Friday, September 4, 2009

Ironman Louisville Race Report

Ah the race. They say "swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles, Brag for the rest of your life." That is so true and this race did a great job of driving that home. Please notice this isn't a review of the race so much as my personal account of the race. It’s a brief course description, reflection on strategy, expression of emotions, funny stories, and other random things I felt like writing about. When people ask me "how was it?" this is what I think of. It’s ridiculously long, gets sappy at parts, and is hardly grammatically correct. But I like it that way, so let’s go...

Pre-race and swim:
the day before the race you put your gear into bags according to the activity they will be used for. Such as bike stuff in the bike bag- like helmet, jersey, shoes, sunglasses, etc. once you have bike and run bags ready you take them and your bike over to the transition area, about a mile from our hotel, and drop them off for use on race day. The volunteers escort you through the transition to show you where to go after the swim, after the change tents, after the bike and so on. It was nice but unnecessary because on race day they just push you in the right direction since your mind is pretty much gone halfway through. After the drop off we headed back to the hotel to eat our "last supper". Mine was the five cheese ziti from olive garden. It has become a tradition now. After dinner I retired to my room, shaved my legs, and hit the sack.

Race morning began at 4 am with a delicate wake-up from my cell phone and my classic roll out of bed. I had a breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, bananas, teddy grahams, water and rice krispies. I put on some warm clothes since it was about 60 degrees outside, grabbed my bike and run food bags and headed to the race site. Once there we checked tires, set up bikes with food, drink, anything you needed to do and headed to the swim start, a 3/4 mile walk, and sat for an hour and a half.

Swim- 2.4 miles (1:07)
The swim was interesting to say the least. As far as the course went it was a simple down and back. 1/3 of it was out into the current then you turned around and did the other 2/3 with the current. Yes it started and ended at different locations. The water quality was very poor. It was very murky, had a little stink to it, and was 80-82 degrees, so not wetsuit legal-boo! (water must be below 78 degrees to be a wetsuit swim). The swim start was also a "time-trial" start which means that we essentially started one at a time. This is why we had to sit in line for an hour and a half. Everyone had to line up for the start, so when you got there was when you started. to put it into perspective imagine a single file line of 2500 people and that’s what we were standing in. from the start of the race it took us about 18 min to get into the water and I’m sure the last few racers didn't get in until 35 minutes after the first person started. Anyway how it worked was we line up and ran and dove off a dock into the river (Ohio River) to start the swim. The swim was crowded. All levels were thrown together so Michael and I had to claw our way over lots of people throughout the race. The buoys were also very hard to see because of the sun and all the people and the fact that they were yellow buoys against a yellow sunrise. You would think someone might have thought that was a bad idea but I guess not. We had an extra adventure during the swim too that was unplanned. As I was swimming about a half mile into the course I noticed a swimmer waving his arm. I took a breathe and noticed he was not there anymore, then I breathed again and he was back with just his hand out of the water, turned out he was struggling to stay above water and breathe. My lifeguard instincts kicked into gear and when I got to him he was struggling pretty badly. Turns out he had stopped and was trying to the attention of one of the kayakers while also just trying to catch a breath. I grabbed him and yelled to Michael that I needed help so he stopped to and helped hold him up until we could get some help from the kayakers and get them to him. Once he was set I told him to relax and not give up then we went on our way. Don’t know if he finished the swim but we sure hope so. After that the swim was just a lot of splashing and thinking about the bike course coming up.

