I survived the Grand Columbian Half Ironman on Saturday.
I arrived at Grand Coulee mid-day on Friday and quickly noticed the smell of smoke from the nearby forest fire. I went for a quick dip in the lake before heading off to drive the bike course. As I drove the second half of the course it felt like I was heading directly into the fire with the dark grey sky and horizon.
As it turned out given the proximity of the fire to the Grand Coulee Dam and prevailing winds the race director make the decision to change the course of both the bike and the run. So instead of finishing the bike by the dam and running on the jeep trail below the dam along the river, T2 was changed back to Banks Lake where T1 was and the run was an out and back on Highway 155. My initial thoughts were great the bike will be easier as we don't have that long 10 mile climb, unfortunately I hadn't really thought much about the run (but it was much more difficult with several hills).
Now I was making the race time decision on whether or not I'd complete due to my strained calf. I decided on Friday night that it felt good enough to at least start the race.
I awoke about 6am (9:30 am start time) and choked down some food and got ready to go. I got the start just before the full Ironman distance competitors started and prepped my bike and then headed down along the lake to watch the swimmers head along the shore. It was pretty surreal as the smoke had drifted back over Banks Lake and the sun was heavily filtered by the smoke.
The start was a deep water start with the men starting 5 minutes before the women. I swam in my sleeveless suit and the water felt great. I had promised myself to go out harder than normal to try and better position myself in the pack. I pretty much did what I had planned and things worked out well as I finished the swim in 34:30 in 66th place which was 2 minutes faster than last year. My swim time was probably also aided (probably more so than my swim speed) by the fact that I pretty much swam a straight line the whole way around the course which made me feel good about my swim.
Transition from the swim to the bike was uneventful and I completed the transition quickly. Now this is a tough bike course. The first tough part comes just about 2 miles or so into the ride where you hit Almira Grade. This is a roughly 2.2 mile climb with approximately a 1000 foot elevation gain. For me this is a grind....grind...grind and the real bike leg starts when I get to the top. I was passed by about 10 riders up the grade all flyweight bike riders.
Once I got to the top I started to get into my rhythm over the next few miles of gentle rollers. Now on the original course there is an out and back before heading to a few more rollers then a nice descent into the town of Almira. With the course change we continued on the out and back road to what I will now affectionately refer to as the "uphill" rollers.
This is pretty much about 10 miles of stair step climbing which I think was harder than the long sustained climb on the original course.
Finally we hit a short downhill where we descended to Hwy 2. This is really where I started to feel good on the bike as I was finally in my element. This section along the hwy flat and smooth and I was flying along at near 30 miles an hour average picking off lots of riders ahead of me in a hurry.
At the end of hwy 2 we turned onto hwy 155 which takes you back along Banks Lake to Grand Coulee. Right about here my computer stopped working so I had no clue how fast I was going or what my cadence was. I think I eased up on the intensity. About 5 miles into this section another rider came up from behind and low and behold it was the lead woman. I took up the challenge and we traded places back and forth all the way back to T2 picking off about 6 more riders. I ended up finishing the ride (57 miles) in 2:47:02 with a 20.5 mph average in with the 26th fastest bike split.
T2 was uneventful and I headed out onto the run course. I was feeling good except for my calf which was now very painful with each stride. As a result I was compensating for the pain and about mile 2 my quad started to cramp from the change in stride to the point I was brought to the ground. At this point I was pretty much thinking my day was over. I spent a few minutes massaging the quad to stop the cramp and spasm and began running again. I kept rolling along and the cramp hit again around mile 4 so I was forced to stop and work out the cramp before continuing on. I kept moving but was frustrated as I felt great except for the pain in my calf which was significantly hampering my stride. As I headed back into Grand Coulee I knew I was going to make it and started to catch a few other runners in my age group and I pushed past them to the finish. I ended up finishing the run in 1:42:00 with the 27th fastest run split on the day which was both a positive and a disappointment. Positive as it was by far my fastest run leg in a half ironman which means I'm starting to get the nutrition and hydration figured out. It was a disappointment as I felt so great, that if I hadn't been bothered by the calf I felt I could have probably run 1:30 or so which would have probably put me under 5 hours overall.
In the end I finished up the race in 5:08:18. I was 26th overall and 7th in my age group. Overall I was very pleased given the very tough course and my sore calf. In comparison that time would have placed me 16th in this race last year which I think is a testament to increasing popularity of this race and the fact that it's attracting some really good athletes from around the country and other countries. Despite being a small race it had competitors from many states and Canada.
I did the Troika 1/2 Ironman this weekend in Spokane, Washington. This was my first time at this race and first race since IMCDA and I haven’t done much training since the IM so I didn’t have particularly high expectations for this race.
