Ironman Lake Tahoe Race Report - The Bike

In case you missed it you can read about Race Prep here and the Swim here.

This is the part of the report I wish I could skip, the bike ended up being a little bit of a dark place for me, but I will keep it real that Ironman isn't always 100% sunshine and roses.

I was feeling great leaving the swim, I had a great time for me but more importably I felt great and really enjoyed myself. As I made my way out of the water, up the sand and into T1 I was getting really cold and it was really painful to run on my freezing feet. Kind, amazing, wonderful volunteers helped me get my bag and out of my wetsuit. As I made my way into T1 I ran into a wall of bodies. The tent was FULL of bodies there was NO room, people were making full changes in the doorways and doing whatever the could to find room. I was planning on making a full change so that I could have dry clothes on the bike so I was hoping for a little volunteer help. Ladies you know how hard it can be to get a sports bra on when you are damp, couple that with barley working freezing hands and it is near impossible. I think there was a few issues with transition, partially it was just not a big enough space and partially people were taking longer to warm up so there were just more of us in there at one time. I finally found about a square foot to change (no volunteer, no chair) I got myself as dry as possible changed with the help of a fellow athlete who needed help as well. I got all my layers on, stuffed everything in my bag hoping I didn't forget anything and moved to the exit trying really hard to not step on anyone. I waved at my family, tried to make sure everything was sitting right and took off.

I started out feeling happy but my legs felt stiff and slow. I hoped that I would warm up and start to feel more normal as we went. Unfortunately the course starts with a long, gradual downhill that wasn't helping me warm up. I was chatting with other athletes and trying to settle in.

I felt pretty good through Truckee, saw Cory let him know I was feeling pretty good.

Then things started to get a little shaky. I started to feel a little nauseous on the first climb, that got worse on the second big climb. The one cool part of that loop was getting lapped by the pros on a climb it was awesome to see how great they were doing. I wasn't feeling well and couldn't stomach eating anything so I pushed on hoping that some downhill would help me feel better. I wasn't eating so I was getting a little bonky and slowing down. I was feeling pretty negative and stopped talking to people as much. There was a point that I felt like I was just done, I didn't want to ride my bike anymore. On the second loop I told myself all I had to do was get to Cory then I could quit and not have to do the two big climbs again. I wasn't able to eat anything so I thought my day was done. I got to Cory outside of Truckee pulled over and told him I thought I was done and couldn't eat. He felt horrible for me but was supportive. He made the one comment that kept me going, he said "if you haven't been eating there is no way you will be able to run a marathon". It hit me then that I felt like I COULD run a marathon, I wasn't broken physically, who quits 80 miles into an ironman bike, Not me I thought. I knew I might get pulled from the course but I wouldn't quit as long as I could keep moving. So I told Cory I would do my best to get back up over the big hills and just see how it went, I wasn't happy about it, I was hurting, but I was going to try.

After leaving Cory I did my best to put my head down and keep climbing. I got to the top of Brockway summit and thought I could make it back to Squaw Valley but I would have to push it. I did my best to focus push the last 20 miles. I had never really warmed up and it was starting to cool down again, especially in the valley.

I made it to T2, a little shocked that I had gotten there. I can't really explain what went so wrong on the bike, I had trained for the hills and at elevation so I can only imagine that the cold had something to do with it. But I can't explain why I got so sick and stayed sick from 30 miles into the ride on. Something to figure out for the future.

Up next the Run - promise it gets better!

Ironman Lake Tahoe Race Report - Race Morning and Swim

Because we stayed very close to T1 near Kings Beach I was able to get up a little later at 4am. I had most things ready to go the day before so all I had to do was eat, drink some coffee and get dressed. It was a little crazy to put on a goose down coat, hat, gloves and uggs for a triathlon. The temperatures were in the low 30s. But it was calm and not raining so it looked like the race would go off at the full distance. There were rumors that the race would be softened to 1.2 mile swim, 15 mi bike and 26.2 mile run.

It was pretty crazy in transition and a little difficult to get around for athletes and spectators. I think this small beach area was too small for the number of competitors even with 20% of the field not showing up race morning. I didn't leave any food or liquid on my bike overnight, and I was glad since others had frozen bottles and bars. After loading up my bike I added hand warmers to my bike shoes so they would be nice and warm once I got to transition.

