My immune system gets all suppressed after completing Ironman races. Therefore I like to avoid crowded places and public transportation. So the perfect solution for me was to get off the busy freeways and travel along the back roads of Washington state. I jumped onto Highway #2 just west of Spokane and headed out onto the wide open plains.
The scenery was spectacular and there was very little traffic so the driving was quite effortless. This was just what I needed. I was in no hurry so I really took my time, stopping every couple of hours to eat and drink or sometimes just to walk about in the wide open spaces.
One of my first stops was at the Grand Coulee Dam. I had not been here since my childhood so I enjoyed the visit. There was a tour and light show however that would have involved hanging out with other gringo’s so confined my visit to a walk around the visitor centre. That was quite enough.
The weather was still a little variable so I decided to press on to Lake Chelan which lies in the arid Okanagan Valley. I am so glad that I did because it was gorgeous there. It was warm and sunny as I drove through the many valleys that were lined with orchards and vineyards.
I spent a couple of days at the 25 Mile campground on Lake Chelan. It was totally relaxing. There wasn’t much to do but swim, nap, eat, read and have a beer or two. At night, all I could hear was the rushing water of a nearby stream. It was the perfect location to unwind and recover from Ironman Coeur d’Alene.
Ironman Recovery Centre
After my stay in Lake Chelan, I continued west leaving the arid valley behind as I began the climb up into the Cascade Mountains. The first stop on the way was in the Bavarian themed town of Leavenworth. Here even the local McDonalds was festooned with (someones idea of) Bavarian architecture.
Faux Bavaria
On (and up) I continued until I got to the top of Stevens Pass where there were remnants of snow on the mountains even in June.
A couple of hours later I arrived home relaxed, unhurried and happy. A perfect post-Ironman state to be in.
I was singing the following chant while out on the bike course at Ironman Coeur d’Alene. The lyrics really helped me focus on the task at hand when there was a whole lot of crazy shit going on all around me.
More than anybody yeah
Nothing can nothing can
Stop me now
Nothing can nothing can
Stop me.
I Love you, love you, love you all
Yeah I love you, love you, love you all
Breaking the fences down
Yeah forever we’re together
Got a reason
And there’s nothing can go wrong
Here is KXLY’s video report from Ironman Coeur d’Alene which does a good job of setting the context for the day.
Tip #1. Arrive early for IM Coeur d’Alene as finding parking may be problem. Take the 4th Street exit off I 90, drive down 3rd Street and park near the Bakery. The bakery will be open at that time so you can grab a warm coffee and a freshly baked energy bar. It is a nice way to start a very long day. From here you only have a 5 block walk to the transition area.
Tip #2. Do not start too far west of the swim course. I started wide on the swim course so that I could avoid some of the mixmaster nastiness. While this provided me with some peace of mind it also meant that I spent the 1st km of the swim fighting the current and prevailing wind. The lake was very choppy at the start of the swim, this chop was compounded by large swells by the time we were 1 km offshore. This made swimming very challenging as it was difficult to find a rhythm and tough to breathe without swallowing water.
Tip #3 Don’t underestimate grey power. I was continually impressed by the quality of the athletes in this race. There was so much great competitive back and forth between myself and the other cyclists out on the bike course. Time and time again, I would pass cyclists only to have them chase me down and renew the challenge. I loved it. There was one man who happened to be 66 years old and despite his age, he was as strong as an ox. He was incredibly inspiring.
Tip #4 Don’t assume that everyone is a skilled cyclist. It’s a shame that not all of the athletes that enter an Ironman race don’t do at least part of their race training with triathlon clubs. When you train with clubs you learn about cycling safety, courtesy, triathlon rules and how to ride a quiet line. All of these skills are very important in a race but sadly were not widely practised at Coeur d’Alene. In this video, you will see one of the worst examples of what occurred at Coeur d’Alene.
Thanks to Jeremy for passing this video along.
This accident happened minutes before I arrived at this point in the course. I saw the victim lying on the sidewalk while being attended by first aid crews. I also saw the instigator later on that day, still riding as carelessly as ever.
Tip #5 If your Hammer Gel looks curdled, don’t drink it. I did and it trashed my stomach so that I was unable to take in the necessary calories during that latter part of my bike. Won’t do that again as it really does not set you up well for the run.
Tip #6 Find inspiration where you can. I was struggling a bit on the run and my brain was starting to get whiny. I then saw a woman running with her arm in a sling. It turns out that she had broke her collar bone on the bike however she got fixed up and continued the race. That is will power!
Tip #7 Even Pro’s have a bad day. I saw one female pro who walked the entire run course. It truly was a testament to her character that she decided to continue when so many other people would have given up.
Tip #8 A good support crew makes all the difference. My family was awesome. They wore Ironman tattoos on their faces, screamed Arabic war cries at me and chased throughout a very long (and wet) day. My family made this a very special day for me.
Tip #9 Remove the tags from your finisher hat when you meet renowned triathlon blogger Spokane Al. What can I say? It was just after the race and I was cold, wet and tired.
