IMAZ 2012 RACE REPORT: THAT WAS FUN!
PROLOGUE:
This race and experience completed so many different circles for me. When I got back into triathlons in 2005, my goal race for the year was a half Ironman in Tempe, Arizona, on much of the same course as this race. I actually did well enough to receive an entry into the upcoming Ironman Arizona race (back then, the race did not fill out 365 days in advance), but politely declined as I had no interest in doing anything “that long.” Over the next several years, I continued with Olympic and half Ironman distance races and in 2008 came across Endurance Nation. I immediately bought into the “Kool-Aid”, but due to nagging injuries, was really never able to successfully or consistently complete the training. However, reading all of the amazing stories from my teammates lit the inner desire to actually attempt one of these things.
On the day following IMAZ 2010, I sat primed on my computer waiting for the online registration to open. I was so excited when I got through and my registration was accepted. That was short-lived, however, when in January my leg injuries cropped up again and I was sidelined for several months unable to run. In my ongoing search to remedy the injury bug, I came across Coach Al and Dr. Kurt Strecker at PAP. I confirmed through several teammates the success they were having in working with these guys, and fortunately it paid off. My running was progressing, my biking was starting to get improvement and I was actually motivated to get back into the swimming pool. IMAZ 2011 here we come.
Again, fate unfortunately knocked on my door on October 8, 2011, while doing a race rehearsal. That was to consist of a six hour bike and 60 minute run. I was riding with friend and teammate Matt Samojeden when I was involved in a serious accident resulting in fractures to my left clavicle and scapula, right elbow and hand. I also sustained injury to both rotator cuffs, my low back and my legs. I still traveled to Arizona to cheer on my teammates, register for IMAZ 2012, and oh by the way get a free lottery entry into St. George. (See Race Report here.)
As the summer of 2012 progressed and I started working towards IMAZ, I was able to remain fairly consistent with my running. However, biking just does not come naturally to me and I have a difficult time motivating myself to spend much time in the saddle. On the other hand, swimming comes fairly easily to me but I get bored staring at the black lines, often cutting the swim session short or simply skipping it altogether. In sort of a last ditch effort to pump some bike time into my schedule, I made arrangements to go out to Arizona for a quick weekend at the end of October and participate in a ride. During that event I met EN teammates Betsy Kantor, Rian Bogle and Will Hayes. I really enjoyed the ride but my neck and “seat” --- not so much.
Looking back at the training log for 12 weeks leading up to IMAZ I did 12 swims for a total of 25,825 yards, 25 bike rides (including trainer) totaling 42:48; 36 runs totaling 240 miles. I also did about 25 hours of core and strength work.
RACE WEEKEND:
My wife/Sherpa-in-chief Barbara and I traveled to Phoenix for the race. We arrived Thursday afternoon in time to get to registration, and we were pleasantly surprised that there was virtually no waiting for registration, merchandise, etc. We then went to the EN team dinner and it was really nice to meet in person so many that I had seen through the forums. Endurance Nation is made up of some truly wonderful and amazing people! On Friday, I went for a 30 minute bike ride to shake out the cobwebs. That was actually the only workout I had done all week. I felt relaxed and smooth on the bike, but knew immediately that my neck was going to be an issue for the race. I also discovered that I had broken the cleat on my bike shoe. Thanks to John at TriSports.com, who spent way too much time helping me, I salvaged my shoes. I guess you are not really supposed to wear the same pair for 8 years!
Saturday we took my bike and the gear bags back to the transition area for check in. Unfortunately, we missed the “Four Keys” talk by Coach Rich. Barbara and I then went to Arcadia Farms for a quiet and relaxing lunch. That afternoon we hung about the condo and then went for dinner at Macaroni Grill. I went to bed at about 10:00, and surprisingly, fell asleep fairly quickly. The alarm was set for 4:30, but I awoke at approximately 3:30. I got up and drank four bottles of Ensure, and then tried going back to sleep for another hour, but laid there wide awake. When 4:30 came I got up and got ready to go.
Betsy Kantor lived relatively close to our condo and volunteered to give me a ride to the race, sparing Barbara having to get up at 4:00 in the morning. I was very thankful for the ride, and I know that Barbara was very pleased not to have to get up so early in the morning. Thanks again Betsy!
After we arrived at the transition site, I checked on my bike, aired up the tires, filled my Profile Design bottle with water and my Speedfill with Ironman Perform (like Gatorade) and went over by the start area.
