Sunday, August 31, 2008

IMC 08, Part 3, T2, seeing stars on the Run, Post Race fun and more pain

T2 was faster than T1, unusual for me because I have to put on my ankle brace. I wasnt in a hurry anyway. I had a little trouble getting off the chair but once I was up, put on my fuel belt, and put the left foot in front of the right, I was committed.

It was starting to rain a little when I went into the tent but by the time I was done changing, it was coming down pretty good. I wished I had put my jacket into my T2 bag instead of my special needs.

T2, 11:22, slow, but I changed all my gear again.

I knew when I got off the chair in the transition tent that I was going to make it. I had over 8 hours and if I couldnt run, I could walk it. I walked out of the tent, walked to the timing mat and started jogging. I immediately regretted the choice of taking my fuel belt. I didnt need it, there were aid stations every 1-2km and all I had in there was water and some ibuprofen so I should have left it where it was.

I didnt make it far jogging, my legs were still thrashed from all the climbing and I felt weak. I walked for a bit til I got to the crowds, then I picked it up again. I hate walking past crowds of people and even though I looked like I was jogging, my kids walk faster than I was moving at this point. I saw Varney, Jenn T, and another IH spectator (sorry, couldnt focus to see who you were) and they cheered me on while I was jogging but not long after I saw them, I started walking again. The lead pro male had finished just before I got on the run course and the lead woman was heading the same direction as me on her way to the finish. I still had at least 6 more hours to go, how sad.

I started seeing stars, not the ones in the sky or entertainment, but they kind that might be noticed just before one passes out. I kept walking til I got back from the out/back by the lake, then jogged again past the fans on main street. Again, I didnt get far before I couldnt see straight again. I think I walked in a straight line, but I am not sure. I dumped out two of my fuel bottles that were bothering me when I did jog and kept plugging along, a bit more comfortable.

Having said that, each time I tried to jog, I would feel light headed. Not the first time I had that feeling (at World's in June and at National's the week before and about 25 years before that after getting blind sided during one of my rookie tryouts with a hockey team). I was starting to get worried but unless I ended up on the deck, I wasnt stopping, walking didnt cause the feeling, just running.

I heard my name numerous times by people that knew me. I think Varney, but Im not sure, called to me from a balcony at some sort of pub or ?. Linnea called to be but had to tell me who she was. I couldnt see her even though she was close to the me. I dont remember what I said to her but I do recall talking and thanking her for the encouragement.



At around the 5 mile mark, I saw Stacey and Laura. I gave Stacey my fuel belt and my sunglasses, pretty confident I wouldnt be seeing the sun anytime soon. Stacey asked how I was feeling and I told her I was getting dizzy/light headed when I ran so she told me not to run, just walk and finish. The crowd was getting bigger and I decided to jog...... sometimes I am not very smart. As soon as I was past the crowd, I walked. Not long after that, I saw Kaytee and she was looking great. Looking at my watch, I knew she was going to have a great finish time.



Over the next 5 miles, I walked. I saw Bill T and walked across the road to have a quick chat and ask how he was. He said he was having issues but was pushing on and I shook his hand and kept moving.



I had a companion from Saskatchewan for a while. We laughed about the lack of hills to train for this race. His coach is Lisa Bently and he said he better get going otherwise Lisa was gonna kick his butt for "doggin' it". We both started running because the camera man was just ahead. He let me go first so we could have our own pics. I was surprised to find that I was not dizzy at all and I felt pretty darn good. Unfortunately, my leg started to feel very weak so instead of pulling the same stunt as I did at Nationals (falling on my face), I decided to walk and run when I felt like it. I saw Leanne S at one point right by the lake and she was on pace to have a great race too.

For the last 4 miles to the turn around, I had another companion to walk with. She was from Calgary and had some issues at TZ. She had been in Malaysia for a month with no training other than running so she stressed out during T2. She had already done IMC before and 5 other ones but she decided that quitting after finishing the toughest part of the race, was not going to happen, even if she had to walk.

