I knew I'd be around this time but was hoping to be a few minutes faster. I started to the far left about 3 rows back... A lot of people started there because I got kicked and punched way more than last year. Even though the course is straight forward I seemed to have trouble sighting. I was way off course coming back west. I kept missing the sighting buoys.

Master swim instruction. I need to get my swim at least 10 minutes faster if I ever want to contend in my age group.

Swim was 42 seconds slower than last year but T1 was 2:43 faster. I tried to limit the stuff I had to do in T1 in this year and I was a lot faster.

Swim faster so there's less clutter in transition.

1st lap: There was a strong head wind heading from the south all day. It made for a fast split up the Beeline, but the headwind coming down was brutal. As you can see on my HR graph, my heart rate was almost constant throughout the whole ride (usually it drops 4-5 beats heading back south). The cross winds as I headed back to Tempe were also scary at times. It was the first time racing a disc and it made me nervous a few times. Winds = 15-20 mph

2nd lap: Winds = 25 mph... and then it started raining and hailing. I've become a whimp training in AZ. I rarely have to deal with rain. I train almost every day of the year and there is probably only a couple days of the year the year it will effect my training. Of course, Sunday had to be one of those days. It was actually sort of fun in a weird way. I could hear people whining and everyones style of riding seemed to change. Everyone slowed way down and I made many passes on the 2nd loop. Saw Bryan (bryancd) on the turnaround at Shea screaming my name. :)

3rd lap: Windiest out of the three laps. ~35+ mph. On all my long rides, I was used to having a coke or redbull around mile 100. It was my "treat" to myself. I decided to tape a redbull in between my aerobars and drank it at mile 101. This always gave me a kick start to my brick runs.

I have become MUCH stronger on the bike compared to last year. Both my speeds and power have increased significantly. However, my bike splits were IDENTICAL to last year.... to the second!! I really wanted to go 5:10-5:15, but the conditions just weren't right on this day.

This year: I made 466 passes on the bike, 29 passes in my age group.
2009: 224 passes on the bike, 6 passes in my age group.

HEART RATE stats:

142 AVG HR

Goal was to be 140-150 on the bike.

HR Graph:
http://yfrog.com/bhbikelkj

NUTRITION: Gel every 35-40 minutes, 2 electrolytes every 45 minutes, 1 PB&J sandwich every 1.5 hours, and a Redbull at mile 101.


Push a little harder. Nick and I discussed my HR zones on the bike and we looked at all my past long rides. My HR had all been within 138-142. We accounted this low HR to the many traffic light stops that I usually encounter on my long rides, so we added 4-5 beats to this. I also really wanted to put together a strong run so I wanted to be safe and stay on the lower end of my HR zone and feel strong on the run. Lap 1 average HR was 140, lap 2 = 142, lap 3 = 143.

If I had to do this race all over again, I think I would try to stick to 145-147 and be more on the mid-upper part of my zone. He warned me on Thursday, however, that I can't fall into the trap of hammering on the bike and having a sub par marathon. I'm glad I played it safe and put together a good run.

55 Seconds faster than last year.

Run faster to T2. My legs felt really wobbly off the bike but I knew I'd snap out of it.

I read this article by Chrissie Wellington about a month before the race that I kept thinking about on the run. One thing she said was, "don't be afraid to go fast... even in iron distance races." I knew going into the race that I'm still a ways away from qualifying, but I wanted to really test myself on the run. I told myself before the race: No more settling in at 9:00 miles just because I'm "used to it", no more walking, and no more settling for being a mediocre runner. I want running to be my strength.

I had the best run of my life on Sunday. I felt great at the start and I PRed my stand alone marathon time by 7 minutes and my IM mary time by 30 minutes.

Mile 1-2: Linsey lapped me at mile 1.25 and we ran stride-for-stride for a half mile. This was a dream come true and I told her she is my inspiration. I knew I had to back off her pace or I'd destroy my race. I was praying for someone to have a camera, but I guess people will just have to take my word that I really ran with her :)

UPDATE: Here's proof! http://yfrog.com/5dishot1fj

Mile 2-5: I passed Brian Folts. I have a lot of respect for this guy. He is my age and he's usually a podium finisher at most of the local races. I also passed Colin (hockeyhands) who is also in my age group. As I ran past the Ford inspirational message board, I saw a message from Sally that said "HTFU!" This made me laugh.

Mile 5-19: Paced with Sonja (3rd OA female amateur and took 1st in W30-34). We didn't say much but I helped her out because everyone was giving me splits on Karleen's time (it was a battle between 1st and 2nd in that age group). We were running stride for stride for 15 miles. I knew we were beginning to slow at the later miles but she helped me keep pushing. I was giving it everything I possibly had. I went through MANY rough patches. Nick told me that I'd have these and I just need to run through them. He was right, I was suffering, but after 1-2 miles the pain went away.

