Ironman Louisville Race Report

10:03:10

11th Place Men 30-34

59th Place Overall 
Official Race Splits 

When I arrived home from IMCDA I was pretty bummed out.  My performance was short of my goals and I was feeling pretty burnt.  I had decided I would keep training over the summer but focus my efforts on shorter local races and focus on fun.  That plan went out the window about 48 hours after I got home and my buddy Rob called me and told me he had signed up for Mont Tremblant.  The conversation when something like this...

Rob:  Hey man I just signed up for Mont Tremblant, Justin is in too, wanna join us?
Me:   How did you sign up for Mont Tremblant?  The race isn't until August and you can't sign up for 2014 until after the race.
Rob:  No, I signed up for this year.  We took charity slots.  The race is in 8 weeks....
Me:  Sh*t

I knew my boys had upped the ante and it was time for me to stop sulking and put my game face on.  After some quick mental calculus, I realized I couldn't make the trip to Canada work logistically but my old friend IMKY was open and beckoning.  After clearing it with the wifey, I signed up the same day, and just like that I was back in the mix.  I took about two weeks of lighter unstructured training but was still getting about 14-15 hours a week.  I really ramped up my training in July and August and attacked every session with real purpose and intensity.  My last big block was my best since I started my long course adventure in 2011.  I was able to string together several 20+ hour weeks where I was getting in 250 miles a week on the bike and really upping my run mileage in a way I was not able to prior to CDA.  I stretched my training limits including longer weekday rides.  This made for a challenging couple of months as I tried to balance my hobby with my job.  As always my wife was the champion of this endeavor, and supported me the whole way through.  I honestly don't know how she puts up with it, but I am glad she does because I couldn't do this without her.

Due to the volume, I was looking for every recovery advantage I could get....so I decided to give Extreme Endurance a try (www.xendurance.com).  Normally I'm not big on supplements and generally skeptical of similar products...  I am kind of old school in that regard (train hard, eat well, sleep well, do work).  Extreme Endurance is a lactic acid buffer which boasts the ability to increase your aerobic threshhold by 10-15%.  Honestly, I was skeptical but several of my training partners swear by the stuff so I figured I would give it a try given my increased volume and the fact that I already had one Ironman in my legs.  It wasn't until after IMKY when I stopped taking it that I realized how effective it really was.  After three days off the stuff I was hobbling like an old man.  Within two days of going back on it my soreness was virtually gone (I'm currently running high mileage in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon).  I don't know about the aerobic threshhold increases but it certainly makes you less sore.  This stuff is legit and is going to be a part every one of my future training blocks.  If you are doing endurance sports give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

In the days leading up to the race I felt much better than I did prior to CDA.  Looking back, I just never felt right before CDA.  I can't put my finger on it but I didn't feel sharp.  I think part of it had to do with the time frame of the race.  I am so accustomed to being prepared to peak in August, peaking in June just felt off.  I think this harkens back to my swimming days and my muscle memory tells me I should be peaking in July/August.  In any event, I felt confident and strong coming into Louisville.  I was overwhelmed by the amount of friends, family and acquaintances in the Richmond tri community that reached out and wished me luck prior to the race.  A lot of folks knew about my goal of qualifying for Kona and went out of their way to wish me luck by text, phone and Facebook.  To each one of you, THANK YOU....In the closing miles of the run I thought of all the people in my corner and it really lifted me up....now that I have probably lost you with this ridiculously long intro, on to the race report....

Pre-Race

On race morning I work up at 3:45.  I ate two packages of oatmeal, a banana with two tablespoons of peanut butter, two salt stick caps and a bagel (about 800 calories/430 mg sodium).  My dad and I headed down to the transition area to do a final check of my transition bags and got my bike setup.  I got everything in order and started making the mile long trek to the swim start.  I made a decision to get to transition this year at 4:30 so that I could get a better position in the swim line.  Last year I was at the very end of the line and thought I would try and take advantage of some cleaner water and a less cluttered bike course.  I arrived at the swim start much earlier and was in the front third of the swim line.  It was a long wait in the swim line but it was nice sitting with my dad and making small talk with the other participants in line near me.  While I waited I ate a bonk breaker and took two more salt tabs about 30 minutes before the swim (220 calories/430 mg sodium) and sipped on water.  Eventually the line started moving and it was go time.

Swim

48:48, 2nd AG, 10th OA

My training this year was much different in that I made swimming a priority for the first time since I started triathlon in 2007.  I consistently swam 3-4 times a week all year and got my swim dialed back in.  This wouldn't be possible without the great program at Peluso Open Water (www.pelusoopenwater.com).  It has allowed me to swim consistently with other fast folks and regain my feel for the water. 

My plan was to swim strong and consistent like CDA.  I was targeting a 52-53 minute swim.  I thought I would be slightly slower than CDA because Louisville is non-wetsuit and I wouldn't have the benefit of drafting with a fast pack due to the time trial format.  At the start I swung wide and stayed close to shore to avoid the heavier traffic closer to the Island.  I felt a bit tight for the first 10 minutes or so.  In hindsight this was likely due to the current which evidently was pretty strong that particular day.  As I approached the end of the island I got my line dialed in and bee-lined for the turn buoy.  This was hands down the best swim I have every done in terms of sighting and keeping straight lines.  Even as I was swimming I could feel that I was dialed in and going laser straight from buoy to buoy.  After the turn I settled in and stayed long and strong and took advantage of the current. My shoulders loosened up and I counted the buoys as I kept a smooth rhythm.  I could tell I was having a good swim but didn't know how good until I got out of the water.  As I exited the water I glanced down at my watch expecting a 52ish minute swim.  Much to my surprise my watch showed 48 minutes....oh yeaaa extra money in the bank.

Bike

5:24:40, 11th AG, 56th OA

Power- Avg 242, Norm 249

VI- 1.03, Avg HR- 143, Avg Cadence- 92

Avg Speed- 20.8

My plan on the bike was to start at a lower wattage than CDA due to the heat factor.  My plan was to start at 230 Watts and then increase my power if I felt good.  It turns out I was feeling pretty good in the early miles and made a conscious decision to ride at 240 Watts.  The wattage was easy to maintain and I didn't feel like I was taxing myself at all.  I had done quite a bit of work on my cadence between CDA and Louisville so another focus was to keep my cadence above 90 RPMs.  I could tell that my speed was slightly slower than last year but initially wasn't concerned and focused instead on my power numbers and soft pedaling the climbs.  I rode a steady consistent ride and was on top of my nutrition and hydration.  As the ride unfolded I knew I could make up some ground in the last 25 miles back into town.  The majority of that section is downhill and when the conditions are right you can haul ass (note: the conditions were right).  As I finished the second loop I was feeling good and ready to start hammering the last 20+ miles.

At somewhere around mile 90 I had a minor disaster.  As I accelerated down a hill I shifted into a bigger gear but nothing happened.  I was confused so I tried again....nothing.  Next I tried to shift into an easier cog and it shifted all the way into the easiest cog on the big ring.  This ended up being a major mistake in that my rear shifter was only allowing me to shift into easier gears and now I was stuck in a very inopportune gear.  I stopped in a driveway and tried to manually shift into a more appropriate gear that would get me back home more efficiently but had no luck.  I stopped in the driveway of a family who was outside observing the race.  I feel pretty bad because I most certainly scared them to death cursing up a storm at my bike.  After a few minutes I realized it was futile and got back on the bike to get moving.  The gearing was so bad that I was spinning at 100+ RPMs and going nowhere.  After a few minutes I stopped and tried again with no luck. 
 Needless to say I was pretty pissed at the scenario and felt my chance at a sub 10 hour day slipping away.  After my second failed attempt to manually shift the rear derailleur I started riding resigned to the fact that it would be a slow and inefficient road home.  The run into town was a bummer, my gearing was sh*t and I was missing out on a ton of free speed on the downhills.   I spent the last 30 minutes calming myself down.  After a minor temper tantrum I realized there was still a marathon staring me in the face and I wasn't going to explode my whole day for circumstances outside my control... so I got my mind right and prepared mentally for the run.  In looking back at the data I realize that had the "mechanical" not happened I still would have been at least five minutes slower than last year.  Frankly, this has been the most confusing aspect of the race for me.  I am more fit, rode at a much higher power, with a much lower variability index yet my time was substantially slower.  The numbers are telling me I should have ridden sub 5:10 (which was my goal) but instead I was substantially slower.

I posted the following thread on slowtwitch to ask all the data geeks on the interwebs how to explain this discrepancy.  For any of you data junkies that may have some insight I would love your thoughts after reading this thread (Why the hell was I so much slower?).  I have come to the conclusion that my new power meter simply reads much higher than the old one and I wasn't pushing as much power as I thought I was (both during the race and in training) or it is simply out of calibration.  There is simply no way that with my size, weight and aero position that a 240 Watt ride should be this slow.  I am in the process of figuring out if it is a calibration issue with the unit, or if I just need to recalibrate my expectations based on the wattage readings from my current Quarq.  In any event I need to get this figured out before next season.  I believe I am capable of a sub 5:10 bike split on a rolling course and fell well short of this despite being the most fit I have ever been.

My nutrition plan on the bike was very similar to CDA with the exception that I drastically increased my sodium intake to account for the increased heat and water consumption.  Thanks again to Brian Shea at Personal Best Nutrition for helping me get this dialed in.  He gave me a realistic framework that I can tweak as needed to account for weather conditions.  This marks my second Ironman with no cramping which was previously a major issue for me.

