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!