Training Log Archive: Homey

Event: Ironman Muskoka 70.3
 

Got out of bed at 5:15am. Woke around 4:00am. Showered, shaved and dressed. I had a banana and half bagel with jam and half my leftover G2 for breakfast. Then I waited for Don and the fellows to head out. Arrived off of shuttle around well I,m not sure.

Set up bike but didn't try it out as I normally do b/c no time. Mistake b/c not there early enough. Neil from D'Ornellas asked if he could pump my tires so I took my pump to Don and Mike but I saw they had them. I chatted with fellow who lent me his bodyglide. Don suggested it would be good for cool day. I thought it would be cool. Put wetsuit on once corralled. Looked for other racers I knew but ended up chatted with a few fellows. Talked with sales guy from Runner's Den who had done IM early this season.

Swam a bit. Stretched a bit then set watch. Started extreme left behind a few huge dudes. Horn went and I was off. Right lens filled with water. Told myself I'll deal with it later. I went out too fast. I foolishly forgot to tell myself to ease in.

I found myself boxed in at a quick pace and just wanted to keep moving with the group panic set in and I couldn't get my breath and then had negative thoughts. I swam as left I could and then floated on my back. I tread water and felt the panic. pulled up my googles and listened to the announcers voiced as I watched baby blue caps swim by and tried to relax. 2-3 minutes or whatever passed then I said I'm not quitting and started to slowly swim again. No problem my confidence came back with every stroke until I was on my way again. I remained left and took the corner bouys very wide. I passed a lot of swimmers. Two actually grab onto me but I kicked hard and swam away as best I could. I maintained a straight line and would alternate the number of breaths I'd take on each side. I got into a rythmn thankfully and I was glad to see the end. I ran out of the water and found two young fellows who literally had me out of my suit in 5 seconds. Awesome!

I ran up the hills. High fived Eon before transition and yelled and Neil and Tony of D'Ornellas.

43rd in AG and 307th Overall

Transition went smoothly and I remember hearing a hissing sound a minute after mounting the bike but to my relief it was a little girls shaking something as she cheered.

Neil pumped my tires pretty good and the slick road had me on edge for the first 10-15K. I had no trouble with the hills but noticed my brakes were rubbing loudly. I slowed and pumped them but didn?t work this time. I figured being cork they bloated being in the rain over night.

I found the hills manageable but took it easy due to weather conditions and knowing I?d have a long way to go. I stuck to my nutrition plan but for some reason I thought I had to take the tops off to pour Gatorade into my jetstream which made life tricky ? idiot!

I ate and went easy for the middle as planned. There was a nasty wind that would scare me crossing the bridges. The dirty road part wasn?t fun as like everyone I?m sure I got grit in my mouth and all over my legs.

The hills back weren?t as nasty as I thought. I did get passed by a lot and passed quite a few but I kept 90rpms and telling myself I?ve a got a whole run ahead of me. The brake problem annoyed me and was loud but other than that I was just thankful I didn?t flat when I passed 4-5 fellows changing theirs.

49th in AG and 310th Overall

I got in and had another smooth transition. As I ran out I heard Sharon cheer for me which I acknowledged as I do throughout the race.

I ran passed Don walking back and figured something was up b/c it was too early to be finishing. I said hi and continued on.

I thought I was going out to fast as I checked my watch but I was feeling really good so I just enjoyed it. I saw a fellow Ancaster resident ahead and hoped I'd be able to chat with him later when I caught him but I never saw him as I went by maybe at an aide station or something. I ran with a guy for a bit at the 8K mark but he couldn't hold the pace. I did pass Lisa Bently on the course. Cool but she didn?t look good or acknowledge my encouragement.

I thought about Thea a lot running and how good my shoes felt. I hit the 10K mark at 46minutes and change. Snot bad? then the rain came out. I still managed to run well but I could feel my right foot blister now that the shoes were wet. I then saw Maverick on the run. He yelled "Tomass" then I yelled "Mikey" and saw he didn't look good. I felt bad for him. Damn.

I continued to pass many including the pirate guy which was funny b/c he sure got a lot attention. The golf course run was nasty but I was motivated by the finish and with 500 to the corral I really picked up the pace. However, when I got there I was greeted by a 18K sign and a fellow directing me on. Not nice! I carried on but passing fellows was tougher now as the field was spread out ahead of me. I did get passed by one guy with about 750m to go in the race. I stuck behind him and he finished just ahead of me breaking the tap.

I was happy it was over and I could stop. My feet were sore and I had had enough for one day. I walked back to transition and started chatting with an English fellow who obviously was had very tender feet as well. I later was introduced to him as Tim Sleepless and well there you go. We chatted some more later on in the warth of the resort. Good to put a face to the name and comments.

Irondog and I ate. Mav and he got the truck. We got our gear. I was moving slowly with my feet. Got back to the cottage, showered, packed and was anxious to drive home through the remnants of Ike and get into my own bed.

14th in AG and 87th Overall

Transitions were smooth... T1: 4:10 and T2: 1:58.

FINAL TIME: 5:29:24... 29/224 in AG and 163/1677 Overall. That's it I'm done!!!

C • Good stuff... 9