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 Swim
Comments: The swim felt great to me. I know I'm a slow swimmer so I started to the far left of the buoy. I got bumped and jostled a lot the first 100m or so but I stayed calm and focused. I actually cracked a smile once I broke free of all the mish mash, I was so proud of myself! My plan was to stay to the far left of the buoy to avoid the crowds but I wound up right next to the buoy line. It turns out this was a great place to be. There was no one to the right of me and the buoys were right in front of me most of the time. If I even went off course a little bit there was a boat telling me to keep to the left. It was perfect! Well, until the boat went away - then I had to sight on my own. I was so happy to get to the houseboat at the first turn. There were scuba divers waving from below and people cheering everyone on on the boat. I made the turn okay but got a little off the buoy line for a very brief time. The second leg was a little harder because the sun was shining right at us. I made the mistake of assuming the boat on this leg would be as good to me as the other boat but it wasn't. I was swimming off course and the boat let me! How dare they!:) The water started to get really choppy - when I looked up I realized I was off course. I got back on track quickly but it cost me some time. I never lost my composure and felt comfortalbe the whole way. When I made the second turn I was in heaven. I think I smiled the whole way. I made it to shore and shouted with joy! And who do you think the first person I saw was? Kurt! He was standing behind the wire fence just yelling his head off. I think he was happier than I was! I went over and gave him a kiss as I ran to transition. What would you do differently?: In the future I will depend on myself for sighting the whole way. Now that I am comfortable swimming long distance, I just need to work on getting faster.  Transition 1
Comments: The volunteers are awesome! As soon as I got out of the water, I pulled the top of my wetsuit off and the strippers pulled the rest. They took my wetsuit and handed me my transistion bag - a girl could get spoiled, ya know! I had another volunteer help me take my suit off and put my bike gear on - including my helmet! Another group slathered on sunscreen before I grabbed by bike and headed for the course. What would you do differently?: Nothing. It was a flawless transition. I went back and forth about whether I should swim in my bike gear or change. I was glad I changed. I felt dry and comfortable and ready to ride.  Bike
Comments: Okay, I thought the bike was going to be my strongest event. It turned out to be my hardest. I was doing really well until I hit the out and back. A front blew in and the wind was just terrible at times. I kept telling myself to stay calm and focused and keep a comfortable pace. I did, but I think I could have gone faster. I was so paranoid about saving my legs for Yellow Lake and for the run. Everyone kept telling me how hard Yellow Lake is and I needed to feel strong. I did feel strong when I got there but the wind was still with me. I was looking forward to the downhill but I had wind in my face on the way down too! I had to pedal downhill!!! Its just not right! I finally got up some good speed and then I got scared because I'm a chicken about going too fast. So here I am finally getting a free ride and I'm putting on the brakes. Pretty crazy, huh? Oh well, I still had a great time. I never felt overly tired or overworked on the entire ride. I'm looking forward to riding it again sometime in the future. What would you do differently?: I could have pushed harder. I had the energy to do it but I played it too safe. I would also use the downhills to my advantage. I've got to overcome my fear of going over 40 mph!! My cornering needs lots of work. I need to work on distributing my weight properly. Transition 2
Comments: When I got to transition the volunteers took my bike so I didn't have to rack it. My transition bag was handed to me and I headed to the change tent. I totally changed clothes. I wanted to be dry and comfortable for what I knew would be a long night ahead of me. Again, the volunteers were awesome! They just take charge and help you get dressed just like your mom would. It was just outstanding. What would you do differently?: Nothing. I know 10 mintues sounds long but I think it was worth the time to change into fresh clothes after being on the bike for so long.  Run
