Candy
On Thursday we registered and went down to the lake for the swim practice session. There were loads of ripped Americans getting changed on the pier, and Monique noted that they all looked like proper triathletes while we looked like numpties.
"Don't worry, we'll kick their arses on Sunday" I said, as i pulled on my wettie. I thought that i must have the legs twisted, because the silver flashes that were usually at the back of the ankles were at the front. Then when i pulled it up i realised that it must be REALLY twisted, because the zip was also at the front when it was usually at the back. I realised it was on backwards when I fell over.
At that moment Mo had got one of the Americans to take a photo of us, and i had to pose while rolling around on the floor trying to escape from my backwards wetsuit.
The water was lovely though, about 20 degrees and pretty good visibility. We swam out to the first turnaround point, a floating cafe 900m out, and back. I zigzagged a bit.
We rode the bike course that afternoon, one lap. I felt something wrong after 10k and i jumped off just before my tyre exploded. i'd cocked it up putting the bike back together after i unpacked it, so the ride out was pretty well timed.
"Better today zan on zee race day" shouted a foreign johnnie who tore past as we had the wheel off at the side of the road.
Half way round the loop we got into a race with two germans, and we whooped their asses. but unfortunately they weren't riding the course, they were going back to their hotel, and we got pretty lost.
Later I caught up with IronMan god Mark Allen and his group of people doing the 'organised' ride out (which with hindsight we should have gone on, as he knew the way round at least). I tore past them, never being one to miss the opportunity for a bit of pointless showboating. Then there was a downhill, and I decided to keep powering until i was out of sight of the big peloton behind. Unfortunately it lead to a t-junction on a busy road and i almost ended up under a truck. Managed to save it, but looked like an even bigger numpty than i had on the pier. Hey ho.
We met with Nick and his clubmates in IronMan City (which was a bit of a grand name for a few tents) and had our last beer for the week. The subject of open water navigation croped up in conversation (we are obviously complete geeks). I said that i was useless at this but i didn't care - i just follow somebody's feet, and let them navigate for me. And get a bit of drafting off them too.
Then we bought lots of uneccessary kit.
The bags were racked and transition bags stowed on Saturday. The transition area was miles away from the racking area, which was a bit of a pain. Well actually it was about 200 yards, but still a bit of a way to run in bike shoes.
Sunday: My hotel wouldn't do breakfast at 4.30am, so I went down to Mo's youth hostel and we ate with two American surfers in their 40s, Don and Bill, who were really nice. Later that day Bill would take a nasty spill on the bike but still go on to finish in 11.30. Don would get a blocking penalty (accidental) and have to sit in the sin bin by the bike turnaround for 6 minutes to think about what he'd done.
We got to transition at about 5.30, and made last minute checks. A bit of air in the tyres, energy drinks on board, pringles in my tribar mounted AeroPringles (trademark) dispenser, and loads of pro plus and ibuprofen tablets stuck along my crossbar using double sided sticky tape. (caffeine is off the banned list now, i'd point out).
I also stuffed my face with spare pringles, and a couple of energy gels, and an energy bar. didn't want to get hungry.
The pre-start was a bit chaotic as nobody had a clue where to go. I needed a wee, so i pulled up my wetsuit and did it in the middle of the crowd. ha ha ha. we found ourselves on the southern of the two start beaches, which was a bit annoying as this meant an extra 100m or so on the swim out to the first turnaround buoy. the crowd got noisier and noisier, stirred up by the loony on the PA, but the athletes were mostly pretty quiet. nervous faces everywhere.
Then a cannon went off, and we legged it into the lake.
I found the ideal person to draft straight away. there was a lot of tousling, as usual, and somebody tried to grab my ankle and climb over me so i kicked quite hard and they changed their mind.
Then about 1 minute in, i got a bit of cramp. probably all the crisps, sweets and fizzy pop i'd been scoffing all morning - my mum always said not to eat before a swim, but who listens to their mum? it wasn't bad at all, i swam across to the pier and stretched it out, and then it was gone. no problem.
Now i was at the back of the field by a little way, probably about 20 feet tops.
Given my complete inability to steer by myself, i changed my plan to just join the back markers, and move up the field by following peoples feet. put my head under water, and unfortunately visibility was only about 15 feet so the backmarkers' feet were just out of sight. i did 6 fast strokes to catch up, but still no feet, so i stopped and looked and i was facing the beach. facing the beach! oops.
