Ironman Coeur d'Alene - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
United States
Ironman North America
53F / 12C
Precipitation
Total Time = 13h 00m 48s
Overall Rank = 1156/2200
Age Group = M30 - 34
Age Group Rank = 159/238
Pre-race routine:

I woke up around 4:00am, and saw that it was cold and windy but at least sunny (little did I know that was going to change). I was staying in the CDA resort and had ordered room service for 4:15. I wolfed down some pancakes and Gatorade. After finishing eating I packed up my bags and headed to transition. Once I got to transition I filled up my bike bottles and topped off the air in the tires. I then met my wife and some of our other friends who were doing the race and supporting us. We chilled till about 6:15am and then started to get ready. I was glad to put the wetsuit on as it warmed me up. About 6:40 I said goodbye to my wife and headed to the beach.
Event warmup:

Didn't really do a warmup. Got onto the beach waited about 10 minutes and boom we were off.
Swim
  • 1h 18m 41s
  • 4224 yards
  • 01m 52s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was a tough swim. It was a mass start and I started towards the back on the far right side. The first lap was the usual mass chaos of an Iroman swim. I was lucky and only caught one foot to the face. The first turn bouy was crowded and I was able to get through it. The second one I missed and went probably 75 yards past it. The waves were so big I couldn't see the bouy's in the water. Sighting was really difficult. On the second lap I was able to get more onto the bouy lines so it helped some with sighting. However, by this time the wind had kicked up and the waves were even bigger. I think my back is sore from getting bent backwards by some of the waves.
What would you do differently?:

Overall, I thought I did fairly well for the swim. It was a mass start in rough conditions. The only thing I would do is swim more in open water before the race.
Transition 1
  • 07m 51s
Comments:

Had a decent T1. The wetsuit strippers got my suit off quickly. Since it was so cold I wanted to ride with arm warmers on and it took a while to get those onto my wet arms. Once they were on I stopped off and got loaded up with sunscreen, since it was still sunny out.
What would you do differently?:

Put on my arm warmers as I head towards my bike rather than doing it in transition
Bike
  • 6h 35m 35s
  • 112 miles
  • 16.99 mile/hr
Comments:

This was tough. I took it easy on the first loop. When we came out of transition I held back and let everybody pass me up as I wanted to conserve for the second loop and the run. It was tough to let everybody fly by me. Throughout the first loop I was doing well with alternating between drinking Infinit, water, and gels. When we turned to head back into town to begin the second loop is when I felt the wind. It was strong. When we got back to the start of the second loop I was still feeling pretty good.

I hit the special needs around mile 63ish. I stopped for a few minutes to reload fluids and gels. I also started to eat a Cliff bar as I wanted some solid food. I've never tasted anything so good. I then also stopped at the mile 66 aid station as I had to go really bad and just couldn't make myself pee on my bike. I was probably in there for 90 seconds. After that I felt great and started the climb back into town to head out to the hills.

I won't lie. The hills on the second loop were tough. There was a lot of wind and the hills just kept coming. Once I hit the turn around on Ohio Match Road I knew I only had another 20 miles and I was done. I made the turn back onto Government Highway to head back into town and the wind was unbelievable. I was peddling hard and it felt like I was hardly moving. I got back into town and headed towards transition. When I hopped off my bike I was surprised at how well my legs felt. I had no cramping or issues. The year before at IMKY I about died due to cramps in my legs. I was really happy.
What would you do differently?:

Ride more. Ride hills more. Ride in the wind more.
Transition 2
  • 03m 48s
Comments:

Felt good. Gave my bike to the bike person to put back. Jogged in my bike shoes to T2. Got my run bag. Put on my running shoes and hat and took off. I skipped the sunscreen as the storm was coming in and it was cloudy. I also ran with my arm warmers on as it was freezing.
What would you do differently?:

Not much. Was happy with my time.
Run
  • 4h 54m 53s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