After finishing my prep work it was time to get into my wetsuit, and hand off my stuff to my family. I left my sandals on to walk to the start because the sand was so cold that it hurt my feet. Ironman Lake Tahoe was using the swim Smart Start instead of the mass start. I thought it worked really well. We lined up by predicted finish time and were funneled through the start arch. It went fairly fast but this beach is fairly shallow so it took a little while to wade out deep enough to start swimming.
 
The swim was by far my favorite part of the day, the water was in the low 60s so chilly but not cold. It was so clear and beautiful, I had a little contact from other swimmers but nothing compared to a mass start.

It was a little hard to sight the first lap given all the mist. It was hard to find the buoys but it was incredible to see so much in the water and the snow capped mountains. As usual the turns were a little slow and people decided to walk the turn to the start of the second lap in the water. I wanted to swim so a popped up to clear a little water out of my goggles then started swimming again. On the second lap the sun came out and the water was even more clear, it was surreal. I tried to take it all in and really enjoyed this swim more than any other race I have ever been in. I found some great feet to follow and was pulled in. I was pretty happy with my swim, no cramps and I felt like I kept it nice and easy. I got out of the water and my feet immediately started to hurt from the freezing sand as I headed towards T1.


Up Next: T1 and the Bike

Ironman Lake Tahoe – Race Prep

For those that aren't interested in all the detail and work that goes into an ironman here is the cliff notes from the week:

·         Tahoe is beautiful

·         The race is really ridiculously hard

·         I finished (the end, now you can skip the next four posts)

For anyone wanting a little bit more info on the race and venue feel free to read on:

We decided to drive out to Tahoe from Denver so we could bring our dogs and a bunch of other crap with us. 

We also decided to camp in Park City Utah along the way. We haven’t had much of a chance to camp this summer so this seemed much more fun than staying in a generic hotel. It was beautiful and calming but we didn't get all the fun of camping since we didn't cook or even make a fire. Hopefully more camping will happen next summer.

On Wednesday we rolled into Kings Beach, California. Kings Beach is a little town along the shore of Lake Tahoe where we had rented a house with my parents. We were so excited to arrive and see the gorgeous view of the lake we would get to have for the week.

Thursday we all headed up to Squaw Valley where I did the athlete check in thing then we did a little touristy stuff and went up the tram, learned a bit about the Olympics that were held there and ate lunch. 

  It was sunny and beautiful. Later that afternoon we took a quick swim in the lake at our house, the water felt great and I was feeling pretty confident about the swim part of the race.

On Friday Cory and I decided to go down to T1 at Kings beach at 7 am to see what conditions would be like on race morning. It was nice to see that we would most likely not be swimming into the sun. The water felt good again, fairly warm but the air and the sand were frigid. As we were leaving the beach I couldn’t feel my hands and my feet hurt really bad. This was the first taste of how challenging race morning might be. I was not concerned at all about the swim, it was much warmer than Coeur d’Alene last year, but I was nervous about getting on the bike. I decided for sure then that I would make a full change in T1 and wear as many layers as possible. Friday was spent mostly prepping my bags and figuring out last minute details since you have to drop off your bags on Saturday and I wanted to relax as much as possible on Saturday evening.

Later that night we headed back up to Squaw Valley for the Athlete dinner and meeting.

The food was blah or bad and it was freezing in the tent. My fault for not wearing warm enough clothes. The meeting was boring and kind of long. The only important information I heard was that the private neighborhood would be open on Saturday from 3-5 for athletes to drive if we were interested in seeing that part of the course. I think in the future I will eat my own dinner as both IM dinners I have been to have not been good. They have to feed so many people it’s not surprising but I would rather make my own choices (plus it’s expensive for guests).

Saturday it was raining, windy and snowing at higher elevation.

Crazy….I had a bike and run on my schedule from coach but I just couldn’t wrap my head around going out in the cold and wet. Plus all of my jackets, gloves and hats were packed away for race day. So a bagged the shakeout sessions and decided to just drop my stuff off instead. They were nice and allowed us to put bags over our stuff as well as over our bikes so things wouldn’t be soaked come morning.

