Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman

The wind was very strong toward shore and the chop was incredible. I started getting the hang of feeling the waves and tried my best to breath in the trough. I swear a couple of times I was momentarily airborne. After making the turn at the bouys it was like riding the jet stream back to shore. During the first lap I was kicked in the right ear and I was sure it would cauliflower. I swam by line of sight using the hills to the south of the lake and lining them up with the last buoy. I planned on a gradual path to the buoy to avoid the crowd, but instead, at the halfway point of the first line I found myself right next to the buoys and in the middle of everything I was trying to avoid. I made the turn okay and fought the crosswind to the second turn buoy and got hit in the head in the process. As soon as I made the turn and went with the wind I was able to establish a more consistent stroke, until I got kicked in the wrist and felt my watch come loose. Yep, it's probably sitting on the bottom of Lake Coeur d'Alene with the stop-watch still running. I was a little wobbly coming out of the water but after crossing the timing mat at 38:00 I didn't hesitate to get back in the water. My goal time was to swim between 75 and 85 minutes and considering the rough conditions I was very happy with my lap one time. I'd swallowed some water but didn't feel any negative effects from it. On the second lap I started seeing some type of lake grass and hoped I wouldn't swallow any, and I was a little better and breathing on both sides. Most of the first lap I could breath on my left but not on my right. I really worked on this the second lap because I didn't want some wierd neck cramp to happen. I kept searching for a patch of water without people in it to allow me to stretch out and swim, but those areas were few and far between. All at once I found myself alone and swimming fine until a guy in a kayak yelled at me to go to the right. That's when I realized I was in the middle of the open area and off course. Oops. After the first turn there was congestion and I found myself pinched between swimmers often, and this caused the person behind me to swim up my back. So I started kicking hard whenever I got stuck and this seemed to prevent any further tailgating. I started saying "good morning" to the line of kayakers and to my surprise each one heard me and returned my greeting. I made the last turn and waited until the halfway point to really use my legs. Almost immediately my left calf cramped so I stopped the kick and just focused on reaching the shore. Later in the day a mysterious pain on the top of my left ankle manifest itself and I wonder if it was related to the cramp. I couild see the bottom rising up and swam as far inland as I could before putting my foot down and leaving the lake behind me.

I was within 3 minutes of my hoped for time and all things considered I'm not real sure what I could have done differently. I think I'll try starting out on the extreme left next year and hope that works better.

I went slow in the T1 tent to ensure I had all bases covered. It was a total zoo inside the tent with most chairs taken. I had to do a lot of changing on the grass.

I could have gone through T1 quicker but I chose to completely change all clothes as opposed to riding wet. That took extra time but I felt it was important to be comfortable, which in turn would help me finish. Next year I'll wear a tri-suit and behave as if time is of the essence. I really want to knock off alot of time next year and cutting T time will be one way to do it.

The weather was cool but I was afraid of not hydrating and eating enough. So, every portable I saw I had to stop and pee. Again, I tried to ride with the marathon in mind and so didn't push it. I'd done alot of hill training and never once got out of my saddle to peddle uphill. This goes for the second lap too. I found myself peddling past people who were grinding it out and decided to just keep it on first and keep my RPM's up and it seemed to work. I only weigh 150's so many times I was passed on the downhill but I also noticed that I could coast faster then some were peddling so I did and hoiped it would save my legs. I found myself having to stop at each aid station to pee, etc. and when you consider the number of aid stations there I bet I could knock an hour off my time not doing this. The second time around I was kind of down at times because I felt it was taking me too long and I kept hoping the next hill would be the last but there always seemed to be one more. I started to get concerned because I heard someone mention the 5:30 cut-off and I was afraid I wouldn't make it. I saw people walking their bikes up the hills and said "no way," and just kept riding. On about the last downhill I watched a female riding uphill get off her bike and lay it down. She sat on the side of the road and started crying. I think she knew she wouldn't make it. I felt bad but I was still in it and could only peddle. I hit town hoping to really pick it up but the headwind wrecked havoc with my thoughts of a speedy finish. I finish the bike leg with about seven minutes to spare. Also, during the ride I developed some tingling in my face, spepifically my lips and nose. It reminded me of last year and an HIM I did at 4500-6000'. I was worried I'd have some kind of altitude problem even though CDA is only about 2300'. This feeling came amd went a few times but I never had to stop.

