Ironman Mont-Tremblant - The Run

Pre Race and Swim here.
Bike here.

As I entered transition, I took my feet out of my bike shoes, dismounted my bike, gave it to a lovely volunteer, and feared the worst. Coach had told me those first few steps after getting off the bike were like nothing you've ever felt before. Well, my feet were sore, and I was running a bit knock-kneed, but right away, I realized I felt really fine. Really OK. Almost great. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of getting off the bike and finally making it to the run, but I ran to the changing tent with a smile and was determined to keep the smile on my face for the next 26.2 miles.

T2
2:26

I grabbed my bag from a volunteer, and knew this transition was simple. I emptied my back pocket of my arm warmers and trash from the bike, changed socks and put on my shoes while I asked the volunteer to spray my back with sunscreen (irony: it rained.). I had my gels (just in case they didn't have what I wanted/needed on the course), plus aleve, tums and some Imodium in a small plastic bag that I stuffed in my back pocket, I grabbed my Garmin and a small water bottle and was off

RUN
4:19:02 23/AG
(2:07 first loop, 2:12 second loop)  9:54 pace

Right away, I fixed my ponytail, adjusted my visor and knew I needed to pee (yes, AGAIN). I wasn't haven't any stomach distress, and I didn't feel sloshy, but I just need to pee. The first few sets of porta potties I ran past had lines of people waiting, and my need wasn't urgent (yet!) so I decided to find my legs and stop in a few kms when hopefully there would be no lines. You exit transition, make a left, and right away are confronted with a climb. I focused on keeping my steps small and my knees high, didn't pay attention to pace, and knowing when I crested the hill I would see the Terrier cheering squad and my parents kept me moving forward. It was the best sight all day; I totally forgot about the weird feeling in my legs and I threw high-5s and loved every second of their cheers.

I turned the corner, saw more lines for bathrooms, grabbed a gel and kept focusing on small quick steps. My garmin finally picked up satellite and I was holding just about 9:30 pace. I felt GREAT, totally within myself and thought back to the course and how I had broken it up in my race plan. I finally found a porta-potty that was open, quickly jumped in and out and focused on getting through the first 5k and to the gravel path out and back.

The run is a huge blur in my mind, it seemed to fly by with very few low moments. I remember specific moments and people. I have tried to capture the run below, but these thoughts are not in any particular order - they are just my memory of the day as it progressed.

• I know I ran with a little guy in all black for most of 5k-10k, and we traded off taking the lead and keeping pace. Every time he took the lead he would push the pace from mid 9's down to about 8:30s, which still felt totally comfortable and I REALLY wanted to let it go, but I was scared to push my luck and I would reign myself in.

• I remember crossing the timing mat just before 10k, pressing lap and seeing it under an hour and being SO HAPPY that everyone tracking would know I was OK, that I was DOING IT! I wished they could see the smile on my face [come to find out later the splits weren't coming and people were really worried about me...oops! ha]

• I remember being a little frustrated that there were SO MANY aid stations (ha). My plan was to walk every other aid station, but there were so many and they weren't spread out evenly and not all them had gels and coke, so I tried just to not walk THAT much. I didn't want to be a slave to my watch and the miles/time that had passed, so I decided to just wing it.

• I have no memory of what I ate. I know I thad at least 3-4 honey stinger gels (maybe more?) and at the end I started grabbing orange slices and I had a few Honey Stinger Chomps that were SO GOOD at mile 22. I also grabbed a cup of chicken soup around mile 20 and threw it back like I was water and it splashed all over my face and chest and I just laughed at myself.

•  I remember taking Aleve and a salt tab somewhere around mile 10 and my stomach cramping immediately and feeling really nauseous and thinking "Well, there goes my day" with visions of the horrible cramps I got in Clearwater in my mind. I took a moment to walk and take some deep breaths, and focused on getting to the next aid station to take a gel.

•  One of the best feelings all day was cresting a nasty little climb just before going back through town, seeing my family and especially my mom again, and allowing myself to talk and say hi and give her a hug before she sent me back on my way.

