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Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2010...a 'mentally' much-needed race where finally that coveted finish line was reached. Some mental demons were finally put to rest on Sunday after a tough 8 months beginning with tendonitis (3 months worth!) in the fall/winterof 2009, an exceptionally challenging time in China where I had my first ever DNF due to becoming ill, and then a mechanical very early in the bike in St. George. A finish line is a finish line, and in Ironman, it's even more than that. It's a symbol of months of dedicated hard work for both pros and amateurs alike, and when you can finally see the finish line arches as you run that final mile towards your destination, the feelings and emotions are too complex to put into words. You're relieved that you can finally stop, but there is also an over-riding sense of accomplishment that you can now sit back and enjoy. For me, that finish line on Sunday was very sweet indeed. Goodbye demons...hello fresh start. IM Coeur d'Alene, for me personally, was not a great race. Don't get me wrong, one cannot and should not complain with a top 5 finish in these events, but I cannot lie and say that I felt fully satisfied with the day. After a tough swim, I made some pacing errors (which I'll tell you all about) which had me unnecessarily shattered to bits at the finish line. But I learned so much from it, and the experience was undoubtedly a critical one for me as I continue on in my professional racing career. However, given my errors, to slowly have inched my way into the top five for that last podium spot was good recognition for me that I know how to fight hard when I need to, and that I have the mental capacity to deal with advertsity without wavering. As an athlete, it's a nice thing to know about yourself and it is something I will surely have to tap into again in future race experiences. 
Going over the Race Plan with Scott at T-24 hours. The morning started with relative ease, as I was relieved to see that the swells in the lake from the day before had subsided substantially. My coach, Scott, was there to make sure nothing went amiss on that morning and the days preceeding, and this helped to calm my fears of the DNFs of the last two races. My parents were at the race cheering, as well as my good friends Jenny and Brian who made the trip to saunter around in grass skirts and coconut bras (yes Brian you looked really good...) to cheer me along the course. I was also blown away by the number of supporters whom I had not even met before who have been following my racing and were rooting for me, all of which I feel so fortunate for. This all meant alot to me and put my head in a good place for the morning start. 
Dad checking out my bike before racking it.
Brian and Jenny in full cheering mode!!! The swim turned out to be quite a disaster for me. It truly must appear as though I am not improving with my swim, but I am here to attest that it is. Slowly. But it's improving. My pool times have shown alot of progression but the open water remains enigmatic to me as to how to go about tackling it. The gun went off and I found myself in a pack of a few pro women...albeit not the front of the race by any means...but it was a solid pace that I felt comfortable with which assuredly would have taken many minutes off my final time had I managed to stay on the feet. All was going well until the first turn buoy at 1,000 m. where I battled out there with another swimmer who put me under the water repeatedly a few times, then when I went to breathe a swell came along and I choked back a lot of water. It took me a few seconds to recover, which was a few seconds enough to make me lose the feet. Then with the building swells, I had lost that beautiful pack of feet. From there it all went downhill. I became seasick from the swells, finally having a good puke at about 2,800 m. into the swim. My navigation was poor and I was zigzagging again. The sighting caused me to lose my form...and well...it all amounted to a 1:11 swim. Yuck-foo. I had intended to swim 8-9 minutes faster than this, which my training showed to be a very realistic goal, but with the conditions and my relative inexperience in the open water in tougher conditions...that plan didn't unfold. But it's coming - it's there - it's just a matter of time. 
A few final pre-race thoughts before heading to the beach After coming out of the water with this deficit, I had some feelings of panic. I am used to chasing out of the swim, but this was pretty bad and I knew there were many strong women in the race who I wasn't going to be able to chase down quickly OR easily. It was going to be a long, slow process, and that is a big feat to look at when you still have over 8 hours to go. It's a long day of chasing no matter how you slice it. But, it was what it was, so I figured I may as well get started. Here is where I made my next mistake. I went out too hard. My heart rate was far too high, I knew it, but I was so full of adrenalin that I tricked myself into thinking that I could handle this pace for the whole bike. Not smart, but another rookie error. I learned my limits. After 2.5 hours of hard pushing on a course that is exceptionally tricky with all the turns and popper hills, I begain to pay the price. My heart rate dropped substantially and because I knew my fuelling was all right, I knew I had gone out too hard. But this is Ironman racing. You live, you learn, and you are forced to deal with the factors of the day - even if they are self-induced...;-) I rolled in at a 5:22 bike time which disappointed me, but at least there had been no mechanical and a large part of me was just glad to have gotten to the run part of the race - FINALLY!
