Iron Leftovers

I started this post not long after I wrote up my previous post, as I realized there were a few things about Ironman Coeur d'Alene that I didn't mention in my race recap that I might like to look back on in years to come.

Anyway, it's taken a while to finally get it finished, but here are some leftovers about the day, in no particular order... 

1) I had my slowest swim ever by nearly 7 minutes. I thought my bike was my slowest ever as well, but have since realized my first ever Ironman bike was actually slower by 1.5 minutes. That said, this was the first Ironman I've ever done that I did not get a flat tire, so in terms of riding time, it definitely was my slowest bike leg. BUT, as you probably gathered if you read my race recap, I'm totally okay with that.

Not really related to Ironman, but funny enough, I got two flats on the ride to/from work the other day. They were my first and second of the season in fact. I'm very happy that the 'flat tire gods' decided to cut me some slack until after CdA.

2) Back to IMCdA.  My run was my fastest ever in an Ironman at 4:38:09. My finish time also came in as a personal best at 13:35:18. This, I was very happy about.

3) Also, my run time was faster than Kirsten's (by 41 seconds - crazy we were so close eh?). She assured me after the Goddess Half that it wouldn't happen again. So, I'd just like to point out that, well, it did. I ran faster than Kirsten ~ again. Okay, now I'm done being the cheeky little sister.

4) I mentioned in my recap that my main goals were to "nail my nutrition and stay in a positive head space." As for time goals, my ultimate ‘perfect day’ goal was for a sub-13hr day. Given the right conditions, I still think this is something I'm capable of, but obviously, it didn't happen this time. No biggie though. My other time goal was just to beat my previous IM times. Totally accomplished and it felt so good.

5) Last year after TRR it took me a little while to bounce back and even begin to consider doing it again. When asked, "Would you do it again?" my response was a bit slow and always with some sort of condition. It was about 7 weeks after the race that I finally started thinking it would be fun to sign up for it again. (For the record, I would totally do TRR again – in a second! While it was probably the hardest endurance event I've ever done, it was an amazing experience that taught me so much about my physical and mental limits and truly helped me conquer the day in CdA with a smile on my face). Anyway, you're probably wondering why I am talking about TRR in my Ironman leftovers…

Well, let's just say I know my true love is triathlon, when on the Wednesday immediately following the race I was looking at the Ironman Whistler site to see if there were still spots available and I actually considered doing two Ironmans in the span of a month.

Anyway, while there were/are still spots available, I thought better of it and have since spent the last couple weekends doing what I assume non-triathlete people do on their weekends. There has been some time spent being uber lazy, some time spent cleaning the house, some time testing out paddle boards and kayaks, some time spent exploring new hiking trails, and yeah, just lots of other fun summery stuff.

6) On any website or blog that reviews IM CdA, you'll likely see a note about how amazing the volunteers and spectators are in Coeur d'Alene – and it's no lie! They are amazing. AH-MAZE-ZING! Throughout the whole day the support was fantastic, but I have to say, for me, it was on the run course where the people on the sidelines really shined. The energy and encouragement of the crowds along the course and each and every volunteer at the aid stations was simply incredible.

7) As for the course itself, I think I have mentioned the choppy swim and the challenging bike course, (and you know, the run is no joke either), but I have to say, I really enjoyed the multi-loop nature of the course. I think I might even go so far as to say I preferred it over the single loop courses that I have experienced before. For me, the multiple loops allowed me to break down the race into more manageable sections in my head. For example on the run, I just thought “okay, I have to run 10k four times… no biggie, that's like 4 short runs” and that felt really straightforward and somehow easier.

8) The midnight finish line is a magical and awesome place. If you haven't experienced it, you really should. The energy. The triumph. The defeat. It is indescribable. Next time you are at an Ironman, you must.

9) Last but not least, my race day gear and 'nutrition'…

So, my FOOD! My race day 'nutrition' consisted of a mandarin Gu before the swim, then Snickers bars, Honey Stingers chews and Powerbar Perform on the bike. I had it down to quite a science, so that I was getting about 60g of carbs per hour (however I broke it down by 90' chunks as I found that easier to think about). It went like this: a quarter of a Snickers at 30' and 60' then a pack of Honey Stingers at 90'. Top that off with at least one bottle of Perform throughout that 90' stretch, rinse and repeat.

As for the run, I had done most of my run training with a variety of Gu gels with great success. Mandarin, Tri Berry and Salted Caramel are the first gels I've been able to use consistently in back to back seasons without getting tired of the taste or texture. That said, once I actually got out onto the run, the thought of gels really wasn't appealing. So, it was cola, water and small bites of banana. I had one salted caramel Gu, but it didn't sit well at all, so that was that.

Now, my GEAR! My Coeur kit was pretty much the best thing to happen to me. This race was definitely the most comfortable I've been in an Ironman so far. I did throw a jersey on for the bike portion of the race, but that was more for sun protection than anything else. What can I say, the chamois is magical and I pretty much had no chafing – anywhere! That is huge if you ask me.

On my feet I rocked a pair of Altra Torins. I dabbled with Hokas for a while this training cycle as the appeal of the cushion on long runs was too much to resist, but the narrow toe box destroyed my toes. [Side Note: anyone want to buy a pair of barely used Hokas?] Anyway, I read a lot about the Altras and decided to give them a go… and I couldn't be happier! The cushion in the Torins isn't anywhere near that of the Hokas, but they still have a pretty heavy cushion and the wide toe box is a dream. A dream I tell you! On top of that, I've found that a zero drop (or very minimal drop) shoe is the best thing for my locking ankle and well, I've found a winner of a shoe. Love them. Love them. Love them.

10) Wow. This turned out to be way longer than I thought, so thanks for hanging in there if you read the whole thing.

Also today marks day 100 in my #100happydays. It is kind of crazy how fast 100 days can go. I know I didn't do this project quite how it is laid out on the website, but it was still a really fun undertaking nonetheless and I encourage everyone to find their happy.

Day 87

A very sleepy pup ~ happy to be back with his people on his own bed after a week away.

Day 88

Dig this smart bike lock by the police.

Day 89

Clean house.

Day 90

Opening day of le Tour de France.

Day 91

Summer = Hefeweizen.
(Idahoan Heffy is obviously more fancy than BC Hef).

Day 92

Doing the tourist stroll on a beautiful sunny lunch break.

Day 93

Post-run flake out.

Day 94

Ice cream day at work!

Day 95

The cute little farm stand down the road.

Day 96

While I was sad Peter Sagan didn't get the stage win,
it did keep me ahead of Shane in this year's Tour de Bet. 

Day 97

Sitting on a hill, listening to music.

Day 98

New hikes to discover empty beaches on the beautiful west coast.

Day 99

Walks with the Rustbeast.

Day 100

No words needed.