Ironman Texas 2014 - By the Numbers

This post is mostly for my own future reference. I use this type of post as a place to summarize some of the tactical aspects of a race so that I can come back and read them later as I prepare for the next iteration of a specific race, or for another, similar race.

Numbers by Discipline

First a quick look at the numbers across each of the three sports.  In this case I’m comparing against others in my age group (AG) and for the record, my AG is 44-49.  I have also included the data from last year since I have it and since it provides another piece of data to evaluate against.

Swim	2014	2013
My Swim	1:33:20	1:34:30
AG Average Swim	1:22:29	1:27:11	Wetsuit legal in ’14 only!
Difference (over AG)	0:10:51	0:07:19
My AG Swim Rank of 283 Starters	210	192	283 starters in 2013
Bike	2014	2013
My Bke	6:00:37	5:58:51
AG Average Bike	6:21:12	6:12:39	Very windy in ‘14
Difference (under AG)	0:20:35	0:13:48
My AG Bike Rank of 282 Swim Finishers	93	110	278 swim finishers in ‘13
Run	2014	2013
My Run	4:10:09	4:44:39
AG Average Run	5:23:12	5:36:18	Very hot & humid in ‘13
Difference (under AG)	1:13:03	0:51:39
My AG Run Rank of 278 Bike Finishers	27	44	266 bike finishers in ‘13
Overall	2014	2013
My Overall	12:01:26	12:36:00
AG Average Overall	13:26:10	13:35:24
Difference (under AG)	1:24:44	0:59:24
My AG Overall Rank of 260 AG Finishers	57	77	241 AG finishers in 2013
DNF % 2014 and 2013 (of AG starters)	8.13%	17.43%	Very hot & humid in ’13

So what are the take aways from this? Well, I would attribute the faster swim, for the field, in 2014 to the fact that it was a wetsuit legal swim this year. I did not wear a wetsuit, I bet on the fact that it would not be wetsuit legal and I lost that bet. No big deal, I’m happy with my time anyway.

As for the bike and the run, I think the averages show the impact of the weather on the field. 2014 was quite windy and the wind was from an unfavorable direction(?) and 2013 was exceedingly hot and humid.

The last interesting bit in this table is the DNF percentage and I firmly believe that reflects how bad the weather was in 2013!

Next up is my position within the field after each sport and the number of people I passed while biking and running. I’m a slow swimmer, so I get to pass a lot of people on the bike, so I like this number. It really does not mean anything else. I also like the "passed while running" number because it reflects my execution. If I ride correctly, I will still have gas in the tank for the run and if you are “running the run” in an Ironman then you are probably passing people!

Position After	AG
Swim	210
Bike	124
Run	57
Overall	57
Passed While	AG
Biking	86
Running	67

These two charts reflect the relationship between bike and run times. In each, the x axis is bike time and the y axis is run time.  The lines are the average bike and run times.

2014 Bike vs. Run

The first chart is the data from 2014 only. I’m happy to once again be in the lower left, “fast and balanced” quadrant of the chart. Again, this is a reflection of performance (being faster than average) and also execution (not blowing up on the run because I biked too hard).

2013 vs 2014

The second chart is 2014 data vs. 2013 data. I included this one because it helps me to understand the changes in my performance year over year. Notice that the bike average line moved out (slower) and my point stayed the same. I’m happy about that. Notice also that the 2014 run line dropped (faster) but that my 2014 point dropped much further (much faster). I’m really happy about that!

One of my big questions from last year was about goal setting. Based on my 2013 bike and run I was wondering if my run goals were realistic. Rev3 Cedar Point, last September, helped to answer that question and this race did as well. I came to Texas thinking I could maybe go as low as 5:50 bike and 4:00 run if the weather and my day cooperated.  Everything came together and I came pretty close to those stretch goals.

Hydration and Nutrition

This is really dry information that I’m sure nobody but me cares about, so you’ve been warned if you choose to keep reading…

Bike:

I carried two bottles of Skratch Labs Pineapples that I mixed highly concentrated. The actual mix was 9 scoops in each 24oz bottle. I also have a front bottle (32oz) with a straw that can be refilled while I’m moving. My nutrition plan was to try and empty the front bottle prior to each of the 10 aid stations and then refill the front bottle with ~24oz of cold water and ~4.8oz of Pineapples concentrate. Along with the full front bottle at the start, this worked out to 1600 calories

This model worked for me last year, although I did some of the math wrong and thus was probably a little under where I wanted to be from a sodium standpoint. This year it worked well also, although I had a little trouble getting the right measure of concentrate and so I went through once concentrate bottle a little faster than I had planned. I expect that I will continue to follow this plan. Mixing concentrate and water on the bike is easy and carrying two bottles behind my seat costs me very little in terms of weight and wind resistance.

I also ate two gels per hour over the six hours that I was on the bike for 1200 calories.