• There was another group of Terriers and some of my best girls cheering just up the hill and I saw Dan and he looked SO HAPPY. I was so happy he was having fun and just wanted to walk and talk to him. He kept on yelling at me to keep going, that I was doing so good. It was just about 1 km through town and back to this section of the course, so I focused on just getting back to them again. 

•  Running through town was INCREDIBLE. I went through halfway just as some of the female pros were finishing, so the crowds were HUGE and CRAZY and when I turned off to start my 2nd loop they cheered for me just as much as those finishing. It was awesome and a huge energy boost.

• I saw 2:07 at halfway. "Oh geez, I still feel OK, and I am DOING THIS!! Oh god, I have 13 more miles?!" I decided I would walk up the hill out of town again and chat with Dan. I had actually told him before "Listen, I am going to walk up this hill when I come back to talk to you, so please don't yell at me to run!" Again, how excited he was made me excited, and he finally said the words I was trying to keep out of my head "Babe, you're gonna go sub 12!!" I told him to stop, not to jinx it, and I just needed to keep moving forward.

•  From 'hot corner' back to the gravel path I did not walk. I put my head down, stared at the blue line, didn't look at my pace and just focused on getting through the hills. 

• Thing started to hurt - not cardio wise, and not mentally, but my feet hurt and my right hip flexor, which started bothering me about a week before the race, was really tight. I found a little group that was running the perfect pace and tucked in behind them. I continued to walk some aid stations, taking in coke and gels.

• The first time I looked at my total distance on my garmin it said 19 miles. I was 2.5 miles past my longest run this year. I was really glad it took me that long to look, because 7 miles left felt really doable at the pace I was running.

• I was so happy when I saw sign for 32k. Only 10k left. I liked the course being marked in kms. It gave me something to do in my head and also seemed to go by a lot faster.

• I started running with a sweet French speaking older man. He asked if I was on my second loop, I said yes. He asked if this was my first Ironman, I said yes. He was the second person of the day to say the words "You're going to break 12." We had 8k left and it was 6pm. 12 minute miles to the finish. I finally let myself believe. He tried to pull me along, but I felt like I was holding him back so I told him to go - I passed him back about 1km down the road and he cheered me on.

• I remember walking an aid station to take some coke somewhere in the early 20s and finding it really really hard to start running again. I decided, that was it, no more walking except for some of the hills towards the end.

• Off the gravel path, I thought "I can do anything for a 5k" And I did. I again focused on the blue line, picking people off and getting to the finish line.

• With about 3k to go, the skies OPENED. It was pouring, there was thunder, and all I could do was smile. 

• I looked at my watch with about 2k to go and started to hyperventalite I was so happy. No. Not yet. You're not done yet.

• I walked the last little climb into town, picked it up through special needs, and was running pretty much alone. I heard a 'Sarah!' and looked up and say my dad waving from the awning in front of the Westin. I waved and then really started to lose it.

About 800m left in the pouring rain. 

• I vaguely remember running through town to the finish line. The atmosphere was so amazing and I knew I was ugly crying but I just didn't care. I was trying to keep it together and pretty much sobbing at the same time. I don't remember hearing my name, or really even seeing the finish line. I walked across the line (why did I do that?), watched the clock turn from 11:51:59 to 11:52:00 and was just in utter shock that I was done.

If I could have sat down right there, I would have.

Proof that RUNNING through the finish line would have in fact, been a good idea.

DONE!

 
Volunteers pretty much attacked me as I crossed, I was shivering pretty badly, sobbing and couldn't really catch my breath, and they said my lips were blue. I wanted to just sit down for a second but they made me keep walking and yelling in my face about being ok, blue lips, cold, rain, it was all a blur. Then I heard my mom and ran over and gave her one of the best, most satisfying hugs of my life. I then saw Dan and I said 'I did it!' and we hugged and then the volunteers continuing to pull on me.

I assured them I was OK as I was finally able to take deep breaths again, and was ushered to the finisher's area/food tent. It was still raining pretty hard, and I saw a teammate and finally SAT DOWN.

2012 Ironman Mont-Tremblant

11:52:01

I was happy to look at my Garmin file and see for most the run (save a bathroom stop at Mile 1.5, a stop for a hug about mile 12 - I also think I was having some satellite issues Miles 18-21ish bc nothing was happening there and I was clearly not running 6minute miles)  I kept my walk breaks fairly consistently spaced without being a slave to my Garmin. Based on the time of my two loops, I really think I was running about the same pace the entire way, but as I got closer to the end I started walking the hills a bit more.

It's back to real life for me as I head off on a work trip tomorrow. I wanted to get all the details about the swim/bike/run down before they started to blur. I have so much more to say about the race, the town, the experience, but I'm going to take a few days, or more, to let it all sink in and really pull my thoughts together. 

Ironman Mont-Tremblant 2012 - The Bike

Pre Race and Swim recapped here.

After the long run from the water, I grabbed my transition bag, headed into the changing tent, and ran to a seat closest to the exit. There was only a handful of other women in the tent, but a volunteer didn't help me right away. No big deal, I knew what I wanted and needed. I stripped off the shorts I swam in, pulled on my tri shorts (debated for weeks about bike vs. tri shorts, glad with the decision I made. I decided to change in T1 bc it was cold at the start and I didn't want to be in all wet clothes at the start of the bike.) This is when I volunteer came up and started to help. She put my race belt and and helped pull on my arm warmers. I didn't feel like I was rushing, but I definitely wanted to get out onto the bike. I put socks on and had decided to run to the bike holding my shoes and put my bike shoes on at the rack.  I thanked the volunteer and headed out.

I got almost to the exit of the tents (the change tents were located in the middle of a much larger tent), and realized SHIT, I forgot ride glide! I didn't even hesitate to turn around and start yelling for my bag back - no WAY was I riding the first loop of the bike with no ride glide! Thankfully, the volunteer was still stuffing my stuff in my bag and I was able to generously apply and finally be off for real. I caught a quick glimpse of Dan at the fence, grabbed my bike and was off.

Ouuuuuch my damn lip.

 T1 6:29
You will notice I do not mention anything about damn sunscreen. I made a point to get these cute little spray sunscreens bc I didn't want to deal with the volunteers slathering me with gloved hands, and I promptly forgot. I definitely got some sunburn on my shoulders on the bike, but I was lucky the temps were pretty moderate - it could have been much much worse and I made a point to apply in T2.

BIKE
6:24:00 24/AG, 109/female
(3:10 first loop, 3:14 second loop)
17.5 mph

Right away on the bike, I was still worried about my lip. I was trying my best to ignore it, but it still REALLY HURT. 

First time through 'hot corner' (I think)

I knew my some friends and family would be waiting at the very beginning of the bike course, so I waved and smiled and settled into my plan - SUPER FREAKING EASY RIDING. I cannot even explain what it feels like to be a somewhat-better-than-average swimmer and a moderately-average-female biker during a mass-start Ironman. With waves starts in shorter triathlons, yes you get passed, but it was nothing like this. If you look at the results, I was passed by about 800 people on the bike. That is 1/3 of the total racers. I do not think I passed A SINGLE person on the bike in the first loop. NOT ONE. Luckily, I was very prepared for this, and I didn't really let it get me down. I was actually riding a bit harder in sections than I expected I would - there were some pretty fast downhills in the first 18 miles, and even though I had planned to not use my big ring AT ALL the first 50ish miles, I just couldn't help it. Jon passed me somewhere at this point, we yelled hi, and he looked strong and we wished each other luck. I kept the focus on staying within myself at all times. I wasn't wearing a HR monitor, and had no bike computer - I rode totally based on feel and think it worked out perfectly for me. I didn't freak out when I sat up and spun up the hills in my easiest 11x28 gear - I didn't really have any clue just how slow I was going.

One thing that did shock me was the PACKS of people flying by. Men, women, all ages. Once we got out on to 117, there were signs that we were supposed to be riding in the right lane - not on the shoulder. But the packs were so thick that I felt unsafe riding where I was supposed to be. This only happened a few times, but it was always just a bit more disheartening when a woman was tucked in there. But I knew I wasn't 'racing' - drafting bothered me less in this race than any race before. What DID bother me, however, was when someone (always a male) would pass my on the right/inside. We had MORE than enough space on the road. And this never happened when it was congested to my left. There was never any reason for it, and it's just plain dangerous. The signs clearly indicated we were supposed to be riding in the lane of traffic, not on the shoulder, and it happened over and over again, mostly during the 1st loop.

