Race Report for Jim Eggie
Ironman Cozumel November 29, 2009
The inaugural Ironman on the island of Cozumel was too much too pass up last year when I was on a triathlon web site and I saw a “secret link” that could get you into the race registration a few days before the official site opened up. I mumbled something to my wife about going to Cozumel next Thanksgiving and she said it sounded good to her so I followed the link and before you know it I was in. No small feat when trying to get into an Ironman these days. I was already signed up for Lake Placid but that was in July, plenty of time to recover and get ready again. No problem. Right……wrong.
Lake Placid went well but I had some cramping issues on the bike and run due to, I think, lack of training and trying a new gel in a bottle instead of my usual power gels. I got a little dehydrated but I got through it and had fun in the end as I always do. My family was there and even my nieces from California came and loved it. They may even volunteer for next year. It was a great experience and a lot of fun.
As I recovered from LP work got very busy and I never really got back into a regular training. I did the Iroquois Trail 100 mile Relay with my friends Mike and Dave, in September, but other than a lot of trail running in preparation for that, there was not a lot of other training going on. No problem, I’ll just do as much as I can and go for it.
My wife was supposed to come with me to Cozumel but as the race approached her mom was put in the hospital and she was not able to go.
All of my kids volunteered to come along in her place but there was a little thing called school that got in the way of me and their mother letting them come. So I was going solo. No problem.
It was right before I left for the race that I made a terrible mistake and sealed my fate for breaking any pr’s. One that I know better than to do and if anybody asked me if they should do it, I would say no way. I bought a new pair of shoes and I never ran in them before the race. I walked in them a lot but I never ran in them. Big mistake. Very big mistake. Pictures to follow……..
Getting to Cancun from Newark was no problem and taking the bus to Playa Del Carmen was about an hour ride and cost $9. The ferry to Cozumel was another 45mins ( $11 ) followed by a 15 min. taxi to my hotel. ( $15 ) The shorter my ride the more expensive it got!
Cozumel is beautiful and the temperature was low 80’s the day I arrived.
The next morning I rode my bike down to the swim. The water was great but it was pretty choppy and there was a good current coming at me as I swam away from the dock. I made it almost to the first turn and turned around. It took me 30 mins. on the way out and 15 mins back. Fast current. The next day ( Friday ) the practice swim was cancelled due to waves and wind. Not a good sign for Sunday. A lot of the first timers were freaking out. I figured that however bad it was, it was the same for everyone, and there was nothing I could do about it. No worries here. We did get in a short swim on Saturday and the conditions were improving.
RR:
The race-
I left the hotel on the bus around 5:30am. 10min. ride to the start.
I got my tires topped off and checked everything on my bike. We started in the water and everyone had to jump or climb down the stairs from the dock. It was a mob scene trying to get everyone in the water by 7am so I waited until the end and then jumped from the dock about 3 mins before the start. I never heard the starting horn because the helicopter was right above us and I did see a few people take off early.
The ocean had calmed down and the swim was great. I pr’d by 9 minutes and so did everyone else. They moved the whole course in closer to the shoreline and the long stretch with the current did the trick. I got out of the water fine and headed for T1. A quick rinse to get the salt off and get some sunscreen and I was rolling. I was surprised when I saw how long that took me. It felt much faster. The bike was along the road that goes around the entire island and on the west side it runs right along the beach. It was a beautiful ride and I was averaging almost 20 mph until the second leg which takes you along the ocean on the west side of the island. It was pretty windy over there but after about 11 miles we turned to the east and had a nice tailwind for about 7 miles. As I got into town the crowds were building and the support from them was great. A few turns through the middle of town and past the finish line, and I was out of town again on the main road to do another loop. This is where it started to get hot and windy. Still not too bad and I had plenty of energy left. At mile 75 I started to get a few cramps in my inner thighs on both legs so I started to take more salt tabs. I was drinking Gatorade, water, and my Infinite mix.
By the third loop the wind had picked up and on the ocean leg someone said there were 25 mph gusts. I was down to 13 mph in some spots. Not exactly an easy ride. On the last leg into town the crowds carried us into T2 and off on the run. The people where great and even though I’m sure many of them had never seen or even heard of a triathlon before, they cheered like crazy and it made the race so much better because they did. It was pretty hot and humid to start the run but some clouds rolled in and there even was a sprinkle of rain for a few minutes. Alos, while I was finishing my last loop on the bike the balls of my feet were getting hot. This is common for me so I didn’t think twice about it. I put a couple of band aids on the spots in T2 and I was off on the run. I got about 3 miles and me feet were killing me. I proceeded to run/walk the rest of the marathon. My stomach also was taking a turn for the worse and I can usually get through that but on this day it never really felt good. I looked for some chicken broth but there was none in site. I went from looking at a sub 14 no problem to struggling to keep it under 15.
I was on pace for a PR but that thought was soon gone and I just wanted to break 15 hrs. I hooked up with another fellow sufferer ( feet also ) and we stayed together until the end. 14:57. The marathon should have taken me around 5 hrs. I think my time was around 6:25.
For a first time event I thought it went well. The crowds were great and the course was beautiful. The 3 loop run was a little boring by the last loop but I don’t think they had any place else to do it without shutting down the whole island. The concept of special needs was not explained to the helpers very well and it was a hassle getting my bags. ( some people did not ) The aid stations were not stocked with anything extra and after mile 10 on the run the thought of another gel or power bar was not welcomed. I forced some Gatorade once in a while only because I knew I couldn’t finish without it.
Coming into the finish line was great and there was a band playing some Mexican songs and the crowd was still there going nuts. It wasn’t Mike Reilly, but someone announced, Jim Eggie, you, are, an Ironman!!!!! Wow, I am. I made it again. This was the toughest one yet and doing it without my family there was not the same. I also proved what a lack of training and some new shoes can do to your best laid plans. Still it was an Ironman and I got the medal and the coolest finishers shirt ever to prove it. I’ll be back to try for that pr but not next year, maybe in 2011. Who knows. It’s hard to let go of this stuff.
Nutrition- up at 3:30am- I had 3 Ensures, a banana, one Gatorade, ½ cup of coffee, a plain roll, one salt tab, and a gel 15 mins before the start of the swim.
On the bike I had 1000 cals of Infinite extra sodium, 6 gels, 2 powerbars, 1 banana, 4 bottles of Gatorade, and water in between.
And a salt tab every hour. ( 5 the last 2 hours )
On the run I had only stuff from the course.
What I would do different next time-
I would run in my new shoes before the race!
Sorry for length of this.
P.S. None of this would be possible without my family’s and friends constant love, support, and encouragement. You guys are great!
Thanks! See you in LP!
Pictures of my feet the day after the race are below. Don’t look if you are squeamish, they were pretty bad.