Turned around, and put on a burst of speed, and this time almost crashed into the pier.
I got quite worried now, as i was making negative progress and the backmarker swimmers were (gradually) getting away. not getting around was a real risk, as it doesn't matter how fast you swim if its in the wrong direction. DNF due to not having bothered to practice sighting. that would be no fun at all (except for the 1000 people on the pier who were all pointing to the turnaround bouy and shouting 'that way' in 47 languages.
But ironman isn't about worrying about what might happen in 2 hours and 18 minutes when the swim cut-off comes around, so i started weaving erratically out into deep water...
I was right at the back, by a good 50 yards, and a rescue canoist decided to adopt me. she paddled over and shouted 'nein!!' every time i went off course by more than 90 degrees (which was about every 15 seconds)
It took 35 minutes to get to the first turnaround - it had taken 15 in training!
Turned around and headed back to shore 'Weis Ballon!' shouted my canoist, 'White Balloon'
Even i can spot a giant hot air balloon on a beach, so i started swimming in a straight line for a bit and made some progress
Then an odd thing happened. it stopped getting larger as i got closer, and started shrinking instead. i had a bit of a Father Dougal moment and treaded water and took my goggles off to see what was going on. they were letting the balloons down. all the swimmers had gone. tssk. back to crazy zigzagging and regular 'Nein!'s from my nice canoist.
Got back to the beach in a disgraceful 1:02, and pegged it down through the timing mat to the other side of the beach for the second half of the swim
now we had never practiced the second half of the swim, but i vaguely knew that you went out to the left somewhere and then up a canal for 1000 meters. but i didn't have a clue exactly where 'out to the left somewhere' was supposed to be.
there were three blokes standing waist deep in water and i joined them. none of us knew where to go, and it didn't help that the conversation was being held simultaneously in dutch, italian, german and english.
fortunately salvation paddled around the end of the pier in the form of my canoist, and she had brought some friends for the other clueless swim numpties. we all set off in random directions with various shouts of 'Nein' from our canoists. fortunately i had the only woman one, so i didn't respond to other peoples' 'Nein!'s got to the turnaround and my canoist got bored and left. i found a little old lady breaststroking very very slowly, and i thought i'd follow her for a bit.
i did three strokes, then waited for her to catch up, then three strokes, pause, etc. a good way to conserve energy, and i was making faster progress than i had been doing steaming around frenetically in random directions.
i couple of times i got bored and decided to swim off, but there was always a hare and tortoise effect and i circled pointlessly, so i kept going back to her.
i had the amusing thought that this was the best way to approach IronMan. Get a free ride off a little old lady, and have lots of nice rests. I laughed at this, and swallowed a lungful of water and sank. no more laughing until i hit dry land. eventually reached the canal, and at last i could get a wriggle on. even i can steer in a straight canal (although i did crash into the bushes three times, i must admit). passed dozens of people.
the canal is a famous part of the Austria swim course, as its usually lined with screaming spectators. but by the time i got there there were only a couple of kids gobbing on me off the bridge.
i pegged it to the ramp, and just before the end i was joined by a frogman, swimming backwards, filming me. he backed up onto the ramp, still filming me as i crawled out, and i almost fell on him except the ramp women caught me and hauled me onto the path. i sprinted down to T1 to much cheering, horns, rattles and bangers. the transition area was empty, and i had two helpers. one took off my wettie while the other pulled my cycling top over my head and loaded the back pockets with my 18 Go gels and 5 Boots energy bars. didn't want to get hungry.
i legged it to the racks in my socks, and found my bike quite easily as it was the only one left in that row.
got out onto the bike course and the crowd reacted to my jolly-rogered AeroPringles with awe. or was it laughter?
then i hit the first manhole cover and the slight jolt sent a plume of pringles flying into the air. i must design some sort of lid before IM Florida. (but don't tell Richard or he'll nick my idea)
I had some pro plus and an ibuprofen to be on the safe side, and set my timer going. i have a HRM sellotaped to one side of the bar, and a countdown timer set to beep every 20 minutes (to remind me to eat) on the other. possibly i could get the HRM to countdown, but i don't understand all these new fangled gizmos so two watches it is.