Along the way, the aid stations and volunteers were great. Some had themes, Hallowe'en, Christmas, but ALL had enthusiastic people of every age. I couldnt get the one with the BBQ to give me a burger but when i went past one house, I was offered a beer. Another athlete, on his way back to town, stopped to talk to friends, and did down the last of his buddy's Corona. He said he wasnt able to run so he might was well finish walking back happier.

When we got to the turn around point, I was very happy to hear my number called out for my special needs bag because it had my jacket in it. Not that I was cold, but the sun was almost down and I knew it would be cooling off quickly. Blisters were forming over the past few miles. I guess its good that I cant feel my right leg because there was a pretty good blister on that foot. On the left, I get the same blisters each time I do a long run. The wet weather wasnt helping this much and regardless of the amount of body glide I put on my toes, the blisters are present.

Deb was at the turn around and gave me a hug and took some pics.





I walked a little more with Janet from Calgary then went our separate ways as she decided to run. I kept on keepin' on, walking and running when I felt like I was strong enough. I walked a bit with a guy from Kamloops and we talked hockey and it made time go faster. I got to the 35km mark and was running, feeling pretty good. I saw Stacey and Laura, what troopers!! I was a little emotional, Stacey said how proud of me she was and after a kiss, I kept running, feeling much stronger now. She said she would meet me at the finish. I said I hadnt pee'd ALL DAY and might need an IV after I got in. Oh, BTW, I used the porta potty at 630am and at 10pm, I hadnt gone all day.



Anyway, I was walking with another Calgarian, she was walking at a good pace and keeping up with her at a walk was challenging but it was making me closer to my goal. Of course, after some quick math, I knew I wouldnt beat my IMF time but I would beat my IMF marathon time.

Getting into town was phenomenal, so many people cheering. We got to the street along the lake by the Peach and one fan was encouraging us, "come on, 15 minutes maximum and you will be done, i guarantee you will be done in 15 minutes or less, come on, you can do it!!!!". My walking companion started running, so did I. She was faster but no worries, I wanted no one else in my finish photo anyway. Around that time, one of the blisters that were forming let loose and made for a squishy finishing run.

I heard my name called from the dark. It was Leanne, I went over for a high five but got a hug (thanks Leanne!). I walked a little more then ran the last 750m or so to the finish. The lights were very bright, almost blinding as I got on to the blue carpet to the finish. As in all races, my pace picked up and nothing could wipe the smile from my face as I went through the IM banner.



Run, 7:06:30, beat my IMF marathon time by 15 minutes. One day I will run the distance but probably not as part of an iron distance triathlon.

Overall, 15:50:00. 19 minutes slower than my IMF time but like everyone keeps telling me, FL is flat, IMC, not so much.

Deb was at the finish line and with her VIP credentials, she was able to 'catch' me. We got my shirt/hat and finisher medal, got my timing chip removed, and got out of the way. For the second time, I missed getting my pic taken at the finish line wearing my medal and the baked potato wrapper you get at the end.

Stacey was also at the finish but I didnt know that til after. I called her from Deb's phone and left a message to meet me. Deb and I went to the TZ to pick up my bags and bike. When we were almost out when Stacey found us. We stopped by the food tent, found Laura, and got to the car to head home.

It was tough to get out of the car, my legs had tightened up. It was around 1130pm when we got to the house. Stacey made me some food while I showered. After, I put on my Skins tights, lay down, and very happily, went to sleep.

IMC 08, Part 2, T1 and bike, just a little painful



On to T1. Got stripped of my wetsuit, picked up my bag, and headed into the tent. I took my time, changed all my gear to my IH bibs and a cycling jersey. Walked out to claim my bike, walked to the bike mount area, got on, and away I went.

