Choosing an Ironman to Race While Training in Edmonton

As KK mentioned in the previous post, we've decided to train for Ironman Arizona 2012, we had quite the discussion about this and a bunch of factors went into the final decision including overall cost, time of year most training would be done, sell out date/difficulty, and of course, one of the most important factors, overall elevation gain on the bike!  Here is a list of the possible options we narrowed down to IMAZ 2012:


Ironman Coeur D'Alene (IM CDA)

• Driving distance from Edmonton, easy to get to
• Apparently hotels are somewhat cheap and plentiful
• I haven't done this race, but Mike and KK say it is very nice around there, beautiful scenary, etc etc.
• Very early in the year though (end of June), in Edmonton this means A LOT of indoor/trainer/spin biking, over a 30 week training plan only about 4 weeks of that would be guaranteed to be outside...
• Course: tough, but not too tough: Bike Course on MapMyRide, elevation gain is 395 M X 2 laps = ~800 M
• Conclusion: the time of the year is the real negative here, which is why we rejected this one (also, KKwould have be training when she gave birth...)

Ironman Lake Placid (IM USA)

• expensive to get to from Edmonton, expensive to stay at (presumably there is a somewhat premium for hotels close to the race site)
• its difficult to take your bike on a plane, which is another negative (but one that all the upcoming races share)
• timing is quite a bit better,  basically add another month of outdoor biking and running, which is a boon
• I haven't done this race, but I imagine Lake Placid is ridiculously scenic and awesome (a quick flickr search confirms that).  Also, this race has a lot of cachet, it is one of the oldest in North America and has a lot of tradition.
• This race is difficult to sign up for, since we wouldn't want to go in person to sign up we would have to be ready on our computers the minute registration opens (Monday July 25, 2011).  There "might" be a little more time this year with the addition of new races and the fact most races seem to allow a lot more entries now (3500?)
• Course: looks pretty tough, arguably the toughest? Bike Course on MapMyRide elevation gain is 724 M X 2 laps = 1448 M
• Conclusion: just too expensive for this year, an expensive flight, bike hassles, and hotel potential problems mean this is not the race for this year...  Some were also worried about the elevation, but I won't say who...

Ironman Mont Tremblant (IMQ?)

• this is a new race, which is kind of cool, only the second WTC branded race in Canada (note: Mike will only do WTC branded races, which is why we only consider those, another post from him on why, maybe?)
• flights are still likely expensive, but hotels are apparently supposed be plentiful near the start line since transition is in a ski village
• course is supposed to be awesome, if hilly (transition in a ski village)
• the race is late in the summer (August 19, 2012) which is good for biking outside in Edmonton, and registration is open RIGHT NOW!
• Course: hilly and tough: Bike Course On MapMyRide elevation gain is 505 M X 2 laps = 1000 M
• Conclusion: this was a very tempting option, but the flight expense and big hills made us consider this for a future year, instead of next year...

Ironman Canada (IMC)

• IMC is of course the king of Ironman races in North America, so it is mostly positives for this one, the only real negatives are expensive hotels (arguably expensive and crummy motels) and the fact that we have done this one 2wice in a row and are looking for a change...
• Penticton is within driving range of Edmonton, big bonus there
• IMC is at the end of the summer, so a full 3 or 4 months bike training could be done out of doors
• the atmosphere in Penticton is pretty awesome, carnival like atmosphere pervades all and it is quite an event, last year we stayed in a motel on the lake and while it was super expensive and we had to stay 5 days to get the reservation it was pretty awesome being so close to the action
• the course is pretty fantastic, with all single loops there is no biking/swimming/running over the same ground same direction twice!  Though the run is not the greatest, a long run out into the dark wilderness, some have described it as...
• Course: tough, but awesome (Bike Map on MapMyRide).  Elevation is 1153 M X 1 lap = 1153 M second only to Lake Placid
• Conclusion: time to mix it up, otherwise we would be very tempted by this one...

Ironman Arizona (IMAZ)

• Real late in the year, the entire summer and spring and fall that can be biked can be used for training.  The only downside is there is the potential for some of the last long rides to be forced indoors by cold Edmonton weather...
• Flights are fairly direct and cheap, though obviously not as good as driving
• Hotels are reasonably priced and within walking distance of transition, last year we stayed at the Best Western and we "may" try to stay closer in downtown Tempe itself this year (or just do it up BW style again?)
• Swim is pretty awesome, under scenic bridges, but apparently the water is pretty filled with micro-organisms, which has made people sick some years
• The bike is a little boring with 3 loops
• The run is 3 loops too, but is a very awesome course, with tons of spectator opportunities and great aid stations
• The outlet deals are exceptional!
• Course: the flattest of all, but wind can be a major factor: Bike Map on MapMyRide Elevation gain is 145 M X 3 laps = 450 M
• Conclusion: this is a solid fun race and works best for everyone in combination!  Race chosen!

