Ironman Australia –
Sunday, May 1 2016
Well that’s it, another season done, and Ironman #5
completed, and if it proves one thing correct, it’s that consistency pays off.
I’ve done this race 4 times now, with a Melbourne IM squished in the middle,
and each time so far I have dropped my time down… I really hope I can continue
that trend for at least a few more years to come.
When is #6? Who knows? It’s not been the provisional plan to
do one next year. The plan was to switch back to OD racing after the Ironman
70.3 World Championships in September and focus on winning my Australians
colours for the ITU season grand finale on the Gold Coast in 2018. After
finishing this race so well though, I am finding that decision tough to
justify… to just ditch all that built up endurance and strength, for the smash
and grab weight loss racing of Olympic Distance… to be discussed internally and
with the Coach and wife later on.
To Port Macquarie though, I made the decision after 3 x 70.3
late last year that I needed help. I was busted after Ballarat 70.3 in
December. Physically knackered and mentally drained. EVERYTHING went into those
races (and I mean everything!) in my attempt to qualify for the World Champs in
September this year and I had nothing left. Thankfully, even though I only
finished 9th in Ballarat, it was enough and I punched my ticket…
because in coming 9th I was somewhat disappointed. In finishing
chute in Ballarat my legs actually buckled… there was nothing left. There were
no mishaps in the race... I swam well, I rode well, and I ran well… I was
stoked with how it went actually. It was the best race I could put together…
all my strength and endurance all rolled out in this great effort… and 9th
was the best I could muster. 9th would not be enough… I’d have to
back up and go to Geelong… why bother… this is the best that I can do… there is
physically no more this body can do. I can’t even walk.
Hayden Armstrong. There’s a name I have seen before… 35-39
killer… AG killer… sub 4hrs as an Age Grouper... 5th overall for
Ballarat (including the Pro field) and winner of the 35-39’s by a country mile.
How the fire truck does he do it? Who coaches him? The mind boggles how anyone
is capable of going that fast! Anyhoo, a few days later it had me on the search
for the right person to seek help from… and I kept coming back to one person
who struck a chord with what I had read.
Enter, Grant Giles. Team Aeromax, I’m in.
The consistency that has been added to my training since the
moment I started in January has been phenomenal. Each week carefully planned
out and executed. Slowly building a strength base (physically and mentally)
until 4 to 6 weeks out from Port Mac I am suddenly training up around 20+ hours
a week regularly with no side effects and not even a hint of injury. Love it,
love the grind and graft. Perhaps I shouldn’t say that out loud…
Ok, I’ve digressed enough already… back to Port. Perfect
location, nice and close, staying with 4 animals and my lovely wife. Lots of
experience in the joint… laughs, hints and tips being thrown around everywhere,
most notably, and deservedly so by the new 60-65 Port IM race record holder
Brett Stewart. Very much appreciated… and also appreciated the use of his many
various rollers and torture devices to get my muscles even more ready!
All soaked up…
registrations and pre race sessions done, it’s time to get down to business.
Sleep the night before was perfect. 6.5 to 7 hours clear
sleep with no wake ups. First time ever… geesus; I must be in a much clearer
frame of mind than in previous IM’s for that to happen. Normally I’m tossing
and turning all night, getting up for a leak etc… not this time though… bed…
sleep… wake up to Animals prowling and squawking in the kitchen 1min before my
alarm was due to go off! It’s funny, I had mentioned to the missus in the
immediate days before that I wasn’t sure if I was being too blasé about the
race, or naïve, or just slightly arrogant… but I was ready to race, I wasn’t
panicking at all, and I had everything I needed ready to go. Sure, I went out
and bought a few supplies, but they weren’t necessary… I just bought them
because that’s what you do at IM races… you buy new stuff and walk around with
all the other peacocks at the Expo!
I got kitted up, had my breaky at the last minute as I
always try to have it bang on 2 hours before race start (which is the exact
time the lads wanted to leave) and visited the WC just before exiting. Disappointing
really, we’ll try that again in the porta-loos. Parked reasonably close for an
IM, quick walk to Transition and in I go… who should be standing right in front
of me on the other side of the Transition poles… Zim! Perfect… now there is no
stress with pumping up the disc with help right here. All done… too easy. I am
calm… Transition was set up easy… almost too easy… and we head back to the car
and the race start.
