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Race Report: 2015 Ironman COEUR D'ALENE

This is basically the report I wrote to Coach Liz after the race. I added a few things to (hopefully) make more sense of it. It's certainly not an easy job to be my coach but, hey, at least I am letting her know exactly how I am feeling and what does/doesn't work for me... :) 

Checking out the beautiful bike and run course, partly along the lake. It's gorgeous here!

Pre-race

Well, it was a bit crazy with moving, sickness, getting kids ready and taking them to Vegas, car troubles, etc. (See last post.) So my mind wasn't quite where it should've been or could've been. The heat wasn't worrying me. Although it was a bit nerve-racking to not know (yet again after Ironman Tahoe last year) whether there will be a race or not and in which format. I felt prepared for the heat and knew I could handle it. I looked at the course enough and the swims in the lake before were good. Overall I felt well prepared and ready to go. 


Morning of

5:30 start time meant transition area opened at 4:00 and I like to be there early. 2:30 wake-up call it was!  Even so, I didn't quite have enough time for a proper warm up. Even before a long race like an Ironman I like to warm up quite a bit (little jog, some drills and strides, light stretching, a few key exercises to help my body function properly) but  I don't think it's essential so I let it go. I did feel a bit rushed which is mainly because I just don't have Ironman racing down like I do 70.3 racing. Even in an effort to keep things simple, there seem to be a gazillion little things and decisions that need to be taken care of in the morning still!

So fun to have a beach start! First one in a big race for me. It was a completely different atmosphere and I liked it! Usually, we get in the water for a short warm-up and then line up at least a couple of hundred yards from the shore. So we have no clue what the announcer is saying and can't hear the spectators. This time, we were right there with all of the age-groupers and the crowd was great. He announced all of us female pros and I had goose bumps! Well, those were also because I was extremely cold and shivering standing around for quite a while in my wet swim skin. I kept telling myself: You will be warm soon enough. Hot, actually! So enjoy being cold for now. I was happy to be there. I don't necessarily feel like I totally belong but I also don't feel like I don't belong. The other girls are great and it's been fun to get to know more and more of them. I felt happy to be racing as a Pro!

Thanks to the BAM bam for letting me join their pre-race swim and fun!

The Swim

I had practiced starting from the beach a bunch and gotten some really good tips. I had a great start! Too good, actually. I totally nailed it and suddenly almost found myself at the front of the race. Or at least in line with everyone else still. Which totally threw me off. There was no one ahead of me and somehow I thought something wasn't right. Where is everybody? Did I false start? Am I going the wrong way? And by the time I had gathered myself again, I was in the way back. Haha. That's how fast it can go. Not gonna make that mistake again. 

And then I felt like crap as everyone was going by. But I kept telling myself that it's ok and not to waste all of my mental energy already. I did find a group of 4 eventually and we worked well together and it was fun but I also knew it would be slow. I mean, 1:05 without a wetsuit isn't the end of the world but I am sure I can swim 2-3 minutes faster than that. I know I can and I should've been in the group ahead. But, oh well, I figured I might as well enjoy the ride and not stress about it. Second loop was a bit tricky swimming through the very slow age groupers and, at the same time, getting passed by the super fast amateurs. But it wasn't terrible and preferable to a solo swim any day! 


Running into these chicas on my bike made my (pre-race) day!!!

The Bike

Fact is: I haven't had a good marathon off the bike yet. Not the marathon that we know I am capable of and trained for. We need to figure out what the problem is so we can fix it. What comes to mind first, in general, is that I simply bike too hard and have not enough left in the tank for the run. I have always ridden mostly by feel but this year I have the option of riding by power and Coach Liz wanted me to do just that. I was hesitant but willing to give it a try. How will I ever know if I don't try it? So we came up with a detailed plan that involved me riding at a certain wattage. I would stay in that power window and not get carried away. This is what I wrote to Coach afterwards:
   
Ok. So I hated it. I really did NOT enjoy the first loop AT ALL. It didn't feel like a race. All I did was telling myself to slow down. Go easier. Don't push it. Get the watts down. While everyone was going by me and I kept losing time to girls that I usually ride with or know I can ride with. Age groupers were going by in droves and those I knew kept encouraging me to come with them. 

I was furious. I kept thinking: If this is how I need to bike in order to run a good marathon, then I am simply NOT interested in racing Ironman. I like to ride my bike, I like to race my bike, I like to push on the bike and if I can't do that, then this is not for me. Ok, so granted, if I was a better biker and could hold higher watts for a longer time and still run decently, then I would be able to push harder, right? Let's do that stupid 20 minute test again. I am going to give it everything I have next time, so I can have a higher FTP and race at higher watts. 

I would really like to know how overall average power would've worked out if I had done my own thing and gone by feel. I felt like I couldn't take advantage of the hills AT ALL and climbing is my strength and then usually I would've recovered on the downhills more, so I know it would not have been as smooth with a higher VI and such but I am not sure average NP would've been much higher. I don't know. All I know is that I was having no fun! And, yes, racing is what I do for FUN! And staring at numbers is not my kind of fun. Damnit! I wish it was. 

So then I kept telling myself that I am going to stick to the plan. Just stick to the plan this one time and see what happens. If you don't, you know Coach is going to make you stick to the same plan the next time, so you might as well do it now and get it over with. I also tried to convince myself that I am just setting myself up for a good run. I will have a good run. Blablabla. Except that I knew deep down that I still would have a crappy run. I just don't trust my run. That's the problem.  I know I can swim 2.4 miles at a decent pace. I know I can ride 112 miles no matter what. But I DON'T know that I can actually, really, run a decent marathon off the bike. I just don't have that confidence. And I knew that on the bike already and I tried to convince myself otherwise but, as you know, it doesn't work that way. 

