Ironman Arizona (Page 2)
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Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman
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Swim
Comments: Well, memories of how easy this swim was in 2005, was a bit exaggerated. Last year at CDA, the whole swim was terrible. I fought the whole time. I wasn't expecting that here, but I was wrong. At first things were good, then crowded, then good, then crowded. Finally after what seemed like forever, I made it to the middle of the lake. Most people were either swimming near the buoys or near the wall and I was not near any of them! Yeah! I got into a nice easy pace and I looked around and there was nobody in sight, so I didn't bother sighting, just checked to see how close I was to the wall on my right. Then, wham! A guy swam across my legs. WTF? I am out here all by myself and you swim over me? I was soooo pissed at that time, but kept swimming, then the occasional overachieving swimmer (someone so off course that they swim way more than anyone else) would swim across me. One guy kept zig zagging by me and I would have to pull up and let him by every time. After that a guy kept swimming up my legs. I can understand staying on my toes to draft (I do it), but he kept hitting me on the calves. Finally I kicked as hard as I could and he left me alone. I made it to the turn around buoy and everybody was so orderly that I couldn't believe it. I was heading back and again had clear water. When I got to the first bridge, I started sneezing. I would turn to get in air, then put my face in the water and Blub, blub, blub, blub. Breathe, then blub, blub, blub, blub. I sneezed 4 times and started laughing my butt off. I stopped swimming and looked around to see if anybody else saw this (or cared). About halfway back, I felt a rubbing on my neck, so I tried to readjust my wetsuit, but the Velcro was straight, so I kept going. A minute later, the same thing. When I finally got out of the water I had a burn on the side of my neck and under my right arm. I got to the top of the stairs and there were the wetsuit strippers. I went to a guy and he pulled the suit off of my right leg, then it got stuck on the timing chip on my left leg. I straightened out my foot and my left calf cramped BIG TIME. The volunteer's eyes were huge. He looked like he wanted to help, but didn't know what to do. As soon as he got the suit off, the cramp went away. I limped to the changing tent to start the bike. What would you do differently?: Probably not be such a water snob. I spent more time worrying about people being in my space, than actually swimming. I usually draft, especially in this distance, but didn't want to be near anybody. This was 6 minutes slower than any other race. Oh well, I still had plenty of space most of the time. Transition 1
Comments: Gawd, I tried to keep my transition times under 20 minutes. Didn't happen, I guess :) I really like it in there. What would you do differently?: I dunno, maybe I need to practice more changing tent transitions Bike
Comments: My coach wanted me to use my HRM and take the first loop easy. I put my HRM strap on in the tent, but because my watch was already going,I couldn't get a readout without restarting my watch, so I went on feel. I got on the bike and took off. I saw the Redheads pretty early and that made me feel good. After we got out of town, I was flying. Geez, I am in good shape. I am going 20+ and not even trying! Damn straight I am in good shape :) we turned up Beeline and the winds were coming across us from the east. No big deal. Again, I am in great shape, still flying up this hill. I really should have looked at the guys coming down the hill, because when I hit the turn around. I got hit right in the face with the wind. CRAP! OK, so now I am going 13-14 mph. OK, just hang on, make it to the first right turn and that wind from the east will be a tailwind...WRONG. the wind was now coming from the east. This lasted all the way back into town. When I got to Hill street bridge, I turned right and right into the wind, sigh. Then I hear the redheads yelling, cool. Then a minute later,I heard "GO Madcow". It was Chippy, Aaron and Shane. That was so motivating. I made the turn around and again there was wind, WTF? Which direction is it coming from? So far it is from the east, south and north. Now I am heading east...Tailwind !!!! I thought I saw MikeB, but kept going. About 4 miles later, i hear "I thought I would see you out here" It was MikeB! He passed me but that was all the motivation I needed. I stayed focused and just kept the legs turning over. he stayed about 20 yards ahead of me for about 6 miles. We were heading up Beeline and I heard a disc wheel coming, then the first place man flew by me. Then I heard another disc and the second place man went by. A minute later I heard another disc. When this pro pulled up, she slowed down looked right at me and said "Whoop Whoop!", then took off. That wasn't a pro, that was Tri take me away (Jessica). That made me smile. I decide to catch up to MikeB and chat. When I caught him, we rode side by side for a while, then he said we should ride together at the double. Cool. Then a motorcycle rode up to us and the guy on the back said "You guys need to break it up. I know you are not drafting, but there are some pros coming" so I pulled ahead. I stayed there until the turn around, but Mike wasn't right behind me. Hummm. I pushed on back downhill and back into town. I did find it a lot easier to ride into a headwind opposed to crosswinds, weird. When I turned around back at town, Mike wasn't there. He ended up about 10 miles behind (I guess another flat because he had 2) This time I felt really good going out and up the hill. I felt like I was getting stronger as the day went