Ironman Wales 2013

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  • Brilliant report Mouse, and i'm so in awe of anyone doing Lanza and Wales in the same year. You really are made of Iron! Well done image xxx

  • mouse....... so what is that triathlon training secret...???

  • Excellent read, and brings back happy memories, and builds the excitement for 2014.



    Quick question, what is the triathlon secret referred to?
  • If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?

    image

  • Well done Mouse!  Top effort all round!  Huge respect for you!

  • M..o.use wrote (see)

    If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?

    image

    It will if we promise not to tell anyone else!!!! image

  • I was wondering that too. Great report and even greater achievement Mouse, really looking forward to doing this next year image

  • Here's my race report, sorry it's a bit long as it comes straight from my blog - which I have actually shortened a bit!!! It follows on from a bit about Wimbleball last year....  

    The thought of doubling from a half to a full Ironman is a fearful prospect. How can anyone really swim 3.8k, cycle 180k and then do a full marathon straight afterwards??!!! There was no way I could do that on a really tough course but I knew that I could do the run and bike legs individually. I began exploring events and checking their course profiles. Sea swimming was a definite no no. Too scary! Hilly course for the bike would be ok but would leave me with no energy or the legs to do the run. Finally, a nice flattish run would be great. In Britain IMUK is known for its fairly hilly bike course. IM Wales had a sea swim, an extremely hilly bike course and a hilly run so they were both scrubbed off early on. Looking into Europe Frankfurt looked ideal plus, it had beer! Taking the dip into full distance was soon met with the dreaded cost of entry! Ouch! There was no going back now! Ironman does not do refunds. Once you pay you either have to race the chosen event, hope that you can transfer to another event, or lose your money.

     I had a whole year to prepare....

     Early this year I decided to run a spring marathon to keep my running up to speed. I also entered a couple of sportive bike events which I planned to intersperse with other longish rides. Swimming could wait until a few months before as I have now become quite confident at just getting in the water and swimming for an hour without much training. I'll never be fast and believe I'll only gain a few minutes by swimming lots. Bike and run is where you make up time in long distance triathlon. 

    Fitting in all the run training has never been a problem for me. As a very early riser and with a 4 mile route from Paddington station to my office already being done it was fairly easy to build up the miles with the added evening and weekend training sessions plus long Sunday runs. Cycling is more of an issue as its so time consuming. Plus, I hate training in doors. At the weekends I somehow managed to find time to rush out early and do a few short blasts on the hills around my home and once the days got longer I was getting up even earlier to cycle the 23 miles to Swindon and back.

    My spring marathon turned into my second London marathon when I was lucky enough to get a guaranteed entry through work. However, a few days after the race all was not well. My knee felt awful. Not badly awful but bad enough for me to begin to worry. I only had 10 weeks until IM Germany and there was no way I believed I was going to recover and have enough time to train properly. A quick decision was needed. IMUK was still shown as open for entries and as long as I gave 6 weeks notice I could transfer for £25. I have friends who live a short distance from Bolton as well so accommodation would be sorted too. Great!

    So I started the online form to transfer my entry when... Oh dear.... IMUK was not open anymore!  So, what were the other options? Only Wales! Oh god! Everything I most feared! Sea, hills and more hills. There was no way! 

    Panic phone call to a triathlon coach friend of mine required. Go for it he said....

    So, I now had to conquer a massive fear of drowning in the sea. How could I train properly? A plan was needed.

    That weekend I devised my cunning plan. I was going to continue running but not train for a marathon. I'd already done one of them so just needed to maintain base fitness. For cycling and swimming I was going to use some spare leave to do long training rides on the bike and I was going to visit Weymouth beaches as many times as I could.

    The summer weather has been fantastic. Running

  • training was reduced due to the extreme heat and my propensity to melt (LOTS!) when I run in hot weather. Cycling training was the most fun. The Severn Bridge Sportive into the UskValley was brilliant, another long ride around the edge of the Cotswold Way up a great climb from Dursley and then up “The Ladder” from Nailsworth was also memorable. A day trip to the coast was enough to defeat my fear of sea swimming. Wet suits become even more buoyant in the sea! If the worst came to the worst I could just bob around image 

    3 weeks before IM Wales I did my first ever 3.8k swim in an event in the CotswoldWaterPark. I was delighted with a time of 1h 17m after so little swim training.

    Time was flying by and all was going well apart from a few niggles. My knee was better by mid June and despite being a bit battered, my achilles was holding up. 