Were to begin on this one. I started out running and was feeling really good, but even with running 10 minute miles I was cold. I would sweat, but the wind would rip through me and I was freezing. I stopped once at mile 5 to take care of business and this caused me to have a 13 minute mile, but I felt better after that. Around mile 6 I started to take in chicken broth. Not because I needed the salt, but I needed the warmth. By now it had started raining and the wind picked up even more. It was miserable out there. I was also starting to chafe under my arms from the rain. I walked up the big hill at the turn around at mile 7 and then ran back into town. I saw my wife at mile 12.5 and dispatched her on a mission to find me body glide. Meanwhile at each aid station since mile 6 I was hitting Gatorade, water and chicken broth with the occasional gel.

I hit my special my special needs bag at mile 14 and put on my long sleeve shirt. It was a life savior. I still felt pretty good and was running. I saw my wife around mile 15 and put on the body glide she got me and it was immediate relief. I was now also taking in Coke with the water, Gatorade, and soup. I was able to run until mile 18 and then had to walk some. I also grabbed one of those silver milar blankets and mile 18 and wrapped myself in it. I alternated running and walking between mile 18 and the turnaround point at mile 21 (I did walk up the big ass hill at the turn around). From mile 22 on I was able to run/shuffle all the way back into town. When I turned onto Sherman and could see and hear the finish line all the pain went away and I was able to run. I think I ran an 8 minute mile for the last mile. As I got closer to the finish I was high fiving the crowd I saw my wife in the bleachers and she was filming me coming through. I waved to her and then heard the magic words from Mike "Matt Baker You Are An IRONMAN".
What would you do differently?:

Need to run more and run hills. I wished I would have cut out a few sections of walking as I could have gone under 13 hours if I have done that. I was only 48 seconds off from going sub 13. Next time.
Post race
Warm down:

After I got through the shoot they wrapped me in another mylar blanket and gave me my shirt, hat, medal, etc... I got my finishers picture done and couldn't stop shaking. I was so cold. My wife had brought me a jacket and running pants. I put those on right away. All I wanted to do was get out of the elements and back into the hotel to warmup. We got my bike, bags, etc... and headed back into the hotel.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The weather was rough. With the cold and the wind it hampered me some on my bike and run. I also just need to continue to train and get fitter.

Event comments:

What can I say about this race. Ironman knows how to do a race. The city of Coeur d'Alene comes out in droves to cheer and volunteer. There were people cheering all along the bike and run course. Those volunteers are amazing. For the run they were standing against the lake in pouring rain, high winds and cold helping us out. You couldn't ask for more. If you want to do an early Ironman, I would highly recommend you do IMCDA.

I am happy that I went 3 hours and 9 seconds faster than Kentucky. I thought this was a much harder course than Kentucky. Although, you have to deal with the heat in Kentucky the bike course is more forgiving and the run course is flat in Kentucky. I trained a lot more and a lot smarter for this race and it showed. I want to do another one next year, but I think I am going to take it off, as I owe my wife some time. I will most likely do another one in 2011, maybe a destination one (Brazil, France, etc...).


Profile Album


Last updated: 2008-09-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:18:41 | 4224 yards | 01m 52s / 100yards
Age Group: 130/238
Overall: 973/2200
Performance: Good
Suit: Zoot Wetsuit
Course: 2 loop rectangle
Start type: Run Plus:
Water temp: 65F / 18C Current: High
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Bad Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 07:51
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
06:35:35 | 112 miles | 16.99 mile/hr
Age Group: 163/238
Overall: 1181/2200
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: Two loop course. First half is fairly flat, and the back half is hilly. Got really windy in the second half. Entire ride back was into a 17mph headwind. Really made it tough.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:48
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:54:53 | 26.2 miles | 11m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 159/238
Overall: 1116/2200
Performance: Average
Course: Out and back course that you run twice. Had a few small hills in the middle and one big hill at the turn around point.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5