This post is from the www.qt2sytems.com website. I am coached by Jesse Kropelnicki and I'm a member. This race report by Michelle is inspiring and impressive. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Michelle Joaquin's IMAZ Race Report:
The road to IMAZ started back in December of 2007 when a good friend of mine told me about open registration. At the time I thought there was no way I could finish a full Ironman. Who can swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, and run 26.2. I have done my share of marathons, however, not after swimming and biking! I was definitely not confident, but with a bit of convincing and telling me about his Florida Ironman experience, I took the plunge and register. Thanks Michael!
With the registration confirmation, panic set in. All these questions started running through my head… How am I going to get through this? Will I have the determination to follow through with the training and time commitment? Can I do my own training program? Do I find a coach? Well, anyone who is doing a first IM would advise the following: stick to a solid training program, and get yourself a coach ASAP! I asked around and did some digging on local coaches. I knew I found a perfect match when I spoke to Jesse, the head coach of QT2 Systems. My initial thought was get a good take-away plan; however, after a few discussions I decided I needed more of a set one on one program that was going to tailor to my specific needs. Especially if I was going to take this seriously, I would need a coach like Jesse. The end of December, it was official, I was doing IMAZ and I had a plan with a phenomenal coach. Yippee!
My 2008 season of training was very LONG. I started training in January for the Boston Marathon, which took me through April. Although I had some swim and bike cross training during my marathon focus, my true IMAZ training did not start until May. Because of the initial intense run focus, my bike and swimming were both lacking big time. So basically, I had a three phase program that was going to get me up to speed on the bike and swim over the next 30 weeks. What a long time to train for one day… so crazy.
The past summer was packed with races and long training weekends. I experienced little nagging injuries here and there, although not limiting, they were outright frustrating. Being Type “A” I trained and raced through all the nags. I guess being overeager you don’t listen to your body when you should. This is where I learned a big lesson in the world of triathlon training… Don’t push it! It all started with lower leg and achilles tightness. I though it was nothing so I did not do anything different. Over time the pain increased with training, but I still did not think anything of it. Did I tell my coach when I should have…?NO! Did I take a break…? NO! Did I race a half Ironman when I probably could have let it go…? YUP! Although the Pumpkinman race was awesome, it was the beginning of a really painful stress fracture and a long break from running. Did I just throw away my shot at racing IMAZ for a 3rd place 70.3 finish? Maybe!!!
Over the next few weeks of September I did not run. I made the trip to the doctor for x-rays and a bone scan in early October. As you may have guessed, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture. What a buzz kill. Not exactly what I wanted to tell my coach, as I thought it was my stupidity that got me there in the first place.
Well, Jesse was actually good about it and gave me a bit of hope. He was right this was the time to focus on my bike, as I was already a strong runner. So extra biking and pool running for me. At first the pool running was cool, but when it came to running in a circle for two hours, it got old VERY fast. I knew I had to do it and I was not about to give up on my Ironman goals. I kept telling myself…Eye on the prize…. Kona! I know big expectations for a first time Ironman racer and second year triathlete. Oh well someone has to have big dreams.
About six weeks out my peak training was all on the bike and in the pool. Boy, did I miss running on land. I started what Jesse has coined the “CORE” diet: Lean meats, veggies, fruits and absolutely no whole grains or candy. Not sure how I was going to live without my Junior Mints. In addition to the leg injury, I was on a sad diet. Let’s just say I could get a little feisty at times given I was very hungry and deprived of my favorite foods. The diet does work as I shaved a few pounds off and got to my ideal body fat % before race. Right on track… just needed to keep it off for a few more weeks.
Three weeks out from IMAZ, which was 8 weeks into the healing process of the stress fracture, I did a test run. I was actually able to run 30 minutes. I did another 40 minute run the same week and I was psyched. Then it all came rushing back… after a 15 minute run a few days later I was feeling the pain. I actually did a few other short 15 minute runs and then the weekend before the race Jesse and I decided to call it quits on the running. Not worth it as I was not going to gain anything from short runs. I must add, at the end of the day, it was my decision to race, as I was not giving up what I had worked so hard for. I am not a quitter and I was sure as heck not about to start with IMAZ.
The few days before IMAZ were filled with excitement and anxiety. I was very nervous as I did not know what to expect at all. You spend the last 30 weeks training for a one day event. It is scary not knowing what the day could bring, especially going in with an injury. Was I going to conk out after the fist few miles? Would I walk all 26.2? So needless to say I was a basket case just a tad. Good thing for me I had plenty of friends in AZ, which kept me from obsessing over the injury. I told myself no expectations, however, deep down inside they were still there.
