Whitesides' Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report

A Perfect Moment

How do you describe a perfect moment?  After crossing the finish line at Ironman Coeur d’Alene (CDA), I hobbled over to my amazing wife and five children (Kayla streaming via FaceTime). A childhood dream and years of hard work was just about to be realized.  After racing just below lactate threshold for 10 hours, I thought, but didn’t know for sure, that I had finally qualified for Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.  I gave Jeni the tightest hug ever and mumbled something like ‘I think we did it.’  A moment later, my son Nathan, got the confirmation: 2^nd Place in my age group. We did it! The journey to Kona has very much been a family endeavor so we all hugged, cried, and jumped for joy.  Our family will make the trip to Kona in October to race on triathlon’s most prestigious stage.  Here’s how the race unfolded.

Swim

The two-lap 2.4 mile swim was difficult for me from start to finish.  The water temperature was around 72 degrees which thankfully meant we could wear wet suits which provides buoyancy and speed.  The rolling start made for a less congested swim as compared to a mass start but somehow I still managed to find too many elbows and feet in my face.  The choppy water and sun in my eyes made for a difficult swim.  I never caught my groove.  My swim time was much slower than I hoped (Actual: 1:13. I swam 1:05 in Lake Tahoe last year) so I exited the water disappointed. I thought my chances for qualifying for Kona were diminished.  Fortunately, I’ve rehearsed this moment a thousand times in my mind: no matter how good or bad my swim time, forget it and focus on the bike.  I didn’t know it at the time but exited the water 57^th in my age group. Yikes!

The calm before the storm

Bike

The slow swim motivated me to focus on my bike effort.  I kept my watts and heart-rate at the high end of my targets.  The two-loop bike course is challenging.  My first lap split was faster than anticipated which made me really happy. I felt great. The second loop greeted us with wind.  My mental state was good.  I liked the wind and hills because each wind / hill combo resulted in me passing more competitors.  Bring on the wind and hills! My second lap was about 15 minutes slower than the first lap with fairly similar watts due to the wind. Bike split was 5:25.  Still completely unaware of my age-group place, I climbed to 11^th place at the end of the bike.

Happy to get on my bike

Every second counts

Transition 2
It’s crazy. In a 10 hour race, every damn second counts. I took off my helmet and bike shoes and put on my running shoes, grabbed my race number and headed for the run course. I took one last glance into my transition bag and saw my running socks.  Nuts!  In a millisecond I calculated that it would take 20 seconds to sit down, take off my running shoes, put on my socks, and put back on my shoes.  I missed qualifying for Kona by 43 seconds in 2014 at Ironman Arizona.  I opted to go sock-less.

Constantly regenerating toe nail

Run

In the back of my mind, I wondered if I had gone too hard on the bike.  By the end of the bike, my legs felt tired.  However, once I started to run, I felt great. My feet felt light and quick. My pace was above my target so I tried to slow down but the momentum continued.  About two miles into the marathon, I passed two guys in my age group.  I overheard one comment to the other that I was in 6^th place.  I figured there would be 6 or 7 Kona slots in my age group so I was more than happy to hear that I might be close to qualifying for Kona.  My momentum continued (running too fast). I was having a great time passing more people in my age group.  By about mile 13, I thought I had moved into 2^nd place. I was pretty confident that I was in position to qualify for Kona. For a moment, a tear came to my eye.  I might be on the verge of reaching a life-long goal.  I didn’t let that feeling stick around for long.  The race was far from over since an Ironman race really begins the last half of the marathon.    In 2014 at Ironman Arizona, I lost a race in the last ½ mile of a 140.6 mile race.  Not this year or ever again I told myself. Complicating matters, a rolling starts means we all start at different times so even though I might physically be ahead of someone, they may have a faster time if they started behind me.  Each step felt like it might be the last. My quads burned real deep and my feet were blistering without socks.  I used every mental toughness trick I knew.  I greeted each mile with enthusiasm.  I gave it all I had and much more till the end.   

