As with any Ironman, the journey you take throughout the day is what I will always remember. The emotional highs and lows that you go through after training and prepping for one single race that lasts 10-11 hours...This race was no different. I won't bother you with all the crap that slowed down or stopped training at many points throughout the year. Everyone goes through that. This year was just more than normal for me.
Pre race:
I rented a place close to transition so it was a quick walk to transition. Prior to walking down, I consumed 2 ensures, toast with almond butter and a breakfast bar. 2 X cups of coffee and slightly watered down gatorade. All in I believe I was about 850-950 calories for breakfast. It had been warm in CDA leading into the race so I had upped my salt intake leading into the event and had been focusing on electrolyte drinks as opposed to just water. Meghan and I had a peaceful walk down to transition together. Along the way a car slowed down next to us and someone yelled at us, "The swim has been cancelled!" That person was my coach, the comedian, Muddy. The swim is my strength so he was just poking fun. I yelled an expletive at him and Meghan and I had a good laugh. Transition set up was quick and before I knew it I was putting on my wetsuit with Meghan, Mud and a teammate all around.
Swim: 56:55 5th division 40th overall
I had been swimming well the last few months and was looking forward to improving on the 58 I did here last year. I went down to the beach with plenty of time left so I didn't get stop up on the pathway. A huge downside to CDA for me is that you aren't allowed to have a swim warm up prior to the start. As I get older this becomes more and more important for me. Regardless, I lined up and the cannon fired shortly thereafter. Nothing like 2500 people taking off. The swim was aggressive, just like last year. I swallowed a lot of water. It was cold, but not as cold as last year. I was happy I wore my thermal cap. I made the first lap in about 27 and just settled behind some feet and before I knew it I was getting my wetsuit stripped. I wasn't happy with my time, but I was happy that it was an improvement over last year.
Bike: 5:37
The bike course was changed for this year. It went from a two loop course with short steep climbs to a two loop course with longer, sustained climbs. After driving the course I wasn't buying that it was going to be a fast course like everyone was saying. The climbs were long in nature. There was definitely opportunity to make up time on the downhills but if the wind didn't cooperate it could be a long day. So I set out on the bike and felt pretty darn good. Got about 20 miles in and you hit the first major climb. I spun up and passed quite a few people. I felt good on the climbs but was focused on taking it easy the first loop. It was a little cold and raining on us just a bit. Made it back into town and grabbed my special needs that consisted of a back up Pit Stop (didn't take), a couple mini candy bars, and more malto. I saw a very fast teammate of mine at this point and realized I was riding ok if it took him 56 miles to catch me.
The second loop was great. I was making up some good time on the climbs and it felt easy. The wind was in our face the whole way out and people were imploding. I just kept grinding and passing people. I made the turnaround to come back to town and focused on making sure my nutrition was sound and I was mentally prepared for the marathon. I was really happy with the second loop.
Run: 4:40
The run was a completely different story. First off it was a run. I took two steps off the bike and realized my IT band was not going to allow me to run. I grabbed my gear and set off to do the best I could. I made it about 3 miles before it was just too painful to run on. I mixed jog and walk and that seemed to help. I was pretty demoralized. I was mixing x amount of time jogging with y amount of time walking. Eventually the IT band started to feel a little better and I was able to jog more. I made it to the half way mark and told my wife I was going to be late. I found a teammate at that point and we jogged and walked the remainder of the marathon.
Overall= 11:23
I'm not happy with the time, but I'm happy I kept going. My coach and my family both advised that it might be smart to pull out and not risk further injury as I had Canada in 2 months. However, when you are 7 hours into a race the last thing you want to do is quit. I told them I would walk the damn thing if I had to but I wasn't going home with a DNF. I had a lot of fun out there. My swim is finally coming back to form. My bike was showing signs of improvement post accident. I just need to get the IT band rested and rehabbed.
As always, I couldn't do any of this without my wife, my family, and my coach. Especially Meghan. She is such a trooper and on top of it, an awesome cheerleader!! Thanks for checking in.
