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 Swim
Comments: As we stood on the beach waiting for the gun to go off, the race director announced that, due to the rough waters, participants would have the option to participate in none or part of the swim, to have their swim time discounted, and to be timed as a duathlete. We all decided that, since we'd trained for the full meal deal, we would at least attempt the swim and decide what to do individually. Nick was adamant about swimming both laps. Jennifer wanted to check her time after one lap and see if she'd make the cut-off of 2:20 for two loops. I began to question my atheism. As soon as we got into the water, someone pressed on my back to try to swim over me. I popped up to prevent being pushed under and began to panic. Nick and Jennifer were ahead and they stopped for me but, after a few panic stops, I told them to go on. I swam after them, out to the third buoy. Another participant was having his own panic attack and nearly drowning himself, jumping up in the water and going under, waving his arms frantically and crying for help. I couldn't help thinking that, at least, I wasn't panicking as badly as he was. I helped flag down a ski-do and stayed with him until he was hauled up onto the back of it, and I decided that the swim wasn't going to happen for me. A volunteer kayaker offered me a tow back in, but I swam back to the shore, looking at the discarded trash on the bottom as I headed in. I realized that I really hate open water swimming. I've tried to like it, but I don't. I was disappointed not to complete the swim since it's a third of the event, but I also felt lucky that I'd still get to bike and run. When I got out of the water, I was told that several people had already returned without completing the swim and that we would start the duathlon around 9:30. I changed into my bike gear and stood in the transition area. I heard Nick's name announced at 7:40, as he came out of the water after his first lap. I teared up with pride that he was doing the whole thing. The professionals came out after their second lap, around 57 minutes. They transitioned within 2 minutes, rejected the sunscreen offered by volunteers, and ran in their tri shoes (without socks) to their bikes, shivering. Most of them were very small, thin and gaunt looking. I kept waiting for Nick but, since he had decided not to wear his long-sleeved, Assaggio jersey, I missed him. He was out of the water after only an hour and 18 minutes! Jennifer came out around an hour and 46 minutes. I hugged her and told her how proud I was of her. She was so happy to have finished both laps. The sunscreen on her cheeks was thick like white rouge and she was beaming and looked adorable. What would you do differently?: Hmmmm...get therapy? I think that I have some serious issues around swimming that I have to get over in order to do another mass start, open water swim. I got very lucky that the swim was made optional.  Transition 1
Comments: I had so much time in "transition" since I didn't complete the swim, that I actually got to soak in a hot tub and watch the pros come it while eating a PBJ. It was a great start to the day! What would you do differently?: Hopefully, next time I'll actually do the swim.  Bike
Comments: After the last triathlete had transitioned and was on her bike, around 9:34, we were able to head out on the bike course. We still had to make the regular cut-off times, which were 1:30 pm for the first lap and 5:30 pm for the second. The three of us had driven most of the course the day before, and It was fairly hilly, so I was concerned about my times. There were about 40 of us doing the duathlon. Several other people had decided not to participate at all, based on projected, slow race times, including two professionals. The bike leg went really well. The hilly half of the course had two segments that required standing. I felt really strong and confident, although my bike was by far the least expensive and the heaviest of any that I saw. At least 95% of the other participants had high-end tri bikes with $2,000 wheel sets and seat-mounted hydration systems. Passing them on the hills on my tinny little Sequoia, sucking on my hand-me-down Camelbak, I had to smile to myself and think of all of our brutal, group rides and Ed's classes. I kept to my eating schedule of one (pre-cut) bite of food every 15 minutes. It seemed to work for me. There were a lot of people who didn't appear to consume anything beyond Gatorade. I wondered how they would do on the run. I crossed paths with Jennifer on my second bike loop, but never saw Nick on the bike. Jennifer was looking really strong, cruising up a hill. Between 5:00 and 5:15 I finished the bike leg, which was pretty close to the cut-off of 5:30 pm. I had stopped three times on the bike; for water, a bathroom break and a bag of chips from my special needs bag. I took more than 15 minutes in transition, changing into running shorts and cleaning up with a soapy washcloth. (A girl needs to look her best while marathoning!) I had packed a sandwich, Gatorade and a banana to eat in transition, but my stomach was upset, so I decided to rely on the food on the course, which was offered at every mile. Transition 2
Comments: My T-2 went great. i took plenty of time to change comfortably and use the port-a-potties. What would you do differently?: Nothing. It's not as if I was going to win the race.  Run
Comments: The marathon felt great! I kept seeing Ed, Holly, my parents, Jayne and her friend, Renee, Mark Krueger and their giant group of family and friends, my parents, Lauri, Brian, Miko and Nick's mom, Linda. I kept projecting where I would see them next, which was so uplifting and kept me motivated and positive. I ran all of it at an easy, 10 minute/mile pace, except for the rest stops, which I walked so that I could eat and drink. I also walked for about five minutes, three times when I thought that I would throw up. I knew that if I lost what I'd eaten, I'd just keep vomiting until the end and I was afraid of not being able to finish due to dehydration. Almost everyone I talked to felt queasy and you could hear pre-vomit burping the whole way along the running route. There were a lot of casualties on the road--people who were sitting down, catatonic; people who had reportedly passed out and were now walking with plastic blankets around them; those who were vomiting or rushing into port-a-potties; people with multiple, bad blisters, scuffling or limping along. I felt really strong and happy to be able to participate, and grateful for my health and every one's support. I saw Nick and Jennifer on my first and second loops. The second time, I thought that I might be able to catch Jennifer if I picked up my pace, so I quit stopping at the rest stops and ran until I found her, which was about 2 miles from the finish. We were so happy that we'd get to finish together! My sister popped out of a side street soon afterward. She had been secretly training to run the last part of the marathon with me. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to get to finish with Jennifer and Lauri. I thought that my heart would burst! The finish came up really quickly with all of the lights and music and the crowd. I heard Jennifer's and my name announced. It was almost exactly 10:30 pm. Jennifer had finished the full Ironman in 15:30 and I had finished the duathlon in 12:56. Nick had come in over an hour before, at an amazing 14:04. When we crossed the finish line, our finisher's pictures were taken and we were given a hat, t-shirt, finisher's medal, Mylar blanket and a cup of water. We walked around and hugged everyone. What would you do differently?: I would push it a little faster. Post race
