T2 was pretty uneventful. I ditched the shoes/helmet/sleeves/jersey, and put on my tri top, shoes, water/nutrition belt and hat. I decided to leave the sunglasses in the bag since the sun would be setting in a half hour. Another perk of being at the back of the pack!
Exiting T2 after about 6 minutes, I saw my wife on the right (I would later find out that the portapotties I didn’t see were on the left). A quick kiss and it was time to run a marathon. Another thing I was undertrained for. I have never run more than 13.1 miles in my life. While training this year, I only had one run over ten miles, and that was only 11 miles. But my goal was only to finish, and I had about 7 hours to do so. I could do a lot of walking and still make the cutoff. This thing might just be doable.
I started out on the run actually running. I knew there would be walking later, but for now I felt good. Having not done a single brick workout, this was a bit surprising. My natural all-day running pace right now is about 12 minutes a mile, so that’s where I started. I really run by heart rate and let the pace be whatever it is going to be. My HR was good, so I kept going. Having missed the honey buckets at T2, I was on the lookout for a place to drop a deuce.
There’s a line at the pair of johns at the first aid station. Grab some water, pour it into my bottle, and keep going. Repeat this for the next few aid stations. I didn’t even slow down at the aid stations. I was thoroughly amazed my legs could even take it! I hit the lap button on my watch at the first mile (I don’t usually use autolap during a race), and the watch says something like “multisport complete.” Wait! I’ve still got 25 miles to go. And I don’t want to stop to figure out my watch. Ok, just hit start and go with it. I won’t be able to see my total time, but I can do math in my head and I can still see the time of day, so I won’t miss the cutoff because my watch isn’t showing me what I want to see. Lemons in your pants dance.
I think it was mile 4 where I found an open bathroom, so I used it. I didn’t really have any GI distress; it’s just that I had been swim/bike/running for almost 11 hours at this point and it was time to go.
That bathroom stop was the only time I slowed down at all for the first 10 miles! I saw my wife around mile 8, and she ran down the sidewalk so I would keep moving. I felt good. She told me that a friend back home ran the numbers and I needed to run about 15:25 miles to beat the cutoff. I had been doing the math in my head as well and thought I was closer to 17 minute miles. A couple miles later I figured out that Coop probably calculated that number at T2. But I just ran a bunch of 12-minute miles, so my number was probably right.
The run is where MyAthleteLive broke down a bit. It wasn’t their fault; friends back home were still tracking me in real time. But I rented it so my wife would know where I was and wouldn’t have to watch every minute of the race or wonder if I was in front of her or behind her. Wifi was pretty hard to find downtown, so she switched over to 3G. We got a minimalist Mexican data plan for this very occasion. But the 3G must have been bogged down or non-existent. She wasn’t able to track me at all. Not MyAthlete’s fault, but if you’re using it for onsite live updating, you might want to consider data coverage. Luckily I had a few folks back in the states following along (Thank you Coop, Erica, Phil, Mo, Jon, and especially Owen!). So Coop was giving Barb updates via text message.
Just before mile 9 is where I ran to within 30 yards of the finish line, and had to turn around and run back out of town. I got to see Barb again in the middle of town, and shortly after that is when the run/walk portion of the marathon started. I put in a good effort for the first 10 miles, but I was starting to get a bit fatigued. I decided to pick out somebody ahead of me and run until I caught them and then walk for a bit. Rinse and repeat.
At mile ten, I hit lap on my watch, did some math, and figured I need to hit 17-minute miles to finish by midnight. Because of the wave start, I actually had until about 12:20 to finish, and finishing by midnight would put my time at 16:50, not 17:00. But because my only real metrics were time of day and lap average pace, it was easier to shoot for midnight. Knowing I needed to hit 17-minute miles, and not trusting my brain, I decided to shoot for 15-minute miles.
I had set my watch to show heart rate and lap average pace (and two other things) on my main screen. This is the first time I’ve used my watch this way (who says nothing new on race day?), but I’m very happy I did. Wanting to hit 15-minute miles, I ran a bit with 16 miles to go, then walked, then ran some more. After a half mile or so, my lap average pace was 14:30. So I ran and watched it head to 14:15. I walked; 14:30. Let’s see how long I can keep it at/below 14:30. I played that game for about five miles, hit lap, did some math and knew I just needed 18-minute miles to finish by midnight!
