BlogApril 18, 2008 Ironman Arizona - lessons learned This year I came into Ironman Arizona brewing with freshness and optimism. I was very confident I had done enough, but certainly not too much. Seeing a start list with defending champ Rutger Beke and lots of other young up-and-comers, I knew this would be a tough race. Also, the weather was predicted to be 96 degrees and windy, which it was! The race started as races usually do - the lake was calm and I was ready! I had staged my new Trisports.com Felt DA in the transition area with the number 5 affixed to the frame. This bike is amazing and I believe it has helped bring me to a new level. My race plan was to swim well and then try to key off Beke for the rest of the day. I've had a hard time pacing myself in Ironmans and I figured a guy who won this race last year and has had a second and two fourth place finishes in Kona knows what's up. Out of the gates I had lined up far left with Hillary Biscay and TJ Tollakson. I smoked Hillary off the line but TJ worked me over pretty well. I was happy to still have my goggles and to be swimming comfortably near the front after a few hundred meters. It was clear that a couple people had snuck away at the start which was to be expected. After about one mile of hard swimming I fell into a nice pace in a nice school, and we made the far turn to head back home. Swimming easily along in this group I noticed I was swimming on Beke's feet and that Hillary had now found herself swimming well at the front. I also recognized a few other good swimmers and I knew to just relax and not try to do anything but draft and conserve. Heading out of the water, of course, everyone sprinted the last 100 meters - this always cracks me up and I don't participate so I exited near last in our 15-strong group. We made our way quickly through transition and we were out and riding our bikes! There was already a strong headwind out of the East and the temperatures were rising, so I held back. I was at the front of a few guys when a few miles later Beke stormed by. I went with him as I had planned. This was exactly where I wanted to be and I was blown away by how steady he was riding. It was a perfect learning experience for me. At the far turnaround it was just us two left from our original 15-strong group and I was happy that I hadn't overexerted in riding with him. At the first turnaround at 18 miles I could see James Bonney and Tollakson leading, followed by Rene Goehler, and we had all ready caught and passed Jonathon Caron. We made the turn into the tailwind and I was quickly turning over the 54x11 on our trip back to Tempe. Through town I could see our gap was staying the same to the leaders which was fine with me because of all these guys Beke was the guy to watch. We headed out onto our second of three loops and this time the headwind was even stronger. I don't know if this new bike is super aero or what, but I was easily riding with Beke on the way out. At this point he was looking back a lot and seemed uncomfortable with having me ride 10 yards behind him. "This is perfect," I thought. Out onto the Beeline Highway the winds were really howling. I haven't found a set of shades that don't get covered in sweat right away on the bike so I've been going without, which proved to be a big mistake on this day. With gusts now up to 40 mph, there was a lot of dust and sand blowing into my eyes, which sucked a little bit. Through the next aide station I shot water in my eyes and this cleared things up visually. As we approached the half-way point turnaround at the top of the Beeline, I had a little concern. I didn't mind the cross/headwind going up the hill so much, but coming down at 40+ mph this would be scary. A gust hitting you at 40 when you're going 40 can blow you right off the road. Also, I had made some unfortunate equipment decisions. Having chosen a Zipp 1080 front wheel, a Sub-9 disk rear wheel, and the custom aero front bottle all contributing to side surface area which make wind gusts seem even more powerful. I noticed Beke had a little less aggressive set-up and that I may be in trouble coming back down the Beeline this time. As we made the turn at the 56 mile point my worries were realized - I couldn't control the bike. Beke rolled away as I coasted for a bit just trying to control things and stay on the road. I had to laugh at the situation, but I also knew how important it was that I keep riding hard and stick to my race plan. After three or four miles of coasting in an upright position, the wind's speed seemed to settle and I was off and riding again. Massimo Cigana of Italy FLEW past me during this time, he didn't care at all about the cross winds. He was letting the wind carry him all over the road! It was kind of cool to see, perhaps this is something he learned while racing as a Euro-Pro cyclist. At the end of the second lap Jordan Rapp rolled by smoothly - he looked fast and comfortable. I was happy with my position and wanting to have a good run I stayed conservative and didn't go with him. Also, my plan was to go hard the last time up the Beeline because the wind really carries us back to town and nobody gains too much time on anyone else during the tailwind sections. The leaders hadn't gained a lot on me, and Beke was only about two minutes ahead. With a good ride around the third lap, with what seemed to be settling winds, perhaps I could reach the front by the start of the run. Into the headwind heading out I noticed the winds were a little more calm. No more dust and sand, and the bike was easily controlled. Somewhere I caught Cigana on the Beeline and it was clear he had blown up because he was just rolling along riding easy and looking tired. Up at the turn around with only 18 miles of tailwind left to ride I was shocked at how close Bonney and Tollakson (the leaders) still were considering that I hadn't been doing too much to close the gap. Rapp looked like he had almost closed on them - he was clearly a man on a mission. Also, only about a minute ahead of me were Beke and Goehler. I set my sights and strong-feeling legs on them as I hammered back to town. With five miles to go I flew by Goehler and could see Beke in the distance. For reasons I don't know, he didn't start the run. Into the transition area I nearly plowed into the staging fence coming off Mill Ave. Bridge. Standing there was Paul Huddle shaking his head. He said,"I told you guys it was a sharp turn!" I was thinking,"dude, that's not sharp, that's a wall you're running us into!" I wonder how many other people had trouble there. Skidding and sliding my bike came to a stop just in time and I rode into the transition area. Overall a normal but hot transition, I loaded up with ice under my hat and headed out. Goehler had a fast one so he and I were now together and we set out at a good pace in 4th and 5th because Beke was now out of the race. This wasn't something I had planned on but I knew at this point that with a strong run I could win the race. The three guys in front of us, though incredible professional triathletes, aren't known for their running. Also, on a hot day like this, a catastrophic breakdown is far more likely. Goehler and I ran the first four miles around 6:30 pace at which point he pulled away a little. I wasn't too worried - "just run three hours," I thought. Toward the end of the second lap, or around ten miles in, my body started to give up. My stomach was in knots and it didn't seem like anything I was taking in was making an impact on the way I felt. This was a little upsetting because a few minutes before I was thinking about the possibility of having this be a breakthrough race! I kept going and my situation got worse, forcing me into one of those bad Ironman days. By the third lap my skin was DRY - pretty scary for 96 degrees! I was still in 7th or 8th only about 15 minutes down on the leaders but going backwards fast. I began to walk/run with a simple goal of finishing. I was passed by many over the last ten miles and finished as 13th male professional in 9:28. I'm not going to spin it, though, I got beat by a couple of amazing women and a couple of age-groupers too! Overall, the place was 20th or 21st overall. With more analysis it's clear this result is pretty good for me. I'm making progress in areas where I previously have shown weakness. The swimming is coming together well and this was the first Ironman bike I've ever had where I started the run truly in contention to win. Also, I felt the best I ever have off the bike. Without getting into too many details, my lackadaisical nutritional approach needs an overhaul. I've spoken with a couple doctors/ironmen this week and they just had to laugh at my idea of good Ironman nutrition. This now being my overall weakness, I'm going to work on figuring out what I need to keep my body in good shape to the next Ironman finish line! Congratulations to not only the winners but also all the finishers out there on Sunday, I'll tell you, it was a tough one! I also want to thank all my incredible sponsors and supporters at Tri-Scottsdale. You guys mean just about everything to me! See everyone at Ironman AZ part deux November! Cheers, Lewis « Back to Blogs |
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