I am finally ready to write this race report -- such that it will be. It has taken me the entire week to figure out just what it is I feel about this race. I finally figured it out--cheated.
So let me give you the quick race recap: The Tahoe course is beautiful and extremely difficult -- the bike has somewhere in the neighborhood of 7000 ft climbing and of course the entire race takes place between 6200 and 7300 ft elevation. The run, advertised as flat -- is not really flat -- though I guess if you compare it to the bike--its pretty flat. The swim is one of the most beautiful swims I have ever done. So all the makings of a epic course and day.
The day before the race a storm rolled in and dropped rain and snow all over the course--luckily the storm blew through and we woke up race morning to dry conditions -- but the temperature was somewhere below freezing and was only forecast to get into the 50's at best.
We did everything we could to stay warm before the race -- putting our wetsuits on at the condo, down jackets, gloves, shoes etc. I actually did a great job of staying warm all the way up to race start. The lake was beautiful--with the water so much warmer than the air there was steam/fog on the lake with the sunrise coming up in the east.
Anyhow -- swim started as I expected- - took it super easy so that I could address my breathing since I did not do a warm up due to the air temperatures. As usually in cold conditions it took my lungs about 800m to get into a rhythmn and then all was fine. I really liked the new rolling swim start and had no issues with crowding the entire race. Looking at the snow capped mountains on each breath was really beautiful. Anyhow -- because of the slow start and the elevation (I was figuring it was going to cost me a few minutes on the swim) I came out of the water in 1:15 (I had been figuring 1:10) Man was it cold once the sub freezing air hit you! I got my bag and headed for the change tent - -still cold in there. I did my best to change with frozen fingers. I did a full clothing change--something I have never done in an IM--but the smart thing to do for this one. By the time I started getting a decent amount of clothing on I was shivering uncontrollably. I had planned on overdressing so that I would warm up quickly on the bike -I had 4 layers on my top. I got out of there figuring the only way to warm up was to get biking and generate some heat. Got my bike and headed out. Well, as soon as I tried to go down in the aero position my lungs started to tighten up--not gasping from altitude -- but that horrible tightening of the chest that everybody with asthma knows. I sat up and backed off the pace. I was hoping that it would pass -- but I know after this many years of racing--once the asthma is triggered, the race is over. I think I tried to pretend for the next 5-10 miles that what I felt in my chest was really just the altitude and the swim - and not the asthma. By the time I got to Truckee I had warmed up quite a bit but the chest tightness was not going away. Any time I tried to up the effort even a little bit it would start to tighten more--threatening a full on asthma attack. I know from past experience that if I keep the effort low enough I can avoid the attack (i.e. bring in the ambulance) and keep going -- but I have to be very careful to not overdo it. I was worried that I would not be able to get up the 2 big climbs on each lap. I took shots of my rescue inhaler at the bottom of the climb--which seemed to help a bit for about 30-45 min (enough to get up the 2 hills). So - -I was now in tourist mode, my race was over and now it was just about covering the rest of the miles so that I could be a finisher. I changed my attitude and went into helpful mode - -every racer I was near that was struggling I made sure that I gave them encouraging words. On the last climb up Brockaway I caught up to Cindy -- she was struggling so I stayed with her the whole climb to lend whatever strength I could so that she would make it (she did and had an awesome race!). The run went much the same way--I was able to jog slowly while the sun was still up but when it went down and the temperature dropped, the lungs said no to the lower temperature and reduced me to a walk -- so I finished the race that way.
So this was the hardest IM out there -- I should be feeling great that I was able to finish when so many others couldn't. But I don't feel great - I feel cheated. Many of you know that I was "all in" this year. I have been focused on being in the best shape of my life for this race--and I think I achieved that - -I was ready to take on this beautiful, difficult course and race it--not just finish it. I was ready, I was strong. My asthma took that away from me -- the race was over before I even got on the bike. I respect the spirit of Ironman and everybody else racing too much to drop out when I am not having a good day but I am not feeling a huge sense of accomplishment for having finished. I want my body to hurt the next day, feel fatigued for a couple weeks because I went out there and gave it everything I had- -regardless of the outcome. I couldn't do that on Sunday. Monday morning I got up - -not stiff one bit and feeling like I could easily go do a workout. I had more fatigue after many of my prep workouts (they were indeed harder than the race ended up being).
Now I am trying to figure out what to do -- there is definitely a feeling of unfinished business. My body is still waiting for the challenge that is supposed to come after you taper (i.e. the tiger is still pacing in the cage). The rain is falling in Portland - this means mud. I will be racing cyclocross this weekend in my favorite conditions (the muddier the better). I hope that it will take some of the edge off - but both physically and mentally, I am looking for the IM like challenge and I am not sure where I am going to get it.
