Donnacha Holmes IMMD 2017 RR
IMMD 2017 Race Report
Ironman # 6
Finish Time: 9:06:46
1st AG 40-44 (KQ) 5th OA
Race Week:
Monday: So i arrived into Washington, Dulles Airport from Dublin on the Monday of Race week and collected my Rental and made the drive down to Cambridge later that evening to my Hotel. I assembled my bike asap, in case of any travel issues, and checked it over for any damage. All good! Ready to go! Phew! 
Tuesday: Out on the bike course to recce the roads and see whats what! Wind, Road Surface, Power numbers & Speeds, HR etc... all looking good but a little windy in places. Overall i was happy after checking the out and back section of the course. While a little breezy it was nothing compared to riding in the winds of Lanzarote which after racing there in 2016 it thought me how to actually ride a bike in very windy conditions and more so to learn to accept its control over you.
A quick Brick Run off the bike and my HR was a little high in the 140's at pace but the heat at that time was 22 deg celsius and i was still getting used to the heat difference from back home.
Later that evening i drove down to the swim practise site to see if there was anyone around to go for a practise swim with but it was very quiet and so i swam back at the smallest hotel pool in the world which was about 10m long and i nearly tumbled turned myself into sonic the hedgehog before realising how INSANE this was and gave up! 
Wednesday: An easy Morning Run and HR check and i was beginning to come around and adjusting a little better. I usually need a day or three to settle into an unfamiliar climate & surroundings when racing. I drove down to the Swim site later that afternoon and finally the Swim Recce area was open and people were coming and going checking out the swim conditions. All conversations with fellow athletes were about the Jellyfish and the stings. After an 1100m practise swim i had gotten stung a few times but they were very small stings and not that annoying. Certainly not like a scene from 20,000 leagues under the Sea! As some athletes were over-dramatically and ever so slightly exaggerating about!! Jaysus lads! Go easy will ye! It's an Ironman!
Thursday: Another bike & brick run day but shorter and more @raced paced effort this time. Nothing too different than my first ride but the wind was coming from the complete opposite direction this time! Hmmm... Different days = different wind directions = race day = roll the dice as to which way its gonna blow! Ok, well thats outta my control so just hit the numbers and race day will be race day! Same for everyone else!
Another short Swim with the Jellyfish later that day to help practise sighting the diamond shaped bouys, which to me looked smaller than the ones used in Europe and harder to see imo.
Friday: Instead of running I like to go on a very easy bike ride the day before a race or on bike check-in day to help me relax, check the bike over one last time and keep my legs ticking over. I find it flushes out any unnecessary junk in the legs, while at the same time keeps my brain from over-thinking that i need to be doing something crazy! So i just commute easy down to the race site and onto the run course and visualise the start of the run, or any course notes i need to remember on race day, before easy pedalling back to the hotel to get my transition bags together and my bike ready for check in.
Morning passed + brain engaged and distracted + transition bags & check lists & check lists for check lists & ONE more trip to Walmart to buy EVERYTHING! = relaxed, fairies & unicorns etc...
RACE DAY:
Race Day Goals = 1. Kona Qualify!
2. Swim 60mins or under. Find Happy Feet = Conserve your energy = Be smart but fast!
3. Bike the Beejaysus outta myself! Just kidding! Bike under 5 hours while really behaving on the Power & HR!
4. Run 3:05-3:15 or as best the heat and race conditions will offer! First 4-6miles EASY! Then eat, then Run!
Swim: 1:02:23
Swim start was ok. I nearly missed it as i was waiting for a final pee at the urinals and the queues were still long. But i finally made it to the start line after i made my way through the crowd and up to the sub 60min banner which was only 2 rows off the front!
I literally checked my goggles & nose clip and BANG went the start gun! Ok then! So no time to worry or stress or even think!
Just get in the water and swim! Wow that escalated quickly and before i knew it i was a couple of hundred metres into the race and looking for feet to latch onto! I had lots of options from good swimmers around me and i bounced from feet to feet in search of a slightly faster version of myself which i did manage to find as we settled into out first lap. I was cruisin' and i knew i was moving fast as everytime i lost touch with the swimmer ahead, or moved out of the draft, i had to sprint to catch up. This is going to be fast. Happy thoughts for now!
Lap 2 however proved to be a different kettle of Jellyfish! As we rounded the bouys for the beginning of lap 2 we soon ran almost straight into, or what seemed like, a wall of back markers and its from there that the swim became a very different 2nd lap to the first. On a number of occasions a few athletes swam across in front of me or over me and on each occasion i remember wondering which of us were going the correct direction as the extra churn in the water made sighting way more difficult to see those (smaller imo:-) diamond shaped bouys. I could see a pink hat of a female athlete off to my left and i recognised her swim stroke from Lap 1 so i aimed for her feet and after some scary moments with back markers i finally made it alongside her and stayed at her waist for as long as i could. By the time we got to the final home straight and passed the bouys & back markers i could feel the tops of my shoulders were really sore and full of lactate from keeping my head and body out of the water to sight for nearly the entire 2nd loop. I knew i had slowed way down and knew from swim practise how slow my pace gets once i stick my head above the water line. I was glad to get the swim over with and tbh i was ok with seeing 1:02 on the clock as i exited the water, especially after seeing 3984m on my Garmin!!
Ah Crap! But I could easily live with 2 mins down and i looked forward to mounting my steed and seeing what wind and conditions nature would conjure up for me once we hit the open roads.
But first there was the little matter of 3 wet-suit strippers dragging me around the changing area car park until i cried STOP! and leveraged my right foot out of my wet suit leg which refused point blank to come out and play!! Finally to the bike after a quick change in the tent. 
