Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Triathlon

Lined up with the 1:15-1:30 section for the swim start. Looked again at the chop and tried to wipe that from my mind. Slowly made it to the starting gate at 6:51 and off I went. The new rolling start was much less stressful then the traditional cannon start. Found some open space immediately and started the long swim through the wind and chop. It was tough at times to get into a good breathing rythym as I would suck in water every breath. I realized my sighting approach had to change. I am used to sighting like a gator with eyes barely out of the water. I started lifting my head much higher out of the water to insure I was on track. Had contact a few times through the first lap but nothing too serious. Even at the turn bouys it was pretty smooth, not a lot of back up like in 2012. Coming back in was nicer as I rode the waves and wind in. The 2nd lap was similar to the first except I started to feel "sea sick" from all of the waves. A few times I thought I was going to "chum" the water. I began to site off of the red turn buoy and was amazed at how fast I was approaching the turn. Turns out the bouy had broken loose in the wind and was being blown back into shore. I thought I was near the turn, but instead I was barely half way to it. A boat grabbed the bouy and started pulling it back in place. Kayakers showed up to keep the swimmers on course and acted as the turn bouy. I was happy to turn back to shore and ride the final stretch of wave and winds back. Got out of the water a little dizzy but warm. Saw the family and gave them a smile and wave. Even with the wind I was only 1 minute over my expected 1:30 pace.

Training in a bigger choppier lake may have helped. Sighting is an issue with waves and it would have been nice to practice that.

Not much to say here. I am slow in transition. But I made sure I left nothing behind. Contemplated wearing my cycling jacket but decided to leave it behind. A good call. Glad I remembered my towel. Loaned it out to 2 people while I changed.

Run from the lake to the wetsuit strippers and then to the tent. I walked that entire distance.

The theme for the day was WIND! The temperature was great. I felt great getting on the bike. I had recently done a custom fitting for my bike and it worked awesome. Much more comfortable and eliminated a lot of back pain I was having while riding. It didn't take long before the wind was noticeable. The wind was coming from the south/southwest and could be felt heading out towards Bennett Bay Hill. Of course it was awesome with a tailwind coming back into town. The worst part of the ride was the long 20 mile ride up the hills into the wind as we rode out towards Worley. The wind was non-stop and unrelenting. It felt like it was about 15-20 mph constant. The first no passing zone crossing the bridge coming out of town was a joke. For some reason the lead rider was only going 9 mph. It caused quite the backup and people were getting a bit frustrated but it cleared soon enough and we were on our way. I changed my gearing this year to a compact crankset which helped tremendously with the hills. I was actually passing people this time going up the hills. Coming back down the Mica Grade my front gear shifter loosened up and would not hold the upper gears unless I held on to the shifter. I fiddled with it for the next 7 miles but I dind't have the proper tool to tighten it (all I needed was a flat head screw driver). I carry a bike tool with me but it didn't have a flat head on it. I remembered that goody bag given to us by Ironman had a bike tool in it that did have the flat head. As I climbed the last big hill on the long stretch out of town I came across my cheering section. A definite welcome sight to behold. I asked my wife to drive to the house we were staying in and grab me the Ironman bike tool and bring it back to the same spot and I would catch her on the way back into town. I made my way to the turn around and caught that sweet tailwind back. A quick stop to pee, followed by a quick stop to grab the tool and fix my bike and I was on my way. I flew back into town. The last big hill didn't seem that bad (at least the first time around). The 2nd lap was much like the first except the wind seemed stronger and the hills seemed longer and steeper. Ate a bunch of bananas, chomps, powerade and water to power me along. I kept a special granola type bar for the last half of the ride to give me something with a bit more substance for the last stretch of the ride. My cheering section kept popping up all over the course. It was a definite morale booster. All in all I felt good about the ride. My goal was to do the ride in 7:30. I missed it by 9 minutes but I was ok with that because of the windy conditions and the gear issue.

Try to find more wind to train in. I did more hills this time and with the new gearing setup up I think it helped.

Getting off of the bike my legs were extremely wobbly. Had trouble getting them moving. All things considered T2 was actually not bad for me as I tend to be slow transitioning.

Starting the run, my legs felt shot. It was a familiar feeling and I knew I just needed to pound through the first mile and I would be ok. I saw my cheering section coming out of transition so I stopped and gave high fives, hugs and kissed my wife. I didn't want to start running but they cheered me on. The crowd in town was great and helped power me through the first couple of miles. The party houses in town had just started getting rev'd up and were a good distraction. I setup up a run/walk strategy to keep me going along the lake shore. Everytime I wanted to stop, my cheering section would pop up out of nowhere and keep me going. I loved the aid stations. I train my body to run like an army jeep....it can be fueled by anything. The salty chips, flat cola, water and chomps powered me through most of the first half of the run. I walked up the Bennett Bay Hill. Making it back into town was another boost. The crowd support is amazing. My supporters were incredible. The 2nd half wasn't too bad. Fought off a little leg cramping, fought off feelings of stopping...both were cured by water, chomps and the life saving chicken broth. The final push into town was good. I wasn't running fast but I was running. Slowed a little to allow 2 ladies with tutu's on to pass so I could have the finishing chute to myself. Loved the last push down Sherman Avenue. The crowd was amazing. I high fived the crowd and even managed to see my entire cheering section. I loved hearing Mike call out my name and say "You are an Ironman". I missed my run goal by 16 minutes, but considering the wind on the bike took alot out of my legs, I am happy with the outcome.

Work a little harder in my bricks during training for the run transitions. Oh do I hate making the transition to the run.

Lovely volunteer caught me at the finish line. Walked me to my medal, hat, shirt and photo op. Ate 2 pieces of pizza and drank a delicious chocolate milk. Got a great free massage and then met my family to head back home. They were kind enough to gather my bike and gear bags so all I had to do was get in the car. Wonderful!


The wind and waves may have caused me to perform slower than I expected, but you have to be ready for whatever is thrown your way during an Ironman.


Couer d'Alene is a wonderful town. It feels like the entire town comes out to support this race. Ironman puts on a great race. I highly recommend it to anyone considering signing up. Just be ready for the hills, the cool (and sometimes rough) lake swim, the wind and the incredible volunteers and crowds.