T1, 11:45, slower than IMF but it didnt bother me

It was great fun seeing all the Ironheads that werent competing cheering for me as I made the first turn from transition. Little did they know, I wasnt even clipped in yet but I got aero in a hurry so I could show off my awesome position on the bike :) I headed out of town averaging 20+mph. At the turn onto Lakeshore, I saw Stacey and the entourage from the house for the first of many times. Smiling for the camera, a couple of people took bad lines through 90 degree turn and almost clipped me and a few others.



I passed tons of people, most of whom would fly by me by the time I got half way up the first climb at McLean Creek Road. There was a little bit of wind picking up but after we got on the climb, I didnt feel much til we crested the hill. This first hill, is about 1km long, maybe 6-7% grade (maybe more?). At the top, I couldnt find my legs, they felt like lead. I was hoping it was temporary but I couldnt get going. There was a bit of a false flat but it wasnt bad. The downhill into OK falls was wicked. I hit 44mph, passed heaps of people that dont have my weight and momentum. The rest of the trip to Osoyoos had a bit of headwind but not too much.

I drove the road to Richter Pass last year so I know what to expect. I could see it looming as I approached the turn. I fueled up with a gel and loads of water about 5 minutes before I hit the base of the climb. I didnt think I would be able to drink while I was climbing.

I was still shaking the cobwebs off my legs and the first pitch of the climb, being the longest, really took its toll. Thank GOD I put that compact crankset on my bike. If I didnt have the 34 on there, I wouldnt have been able to make it up the remaining hills over the next 120km or so.

There were SO MANY people on the climb, you would have thought we were doing at grand tour in Europe. People in silly costumes with silly signs, it was AWESOME!!! Very motivating to people lacking enthusiasm for climbing.

Oh, did I mention the large caliber rifle shots I heard about half way up the first pitch? I thought maybe there was a range nearby but the shots were too close and at one time, I thought I was being shot AT! On with the climbing, it wasnt fun, seated climb for 30-40 minutes really sucked. My back was screaming at me, my ass hurt, and my neck hurt from being aero for too long.

Got through that section, crested the top, and descended fast. I hit 48mph on that one. I soft pedaled all the way down hill so my legs didnt seize up further. Then came the rollers. Although I didnt know it until after the next aid station when I asked someone if these were in fact the infamous rollers. Dont get me wrong, they arent easy, but I was expecting something a lot more difficult from what people were telling me. Stacey, Laura, and the rest of the house were there to cheer me on which was cool because I only expected to see them at Yellow Lake.



Next came the out/back section of the course. By this time, my butt was getting so sore. The back pain was average and my neck hurt but I was still 2 hours from being done the bike and could hardly sit. My special needs bag had some more chamois lube in it but truthfully, it was just the pressure from the saddle in the nether regions that was the painful part.

This is a real ugly part of the bike course. The road has lines across it, thump, thump, thump. Water bottles, tires, tubes, are everywhere as they got knocked off bikes. I saw Leanne and another friend from Camas, Pete Adams, and we shouted encouraging words to each other and went on our merry ways.

I got to the turn around and there were Stacey, Laura, Kelly, and Jacob. I smiled for the camera and picked up the pace. I didnt want them to see how much pain I was in. I grabbed my special needs bag and did the roadie thing, grabbed everything, stuffed it in my pockets, and threw the bag out, all without stopping the bike. I hit the 80 mile marker towards the end of the out/back section. 32 more miles of hell and I was NOT looking forward to it.



Stacey and I drove to Yellow Lake on Saturday so I was prepared but in hindsight, all it did was stress me out. I began to do calculations in my head. Lets see, 20km of downhill from the top of Yellow to Penticton, thats 12 miles, its a 10km climb to the top, the pitch should be rising up.......... NOW!

Crap, it started. Before you can say slug, I was slithering along at 5-6 mph. My legs had nothing left. It wasnt my fueling, that was dialed in. I was just plain worn out. I feel like I had enough training for this event but maybe not enough hills. With all the bike problems I had this season, I attributed it to a poor fit, not poor prep. After all, I have a great coach, thanks Scott.

