Where to begin.......I guess I should start with my training leading up to the race.....what I woulda-coulda-shoulda done.....but the fact is that I trained well and was prepared for what Coeur d'Alene had in store for me....or at least that's what I thought. This is an important point because in an Ironman it's all between the ears and on this race day I experienced a real mind bender.
The Swim - 1:26
Going into the race I was most concerned about the temperature of the water(which ended up being perfect at 65F). Having experienced two mass swim starts I wasn't concerned about the melee that begins the race. I knew that I would go anaerobic for the first 15 minutes and it would take me the first 30 minutes before my heart rate would settle back down, which it did. What I didn't think about was the wind and choppy water that created a top current on the water. Why is this important? Well...because if you line up to the left on the beach and the current is right to left, then you end up fighting the current and wasting lots of energy - like I did - very amateur. The water "chop" was more like thousands of mini-rogue waves which caused me to swallow quite a bit of lake water and more importantly took me out of any rhythm that I was trying to maintain. So I resorted back to brute forcing it through the swim, nothing new for me. Overall time of 1:26 for 2.4 miles is on the fringes of respectable and in line with my expectation for this leg of the race.
The Bike - 6:11
Fortunately we drove the bike course the day prior to the race so I had reset my expectations for this leg of the race. There were four hills dubbed "Legs of Zeus", which in a two loop course for you mathematicians is a pleasurable eight, that lived up to its name. I only came out of my saddle once though, knowing that it would save energy and be more efficient, which it proved to be. The hills of Coeur D'alene are both slow and fast. My top speeds on the descents reached 47 MPH with twists and turns very very cool if you've got the guts to hit. The only problem is that there are two thousand other cyclists on the road and an occasional car. On loop two I was hitting 45 MPH when a fellow racer weaved, as we approach the bottom of a hill turn, causing me to do a little off road biking skidding into a lane of pea gravel that is designed to stop runaway trucks on steep hills. Fortunately I maintained my composure - not sure how - but averted potentially a pretty ugly situation.
I was forced to stop three times on the bike, twice for my chain getting derailed and once to relieve myself of the gallon of lake water I ingested during the swim. Throughout the bike course I took in about 200 calories per hour and stayed pretty well hydrated. In all other races I took in about 325 calories per hour, which is what I should've done because I paid for it on the start of the run. I must say that there is nothing remotely fun bout being on a bike for 6:11. Averaging about 18.1MPH over the 112 mile course was in line with my revised expectations. So far I'm executing the plan, not realizing how much the bike course had taken out of me.
The Run - 4:40
Before I talk about the run - can I say again just how happy I am at this moment that I'm off of that damn bike??!!
The run.......it's been said the Ironman is "all about the run". Whoever said this, has more than likely experienced the highs and lows of the 26.2 mile marathon after shredding their legs on a challenging 112 mile bike course. Well this IM proved no different. It was all about the run, but to be more specific about IMCDA, it was all about the run in low 50's with heaving winds and driving rain as you ran along the unprotected shores of Lake Coeur D'alene. Pre-race some lady told me to enjoy the beauty of this course today and "take it all in". If I could've have found her on the run course I would've thrown her ass into the Lake and let her "take it all in". My hands were numb and the majority of the racers put on thin protective silver heat blankets that were being handed out to all of the runners.
During the first 6 miles of the run I had a new experience. If you've ever read a book before going to bed and your get really really tired and fight to keep you eyes open but fall asleep - that is what I experienced at the beginning of the run. At about 3 miles into the run I began running irregularly and fellow racer asked me if I was ok and I said "not really". What's interesting about this, is that when this happening to you, your mind fights it and you keep pushing forward knowing that you're in trouble and believing that you can work through it, if only you just keep moving. I came upon a guy with "50" on his calf walking as we approached an aid station. I slowed down to walk with him and learned that he had a golden retriever, originally from northern California and worked at the local sheriff's office. During our 10 minute chat and walk I consumed a gu pack, a cup of water, some electrolytes, sugar cookies and some hot chicken broth which the combination of everything got my mind and legs back under me. In hindsight what I was most likely experiencing was what happens frequently to diabetics before they go into shock which is a glycogen deficiency. Suffice to say, stopping and getting some sodium and glycogen proved to be one of the more intelligent things I did on race day.
It was a very very long run that was physically & mentally challenging. At mile 20 I looked at my watch and realized that I was 11:30 into the race and in jeopardy of not beating my IM Brazil time of 12:39. At this juncture I dialed it in and ran, not stopping at any aid station till I was 1 mile from the finish line and grabbed 2 cups of coke and some more cookies. I had to have energy when I finished and appear not to have gotten my ass handed to me in Coeur D'alene. The last 7 blocks of the race are down hill and lined with spectators, despite the cold and rainy weather. It always amazes me how you feel when the endorphins and adrenaline kick in as you run down the finishing chute and cross the finish line. At this point you've forgotten about all of the water that you took in during the swim, the "Legs of Zeus" hills on the bike ride, the wet & windy freezing cold run and know just one thing you've completed 140.6 Ironman distance event.
I've been told many times by a good friend that ".....it's not the destination Phil, it's all about the journey". On this day I would argue this point it because today it was all about the destination.
Overall - 12:31
Not my best time, however if you were to "weight" the courses that I've completed, CDA is by far the most challenging course in the most challenging conditions. So I'm declaring victory - the course almost got me early in the run - but didn't - in the end I beat it and walked away from the event feeling pretty good. The venue was beautiful and the fans great, however it'll take some time for me to ever want to do this course again. A great experience and one that I will not forget............at least until the next IM event........TBD.
