The 2010 Ironman Louisville earned its cred this year as the Ironman having the highest DNF rate of all races. This year they announced at the awards banquet that 2555 athletes started the race, but only 2067 finished, there was a 16% DNF rate – 488 athletes. Over 400 athletes also didn’t start the race that had registered. I can say that I witnessed a lot of carnage out there on both the bike and run.

To say that the conditions out there were brutal would be a under statement. The temp hit 97 degrees and the humidity was pushing 90%. I trained in a lot of heat this year however, I discovered that putting all three disciplines together in that type of heat is a whole different ball game.

I hit the Triathlon Mind Training Program hard the week of the race and I am happy I did. At no time did is ever feel that I would not make it or that I had to rest or DNF. I honestly felt good physically and emotionally through out the entire race. I did have some sever pain along the way and you will see that as you read on. (Note to self…develop a pain management program for triathlon!)

Well with that said here is my race report:

August 26, 2010 – Thursday

I took today off of work in order to get into registration early and get some rest as well. I hosted a pro this year so I was also prepping for his visit as well. My pro was Clemente Alonso McKernan and I have to say that he was one of the nicest people I have ever met. Clemente is from Grand Canarie Spain and I found great interest in his country and what he had to say about it. You see, I am a second generation Islano from Grand Canarie Spain. It was nice to speak with him about Grand Canarie and all the places I heard about as a child. Also during Clemente’s he was willingly taught me a lot about triathlon nutrition, training and strategy at the pro level. I can not wait to implement what I learned for Ironman New Orleans 70.3.

I arrived at the Gault house at about 9:30 AM and started the registration process. You can read more about my experience during registration on my blog post titles “Reality sets in for 2010 Ironman Louisville” dated August 26. After registration and grocery shopping for the week and prepping for our guest I took a big nap then proceeded to the airport to pick up Clemente.

For dinner this night we had Quinoa with black beans and veggies. I like Quinoa because it is a complete nutrition source and packed with carbs and protein.

August 27, 2010 – Friday

Today started as any other in the Martin house hold. We were up early with the kids in order to get them feed and off to school. After the kids were off Clemente and I talked for a while and then proceeded to the Gault House for his pro meeting and registration. After the pro meeting we hung out with the rest of the pros and went through the pro registration process then talked for a little bit and headed to the expo for some items Clemente needed for the race. During this time I was able to hang with Mike Folan AKA “The Folanator” of Infinit Nutrition.

After we were set and all talked out at the expo we headed home for some carb loading. One of the things Clemente taught me was the value of carb and sodium loading prior to the event. I am not talking about just eating a bowl of pasta, I am talking a pound of pasta each with three white bagels. I was stuffed!!! I have never eaten like this and it was a learning experience to say the least. Clemente assured me that it was a good thing to do and that it would burn off about ¾ through the bike. I carb loaded prior to other 70.3 races but this was in a whole different league.

That night I went to the mandatory age groupers meeting. In this meeting I noticed that they announced a few things that were different from what was in the athlete’s guide. I the guide it stated that the swim cut off time would be 2:20 after the last swimmer was in the water. They changed that to 2:20 from the start of the race. They also added 15 minutes to the bike and run cut which, I thought was a good thing.

That night we carb loaded again with some pasta and bagels then retired for the night.

August 28, 2010 – Saturday

Today was a busy day. I woke up and some latte’s for Clemente and I and some breakfast. Breakfast was 6-8 slices of white toast each and I also had some yogert. After breakfast I started to get my bags and bike together. After all my crap was bagged and ready to go I loaded my bike and headed to bike check in. Since I only live about 13 miles from the transition Clemente wanted to get a last minute ride in and he road down to the bike check in.

I heard a lot about bike check in at Ironman Louisville and man was it awesome! As I was standing in line for bike check in Clemente showed up and we waited in line. Once we reached the enterance I did nothing, that’s right nothing! The volunteers were all over the place and I handed my bike to one volunteer and my bags to another. I they placed my bike and bags where they were to live until I returned for them after the race. I got a good look at transition and then proceeded home to carb load and rest. If your wondering, dinner was 1 ½ cups white rice and a little bit of proteine.

I took a shower and then I hit the sack about 9:30 PM and laid in bed with complete darkness until I finally went to sleep.

August 29, 2010 – Race Day!!!!

My alarm went off at 4:00 AM and I promptly started getting dressed and ready to eat breakfast. Breakfast was just 2 dry bagels. I usually eat more for 70.3 distance races but I have done so much carb loading over the last three days that I simply had no room to put any more food.

My wife was out of town Friday and Saturday night at a tennis tournament she was playing in and arrived late Saturday night. She stayed at her moms that hight and about 4:30 they all showed up in their Team Martin tee’s. That was a big surprise to me!! It was nice to see that they took the time to get some shirts designed for my special day.

