annett kamenz - triathlete

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - 3rd IM-finish, 3rd PB :-)

After a daylong road trip with my friend Noni (who turned out to be the loudest cheerleader on race day ;-)) from Edmonton all the way down South to Coeur d’Alene, we arrived at our homestay with the Barnes’ family – true Ironman-enthusiasts: 18-year old Sam getting ready for his first IM, Dave being the Medical Director for the race, Linda and uncle Jim volunteering and cheering all day.

The weather was perfect for athletes coming from Alberta, but, according to the announcer, it must have been a “nasty day” for people from California ;-)! I was just happy to not face a heat record on race day…17 degrees sounded great to me. Prior to the race my worries about a potentially too hot day for my taste, had actually turned into concerns right in the other direction, when they told us at the pro-meeting, that it might actually be wise to take cover in case of a mountain hailstorm! Whaaat??? Just imagining how bad the weather would have to be for any of the pros to really actually stop racing, and look for cover made me fantasize about tennis ball-sized hailstones coming down :-)!

Ok, time for race details:

My swim – was a gong show. I had 3 goals, and reached none. Goal #1 was to get some feet to not swim alone (failed on that after about 100m). Goal #2 was to make it onto second loop BEFORE the masses of age groupers would be let lose. Well, what can I say – for the first time ever, I saw the actual swim start of an Ironman race. Too bad only, it was from “still-swimming-on-my-first-loop”-perspective. By the time I run around the turn-around point, and swam back to the loop course, most people must have been ahead of me. For 1.9km I was passing people, trying to sneak through all the gaps I could find. At least orienteering was a bit easier…the masses usually go in the right direction, haha. With this being said, it was no surprise that my goal #3 to swim faster than ever before, was out of reach as well. No need to talk about that time any further. On a good note, I know right there, that this is a huge potential for me to take more time off of my IM-PB.

My transition felt good, even though I first tried to run into the men’s change tent (they wouldn’t let me), and then almost missed the exit for the bike. I was happy to hop onto my bike. I love my Storck. It feels so comfi, and fast. The bike course in CdA is both, very beautiful, and a bit more technical then the one in Penticton. However, during my first of the two loops I noticed that most turns (some sharp turns are on the downhills) looked worse being in a car than on my bike. I knew I have to ride my own race, so for most part I just went by what my Powermeter told me. The whole bike felt pretty enjoyable, I had a bit of a low between 130-140km of the race, but once I had only 40km left, it felt like I was almost home already. It was fun to ride back into town with lots of spectators on either side of the road. One of them, for sure the loudest :-), was my friend Noni! Even though she said she couldn’t see it, I always had to smile, when I heard her scream for me.

Riding into T2 with what I thought “pretty fresh” legs, I was shocked by the initial feel of “running” as I hopped of my bike. I felt like a Gnome, not like a runner. I stopped in the change tent, put my runners on, stretched for a sec, and hoped that the little stop would make a difference in how I felt. I hobbled out of T2, onto the course, and remembered that the other two times I had done this before, it didn’t feel like running at all either for at least the first mile. So, I gave myself some time, and tried to relax. However, when my friend Noni asked me at about the one-mile mark “How I feel”…I just ignored her, thinking what a X*&$%%% question is that (haha), and kept on putting one foot in front of another.  From mile 2 to 3 I took my mile split, and saw that it was way to fast for what I thought I could run (6.59)…so I contributed feeling so sh&*%^& to running too fast and slowed it down a bit. I had problems with my left food (which was totally numb), and both my calfes, which felt so tight, that I thought they gonna rip. I stopped a couple times to stretch, loosened my time chip and at about the 10km mark I felt way better…my feet finally was “alive” again, and I could feel putting it on the ground, pushing off. Way better feeling for running ;-)! From then on, I just kept on going nice and steady, drinking and eating at almost every aid station, to make sure I am not fading away…And I didn’t, even though the last 3 miles felt like it (especially since I must have missed seeing the 25mile marker, and started to wonder how long a mile can be….). Suddenly though I was on the last straight away leading to the finish. Those last 500m felt like running in a movie. It is an overwhelming feeling to cross this line, having done another Ironman, and having done it better again! I LOVE TO RACE IRONMAN! And, am excited for the next one already!