passed loads of people on the bike. the downhills were fast, with really good visibility so you didn't have to use the brakes. top gear, tucked in tight over the aerobars and pedal hard. needs realy hard concentration though - a slight wobble and your race is over. but better to risk a broken neck than the ignomy of a rubbish time.
i agreed with Nick afterwards that it helps having a motorbike, as it gets you used to going at speeds that most people wouldn't be comfortable with
well the rest of it was pretty much like mo described. the hill wasn't bad at all, 10% which is pretty steep, but it was quite short. the organisers bus people out there (as its the best place for spectators due to the cyclists going slow) and there was a disco and PA at the top with some absolute nutter shouting 'Go Eye-Ron Man!' 'Go Eye-Ron Lay-dee' every time anybody went past. He didn't seem to get bored, and neither did the crowd who were deafening.
The drag into town was hard for some reason, probably because you psychologically thought that you were home but there were still a few miles to the bike turnaround.
The peaks and troughs in an IronMan are very pronounced. The pain can go from being almost unbearable to barely noticable in moments, and for little apparent reason. Although ibuprofen does help.
I overtook Monique on lap 2, as she is clearly a rubbish cyclist. Made up a bit of time and got into T2 in about 8 hours. the run was really hot, and i was a little dehydrated going into it if my cloudy brown wee was anything to go by, so i decided to really go to town on the first few aid stations until things got back on an even keel.
annoyingly all the drinks were in cups rather than bottles, well vases actually, and it was impossible to run with them without throwing all of their contents over you.
the run was two laps, and you had to pass the finish line twice before they let you go down it. the first time past the soldiers (the austrian army were, for some bizarre reason, marshalling the run) put a white bracelet on your wrist, and the second time, a black one, and when you had two, you could veer off down to the finish and go to the pub. why you cant go to the pub without two bracelets wasn't explained at all clearly in the pre-race briefing, must be some old austrian custom.
on my 'black' lap i entertained myself by looking at peoples wrists. anybody with only white, or black but coming out as i was going in, was rubbish, and this gave me a bit of a lift, although it didn't help me run any quicker. lots of the ripped americans from the pier were rubbish.
i waved to all the serpies due to some vicarious friendship through RichM, and to the Mersey Tri people because Cougie ought to join them and they had the coolest kit, sort of blue and yellow with squiggles.
on my last 10k my legs died and i walked a lot.
on my last 5k i saw my friend the little old lady from the swim that morning struggling towards me, with just one bracelet so she had a long way to go. she recognised me and smiled and high-fived. i remembered her number and checked her results the next day, and she got in in around 16 hours. so she wasn't an old lady after all. she was an Ironman.
the 40k marker was too late, or my brain wasn't working, because when i hit it there was no way i could beat 12:33. but i hit Ironman City and the finish line entry gate in 12:29:35. sprint finish to beat 12:30!!
now everybody knows that a marathon is 26.2 miles, but nobody told me it was 42.2 k. i did a 100m sprint when i should have done 200m, and couldn't maintain it.
i had carried a union jack round with me for the whole marathon in my cycling jersey back pocket, but i forgot to get it out as i was trying to run fast. as i rounded the corner i heard 'Andrew Collier - Great Britain' booming out over the tannoy, and the stadium was in uproar, obviously amazed by my heroic sprint finish or my white english legs, so i hauled my hands to about shoulder height and staggered up the ramp.
the catcher caught me gently and said some stuff i didn't understand so i just nodded. Monique and Nick and Bill were mulling around, Bill with his broken collar bone that he ignored to finish the race, Nick on an absolute high having romped home in 10:30.
Mo hogged the last hammock so i went to collect my clothes bag from the army truck, but when i was in the cue i had a dizzy turn so i made a comfy bed out of a space blanket and some mud under a tree, and lay staring into space for half an hour. a nice woman came and put hot roast chicken and pizza in my mouth, and after a while i could stand up again.
the party on monday night was a bit of a blur. free beer all night. need i say more??
an absolutely fantastic day throughout. if you aren't an Ironman yet, why not?? join us in Switzerland next year.
Monique
The evening before I had been shamed into forgoing beer by Don, Bill and Andy who seemed to have a different pre race diet from mine. Pity really as there was an all night party ihn the function room next to my room which wound up at 4 o'clock- we were up at quarter to. Don and I made dark plans to find out where they were sleeping and ride our bikes up and down outside whooping after we had got in from the race.
