Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Recap

Swim 2.4 miles. Bike 112 miles and run a 26.2 mile marathon. Ironman. 

It’s incredible, the world’s most challenging race, and I was about to do it for a second time.  Except taking a step back, it’s so much more than a race. I’ve had a blank page for weeks trying to recap what this event meant to me, and finally here I am. To take a step back to catch anyone up; I decided to take on Ironman Mont Tremblant as a member of Team in Training, raising funds in honor of my cousin, Ava Turner who has overcome leukemia. The date was just a little over a year since I had competed in my first Ironman at Louisville. I still can’t fathom what an incredible anf fulfilling experience Ironman has brought into my life. While this is a race recap, I think that you'll get a glimpse into what the day looks like for a triathlete about to spend well over the greater part of the day immersed in racing. 

3:30 a.m. I wake up and eat. My favorite part of race day is that my family decorates my house with inspirational posters. Its MY FAV! Some of them this time were even in French. Makes my heart smile. It's always an emotional day for me so waking up and seeing all the positive vibes through the house is beyond expression for me. Thanks to my BFF and family for doing that.  Race day is always hard because I am so anxious-- which is bad because it makes me so anxious that I don’t even want to eat. The standard for me is a bagel with peanut butter and a banana so I started picking at is as I thought through the day. Once I get myself together I immediately started sipping on water. My coach is constantly remind me to drink all the way up to the start and I work really hard on that. A hour later we get photos with the fam... even Julia was up for all the pre Ironman fun.  We had shirts made for my "IRONTEAM" support crew so that all my supporters near and far could enjoy a piece of race day fun. I grabbed everything and we are all headed out the door and over to transition.

5:00 a.m. we secure one of the LAST parking spots near transition and start walking over. I was smart this time and had a head lamp so that I could see where I was going, but once we stepped into transition it was bright lights everywhere and no lamp needed. I pump my tires, check my bottles, and double tripple check my transition bags to make sure I had everything. Turns out I forgot something AS USUAL, and so Christian ran back to the car to get my bike pads for my aerobars. I always take them off at night because I don't like it when they are wet (Weird qwerk)! It didn't take long and I was ready to head to transition. 

5:30 a.m. The walk was about a mile or so to the swim transition and I wanted to get into the water early to test it out so we headed over immediately. I get there and realize that I completely skipped over body marking.SHIT.. I need a number.. so I think quick and find the first volunteer that I see.  Luckily a volunteer had a sharpie and took care of it for me. If anyone knows this woman.. she was my hero!!!

From 5:30 to around 6:30 I mostly took in the morning, checked out the scenery and let Christian enjoy snapping a ton of photos. I've included some of them below. 

6:30 a.m. I decided to suit up. I ended up seeing my training buddy Nick and also my Coach Matt and it put me at ease to see him right before the race. Nick has been my training "partner" so to day for the past 2 years and I was just so excited that we could race IMMT together. My coach- He was also racing and it was a big day for him so I wasn’t scouting him out per say. His experience and wisdom just puts me at such ease on race day so it was great that I got to talk to him for a few minutes.  I kiss my future hubs and he tells me “you got this, you’re already an Iroman” and I smile and head into the starting line.

Swim- 6:50 a.m. the gun goes off for the pro start. I could feel my heart beating as I moved forward in my line. I was the next to last age group to enter the water so that alone made me anxious. Finally it was our time and we headed into the water. The first 500 yards are always a challenge for me as I fight through all the athletes to get into a rhythm. I did my thing and focused on my day and making the most of it. The swim is always the “race” for me so to say in that It's the one discipline where you have a chance to blow the whole day so I try to stay really focused and efficient in this leg. I know that once I get out of the water the hardest part of my day is over. By hardest I don’t mean that I can’t swim; I just mean every Ironman I have ever done has felt like a WWE wrestling match. There are thousands of athletes in the water and arms are grabbing and legs kicking. Its really easy to accidently get knocked out. I worked really hard to stay out of the way and ahead of everyone I saw. Before I knew it I was at the half way point. I check my watch to see I was on time and keep going. The swim was SO BEAUTIFUL. You could see the bottom of the lake at times and I just was really enjoying the moment I was in and being there and knowing that my hardest part was just about over.

Swim: 1:22:29 (Goal was 1:20)

T1: Swim to Bike 8:45 (Goal 6:00)- T1 was a a hike from the swim start. It felt like I was running forever as I headed to the changing tent. In reality maybe it was a quarter of a mile. I saw my training partner Vikki in the tent and it was a relief that we were close and she made it out of the water too. I later up in sunscreen and drink my water and rush out of the tent to my bike. I get on the bike and Vikki is just right ahead of me.