Total calories consumed on the bike – 2800

Run:

I used the same three bottle system on the run as well. The two concentrate bottles had four scoops of Oranges in each 10oz bottle and I started with 10oz of normal concentration Oranges in the front bottle. I worked through one of the concentrate bottles along with the front bottle for a total of ~74 ounces of Oranges (370 calories). At that point, I got tired of 1) carrying the hand bottle and 2) mixing concentrate at every other aid station… so I decided to switch over to perform, the on-course offering. I’m guessing, but I figure I took two cups of perform each mile after I switched, so ~20 cups of perform (700 calories).

I also ate four gels for another 400 calories. Thus my run calorie consumption was ~1500.

Combined calories consumed ~4,300, which is ~1500 more than last year.

I’m planning to totally rework my run nutrition for IMAZ so that I don’t need to carry three bottles. I’m not sure yet, but I think I’ll work toward a one bottle system, that is NOT hand carried, that I can refill with straight perform as needed. This would allow me to drink between aid stations without having to carry concentrate and multiple bottles. That’s the plan for now anyway, so I’ll see how it goes.

So that’s everything I’ve got to download after a great race.  If you’re still reading, thanks for sticking around. Please feel free to give me feedback! If you do something differently or if you think something could be improved on, please leave me a comment and let me know.

Thanks,

Clark

Ironman Texas 2014 Race Report

Leading up to Texas I tried several times to finish a post about how this Ironman had snuck up on me. Funny thought, right, that an Ironman could sneak up on someone? But for some reason, that’s how I was feeling. I was doing/had done the work and I was where I wanted to be physically, but my mental state was all over the place. The tone of that post changed week to week depending on how high or low I was feeling and in the end, I’m glad that I never bothered to finish it. The key point I was trying to make was that racing makes me nervous and stressed, right up to the point where I actually get to race, and then racing makes me happy! Of course at that time I had not gotten to the happy part and I think that’s why the words would not come…

But now, the race is over, I’ve been to my happy place and (spoiler alert) I had the kind of day that you dream about and hope for in the weeks leading up to the race. My coach talks about training as building a fitness vehicle and racing as your chance to actually drive the vehicle and let me tell you, I drove the shit out of it last weekend!

So with that background to set the stage let me move on to the actual race details.

For Texas, we stay with my daughter and her family in Houston, which is great. It gives Cath something to do while I handle the pre-race BS like registration and gear check, etc. We both get to see our grand kids and it means I have a big cheering section for the run!

Because of the drive from Houston to The Woodlands, Saturday morning started pretty early, although, I guess, not early enough. Cath and I got out of the house late and we were trying to make time on 45 North. I noticed one of the traffic warning signs flashing that the road was closed due to a bad traffic accident. I’m not that familiar with the area so I was trying to pull up the map to see if we would be impacted at about the same time that we came up on the traffic back up. Yikes! Fortunately, we were able to jump off of the freeway and onto the access road. We sat in traffic on the access road for about 10 minutes before we passed the accident and were able to get back onto the freeway. I’m not sure what would have happened if we had missed that last exit but I’m sure glad we didn’t.

Other than that hiccup, we got into The Woodlands and parked without incident.

I made quick work of my transition chores – adding my bottles to my bike and adding my solidly-frozen bottles to my run bag. This is one thing that I did differently from last year that was much improved. Last year my run bottles sat in the sun all day and by the time I picked them up they were really hot and drinking hot drink mix was unpleasant. This year I froze the bottles overnight and they were thawed and still cool when I picked them up after the bike.

I had no issues with body marking or getting in for the swim start. I warmed up a little and then grabbed on to a paddle board since I was not wearing a wet suit and I didn’t want to tread water. Just before the gun went off, I looked over for the clock and was surprised to see quite a few participants still trying to get into the water. I’m guessing there were at least 100+ who were still dry and on the boat ramp when the gun went off.

I found the swim this year to be much more congested than last, but I did not have problems with people grabbing my ankles or climbing up my back. I did get kicked HARD this year, which is something that did not happen last year. Twice to the face including once in the eye where I had to stop and pull my goggles off, and once somewhere “else” that took my breath away for a second. I swam up on someone who had stopped so I stopped, just as he gave a big breast stroke kick. Yup, that was uncomfortable.

My sighting was mostly accurate with only one small gaffe near the entrance to the canal. I swam left of center on the way out and right of center on the way back in.

Other than that, my swim was uneventful. I got out of the water almost two minutes faster than last year with the same feelings of relief and joy. (I hate swimming)

Goal Time: 1:30 Actual Time 1:33:20 Last Year 1:34:30

T1 was slow but I knew that was going to happen. Last year I ended up with BAD sunburn after the bike so I was much more careful about putting on sunscreen and also about my choice of clothes. The only real mistake I made in T1 was that my socks were inside-out and I chose to turn them right-side-out just to be safe about irritation or blisters.

