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Ironman Canada - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Penticton, British Columbia
Canada
Ironman North America
95F / 35C
Sunny
Total Time = 16h 25m 22s
Overall Rank = 2493/2832
Age Group = F 40-44
Age Group Rank = 169/197
Pre-race routine:

As I was dropping my bike of for TriBike Transport we discovered that the frame of my bike was cracked. The crack had been hidden under my bento box. It wasn't a big crack, but it was in a dangerous spot so I made the decision to rent a bike for the race. It was Friday night and the TriBike truck wouldn't be there until Saturday afternoon so I spent several hours Saturday at the bike shop having the bike fitted to me with my pedals, seat, aerobars, water cages, etc. I took it for an hour spin around town, and, $250 later, sent it on to Canada. Once in Penticton I took it for one trip around Skaha Lake before riding it 112 miles in the race. The experience was a bit nerve-racking, but it worked.
Event warmup:

Got up around 4:00, dressed, ate some cereal, and drove the four miles to the start with my mom and my friend, Doreen. They headed off to find breakfast, while I made my way to transition. We had parked down on the lake front so I had quite a walk back into down to find the opening to the entrance chute. I dropped the special needs bags here, put the water and nutrition on my bike, dropped a couple last minute items in my bike and run bags, potty stop, air in the tires, start putting on wetsuit, gather swim gear, drop off dry clothes bag, another potty stop, then into the water for a quick dunk.
Swim
  • 1h 49m 50s
  • 3862 meters
  • 02m 50s / 100 meters
Comments:

Getting into the water was a little slow because the entrance is rocky. We waded into the water and listened to the national anthem. I stayed to the back so once the gun went off there was still some rock walking to do. I let the crowd go and then settled in for a long swim. Within minutes, I thought, "this is a bit warm for a wetsuit" (I'm a big cold wimp and never thought I'd say that), but I soon forgot about it. The swim was pretty uneventful, until we had to walk out among the rocks again, and I finished right in my goal time.
Transition 1
  • 09m 25s
Comments:

Took my time as usual, with a full change of clothes and plenty of sunscreen.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing, willling to take time to be comfortable on such a long day.
Bike
  • 8h 05m 16s
  • 112 miles
  • 13.85 mile/hr
Comments:

The day promised to be a hot one, but was nice as we headed out on the bike. The course is very scenic and the first 60 miles are fast. There is just one short steep hill which was quickly taken care of with a few revolutions out of the saddle. The view was great, but I was surprised by how few spectators there were along the course especially as we entered Oliver and Osoyoos.

On the climb to Richter Pass the photographer got one of the few good race photos ever taken of me with Osoyoos Lake in the background. My support crew is apparently lacking in photo skills, and this is the ONLY picture we have of me at this race.

Before the climb to Yellow Lake there is a series of rollers. Here I played leap frog with several people. They'd pass me on the way down, then I'd do some passing on the way up. As I passed one women for the third time she turned to me and said, "You like these hills, don't you?". I like the up better than the down, and that was even more true when, on one of the downhills, a bee flew down my shirt and stung me. Luckily, I had just been stung on a training ride when a bee flew into a vent on my helmet. If not for that experience, I would have no idea what the heck had just caused my breast to start burning so intently. I never did see the bee or find the stinger, just a big painful burning lump. That probably would have freaked me out a bit if I hadn't recognized the feeling.

As the day progressed I heard that temps hit 95F, but I didn't find it unpleasant until the climb up to Yellow Lake. With all the bends in the road, I kept thinking I must be coming up on that little lake at any minute, but the climb just seemed to go on forever.

As I passed through the last four or so aid stations they were running out of water and having people stop so they could fill our bottles from a hose. This obviously cost me some time. At one stop the volunteer with the hose was squirting down kids in between filling bottles. I know it's suppose to be fun, and I'm at the back of the pack, but it's still a race. Waiting in line for water was more than a little frustrating.

I took the downhill into town easy and looked forward to getting my butt off the bike. Saw my mom and Doreen as I passed near our rental on the north shore of Skaha Lake.
What would you do differently?:

The rental bike, heat, and long water stops definitely added to my time, but I don't think there was much I could do except pass up the water a couple times. I usually did have enough to get to the next stop, but with the heat and a marathon ahead of me I didn't want to push it.
Transition 2
  • 10m 27s
Comments:

I don't remember what took so much time here, maybe checking out the bee sting and a potty stop. I did change into running shorts and a top and lathered on the sunscreen again.
Run
  • 6h 10m 26s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 14m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

The run starts with an out and back along Okanagan Lake then we head through town to Skaha Lake. I felt pretty good coming off the bike and settled in for the long run ahead. As I approached Skaha Lake I looked for my mom and Doreen, but didn't see them. Apparently they had had a long day of wine tasting while I was on the bike and headed back to the condo to rest.

I was under trained after some back trouble earlier in the year, and following the hills on the bike and the heat of the day I was starting to feel like a lead weight. I was running fine, but at a slow pace. At the turn around I grabbed my headlamp and long sleeve shirt from special needs. Around mile 18 I really started to feel my tired legs, and did walk a few times, leap frogging a few people who were doing the same. I talked to a few people along the way and gave away my glow necklace to someone who hadn't gotten one before they ran out. Since I had a headlamp with a nifty flashing red light on the back I figured the glow necklace would do him more good than me. The road was pretty dark, and I was glad I had the light, as were a few people who were running near me. As we headed back into town with a few more miles left I started to feel better and picked up the pace. Just before the final out and back the course passes teasingly close to the finish, but I still had a mile to run. That made for a long mile, but once you make that turnaround you know exactly how far you have left.
Post race
Warm down:

Got my medal, returned my chip, grabbed a slice of pizza and water, and headed back to find my mom and Doreen. We watched the last finishers come in, and headed back to the condo. Stayed up for a while chatting, drinking beer and champagne, and responding to Facebook post from my friends back home. Took a hot shower and headed to bed around 2am.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Under trained due to back issues earlier in the year, rented bike, and long water stops.




Last updated: 2010-11-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:49:50 | 3862 meters | 02m 50s / 100meters
Age Group: 183/197
Overall: 2740/2832
Performance: Good
Suit: Two Piece De Soto T-1
Course: One long triangle in calm fresh water lake
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 09:25
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
08:05:16 | 112 miles | 13.85 mile/hr
Age Group: 181/197
Overall: 2643/2832
Performance: Average
Wind: Little
Course: One loop, mostly downhill and flats until about mile 65 where there's a significant climb, then an out and back, some rollers, and another signifcant climb before heading down into town and the finish.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 10:27
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
06:10:26 | 26.2 miles | 14m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 151/197
Overall: 2165/2832
Performance: Average
Course: A single loop along Skaha Lake with a short out and back along Okanagan Lake at both the beginning and the end.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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