IMWI 2012 -- Race Report (pre-race)

Finally getting the time to sit down and write this race report after an incredibly busy week (work, house closing, appointments, etc.). But that's not why you're here. On to yet another race report, this time, for my "A" race, IRONMAN Wisconsin.

I headed to Madison on Wednesday after work after a great adjustment from Dr. Ronda at Dynamic Family Chiropractic. My parents and I finally hit the road close to 7pm. The week leading up to this travel day was incredibly stressful and not at all restful. At this point, I hadn't worked out in 4 days, which isn't ideal for tapering. Thanks to some encouragement from friends, I was somewhat successful in changing my mindset into me being well rested. My parents went above and beyond and handled a lot of logistics leading up to our trip, which took some of the stress away. We were fortunate to find a place to stay in Madison that wasn't shady or $400/night. The place worked out really well for the 3 of us, Kristin, JR, Ronda, and Marley (although little miss Marley didn't want to sleep there). The encouragement and support of my friends and family was overwhelming, with all of the stress built up from moving, work, etc., I cannot come close to being able express the gratitude I have. Thank you all.

Back to the trip...we made it to Madison at a reasonable time and went straight to bed. When we got up in the morning, my dad and I went out to recon the bike course one more time. I wasn't sure that a 40 mile ride this close to race day was a good idea, but it felt great to get out and loosen up a bit. The course recon paid off as well. The course changed from last year and there were some changes to road surfaces (new asphalt, potholes, patches, etc.). My dad and I also got buzzed by pro triathlete Ben Hoffman (more on him later). He was nice and waved as he flew by. I should add that we were on a downhill section doing over 25mph when he cruised by. Impressive. In all, a good ride, and it got me focused back on the race and off of work and other stressors. After the ride, I went downtown to the expo and checked-in. There's usually a fairly long line, but I must have hit at the right time, as I walked right on through. My parents and I enjoyed a nice dinner on State Street, and went back to rest.

Friday started off a bit stressful, but I made it to the pool at Monona High School for a few laps, which helped me loosen up even more. I was hoping the outdoor pool in Monona would be open, but it must close around Labor Day. Bummer. JR, Ronda, and Marley rolled in around dinner time, so we headed into Madison to grab some food before the pre-race meeting. Our restaurant of choice, The Great Dane, was busy. We were told 20-30 minutes by the hostess, which would have worked perfectly. An hour later, we were still waiting for a table. This was less than ideal. In a pre-race nutrition plan for an IM distance race, 2 days prior is the calorie/fueling day. At this point, it was apparent that I wouldn't be getting dinner until after the meeting. When our waiter was incredibly rude, I walked out. It was far too much stress to handle when trying to coordinate all of the moving parts of a pre-race week. I headed down to the pre-race meeting and just found a quiet place to relax and re-focus. After the meeting, I walked to the top of the Monona Terrace and spent a good 15 minutes just trying to get myself focused again and de-stressed. After a call to Kristin, I felt a lot better. Thanks, Kristin :)  We ordered take-out from the same restaurant the night before and went back to the condo we were renting. Much more relaxing. But there's still a lot of work to do pre-race, so rest will be key. Ronda gave me a great adjustment and did some ART work on my legs. This will pay-off on race day. After all that, Kristin arrived and we all went to bed.

Saturday was the last day to prepare. No panic training. DON'T PANIC TRAIN!!!! (Unless you're racing for Kona in the 25-29 age group at IMWI 2013. Then panic train. In fact, do the whole race the day before! I'll thank you later.) Anyway, Saturday was a day of prepping my bike and gear/transition bags. At an IM race, you don't leave everything by your bike. Especially IMWI. The transition areas are inside the Monona Terrace. It is an awesome setup. After prepping everything, it was resting time and mentally focusing for what will be a long day of racing. We headed down to drop off my bikes and bags, Kristin and I went up to the top of the terrace and took in the view of the Capitol and the swim course setup on Lake Monona. We all snuck in an early dinner at the Old Fashioned for my traditional pre-race dinner, that is a burger with a fried egg and 2 beers. (Order the #30 - It is amazing, I promise!) After eating only soft foods and drinking ensure plus all day, I was happy to get some solid food in me. After dinner, it was back to the condo and time to rest up. Race morning will come early (4AM)!

Lesson learned from pre-race: be flexible, stay positive, and don't lose focus. Triathlon, especially IM distance, demands an intense mental focus and preparedness. Surround yourself with people who will support you, encourage you, and keep you in a positive mindset.

My nutrition plan for the weekend was as pretty simple:
Friday - hydrate hydrate hydrate and fuel up on carbohydrates and protein. I got a lot of electrolytes and minerals from Ensure Plus and a few bottles of PowerBar's Ironman Perform (the official electrolyte drink of Ironman). Given my injury issues with cramping, it would be key to be well hydrated.
Saturday - mostly liquid/soft foods today. Yogurt, fruit, more Ensure Plus (yum yum!), and of course, IM Perform.
Race day - Ensure Plus for breakfast and in T1, PowerBar gels every 30 minutes on the bike, along with sips of Perform every 15 minutes, PowerBar gel in a flask on the run as needed (early), and resort to Coke only when necessary. The trick is that the sugars in gels become too complex for your body to process over the duration of the race, so Coke (de-fizzed) is a great energy source. But once you take Coke, your body craves it and doesn't want anything else.
Post Race Day - drink lots of beer....

Race Day Report to Follow!