The days leading up to race, I followed the usual QT2 plan… hydrate, rest, keep up with the diet, start carbo loading Friday at lunch and through Saturday, and getting to bed early starting Thursday night. I did break the rules a few times as I had a few extra servings of sangria J and getting to bed early was a bit challenging given the time change. I was also tossing an turning Thursday night because I had my race talk with Jesse. I was very uneasy about the run time he gave me and the pacing. I think it was a blow to my ego. I thought to myself 8:50 run pace is very slow. Truth is, we had nothing to go on as I had not really run in 10 weeks. My overall time given my training and the injury was predicted to be 10:59- 11:15. That is a phenomenal time, but not what my original goals were at the beginning of the season. Kind of upsetting.
The night before the race I did get in bed at 7:30 PM sharp. I was on track and had my alarm set for 3:30 am for breakfast. I was not looking forward to the banana, sport drink, protein shake and 2.25 cups of applesauce. Very hard to choke down in 20 minutes and then attempt to go back to bed for an hour. Race morning breakfast did not go according to the QT2 plan. My blackberry did not change to the AZ time zone, so when I set my alarm for 3:30 am, it was actually 1:30 am. You would think I would be smart enough to look at the hotel alarm clock. Nope I was so focused all I wanted to do was eat and go back to bed. I jumped back in bed and set my alarm for 5 am…yes that was actually 3 am. So needless to say I was up getting dressed and ready to head down to the start two hours early! I just laugh about it now. Once I realized the time I got back in bed. I did worry about my nutrition, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Two hours flew by and it was time to really get out of bed and head down to the start. I woke up hungry so I had a banana. I tried not to let this throw me off. In an hour I knew I could eat a Powerbar so I was OK. A few close friends of mine were up nice and early to get me down to the start. Lauren, Shaun, and Mike were a great help. We all seemed quite calm and headed down to the start in the pitch black. We did have a good laugh at my expense on the way down to the race. How could I be such a spaz and not account for the time difference…. Ha!
When we got down to the start all I wanted to do was get my bike in order. I had to pump my tires and get my nutrition set. Good thing Jason had a pump and Dede was able to help me out. I was a tad but jittery. My SRM was given me some issues as well with the PowerControl fading in an out. I was worried about that, but it seemed to be OK. After I had all my ducks in a row I headed to the bathroom line to wait for about 30 minutes. Not sure why races never have enough port-o-potties. The good thing is I was able to change to my wetsuit and eat my Powerbar while waiting. I then quickly dropped my special needs bag and morning clothes bag to their respective areas and made my move towards to the swim start.
I have to say it was pretty chilly. I had a sleeveless wetsuit and was so not looking forward to getting in the 60 degree water. I was glad to see Dede at the swim start. She was nice enough to let me stand on her feet and keep me warmed up until we had to move toward the water. Thanks Dede J. We finally started moving into the coral where we were to enter the water. I took my Powerbar Gel, took a swig of water, put my goggles on, and jumped in. Yowsa so COLD!!!!
Making my way up to the front of the swim start was a bit challenging. I was shivering and all I wanted to do was get out of the water. In route up to the front I ran into Jason…surprisingly as there were triathletes everywhere and we all had the same thing on! We eventually parted ways and headed to our respective areas of the start line. My chosen spot was in the middle of the pack about a row or two back. Seemed like a great spot. I was able to hold onto a kayak while waiting for the gun to go off. I still had to tread water, but not that much. The playing of the National Anthem started a few minutes before… this was it… shortly after we were all off and swimming.
Two words on the swim… VERY SCARY! I don’t think I had any benefit being little here. On the bike and run I always find it helpful. Definitely no benefit in a sea of people trying to move forward as fast as they can. As most people would report, I got punched, kicked and swam over multiple times. I did not panic too much. I did at times, then just put my head down and kept swimming. It was very hard to break away from the pack. After I rounded the buoys I felt more comfortable. I felt as though I was able to pick up a little speed and swim straight ahead. At times I would get stuck in packs or get pushed over by others, but I survived. When I saw the stairs in the distance I just made a mad dash. I got right up and scaled them with frozen feet. I looked at my watch and saw 1:08… very pleased. I unzipped my suit, removed my goggles and cap, and plunked down in front of the furthest wetsuit stripper. Very smart I must say as I did not get stuck in the crowd. I bolted towards the transition, waving to friends and just enjoying the spectators.
I did not realize how cold I was until I was in the change tent. The other women were smart as they brought towels to dry themselves off. Oops I forgot mine…or I did not forget I just did not think of it. I quickly got on my helmet, glasses, shoes and race belt and was on my way. There was a pit stop at the sunscreen area, then off to find my bike. I ran past my bike, but then eventually smartened up and found it. My feet were still numb so running to the bike mount area was tough. I heard friends yelling my name. I wondered if they saw how blue I was…very cold and shivering like crazy. Not sure if I should have gone to the med tent to warm up, but it would have been smart. Instead I clipped in and started riding. The wind made me colder and it really took about an hour to warm up.
