IMC: Getting Wet, Getting Cold and the Momma Bear Run Around
Ahhhhh what sounded more appealing than doing a nice temperate race in the beautiful mountains of Whistler after the record heat of Coeur d’Alene!?! We arrived in Whistler for IMC four weeks post IMCDA with a tad more confidence having done the same two races last year. Of course, doing back-to-back Ironmans is always a bit of an ill-advised crap shoot. I’d done well last year with a fourth place finish and training in between had gone smoothly, but there was a lot to be left to the Ironman and Weather Gods. By the end of the race day there would be LOTs of lessons learned (aren’t there always!) a little less skin on my fingers, my best ever run split by 20’ and Ironman finish #8 on the books!
Pre Race
Rolling into the venue we certainly looked out of place towing a boat into a skiing and mountain biking resort town! Although Mark’s volunteering on the swim effectively doubles our pre-race logistics, we have gotten into a pretty good groove and checked our “to-do” boxes relatively efficiently. We even still liked each other come race day in spite of the raw launch into sand and mud – not exactly a recipe for marital bliss! We attended RTB and EN events, did a shake out ride with the Frosts and felt ready to roll. On race morning Mark had to head to the boat before I left the room so I was on my own to get out the door and onto the bus for a shuttle to the start.
*** Mark at the Alta Lake Raw Launch ***
The Weather
As a fellow EN athlete Rachel H pointed out, I must have pissed off the weather Gods this year. Let’s just say there is some sick feather-in-the-cap to be earned by racing both the hottest and the coldest and wettest Ironman but I’d gladly give that feather to someone else! For some unknown reason, I thought the Castelli T1 Stealth top, which I’d purchased for aerodynamic purposes and used for sun protection in IMCDA, would help keep me warm in Whistler’s 40 degrees and pouring ass rain. What was I thinking? I’d added arm warmers, a beanie and gloves but let’s just say as it turns out a nice thermal vest would have been very much appreciated a whopping 10’ into the bike. Sigh.
*** Whistler vs. Coeur d’Alene – Pick Your Poison! ***
The Swim: We Were Gonna Get Wet Anyway
The definition of insanity is doing something the same and expecting different results, right? Well I lined up even further out from the start (closer to shore) than I did last year and lo and behold, got just as clobbered as last year. Next time I’m taking the advice of many teammates and lining up right on the start buoy. Somebody please remind me of this if I talk about doing anything else next year!
*** Lesson #1, Redux: I lined up on one of the small yellow buoys in the middle. Just like last year and probably the year before. <<< Hangs head in shame. >>> I need to be on the red start buoy next year! ***
*** Swim Start = Rain Start ***
Although I never did find open water in the first loop, I swam relatively smoothly and comfortably. There really wasn’t much else to do – too many people in front of me to go around! By the second loop, both the skies (of rain) and the lake (of swimmers) had opened up markedly. I negative split the swim and came out just a tiny bit faster than IMC last year. On to the bike.
*** Already Wet. Let’s do this! ***
The Bike: Moxie’s Mechanicals - Proof She Shouldn’t be Ridden in the Rain
The targeted power for the day was somewhat of a wild ass guess with the last FTP test months and a full Ironman behind me. I’d been more aggressive in training between the two races than last year but it still felt like a pretty fuzzy target. Anyway, armed with a new cap of 140 BPM on heart rate after a heart-to-heart (pun intended!) conversation with Coach P, I set a wattage target from 150w (last years race average) to 161w (the average of the race rehearsal in May). I planned to start the day at the low end of the range. If I could build power with the heart rate in check and the legs feeling good, I’d do so.
Out of the swim my HR was really high, as usual. Reminding myself that Coach P would be looking at this file later, I took it SUPER easy out of the lake and onto the highway. Luckily, the heart rate came down pretty quickly.
*** Bike File: Pleased with execution here, all things considered! ***
Headed South to Callaghan I’d just reconciled myself to a very uncomfortable day when there was an “awful grinding sound” to use the words of nearby RTB athlete Josh F. I looked down and my chain had dropped to the inside and wedged between the frame and the crank. This had happened twice in training, much to the bemusement of two different shop mechanics and my (AMAZING!!!) Husband Hero mechanic. As such, we’d installed an “anti chain drop” device designed to keep just this sort of thing from happening. I flipped the bike over and gave a firm tug up on the chain as training partner Steve had shown me how to do. Nothing. I pulled again. Still nada. Certainly it wasn’t wedged in there that tight – I’d stopped putting pressure on the pedals immediately upon hearing the noise. I took a closer look. F***!!! That anti chain drop device had now impaled my chain and was preventing me from pulling it back out of the frame. I took off my gloves and shoved my fingers into the chain rings in an attempt to get the chain off of the impalement. After several attempts, some missing skin from my (thankfully numb) fingers and a few desperate looks around for neutral support, it magically released. I navigated the chain carefully around the impalement device and onto the chain ring. We were three miles in, my gadget registered 43 degrees and I was soaked. Onward.
