Ironman Cairns 2014 - The Run leg

...My ride to run transition was pretty straight forward. The bike was given to a handler to rack as soon as we got to the dismount point, after hanging around making sure Sharn and Craig were sorted, I trotted over to my retrieve my bag from the racks and found a place to get ready for the run.

I got a few goodies that I had put in the bag - a few protein and carbohydrate bars then put my socks and running shoes on and headed out for the final leg...

Sharn and Craig were busy doing more interviews in the tent so Ben and myself waited around 11 Minutes for them out on the road just past the transition exit.

There really isn't much to talk about only that the crowds at various points in the course were just so enthusiastic and supportive in such cold and wet conditions! At times it was so overwhelming that it was hard to fight the emotion.

There was one lady, some random tourist who just stood there in the middle of the park cheering people on. It looked like she was out for a walk. She certainly wasn't dressed to be part of the event or supporting a loved one. She just looked like a passer by that was interested in what was going on. She stood there for at least 2 of our 3 laps.

One female competitor who came first in her age group did the whole run in bare feet. She got to the ride to run transition and could not find her shoes!
Some of those surfaces around the docks would have been very uncomfortable with weathered wooden decking and gravel rocks. Amazing!!!

The Finishers Chute:

Well what a finish! Sharn got out of her wheelchair and walked her way with the help of Craig and Luke down the Finishers Chute to the finish line where her husband Russ was waiting to present Sharn and Craig with their Finishers medal.

What an amazing day!

While my 8 year old son Liam was waiting for us to finish a Japanese competitor who had just finished his Ironman, gave him his medal saying that he always gave his Ironman medals away in the hope that he would inspire the next generation of Ironman.
Liam didn't take the medal off for 2 days!

The 2014 Cairns Ironman event was such an inspiring experience that I can see why people get addicted to the sport and continue on to do more Ironman events.
The circumstances around my first Ironman - being there in support of Sharn in her first full Ironman was a very special experience for me. I doubt that an future Ironman I do will be able to top that.

Between the 17th of February and the 7th of June 2014 (16 weeks) I trained for over 130 hours, covering almost 2332 kilometers by swimming, riding and running (based on Garmin reporting). I had been base training for a lot longer however the 16 weeks was almost everyday for 2 to 4 hours.

[Swimming 23h:03m/70.1km | Cycling 72h:07m/1969.69km | Running 23h:20m/284.87km | Gym 11h:30m]

Even though I was not going to finish the race in a time reflecting the training I put in over that 16 week plus period and my abilities, I paid respect to the process of becoming an Ironman.

Becoming a true Ironman is not something you can just turn up on race day and do... Of course you can literally do that but it does not pay respect that Ironman deserves!

Being an Ironman is something that is earned through months and months of - day after day, night after night training, hurting, cramps, lonely 1 hour plus sessions in the pool and ocean, running in the rain, cold, heat, riding in the bloody time trial position for several hours while your family have to put their life with you on hold so you can do the work it takes to cross that finish line on race day knowing you deserve to get that medal and hear those words - "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!".

Race day is a celebration of your transformation into an Ironman and the recognition of all you hard work!

Thank you:

None of this would have happened without the love and support I have had from my family and friends!

Firstly... Thank you to my beautiful wife Michelle who had to put up with and without me through the 16 plus weeks of training! She is truly an amazing woman and I love her and my kids more than anything in the world!

Thank you to my kids for being so tolerant of daddy not being there on a weekend when they woke up and at bedtime when daddy had to swim, ride or run instead of reading them a story. I very much missed their kisses and cuddles.

Thank you to Michelle's mum Lyn and dad Steve for always being there for us and helping with the kids and feeding me... and coming to Cairns with us... Beautiful people...

Thank you to my sister Jill and my niece Jessie for coming up to Cairns support me.

Thank you to Sharn for the life inspiration. When training got tough, all I needed think of was what it was taking for you to prepare yourself for race day not to mention your everyday challenges. My pain was easily trivialised at the thought! Thanks too for accepting me into your S4S support team. It was an honour to experience my first Ironman with a great group of people!

Thank you to Craig Gruber for being an awesome guy and doing such an amazing gesture for Sharn.

...And thanks to all Ironman Asia Pacific, all the supporters out there on the day that helped to make an unforgettable experience!

