Working in a virtual world to play in the real one: 2009

Ironman Louisville – August 30th, 2009 Louisville, KY USARace Totals: 10:00:02Swim: 1:08:58 Bike: 5:03:41 (22.13 mph avg) Run: 3:38:57 (8:21 per mile avg)13th 30-34 AG 72nd O’AllComplete race results posted here. The heat and humidity that everyone had planned for this race just did not happen. We struck the lottery and instead of the 95+ degrees we expected, the race started off in the low 60’s and ended in the mid 70’s with not a cloud in the sky. Being that this was my first Ironman distance race, it added to my confidence level going into the weekend. Louisville is a great venue for a race like this. The water in Ohio River was actually pretty clean, the bike course is challenging yet rather smooth, and the run course is set right through downtown Louisville. The finish at 4th Street Live is amazing.
Pre-Race Breakfast:My usual pre race nutrition for any race of any distance has always been the same.
4:00am: 20 oz Coca-cola and a Powerbar Performance Bar
5:30am: I start sipping on a 24oz mix of 2 scoops of Gatorade Endurance and 2 scoops of CarboPro until the start of the race.
Swim (3.8km / 2.4mi):The swim at Louisville is a time trial start. This is very unique in that depending on where you line up to start, you may never reach the front of the pack since it can take almost an hour after the start to actually get into the water. I spent a lot of time in swim on sighting other swimmers and maneuvering my way around them which played into my overall split but in general the swim went well.
Swim Total: 1:08:58 The transition for this race was huge and there was a short run to the transition area from the swim exit. With over 3000 competitors registered it took quite a while to get into the bag area and then find my bag and head into the change tent. In my bag I had 2 flasks of EFS Liquishot and an empty M&M’s container filled with SaltStick Capsules.
T1 Time: 3:15
T1 Nutrition: Half of a cup of Gatorade Endurance
Bike (180km / 112mi):On my bike I had setup 2 premixed 24oz bottles of 2 scoops Gatorade Endurance and 2 Scoops CarboPro as well as 2 packets of Accelerade Accelgel. I like to have 1 packet of the Accelgel right after the long swim for the small amount of protein to help settle my stomach on the long ride and one towards the end of the ride. I had drank my first bottle by around mile 10 of the bike. I don’t know if it was the nutrition or something in the river but I had a serious burning sensation in my throat and I broke out into a very hard coughing spell that almost forced me to abandon the race. I had a lot of trouble breathing and both bottles of the nutrition I had on my bike seemed to make my throat burn even worse. I was riding very slow and started getting passed by all the people I had passed up to this point. I didn’t have any water and the next aid station was a ways down the road. I saw another competitor with water and I rode up to him and asked if I could have some of his water. He gave me his extra water bottle and I was able to drink water and get rid of the cough over the next half hour. At the next aid station I decided not to risk getting the cough again so I dumped both of my bottles for a fresh bottle of water and a bottle of Gatorade Endurance. I tried drinking the Gatorade Endurance bottle again and my throat was still a little sore so I switched to just drinking water and eating EFS Liquishot for the next hour. Once I was able to get my nutrition under control I was able to get back into my rhythm on the bike and enjoy the rolling hills of Kentucky. I was alternating between water and Gatorade Endurance for the remainder of the ride. I also took in about 3 SaltStick Capsules over the duration of the ride. I didn’t need as many as the heat was not as bad.Bike Nutrition:
24oz of 2 scoops Gatorade Endurance and 2 scoops CarboPro
2.5 bottles of on course Gatorade Endurance
2 bottles of water (I don’t know the oz in them)
2 packets of Accelerade Accelgel
1.5 flasks of EFS Liquishot
3 SaltStick Capsules
Bike Total: 5:03:41 (22.13mph)T2: 5:11Run (42.2km / 26.2mi):Going into this race I had never ran a marathon or ran over 20 miles at one time. I had only run 20 miles 4 times in my life. I was a little nervous about the pacing that I should keep on the run. I tried to start out slow but when I hit the lap button my Suunto I had ran the first mile in 7:03. The next 2 miles were out the 2nd Street bridge and back and into town. I hit the lap button at mile 3 and had run those 2 miles in 13:02. This is where I started consciously telling myself to slow down. Although I didn’t really notice the pace I was carrying because my bike split had carried me into a class of runners that was beyond me so I was trying to keep up with them instead of running my own race. By mile 4 I had started to slow down to an 7:45-8 minute pace which I was able to keep for most of the run until around mile 23, when I went into the high 8’s. I think the real race began for me around mile 16 on the run. The second lap was actually shorter than the first lap but seemed to last forever. I went through quite an emotional and physical rollercoaster from that point to the end of the race. Each mile was different both good and bad. I have always heard the stories of where an Ironman can take you but until you experience it first hand you really can’t grasp what they mean. I kept hearing the comments made on the Kona video’s I have watched about how much suffering there is and now I was really feeling it. I just made sure I never stopped and I was able to get through it.

I started the run with a 22oz bottle of 2 scoops Gatorade Endurance and 2 scoops CarboPro but it had gotten warm over night and into the day so I just tossed it and drank what was on course. I was drinking a mixture of Coca Cola, Water, or Gatorade Endurance throughout the course of the run. I would say the majority was the Coca Cola or Water and EFS Liquishot. I would start through an aid station grabbing a sponge to soak my head, drink a cup of coke in the middle, and a cup of water on the way out. I had a couple of cups of Gatorade Endurance at the stations that didn’t have Coke at the time I was going through. I had a half cup of water at every aid station. I still had half of a flask left of EFS Liquishot from the bike and another flask in my special needs bag that I grabbed at mile 13 and I was taking that in about every 6 miles with just water. Additional I took in 1 SaltStick Capsules about every 4 miles.

Run Nutrition (very rough estimate):
20 X half cup of Coca Cola
25 X half cup of Water
1 Flask EFS Liquishot
6 X SaltStick Capsules
Run Time: 3:38:57 (8:21 per mile)Finish Time: 10:00:02 – 13th Male 30-34The finish line was an amazing experience. Coming down the finish I was really soaking up the crowd. I worked my butt off for this finish and I was not going to sprint for time. I took my time high fiveing spectators on both sides of the chute and even did the Jon Blais roll at the finish. 2 years ago that day I was 30lbs heavier doing my first sprint triathlon on a whim. I could barely swim and hated running and now I was finishing the Ironman. Sure I probably could have gone sub 10 hours if I hadn’t done the show but I have no clue what my finish time was from that sprint I did 2 years ago and will never forget what my first Ironman finish to the exact second for the rest of my life.
A big thanks to my incredibly supportive wife who chased me down and was at every single spectator position from Louisville to La Grange with her sign and cowbell. Also big thanks to Brian at Personal Best Nutrition for answering all my nutritional questions and getting me the best products available lightning fast!!! Also thanks to Jaggad apparel and Blue Seventy.
See you at Ironman Florida in November!!!

Working in a virtual world to play in the real one

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Ironman Louisville Race Report

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