IMLP Race Report

It’s time to start recapping what will hands down be one of the most memorable weekends of my life. I’ll start with pre race:

 Saturday was spent waiting and resting. For dinner I had pasta and chicken with all my amazing supporters. – my parents and sister, Maddy and her mom, Maddy’s sister Lesley and her boyfriend Bryan (the very same man that hand built my bike), and our roommate and amazing friend Matt. It was a great evening filled with laughter and happiness as people were making signs and telling jokes. It definitely helped cool the nerves the night before the race. Maddy and I retired to our cottage around 9pm. I was shocked at how quickly and easily I was able to drift off to sleep.

Race day: I woke at 3:45am and quickly began making my breakfast. As planned I had a pb&j with banana, a blueberry muffin, and about 2 cups of my Kona French pressed coffee. I also sipped on a Gatorade throughout the morning. By 5:00am we were in the car and headed to transition. Once we parked the car, I went up and got body marked. There were whispers of a non-wetsuit swim. By the time I got into transition it was confirmed. The water temperature was 77degrees. Which meant you could wear a wetsuit, but in doing so you would forfeit your eligibility for an age group award and/or Kona slot. It was really a catch 22 for me because if things went as planned I would be close to getting a slot. Wearing the wetsuit would get me closer, but disqualify me and not wearing it would make me eligible, but it would add time. I made the decision to go without a wetsuit. First off, if I did have a great race I wanted to make sure I would be eligible for Kona. And second, I figured that ironman made rules for a reason, and I wanted to race the way the ironman was meant to be raced. The rule is at 76.2 degrees or above you can’t wear a wetsuit, so I wasn’t going to wear a wetsuit. Anyway, after getting all my transition bags ready and inflating my tires to the right pressure I started to make my way down to the water wearing only my tri shorts, and carrying my goggles and swim cap. I hugged and kissed Maddy, made my way onto the beach, and waited.

Swim: At 6:45am I got into the water. The air temperature was a cool 64 degrees. The water was 77. I swam over to the far right of the course and found a rock to stand on while the pro’s started at 6:50am. I got ready to start about 8 people back from the starting line and about 25 feet from the shore on the right side. The gun went off, I started my watch, and I put my head down and started going. I was timid. I was nervous. I had heard so much about how violent the swim start at IMLP was, but I kept reminding myself “finish strong and breath”. Although there was a little nudging and pulling, I was surprised at how easily things started. Don’t get me wrong, there were people everywhere. I was tapping the feet of the guy in front of me, I had the occasional swimmer pull on my leg as they swim past me, but I didn’t take any blows to the head or face. I stayed pretty far to the right for the entire first loop. In fact, I’ll say I probably swam about an extra 200-300yards because of how far out I was. I made the decision that I was OK with that though. Sure, it would cost me some time, but over the long day I was about to have, that was fine. I made it out of the water for the first loop in 37 minutes. Not a fast swim by any means, but I wasn’t wearing a wetsuit and I was safe. The second loop I stayed a little closer to the middle, but it was still congested. I finally got out at 1:17. It felt like I had been in the water for about 15 minutes. I couldn’t believe I had already finished the first leg of the ironman.

I’m going to do it now to get it over with – my only regret for this race is that my swim was so weak competitively. This has been my Achilles heel and will required quite a lot of attention over the next couple years before I return to the big show. My goal was to get out a little closer to 1:00, and next time I’ll be damned if I don’t.

Time - 1:17

T1: I made my way up transition and made eye contact with Maddy’s mom. It was great seeing a familiar face. Although I looked for others, I didn’t see them. The changing tent was packed. There wasn’t a seat to be had. I stood next to a table, threw on my HR monitor, tri top, helmet and shoes, I used a little chamois cream and headed for my bike. I also scarfed down a banana as quickly as I could. Not the fastest transition, but I was out in 7.50.

