What can I say about Ironman Coeur D Alene Idaho? Well to start, "it is a beautiful course", what that really means, it is a tough ass course!!!
I should really start by giving props to everyone out there that made it to the finish line that day.
Especially my beautiful and amazing MARY! She once again killed it out there. Smiling all day long and ending with an almost 7 minute personal best race time, on by far the toughest Ironman couse she has ever done. She is a ROCK STAR!!!!!!!!!
Now for my day.
As Mary and I stood on the beach counting down to the swim start, I was determined to give it all out there, especially on the swim , which I sometimes feel like I let myself get to comfortable, instead of getting out of my comfort zone and going for it.
The cannon went off and 2000 of us ran into the balmy 59 degree water to start the first of two loops equaling 2.4 miles. On the way out I could see Mary next to me for about 200 or so meters and then it got conjested and it was all about survival. All in all I felt like I swam really well, it wasn't my fastest clocking, but based on the chop and the slower than usual times for even the top pros I guess I can't complain much, not to mention I still had about 9 hours still ahead of me, after a 1:08 swim time. I flew into the changing tent and off to get my bike.
I was feeling pretty good about myself throught the first loop of the the two loop bike course, averaging 21 mph for the first loop. As I started the 2nd loop I noticed the wind conditions had changed and not for the better. I felt ok through about mile 75 or so and then just about ended my day after taking a sharp down hill corner to fast and running off course and up the side of a big hill. Al was good with the bike and off I went, but within about 15 minutes my right need started aching something terrible, and this became problematic as there where lots of hills still to be climbed. Also at this point I heard a noise, looked back and it was the remaining two hours of my bike nutrition falling and rolling down one of those big ass hills. SHIT!!! I am not going back down to get it, I will just go with plan B, use powerbars. (That decision would come back to bite me in the ass later) So I finished up the bike in 5:35, 10 minutes slower than Ironman Arizona 10weeks ago, but on a MUCH tougher course, so not bad!
I did some real fast and not fully accurate math, and reasoned that i needed to run sub 3:15 to get that Kona slot. I decided to go for it!! I would either run 3:15 or I would blow up and run 4:15. I did't care what my time was if I couldn't go fast enough to qualify. In otherwords in my mind 10:15:00 was what I needed to finish at, 10:25:00 was no better than 10:52:00.
So off I went flying by hundreds of people, and feeling great, (I hit the half at 1:37:02) that is until about the 14 mile mark when I started to feel a little off, but I gathered myslef and pushed on. Once again at about 18miles It all came to a head. Come to find out, that last bottle I lost on the bike was vital, and my stomach had not been absorbing anything I had put into it from mile 90 of the bike to mile 18 of the run, so i had gotten basically zero calories, zero sodium, and very little water. Even though i had put it into my mouth, my stomach did nothing with any of it. So two big problems, 1-no power left, 2-Horrible bloating and stomach cramps.
So there I sat at mile 18 or so, for almost 21minutes, trying to get my stomach to work again, and when the EMT started talking like she was going to pull me from the course I jumped up and started running again, no way in hell I wasn't getting that metal at the finish line. So I put one foot in front of the other and was actually alot better, not 100%, but at least I was able to keep about a 8:30 or so pace most of the way to the final turn, as usual when you finally see that finish line everything feels better, and I was able to pick up the pace and pass 3 more guys in the last half mile, running the last mile at 7:04 pace, and having that metal placed around my neck felt just as good as every other race I have done!!! Even if I did end up short of my goal, with a 10:52:00 finish, by far my slowest Ironman ever, but I will sit down and dissect the day and take the positives and negatives out of the day and move forward
I should really start by giving props to everyone out there that made it to the finish line that day.
Especially my beautiful and amazing MARY! She once again killed it out there. Smiling all day long and ending with an almost 7 minute personal best race time, on by far the toughest Ironman couse she has ever done. She is a ROCK STAR!!!!!!!!!
Now for my day.
As Mary and I stood on the beach counting down to the swim start, I was determined to give it all out there, especially on the swim , which I sometimes feel like I let myself get to comfortable, instead of getting out of my comfort zone and going for it.
The cannon went off and 2000 of us ran into the balmy 59 degree water to start the first of two loops equaling 2.4 miles. On the way out I could see Mary next to me for about 200 or so meters and then it got conjested and it was all about survival. All in all I felt like I swam really well, it wasn't my fastest clocking, but based on the chop and the slower than usual times for even the top pros I guess I can't complain much, not to mention I still had about 9 hours still ahead of me, after a 1:08 swim time. I flew into the changing tent and off to get my bike.
I was feeling pretty good about myself throught the first loop of the the two loop bike course, averaging 21 mph for the first loop. As I started the 2nd loop I noticed the wind conditions had changed and not for the better. I felt ok through about mile 75 or so and then just about ended my day after taking a sharp down hill corner to fast and running off course and up the side of a big hill. Al was good with the bike and off I went, but within about 15 minutes my right need started aching something terrible, and this became problematic as there where lots of hills still to be climbed. Also at this point I heard a noise, looked back and it was the remaining two hours of my bike nutrition falling and rolling down one of those big ass hills. SHIT!!! I am not going back down to get it, I will just go with plan B, use powerbars. (That decision would come back to bite me in the ass later) So I finished up the bike in 5:35, 10 minutes slower than Ironman Arizona 10weeks ago, but on a MUCH tougher course, so not bad!
I did some real fast and not fully accurate math, and reasoned that i needed to run sub 3:15 to get that Kona slot. I decided to go for it!! I would either run 3:15 or I would blow up and run 4:15. I did't care what my time was if I couldn't go fast enough to qualify. In otherwords in my mind 10:15:00 was what I needed to finish at, 10:25:00 was no better than 10:52:00.
So off I went flying by hundreds of people, and feeling great, (I hit the half at 1:37:02) that is until about the 14 mile mark when I started to feel a little off, but I gathered myslef and pushed on. Once again at about 18miles It all came to a head. Come to find out, that last bottle I lost on the bike was vital, and my stomach had not been absorbing anything I had put into it from mile 90 of the bike to mile 18 of the run, so i had gotten basically zero calories, zero sodium, and very little water. Even though i had put it into my mouth, my stomach did nothing with any of it. So two big problems, 1-no power left, 2-Horrible bloating and stomach cramps.
So there I sat at mile 18 or so, for almost 21minutes, trying to get my stomach to work again, and when the EMT started talking like she was going to pull me from the course I jumped up and started running again, no way in hell I wasn't getting that metal at the finish line. So I put one foot in front of the other and was actually alot better, not 100%, but at least I was able to keep about a 8:30 or so pace most of the way to the final turn, as usual when you finally see that finish line everything feels better, and I was able to pick up the pace and pass 3 more guys in the last half mile, running the last mile at 7:04 pace, and having that metal placed around my neck felt just as good as every other race I have done!!! Even if I did end up short of my goal, with a 10:52:00 finish, by far my slowest Ironman ever, but I will sit down and dissect the day and take the positives and negatives out of the day and move forward
Thanks to all the well wishers and I will be back, look out Ironman Arizona in NOVEMBER!!!
1 comment:
When you finally taste the victory of having won a Kona slot (which I have not doubt that you will do)it will be all the sweeter. I'm proud of you!
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