Bike- 112miles (6:13)
In short the bike course was long and beautiful. It was also technical and challenging.
It started out deceivingly flat. The first 10 miles we pancake flat and most people took them relatively fast. I spent that time playing catch up. I was extremely dehydrated from the swim due to the length and water temp and all the walking and standing before hand. So I took 5 endurolytes as soon as I got on the bike and drank a whole bottle of water. I could tell I needed to recover first or the bike was going to be rough. At the first hill I hit a snag. Somehow my tube holding my electrolytes had worked itself out of my back pocket and when I made a move to pass on the hill it they fell out. I heard something hit the ground but ignored it for a second. Then I reached back and felt the tube was gone. I spent the rest of the hill thinking about what to do. I figured I could go on without it and get another tube at my special needs bag at mile 65. But that was 55 miles away. So I thought I’ll just use the Gatorade on course. but I knew from my training that Gatorade wasn't enough for me, I had bonked many times using it and that’s why I was using my endurolyte tabs. I kept thinking and rationalizing until the top of the hill. Finally I said, damn, it’s going to be a long day why make it harder. So I turned around and went back down the hill, flying into oncoming vehicle traffic until I saw the tube lying in the middle of the road. I stopped, picked it up, turned around and stood up all the way up the hill again to make up time. Once I had my bearings again I settled in for a long ride. My strategy for the bike was slow is steady, steady is fast. So I did that. I held back on every downhill, climbed moderately every uphill, and took the flats with caution. It worked great, made it through the first big uphill around mile 20 with a HR around 170 which means I wasn't pushing too hard. The course did a turn around and we headed back down at lightning speed. I ran out of gear in my bike ring and had to resort to coasting like everyone else. I remember looking at my garmin and seeing 38 mph. it was a very fast downhill. Once off the first turn around we hit the second aid station, roughly mile 25. I took a bottle of water to refill my aero bottle and a Gatorade to supplement my tabs for some extra sugar and electrolytes. The next few miles passed by and I hit the main loop of the course. It takes you from roughly mile 50 to mile 90 before sending you back on your way in. I continued picking up food, water, and such along the course while eating and timing my water. Drink every 10 minutes, eat about 100 calories every 30-40 minutes, and take endurolyte tabs with food. Calories came in the form of energy gel (complex sugars), bananas, and granola bars. I followed this like clock work the whole ride. 20 oz of fluid an hour and between 200 and 300 cal in the same time. At mile 50 I almost got pissed on. Didn’t see that coming did you? Yep it’s true, and a first for me. In a ride like this you see the same people over and over again. I’m a hill climber so I climb faster than most people on the hills but they catch me on the downhills and flats again. So we do what I call "jockeying". Well I jockeyed with one lady named Catherine. Our names are on the race bibs we must wear on our backs on the bike so that’s how I know that. Anyway Catherine decided she needed to pass me on a 2 mile long downhill. Then she decided she needed to stand up and pee since she didn't have to pedal. I noticed when she assumed the position so I pulled left right as she began painting the road and proceeded to pass her. I was obviously angry so I yelled at her as I passed to please give me more warning next time she was going to do that. What an experience. I continued on. I decided to stop and pee about mile 55, I tried to make it to my special food bag at mile 65 since I knew I would stop then but once I could no longer lean over to get into my aero bars because my bladder was so full I decided it was time for a break. I stopped, did the deed, and proceeded on after grabbing new bottles. There was a neat little town somewhere along this loop where my family got to see me. They had constructed a shoot similar to the tour de France. Metal fencing with banners and people on either side yelling like hell for people they don't know. Talk about a boost. I felt great running the shoot because it was downhill and loud as a jet. Lots of fun and we got to ride it twice, much needed. The road following the shoot was terrible. It was up and down rolling hills, pretty farms that made you want to quit and relax in the grass like the horses that grazed there, and the road had cracks all the way across it every ten feet. Imagine an old highway that bumps constantly or a bridge with sections that don't quite match up. Now imagine doing that on a bike, horrible. At 65 I stopped to grab my special foods. I needed to refill my tabs, grab another granola bar and shoved half a peanut butter sandwich in my mouth. I then thanked the volunteer who grabbed my bag and took off. A 2-3 minute stop in all which is pretty fast. Miles 65-90 were much of the same since the course was on its second loop of that area at that point. At mile 90 we took off towards the finish of the bike. It was 80% downhill which was awesome with one last big climb to keep you honest. I saw my parents at some point on the way in again because they had gotten lost in the Kentucky countryside and had somehow wound up on that part of the course. This was their first clue that I was doing great because I swerved to the side of the road and gave my mom and little sister a high five. I never do that in races, ever. Usually I’m tired, pissed off and don't want anything to do with anyone but as I found out this day was different. I finished the bike as hard as I would let myself go. Steady 20 mile per hour push on the flats and let it go on the downhills. The last 12 miles was shady and flat. Perfect riding if you ask me. I remember hitting transition, throwing my bike to a volunteer and actually jogged into the change tent. The whole time on the bike I thought I was behind my buddy Michael so I was constantly in catch up mode. I would later find out I had passed him, which I figured was why my family was so ecstatic to see me at mile 90. In reality I think they were just pumped to see how well I was doing and feeling. Anyway I changed shoes, put on my hat, grabbed some supplies like gels and tabs from my bag and took off out of transition.