**** Sigh. ***
We took a right to begin the climb to Callaghan. My average heart rate was already lower than targeted so that was great news. I yo-yoed a bit with EN athlete Ann and RTB athlete Ryan, which was fun – misery loves company! As the chilling effect of the wind went down and the effort of the ascent heated us, we were never so glad to be climbing! Unfortunately what goes up, must come down. The descent from Callaghan was truly a spirit killer. I was shivering, my teeth were chattering uncontrollably and I had a hard time keeping my hands on the bike. Many athletes DNFed at the bottom where organizers had brought in busses as portable warming tents. Even several pros DNFed at that point.
*** The consensus of the field at the bottom of Callaghan ***
On the return to Whistler my chain dropped again. Gahhh!!!! I flipped Moxie over and went to work. The chain hadn’t been impaled, but once I got it on the front chain ring I couldn’t get it to settle into the cassette. Woe! Less than 40 miles into the race I was borderline hypothermic, my bike wasn’t working and the thought of DNFing crossed my mind. I went to my mental toolkit and pulled out all my “one things” (some of us need many one things!) usually reserved for late in the marathon. I thought of doing all those who support and cheer for me, especially Mark, proud. I knew my racing self owed my training self that has put so much time into the preparation for this race. I knew if I could keep going I’d at least earn one more finish in case I never qualify and be one step closer to Kona via the Legacy program. The chain settled in. I flipped Moxie over. According to my gadget, I’d lost a combined total of about 5’ on the side of the road with mechanicals.
*** The Edge of Wetness ***
We continued through Whistler and began the descent to Pemberton. I started to feel slightly less miserable, although many people suffered terribly here too. By the Pemberton flats I was feeling pretty good, my power was building, and I went to work.
*** According to my gadget the average temperature on the bike was 51. And officially measured as raining buckets for the first two hours. ***
On the return from Pemberton I was pleasantly surprised at how good my legs felt. I kept checking my average heart rate and my average power and was able to build both while keeping the heart rate for the day under the imposed cap. My bike was making an unhappy noise in the easiest climbing gear so I stopped using it in fear Moxie would stop rolling all together. I rolled into Whistler soaking wet and covered in grit, pee and snot but hopeful for a good run.
*** Power by Hour: Built Throughout the Day and Heart Rate Under Cap! ***
The Run: When Your Legs Can’t Run Anymore Run with Your Heart
Historically my bike heart rate has been 6-8 BPM higher (143ish) than my run heart rate (135ish), which is exactly the opposite of what it should be. After my pow-wow with Coach P we decided that I needed to come off the bike with an average heart rate UNDER 140 BPM then I needed to keep it ABOVE 140 BPM throughout the run. This was much faster and harder than I had run in the past, but I was more than ready to try something new and lay it all on the line. Early into the run I saw Heidi and she let me know I was in second off the bike. She also provided some much-needed mojo and a slap on the butt. I was running well with my heart rate just above 140 BPM and determined to keep it there.
*** Sign on the Course: This Mantra Was Truer Today than Any Other! ***
After the first lap it got much, much harder to keep my heart rate above 140, but I was doing it. At one point some volunteers formed a tunnel that shuttled the runners OFF of the run course. “Um, I see the green arrow right over there – are you sure”, I asked? “Yes, yes” they assured me, “We are just detouring you around a charging momma bear.” “Well okay then, just tell me where to go,” I readily agreed! Have we mentioned the amazing volunteers yet? Just one of their “other duties as assigned” and around the bear I went! We’d find out later the momma and her three cubs were tranquilized and moved to a safer area. Whew – now that’s the full Whistler experience!
*** Bear at Ironman News Story ***
On the run I was trying really hard to get in as much nutrition as planned but was falling short. My tummy just wasn’t happy so I tried a few different things including Red Bull (yuck!) and Coke (nope). Unfortunately that also meant I wasn’t getting the caffeine in as planned and it was getting harder and harder to keep the heart rate up. Lesson learned – I’ll separate the caffeine plan from the calorie plan in coming races so I can at least get one of the two down the hatch.
