Subaru Ironman Canada - TriathlonFull Ironman

Ate three Cliff Blocks 10 minutes before the start and positioned myself to the predetermine spot . The crowds were amazing and the excitement level built quickly until the cannon went off. The start spot was perfect. Even though there were 2800 athletes in the water I was able to get away remarkably clean. I got bumped a few times but was aggressive when people attempted to swim over me or into me. After 5 minutes I swam clean until the first corner and then things changed. The 450m end stretch was crazy and I had to take my time picking my way through the crowd. Once I rounded the last corner I move to the left to find clean water and was able to find two others to draft off and we swam problem free until we could touch. I had not finished a swim were the IM swim exited the water and was surprised at how rocky the shore was. I swam until it was to shallow to swim and then gingerly navigated to dry land. A few others had stubbed toes and were in pain but I was able to exit the swim with not bumps or bruises. Checked my watch and was pleased to see 65 minutes. The GI problem persisted during the swim.

Not much other than try and get a 10 min warmup.

This transition could not have gone any better. The wet suit stripper had my Orca off in seconds, found my T bag and was off to the tent. I quickly donned my jersey and stuffed the 3 bagels into the pockets, put on my shoes, helmet and glasses and was out of there. I was able to easily find my bike and get out on the road.

Not a thing. Perfect...

The plan was to take it easy until Osoyoos snd implement my nutrition plan. I settled into a pace that was comfortable and waited until 15 minutes into the ride to have my first ½ bagel. This was the first time I thought the day was going to be a struggled. It was all I could do to keep it down. Then I realized Eload was going to be problematic and switched to water. A lot of riders passed me on Skaha but I stuck to my plan. Mclean Creek climb came quickly. I used the new climbing technique and passed a lot of riders on this climb. Small gear high revolution is the way to go on all climbs. I was able to find some clear riding after the climb and was able to complete the descent with no one around. As a result I was able to stay off the breaks and let it rip until I arrived in OK Falls. After rounding the corner onto 97 I settled into a comfortable pace. Things went well until about 10K from Osoyoos where I was hit with some pretty serious cross wind. I arrived at Osoyoos in 1:50 and rounded the corner to Richter. I was amazed at how quickly some riders were able to climb. I was not feeling well and struggled. It was nice to see Lannie and Jane at the top of the climb and their encouragement was appreciated. I attempted Gatorade that next aid station but this was a no go also and I was starting to get worried to about fluid and electrolyte replacement. The Richter descent is a blast and today was no different. I do not want to think about what would happen if someone hits something or has a flat during this time. Once I completed the descent and started up the first of the Seven Sisters the head wind became very noticeable. The seven climbs went well but I was glad to round the corner at the out and back in order to get a break from the head wind. I was glad I decided to skip the bike special needs bag as it was not needed. After turning back toward Keremeos the head wind was very noticeable and I decided to back it off a bit. The out and back was where my earlier strategy regarding tempo appeared to pay off. I continued to pass riders in both direction on the out and back.
As I approached the main highway I was passed by three women and two men who were drafting. I passed them after a few miles but they passed me again. As they went by one of the guy who was sitting about 6 inches off another’s wheel chuckled. I lost it, passed them and said some things I now regret but man do I hate cheaters.
From the entrance to the main highway to the base of the Yellow Lake climb was clear for me . I set my sites on a couple of riders that were about a ½ K away and was able to catch them at the based of the climb. This was my favourite part of the cycle. My family was waiting for me at Green Road. The crowds got denser as I moved up the climb and it was like a scene from the tour as I crested the hill. I was feeling very ragged at this point but settled into comfortable pace. As I got to the top of the last incline before the long descent into Penticton I stood to adjust my shorts and my left thigh contracted so violently that my leg hyper extended. I was glad I was on a slight down hill because it took at least 2 minutes to be able to turn the pedal again. I now had my first thoughts about not being able to finish but pressed ahead. The good news was I was able to keep down some Gatorade that I picked up at the last station. No matter how bad you feel that last 14 K is very enjoyable and today was no different.


If the GI problems were none existent I would up the pace slightly.

Entry into the transition was a blur. Someone took my bike and I was able to find my T bag easily. I attempted a washroom break but had little luck and came to the conclusion that I was starting to get dehydrated. I took my time in the tent – switched jerseys, put Vaseline on all toes, donned my socks, shoes, hat and glasses.

Prep my feet better and not use fine socks or new socks

The plan was to start slowly. I passed the first 2 mile mark in 21 minutes and as I progressed down Skaha and turned onto Main I started to feel OK. My family was waiting for me on Main and I had to stop and give the girls a hug. I worked my way up the two inclines before getting to Skaha Lake. Other than some discomfort in the left leg I thought I had worked my way through my problems. I walked through next few aid stations and was able to ingest Gatorade and gels. I was maintaining close to a 10 minute per mile pace and foolishly had thoughts about negative splitting. These thoughts lasted until the Market. I was able to keep my pace but my left and then right thigh started to tighten and get sore. I was able to run both hills but was struggling when I got to OK Falls. I went through the half way point at 2:20, walked the transition and ran to mile 14, then my legs stopped working. I stopped for a minute and thought about calling it a day but after the work I had done that last year decided that I was going to finish no matter what. My goal at that time was to take one aid station at a time and try and get as much fluid and nutrition into me as I could handle. Walking killed me but there was no way I could run. The killer was that both feet started to blister at mile 19. At mile 22 someone indicated that there were 15 thousand fans waiting for us and I decided that there was no way I was going to walk went I got to the down town area. I started to run at about 24.5 miles and was thankful that my daughters joined me on Lakeshore. The last 800 meters was a rush and a sensory overload. People yelling, the announcer blasting and the emotions that went along with finishing.
As I crossed the finish line I was greeted by two wonderful young women. After getting my hat and t shirt, giving up my timing chip and getting a blanket they mentioned how fresh I looked. Other that the incredible discomfort in both thighs I really did feel great and felt I had something left. I was pleased I decided to finish.

Stomach problems and the resulting dehydation


The swim was about as good it will get. My start position was perfect and strategy worked well. I will make some minor changes in my workouts this winter to have more of a technical focus.
I will not change much in regard to my bike prep or race strategy. Easy to Osoyoos, pick it up over Richter and the Sisters, maintain on the flat and out and back and complete Yellow Lake strongly. The only thing I will add this year is more running off the bike and try and do some slightly shorter rides followed by longer runs – 3 to 4 hours bike and then 1:30 to 2 hours run.
The run was a struggle due to nutrition and hydration problems. I believe things would have been quite different if I was not woken at midnight with GI problems. These continued through the bike and ½ the run and resulted in hydration and electrolyte problems.

Taper.

I followed a three week taper at the advice of a number of friends. Next year I will not reduce things as quickly week 1 and week 2 and increase tempo during this time. This year I dropped mileage quickly trying to give my left hip a chance to bounce back. I like the idea of only training a max of 5 hours that last week before the race and then crashing most of Saturday.