In 2011, when I was getting ready for this race my goal time was 11 hours 30 minutes. As I approached this race, I thought that time was still doable, but felt that anything between 11:30 and 12 hours would be a good day. I did not think my swimming was as good as 2011 and I was very tentative about the bike time. I anticipated a swim of approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, and then gave myself 10 minutes combined for the two transitions. I thought that if I could do the bike and the run in a combined time of approximately 10 hours, that would be a very good race. I really thought that my run was strong enough to get me close to a 4 hour marathon, and I hoped that my bike was not any slower than 6 hours. For a 12 hour race, I simply added 15 minutes each to the bike and the run.
SWIM:
They announced the water temperature at 63 degrees on race morning. Planning for a cold swim I had both my wetsuit and a neoprene cap. After jumping in the water and waiting for a few minutes, my body adjusted to the temperature and I really felt pretty comfortable. Even before the gun went off, there were people acting quite aggressively in the swim start area. As people would come by, you often got kicked quite hard, etc. When the gun went off, that just seemed to magnify. I continually reminded myself to “chill” and just stay calm. People really sprint the first 400 to 500 yards, get tired and then slow down. Although I am a good swimmer, I prefer to simply pace myself consistently, but as a result end up having people swimming over me in the beginning and then having to go past them somewhere down the course. On the other hand, with almost 3,000 people starting the race at the same time, I literally did not have to site until I was almost to the Scottsdale Road Bridge. It was very crowded at both turn buoys but as we came back towards transition it finally thinned out and I was able to establish a pretty good pace, although a bit less straight, especially as we re-approached the bridge.
I got to the finish, was assisted up the stairs by two large volunteers and ran over to the wetsuit strippers. After removing my wetsuit, I hit the lap button on my watch and saw just over 1 hour 10 minutes. I knew that my swim time had been a 1:09 and I was very pleased. Official Time: 1:09:54. 9th in the age group.
T1:
To get from the swim exit to the transition tent you have a fairly long loop. I ran through, grabbed my bag and headed to the tent. I made the unwise decision to wear tubular socks on my arms as “arm warmers.” I can assure that putting dry clothing on wet skin is not an easy task, even when you are trying to go “slow and steady.” I am certain that I lost several minutes struggling to put them on, and literally 20 minutes into the bike ride I was ready to take them off. I will not make that same mistake again next time. T1 time 6:03.
BIKE:
This was actually the most surprising part of the race for me. I train and ride with power, although I have not actually tested since 2011. I have been using an approximate FTP of 260. At the race rehearsal I had ridden out to the turnaround on Beeline at 167 watts and the remainder at approximately 183 watts for an average of 180 watts. This gives an intensity factor of .69.
On this day I rode out at 170 watts, on the slight uphill and into the wind. There was a continuous flow of bikers going past me all the way out. However, when we reached the turnaround, we now had a tailwind and a slight downhill. At that point I increased my watts, perhaps a little too much, up to 194 average. I ride with a Garmin 705 on my bike and a 910 on my wrist. I was having a hard time seeing the 705 in those light conditions so looked at the 910 which was set to show current 3 second average (I need to figure out how to better read the 705 screen.)
On the way back it seemed like most people were soft pedaling with the tailwind and slight downhill and I just flew back by a number of those bikes that had passed me going out. I finished the first lap at approximately 1 hour 52 minutes, and that was the first time I realized that I had a legitimate shot at going under 6 hours. I had not paid any attention to my speed or miles per hour up to that point, only power. On the second loop the wind was more of a crosswind, and I could definitely tell that I was not pushing as hard going out, but likewise, I did not get as much of a benefit coming back in. The second loop was approximately 1 hour 53. My power was still higher than I thought it should be but I just hoped I was ok. I told myself I would go easier on lap three . . .
The third loop also seemed to have the crosswind. At the 80 mile mark, for the first time I actually looked at my split and realized that I was averaging better than 20 miles per hour. On the one hand, I was frightened that I had overcooked the bike, but on the other hand, I felt strong and I was pleased that I was riding well. I again made a conscious effort to try and use lesser watts on the remainder of the third loop, but maintained almost identical power. The third loop was again approximately 1 hour 52 for a total time on the bike of 5:38:06, just under 20 miles per hour. I did drop from 9th place in the swim to 14th in my age group and from 467 overall down to 524, or approximately 57 total places. Considering the distance and my relative strength in biking, that is a true victory. Again, I just hoped that I had not set myself up for failure on the run. At the end of the bike Rian Bogle caught and passed me. He was the only ENer I saw.
The biggest issue I had was my neck. I was simply not able to get into and stay aero. I rode probably ½ plus in a “modified aero” and another ¼ actually sitting up. It actually got to the point that every time I moved I was getting a shooting pain in the trapezius. I am going to have to work hard on that for next year. I have to believe I lost at least 10-15 minutes simply by not staying aero.