Goal Time: 7:00 Actual Time 9:36 Last Year: 7:20

The bike was weird, but fantastic and so much better than last year. I followed my nutrition plan to a T and, unlike last year, I did not have any real stomach issues.

The winds were a factor but I found them to be more manageable this year vs. last. Normally the wind is at your back coming out of The Woodlands and you get some free speed. This year was different and I could see that my splits were slower than I expected going out, but I didn’t worry about it, I just stuck to my numbers and rode my plan. Then, on the way back in, I was prepared for the hurt of riding into a strong headwind for 25 straight miles and that never really materialized. Last year at mile 85, I was starting to get nauseous and by mile 95, I was mostly out of areo position and wishing the bike would end. This year at mile 85 I felt fresh and ready to make up some time and I was able to finish strong but I was not able to make up the time that I “lost” on the way out.

I think the wind was a big issue for many people, not so much because it was windy – it’s always windy in Texas – but because the course rode very different than usual and I think some people had trouble adjusting. In hindsight and after having compared notes with several people, I think the course rode at least 10 minutes slower this year vs. last!

One change that I made this year was a new helmet. I have neck issues and thus have a hard time looking up for long periods of time. My old helmet had a long tail and I was concerned that I spent too much time with the tail sticking up in the air instead of sitting on or near my shoulders. To eliminate this concern, I switched to a Giro Air Attack Shield, which has no tail. I don’t know how much if any difference the tail made but the mental win of being able to look down without worrying about that dumb tail sticking up in the wind was worth the investment. The other big win was the shield. I can’t wear sunglasses on the bike because I end up looking over the top of them because of my neck. Last year, the sun reflection off of the bright white concrete that starts at about mile 90(?) was just awful. This year it was annoying, but much more manageable thanks to the tinted shield.

Goal Time: 5:50 – 6:00 Actual time 6:00:37 Last Year: 5:58:51

Coming into T2 I felt really good and ready to run, so I handed off my bike and actually ran, well jogged, through the chute and around to pickup my run bag.

T2 was slow but again, I sort of expected that. I did the sunscreen thing again, changed my socks and shoes and shirt as I had planned. Then I decided to change my shorts too since my tri shorts were starting to chafe. Of course that meant I was changing my shorts over my shoes. Dumb. I already mentioned my frozen run bottles but I’m mentioning it again as that was a huge improvement.

Last year I came off of the bike feeling really sick and it showed in my T2 time. This year I felt tired but ready to run.

Goal Time: 7:00 Actual Time: 7:44 Last Year: 10:40

My run was nothing short of fantastic. I stuck with my, overly aggressive, nutrition plan for the first lap and then I got tired of carrying a hand bottle and mixing concentrate with water. So somewhere early in lap two I strapped the hand bottle to my run belt and switched off to the course offered nutrition. I’ll be rethinking my run nutrition for IMAZ for sure. Not because my plan did not work, but because I’m tired of carrying three bottles on the run.

Near the end of the second lap I knew I was doing well but I was a little confused about my actual progress. I really wanted to try and finish in under 12 hours and I thought that might still be possible. I asked a spectator what time it was and did the math and it was close. My 13.1 split was about 2:02 and I knew a negative split would get me home under 12, but a negative split was going to be a stretch.

I saw Cath and Sarah and Ben and the kids twice each lap and I was able to give high-fives as I ran past their canopy. Seeing them each lap was a real mental boost and it helped to keep me going.

As I passed the 20 mile marker I did the math again and “under 12” still seemed possible. I tried to keep the hammer down but it was getting harder with every passing mile.

In the end my run was smooth and on target.  I didn’t negative split but at 2:02/2:08 I came pretty darn close. The perfect run for me would have been something just under 4:00 so I was really pleased with 4:10.

Goal Time: 3:55 – 4:20 depending on the weather Actual Time 4:10:09 Last Year: 4:44:39

Overall I went 12:01:26, which is 34 minutes faster than last year and just a little slower than I wanted to go. If I had a great day and if the weather was perfect, I figured I could break 12:00. I had a great day and the weather was perfect and I came pretty darn close.

It was a fantastic day at The Woodlands and now Ironman number two is under my belt. I’ve learned a lot and I have so much more to learn going forward.  I’m super happy to be doing IMAZ.  I can’t wait to take what I learned in Texas and try to put it to good use next time.

Before I sign off, I need to say thanks to Cath for putting up with the many hours of training and my cranky mood swings and the trainer in the family room and everything else that is Ironman training. I love you babe and I think you're the best wife and IronFan that anyone could possibly have!

Thanks also to Sarah and Ben and the kids for coming out to cheer and watch "pop-pop" run Ironman.

Finally, thanks to Will for the super special cheering signs that he made.