'Please dont be one of those days' i remember thinking!
T1: 4:04 :-\
Bike: 4:41:40
Bike start went ok with no issues on the way out of town despite the twisting turns and junctions to navigate. I think it helped slow things a little and to bring my HR under control and help settle into the beginning of the bike after the swim and chaos that was T1.
I even managed to begin eating and drinking on the way out of town and so by the time we hit the open roads i was really ready to settle into my aero position and lock myself in at my target 210W on the flat, smooth surface.
Almost immediately i could feel myself really moving along and on checking some taller trees away off in the distance for any movement, of which i could see very little, i knew my luck was in and 40-42kph was peering back at me from my Garmin and my Heart Rate was comfortably in the 130's - Low 140's, exactly where i wanted it to be.
I crossed all my fingers & toes hoping that this would continue. But as the miles went by and as my direction changed so too did the wind and i started to feel it hitting me from both side-on and an occasional gust from the front which definitely grabbed my attention and focus.
It was almost eerily quiet out on the roads with all but a few competitors near me on the first loop. It felt like it took an eternity to catch guys up ahead of me as i could see them way off in front of you before finally, slowly catching up to them and passing them.
I did look behind me at one stage and saw 4-5 bikes, which i had passed earlier, all evenly spaced out behind me in a train with a motorbike & Referee at the very back making sure all was above board.
By that stage the wind was beginning to pick up and you could see they were struggling to find the rhythm and balance from earlier and maintain pace and soon there was all but one bike left clinging on to my tail.
With the wind beginning to pick up it was somewhere around the 80-90km mark that i knew the 2nd lap could prove to be more of a challenge and my fast bike split would be reduced somewhat. However i was still in fighting form, my legs felt really great and all the numbers from the past 90km suggested to me i was exactly where i wanted to be and still well capable of scoring a massive PB.
So inevitably as we rounded the right turn for the local school, back near town where the bike special needs stations were set up and the crowds had gathered to support everyone as they passed, i could feel the stronger wind in my face and my fears were soon realised as the road and farm landscape opened up around me once again for lap 2 and my Garmin read 28kph @220W.
'Well, it was nice while it lasted' i remember thinking to myself but after a quick shrug of my shoulders i settled back down and got right back to work making myself very low and aero as i could into the wind.
I had been lucky enough, from January-May 2016, to travel and train on a number of occasions in Lanzarote before competing in IM Lanzarote in May 2016. As a family we also visit there at least once a year and rarely has my bike not shared the flight too! :-)
So anyone who has ever visited there, or rode a bike there, will know what I'm talking about when i mention the unrelentless gusty winds that encompass that island on a regular basis no matter what direction you seem to ride.
Ever since that Lanzarote IM and the many rides there in 2016 I've somehow learned how to ride in windy and difficult conditions(well being from Ireland too i guess that helps!) and so i wasn't that concerned much as I battled on for what seemed like the longest amount of time before the course direction finally changed northwards and i could see familiar numbers back on my Garmin again.
38-40kph and i was cruising' again, passing an ever-ending stream of other athletes finishing their first bike loop as i passed along the outside left with the warning rumble strips between me and the line of athletes.
I couldn't wait to make the turn off the road and back to town and we all had been warned at the race briefing to give good warning of your intention to take the left turn back to town on the 2nd loop so the local police could stop the road traffic and allow riders to take the turn safely. Luckily it passed off without much cause to slow down and i left the MD16 for the final time and headed for town and T2.
Just after that turn and on a right sweeping bend i came across an accident where an athlete had fallen from his bike and was obviously in a little trouble as there was an Ambulance, Police cars and 4/5 IM staff directing me to the outer lane to continue.
I could see him on the stretcher being loaded into the Ambulance and as i passed by i asked whether the rider ok to which i got a 'yes, he's ok' and a wave to continue. It reminded me of my own bike accident back in July 2016 where i fell and broke my right collarbone, Scapula, some ribs and punctured my lung which reset all the fitness gains i had made over the previous 4 Ironman years. It reminded me how quickly it can happen and how easy things can go from great to not so great in a very short space of time. It also helped me to refocus on the way back to town and as i rounded each of the turns i was hoping to catch a glimpse of T2 and cash in on what was to be the best bike split i had ever produced over the IM Bike leg.
4:41 on the clock and i was buzzing! an IF of 0.72, NP of 208W and a VI of 1:01 and i knew that i had nailed the bike leg and that i had hydrated an almost full gatorade every 15miles between aid stations and ate my way through at least 150-200 calories in Shot Bloks and bananas every 30-40mins the entire ride. I was well loaded and good to run and so into the changing tent for my Runners and go bag before shuffling out to begin the final Run leg.
Bike link to Training Peaks: Donnacha completed a 177 km bike workout on 7/10 in 4:41:32 with 241 TSS.
T2: 3:45
Run: 3:14:54
So i failed to mention back in the bike report that i was completely unaware how i was doing in the race up to the run leg. I had travelled all the way to Maryland from the North West of Ireland on my own, and for the first time to any IM event without my loyal Sherpas to keep me up to race data speed!
So for the first 6km of the Run and out to the 1st turnaround on the Run i had no idea of where i was placed in the race. I mean i could see just a few bikes racked back in T2 and figured i was doing my best and that the hardest part of the day was only beginning.
But i wasn't really focusing on that as it honestly never entered my head that i could be placing so high in the race standings!
So out i shuffled, EN Style to the 6km point and still nobody had passed me on the opposite side heading back for town and their 2nd run loop. Thats about the time, evident from the jump in my HR on my Training Peaks file, that i realised just how close i was to the lead guys! I mean it was both terrifying and exciting all at the same time!
Now, I'm sure some colour(well some more white colour) drained from my face as I could see the 1st place athlete and the Bike following just behind him coming towards me not far after the first run turnaround. Then a few metres later i spotted the 2nd Athlete and his Bike in tow, then a larger gap of a few hundred metres and the 3rd place Athlete rounded the bend with a little gap to 4th, 5th and 6th place.
Then i spotted the run turnaround cones and my entire day changed on its head as i realised where i was placed in the race! 7th Place! WTF! and i was in shock! I was moving fast and comfortably at 4:27 p/km pace and as we headed back for town and through the Aid stations i could see 6th place ahead of me and so before long i had taken 6th place, after a quick chat about how he overcooked the bike leg. #4keys! i thought to myself as i distanced myself from him!
As we came back into the turnaround in town, to begin our 2nd loop, I could see the lead guy was cruising but 2nd place was falling off the pace a little and the guy who was in 4th was now in 3rd and closing in on that 2nd place spot! I tried my best not to be affected by the race around me or how the day could possibly end up so i just composed myself and my thoughts as best i could and i put on the death stare face to force myself into a fully concentrated state. I'm not entirely sure when i took 5th place but i do remember thinking 'keep moving forward' and 'Ironman is a long race' 'You never know what will happen in the race in front of you' Those thoughts kept my legs turning over as best i could but by mile 18 my legs were beginning to get the usual race fade hurt and tightness and i had to dig SO deep to hold things together and keep moving forward.
I had a finger length blister down the centre of my left foot which was bearable up to mile 18 and then suddenly it reminded me of its exact location with every left step i landed and ESPECIALLY as we turned or changed direction. I dug deep with all my will and i drank coke at every aid station along with loads of Ice and cold water to help with the 28 degree sun beating down on me. I was beginning to fade a little more as i got onto the 3rd and final shorter run lap. Mile 21 passed and i was beginning to see a tiny beam of light at the end of a very dark tunnel and then the final run turnaround! 'Wow this is going to happen!' i remember thinking, and I'm actually going to make it home possibly in 6th place! Just Wow! I thought as i walked the aid station to consume as much coke as possible to get me home when up ahead of me and through the the outline of the other athletes i spotted the 5th place athlete just ahead!
Well 'Holy shit!' i thought as i began running again and managed to make a few metres on him until he very slowly pulled away from me and headed back towards town for the very final time! Needless today i was back in death stare mode with the possibility of a 4th place finish so i summoned up the inner most demons of mitochondria and took a firm aim on the white suited athlete ahead of me.
We were nearing the end at around mile 24, at one of the last aid stations, when up ahead of me i could see 4th place stopped and barely walking the aid station grabbing everything he could and shuffling along to try and get going again. I was still running, albeit much slower than earlier and as i entered the aid station i didn't slow at all. I grabbed coke and water but i missed my mouth completely and just inhaled the cup of coke up my nose! But by the time we were out the other side i had grabbed 4th place somehow and i remember thinking I'm not going to be able to sprint finish this! I'm goosed!
With every step i took i could feel the stare down from Stefan behind me(we had a great chat afterwards ;-))
I was running for home with every ounce of remaining energy i could conjure up and i could hear the chariots of fire theme music playing in my head as we made it back into town for the final time before heading for the home straight and the inevitable 'You are an Ironman' words would be heard for the 6th time. I was beginning to wonder how the race announcer would try to pronounce my Irish name and even had a little chuckle to myself when suddenly i heard an overpowering 'WHAT AGE GROUP ARE YOU?' coming right behind me! '40-44 AG' i replied as Stefan pulled alongside and slowly passed by me just before the town turnaround. 5th place again!
Well the Dj announcer at the town turnaround was now shouting across the Mic at how this race for 4th & 5th was materialising all the way to the finish line, as he had the timing results in front of him, and so people started cheering and shouting at me to 'Go get em' and 'You got this' and 'Be the hammer'! But deep down inside me i knew i had used up all my Power Ups to get this far and i could see Stefan pull further ahead of me as he somehow found the strong finish i would have hoped for to take his 4th place. He later admitted he thought i was going to come back strong and pass him before the line!
I eventually crossed the finish line to a 'DONNISH' DONNATCHA' eh 'HOLMES' 'You are an Ironman' and congratulations to you on your AG win! Holy crap an AG win! Wow! Man! that was tough! But i had finished first in AG, 5th place Overall and i could barely believe how well the day had turned out! Wow! Just Wow! i thought over and over again as i shook Stefans hand and he thanked me for pushing him all the way and the great race we both had somehow enjoyed!
We chatted for over a half and hour in the athletes tent afterwards and he told me stories of Kona and how incredible it is and how my journey was just beginning. We stayed in touch after meeting again at the awards ceremony and he messaged me once he got home to Switzerland to see if he could share any information on Kona before next year. Nice Guy! Thanks Stefan.
Run link to Training Peaks: Donnacha completed a 42.0 km run workout on 7/10 in 3:14:59 with 266 rTSS.
Post Race & Awards Ceremony: So, needless to say i was on such a high for the rest of the race day and evening and despite my very best efforts i just couldn't make it back down to the finishing line to cheer home the remaining athletes as i always do. My body was broken and i had no loyal sherpas to help my aching legs and body and so it was with a heavy heart and the first time that i didn't make it back down to the finish line and instead, lay on my Hotel bed, falling in and out of sleep, and stream messages of thanks to all the well wishers back home on my phone. Well at least my fingers still worked! :-)
The next morning after a nice Breakfast, An Epsom & Menthol salt bath to help get my muscles going, i ventured down to the Hyatt and joined the Athletes breakfast and Awards ceremony. I had been messaging the EN team over the week and only noticed one EN team athlete with a Tri suit over the course of the day. As i passed him on the run i remember saying 'Coach Patrick is watching you, keep it up!' while running by!
