Race report from Ironman Arizona from LA based Purplepatch fitness athlete, Martin Gaiss. A few of you asked about my performance in the Ironman Arizona race last Sunday. We are 72 hours removed from the race, and as i am battling through the backend of the afore-mentioned cold, its time to answer some of the questions. I hope this race report sheds some light on what went on for me on that day. Big, massive congrats to everyone that raced that day--it was a tough one! Despite the harsh conditions, we saw many PRs and first-timers excel, and I am so thrilled and delighted for all of them. Your joy and exuberance make it so worth the while. Massive thanks to friends coming out to support--its an amazing boost. Last, but not least, thank you to the coaches, training partners, lane mates and partners in crime. We are all very blessed. THANK YOU ALL--you know who you are! RACE REPORT Its 4 am and the alarm goes off--but i have already been awake for a coupe of minutes, when i realize that i am drenched in sweat. Two nights before, i started coming down with a bad cold, couldnt swallow or speak, Had a fever and medicated myself heavily. The three day trip for work to two far-flung places in Europe probably did not help either, as i had literally flown in from Europe two nights before. Jetlag was my carry-on. As i realize that the entire bed is wet and my temperature was still high (fever), i am contemplating whether or not i should do this race—but I thought you were fine the day before, so this too shall pass. I force myself up and feel a bit sluggish—my usual pre-race excitement is dampened by my lack of energy, my sore throat and the fact that i probably sweat out a little too much body fluid (to my credit i was downing fluids that morning like a sailor). I decide to go for it—if the swim is a disaster, you can always pull out—and head to the race. I get there and again, the race excitement washes over me which is unusual. I try to focus and as i keep saying to one of my friends, its so cold here he says but you are sweating! I realize that the meds had not kicked in. No matter. Got in the water, and got in early, as i wanted to avoid the mistake of not getting across the line in time like in Cozumel. Treaded water for about 20 mins—at which point i started shivering. Mind you, the wter wasnt that cold, but it felt like ice to me. Lets get this race started! It was a gorgeous morning and i was anxious to see how far i could take this. And get the swim over with, lets be honest. Gun went off and immeditely, my body felt like it was zapped--no power and i had a hard time breathing well. Shortage of breath doesnt normally happen to me but i felt constricted around the chest--sweating and feeling cold at the same time. Although i got dunked a lot (the usual), i tried to focus on my swim and found a rhythm quickly. I was going to focus on an even swim, and it was beautiful as the sun rose behind some clouds. At the turnaround buoy i looked and had 43 mins on my watch. Not bad, all things considered, I thought, as I knew that my swim was going to be close to disastrous for all sorts of reasons. Went on to force the pace a little. It got more chaotic with people swimming left and right in front of me (sighting! hello?? these folks need to listen to Gerry!) and some athletes got very aggro. While we know thats par for the course, I saw two guys stopping in the water and yelling at each other. What?? Anyway, i rounded the red buoy to the finish and as i neared the ladders, my heart sank. Somehow, I lost a lot of time on the way back. wtf? i tried to climb out but my limbs totally seized up and my left hand was turned into an unrecognizable heap of fingers. Literally--i had no control over what they were doing--extreme cramping i guess and i feared they would actually snap. My right hand and arm kept cramping as well, so the wetsuit strip took forever (he also kept looking at my hand, probably fearing an alien attack--i know i sound dramatic here but i just never seen anything like it). I had zero control over my extremities--this never happened to me--couldnt get up on my own as none of my limbs actually obeyed my commands. i hobbled towards the changing tent, and given the amount of bare butts in there, opted to sit in the sun. Left hand still contorting and fingers snapping (alien hand modeling available), i finally warmed up a little and thought onwards! Off on the bike--one handed, as the left still didnt cooperate. As i touched the right gear shifter, i felt a sting and saw a bee stuck to my finger, then falling off. I rode as i pulled the stinger out of my finger and thought i hope i dont have some allergic reaction and carried on out on the main road. In my preparation for the race, i knew that i had to divide it in smalIer parts so I did say right, the race is on NOW! but the best laid plans just went out the window. Couldnt get my heart rate up and had zero power in my legs. Had to stop a few times as i felt so ill, i needed to regroup. The result was that i did decent bike splits but it was all ruined by me stopping. which i normally never consider, not even special needs on the bike. But i was physically so drained and not feeling well, i needed these stops to recharge. That lost me at lest 20 mins or so on the bike. The bike course was three loops--part of it over a gradual incline. What we found out that day was the conditions were quite tough and we had very heavy headwinds uphill...I thought Ok lets see how one loop goes and even though the uphills reminded me of that certain ride in Kona, it was nice to get some help on the downhill. By the end of loop 3, i was happy to get off the bike. The run was an immediate disaster--i had looked forward to the run as i thought this is something you have more control over than the bike or swim and i got schooled immediately. By mile 2, i cramped up so badly, i was walking. i was also sweating profusely even though i was only walking. the rest of the run was a mixture of runs and walks--when i ran, i ran quite fast, but then all of a sudden, legs would seize up and boom! Reduced to hobbling/walking. BTW chicken broth never tasted so good. I also had to deal with some GI issues (I am pretty sure it was the Perform drinks that messed me up) which prevented me from running as well as i was doubled over trying to get rid of it. I had to portion the run into one mile pieces to make it work for me mentally. Darius ran with me quite some of the way and that was great—just for the mental break that I was able to get. As the sun went down, it got very cold and I was freezing on the run. just wanted to get home—i cant even imagine what people go through when they do 17 hours. Legs kept locking up, and about a mile out, my left calf totally shut down. It was a dead stop. not even hobbling. walked it off, massaged it and down the finishers chute i went. saw EK and SP there—which was nice but i was totally in the zone and dont think i have ever been in so much pain on an IM course and i was shivering like crazy in the tent afterwards. Couldnt hold anything. Id say mentally as well as physically, this was an exceptional challenge. I had tunnel vision throughout the race—with the exception of a few instances (Emma-Kate Lidbury and crew, Megan Culver, Luisa Perez Cordova, Stacey) none of the exterior stimulants (cheering etc) really pierced my inner being, as I felt like I couldnt use any more emotional energy other than to propel myself ahead.I am normally so much more attuned to what else is going on out there, but this was different. The idea of pulling out was the easy option, but in the end, i never really considered it. It was a dark time getting through, and not a great result time-wise.. I always remember what my friend Justin Daerr once said about dropping out and think its a great way to approach this, actually any, race: I will only pull out for two reasons—a GI/physical issue i cant overcome, or some big mechanical failure on the bike. The rest of it is all in your head, and I feel victorious. Here is to the off season!
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:17:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015