I think we can all agree that it takes a great amount of
fitness to ride a bike for 112 miles. It doesn’t matter if you are riding 15mph
or 25 mph because it takes a great effort to power your body for 4+ hours in order
to turn two wheels, continuously, to move your body and machine in a forward
motion. Throw in wind, heat, rain, rolling hills, descends, bumpy roads,
potholes, etc. and it takes more than good fitness to ride smart (with a fit body) for 112 miles.
But the Ironman is more than being fit enough to ride your
bike 112 miles.
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The Ironman is not a bike race (if you don’t believe me, ask Karel). In bike racing, your primary focus is on the other riders and staying with them. There is nothing "individual" with a bike race for if you are not with the leaders or the pelton, well you are not in the bike race and unlike triathlons, there are no finisher medals in bike racing. A triathlon, unlike bike racing, is all about an individual effort. If you forget to focus on yourself, you will find yourself racing outside your abilities or perhaps, not working toward your pure potential.
The Ironman is more than being a good cyclist for it is a day of swimming, biking and running. Therefore, the human body must
be trained in three sports in order to swim, bike and run. In other words, once
you exit the 1.2 mile swim portion of an Ironman, the bike is not about proving
how fast you can be while riding 112 miles but instead, how strong and
efficient you can cycle in order to run a marathon off the bike.
Our training for Ironman Austria over the past 1.5 months
was a wee bit different than my last 7 Ironmans. Ok, more than 4000+ feet
different.
Since moving to Greenville, SC from Jacksonville, FL, we
never ride without an elevation change. Almost every ride that we do, from 90
minutes to 5 hours, includes at least 3000 feet of climbing, with the majority
of our longer rides around 5000-6500 feet of climbing.
Because of this great stress on the body, we were able to
perform many intervals throughout our "local" rides (especially longer rides) based on
our riding terrain. I never saw an average speed for a ride more than 17.5 mph
and most of my rides were around 16.5-17mph. Thus, our ability to incorporate
our “train smart” philosophy into our IM Austria prep after moving to
Greenville was quite simple for we were never big fans of riding for distance
or chasing an average speed during a ride. Our power files were larger than
while riding on the flat roads despite many opportunities to “rest” our legs while
descending from a climb.
Over the past few years, I have found myself recognizing how
much easier it is for my body to race on hilly courses. Now don’t get me
wrong…..hills are very taxing on the body but they present ample time to pace
an effort and perform “intervals” with "rest" while riding.
I believe that athletes must be
strong to ride on hills in a triathlete but not necessarily fast. And for those
who enjoy hill riding but want to be faster, the goal is to not ride more but
instead, to become more powerful while on the bike and above all, improve your skills on the hills/descends. The Ironman is not about speed but instead,
who fatigues the least by the finish. Therefore, the Ironman race requires more
than great fitness on the bike (or swim or run) but instead, knowing how to
pace your day with your current level of fitness, all while staying mentally
strong and consuming adequate sport nutrition to support metabolic needs during
the bike and to fuel for the upcoming run and to minimize/avoid GI distress.
Let’s also not forget that a course that has changing terrain requires the athlete
to troubleshoot every situation for it is likely that there will be obstacles
during the day on a “challenging” course, from changing temperatures and
weather conditions to residual fatigue.
Ironman Austria bike course (1 loop shown above)
Karel and I rode around 42 miles of our 56 mile bike course
(1 loop) on the Thursday preceding the race. This gave us a great opportunity
to not only enjoy the beautiful sights of Austria (pics here), but also to get
to know our terrain and how we would pace our own race on race day. Simply put,
Ironman Austria (like most of my other challenging Ironman races) had a bike
course that was challenging with the climbs but also presented plenty of opportunities to be
fast with appropriately timed downhills.
I never thought I’d say this but the 5300 total feet of
climbing at Ironman Austria (yep – our “fast” course was filled with elevation
gains) was not as challenging as I had imagined it would be for we ride much more difficult courses in our new hometown of Greenville.
The main difference between our Greenville bike routes and the IM Austria bike
course (aside from a closed course on race day) was that IM Austria had a great
flow of climbing and descending so that with every climb, there was a great
opportunity to recover. Although the IM Austria course was challenging, Karel
and I were given the opportunity to race smart on race day.
