Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman

As expected, the water was cold. My warm-up helped alleviate the "losing your breath" sensation. Obviously, it was also very helpful to spend 3 days in the water before the race.

I swam exactly as I had planned/expected. I personally felt like I would be close to an hour; when I saw my first lap split, I knew I was spot-on.

I swam very relaxed. I simply paced off another group of swimmers that were going my speed. Kept my stroke long and smooth; kicked as little as possible -- pretty much exactly as I had practiced.

The start of the race was obviously the most nerve-racking. More than anything I was worried someone would boot my goggles off my face, or, even worse, smash them into my face causing a cut. I instinctually swam aggressively with the fast swimmers to get away from the pack; this strategy worked and there weren't any problems.

Nothing. Even with more training, I'm not going to gain a lot more time on the swim. I could see doing a mid-50's swim but that's only buying me a few minutes. This was my bread and butter and it went as such.

Since this was my first IM, my goals for transition were simple: stay relaxed, don't forget anything, and take in the moment.

The only hectic moment was when I forgot my bib number and almost took someonelse's T-bag. I did "jump down" on my back a little too quickly for the strippers -- I didn't realize they pealed the wet suit down while you were standing at first. Obviously, it makes sense since it won't come off your upper body while you're laying on your back. Sure wish they had strippers at all events -- easily the fastest I've been able to get out of a wet suit.

I did a full change into biking gear. That definitely didn't help my transition time.

I probably took the "relaxed" approach a little too far. I walked through the entire transition and made jokes with my wife and friends. My awesome swim all of a sudden became a very mediocre swim when combined w/ T1. Oh well -- first IM, I wasn't going to do anything stupid.

One of the volunteers did frantically load my bike jersey with all sorts of items from my T-bag. It threw things off a little, and I definitely carried things that I hadn't intended (e.g. a tube of chamois cream).

I left myself a note in the transition bag; essentially instructions and a personal note for inspiration. It wasn't necessary but nice to have. Definitely something to carry forward.

Next time I'll wear my tri kit and not do a full change. What a monumental waste of time and energy.

I probably could have benefited by jogging through transition - not necessarily for the time/speed but to get the blood going to my legs and warm-up a bit after the cold swim.

The volunteer also threw me off. I didn't want to turn-down the free assistance; in hindsight, I should have graciously told the guy that I had everything under control. I carried so much extra junk on the bike -- plus, what I did want, wasn't where I expected it to be.

I had it set in my mind that I would respect the first lap -- take it easy and keep everything in control; then build through the second lap. For the most part, I followed this game plan exactly.

I was pretty fast (well, I was well ahead of my anticipated pace) through the first 12 miles or so; I was a little worried and may have held myself back more than necessary for the remaining 100 miles. That being said, better safe than sorry.

I was well prepared for this course. Although I hadn't ridden it before, I trained on equivalent or harder courses at home. I was in a state of mind such that I could enjoy the ride.

My plan was to use my own Nuun and Heed during the bike. That was what I had trained with and what I preferred. The reality of the situation is that I should train with what's on the course and just live off of the course. Ultimately, I drank way more Gatorade than anything else because it was convenient. Trying to make a bottle of Nuun while riding is pretty much impossible -- grabbing a bottle from a volunteer is easy. I also need to drink plain water after gu -- as I've read since, gu is such a high concentration of sugar that you need plain water to balance it out. Otherwise, well, see my run.

I carried four bottles. This was completely unnecessary since it was easy to get bottles along the course. When I carried four full bottles, I had a lot of extra weight; furthermore, by the time I cycled through all four (which was rare), numbers 3 and 4 were pretty warm. Spend lots of money on a nice, light bike and then load it down with liquids -- not smart.

I may never eat a peanut butter and raisin tortilla again. Once my "one true friend", I burned myself out on these things during training and had little to no appetite for them during the race.

I've convinced myself that a tri bike is the way to go; that would be one significant change.

