Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report - Part 3. The conclusion.
Previously at IM CdA...
Swim: 1:33:53
T1: 21:28
Bike: 7:55:53
It was about 5pm. I had 7 hours to complete T2 and the marathon run before the midnight deadline. Could I do it? Read on...
T2 was much calmer than T1. There was hardly anybody in the tent this time. The same volunteer that began helping me in T1 helped me in T2 too. I think it was her. My T1 frozen brain might not be accurate. I told her I only wanted to change shorts and socks and wanted to empty my pockets of the empty wrappers and uneaten PB&J muffin, so as I changed socks, she emptied my pockets. I put on the Trizones magic hat (everyone that has worn the hat has finished) and my fuel belt preloaded with Nuun tablets. Just add water, which I did before leaving the tent. As I went through run out, Lynn was there cheering for me. She told me to wave to Heather. Huh? She pointed up at the camera in the tree above her. Oh! Hi Heather!
Left: Screen Capture from Shayla Neris. Right: Picture by Ed Sparks. Heading out for the run with my hands full of food!
T2: 6:33 I swear time speeds up while not moving.
The first part of the run is back through town, just like on the bike. Lots of people cheering. Our neon-shirted sherpas were plentiful. Lots of people returning from their first loop.
The run course weaves it's way through a very nice neighborhood along the lake. It was almost a continuous block party. Music blaring! People cheering! People drinking! Lots of distractions so I didn't have to think about how many miles to go.
I ran easy for the first few miles, keeping in mind the advice to not go out too fast. 10:10, 10:08, 10:13 for the first three miles through the town and neighborhood. Then we turned onto the road along the lake that we had previuosly ridden on. There is a wide asphalt path along the road that I found had an uncomfortable camber to it. I tried to run along the worn in trail next to the pavement as much as possible.
I walked through the aid stations, but tried to follow my plan to eat clif blocks and drink Nuun that I was carrying every 2 miles. I walked up the biggest hill at mile 4, with the excuse that I was saving myself for later. Everybody else was walking it too. Miles 4, 5, 6 were 11:11, 10:27, 13:38. I saw all of my Trizones buddies - first Tom, then Mohamed, then Julie, then Nancy, all looking strong and headed back towards the half way point.
The turnaround was in the midst of mile 7. By this point I was hating Clif Blocks. I was hating Nuun. I was hating wearing the fuel belt. I began to feel the familiar side stitch so I walked whenever it flared up. I started eyeing what the aid stations had to offer. Bananas. Potato Chips. Cola. Chicken Broth. Ironman Perform sportsdrink. And that must have been what I needed, as the side stitch faded away.
Miles 7, 8, 9 were 12:02, 11:28, 10:06 (downhill). I told the people coming uphill that it helps if you smile. I didn't get any smiles back. Decided my favorite aid station was the one that was decorated to look like the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Miles 10, 11, 12, 13 were my low point. I walked a bit longer through the aid stations trying to work through the side stitches. I stopped briefly to apply a bandaid to a sore toe. 15:53, 10:42, 13:18, 15:28. Here I split off from the numerous people who were headed to the finish line.
Mile 14 wove through town and turned around. I stopped at special needs, dumped the fuel belt and retrieved another serving of Pringles! I got a big boost from all my sherpas. Kenneth wanted a high five. His high five is really high, so I offered him a low five instead. He took me up on it. Jeff & my parents were exactly at the turnaround point and I gave them all a kiss and told them I'd see them in 3 hours.
Left: Picture by Jeff! Right: Picture by Ed Sparks! Subtract fuel belt, add Pringles. Life is good.
Mile 14: 10:56.
Miles 15, 16, 17 back through the neighborhood - 12:27, 13:12, 18:27. I'm thinking the 18:27 held an aid station and The Hill.
Miles 18, 19, 20: 12:54, 16:38, 14:38 - walk/run/walk/run. I used the aid stations as moving buffets. I'd lke chicken broth and water. Now I'd like cola and potato chips. Now how about water and a banana? Perform and grapes, yes!
With all the drinking, my need to pee increased. I stopped several times, each time thinking it would be the last. Quick stops, but time speeds up when not moving. I'm convinced of it.
It was getting dark by then, and they handed out glow sticks at aid stations. I chose an orange one. I found if I rested it on the brim of my hat it didn't bounce when I ran.
Mile 21 - the turnaround. It surprised me! I thought it was further! 21 miles and I was still able to run! And every step I run is a step I don't have to walk.
Miles 21, 22, 23: 11:57, 14:22, 10:45. Walk/run/walk/run/pee stop.
