IMLP take two - race report

Lake Placid is an amazing place for Maddy and me. We love it up here. In fact, I've been picking up real estate periodicals every chance I get scoping out houses and open properties. Some day I think we will try to buy a little vacation get away up here. Something we use a whole lot more than just for IM race week, of course.

 

Nevertheless, here is the long and short of IMLP 2014...

Short version:

Swim- 1:07.57 (32.49' first lap, 35.08' second)
t1- 5:33
Bike- 5:27.32 (2:41 first lap @ hr 138, 2:46 second @hr 146)
t2- 4:05
Run- 3:19.59 (mile splits ranging from 7:10-8:20, hr average 151)
Total time- 10:05.05

Official results for the full distance (and Kona and Awards) - 10:05.05, 4th 25-29, 54 Overall

3rd would have been sweeter, but I won't complain

Official results for the shortened distance (2nd loop of swim and t1 subtracted) - 9:24.25, 3rd AG, 43 OA

Here is a breakdown of both results: http://www.sportstats.ca/searchResults.xhtml?firstname=Peter&lastname=Wickman

I was offered a Kona slot, but I turned it down and let it go to the 5th place athlete in my AG.

I'm happy about everything that happened. I will race another IM some day, though not next year. I feel as though I did the best I could on the day, but there is still much room for improvement in my life as a triathlete.

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Now the long version:

Maddy and I rented the same cabin that we did in 2011 - about 15 minutes away in Saranac Lake. We arrived on Wednesday before the race. My family and amazing support crew arrived on Saturday and stayed in a bigger house just down the road from us. Thursday I checked in, walked around the Ironman Village, and did 1 loop of the swim in Mirror Lake. I felt pretty good. My weight was up about 5lbs from where I was in 2011, but it was far too late to worry about that. My swim went really well. I hopped right on the buoy line and zipped around in a little over 32 minutes. Comparably, I did my pre-race loop in 37 or 38 minutes in 2011.

My ankle had been bothering me a little - I think I have/had some tendonitis - so I drank a ton of cherry juice for the swelling and put a cold wrap on it a few times. It was under control, but I won't pretend I wasn't concerned about it holding up. The weather was calling for t-storms and rain all day on Sunday. There's nothing you can do about the weather, and everyone has to race in it, but it's not what you want for an IM.

There's a mental boost I get from Kona coffee...some day I'll get there

IM breakfast

I ate my gigantic iron-breakfast on Saturday, relaxed, saw my family and friends as they arrived, racked my bike in transition, got in a Philly Tri Club team photo by the Ironman rock, ate an early dinner, and went to bed around 9. I was up at 3:20 Sunday morning. Another change from 2011 to 2014 was that the wave swim start began at 6:30, which meant 30 minutes less time to digest. I had my breakfast and a quick, warm shower, lotioned up, and Maddy, Matt, and I headed to transition before 5am. It wasn't raining yet. I took care of business, got my bags set up, got into my wetsuit, and walked down to the water. Once I said my goodbyes, I fought my way up to the 1:00-1:10 swim group corral on the beach.

Before I knew it my wave was rolling into the water. I hopped right on the buoy line just like I had a few days before. There was substantial congestion, but nothing like the mass start. The first few hundred meters went quickly, but there was a lot of contact. A few people we kicking hard, but most understood that it would clear up. I felt good. My strokes were strong, the wetsuit kept me up in the water and balanced, and my breathing was easy and controlled. Coming back around my arms were feeling a little fatigue, but nothing unexpected. Through the first loop in just under 33 minutes. I was feeling pretty good about myself. In my head I thought I might be around 1:05 if there was less congestion on the second loop. I took a few hard pulls and settled onto some feet. The congestion didn't break up until the turnaround of the second loop. At that point it also started pouring rain. It didn't really bother me swimming, but I was thinking about how it would affect the bike. I think I made it out of the water before the thunder and lightening started, but those that were still in the water were pulled out by boats or instructed to swim to the nearest shoreline asap. This is why the results are skewed. Since not everyone was allowed to finish the swim, they took the second loop and t1 out of the total time for the online results. They would later reinstate them in the official time for those receiving awards. Anyway, I was out of the water in 1:07. That's 10 minutes faster than 2011! I was very happy despite the heavy rain.