Not far from the top, there was Stacey, Laura, Kelly, and the rest of the house cheering me on. Laura actually walked next to me, thats how SLOW I was going. I asked where Clint was and they said he was behind me. Thats strange, I thought, he should be way ahead of me. Oh well, I had 500m of climbing to go, cant stop to chat. Turned out, poor Clint had some massive GI problems and was puking his guts out somewhere behind me. At the bike dismount area, they took him the the med tent, his day was done after 8.5 hrs on the bike with a stomach issue. Not fun.



200m from the top, people screaming, cheering, yelling encouragement, it was phenomenal. I stood up on the pedals and danced my way to the top. OK, so it wasnt like dancing but I was shaking my butt, doesnt that count?

I knew this wasnt the last climb of the day but the hard part was definitely over. I knew I was going to finish this sillyness and cross the line before midnight. Now my goal was going to be beating my IMF time. A short downhill and uphill later, I was going 50 mph towards Penticton. The wind shook me a few times but i was on a mission. I had one hand on the horns, one hand was in the aero bars, and I was squeezing the frame with my thighs.

I maintained a good clip all the way back. The wind hit me as I was eastbound in front of Skaha Lake. I was leaning hard to the right to keep from being knocked over. Those Zipp 808's sure can go fast but they sure pick up crosswinds. I got to the bike dismount and had to ask one of the volunteers to hold me up as I had no strength to twist out of my pedals. I was surprised when I was able to walk after I got off, hey, I thought, I might be able to run some of the marathon after all.

Bike, 7:04:24, lots slower than IMF but duh, the course is flat in FL. Average speed, 15.8 mph. Pretty poor.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

IMC 08 Part 1, pre race and swim

So, I started this whole blog thingy for my IMC prep. Good way to get my thoughts out and if someone wanted to read it, all the better. Well, I did it, I finished another Ironman distance race. There were times where I was on course where I wasnt so sure I was going to make it but seeing all the people, the signs they had (pain is temporary etc), my family, friends, team mates, made the voices in my head stop telling me to pack it in. Mind you, that was all while I was on the bike.... ok, and part of the swim where I was getting a worse beating physically than I have had in 500 hockey games....... ok, and MAYBE when I was just leaving town on the run course and getting dizzy and starting to cramp, but those were the only times.... so Im sayin anyway.

My IM adventure started off the week before with a little trip to Kelowna to do the Apple Triathlon on Sunday, Aug 17th. What a great event. It was coupled with an ITU event so I got to see some of the elites of our sport do their thing.

After the Apple, I went back to Salmon Arm to hang with the family and finish my IMC training. I got in two rides, two swims, and a couple of runs. On one of my rides, I had some form of explosive/fireworks thrown at me. What an interesting ride that was. Over the years, I have had lots of things yelled at me, been swerved at, had water (or I hope it was water) thrown on me, but the "screecher" was a first. Luckily, I rolled past it before it ignited. The rest of the time in SA was uneventful as far as fireworks go and on Friday, Stacey and I headed to Penticton.

As soon as we got to town, we headed to the IM Expo area to pick up my registration packet. I got in and out within about 20 minutes, all braceletted up ready to race. I got some ART done by the same guy that treated me just before World's. If you are ever in Vancouver BC and are in need of some soft tissue work, call me, i will give you his clinic number. I felt GREAT!!! I had signed up for a 30 minute massage too so Stacey got her bike stuff and went and demo'd a Cervelo P2C. The massage might have been a good relaxation rub, it certainly wasnt what I wanted. Oh well, its only money right?

We called our host family and said we would be there shortly. Well, that wasnt exactly true because after we finished at the athlete village, the truck wouldnt start. Kind of like the day I left for Canada, it just went click click click. Probably the last thing I needed just before the race. I had it checked before I left Camas, they said the battery was fine.... Good old Les Schwab, should have known better and had it checked by someone that only does battery's. Actually, a guy in Penticton said it was fine too. After getting a boost, we just drove to Marty and Laura's place and unloaded the gear, met some great new people, and settled in for the night.