 I was glad I did because people’s saddles that weren't covered had ice on them race morning. After dropping my gear at the two different transitions areas (much more of a pain than having one transition area) I had a big lunch then headed out to drive a loop of the bike course.  Driving the course looked as I suspected very hilly in the back part of the loop with long stretched of steep 10%+ grades and technical steep down hills that scare me a bit on my TT bike (yes, I am a wuss). After driving the course I was nervous, I knew I was ready and fit enough to finish an Ironman but THIS ironman held many challenges. I told myself to show up, do my best and see where the cards fell. I had planned on having a light dinner but I wasn't feeling hungry after our big lunch and probably nerves.

I tucked myself into bed early hoping for some good sleep with an alarm set for 4 am.

Coming next, Ironman Lake Tahoe – Race Morning and Swim

Ironman Lake Tahoe - Check!

Whew, that was a HARD race! We leave Lake Tahoe today and will take two days to drive home so race reports and details will come later.

I survived what mike Riley called "the harvests Ironman ever" and finished Ironman #2

Already dreaming of my next adventure…….

On the Road to Tahoe

It's go time! This last weekend was full of shopping, prepping, making lists, making piles and packing bags.

I found it challenging to pack for this trip because I am not used to the cool weather that we will have in Tahoe. Which jacket will I wear on race day? Who knows, let's just throw in all of them! The picture above is about a third of the clothes I packed. While my body has had some aches and pains normal to taper I have enjoyed it, I feel like I should hate it but my body and mind was ready for a rest. I enjoyed easier rides.

And some time to enjoy fall treats
PSL!

Today I am excited to start our journey by driving from Denver to a state park near Park City, Utah.

We decided instead of staying in a generic hotel that we would camp for the evening. We really love to camp and haven't gone this year so this was a chance to get at least one night in before it gets too cold. It's about an 8.5 hour drive through the mountains and will be BEAUTIFUL. Tomorrow we will drive another 8.5 hours from Utah to Tahoe.

I imagine this part will be less scenic but we have lots of audio books to keep us entertained. Must go pack up the car, catch you guys in Cali!

Ironman Lake Tahoe – Taper

Ahhh….it’s finally time to taper for Ironman Lake Tahoe. It’s been a long build and my body is ready to recover so I can show up on race day fresh. I wish I could say that I am 100% confident about the race but that would be a lie. I am confident that I could finish an Ironman at my current fitness level but  I am a little scared of the bike course at Tahoe.

I am not the strongest climber and there is somewhere between 6,500 and 10,000 ft of climbing depending on who you ask.

But the hay is in the barn and worrying will only cause me stress and burn my energy. Now I need to focus on race strategy, eating well, resting and staying healthy. I leave for Tahoe in just 4 days, and I am ready to get this adventure started.

Please start sending me good, strong, happy, beat cut-off times thoughts! 

Ironman Lake Tahoe – End of Peak Training

Whew….I can finally catch my breath now that I am finally in taper. Originally I was a little upset about Ironman Canada’s move from late August to late July (one less training month) but now after finishing up training for Tahoe I am grateful. August and September are busy family months with 4 birthdays and lots of racing for other family members. 

Finishing up peak training and having at least one month of the summer to just goof off will also be nice.

My last few weeks of peak training were a little off because of other obligations but I was able to get *most* of it in and even a 50 mile running week in (that’s big for me). I didn't do a great job recording everything at Garmin connect so I can’t even give a play-by-play training update. That might be boring anyway but I can give some highlights:

Two 20 miles runs in mid 90 degree heat – one off a 3 hr bike ride

Two 100+ mile bike rides with hill repeats
Many open water swims
Four weeks of “climbing camp” where I road different hills from the Tahoe course on a computrainer
One loop of the Tahoe course on the computrainer
Lots of time climbing up mountains on my bike

As the season progressed I focused more and more on climbing on the bike. I have the advantage of living at altitude here in Colorado and having lots of great mountains to climb. Now I am just hoping that my knee will hold up and get me up the 4 big climbs on race day. I am now focusing on recovering my tired legs and even what I will do during my 4 weeks of recovery “free time”  in October or Fun-tober  as I have started calling it.