Heading out for Loop #2 on the Bike I was 9th starting the run after having gained significantly on the bike (4th fastest bike split of the day) and slowly continued to reel in the women ahead of me. I had a pretty good run until about 21 miles, where at this point, my gut started cramping and I had to use the Porta-Potty a few times. I also started to stop to take in 2 cups of water at each aid station for the last 10 miles or so of the race as it was getting hot and dehydration was slowly creeping in. I chased and chased but for the life of me I couldn't catch the 4 women ahead of me (Corbin, Kessler, Williamson, and Cooper-Scott) who were all posting between 3:04 and 3:17 run splits. I ran a 3:13 (2nd fastest of the day) which was solid, but in all truthfulness it was not really pleasing to me either. At the turn around at Higgins Point, the 5th place bicycle was waiting to lead me in to the finish line. As tired as I was, she was absolutely hilarious, joking with me that she was my linebacker for the race as we pushed our way through the sea of racers all heading the opposite direction. 
Heading back out on the run at about mile 16 The crowds, volunteers, and cheering along the lakeside portion of the race was overwhelming (in a good way!) and it really helped to keep your mind off the pain. Seeing friends from Washington, Sam Barnes (who showed me around the course weeks earlier) and Kelly Moore, both having a great race boosted my spirits too. I saw TIMEX teammates, Roger, Phaedra, and Trista cheering along, and Jerzy and Juli out there pushing themselves on the course too. Jenny and Brian swayed their hips along as though they were on a Hawaiian beach, and although I was unable to acknowledge any of them (too tired) I processed it all and I was definitely smiling inside. 
Final Few Miles of IM CdA With one mile to go, my dad was there cheering and ran beside me for a few seconds. I remember thinking..."Sheesh, he's keeping up with me, I'd better step on it" but that was all the gearing I had left. It was all downhill for that 1/2 mile so it didn't matter anyways. The crowds cheering at the stands were incredible and I was happy to reach the finish line and be able to do the Blazeman roll, which I had wanted to do in St. George after meeting the ALS Warriors at the St. George Expo. That felt good. 
The roll which I hope to do many times in future in recognition of the Blazeman himself. A much needed stop in the bathroom ...the med tent...2 IVs....pizza....then more pizza.....yes, my typical post-Ironman routine (for now!) This said, as Scott and I have discussed many times, it is clear that until I am able to race without needing the med tent at the finish line, I will simply be holding myself back from the next 'jump in performance.' My goal and focus is to continue to put the pieces of this Ironman puzzle together so that I can reach a finish line in good form. When I do this I will have had a good race. As Scott has said, I need to stop relying on guts and drive, and to instead race in control. I'm getting there, and we both recognize some positive progress, but obviously still need to learn a few things:-) Coeur d'Alene was excellent learning - no doubt! 
Discussing some things 'learned' with Scott apres-race. Next on the list (after moving to Penticton next week!!!!!!!!) is Calgary 70.3 and then....Ironman Canada. More experience, more pieces to put together - can't wait!!!! As a final note a few special thanks to: -Steve at Vertical Earth (CdA cycling shop) for helping me with that 'tick' in my bike in the days leading up to the race (which was clearly making ME tic - no pun intended) and who also completed his first IM this weekend with a super result to boot! -My parents for travelling all the way from northern B.C. to watch me race! As well, as Scott, Jenny, and Brian for trekking down to CdA to support me for this race. -Bonnie for putting up with me as her homestay athlete for a full week:-) -Doug (TIMEX) for having that bike primed and ready to roll without a hitch. Gorgeous. -Amazing med tent volunteers for taking such good care of me when I was only partially coherent! |