Hey, guys! I'm back to the blogosphere after a long hiatus. I recently moved to Chicago, and am hanging out a month after Ironman Coeur D'Alene, tapering for my half-Ironman next weekend (tee-hee).
Coeur D'Alene was a blast - beautiful scenery, friendly people and half an hour from the Spokane, WA airport (thus reasonably convenient, though it is in BFE).
Hope you all are enjoying your summers, preparing for races, and/or just taking it easy. Sunday's weather was pretty much ideal - 75 degrees, slightly cloudy, not hot in the least. There were some forceful winds on the bike course, which I hadn't expected, but overall a nice day. The water warmed up to a balmy 59 degrees, which felt a million times better than the 54 degrees Brian and I swam in on Thursday (without a long sleeve wetsuit or neoprene cap). I was a bundle of nerves on race morning, mostly due to the intimidation factor Ironman swim inevitably brings to the table. Fortunately, the swim was the easiest part of the day. I waited about 30 seconds for the majority of the swimmers to enter the water, and alas, was unable to avoid the clusterfuck. By the time I reached the second buoy, the swimmers had thinned out and my breathing was normal. I did get kicked and climbed on a few times, but considering the number of swimmers in Lake Coeur D'Alene (2200), this was inescapable. By the end of the swim, my first impression was, "That's it?" I heard the announcer call my name, saw Th. and my family, and ran toward transition. The women's changing tent was full of crazy naked people, bustling about in an effort to collect everything needed for 112 miles of cycling on a new, more challenging course. I popped a gel and ate a piece of Power Bar on my way out of transition: 8:33 am. The first part of the bike course felt just as Theron and other Ironman experts said it would - easy and smooth. I hit the first 10 miles in 30 minutes (which for me is too fast). I tried to slow my pace in preparation for the hills. On the corner coming up around Sherman Ave., I heard my family cheer again and climbed toward Government Way. As I approached Hayden Lake (where the hills begin), I contemplated peeing in the bushes/ finding a portapotty/ peeing myself. I opted for the portapotty in the end, which was a smart decision considering I didn't have to hover and thus tire my quads, or experience the discomfort a new friend relayed to me upon having "taken care of business" on the bike. Around mile 30, I started to feel a cramping sensation in my stomach that worsened when climbing. I threw up a little bit once but continued on. Eating was difficult, so I tried a banana and kept pushing the fluids. By mile 61 I felt a bit better and stopped to eat a PB&J Uncrustable. This first part of the second loop was the most challenging part of the course mentally, but I convinced myself that I would just try to finish the bike course and see what happened from there. Ultimately, my stomach began to feel better, though my pace slowed on the second loop due to a nice wind hitting us on the flats. I made my way into transition around 4 pm to prepare for the run. I didn't bother to change into running clothing as many of the other women did, as it was just too difficult. Eau de homeless man is my preferred fragrance, anyway. I walked the first half mile of the run course, ate some Clif Shot blocks and downed some Gatorade (though I was already beginning to tire of the stuff). My strategy was to walk 2 minutes, run 3 minutes, and adjust as necessary depending on how my legs felt. My hamstring tendonitis was certainly making its presence known at this point, but fortunately everything else hurt as well, so it wasn't as noticeable. Brian and I caught up to each other around mile 10, and ran/walked together for much of the run leg. The second lap of the course was difficult. Brian and I noticed that everything hurt, even our faces. In particular, my lungs and core felt tired. By 10 pm, I had reached mile 25 of the run course and could hear the announcer at the finish line. The last 1/2 mile of the course is downhill on Sherman Ave., with a cheerful, smiling crowd to boot. I ran through the arch, slapping hands and smiling the whole way. It was exhilirating.
Best of luck to all of you competing at Ironman events this year, and have a great summer everyone!
Krysten
Coeur D'Alene was a blast - beautiful scenery, friendly people and half an hour from the Spokane, WA airport (thus reasonably convenient, though it is in BFE).
Hope you all are enjoying your summers, preparing for races, and/or just taking it easy. Sunday's weather was pretty much ideal - 75 degrees, slightly cloudy, not hot in the least. There were some forceful winds on the bike course, which I hadn't expected, but overall a nice day. The water warmed up to a balmy 59 degrees, which felt a million times better than the 54 degrees Brian and I swam in on Thursday (without a long sleeve wetsuit or neoprene cap). I was a bundle of nerves on race morning, mostly due to the intimidation factor Ironman swim inevitably brings to the table. Fortunately, the swim was the easiest part of the day. I waited about 30 seconds for the majority of the swimmers to enter the water, and alas, was unable to avoid the clusterfuck. By the time I reached the second buoy, the swimmers had thinned out and my breathing was normal. I did get kicked and climbed on a few times, but considering the number of swimmers in Lake Coeur D'Alene (2200), this was inescapable. By the end of the swim, my first impression was, "That's it?" I heard the announcer call my name, saw Th. and my family, and ran toward transition. The women's changing tent was full of crazy naked people, bustling about in an effort to collect everything needed for 112 miles of cycling on a new, more challenging course. I popped a gel and ate a piece of Power Bar on my way out of transition: 8:33 am. The first part of the bike course felt just as Theron and other Ironman experts said it would - easy and smooth. I hit the first 10 miles in 30 minutes (which for me is too fast). I tried to slow my pace in preparation for the hills. On the corner coming up around Sherman Ave., I heard my family cheer again and climbed toward Government Way. As I approached Hayden Lake (where the hills begin), I contemplated peeing in the bushes/ finding a portapotty/ peeing myself. I opted for the portapotty in the end, which was a smart decision considering I didn't have to hover and thus tire my quads, or experience the discomfort a new friend relayed to me upon having "taken care of business" on the bike. Around mile 30, I started to feel a cramping sensation in my stomach that worsened when climbing. I threw up a little bit once but continued on. Eating was difficult, so I tried a banana and kept pushing the fluids. By mile 61 I felt a bit better and stopped to eat a PB&J Uncrustable. This first part of the second loop was the most challenging part of the course mentally, but I convinced myself that I would just try to finish the bike course and see what happened from there. Ultimately, my stomach began to feel better, though my pace slowed on the second loop due to a nice wind hitting us on the flats. I made my way into transition around 4 pm to prepare for the run. I didn't bother to change into running clothing as many of the other women did, as it was just too difficult. Eau de homeless man is my preferred fragrance, anyway. I walked the first half mile of the run course, ate some Clif Shot blocks and downed some Gatorade (though I was already beginning to tire of the stuff). My strategy was to walk 2 minutes, run 3 minutes, and adjust as necessary depending on how my legs felt. My hamstring tendonitis was certainly making its presence known at this point, but fortunately everything else hurt as well, so it wasn't as noticeable. Brian and I caught up to each other around mile 10, and ran/walked together for much of the run leg. The second lap of the course was difficult. Brian and I noticed that everything hurt, even our faces. In particular, my lungs and core felt tired. By 10 pm, I had reached mile 25 of the run course and could hear the announcer at the finish line. The last 1/2 mile of the course is downhill on Sherman Ave., with a cheerful, smiling crowd to boot. I ran through the arch, slapping hands and smiling the whole way. It was exhilirating.
Best of luck to all of you competing at Ironman events this year, and have a great summer everyone!
Krysten
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