Ironman Lanzarote 2013 (3rd weekend in May?)

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Comments

  • Fab to know you're still in the game, OC x

     

  • its 2 days after the event and there is only 1 race report "shocking"

     

  • Where is everyone?! Hope they are all ok? Did they find their way back from the bar or should we send out search parties ??

  • GingerG wrote (see)

    Where is everyone?! Hope they are all ok? Did they find their way back from the bar or should we send out search parties ??


    image I've just realised that 'Parties' is an anagram of 'Pirates'!! image image

  • Top racing, OC. Cool report too. And you could have been so much quicker without the time taken in T1 to wash all the salt from your locks.

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭

    are they all still pissed???  image

    well done OC - and maybe it's time to give the knees a break now!

  • Great report OC, loving the humour through the pain. image  Well done u. 

  • Currently sat by pool chilling image

    Amazing day, cheers for arm chair support, Internet here is bit shite as is phone will do a report when I get home, time for cider now nom nom nom ...

  • Oh well we'll let you off then Pingu! Enjoy the cider image

     

  • Mini report from me.  Bigger one with a few pics etc. coming hopefully later this week...

    Bloody hell what a day. I had a good swim at what seems to be my standard IM pace and did just under 1:05. Bike was great and I felt strong throughout to finish in 6:04. As for the run.. First half was great, then I had to work hard to stop myself falling to pieces. Oh it was tough. I threw out thoughts of sub 11 but a couple of people nearby including a friend who I do parkrun with (and persuaded me to do lanza in the first place) gave me the belief that it was possible. So I dug deep and somehow pulled off a 3:38 run to finish in 10:57:02. 

    What a race.

  • Fantastic Funkin! What a stonking time image looking forward to the full report! Ejoy the rest of your stay

  • sub 11 at lanza, slaps hand to head, I thought we were meant to be no good at this triathlon lark

    Awesome performance Funkin

     

     

  • Great report and performance OC!

    However, I demand more race reports. Now. 

    image

     

     

  • Well done OC and a great report.

  • Fantastic performances there guys - and great reports OC and Funkin.

    Wish I could have been there to see it.
  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    I decided that I wouldn’t write a race report.  How many times can you re-tell ‘swim a bit, bike a bit, run a bit’ but then I decided it’s a good excuse to talk about me for a while and who doesn’t enjoy that?  So here goes…

    Preamble
    2012 wasn’t my year.  I got fat and miserable, busy at work and training suffered.  Therefore Outlaw became about just enjoying the day.  This, coupled with going too hard on the bike course causing me to have nothing left for the run, all in all it was a pretty crap day.  Therefore I felt vindicated in my decision to have a year off in 2013.  However, I made a few life changes, started to lose weight, gave up a voluntary position and by August it became pretty obvious that I didn’t want a year off in 2013. Lanza has always been on my list, so I signed up just before it filled.

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Training
    Work (darn it) got busy AGAIN in January so I had to be really strategic about my sessions.  Discussing this with my mentor meant that I was able to do the best I could with the time I had available and this meant not really missing any long bikes or runs (yes, in spite of the dreadful, dreadful weather).  I went into the race almost 35lbs lighter than at Outlaw and I’d done the best I could with limited training.  I had gold, silver and bronze goals and I was off with my race plan.

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Race day – swim
    Meldy and I remembered to set an alarm this year, so at least we got out of bed on time….

    Meldy, Slagiatt, Raf, Dermott and I started quite near the back to avoid the scrum.  In fact, Meldy and I really held back and it probably took is 2/3 mins to even get in the water.  Whilst I never found completely free water, nor a decent draft on either lap I have to say I really enjoyed the swim.  I ended up in a central position near to the rope and only suffered one punch in the face for it.  I swam easy and I was very happy when I came out for the first lap sooner than expected.  Waddled to the mat and sploshed back in for lap 2.  Engaged a slightly higher gear and made it around again safe enough.  Transitions were the most spread out and longest I have ever seen, so I was disappointed with my T1 time.  That said, it may have been quicker if I hadn’t lost my gloves, found them, dropped one and then bumped into Meldy whereupon we did what can only be described as ‘saunter’ along the racking to our steeds.  Oh and it was hissing down with rain and freezing cold.  This is Lanzarote, right? We’d not swum back to the UK?  Anyway…

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Race day – bike
    I found myself laughing rather manically to myself as I rode out of town cold, with my rain jacket on and rain dripping off my nose.  This slight hysteria continued for about the next 40 miles during which I was blown around on my bike from every possible direction, apart from a tailwind.  It became clear that this was going to be no easy bike, in fact I had completely underestimated the bike course.  Fortunately I had the presence of mind to mentally revise my goals and sit in for what was going to be a very long bike split.  I remembered not to fight the wind and to just watch my HR (I don’t have a power meter so that’s what I have to work with) and ensure that it didn’t go too high and that I kept in easy gears with a nice high cadence.  I battled on, using my usual strategy of singing to myself.  The weather improved so I had to stop and remove my rain jacket, having been a boil in the bag Mousey for a little longer than I should have allowed myself to be. 

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Unfortunately at about 60 miles I had a sense of humour failure about the bike course from which I never really recovered.  It just seemed to me that the whole thing was uphill into a head wind. I was seriously hacked off with the wind on the switchback descent.  I felt I had no reward for my hard work on the climbs. I carried on with HR watching, keeping the riding under control etc etc but I was starting to doubt my capabilities.  I honestly thought I was up to this bike.  It’s not the fact that it’s hilly, I do a lot of hilly cycling.  It’s that it’s hilly, hot, not a great road surface and windy. Did I mention the wind?  I was just fighting on every corner.  I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to pull out. 

