Ironman recap

Where the heck is Coeur D'Alene, Idaho? Up by Spokane that is, or in the skinny upper part of its state. Anyway, they had a record snowpack this year so the melting snow/ice provided for a late spring and colder than normal lake temps. Regardless, I had some allergies and numb hands and feet to deal with. I dealt with the former by getting adjusted by a chiro at the expo, upping my water intake, and using some AMA approved "stuff". The air temps were fantastic though, averaging in the mid 70's during our stay, and there isn't much humidity so I was a happy racer.
You begin the swim with 2700 of your closest triathlon friends(100+ of which were pulled out of the water with hypothermia, even with a wetsuit on) and chop your way around 1.2 miles of buoys, which you repeat once after running onto the beach and over a timing mat. I was in a groove on the first lap, swimming 27 minutes relaxed, but got numb and tight on the second lap, swimming 29 minutes, and getting caught by the fastest women's swimmer. Out of the water, the folks were eager to help pull off your wetsuit, however my folks pulled different directions and my hamstring cramped up. I lay there momentarily until it subsided, and then ran off to find my bike gear and get changed.
Onto the bike, I couldn't feel my feet but quickly started tapping out a solid cadence and found a rhythm. I had a great first 56 miles of rollers and hills, coming through in 2:36, but then an IT band issue started to affect my left knee and I was left with one leg to power up the remaining lap's inclines. I chalk this up to not enough massage work, improper gearing, and a need to change my seat tilt a bit, easy to correct. Additionally, for anyone looking to do this race, make sure you have a 39 small chain ring or smaller. I ride a 54/42 crankset, and the 42 is a little too much for these hills, as I was not able to spin comfortably with a 25 rear cassette ring. I finished the second lap in 2:48, which was ok with one climbing leg but not my goal. I did nail my nutrition on the bike so I figured the run would go fine.
The run started out well, finding a comfortable pace of 8:30ish, and continuing to stay hydrated and fed. The gels started to not go down too well, and I hit a GI distress point on the way back to town on the first of two laps. I tried to force the gels down until mile 14, when I had to walk/jog/walk a few miles until I discovered a miraculous thing called Cola. Having lived in Atlanta near the Coca Cola Bottling Company, I am ashamed that it took me so long to drink the famous Cola during my race. The sugar and caffeine picked me up and I flew the last 7-8 miles, finishing in a faster pace than I had gone all day. I passed racer after struggling racer in those last miles to finish in 10:37, which I feel is a respectable beginning to my Ironman experience. My awesome wife Tiffany, of now 5 years, was waiting for me at the finish in the VIP tent, so I was excited to lean on her and tell her how happy I was the day was over and how I would never ever do another Ironman. Two hours later, I was dissecting my race and planning out how I would fix my issues for future Ironman races, c'est la vie pour un Ironman!