I post little, but wanted to share how I lost my iron virginity this past Sunday and perhaps give some insight to people considering doing IM CDA.
After some morning jitters and several trips to the bathroom, got the neoprene on, and lined up far to the right on the beach, which I thought would help to avoid some of the congestion on the swim. The water was not as cold as everyone had expected it, I would guesstimate 60-62F. The cannon went off and, except for the first 400yds or so, both loops of the swim were very physical for me. There were bodies everywhere and picking up good feet to draft behind was more difficult than I had anticipated. All the people ran along the beach rather than diving back in and swimming to the first buoy at an angle to start the second loop, as the organizers had intended. I ended loosing about 7mintues in the swim, but I didn’t let this bring me down, after all, I figured everyone else had experienced the same thing. Came out of the water at 1:08 and very relaxed.
Transition took about as long as anticipated, 3:00 and change. The fact that they don’t let age groupers have their shoes on their pedals bugs me and I think it should be up to the competitors to decide, but whatever… The volunteers did a great job peeling the suits, picking out your bags, putting on sunscreen and directing you.
Got on the bike, and tried to relax while watching suicide pilots go by at top speed. I was in the thick of the crowd for most of the first hour and it was hard to adhere to the drafting rules, because everyone was so close together. Still, did my best to keep my 3-bike distance, give up my spot when legally passed and complete my passes in the allotted time. The marshals did a great job at picking up several blatant violations. The first loop was pretty uneventful, crowded and done at an easy pace. For those of you considering this event, one thing to keep in mind is the water bottles they handed out were 0.6L, aid stations were spaced out every 10mi, and special needs was at 62mi, and it was not aid station. All the people handing bottles off at the stations did a fantastic job, as well as the volunteers, police officers and residents. I thanked as many people as I could while riding and running. The second loop was less crowded and I began making progress up the field. I had a solid ride, and was pleased to see I had no problems with any of the hills on the second loop. I was able to pretty much even-split my ride for a total time of 5:29.
T2 was quick, being able to leave my shoes on the bike, and I was out of the tent in a little more than 1:00 to get more sunscreen on. At this point I found myself in 230th place.
The jog went well for me. Good pace management on the swim and on bike, as well as good nutrition intake paid off well. I alternated water/Gatorade/broth at the aid stations, as well as sponges and ice into my hat at every station to try to keep my core cool. It was a blessing the day was only in the 70’s. It was amazing to see how solid guys like Michael Lovato looked on the run after 8hrs of racing. I started making progress up the field as the miles went on and clocked a 3:18 run, finishing 66th overall at 10:01.
I had a great first IM experience and could not have had the day I had had it not been for the guidance and advice from my coach, Francois. Francois took me from a 5:18 half IM last season, to a 10hr IM this season. I also need to acknowledge the direct advice from other down-to-earth class-acts, namely Olaf, Gordo and Dr. Coggan, as well as lots others on this forum who know more than I do about, well, just about anything.
JC in SEA
