks BTW, can't get that sound out of my head now!

Edited by hrliles 2010-09-01 8:53 PM
2010-09-01 9:20 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Extreme Veteran
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Newnan, Georgia
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Well done sir! Well done!
2010-09-02 7:19 AM
in reply to: #3077488

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Master
1432
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Woodstock
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
Nice job out there- fantastic debut and great job gutting it out. Congrats Ironman!
2010-09-02 12:20 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Elite
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Whispering Pines, North Carolina
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville
I can see how that song would get stuck in your head for 5+ hours, but man, somebody shoot me after 2 if I can't stop thinking about it!

Congrats, IRONMAN! Tough day and you had a rocking time! Congrats on a sub 5 marathon!


2010-09-02 9:19 PM
in reply to: #3074301

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Master
1524
1000500
Reston, VA
Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville

i would spend the afternoon puking if that song was stuck in my head too    seriously, though, great job pushing through under incredibly difficult conditions.  nice race.

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