We proceeded to transition and got there about 4:50 AM. Since I work and park across form the Great Lawn area I was able to walk across the street form my parking lot and enter the transition area. While walking into transition Maru and the kids went to the start to hold me a spot. Because of the unique time trial start it is a first come first server start. The object is to get as close to the front of the line as possible.

After prepping my bike and bags for the day I proceeded to walk the ¾ of a mile to the start. When I approached the start it stopped to get body marked and once I was on the line I saw Brian standing there in his Louisville Land Sharks shirt holding spots for all members. SWEET!! Brian was at the front! I called Maru and told her to come up front that I was getting in line with the other Land Sharks. After a trip to the port-a-potty they started leading us down to the starting docks. Man this is FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN!!

The pros went off at 6:50 and then it was the ager groupers turn. I was the 25^th person in the water and it was a battle to reach the first turn buoy. The swim in the channel was tight and I had to battle the whole way. About ¾ of the way to the turn I was punched in the eye then as I was swimming over some one to get away form the hit I was kicked in the testicles. Once I was able to push my way free I was at the turn.

After making the turn I went wide and got into some clear water. Once in clear water I was able to site and get my line for the remainder of the swim. Every one talked about the current and how it was going to make you faster once you make the turn. Well I never did feel the current. As I was swimming past barge island I thought “dam this is one long ass barge”. When looking at barge island form the land it does not look as long as it is. I kept swimming and finally reached the first bridge. At this time I looked at my watch and saw that I was at 58 minutes. YES!!! I am going to beat my target time of 1:30! I went back to swimming and finally saw the exit. I positioned my line and swam as fast as I could.

I reached the steps was grabbed by a volunteer and the start of T1!

Time – 1:23:07

T1:

I exited the water and ran to T1. As I approached there was a volunteer with a walkie talkie relaying our race numbers to T1 and as I got to the entrance I yelled out my number and a volunteer grabbed my bike bag. I then headed into the changing tent and it was Africa hot in there. I quickly put on my shirt, socks, shoes, helmet and sunglasses. I went out the tent stopped for some sun screen and got my bike. I ran out of T1 to the mount line and started the bike.

The Bike:

My bike was right on plan. My goal was less than 7 hours. I started out on River Road and immediately ran into a accident. I passed a fork and wheel laying in front of a cop car and thought already, dam this is going to be a long day. I continued down River Road and my plan was to not take any nutrition until I consumed at least one aero bottle of water. I finished the first bottle at about the first aid station where I grabbed two bottles of water, one for my aero and one for behind my seat.

My nutrition plan was to take in Infinit and water at least every 15 minutes. About a week before the race I purchased a Timex Ironman watch with a count down timer and set it to go off every 15 minutes after the first aid station. I only use Infinit and I carry no solids. I had two mixed 3 hour bottles on my frame and one dry 2 hour bottle behind my seat just in case. And later you will see how that came in handy.

I hit 42 and started riding the hills! The ride up 42 was nice and long with some rollers along the way. When I hit 1694 for the out and back I was stll feeling good. I looked ant my garmin and I noticed that I was at 58 minutes. I turned rigt and tackled 1694 with a vengeance.

After 1694 I took a right on 42 and headed to 393 to start my first loop. 393 is a long road that is a ride into a valley and a long climb back out. 393 is where Team Martin was stationed and it was good to see my crew there cheering. I got a boost and then turned onto 146. On 146 we headed into LeGrange and the viewing area. This was amazing!! About ½ mile of wall to wall cheering fans!! After getting that boost we made our way to Ballard School Road, LeEspree Pkwy, 152 and back to 42. the ride to enter loop 2 was about 10 miles or rollers and preaty streight forward.

The roughest part of the ride was when aid stations at mile 70 and 80 ran out of water. At the 70 mile aid station I stopped and waited in line while they filled used water bottles with hose water. I saw that they had ice and I filled my aero bottle with ice knowing that as I went on it would melt and I could sip on it as I went along. When I got to the 80 mile aid station still no water! By this time I was out of mixed Infinit as well. Again I filled my aero with ice and went on.

At mile 106 I go some water as the supply truck arrived and I was able to fill my dry Infinit bottle and get some more well needed electrolytes and calories. With 6 miles left I poored on the speed and gave it all I had so I could beat the 7 hour mark.

Time – 6:58:48 I made it!!

T2

When I got into T2 I grabbed my bag and headed to the changing tent. My feet were soaked from the ice in my Craft cooling shirt. During the ride I started to feel my feet get hot spots and I knew from that point on it was time to try and manage my feet.

I tried to dry my fet as much as I could. When I looked at my feet I noticed that they were starting to prune up and I know i was in trouble. I put on my dry socks and shoes then headed out for the run. I knew it was only a matter of time until I would have blisters to deal with.

The Run.

Well this is where it all fell apart. I exited T2 and hit the run with my plan in mind and I was ready to follow it. My plan for the run was to negative split the run with a 3 hour first half and a 2:15 – 2:30 second half.