In t1 I grabbed my sunglasses and shoved them in my pocket incase I would need them later on. Other than that I just put on my helmet and shoes and headed out. Uneventful, but I still managed to shave 3 minutes off my time from 2011. More happiness.

The updated steed. She's fast.

It was pouring when I got on the bike. Huge drops of rain. My bars were slippery and my brakes weren't braking as well as I would have liked. It was hard to see. My HR was up, which I think is just from getting vertical. I wasn't pushing hard, but I was already passing people on the climbs out of town. I got some fluid in me, but I couldn't eat just yet. I saw a ton of mechanical issues in the first 10-15 miles... I was very happy and lucky not to have to deal with one myself. The descent into Keene Valley was scary. I was up on the bullhorns and feathering my wet, almost useless brakes. I passed one person and was passed by 2-3 daredevils that were either expert cyclists or fearless idiots. I was freezing by the time I got down into the valley and my HR was in the 90s. I finally settled down and got some solid food in me as I put my head down and started to push up 9N. The rain continued to pour down, which kept my hr and core temperature low, but made it difficult to see and was just flat out annoying at times. Puddles in the road became serious obstacles as I didn't want to ride through one and get tossed over my bars upon discovering it was a pothole. I was picking people off at a good rate and made up some good ground on the climbs toward Whiteface. My hr peaked around 154 during the climbs as I spun up the hills. "Spin to win!", "dance on the pedals!", and "dance like Lance!" were the sayings running through my head as I kept my cadence high and breezed past people pushing gears that were far too big for them.

First loop of the bike - it really poured

Second loop it was a little nicer

The sun came out a bit as I passed the Olympic Oval and my family on my way out for lap 2 of the bike. I grabbed my sunglasses, but when I put them on they broke across my face and fell to the road. I would have really liked to have them for the rest of the race and they were expensive Rudy Project sunglasses, but I wasn't going to pull over, maybe cause a crash, and try to piece them together. On the bright side, I was fine for the rest of the ride and the kind people at Rudy Project said they would replace them being still under warranty. On the second loop the leg fatigue and discomfort was setting in. I didn't follow my nutrition plan as well as I should have. I did pee multiple times, but I was eating when I felt like it, not on a schedule, so it was hard to monitor calorie intake. My focus on not crashing my bike drew my attention away from my nutrition plan, which is something I will try to plan for leading into my next IM. My hr was higher on the second loop, and the sun was cooking me because the rain had washed away all my skin protection. I was worried I wouldn't have anything left on the run, so I eased off. Coming back into town felt like it took way longer than it did. I was hurting like I hadn't hurt in a long time. Seeing family and friends perks me up, but I didn't know if I would be able to rely on their energy for the entire marathon. I got off the bike splitting 5:27 - a 6 minute improvement from my 2011 bike split.


Transition was relatively empty. I hobbled over to a seat, grabbed my clif blocks and hat, compressions socks and race belt went on and off I went. I asked for sunscreen, but stupidly ran right past the guy they told me would apply it. I think I had a similar 4 minute transition 2 in 2011.

As I ran out of the oval and down the hill I realized how much discomfort I was in. My ankle hurt, not badly, but enough, and my low back was tight. I had a lot of negativity running through my head. My feet were numb and tingly. I didn't get feeling back in them until about mile 8. I was clipping off OK times - my first few miles were in the low 7 minute range and my heart rate was under control in the mid to upper 140s. I was hurting though. By mile 4 I thought I would have to walk. I kept thinking about how much easier it would be to walk and stop pounding the pavement with each step. But I didn't give in. Instead I focused on good posture and eating and drinking when I could. I walked a few steps at every aid station. Around mile 8 my body felt like it was on fire because the sun had come out for the most part. It would rain hard for 30 seconds and then the sun would be out for 10-15 minutes. Bizarre weather. Anyway, I stopped at an aid station and begged for sunscreen. Luckily one of the volunteers had some to spray me down. Not to drag this on too much longer, I kept on trucking. I was passing people here and there. A few competitors passed me on the way too, but most of them only during the first loop. The second loop was the hardest thing I think I've ever put myself through mentally and physically. I kept checking my watch to see how close I was to breaking 10 hours. Some poor math made me believe I was really going to do it. As I climbed the hill into town the cheers of the crowd lifted me up. After the out and back along Mirror Lake Dr. I knew I would be able to finish strong. As I entered the oval I thought I heard someone say there was a runner right behind me so I dug deeper and powered around the curve. I crossed the line with a better finish pose this year stopping the clock at 10:05.05 with a 3:19.59 marathon.

