IM Switzerland: Success

I finished Ironman Switzerland in 12 hours, 24 minutes. I completed the bike leg and the marathon faster than I expected. It was a tough race but a great experience. I was really happy with my time.

My splits for the race:

• Swim: 1:24:20
• Transition 1: 0:05:22
• Bike: 6:26:12
• Transition 2: 0:09:09
• Run: 4:19:03
• Total: 12 hours, 24 minutes

I arrived in Zurich on Friday morning. I got the bike over with no problems and I registered in the evening, around 5pm. Registration was a straight forward process and there was a good buzz around the Ironman Village (in the Landweise area of Zurich). I assembled my bike in the hotel then, leaving only minimal oil marks on the walls and carpet. Later on in the evening we went to the Welcome Party, which was a meal attended by about 1500 (of the 2400) participants plus ones. This was a strange affair. We were sandwiched between a group of Germans aiming for sub 10 hour finishes and two Americans who professed to see a 17 hour finish as a success. They played a few videos of past races and there were some entertainers. It was good fun while it lasted but it emptied out quite quickly after desert around 10pm.

I got up at 6am on Saturday morning to start to adapt to the early start the next day. I went out for a short spin on the bike to discover the gears were jumping around the place when any force was put on them. With the few tools I’d brought, I couldn’t fix the problem so I brought it to a bike shop. The mechanic looked more and more puzzled with everything he tried and I increasingly felt like I was standing outside an operating theatre. I had put the derailleur on crooked and damaged the thread on the rear dropout. This was a small disaster since the part is specific to the frame – meaning there was going to be no replacement anywhere in Zurich. We decided to screw in the derailleur onto the crooked thread and simply bend it into position, calibrate it to the crooked position and pray that it held. It did, thank flip. He saved my bacon. Lesson number one for Ironman number two: make sure the derailleur is straight before screwing it back on.

I cycled down to check in my bike on Saturday afternoon. It had been raining on and off since I arrived and the forecast for Sunday was predicting more of the same. There was a very long queue of people waiting to check into transition. They were photographing every competitor on the way in with their bike for security. There was good banter in the queue and it moved quite quickly, however. Because of the rain, they gave everyone a plastic bike cover so the transition, when I left it on Saturday, looked like a small shanty town. I couldn’t help to notice that the ratio of 20% four grand plus, time trial bikes to 80% road bikes that you usually get at triathlons was reversed.  Nearly every bike there was a monster TT bike. Saturday evening was a relaxed affair. The usual attempt and failure to go to bed early before a triathlon ensued and I got to bed around 1am having quadruple checked all the gear was together. I’ve read research to suggest that the amount of sleep the night before a sporting event makes no difference to performance, rather it’s the two before that that impact it heavily, so that was okay.

The cock crew on the morning of Sunday 25th at 4am. It was unnecessary, I had already been awake for a while thinking about the race and all that had led up to it. I went down to breakfast (which the hotel kindly put on at 4am for competitors, of which there were about 15 staying in the hotel). They ranged from the nervous and quiet, to the tired and quiet, to the sixty something year old American couple who’d done 4 Ironman Hawaii's between them trying, fair play to them, to get the party started. A shuttle bus shipped us and people from other nearby hotels down to the race at 4:45.

The transition beneath a brightening sky was a buzz. 5:40 to 6:45am passed very fast. One minute I arrived and talked to two or three Irish lads who happened to be racked close to me, the next my gear was sorted out and I was wet suited and walking towards the race start.

 

Two days earlier, for the first time in a week, the water temperature in Lake Zurich had dropped below 24.5C meaning wet suits were allowed. It was a close call however and at 23.8C, it was like stepping into a bath. It had been mentioned in the race booklet that it was possible to leave a cache of food at a table in transition that would be transported out to one of the aid stations around the 80km mark of the bike and so I brought a few muesli bars with me for this when I went towards the race start. I couldn’t find it however and ended up shoving the box under the side of one of the tents beside the swim start. There was a big bottle neck to get into the water as the starter hooter went and so I ended up about two thirds of the way back at the start of the swim. It wasn’t half as physical back there. For the first ten minutes, I was passing breast strokers and slow front crawlers until I caught a group going at a reasonable pace. I swam like this for the first 1km or so – sticking with a group for a few minutes before branching ahead on my own to bridge to the back of a faster group.

It felt great to push ahead but I was well aware of the first piece of advice given to every first time Ironman – push too hard on the swim and you’ll really regret it on the marathon – so for the remaining 2.8km, I stayed really relaxed. It was probably the most relaxed triathlon swim I’ve ever had. The course was two laps of a 1.9km loop with an exit and run across a small island in between. I completed the 3.8km swim in 1hr 24. Towards the slower end of what I had predicted but I was feeling great, so maybe that was a good thing.

Transition 1 was a matter of getting on cycling gear. I put on cycling shorts over the tri shorts I was wearing. 180km is just too long for shorts with no padding. I spent 5 minutes, 22 seconds in T1, making me 1538th fastest at the change.

The bike was two 90km laps of a course that went through Zurich city and out to the south. It takes in some small villages before climbing up into the mountins overlooking the city and coming back down into Zurich before one last climb to complete the lap. The first 40km are straight and perfectly flat. The road surfaces were impeccable (by Irish standards, although I did talk to a German afterwards who complained that they were poor). This made for a fast first 1hr 30 on the bike, averaging around 35kmph. I was passed by a lot of the time triallers here. I knew there were climbs coming however, so I contented myself with not blowing up on the first lap and clawing back a few positions when things got steeper. I tried to eat as much as I could on the bike. There were aid stations every 20km, every second one having food (the others just water and Powerade). They were well stocked and well volunteered. I basically tried to get as much stuff as I could at each of the food stations which generally meant cycling with no hands, grabbing two bottles (having discarded two empties in the designated area before the station) and then a banana and a power bar using every space on the bike and every bit of balance I possessed (especially considering there were several other riders trying to do the same).

At this stage, the sun was up and out and it was becoming clear that the forecast of rain was wrong: it was a perfect day for an Ironman, 22-23C and sunny. The first proper climb of the course is called The Beast. It was about 3.5km long from start to finish and was lined with spectators at the top (and pockets along the ascent). The Swiss talk mostly German with some French mixed in, however when encouraging cyclists, it’s all French - “Hopp Hopp Hopp” and “Allez! Allez!” were the most popular encouragements, as well as cow bells and clackers. The top of the Beast was host to a big brass band and loads of support. These are always great fun to cycle through. I found the climb itself fairly easy the first time around.

Each competitors race number had their first name and their country’s flag on it. This was a really cool edition and I talked to a few Irish people along the bike course, including Izzard of Boards.ie fame. I ran into him on the climb up The beast. I naively remarked at the time that the climbs would pose no problems at all on the bike. After that, there were some long sweeping descents through small villages (very Tour de France style) before turning back towards Zurich. I hit 71kmph on one of the steeper descents, the first time I’ve broken 70kmph.

The second notable climb on the route is the shorter and steeper “Heartbreak Hill” at the 82Km mark. Free shuttle busses  were being run to ferry people from the IM village to the hill, which meant there were big crowds. There were no barriers so there was literally just a channel of about 5 foot through the crowd at the top – a great touch, I thought.

After this, the route went back into Zurich, by the marathon finish line and back out for the second lap. The first lap went very well and I felt in good shape. I started to push a bit harder on the flat from 85km to 135km and I kept up a good speed. This part was a real test of muscular endurance and mental discipline – essentially staying in the exact same aerodynamic position, pushing hard right on the lactic threshold for an hour and a half. Although I’d been eating well through the first 4 hours of the bike, a wall was inevitable and it came as the road started to wind up towards The Beast climb on the 140km mark. When these things come, it’s surprising how fast things change from major to minor. Suddenly, the easiest gear wasn’t easy enough and everything became erratic. My heart rate started to go up a lot, I was speeding up and slowing down (I see consistency of speed as one of the crucial elements of long distance cycling) and generally worried that I was going to blow up too early. In hindsight, it was all down to the looming marathon. As a first timer, I just had no idea how much I needed to keep in reserve for the marathon and uncertainty turns to doubt very fast after 6 hours of racing.

The 3.5km climb up to the top of the beast felt like a long one but hearing the first wafts of the band at the top gave me a great lift, knowing it must be within two or three hundred meters. There was an aid station near the top so I was able to restock on bananas and water and I was able to regroup on the ensuing descents. I saw a sobering remnant of an accident near the bottom of one of the descents. It looked like someone had ploughed into a car – there was glass on the road and a bike frame. No cyclist though, hopefully it wasn’t serious.

The final climb up Heartbreak hill on the 170km mark was rather surreal. There were a lot of people there and a clown was running along side my bike. While I was grinding up the last part of the climb, I could hear a Steel Drum band playing Hallalujah also. Then in an instant, I was flying down the other side alone and along the last stretch to Transition 2. I completed the bike leg in 6hr 26. Much faster than I had expected.

I took a bit of time – 9 minutes - in T2 to get things together – take  off the bike shorts and jersey and put on a fresh pair of running socks. I also put on some sun cream thanks to competitor 281 who had kindly left a bottle lying there. It was a funny feeling starting the marathon (which was my first). It had seemed like such an immovable object in the days leading up to the race but after just a few steps I had a great feeling that I no longer have to run a full marathon. It’s just an arbitrary distance less than 26.2 miles now. It was an odd comfort but 26.1 miles seemed like so much less than a marathon. After 8 hours, I was taking every comfort coming my way!

I had some friendly support along the race->

The first 15km of the marathon went quite well. I settled into a good pace and walked through the aid stations, drinking a mix of water, powerade and soup (this was a lifesaver – it was essentially chicken soup with what tasted like half a salt cellar thrown in but it really helped settle my stomach as the race went on). I ate a lot of pretzels too.

The 42km run course was four 10.5km laps of a course which wound around Lake Zurich, over a bridge and down the main lake promenade. It then did a loop back towards the finish area and through a lap counter station – they gave you a different coloured wrist band on each lap. When you got your hands on the red band, you were on your last lap and almost done.

It was somewhere around the 23-24km mark that things started to get very tough. I remember the place exactly on the lap – you turn left onto a main road and the run goes out straight along it for maybe 2km before doubling back. The problem was that I could see those 2km and the 2km back. If it was a brick wall I hit on the bike, this felt like a reinforced steel, Great Wall of China. I shuffled along for the next 30 or 40 minutes, just aiming to get to the next lampost a hundred meters up the road, or the next aid station. I definitely remember not being able to contemplate running another half marathon. These were dark times. At about the 29km mark, things were still tough going when an Irish competitor who I’d done a lot of training with pulled along side me.

Justin: “Oh, you’re one lap ahead of me”. Me: “I’m going to be one puke break ahead of you in a minute too”. But it never happened, I sped up to match his pace and about .5km later, I’d forgotten all about how bad I was feeling. We approached an aid station and he said he’d walk it to get a drink. I knew if I stopped, I might not start again and so I kept going. There was a mile marker just after it saying I’d broken 30km. And just like that the wall had been obliterated. 10km? I could run 10km! Every negative feeling disappeared, I blasted the last 10km about as fast as I’ve ever run 10k. Looking at the splits, they’ve ranked people for each successive 10km lap of the marathon. My placings were: 1373th, then 1231th, then 1014th and finally 656th for that final lap.

I finished the last 1km at more or less a sprint. It was an incredible feeling. Running the last 100m between the seated spectator galleries on either side and through all the noise was a fitting, euphoric end to the race. I finished in 12 hours, 24, running the marathon in 4 hrs 19.

 

I had expected to in shreds after the race but it wasn’t the case at all. I had tight hamstrings and that was the full extent of it. I spent a few minutes in the finishers tent (which resembled a war zone) and went back down to cool down in the lake with the people who’d kindly come over to support me before watching a few other finishers.

The two questions I’ve been asked since the race is “Will you do another one?” and “What’s next"?”. The answer to both is I’m not too sure. As to what’s next, I’m only sure what it won’t be: nothing. These have been the most rewarding 8 months I’ve ever spent. Quest complete.

IM – 4 days: The Calm Before the Storm

Last week was week two of the taper and week 39 of the training program. There’s now four days to Ironman Switzerland.

I did more this week than last, owing to the long runs and mountain running I did on Monday and Thursday. I ran greater than a marathon  (45km) for the second time in three weeks, which is encouraging. I’m glad I got those last long runs in rather than tapering for the full two weeks on the run. It’ll make a difference starting the marathon, I think.

The last weekend spin of the training program was scheduled for 2 and a half hours. On Saturday morning, I did this 55km out on a flat route over Bohernabrina, Blessington, Kilteel and back. I did my best to keep in Heart Zone 2, which means below 150bpm. This was quite difficult at times, it’s very slow. I’ll be aiming to keep within sight of this for the first 90km of the IM however, so it was good to know in advance what this pace will feel like: frustratingly slow. It’s supposed to reap dividends during the marathon however, so I’ll be  going for this strategy.

For the fact that there’s little training to go save for 30 minute swims in the morning, it seems like a good idea to recap the training for the last 8 months. In total, some stats:

• Swim: 115.8km (58 hours)
• Bike: 6033Km (252 hours)
• Run: 575.8Km (58 hours)
• Strength and Conditioning: ~90 hours
• Accidents: 1 (coming off the bike on ice in January)
• Cost: Somewhere in the region of €4000 (Race entries, physio, equipment, bike maintanaince, travel)
• Triathlons completed: One sprint (Velentia Island), one Olympic (TriAthy), one half-Ironman (Ironman UK 70.3)

It’s humbling to have cycled over six thousand kilometers and have cumulatively run ten marathons. The hardest past of the training was by far and away the 7am starts in the dark to cycle to the gym for S&C sessions during the winter. In hindsight though, this has been the training that’s paid off the most. You don’t appreciate S&C when it works, because nothing happens. But when it doesn’t work however, you know all about it when you try and go long.

The highlights have been most of the other times: the long cycles, the mountain runs on Lug ná Choielle and the races. Velentia Island in Kerry and Ironman UK 70.3 in particular. It’s hard to beat the excitement of racing, especially when it’s turned into a mini holiday.

I’ll fly to Zurich on Friday and the race starts at 7am on Sunday morning. I’m looking forward to getting over there and experiencing the ridiculous buzz and hype surrounding these races now.

So that’s it then. In the words of Dean: “For those of you who do make it, you will cross the line as a different person. You will be forever changed by the experience. You will learn more about yourself in the next day than you have known previously in an entire lifetime”.

The hard part is over; Now for the even harder part.

Week IM – 1.5: The Great Plan

Thursday marks 10 days to go and the last of the build runs I scheduled. I’ve been tapering on the swim and bike for a week now, but I wanted to squeeze in a last few big runs. I did 27km today between AM and PM runs, sandwiched between 20km on the bike.

On Monday, I went out mountain running up to Three Rock. 15km in total. I had planned only 5 or 6 km but it was the type of run where you forget what you’re doing and just keep going. There’s something about mountain running that’s fun in a way that road running isn’t. You’re too busy watching your next step to feel tired and running down a mountain is just fantastic fun.

I think the biggest time grabber now will be the organisation. It’s somewhat symbolic that various planning and stats for the IM has now taken over the entire white board in my bedroom:

 

I got my bike fit on Wednesday. My right knee had been getting slightly sore on long cycles and it felt like my foot was turned unnaturally so I went to get the bike fit one last time. The cleats had indeed been turned too far in (by me when I originally replaced them). The way to fit cleats, it turns out, is to cycle with your foot on top of the pedal but not clipped in. When you clip in then, the foot&leg should track the exact same – so that the shoe isn’t pulling your foot off the plane that it naturally takes. The cleats should be moved until this is the case. It feels a lot better now.

Training now gives way to sleeping, eating and planning.

Week IM – 2: The Taper Period

Looking at the training time charts, it’s going to look like a mountain descent from this week on. Last week, I broke 20 hours between swim, bike, run and Strength & Conditioning. This week, it was less than 10.

I did the main weekend session on Wednesday, because I was away for the weekend. That was a 13km run followed by an 87km bike over Bohernabrina, through Blessington and Lackin and back over the Sally Gap. It was a really nice evening and the cycle back up hill to the Sally Gap from the west was incomparably more pleasant to the same cycle in driving rain a month ago.

I concentrated a lot on stretching and foam rolling this week – working on exercises to activate the glute when running to try to compensate for the over dominant hip flexor. This probably a result of spending several hours on the bike where the hip flexor and quads do most of the work. It seems to be working well as I haven’t experienced any more problems running. I just did one 1.4km swim session with a 2x600 main set, done at a good pace.

On Saturday, in heat of about 30C, I went running in Paris. I started the first 9Km in a park to the west of the city and then did a loop around by the Eiffel Tower. It went really well, I finished at the pace I’d run a 5km at and had no problems at all with the tendonitis I’ve been trying to keep at bay. Because of space restrictions travelling, I brought the lighter Nike Zoom runners that I’d used for shorter triathlons over the last 3 years. I had been planning to use the more cushioned Assics Nimbus in the IM because of the length of the I run. I hadn’t actually trained in the Zooms for months, but it really went well. I’ll do 2 or 3 more session in the lighter Nikes and if they go well, I’ll stick with what’s worked and go with the Nikes. This was the route I travelled, the Champs Elysees was a bit too far to squeeze in but I did get the Eiffel Tower onto the route.

All in all, this was another good week. I’ve conquered the peak of the training mountain, although I’ll continue to ignore the taper for the run for one more week to try and squeeze in a last few long runs – I really do think they’ll help on the day – both physically, and a lot more importantly, to put my mind more at ease on the bike as my first ever marathon approaches.

Week IM – 3: Hitting Full Stride

This was a solid week: 4.3km swim, 274km bike and 46km run. I hit a few milestones that I’m really happy about. The first is that I ran, for the first time, a weekly total in excess of a marathon: 46km. Given that I planned to ramp up running last and then hit some injury problems, I wasn’t sure if the last minute ramp up was going to happen at all. So it was great to build up the miles somewhat.

The second is that on a long cycle on Saturday, I ticked over to 25,000km on the bike in the last 3 years. That was a little celebration somewhere between Rathangan and Tullamore.

I did 4.2km in the pool spread across two morning sessions on Monday and Friday. Both were sets of short, fast repeat sets – 6x250m on Monday and 10x200m on Friday.

IM rules state that if the water temperature for the swim is above 24.5C, wetsuits can’t be worn. I saw this for the first time this week. Lake Zurich is currently 23C. It was 22.5 during the week, so there is actually a chance that wetsuits could be banned. That would effect the swim quite a bit. I really notice how much higher in the water (and therefore easier it is) I am swimming with a wetsuit as opposed to without.

On Thursday, I did a 20km bike speed session over the bars, pushing hard. On Saturday, I cycled down to Ballinasloe in Galway. This was a 170km cycle due west. It was a tough cycle as I was going straight into the wind for the full 6 and a half hours. This made it difficult to keep the heart rate below 75-80%. There was no let up, but it was a good chance to go through the bike nutrition plan for the IM, and perhaps simulate the increased effort and calorie expenditure if it’s above 28-30C on race day. This was the route:

The reason I cycled to Ballinasloe was to go and watch TiAthlone on Sunday. My brother and two friends were competing in the open Olympic distance race. There’s always a good buzz around Athlone on the triathlon weekends. Especially this year because it was a European Championship event. It was the first time in 3 years I’ve been at a triathlon as a spectator.

It was a lot of fun but by the end, I really wanted to be out racing. “Patience” is the only thing I could tell myself, “..not too long to wait now”.