Quick trip to the loo, then off for my warm up jog. 10mins
of jogging out onto the road then up and back down the main street… bouncing
along, striding, stretching, and all manner of twisting and turning in order to
get me ready to roll. Seriously casual stuff just to be with my thoughts for
the day and to loosen up.
Spotted a few CCTRI… handshakes done then it’s wetsuit up
time before getting into position for the swim start.
I chose to start in the sub 60 group for racing reasons…
simple as that… and probably much to the disdain of the actual sub 60 swimmers!
Fck em. Sub 60 is where I see myself and it’s where I wanted to be… I chose the
group (4/5ths of the way to the back of the group) so I could use those fast
swimmers to drag me around the course as far as possible. I’ll give it some gas
and see how far I can hang on. It didn’t quite work out like that BUT gee it
was a helluva lot more comfortable swim than last year when I started on the
front line of the 60-70min swimmers and I had heroes swimming over me left
right and centre at the start. This swim… starting toward the back of the sub
60’s was as smooth a swim as I have ever had in any race. Not once was I swam
over... not once was I hit, kicked, grabbed etc… It was just smooth sailing and
I was able to grab on and sit on feet quite easily.
The swim for me was easy… I cruised through with some
effort, but not too much. In hindsight… maybe I should start even just a little
bit further forward and try to grab some even faster feet?? As it stands, I
grabbed the feet of anyone who passed me and just sat there… I probably had
about 4 or 5 lead out men for the whole swim and very rarely was I left
stranded swimming solo. In hindsight again… maybe I should have put in MORE
effort in an attempt to get a better time??? This swim was seriously a cake
walk and I was able to get out of the water running into T1. I’ll note
here that I did actually pass 2 people on my way to a 3:07:07 T1. Not lightning
quick as I did drop a couple of things… but all in all it wasn’t that bad…
especially when I look back to Melbourne a few years ago!!
SWIM – 1:01:19 – A NEW IM PB!
Out onto the ride. I used Mr Stewart’s advice and ran from
the tent to my bike with shoes in hand and put them on there. Much easier to
run in bare feet than with cleated shoes… locked in. The other tip I have for
the punters out there is to put anything you intend on putting in your pockets…
assuming it’s not that much… is to put it in a small bag… or elastic band and
just shove it all in at once. You can sort that shit out later when riding a
downhill or flat section. Just reach back and sort one thing out at a time.
A clean mount and off we go!
Up the first hill out to Matthew Finders… spinning easy (as
best I can) for the adrenalin filled start of an IM bike ride! I don’t recall
too much about my numbers and the people around me during this ride… and I even
did NOT stick to a stringent nutrition ie. Must take this every 20 mins, or
must drink that every 32.5mins etc… my plan was simple. 2 bidons of liquid fuel on the bike, 2 more in special needs… approximately one bidon per hour with
water and one gel per hour to supplement. It’s a simple plan, uncomplicated…
easy to follow in what can be the high stakes pressure cooker that racing can bring on… even if I don’t
think pressure was going to get to me on this particular day, I eliminated the
risk.
I did take one change into the race with me that could have
backfired if I was a sensitive soul. I purchased, AND USED, an untested aero
bottle on the front of my bike. A brand new Profile Design FC25… essentially I
saw it as low risk. I have had many incarnations of aero bottles on my bike…
this was just another one… what could go wrong? Anyhoo, I had 3 gels in my back
pocket that I transferred to the fuel section of the aero bottle (there’s a
little nook at the back of it behind the actual bottle)… immediately one gel
exited stage left on the first bump I hit… leaving me with 2 gels (I had 3 in a
flask velcro’d to the top tube… hence only 3 in my pocket). I shoved those
tight into the nook… 1km later… #2 gel falls to the wayside. Clown. I grab the
last gel and put it back in my pocket… lesson learned… secure the nook or take
it off! All good… my guts aren’t that sensitive to anything sugar so I simply
grabbed a couple of spares when going through the next few aid stations… just
in case, and I would have those at sections where the exertion levels might be
down a little ie. A flat or downhill.
