Ironman Hawaii 2014 Race Report

This being my 5^th time on the big island, I should know what I’m doing by now. For many elements of the race I do, the less variable logistical elements that is. For the race itself the conditions are never the same. The only thing guaranteed is wind, heat and humidity. When and where those things will present themselves is an unknown, and it can change within minutes on race day. This year the swim was choppy and swells caught out anyone coming in beyond the 1hr mark. I swam very conservatively; I was going by feel based on output from the Hola swim a week earlier. I had swum then in speedos with jetlag and come out in 1:01. So thought I could do same on race day, like last year, catch a good draft and stay in contention. I got to the turn around in 28, so was really happy and thought I was going to cruise back in under the hour. As the hour approached and I still couldn’t see the shore, I became frustrated and knew the swells had pushed us out. I was getting sea sick in the last 10mins so I was trying hard to stay positive. When I seen the time at swim exit I knew I was on an upward struggle.

 Out on the bike I seen a lot of athletes coming down Palani and knew I had my work cut out. When I started out to the first turn around, the legs were not responding, low power, high hr and a general feeling of lacklustre. That didn’t improve much out on the Queen K, and instead of getting away strong with some decent watts, I was already low on the average power that I had discussed with Alan. These numbers I had held in race sims in the previous weeks and months before travelling, but the legs were just not playing ball. I got to the turn around in Hawi and still felt very ordinary, the watts were still a bit low on planned average and hr a little high.

Just after the turn around I slowed down on the right side by special needs to fix a problem with my shoe, someone from behind must have been riding with their head down and hit me full speed, it knocked my bottles and nutrition off and the back wheel took a large shunt, but I somehow managed to stay on the bike. The poor sod (eejit) behind came off in a clatter but the special needs guys all ran to their help. I was left with a scobing back wheel and eventually had to stop to fix it, I realigned the wheels and moved the brakes, which helped but the wheel started again rubbing and I knew something was not right. Just after the main decent of Hawi, the scrobing got worse and the tyre blew, it seemed the impact had pushed the tyre off the rim and the tube came out and blew. At home and in training I am usually fast at changing tyres, but the situation stressed me and I panicked a bit. I spent ages just getting the accessories out of the bag, they were taped up so hard I think I had not realistically planned to be using them! It was the first time I had punctured in an Ironman. When I started back I had lost some ambition to be fast on the day. I was low on race plan but thought I’d hold some respectable pace to town as I had some friends and family shouting me on. I went through the motions but thought I could still run well if I had no more mishaps on the bike.

When I started out on the run I felt fresh, but I always do out on Ali’i. It is the way back to town and up Palani that tells you how you’re really feeling. I was badly traumatised from Palani last year where I stopped and almost didn’t start again. This year was very different, I was holding 4:15/k pace and it felt easy. I had been running well in training and did many long run sims at a higher pace than this, so my confidence grew as the run went on. I may have had a bad swim and bike on the day, but my numbers (mainly CTL and Vo2) were higher than they’d ever been so logic would have had it that I should be able to hold this pace even in the heat. Still, this is an Ironman and often the performance of your brain and body separate on race day.As I passed more and more people struggling on the Queen K, my confidence grew and I started to up the pace from the energy lab for the last 8mile home. With about 5k to go I was still on 4:16/k pace and knew I had to maintain that to get under 3. I upped a little more and bashed my feet on the front of the shoes down Palani as I headed for the line.

I ran 2:58 and passed about 450 people on the marathon, but it was too late, at 9:37 it’s my slowest Ironman for some years, and the worst bike split in all my 10 Ironmans, but I was glad to have gained some running confidence back. This sport is cruel but no one ever asks us to do it, it owes us nothing, we do it for the challenge and Hawaii is always the biggest challenge of them all.

Now 2 weeks on, I am supposed to be racing Coz Mexico in 5 weeks, but I’ve picked up a bad cold on return to work, so we’ll test the numbers and form before deciding on that trip. It is a lot of time and money, and with just 3 slots, we need to be realistic about my chances before committing.

Alan and Kinga got me in the best shape of my life for this race, and Sarah really stabilises me when the work and training schedules get crazy. The 3month build to Kona was one of the busiest periods of my life. But once that horn goes, you are on your own. Support on the course gives you a lift, but your legs must do the work. During the race I hated the sport for a while, but as soon as I got over the line and was chatting with Ivan, I loved the sport again, and I can’t wait to get out there training and racing again. Owen Martin was also in great shape for the race, and had similar issues to me, but I hope we’ll be toeing the line again next year in top shape. kona #5 done and the fight goes on.