Final turn back into town. I was still running! At least I was making the running motion. I kept expecting to see faster splits on my watch, but at least I was still running and smiling.
Mile 24: 12:22. Turn back into the neighborhood. The block parties had quieted, but there were still people hanging out in their yards.
Mile 25: 11:38. I passed by the last aid station. Told them I thought I could take it from here.
Mile 26: 12:26. Wove through the neighborhood. Thought every turn was the last turn until it finally was and the volunteer told me 8 blocks to go.
Last .2 - 14:04. Sure felt faster than that! I ran downhill through the chute into the lights and cheers! I didn't see my family, but it was hard to take it all in. I had seen all of the others somewhere along the chute. They waited for me!! People were extending high fives on both sides, so I went left. They were on the right. Figures.
I wanted to do something special to cross the finish line. At the welcome dinner they showed us a very cool video called "How Will You Finish" which made us all teary. I chose to skip across the finish line. It could have been an epic fail, as I wasn't sure my legs would actually skip, but they did! I skipped it on in and tried to listen for my "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN" callout, but didn't hear it. I think I'm still an Ironman, even without the callout.
My catcher volunteer asked how I was, and I said I was ok! I was! Felt great! I got my space blanket and medal. Emmie found me and took me the rest of the way through the finishers chute. Jeff & my parents were waiting outside the fence. Tom was still in the finishers area (finishers jail, we called it). I signed up for a massage, with a 30-45 minute wait. I had some chocolate milk. Pizza didn't sound good yet. Jeff went and got my bags with my sweats. I tried a piece of pizza. Ate some, threw the rest away. Decided not to wait for the massage. Grabbed another chocolate milk and exited the finisher's jail.
Marathon time: 5:30:34. Total time: 15:28:21. I am an Ironman.
Left: Picture by Ed Sparks. Right: Picture by FinisherPix.
Post race thoughts:
At a wedding the bride is supposed to have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. There should be a corollary for Ironman. For something old, I wore my Trizones Team Leader white swim cap underneath. Something new? I bought a couple of IM CdA Water Bottles. I had lots of borrowed - swim cap from Betsy, swim booties from Ingrid. And blue - my blue SmartWool socks are my favorites.
I also had much valued advice borrowed from everyone who had gone before me. It takes a village to make an Ironman. Thank you all.
Giant thank you to Trizones, my training buddies, and my coach, Jennifer Reinhart! I trusted the training, and she devised a plan that got me there, with no injuries and more than ready.
I owe Jeff big time. He took up the slack around the house for 5 long months that allowed me get all the training in. He was my biggest supporter for the entire journey. I love you, honey! What's our next adventure going to be? You choose!
And thank you to all of our traveling sherpas who came for the party and to support us: Carolyn, Roy, Richard, Lynn, Ed, Jenny, Emmie, surprise guests Kenneth and Vickie, and my Mommy and Daddy too! It was wonderful having you all around me!
Burning questions I'm sure you're dying to ask:
Q: Did you pee at any time during the race that would be considered inappropriate except during a triathlon?
A: Once. I learned during the practice swims that when wearing a wetsuit, water is not required to hide that you're peeing. So while waiting on the beach for the start, pee happened. I tried to pee during the swim and on the bike but was unsuccessful at relaxing the pee muscles. And on the run, porto-potties were plentiful and much appreciated.
On a related note, I am a fan of pre-race, proactive Immodium. A tablet a day keeps the runs away!
Q: How was the sore pinky toe?
A: Thanks to liberal quantities of ice, arnica gel and worry, the toe was fine during the race. Didn't bother me at all. It's actually bothering me more now than at any time during the race.
Also thanks to a gift from Nancy, we bubble wrapped anything in the house that I could possibly stub my toe on again. And I wore Crocs always, which are now known affectionately as "Bubble Shoes".
Q: Stoppage time was an issue during training. Somestimes it added up to an hour and a half or more during a long ride or run! How much stoppage did you have on race day?
A: I'm proud to say I only had about 15 minutes of stoppage on both the bike and the run. So out of the 15 and half hours of race time, my total non moving time including transitions and stops was just under an hour. I wish it was less, but I'll blame it on first time syndrome and welcome the free time to be had there in the future!
Q: In the future? Would you do another Ironman?
A: I fully expected to say "That sucked and I'm never doing that again" at the finish line. But I didn't. I'm still on a natural high from the experience! Yes, I can see myself doing another. But not until after I take a break from the training regimen and enjoy life for a while. Talk to me again in a year.
