IM WA - Race Report (my first IM experience)
HI team,
This is my first race report I've written so hopefully it gives you all a little insight into my first Ironman experience.
Wednesday, 1 December '10 - I arrived in Western Australia - Busselton on the Wednesday leading up to the race. I arrived pretty late (10pm) so it was just a quick unpack and then straight off to bed ready for an early morning swim.
Thursday, 2 December '10 - The following morning I headed down to the swim venue - the iconic Busselton Jetty and had a 40' swim. Amazing clear waters, nice and calm (swimming at the same time as race start). Later that afternoon I went for a light 30' jog around the streets of Busselton and the body was feeling great!
Friday, 3 December '10 - Jumped on the bike and took it out for a 30' ride. I couldn't access the roads of the cycle leg so I rode what I thought would be a similar direction. One thing I had noticed on this ride, which was of a little concern, was the strong winds which were blowing riding back into Busselton town. Regardless, a good little uneventful spin on the TT bike had me feeling confident. Went down at 8pm for the race briefing (yes, on the Friday). By today, I really just wanted to get the race underway, I think next race I might travel on the Thursday. Wednesday to Sunday is a long time to watch IM DVDs and try to stay out of trouble.
Saturday, 4 December '10 - Day before the race. It felt unbelieveablely surreal. All the training for the past 6 months, all the committments, all the declines of social events, all the sitting on the bike for hours, looking at a black line in the water and running miles was all for what was about to happen tomorrow. I had put a really great prep in for this race and I was feeling excited/nervous and keen to go. Took the bike to check in as soon as I could (to avoid stuffing around with it not really doing anything), a large lunch was to follow with the goal of keeping my solids intake down prior to the race now.
Sunday, 5 December '10 - Wake up at 3.30am and had my breakfast which was a bottle of powerade, an up and go (I think this is an Aussie drink) and a banana. Race was due to start at 5.30am for the pros and 5.45am for us age groupers. Off to the race venue I went... I couldn't believe how nervous I felt before the start of this race, putting my wet suit on, getting ready was so nerve wrecking, however, I made a concious effort to enjoy it and soak up the atmosphere around me. I had a chat with some volunteers prior and was ready to go.
Swim - BANG! The gun went off at 5.45am and 1400 wannabe Ironman athletes were off. I was hoping to swim a 1.15 and be on the bike by 1.20. Swimming with so many people was an experience in itself, however, I seemed to constantly find a little bit of room to move and was able find a really good rhythm early in the swim. I just kept telling myself to relax and keep my breathing steady. The swim at IM WA is up 1.9km following a long wooden jetty, amazing. I got to half way and had a look at my watch and I was sitting at 34' after the first 1.9km which I felt good about because my breathing was relaxed and I felt comfortable... I continued with this all the way to the swim exit and came up in 1.08 which I was quiety shocked but pleased about at the same time!
T1 - Off with the wetsuit (thanks volunteers, legends), on with the helmet, socks, bike shoes and nutrition.
Bike - 3 lap course around the streets of Busselton. As I'm sure all of you have heard Ironman Western Australia is known for it's 'flat and fast' bike course. I wanted to cycle at about 5.15, which I thought was pretty achieveable. One thing I didn't know about was the bumpy road surface, I swallowed a lot water in the swim and was getting abdominal pains, this constant bumpy ride was not helping. I was going a fair bit slower than what I wanted on the first lap, but keeping my 190 watts in check... race execution. Coming back into town, the wind really picked up and slowed me down... a lot. By the time I finished my first lap I knew my 5.15 was going to be struggle street. The second lap I pushed my wattage to about 195 watts, but the wind picked up and times were pretty similar to the first lap. By the time I got to the final 30km of the ride, I was well and truly bored of cycling! I really wanted to throw my bike away and run! the last 30km was a mental battle but I got back in 5.29.
T2 - I had the 22nd quickest T2 of the race. My goal for this race was sub 10 and I thought I could do this with a 1.15/5.15/3.30. By the time I came out of T2 I had to run a 3.17 marathon to meet my goals.
Run - WOW! What an experience of physical and mental battles this was. By far I'm strongest in my run. On the final half hour of the bike I was deciding on to 'chase' this sub 10 or run a 3.25-3.30 marathon and come home in about 10.10... Hmmm decisions. Another 12 months until I could chase this sub 10, let's attack it and see what happens I thought! Off I went in the run... a 4 lap run course, beautiful smooth roads, aid stations every 2km. Temperatures were mid 20 degrees celcuis, pretty good running conditions.
