Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman
Yesterday I ran the Ironman 70.3 Eagleman in Cambridge Maryland. I finished in 6 and a half hours, a shade above my goal of 6 hours, but not horrible. Here’s how it all went down.
The river was a warm 82 degrees which made wetsuits illegal for the swim. My tri-gear is not exactly swim friendly, which caused me to have some extra drag on the swim. The buoys were really far apart at this race, so spotting was extremely difficult. On 2 occasions I started heading for the wrong buoy until I realized no one was around me. I probably added an extra 300-400 meters to my swim by going off course, and in choppy water that really adds up.
Coming out of the swim, the water gets really shallow about 100 meters from the finish. Everyone stood up and walked, but every step was really painful as you have to fight through waist-deep water to move your legs. In the hopes of saving my legs for the bike and run, I swam until I couldn’t swim anymore, which meant about 30m of walking through the water. It was kind of a cool scene seeing 30-40 people walking through the shallow water and descending on the beach. The early-morning sun made for a cool background. For me, that was where the race started: after the swim, when it was time to hop on the bike for 56 miles.
I took my time in transition. No need to hurry when the race is still over 5 hours from finished. The one or two minutes I could save there were just not that important. Started biking out and felt pretty good. Had some tightness in my hip adducters for the first 10 miles or so, but thankfully that loosened up. Held my 18mph goal pace for the first 7 or 8 miles at a nice low RPE, probably a 12 or 13 (out of 20). I decided I could stand a little more, so I pushed it up to about a 14 and rode the next 20 or so miles at between a 19 and 20 mph pace. Hit the one hour mark at 18.6 miles, which was right where I wanted to be. My fastest 10 miles were miles 25-35. I rode the two 5-mile splits there in a little over 15 minutes each, just a shade under a 20mph average.
Every 5 miles, I took a sip of Accelerade and water. At mile 30, ate a zone bar which was melty and disgusting. Probably needed a couple hundred more calories on the bike and definitely should have drank more water. I only had two bottle holders, so I had to skip the first two water stops, which was a mistake. I should have grabbed a bottle and drank at least half of it each time.
After mile 45, I slowed down to prepare for the run. The last 10 miles were my slowest by far, going over 17 minutes per 5 mile split, but that was part of the plan. I finished the bike in just a shade over 3 hours, just above my goal pace of 18 mph. I felt really good about the bike leg; I had some fatigue in my legs (to be expected) but I didn’t think I overdid it, so I would have some energy left for the run.
Took my time in transition again. Decided not to wear the ankle brace I had brought (my left calf has been giving me warning signs of a strain for a couple weeks, but held up for the race and feels fine the day after). Came out into the run strong, but after about three quarters of a mile, my quads started to cramp pretty bad. I realized that I had needed to hydrate more on the bike, and needed to make up for it on the run. Walked until my quads relaxed, then ran again until they cramped back up. At the first aid station, I grabbed 2 cups of gatorade and pounded both in an attempt to get myself re-hydrated enough to end the cramping. Around mile 3 it worked, as my quads relaxed and I was able to run a bit more. My legs were not with me on the run, though. I could run about a half-mile at a time before they would fatigue to the point that I had to walk for a minute. Each water stop I took in a couple cups of water or gatorade, and threw another cup of water on my head or down my back. It was 90+ and there was a 3 mile stretch that was completely exposed, with no shade, just hot asphalt. You could see the heat rising off of it. Brutal.
I took a rest stop shortly before the turnaround. About that time I realized my attempt to rehydrate was causing problems. I just had a ton of water in my stomach sloshing around with each step, and was afraid I might have hyponatremia issues if I kept up that pace. I decided to forgo the water at a couple aid stations, opting to just ice down to stay cool instead. I hit the turnaround at mile 6.6 at 1 hour and 20 minutes into the run. On the way back, I was able to sustain my running pace a bit more, and found some friendly running companions to talk to, which made it easier to keep going. Feeling the calorie deficit hitting me, I had to do something at the aid stations. Solid food seemed like a bad idea, and I couldn’t do gatorade. I opted for the pepsi, which is pretty calorically dense for very little liquid. That worked really well (the caffeine may have helped a little as well).
I have to give a shout out to the huge party I went by three times (near the finish of the bike, and on the out and back on the run) - these people knew how to have fun, and they made the race so enjoyable. Lady in the white dress drunk off your ass and dancing in between the two columns of runners, you are a rock star. Thanks for the high five. Guy who decided to play the lead-in to the Black Eyed Peas “Let’s Get it Started” on loop (“runnin’ runnin’ and runnin’ runnin’…”), nice touch.
I came around the corner with about a mile and a half to go, and could see the finish line across the inlet. I got a goosebump or 200 from that. About a half-mile out decided I wasn’t stopping until I crossed the finish line. Came in strong - negative split the run by about 6 minutes for a 2:30something half marathon on the end.
My right shoe was completely soaked in blood from my toe, which must have gotten cut early in the run. It was already scabbed over by the time I finished. Sunburn around my right shoulder where my tri-top didn’t stay in place is really bad. Also have sunburn on my lip, which just sucks. Beautiful tri-top tan lines will make me look like I’m wearing white suspenders for the next few weeks.
Many thanks to my wife and my parents for coming out. I don’t know if I’d have made it without the support. Also, thanks to my wife for taking care of me after the race. She carried my bags to the car, drove me home (through a ridiculously scary thunderstorm that hit right as we crossed the bay bridge - terrifying), made me dinner and poured me a couple (much-needed) glasses of wine.
Morning after - everything is sore, but nothing feels injured (fingers crossed). Sunburn and random chaffing can be treated. Blisters will go away with time. Muscles will recover. The feeling of having raced 70.3 miles in one day will never go away.
To quote one of my running companions, “Pain, blisters, and death are all temporary. Glory lasts forever, and so does this fucking run.”
