Ironman Lake Tahoe - Triathlon

Well, people who have lost weight due to job and move stress ought not get cold before a swim in cold water. The reported water temps ranged from 57-64, so I have no idea of the actual, but it was cold. I was glad of Doug's booties and do not think they slowed me down. Fog and people trying to kill me slowed me down much more.

The first loop, I convinced myself that the cold was just discomfort and that I was being a wuss. Doug always says that cold is just uncomfortable but that he can take it, so I was trying to do that. The second loop, I realized that I was clenching my teeth together and tensing my head/neck/shoulders. Yeah, maybe not discomfort. Got a MF of a calf cramp in my left leg on the first loop. I was totally incapacitated, had to roll only my back to breathe, and then swam without moving that leg. On the second loop, I got t the same cramp on the other calf. Nice. Didn't have to flip over, but that took my legs out of commission for the remainder of the swim.

Stay warm prior to the start. Practice OWS in the cold.

Heh. I am laughing just looking at these questions. Because I was hobbling from the calf cramps and was wearing the sleeveless wetsuit so I was likely blue, a volunteer shuffled me off to the warming tent. I was in WAY better shape than the other folks in there, but could not get my hands to move. A volunteer rubbed me with a towel until I was ready to change, when I moved to the changing tent.

I managed to get my bathing suit off and jog bra on all by myself (YAY!) after the volunteer ripped my bag open since the bow had frozen shut. Then I recalled Doug's advice about keeping your head warm and put on my "Suck it Up Buttercup" headband and helmet. Other than the lack of hand coordination and the fact that I could not get my wetsuit off, transition went off without a hitch. Sure, it took eternity, but I was reasonably warm (enough to steer my bike and think clearly) when I left.

This transition was a consequence of my failure to stay warm at the start. That is one of the cool things about IM. If you screw up, you pay on your ass. And 'lo, I did.

Omit the warming tent. It wasn't warm and I could have changed in the other tent. Turns out the other tent was really crowded and crazy, but it seemed OK to me since I wasn't moving very fast.

Rode easy peasy pace. Stopped for wardrobe adjustments and a potty break. Probably lost about 5 minutes total, though, so it was OK. The hills in Maris Camp/Northstar were a surprise. They weren't awful, but were about the difficulty of Eves Road or riding around in Brookfield or Mountain Park. Then, we had the 4 mile climb up Brockway, which was not awful but really long. It was like riding up the bottom of Wileo for 4 miles or the Beast in the Beast of the East.

I met Josh who was racing for Stand Up to Cancer, Fireman Rob, and the Chef guy who was also raising money for cancer and they all raised about $20K each. Way to go, guys!

Nutrition was 1.75 bottles of electrolyte drink, 3 almond butter and honey sandwiches, 2 banana sections, and 2 bonk breaker bars. Also, about 1 full bottle of water.

Know the course better to know when to remove the jacket or raise/lower my armwarmers. Wear a better-fitting jacket to avoid wind drag. I might not go with the disc cover because it was hard for me to control on the downhills.

Go slower on the swim. I went a bit harder in the swim than planned because I knew that I needed to warm up. This sapped my energy for later.

Again, I laugh at the silly questions. I climbed gingerly off of my bike and limped into the tent, where I proceeded to talk to everyone and hang out. Chose to channel Scarlett O'Hara "As God as my witness, I'll never be cold again!" and wear tights and leave T2 with my Equilibrium LS tied around my waist and gloves in my jogbra, which was a great call.

Not chat so much? Whatever. 10 mins is OK.

I LOVE the run. I had a great time from the beginning. I chatted with everyone, sang songs, danced, made friends, joked around, etc. I likely would have been faster if I had not sung Sweet Caroline, the Sesame Street song, Sing A Song, Prince, and Ironman at the top of my lungs for the whole first lap (18 miles), but really? Who cares? I met my new buddies Brian from Silicon Valley, and Jake with the red shirt and enjoyed talking with them. I also got to run with this cool girl who was finishing her first ironman and whose husband had won his AG! It was awesome. Once it got dark, I stopped for chicken broth at every aid station because it was so warm and delicious.

Nutrition: GU at 6, 12, 18 miles and broth throughout.

Bring a buddy who would enjoy singing with me. This run would have been more fun with a friend or if I could have kept up with Brian or Jake.

Superfast change


Got too cold pre-race and during the swim. Swam too hard. General lack of motivation after the other two things.


People had lots of complaints about the course, but I loved it. I wanted a challenge and got it in spades. The volunteers were out of sight and the views were amazing. I was dismayed by the people beating me up on the swim and the litterers on the bike course. It was too dark to see if people were littering on the run.

If I do another long distance triathlon, it will be a similarly challenging course.