Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman

I've started far left and far right in two IM's and really saw no difference in traffic. I think, based on that, it would be better to be on the inside and swim as short a course as possible because you're going to get beat up regardless. I noticed I had sustained a gash on the outside of my right big toe that I hoped wouldn't cause a problem later.

I simply did as best I could. Cold water temp was not a factor for me but people who couldn't navigate was. You look up, find the buoy, and swim towards it. How hard can that be?

My goal was improved times in all areas including T times. My De Soto wetsuit comes off quickly but there's no reason not to let someone help you.

This year I wore a De Soto tri-suit under my wetsuit, so I only had to be shucked of my wetsuit, put on my socks and cycling shoes, grab my helmet and go. I suppose running faster would have made for a faster T1 time but I'm satisfied I did well enough.

The first lap was great. I hit my goal of 16mph average and never felt I was overdoing it. The one thing was my heart rate. From the start of the bike leg it was about 20 beats too high. I had the same issue doing an Oly a few weeks before. I tried to relax and not hammer it but it wouldn't come down. There was a fierce headwind comng back into town, and it seemed like anything in a southern or southwestern direction brought the wind. When I got back to town I suddenly felt wiped out. I had no power to peddle and thought I was in trouble, but I kept riding. Back into the hills I went, fighting fatigue but with a lower heart rate. I inched up the first two climbes and suddenly I felt fine, I made all the remaining hills no problem. At the last turn to bring me back into town a white Mustang passed me and then started riding its brakes. I was pissed. There wa an SUV coming in the opposite lane but I passed the Mustang on the left while the SUV went by. It was foolish but I didn't want to lose momentum. A rider came up on my left and said "nice pass."

I need to look into the heart rate thing. I have to get it down before I mount up even if that means sitting there for a minute or so longer. Plus, you can't get enough mileage in during training.

They do all the racking so it's not a worry.

Since I had the trisuit on I didn't need anything but my running shoes, ball cap, and sunglasses.

I started out with a 10' run 1' walk strategy, but after a few miles it turned into a 9-1, then a 9-2, then whatever I felt like. I had no stiff joints or pain, but the raw spots from the swim and bike began to manifest. My neck always tightens up from the swim and bike angle and that was the only real issue. I continued to pick points to run to or walk to for the remainder of the course.

Honestly, I feel I could have run more and pushed myself, but at one point I walked past a guy who was running so I felt I was always going as fast as I could.

Space blanket and pizza. I walked around the recovery area for a bit but, really, I felt fine. I saw no reason to linger because I didn't need any assistance.


I could have begun my IM training sooner in the year, and I actually did train less, but I also beat last years time by almost an hour. I don't know if more trainig would have helped or hurt. It is what it is. I was faster in all phases of this race including T1 and T2 so I'm not complaining. Besides, last year I was in pain immediately post-race and had to sit and scoot down stairs. This year I oculd walk stairs no problem and felt much less soreness. Bottom line for me= less training= faster time= greatly reduced post-race soreness.


The best thing about this year was getting to meet more BT people. Any time you can see a friendly face out on the course it helps. The Friday morning swim was enjoyable in that respect. I especially enjoyed time with Bonnie (leopard8996) and our Saturday mini-brick. I saw her multiple times out on the course. I'm taking a break from IM's for at least a year to concentrate on getting faster and being more competitive in my AG. Tri's are the best and rather then survive the long ones I want to try and win the short ones. By short I mean 70.3 and below, and by win I mean my AG. Not that I could excell at a 70.3 but considering how I felt after one swim lap, one bike lap, and one run lap of IMCDA I would place better, in my opinion, at the HIM distance.