IM Utah: the nitty gritty.

[GinnySellars]

Ironman St. George Utah

The promo video for this race is awesome. The water is clear and cold, with beautiful red rock islands in the reservoir. The ride is stunning, taking in Snow Canyon with waterfalls weaving through red rock, charming farms and ranches through Gunlock, challenging switch back climbs, and sweeping descents. The rock is the colourful backdrop of the day, with flat topped mesas, rough black lava rock fields, vertical sandstone cliffs, and fantastical shapes in the red rock. The run takes you up above the town of St. George to look down on the lush trees and historical buildings. To me, the race is all about the venue, the adventure, and the family holiday.

The week pre-race was super relaxed. We stayed in a great condo with Sean and Juliann, and spent our time playing mini-golf and swimming with Madeline, and having barbeque dinners on the deck overlooking the desert.  Though I didn’t see much of them, it was a fun atmosphere with Simon and Becky, Luke and Erin and Jan, Brock and Cindy, and our crew. My confidence crept up throughout the week as I checked off each element. The water was much warmer than expected. The climbs on the ride were rideable, and I felt bullet proof running the climb.

So here’s the race low down:

Pre-race:
Since Juliann was volunteering in T1, she drove us right down to the race start, so we didn’t have to take the athlete buses. I had a ton of time to get set up, then went in the change tent to get on my wetsuit and have some down time, and got some bonus comedy. I asked a volunteer to help me zip up my suit. She had a beautiful southern drawl. Her long painted nails were getting in the way, so she called out “Beatrice, can you come and help me, Sugar?” They bantered over who would pull the suit, and who would zip, and then decided it was too dark in the tent, so called over the woman with the headlamp. When my volunteer told Beatrice to get her bosom out of the way, I assumed she was teasing me. She just about blew the top off the tent with her belly laugh, and said “Oh Sugar, you have nothin’ more than sweet cupcakes!”. Made my day.

Swim: 1:16
I floated in the water waiting for the gun...nervous but happy. I used my ‘beeper’ to keep my pace even, and knew that swimming 1-2 times a week did not really earn a fast swim. I stuck with it, and it was pretty smooth sailing, other than some difficulty navigating into the sun. I tried to pick it up over the last 500m, and felt great for about 1min. I died pretty quick at the faster pace, and went back to the beeper. But 1:16? Seriously? Slower than my very first IM ever? I didn’t let it bother me much...and was stoked to get on a bike.

Bike: 5:50
It was 15 miles to the first aid station. Wow, mega head wind and dry dry dry air. I realized right then that my biggest challenge would be hydration and cooling off. I was using a new cage on the bars. New=not good. I struggled to hold a water bottle down the first bumpy descent, but lost it in the end anyway.  So I scrapped this option,  and used the two back cages. I was bummed to lose a fuel bottle, but just switched to water and gels instead.

As we head out on lap one along Snow Canyon towards Gunlock, I was stoked that we had a wicked tail wind. This was the opposite of the training ride, so it felt like a gift. Now this meant a head wind at the top on the flats and for the whole descent...but it seemed like a fair trade. The temps were creeping up to 92 degrees. I was soaking myself at aid stations, and was completely dry by the next one. I knew that I was riding somewhat conservatively, but remembered Heather Wurtele said to take lap one easy. This made a lot of sense by lap two. There was some carnage on the switch back climb. Guys were off their bikes clutching cramped legs, and those being lapped were walking their bikes, defeated by the steepness and heat. I was pretty sure it was a good decision to hold back, especially with the monster climbing coming up on the run. My goal was to beat the best amateur bike time from last year. I beat it by 5 min....but so did 7 other girls.

Run: 4:03
Coming into T2, I felt I had a strong run in me. I felt pretty great trotting up the sweeping hill over town. I was flying past runners, but noticed the pros running the other way looked like they were coming back from war. The challenge to stay cool did not let up with the tarmac and rock holding in the heat. Leaving town Andrew told me I was 15 min back from first..but how many in between was the question. At that point I was pretty confident I would reel them in. At the top in the park, I was happy to see Simon and Eric running stride for stride looking pretty good. I was beginning to wonder how I had missed Sean. Coming back into town after the first loop, the descent took a lot out of my legs, but that wasn’t the problem. My breathing was the limiter. Anytime I tried to breathe slowly and deeply my diaphragm went into spasm. Not good. I switched to short quick breaths, chest only. It relieved the cramp, but meant I couldn’t run very fast. I just had to trot it out. Just when I needed it, I had a shot of pure joy. Maddy was running towards me with a clapper, a sign, an IM tattoo, her IM t-shirt....going nuts!

