This past Sunday was the morning of my fourth Ironman race. The day started out at 4:30 with Mike's cell phone going off somewhere in the room. He didn't even seem to notice, and I couldn't find the damn thing in the dark. My ITouch was set to go off next to me, but it ended up providing the light needed to search for the ringing phone. Unfortunately, by the complaints next door, this started the neighbor's day early too. You don't want to camp next to the Brady's.
After an entire race season of not tolerating speed work but doing a ton of endurance; the pressure was off. There were no real moments of nerves at all. Just going through the moves and wishing things could just get started. There were plenty of moments wondering what was wrong with me that I felt so chill about it all. Sometimes you just find that happy zone where you know exactly where you are at physically and go with it. It sure is a good place to be!
I try to keep my race routine just like training. Everything I needed was packed neatly in one bag to avoid those morning of the event freak outs. So it was oatmeal with raisins and protein powder. Same clothes I've been putting on all summer to race in as well, except for the hefty dose of sunscreen. Then slapped a huge tegaderm over the quarter-size broken blister on my heel. UGH! How that happened is another story and certainly not how I would recommend getting prepared to run a marathon!
The girls opted to sleep in. Mike walked me down to the transition to get the bike ready for take off. Then off to the swim. We were down there at 6:15 and the line was enormous. This provided lots of chat time with fellow athletes. I met a girl from Indiana doing her first IM race just out of college. Supper nice person with a awesome positive attitude. She finished the day third in her division. On the other side of me was a guy doing his 14th IM. He does it because he still can at 61.
Louisville is a time trial start, where there are two lines with people running down them and jumping in with just a few seconds between each other. I loved it. No time to just be nervous.
The swim course is an upside-down J shape around an island. The first third is against current and the rest is with the current. I managed to treadmill it for a bit on the way out; until wising up and moving closer to the island. I kept it easy; not wanting to burn out later. I finished in 1:38. Slower than my previous swims, but mission accomplished. Unlike the previous swims, I got out of the water relaxed and refreshed.
Transition went well. I ate a PBJ and cheese sandwich, drank a 24 oz gatorade and a bottle of water. Didn't need to change clothes. I walked through the transition, trying to make sure my heart rate stayed down. I know everyone likes to say sip water or sports drink and give yourself 20 minutes or so to settle in and take nutrition. I come out of the water hungry; I eat!
My bike plan was to again take it easy and not do any real work. The first two hours on the bike were great. The heat wasn't bad at this point and the section out of town is fast. I was suprised at how many people were riding all over the road and not keeping to the right. It made things interesting on some of the steeper descents. Those who ride with me know I love to max out the speed on the descents. NOT happening here. Too many kill-joys paddling out to the far left, laying heavy on the brakes. I saw the devil after one of the larger climbs on the dogleg section. He greeted me with a "good to see you again". He was standing out in the sun in a full red spandex suit and cape with a pitch fork!
Louisville has a beautiful bike course. There are constantly rolling hills, horse farms and occasional long-distance views. There are some fast descents with sweeping turns and generally the roads are good. There are only a few places of civilization where you can buy what you need while riding.
After about 11 am, the heat really started to crank. There was more wind than anticipated, making drinks warm in a hurry. That is about when the headache came on and tortured me for the rest of the bike ride. The stations began running out of water around 2pm. They took throw away bottles and refilled from a garden hose. I had left transition with 2 bottles of gatorade and they were long gone at this point. I drank a partial bottle of Perform with the usual stomach upset. It was water and enduralytes for the rest of the ride; with the thought of ice and cola on the run seriously motivating me! The bike segment took 7 hrs. Time killer was having to pee 4 times (no alternative, it was 96 degrees!) So what. Ambulances were steadily picking up people and there were many sitting in the ditch that looked like they might need one. Lots of people walking unimpressive hills. All I got was a headache from overheating!
Transition from the bike went very well, which was a surprise for how lousy I was feeling riding in. The transition is on the banks of the Ohio River, so it was much cooler down there. Two bottles of ice-cold water was pure magic. I forgot to take off my sun glasses before my transition bag was gone. Ugh!
Marathon plan was to simply drink water, cola and some chicken broth as needed. It has worked very well for me in the past and I didn't want to screw it up and not be able to take liquids. Heat has been my nemesis for years! The plan was also to make sure I was running the marathon and not walking; everyone hears me say walking is expensive. IT IS!! I would rather plod off 11 minute miles than walk any 14 minute miles. I walked almost the entire marathon in Arizona because my stomach was bad! That takes forever and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
The course runs past many beautiful multi-story brick homes. It also goes past Churchill Downs. They cross you over a bridge into Indiana and turn back around for approximately 1.5 miles of running. Then it heads out of Louisville taking you to the turn around point at about mile 7.5. You repeat the loop minus the bridge section to complete the marathon distance. Mentally, it was 4 sections for me. The last loop became more like mile sections, but I never really suffered. The community is very supportive. There wasn't a single place where people weren't out cheering on the participants. I finished feeling like I could continue on, which was nice for a change! 13:32:46 A PR by 17:28. I will take it.
