Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2007

The swim was rough, not only because of the water conditions, but because the buoys weren’t large enough to sight on in the chop, and I was blocked by swimmers treading water more than once. I switched to sighting mainly on landmarks, including hillsides and watercraft, and that worked pretty well. In retrospect I think I did not position myself properly for the swim start. I could have been further forward and avoided a lot of the stop and go traffic that generated log jams, especially in the first lap of this two loop course.

I knew my swim wasn’t going to be stellar, and exiting the water my time was 1:24:17, five minutes slower than Canada. The peelers did their job well, and I was out of my wetsuit in seconds, grabbing my T1 bag and heading for the women’s tent. When I got there I was astonished to see a wall of bodies and hardly space to stand. It was so crowded. I was a little annoyed that the men’s tent was about 1/3 bigger than the women’s. With the help of a volunteer I changed out of my wet clothes and into my cycling gear. Everything went slower than planned, primarily due to the cramped quarters, and when the volunteers applied sunscreen they overdid it. I headed to the port-a-potty to take care of some business brought on by swallowing air during the swim, and while seated, tried to wipe off the excess lotion. I spent a few minutes trying to get rid of as much gas as I could from my system. In past experience I knew I would suffer from severe stomach cramps on the bike until the gas dissipated. (Maybe this is just what happens when you get older - arrgh!) T1 was a horrendous 14:36. So far, my race was not going in the direction I had envisoned.

My bike exit was smooth, and though I usually look forward to the bike portion of the triathlon, I wasn’t looking forward to this one. Peter, my husband, and I had driven the course two days before and from that vantage point it appeared very hilly and quite technical. I feared lots of accidents on race day. In fact Mike Riley (the voice of Ironman) had crashed on the course the day before, and cracked a rib, collapsing a lung. It didn’t bode well. I calculated the overall climbing to be about the same as Canada but with many more technical turns. So I expected my bike would take longer. In addition to being hilly and technical there was wind to contend with … and lots of it, which was mentally draining. I know that at least part of the time I must have had a tailwind, but it never felt like it. The bike course was also a two loop course, so the second time around I wasn’t even that interested in the scenery anymore. I couldn’t wait for the bike portion to end. My overall bike time was 6:28:58, six minutes longer than Canada. I was slipping even further behind my goal time.

T2 was smooth and compact, in 4:21, and I was excited to finally see one of my times improve over Canada. Now here’s the interesting part … I do not like running … marathons are difficult for me even without a preceding 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride. But the run was my favorite part of this event. For one thing, the wind was less of a factor, and for another, having paced myself well throughout the day, I was physically prepared and able to keep up a good (for me), and steady pace while maintaining a low heart rate. The only discomfort I felt occurred on the second lap when my left ankle began to hurt. I had twisted it two weeks earlier during training and I wasn't surprised when it became swollen. Even so, l managed to make up considerable time on the run course, finishing the two loops in 5:05:34, thirty minutes faster than Canada, and even more importantly with zero gastric distress (my usual nemesis).

It was dusk as I entered the home stretch, and the crowd was going wild cheering for all of the age group athletes. It was a beautiful sight. I was very happy to see the Finish line, and my husband Peter, who was there precisely where I needed him to be, waiting for me, with a big Cheshire Cat grin on his face. He and I agree that this Ironman was more of a grind for me compared to Canada, and that made achieving a PR all the sweeter. Total time out on course 13:17:44. (Canada 13:39:18.) The first time I crossed the Finish line at Ironman it was truly magical – I felt as if I were floating on air. The second time I was very much in the here and now, and aware of every foot strike.

Standing in Lake Coeur d’Alene after the race, water above my hips, wrapped in my husband’s fleece jacket while he watched over me, and talking to my brother on a cell phone, I couldn’t help but notice how calm the water was at last … and how calm I was now that Ironman #2 was behind me. I felt no post-race sadness or depression. In fact I felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders – the weight of an all consuming lifestyle. I was finally free from the bonds of Ironman training ... at least for the forseeable future. Peter - thank you for being there every step of the way. You're the best IronSherpa ever, and I love you with all my heart.