    Things soon changed though. What was a gentle club run turned into a disaster when at about 6 miles a nagging back pain became almost unbearable and I could hardly walk. Acute sciatica!

    With less than 3 weeks left I wandered how was I going to recover?

    Rest from running was needed plus lots of pain killers.

    9 days before Wales I attempted to run. Result - 4 miles of agony.

    8 days to go and a foolish parkrun on painkillers restored my confidence a little. Pain was still bad though. 

    7 days to go and a 50 mile bike ride up some great climbs on the Marlborough Downs went really well. Biggest issue was bonking at 40 miles and feeling really quite rotten for the last 10 miles home. 

    My final planned run was to be the Thursday before IM. Luckily two of my running friends Paul and Baggy decided to do a longish slow run and I decided to join them and avoid trying to run with the hares. My pain was obvious though. I knew I was running awkwardly and it was obvious to them. Was I going to see anyone they asked. I'd probably be told not to do it was my answer, and biggest fear. 

    More pain killers required.

    Waking up the next day I felt a little bit better. I was going to do this. I went to work and in a moment of boredom I realised that if I left home early enough on Saturday I could stop in Porthcawl, do a parkrun, and still be in Tenby before 11.... So I did!

    I loved the beachfront parkrun. I ran really well and finished it in just over 22 mins despite setting off slowly and wearing far too many layers.

    I set off towards Tenby stopping only to buy a tent and various high energy, high calorie snacks for the weekend. 

    Arriving in the town was great. Ironman fever was everywhere. 

    I found a parking spot, registered, set up my bike and dropped my transition bags off ready for the next day within 2 hours. 

    I love big events. The atmosphere is always amazing. I spent a bit of time soaking in the atmosphere of the 'athletes village'', bought a few items and then had a walk around Tenby to get my bearings and have a pintimage 

    Next, find the campsite. I was planning on staying with a friend nearby. He was going to be busy at a wedding and lived 15 miles away from Tenby. Luckily for me, but unluckily for her, another triathlete friend of mine, Emma, who had been coming to marshal the swim had had to cancel her plans on coming. She had already booked a pitch at KilnPark which as I discovered is in an excellent location for transition. She more than readily allowed me to have her pitch and I was glad to find I was in amongst many other Ironman competitors. I quickly set up my tent and began exchanging nervous conversation with other guys. Everyone was as terrified as me at the distance ahead of us but we all agreed it was going to be amazing. 

    I decide

  • I decided to do a quick recce of Tenby by bike. One thing that became apparent very quickly was the hills in and around the town. The marathon was not going to be easy. My back was only 50% better so this was going to be the hardest part for me by far. 

    Finding North Beach was quite easy but I was a little bit disturbed to see how far down it was from the road to the beach. It was going to take some effort to run up from there with my wetsuit tomorrow! 

    I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring on my bike before finally deciding on an early night and a movie on my iPad in my sleeping bag. “Stealth” isn't the best movie ever made but it was good enough to take my mind off the next day. A quick phone call home and it was time to get some shut eye which to my surprise came quite easily. 

     

    Race Day!

     

    After a pretty good sleep during which I only got woken up once by drunken idiots who were soon told to shut up, I woke up ready and excited at 5am. I had a very quick shower, took some painkillers for my back, ate my breakfast and was soon in my tri gear and walking towards the transition area with my dry kit for the end.

    I was soon joined by another brave soul and we chatted about the day ahead. We were now past nervous and just wanted to get the race going.

    The transition area was packed when we arrived. It was about 5:40am and still over an hour before the mass start. I dropped my bag off and took my time getting into my wetsuit. I was told that all the athletes would walk en mass to the beach but noticed some were already walking there so joined them. This turned out to be a good idea as soon after I arrived we were allowed into the sea for a warm up. I went gingerly into the water but soon realised that it wasn’t actually that cold! Officially 17c but felt much warmer. I plucked up the courage and got my head under the water to get over the initial cold shock but this again wasn’t bad. Excellent. I was soon swimming around like a pro – but obviously not – and really felt great.

    We were soon joined by the mass of athletes who had waited to walk to the start from transition. They only had about 5 minutes to get their toes in before we were all told to exit the water.

  • The Swim – 3.8k, 2.4miles

     

    20 minutes to go. Whilst this seemed a long time to wait due to the nerves it soon went past and within no time we were serenaded by the Welsh National anthem and it was GO GO GO!!!

    My first experience of mess entry into the water. Usually I like to hold back and let others go first but due to the volume of people this was impossible. I was soon being battered by flailing arms and legs as we all tried to get into our swim stroke.