So i apologise to the team member as myself and Coach P and the ABP ride group always joke about how Coach P knows and sees all and so we always lay on the Big Brother is watching you jokes! Clearly my brain was not working correctly and that team member was not to know this! So apologies! :-\
I was messaging fellow EN team member Jeff Wisot on our Group Me app as he had also had a fantastic race result and KQ'd so he was somewhere among the audience at the awards ceremony. I ended up meeting a few EN guys who were very friendly and kind enough to take some photos while i collected my AG award and my Kona slot! I was still beaming with joy about my result and KQ. I had tried on a number of occasions to qualify, but for one reason or another it didn't happen, so this time everything went perfect and I couldn't wait to begin my next journey and preparation for Kona WC and the 2018 season.
Thanks to everyone on the EN team for your help and training companionship in the lead up to race day in Maryland especially the ABP Sunday ride guys group. I've been in the background for so long, reading and absorbing so much great energy and advice from team EN, and you all helped me push harder than I've ever pushed for this race and made those long 5 hour Zwift rides way easier to complete. I look forward to going back on Zwift and getting the weekly ABP group rides together again. I'm sure it'll take a few weeks for everyone to understand my accent again too :-)
Special thanks to Coach P who's knowledge and guidance helped me achieve my goals and be the best i could be on race day with some fancy wizardry and hocus pocus training plan tweaks!
Of course i must thank my Wife and our 3 kids who are always there for me to support and help me achieve my goals. I missed not having them support me in Maryland but their absence made my determination a bigger force to be reckoned with on race day. So thank you guys for all your love and support always.
To finish: I CANNOT WAIT to get on that Kona bound plane and experience the Super Warm, Humid, Sweaty, Windy, Gusty, Dangerous and near impossible racing conditions next October!
Its funny but when you hear yourself explaining to people whats ahead of you, you have to stop and wonder 'What the hell am i doing that for!' :-)
Or maybe I'll just never know why! but somehow I just can't wait!
DH
Comments
WAY TO GO!!!!
Donnacha Holmes started a new discussion: Donnacha Holmes IMMD 2017 RR
Finally got to write this down! **Caution- it’s a bit long** sorry!
IMMD 2017 Race Report
Ironman # 6
Finish Time: 9:06:46
1st AG 40-44 (KQ)
5th OA
Race Week:
Monday: So i arrived into Washington, Dulles Airport from Dublin on the Monday of Race week and collected my Rental and made the drive down to Cambridge later that evening to my Hotel. I assembled my bike asap, in case of any travel issues, and checked it over for any damage. All good! Ready to go! Phew!
Tuesday: Out on the bike course to recce the roads and see whats what! Wind, Road Surface, Power numbers & Speeds, HR etc... all looking good but a little windy in places. Overall i was happy after checking the out and back section of the course. While a little breezy it was nothing compared to riding in the winds of Lanzarote which after racing there in 2016 it thought me how to actually ride a bike in very windy conditions and more so to learn to accept its control over you.
A quick Brick Run off the bike and my HR was a little high in the 140's at pace but the heat at that time was 22 deg celsius and i was still getting used to the heat difference from back home.
Later that evening i drove down to the swim practise site to see if there was anyone around to go for a practise swim with but it was very quiet and so i swam back at the smallest hotel pool in the world which was about 10m long and i nearly tumbled turned myself into sonic the hedgehog before realising how INSANE this was and gave up!
Wednesday: An easy Morning Run and HR check and i was beginning to come around and adjusting a little better. I usually need a day or three to settle into an unfamiliar climate & surroundings when racing. I drove down to the Swim site later that afternoon and finally the Swim Recce area was open and people were coming and going checking out the swim conditions. All conversations with fellow athletes were about the Jellyfish and the stings. After an 1100m practise swim i had gotten stung a few times but they were very small stings and not that annoying. Certainly not like a scene from 20,000 leagues under the Sea! As some athletes were over-dramatically and ever so slightly exaggerating about!! Jaysus lads! Go easy will ye! It's an Ironman!
Thursday: Another bike & brick run day but shorter and more @raced paced effort this time. Nothing too different than my first ride but the wind was coming from the complete opposite direction this time! Hmmm... Different days = different wind directions = race day = roll the dice as to which way its gonna blow! Ok, well thats outta my control so just hit the numbers and race day will be race day! Same for everyone else!
Another short Swim with the Jellyfish later that day to help practise sighting the diamond shaped bouys, which to me looked smaller than the ones used in Europe and harder to see imo.
Friday: Instead of running I like to go on a very easy bike ride the day before a race or on bike check-in day to help me relax, check the bike over one last time and keep my legs ticking over. I find it flushes out any unnecessary junk in the legs, while at the same time keeps my brain from over-thinking that i need to be doing something crazy! So i just commute easy down to the race site and onto the run course and visualise the start of the run, or any course notes i need to remember on race day, before easy pedalling back to the hotel to get my transition bags together and my bike ready for check in.
Morning passed + brain engaged and distracted + transition bags & check lists & check lists for check lists & ONE more trip to Walmart to buy EVERYTHING! = relaxed, fairies & unicorns etc...
RACE DAY:
Race Day Goals = 1. Kona Qualify!
2. Swim 60mins or under. Find Happy Feet = Conserve your energy = Be smart but fast!
3. Bike the Beejaysus outta myself! Just kidding! Bike under 5 hours while really behaving on the Power & HR!
4. Run 3:05-3:15 or as best the heat and race conditions will offer! First 4-6miles EASY! Then eat, then Run!
Swim: 1:02:23
Swim start was ok. I nearly missed it as i was waiting for a final pee at the urinals and the queues were still long. But i finally made it to the start line after i made my way through the crowd and up to the sub 60min banner which was only 2 rows off the front!
I literally checked my goggles & nose clip and BANG went the start gun! Ok then! So no time to worry or stress or even think!
Just get in the water and swim! Wow that escalated quickly and before i knew it i was a couple of hundred metres into the race and looking for feet to latch onto! I had lots of options from good swimmers around me and i bounced from feet to feet in search of a slightly faster version of myself which i did manage to find as we settled into out first lap. I was cruisin' and i knew i was moving fast as everytime i lost touch with the swimmer ahead, or moved out of the draft, i had to sprint to catch up. This is going to be fast. Happy thoughts for now!
Lap 2 however proved to be a different kettle of Jellyfish! As we rounded the bouys for the beginning of lap 2 we soon ran almost straight into, or what seemed like, a wall of back markers and its from there that the swim became a very different 2nd lap to the first. On a number of occasions a few athletes swam across in front of me or over me and on each occasion i remember wondering which of us were going the correct direction as the extra churn in the water made sighting way more difficult to see those (smaller imo:-) diamond shaped bouys. I could see a pink hat of a female athlete off to my left and i recognised her swim stroke from Lap 1 so i aimed for her feet and after some scary moments with back markers i finally made it alongside her and stayed at her waist for as long as i could. By the time we got to the final home straight and passed the bouys & back markers i could feel the tops of my shoulders were really sore and full of lactate from keeping my head and body out of the water to sight for nearly the entire 2nd loop. I knew i had slowed way down and knew from swim practise how slow my pace gets once i stick my head above the water line. I was glad to get the swim over with and tbh i was ok with seeing 1:02 on the clock as i exited the water, especially after seeing 3984m on my Garmin!!
Ah Crap! But I could easily live with 2 mins down and i looked forward to mounting my steed and seeing what wind and conditions nature would conjure up for me once we hit the open roads.
But first there was the little matter of 3 wet-suit strippers dragging me around the changing area car park until i cried STOP! and leveraged my right foot out of my wet suit leg which refused point blank to come out and play!! Finally to the bike after a quick change in the tent.
'Please dont be one of those days' i remember thinking!
T1: 4:04 :-\
Bike: 4:41:40
Bike start went ok with no issues on the way out of town despite the twisting turns and junctions to navigate. I think it helped slow things a little and to bring my HR under control and help settle into the beginning of the bike after the swim and chaos that was T1.
I even managed to begin eating and drinking on the way out of town and so by the time we hit the open roads i was really ready to settle into my aero position and lock myself in at my target 210W on the flat, smooth surface.
Almost immediately i could feel myself really moving along and on checking some taller trees away off in the distance for any movement, of which i could see very little, i knew my luck was in and 40-42kph was peering back at me from my Garmin and my Heart Rate was comfortably in the 130's - Low 140's, exactly where i wanted it to be.
I crossed all my fingers & toes hoping that this would continue. But as the miles went by and as my direction changed so too did the wind and i started to feel it hitting me from both side-on and an occasional gust from the front which definitely grabbed my attention and focus.
It was almost eerily quiet out on the roads with all but a few competitors near me on the first loop. It felt like it took an eternity to catch guys up ahead of me as i could see them way off in front of you before finally, slowly catching up to them and passing them.
I did look behind me at one stage and saw 4-5 bikes, which i had passed earlier, all evenly spaced out behind me in a train with a motorbike & Referee at the very back making sure all was above board.
By that stage the wind was beginning to pick up and you could see they were struggling to find the rhythm and balance from earlier and maintain pace and soon there was all but one bike left clinging on to my tail.
With the wind beginning to pick up it was somewhere around the 80-90km mark that i knew the 2nd lap could prove to be more of a challenge and my fast bike split would be reduced somewhat. However i was still in fighting form, my legs felt really great and all the numbers from the past 90km suggested to me i was exactly where i wanted to be and still well capable of scoring a massive PB.
So inevitably as we rounded the right turn for the local school, back near town where the bike special needs stations were set up and the crowds had gathered to support everyone as they passed, i could feel the stronger wind in my face and my fears were soon realised as the road and farm landscape opened up around me once again for lap 2 and my Garmin read 28kph @220W.
'Well, it was nice while it lasted' i remember thinking to myself but after a quick shrug of my shoulders i settled back down and got right back to work making myself very low and aero as i could into the wind.
I had been lucky enough, from January-May 2016, to travel and train on a number of occasions in Lanzarote before competing in IM Lanzarote in May 2016. As a family we also visit there at least once a year and rarely has my bike not shared the flight too! :-)
So anyone who has ever visited there, or rode a bike there, will know what I'm talking about when i mention the unrelentless gusty winds that encompass that island on a regular basis no matter what direction you seem to ride.
Ever since that Lanzarote IM and the many rides there in 2016 I've somehow learned how to ride in windy and difficult conditions(well being from Ireland too i guess that helps!) and so i wasn't that concerned much as I battled on for what seemed like the longest amount of time before the course direction finally changed northwards and i could see familiar numbers back on my Garmin again.
38-40kph and i was cruising' again, passing an ever-ending stream of other athletes finishing their first bike loop as i passed along the outside left with the warning rumble strips between me and the line of athletes.
I couldn't wait to make the turn off the road and back to town and we all had been warned at the race briefing to give good warning of your intention to take the left turn back to town on the 2nd loop so the local police could stop the road traffic and allow riders to take the turn safely. Luckily it passed off without much cause to slow down and i left the MD16 for the final time and headed for town and T2.
