Ironman Florida 2012 Race Report
This was a year that wasn’t supposed to be anything like it turned out. I mean that in a good (very good) way. One year after doing my first Ironman in Florida (2010) and swearing that was my only one, my wife and I were on our living room couch anxiously re-loading the signup page for Ironman Florida 2012. We were lucky to get in as the race sold out in something like 16 minutes, and that was that. My year was to consist of coaching throughout the summer, going to school in the fall, and racing one Ironman in November. - It didn’t happen like that at all - In June, I saw that IM Louisville was still open and did a “what the heck” and signed up for that. Went there, did that, and got a nice opportunity to hop on a plane for a trip to Hawaii in October.
I won’t get too much into my Kona experience other than it was great. My Mother, Father, Sister, Wife, and two year old Son were able to come and help me check it off of my bucket list. The race went well, conditions were not the best, but I was able to go under 10 hours (9:48) and carry a picture of my grandparents (both passed in past year) across the finish line. Hawaii was their favorite place and was the greatest way I could think to honor them. Kona was a place I wanted to go “have fun” - Yeah, I drank some beers and relaxed - but wow... As much as I tried to relax and enjoy the race, I couldn’t. It was the world championship. It was crazy. It was intense. I wanted to be back someday...
FLORIDA
Our family left for Colorado the day after the race in Kona, and Ironman Florida was less than three weeks away. Getting back to Boulder, I was seriously over the thought of training any more but was excited at the thought of racing another 140.6 in a few weeks. The first week back I ran twice, second week I ran a total of 35 miles and rode 50, then race week a ran 8 miles and rode 30. Not much training, and I was happy about that.
We got to Florida on Wednesday evening and checked into the Boardwalk (host hotel) and registered the next morning. This was my Wife's first time racing the distance, so I wanted to make sure that this was her race. She got to go through the whole process twice already this year and I think that helped her mentally prepare. We had some great dinners and enjoyed great weather leading up to the race. For anyone who was there in 2010, this was a nice change from that year!
Race
I woke up on race morning at my usual 3:01 am, drank a monster energy drink (or two) and headed with my iPad down to a restroom to lose some weight. I headed back up to the room to wake my wife up and lay in bed and eat 2 bagels with peanut butter and a few cookies. Race day always feels like a pig-out fest... I was glad this would be the last one of the year for me.
We then headed over to transition to top off our tires and load our bikes with bottles and nutrition. After dropping our special needs bags off, we were back to the hotel to sit and wait. I was so excited for the conditions that day because of the forecast for no wind and a little heat. I had raced very well in the Kentucky and Hawaii and knew the hotter, the better.
Swim
The waves picked up over the night and it looked like it would be an interesting swim. A few days prior, I was stung by some jellyfish, so I was excited to see what this day would bring. After the pro start, my wife and I said goodbye to our family and headed through the crowd into the swim start. I gave her the biggest hug that I could and we chose our start positions. I started out front to the left.
The first 5-10 minutes were rough and had lots of contact. There were some rolling waves out there and sighting was so-so. I finally felt comfortable after the first turn back towards the beach. My swim training had been very poor all year (longest pool workout of 2300 yds) so I told myself I would be happy with a 1:05. I exited the first loop at 29, dove back in and swam solo for the rest. No jellyfish, some waves, no real wind, all was good. I did the second lap a bit slower but got it done in 1:04:01. I was cool with that.
T1
I got my stuff on. Glad there was no jacket needed this year!
Bike
I was looking forward to this! Flat and no wind... Nice change from the previous 2 IM races of the year. I felt great the whole way out to the out and back section. I didn’t see tons of drafting going on in the first part of this race and was happy about that. The out and back was bumpy and was just thankful I made it the whole way without a flat. The thought of myself and wife getting flats was honestly my biggest concern for the whole bike portion.
At the turnaround, I felt the headwind... Not bad, but there. Got to 56 miles at 2:20:xx and knew I needed to ride a 2:39:xx to ride sub 5. I knew that was going to be doable. Fatigue settled in around mile 75 like usual but just kept looking forward to that run.
Back into PCB, there was a bit of drafting going on and was a bit annoyed by it but just did my best to ignore it and stay legal. Felt the tailwind pick back up with about 20 miles or so to go and took the opportunity to stretch and prep for the run. I love the marathon part of Ironman racing and this was going to be great! Done in 4:48:09
T2
I joked with the volunteer to see if I was as coherent as I thought I was. I have made it a point to do some sort of mental check after the bike just to make sure the most important part has it together. I made him laugh a few times - I was good to go!
Run
I love running! Took off running by feel and was aiming to hold around 6:45 to 7:10’s for the first 20 miles or so and hold on from there. I started my Garmin 110 and it took about 2-3 miles to find satellite link for pace. Once it found pace, I was at 6:45’s and feeling good. The temperature was a bit warm so I knew I was in luck.
I knew that I was in 6th coming off the bike so I knew if I wanted to get back to Kona, I needed to run smart. I knew there wouldn’t be many guys (or thought) under 9:20, so if I ran a smart race, I knew I would get them eventually. Within the first four miles, I knew I had passed two and possibly three already. I found another 25-29 near the turnaround at the state park and was not able to pass him before I had to stop and pee. After that I lost him for a long time.
The run back into town was good, I was still feeling fine and switched to my coke and salt pill only diet at mile 7 or 8. At the half marathon I was treated and delighted to hear my parents yell that my wife was off the bike and ready to catch me! I actually saw her at the half marathon and contemplated going back to run with her for a few minutes. We exchanged words and separated on the course soon after. Special needs gave me a sugar free red bull and was off for the second loop.
I saw the second place male at the state park again and knew it might be a race for 2nd. I thought there were only going to be two slots to Kona this year. Damn. It was a race... Like a crazy race that I didn’t want to be a part of. I was in the lucky position of being behind him (very close) for the last four miles. With 1.2 miles to go, Roland (the guy I was racing) walked an aid station and I made the mistake of passing him. Damn. It was a 1.2 mile all out race at the end of an Ironman and in the end I had a little more (thank you Billy Edwards). Run time 3:10:32
Total time: 9:10:26, 2nd M 25-29, 6th OA Age Grouper
My wife finished a bit later in 11:49. I am so proud! Sharing this with a spouse is an amazing experience.
Summary: 3 Ironmans in 10 weeks is actually fun. I get to go back to Kona. Roland (the guy I raced for 2nd) gets to go to Kona for the first time - I am very glad I didn’t rob him of an amazing experience. I could never do this without family... This year has been what it has been because of an amazing wife, sister, mother, and father.
