A very late Ironman Arizona Race Report by, JOZEEE
What you ask am I doing writing this now?? Well it has been 8 months and the other day when I ran for the first time since my surgery I could not believe I had done an Ironman only 8 months ago. Below is the last paragraph of my Ironman Canada 2009 race report. I printed it off to show a newbie triathlete and decided to read it and boy I realized the last paragraph was the start of my IMA report:
“
. A special thank you to Cindy for the beautiful flowers, Kelvin for your words of wisdom, Angie for getting me to the start and always being there, John for your undying patience, Hope for keeping me company on long rides, Caroline and Nola for always listening and my family who did get up at 4 in the morning and were there every moment of my day. I truly believe I am still on my Ironman journey and I will finish it next time. I will take all the positives from IMC this year and all that I learned to my next IM. What an amazing team we have, we are all so blessed.”
So After Canada I went to Arizona with Nola in November and watched and volunteered to see if this would be my next IM. I needed to finish my journey and if that meant it was to be in Arizona than so be it. That Monday morning I registered for Ironman Arizona. My confidence renewed, my determination to succeed and my desire to be an Ironman was set in motion.
I got right back to training as soon as I got home and put my nose to the grind with nutrition. Angie and I discussed the plan and my goals for 2010 with much enthusiasm. I believe we both felt this would be a good year for me. I raced every month starting in April, either a run and or a triathlon. I raced right up to Banff in September. The other 4 girls and I put a lot of miles on our bikes taking advantage of every sunny day. I did the IM camp in July and road the IM Canada course with Cindy and Carla in August. We were able to bike outside right up until the week before we left for Arizona. Loved it.
I headed to Arizona with Stephanie and now X-husband 5 days prior to race day. The condo was beautiful and It was great staying with Trish and Jim. They are wonderful room mates and Jim was good for Kelly. Steph and I enjoyed some light shopping but most of it was pre-rides, swims and light runs with the girls. I fell in love with the bike
Route and felt confident this ride would be good if the weather gods cooperated.
I woke up race day at 4am. Trish and I enjoyed breakfast and coffee together and than we dragged the family to the race start. I was nervous but not like I was at Canada. Angie called me and said it was going to be windy. She said to keep a steady effort and not to give into temptation to go harder and blow up on the run. Excellent advice I would later find out. I Found my bike, pumped the tires, layed everything out, got body marked. I even ate my banana 1 hour from race start, had a gel on the way to the swim. Linda Vandyke stuck with me and kept promising she would get me thru. Her and Cindy were the 2 people I saw thru every part of my day and always told me to keep going.
The swim start was serene. Still dark, cold water and hard to see anything out there. Not good for someone with bad depth percecption. Under the bridge Linda tried to drown me when she hugged me to keep warm. Hard when your treading water. All I kept thinking
Was how am I going to start my watch and tread? You couldn’t hear the countdown or anything and before I knew it the gun went. It was mass caos. People were banging me, hitting me, pulling at me. Bastards!! I just put my elbows out and thought every man for himself. The first half was ok but I was cold. Especially my legs. The booties were full of water and felt weighted down but they were not mine so couldn’t chuck them. Before the first turn I had my first cramps. Both legs, and bad. So bad I yelled Kyak. Hold on, massage, relax, go again. Second cramps just starting back. Same! Yell kyak, massage, relax, go. Third time about 750 to go. I looked at my watch and thought crap. I was at the same time I had actually finished Canada swim. Well get it done and try not to cramp. Not like I could, but maybe mentally I could….lol Finally crawled out at 1:57. Geesh that was disappointing, I let it go. That part was done. But now I was out I actually felt ok. I ran to the change tent.
