Ironman Hawaii 2013 Race Report

 

Kona number 4 came and went so fast, it was a great trip as always, warm and friendly with a fantastic buzz in race week. We stayed on Ali’I Drive with our friends Una and Denny who are always fun and welcoming. I felt very little pressure this time around, I had such a messed up year approaching the race, always battling back to fitness after mishaps so I was just happy to be there.

Parade of Nations

Racing Copenhagen a little tired 6 weeks out I took a while to recover and missed quite a few sessions. Race week I was relaxed, and happy to accept any sub-10 time with how I was feeling. But 2 days out Alan had told me the numbers were looking not too bad, that I only had to drop one bike section by 10watts, otherwise we were good to go with race plan. I was pleasantly surprised but I only told Sarah as I didn’t want to get my hopes up or put pressure on myself by telling others who I’d been downplaying my form to. I found it hard to believe, but I thought if Alan is right (which he usually is) and I have a good race in me, then it is a bonus, but for now I will maintain the relaxed attitude, it was too late to get worked up over anyway.

 

I started in my usual wide left position, avoiding the craziness on the right side of the mass. I chatted to Nico Theopold and Alistair Duffield, keeping the nerves at bay and enjoying the atmosphere. I had planned to stay with Nico as long as possible, I can stay in his wake during pool sessions. When the gun went, he went and I got dropped within 50m and Alistair took off like a bullet, a proper swimmer! I managed to catch a few other feet and generally maintain a good pace and stay away from trouble for 5mins. But then the usual fun started, guys coming through from behind, swimming over the top, barging, punching, kicking. I got locked in again at one point and was very close to panic mode. I held it together and stayed with these guys, I wasn’t giving in this time. One of them gave way and I was swimming with the fast boys. I still got the odd guy coming through from behind but otherwise I held pace and seen 27mins approaching the turn point. I had one good draft from about 1km through 3km, then it got rough again. I got a fairly deep gouge in my hand were some gobshite was swimming all over the place left and right over me. On dry land I would have punched him, but in the ocean I try not to waste energy, it is hard enough to get around that course as it is. I came out in 1:02 and was smiling to myself, finally cracked a decent swim in Kona. I had done a 1:04 in the timed course swim the previous week, so I knew this was possible, but race day is unpredictable to an unnatural swimmer.

On the bike I pushed a bit harder out on the way to Hawi, I used legal paceline where I could but still got left alone a few times as I surged ahead and tried to catch people in the distance. At Hawi I was well under my planned time, but there was unexpected headwinds on the way back down. Again I tried to be smart and worked with a few guys, staying 20m back but going to front here and there to keep the pace high. I seen a few packs go by, it was very frustrating to watch and there were some people in the middle notably a few girls who were not even pedalling! I tried to go around them, but got swallowed up and spat out the back. I decided to let them go and sure enough seen some of them alone on the way back to town at a very different pace without their windshield. I was struggling a bit with gels and salt, I think the higher pace put my stomach under pressure and so I focused on getting more cals in using the Perform drink at the aid stations. I was pleased with the bike split, similar watts to last year but a lot faster. Conditions were obviously in our favour compared to last year so I thought if I can run any decent pace here I’ll be in a good position to get a pb.

Meltdown on Palani

Early on the run I was ok but didn’t feel as comfortable as normal. I had come in to T2 with David Condon so we ended up running together for a while on Ali’I. I knew David was strong (he was 5th overall in Ironman Hawaii 70.3) but I was following hr and so pushed on a bit after 4miles. After about 8miles I started to feel  a bit odd, Sarah came along side to encourage me but I was getting frustrated trying to answer her with yes and no answers, a bad sign that I was struggling. I hadn’t even reach 10mile yet! On Palani the real fun started. It is always difficult there, but this time I felt like I was in a furnace, I tried to take my top off then I stopped at the Palani aid station and seriously considered not starting again. 16 more miles feeling like that did not seem possible, but I kept moving. I had to stop and drink coke and get ice at every station after that. It became a war of attrition, I would feel ok for 2-3mins after an aid station – high on coke, then I’d die and struggle to make the next station. David came past again and gave me a shout, but I couldn’t go with him. Like so many others he disappeared in to the distance as I battled in my head to keep moving forward.

