E's Race Recap

Pre-race:
Morning went smoothly. Got up at 4, had some toast, grabbed our special needs bags and head out around 4:45 to walk to transition. Got there and put the special needs bags in the boxes, got body marked quickly, added a little air to the tires, put bottles on the bike and hit the porto potties. Eventually, we ended up on Chuckie's plaque (it’s the size of a man hole cover) and applied the ever important sunscreen and made another trip to the porto potties (washrooms in Canadian). Got wetsuit on and headed to the beach. Got used to the chill of the water with some swimming and A and I lined up in the middle. Last year, we lined up to the left and after seeing the aerial shots realized that the middle was pretty much empty. This year it was empty again compared to the sides.


Swim:
Goal: 1:09:00
Actual: 1:10:40
The swim started well, but soon bunched up and I tended to swim pretty wide to the outside of the buoys, but I think consistently so I shouldn’t have added too much distance. At the houseboats (two turns), most of the people didn't want to turn fully which was annoying. I was surprised when I came out a little slower than at Arizona as I’ve been swimming faster in the pool since then. Amber has been swimming better too, but her time was 30 seconds more, so I think the course was a little longer than at Arizona, but most likely I added unnecessary distance.


T1:
Goal: 8:00 for both
Actual: 4:24

Bike:
Goal: 5:30:00
Actual elapsed time: 5:53:37
Actual ride time: 5:37:xx
The bike started fine, but with a headwind all the way down the valley until the turn up Ricther. That made is a bit more difficult to keep the effort in check as you want to go fast on the gradual downhills but have to keep from blowing up later, especially if the wind shifts. Had to make one stop at Oliver, but otherwise kept nutrition going well with the help of a fifteen minute timer. Up Ricther went quick and didn't seem too bad at all, probably due to the tailwind. Down the other side and over the rollers and the flats to Keremos went well. There, we turn and do the out and back section that they have added a shorter out and back spur onto that we do before heading to the second turn around at special needs. On the first out and back section, I spotted Amber and thought I might catch up to her on the climb to Yellow Lake.

At the second turn around is where my troubles started.

First, they didn't have my special needs bag. Sort of bad since my drink concentrate and the gels that I had planned on having for the last 40 miles of the bike were in there, but I knew I could get gels at the aid stations, so I wasn't too stressed about it.

Second, I got a flat in my rear tire. Before leaving Boulder, we had gotten some Vittoria Pitstop to carry in addition to our spare tires (tubular), so I got that out first as if it worked it would have been a quick fix. Loaded the tire with the sealant and didn't hear any leaks, but when I added CO2 to get the tire to a rideable pressure, the sealant just started coming out the small hole and didn't seal. So, I had to take off my wheel while holding the bike upright (my only remaining calories were in the front bottle) and work the tubular off the rim. In Arizona, the heat had made the glue softer, but here it was still really hard and getting it off was a chore. Eventually, I got the old one off, got the new one partially one, realized I hadn’t stretched it enough, took the new one off, got the new one on fully, filled up the new one, and was on my way. I checked my Garmin to see what my "rest time" was and it was at sixteen and a half minutes. Subtracting the two and a half minutes from my brief stop back in Oliver, meant that I had a fourteen minute tire change. My tire change at Arizona was around 6 minutes. At least four minutes of the difference were wasted using the Pitstop. Afterwards, I tried to remind myself that I couldn’t try to make up any of the time.


Third, as I came into the next aid station, my mind was on one thing: get gels. The first volunteer with gels was a kid around 10 years old who looked away just as I was reaching for the gel and so I missed it. Same exact thing happened with the adult who was holding the next one. At that point I made up my mind to go to the next aid station as I was pretty close, but if I missed them there I would stop. Fortunately, I was able to get two at the next aid station.

By this point, I was expecting something else to go wrong, but fortunately the rest of the ride was pretty smooth.

The ride up to Yellow Lake seemed to go by quickly, but that may be course familiarity coming into play. There we a few guys that would climb the harder sections faster than me, but then stay sitting up on the flatter sections. Hey guys, see those things sticking out in front of your bike, they are aero bars, they help, use them.

