Work, Works - Ironman Arizona

Ive thought about this post for quite some time. Unsure of what it would entail. It seems unbelievable that my first Ironman is behind me. I started this journey almost 11 months ago exactly yet it seems like just yesterday that coach and I had our first conversation. I have no secrets to share in the following paragraphs. No special formula. What I've been able to accomplish this year is a lesson in self discipline and a product of good old fashioned hard work. Those who know me have most likely heard me say that "work, works". This report is a shining example of that simple phrase.

I've read numerous Ironman race reports and some (most) are quite emotional and I always said to myself that mine wouldn't be. It is just a race after all. After having now experienced the journey that is Ironman, I can still confidently proclaim that it is just a race - but a race that one can learn so much about themselves in. I certainly did and reflect on the day with such a wide range of feelings - gratitude towards those who've helped, confidence in the success I enjoyed on my first go, sheer exuberance on executing the plan and just an overall sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Anyway, enough of those emotions I said I wouldn't have and on to the race itself.

Race week started on Tuesday for me as I flew into Phoenix that afternoon taking advantage of some vacation time I had to acclimate as well as spend some time with my father who lives there. I do as much as I can to control the the variables I'm able and my father shared in this and was sure everything was perfect throughout my stay. Had a few workouts throughout the week to keep me sharp but the days leading up were rather uneventful. I have never had to taper for a full ironman and was moderately concerned that my legs werent snapping back from my biggest build of the year but thankfully by Wednesday before the race they decided to show up! My childhood friend and life long roommate (and best friend since diapers. Can't thank him enough for coming along and just being an outlet for me and putting up with my crap all year.) flew in on Friday early afternoon and my mother and a "second childhood mother" and friend of my moms flew in that evening. I got my bike checked in on Saturday and made sure that I was horizontal by 8 that evening. I had gotten great sleep all week and managed a pretty good sleep the night before. Nerves don't ever seem to be an issue for me. The only time I'm ever nervous for anything is when I'm unprepared. Race day was something I was certainly prepared for and slept easily knowing that.

Race morning was pretty standard. Up at 4:15ish. Quick shower, threw on my custom Kiwami race kit and my typical pre race breakfast of a large banana, milk chocolate ensure and a plain bagel chased with a G2 Gatorade. Arrived at the race site around 5:15ish and finished setting up my bike and adding my First Endurance nutrition to bike and run bags as well as dropping off special needs bags. After that, priority number one was finding an open port a potty (insider tip: always bring your own TP)! Once that had been accomplished, it was time to suit up in my trusty Xterra Vendetta wetsuit (Love that thing. Truly like a second skin.) and make my way to the front of the group before we enter the water. This was important because it's a mass start (all 2700 of us go off at the same time!) and I needed to be at the front to avoid the madness.

There was a lot of jockeying for position at the front. Lots of elbowing as we all treaded water waiting for the gun to go off. Unintentional dunking (or intentional) and shoving. Its at this point that I just tried to relax and remind myself that I was well prepared. And then the gun blasted and we were off. The plan was to attack a bit in the first few hundred yards to gap myself from the main group so that's what I did. As crazy as it was before the gun went off, I swam in relatively open water most of the swim. Probably the most uneventful swim all year because I was near the front and because it was a mass start so I didn't have to fight through earlier age groups. Exited the water feeling great but unsure of my time. Turns out I was a bit slower than we'd hoped but not by much and had no idea of placing. Even worse, the clock was reading 1:16 as I exited T2. I feared that I had swam well over an hour but didnt realize till later that the clock was displaying the pro start (10 minutes earlier than the age group start) and then the age group start actually went off a few minutes late and the clock reflected that discrepancy.

