Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 42)

Looking forward to one more longish bike Wed. then possibly a 1/2 mary next weekend. Glad to be on the taper side of things. Feeling pretty relaxed about things.
May's totals:
Swim 12h12m - 28,850yds
Bike 43h48m - 691 miles (includes a couple of low heart rate family rides)
Run 18h32m 101.27 miles

impressive

Road 98 miles on the course yesterday. Pretty windy. At this point I am just going to expect wind on the big loop as it has never been calm. Road conditions still pretty crappy. The Mica Monster kicks my butt every time on the second loop around. I need to work in more fluids and Gels on the ride. Still pretty drained on my long rides. Hope my guts can tolerated the Ironman Preform.

Taper start this weekend.....yeah!

I have given up trying to drink my nutrition. My gut doesn't care for that very much. So I've gone to PB energy blasts for primary, and pb performance energy bars as my secondary, then pb gu for the 3rd portion. I use hammer endurolytes as well. Fluid wise I just drink water now.

If you are struggling with Perform you might want to forgo that till closer to the end of the bike vs taking it in early so you don't fall apart on the bike.

Mica is a big hill for sure. I just wish there wasn't the no passing coming down it as I'm sure most of us will be riding the brakes. The last time I road the course I coasted down the whole thing hitting about 40-42MPH.

On Saturday I heard breaks squeeling as riders came down the Mica Monster. I feel fine at 33-35mph. More than that wigs me out man!
I think most people will go over 20....I hope.

Is there somewhere local I can by IronMan preform so I can start getting use to it? I have had 4 bottles on my bike for all of my workouts, and was hoping to go down to one on race day.

I don't know local wise. Order from amazon though is a suggestion.

Down to 1 bottle on the bike? What happens if you drop it? Are you going to stop and go back to get it? What if it falls out and you didn't realize it? though not sure where your bottles are placed.

I'm racing with my PD Aero Bottle and a bottle in my seat tube cage. nothing behind the seat. Going to start out with just a plain water bottle full of water my aero full of water. right before aid station dump in what I had in the cage, grab new one and toss empty one. Well so the thought is going to be that way. If I happen to go through more than that, then slow down a little extra and grab 2 going through the aid stations.

Does anyone know where they are at from last years race?

I don't know exactly but I believe they are about every 10 miles or so.

Per the athete guide the bike stations are 10 miles apart.

Are people going to take the course nutrition or use their own? I've used what they have and it works for me. But if I needed water AND a bar, let's say, how easy is it to grab both from the station from someone who has never done so without stopping?

I have not used the preform a lot. So I'll be packing some nuun tablets. They work well for me and are easy to carry. Gives me some nutrition on the bike other than just straight water. I wish I had time to get some salt tablets and try them out, but I don't. The only time I struggle with salt has been on runs longer than 16 miles. Not typically on the bike. I'm hoping that the added salt from the pringles in my special needs bags on the run and bike will help if needed. Since for my first Ironman I'll be one of the just finishers ( not really racining I know slowtwitch would kill me) I'm not going full on crazy with my nutrition. My plan on the bike is drink a lot, eat 2 PBand Js, 12 PB crackers or more, and eat at least one pretzel mojo bar. I hope that gets my salt close to what it needs for the run. The run will be mostly cliff shot blocks and water.

Here is the strange thing. I only know when I'm bonking on salt when I get little jolts of what feels like electricty down my right arm. Always on the inside of my bicep and running to my fingers. When that happens I find I don't have long before meltdown so it's time to take in some serious salt.

Edited by maverickbassets 2013-06-05 7:47 AM

Birds of a feather...I too start to get pretty dang nervous above 30 on descents. I plan on hugging the far right and letting people pass me, because people will pass despite it being labeled a no passing zone.

Wait a minute, is the entire downhill a no passing zone? I thought it was just the bridge? How long is the no passing zone? This could be a real bugger on the 2nd loop if it's the entire downhill. Below is from a post some time ago and it sounded like the no pass zones were very short. If anybody has different info I"m all ears.

