Ironman Canada 2009

Ironman Canada - Penticton, BC
http://www.ironman.ca/
2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 run





Pre-Race







I was very excited to get to the start line of the race uninjured and not sick. After months of training and preparing you eventually just want to get it over with. Let's start this thing already! Unfortunately there is a lot to do. Pack transition bags, bike drop off, registration, etc.. etc.. I did not want to spend my days before the race waiting in lines and the hustle and bustle. Things worked out fairly well. I rode the run course, and registered later in the day so there was a small line. I was also able to drop off my bike on Saturday very quickly in the morning. I enjoyed the rest of the day before the race and just relaxed at a beautiful winery (had to limit the wine of course). The night before the race was tough. I did get some sleep but all I could do was think about the race. I was quite a bit worried about how many hills were on the coure and bad thoughts crept up about it being too hard. I got rid of those thoughts and told myself that my time didn't matter. I just wanted to finish. I woke up at 3:30am, ate what I could, and double checked my gear. It was time to go. I tried to stay calm and felt pretty good. After saying good luck to some fellow teammates, it was time to head to the start of the swim course


Swim: 1:22:57

















I lined up on the far left in hopes of avoiding getting crushed by the other 2600 swimmers. I was very calm before the start. After the gun sounded I slowly walked out into the water. After most everyone in front of me was in the water and swimming I did the same. I started a relaxed swim and just worked on not slamming into others. I was bumped a bit and focused on holding my ground without being aggressive. After about 500 meters I had some open space and drafted a few different swimmers. I felt great at the first turn. I swam over three of four scuba divers. My left calf started cramping and had to limit my kicking. I still felt good and was swimming by myself for a bit. I spotted and moved over to a pack so I could draft. I made the turn back and was holding strong. I ended up close the the buoys on the way back and it was a bit rough there. I got kicked in the goggles, but they stayed in place and I didn't lose the seal. My calf started cramping pretty bad. I was ready to be done with the swim, but I spotted the tall condo just to the right of the finish and it was quite a ways out. I kept trying to find the right person to draft but couldn't find anyone. I then started to struggle with my hamstring cramping. I had to focus a lot to keep my swimming form and found myself not breathing well. It took a long time to where I started seeing the bottom of the lake. At this point both hamstrings and calves were cramping, I was hurting. I told myself to swim close to shore instead of standing up in the shallow water. I had to stand up earlier than I wanted due to my leg cramps. I was stoked to see the 1:22 swim time. I ran in and was thankful it was over. I swam a faster pace than I did last year during my half Ironman.


T1: 6:22

I had my wetsuit stripped off by the volunteers, grabbed my transition bag and went into the changing tent. I didn't have any problems except I forgot socks for the bike. No biggie, my shoes are fine without socks. I had sunscreen put on and I ran to my bike.



Bike: 7:15:59












I was happy to be done with the swim and on the bike. Time to relax a little, hydrate and get my stomach settled down. I rode down main street in awe of the crowd and all the other racers around me. Soon the crowd thinned out further down the road and soon they were gone. A lot of cyclists passed me on the flat section on the lake, but I follwed Coach Jill's advice and easily cruised at 18mph. The first small climb was easy and I was feeling pretty good and started to get some calories. I knew it was critical to get enough calories and follow my nutrition plan. I tried to not worry about being passed and didn't take myself too seriously. I sang some songs and just kept an easy pace. This was going to be a long ride and I wanted to enjoy as much as I could. I broke the bike into 20 mile sections. Each 20 miles was a goal for me. The first 20 went by really fast. Then the next 20 was done. No problems at all. I was waiting for Richter pass, which is an 11km climb. I hit it soon enough. This turned into one of the most memorable parts of the race. I really felt part of something amazing. There were hundreds of us climbing that long hill with a bunch of screaming spectators, gorgeous views of vineyards, huge rocky cliffs, and you could see a line of cyclists down in the valley. It was an amazing feeling. I am a slow cyclist, but hills are my strength. I climbed Richter at a nice smooth cadence and passed a lot of riders. My legs felt great. Richter was over quickly and I was rewarded with a big descent. I knew it wasn't over, there were a series of shorter hills to go over. These turned out to not be that bad. Soon enough I was at mile 60, this is where my back started hurting. I usually only make it to mile 30 before it hurts, so I couldn't complain. Around mile 70 or so I hit the small out and back section where you can use any items you put in your special needs bag. While riding there I saw some teammates riding the other way, it was good to see some familiar faces out there. This section was tough, it was not flat. I finally made it to my bag and stuffed my face with some chips and half of a sandwich. I grabbed a couple bars and put in my pocket. Back on my bike for more climbing up Yellow lake. At mile 90, my back was done, but I still had to muster something up to get over the pass. I started the climb and it was brutal. A couple of riders and I slowly climbed and steadily got through the pain. I got to the top of the pass and was ready to go down the other side, but a significant headwind was pushing against me. I could see Penticton, but it sure looked far away at the end of the lake. The last 12 miles of the ride was torture, I was all by myself at this point and had to fight the head wind back in. I could barely go 12mph. I was wondering how I would feel on the run. My back hurt and I wasn't sure what was left in my legs.

