Ironman Brazil Race Report

Ironman Brasil

I figured if I was going to put the effort into training for an Ironman race, I might as well make an adventure of it.  Why go to Florida or Louisville when you can travel 3000 miles to another country to experience the ultimate test in long distance suffering…er…I mean racing. 

I booked all of my travel through Ken Glah’s company Endurance Sports Travel.  I’ll give them a plug right now…they really did a great job with the accommodations and travel back and forth to the race site.  They were spot on with everything and I thought the price they charged was very reasonable for what they provided.  www.EnduranceSportsTravel.com if you are interested.  They provide ground packages (place to stay, breakfast and dinner, bike mechanic, race information, transport to and from the race site) for many of the big Ironman races, both in the states and abroad.

After 3 days of taper mixed in with some pre-race chasing around and an hour “make sure the bike works” ride that felt more like playing Russian Rolette with traffic, I was feeling quite ready to go on race morning. 

After 3 days of absolutely flat, calm seas, race morning brought 2-3 foot choppy seas.  What else should I expect!!  The one complaint I have about this race is the way they have the swim course set up.  Instead of 2 loops around a rectangle, the course is basically a giant M.  The first part of the M is a rectangle, but then instead of repeating for a second lap, you run on the beach for 50 yards and then head back out to a different section which is basically a triangle (look at the course maps on line if you want to see what I mean).  There are buoys at each turn and one back on the beach…and NOTHING else to mark the course in between.  This presents a problem on a wavy day because there is no way to see where you are going without stopping to look or following the crowd. 

I made my first mistake before the race even started.  I was on the beach along the starting stretch (about 100 yrds long) waiting for the gun when I noticed how the pros were going to start.  Unlike some of the other races that allow the pros a head start or an in water start, in Brazil they start on the beach no more than 10 yards in front of the rest of us.  If I had been smart, I would have been directly behind them when the gun when off, and not 50 yard to the side.  Not that I could have stayed with main contenders, but I could possibly have caught on to a slower group of B or C level dudes.  I didn’t think about this until after the race…but I bet they didn’t have a problem knowing where they were going because I bet a Kayak was leading them out. 

Instead, I started in no man’s land.  This was good because I didn’t have to get in a fist fight…but bad because I was on my own to get to the first turn buoy.  I felt pretty good in my Blue Seventy wetsuit from all3sports (it is the sleeveless REACTION model and I really like it), but sighting was tough.  Once I made the turn, it got worse.  I sighted the next buoy I had to get to and started swimming for it, but then lost it in the waves.  I chose to follow the crowd…and that proved to be a really bad idea as when I finally located my mark because I was WAY off course and had to back track to get to it.  I then headed back to the beach, which I couldn’t see in the waves (only the tree line was visible…and that had no distinct marking).  I tried my best to head back straight, and then I saw the Red Bull tent marking the 50 yard section on the beach…at least I thought that was where the Red Bull tent was.  When I got close enough to see better, I realized I was heading in a path back to the start.  I was about 100 yard off course.  There were 2 Red Bull tents!  One at the start and one at the halfway mark!  GREAT!  I finally got finished with the first leg of the swim…about 40 min.  UGH!  That was AT LEAST 8 min off what I was hoping for.  Granted the “halfway” point was a little more than half…but I figure I lost at least 6 min. on that first section.  The triangle proved to be much better for me…I swam straight having learned my lesson to make sure I knew where I was going.  I finished the second section in about 27 min.  I was disappointed to come out of the water at 1:08 given how much work I have been doing on my swimming, and I was a little worried that I had just given up my spot in the top 5 in my age group because of my swim. 

It’s amazing how everything adds up in an Ironman race.  It is 140.6 miles long, and yet a min lost in transition can play a role.  I thought I had a fast transition, but looking at the results, I should have hustled a little more to get going.  I think my transition was almost 5 min. (vs. 3 for the pros).  I also confirmed my poor swim by how crowded the transition tent was. 

Once out on the bike, I was VERY tempted to step on it and try to make up the time.  I heard my coach Bruce Erskine (great coach…if you want to get better, email him: bruerskine@aol.com) in my head telling me to be careful and NOT rip up the bike…so I decided to listen to his voice instead of mine.  The weather was perfect for a race, about 68 degrees.  There was a bit of a wind and it did rain for about 45 min, but otherwise I can’t complain!  I rode at least one gear easier than I would have wanted to the entire time.  The bike course was mostly flat and fast.  After 2 hills near the beginning, neither of which would be hard for anyone who rides around Atlanta, we pretty much rode on the flats.  The 2 loop course follows along the main highway on the island of Florianopolis, from the race site down to the main part of the city and then through some tunnels in the side of a hill.  Once we reached the tunnels, the course was closed to traffic, so about 20 miles of the 56 mile loop are wide open.  The only thing slowing me down at all was the wind, which was somewhat noticeable going north.  As I stared to settle in, I started to pass person after person.  I had no idea if I was making time up on the people ahead of me in my age group…but it seemed like I must be.  I got my first look at how far back I was when I rode through the tunnels and could see everyone coming back from the out and back section.  There were A LOT of people there…but I was only at mile 30 and it’s a long race and I was passing people quickly.  I decided to stick to my gearing and effort level and see what happened.  I just kept eating a gel or drinking Perpetum (Hammer Nutrition) every 20 min to make sure I didn’t run out of gas.  I grabbed a Coke at the special needs stop, but otherwise it was a pretty lame diet as far as variety goes!  The only thing of note that happened to me: I had a mini crash going around one of the hairpin turns.  This is really stupid, because I slowed down purposely thinking that I needed to be careful as it was raining and