Training for Two

Training is hard enough, but training while 18 weeks pregnant is becoming quite the challenge!
I'm in due Nov 2011 and I want to keep my fitness as best as possible as I want to start training for Arizona IM 2012 as soon as possible after delivry!

So my posts will be a little different than Spreckles and Marcusarelus. I will be posting on how training while pregnant is going and then my return to triumph next year :)

So far I am able to run, at a slower pace with 1 minute walk breaks every 10 mins. I try not to get too breathless as per doctors orders!! Biking is going as well as it always has... never my strong suit. Keeping my bikes to 3 hours or less!!

As for swimming, this should be what I am concentrating on as its the best for pregnancy but alas I HATE SWIMMING. So far just swimming once per week but should increase this!!!

that's it for now!

Elk Island Fury

When last you saw the dynamic duo of Sprechernaut and Marcusaurelis, they had finished licking their wounds from the thrashing hills of Richter and Yellow Lakes ... well Mark was lightly licking his superficial scratches and eating cheesecake while his partner was crawling through the backroads of Penticton.

Now having regrouped and being revitalized they drove into the heart of bison country, armed with only a pair of Cervelos and spandex. Onward ..... Marcus yelled as the rain spat upon us. We began the day at a light crawl and entered the park with some help from coach P. Rolling through the park we felt genuinely happy eventhough our butts were soaked and water was spraying in our faces.

30 minutes in and the rainfall intensified, with every peddle stroke we could feel the water ooze from our drenched socks ... but Mark would not be defeated. The hills challenged and bucked us but he would not be denied. Mark rode up from the rear and helped to power through the heart of the beast. Together they thrashed along the roadway not giving up to elements. No sunglasses to be left behind ..... no achilles heal this time. They had enough repairs for 10 flat tires and would finally put the Mornville ride of 2009 in the past. The rain crashed and the thunder raged but the entrance to the park gates were in our grips. Grinding each pedal stroke they made it. With the courage of Katty Sprechernaut to light the way .... the heroic bike clan survived to bike another day.

Terwillegar Rec Center VS The Y!

When training for Ironman/anything else in Edmonton it is essential to have a membership at an indoor gym.  For the last several years we have been quite happy with the Y because it offers:
- pool with a swimming lane always open for members/laps
- running track
- good weight machines
- free swim lessons and t-ball lessons for the kids

However, recently a new option has come to Edmonton, the Terwilleger rec center.  A pass for the family that will get you into Terwillegar, and any city of edmonton fitness facility costs a comparable price to the Y, leaving us with a very difficult decision...  After visiting the new center the following advantages/disadvantages were noted:

- the pool rocks.  It has a warm pool that is very shallow for little kids, a wave pool, a river ride, and a water slide.  Also a steam room and sauna (and hot tub of course, but the Y has that too).  It also has a 50 M pool (Y has just 25 M) but bizarrely they have shortened it with temporary barriers so that it is 3 pools, and the lap pool is only 25 M as well.  There is also an elaborate diving set up, but I wouldn't really use that.  Advantage: Terwillegar
- the locker rooms suck.  More than half of the lockers (and all of the full size lockers) are "cash" lockers meaning the only ones that you can use a lock on (and thus not pay) are small, and over crowded.  Also, the Y has an awesome system where you can use both a lock and your Y card to lock the locker, doubling your security!  Finally, the showers at Terwillegar are deficient, there are only 3 of them for the entire mens change room!  Huge line, not too cool, I think I would have to switch to plus if we went here and it would cost more...  Advantage: Y
- Swim lessons: Terwillegar charges extra, Y is free.  Advantage: Y
- Playground: Terwillegar's is far bigger and more elaborate, I think they win here.  Advantage: Terwillegar
- Spin Bikes and Treadmills: Terwillegar's are new and more advanced, but the Y is replacing all of theirs, I think to compete.  Advantage: tie
- Running Track: Terwillegar's track is 200 M, the west end Y's is 170M.  Terwillegar's is better too as there is more to see, machines, pool, gym where people were playing soccer, etc.  Advantage: Terwillegar
- Spin Classes: I don't really know, the Y's are very good, but I didn't have a chance to try Terwillegar.  Advantage: I don't know

Conclusion: We are cheap so we stuck with the Y.  Plus Mike and KK LOVE THE Y!   

