Race Report : 2007 Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Swim

A year ago I was here in Coeur d'Alene it was summer. The air was warm and the humidity a little higher than anything I'd had trained in. Race day last year brought (see last year's race report here) high temperatures and an introduction to one of the most beautiful courses that I've ever seen.

This year the course brought early spring-like conditions with air temperatures in the low 50's to low 70's, and a 8-12 mile per hour headwind. Of course the more observant amongst my readers will ask, "How can there be a headwind the whole way?" I ask the same thing.

The lake wasn't the smooth glassy surface that I remembered from the year before. Instead we were greeted with an uneven wind chop that produced 1-2 foot white caps depending on the day and time. Conditions were such that as of the race start the swim became optional, with those who wished, an opportunity to work the day as a duathalon beginning the bike at 9:30am. For those of you out there who know me, this wasn't an option worth considering. I didn't come all this way just to bike and run. For those of you who don't here's a little background. I've been around water for a good bit of my life and would tell just about anyone that I'm a fair swimmer. However in open water conditions with a mass of people around me that are kicking and clawing their way forward, I experience a little more anxiety than I'm used to. As a result my swims are a little slower than my pool times would reflect. This time around, the messy conditions did a fair job of seeding the field, pushing those unused to ocean swimming around the course. Many of my team reported finding huge pockets of open water. I was not one of them. I seemed to follow several swimmers who were having a rough time. At almost every chance I had to pass some one would swim cross and close out my path.

That being said I was remarkably more comfortable in the water and despite the water conditions and traffic I finished the swim four minutes faster than last year.

I hear that back in LA while we were in the water rumors were circulating that the swim was cancelled. Rest assured it was not. Though close to 35 people opted out.

Stay tuned, more reports to come.

Touchdown! Home at last!

Yup this ironman is in the books. I'm back in Los Angeles now and I know I still owe you a recap. Stay tuned. -dean

http://irondean.blogspot.com

In the works

I'm working on my race report now. I'm just trying to work all the lactic acid out of my quads. More on this to come. In the meantime congrats to all my Ironteammates. You were awesome out there! I met some new friends on the road too. Congrats to everyone! You are all now IRONMEN (IRONWOMEN too). Much love goes out to Mike Riley, the voice of ironman, as well for once again for sending us out and calling us all in straight up to midnight.

Those words...

I remember this. Sitting at the race banquet, siping my gatorade and watching the inspirational videos. I missed this place. It's more than the town, though I love it. It's more than the distance. It's the whole event, the stories, the lead-up, and my team in training Coeur d'Alene Ironman Team. Most are ironman first timers and are a joy to have spent time with, and have trained with all this weekend.

Love you guys. I'll see you on the course on Sunday. Stay focused, remember all the training, enjoy the day. It's a single moment that takes eight months, and one 17 hour day to create. And when it's all said and done, you'll hear, ''YOU ARE AN I-....'' nah, you'll hear it just fine when you all cross the finish line.

-dean
http://irondean.blogspot.com

Iroman Coeur d'Alene - Anything is possible

Anything is possible. That's the theme of what I'm calling my sport. For me over the past three years my journey has netted me four new personal records in endurance sports, what I'm hoping will be my second healthy Ironman start, new friends, and a smoother healthier lifestyle.

In taking a moment, there are a number of groups that have made getting here easier if not making the notion of all of this possible in the first place.

First, as should be, are my family. Yes, that solid group of people who desite calling this crazy have put up with slowly returned phone calls & emails, dinners cut short due to exhaustion, and a smaller amount of time in general.

The same could be said for my friends.

I'm not not formally sponsored but I've made some friends along the way. Special thanks go to Motortabs. After trying several available hydration options, Motortabs with the remainder of my carbohydrate needs filled by Carbopro and Powerbars, have been the best practice and race day nutrition for me

Awaiting the beginning...