The swim is in Medical Lake a few miles west of Spokane. The water was warm in the low 70’s and clean and the air temp was in the low 60’s at the start. I’ve apparently got one speed in the water no matter how far I’m swimming so it was a typical swim for me and I was done in 36:03 in 77th place.
I was pretty disappointed by what I would consider to be a significant amount of course cutting on the swim. At the far turn buoy there was an aerator machine which was inside the turn buoy by about 15-20 yards. As I went around the buoy I looked right and there was a train of people going around the aerator machine instead of the big orange buoy. With this being a modified triangle course we’re talking a 1-2 minute advantage. Pretty disappointing that there was no boat or referee in the area. In the end it probably didn't sigificantly impact my time or overall place in the race.
It took me about 5 miles to get into my rhythm on the bike which is normal but then I started picking people off at a pretty good rate. There are some nice long flat sections in the first half of the race with some very gentle rolling hills which you can power up and over. In the second half of the race there are a few small steeper hills (not my strength), then some short descents before back to some rolling terrain as you come into downtown Spokane.
I've been training and racing with a strained quad for several months and it hadn’t gotten any better or worse with racing and physical therapy but it finally gave at about mile 45 so the last 10 miles or so were not what I was hoping for as I wasn't able to generate any power from the quad and really slowed down. I finished the bike in 2:31:23 with a 22.2 mph average and had moved up to 26th place.
I took my sweet time in transition to the run as I was trying to decide if I could run with the quad or not. I decided to give it a shot and just take it easy. I headed out at a very easy pace and just kept rolling through the run. The temperature really jumped up a bit in the second half of the run for me into the mid 80’s but with no wind it felt warmer (however it could have been much hotter). I gave up one place on the run in the last mile but ran pretty much consistent splits the whole way to finish the run in 1:47:17 which is very pedestrian ½ marathon for me. I don’t think I did any more serious damage to my quad on the run which probably would have been the result had I pushed it.
I finished in 27th place overall in 4:57:56 which was only disappointing because had I been up to my normal self on the run I should have been 15-20 minutes faster but you take what the day gives you.
I've got to figure out if I'm going to be able to complete in the Grand Columbian in mid September or not given my leg but I'm planning on it.
On the Ironman front I'm probably going to do Ironman Coeur d'Alene again next summer via the Charity Fund spot as Canada isn't a possibility, Lake Placid is totally sold out, Wisconsin is too close to Hawaii to allow for adequate recovery and Arizona is too early in the season. More to come as I get signed up.
"Michael you are an Ironman.....oh those sweet words.
This will be a lengthy race report.
I didn't sleep well the night before the race which is pretty typical for me after big races (marathons and such). I was awake at about 3:30 on race morning having my final solid meal before a very long day.
I arrived at the start area to 20mph winds coming directly in to the beach with 1-2 foot waves and whitecaps.......oh my!
I got my race number marked on me and then went to do final prep on my bike. I then found a nice sheltered spot to stay out of the wind as it was still an hour and half till the starting gun. At this point I was beginning to rethink the whole thing.
6:30 and time got get suited up after wiggling myself into my suit I joined the throng of athletes shuffling towards the start line on the beach. As I was in line the shuffling an important announcement came across the PA system. Due to the conditions on the water and concerns by the life safety team they were giving people the options of doing a duathlon instead of the triathlon and skipping the swim although you wouldn't contend for the Kona slots or placement in your age group...... hell no!!!
I was well positioned about three rows back when the cannon went off signaling the start of mass chaos. The only way I can describe the swim is as the most violent sporting event I've ever experienced. Constantly getting kicked, hit, swam over and in the same turn doing all of this to others as well. As I approached the first turn bouy (which by the way is a long way from the beach) I found myself in what can only be described as a major traffic jam. I was 30 yards from the bouy which I had to make a left had turn around and I was treading water, moving forward a yard and treading water it was completely crazy. After the first turn things were a little better but still pretty violent. After the first lap of the swim (1.2 miles) you have to exit the water and run around some markers before heading back out for the second loop. All I could think is do I really have to go back in? I did and it wasn't so bad. I finished the swim in 1:15:24 in 589th place. My goal of completing the race in 9:30 were pretty much gone at this point.
I had a good transition from the swim to the bike in 4:03 and was glad to be on the bike. I had a lot of ground to make up and I didn't waste any time as I got out hot and started making up ground on all those good swimmers who frankly suck on the bike. I figure I passed 300 people in the first 15 miles and was flying up a long 3% grade hill at 25 mph. We came back through downtown Coeur d'Alene (CDA) and headed out towards Hayden lake and the "hills". Now I rode the course in late April but I don't remember the hills being so tough. They were tough. By my count there were 10 hills not necessarily long but there were steep and we got to do them all twice. They were made tougher by the fact that my cleat had come loose from my shoe and despite getting the bike wired earlier in the week I was having rear derailuer shifting problems in the low gears which made climbing even tougher. The good news was that after the last hill it's flat and slightly downhill back to CDA which was my strength although it was into that stiff 20mph headwind. I felt great after the first loop and headed out for the second loop still feeling good. The second loop on the hills were tough and I slowed a bit but finished strong. I ended the bike leg in 127th place in 5:27:35. I felt great making the transition to the run as I had done a great job of taking in fluids, electrolytes and calories during the bike. I had done such a good job I had to make a pit stop which slowed my transition from the bike to the run to 4:45.