Beautiful CDA run course

Pushing it to the end

The Finish: A Perfect Moment

Finally, years of consistent hard work paid off.  With bloody feet, I hobbled to my wife, hugged my kids and then Nathan confirmed that a life-long dream had become reality.  A flood of emotions and excitement.  We did it together!  We hung out at the finish line and enjoyed the energy only known at an Ironman finish line.  It’s one of the best places on earth.  It’s been two weeks since IM CDA, and I’m still smiling.  Now, it’s time to recover and ramp for Kona!

Special Thanks
Like I said, qualifying for Kona took many years and lots of support.  I couldn't have done it without my beyond amazing wife and kids.  My extended family has also been incredibly supportive by traveling far to watch races, listening to my woes, and inspiring me to achieve more.  We did it together!  I also couldn't have done it without some great coaches, family, friends, and sponsors. Steve Barrus, Tony Perkins, Lana Grover, and KJ Johnson got me into this sport. Dr. Shawn Meyer and Brad the Massage Torturer keeps me healthy despite my many wounds.  Russ Brandt showed me how it's done.  Elliot Kawaoka keeps me sane.  Dave Tindall makes a great rabbit and provides the laughs.  Bettina at Racelab provided a nice fitness foundation.  Elizabeth Waterstratt at Multisport Mastery took my fitness beyond what I thought possible. Frank Sole for swim technique.  Fred Rodkey and Brendan are awesome swim partners and coaches. ONE Multisport is a fantastic group of people that love to go fast and have a blast.  Thank you John, Cyndi, and Jon!  Destination Kona has all the tri-toys, nutrition, and expertise to keep me on the road.   

Dreams come true

Team Whitesides

Kona at last!

  

New York Marathon Race Report

NEW YORK MARATHON RACE REPORT - NOVEMBER 2015

BACKGROUND

The New York Marathon is something I’ve wanted to do for the past 3+ years.  I was scheduled to run the race in 2012 but due to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the race was cancelled.  Not only did I feel bad for the people of New York but I was very disappointed because my training had gone exceptionally well.  I seem susceptible to random injuries before big races and that did not occur so I was primed and ready!  

At the time I didn’t realize that I was getting the start of an overuse injury that I would sustain indefinitely.  The injury is piriformis syndrome and it is evil.  

TRAINING 

Training did not go well.  I have been battling injuries ever since 2012 and have not allowed myself to heal.  I always thought surely I would be healed up before the next big race because most major races you have to sign up for months in advance.  This has not been the case.  I have been getting away with allowing myself to heal a little bit and then going right back at it before being 100%.  My body finally said “ENOUGH!” and started giving me pain throughout my whole pelvis, back and hamstrings.   

My long runs consisted of one 18 mile run, 14 mile run and 12 mile run.  All others were 9 miles or less.  My typical plan would have had me doing a few 20 milers and a couple 22s.  I’ve spent hours doing PT, going to my chiropractor, getting tortuous massages and pain treatment. All of these things helped but didn’t eliminate the problem.   Underprepared and in pain was how I was going to have to go into this.   I struggled to accept the fact that there would be no PR and that walking a good portion of the marathon might be my reality.  I figured if I finished under 4 hours it would probably be a good day.   I decided I was going to have fun with this marathon. I got a Wonder Woman outfit, planned on taking pictures and thought maybe I’d look for anyone handing out beers. 

RACE DAY

Breakfast on race morning was a bowl of oatmeal and some coffee.  The race starts on Staten Island and I had signed up to take the ferry to the start.  Getting to the ferry was a little nerve racking when the cab driver didn’t know which way to go.  Seriously???  He was born and raised in Queens.  Oh well, got there on time and got a seat on the outside balcony.  I loved being on the water and getting pictures of the Statue of Liberty.  It was very peaceful and I was more relaxed than I ever have been before a race since I knew I wasn’t shooting for a time.  I said some prayers for a race day miracle and chatted with other runners.   I brought some chia pudding, blueberries and a banana with me to eat once I got to Staten Island and was in my corral.

The runners begin the race by running over the Verrazano Narrows bridge which has 2 levels.  I was fortunate my corral started on the top level so I had beautiful views of the water and New York once I started.  “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra played from the speakers.  Helicopters were overhead.  With my new relaxed attitude, I took out my phone and shot photos and videos. My first five miles were faster than I thought I should be (sub 8:00 pace) and I told myself to back down so I would hopefully not be miserable by the end of the run.  

