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 Swim
Comments: At 6:30 a.m., we made our way from T1 down to the marina (about 1/2 mile). Race workers had been up all night moving the swim start and buoys to make this happen. They have had this backup plan in affect for four years (since the race started), but this was the first time actually implementing it. The race director pointed to a long island out in the marina and said that we were to swim around it twice (once for the Half). We could not do a mass start here, so we were told to line up based on ability, men first. Then they started people in two by two every couple of seconds. I had some issues navigating and swam too wide around the island, but otherwise did okay. The worst part was coming back into the marina where the wind made it really choppy and I got a few mouthfuls of that nasty water. Being a marina, it was full of docked boats, and I could smell fuel, Eeeeew! This was SUPPOSED to be the swim start into Lake Erie.  This is the alternate swim start that we used instead because of the bad weather. That tree line is actually an island; we swam around it twice.  >What would you do differently?: Navigate more directly.  Transition 1
Comments: I came up the ramp and stopped at a wetsuit stripper. My arm sleeve caught on my Garmin, but otherwise it came off okay. We then had to run over 1/2 a mile to T1 barefoot on concrete! Ouchy!!! I grabbed my bag and ran into the changing tent where I dumped it out. I dried off a bit, put on my cycling jersey, grabbed my sunglasses, shoes and socks, and started to head towards my bike. More running on pavement! I stopped to put my socks on than ran in my socks to my bike where I put my cleats on. Reset my Garmin from swim to bike then off I went. This was taken in Transition when we dropped off the bikes Saturday.  This is from the Sprint race coming out of T1 to the bike mount with coasters in the background!  What would you do differently?: I could have been a bit more graceful, but didn't really do anything wrong.  Bike
Comments: Where to start? We had 20 mph winds with 24 mph gusts coming off the lake. I knew I would have my work cut out for me in that wind and that it would be difficult to keep Tiny Roo down on the ground. I also knew that Pete would be worried to death about me handling my bike in those conditions. The wind was atrocious, then to make matters worse, it began to rain! Really? I thought there was only a 10% chance of rain! I had my phone in my bento bag so that it would be available for photos after the race. Ugh... As it began to rain harder, I decided I had better stop and put my phone in a baggy. Luckily, I had some SportsLegs capsules in a baggy of the right size, so I placed my phone in there. Then I continued battling the wind. Every time we turned, I got all excited inside thinking, "relief!" ... only to be disappointed that the crosswinds and headwinds seemed to continue no matter which way we turned. Eventually, I got to the special needs stop. A Boyscout troop was there to take care of us. A boy ran to me with my bag, helped me swap out nutrition, then stood there holding my bike while I went to the porta potty. Then off I went to continue with the wind. It was disheartening, but I always remember what my BT friend Harold said one day, "just take a bite and keep on chewing!" ... and that is exactly what I did. Tiny Roo was holding his own and I was making good progress until at mile 70... flat back tire! What else? There just happened to be a pole right there, so I had a place to lean my bike. Several people asked if I was okay or needed help as they passed. I just love that camaraderie of this sport! This was my first time ever changing a tire under race conditions, but I can do it thanks to flatting out on Gabe Smith Road when I was alone on Sunny (good practice!). My only concern was knowing that tire holds 130 PSI and there was no way of knowing how much I actually got in there. I wanted to use a second CO2 cartridge to try to top it off, but was afraid I may need that cartridge later, so I left it. Back underway! The rest of the ride was uneventful. The few times we turned out of the wind we were on some sort of rough crushed asphalt road that zapped my energy. There were less than 300 Full participants, so there was a lot of time that I was completely alone and wondering if I was even still on the race route! Lake Erie was furious with white caps as I headed back into T2. Thank goodness we didn't have to swim in there! I wanted to take a pic of it, but did not want to stop since I was already running late. Finally made it into T2 safely... WHEW!!!  What would you do differently?: I can't say that I did anything wrong. There is always room to bike harder, but the conditions were tough and I did not want to ruin my legs for the run. Transition 2
Comments: I went to my rack from behind where I could not see for sure which slot was mine, so I fumbled over the rack to see where to slot my bike. I took off my shoes and ran towards my bag while removing my cycling jersey at same time. I grabbed my bag, but did not go into the changing tent this time. I stood there and put on my shoes and TriWarrior singlet, shoved everything else into the bag and hung it back up. Over the chip mat and stopped at the porta potty, then off I went for the loooong run. What would you do differently?: Nothing.  Run