    It is about 700 metres to the first buoy. I spent all this time trying to swim amongst the mass of arms and legs. I was trying to relax and keep a rhythm going but it was almost impossible. We arrived at the first buoy and STOP!!!… There were so many of us converging on such a small area that the whole thing ground to an abrupt halt. Eventually though I was around the buoy and heading back towards Tenby. The second buoy was so far away I could not see it until I was about 200 metres from it. The swimmers were starting to separate now but it was still a bit of an effort getting around the buoy and back towards the beach. Lap 1 was successfully negotiated and then it was onto the beach for a quick Australian exit before running back in to the sea.

    A comedy moment ahead of me as one poor guy swam straight out to sea instead of towards the buoy and probably added an extra 100 metres onto his swim before a life guard directed him back on course.

    The second lap whilst seemingly easier due to the lack of fighting, actually took me longer. As I only breathe to one side I prefer to be on the left hand side of the course to keep a sight on other swimmers. I ended up on the right on one stretch and spent far more time than I wanted sighting for the buoy. The second lap ended up taking 4 minutes longer than the first and I was glad it was over as I could feel a friction burn on my neck – lesson learned, Body Glide up next time!

    Clock time 1h 25... 8 mins slower than 3 weeks before but ok. 

  • T1

    Exiting the water felt great. I had negotiated the first part of an Ironman and was buzzing. My fears of sea swimming were defeated and I had got away with hardly any sea water going down my throat.

    Tenby is renowned for the distance between swim and transition. After running off the beach you have to run on a concrete ramp up a pretty steep zig zag, get out of your wetsuit and pick up and put on some old trainers to run about a kilometre to get your bike. I had already been warned what to expect so was well prepped. I was amazed though when I saw guys running still in zipped up wetsuits or with wetsuits undone to the waist.

    After overtaking several of these athletes I was soon into transition for a slow change into my bike shoes and a lightweight jacket, scoffed a few Jaffa cakes and away to the bike. I probably took longer than I needed (nearly 15 minutes) but I figured it’s a bloody long day so why rush to save a few minutes?

  • The Bike – 180k, 112 miles

    I wish I hadn’t now but I had my some clip on aero bars onto my bike. Problem was my Garmin could not be clipped onto the bike. Idiot.

    Anyway, I was soon away into the Pembrokeshire countryside.

    Everyone is told how hard the bike course is at IM Wales. The first 30 miles are a bit of a gentle entry onto the course though. I thought so anyway. The odd steep climb didn’t last long but I was overtaking people on all of them. The TT boys were whizzing past – must get one of them – but I was more than holding my own amongst the other regular road bikes. When we rode into Pembroke a street party was taking place and I gave everyone a wave. The guy with the PA soon had me in his sights and was proclaiming me the happiest rider on the course!

    First aid station and pick up some Isotonic and a nice new bottle whilst disposing of my nearly empty and past it old bottle.

    I was taking gels regularly and swigging coke from my other bottle when I felt energy going. However, my pockets were getting full of sticky empty wrappers and I was glad to dispose of them at the next feed station.

    Now the hills were starting to come thick and fast but nothing too taxing for me. Most of the roads were great and it was easy to keep a good cadence going up the hills.

    After a quick pee stop at mile 42 we were now on to the hard part of the course. Two loops of what turned out to be short but steep climbs every few miles. Narberth, WisemansBridge and Heartbreak Hill in Saundersfoot being some of the most "memorable." 

    The atmosphere in Saundersfoot was great. It was like being on the TdF for a moment! I pushed myself up the hill getting past some strugglers and it was not long before we were heading back into Tenby for the end of lap one. I hadn’t been lapped by the leaders so that was a good thing!

    Lap 2 and the wind had started getting up. I always struggle into the wind for some reason so did my best to get as aero as possible.

    Knowing what lies ahead when you are feeling knackered isn’t great but I was really pleased that my strategy of gels, Isotonic, swigs of coke and Powerbars was keeping my energy levels high. No bonk on the bike today image

    I was overtaking far more athletes than were passing me and I was making up places.

    The hills were no easier second time round but it was good to know when they were arriving and I was able to conserve energy when needed and then push hard on the hills.

    Second time into Saundersfoot wasn’t quite as good as first time round. The crowds that were there on lap 1 were dissipating but it was great to have a few cheers as I pushed on up Heartbreak Hill and back into Tenby for T2. 

