Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 14)

phatknot - 2010-09-05 2:24 PM go
watch
this
now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhn2kNzROnY

phatknot - 2010-09-05 11:24 AM go
watch
this
now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhn2kNzROnY

phatknot - 2010-09-05 11:24 AM go
watch
this
now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhn2kNzROnY

gojogo - 2010-09-07 2:53 PM I'm glad I watched that after I signed up.  No backing out now. 

Any advice from the vetrans on how to make it through the swim start?  Does it ever thin out or is it like that the whole 2.4?

PGoldberger - 2010-09-07 3:30 PM

Start at the front and go sub 55 minutes? 

I haven't found a way.  You can start WAY outside but if you swim toward the first turn buoy you're going to get caught up in the crowd from that point on.  You would have to stay WAY outside the whole way.  I know being a mid pack swimmer every time I thought I had some space it got closed real quick for both laps; in fact the hardest hits I received were on my second laps.

Rhawk - 2010-09-07 2:56 PM I wonder how many times I will watch that vid before next June.

Shermbelle - 2010-09-07 6:02 PM

Yeah it will be interesting to see the number of views on that video grow over the winter and on into spring as the race nears!

gojogo - 2010-09-07 4:53 PM I'm glad I watched that after I signed up.  No backing out now. 

Any advice from the vetrans on how to make it through the swim start?  Does it ever thin out or is it like that the whole 2.4?

PGoldberger - 2010-09-07 4:30 PM

...in fact the hardest hits I received were on my second laps.

kkcbelle - 2010-09-08 12:44 AM

I started 2nd row, towards the left. It was a CLOBBERFEST my entire swim. I've never experienced anything like it. I never found clear water and spent my entire swim (1:05) battling arms, mostly male. Truly, I hated it!!! (And I'm a swimmer -- I love swimming! I love everything about swimming!!) I don't know what/if I'll do different next time around... I tried to take it out fast in hopes of finding some clear water, on the advice of others, but it never happened.

kstater39 - 2010-09-08 9:00 AM

I volunteered in 2010 and watched the swim start but not the whole swim.  With that said, I do not see how there would be a calm area with that many people on a 2 loop swim in a rectangle.  I would be interested in hearing how those who went wide did.  I never have understood the reason for keeping the mass start other than keeping with the midnight cut off.  It does not matter as I am sure IM will never change it. 

What worked best for people - but your head down and just power, sight more and "try" to avoid.  I know I waste too much energy onl halfs I have done getting my stroke "off" by trying to weave or get out of the way of folkes.

I think the mass hysteria in the swim will be the one factor no prep will fully have me ready for.  I can run and bike in cold, hot, rain etc.  but getting 3000 people to beat the hell out me at the pool just does not sound like the training I want.

Oh well as they say - its an Ironman - It is not ment to be easy.

Thank you to all those prior finishers for the advice and stories.  The more we know what to expect the more it helps.

ironman2284 - 2010-09-08 3:45 PM

JoshKaptur - 2010-09-08 3:52 PM
I am of the opinion that MOST IM athletes should be riding compacts with at least a 26, and preferably a 28 available on the rear, for any of the courses with hills.  I did IMLP in 10:20 on a compact + 12/26, fwiw... and if I had owned a 27 or 28 would have gone with that.

Most of us don't need those gears to get up the hills... but we should be riding in them if we want to have the best overall performance on the day.

leopard8996 - 2010-09-08 12:42 PM I'm a BOP'er and did my best to avoid and train for the contact. To do this I started all of my local tris pre-IM in the very, very front of whatever wave I was in. Since I'm a 1:43 IM swimmer this allowed almost all of my wave to swim over me Good defensive swimming practice. On race day I lined up in the back and to the right a bit. I had contact but I wasn't getting clobbered except near the buoys. I think it's only really bad for people with swims under 1:20 or so.

ironman2284 - 2010-09-08 2:54 PM

Thanks Josh. Haven't started IM training yet... but noticing how important it is to be easy-as-she-goes on the bike (zone 2 HR, e.g.) and that is the reason why I was wondering about the ratios.  I'm going to start researching compact 12/27-28s. 

berndstorm - 2010-09-08 9:34 PM Just finished catching up with this thread and there is much to absorb/respond/ponder.

Raced in CDA 2010 (1st IM) and promptly signed up for 2011. In response to other stated goals: I survived, did not finish last, and just enjoyed myself.

Re: swim. The most physical event I participated in since I played rugby but none of it mean spirited. The guy who pushed my head down actually apologized! I started in the middle of the beach 4th row and I won't be doing that again. However I am not sure where to seed myself. The key (for me) was to relax into my swim pattern and not let the bumping get to me. It took about a mile to get there which is when the water cleared up some. This leg required the biggest mental adjustment on my part.

Re: gearing. I can't comment on compact vs. standard. I trained on a standard 53/39 with a 12/25 cassette and stuck to what I knew for the race. It is a hilly course but I would not describe the climbs as major, just continuous and sizeable rollers once you get to Hayden (I train in Davis, CA which is about as flat as things get) . The hills keep you honest and break down the potential monotony of a long ride. To me the nature of the course and the surrounding country side make for a great ride. Loved seeing an osprey take off from its nest at some point. Just beautiful.

Re: training races. Aside from Oceanside, I am surprised no one mentioned Auburn or Wildflower. I used the Auburn Half Ironman as a tune-up race about 5 weeks before CDA. I thought that worked out great and I will probably follow the same pattern again. It requires a real effort with its challenging bike course, but I thought of it as a reality check. Some will consider 5 weeks out to close, but I still had  2.5 weeks before starting my taper.

Looking forward to sharing war stories.

Bernd