Ironman Canada race report

Well this report is hard to write because the race results are not what I had hoped for even after lowering my expectations a couple of times this year.

My wife Jen, our dogs and I left for Penticton on Wednesday morning and arrived in the late afternoon. It was nice have a few days of relaxation with very little to do before the race. We had a house 14K south of the race venue on Skaha Lake. There were 5 of us doing the race staying in the house so I was in good company. Chris from the team and I did a 25 minute swim first thing Thursday morning. I got checked it and got my race packet after that. Friday morning Jerry, Susan and I did a 25 minute swim and then we biked the 26 mile run course. I did a 20 minute run later that afternoon before the pasta feed / race meeting. Saturday I racked my bike and dropped of my transition gear.


Race day was finally here. I got up at about 4:45 because the rest of the house was up and stirring around. I packed up my special needs bags and ate on the drive in the way to race as my wife was nice enough to do most of the driving all week. By the time I got body marked, put my nutrition in my transition bags and waited out the bathroom line, I was finally on the beach with my wetsuit on at 6:58. I realized I forgot to take my wedding ring off and rushed up to my T1 bag and placed it in my bike shoe. I got on back to the beach with 30 seconds to spare before the cannon went off.

Swim- I started in back and took my time getting started. I bumped into a few people here and there but it was a pretty smooth swim considering there were 2488 swimmers starting and once, the largest swim wave ever in a triathlon. I just kept moving throughout the swim and caught a draft here and there. My best HIM swim to date is 45 minutes so I was expecting an at least an hour and a half. Swim time 1:34:48.

T1- I told myself I was going to relax in transition today since it was a going to be a long day since I had never swam over 2 miles or ran over 16 miles. I grabbed my bag, walked over to the change tent and did a full change. T1 was 9:21.

Bike- I was so happy to be through the swim and on the IMC bike course I got a little emotional and lost a few tears as I rode out of T1 through a large cheering crowd. I stuck to my race plan of taking it easy the first 40 miles. I had to take 2 emergency bathroom pit stops, one at mile 5 and another at mile 10. As a result I ended up passing a lot of the same people 3 times. The climb up Richter Pass went well and I enjoyed hitting 50 mph on the downhill. Then the day changed for good. I turned into a huge headwind that would be there for the remaining 60 miles. I have a hard time staying in the aero position, especially when I’m grinding against the wind. The rest of the bike was a real struggle for me. My lower back was really hurting and I was trying to stretch and ride at the same time. I also forgot to keep taking my salt tablets about 2 hours into the ride. The climb to Yellow Lake was brutal for me and the long downhill after that was difficult as well with the strong winds. As I rode the last few miles through town back to transition, both hamstrings cramped. I knew this was going to be an issue on the run course. Bike time 6:52:56.

T2 - Once again I took my time and did a full clothing change. I knew I was going to get in after dark and I wanted a sleeved shirt because I had a feeling it was going to be cool on the lake so I didn’t wear my team top on the run. T2 was 10:01.

Run – I left T2 not knowing how I was going to get through the run. My legs were cramping badly and I had to stop and stretch for awhile. I managed to run for awhile and a walk at the aid stations. I ran in to one of my mountaineering buddies Kevin and it was nice to be able to run/walk with him for awhile. He is a lot of the reason I started doing triathlons in the first place. I just kept moving whether it was running or walking. I ran into a lot of different people in the same situation. I realized my lack of training for the IM distance had put me in the position I was in and came to terms with it and kept moving. I had to find something to keep me motivated so I decided I wanted to be done by 10:00. This goal kept me moving whenever I felt like stopping. I ran whenever there was a downhill which helped me towards my goal. I was able run when I reached the out and back at the end. It was so nice see my wife and dogs smiling at me. I made my way to the turnaround and picked them up on the way back and we all ran through the shoot together will a huge crowd supporting us. (I think they were cheering more for the dogs than me) Run/walk time was 6:02:58.

Total time 14:50:04.

Some advice I have for any of you who have not done a full IM and are considering it:
1.Train more than 7-8 hours a week.
2.Do more than two 100+ mile bike rides.
3.Do more than a few transition runs after bike rides even if they are only 10-15 minute runs.
4.Lose weight instead of gaining it. I’m 10 pounds heavier than I’ve ever been.
5.Pay no attention to how little Andrew Morlidge trains. I’m not sure how he gets the results he does and the missing timing chip at Lake Stevens is still a mystery.
6.Take your time stepping up to the IM distance. I did my first triathlon on June 18th 2006 and I clearly was not prepared for this race.



Thanks,



Lee

[max]

Lee - Great honest report. I think you should be proud that you made the en of the race and now you can say you are an Ironman; which is more than most triathletes can say let alone any normal person.

Well done.
Max

[andrew]

IRONMAN!



good job Lee, dont beat yourself up on the timing, when you've done something as arduous as that you're bound to feel a little depressed afterwards no matter how you did. As Max said, you did it. V gutsy, i'm sure Jen and the dogs are v proud.

Lee- great job on the race it is a huge accomplishment. Your time is great, heck I went 15 hours on my first race and thought it was super cool to finish in the dark with the crowd cheering. If you finish during the day with all the fast folks there is nobody in the stands, way less intoxicated, and not as into it. You now know what it takes to do the race and can train appropriately if you decide to sign up again. Remember it is as much about the whole journey getting to the race as it is doing the actual race. The great thing is the next time you do it the conditions could be completely different and you might face different challenges. Besides, you have the same title as the guy who finished in 9 hours, IMCA Finisher.

[Heidi]

Lee, nice work! Despite what you say about your lack of training, I'm impressed!

Lee,
Congratulations on finishing the Ironman. In time you come to realize how truly remarkable that is. It was great to see you out on the run course. Be good to yourself and recover well.
Deanna

[MikePritch]

Lee, Way to go - good job!

Congrats Lee!! I would be psyched to be able to finish just ONE leg of an IM, never mind putting them all together. It sounds like you learned a lot along the way that will help you next year. Nice work and great finish.

[Cindybigglestone]

Good work Lee. See it really isnt that hard is it.

[Cindybigglestone]

OK, that last post was Ben posting under my name. I quess thats my fault for not signing out I dont believe there is anything easy about an Ironman or the training it takes to get you to the starting line. Congratulations to all of you and thank you team for all of your great support.

Cindy