I had my timex set to beep every 15 minutes to remind me that I need to keep on my calories, as well as to give me a general sense of how much time had passed (although trying to do the math, plus the course being marked in km, made it really confusing to figure out where/when/what was going on). So time was passing pretty quickly, but for the first 90 minutes, all I could think about was how bad I had to pee. I knew peeing on the bike wasn't going to happen - when I steady stream of people are constantly passing you, stage fright becomes a real issue. So at the top of Conception Hill, about mile 27?, I finally stopped. Luckily there was no line, and based on my watch, I was probably in and out in less than 60 seconds. But it made me feel new again and I FINALLY started to actually enjoy what I was doing. Going through St. Jovite was awesome, packed with people, but the course was still really crowded with people trying to pass during sections that were quite narrow.

You go back through town about Mile 43ish, and I was able to spot my family and was feeling good and happy. I knew the tougher section of climbing was coming, but I was on top of my calories and was excited to ride smart through the hills. But DAMMIT I had to pee again.

About Mile 43ish?

I sat up, spun up the hills and watched as other took off flying. I can honestly say, riding the Diabolical Double back in June was the BEST thing I could have done. Yes, these hills were steep, but they lasted seconds compared to the climbs in Deep Creek and that made me smile, and I knew I was OK.

My coached had warned me that this section is what will make or break most people's run - ride too hard on Loop 1, spike your heart rate, and your day will turn out very differently. So I was patient and I listened. I heard bikes making some damn strange noises, saw more than a few people with dropped chains, and almost run into a lady who had gotten off her bike and was still standing in the middle of the course (I yelled sorry and felt really bad!). I looked forward to the turn around, as everyone coming back was screaming down the hills and it looked like FUN!!!

 I also knew special needs was coming up, and I was looking forward to my coke and to stop and pee (again!). I made the turn into special needs, was so excited to go to the bathroom, and I realized there were not porta-potties near the special needs stop (or at least, I didn't see any) - there were across the street! You had to stop at special needs (where I restocked three bottles, took a HUGE gulp of coke, applied some more ride glide and sadly passed on my Snickers), get back on the bike, ride sorta of through the transition area, over the timing mat, around a corner, and then had to stop AGAIN to go to the bathroom.

It was sort of frustrating, but I was happy with how I was feeling, there was no line, so I was in and out again in about 1 minute. While I was peeing, I looked at my watch, did some math and realized I had ridden the first loop in about 3:10-3:20 (I didn't know how long T1 was), and I actually had no emotional response to it at all. I didn't have any clue or goal related to my bike time, but I knew I was riding smart and was excited to get back on the bike and finish up Loop 2.

I went back through the circle, saw my family and teammates, ran into and chatted with an old teammate who just happens to now be the CEO of Ironman, Andrew, and had a few laughs. He was out there racing like everyone else, and it was really nice to chat. We said our good lucks and he took off into the distance.

Andrew recognizing my kit and saying hi!

Somewhere in this section, the winds picked up, I had an espresso Gu, and it was the best thing I tasted all day. I was getting really blown around going north on 117 and realized my wrists and traps were aching from gripping the aerobars so tightly. I tried to relax and find a comfortable cadence. I was definitely pushing a bit harder than Loop 1, but still felt strong and focused. A teammate flew by at this point and I got a little demoralized, but I tried to just focus on getting to the turn around. After the turnaround, the wind was in your face, and it was STRONG. The teammate who had gone by didn't seem to be pulling ahead too much, so I focused on keeping my cadence up, not fighting the wind, and pacing off her - about 50m up. We fell in with a little group of about 5 who all were riding (legally) the same speed, and I was feeling better and better. And BAM! I have to pee, AGAIN!! I decided I would stop again at the same aid station at the top of the climb on 117S, again no line, but I lost my little group. However, I got back on the bike feeling rejuvenated and started to really push the pace, and by the time we got back to St. Jovite, I had caught and passed this little group. Back on Montee Ryan, I just wanted to get back into town and see my family again, then I just wanted to get back to hills bc this time I felt GREAT, was excited to attack, and was so close to being done.

Christian told me that if I rode the bike smart, I would start passing people around mile 90, and just like that it was true. I was cruising up the hills and riding the rollers and loving the bike more at mile 102 than I did at mile 40. I again fell into a little group that rode back into town together, all ready to be done with the ride, and I was so happy. I glanced at my watch, and rolled into transition at 2:30pm exactly. I knew I had swam exactly an hour, had ridden about 6:30, was really close to even or negative splitting my ride, and was ready to RUN!

Thinking back to this ride, I don't think I would do a single thing differently. Yes, I would love the ~5 minutes back from peeing/stopping, but over the course of 140.6 miles, I could care less about those minutes. I had fun the entire time, was only really low for a few miles because of the wind, and am happy and satisfied with my training, fitness and execution of this ride. Again, my goal of the day was to RUN, and the effort and approach on this bike ride set up the next 4 hours and 19 minutes of my day.

Bike Nutrition
6x200 calories bottles (3x200 cals of Hydra C5, 3x 200 cals Carbo+Pro with Nuun).
About 2.5 Honey Stinger Waffles
1 Espresso Gu
1 large bite of Banana (which looked good but I think I spit out at about mile 95)
Water gulps almost at every aid station
TOTAL ~1700 calories/~260 per hour.

Ironman Mont-Tremblant 2012 - Pre-Race and Swim

We arrived in Quebec on Thursday after a leisurely 2-day drive, only to find strange sounds coming from my back wheel almost immediately. Cue a meltdown: I had already dealt with a last minute bike issue before we left (this is after my bike tune up the week before the race), it had taken a few more hours to get to the hotel than I had expected, I was supposed to swim and ride, and I had a total breakdown. I excused myself from the room, went into the bathroom, and let it go. I cried, sobbed actually, and felt like the weight of the last three weeks leading up to the race was finally coming out. I calmed down, washed my face, and we took my bike down to the bike tent. I made it to race registration just before it closed, was forced to sit down and eat and RELAX, and went for a swim that cleared my mind and soul.

Thanks for fixing my bike and dealing with my madness.

 Friday felt just as hectic. It was raining, I picked my bike up and took it out on some of the run course and was still hearing sounds that make me uncomfortable, but I was assured the wheel was straight and the noise was coming from sand and crap from the road. The really nice bike mechanics told me to go home, clean my bike, and if it was still make the noise later, they would figure it out before I had to rack on Saturday. My parents arrived, we went out for pizza, lasagna, salad and wine and I decided I NEEDED Saturday to be low key. I was stressed beyond belief and just not feeling ready or excited after months and months of prep. I didn't go to the athlete dinner, but we enjoyed the fireworks show from our room.

Friday Night Fireworks from our balcony

I woke up Saturday at 5:50am to pouring rain. I went for a 15 minute run at 6am, which was JUST what I needed. Total peace and quiet, hardly anyone out, just chilly air, wet road, and quiet. I came back to the room, fueled up, and went for a short swim. I was disappointed the buoys were not up on the course yet, but was glad to get in the water - it was breezy and choppy and I knew it could be like that race morning. I made a point to be in line to rack my bike and drop off my bags at 10am sharp. I didn't want to be out and about and surrounded by the craziness. I spent the rest of the day in my room or on the balcony, visiting with awesome friends who came to support me and other NYC teammates, and just being lazy. I made an early dinner, realized I had forgotten the stupid yellow sponge for my aero bottle, but Dan made one appear, and was really my backbone all weekend, dealing with my craziness and making sure I had what I needed. We watched Hunger Games, lights were out by about 10pm and I had no trouble sleeping.

Race morning I was up at 4am. No trouble eating, no trouble 'going', and was out the door at 5am for the 5 minute walk to transition. I kept things simple. Did what I needed to do and removed myself from the madness of transition. Dan took the bike pump back to the room, I dropped off various bags and stuffed some last minute things in to my T1 and T2 bags, and had more than enough time to arrive at the swim start, find a seat, and relax.

Walking to swim start, "Yay let's do this!!"

I chatted with some teammates and sat with Dan for a bit, sipping on Carbo Pro and Nuun, and in no time it was time to get suited up and head towards the water. It had been announced as a beach start at the Athlete's Dinner and for some strange reason, I was MOST nervous for the swim more than anything else the entire day. I still wasn't totally clear on the course, there were boats on the course were I thought we were swimming, the sand was cold, and I REALLY REALLY wanted to start the day off on the right foot.

 

SWIM 

1:00:04,  4th/AG, 13/female, 118th overall.

The beach start was scary, I lined up sort of to the left, but the start line was quite tight and the way the course turned, there were LOTS of people to the left and I sort of wanted to stay away from them. We watched the pros go off, inched forward to about calf-deep, and waited for the start cannon that never came, and we were off.

This is me. I'm pretty sure I'm looking back at all the people and thinking  'What the HELL am I doing??"

Almost right away one side of my googles was hit and filled up with water. I tried to fix it, but didn't want to lose position, so I let out a bit of water and just accepted it. The first 10-20 strokes were not real freestyle strokes at all, I was simply trying to keep my arms moving forward and stay afloat. I was pleasantly suprised at how quickly things actually broke up and calmed down, save for the random dude that would swim across 3 people going perpendicular to the direction everyone else is swimming. I found feet almost right away and they were PERFECT. They were just fast enough that I had to focus on keeping up, but I didn't feel like I was over exerting myself. The person was putting in surges, perhaps to stay on the feet they were following, and I was so happy I was able to respond and actually stay on these feet (and fight for them a few times when silly boys in blue caps would try to steal my feet - they were MINE!) I took a few sights every so often, but I really just focused in on staying on these perfect feet. They were so perfect in fact, that I decided people should get body-marked on the bottom of their feet, bc I wanted to find whoever this was and thank them after the race (Yes, I really was thinking that). As we approached the first turn, things got a bit more crowded, but nothing like I expected. I knew I was likely going to lose my feet, which made me sad, but I was excited to be halfway done. 

Swim start from the back.

 Then I got confused. For some reason I had in my mind the swim was a long out and back (which it was), but I failed to take into account there was also a short 'across' portion. The map is clear as day, it just hadn't registered. So we got to the second right turn buoy to head back to the swim finish and I felt like the swim started for real. The sun had come out, maybe the wind had picked up bc I felt like all the sudden the water was a lot rougher (didn't even notice any chop on the way out) and I was having trouble finding feet. I basically started to play leap-frog with different feet just to keep myself focused on the task at hand. There were a couple girls around me (green caps), and I just kept thinking "Am I going fast?" I decided it was either going to be a really GOOD swim, or not good. I just couldn't tell. It took me until 45 minutes in to glance at my watch (I wore a simple Timex, didn't start the chrono, but knew the race started at 7am). I was glad to see that 45 minutes had passed and knew I could swim for 15 more. So I again focused on finding feet and counting buoys. I figured I had 2-3 buoys left, but was totally wrong [I'm not sure why I would think that, as the buoys were roughly 100m apart, so I had at least 800 or 900 left]. The last few hundred meters felt like it took forever, but I found some good feet FINALLY to pull me in to shore. I got out of the water, started to pull down my wetsuit and got NAILED in the mouth by an errant elbow. I made it 60 minutes without much contact at all, and then this. It was bad - my teeth hurt and I could taste blood.  Amazingly, I got race photos at the exact moment this happened.

Pulling his arm out, headed straight for my face.

Post impact, you can see both of our reactions. OUCH

The guy profusely apologized, and of course he hadn't done it on purpose, but it really hurt. I tried to ignore it, ran for the wetsuit strippers, and glanced at my watch to see 8:00:--. I heard my friends cheering and gave them a wave, and just focused on the long run through T1. I was pressing on my lip almost the whole way to stop the bleeding, but the second I got in the tent, I forgot about it.

I was SO HAPPY and really excited to get on with the race. I just felt like it was going to be a good day.