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Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Tempe, Arizona
United States
Total Time = 11h 36m 9s
Overall Rank = 609/
Age Group = m35-39
Age Group Rank = 102/326
Pre-race routine:

This was my second Ironman in my first 18 months of triathlon after completing Coeur d' Alene back in June. I had a great race there (12:23) but knew I could improve on that with just a few tweaks in training and with help from a slightly flatter course (I refer my trainer, so driving to train in the hills seems ridiculous to me). In Idaho I swam 1:09, rode 6:14, and ran a lackluster 4:45 due to a case of IT pain that forced me to walk a good portion of the second half.
I had signed up for AZ because my younger brother and dad were going to do it as well, along with 4 other friends of ours, but CdA was my main focus for the first half of this year. After CdA I took a month off to let the IT pain go away, and ran my first open marathon in August to fairly decent 3:42. Did I mention last June I was 50 pounds heavier and working out in any shape or form was foreign to me? :)
So in September and October I ran somewhere around 200 miles and rode my bike (all on the trainer) 800. I was feeling extremely strong and fit. I also managed to drop a good 5 pounds off my CdA race weight, which put me at 159 (I'm 5'7).

I should note that the week before the race, my brother called to say that not only had he submitted our story, but we had also won the Ford Ironman Training Team contest. This is sort of a replacement program for the Everyday Heroes segments they've done in the past. What it means is that we won $2500, gained free entry into a race for next year, and got to have cameras in our faces most of the weekend.

Early friday morning I packed up the van and hit the road for Tempe. My wife and kids were flying in on saturday morning, which after a long 3 day drive to Idaho by myself with the 3 kids, this was a real treat. I met up with our group in Palm Springs (they were driving from the Sacramento area) and we caravaned the rest of the way.

We rolled into Tempe about noon and headed straight to check in. Me my dad and brother had to be at the host hotel for our interviews by 2, so luckily the lines werent too long. After that we went and met with the producer and cameraman who had everything set up and ready for us. We each had a turn in front of the camera answering questions about our path to Ironman, challenges we've overcome, and what it was like to do this as a family. Of course the last question was who we thought would win. Of course my brother and I had some good natured rivalry going on so we hammed it up a bit. After that we went outside and got filmed driving around in a new Ford Explorer, walking around the finish line, using the bluetooth and navigation, etc. It was corny but pretty funny too. The best part was that as we were leaving they were setting up for the pre race show and I saw Matt Lieto hanging out. I introduced myself and told him how much I enjoy his race commentary, especially the "Im on a boat" reference fro Kona. :)


My dad getting interviewed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/IMAG0199.jpg

Me getting interviewed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/2011-11-189515-...

The three of us walking around the Ford Explorer while being filmed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/382902_30745199...

That evening we had a big group dinner at the mexican place by our hotel.

Saturday morning I picked up my wife and kids and we all went down to the swim practice. Jumped in for about 15 minutes just to get a feel for the water, which was pretty nice compared to the 54 degree lake at CdA. From there we drove out the the bike turnaround and did a quick ride before heading back to transition to drop off bikes and gear bags. Dinner that night was crazy with 28 of us at the Spaghetti Factory.

The Lucero waiting in transition. Good chance I was the only one there that made his own disc cover. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/IMAG0201.jpg

Sunday morning wakeup was 4:30. Amazingly I slept right through from when I laid down at 10:30, considering in Idaho I woke up every hour. Had my normal breakfast of a poptart, and bottle of gatorade along with a piece of toast. We got down to transition about 5:45 and started getting ready. The cameraman found us right away and filmed us messing with our bikes and getting body marked. I had a great spot in the first row out of transition only 4 bikes in. I was right next Seton, the owner of TriSports and we ended up chatting a bit, which was cool. We got suited up and we all got in line to get into the water. Hugs and handshakes were done and next thing I knew we were jumping in the water.
Swim
  • 1h 07m 12s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 35s / 100 yards
Comments:

I was amazed with how many people seemed to be hanging back under the bridge, so i just swam right up front. I placed myself 3 back somewhere in the middle. The cannon went off and it was on. I knew what I was capable of based on my CdA time, but I had been doing more speedwork in the pool and figured the experience alone would be worth some free time. Quite a bit of unintentional contact on the outbound leg, but not bad. I did swallow a lot of lake water, which I wonder if it may have been a cause of the stomach troubles I had later. That shit is nasty! The turn buoy came up really fast and at the second turn to head back I glanced at my watch and saw 29:XX and I was really happy even though I knew we had to swim under both bridges then over to the wall. Return swim went well, and think I managed a pretty straight line with very little contact. I swam up to the swim steps and hoisted myself out. Hit up a wetsuit stripper and ran across the mat and saw a 1:07. I was stoked! A PR by 2 minutes was okay by me!

