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Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
Ironman North America
70F / 21C
Sunny
Total Time = 15h 22m 30s
Overall Rank = 1908/2351
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 70/86
Pre-race routine:

I got up at 4:15 a.m. to eat and get ready to head down to the start line. By the time I got there around 5:15, it was pure mayhem already. Athletes and spectators everywhere! I got bodymarked and headed to transition to pump the bike tires up and put the remaining items in my bags. As soon as I think I'm done, I realize my sunglasses are missing. SHIT. After a quick hello to my the Tri-Turtle Lisa B., I head out of transition to find my athletic supporters to figure out the sunglass situation. 112 miles on a bike with no sunglasses is going to be brutal. Kevin runs back to the car to see if they are there, but no luck. So he hands his to a nice volunteer in transition to put in my "swim to bike" bag. (We discovered the next day that he actually had MINE lol - no wonder I couldn't find them lol)

We all funnel down to the beach start, and somehow I find myself in the 3rd row back in the middle of the pack. Probably not a smart decision, but I survived lol
Event warmup:

Put on wetsuit! What a pain in the ass that is!
Swim
  • 1h 29m 45s
  • 4224 yards
  • 02m 07s / 100 yards
Comments:

My friend, Lisa, describes the mass swim start of 2500 people as "underwater cage fighting". True statement. I was hit, smacked, swum over, pulled back, bruised up, the entire 2.4 miles. I am willing to bet I drank a gallon of water along the way. I also had issues with my goggles leaking, so had to stop probably 12 times throughout the swim to empty them out. The swim was 2 laps, meaning we actually got out of the water, ran about 30 feet and got right back in for another fun-filled lap of "underwater cage-fighting" lol My first lap was 42 minutes, which meant the 2nd lap was 47 minutes. Oh well...I was still 45 seconds faster than my goal of 1:30:00, so I'll take it. The water was a chilly 58 degrees, but it didn't seem to phase me. Alot of others weren't so lucky - one pro took a few steps into the lake and came right back out. She said the water was too cold and she was calling it quits for the day. A few of my friends spent over 30 minutes in the heated "yurts" after their swims, and trying to avoid hypothermia. At one point in the 2nd lap, a boat came by and created a bunch of huge waves, which prompted all of us to pop our heads up at the exact same moment. One guy yelled "Tsunami!!!" It was quite comical. Try swimming while laughing - it doesn't work well.
What would you do differently?:

I have no idea...seems no matter where you start, you're gonna get beat to shit lol Choose a warmer race?
Transition 1
  • 13m 35s
Comments:

Transition 1 was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that I forgot to pack a towel in my bag, so had nothing to dry off with. Thank god they had rolls of paper towels in the women's changing tent. I had to get a volunteer to help me roll my sports bra down in the back because my hands were so cold and I was wet! So I finally head out of T1 ready to bike and am greeted by my athletic supporters - my friend Robin, my boyfriend, Kevin, my sister, Sonja, her husband, Jamie, their two kids, Tori and Jaden, my daughters, Brenda and Rachel, Brenda's boyfriend, Andrew, and Rachel's kids, Cadence and Hunter. It was awesome!!

What would you do differently?:

Try not to spend so much time in transition, but considering how much time others spent trying to warm up, I did pretty good. PACK A TOWEL!
Bike
  • 7h 38m 36s
  • 112 miles
  • 14.65 mile/hr
Comments:

It was still a little chilly, so I started out with my jacket on. It got ditched after the first big hill. The crowd support was awesome both in downtown CdA and in the town of Hayden. After the first loop, I was totally dreading having to go back to those hills again. Around mile 60, my bike wouldn't shift into low gears, so would just spin and I couldn't get any speed up, but I was still moving and not really hindered too badly. My nutrition was good - I stayed on track with my Erin Baker's cookies (Thank you MeeMaw!!!), and grabbed my PB&J sandwich at the special needs stop around mile 60. Planned bike time was 7 hours, but with the hills and bike issues, I ended up at 7:38.
What would you do differently?:

Practice HILLS, HILLS, HILLS! Crazy hilly route for this flatlander! The bike issues couldn't be helped, I had a full tuneup done a week before the race.
Transition 2
  • 04m 31s
Comments:

T2 was pretty uneventful as well. The bike catchers took my bike in an instant and I never saw it again (which was good, because I was soooooooooo done with it!). I decided not to change my clothes to make up some time, and it worked out just fine. Again, I was greeted by my athletic supporters as I headed out on the run - so glad they were there! It was nice to see familiar faces. I warned them that this run was going to take a while.

