I figured I would finally get off my butt and add to the collection of IMC race reports. Of course its going to be long, I spent the last 9 months of my life doing research for it.

Background

This was my first IM and until now I had two 70.3's and a local sprint under my belt. I followed the IM training plan here on the site and didn't deviate from it too much. Other than the occasional missed workout I ended up cutting out the Saturday swim and Sunday bike (combined the two runs into one long one) b/c time wise it was worth it to keep my wife on my good side. Training went great minus struggling over the winter with a knee injury that kept me from running until the end of February. Highly recommend the plan on this site, I plan on using it again with maybe a few minor tweaks.

Pre-Race

We got up to Penticton on Tuesday afternoon so we could get settled in and enjoy the area before race week got into swing. The Okanagan Valley is absolutely amazing. My family and I loved everything about it and definitely plan on coming back whether to race or just enjoy some good wine. For the most part I was just excited for race day. I went into my taper with solid confidence in my training and the understanding that what was done was done. I couldn't do anything to improve my fitness but I could do a lot to screw it up. I made sure to get a few hours of alone time a day to read and visualize race day in order to keep me focused. The only time I really got nervous was on Friday b/c Saturday was the big logistics day and that always gets me nervous. All of my last workouts felt great. I was especially pleased with the swim, something about the lake just felt right. The water temp was perfect and the water just felt smooth. Turned out to be a good sign for race day :)

I didn't anticipate sleeping much the night before the race b/c everyone talks about restless sleep the night before. Well, I was out within a few minutes of hitting the pillow. I woke up at 2:00AM to piss (gotta stay hydrated) and laid there for a few seconds thinking, "One of the longest days of my life is about to begin in 2 hours...oh well, better go back to bed" and I was back asleep. Alarm went off at 4:00 and I did something I never thought I would do the morning of my first IM, I hit the snooze button! All I wanted to do was sleep so at least I knew I was relaxed.

Breakfast was two packs of oatmeal, a bagel with peanut butter and honey and a Latte. I said good by to my family and my wife and I drove down to the race site. I thanked my wife for everything she had put up with and promised her I would make her proud...and that I wouldn't pee on myself. I dropped special needs bags and got my body marked. Walking into transition was a great feeling, I was finally here. I threw on some Kings of Leon on the iPod and started setting up my bike. I was done at 6:00 and figured I had enough time to hit the porta john and get a quick warmup in. Instead I stood in line for 45 minutes for the damn porta john, but I figured there were plenty of people behind me and they would start without us right?

Finally finished my pre-race ritual with the porta john and got my wetsuit on quickly. By this time transition was pretty empty. I took a couple of seconds to focus my mind before I stepped out through the inflatable arch. Stepping onto the beach was great. There's 2600 athletes all ready to conquer the infamous IMC course with 1,000's of spectators to cheer us on. I quickly grabbed a spot out in the middle of the pack but not too close to the front. 4 minutes to start I look down and realize I forgot to give my wedding band to my wife (I'm on band #3 so lets just say there's a history behind me and wedding bands, we'll save that story for later). So my first concern was keeping the ring on my finger throughout the swim. During the National Anthem I closed my eyes and visualized gliding through the water with strong smooth strokes. As Steve King and the crowd counted down the start I just stood there and took it all in. 5 seconds to go I turned to the guy next to me, shook his hand and wished him good luck. 3....2.....1....SHOW TIME!

Swim

So the start doesn't exactly go off with a bang b/c you end up wading your way out into the shallow water. I finally got sick of walking through water and decided swimming was faster. I actually had a decent amount of water around me until about 300 meters in when everyone starts swimming toward buoys. It was pretty packed up to the first house boat but not too bad. I just focused on protecting my face and getting my heart rate under control while finding myself a pair of feet to sit behind. I could never find a perfect set of feet but found enough that I could leap frog from set to set when it got packed. I checked my watch wondering where my heart rate was and saw 151! "Slow down idiot!" I focused on keeping a nice steady stroke and got my HR back in the 130's where I wanted it. I hit the first boat and took it wide to avoid the chaos. I hit the second house boat a little while later and glance at my watch, 36:00! Either I learned to swim or this course is short, hopefully it was the first. The last stretch to T1 I just focused on staying just a little wide of the buoy line. Whenever I got close to the buoys traffic got congested. I only had one annoying drafter who wouldn't stop grabbing my feet, so after about 5 grabs I gave them a nice thrashing with my legs and they went away. Each buoy you pass has a number on it, unfortunately I didn't know how many buoy's there were. Finally started to see the beach come into view and before I knew it I was staring at sand. I swam for as long as the water depth would allow and then popped up to a roaring crowd of spectators. Looked at the watch...1:12! Holy Crap! I swam the Boise 70.3 in 40:00, so I basically took off 8 minutes from where I thought I could swim.

T1

Like others have said, IM transition is a different beast. Grabbed my bagged and ran into a tent full of half nake dudes, not exactly my idea of a fun time. Quickly realized it was packed so I got to the back by the exit and threw my stuff on. Grabbed my shoes and took off to get some sunscreen. After getting lathered up by the nice ladies I took off to my bike. While throwing my shoes on I look up and see my family on the other side of the fence. Grabbed the bike and for once, had a nice short run to the exit, row 7.

Bike

My plan was to take the ride out to Osoyoos nice and easy to save my legs for the real bike course on the back side. A few miles in I realized that IM is one big hypocrisy. They preach about drafting and 4 bike lengths and race your own race, then they throw 2600 athletes on the bike course all within a short window of time. There's little way to avoid the packs, if you pass one you not only had to put in a big effort, but you would just ride up on another one. If you slow down you would just get sucked up by the one behind. It was also here that I realized that triathletes really annoy me. Now, being in the military I like rules. Someone tells you to do something and if everyone does it, things tend to work out. So I couldn't figure out why it was so flippin hard to move your ass over to the right when you knew damn well there was a steady stream of bikes flying by. Yelled at a few bikes but mostly told myself not to get to worked up and waste energy. Quickly hit McLean Cr Road and realized that throwing my 12X27 on was a great choice. Easily spun up and felt sorry about those that were grinding it out, I wondered if there had ever heard of Richter and Yellow Lake. Almost had a guy take a few of us out when he crossed the wheel in front of him right as the guy moved to the left. Luckily he missed the guys wheel by a few inches and we were fine. Came up on some Asian guy on a fold up bike, with no shit carbon rims that had to be about 300cm wheels. Just weird.

As soon as I got on the bike I noticed my lower back tightening up, probably from sighting during the swim. Since I can't pee on myself I figure I would stop in Oliver to pee and stretch out the back real quick. Back on the bike and quickly hit the base of Richter, the bike course could finally start. Told myself to take it easy and just spin up the climb and save it for Yellow Lake. Climb wasn't that bad, nice and easy. Saw Tigger for the first time, wouldn't have been my first choice of costumes but to each his own. Got a laugh out of the two dudes with Foo Man Chu's and tan lines that would make TriSooner proud. Stopped again at the top aid station, gotta pee, drinking too much but the heats coming. Bombing down Richter thinned everything out a bit. Dipshit in front of me decided to draft off an RV, I was just waiting for it to slam on its breaks b/c there was no way they could see him. The rollers after Richter are a BITCH!!! Couldn't really get into a groove and my back was still giving me problems. Then took the dreaded right turn at Keremeos for the out and back. Somehow I over looked that the out and back actually has a second out and back off to the west, not a pleasant surprise. Didn't really need Special Needs but my wife had written me a note so I knew it would make her happy if I stopped to grab it. Picked up the note, some peanuts and a Gatorade I had frozen. Open the note only to find out she had written a damn paragraph. But, she took the effort so I did my best to read it. Gave me a little pick-me-up but I just started to go right down into the dark place I wanted to avoid. The rest of the ride up to Yellow Lake was just bad. The heat, the wind, my lower back and now my left knee started hurting where I had previously injured it. Great, keep this up and its going to be a long day. But, I told myself that I wouldn't allow myself to get too high or too low during the race so I just focused, pedaled and stuck my head down until the real climbing started at Yellow Lake. My legs still felt fine, but it was all of the little things that were zapping my mental energy. On the first climb up to Yellow Lake I hear the dreaded Shst...shst...shst...shst. Looked down and saw what looked like black rubber spinning on the side of my front tire. First thought was shredded tire, 15 miles after I left the spare tire in special needs. Stopped to check it out and saw the best thing of my race, a piece of black electrical tape stuck to my front tire. Felt like the luckiest man in the world as I headed back up the road.

I knew my family was going to be on Yellow Lake somewhere just didn't know where. Hitting the top of Yellow Lake I was just in a zone. I didn't think, I just pedaled. Nothing too bad, but I could use a boost. The climb was amazing. Streets lined with cars and people and cow bells and posters and costumes and music...simply amazing. Just as I get up to the end of the climb I decided to stand up and dance on the pedals just to stetch out the lower back. I looked over to the right and what do I see spelled out on 7 giant sized bright green poster boards? "GO JUSTIN"...and there's my family standing behind them cheering me on and shaking their cow bells like they're going out of style. Like a light switch the biggest grin of the day comes across my face...I'm back in it baby!!!!

Decent down Yellow Lake is a blast and then what is this? Another climb? Bastards, you almost start to think that Canada made these hills just to punish Ironman athletes. As soon as I get into town I get swarmed by a group, no, a peleton of about 25 riders. We all go cruising down Main Street together. I look behind to see if I can find some free space but I'm completely surrounded. I look to the guy to my right and ask, "What is this, the Tour de France?" His reply, "Great isn't it." No idiot, its not great, its an Ironman, not a local Crit. Oh well, roll into transition and hand off the bike. I jog over to my bag and then decide to walk to the tent. Shoes on, more nut butter, grab the visor and new glasses and I'm off...to the porta john again. At least I'm hydrated.

Run

Plan was to take the first 10K easy and then get to the turn around point, after that it was to get to mile 20 and see what I had left. I take off out of T2 feeling good. Nice and easy, slow and smooth. First 10K goes by at about an 8:20 pace. Once you get out to the lake its nothing but you, concrete, heat and smoke. It felt like an oven and you could see the carnage setting in around you in other athletes walking, cramping or flat out puking their guts out on the side of the road. I slowed the pace down to about an 8:45 and decided to walk the aid stations to ensure I got plenty of nutrition and hydration in me. I made the decision that I would stick with the conservative race plan and keep the walk through aid stations up. I knew I was over hydrated b/c I was peeing like a race horse every 2-3 aid stations. Made sure to keep tabs on the color of my pee and to ensure I wasn't getting over hydrated. Munched on pretzels in b/w gels to get more salt. At one point something catches my eye on the side of the road. I do a double take b/c I surely couldn't be looking at what I think I am. Yep, its just a dude taking a break from his bike ride in his shirt.......and that's it. Nothing like hairy dude ass to get your focus back on the road.

Mile 9-17 are pretty brutal. You're far out and the hills start. I stick to my plan and run up the hills and walk aid stations. I get a little boost at the turn around with the crowds and pick up another note from my wife and one from my parents. Throw some Twizzlers and Pringles in my pocket and I'm good to go. One thing I forgot to factor in with the heat was all of the water I was dumping on myself. My shoes were soaked, luckily it only rubbed my feet a little and they never blistered. Up until the turn around point I kept telling myself, "the race starts in OK Falls, just get there with as much as possible." The run home is still a blur. Run, walk, water, Gatorade, pretzel, CHICKEN BROTH!, run, pee, walk,....... And that pretty much went on into town. Ran into another guy from Colorado and chatted for about 15 minutes to take our minds off the run. I thought things would get better on Main Street, but damn that's a long street. With the smoky haze and mental funk you're in it felt deserted. By the time I got to the 2nd to last aid station I was just running. No talking, no walking, just a dead straight stare down the road, one goal in mind, no time to worry about the details.

As I took the left onto Westminster it all hit me. I was almost done. No more early mornings, no more foam roller, no more gatorade, no more GU, no more kissing my wife goodbye as I set out on a full day of training. My throat actually started to lump up, I couldn't breathe. I like to blame it on the smoke but lets face it, we work hard for what we do and rarely do I stop to appreciate the enormity of each little accomplishment over the last 9 months. Every workout is hard, but you always have the next one to focus on when you are done, no time to ponder. But now, I was done. In a few minutes I would forever be an Ironman. That visor with nothing but an M-Dot would finally be thrown on my head as I headed out on future runs. I allowed this feeling for about 30 seconds, then its back to business, not too high, not too low.