The run started like all my bricks in training…slow. I walked the first ¼ mile then started running at a acceptable pace. My nutrition plan for the run was simple, Infinit run formula. I carried three 2 hr bottles in my amphipod fuel belt and sipped on it as needed the whole way.

The run was going good. I was steady at a 13-14 min pace and was set to hit my goal for the first half. I just put my head down and went on until I hit the next aid station. At each aid station I would take a hit of Infinit and some water. As I came upon the 13 mile mark I saw that I was slightly behind on pace but nothing that I could not manage along the way. My goal was 3:00 and I was at 3:08.

As I crossed the timing mat at 13 miles I knew it was only about a ½ mile until I got to see my fans and support crew again. I passed Team Martin slapped some high fives and kept on trucking. As I passed them I turned to start my second loop and hit the 14 mile check point. At this point I put my fresh socks on and noticed that the blisters were starting.

OK everyone I talk to who has done a Ironman has always said you have to have the chicken broth, “it will level you out and give you some energy”. Well I took some at mile 15 and man what a HUGE MISTAKE!! As soon as I finished the cup I felt my gut start to churn and here it comes, diarrhea!! Not what I needed at mile 15!! I hit the port-a-potty and kept on going. I sipped some water and Infinit until I felt better and lept on going. At about mile 16 – 17 I started to feel my feet getting hot again, hot like some one was under me with a lighter on my feet.

At mile 16 my foot pain was so bad that I stopped to take a look at my feet to see what was going on. Well a hell of a lot was going on, let me tell you! I had blisters across both balls of my feet and in between my big toes on both feet as well. This pain has to be the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. This is where I reverted to a just finish plan. Every time I took a step it felt like some one was stabbing me in my feet. I did what I could to pop the blisters and drain them. Once I was back on my way I made it to mile 18 and it was too much pain to go on running. At this point I started to walk. I walked until mile 24 where again I checked my feet and popped the remaining blisters. After getting my shoes back on I started to run through the pain and head to the finish. I ran/shuffled to mile 25 and then did what I could to keep that pace to the end.

I made the last turn and I could see the lights of the finish!! At this point all my pain went away and I started running with all I had left. As I entered the chute it was rock star time! The noise of the crowd was defining, the lights were bright and I could not see any of the people yelling my name. As I got closer I saw Mike “The Voice of Ironman” he pointed at me and said the words that that I have been dreaming of for months, I could feel it deep in my soul as he said “Jay Martin of Louisville Kentucky, YOU, ARE, A, IRONMANNNN!”

I DID IT!!

FINISH – 15:13:17!

All in all I am happy with my performance and time. I was on plan until mile 15 and that is a lot further than I expected. I own a whole lot of gratitude to my wife and family for their support during my ironman journey. With out their support and sacrifice for my goals I would have not made it to the start line.

My Ironman journey was awesome and I learned a lot about my self and my abilities. Most of all I learned that I have a lot more in the tank! I can not wait until Ironman Florida 2012. My goal for Ironman Florida…Kona!

Today was the first day of athlete check in for the 2010 Ironman Louisville and the day that I start to realize that today is the start of the end for my 22 months of training for Ironman Louisville. I started the day early, got the kids of to school and headed into the Gault House for check in. As I was walking up the stairs leading into the check in area I started to feel nervous and had to pee really bad. As I turned the corned and saw all the tables I took a deep breath and thought man this is real.

As I proceeded to check in I was asked out a question card asking about my stay in Louisville, since I live here well I like where I am staying. From that table I went over to the first station where the were taking body compositions for all the athletes. This was a mandatory stop and could not be avoided. My stats were good considering where I was when I started training. When I started training for triathlon, Ironman New Orleans 70.3, I was a stout 210 – 215 pounds and God only knows what my body fat was. Although I am still caught up in the body image mess that most people are burdened with I am happy with the way my body has changed over the last 22 months ago.

After body composition I proceeded into the packet pick up area and it was huge. At the packet table I received my packet containing my race numbers, swim cap, timing chip, and bike claim tickets. I them walked to the timing chip activation station and registered my chip. I verified my name age and bib number then went to get my goodie bag. The goodie bag contained my bags for morning, bike, special needs, and run. I asked where were the tee shirts and they stated that you get a tee shirt if you finish. Wow that is serious!!

So after I picked up my awesome diddi bag I was lead into the IRONMAN MERCHANDISE area! Yes I dropped some change there on some stuff for the kids, a all in awe 140.6 sticker, two water bottles and two horns for the kids. I’ll take my wife back tomorrow to see if there is something she may want for her marathon training. I also stopped and talked to Mike Folan with Infinit Nutrition and discussed some nutrition stuff.

After leaving the Gault House I went to my car and drove home to write this report. Well now its off the the grocery store to get food. I have a Pro to feed after all! I am hosting Pro Triathlete Clemente Alanso KcKernan this year and am looking forward to getting a pros perspective on Ironman Louisville. I will post more tomorrow.

Later…