Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread

I will be there in 2013 as a volunteer and to check things out.  I am going to volunteer for all 3 sports throughout the day.  2014 will be my year.

Good luck to you all, and I am going to follow/chat with you guys throughout the next year, if that is okay?

First IM   Doing it with coach, how awesome is that, doing it with the coach who trained you for over a year and who got you there?  Also doing it with two other training partners (2nd and 1st tiem IM for them, coach has done a few and CdA once before).

7/3/09 5'4" 230 lbs, through Zumba, TKB, and Spin reached 130-140, then on January 2012 dropped it all and started tri training, at 121 lbs now.  I started from NOTHING   Obese/overweight, mostly obese whole life.

Ignore the timestamp, picture of a picture.  ~2007 at 230 lbs vs. June 2012 around my current weight, 121 lbs (5'4").  Started running Jan 2010 and couldn't run 30 seconds straight.

Way to go Deb!!!!!  See ya on the CdA course in 2013!

I volunteered at the finish line the last two years - it was amazing. You will be so pumped by the end of the day, you'll be the first one in line Monday morning to sign up for 2014.

Hang around this thread, you'll pick up lots of good info - that's what I've been doing for the last couple of years.

BTW - like the Hawkeye hat - my wife is from Clinton, so I have a few.

Anything downtown is within waking distance (a mile or two at most).  You might also take a look at rentals:

http://ironmancdarentals.com/

Geez Deb, that's awesome!!! My son was looking over my shoulder as I read your post - he refuses to believe those pics are of the same person.

GatorDeb that is absolutely amazing!!  Congrats on an incredible life change and enjoy the journey to Ironman!

As for places to stay, as has been mentioned, just about anything close to downtown is within easy walking distance of race central.  I know there are quite a few places in the Fort Ground area that rent out.  It's closest to the park so most pricey but very nice places and easy access. 

I'm in!

I'm currently recovering from a broken heel (stress fx).  Its a bummer but I'm cleared for bike riding.  This means I've got all summer to get good at hill climbing

Thanks   PI, it is and it isn't

I have a blog with my IM adventures, http://irondebs.blogspot.com

At the beginning of the year I started at 2 miles at 14 minute miles, swimming at 3:00/100m, and biking at 12 MPH on flat for an hour.  Running is about 10mm for a 10K right now, swimming finally improving at 2:15-2:30/100m, and the biking still sucks lol  10-11 MPH for 45 miles right now.  Have my first HIM on 10/20.  Longest run 8 miles at 13:01mm.

I hold that if I can do an Ironman, anyone can do an Ironman, because I'm as unathletic as they come without any innate physical talent.  Anything I managed  was/is going to be through blood, sweat, and tears

At the beginning of the year I had to break myself from my group classes and I hated working out alone and I have grown to completely love doing all three alone, with a group, for hours.  I swim smiling under the water because I'm having so much fun.  I hold that you will not find someone who loves SBR more and sucks at it more than I do lol  I plan to settle into one IM and two Halfs per year.  Coach has me not doing events (i.e. standalones, of any distance, other than practice tris) until the HIM and IM.  Once the IM is done I plan to do marathons and centuries on the side.  Want to keep doing Sprints and Olys to work on speed.

I plan to never never never never never swim in the ocean.  I'm anti-shark and anti-eel lol  That means I'm going to end up doing an ocean one without two years  

I'm in for 2013 for my first IM.  Came out to Boise for my first HIM this year.  I loved the drive out and the race got shortened, but it was a great place.  This time I'm bringing the whole family and we are trecking out west from the great state of michigan.  I'm excited to do this one. 

Got one more HIM to get done this season and then it's rest time for a few months.  IM training starts in November. 

I did CdA this past year and stayed at the American Country Bed & Breakfast.  It is not downtown (about 3 miles away) but would highly recommend this.  The hosts absolutely cater specificallly to their Ironman guests and will schedule breakfast around your schedule as well as tailor the menu to your specific requests.  They even got up at 4:00am on race day to prepare different breakfasts for each of us.  They also surprised us with a big pasta dinner after the race.

No affiliation here but a big, big fan.  If you check them out on Trip Advisor you will see they have a number of reviews and no one has ever given them anything but the highest number of stars.  If I do CdA again there is no question I will stay there.

FYI

Hotels in CDA are filling up FAST

I had a hard time finding a room.

Whew, that's what I thought, but I was reading race reports that read like it was out at sea.

I swim in choppy lakes, and I love the chop.  I just hate sharks and eels lol

For the distance, you swim 900m out, 200m (maybe it was 250m) across, then the 900m back.  Here is what the course looks like.

http://ironmancda.com/files/2010/09/CDA-Swim-2012_TBT.pdf

Lake's no problem, just the sea  Some of those race reports make it sound like luck to get out alive!!

I always get whacked in the head at least once per sprint, so contact's par for the course for me... the water makes it feel softer for some reason lol

@Gator Deb, bravo to you...I have swam in a HIM at OBX and a full at B2B and the second loop of CDA was the hardest swim I ever did it was white capping by the time I finished, which was so weird because it was basicly flat when the race started.

When your looking for your ocean swim come to North Carolina for B2B, it's an Ocean swim in the channel, remember sharks are mostly cowards and they want no part of a 1000 folks in the water, they hang out on the other side of the island looking for a grom surfing, believe me look at my picture I know this for sure 

There's also eels

What's a grom?