Bike: The bike course was beautiful. It was a double loop course out to highway 119 and back to town. The back end has a few short and “steep” climbs on it making it a little challenging. All that was aside because in the days leading up coach and I rode the “hard” part of the course. It made me feel really good and really strong because I tackled them and knew what to expect. Heading out to the highway was rough because we were riding right into the wind.  It felt like I was being pushed back on the 10 mile stretch to the turn around. Once I looped the turn around on the first loop I felt strong and confident that I would hit my goal. Before I knew it I was headed back to town. The great part was that Vikki and I had been back and forth leading and keeping each other on pace. It was so nice to have a friend in eye sight on the course. The second loop was a little more challenging for me. I ran out of food towards the end and  was having chest pains. I actually stopped to see a medic and they said most likely all the caffeine was the culprit so I jumped back on my bike and headed the last 10 miles into the transition. It was a really hilly course so I made a goal of 7 hours as my "cut off" and I just made it! WHEWWWW

Bike 6:51:27 (goal under 7:00)

T2: 7:27 (goal under 8): Transition 2 was really fast for me. I was doing a full change so I just had to be fast and efficient and move quickly. I hurried to strip my bike kit off and put on my run gear. Since my TNT kit was too small (very disappointing that I couldn’t get another one in time) I changed into a Team in Training Run kit that did fit. Tied my shoes and out the tent I went! All smiles and thumbs up on the way out of transition as I blew my love a kiss and ran off. 

Run: The run was a double loop along a scenic trail. I loved it. As I got on my feet 

and started out I remember thinking that I felt amazing.  It was almost as if my body didn’t know I was just on the bike for almost 7 hours. It’s a funny thing that I’ve always considered myself a runner but the Ironman run is HARD for me. It’s the most mental part of the race. As I headed out of town I knew that I would see my sister and BFF Rachel so I was looking forward to that. Around mike 4 I see them screaming and jumping up and down and it put a huge smile on my face. It was so exciting to see Julia and get to hold her for a photo too. She was so freaking excited and even wore purple and had a Ironman cow bell to make noise. I can't wait to look back on the memories of that day with her years from now and tell her all about it. I asked my sister to make me a PPJ and continued on.  The back end of the trail to the turnaround was a little lonely with just runners trying to stay focused. I was so hungry so I walked every aid station and munched on pretzels and red bull. Hitting the turnaround was great because I was staying on pace for under a 5 hour IM Marathon which was my goal. I also saw both Vikki and Nick right behind me so I knew we were all on track and doing fine. As I head back into town I see my sister and brother-in-law and grab my sandwich and keep moving. Running back into town can be really cruel because you pass the finished chute and then have to head back out for another 13 miles. I did my thing and as I headed back out of town it started to pour down rain. I remember seeing and hearing my wonderful fiancé screaming for me at various points on the course. I just love having him there with me for all of this. It’s the most amazing feeling to see him and how happy he is for me throughout the races. This is where the race gets mental for me. I am just not as mentally strong as I want to be. I REALLY need to work on that. This is the point where I started to walk/ run because my body was saying “your tired” and my mind was saying stop for just a few seconds… the issue is as you stop and start it gets harder to start again. I stayed focused and looked at my watch to see that I was still on track for under 14 hours. Sounded good to me.  As I headed back into town from the turnaround my pace started to slow. I was so happy when I saw the 3 mile mark and knew I was going to make it. The problem is that my watch had messed up and so I was running on blind time. I knew that if I got back to the finish by 9pm that would be less than 14 hours. I stayed the path and with one mile to go started pushing it. I was confident I had hit my under 13 hour goal. As I head to the chute I could feel myself smile and just become so overtaken with joy. Joy for myself, joy for Ava’s battle and that I got to honor her, and just pure joy for what the sport has brought to my life. It was AMAZING. Final run time was 5:30 and finish time of 14:03:12

Ironman Mont Tremblant: 14:03:12 (goal was under 14- just missed it but not even mad)

Post- race: Basically IMMT can NEVER be duplicated, no Ironman finish is the same and they all mean SO MUCH. We are all there for different reasons and the journey of 140.6 miles changes each of us in a different way. I made my way through the finish chute, drank my chocolate milk and went to find my family. They were SO FREAKING EXCITED, I was too. Then we waited for Vikki and nick who were just minutes behind me. It was such a powerful moment to be there with them and my coach. All of us were racing that course with everything we had and it was AMAZING. I finally found my fiancé and we snapped a photo for the end to a perfect day. I typically would of liked to stay at the finish till midnight but our condo was kind of far out so I wasn’t able to take a shower and come back. I heard it was absolutely incredible at midnight in Tremblant.  I went to bed that night feeling so accomplished. After all We had raised over $6,000 for Team in Training in honor of Ava and also had a PR of about 1:15 over my Ironman Louisville. I can’t say thank you enough to my coach who got me there and never stopped believing in me. When times got tough he put things into perspective to keep me moving along. Overall I was really impressed with recovery. I was back to normal about 72-96 hours after the race. I think that an incredible race training plan helped with that but also that I am religious about my post-race 1 hour massage and chiro adjustment from Dr. Young. I have a great team to help take care of me. But the Ironman Blues? I don’t think it actually happened to me this time for at least 10 days post-race. I knew it was coming so I was ready for it this time.  Something hit me and I seriously came down from the high, but not for long . Since it’s taken me so long to finally post this it’s okay to say that about 2 weeks after IMMT, I talked to my coach about doing IMMD. And I registered, but that’s an entire separate blog post!

