Natalie Pilon 2015 IMLP RR
Well here goes...first ever race report. 4th Ironman and 3rd time on the IMLP course.
I foolishly thought I never had anything of value worth sharing. I was new to the distance and relatively new to the sport. Still very green. What I have come to appreciate is the value we all have in contributing to the greater body of knowledge and how even the smallest detail can be helpful. The point was hit home even further at training camp in June when Coach P remarked on how past reports could be used as a tool for improvement and setting new goals.
so here I go...I'll start at the beginning...
It was a dark and stormy night...(no wait....wrong story) eh hem...
Arrived in LP on Wednesday. I like arriving a little ahead of the big crowds. I find it helps me acclimate to the Ironman buzz and energies a little more gently. Some unavoidable stress going into the race unfortunately presented some challenges with sleep and nutrition. I simply can't eat when I am stressed and that reared its ugly head at a massage I had scheduled for Thursday. My feet cramped so badly when the RMT massaged my hamstrings that she had to stop altogether. ok..that's not good. I was hydrating with Nuun but clearly something was off. I picked up some Calcium/Magnesium supplements and started taking the max daily dosage immediately.
Team swim Friday morning followed by 4Keys was great. Swim felt dialed in and the talk kept me focused on task. Coach P has so much valuable first hand experience on this course. He helps remove some of the guess work out of the execution and gives us a sort of cheat sheet for success.
Friday Team Dinner was fantastic! I love our team. So great to see some familiar faces and to catch up with new friends made at camp. I really liked the set up as well. Drinks at 5pm, dinner at 6pm (prepaid) made for a very relaxed and smooth evening.
Saturday started out quite uneventful. Double checked the gear bags, realized I was missing a spare tire for bike special needs. I know I didn't "need" one...but I also didn't want to mess with the Ironman gods and tempt fate. I see it as an insurance thing. Bought my tire at the Cyclery, checked in my bike and dropped off the gear bags. Took my pics...breathed in the air and views of transition and made my way back to the hotel to await my support crew coming in later that afternoon.
Support crew arrived as planned and we headed out for dinner down main street...and then we saw the black smoke. I was staying two buildings over at the Golden Arrow. My daughter and I grabbed some food to go from the closest restaurant at hand away from the fire and went back to our room. I felt safe enough. The fire department and police were on hand and were handling the situation quite well. I could see the fire from my balcony. At times it looked like it was almost extinguished and then it just kept getting bigger. Eventually it got to the point we couldn't breathe in our room so I made the call and we left and headed away from the smoke and fumes.
I had left everything behind. Timing chip, wetsuit, special needs bags, breakfast items. All we had were the clothes on our backs. Not much later I heard they evacuated my hotel. This is where I started to unravel. I lost my mom to lung disease of unknown origin back in May, 2012. 8 weeks before completing my first Ironman in Lake Placid. The idea of exposing myself or anyone else to the toxins to retrieve my race things was simply not an option. I couldn't put mine or anyone else's health at risk for a race. We have the best teammates around and I am surrounded by some pretty incredible people. Edwin C, Brenda and Steve R and Brent came through for us when we needed help the most. They gave us a place to stay and Mary drove us to the grocery store to make sure I had breakfast for the next morning. Plan was to sleep (haha..right) then head back to the hotel at 4am to retrieve race gear. I slept for maybe an hour, but lets be honest, it's the night before Ironman, isn't that about how much sleep we all got? 
Race morning...everything went as smoothly as it possibly could have. Ate breakfast: 2 x Ensure and 2 cups of applesauce. Retrieved my things from my hotel room, made it over to transition at 5am as planned and even made the team pic! (that is RARE) 6am headed to the swim start for my warm up. This is the first year I have done warm up swims. At Coach P's suggestion earlier this year I did it before Quassy and it worked like a charm. Ran into Tim and Heather on my way to the water. Nothing beats a friendly face and a hug when you are feeling a little frazzled. Warm up swim done I headed over to the 1:10 coral and tried to relax and get into my race headspace. Surprisingly, I was feeling pretty good,
Swim felt really good. My plan was to stay far left away from the frenzy. I'm happy to sacrifice a little time for the sake of a stress free swim. First loop done, 35:27 Grabbed the gel I had stashed in my sleeve and ran back into the water for loop 2. Second loop went just as smoothly. 37:30. Total swim time 1:12:59
Ran to T1. I am transition challenged so I need to make up time where I can. I don't dilly dally and yet I still seem to take forever. T1 10:02 (ugh...needs so much work)
Climb out of town felt solid. My goal watts were 138. First loop felt great. Loved the descent to Keene, No issues with fuel or nutrition. 1 bottle of Gatorade every hour and one gel every 30min. Everything was going according to plan...and then my right arm pad broke on the climb out to Wilmington. ugh. No biggie, I can deal with this...or so I thought. Who needs to ride in aero anyway? uhm...I DO! Climb back into town felt strong. Stopped at special needs and grabbed more gels and drank an Ensure. Loop 2 started out fine enough, but by the time I hit 9N I really missed my aero bars. Al T passed me on the return from Ausible Forks with a friendly tip " you have aero pads, its windy, use them!" haha...thanks, Al! I wish I could 