What I liked about Louisville IM: Swim start was fun and we tended not to bunch up so much. Water was a warm 85 degrees. Bike course was rolling hills that never really cause real work. Love it! Run course had so many people cheering and lots of shade from buildings. That was a relief after the bike! I am genuinely surprised this race doesn't fill up quickly. It really is a great event in a beautiful setting.
After an entire race season of not tolerating speed work but doing a ton of endurance; the pressure was off. There were no real moments of nerves at all. Just going through the moves and wishing things could just get started. There were plenty of moments wondering what was wrong with me that I felt so chill about it all. Sometimes you just find that happy zone where you know exactly where you are at physically and go with it. It sure is a good place to be!
I try to keep my race routine just like training. Everything I needed was packed neatly in one bag to avoid those morning of the event freak outs. So it was oatmeal with raisins and protein powder. Same clothes I've been putting on all summer to race in as well, except for the hefty dose of sunscreen. Then slapped a huge tegaderm over the quarter-size broken blister on my heel. UGH! How that happened is another story and certainly not how I would recommend getting prepared to run a marathon!
The girls opted to sleep in. Mike walked me down to the transition to get the bike ready for take off. Then off to the swim. We were down there at 6:15 and the line was enormous. This provided lots of chat time with fellow athletes. I met a girl from Indiana doing her first IM race just out of college. Supper nice person with a awesome positive attitude. She finished the day third in her division. On the other side of me was a guy doing his 14th IM. He does it because he still can at 61.
Louisville is a time trial start, where there are two lines with people running down them and jumping in with just a few seconds between each other. I loved it. No time to just be nervous.
The swim course is an upside-down J shape around an island. The first third is against current and the rest is with the current. I managed to treadmill it for a bit on the way out; until wising up and moving closer to the island. I kept it easy; not wanting to burn out later. I finished in 1:38. Slower than my previous swims, but mission accomplished. Unlike the previous swims, I got out of the water relaxed and refreshed.
Transition went well. I ate a PBJ and cheese sandwich, drank a 24 oz gatorade and a bottle of water. Didn't need to change clothes. I walked through the transition, trying to make sure my heart rate stayed down. I know everyone likes to say sip water or sports drink and give yourself 20 minutes or so to settle in and take nutrition. I come out of the water hungry; I eat!
My bike plan was to again take it easy and not do any real work. The first two hours on the bike were great. The heat wasn't bad at this point and the section out of town is fast. I was suprised at how many people were riding all over the road and not keeping to the right. It made things interesting on some of the steeper descents. Those who ride with me know I love to max out the speed on the descents. NOT happening here. Too many kill-joys paddling out to the far left, laying heavy on the brakes. I saw the devil after one of the larger climbs on the dogleg section. He greeted me with a "good to see you again". He was standing out in the sun in a full red spandex suit and cape with a pitch fork!
Louisville has a beautiful bike course. There are constantly rolling hills, horse farms and occasional long-distance views. There are some fast descents with sweeping turns and generally the roads are good. There are only a few places of civilization where you can buy what you need while riding.
After about 11 am, the heat really started to crank. There was more wind than anticipated, making drinks warm in a hurry. That is about when the headache came on and tortured me for the rest of the bike ride. The stations began running out of water around 2pm. They took throw away bottles and refilled from a garden hose. I had left transition with 2 bottles of gatorade and they were long gone at this point. I drank a partial bottle of Perform with the usual stomach upset. It was water and enduralytes for the rest of the ride; with the thought of ice and cola on the run seriously motivating me! The bike segment took 7 hrs. Time killer was having to pee 4 times (no alternative, it was 96 degrees!) So what. Ambulances were steadily picking up people and there were many sitting in the ditch that looked like they might need one. Lots of people walking unimpressive hills. All I got was a headache from overheating!
Transition from the bike went very well, which was a surprise for how lousy I was feeling riding in. The transition is on the banks of the Ohio River, so it was much cooler down there. Two bottles of ice-cold water was pure magic. I forgot to take off my sun glasses before my transition bag was gone. Ugh!
Marathon plan was to simply drink water, cola and some chicken broth as needed. It has worked very well for me in the past and I didn't want to screw it up and not be able to take liquids. Heat has been my nemesis for years! The plan was also to make sure I was running the marathon and not walking; everyone hears me say walking is expensive. IT IS!! I would rather plod off 11 minute miles than walk any 14 minute miles. I walked almost the entire marathon in Arizona because my stomach was bad! That takes forever and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
The course runs past many beautiful multi-story brick homes. It also goes past Churchill Downs. They cross you over a bridge into Indiana and turn back around for approximately 1.5 miles of running. Then it heads out of Louisville taking you to the turn around point at about mile 7.5. You repeat the loop minus the bridge section to complete the marathon distance. Mentally, it was 4 sections for me. The last loop became more like mile sections, but I never really suffered. The community is very supportive. There wasn't a single place where people weren't out cheering on the participants. I finished feeling like I could continue on, which was nice for a change! 13:32:46 A PR by 17:28. I will take it.
What I liked about Louisville IM: Swim start was fun and we tended not to bunch up so much. Water was a warm 85 degrees. Bike course was rolling hills that never really cause real work. Love it! Run course had so many people cheering and lots of shade from buildings. That was a relief after the bike! I am genuinely surprised this race doesn't fill up quickly. It really is a great event in a beautiful setting.
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