Date: Sunday August 27, 2006.
Location: Penticton, B.C.
Description: 3.86 km Swim, 180.2 km Bike, 42.2 km Run
Sport: Ironman Distance Triathlon
Website: www.ironman.ca
This version of the race report has been shortened (may be hard to believe). But if you want the full-scale version, which covers the entire trip, then check out the next posting on this blog. Hey, I had to keep myself busy on the plane somehow.
As far as the race is concerned, I followed my plan (take it easy on the swim and bike), went for the PB on the run, came up short, but totally enjoyed my day. Here are the details.
Got up at 3:15 am to have breakfast #1. Drank 2 bottles of Vanilla Boost and ate 1/2 of a Peanut Butter flavoured Powerbar. Went back to bed then woke up again at 4:50 am, drank another bottle of Boost, and got ready for the big day.
We left the B&B at 5:15 am and drove into town (saw 3 deer snacking). As soon as I got ready to park, I realized I had forgotten my Infinit Nutrition back in the fridge if the B&B. I had to drive back to get it since I was using it as my sole nutritional source all day. Got thing the B&B is only 10 minutes away. We saw more deer, got back into town, parked, and walked over to the Transition area. I saw the "Lovato's" (husband and wife professionals) walking along with me, and it was not even 6 am yet so I had lots of time.
Said bye to "EB", and headed into Transition to; pump up my tires, put nutrition on bike, and put some last second items in my transition bags. As I do before every Ironman, I wait until the last possible moment before I put on my wetsuit. Why? So I can go to the bathroom that one final time before the race. Got out of Porta-john and towards the water to put on my wetsuit. Then I heard, "All athletes should be out of transition for the race start." I'm thinking, "What's the rush, I've still got five minutes." But apparently everyone but me is in a panic and 2 volunteers come running over to help me put my wetsuit on. We get it on quickly, I thank them, cross the timing mats, and wait on the beach for the swim start. Boom! The cannon goes off and the race begins.
It took me 1 minute of walking into the water before I actually start swimming. Lake Okanagan is so wide that there is room for everyone. No battle royale like Ironman Lake Placid. There was tons of open space and I quickly got into a nice rhythm. I tried to hook up to some feet to do some drafting but I couldn’t find someone who was going slightly faster than the pace I wanted to go. The only collisions came at the first turnaround. Where a couple of guys zig-zagged in front of me then slowed down for some reason. Being a little frustrated at the break in my rhythm, I actually took hold of them and gently moved them both to side and then kept moving forward. The swim back to shore was uneventful, and I got out of the water in a time of 1:26:51 (Avg Hr: 144). Headed up the beach into transition, and grabbed my T1 bag.
I changed outside the tent. I felt that if I went inside I would take longer, plus I did not want to be part of the big sausage party inside the tent – if you catch my drift. I changed fairly quickly, and headed for my bike. Before getting to Siena, I got hosed down with sunscreen (a volunteer literally hosed you down with it from a huge spray can – pretty cool), made a pit stop in the Porta potty, grabbed Siena and headed out on the bike course. T1 took 6 minutes.
The crowds heading out of town were awesome. It felt like the Tour de France in the downtown area with a narrow pathway created by huge crowds on either side. My heart rate was skyrocketing at this point due to the excitement because I wasn’t going all that fast. I made my way out of town and along Skaha Lake. It would have been nice to have aerobars during this flat and windy section but I was using my new Litespeed Siena for this race I did not have that option. I kept my heart rate in my goal range of 145-155 until I got to the infamous Richter Pass Climb. It was 10:30 am at this point but it was already to getting hot. The sweat was dripping into my eyes so I put my sunglasses into my pocket. I behaved myself up the climb and kept my heart rate in the 150’s, only maxing out at 163 near the top of Richter. It took me just less than an hour to do it and next year I know I can crank up a speed a bit and still stay aerobic. On the descent I spent my time stretching out my back and legs. There were a series of rollers and flats before the next major climb so I used the time to take in nutrition and the beautiful scenery. I started the long but gradual Yellow Lake Climb at 1:30 pm. Start to finish it took me 1 hr and 20 minutes to complete the climb. Despite the urging of the great crowds that lined the entire Yellow Lake Climb, I once again behaved myself and kept my heart rate in the low 150’s the entire time. I was surprised at the top of the climb by my friends, Angus and Michelle. They cheered, snapped a few pictures and I made the long descent back into Penticton. I fuelled up and stretched on the way down in preparation for the marathon. Back in town I yelled at my support crew who was waiting for me, and headed into transition. Total bike time was 6:51:30 (Avg Hr: 150).
