Ironman Canada - Race Report

I want to thank all the friends and family that supported me over the past year in my journey towards another Ironman. Getting to the starting line of an Ironman is always a team effort and not just the accomplishment of an individual. This past year, I had the opportunity to train with a great group of folks which made the experience event more memorable.

My last Ironman (the 2007 Ironman Wisconsin) was completed in 12:39:54 in perfect conditions on a course I was familiar with. Ironman Canada would be a totally new experience, though having two IM’s under my belt provided a level of confidence that eased the stress of the upcoming training volume and time commitments.
In 2008, I travelled to Penticton, BC with a number of my KC Multisport friends. We specifically went up there to volunteer and sign up on site, to ensure a race spot. This race, being the first North American race, is always popular and tends to sell out quickly – 2009 would be the 27th running of the event. The 2010 edition is already sold out for general entry.

Training for Ironman Canada this past year presented a unique challenge for me. During a majority of the training, I was travelling to/from Omaha/KC Sunday through Thursday. Even though I had to travel, I was able to get in my weekly run and swim sessions in the pool, though I have to admit, I wasn’t as disciplined in following the training plan I laid out. When you travel with a group of co-workers, distractions like team dinners, early morning meetings and late night work sessions seem to get in the way. However, If a workout was missed here or there, I did not stress about it. Past experience has taught me to not worry about the lack of training, as long as I completed my “long” workouts on the weekend. Those sessions would provide an indication as to whether I could complete the required distance requirements. I also trained with a spectacular group of individuals that helped lighten up the seriousness of training for an Ironman. Weekly long rides with my friends Dave, Julie, Krissee and Gretchen were as much social as they were endurance training. Each long ride was followed by a “re-fueling” session at a local restaurant. The team probably thought about food as much as we did our workouts.
My training volume was pretty close to the past years. I was able to get in 4 century (100 mile) bike rides, a 20 mile run and a 4000 meter swim. On one weekend, I completed back to back century rides on a Friday and Saturday, followed by an 18 mile run on Sunday. This definitely gave me confidence in my training. I also spent more time in an outdoor 50 meter pool towards the end of my training schedule.

Race Week
I left for Canada on Wednesday before the race, a day prior to the rest of the KC Multisport folks. I wanted to have an extra day of low stress before everyone else showed up. It also gave me an extra day to acclimate to the weather. We (my brother Brent and I) arrived into Kelowna and drove to Penticton late on the Wednesday night before the race.

Thursday began my Ironman preparation with a packet pickup, gear bag and bike pickup and a moderate 3 mile run in the evening. It had been a week since I had last run, and moving the legs felt good.

Friday included a light bike ride along with the viewing of what is called the “Underpants Run”. Typically, an Ironman tradition, local residents and athletes partake in a fun run mocking the fact that athletes from around the world invade the city – walking around in as little as a speedo and spandex the whole week. The run also helps raise funds for a local charity. I did not participate in the run, but had a few friends running, so I wanted to be present to show my support and see what type of silliness would ensue.

Later in the day, I went for a practice swim with my wetsuit. The water was starting to get choppy from a developing wind, but wasn’t too bad. I swam a light 1600 meters from one end of the beach to the other end. The water first felt a bit chilly, but after 5 minutes, the temperature was an ideal for an endurance swim.

When I got out of the swim, a local television station was on the beach (TSN – Canada’s version of ESPN) and I was asked to do an interview. What the heck, I decided to give a few quick answers on the challenges of meeting the time/distance constraints of an Ironman and the demons of doubt that arise during the race. I wondering if they would use my interview and whether I could catch it on TV.

Friday night was the welcome dinner. I sat with the whole KC contingent which included a total of 12 Kansas City athletes. That night they announced that roughly 25% of the participants (approx. 500 out of 2600) were attempting their first Ironman. They also announced the youngest (18 year old male) and oldest (79 year old female – Sister Madonna Buder) competitors. One individual even lost 130 pounds training for the event. Water temp for the race would be around 71 degrees, air temp expected to be around 90 degrees.

Saturday was a light day of low stress. The group turned in our bikes and transition bags for the race and pretty much laid around and hydrated the rest of the day.

Race Day
On race morning, I woke up at 4:00am. I slept pretty well, but still woke up before my alarm went off. I tried to choke down breakfast of Poptarts (strawberry milkshake) and an orange. Hydration included a bottle of water and a bottle of Gatorade. I showered got dressed and met the rest of the KCM folks in the lobby of the hotel at 5:00am.