After chatting with Alan we think I was not fully acclimatised, this is the closest I had ever arrived on the island before the race (just one week out). The other theory I have is that Madam Pele found out I am an atheist, and punished me for it. I’ll say a few prayers to her next year ;-)

And now we move on to liars:  https://twitter.com/QuoteFrTed/status/413720553732972544

just kidding, that’s it! hopefully I'll be reporting from Mexico next month.

Thanks as always to my great sponsors, Champion System, VitaCoco, and Kinga at Soft Tissue Therapy. Thanks to Una and Denny for putting us up, and putting up with us for another year in beautiful Hawaii.

Final splits were:

S - 1:08

B – 5:22

R – 2:58

T – 9:37

(Position 27^th)

Until next time, Mahalo!

Aloha!

2013/2014 season and Melbourne Australia

The start of 2014 was really an extension of 2013 for me. I only had a 2 week break after Kona 2013 and even then I was quite disciplined, keeping active and being careful with nutrition. I didn’t do my usual month off, hitting the self-destruct button.

It meant I was in good shape come January but some sickness and injury followed before an aggressive and desperate attempt to regain fitness for Melbourne in March. I was in Lanzarote and going well in all disciplines, but a track session with Owen Cummins put paid to that after an 8*800 ended with the torn Achilles and me out for 5 weeks, looking unlikely to start in Melbourne. I was going to Melbourne anyway as the trip was a visit to Sarah’s family and homeland, but if I could somehow get back in to shape for mid-March then racing there was still a possibility. Kona qualifying was becoming a distant thought after consultation with the sports doc, but as each week went by I got some more movement and 4-5 weeks later I tried a run, it was nervous and awkward, but I was running and my confidence grew from there, racing became a possibility again.

At the start of February I rode to Henley on a cold day with 6 layers on, it was a race simulation that I normally carry out in summer conditions, it was tough and my immune system took a bashing. I woke up the next day with a cold and stomach bug, the bug was gone in 4 days but it left me intolerant to some forms of dairy and wheat among other food types. The symptoms include headaches and lethargy, but the main issue is power and energy levels in training. I’m still trying to understand this but I am learning each week and it has opened my eyes to the deep world of nutrition intolerances. Anyway it made Aus prep more complex, but I made it to the start line.  

Ironman Melbourne race report 2014

You could say my IM Melbourne race report was late, but then it almost never happened at all, with travelling in Aus, then work taking over I got distracted, so it was forgotten about completely!  
I was disappointed after the race, but my fitness going in to it probably meant it was never going to be a big performance, Alan had pointed out that my fitness numbers were 10% down on late 2013, but stubbornness had me thinking I was still going to race well regardless. Of course Alan and the numbers were correct, and I struggled. I qualified for Kona but it was a tough day and it hurt me physically and mentally.

 

Short version:
 
Swim (calm/cloudy) – 59 (nervous start but felt good/relaxed after few mins)
Bike (cloudy/windy) – 4:58 (felt just ok, not special, power dropped near end)
Run (sunny/hot) – 3:11 (felt good for 15-18miles – then fell apart!)
Overall: 9:16
Position: 13/431

Long version:

I went in to Melbourne very pensive, I was swimming well with the club, but in Aus I struggled with my stroke and generally felt tired. Jetlag was part of it no doubt, but I had been struggling with the food intolerances since February which was hitting energy levels. On race day I was very nervous before the swim, the Aussies have a big reputation as strong swimmers.

 

I got away well and stayed just left of the main pack behind a good guide, this guy kept me out of trouble, then I swapped feet a few times from the first buoy. I stayed comfortable and came out in 59 even though it was measured long on the day.

Good start to the day but the bike was a heavier effort than I expected, the way out was fast, and for good reason, the way back was a full on headwind. I used the power meter and tried to work with a couple of guys in a paceline but was left exposed as the others didn’t hold the pace I was pushing back in to town.

I was disappointed to see a huge pack come by near the end of the first lap. There were about 50 of them and a big unfit looking guy right in the middle not pedalling at all, on a road bike! Anyway as you do with big packs, I let them go ahead, anyone with a power meter knows why it is unwise to try ride around them. They seemed to split up end of first lap anyway and I didn’t see any large groups after that. Annoyingly there was 2 motorbikes riding alongside this pack but they didn’t seem to do much about it.