On race day, we used our cycling skills for climbing/descending (obviously,
Karel has much more experience in this area but I have been forced to become a
more skillful rider in Greenville), we made sure to race safe and abide by race rules (no drafting) while riding with others on the same course, we
love having electronic shifting which makes shifting gears efficient and easy
(in aero bars and base bars as well as while standing), we enjoy training with
power but we also know how to perceive our effort, having a proper RETUL bike fit for an efficient and powerful position on the bike, we trust our well-practiced
sport nutrition and we love climbing and on top of all the ways that we love to
race smart, we trained smart for race day without risking injury or fatigue and
thus we were both able to take a few risks on a perfect day of racing and race
to our full potential.
Despite not planning 1 training ride over 100 miles in the past 7 months (my longest ride was 5:40, 93 miles), I felt extremely prepared for this race.
Despite not planning 1 training ride over 100 miles in the past 7 months (my longest ride was 5:40, 93 miles), I felt extremely prepared for this race.
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After exiting transition area, I made a sweeping left turn
to the turnaround which was flooded with spectators behind the barricades. This
turn came soon after exiting transition area and then it was only a few miles
until I made another turn around. Although this time, it was a right turn
around as we had moved from the right to the left side of the closed road. I
found myself with mostly male triathletes in front and behind me but there was plenty of room on the
road to get my legs into a good rhythm. For this race, because of all the
climbing on race day and my last 1.5 months of training only on hilly terrain,
I felt as if having a power goal range was not going to work to my advantage. The
effort had to feel right and with my experience in Ironman racing, I knew where
I could take risks and where I would need to hold back and most of all, I
needed to be sure I checked in with myself frequently as I also stayed
consistent with my fueling.
I had my Garmin Edge 500 set on my normal interval screen so
I could focus on my 3sec power, normalized lap power (my main gauge of how I am
pacing myself), average speed, lap speed, current cadence and lap time. I did
not wear a HR monitor in this race as it is not beneficial to how I pace my
race. Every 30 min or so, I would hit LAP so that I would only focus on 30
minutes at a time over my 5+ hour race. This allowed me to go primarily by feel
but every time I looked down at my screen or hit my lap button, I could
check-in with myself to see how I was pacing myself. Certainly, if I was
pushing watts 50+ higher (per normalized lap) than what I am use to, then I would need to back off.
But if I was happy with how I was feeling and my watts were showing me
favorably numbers to reflect my current level of fitness, I went with it and
carried on.
My watts are always higher while climbing (especially since I prefer to climb out of my saddle with more body weight on the top of my pedal stroke) so the key for my ability to control my normalized power while riding hilly courses all comes down to pacing myself on all areas of the course.
My watts are always higher while climbing (especially since I prefer to climb out of my saddle with more body weight on the top of my pedal stroke) so the key for my ability to control my normalized power while riding hilly courses all comes down to pacing myself on all areas of the course.
As for nutrition, I grabbed water at every aid station and
once I finished my first INFINIT sport bottle, I tossed it at the aid station
in the tossing zone and kept water on my bike. I made sure to finish my sport
bottles every 75 minutes while consuming additional 16-24 ounces of water (or
so) between the aid stations (and using for cooling to help reduce core temp).
The day started off with cloudy skies and I knew there was a chance for rain
and wind. This doesn’t bother me for it just presents another opportunity for
me to use my trained body to race smart. I have seen many fit and fast athletes
waste a great race day performance on just chasing a goal time or expecting more out of their body or when comparing fitness to others, instead of using
current fitness to race smart with what the day presents.
On our race day, the
average temperature of the entire bike was around 67 degrees and we had a mix
of sun, clouds and rain along with wind. There was a lot to battle on race day
but I stayed focus on my 30 minute intervals so that I could simply break down
the race into practical sections to race.
The first part of the course is fast. You are simply flying
on twisty roads with a few bumpy climbs on smooth roads. I felt great on this
section and this gave me a lot of confidence for the middle section of the loop
which includes the longer/steeper climbs.
The course was lined with spectators at the popular sections
of the course (climbs) as well as in towns and villages. There was a lot of
crowd support which was great. I made sure to smile at all the doggies on the course and to moo and nay at all the wildlife (I hope they understood my English).
There was not a lot of chatting between athletes
on the course so I could tell that the athletes were taking this race very
seriously. When speaking to another German athlete that we became friends with, he mentioned that because there are not of European Ironman races compared to North America, all the fast athletes flock to the races. So whereas there may be 10-15 top athletes at every North America Ironman, it's like putting all of those athletes from those races at one race and making them all race against each other. The competition was fierce at Ironman Austria!
Additionally, this course was not technical but with so much terrain changes and a few rough patches of road and the amazing jaw-dropping views, you had to stay sharp the entire time. I was happy we rode the course ahead of time and took time to enjoy the scenery for on race day I was focused on my race.
