Endurance Nation | Online Triathlon Coaching & Community

Your Ironman is Over; What About Life As You Know It?

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Ironman CDA 2009 has come and gone, and well over 25 Endurance Nation athletes successfully having reached the finish line. As reports from the venue suggested, the weather played a significant role on race day. It was very windy with temps dropping from the low 60s to mid-50s as rain moved in towards the end of the day. Athletes forced to slow down on the run faced the double challenge of being wet and running into stiff winds off the lake. What follows here is a general review of Team performance; specifics will come to light over the next few days as the race reports trickle in. Note: You can view results here, pictures here, and read athlete race reports here.

View this video online here.

The Swim: With water temps reaching the low- to mid-60’s, a solid 5 degrees warmer than in 2008, specific fears about handling the cold water were somewhat reduced. Instead the solid morning winds led to some serious chop, slowing the average athlete by 3-5 minutes.

View this video online here.

The Bike: Cloudy and windy conditions ensured that everyone was pretty chilly for the first one to two hours on the day. While adrenaline carried most of the competitors through the short out/back section along the lake without noticing the winds, this was not to be the case in the second lap.

Everyone enjoyed a screaming tailwind out of town. Unfortunately this turned to a pretty challenging cross/tail/head combination during the hilly loop outside of town. As always the return trip was punctuated by a solid headwind. Early fears of rain and slick roads were unfounded, as the weather held until about 5pm. Reports from the racecourse described athletes hammering early on and crushing the hills while TeamEN folks used the Four Keys Ironman Execution protocol to pace properly.

From the sidelines, it was clear that while many athletes were ready for the cold, the wind came as a surprise. The value of warm weather gear is definitely reduced when said gear is big, baggy, and hinders your ability to actually ride. In the future, folks would do well consider a quality cycling vest with arm warmers. Gloves and toe caps optional.

With the wind whipping the hills, athletes had to pedal throughout the course. In 2008, lighter winds meant cyclists could coast down most hills; the winds of ‘09 meant moderate effort was needed to maintain decent speeds. In other words, this meant more work for a time similar to 2008, or just slower times overall. I estimate that, on average, athletes rode five to fifteen minutes slower than in 2008.

All of this extra work meant that by mile 65, a large portion of the MOP and BOP athletes were sitting up, hands on the hood, unable to stay down and reap the benefits of being aero.  This meant more time on the bike and more work, requires more nutrition and meant folks would be out there longer for their overall day. You can’t underestimate the ability to stay aero for the full 112 miles!

View this video online here.

The Run: Athletes ran in the same cool and cloudy conditions that pervaded the bike leg, with anyone finishing after the 5pm mark forced to deal with some rain. The crowds were out to cheer despite the rain, but the water and wind proved a hard combination for many. In particular, the exposed portion of the run along the lake meant serious winds and temperature fluctuations.

For many Team EN athletes, this was the first time they were able to run the whole marathon (or close to it), with several setting 20+ minute PRs on the day despite not biking or swimming to their time potential given the windy conditions.  In all, most folks had a solid day despite the weather and terrain, but few reported that they felt they had “left time” on the course. It was truly a day that demanded 110%.

From the Pointy End: On the pro / Kona qualification side, the fast folks were still…just plain fast. Athletes looking to qualify faced some of the fastest age group times in recent IMCDA memory. Despite the wind on the bike, many of these top athletes were able to run fast times thanks to the cooler, more forgiving temperatures. As a sample of one (n=1), a 10:04 in 2008 netted 7th place AG but in 2009 only got 16th place. The message is clear: if you are looking to qualify, you need to have your A game on regardless of race day conditions.

Congratulations to all the finishers. You have earned some well-deserved downtime…and some dry clothes! Happy recovery and see you on the roads.

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With the 2009 edition of Ironman Couer d’Alene less than 12 hours away, I have finally been able to find a moment of quiet to post a note about the incredible group of people, Team EN athletes, who will be racing. Being here, in the company of these amazing folks and their equally amazing families is incredibly powerful and inspiring. Thanks Team!

Video #1: We did a Team & Family dinner on Thursday night for about 70 folks, and it was a great chance to put faces with names. Thanks to my handy new Flip camera, now you can too!

Video #2: It wouldn’t be an Ironman without an Underwear Run. Some of the old school tri folks banded together with EN’s own Bryan Ogle to organize the mayhem. See how many EN folks you can spot!

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We are just 6 days from start of the North American IM racing season.  Sunday, June 21, in Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho EN has 29 athletes in the line-up.  Most of our EN Racing Team is familiar with our athletes as they have connected and learned alongside them via the EN Forum for the last 6 months.  While Ironman live will give event coverage, this year EN will give their version on live tracking of our members racing.  To get our up to date version of race day log onto:  www.endurancenation.us

 Here is just a snap shot look at some of our racers Sunday: 

ENer Race Cap-E-ton (drum roll) John Stark:  John has rallied the troops heading into Sunday this year with Brian Ogle as second in command.  They both have done a great job.  As we all headed into Taper they put the ‘party’ hats on and have the start of the EN Team festivities Thursday with a catered dinner!  