*** Dried out and running! ***
I used all of the mantras I had and then some. I collected as many super-power delivering high-fives as possible from our RTB and EN athletes, friends and supporters and shut out the pain. There was RTB green and EN red EVERYWHERE! I won’t try to name them individually but you know who you are and from the bottom of my (beating heavily) heart: THANK YOU!
*** Ran Right on the Edge for Four Hours – Ouch! ***
My HR was 140 BPM, 139, then 141 - right on the edge of where I wanted to be. At mile 18 I wanted to bring it to 145 but it wasn’t happening. As far as I could tell I was only passed by one person in my age group throughout the run but a lot of ladies had on calf sleeves so it was impossible to tell. Regardless, I was givin’ what I had!
*** Heart Rate Up by but Unable to Build Late – Need More Calories and Caffeine: Lesson #8,659 on the Day! ***
I crossed the finish line right into the catcher who took me to Mark and Heidi waiting at the finish. I was really spent, physically and emotionally and already close to tears. I knew my run was about a 20’ PR and was thrilled with that, but would it be enough? “What place am I?” I asked Heidi. She refreshed her phone… 6th. Ouch. That hurt. I’d swum and biked on par with last year and had my best run ever and it still wasn’t enough. I knew there was almost no way a Kona slot would roll down to 6th. As proud as I was of the run, I was so disappointed in the placing. It felt like someone is raising the bar (ha!) just one year ahead of me and I will never be enough. Heidi and Mark assured me I was enough just as I am. More tears. I’d get all mushy, but let’s just leave it to the imagination the amount of gratitude I had for Mark and Heidi at that point and thank them for their grace in the face of such a snotty mess.
*** Glad to Be Done & IMC PR ***
Woulda Coulda Shoulda: 6th? 5th? Or 4th
At the finish line I showed as 6th, just off the podium. Later that night, I showed as 5th and wondered if perhaps someone in front of me received a penalty that pushed them down in the results. We were going to the awards ceremony regardless so with one last check of the results in the morning (still 5th!) we headed to the awards ceremony thinking that is where I’d land.
Unfortunately, the first name they read off (for 5th place) wasn’t mine. Um… awkward! Her time was faster than mine, so clearly as it turns out the data had been correct at the finish after all. It was disappointing to not be on the podium but it wouldn’t’ have earned a Kona spot anyway. In fact, even without that mechanical I would have been fourth and there were only three spots. No harm no foul. I did hear of a lady that missed a Kona spot by two seconds and had a two minute bear delay. D’oh!
*** Race Day Video - Lots of Teammates and Me at the 7:43 Mark! ***
What’s Next?
Honestly I don’t know just yet. In 2014 I was 4th here and 28’ outside of earning a slot outright. This year I was 6th and 12’ out with a 20’ PR at including that 5’ mechanical. The racing is getting tighter!
Gratitude
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who support, cheer or send a bit of mojo my way. And thanks to Mark who makes it all possible and fun. Cheers!
Edit 08/25/15
As it turn out there is more to the story. The “news” is that the 1st place finisher in my age group was just disqualified for cheating making my official result at IMC 5th. How do I feel? Mixed! On one hand I’m a bit sad we didn’t get to experience the podium with our friends and teammates in Whistler. I’m a bit MORE sad for the woman that now is going to Kona. She was cheated out of accepting her Kona slot with HER friends and family. And I’m more than a little sad for our sport. It is, after all a game that we are all fortunate enough to play. I mean really, how lucky are we? We get to run around, swim and ride our bikes like little kids and call it an adult hobby! On the other hand, this explains why results were moving around after the race and makes the awkwardness of the awards ceremony a little less awkward. Plus the podium streak is now at three! Bottom line: I’m GRATEFUL to be able to participate in the sport at all.
Research done by a super sleuth that includes some pretty good evidence of cheating: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s257/sh/f2807f22-45db-4db7-b656-0b3d4c04f70a/70ec36dda244f9a3
Slowtwitch thread with community conversation: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=5670822;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=-1;
Article that includes a statement from the athlete: http://triathlonmagazine.ca/news/canadian-athlete-disqualified-at-ironman-canada/
Let’s all go forth and be awesome within the rules, shall we?
Cheers!