Funny seeing you here!

My prayers for a miracle were answered around mile 8 .  I saw a runner up ahead of me and realized I recognized her running gait.  Could out of 50,000 runners representing 130 countries on the course, a running friends of mine from Scottsdale be just up ahead?  I knew a couple of my friends from Scottsdale were in New York for the race but hadn’t talked to them.  I decided I needed to speed up and investigate.  I was elated to see it was my friend Rebecca.  Unfortunately, she has been plagued with a lot of the same overuse injuries as myself.  We decided to stick together and push each other through.  She told me it looked like I was moving pretty well.  I warned her that I was real good at running 9 miles since that was the average distance of my training runs so we’d see what would happen after that.  We settled into a pace that was consistent with my training pace so I thought that was good.  I actually wasn’t even looking at my watch because I wasn’t supposed to be caring about my time. 

The pain started as little zingers in my hamstrings around mile 10.  The real pain started though at the halfway point when my feet started to ache.  Every step hurt, especially the right foot.   I have never been in such prolonged physical pain in my life.  By mile 25, I would get these weird, bad tingles that would radiate from my right foot up into my arms.  I was so happy when I crossed the finish line.  I was also amazed at how much pain I could endure when properly motivated.  I finished in 3:51, nowhere near my potential but I was happy. 

The many faces of pain!!!  Eek!

The support I had during this race is what defined it for me.  If I didn’t have a friend with me during this run, I would have walked and been out there a lot longer than under 4 hours. It was such a comfort to run with a friend. Also, the spectators in New York are awesome and loud!  Spectators are not allowed on the bridges so it is very quiet with just the sounds of shoes hitting the pavement and breathing. When you come off a bridge and enter one of the boroughs, you just hear a roar of cheering.  It was emotional for me when I’d get struck with the sounds to be part of something so big and wonderful and fun.  I slapped hands with so many people. I loved being Wonder Woman!  People love cheering for Wonder Woman!   I heard how I was awesome and looking great for miles.  By the end, it was evident I was in agony and people were telling Wonder Woman to hang on.  My husband Kirk and friends Nicki and Adam were cheering for me on 1st Ave and it was fun looking for them and seeing them cheer.  This is what helped my hold and finish.  

Not only did I have a lot of support during the race but also a lot to get me to the starting line.  

Thank you to Ian at Endurance Rehab for getting me in the day after I sent him a desperate email  with the subject line of, “Help, I can’t run!” 

Thank you to Don Wong for your tortuous massages.  I’m sure you understand the love/hate feelings I have about your care.  

Thank you to Terri Hollander for setting me up with Dr. Jonathan Carlson at Arizona Pain.  My back and hamstrings weren’t my problem on race day because of you.

Mission Accomplished!

Thank you to Dr. Justin Pierce at Valley Spinal Care for keeping me in line and for listening to all my tales of injury woes for the past few years.

Actually, thank you to everyone who knows me for listening to my injury issues.  I mean it this time when I say I’m taking time off to heal.   If you see me at a race in the next few months, tie me up and throw me in the back of a car.  

Thank you to my One and One Elite teammates for their encouragement and support!

Thank you to my wonderful family who lets me do this.  Thank you to my mother in law, Kathi Marshall for watching the kids so Kirk and I could go for a kidless trip to New York.  Also thank you to Carla Grande for her awesome hospitality in New York.  She has the best bed and breakfast in Greenwich Village!  www.greenwichvillagehome.com/

Finally, thank you to my husband Kirk who supports me and loves me through all of this.

Race of a Lifetime - Kona 2015

I

There are things you dream of in life. Bucket list items that you hope to experience in life. It is no secret that qualifying for the Ironman World Championships has been one of my dreams ever since I crossed the line with all three of my young sons at the inaugural Ironman Arizona race in April 2005.

This dream became a reality last November 2014 when I came in 3rd place in the 50-54 age group at Ironman AZ.

As I started to make plans for this epic trip, another dream was materializing that would have my entire immediate family attending the race. Also we had the opportunity for a huge family vacation! This would be something just as epic to me than running down Ali'i Drive. 