The group walked together from the hotel to the transition and swim start. I walked with my iPod earphones in my ear, practicing my transitions in my head.

I dropped off my special needs bag for the bike (I opted not to have a run special needs bag this time). My bike special needs bag included an extra Gatorade, some additional Endurolytes (salt pills) and a spare CO2 cartidge.

I got body marked (#667), then went to the transition area and put my water bottles on my bike and ensured my tires were pumped up to the level that I wanted them. I looked for the found the other KCM members and waited for the start to approach. Within 15 minutes of the start, I put on my wetsuit and headed towards the water.

My race plan was to swim as well as possible (hopefully find some feet to draft off of) then find a steady pace on the bike to ensure an under 6 hour bike split and do what I could on the run. Based on past IM’s and goals, I was hoping for a 1:30 swim, 6 hour bike and 4-5 hour run. With transitions, it would put me close to a goal of a 12 hour finish. I expected to see a number of other KCM folks that day, since at least 3 other people I talked with were looking at the 12 hour mark as well.

Swim
The swim at Canada is one loop. 1600 meters out, a turn to the right for 400 meters, then a turn back to shore for the last 1800 meters. Since I had only done one IM course before (Wisconsin), the start of this one was different. 2600 of us were on spread across a beach and partially in the water. How we would all fit in one spot was amazing. I found a KCM buddy and chatted with him before the gun went off. I anticipated he would swim 5 minutes faster than me and wished I would have drafted off of him the whole swim. Instead, I lost him immediately when the swim started.

The start of Canada’s swim start allows racers to walk quite a bit before it gets deep enough to actually swim. When the 7am cannon sounded, I walked into the water, began swimming, stood up and walked, began swimming, stood up and then finally on the 3rd attempt was able to swim without needed to walk further.

Since I’m an “average” swimmer, I’m continuously in the middle of the swim scrum. I am always in the middle of the pack which means the first leg (1600 meter) is met with constant feet, bodies and hands/fists. At the first turn at 1600 meters, the water was so clear I could see the underwater rescue folks sitting on the bottom of the lake observing the swim. They even waved to the swimmers above.

Odd as it is, with 2600 other people in the water, the swim is probably the “quietest” part of the race. Even with folks all around you, the water provides a silent calm that allows racers to get into their “rhythm.” And, while I’m not the best swimmer, this leg is becoming a non-event as I gain more experience at it. I was out of the 2.4 mile (3.86 km) swim in 1:16:38, a PR (personal best) for me at this distance.

I exited the water and immediately ran to the wetsuit “strippers” – volunteers are lined along the swim finish to help athletes get out of their wetsuits. First the top is pulled down, and then I was ordered to lie on the ground. Two volunteers “ripped” the wetsuit from my legs.
I ran to my gear bag and then into the changing tent. I looked for Glenn Bohannon(in Wisconsin, he beat me out of the water and had a seat waiting for me). There was no volunteer to help with the transition this time. I dumped the contents of my bag and started putting on my socks, bike shoes, HR monitor strap, race belt, packed my CO2 cartridges and nutrition (GU’s) in my back pockets. During this rush of getting dressed, I looked up and saw a familiar image of someone putting on a biking jersey. I later found out it was Don Little. Finally, my glasses and helmet went on. I made it out in 4:37.

It was then off on the bike for the 112 mile (180 km) ride around the Okanagan Valley.

Bike
The bike at Canada is specifically known for two difficult portions of the ride. The first challenge presents itself at 40 miles, with a 6 percent average incline up Richter pass. The second being an event steeper climb up to Yellow Lake, located at mile 90. In reality, the Canada bike course can be broken down into 5 parts:

• Part 1: Main Street to Base of Richter Pass -- 40 Miles, a 39.9 mile ride that declines from 1130 feet above sea level to 823 feet. McLean Creek Road - a brief steep climb at 9 miles.
• Part 2: Richter Pass and The Rollers, Miles 40 to 58, the Richter Pass climb, descent and subsequent rolling hills covers 18.2 miles. Richter Pass heads northwest, climbing 1270 feet in elevation over a seven mile stretch.
  
  *Richter Pass consists of: a first slight uphill; then flat for a short breather; a tough 2.2 mile climb; followed by another breather; steep, shorter climb; followed by a downhill and aid station; then the final climb - Finishing the Richter climb is a reward in itself, then a 515 foot elevation drop over the next 2.5 miles. Then a series of seven 100 to 200 foot elevation climbs and declines over the next ten miles.
  
• Part 3: Windy Path to Yellow Lake Climb -- Miles 58 to 82, relatively flat, 24 mile, third section of the course. At 68 miles, onto Upper Bench Road, south for seven miles to the turnaround and special needs aid station.
• Part 4: Climb to Yellow Lake -- Miles 82 to 98, the 16 mile climb to Yellow Lake (also Twin Lakes) is another 1050 feet of elevation gain. You just have to put your head down, concentrate on riding efficiently, and be patient. It's a long ride, sometimes it seems like you'll never get there. Don't ask yourself 'am I there yet?' It will only be frustrating.
• Part 5: Flying Back to Transiton -- Miles 98 to 112, the last 24 miles of the course are largely downhill and back into Penticton

My plan was to ride easy up to Richter Pass, see how I felt then ride based on feel to Yellow Lake. From Yellow Lake, the ride is a downhill shot back to Penticton. I got on the bike with a HR of 171, so I made a conscious effort to stay “comfortable” and get my heart rate down to a more acceptable level between 150-160. My bike computer was acting up on me, every 20-30 seconds it would switch from on/off based on the sensor located on the back wheel. With every on/off switch, the computer would beep. I couldn’t have this over 6 hours of riding and I didn’t want to stop and get off the bike to correct the sensor, so I turned the timer off. I then switched to my watch and turned on the timer. Even though I could have used the watch function, I didn’t want to do any type of math to determine how fast I was going. The worst part about not having my bike computer up and running was the lack of speed knowledge. My HR was still being registered.

The first 40 miles were pretty easy. There was a hill or two that I had not remembered from the year prior while driving the course, but for the most part it was not too difficult. After the first ½ hour of riding, I began hydrating with Gatorade and took in some electrolytes after an hour and a half of riding. At the 20K mark and second aid station, I saw a guy go down on his bike after another person at the aid station tried pulling in front of him. I remember hearing the sound of carbon frame and carbon wheels hitting the ground.

I thought I was doing a good job of hydrating and fueling, but my mile 40 I felt a slight “twinge” in my quads. It was at this point I made the turn into Osoyoos, which marks the beginning of Richter Pass. I’ve been riding long enough to know when my body is telling me it needs hydration and fuel, more specifically leg twinges mean electrolytes and liquids. I immediately took in some endurolytes and drank some more Gatorade. I kept my head down and began the climb up Richter Pass. While the climb went well, each subsequent incline got more and more difficult. At the top of Richter Pass, I turned to the lady next to me and asked, “Are we at the top?”

I was able to spin my legs out and then get into aero-position and bomb down the hills. With a TT bike, an aero-helmet and aero-wheel, I found myself passing a number of folks not comfortable with staying in the aero position going downhill. It felt great.

The downhill did not last nearly long enough. Next up were the “rollers.” What I noticed immediately was an increase in the wind. I also recall thinking these were not “rollers” at all, but actual climbs. Dang, this course was tougher than advertised. I continued managing my impending leg cramps with Gatorade, electrolytes and GU. I entered the “out and back” portion of the ride, which signifies the half way point of the ride. A quick look at my watch showed me at just under 3 hours for the ½ iron bike. I was satisfied with this and continued riding my “comfortable” pace.

I recall seeing Paul Andreas existing the “out and back” while I was just getting in. Since I didn’t know how long this portion was, I had the idea that maybe I wasn’t that far behind Paul. Little did I know this section was nearly 25 miles. Since this section circles back on itself in a couple of area, it gave me the opportunity to look for other KCM folks. During this section I saw Rob, Krissee and Julie. I had expected to see Dave, Glenn, and Gretchen but never spotted them. I was also keeping an eye out for Pat, who would be in front of me, but based on his race plan, I thought I might catch him on the bike. Little did I know he was on his way to a 5:48 bike. I remember seeing Julie on my way out of the “Out and Back” and saying to myself, “You might think you’re just behind me, but you have no idea how long this section is.”

After getting out of the “Out and Back” portion of the bike, next up was the climb to Yellow Lake. Probably the most difficult portion of the ride. My legs were not in good shape. They were cramping in all areas of my legs, quads, hams, hip flexors, argh!!! I knew if I locked up going up Yellow Lake, my day would most likely be over. I took in some more Gatorade and electrolytes and headed up the hill. It was slow moving, but surprisingly I was passing folks. When someone yelled, “only 300 meters to go” I knew I would make it. I got to the top of Yellow Lake and saw a sign that said, “Penticton 40”…WTF? How can it be 40 miles away?? Oh wait, that’s Kilometers.