Saturday morning, we got up early for a 7am swim. Too bad the truck wouldnt start. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Laura came out in her PJ's and gave us a jump and off we went. My friend Debbie was working with Blue Seventy and offered to let me use a long sleeve wetsuit for the race so I went down to test it out during their demo time. It fit like a glove and 15 minutes in it sure made me want to buy one but $600 isnt in the budget so I opted to take Deb up on the loan. Right after that, we met Coach Scott and had a short ride with him. Back to the truck, click click click. YAHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGG!!

Another jumpstart, back to Marty and Laura's, kept the truck running this time, switch to race wheels, pack the rest of my TZ bags, throw everything into the truck, then back to TZ to drop my crap off.

I was pissed and stressed at the same time. Stacey calmed me down (thanks honey) dropped me off with my gear and parked down the street. After I got my stuff into the TZ, I went into the overpriced merchandise tent and bought her an "Ironmate" Tee shirt. She really earned that title on race day, more about that later. During the time I was doing my thing, she called the Dodge dealer to see if they could do some tests on the truck to determine what it was. Turns out, it was the battery, silly people that did the test on it at Schwabs, didnt load test the damn thing and instead of it costing me around $100 US, it was $215 CAD.

Anyway, it had to be done so the nice folks at the Penticton Dodge dealer had us on the road in half an hour. Two stops to get food, water, and wine (for our hosts, not me...... OK, so I had a glass with dinner, it calmed me down), then back to Marty and Laura's for the rest of the day.

I have to tell you, the afternoon dragged on. After I had finished preparing my fuel bottles for the next day, we watched the Olympics. CBC coverage was great. No Bob Costas or Al Trautwig to give us heartwarming story's, just good coverage. We watched the marathon on NBC as well as CBC and it was quite different, and thats all I have to say about that......

So, after dinner, lots of water, peeing 20 times, I finally went to sleep around 10pm. Although the house was full of people, only myself and one other, Clint, were getting up at 4am to do eat and get ready to race.

I drank my usual 700 calorie bottle of Sustained Energy and ate a banana. I kept drinking water, but my GI was doing its usual routine as well, flip flopping all over the damn place, thats all I need to say about that. Around 520am, Clint, his wife Kelly, and son Jacob, headed down to the TZ. That was the last time I saw Clint as we both went to finish our prep.

I saw David Christian, Mike G, Leanne, and Kaytee and ran into my friend Deb. She helped me get into my wetsuit (not used to top down wetsuit zipper). Beep, beep, beep, we all crossed the timing mats and I wandered into the cold water.

I didnt do a warm up swim, just dunked my head under the water to test my goggles. I made sure I kept my hands in the water to get used to it, talked to Leanne for a minute or two, gave her a quick hug, wished her luck, and got my game face on. I was going to need it.




7AM, Peter Reid fired the cannon and off we went. I started very close to the front, pretty close to the TZ/swim exit but the wall of people were lined up at least 50meters to my left. Its a free for all, and like i said earlier, I got beat up less playing hockey. I was seriously wondering what the hell I was doing during those first 400m or so. I got kicked by some breast stroker, in the side of the head and a few times I thought I would have broken fingers. I kept on keeping on and found some open water.





The first right turn at the house boat brought everyone closer together and of course, more pummelling. All in all, it wasnt so bad I guess, but getting back to open water was welcomed for sure. One woman kept going back and forth across my line but the rest of the swim was uneventful. Had she kept in a straight line, she would probably have done a much faster swim.

Swim, 1:15:59, 30 seconds off my IMF time, satisfying considering the swims that I missed.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Apple Triathlon Race Report

For those that dont know, Kelowna BC is in the Okanagan Valley. During the summer, the valley is very HOT!! I got there Friday evening and had dinner with one of the race organizers and had arranged to park my folks RV in front of their house. It was 34C. It has a great air conditioner however, it needs a 30amp connection, the same plug in as a dryer more or less. If you plug it in to anything less, you will blow a fuse. I chose not to do that to people I just met.