I seen Nico and Matt out there, but I had given up any ambition to catch people, I was constantly at war just to make it to the next aid station. On the way back I came alongside Matt at an aid station, we passed a few words but neither of us were looking too healthy, but he dug in and stayed within a minute of me. And so the run went on and I struggled my way to the line in survival mode. I knew then I’d get home but I didn’t care when, I stopped checking the garmin after 10miles. Nico went on to finish 2mins up the road from me, after training with him this was no surprise to me, the big man done well in such heat.

When I reached the finish line I was surprised at the overall time. I think it reflected some general fitness, but also better conditions than last year. The strong swim and bike times created the pb, but I’ve no doubt they came back to haunt me on the run. I had not run properly since Copenhagen, so maybe I should have dropped my run expectations instead of setting off at the usual 3hr pace.

The main positives are that I now know how to be fast on the swim and bike in Kona, I just need to get to the race without mishap and execute a full performance. It’s 2 weeks past now and I’m starting back soon for the Melbourne build. Since I started working with Alan Couzens, I have continuously improved my IM times, and knocked 10mins off my Kona time each year. I’m now looking forward to a hard winter of training with him and hoping for a season without mishaps or injuries to see how fast we can go.

Next year will be Kona #5 for Owen Martin and myself, the score sits at 2:2, but as I have whooped him 2 years in a row now, the psychological advantage sits firmly with me. Next year may be my last race there for a while, so it’s important I take it to the Silverbridge man.

The girls art work gave us a great lift during the day

I’d like to thank all my sponsors again, they stuck with me during a difficult early-mid season and for that I am grateful, see their links on the right hand column. Sarah was supportive during the year as always, through highs and lows, she is my stable platform without which training and competing at this level would be impossible.

Until next year, Mahalo Hawaii, Aloha!

Splits:

S- 01:02:42
B- 04:52:53
R- 03:16:23
Overall- 09:19:00
Position: 24

Ironman Copenhagen 2013 (and warm up races!)

After being out of action post the bike crash in Spain in April, I started in to an aggressive 10 weeks training. The numbers were coming back and I started to reach some decent fitness. I had entered Ironman 70.3 Wiesbaden as a backup to my main qualifier, this original qualifier (Eagleman 70.3) never happened because of the crash so I needed another IM qualifier. IM Louisville was a possibility, albeit a hot race with a large time zone change and a longish tiring journey. Luckily Matt Molloy was at his vigilant best and brought to my attention the deal bringing Copenhagen Challenge in as an Ironman. Similar date to Louisville, GMT time zone +1hr, cool conditions and just a 1hr flight, perfect! Chatting to Alan I convinced him to allow me to do both Wiesbaden 70.3 and Copenhagen, even though they were a week apart. He said I should do Wiesbaden as a lower priority than Copenhagen. With there being more Kona slots and the full distance more suited to me, and that although there was risk, I might just get off with it. I decided I would take the risk and aimed for Wiesbaden one week out from Copenhagen.

A week before Wiesbaden I did a small Olympic distance race as a warm up and as Alan put it ‘to blow the cobwebs out’. It was an Event Logic standard distance in the Cotswolds, and served its purpose well, practicing each discipline under race pressure and testing transition legs.

Wiesbaden 70.3 itself was a great race, a solid course that took no prisoners. The swim was nice, good temperature and fairly straightforward. The bike super hilly and the run fast-ish; though there was a lot of traffic back in the waves when I got started on the run course. Alan’s instructions were strict; I was not allowed to hammer myself on any discipline, but my bike power was still decent throughout, and I ran fairly solid off it, a good sign for Copenhagen. The standard in this race was nuts, a great challenge and a sure sign that Germany is one of the fastest places in the IM world. Coming out of the race I felt ok, calf a bit tight but otherwise legs were not too bad. However the logistical challenges in the week between were not ideal - coming back to London for a few days of work before heading off again to Copenhagen all bags in tow, although it was at least a fairly civilised taper week compared to pre-Wiesbaden.

Copenhagen would be my first Ironman outside Hawaii since Austria in 2011. When I arrived at the flat I had arranged in Copenhagen I was shocked at the layout – 5 floors up, with a very tight steep staircase and no lift… After one night pondering a solution I just got up and booked a hotel for the night before the race onwards. I had to break the rent deal, and the landlady was not happy, but she was never going to win an argument about this situation, guess she has never seen anyone walk after an Ironman. By race day eve I had done a lot of running around with the usual last minute issues. Up and down these 5 flights of stairs did no favours to my legs. I didn’t feel too bad in general, but by the time I settled in to the hotel the night before the race I was tired but my head was buzzing, I worried that sleep might be an issue. My fears were realised as I watched the clock and counted the minutes, then the hours as time passed and I got more and more stressed about what this could mean. I kept telling myself lots of people don’t sleep before races, my problem being, I normally do. At about 3.30am I had checked my watch again and thought maybe I should pull out, I mean what if I don’t sleep at all..? but then it was 4.30 and alarm went, so I think I got an hour of sleep.

 

I was up and determined to be positive, and focused to make things happen, but I can’t deny I felt pretty rubbish. After a quick breakfast and off to transition, the trains were delayed and I left it a bit tight getting to T1. I met some nice Irish folk (team Gale Bremus and supporters) on the journey and had a good chat with them which helped my nerves. After a few stressed moments with a soft disc tyre I headed off to swim start about 10mins before we set off.

 

I had no water warm up but thought I’d pace first 500m to warm up and get into rhythm. I started on right side to avoid having to cross over traffic as the first turn was a right turn – about 200m out. This worked well and after turning the first boy some big fella came past, easy kick, decent pace, not many bubbles – I thought – that’s my man!! I got on those feet and I stayed on them – the whole way to the exit. I had to fight a few guys off his feet a few times using old Gaelic football tactics, but it was worth it, I was so relaxed in his wake, I was comfortable yet swimming faster than usual. I was checking the time at distance banners on the bridges – and knew I was on a decent pace. Exiting the water I thanked the guy, he was prob wondering what I was talking about as I didn’t make my presence known in his draft. Unfortunately some guy had been tapping my feet the whole way, I didn’t waste too much energy kicking him, and risk losing your big man’s feet.

 

Transition1 was smooth for me – makes a change after some comedy changeovers in the Cotswolds and Wiesbaden. Out on the bike I felt pretty good, strong pace along the coast with a slight tail wind. My HR was a little high but I thought it will settle a bit as I get into it. My wave was first off after the pros and women, so I was very aware of the lack of people around me, there was a few girls ahead that I quickly passed from the previous wave, but no one else.

Long lonely ride

The pros had started first, they were gone and I was not at a pace to be caught by many from the wave behind. I had one guy trail in behind me for quite a bit, he stayed there (looked legal distance to be fair) but a little annoying that he was just always there, and did not come around to the front, until later in the lap when he disappeared off. Anyway, it became a time trial, me and the course and a bit of wind. On return to town on each of the 2 laps you were in to a head wind, not crazy strong, but with a few rolling hills it slowed the pace a bit. The part I found most difficult was the lack of drive from other athletes, I was alone for a long way and had no one to pace off, I lost focus a bit having no-one to work with. On the 2^nd lap it was so quiet I was checking for marshals in case I had taken a wrong turn! My HR was still high but power was not great, flat courses are like that for me, I find hills easier to maintain higher power. Anyway I was concerned about the slightly high HR I had held on bike and what the consequences might be later on the run. Near the end of the 2^nd lap I went past Peter Jack who’d started in one of the later waves. I didn’t realise til I was past him and he shouted encouragement with his usual positive enthusiasm, that gave me a great lift.

T2 was again pretty smooth and no comedy moments. I had planned to set off on the run at 3:55/km and staying below 4m/km, but immediately my HR was higher than plan, but pace was only 4:05/km. I held this until about half way without too much pain, but I would not say I was comfortable, I was accepting at this stage that I must have been a bit tired coming in to the race, these numbers were well behind what I’d been training at. I seen Liam Dolan coming out of transition when I was only 3k in the run, I had spoken to him before the swim and knew he started 20mins behind me. I thought holy fe#k either he had an amazing swim (unlikely J ) or he’s had yet another monster bike. Actually he had a decent swim and a bike faster than the pro winner. On the run we passed each other at similar spots so we were on similar pace, Liam as always looking like he’s about to die, he really knows how to bury himself.
  

Head dropping - not a good sign!

At half way I started to struggle, I was still holding pace, but my HR was still high and I really started to feel tired. With 13k to go I had held 4:09/km pace, but by then I felt terrible and started wondering how I was going to make it to the end. I could not hold the pace anymore and wanted to stop. I walked a few aid stations to see if it helped; it did for all of about 10 seconds before returning to my feeling of nausea and general fatigue. I felt overheated strangely and threw my visor to Liam’s fiancée Annette in the crowd. I somehow convinced my legs to keep moving towards the line, physically I was gone, and mentally I was just holding on. At around 4k to go I calculated I had just over 20minites to still get under 9hrs. My hr had dropped through fatigue and although I was moving slowly I knew I’d make it. Coming in to the finish line the MC shouted there was a sprint for 2^nd place, except I was not sprinting, the legs had stopped working. Jogging over the line I was very glad this thing was over! The job was done, perhaps more painfully than I expected or planned, but goal was achieved. Kona in the bag, and the bonus of a podium and another sub9. The last time I’d seen Liam I had calculated he was on an 8:45 and he held it right there, he’s raised the bar again for us all.

Finish line at last!

I tried to eat with Liam, Annette and a Danish friend Kenneth afterwards, but I felt a bit useless for a few hours. By the evening, I had recovered and dinner was a more civilised affair, even if I still couldn’t handle many beers! We went back to the finish line and shouted in Peter Jack, his usual lively self, even after an Ironman. Great finish to a big day.

Coming out of the race I have no injuries (apart from a strain from a kick-about with my ever stronger nephews Peter and Shea last week). I have 6 weeks now to prep for Kona and am feeling ok. Liam won’t be joining us as he has an even bigger occasion planned the day before Kona. Good luck to himself and Annette, a great couple they are. Alan has given me a rest week and I’ve enjoyed some down time with Sarah. The girl who has put up with me all year between the usual monk life style, post-crash depressed eejit, hyper psycho athlete; she’s been through it all. And only because she wanted to go to Hawaii again, well you’re going now so we’re even right? ;-)




Back to the finish line after a long day

I’m very happy to be heading back to the Big Island for the 4^th time. Whether I’ll be able to produce a decent race or not we’ll establish in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, I’m just happy and honoured to be going back. 3 months ago I thought I was going nowhere, so now a week after the race it has sunk in. My main priorities now are to have a good time out there, and of course to give Owen Martin a hard time on the Queen K.
Una- stick the kettle on… Aloha!!






Hanging out with the legend that is Peter Jack

Thanks again to my sponsors for sticking with me through my early year difficulties. I was telling them I’d get to Kona even when I doubted myself, glad I held my word J Vita Coco, Champion System, Kinga (Soft Tissue Therapy) and CherryGood – thanks guys.

 

 

Splits for the day:

Swim: 57:59
Bike: 4:50:29
Run: 3:01:54
Overall: 8:55:10
Cat Pos. 3^rd
Overall pos. 27^th

The 2013 Season – Martin Muldoon

The 2013 Season – Martin Muldoon

It’s been a while since I’ve put a blog out there, I have been waiting for my 2013 race schedule to stabilise and it only now has, I hope it stays that way!  

Slow start to the season

I’ve had a challenging year so far. In January after busting my calf in a hilly 5k race, I crashed the mountain bike in snow and broke some ribs, putting me out of swimming and running for 5 weeks. During recovery I picked up a stomach ulcer from NSAIDs I was using, which was more painful than the ribs themselves! I recovered from all this in March and was still very positive because during these issues my motivation remained strong and I held discipline on nutrition and whatever training I could manage (I was still able to bike aerobically during this time).

In April I was starting to feel good and headed out to Rhonda in Spain with Nicolas Theopold, a strong German who is also coached by Alan. The camp was going well but during a long ride I crashed heavily on a decent. It was one of those high speed crashes you hope never happens. I came in to a double corner at 40mph and met a car, with nowhere to go I swerved and hit a rock face full speed. The moment before impact is unclear to me but I remember feeling like an outside observer, hearing myself clatter off the wall and then hearing the bike land somewhere in the distance. There was a lot of superficial cuts and blood, but I knew right away it was the shoulder that had taken the main impact. It cut the trip short and after all the x-rays and MRIs it appeared I had disrupted the two main ligaments in the AC joint as well as again damaging the ribs. No swimming for 6 weeks and a definite loss of form all around.

Unlike the previous crash, this time it hurt me mentally, I went from good form to zero inside a split second crash, and it got to me. After 10 days of depression I finally got back in to the mood for training again. The main thing that got me through it was Alan’s advice and also the realisation that I could have been seriously injured had I hit my head or back during the fall. After 2 weeks I was able to bike and run to some degree albeit with limited upper body mobility.

Beer fixes injuries

Thanks to Kinga and the guys at Pure Sports Med (Lucy and Matt), the remedial work has gone well and I am recovering strong. The shoulder still clicks and probably always will, but at least I can swim pain free now and have started to ramp up the swim hours again.

My calf issues are also staying away for now. Earlier in the year I had travelled to Belgium to see ‘The Foot Doctor’ Walter Houben, renowned for helping many athletes deal with complex foot issues. I met Walter in Kona 2010 and he recommended I come see him. I’ve been to him twice now and he has helped me with orthotics and shoe choice based on his analysis. It seems to be working and I’ve been running injury free for some months. I’’ll pay him one more visit before Kona, that’s hoping, not assuming I’ll get there!

Sponsors 

I am excited to have picked up a new sponsor Vita Coco!

I have always loved their products so it’s great to have them on board for the year! A great natural product for recovery or general hydration.

I am glad to be continuing working with my other main sponsors again this year:

The lovely and talented Kinga at Soft Tissue Therapy, who keeps me walking while I abuse my body in training and crashing!

The kind people at CherryGood, another product I love and use regularily for recovery, this stuff is full of antioxidants.

Champion System who have kindly produced my kit for another season. Quality gear that is completely bespoke. Here is my 2013 version, still work in progress but not the final version!

 

 

I am also getting some help from other companies that can be seen on the side panel above, thanks to all for their assistance.

Charity

I have not raced for charity since I started racing triathlons some years back, but when The Blazeman foundation offered me the chance to race for them at Eagleman 70.3 this year I thought it would be cool to give towards a good cause. Sadly I was unable to make Eagleman but I decided to race for them for the year through whatever events I can make. You may be aware of the charity through the likes of Chrissy and Leanda where they roll over the finish line, here is an excerpt from the foundation:

On May 2, 2005, twenty-year Multi-Sport veteran Jon Blais a.k.a. "Blazeman" at age 33 was diagnosed with the fatal motor neuron disease ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Blazeman dubbed himself the "ALS Warrior Poet" and brought his battle to the big island of Hawaii on October 15th that year, where he became the first person with ALS to complete the Ironman World Championships. It was his last race. In 2006, a number of athletes, inspired by Jon's 2005 efforts, rolled across the finish line in Hawaii in honor of Jon and his battle against ALS. In 2007, the Blazeman Foundation for ALS expanded Team Blazeman, comprised of "Blazeman Warriors" who have committed to raising awareness and funding a search for a cure for ALS..."So  Others May Live."

I watched Jon in the Kona special program a few years ago so it’s a good source of motivation when I’m complaining about my little injury issues! I have already met my sponsorship goals, so no pressure to give anything, but the page is there if you ever feel like donating to a great cause:
http://www.active.com/donate/teamblazeman/blazemanMMuldoo

Race schedule

Anyway all this crashing and injuries meant my race schedule has been changing constantly. My main aim for the year again is IM Kona, but as I said my qualifier race of Eagleman was too soon and sadly I had to withdraw. I’m currently aiming for 70.3 Wiesbaden as a qualifier, however with the standard of competition and lack of slots there I am being realistic and so have a backup race of IM Copenhagen. This will double as a replacement for Roth which I also had to withdraw from as I struggled to recover on time.

After just finishing a week in Lanzarote with a heavy cycling focus, my bike form is starting to come through and with no running injuries things are starting to look positive for the first time this year. With Wiesbaden and Copenhagen on the horizon I need to just keep working on the swim to get it back to where it was, and to avoid crashing in to anything! I hope the next blog will be a race report and not about any mishaps. Looking forward to finally getting my season under way and fighting for that ticket to the Big Island. Good luck to all for their season and see you out on the circuit!