Great Illini Iron Distance
804
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827 days
cayman posted 10 weeks ago.
Congrats on your first IDT, great times and a well run race.
john
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
2936
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1358 days
Anton posted 10 weeks ago.
Good job...but don't beat yourself up...one person's "slow" is another person's "Hammer." And believe it or not...sooner or later everyone, and I mean everyone, walks during the IM run. It's often referred to as the "Iron Walkathon."
And yes...you can call yourself an Ironman.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://agingsuperhero.blogspot.com
3354
Member
1403 days
RV posted 10 weeks ago.
Great job. Especially for a first!
Aside from the buoys - how well is the race managed? Volunteers, course markings, support etc.
How big was the field? Wave or mass start?
Interested in trying this one - will go track down the website
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
193
Member
452 days
jbird2131 posted 10 weeks ago.
thanks for the support everybody!
RV- aside from the buoys, the race was really well done. course was well-marked and plenty of volunteers on the bike course. all aid stations were stocked with what was advertised on website. the run was 4 loops (not fun) but that made aid stations easy to get to and the volunteers began to memorize what your drink/ food of choice was each time you passed them. Lakeland college mens bball team was on the run course, they did a great job!
there were about 60 people in the full and i think about 150 in the half. there was also an aqua bike. the swim start was a mass start. we all just stood in the shallow waters and took off when the siren sounded. very mellow. here's a link if you can't find it:
464
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143 days
trigirltina2 posted 10 weeks ago.
Great Job! Everything you learned helps in the next one!
3354
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1403 days
RV posted 10 weeks ago.
jbird2131 wrote:
thanks for the support everybody!RV- aside from the buoys, the race was really well done. course was well-marked and plenty of volunteers on the bike course. all aid stations were stocked with what was advertised on website. the run was 4 loops (not fun) but that made aid stations easy to get to and the volunteers began to memorize what your drink/ food of choice was each time you passed them. Lakeland college mens bball team was on the run course, they did a great job!
there were about 60 people in the full and i think about 150 in the half. there was also an aqua bike. the swim start was a mass start. we all just stood in the shallow waters and took off when the siren sounded. very mellow. here's a link if you can't find it:
Great - thanks for the info!
60 people that is pretty cool - Did you get into IMWI?
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
193
Member
452 days
jbird2131 posted 10 weeks ago.
yes i did get in! i was in line at 7:15 this morning and there were already a ton of people waiting.....in the rain. im not sure if it sold out on site, but i heard it sold out by noon. there couldn't have been many online slots, but i read about a few who got in online on slowtwitch. i tried that last year with no luck, so i had to go this time.
718
Member
1028 days
gfd posted 10 weeks ago.
11:36 1st IM or any IM is impressive to me. Great job. I would have gladly gave up 15 or 20 minutes on my bike to go sub 4 hours on my run. Way to take it in strong. Enjoy the great feeling that seems to last forever.
"If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it you have won your race." -Dave Scott
~Garen~
587
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185 days
jtrimom posted 10 weeks ago.
amazing job for a 1st (or ANY!) iron distance!
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338 days
TriSooner posted 10 weeks ago.
Anton wrote:
I'd love to go 11:36. 60 people though?! No thanks. I'd feel so alone.
one person's "slow" is another person's "Hammer."
287
Member
1328 days
kevinb421 posted 10 weeks ago.
thats so awesome, I am very interested in the Illini for next year. and 11:36 on your first IM?! thats awesome. congrats
"If your not going to win, make the fellow in front of you break a record."
674
Member
310 days
jsk85 posted 10 weeks ago.
Very well done...I think I'm with Trisooner on the loneliness though.
I did the half there last year and felt real lonely by midway through the run.
Good for you to have the mental toughness to pull it out, and with an impressive time too.
BTW, what did the winner finish in?...last year was the 1st for the full and the winds were pretty steady on the bike...b/w that and the small field, I remember the winner being like 10:15 or so.
Where in the field did the 11:36 put you?
1008
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1194 days
PJT posted 10 weeks ago.
That's just an outstanding job, 1st time or 50th. Congratulations!
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452 days
jbird2131 posted 9 weeks ago.
jsk85 wrote:
Very well done...I think I'm with Trisooner on the loneliness though.I did the half there last year and felt real lonely by midway through the run.
Good for you to have the mental toughness to pull it out, and with an impressive time too.
BTW, what did the winner finish in?...last year was the 1st for the full and the winds were pretty steady on the bike...b/w that and the small field, I remember the winner being like 10:15 or so.
Where in the field did the 11:36 put you?
The finisher was a pro dude from Austria, he went 9:32. Here's a link to the results: scroll down to "great illini 2008 full overall"
http://www.wetri.net/endureone/Results.html
11:36 put me 14th overall...and about 30 seconds behind my age group winner. i guess if i would have known he was that close i wouldn't have stopped at the last aid station to wash my face off and get pretty boy for the picture! o well, it was a good day. sorry it took me so long to reply!
Sep. 6th, 2008
Mattoon Beach, IL (55 miles south of Champaigne)
Swim-1:15:xx
nice and easy. the water temp was about 76 degrees according to the RD. no big crowds and i was able to get into an easy pace and coasted through both laps. they could have used one or two more markers along the course, hard to spot at times. i would have liked to swim under 1:10, but i wasn't too upset coming out of the water.
Bike-6:14:xx
yes i know, slow. the course was flat and i didn't really hammer it. i certainly believe i could have pressed a little more on the second loop. on the upside, my nutrition was spot on throughout the entire bike. the weather was perfect on the bike. about mid 70's and light winds. dry as hell out though, nothing but corn fields.
Run-3:58:xx
my legs felt awesome coming out of T2. i was cruising, a little too fast... my first mile split was 6:10, o sheeit. i had no idea i was going that fast and quickly slowed to my planned 7:40 pace. my calfs were burning but i knew that was normal and it disappeared after about 4 miles. through mile 10 i felt great, but then i blew up pretty hard. i was forced to a walk and needed to pound some cokes and bananas to get some energy back. 20 mins later at about mile 12 i was able to resume running and stayed at a comfortable pace through the finish.
11:36:xx
all in all i guess im pretty happy with my race. this was my first iron distance and i learned a lot. i think i need to incorporate toys (HRM, maybe power) into my training and racing to really get some results. i am looking forward to imoo 2009.