After dinner, I headed out the RV. It was an oven still but with all the windows open and a fan blowing all the hot air out, I slept pretty good.


On Saturday, I ran for 15 minutes at 730am, before it got really hot. The forecast called for a high of 36C and I didnt want to do too much in the heat. I still had to bike for 30 and had planned to meet my friend Meyrick and Scott, two other Team Canada AWAD's that I met at worlds, to ride a lap of the course. I was nervous about the large hill that the website showed. It turned out to not be as bad as it looked. It was shorter than the hill at World's but it was a bit steeper. The rest of the course was not bad, the out and back section had a bit of a hill but it soon leveled out and was pretty fast (although on race day, I missed the sign for the out and back on the first lap and did it twice on my last lap which slowed me a bit).



The elite juniors went on Saturday and I kept seeing athletes coming in with road rash, 4 in all. One kid had hit a "hippy" (as he called him) and was unable to continue. Others had taken a corner too hard and slid into the curb. The last thing I heard was the water was so warm it was going to be a non wetsuit swim. Probably one of the few times Im glad Im an AWAD, we get to wear our wetsuits.



Meyrick and I dropped off our bikes at the TZ then headed to dinner at the Pheasant and Quail Pub for some decent food and to watch the Olympics. We watched Phelps get his 8th, Bolt "sit up" while running away with the 100m gold, and got to see some Canadian athletes finally get us into the medals. Back to the RV, which was now at the RV park with the A/C cranked, to sleep in cool comfort. Meyrick's friend Deb, who had done the 5000m OW swim earlier in the day (and won her AG), had one hell of a sunburn and chose to sleep in my RV versus her tent, which was apparently very hot.


Sunday morning, 5am, my alarm went off. I got my 700 calorie bottle from the fridge and went back to bed. I had to have the RV out before 11am and due to our start time, I wasnt sure I could make it back to the campground before then so I packed it up, and parked it next to the same house as friday night. Meyrick and Deb picked me up and off we went to get body marked.




So, Im an AWAD, when we got body marked, the lady asked what age group I was in. I said, Im not in an AG, Im an AWAD. She looked confused. She asked again, what AG I was in. I again explained that Im an athlete with a disability and we have our own class/division. She asked someone, who asked someone, who found my RV host/assistant race director, and discovered that sure enough, I didnt need to have an AG on my leg, only my number and an A. Perfect, onto the TZ to get the rest of my area squared away.


I felt kind of weird. We had our own section with LOTS of room, two chairs each, and a HUGE orange sign saying "do not remove chairs, these are for the AWADS". Kind of brings attention to our little group. Scott (I found out later that he is the top wheelchair athlete in Canada) gets lots of attention as he is in a chair and uses a handcycle so people always come over and look at that. Meyrick is a below the knee amputee (BK) so his carbon fiber running leg gets heaps of people looking at it, and Kim has a walker and two canes. Then theres me, looking pretty much able bodied (AB) but Im wearing my Challenged Athlete Foundation jersey and I have an ankle brace that unless you come over to my area, you cant even see it. I get looked at, but not for the same reasons. People wonder why Im in this group. Oh well, they wanna know, they can ask me right?





The sprint started at 7am and they were just finishing their waves when we were ushered down to the water. AWAD's get a separate start time, usually around 10 minutes before the rest (at World's, we had 30 minute head start). We had a quick course description, then Meyrick held onto me and another person and started taking his leg off, a new experience for me. Scott and Kim were already in the water, next thing I knew, the race was on. We had two laps to do but unlike the AB athletes, we didnt have to run around the beach onto timing mats. We just swam around a buoy that was in about 3 feet of water. I was doing well, keeping up with Meyrick and Scott but then after the first left turn, around 450m into it, Scott turned on the turbo charger and took off.



