Vancity Tri Guy

Ironman France Race Report

p class=a href=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bG4N7e7LzV0/Tgo5k0K5u-I/AAAAAAAABPM/z80J2OqmeiE/IMG_00046.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bG4N7e7LzV0/Tgo5k0K5u-I/AAAAAAAABPM/z80J2OqmeiE/s500/IMG_00046.jpg id=blogsy-1309429343950.573 class=alignleft width=312 height=234 alt=/a/ppEver since getting turned on to the sport of Ironman I began looking for races that would take me to places with beautiful views and challenging conditions. Upon doing some research, I knew that at some point Ironman France would be on my list of races to do. Upon finishing Ironman Canada last year, I was excited and even to this day look back at it as being one of the best days of my life. With this said, I wasnt planning on doing any iron-distance races in 2011. That is, until I met a mutual friend at the YMCA who mentioned that she was racing with a number of other people that I knew through Speed Theory. As luck would have it they just so happened to have an extra spot in their condo for the week surrounding the race. Taking an evening of restless sleep to think about it I was enthusiastically in and signed up the next morning. /ppOver the next several months I trained, this time going to self-coached route with a major emphasis on power on the bike as I wanted to be prepared for the 1,800m of climbing. Training for this race was a challenge thanks to the Spring that never arrived. An ironman in June is considered a relatively early season race and I was prepared for plenty of ninja training in the darkness but I was hoping that the weather would improve by May as it normally does. Such was not the case this year but it didnt matter. I logged the miles in all conditions, even when it meant putting fenders on my race bike and pounding out 5 hours in the pouring rain. /ppFast forward 6 months and I arrived in France one week before the race. Nice is beautiful and as I have mentioned in my other blog posts, the weather sure hasnt disappointed either. In the days leading up to the race I prepped all of my equipment and practiced my transitions and organized my nutrition so that on race day I could be sure that everything that I could control was in order. The rest was out of my hands for better or worse which is one of my favorite parts of endurance racing. The you never know what will happen factor. And with that, heres how the day went for me. /ppstrongThe Swim – 1:08:25/strong/ppa href=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l4XjkkxxXXo/TgwK0rJLkvI/AAAAAAAABRc/ubZv_ASv5h0/IMG_00078.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l4XjkkxxXXo/TgwK0rJLkvI/AAAAAAAABRc/ubZv_ASv5h0/s500/IMG_00078.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318435.6577 class=alignleft alt= width=208 height=312/aI got to the swim nice and early to allow myself to go for a warm up as always. The tough part with the beach was that it consisted of irregular rocks which were far from pleasant on the feet making it hard to walk, let alone run. With my wetsuit on I took a few steps out into the water and dove in to the salty abyss. The sea was warm, about 21 degrees in fact! I took a few strokes and swam away from shore for a few minutes. With the salt water and wetsuit combined, I was uber buoyant and proceeded to simply float in the water for a bit and collect my thoughts and energy for the adventure that was about to begin. After swimming a few more strokes I headed back to shore to queue up with my fellow 2,500 competitors. As the time ticked down from 20 minutes to race start, the MC pumped loud pop music and generally pumped us up into a flurry of energy, albeit nervous energy. /ppa href=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YsjKgIJTPmQ/TgwK11NGkAI/AAAAAAAABRg/j-FAaWQetSo/IMG_00079.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YsjKgIJTPmQ/TgwK11NGkAI/AAAAAAAABRg/j-FAaWQetSo/s500/IMG_00079.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318443.6543 class=alignright alt= width=434 height=289/aFinally – 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Instantly the group erupted into a mass of flailing arms and legs turning the water into a washing machine just like the other races I had been in before. True to form, I took a few good whacks to the face and body and gave a few as well. Where I was surprised was when the physical battle didnt let up beyond the first few hundred meters. It was like that to the first buoy which was about 1km off shore! At one point, I had a mini panic as I was pushed under the water on my lower back. I scrambled for the surface and shoved the guy off me. I searched for the closest open water but there was none. Just a wall of swimmers in all directions so I had to try to calm myself and settle back in to the mess. Fortunately I found my focus again by recalling how good it felt to cross the finish line at Ironman Canada. I wasnt going to give in. Once I got around the first buoy I found my rhythm and generally stayed in some nice open pockets of water amongst the crowd. The interesting thing with Ironman France is that you get out of the water after 2.4km, run around a buoy on land and head back into the water for the last 1.4km. The final swim went relatively smoothly. A few hundred meters from shore I saw one lonely jellyfish about 5 feet down. I had heard that they can be an issue around here but fortunately that was not the case today. As I emerged from the water, never before had I been so happy to be out of the swim and more happy that I stuck with it. What came next was nothing short of breathtaking – the bike. /ppstrongT1 – 5:32/strong/ppThe transition was a long one. The bike area was narrow, stretching the bikes out for some distance. I grabbed my transition bad, pulled of my wetsuit and asked a volunteer to hit me with some sunscreen. With that, I found my bike without issue and took off on foot to the bike mount line. /ppstrongThe Bike – 6:11:13/strong/ppa href=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4XWb9zGNtz4/TgwIFdsco7I/AAAAAAAABQ0/rQC9S9owDeY/IMG_00070.