How times have changed...
The goals for the day were to have a good solid swim, coming out of the water feeling happy (mental disposition is so important!). Then go hard on the bike (I know no different) before doing a steady run focusing on staying comfortable to the end so as to conserve the legs. At the same time I'd be practising my nutrition strategy and making sure it was dialled in properly for Ironman.
I was feeling relaxed and calm and, despite the waves on the lake, was feeling no trepidation about the swim. How different from my first ironman swim a year ago.
Swim: I was really happy with it. It was pretty rough and I was closely surrounded by girls all the way to the first turn but I wasn't concerned about the proximity of others or the occasional touch with hands or feet while swimming. The wind was such that I went to breathing on my left side only up to the first buoy and so by the time I got to the first turn my right arm and shoulder were feeling a bit tired from the extra work on that side. It was also pretty gnarly punching through the waves heading out so breathing every stroke was also preferable!
Once we got past the first turn I was able to go back to bilateral breathing and felt a lot more balanced. Heading to the second and third turn buoys were fine but coming back along the beach was tough, only because I couldn't see a thing. The sun was in our eyes and I couldn't get any bearings. It was a case of following the splashing ahead and hoping it was heading in the right direction. At one point I had to ask a girl beside me where the buoy was and she pointed it out - it was only about 50m away but I could barely see it!
What went well: my confidence - no major stressing over the distance or conditions. I've definitely got my psychological demons sorted.
What would I change for next time:probably not a lot. I would have liked to have got a better time, but I guess the conditions played a part in that. I stopped the clock at 45:50 and 15th (out of 19) in my age group.
All in all came out of the water happy and relaxed. Goal achieved!
Bike: The conditions were good, with not much wind until the last 20km. The course is quite hilly and so quite a bit more difficult than the Lake Hood course which was totally flat. It is also hillier than the Taupo Ironman course and so I was really happy with the way I coped on the climbs.
I passed heaps of people, including lots of people on the climbs - which would have been unheard of 12 months ago. I got into a good rhythm, pushed the pace and kept cadence high (at least I think I did!).
Nutrition went to plan - I had a gel at the start of the bike and then at the start of each drop zone I had another gel. At each aid station I also took half a banana and at two aid stations I took a pump bottle and topped up my front bottle with water. All up then I had 6 gels, 3 whole bananas and half a bottle of electrolyte. I had a 7th gel in T2.
What would I change for next time: again, probably not a lot. The aim was to have a good solid ride and practice my nutrition and I achieved both goals. I would have liked to have got closer to 3 hours, however given the terrain it was probably a solid effort.
My bike split was 5th fastest in my age group so I'm a lot more confident that my Sydney training has had a positive spinoff. Goals achieved!
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| Stunning day for a bike ride - loving it! |
After that, though, and especially along the river track I came right and really enjoyed the next 10km. I found a steady rhythm and maintained that until the hill in Gunn St. I walked up that, as planned, and came to the drink station at the top looking for a gel. It was a water station only, however, and I noticed I started to fade not long after that.
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| Best part of the course |
The last 5km was a bit of a grind but I also didn't want to push it and kill my legs off. So I focused on a steady pace, approx 7min kilometres seemed the most achievable IM pace to aim for. I took a gel and water at every aid station (where available!) and that seemed OK. So I had 6 gels in total on the run, in hindsight possibly a fraction light.
What would I do differently next time: I think I would try and carry a small stash of lollies for emergencies between aid stations. At IM I'll try and push the pace a bit more, especially once I get through the first 5km - aim for 7min kilometres (which would give me a sub 5hr marathon time).
Overall, though, I was happy with the run. That split was 2:40:52 and 14th in my age group. It was an undulating course and again I think the Sydney training helped. I've definitely improved. Goals achieved!
I crossed the finish line feeling pretty stuffed but not completely trashed and feeling very satisfied with what had turned out to be a good solid training day. Preparation leading in was good - three days prior on a low fibre diet meant no GI issues and I weighed the same at start and finish, so fluid balance must have been spot on.
My transitions went well - I was 5th and 9th fastest in my age group out of T1 and T2 respectively so well in the top half of the field for that aspect which I was also happy with.
Recovery was also good - I went and stood in Lake Wanaka for about 15 mins afterwards and then spent the next 36 hours in my 2XU compression leggings and seem to have bounced back reasonably well.
Great day out and fantastic confidence boost for Taupo - bring it on!
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