Finally I was on to the run and feeling pretty good (well as good as your going to feel after 6:45 of violent swimming and hammering on the bike). I headed out on the course and began to get in my rhythm at this point I was really just hoping to finish around 10 hours and thought I still might have a shot at a Kona slot. The first few miles were great I was averaging 7:20/mile and rolling, things began to slow a little as I headed back towards CDA but I was still on pace for a 3:30 marathon at the halfway point. It was around mile 15 that the wheels began to come off and I began walking through the aid stations at every mile pretty much drinking and eating anything they would hand me gatorade, orange slices, gel, cookies, cola, water. I was a good customer at the all you can consume buffet. I would walk for a minute or two then begin the Ironman shuffle to the next aide station. Somewhere around mile 22 I got a second wind and began running at around 7:20 per mile again and running through the aid stations grabbing a cup of cola or gatorade.
As I passed the mile 25 marker I knew I was going to make it and I just dug down deep and the crowds really helped motivate me to keep going. As I came down the main drag I was pretty much by myself and I would raise my arms to get the crowd fired up it was great. Finally I crossed under the Ford archway with 100 yards to go to the finish line and began high fiving spectators as I ran down the chute and across the line to the announcement "Michael....you are an Ironman". I finished the run in 3:53:26 and finished in 174th place overall in a time of 10:45:13.
I was very happy to be done, satisfied with my time and proud of my accomplishment. Ironman pictues have been posted here.
Thanks to everyone for their support, well wishes and good vibes on race day it definitely helped me keep up my spirits while out on the course and complete the Ironman.
I competed in the Issaquah Triathlon this weekend to get my competitive fire going. There were about 850 competitors in the race. The sprint tri's aren't really my thing as they are too short for me to even get warmed up in any of the events.
The race is 1/4 mile swim, 15 mile bike and 3 mile cross country style run. The race was sold out with 850 participants. I opted to start in the elite wave which was the right choice. I ended up finishing 17th overall in 1:07:37 and 3rd in my age group.
The swim was the typical chaos but overall it went really well I started to feel like I was getting in a rhythm in the last 50 yards (alot of good that was). There was a long transition (about 100 yards) from the water to the mat which marks the end of the swim. I had the 23rd fastest swim split on the day which wasn't too bad considering the only other sprint tri I've done I was the Beaver Lake Triathlon last summer for comparison I had the 175th fastest swim and there was half the number of competitors in that race so I've made significant strides in my swimming. It's still my weak event in my mind but I have a lot more confidence in my swimming than I did a year ago.
I had a quick transition from the swim to the bike and got out and rolling. My bike split wasn't as fast as I had hoped but it was still really good. I had the 10th fastest bike split on the day for the 15 mile ride with a time of 37:30 which as best I can tell is about a 24 mph average. This was slower than I had expected but I really didn't begin to fell comfortable until the last 2 miles. I was a bit ticked as the race was supposed to be a non drafting race (means you can't ride in a group which is more efficient and much faster). There was a group of 6 riders that were a minute back at the turnaround and they caught me in the next 3 miles which they wouldn't have had they not been drafting. I put them in their place by going to the front of the group and then putting about 10 seconds on them in the last 3 miles.
My transition from the bike to the run was a little rough. I had thought about taking my feet out of my shoes while they were still attached to the pedals so I could just run barefoot with my bike to the rack. I ended up not doing this because of the single file lane and speed bumps in the last 1/4 mile in the park. I ended up turning my ankle running across the uneven grass with my bike shoes. The rest of the transition went well.
I headed out on the run and quickly got into my running rhythm without a hitch. I passed a few runners early in the run but was tentative in the run as it was a cross country style course and every so often I'd come down funny on my twisted ankle and this hurt. Needless to say I didn't feel like I ran as fast as I could due to being tentative due to the ankle. I had two runners pass me in the final mile but overall it went well. I finished the 3 mile run with the 31st fastest time on the day in 18:44 which was 6:15 per mile. I felt fine at the finish and wasn't exhausted so I don't think I ran as hard as I could have.
I finished up the weekend with a 70 mile ride with lots of climbing and it was hot so that was good news. Three weeks to go till race day. One more week of hard training then I start my taper. I think I'm ready and now I start hoping for a cool day. The forecast for the next two weeks in CDA is mild tempeatures with highs in the 60's and low 70's which is just perfect but what that probably means is that it's going to heat up for race week. Till next week.........
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