The Day After

Posted on October 9, 2011 by lord_lordy

DayAfter11.jpgThe day after is always looked forward to the day before but when it arrives I often have “Post Prokoviev Blues” – the empty feeling following something you’ve built up for for so long. I slept OK for once and got my therapeutic race report out quickly as usual.

It’s great to hang out with friends and hear all about their races and to just not be in a rush for anything. First up was coffee then off to the Powerbar Breakfast which was fun and relaxed. This was followed by another coffee with Roger this time and then a brief chill in my room before off for a few early afternoon beers. After this it was to look at the finishers gear and my finishers photos. The latter all very sophisticated – review them on a iPad, click order, pay and then collect them on a 2gb USB stick five minutes later. Pretty pleased with the photos as they’d managed to get one of me smiling on the run !!

We had quite a crowd of us at the awards and it was fun as usual. Speaches didn’t seem overlly long (other than Chrissies) but that may be because I spent so much time getting up to go and chat with friends about there races. Everyone has a story to tell and are keen to tell it which is so nice.

Brett, Mel and I went out for a few beers after the race. It’s ashame that K-Swiss have decided over the past few years thats celebrating should become an exclusive thing. In my first years everyone just when to Lu Lu’s … now there’s an invite only party which last year we managed to get to but this year didn’t try.

This morning as I write this the annual post Kona event happens – someone always has to post a static picture from front on of an apparently large pack of riders. Then everyone gets on their high horse about how terrible it is. So … here’s my view as someone that would love to eradicate draft cheats and has race here six times (yeh baby!)

  1. Static pictures are no evidence whatsoever. Refs are on motorbikes since they need to observe the movement to tell if someones intentionally drafting
  2. The picture is clearly taken from a distance with a zoom which reduces depth of field meaning you can’t tell whether they sitting in an organised peleton with inches between wheels or several feet. Of course lots of people like to assume the worst. Me … I assume the best
  3. Every year I get to see the main body of riders as I return from Hawi and I’ve never thought there looks to be packs. More it’s a long line of riders.
  4. The previous comment makes me think that most are trying to do the best BUT remember at Kona probably over 1,000 people come out of the water in a 15 minute period the sorting out of this number of people takes a fair way. The pictures posted are invariably on the Queen K which puts it in the first 50k of the ride. To avoid this would require waves which would remove one of the iconic images of our sport, namely the Kona swim start. I for one don’t want that.

So please when you see this sort of picture think about whether it’s really evidence and point out the error in their ways to those people posting these pictures thinking they’re somehow helping remove drafting from our sport. Instead they post pictures of potentially innocent people displaying their race numbers.

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Ironman World Championship 2011

Posted on October 8, 2011 by lord_lordy 
Time: 11:11:24
Swim: 56:56
T1: 2:55
Bike: 5:13:25
T2: 4:34
Run: 4:53:34

Race Analysis here

For once I had a decent nights sleep before the race. I didn’t sleep right through but I had a couple of spells of over 2 hours. Breakfast was banana mashed with peanut butter, some toffee waffles and  a couple of cups of coffee. Headed to body marking at 4:45pm. This is one of those special things about this race. It’s so well organised, loads of volunteers so you hardly queue, two people do you number to make sure they get it right and they use this proper ink press numbers to ensure absolute consistency. Quickly through there, got weighed, checked bike, pumped tyres (again volunteers just wandering around with track pumps and they help you do it) put nutrition on and came back to my room to relax.

Headed down to the pier at 6:20am to get on the beach ready but this year they held us on the pier. It slowly got absolutely rammed and the tension was incredible. Wish I’d gone down later. On the beach our little group all managed to find each other but I couldn’t find Petro.

I resisted getting in the water till 6:40am but by then so many were in I couldn’t risk waiting longer. As planned I headed to the left of the float with the car on top and found Petro. Initially we felt the spot was great but as more people got in it got more and more congested. The pre start here is hard work. Treading water for 20 minutes fighting to hold your position on the front line. It’s definitely easy if you’re with a friend I think largely because by talking to each other those around you get to know you’re a decent swimmer and don’t try and push in front.

The moment of the gun going is always a surprise. There was no count down we could here so we were reliant on our watches for an indication. I had an awesome start, my first strokes were in clear water and moved me to the front where I had clear water the whole way. It didn’t take long to merge across and I swam just to the left of the main field breathing to my right. I kept my swimming very controlled. There was a solid chop making the swim tough which is reflected in the times … looks like the pros were a minute or two off last year. After the turn around I got right in the middle of a nice pack and started to focus on my stroke strength. I found myself moving through the pack, then on then on the front and then I swam off the front. It felt controlled and was really good fun. I picked off some stragglers from the next pack and closed in on that not quite catching it.

I exited in just under 57 minutes having done probably my easiest swim here. Ranks, in my eyes, as my best performance. At that point I was hugely excited about how the race would go.

On the bike I was pleased that I managed to keep a cap on my efforts though the town section and out on to the Queen K. I was determined to be strong at the end of the ride. Based on my 248 average watts at Wales for 5H50 I reckoned that aiming to average low 240s to the Hawi would be good since at Wales I’d gone out hard averaging over 260 for the first half if I remember correctly. Thus low 240s on a shorter (in time) course would be conservative.