Comments: I am very surprised to say this - the run was my favorite part! I am not a runner by any means and my time is not stellar but I enjoyed every step. Altitude had a lot to do with this I'm sure. Anyone who knows me knows how much I struggle with running. That's why I took it so easy on the bike. I thought that I would struggle so much with the run that I'd need all the energy I could get. I felt great. I wasn't exhausted starting the run. I was conversational and smiling the whole way. I was just thinking about crossing that finish line and getting my medal. At mile 18 Kurt showed up on his bike. I was so glad to see him! It was just getting dark and he popped up out of no where. He talked to me for about a mile and a half. What a kick!! It helped me a lot. I did get a little lonely out there once it got really dark. I felt like I was the only one out there. I could see glow sticks in the distance but they were quite a way up. To distract myself I just enjoyed the scenary. I was running along the lake and it was beautiful. I listened to all the night sounds of crickets and bugs and God knows what other creatures and I just savored the moment. It was truly special. When I hit mile 20 I knew I was home free! I knew if I kept my pace I would make it there before midnight. I smiled the whole way in. What a great feeling! There were people along the street for the last 3 miles. They were calling my name and rooting me in. My stride was pretty slow but I was running as fast as I could. The crowd was cheering so loud for the last 50 yards or so - I felt like the Queen of the world! I threw my arms up and had the biggest grin on my face as I ran throught the finishing tape! I am now an IRONMAN!! What would you do differently?: I would run a little faster. This race was all about finishing. I had no times in my head except finishing before midnight. When I do it again, I will know I can push a little harder. Post race
Warm down: When I crossed the finish line my medal was put around my neck and a volunteer grabbed me and put some foil around me to keep me warm. He made me walk around for about 5 minutes and then lead me to an area to pick up all of my bags. I felt great. I set my bags down and went to look for Kurt. He met me at the food area and we ate some pizza and watched the fireworks. I didn't really stretch and I didn't want to wait for a massage. At this point my feet were really hurting and I was starting to tighten up. I needed to get home and lie down so that's what I did. What limited your ability to perform faster: I held back too much. I have to evaluate my overall strategy. I held way back on the bike to save myself for the run and then I held back on the run to make sure I made it to the finish line. The wind on the bike was limiting but I could have gone faster than I did. Now that I have the confidence I need, I will look forward to faster races in the future. Event comments: Ironman Canada does an outstanding job. I heard pros and AG alike saying this is the best Ironman by far. I haven't been to any other Ironman competitions but I think this one would be hard to beat. The local community steps up to the plate and really supports the event and the competitors. They are genuinely concerned about your welfare and want to ensure that you enjoy the race. My hats off to the people of Penticton! The pasta feast was well done as was the award banquet. I really like the DVD they gave everyone with the race hightlights. I'm even in the video - you have to look real fast but if you don't blink you can see me! Last updated: 2005-09-01 12:00 AM
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Canada
Ironman Canada
69F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1964/2250
Age Group = W40-44
Age Group Rank = 116/129
I dropped my bike off the night before and also left my transition bags on the hooks w/my number. Ironman is so organized! I was really impressed.
I didn't get much sleep the night before. I was so excited. When the alarm went off at 4am I was already awake and ready to start the day.
I ate my usual PB&J bagel and had a cup of caffinated coffee (I usually drink decaf). I had already packed my special needs bags so I didn't have much else to do but get dressed and go to the race site. Before I left I spent some time visualizing myself at the swim start and other points during the race. I was surprised that I wasn't nervous at all. I just wanted to get to the swim start and start stroking!
I got my body marked by a volunteer. I really felt official at that point - #2177! I headed over to the transition area to check on my bags and chart my course during transition. I then headed to the massive porta potty line - it was so long!! I figured it would take at least 15 minutes to get to one of them. A girl came along and told me about some other restrooms around the corner with no lines. I rushed over to them and sure enough, there they were - real toilets and everything!! I went right on it. I took that as a sign that the Ironman Gods were going to be smiling on me all day.
At this point it was only 5:30 and I didn't know what else to do until 6:00. I felt kind of ackward - I didn't know whether to put on my wetsuit or sit down and wait or what. Then I realized I needed to pump air in my tires and make sure my bike was ready to roll. Once I did that I went on and put on the wetsuit and headed over to the swim start area. I was one of the first peoople over there. I spotted Kurt standing on the sidelines - I was so glad to see him. I went over and talked to him for awhile. He gave me my pep talk and told me how great I am for doing Ironman (he's so sweet!) and sent me on my way.
After the pros started the AGers were allowed to warm up. I swam out about 100 yards to get a feel for the water. It was super crowded. I worked my way around lots of legs and arms to get a pretty good warm up done. I still didn't feel nervous at all.