Just after that turn and on a right sweeping bend i came across an accident where an athlete had fallen from his bike and was obviously in a little trouble as there was an Ambulance, Police cars and 4/5 IM staff directing me to the outer lane to continue.
I could see him on the stretcher being loaded into the Ambulance and as i passed by i asked whether the rider ok to which i got a 'yes, he's ok' and a wave to continue. It reminded me of my own bike accident back in July 2016 where i fell and broke my right collarbone, Scapula, some ribs and punctured my lung which reset all the fitness gains i had made over the previous 4 Ironman years. It reminded me how quickly it can happen and how easy things can go from great to not so great in a very short space of time. It also helped me to refocus on the way back to town and as i rounded each of the turns i was hoping to catch a glimpse of T2 and cash in on what was to be the best bike split i had ever produced over the IM Bike leg.
4:41 on the clock and i was buzzing! an IF of 0.72, NP of 208W and a VI of 1:01 and i knew that i had nailed the bike leg and that i had hydrated an almost full gatorade every 15miles between aid stations and ate my way through at least 150-200 calories in Shot Bloks and bananas every 30-40mins the entire ride. I was well loaded and good to run and so into the changing tent for my Runners and go bag before shuffling out to begin the final Run leg.
Bike link to Training Peaks: Donnacha completed a 177 km bike workout on 7/10 in 4:41:32 with 241 TSS.
http://tpks.ws/DhVrc
T2: 3:45
Run: 3:14:54
So i failed to mention back in the bike report that i was completely unaware how i was doing in the race up to the run leg. I had travelled all the way to Maryland from the North West of Ireland on my own, and for the first time to any IM event without my loyal Sherpas to keep me up to race data speed!
So for the first 6km of the Run and out to the 1st turnaround on the Run i had no idea of where i was placed in the race. I mean i could see just a few bikes racked back in T2 and figured i was doing my best and that the hardest part of the day was only beginning.
But i wasn't really focusing on that as it honestly never entered my head that i could be placing so high in the race standings!
So out i shuffled, EN Style to the 6km point and still nobody had passed me on the opposite side heading back for town and their 2nd run loop. Thats about the time, evident from the jump in my HR on my Training Peaks file, that i realised just how close i was to the lead guys! I mean it was both terrifying and exciting all at the same time!
Now, I'm sure some colour(well some more white colour) drained from my face as I could see the 1st place athlete and the Bike following just behind him coming towards me not far after the first run turnaround. Then a few metres later i spotted the 2nd Athlete and his Bike in tow, then a larger gap of a few hundred metres and the 3rd place Athlete rounded the bend with a little gap to 4th, 5th and 6th place.
Then i spotted the run turnaround cones and my entire day changed on its head as i realised where i was placed in the race! 7th Place! WTF! and i was in shock! I was moving fast and comfortably at 4:27 p/km pace and as we headed back for town and through the Aid stations i could see 6th place ahead of me and so before long i had taken 6th place, after a quick chat about how he overcooked the bike leg. #4keys! i thought to myself as i distanced myself from him!
As we came back into the turnaround in town, to begin our 2nd loop, I could see the lead guy was cruising but 2nd place was falling off the pace a little and the guy who was in 4th was now in 3rd and closing in on that 2nd place spot! I tried my best not to be affected by the race around me or how the day could possibly end up so i just composed myself and my thoughts as best i could and i put on the death stare face to force myself into a fully concentrated state. I'm not entirely sure when i took 5th place but i do remember thinking 'keep moving forward' and 'Ironman is a long race' 'You never know what will happen in the race in front of you' Those thoughts kept my legs turning over as best i could but by mile 18 my legs were beginning to get the usual race fade hurt and tightness and i had to dig SO deep to hold things together and keep moving forward.
I had a finger length blister down the centre of my left foot which was bearable up to mile 18 and then suddenly it reminded me of its exact location with every left step i landed and ESPECIALLY as we turned or changed direction. I dug deep with all my will and i drank coke at every aid station along with loads of Ice and cold water to help with the 28 degree sun beating down on me. I was beginning to fade a little more as i got onto the 3rd and final shorter run lap. Mile 21 passed and i was beginning to see a tiny beam of light at the end of a very dark tunnel and then the final run turnaround! 'Wow this is going to happen!' i remember thinking, and I'm actually going to make it home possibly in 6th place! Just Wow! I thought as i walked the aid station to consume as much coke as possible to get me home when up ahead of me and through the the outline of the other athletes i spotted the 5th place athlete just ahead!
Well 'Holy shit!' i thought as i began running again and managed to make a few metres on him until he very slowly pulled away from me and headed back towards town for the very final time! Needless today i was back in death stare mode with the possibility of a 4th place finish so i summoned up the inner most demons of mitochondria and took a firm aim on the white suited athlete ahead of me.
We were nearing the end at around mile 24, at one of the last aid stations, when up ahead of me i could see 4th place stopped and barely walking the aid station grabbing everything he could and shuffling along to try and get going again. I was still running, albeit much slower than earlier and as i entered the aid station i didn't slow at all. I grabbed coke and water but i missed my mouth completely and just inhaled the cup of coke up my nose! But by the time we were out the other side i had grabbed 4th place somehow and i remember thinking I'm not going to be able to sprint finish this! I'm goosed!
With every step i took i could feel the stare down from Stefan behind me(we had a great chat afterwards ;-))
I was running for home with every ounce of remaining energy i could conjure up and i could hear the chariots of fire theme music playing in my head as we made it back into town for the final time before heading for the home straight and the inevitable 'You are an Ironman' words would be heard for the 6th time. I was beginning to wonder how the race announcer would try to pronounce my Irish name and even had a little chuckle to myself when suddenly i heard an overpowering 'WHAT AGE GROUP ARE YOU?' coming right behind me! '40-44 AG' i replied as Stefan pulled alongside and slowly passed by me just before the town turnaround. 5th place again!