So lap two was not pretty. I slowed to a crawl. On some of the climbs I was taking 4 steps jog, 4 steps walk...truly pathetic. I was not alone. Eric was on the side of the course over a garbage can. Sean apparently never made it out to the run at all, having puked multiple times on the bike. I passed Simon at the top of the climb trying to cool down at an aid station. I have to admit, Kona was no longer my mission. I just wanted it to be over. I was beginning to worry I would cramp before the finish and have to walk the whole way home. Despite this sufferfest, I had the same experience as Kona last year, where the level of joy in the last 200m was immeasurable. I’m not sure what happens in the brain, but it’s mind-altering elation. I’d do the whole thing again for that feeling. It’s part of the IM experience...to dig yourself out of a hole, then celebrate.

Final time 11:16. 6th in AG, just a few minutes out of a Kona spot. This is 30min ahead of 2010’s winner, and was in fact, just short of my goal time. This did not fit with my plan to join Andrew in Kona, for a final IM experience. The first opportunity for a reliable internet signal happened while waiting to pass through Customs on our way home...I registered for Ironman Canada, still gunning for that Kona spot.

[GordM]

Wow! I am proud to know you, Ginny! haha. congrats on the result, that's awesome. Sounds like a great adventure!!! I love your determination, and that you haven't yet given up on Kona. I have no doubt that you'll get there. Congrats again!!

[Majo]

You are AMAZING Ginny...  It takes so much organization and determination just to go through the training of such events.  I admire you a lot.  Congrats anyway!

[Shawn Wenger]

I meant to tell you... you were the "superstar" last year at RTR and now I'm reminded why. You are an inspiration! I teared up when you described Maddy. I remember Ethan at my first Half Marathon in Banff when he was three, standing beside the finishing chute, yelling "Go Mommy Go". Last year, at the Tour de Delta he did the kids crit and got a medal. When I (the guppy) headed into the shark tank to race with the Cat 1/2 women and was focused on finishing 20 of the 40 laps before getting pulled, he said, "Mom, I know you can do it and maybe you'll get a medal." I explained to him that this was the National Crit Championship and I wouldn't be getting any medals, but thanked him for his vote of confidence. Half way through the crit, I realized that I was still with the main group. I almost panicked since my race strategy hadn't included riding the second half. The highlight of my year was crossing the finish line within sight of the lead group. As I navigated the crowded sidewalk, looking for my boys at the end, Ethan came running up to me and yelled, "Mommy, I knew you could do it!' And he took his medal off and put it around my neck. Of course, I cried, and a group of ladies volunteering on the sidelines were pretty close too. He has made all of my race experiences richer with his enthusiasm and support. We are so lucky.

[ScottH]

Ginny, you are some tough stuff.

[nipperk]

what a wonderful display of courage Ginny,So very proud of you.
Good luck in Pentiction, I know you will make it.
Great race report ..all of it fun to read and you are right that is by my account THE IRONMAN EXPERIENCE TOO..

[SimonC]

Apologies for not posting this race report sooner, but I just got back from Utah and I wanted to take some time to mull over what happened during this EPIC race !!!

This was my second IM race on probably the hardest course in the world ... all things considered. Here is a breakdown of how my day went ...

Swim

I made sure that I had a really good warm up for this swim as I wanted to totally acclimate to the water.   I positioned myself by the centre buoy with 5 mins to go and treaded water with the rest of the 1700 crazies. Mabey I started to close to the front, but this was the most violent swim I have encountered. I was punched so hard on the head that I saw stars ... which was a weird sensation under water with goggles. I don’t recommend trying this yourself   ... It is overrated. While swimming I always try to get to my “cruise control” state ASAP. It took forever for me to feel comfortable in the water as the argey bargey kept going for over a kilometre. Eventually cruise control settled in and I was able to cruise into the finish. I came in 1:19. I was surprised at this time as I have been swimming much faster in the pool. There were rumblimngs that the course was a little “long:” as most people had slower times. I was just happy to be done. I look forward to the day when my swim approaches the magic hour  

T1:

T1 was pretty organised for me and I had a pretty good transition. I always look for the biggest/strongest guy to rip my wetsuit off. As I scanned the options, all that was available was a tiny little Asian lady. I had no choice but to go to her. To my surprise, she ripped my wetsuit off before I hit the ground ... It was amazing ... a reminder to not judge a book by it’s cover !!!. A quick run to my bike and out to the mounting area and I was off. I had a horrible bike mount and I’m glad it wasn’t captured on film !!!