I was so excited to get on my bike. I felt good, strong and relaxed. I got going on the bike and went thru all my plans. I had 5 bottles of infinit, 1 water, honey bee waffles, gels for 1 per hour. It was windy but Angie’s words “stay steady” played in my head. I kept my HR steady and tried to maintain that. At the end of the first loop it was raining and I was so excited because after a hot Canada this was a breath of fresh air. I could handle the wind better than the heat. The rain did something to my computer and I had to stop and try and fix. All I had was cadence but I could work with that. I think it happened for a reason too. If I had speed and time I would have probably tried to keep it up instead of my steady effort. So its true “all things happen for a reason”. The second loop was a bit harder and fighting the wind was frustrating at times but we got some breaks when we turned. Loop 2 done. Going into the third loop it rained two more times. I was looking forward to the tail wind coming back but it turned and I was fighting it again. I stopped at special needs and grabbed my gingerale that was still slushy. That came with me and was sooooo good. By then that’s all I wanted. I did get my gels in on the hour, and my infinit too. I kept my effort steady and even though I knew It was slower I would be ok for the run. It was actually the swim that lost me 25 minutes for the run. Angie and I were hoping for 7 ½ hours for the run.
When I started running it was 5:10 ish. I new I had to pull this run out of my ass and had to push thru some discomfort. It felt good to run. I don’t even remember running at Canada. This day was different. No gut issues, no nausea..yeahhh. I yelled “I’m running as I left transition” That in itself was amazing for me. The first lap I made up a bit of time and felt good. When I started the second lap my stomach was a bit gurgly. I had to stop and pee than stop and well all the food on the bike needed to evacuate my body. That took some time. It also made it difficult to eat anything, so I chewed on ice the rest of the second loop. Start of the third loop was a “HOLY SHIT, WAKE UP, GET MOVING” moment. I didn’t have a lot of time and I realized what was going to happen if I didn’t reach down inside myself. Nola offered to run with me but I was scared of being DQ’d and only realized a bit later everyone at that point had friends and family running with them. Sorry Nola! You know you were in my heart. A fellow I had met said to stay with him and we would make it. He would pass me on the flats and I would pass him on the hills. Yah I passed him on the hills…lol I could always see him. Allison and Kelly met me on the other side at about 5 km and they were surprised to see me. They said I had really picked up the pace. They ran with me back over the canal and Kelly stayed at transition and Stephanie my daughter who doesn’t run joined Allison and I. She said “Mom if I can do this so can you”. Funny thing was is I knew I could do it. There was moments of oh forget it just quit, just walk but an old familiar disappointment and embarrassment of IMC would pop up. I needed to do this more than anything. This meant so much to me. Stephanie got behind going up the hill in the park and Allison had to remind me that I wasn’t a mom at this point and had to let go of her. She would be fine. Steph managed to find short cuts and catch up. Allison just kept pushing me and helping me to stay in the moment and fight. To be light and quick on my toes. Angie’s text to Kelly saying tell her to tell me too dig deep and do whatever it took to finish this race went thru my head. All my friends and family back home praying for me to finish and sending positive strong thoughts. You were all on my shoulders. As I came off the last bridge I asked the guy how much further. He said 3 Km. I only had 20 minutes to finish which meant less than 7 min km. Ouch!! Ally yelled to tuck in behind her and focus on her IMC finisher jacket. Sue Daniels was there yelling go, go, go. Angie says to keep going, go hard. I had cramps in my feet, my legs had no feeling, my jaw hurt from clenching, my abs hurt, my hands were like sausages, I felt horrible. I tried to stop once just for a second and Sue yelled “DON’T YOU STOP, I PROMISED ANGIE I WOULD GET YOU IN”. So I kept running. I was crying it hurt so bad. Ally said after she would go faster and look and I was still there, she would go faster and I was still there. I did that last 3km in 17:32. That means I ran the last 3km of my Ironman at a 5:50 km. I don’t run that doing speed work. All the way along people were yelling, you have 18 minutes, 15, 13, 12, minutes. Finally one guy yelled you still have 10 minutes your going to make it. Ally had people join in behind so they would finish too. As I came under the last bridge there was everyone who had been there thru this journey with me. Nola who had been there every step of the way, Scott and Cindy who had also raced and came to be there for me and of course Chris hobbling along behind me trying to keep up, giving Angie a play by play of my finish, (Angie you have no idea how much you were there, I felt you every step of the way and you were the first person I talked too and cried with.), and my amazing daughter who ran the last 8km with me and kept me going, Linda Vandyke waiting to hug me and take me for a massage. The Finish. Wow! People yelling, banging, cow bells, the announcer “JOANNE ZAWADA YOU ARE AN IRONMAN”. Wow!