11 months is a long time to think and train for an Ironman distance race like Kona. The training is the "easy" part. The mental preparation is harder.  I was in good hands with my coach of over 4 years, Nick White with Carmichael Training Systems. Besides me, he had another qualifier athlete (and my friend) Russ Brandt going this year to Kona.

I don't do back to back (meaning 2 Ironmans in 2 years) very often. In fact, before last November 2014, I hadn't done this distance since June 2011 at IMCDA. Mentally, it was hard to get back on the horse after May and up my mileage again. But I did it.

Nothing too different from 2014 except the use of the Garmin Vector2 Power Pedals. I have been extremely fortunate to be a Product Ambassador for Garmin Fitness since last year. Besides my Forerunner 920XT, I was excited to use power again. I thank Garmin for the opportunity to represent their fine products!

I did run and bike longer (in the heat) more this year for Kona than I did last year for AZ. 

After all our trip plans were finalized and the plane fares were paid (Ouch! Family of 5!) I was excited and scared for what was ahead! We decided I would leave for Kona race week on Tuesday to acclimate and get used to the circus and Cristette and the boys would join me Thursday. Race day was Saturday and we would stay in Kona through the next Wednesday then we would island hop to Maui for 3 full days. A priceless family vacation!

As I left for the airport that Tuesday, I felt so many mixed emotions. It was really surreal that this was all actually finally happening. 

I stayed the first at the host hotel (Courtyard Marriott) since I couldn't get into our rental home until Wednesday. 

Even waiting for the flight at Phoenix Sky Harbor, I could pick out the triathletes and found friends Chris and Erica McClurg on their way to the Big Island too!

Arriving was an experience after a 6 hour flight. Winds were blowing at over 40mph and hats, sunglasses and carry on suitcases were going everywhere! 

"Will I have to bike in winds like this?" I thought as walked outside of the plane.

Arriving at the Courtyard Marriott King K Hotel, the Parade of Nations was just starting. It was like landing in a Triathlete Disneyland. I ran into Facebook friend and qualifier Josh Horsager and we enjoyed the craziness that was now the beginning of my IMKona2015 experience.

As Tuesday evening came, I was the guest of local Ironman Pro, Pedro Gomezfornthe Rudy Project Party. (By the end of race week, I had collected 8 trucker hats. They were the gift/giveaway/swag for this year) 

I was also fortunate enough to have my friend and fellow triathlete, Chris Wolff fly in for the week from Seattle. Wednesday we picked up my bike from TriBike Transport and road the Queen K for a windy 30 miles. We also took advantage of swimming the course at DigMe Beach including a stop at the Lava Java Cattamaran for a shot!

Before checking into my rental house at Magic Sands just off Ali'i Drive, I went to the airport to pick up Alec Tripp who would be my adopted son for the week. It was great having him with me and with my family on race day. After a drive to the expo and the Ironman Village to see the sites we checked into the house.

Thursday morning I swam the course again before the famous Underpants Run. This event is so hilarious and now raises money for charity by making fun of the barely clothed athletes that invade the relatively conservative Kona town.  Chris, Alec and I did our part to participate in "style". I was also able to "run" with Ironman Age Grouper extraordinaire, Terry Nugent who I met and raced with years ago at Soma and Worlds 70.3 in Vegas!

The best part of Thursday was returning to the airport and picking up my wife, Cristette and my three sons!

After a stop to the Ironman Village with them and a bite to eat, we headed to our home for the next week.

Preston Miller and TriScottsdale hosted a Happy Hour that evening to celebrate all the AZ athletes racing Saturday. It was a great surprise to see Jason and Courtney Smith there! I shared the lane many times with Jason this past year preparing for the big show!

Friday was another swim with my new Xtrerra Speedsuit and then it was time to mellow out.

The only thing on the agenda a quick bike check ride with Russ and bike drop off.

I just had no idea what a circus that would be as well! When you enter transition, they announce your name and you basically walk the red carpet. There are 20 some people with clipboards taking notes on every part of your bike and equipment. Then a personal escort takes you to your bike mount and helps hang your bags.

Then it was back to the house to make dinner and watch movies. 