Comments: I had a good run at IMFL and a bad run at B2B, so I did not know what to expect here. I've had continued ITB issues, and was a bit worried about a flare up. I elected not to use a fuel belt this time, because the main reason for having it would be to carry my infinit water and/or nutrition. I know from experience that nausea usually sets in during the run, so I decided to just live off the course rather than carry nutrition that I'd likely want to vomit anyway. I headed out and just tried to keep a steady even pace, but I knew my pace would fall over time as fatigue and pain set in. When I got downtown, I looked for Pete because I knew he would still be worried about whether I survived the bike or not. I was at mile 12 heading towards the turn around when I finally saw him heading back out on his second loop. He threw up his arms and said, "I'm SO happy to see you!!!" I told him that I flatted, but was otherwise okay, and we both continued on. At this point I was thinking that he was about 25 min ahead of me, but I forgot that we started at different times. It did not seem like it was going to get cold enough for my long-sleeved shirt, so I did not need my special needs bag. I just handed my sunglasses to volunteers to put in my bag and headed back out for second loop. I saw Pete a couple more times downtown and knew the gap between us was getting smaller, but when you are doing an Ironman, the concept of time is pretty foggy. I chatted with a few people along the way. A guy from Canada kept me going for awhile, but his pace was a tad faster and we eventually split. As I was running with another guy, a spectator commented on my smile and said that smiling makes you run faster! The guy beside me said that he has been smiling the entire time. I said, "Oh, this must be your first!" He admitted that it was. I said, "you are going to want to do another one." He said that he already did want to do another. This would be his first completion, he had DNFed his first attempt. The last guy I ran with was doing a run/walk. I tried to get him to pick up the pace, but he said he was nauseous. I said, "Yep, nausea usually sets in by the second half of the run; I know that feeling well!" But actually, this is the first time I did not feel sick during an Iron race; perhaps because my pace was slower? (shrug) I tried to pick up the pace coming into the home stretch up the causeway to Cedar Point. The sun was pretty much down by now but WOW, what a spectacular view over Lake Erie! I could look out over the lake at the coasters of Cedar Point off in a distance. A dim pink hue was stretching across the lake reflecting clouds that looked like they were reaching out to me. And there was a crescent moon and a single star shining brightly over that lake. I probably would have taken a pic if I had my phone, but I did not. I ran through the parking lot and up then finish chute as they called my name. Ironman #3 complete, Woo hoo! And that was most definitely the toughest race EVAH! I forgot to look at the clock, but it would not have mattered anyway because I had no idea what time I started in the time trial. I received my medal, shirt, and a space blanket, then found Pete. We had a couple of finish photos taken, then went to look for FOOD!   What would you do differently?: Nothing. Post race
Warm down: We found the food area across the street from the Finish. Pete asked me if I broke 14 hours, and I said I didn't know. I forgot to look at the clock and had lost my concept of time. We ate and then headed back to the hotel to get the truck so we could come back to get our bikes and bags. We were too tired and in too much pain to hang out at the Finish line. We got all of our things back to the room, then showered and relaxed. I don't really remember at what point we looked at finish times, but I finally saw that I had finished in 13:40:22, and beat Pete by about 5 min?!? Even though he finished before me, there was a big enough gap during the time trial that my time beat his. I must have closed the gap during the run, because my swim sure sucked, the flat tire slowed me down, and he is better in wind than I am. My prediction was to do this race in 13:30, so I was happy with my finish time considering the tough conditions and the flat tire. I keep saying that I am going to give up long distance for awhile, but... (sigh) Finished!   It lights up!  Leaving Lake Erie. Can I take this lighthouse with me?  Profile Album Last updated: 2012-11-01 12:00 AM
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United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
74F / 23C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 34/68
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 6/11
We left Thursday to drive up to Cedar Point, Ohio for our 3rd Ironman! IMFL was for the experience, B2B was for a PR, and this Rev 3 is just for fun!. When we arrived, the park was closed and dark. The hotel was inside the park so we went through the gate. The hotel parking lot was empty and the hotel appeared uninhabited. I wondered if I made a mistake and the hotel was not even open? Now that it is after Labor Day, Cedar Point is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. We entered the front door leading into a VERY long hallway that was already decorated for Halloween. There were bats hanging from the ceiling and a gauntlet of witches and goblins all the way up the hall. It was like walking into the hotel from the Shining; I expected Jack to jump out at any moment! Redrum, redrum!!! We found the front desk and checked in. They said they expected a lot more people to show up Friday. We settled in for the night, then got up early for morning swim practice.