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4XWb9zGNtz4/TgwIFdsco7I/AAAAAAAABQ0/rQC9S9owDeY/s500/IMG_00070.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318454.455 class=alignleft alt= width=500 height=336/aThe bike started out well as I headed down the Promenade dAnglais. I soon settled into my rhythm and began taking on nutrition. I had set up my plan with one bottle of regular Infinit as well as a second bottle mixed to double concentration. Ill get more into the nutrition part of the race later. About 20km into the ride the first climb came. As mentioned in the race briefing, it was the hardest climb of the day with 500m of 10%. I remained seated and spun my way up while many others hammered their way to the top of it. Upon reaching the crest I continued on at pace through some cute little villages. Gattièrs, Saint Jeanett, Bar Sur Loup, followed by Gourdon. All were packed with locals and supporters alike lining the streets cheering us on. Next came the 20km ascent up Col de LEcre. By this time the heat really started to climb into the mid 20s. I was still able to enjoy the climb and took in some of the amazing scenery of the surrounding peaks and valleys. I sat back once again as others crushed the hills. The power meter really helped me to stay on pace and not take chase setting me up for what I knew would be a tough run to follow. /ppa href=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5LGCb5RE6tM/TgwIRBgXkNI/AAAAAAAABRA/WUpQ9PqudMs/IMG_00073.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5LGCb5RE6tM/TgwIRBgXkNI/AAAAAAAABRA/WUpQ9PqudMs/s500/IMG_00073.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318457.8577 class=alignleft alt= width=224 height=336/aAt the 70km point we reached the top of the climb and special needs where I took on two new bottles of Infinit mixed the same as before. The interesting part of Ironman France is that the 70km point represents more than half way through the race in terms of time as there is so much climbing in the early stages. The remaining 110km definitely went faster. There were some additional climbs but this part of the course was generally downhill with some nice technical corners. After talking to the rest of the crew following the race we all agreed that our favorite part of the course was this one village where we tore through a narrow cavern about as wide as a car between adjacent buildings. Super fun! Next up, we began the major descent back into Nice. This is when the heat could be felt more than any other point in the day. Coincidentally, my stomach started giving me grief as the mercury continued to climb. I knew it was going to be a long marathon as the cramps churned in my stomach for the last 10km of the bike.br/ /ppstrongT2 – /strong/ppI got off my bike and the legs felt pretty good. Of course, the first few steps were a little wobbly as I handed my bike off to one of the volunteers and headed to grab my running gear. Helmet and cycling shoes off I dawned my cap, more sunscreen and running shoes./ppstrongThe Run – 4:16:08 /strong/ppa href=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9VFBebXnL4M/TgwH_keixGI/AAAAAAAABQs/nt79z9nrfio/IMG_00068.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9VFBebXnL4M/TgwH_keixGI/AAAAAAAABQs/nt79z9nrfio/s500/IMG_00068.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318371.416 class=alignright alt= width=349 height=233/aI started the run and everything was feeling pretty good with the exception of the heat. Looking down at my watch I had to scale back the pace as I was going way faster than the plan to start out at a 5:00 min/km pace. As I settled into this new pace the stomach issues from the last section of the bike reared up once again as I hit the first aid station. I cramped up and had to cut back on the pace some more which was too bad as my legs felt like they had lots to give. Thats endurance racing for you though – anything can happen and you have to adapt on the fly. In my race plan I had intended on breaking the marathon into quarters starting at a pace of 5 min/km and increasing the pace by 5 seconds per km for each lap ending with what I hoped would be a pace of 4:40 for the last lap. This just was not in the cards today. Not with that heat at least. /ppAfter the first lap, I started to feel a bit better and continued on my new plan that consisted of walking the aid stations and taking on water, Powerade and cola at every stop as well as two salt pills each lap. They had cold showers on course which looked appealing in the 35 degree heat but using them meant soaking your feet which almost guaranteed blisters. Instead, I opted to soak myself with cups of water which also had the downside of washing off the sunscreen. By the second lap, I could feel my skin physically burning. Fortunately, Kevin was out by the airport and had some sunscreen which I liberally applied to my arms and back. /ppa href=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MdXERiiyHZ0/TgwIDRbbtCI/AAAAAAAABQw/RH4lfLJjNS0/IMG_00069.