As we started our second lap, Scott stopped in front of us, turned back, and started yelling something. I stopped for a second but Meyrick kept going so I started again. Turns out, he missed the buoy on the beach and was sent back by the kayakers. I still kept Meyrick within about 3-4 body lengths until we turned to start lap two, then he got away from me as we got swept up in a mens AG wave.



I got swam over a couple times and thought my timing chip strap but it stayed on. I still had plenty of open water to swim so I kept a good pace. On the last leg of the second lap, I had a kayaker try to send me on a third lap. It was interesting because he let Meyrick go but chose to try and herd me to the left. After I politely explained I was finishing, he apologized and let me go. I picked up the pace and exited the water just ahead of Meyrick, an advantage of not having to install a leg after exiting the water.

Swim time, 26:10 for an average of 1:45/100m

I had a helper, an awesome guy named Mark, and he just let me do my thing, standing by in case I fell. When we got to T1, he helped me strip my wetsuit and after I got my kit on, he stayed next to me while I ran out to the bike mount area.

T1, 2:47, pretty fast for me

I got out of T1 just behind Meyrick but I couldnt stay with him as the hill was not even 2km into the ride. My HR was max'd, probably around 180, til just before the hill. I geared down and spun up the hill at a bristling 7mph. I knew the course and the 2 minutes I spent climbing would be easily made up on the downhill and the flats.



As I said earlier, I missed the sign on the out/back section either because I didnt see it or it wasnt up yet. We started after the sprint waves and being the first of the Oly distance out of the water, I guess I was following a sprint rider. I was very happy at the time as I was passing all these sprint riders but after I figured out I missed that section, I was mad at myself. I realized I missed it when I got back to the start/finish for my second lap and my speedo only read 6 miles and change. I decided to make it up on my last lap. My second lap with the out/back section was not too bad, the first part of it had a bit of a hill then sort of a false flat but I was still able to make 19mph. After the turn it was all down hill and flat to the start/finish. I hit 65kph for a top speed and I was able to maintain a decent average speed of 30.8kph for the 40km.



On the last lap, I did my diligence and did the out/back twice and as fast as I could, went back to the TZ. I saw Meyrick twice on that section, once on my first of the two laps on the way down, and then again when I was on the way back up. He had a puzzled look on his face.

Bike, 1:17:50, average 30.8km/h

I got to the entrance to T2 and Mark was there to meet me. He ran on the left side of me while I had my bike on the right. I didnt trip there, I got to the rack, hung up the bike, then sat down to change my shoes. Mark wanted to help but there wasnt much for him to do but be there in case I tripped on the grass (which I tend to do due to the whole foot drop thing). I was up and running in a pretty good T2 time. This is where my good day ended and the crap day was about to begin.

T2, 3:28, again, fast for me

I ran for about ten minutes and after looking at my watch, I thought I could do a sub 3 hour race. I did 2:54 in Vancouver but that was with a 1100m swim. The weather was great, not too hot, not too cold, but I soon started to fatigue. My legs were not cooperating. I got to about the 3km mark, a nice little out and back section through Kelowna's skid row, and then I felt like I had to walk. I walked for a few, watching my HR go from 175 down to the 150 range. I couldnt do much but wait for it to go down before I started to run again. I was only able to run for a minute or two at a time, then had to walk again. My GI felt great, my lungs felt great, but my legs werent cooperating. My foot drop was getting worse as the course dragged on. My hopes of a sub three hour race quickly was going away.

I ran through an aid station, joked with the ladies running it, but as soon as I passed through, I started walking again. Just after this, I was on the last 1.5km of the first lap, all along the boardwalk. I walked and ran for this section. When I got to the actual boards of the "boardwalk", I was running. I was about half way across this section and my left foot caught the lip of one of the boards and I hit the deck. I rolled onto my back, said a bad word, lay there for a split second then started to get up. There was one or two people that witnessed my fall and one of them asked if I was OK. I said I was fine, got up, walked to the end of the boardwalk and started running again.

