Race Report - David

Hopefully the others will post their reports soon. I'll just say that we all made it to the finish, and Eric and Alfonso set personal best times!

Alfonso and I opted to get to the start super early. In fact we were there so early that we got to listen in on the volunteer meeting. I think we were the first to be bodymarked. So, we had a lot of time to get ready and actually get out in the water for a bit.
The swim was crowded. I swam as hard as I could and had good drafts most of the way. I was thinking that it was certainly going to be my fastest IM swim and I expected it to be 1:10 or under. I was surprised to exit the water in 1:18. I still don't know what happened. I routinely swim 1:50 per 100m in the pool, but averaged only 2:08 per 100m in the race. I guess it was a case of the congestion actually trumping the draft.
I saw Eric in transition. As usual he got in and out of transition very quickly so I started the bike right behind him. I caught him a few miles in to the ride and we rode together for the first 40 miles. We passed hundreds of people during this section. I learned from my past mistakes and took it easy up the first climb that comes about 10 miles into the ride. We had a strong tailwind the whole first 40 miles, so we were really flying. We passed the 40K mark in 1:02, and had an average of 24.2 mph at the start of the first big climb (Richter Pass). I climbed Richter fairly easily, but the wind was becoming brutal. After Richter, the combination of the headwinds and the never-ending short climbs started to take it's toll. I didn't pass too many people after about the 50 mile mark. My shoulders were aching from the swim, and I had a hard time riding in my aerobars. I was trying to drink a full bottle of water every 2 aid stations (20 miles). I thought that should have been enough. I also was taking about 270 calories worth of Perpetuem every hour. I thought my stomach was OK, but after taking a sip of Perpetuem I suddenly threw up at about the 80 mile point. That was wierd. The yellow lake climb was hard, but not as bad as the last time I did it. Thankfully the last 20 miles are mostly downhill. I ended up with a 5:32 bike split. That was 19 minutes slower than last time, but I think it was harder this year due to the winds.
After changing in to running clothes, I headed out to start the run. An official yelled at me to put my number on. Yikes! I had left it in transition. I had to run back to the changing tent. Four or five volunteers helped me go through the big pile of bags looking for mine but we couldn't find it. I finally found a different volunteer still carrying it around. So, I had a slow transition again.
Surprisingly my legs felt good. My goal was to run the first hour without taking any breaks. I made it about 15 minutes but finally succumbed to the urge to take a short walking break. The first 6-7 miles went pretty well. I was keeping up a 9 minute/mile pace. My stomach really started hurting at this point, though. I had to quit taking any gels, and even quit drinking for awhile in the hopes that my stomach would get better. I was still averaging better than 10 minute miles when I got to the hills on the far end of the course. Those hills, combined with my stomach, just destroyed me. I took some Tums at mile 13 and that did help my stomach a little. But, I was officially in "survival mode" at about mile 14. I finally found a pattern that worked for me. I would run about 20 seconds and walk about 10. I did this for a few miles and convinced myself I could do this the rest of the way. Unfortunately, with all of the starting and stopping I developed an intense pain in my right shin. It came on suddenly and I couldn't run even 1 step without severe pain. Luckily, I had some Advil with me and took a couple of those. I kept waiting for the pain to subside but it wasn't happening. I walked for miles and miles. Eric passed me somewhere in there and was looking good. I wanted to run so badly, not because of my time, but because I couldn't imagine the torture of walking for hours on end. Then at mile 21, as suddenly as it came on, the pain went away! I guess the Advil worked. I was able to actually run the last 5 miles. I was so incredibly happy to actually be running that I was pretty happy with how things turned out. I actually tried to take it easy over the last couple of miles so that I wouldn't have to visit the medical tent again this year. I felt really good at the end ran in with Maya for a final time of 11:52.
Five seconds after finishing I felt really, really terrible. I thought I was going to pass out. After pushing my way through the crowds I found a place to sit down but I wasn't getting any better and couldn't even stand on my own any more. So, off to the medical tent I went. I felt a little better after laying down there for awhile. The doctor wanted to know how much I drank, ate, and went to the bathroom. He was surprised when I told him that I hadn't gone to the bathroom since the swim. In fact, in my last 4 ironmans, I have never gone to the bathroom after the swim. It seems like a simple case of dehydration, but I really feel like I drink a lot. They tried to take some blood to test my electrolyte levels, but my veins had collapsed and they couldn't get any. So, they had to try again on the other arm. Thankfully it worked that time. My sodium, potassium, and glucose numbers all came back above the normal range. So, he said I either was taking way too much electrolytes or I wasn't getting enough water. I didn't take much electrolytes at all, and I thought I drank a lot of water. It seemed strange so they got a couple of other doctors over to discuss things. The final conclusion was that I must be a really heavy sweater and I need more water than most. I've never thought of myself as a heavy sweater, but who knows? One doctor gave me his card and wants me to e-mail him with other stats. Anyway, after all of this, I felt fine again and was able to leave. Poor Maya was sitting there alone that whole time. My parents and brother were looking for me, and they had even paged my family but no connection was made.
Of course I wanted a better time, especially considering that I felt well prepared this time. But I can't complain. I still finished faster than my last 2 IM's. Ironman is very tricky to get right. I'm convinced that I need a coach before I attempt another one of these.
So, except for my aching shin, I'm left with almost no soreness once again. I just don't actually run enough of the marathon to cause any lasting muscle soreness. I'm hoping this shin gets better quickly so I can do some of the late season running races.