Subject: RE: Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread

If I remember right. The first no passing zone is on the last down hill on the way back to town and is not to long. I think at about mile 50ish. The next one is a little after that still on 95 closer to where you will turn to go to NorthWest BLVD. I think and I might not remember right but it last close to 1/4 a mile. Starts just before the over pass and goes until you are off the on-ramp and heading back to town. Also when you are heading onto 95 going up the on-ramp is a no passing spot.


Edited by rbalazs 2013-06-05 8:34 AM

I'm probably wrong here, I am recalling, from long memory, someone posting about a no passing zone on a fast downhill.

Not trying to give misinformation, just saying that I am staying out of people's way is all. High speed descending is not my comfort area on a bike.

I hope we can pass on the down hills, I like going 40+ mph lol. I put on a new cassette a couple of weeks ago and still have not got use to it :/. Its suppose to be better for climbing and better for down hills. 12-28 maybe? I dunno fitness fanatics said its the most poplar IMCDA setup. Ohh and i had to get it because when i did my tune up my chain was so loose that it wrecked my other cassette.

There are definitely no passing areas on a couple of the big hills.

so I keep hearing the people riding the course about how windy it is. are we talking 10mph windy or 20 mph windy. I have a set of blackwell 100s that i usually race with but the front can be a bear if there is a cross windy. any suggestions

I love going fast. I hit 46.4 mph last weekend

That didn't take long, water temp was 58.1 at about 0730!

Swam today in my new Xterra Vector Pro Full sleeve wetsuit...BRILLIANT! What a nice wetsuit.

It'll be my first IM in a wetsuit. Last year in Texas it wasn't wetsuit legal. Some people swam in wetsuits but had to start 10 minutes after the field.

Today's swim was a real confidence booster. It certainly is faster and easier to swim in a full sleeve wetsuit than without.

The water grippers on the inside of the forearm work, I could feel the suit grabbing the water. My legs were so buoyant I hardly felt like I had to kick and the float plate on the chest kept me flat on the water. There is plenty of shoulder room to let my arms do their thing. The biggest thing I notice how much better my breathing....it's almost like cheating

I'll be in CdA two weeks from tomorrow, I'm so jacked!!!

Who's up for a swim on Friday the 21st at some point?

This wind on the big loop always seems to be there. I feel it is about 5-10 mph on average. I volunteered last years race, and that morning was quite blustery, and calmed down a little as the day went on. There will be a no pass zone on the down hill of the Mica monster back into town as there is only one lane of traffic going down the grade.

How long is the no pass zone? 3 miles? 2 miles? 1/2 mile?

For the OCD among us, I found a great start at a IM packing list, then just because I could, I added a few things. Of most useful note the "location" drop down will auto color the cell with the color of the transition/SN and day of bags. You can quickly sort and filter to figure out what goes where and double, triple and quadruple check your gear.

If anyone wants to use it, you should be able to download it from below.

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=FE57F325066CE4C1!113&authkey=!...


Amazing how much better you start to feel with a little sleep. Went for a 2.4 OWS this morning. Felt fantastic... Had to remind myself that on race day I'll feel hopefully just as good but still have a bike and run to do after.

Duplicate..

Edited by cnsegura 2013-06-05 11:50 AM

I was planning on a short 20 or 30 minute swim at some point on Friday - also will be available if anyone wants a tour of the bike course.


Edited by PrivateIdaho 2013-06-05 11:56 AM

Rick, last year there were 2 no passing zones.

1-The bridge, no passing on the way out or on the way back. Don't think this will be an issue for you until the second loop where you may be catching a few people still on their first loop. I did see officials giving out penalties for passing in this area. The bridge was slow every time I crossed it. It's just a bottle neck for traffic and not a lot of room for vehicles and bikes.

2- The down hill portion of the Mica grade. (Can't remember for sure but I believe it was for most the hill 2-3 miles) It really wasn't an issue for me last year, even on the second loop. I am guessing the field will be more spread out this year so this could be an issue for you with your speed. Just depends on where the slower bikers are on the second loop.

I'm up for both on Friday.