Ironman CDA: Number 10!

Ironman Coeur d'Alene was a perfect day.  It wasn't a PR.  I didn't feel fantastic all day long.  But I executed a race that I'm extremely proud of, and I have confidence going into the second half of my season.

The day started earlier than usual with the new swim start.  WTC announced a few months ago that it was going to try several new swim starts at Ironman races, beginning with IM- CDA.  In the past, the swim start has been a mass beach start.  So imagine 2500 athletes flooding into the water at the same time.  Chaos.  Having raced CDA twice before- this swim ranks amongst my slowest swim times.  This year, they were doing what I call a 'streaming start'.  So we still lined up on the beach, though this time we were in corrals that corresponded to our estimated finish time.  Once the cannon went off, at 6:35 am, everyone filed out of the corral under the inflatable banner, and into the lake.  Having the funnel effect limited the number of people diving into the water at one time which significantly reduced congestion. 

I lined up in the 60-75 minute corral and from the minute I hit the water I had space.  I was able to swim my own race the entire 2.4 miles.  And I loved every second of it.  I don't have issues in lakes at Arizona, Wisconsin, or Texas.  I'm not sure it it's more spread out because of the in water start, but I've never had problems finding space at these races.  Unlike my past experiences at CDA where I was getting beat up for at least 15 minutes.

Ironman CDA Swim
 

The only problem I ran into, which is relatively minor, was that I caught the slower swimmers by the time I reached the first turn buoy in lap 2.  So for the final 1/2- 3/4 mile of the swim I had to pay attention and sight a little more frequently to avoid getting a swift kick in the ribs by a breast-stroker.  As long as I saw them in advance, I'd redirect my route slightly and sail on past.  A couple of times they seemed to appear out of nowhere and I had to halt my stroke to avoid the heel-to-gut move.  And getting out of the water provided a teensy bit of confusion as the second lap folks were in a hurry to get to transition, while the first lap folks seemed a bit dazed and were a little slower about pulling themselves out of the water to run under the inflatable to start lap 2.  Despite the confusion (all minor), I'd take the rolling start any day.   

Swim:  1:01:51  

On to the bike!  Having driven the bike course the day before, I knew what to expect out there.  Tough climbs.  Really tough climbs.  My training was not where I had hoped it would be due to an illness at the beginning of the year that delayed my training by 8 weeks.  I got some good rides in before IM Texas (5 weeks previous) and another 80 miler between Texas and CDA, but I didn't have much in the way of hill training.  Mostly I recovered, got some good rest and felt fantastic the few days leading up to the race. 

I took the bike course very easy.  My goal was to stay comfortable as much as possible, not push the pace one bit.  The out and back section was about 16 miles, with 40 miles of climbs on the highway.  We repeated each section twice for the bike segment.  The first loop I cruised through the out and back in town and was eager to get out on the highway and experience the hills first hand.  

Ironman CDA Bike

The first climb was about a mile and a half, very steep, followed by a smokin' fast downhill.  The second climb was much more gradual, much longer.  It climbed for a while, then plateaued, then climbed, then plateaued.  By the time we hit the 3rd plateau, we cruised for a mile or so to the turnaround and then enjoyed some nice long downhill.  While my legs didn't feel overly taxed during the climbs, I did have trouble taking in nutrition because I was breathing so heavily.  It's hard to chew and breathe at the same time! 

Once I turned around to head back down, I ate a bonk breaker, hoping to replenish a few calories on the way back to town.  I loved the downhills.  This is something that I had to really practice at and thankfully over the last couple of years I've become a much better descender.  People would pass me on the uphills as I sat pedalling in my granny gear, but on the downhills I flew by them.  I saw people coasting.  I saw people sitting up.  I saw people breaking.  I got aero, threw it in my hardest gear and hauled ass.  And all those people who passed me were now behind me again. 