The swim coordinator was out on the beach waiting for us with an army of lifeguards, boats and kayaks. He instructed us to swim straight out for about 1/4 mile and back so that it would be easier for the lifeguards to stay with us as more people arrived. The swim was pleasant and a kayak stayed by my side the entire time.
After swim practice we had breakfast, then went to the Expo for packet pickup. This was the first time we got to see a participant list and our Bib #s! It was never posted on the website. We spent a few hundred dollars on souvenirs and merchandise, then headed back to the hotel to take our bikes for a test ride. After that we went to the park to ride the coasters!
Cedar Point opened the park from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for race participants, families, and volunteers, etc., for only $15. No lines, no wait! As we entered the park, everyone began running in a particular direction. Pete asked where they were running to? I said, "The Gatekeeper! (the newest coaster)." So Pete said, "Let's go!" We got directly on the coaster without waiting at all. I'm a coaster lover, but I have not been on a coaster in decades, so I was pretty excited. OMG, when that thing took off I was SO AMAZED at how much technology has changed since the old wooden coaster age that I remember! It went UP just as fast as it went DOWN! ... and SMOOTH as butter! Weeeeee!!! We rode a few more coasters, my favorite being the Millennium Force. Being the Tri Geek that I am, I wore my Garmin so that i could clock the speed of the coasters. The Millennium Force clocked in at 82.4! There was only one coaster that Pete would not ride with me and it was called the Dragster. It basically shot straight up and straight down in a matter of seconds. I clocked that one at 84.8 mph!
Saturday we went out to watch the Sprint race. They swam at the same location we had swim practice (right behind our hotel), then we watched the bike mount which was right in the parking lot of Cedar Point with the coasters roaring in the background. The rest of the day was all about race preparation. We went for a run along Lake Erie but decided to skip the second practice swim. We rode our bikes to T1 to drop them off then attended the mandatory meeting. There we met up with my BT friend Dave and his crew who were doing the Half. We didn't get to spend much time visiting with so much other race prep still to attend to. At the meeting, we were told that there was a weather front coming in that could potentially cause them to move the swim to a safer location in the marina. This race has a backup plan for bad weather; how cool is that?!? After the meeting we went back to the hotel to pack our race bags and turn in early.
Packet pickup in the Cedar Point parking lot beneath the coasters!
The weather yesterday was beautiful, but last night (insert scary music here) enter the infamous Lake Erie Storm Hag! Muhaa ha ha! High winds, dangerous rip tides, and 6 foot swells! What will happen with the race?
We walked the 1/2 mile down the beach to T1 to pump our tires and drop off hydration. We then found out that the swim had indeed been moved to the marina (pout). Oh well, I'm just happy the swim was not canceled! I cannot even imagine training up for an iron distance race, then not being able to complete the distance properly. Besides, we already bought finisher's gear and had stickers made that say 140.6 X 3!