Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
Ironman North America
78F / 26C
Sunny
Total Time = 13h 28m
Overall Rank = 1293/2357
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 39/90
Pre-race routine:

Woke up about 4AM and rested in bed for another 15 min. or so. Got up had some coffee and a bowl of shredded wheat with a banana and milk. Left for CDA at 4:55am. Husband dropped me off near body marking. Got marked then walked all the way to the other end of the park to drop off special needs only to find out they had moved the drop off near the finish line and body marking area. Decided since I was walking back by to go ahead and load the bike and get the tires pumped up. It was a ways from where I was to the pump line so finally borrowed a pump and got the tires full. Chatted with several people for awhile too. Loaded the bento and filled my sipper with water and my brand new Ironman CDA water bottle with 1/3 water 2/3 perform. Next, walked over to drop off special needs then went to the transition area to put some last minute things in swim to bike and bike to run bags. Got in the porta potty line and was quite a ways back when they announced transition was closing and we needed to get going to the water. I knew I shouldn't have been talking so much. :) Got out of the line, put on wet suit, dropped off dry clothes bag, ate a gel and headed down to the water.
Event warmup:

I usually never get into the water before a race but had decided today I would just to get used to the cold. While I was walking with the crowd down across the timing mat to the beach I saw several people with gallon jugs of warm water to pour into their suits so they would be warm when they got in. Anyway, I got into the water and decided since I hadn't had a chance to hit the portas I'd take care of business in the water and also warm up the suit at the same time.;) Thought about putting my face in the water to get the ice cream headache over with but realized that probably 90% of the 100's of people in the water with me were doing what I did so I skipped the face dip.
Swim
  • 1h 45m 33s
  • 4224 yards
  • 02m 30s / 100 yards
Comments:

Although I am still slow after last year I am thrilled with this swim time. I really enjoyed this swim and although the drafting was spotty I was able to hang onto a few feet for a while. Seems like alot of the people around me were having a hard time with the cold. I didn't think it was that bad. I was just so thrilled the water was flat rather than choppy. Things were kind of stop and go for the first few buoys then I went inside the line for awhile and was able to swim until the first turn buoy where it was pretty backed up. After that things opened up and I got my nice slow cadence going and just moved along. Stopped on the beach to have a gel then headed back out. Tried to pick up arm turnover a bit second lap, but wasn't too successful. Just went slow and steady.
What would you do differently?:

I'm really going to get myself to a master's class this fall and try to shave 15 min. off this swim time for next year. I really don't want to put the effort into being smack dab in the middle of the pack but would really like to be a little closer to the back of the mid pack.
Transition 1
  • 13m 31s
Comments:

I came out of the water and unzipped my suit and took off my caps and goggles. Hit the stippers and ran to my bag then into the tent. When I did my 4 open water swims before this race I was fine in the cold water but got really cold after getting out so I had a plan for getting warmed up. I had put a hand warmer in a stocking cap in my swim to bike bag earlier so I put that on the minute I got seated in the tent. My original plan had been to swim in my tri shorts/sports bra but decided to switch to swim suit because of the cold. I felt pretty warm and was able to talk normally but my hands were pretty useless. Had to have assistance getting dressed which took awhile.
What would you do differently?:

I wish this transition time was shorter, but considering the conditions and having to change everything out, feel pretty good about it.
Bike
  • 6h 45m 57s
  • 112 miles
  • 16.55 mile/hr
Comments:

Really enjoyed this ride. I felt relaxed and strong. There were several times along where I wanted to push it harder and a few times I probably could have but in the back of my mind loomed the marathon coming up and so I just stuck with the plan and kept my HR in check and took in the scenery. Enojyed the hills both loops. English Pt. was a little harder during round 2 for sure. Love my compact double 12/28 cassette. For food my plan was to eat either a gel or part of a power bar ever 1/2 hour. I had a peanutbutter/nutella/jelly sandwich in my T1 bag and managed to eat 1/2 of it before getting to the bike. I had made my first 2 powerbars for the day into little balls and froze them to see if that would help the stickiness - it didn't. Very hard to get apart to eat. Stopped at mile 30 aid station and threw those away and then restocked the bento with 1/2 power bar unwrapped then a gel packet the another bar, etc. This worked well. Anyway, think I over ate a bit on the bike which didn't make a difference until the run start.
What would you do differently?:

I would bring an old water bottle instead of a brand new one so I could toss it and replace the bottles on the fly instead of having to stop and refill. I probably could have skipped one of my 3 stops doing it this way. The other 2 I would have had to do anyway for the porta potties. I don't think I could ever learn to pee on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 05m 32s
Comments:

Handed the bike to the volunteer and ran to get my bag and into the tent. Took off helmet on way. Changed shirts, put on my skirt, changed socks, put on shoes and headed out.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 4h 38m
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

Started out running with that strange feeling I always have where it seems like I am going so slooow but look at the watch and see I'm doing a 9:30 mile. Anyway ran through downtown and headed out toward the lake. I was feeling really good for the first mile then GI troubles started. Had to stop 2 miles in and use the porta potti then felt better for a bit then had to stop one more time. Thank goodness it wasn't so bad that I had to be thankful for my black tri shorts (note to anyone considering an Ironman - black is the only way to go for your shorts because if your five miles from the finish line and something bad happens you want to be the only one to know about it) I was running really well in spite of the troubles. Got lots of comments on how strong I looked and how good my pace was, etc. Got to the big hill on the first loop and started to run up it like I had planned. About 1/2 way up I decided that walking would be a better idea. Lots of miles left to go and I just didn't want to waste the effort for a couple of minutes time gain. I walked fast up that hill though. No blown up looking walk for me. Ran down the other side. Finished up the first loop as planned. Walked thru every 3rd aid station and ate a gel. Drank water at every one. Could not stand the Perform on the run, yuck. For the second loop I walked thru every other aid station and ate a gel/pretzels. Still felt great. Walked up the hill the second time. Walked a little longer in aid stations on round two as well. Once I hit the top of the hill coming back I started to pick up the pace a bit. When I got to mile 22 and wasn't hitting the wall I picked it up a little more. Had a few people pace off of me which was OK. Got back to the library area and saw my family there. My daughter (10) ran along beside me for a little bit giving me her order for finish line food. No "great job mom, much better than last year" Just "I would like a slice of pizza, chips and a cookie" Oh well. Ran down Sherman making sure to leave enough space between me and the person in front of me for a nice finish photo. Saw lots of people I knew. High fived a bunch. Top of the world feeling.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. Stuck to the plan. Pushed it when I felt good and backed off when I felt bad.
Post race
Warm down:

Got over the finish line and "caught" by a very nice volunteer. He hung onto me until photo op. Didn't feel like I was going to fall over but I guess he'd had a few do that. He got me through the chute to the food area where I stretched a little and got 2 pieces of pizza, 2 cookies and some fruit. My husband and daughter showed up outside the fence and I did sneak her a piece of pizza, but kept the cookies to myself. Had to walk about a mile to the car, stretched there. Got home, ate a bowl of cereal, showered, put some bio-freeze on my legs and headed to bed.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mostly being too afraid of blowing up. It's a fine line for sure. I always go conservative even when I'm having a good day. Do not ever want a run split that is anywhere near my bike split. Had a perfect day though, really. PR'd 10 minutes and took nearly 3 hours off of last years race. I really worked hard in training this year and gave this distance the respect it deserves. Also lost 24 pounds between Jan. 1 and now which helped alot. Had a really great bunch of bike rides leading up. Stuck with the plan and it paid off. Really enjoyed meeting all the fellow BTer's and can't wait till next year!

Event comments:

Great venue. Great volunteers. And it's really close to my home. Love the bike course and the new run course.
I hope they don't allow quite as many people to sign up next year. 2000 is plenty to start so mabey a 2300 cap instead of 2800. Glad not everyone showed up. Love the women's fitted tech shirt.




Last updated: 2011-03-06 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:45:33 | 4224 yards | 02m 30s / 100yards
Age Group: 74/90
Overall: 2099/2357
Performance: Good
Suit: Ironman wet suit with Blue Seventy cap
Course: 2 loop rectangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Shot
Water temp: 55F / 13C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Good Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 13:31
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:45:57 | 112 miles | 16.55 mile/hr
Age Group: 49/90
Overall: 1682/2357
Performance: Good
My race plan was to ride the bike based on heart rate only. One of the other CDA competitors (Bonnie) had said she covers her odometer except for the time so she doesn't get fixated on the #'s so I decided to give that a try and it worked great. I averaged 142 BPM for the ride which is right where I wanted to be.
Wind: Some
Course: 2 loops, flat to hilly. Athough this course is tough I really like it. It is beautiful and alot of fun to ride especially without traffic.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 78
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 05:32
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
04:38:00 | 26.2 miles | 10m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 39/90
Overall: 1293/2357
Performance: Good
My plan for the run was to ditch the HR monitor and go by feel so if I felt like I could push it, I would be able to without fixating on my HR.
Course: Flatish course with one big hill
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4