Additionally, this course was not technical but with so much terrain changes and a few rough patches of road and the amazing jaw-dropping views, you had to stay sharp the entire time. I was happy we rode the course ahead of time and took time to enjoy the scenery for on race day I was focused on my race.
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I wasn’t passed by many women which made me feel as if I was
riding strong. I felt good and when I got to the first climb, I heard a voice behind
me “Great job Babe!”
YIPPE!!!! Karel!!!!
What a great place for Karel to catch me from the swim for
as we were climbing we were able to chat for a brief minute which made me super
happy. Karel told me about his swim and that he was super happy with how it
went but equally happy that it was over and he survived the mass start. He
asked me about my swim and I told him I almost broke an hour and he said that
was great. Then he was off on the climb and all I could see was the back of his
Trimarni kit riding away in the distance.
Karel took a lot of risks on this bike course and he really
pushed hard on all sections - climbing and powering down the hills (and his sub 5 hour time showed it!)
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Karel said that by the start
of the 2nd loop, he started to feel a bit low in energy but
thankfully he was able to get over it. As for me, I felt good on the first loop
but even better on the 2nd loop!
Although I was pushing and listening to my body, I really tried to hold back on
the first 56 miles because I knew that there would be a chance of getting tired
from miles 80-100 (after 4 hours of riding + 1 hour of swimming) and also, I
knew it would get windy on the second loop as we were riding through many open
valleys.
The course is two loops but is broken into two loops, a small loop and then a larger loop which connect in a small town/village away from the transition area. Every part of the course has something different
and although nothing too technical, this course really requires good skills and
power. Because Karel and I missed a turn on our pre-ride of the course, we
didn’t experience the 1.5 mile climb that occurred around mile 40 or so of the
bike (not positive on this distance of where the climb occurred) so we both
were wondering what the body would feel like while riding this climb (for every
climb is different). There was a steep but moderately short climb that first
woke up the legs and then came the climb.
I was climbing, and climbing and climbing and surely, out of gears by
the start of the climb. This was one loooong climb and my speed for the climb
was well under 7 mph. Thankfully the crowd support alongside an on-site DJ made
me smile during the climb. There was one short section when I could sit down
and pick up my cadence a bit (and shift down one gear) but then it was right
back up again for the last two steep sections of this long climb.
But what comes up, must come down. Weeeeeeee. After a super
fun descend (with a few small “ups”) and then a few miles through valleys and
villages, it was time to make the left hand turn into town to start the second
loop.
Because I felt as if I held back on the first loop by my
perceived exertion and had been doing really well with keeping up with my
nutrition (the cooler temps made for a happy gut/digestion), I was wondering
what my body would do in the 2nd loop. Gloria always tells me not to
jump ahead with my thoughts on race day and I always listen but this time, instead of questioning how I would feel on the 2nd loop, I actually look forward
to the 2nd loop for I was ready to start racing!
After I made the turn around outside of transition area and welcomed lots of
screams by the fans and volunteers, I was out for the last loop and I was ready
for 56 miles to push and to take a few more risks.
Whereas Karel pushed from
the start of the bike to the finish (he never wanted to ease up), I tried to be a bit more conservative on
the first loop. By the 2nd loop, I found myself passing guys
(although still being passed by plenty) and keeping a few strong girls in my
view. With the last 56 miles a thing of the past, I kept my mind focused on the
last part of my 112 mile ride, feeling as if this was the start of my 112 mile
ride.
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I was having SO much fun on the bike. Even with the rain coming down (it wasn’t
a downpour) on and off for around 30 miles or so of my 2nd loop (and
on the big climb and several descend), I still was loving this bike ride.
I had to pee 3 times on the bike and saved it for the downhills for it was the
only time I could stop pedaling. I lost some of the girls that I had in my view
when I was relieving myself while riding but I couldn’t keep holding it in for
it was so hard to pedal strong with a full bladder. Karel also peed several
times on the bike. We were both well hydrated J
I finished all 4 of my bottles on the bike as well as 2 gels and 2 additional
bottles of water from the aid stations. I felt so good on the bike and for the
first time in a long time, was really feeling confident for my run……despite not
a lot of high volume run training (my longest run since Kona in October 2012
was 14 miles).
Karel had his 3 bottles of custom INFINIT mix + 1 gel + 2 bananas + 1 bottle of water + a few bottles of ISO (sport drink from Power bar) - taking sips of the sport drink as needed.
Karel is a lot more flexible with his fueling regime compared to me but he does rely on his INFINIT (liquid calories) as his primary nutrition for training/racing.
