Race Report: Caroline Rotherham digs deep in Mont Tremblant

A few years ago Caroline and I were doing some half mile intervals during a run at the beach. It was hot, flat, windy and paces were pretty fast. On the last one I notice she was tearing up and starting to cry. I asked her if she wanted to slow down or stop and she looked at me like I was the crazy one! At that moment I knew what a monster triathlete she was going to be and I knew she would win races, podium in Ironmans, go to Kona, literally whatever she wanted to achieve she could do it. She can take herself to the dark place and stay there longer than anyone I know. She wants to win deep down and is willing to make it hurt in training to win on race day. It’s possibly the thing I admire most about her.

I might be bias but Caroline pulled off one of the most well executed Ironman performances I’ve ever seen. Based on all the training we did I knew a top 3 in her age group was possible but putting everything together on race day is complicated. In a lot of ways Caroline is the perfect athlete. She has a short term memory, she’s very consistent in training, she’s quick to adjust her race plan when something goes wrong and she’s extremely tough when the racing starts to hurt. Notice that non of those things that make her “the perfect athlete” have anything to do with her physical abilities or athletic background. Talent doesn’t exist, there is only consistent hard work. Athletes love to call people “talented'“ because it gives them an excuse as to why they aren’t performing or why they aren’t achieving their goals. Triathlon is for everyone and everyone can achieve their goals if they do the work.

That being said here is her race report!

Training:

This will be somewhat long winded – so I apologize in advance, but you can’t start a race report without first covering the mental/physical state leading into the day.  At IMLP last year, I had trained with an online plan, and was essentially a cycling monster. During the race I rode from 16th to 2nd and then crumbled on the run (to the extent that a girl passing me jogging was told by her husband/sherpa “That’s the girl that was beating you and look at her, she’s falling apart”… right next to me…. Ouch).

So, I obviously never wanted that experience ever again, and made it clear to my husband/coach, Ben Rotherham. He concocted a plan that focused much more on swim volume (lots of >10,000m weeks) and run volume to build muscular endurance. I can’t overstate how valuable I think the 4k swims with paddle work and intentionally paced long runs were. We also figured out a plan for hydration and fuel that would keep my blood sugar as stable as possible and avoid as much cramping as can be avoided (#racingwithdiabetes).

By the time we got to the taper I was 1) exhausted, as is typical of Ironman training and 2) excited to race. The online plan I had done before made me feel mentally and physically burnt out by the time the race finally arrived, but this time I felt super confident in my run and prepared to be patient and strong. We eased back volume and worked on some race specific intensity, but my biggest doubts were on the cycling since that hadn’t been as purposeful of a focus this build.

Arrival in Canada:

Our arrival to Canada included some mandatory Zoom COVID testing for Ben, a little bit of an underwhelming expo, and lots of weather checking (forecast said all day storms for Sunday). I took the travel day off from training, instead walking around town and stretching out in a less physically taxing way. I did get in a few practice swims and a ride on the course in the days leading up, but chose not to run (and worry myself about some niggling pain or discomfort that always stresses me out in the days leading up to the race).

Race day!

Despite the forecast, we woke up to a beautiful day – glassy, calm water, only potentially for some scattered storms later in the day. I was mildly disappointed in the lack of cancelled swim, but it was nice to get to the swim start with Ben, my brother Tommy, Steve, and our new friend Garth. Water was 72 degrees, wetsuit legal for amateurs not pros. I focused on staying relaxed, taking long, strong pulls, and remembering that somewhere right around me in that lake my brother and Steve were swimming too, just like a normal swim practice – full of friendship! Felt really confident and smooth the whole time and walked out with a nearly 5 minute PR and 4th in AG. Thank you Ben for all the paddle workouts.

On the ride, the rain finally presented itself. It rained pretty hard for the first 80 minutes or so but then got warm and sunny for the remainder. I held solidly onto my power goal the entire time and didn’t get sucked into any games of leap frog with strangers that normally derail my race-pace strategy. My goal was to treat the ride as a steady state open buffet. I drank 6-7 bottles of fluid, peed on the move 4 times, and consumed an immense amount of calories. This wasn’t the standout bike I’d had in Placid, but I felt comfortable, well-fueled, and held my 4th place with the 3rd fastest ride of the day.

By the time you’re at the end of an Ironman ride, you’re so ready to be off the saddle you are psyched to run… but that feeling fades fast. I had been the most confident in my run leg, we had done so many purposeful long runs that had built great strength and endurance. I had run my way into 3rd and was feeling great through mile 8, but then on the climb back to town I was fading some and (I’ll pull the diabetes card) my blood sugar at been low for a while by the time I was at mile 11. I pulled up to an aid station and asked for all the soda they could give me. They filled a water bottle to the brim with flat coke (volunteers at Ironman races are the actual greatest of all time), and that rocket fuel kept me moving.

Mentally I had gotten to a spot of wanting the easy road though. I was walking all the hills, slogging along… and by the time I got to town I was back in 4th. Ben kept saying I should focus on damage control – taking in calories, hydrate, and run when I could – but I just wanted it to feel easy. It took me a few miles but eventually I was able to get my head back in the game and told myself 1) anyone who beats me is going to have to work for it (in an Ironman you never know if someone ahead of you just popped and is setting up to walk 13 miles, the race is never over) 2) don’t do the easy thing, grow a pair and stop being a *baby*.

Once I started moving again, I took in whatever was available at every aid station and caught back up to third. I finished super strong and happy. 11:09 overall, 4:05 marathon, only two minutes off a negative split Ironman marathon (a true unicorn), which I heavily attribute to Ben’s muscular endurance approach to the run training.

After IMLP I said I would never do one again, this year I’m already ready for what’s next.