How I laughed bitterly at the very thought from the inertia of a hammock in the recovery zone unable even to swallow a mouthful of pizza after the race.
WARNING
Right guys of a sensitive constitution may need to get a lady to edit my report as it concerns sections about womens matters. Well disaster fell the day before with me "surfing the crimson wave"- this meant extra worry about how many powderings of my nose I would have to build in to my race plan. I mean its one thing having a pee on the go put my balance and dexterity on a bike doesn't stretch beyond opening a banana with my teeth.
Anyway I had placed various sanitary products along with huge pink ibuprofens, anti diarrhea tablets, tracker bars and iced gems in various items of kit. I was prepared.
Down at the swim start a very irritating commentator was playing bursts of euro pop and shouting at us to put our hands in the air. I had put my goggles on with 7 minutes to go then realising that they would be steamed up by the time the race started I took them off again- big mistake as next time I didn't seal them properly.
I was right near the back because I am a wuss who needs a lot of space to swim with any kind of composure, the first obstacle I hit was a yellow sign stuck up out of the water, it was fast becoming a watery bversion of one of my driving tests. About 200 metres in I had to stop to mess with my goggles, stopping 3 or 4 times before I got back to the beach and could sort it out for the next bit.
The second section was less crowded but the field was fanned out very wide and it was a vcase of trying to make sure that an equaol amountof people were on erach side of me when I breathed, once into the canal it got easier and I had perfected the art of giving any wandering hands a sharp kick to protect my personal space.
Once out of the water a quick check of my watch showed 1:21- bugger I was after 1:15 I reckoned that Andy could quite possibly be ahead of me.
The wet suit came off easily, and I managed to pull on my Lampre kit (poser) without scattering pistaccios and lillets all over the place.
I got my shoes on and ran to my trusty steed, and we were off.
The swim forgotten it was time to get busy on the bike. Andy had kindly given me a bottle for the front of my bike with a big straw, only i hadn't practiced with it and cut the inside of my mouth on first use when I went over a bump.
People were passing me more or less constantly but I was going at 19 ish mph so just had to be patient. A quick check of the ginormous calves told me a few of them weren't runners and I would probably be seeing them again.
The weather was hot with some head wind on a few of the downhill sections, the first lap I ate and ate and ate, the feed stations were well stocked and I started to realise how to drink without cutting my lips and how simple it was to fillo the bottle on the move.
The support round the course was excellent with a big crowd of people on the hill, I got lots of Lampre shouts and the names of Italian cyclists (I presume) I'd never heard of, I only bought the kit because it was pink.
The second lap was harder and I eventually saw Andy- but was he only just catching me up or had he in fact lapped me? at the turnnaround point I was sailing blizthely through to the finish so had to turn around and cycle through some spectators to get back on the course for my third lap, oops.
And as I saw Andy on the opposite side of the road heading out again I realised he must have had a bad swimtoo. I had made my mind up to do the essential stop at exactly half way- it does help to know how far Ironman distance is I had reckoned on 116 miles bike and my speedo it turned out wasn't recording accurately so some time after the hill on the second lap I had found some quiet woods to do the worlds longest pee (about 2 minutes) no problem hydrating then and *ahem* attend to personal matters.
i almost forgot my chain had fallen off on the first lap, but I fixed it calmly and in the manner of a professional without sobbing.
Anyway due to my ignorance of ironman distance and the check of my Garmin on my wrist I came to the finish sooner than I expected and I had written off the idea of 12 hours, but could it possibly be on?
The last couple of miles of the bike I shifted down onto easier gears and stood up to stretch my calves. I had packed emu oil into my run bag in case of cramp so I could do a quick massage, but I was ok.
I ran into transition and some wonderful person racked my bike for me. While another wonderful lady helped me in the tent. She did turn a whiter shade of pale when I rummaged in my gussett to remove my secret weapon against the discomfort of 6:44 in the saddle. The talk of last weeks padded cycling shorts thread- my cut to size Scholl air pillow gel insole (pat pending). A quick slather of Body glide to top up the P20 and I was off, clutching my Safeway imitation Red Bull in lieu of proper drugs- earl grey tea. Well the run is my discipline, even so I was a little too tired to want to check pace too early as I didn't want to feel under pressure. But it was proving a little surreal as I passed person after person after person, and thought secret triumphal thoughts about cyclists not being able to run such as "Ha where's your carbon fibre now you fat ar$ed bitch" i really get quite carried away in races and promise that I am not at all like that at other times.
