Ironman Louisville Race Report - Part 3, The Run

When I finished my first marathon in 2005, I can vividly remember the excruciating pain that overwhelmed me at the finish. Although I felt a great sense of accomplishment, I didn't know if that would be something that I'd ever do again. Things didn't get any better until almost a week after the race when I could finally descend a set of stairs without pain and without walking backward. Fast-forward a few years, a few triathlons, and another marathon late,r and somehow I'd convinced myself (or been convinced) that I could actually complete a marathon after swimming 2.4 mi and riding 112 mi.

During training, as I completed each of my long runs, I steadily built the confidence that I would be able to run the marathon at a decent pace come race day. During the race, I purposely swam and biked at an easy effort in an attempt to save energy and save my legs for the run. As I started the run, my plan was to continue to take the first 6 mi at an easy pace, focus on hydration and get my running legs under me. The first 10K took a little over an hour and I can honestly say that I succeeded in maintaining an easy pace. The problem was that once it was time to pick it up, I had nothing left in the tank.

It's hard to put into words how you feel when you realize that you have 20 miles of a marathon ahead of you and almost no energy to do it. By this time, I had been moving for almost 10 hours and really just wanted to sit on a curb or lay in someone's yard and take a nap. I spent the next 5 or 6 miles mostly walking and running for short spurts immediately before and for a short time after each aid station. I tried to keep the calories coming in via gels and powerade in hopes that I would get an energy spurt at some point, but apparently, it just was not enough.

The low point of the day came right after the halfway point in the marathon. At the end of the first loop, you literally come within 1 block of the finish line, see people complete their race, and hear spectators cheering "you're almost there!" even though you have 13 more miles to go and no desire to complete them. The picture below was taken right after I passed the finish line after the first lap. Fortunately, I more or less look like a serious competitor, but if there was ever a time that I wondered if I could make it, it was at this point.

During the second loop, I started implementing a strategy that I should have begun much earlier. My friend who introduced me to the sport of triathlon, we'll call him Anthony, told me that the cola at the aid stations was the best part of the run. I had also heard that chicken broth is great way to rehydrate after a long day in the heat (the high on race day was 96 deg), so at every aid station past mile 15, I had a cup of cola, a cup of chicken broth, and some powerade if I could handle it. I figured that if sugar, caffeine, and salt couldn't do the job, nothing could.

Somewhere around mile 16 or 17, I started run-walking with another guy and we pushed each other to pick up the pace for the subsequent 3 or 4 miles. By mile 20, the cola-broth strategy finally started to pay off and I felt good enough to start pushing my way towards the finish line. I resolved that I would stop walking, run the last 10K, and finish before 10pm. In the final couple of miles, I started to see more spectators and could hear the cheers near the finish line. With less than a mile left, I ran past my Iron Team (wife, mom, dad, and mother-in-law), got a boost of adrenaline, and sprinted to the finish line to hear that words that I never thought I would hear. "James Finley, you're and Ironman!"

Ironman Louisville Race Report - Part 2, The Bike

112 miles. That's roughly the distance from my home in Chattanooga to East Point (Atlanta) Georgia. And I used to think that was a long way to drive, my how things have changed. Prior to the race, I was most excited about experiencing the bike course in Louisville. I'd heard that the course was mostly rolling hills with one longish climb and nice scenic views of Kentucky's horse country. This description was also fitting for northern Baltimore county where I've done most of my training, so I felt ready to tackle the course and hopefully finish the 112 mi in around 6.5 hours.

One of the major challenges of long distance triathlon is determining how much fuel (food) you need to sustain yourself for the duration of the race. Through training, I found that I preferred to use Accelerade for hydration since it contains protein and delivers about 240 calories in a 24 oz bottle. Without going into too much detail, my goal was to consume 400-500 calories per hour via sports drinks, gels, and Clif Bars.

The first half of the bike course really felt great. I kept a really easy effort (Zone 2) and just focused on eating and/or drinking something every 12 minutes when my watch beeped. The weather felt great for the first 3 hours and I'm sure that had I selected a more temperate race, the bike would have ended much better than it did. I had a couple extra bottles of Accelerade and a bottle of 5hr energy stashed in my special needs bag near mile 60, but in retrospect, neither was necessary. It turns out that after sitting in the sun for 5 hrs, the bottle were literally hot, so I decided to switch to Powerade for the remainder of ride. I also found that solid foods like Clif Bars were not appetizing in the least bit after spending that much time in the heat.

Around mile 80, I was really starting the feel the heat and my speed was on the decline. By this point, my right foot was hurting for some unknown reason, my back was tired from sitting in the aerobars, and I was starting to feel every seam in the road through my frame. I think that I made the ride a lot rougher than it should have been by inflating my tires at a higher pressure than I normally ride thinking that they would roll faster. I guess I'll just have to count that as another lesson learned.

After almost 7 hours of riding, I finally reached the end of the bike course and as I neared the final few miles, I had a chat with a guy from Colorado who chose to do Louisville as his first tri. One of the best things about long distance racing is that everyone becomes friends when they're exhausted and it's almost an unwritten rule that you support and encourage those who are suffering beside you. Though I didn't go as fast as I'd hoped, I was thankful that I was not laying under a tree from exhaustion, in an ambulance, or otherwise incapacitated like others I had seen on the way. I did my best to conserve energy on the bike (as evidenced by my final time of almost 7hrs), so after I handed my bike to the volunteers and put on my running shoes, it was time for the most important part of the day, the run.

Ironman Louisville Race Report - Part 1, The Swim

Since I've been building up to this day for over 5 months, I didn't think that it would be fitting for me to attempt to summarize the whole day in a single post. After spending 14+ hours suffering in the Louisville heat, there are far too many events that deserve to be documented as a part of the Ironman experience. And so we begin...

The swim at Ironman Louisville is unique in comparison to all the others in the Ironman circuit. During each of the other Ironman races, all the competitors begin in a single group and most people describe the experience as trying to swim through a washing machine. In Louisville, this apparently isn't possible because the first 1/3 of the swim is in a narrow portion of river between a small island and the shore. Because of this, the race begins with a time-trial start, with about 6 competitors jumping in the river every few seconds. At the pre-race meeting, the organizers said that everyone should be in the water by 7:30, but that you should arrive early if you want to begin closer to the actual 7am race start.

My plan on race morning was to take this advice and get to the swim start by 6am so that I could be near the front of the line. Apparently, about 75% of the field had the same idea and by the time I reached the swim start, there was a line that seemed to extend for about half a mile past the start. Although I wasn't the last person to arrive, I didn't get into the water until around 7:30am. If anyone reading this plans on doing Louisville in the future, I would advise you to get to the swim start by 5:30 and be sure to bring water and a snack. Or, if you don't care when you start the swim, set up your transition, take a nap, and then show up at 7:30 ready to run down the ramp and jump in the river.

My goal for the swim was to be out of the water in less than an hour and a half and hopefully not burn too much energy before the real race began on the bike. From the start, I tried to stay relaxed and treat the whole swim like a long warm up despite being kicked in the face and the stomach multiple times. The nice thing about the Louisville swim course is that once you pass the island swimming upriver, you then turn downstream and complete the majority of the swim with the current. You also swim beneath 2 different bridges and once you pass the second bridge, you can see the transition area and the crowd awaiting the swimmers.

When I finally reached the swim exit and looked at the clock, I was surprised to see that I finished in about 1:20 which was great considering that I had only really done two long continuous swims and they both took place at other races. This was also the fastest pace that I've held in a swim longer than 1500m and despite the fact that this was probably due to the current, I took it as my first victory of the day. With the swim behind me, I ran into transition with a huge smile on my face, ready to enjoy what I had heard was a very scenic bike course.

The Plan

I thought that today I'd share my plans and goals for Sunday's race. It's always nice to have these things in writing before the actual race and ideally, what I hope will happen and what actually happen will match up come Monday when I look back on my race experience.

