Race Report - Ironman Louisville

On Sunday, August 29th I raced my third ironman, Ironman Louisville.

Swim [1:26:18]: The swim start is about 3/4 of a mile upstream from the swim finish and transition area. Since IMLOO has a time trial start you line up single file and by the time I got up there at about 5:30am the end of the line was a good 3/4 of mile past the swim start. Despite heading down there at what I thought was early, I was nearly at the back of the line. Most athletes had a lot of family with them which bloated the line. Is walking 2.25 miles on race morning just to start a 140.6 mile ironman really necessary? Well, at least in Kentucky it is.

About 30 minutes after the canon went off I finally made my way down the ramps to the pier we were jumping off of. We were running the last bit of it and then launching off the dock, music blaring, it was really fun and I was quite pumped. The water was warm, had to be low 80's. It wasn't too congested to start but there was some contention for space. The water was very murky so you couldn't see if someone was around you while your you were face down. By the time you realized someone was there you were already swimming over them. The swim was fairly uneventful, just long and slow. You entered the Ohio river between the eastern shore and a small island, swam upstream past the island for about 1/3 of the swim, then turned and swam downstream for the last 2/3rds to the exit. On the way back you swim under an old railroad bridge that they tried and failed at converting into a pedestrian walkway and shortly after that the main bridge connecting Kentucky to Indiana. If there is ever a troll or goblin in a fable, he lives under a bridge. I thought about that as I swam but made it through unscathed. The locals were saying there was little to no current to speak of that day since there hasn't been much rainfall lately. Later when I asked a few athletes on the run how their swim was they concurred their time was notably slower than they were expecting. I also think not wearing a wetsuit accounted for at least 5 minutes extra in my time. I was surprised my time was over 1:20 but I didn't really care too much at the time...today was about just getting through it in one piece.

T1 [7:20]: It's a couple hundred yard run from swim exit to the transition entrance. I ran into my family on the way there and stopped to say hi. They also brought me my running socks which I failed to put in my run bag the day before at check-in, so I grabbed those. There were very nice volunteers all through the rows of bags helping us find our bag and directing us to the changing tent. I had to put my race top on since I swam naked, then load some gels into the pockets, put on my heart rate strap, put on my bike shoes, don my helmet and glasses, and stuff a 7 hour bottle of Perpetuum down the back of my shorts and I was off. Volunteers were slathering sunblock on our arms, shoulders, and backs and I got a good dose before I left. You fetch your own bike in this race which I think I prefer.

Bike [6:15:59]: I really had a great bike leg. I ate a granola bar coming out of transition and tried to find a good feel for my pace. I kept telling myself to hold back, take it easy, just spin and tick off the miles...but it was not long at all before I disobeyed my own orders and started racing the other bikers. We drove the course on Saturday so I could refresh my memory of what to expect. It ended up being much easier than I thought it was going to be while in the car, so it was a deceptive drive. Being that I started at the back of the swim I was passing a lot of people. It's not like my bike split was crazy fast or anything but I was picking them off 1 x 1 all day long. The course really suited my strength because I was able to power through most of the rolling hills in my big chain ring and keep the pace up. I lose time against people when the climbs are steep and there were none here. Even on the "steep" hills I was quite readily cranking up them and passing people while seated. I tribute that to my three 100 mile training rides with all that climbing, it paid off with dividends.

There was a section leading out to La Grange on the 1st loop that had some downhills and rollers. A pro male was coming through on his second loop during one of the slower sections for me (more uphill). But once we crested, I re-passed him and led through most of the rollers. It wasn't till a longer uphill that he retook me and then disappeared. I thought that was cool and just reinforced that if I find races that suit my strengths I might be able to cause some damage in the age group category!

For the rest of the bike I hammered when it made sense and pulled back when it didn't. I ate up a lot of people out there. I knew I was screwing myself for the run but sometimes it's just too fun to RACE and that's what you have to do. The final 34 miles or so back into Louisville were against a pretty stiff headwind. That stretch lasted forever it seemed. All along the route I saw people that simply melted on the side of the road. The usual site was a bike laying in the grass and someone sitting with their head between their legs and hands on their head. It was totally understandable, the heat was radiating back off the pavement making it feel like you were racing in a pizza oven. I think it hit mid 90's that day. My back was starting to tell me it had enough and my hamstrings and glutes were also sending me some warning signs. So I dialed back for the last 6 miles and happily finished up the bike leg.

