So it has been a long time since the race and since I wrote anything here... but I need to document this one before I forget even more.
I did go to Tahoe for the race, and was very excited about it... and I thought I was very much prepared. I had been doing lots of hill climbs at Snowbowl road, and that was a very good match for the nasty hill that was on the real bike course. I don't remember at this point how much I was swimming and running, but I felt pretty confident overall.
I'll just sum it up quickly now. The swim part of the race went great... the water was beautiful and clear, I had these brand new goggles that work perfectly (finally a shape that fits my face well to stay clear). I ended up doing the 2 lap swim in 1:17:56, which is a 2:00 / 100 meter pace... which was a new PR.
The water was pretty cold, and the air was pretty cold, so going through transition I was partly trying to de-ice my toes and fingers. I remember I had a hard time putting on my bike shoes and shin compression, etc. To combat the cold (but not go too far knowing how long the ride was), I wore arm guards and shin compression sleeves. This seemed to be a pretty good choice, but I do remember it was about mile 30 before I felt like I could feel my toes again!
As much as I had prepared for the bike course, the hills still did a number on me. I made the first lap around pretty well, and I was ready for the one big hill, but I didn't really appreciate how many other smaller hills there were on the course.
I made my first lap in a very good time, I was feeling very strong and was about to make the turn toward downtown Truckee when disaster struck and I got a flat tire. I was right in front of some people cheering from a pickup truck when my tire popped, sparks were flying up, and I immediately slowed and stopped. Prepared for a flat (had one in my last race), I just started to get off, get the tire off and work on it. I didn't take the time to look closely at my tire though at first, and when I got the new tube in and inflated it I saw that the tire (not the tube) had big gaping holes in it! This was something I was NOT ready for. Unable to fix this on my own I had to just step aside, find some shade and wait for a sag wagon or repair motorcycle to come along... I wasn't sure if they would be able to just give me a new tire, but that was my only hope at this point.
After a little bit, an official driving the opposite way spotted me and/or my bike, and stopped to find out what was up. He radioed in to get a moto out there to fix up the tire. They came out and managed to replace the tire and tube after a bit... and after 40 minutes on the side of the road I was off and riding again.
At the time I didn't feel too bad after the long rest, I was trying to keep moving a bit, and was drinking my water (the rest of it), and eating my clif blocks and stuff (the rest of it)... but as soon as I started going again I was immediately thirsty and wishing I had filled up completely at the previous aid station. I had about 10 miles to ride to the next aid and I got there on fumes. I took on as much water and food and stuff as I could at that time, trying to reload and get going again, but I think the damage was already done.
This particular aid station is right before one of the little bonus nasty hills, and I think I maybe just walked my bike up that while trying to eat and drink something. After this there was a nice little downhill curvy section I knew, and I thought that would be easy and fun to coast down (like it was the first time)... but even that I had a hard time on once I got to the flat part of it. Every little hill here was a challenge, and I had the big hill looming ahead too. I was still fighting and determined to make it, but then as this continued my goals started slipping a bit, and I just started thinking about the ride back in some pick up.
Going up the big hill again I struggled to make it to the aid station a mile up (a lot of people around there at this time were having a tough time). Made it there, used the porta-potty, stretched out a bit, and tried to build up resolve to make it over the top again... I did not want that hill to stop me after I did so much to get ready for specifically that! Walking and doing short slow biking, I made it up and over. The downhill is super fast, and I think this is where I set myself up for the worn out tires on the first lap... I think I hit my rear brakes a bit too hard and wore holes through. I believe also though that the tire was already pretty thin, and I've decided that I need to make sure that I have fresh tires before a race of this length (or at least a good check on them). I did have my bike tuned up before the race and thought they would let me know if I needed new tires, but I need to make sure that I'm on top of that from now on.
After the hill I thought I would be ok, get through the bike and just struggle through the run, but after making the turn along the lake was when my body really started falling apart. My hip and knee were screaming at me with every pedal stroke... so much that I was basically pedaling with just one leg for some of the time, and taking breaks frequently... not what I had in mind. This wore and wore on me until my shrinking goal of at least finishing the bike became less and less important to me. The tough thing about trying to do 'another Ironman' is that I've already finished one... so it becomes easier for me to say 'well, I don't have to prove anything, I've done this before...'. Anyway, these kinds of thoughts crept into my head and eventually won, after 100+ miles I made it to the last aid station before the end of the bike and called it quits.
I had been doing the math (like I do) and thinking that even if I finished the bike in time before the cut off (which I was pretty sure I could manage), I was now going to be hours slower than my goal time, running or likely walking until close to midnight again if I was able to finish the run. For quite a while I was trying to stay positive and think of the 40 minute mechanical problem as just an extra obstacle to overcome, but as I continued to deteriorate this became harder and harder to care about.
And, of course, after the fact I wish I had just pushed on to finish the bike... then maybe see what I could do on the run, etc. etc. Also, I should've replaced my tire, maybe I should've tried to jog around a bit while waiting for the bike to get fixed... or had my own spare tire (not just spare tubes). Now I'm full of what-ifs, and there's no going back to fix it. I can't even get my revenge on this course because they are no longer going to do a full IM at Lake Tahoe!
Well, I need to start planning my next move, and I think getting this down here was a first step. I think I will have to try another full IM at some point, maybe shooting for Arizona again in 2017 (if I can manage to get signed up).