Swim time: 59 minutes

I breezed through T2 and quickly made my way onto the bike course. Its a 3 loop out and back that has a gentle rise on the way out. Nothing crazy but for the first two loops we had a bit of a head wind in addition to that slight incline. Made for slower outbound legs and faster inbound for the first two loops. Priority number one coming out of T1 is to get my heart rate down after speeding through transition. Generally your heart rate is elevated because of that (or mine is at least). I was maintaining goal power from the start but it was taking longer for my HR to settle. Possibly because I had never swam 2.4 miles in a race? Regardless, around the start of the second loop I finally settled in. It was also shortly after that my legs started to awaken. They felt okay through the first loop but just seemed off. Right around the half way point (56 miles in) my legs really just woke up and I started feeling great. Mentally, this was a huge confidence boost and I fed off it but still maintained goal power. At the start of the third loop, I started picking off guys who had passed me much earlier on the bike so that too was confidence inspiring. Oddly enough though, the wind had shifted and the inbound section of the third loop now had a headwind. I was riding solo for most of the ride so I just stayed tucked tight in the aero position and rode into T2 still feeling great and still wearing a big smile. I nailed my nutrition throughout the ride which consisted of 1500 calories of only First Endurance Liquid Shot and EFS Drink in addition to water. I credit my solid nutrition approach/plan and the First Endurance product for my even energy levels and freshness coming into T2 as well as just staying right at goal power and keeping my HR in check.

Bike: 4:57

I was in and out of T2 in 1:25ish and feeling a bit surprised at how fresh I felt. Unfortunately, thats a problem that I assume lots of people have. After spending 112 miles on the bike it just feels good to stretch out and be running! It's probably my biggest challenge in this sport is coming out of T2 and staying at goal pace. I always come out of the gate charging but certainly not intentionally. My intention was to be about 10-15 seconds slower per mile through the first three to allow my HR to come down and process the calories I took in at the end of the ride. Certainly could have been worse and I was doing my best to keep myself in check. The run, like the bike, is three loops with lots of turns and is actually deceptively challenging (was talking to some other guys who also podiumed about this). A few sharp inclines and a hill just big enough on the backside of the loop while out in the middle of nowhere to suck just a little extra life out of you. For the first 10-12 miles I was running right around goal pace if not just a bit fast. I didn't know it at the time but I came off the bike in 2nd place but thought I actually came off in first. The first guy to pass me in my AG happened around mile 7ish and the second shortly after. Finished the first loop still wearing a smile and feeling as good as can be expected. Somewhere about half way through the second, things began getting more labored. My pace fell off a bit and I got passed two more times with the last pass coming around mile 19 (Note: its incredibly hard watching guys pass. Incredibly hard. With that said, the guy who won my AG ran a 2:52 marathon which is top pro level territory or very close to it. I dont have the fitness yet for that and knew that so just stuck to my game plan hoping a few of them might crack.). My friends and family were spectating near the finish and as I ran by them right before I started my third and final loop I told them I was deep in the hurt locker. My HR wasnt elevated but my legs wouldn't turn over at the speed I wanted them to be turning over at (Its a muscular endurance thing. I simply just need more miles under my legs and I know that. I've known that. There's just only so much you can do in 11 months). It's probably around this time that my smile turned into a grimace. I knew I'd reach a point where I'd really have to dig deep. And the time had come. All mental energy I had remaining became intensely focused on keeping me moving. I began running from aid station to aid station using the 10-15 seconds it took to take in fluids and gather myself for the next push to the next aid station. At about the 23 or 24 mile mark, I came up on an aid station and saw one of the guys who'd passed me earlier. It was a busy station and close enough to the finish that I made the decision to blast (as much as one can blast after having raced 136 miles) through it so that, one, he'd see me seemingly running strong even though it was all I could do to hold it together, or two, not even see me at all. Regardless, I just put my head down and charged ahead. Coach always tells me to never look back and I didnt. What was an amazing feeling is that after 136 miles I found myself actually in a race still. Certainly all adrenaline at this point and I started picking people off including some female pros (and possible one or two male pros. I thought I ran by one or two that seemed to be struggling). With about three miles to go, a guy in the 30-34 age group came charging by me so I decided to jump on. He immediately started looking over his shoulder at me as we banged out a 7:05ish pace and before he had to say anything, I just said "28" (everyone always wants to know your age since Kona slots are distributed by age group). We laughed and kept moving. It was about this time (maybe 2.5 miles to the finish) that I ran up on my friend Dustin who had moved about a mile and a half further down from where my family was previously at. They told me after I finished that if I was feeling as I did at the start of the last loop (bad!) that I'd be sure to be walking at that point and he was going to provide a boost - or so they thought. I came "flying" by and sort of startled both of us! With a mile to go, I finally allowed myself to start looking over my shoulder to see if the guy I'd
passed earlier was anywhere in sight. He wasn't but as I rounded one of the final turns heading
towards the finish line, someone I hadn't seen all day was gaining fast. Not knowing if he was in
my AG, I let out every last bit of energy I had left and crossed the finish line ecstatic and
exhausted. It was over. 9 hours and 36 minutes later, it was over. Crossing the line I had no idea
what I placed and I truthfully didn't care. I executed almost to a T and always preach to
everyone else to let go of what they can't control. I can't control who shows up on race day. But I was in full control of my performance on that day and thats all that mattered. I had the fitness for a 9:36 on that day. Could I have gone faster? In hindsight, of course we all think we could have pushed a little harder but I knew that my training had showed me what I was capable of and when I saw my time, I just felt...satisfied. I erred on the lower end of my goal power on the bike and swam pretty conservatively but I did it consciously not knowing what to expect 7 hours into a race.

