EDIT AGAIN: Fast forward to 2020, almost 10 years since my first Ironman and 7 IMs later. I'm finally finishing this post. I still remember MOST of this day and wanted to get it down 'on paper' before too much more left memory.
To say I was overwhelmed by all the hype would be putting it lightly. When I signed up, I didn't know where Couer d'Alene even was and definitely didn't know what T1 and T2 tents and bags were. The day before an IM you have to drop off your bike and all your gear (except your nutrition) in transition. It was so exciting to see all the amazing bikes and athletes. Unlike a lot of other sports, we get to race the same course as the Pro Triathletes. I was just learning who was who but saw Craig Alexander several times just walking around. I geeked out just a tad! We rode bikes on the run course and drove the bike course. Needless to say I was dreading the bike portion the most.
All the pretty bikes
We swam everyday to get acclimated to the frigid water temps and chop (thank you, Tyler for shoving me into the freezing water that first day), rode parts of the bike course and did some light jogging. I stayed pretty calm in the days leading up to the race. I think this was mostly due to how calm everyone in the house was and of course, the awesome house sherpa LOO-Ray. I slept like a rock the night before the race and knowing that Jon and Shelly were going to be out there just made me even more calm and confident.
After finding Shelly and Jon, we headed back to the house for showers. I was horrible Chaffed despite all the vaseline and chamois butt'r. The rest of the house convinced me to head back to the finish line to watch the last hour of the racers roll in. MAGICAL. Seriously, nothing better in sports. 75 year old man finishing his first IM, marriage proposals! So much positive energy.
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| Current situation: what's left of my 10 year old IMCDA mug and making breakfast for Blythie. ha |
PRE-RACE
The 'Cool House' crew arrived in beautiful Coeur D'Alene the Wednesday before the race. We settled into our kick-ass house that Deal scored. It was just a few minutes from transition and the race start. It was perfect. I couldn't have asked for better people to be around for my first IM. Everyone was so calm and encouraging and just fun to be around. Many of them had done several IM races and had plenty of advice. Tyler did CDA 'back in '07' which we heard about at least 20 times a day! ;)
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| Huge Tree in front of our house |
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| Race Number and Race Nails compliments of Loo-Ray |
RACE DAY
Swim: 1:16
After setting up transition and having a few tire inflation issues solved, Kate and I sat around swim start until it was time to line up. Kate is an IM veteran and suggested we let the crazies go first and then start afterwards in hopes of clearer and less congested water. I was cool with that so after the national anthem and loud cannon blast, I sat back and watched 2,000+ athletes run into the water. INSANE. I wish they still did mass starts but ah well. The water was FREEZING, maybe 54-56 degrees not sure but HOLY COLDNESS. I had on two swim caps and Karen's wetsuit so I just put my head down and started swimming. The water was super clear but pretty choppy and all I could think was 'holy shit, I'm doing this" I managed the first loop without issue, grabbed some water and headed back for loop two. Loop two was a bit more congested as I swam past some of the slower swimmers (some doing breaststroke?!?!). I knew I was cold but it wasn't until I got out and started trying to get off my wetsuit that I realized I couldn't really feel my fingers. Then I realized I couldn't really feel my feet either. As I ran into T1, some lady says "the hard part is over" HA! no, that was fun. The Bike was next and honestly, it scared me!!
T1: 9:26
Despite not being able to feel any of my digits, I somehow managed to get a dry vest, arm warmers, bike gloves, helmet and shoes on. I shoved down a few Honey stinger gels, thanked the volunteer and headed out to find my bike. On the way out, some chick yelled out for a hair tie. I almost always have an extra on my wrist so I gave that to her and continued out. This is a good reminder to pack extra in future races. There were so Many people struggling with using their hands because of the cold. If you didn't have the dexterity to put helmet on they wouldn't let you get on your bike!!
Bike: 7:30:13 !!!!
I knew this was going to be the longest and hardest. Honestly, I could not stand riding my bike. The fit was horrible. (If you have eyes, you can see this). I knew that coming out of the water, I would be towards the front of the race and I knew that pretty much EVERYONE would pass me on the bike. I'm used to this so I typically just stay to the right and let all the fast guys pass me. And sure enough, after the first climb which we would see again on the run course, I had been passed by some not so kind athletes. The road quality wasn't superb nor were my bike handling skills so I settled in and tried to get as comfortable as possible.
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| Bike around Lake Hayden. Stunning! |
Coming out of town, I got to see Shelly, Jon and Loo-ray (Laure). I had also spotted several fellow Pro-K and EF athletes which was also a boost.
In an IM they have aid stations every 10ish miles for 112 miles so mentally, I just said to myself, "make it to the next aid station'. The scenery was also a wonderful distraction to the (crotch) pain my bike was causing me. After Mile 40, I got off my bike for a few MINUTES at every aid station just to give myself a break. Ugh.
People continued to pass me, mostly on the descents and then I would pass them again on the climbs. Not sure if you can tell from the picture above but I had an aero bar bottle on my ROAD bike (filled to the brim with Carbo-Pro...more on that later). The main reason for the aero bottle was because I HATED letting go of the handles. Again, I hate pretty much everything about that bike.
The last 20 miles were mentally a struggle. I wanted off the bike and was ready to run. Coming into T2 was likely the highlight of the day so far. Finally!! The run!!
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| It took some convincing to not leave this bike in transition and actually ship it back home. ha |
T2 8:37
The moment I got off the bike, I started running. Legs were jelly but ready to go. I had decided to "be more comfortable" and change into my Lulu Running skirt and to use my fuel belt. Rookie. Mistakes. Well, remember when I told you about that HUGE ASS aero bottle of Carbo-Pro?! yea, well drinking that made my stomach bloat so badly that the Fuel Belt wouldn't fit!! so miserable. After a quick trip to a portapotty in which my stomach was like a ballon deflating, I strapped on my fuel belt and was good to go!!
Run 4:28:13
Finally Started the Run which basically was around Lake CDA for two loops. For the most part it was flat except for one giant hill. My plan was to run the whole way and walk through aid stations and during the uphills. I started passing TONS of people. The aid stations were like buffets and for some reason, nothing in my fuel belt was appealing to me and I went straight for the oranges and water. Karen and all the others had told me about the wonders of the flat Coke but I was trying to hold out until I got desperate.
There was a long, flat out and back section that let me see TONs of RVA folks, all of whom had encouraging words.
I had a smile on my face pretty much the entire first loop. The end was in sight and seeing Shelly at the turn around was pretty amazing!!
I got to see Kate who asked me what my finish time was going to be and of course, I had NO Idea. But a hug and quick chat boosted me even more.
Each mile was my next goal and my reward, ORANGES and eventually some chips. At mile 24 I finally took some coke and in a few minutes the sugar took over and I kept passing more people. I vividly remember a poor lad wearing a completely WHITE Tri onesie and it was clear that he was having major GI issues!
Coming down Sherman Avenue towards the finish line was a complete blur but I felt amazing. I may have been in a haze as Jon said he was yelling at me but I didn't hear him. I barely heard Mike Reily say, Meredith Whitehurst, from Richmond Virginia---You are an Ironman"
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| Finish Time: 13:33:19 |
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| Still cheesing with my almost full and useless fuel belt:) |
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| Finish Line Cheer crew!! so fun |
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| Cheers!! |
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| Some of the RVA contingent |
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