I grabbed my T2 bag and went into the change tent. The tent was not crowded this time and I wanted to take the time to make sure I was totally comfortable for the run. I immediately made the decision right not to carry the flask of Infinit Nutrition that I had prepared for the run. I used Infinit exclusively on the bike but at the end of the ride I just did not want to drink anymore of it. I figured I’d survive on the water, cola, and gels out on the course. Just before crossing the timing mats and heading out on the run course, I grabbed a Power Gel Double Latte and sucked it back with some water. T2 took 7:36. Departing T2 at the 8:31 mark and feeling good, I saw the opportunity of going into the 12 hr range with a sub 4:30 marathon and decided I’d go for it. The real fun was about to begin.
The wind was picking up, and the heat was at its peak (33 degrees). None of this mattered at this point because the crowd support in town was insane. I was moving along faster than I wanted to (heart rate in the 160’s) and kept reminding myself to slow it down. I finally brought the heart rate down to the 150’s but the speed was in the 5:30 per km pace. I saw my support crew at 3 km mark. I gave them a quick smile, waved, slapped hands and ran out of town. I felt great but thought I might still be going too fast and eventually settled into a 5:45 per km pace. With the extreme heat I knew I had to keep drinking, but I also knew that if I drank too much I would eventually begin to bloat and feel heavy. I opted for door #2 and kept drinking tons because I was severely thirsty the whole way. I maintained my pace until the 14 km mark. After that, my pace started slowing down in a big way. I felt like a big water jug (lots of sloshing), my chest felt very tight and I could only take short breaths. I kept on pushing through but the hills also begin to kick in at that section in the race. Not a good time for troubles to happen. As my pace kept slowing down, I calculated that going sub 13 hours was not going to be in the cards so I pulled the plug and decided to walk the rest of the way. I had some nice chats with a lot of people out there and enjoyed my stroll back into town. I saw Angus and he laid a guilt trip on me (when we race together I always yell at him that he better not walk so now it was his time to turn the tables on me). I explained that I went for it on the run and it just didn’t happen. Therefore, I was now walking so I wouldn’t destroy myself for a non-PB performance. We kept walking towards the rest of the cheering crew and I gave my glow stick to my friend’s daughter Megan (the only reason why I took it). She looked thrilled to get it so at least I was able to do some good on the day. They told me that they would catch me at the finish, and I joked that I would see them in an hour (there was only about 3 km to go). With about 1.5 km left, I started running again because the streets were packed. Walking was not an option with these enthusiastic crowds cheering you on. I figured I’d shoot for sub 14:30 at this point and crossed the line in 14:28:15 (Avg Hr: 144, Max: 178, Calories Burned: 12 852).
My finish line catcher put the medal on me, checked to make sure I was ok and took me over to get my t-shirt and very cool finishers hat from Headsweats. He escorted me to Gyro Park for food and a massage. I eventually caught up with my friends and thanked them for being out there all day. Then went back to Gyro Park to have a huge serving of Fish & Chips. I was craving “real” food and it really hit the spot. I also downed a large cup of Booster Juice (loaded with protein powder). On the way to the car, I witnessed the crazy long line-up for registration the next morning. People were there in sleeping bags, tents, lawn chairs, you name it. The line went on forever. Unfortunately for this dedicated bunch of people (my buddies JP & Goose included), it would be confirmed that next day that sleeping overnight was not necessary at all. But better safe than sorry I guess.
I will be back for the 25th Anniversary race in 2007. It should be quite the celebration. I look forward to pushing the pace on the bike a bit more, and have devised a plan in which to get revenge on that run course. On top of that, before and after the race, I will again be visiting the many fine wineries and restaurants of the area.
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