Well, in retrospect, maybe I should have waited another year to try an IM...
I signed up last year having only done a couple of sprint tris, owning a Trek 1500 road bike with toe straps and w/o aerobars and being somewhat anxious (re: borderline panic) over open water swimming. But I wanted to try an IM for the challenge and to see what it was like to really train for something and follow through with it. My only real goal was just to finish it (intact).
So I bought cliplesss pedals and aerobars and spent the Spring wobbling around trying to get used to them, then hurt my shoulder and my hamstring in training, recovered to maybe?? get in enough training to finish (longest ride of 90 miles, did manage to run a 20 miler) and there I was at the starting line...
Swim: Well, I live in Cincinnati which isn't particularily close to any large bodies of water so the swim was...a little challenging. I did have a chance to swim the course on Thursday but I was so tired after swimming one lap, i didn't see how I could do two. And there was the chafing issue with the wet suit. And exotic marine life like the jellyfish I ran into when I was swimming..
So I was more than a little nervous about the swim and started at the very back. Things weren't too bad back there - a little congested at the first turn buoy and that was it. I was so excited that i made it through the first lap in 45 minutes (hey - I'm going to make the swim cut-off!) that feeling got me through the second lap. Exited the water in 1:33.
Bike: I was very tired after the swim so I took it easy on the bike. But I'm not very good at pushing myself on the bike any way. There wasn't much drafting at the back of the pack but I did see lots of gel packets, water bottles etc. on the road so I would say that litter is still a problem at IMFL. I got passed by a lot of people but I did manage to pass one guy with a disc wheel (made my day!).
As others have said, the course was very flat and, unless you are really into pine forests, it was pretty boring. And it got kind of lonely out there. I got to Front Beach Road and finally saw some spectators and that really helped to pick me up.
Run: I've run a lot of marathons so I am definitely most comfortable on the run. I ran the course but walked the aid stations, trying not to trip over the speed bumps in the dark (what a way to end an IM by tripping over one of those with a couple of miles to go!). It was fun running around in the dark and having people yell for you as you ran by. I felt pretty good the whole way on the run, probably because I had gone so slowly (probably too slowly) on the bike.
The finish line was amazing - I hit the turn around point and turned right up the ramp to the finish line filled with people, all yelling my name. That's when it really hit me that I was actually going to finish this race - an incredible feeling that I don't think I'll ever forget.
I am especially grateful for the volunteers who were all very patient and helpful, all of the spectators that were still around when i finished, and the other triathletes and their families that I met - just wonderful people.
But I do think, it will be a long time before I'll be able to drink Lemon-Lime Gatorade again.
Final time: 13 hours and 42 minutes.
I signed up last year having only done a couple of sprint tris, owning a Trek 1500 road bike with toe straps and w/o aerobars and being somewhat anxious (re: borderline panic) over open water swimming. But I wanted to try an IM for the challenge and to see what it was like to really train for something and follow through with it. My only real goal was just to finish it (intact).
So I bought cliplesss pedals and aerobars and spent the Spring wobbling around trying to get used to them, then hurt my shoulder and my hamstring in training, recovered to maybe?? get in enough training to finish (longest ride of 90 miles, did manage to run a 20 miler) and there I was at the starting line...
Swim: Well, I live in Cincinnati which isn't particularily close to any large bodies of water so the swim was...a little challenging. I did have a chance to swim the course on Thursday but I was so tired after swimming one lap, i didn't see how I could do two. And there was the chafing issue with the wet suit. And exotic marine life like the jellyfish I ran into when I was swimming..
So I was more than a little nervous about the swim and started at the very back. Things weren't too bad back there - a little congested at the first turn buoy and that was it. I was so excited that i made it through the first lap in 45 minutes (hey - I'm going to make the swim cut-off!) that feeling got me through the second lap. Exited the water in 1:33.
Bike: I was very tired after the swim so I took it easy on the bike. But I'm not very good at pushing myself on the bike any way. There wasn't much drafting at the back of the pack but I did see lots of gel packets, water bottles etc. on the road so I would say that litter is still a problem at IMFL. I got passed by a lot of people but I did manage to pass one guy with a disc wheel (made my day!).
As others have said, the course was very flat and, unless you are really into pine forests, it was pretty boring. And it got kind of lonely out there. I got to Front Beach Road and finally saw some spectators and that really helped to pick me up.
Run: I've run a lot of marathons so I am definitely most comfortable on the run. I ran the course but walked the aid stations, trying not to trip over the speed bumps in the dark (what a way to end an IM by tripping over one of those with a couple of miles to go!). It was fun running around in the dark and having people yell for you as you ran by. I felt pretty good the whole way on the run, probably because I had gone so slowly (probably too slowly) on the bike.
The finish line was amazing - I hit the turn around point and turned right up the ramp to the finish line filled with people, all yelling my name. That's when it really hit me that I was actually going to finish this race - an incredible feeling that I don't think I'll ever forget.
I am especially grateful for the volunteers who were all very patient and helpful, all of the spectators that were still around when i finished, and the other triathletes and their families that I met - just wonderful people.
But I do think, it will be a long time before I'll be able to drink Lemon-Lime Gatorade again.
Final time: 13 hours and 42 minutes.