What Now?

I now set my sights on the 2015 Ironman Melbourne - March the 22nd, only 200 days away!
I start the 16 week preparation on Monday the 8th of December.
Between now and then I will review and tweak the training plan I used for Cairns.
I am now 67 days away from a mountain bike race I do every November called The Camelbak Highland Fling south of Sydney where I am focused on a personal best time for the "Full Fling". I normally do the "Half Fling" which is around 58km. I have done the "Full Fling" once. It took me just over 9 hours. I am a lot fitter nowadays... We'll see how I go...

Thanks for spending the time to read my blog. I hope you found something interesting in my journey to becoming an Ironman.

If you would like to help raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as Motor Neurone Disease (MND) or raise funds to find a cure, please consider visiting the Shining4Sharn website: http://www.shining4sharn.com.au 

Cheers,
Pat Halloran

  

The Ice Bucket Challenge

In support for fellow Ironman Sharn McNeill @Shining4Sharn and the ongoing pursuit for a cure to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), I present to you my Ice Bucket Challenge.
Please help this cause by continuing to raise awareness of this cruel disease.
Thanks to nominations by both Sharn's husband Russ McNeill and Ian Rosskelly.
I now pass on the challenge to my three sisters - Heather James, Jill Wheatley and Crystal Lee Halloran.

http://www.shining4sharn.com.au

Ironman Cairns 2014 - The Bike leg

...Continued from my previous post...

The Swim to Bike transition was quite a messy affair...
After all the competitors ahead of me the grass area where the bikes were racked more resembled your typical Tough Mudder obstacle course...

In some places the mud was just past my ankles as I splodged through the mud in my riding shoes to the bike. I picked it up cyclocross style then slipped and slid my way to the transition exit.

The atmosphere was great going through the foreshore of Palm Cove, following the Paris to Roubaix style slushfest and slippery cobble stone speed humps making some rider's bidons launch out of the rear cages. I just sat on mine each time I had to go over the humps. I had to stop to pick up one bidon that I actually think I pushed out while in a hurry to get back behind the seat.

I made my way out of Palm Cove then on to the road north bound for Port Douglas. I saw Greg and mentioned that Sharn and Craig were apparently 10 minutes ahead and said I was going to go and catch up with them.

It was about 5 minutes later (around the 12 minutes into the ride) that I caught up to Sharn and Craig. I went up past them, saying g'day and then dropped back my 12 metres (per the drafting regulations) and settled in for the wet ride north. A few minutes later Greg turned up and said that we didn't have to worry about the drafting rule as long as we rode single file and kept out of the way of the other competitors.

I was so relieved because after months of worrying about this very issue, including right up to that point I had no idea how we were going to be able to give Sharn and Craig support of any kind; moral or otherwise from 12 metres behind or in front. Luke and Ben arrived shortly after. The S4S support team was complete. Justin stopped for a chat before heading off one his first IM. Jason was already powering ahead on his mission for a personal best race time.

We had a good pace within a range of 20-29kph. To be honest, the following 8 hours and 39 minutes only really felt like maybe half that time.

The first accent up to Rex Lookout going north was at between 10-12kph. With both Sharn and Craig pedalling they made light work of the climb. Spirits were up and looking forward to the flatter parts of the course to make up time at a higher pace.

All smiles going north to Port Douglas on the first climb up Rex Lookout.
(Right to left: Sharn, Luke, Ben and me)

Our first visit to the Port Douglas turn point was met with an excited reception from the crowd as each of our names were announced and real-time video of our ride in to town was displayed on a massive screen at the turn around point.

The cheers had given us all a boost. It was now 45km and 1h:50m into the ride. Ahead of us was a 33-ish kilometre ride back over Rex Lookout before turning around at Wangetti and the return trip to Port Douglas.

This lookout is only 50m above sea level so normally climbing is not problem... unless you have to do it four times towing a fully grown adult on a recumbent bike. By the last repeat of that 2km climb it will feel like 20km!
The mood had been good all the way up but the feeling within the group now was at a new high.

As we were starting the Rex Lookout climb from the north side, going south Sharn's bike slipped sideways on one of the steep cambered corners. Maybe due to the gradient of the hill and wet climate of the tropics the camber of the road on the corners were probably the steepest I have come across.