Run: 4:32:18

I jumped off my bike at transition and ran to my bag and changing tent. I felt ok. I changed quickly and ran out. My legs were tired, but it was nice to be off the bike. I kept a nice easy pace. I had a long run to do, but it was all about one mile at a time; one aid station at a time. 'Stay hydrated, and keep getting the calories', was what I told myself. I was very motivated by seeing my girlfriend Eva, and Angela cheering for me when I started the run. Small moments like that really kept me going. I hit the first aid station, I did everything the same for the first half of the run: 9(ish) minute run pace, 1 minute walk through aid station, sponges squeezed over head (ice old water), drank water and a coke. It was very challenging to drink and eat. I was very nauseous. I then ran past Jill and Mike (my triathlon team's tent) and they cheered me on. It was tough to see all the runners about to finish as I was heading out. I just had to think I'd be there soon enough. The next few miles went by quickly and I hit the first hill on the run. I made a very smart decision to walk up the steeper part of the hills, I could not afford to wear down my legs anymore to save a couple of minutes. The next section along the lake was flat and fast. I tried to go with the flow and enjoy it before the set of hills coming up at miles 11-13. I soon went by my boys James and Greg. It was great to give motivation and get it back. I hit the hills and walked up most of them. I made it up them and was still feeling ok, despite feeling sick, and hit the turn around point. BAM! time to head back to the finish! I had to climb up the hills I just came down. This was tough, I walked up most of the hill and started running again. My legs were done. All I could think was I have to beat 14hrs. I told myself I had to dig deeper than I ever have in my life to keep my pace on the way back. I thought I had to run the same pace back to make 14hrs, I was actually wrong about that, but glad I was. It made me work harder. I changed my walk run to 5 minute run, 30 second walk, 5 minute run, 1 minute walk. If I hit the aid station before the 2nd five minute run I did my 1 minute walk then. It worked well for the next 7 miles. It kept my legs from dying. I hit the flat section along the lake and knew this was a good spot to be strong with my pace. I ran well through this section. I was passing people all over the place. Everyone was looking bad through here, mostly everyone was walking. I made it to mile 20 soon enough and switched to five minute run, 1 minute walk. I was able to rock a pretty good pace by doing this. I dreaded each aid station because I knew I had to drink water and coke there. It just didn't feel good to drink or eat anything but I had too. This made the miles go by quickly. Soon enough I was back on main street, the crowd pumped me up. At mile 23 I picked up the pace a bit, I had a little left to push it. I then got to the out and back section before the finish. I turned it on even more, Eva was screaming and jumping up and down! I was pumped to finish. The out section seemed to take forever. Last aid station to walk through, now for the last sprint. I was passing tons of runners here, I then saw the finish and passed a large group of walkers. I blasted through the finish line and jumped into the air. I'm not sure how I had the energy but it felt amazing. I then realized my legs were gone and I felt really sick. I saw James lying down on the ground and I did the same. It felt good to just lie down.




Overall Time: 13:22:12
1431 out of ~2600 Overall
144 out of 220 Division








Afterthoughts:





It didn't hit me until the drive back to Seattle that I am now an Ironman. It feels good, plain and simple. I can't thank all who supported me enough.