Time - 7:50

Bike: The course starts downhill with some sharp turns. It was also very crowded because of my slower swim time. I took it easy and spun my legs. They felt great. I got some fluids in me as soon as I was out of the curvy section of the course, and by mile 10 I had already gone through about ¾ a bottle of perform. I stuck to my nutrition plan and started making moves on the bike. My HR stayed nice and steady around 145 for the first hour. Even on the short climbs I was below 150. This was a great sign, and I was blowing by people. On the long and steep descent into Keene I really loved having the roadie set up. Rather than sit in my aerobars I used the drop bars to maneuver my way around even more people while staying totally in control. Once I hit 9N I was just cruising. Again, the HR was where it needed to be, I was holding about 22-23mph along the entire stretch and at the first turn around I had to pee! I let it fly on the bike (first time I’ve done it) and didn’t lose any ground. The nutrition kept going down and during the climbs on 86 I kept passing more and more racers. I know this is obnoxious, but it feels so good passing the guy on the $8,000 carbon bike with a zipp disc on the back and 808 on the front along with an aero helmet. Meanwhile I sit on my steel machine with a roadie set up (bought almost entirely on sale from performance bike) and $50 helmet. It just reaffirms my belief that no amount of money can replace hard work, time, and dedication. Anyway, I pushed a little bit going through the valley back into town past Whiteface Mountain. Seeing the beautiful mountain and streams along side the road gave me a boost. I also started realizing that I might make it through the first loop faster than the last half iron that I did. As I came back into town I cruised up the 3 bears. They were lined with fans and it made me feel like I was riding in the Tour de France. Coming back around Mirror Lake I spotted Maddy and my other support crew, which gave me another big kick. I felt great! The long taper that I used left my legs with energy and fitness for the race. I attacked the second loop with much the same strategy as the first. There was a headwind heading out of town, which was a little frustrating, but I couldn’t expect the whole ride to be easy. My heart rate was a little higher through the second loop, but still below 155 for most of it. My nutrition continued to fuel me perfectly, and I peed 5 times throughout the day on the bike. The only discomfort I had was some rubbing on the saddle, which I think was caused by my wet shorts. Gross, I know, but that’s part of the race.. At the end of the second loop it started to hit me that I was almost 2/3 done an ironman. I had to keep reminding myself to relax and take it easy because I did still have a marathon to run.

Time- 5:33 (2:41 first loop, 2:49 second loop)

T2: Pretty uneventful. Gave the bike to some volunteers, grabbed my bag, got my compression socks on pretty quickly, grabbed some clif shot blocks for nutrition, helmet off, hat on, another volunteer lathered me up with sunscreen and I was out and on my way.

Time – 3:50

Run: I couldn’t believe how good I felt when I actually hit the run. My heart rate was still hovering around 150, my legs were turning over, I wasn’t delirious… Life was good. Mile 1 was down hill so I started to get some more food and liquids in me. I was shocked at a couple racers who blew by me running what had to be a low 6min/mile pace. I would come to see them again though… As for me I was right around 7:20min/mile to start. When I made it through mile 4 and my HR was still in check, I kicked it up to about a 7min/mile pace. Things were still OK. I hit the half way mark at 1:33. My friends and family were cheering for me, and I couldn’t’ be happier. On the second loop I was just holding on until mile 20 when I planned on “opening it up”. About mile 18 I was feeling it. My pace had slowed to around 8min/mile. I stopped to use the bathroom, and I was sick and tired of gels, shot blocks, perform, and pretty much everything else they had on the course. When I hit mile 20 I popped a double caffeine gel, which in my mind was going to act like rocket fuel. It didn’t. I was laboring to turn my legs over. At mile 23 I started to get chocked up for a second realizing that I was so close to the end. I couldn’t believe everything went exactly how it was planned. Between mile 24 and 25 a guy in my age group was drafting right off my shoulder. I kept trying to turn it up, but there wasn’t much left. He passed me just after mile 25, but then to my surprise and joy he turned to head out for his second loop just as I made my way into the olypic oval. I glanced over my right shoulder. No one was close. With 200meters to go I looked again. No one. Tears started forming in my eyes. Over the loud speaker I heard the voice of Mike Reilly, “Peter Wickman, a teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!” As I crossed the line the tears came and my legs gave out. I looked to my right and found Maddy right there along the fence. The volunteers helped me walk over, and I squeezed her as tightly as I could. It was the proudest moment of my life.

