Performance wise this was the best race of my life - especially considering 3 months prior to race day I told Angie I didn’t think doing this race was in best interest of my health. I PR’d every discipline (beating my stand alone marathon time), my pacing for the race was bang on – not a second of time in my control was squandered. My nutrition was dialed in perfectly – no hunger, no cravings, no bloating, no gas. I couldn’t have executed a better race. It was perfect, except for one thing - I did not have fun.
This race couldn’t have been over fast enough for me. Mentally it was the toughest race I have ever done. Despite everything going so great, I was mentally checked-out and I don’t know why, although I do have some theories - beginning with the swim, the worst I have ever experienced.
This race isn’t as well organized as IMC. The entire transition area was loosey-goosey with body marking, special needs (not even in transition), race bags, and bikes spread out in no logical order so it was on the chaotic side. People were putting on wetsuits everywhere so Carla and I haphazardly chose a spot on concrete to suit up at about 6:20. Water temp was 16 C, no hurry to jump in early. I had just slipped my wetsuit over my hips when I felt a pop on my left leg. The inner seam of my suit had ripped. Did I panic? Nope. My one race goal was to handle anything that happened as calm and cool as a cucumber. I went to my bike, ripped off the duct tape I always keep wrapped around my seat post, and slapped it overe the hole. The tape didn’t fit entirely around my leg so to prevent it from curling off I grabbed an elastic from the timing tent and slipped it around my thigh. It held the tape in place perfectly.
Crisis averted, Carla and I walked through swim start when I then realized I had no goggles. They were in my dry clothes bag, which had been thrown on a mound of others in no order. Think cucumber. I pushed my way through a 1000 racers back into transition to find my bag. Fortunately the bag wasn’t buried that deep and I was able to find it quickly. Now, how was I ever going to find Carla again? I didn’t want to start without her. She has this ability to keep me calm and make me laugh, which I was really going to need because I did not want to get into the water. Squeezing through the swim start gate I spotted her still standing where I had left her.
We made our way to the boardwalk. No sedate saunter to the water’s edge for a short warm-up and strategic start entry for this swim. It was the march of the penguins as racers were systematically pushed into the icy, murky water below. The water was cold. Take you breath away cold. As soon as you hit the water you had to move or another racer would be on your head. The swim start was about 100m away so Carla and I headed for it. There were so many people in the water it was impossible to do anything but a stunted breaststroke. It was barely twilight. I couldn’t see the start line. I couldn’t see the swim course. Carla and I had no idea where we were placed in the water. I was effectively blind. My breathing was rapid and shallow from the cold.
All of a sudden the canon went off. No anthym. No countdown. No warning. I started to swim. Or tried to. Limbs were everywhere. If I wasn’t hitting one then one was hitting me. I needed to get my face in the water to get control of my breathing, but it was risky because you couldn’t see the other swimmers and I didn’t want to get beaned in the head. For the first 600m I wasn’t able to find any open water or get in a more than three strokes at once. I thought about Paddy and the other girls and hoped they were doing okay. I imagined Carla would be swearing. I was valiantly trying to defend any space I could get but I was under siege. My breathing was getting out of control. Panic was rising. It occurred to me that I was experiencing my first ‘Ironman’ swim. I was in the middle of a suicidal mosh pit and I wanted out. NOW.
At this point I was fighting an internal war. One side was attempting to calm myself – I was okay, I could do this, take one stroke at a time, blah, blah, blah. The other side was flashing “Danger, danger, danger, get out, get out!” I compromised. I told myself if I could get to a boat I could hold on to it until the crowd thinned out. No boats were in sight, just an ocean of swimmers all around me. I had no place to go but forward, but just giving myself permission to grab a boat was enough to calm me down.
Eventually I was able to grab 15m of open water. My breathing regulated and I was okay. Soon I had a clear path and hit a steady pace. It did cross my mind as to where all the other racers went but I didn’t want to go there. I was in a good place. Then this mean man in a boat started pushing me back to the suicide pit, saying I was inside the swim course. I had no idea where the swim course was - I had yet to see a buoy. Back into battle I went feeling like a guppie in a school of sharks. As we approached the bridge I prayed I wasn’t going to get bashed into a concrete pillar.
The turn-around buoy was insane. Why doesn’t anyone ever swim around these things? Just as I complete the turn I got kicked in the calf and it immediately cramped. My first thought was “But I ate a banana!” I went under. A guy beside me asked if I needed help. “Boat,” I croaked. A boat was right there and I grabbed it. I stretched my calf a bit then took off. It cramped again. I considered pushing through it but decided no, I need to take care of this. I grabbed the boat and continued stretching. When it felt better I took off again. The entire incident was about 30 secs. The swim back was really choppy. I was grumpy. I was aggressive. I was swimming strong. At one point a woman apologized to me. I want to scream at her, “Don’t apologize out here, you’ll getting chewed up and spit out!” The boats guys were militant in driving stray swimmers, attempting to escape the bedlam, back into the fray.
Approaching the exit stairs I saw each set (there were about 6) was about 3-4 deep with swimmers. I slowed my pace to pee, then bee-lined for the shortest line. I grabbed the third stair and hauled my ass out of that water lickety-split. Check my time. I PR’d my swim. How? I don’t really care. I’m glad I survived. I feel beaten, battered, and mentally drained. I put it behind me and immediately began focusing on the tasks ahead. I barely had time to get my watch off before I ran into the “peelers”. They were octopuses! My arms weren’t even out of my suit when hands began grabbing and pulling me, pushing me to the ground. Surprisingly, I didn’t get cold during the swim. The neoprene hat was wonderful and the shirt Angie recommended I wear under the wetsuit worked superb (I wore a white one which isn’t so white any more).
In transition racers were changing everywhere. It was an obstacle course trying to get to the transition tent (IMC is so much more civilized). I snagged a volunteer who helped me put on my socks and shoes. I pushed my way out of the tent looking forward to the bike where I wouldn’t be mauled anymore. I exited the tent and was ambushed on both sides by people with white goo on their hands – aahh!. They grabbed my arms and smeared it on me. Aaahh! I looked like Frosty the snowman! I had to get away from people. I snatched my bike and ran.
Once on my bike, I took up an easy spin and relaxed. People passed, and passed, and passed. I let them go. I had more important things to worry about, like how I was going to get the white paste off my arms before I passed the photographer. What was this stuff, glue? I managed to get most of it off, but my body numbers smeared and I now had it all over my shorts and jersey. That done I settled into my aerobars to drink, take in the scenery and plan my bathroom strategy. Oh look, dead dog on the side of the road, how nice.
I had to pee. The course was busy, so there was always someone behind me. Porta-potty it was going to have to be. Pass an aid station, line-up at potties, no stopping. At turn-around I really, really had to go. Pass porta-potties, big line up – peeing on the bike it will be. Hit the descent (and a headwind) and was able to pee enough to get comfortable. One thing I didn’t take into consideration was that I was wearing compression shorts. Tight compression shorts. Not much gets out and not much gets in. My foresight was telling me this ride was going to get uncomfortable.
Even pedaling easy (I was staying in my small gear ring the entire first lap to keep my effort down) I was soon enveloped in packs of riders. Riders three deep beside, right on my back wheel, right in front of me. Really, people? I had to fight you in the swim and now I have to fight you on the bike? For 20k or so I was really vocal, yelling at people to complete the pass and break up the packs, but eventually I gave up. Why waste my energy? So depending on the situation I either passed them up or let the pack go. Oh look, another dead dog on the side of the road.
My calf was sore where I got kicked. Should I try and stretch it while I can so it doesn’t screw me up on the run? My ribs are aching. Am I getting a side stitch? It’s not bothering me much now but what about on the run? I go through my options. I can: eat, pee, slow down, or speed up. I try all four but nothing changes so I let it be. I start looking for the girls. Did they make it through the swim? One-by-one I see them. As Carla passes I smile knowing she’s probably swearing.
Starting second lap I see Scott bending down fiddling with the camera. Should I call out as I go by? I don’t bother, my throat is hoarse. Got passed by the lead male pro at 70k. I picked up my pace. I peed whenever I got the chance. One time I grabbed the water to rinse off, only it wasn’t water it was Infinit. I applauded myself for catching the mistake before I bathed myself in it, how awful to lose my fuel! I put the bottle back but missed the cage and dropped it. Bonehead. Lucky me I had extra powder in my jersey. Funny, it’s not there. S*$%! I put it in my run bag. Bonehead. I laughed. What can you do? I had enough gels to get me to special needs.
Heading into special needs it started to rain. And hail. And lightening. Oh look, a tumbleweed is blowing across the road just like in the movies. COME ON, REALLY?! This is the frigging desert. It rains three days a year and this has to be one of them! I put my head down and continue to pound it out. What can you do? Pee of course. Chrissy Wellington passes me at 100k. She’s fast. My butt’s not happy and I’m fidgety on my seat.
Third lap I pick up pace again staying one gear easier than I have to. I enjoy the tailwind and speed knowing I’ll have the wind the last 30k. I’m passing everyone. At turn-around the wind has picked-up, the road is wet, and pelatons are still boxing me in – while in their aerobars - this is an accident waiting to happen. I’m still feeling really good but I drop back choosing to stay safe. Whatever energy I don’t burn on the bike I’ll use on the run.
Coming into transition I do a final pee not caring if anyone is my way. I see I’ve PR’d my bike. Who cares. My butt is so raw all I want to do is get off my seat. I take off my cycling shoes and run in socks because the ground is slippery. Grab my run bag, enter the tent, toss of my shoes, rip open bag, slip on runners then grab everything else and head out, putting on items as I go. Exiting the tent I make sure to dodge the psycho sunscreeners.
I start the run fast so I slow down. People are passing me like crazy. Demoralizing crazy. What lap are these freaky people on? Check my watch. Still too fast. Even though it kills me, I slow down. First lap takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R. I really need someone to run with. Look around. No one. COME ON! I spend two-thirds of the race fighting people off and now there’s no one! And of the people I do pass or run by no one is talking. There’s no chit-chat. No banter. Just silence. These people are all demon racers from hell sent to torment me. And why the heck do my feet hurt so bad? They feel like they’re on fire and my toes are cramped.
Cresting the top of the only hill on the course I pull out a gel and suck on it. I’m looking down and happen to see written on the sidewalk ‘Photographer ahead’. Oh, great. I prepaid for my photos I want them to be good. I stick the unfinished gel back into my fuel belt, tidy up my clothes, tuck all my hair under my cap, straighten up my form, paste a smile on my face then speed up. After I pass him I pull out the gel to finish it and wonder why I sped up. It’s a still photo. Bonehead.
Second lap I increase pace but not by much. I can feel my right quad wanting to cramp. None of the announcers have been calling my name as I pass, even when I’m on my own. In fact, no one is, not even the spectators. It makes me grumpy. I look down at my number and see that the entire corner is sheared off so the only part of my name left is ‘ndy’. Maybe I’m the Wendy, Sandy, Andy, Mindy that gets called out when I pass. I feel a bit better.
I have Infinit on me but decide not to use it. Stick with gels as primary fuel, I don’t know why I decide to do this. Take water at the aid stations - following Carla’s advice to take a substantial drink, not just sip it – alternating between cola and chicken soup, let me amend that, not chicken soup, broth. Whenever I asked for soup the response was, “We don’t have soup but there’s broth at the end”. I want to slap my head. Will this race ever end?
Pass through special needs calling my number. Getting closer to my pickup spot and see nobody moving to get my bag so call louder. I pass by still calling. I look back and some guy is holding out my bag shaking it. I call out, “I’m not running back for it.” He lets out a little huff clearly not happy he has to run my bag to me. Well buddy, I’m not happy I now have to run with this bag until the next aid station and it’s all crap anyway.
A little over two hours into the run I’m surprised my glutes and hips are pain-free – this is typically the time they start cramping. In fact, I realize my glutes haven’t complained once this entire race. Very odd since they’ve complained every workout in training and I’ve spent 5 months in physiotherapy trying to get them to shut-up. I figure they’re sleeping and that’s why my quads are starting to ache. Which makes me realize the ache I had in my ribs on the bike is gone and my calf isn’t crampy. Guess that’s why you don’t waste energy worry about things not in your immediate sphere. What I can feel, is a little rub on the back of my shoe. Probably a pebble I picked up on the dirt path. This is my take-care-of-things race so the next aid station I stop and slap on a blister pad instead of ignoring it.
Finally, I start my third lap. It’s dark. Real dark. I hope I don’t trip on something and fall on my face dark. My feet are a throbbing mass of pain. I still don’t have to pee, even with all the fluids I’m taking in. I’m not hungry. I have no cravings. I don’t have to fart. My gut is absolutely silent. Probably sleeping like my glutes. I have no idea what my pace or HR is, or the time. It’s so dark my watch is useless. Passing through transition I looked for Scott so I could dump my fuel belt but I couldn’t find him. Where was he? Having supper with the Ironman Director of Opertations and his wife (which they paid for).
With 5 km left a lady asked another what time it was. “6:50”, she says. I have to admit, my heart sank. With all my PRs that day (I knew I was on course for a run PR) and the great race I was having, I wasn’t going to go sub-12 hours. “Thanks for letting me know, lady,” I thought as my pace faltered. I was mad. So be it. At least I can try for a 4:30 run. I picked up the pace. My quads were not happy. Crossing the final bridge I met up with Joz. She didn’t look like she was hallucinating or loopy. I told her I’d see her at the finish line.
The last 3k was lonely and dark. I wanted to trip every person who passed me, especially if I had seen them walking earlier because the only time I walked was when liquid was going down my throat. Running the final leg to the finish I still wasn’t feeling any race excitement. There was a momentary spark when I took the final turnoff for the finish line but it quickly died when I found myself in a dark parking lot. I shouldn’t be this grumpy so close to the finish.
As I hit the last corner into the finisher’s chute the only thing I felt was a burning desire to get this damn race over with. I did hear Mike Reilly call my name (although he said it wrong) and I remembered to smile as I crossed the finish line (which had no ribbon) although I really didn’t feel like it. My catchers seemed to expect me to be jubilant so I tried to pretend I was happy, but really I didn’t feel anything except how much my feet hurt. I was beginning to wonder if I had stress factures. I wasn’t too stable on my feet so one of the catchers took me to the athlete area (which was super small). She asked me if I wanted a massage but I declined. I could barely stand the pressure of her hand on my arm. All I wanted was water. She took me to get some. There was no place for me to sit. I finally stole a seat from someone who was saving it for someone else. This isn’t a movie theatre, dude, no seat saving!
Then my catcher left. She left. She just left me there. I was going to need food. I was going to need the bathroom. How as I going to get up? How could she just leave me here? I did all that work and I’m just dumped? At IMC you don’t get dumped! Then I spotted Scott, my wonderful husband, at the exit searching for me. Always there when I need him, I knew he wouldn’t dump me.
I lumbered out of my chair like I was pregnant and made a pass by the food picking up what I could. When I reached Scott the tears flowed. He didn’t say anything. Just tucked me under his arm and let me silently cry while he gently guided me to the bathroom to get changed. I released every emotion I had accumulated over day. That god-awful, horrible swim. The raw chaffing on my butt. The pain in my feet.
I really don’t know how anyone can do an Ironman without a ‘Scott’ by their side. He got me cleaned up, took care of all my race equipment, and helped me back to the run course where I plunked down in a chair to watch Carla and the other girls finished. Carla looked as happy as I did coming in. I cheered as she passed and she muttered, “This is a f*&%ed-up race.” I laughed. I wasn’t the only who had a hard time.
The most exciting part of the day was watching Joz come in. There were some tense moments not knowing if she was going to make it. To see her running out of the dark with such a fierce look of determination on her face was a goose-bump moment. Watching Chris Daniels stumbling after her trying to keep up was an America’s Funniest Home Videos moment that had me laughing until the finish line. It was a great way to end a mentally exhausting day.
When I returned home my eldest daughter clung to me. I assured her I was home to stay and would spend all of the next day with her. She asked if I had to exercise. I said no. She cheered. It’s time to rest.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Leslie-Ann's Harvest Half Marathon, Oct 2, 2010
I went into this race with one goal in mind: execution.
My previous “stand alone” half marathon was the Police Half in April. I had such a hard time completing that race that I was driven to improve. Not necessarily the over all time but how I prepared for the race, carried out the race and recovered from the race.
I had not considered this race until late August when at IMC, Angie asked me what my fall race plan was. She figured I could do the Harvest Half or the Last Chance Half. “It depends” I said, “When is the Last Chance Half?” she replied, “ Mid November” “No can-do” I said, “CFL play-offs, I’ll do the Harvest Half”. I got back from IMC and signed up for a race that conveniently fell on a weekend that I had no other plans. (aka football games!) J
I suddenly found my September/October schedule with a race every two weeks! The Bragg Creek Duathlon, the Harvest Half and mid Oct part of the Ekiden Relay in Banff, nothing like a schedule to keep me honest! Honestly training that is!!
The Harvest Half dawned a perfect day for a race. I ate well the night before and actually went to bed a decent hour, something I tend not to do (yeah yeah I know…). Got 2 of 4 kids up as they were volunteering and off we headed to the deep south of Calgary. In 30 minutes we arrived at the community center, found a good parking spot and headed in to get my race package. No traffic jams at that hour of the day!
Ahhh, the race package, on the Monday of “race week” I thought I would check when the
package pick up is to plan my schedule. To my dismay the package pick-up had been! I had missed the pick-up dates!! I panicked a bit as the site clearly stated “NO PACKAGE PICK UPS ON RACE DAY” (except for out of town participants) I didn’t think that Hawkwood would be considered out of town (all though driving to the race start was further than Cochrane!). I called the Tech Shop and was advised that I would be able to pick up the package at the race and I would be getting an email about the times. Sure enough I did get the email with this statement at the beginning “If you are receiving this email, then you have missed the race package pickup which occurred on Thursday, Sept 23rd and Friday, Sept 24th.
This is our second year for scheduling our race package pick-ups 1 week BEFORE the race. This allows the race committee and volunteers to be more prepared on race day and to offer you a better overall experience. In order to allow for the transition to the early race package pick-ups, we will allow for registrants who missed the package pick-up dates to pick up their race packages on race day for this year only (with the exception of out of town registrants).”
Ok! I didn’t race last year and I will own the fact I forgot! In the line-up (which was very short as a result of the volunteers being so efficient!) lots of us shared stories about not picking up the package. One shared that she was told by the Tech Shop over half had forgotten. Not so sure one-week prior a race is good for package pick-up but perhaps over the course of time it could be!
Anyhow, I’m in good spirits, fuelled and ready to go I had bumped into a couple of TTL people. Wear the jacket and they will come. Tara, Trevor, Ally and I were donned in our colors, such a great feeling for me to be part of this team!
A warm-up, and soon I was on the start line, kissed and hugged the kids and off I went. I did not get what I call my “psychological” pee just before the start (l-o-n-g line-ups) and decided that I could handle that, as I knew there were bathrooms enroute. Never had to stop for that, yeah me!
I had talked to Angie about pacing and I was given my guidelines in 3 - 7km segments, slow, moderate and kick it up. I have an old watch, yes; I wore a watch this time that I decided to time each kilometre, as I could not monitor the splits any other way. This ended up not being a bad way for me to do the race, as I had to keep an eye out for the markers and not run blindly along!
The 1st km was at 6:30, 2nd 6:10 or so, it evened out to be about 6:15/20 per km for the 1st 7. The second set of 7 was very good, I averaged 5:45/55. Got a boost about the 11-12k mark when some friends along the course were cheering runners and were looking for me. I also began to pass people that had passed me in the beginning. I kept Angie’s words in the back of my mind “Resist the temptation to go fast at the start” It paid off when I got to pass people after 10k!
The last 7km.was upon me I was feeling good as I had slowed for the aid stations thus far but not walked. I carried Infinit and water and that proved to be a very good thing as I was able to fuel and hydrate at will. This was an area that I had to improve on and the Infint worked wonderfully. NO GUT ISSUES!J I decided to walk an aid station about the 15km mark as I was getting a wee bit tired.
I continued on and there it was, looming in the distance, “the hill”. I had heard about “the hill” prior the race and at 17km it was a tough one to execute. I have to say I did not do well on the hill and as a result the last 4km were a real challenge. My pacing fell off and I was back to the 6:30 mark, as I had to walk some of the way. That ticked me off and I realized my dream of coming in prior my GWN run time was in jeopardy so I picked up my pace.
I was very glad to come around the corner and see the people cheering the runners along and I used that to bring me across upright and feeling good.
The best part about that finish was knowing who was going to be there. My daughter, Heather, was the one who put the finishers medal around my neck. Proud Mommy moment let me tell you!
She didn’t really like my hug and kiss as I was “all sweaty and stuff’. J My step-son Konrad was also there to give me a hug as well, how cool is that?!
I saw Ally as soon as I finished and thankfully she was able to coach me through my post race hyperventilation. I know I’ve had a good race when I can’t breath for about a minute afterwards. She was very good in keeping my breathing focused and I was soon able to walk AND talk like a human being.
Soon my kids were with me, some post race fuel, and I was feeling brave enough to see my results. Harvest Half 2:08:45 6:07 I PR’d my half-mary time!!
Police Half - 2:24:25 6:51 My GWN run was 2:09:59 6:10
I had mentioned to Angie I would take my bike and spin until the start time. Just might have to try that some time…
When I think of overall execution I am very pleased with how I did. The hill was a challenge but I am still very happy with how I did. I am a runner!
I came home to 18 long stemmed red roses; lunch being made and then watched the Riders win while I enjoyed a cold Corona. I have to say, it is better for me to watch the Riders play in race recovery rather than pre race!
My previous “stand alone” half marathon was the Police Half in April. I had such a hard time completing that race that I was driven to improve. Not necessarily the over all time but how I prepared for the race, carried out the race and recovered from the race.
I had not considered this race until late August when at IMC, Angie asked me what my fall race plan was. She figured I could do the Harvest Half or the Last Chance Half. “It depends” I said, “When is the Last Chance Half?” she replied, “ Mid November” “No can-do” I said, “CFL play-offs, I’ll do the Harvest Half”. I got back from IMC and signed up for a race that conveniently fell on a weekend that I had no other plans. (aka football games!) J
I suddenly found my September/October schedule with a race every two weeks! The Bragg Creek Duathlon, the Harvest Half and mid Oct part of the Ekiden Relay in Banff, nothing like a schedule to keep me honest! Honestly training that is!!
The Harvest Half dawned a perfect day for a race. I ate well the night before and actually went to bed a decent hour, something I tend not to do (yeah yeah I know…). Got 2 of 4 kids up as they were volunteering and off we headed to the deep south of Calgary. In 30 minutes we arrived at the community center, found a good parking spot and headed in to get my race package. No traffic jams at that hour of the day!
Ahhh, the race package, on the Monday of “race week” I thought I would check when the
package pick up is to plan my schedule. To my dismay the package pick-up had been! I had missed the pick-up dates!! I panicked a bit as the site clearly stated “NO PACKAGE PICK UPS ON RACE DAY” (except for out of town participants) I didn’t think that Hawkwood would be considered out of town (all though driving to the race start was further than Cochrane!). I called the Tech Shop and was advised that I would be able to pick up the package at the race and I would be getting an email about the times. Sure enough I did get the email with this statement at the beginning “If you are receiving this email, then you have missed the race package pickup which occurred on Thursday, Sept 23rd and Friday, Sept 24th.
This is our second year for scheduling our race package pick-ups 1 week BEFORE the race. This allows the race committee and volunteers to be more prepared on race day and to offer you a better overall experience. In order to allow for the transition to the early race package pick-ups, we will allow for registrants who missed the package pick-up dates to pick up their race packages on race day for this year only (with the exception of out of town registrants).”
Ok! I didn’t race last year and I will own the fact I forgot! In the line-up (which was very short as a result of the volunteers being so efficient!) lots of us shared stories about not picking up the package. One shared that she was told by the Tech Shop over half had forgotten. Not so sure one-week prior a race is good for package pick-up but perhaps over the course of time it could be!
Anyhow, I’m in good spirits, fuelled and ready to go I had bumped into a couple of TTL people. Wear the jacket and they will come. Tara, Trevor, Ally and I were donned in our colors, such a great feeling for me to be part of this team!
A warm-up, and soon I was on the start line, kissed and hugged the kids and off I went. I did not get what I call my “psychological” pee just before the start (l-o-n-g line-ups) and decided that I could handle that, as I knew there were bathrooms enroute. Never had to stop for that, yeah me!
I had talked to Angie about pacing and I was given my guidelines in 3 - 7km segments, slow, moderate and kick it up. I have an old watch, yes; I wore a watch this time that I decided to time each kilometre, as I could not monitor the splits any other way. This ended up not being a bad way for me to do the race, as I had to keep an eye out for the markers and not run blindly along!
The 1st km was at 6:30, 2nd 6:10 or so, it evened out to be about 6:15/20 per km for the 1st 7. The second set of 7 was very good, I averaged 5:45/55. Got a boost about the 11-12k mark when some friends along the course were cheering runners and were looking for me. I also began to pass people that had passed me in the beginning. I kept Angie’s words in the back of my mind “Resist the temptation to go fast at the start” It paid off when I got to pass people after 10k!
The last 7km.was upon me I was feeling good as I had slowed for the aid stations thus far but not walked. I carried Infinit and water and that proved to be a very good thing as I was able to fuel and hydrate at will. This was an area that I had to improve on and the Infint worked wonderfully. NO GUT ISSUES!J I decided to walk an aid station about the 15km mark as I was getting a wee bit tired.
I continued on and there it was, looming in the distance, “the hill”. I had heard about “the hill” prior the race and at 17km it was a tough one to execute. I have to say I did not do well on the hill and as a result the last 4km were a real challenge. My pacing fell off and I was back to the 6:30 mark, as I had to walk some of the way. That ticked me off and I realized my dream of coming in prior my GWN run time was in jeopardy so I picked up my pace.
I was very glad to come around the corner and see the people cheering the runners along and I used that to bring me across upright and feeling good.
The best part about that finish was knowing who was going to be there. My daughter, Heather, was the one who put the finishers medal around my neck. Proud Mommy moment let me tell you!
She didn’t really like my hug and kiss as I was “all sweaty and stuff’. J My step-son Konrad was also there to give me a hug as well, how cool is that?!
I saw Ally as soon as I finished and thankfully she was able to coach me through my post race hyperventilation. I know I’ve had a good race when I can’t breath for about a minute afterwards. She was very good in keeping my breathing focused and I was soon able to walk AND talk like a human being.
Soon my kids were with me, some post race fuel, and I was feeling brave enough to see my results. Harvest Half 2:08:45 6:07 I PR’d my half-mary time!!
Police Half - 2:24:25 6:51 My GWN run was 2:09:59 6:10
I had mentioned to Angie I would take my bike and spin until the start time. Just might have to try that some time…
When I think of overall execution I am very pleased with how I did. The hill was a challenge but I am still very happy with how I did. I am a runner!
I came home to 18 long stemmed red roses; lunch being made and then watched the Riders win while I enjoyed a cold Corona. I have to say, it is better for me to watch the Riders play in race recovery rather than pre race!
Angie’s Long Overdue Heart of the Rockies Race Report
I am a tardy race report writer! As of this moment, I have gone to the start line 5 times since I last sat down to write my tales from the trenches of triathlon. (I must be in a mood to “alliterate”!) It there’s a bonus to my procrastination, it is that each report has to be short; something I’m not all that good at but will do my best to accomplish this time round. Here is the first one.
Heart of the Rockies Olympic Distance, July 11th, 2010
This race was important to me. As you may know, my last race at Great White North Half Ironman was what I define a terrible day. I don’t need to relive it her, but it certainly moulded my goals for this race.
What did I want out of this one? Simple.... I wanted to race happy. I wanted to “enjoy” the process, and finish with a smile.
The few days before the race were filled with fun! Rena, Sarah and I had a great time dancing with a few glasses of wine on Friday night in Panorama. Saturday was filled with pre-race workouts with Sebastian, Jeff, Rena, Sara, Trevor, and Alanna.
Race morning I had a bit of chaos. First of all, I talked to way to many people and fell behind on getting ready. Secondly, the battery in my powertap died. I so badly wanted the data from this race to compare to last year. I had a brief moment of panic, the Sarah saved the day with a brand new battery in her HR strap! YAH SARAH!!!!
I got my wetsuit on with minutes to spare... literally! No warm up and the gun was off.
I hoped to stay on Sarah’s feet for at least a few minutes of the swim. “Dream Big Arnold” comes to mind here! NOT A HOPE! She was gone like a flash and I was left to fend for myself. I enjoyed the swim, felt I swam technically well, and was happy with my time.
The bike was fun! I had a ball on the rough road and hills. Last year when I did this race I was grumpy. I hadn’t recovered from GWN I don’t think, and the whole ride and run I made excuses for why I didn’t need to do this race. I was committed to not letting those thoughts override my attitude on this day. I actually thought I rode SO well! I was SURE my watts would be higher than one year earlier. They weren’t... oddly, they were exactly the same although paced differently. Last year I started HARD, and lost watts on the way home. This year I started and finished very close to the same. I didn’t improve my watts, but executed better. YAH ME!
The run was AWESOME! This course is a hilly hard 10k. You climb straight for 6k, get a bit of a break, climb again, then do a hard downhill run to Invermere. Knowing the course this year made it a lot better. Last year I walked a few times and wallowed in my misery. This year I forged on, smiled when it hurt, and hammered downhill! Unfortunately I got passed on the last k and lost 2nd place woman overall. The gal was FLYING! I didn’t mind at all though. I had race a GREAT HAPPY RACE! Process goal accomplished. Third place this year felt SO much better than first place last year. I did a little celebration at the finish line, and joyfully received my beer mug for winning my age group. Our team ROCKED the day as well which made it that much more special. BONUS... I won a free pair of runners from the draw prizes! DOES IT GET ANY BETTER!
I forgot to mention that I PR’d my 10k off the bike. 46:24 was my fastest to date on a tough course. This took me to an OD best time and made the day that much better. Maybe... just maybe... I’m a runner nowJ
I highly recommend this race be added to your calendar next year if you can make it happen. I’ll be back! It was a GREAT race and an even better weekend.
Heart of the Rockies Olympic Distance, July 11th, 2010
This race was important to me. As you may know, my last race at Great White North Half Ironman was what I define a terrible day. I don’t need to relive it her, but it certainly moulded my goals for this race.
What did I want out of this one? Simple.... I wanted to race happy. I wanted to “enjoy” the process, and finish with a smile.
The few days before the race were filled with fun! Rena, Sarah and I had a great time dancing with a few glasses of wine on Friday night in Panorama. Saturday was filled with pre-race workouts with Sebastian, Jeff, Rena, Sara, Trevor, and Alanna.
Race morning I had a bit of chaos. First of all, I talked to way to many people and fell behind on getting ready. Secondly, the battery in my powertap died. I so badly wanted the data from this race to compare to last year. I had a brief moment of panic, the Sarah saved the day with a brand new battery in her HR strap! YAH SARAH!!!!
I got my wetsuit on with minutes to spare... literally! No warm up and the gun was off.
I hoped to stay on Sarah’s feet for at least a few minutes of the swim. “Dream Big Arnold” comes to mind here! NOT A HOPE! She was gone like a flash and I was left to fend for myself. I enjoyed the swim, felt I swam technically well, and was happy with my time.
The bike was fun! I had a ball on the rough road and hills. Last year when I did this race I was grumpy. I hadn’t recovered from GWN I don’t think, and the whole ride and run I made excuses for why I didn’t need to do this race. I was committed to not letting those thoughts override my attitude on this day. I actually thought I rode SO well! I was SURE my watts would be higher than one year earlier. They weren’t... oddly, they were exactly the same although paced differently. Last year I started HARD, and lost watts on the way home. This year I started and finished very close to the same. I didn’t improve my watts, but executed better. YAH ME!
The run was AWESOME! This course is a hilly hard 10k. You climb straight for 6k, get a bit of a break, climb again, then do a hard downhill run to Invermere. Knowing the course this year made it a lot better. Last year I walked a few times and wallowed in my misery. This year I forged on, smiled when it hurt, and hammered downhill! Unfortunately I got passed on the last k and lost 2nd place woman overall. The gal was FLYING! I didn’t mind at all though. I had race a GREAT HAPPY RACE! Process goal accomplished. Third place this year felt SO much better than first place last year. I did a little celebration at the finish line, and joyfully received my beer mug for winning my age group. Our team ROCKED the day as well which made it that much more special. BONUS... I won a free pair of runners from the draw prizes! DOES IT GET ANY BETTER!
I forgot to mention that I PR’d my 10k off the bike. 46:24 was my fastest to date on a tough course. This took me to an OD best time and made the day that much better. Maybe... just maybe... I’m a runner nowJ
I highly recommend this race be added to your calendar next year if you can make it happen. I’ll be back! It was a GREAT race and an even better weekend.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Double Race Report from Nola!!!! IMC and Banff
I'm finally doing my IMC race report, since I'm so late, I'm also adding my Banff Sprint triathlon report at the end. It may come a surprise to most of you - I don't like writing as much as I do talking! ;-) Anyways, here it goes. A couple firsts came with my third ironman in 3 years - one is I actually rode a 180k bike that wasn't on ironman race day. That was at Angie's ironman camp! Second - I had no niggly injuries/pain such as my knee or ankle as in the previous 2 ironmans. So that was a pretty good feeling. I have to back up first, before going on with the day of IMC. I was having some serious doubts why was I doing this for a third time in 3 years. I have my tattoo, I can call myself an Ironman (or Ironmom by my daughters) and it seems we always had a holiday before I do an ironman. I have such an understanding and wonderful family. Kevin is so supportive and I could never ask to forgo the summer holiday and I can not go because I can't miss out being with the family and our close friends. This is where I had my doubts of WHY am I doing this, so I had a good talk with my self on my last long bike before Ironman and it is because I do love being on my bike, racing, the lifestyle, able to pretty well eat and drink what I want and the incredible friends I have met along this journey.
We arrived in Penticton on Sunday a week before the race. I would have to say it would be the most calm I have ever felt before Ironman. Of course there were little twinges of nerves, but if I didn't have any I would be concerned. I had a fairly good sleep the night before, compared to the previous 2 ironmans and I actually was hungry in the morning. This was a first and I had no trouble eating my breakfast - another first! IMC 2008 I couldn't eat and all I had was a gel before that race. In Arizona (2009), JoZ stood over me the whole time to make sure I ate! I actually was so calm for me that morning that I was actually started worrying why I wasn't why wasn't worrying!;-) No worries though, some anxiety did creep in - but only a little! In transition before the start of the race, the support from fellow TTL athletes was great!
The swim, I always hold back on the start - I think I need to rethink this strategy because then I have to pass the slower swimmers, but if I am closer to the front, I get beat up - so I don't know what is worse. Anyways I had pretty good swim after getting by the slower swimmers. After the 2nd houseboat I found a swimmer who was going at a good pace and I drafted off her. One thing I need to work on is swimming straight, I'm pretty sure it was me that had trouble keeping straight because I was all around her. I did my darndest to stay on her left hip! I was quite happy with my time once I got out of the water.
Transitions - the bain of my existence!! ;-) Here is free time which I seem to always lose. I didn't have anyone help me because I figure it would slow me down. Mantra: smooth is fast and fast is smooth. T1 was relatively fast for me, but more speed is needed. (Plan to actually practice transitions this year.)
The bike, now it can be a good day or not so good day depending on the wind. Since I can't control it - just do your best (another mantra). Had a tail wind out to Osoyoos, knew would have a head wind heading to Penticton. Problem - still go cheesy easy or hammer it to Osoyoos? Chose cheesy easy. Heading up Richter's wasn't too bad - didn't feel the wind quite so much (yet). Probably took Richter's and the rollers too hard, but had a blast coming down! Really noticed the head wind on the rollers and heading to Yellow Lake, I was cold! Thank goodness I missed the rain and hail at Yellow Lake, I couldn't imagine how cold I would have been then. I knew I went too hard on the bike (I was just a couple minutes slower than 2008 which had ideal bike conditions), but I just needed to get off that bike as I was so cold.
T2 - lot slower than I thought I was. I guess I just had trouble moving fast after the bike.
Started off on the run and boy was it ever windy! Sand was blowing in your face as you came towards Lakeshore and before you headed away. John caught up with me about mile 2 and at that time I was trying to hold 12 minute miles and at first we were going too fast and we adjusted accordingly and it worked for a bit and then we weren't and then I just gave up trying to figure it out with pit stops (I needed a few!). So we just kept on going, running and walking (and me talking!). Passed the third way point - I was just so tired, I wasn't sore, no pain, just very very tired. It was great having John there he kept me moving lot faster than if I was on my own. I knew that wind on the bike was going to be hard on me - anytime there is a strong wind I am just knackered and it showed on the run. As we headed back to Penticton we both started feeling better and now we were running more than walking and as we got to the last 2 km - it was incredible! The energy that you get from the crowd - it was great!! I felt so much better at the end than on the whole run! Crossing the finish line with John and seeing Josie and Stephanie catching us was a picture perfect finish (no matter what John says!).
One thing I forgot to say - another reason I do Ironman is to have fun. I did have fun that day. I met some incredible people along the way - on the beach, on the bike and the run. Seeing Team Trilife team mates fulfilling their dream of becoming an Ironman or those overcoming past hurdles to make it that day - it was great to see and be part of it. I may have not have gotten the time I wanted - but nothing is guaranteed with Ironman. I finished my third Ironman in 3 years! I can't believe sometimes that I have done one, let alone 3! I was never considered athletic as a child or teenager and I can't believe how far I have come. This is from incredible coaching from Angie, the support I get from my family and of course the support and encouragement from our TTL family and other triathletes. I always said Triathlon is not really an individual sport, but a team sport. A team sport where friends help out with pumping my tires or adjusting my gears, going longer on the bike ride when I needed an extra 20k, encouragement when things are going a little tough and just having fun together at the workouts and races. Thank you everyone!!
Here is my Banff Race Report. I don't what I was thinking when I signed up for this race knowing it was 2 weeks after Ironman - I guess being the inaugural race had something to do with it;-)! One thing I did do when I got back from Penticton was switched from the Olympic to the Sprint. As well, I wasn't going to "race", I was just doing this for fun. Other than swimming once, I hadn't been on my bike or ran for 2 weeks. Because of how cold the water was, the swim for the sprint was shortened to 300m. I actually was quite comfortable in swim - that is I wasn't cold. But this is what I had on - long johns under my wet suit, borrowed neoprene cap and booties (thanks Ally!) and borrowed large paddling gloves (thanks to my kayak buddy John). So I really wasn't all that concerned with the swim with all this gear - in fact it probably took longer to put on and take off than to do the actual swim! I thought the paddling gloves would act like swim paddles - oops was I wrong! They actually started to fill with water, so it was almost like doing close fist swim drill! Only plus side was my hands weren't cold and the swim was only 300m. Once I got out I had trouble getting the gloves off! Would have better to swim without the gloves, oh well. My main concern was not to be cold on the bike so I planned on doing a total change in the tent. I hadn't counted that it would be raining (forecast was suppose to be dry!! - should have known better) and my plans to be dry and warm after the bike was all for naught. Remember I said I was slow for transitions - well this one will come back to haunt me later (over 13min for T1 - yikes!! but I wasn't racing - didn't matter - right?). Got on the bike, got wet real quick , other than cold feet, wasn't feeling too bad. I started passing a lot a people on the bike, I don't think I was pushing too hard, didn't have my HR monitor hooked up, so I just rode. It was definitely one of the wettest rides I have ever had and it was another time I just wanted off the bike. Got to T2, wasn't too cold - took a little longer than planned. Pulled off my leggings and took off my jacket. No change in socks and put runners and cap on and had a gel before leaving T2. Feet felt ok, warmed up not too badly. I had my Smart Wool socks on and even when wet, your feet don't feel too cold. On the run the sun started to come out and it felt kind of nice. I hooked up my heart rate monitor and HR was ~160+ (I wasn't to concern as it tends to be high after the bike and I just did Ironman 2 weeks ago and I noticed from previous workouts after Ironman that my HR was high with little effort), I felt good, so I just kept on going. Again I was passing people on the run and I just ran my race and finished happy and strong. After the race Ally, John, Jerry and I had fun cheering JoZ and Leslie and doing the "wave" - cheering as triatletes as they came to the finish. Again had another fun day despite the weather. Saw some old friends, made some new friends and had fun with TTL team mates before and after the race. Not long after I got home I got a call from JoZ who asked me if knew that I had placed 5th for my age group!?! No!! I hadn't even thought to look at the race results because I didn't think I would finish that high considering I wasn't "racing". I'll admit I didn't take it easy, but I definitely wasn't pushing it. So here what haunts me, my transitions - if I hadn't dawdled, I would have placed higher without putting more effort. I do not make most of my "free" time (something Angie has told me many times;-) - I truly believed I have learned my lesson on this one) and something I definitely will work on this year! All in all another fun day even though was a bit logistical difficult race (getting set up) and cold lake and wet day!
We arrived in Penticton on Sunday a week before the race. I would have to say it would be the most calm I have ever felt before Ironman. Of course there were little twinges of nerves, but if I didn't have any I would be concerned. I had a fairly good sleep the night before, compared to the previous 2 ironmans and I actually was hungry in the morning. This was a first and I had no trouble eating my breakfast - another first! IMC 2008 I couldn't eat and all I had was a gel before that race. In Arizona (2009), JoZ stood over me the whole time to make sure I ate! I actually was so calm for me that morning that I was actually started worrying why I wasn't why wasn't worrying!;-) No worries though, some anxiety did creep in - but only a little! In transition before the start of the race, the support from fellow TTL athletes was great!
The swim, I always hold back on the start - I think I need to rethink this strategy because then I have to pass the slower swimmers, but if I am closer to the front, I get beat up - so I don't know what is worse. Anyways I had pretty good swim after getting by the slower swimmers. After the 2nd houseboat I found a swimmer who was going at a good pace and I drafted off her. One thing I need to work on is swimming straight, I'm pretty sure it was me that had trouble keeping straight because I was all around her. I did my darndest to stay on her left hip! I was quite happy with my time once I got out of the water.
Transitions - the bain of my existence!! ;-) Here is free time which I seem to always lose. I didn't have anyone help me because I figure it would slow me down. Mantra: smooth is fast and fast is smooth. T1 was relatively fast for me, but more speed is needed. (Plan to actually practice transitions this year.)
The bike, now it can be a good day or not so good day depending on the wind. Since I can't control it - just do your best (another mantra). Had a tail wind out to Osoyoos, knew would have a head wind heading to Penticton. Problem - still go cheesy easy or hammer it to Osoyoos? Chose cheesy easy. Heading up Richter's wasn't too bad - didn't feel the wind quite so much (yet). Probably took Richter's and the rollers too hard, but had a blast coming down! Really noticed the head wind on the rollers and heading to Yellow Lake, I was cold! Thank goodness I missed the rain and hail at Yellow Lake, I couldn't imagine how cold I would have been then. I knew I went too hard on the bike (I was just a couple minutes slower than 2008 which had ideal bike conditions), but I just needed to get off that bike as I was so cold.
T2 - lot slower than I thought I was. I guess I just had trouble moving fast after the bike.
Started off on the run and boy was it ever windy! Sand was blowing in your face as you came towards Lakeshore and before you headed away. John caught up with me about mile 2 and at that time I was trying to hold 12 minute miles and at first we were going too fast and we adjusted accordingly and it worked for a bit and then we weren't and then I just gave up trying to figure it out with pit stops (I needed a few!). So we just kept on going, running and walking (and me talking!). Passed the third way point - I was just so tired, I wasn't sore, no pain, just very very tired. It was great having John there he kept me moving lot faster than if I was on my own. I knew that wind on the bike was going to be hard on me - anytime there is a strong wind I am just knackered and it showed on the run. As we headed back to Penticton we both started feeling better and now we were running more than walking and as we got to the last 2 km - it was incredible! The energy that you get from the crowd - it was great!! I felt so much better at the end than on the whole run! Crossing the finish line with John and seeing Josie and Stephanie catching us was a picture perfect finish (no matter what John says!).
One thing I forgot to say - another reason I do Ironman is to have fun. I did have fun that day. I met some incredible people along the way - on the beach, on the bike and the run. Seeing Team Trilife team mates fulfilling their dream of becoming an Ironman or those overcoming past hurdles to make it that day - it was great to see and be part of it. I may have not have gotten the time I wanted - but nothing is guaranteed with Ironman. I finished my third Ironman in 3 years! I can't believe sometimes that I have done one, let alone 3! I was never considered athletic as a child or teenager and I can't believe how far I have come. This is from incredible coaching from Angie, the support I get from my family and of course the support and encouragement from our TTL family and other triathletes. I always said Triathlon is not really an individual sport, but a team sport. A team sport where friends help out with pumping my tires or adjusting my gears, going longer on the bike ride when I needed an extra 20k, encouragement when things are going a little tough and just having fun together at the workouts and races. Thank you everyone!!
Here is my Banff Race Report. I don't what I was thinking when I signed up for this race knowing it was 2 weeks after Ironman - I guess being the inaugural race had something to do with it;-)! One thing I did do when I got back from Penticton was switched from the Olympic to the Sprint. As well, I wasn't going to "race", I was just doing this for fun. Other than swimming once, I hadn't been on my bike or ran for 2 weeks. Because of how cold the water was, the swim for the sprint was shortened to 300m. I actually was quite comfortable in swim - that is I wasn't cold. But this is what I had on - long johns under my wet suit, borrowed neoprene cap and booties (thanks Ally!) and borrowed large paddling gloves (thanks to my kayak buddy John). So I really wasn't all that concerned with the swim with all this gear - in fact it probably took longer to put on and take off than to do the actual swim! I thought the paddling gloves would act like swim paddles - oops was I wrong! They actually started to fill with water, so it was almost like doing close fist swim drill! Only plus side was my hands weren't cold and the swim was only 300m. Once I got out I had trouble getting the gloves off! Would have better to swim without the gloves, oh well. My main concern was not to be cold on the bike so I planned on doing a total change in the tent. I hadn't counted that it would be raining (forecast was suppose to be dry!! - should have known better) and my plans to be dry and warm after the bike was all for naught. Remember I said I was slow for transitions - well this one will come back to haunt me later (over 13min for T1 - yikes!! but I wasn't racing - didn't matter - right?). Got on the bike, got wet real quick , other than cold feet, wasn't feeling too bad. I started passing a lot a people on the bike, I don't think I was pushing too hard, didn't have my HR monitor hooked up, so I just rode. It was definitely one of the wettest rides I have ever had and it was another time I just wanted off the bike. Got to T2, wasn't too cold - took a little longer than planned. Pulled off my leggings and took off my jacket. No change in socks and put runners and cap on and had a gel before leaving T2. Feet felt ok, warmed up not too badly. I had my Smart Wool socks on and even when wet, your feet don't feel too cold. On the run the sun started to come out and it felt kind of nice. I hooked up my heart rate monitor and HR was ~160+ (I wasn't to concern as it tends to be high after the bike and I just did Ironman 2 weeks ago and I noticed from previous workouts after Ironman that my HR was high with little effort), I felt good, so I just kept on going. Again I was passing people on the run and I just ran my race and finished happy and strong. After the race Ally, John, Jerry and I had fun cheering JoZ and Leslie and doing the "wave" - cheering as triatletes as they came to the finish. Again had another fun day despite the weather. Saw some old friends, made some new friends and had fun with TTL team mates before and after the race. Not long after I got home I got a call from JoZ who asked me if knew that I had placed 5th for my age group!?! No!! I hadn't even thought to look at the race results because I didn't think I would finish that high considering I wasn't "racing". I'll admit I didn't take it easy, but I definitely wasn't pushing it. So here what haunts me, my transitions - if I hadn't dawdled, I would have placed higher without putting more effort. I do not make most of my "free" time (something Angie has told me many times;-) - I truly believed I have learned my lesson on this one) and something I definitely will work on this year! All in all another fun day even though was a bit logistical difficult race (getting set up) and cold lake and wet day!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Joel's First Olympic
So the race morning wasn’t as early as normal as the race didn’t start until 10am for the OD as they started the half iron before it. I did my run warm up then got ready for the race.
I started the swim way in the back as I was thinking I was going to be slow; I think I only really swam once without major shoulder pain in the last 3 weeks. Needless to say I ended up having to pass one or two people. It was the most swimming I had ever done in the pack, I usually lead the pack and swim alone but definitely not in this race so I was swam over a few times and swam over a few people but I stayed calm and really focused on my hand entry so I didn’t blow out my shoulder! Out of my swim and encountered my “moment of Zen” for the race when I passed 4 or 5 people in the change tent and didn’t even have to worry about drafting.
Then I did a flying mount onto my bike passing another person getting on their bike standing on the mount line. I reset my lap at this point it was 28:50 so I am interested to see what my swim time was. The start of the bike was about ½ km of flat then a 1250 ft switchback climb over 1.5 miles. I kept my HR in check even though I wanted to stand and pass people but I didn’t. The ride on the plateau was really rolling with a pretty big headwind. Then I hit the 12 mile downhill with a 5% grade. It was so long my hips and legs were killing me from being aero at 60-70 km/hr for 15 minutes. So fun and I did not touch my brakes once which was my goal. I definitely had to hold back to keep my HR where I wanted it to be………….I had to keep reminding myself I had a 10km run to do. Then, into transition with a sweet dismount and out onto the run. I made sure to set the lap on my watch to see if I could negative split. The run was hard but I was able to push hard on the last 5 km and negative split by ~1min; 22min out and 21min back. This is likely my first negative split ever. In the end I definitely reached my process goal and even though my bike was slower than I would hope I think it had a lot to do with the course and the wind. I am so amazed that I actually paced myself fairly well!
No results are up yet but I was 9th overall and 2nd in age group with a time of ~2:29. Oh, and the best thing was that I had a summer week-end. It was 20 deg C at race time with a water temp of 19 deg C which made the day that much better. All in all it was a great race and I will be doing more OD tri’s. It makes the training all worth it.
I started the swim way in the back as I was thinking I was going to be slow; I think I only really swam once without major shoulder pain in the last 3 weeks. Needless to say I ended up having to pass one or two people. It was the most swimming I had ever done in the pack, I usually lead the pack and swim alone but definitely not in this race so I was swam over a few times and swam over a few people but I stayed calm and really focused on my hand entry so I didn’t blow out my shoulder! Out of my swim and encountered my “moment of Zen” for the race when I passed 4 or 5 people in the change tent and didn’t even have to worry about drafting.
Then I did a flying mount onto my bike passing another person getting on their bike standing on the mount line. I reset my lap at this point it was 28:50 so I am interested to see what my swim time was. The start of the bike was about ½ km of flat then a 1250 ft switchback climb over 1.5 miles. I kept my HR in check even though I wanted to stand and pass people but I didn’t. The ride on the plateau was really rolling with a pretty big headwind. Then I hit the 12 mile downhill with a 5% grade. It was so long my hips and legs were killing me from being aero at 60-70 km/hr for 15 minutes. So fun and I did not touch my brakes once which was my goal. I definitely had to hold back to keep my HR where I wanted it to be………….I had to keep reminding myself I had a 10km run to do. Then, into transition with a sweet dismount and out onto the run. I made sure to set the lap on my watch to see if I could negative split. The run was hard but I was able to push hard on the last 5 km and negative split by ~1min; 22min out and 21min back. This is likely my first negative split ever. In the end I definitely reached my process goal and even though my bike was slower than I would hope I think it had a lot to do with the course and the wind. I am so amazed that I actually paced myself fairly well!
No results are up yet but I was 9th overall and 2nd in age group with a time of ~2:29. Oh, and the best thing was that I had a summer week-end. It was 20 deg C at race time with a water temp of 19 deg C which made the day that much better. All in all it was a great race and I will be doing more OD tri’s. It makes the training all worth it.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sharon's Subaru Banff Triathlon Race Report
Warning: This might be long.
You were warned....Despite frigid water temp, air temp, and looming rain I was in a really good mood before the race started. They had shortened the swim from 1500m to 750m and although I would prefer the full distance, I was okay with that. Ally and John from Team Tri Life were there as supporters and kept us entertained while we were waiting to hit Two Jack Lake. I slipped into the water found a good spot and somehow got pushed into a not so good spot, race started and I have never been so beat up in a race before like I was in this race. Pulled under by a hand/arm on my back/butt 3 times, legs, feet pulled on multiple times...WOW! Not used to that! I was prepared for cold hands/feet/face, but I wasn't prepared for my body to be so cold. It felt so hard to get my arms out of the water, I couldn't keep my fingers together, and I breathed mostly to just one side. It was so HARD! Got out of the water in 10:41 so actually it turned out to be a very good swim for me, although it didn't feel like it at the time. I was so very happy to get out of the water!!
Ran up the hill to T1 not too bad, struggled to get my cap off a bit, ran to my spot and that's where things started to fall apart. I really struggled with all my gear in T1. My hands didn't want to work, couldn't do up my coat, actually physically couldn't! Couldn't get my gloves on...longest T1 of all time. Saw Ally as I was leaving T1 and begged her to do up my coat for me...should have had her put my gloves on too but obviously my brain was frozen too.
Other than wasting time trying to get my gloves on while riding (dumb) and being pretty darn cold, and the rain...the first 20k went pretty well. Then right at 20k the cable for my front delrailer broke. I didn't know what to do, the thought of doing the rest of the ride in my small ring really upset me. After a minute of thinking I hopped off my bike to see if I could but the chain in the top ring manually and leave it there...well darn, I wish I knew more about bikes because that didn't work. At this point I was cold and frustrated at knowing that I wasn't going to have my best ride and put in my best possible result. I got back on my bike and for about a minute very seriously wanted to quit. I was cold, wet, mad...and then I remembered Shane McKechney at the REgina Beach tri, he crashed early on the bike, broke his front derailer and finished the race bruised and bloody and spinning like crazy on the tailwind portions of the bike. Then I thought of Christine, who crashed in Kelowna and finished, then I thought of John Bosma... John!! Who did Ironman after a crash so bad it could have killed him! This was my mantra for the next 2 minutes while I rediscovered my race mo-jo "John Bosma, John Bosma, seriously? Suck it up!!" From that point on I did the best I could on the bike, it wasn't great, wasn't pretty but I put in a half decent bike time (would have been better if I would have just stayed on my bike and kept working!!). Having John and Ally on the course was extremely uplifting, just knowing they were there and cheering me on kept me pushing. When I was coming into town I had the privilege of calling out a cheater who was very blatantly drafting, that was fun....
T2 was another struggle. My feet were completely numb, my hands were partially numb. Marty was right there (he had already finished, 4th in his AG by the way, and 10th overall in the sprint!!!!) on the side of T2 hollering at me to push through it. I changed my socks and put on my runners, an experience that was both frustrating and painful. Marty's encouragement was vital in my getting out on that run. He was hollering that I had to push through the first 200m and then it would be okay...and here I was actually thinking of Running in Socks Angie, she ran the end of a half iron in socks...man suck it up!! Well I actually didn't feel my feet until around 6km but that's when my legs started cramping up...What??? So I walked a little, did some butt kicks, rubbed my quads a bit and the cramps let up enough for me to run again. At this point, knowing that the bike wasn't good and I likely wasn't going to finish where I wanted to I just wanted to put in my best run possible. During the last 3km I kept checking my "status" and it was good so I tried to pick it up...I think this resulted in actually holding pace and I was able to run 42:21- a 10k tri PR!! With a walk to work out leg cramps!!
So all in all...a very tough mental day! Couldn't have done it without my family there cheering me on in the run and John and Ally supporting me out of the water and during the bike. Awesome swim and run times, terribly slow transitions, and the best bike I could muster despite mechanical difficulties. Celebrated after by having a chocolate chai late and a dip in the hot springs. I did end up placing 2nd in my AG, got to stand on the podium and get a medal, but the coolest part was my prize, it was a red and black jacket from IMC!! I told Marty it was foreshadowing...and that if it fit it was a sign....he claims it doesn't fit...LOL!!
You were warned....Despite frigid water temp, air temp, and looming rain I was in a really good mood before the race started. They had shortened the swim from 1500m to 750m and although I would prefer the full distance, I was okay with that. Ally and John from Team Tri Life were there as supporters and kept us entertained while we were waiting to hit Two Jack Lake. I slipped into the water found a good spot and somehow got pushed into a not so good spot, race started and I have never been so beat up in a race before like I was in this race. Pulled under by a hand/arm on my back/butt 3 times, legs, feet pulled on multiple times...WOW! Not used to that! I was prepared for cold hands/feet/face, but I wasn't prepared for my body to be so cold. It felt so hard to get my arms out of the water, I couldn't keep my fingers together, and I breathed mostly to just one side. It was so HARD! Got out of the water in 10:41 so actually it turned out to be a very good swim for me, although it didn't feel like it at the time. I was so very happy to get out of the water!!
Ran up the hill to T1 not too bad, struggled to get my cap off a bit, ran to my spot and that's where things started to fall apart. I really struggled with all my gear in T1. My hands didn't want to work, couldn't do up my coat, actually physically couldn't! Couldn't get my gloves on...longest T1 of all time. Saw Ally as I was leaving T1 and begged her to do up my coat for me...should have had her put my gloves on too but obviously my brain was frozen too.
Other than wasting time trying to get my gloves on while riding (dumb) and being pretty darn cold, and the rain...the first 20k went pretty well. Then right at 20k the cable for my front delrailer broke. I didn't know what to do, the thought of doing the rest of the ride in my small ring really upset me. After a minute of thinking I hopped off my bike to see if I could but the chain in the top ring manually and leave it there...well darn, I wish I knew more about bikes because that didn't work. At this point I was cold and frustrated at knowing that I wasn't going to have my best ride and put in my best possible result. I got back on my bike and for about a minute very seriously wanted to quit. I was cold, wet, mad...and then I remembered Shane McKechney at the REgina Beach tri, he crashed early on the bike, broke his front derailer and finished the race bruised and bloody and spinning like crazy on the tailwind portions of the bike. Then I thought of Christine, who crashed in Kelowna and finished, then I thought of John Bosma... John!! Who did Ironman after a crash so bad it could have killed him! This was my mantra for the next 2 minutes while I rediscovered my race mo-jo "John Bosma, John Bosma, seriously? Suck it up!!" From that point on I did the best I could on the bike, it wasn't great, wasn't pretty but I put in a half decent bike time (would have been better if I would have just stayed on my bike and kept working!!). Having John and Ally on the course was extremely uplifting, just knowing they were there and cheering me on kept me pushing. When I was coming into town I had the privilege of calling out a cheater who was very blatantly drafting, that was fun....
T2 was another struggle. My feet were completely numb, my hands were partially numb. Marty was right there (he had already finished, 4th in his AG by the way, and 10th overall in the sprint!!!!) on the side of T2 hollering at me to push through it. I changed my socks and put on my runners, an experience that was both frustrating and painful. Marty's encouragement was vital in my getting out on that run. He was hollering that I had to push through the first 200m and then it would be okay...and here I was actually thinking of Running in Socks Angie, she ran the end of a half iron in socks...man suck it up!! Well I actually didn't feel my feet until around 6km but that's when my legs started cramping up...What??? So I walked a little, did some butt kicks, rubbed my quads a bit and the cramps let up enough for me to run again. At this point, knowing that the bike wasn't good and I likely wasn't going to finish where I wanted to I just wanted to put in my best run possible. During the last 3km I kept checking my "status" and it was good so I tried to pick it up...I think this resulted in actually holding pace and I was able to run 42:21- a 10k tri PR!! With a walk to work out leg cramps!!
So all in all...a very tough mental day! Couldn't have done it without my family there cheering me on in the run and John and Ally supporting me out of the water and during the bike. Awesome swim and run times, terribly slow transitions, and the best bike I could muster despite mechanical difficulties. Celebrated after by having a chocolate chai late and a dip in the hot springs. I did end up placing 2nd in my AG, got to stand on the podium and get a medal, but the coolest part was my prize, it was a red and black jacket from IMC!! I told Marty it was foreshadowing...and that if it fit it was a sign....he claims it doesn't fit...LOL!!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Tara's 2010 IMC Race Report
My journey to Penticton began bright and early Wednesday before the race. Kelly and I were going to Caravan to Penticton and meet at the PetroCan station on Highway 1 at 7:30. Time to go! This adventure was really going to happen. Luckily we had a fairly uneventful drive to the Okanagan. Every now and then on the drive I’d get a little stressed and emotional – however, only a few tears. We arrived in Penticton and checked into Kelly’s hotel. I was going to stay with her that evening, before packing up to stay with Leana and her parents for the duration of the race. We quickly stopped by Angie’s campground to drop off Kelly’s race plan and then we went to the grocery store and bought stuff to make dinner, hung out and then it was a fairly early night since we were meeting the team at 7:30 for a swim workout.
Luckily Kelly’s hotel was right across the street from the Sicamous. We headed out and got our wetsuits on and were ready to swim at 7:30. Tracey was the swim instructor that was leading our workout. We swam fast for the first few hundred yards, got into an easy rhythm for about 600 yards, and then swam hard for the last 200 yards. I felt really comfortable in the water. What is going on with me? Am I becoming a swimmer? After that the team headed out to Smith and Co for coffee and breakfast. After breakfast we headed towards the merchandise tent and registration. I admit it - I bought a few IMC things before the race. Then onto registration. The line-up wasn’t too bad and Kelly and I got through in about 45 minutes. From then on I was sporting my favourite new fashion accessory – my green athlete’s wristband! We headed back to Kelly’s hotel, for a quick lunch and then it was off to see Angie for our pre-race meetings. I had a really good chat with Angie. We went over my race plan and she pretty much didn’t have anything to add. She kept reminding me that patience was the key to my first IM race. As you all know, I don’t do patient very well – but I was sure going to try on Sunday.
After our meetings we headed out to meet the team to descend Yellowlake. A friend of mine lent me an areohelmet for the race. I was grateful for the opportunity to use it, but a little worried that I had never worn it before. After discussing it with Angie she told me to wear it around the hotel for a bit and ride it on the descent that afternoon. I’m sure Kelly was getting a huge kick out of me walking around her hotel room with an aerohelmet onJ. When we headed out for our ride the wind was quite bad. There were a few of us nervous about doing the ride – I’m not great at downhill’s at the best of times, but Angie convinced us that if the conditions got too bad she would call the ride. So off I went with my spiffy new (okay borrowed) aerohelmet. The ride was great. I felt so much more confident than on our long ride at training camp. Angie was at certain spots waiting down the hill to make sure we were all okay. Somewhere along the ride I looked down at my hand – and then I saw it – my green wristband - then it hit me. This was not camp, this was not a training ride, this was it. I’M ACTUALLY HERE TO DO AN IRONMAN! Wow, I began to get so excited. At the end of the ride my comment to Angie was “Are you always right?” Of course it was the correct decision to do the descent! It put me in a great frame of mind for the race. After that, Leana and I headed to West Kelowna where I was going to stay with her parents. When I arrived, her parents were fantastic. Not only did they open up their home to me and my crap (and trust me, I had lot of crap), when Leana and I arrived on Thursday night they had a delicious Salmon dinner waiting! After a fantastic meal, I went to my room (complete with my own bathroom) and settled in for the evening since we had another early morning workout the next day.
On Friday we drove into Penticton for another 7:30 OW swim. This time the workout was to try to swim with people. So Leana and I took turns drafting off on another. Again, I had a great swim. Was I using up my entire swim MoJo before the race? I certainly hope not! We then headed out for coffee and breakfast again however this time Smith and Co was much more crowded and we waited 45 minutes for our breakfast. Just as we were leaving I ran into Kendall from Mercury Rising. We have done a lot of the same races this year, and this was also her first IM. So I hugged her and wished her luck (turned out she had an AMAZING first IM race). Then back to the merchandise tent. I had decided I wanted to pick up a visor and water bottle. We hung out at the expo for awhile and listened to the pro panel. After that we headed back to Kelly’s hotel and grabbed something to eat. Then we went back to the expo to hear Lisa Bentley talk. She was great. Very inspirational (plus I got a free T-shirt for asking her a question). All of this time, I wasn’t feeling emotional or stressed. I was just very excited to be in Penticton getting ready to do my first Ironman. Luckily that feeling would stay with me for the rest of the weekend leading right up until about 45 minutes before the start of the race. Around 4:00 we headed out to the convention centre to wait in line for the athlete’s dinner. It was so awesome to see most of team there. We hung out and chatted until it was time for dinner. Alfred and I made a friendly wager about the race on Sunday J! And then it was time to eat! We had dinner and then sat through some presentations and announcements. It was very exciting when Steven King asked all the athletes to stand who were doing their first IM in Penticton. After dinner we headed out to grab some ice cream. My friends Jacque and Paul had come in from Vancouver to watch the race (and take care of my husband), and Pam had also just arrived in town, so we thought ice cream would be a good way to see everyone before the race. After that it was back to Kelowna.
The next morning, Angie was having a team workout at 7am. Leana and I decided that sleep and relaxation was a better option for us. So we had a leisurely morning and got all our stuff organized to take to the bike drop off. Leana’s dad drove us back to Penticton and helped us get all our stuff organized. I had a great volunteer who helped me rack my bike, put my T1 and T2 bags in the right place and showed me all around the transition area. I met up with Leana, we took a bunch of pictures and then headed out for some RnR to get ready for our big day (we did make a quick stop to Sumac ridge on the way back to pick up some wine though). Shortly after we arrived at Leana’s, Andrew, Jacque and Paul stopped by for a quick visit. Andrew had just flown in from Calgary and my friends had gone to pick him up at the airport. So we chatted for a while, and then they were on their way to prepare for a big day of spectating! Leana and I just relaxed and hung out for most of the day. Later that afternoon we got all our nutrition ready to go (Leana’s boyfriend commented on the amusement of an engineer and a scientist mixing up concentrated bottles of Infinit!). Mr. and Mrs. Keto, again went above and beyond as they made us a fantastic pre-race meal - my favourite – pasta with red sauce, grilled chicken and a green salad. They even provided me with my obligatory pre-race beer (sorry Angie!). For those of you who don’t know, ever since my first marathon 6 years ago, I have drank a beer the night before all my big races – so far it has worked out well for me. I didn’t want to tempt fate and skip this ritual the night before IMC! So after some more vegging out on the couch I went to bed shortly after 9 – tomorrow was IM day!
Surprisingly I slept very well on Saturday night. I woke up only 10 minutes before my alarm went off. I quickly glanced at my watch and thought – uugh, its early go back to sleep. Then – IMG – today is the day I get to race an ironman. With a bunch of excitement and nervous energy I jumped in the shower. I got changed and organized and headed upstairs. Leana’s dad had already make us coffee! I grabbed my pre-race breakfast of granola and yogurt and shortly after that we were on our way. Leana’s boyfriend drove us to Penticton. The drive was actually really relaxing. We got into town and started making our way into transition. We dropped off our special needs bags and then straight onto body marking (it was at that point Leana had to ask me how old she was J). It went by really fast. Then onto our bikes. We had pumped up our tires the day before, but there was no one in the pump line up so I decided to have the folks from the Bike Barn check my tires just in case. Yep – they were good to go. I started putting my nutrition on my bike. Oops, I forgot my honey stinger bar. The one thing I thought I should do differently during the race than I did at camp was to eat a honey stinger bar just as my HR came down after climbing Richters. Oh well, at least I knew I had one in my special needs bag. Off to the porta potty line up (which I did 3 times before getting my wetsuit on). That is when the nerves hit. I saw Cindy and she told me I looked scared. I guess at this point I was. There was girl in line who was yammering on and on about her last IM, this race, how to race, what to do etc. etc. Boy was she annoying. I just wanted to pee so I could get away from her! After that I ran into Alfred. It was 6:15. Wow. Angie said the time would go fast, but that 1 hour and 15 minutes seemed to go by at warp speed. We got on our wetsuits, dropped off our dry goods bags and headed for the beach. We were both looking for our families. Alfred spotted his, but I didn’t get a chance to see Andrew before I started. Probably for the best, I didn’t want to get too emotional. I did however see JoZ and Hope. JoZ was fantastic – what a great person to run into. She wished me luck, told me I looked happy and to remember to stay that way for the rest of the day! Great advice that I did my best to follow! Alfred and I wished each other luck and I went on to get in a quick warmup. There were rumours that the water was cold, but to me it felt fine. I got in for a few quick strokes and then I actually began to relax. Who is this person? Where is the Tara that usually freaks out before a mass swim start? Well, luckily she wasn’t around today and it was the calm Tara that showed up for the race. I saw the pros go out and then was getting excited. Here I was, just 15 minutes away from doing my first IM! I ran into Shannon and we seeded ourselves on the beach off to the left. I felt really good about my decision of where to start. Then before I knew it, we were singing O Canada, and the gun went off.
I remembered what Carla told me at GWN about her swim start with Cindy the year before. They kept walking. Seemed like a really good strategy for me. I walked until the water was chest height and then I began to swim. Since I had seeded myself in the back, there wasn’t too much kicking, punching, or body contact. Then the weirdest thing happened. I began bilateral breathing right away. For the past 2 summers, my goal has been to bilateral breath in an OW race. So far I haven’t been able to do that. I was hoping that I could on race day to make sure I was breathing aerobically and not getting too tired in the water. I told myself I would single side breath for the first 500m or so until I got comfortable and then try bilateral breathing. However, on Sunday I could breathe on both sides right from the start. I settled into a nice rhythm very early on. I also realized that I can swim much straighter when I breathe on both sides J. About ½ way to the first buoy I got jostled a bit, kicked in the face once, but all in all not too bad. A couple of times when I was feeling blocked in, I looked around and found some open water and started swimming again. I kept repeating to myself over and over – “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” (a really good rhythm when you are breathing every 3 strokes). I passed the first houseboat and waved to a scuba diver. I was still feeling okay when I passed the second houseboat. It was the swim back to shore that was the most chaotic. This surprised me because I thought people would be much more spread out. I kept getting hit and boxed in. Someone was drafting off me and felt it necessary to hit my feet with every stroke. Seriously, if you are going to draft can you at least not hit me! I tried to give a quick kick, but then I got a cramp so decided it wasn’t worth it. Every now and then I had to slow down and find some open water (which I easily could). Why is it that in an entire lake, people feel the need to swim on top of one another? Again, found a good rhythm – “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” – great words of advice. I found it much easier to site than I had at training camp and it was pretty cool watching the hotel get bigger and bigger as I getting closer! As I was coming into shore it was pretty rocky so I kept swimming for as long as I could. I stood up and started to make my way out of the water. WOW I did it. I made the swim. I glanced down at my watch 1 hour 20 minutes. WHAT. Did I start my watch at the correct time? I’m sure most of you know that I do not consider myself a swimmer. My goal when I signed up for the race in November was a 2 hours swim. I was thrilled when I got out of the water. I guess all those 9 pm swim sessions paid off. 3.8 Km swim – Check!
I was out of the water and onto the wetsuit strippers before I knew it. I must say IMC has fantastic volunteers. I was out of my wetsuit and someone was handing me my T1 bag in no time. I sat down in transition and was quite chilly. I was shivering. However a great volunteer came help me. Her name was Anne. When she came to help me and saw my race belt she said –“you’re Tara, I met your husband Andrew last night”. I had no idea who she was. She told me that she was friends with Jacque and Paul and they all met up for a BBQ the night before! Small world! She was a fantastic help. Since it was cold, I opted for arm warmers and then the usual socks and biking gloves. But because it was cold and I was wet and shivering, I had a hard time getting them on. Anne helped me get organized (literally dressing me – she even put my race belt on) handed me my helmet and off I went. I found my bike easily as it was very close to the end of the rack. I ran to the mount line and then I was onto the bike course. Transition was a little slower than I had hoped, but the arm warmers definitely ended up being the right call.
Coming out of transition was amazing. I heard Angie cheering and my only response was “I made it out of the water”. After that I saw Andrew and my friends sporting their very own green Team Tara T-shirts. Going out of town I saw a tonne of TTLers all with good wishes. It was great that so many of our teammates came into town to cheer us on! Heading out of town the goal was PATIENCE. I must have been passed by a hundred people. Every time someone passed me, I told myself “cheesy easy” – I can get them on the run. However, knowing that I could push harder it was tough to be passed by so many people. But I knew that it was going to be a long day and that I had to pace myself. Shortly after I started biking my side began to hurt. This happened to me during one of my training rides, but I never figured out what the problem was. Unfortunately the pain stayed with me for the entire ride. Luckily it was manageable and I was still able to drink my Infinit. About 5 Km in, the gadget that I had put on my bike to hold my CO2 cartridges fell off. Nothing too major, and luckily it didn’t get caught in my wheels. I stuck one CO2 tube in my bento box and the other in my spare water bottle that was holding my spare tube. The first part of the ride was pretty uneventful. I made it to MacLean Creek Road and that is where everyone starting getting really bunched up – also where it became very apparent that a lot of people don’t know how to ride up hills. Jeff warned us at training camp that people would be weaving all over the place and boy was he right. But I found my rhythm and started to climb. I made it to the top of the hill feeling pretty good. McLean Creek Road – Check. However it was after that my bike problems began. As I began to descend I tried to put my bike into its big chain ring, however it would not change. I tried to change it while I was in a number of different gears in my rear cassette, but that wasn’t helping either. After fiddling with it for a bit, I finally got it into my large chain ring but that would be short lived. I rode out to Oliver keeping my power and HR in check. I was shocked and disappointed at the drafting and pelotons I saw during this race. I had a drafting penalty at GWN (an unfair call in my opinion, but let’s not get into that) so I didn’t even want the appearance or perception of drafting during this race, plus I wanted to make sure that I rode clean. To that end, I probably under-biked this part of the course. Anytime I was passed, I dropped way back. Anytime I was getting close to someone, unless they were going way slower than I was, I decided to drop back. I didn’t want to kill my legs passing to many people. Not sure if this was the right decision or not, but it was the one I made and I have no regrets. However at some point during this stretch I went back down to my small chain ring and from then on I couldn’t figure out how to get back into the large chain ring. Nothing I did would fix my problem. I was actually pretty pleased with how I handled it. If this was my biggest challenge of the day – I could deal with it. I did keep my eyes open for tech support, but they always seemed really busy with people who needed help to actually ride their bikes. Plus, I was weighing the amount of time I’d lose without my big chain ring with how long it would take to fix my bike. In the end I just kept riding. Also during this part, my stomach started to become really painful. I knew I needed to pee and I hoped that would alleviate some of my discomfort. But as I passed a couple of aid stations, the line ups were really long. I guess I was more concerned about time than I wanted to admit. There was no way I was going to lose 10+ minutes waiting for a porta-potty. So I remembered the sage words I received from Angie and Cindy – I peed on the bike! The pain lessened but didn’t completely disappear, but at least I was feeling a bit better. In no time I was at Richter’s pass ready to climb. CHEESY EASY – that was the goal. I started climbing counting each of the “benches”. Mr and Mrs. Keto and Leana’s boyfriend were at Richter’s cheering us on – what great motivation! Before I knew it I was at the top – What the? That didn’t seem so bad. Richter’s Pass – Check. I went down the other side and onto the 7 rollers (or what I like to call the 7 dwarfs). Going downhill without my big chain was frustrating because I couldn’t get any power, however it probably made spinning up the rollers easier. Now I like to think that I am a somewhat intelligent person. With that, one would assume that I could handle counting to 7. Right? Wrong! I tried to count the rollers but quite frankly couldn’t keep them straight. Was that 3 or 4. I didn’t want to be wrong and do more than I was anticipating. However, got through them all – the 7 dwarfs – check! The ride to the out and back was long. It was long at camp and it was long during the race. Finally made it and was really excited that I could start seeing teammates. I think I saw everyone but Sarah. That was a lot of fun and looking for friends was a nice distraction. I saw Kelly and Leana and both were smiling. I got to special needs and grabbed my 4X concentrate bottle of Infinit, filled my aeorbottle with my extra 1X Infinit, took a honey stinger bar and more gu chomps. I left my spare tube and CO2 cartridge, since luckily I had not needed any yet. I continued on after special needs cheering on my teammates as I saw them. The Out and Back – check!
The ride to Yellowlake went well, but it became quite apparent that the bars and Gu chomps were making the pain in my stomach worse, so from that point on I stuck to Infinit. At the bottom of Yellowlake the wind was getting bad and it was raining. I think it was raining and windy before that, but I really don’t remember. As I started climbing I remembered the markings on the side of the road – each 0.1 Km. The top was at 17 Km. Despite the wind and the rain, this climb was much better than at camp. Andrew, Jacque and Paul were at the side of the road cheering me on. I saw and heard JoZ cheering as well. Just as I was nearing the top (in the rain), Ken and Corey rode by (who bikes up Yellowlake for fun guys?). Then I was at the top. Yellowlake – check! It’s all downhill from here! I started the descent, again getting quite frustrated that I didn’t have my big chain ring, but made the best of it. I tried to pick up speed where I could – I was a little more aggressive than at training camp, but since the roads were wet, not quite as aggressive as I was on Thursday. As I made it back into town I saw Angie at the TTL tent and everyone was there cheering. I also saw Andrew again! At this point I was looking at my watch; I was thinking I might be able to come in just under 7 hours. 180Km bike - Check
As I hit transition, one volunteer whisked my bike away and another handed me my T2 bag. I ran into the tent, changed my tri-shorts and socks, reapplied some Body glide, put on my runners, spayed myself with sunscreen, took a quick inhale of my ventolin, grabbed my gels and was off. Unfortunately I had to make a quick trip to the porta potty in transition. As I was running out onto the run course I realized I had dropped one of my gels. However I thought that 3 would get me to the run turnaround and special needs and if I really needed to I could take a power gel on the course (I prefer Gu gels). One of my goals for the race was to be out on the run, before the lead female finished. As I was beginning to run, I asked a volunteer if the female winner was in yet. I was pleased to hear that she wasn’t.
Now....Off to the run. I was so happy to be on my feet – no risk of a flat tire, mechanical problems, or drafting worries. I love to run. Angie and I had discussed a HR and pace that I should aim for in the first ½. Go slow, be patient. The run was an out and back to as I was starting out, I saw a bunch or pros finishing their marathon (including my buddy Scott Curry, Meredith Kessler, Heather Wuertele and Janelle Morrison) – boy can they run! It was quite inspiring to see. Okay – back to focussing on my own race. I saw Andrew a couple Km into the run. He was at an aide station so I was “allowed” to walk. We chatted, he asked me how I was, I gave him a quick kiss and then I was off running again. Shortly after that I saw Angie and I exclaimed “I’m running a marathon – in an ironman”. She began to run with me for a bit (no walking to talk to her- I wasn’t at an aide station), I mentioned a bit about my stomach and other bike problems but then quickly told her it was in a box behind me and I left it with my bike. Then she asked about my pace and she told me I was running too fast. I believe my comment was that I couldn’t run any slower! She also told me that the only way I wouldn’t make the cutoff time is if I cut off my leg – we were both pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. After that we separated and I went onto to run a marathon. Surprisingly once I started to run, all my stomach problems disappeared. Unfortunately I was very well hydrated (which was a good thing) but then had to stop twice to pee on the run (which was a bad thing). My goal was to watch my pace and run the entire marathon only walking through the aide stations. I had also given myself permission to walk up any hills if my HR exceeded 150 (which didn’t happen). So I just kept running. My splits were on the faster side of what Angie and I had discussed, but still on track. For the first ½ of the run I had to work really hard to slow it down, but I kept my HR exactly where I wanted it to be, and I knew it was all about setting myself up for a great 2nd half of the run. I saw so many of my teammates on my way out to OK falls – it was great to get some encouragement and encourage them as well. I got to special needs and grabbed my other 4 gels, but left my long sleeved shirt. I didn’t want to tie it around my waist, and at that point I was hoping I could finish before it got too cold. Now all that stood between me and an IM finished was 13.1 miles. I would crawl 13.1 miles if I had too. But at this point in time I was still feeling good. I picked up my pace (just a bit). I kept focused. On the way back I started to “forget” that I was “allowed” to walk the aide stations. I would be running halfway through one and remind myself to walk and take in water. At this point I saw Kelly, Tanya, Shannon, Nola, John and Leana. Everyone was smiling and seemed to be enjoying the day. I kept running. My friend Pam was at one of the later aide stations but was only going to be volunteering until 7pm. I was worried that I would miss her, but NOPE I saw her. She was really encouraging. With 10km left I started taking chicken soup at the aide stations. Not so much because I needed it, but because I really like chicken soup. At one aide station, the soup looked identical to lemon-lime Gatorade – I told the volunteer (nicely) that I thought he had given me the wrong thing, he said “no”, I said “are you sure – it looks like Gatorade” than he told me to try it. OOPS he was right – I yelled back “never argue with a volunteer” – he laughed and wished me luck. Coming back into town was amazing; everyone was yelling my name and cheering me on. When I had 5 miles left (8Km), I almost let myself think that at the end of day I was going to be an ironman. Not yet Tara – you still have some work to do! So I continued to run. My pace and HR were increasing a bit, but all still manageable. I was still walking aide stations until I had just over 3 miles left and then decided that was just wasting my time. I ran and I smiled. I smiled and I ran. Then when I had 2 miles left, I realized that in less that ½ an hour – I was going to cross the finish line. Just before I turned onto Lakeshore drive I saw Andrew! He was cheering me on. He was also on the phone. So I had to ask “who the hell are you talking too”. He was talking to our friends Ryan and Lisa to give them a heads up that I was almost done so they could watch me cross the finish on line. As I turned down Lakeshore towards the Sicamous (yes, the cruellest finish ever to make you run 1Km away from the finish when you are mere metres away) I was feeling good. There weren’t as many people at the end of the street, but as I turned around to head back towards the finish, I heard Angie cheering and Richelle yelling “Tara Beattie!” I didn’t stop to chat, I just kept on running. I noticed to 2 guys in front of me that I was catching. I remember someone telling me it wasn’t nice to pass anyone in the finishers shoot (which I agree), so I had to make sure I passed them quickly. I did, and just kept running. I saw the blue carpet and crossed the finish line! 42.2 Km Run – Check.
Two very nice ladies caught me. I got my medal, hat and T-shirt, Corey took off my timing chip and then Trevor usurped me. The only thing I could say to him is “That was so much fun – you have to do this next year”. I don’ think I could stop smiling. Trevor stayed with me, got my photo taken and got some food. He made sure I was okay and didn’t need to go to medical. I saw Leslie-Anne, who was also catching and ran into Nate who said he a great race. Once Trevor made sure I was okay, I met up with Andrew, Jacque and Paul. Thankfully, they had gone to pick up my bike and gear bags so I didn’t have to worry about that. They also brought me a warm change of clothes and my recovery drink. We then walked down to the end of Lakeshore to meet up the rest of the TTL crew. Angie and I chatted for awhile and then she told me I had to sit down. Mr. Keto let me use his chair and Jacque went to the car to grab a sleeping bag for me. Then we cheered everyone else who was still on the course. I told Andrew that we couldn’t leave until Kelly and Leana has finished – we started this journey together, and I wasn’t leaving until they were done. We stayed until Leana finished and then headed to the campsite.
Wow – what a day. I can’t even begin to put into words how incredible the race was. I can honestly say I had fun for the entire time I was out on the course. I was thrilled with my swim, happy with my bike and ecstatic about my run. I had secret goal of running the marathon faster than my first ever stand alone marathon and I did – by 3 minutes. I even negative split the run by over 8 minutes! I guess all that patience on the bike and first ½ of the marathon really did pay off! Quite frankly I had the perfect first IM! I can’t believe that it is over. I put off writing this race report because I knew as soon as it was finished my IMC journey would be over, and quite frankly I’m not ready for it to end.
Of course there are so many thank you’s! Angie, I absolutely could not have done this without you. You are a great coach and an inspiring athlete. Thank you so much for helping me to become an Ironman. To Kelly and Leana, my training partners - I could never have gotten through all of those long bike rides and frustrating days without you (and thanks for all the times you accommodated my family’s schedule and came out to Canmore to bike) – I’m going to miss the morning string of e-mails discussing our training plans! To Shawna, for helping me learn how to swim when I could barely make it to the other end of the pool. To Jacque and Paul for coming to watch the race and take care of Andrew so I could concentrate on being an athlete for the day. To all the members of TTL – what a great journey! I’m so glad there were so many of you there that I could share the day with. Hey Alfred – where are we going for lunch? Finally, of course my family. You have been so supportive and understanding – thank you for letting me pursue this dream. What an amazing experience.
Ironman Canada 2010 – Check.
Luckily Kelly’s hotel was right across the street from the Sicamous. We headed out and got our wetsuits on and were ready to swim at 7:30. Tracey was the swim instructor that was leading our workout. We swam fast for the first few hundred yards, got into an easy rhythm for about 600 yards, and then swam hard for the last 200 yards. I felt really comfortable in the water. What is going on with me? Am I becoming a swimmer? After that the team headed out to Smith and Co for coffee and breakfast. After breakfast we headed towards the merchandise tent and registration. I admit it - I bought a few IMC things before the race. Then onto registration. The line-up wasn’t too bad and Kelly and I got through in about 45 minutes. From then on I was sporting my favourite new fashion accessory – my green athlete’s wristband! We headed back to Kelly’s hotel, for a quick lunch and then it was off to see Angie for our pre-race meetings. I had a really good chat with Angie. We went over my race plan and she pretty much didn’t have anything to add. She kept reminding me that patience was the key to my first IM race. As you all know, I don’t do patient very well – but I was sure going to try on Sunday.
After our meetings we headed out to meet the team to descend Yellowlake. A friend of mine lent me an areohelmet for the race. I was grateful for the opportunity to use it, but a little worried that I had never worn it before. After discussing it with Angie she told me to wear it around the hotel for a bit and ride it on the descent that afternoon. I’m sure Kelly was getting a huge kick out of me walking around her hotel room with an aerohelmet onJ. When we headed out for our ride the wind was quite bad. There were a few of us nervous about doing the ride – I’m not great at downhill’s at the best of times, but Angie convinced us that if the conditions got too bad she would call the ride. So off I went with my spiffy new (okay borrowed) aerohelmet. The ride was great. I felt so much more confident than on our long ride at training camp. Angie was at certain spots waiting down the hill to make sure we were all okay. Somewhere along the ride I looked down at my hand – and then I saw it – my green wristband - then it hit me. This was not camp, this was not a training ride, this was it. I’M ACTUALLY HERE TO DO AN IRONMAN! Wow, I began to get so excited. At the end of the ride my comment to Angie was “Are you always right?” Of course it was the correct decision to do the descent! It put me in a great frame of mind for the race. After that, Leana and I headed to West Kelowna where I was going to stay with her parents. When I arrived, her parents were fantastic. Not only did they open up their home to me and my crap (and trust me, I had lot of crap), when Leana and I arrived on Thursday night they had a delicious Salmon dinner waiting! After a fantastic meal, I went to my room (complete with my own bathroom) and settled in for the evening since we had another early morning workout the next day.
On Friday we drove into Penticton for another 7:30 OW swim. This time the workout was to try to swim with people. So Leana and I took turns drafting off on another. Again, I had a great swim. Was I using up my entire swim MoJo before the race? I certainly hope not! We then headed out for coffee and breakfast again however this time Smith and Co was much more crowded and we waited 45 minutes for our breakfast. Just as we were leaving I ran into Kendall from Mercury Rising. We have done a lot of the same races this year, and this was also her first IM. So I hugged her and wished her luck (turned out she had an AMAZING first IM race). Then back to the merchandise tent. I had decided I wanted to pick up a visor and water bottle. We hung out at the expo for awhile and listened to the pro panel. After that we headed back to Kelly’s hotel and grabbed something to eat. Then we went back to the expo to hear Lisa Bentley talk. She was great. Very inspirational (plus I got a free T-shirt for asking her a question). All of this time, I wasn’t feeling emotional or stressed. I was just very excited to be in Penticton getting ready to do my first Ironman. Luckily that feeling would stay with me for the rest of the weekend leading right up until about 45 minutes before the start of the race. Around 4:00 we headed out to the convention centre to wait in line for the athlete’s dinner. It was so awesome to see most of team there. We hung out and chatted until it was time for dinner. Alfred and I made a friendly wager about the race on Sunday J! And then it was time to eat! We had dinner and then sat through some presentations and announcements. It was very exciting when Steven King asked all the athletes to stand who were doing their first IM in Penticton. After dinner we headed out to grab some ice cream. My friends Jacque and Paul had come in from Vancouver to watch the race (and take care of my husband), and Pam had also just arrived in town, so we thought ice cream would be a good way to see everyone before the race. After that it was back to Kelowna.
The next morning, Angie was having a team workout at 7am. Leana and I decided that sleep and relaxation was a better option for us. So we had a leisurely morning and got all our stuff organized to take to the bike drop off. Leana’s dad drove us back to Penticton and helped us get all our stuff organized. I had a great volunteer who helped me rack my bike, put my T1 and T2 bags in the right place and showed me all around the transition area. I met up with Leana, we took a bunch of pictures and then headed out for some RnR to get ready for our big day (we did make a quick stop to Sumac ridge on the way back to pick up some wine though). Shortly after we arrived at Leana’s, Andrew, Jacque and Paul stopped by for a quick visit. Andrew had just flown in from Calgary and my friends had gone to pick him up at the airport. So we chatted for a while, and then they were on their way to prepare for a big day of spectating! Leana and I just relaxed and hung out for most of the day. Later that afternoon we got all our nutrition ready to go (Leana’s boyfriend commented on the amusement of an engineer and a scientist mixing up concentrated bottles of Infinit!). Mr. and Mrs. Keto, again went above and beyond as they made us a fantastic pre-race meal - my favourite – pasta with red sauce, grilled chicken and a green salad. They even provided me with my obligatory pre-race beer (sorry Angie!). For those of you who don’t know, ever since my first marathon 6 years ago, I have drank a beer the night before all my big races – so far it has worked out well for me. I didn’t want to tempt fate and skip this ritual the night before IMC! So after some more vegging out on the couch I went to bed shortly after 9 – tomorrow was IM day!
Surprisingly I slept very well on Saturday night. I woke up only 10 minutes before my alarm went off. I quickly glanced at my watch and thought – uugh, its early go back to sleep. Then – IMG – today is the day I get to race an ironman. With a bunch of excitement and nervous energy I jumped in the shower. I got changed and organized and headed upstairs. Leana’s dad had already make us coffee! I grabbed my pre-race breakfast of granola and yogurt and shortly after that we were on our way. Leana’s boyfriend drove us to Penticton. The drive was actually really relaxing. We got into town and started making our way into transition. We dropped off our special needs bags and then straight onto body marking (it was at that point Leana had to ask me how old she was J). It went by really fast. Then onto our bikes. We had pumped up our tires the day before, but there was no one in the pump line up so I decided to have the folks from the Bike Barn check my tires just in case. Yep – they were good to go. I started putting my nutrition on my bike. Oops, I forgot my honey stinger bar. The one thing I thought I should do differently during the race than I did at camp was to eat a honey stinger bar just as my HR came down after climbing Richters. Oh well, at least I knew I had one in my special needs bag. Off to the porta potty line up (which I did 3 times before getting my wetsuit on). That is when the nerves hit. I saw Cindy and she told me I looked scared. I guess at this point I was. There was girl in line who was yammering on and on about her last IM, this race, how to race, what to do etc. etc. Boy was she annoying. I just wanted to pee so I could get away from her! After that I ran into Alfred. It was 6:15. Wow. Angie said the time would go fast, but that 1 hour and 15 minutes seemed to go by at warp speed. We got on our wetsuits, dropped off our dry goods bags and headed for the beach. We were both looking for our families. Alfred spotted his, but I didn’t get a chance to see Andrew before I started. Probably for the best, I didn’t want to get too emotional. I did however see JoZ and Hope. JoZ was fantastic – what a great person to run into. She wished me luck, told me I looked happy and to remember to stay that way for the rest of the day! Great advice that I did my best to follow! Alfred and I wished each other luck and I went on to get in a quick warmup. There were rumours that the water was cold, but to me it felt fine. I got in for a few quick strokes and then I actually began to relax. Who is this person? Where is the Tara that usually freaks out before a mass swim start? Well, luckily she wasn’t around today and it was the calm Tara that showed up for the race. I saw the pros go out and then was getting excited. Here I was, just 15 minutes away from doing my first IM! I ran into Shannon and we seeded ourselves on the beach off to the left. I felt really good about my decision of where to start. Then before I knew it, we were singing O Canada, and the gun went off.
I remembered what Carla told me at GWN about her swim start with Cindy the year before. They kept walking. Seemed like a really good strategy for me. I walked until the water was chest height and then I began to swim. Since I had seeded myself in the back, there wasn’t too much kicking, punching, or body contact. Then the weirdest thing happened. I began bilateral breathing right away. For the past 2 summers, my goal has been to bilateral breath in an OW race. So far I haven’t been able to do that. I was hoping that I could on race day to make sure I was breathing aerobically and not getting too tired in the water. I told myself I would single side breath for the first 500m or so until I got comfortable and then try bilateral breathing. However, on Sunday I could breathe on both sides right from the start. I settled into a nice rhythm very early on. I also realized that I can swim much straighter when I breathe on both sides J. About ½ way to the first buoy I got jostled a bit, kicked in the face once, but all in all not too bad. A couple of times when I was feeling blocked in, I looked around and found some open water and started swimming again. I kept repeating to myself over and over – “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” (a really good rhythm when you are breathing every 3 strokes). I passed the first houseboat and waved to a scuba diver. I was still feeling okay when I passed the second houseboat. It was the swim back to shore that was the most chaotic. This surprised me because I thought people would be much more spread out. I kept getting hit and boxed in. Someone was drafting off me and felt it necessary to hit my feet with every stroke. Seriously, if you are going to draft can you at least not hit me! I tried to give a quick kick, but then I got a cramp so decided it wasn’t worth it. Every now and then I had to slow down and find some open water (which I easily could). Why is it that in an entire lake, people feel the need to swim on top of one another? Again, found a good rhythm – “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” – great words of advice. I found it much easier to site than I had at training camp and it was pretty cool watching the hotel get bigger and bigger as I getting closer! As I was coming into shore it was pretty rocky so I kept swimming for as long as I could. I stood up and started to make my way out of the water. WOW I did it. I made the swim. I glanced down at my watch 1 hour 20 minutes. WHAT. Did I start my watch at the correct time? I’m sure most of you know that I do not consider myself a swimmer. My goal when I signed up for the race in November was a 2 hours swim. I was thrilled when I got out of the water. I guess all those 9 pm swim sessions paid off. 3.8 Km swim – Check!
I was out of the water and onto the wetsuit strippers before I knew it. I must say IMC has fantastic volunteers. I was out of my wetsuit and someone was handing me my T1 bag in no time. I sat down in transition and was quite chilly. I was shivering. However a great volunteer came help me. Her name was Anne. When she came to help me and saw my race belt she said –“you’re Tara, I met your husband Andrew last night”. I had no idea who she was. She told me that she was friends with Jacque and Paul and they all met up for a BBQ the night before! Small world! She was a fantastic help. Since it was cold, I opted for arm warmers and then the usual socks and biking gloves. But because it was cold and I was wet and shivering, I had a hard time getting them on. Anne helped me get organized (literally dressing me – she even put my race belt on) handed me my helmet and off I went. I found my bike easily as it was very close to the end of the rack. I ran to the mount line and then I was onto the bike course. Transition was a little slower than I had hoped, but the arm warmers definitely ended up being the right call.
Coming out of transition was amazing. I heard Angie cheering and my only response was “I made it out of the water”. After that I saw Andrew and my friends sporting their very own green Team Tara T-shirts. Going out of town I saw a tonne of TTLers all with good wishes. It was great that so many of our teammates came into town to cheer us on! Heading out of town the goal was PATIENCE. I must have been passed by a hundred people. Every time someone passed me, I told myself “cheesy easy” – I can get them on the run. However, knowing that I could push harder it was tough to be passed by so many people. But I knew that it was going to be a long day and that I had to pace myself. Shortly after I started biking my side began to hurt. This happened to me during one of my training rides, but I never figured out what the problem was. Unfortunately the pain stayed with me for the entire ride. Luckily it was manageable and I was still able to drink my Infinit. About 5 Km in, the gadget that I had put on my bike to hold my CO2 cartridges fell off. Nothing too major, and luckily it didn’t get caught in my wheels. I stuck one CO2 tube in my bento box and the other in my spare water bottle that was holding my spare tube. The first part of the ride was pretty uneventful. I made it to MacLean Creek Road and that is where everyone starting getting really bunched up – also where it became very apparent that a lot of people don’t know how to ride up hills. Jeff warned us at training camp that people would be weaving all over the place and boy was he right. But I found my rhythm and started to climb. I made it to the top of the hill feeling pretty good. McLean Creek Road – Check. However it was after that my bike problems began. As I began to descend I tried to put my bike into its big chain ring, however it would not change. I tried to change it while I was in a number of different gears in my rear cassette, but that wasn’t helping either. After fiddling with it for a bit, I finally got it into my large chain ring but that would be short lived. I rode out to Oliver keeping my power and HR in check. I was shocked and disappointed at the drafting and pelotons I saw during this race. I had a drafting penalty at GWN (an unfair call in my opinion, but let’s not get into that) so I didn’t even want the appearance or perception of drafting during this race, plus I wanted to make sure that I rode clean. To that end, I probably under-biked this part of the course. Anytime I was passed, I dropped way back. Anytime I was getting close to someone, unless they were going way slower than I was, I decided to drop back. I didn’t want to kill my legs passing to many people. Not sure if this was the right decision or not, but it was the one I made and I have no regrets. However at some point during this stretch I went back down to my small chain ring and from then on I couldn’t figure out how to get back into the large chain ring. Nothing I did would fix my problem. I was actually pretty pleased with how I handled it. If this was my biggest challenge of the day – I could deal with it. I did keep my eyes open for tech support, but they always seemed really busy with people who needed help to actually ride their bikes. Plus, I was weighing the amount of time I’d lose without my big chain ring with how long it would take to fix my bike. In the end I just kept riding. Also during this part, my stomach started to become really painful. I knew I needed to pee and I hoped that would alleviate some of my discomfort. But as I passed a couple of aid stations, the line ups were really long. I guess I was more concerned about time than I wanted to admit. There was no way I was going to lose 10+ minutes waiting for a porta-potty. So I remembered the sage words I received from Angie and Cindy – I peed on the bike! The pain lessened but didn’t completely disappear, but at least I was feeling a bit better. In no time I was at Richter’s pass ready to climb. CHEESY EASY – that was the goal. I started climbing counting each of the “benches”. Mr and Mrs. Keto and Leana’s boyfriend were at Richter’s cheering us on – what great motivation! Before I knew it I was at the top – What the? That didn’t seem so bad. Richter’s Pass – Check. I went down the other side and onto the 7 rollers (or what I like to call the 7 dwarfs). Going downhill without my big chain was frustrating because I couldn’t get any power, however it probably made spinning up the rollers easier. Now I like to think that I am a somewhat intelligent person. With that, one would assume that I could handle counting to 7. Right? Wrong! I tried to count the rollers but quite frankly couldn’t keep them straight. Was that 3 or 4. I didn’t want to be wrong and do more than I was anticipating. However, got through them all – the 7 dwarfs – check! The ride to the out and back was long. It was long at camp and it was long during the race. Finally made it and was really excited that I could start seeing teammates. I think I saw everyone but Sarah. That was a lot of fun and looking for friends was a nice distraction. I saw Kelly and Leana and both were smiling. I got to special needs and grabbed my 4X concentrate bottle of Infinit, filled my aeorbottle with my extra 1X Infinit, took a honey stinger bar and more gu chomps. I left my spare tube and CO2 cartridge, since luckily I had not needed any yet. I continued on after special needs cheering on my teammates as I saw them. The Out and Back – check!
The ride to Yellowlake went well, but it became quite apparent that the bars and Gu chomps were making the pain in my stomach worse, so from that point on I stuck to Infinit. At the bottom of Yellowlake the wind was getting bad and it was raining. I think it was raining and windy before that, but I really don’t remember. As I started climbing I remembered the markings on the side of the road – each 0.1 Km. The top was at 17 Km. Despite the wind and the rain, this climb was much better than at camp. Andrew, Jacque and Paul were at the side of the road cheering me on. I saw and heard JoZ cheering as well. Just as I was nearing the top (in the rain), Ken and Corey rode by (who bikes up Yellowlake for fun guys?). Then I was at the top. Yellowlake – check! It’s all downhill from here! I started the descent, again getting quite frustrated that I didn’t have my big chain ring, but made the best of it. I tried to pick up speed where I could – I was a little more aggressive than at training camp, but since the roads were wet, not quite as aggressive as I was on Thursday. As I made it back into town I saw Angie at the TTL tent and everyone was there cheering. I also saw Andrew again! At this point I was looking at my watch; I was thinking I might be able to come in just under 7 hours. 180Km bike - Check
As I hit transition, one volunteer whisked my bike away and another handed me my T2 bag. I ran into the tent, changed my tri-shorts and socks, reapplied some Body glide, put on my runners, spayed myself with sunscreen, took a quick inhale of my ventolin, grabbed my gels and was off. Unfortunately I had to make a quick trip to the porta potty in transition. As I was running out onto the run course I realized I had dropped one of my gels. However I thought that 3 would get me to the run turnaround and special needs and if I really needed to I could take a power gel on the course (I prefer Gu gels). One of my goals for the race was to be out on the run, before the lead female finished. As I was beginning to run, I asked a volunteer if the female winner was in yet. I was pleased to hear that she wasn’t.
Now....Off to the run. I was so happy to be on my feet – no risk of a flat tire, mechanical problems, or drafting worries. I love to run. Angie and I had discussed a HR and pace that I should aim for in the first ½. Go slow, be patient. The run was an out and back to as I was starting out, I saw a bunch or pros finishing their marathon (including my buddy Scott Curry, Meredith Kessler, Heather Wuertele and Janelle Morrison) – boy can they run! It was quite inspiring to see. Okay – back to focussing on my own race. I saw Andrew a couple Km into the run. He was at an aide station so I was “allowed” to walk. We chatted, he asked me how I was, I gave him a quick kiss and then I was off running again. Shortly after that I saw Angie and I exclaimed “I’m running a marathon – in an ironman”. She began to run with me for a bit (no walking to talk to her- I wasn’t at an aide station), I mentioned a bit about my stomach and other bike problems but then quickly told her it was in a box behind me and I left it with my bike. Then she asked about my pace and she told me I was running too fast. I believe my comment was that I couldn’t run any slower! She also told me that the only way I wouldn’t make the cutoff time is if I cut off my leg – we were both pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. After that we separated and I went onto to run a marathon. Surprisingly once I started to run, all my stomach problems disappeared. Unfortunately I was very well hydrated (which was a good thing) but then had to stop twice to pee on the run (which was a bad thing). My goal was to watch my pace and run the entire marathon only walking through the aide stations. I had also given myself permission to walk up any hills if my HR exceeded 150 (which didn’t happen). So I just kept running. My splits were on the faster side of what Angie and I had discussed, but still on track. For the first ½ of the run I had to work really hard to slow it down, but I kept my HR exactly where I wanted it to be, and I knew it was all about setting myself up for a great 2nd half of the run. I saw so many of my teammates on my way out to OK falls – it was great to get some encouragement and encourage them as well. I got to special needs and grabbed my other 4 gels, but left my long sleeved shirt. I didn’t want to tie it around my waist, and at that point I was hoping I could finish before it got too cold. Now all that stood between me and an IM finished was 13.1 miles. I would crawl 13.1 miles if I had too. But at this point in time I was still feeling good. I picked up my pace (just a bit). I kept focused. On the way back I started to “forget” that I was “allowed” to walk the aide stations. I would be running halfway through one and remind myself to walk and take in water. At this point I saw Kelly, Tanya, Shannon, Nola, John and Leana. Everyone was smiling and seemed to be enjoying the day. I kept running. My friend Pam was at one of the later aide stations but was only going to be volunteering until 7pm. I was worried that I would miss her, but NOPE I saw her. She was really encouraging. With 10km left I started taking chicken soup at the aide stations. Not so much because I needed it, but because I really like chicken soup. At one aide station, the soup looked identical to lemon-lime Gatorade – I told the volunteer (nicely) that I thought he had given me the wrong thing, he said “no”, I said “are you sure – it looks like Gatorade” than he told me to try it. OOPS he was right – I yelled back “never argue with a volunteer” – he laughed and wished me luck. Coming back into town was amazing; everyone was yelling my name and cheering me on. When I had 5 miles left (8Km), I almost let myself think that at the end of day I was going to be an ironman. Not yet Tara – you still have some work to do! So I continued to run. My pace and HR were increasing a bit, but all still manageable. I was still walking aide stations until I had just over 3 miles left and then decided that was just wasting my time. I ran and I smiled. I smiled and I ran. Then when I had 2 miles left, I realized that in less that ½ an hour – I was going to cross the finish line. Just before I turned onto Lakeshore drive I saw Andrew! He was cheering me on. He was also on the phone. So I had to ask “who the hell are you talking too”. He was talking to our friends Ryan and Lisa to give them a heads up that I was almost done so they could watch me cross the finish on line. As I turned down Lakeshore towards the Sicamous (yes, the cruellest finish ever to make you run 1Km away from the finish when you are mere metres away) I was feeling good. There weren’t as many people at the end of the street, but as I turned around to head back towards the finish, I heard Angie cheering and Richelle yelling “Tara Beattie!” I didn’t stop to chat, I just kept on running. I noticed to 2 guys in front of me that I was catching. I remember someone telling me it wasn’t nice to pass anyone in the finishers shoot (which I agree), so I had to make sure I passed them quickly. I did, and just kept running. I saw the blue carpet and crossed the finish line! 42.2 Km Run – Check.
Two very nice ladies caught me. I got my medal, hat and T-shirt, Corey took off my timing chip and then Trevor usurped me. The only thing I could say to him is “That was so much fun – you have to do this next year”. I don’ think I could stop smiling. Trevor stayed with me, got my photo taken and got some food. He made sure I was okay and didn’t need to go to medical. I saw Leslie-Anne, who was also catching and ran into Nate who said he a great race. Once Trevor made sure I was okay, I met up with Andrew, Jacque and Paul. Thankfully, they had gone to pick up my bike and gear bags so I didn’t have to worry about that. They also brought me a warm change of clothes and my recovery drink. We then walked down to the end of Lakeshore to meet up the rest of the TTL crew. Angie and I chatted for awhile and then she told me I had to sit down. Mr. Keto let me use his chair and Jacque went to the car to grab a sleeping bag for me. Then we cheered everyone else who was still on the course. I told Andrew that we couldn’t leave until Kelly and Leana has finished – we started this journey together, and I wasn’t leaving until they were done. We stayed until Leana finished and then headed to the campsite.
Wow – what a day. I can’t even begin to put into words how incredible the race was. I can honestly say I had fun for the entire time I was out on the course. I was thrilled with my swim, happy with my bike and ecstatic about my run. I had secret goal of running the marathon faster than my first ever stand alone marathon and I did – by 3 minutes. I even negative split the run by over 8 minutes! I guess all that patience on the bike and first ½ of the marathon really did pay off! Quite frankly I had the perfect first IM! I can’t believe that it is over. I put off writing this race report because I knew as soon as it was finished my IMC journey would be over, and quite frankly I’m not ready for it to end.
Of course there are so many thank you’s! Angie, I absolutely could not have done this without you. You are a great coach and an inspiring athlete. Thank you so much for helping me to become an Ironman. To Kelly and Leana, my training partners - I could never have gotten through all of those long bike rides and frustrating days without you (and thanks for all the times you accommodated my family’s schedule and came out to Canmore to bike) – I’m going to miss the morning string of e-mails discussing our training plans! To Shawna, for helping me learn how to swim when I could barely make it to the other end of the pool. To Jacque and Paul for coming to watch the race and take care of Andrew so I could concentrate on being an athlete for the day. To all the members of TTL – what a great journey! I’m so glad there were so many of you there that I could share the day with. Hey Alfred – where are we going for lunch? Finally, of course my family. You have been so supportive and understanding – thank you for letting me pursue this dream. What an amazing experience.
Ironman Canada 2010 – Check.
John's IMC Race Report
Well coach, here it is finally. It has been a week and half since the race, and it has been a time of ups and downs, mentally and emotionally. I have been trying to sort out the race and the training program to get there. Thanks Angie.
I don't know how to post this directly to the race report page, so can you do this for me.?
I am not sure where to start because I have so many things to say. This past race at IMC was a culmination of many emotional hurdles that taught me a lot about who I am and where I want to continue to go in my life. The race showed me about why I love this type of lifestyle, and why I love being around people who enjoy it too. This life of mine is not just about triathlon though, even though some days and weeks I wish it was.
August 29, 2010 is a day I will remember for a while because of the journey it took to get there.What kind of person would do a 12 week Ironman training program to complete a race? What coach would even consider that for an athlete? Thankfully I was well coached and only had myself to blame if destruction befell me.
People asked me over the summer what was on my training program. I kept referring back to one statement, "I don't have one". This was mainly due to the fact that I could only do what I could with the time I had. I didn't have time for this repeat or that training session. I only had the time to reflect on what I had learned over 3 years and somehow apply it into some form of haphazard training schedule. For this I was well coached, and I think I had become a good listener.
Race day, going in was to be a fun day. There was only one goal for me, and that was to have fun. The race was to be enjoyable to the best of my ability. Even finishing wasn't guaranteed, even though I had made it to the start line. I could stand on the beach and be proud of all the other people who had made it there too, because there were so many stories that were being lived out that day. Some wouldn't finish the story that day, but they would be back again another day.
So off goes the gun, and we start walking in. Where is the panic that normally befalls me? Nowhere to be seen! One goal in mind on the swim was to start without panic breathing and get into a steady rhythm asap. Well that happened by the first buoy and I knew I was off to a good start. Long easy stoking, stay out of trouble, and look for openings to swim in. Be in my own bubble! I know it is hard to judge ones pace in the water without stopping to look at your watch, but I had my most relaxed swim and didn't work very hard at all. After the second house boat turn,I knew I was doing okay and didn't have to press coming home.
T1 - change outside and don't talk. I would allow that later. Move move move and get going. Things were looking up.
Out on the bike, I could hear TTL screaming before I got on my bike. One can't cry when one is smiling so much. Ooooohh what a feeling! Stop to say hi to the gang and another quick kiss to my wife, one of 6 on the race course. Is that a record? Forgot to ask where my niece was, but somehow knew she was behind me. That would not last long as she passed me before Maclean creek, and I wouldn't see her pass me again. She stayed in front the rest of the way. There was no need trying to keep up or catch, it would not be that kind of day. I still can't figure out why training camp rides are so much harder than race day, but my bike was easy cheesy most of the way. The only issue I had was not stopping early enough to use the facilities when necessary. I stopped when I needed to and stopped where I could. I kept surprising Shannon by passing her 4 times I think because of potty breaks. I need a bigger bladder, or at least a catheter next time. The one thing about riding at the back is that you miss all the rain and hail. I don't know what everyone else was complaining about, our ride was a nice cool training day. The only thing that sucked was how lonely it was going up Yellow Lake. At least 90% of the people had left, but then I heard my cowbells going and up the hill we went. I kept encouraging 3 other guys to keep churning out the spins on the hill, keep turning over those legs to make it to the top. And then I stopped for another kiss! What a way to do a race, no pressure.
T2 - gotta remember the quietness of getting going again. Go pee, get shoes, get going, gone! Running out the gate, better slow it down.
2 things needed to happen on the run course, get out there early enough for my picture to be taken before dark, and don't explode bfore OK falls. Well I met this little lady at mile 2 who I decided would be my check valve. Nola and I ran/walked for the next 24 miles together. We had so much fun together we even got an advisory for 'pacing' each other. What is that about? Next warning would be a penalty. Its after 6pm and we weren't even in OK Falls yet. It gave us another half an hour to talk about something new. I didn't see the camera guy out there, but he must have seen us. We definitely paced each other, walking and talking. Guess who got the most words in edge-wise? We encouraged each other to run when we didn't want to and kept each other going when it didn't seem like a good time was being had by anyone. We plodded along, and we prodded each other to go. We posed for pictures when there was another opportunity, and we made new friends along the way. We supported each other and almost finished together, but ladies first of course. And I had to stop in the chute for one last kiss before the finish line.
One thing I need to remember for next time. Look for the camera or something else besides the 2 crazy ladies jumping up and down at the finish line trying to make you cry. Well it worked and now I have to go back and get a decent finish line photo. 2 tries now and both pictures kind of suck. Next time in 2 years will be better. And one more thing, if I want to raise my arms in victory, next time I better shave my pits too.
So all in all it was a great day of racing. My goals of good race management went as planned, for the most part. I definitely had fun out there on the course, but not in a crazy Ally sort of way. The day was not about me, but watching and hearing how other people were doing on the course was more a priority. Seeing fellow TTL teammates on course, and the spectators cheering us on is an awesome thing to have and hold close to my heart. To have someone jump out and say "I'm so and so's dad or mom" and my reaction is blank for a second until I could remember, was so much fun. To know we had the support of our team and families is what makes it special. Keep up the good work.
In closing, it sure would be nice to race injury free for once in a long time. I'd like to know what I could really do, if healthy. But then I guess I just did that, doing what i could really do under the circumstances given me. I am so thankful to be alive and able to participate with friends! You just don't really know what it means to me. Thank you.
I don't know how to post this directly to the race report page, so can you do this for me.?
I am not sure where to start because I have so many things to say. This past race at IMC was a culmination of many emotional hurdles that taught me a lot about who I am and where I want to continue to go in my life. The race showed me about why I love this type of lifestyle, and why I love being around people who enjoy it too. This life of mine is not just about triathlon though, even though some days and weeks I wish it was.
August 29, 2010 is a day I will remember for a while because of the journey it took to get there.What kind of person would do a 12 week Ironman training program to complete a race? What coach would even consider that for an athlete? Thankfully I was well coached and only had myself to blame if destruction befell me.
People asked me over the summer what was on my training program. I kept referring back to one statement, "I don't have one". This was mainly due to the fact that I could only do what I could with the time I had. I didn't have time for this repeat or that training session. I only had the time to reflect on what I had learned over 3 years and somehow apply it into some form of haphazard training schedule. For this I was well coached, and I think I had become a good listener.
Race day, going in was to be a fun day. There was only one goal for me, and that was to have fun. The race was to be enjoyable to the best of my ability. Even finishing wasn't guaranteed, even though I had made it to the start line. I could stand on the beach and be proud of all the other people who had made it there too, because there were so many stories that were being lived out that day. Some wouldn't finish the story that day, but they would be back again another day.
So off goes the gun, and we start walking in. Where is the panic that normally befalls me? Nowhere to be seen! One goal in mind on the swim was to start without panic breathing and get into a steady rhythm asap. Well that happened by the first buoy and I knew I was off to a good start. Long easy stoking, stay out of trouble, and look for openings to swim in. Be in my own bubble! I know it is hard to judge ones pace in the water without stopping to look at your watch, but I had my most relaxed swim and didn't work very hard at all. After the second house boat turn,I knew I was doing okay and didn't have to press coming home.
T1 - change outside and don't talk. I would allow that later. Move move move and get going. Things were looking up.
Out on the bike, I could hear TTL screaming before I got on my bike. One can't cry when one is smiling so much. Ooooohh what a feeling! Stop to say hi to the gang and another quick kiss to my wife, one of 6 on the race course. Is that a record? Forgot to ask where my niece was, but somehow knew she was behind me. That would not last long as she passed me before Maclean creek, and I wouldn't see her pass me again. She stayed in front the rest of the way. There was no need trying to keep up or catch, it would not be that kind of day. I still can't figure out why training camp rides are so much harder than race day, but my bike was easy cheesy most of the way. The only issue I had was not stopping early enough to use the facilities when necessary. I stopped when I needed to and stopped where I could. I kept surprising Shannon by passing her 4 times I think because of potty breaks. I need a bigger bladder, or at least a catheter next time. The one thing about riding at the back is that you miss all the rain and hail. I don't know what everyone else was complaining about, our ride was a nice cool training day. The only thing that sucked was how lonely it was going up Yellow Lake. At least 90% of the people had left, but then I heard my cowbells going and up the hill we went. I kept encouraging 3 other guys to keep churning out the spins on the hill, keep turning over those legs to make it to the top. And then I stopped for another kiss! What a way to do a race, no pressure.
T2 - gotta remember the quietness of getting going again. Go pee, get shoes, get going, gone! Running out the gate, better slow it down.
2 things needed to happen on the run course, get out there early enough for my picture to be taken before dark, and don't explode bfore OK falls. Well I met this little lady at mile 2 who I decided would be my check valve. Nola and I ran/walked for the next 24 miles together. We had so much fun together we even got an advisory for 'pacing' each other. What is that about? Next warning would be a penalty. Its after 6pm and we weren't even in OK Falls yet. It gave us another half an hour to talk about something new. I didn't see the camera guy out there, but he must have seen us. We definitely paced each other, walking and talking. Guess who got the most words in edge-wise? We encouraged each other to run when we didn't want to and kept each other going when it didn't seem like a good time was being had by anyone. We plodded along, and we prodded each other to go. We posed for pictures when there was another opportunity, and we made new friends along the way. We supported each other and almost finished together, but ladies first of course. And I had to stop in the chute for one last kiss before the finish line.
One thing I need to remember for next time. Look for the camera or something else besides the 2 crazy ladies jumping up and down at the finish line trying to make you cry. Well it worked and now I have to go back and get a decent finish line photo. 2 tries now and both pictures kind of suck. Next time in 2 years will be better. And one more thing, if I want to raise my arms in victory, next time I better shave my pits too.
So all in all it was a great day of racing. My goals of good race management went as planned, for the most part. I definitely had fun out there on the course, but not in a crazy Ally sort of way. The day was not about me, but watching and hearing how other people were doing on the course was more a priority. Seeing fellow TTL teammates on course, and the spectators cheering us on is an awesome thing to have and hold close to my heart. To have someone jump out and say "I'm so and so's dad or mom" and my reaction is blank for a second until I could remember, was so much fun. To know we had the support of our team and families is what makes it special. Keep up the good work.
In closing, it sure would be nice to race injury free for once in a long time. I'd like to know what I could really do, if healthy. But then I guess I just did that, doing what i could really do under the circumstances given me. I am so thankful to be alive and able to participate with friends! You just don't really know what it means to me. Thank you.
Michael's 2010 IMC Race Report
What a difference a year makes. 365 days crash free!The days leading up to IMC were busy, with pre-race workouts, preparations,and trying to relax.Race morning started early, although there were people already heading totransition when I woke. Normal breakfast of toast w/ PB&J, and startedsipping on my bottle of Infinit as I headed down for body marking.
Started seeing other TTL athletes, was glad to see everyone was in great spirits; noone seemed too worked up. Did my last minute changes to transition bags, and put my Garmin in T1 bag.Got suited up and headed down to the beach. Didn't really have time for awarmup, just enough to get water down into my wetsuit. I planned to startfrom the left side, about the middle of the pack. At the start, walked outtill most people had gotten down to swimming, and worked to find my rhythmearly.The race plan that I had worked out with Angie was based around Patience.We set some conservative guidelines for HR on the bike, and pace for thefirst half of the run. With a day like this, it is so easy to get caught upand push too hard; I felt I needed reminders. I coached Jacob, when he wascheering, to shout "Patience, Daddy, patience!" I also wrote patience on myarm next to where my Garmin would sit. So when I'd look down to check speed I'd have a counterbalance to the urge to push harder.
Swim started well enough, I wasn't working very hard, and passing people ata steady pace. Halfway to the first turn, things turned ugly. Found myself in a tight pack and was getting knocked around a lot. Some guy's arm landedon my neck two strokes in a row, instead of adjusting he just forced meunderwater. I started struggling to get a good breath, started to panic abit, and had to pull up to regroup. Took me a few moments to find mygroove, and forge on. At about the second turn, noticed my gogs filling fartoo often, discovered that one of the straps had come undone. They werestaying put, but on each roll to breath the strap would hang down in mymouth. Just a distraction, tried not to let it bother me. Took a kick inthe eye right at the end of the swim.
Overall, the roughest swim I've beenthrough. Time: 1:04.
Grabbed my T1 bag and ran to the tent. As I ran out of the tent, I realizedI didn't have my Garmin, so I ran back. My bag had been cleaned up already,no garmin laying on the ground. Spent a few minutes trying to find my bag,finally realized I'd have go on without it. That was a hard time, I feltkind of alone, that the plan was shot already. Saw the TTL group around thefirst corner which provided some cheer. I had to come to terms with thechange in strategy, and focus on RPE to guide me efforts.The trip to Osoyoos felt really good. Was caught in a crowd up Macleancreek which kept my speed in check. Tried to avoid packs, sometimes wouldhold back, sometimes would surge ahead to pass. At Osoyoos, did a sanitycheck, did I go to hard? Richter felt good, a long slow grind. The crowdsthere were awesome. The decent off Richter was a screamer, I had enoughspace to feel comfortable about letting it all hang out. I actually enjoyedthe rollers: easy spin up, as the hill began to level out take a couple ofgears and hammer over the top to get up to speed quickly, and coast down thehill passing all the way. Rince and repeat as required.I also took note of the increasing headwind around there. I was starting toget uncomfortable, shoulders and neck getting sore. But the wind was moreincentive to stay aero onto the out'n'back. Grabbed my bottle on Infinitfrom special needs, stopped for another potty break, and forged on. Idecided not to push so much from there to Yellow Lake (Patience Daddy,patience), and not beat myself up about a slower pace on the incline. Got aflat where the road starts to get a little steeper. Never having had tochange a tubular before, I was a bit worried. Also realized I didn't haveany CO2, only cans of PitStop. I used one can trying to fix the tire, butthe valve stem wasn't long enough, so I pulled that tire off to install thespare. The second can wasn't enough to fill the tire, but just then thesupport car pulled up and filled me up, I was off.The weather had turned nasty by this point, rain and wind, I had been warmenough while I was moving but stopping with the flat had cooled me off. Iknew I just had the last climb and the decent left, so I wasn't worried toomuch about the cold. After a ten minute rest changing the tire, my legs hadlots of zip, I was able to cruise up Yellow Lake. Saw the TTL tent and ahigh five from JoZ, and I was at the top. The decent was dicey at times - Iwasn't confident in the tire or the wet brakes, but there wasn't muchtraffic in front of me so I could make my way down at my own pace.Took it easy riding back into town, saw Ang and the crew at the mall.
Pulled into T2, a quick change, and off on the run. Bike time: 6:18.
Saw my family on Lakeshore, "Patience Daddy, patience!" They had also snuck abaggy full of jellybeans and a note reminding me to have patience into my T2bag. My legs felt good, but heavier than I had experienced in my brickruns. The patience reminders were good, they helped me to not get worked upat going slow, at all the people who were passing me. Angie's descriptionof Richelle's execution last year rang through my head, patience daddy,patience. I think I ran pretty consistently on the way out to OK Falls.Walked the aid stations, ran the hills till they started to hurt, and walkedto the top. Nutrition was working really well. A couple of times I startedto feel full, I was able to back off the pace for a few minutes and thefeeling passed.Reached the turnaround, and sat for a few minutes with Hope while I changedsocks, and another baggy of jelly beans and another note - "Go Daddy, Go!". Hope asked if I had any messages to relay back to Angie, I didn't think ofit till after I left: I should have had her send "I'm a runner now, and I'mout of patience!"Again, a small rest seemed to reinvigorate me. It seemed like I was flying,over the hills and onto the flats; and as promised, the people that passedme on the way out all started to came back. I didn't know my pace, didn'tknow what the total time was at, but it didn't seem to matter that much. Saw all the TTL'ers still on the way out and they all looked great, smilesall around. Ran the last few k's into town with someone, we seemed a goodmatch - were able to push each other when we needed a little help. Comingup Main St. was a blast with the crowds cheering, still feeling strong,pushing a little harder each block - this was the payoff for a day ofpatience. Turned the corner onto Lakeshore; pushing a little harder. Sawthe family, saw the TTL crew at the turn, the last stretch was kind of ablur until the chute.
Run time: 4:31, with a 12 minute negative split. I've never had a race gothis well, to feel so positive throughout, and to finish feeling so strong.
Despite my equipment challenges, I can't imagine a better race, a better dayoverall. Most of my races to this point have always left me falling aparton the run. It was such a thrill to be able to maintain control throughout,and finish stronger that I imagined was possible.With that, my race schedule for the year is done. I owe so much to so many,my family for their support and encouragement, for putting up with the longtraining hours, and even for nagging me out the door sometimes. To Angiefor her advise, wisdom, and encouragement, and to the whole TTL team you'reall so motivating and encouraging. Thank you, everyone, for helping me exceed my goals.
Started seeing other TTL athletes, was glad to see everyone was in great spirits; noone seemed too worked up. Did my last minute changes to transition bags, and put my Garmin in T1 bag.Got suited up and headed down to the beach. Didn't really have time for awarmup, just enough to get water down into my wetsuit. I planned to startfrom the left side, about the middle of the pack. At the start, walked outtill most people had gotten down to swimming, and worked to find my rhythmearly.The race plan that I had worked out with Angie was based around Patience.We set some conservative guidelines for HR on the bike, and pace for thefirst half of the run. With a day like this, it is so easy to get caught upand push too hard; I felt I needed reminders. I coached Jacob, when he wascheering, to shout "Patience, Daddy, patience!" I also wrote patience on myarm next to where my Garmin would sit. So when I'd look down to check speed I'd have a counterbalance to the urge to push harder.
Swim started well enough, I wasn't working very hard, and passing people ata steady pace. Halfway to the first turn, things turned ugly. Found myself in a tight pack and was getting knocked around a lot. Some guy's arm landedon my neck two strokes in a row, instead of adjusting he just forced meunderwater. I started struggling to get a good breath, started to panic abit, and had to pull up to regroup. Took me a few moments to find mygroove, and forge on. At about the second turn, noticed my gogs filling fartoo often, discovered that one of the straps had come undone. They werestaying put, but on each roll to breath the strap would hang down in mymouth. Just a distraction, tried not to let it bother me. Took a kick inthe eye right at the end of the swim.
Overall, the roughest swim I've beenthrough. Time: 1:04.
Grabbed my T1 bag and ran to the tent. As I ran out of the tent, I realizedI didn't have my Garmin, so I ran back. My bag had been cleaned up already,no garmin laying on the ground. Spent a few minutes trying to find my bag,finally realized I'd have go on without it. That was a hard time, I feltkind of alone, that the plan was shot already. Saw the TTL group around thefirst corner which provided some cheer. I had to come to terms with thechange in strategy, and focus on RPE to guide me efforts.The trip to Osoyoos felt really good. Was caught in a crowd up Macleancreek which kept my speed in check. Tried to avoid packs, sometimes wouldhold back, sometimes would surge ahead to pass. At Osoyoos, did a sanitycheck, did I go to hard? Richter felt good, a long slow grind. The crowdsthere were awesome. The decent off Richter was a screamer, I had enoughspace to feel comfortable about letting it all hang out. I actually enjoyedthe rollers: easy spin up, as the hill began to level out take a couple ofgears and hammer over the top to get up to speed quickly, and coast down thehill passing all the way. Rince and repeat as required.I also took note of the increasing headwind around there. I was starting toget uncomfortable, shoulders and neck getting sore. But the wind was moreincentive to stay aero onto the out'n'back. Grabbed my bottle on Infinitfrom special needs, stopped for another potty break, and forged on. Idecided not to push so much from there to Yellow Lake (Patience Daddy,patience), and not beat myself up about a slower pace on the incline. Got aflat where the road starts to get a little steeper. Never having had tochange a tubular before, I was a bit worried. Also realized I didn't haveany CO2, only cans of PitStop. I used one can trying to fix the tire, butthe valve stem wasn't long enough, so I pulled that tire off to install thespare. The second can wasn't enough to fill the tire, but just then thesupport car pulled up and filled me up, I was off.The weather had turned nasty by this point, rain and wind, I had been warmenough while I was moving but stopping with the flat had cooled me off. Iknew I just had the last climb and the decent left, so I wasn't worried toomuch about the cold. After a ten minute rest changing the tire, my legs hadlots of zip, I was able to cruise up Yellow Lake. Saw the TTL tent and ahigh five from JoZ, and I was at the top. The decent was dicey at times - Iwasn't confident in the tire or the wet brakes, but there wasn't muchtraffic in front of me so I could make my way down at my own pace.Took it easy riding back into town, saw Ang and the crew at the mall.
Pulled into T2, a quick change, and off on the run. Bike time: 6:18.
Saw my family on Lakeshore, "Patience Daddy, patience!" They had also snuck abaggy full of jellybeans and a note reminding me to have patience into my T2bag. My legs felt good, but heavier than I had experienced in my brickruns. The patience reminders were good, they helped me to not get worked upat going slow, at all the people who were passing me. Angie's descriptionof Richelle's execution last year rang through my head, patience daddy,patience. I think I ran pretty consistently on the way out to OK Falls.Walked the aid stations, ran the hills till they started to hurt, and walkedto the top. Nutrition was working really well. A couple of times I startedto feel full, I was able to back off the pace for a few minutes and thefeeling passed.Reached the turnaround, and sat for a few minutes with Hope while I changedsocks, and another baggy of jelly beans and another note - "Go Daddy, Go!". Hope asked if I had any messages to relay back to Angie, I didn't think ofit till after I left: I should have had her send "I'm a runner now, and I'mout of patience!"Again, a small rest seemed to reinvigorate me. It seemed like I was flying,over the hills and onto the flats; and as promised, the people that passedme on the way out all started to came back. I didn't know my pace, didn'tknow what the total time was at, but it didn't seem to matter that much. Saw all the TTL'ers still on the way out and they all looked great, smilesall around. Ran the last few k's into town with someone, we seemed a goodmatch - were able to push each other when we needed a little help. Comingup Main St. was a blast with the crowds cheering, still feeling strong,pushing a little harder each block - this was the payoff for a day ofpatience. Turned the corner onto Lakeshore; pushing a little harder. Sawthe family, saw the TTL crew at the turn, the last stretch was kind of ablur until the chute.
Run time: 4:31, with a 12 minute negative split. I've never had a race gothis well, to feel so positive throughout, and to finish feeling so strong.
Despite my equipment challenges, I can't imagine a better race, a better dayoverall. Most of my races to this point have always left me falling aparton the run. It was such a thrill to be able to maintain control throughout,and finish stronger that I imagined was possible.With that, my race schedule for the year is done. I owe so much to so many,my family for their support and encouragement, for putting up with the longtraining hours, and even for nagging me out the door sometimes. To Angiefor her advise, wisdom, and encouragement, and to the whole TTL team you'reall so motivating and encouraging. Thank you, everyone, for helping me exceed my goals.
Kelly's IMC Race Report
I want to start off by saying it was a truly amazing day. It exceeded anything I could ever have hoped for. I was really worried that I would hate it – that I would be struggling to enjoy the moment, the day, the journey. But, the total opposite happened. I loved every second. Even when my feet got hit in the swim, when the wind came up, when the rain fell, when I decided not to run anymore, when my legs hurt, and when I thought there was no way I’d be able to run the last 500m to the finish line. I loved every minute of it.
Angie – you were right.
WEEK LEADING UP TO THE RACE:
I got to Penticton on Wednesday – Tara and I caravanned out. We stopped for breakfast and had a good drive out. We stopped at Angie’s campsite so I could drop off my race report for her to review prior to our meeting on Thursday. I don’t know what was wrong with me but I was an emotional wreck talking to her – I actually cried more that Tara in the week leading up to the race (I had 2, she only had 1 that I am aware of)! The group workouts were good and it helped to calm the nerves. I am sure that I did way more walking than I was supposed to. The registration line was quick, it was nice to talk to John while we waited. It was becoming so real – I had my race package, number, and wristband. We went to the expo on Thursday, then again on Friday. It was Friday that I met Sister Madonna at Smith & Co – she is such an inspiration! I really hope when I am 80 I will be at the Smith & Co with an athlete’s band on my wrist! Leana & Tara both joked that I would pretty much talk to anyone anywhere, but was afraid to go introduce myself to Sister Madonna. Friday afternoon Tara & I went and listened to the pro panel talk. Walked back to our room, and walked back to listen to Lisa Bentley talk. She is a fabulous public speaker and I loved her stories. Saturday did a short workout in the morning, made sure my bike was working, packed my transition bags, and dropped my stuff off. Now, just a matter of time. . . .
RACE DAY MORNING:
I was up at 4am – I like to get up a bit early and have a coffee and eat before I leave. I was surprised that I actually slept a bit – very unusual for me when I am extremely nervous about a first-time race. I followed Lisa Bentley’s mentality and said to myself while I was still laying in bed “I am doing an Ironman today, and there is nothing else I’d rather do today”. It really helped set the excitement for the day. I did not feel sick, which for me was a huge plus. I was nervous, but an excited nervous, not a “I think I’m going to be sick” nervous. It’s hard to explain the feeling in the morning. I actually said to Mitch at 4:30am – guess what? I am doing an ironman today! (this was from Richelle – thank you so much. I took it from you and used it throughout the day – it was a great way to stay positive and excited).
I was very grateful that Mitch had decided to volunteer as a chip-person for the morning swim so he could walk through the body marking and into transition with me – it was really helpful to not have to walk in alone. He really helped me feel calm and I will be forever grateful for him for doing that for me. I really think it helped set my whole day up for success.
SWIM:
Many people on the team know that I am not a big fan of swimming with people. I admit, I am not a bad swimmer – I can hold my own usually. The swim start was a huge anxiety provoker – me and over 2700 other people in the water trying to get to the same place. I was really, really stressed out about not being able to find open water in the days leading up to the race. I have really good swims when I think I am the only one in the water, and I had some really good swims at camp and in our practises on Thursday and Friday. Still, I was a bit worried but had a plan – start at the back and let the mad rush of people go first – I can always pass. Really – I had 2 hours to complete the swim. Even if I had to let everyone else go ahead of me, I’d be okay. Crossing the mat, Mitch was there checking chips and I gave him a quick kiss good-bye and almost cried. Almost, but didn’t! Onto the beach.
I hung out with Leana (thank you so much for staying with me – you helped me have fun and stay happy before the start). We had a great view of the pro start and then our quick warm up. We decided to start at the back in the middle – the middle of all places! Well, there were lots of people left and lots of people right, so in the middle it was. I started in the water, up to about mid-calf and when the canon went, I started walking. I walked for an entire minute (I looked at my watch) before I started swimming. I was so surprised and happy that I found open water to swim in. I did get hit a couple of times, but the few days practise before hand that everyone swam around me was so good – thank you guys so much!!! The houseboat came up so fast. I tried to find the scuba divers, but didn’t find one. I did see the helicopter, which suggests that I am likely lifting my head up too much to breathe, but oh well – I was doing an ironman swim and having fun! Then the next houseboat, then focus on the hotel – that was the way home. On the way back there was a bit more traffic to manoeuvre around, but I was still in a happy swimming place. Before I knew it I was close to home and my hand was scraping on the rocks along the bottom, so I stood up and started walking.
I had a fantastic swim – I wasn’t tired when I was done, I felt great, and I swam with people around me! I was totally thrilled with my time as well – 1:12 (41/144 in age group).
Ironman 3.8km swim course – CHECK!
T1: I got my bag and into the tent. It was so busy! There were no chairs and I had to find myself a little patch of grass. I did have a volunteer help me for a bit and then once I was pretty much done, I said thanks – I’m pretty much ready to go and she could help someone else if she wanted. When I went to do up my bike jersey, the zipper broke! I couldn’t be riding out there with no zipper – I didn’t want my chest hanging out and, more importantly, I didn’t want to be cold. So, I had to find another volunteer to help me find some safety pins to pin up my frontage. It’s a day of managing problems, right Angie? So, I was in T1 a bit longer than planned, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t about to make a big difference. (T1 was 8:31).
BIKE:
I was happy to be on my bike. I felt so good coming down the first stretch, knowing that the TTL group would be on the corner. I could see the jackets as soon as I started pedalling and it was a great boost right at the start. I yelled that my jersey broke and down main street I went. I listened to Angie and easy-cheesy, cheesy-easy was the name of the game. It is really hard to do this as a TON of people passed me on the way to MacLean Creek. I watched my heart rate and when it had gone down enough, I had my first sandwich. I was hungry and since my HR was down, I thought it would be a good time to have some solid food. It wasn’t actually the best idea. Shortly afterward, my stomach started to feel a bit off. I kept going for a bit but stopped to pee at a run aid station porta-potty in hopes that would help the cramp go away. Big bonus – no lineup there. I kept on my time-line for fuelling (infinit every 10 mins), and I had a bit of a cramp for about the first couple of hours. I was pretty happy when it finally went away. Lesson #1 – don’t eat that soon after the swim even if HR is low.
MacLean Creek was hairy – wow. There were a lot of people and many of them tried to power up the hill, weaving all over the place. I was in my easiest gear, just pedalling away up the hill. One person actually fell, which caused a couple of other people to fall as well, but I was far enough away that I was able to manoeuvre around them. That was one of the craziest times on the bike course.
My HR was a bit lower than I had in my race plan, but I was okay with that – I didn’t want to feel yucky and I was having a good day and I felt good – it was a pace I could hold for the day. People would pass me and I would let them go – I am riding my race and wanting to have a great day. Richter’s came and went, then the seven dwarfs, then the out-and-back. It was great to see people I knew on the out-and-back (Alfred passed me early on and I never saw him again), and Tara caught me at this point. I don’t remember seeing Leana or Shannon but I think Leana saw me. I think I saw Mike, but as I write this now, I’m not sure. I don’t remember seeing Kent at all that day, and I only saw Scott, Ally, and Sarah on the run course. This is where the wind picked up. On the way back from special needs, the head-wind started. At least, it felt like a pretty significant headwind. I knew that my “weak part” was coming up – the road to Yellow Lake. I did stop for a pee break and to have a gel before the false flat and climb up Yellow Lake. I knew it was windy and I just went in an easier gear than I thought I could push so that I’d have legs for Yellow Lake. I passed people that were chugging along, trying to push in a harder gear – maybe they didn’t realize that we were climbing.
Everyone who had done the race before told me that Yellow Lake on race day was way easier than in training. There were people lined up along the side and I really felt like a superstar! They were cheering and the climb did not seem nearly as long or as hard as in training camp. It was totally great to see JoZ at Yellow Lake – I smiled and waved and “wooo-hoooed” as I came up! Then, all of a sudden, I was at the top! I had totally planned to stop at the top as I thought I would need the break. Nope! On to Penticton with a huge smile on my face.
The decent from Yellow Lake was good – much better than the Thursday descent. The change of my front wheel and no traffic made the ride down so much easier and faster. I still didn’t hit the speeds that Nola hits, but it was fast by my standards.
Bike time: 7:07 (87/144 in age group)
Ironman 180km bike course – CHECK!
T2:
T2 was pretty uneventful. I decided not to change my shorts, but I had to change my top as I didn’t want to run in a pinned-up bike jersey. I had the same volunteer that helped me in the morning! I told her that and said thanks again for all her help. Grabbed my stuff and out to the run course.
RUN:
I didn’t really have a plan for the run – just run as long as I could. I wanted to try and run (my 4 & 1’s) for 2 hours. If I could go longer, great but I wanted to try and hit 2 hours. The turn out to Lakeshore drive was amazing. I was pretty happy that I was out on the run course before the first female had finished. As I was running along Lakeshore, I saw a friend of mine Joyce and my friend Jen (Mike’s wife). I stopped and had a chat with them – telling them I had a great swim and a great bike and I was doing awesome – “I was doing an ironman today!!!”. After a couple of minutes I finally said “I guess I better go – I think this is a race”. I was running along and then I was running past the Cherry Lane mall and the team. It was so great to see everyone! Christine – you are the loudest cheerer ever! It was fantastic! I yelled “I am doing an ironman today!!” and did a happy-jumpy dance which Angie scolded me to remember not to hurt my ankle (I keep forgetting about that pesky thing). Angie came and ran with me for a bit (well, I quit running and walked with her). She commented that “I was running” and, I had a smile on my face (there is a photo). I told her I was having a fantastic day and that my plan was to run as long as I could – whatever happened – that would be my day and I would take it, good or bad. I bid her goodbye and off I went.
At the 10k mark (77 mins into the run) my ankle was a bit hurty and I evaluated my run plan at that time – did I want to try and keep running for another 30 mins and potentially aggravate stuff further or do I want just walk from here on out and potentially finish happy. I really considered running a bit more but really, my entire goal was just to finish and to “not hate it” – I was out to have a fun day. Okay, truth be told, – I did have a super-secret goal but I wasn’t racing to hit it. So, I decided to walk – I had run the first 10k – that’s all. For anyone who is hesitant about doing ironman because they think that they won’t be able to run the entire marathon – sign up. There were so many people walking, I couldn’t believe it. Most were happy and some were not, but there were a lot of people walking along the way.
Once I decided to walk, two things happen – first, I keep a much closer eye on my pace. I really try and maintain a 9 min/km. There is no dilly-dallying once I start walking; and second, I start looking for a friend to help pass the time. I met Kyle from Texas. We walked and chatted until the turn-around. There were two gentlemen in front of us that were doing 3 ironmans in 3 days – yep – these two guys did the IMC entire swim/bike/run course on Friday and Saturday, and their 3rd day was race day. By this time, Kyle commented more than once that he was having trouble keeping up. Then, he stopped at an aid station and I was on my own. I then caught up to another lady walking. She was not having a good day and did not appreciate my enthusiastic “we are doing an ironman today!” comment – she called me “peppy”. I said sorry, I was excited that it was my first one and I was having so much fun. She gave me a “look” and commented that this would be her first and only one. So, I left negative-nelly behind – don’t need her bad attitude to ruin my day. Then, I caught up with Dave from Florida. He commented about the wind and the hills. Seems there aren’t many passes in Florida that he can ride on to train. Dave was doing 2 & 1’s by that point, so he started running again. I wished him well and watched him run off. As I passed a gentleman (he was walking too), he commented on my fast pace. As I passed him, he noticed my age and said “and you are not some spring chicken either”. I said I was insulted and the bantering when back and forth for a bit. But alas, they would not walk with me as “I walk too fast”.
During my walk, I got to see the TTL group – I saw Sarah, Tara, and Mike – all looked super strong – as I was going out to the turn-around (they were coming back). I missed Alfred, but saw Scott – he looked like he was having a great day. On my way back into town, I saw Nola and John – it was so great to see them together; and Leana and Shannon. It was so great to see teammates along the way – to cheer them on, stop and hug or slap hands as they go by. Really, the team support out there was so great. I also saw Pam at the aid station! That was a great surprise! We chatted and she asked about Leana. I said that she wasn’t that far behind me and should be along shortly. She wished me well and away I went.
Once I got back into town, my legs started to hurt. I mean really hurt – the inside of my knees would ache with every step. My ankle hurt, the bottom of my feet hurt and I actually wanted to stop and rest for a moment – just to rest my legs. I didn’t because I was afraid that if I stopped, my legs wouldn’t want to start again. Also, I started looking at my time and doing math in my head. I was calculating that if I could hold my pace, there was actually a really good chance that I could hit my super-secret goal of having a “15” as the first 2 numbers in my finishing time – and if I hustled my butt, I might have a “14”. . . .