I need to work on overall higher avg. speed. More cycling is need with plenty of speed work involved. I suppose a tri specific bike would really be of benefit too. Now that I know the course I'll ride it more aggressively next year. Also, approx. 5 min. times 10-12 aid stations equals and hour wasted going pee. Next your I may need to go commando and just keep riding. Also, I left gel and gel flasks at home, and even though Powerbars and Gel were provided I felt a little lost in the nutritional area with out the stuff I was used to. I think I'll make a better and more detailed check list next year.

In this event you hand over your bike to a racker and you don't have to deal with it after the ride. I also was plagued with left ankle pain most of the first leg and all the second. It hurt on top of my left foot right at the ankle bone every time I lifted my leg to peddle. Pointing my toes seemed to ease the pain but then my calves would start to tighten up. In the end I just had to suck it up and peddle.

Comfort was paramount although I could have run with the tri shorts I wore in the bike leg. Next year I'm slapping on my shoes and hitting the pavement.

My ankle really hurt during the entire marathon. I told myself I wouldn't walk no matter what but I was zapped almost right from the start. I actually had a decent pace for the first four miles, passing people, etc. But my ankle started to wear me down. I started walking but that seemed to make it hurt worse. Running eased the pain but caused me stomach pain because my HR would go up and food just seemed to sit in my stomach. I had to alternate in kind of a 5:1 minute run/walk. My ankle stiffened up when I walked and took time to loosen up when ever I started running, causing me to hobble for a couple of dozen steps until it loosened up. I was headed to the first mile when I saw a sign reading mile 13. I almost panicked thinking I was going the wrong way. I crossed the timing mat and asked what mile it was and the volunteers didn't know. As I headed back toward the park I saw the mile 1 marker. I was running well and passing people with no ankle pain and I really started to feel good. I ran past my family and they whooped and hollered for me. After making a few turns into the residential area my ankle started aching, forcing me to walk. At this point I began to alternate the run/walk. People were hitting the home stretch while I was still on my first lap and I became depressed. All I could do was keep moving forward. At last I made the turn to head back into town. I saw BT Bonnie twice I think while on the first lap. She was ahead of me and looked like she was moving right along. It seemed to take forever to hit the 13 mile marker but at least I was half way. The next time I saw Bonnie I said something like "I'll see you soon," or something like that and just kept grinding away hoping I wasn't damaging my ankle. I saw Doug as I was running the second out leg. He was heading in for the final time and I felt depressed again. Doug was walking and I thought at least I wasn't the only one. I finally caught Bonnie and walked with her for a while but I began running again out of desperation and didn't see her again. On one hand I hated to leave her but I didn't know how much longer my ankle would last. From about mile 16 on I felt full but not upset internally. I got to the point of being confused about what to eat or drink so I tried different things at each station. I loved the warm chicked broth, it seemed to warm me after the sun went down and I got chilly. I caught up with two twins, Allyson and Jessica, who were run/walking at my pace and that helped me keep going. They were running faster then I would have pushed myself which was good. We started talking about finishing in under sixteen hours and just kept chipping away at the miles. At long last I made the turn to the chute and took off my glow-stick collar. My daughter was waiting for me and I gave it to her and we ran together to the chute. Running down the chute was one of the most incredible, memorable experiences of my life. There was a deafening roar, people were pounding and stomping and cheering for this guy they didn't even know. I felt like I was about to win the event. I heard Mike Riley announce my name and when I hit the mat he said "Jeff Hardisty, you are an Ironman." Suddenly all my troubles seemed so far away. It was over. Riley said it and I felt it, although it's still sinking in to this day.

I don't know what caused me ankle to hurt to begin with but it had a drastic effect on my ability to bike and run. Over all I just did the best I could. I finished damn it! I ran the first five miles with no ankle trouble and hit sub 10 min. miles. Next year will be a different story. I can't wait.

By the time I finished the wind had picked up and it was raining a little. The space blanket did take the chill off but I could hardly wait to put my sweats on. I walked around a bit and met up with family, then headed into the recovery area for some pizza. You know you're desperate for food when Dominoe's pizza tastes good.


My ankle was the culprit.


The people of CDA are so wonderful. I saw many of the same people sitting or standing and cheering for hours. This town can't be beat. I signed up again after a few days spent thinking about what I could have done better. I'm confident I could do a 13 something which would be knocking two hours off my time. I was only down about 3-4 pounds from the weigh-in. The weather was cooler throughout the race but I think I hydrated more then I lost and that accounted for the frequent bathroom stops.