Time – 3:21

Total time: 10:23:34

This earned me 7^th out of 163 in my age group and 95th out of 2338 overall.

More excitement to come in the post race wrap up. Spoiler alert to those that don’t already know – there’s a proposal involved :)

Waiting, waiting...

Well I'm about as ready as I'm going to get. The training is in the bank, my big ironman breakfast is being digested (I'll touch more on that later because it was amazing), and my bike and gear bags have already been dropped off. I'm just hanging around the cabin today trying to stay off my feet, stay full, and stay hydrated. The nerves are getting to me a little as I didn't sleep very well last night, and I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.

As I think about this year, I can't help be taken back at the changes and sacrifices I've made. I remember very vividly talking with a coworker whose husband has done a couple IMs about a month before I signed up for Lake Placid and I asked her "can anyone really make their body go THAT far?" It totally blew my mind. I've learned that it is possible though. And it makes me think that a lot is possible if you put in the time and effort. I know I haven't finished the race yet, but I know that am capable. And, I know I can do more than just finish in 17 hours. The greatest thing I've learned through the training, the pain, the disappointment, and the joy of triathlon is just how capable we are as human beings. The limit is far beyond what you think it is, I'm sure. Once your discover that, it's just a question of whether or not you are willing to and have the desire to put yourself through what it takes to achieve a goal.

Learning what I have about myself has already made this year worthwhile. Regardless of how the race goes tomorrow, I already know that I'm capable of more than I thought was possible. Of course, I'd like to see just how much, which I can't do until I'm out there toeing the line on raceday, but in a few hours I'll have my chance.

Looking to the future, I can't say there is another ironman close by. I have a lot of things I want to accomplish, and they will take priority. There are also things that I've let fall by the wayside a little this year that I want to give some more attention. I'll get more into those things in a later post. Swimming, biking, and running aren't going to stop, however, they will just be more in moderation. I love the fitness these sports have given me. I also need to improve in quite a few areas to be more competitive, so I'll take some time to strengthen my weaknesses before I come back to the big show.

Anyway, just wanted to share some thoughts as I wait for the today to pass and tomorrow to arrive. I'll leave you with Maddy's amazing ironbreakfast that I got to devour this morning...
-Blueberry scone
-Banana
-Pancakes (blueberry, chocochip, & regular)
-Scrambled eggs
-Sweet potato hashbrowns
-Bacon
-French pressed Kona coffee :)
-OJ with a little vanilla whey protein
(Picture to follow when she brings back the camera!)

Almost ready

Well it's getting close to game time. I'm up in Lake Placid now, and I already went and registered today. I keep wondering if I'm ready, and what I'm ready for. Well here are some stats: In the past 6 months I've swim more than 65 hours (>105 miles). I've biked over 175 hours (>3000 miles). And I've run over 90 hours (>700 miles). I know I can cross the line. The question is now, how fast?

Well here's my plan...

Wake up: 3:45. Udi's blueberry muffin, pb&j with a banana, coffee, some OJ, and sports drink for breakfast. Once hit the bathroom and make sure I'm feeling regular, I'll be ready to go. I might grab another Udi's muffin if I can get it down before 5:15.

Swim: 1:05-1:15
My swim is not very strong compared to my bike/run. Nevertheless, I'm going to try to do with it what I can. The plan is to line up far to the right, not at the front, but not the back. I want to find a good group to go with and go. During the first loop I'll be telling myself over and over again "strong finish. breath. strong finish." If I can keep my HR and overall mindset in check, I should be ok. In the second loop I should be able to find some room and maybe make a few pushes. I'm not going to win the race or make any big moves in the swim. I just need to get in and get out without being too taxed.

T1: 5-7min.
Get there, get dressed, get a banana, get on the bike.