It is all worth it. It is amazing. The most fulfilling, gratifying thing I have ever done in my life. If I forgot anyone I am so sorry, know you were all there, John Bosma my confidant, friend and supporter, Tara supporter and payed it back lending me that amazing helmet and knowing my song at the end was “I’ve had the time of my life” Sarah and Kelvin for always listening and saying the right things, Linda for all your words of encouragement, Carla, Cindy, Trish and Paddy for miles and miles and miles on the bike and so much fun training. Will I do another one? Probably. But not right now….lol
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Katja's IM CDA Race Report - 2011
My race report for Coeur D’Alene is long overdue. I’ve been so busy (mostly with work) since I got back, that I don’t know how I ever found the time to train before the race. Somehow, I just made the time for it. It had, after all, been an 8-year plan to do this race for my 50th birthday. Over those years, I had done 3 marathons, 3 half IM races, and a number of Olympic triathlons. I had always envisioned doing IM Canada, but the timing for that didn’t work this year, so Coeur D’Alene it was. The timing for CDA turned out not to be great either – I was dismayed to find out that neither of my sons would be finished with their final exams (junior high and high school) and so neither they, nor my husband, would be able to come to the race with me.
Luckily, my friend Nola stepped up in a huge way. Nola totally made my weekend!! I’m still blown away by how dedicated she was to making my weekend a success! With 3 IMs under her belt and lots of experience as a support person, she was invaluable. She was with me every step of the way in planning and preparation and helped with so many of the small but important details – like buying neoprene warmers for my bike shoes for me the day before the race, driving the bike course with me, and making sure I did NOT use those brand new laces on my runners. (I now know they would have given me grief on the run.) She also volunteered in the women’s change tent, which meant she could accompany me into transition on race morning and get me off to a good start and then help me at T2 as well. I can’t thank Nola enough!!
The other person that I owe a huge thank-you to is Angie. Angie’s coaching was everything I could have hoped for and more!! I felt absolutely confident in her training plan, knowing how many athletes she has prepared for IM. I knew that because of Angie, I had a rock-solid base of training and was well prepared. Angie had gone through all the details of the race with me and I had complete faith in the race plan.
Everything seemed great until… I got sick before the race! It started as a cold and sore throat and then moved down into my chest, leaving me with coughing up thick green sputum. (I know you just wanted to know that…) I panicked, of course! I did nothing at all for the entire week before the race – no runs, swims, bikes – didn’t even go near the lake or touch the water. (That might have been a good thing.) Nola and I didn’t go to the pre-race dinner, as I still didn’t feel well and had little energy for lining up and possibly being cold in the tent. However, I did go to the pre-race meeting, which served to take away my last bit of confidence. The worst news was that the water temperature was 14 degrees C (56 F), the coldest they’d ever had. It was so cold that booties were legal.
Sure enough, the swim was truly the swim from hell!! Even though I wore a full wetsuit and a cap and booties, it was just too cold for me. The swim start was brutal. I was suited up and moving down to the beach at 15-20 min before gun time, but it was a turtle-like shuffle towards the beach. All the athletes had to go over one mat to get to the beach and there were so many athletes and spectators that it was almost impossible to move. I hadn’t even made it onto the beach when the gun went off! So much for my plan to start out way over to the right… When I hit the water I couldn’t breathe. I’ve had that experience before but it has always gone away within a minute or two. Not this time! Again and again I tried to put my face in the water but just couldn’t cope. So I turned around to swim on my back. (I’ve never done that in a race before.) Well, before I knew it I was completely lost – out amongst the boats somewhere and totally disoriented. While I eventually did manage to put my face in the water and breathe—and re-join the swim course—I never did find a rhythm. I was cold the entire time. In the process I somehow swallowed lots of water and air. At the turn-around on the beach I wondered how I’d ever make another lap because I was already so cold!