Out on the bike course I was settling in and enjoying the race. Heading out on the course, there were some head winds, but I was still averaging a good pace. I was not pushing the 140 watts, but still felt like I was moving. I think it was best to be conservative. Good thing because the few miles before the turnaround was tough… head winds uphill. Being little helps with the uphill, but not the headwinds. I was on track eating every 40 minutes my Power Gel and Powerbars, as well as relieving my bladder every hour or so. This was a whole new experience for me… much better than having to get off the bike and take away time… enough said J I was staying hydrated and fueled which is most important. Loop one I averaged 19.61 mph… perfect.
Loop two I still felt great and decided to keep the same strategy. I focused on nutrition and ended the loop with an average of 19.62 mph. Heading out on the third loop I still felt amazingly fresh. I realized I needed to push a bit harder. The winds had changes, so it was a mix of tail and head winds on the way out and way back. Kind of threw me for a loop, but I still managed to negative split and averaged 20.86 mph. My average on the bike was 20.2 mph with a total time of 5:35:42. I would say that was about 10 minutes faster than I was expected to ride. I was very happy, as my legs were not totally dead after 112 miles!
As Jesse said, when you get off the bike you will feel great and think you can run 6 minute miles. Boy was he right! As soon as I handed my bike over I started flying. I ran to get my bag and in the excitement of it all I started changing right there. After a few seconds I realized what I was doing and made my way to the tent…such a rookie! On the run to the tent I got a bit nervous as I could feel my stress fracture. All I told myself was…it is all in your head. I got in the tent and quickly changed into my sneakers and visor, and attached a new pouch to my fuel belt to hold my Power Gel reserves. Something new on race day which was not a good idea. Anyway… I grabbed my banana, with a pit stop at the sunscreen area, and then headed on out for the 26.2 marathon.
I started off feeling great. My pace was in the low 7’s which was way too fast. I took a down a few notches and continued to run. During the first few minutes the gel pouch started to annoy me, so I chucked it. Ahhhh…much better. The course was not too bad. There were a few little hills and then one big hill. I saw friends along the way and Lauren ran along side of me for a minute or so giving me a pep talk and status update of who was in front of me. Surprisingly, I was moving on up pretty quickly. The first loop was a breeze and the hills did not get in my way. My stress fracture was not acting up, however I could still feel it a little. I managed to pace 7:45’s the first loop and only one visit to the port-o- potty.
The second loop I was telling myself to slow down a bit to around 8 minute miles. I was dreading hitting mile 9 as that was when I supposedly could start to crash. Not running for 10 weeks can definitely have an effect on durability according to Jesse. Makes sense. When I saw the mile 9 marker I still felt good. I was just smiling and thinking positive thoughts… and Kona. Every two miles I had to take a Clif Shot Block which was no problem. At the end of the second loop I did choke a Power Gel down. After the big hill I needed some extra energy. It wasn’t that bad on the stomach and it gave me a boost. Shortly after, I stopped at the port-o-potty one last time. Better to be safe than sorry. I finished the second loop in the low 8 range… not bad at all.
My leg started to act up on the third loop. I really wanted to slow down due to throbbing in my leg. I remember seeing Lauren and telling her I needed to take it easy, but she told me to keep going if I could as there were only two girls ahead, and Jason was a few minutes in front of me. I thought OK this pain is temporary and it will be over soon. With five miles left I saw Jason and Mike on the side. Jason and I ran together from there on out. It was nice to have the company on the run and to be able to push each other to the finish.
The little hills seemed to get tougher, the big hill seemed like a monster, and my leg was hurting really badly. Mind over matter at that point was all I could think. The last two miles a blood blister popped on my pinky toe… I screamed just a little. Jason says… suck it up and keep moving. I did, but it burned like hell. The last mile was the best feeling; the end was in sight. Approaching the final stretch was awesome. The crowd was just amazing. It took about 20 seconds to round the corner and cross the finish. The sad part, I did not hear them say I was an Ironman. I think I was too caught up in the excitement of finishing. My marathon time was 3:38:31 with the stress fracture and not running for 10 weeks. Wow!
My overall time 10:29:55 awarded me 3rd in my age group and a KONA slot J
I can now say I am an IRONMAN… and I am going to KONA!!!
**Thanks to Coach Jesse for the training program and guidance over the past year. Thanks to my family and friends for the continuous support and love! ~ Michelle
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