I went through 10km in 47' (my goal was to get to half way and have to run 1.40/1.42 for the final half of the marathon).. got to the half way point in 1.35... great! if I can run 4.45/km here home I'll come in 9.58! Let's do it!...
Then I turned into a statistic! This is something I was disappointed in, but I knew I took the risk of hitting the wall by attacking this sub 10 time.. 28km into the marathon and someone pulled out a sniper and shot me! My quads started pulsating like nothing I've ever felt... I was still running at 6.00/km, 29km this was it, I had to walk!! gutted!
I got to an aid station and went to stretch my quad and BANG! Hamstring cramped, S*&T I couldn't move, don't tell me I have to pull out, no way! I stood there with a first aider for 60 seconds and he told me to walk backwards, okay, I will, don't know why, but I will... sweet I could move again, shuffle shuffle shuffle I went 2km up the road to the next aid station, walked through grabbed everything in sight, including vegemite on a stick (high sodium supposed to prevent cramps, now, I'm a sports Scientist in Oz and it's been determined low salt is not the causation of muscular cramping, but I was desperate, I took anything and everything)! Off I went again...
I couldn't lift my legs too high because my calves were cramping now!. I got to 36km and could not take any heart in the fact I only had 6km to go... it was still so long to go.. I honestly felt like crying at this point! I literally in so much physical pain. Now my goals were 1km shuffles then walk, this worked, by this point I couldn't care less about what time I finished in, I needed to finish..
I reached 41km and started to get emotional, finally I'm about to finish my first Ironman race, everything I've trained for was for this moment. I held myself back and told myself I still have a km of shuffling to get through (I couldn't call what I was doing running).. off I went down the main street of Busselton, slapping hands with spectators down the finish shute! WOW I got chills and smiled all the way in, it was an awesome experience this final 150m, the majority of you will know the feeling... it is unbelieveable! The marathon was done in 3.38 and I crossed the finish line in a total time of 10.20.55...
Hearing Mike tell me that I am an Ironman was awesome!
What an amazing experience, physical, mental battles but very much worth it crossing that line.
I write this on Tuesday (2 days post race) and its only now that I had realised what has happened! I completed an ironman race!
Comments
First off, congrtas on your first IM!!!!
I applaud you for going for it. I have done so many of these and know that going for a time is lethal. Conditions on race day often dictate your finishing time. I actually have never had the guts to try to " make up time". The run will always get you. I raced IM St George this year. By no means a PR course. Had I tried to go for it...I would have DIED!! Ended up with a slow time but high finish place. See it all works out in the end. Just race based on your fitness. The course will eat you alive if you don't.
So proud of you for getting through that last part with your legs lockd up like that. UUGGH! That is brutal.
A 10:20 is amazing. Had you just run per plan, what would your time have been, about?
Carrie
Great job to finish!
I think most of us have learned one way or another, "You never know where your limits are until you go past them." A marathon with splits 1:42/1:43 might have been your limit, as you planned.
Thanks guys, in hindsight it would of been smarter and much more within my limits to stick with pre-determined target of a 3.20-3.25 marathon, definately right.
Carrie - I would of finished somewhere between 10.05-10.08 if I stuck to my paces. I think that's why I wanted to take the risk...for whatever reason in my head there is very little difference between 10.08 and 10.20 but a big difference between 10.08 and 9.59! So I thought it was worth a crack at the time... Live and learn..
Scott, congratulations. IMWA was also my first IM and I absolutely loved it.
The race venue, with the swim around the jetty is excellent. The water is beautiful and NO sharks seen while I was there.
A flat bike course does not equal an easy bike course. Being aero for 180km can put a hurt on your lower back.
Same with the run. After a bit, the flatness of the run was killing me. There was a tiny little bridge to cross each time and it allowed a slight uphill type movement. Boy did I look forward to this little part each loop.
Busselton is such a neat place (hard to get to, especially if you are flying in from the east coast of the USA) and the people there are wonderful. Great crowd support and everyone was so friendly and encouraging. I cannot wait to go back again.
Allan
As others had said, running to a time can create an interesting set of dynamics, which is what you found. The hard part of this game is figuring how to race to your fitness level. Overshoot – you know the pain, Undershoot and you wonder what you left on the table. Experience helps solve this difficult question.
Congrats! When you get the execution nailed you will be even more amazing than you already are!