Those last 4-5km of the marathon were a bit tough, I admit. Stuff hurts and it was dark and hard to see my garmin, and coming back into town seemed to take soooo long. I kept smiling and made a point to thank everyone I saw for coming and watching and cheering. Many said things like “great pace”, “keep it up”, “almost there”, “you’ve got this” and smiled back. When the volunteers would stop traffic I would laugh and smile and say “thanks very much – I don’t think I can stop!” One of them said something along the lines of “it’s easier for them to stop than you to stop at this point – keep going you are almost there”. It is truly great how the community supports this race and the competitors. I can see why the race sells out so quickly and why this is one of the best “first ironman” races – you feel like a star, people cheer you by name, and they are out there cheering in the dark – it seems just as long as you have been out there.
The turn onto Lakeshore was amazing. I knew, really knew at this point that in 2km, I would be an ironman. There was no more doubt and amazingly, the hurtyness went away. I didn’t even try and run – just kept on walking. I got to the turnaround that the team was there. I did an airplane around the pylon and was so excited to see everyone. I walked with my friend Lara – and told her that I was pretty sure that I was going to have to buy Michelle dinner as it wasn’t going to take me more than 20 minutes to walk 1km (similar to Tara & Alfred’s lunch wager. I lost with “14”, not “15” being my first 2 numbers). I past my buddy Kevin – joked with him that I was passing him. He laughed and said that he was prepared to run the last 500m if he had too (he didn’t – I finished 30 seconds ahead of him). I missed my friend Jen who apparently came down from her room for the final stretch. I was too busy taking it all in, talking with Kevin and Lara that I didn’t even see her. I walked with Mike for a bit at the end. I think he asked me if I could believe that I did it – I was almost done. I said no, and it was such a great day. He said he was going to the turn around and I’d see him once I was done. We hugged it up and I began running to the finish line. . . .
Run time: 6:09. I am super thrilled with this as I did 10k in 77 mins run/walking and 32k walking.
Ironman 42.2km run course – CHECK!
THE FINISH LINE:
I don’t remember the song that was playing, and I don’t remember hearing “Kelly – you are an ironman”. I do remember coming down the carpet, smiling like an idiot, slapping hands along the way, and the thundering noise of the crowd along the blue carpet banging on the sides of the chute. It was the loudest, most bestest sound ever! It is totally amazing and nothing can prepare you for this – you feel like you just won the race.
Trevor was there at the finish line to catch me (I hugged him too) and I was still grinning like an idiot. I actually said to him that I had a great day, I was totally fine (didn’t need medical) and if he needed to help someone else, that was okay. Then, I yelled “guess what?? I DID AN IRONMAN TODAY!!!!” Apparently I was giddy with excitement as I did need some help as he needed to shuffle me over to the medal people AND over to the hat people to get my finishers stuff (Thank you so much Trevor! I would have been so sad without my hat and medal) as I had really forgotten all about it. Plus – I had to get my chip taken off me. I saw JoZ & her daughter and my other friends Jenn and Karla – who were also catching – and chatted with them. I am sure that Trevor was getting annoyed with me as I was chatting up a storm and not really paying attention to what I had to do. So, he walked me over to the pop and water and we chatted a bit about the day and he helped me find Mitch.
Thank you so much Trevor for being there at the end and helping me out. I apologize if I annoyed you and/or chatted like 900 miles an hour. I was pretty happy and excited and it was great to have a teammate there at the end to share with. I will repay the favour next year!
I went back to the turn around to watch Nola, John, and Leana finish. Leana, Tara, and I started this together and we put in a lot of time, effort, and emotion together and I wanted to be there for each of their journeys. Then, it is over.
Total time: 14:47:00
Ironman Canada 2010 – CHECK!!!!!
I want to say thanks to my super special training buddies Leana and Tara – you guys made the training fun and it was great to have this to share with you guys – I wouldn’t have wanted to do this without you. We took this journey together and we finished it together – it was an amazing day I was glad to share with amazing people.
Thanks to the rest of TTL – you guys are great and supportive and I could not ask to be part of a better team. A super special thanks to Mitch – he listened and supported and helped make my ironman dream possible. I drag him into a lot of my crazy schemes and he will join in or support me in my quests! He really is a great guy.
And Angie – thank you so much for sharing this journey with me and making my ironman dream come true. Thanks for listening to me and helping through the tough times when my self doubts took over. I can never thank you enough and I truly could not have done this without you. You have helped me reach goals I never thought were possible.
Angie – you were right.
WEEK LEADING UP TO THE RACE:
I got to Penticton on Wednesday – Tara and I caravanned out. We stopped for breakfast and had a good drive out. We stopped at Angie’s campsite so I could drop off my race report for her to review prior to our meeting on Thursday. I don’t know what was wrong with me but I was an emotional wreck talking to her – I actually cried more that Tara in the week leading up to the race (I had 2, she only had 1 that I am aware of)! The group workouts were good and it helped to calm the nerves. I am sure that I did way more walking than I was supposed to. The registration line was quick, it was nice to talk to John while we waited. It was becoming so real – I had my race package, number, and wristband. We went to the expo on Thursday, then again on Friday. It was Friday that I met Sister Madonna at Smith & Co – she is such an inspiration! I really hope when I am 80 I will be at the Smith & Co with an athlete’s band on my wrist! Leana & Tara both joked that I would pretty much talk to anyone anywhere, but was afraid to go introduce myself to Sister Madonna. Friday afternoon Tara & I went and listened to the pro panel talk. Walked back to our room, and walked back to listen to Lisa Bentley talk. She is a fabulous public speaker and I loved her stories. Saturday did a short workout in the morning, made sure my bike was working, packed my transition bags, and dropped my stuff off. Now, just a matter of time. . . .
RACE DAY MORNING:
I was up at 4am – I like to get up a bit early and have a coffee and eat before I leave. I was surprised that I actually slept a bit – very unusual for me when I am extremely nervous about a first-time race. I followed Lisa Bentley’s mentality and said to myself while I was still laying in bed “I am doing an Ironman today, and there is nothing else I’d rather do today”. It really helped set the excitement for the day. I did not feel sick, which for me was a huge plus. I was nervous, but an excited nervous, not a “I think I’m going to be sick” nervous. It’s hard to explain the feeling in the morning. I actually said to Mitch at 4:30am – guess what? I am doing an ironman today! (this was from Richelle – thank you so much. I took it from you and used it throughout the day – it was a great way to stay positive and excited).
I was very grateful that Mitch had decided to volunteer as a chip-person for the morning swim so he could walk through the body marking and into transition with me – it was really helpful to not have to walk in alone. He really helped me feel calm and I will be forever grateful for him for doing that for me. I really think it helped set my whole day up for success.
SWIM:
Many people on the team know that I am not a big fan of swimming with people. I admit, I am not a bad swimmer – I can hold my own usually. The swim start was a huge anxiety provoker – me and over 2700 other people in the water trying to get to the same place. I was really, really stressed out about not being able to find open water in the days leading up to the race. I have really good swims when I think I am the only one in the water, and I had some really good swims at camp and in our practises on Thursday and Friday. Still, I was a bit worried but had a plan – start at the back and let the mad rush of people go first – I can always pass. Really – I had 2 hours to complete the swim. Even if I had to let everyone else go ahead of me, I’d be okay. Crossing the mat, Mitch was there checking chips and I gave him a quick kiss good-bye and almost cried. Almost, but didn’t! Onto the beach.
I hung out with Leana (thank you so much for staying with me – you helped me have fun and stay happy before the start). We had a great view of the pro start and then our quick warm up. We decided to start at the back in the middle – the middle of all places! Well, there were lots of people left and lots of people right, so in the middle it was. I started in the water, up to about mid-calf and when the canon went, I started walking. I walked for an entire minute (I looked at my watch) before I started swimming. I was so surprised and happy that I found open water to swim in. I did get hit a couple of times, but the few days practise before hand that everyone swam around me was so good – thank you guys so much!!! The houseboat came up so fast. I tried to find the scuba divers, but didn’t find one. I did see the helicopter, which suggests that I am likely lifting my head up too much to breathe, but oh well – I was doing an ironman swim and having fun! Then the next houseboat, then focus on the hotel – that was the way home. On the way back there was a bit more traffic to manoeuvre around, but I was still in a happy swimming place. Before I knew it I was close to home and my hand was scraping on the rocks along the bottom, so I stood up and started walking.
I had a fantastic swim – I wasn’t tired when I was done, I felt great, and I swam with people around me! I was totally thrilled with my time as well – 1:12 (41/144 in age group).
Ironman 3.8km swim course – CHECK!
T1: I got my bag and into the tent. It was so busy! There were no chairs and I had to find myself a little patch of grass. I did have a volunteer help me for a bit and then once I was pretty much done, I said thanks – I’m pretty much ready to go and she could help someone else if she wanted. When I went to do up my bike jersey, the zipper broke! I couldn’t be riding out there with no zipper – I didn’t want my chest hanging out and, more importantly, I didn’t want to be cold. So, I had to find another volunteer to help me find some safety pins to pin up my frontage. It’s a day of managing problems, right Angie? So, I was in T1 a bit longer than planned, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t about to make a big difference. (T1 was 8:31).
BIKE:
I was happy to be on my bike. I felt so good coming down the first stretch, knowing that the TTL group would be on the corner. I could see the jackets as soon as I started pedalling and it was a great boost right at the start. I yelled that my jersey broke and down main street I went. I listened to Angie and easy-cheesy, cheesy-easy was the name of the game. It is really hard to do this as a TON of people passed me on the way to MacLean Creek. I watched my heart rate and when it had gone down enough, I had my first sandwich. I was hungry and since my HR was down, I thought it would be a good time to have some solid food. It wasn’t actually the best idea. Shortly afterward, my stomach started to feel a bit off. I kept going for a bit but stopped to pee at a run aid station porta-potty in hopes that would help the cramp go away. Big bonus – no lineup there. I kept on my time-line for fuelling (infinit every 10 mins), and I had a bit of a cramp for about the first couple of hours. I was pretty happy when it finally went away. Lesson #1 – don’t eat that soon after the swim even if HR is low.
MacLean Creek was hairy – wow. There were a lot of people and many of them tried to power up the hill, weaving all over the place. I was in my easiest gear, just pedalling away up the hill. One person actually fell, which caused a couple of other people to fall as well, but I was far enough away that I was able to manoeuvre around them. That was one of the craziest times on the bike course.
My HR was a bit lower than I had in my race plan, but I was okay with that – I didn’t want to feel yucky and I was having a good day and I felt good – it was a pace I could hold for the day. People would pass me and I would let them go – I am riding my race and wanting to have a great day. Richter’s came and went, then the seven dwarfs, then the out-and-back. It was great to see people I knew on the out-and-back (Alfred passed me early on and I never saw him again), and Tara caught me at this point. I don’t remember seeing Leana or Shannon but I think Leana saw me. I think I saw Mike, but as I write this now, I’m not sure. I don’t remember seeing Kent at all that day, and I only saw Scott, Ally, and Sarah on the run course. This is where the wind picked up. On the way back from special needs, the head-wind started. At least, it felt like a pretty significant headwind. I knew that my “weak part” was coming up – the road to Yellow Lake. I did stop for a pee break and to have a gel before the false flat and climb up Yellow Lake. I knew it was windy and I just went in an easier gear than I thought I could push so that I’d have legs for Yellow Lake. I passed people that were chugging along, trying to push in a harder gear – maybe they didn’t realize that we were climbing.
Everyone who had done the race before told me that Yellow Lake on race day was way easier than in training. There were people lined up along the side and I really felt like a superstar! They were cheering and the climb did not seem nearly as long or as hard as in training camp. It was totally great to see JoZ at Yellow Lake – I smiled and waved and “wooo-hoooed” as I came up! Then, all of a sudden, I was at the top! I had totally planned to stop at the top as I thought I would need the break. Nope! On to Penticton with a huge smile on my face.
The decent from Yellow Lake was good – much better than the Thursday descent. The change of my front wheel and no traffic made the ride down so much easier and faster. I still didn’t hit the speeds that Nola hits, but it was fast by my standards.
Bike time: 7:07 (87/144 in age group)
Ironman 180km bike course – CHECK!
T2:
T2 was pretty uneventful. I decided not to change my shorts, but I had to change my top as I didn’t want to run in a pinned-up bike jersey. I had the same volunteer that helped me in the morning! I told her that and said thanks again for all her help. Grabbed my stuff and out to the run course.
RUN:
I didn’t really have a plan for the run – just run as long as I could. I wanted to try and run (my 4 & 1’s) for 2 hours. If I could go longer, great but I wanted to try and hit 2 hours. The turn out to Lakeshore drive was amazing. I was pretty happy that I was out on the run course before the first female had finished. As I was running along Lakeshore, I saw a friend of mine Joyce and my friend Jen (Mike’s wife). I stopped and had a chat with them – telling them I had a great swim and a great bike and I was doing awesome – “I was doing an ironman today!!!”. After a couple of minutes I finally said “I guess I better go – I think this is a race”. I was running along and then I was running past the Cherry Lane mall and the team. It was so great to see everyone! Christine – you are the loudest cheerer ever! It was fantastic! I yelled “I am doing an ironman today!!” and did a happy-jumpy dance which Angie scolded me to remember not to hurt my ankle (I keep forgetting about that pesky thing). Angie came and ran with me for a bit (well, I quit running and walked with her). She commented that “I was running” and, I had a smile on my face (there is a photo). I told her I was having a fantastic day and that my plan was to run as long as I could – whatever happened – that would be my day and I would take it, good or bad. I bid her goodbye and off I went.
At the 10k mark (77 mins into the run) my ankle was a bit hurty and I evaluated my run plan at that time – did I want to try and keep running for another 30 mins and potentially aggravate stuff further or do I want just walk from here on out and potentially finish happy. I really considered running a bit more but really, my entire goal was just to finish and to “not hate it” – I was out to have a fun day. Okay, truth be told, – I did have a super-secret goal but I wasn’t racing to hit it. So, I decided to walk – I had run the first 10k – that’s all. For anyone who is hesitant about doing ironman because they think that they won’t be able to run the entire marathon – sign up. There were so many people walking, I couldn’t believe it. Most were happy and some were not, but there were a lot of people walking along the way.
Once I decided to walk, two things happen – first, I keep a much closer eye on my pace. I really try and maintain a 9 min/km. There is no dilly-dallying once I start walking; and second, I start looking for a friend to help pass the time. I met Kyle from Texas. We walked and chatted until the turn-around. There were two gentlemen in front of us that were doing 3 ironmans in 3 days – yep – these two guys did the IMC entire swim/bike/run course on Friday and Saturday, and their 3rd day was race day. By this time, Kyle commented more than once that he was having trouble keeping up. Then, he stopped at an aid station and I was on my own. I then caught up to another lady walking. She was not having a good day and did not appreciate my enthusiastic “we are doing an ironman today!” comment – she called me “peppy”. I said sorry, I was excited that it was my first one and I was having so much fun. She gave me a “look” and commented that this would be her first and only one. So, I left negative-nelly behind – don’t need her bad attitude to ruin my day. Then, I caught up with Dave from Florida. He commented about the wind and the hills. Seems there aren’t many passes in Florida that he can ride on to train. Dave was doing 2 & 1’s by that point, so he started running again. I wished him well and watched him run off. As I passed a gentleman (he was walking too), he commented on my fast pace. As I passed him, he noticed my age and said “and you are not some spring chicken either”. I said I was insulted and the bantering when back and forth for a bit. But alas, they would not walk with me as “I walk too fast”.
During my walk, I got to see the TTL group – I saw Sarah, Tara, and Mike – all looked super strong – as I was going out to the turn-around (they were coming back). I missed Alfred, but saw Scott – he looked like he was having a great day. On my way back into town, I saw Nola and John – it was so great to see them together; and Leana and Shannon. It was so great to see teammates along the way – to cheer them on, stop and hug or slap hands as they go by. Really, the team support out there was so great. I also saw Pam at the aid station! That was a great surprise! We chatted and she asked about Leana. I said that she wasn’t that far behind me and should be along shortly. She wished me well and away I went.
Once I got back into town, my legs started to hurt. I mean really hurt – the inside of my knees would ache with every step. My ankle hurt, the bottom of my feet hurt and I actually wanted to stop and rest for a moment – just to rest my legs. I didn’t because I was afraid that if I stopped, my legs wouldn’t want to start again. Also, I started looking at my time and doing math in my head. I was calculating that if I could hold my pace, there was actually a really good chance that I could hit my super-secret goal of having a “15” as the first 2 numbers in my finishing time – and if I hustled my butt, I might have a “14”. . . .
Those last 4-5km of the marathon were a bit tough, I admit. Stuff hurts and it was dark and hard to see my garmin, and coming back into town seemed to take soooo long. I kept smiling and made a point to thank everyone I saw for coming and watching and cheering. Many said things like “great pace”, “keep it up”, “almost there”, “you’ve got this” and smiled back. When the volunteers would stop traffic I would laugh and smile and say “thanks very much – I don’t think I can stop!” One of them said something along the lines of “it’s easier for them to stop than you to stop at this point – keep going you are almost there”. It is truly great how the community supports this race and the competitors. I can see why the race sells out so quickly and why this is one of the best “first ironman” races – you feel like a star, people cheer you by name, and they are out there cheering in the dark – it seems just as long as you have been out there.
The turn onto Lakeshore was amazing. I knew, really knew at this point that in 2km, I would be an ironman. There was no more doubt and amazingly, the hurtyness went away. I didn’t even try and run – just kept on walking. I got to the turnaround that the team was there. I did an airplane around the pylon and was so excited to see everyone. I walked with my friend Lara – and told her that I was pretty sure that I was going to have to buy Michelle dinner as it wasn’t going to take me more than 20 minutes to walk 1km (similar to Tara & Alfred’s lunch wager. I lost with “14”, not “15” being my first 2 numbers). I past my buddy Kevin – joked with him that I was passing him. He laughed and said that he was prepared to run the last 500m if he had too (he didn’t – I finished 30 seconds ahead of him). I missed my friend Jen who apparently came down from her room for the final stretch. I was too busy taking it all in, talking with Kevin and Lara that I didn’t even see her. I walked with Mike for a bit at the end. I think he asked me if I could believe that I did it – I was almost done. I said no, and it was such a great day. He said he was going to the turn around and I’d see him once I was done. We hugged it up and I began running to the finish line. . . .
Run time: 6:09. I am super thrilled with this as I did 10k in 77 mins run/walking and 32k walking.
Ironman 42.2km run course – CHECK!
THE FINISH LINE:
I don’t remember the song that was playing, and I don’t remember hearing “Kelly – you are an ironman”. I do remember coming down the carpet, smiling like an idiot, slapping hands along the way, and the thundering noise of the crowd along the blue carpet banging on the sides of the chute. It was the loudest, most bestest sound ever! It is totally amazing and nothing can prepare you for this – you feel like you just won the race.
Trevor was there at the finish line to catch me (I hugged him too) and I was still grinning like an idiot. I actually said to him that I had a great day, I was totally fine (didn’t need medical) and if he needed to help someone else, that was okay. Then, I yelled “guess what?? I DID AN IRONMAN TODAY!!!!” Apparently I was giddy with excitement as I did need some help as he needed to shuffle me over to the medal people AND over to the hat people to get my finishers stuff (Thank you so much Trevor! I would have been so sad without my hat and medal) as I had really forgotten all about it. Plus – I had to get my chip taken off me. I saw JoZ & her daughter and my other friends Jenn and Karla – who were also catching – and chatted with them. I am sure that Trevor was getting annoyed with me as I was chatting up a storm and not really paying attention to what I had to do. So, he walked me over to the pop and water and we chatted a bit about the day and he helped me find Mitch.
Thank you so much Trevor for being there at the end and helping me out. I apologize if I annoyed you and/or chatted like 900 miles an hour. I was pretty happy and excited and it was great to have a teammate there at the end to share with. I will repay the favour next year!
I went back to the turn around to watch Nola, John, and Leana finish. Leana, Tara, and I started this together and we put in a lot of time, effort, and emotion together and I wanted to be there for each of their journeys. Then, it is over.
Total time: 14:47:00
Ironman Canada 2010 – CHECK!!!!!
I want to say thanks to my super special training buddies Leana and Tara – you guys made the training fun and it was great to have this to share with you guys – I wouldn’t have wanted to do this without you. We took this journey together and we finished it together – it was an amazing day I was glad to share with amazing people.
Thanks to the rest of TTL – you guys are great and supportive and I could not ask to be part of a better team. A super special thanks to Mitch – he listened and supported and helped make my ironman dream possible. I drag him into a lot of my crazy schemes and he will join in or support me in my quests! He really is a great guy.
And Angie – thank you so much for sharing this journey with me and making my ironman dream come true. Thanks for listening to me and helping through the tough times when my self doubts took over. I can never thank you enough and I truly could not have done this without you. You have helped me reach goals I never thought were possible.
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