ThreeThousand

a few FBGs in This one started on Feb 4th. so far it's been a very interesting process.

Are defenses worth a lot? The Bengals D for $33 and the 1.01 for $53 seems a little mad.

Looked at the D scoring, it isn't crazy. Pretty standard except for 2 pt sacks instead of 1 pt, and distance bonus for D TDs. With a $250 cap, spending $33-$39 on a D is crazy in a dynasty. Too much ebb and flow from one year to the next in D scoring.

Also, Vincent Brown for $26? Seems rather high.

Yeah, I like Brown but I would put 10% of my budget on him.

He went for 10%.
Biggest thing about defenses - with 32 teams in the league, defenses are a scarce resource and without having to worry about injuries (less so than with other players anyway) it makes some sense to me to put 10-15% of our salary in a good D. Less if you can get away with it, but like with any scarce resource, you need to get one when you can or risk walking away empty handed.
Same can be said with QBs and kickers, and QBs have been expensive so far. Kickers don't score enough to spend much on and if you walk away without a kicker, you can still field a competitive team.

Also, rookie picks are price protected for 3 years, and all other players get a $5 salary increase every year, making picks more valuable.

I'll bet Bodhi was there.

No way - he's at Bells beach.

Sending you a link.........got 4 teams today so far  Seems to interest people since they dont need to know full IDP players......just a category.

Interested also - can you send me a link?

Your goal(s) for the year ahead:  Earn a brick.

You racing Savageman?

IMFL 2012 Race Report

GENERAL INFORMATION

Ironman Florida 2012 was my 1st Ironman, thus, the below report has no frame of reference.  I did, however, volunteer last year to register for this year, so I can speak a little bit to the difference in weather.  Last year’s conditions were very mild, seas were very calm, almost like glass, but the weather was chilly both in the morning and at night (I volunteered at the finish line).  Temperatures reached high 60s in late afternoon on the run course.

In preparation for this year’s event, I based most things on getting similar conditions to last year but always kept my race strategies upon on the off chance that conditions would be different. They certainly were.

All week long, forecasts were predicting highs in the low 80s with humidity between 60% and 95% all day and potentially high winds. Come race morning, the temperature forecasts were holding but the winds looked to be calming, seas still seemed pretty challenging to me. I am a pretty MOP swimmer, and not much of that is in open water, so my frame of reference may be a little off but I felt like we had some pretty big rolling waves (three or four feet rolling past the breakers).

One thing that is really strange, at least for a first-time IM, is that you have to have your T1 and T2 stuff (all helmets, shoes, visors, socks, etc.) all bagged up and dropped off the night before with your bike.  I can’t tell you how many times I packed and repacked these bags, hoping I wasn’t forgetting something crucial.  

PRE RACE

Race morning went almost according to plan; I got a solid night of sleep, woke up at around 4:15am and started checking things off the list. Hopped in the shower to wake up, body glided all the nether bits, ankles, underarms, etc., tossed on my De Soto Forza Riviera shorts (love these things) and a 2XU top.  For breakfast was a bagel with peanut butter and 32 oz of Gatorade.

Once prepped up I headed down to race site, got body marked, and dropped of special needs bags. Even with a huge race, with many first timers, Ironman does a great job making sure you can find where you need to go.  Dropping the special needs off was a breeze, even though I had to go back and get my bike SN bag out to get out my sunscreen, apply it, and put it back in my bag.  With the sun forecast to be strong, I wanted to make sure I could reapply sunscreen halfway through the bike.  My bike SN bag had a spare tube, spare CO2, stick of body glide, spare contact lenses, a Redbull, and a can of V8.  Run SN bag had a change of socks, a pair of arm warmers, spare contact lenses, a light for my run visor, and a Redbull.  

With special needs dropped off, it was off to the bike to make final preparations, it had rained a little over night, so I toweled everything off, aired up my tires, filled my aero bottle, and I was done.  I now had about an hour to sit inside and freak out before the swim started.  My friend that was down there volunteering met me inside the Boardwalk hotel atrium and we sat and chatted until it was time to head out to the beach.  

I hit the bathroom one more time to make sure the lower digestive system is on empty and then I grab the wetsuit to lube it up and get it ready. While air temperatures are going to be high this day, the water temperature is still looking at just under 70 so thankfully we are wetsuit legal. On the way out to the beach, I ran into my parents/brother, put on the wetsuit, and took some pictures.  Was hoping to find the wife, who had the kids with her, and take some pictures, but I got caught up in the mass of humanity trying to get out to the beach along two little walkways, and couldn’t meet up with her.  Oh well, I’ll see her at the finish.

The next 15 minutes is a blur, as the pro male/paratriathletes started at 6:45, and the pro females started at 6:50, before the age group start at 7:00.  Much to my surprise, I hear the 1 minute to go call and notice that there are still a bunch of people out near waist deep. Apparently, this is not going to be a beach start this year.  I seed myself to the far right, about 10 rows back from the front, and look around.  The sheer number of athletes starting was amazing – there were pink and green swim caps everywhere.  


SWIM START

I hit my watch start button about 2 seconds after the cannon fires and we are off. I immediately notice that my goggles are a little more foggy than I am used to and that the dark mirror is making it hard to see since we are only a couple of minutes past dawn. I will want the mirror later, so I must deal with it early on.

I tried to start pretty far to the right of the swim to let the current bring me to the first turn (this is a two loop rectangular swim that goes out south 0.5 miles, east 0.25 miles, north 0.5 miles and then along the beach over the timing mat and do it again.

The contact was terrible for me this year, I was getting my ### kicked and punched and all beat to hell. Even after getting through the breakers, the rolling waves still felt pretty huge to me, I would try to sight when at the crest of the wave, but it still seemed tough to see from buoy to buoy.  This was seriously the worst part of the race – I actually thought that I wouldn’t be able to finish the swim.  A few thoughts of getting pulled out of the water by a boat or kayak.  I can handle the contact, and I can handle the swells, but dealing with both I seriously thought I might drown a couple times.  A few times kicked in the face, a few times dragged by the feet, a few times tangled in the arms, a couple times fixing the goggles after a good kick, a couple of breast strokes to see where the hell I was and I make the first turn buoy. I took it super-wide to avoid the pileup, and after that it was just swimming, thankfully.  I found some clean water, and after the turn we were swimming with the current, so it got a ton easier very quickly.

After an uneventful way back because I’m way wide right, I get into shallow water and see people walking in, I am usually the guy that swims until I literally can’t swim anymore, but the small breakers were crashing on me and I was not making the progress that I had hoped, so on my feet and I am running.

Per usual when running after swim, my heart rate spikes and I feel like I am in the last 100 yards of a 5k.  I run as far to the west as the crowd and volunteers will allow, which is almost back to the start and I am back in the water (where I instantly settle back in to a groove and no longer feel like I am sprinting a 5k).  Second lap was pretty uneventful, but I could tell about halfway through that I was getting tired and my form was slipping, so I slowed down a bit.  Goal time for the swim was under 1:20, and I finished the swim in 1:23:45, but was pretty pumped just to be out of the water and on my bike.

Split Time Pace
1.2 miles 39:31 2:02/100m
2.4 miles 44:14 2:17/100m

T1

I ran hard up the beach, skipped the wetsuit strippers because I didn’t want to get sandy, but did hit the freshwater showers since I wouldn’t be changing clothes.  I didn’t want to have salt chafing, so I lingered longer than I probably should have in the showers.  Saw my parents and wife in the chute between the swim and the T1 bag pickup.  Grab my bag and head into the men’s changing tent, and the first bare ### greets me as I turn the corner into the tent.  That didn’t take long, lol.