Greg and I sat up the front, describing upcoming terrain, warning Craig on steep cambered corners and distance to the top of each pinch. Craig would then relay the information back to Sharn.

Within a few minutes of the slip Luke and Ben called me back to where they were behind Sharn. "What do reckon about that tire? Does it look like it is going down to you?...", Luke says referring to the wheel on Sharn's right hand side. It looked a bit low but it was hard to tell. We watched it for a few minutes. It was definitely going down. Sharn started to fish-tail on the extreme camper of the road and around the corners.

We rode up and told Sharn the tire was going down but looked okay at the moment and that it would soon get to the point where it will drop quickly.
I dropped back again behind Sharn to monitor the tire and her stability. It didn't take long for the tire to go completely flat. We were over halfway up the climb. Sharn was happy with the control of her bike so a decision was made to push on with the climb because the gradient was too steep to stop and get off the bike or restart riding safely.

We told Sharn and Craig that if they kept up momentum they would soon be at the lookout where there was a mechanic to help fix the tire if needed. We couldn't risk stopping on that hill.
I hung back with Luke who was reassuring Sharn everything was okay and to just keep pedalling. With the tire being so low the recumbent bike Sharn was riding was prone to further slipping if they didn't keep up a good momentum and run a little wide or high through the corners, close to the middle of the road.

When we reached the lookout everyone quickly dismounted and checked the flat. I pulled the spare, CO2 canister and valve fitting out of Sharn's backpack. It was then we realised the valve on the wheel was a schrader type yet the canister fitting was only for a presta valve type...
Okay... We have a problem! This was the first time they'd had a flat on Sharn's bike, after all that training. Greg had a new pump but didn't know if it was compatible. It didn't matter. There was an event mechanic across the road, shelter from the rain and wind. It was 12:30pm and a good opportunity for Sharn to take her medication which was due at 1pm anyway.

Looking back on the Garmin data, the whole stop was around 20 minutes. The mechanic replaced the tube and checked the inside of the tire for the offending object while I patched the punctured tube just in case we'd need another repair. Whatever caused the puncture, it was very small. it may have been a shard of glass.

It was freezing! I am sure I wasn't the only one relieved to get going again. Down hill toward the Wangetti turnaround point only 7km away.

The tube repair lasted 40km. We were on our way back up the coast to Port Douglas having climbed and descended Rex Lookout from the south for the second time. That pinch was definitely getting harder for Craig even with Sharn literally pushing him up the hill as she pedalled.

Getting closer to Port Douglas I rode up ahead a few kays and found a petrol station with a pump at Craiglie. I checked how high the pressure would go then headed back to the group. Meanwhile Luke and Greg hung back to get some electrolytes and check Greg's pump fitting. Sharn and Craig kept riding. We were all reunited around 1km from the petrol station.

Good news! Greg's pump had a schrader valve fitting!

The petrol station pump could get the tire to 65psi. About 10psi less than we needed it but it would do the job.
The decision was made that we couldn't risk another 20 minute stop. We would use Greg's pump to top the tire pressure up. If it went low every 40km then we would stop for only a minute or so. No big deal.

110km down and another great reception at Port Douglas once again boosting our morale but the pressure was on. You could see it on everyone's face.
We had to keep a good pace on to the final Rex Lookout climb and the home stretch. The rest of the course either side of the lookout was flat so the focus was now to pick up some time as long as that tire didn't give us any more trouble than just a top up here and there...

Cycle Leg Bike Splits

Craig and Sharn's pace dropped noticeably on the way back. Craig's cadence was still high, around 110rpm. Sometimes higher. His legs were really feeling the strain but didn't have the ability to put too much power into the pedals.

Ben was was up the front doing the sums and setting a slightly higher pace that they could match and sustain.
Craig's energy and fluid intake up to this point in my opinion wasn't sufficient to fuel and hydrate his body at this intensity. Regardless of what you eat though, the body can sustain this intensity for only so long before breaking down.

To be honest, I am just as bad. My biggest problem is that I don't eat or hydrate enough, particularly when mountain biking so I would have been the same if I was in his situation. This is something I concentrated on during the later part of my own IM training - eating and drinking.