Some of the folk out there really looked in trouble, people were throwing up and all sorts, some looked like they still had the bike between their legs. I saw Don who seemed in fine form and indeed felt great, my 8 ish minute miling looking like lightening compared to some of the hobbling slow motion movers.
i was stopping at every drinks station to waolk and take on water and coke and glucose sweets, and eventually passed Andy. in fact and this is the best thing about having a running background I never got passed once.
I t dawned on me that I could catch the pacing bike for 12 hours and did at about 18km. I built up a lead of 5 minutes, but with 13 k to go I started to run out of steam. each kmmarker saw my lead reduced. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it, I didn't stop at any drinks stations in the last 5 k but it was not enough at 40 km the bike passed and no amount of willingness could make my legs keep up. But I thought a marathon is 42 km bang on so the bike guy was going too fast.
No, idiot it's 42 point something: Once again my lack of prior research had let me down, I passed 42k inb a fraction under 12 hours but still had to get round the corner and oh no they had put a ramp at the finish line and I didn't think I would make it up it.
I managed to raise my arms for the finish photo and staggered into the arms of another wonderful helper who was looking at me closely for signs of collapse. Now was my chance I could get a drip if I played my cards right and started wobbling about. Blow me if she didn't catch me out with a trick question asking me what I wanted to drink and before I could stop myself I said "beer".
damn there were guys doing the whole stretchered off thing and I had buggered my chances, suspiciously few women were collapsing though, I noted, no doubt they had to get home to put the tea on. Anyway armed with a beer I waited for Andy, feeling glad to finish would have been nice to come under the 12 but hey ho, it could have been anything I wasn't to know beforehand how close I was going to get or I might have risked toxic shock, there's dedication for you.
Iron Rose
I have no idea how I am going to follow that but after Andy telling me that I have to do the serious report, bearing in mind I didn't have my own canoeist or any handily cut scholl panty pads I feel a semi serious report coming on.
I had managed to avoid all the carnage of the previous 4 months heartache with Ryanair by deciding to travel to Slovenia with Easyjet landing at Llubjana(sp?). Free carriage for bike and only an hour from the race by hire car it turned out to be the best option after listening to some of the horror stories in Klagenfurt from Ryanair transport. Also at £30 return including taxes it was a great choice.
Arriving on the Thursday to a downpour that resembled rainy season in the Carribean wasn't the best start, this continued all of Friday reducing the IronCity to a muddy swamp and our own little Glastonbury, if this was what was instore for the race we were in trouble.
Spoke to Andy on the Friday and arranged to meet at registration, after hearing of their exploits on the bike and still nursing a tight hamstring I decided not to ride the bike course but take it easy with some retail therapy in the IronCity, which subsequently earned me Forum Merchandising champion !!.
Saturday arrived with all of the prep for the racking bikes and arranging transition bags with everything you needed.
Decided to put everything in both bags for either a hot day or a cold rainy day so waterproof cycle top, arm warmers etc accompanied factor 40 and spare socks in case of sweaty feet off the bike !!
Let air out of tyres because by now the Saturday afternoon temps were reaching unbearable levels and risks of exploding tyres were high.
Race day came around all too soon with alarm at 3.45am so we could eat at 4am and slowly start to take nutrition ready for 7 start. Made my way to transition to check everything, sort out bottles, tyres, set bike HRM, didn't have any Pringles to worry about tho !!
the organisation of the race was so good that we didn't really have too much to think about on the morning, put all of your stuff you don't need for the swim in the bag, leave it near the Schenker van and make your way to the beach, deciding where to stand in amongst 2000 other people was a bit unnerving, I am a reasonably strong swimmer but having done IM Switz last year it is all too apparent that there are the wide variety of start tactics, most of them are the 'go balls out for 400m and then try to climb over anyone in your way until you get to the first bouy'
Needless to say I didn't really make the best choice as I started bang in the middle on the second line of competitors. With about 10 mins to go with the obligitory nutcase on the microphone the tension starts to build, double check everything, hat, goggles, wetsuit done up (and on the right way round!) then pee and wait !