So the last mile at IMC is probably one of the best practical jokes in triathlon. The crowd is cheering, the music blasting, my family is right there at the corner on Lakeshore cheering me on, you can hear Steve King's fluid voice booming over the speaker system, the finisher's chute starts right there. But what do the cones tell you to do, go left young man, go left. Dammit, one more freaking mile. Crowd thins, Steve King's voice fades and your back at it, bastards. I kept the same pace the last mile, nothing too exciting. And then there it was the finishing chute, the end and hopefully a piece of pizza. As I run by where my parents are I somehow here my Dad over the crowd, "Justin, you are an Ironman!" (I told him that Steve King doesn't announce like Mike Reilly so he decided it was up to him to give me the honor). Right then I decide to start running, not a sprint, my body just wanted to finish strong. Right as I get on the carpet some dope comes sprinting past me. For a split second I thought about chasing, but I let him go b/c what the hell is an extra second anyways. The volunteers quickly put up a fresh finishing tape since dopey just took it from me. Pass through the chute, get my picture taken and then watch as Mr. Usain Bolt instantly collapses to the ground, karma's a bitch isn't buddy :)

And then I was done, that was it. My awesome catchers came up and took care of me. First question: "Would you like some Gatorade?", my response: "No, anything but Gatorade, matter of fact I want the anti-Gatorade" And then what do I do 10 seconds later? Yep, walk over and start to grab a cup of Gatorade, must still be in aid station mode. It threw the catchers off a little. "Hey, that's Gatorade, didn't you just say that's the last thing you wanted? You feeling okay." I tell them I'm fine and we get into the athlete corral area. All I want is pizza. Of course they're out. But since I have the best volunteer in the world he walks over to the volunteer's tent and brings me back a glorious slice of pizza.

I tell my two catchers thanks and that I'm fine. For the next 15 minutes I just sit in the middle of the grass eating my pizza, taking in the whole day. There was no IM high, no raging emotions of a long day complete, just a simple feeling of accomplishment. So after 30 minutes I decide to go find my family. Apparently they couldn't get across the street so I walked around for a while looking for them. I must have looked lost b/c all of the volunteers I passed asked if I need help. Then they kept commenting that I looked too good to have just finished an IM. Damn, maybe I didn't push hard enough. Finally find the family, drop off the bike at TriBike Transport and head home.

Instead of being thrilled with being an Ironman, I instantly starting thinking about the next one. Now, an Ironman is by no means easy, but for some reason I had that feeling of "that was it? That was more fun than hard." I expected an epic battle to the finish. But my training prepared me and I stuck to my race plan and it all work out. In all actuality, training for an Ironman is way harder than actually racing it. I'm still not mentally drained from training, my body craves more training. The couple days after the race my legs were a little stiff, but that's it. By Wednesday I wanted to jump back into it. What the hell is wrong with me?!

Instead of this feeling like the end of a journey it feels like the beginning of a much longer one. I love Ironman. I love setting a big goal and then meticulously going about achieving it. I love the simplicity of swim, bike, run...yet love the complexity of training. So Ironman is here to stay with me, if the Army gives me time to train I'll be racing. I want to get fast, no more just finishing strong, now I really want to see what I'm made of. I love the Ironman community and how no one else gets it but us. I will give up TV, beer, sports, just not triathlon.

So now that I'm done I'm spending September just going with the flow. Then its off to Hawaii for a week to watch the Ironman Championships. When I get back I'll see what the legs feel like doing. I want to spend some time on the road bike and get more trail runs in, minus the Garmin, just run for fun. After that who knows, next year will be a busy one with two possible moves so I can't really plan anything. I'll jump back into training and then find races that sound fun. And who knows, after listening to IM Talk's interview of Gordo Byrn my mind has been wandering toward the ultras, more pain, more glory right?

Final times:
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:12:05) 1:53/100m
T1: 5:51
TOTAL BIKE 112 mi. (5:45:27) 19.45 mph
T2: 5:24
TOTAL RUN 26.2 mi. (4:18:10) 9:51/mile
Final Time: 11:26:57

Once I download our pictures I'll put some up. For now ASI Orders has them up.