I blew a ton of time dinking around w/ my special needs bag. In the end, there was very little in it that I used -- and nothing that I needed. Next time I'll stock my special needs w/ potential essentials that I can skip if not needed (for instance, an extra tube or some extra gels).

One minor thing: the cadence sensor on my Garmin decided not to work for the ride; next time I'll replace the battery right before the race to make sure. Those darn things chew through batteries.

Similar to T1, I was in no hurry. My game plan was to relax through transition, and I did just that -- to excess.

I took a lesson from T1 and graciously told a volunteer that I didn't need any help; they smiled and moved on to someone who wanted assistance. This gave me time to get my head on straight and relax a bit. Very good call.

Another full change from biking gear to running gear. What a waste -- a tri kit in the future is the way to go. Not only did I have to fumble with a bunch of clothing, but I'm pretty sure a good portion of spectators outside the transition tent saw my privates. That being said, it was a tent full of nakedness -- so I wasn't the only person puttin' on a show.

I carried a running belt w/ a pouch; didn't need the pouch -- in fact, it was a total pain to use. Next time I'll just use my race belt and live off of the course.

As with T1, I left myself a note in the transition bag. Again, it was a good idea because it took the thinking out of the transition process. Plus it was nice to see a little inspirational message from myself.

Pretty much the same deal as T1: tri kit and move a little faster in transition to loosen-up.

A tale of two half marathons.

First 13.1: Felt great; after getting my equipment situated (my race number which was attached to my pouch belt thing was a little screwy at first), I was nice and comfortable. Enjoyed the run, felt great, never walked. Monitored my heart rate and kept things well under control.

Had some Mother's Animal Cookies in my special needs bag which I eagerly anticipated. I didn't eat them all; kept some to give to a friend who was taking photos on the course -- it was my way of letting him know I appreciated him being out there.

Second 13.1: I swear things started to fall apart almost immediately. Not my legs... not mental... not my energy level... but my freakin' stomach started to flip out. I essentially ran from porta-potty to porta-potty for most of the 13.1 miles. I don't think a detailed account is necessary. It was very apparent that I had failed the nutritional challenge for an IM event; by far the biggest lesson learned.

The Finish: I remember a spectator about 3/4 of a mile from the finish say "Go Joe, you're almost there, you're about to be an Ironman!" It was enough to make the last section effortless... it was also enough to put me in my best emotional state ever during an athletic event.

There's no way to adequately describe the experience coming down Sherman Ave. The street is literally lined with thousands of people. It's the one time that a "normal" person gets to feel like a professional athlete or a rock star. I remember putting my hands on my head several times and just looking up -- I'm not a religious person, so I wasn't necessarily looking to heaven or God; I was simply overwhelmed and trying to bask in the moment.

I had envisioned what it would feel like several times leading-up to Coeur d'Alene. The real experience blows all expectations away. I can't imagine a better athletic experience. This is why people get addicted to these things.

I had no need for the running belt pouch gizmo; it was more of a burden than anything else.

The obvious thing to to different next time is nutrition; specifically nutrition on the bike so that I don't experience the same issue. This all comes down to training. Despite everything I had read about such issues during IM, I underestimated just how poorly my stomach could react.

Before the adrenaline wore off, I hung out and joked with my wife and friends. I seriously thought I was going to be able to go out and have fun that night.

While they went to get my gear, I went to the athletes' food tent to eat "$500 worth of pizza". A slice and a half later, my stomach was a disaster and I was headed for the closest porta-potty. Long story short, I spent the rest of the evening with a very sick stomach.


Nutrition. Not necessarily a lack of nutrition but the impact of course food and drink on my system. Nice thing is, this is something that can easily be remedied through training. I've also read that Imodium strategically taken will help prevent severe stomach issues; I've tried this with some success during training and (much) shorter races.


When it comes down to it, it's all about the family, friends, volunteers, spectators, and Sherman Ave. I'm addicted to the feeling I experienced finishing IMCDA '08; I can't wait to do it again in '09.