I finished my bike ride in 5:46:51, which was 30 minutes faster than 2005 (first IM at Wisconsin). My routine of drinking a Gatorade between aid stations, coupled with water on the head and electrolytes every hour got me to the end of the bike, but I was still at a deficit. I quickly got off the bike and entered transition. There are bike catchers right at the bike dismount that take your bike so you don’t have to worry about racking the bike, a great service after an IM bike ride. My legs were screaming and ready to lockup. The race clock showed 7:08, I continued, grabbed my transition bag and entered the tent. When I sat down and dumped my transition bag, my right hand actually cramped and locked into a “claw”. I had to slowly put on my running shoes and get out of the tent. I made a quick potty stop and confirmed the extent of my dehydration.

From there, I went to the aid station located within transition and took in two cups of Gatorade with an electrolyte chaser. My T2 time was 5:08. I existed T2 with the race clock showing 7:13. A 4 hour marathon meant 11 hours and under a 5 hour marathon would put me under 12 hours.

Run
The odd thing about an Ironman is that athletes are forced to run a full marathon in the heat of the day. While most marathons start first thing in the morning, Ironman runs usually start around the 2-3 pm timeframe. Meaning I had started the run in approx. 90 degree weather.

Within the first mile of the run, I saw Pat Beesley. He looked like he was in good shape and we high-fived. He appeared to be 10-15 minutes in front of me and I knew at my pace I would not catch him if we both maintained our current paces.

Around mile 8 of the run, I saw Paul, he was smoking the course. Later, I saw Scott Kelley. He was killing the course as well. My legs were loosening up, but I was still hesitant to push it too hard. So I alternated between walking and jogging, maintaining a 11 minute mile pace for the first half marathon.

The turn-around on the run is located near Okanagan Lake, which also includes an increase in rolling hills. As I got closer to the 13.1 mile mark, I kept an eye out for Pat to see if he had slowed at all, he had not. He still appeared to be at least 10 minutes in front of me. I was surprised to see Pat sitting along the side of the road at mile 14. He said his stomach as churning and his back was cramping. I sat with him for a while and we walked to the next aid station. After I thought he was OK (or at least within reach of some medical attention, should he need it), I continued my shuffle towards the finish line.

I continued to see my friends on the course. I yelled Rob’s name out, saw Krissee, then Julie. It felt like Krissee was about 30-45 minutes behind me and Julie was another 10 minutes back. In reality they were closer to an hour back. I didn’t see Gretchen, but apparently she yelled at me at an aid station, and but I never heard her.

Around the 20 mile mark, I saw Glenn and Don walking together. Don was having severe cramping issues, I gave him a bottle of electrolytes (I still had enough to finish the run). Glenn too was having issues. He mentioned that his stomach was giving him GI problems, but he seemed to be in relatively good spirits. They mentioned that Dave was having issues and was behind them.

Less than 5 minutes later, I saw Kirsten, an Ironman virgin, doing really well. I mentioned that she could catch Don and Glenn and continued my run. Within 10 minutes, I saw Dave. He was not in a good state. He was walking and would continue to walk the entire Marathon. Later, he would tell a funny story of getting passed up Yellow Lake by Sister Madonna Buder, the 79 year old lady and oldest individual in the race.

My nutrition plan on the run was Gatorade at each station, a pretzel or two if needed and ice in the hands and jersey to keep my body cool. I continued my hydration plan of taking in more Gatorade at each water stop. In fact, I was hydrated enough to taking “potty” breaks every 2 miles. I continued my walk/jog as best I could, but the second half was wearing on me mentally. Even though I didn’t physically feel exhausted, my mind was pretty tired. I didn’t have the energy to run too long and my pace slowed to a 11:45 minute mile. I finished with a run of 4:59:18. With an overall Ironman Canada time of 12:12:32 a PR by 27 minutes and over an hour better than my first IM in 2005.

It seems that I continue to have nutrition and hydration issues during my Ironman races. Going from a training pace to a race pace has been difficult for me to adjust to. However, given the overall success of my race and the relative difficulties of the other KCM members racing, I’m very satisfied with my race.

I also made the highlight video:

http://www.nasports.com/index.php?dir=RaceVids/imcan&vidname=RaceVid-2009-CAN-high&playtype=wmv&w=480&h=360

I still feel like I can go faster, and I’ll see if I can improve my time next year when I attempt Ironman Coeur d’Alene. I’m also planning on participating in Ironman Arizona next year with the KCM group.