By the time I started the second climb to Wilmington my wheels started to fall off. The lack of fueling in the days leading up to the race were catching up to me. My inner thigh muscles started to spasm and I couldn't put any pressure on my pedals. In the weeks since camp I played around with my bike fit and it resulted in some left knee pain. I have since made the necessary corrections but it will take more time to undo some of the muscle tightness and effects of the changes. Coming to the gorge (my nemesis) I was feeling pretty low. I couldn't ride at or above Z1. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and I'm ashamed to admit actually contemplated quitting (every to briefly) at one point. This for me is the beauty of Ironman. This opportunity it creates for us to push our bodies to our limits and face some darkness. We all face that choice...that moment where we choose to give in or fight. For most it comes on the run. For me on this day, it happened on the bike. I chose to fight, and it was almost as if I had flipped a switch. My ability to ride harder or faster didn't change, but my attitude sure did and before I new it I was heading into T2 and couldn't wait to start my run.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/848584798/1
T2 ; oh dear...still needs work 7:23
My plan was to switch on my HR monitor the last hour of the bike and use that as a guide for my run, Fail. Charge didnt take so no HR for the run, But I didnt care...I had come out the other side of my dark place and I felt great! I had my Garmin which I glanced at every so often to make sure I wasn't running ridiculously fast or too slow. I saw Coach P and some teammates on the way out, he gave me what I am convinced is the advice which enabled me to have my PR marathon. "Soak yourself at the first aid station" Done. Every aid station was one cup of water on me and one gatorade in me. Every second aid station I also took ice and put it down my top (front and back) to stay cool. I still kept up with the gel every 30min. I ran the entire run by PE. I felt great the whole time. Stuck to the plan of 30 steps every aid station (even found myself using less steps...just as many as it took to douse myself with water and drink some gatorade) I saw so many of our teammates out on the course. Teri smiled and waved every time. She looked amazing, Tim ran by with his long strides which makes it look effortless...even though we know it is anything but. Loop 2 felt just as good as loop 1. Only change was around mile 18 I start to take in Coke and chicken broth (if I can find it) I Passed Edwin C and Steve W heading back towards town as I was heading out. They looked so strong. I just love all the team mojo out there on the course. It feels amazing. I caught up to one of my training partners and teammate, Evan, on the second loop close to mile 17. He was entering what looked like his dark place. I wanted to show some team love and support but I also could tell he didn't want company. I checked in with him, shared some words of encouragement then I left him to do what he needed to do for himself on his first Ironman journey. I think it is so important we face that dark place alone and learn to find out own way out. (which I am so happy to say he did. I never doubted him for a second) First climb back into town I made a new friend...he said, "you better not slow down, you're pulling me up these hills" Turns out he attended our 4Keys talk and thinks very highly of Coach P and the Endurance Nation philosophy. He was counting walkers after mile 18 and was up to 123! Climb back into town I still felt good...pace was even and energy levels stayed constant the whole time. Out and back on Mirror Lake Dr. I couldn't stop smiling...I had a time goal in mind and I felt I was close...but I really had no idea what time it was. It just felt right. Once I passed the turn around it was on...pace quickened and I couldn't get to the oval fast enough. I entered the stadium and turned the bend, My daughter and Brent were there...and that's when I heard..."sub 13! you did it!" Race time 12:47:52 My goal was sub 13hours. I did it, I accomplished my goal with time to spare. I felt amazing. I cried as I approached the finish line as I heard Mike Reiley say, "Natalie Pilon from Ottawa, Canada, YOU are an Ironman" Yes I am.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/848584798/2
2012 - 15:23:51
2014 - 13:17:51
2015 - 12:47:52 Work Works, things are certainly moving in the right direction.
Comments
I remember seeing you out on the bike course and noting how smooth you looked with your pedaling. Must have been the first loop 'cause you were in a strong aero position.
Congrats on persevering thru a number of race week challenges and throwing down a great race!
Natalie - sorry about the aerobar comment, had I known...
On the run you were holding you head up and even smiling (but focused) a few times we passed. You have every right to feel good about that performance, not only the challenges overcome, but also the way you just let the race come to you, never trying to force the issue, but always staying with it. Sounds simple, but hard to do. Get the arm rest fixed, and who knows what will happen next time!
@Tim - me a runner? you have no idea how much it means to hear you say that. It has always been my weakness and something I have really been working on improving.
@Al - no need to apologize whatsoever. Your comment made me chuckle, and frankly at the time it was a very welcomed feeling to laugh a little at my situation
"I think it is so important we face that dark place alone and learn to find our own way out"
This is the main reason why I do IM. Love that comment. Important point above that you make, because, when you come out the other side, having made it through that period alone, you are stronger, wiser and, IMO, now able to reach out to others with a wiser perspective on life in general and serve with more purpose.
Congratulations on knocking it our of the park, hitting the goal and getting it done with character!
SS
Great Job! You really have things going in the right direction and all the hard work is paying off. That is an incredibly consistent run, and I always love to see when someone's last mile is one of their fastest.
Thank you for the positive energy out there on race day, you always seemed to be right track. I felt like quitting from about mile 5 to 13 of the run and was trying to think of every excuse I could come up with other than "it's just too damn hot out" to not go back out for that second loop. So don't feel bad at all for having those type of thoughts, at some point I would think we all have it enter their minds. Like you said, we all have to have those moments and need to work them out for ourselves one way or another.
Hope that you recovery is going well, and good luck with the rest of your year.
John.
Congrats on your race! I send you a request to do an RR podcast so please check your email inbox. Thanks!