With IMWI behind me the season has finally come to a close. It was a great way to end the year, as I finally – after only 9 attempts – was able to run an entire IM marathon. And this I was very happy with.
My goal going in was simple: to go easy enough on the bike to set myself up for a good run. Of course, I also wanted to have a decent bike, and therein lies the trickiness of the IM distance.
I was thrilled to awake to a cold, but dry, morning. I always wish for 100+ degrees on race day, as I prefer it to be hot, but was just so happy it wasn’t wet. It was also great to be able to start with Brian and Rick, two of my team mates. Of course I lost them the second I entered the water, but it was a nice start to the morning.
I was pretty disappointed with my 1:07 swim, but not too caught up with it because I felt like I swam very easily and conserved energy. Something to work on over the winter… I took it very easy in transition, as my almost 9 minutes in T1 reminds me. I just didn’t want to be cold on the bike, so I suited up accordingly.
The bike was a blast, and having the SRM and a dialed-in nutritional plan made all the difference. I just got up to 225 watts and put it in cruise control, and ignored the steady stream of riders passing me for the first 40 miles. I felt great and kept to my wattage plan, and 5:21 later I was finished, with almost a dead-even split. I think I went a bit too easy on the bike, but then again, I was more concerned with setting myself up for the run. The SRM was new, so this gives me something else to work on next year.
The run was great. It was so much fun to see Mary, Oliver, Sadie, KP, and all of my team mates and friends out there. My plan was to stick to 7:45’s and not go any faster for the first 10 miles, and for once, I actually stuck to my plan. For the first 9 miles it took a good bit of restraint because I really wanted to just go, and was feeling great. By mile 13 I was going through occasional rough patches, but I would just slow down to 8:00’s and eat and drink a bit, and rebounded quickly each time. I ended up not only running the whole marathon, but negative split the run by about 70 seconds, and with a marathon time of 3:25, I was very happy.
It was great to have Mary and the kids at the finish line, and a great surprise to see Jeff, Jen and family as well. 10:06 was my overall time, which shaved about 3 ½ minutes off my IM PR, which was unexpected. I still missed a Kona spot by about 12 minutes – which didn’t even cross my mind until ½ way through the marathon – but am much more confident heading into ’09. It’ll definitely be on my radar next year, and will hopefully provide me with some motivation over the winter.
Now it’s back to chocolate chip pancakes with Oliver & Sadie, trail runs and Mtb. rides, and maybe a bit of cyclocross thrown in for good measure. All for fun – I sure do love the fall!
My goal going in was simple: to go easy enough on the bike to set myself up for a good run. Of course, I also wanted to have a decent bike, and therein lies the trickiness of the IM distance.
I was thrilled to awake to a cold, but dry, morning. I always wish for 100+ degrees on race day, as I prefer it to be hot, but was just so happy it wasn’t wet. It was also great to be able to start with Brian and Rick, two of my team mates. Of course I lost them the second I entered the water, but it was a nice start to the morning.
I was pretty disappointed with my 1:07 swim, but not too caught up with it because I felt like I swam very easily and conserved energy. Something to work on over the winter… I took it very easy in transition, as my almost 9 minutes in T1 reminds me. I just didn’t want to be cold on the bike, so I suited up accordingly.
The bike was a blast, and having the SRM and a dialed-in nutritional plan made all the difference. I just got up to 225 watts and put it in cruise control, and ignored the steady stream of riders passing me for the first 40 miles. I felt great and kept to my wattage plan, and 5:21 later I was finished, with almost a dead-even split. I think I went a bit too easy on the bike, but then again, I was more concerned with setting myself up for the run. The SRM was new, so this gives me something else to work on next year.
The run was great. It was so much fun to see Mary, Oliver, Sadie, KP, and all of my team mates and friends out there. My plan was to stick to 7:45’s and not go any faster for the first 10 miles, and for once, I actually stuck to my plan. For the first 9 miles it took a good bit of restraint because I really wanted to just go, and was feeling great. By mile 13 I was going through occasional rough patches, but I would just slow down to 8:00’s and eat and drink a bit, and rebounded quickly each time. I ended up not only running the whole marathon, but negative split the run by about 70 seconds, and with a marathon time of 3:25, I was very happy.
It was great to have Mary and the kids at the finish line, and a great surprise to see Jeff, Jen and family as well. 10:06 was my overall time, which shaved about 3 ½ minutes off my IM PR, which was unexpected. I still missed a Kona spot by about 12 minutes – which didn’t even cross my mind until ½ way through the marathon – but am much more confident heading into ’09. It’ll definitely be on my radar next year, and will hopefully provide me with some motivation over the winter.
Now it’s back to chocolate chip pancakes with Oliver & Sadie, trail runs and Mtb. rides, and maybe a bit of cyclocross thrown in for good measure. All for fun – I sure do love the fall!