Bike: 5:40-6:15
I've ridden the course. I've gone over the distance. I just need to make sure I do it on Sunday with enough juice in my legs to get through a marathon. I typically struggle to get my legs turning over when I ride after I swim. I'll start spinning at a very high cadence so I can wake them up. My new roadie set up is a little different. It's taken me a couple rides to get used to the shifting and steering. The actual fit is essentially the same though so I shouldn't have much, discomfort. I want to keep my HR in the high 140's to low 150's. I wrote out a nutrition plan that should get me about 350-400cal/hr and plenty of fluids. I need to pee on the bike. I'm worried about dehydration, but if I can get enough in me to pee, I should feel better I think. My legs have felt good this week. I hope they have enough in them since it has been a while since my last long ride. I've inevitably lost quite a bit of fitness.

T2: 3-6min
Get off the bike, compression socks on, get out.

Run: 3:20-3:50 (???)
This will be the big test. Running is my strength. But can I get there with enough to go the distance? I feel fit enough to run as well as I did in the fall when I hit 3:00 in the Philly marathon. The only difference is that now I'm getting off a 112 mile bike ride before I start... I'm going to start the same way I started my last race - I'm putting a HR cap on at 157. For miles 1-4 it will be about getting my legs under me and making sure I can still digest what I'm putting in me. Miles 4-20 are about staying steady and strong. Keep good form, block out the pain, and keep eating/drinking. Miles 20-26.2 are just about guts. Anything I have left (if anything at all) is going into this last 10k. Of course I'll start turning up the heat slowly, but I don't care if I collapse 1 inch past the line - I just need to get there.

Overall time: 10:15 would be near perfect for my current fitness level. Anything under 11 I'll be happy with. Over 11 and I didn't do something right. At the end of the day though, I need to be happy and proud of what I accomplished.

What drives me is also a burden to me. While most people tell me "Dude, it's an ironman! How can possibly be disappointed?" I won't say that I could be disappointed, but I believe I'm capable of something, and I am typically not satisfied until I achieve it. This pushes me not to settle for mediocrity, but it also makes me pretty vulnerable.

That's all I have time for now. Maybe I'll get another post in before the race, but internet is scarce around here.

Good luck to all those racing. And thanks for the support to all that have helped.

**And a big thanks to racewheelrental.com for getting my wheels here a day early!! Check me out!

From TT to Roadie!

Thanks to my buddy David I was able to get my bike rideable tonight! Decided on the roadie set up. I'll get into why in a later post. Going for my first ride tomorrow. I'll weigh in with the details then. And maybe I'll add some more pictures.

Cracked...

With 11 days until the race my carbon aerobars crack... They are unrepairable, and I'm trying to figure out a reasonably priced replacement. Of course though, right?? It makes sense that things couldn't just go smoothly until race day. Everyone always has some horror story of something going wrong the day before the race, so I HOPE this is mine.

The crack is just to the right of the stem. Not sure you can see it well, but it's there. And if I pushed down on the right handle it would snap off... This is why carbon fiber sucks.

The next decision I have to make by the end of the day today is to replace the aerobars with something very similar or to go to a road bar set up with some aero extensions... I had been thinking about switching to a road set up for a while. BUT, (one of) the golden rule(s) of ironman is don't try anything new on (or around) race day. So I'm not really sure what I'm going to do just yet. I'm guessing they will cost about the same. The road bike set up will be a little heavier and less aero, and it might have a different feel to it. But I was getting tired of the TT set up anyway. The aerobars aren't comfortable for everyday riding, I'm worried about going back to carbon bc it is such a weak material, and if I do buy replacement aerobars now I'm not going to switch over to a road set up until this next set breaks because I just can't throw that much (more) money into my bike.

Decisions, decisions. Hopefully I'll have this mess figured out by the end of the day.

