The race report from this event begins almost two years ago when I crumbled and withdrew from Ironman Florida, while in 20th place, at mile 16.5 of the marathon. It was my first attempt at the IM distance coming from a short course background, and like so many, I was unable to control my fire inside. I was able to hold back, but around 60mi. on the bike, I started getting too eager and the going got too fast for an Ironman distance race.
It took me almost 22 months to do another Ironman, and the inaugural Louisville, KY race was my pick. Entering the event with less than 4 weeks of specific training was maybe not the best plan, but my fiancée and I recently purchased a home, moved to a different state, both graduated from the University of Florida, applying to law school, getting accepted into law school, deciding to wait a year to go to law school, and my mother spent 17 days visiting from Brazil immediately after we moved. All of those things played an important factor in my preparation. Fortunately, I knew about all of them in advance. No surprises.
Luckily, my coach (Marc Becker, www.IronGuides.net) is not afraid of a challenge and his help was crucial to getting me not only to the starting line healthy, but to the finish line in one piece. We both knew I would have to be very conservative throughout the race to make it to the line in one piece. More importantly, I would have to control myself the entire time.
The weather in Alabama in the weeks leading to the event were in the triple digits for over three weeks, and I used it to my advantage, training in the heat and getting my body acclimatized and prepared to run in temperatures that most people set their Jacuzzis to.
Race morning:
I was both nervous and excited that the day had finally come. After a quick breakfast, I was off to the race start, and quickly the gun went off. Marc wanted me to swim very, very easy, and that I did. Many times during the swim I thought about increasing the pedestrian pace it felt I was moving at, but I held back. I exited the water fresh, in 7th place amongst the pros, who started a few minutes ahead of the 2100 amateurs.
Starting the bike with Petr Vabrousek, Alex Taubert, amongst other very fast guys was a tough blow to my ego. As per Marc’s plan, I was to keep my speed average at 33 kph (20.5 mph). This would yield a bike split some 35 minutes slower than what I posted at Ironman Florida, but I didn’t argue with his knowledge and expertise (too much). I let them go early on, as well as those who passed me throughout the bike. I just focused on my nutrition and staying smooth on the bike. I ended up missing the special needs as the amateurs were on their first lap while we were doing the second lap, and some 350 kcal I had in there were sure missed. I ended up having a bad patch from miles 90-110 due to that missed bag, and in hindsight, I should have stopped to get it. I was on top of my hydration as I peed 3 times by the end of the bike, but should have ingested a few more calories.
At the 4 hour mark, my power meter stopped reading anything. No HR, no wattage, no speed, no nothing. Just plain ol’ perceived effort. My coach is very big on knowing one’s body well, in relying in what lies within, so it really did not phase me much, if at all. To be honest, I had quit looking at it for a little while, and may have noticed it went black several minutes after it actually happened. I was quite comfortable pacing myself without any outside support.
When I handed my bike in and got my T2 bag, I realized I had forgotten my socks to run in. I chose to ride sock less (I am used to it), but running the marathon, in an Ironman, with no socks, ouch!
I began the run, and immediately realized I had to find some Vaseline for my feet and crotch. I also forgot Vaseline/chamois cream, as well as sunscreen. What can I say, I am forgetful. Maybe I would benefit from one of those pre race checklists J
In any case, I put some Vaseline on my feet by mile 3, in the first aid station I found any sort of lube at. It improved my condition some, but I could tell I would be hurting later on. Since IM is all about the here and now, I forgot about it and kept on going.
At mile 3.5, after a quick break to throw up, I started clocking in some 7:30-45 miles, which lasted through mile 18. I had now passed the collapse point of IMFL, and knew I would cross the line no matter what happened. I had seen the Kentucky Derby inspired horse shoe finisher’s medal, and I had to have one. So I powered through, even as the pace slowed to a shuffle at mile 21.
Physically I felt OK, pretty good actually, but my quads were super tight and I could knock on my It Band it was so hard. I chose to walk a bit to relieve the pressure. It helped, as within a couple of miles I was feeling much better, and in a blink of an eye, I saw the finish line. Both my crotch and feet were thankful when my eyes relayed the message that it would be over soon.
There were thousands of people in that last mile, and I reckon I ran a 5:30 pace for the few minutes. The energy of the finish was so invigorating, I even held off a few people who were trying to lift their pace to catch me before the line.
When I heard the words: “Felipe Bastos, you are an Ironman” I must admit a few tears rolled down my eyes. In 12 years in this sport, and some 26 career wins, nothing has compared to this feeling of completing 140.6 miles in a day. “It hurts so much”, I told my fiancée at the finish line, but quietly thought to myself “This was awesome – gotta do another one”.
10:15:37 as the finish time, and the splits:
Swim: 52:39
Bike: 05:29:15
Run: 03:45:16
20th Professional
