Vineman Ironman Triathlon

Several weeks have passed since I completed Ironman #2: the Full Vineman.  This race was marked by major GI distress on the second loop of the bike course and during the marathon.  Here is what happened: 


I went to a Chinese restaurant in Santa Rosa with my family on Friday night.  I woke up early Saturday at 3am and had a normal bowel movement.  I drank about 20 oz Zico coconut water.  Had a couple bananas, one FRS energy chew, and a Hawaiian bread roll.  ( I was fine with this for Vineman 70.3)
I got ice from the ice machine and mixed it with bottled water and my usual Cytomax powder. ( ? ice is not my usual routine, but I did not have a fridge and I was expecting a warm / hot day)
Pre-swim I had Gatorade G1 and my usual energy bar, along with about 4 oz gatorade at T1 aid station.
I used the Port-a-Potty and had a soft BM ( not diarrhea) ( no soap / hand sanitizer  ? contamination)

Swim 1:21:52 which is a great swim time for me since I'm not a very good swimmer.  No GI issues. ( ? Swallowed a little river water)

T1 8:14

Bike 6:20:24  which is a pretty good ride, but considering that my first 56 mile loop was just under 3 hours, the second loop was slower than I would have preferred.
I was feeling good to great through the first bike loop.  Then on my second loop I started to feel very "gassy" and whenever I got into the Aero position, I felt abdominal pressure and the sensation that I wanted to have a bowel movement.  So not being Aero and the fatigued legs probably contributed to the slower 2nd loop on the bike.  I just tried to suck it up until I could hit the Port-a-Pottie in T2.
I had 2 bottles of Cytomax and 1 of Gatorade from the aid station, along with 1 pack Clif Shot Blok Margarita flavor and 1 or 2 energy bars during the first loop.  I also took 1 salt tablet around hour 3.
Second loop I had 1 bottle of Cytomax, 1 bottle of water, 1 bottle of Monster Maize which I took in last 45 minutes of ride.  I had 1 pack Clif Shot Blok Margarita, 1 pack Shot Blok Tropical Punch, 1 pack Power-bar gel blasts, and 1 salt tablet around hour 6.

T2 6:43  I had a slow T2 because I had to use the Port-a-Pottie and as I had feared it was diarrhea.  I couldn't eliminate completely because I wanted to get out of T2 ASAP.  ( Again no soap / no sanitizer)

Run 4:49:58 which is not good for me, since running is my strength.

  

I started the marathon and the first 9 miles I was OK, although I felt gassy and I could hear the fluid sloshing around in my bowels.  I wanted to "fart" but was afraid I would have a diarrhea accident, so I tried to hold the gas in, which led to cramping and a lot of abdominal discomfort.  I didn't drink or eat as much because I didn't want to contribute to the "gassy", fullness sensation.  I skipped the first couple aid stations and then had a small cup of cola or water at the other aid stations.  I carried a pack of Powerbar Gel Blasts and I ate them sometime during the first or second run loop.  

As I passed the port-a-potty at each aid station, I debated whether to stop or not, I ended up holding it in until the bitter end.
I ended up alternating between walking and jogging.  By mile 16, I hit the "wall", I felt behind in my hydration and nutrition, but didn't think my GI system could handle anything.  But I forced myself to drink some Gatorade and water and I started eating grapes at the aid station.  ( I stopped the cola because I thought it might be making the gassiness worse) 
I had to "slow down" and walk, so that hopefully I could recover and go faster in the end.  By this point I had gone over 130 miles and been out for over 11 hours, quitting was not an option.  

Fortunately this worked.  By mile 20, I was able to pick up my pace and start run / jog again.  
After 12:47:11, I became an Ironman ( for 2nd time and set a PR)  

Post-race I had diarrhea.  I was able to tolerate some soup, but I couldn't even look at solid food without causing some GI discomfort.  (This is very different from IM Louisville, where I was so hungry after the Ironman that I ate 3 or 4 slices of pizza and a sandwich shortly after the race and then after the L'ville course closed I went out and had drinks and more food at a 4th Street Live restaurant.)

I returned to cheer on my Ironteammates until past 10pm, but due to additional GI distress, I returned to the hotel and had several more episodes of diarrhea that night / Sunday morning.

Lessons learned: 

1) Avoid new restaurants the night before Ironman
2) carry sanitizer pre-race for Port-a-Potty
3) Avoid ice from hotel ice machine
4) Try not to drink murky river water
5) Re-examine each component of my race day nutrition and make sure they are not the culprit.

Vineman Aquabike Race Report

I had a fun day at Vineman last weekend.  This was a training weekend for me, since I'm racing Ironman Louisville August 29th.  I was still very nervous though.  I got my transition stuff set up, used the Port-a-potty, then drank a little FRS, and proceeded to the gathering area for my wave.  The swim finally started around 6:55 am.  I stayed back and swam at a leisurely pace.  I didn't want to go out too fast and redline.  I was determined not to have a repeat of my Alcatraz Challenge experience from a few weeks ago.  The swim went great.  I was actually enjoying myself.  I remember the words of wisdom from Coach Rad: " You're going to do what kids love to do, swim, bike, and run."  So I just thought about being a kid again and swimming for fun.  The only downside to this of course is that I went much slower than I had planned.  I was planning on 1:30  Instead I took 1:43:45 for the 2.4 mile swim.  I know I can push myself a little harder for Louisville, but again I don't want to spend so much energy on the swim that I slow down on the bike.  The only other issue with the swim was the need to pee.  I have a hard time peeing in the wetsuit.  I paused several times during the swim in an attempt to pee, with no success.  Finally around 2 mile mark, I stood up and "mission accomplished."  A kayaker checked on me and told me that I just need to go a little further and I'll be finished with the swim.  Of course I knew I was almost finished, but I've been holding my bladder for at least a mile of swimming!  So finish the swim, out of the water, and into transition.

Transition: 7:59  Not bad, considering I drank a bottle of FRS and ate a PB+J sandwich.  Now with renewed vigor I tackled the 112 mile bike course.

Bike: 6:20:53  My best ride of the season.  Considering that I didn't taper and this was just a hard paced workout, I was very happy with my bike time.  I took it easy the first 10 miles or so, then gradually picked up the pace.  I paid attention to nutrition.  The weather cooperated and it was cool for the first couple hours of the ride.  By the time I hit Chalk Hill, I was in the groove and handled the hill with ease.  I sped down and returned to Windsor to complete the first loop.  I got to the Special Needs bag aid station.  I got off the bike and saw the long line for the Port-a-Potty and decided I'll skip the potty.  I found my bag and restocked my electrolyte fluid bottles and my Powerbars.  I also ate another PB+J sandwich.  Then it was off for loop 2.  This was definitely tougher.  I kept a good pace, but the hills were much tougher the second time around.  I stood more on loop 2 during these climbs.  When I hit Chalk Hill, I was pretty tired.  I used mental will-power to climb up.  The cheering supporters on Chalk Hill definitely helped pick up my spirits and gave me that umph to get up Chalk Hill.  Then it was a speedy descent to Windsor and the Finishline!  When I cross the finish, the volunteers had to stop me.  My body just wanted to keep moving.  A volunteer said, "Whoa, your race is finished!"  So after 8:12:38 I was an Aquabike Finisher.  Doesn't have the same ring as Ironman or even Vineman Finisher.  I know that on that day, I could easily have jogged a marathon and become a Vineman/ Ironman.  But I'll have to wait for Louisville.