Warm down: After I finished and saw everyone, I got on my knees to stretch and threw up what felt like gallons of Nuun. Boy, did that feel good! I couldn't eat or drink anything for the rest of the night. What limited your ability to perform faster: I tried to save some energy throughout the race, so that I'd feel strong and happy throughout the event, and it worked. I could have finished the IM faster, but I don't know that I would have felt as good as I did. Event comments: Overall, I would say that training for and completing Ironman was a fantastic experience. I'm glad that we set a really high goal and worked toward it, and race day was much more fun than I would have expected. Along the way, I kept hearing the funny comments of people whose bodies were breaking down, but whose humor was still intact. I loved that. Now I'm so happy to have the semblance of a normal life back, with relatively unscheduled free time and the possibility to work on our house and volunteer and see movies. I want to rediscover what I love about working out--running without a goal or schedule, biking to lunch with friends on a Saturday and swimming just because I like it (in a pool, of course). I can't wait to get back to yoga and weight lifting, and sign up for my next marathon. As far as the race goes, I loved all of the courses and the volunteers were amazing. Race organization was phenomeal. I only have three, real complaints. For the swim, the buoys used were really small and, with the windy conditions and high swells, they were virtually invisible. Secondly, there was a required meeting on Friday night for athletes, with a long video of basic participant information, all of which was covered in the written materials distributed at check-in and online. The video presented was confusing and annoying. Also, for some reason, my results aren't available online, although other individuals who completed the event as a duathlon are listed and all of the people who didn't finish are. I've e-mailed the organizers about a dozen times, and I would just love to have my splits and exact times. Last updated: 2007-07-08 12:00 AM
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United States
Ironman North America
76F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = ?/?
Age Group = W 35 - 39
Age Group Rank = 0/
This was my first ever Ironman, and only my second ever triathlon. I trained and participated with my husband, Nick and my friend, Jennifer, following the "Be Ironfit" competitive program.
We started with the process of getting to the event and checking in, which was incredibly complicated and chaotic. There is a part of me that likes to attend to small details, but it became taxed with everything that was required to remember and work through. The amount of organizing, packing and evaluation necessary was truly staggering. Nick and I took at least three days to assemble all of our gear before we even left the house. We had lists and piles everywhere in the kitchen and dining room, afraid that we would forget that one, critical item.
Jennifer arrived in Coeur D'Alene on Thursday evening, and Nick and I arrived on Friday around noon. The event was on Sunday. The deadline for athlete check-in was 3:00 pm on Friday, and the check in process was quite involved. For Jennifer, it took nearly an hour and a half--Nick and I were luckier, since most of the participants had already checked in by the time we arrived.
When we checked in, we had to provide information related to all of our friends and family who were staying in town and where they were staying. I assume that this relates to tourism money generated through the event. We were weighed and given six plastic, drawstring bags and a page of pre-printed labels with our name and bib number on them. We also received a timing chip, swim cap and a bag of advertisements and samples. I want to mention that there was a LOT of waste--brand new, heavily packaged products that were discarded (not recycled or donated). I saw this everywhere, throughout the event. It really bothered me.
On Saturday, the three of us went out for a practice swim in the lake. The water was very choppy and difficult to swim in. As has been our pattern, Jennifer and Nick were fine and I had a panic attack. After our swim, for the remainder of the day, my stomach roiled with anxiety that I would be unable to overcome my panic on race day, that I wouldn't make the swim cut-off due to my constant stopping and hyperventilation, and that I wouldn't be able to participate in the bike and run segments. I kept thinking of everyone who had travelled out to support us and how pathetic it would be to have to stop after only two hours into the event. I literally made myself sick thinking about it.
We met our family and friends for an Italian dinner on Saturday night. I couldn't eat much, but it was good to be distracted by my sweet family. After dinner, Nick and I made up and packed the food that we would need for the next day, the sandwiches and wraps and cut-up Payday bars in Ziploc baggies, the bottles of water and my Camelbak full of Nuun. I had the bags for all of my sandwiches labelled, and included some mantras for my swim, "Don't stop. You can do it. 60 strokes." I thought that if I could just count out the first 60 strokes in the water without losing it, I'd be fine for the rest of the swim. I plugged in my iPod and listened to "Don't Stop" by the Brazilian Girls.
I was up all night on Saturday, trying to relax and visualize a peaceful swim, listening to music, writing in my journal. By Sunday morning, I was relieved that, at the very least, I would soon have the swim behind me.
Our race day started out with even stronger winds than the day before. Even without my glasses, my eyesight as weak as it is, I could see the white caps on the water. I'm sure that my overactive imagination didn't help. The three of us agreed to try to stay together. As we walked toward the beach, the race officials played some somber music and I felt like we were marching to our death.