Ironman Canada: The Full Monty

First Discipline: Boxing, a.k.a The Swim

I thought that I had signed up to swim 2.4 miles. When the gun sounded it became immediately evident that I entered the wrong ring. Instead, I was in the midst of a 2800 person boxing match. And I was losing. There is nothing I hate worse than being hit, kicked, punched and drowned. After a couple hundred meters of trying to duke it out, I gave up and moved to the far outside away from everyone. From then on it was smooth sailing. I found somewhat of a rhythm despite the choppy waters. After the turn around I even found a few feet to draft off of for a bit. As I approached the shore I stripped my wetsuit off my arms and glanced at my watch. I had to do a double take. My fastest Ironman swim. Ever! Swim time: 1:01:30

T1: The volunteers were efficient in stripping my wetsuit and I was back up on my feet in a few seconds. I grabbed my gear bag, missed the entrance to the change tent so I ran around the entire tent and eventually entered in via the exit. I was changed into arm warmers and bike shoes and back out in a matter of moments. I grabbed E'ly and we headed onto the bike course. T1: 3:58

Second Discipline: Dual with Mother Nature, a.k.a The Bike

It was a fast ride out of town. For the first 20 miles the wind was at my back and the roads were easy. Magically when we turned from Hwy 97 to Hwy 3, all our good fortune disappeared. We enjoyed a nice climb up Richter Pass at around mile 35. I stuck to my plan and took it easy throughout the entire bike ride. I got in my easy gear and spun up the series of about 3 climbs that make up Richter. Every time someone passed me, I reminded myself to bike my own race. Eventually I'd pass them on the run anyway. At the top we had a smokin' fast descent into the valley and what should have been the easiest part of the race. However, with the brutal headwind and occasional blast of crosswind the 40 miles through the valley turned into the hardest part of the ride. To top it off, the temperatures were cooler than predicted. I was happy to have my arm warmers, but never felt too warm. I continued to take in nutrition but couldn't seem to get enough calories. I was hungry and basically rode from aid station to aid station waiting for my next power bar and banana. This is very unusual for me as I'm used to racing in the heat, and dealing with bloat when my stomach is unable to digest. But no matter how much I ate, my stomach emptied it quickly. And magically, despite my comparatively slow pace... after 83 miles on the bike, suddenly no one was passing me any more. Now I was starting to reel them back in. After an out and back section, we rounded another corner onto Hwy 3A and straight into a mountain storm. Suddenly the sky was black and I was pelted with huge drops of rain that stung my skin where they struck. It was a hard climb up to Yellow Lake. The climb itself wasn't that challenging, but the weather was bad and I was starting to feel really cold. I did enjoy a little bit of encouragement from a race official who, on the narrow road up to Yellow Lake, was stuck behind me on the climb. In his lovely English accent he kept shouting words of encouragement and yelling my name. As we approached the top and the road widened, he pulled along side me and we chatted for a few moments. I told him it was my first time in Canada, and he offered me some tips for handling the descent on the wet, windy roads. By the time I rolled over the summit and started down I was shivering so badly I was having a hard time staying upright. I decided to take it easy on the steepest part of the descent. The roads were still soaked and I wasn't going to be any warmer at top speed. Coming off the mountain and back into town the temperatures warmed slightly and I was able to get my shivering under control. By the time I got back to transition, I was soaked and chilly, but ready to run. Bike: 6:35:42

T2: I passed E'ly off to the bike handler and ran through the rows to grab my gear bag and back into the change tent (this time through the entrance) for round two. Running shoes on and I was off. I should mention that the change tent volunteers are amazing! They do all the work for you and pack up all your bike gear after you leave. No thinking involved. Big shout out to those women, who I'm sure are exhausted by the end of the shift. T2: 3:35.

Third Discipline: Culinary Adventures in Aid Station, a.k.a The Run

Leaving T2, I was (still) starving. All I could think about for 26.2 miles was food. During my first 13 miles I consumed 4 gels, and alternated with chicken broth. Who does that? Who eats 4 gels in 13 miles and lives to tell about it? It was a fairly quick run out of town. I had tossed my arm warmers in the first mile, but when we hit the lake shore at mile 5 I wished I had them again. Nearing mile 10 there were some good hills to the turnaround. I had been feeling really good, running strong, completing the first half in 2:15. I was on pace for a run PR. Once again, Mother Nature intervened and when I turned to head back I was slapped in the face with the wind that had been with us for 80 miles on the bike. Cruel, unyielding, relentless. I worked hard into the wind and back up a few hills. I switched from gels to Pepsi, fearing that I would inevitably end up in the port-o-potty if I kept consuming gels at my current rate. With every mile split, I checked my watch to make sure I was still on pace. I knew it wouldn't be a PR but I also that as long as I was on pace to break 12:39 I wasn't going to let up. From the start, I thought 12:30 was a good possibility. Finally at around mile 24 we got a little break from climbing as we descended down Main toward the lake. There were crowds of spectators lining both sides of the street. At 25 miles we rounded the corner onto Lakeshore Dr for the final out and back mile to the finish. At this point the smile was plastered to my face. I was floating and flying. I am an Ironman! Run: 4:42:14


Total time: 12:26:59

Things I learned (cause there should always be something to take away!):

1. At the last minute as I was suiting up in the morning, I decided to use my thermal wetsuit cap. I reasoned that since most of your body heat is lost through your head, hands, and feet, if I could start the bike ride warm I might be more comfortable in the long run. As it turned out, this was a smart decision. The road was shaded for a good part of the bike ride and the temps were not warm. I was comfortable when I got on the bike, and I was glad that I didn't get too chilly until close to mile 90 on the ride.

2. Less is more when it comes to nutrition. In the past, I've tried to put calories in the so-called bank on the bike ride believing that I could digest more on the ride than the run. In training this summer, I haven't been able to take in my normal amount of calories cause it's just been too darn hot and I didn't feel like eating. So, at the race, rather than take in more than what I'm used to and risk bloating, I kept up with my calories just enough to not bonk. I would have preferred to feel a little hungry on the run, but at the same time, my stomach processed everything I gave it which it wouldn't have if I had overdone it.

3. Racing is (and should be) fun! Despite the conditions, which were the hardest I've faced in any Ironman, I never wanted to stop. I stayed in the moment and looked forward to the subsequent stage, but not so much that I didn't appreciate where I was at. When I swam I thought about swimming. When I biked, I thought about biking. And when I ran, I thought about running (and food). Staying in the present helps keep your goals within reach without becoming discouraged.

4. Beating your husband in the swim feels really good. I'm joking, really. I'm his biggest fan. But at the same time, it's nice to be able to have a friendly rivalry and since I can't bike or run as fast as him... we compete in the swim. Up until now, he held the record from IM Florida in 2007 when he swam 1:02 and change. I proudly take back the title for household swim PR.

5. Hard work pays off. We train hard. We sacrifice. We live a certain lifestyle. It suits us. It's not for everyone, but we see the fruits of our efforts. We taste the sweetness of victory every time we cross the line and are proud of our accomplishments. I don't regret spending time doing the things we love day in and day out. It truly makes race day the reward.