on, cool. Going back down wasn't so easy. I found that if I sat all the way at the tip of my saddle I had a lot more power and would pass a few people and felt good. The problem was my shoulders couldn't hold my weight for that long. Another thing I figured out was since we going downhill, momentum would bring me downhill. So I would pedal for about 20 seconds and the coast with my feet and legs tucked in close and I was holding my speed and gaining on people. I got quite a few looks when I was passing people while coasting and they were pedaling. Again, the problem was starting and stopping pedaling was killing my legs. It felt better to keep them turning. Oh well, it was fun experimenting. I finally made it back into town and told the volunteer who helped me with my bike "To keep it" he said' I have been given so many bikes today" :) Nutrition: 4 bottles of my cocktail, about 20-30 Thermolytes and 2 banana pieces. My back was tight a few times so I took 2 Advil and 2 Tylenol on the ride. What would you do differently?: I dunno Transition 2
Comments: sigh. Very comfy in there. Run
Comments: I started the run and there was a medical tent there. My back was tight when I sat down to change my clothes. So I went to the tent and asked if I could get some Advil. The lady there said "have you had any today?" "Yeah" "How many?" " 2 Advil, 2 Tylenol" "How many Mg's?" "I dunno" "Well, I am only going to give you one. You can't take any more or you will die!" "What?" "your kidneys can't take any more than this" "Ahhh, you can keep it, thanks." I am glad I talked to her because I actually had 4 more Advil in my run shorts. I would have taken them without knowing how dangerous it was. Whew! OK, the run. Right off the bat, there were hundreds of people all right there, so I took off feeling good. There was an aid station but I ran through it and only took water. The plan was for me to run the first 9 miles and not walk any stations. I was going to take water at every station, GU at every other and salt every 3rd. So far, so good. Then, I got to the next station and only took water and Gatorade, but hey I am still running, that has to be good, right? We turned to cross over the lake and this guy said "What mile are we on?" I thought about it (2 stations = 2 miles) and said "mile 2". He said cool and I went on. A minute later I came up on a sign that read "Mile 1" Psssssssssssssssst. Yep that was the sound of my bubble bursting. I felt like I had been running forever. Only mile 1? OK, I still kept running and got to mile 2 and the aid station. I again only took water and kept going. I remember the course from 2 years ago, but this time we took a left turn. Cool, no big hill like last time...wrong again. This hill was bigger than last time. It kept going and going. So I walked. After I started running again, I cramped in my right calf and my right groin. I hobbled down the hill to the next aid station and I took a gel but because my hands were wet I couldn't open it. Now this is where I started to figure things out. I hadn't taken any real nutrition yet. This is going to bite me in the butt and sure enough, I became one big cramp in my right leg. I kept hobbling until I got near the transition area. There were so many people yelling out names and cheering, I just had to run. The crowds went on forever. Normally I would love this, but this time I just wanted them to stop cheering so I could go back to walking. After that i wandered over to the next aid station at Priest and Rio Salado. There the redheads were in full force. That made me happy and found a little getty up in my step but I was hurting. After that I headed back east and there were a series of signs on the course, so I read them as I ran. Then JCSB (Matt) caught me and we ran together for a while. He asked how I was doing and I said I want to walk, only because I want to. He said that he would allow himself to walk only if he made it to each mile marker at a 12 min pace. For some reason I knew I wasn't doing a 12 min pace...so I walked. I dunno. For the next few miles I really suffered out there. When I got back to the end of the first loop, someone yelled "go Madcow" I looked and I think it was Zilla. I thought "hey she isn't wearing a tiara" Then laughed. At the next aid station I decided that the cramps were caused by dehydration (I'm not a Dr., I only play one on TV) so I took some water, then filled up a cup with water and ran with a full cup. I kept sipping as I ran, because the gulping of liquid was sitting like a rock in my stomach. That worked great. I was thinking I should be a model, mainly because walking with a book on your head is nothing compared to running with a full cup of water. :) That did the trick and I started to feel good, really good. My only limiter was my head. I would walk for no good reason. the cramps weren't bothering me and my HR was pretty low (I could tell even without a HRM). Just before mile 20 I started walking and I heard a voice that said "Just keep running until the aid station, then walk up the big hill". "OK" so I started running again with the woman who said it (Melissa from Minnesota). We both got passed by a speed walker, which sucked. Then she walked up the hill but I felt good,so I ran the whole thing. I looked at my watch and I had 6 miles to go and 1 hour to go sub 14:30. I then took off. My fastest mile was from 20-21. I got to the aid station and started walking again, then Melissa caught me and we spent the next 4.5 miles together run/walking. She said this was her first IM and asked if it was mine. I said it was my third and she said "Oh, so this is no big deal to you". I explained that so many things can go wrong during the day and in training that every finish IS a big deal, to me anyway. We got to the station at mile 24 and there were the Redheads again, this time Lauren was working, handing out soda and water. She was stoked. Then Sheila and the kids were to head over to the finish line to run me in. Soon, Melissa said she wanted to try and run the whole thing. I thought I would catch her, but didn't. I ran most of the way (except the hill to Mill street) then I could feel the excitement as I ran across the bridge. There were still some people cheering so I asked if I was winning. Their laughter made me run a little faster, but now I was worried that I would beat Sheila and the kids to the finish line (yeah right) So as I got really close, I walked again then started a little jog. I didn't realize the 3rd street turn was so close and the next thing I knew, I was there. I looked over and there was Sheila and the kids. Great!!! Later she told me that they stayed and worked a little while longer, walked to the hotel, drove over to the race, found a parking spot, walked over to the finish line and still had a plenty of time to wait for me. Thanks for rubbing it in :) Lauren ran beside me and I carried Sean. He is getting too heavy for me to do that again. I knew BT was watching online, so I wanted to look cool and comfortable, but he was so heavy, I was just trying to not drop him on his head :) After the finish, I saw JeepFleeb. He has to be one of the coolest guys ever. We spent the next few minutes talking. I am really honored to have met him and for that matter, every other BTer that we met this weekend. Especially CBOST who was so patient with Sean, his new best friend. Q and Shane who are the funniest couple. Chile who would go flying by and every time he saw me, would yell out "Madcow" or "Whoop whoop". Jessica who is so generous and kind. She really made my whole family feel welcome with her group of friends. TheGomer, who ran with me and didn't make me feel bad about the fact that he was on lap 3 and I was on 1 :) Chippy who is such a great supporter Oh yeah, and MikeB (remember I had a 1 hour lead on him coming off the bike) well, he caught me at mile 6 on the run and finished an hour before me. I really do suck at running. I am going to have to get a 4 hour lead on him off the bike in the double... I know I am missing a few BTers but I was so happy to have met each and every one of you. You guys are great! What would you do differently?: I don't know. Maybe make sure my HRM is working. There are too many mental issues I have with pain and suffering, so if I had something telling me I'm not hurting like I think I am, then I probably would have run just because my watch said I needed to. When I got home I looked up muscle cramps online and found that they could be cause by dehydration and or lack of flexibility. I think I will really try to focus on stretching over the next few months. Also, I was probably a bit dehydrated even though almost all of my nutrition was liquid. I only peed 3 times during the race. Once during the swim (I feel sorry for the guy drafting me) :) Once in transition and once at mile 15 or so. I didn't feel bad, but I should have peed more, I think. Post race
Warm down: Got some pizza and soda, then got my bike and left. I wanted to go home, change and shower, then watch the last few people finish, but I just couldn't leave once I got to my room :( What limited your ability to perform faster: Cramps, wind and a lack of fear of not finishing. I think if I ever thought I wouldn't finish, I would have tried a lot harder Last updated: 2007-04-05 12:00 AM
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General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
Ironman North America
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1551/2500
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 340/426
For the days leading up to the race I slept like a baby. I shared a bed with Seanyboy and even he slept just fine. On Saturday night, I went to bed around 9:30 pm. I woke up at about 12:30. I was hungry so I made my pre race meal of a cheese sandwich, then went back to sleep. At 2:30 I woke up again and drank some Gatorade then went back to sleep again. At 4:29 (one minute before the alarm went off) I woke up again. This time for good. I prepared my bike bottles (4 bottles containing 1 scoop of GU2O, 2 scoops of Cytomax and 3 scoops of CarboPro). I knew it is hotter than it feels out here and wanted all of my nutrition in liquid form. I (tried) to wake up the redheads. After a few minutes, they finally got up and we left. Sheila drove me to the race site and dropped me off.
Here's the problem. The last time I ate was 12:30. 6 1/2 hours before race start :(
Nothing really. I got my stuff together, then hung out with Chris (CBOST2678). I wasn't nervous about this race at all, so this was the first time I got to hang out and enjoy the pre race atmosphere. We saw StandswithFists at the edge of the water and she wished us luck. Chris had to pee so he jumped in first. I gave him a minute or two and then didn't swim too close to him :) After that we started towards the swim start line. I adjusted my goggles and then tried to swim a little bit. Every two strokes my goggles filled up with water. I took them off and tried again. Same thing. Crap. So I dog paddled over to the edge of the water and sat on the wall. I took my swim cap off and put my goggles on under the cap and that worked. I guess the cap was letting water in. Whew, problem solved. When we got to the start line, I tried to find a nice clear spot in the water. I remembered the last time I did this race, I had plenty of clear water along the left side of the lake, so I stayed there. A few minutes later, Mike Riley said something, so I got my watch ready. Just as I was going to put my arm back in the water...Boooom! the canon went off. Perfect, I started my watch then :)