Race Day:

With the time change, its relatively easy to get up early. 

After my breakfast that included My Oatmeal Ensure and TrueStart Instant Coffee, Alec drove me and Russ to transition by 5am. I was amazed how smoothly it all went, from Tritats temporary tattoos, to weigh in, then bike check, we had plenty of time for race jitters to settle in before loading into the water for a 6:55am start.

Swim:

After 3 swims in 3 days, I actually was not nervous about the swim like I was  before getting to Kona. The water was salty but warm and buoyant. There is plenty of room to swim along the left and avoid the aggressive swimmers. Russ and I debriefed after race day and concluded that this course is great on every leg for the first half and hard the second. The swim was no exception. I turned around the Body Glove boat for the return back to shore in 35 mins so I was hoping for a sub 1:10 - 1:15 finish. The second half got much more congested and it seemed so long. Is I and to the steps, I entered T1 at 1:18:16.

Like every Ironman, T1 was crowded and wet! I shed the speedsuit, dried off and after my helmet, shoes and glasses were on, I was off!

T1: 5:10

Bike:

There are a lot of people to cheer you on as you take off on the bike and the start takes you through town for an out an back before heading out onto the famous Queen K. Remember what I said about the first half of he course? Nice temps and tail winds pushed us towards Hawi.

After a while on the Queen K, it started to rain. And then, rain hard! It was cooler but difficult not see and after the turnaround at Hawi, the wet roads were slick and we all had to be careful on the decents. Then it got hot and humid with head winds all the way home. It was draining and I saw all 21mph a averages lost. I also lost one of my EFS gel packs (it holds 400 calories per pack) so I had to pick up gels at each aid station to make sure I was consuming at least 280 calories per hour - the gels, along with my EFS drink. The last hour of the bike, I had frank all EFS drink and tons of water and some Gatorade. I also took in a Clif Bar. They were handing out Red Bull (An Ironman Sponsor). Mind you, I had tried Red Bull on a training ride before and it didn't settle well in my stomach. I had no business trying it now...but I did. I finally got to T2 tired and a little under my power goal of 200 watts in 6:00:21.

T2 is much different that T1. It's a little like an episode of the "Walking Dead" Some racers are just sitting there and not moving. Some are moving fast or at least trying to. I was somewhere in between. Happy to be off the bike I know better than to think about the whole marathon that is ahead. But it was on my mind. But with clean socks and my bib and Saucony Kinvara6 shoes on, I took off!

T2: 8:43

Run:

The heat was on! The run starts with an out an back on Ali'i Drive (including the turnoff to our rental home where I saw this chalk message)

After a couple of decent miles at a decent pace. The heat and humidity started to get to me bad! I was overheating and my stomach was not craving coke like it usually does on a hard Ironman run. So like an idiot, I took in more Red Bull hoping it would kick in some energy. It didn't. As I left Ali'i Drive at mile 10, I was worried about the Queen K and the Energy Lab ahead. I was not sure how I was going to press on to the half marathon let alone the full. This was new for me as the run is my time to shine. But that is Kona. It can humble you very quickly and it did. At mile 12.5, on the highway with no one really around but other runners and walkers, I started to really stumble. This was the first time I wondered if I could even walk the course!

Before I could worry about it too much, I leaned over and threw up violently three times. I can count on both hands how many times I have thrown up in my entire life and within minutes, in regurgitated three more! It was all...Red Bull! After it was over, I actually felt better but very weak. I could walk though and I saw this as a positive. My mind wrestled with my pride as I realized, yes, I will finish. But it will not be in record time. It will be my worst time. It will be in the dark. It will be embarrassing etc. I fought these demons for a while when I came up next to Richard Byyny, a Kona Veteran and another extraordinary athlete I met two years ago with Russ at CST training camp. He was struggling as well and he was still positive and giving the Kona course the credit it deserved. It was a godsend to be with him and he encouraged me to go on ahead if felt I could. I did go on and continued to meet great athletes who are at the top of their game and could qualify at any Ironman race in the world but were walking the Queen K today. I learned a lot about sportsmanship from them that early evening. It turned dark as I entered the Energy Lab and those 4 miles were all by myself dealing with my shortcomings my blessings and my God. 