Despite the madness of the changing tent I manage to find a spot next to the wall pretty quickly, open my bag, and dump it out.  Put on socks/shoes, helmet, toss my gels in my pocket, put on the sunglasses, and I’m off.  Running toward racks, I have a long circuitous run to my rack, but I can see the volunteers standing by it so I start yelling my number at him. By the time I reach my rack he is moving toward my bike, I bend over put my shoes on, he hands me the bike right in time, I gingerly run the rest of way in cleats and I mount just past the mount line and I am OUT.  T1 time 9:12


BIKE

I was hoping to average approximately 18mph on the course, but avoid going out too fast and dying the second half.  I wanted to maintain between 17-19mph the whole ride.  This meant, however, I was going backwards through the field for the first 2-3 hours.  Huge packs of riders were passing me like I’m standing still, while I’m pedaling away in my small chain ring. One big hill on the first half of the course, the bridge at about mile 11.  I took that opportunity to get up out of the saddle, even though I didn’t need to, and stretch everything out.  It would be the last opportunity to do so for 50 miles.

Brief note about nutrition – my plan was to race off of the course offerings, which were Perform, Gu, and Bonk Breakers.  At the Augusta 70.3 I managed to snag about 10 extra bottles of ready-to-drink Perform (it’s not sold in the US any more) to use on my final training rides, and had been training with Gu and BB for months.  Had a couple spare/emergency gels and bars with me, just in case, but essentially lived off the course.  I had pre-filled my aero bottle with water, grabbed a water bottle at every aid station, and filled it up.  Drank to thirst, which was about a bottle of water/hr, had a gel or half a bar every 20-30 minutes, and used Perform to switch things up when I wanted something other than water. Seemed to work perfectly for me – I didn’t have to carry much, and I never seemed to have an energy issue.  Took a couple extra-strength Tylenol at about mile 25, and one more about mile 70, as the back of my neck tends to act up on long aero rides, but that was about it.  

This course is pretty crowded, especially since I came out of the swim behind schedule. I give the guys a free pass in the first 20 miles or so, but after that, the packs are obviously intentionally cheating. We roll up on special needs (this is the only part of the course with poor pavement conditions for about 10 miles) and I had to pee, so I quickly stopped.  Grabbed the Redbull out of my bag, applied some sunscreen, and drank my Redbull while waiting for the porta-potty. I am seeing some people that cheated early on now in the penalty tent, I also see some of the cheaters pass me again with a slash on their bib (of course they pass me the 2nd time cheating again), no fuss for me, I am riding my race and I am riding it clean.

Rest of bike is pretty uneventful, there’s another out and back about mile 90, but other than that it’s just heading back to PCB.  Back up over the bride at mile 100, and the last 8miles or so are pretty easy, as we’re back on Front Beach Road heading back to transition.  

Bike Numbers:

Split Distance Time RaceTime Pace
15 mi 15 mi   48:46 2:21:43 18.46 mi/h    
33 mi 18 mi   1:01:39 3:23:22 17.52 mi/h    
55 mi 22 mi   1:07:18 4:30:40 19.61 mi/h    
72 mi 17 mi   1:04:27 5:35:07 15.83 mi/h    (incl special needs stop)
94.7 mi 22.7 mi   1:12:53 6:48:00 18.69 mi/h    
112 mi 17.3 mi   57:06 7:45:06 18.18 mi/h    
Total 112 mi 6:12:09 7:45:06 18.06 mi/h

T2

Ran into room where gear bags were and grabbed mine with no issue, bag was open before I got to change tent. The madness, as I’m sure you’d figure, was far less.  I actually found a seat, and had a helpful volunteer.  Off with the cycling shoes/socks, re-body glided the feet, put back on some fresh socks, and new sunglasses.  Grabbed my visor, and I was out.  Hit the sunscreen volunteers this time (because there was a cute girl who offered to lube me up   ), and I was out the run exit.  T2 time 4:59

RUN

I am off to run, I put in some pretty decent run mileage this year in the hopes of having a very solid run at this race.  As I’m out the door at 7:55 race time, I thought that if I could throw down a 4 hr marathon, I could break 12 hours.  

The heat again threw me for a loop regarding my race plan, so I adjusted things some prior to race day and decided to BE PATIENT. This is exactly how I wanted to feel. I knew this progression, 9 minute miles would feel ridiculously easy, at some point it would feel like I was in a groove, and then at some point I would have to work hard to hold it.