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    I did have a few glory moments.  I was proud that I overtook 5 men walking up the Mirador when I was still riding but I was so fed up.  Fortunately my knight in shining lycra appeared in Hokori who called my name as I was stopped at the feedstation at the top.  I asked him if that was the last climb and he kindly took a moment or two to talk me through the rest of the bike course.  I honestly think he made the last part of the bike for me.  I was all for packing up and going home but he made me believe I could finish. So on we went, in fact we FLEW off the Mirador, finally some downhill.  Oh, wait, another incline. Super!  More sense of humour failure so I started to go through my pulling out options.  I concluded that if I was going to bail, I could limp home on the bike and then not start the run.  Then I revised said conclusion and thought that if I could get in with 6 hours I’d start the run and see how it went, if I had no legs, I’d pull out.  It was only at about 100 miles when there was finally a bit of tailwind and some downhill that I thought I might finish this flipping race, the rest of the ride passed without incident. 

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Before I move onto the run, I must also mention the other upside of the bike which was passing back and forth with Meldy and Slagiatt, we always had a little comment for each other and that really means a lot.  I came into T2 to a fantastic riot of pirate support and flag waving, extremely grateful to have it over with.  A special mention here too for “Pop Up” Schmunkee who just kept appearing randomly on the bike course throughout the day. 

    I would describe my T2 as shell shocked.  I went into the change tent and just sat there.  I couldn’t really decide what to do next and sat with a glazed expression on my face whilst a lovely helper lady smeared me in gloop telling me I was rather red already.  Eventually I dragged my sorry backside up and went out to the run…. 

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Race day – run
    For every bit that my bike was horrid, my run was great.  It started proper bad, mind you.  I’d packed too much stuff in my pocket and I had to find someone to offload the extra top and gels I’d got or I was going to put my back out if I tried to run.  That said, running was the furthest thing from my mind as I felt like poop.  Luckily, Meldy’s chum (who apparently we are to call TT as her forum name but I’m not saying why) was on hand and took my spare top and pile of gels from me and gave them back to Holly/MrsF for later.  At 4m 26s into the run, I decided to… run.. and… flipping heck, it worked!  So, here commenced the 8/2 run/walk strategy with gels on the 00 and salt and gels on the 30.  Somehow I recovered from the horrid bike and I felt stronger and stronger.  The time passed without incident.  For the first time ever I bantered and interacted with my fellow athletes (it’s only taken me 4 years to get the bottle to talk to other people on course!) Naturally, though, the banter flowed freely among the pirates.  Notable were Barley and Meldy with whom we entertained the masses with our ‘Alan, Alan, Alan’ meercat impersonations.

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    I got out to the airport which was fantastic.  I really enjoyed watching the planes.  I met Meldy who had pressed the wrong buttons on her Garmin so we had a little chat about where we were and what we were doing.  We ran a bit together but our strategies were different so I moved on.  Run, walk, run, walk, run, gel, water, salt, run, walk.  You know the score.  I got back into town and the pirate support unit had managed to get across the road now so I stopped for a chat (ie a bitch about the bike course) and some hugs, took my bottle of coke, and went around the turnaround.  Holly was then awesome in that she basically dressed me in my extra top (it was getting cooler) as she had it all ready, all I had to do was plunge my head and arms in.  Off I went for the second half marathon…. Yay, lucky me.  At this point, my Garmin battery went (Note to self: always, always fully charge Garmin the night before the race, even if it is 80% full already).  This was a little irritating as it meant I had to do the last half on feel alone.  It was ok though.  Around again to shouts and cheers from the public, to louder shouts and cheers from the pirates and onto the final lap.  All the way congratulating other athletes on course, especially the women as there were so few of us racing.

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    The finish really was stunning.  All the pirates were just a little bit away from the chute and their shouts were deafening, overwhelming really.  You could hardly take it all in.  I showboated my way to the finish clapping the supporters, doing High 5s and then really went for it with an airplane finish. 

    That was the hardest day of my life.  I am a Lanzarote Ironman and that will never, ever go away.

    I got my stuff together and headed off to the pub for lots of hugs (I will never, ever understand anybody who wants to cuddle someone who has been racing for 17 hours and is just disgustingly smelly but hey ho).

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    The bit at the end
    As ever, I’d like to thank the totally amazing pirate massive.  Those in the background (Plum, for airport chauffeuring), those at home, who took the time to track us during the day, those on course, who always had a smile, wave and a yargh and those on the support line who were just the bestest crew you could ever, every wish for.  I’d like to thank my clubmates who trained with me, in particular my friend P., who won’t read this but deserves a namecheck nonetheless. Massive thanks to Raf and Funkin who checked my bike over when I arrived.  Huge, huge, HUGE thanks to Mrs Funkin and Holly, the Super Sherpas, without whom I would not have finished my race.  Finally extra special thanks to my mentor, Flyaway, who gave me several pieces of sage advice, again, I would not be sat here with my medal and my sunburn without your immense contribution. 

    I think that’s it.  I’m having a year off in 2014… Honest.

    Pirates rock!

  • Great report Mouse.  Well done you! image

  • M..o.use wrote (see)

    I had gold, silver and bronze goals and I was off with my race plan.


    All 4 pages of it? image

    Excellent racing, reporting and menteeing, Mousey. I was pretty tops, wasnt i? Whaddya mean it wasnt all about me?
    I aint writing you another poem though. There is a limit.
    Congratulations, you recieved the reward you were due for the hard work and effort you put in during the preceeding months.

  • Amazing report Mouse, I have a tear in my eye reading it.

    Great performance

     

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