This is about where my nutrition/electrolyte replenishment broke down a bit and I started cramping a little. I had Endurolytes powder mixed in with my Perpetuem. But my desire to continue drinking Perpetuem had diminished an hour prior. Nutritionally I felt fine, but that came at a cost to my electrolytes. That’s why I really like to keep the two separate. Luckily I had a plan B. I had stashed a few Endurolytes Extreme in my pocket at T2. I popped one of these, and then another half an hour later. Cramping gone, lesson learned. Having a lightweight plan B may have saved my race.
I passed Barb a few more times. In all, I saw her TEN times during the race. This is a very spectator friendly course. And it really helped me throughout the day.
My pace was slowing a bit, but I still felt decent now after dispatching the cramping. I rounded the corner near the finish, heard “You. Are. An. Ironman!” and headed back out into the darkness for my final lap. My turn would come. Even though I’m only 30 yards away, there’s nine miles between me and that finish line.
I hit lap on the watch, did the math, and knew I only needed 19-minute miles to beat the clock. A few more miles and I repeated this. I had 6 miles to go, and I need to run 20-minute miles to get a 16:40. Ok, let’s shoot for 16:30 and not limp into the finish line. Barring absolute disaster I’m going to finish this thing! And I still feel decent.
I made it to the final turn at the far end of the course. I bid the volunteers there farewell for the final time and headed home. Another few hundred yards down the road and there was Team Z once again. At the farthest, darkest point on the run course at 10pm. Thanks Team Z!
Barb had left the course proper to see me at the finish, so I knew I wouldn’t see her on this leg of the run, but that was good. I had something to look forward to at the finish!
I kept the average lap pace around 15-minutes, so I knew I was putting a dent into my new 16:30 goal. But I stopped doing math. I knew I was going to finish! I was passing quite a few people in the last 4 miles, just like I did at the end of the bike. There weren’t many people doing any running any more. Not that I was either, but I ran a bit in those last 4 miles. I would pick out somebody ahead and run until I caught them. Then walk for a bit, rinse and repeat.
I made it back to Punta Langosta, which is right by the main pier and about a mile from the finish line. I was walking at this point, much to the chagrin of the 65-year old woman in flip-flops on the sidewalk next to me. She told me I needed to start running, and when I rebuffed, she started running in her flip-flops taunting me. I guess it was time to run. During a race of this length, you never know just where your motivation will come from. She ran with me for a bit, and when she returned to her normal life, I Forrest Gumped it. I just kept running straight toward the finish line. I passed a few people in the last quarter mile, and then looked for some clear space to make sure I would get a finisher pic all to myself. Another perk for us back of the packers!
I rounded the final corner, gave a few high fives to folks on the rail, revved up the crowd, and (inspired by a friend’s daughter) blew them kisses as I crossed the finish line. The clock read 16:39 and change, but that clock started when the pro men did. So I knew I was about 25 minutes below that.
“Bryan Scott. You. Are. An. Ironman!” What the hell did I just do?!
Barb was there right after the finish line, which was fantastic! I surprised the volunteers by taking off my own timing chip. I got my medal, finisher shirt, necklace and towel. I skipped the massage and food, and headed out to meet Barb. I grabbed my bike and bags (even more logistics after the race, of course). Then it was straight to the store to grab those items only sold to finishers! The racks were pretty cleaned out (the bad part of being in the back of the pack), but they had a jacket in my size in the back that is now mine.
My stretch goal was 6 hours for the run, and I finished in 6:06. My final time was 16:04:47. Obviously my math on the course was a few minutes off, but in the good direction. I felt pretty good during the entire race. I felt like my effort was well measured. But I feel like I could have cut a decent amount of time out, and with better (a.k.a. some) training, I could drop my time a lot. Plus, I move up an age group in a few days.
In the end, I returned that rental car with a little bit too much gas in the tank.