One back on the Queen K, it's a 10K home. The way I was feeling, that wasn't exactly great news. 6 miles was still a long way to run/walk to the finish line. I could only imagine what my family was thinking and those tracking me at home. All I could take in was water at this point and some gels so my energy was minimal at best. With 2 miles to go, a bike came to me and it was Alec. He was so encouraging letting my wife and sons know I was on my way in and that I was ok. I started running as I could see the in lights and hear the voice of Mike Riley in the distance. Then the crowds. Ali'i Drive is everything they say it is. It's magical. It's also amazing how the body can react when it needs to. My final mile was at sub 8:30 pace! I saw my family with my oldest, Andrew armed with the GoPro! They were so excited!!  As I turned that last corner to the carpet, I was alone to all the cheers with high fives everywhere I could reach!

Then the finish. My worst time ever, my worst marathon ever but it was also my biggest smile ever at a finish line! 

5:55:07

Total time: 13:27:37

It took almost an hour for me to be ready for my family and leave. I was so weak but not sick anymore. Once reunited with Cristette and the boys, I asked them for pics including one that was areenactment of my first Ironman finish with them 10 years ago!

 

The rest of the trip was priceless family vacation with eating and exploring the Big Island and then Maui! 

To say this trip and experience was just a Bucket List deal is so understated. It was a blessing, an education in humility, a privilege beyond belief! And yes, I want to return and take on Kona again someday. It won't be too soon though. But a return is definitely my plan! 

I want to thank, of course my wife Cristette for being my biggest cheerleader and supporter, my sons, Andrew, Nathan and Matthew for being part of Team Cadriel. One Multisport, my club and the ONE Elite Team I represented. My sponsors like Destination Kona, MDrive, MyOatmeal, Valdora, The Martin Family, SkinsUSA, Fitsok, Cyclologic, Endurance Rehab, and Louis Garneau as well as so many friends and family that supported my efforts to get to the World Championships! It was a great experience of a lifetime!

Mahalo!

Until the next race/challenge of life for me!

Dan

Finisher

2015 Ironman World Championships 

Whitesides Race Report: Ironman Lake Tahoe 2015

Ironman Lake Tahoe 2015 was a race like no other. My expectations for myself were very high: qualify for Kona.  I told my wife before the race that we would qualify for Kona or go to the hospital.  The only metric for success was qualifying for Kona (not healthy, I know).

Last year I missed qualifying for Kona by one place or 43 seconds at IM AZ.   I had re-occurring nightmares about those 43 seconds. During hard workouts, I thought about those miserable 43 seconds. When my morning alarm went off sometimes as early as 3:00AM, I thought about those 43 seconds and got busy.  Nothing better than chasing a dream.  

I found an amazing triathlon coach (Elizabeth Waterstraat) who pushed me in just the right ways.  My swim, bike, and run performance metrics all improved significantly throughout the spring and summer.  I approached Tahoe feeling pretty confident.

The swim started at 6:40AM as a rolling start.  Each athletes' chip timer (warn around the ankle) triggered the race start as we ran over an RFID mat located at the edge of Lake Tahoe.  Until recently, most Ironman races were mass starts where everyone starts at the sound of the cannon. For me, the rolling start meant a much easier swim start because I didn't have to swim elbow-to-elbow with hundreds of other athletes all starting at the same time.  I started out at a good pace to set the tone for the rest of the swim. Good advice from my friend Fred.

Lake Tahoe is crystal clear.  I could see the bottom of the lake for much of the race.  I could also see the swimmers around me.  At one point, I was swimming with a group and suddenly felt someone tap my back.  I looked up and found a friendly swimmer tell me we had swam slightly off course.  I tried to swim at the upper edge of my comfortable level for the entire swim. A good honest effort without going too hard. It's a long race to burn-out in the swim.

Many months prior to the raced, I determined I would not look at my swim time until after the race.  I didn't want a potentially slow time to set me back mentally (IMAZ 2015).  However, when I exited the water, the race clock was right in my face.  My swim time was 1:05:03.  That is a PR for me by three minutes and seven minutes faster than my swim at IMAZ in 2014.  I learned how to swim as an adult so this swim split made me ecstatic!

The ambient air temperature was 39 degrees as we exited the water.  I changed completely into dry clothes and even put on a polar fleece vest and full-finger gloves.  As I pulled out of transition, I yelled to my family and friends something about my swim time and started the 112 mile bike.  I deliberately tried to take the first segment of the bike easy. I felt fantastic, my heart rate was low and my watts kept drifting up. I kept trying to take it easy. In retrospect, I should have taken it even easier.  It is so hard to go easy when you feel so good and people were passing me.  I suspected I would see most of them later in the race.

I dropped my vest and gloves at a designated location ~10 miles into the bike.  I was glad to get rid of my vest which felt like an aerodynamic drag.  Unfortunately, the drop was located in a canyon so the temperature was still cold.  It was cold for the next 30 minutes until we got into the sun.

The Ironman Lake Tahoe course is two and a third loops so we hit one 4.3 mile mile climb with an elevation gain of 1200 feet twice. The first time up, I followed my watt and heart rate targets. Several people passed me.  I knew I would see them again later in the race.  The second loop was a blur.  Unlike IMAZ, the string of riders thinned out pretty good so there was lots of space between riders.  On the second climb, I maintained the same watt targets and passed a lot of people this time.  As I neared the end of the bike, I felt really good.  I drank well, nailed my nutrition, and hit my heart rate and watt targets well. My bike split was 5:30 but my average watts (NP actually) was 15 watts higher than IMAZ where my bike split was 5:06.  Probably a reflection of the climbing and course structure (no-pass zones, tight corners, and out-and-back elbows).

Time for a marathon. As I left the transition area (T2), my son told me I was in 15th place in my age group.  That took a minute to get over mentally because I had hoped for better.  I found solace in the fact that I was in 20th place when I got off the bike in IM AZ last year and still managed to get 7th by the end of the race. From the first few steps, I could see that the run would be a challenge. I started off easy and then tried to hit my well practiced pace targets but just couldn't get my legs to move faster.  The course had a lot of little rolling hills and some short steep climbs.  Usually not a problem for me, but I sure felt these hills.  I was religious about my nutrition and water. I also felt like I was in good control of my brain.  I picked off a few athletes within the first few miles trusting I would pass more later in the race.  Around mile 18 I could tell that simply running was key as many of the folks on the course were starting to walk/jog. I was moving up but not fast enough.

 
In IMAZ 2014, I was passed in the last half mile losing my Kona slot.  I've relived that nightmare so many times.  One of the hardest things ever is to complete 140 of 140.6 miles and have to sprint against another competitor to the finish.  At about a half mile from the finish line, I could see a guy that looked like he might be in my age-group.    We were lapping people by now so I wasn't sure if he was about to finish or start his second lap.  He kept looking back over his shoulder which indicated that he was about to finish. We both started to speed up.  I felt bad for the guy honestly.  There is no way in the world that I would let someone ever, ever, ever finish ahead of me in the last leg of a race again. I passed him, he surged hard for awhile then tapered off.  I kept going.  I finished the race knowing that I had given it my all even if my run wasn't as fast as I hoped (3:40).

I finished 8th in my age group or 35th overall.  My overall time was 10:25 (race clock above shows time-of-day).  I suspected I wouldn't qualify for Kona but still felt good about my race because I knew I had given it my all for that day.  My brother analyzed all sorts of data about my competitors and my splits.  We concluded that this was by best Ironman race thus far so no regrets.  I will get another chance to qualify for Kona at IM AZ 2016.  Life is good chasing a dream.

It was great to have my family and several friends at the race.  Two of my friends, Tony and Kristy completed the IM Lake Tahoe 70.3.  We all agreed that the course was a combination of amazingly beautiful and brutal, especially the run.  Kristy is a survivor of the 2013 IM Lake Tahoe when it snowed the day before the race.  She was also on the start line in 2014 when they cancelled the race due to smoke from a nearby forest fire.  The third time was indeed a charm.  It was a wonderful day.

My super hero family:

Third time was a charm for Kristy:

Nice splits Sharkey: Thanks for the laughs Tony & Lana!