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Ironman Florida - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Panama City Beach, Florida
United States
Ironman North America
73F / 23C
Sunny
Total Time = 14h 31m 5s
Overall Rank = 1923/2921
Age Group = Mens 40-44
Age Group Rank = 370/527
Pre-race routine:

I left from Round Rock at 4am on Wednesday morning and drove straight through to PCB, arriving around 6pm. The first song of my 900+ song playlist that played (on random) was Panama by Van Halen. Right from the start I knew it was going to be a good trip:) It was an easy drive and I was able to get out for a short run before unpacking and eating dinner. The next couple of days were spent at registration and doing acclimation workouts and just trying to calm the nerves. On Friday, I met Jess, Richard and John for a rough ocean swim and then Jess and I went for a 45 minute bike ride. I am really glad that I did all that as it calmed me down and felt incredible. In the afternoon I went with Patrick to pick up Kari and the girls (and Briana)from the airport and we ate dinner and went back to the condo to try and get an early night sleep. This year, I slept until the alarm at 4am (Theme from Rocky). Breakfast was oatmeal, coffee and a banana. Then, it was time to pack-up and meet Jess and friends for the walk over to transition to set-up and do the final bag drop-offs and adjustments. I went over to the Hotel lobby to get out of the cold and wait for Kari to get there and ran into Katie and Ainsley so we sat around and did the nervous talk before it was time to put on the wetsuit and walk down to the beach. If anyone ever does an Ironman and tells you that they are not nervous at this point, they are lying. Same thing about peeing in their wetsuit;) Walking out to the start of these races and seeing 2500+ other people waiting to get in the water is just incredible.
Event warmup:

For the first time in a IM, I actually got in the water before the race and swam 25 yards or so to get used to the water temp and get wet. I am glad that I did.
Swim
  • 1h 08m 55s
  • 4156 yards
  • 01m 28s / 100 yards
Comments:

The only good analogy I have ever heard for the swim start of the Age group Ironman is "imagining yourself as a sock in the washing machine with a load of tennis shoes" To say that the start is violent and anxious is an understatement. However, most people are not trying to hurt each other and everyone is actually pretty nice. It's just a limited space for too many type "A" personalities to occupy at one time. No one wants to get passed. So, I positioned myself right in the middle along the beach and about 3 people back from the front. The count down started and I took several deep breaths and then the gun went off. All at once, a mass of black wetsuits started moving forward to the ocean. Getting through the initial waves and shallow water was not nearly as hard this time as we had caught a break and the surf was calm and flat. I was able to get into the water easily and up to speed with very little trouble or contact. There is a little sand bar about 50 yards out that caused everyone to stop swimming and walk for a few feet then back to the swim. After that, the jousting for position began in earnest. I tried to stay about 25 yards to the right of the buoys since we had a definite right to left tide. People were swimming all over the place, right to left, left to right, over each other, under each other, banging, hitting, pulling, etc. Just your normal IM start. I swam with wide elbows and kicked when I had too to keep my space open and I actually found a good rhythm and pocket of swimmers to draft off of around the first turn. Once we made the turn we swam into a ton of jellyfish floating close to the surface. I was swimming in the draft of the guys in front so I didn't see the jellies until they wrapped around my right arm. I was wearing a sleeveless wetsuit so I felt the sting instantly and tried to shake it off as best I could to continue on. I thought this one incident would effect me much more later but that was really it. Done and gone. 1-2 minutes of stinging and then I forgot about it. Unfortunately, I lost the great feet that I swimming behind and spent the rest of the 1st lap trying to find another group. The swim in was harder as the main group started to spread out and that massive man-made current started to succumb to the ocean current. I finished lap #1 in 32:30 and felt good about where I was. Lap #2 was harder as we had to get out, walk/run along the beach and then wade back in and do another lap. The main group had broken up so much that I spent a lot of time finding myself in "no man's land" with no one to swim behind. So, I spent too much energy swimming through the water on my own and trying to bridge the gap. Not bad but I did slow down without all those good feet. Lap #2 was 36:ish and the last length was by far the slowest as I had trouble staying comfortable in my wetsuit with the chaffing on my neck. Overall, I was very pleased with the swim. For the amount of effort (swimming 1-2x/week) I put in during training I was able to set a personal record in the Ironman swim. I was 1:35 faster than '06 and :07 faster than '08.
What would you do differently?:

More speed and technique workouts in a group environment. I don't think I pushed myself to swim as fast as I can. I swam a lot in open water by myself and didn't ever pick-up any speed.
Transition 1
  • 11m 45s
Comments:

T1 seemed like a long way for me this time. I had trouble getting my bag due to all the competitors arriving at the same time. Once I found it, it was a jog across transition to the changing tent, which was PACKED with people trying to find a place to sit and change or trying to pack-up and get out the door. I thought I was prepared here but I struggled to get things on while wet and I didn't want to forget to bring warm clothes since it was cold and windy. Getting out of the changing tent was just as hard, jumping over bags and dodging people and then just trying to get out the door was crazy. With so many people coming into T1 at the same time, the volunteers were running around like wild animals trying to help. I had to go all the way across transition again to get my bike and then run BACK across transition to the bike exit. It seemed I got screwed here but it was only a few minutes in the grand scheme of things. The bike mount line was a joke as people tried to get on and take off in a skinny path surrounded by screaming spectators.
What would you do differently?:

Finish the swim closer to 1 hour to avoid the masses.
Bike
  • 6h 19m 12s
  • 112 miles
  • 17.72 mile/hr
Comments:

I am always amazed at the amount of people who take off on the bike in a Ironman like it was an Olympic distance race and cook themselves so early. I was able to get on the bike, get comfortable, start taking in nutrition and settle in relatively soon and was into a nice pace heading out into the wind when I started to get passed by large packs of people OBVIOUSLY drafting off each other. One group was so bad that I noticed the lead cyclist flick his elbow and then drop back to allow the next guy to pull the group. Karma is a good thing because at the first penalty tent, I saw that entire group 15-20 riders standing around serving out their penalties. Some people never learn or are just are cheaters at all times because I saw the majority of that group pass me again drafting as if they didn't care. I never saw them again so I am assuming they got away with it and went on to have a fast time. The bike for me was good, although slow due to my race weight being higher than in the past and a constant wind that seemed to be in my face for a good part of the day. However, what I could control was my effort and I felt I stayed within my ability and continued to take in nutrition and water and never really felt hungry or thirsty. For the first time in 3 Ironman races and too many shorter distance races, I had finally nailed the nutrition and hydration puzzle that had haunted me in the past. About 70 miles into the bike I came up on 3 guys riding side by side and chatting like it was a joy ride and came to find out they were from around Boston. They were heckling people and having a great time just talking and riding together. I talked with them for awhile and laughed as they just kept at it with each other and people who rode by. It was refreshing to have some folks out there not taking everything so seriously. I didn't see them again so I hope they had a great rest of the race and finished their first Ironman. I had no need to stop in special needs since I was carrying all my nutrition (Infinite) and just supplementing with water on the course. So, I didn't have to stop for any length of time and was able to staying moving at a good pace for a majority of the race. The ride back in began to get hard as we rode in with a cross/headwind after 100 miles of grinding. As you would imagine, around mile 90 I was ready to get off the bike and could feel the spots that were tired of rubbing and chaffing. Once back into town, we turned into a direct headwind for the last 4-5 miles and it was a real struggle to stay focused so the wind didn't blow you over. I never thought getting to the run would cause me such joy!
What would you do differently?:

Lose 20 lbs.
Transition 2
  • 11m 7s
Comments:

Much better experience in T2 with a lot less people to deal with. I was also able to hand off my bike to a girl who I told to "put that bike on eBay cause I don't want to see it again" In the tent I struggled to get things moving and just couldn't move fast enough. Once dressed, I ran out to get covered in sunscreen and then had to hit the port-a-potty before running out onto the course.
What would you do differently?:

Practice transitioning for an Ironman.
Run
  • 6h 40m 6s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 15m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

For those that know me this next statement is going to be kinda crazy. I felt great coming out of T2 and out on the run course! I saw Kari and the girls and stopped for a moment to say hi and give kisses and then started running with what seemed like "fresh" legs. That's right, I felt like I was starting a marathon without having done ANYTHING before it. I was on cloud 9 thinking that I could easily achieve my goal of running under 5 hours and breaking my overall time goal. After running for 5 minutes or so into that cold wind I started to experience some tightening in my chest as my asthma started to flare up. No problem, I brought my albuterol with me just like always. I walked a few feet with Tiffany around the condo and told her I had just started to struggle but I thought I would be fine after a short walk through the aid station and a puff of medicine. I didn't realize until a mile later that the albuterol was out and I was stuck with a situation that was getting worse. What sucked the most was that my legs felt GREAT and I actually felt better running. I just couldn't breath and after a few minutes of running I had to stop and walk cause I couldn't breath. For those who have no idea of what it's like to have asthma, try running a marathon and breath with a pillow over your mouth. At mile 3 or 4 an EMT was treating a lady who had fallen down saw me coming up and walked up to me asking if I was ok. I guess I looked bad struggling with my breathing. I said I was having asthma issues and he said I would have to drop out of the race if he helped me. I told him to not touch me under any circumstances and that I would just walk for a while to try and calm down. Right after that I texted Kari (yes, I took my phone with me on the run and I am glad I did!). I needed a new albuterol or my race was done. Kari and the girls got in the truck and tried to find me out on the course but were not able to get to me until mile 8 due to traffic and the way the course winds through neighborhoods and state park roads. Unfortunately for me, the damage was done by that point and any sustained running effort was just not possible at that point. I might have been able to recover if I had checked the albuterol before the race but it was a mistake that I made after so many races without having the need for it and it cost me my PR run. I am good with that since it was something that I could control and not some external factor. Another mistake that I made was trying to walk too fast while waiting for Kari to find me. I had not trained to do that and my shins and back of knees were so sore that I could not run when my breathing returned. I was determined to finish my last Ironman even though I figured out that I was going to miss my goal after such a great day. It's funny what the mind does after that long into a race to convince you to back off or drive forward. All I could do was walk and think about what could have been. But somewhere around mile 15 I started to notice that I was seeing people who were struggling just like me and I struck up conversations as we all tried to help each other keep on keeping on. Some of us stayed together, some moved on, some dropped back. But all of us kept moving forward. "Unrelenting forward momentum" my friend Pam said. FYI, if you are watching an Ironman, please don't say you are almost there at mile 22. It might seem close to you but it's not. I finally made the turn onto the final road and came up to my friends Richard and Tiffany. They walked with me for about a half mile to make sure I was ok and then I told them that I needed to slowly jog it in. The final push to the finish line is long and dark but you do get to run to a loud and rocking finish line. The Ironman finish line is hard to describe. After a long day in your own head and just part of the masses, the finish line is like "your" time to celebrate a finish to this crazy event. For the first time in 3 IM's, I made sure that I took my time going through the finisher line by giving high-5's on both sides of the line and just soaking in the finish. I never even looked at the clock. From that point on, it didn't matter how much I hurt. I had just finished my 3rd Ironman and I had nothing else to give.
What would you do differently?:

Make sure I had a NEW albuterol canister with me before going out on the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around and took pictures with the family and then had a nice 30 minute massage.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weight and asthma.

Event comments:

I love this race but I am now retired from Ironman racing. 3.0 and go.




Last updated: 2010-11-09 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:08:55 | 4156 yards | 01m 28s / 100yards
Age Group: 103/527
Overall: 570/2921
Performance: Good
Suit: Xterra sleeveless
Course: The two-loop swim takes place in the Gulf of Mexico. Athletes will have a short beach run in between laps. The chop can be strong and tinted goggles are recommended to block out the rising sun. Water temperatures should hover near 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 11:45
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
06:19:12 | 112 miles | 17.72 mile/hr
Age Group: 264/527
Overall: 1260/2921
Performance: Average
Wind: Cross-winds with gusts
Course: The single-lap course is flat and fast. The highest point on the course is only 161 feet above sea level, and the wind tends to be light. Expect a fast bike split, and be prepared to stay in your aerobars.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 11:07
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
06:40:06 | 26.2 miles | 15m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 370/527
Overall: 1923/2921
Performance: Bad
Course: This is one of the flattest runs on the Ironman circuit. Spectators fill the roads on the two-loop course, which parallels the shoreline through local neighborhoods to the turnaround in St. Andrews State Park. The sun sets early this time of year, so you may want to toss a long-sleeve shirt into your special needs bag.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2011-11-10 2:08 PM

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Extreme Veteran
527
50025
Round Rock, Texas
Subject: Ironman Florida


2011-11-11 8:54 PM
in reply to: #3897573

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Expert
944
50010010010010025
Waller County, TX
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida

Bummer on the breathing issue and mental mistake; it happens. When it does, you just have to deal with it and that's the spirit of IronMan.

Good job on the finishing time despite the challenges.

Also, it was good that you recognized that this was your last IM and you soaked in the experience. So often, we do or see something not realizing that it is going to be the last time ever you are doing it and miss out on that.

Well done.

2011-11-14 11:55 AM
in reply to: #3897573

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Expert
919
500100100100100
Subject: RE: Ironman Florida

Great job on getting it done and over coming any issues.  I too am retired from IM racing.  My kids and with my son being autistic really keeps from long training days such as IM.  I'm ok with the decision. still plan on races but focus has been on mtb and trail running as of late

 

 

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