The 25th anniversary of IronMan Canada is over. I was very lucky to be a participant during this special event. The last time I completed this race was 10 years ago, so I was due. I qualified for IMC at GWN this year. I had a good race and I felt that if I increased my volume for my weekly LSD ride and run that I could have a good day at IMC. Chaparral Olympic race was my fitness test. Good swim, great bike and a run plagued by blisters set me up for 4th overall. I was very pleased with my fitness. But now I had to deal with blisters on my right heal with one week to go until IMC. Race week I did zero training and arrived in Penticton on Thursday AM. Each day my heal was getting better and better. My big dilemma was to wear the shoes that I wore during chaparral that gave me blisters or the brand new shoes that I bought on Wednesday that I never tried before. I eventually chose to wear my old shoes with band aids and new socks.
I had so much fun the days leading up to the race. Visiting with athletes that I have not seen in some time and wishing everyone good luck. This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me.
Briefly. My race goals were this: swim 1 hour. Bike 5:30 and run 3:30. Total time = 10 hours. I did not include transition times as I thought they would just work themselves out somehow.
Swim start: Maureen, Steph and myself all lined up together on the right side in hopes to swim together. This was short lived as I lost sight of Maureen in 10 secs. Oh, well. I usually swim solo anyhow. Swim time 1:02. Close to the target.
Bike: 1st part up to Richter's pass was fast and I averaged 40km/hr. Time at the 1st 40km marker was 56-57min. Fast. Last time racing here so many passed me going up the big hill. This year no one did. Nice. I stopped after the top at an aid station to P and coming out I was rewarded with a wasp sting on my left bicep. Ouch. This affected my performance and I slowed my pace. The winds also were very strong and making headway was hard work. The rollers took even more energy from me and I was very happy to get my special needs bag. I witnessed a crash as I drove through. It did not sound pretty! I eventually got some energy back for Yellow lake and then the fun downhills were challenging with the strong winds. The last stretch into town was hard as once again we were directly into a headwind. One rider said, now all we have is a short run and we are done. At this point I had no idea of how I would be able to run. I was so tired. Bike time = 5:35. Very close to the target. I was pleased.
Run: In the change tent I made sure my band aids were in place and the shoes felt good before I started. Please let the blistered areas be fine! As I started running I felt WOW this is good. My pace is quick and I have energy from somewhere. Nice. Everyone I saw I passed. No one passed me for the longest time. I felt strong and I was maintaining my pace. My leg felt a bit off but I ignored it and kept running as the feeling would always leave. The turnaround took forever to arrive. I was getting very low on energy and I needed my special needs bag. Once I got there I took my time eating my snacks and mentally getting ready to run again. My time at the half was 1:44. Slightly faster than my target of 1:45. I was not complaining. Shortly after the turnaround my knee started to really hurt and it forced me to stop running. I would try to pick it up again but the pain was too much. I was forced to walk ~80-85% of the 2nd half marathon. The positive thing about this was that I could take my time and look for everyone on the other side of the road and cheer them on. The most difficult was walking down main street with the thick crowds and again down the last mile by the beach and through the finish shoot. With everyone trying to encourage me to run I just could not. My knee was so sore all I could do was walk. I was very emotional as I approached the finish line. A mixture of sadness and joy for returning to such a great event. I hope to qualify again next season and give this race another go. 10 years between races is too long. Thanks for everyone that cheered for me on the course and who were following along via the net. All of that helped me get across that magic line! Finish time = 11:44
Maureen had some bad luck. First a flat at Richter's Pass and then being rear ended by another cyclist at T2. She had a good swim, just in front of me. I actually saw her stand up and take off her wetsuit. That was cool knowing we both had the swims that we wanted. Time = 1:02 Bike time= 6:28 and run = 4:38 for a total of 12:18 (PR).
Greg was back for his 2nd attempt at IMC. This year his training had to be modified to adjust for his new son Nate. Greg swam 1:30 biked 6:58 and ran 5:24 for a total of 14:06.
Rose also had a great race, setting a new PR. Don and Bryan also both completed the IronMan for their 1st time. Will they be back? Only time will tell. It takes some of us 10 years to come back. :)
Great Job to all who took part in this event. A special thanks for all the great cheering out there on the course. Seeing friendly faces really does give me that extra boost. So always yell as loud as you can. Until next year!
