Coach Mike's Race Report
Heading into the race, I was as prepared and relaxed as I ever have been, having my equipment squared away, having a solid race plan, pacing plan, and mental sharpness. My run and swim fitness were at all time bests, or pretty close, and the addition of many cycling hours would hopefully further my past run results.
My ‘A’ goals were a sub 1:00 swim (my previous best was 1:02:30), a sub 5:30 bike split (my previous best was 5:31), and run sub 3:30 (my previous best was 3:41). Overall I was looking for about 10:00 race. My previous best was 10:30.
My ‘B’ goals were a solid swim and run (sub 1:00 and 3:30) and a steady bike (5:30-5:40).
My ‘C’ goal is always to finish, and always finish under 11:00. My actual race ended up at 58:47 swim, 5:46 bike, and 4:05 run. This was my fastest swim by 4 minutes, my slowest bike by 6 minutes, and my slowest run.
So, what went wrong? Was it pacing, preparation, nutrition, unachievable goals, or just ‘not my day’?
The swim plan was to get out fast and get in a fast draft. Just like
racing cars, if you can get in a fast slip stream you can really make
time without using as much energy as it would take you alone. I
started in the second row and still allowed myself to get swum over
and bumped off until I just decided to stand my ground and held
onto the same group for the
entire swim. I ended up alone
a few times and drafted about
60% of the swim. I felt very
good in the water. I swam at
an effort of 80% and with
more effort and some faster
feet I think a high 56:xx swim
time would have been
possible. I stood up at 58:28,
crossed the mat at 58:47.
The bike plan was to follow the heart rate monitor, which I hadn’t done in IM race before. This was new to me, but I was willing to try it. My HR goals were to average 133 on the flat sections of the bike on loop 1, and 138 on the 2nd loop. The hills I was going to ride at 140 on the first loop and 145 on the 2nd loop. My actual averages were 132 first loop and 136 2nd loop. I could have held higher averages (and hence higher speeds) but I limited myself with poor race nutrition execution. I rode 2:46 on the 1st loop and 3:00 on the 2nd loop. I was hoping for a more consistent ride, but I made some nutritional mistakes that cost me. The bike leg itself was a good one with a mix of hills and some flat sections where you can really get going. The draft marshals were present and the racers seem to police themselves so I didn’t see much blatant drafting.
I felt good on the way out of town to the first turnaround. I let some groups go to keep my HR in check. Without the monitor, I would have pushed to stay with those groups. The big issue was how cold it was on the bike. My plan was to drink the majority of the nutrition on the way to Reparoa because it was downhill and I on the way back I wanted to focus on the climbing back to town. The start of the race was cold and the fluids became very thick. My hands were numb and I couldn’t squeeze the bottles to get the fluid out. I finally was able to get enough fluid out to mix some water in there to thin it. I finished my first bottle at 135 k (86 miles) and took in two bananas. The last 45k (28 miles) is where I picked up the pace and I didn’t take in many calories as I was pushing my HR up. I estimate my total caloric intake on the bike was 2000 calories; which was far below my goal of 3600.
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I also had some
cramping in my inner left quad. I don’t think
it was fatigue or sodium, but hydration.
Bottom line: I made poor decisions. Next
time I will distribute my nutrition over 4
bottles, and take water in more consistently.
I think these decisions had a cumulative
effect over the course of the race. When I hit
town I was feeling pretty spent.
The run pacing plan was 140-2 HR on the
way out of town, and 145 on the hills. On the 2nd loop I was going
to 145-150 HR and on the hills, I was going to 155. I went through
5k in 23:30 very easy, although the first few miles were a lot
tougher than I expected and maybe it was nutrition or maybe it
was mental, realizing I had a poor ride. Either way, my HR was right
on target. I took a porta-potty break at 7k, and never felt the same
after. I went through 10k in 49:52 and 21k in 1:46 with an average
HR of 138 with a max of 150 on the hills. I was doing great mentally
until my quads started to cramp and I gave myself the excuse to
walk. After the goals were out the window, I started walking the
hills and gave into the cramping. This was more mental than
physical, but I was exhausted in both ways. With 8k (5 miles) to go, I
had 50 minutes to break 11:00 hours, my C goal. I kept telling
myself, if I had any pride I would make it in under 11:00. I ran from
34k to 35k in 7:00 and decided that was it, I was going 11:00+. I
kept thinking about a finishing picture with 11:01 or 11:15 on it. I
jogged a few more steps, walked and kept this up for 2 more ks. I
took a look at my watch and at about 4k to go I decided I would
give it my best shot. Damn the cramping, and missing the A and B
goals. I was going to break 11:00. I hit 5k to go at 10:30 and was
unsure I could do it, but I pressed on. I was now passing all the
people that had passed me while I was walking. My head was
down, my breathing was labored and my HR was finally up. I hit the
final k with 8 minutes to go and was hoping I would still make it
without any cramping or unforeseen issues. I hit the home stretch
of the finishing chute and passed a few more people. I hit the tape,
happy it was over.
Post race: Goal Setting
My ‘A’ goals may have been a bit high for a March Ironman race,
with 7 weeks of training, but I believe in setting lofty goals. I
watched the movie ‘Miracle’ the night before the race for some
inspiration. One of my favorite scenes is when Herb Brooks is being
interviewed by the USA Hockey Board for the head coaching job for
the 1980 Olympic Team. Coach Brooks is passionate about changing
the way we play hockey, and taking the game right to and beating
the Russians. He is reminded and chided by some on the Board that
no one has beaten the Russians in 20 years. One Board member
smirks at Coach Brooks’ and says, “Herb, you want to beat the
Russians? That is a pretty lofty goal.” To which Coach Brooks
responds, “Yeah, that’s why I want to pursue it.”
If you don’t set the bar high, you’ll never know what you can truly
achieve. Thank you to everyone for all the support - until next time