Out to Dunbogan, Laurieton etc... I kept the monitoring
myself to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard or taking it too easy. Not
necessarily looking at the Garmin, but more so just mentally checking my quads
weren’t burning or my heart wasn’t racing… If I was coasting, and quick look at
the HR and/or Power to confirm and I’d up the ante, or if I felt I was working
hard and the HR confirmed I was knocking over 80-85% then it was probably best
to be mindful. I let myself fly on the odd occasion… and I also held back when
I thought it best. In short, I rode at a comfortable working pace. Not easy by
any stretch, but not a threshold set either by any means. I honestly thought
after lap 1 that I was in for a 5:15hr - 5:20hr… even though during Lap 1 I did
start to notice a few drops of rain coming more and more. 2:37hrs for Lap 1.
Perfect.
Lap 2 started much the same... spin up and out of town. Give
Lighthouse a little stick while avoiding potholes and turn left at the
roundabout to get going toward Ocean Road. The rain started picking up a little
more now, as did the wind. It wasn’t awful though… just annoying... and it did
slow things down a little at times. I didn’t slow down on purpose for anything
except the turn corners and street turns at Dunbogan and Laurieton, so it
wasn’t that bad really. I did stop for a leak out near the turnaround… so
strike a minute from my time there… but it was raining already… windy… I didn’t
feel like adding piss to my knicks and socks just to top off what was already
starting to look like an uncomfortable run coming up (weather wise)!
A reasonably uneventful back 90km if I am honest. I did have
2 clowns try to play games with me around Lake Cathie on the way back… one
looking over his shoulder then teaming up with the other to draft each other
and try to get away from me… really though, what is the point? Sorry… but I
have just caught up to you, I am clearly finishing this ride stronger than you…
so why bother trying to pick up the pace and ride away from me??? Please. Sorry
Gilesy, but I let them have a little futile for about 5mins as I sat 20m-30m
back… and then I just thought fck em, and put my foot down. A quick burst and
within about 90secs the tables were turned and it was them trailing me and
dropping farther back by the second. I eased up back into race pace and before
I knew it, after this little foraying into racing mode, I was at the end of
Ocean Rd and into the rollers just before the Lighthouse Beach turn.
Matthew Flinders had the worry of the tyres slipping out
from under me… but all ok there. I got up with no fuss at all and rolled on to
the finish. My tip for Flinders? Ride up the right hand side… then with 5m to
go, cut over to the left hand turn… you basically just cut 5m of climbing off
it… not only that, it is at the steepest part as well… so you’ve just saved a
few heart beats for later in the run.
Back to transition, feet out of the shoes and jump off the
bike… plenty of energy, quads heavy but not wobbly… I run.
My bag was standing out like a beacon on the hooks so I was
able to sprint past and just grab it off in full stride. I was going so fast I
nearly bowled straight into the women’s transition! Given this was a 1:05min
Transition I don’t really have much to say… 2nd in the AG for T2
speed… and I could easily have gone under a minute had I not had an overly
enthusiastic helper who tipped all my stuff out! All good, he was only trying
to help… however I had everything bar my runners in a plastic bag which I was
just going to grab and run with. I quickly picked it all up and I was gone…
sunscreen? They asked…err… no thanks (it was raining)… vasso? No thanks… got it
already.
Off and running. I had moved up from 45th in T1
to 26th out of T2.
BIKE 5:25:15 (Lap 1 - 2:37hrs / Lap 2
– 2:48hrs) – 3 mins off PB time
Off I went, kitting up as I went. Hat first, then belt and
fuel + nurofen & stop cramp for emergencies. Already had vasso in pocket.
My strategy in Port is simple… carry as minimal as possible. There are 4 laps
and you have access to Special needs each and every lap. I carry enough fuel
for 1 lap, then I get my next laps fuel handed to me on the run each lap… I am
surprised more don’t do it, as the helpers are more than obliging to get out
what you want and hand it to you on the run. Simply call out your number loud,
wait to see who responds then yell out (politely) what you want… simple.