At this point, 60 miles into the bike ride, and only 400 calories into my system, I was behind the 8 ball.  It seemed that no matter what, bonk was in my future.  Ironically, I never felt hungry, or that dizzy, sugar-starved hypoglycemia.  I just started to feel really sleepy.  Climbing the hills for the second time, I caught myself almost falling asleep on my bike at mile 80.  I know this is tough to believe, how is that even possible?  But trust me.  My body was in shut down mode, and instead of asking for sugar, it was asking for sleep.  I shook myself awake and started grabbing gels at every aid station.  Hello, energy!

I made the final turn around at mile 91 to head back to transition.  I stopped to pee, took in another gel, and grabbed another one for the road.  I needed energy coming off the bike.  I had hoped for a 6:30 bike split and came into transition just a couple minutes shy of that.  The new bike course is much tougher, with the relentless climbs, but it is not nearly as technical.  And I think mentally, I appreciated the new course.  I was able to break it up in my mind into 4 segments and I always knew exactly where I was on the course (no twists and turns in and out of neighborhoods, etc).  The scenery was amazing.  Once my energy started to pick back up, I really appreciated how great this new bike course was.  I spent the final 20 miles being thankful for the ability to race on such an amazing course with incredible crowd support and volunteers.

Bike 6:27:07

I was in and out of T2 as quickly as possible.  I was ready to test my legs, but wasn't sure where my blood sugar levels were going to stand.  Turns out, I was solid.  My legs felt fantastic.  The run was effortless.  I settled into my pace within 3 miles, and felt like I was on cruise control.  At every aid station I took in a little sip of water and sucked on an orange slice. 

The run course is 2 loops.  At the far end of each loop (mile 6 and mile 20 roughly) there is a pretty decent climb, followed by a descent just before you turn around and head back up the hill.  The rest of the course is pretty flat and run through some amazing neighborhoods in Coeur d'Alene.  CDA has been my favorite course since the first time I finished it in 2008, and I was so excited to be feeling great during the run.  It was a celebration!

Ironman CDA Run

The second loop was a little tougher.  My sugar levels were dipping again, and I had to stay on top of eating more at each aid station.  I took in gels which were instant energy.  On the final climb, I did power hike because I had taken in a good bit of food and fluid at the aid station just before it and I was hoping to give my gut a chance to digest before I powered the final 6 miles.  This tactic seemed to work and by the time I reached the final 4 miles I was cruising pretty well again.

My husband, who had been out on course spectating and cheering all day, was on the run course snapping photos and ringing his cow bell.  That morning, across the country in Iowa, my nephew (who is 7) ran his first 5k.  I had asked my sister to text my husband with his finish time, to give me a boost out on course.  With 5k to go, my husband told me he had some good news for me.  My nephew had run a 31 minute 5k!  He told me my task was to match his pace for the final 5k of my Ironman.  I accepted that challenge and picked up the pace a little bit, no longer walking through the aid stations. 

Run 4:25:22

I finished Ironman Coeur d'Alene feeling strong.  Feeling like I had raced within my comfort zone, within my limits.  I know I could have gone a lot harder, which is a great feeling knowing my 'A' race is still 20 weeks away.  I was extremely proud of my run.  This was only my second time breaking 4:30 at Ironman, and I did it without struggle.  I am now looking forward, with confidence, to my next 20 weeks of training and preparation. 

The Finish:  12:01:55

After the race, I didn't feel much like eating so I just grabbed a cup full of grapes and a soda.  I soaked my legs in the lake, which wasn't nearly cold enough, but still felt good.  We dropped my bike off to TriBike Transport and loaded the rest of my gear up to head back to the hotel.  After a shower and change into non-smelly clothes we went back to the finish line just in time to see our friend MC finish.  I drove through DQ for the obligatory cheeseburger and chocolate shake, but I saved my celebratory beer for lunch on Monday before we flew back home.

Enjoying the post race glow!

I love Coeur d'Alene.  I love the town.  I love the hills.  I love the race.  This will always hold a special place in my heart, and I know someday I'll be back to do it again.