As we got to the start of the last climb up to Rex Lookout Craig was at his lowest in terms of pace and morale. Every small incline since the last Port Douglas turn around point was a becoming a struggle so this climb was going to be to sole destroyer!

On queue, just like something out of a movie, Sharn's husband Russ appeared out of nowhere on the back of a motorbike. The timing could not have been any more perfect! It was quite an emotional moment, particularly for Craig whose body by this stage was being pushed well past it's breaking point as the gradient increased.

Russ turning up was probably the only thing aside from Sharn's pedalling that got Craig up that final climb.

If you have seen the footage on the Channel 7 Sunday Night program  of Craig drawing on every bit of power in his legs to get up to the lookout, you will know how much he was hurting! It has to be seen to really appreciate and was truly amazing to witness first-hand.
When we got to the top Craig's legs quivered, almost giving out as he backed off the pressure to sit up and freewheel down the incline. He was cooked! He was done... I think the relief of knowing he didn't have to climb the lookout again was enough to get his head back to a place where he could focus again.

On to Palm Cove. Not much happened between the lookout and Palm Cove. As you can see in the timing splits (above), we were really pushing it for time with the very real possibility of being disqualified due to not making the cut off.

We knew the main cut-off from the bike leg was at 6:10pm however we had no idea where the other timing cut off points were on the bike course. We were certainly reminded of how close we were to disqualification every time the Sag Wagon came passed giving us a cheer or when a straggler rode past, also worried about their day being cut short... 

We weren't too far from the airport when we had our final technical problem. We stopped to top the tire pressure up with Greg's pump. As with most rims that have schrader valves, the valve stem is usually so tight in the hole that the rim cut through the rubber!

All we needed to do was top it up. Now we had to change the tube again! We didn't have another 15-20 minutes to fix the tube! This was a devastating blow to morale.

Thankfully we patched the initial flat tube so we did a Grand Prix style wheel repair - lifting Sharn, bike and all while the tube was replaced and pumped back up. Done!

The repair only took 3 minutes! Awesome! I don't know why it took the mechanic so long the first time!

Home stretch... 

Craig was pumped. Off we went. We still had a chance to get to to Cairns with time to spare. As we got closer to the outskirts of Cairns and the airport, the Channel 7 Sunday Night program correspondent Denham Hitchcock needed to interview Sharn and Craig. It was really not the best time for it considering how much time we had left to the 6:10pm cut off.

With the interview over the final maybe 7-8 kilometres were ahead. We were expecting a fairly straight run in where we could ramp up the pace however traffic cones ("witch's hats") set up to separate the ride course from the vehicular traffic, also using the road were too close to the edge to safely fit the width of Sharns's bike.
She was at constant risk of either sliding of the road due to the camber or losing control and getting bounced out if a wheel ran over the edge or into a cone causing it to get stuck underneath the carriage so I rode ahead of the group kicking the cones from the base out into the road enough to get them through. It was still tight but it made for easier passage. This went on every 10 metres or so for around 3km. 
The final few kays wound its way through several suburban back streets to get to The Esplanade, again slowed things down as Sharn and Craig negotiated their way around the corners at safe speeds. Ben and I up the front literally had to stop and wait for them to go round the corners and catch up. It was that slow-going through that area.

It felt like there was one thing after another trying to keep us from making that 6:10pm cut off!!!

As we got closer to the Cairns event centre we heard the cheers from spectators and competitors on their run leg. The group reconfigured to move Sharn and Craig up to lead us in to town.

As we got closer the noise of everyone cheering was deafening as the number of people lined the streets increased. It was like riding in a stage of the Tour de France. What a buzz!!! People out to dinner in the restaurants left their tables to line the road and cheer us on as well.

Even now (27th of August), I still feel a lump in the back of my throat just thinking about the experience of that moment we came in to town.

We arrived at 6:02pm... 8 minutes to spare!

The relief on Craig's face was obvious. All we/they had to do now was a couple more hours of running - 42.2km and they would be in the Finishers' Chute!

... Next Post: Not as long as this post - Run Leg...

Ironman Cairns 2014 - The Swim leg

The big day started with the sound of a 3:45am alarm.

