Thrice as Nice…Ironman Arizona Race Report
November 18, 2012
After sitting on the sidelines for Kona this year, I made
Ironman Arizona my goal race for the end of the year and I was there to win.
This was my third time racing in Arizona, and my previous two finishes I was
second. This year I was entering the race a bit fresher, a lot more
experienced, and I would be wearing bib number 3. I was hoping the third time
was the charm, but as it turned out, the third time was just thrice as nice as
I wore bib #3, in my third attempt at the event, I finished third. It was not quite the result
I was hoping for, but it was still a solid race.
I spent the two months before the race in Tucson, Arizona so
I was able to make a short drive to Tempe on Friday morning with Ashley. It is
always a nice change to be able to drive to a race. We stayed at the Aloft
hotel just over a mile from the race start. The logistics in Tempe are some of
the easiest of any Ironman event on the circuit.
It was chilly in the morning with temperatures in the low 50’s
but the water was actually warmer in the low 60’s. I chose to wear the full
sleeve TYR Freak of Nature wetsuit and Racetech Metalized goggles. The goggle
choice was very important on the day as we started out swimming in the dark,
but soon were headed straight into the sunrise. The metalized goggles were the best
choice for high visibility swimming into the sun, and the Racetech model made
sure the fit was second to none. I
started the swim out hard and made sure to have a tactical swim after having a
poor swim at Austin three weeks ago. I
was quickly in the lead on the swim, but there was a very large group of about
15 guys and there was very little separation.
I quickly dropped back to take advantage of the draft and conserve as
much energy as possible. I had to keep
an eye on the front of the pack to make sure there wasn’t any separation in the
lead group, but it was a very tame and calm swim. I exited in the front pack
and quickly hopped on the Black Dimond bike and within minutes was in the front
of the race. Several miles into the first lap, Andrew Starykowicz passed me for
the lead. I was fine with Starky taking the lead because I would feel
comfortable spotting him up to 10 minutes on the marathon, and I knew he wasn’t
going to get anywhere near 10 minutes on me, but I also knew my best race would
be to race my power and pace on the bike. The unfortunate part of riding my
pace and power is that a large group of pros out of the water with me all
maintained my pace (not power), by riding legally 10m (and often illegally
closer) behind me. Some athletes have honor and respect for the rules, some don’t.
I’m not writing this to complain or whine, it is part of racing and I have to
deal with it. I do wish there was a better way to enforce drafting on the bike,
but in the meantime, I will just continue to race with honor and hope others
choose to do the same. I made sure to
maintain a constant intake of 1 PowerBar Energy Gel every 20 minutes, and I had
three flavors with me, Green Apple, Kona Punch, and Vanilla (the finest of the
flavors). I had one packet of PowerBar Gel Blasts at 56 miles then another at
93 miles. I also had 12 salt capsules on the bike. The Dimond was fast and very
aerodynamic. I was able to break the old bike course record, but unfortunately,
Andrew Starykowicz was bit faster than me on the day. I rode 4:19:03 on the day,
25.93 mph average. My average power was 281,
norm power was 290.
I got off the bike and was 1:50 down on Starky, and it only
took me just over 2 miles to catch him. I ran that first mile a bit fast in
just under 6 minutes, and I was really trying to hold back. I settled in a
better pace after the first mile, but about 5 miles into the run, I was having
some GI distress and just was not feeling great. I knew it was time to hit the
coke and settle down the stomach. For some reason the coke always seems to help
calm my stomach. I really miss having the PowerBar Energy Gel available on the
run course and feel most of my stomach distress was caused by using a different
gel than what I train with. I know I shouldn’t have tried it, but sometimes
during a race, you just start grabbing whatever you can. I’ll make sure I bring
my own PowerBar Energy Gel next time. I was passed for the lead around mile 10.
I took my special needs bag at mile 12 then started sipping on my Red Bull and
that really turned some things around for short while, but soon after Paul
Mathews (Barney) passed me on the run. I kept him close for about 5 more miles
before I started struggling again, and he put about 2 minutes on me. I made a
big come back push at mile 19. I thought I was going to have a go at catching
Paul, but he was a bit too far in front and running well. I ran hard until mile 26 when I realized I
wasn’t going to catch Paul. I could hear him crossing the finish line, so I let
up just a little that last little bit. I ended up running a 2:56:01 marathon,
so maybe I should have pushed about 30 seconds hard that last mile just to run
a 2:55, but there really wasn’t much point. I was third and happy with my
effort on the day. So much of an Ironman race is managing highs and lows; knowing
not to push too hard when you feel great and knowing not to let up too much
when you feel like hell. I definitely had some highs and lows in Tempe, but
overall it was a great race and new PR on a very fast day. I went 8:07:36. I
wanted to run a 2:50 marathon, and that would have won the race. I still feel
capable of running a sub 2:50 marathon, but just need to put it into action and
make it happen. I’ll keep practicing
until I can’t get it wrong. I want to thank all my family and friends who
watched the race and cheered for me. Thank you to Coach Cliff English for being out on the course and providing splits and encouragement. It was awesome to have so much support out
on the course. I also need to thank my sponsors, without their support I wouldn’t
be able to race as a professional. Thank you to TYR Sport, Mizuno Running,
PowerBar, Yurbuds, Maxxis Tires, Profile Design Aerobars, TriSports.com, Zipp
Wheels, SRAM components, SRM Power Meters, HMB, Dimond Bikes, and Ruster Sports.
DEU
|
00:48:19
|
04:22:45
|
02:48:06
|
08:03:13
|
1
|
1
|
|
USA
|
00:48:27
|
04:24:31
|
02:48:27
|
08:04:58
|
2
|
2
|
|
USA
|
00:48:34
|
04:19:03
|
02:56:01
|
08:07:36
|
3
|
3
|
|
USA
|
00:52:28
|
04:26:02
|
02:52:02
|
08:14:41
|
4
|
4
|
|
FIN
|
00:51:36
|
04:32:03
|
02:48:36
|
08:16:09
|
5
|
5
|
|
USA
|
00:48:41
|
04:24:07
|
03:02:32
|
08:19:38
|
6
|
6
|
|
USA
|
00:48:42
|
04:16:31
|
03:10:50
|
08:20:36
|
7
|
7
|
|
USA
|
01:05:41
|
04:25:46
|
02:54:18
|
08:30:50
|
8
|
8
|
Work Hard,
TJ
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