Mike's IMC race report

Hi All,

You all know I completed Ironman Canada (IMC) yet again this year. It's been a long tough year and this last week has been as eventful as the entire year. The race was on Sunday and I just got home last night. Today, I spent my time still hurting, unpacking, hurting more, accepting a new job at an oil sands company (no i'm not leaving Calgary), resigning from my current job (very happy about that), and now having a scotch to celebrate the week's accomplishments while i write this message. I'm sure the scotch will help with my recovery!


Many of you may remember my email from last year and how dramatic my swim was. Well, thankfully that wasn't the case this year! My swim is the event that concerns me the most. I've worked hard to improve my swimming over the last year, but I still enter it with quite a bit of trepidation. I now have a pre-race strategy that has worked well for me this year. First, i get into the water as soon as possible for a very long warm up. This year i got in immediately after the pros took off at 6:45am (they start 15mins before the rest). During my warm up, i was feeling very strong and confident, which helped strengthen my confidence for the day. And then, bonk! I came head to head with another swimmer who was on his way back in. Hm, i'm sure i was sighting well. Okay, try not to let this be a sign for the day to come. At the start of the swim, i went as far left as possible to avoid crowding, which causes me to panic during the start. Then, while waiting for the start, i stayed very calm and completed some relaxation breathing exercises. I know it all sounds a little excessive, but hey, i could drown out there! When the race started, i began to walk out slowly waiting for the mass to move on. Once i found some prime swimming real estate I was on my way. I kept thinking; "holy smokes, how far am i from everyone? there's no one around me. Hm, don't over think it. Okay, focus on my stroke...stretch...good catch...where'd he come from...focus...what the..." and then bonk, ouch, i can't see! Some one had elbowed me in the face and knocked my goggles off. "stay calm...are my contacts still in...where's the bloody finish...jeez this feels far...whew! at last, here are...hey that wasn't so bad!"

When i got out of the water, i didn't know what my time was and figured it was around 1hr30mins. I mean, with perfect ideal conditions i was hoping for 1hr25mins at the best. I found out after the race i did 1hr22mins!! Success, all that hard work has been paying off. So, on to the bike.

I got on my gear, and the change tent was a mad house. What ever...stick to the race plan. I started my ride, and put on my arm warmers. It was pretty chilly. for the first 60k, i was riding like a superstar. Lance who? I felt great, was riding strong and sticking to my nutrition plan. Then the first mountain pass. Okay, this felt harder than last year, but i settled into a rhythm and rode strong. The following hills (7 of them) started to wear me down but i was still feeling pretty strong, but then the winds got stronger. Don't think too much about...don't let the negative thoughts sink in too deep. I reached the out and back section still on pace for around a 6hrs bike. My goal for this race was to finish the bike between 6 hrs and 6hrs10mins. I know, not much room for error. At the turnaround for the out and back, i was hitting the headwinds again. Ugh, man this sucks! And then i was the gradual uphill to the second (and last) mountain pass. Along with the winds, everyone around me (including me) were doing 10kph! Ugh, i'm so over this! Then the negative thoughts really took hold. I had decided that if i wasn't feeling better by the climb, I would get off my bike and be done when i saw my family. The reality of the decision likely wouldn't have allowed my to quit, but man, i was really struggling. Sure enough, my family had decided not to face the traffic nightmare and opted not to be on the mountain. Whew, decision made! Once on the climb though i started to warm up (despite the rain) and my spirits started to turn around. Then on the decent...well, a parka would have been nice! It was REALLY FREAKIN' cold. Nevertheless, i gave it full gas, and finished the ride in 6hrs24mins. Not bad all things considering. I was satisfied with that.

Thankfully, at the last minute, i decided to put a spare pair of socks in my run gear bag. Ahhh, dry and warm:) I got on the rest of my gear and was off for the run. Hm, this isn't so bad. Wait...ow! What the...! My back and glutes were cramping...bad...especially my lower back. Ow! Go away! As i was running through town...oh, hey there's a friend, i can't let them see me walk...high five! Ugh, my back is killing me! Stop, walk, stretch, run. Oh, there's my family! "Where have you been?!" Big HIGH FIVES! Okay, it's been long enough...stop, walk, stretch, run. After the third mile marker, my lower back stopped cramping and i was able to run much more comfortably...except now my butt really hurt...whatever, suck it up! Then, i started running to each water station, but i was feeling very strong and comfortable. As like last year, soup and water were my lifeline. I had difficulty containing my excitement that my run was going so well. It's still a long way anything can happen. Aside from my muscles, i was feeling very strong and energetic, mentally, emotionally, etc. Around the 11mile mark of the run, the course gets hilly. Overall, i handled these hills fairly well and felt strong. For the run, I was planning for 4hr15min-ish run, and for the first half of the run, this seemed possible. But on the way back the hills started to take there tole. My racing was done and now it was all about just finishing. Nevertheless, during the run my spirits never weakened and remained upbeat and satisfied my accomplishment given the day's conditions. As i ran along Lakeshore drive for the final mile, i saw my aunt cheering. To say she was enthusiastic would be an understatement. Always great to see when your pushing for the end. Then i saw my mother and her husband cheering, which was motivating to say the least. I knew i was done, the end was just a few short minutes away. All concentration was abandoned and i allowed myself to soak in the environment and celebrate a little. At the finish, I grabbed the tape, raised it over my head, felt nothing but complete satisfaction.

This has been a long and challenging year for me, and that finish wasn't just your regular race completion victory. It was a big one. Okay, Ironman's already big, but even bigger. Whew! I completed my run 4hrs44mins. 30mins off pace, but i'm completed satisfied. Over all my race was 1hr19mins faster than last year, and i finished in 12hrs44mins50sec. Long day!

So, same as last year. I'm still not getting the tattoo, but i have decided to take the off from doing ironman. I plan on focusing on some Half's, i really want to do Muskoka next year, so you ontario folk better be around! I also plan on riding more. Of course, next year is a long way away and anything can happen or change. Sorry this email was so long but i had 13hrs to cover!

Thanks again for the support. I'm not good on facebook and i'm not great at staying in touch very much, so I made up for it here.