Things thinned out a bit in the 2^nd lap and I again tried to organise a pace line with 5-6 guys on the way back against the wind. I seen the pros doing it perfectly, but with us there was one guy who kept screwing it up by dropping in right in front of others within the draft zone, I tried to explain the paceline to him and how to keep it legal, but he didn’t seem to get it, and kept infringing, so I told him to get lost in the nicest possible way, he disappeared after that. I got back in to town disappointed with 4:58 but as with Ironman, it’s still early days, now lets see if I have any running legs!

 

Going on to the run I felt ok but my stomach and feet were uncomfortable. I was running well for the first ½ of the marathon, pacing back and forward with an aussie guy who was moving well, we were at around 3hr pace. At half way I still felt ok, legs and breathing fine, but mentally I remember thinking, jes, same again!? not a good sign. From there each km seemed to take forever and after 25k I really started to feel the distance, and cramps started to appear. At around 27k I slowed at an aid station to get some extra carbs and take on some salt, but that was the turning point, I never really got going again. I couldn’t get back to the pace I had been on and I watched as the guy disappear off in front, and it became another war of attrition to reach the finish line.

I had done a lot of good work til that point so the next guys in my AG were well back thankfully. I shuffled to the line in 13^th and was very glad to see Sarah and her family all there smiling and shouting at me, felt like it took forever to get to that point but boy was I glad to be finished. Turned out I was well inside qualifying time, but extremely frustrated about the melt down. It was the 3^rd time in as many races that I fell apart in the latter stages of the marathon.

With these bad finishes, in each case there have been problems in the build, sickness, injury, etc, so there is usually an explanation. I am sometimes reluctant to accept a lack of fitness (because I feel good), so I pace it as normal and pay the price. My race day brain is in a different state than my resting brain! but I hope this is the last time I make this mistake.

I qualified for Kona again which was the main goal for the race, yet I am so competitive that it hurt to finish so far back from where I wanted to be, afterwards Alan prescribed a month of down time, as I hadn’t taken a full break after kona 2013. I fought with him on this for some time before giving in to his analysis and common sense. I always struggle against losing fitness and eventually Alan’s numbers and common sense comes out trumps. He asked me to pull out from Roth, which I reluctantly did. Now 2 months on and with fitness building again, it feels like it was the right thing to do. With 4 blocks still to go for Kona, I have time and motivation is strong. As he always says, if you want to get fit, stop racing! Not easy for us competitive/active types, but we sometimes have to obey the numbers.

With these intolerances, my diet is pretty close to Paleo for athletes, it is lactose/gluten/wheat/processed free and I feel a lot better for it. I have more expendable energy for training and work. I currently have no injuries, no sickness, and I am learning each week how to better deal with these intolerances and fuel for the training. For now, with CTL building, it’s all guns blazing for Kona no.5!

Thanks as always to my sponsors who supported me through the year, Champion System, Vita Coco, Kinga from Soft Tissue Therapy and Neovite.

2014 thoughts and the season Ahead

As of now June 2014, I am not racing at all until Kona in October. This could change, but I am working with Alan with the aim of a top 10 in Hawaii. My best yet is 19th, but this will be the first time I have not raced close to Kona, and if I can avoid injury/illness then this will be the first time I've had a consistent build to race day. All being well we are heading for life best CTL values after a relatively high start point in May. After pulling out from Roth I am still aiming for a PB attempt at some stage in the future, but it will have to be 2015 by now. Roth or Sweden are potential candidates as they seem to produce the fastest results in IM distance. I am racing Ironman Cozumel in Mexico in November, the idea being to qualify early for 2015 using my 2014 Kona legs, after a short break we'll do another build and try tick the box a year in advance - leaving me open for 2015. Aging up in category this year does not seem to have dropped the pace at all and I have some very fast people to compete with. Motivation is as strong as ever and I have many fast guys older than me to use as inspiration, Owen Martin and Alan Ryan to name a few.

I've recently thought a lot about what I want from the sport, apart from the obvious benefits of being and feeling fit and healthy. I also see it as a lifestyle thing, not something I am in to do short term, to hit a few goals and move on, but to have it as part of my life for as long as possible, forever if I can! I swim with an Aussie guy called Russell, he is in his late 50s and he has been on the podium in Kona. He is fitter and has a better attitude than many 25 year olds I know, but he takes it all in his stride and is always smiling. It's an attitude thing and I think it's a good way to think going forward.

