Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
USAT
93F / 34C
Sunny
Total Time = 15h 17m 16s
Overall Rank = 1588/2200+
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 281/394
Pre-race routine:

Pre-hydrating, eat a couple of power bars.
Event warmup:

Walk around the staging area.
Swim
  • 1h 18m 43s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

Mass start was tough. Cold water, lots of waves and excessive contact with other competitors made it hard to catch my breath at first, but after the first 500 yards I was able to get into a decent routine. I started toward the front, about in the middle of the line. Probably too far up given my speed that day.
What would you do differently?:

Never again will I swim that lake in a sleeveless suit. Thankfully my wife bought me a full length suit this year for my birthday, but not until after the Ironman. Also, since I'm generally a strong swimmer I'd try to go faster, especialy at the start. I think I was too worried about running out of energy during the swim.
Transition 1
  • 11m 2s
Comments:

I admit this was a slow transition. Good chance to catch my breath, but resting is not an ideal use of time during transition.
What would you do differently?:

Since my next Ironman will focus on reducing my time, I'll have to come into this with the conditioning to avoid resting in transition.
Bike
  • 7h 07m
  • 112 miles
  • 15.74 mile/hr
Comments:

I had really trained too little on the bike, mostly because it just takes so much time, and I couldn't secure that much time so I knew that 112 miles would be hard for me to finish. My goal was to go slowly so that I had enough energy to get through the run after the bike. Although I was slow, I did succeed in getting through the 112 miles with enough energy left to at least walk the run, and with enough time left to walk the run.
What would you do differently?:

At one point prior to the Ironman I had taken off my aerobars because I did not feel stable while using them. This was a mistake. I should have practiced with them until I was comfortable in the aero position. Also, I simply must make the time for more long rides. There is just no substitute for training.
Transition 2
  • 09m 13s
Comments:

This was another opportunity to rest for a second while not rushing to get to the run.
What would you do differently?:

Next time I'd add a sense of urgency to the transition.
Run
  • 6h 19m 25s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 14m 29s  min/mile
Comments:

This was not a fast run obviously. By the time I got to the "run" my legs were shot from the bike. The heat was draining me of strength, but I knew that I had enough time left to walk out the marathon and that's what I did. Best I could do was to keep up a fast walk, with a little bit of running here and there.
What would you do differently?:

I'd practice more on the bike and spend more time in the aero position to save my legs a bit. My run was shot before I ever started.
Post race
Warm down:

I could barely move when I finished. It was dark and late, and I had no support at the race. Tough being exhausted and still having to worry about carrying bags, bike and gear back to the car. Sat down for a bit and ate some pizza, but mostly I just wanted to go home and get in the tub, then bed, so I loaded up the car and drove 40 miles back home.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Conditioning was an issue, but I was happy to have finished this challenging event. Just a couple years ago I would not have imagined signing up for an Ironman, much less completing one. Next Ironman will be better. I learned a lot from this experience.

Event comments:

Amazing amount of effort by the local community in supporting this event. Locals stood all day in the heat chearing on even folks like me who finished well behind most of the participants. That really helped. Corporate sponsorship was great (Ford).


Profile Album


Last updated: 2006-02-27 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:18:43 | 4224 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 281/394
Overall: 1333/2200+
Performance: Average
Suit: sleeveless
Course: Two counter-clockwise rectangles of 1.2 miles each.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 62F / 17C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 11:02
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
07:07:00 | 112 miles | 15.74 mile/hr
Age Group: 332/394
Overall: 1589/2200+
Performance: Average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Two loops starting East to West into Washington State, and back to CDA Idaho. A couple of tough hills along the way.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 09:13
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Below average
Running with bike Average
Racking bike Average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
06:19:25 | 26.2 miles | 14m 29s  min/mile
Age Group: 295/394
Overall: 951/2200+
Performance: Below average
Course: Paved course around the lake and through local neighborhoods and town. Lots of volunteers along the way. Some decent hills. Lots of well stocked water/snack stops.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %3
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5