Well the Dj announcer at the town turnaround was shouting across the Mic at how this race for 4th & 5th was materialising all the way to the finish line as he had the timing results in front of him, and so people started cheering and shouting at me to 'Go get em' and 'You got this' and 'Be the hammer' but deep down inside me i knew i had used up all my Power Ups to get this far and i could see Stefan pull further ahead of me as he somehow found the strong finish i would have hoped for to take his 4th place. He later admitted he thought i was going to come back strong and pass him before the line!
I eventually crossed the finish line to a 'DONNISH' DONNATCHA' eh 'HOLMES' 'You are an Ironman' and congratulations to you on your AG win! Holy crap an AG win! Wow! Man! that was tough! But i had finished first in AG, 5th place Overall and i could barely believe how well the day had turned out! Wow! Just Wow! i thought over and over again as i shook Stefans hand and he thanked me for pushing him all the way and the great race we both had somehow enjoyed!
We chatted for over a half and hour in the athletes tent afterwards and he told me stories of Kona and how incredible it is and how my journey was just beginning. We stayed in touch after meeting again at the awards ceremony and he messaged me once he got home to Switzerland to see if he could share any information on Kona before next year. Nice Guy! Thanks Stefan.
Run link to Training Peaks: Donnacha completed a 42.0 km run workout on 7/10 in 3:14:59 with 266 rTSS.
http://tpks.ws/MgwYn
Post Race & Awards Ceremony: So, needless to say i was on such a high for the rest of the race day and evening and despite my very best efforts i just couldn't make it back down to the finishing line to cheer home the remaining athletes as i always do. My body was broken and i had no loyal sherpas to help my aching legs and body and so it was with a heavy heart and the first time that i didn't make it back down to the finish line and instead, lay on my Hotel bed, falling in and out of sleep, and stream messages of thanks to all the well wishers back home on my phone. Well at least my fingers still worked! :-)
The next morning after a nice Breakfast, An Epsom & Menthol salt bath to help get my muscles going, i ventured down to the Hyatt and joined the Athletes breakfast and Awards ceremony. I had been messaging the EN team over the week and only noticed one EN team athlete with a Tri suit over the course of the day. As i passed him on the run i remember saying 'Coach Patrick is watching you, keep it up!' while running by!
So i apologise to the team member as myself and Coach P and the ABP ride group always joke about how Coach P knows and sees all and so we always lay on the Big Brother is watching you jokes!
Clearly my brain was not working correctly and that team member was not to know this! So apologies! :-\
I was messaging fellow EN team member Jeff Wisot on our Group Me app as he had also had a fantastic race result and KQ'd so he was somewhere among the audience at the awards ceremony. I ended up meeting a few EN guys who were very friendly and kind enough to take some photos while i collected my AG award and my Kona slot! I was still beaming with joy about my result and KQ. I had tried on a number of occasions to qualify, but for one reason or another it didn't happen, so this time everything went perfect and I couldn't wait to begin my next journey and preparation for Kona WC and the 2018 season.
Thanks to everyone on the EN team for your help and training companionship in the lead up to race day in Maryland especially the ABP Sunday ride guys group. I've been in the background for so long, reading and absorbing so much great energy and advice from team EN, and you all helped me push harder than I've ever pushed for this race and made those long 5 hour Zwift rides way easier to complete. I look forward to going back on Zwift and getting the weekly ABP group rides together again. I'm sure it'll take a few weeks for everyone to understand my accent again too :-)
Special thanks to Coach P who's knowledge and guidance helped me achieve my goals and be the best i could be on race day with some fancy wizardry and hocus pocus training plan tweaks!
Of course i must thank my Wife and our 3 kids who are always there for me to support and help me achieve my goals. I missed not having them support me in Maryland but their absence made my determination a bigger force to be reckoned with on race day. So thank you guys for all your love and support always.
To finish: I CANNOT WAIT to get on that Kona bound plane and experience the Super Warm, Humid, Sweaty, Windy, Gusty, Dangerous and near impossible racing conditions next October!
Its funny but when you hear yourself explaining to people whats ahead of you, you have to stop and wonder 'What the hell am i doing that for!' :-)
Or maybe I'll just never know why! but somehow I just can't wait!
See you soon! or at least your avatar.....
Congratulations on 1st place and KQ!
Wow! Now you can just focus on Kona
I look forward to continue riding with you on Zwift! It really does push you and makes those loooong rides much easier!
I’ve never felt stronger on the bike and racing and pushing hard on Zwift definitely contributed to that for sure. I would agree with the Lionel Sanders post Kona interview where he spent most of his biking training year either we’ll above or well below his actual Kona race day power. That makes more sense to me now as most of my year was spent the same and I think big lessons can be learned going forward.
Hi @tim cronk thanks for you kind words. I’ve followed and read your reports and progress for the longest time on EN and congrats on your Kona race. I was following you and the team all the way!
I’m not sure how to approach next year. Part of me wants to concentrate more on my running. I worked so hard at being a stronger cyclist that I’ve ran 5 marathons at 3:13/3:14.
I feel determined that I can run closer to 3hrs or 3:05 off the bike but I’d need to invest more time in getting faster first without picking up small niggling injuries which thwarted my previous years attempts to make much speed progress and ultimately forced me back to a long & steady Run build up to race day.
I’ll have a chat with @Coach Patrick and decide then or maybe put it out to the guys on the team?
