IMC complete

Ironman Canada was a rollercoaster day for me out there.

I always go into a race convincing Emily it will be my final "go" at Ironman racing, but after the cows come home and the reflection period begins, I always find myself asking how I could have raced differently to post a better time. This past weekend was no exception.

This blog starts with the bike ride. 112 miles of rolling entertainment. It was a visual playground and the magazine photographers must have been downright giddy. As a lover of cycling in the mountains (we have a few of those here in Boulder) I couldn't have asked for a better course. I rode my heart out and rode off perceived exertion (not scientific) as my bearing. The first 60 miles were great as I rode from 16th place up into 3rd place and was closing in fast on 2nd place, and eventual race winner, Bryan Rhodes. However, at the top of the first climb, Richter Pass, I had to stop and serve what they call a "Stop & Go" penalty infraction. I received this only two miles into the bike, while we were still riding through town and establishing a pecking order, for completing a pass between a gap that formed between Jason Shortis and Gordo Byrn. At the top of Richter - where hundreds of fans were cheering!!! - I completed my "Stop" but the penalty tent folks took their sweet time in letting me "Go". I lost a few minutes during the stop but no one had passed me so I knew I had put a huge gap into the riders behind me at that point.

Like most races, I went through a bad patch around 120-km (sorry, but the course was marked in km's and I wasn't riding with a computer - only a fogged over wrist watch). I was caught by the chase pack and spent the next 10-15 miles regrouping myself in a group that included Jasper Blake, Jonathon Caron, Matt Lieto, Courtney Ogden, and Andriy Yasbertov. I felt we rode legally, except on the slight uphill rollers when the group would fan together like an accordian. From a perceived effort level though, I barely felt like I was working which makes me belief the 10-meter drafting rule is rubbish and truly needs to be extended.

At the summit of Yellow Lake - the course's second climb - I received some local intel from Caron, who finished 2nd in the race last year, that we had finished the uphill portion of the course. Finally, my choice to run a 56x44 chain ring became an asset and I pulled away from the other riders, caught up to Odgen and within a few hundred meters of Matt Lieto - both riders made breaks near the end of the ride.

My run started out conservative and got very very conservative. I "ran" the first half-marathon at my own pace as it was a false flat uphill and kept telling myself I would open it up on the return portion. However, I gulped down a Red Bull from my special needs bag and realized a few miles later it was still sitting like a water balloon in my stomach. I never cramped during the second half since I monitored my salt intake throughout the day, but my core broke down and I lost my composure to run. So, the last 9 miles were very very conservative and I marched back into town and trying to will myself to start back up with a run. I managed to run the last three miles and they were probably the fastest of the whole race, but it was too late, and I crossed the line in 9hrs, 29mins after my 3hr47min marathon.

I'm not looking past Laguna Phuket in early December but will have to assess if another few months of putting in the correct prep for another Ironman is something I want to do.

Peace,
Lars