The gun sounded and it was just a mad rush for the first bit of open water I could find, I know there are a few people worried about the swim leg and its probably best if you turn away now, or better still start at the back, its safer !
This was quite possibly the first time I have ever 'considered' stopping in a race, the constant battling to find open water and trying not to get my goggles knocked off in the first 1000m was so uncomfortable that for most of it I drank more than I intended doing on the bike leg ! Everytime I tried to breathe someone next to me was on the downstroke and covered me in their wake meaning I was only really getting half the air I needed, I haven't checked my heartrate yet but it would have been around 20 beats too high at this point. I say 'considered' as I would never give up but certain things cross your mind when you are being punched, kicked, scratched and poked.
However, (the weaker ones can look now) it was really down to bad race strategy and you really don't have to go thru that at all, if I had just doen what I planned to do and start further right I would have had to go round the bouys a little wider but had a better swim all round. Anyway, once I got to the second bouy it calmed a little as I remember seeing one of the frogman and actually managing a smile.
Reaching the beach was a good first check, my goggles had misted so I swished them in water and put them back on as I ran thru to get back in, unfortunatley managing not to seal them properly and ended up doing the next 1800m with one eye shut. I don't know why I didn't stop, it would have lost me perhaps 25 secs but you don't really think straight when you feel as if you are trying to make up time from a bad start.
The canal was great, lots of support for 800m and no pushing of any sort, very peaceful, like a training swim really, I reached the ramp in 1.01 and ran to the tents to change.
The girl sorted my wetsuit out, helped me get all of my kit and then left me to get on with it, brilliant organisation, and this was to be a feature that has made this race stand out as one I would definately do again.
My strategy on the bike was to chill for the first lap and take on water/electrolyte for the first 30 mins. Problem was there were so many huge groups of riders JUST going a little too slow so you have to try and pass them all or risk being carded for not passing fast enough, this started to irritate a little but I am sure the guys going a little faster than me were feeling the same so I tried to 'externalise' the annoyance and concentrate on HR and feel factor.
The bike course is a very fast, undulating but in the same breath, challenging mix of long uphill drags, short steep climbs and sweeping downhills. This mix was great for the first lap which I managed in a time that was a little quick for my plan but made me feel good. My only problem on the bike at this point was I had decided to try and pee 'off the bike'. Doing something you haven't practised and up to that date thought was a tad gross didn't mix well but I had a go.
The problem was every time I tried to go it took ages which was losing me time freewheeling and people started to close up behind and I then started to get conscious of letting loose over someones front wheel. When I did manage to go I couldn't get enough out which meant I was putting pressure on my bladder, then trying to go through it all again was slowing me up so eventually I stopped, best thing to do all round but it meant I ended up stopping 4 times cos as you know, once you go the first time you can't stop.
The turnaround point at the end of the first lap was a great sight, lots of supporters, loads of noise, almost made you forget that we had to do it again, twice ! The second lap was harder as the wind had started to pick up and all of a sudden the slight downhills into the wind weren't 22mph but 18mph and you were really pushing to get that, the hills seemed longer and steeper and because I was peeing so much I had stopped taking so much fluid on and I thought this was affecting me energy wise so I moved onto gels. Good decision for me as I picked up a little after each gel and started to take them at regular intervals with more water instead of electrolyte.
I uses a lot of mental strength and markers to get me round and although reaching the turnaround for the second time to some means they start thinking 'god I have another 40 miles to go' for me I know I am 2/3rds the way round and this is the last time I will see these hills today.
Doesn't stop it being the hardest lap though and I was being passed by a few more than I was overtaking so I decided to consolidate and save energy on the uphills by spinning more instead of powering with higher gears, this meant I pushed harder on the downhills conserving what I had left for the run.
I haven't mentioned the support on the rest of the bike leg yet but this was amazing, one of the villages that we pass thru was at the bottom of the T-junction that nearly caught Candy out, this was packed with screaming, shouting, banner-waving nutty Austrians, Germans and Brits alike and was a great feeling climbing with people close enough to reach out and touch you. The longest hill which had the DJ shouting IRONMAN and WOMEN good morning all day was a great boost as well but I heard later that others just wanted to punch his lights out, I suppose you use things in different ways !!