As I was riding into town, I mentally checked in with myself to address
anything and everything that may impact my pacing on the run. My body and mind
felt good and this was a great thing. The day was simply perfect for fast
racing but it takes more than a fast and fit body to race well in an Ironman.
As I was nearing the transition area, I stretched my hips a
bit (although I had done that plenty with all the climbing on the course and
getting out of the saddle), took my last few sips of my customized INFINIT
sport drink, poured a little water on my head for cooling and spun my legs to
the dismount line.
After I dismounted my bike, I took off my cycling shoes and carried them with
my bike to my bike rack. As I ran by Karel’s bike (his shoes still on the
pedals) I was so excited to see him on the run…. I just didn’t know when.
As I racked my bike, I saw 4 other bikes in my rack. Not knowing how many girls
in my AG started in the first wave, I was really excited about the chance to
place top 10 in my first international Ironman. There were no body markings in
this race so the only way I knew my competition was from the bib numbers. I
checked the range of numbers for my AG in the athlete guide and also the bib
numbers had age groups.
As I was nearing the changing tent, I made a quick stop in the port-a-potty to
fully relieve my bladder. Because the potties on the run course in an IM are
always hit or miss if they will be full or empty, I took advantage of plenty of
potties in transition area. Karel also had a stop at the potty in T2. Neither
one of us had any GI issues on race day, just simply full bladders from being
hydrated.
As I ran to my run bag in T2, I turned around my bib number and then entered
the women’s changing tent. There was only 2 other women in the tent so plenty
of room. I then took off my cycling helmet and cycling shoes and put on my run
shoes (with quick release clasp). I put on my dad’s corvette hat and instantly
felt ready to run from his presence on my head. I grabbed my baggy with my two
gel flasks with NAPALM powder in each flask and water (a bit more than 100
calories in each flask) and I was off.
I did not sprint out of transition but
instead, I walked to drop off my T2 bag with cycling contents inside) and then
proceeded with a jog and then with very fresh-feeling legs, once I stepped behind the T2 line, I was officially starting my run. I hit lap on my Garmin 910 for the multi sport function to change to run and I switched my screen to my run interval screen and I was off running
to start the end of my Ironman Austria day…..only 26.2 miles until the finish! Now to find
Karel!
I checked the total time on my watch as I was leaving transition area and the time was around 6:35-6:40 or so (from what I can remember). Ok time to do some math....if I can run a 4 hour marathon that will put me around 10:40, just 2 minutes off my time at Kona in October (which was a PR). But if I run a 3:45 (my best IM run time is 3:48 and I have always wanted to run under 3:45), that's 10:25 and a HUGE PR for me. Could I actually do this with my body and mind?
OK, no doubting myself....it's time to take some risks and run for a PR!
Karel stats:
112 mile bike (180km) – 4:56:23 total time
Average speed – 22.59mph (36.44km/h)
Division rank: 38th after bike
Overall rank: 202 after bike
Gender rank: 193 after bike
Splits:
25.2km – 40.43km/hr (25.06mph)
35.5km – 34.46km/hr (21.37mph)
55.4km – 39.65km/hr (24.58mph)
64.5km – 32.18km/hr (19.95mph)
92km – 37.16km/hr (23.04mph)
112.4km – 35.62km/hr (22.08mph)
122.7km – 32.36km/hr (20.06mph)
142.6km – 37.25km/hr (23.09mph)
151.7km – 30.36km/hr (18.82mph)
180km – 36.13km/hr (22.4mph)
Fun facts:
Karel passed 143 males in his age group on the bike. He passed 649 athletes on
the bike and he passed 596 males on the bike. Way to go Karel in your 2nd
Ironman triathlon!!
Marni stats:
112 mile bike (180km) – 5:29:07 total time
Average speed – 20.3mph (32.82km/h)
Division rank: 6th after bike
Overall rank: 699 after bike
Gender rank: 34th after bike
Splits:
25.2km – 36.61km/hr (22.69mph)
35.5km – 31.11km/hr (19.28mph)
55.4km – 35.38km/hr (21.93mph)
64.5km – 27.72km/hr (17.18mph)
92km – 32.41km/hr (20.41mph)
112.4km – 33.02km/hr (20.47mph)
122.7km – 31.19km/hr (19.33mph)
142.6km – 34.33km/hr (21.28mph)
151.7km – 26.25km/hr (16.28mph)
180km – 32.82km/hr (20.234mph)
Fun facts:
I was passed by 3 girls in my age group on the bike. I was passed by 396
triathletes on the bike and I was passed by 8 women on the bike.
Time to see how many people I can run down!