Ironman Mont Tremblant - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Mont-Tremblant., Quebec
Canada
72F / 22C
Precipitation
Total Time = 15h 51m 5s
Overall Rank = 2108/2480
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 291/334
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 3:45, and surprisingly, not nervous or anxious. Had a bagel with butter, a spoonful of peanut butter and a banana. Also chased it down with a UCan drink. Then a glass of water. Had a cup of coffee, then let the coffee work its magic, went to the bathroom and was ready to go. By that time, my family was waking up so I got to say goodbye to everyone. My nephew got me laughing (which I needed) because he kept calling himself sponge bob).

Took the walk from my hotel down to transition and was ready to go. Pumped up my tires (somehow screwed that up, more later), set up my nutrition, dropped off special needs and made my way to the water.
Event warmup:

Just walked around and talked to people
Swim
  • 1h 35m 15s
  • 3800 meters
  • 02m 31s / 100 meters
Comments:

Ok that Air Force flyover was awesome.... Got started calmly and essentially got to work. Just kept going on some smooth water. I stayed a bit outside, wasn't that much traffic but easier to avoid it that way. There are 13 buoys out, 2 across, 13 back. Around buoy 8, it started to get very choppy. Waves coming at us and made staying straight s challenge. At that point, the faster swimmers from the next wave started to catch up and clutter the water, along with us catching up to the next group. At the halfway point I was around 41 minutes, which was a bit faster than I figured I'd be. As I made the turn back in, I knew it would be more work. The chop was tough and the current started to move out. I was shooting for a 1:35 swim and got it. Only time I broke stride was to avoid a canoe and lol for clearer water. Given the conditions, I was real happy. Could have easily been 5 minutes faster had there not been choppy waters. As I would soon find out, this was only going to be the beginning of weather issues.
What would you do differently?:

Can't think of anything. I'm not fast, so maybe work on my efficiency and form a bit more.
Transition 1
  • 14m 42s
Comments:

It's a bike of a hike to T1. I walked and jogged but was also looking for my family. I saw them all just before the tent. Stopped to say hi, get a pic, then move along. Got my gear on and put some chamois cream on to pret for the ride and was good to go. Volunteer grabbed my bag and off I went. As I was rolling my bike out, I noted a flat front tire. Couldn't find a pump and was directed to the mechanic. They gave me a new tune, which took at least 4 minutes. Thanks for the urgency!! But off I went
What would you do differently?:

No idea how I got a flat, but not get a flat.
Bike
  • 7h 39m 16s
  • 112 miles
  • 14.63 mile/hr
Comments:

First 4 miles were pretty smooth. Montee Ryan is rolling hills, more so than I expected it to be, but knew that from earlier rides that week. But kept my Bert rate down because I had a lot of mileage ahead. About 4-5 miles in, the first few rain drops came, then it got heavy and just did not relent. It was a factor the whole ride. The single file hills on montee Ryan meant slow downhills and no momentum up. Especially when you get cut off by people that slow down to a crawl. Once I hit 117, I opened it up a bit. Mainly flat with some rollers and one long downhill out (uphill back). Stopped for a bathroom break. And essentially times those with fluid reloads at the same time. Went to the bathroom but did not use the Porto potty unless it was a deuce. Uneventful first lap until Chemin duplessis. Hills are short and steep but if prepared, nothing that should blow you up. But seeing people fly don the otherwise made me nervous with the road conditions. The roads are marked an the turnaround is about 80km. The way back downhill was a good opportunity to lower the HR. But it was tough with the wet course. Found out later there was a really nasty wipeout. Somebody lost it down hill and took out people going up. Saw the family at the turnaround and went back at it. Really focused on my nutrition during montee Ryan and the way out on 117. This lap, the rain and wind picked up. The headwinds on the way back were brutal. You could see the top half of the trees along the way bending toward you. The last climb up 117 wasn't easy. Once back on montee Ryan, I knew I just had duplessis between me and a marathon. So went at it. Better this time around. Glad I saved some energy because I pushed harder up the hills and passed a lot of people. Down and off to T2 where my family greeted me again. At this point the pros were finishing the race. Saw my family, stopped and talked to them for a few minutes and then headed back to the tent.
What would you do differently?:

Pushed a little harder. But as a first timer, I didn't want to blow up.
Transition 2
  • 10m 24s
Comments:

Got my bag and changed shoes pretty easily. I wore my tri suit under my bike shorts so just peeled those off. Put on some body glide, grabbed my cap and headed out.
What would you do differently?:

I talked to my family for a few minutes. Good to reassure them I was ok, and see some happy faces, but not good for the clock.
Run
  • 6h 11m 28s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 14m 11s  min/mile
Comments:

My intent was to do a 5 minute jog / 1 minute walk plan. That lasted one minute. My legs were stiff. Fought through it a bit for the first few miles but it got sore. I got to an aid tent and found the first person that didn't speak any English. I wanted Advil. A fellow racer offered me some Tylenol and I took it. It worked. Started to loosen up and I eventually caught up with a buddy I met checking in and in transition. We kept pacing each other and we're doing a walk run plan until our HR would leave zone 2. I know I could have gone harder but did not want to be the person crawling at the end. I intended to finish under cut offs. My goal of 15 hours was severely impacted by weather and not important anymore. We kept at it and saw family at the half way mark. Blisters were forming and were hurting. Stopped taking in as much INFINIT as I was hoping to because my stomach had enough. Switched to bananas, cliff shots and chicken broth. And lots of water (l'eau in French). Ran / walked with a few other people along the way and was feeling fine. Again, didn't want injuries or too much fatigue to get in the way. Anything past 14 miles was uncharted territory for me. Around mile 21, I was feeling pretty achy and saw two women pulling out some pills out of a plastic baggy. Reminiscent of going to Phish concerts :). I asked if they had any salt because mine fell out of my amphibole pack. They gave me what I needed and off I went. Other than a few hills, I jogged most of the last 4 miles. As I approached the last mile, I ran a lot faster. All the thoughts of everything going through my mind. From my fight with cancer, my wife's fight with cancer, to all the early morning workouts,..... I slowed up for the approach. Unless you are shooting for a qualifier to kona, slow down, suck it all in. I saw my family and was fighting back tears... Until I heard Mike Reily yell my name. Biggest smile EVER
What would you do differently?:

The run/walk partner made it easy to pass the time as it got late. However I lost time as he had a few potty stops that I didn't need. Again, I wasn't thinking about time.

I could have fought through it more but again, uncharted territory here. I probably could have used a little more run endurance, but not complaining at all.
Post race
Warm down:

Got my finisher goodies and a bottle of chocolate milk. And of course poutine. I ate it like a dog, no fork, just inhaled it. I was stiff so went for a massage which helped. Saw m family and gave them a huge hug. My wife asked me "how did you do?" To which I responded "I can totally beat this time next year"

Will I? Not likely. Maybe another year.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Weather. Even season ironman finishers and pros were telling me how hard this race was given taco digits. From the choppy water to the rain.

Event comments:

What a tremendous experience. A co worker of mine said the day I was leaving, "you've been depositing the money for months now, just go cash the check". He was right. Trust your training. What an amazing time.

Becoming an ironman isn't just the physical and mental effort. It's family and friends. My wife picked up a few extra chores for me to allow me to train. We made some plans around it too. That said, I'm no pro and skipped a few sessions for family plans.

When my so. Asked me about doing an ironman and I wasn't sure, he said "you always tell us, if you want something, work hard and you can do it". So I did. As ironman says "anything is possible"

Mont Tremblant is a fantastic venue for family. Easy to get around and loads to do. We had an awesome vacation with an ironman.




Last updated: 2016-08-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:35:15 | 3800 meters | 02m 31s / 100meters
Age Group: 259/334
Overall: 0/2480
Performance: Good
Suit:
Course: One loop rectangle that looked pretty far.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Bad Navigation: Average
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 14:42
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
07:39:16 | 112 miles | 14.63 mile/hr
Age Group: 293/334
Overall: 0/2480
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Mostly rolling hills with some flats and some shirt but consecutive steep climbs
Road: Smooth Wet Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 10:24
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
06:11:28 | 26.2 miles | 14m 11s  min/mile
Age Group: 291/334
Overall: 0/2480
Performance: Below average
Course: Some rollers but mostly flats and false flats on a paved over railroad track.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5