John raced CDA in 2006 and returns this year for IM number two.  He has put all his marbles this year in “Execution”.  No time goals.  He says he will just “go out there and follow my plan.”  Johns’ plan of execution includes “Run the WHOLE marathon!” As for the rest of his plan – “if all does go well then the 2009-2010 out-seaon is all about raising FTP and vDot” with sights on St. George 2010.

Brian Ogle:  Sunday will be number 4 for Brian and 3 time in CDA.  He is looking forward to racing in his hometown – Brian resides in the Hayden Lake area.  He is looking to be close to 11 hours on Sunday.  His ‘one thing’ will be to honor those who have helped him with his preparation for Sunday by giving the day everything he has to give.

 Paul Goldberger: This will be number three for Paul and third time in CDA.  Here are some insights to Paul race day expectations:  “I’m expecting myself to race smarter than I have before leading to a run where I do not feel like ducking behind a tree to throw up.  I hope to be able to go under 12:15 and if I have a fantastic day sub 12.  When I get to the line I will be thinking of the sacrifices my family and myself have made over the year(s) and how I want to acknowledge those sacrifices by pushing on.  As my kids are at the age (7 and 9) that they are involved in everything and my wife has her own race/training aspirations (running) I can tell there just will not be the time needed for Ironman in the near future.  I want to make this “last” race my best which I cannot do if I let myself be reduced to a walk.

 Todd Glass: Fifth trip to the IM.  Todd had some racing history with IM Wisconsin and one trip to Florida.  His BHAG for the day:  “to execute the best race possible.  I hope to have a PR in each of the disciplines.  If all goes well, my “one thing” is to qualify for the big show in Kona.”

Ray Phillips:  First timer!  His thoughts for the day:  “Hoping to finish while the sun is still up.  That’s why I chose to race CDA…on the longest day of the year.  My daughters will be there to watch me cross the finish line…they are my “One Thing”.  I want to show them they can have anything they want out of life…no matter how impossible it may seem.”

 Julie Distel: Another First timer!  Julie is also looking to mentor and example of accomplishment for her kids:  “I want to prove to myself that I can do this and to be a good example to my kids!”

 Rex Peterson:  Also an IM first timer!  His expectations for the day:  “Swim: Don’t drown!  Bike: Finish before my wife starts worrying that I picked up a 9-5 job out on the course.  Run: Hoping to finish before it gets dark and I have to wear one of those ‘glowies’.”  Seriously, Rex hopes to keep is smart out there on Sunday and if all goes to his plan for execution and racing in his box on the bike, he hopes to have a shot at beating his stand-alone marathon time of 4:33.  His race day ‘one thing’:  “I can’t wait to see my family, my lovely supportive bride and 4 kids, my parents, and my brother all there at the finish line cheering me on to complete this accomplishment I set out to do a year ago.  The image of them and their support, and all they mean to me ,is what will get me there!  The way my kids look up to me, and how much they value staying healthy is why I do this.”

Joel Bell:  This will be the second IM for Joel, racing his first in Florida in 2007 finishing 9:34.  His race day expectations are simple for CDA:  “stick with my plan.  I don’t really have a “one” thing except simply believing that I put my prep time in and knowing that I’m racing smarter then 99% of everyone else out there.  I have in my head what I think is a reasonable finish time but I prefer to keep those things to myself.  I’m most looking forward to cracking open a few Guinness and becoming a supporter for those folks that are out on the course late into the night.  At IMFL I spent the last hour or so of the event in the stands at the finish and it was awesome to see those last few finishers make it in.” 

Hayden Dempsey:  This will be number thee and first time in CDA.  Hayden is looking to race well and not worry about the time.  Thoughts from Hayden:  “Life crept back into my training schedule this winter, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so training is probably not where it needed to be.  But I really enjoyed my racing last 2 IMFL’s and I’m looking forward to enjoying the challenges, beautiful scenery and good vibes of CDA.”

 Scott Alexander:  Going for IM number 5 and his second time in CDA.  Scott has taped a little motivator to his bike handlebars this year.  Whenever he feels he’s losing focus or motivation he is going to ‘look down’ and get that instant snap back!  What’s his motivator?  Those in CDA will have to check out!  As for his one thing:  “My (first) one thing is having a faster race than I did last year (14:36).   My (second) one thing is still beating my friend Paul, who did a 12:58 in 2007 on this course.”  

Brian Murdock: This will be number 4 for Brian and second time in CDA.  His race day expectation:  “I would LIKE to be in the 12th hour as 13:19 is my PB.  I WANT 11:59:59.  My “one thing” is – this is for me, the one thing I do for myself, I love to train.”

 Jim Yanoschik:  Jim is an IM regular with 22 IM finishes – 5 in CDA.  Here is his wisdom for race day:  “At my age (53) I will never achieve the time goals that I was able to do 20 years ago.  So my race goals move from being time related to being execution related.   A successful day would be not to get sick and loose my stomach contents.  It has been 8 years and numerous IMs where I have gotten sick.  I have tried everything but to no avail.  What I plan on doing this year is a comfortable swim.  I would love a low IF on the bike and have a solid marathon run (with run being the operative word   My one thing is the hardest to define and that is why I no longer have the mental toughness that I once had.  I have punched that ticket a lot over the years.  I am heavily involved in the Janus Charity challenge and I compete to help raise money for my non profits.  I am really looking forward to having lots of teammates out on the course giving me some EN mojo.” 

Good luck to ALL our EN racers!

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