I looked outside to see the rain teeming down and blustery squalls.
Great! I will be wet before I even get the wetsuit on. Getting a wetsuit on when the skin is already wet is hard enough. Unlike the dive wetties I am used to, these swimming suits are so soft and supple they are as delicate as tissue paper and prone to ripping with your finger nails as you grip the material to pull it on or off.

After a quick shave I dressed in my Shining4Sharn team tri-suit, some tracksuit pants, hoodie and devoured a massive bowl of muesli while filling four bidons with Hi 5 4:1 carb-protein-electrolyte powder.

At 4:20 I donned a plastic poncho, grabbed my track pump wetsuit and "street clothes bag" then walked along the waters edge of the Esplanade into Cairns (around 1km) to catch the shuttle service 25km north to the race start location at Palm Cove.

A wet 4:20am walk to the IM event centre
to catch the bus to Palm Cove

You could feel the tension everyone on the bus was feeling. The temperature display next to the driver showed 17 degrees. The winds had eased but the rain was still steady.

Once at the Palm Cove event centre I waded through the mud to check the bike over, especially the Di2 electronic gearing. After all the rain overnight I was worried that the Di2 battery in the seat post had got wet. It was fine. I shifted into a comfortable gear for the start of bike leg, put my bidons in their cages, filled up the frame mounted storage bag (A.K.A a bento box) with Hi 5 protein, carbohydrate bars and gels then pumped up the tires. I was regretting the tire choice - Michelin Pro 4 Service Course. Oh well... They had got me up and down Mt Baw Baw in worse conditions, admittedly the Ironman bike course was around 150km longer... I couldn't do anything about them so patted the seat bid the bike cheerio and set off to find a dry spot to stand for almost 2 hours till the race start.

I had to wait for Michelle, her parents (Lyn and Steve) and the kids (Liam and Aishlyn) close to the spot where we parked the day before when I checked the bike in to T1 (swim to bike transition).

It wasn't hard to pick out the Sharni-Army as they started to arrive with their blue or white Shining4Sharn shirts and fluorescent pink wigs.

While huddling under paperbark trees out of the main thoroughfare, getting eaten by mosquitoes and big green tropical ants I had a few friendly chats with others who were getting ready to either race or support others.

Just outside transition 1 getting eaten alive
by big green tropical ants while waiting for
 the family to arrive at Palm Cove.

The Ironman 70.3 were to start earlier than us so we all had to make our way out of the area so we could get across the T1 exit gate and on to the start.

I had to find a dry place to put on the wetsuit. As with many others I decided to start walking toward the race start and found the front foyer of a hotel. No sooner did I arrive there my family arrived. We saw Guy from Macarthur Triathlon Club also seeking refuge from the rain. This was his FOURTH Ironman race for 2014!

A quick look at the time and I needed to hurry and get the wetsuit on then head over to the race start area about 500 metres around the corner and up the beach.

The Elite athletes had there start 5 minutes before us "age groupers".

I just saw the tip of Sharn's kayak and heard the cheer from the crowd as she made here way down the beach to the waters edge. There was no way I could get through the to others in the team. Everyone started to press forward getting ready for the start as the media helicopter flew overhead.

A quick check that the Garmin was set the 'Auto Multisport' mode and the screen was showing only the distance so I could see it clearly while taking a breath and bringing that arm forward for the next stroke.

The final 1 minute and 30 second calls felt like they were only a few seconds apart then all of a sudden the start hooter sounded. It was on! Away we went!

Just like the Foster Club Champs in April I ran in and dived through one latte coloured wave a bit higher than me from waist deep water then I was out of the short surf zone and away.

For the first several metres or so every kick would hit someone behind me in the head so I decided to make smaller flutter kicks and rely more on my arms whilst Looking for someone in front to swim behind also trying to avoid getting kicked.

It is really exciting being at the start of a mass swim start. I was happy that wore two swimming caps. I had put one on, the goggles then the Ironman event category coloured cap on over the top.

There were tangled arms hands hitting me in the back of the head. I would expected there were a few goggles being ripped off. It would have been quite difficult having to do a swim like that if I had lost my goggles.

The conditions were not too bad. There was a little wind chop from the east and the swell would have been less than a metre. It was high enough to lose the buoys and get lost between the swell.

The swim course was a rectangular shape with the "M-dot" buoys marking the course. We had to do two laps. It was an Interesting buoy colour choice considering the overcast and rainy conditions. I have to admit though it wasn't too bad as long as there were people in front to follow or if you were at an angle fortunate enough to cast the white buoys against the trees on the land.

The first lap didn't feel too long. I haven't checked the splits yet but the first lap didn't feel too long. In fact the whole swim felt quite relaxed although the stroke-breathing method I used probably had a lot to do with it. I don't remember being out of breath although all my technique training went out window. I have been doing a lot of Total Immersion stroke style swimming over the 16 weeks training prior to the race. My stroke become more efficient. The didn't get an opportunity to do any open water swims other than one at the Foster Club Champs. Not ideal however as a Sydney diver I am not daunted by swimming in open water or in limited visibility.

In the Ironman swim I found it easier breathing on one side for a maybe three breaths before swapping sides. As the wind chop and swell were coming from the seaward side I tended to favour breathing on the right where the land and markers were a majority of the time.

If I tried to breath on the left (seaward) side for any length of time to relieve the clunk developing in the my shoulder and chafing caused by the wetsuit zipper on the back of my neck, I would change course and start swimming toward New Caledonia. It was easier to stay on course if I was spotting and breathing on the right during each left hand stroke. Thank goodness I trained for this in the final weeks before the race. It is tricky to keep form in the stroke and straight body tracking while spotting. It is also quite hard on the neck which.

It wasn't obvious until I uploaded the Garmin activity that I saw there must have been a slight current heading out to sea (east to south east). At the time it felt like I was being pushed into shore. It also explains the extra effort it too to get back to the beach.

Transition 1 at Palm Cove on the Saturday

I got out of the water after 4.37km (Garmin) gave Michelle and the kids a big wet salty kiss and cuddle then another 20m to the timing grid. 1:18:14 at an average 18:07 per km pace... Awesome!
Michelle mentioned that Sharn and Craig were around 10 minutes ahead. Great!

... Off to what some were saying was a "Tough Mudder" or Cyclo-cross style transition but that and the bike leg is for the next post...

Next post... Sharn and Craig on the front page of the Ironman Asia Pacific website!

Cheers,
Pat

Ironman Cairns 2014 A Brief - Debrief...

For the last few weeks I have been working on my Ironman Cairns debrief...

I haven't had much time to dedicate to the task however when I do start typing the post I find there is so much I want to talk about so it is getting quite long...

I have now decided to write this "brief" version and then break up the War and Peace novel into a post for each leg of the race. At least that way I will get something out before the end of the year.... LOL!

Swim (3.8km):

- Actual Distance 4.37km (Garmin)

- Time: 1hr 18mins 14secs from the start to 20m up the beach to the timing grid including stopping to give my beautiful wife and kids a kiss.
I was really surprised with my swim time. I expected 1hr 20-25mins to allow for course correction and currents. Even though it was very dirty and choppy forcing me to breath and spot a majority of the time on the same side I was comfortable and relaxed.

Swim to Bike transition:

- 8mins 31secs

Ride (180km):

- 8hrs 39mins 32secs

- 20.79kph

It didn't feel like it took as long as it did. Once out of transition and on the road north to Port Douglas, I caught up with Sharn and Craig within maybe 5 minutes. Greg, one of our S4S team mates mentioned we didn't have to adhere to the drafting rule as long as we stayed out of everyone's way I was relieved. That was the thing I was worried about.
There were 3 flat tires during the bike leg which ultimately slowed the average speed down to just over 20kph. We arrived in T2 - Cairns within 8 minutes of being disqualified.
It was nail-biting stuff for friends, family, spectators, Sharni-army and fans!

Bike to Run transition:

- 9mins 50secs

Run (42.2km):

- 6hrs 8mins 19secs

- 8.43kph

Once we got to Cairns then it was a case of keeping on moving and finishing was in the bag!
At one stage, unknown to all but Luke, one of the other S4S teammates, we had to make a certain checkpoint by 8:30pm. He didn't want to worry everyone by mentioning it so merely picked up the pace to ensure we were safe from the sag-wagon. It explains where he got his little spurt of energy...

The Finishers Shoot:
Wow! What an experience!
On every lap of the run the crowds showing their support was incredible but that Finishers Shoot was just something else!

I'll talk about it more in the next few blog posts.

Cheers,
Pat

One more sleep. This is it.