Mile 19-24: This is where I entered the pain cave. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Sonja must have dropped to 8:00 miles because she chicked me fast and actually ended up beating Karleen at the end by a few seconds. I remember seeing Nick on the later stages of the run and he kept telling me that this is where I had to dig deep! I had a grimace on my face for these last miles, and I was trying to pick up the pace. Before the race, I spent hours mentally preparing for this one part of the race. I told myself to remember all the intense track practices, grueling 120+ mile rides, and all the pain, sweat, and suffering I've experienced to get to this one moment. This is where all the hard training would pay off. It's what defines the true athletes to "course clutter." Oh, and I lapped Chad at mile 18 or so. He was looking strong.. and happy. I ignored him.

Mile 25-26: This was the best part of the day... when I crossed the bridge and came back to all the cheering spectators... And most importantly, saw the sign that says, "TO FINISH." It's the point of the race where somehow all the pain magically goes away. I tried to soak in the finish this year... I remember running down the finisher's chute and looking at crowd in the stands. I saw the overall time, 10:27:35, raised my arms in the air (hopefully smiling), and then fell over on the railing towards the right. I had to be carried to the medical tent for an IV. I remember seeing Sally (riorio) and she had a worried look on her face. I didn't get my finisher photo :(

It's funny, I made a race out of something that didn't really matter. I was racing the most competitive women's age group (W30-34).Three out of the top five amateur females belonged in this age group. The ENTIRE day, I was trying to catch Karleen from my mediocre swim. She was up 16 minutes on me out of T1, I trimmed it down to about 8 minutes off the bike, and I got within 1:41 of her on the run. She was my main training partner this year and I knew we'd be close. I just didn't have enough at the end to catch her.


AVG HR 157

1 00:07:41 1.00 07:41 155bpm
2 00:07:23 1.00 07:23 155
3 00:07:42 1.00 07:42 156
4 00:07:42 1.00 07:42 154
5 00:07:43 1.00 07:43 157
6 00:08:04 1.00 08:04 156
7 00:07:31 1.00 07:31 156
8 00:07:55 1.00 07:55 157
9 00:07:55 1.00 07:55 157
10 00:08:02 1.00 08:02 157
11 00:07:46 1.00 07:46 156
12 00:08:17 1.00 08:17 154
13 00:08:14 1.00 08:14 152
14 00:08:16 1.00 08:16 149
15 00:08:33 1.00 08:33 147
16 00:08:41 1.00 08:41 149
17 00:08:45 1.00 08:45 150
18 00:08:45 1.00 08:45 159
19 00:08:50 1.00 08:50 150
20 00:08:19 1.00 08:19 161
21 00:08:59 1.00 08:59 161
22 00:09:05 1.00 09:05 161
23 00:08:57 1.00 08:57 158
24 00:09:00 1.00 09:00 165
25 00:08:57 1.00 08:57 168
26 00:08:51 1.00 08:51 169

I feel I raced this marathon to the best of my abilities.

NUTRITION: Powerbar Gel every 25 minutes and I was able to eat these for the entire run. Held a mini bottle of water that I kept refilling at aid stations. Two cups of Coke at the end.

2009: Gained 8 AG spots, 5 places overall.
This year: Gained 13 AG spots, I moved up 103 places overall.

... and only chicked by 5 amateur females!

I felt like crap for the rest of the night but I hung out to see most of my friends finish their races. I put on my Zoot compression tights and hung out with Nicole, Dean, and Bobby. I was also interviewed by an AZ newspaper reporter :)

I saw Karleen at the end and congratulated her on her KQ. We both trained incredibly hard this year and I feel it paid off for both of us. I made significant improvements from last year and I have to remember, I'm not even 2 years into this sport. I will get to Kona some day.

I joined Durapulse this past year and I'm glad I did. If anyone is serious about this sport, I'd strongly encourage you to consider Nick Goodman. I didn't think I could possibly get much stronger than last year, but he has made me into a much stronger athlete. Also, the athletes associated with Durapulse are such great group of people... friendly, but VERY competitive... which is exactly what I need to get myself to the next level. I'd like to thank each of you guys for training with me throughout the year: Bryan (bryancd), Karleen, Joe, Teri, Dirk, Stephen, John and others. It's been a great year!

Durapulse IMAZ athletes:

8:26:15 Jozsef Major 5th Overall Male
10:22:41 Karleen Dirmantas 2nd AG W30-34
10:27:35 Elliot Kawaoka
11:04:59 Joe Zitar
11:05:50 Jeff Westcott
11:20:18 Sam Perry
11:40:01 Dirk Ross
11:54:56 Teri Twarkins
12:36:57 Ryan Landefeld
12:46:09 Diana Heintz
12:51:56 Randy Gerke
13:56:12 Shawn Hardy
14:06:23 Kevin McCann
14:27:23 Kevin Preble


Strong winds, hail/rain on bike.


Thanks to ALL my friends for spectating and volunteering. It was nice to meet Colin (hockeyhands). We got a ride in together before the race... and his dad and him took me out to breakfast the morning after the race. I'm sure we will meet up again at a future race and he'll be a strong contender in our age group. Special thanks to Dean and Bobby for spectating ALL day long. It was was cool to see Sally (my arch nemesis), Becca, and Tanya at transition... and my coach and other teammates for encouraging me throughout the day. Also, all the BTers yelling my name, holding up signs, and taking pictures... it was a very special day for me. I wish I signed for IMAZ 2011, but I'm out of money :(