Swim: 1:33:53
T1: 21:28
Bike: 7:55:53
It was about 5pm. I had 7 hours to complete T2 and the marathon run before the midnight deadline. Could I do it? Read on...
T2 was much calmer than T1. There was hardly anybody in the tent this time. The same volunteer that began helping me in T1 helped me in T2 too. I think it was her. My T1 frozen brain might not be accurate. I told her I only wanted to change shorts and socks and wanted to empty my pockets of the empty wrappers and uneaten PB&J muffin, so as I changed socks, she emptied my pockets. I put on the Trizones magic hat (everyone that has worn the hat has finished) and my fuel belt preloaded with Nuun tablets. Just add water, which I did before leaving the tent. As I went through run out, Lynn was there cheering for me. She told me to wave to Heather. Huh? She pointed up at the camera in the tree above her. Oh! Hi Heather!
Left: Screen Capture from Shayla Neris. Right: Picture by Ed Sparks. Heading out for the run with my hands full of food!
T2: 6:33 I swear time speeds up while not moving.
The first part of the run is back through town, just like on the bike. Lots of people cheering. Our neon-shirted sherpas were plentiful. Lots of people returning from their first loop.
The run course weaves it's way through a very nice neighborhood along the lake. It was almost a continuous block party. Music blaring! People cheering! People drinking! Lots of distractions so I didn't have to think about how many miles to go.
I ran easy for the first few miles, keeping in mind the advice to not go out too fast. 10:10, 10:08, 10:13 for the first three miles through the town and neighborhood. Then we turned onto the road along the lake that we had previuosly ridden on. There is a wide asphalt path along the road that I found had an uncomfortable camber to it. I tried to run along the worn in trail next to the pavement as much as possible.
I walked through the aid stations, but tried to follow my plan to eat clif blocks and drink Nuun that I was carrying every 2 miles. I walked up the biggest hill at mile 4, with the excuse that I was saving myself for later. Everybody else was walking it too. Miles 4, 5, 6 were 11:11, 10:27, 13:38. I saw all of my Trizones buddies - first Tom, then Mohamed, then Julie, then Nancy, all looking strong and headed back towards the half way point.
The turnaround was in the midst of mile 7. By this point I was hating Clif Blocks. I was hating Nuun. I was hating wearing the fuel belt. I began to feel the familiar side stitch so I walked whenever it flared up. I started eyeing what the aid stations had to offer. Bananas. Potato Chips. Cola. Chicken Broth. Ironman Perform sportsdrink. And that must have been what I needed, as the side stitch faded away.
Miles 7, 8, 9 were 12:02, 11:28, 10:06 (downhill). I told the people coming uphill that it helps if you smile. I didn't get any smiles back. Decided my favorite aid station was the one that was decorated to look like the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Miles 10, 11, 12, 13 were my low point. I walked a bit longer through the aid stations trying to work through the side stitches. I stopped briefly to apply a bandaid to a sore toe. 15:53, 10:42, 13:18, 15:28. Here I split off from the numerous people who were headed to the finish line.
Mile 14 wove through town and turned around. I stopped at special needs, dumped the fuel belt and retrieved another serving of Pringles! I got a big boost from all my sherpas. Kenneth wanted a high five. His high five is really high, so I offered him a low five instead. He took me up on it. Jeff & my parents were exactly at the turnaround point and I gave them all a kiss and told them I'd see them in 3 hours.
Left: Picture by Jeff! Right: Picture by Ed Sparks! Subtract fuel belt, add Pringles. Life is good.
Mile 14: 10:56.
Miles 15, 16, 17 back through the neighborhood - 12:27, 13:12, 18:27. I'm thinking the 18:27 held an aid station and The Hill.
Miles 18, 19, 20: 12:54, 16:38, 14:38 - walk/run/walk/run. I used the aid stations as moving buffets. I'd lke chicken broth and water. Now I'd like cola and potato chips. Now how about water and a banana? Perform and grapes, yes!
With all the drinking, my need to pee increased. I stopped several times, each time thinking it would be the last. Quick stops, but time speeds up when not moving. I'm convinced of it.
It was getting dark by then, and they handed out glow sticks at aid stations. I chose an orange one. I found if I rested it on the brim of my hat it didn't bounce when I ran.
Mile 21 - the turnaround. It surprised me! I thought it was further! 21 miles and I was still able to run! And every step I run is a step I don't have to walk.
Miles 21, 22, 23: 11:57, 14:22, 10:45. Walk/run/walk/run/pee stop.
Final turn back into town. I was still running! At least I was making the running motion. I kept expecting to see faster splits on my watch, but at least I was still running and smiling.
Mile 24: 12:22. Turn back into the neighborhood. The block parties had quieted, but there were still people hanging out in their yards.
Mile 25: 11:38. I passed by the last aid station. Told them I thought I could take it from here.
Mile 26: 12:26. Wove through the neighborhood. Thought every turn was the last turn until it finally was and the volunteer told me 8 blocks to go.
Last .2 - 14:04. Sure felt faster than that! I ran downhill through the chute into the lights and cheers! I didn't see my family, but it was hard to take it all in. I had seen all of the others somewhere along the chute. They waited for me!! People were extending high fives on both sides, so I went left. They were on the right. Figures.
I wanted to do something special to cross the finish line. At the welcome dinner they showed us a very cool video called "How Will You Finish" which made us all teary. I chose to skip across the finish line. It could have been an epic fail, as I wasn't sure my legs would actually skip, but they did! I skipped it on in and tried to listen for my "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN" callout, but didn't hear it. I think I'm still an Ironman, even without the callout.
My catcher volunteer asked how I was, and I said I was ok! I was! Felt great! I got my space blanket and medal. Emmie found me and took me the rest of the way through the finishers chute. Jeff & my parents were waiting outside the fence. Tom was still in the finishers area (finishers jail, we called it). I signed up for a massage, with a 30-45 minute wait. I had some chocolate milk. Pizza didn't sound good yet. Jeff went and got my bags with my sweats. I tried a piece of pizza. Ate some, threw the rest away. Decided not to wait for the massage. Grabbed another chocolate milk and exited the finisher's jail.
Marathon time: 5:30:34. Total time: 15:28:21. I am an Ironman.
Left: Picture by Ed Sparks. Right: Picture by FinisherPix.
Post race thoughts:
At a wedding the bride is supposed to have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. There should be a corollary for Ironman. For something old, I wore my Trizones Team Leader white swim cap underneath. Something new? I bought a couple of IM CdA Water Bottles. I had lots of borrowed - swim cap from Betsy, swim booties from Ingrid. And blue - my blue SmartWool socks are my favorites.
I also had much valued advice borrowed from everyone who had gone before me. It takes a village to make an Ironman. Thank you all.
Giant thank you to Trizones, my training buddies, and my coach, Jennifer Reinhart! I trusted the training, and she devised a plan that got me there, with no injuries and more than ready.
I owe Jeff big time. He took up the slack around the house for 5 long months that allowed me get all the training in. He was my biggest supporter for the entire journey. I love you, honey! What's our next adventure going to be? You choose!
And thank you to all of our traveling sherpas who came for the party and to support us: Carolyn, Roy, Richard, Lynn, Ed, Jenny, Emmie, surprise guests Kenneth and Vickie, and my Mommy and Daddy too! It was wonderful having you all around me!
Burning questions I'm sure you're dying to ask:
Q: Did you pee at any time during the race that would be considered inappropriate except during a triathlon?
A: Once. I learned during the practice swims that when wearing a wetsuit, water is not required to hide that you're peeing. So while waiting on the beach for the start, pee happened. I tried to pee during the swim and on the bike but was unsuccessful at relaxing the pee muscles. And on the run, porto-potties were plentiful and much appreciated.
On a related note, I am a fan of pre-race, proactive Immodium. A tablet a day keeps the runs away!
Q: How was the sore pinky toe?
A: Thanks to liberal quantities of ice, arnica gel and worry, the toe was fine during the race. Didn't bother me at all. It's actually bothering me more now than at any time during the race.
Also thanks to a gift from Nancy, we bubble wrapped anything in the house that I could possibly stub my toe on again. And I wore Crocs always, which are now known affectionately as "Bubble Shoes".
Q: Stoppage time was an issue during training. Somestimes it added up to an hour and a half or more during a long ride or run! How much stoppage did you have on race day?
A: I'm proud to say I only had about 15 minutes of stoppage on both the bike and the run. So out of the 15 and half hours of race time, my total non moving time including transitions and stops was just under an hour. I wish it was less, but I'll blame it on first time syndrome and welcome the free time to be had there in the future!
Q: In the future? Would you do another Ironman?
A: I fully expected to say "That sucked and I'm never doing that again" at the finish line. But I didn't. I'm still on a natural high from the experience! Yes, I can see myself doing another. But not until after I take a break from the training regimen and enjoy life for a while. Talk to me again in a year.