Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Triathlon

This was by far the most challenging swim that I've ever done. The swells were 2-3 feet, and just short of white capping. It was rolling into the shore/at me for the first 1000. With the number of bodies and pounding of the waves, I had no rythym for that first out. I also swam too close to the buoy line, so was constantly getting swam over or held up. The rest of the swim went pretty well. I got settled in and got good breath control. Getting to about 200 yds of consecutive freestyle by the end. My second half was 6 minutes slower than the first, which was pretty surprising since I felt much more comfortable for the second half. Just goes to show how fatigued my arms were getting and how much my stroke suffered.

Start to the outside of the pack and away from the buoy line! Other than that, I just needed more experience of swimming in that volume of people with that rough of water. All things considered, I still made my goal time!

It's kind of hard to rate this transition compared to others I've done. Obviously with 9.5 minutes, something was different! I put myself in the transition area during a very busy time. The wetsuit peelers were very nice and helpful. The change tent was a zoo! No chairs to sit in. I took much longer drying off than normal due to the cool temperature so I didn't get chilled right away on the bike. I also put socks on, which added a minute or so.

Not sure. I had a lot of extra stuff in my transition bag, which probably added time to sort through. Leave the extra water bottle and sunscreen out of the bag next time.

This was a challenging day for this ride, which made it all the more satisfying when I look at the results! I passed about 550 riders, 73 of which were age groupers. I really felt strong on the hills, and it showed as I blew by competitors (guessing around 200 on the first Micah climb.) The headwind for 20 miles heading south on 95 was mentally taxing, but I kept the cadence pretty relaxed and had a great ride back to CDA. I went out in 3:08, came back in in 3:22, which wasn't exactly the goal, but it turned out to be pretty effective. My second lap included a dismount to refill water bottles and collect more nutrition (volunteers were excellent helpers!) and one for a pee break at mile 90.

I would probably focus a little more on even splits. I knew I was pressing the first 20-30 miles, as the legs were feeling excellent! I'm not sure if it could have resulted in a net lower time for the bike, but perhaps a slightly better run.

Again, kind of hard to compare this transition to others because of the format and size of the transition zone. Volunteers took my bike as soon as I dismounted. I had a good quick slide of the shoes in the change tent. Added time due to the need for some chamois butter! I also took the time to get re-lubed at the sunscreen booth! I left my sunglasses with my change volunteer, which cost me maybe 30 seconds to retrieve.

Pay a little closer attention to my sunglasses and not forget them!

This run will stay with me as long as I have breath! Temperatures were very comfortable and the wind died down substantially. My first lap was about 1:58, and I really thought I could match that on the back. I walked one-minute stretches of the bennett bay hill on lap one, and other than that I was able to jog for all but the aid stations. I went out way too fast (7:32 for the first 2.5 miles!) It obviously slowed me down in the long run, but it wasn't a burn out effect. The second lap had the same intervals of walking up Bennett Bay hill, but also had one-minute walks up several of the other minor hills. I also had GI concerns for much of the second loop. I had to limit gel intake and rely more on salt and perform. Ended up with one pee break at mile 20, but no sit-downs needed!

Try not to go out so fast! This was really tough with the energy from the thousands of spectators. Other than that, it was an absolutely great race. I really executed my game plan well.

Not much warm-down. Just some walking and then in line for a massage.


My swim technique. My bike. A poorly executed first transition.


What a great race experience. Nothing beats hearing those infamous words for the first time...."Jeff Whitman of Longview, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" I'm so happy with my performance. All glory to God who strengthens me!!