2013 IMCDA Race Report
Taken from my blog: http://thejoyoftriathlon.wordpress.com/ This was my first long course and I got to do it with my husband Danny...also his first IM. Enjoy!!
Wow, where to start... We did it! Danny and I officially have our first Ironman under our belts, YAY!! 
It was such an amazing day! We are so blessed that we were not only able to compete together, but that we got to have our wonderful parents on the sidelines cheering us along the whole way - our Iron Sherpas as we referred to them. It meant the world to us having the three of you there and saying "thank you" doesn't feel like enough. We love you guys so much and you made this journey so much more meaningful.
What a journey it's been! We registered for Ironman Coeur d'Alene about a year ago and we've spent the last year preparing, training, and racing with the focus on our ultimate goal of completing the Ironman. This was the first time we followed a structured training plan over an off-season, months November-January, and being coached through Endurance Nation the whole way has proved to be a great success for us.
Race day -
AM meal: Woke up at 2am and crushed an extra large Naked Juice drink then went back to bed. I ended up tossing and turning with a full belly, slept off and on, and then woke up for good at 3:30am. Danny and I got our things together and then we were off to transition to prepare our bikes.
Swim: The big hype about the swim at CDA this year was the change from a mass start to a self-seeded corral type start. The change was made in an attempt to make the swim less chaotic and safer, which it sounds like it did. It also improved the average swim time by 3% from last year.
Danny and I headed to the water together. We got acclimated to the water temp (mid-low 60's), did a little warm up swim, and headed to the 1:00-1:15 corral. It was such an awesome feeling to be standing on the beach with a few thousand other triathletes knowing that they all invested the same blood, sweat, tears, and hundreds of hours of their lives to get to that point. What topped it off was that I got to stand there next to my husband. We did our first triathlon together in 2009, had always talked about doing an Ironman someday, and now it was finally time.
Thank God we bumped into our friend Kara in the corral because I was getting emotional thinking about all the mushy journey stuff. We talked about the race, how the swim and day in general would go, and I did my best to calm my nerves and not waste energy by shivering. Before we knew it the gun went off and it was time to move forward to the water. We wished each other good luck, Danny and I gave each other a kiss and off we went.
No matter what, an Ironman swim is nuts - mass start or not. There were 2300ish people getting into the water to swim the same course in a matter of minutes. I was kicked, swam over, and hit in the face multiple times. At least a few of the big blows were followed by a "sorry" and "are you ok?" I figured the second lap was going to be less contact, and maybe it was, but the harder hits and kicks seemed to come on the last lap.
I came out of the water with a 1:24 min swim (48/77 age group). We do all of our swim training in a pool and with my training attempts at the 2.4 mile distance I was at or a little under 1:15. I didn't know how the open water/wet suit/chaos was going to affect my time, and in hindsight, I should've probably seeded myself in the next corral. Either way, I made it out of the water and know my swim is an area to work on in the future.
T1: 4:52 - It's incredible how helpful the volunteers are. From stripping off my wet suit to applying sunscreen and putting my race belt on for me, they were great and allowed me to easily get in and out of T1.
Bike: I felt pretty good throughout the bike and thankfully didn't have any mechanical issues. The two lap course of two out and backs was perfect for my mental game. I knew exactly what I had in front of me. There were some epic climbs on the longer loop, but I think I rode them well. My nutrition plan fell into place too and I really wouldn't change anything about what I did on the bike. What I would change... Get stronger and learn how to ride faster my bike split was 6:27:12, 17.36mph avg, 23/77 age group.
T2: 5:57- Same great help from volunteers!
Run: Started off well considering my hips were pretty dang stiff and my feet already achy. Everyone says the Ironman marathon is way different than a regular marathon. They're right. Initially I felt I was holding back some, while keeping in mind what our coaches say...start running at a stupid slow pace and pick it up later on...but it didn't take me long to realize that I was running stupid slow and I probably couldn't run any faster if I really wanted to.
Like the bike course the run was 2 laps of 1 out and back along the beautiful Lake CDA. I started off only walking water stops and that lasted about 8 or so miles. I feel like I don't have many excuses for walking as much as I did because I wasn't cramping, in significant pain, or having GI issues. I was just tired and giving in to the mental game. Watching my average pace get slower and slower and counting how many miles I had left didn't help. Near the turn around point on the second lap I started to get myself together. Knowing I just had 6, 5, 4, 3 miles to go, I finally picked it up. My last 3 miles were pretty good and included minimal walking. My marathon time was 5:05:52, 11:40min/mi avg.
Endurance Nation has taught me that there's no such thing as a poor run after an excellent bike. I definitely thought I had a good bike and a not so good run, but I can’t honestly say that it was because I rode too hard. I've often struggled with the head games you can play with yourself when fatigue sets in. Sometimes I give in too easily and seeing how I had enough left in the tank to push the last 3 miles, I know I could’ve had a better marathon time. It’s a good learning experience and hopefully next time I can better my performance.
It felt great getting closer to the finish. The energy was unreal. I've never felt so much love from spectators and volunteers like that before. Everyone really makes you feel like all of the work you put into getting to that place was so worth it. I happily finished with a 13:08:09. 33/77 in the 25-29 age group. I met all of my goals...#1: to finish and have a blast doing so, #2: finish under 14hrs, and #3: stay cool if things don't go well.
Danny and I will also be competing in Ironman Canada in 8 weeks, so hopefully we both can learn from our first crack at this epic race and have another awesome race in Canada!!
Comments
Wow, and doing it all again in 8 weeks...good luck at IM Canada.
I was wondering if the Swim Smart Starts would help my time, too. I won't bet on it, but I'll hold out hope.
And, dang! Good luck in Canada! back to back! love that!
Awesome job, Jesse! I completely agree with you that the first one is a learning experience to see how your body reacts and what you need to do both physically and mentally to adjust. For me what i realized is there is no way to replicate IM pain or fatigue in any training session. Great meeting you and Danny. Best of luck in Canada!