In the meantime I am trying to adapt my sports attitude to other parts of life, family/relationships, work, learning. To constantly try to improve things, any failures of the past are in the past, this life is short and there aint no second chance. I read everything Alan and Gordo Byrn publish, and try to read and think outside the box as much as possible (sorry for the cliche!). I am trying to get stuff done, the way Sarah does, no faffing around.

I know there are many bigger issues in the world outside our comfie middle class luxury hobbies, but while we are aware and try to help and support those in need, we might as well do it while improving our own outputs and aim for happiness. Those in power (governments and the super rich) do and will for a long time in the future screw the rest of the world over, especially the poor (i.e. most of the worlds population), but for now we can use our priveleged sober position to think straight and help out where we can. With the emergence of Wikileaks and the internet as an enabler for many people to communicate their mistreatment, we can silently protest in numbers... and we can still do this while participating in our selfish hobbies. Anyway enough philosophy from me, I better get back to work!

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!

'You're not here for the sing song!' Ironman Hawaii Race Report 2012

Some of the squad at the Parade of Nations

This was my 3rd attempt in Hawaii and I had some demons to quash. I love the Big Island and the trip is always special, but this year I was determined to not get distracted by good coffee and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. My friend Una from Tyrone who lives on the island said this year I’m not to be ‘coming for the sing song!’ I was on board with this and ready for action. When I raced Tri-Limits 70.3 in Tyrone in June, a chat with Owen Martin kicked me in to action. I found discipline again and after 4 months non broken training and diet, I knew I was going in to the big race in good shape. I missed an opportunity to race a 70.3 three weeks out when I couldn’t get a flight to the Lost Sheep tri in Kerry. Instead I raced the London duathlon Ultra distance in Richmond park on the same day, I seen decent numbers on bike power and run pace, my swimming at the club was also looking half decent. I had also spent 10days in Lanzarote hitting some key bike and run sessions in the  heat. I was swimming every day and even fitted in a couple of sessions with Dan from SFT who were there on an openwater camp.

We arrived in Kona 10days out and I struggled as usual for 3-4 days with sleeping and of course bike power numbers were down. Running was good though, and I enjoyed the daily swim from digme beach as it got busy leading up to the big day. Owen and myself had a couple of very good hit outs of around 2.5k with 5mins wu and cd. In one key session we swam 2.6k at 1:33/100 pace, no mass start to deal with but at least our straight open water swimming was in a decent place.

Nervous times (photo - Richard Melik, Freespeed) 

As always before a big race, things go wrong and I had a few technical and physical based concerns, but all were fixed with various levels of stress before race day. Sarah had picked up an infection on the trip over and the first few days were a bit difficult but she got antibiotics and picked up quickly to start enjoying the trip. I was relaxed the day before race and had a decent sleep, but when race morning came I could hardly eat anything, the nerves were kicking hard, but I had prepared well and guess felt I had a lot to lose by not performing well.

Lining up at the swim start was the usual slow advance forward with the paddle board officials shouting for us to move back, the line was straight…almost! I started my timer close to 7am to avoid having to start it when the gun went and getting swallowed by the monster, but I seen it was at around 3mins before the madness began. I think in all my sporting life it’s the most violent and energetic experience I’ve ever been involved with. The atmosphere and nerves makes it even more aggressive and I love it in there. Scares the hell out of me but as they say go in hard and you’ll come out better.

Not for the faint hearted (photo: Richard Melik, Freespeed)

Like last year I went at it pretty hard for the first 5-6 minutes, but it was less constant this time, people were being thrown around a bit and although I had a few brief drafts they would shift quickly, I’d get blocked in, then a gap would open again. The outward 2k was hard work and inconsistent, I had my goggles knocked off twice and got a very hard shunt at the turning point, I was jammed against the ropes and 2-3 guys were on top of me, but bit by bit after a few stops to see where I was I got some space and rounded the buoy to come home. I found a great draft again like last year, it was the perfect pace and about 3-4m left off the main pack. The guy I was drafting was drafting someone else who seemed to have great sighting from the checks I made on progress. Now and then the pace would surge but I knew from experience how important it was to stay on his feet and went in to the red to stay there, it worked and I stayed with them for prob 1500m on the way back. About ½ way back some guy came in from outside and tried to steal my draft, we had a tussle but I held him off, although he did manage to knock my garmin 310 off, I very briefly thought about turning to dive for it but realised quickly that was a foolish idea.

As I stayed on the draft I started to formulate a backup plan for hr on the run now as the 310 was sinking it’s way to the bottom of the ocean! I let my draft go about 200m from T1, the surges were becoming too fast for me and I was hyperventilating, I decided I was close enough to shore to let them go. Running through T1 I was asking other guys the time, sounded like we were out around 1:06 so similar to last year and I was happy enough as the Kona swim is so arbitrary, you could produce same output and get two results 5mins+ apart depending on draft/blocking, etc.

In the last days before the race my power had come back and I was confident of what needed to be done on the bike. I was keen to stick closer to Alan’s power plan this time, and be patient. I felt good, relaxed and the power numbers were strong at the start, I kept an eye on upper caps. The wind changed a lot and at a few sections near Kawaihae the side winds were strong and shifted direction, almost throwing me off. This normally only happens at Hawi and so I knew the wind was irregular and we were in for an interesting return journey. The road up to Hawi was it’s usual full on head wind but I was on a decent pace and felt a lot better than previous years at this point. I was keen to stick to nutrition/hydration plan, 3 salt tabs\hr, 1gel per hour, 2 bottles per hour of electrolyte (perform) including my own 2 made up with perform, H5Extreme and nunn. I had serious issues with cramping last year and Alan had prescribed me around 2250mg of sodium /hr this time and I was keen to hit that.

With my power numbers up significantly from last year, it felt easy enough to hold the power plan and still eat / drink. My previous Hawaii experiences are riddled with nausea and difficulty with absorbing calories but this time it was different. I had also popped a Biestmilch booster race morning about 90mins out, one at bike start and then one nearing bike end 4.5hrs in which seemed to help.

On the way back down from Hawi we had the side wind but when turning back at Kawaihae I realised the big head winds had turned and were not going away. I kept the head down and stayed within watts and remained patient. I knew from avg speed that it was becoming a slow day, but I kept an eye on power now starting to think about the run. My running has been going well and I thought it would my chance to make up some places. The last hour coming past the airport I felt unusually fresh and knew I had some running legs, at least to start off with! Rolling in to T2 the times were not fast but same for everyone and now I was ready to roll.

I felt good from the start on the run, carrying the fuel belt is a pain but I lost 5kg last year and Alan was keen for me not to create more than 1L per hour deficit inc hydration taken on board, so it was necessary even with the 11 bottles on the bike. I managed to get a backup garmin for the run, it was not set up for me and only reported hr, so I had no idea of time or pace.

I kept what felt like a decent pace out to the 5mile turnaround and back in to town. Judging from those I seen on the way back in and where they were, I knew I was on a decent race. I started to feel the start of some fatigue coming back in to Kailua, but it was manageable and I felt better than most people looked to me. Sarah was positioned at different points and apart from some great encouragement also picked up my used fuel belt to save me some weight when I threw it.

Running up Palani is always hard and I stayed calm and waited for the start of the Queen K before stepping it up. I had a chat with Adam Zucco who I raced in St Croix, before getting hr back to plan for the next 16miles. I noticed some mild cramps lurking, but I kept on top of the aid stations drinks and sodium tabs (these tabs had 330mg sodium each), using perform as well as coke this time to get the extra electrolytes. The Perform bottles have 550mg so well loaded and so far it seemed this was working as it was now extremely hot yet I was running faster than last year. I passed a lot of people and very few stayed on pace with me but I noticed a few guys ahead who were hard to catch. One guy was wearing all black and had a similar strong running style to Owen Martin with little upper body movement, but I knew Owen was behind (thank feck!! ;-) As I approached this guy I thought I recognised him, it turned out to be Alan Ryan. I’ve never raced Alan and had only read about him so was unsure how he operated, but I was aware of how dangerous he could be, experience is huge on the Big Island. We passed a few words to each other and I pressed on, I remember thinking jes that’s a hardy boy! Alan has done 13 consecutive sub 10 Ironmans and used to hold the Irish record so I didn’t want him coming with me!

My pace seemed consistent to the energy lab and a surprise breeze there was very welcome. Sarah was out there shouting me on again along the Queen K telling me I looked good, but I thought she’d tell me that anyway! It is such a lonely place, all you can see for miles ahead is the long hot road of the infamous Queen K. When I reached the energy lab I was ready, ready for the heat, ready for the run home. It’s intimidating, being tired yet knowing you have 8 miles still to run, but you also get the feeling you are almost home. My friend Una who is a teacher in the Energy Lab (NEL) was there as always at the special needs station, orchestrating the kids. The whole course was full of tri-colours and messages for the Irish team, the NEL was green white and orange everywhere you looked! As I reached the Special needs Una shouted something to the kids, they had been prepped, and about 50 of them started screaming at me, it was very sweet and had me laughing my head off to the turning point a mile later. When I came back I asked her for the salt tabs only as I didn’t feel I needed the 2nd fuel belt I had left in special needs. Having a good friend with that much clout in the energy lab is a definite advantage so apologies to my fellow competitors :-) 

