Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Triathlon


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Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
74F / 23C
Sunny
Total Time = 11h 26m 59s
Overall Rank = 351/2165
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 68/288
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3:30 3 packets of apples & cinnamon oatmeal, quick shower, drank 16oz of water and started sipping on my lightly mixed gatorade.
Event warmup:

Swam about 50-60 yards and just treaded water for a couple of minutes than got up on the beach waiting for the race to start.
Swim
  • 1h 12m 43s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 43s / 100 yards
Comments:

Good start I felt very comfortable considering I had only been in the water 3 times before the race and all the swims were probably a total 50 minutes combined. Rounding the buoys wasn't great.

After rounding the last turn buoy and heading back in I slowed it down some to conserve energy. I had been passing quite a bit of people and I was in a great rhythm and I didn't feel like I was working super hard.

Overall I exceeded what I thought I would swim by about 8 minutes so that is great for me.
What would you do differently?:

Be better at rounding the buoys. I had to fight at times and start kicking more than I would like to do to keep people from swimming over me.

I would practice more sighting. I probably swam an extra 100 yards or so because I would go from the outer kayaks into the buoys and then back out.
Transition 1
  • 04m 56s
Comments:

Transition was slow getting my socks and shoes on. I also had to make sure I got all my food in my back pockets as well. It felt like I moved faster than I did but I know I can do better.
What would you do differently?:

remember the damn towel to wipe my feet off. I had a small towel that was just not big enough. or not wear socks.

Briefly struggled to find my bike as well.
Bike
  • 6h 05m 55s
  • 112 miles
  • 18.41 mile/hr
Comments:

Bike was good. I struggle very hard in the beginning to get my HR down. It stayed high for the first 45 minutes. I just kept faith that it would start to drop down.

I had some issues with stomach problems. I kept having to stop and use the bathroom. I say my performance was average considering a while back I went on the course faster than I did on race day and I was able to control my HR better that day too.

I also started having right medial knee pain at about mile 30. Had to start taking ibuprofen every hour or so to help keep the pain down.
What would you do differently?:

Figure out why my stomach was giving me the problem. And also figure out what is going on with my cleat position to cause pain in my right knee on the inner side.
Transition 2
  • 03m 24s
Comments:

had bike catchers so didn't need to rack my bike. Grabbed my bag and off I went.
What would you do differently?:

Transition was a little bit slower than I expected but that is ok. i should have yelled out my number louder to find my bag. I spent extra 10-15 seconds finding my bag.
Run
  • 4h 00m 1s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

I have never ran a marathon before so I wasn't certain what to expect. I started out slow trying to keep my HR in check and made sure to keep my cadence high. I now actually understand those stride drills of making your cadence be faster. It makes a world of difference high cadence on tired legs. the course has some curved roads which makes it very hard to run on and if you IT band issues, that will almost definitely pop up. The angles are pretty steep. But there is parts where you can run on the gravel and I did to lessen the impact. I was hoping for closer to 3:45 run but figured I would be closer to 4 which I was right on there. If I wouldn't of stopped and gave my almost 3 year old daughter a quick kiss and a hug maybe I would have been under 4 hours. But her excitement was more important to me than my time.
What would you do differently?:

I would have ran on the gravel both out and backs rather than on the out the second time.
Post race
Warm down:

Went through food in athlete area. Got 2 pieces of pizza, 2 chocolate milks and a bottle of water. Drank 1 milk, ate 1 piece of pizza.

Beyond that my overall HR was 148. That was pretty decent I think. I was able to control it for the most part and while a touch higher than what I trained (142) it was close enough overall.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I must not of eaten the right foods the days leading up. I tried to just eat normal like I always do as I have tried to carbo load etc and that does not work for me. But my normal for lack of better terms poop cycle was not right. I knew I was going to have issues before the race started so I just had to make plans to deal with it.

I stopped at the bathrooms probably 3 times more than I normally would have stopped. That added 3-5 minutes of time

Event comments:

The race itself has been going strong for 11 years. I hesitated signing up for it this last year after being a wetsuit peeler and seeing all the cold suffering people getting their suits peeled off. In the end I took the chance of good temps and weather and signed up for it. It is a local race for me so my family and friends were able to come out and cheer me on. I think the new swim start is a good thing even though that mass start is what some like. I imagine everyone had better swim times because they were able to swim rather than battle to stay above water.

I can't say I will do this race again though. I would like to do another one but think it would be fun to do one at a different venue and make it somewhat a vacation if possible




Last updated: 2012-09-16 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:12:43 | 4224 yards | 01m 43s / 100yards
Age Group: 114/288
Overall: 736/2165
Performance: Good
1.2 mi 1.2 mi 35:24 35:24 1:49/100m 2.4 mi 1.2 mi 37:19 1:12:43 1:55/100m Got out the water and looked at my HR it was 178. I knew it would be up there.
Suit: Xterra pro 3
Course: The two-loop swim, featuring a rolling swim start Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/ironman/coeur-dalene/course.aspx#ixzz2XB9f1EHL
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 61F / 16C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Good Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Below average
T1
Time: 04:56
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:05:55 | 112 miles | 18.41 mile/hr
Age Group: 105/288
Overall: 577/2165
Performance: Average
cadence was 91. I thought I liked to spin higher cadence but it seems on this bike I do better spinning a lower cadence although there were quite a few hills that meant spinning in the lowest gear
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Cyclists make two loops through rural northern Idaho. Each loop begins with a scenic ride along the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene and then enters the rolling hills west of the lake. Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/ironman/coeur-dalene/course.aspx#ixzz2XBBnjgop
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 91
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:24
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
04:00:01 | 26.2 miles | 09m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 68/288
Overall: 351/2165
Performance: Good
Course: The spectator support on the run course is the highlight of the race. Athletes will run parallel to the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene for two loops, with one steep climb at the southern turnaround point. Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/ironman/coeur-dalene/course.aspx#ixzz2XBDYWcDy
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: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4