My nutrition plan included two bottles of liquid calories and a bonk breaker bar at special needs.  My calorie/electrolyte cocktail was comprised of EFS, Gatorade, Gu Brew, Carbo Pro, two dissolved salt stick capsules and Mio for flavoring.  I purposefully mixed the flavoring of the front half bottle to be stronger (I like a sweeter taste on the front half of a race...not so much on the back half).  Each bottle had 586 calories and 1415 mg of electrolyte.  I upped my electrolyte intake substantially from CDA.  I supplemented my electrolyte "cocktail" with 12 salt stick capsules (2580 mg electrolyte).  I alternated taking one or two salt stick capsules every 30 minutes.  I drank one sixth of each calorie bottle every 25 minutes and took a salt stick capsule at the same time.  I picked up the second bottle around mile 60 at special needs.  I consumed the entire first calorie bottle and probably 3/4 of the second bottle.  Overall my energy was excellent and I didn't experience any cramping.  The only other fluid I took on board was water at the aid stations.  My water consumption was substantially higher than CDA.  I didn't count, but I probably drank about six twenty ounce bottles of water.  This seemed to work well in that I peed two times on the bike. I consumed about 280 calories/hour and 1082 mg electrolyte/hour during the ride.

Run

3:42:17, 11th AG, 59th OA

Avg- 8:29/mile 

By the time I arrived back in transition I had gotten over my hissy fit and was ready to run.  My plan was to start the run much more conservatively and put together a far more consistent effort than my previous attempts.  In CDA I went out way too fast and exploded which made for a very uncomfortable last 10 miles.  In Louisville I was determined not to repeat the same mistake.  My goal was a 3:35 marathon and thought this could be accomplished by starting out at 8:15-8:20 pace and trying to descend on the back half.  I intended to walk a few steps at every aid station to make sure I was getting water, cola, ice sponges and taking my salt stick caps.  For calories I used cola only, and with the exception of a few aid stations I took a few sips of coke at nearly every opportunity.  It's hard to quantify exactly how much coke I drank but I assume somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4 ounces per cup (about 50 calories).  I also took two salt stick capsules in the second transition and then one saltstick cap every mile for the remainder of the race (6020 mg electrolyte).  This roughly equated to 225 calories and 1330 mg electrolyte per hour.  This formula worked well and I did not bonk nor did I experience any cramping despite temperatures reaching the low 90's.

In the early stages I realized 8:15's was going to be a bit too aggressive and elected to back off in the hopes I would make that time up during the last 5 miles.  This ended up being a sound strategy and this was my first Ironman marathon that I ran in its entirety (with the exception of walking a few steps at each aid station and two bathroom breaks).  I settled into a comfortable pace of 8:25's and held it.  The only hiccup was two bathroom stops within the first 10 miles. In my experience it is more beneficial to be comfortable even if it costs you 1-2 minutes in the port-a-jon.  After clearing out the system there were no major problems for the remainder of the run.

After resigning myself to 8:25 pace I planned to hold there and drop down at mile 15.  When I reached mile 15 this was not in the cards so I held pace and decided to give it everything I had on the last 10k.  With the exception of the two "bathroom miles", the vast majority of my mile splits were right around 8:30.  I was consistent the whole way and ended up passing many guys that had blown past me on the early stages of the run.  Running the marathon in this fashion was quite a different experience and it is amazing how few people are running when you get past mile 20 (or even mile 15 for that matter).  After reflection, I have accepted that I am simply not an 8:00/mile Ironman marathoner, but with good training and sound strategy I will ultimately get there.  This ended up being my fastest Ironman marathon by a measly 30 seconds but in terms of execution, it was leaps and bounds ahead of my previous efforts.  It gives me confidence to know I can run a well executed marathon and not simply "fly and die". 

The run was interesting in that I saw much more carnage as compared to last year.  It was hot but not as hot as last year and the humidity was not as bad.  Despite more favorable conditions, I was seeing way more people getting medical attention on the run course.  Even hours after this race, there were ambulances flying up and down the street to/from the run course.  I hope all of those folks ended up okay.  I suspect that that cooler conditions for much of the summer probably had people ill prepared for the heat of Louisville.  I know that Richmond was uncharacteristically cool all summer and I never had the opportunity to do any significant heat acclimation.

I had a very successful tri season and never thought I would be in a position to do two Ironman races in one summer (successfully).  My second Ironman was much more well executed and although I fell short of my goals it was a great learning experience and stepping stone moving forward.  Had the rear derailleur gods worked in my favor, I think I finally would have broken through with a sub 10 hour Ironman.  This summer was a great test of my limits and I continue to enjoy pushing my own personal boundaries.  I have already signed up for the inaugural Ironman Chattanooga next September and am leaning towards Lake Placid in July.  I still have my eyes on Kona and believe that I will one day get there.  Until then I will keep chopping wood and carrying water.

As always thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  I am always appreciative of everyone who takes an interest in my progress.  Its not about the journey its about the destination!!!! Next up is the Marine Corps Marathon and hopefully a Boston Qualifying Time.  Thanks again for reading!!!!!