Run- 26.2 miles (4:14)
The run was a different course than I’m used to. It was basically a straight 2 loop out and back. Literally straight out a road, turn around and run back, do a loop around one city block and do it again. It took place in the nice downtown district, the older rundown forgotten downtown, the low cost housing of a university and old neighborhoods mixed with the elderly and young couples. The first 3 miles or so was different at the beginning but it was nice. It started with a run across a bridge and back with a slight incline. This was good because it made me go slow which is vital to my marathon running. I have always liked running slower the first half of a run or race than the second half. Even though it’s dumb, I have always told myself while running to "close like a freight train" meaning run hard the second half so no one can catch me. People often ask me what I do on 10- 20 mile runs and that is my secret. I come up with dumb sayings to keep me going and dream up stories of being untouchable in the back half. So I started out slow. And ran what felt slow for a long time. Through the first 8 miles I held back in a big way. People passed me early and I was ok with that because I planned on running my race and hopefully catching them in the end. I knew I needed to keep eating and drinking because it was still, what I imagined at the time, 5 hours til I finished. At this point I had no idea I was about to run the race I was running. I used the method of running to each aid station and walking through them to get my water. This would a) give my legs the slightest break of 10-20 seconds and b) I cannot for the life of me drink water from a cup while running. I choke on it or spill it or end up just carrying it instead of drinking it. At the turn around I still felt great which I have never felt before. My garmin (GPS) had died at this point so I was running solely off of feel. I saw Michael while I was at about mile 10, or should I say he saw me. I asked him what lap he was on and he said his first. He was only at mile 7 which was when I realized I had passed him on the bike. Finally I at least knew what was going on. I was so confused as to where the other guys were. Turns out I had passed our other friend at mile 4 too but never saw him in passing. I continued on and the magnitude of how I was doing started to creep in. I picked up my special needs food at mile 12 instead of 23 because I did not want to give myself an excuse to stop that late in the race. I ran for a few miles with a lady who was at the time second place in her age group and was doing her 13th Ironman. She was very nice, talked to me like I was her childhood friend and ran an unwavering pace. After a few miles I dropped her at an aid station and continued on my way. Mile 13, 2:05 half marathon, not bad. At the first loop turn around, I think mile 14, I saw my family again. This was the only time I really felt like I would struggle the rest of the way. Again they were ecstatic. They could not believe I was running like I was and I remember how encouraging they were and how excited and amazed my dad looked. No one knew at this point I would hold that pace until the end, even myself. I handed off my dead gps and HR monitor to my mom who sent me on my way with support and encouragement like she always does, I made the loop around the block and began the 6 miles out to the turn around to come home. Their encouragement made me believe I could do it, I could hold that pace. Those next 6 miles were the longest. I knew I had to hold back but struggled to. I feared I would break too early and held back. I wanted to just get to mile 20 and head home. The course had a few small hills when it crossed under other roads and I ran the uphills cautiously. The spectators were great the whole time. People had chairs out with canopies. They enjoyed the spectacle and encouraged every athlete. Kids would pretend to be in the races and friends of the athletes would chase them for a hundred yards or so. It was hard to make myself stop at each aid station the second half but it was still vital. There was lots of room left for mistakes and I would find out later how close I would come to crashing. At mile 21 it hit me. I had a chance, a small piece of a chance at least, to break 12 hours. I knew I had 13 in the bag but 12... Holy shit! 12 has been my goal for 3 years. 3 long years. 2 failures so far, 13:48 and 13:55. 2 halfs under six hours added to the goal and made me sick. Surely if I can do a half in under 6 I can do a full in under 12 but no, hasn't happened yet. Like either a little baby or someone who had been moving for 11 hours already I cried. I knew I had to nail the next 6 miles but I knew how close it was. I didn't ever look at my total time on my watch. It was there, counting from the start of the swim, ticking away but I never looked, I couldn't jinx it and didn't want to see how close it would be. I don't know how but I didn't look. I kept running, forcing myself to stop and drink and eat at each aid station. The strategy had worked so far, why mess with it. I had taken in about 700 cal on the run. A good amount for how sour my stomach was getting. At mile 23 somebody made a comment to me about the bike and social law kicked in so I replied. Turned out it was a guy named mike. Mike was great; he was from New Orleans doing his first race, and his wife had attended UT. We ran together all the way to the finish. I pulled him through the last 3 miles, and in return he pulled me through the last 50 meters. Those 3 miles flew by. We stopped at mile 24 but didn't stop again. We were possessed. 2 guys who seemed like they had run together for years, stride for stride in perfect cadence for 3 whole miles. Not once did our march break time, it was funny to hear and we both noticed it at about the same time. the finish could be heard about half a mile out. Mike and I knew it and we dropped the hammer. if you want to know what a sprint feels like after 11 and a half hours or motion put a person in charge of each quad and each hamstring on your legs and ask them to punch their area for an hour straight as hard as they can. Then go sprint an 800. It will at least give you an idea of how our legs felt. 50 meters left and it happened. I broke down. I had nailed everything perfectly and finally my body just said nope, you are done. My calves cramped worse than ever before. I was running in my toes, literally. They were curled under my feet and I was pounding on them. But mike kept me close; he told me I couldn't stop then, not yet. So I ran, I pushed, I yelled and adrenaline hit, 20 meters and we entered the finish shoot. It was long and glorious. The crowd roared the lights were on and they called my name. I had finished. I yelled, flexed like a caveman who had just made fire and then started falling over. Luckily a volunteer was right there to hold me up.Poor lady, after I finished I was pretty of out of my mind and kept trying to wander off from her. The problem is that the volunteer isn't allowed to let you go until a family member has you. She kept telling me that but I didnt listen. I can't imagine what else they have to deal with.  Kristen ended up finding me in the chaos of the finish line and I hugged her and cried again. Probably mostly from fatigue but I was also so damn excited at what I had just done. Then my dad and Patsy found me and we went to go start my recovery with food, chicken broth, ice and tons of water. The race had been great, weather was perfect, the stars had aligned and finally I was able to put all my experience to work for me and broke that stupid 12 hour mark. I have to thank everyone who helps to feed this addiction of mine. My parents always travle to see me do these and they help me when I need a little "sponsorship". My in-laws always keep me honest about workouts, and give me hard time when i slack off. My younger sister is always excited to hear about my efforts and travel to these things. My older sister and her husband make me feel like what I do is the coolest thing in the world. Michael suffers through these just like me because I talk him into training for and doing them. Poor guy, he is just as crazy as I am. And lastly Kristen, even though no one knows it, is the reason I train like I do. She gets all of my bottles ready for every ride and has been known to lay out my clothes if I ask her to. She also lets my buy all the equipment I "need" whenever I feel that I need it. So thank you again to all of them and I can’t wait for Coeur d’Alene in Idaho summer 2010. Any questions, comments or anything please let me know.

Oh yeah and final time- 11 hours and 52 minutes.... finally

1 comment:

  1. Hey Daren, the only google/blogger account is one that I had to make for a class, and we had to use a psuedonym, so that why my name says "Fermina" (one of my favorite Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel characters), but this is in fact Ashley.
    This is such an awesome blog! You are a really good writer! You made me cry--and I'm at work!! I love you, Bro.

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