Well... it is 9:30pm on the Saturday night before Ironman Cairns 2014 starts. I think I will be getting close to finishing 24 hours from now, depending on whether I can meet up with Sharn and Craig. I am still not sure how that is going to pan out. If they are ahead, it should be pretty easy. I should be able to see them if they are still swimming when I exit the water so I can wait up for them.

The weather forecast is for 19-23° C, 20-30mm of rain and up to 25kph south easterly winds. Those weather conditions are going to add some extra challenge.

Stay tuned. I am heading to bed.

Be fast. Be safe.
Cheers,
Pat

More DIY, My Support Team, Taper Week 1!

More DIY

During the long hours of training I think about nothing other than the task. The average speed/pace, cadence, heart rate, the next corner, the next hill.
If I do think of anything other than what is happening right at that moment, it usually doesn't commit to long term memory.
Getting ready to transport the bike by aircraft to Cairns is one of those things I think of while swimming, riding or running that I have kept forgetting to address.

I have a bike box which has sections where you fix the rims to the inside cover.
Normal skewers are either too long or too short. I also realised that I need to ensure the forks and rear stays are not bent or broken in the journey so I decided to make some fixings of my own.

I headed down to the local hardware supplier and bought some bubble wrap, nuts, washers, lock-tite, two threaded rods - 3/16th and 5/16th at 24 inches long.

The race wheels are now bolted to the inside of the bike box, ready for the trip. I won't use the wheels for training before Ironman. All I have to do now is let the air out of the tires and finish bubble wrapping them for the flight.
I'll take the time trial bars off the bike too. This will allow me to put on some new bar tape. Over the next week, in between rides, I'll try and get the Cervélo in the box. That will mean rolling the handlebars forward around the top tube to reduce the width of the bike when packed.
I am now wishing I had a spare wheel for the old Giant to ride and spin on so I could pack the Cervélo early and resolve issues that I haven't yet thought of!

I have to figure out how the rest of the stuff will go in too such as the track pump, helmet, shoes, pedals and wetsuit.

My Support Team

I would like to make a very special mention to my very own support team...
My wife - Michelle. She has been so tolerant of all the time I have had to spend in the garage or away training for the Ironman. She has sacrificed her training schedule so I can concentrate on mine. She has kept the house running and helps to keep me focused.
I can't wait till the 9th of June when this is all over and I don't have the thoughts in the background of what training do I need to do that day and how is the intensity going to affect the following day's training sessions.
I really enjoy the constant planning and training a majority of the time but I just want to stop feeling like I am visiting when I have a day off. I miss my family...
My kids - Aishlyn and Liam. Aishlyn often sneaks into our bed in the middle of the night. In the morning she finds it strange that I am sometimes still there in the morning of a weekend. It is lovely seeing the kids' big smiles when I wake up and tell them I am not training that day or until later.
Mum and Dad Watson - I/we are so lucky to have such lovely supportive parents like Michelle's mum and dad. They are truly amazing people. There is no way we would have got through the journey to Ironman  Cairns without the help they have given us. I am so greatful.

Tapering...

With the race three weeks away, I have started the first week of tapering. Yay!
I have recently read articles on the subject and learnt that the whole purpose of tapering is to reduce the chances or recover from possible over training injuries (a-hemm... my knees...) while maintaining consistency by not going any more than 48 or so hours between training for each discipline.
This ensures the neurological connections required to perform each discipline are maintained from the brain to the muscles.
How appropriate this concept is when you think about it in the context of my friend Sharn who suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), an aggressive form of Motor Neurone Disease (MND). By merely training for the Ironman, she is helping to fit this awful disease.
I might be blogging/talking and training like I am trying to qualify for Kona but in reality this Ironman will be all about supporting Sharn in fulfilling her dream of completing a full Ironman 140.6 race. I cannot physically help her but I will be one of many in Cairns to give her and Craig moral support. I talk a bit more about this in a previous post.
For more information on Sharn, her story, Ironman journey and how you can help please visit the  Shining4Sharn website: http://www.shining4sharn.org.au/.

Training this week:
So this is the plan for this week...
Monday: 2hrs spin - tempo
Tuesday: Rest. Knees are still tender...
Wednesday: Morning 2km swim, Evening easy half hour run
Thursday: Morning 1hr moderate run
Friday: Morning 2km Swim, Evening: moderate spin
Saturday: Brick Session - Local bunch ride 65km, 15km easy run.
Sunday: Rest day (Maybe an openwater swim during the day).

26 days to go...

With the colder weather early morning training is now limited to swimming in fear of getting sick this close to the Ironman. 26 days away...

I don't mind the swimming. It is a good start to the day. Fridays are the best swim days at the moment. It must be because it is the end of the week, cold and people are trying their best to last till the weekend and the thought of swimming at 5:30am is probably the last thing on their minds.

I also found just before lunch time on a Saturday is when the pool is quieter. All the kids' learn to swim classes and squad is finished around then.

My swim time for 4km is now down to 1hr 12min. That's in a 25m pool. I don't stand up, tumble turn or push off the wall with the exception of my hand in aid to redirect my forward motion as I come past in a large swim turn to try limit contact with anything other than water.

I realise the open water will be a completely different experience but at the moment I can't see myself getting a chance to do an open water swim between now and Ironman. I see it as no big deal. I can swim the distance comforably and well aware of the problems associated with chop, swell, currents and the need for course correction.

I have two more weeks until tapering starts (26th of May) but as there have been a few things on at the moment and the training volume has been less it feels like I have already started.

I guess it is getting to that time of the training phase where motivation and commitment are challenged on a daily basis. Sometimes it is a case of saying to one's self, "JFDI"!

...(Just E-ffing Do It)...

I am so close now! 

I have been really enjoying the running lately with the increased distances at a pace that surprised me.

I am a lot more comfortable operating for extended periods at higher heart rates. I have also started to see it in some of my recent rides where usually I would be riding at around 130-137bpm with peaks of up to 150bpm, I have noticed higher speeds, cadence and peaks of up past 160bpm.

On the 30th of April I did a 25km run at 5 minutes per kilometre on a fairly hilly course. Particularly in the first 15km. I was holding back thinking I didn't want to over cook myself however I think I could have sustained 4:45min/km.

The next (last) Wednesday I wanted to try for 35km. I have been putting off the bigger distances, feeling I wasn't ready, worried about my ankle, birthdays, Easter, and illness.

This was to be my last big run before the race in June. There is no point in pushing for a marathon in training at this stage and after the previous week I was excited at the prospect getting the 35km under my belt.

I don't know what it was but I wasn't feeling as good as the previous week. I could feel a little discomfort under the knee cap at around 15km. By 20km I could start to feel the tension in the side of the knee, on the high camber side of the path I was running on. It didn't feel like it was going to become worse until I started to go up a slight rise at 21km. That is where the pain got quite bad. I backed off the pace and decided I could still do at least 30km if I just alternated the pressure by running on the side of the road, then path, then road again. My thinking was if I could just through the undulating parts of the course I was running, I would be okay on the flat sections.

No... By the time I got just over 1km past the turn around point near home, even the downward slopes were hurting the outside of both knees.

I stopped and tried to massage the Iliotibial Band (ITB) but nothing was going to stop the inflammation from causing the pain.

I had no choice but to turn around and jog/walk back home. The run distance fell short of the 35km by 12km.

So I have decided to start with a short distance again, around 10km and see how the knees go. I think part of the problem is the time trial position on the bike. I will be reviewing the bike fit over the next few days. I have already moved the TT bars back a little.

I am now alternating between riding and running of an evening with swimming in the mornings.

I really don't like my Tuesday "Tired" swimming set:

- 300m warmup. Start slow with speed increasing every 100m then 30 seconds recovery.

- 4 x 25m drills with 30 seconds recovery.

- 4 x 25m flat out with 30 seconds recovery.

- 4 x 100m flat out with 30 seconds recovery.

- 2 x 200m flat out with 30 seconds recovery.

- 1 x 400m with whatever is left, not leaving anything in reserve.

- Warm down

Give it a go and let me know what you think. It is only 1700m in total and you get to rest... ;-)

I think I'll enter the Western Sydney Ironman 70.3 in late November. With the training I have done for the full Ironman, I may as well. It will be 2 weeks after the Highland Fling mountain bike race in Budanoon. Perfect lead up to it!

Sorry... No pictures this post.

Pat signing off...