Ironman Florida – November 2011

Ironman Florida was my first ironman race experience. And I assure you, it’s not just another race. It truly is an experience. I started training in January 2011 with the goal of doing a few running races in the spring, a few triathlons in the summer, and Ironman Florida in November.Rationale for Racing: My rationale for doing ironman florida this year was a combination of things: first and foremost, my fiancee and fellow team running free athlete, Arthur Kwok, signed up for it (as he had done previously in 2007). I felt a sense of motivation and confidence knowing that my favourite training partner would be by my side during the long hours of training and recovery. Also, I knew the timing for this opportunity was right – I am young, finishing off school, and we don’t have children at this point. I knew that if I signed up for it in 2011, it would enable me to be selfish and dedicate the required hours without feeling like it was compromising my career and family time.Race Day:Swim: Fast forward to race day. In the early morning hours of race day, I could hear the waves crashing onto the beautiful beach. This was the first time in my life though, when the sound of water, did not bring a calming effect. In fact, quite the opposite, with thoughts of having a rough swim. Luckily, as we approached the swim start at 6:45am on race morning, there was a sudden calm – the water as flat as glass. Arthur and I walked to the water’s edge. We stood and watched the professionals and then the age groupers start. We decided to wait for 30 seconds prior to swimming as  the mass of 2500-3000 athletes was daunting. I consider myself to be a strong swimmer, but figured “what’s the rush – we have 17hours – and I would rather not be bruised up by the fiery of other athletes”. Although I was anxious prior to the race, my anxiety disappeared with the first few strokes in the calm, clear water. For one of the first open water swims in the my life, I was able to confidently do bilateral breathing with ease. I completed the first of two loops, only to look down at my watch and see 37 minutes. This pace is the exact pace, if not, slightly faster, than I ever swim in the indoor lap pool. I ran onto the beach as all athletes had to do before completing the second loop, consumed my gel that I had tucked away in my wetsuit, and re-entered the water. Once again, a sense of calm and comfort amidst the flat, clear water. My nightmares of being pushed around by waves and other athletes never materialized. Before I knew it, the swim was done. I came out of the water, had my wetsuit stripped by volunteers, and rushed off to the change tent. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in transition – which can be attributed to a few things – the long transition zone and the cold air temperature (12-14C in the AM – it took forever to get on my arm warmers and proper layering to ensure I would be warm on the bike).Bike: The bike course at Florida is known for being flat and fast. With that knowledge, I felt confident that I could complete the 180k distance. However, what I didn’t realize was that with flat courses, you can also get considerable wind – head wind + cross wind – with no reprieve – but that is something that cannot be controlled anyway, so something I just had to put up with.The bike mount area was chaotic as a flood of athletes started out on the bike course. After getting comfortable, I looked down to start my garmin bike computer, only to realize, it wasn’t there. I was forced with the challenge of riding by feel. I kept my HR and gearing in a comfortable zone, praying that I would somehow meet up with Arthur along the way.  When my hopes for that had diminished by 30k into the course, I looked forward to see him standing on the side of the road. Words cannot describe how happy and relieved I was to see him. He assured me we would ride and race together for the remainder of the race. I was so fortunate. I never had those feelings of despair that you hear about when athletes are alone on the bike or run. It surely motivated me and made the miles go by faster. In terms of race nutrition, I took in about 2500 calories and 3-4 L of fluid. I achieved this by consuming something every 15minutes. My only negative experience on the bike course was getting caught among a group of older male athletes. I couldn’t slow down, couldn’t speed up for about 500m, during which time, I was assigned a penalty. 4 minutes at the side of the road. In retrospect, it wasn’t so horrible. It gave me a chance to get off my bike, stretch, and consume nutrition.Run:  As I got off the bike, I was looking forward to the run. My strength.  However, it was only after the transition area, that I realized that my nutrition strategy on the bike was going to compromise my run. For the first 5k (presumably until my stomach digested the sports nutrition), Arthur was forced to do a “walk-run” with me, as that is all I could manage. I consumed no nutrition during the first 5k, as I had no desire for food. Luckily, at the 5k mark, I had recovered and was able to run. I am proud to say we ran the remainder of the race, passing about 400 athletes. We weren’t running fast by any means, 5:30-6:00/km, but a lot of athletes had been reduced to a walk. It was depressing to see athletes walking with discouraged expressions as the sun went down. This reminded me of how lucky I was to have Arthur by my side. As we approached the final 7k, I felt stronger than ever; however, Arthur encountered some significant IT band pain. This was my moment to show my appreciation for what he had done for me throughout the race. We stopped every 0.5-1.0km for the remainder of the race. I would squat + Arthur would lean against me to stretch it out for about 20s. This strategy seemed to work and Arthur was motivated to continue, knowing he could achieve a PB. And that’s exactly what he did. We crossed the finish line in 13:06:57.For anyone considering this race, I would highly recommend it – it offers a mostly flat and fast course, perfect for first-timers. It was well-organized from start to finish and the volunteers were exceptional. The local community also truly embraces this race. The town turns into a haven for ironman athletes. The accommodations, stores, and local restaurants cater to the athletes. There are a ton of accommodations available as it is off-season in PCB. We were able to rent a 2-bdrm beachfront condo with full kitchen, living room, dining room, balcony, and laundry facilities for $160/night. We had no negative experiences with the local community – they were very understanding of road closures.And apparently, others thought the same. The 2012 race entry sold out in <16 minutes after being made available online.Final Recommendation: Find a training and racing partner – They will motivate and inspire you to train and race as best as you can. They will also share in your glory.