From then on, I was able to step it up a bit on the way back, but was cautious too as it was still hot out there and the wind on the bike had had its effect on all of us. A few runner lads who I’d let go at the start of the marathon were coming back in to view, and as I passed each of them they came with me and after the elastic band broke they’d each fall off. On the return route you get to see who is behind and how far, Alan was still there, Ivan O'Gorman was moving up and Owen was still looking strong, but for a change he was outside striking distance – btw that’s 2:1 Owen, I'm catching you :-D New lad Mike O'Brien was on the chase as well as Liam Dolan, all within minutes of each other.

Reaching Palani I felt good and thought I’d pace up for a strong finish, I started off to a sprint pace and was amused by the amount of guys who tried to come along, even though it was still a mile to go. I covered the last mile in 5mins so was pleased to still have some life left in the legs. I was strong over the finish line and pleased with the time.

The conditions were hard out there and overall times seemed 15-25mins slower than previous years depending on category. I went to medical as a precaution but certainly wasn’t in the state I ended last year! I was 9mins faster than 2011, so considering the conditions I was happy with the outcome. I was 19th in AG and 108 overall inc pros, first time I've been in top 50 in Kona.

Splits for the day:
Swim:     1:07:11
Bike:      5:10:18
Run:         3:05:51
Overall:     9:29:51

There was 12 Irish finishers this year and as the sport grows in popularity and participation at home, so does our qualification numbers on the big island. Matt and Rob had some trouble on the day, and Sharon suffered in the heat but did great in her first visit to the Big Island, but they all finished, 6 of us went sub 10, that's 50% of our whole representation! Alan never lost much time on me being the hard nut he is and gave us all some pride by getting his 2nd podium on the big island with a 3rd place. Seeing him lift the bowl at the Awards ceremony inspired me and will help me get through the tough winter ahead - we all dream of that podium.

Hawaii is always an immense and magical experience, the long trip out, the nervous build up, the breakfasts at Lava Java with live music looking over the ocean. Race day comes so soon and then it’s over and you’re celebrating at the awards ceremony, the K-Swiss party and hoping you can just stay another week.

It’s my best race there yet in the hardest conditions I’ve experienced, but I enjoyed it and realised I’m starting to get a handle on how to execute in Kona, I’ve already started to plan my attack for next year. Now taking a break of course, but again we’ve discovered things that need to be worked on this winter. Back to the rain and cold with no holidays now til the new allocation in April, it’s been a great year, with some brilliant experiences.

The next few months may include some cross country and off road bike/du races, I look forward to catching up with some people who have not seen much of me this year. After Sarah spent the first few days in Kona sick, she recovered to enjoy the last 10days of the trip and I'm looking forward to doing some normal things with her before I return to monk mode.

We're all missing Kona already but we look forward to our next visit. Someone told me that Madame Pele was not happy this year, but she didn’t punish me more than anyone else, I’ll be back to see her again before long, I'm not finished yet.

Mahalo Hawaii
Aloha!



Sponsors and thanks.
A few mentions to my helpers along the way, to Alan, the guy who adds value and constantly tells me stuff no one else can, a genius who knows me better than I do. To Kinga for her great work as a physio/massage therapist, keeping me moving through those big weeks when the body is complaining so hard! I usually train alone but have regular bikes with Rowan, when he's in the mood he hurts me more than anyone and no doubt helped my bike power build over this season, strong and full of mind games, the perfect bike buddy ;-) To Geoff Bamber and David Vaughan for both providing me with a front wheel after I bust my Zipp in Lanza, and for both givimg me a good test on a training ride! I spent an hour weighing up the 2 wheels before going with the HED. Thanks to Sarah and Richard Melik for great photos. My sponsors have all been so helpful in getting me to race day in various capacities, to them I am grateful for their support, please see the right hand colum for their links. To Sarah, for always being there, always.

The fun bits.
We had all been sacrificing and working hard for a long time but there is plenty of fun things happening around the race, here's a few photos of the fun bits.

The underpants run

Fat boys

The support crew on a coffee break

The support crew hard at work

The K-Swiss party

Ivan finds his legs after some refuelling