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MdXERiiyHZ0/TgwIDRbbtCI/AAAAAAAABQw/RH4lfLJjNS0/s500/IMG_00069.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318405.832 class=alignleft alt= width=261 height=392/aThe most challenging thing about the marathon was that it was 4 completely exposed laps. With each lap, I collected a different colored wrist band to signify that I had completed a lap. They also served as a constant reminder of how much more I had to do. Upon collecting my third band as I headed on the final lap I thought to myself that it was just like running a lap of the sea wall and the sooner I finished, the sooner I could stop running and get out of the sun. With each km, I was getting closer to having completed my second ironman. As the finish shoot approached, I could hear the announcer and loud music blasting. I took my last few strides and crossed the line throwing both hands in the air! Contrary to Ironman Canada the year before where I had no doubt that I would finish, this race had numerous times where I wasnt sure that I could go on. Especially in the marathon. I pushed through it and was glad that I did. /ppstrongNutrition/strong/ppFor breakfast, I had a couple of cups of coffee, two waffles with jam and a few other pastries. For the swim, I had a gel about 30 minutes before the swim washed down with some water. /ppOn the bike is where I took in the majority of my calories for the day. I started the bike with two bottles of Infinit – 1 of normal concentration and the second a double concentration which I alternated with water. I also had 4 gels and a couple of Stinger Waffles. I lost not one but two packages of energy chews out of the pockets on my jersey which was a bit frustrating but fortunately those were just for a change in taste from the liquid nutrition and not essential to my nutrition plan. All in all, I took on about 2,500 calories on the bike which set me up well for the run. /ppBreaking the golden rule of not trying anything new on race day, I opted not to run with a hydration belt on race day as I was not allowed to access my running bags on the morning of the race which would have meant that I would have had to check my liquids in the night before and have them baking in the sun for 24 hours. This required a slight change to my plan as I had never used salt pills before. I usually run with a hydration belt with Infinit which takes care of replacing electrolytes for me without having to experiment and see how many I needed to take to avoid cramping. Given how much sodium I had taken on in the 6 servings of Infinit on the bike, I went conservative and took two pills per lap. Otherwise, I relied on a combination of water, sports drink and cola to get me through the run. The system worked out fairly well once I settled into the heat. /ppstrongPost Race Thoughts/strong/ppThat was the hardest thing that I have every physically or mentally done. We simply have not have the heat in Vancouver to be able to acclimatize to the temperatures that were experienced on race day. I had never experienced doubt in a race before. Sure, I had come across challenges that I could work through but never did I think that I couldnt or didnt want to go on. It was a good experience to have and only now am I beginning to appreciate it now that Ive had a few days to collect my thoughts on the day. I didnt give up and I feel stronger for it. Also, I had no idea how I would react to heat in a racing situation. Generally, I dont do well with heat and now I know how my body reacts for the next time that I race when temperatures exceed 30 degrees./ppWhen I crossed the line I wasnt sure when I would do another Ironman. Two days later, I registered for Ironman Coeur dAlene on June 24, 2012! Now the big question is whether or not I will race Ironman Canada as well making for a double Ironman year…/ppstrongThank You/strong/ppI am one lucky guy to have such an amazing support network around me. Training for an Ironman can really take a tole on ones non-triathlon life. Thanks to my amazing family and friends for being there and taking an interest in my passion. I promise youll see a bit more of me over the next few months. Mom youre my biggest fan – thanks for everything you do! Of course, I cant forget the new lady in my life who enthusiastically supports me through training and racing. A big you rock to The Girl and I cant wait for the vacations we have planned this summer!/ppSuper thanks to Lauren and the rest of the gang for having me along! Honestly, it was a blast to be in such good company for the week of the race. Congrats to Katrina and Stephen on your engagement at the finish line! /ppThanks to Speed Theory for all the advice, and mechanical expertise that kept my bike running like a dream throughout the race. The Cervèlo S3 for me was the perfect bike for climbing the long hills and ripping the descents and hairpin turns. When does my S5 with Ui2 arrive? Kidding!/p

Tags: Adversity, Bike, Heat, Ironman France, Race Report, Run, Speed Theory, Swim