Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman

This swim was CRAZY. I had a plan to start wide and stay wide until I hit the turn. I wasn't concerned about the extra distance, just wanted some open water. I lined up to the far right and listened to the National Anthem. I love the few minutes before the start. I reflected on all the work it took to get here and was smiling ear to ear. The cannon went off and into the water I went. I had no choice but to just swim with the crowd. We were pushed toward the inside way earlier than I wanted. Not a great line but no way to change it. I took a punch straight to my right goggle really hard. I was surprised by the closed fist that did it but the swimmer popped his head up to see if I was OK. I waved and on we went, I thought it was a classy move. Coming back on the first lap, I found a large pocket of open water right in the center of the pack. I really stretched out and got to swim my pace. It was my favorite part of the swim. My first lap was 5 minutes faster than the second I believe because that was the last open water I ever saw. There was contact and crowd the rest of the swim. I have never swam in anything like it. I never felt anxiety about the crowd but it did hurt the stroke. We caught some chop and wind on the second lap but nothing terrible. The crowd at the swim finish was LOUD!. I was pumped going into T1.

Where is a good place to line up?

Trotted up the beach, strippers took off the suit in a whoosh, grabbed my bag and into the tent. Moved with purpose and out the other side. I put my shoes on in the tent and ran through the grass. I was going to leave my shoes clipped in but because of the rain I decided to put them in the bag. Mud and grass got into the clip and I BARELY got clipped into the pedals. I had problems the rest of the ride with that shoe but nothing too serious.

Leave the shoes clipped in on the bike.

I went out with the mindset of being comfortable. I never had to get out of the saddle on the climbs and never really pushed. Coasted on the descents and tried to stay on my nutrition plan. The solid food really worked well for me. I had a couple guys pass by me when I was eating and they commented on how good my Uncrustables looked :). I hit a gel between the sandwiches and kept sipping on the bottle the entire ride. Coming back into CdA was the fastest I had ever gone on a bike. It was a little terrifying but fun when I survived. I had to stop to pee 4-5 times but all were pretty quick stops. I know the bike is still my weakest leg but I felt much improved. This is a beautiful hilly course! We had some head wind going out but the temperature was so nice that neither ever bothered me. I am not sure what the old bike course was like, but this was a very nice ride.

If I want to drop more time, bike fitness is it.

I was ready to run when I hit the ground off the bike. Slipped shoes and hat on and was out of the tent. I had to pee but decided to do it at the first aid station. If I had done it in T1, I would have broke 4 hours on the marathon:)

nothing

Felt good to be off the bike. Legs felt fresh and the crowd and volunteers had me excited to be on the course. Stopped to pee at the first aid station and saw 7:40 on my watch. Oh, that is too fast. Told myself to calm down and relax. I settled in and just cruised. The plan was to live off the course and take what looked good. The sun came out and it felt great. I started to do the math and knew 12 hours was within reach. My initial thought was to get through the first loop in 2 hours and I should be able to hold on enough the second loop to make it. I started seeing people I knew racing and getting updates on where everyone was and how they were doing. Found out one of my friends had his helmet stolen out of his T1 bag. A volunteer let him use his, another example of how awesome the volunteers were. We are going to look through every picture to try to find that helmet. At the turnaround I saw the family, gave wifey a big kiss and got big smiles and thumbs up from the kids. Got a little misty there. Ran through special needs, nothing special needed. Headed back out for the last loop. I was surprised to be still holding pace. I was slowing down but really very little. It was getting a little warmer so I was taking anything that a volunteer was holding. I started taking cola, perform and water at every aid station and a gel every 30 minutes. I only stopped running once during the marathon to pee at mile 1. Made the last turn toward home and pictured my family there. I actually sped up the last 6 miles. I kept telling myself "relax" and "big heart" (a BT friend had written this and it just popped in there over and over). I really felt great and couldn't believe I had a shot to PR on a much tougher course that B2B. With about 2 miles to go on a slight hill I started to push the pace. My hamstring and calf on my left leg started to cramp. "RELAX!!" I told myself. It was on the verge of locking up the rest of the run. I found a nice pace and pushed through but it was close. Made the last turn onto Sherman Ave. Everything anyone has ever said about Sherman Ave is true. It is the most amazing finish to a race I have ever done. I was running alone and the crowd was rocking it. I was smiling from ear to ear the entire last mile. Right before the finish I saw my family and saw that my 2 sisters had come down from Montana. Then at the finish line I looked up at the clock. I was so caught up in the last 6 miles, I hadn't been looking at my watch. 11:35:33, a 10 minute PR!!!!

I stopped running and a catcher started to walk me through the chute. There went the hamstring and the calf. Completely locked up. The catcher was a young kid about 18. I think I scared him because he just sort of walk off. I peg legged it to a chair and got asked if I needed medical. Nope, tent too far :) Tried to eat but it didn't stay down. I wanted to wait for the Vegas people to finish but I had to get out of that area. Got to the family and saw everyone I knew from Vegas finish... AWESOME! Happy for every one of them.

I so enjoyed this marathon. It was absolutely gorgeous and I wouldn't change a thing.

It took a while to get right. Chocolate milk seemed to be the answer. Once the stomach settled down, I was able to stretch out a bit. The last Vegas athlete I knew finished at 9pm. I had a few hours at the finish line to move around and rehydrate. Felt pretty good by the drive back.


I recommend this race. It is gorgeous and challenging and I had an amazing experience. All of the people I talked to absolutely loved the course. Thumbs up to CdA!