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yet another IMC race report

 
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swim-bike-bonk

Aug 27, 08 7:47

Post #1 of 7 (540 views)
yet another IMC race report Can't Post
and so it was:
I first watched Ironman on TV in the mid 80s. What a fascinating display of human perseverance. I wanted to do that, well maybe not that. Short course would be plenty, thank you. I did some Olympic distance for a few years before it was Olympic. When the thought occurred to me, it never seemed quite conceivable to do an Ironman tri myself. It wasn't just that the race itself seems so daunting but the training to exclusion of just about everything else didn't really appeal to me then. Fast forward 15 years and somehow I caught the bug again. Call it an athletes midlife crisis, call it what you want. I had to sign up for the ride. Nine months to pick up my swimming from where I had left it 15 years ago and 9 months to turn my bike commuting into weekly centuries. And that was the plan and it worked well. I got to Penticton rested and ready and in company of my cheering squad.

Race plan
I didn't have much of an idea of where I would fit in the ranks of hardened triathletes; shaved legs, aero helmets and one piece tri suit. My training and especially the Lake Stevens race were strong and for a few weeks I have had this idea bouncing around in my head that if I could string together a great swim, bike and run and keep my stomach happy I could get close to 10hrs, close to top 10 in my age group and close to a Kona slot. When I finally jotted down a prediction last week it looked like this 1:08, 0:02, 5:40, 0:03, 3:15 for a total of 10:08. Some special sauce needed somewhere to break 10. I had no doubts that this was just a wild guess though. The real plan was: swim hard to get to the bike before the crowds get thick. Bike easy to Osoyoos (40mi) and pick it up in the hills. Run with whatever was left. Easy enough 8)

Swim
The swim in Lake Okanagen has a few things going for it even if you are in a mass start with 2200 of your closest frineds. Wide start line, first turn at 1600m. I lined up in the front row trying to look like I belonged. Hammered hard for 5 min and got passed by only a few, definitely not a lot of contact. Things only seemed to tighten up every now and then. Settled in and found a guy I could draft all the way to turn one. Cool seeing the safety divers below at the turns. Between turn one and two somebody hit me across the calves, not very hard just an errand stroke, and my calves started to seize up instantly. With a couple of quick squeezes and a looser kick I was able to ward off a full on cramp but the knot in the calve remained until an hour into the bike. The return leg was pretty mellow. 1:03. Definitely better than expected.

T1
Snafu with the bike jersey: I had the race number pinned to the back. It ripped off when I pulled the jersey on. Weakest. Tyvek. Ever. Pinning number in T1 = slow. 0:05

Bike
The bike out through town was fun with great support. Lots of bikes on the road. Legal drafting distance impossible. My stomach was in a bit of a knot (which is not uncommon after a swim for me) and I rode out easy. After the first little climb things got a little better spaced out. Soon though I got the distinct impression that some of the bunches passing me were not really trying to make use of the space available. With a pack 300m ahead the race official going by seemed to slow up, talk to somebody but never got out a card that I could see. What gives? Not much wind from the front if any to Osoyoos. Cloudy skies for large parts of the ride. Enough sun to give me an ugly burn where my bike jersey and tri shorts didn't quite meet. Maybe there is a point to those one piece suits. Turning for Richter pass it was suddenly hot. I climbed by lots of people. Maybe I climb too hard, but it seems like powering up hills comes easy while I drift off mentally in the flats. The rollers after Richter were the best part of the day for me. The up and down made drafting a non-issue. My stomach was finally well and my bike was going great. The road to Keremos and out and back seemed to drag on forever. I could not bare the thought of digging into the cliff bars I had brought. Thankfully the shot blocks still looked tasty and I had some stashed at special needs along with an almond butter and jelly sandwich. Still, I didn't feel so awesome going up to Yellow lake, still passing people going up. Awesome crowd. Superman saluted me! The ride down into Penticton was sweet. With some rest, the end in sight and only a marathon left to do I was still on pace to go sub 10. Bike 5:26