What would you do differently?:

This transition has been completely erased from my memory. I have no idea how I got to the run lol
Run
  • 5h 56m 5s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 13m 35s  min/mile
Comments:

I probably socialized more than I should have, but it made the run much more fun and interesting. The 2nd lap, I ran quite a bit more than I did the first one and was actually feeling pretty good. I planned on a 6 hour run, and ended up at 5:56. Can't ask for more than that! The run support was great - one rest stop had volunteers dressed up as characters from the Wizard of Oz, another had them dressed as pirates and wenches. For some reason they hadn't put the rum in the coke they were handing out though, so I told them I couldn't drink it. As darkness fell, they handed the remaining racers glow in the dark necklaces.
What would you do differently?:

Pay more attention to my social time...I'd start gabbing with the other racers and find myself walking much more than I should have.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked from the finish line around the finish area a bit. Sat in the hot tub at the hotel (I realize this should have been an ice bath, but I don't care).

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My mouth.

Event comments:

The day went suprisingly smooth for me. I never felt overwhelmed, over-tired, that I wouldn't finish, never had any stomach issues, and really had a great time. It's true, the training is the hardest part, and race day is a piece of cake. Well, maybe not that easy, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as I expected. I may be revising my "First and Last Ironman" statement.

For now, I'm going to enjoy catching up on my eating and sleeping!
Thanks to all my supporters - Kevin, Robin, Brenda, Rachel, Cadence, Hunter, Andrew, Sonja, Jamie, Tori and Jaden! It meant so much to have all my loved ones there to witness this! Our team had lots of other supporters out there as well, including my coach, Kristen Codish of Triple Threat Tough.

Now, to figure out what's next on the bucket list...


Profile Album


Last updated: 2010-08-19 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:29:45 | 4224 yards | 02m 07s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/86
Overall: 0/2351
Performance: Good
Suit: One piece racer
Course: 2 loops
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 54F / 12C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Good
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 13:35
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
07:38:36 | 112 miles | 14.65 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/86
Overall: 0/2351
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: The bike course was beautiful, but so freakin' hilly! Whoever said there were "rollers" was LYING. We also did 2 loops on this course, so actually passed the spectators 4 times.
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 04:31
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Bad
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
05:56:05 | 26.2 miles | 13m 35s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/86
Overall: 0/2351
Performance: Average
Course: The run course was also two loops of 13.1 miles each and took us out of town along the lakeshore pathway and then back into town. There was one MONSTER hill before the turnaround.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2011-07-17 2:02 PM

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Extreme Veteran
601
500100
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Subject: Ironman Coeur d'Alene


2011-07-18 6:08 PM
in reply to: #3600367

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Member
319
100100100
Seattle, WA
Subject: RE: Ironman Coeur d'Alene

Congrats on the race!  I just had to comment because I felt that exact "tsunami" and thought I heard a commotion.  I got so confused because I had no idea why there was a giant wave coming from nowhere.  Of course the only thing I could think of (being from Seattle) was "earthquake!"

Good to know it was just a boat. 

2011-07-18 6:19 PM
in reply to: #3602683

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Extreme Veteran
601
500100
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Subject: RE: Ironman Coeur d'Alene
Haha funny! It was crazy, and even crazier that EVERYONE popped their head up at the exact moment. It was quite a sight lol Congrats on YOUR race also!
2011-07-19 11:33 PM
in reply to: #3600367

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Extreme Veteran
335
10010010025
Herriman, Utah
Subject: RE: Ironman Coeur d'Alene
Nice report and race! My friend had to be taken out of the water by a boat, so I wonder if it was that particular boat that made the waves. I experienced it too. I was even more bothered by the smell of gas fumes!

Anyway, hope to see ya in Florida! Congrats, and thanks for sharing some fun insight into your day with us.
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