Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 34)

Strong work!  Probably saw you out there at some point on Saturday.  The normal wind is what we had Saturday.  There are times when we get a north wind like you experienced before but most likely race day will be pretty similar to what Saturday was like.

i do my long runs on Thursday before work.  long ride on the weekend.  gives me at least a day for my legs to recover from the run.  Thursday's are very tiring at work. 

I am following the Joe Friel plan and he has you always run long Saturday ride long Sunday. The rational that he says is that most people do it the other way because they have been told that it helps your body learn to run on tired legs. He calls BS and says that the fatigue that will be in your legs a day later is not the same fatigue that is there right after you get off the bike and so by riding long first it opens you up to a greater chance of injury. It seems to make sense to me and I have been real happy with his plan and the level of preparedness I have.  There are definitely a 100 ways to skin a cat though!!

I ran 2.5 hours Sunday on tired legs after my 100 on Saturday followed by a 30 minute run. They were 15 slow miles. I do believe Friel when he says don't run more then 2.5 hours as the risk of injury increases greatly....Don't know about running long first all the time, thinking about it we would probably be better off switching back and forth stressing our body's in different ways.

Rest day Monday was needed more then ever for me though I got in the pool a little bit

I'd like to know this too!  Hills I can do, but wind breaks me down mentally.

I have this same "problem", hills don't bother me but, wind does a number on me when biking or running.  I know the course was different last year but, I don't remember it being real windy while I was out on the course as a volunteer and, the one time I have ridden the new course this year, there wasn't any wind to speak of.

Is the morning sun a factor in the swim?

Last year I did IMAZ and we swan straight into the rising sun. Tinted goggles really helped. Can any of the veterans say where the sun will be?

HA HA HA

That won't be me.  I'm planning on waiting a minute or two after the pack gets in to get in myself.  A calmer swim is worth a few minutes lost to me.

where's the fun in that , dallas?

Ummm yeah a minute or so won't hurt me..... those you tube videos of previous starts are crazy looking

You changed my mind...I'm in

Me too, I was going to hang back myself, but huge draft will pay huge dividends in my marginal swimming abilities!

Besides, the washing machine is part of the experience.  It's something that not many people experience or can even put into words.  It's pretty cool in my opinion (at least when you look back at it lol). Might not be cool during it.

Hmmm.... good point.

I've heard that CdA has one of the worst swim starts of all IMs.  True?

As far as the swim: where your place yourself at the start has a huge impact. I did last years race and am a mid-pack swimmer (finished in 1:22). I placed myself at the extreme right. My thinking is everyone is going to turn left at the bouy and being in the middle of that is pretty crazy. Yes I got bumped and it was very busy but it was tolerable. You have to EXPECT to get bumbed. The first 10mins really wasnt that bad as everyone got going. My worst hit was a kick to my right hamstring. You can also be faiirly defensive and if you notice feet close (you will!) then maybe keep your arm forward a bit longer as a 'blocker' incase you get kicked.

If your watch the youtube videos notice that it clears out fast after only 30-40 seconds. The other problem with waiting is then when you get into the water you will be fighting with the people who 'frog kick'. The frog kickers are worse to swim with because their legs go out alot more than a true crawl swimmer.

Yes CdA tends to be the most intense swim start of all IMs. The beach isnt very wide, and its pretty narrow so its crowded. I watched at IM Canada and it was alot better. Plus CdA being a 2 loop course puts everyone closer.

As a side note the official water temp was 54.7 degrees. Coldest in the 9 years of the event. At the start they said the temp was "around 58 degrees".....

Buts its an Ironman...its not supposed to be easy. If you trained consistantly, learned what nutrition works, and are able to relax during your race it will turn out fine. Expect issues. And deal with them.