Second loop was slightly better but I know I could've done that one faster as well. I know I rode smooth and steady but I was NOT in the mix whatsoever and it didn't feel like I was racing any of the other girls.

I did have confidence, though, that some of them were going to struggle on the run. I did still believe in a top 10 finish. 

I peed THREE times on the bike. And TWICE on the run. Which adds up to one pee every 2 hours. I think hydration went well. Nutrition went well also. I was on top of it and never let up. The heat was doing its thing and I was doing my thing. 

Big thanks to the BAM fam for the cheers on the run!

The Run

I started out well and controlled and easy. Or so I thought. I kept telling myself to hold back and ease into it. That worked out well. I made sure I got EVERYTHING I need at EVERY aid station and even slowed down at times to do so which is something I have never done before. The heat was ON! I ate like a champ and drank and took salt pills and stuffed ice down my bra. I nailed that part, I think. 

After 8 miles I should've picked up the pace. Except that I was already out of the race at this point (I could also tell that none of the girls up ahead were about to slow down and come back to me thanks to the multi-loop out-and-back course) so motivation wasn't super high and I just didn't know if I would be able to finish well in this heat if I sped up now.  The whole speeding-up-thing is tricky for me. It's easier for me to lock in a certain pace and then I just keep that up. It seems to be IMPOSSIBLE for me to speed up during a run like this. Whatever pace I start out at - that's it. Or slowing down. Haha. 

I had two bathroom stops. The first one turned out to not be necessary but the second one I needed. Stomach and nutrition much better than before but still not perfect, I guess. Overall I didn't have stomach issues though. 

I was able to pick it up the last 4 miles, because, hey, I can do anything for 4 miles. I know THAT! But, of course, at that point it's too late. Ugh!!! 



Mentally I was actually in a pretty good place on the run. No mental break-down like in Phoenix. Never cried all day, not even after the race. So that makes me wonder if maybe I didn't care enough? Not sure. But I was so busy dealing with all of the aid station stuff and putting one foot in front of the other, that my mind was mostly blank. Which is what I wanted and I think it worked out rather well. But I was also lacking some really good mantra to push me harder. And I didn't have any personal support out there which maybe would've made a slight difference. Who knows. I am not sure. What I do know is that Laura Siddall is a rock star! I've known that for a while but she proved it yet again at this race. We were both struggling on the run and having a sub-par race when I caught her. We ran together some talking and encouraging each other. And before I went on she handed me one of her little plastic baggies full of melted ice to keep me cool. That meant so much to me! The majority of these women are are all total studs! 

Handsome little Liam. Totally lucked out again with a great homestay! 

Post-race

I was fine. Just fine. Walked around, chatted, ate, picked up my crap, jumped in the lake, changed, and then rode my bike next to my friend for 2 hours while she was struggling through the second half of the marathon. While some of the other pro girls I saw were coming out of medical and were even pushed around in a wheel chair! 

What's wrong with me? Why can I not exert myself like that? Why am I always holding back? Maybe I am not made for this Ironman stuff. Who knows. But I am not ready to give up on it quite yet. It was only #4 and I do believe that it takes EXPERIENCE to be at good at this. For me at least. 

So bottom line is that I need to somehow find confidence in my marathon without running one every other weekend. And I just need to race IM more. I think that's key. EXPERIENCE. I need to know that I am able to do more than JUST finish one of these. That I can actually race one. 

So, no, I am not too hard on myself. Mentally and nutritionally it was better than Arizona. So that's progress

Nothing like a nap and Cafe Rio salad on the long drive home. 

What went well
  1. Nutrition and hydration. Peed three times on the bike and twice on the run. 
  2. Reduced fiber before race but maybe not enough. One bathroom stop. Goal is no bathroom stops. 
  3. Kept emotions in check throughout the race even when things didn’t go very well. No meltdowns. 
  4. Special needs was a smart move in the heat. First time making use of special needs. Will probably do it again. Worth the time. 

Lessons Learned
  1. Make sure you get in a good warm-up. Easy jog, strides, drills, bands, light stretching.
  2. Skip the warm-up swim if you need to get back out of the water and stand in the cold. Instead, warm up arms on land for longer.
  3. If beach start: Run in like at CDA but keep going hard! Find feet to latch onto! Don’t be too far over to the side. Get into the mix of things!
  4. Landgang in the middle of the swim: Go hard! Stay with them. Eventually you can relax again and catch your breath.
  5. Staring at a power meter is not your thing. Stay with the girls you know you can ride with. It’s a race after all! Take the hills a bit harder and relax on the downhills. Take advantage of your strengths. Ride by FEEL but be smart about it!
  6. On the run: Know that you can go hard for a long time. You will not falter. You can dig deep for a long time. Be confident!
  7. Break it up. Keep the mind clear. Keep emotions in check.
  8. Eat a gel every odd mile. Take salt every even mile. Start coke at mile 14.
  9. Get EVERYTHING out of you or you will cross the finish line with regrets. No regrets! If you save it all for last, chances are that you are going to save too much.

A huge Thank You to my fantastic sponsors:


Coeur Sports - The BEST in women's athletic wear

 T3 Triathlon - My FAVORITE triathlon shop

Fuji Bikes - In LOVE with my Norcom Straight

Zoot Shoes - My shoes of choice since 2008

Cobb Saddles - Most COMFORTABLE saddle ever

Osmo Nutrition - Hydration at its BEST

Tifosi Sunglasses - I wear them every single day! 



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