When I got to the start of the second lap, I stopped and talked to one of the race officials. I asked if he could locate my helper and ask him to meet me at the start of the wooden part of the board walk. When i was saying this, however, I was having some trouble breathing. the same problem I had at the finish of World's. I felt like I was wheezing, like maybe asthma. I was upset so that might have had something to do with it. At World's, I was overwhelmed since my mom was at the finish line so maybe that was it. I didnt want the race official to notice I was having trouble so I started walking away. My host, Tabitha, ran up beside me and said she was going to be my helper for the next 5km. I didnt want her to do the whole lap with me and I just explained that I needed her only at the boardwalk. She just said she would be fine and would to the whole lap with me. About twice more, I had the breathing problem and got light headed but I just walked for a bit and it went away. By about 1.5km into it, I finally convinced her that I was ok and all I needed someone for was the last 1km.

In hindsight, I wish I would have had someone for the whole lap, its good motivation. I walk/ran the rest of the lap. I got to just before the boardwalk, saw Tabitha, called to her, but I guess she didnt hear me. I was on a roll with my running so I just kept going. I ran the whole boardwalk, concentrating on lifting my foot with each step. I hit the end of the boardwalk, saw the ramp towards the finish. There were tons of people lining the course so I picked up my pace. I crossed the finish line, listening for my name but I guess they couldnt read my number. Finally, after someone stopped me to read it so they could announce my name.

Run, 1:26:19, CRAPPPY!! Overall, 3:16:32, 3rd OA, 1st TRI3

I finished in 3:16, my worst finish of the year but I qualified for worlds in Gold Coast Australia in September 2009. I got to stand on the podium for the first time in 6 years but like my friend Meyrick said, Im not going to brag about the win as there were only 4 of us. Before the awards, I said to Meyrick and Scott that I didnt want to go on the podium by myself and that all of us should go up there. He said that as an AWAD, for the time being, I should get used to doing podium's on my own. Both he and Scott said they had their share of solo podiums.



My folks were there with my kids and they were very proud of me being on top of the steps and mom got lots of photos. Today is Thursday, four days later, and she is still showing people my medal and telling them I won Canadian Nationals.

Well, getting ready for IMC in two and a half days, keep you updated soon.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

broken bike, 1 week to IMC, what to do?????

Last time I rode my TT bike was during the Mid Summer Sprint Triathlon at Blue Lake. I had a good 20k TT, 33 minutes, but after I got home, I put it in the garage and have been riding my road bike. Today, I was going to get new aero bars put on it and have it dialed in before I head to Canada. After sitting on it while trying out new aero bars, I made a decision to go with the less expensive aluminum bars. AFter the mechanic started tearing things down, cutting cables to change out the bars, he called over Larry, the fit guy from Athletes Lounge that was doing my fit, and they whispered a bit, Larry said some things like "wow, that was the noise we heard", then called me over. I felt like I got kicked in the jimmy. I have a race in five days and another in 12 days and although I have a good road bike, its not like the TT bike.
I frantically called my Orbea connection and left a voice mail. One of their riders, a tall kid, broke his collar bone and isnt going to be riding his TT bike anytime soon so I thought i might be able to use it. More stress, waiting for the call back. I stopped on the way home, cracked my friends at Bike Central, but left my phone in the car. Of course, the phone call came while I was busy at the store. He suggested getting some photos so he can show them to his Orbea rep. I called AL, got Todd, the mechanic, to get some pics, and he emailed them to me. I got back tot he office, emailed him the pics, and waited.... more stress.
Got email from David, he said he had a large frame TT bike I could use til we got mine squared away. At least I have another option. Problem is, the bike wont be fit for me but at least it has the same geometry as my current broken steed.
So, stress level is lower, but Im still worried. Going to be bringing my Bianchi anyway, just in case.