Nutrition (or gross part as my wife says):
My 910 beeps every 10 minutes while riding as a reminder to drink. I started with a full PD of water and probably added 2-3 more bottles along the way. Started with 40 ounces of Perform in Speedfill and added most of 8 more bottles. I peed coming into the first turnaround; with difficulty at the end of the first lap (hard to get enough speed to coast and relax on the flats); at the second turnaround and then not until close to the finish. Did feel like I was well hydrated. Had a gel at the halfway point and a powerbar at 100 miles. Felt strong so think nutrition was ok.
Bike Power Data: I ended up with an AP of 189 and a NP of 193 for an IF of .744 and a TSS score of 309.3. From this I think my FTP probably is higher than 260. My V1 was 1.02 - very good. My HR average was 125. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/247292629
T2:
My bike to run transitions are usually fairly fast. Hop off the bike, put on socks and shoes, hat and go. This was no exception at 2:41.
RUN:
I had a bit of a malfunction on my Garmin watch at the beginning of the run, stopping and then restarting it. My goal had been to run at slightly over 9 minute pace for the first 6 miles, and then either try to hang onto that pace or possibly even speed up. A four hour marathon would be 9:09 per mile overage. When I started the run I realized that if I could run 4 hours I could actually go sub 11:00. Wow! The first mile and a half was a little quick at 8:39 pace. My plan was to walk about 30 steps at the aid stations and run to the next. As we approached the third aid station I ducked into the Porta Potty. It is amazing that while you may have to go, your body doesn’t want to relax enough to let you. Taking out the “standing time” my first 7 miles were all sub 9:00. At that point I could tell I was slowing a bit and the next 7 miles creeped a bit from low 9’s to high 9’s. Another potty stop on loop two (at the same aid station) took even longer. I recorded almost 3 minutes of “non moving” time during the run.
The hardest part of the run for me was the second time up Curry Road. I did add on a longer walk break just before the hill and then again on the hill. As we came around the corner to the next aid station, I saw another EN teammate and wished her well.
From 14 miles to 19 miles I was in the 10’s with longer walks thru the aid stations. Times continued upwards into the 11’s until mile 22. At that point I knew I was almost home and started to pick it up . . . Back into the10’s and then the 9:00’s for the finish.
Nutrition: At every aid station I took a cup of Perform and a cup of Coke. I would squeeze cold sponges over my neck for cooling. After the second pit stop, I was good for the rest of the race. I do not know if slowing was just me getting tired at the end of the day, whether it was going a little too fast on either the bike or first part of the run, or not enough nutrition, but I never felt like I was dying.
Run HR Data: Not sure what it means if anything but curious that the HR was a “S curve” going up gradually for the first 5 miles or so and then gradually down until about 20 miles and then back up to the finish?
After Thoughts: Unlike St. George, where I questioned why I was doing this and if it was fun, I finished IMAZ and before I found Barbara I knew that it WAS FUN. Not only that, but I was already looking at ways to get better for next year. The schedule will be a bit different as I am doing Mont Tremblant in August and 13 weeks later coming back to IMAZ so I hope I will have good recovery and retained fitness. My biggest obstacle is going to be consistency and mental toughness. It is just too easy for me to lose interest and cut short or simply avoid doing a workout. If I am going to do what I think I am capable of, I am going to have to commit to do the work.
Swim: I know that I can take 5 minutes off my time. Instead of 12 swims in 12 weeks, I need to be doing at least 3 or 4 per week. I need to work on technique and I need to take a cue from Matt Ancona about pushing hard the first 400 – 500 yards in practice and again in the race.
Bike: Again it is consistency. I also need to get the neck used to staying aero for lon periods of time. I am intrigued by the long rides that Dave Tallo does, and I am going to make him my carrot for next year. I think that with a stronger ride and staying more aero I should be able to take off at least 20 minutes, in the range of 5:15 – 5:20.
Run: My run is coming back, but I need to learn to deal with discomfort. I was able to do the run at IMAZ and although I slowed, I was never really pushing myself, never hit the “line” or went to the “dark place.” I do not think I am immune to it so I need to learn how to push and feel that effort. I still think I can do a 4:00 marathon on this course.
So, what would that get me: Each year varies, but this year just over 40 minutes puts me 6th and 47 minutes puts me 3d. I have to believe that is doable, it will take a lot of effort, patience and commitment, but I know that I can do it. I have to send a big thanks to everyone that supported and helped me through this, Barbara, my friends and teammates, my doctors, therapists and others. If you need a recommendation let me know, I have seen most of them.
In the meantime: I am starting to accumulate some SAU points and ran Las Vegas Rock and Roll half marathon with my wife.