Swim start:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/DSC00839.jpg
Transition 1
  • 06m 26s
Comments:

T1: 6:26
Grabbed my back quickly and ran into the tent. This all went pretty quickly but of course the hands don't always cooperate after a cold swim. Shoes on, bib on, helmet on and glasses in my hand and out I went. I wore my DeSoto Riviera shorts and top for the whole race and they worked great as usual. As I ran out of the tent the cameraman was right in my face running backwards away from me as I went to my bike. That was kind of trippy. He told me I had beat my brother out of the water. Ran to the mount line and off I went.
Bike
  • 5h 33m 2s
  • 112 miles
  • 20.18 mile/hr
Comments:

I really wanted to see what I could do on a fairly flat course. We were lucky that there was hardly any wind and the temps had warmed up so that it was quite comfortable out there. The whole way out of town I felt great and was happy to see was cruising at over 21 mph. I started drinking from the gatorade bottle I had between the bars, and took a few sips of the gel flask on my top tube. The whole way out to the turnaround went b y really quickly. Of course I was passed by alot of faster guys, but I was okay with that....I was racing my own race. After the turn (and a quick pee break (I really need to learn to pee on the bike!) it felt so good to blast down the hill! I hit 38 mph and maxed out in my 54/12 gear combo. The whole way back was pretty effortless and I was amazed at how quickly the bike was going by compared to Idaho. Rolled into town and saw our cheering section along with other several thousand lining the street. The way back out I could tell the wind had picked up a little bit, but it was pushing us that way so my speeds/effort were still good. I kept taking my gel flask and had swapped my gatorade for a bottle of Perform and a bottle of water on the frame.
I should note that I was riding a brand new 50mm chinese carbon clincher wheelset with new Michelin Pro Race 3's, latex tubes, and my DIY disc cover. They all worked flawlessly and by bike just felt incredible under me. I just felt fast! I also thing that dropping those couple extra pounds really helped. I passed quite a few people on the slight uphill, in the aero position, with no real extra effort on my part.
The return trip of lap two felt fine, but I did stop at special needs to take a leak and refill my gel flask. The only mishap of the ride happened here. As I'm straddling my bike squeezing gel from one flask to another, I tipped the open flask and a good amount spilled all over my bars, which dripped down on my front wheel. What a mess! Of course then it was on my hands and I was annoyed by it for the whole rest of the ride.
I saw Tricoplicus and his Giggity! disc wheel art on the outbound leg of the second lap and said hi. We would end up leap frogging quite a bit the rest of the race and we ended up finishing within 10 minutes of each other.
Third loop was a bit of a pain since the wind had really picked up and as soon as I hit the turn, it was like a slap in the face! It sucked so bad, and while it was kind of demoralizing, just knowing that I only had to deal with it for 18 more miles made it a bit better. Finely turned onto Rio Salado and cruised it in, making sure I stretched out my legs and back. My shoulders were a bit stiff from all the aero (I spent 99% of the ride in aero) but my legs felt great. I did have my inner quad cramp up like crazy about 10 miles from home, which was very off for me, but i was able to work it out. I pulled my feet out of me shoes and peddled in on them up to the dismount line and jumped off cleanly. Off to the tent I went.

Heading back out of town for lap three:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/DSC00847.jpg
Transition 2
  • 03m 2s
Comments:

Grabbed my bag and found a spot in the tent. Put my Zoot Kalanis on, visor, Garmin and grabbed my flask of Red Bull and I was gone.

Run
  • 4h 46m 25s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 56s  min/mile
Comments:

On the bike I had let myself toy with the possibilty of a sub 11 finish. My bike was solid, and based on my training I thought I could manage something around 4 hours. I started out on the path and forced myself to go slower than I thought I was going and saw that my pace was 9 even. Still had to slow a bit. As usual my heart was racing a bit, but that started to even out. I took a few swigs of Red Bull and made it past all the spectators along the path. That's about when my stomach started feeling not so great. It was kind of a mix of cramping and nausea that just wouldn't go away. I spent the next 26 miles dealing with this, trying everything I could to make it stop. Nothing really helped. I managed to stick to my plan of walking aid stations and running the rest, but if I pushed my pace at all, things got worse. It felt like I had to puke and poop myself at the same time, but that wasn't happening, and I didn't feel like sticking my finger down my throat. I managed it through the first 11 miles at a 10:15 pace by walking if it got really bad and walking the few hills. I got to see all of my family right before the special needs area on each lap, and that was really nice. My other brother was on the other side of the bridge texting my wife with the distance between me and my brother and she would relay it to me which was kind of cool...I felt like a pro or something. The first half of the second loop I felt a bit better and tried to get some calories in, but that made things worse. Second half of that loop felt awful but I could at least walk at a brisk pace without too much discomfort. At about mile 13 I saw our buddy Joe pass by me on the only section where you face oncoming runners. This is a guy who BQ in August with a 3:02 so I knew it was only a matter of time. I told him to hurry up and get it over with. He finally got me at mile 18 and I told him to hustle so he could go sub 11 in his first IM. My stomach issues continued, but by the middle of the second loop, I could smell the finish and I just sucked it up and ran as much and as hard as I could. The crappy thing is that throughout the entire run my legs felt great! As I ran the last mile and a half down the along the lake and towards the finish, I tried to soak it all in. Taking that left chute towards the finish instead of the one to the right felt awesome! That run through the dark parking lot and the last little hill to the left before the finish was just cruel! The finish line in AZ simply can't compare to running down Sherman Ave in Coeur D' Alene, but the crowd made it just as special. They were going nuts and for that brief moment my stomach felt fine. Crossed the line with 2 other guys despite me trying to space myself for a good finish photo. Oh well....it was funny hearing my wife call the screen shot of the finish line a "sausage fest." lol.