When I got out of the swim volunteers kept trying to get me to go into the warm-up tent. In retrospect, it would probably have been a good idea, as I was shivering violently. But I refused and carried on. The first few km on the bike felt surreal. I was so cold, I felt disconnected from my legs. I kept looking down to make sure the bike was ok, as nothing felt “normal”. Luckily, it was a warm day and the sun slowly did its job of warming me up. The race plan was to go “easy cheesy” for the first 60k of the bike. After that I felt much better, but decided I would just keep going at that pace. I rode more slowly than during a normal training ride—I did pretty much the whole ride in HR upper zone 1. I was still coughing (more than ever), and because of the bronchitis, I didn’t know how much energy I had and I wanted to play it absolutely safe. I figured a slow finish time would be fine with me but a DNF wouldn’t…So I carried on, without pushing, gradually feeling better and better on the bike and beginning to appreciate the spectacular scenery, the spectators, and the fact that here I was actually doing an IM!! It was a huge lift to my spirits to see my brother, sister-in-law and niece, who had driven up from Saskatoon, cheering me on with home-made signs that made me smile each time I went by!!
I started the run with some stomach issues and had to use the porta-potties several times in the first ½.
However, gut issues during marathons are familiar to me, and although I was uncomfortable, I’ve had worse in other marathons and ½ IMs. I held a slow pace that felt quite comfortable, walking only in the aid stations as planned. (I was also in upper zone 1 HR for most of the run—being super conservative to ensure I would finish.) To my surprise, I just kept feeling better!! Angie had told me that the race didn’t start until the last 10k, so that’s when I finally dialed it up. It turns out I had a fair bit left at the end, as I was able to increase my pace considerably on that last 10k. It felt exhilarating!! The sun setting over the lake was stunningly beautiful, the crowd support was amazing, and I finally felt confident that I’d make it! I ended up passing so many people in those last 10k as I let my HR climb into the 130’s and lower 140’s and I felt better than I’d felt all day! Seeing Nola and my family at the finish line was a highlight. I’ll never forget the joy I saw reflected in Nola’s eyes as she greeted me.
It has now been over 6 weeks since that day. I’m so happy I embarked on this ironman journey eight years ago and I’m grateful that I was able see it through. I’m thankful to Nola and Angie, and of course to my family who’ve been super supportive and have put up with the seemingly endless training. I miss those long training rides now… Because of many other commitments, it may well be 6 years before I do another IM. But I will be back – Penticton in 2017 anyone??
Luckily, my friend Nola stepped up in a huge way. Nola totally made my weekend!! I’m still blown away by how dedicated she was to making my weekend a success! With 3 IMs under her belt and lots of experience as a support person, she was invaluable. She was with me every step of the way in planning and preparation and helped with so many of the small but important details – like buying neoprene warmers for my bike shoes for me the day before the race, driving the bike course with me, and making sure I did NOT use those brand new laces on my runners. (I now know they would have given me grief on the run.) She also volunteered in the women’s change tent, which meant she could accompany me into transition on race morning and get me off to a good start and then help me at T2 as well. I can’t thank Nola enough!!
The other person that I owe a huge thank-you to is Angie. Angie’s coaching was everything I could have hoped for and more!! I felt absolutely confident in her training plan, knowing how many athletes she has prepared for IM. I knew that because of Angie, I had a rock-solid base of training and was well prepared. Angie had gone through all the details of the race with me and I had complete faith in the race plan.