Coming down towards Penticton was fast, but the bike wasn’t handling the cross winds as well as I’m used to, so had to check speed a few times.


My "ride" time was around 5:37, a bit slower than I wanted, but I came off the bike feeling really good.


T2:
Goal: 8:00 for both
Actual: 2:28, 6:54 total for both
Felt slow, but not too bad.


Run:
Goal: 3:40
Actual: 3:41:42
Felt great at the start and started picking off people on Lakeshore, but as I turned south, I realized it was going to be a tough as the headwind was pretty strong and I wasn’t getting much of a draft off of anybody as I kept passing everyone in front of me. There were two or three guys that passed me on the way down to OK Falls that I tried to go with, but they were moving too fast. Near the turn around, I saw Amber headed the other way and tried to encourage her to keep pushing. Right at the turn around, I caught our friend Jim. I caught Amber a bit down the road and she looked good, but was complaining about stomach issues. I stayed with her for a minute and then sped up again. The headwinds on the way out did not turn into tailwinds on the way back as it started to rain. I kept on passing people and tried to get myself to accelerate at the 20 mile mark. One guy there commented about my "afterburners" which inspired me. Near the end, I saw that Amber wasn’t too far behind me, which meant that she had picked it up too. In the end, I ran a 3:41. Could have been faster without the headwind, but the rain probably helped keep me cool during the last portion of the run. According to Ironman.com, I move up 334 spots during the run.

In all, I was pleased about my run, progress on the bike, and nutrition. Amber and I are both readily mentally to get at it again, but will need some physical recovery.

-Eric

IM Canada

Not a long post but Amber and I finished a few hours ago, but will try to head down to the finish for the end of the race.

Short story, we both set PR's even with a flat for me (Vittoria Pitstop did not work, so ended up having to do a full change) and some stomach cramping for Amber.

More to come later.

Peace Out ,
Eric

We're Here

So I'm sitting on the deck of our room and typing away as it was the only spot that i could get a wireless signal.

It was kinda rainy and cool in Penticton today, but the rain is supposed to be gone after today and it is supposed to warm up. Hopefully not too much though.

Good drive, we made it to Rock Springs, WY the first night, Spokane, WA last night, and got to Penticton by around noon today. Saw some cool lava formations in Idaho at a rest stop and got rained on heavily crossing from Montana to Idaho, but that's about all that i remember from the drive. Amber might be able to recall more. Time for rest,
Later,
Eric

.......1....

We're outta here!

More to come, from the road and from Iron world once we arrive.

-A

Countdown.......3....2......

This weekend, the rain continued. That meant more than 2 hours on the trainer for the bike. It has been a LONG time since we biked inside, but the Olympics got us through. We saw a USA men's basketball game, the women's badminton singles gold/silver medal game, lots of rowing (singles, doubles, etc.), men's water polo..... yeah, lots of sports! The best was the coverage of Taylor Phinney in the 4 km track cycling, my heart rate and watts were up a bit for those 7+ minutes!

More taper training on Sunday, then we started the packing process.

Yesterday it continued! But shortly after dark, the car was almost finished. Just a few more things tonight (fridge/cooler items) and then we're off for Canada!

We are both excited to race, and excited to be in Penticton and see old frinds and my parents again.

-A

Rain!

We have rain in Boulder today. It actually started last night as big, fat rain during our "easy" post-work spin. The strong winds, and later the big, fat rain drops, changed it into a half-hour strength ride.

This morning, we woke to a gentle rain. It was almost more drizzle and mist than true "rain," though Izzy and I got soaked on our shortened morning walk. It was falling at a near-perfect rate, since most of it was soaking in to our parched ground rather than running off.

I like the rain!

It has actually lifted my spirits today. It is the complete opposite of how rain is typically depicted (I think of Eyore from Winny-the-Pooh).

I like how it sounds.

I like how it smells.

I like how it feels on my face.

I like how it brightens the colors out in the garden and around our yard.

As I was pulling out of the driveway on my way to work, I smiled as I turned on the wipers. The rain was beautiful.

Then I remembered tomorrow's workouts, our 3 hour bike, and am now ready for it to finish up and stop by tomorrow morning. Please? Regular checks of the current Boulder weather (my favorite site on the web!) and the forecast, with current radar, are now part of my daily routine today. Yes, I know what it is like outside by looking at my computer, but in defense, I work in an area with no window or clue to what is going on outside in the world, unless the rain is just starting up and I can smell it.

-A

Izzy, the dog who is part cat

Awhile back, E said I should write about the pets. Half the time (especially during the biggest months of IM training) they are what help keep us sane. They are quite entertaining and help keep us in line with a daily schedule, regardless of what crazy things life and training throw our way. After all, there is no negotiating evening feedings or morning walks.

Each of our pets has a very unique personality, which makes them very special to us. And they each deserve their own separate blog posts. Sammy cat would have it no other way. Despite sharing the dog's water dish on a daily basis (she will drink out of few other things) and stealing the dog's beds whenever she feels like it, she is THE CAT and should not have to share a blog post with the dog. Those of you with cats may understand.

So today's blog is about Izzy the dog. Sammy-cat's blog will just have to wait.

We adopted Izzy from the Humane Shelter shortly after buying our first house and moving out of Student Housing at the University (no pets allowed for renters). A few days before being put up for adoption, the veterinary staff at the shelter operated on Izzy to spay her and remove her left eye. As a stray, we have no idea of what her history was, why or how her eye got injured, or even really what prompted the vets to remove the eye rather than leaving it in and leaving her blind in that eye. The only idea we have is that she had a ruptured cornea, and that she was deemed adoptable, so they operated to remove the eye while she was anesthetized to be spayed.

We hardly ever remember that the eye is even gone!

She moves and behaves as though she has full sight. She is a fast runner, good at chasing balls (but only will if some of her dinner is on the line), loves to play and wrestle with other dogs, and has become our active little companion on many adventures. In fact, when she cocks her head or makes other inquisitive facial expressions, her left eyebrow still mimics the right one, it is as though the eye is still there.

As a shelter dog and stray, we are not sure of her bloodlines, but guess she has a lot of German short-hair pointer, labrador retriever, and probably some border collie in her. She is black, about 45 lb, and more fit and trim than a lab, but stockier than a pointer. And she loves to run.

And run.

And run.

Her longest run with us was 2:45, at which point we set the mark at 2:30 for future runs. At 2:30 she still is going strong and having a blast, at 2:45.... not so much.

She is a hyper, fun loving dog. As she is aging, she is significantly mellowing out, but all of that changes the instant she sees a squirrel or rabbit. And prairie dogs...woah! Why do toy makers insist on having squeekers that sound just like a prairie dog? Many of our runs in Boulder Open Space take us right by oodles of prairie dog farms that have Izzy on high alert.

Izzy hates baths, would rather hold it than go out to potty in the rain, but loves to swim.

She has been very trainable, which we think is due to her being a mix of working/hunting breeds. She NEEDS something to do, and learning a new trick is high on her list of favorite things (along with raw hide bones to chew on and other dogs to play with). We have not been learning any new tricks lately, but to date, she knows how to go to her bed, sit, lay stand, shake, crawl, spin, roll over, touch, leave it, stay (wait, actually), speak, and a few other basic training commands.

Izzy is also an individual. It may be because of her time as a stray when she was just a pup, but she is often content being off on her own, snoozing, watching out the window, lounging out in the back yard, sitting on her pillow. Rarely does she "follow you around like a puppy dog." The exceptions are in the morning before her walk or run or at dinner time before she is fed.

And, at times, she acts kind of like a cat. For a while a skin irritation caused a lot of licking and grooming, much like a cat. She chases spiders. Today on our morning, pre-swim walk, she instantly turned left, jumped straight up in the air, and launched herself into the long grass, much like a cat. And her solidarity is also quite cat-like. This may explain why she and Sammy get along so well.

All in all, she is an excellent companion. The parting shot is of her and me, gathering firewood together on my parent's Lake Superior beach. What a good dog! In fact, her longish nick name is "Izzy the one-eye wonder dog," I think it fits!

-A