Back Online - Ironman Rundown

First off thanks Paul for doing some blog posts while I was off.

So I did the ironman!!! I had a few goals, but I was not sure at what level of fitness I was so that I could complete the goals. In order they were:

1. Finish
2. Beat last years time of 14 hours 5 mins
3. Beat 14 hours
4. Beat 13.5 hours
5. Beat 13 hours
6. Finish without stopping/walking (within reason)
*. Beat Tony Abbott

This year I focussed a lot of my training on swimming, because that was a horrible leg last year. Last year I did like 1 hour 26 mins for the 3.8 km and it was really tough. This year I got halfway through the first lap (of 2) and felt really good. I looked at my watch and I was at 18 mins and was completely shocked! I felt good and I was on a fast time. I thoguht I felt good because I was swimming slow. The good feeling lasted for a while so I even tried swimming faster. I ended up with a time of 1 hour 18 min. So for me I finished about 400 metres ahead of last year so I was super happy. The only problem was that my wetsuit rubbed badly against me neck. So bad in fact that it scabbed up and a girl at work joked that it looked like I tried to hang myself.

Transition from swim to bike was long as I had to get out of my wet suit, put on clothes, go to the bathroom, eat food etc. If only I had stopped for longer and applied the sunscreen better. 7 hours on a bike + sun = not happy Jan.

The 3 lap bike leg of 180.2 km started well, fast on the way out (1 hour 1 min) and a bit slower on the way back into the wind (1 hour 5). It is quite hilly at either end of the out and back loop with a long stretch of flat in between. I found it best to sing 100 bottles of beer on the wall to get rid of the boredom and keep a steady rhythm going. I had to stop to go to the bathroom once and also to stretch my legs which were getting sore. But stretching helped. After on stretch, just as I was gaining speed Tony Abbott flew past me! NOOOOOO!!!!!! I tried to stay with him but heading back into the wind I could not do it. So after the next section of 1 hour 5 on the way out I blew out to 1 hour 20 back into the wind. The next lap I again got a good rhythm going (1 hour 10) but my chain came off and kept stuffing up. Every three pedals of so it would skip a gear. On the way back on the final lap the pedal pedal pedal clunk got really annoying. I just wanted to throw my bike in a heap and run back. It was like Chinese water torture. But I got home on the bike in 7 hours 10 min, a full 34 mins faster than last year.

Transition from bike to run was a lot quicker this year because I stayed in my triathlon gear for both the bike and run so I just had to change my shoes. As I came in off the bike I saw Abbott leavin. He stopped for TV/radio interviews halfway through the race!

So my run mission was to hunt him down. And I felt great off the bike and into my natural habitat - long distance running! I passed Abbott within 2 km and never looked back. [in the end I beat him by about an hour so I still would have beaten him if he did not stop for interviews]. I passed 260 people in the marathon run and I felt awesome! Last year I walked a long stretch of it, I got cramps and swore I would never race again. This year I went off at a good pace, power walked up the couple of small hills on the course and through the water stations. My strategy worked! I did 4 hours and 22 min as opposed to 4 hours 54 last year. I felt awesome the whole time and I finished in......

12 hours 50 min 29 secs !!!

So I accomplished all of my goals, as I only stopped/walked within reasons.

So that was that. Looking forward to trying for the magical 12 hours next year.

Man that was a long post. :)