Ahh Friday the last sane day to get a real light workout in. This morning was a light swim, a bike ride over 11 miles of the run course, and a lovely drive through Idaho in to Hayden on the all new Ironman Coeur d'Alene bike course.

The swim at 7am was cool with a strong wind chop over the water. It was my first swim in the lake since last year and it's just how I remember it. The fresh water is pristine and the amount of pre race anxiety in the ait was so strong I'd swear some peole were racing already.

The whole scene is insane. But in a good way.

I'm standing in line waiting for the athlete meeting and dinner. The line is CRAZY!!!

http://irondean.blogspot.com

Fun and games with the team

There's nothing like having an Alaska Airlines pilot congratulate you on your flight. Yes, I managed to find my seat, put my bag away and yes, sit for the flight with a seatbelt on. More than that is what really was worth noting. My team raised over $
112,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. On top of all that they still managed to train for ironman.

Kudos.

What? You want to help? We still need donations. You can click on any of the links on the right for my teammates to donate. Everything is tax deductable.

-dean

http://irondean.blogspot.com

Lights, camera, inaction

Yup... 430am... And the only light I can see of any kind is on the ceiling of the lobby at LAX. Almost saw a fight at the ticket counter. Some couple that was standing in the wrong line for check in.

Travel is stressful enough without packing for a vacation and a race. Translation: watch for the ring side perspectrive and commentary in a future post.

-dean

http://irondean.blogspot.com

AND WE'RE OFF!!

Here we go. It's a little before 4am and we're on our way to the airport. Usually I think anything this early is unholy. Who am I kidding? It is unholy. Next stop LAX.

http://irondean.blogspot.com

11pm - Do you know where your sanity is?

I'm getting on a plane in six or seven hours to fly to Seattle to then fly to Spokane to then get in a car or a shuttle to ride for another hour in to Idaho where my race weekend will begin. A year ago I was sitting in my apartment in Long Beach, my bags weren't packed, my brain heavily in denial over where I was going and what was about to happen. I tell people at work that I'm going on vacation, but this is hardly a vacation from their perspective.

I'm leaving the state for a couple of days. I'm staying in a hotel in a resort town. I'm travelling with friends. We'll see the sights, eat good food, and enjoy each other's company. All true. It's a Holiday inn express in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, a picturesque town on a lake in Idaho. I've trained the whole year with a fantastic group of athletes and we're going together to Idaho. Ironman is in our future, but that's not until Sunday. We'll drive the bike course and see the hills and the long straight aways in our future.

To be honest it'll be an experience not to be missed. I can only hope that it means as much to them as it has to me. A chance to return to a course that pushed me to test myself and my desire to get what I wanted. I don't think that I wanted any thing more in my life than to finish that course that day. Nothing was going to stand in my way, nothing was going to keep me from that finish line. I'd worked for nine months, given up my weekends, and my nights to train my body to accept distance, pain, and the joys of a hard day's work. At the end of it all it was a joy; A joy to walk through the airport. A joy to walk the expo. A joy to see my teammates on the out and back stretches as we passed one another. Training for ironman was worth every minute.

And now here I am again. Five hours from having to be in a cab on my way to the airport all over again. I feel ready. Though I'm not sure I know what that really is yet. It takes time to know what that means. I feel better than I did last year. Stronger. Leaner. Smarter. I want it just as much.

It's ok. I'll sleep tomorrow and Friday night. I'll see the things that make me happy. Wake up in a new place. Swim in a lake. Ride in the mountains. Run near a beach. It'll be a vacation. A vacation called the 2007 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene. An adventure. I'm ready.

G'night.
-dean

Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2006 Swim Start

I know that you all want to see this. The first thing that you'll see is a pan of the crowd and of the water. Then there's a shot of the pro's coming out of the water. Just after that goes the cannon. And you'll see the rest.



For fun, see the training film:
The original post is here: http://irondean.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-does-one-practice-for-swim-start.html
And I've reposted the video below: