Well, that's it, I did it...I completed my first ever Ironman and it feels pretty good actually! Even though I'm not happy with my time, it was a decent effort on a pretty tough course and it was a steep learning curve!
It's fair to say that I didn't have the best build up to my first Ironman. Aside from my calf injury, sustained back in May, that refused to heal properly, the last few days before the race could have gone better too!
On the Friday before the race, me and my loyal clan of supporters (aka 'the family'), loaded up two cars and a trailer, and travelled to a campsite near Bolton. As soon as we got there, the good ol' British weather was doing its best to make life difficult. As my son and I tried to put our tent up, the wind picked up quite nicely and our 'pop up' tent was doing a great impression of a kite! But plenty of tent pegs and some super strong guy ropes made for a reasonably sturdy structure in the end. With the tent up and car unpacked, I left the family to it and drove to the Tri UK 'village' at Rivington to register, pick up my plethora of numbers, my transition bags and browse the Tri UK Expo. The car park at Rivington was an absolute quagmire and I needed a push out to escape the mud.
That night in the tent was possibly the worst night ever! Apart from our air bed slowly deflating, the wind blew and the rain lashed down remorselessly! The tent doors kept blowing open and the guy ropes needed re-pegging through the night! Needless to say we had no sleep whatsoever!
Saturday, it rained all morning....I went to the race venue to have a dip in the reservoir in the morning and got stuck in the car park...again! By the time I went back to the venue in the afternoon to rack my bike, the transition area was now looking dreadful. Racking our bikes in a muddy, sloppy field was just not funny and I was starting to have doubts and bad feelings about the whole race. Later that day the sun did manage to peek out from behind the clouds for a short while and with the family out for the afternoon, I was able to grab a 30 min power nap. That night the weather was a lot calmer but I still couldn't sleep.
Race day. Having laid awake all night, when 0230 finally rolled around, I got up to have my race brekky; porridge, peanut butter bagel and a croissant all washed down with 500ml of water with a Nuun tablet.
My Dad and my youngest son travelled with me to the start. We left at about 4am only to find the only official car park had been closed and we were expected to park at the Reebok stadium and get bussed back to the start! We had no time for that, so we looked for a suitable place to abandon the car for the day. We were very lucky to grab the very last space in a nearby pub car park!
After loading up my bike with drinks and food I made my way to the swim start. I was in the water for ages as we waited for everyone to get in. After some 'oggy, oggy oggies' we got under way about 10 mins late at 0610. I was in a bad spot for the start and had to barge and weave my way through some slower swimmers but once I got around the first turn I settled into a decent rhythm.
Out of the water, and there were plenty of spectators lining the long path up to T1 and they were making plenty of noise. I carried my bike out of T1 to avoid getting too much mud stuck to it and it was good to get a glimpse of my Dad and son before I set off on my bike.
The bike course was varied and interesting to say the least. Apart from the odd section of rough road, I enjoyed the route and it seemed to have a bit of everything; steep climbs, fast descents, twisty country lanes and roads which took us through housing estates with people on their front lawns clapping like crazy! It wasn't a particularly fast course, especially as the first few miles of each lap was a pretty energy sapping climb, but once that was out of the way the climbs after that weren't too bad. My first lap of the three was all about fuelling and I was feeling pretty good once I was warmed up and shook off the chill of the lake. At the end of each lap the spectators were awesome! It gave me a real buzz each time I passed through the mass of spectators who also lined the route all the way up the hill. At the start of lap 2 I had a bit of a nightmare. As I was climbing the 'big hill' I felt a familiar sharp pain in my calf. The only way I could ease the pain was to pedal with a 'flat foot', trying to keep my heel lower than my toes! Thankfully the pain didn't get any worse but I had to take it very steady up the hills on the last lap.
I had stuck to my fuelling plan throughout the bike leg but as it was quite cold, the amount of fluid I took on board must have been too much coz I had to stop at least a dozen times for a pee! Lesson learnt there!
I was more than happy to see T2 and hand my bike to the race crew to rack for me.
After wading through transition (following another toilet stop) It felt good to get in to my running shoes and out on the road as some nice Lancashire sunshine made an appearance. My calf was sore but not sore enough to really bother me. I got into a pace that felt slow but comfortable and when I hit the first feeding station I had a banquet...banana, pretzels and water. Most of the run felt ok. However, I think I ate too much early in the run and paid the price later on as I had to dive in to the porta loos (and a hedge!) a few times with some minor stomach issues! Another lesson learnt there!
With about 5 miles to go, my quads were feeling a tad stiff but I was generally feeling ok, even my calf was hanging in there! As a little 'test' I decided to push the pace a bit and this actually helped a lot as I felt a lot better. Once inside the last mile I could hear the 'finish line party' with the race commentator shouting competitors names out as they finished and the crowd going wild! That gave me a massive boost! I was grinning from ear to ear as I practically sprinted the last 800m through the city centre and down the finish chute passed they cheering crowds. In fact I was going so fast I didn't spot my family who had bagged front row seats and were waiting for me to milk my 'moment' and to 'high five' me! Ooops! Yet another lesson learnt!
I picked up my medal and T-shirt and was shepherded into the Town Hall to collect my bag of kit. I devoured 2 For Goodness Shakes and an Eat Natural Bar and stood in line for my tray of sarnies and chocolate muffins!
I now have a greater respect for the IM. Would I do another one? You betcha! But my next one will be somewhere warmer and flatter and I will definitely NOT be camping before a race again!!
It's fair to say that I didn't have the best build up to my first Ironman. Aside from my calf injury, sustained back in May, that refused to heal properly, the last few days before the race could have gone better too!
On the Friday before the race, me and my loyal clan of supporters (aka 'the family'), loaded up two cars and a trailer, and travelled to a campsite near Bolton. As soon as we got there, the good ol' British weather was doing its best to make life difficult. As my son and I tried to put our tent up, the wind picked up quite nicely and our 'pop up' tent was doing a great impression of a kite! But plenty of tent pegs and some super strong guy ropes made for a reasonably sturdy structure in the end. With the tent up and car unpacked, I left the family to it and drove to the Tri UK 'village' at Rivington to register, pick up my plethora of numbers, my transition bags and browse the Tri UK Expo. The car park at Rivington was an absolute quagmire and I needed a push out to escape the mud.
That night in the tent was possibly the worst night ever! Apart from our air bed slowly deflating, the wind blew and the rain lashed down remorselessly! The tent doors kept blowing open and the guy ropes needed re-pegging through the night! Needless to say we had no sleep whatsoever!
Saturday, it rained all morning....I went to the race venue to have a dip in the reservoir in the morning and got stuck in the car park...again! By the time I went back to the venue in the afternoon to rack my bike, the transition area was now looking dreadful. Racking our bikes in a muddy, sloppy field was just not funny and I was starting to have doubts and bad feelings about the whole race. Later that day the sun did manage to peek out from behind the clouds for a short while and with the family out for the afternoon, I was able to grab a 30 min power nap. That night the weather was a lot calmer but I still couldn't sleep.
Race day. Having laid awake all night, when 0230 finally rolled around, I got up to have my race brekky; porridge, peanut butter bagel and a croissant all washed down with 500ml of water with a Nuun tablet.
My Dad and my youngest son travelled with me to the start. We left at about 4am only to find the only official car park had been closed and we were expected to park at the Reebok stadium and get bussed back to the start! We had no time for that, so we looked for a suitable place to abandon the car for the day. We were very lucky to grab the very last space in a nearby pub car park!
After loading up my bike with drinks and food I made my way to the swim start. I was in the water for ages as we waited for everyone to get in. After some 'oggy, oggy oggies' we got under way about 10 mins late at 0610. I was in a bad spot for the start and had to barge and weave my way through some slower swimmers but once I got around the first turn I settled into a decent rhythm.
Out of the water, and there were plenty of spectators lining the long path up to T1 and they were making plenty of noise. I carried my bike out of T1 to avoid getting too much mud stuck to it and it was good to get a glimpse of my Dad and son before I set off on my bike.
The bike course was varied and interesting to say the least. Apart from the odd section of rough road, I enjoyed the route and it seemed to have a bit of everything; steep climbs, fast descents, twisty country lanes and roads which took us through housing estates with people on their front lawns clapping like crazy! It wasn't a particularly fast course, especially as the first few miles of each lap was a pretty energy sapping climb, but once that was out of the way the climbs after that weren't too bad. My first lap of the three was all about fuelling and I was feeling pretty good once I was warmed up and shook off the chill of the lake. At the end of each lap the spectators were awesome! It gave me a real buzz each time I passed through the mass of spectators who also lined the route all the way up the hill. At the start of lap 2 I had a bit of a nightmare. As I was climbing the 'big hill' I felt a familiar sharp pain in my calf. The only way I could ease the pain was to pedal with a 'flat foot', trying to keep my heel lower than my toes! Thankfully the pain didn't get any worse but I had to take it very steady up the hills on the last lap.
I had stuck to my fuelling plan throughout the bike leg but as it was quite cold, the amount of fluid I took on board must have been too much coz I had to stop at least a dozen times for a pee! Lesson learnt there!
I was more than happy to see T2 and hand my bike to the race crew to rack for me.
After wading through transition (following another toilet stop) It felt good to get in to my running shoes and out on the road as some nice Lancashire sunshine made an appearance. My calf was sore but not sore enough to really bother me. I got into a pace that felt slow but comfortable and when I hit the first feeding station I had a banquet...banana, pretzels and water. Most of the run felt ok. However, I think I ate too much early in the run and paid the price later on as I had to dive in to the porta loos (and a hedge!) a few times with some minor stomach issues! Another lesson learnt there!
With about 5 miles to go, my quads were feeling a tad stiff but I was generally feeling ok, even my calf was hanging in there! As a little 'test' I decided to push the pace a bit and this actually helped a lot as I felt a lot better. Once inside the last mile I could hear the 'finish line party' with the race commentator shouting competitors names out as they finished and the crowd going wild! That gave me a massive boost! I was grinning from ear to ear as I practically sprinted the last 800m through the city centre and down the finish chute passed they cheering crowds. In fact I was going so fast I didn't spot my family who had bagged front row seats and were waiting for me to milk my 'moment' and to 'high five' me! Ooops! Yet another lesson learnt!
I picked up my medal and T-shirt and was shepherded into the Town Hall to collect my bag of kit. I devoured 2 For Goodness Shakes and an Eat Natural Bar and stood in line for my tray of sarnies and chocolate muffins!I now have a greater respect for the IM. Would I do another one? You betcha! But my next one will be somewhere warmer and flatter and I will definitely NOT be camping before a race again!!
My supporters were absolutely brilliant and really helped me push on when I was flagging and as you can see from the pic, its a long day for them too....!
Train and recover well.