Run time: 3:33

After crossing the line, it took everyone some time to find me but I quickly found a chair. That
seemed like the best idea at the time. To sit. Until I decided I needed food or drink or both. And
then the pain of traversing 140.6 miles using your own legs started to set in. Spent a good deal
of time laying in the grass but was able to gather myself and get around adequately if not fairly
awkwardly. I was just so happy. My smile finally returned that had been absent for the last ten
miles of that run. I was jabbering non stop. Those emotions I said I wouldn't have were getting
the best of me and I was just trying to fill everyone in on what I'd been doing for the previous 9
hours and change.

Total time: 9:36

Turns out I ended up 5th in my age group and 29th overall (excluding pros although managed
to best a few of them) out of almost 3000 registered participants on my first attempt at this
distance and with only about 11 months of real training and my second year in the sport. As
mentioned, I can't control who shows up on race day. 9:36 gets me to Kona in a number of other
races this year, but not this one. Kona was but a secondary goal at Arizona for me. Priority number one was executing my race and in the long term, to just get faster. And I'm only going to get faster. I can't wait for next year and what a winter of running will do for me. I'm 36 hours past my first Ironman still unable to sleep because my mind simply will not relax. I fear not having a schedule in this recovery period and fear falling behind. The work for next year starts now, but first I must recover.




I can't end this without a few thank yous so if you're still with me hang tight.

Coach. You've been my coach, therapist, ego booster and ego checker but most of all have
become a great friend. I can't thank you enough for keeping me healthy all year and for the time
you dedicate to making me a better athlete.

My family and friends. None of this is possible without you guys. Truly. I have an amazing support
system and couldn't be more thankful. Joelle, I've said it before, but your my biggest fan and
you tolerate quite a bit from me. Whether it's many early nights (we're talking old people early
and you enjoy those right?), early mornings, hauling my bike with me everywhere or me having to pass on brunch plans or something of the sort occasionally. Just as long as I still make time for us - and I do and will continue.

My sponsors. Who ever thought I'd have them?! I've aligned myself with companies I believe in
and used even before I was sponsored. I hope that I provide as much value to them as they do for me (I've got loads of ideas for new posts that I have the time for now!).
Kiwami kept me comfortable in my race kit over the course of the day and Andre made sure my kit was ready when I needed it! You're the best.
First Endurance kept me fueled from start to finish and was an integral piece of the success I
had on race day. Zero nutritional issues from start to finish.
Xterra makes the fastest and most comfortable wetsuit on the market with the Vendetta. I'm always excited when I get to race in it.
Acme Bicycles kept me aero and comfortable throughout all 112 miles. Truly comfortable. If you
even think you need a fit, go see Jonathan at Acme in Brooklyn.
Sportaneous keep doing your thing and making us all healthy one sportaneous game after another.

I've done my best to train like a pro so now must do my best to recover like one. I'm off to
Anguilla for some relaxation, a wedding and maybe a corona or two.