The first thing I noticed out of T2 was the water… on the
paths, in the grass, on the road… and mud which was already forming in parts. I
was at first a little annoyed that I hadn’t put a change of socks in my T2 bag,
but that was soon gone after about 2km when the socks were already re-soaked
again due to the puddles :-)
The second thing I noticed was burning calves... it didnt last much further than the climb at the town end... but it was there at that stage. Similar to the feeling of a torn calf muscle actually... or trying to run out a cork?
The second thing I noticed was burning calves... it didnt last much further than the climb at the town end... but it was there at that stage. Similar to the feeling of a torn calf muscle actually... or trying to run out a cork?
Forgetting this early sensation, I ran and ran well in the conditions presented. I just tried
to stick at a comfortable tempo pace that I thought I could hold for the entire
42.2km. Most of the time I looked down and saw 4:40 pace… or close to it… 4:42,
4:43, 4:41… It was always there or thereabouts. Nutrition plan for the day was
now in phase 3… after breaky and the Bike… the plan was coming together. On the
bike I had the carbs in my bidons. Why? Because 20+ gels all day in an IM
can go from “not bad”… to “fcking awful” pretty quick (and thats despite how palatable the Pro4mance range is!) especially when you
get to the run and you’re trying to throw those badboys down… and liquid is
just so much easier to consume with riding rather than trying to wrestle 1000
gels.
I normally end up
ditching all thoughts of gel and having just water by the time I get over the
20km mark of the run... Not today though my friends… my guts were good to go
after having just a few gels on the bike and I consumed on average 3 per hour
in the run very easily.
Laps 1 and 2 I saw a whole host of Coasties, I low fived a
few, hollered at a few… and made note of a few positions as markers for my own
running pace. Lap 2 also saw the death of my Garmin. WTF is that all about?!?!
18.69km and my running buddy just upped and left me in the dark! Oh well… I was
running on feel from there on in. Surprisingly it didn’t bother me too much. My
training had seen me not look at the Garmin in many sessions so I kinda had a
good feel of how I should be feeling for an IM paced run. I think I slowed a
little on Lap 3 but it wasn’t really that noticeable as my markers that I was
keeping tabs on were where I expected them to be… one foot in front of the
other I ploughed on.. a few little cramp twinges in the hammys started
appearing so the Cramp Stop came out from this point on… a spray here and there
every few kms kept the cramping at bay, plus a couple of nurofen for good
measure for my tiring ITBs (which had been a little uncomfortable in race week
for some reason) and I was able to keep a decent pace. It was toward the end of
Lap 3… coming back past Transition that I started to really fire up… no Garmin
so I wasn’t 100% accurate on how far there was to go, but I didn’t have to be a
genius to know it’s a 4 lap run covering 42.2km and I only had 1 lap to go…
10.5km give or take.
Keep strong buddy.
I felt good… yeah, of course I was hurting... it’s an IM…
but I wasn’t in agony and I was still running. In fact I walked just once in
the entire 42.2km and that was at the far turnaround at settlement point while
I had to wait for a couple of people to get around the witches hat… I walked
and fck me it was hard to start running again… so why stop if I don’t need to!
Actually I did stop one other time. Lap 3 I think? Something in my shoe that
was rubbing my foot raw… it had to come out. 15secs tops.
Up the hill on Lap 4 and down the other side, surprisingly I
am still overtaking people at this stage… who were these people to be going so
slow now after being in front for this long?… surely I should have been ahead
of them already…I was literally passing some of these Sub 10 candidates with
ease as their race came to an end. It was strange to me to see some go that
strong for that long and then with the finish line in sight… that is when they
decide they cannot finish it off. For me, even if I am on deaths door in a race
the finish line is always a huge motivator to get the job done… 10km to go…
45min… 9km to go… 40min… keep going… hurt yourself for just another 15mins and
its over… or something like that.
I see Zim not far from the far turnaround at Settlement
Point… “shall I wait?” he yells out… “don’t you fckn dare” I think internally…
and mutter something illegible out loud. Hahaha he got the message and bowled
on to the finish line as he should. Hahaha mate, I am glad you saw the funny
side of it… coz I thought it was funny, and a perfect end to the race to be
honest. I hammered 3:34min pace for that final few kilometres from settlement
point… and you know what… you did too my son, because I did not catch you,
nor did I even see you!