A couple updates

The most noteworthy is that I bit the bullet and decided to rent race wheels. I'm excited about it. This is my first IM, and at least for the near future, will be my only one. I've been experiencing some serious fatigue lately, both mental and physical, and I will definitely NOT be racing another IM next year... I might not even race at all. More on that later though. Back to the wheels... I was directed to racewheelrental.com by my local bike shop and found a deal that was a bit cheaper than the Ironman rentals. And I figured since I would have to replace my tires anyway (I looked closely at my front today and realized it was worn to the threads), I might as well just spend the money on wheels. I decided to go with the Hed. Jet 6 on the front and Hed. Jet 9 on the back (check them out). They are clinchers, which is nice bc I don't know how to change a tubular. They come with nicer tires than I would pay for. They are getting shipped straight to Lake Placid for pick up on Friday before the race. I'll use my own cassette, and I don't need special break pads bc they have an aluminum braking surface. They might help me get closer to my goal by adding a little speed. And let's face it, they are going to look AWESOME! I'm excited about it.

In other news, I've been writing up my nutrition and race plan. As soon as I finish getting it down on pen and paper I'll type it up. By race day I should have this thing memorized well enough that I'll be able to execute it. And if I do, I should have a good day. There are a lot of variables in a race this long though.

I'm not sure I'm feeling the positive effects of the taper just yet... Although I did pound out a 75 mile ride today that felt like a 25 mile ride did a couple months ago, I am lacking some power. During a couple climbs today I noticed I just couldn't push the way I have in the past, or the way I thought I would be able to by now. One thing I hate about doing something for the first time is that I don't quite know what I'm capable of. Not having raced this distance before, I just don't know what I can do. On the one hand, I want to push it to the limit and have the best race I can physically handle. On the other hand, I don't want to blow up and be disappointed - I can be very hard on myself. And historically it takes me 2 tries at a race/distance before I figure things out (ex: first marathon- 3:52, second- 3:00. first 70.3- 5:55, second- 4:59). Can I break the trend?? Well, we'll see won't we.

Last thing- I'll be wearing #802.
Do great work.

What my taper looks like

It's officially taper time! After back to back 25+hour weeks to end June, I took a much lighter week this past week to let my body heal a little bit. I'm back at it this week, but with less volume and more race pace sets. Rather than go with the more standard build to a peak and then start a 3 week taper, I decided to follow something I found over at QT2. Although I'm not one of their athletes, they have quite a lot of free resources. I found a ton on everyday nutrition, race nutrition, training, and technique... Pretty much anything you need.

Anywho, I went with a taper scheme that they recommend. My longest run was 6 weeks out, my longest bike was 5 weeks out, 4 weeks out is a recovery week, 3 weeks out (this week) is my biggest swim week, and then weeks 2 and 1 are cutting volume way, way down.

I'm already feeling the fitness and freshness in my legs. I'll do one more "long" ride this weekend of about 4-4.5 hours and a "long" run of 1:45-2 hours. This seems like a cake walk compared to what I put down a couple weeks back. I've also started incorporating 2 straight swims of 2500+yds per week. I really fell short on my open water swims this year - I haven't done ANY (except the Jerseyman, which went horribly!). Thursday I'm going to drive over to a lake in NJ to hopefully get a nice long set in. The only reason I haven't taken advantage of this more is because it's late on Thursday evenings, in NJ, and it costs $10...

OK - I'm all over the place tonight... Things to come are my goals and race plan, nutrition plan, and maybe an update if anything good happens.

Just to make sure this is the most scattered post ever I'll throw in something I've been pondering, and the weirdest thing I've ever seen on bike ride.

I'm considering putting some new tires on my bike. I don't feel like spending the extra money, but I could probably use them. How much do I need to spend?? Is it worth it? Or should I just bite the bullet and rent some race wheels? I've been toying with that idea too... But again, the money is an issue. Any thoughts are appreciated.

The weirdest thing I've ever seen - I was out on an early 3 hour ride Sunday. I saw more people finishing their Saturdays than starting their Sundays. Anyway, about 6:30am when I was on my way back to town I saw a huge black man, buck naked, walking down the bike path... He actually did have a pair of all white sneakers on and a tanktop tied around his head. But to make things weirder, as I was passing him he smiled at me and turned to start walking into the woods. Weirdest thing I've ever seen.

18 days...