Ironman Canada -race report deluxe

You expect a lot of things a week after an Ironman. You expect to still be hurting somewhere. You expect to not want to see Gatorade, Clif Bars or anything similar for quite some time. You expect to be very happy to not be sitting on your bike saddle, and you expect to not be thinking about exercise for quite some time.

I didn't expect that not many of these statements would be true (figure out that sentence).

I went into the start at Penticton with extremely modest rules for myself:

1. You must expect to get kicked in the face on the swim, probably several times.

2. You must stay relaxed in the water - don't burn out in the first hour of the race.

3. You must keep the heart rate low on the bike and the wattage in the area of 200 - 220 watts.

4. You MUST NOT CHASE THE BREAKAWAY.

5. You must have no expectations for the run.

One week later, I've gone back and looked at this year's Ironman vs. the 2007 Ironman Lake Placid splits. Further proof that I just don't seem to understand this sport.

In 2007 I was in awe of this sport. Perhaps more accurately, I had a healthy respect for the distance and what it could do to someone if they went in unprepared. I was fully trained, had joined a masters swimming group, rode my bike to work, often got up (okay, occasionally got up) at 4 a.m. to ride long, and hardly ever missed a workout.

This year, with the employment fluctuations I was very well-trained, up to about the beginning of July when the new job started. Longest swim was 3600m, not continuous and not in open water. Longest ride was 5.25 hours for ~155 km. Longest run was 24km. I expected to go into this year and have the course hand me my bike shorts for lunch.

A split comparison:

2007 swim: 1:15:34

2010 swim: 1:14:34

I can't explain this. I must have drafted somebody somewhere, but I don't remember consciously doing it and I was never really that close to another set of feet to do so.

2007 bike: 6:12:01

2010 bike: 6:06:57

Admittedly the bike courses are different, and I rode a different bike but Lake Placid doesn't have anything that compares to Richter Pass or Yellow Lake, and that includes a one-minute stop to chow down the Pringles in my special needs bag at 120km.

2007 transitions: T1 7:16, T2 5:51

2010 transitions: T1 6:08, T2 5:23

Even here, I wasn't rushed. I moved with purpose, calmly. I sat down to catch my breath and to get slathered up in sunscreen.

2007 run: 4:28:43

2010 run: 4:51:09

Okay, here's where the difference was. I didn't have the run base, and I don't think I had the nutrition completely figured out either. I was dizzy and nauseous through the first half of the marathon, but around the half-way point all that had just about disappeared. I was taking in everything salty at the aid stations (coke, chicken soup and pretzels) and that seemed to do the trick.

Overall 2010: 12:24:08 (1150 overall, 183/328 in age group)

Overall 2007: 12:09:23 (616 overall, 143/415 in age group)

With any run base I could have broken 12 hr.

All that by the way, is not enough to convince my wife for a "do-over" to come back to Penticton next year, even though the race is still open for registration on-line.

A few shout-outs: to the house crew: Warren, Ellen and her mom and the Moogs. And to the world's greatest Ironcrew, Team Ironhead who once again hung out all day waiting for daddy to finish his foolishness. They are the best crew, and without them I wouldn't be able to do any of this crazy stuff.

PS. A 5/8" wrench in your carry-on at the airport is good for "special" conversation, good for inspection and good for getting to know the security crew. Not good for the people lined up behind you, as they'll be lined up for quite awhile as your bag is exhumed for inspection.

Peace.