T2 no time wasted 0:02

Run
Wow. Now it was hot. Maybe not crazy hot but certainly hotter than I like it. I was so charged up I ran a 6:30 first mile and slowed myself to reasonable pace quickly. Looking forward to the southerly wind. Heart rate still a bit high but decent pace I chugged out of town passing people left and right. Grabbing a sip of water every chance I got but feeling parched only a short while later. Along Lake Skaha I got way more breeze than I had bargained for. Gale force wind straight on and nobody fast enough to tuck in behind. The Gu gels went down ok but I had some pressure on the stomach and wasn't really sure if the stuff still got absorbed. For now I figured that my pace was holding up well and I would get a boost out of the wind coming back into town. Not meant to be. As I was turning the corner at 1:40 the wind shut off. To make the big 10 I would need an even split. Not impossible, considering the pace but I really had not much of an idea how long my energy would last. I had the answer 20 min later. The guy that had been pulling away from me about 4 times then stopping to tie his left shoe now just left. I slowed and felt like I had to start walking the aid stations. First time walking I felt some dizziness. Time to stop racing and just get this thing home. The last 8 miles dragged on an on. The aid stations didn't seem ridiculously close together any more. I sipped cola walked a few steps past the station and plodded on. It was a bit painful checking my watch to see that I had so little distance to go and so much time to do it but nothing left in the tank. A few guys passed me a couple women too. A steady procession of runners heading out of town. My number one fan was in the stands at the finish. High fives. It was great to get it done. Run: 3:31

Final: 10:08:50

Post race
Two volunteers guided me through the finish area, made me stop by the medical tend. "I'm fine really where is the pizza". Some food, a quick massage, getting gear from transition. The rain really started coming down now. I felt pretty good and walked easier than quite a few people around. Back at the camp ground before dark we put the kids to bed and chatted about the race, sipping tea. There were lots and lots of things that went right. I got to the race healthy and rested, had a great swim, a fast bloody bike and no technical issues, good wheather and great support all the way around. All in all a very good day. Still there is that little question in me that I do not have an answer for: What would it take to finish fast? Hit the sack at 9:30. Lots of people still out there in the rain. Getting it done.


IKnowEverything

Aug 27, 08 8:14

Post #2 of 7 (505 views)
Re: yet another IMC race report [swim-bike-bonk] [In reply to] Can't Post
Dude,
Your race report is awesome and you sound like a total rockstar.

I mean, 10:08 might not be breaking any pro records, but am I to understand that this is your first IM, and you're doing just over 10 hours??

I think the best part about your report is how matter-of-fact you are. None of the "hey look at me look what I did" or "wow I had such a great time". Very Zabriskie-eske.

You earn 50 rockstar points.


QRgirl

Aug 27, 08 8:27

Post #3 of 7 (474 views)
Re: yet another IMC race report [swim-bike-bonk] [In reply to] Can't Post
Hmmm, I think 10:08 is finishing pretty darn fast...

Congratulations on a great race. Did you nab a Kona slot?


TriUno83

Aug 27, 08 9:11

Post #4 of 7 (424 views)
Re: yet another IMC race report [QRgirl] [In reply to] Can't Post
Excellent report... Thanks and congrats!


SimpleS

Aug 27, 08 10:50

Post #5 of 7 (342 views)
Re: yet another IMC race report [swim-bike-bonk] [In reply to] Can't Post
Quote
Still there is that little question in me that I do not have an answer for: What would it take to finish fast?
 
Dude, that is the $6m question!

Nicely done, very impressed


__________________________________________________
Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??


Khai

Aug 27, 08 11:16

Post #6 of 7 (304 views)
Re: yet another IMC race report [swim-bike-bonk] [In reply to] Can't Post
Nicely done out there man - very nicely done indeed. Given your times I probably saw you on the bike and run several times.

10:08 is nothing to sneeze at. Glad to hear your race came together fairly well. The question now, is are you hooked? Did you sign up for 2009?

<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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swim-bike-bonk

Aug 27, 08 21:02

Post #7 of 7 (142 views)
Re: yet another IMC race report [Khai] [In reply to] Can't Post
In Reply To
The question now, is are you hooked? Did you sign up for 2009?
 
I've got the voucher. Right now I'm thinking I won't use it. The training just sucks up so much time. I'll probably spend more of it with my son at toddler swim, pulling weeds in the yard and maybe just maybe sleeping in every now and then. Some short races next year and secretly working on my swim technique ;). Watch out in 2010! I may just get interested in gettting a Kona slot.