    Bike time 7h 11m

    Clock time 8h 51

  • T2

    On the ride downhill into Tenby I was a little disheartened when I saw how many people were already well onto the running course. I thought I had had a great bike leg but it was clear that I am going to have to improve if I am ever going to have a chance of Kona! LOL!!!!

    We were met by loud applause as we rode into the town and into transition. I racked by bike and tried to get into the transition tent as fast as I could. My legs were like jelly though.

    I picked up my run bag scoffed more Jaffa cakes and after what seemed like ages (over 11minutes) I was into my running shoes and away on the marathon.

  • The Run

    Coming out of transition after 112 miles of hilly cycling is an experience! My legs were protesting something rotten. Just getting up to 12 min mile pace was an effort. After a mile though I found a rhythm and managed to up my pace to a heady 9:30 min mile speed and was overtaking people. The Tenby run leg is four loops of approximately 10k of which about 4k is up hill. The rest is undulating! I am amazed to see some of the times posted in the results page. Under 4 hours after what has gone previously is amazing. There was no way that I was getting near that even uninjured. 

    However, I was steadily plodding along and thought that 4 and a half hours would be decent and achievable. I was taking one mile at a time with a plan to walk a bit every 5 miles or so. I managed to get to the top of the hill, picked up my first (yellow) band and was soon merrily waving to the crowds in Tenby. What an uplifting crowd they are. I soon passed the first lap and was on my way back up the hill when I began feeling my back pain again. No worries, I was ahead of schedule and could walk a bit. It then took ages to get going again but somehow I found it in me and began plodding up hill to the turn back into Tenby.

    My hope of a sub 14 hour Ironman were fading but 14 and a half was still on. The crowds were great. It's not often that someone shouts "nearly there!" and you feel that you are with 16 miles to go in a marathon.

    The second lap of the town and half way was reached in about 2h 30m. I was running through the town spurred on by the crowd but it was really hard to keep running when I was going back up the hill with my back pain and the fatigue.

    My fuel strategy on the run was to eat and drink as often as I could and avoid gels as they cause too many stomach issues late in a race. Ritz crackers at the feed stations were great washed down with water and isotonic drink. I also took some garlic bread from some kind Tenby residents. They even offered to cook me a pancake!!!! 

    By the third lap I knew I had it in the bag. I just had to keep moving. Running was painful but so was walking which was also slow due to my hobble. 

    My legs were ok though and my feet were good. No cramps or anything like that. 

    By the end of lap 3 it was getting dark and cold. I took forever to get to the top of the hill despite knowing that would be it. I gratefully accepted a space blanket which kept me warm until I was able to run again. I was elated to pick up my last red lap band knowing that it was downhill and a lap of the town to go. 4 miles left!

    I got myself going but just had no energy to run the whole way. I was thinking of how I was going to celebrate my first Ironman experience and decided I was going to take the final straight on my own. I "allowed" some athletes to pass me and saw that I now had a good gap between myself and an athlete behind. Now all I had to do was keep that gap for the last mile! On the way through Tenby I passed a guy who still had another lap to do. The thought of having to go for another hour or more terrified me so I wished him luck in the best way I could. Poor bloke!!!

    Finally I was there. The finishing straight and onto the red carpet for the final 50 yards. I high fived as many spectators as I could. It had taken me 5 hours 52 minutes to run, walk and nearly crawl 26 miles but I’d done it. I raised my arms, saw myself on the big screen and heard them announce "James, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" – 14 hours 55 minutes, 39 seconds.

  • Wabby, that was a fantastic report. Its funny as just hearing those 5 words at the end meakes it all worth it. 5 words you shall hear for ever. I did my fitrst IM in Bolton this year and couldnt wait to my name being called out at the end, and it wasimage

     

    Well done mate

  • Nice one Wabby & well done, I got my M Dot tattoo this morning, the climb up to New Hedges 4 times over hurt a whole lot more.

  • Final RV wrote (see)

    Nice one Wabby & well done, I got my M Dot tattoo this morning, the climb up to New Hedges 4 times over hurt a whole lot more.

    Certainly did! still not told Mrs Wabbs that I might have to be marked  ;) 

  • Ah 'tis merely a flesh wound

  • Did everyone get the economic survey from IM Wales this morning? I filled it in because if there is any substance at all in the rumours that there is a push to move it away from Tenby, the information from the economic survey will help them retain the race in Pembrokeshire.

     

  • Most certainly did. I'll send it back later. Hope it stays in Pembrokeshire.

  • Bumped for IM Wales 14 first timers.

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