Ironman Lanzarote 2010 is finito!

T’was two days after the Ironman and all through the island, not a creature was stirring, and still not even the wind! Ironman Lanzarote 2010 is now finito. Race day sure felt strange with minimal wind (and it is all relative so this doesn’t mean NO wind), but as a result, the heat felt much more intense and this meant hydration was key. I was diligent about my fluid and sodium intake and so my nutrition was bang on. My swim was once again slower than what my pool times indicate I am capable of achieving (this drives my coach Scott mad), but I played it safe and had no shoulder issues which is always a good thing. Catriona Morrison won this race and she really deserved the win. She is one fast chick and she did it after a 35 minute mechanical. Last year I was on the side of the road with a flat for a good 15 minutes so I know her ‘rest’ would have felt like an eternity. Cat showed how staying calm when things go wrong in an Ironman pays off. While my finish was not as I had hoped, it was fun to lead for the second half of the bike and the run for over half the marathon, at which point the wheels fell off and I ended up in 5th place overall. This was good enough for a couple dollars but not good enough for a Kona slot. Aside from the usual muscle and black toe nail soreness (that just shows I worked hard), and an open wound on my neck from the cap and salt water chafing, I feel good post race. I also have been discussing my upcoming plan of attack for training (I had a great conversation with Kevin McKinnon and got some great ideas from him) and I am excited to move forward from here.

One cool thing about the race was that with my bike time of 5:26:23 I managed to set a new bike split record, beating Paula Newby-Fraser’s 1995 time by 9 seconds. This is especially cool for me seeing as this is my most favourite Ironman in the world.

Unfortunately I witnessed a very serious crash in the race as I arrived in the town of Haria but thankfully I was told that everyone is ok. My new friend David Deak (who donated his kidney to his father earlier this year) crashed and had to pull out of the race but he was still smiling at the awards and has vowed to come back to complete his unfinished business. I can relate to this desire to come back and finish the race after a DNF and feel really lucky to have met this fellow Canadian of mine. We will be sure to keep in touch. Ironman is not all about the win, but is about strong and amazing people achieving amazing things, no matter the result.

The awards dinner was fun and it was great to listen to Kenneth Gasque tell his finish line stories like the kiss on the lips he got from one of the finishers. I got to hang out with my Epic Woman Lisa this year which was a lot of fun. The two of us were one spot away from qualifying for Kona so will have to reunite again at another race later this season.

I am lucky to have so many great supporters on this island and this makes coming to this island year after year really special for me. Kenneth and Isabelle and the whole Ironman team here are simply the best. This race has remained intimate and personal and the feeling one gets is that it is a true ‘Ironman family’.

Yesterday I walked into and around one of the volcanoes with my Mom which was a great day and my recovery has been going well with lots of swimming with Hillary. I will miss this island now that it is time to leave again and want to come back again already!

Cheers! Tara