Managing a smile on the run:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/DSC00862.jpg

My brother Josh on the run (in green):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/DSC00863.jpg
Post race
Warm down:

Post-race:
I hadn't seen my wife or kids along the finish because it was just nuts, but she was right there after my catcher had let me go. I felt great (with exception of my belly) and she told me my brother was about 10 minutes behind, so I waited in the chute for him. Our friend Joe had come in at 11:04, I was an 11:36, and Josh was an 11:52 in his 4th IM, which made me, who was always the fat unathletic brother feel great that I beat him and was able to rub it in. :) I also moved up a bit in my AG, getting into the top 3rd compared to smack in the middle in Idaho.
We met up with the family and hung out while the rest of our crew came in. The best part was seeing my dad have a great finish with a PR of over an hour faster than he did at CdA this year, and more than 2 hours faster than St George last year.
I had some pizza and sprite hoping it would settle my stomach, but even after some healthy gas passing it wouldn't subside. Eventually the combo of a nice strawberry smoothie from a truck at the expo and a successful #2, it started feeling better. I have no idea what the cause was (lake water, red bull, the two immodium I took before the race?) but you can be sure I'll try and get that sorted before I make another IM attempt.

Final time/standings:
11:36:09
609/2XXX OA
102/326 M35-39 AG

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/ScreenShot2011-...

Overall I was very happy with my performance. A 47 minute PR is still a PR and I'll take it. It feels weird to not have a IM race on the calendar for the first time in 18 months, but that's okay. Tempe is a great place for a race, and as usual WTC puts on a great event. Nothing beats the thrill of being around all those other athletes and supporters all weekend.

I'm done!
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/DSC00869.jpg[/IMG]

My dad IM #3 an at 57 years old:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/DSC00873.jpg

The finishers...minus one who hadn't finished yet, but did:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/undertheradar/DSC00875.jpg


What limited your ability to perform faster:

Stomach!




Last updated: 2010-11-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:07:12 | 4224 yards | 01m 35s / 100yards
Age Group: 60/326
Overall: 395/
Performance:
Suit:
Course:
Start type: Plus:
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current:
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 06:26
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
05:33:02 | 112 miles | 20.18 mile/hr
Age Group: 74/326
Overall: 451/
Performance:
Wind:
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 03:02
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:46:25 | 26.2 miles | 10m 56s  min/mile
Age Group: 102/326
Overall: 609/
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2011-11-21 11:05 PM

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Extreme Veteran
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Strong Beach, CA
Subject: Ironman Arizona


2011-11-22 9:12 AM
in reply to: #3911041

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Veteran
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Morgan Hill, California
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Way to gut it out, so to speak! Seriously, nice job just persevering and still putting up a pretty impressive time.
2011-11-22 9:43 AM
in reply to: #3911041

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Extreme Veteran
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Scottsdale
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Great job out there!  You rocked a PR and have some great footage and video memories to watch forever!  Congrats!
2011-11-22 10:31 AM
in reply to: #3911041

Champion
8903
500020001000500100100100100
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona

Nice work out there!  Sorry I didn't get a photo of you, but sounds like you got enough video of it all to last a lifetime!!

2011-11-22 2:36 PM
in reply to: #3911041

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Extreme Veteran
849
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San Diego
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Way to go, IronBrother!  What an amazing journey you've had over the past 18 months!  Ha!  Remember when we had just started training for CdA and you'd never run more than 10 miles or been on a bike for very long?  So fantastic!
2011-11-22 2:47 PM
in reply to: #3912062

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Sensei
Sin City
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Nice job.  Nice pace!


2011-11-22 6:40 PM
in reply to: #3911041

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Master
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Redlands, CA
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Great job out there and blistering fast!
2011-11-22 7:28 PM
in reply to: #3911041

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Veteran
217
100100
United States Military Academy
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Great job! I remember seeing your bike and number a few times on the bike course.  The wind shift was difficult to deal with for me as well. Good luck with your next challenge!
2011-11-23 12:43 PM
in reply to: #3912431

Master
5557
50005002525
, California
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Nice work!  Your bike split has me totally pumped up for my upcoming race on a nice flat course
2011-11-25 4:42 PM
in reply to: #3911041

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Elite
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Fishers, Indiana
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Great job doing the CdA/IMAZ double! Glad to have others out there that did! Water was not cold at all compared to CdA, huh?! Well done--definitely didn't catch up with you on the bike this time!! Congrats to your family!
2011-11-29 2:14 PM
in reply to: #3911041

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Veteran
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1001002525
SoCal
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
great job out there...congrats


2011-11-30 5:00 PM
in reply to: #3911041

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Veteran
165
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Parker, CO
Subject: RE: Ironman Arizona
Congrats! Way to persevere on the run and PR!
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