T2 [6:17]: Coming into transition a volunteer grabs your bike and you run back to the rows of bags to get your run bag. I got mine and hit the changing tent to put on socks, sneakers, and a hat. I think I hit the bathroom real quick on the way out too. I stopped for another application of sunblock, the sun was still raging high in the sky.

Run [5:33:23]: Oh my god. When I started the run I thought "this day is over, I'm going 17 hours." I mean, I was just starting a marathon and my core body temperature was already skyrocketing. It was around 3:30pm and there would be no relief for 3 or 4 more hours. So I thought the worst. The run starts with a quick run halfway over the bridge to Indiana and back and then you do two 12 mile loops straight up 4th Ave. I ran into my family right before the bridge and I think I asked for my room key. I didn't want to do this marathon right now. They happily rejected my request and I started the first of my 2 run loops. The 1st loop was a real bitch, I mean just horrible. There was all sun with no reprieve for 6 miles on the way out but at least a few sections of a shaded tree line on the way back. I was reduced to walking most of the straight sun sections and I'd run anytime I hit shade. We ran through Old Louisville which was quite nice and residential. Then we ran by University of Louisville and Churchill Downs which was much larger than I expected. The course was very flat with only a few mild inclines/declines here and there. But that didn't matter, when you're in Louisville the heat is your enemy.

My sister Jen ran around the block with me as I ended my first loop and started my second. I told her I wasn't doing great and it would be a struggle to hold a 15 minute pace for the 2nd loop to break 14 hours. Funny thing happened on the 2nd loop though...the sun started to go down! I started walking less and jogging more. I was usually running about 3/4 of a mile and then walking the aid stations. At every mile there was an aid station and I filled my hat with ice. It felt so good. When I was running my pace was about 10 to 10:30. There weren't a ton of people running, lots were walking. My body is getting much better at starting running again after walking, that used to be very hard for me to get my body moving again. I got a tip from a friend last year at IMLP to hold off on drinking cola for as long as possible. Once you get the caffeine hit it's gone, kind of like nitrous in a car. Use it up too early and you have nothing left in your bag of tricks. I held out till mile 16. My stomach was getting very upset and I felt like I might throw up...it was time for cola. I haven't had caffeine in over 7 weeks so the cola did wonders. It settled my stomach and pepped me up. I started recalculating my pace and seeing if 13:30 was still possible. It was but I'd have to really man up to get it. My pace dropped to around 9 to 9:30 between aid stations and I only walked the length of the actual aid station before running again. I was in immense pain but the chance of hitting 13:30 kept the drive alive. My sister Jen caught me at the corner going into the finishing chute but I out sprinted her to the finish so she couldn't get a video of me finishing. Sorry Jen! I was 30 minutes ahead of my estimated arrival time so the rest of my family missed my finish too, though they did hear my name as I finished. I ended up doing a negative split on my marathon (2nd half was faster than the 1st half). When I saw on my watch I finished in 13:29 I was truly impressed with what I had just done. I came in under my "dream" goal time by mere seconds. The last 12 miles was all heart.

As I write this, the news just did a segment on the ironman aftermath. It reached a high of 96F that day (and Louisville is currently setting a record by a lot for the hottest summer on record). 73 people were taken to the hospital and 9 had to stay overnight. I took an ice bath back in my hotel room and it made me feel like a new man. The next day I had very little soreness and could function completely normally. From what I could gather there were close to 3000 people who started the race and only 2157 of them finished. I finished in 988th place overall, safely in the top 3rd. I had an awesome day and I definitely exceeded the expectations I put on myself. I just love racing ironman distance races, it's an all day chess game of you versus yourself. You take chances, adapt, and do what you can to persevere. Whether you're finishing 1st or last, we are all facing the same challenges. It's why I keep getting everyone I know to sign up for one.

Special thanks to my awesome support crew on race day: mom, dad, Jen, and Roger, who braved the heat to help me along. I know how hard it is to spectate one of these events and I am truly appreciative they made the trip. Also a special thanks to the rest of my family and all my good friends who texted, IM'ed, emailed, and called to wish me well. When things got really tough out there I played back all your comments back in my head and it made me stronger. I say it after every major race but it is true, I have the best support network I could ever want. So thanks to everyone for being part of my day.

The day after the race I signed up for Ironman Canada which will be on Aug 28th, 2011. It's held in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada...out by Alaska and Washington state. Supposed to be one of the most beautiful ironman races there is. I can't wait!!! Liz and Justin (sister and bro-in-law from DC) also signed up. It will be a ton of fun, I had my heart set on doing this race for a while.