Clothing Choices/Review

This year was pretty complicated in terms of "what to wear when racing" compared to last year. Last year I wore completely different clothes for each section of the race, sharing the tri shorts between the swim and run but changing completely into new shirt, shorts, hat, etc for the run. I wondered if a good way to chop some of this time off from the transitions would be to find one outfit that could be worn all day. At the Calgary 70.3 I had only changed my shirt between bike and run and my T2 was way faster, hence, the plan this year was originally to wear the attached shown outfit underneath my wet suit, for the bike, and kept on for the run.

The outfit consisted of:

- Sugoi hat (run only)

- Oakley sunglasses

- Sugoi Piston shorts

- Sugoi tri top (Trident, I think?)

I bought the tri top from Sugoi online from their clearance section for a steal of a deal, however, there was one big problem, lack of pocket space (this jersey only had one pocket in the back, and smallish, compared to the usual 3). I had hoped to switch aero bottles to a Bontrager Aero Race Pack one that had extra storage space for food etc but alas they were sold out everywhere I looked (and still are, bizarrely, even though they still advertise them lots of places, bitter.) Thus it was that I was concerned about storage space but still planning to push ahead with my plan. Until...

Two days before the race in the afternoon a massive storm pushed in. It didn't last long but it went from warm to very cold in a hurry, with a massive wind and stormy rain. I realized that if I had been out on the course at that time, with the clothes I had packed, it could well have been the end of my day....

The only solution was to pack a jacket I thought. Which would fill the one pocket if it fit at all. At the last minute I switched to my DeSoto tri top that had 3 large pockets in the back and purchased a Sugoi Helium jacket from the Bike Barn. I was a little bitter about this choice, as buying at the last minute before IM meant absolutely full price, I think it was over $120 for a jacket that was basically a wind breaker, but it made me feel better, so...

During the race:

- I wasn't cold at all, I only wore the Helium for a short period of time, but I was glad I had it as if I hadn't I would have carried around my heavier Sugoi wind breaker around all day which would have been more intrusive

- ironically, in the future I would probably not use the Helium for most training because I would use the other Sugoi wind breaker, I am considering trying to put he Helium in my spare tire kit at the back of my bike for an emergency option if it ever rains when biking?

- faster people actually did run into some nasty rain and snow on the bike, it would have been quite helpful to have had the Helium if I was faster. As was, I wore mini mitts the whole day and they did the trick and I wasn't cold on the run at all. I talked to several people later on who had frozen during the bike and probably would have appreciated it?

Also, the Helium was so bright I didn't even have to carry reflective tape on the run, which was a bonus, I guess? I gave some other dude my reflective tape who was all worried about getting DQ'd. I doubt they have ever DQ'd someone for not having reflective tape but I guess it would pertinent/interesting to find out?

Ironman Canada Race Report

Ironman Canada was completed almost one month ago today, some highlights:

- 1853rd overall compared to 2277th last year
- swim 1:19:37 (PB) (last year = 1:33:54)
- T1 7:58 vs 8:01
- bike 7:06:46 vs 7:15:52
- T2 5:58 (PB) vs 11:03
- run 5:01:01 (PB) vs 7:04:55
- overall 13:41:18 (PB) vs 16:13:44

- swim was solid, I think I went a lot more straight this year than last year and I was pretty excited when I got out of the water
- bike was good, I mostly took it easy and had to get off the bike A LOT for bathroom breaks. Hills were extremely painful and it was fantastic seeing Lisa and Co after Yellow Lake.(http://connect.garmin.com/activity/46800062)
- run was good, I ran pretty fast when I was running but I ran into some nutrition troubles in the middle and walked/messed up for awhile. Really wanted 4:20, but I guess maybe just need to train harder next time? (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/46800041)

June Update

Last week I finally hit every workout, with the only slip ups being short swim and weight sessions. I think this is the first time I didn't completely miss any workouts, so hopefully that can continue?

Sat bike was pretty good (Calmar loop with Troy), did a long transition run after but transition runs have been hurting a lot more than early on, potentially some heat troubles?

Long bike: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/37472816
Long run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/37584702
Troy's bike: