Well, a month away from my 50th birthday and the Outlaw Ironman Triathlon has come and gone. What a day it was! This event was also the RAF Long Distance Champs. We had 24 individuals on the start line and 2 relay teams. that is amazing! When I started racing with RAF Triathlon we were lucky if we had 4 people at the Olympic Distance Champs (the only distance we had with a champs!). I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the whole experience. I suppose the story would be very different if my race had exploded and gone horribly wrong. I am so grateful that it did not as these Ironman events take on epic importance due to the build up, huge training load and sacrifices from so many people. Thankfully I had a good race. My previous Blog post was based around Ironman time goals. Well, after Sunday I have learnt so much. The main aspect is that chasing Ironman race times for the likes of us ‘normal’ people is a recipe for disaster! I quickly figured out on the bike that I had to judge my effort levels against the course and the conditions of the day. If I had chased a time I would surely have blown a gasket and crawled round much of the bike and run! As it was, I managed a constant effort pretty much all the way through – and even managed a surge over the last 5k of the run.
So here is the race report. It is likely to be long and probably boring! But I want to log the experience and look back in years to come to remember what a huge undertaking completing an Ironman Triathlon is (but I will be doing more!).
Swim – 1:06:42 Position: 126 overall. 10 Age Group.
Anyone who knows me will be aware that my swim is the weakest part of my triathlon package. So to come out of the H2O in this time was very pleasing. There were time ranked segments in the water based on your predicted swim split.
I opted to go to the rear of the sub-hour group in the hope that I would get dragged along. It turned out to be a good choice I think as I had a good first 400m or so, with no huge biff or kicks above the normal argy bargy. I actually wished that I had started nearer the front; but then I may have not had such a relaxed time. I sighted far more than I normally do and that is something that I will have to maintain during future races because i do tend to veer off left if I keep the head down. So a decent start to the day and I was assisted out of the water at the swim exit by the fantastic RAF volunteer crew. Their enthusiasm was fantastic; the sun was shining and I was ready to rock the bike (I think the race head came on but I quickly removed it. . . . .)
T1 – 4:53 Rank: 219
I thought that I had quite a swift T1. However, the clock says otherwise. Oh well, at least I had what I needed and experienced no dramas. I also moved up to 8th in my AG during transition; so not too bad.
Bike – 5:24:05 Rank: 66. Position After Bike: 62 Overall. 1 Age Group. Rank: 66
So after the bike I had gained 60 places overall and moved into the lead in my age group. Those are good stats! But the bike seemed harder than I thought it would be. I rode completely on feel and the aim was to monitor my effort level constantly. I think that I achieved this and backed off when the wind made it tough going> The reality is that riding 112 miles will make you tired no matter how fast you ride! Early into the bike I saw a Stafford Tri Club rider. It turned out to be Ronnie from RAF Cosford! We didn’t really know each other prior to the event but we ended up riding pretty much together (in a legal way) for the entire ride. There were times when I thought he had dropped away, especially up the hill on the Northern loop, but he just kept going. He had a great ride and was strong throughout. The course is nice but with the villages and some windy drags to negotiate I do not think that it is that fast. The last 3 – 4 miles certainly reduces your average speed as it takes you along a very narrow lane with speed bumps and pot holes. But this is unavoidable and the organisors did everything possible to reduce problems. Ronnie indicated that we were above 21mph average prior to this last stretch. My nutrition plan had worked well and I was feeling strong, if not a little fatigued. I was certainly ready to climb off the bike to stretch the legs out! I eased back quite abit over the last few miles in an attempt to feel relaxed for the run.
A better transition this time, but then T2 is always simpler. A change of socks and stuff the bag was all that was required. Again, the RAF volunteers were going crazy! What a great atmosphere there was – you really had to be there to experience the electricity!
Run – 3:37:39 Rank: 43
I eased into the run after a splash of sunscreen from a helper. The sun was strong and the temperature was rising. I dialed into my pace pretty quickly – or so I thought! Looking at the pace chart from the results I had started a tadge fast; but not horrendously so. It felt slow but I was passing people immediately. So I slowed further! There were not many people on the run course and it was actually really quiet as I eased through 5 miles. One guy came past me like a train soon after. I assumed this was a relay runner and reminded myself to run my own race. The run in an Ironman is the key element I reckon. You can lose so much time if you blow up. This was constantly on my mind and my plan was to walk the aid stations to ensure that I actually drank the water, rather than splosh it around my face. I took a gel at every other feed station and then ingested it 100m prior to taking on water at the next feed station – if that makes sense?! This worked well and I was never weak in a lack of energy kind of way. Phil Holdcroft came storming towards me from the opposite direction as I was on my first outward river loop. He was on a blinder, if he could maintain that pace; he looked very strong. I figured that I was the next RAF guy as I didn’t see anyone else for a while. Once I looped the lake and headed out for my second river loop it was far busier.
My legs started to hurt after 10 miles but using Jens Voigt’s method I was able to just tell them to shut up and push on. I was, however, reluctant to up the effort anywhere before 20 miles. For me, reaching 20 miles and not feeling like I would die horribly was a major point in the race. Just 2 laps of the lake to complete and you’re home! But there were some ugly sights out there. People being sick, dashing to the portaloo (I never had to visit one) or screaming with cramp. Poor Jamie Elliot, an RAF relay team runner, was hopping around like bunny trying to deal with cramp. I feared that if I stopped to assist I would end up in the same state; hence I felt a bit guilty leaving him behind. As I hit the lake circuit I saw Phil ahead. Initially, I thought that he had blown spectacularly. However, he had completed his first end lake loop and was now heading into the finish. I had half a loop and then one full loop to complete. The problem here is that I had to run past the finish to start my final loop! Phil had finished in 9:49! A fantastic result and he was RAF LD Champ. I pushed on, knowing that I was going to finish. I could also risk upping the effort. So I engaged the legs for more power. I passed quite a few people on the final 5k and emptied the tank totally. I had not realised that my wife and daughter had traveled to see me finish and ran straight past them into the finish funnel. Poor CJ had wanted to run down the finish chute with me too – doh! We bagged a photo afterwards though, with the Erdinger Isotonic Alcohol free guys!
To run down that chute on the red carpet felt amazing – and very emotional when I saw Julie and CJ after the finish.
The Finish
The run had gone well, though I know I can do better! I had maintained the lead in my age group and won with a decent 32 min buffer. With the relay team excluded, I had bagged 25th place overall and was actually quicker than the age group below me (45 – 49 winner 10:17). And, as my buddy Russ Watson has pointed out, the RAF Long Distance Champ remains at Tactical Supply Wing Stafford with me for 2014(he won it last year!) A big thank you to the RAF volunteers, especially our Chairman big Nick Huntley who sort of held me up after my legs gave way after the finish line. What is the first thing you do after the finish? You get sent up a big set of stairs! Not easy in my state! I had the options of having food, being horribly sick and having a massage – I went for all 3, though not at once!
I am still buzzing now and to receive an exclusive Outlaw Winner cycling jersey for the win was a real nice touch. This garment now ranks high up in my treasured possession list! Thank you to everyone for the support – on fb, via text, email, forum (thank you Charles over in Canada) and in person over the weekend and preceding training months. And a huge thank you to my wife Julie for putting up with my ‘habits’!! The presentation for the Age Group win was on Monday and I hobbled back to Nottingham for a pleasant hour with the Outlaw crew.
And a special mention to the RAF Sports Lottery. Without their assistance I would not have achieved this result – period. They have revolutionized RAF Sports; thank you. And to my buddy Jase Walkley, who rescued me at the last minute when my rear race wheel gave up on me - Jase loaned me a very nice Fast Forward rear wheel; for which I am extremely grateful. . . . .do you want it back? 8-)
The future is Ironman. . . . .
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