I ended up in a pace line with my housemate from Christchurch, Rob Creasy. Nice having a familiar face there. The ride out to the Hawi climb felt easy. Simple plan at each aid station – water at start an ended, gussled a load and put a load on my arm coolers. I kept checking my power but in the paceline it was easy to keep it in check. At the bottom of the climb I was bang on 240 and by the top it had creeped up to 244. Perfect

The conditions were pretty good without any gusting cross winds. Came down the decent pretty quick but decided not to crank out big watts purely to gain a few kph. I was all ready to crank it on the final Queen K section, looking forward to picking people off. Unfortunately I just didn’t have any extra power at that point, I suffered and slowly my average dropped to 235. I showed all the usual signs of having over cooked it with getting out of the saddle on sections where strong riders stayed aero.

Still, I finished the bike in under 5:15 which had been the benchmark for being happy. However, it was an easy day for the bike and it’s a far cry from my bike split in 2009, on a tougher day, which had me right up the field.

On the run it was immediately obvious I was in trouble. Finishing the bike I’d had the first indications since I didn’t want to run. In my better races I look forward to the run. On the run course my heart was racing despite a conservative pace. I felt hot and reckoned it was unlikely to be unrelated. At the first aid station I walked through, got loads of ice, sponges, cold water. Drank and tried to cool myself down. I walked beyond the aid station rubbing big blocks of ice onto my quads. I remember being rather surprised about how quickly they melted. I did this for the first couple of aids stations and started to feel better. I was getting quite optimistic as I was sunning 4:45 km/h between the stations. I was getting food in, I could see my HR coming down, I felt good running and started to get quite optimistic. I’d fallen in to run / walk but my running was feeling stronger between the aid stations as I approached the energy lab. I was planning on a push once I got back on the Queen K and was chuffed I’d finally run strong at the end.

Nope. I didn’t ! Once on the Queen K it fell apart completely. Suddenly I just couldn’t run. We’re not talking cramp or blisters just straight forward leg ache. Walking was horrible. In fact, at times I just had to stop whilst my mind slowly reminded me I won’t finish if I don’t move. The discomfort was like the intense ache when laid in bed after a hard race but notched up a little. This was more uncomfortable than when I’ve run my fastest marathons but unfortunately there’s no way out of it other than stopping. You most definitely discover yourself in these moments, self talk to keep going. Never have I felt like this, not even when I fell apart running in the Fisherfield fells when we were miles (12+?) from the nearest road. I got very emotional and found my self cap down, looking at the road crying my eyes out through a couple of aid stations. I saw people walking the other way and wondered if their legs felt the same because if they did I am utterly in awe of their determination. The discomfort walking forces me to run which for a while is less uncomfortable especially if I run at a decent pace. I can’t manage it for more than about 1/2km before walking again.  With 5 miles to go it seems insurmountable 15 min per KM means 2 more hours ! For some reason I keep walking.

With 2 miles to go I still was not convinced I could finish. It was that bad. I look back and can sense that the majority of the field is head of me. As you fade through the field you see a lot of suffering and I remember thinking how virtually everyone I see walking and falling apart has had to come top 10 or better in an Ironman to get here. These are good athletes but whatever the conditions this course is brutal.

Luckily up Mark and Dave hill there is pockets of excellent support. Amazing how people manage to say the right thing. It gets me running again and next thing I know there’s Scott and Julie from Oomph! Giving me a cheer. They’re trying to find the camera, Julie jokes “Can you slow down whilst we find the camera”  – little does she know how much I want to. Down Palani  run with Scott running ahead to get photos. I tell him how good the swim skin was … shame I couldn’t do the kit justice on the run .. one day. At the bottom of Palani I decide I need to walk but just as I’m about to there’s Scott with the camera again so I keep going.

Then I’m on my own walking and for some reason I start to think about my dad and wondering if he’s watching. I feel sad he never saw me race and wonder what he’d have thought of it all. It was cap down, head down sobbing my eyes out moment again. It may sound awful but it felt very very special indeed. I felt close to my dad like I have never before. Pushing your physical limits is addictive and I wonder whether some of these emotions are part of it.

Turning down towards Ali’i drive and I decide to run. It’s slow, I’ve got nothing for a fast finish, I’m still upset but on Ali’i drive I decide I need to look around and absorb it. It’s been tough getting here and it is an amazing experience. Across the line I don’t believe I showed much happiness but I was. The poor catchers had me crying as they walked me through “Yes I’m alright” I said.

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Racked and Ready

Posted on October 7, 2011 by lord_lordy

RackedAndReady11.jpgHaving finally got old enough to get a three digit race number I was able to rack early which is what I did. I find the period between racking my bike and trying to sleep very relaxing. I enjoy it. There’s nothing that really can be done and that means I feel calm. Thats the place I’m at right now as I write this and consider stating my goals.

So here goes my none SMART goals and perhaps some SMART hopes.