Bike

The bike is always a pass fest for me and this time was no exception. The first 20 miles are much wider than IMC so passing was not an issue. The passing continued from the start of T1 and never ended until T2 as is the custom, I was never passed on the bike. I was aiming for 2400 calories on the bike ... In reality I only ate around 1600 calories. Calories were concentrated and I took around 2-3 L of water to dilute. I did have to wait a while until the first feed station to get water and I was getting a little parched from my concentrated mix of EFly / Heat Endurance. Next IM I will have access to water in the early portion of the bike. When I caught Super G, I begged for water but all she had was concentrate as well, but she pointed to the aid station up ahead and all was good. I felt really good on the bike and the power/speed was good. It was tough to dial back the effort but I definitely rode within myself. The climbs out to Gunlock were definitely manageable and the WALL was a little steep in places but doable ... although I had a 39-26 to help me out which was definitely the right gearing as I was able to spin all the way up the first lap. The second lap was a little tougher due to the heat and fatigue setting in. I was starting to see some carnage on the road with racers sitting on the ground and some walking their bikes up the climbs ... which is never good. All in all I think it was a good bike leg and I am happy with my time (5:25). As an aside, my NEW Cannondale Slice was awesome. I was able to get a wicked aero set up and it climbs and descends like a dream.

T2

Coming into T2 my legs started to cramp slightly. This also happened at IMC. I did hammer out of the saddle to impress the ladies as we entered downtown so that probably didn’t help. It was smoking hot at this point (and this would be a very important part of this tale). I hopped off the bike hoping to have Becky (may most favourite Soiegneur) take my bike, but she was no where to be seen   ... so I handed it to someone else and ran with my shoes still on to the T2 tent. This was an important decision as lots of athletes ran barefoot to the T2 tent and actually burnt the soles of their feet on the asphalt essentially ruining their race   At this IM, you basically get a personal servant to help you in T2. This volunteer carries your bag and helps you get into your run clothes and gets you water etc. I quickly changed and grabbed my gel flask full of Eload gels and hit the course.

Run

As I started my run, which by the way is straight uphill for at least 3-4 miles, my legs were like rubber and and I was having a little stomach cramping. I tried to ramp the run up to a supersonic 5:30/km and the body said no way. I was basically doing a shuffle. It was very disappointing. It took about 3 km’s to get a little bit of a stride going and 5min Km’s were all I could muster. Ohhh ... did I mention it was freaking hot... I’m sure it was 100 +++ F with the radiant rocks. I shuffled thru the first lap and stopped at every feed station to take on calories and cuz I had to stop. I took on sponges / ice / water to cool myself down only to be dry by the next aid station. I was also starting to see alot of carnage on the run. There were people walking everywhere and quite a few people sitting down.

The start of the second lap was even worse that the first, I totally struggled on the uphill section and started to do the run/walk thing ... which is never good. On the run I took in around 800 calories.  Calories were concentrated and I took around 1-2 L of water to dilute. I forced myself to make it thru the run and I couldn’t believe how much I was falling apart and suffering. It was definitely a humbling moment in which I plan never to repeat. In the end I ran a 4:40 marathon which was 50 mins slower than IMC. Very disappointing !!!

I had mixed emotions over this race and have come to the following conclusions ...

1) I have unfinished business in St George and will be back next year to make things right.
2) IMC has become my main focus and will be my top priority.
3) A detailed review of my IM fuelling practices is required to understand what happened on the run.

Every race is an opportunity to learn and I learned quite a bit !!!!!

A special Thank You to Becky for taking care of me in the home away from home !!!!!!
Thanks to Ginny and Andrew for all their help.
Thanks to Brock and Cindy for all their support and hard work.
Congrats to Ginny, Sean, Luke and Eric for laying it out on the line on the streets of St George.
And a final thanks to the State Troopers of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Oregon for not throwing me in jail for dangerous driving  


Capt'n