Run nutrition plan was a gel every 30 minutes, supplemented with water, Perform, and cola to thirst.  This plan made it to about mile 10.  I was at the mile 10 aid station and wanted a gel – they only had non-caffeinated, peanut butter gels.  Normally I love these things, but I needed the caffeine at this point.  So, I skipped the gel.  Bad, bad move.  Aid station at mile 11 didn’t have gels, that I could see.  By the time I make it to mile 12, I’m starving.  The aid stations on an Ironman are like a buffet – they’ve got basically everything you want.  I grab a cookie (and these aren’t like little oreos, these are huge chocolate chip cookies, like 4 inches in diameter) and wolf it down, followed by a pack of Gu Chomps.  The cookie tasted freakin’ awesome, but unfortunately that’s like 400-500 calories at a time when my stomach wanted like 100 calories, and neither the cookie nor the Chomps I had trained with.

The course is essentially an out and back to the state park that you do twice.  The first (and last) 1.5 miles of each loop are along Thomas Drive, so there are plenty of spectators cheering, music playing, etc.  Tons of crowd support.  The next 3.5-4 miles, though, are through residential neighborhoods in PCB that never seem to end.  Then, there’s about another mile to 1.5 miles up to the park and into the park for the turnaround.  

I hit mile 13 and the course is rocking, people are screaming, at 13.1 I see the wife and the family that came out and I get a surge and start to speed up a hair. I come through special needs at Alvin’s Island, make a quick stop to change my socks (they were drenched) and grab my run Redbull and visor light.  I got about 3 sips of the Redbull in (it was warm by this time) and decided it was nasty.

By the time I hit mile 13.5, though, my stomach is in revolt from the cookie.  All I wanted to do was yak, but thought that I’d really regret it if I did. The next 3 miles were a sufferfest as I try to keep my cookie/Chomps down.

After finally making it to the park, and my stomach settling down, I turn around at 19.5 or so and am heading for home. As I’m leaving the park, it basically falls into full nightfall.  The next 3.5-4 miles, through dark neighborhoods, were the worst part of the run.  It was very lonely, I was the only person running (for the most part, some people would run for a few steps and then lapse back into a walk).  It’s very true, what you hear, that an Ironman run course is littered with the carnage of people who buggered their bike pacing.  That second lap, I’d say 90% of the athletes were walking.

Once you get out of the neighborhoods, though, the crowds pick back up.  I’d say that the crowd support, by this time, is getting pretty raucous.  Crazy ladies (and dudes) are out in full costume.  I make the turn to go past Alvin’s Island and I can hear the finish line announcer, and see the lights.  After a long finisher chute, it’s done.  I am tired.

Run Numbers:

Split Distance Time RaceTime Pace
2 mi 2 mi   18:26 8:08:31 9:13/mi    
4 mi 2 mi   19:21 8:27:52 9:40/mi    
6.6 mi 2.6 mi   25:14 8:53:06 9:51/mi    
9.1 mi 2.5 mi   25:28 9:18:34 10:01/mi    
11.1 mi 2 mi   19:51 9:38:25 9:55/mi    
13 mi 1.9 mi 19:52 9:58:17 10:17/mi    
15 mi 1.9 mi   21:38 10:19:55 11:12/mi    
17 mi 2 mi   22:26 10:42:21 11:13/mi    
19.5 mi 2.6 mi   27:57 11:10:18 10:55/mi    
22.1 mi 2.6 mi   29:03 11:39:21 11:15/mi    
24.1 mi 2 mi   20:59 12:00:20 10:29/mi    
26.2 mi 2.1 mi   22:41 12:23:01 10:48/mi    
Total 26.2 mi 4:32:56 12:23:01 10:25/mi

Overall time 12:23:01 – pretty pleased with that for an IM debut.  I am still sore today. Great race overall, many thanks to IMFL crew and all the volunteers. We had over 3,000 volunteers out there, how awesome is that?