Coming into transition was the only time in the race I lost my rag, which I try not to do, if you read 220 you know why, it can have bad consquences for your performance if you start getting annoyed with others when you should be concentrating on your race, anyway as we came in I thought we were to rack our bikes where we picked them up but as the transition was split into two sides, they had roped my side off and guided me round the long way, I assumed I had to run all the way round just to get to my bike point, what they were actually doing was taking your bike off you and racking it for you. How I felt like a complete t*at just after I had shouted some obsenity at him, I don't think he heard me as there was a lot of noise but I still feel sh*t now, and I promise not to do it again. In fact for someone that marshalls at my fair share of races its unforgivalbe really but things happen in the heat of battle.
The run to the transition tent was still overshadowed by me shouting at the marshall but I was trying to concentrate on what to take out of my transition bag. Once in the tent I decided to use my race belt and change my socks as a fresh pair was as good as a fresh start and it actually worked, felt great. Cap on (nice and bright as if you have people looking out for you it pays to give them good warning if they can spot you early, never underestimate the power that a friendly voice has !), glasses on and off. I decided to use the markers on the run to pace me and not my HR to start with as I knew the incident in bike transition was elevating me above what I should be (still thinking about it)so I went with perceived effort and trying to do each km marker in around 5.30 pace. I had come off the bike in just over 6hours 30mins total so I knew if got under 6min km's that would give me a 4 hour marathon and a 10.30 split.
I started quite well, the first turn around was heavily supported and at one point took us through a holiday complex sunbathing area, scenery took a turn for the best, gave me a lift anyway !!
The first turnaround was about 6km out and it was at this point that the usual negative thoughts start to creep through all the good thoughts.
Why am I here ?
What on earth made me consider doing a double next year ?
I want my mum !!!
Luckily it was at this point that I started seeing people I knew, some behind, a couple in front. High fives were followed by grins, renewed beliefs and the push for the other end of the turnaround at Klagenfurt town. The run was a two lapper which started at the lake and then went out to Krumpendorf to the west and then back past the lake start and out to Klagenfurt in the east (sort of anyway)This meant that even though on the first lap you were also seeing all of the KM signs from the second lap, you knew these were at least 20k away from you now but kept reminding you it was a long way.
My race nutrition for the run was to carry my gels on a race belt and take one every 1/2 hour with water, loads of sponges as the temps were reaching 27deg + and survive on this until my stomach started to grumble and then use the coca cola and oranges. For the most part it worked but I couldn't pee anymore even after stopping for 2 'ghost' attempts so I thought I wasn't drinking enough. More water required but I was still feeling reasonably strong and I also knew from the minute I left my bike that I going to finish so its always nice to have that to look forward to.
The first lap came and went and the heat got hotter, I found myself checking peoples bands to see if they were ahead of me or behind, also still seeing 2 of my other mates in front of the 10hour pacer was a great boost as well.
I was starting to slow halfway thru the 2nd lap and use the time to try to work out what times I had to do for the next 10k to beat 10 and 1/2 hours. By the time I had worked it out 10 or so times I realised I had to do the last 5k in 5.20 pace to have a chance and that was without stopping at any water station.
From Klagenfurt to the finish hurt like hell, I felt I was sprinting but I didn't come here not to beat last years time and I wanted 10.30 at the least. I managed to do every km home in 5.20 or thereabouts so reached the 42k point in just under 10.30, unfortunately the 0.2 took me another 30 secs but for me it was pure joy to stand on the finish ramp with 10.30 exactly above me.
My 2 mates were waiting just over the line having done 9.51 and 9.54 which made me feel superb that they had come out to wait for me, now it was time to do the same for others. I saw Andy sprinting to the finish line but missed Monique. Found out later her time when I saw Andy in the finish area, both seemed very happy but very tired.
They both them promptly did what I did last year, went to bed and passed out. For me this year I was determined to stay til the end. I had friends out on the c ourse aiming to beat 13 hours so I settled down with a few beers and waited with one of the wives. At 13.29 the last one rolled in giving me a chance to shower and then return for more beer and the fireworks.
The last person over the line at 16hours and 50 minutes had an almost deafening ovation, as did practically everyone but the last person it quite a special event, then the fireworks started, quite spectacular. A few more beers then bed.