IM CdA – 5th
Posted in Racing by Janelle Morrison
- Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2010…finally that coveted finish line was reached after two back to back toughies in a row (sick in China and mechanical in St. George, not counting the 3 month bout of tendonitis this fall and winter which ended 2009 early.) CdA was all about getting rid of the demons once and for all and making a fresh new start. It was something that I mentally needed more than anything. A finish line is a finish line, and in Ironman, it’s even more than that. It’s a symbol of months of dedicated hard work for both pros and amateurs alike, and when you can finally see the finish line arches as you run that final mile towards your destination, the feelings and emotions are too complex to put into words. You’re relieved that you can finally stop, but there is also an over-riding sense of accomplishment that you can now sit back and enjoy. For me, this finish line was extra sweet because of all that I had overcome in the last 10 months. The demons were slayed and put to rest on Sunday – and that feels really, really good:-)
- That being said, IM Coeur d’Alene, for me personally, was not a great race. Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that a top 5 in an Ironman event is a mighty task and I both recognize and appreciate that, however, it would be lying if I said I was fully satisfied with my day. After a tough swim, I made some pacing errors (which I’ll tell you all about) which had me unnecessarily shattered to bits at the finish line. But I learned so much from it, and the experience was undoubtedly a critical one for me as I continue on in my professional racing career. However, given my errors, to slowly have inched my way into the top five for that last podium spot was good recognition for me that I know how to fight hard when I need to, and that I have the mental capacity to deal with advertsity without wavering. As an athlete, it’s a nice thing to know about yourself and it is something I will surely have to tap into again in future race experiences.
- The morning started with relative ease, as I was relieved to see that the swells in the lake from the day before had subsided substantially. My coach, Scott, was there to make sure nothing went amiss on that morning and the days preceeding, and this helped to calm my fears of the DNFs of the last two races. My parents were at the race cheering, as well as my good friends Jenny and Brian who made the trip to saunter around in grass skirts and coconut bras (yes Brian you looked really good…) to cheer me along the course. This meant alot to me and put my head in a good place for the morning start.
- The swim turned out to be quite a disaster for me. It truly must appear as though I am not improving with my swim, but I am here to attest that it is. Slowly. But it’s improving. My pool times have shown alot of progression but the open water remains enigmatic to me as to how to go about tackling it. The gun went off and I found myself in a pack of a few pro women…albeit not the front of the race or anything…but it was a solid pace that I felt comfortable with which assuredly would have taken many minutes off my final time had I managed to stay on the feet. All was going well until the first turn buoy at 1,000 m. where I battled out there with another swimmer who put me under the water repeatedly a few times, then when I went to breathe a swell came along and I choked back a lot of water. It took me a few seconds to recover, which was a few seconds enough to make me lose the feet. Then with the building swells, I had lost that beautiful pack of feet. From there it all went downhill. I became seasick from the swells, finally having a good puke at about 2,800 m. into the swim. My navigation was poor and I was zigzagging again. The sighting caused me to lose my form…and well…it all amounted to a 1:11 swim. Yuck-foo. I had intended to swim 8-9 minutes faster than this, which my training showed to be a very realistic goal, but with the conditions and my relative inexperience in the open water in tougher conditions…that plan didn’t unfold. But it’s coming, it’s there, it’s just a matter of time. It will manifest in the open water soon enough. Patience - if it kills me:-)
After coming out of the water with this deficit, I had some feelings of panic. I am used to chasing out of the swim, but this was pretty bad and I knew there were many strong women in the race who I wasn’t going to be able to chase down quickly. It was going to be a long, slow process, and that is a big feat to look at when you still have over 8 hours to go. That’s a long day of chasing. But, it was what it was, so I figured I may as well get started. Here is where I made my next mistake. I went out too hard. My heart rate was far too high, I knew it, but I was so full of adrenalin that I tricked myself into thinking that I could handle this pace for the whole bike. Not smart, but another rookie error. I learned my limits. After 2.5 hours of hard pushing on a course that is exceptionally tricky with all the turns and popper hills, I begain to pay the price. My heart rate dropped substantially and because I knew my fuelling was all right, I knew I had gone out too hard. But this is Ironman racing. You live, you learn, and you are forced to deal with the factors of the day – even if they are self-induced…;-) I rolled in at a 5:22 bike time which disappointed me, but at least there had been no mechanical and a large part of me was just glad to have gotten to the run part of the race – FINALLY!
I was 9th starting the run after having moved up on the bike with the 4th fastest bike split of the day, and slowly continued to reel in the women ahead of me. I had a pretty good run until about 21 miles, where at this point, my gut started cramping and I had to use the Porta-Potty a few times. I also started to stop to take in 2 cups of water at each aid station for the last 10 miles or so of the race as it was getting hot and dehydration was slowly creeping in. I chased and chased but for the life of me I couldn’t catch the 4 women ahead of me (Corbin, Kessler, Williamson, and Cooper-Scott) who were all posting between 3:04 and 3:17 run splits. I ran a 3:13 (2nd fastest of the day) which was solid, but not overly pleasing to me either. At the turn around at Higgins Point, the 5th place bicycle was waiting to lead me in to the finish line. As tired as I was, she was absolutely hilarious, joking with me that she was my linebacker for the race as we pushed our way through the sea of racers all heading the opposite direction.
A sea of inspiration on the run course!
The crowds, volunteers, and cheering along the lakeside portion of the race was overwhelming (in a good way!) and it really helped to keep your mind off the pain. Seeing friends Sam Barnes (who showed me around the course weeks earlier) and Kelly Moore, both having a great race boosted my spirits too. I saw TIMEX teammates, Roger, Phaedra, and Trista cheering along, and Jerzy and Juli out there pushing themselves on the course too. Jenny and Brian swayed their hips along as though they were on a Hawaiian beach, and although I was unable to acknowledge any of them (too tired) I processed it all and I was definitely smiling inside.
Next on the list (after moving to Penticton next week!!!!!!!!) is Calgary 70.3 and then….Ironman Canada. More experience, more pieces to put together – can’t wait!!!!
As a final note a few special thanks to:
-Steve at Vertical Earth (CdA cycling shop) for helping me with that ‘tick’ in my bike in the days leading up to the race prior to the arrival of TIMEX to come to the rescue, and who also completed his first IM this weekend with a super result to boot!
-My parents for travelling all the way from northern B.C. to watch me race! As well, as Scott, Jenny, and Brian for trekkig down to CdA to support me for this race.
-Bonnie for putting up with me as her homestay athlete for a full week:-)
-Doug (TIMEX) for having that bike primed and ready to roll without a hitch. Gorgeous.
-Amazing med tent volunteers for taking such good care of me when I was only partially coherent!
Congrats to ALL finishers!!! It was not an easy day and you DID IT:-)))