Season recap:  Training for IMMT was a challenge. I knew it would be hilly and it was just my second year taking triathlon seriously. My coach had me start master swim workouts and I spent a lot of time on my bike. Once spring hit I was out on the road a lot. I found the hilliest ride I could in the area (which was a 50 mile loop) and did it every weekend I could multiple times over as I got into my 100 mile rides. The program my coach provide me kept me focused and challenged me with some very hard workouts throughout the year. I even met a few really good friends in this process. The great thing about triathletes is that they are like a small army; everyone knows what it takes to get there and they all help. From long rides and runs to pep talks and flat tires. It’s been amazing to spend the summer with some ladies and gents that have become really REALLY good friends. Sometimes we become a slave to the plan and we’re just doing the motions, but  that never happened for me because of how my coach laid it all out. Also because of those friends I mentioned too.  I felt less pressure with his plan and in a way and really enjoyed learning as I went. The mind plays such an important roll in Ironman. It’s one of my hardest parts and I really want to get better at “the mind”. Our inner strength has little to do with how fast we can swim, bike, or run and more to do with how much we can take to push forward and not give up. Almost anything is possible. When we push ourselves and step outside of comfort zones that is when we grow. That’s what I want to focus on moving forward. That “suck” or embracing the “suck”.

No risk, no reward. No pain, no gain. You’ve heard this before... the lesson and goal is to trust yourself & Believe in yourself. We do the work, train hard & welcome the challenge and opportunity. I've gotten really good at trying to be good to myself in the process too….. It’s all part of the goal and for me part of the plan. Ironman takes a lot of training, discipline,, motivation, passion and curiosity to push your limits. To see yourself move forward from mile to mile, especially when it gets really hard…and to know that you will soon each reach your goal…it’s a feeling inside I just can’t describe. I’m not sure that I even want to put words to it because it’s just that great. It’s an amazing feeling when you have worked SO HARD to get to something and know that you earned every bit of it. Ironman is not just a challenge for me, but a chance to do something good for myself and through fundraising this year, others too.

Thank You!  I don’t even know where to start with this one. Thank you goes to my fiancé and my partner for life. He never once gave up on me all year, even when I kind of had given up on myself. He started cycling this year just so I had someone to ride with and got me through some of my toughest workouts. On raceday he was up earlier than me and went to bed way after just to make sure that I was taken care of. He is my rock and my forever best friend and I just can’t even say thank you enough. To my Coach Matt Mauclair. I have never had the pleasure of working with a better coach. I would recommend his services to ANYONE without hesitation. The way that he laid out my plan and helped me to improve was beyond words. With his help in just one year and 3 weeks I completed 3 Ironman events. Far more than I had ever set out to take on. I can’t express enough my gratitude for all that you have done for me and continue to do. To my family and BFF Rachel. Thank you for making the weeklong trip to Mont Tremblant. It was so amazing to spend the week with you and for all of you to be there when I crossed the finish line. I am so lucky to have such a dedicated and loving family as you. Your encouragement was a lot of what helped me to succeed on race day. Thank you to everyone I have swam with, biked with, ran with and everyone who has share their triathlon passion with me. You have all been incredible support and encouragement. Without this support, triathlon wouldn’t be nearly as fun or rewarding. It’s “people like us” that make this such a worthwhile ride. Thank you to Carline from Team in Training for all of the fabulous support for fundraising and reaching my goals.  Finally… to EVERYONE who made a donation to Team in Training. I can’t even say thank you enough for what you gave me an opportunity to do. Anyone who has been touched by cancer knows that it can be overwhelming and a trying experience. Whether you are or have been a patient, caregiver, or a friend you have most likely found that while it can be a challenging community- it’s also one of the most thriving communities to be apart of. I am so proud of the opportunity to raise funds for Team in Training and to be apart of a thousand Ava’s journeys because this here and now, it matters and what we are doing now have never been more important than it is today.

With all my love, gratitude, and thanks

Mandy