Actual race time 10:05.05

I found Maddy and cried as I hugged her. I couldn't have done the training without her support and understanding, and I couldn't have gotten through the race like I did without the cheers from my family and friends. The volunteers were incredible as well - especially the one who saved me with her sunscreen and the masseuse who brought me back to life post-race.

I'll wrap things up here for now, but I do have some more reflection and looking ahead to do.

Thanks for reading.
PW

Checking in 18 days and 10 hours from the big day

It's certainly been a while, but I thought I would take a moment to check in and document some of the training I've been doing and how I feel about it. Bullet points always seem to work best, so here is a smattering of my life over the past few months...

• Personally things have been going really well. Maddy and I are happy and I think there has been substantially less stress in this IM build compared to 2011. I've been enjoying myself and trying not to allow my training to dictate our activities and time together. I think (hope) I'm getting better...
• Swimming has been painfully stagnant - no surprises there. I guess I thought I would be more likely to swim and push through the fact that I don't like it based on how poorly I swam in 2011. I also have a pool 400m from my front door that I can use whenever I want! Still, no motivation. I'm just never going to be a fish. Comparing January-July swimming time from 2011 to 2014, I swam 67 total hours in 2011, I've done only 37 in 2014. I also haven't been doing long sets. I swim 30-40 minutes and get out. The majority of them have been done at lunch. All that being said, the frequency of my swimming has gone up - the past few weeks I have been swimming 4-5 times per week. AND, somehow I have been "faster" in the races I've done. (*Faster is in quotes because I didn't do the same races. I did a half ironman a few weeks ago and had a swim PR, but the swim could have been a little short...) Honestly, I have no idea how I'll do in Lake Placid. I could swim 1:05 or I could swim 1:20. It will almost certainly be somewhere in the middle, but that's the range. Lake Placid also switched to the rolling start swim as opposed to the mass start. I don't know how this will play into the equation either, but I hope it helps.
• The bike has been another area where things are different and, depending on the lens, it could be seen as better or worse. On one hand my volume is down - 161 hours in 2011 vs 153 in 2014. Also, some of those hours this year were on a mountain bike, which is not much at all like riding a road or triathlon bike. My average speed is WAY down on all my rides, but this is due to the new area where I live. I used to do 30 mile rides with 200ft elevation change. Now I do 30 miles and have over 2400ft of elevation. This, however, has to have made me stronger. I had a pretty good block of riding in June and even hit a 313 mile week with 19,000ft of climbing. On the other hand, though, in the half iron I did on June 1, I rode a 2:51, which is my second slowest HIM bike split (but it's also worth noting that it was an extremely hilly course, I finished 5th overall, and only 7 people were faster on the bike). I also have a faster bike this time around with some aerodynamic toys (helmet, wheels, etc.). So I am pretty sure I'll ride faster this year, but I'm not certain. I'd put myself between a 5:15 and 5:40 for the bike if I had to guess.

• The run has been strong, but again, volume has been down. 85 hours running in 2011 and 73 in 2014. I've done less speed work, but more drills. Less brick runs, but more runs per week. In that 70.3 I mentioned, I had the second fastest run split (missed the fastest split by just 3 seconds!) and a personal best 70.3 run with a 1:28. I think my run will be there. It really depends on nutrition and bike pacing though. If I had to give myself a window for the bike it would be 3:10-3:30. 

Here is a look at my training log from the past few weeks and a snapshot of the 70.3 I did on July 1. I did put in some good hours (mostly on the bike). Let's hope it's enough!

And that's about it for now, I think. I'm still trying to come up with a solid nutrition plan. If I think of it and have some time I will write it up before the race. Overall I feel good. And that's even going into the taper when I usually feel horrible and am filled with self doubt. Only race day can show me how I'll do!

Do great work.

PW