As I neared the end of the bike, I started to feel the fact that I had been riding for almost 5 hours and while it wasn’t a hard effort, it was still effort.  I came off the bike at 4:56 on my watch, which I started right after I got rolling.  I was hoping to have ridden a little faster, but overall, I felt like I should have good legs for the run.

I passed over 300 people on the bike, and the transition tent was a lot more empty when I ran in.  I went as quick as I could, putting on my compression socks (Zoot brand…get them at all3sports.  I really much say that they are worth the extra min. it takes to get them on…they WORK…at least I think they do) and then my Newton running shoes (again, if you haven’t tried these, go to all3sports and see for yourself.  I wouldn’t think of running a marathon in anything else) and headed out.

The Marathon is the most mentally daunting part of any ironman race.  26.2 miles is a LONG WAY, especially AFTER 6 hours (or more) of activity, much of that involving your legs.  I started out running about 7:30 pace, which kept my Heart Rate relatively low and my effort level nice and even.  In hindsight, I wish I’d started out just a tad faster, but I was OK with that pace. 

Now I get to my second glaring mistake.  Caffeine is a great tool for endurance…as long as it is used properly.  I hadn’t been using very many Caffeine gels or drinks in training as I have been trying to stay away from it during the normal course of life.  All of the gels I ate during the race however contained Caffeine.  I’ve never had a problem before…but apparently excess Caffeine (define Excess as anything more than your body is used to) can give you digestive issues and upset your stomach.  About 30 min. into the run, I had to stop and use the Port-a-let.  I’m sure that cost me at least 2 min.  OK, 2 min in an ironman is not much, right…well, I assure you it is if you are trying to end up on the age group podium and you have to stop and use the Port-a-let 3 or 4 times during your Marathon.  I gave up AT LEAST 6 min. sitting on the john!  When you think about how much effort goes into training, it’s really hard to take the idea that sitting on the toilet can cost you your race.  That age old adage…don’t do anything in the race that you haven’t done in training is proven once again.  It doesn’t matter if it is the smallest thing…if you are going to do it in a race, do it in training WHILE preparing for that race (it doesn’t matter what you did 2 years ago that didn’t bother you!).  I ran 3:36 for the Marathon…respectable…but disappointing considering I ran 3:21 in 2007 at IM Coeur D’Alene when I was (supposedly) a slower and less experienced Ironman competitor.

Overall, my race time was 9:52.  While I didn’t end up on the podium (the 10-12 min I lost on the swim and in the Port-a-let took care of that), I did learn something.  Ironman is a different animal than even a half distance race.  There is so much that can happen that can make or break the race and there is no substitute for experience. 

For those who may have heard, my girlfriend Tory was also racing and she suffered a pretty bad crash while on the bike.  She ended up in the hospital overnight in Brazil, but she seems to have come away lucky and not severely injured.  She’s recovering well and keeps asking me to get her bike checked so she can ride it again.  Maybe it is no wonder why her head survived a meeting with the pavement at 30 mph!  It looks like she will be fine, but she appreciates the concern and well wishes that everyone has expressed. 

Thanks for reading, Hope you enjoyed it.

Product Review — Endurox R4

Product Review – Endurox R4

The issue of sports nutrition is probably the biggest discussion topic in triathlon.  Simply put, unless you have a solid plan for fueling before, during and after training sessions and competitions you will not perform well.  This challenge is particularly significant for those racing longer distances when training volumes tend to escalate quickly and multiple workouts occur in the same day.  These physical demands often require nutritional strategies that go beyond what you can consume at your kitchen table. 

Endurox R4 addresses these issues by providing a quick and convenient (and tasty) source of carbohydrates, protein, and amino acids.  The net result is that you recover more quickly and with less muscle damage.  The benefit is that the athlete consuming Endurox R4 is able to get the most out of each workout, rather than continuing to deal with the effects of the last workout. 

I have used Endurox R4 for a number of years as a post-workout supplement.  I became a believer when after trying it for a couple of months I stopped using it for a few weeks.  The impact on my performance was immediate, with slower swim times, lagging run paces, and diminished watts.  Additionally, I could feel a much greater toll from each session.  When I resumed using the product, the results came back. 

Endurox R4 comes in five different flavors (my personal favorites are Chocolate and Vanilla) and two different sizes.