Pain is just French for bread, an IRONMAN race report (Guest post)

by Cheryl MacLachlan

I went into IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France knowing that the demanding bike ride might make my 5th IRONMAN my slowest, something I found strangely freeing.

While I was nervous, I found myself coming into the day with an approach opposite of what a lot of people would expect at a world championship. Rather than attempt to “leave it all out there”, I went in telling myself that I was just going for a little dip in the ocean and a toodle on my bike in the mountains, followed by an evening jog. 🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️

I had fun in the wavy ocean swim in my wetsuit. I surprised even myself when I was able to hold onto that vibe even as plenty of women passed me on the bike, many huffing and puffing up the mountains on the bike course. I enjoyed passing some of them back on the descents, which were my favourite part of the day. Then, I went into the run and did it my way.

At times, I like to experiment and see what happens if I push and dare to blow up. I understand the desire to seek your limits, but in a race as long as an IRONMAN, sometimes that looks like holding yourself back—a skill that takes a lot of self-control and confidence. One of the things I’m most proud of in this sport is the ability to be consistent. This finish at 12:50:21 is in between my other finishing times and perhaps this is the race I feel I did the best job of staying positive and executing the way I wanted to. I strive to stay humble and of course there are things I can improve, but man this one feels good! Don’t worry, though, it still hurt.

I’m so grateful for how things came together, for everyone who wished me luck and tracked me, for @brent315 nailing his support duties and for the community of @teamtrespinas . Yesterday was about celebrating what my body is capable of, enjoying the scenery and saving something so I could not just finish, but finish joyfully.

Cheryl MacLachlan is an endurance athlete, teacher and coach living in London, ON. She is always looking for another bike and loves her dog Walter, books and writing.