Tenby, Pembrokeshire
11th September 2011.
10hrs 23 mins
58min swim, 5hr 49min bike, 3hr 22min marathon
7th M40-44 age-group and 55th overall (38th amateur overall).
1,500 started the race.
Qualified for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, October 2012!
TOTAL SWIM 3.8km 58:23
RANK at end of Swim 218
DIV.POS. at end of Swim 35
TOTAL BIKE 112 miles(5:49:32) 19.23 mi/hr
RANK at end of Bike 70
DIV.POS. at end of Bike 7
RUN SPLIT 1: 3.2 mi 3.2 mi (21:52) 6:50/mi
RUN SPLIT 2: 9.7 mi 6.5 mi (48:05) 7:23/mi
RUN SPLIT 3: 16.2 mi 6.5 mi (51:16) 7:53/mi
RUN SPLIT 4: 26.2 mi 10.0 mi (1:20:57) 8:05/mi
TOTAL RUN 26.2 mi (3:22:10) 7:42/mi
RANK at end of Run 55
DIV.POS. at end of Run 7
Ironman Wales in its inaugural year was a fantastic race with magnificent support from the people of Pembrokeshire. There has been a lot of commentary post-race stating that this is the toughest Ironman on the circuit. It is definitely up there with a tough sea swim, 2,500m elevation gain on the bike and 1,400ft elevation gain on the run. The remnants of Hurricane Katia also showed up causing a big sea swell and high winds throughout the day.
I managed to execute a near perfect race with a swim PB, run PB and my strongest bike ride to date. My focus and determination to win a Kona slot was off the charts. I concentrated on forward motion and catching/staying ahead of competitors in my age group, blocking out all other thought processes, emotions and sensations (including pain!). A huge mental exercise.
I had prepared and then prepared some more for this race (this one day of the year). 100% of my training was done solo. I did a lot of things differently this year. I maximised my time and made every training session count - having less time to train these days has forced me to modify everything.
I woke up at 5am every Sunday morning in Jan, Feb, Mar and Apr and was out riding by 5.30am in order to return home at a reasonable time. The only way to describe getting up and out of the house at that time on a Sunday in winter is 'brutal'! I didn't check the weather forecast, I was heading out no matter what. Those miles undoubtedly set me up for when my training really needed to count later in the year.
Kata and the kids were away in Finland for weeks 7,6,5 and 4 weeks out from race day. In this period, outside of work I did nothing else but sleep, eat and train. Most nights after work I was out until after dark and I trained all day on the weekends. This overload period culminated in one weekend comprising a Saturday 1hr swim followed by a 6hr 30 min, 120 mile, hilly bike ride and then repeating this swim/bike combination on the Sunday - two back-to-back 7hr 30min training days. This was followed by no training on the Monday to ensure maximum training load absorption and to avoid sickness - my aerobic system was on the edge after 15 hours of training in two days! Pulling off that weekend gave me a lot of confidence going into the race. Throughout these 4 weeks I focused on eating well and recovery - I am no cook but I became the anti-oxidant master with my food preparation! During these 4 weeks I went really deep in training and on many nights was totally pole-axed from the effort, reduced to lying down in a haze. On Kata and the kids' return I took a week off work and did virtually no training, apart from keeping systems working with specific short sessions. I then tapered down for race day for two weeks.
Race day dawned with some sunshine but a big swell out on the swim course and high winds. The gun went after the Welsh national anthem and we were off, diving into the breakers.
The swim course was easily the most challenging I have done. After the first buoy you were swimming into the swell and surrounded by an undulating wall of water throughout, at the same time being hit with oncoming waves. I'd written down multiple, key swim-technique points (and run technique points) that I have been working on and had read these over and over in the days leading up to the race. In the maelstrom of a race it is easy to forget this stuff but it was there in my mind and I swam faster for it. The sea was beautifully clean and sharply cold and the rough conditions made for an epic swim. The run to T1 was unusually long (1km) and there were crowds cheering all the way up the steep hill and narrow roads.
My bike ride was a monster (maybe 10 years in the making). 7th fastest in my age group and 55th fastest overall (including professionals). The bike course and conditions were challenging. Strong winds together with tough climbing. A total 2,500m elevation gain including a long 16% climb that we rode up twice. I was climbing well, staying seated on all the climbs with controlled breathing, and descending as fast as possible. I was in my own zone and pushing hard. Years of cycling in the North Downs in all weathers undoubtedly benefited me on all aspects of this course.
In the weeks leading up to the race I had researched my competition which was fierce. In the 40-44 division there were ex-professionals, full time triathletes, multiple Hawaii finishers etc etc. I hit the run course fully expecting to be in a serious foot-race with all of these guys! I decided before the race not to wear a watch and to run as fast as I could from the start of the marathon, gauging my effort versus how I was feeling and to not hold anything back for later in the run. The 4 loop course included 350ft elevation gain on each loop. I ran the first 3.5 miles in sub-3hr marathon pace and that included 350ft elevation gain, so I was FLYING. Later analysis showed that I pulled away from some key competition in the early stages of the marathon, this strategy paid off. Of course I had to maintain close to that pace for the duration of the marathon. I concentrated on technique at all times and felt very light-footed. By the second loop I knew where most of the top guys were and having them there, either behind me or up the road, made me push to the maximum. I knew that I couldn't let up at any point. The PB Ironman marathon on a very tough run course speaks for itself, it was a huge physical and mental effort. My run was 11th fastest in my age group and 66th fastest overall (incl pros). The relief at the finish line was more mental than physical. It had been an incredible race.
I gave it my all and left nothing out there on the marathon course
Confirmation of the outright Kona slot the morning after has still not sunk in. That moment had been in my mind for over a year and for it to actually happen was a little surreal. I line up next October 2012 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii with the 1,500 best Ironman triathletes on the planet!