Everything seemed great until… I got sick before the race! It started as a cold and sore throat and then moved down into my chest, leaving me with coughing up thick green sputum. (I know you just wanted to know that…) I panicked, of course! I did nothing at all for the entire week before the race – no runs, swims, bikes – didn’t even go near the lake or touch the water. (That might have been a good thing.) Nola and I didn’t go to the pre-race dinner, as I still didn’t feel well and had little energy for lining up and possibly being cold in the tent. However, I did go to the pre-race meeting, which served to take away my last bit of confidence. The worst news was that the water temperature was 14 degrees C (56 F), the coldest they’d ever had. It was so cold that booties were legal.
Sure enough, the swim was truly the swim from hell!! Even though I wore a full wetsuit and a cap and booties, it was just too cold for me. The swim start was brutal. I was suited up and moving down to the beach at 15-20 min before gun time, but it was a turtle-like shuffle towards the beach. All the athletes had to go over one mat to get to the beach and there were so many athletes and spectators that it was almost impossible to move. I hadn’t even made it onto the beach when the gun went off! So much for my plan to start out way over to the right… When I hit the water I couldn’t breathe. I’ve had that experience before but it has always gone away within a minute or two. Not this time! Again and again I tried to put my face in the water but just couldn’t cope. So I turned around to swim on my back. (I’ve never done that in a race before.) Well, before I knew it I was completely lost – out amongst the boats somewhere and totally disoriented. While I eventually did manage to put my face in the water and breathe—and re-join the swim course—I never did find a rhythm. I was cold the entire time. In the process I somehow swallowed lots of water and air. At the turn-around on the beach I wondered how I’d ever make another lap because I was already so cold!
When I got out of the swim volunteers kept trying to get me to go into the warm-up tent. In retrospect, it would probably have been a good idea, as I was shivering violently. But I refused and carried on. The first few km on the bike felt surreal. I was so cold, I felt disconnected from my legs. I kept looking down to make sure the bike was ok, as nothing felt “normal”. Luckily, it was a warm day and the sun slowly did its job of warming me up. The race plan was to go “easy cheesy” for the first 60k of the bike. After that I felt much better, but decided I would just keep going at that pace. I rode more slowly than during a normal training ride—I did pretty much the whole ride in HR upper zone 1. I was still coughing (more than ever), and because of the bronchitis, I didn’t know how much energy I had and I wanted to play it absolutely safe. I figured a slow finish time would be fine with me but a DNF wouldn’t…So I carried on, without pushing, gradually feeling better and better on the bike and beginning to appreciate the spectacular scenery, the spectators, and the fact that here I was actually doing an IM!! It was a huge lift to my spirits to see my brother, sister-in-law and niece, who had driven up from Saskatoon, cheering me on with home-made signs that made me smile each time I went by!!
I started the run with some stomach issues and had to use the porta-potties several times in the first ½.
However, gut issues during marathons are familiar to me, and although I was uncomfortable, I’ve had worse in other marathons and ½ IMs. I held a slow pace that felt quite comfortable, walking only in the aid stations as planned. (I was also in upper zone 1 HR for most of the run—being super conservative to ensure I would finish.) To my surprise, I just kept feeling better!! Angie had told me that the race didn’t start until the last 10k, so that’s when I finally dialed it up. It turns out I had a fair bit left at the end, as I was able to increase my pace considerably on that last 10k. It felt exhilarating!! The sun setting over the lake was stunningly beautiful, the crowd support was amazing, and I finally felt confident that I’d make it! I ended up passing so many people in those last 10k as I let my HR climb into the 130’s and lower 140’s and I felt better than I’d felt all day! Seeing Nola and my family at the finish line was a highlight. I’ll never forget the joy I saw reflected in Nola’s eyes as she greeted me.
It has now been over 6 weeks since that day. I’m so happy I embarked on this ironman journey eight years ago and I’m grateful that I was able see it through. I’m thankful to Nola and Angie, and of course to my family who’ve been super supportive and have put up with the seemingly endless training. I miss those long training rides now… Because of many other commitments, it may well be 6 years before I do another IM. But I will be back – Penticton in 2017 anyone??
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