Tip #10 If you think you are having a bad day, look around. Check out this video of the last person to cross the finish line. She actually falls only a few metres from the finish line however she picks herself up and crosses with minutes to spare. She is an Ironman!
All in all, it was a great adventure for me which is as it should be at Ironman. I made lots of mistakes, I enjoyed myself, I was challenged and I achieved my best Ironman finish time to date.
The good
An overall PR for me.
I moved up 700 positions after my dismal swim.
I did not drown in the monstrous chop on Lake Coeur d’Alene
My family were the best cheering team on the course. They were hilarious.
The bad
My worst ever IM swim time.
I missed my goal time of 11:30
Ran into some stomach issues after discovering that my Hammer Gel was “off”. Gross!
It poured rain for the last 5 miles which was particularly nasty out at the turn around point. They started issuing mylar blankets for the runners because it was so cold.
The wind followed us everywhere on the bike. It was omnipresent.
SWIM BIKE RUN OVERALL RANK DIV.POS.
1:24:36 5:49:45 4:19:32 11:46:17 593 29
LEG DISTANCE PACE RANK DIV.POS. SWIM SPLIT
1: 1.2 mi 1.2 mi (39:44) 2:05/100m
SWIM SPLIT 2: 2.4 mi 1.2 mi (44:52) 2:21/100m
TOTAL SWIM: 2.4 mi 2.4 mi (1:24:36) 2:13/100m 1331 81
BIKE SPLIT
1: 34 mi 34 mi. (1:40:36) 20.28 mph
BIKE SPLIT 2: 90 mi 56 mi. (2:57:44) 18.90 mph
BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi 22 mi. (1:11:25) 18.48 mph
TOTAL BIKE: 112 mi 112 mi. (5:49:45) 19.21 mph 634 33
RUN SPLIT 1: 7.47 mi 7.47 mi (1:10:48) 9:28/mi
RUN SPLIT 2: 21.75 mi 14.28 mi (2:16:45) 9:34/mi
RUN SPLIT 3: 26.2 mi 4.25 mi (51:59) 12:13/mi
TOTAL RUN 26.2 mi. (4:19:32) 9:54/mile 593 29
A big shout out to everyone that is riding today in the Ride 2 Survive. The R2S is a 400 km ride from Kelowna to Delta that is completed in a single day. It is an epic ride that raises money to support Cancer research and support those that are living with this disease.
I attempted this ride last year but crashed mid-ride and broke several teeth and fractured my right arm. Even so, I got fixed up at the hospital and was able to ride with the group for the last 60 km into town. It was a very empowering and emotion charged event. Here is my post from last year.
More pre-race thoughts that are inspired by the music that I am listening to as I nap in my hotel room. This time the inspiration comes from “Listen to your heart” by DHT.
sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile
the precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah
they’re swept away and nothing is what is seems
the feeling of belonging to your dreams
and there are voices
that want to be heard
so much to mention
but you can’t find the words
the scent of magic
the beauty that’s been
when love was wilder than the wind
listen to your heart
when he’s calling for you
listen to your heart
there’s nothing else you can do
This song by Pink kinda sums up where my brain is during these pre-race hours.
How did I become so obnoxious?
What is it with you that makes me act like this?
I’ve never been this nasty
Can’t you tell that this is all just a contest?
The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest
But baby I don’t mean it
I mean it, I promise
Da da da-da da
Please don’t leave me
Da da da-da da
Please don’t leave me
Ps. Love the lead guitar in this live version. It has just that extra little bite that is missing from the studio version.
It is a nice sunny day here in Idaho on the day before Ironman Coeur d’Alene. It will not be this nice for race day however the forecast has improved somewhat. The chance of precipitation is now at 40% and thunderstorms are no longer expected. What rain we do get is not expected until after 11 am which suits me fine as I should be half way through the bike course by then. This is really good news.
I met my family in downtown Coeur d’Alene this morning. We then walked over to the Ironman village where I checked in my bike and gear bags. My sisters also scored some IM gear including some M-Dot tattoos that they are planning to wear tomorrow as they cheer from the sidelines. The Ironman “circus” was causing me stress so we left and went for a nice walk around Lake Coeur d’Alene. We finished up with a late lunch at Scratch where I scored the Ironman special which consisted of linguini pommodoro topped with grilled chicken. It was the perfect pre-Ironman meal since it had lots of carbs, a little protein and no spice. I highly recommend trying out Scratch if you are in CdA or Spokane, the food is awesome.
Lunch time bliss
My sister the subversive. I am amazed that the US border guards let her in the country when she is wearing her Che Guevara t-shirt that she bought while vacationing in Cuba this winter.
Eagerly awaiting our food
The family has now gone off shopping and left me at the Ho Jo where I am happy to nap, eat and stretch for the rest of the day. Soon it will be showtime!
A big thanks to everyone that supported me and helped to get me to the starting line. I appreciate all of your of your love, coaching and assistance. Oh Jeez, now I am getting all emotional.
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The scenery was spectacular and there was very little traffic so the driving was quite effortless. This was just what I needed. I was in no hurry so I really took my time, stopping every couple of hours to eat and drink or sometimes just to walk about in the wide open spaces.
