First Ironman: Mistakes and Lessons

After my first Ironman in the Woodlands of Texas this past weekend, I have begun to reflect on all that could have been improved upon during the race, as well as what went right. Luckily for me, the most important parts all went near perfect, however there were several mistakes made.

Mistakes:

• Not coating bike shoe hot spot(s) in Vaseline (not sure how I forgot this one...)
• Using the bathroom in T1. Took a very long time to get my one-piece suit down when soaking wet and then spent even longer loosing all the morning beverages.
• Not going over the new transition routine thoroughly enough beforehand. I not only left my speedsuit on when putting on my bike shoes and had to take them off and put them on again, but I also spent about 5 seconds staring at my bike trying to remember how to get on it with another 5-10 trying to clip my first shoe in (the flying mount has become second nature but take that away and I'm as clueless as everyone else in the post-swim race fog).
• Forgetting important things like all of the electrolyte capsules, taping some emergency gels to the bike, and a hat/visor to hold in ice and cold water while providing shade for the run.
• Not doing any riding in the backup tri shoes that actually vent air to cool the feet and have a drain hole so that the shoe doesn't just fill up with the fluids occasionally running down your leg. (Note: this required that these shoes, though better suited for the conditions, not be used)
• Putting sweet peach tea in the bottle that you would later decided needs to be used to douse the head and body in an effort to keep cool.
• Not having enough bottle cages (I had one plus my aero drink bottle). Without anywhere to actually hold a bottle, I almost wrecked when I tried to grab two bottles at an aid station.
• Not replacing the seriously worn grips and pads on the bike. When wet, it made it very difficult to grab the bike with one hand that is also holding a bottle at the same time (see previous mistake about almost wrecking).
• Wearing big heavy shoes (Hokas) that hold water on the run. With the heat index close to 100 or over on the run, I was actually making squishing noises from the first aid station on.
• And the most important, stop trying to taper by feel. A week before the race, my legs were trashed, and though I was good to go by raceday and my fitness was phenomenal, I was not nearly rested enough to peak.

Things that just hurt:

• The pain of swimming with tightly suctioned goggles for over an hour.
• The pain of swimming for over an hour.
• Wearing a speedsuit that is so tight it actually cuts into your chest.
• Biking alone for hours into a headwind.
• Running barefoot on pavement in transition that is so hot, it literally burns your feet.
• Running 26.2 miles on burned feet in wet, heavy, soggy socks and shoes.
• Running 26.2 miles on legs with a bit too much pre-race fatigue.

Things that went right:

• Swim position: I lined up on the far left, about 5 rows deep and had clean water the entire way.
• Bike setup: Flo wheels with disc cover, an Evo Corsa rear tire, GP4000S front tire, latex tubes, TriRig Omega brake and Wingspan helmet worked beautifully! With the majority of the roads being smooth, 184W average yielded 22.5mph on a windy day.
• Mental Toughness: Running from aid station to aid station, just barely making it before you collapse is no way to run for 20+ miles, but it can be done!
• Gameplan: After a slow swim, I decided to relax and enjoy the day as much as possible (and I did really enjoy the first half of the bike!).

And finally my Hydration/Nutrition Strategy, the single most important reason for my success. I went completely by feel, listened to my body, and never stopped drinking. It was near perfect. I started the bike and ended the bike with the first and last 10 miles or so being almost exclusively water with one gel tossed in. In between, I drank a progressively stronger mix of the on-course perform, with a gel tossed in occasionally when I felt it necessary. When my stomach felt in need of solid food, I ate a piece of the Lara Bar I cut into thirds. Of course, I had to pee about 4 times in the first 2/3 of the bike, however, this was absolutely necessary for staying hydrated. On the run, I went with mostly water until my stomach distress from all the Perform on the bike blew out. I listened to my body, and if I still had some discomfort from taking a gel a couple miles back, I took Perform and Coke instead. If I felt discomfort from those, I took a gel and water. It was almost too easy. Coming into each aid station, I grabbed what was most appetizing along with ice and additional water to keep cool and kept moving. My heart rate never budged until the last few miles. I stayed cool, hydrated and fueled and it paved the way to success on what would otherwise have been a bad day.