The week leading into Ironman Tahoe was far from normal due to the flooding in Boulder. Luckily my home was spared from damage but many friends and neighbors were seriously affected, and as of today some are still unable to return home. As a result of the flooding, many roads, trails, and swimming pools were closed and will take quite a bit of time to repair.
| WEEK LEADING INTO RACE | ||
| Hours of Sleep | 50 | |
| Number of Massages | 2 | |
| Number of Dry Needling | 2 | |
| Hours Training- Bike | 6 | |
| Hours Training- Swim | 3 | |
| Hours Training- Run | 3 | |
| Number of Beers Consumed | 7 | |
| Number of Coffees Consumed | 10 | |
| Number of Red Rocks Shows | 2 (The Lumineers and The National with Frightened Rabbit and Local Natives) | |
| Pre Race Dinner | White rice, sweet potatoes and veggie burger (Hillary’s) | |
| Pre Race Distraction | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | |
| RACE DAY | |
| Pre Race Song | None – Ipod frozen |
| Transition Talk | “Are we really doing this?” (Matt Lieto) |
| Support Crew | Sage Calamari, Shelli Main, Rob Main |
Race day morning was cold. The day before it had snowed on one of the peaks we were to climb on the bike and most of the pre day preparation was spent planning the bitter ride ahead. Things done differently due to cold weather:
1. Put wetsuit on before driving to T1 to keep warm
2. No swim or run warm-up
3. Put bike shoes on in transition tent (maybe not the best idea as running difficult)
4. Wiped ice off bike seat, computer, and sunglasses!
Not much was said during the swim start but the water was warmer than the air.
| EQUIPMENT | ||
| Swim | ||
| Goggles | TYR Tracer | |
| Wetsuit | TYR Freak of Nature | |
| Swim Cap | TYR Warmwear Swim Cap |
Swim exit video here …
THE BIKE…enough said
| Bike | Team Trek K-Swiss Campagnola Speed Concept | |
| Groupset | Campagnola Electronic Power Shift (EPS) | |
| Saddle | ISM Podium | |
| Powermeter | Powertap | |
| Helmet | Rudy Project Wingspan Time Trial Helmet | |
| Shoes | Bontrager Hilo RXL | |
| Sunglasses | Rudy Project Genetyk Racing | |
| Wheels | Bontrager prototype disk Aeolus 7 D3 (Tubular) | |
| Arm Warmer | Castelli Cycling | |
| Climber’s jersey | Castelli Cycling | |
| Compression Socks | CEP Compression Sleeves | |
| Gloves | Bontrager | |
| Hat | Castelli Cycling | |
| Toe warmer | Bontrager | |
| Shoe cover | Castelli Cycling | |
| PowerGel (on bike) | 14 | |
| Powerbar Perform (on bike) | 128 oz |
The Run
After hobbling out of transition and feeling very hungry I went about making time up on first and second place. By the ten mile mark I realized that the only way I was going to move up in the field was if Chris or Mieke were to falter…they didn’t. Despite having a really bad patch between 18 and 22 miles, I finished off strong and very happy to maintain third.
| Shoes | K-Swiss Kwicky Blade-Light N | |
| Sunglasses | Rudy Project Revenge | |
| Racebelt | FuelBelt | |
| FuelBelt | FuelBelt | |
| PowerGel (on run) | 6 | |
| Powerbar Perform (on run) | 16 oz |
POST RACE RECOVERY – Tried to walk but failed
| RACE DAY AWARDS | |
| Cheekiest Maneuver | Romaine Guillaume (sitting on my feet in the swim then out sprinting me for first out of the water) |
| Saving grace on bike | Romaine Guillaume (pushing the pace on North Star climb on lap 2 when I was having a bad patch) |
| Slowest T2 transition | Me |
| Most aggressive | Everyone who made it to the finish line |
| Biggest shout out | Amazing volunteers |
| REFLECTIONS | ||
| Funniest/most interesting thought during: | ||
| Swim | I can’t believe I’m leading the swim | |
| T1 | Wow I have a lot of stuff in my transition bag | |
| Bike | I hope there’s no ice on the road | |
| T2 | Well, that was a crappy transition | |
| Run | What seems shorter 42 kilometers or 26 miles? | |
| Finish | That was a tough but amazing race | |
Thanks to race director Keats McGonigal, the volunteers and supporters. A special thanks to Rob and Shelli Main for their continued hospitality and friendship (and photos).