Before each of my races, I like to set 3 different overall goals, each involving a different level of success. Considering my past history of severe cramping, asthma attacks, and impromptu, post-race trips to the hospital (all in one race), my first goal is always to finish the race without needing medical attention. For a 140.6 mile race, I’ll definitely be content with completing this goal. My second overall goal is to finish the race in around 13 hours. I figure that if I finish the swim in 1.5 hrs, the bike in 6.5 hrs, and the run in under 5 hrs, that should put me right around my goal time. If everything going according to plan and I don’t die on the run, my third goal is to finish in under 13 hours. This likely will come down to my performance on the marathon and I honestly don’t know if that will work out. I’m by no means a fast marathoner as my best time is only 4:15, so I hope that I can stay within 45 minutes of this time after a 114.4 mile warm-up.

2 days and counting!

7 days and Counting!

This time next Sunday I should hopefully be nearing the end of my Ironman marathon. The closer I get to D-day, the more I realize how crazy this whole endeavor will be. The remaining week of training will be the easiest week I've had since the winter and I've really been looking forward to getting some sleep this week. However, it looks like my body has something else in store for me. Last night I felt like I tossed and turned from the time I laid down until my alarm went off this morning. And today, after a long day of running errands, I returned home exhausted, but again could not fall asleep.

I can't decide if it's anxiety about the race or if my body simply needs less rest during my taper. I remember the same thing happening after both of my previous marathons, but generally this occurs after the event and not before it. I'm trying not to worry about getting enough rest this week, but that's easier said than done. Every time I take a pause during my day, all I can think about is race weekend. Even as I write this entry, I'm thinking about what I need to bring to Louisville, when I can check in, if I'll go to the practice swim, and who knows what else. I guess the best thing right now is to use this energy in a constructive manner and go ahead and make an agenda for the weekend. You know what they: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Time to get to work!

Crunch Time

I'm finally in the last stage of training, the taper. I can still recall a time back in February when I thought these days would never arrive. At that time, looking ahead to the long hours that I've now put in the bank was exciting, but almost overwhelming. Now that I'm on the other end of my training, I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed pushing my body to see if it can handle the stress, recover, and then become stronger. Over the past few weeks, I've had times where I really felt great, especially on my mid-week runs, but there have also been a few rides that were slower than I'd hoped. I have to constantly tell myself that when I ride slowly on Saturday, it's probably due to everything that I did Monday through Thursday. What I really have to count on is that over the next week and a half, my body will finally get a chance to fully recover and be in top form come race day.

Speaking of race day, I'm starting to get into panic mode just wondering what the expect on the big day. I guess my biggest fear now is getting off the bike at T2, throwing on my running shoes, and then being completely out of gas at mile 5. If it somehow comes down to that (and it won't...I hope), I'll have to be (Iron)man enough to just walk it out for 21.2 miles. The 2 biggest things that could potentially get me in this situation are going too hard on the bike and/or not eating enough on the bike. I'm not a big fan of uncertainties, so this evening I made a detailed, hour by hour nutrition plan to make sure I get adequate calories while I'm riding. I've also made a vow to ride by heart rate for the first half of the ride and then by perceived effort until I get to T2.

I think the key for me is to realize that in an Ironman, the swim and bike are just a long warm-up for the marathon.

Running Technique

I've always been a fan of finish line photos since make nice souvenirs from your race (if you're willing to pay for them). At the Colonial Beach Triathlon, the race organizers apparently decided against finish line photos and instead opted for video clips. I never realized how revealing it is to look at your own running technique via video. The nice thing about this setup is that you can also look at other videos from faster runners (see the winner here) to see how their technique differs from your own.

I was actually pretty happy with my form at the end of the run considering how slow I always feel. The big things that I noticed when I compared my video to the overall winner's video are:

1. Cadence: I generally try to maintain a cadence of around 90 strides/minute, but that typically drops as I get fatigued. The winner looked to have a cadence closer to 95 strides/minute and that makes a big difference over any distance (~25 sec/mi).

2. Movement Range: The other big difference that I noticed was hip movement range. The winner looked like he had much more hip flexion and extension than I did. I know that tight muscles much a significant contribution to reduced range of motion, so I'm hoping to get more time of the foam roller to loosen those puppies up.