The Lead up
So motivation problems aside. I was well rested and travelled on Thursday to Busselton in preparation for the event. Ironman and 70.3 events take a little time to get organised. There is the bike to service and make sure you don't have any problems with your tires. You need to pack your wetsuit, goggles, spare goggles, spare swim cap, helmet, bike shoes, socks (optional), spare tire, CO2 canisters to fix a flat and the little device to use with these, carbohydrate gels, something to put the carbohydrate gels into, electrolyte mix of your choice, a couple of water bottles, food to make sure you are fuelled pre event, triathlon kit, bra that won't chaff, running shoes, hat or visor, sports sunglasses, racing watch, charger for racing watch..... Should have also packed sunscreen (borrowed some open access product) and body glide or similar. Then you need to get all this to the event - easy in a car (fill her up) harder via plane (dismantle bike into bike bag and use much of the gear as padding to protect the bike - then pray it all arrives in the pieces you put it in to start with).
2 nights out is the "critical" sleep and I decided to have a calm day before and travel Thursday. Unfortunately there was a major issue at work and I had a silly phone call about something I could do NOTHING about from 500km away at 9pm. as a tip - ironman type people are generally asleep by 9pm - ring at your peril.
Check in for me and the bike.
Half ironman and ironman events are too big to bring your bike on the day, so registration is always the day before for 70.3 and 2 days before for ironman. Fridays job was simple.... register, collect the bag of goodies including timing chip, bib for event and stickers for your bike, helmet and gear bag.
Then apply sticker to bike, check the tires again and head to transition to leave your bike with 3000 others for the night. I don't know what the average value for the transition that night is but it is definitely more than 1 earn in a year.
Then for me it was a little R & R and sight seeing. Off to Cape Leuwin for the afternoon oh and more food.
Pack race day bag and risotto for dinner.
RACE DAY
So earlish start at 5am. a couple of crumpets for breakfast with honey + a banana and 1 electrolyte drink. (the real breakfast of champions) should have had a coffee but forgot, then I walked to 3 blocks to the race start with my gear in tow. Only repacked the bag once in the morning. Almost a record for me.
Into transition and set up my gear (by this stage it was about 5:40am) then recheck the gear and catch up with some friends, including one from high schools days who I reconnected with through ironman. We had a good laugh at both getting All World Athlete status last year due to our top 5% world ranking in our age group. This was mostly due to us both competing in at least 3 events... although this meant we both competed in 2 70.3 and 1 ironman for the year and there are lots of people who couldn't do that and wouldn't want to!
The it was off to the loos - only to find them blocked - who would have thought anyone would want to go to the toilet after drinking to be well hydrated pre event and want to have a morning constitutional before putting on the wetsuit.
Then it was gear drop time, time to strip down to the trisuit and remove the extra warm layers. Sometimes I bring thongs to the event to walk around it but I left them in the hotel room - oh well cold feet it is. Then on with the wetsuits and the first problem of the day.... put my hand straight through the let - twice. Sigh looks like I will be getting a new wetsuit before my next event. Then off to the start to watch the pro go, then the new dads (30-35 males) after all they have to be up early... then the eligible batchelor group (AKA 25-29 males), then the scary women - apparently women over 40 are scary... I take offence to that but perhaps that's why we scare him. We are a bit of a no nonsence group, in the water and go.
For once I managed to find some feet. which I am sure helped greatly in keeping me on line, out approx 1km and back for a total swim of 1.9km. Then up the ramp and into transition. Helmet on, race belt on, gloves on, sunglasses on, bike off rack and to the mount zone. Managed to stuff up my shoes again, so wasn't as smooth as I would have liked on the mount part but oh well it is only a few seconds.
The start of the bike a group of about 4 girls formed a non-drafting who's in front group. You are not allowed to gain advantage by riding on the wheel of the bike in front. 12 meters is the rule of ironman event, so 12 meters between your front wheel and their back or approximately the length of 2 dotted lines and the gap between them... it's quite a way. obviously you can pass but you must only be in the zone for 25 seconds. If you enter the zone you must pass, but you only have to get your wheel infront then the person you passed must drop back to the 12 meters before having a go at passing you. The problem is if you pass one person who is 12m behind another person you end up in the next persons draft zone, so you have to keep passing, but if you are passed you then end up behind this slowing group of riders trying to pass each other, hence the who's in front now. WE played tick tack tow for about 30km and it was about then that I realised the tick tack tow was causing me to ride beyond myself (36km/h average!) ... YIKES time to slow down a little or I will never be able to run.
So I settled down but still finished the bike in a new PB of 2:39.... wow that is fast.
Off on the run. got into my rhythm. I am not a strong runner and for the first lap it felt like everyone was passing me - cause they were.... when I got to the end I felt like I needed a pit stop and checked the loo - not in use so in I ducked. All good and much easier to run without a full bladder. Fortunately no other problems yet - except my legs telling me I rode too fast. On the start of the third lap was a bit of a different story... I started to get some mild stomach cramps.... So I stopped again. This time was a little more problematic, but all sorted and back out on the run. The only problem now was I hadn't positioned my trisuit back in place very well..... and started to chaff. not a pleasant feeling. By this time I was slowing a little bit more and was worried I wouldn't get a PB despite running well in training, it is quite a different situation of a hard bike ride. I had worked out that although I was going to be outside my PB it wasn't going to be by much .... seconds really and the second time I will be under the respectable 5:30 mark.
So I finished a happy triathlete my 9th half ironman in 5:26:44 and 14th in my age group (up 6 places on last year)
Happy with that but then I thought I will just check what my Mandurah PB was..... 5:27:03.... hold on that's slower..... So it is a PB .... WOOHOO.
Now for the rest and then the roll down ceremony tomorrow. Just hoping others don't want the spots (like 13 other competitors.....)
