Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 14h 45m 54s
Overall Rank = 1749/2351
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 151/
Pre-race routine:

Eat food, have girlfriend drive me to the race since my brain wasn't functioning correctly, inflate my tires, drop off special needs bags, go to the bathroom, put on my wetsuit, and CALM DOWN.
Event warmup:

None. Splashed water in my face to get used to the temp and took some deep breaths to relax.
Swim
  • 1h 16m 49s
  • 3862 meters
  • 01m 59s / 100 meters
Comments:

My first mass start. Totally insane. There was no navigating the first 800m, just bumper swimming. I got kicked and jostled ALOT but I kept my cool. I got really cold on the 2nd lap, but my personal mantras kept me moving. Overall, I am very happy with the swim. I came out 1 min slower than my target race plan time.
What would you do differently?:

Start a little further back. I could have afforded to lose 5 min off my swim time to not get kicked so much.
Transition 1
  • 10m 52s
Comments:

I wasn't as concerned with time as I was with making sure I was dry and my clothes were on properly. The volunteers were incredible (even helping me put on my bike bib while I was standing in the buff). I managed to do a complete wardrobe change, get suncreened up, and out of there in ~10 minutes. Good enough for me.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Bike
  • 7h 46m 26s
  • 112 miles
  • 14.41 mile/hr
Comments:

I got dominated by pretty much everyone. It was really demoralizing to get passed the entire ride, but I stuck to my race plan of going at a comfortable pace which was ultimately the right decision. I finished 15 min faster than my realistic race plan time.

My hamstring injury started flaring up around mile 70 which kept me out of the aero bars for the remainder of the ride. That was really tough emotionally.

Nutrition went really well. It was tough to eat after 90 miles, but my special needs bag provided me with perfect energy sources that I could put down. I never bonked which is great.
What would you do differently?:

Get a tri bike. Train faster. My training didn't include enough high intensity bike work. Do longer than 112 mile bike ride in training.
Transition 2
  • 09m 1s
Comments:

Again, the volunteers were incredible. They helped me pull of my sweaty clothes, change into my new ones, tie my shoes, and rub sunscreen all over. For how tired I was, i'm amazed it only took 9 minutes. Definitely thanks to the volunteers.
What would you do differently?:

Put calf compression sleeves on BEFORE putting my running shoes on.
Run
  • 5h 22m 49s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 12m 19s  min/mile
Comments:

I felt great on my first "out" leg and kept to my race plan of 11 min/mile. On the first "back" leg I wasn't taking in enough fluids (even though I switched between water and powerade at every aid station). My fingers began to tingle and I began to go faint at mile 12 so I started pounding liquids and gave up on my nutrition plan. This was the toughest point for me mentally. I recovered on the 2nd "out" leg and got back to my nutrition plan. I had a great 2nd "back" leg that I ran with another guy who was fighting an injury. We ended up doing a negative split on that leg.
What would you do differently?:

Vary my aid station nutrition between: 1st) 2 cups water + 1 gu, 2nd) 2 cups powerade, 3rd) 2 cups water + banana + salt, 4th) 2 cups powerade. Then repeat.
Post race
Warm down:

I got really cold really quickly. I wrapped 1 space blanket around my lower body and 1 around my upper body. I tried to do a light stretch but it's too hard to say if it was effective at all.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My bike, and my hamstring. I got injured 5 weeks before the race from over-extending my hamstring by riding in an aero position too much on my road bike. That injury cost me 3 weeks of running training, 2 weeks of bike training, and the ability to go into an aero position during the race. I definitely need a tri bike if i'm going to do an Ironman again.

Event comments:

There were 3000 volunteers who were absolutely incredible. The course is beautiful. There were tons of people cheering the entire race. Great venue. I highly recommend this race to anyone attempting their 1st Ironman.




Last updated: 2011-05-30 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:16:49 | 3862 meters | 01m 59s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 811/2351
Performance: Good
Suit: Zoot Synergy Full Sleeve
Course: 2 loop lake course. Walk on shore before beginning 2nd loop.
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 57F / 14C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 10:52
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
07:46:26 | 112 miles | 14.41 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 2063/2351
Performance: Bad
Wind: Some
Course: 2 Loops, mostly flat with a hilly section from mile 25 to 45 and 80 to 100.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 09:01
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
05:22:49 | 26.2 miles | 12m 19s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 1443/2351
Performance: Average
Course: 2 loops. Through town and then a very scenic section along the lake. 1 decent hill that you go up and down 4 times.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5