Just goes to show what we / YOU are capable of on the run
huh.
Over the line, hands on knees… helpers please.
Missed a Port run PB by 6secs. In those conditions, I think
it’s more than acceptable. I don’t mind running in the rain… I am not a regular
mud runner though so that took some sting out of my run pace. Between that and
the constant dodging of others trying to avoid the puddles, I felt I ran strong
and I felt I ran well. I thought I was going to run faster… say towards the
3:13hr mark… and maybe I could and should have… but on the day I was happy with
my run.
RUN 3:23:41
The only question I leave myself with for not only the run,
but the entire race is: Should I have gone harder and faster at all in any of
the race? For the entire time I thought I was moving at race pace, but in the
end, I still had a burst of Power to give on the bike with 20km to go… and I
still had it in the tank to run 3:34 pace for the final couple of kilometres on
the run… and the swim was solid but essentially easy. I exited the Swim and the
Ride legs both running to the next… and while I think that’s great and I felt
awesome at the time, I don’t ever want to finish a race with too much in the
tank. I certainly didn’t feel like I had heaps in the tank left… but the speed
bursts were there when I wanted them… so maybe I did?
Overall satisfaction levels now a week later. Slightly
wondering what might have been had I not stopped for a leak, stopped to piss,
had my run gear tipped everywhere, fixed my shoes etc… 3:40mins is all I missed
out on a Kona slot by… and as silly as it sounds, I could have swam faster had
I known… I could have biked harder for just a few minutes… and I could have
sprinted for home 2km earlier… what if… what if… what if… don’t get me wrong
though, I am not pining over it, it’s just those fleeting milliseconds you
think you yourself…gee, that was bloody close… I could have been booking my
airfares to bloody Hawaii this week!
What I will say though is that I am VERY SATISFIED with my
overall progress. The weather wasn’t great on the 2nd half of the
bike leg… the conditions were certainly not ideal on the run leg…and I went into this race on about a 5 weeks solid
block of IM training where I logged up 17 to 22hrs solid and consistently… AND
I finished in great shape with a 10minute Port Mac PB to boot… yes, a 10min
Port Mac PB in conditions that I would rate as a 10min handicap compared to
last year is awesome… and if I am honest, I have even now, pulled up in great
shape and feel I could get straight back into it all again next week. A little
residual fatigue and wife are the only barriers really J
As for IM? The original plan was to move on after this…
concentrate on Ironman 70.3 World Champs on the Sunshine Coast first… then
maybe Western Sydney (as it’s the “local” race), but after that I was going to turn
my attention to Olympic Distance racing with 2 eyes firmly on making the
Australian Team for Gold Coast ITU 2018…use my 10km run pace to full effect… we’ll
see though. I don’t think I am too bad at this IM stuff and I think I can get
better despite the hours it does take me away from the family while training.
The Aus team has been a goal for a while now… but so has Kona and / or a top 3
finish in a major IM/70.3 race… which way to go? That is a discussion for me,
the wife, and the coach another time.
Very much looking forward to training for Sunshine Coast
now… not so much the winter riding and the freezing toes and fingers… or the
running from pool deck to the change room at 6am… but very much keen to see
what Gilesy and I can continue to build and extract from this engine over the
next few months… oh, and a new Cervelo P5 won’t hurt ;)
OVERALL TIME –
9:54.29hr
THANKS!
Usual thanks to all who helped me this season: the Wife and
kids (and parents) for all their help and understanding… the again wife for
letting me buy a new bike as I chase Sunshine Coast… Colin Leeson from TLR
Performance wheels, once again; they didn’t let me down… Pro4mance Nutrition
for the huge discounts I get on their fantastic energy gels, hydration and protein; Titan
Performance Group, in particular Wade Burns for working through my custom kit
ideas… as painstaking as I made it for him… and for selling me the Cervelo P5
at the best possible price I could get… and of course Gilesy, through Aeromax
Coaching. Love it. It’s been a breath of fresh air to take the stress of
planning out my own training programming and letting someone else do it for a
change. Cheers all.