Also, I raced IMUK in july this year and I think that bouncing that fitness for Maryland really helped me peak. So do I do the same again next year? I could race early at IM Lanzarote in May and then rebuild and peak for Kona in October? Similar enough to this year but more time to rebuild between? Also Lanzarote is windy, hot, volcanic and a tough sob of a course! Or do I go short & fast and see if that translates once the volume begins? Again I’m not sure yet how that would translate to racing Kona? Sorry for the long reply but there my current thoughts. Any help would be great!
That winning feeling is yours for the rest of your life; don’t be afraid bring it out whenever you need a little boost.
Lanzarote should be a good simulation for Kona ... maybe even more climbing than Hawaii?
See if you can upload any of those pictures. Maybe they were too big for the forum to handle. Try about 600 x 400 pixels, under 500 kb! The team needs to see your smiles and trophy.
And thanks for the Irish perspective (Jaysus! Those back markers will really bring colour to your cheeks!)
I detect from your report that racing in Kona is your #1 goal next year. If so, the biggest risk to that goal is injury, and the most common injury producer is increased run intensity and/or volume. So, make sure you balance your goals next year when discussing with P.
Your challenges at Kona will be early riding with several hundred guys of similar swim and bike abilities, but I think you can/will separate by the turn-around. I raced at 66kg with a Zipp 404 front and am glad I didn't have anything deeper. The crosswinds on the way back are real. Then, the heat on the run. Do you plan on arriving a week+ early? I arrived 8 days pre-race and spent 5 days before flying in the sauna (20-30 min per session) and think it helped. Because the volcano was quite active and gave me bronchitis-like symptoms after five days on the island (took four days off the island to clear), I would go to Maui for 4-7 days to acclimate, then hop over to Kona on Wednesday. But that's just me. You're also going to have nearly 12 hours of time change, which is pretty rough and will take several days to absorb. Logistically, connecting in Honolulu is usually pretty awful. And one of the good things about first class to Hawaii is that business travel to the islands is virtually nil. Without corporations paying stupid 6k fares like to/from Europe, first class to Hawaii is often quite affordable. I could have flown coach for $1,100 or first for $1,600 from US east coast. Easiest $500 decision ever.
Looking forward to seeing what you can accomplish next year.
MR
Lanzarote has way more bike climbing than Kona @2500m although those winds out there are legit and from what i've read would be a great simulation for Kona. Lanzarote is an EN strategy type race for sure! Bike too hard on those hills and into the winds out of frustration and you're gonna suffer exponentially on the hot Marathon. It's no place for an ego, thats for sure. Also the caliber of AG athletes who race there are the cream of Europe in search of a tougher challenge or bouncing fitness for Kona. I've never seen so many Kona Hologram stickers on so many bikes before. I felt out of place almost! :-) thanks again Al
@tim cronk Thank you for your advice. I agree! As I too love to race so I think a measured approach to next season would be best and to avoid any injuries if possible before Kona. I agree too that it doesn't matter if you're a 9 or 17hour athlete. I have the same limiters and injury concerns as most of the EN team and i too have to look at my limiters and see where i can find a little gain here and there. If i can build back into a good solid Run base between now and January i think i'll be better equipped to handle some blocks of speed work gradually into my weekly plans. The 5 & 10km local road racing season begins in January and I've had good success using those races to help build some speed into my run program and pushing my limits. I think that could work in my favour if the base is there. Thanks again.
@Mike Roberts Thank you for your words of wisdom, its so great to have someone offer first-hand and recent knowledge from Kona this year. I raced IMMD at 65kg and i felt strong and fast on the bike. Thanks for the 404 Front wheel advice. It's great advice as your the same weight as me and so i now know for sure i'll race the 606 wheel set up for Kona. I'm very comfortable with that set up and raced a windy IM Lanzarote last year with it. It's a super all-round fast and very stable wheel set-up. The Sauna advice is really great idea too and something i was going to try before going. Its now cemented in my plans! thanks!
I'm hoping to arrive 10days before the race next year. I'd like to arrive in good time before race day and after reading some of the Irish athletes Kona race reports over the past few days i think thats wise to help acclimatise to the extreme change in conditions and the big time difference.
I hope the Volcanic activity isn't as bad as this year and i don't get any bronchial trouble. I've had bronchial issues before so fingers crossed it behaves for me!! I could always hop over to Maui for a few days if it becomes a limiting factor before race day. Thanks for the heads up on this.
I'll look into the First Class flights to Kona. I think i'm going to Fly direct to LAX from Dublin and then take another flight from there to Kona. I want to limit the amount of flights and any potential bike loss along the route!!
Unless theres somewhere else in the US that offers better value and service to connect to Kona from? Where do you fly from? Thanks again Mike
@Francis Picard Thanks Francis. Considering you're just a week out from IMKY you were going very well yesterday. Another few weeks and you'll be back to your Zwifting peak and crushing those KOM's along with the Heavy Breather crew.
Regarding vog, I combined bad luck with stupidity. In October the winds are unpredictable in HI. All race week, the winds were predominently Kona Winds (generally from the S), which usually sends the vog to the Hilo side. But the winds were so mild, it stuck around, and we were hazy all week. The trade winds (N/NE) didn't appear until race weekend, and trades usually cause vog to hover over the Kona coast. So, it was a weird week. I stupdily did most of my workouts mid-day to sense race-like heat. Very early a.m. would have been better. And I should have spent most of my time indoors, A/C on. But with relatively mild weather all week (the heat didn't pick up until 7:00 am or so Saturday morning), I kept the doors and windows open nearly 24/7 trying to acclimate. The vog mostly affected my sleep, as I woke up wheezing several times. Lesson learned for next time. If there is a next time.