First and foremost I am planning to fully appreciate my day. There is a tendency to wish the day away, to look forward to finishing. I am prone to that but this time I want to try and appreciate each moment. This requires periodically reminding myself where I am and what work has gone in to getting here. I am visualising looking forward to different parts of race and what challenges they throw rather than dreading them. This is most difficult with teh swim but I will likely start with Petro again but in a different spot and I think Kerri and perhaps Mel will join me on the start. Having friends around should help keep me calm and make me appreciate that moment, the ultimate tension just before the gun.

Swim goal is to enjoy the physical nature of the swim, open my eyes when looking down and for once actually notice some fish during the swim ! Also, absolutely do not have a change in attitude no matter what time is on the clock when I exit. I’ve had everything here – 62 minutes first time, what a shocker, sea sick second time, third time 55:30 and surprised, fourth time felt swam even faster but saw 56:30 and then last year despite a bashing at the start a steady swim and an unsurprisingly 57:30. In terms of time sub 58 would be AOK and the further under 57 the more pleased I’ll be.

Bike goal is to be strong in the final 40km. Last year was terrible, I was dying before that so the final 40km were torture. I feel last years ride was almost worst case scenario – just have nothing in the legs – and yet it was OK. I finished in a respectable time. I got passed by loads which I often worry about but the reality is the race was still fun. I feel pretty strong on the bike and assuming I’ve recovered from Wales (I feel I have) I should be on for a good ride. I rode well at Wales and something similar should see far fewer pass me. If I wanted to state time goals (knowing that the conditions could obliterate them) I’d say that sub 5:15 is my starting point and sub 5:10 is where I get happier and happier.

The run, who knows. I plan to smile, acknowledge the crowds and lap it up. My goal is to maintain running strong to the Energy Lab – historically I’ve fallen apart at halfway ! I tend to focus on halfway and when there it’s “oh my god I’ve still got 13 miles to run” so this time the focus is the Energy Lab which is 10 or 11 miles to go. The Energy Lab itself, despite it’s reputation, is fun and once out of it “just” ~7 miles home. Times ? sub 4hrs would be a step forward since the last 3 times I’ve been over 4hrs. Sub 3:45 I think is achievable and getting close to 3:30 or under would be an awesome time.

Stringing that together what range of times do I get ? 9:48:00 -> 10:27:00 the fast end of that would be a Kona PB and I’d be joyous. Anything under 10 V happy.

I woke this morning with the usual nerves. It rained most of the night and was still looking pretty ominous when I went to the pier to meet up with Iain Osborne. Whilst we chatted the sun came up and it felt ridiculously hot. We had a coffee before meeting Brett and Mel for breakie at Splashers. Then I did what all good pre race advice dictates and went wandering around the merchandise store and the expo ! It wasn’t that bad, in fact it was fun. Bumped into Tara which was great. We did chill out with a cold iced coffee before coming back here and packing my bags. It was short and sweet getting that sorted. So short that I’m now wondering what I’ve forgotten – nothing I assume.

Then down to get racked early. Racking here is pretty special with the line of people recording all aspects of your bike – seat, wheels, frame, material, groupset, hydration system, aero bars etc etc… You then get a volunteer to escort you round the transition and deposit your bike and run bags. The volunteers are always so knowledgeable and help you keep calm and be sure you’ve not only got everything but also that you’ve thought through where your bag is and how you’ll run thorough transition. Me … I take photos of my bag position so I can remind myself the night before ! What is it ? if you look after the pennies the pounds will look after myselfs.

This was all done by 12:45pm. I bumped in to Petro and told him I’d look out for him at the start. Grabbed an icecream (it was hot and I am being more relaxed about this race ;o) and watched the world go by before coming back here to lay down before dinner.

It could be five years on the trot now that I’ve had the Cobb Salad at Bongo Bens for my pre race meal. Good as ever though I struggled more than I remember to finish it. A first though is washing it down with a Waileau Wheat beer. It was good to chat about the race and other than when the discussion got on to the swim start I had no nerves. On that front I’ve exchanged a few emails with Petro and I like the plan. I like it because thinking about it calms me. It’s almost like having a specific approach allows me to focus on that and not the swim start itself and it removes my nerves.

I got back and did the messy job of emptying 15 powerbar gels (8 x vanilla, 7 x strawberry banana) into a 750ml bottle, emptying 5 x Lava Salt capsules and filling with water. Tasted like perfection !

Everything is set. I feel pretty calm now and just really want to get started. The finish chute is starting to take shape and the pier look very tranquil tonight.

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Non Smart Goals

Posted on October 6, 2011 by lord_lordy

NonSmartGoals1It’s so nice when you’re the recipient of an immensely thoughtful gesture. I have experienced that today when I found the above left at reception for me. This is some super duper caffeine and guarana lanzarote booster fuel. I first tried this in Lanzarote on a training run and was so impressed took some with me to Austria. Who introduced to me to this – none other than Ultra Ironman super star Paul Thompson. There was no note but I absolutely know that somehow he got a bottle of this from his home in Lincolnshire to me here. Thank you Paul. Rest assured that will be with me on the run and I will be necking it at some point on Ali’i drive or the Queen K or … if I’m going really well it will last to the Energy Lab and be used for a kick to finish strong.

This morning I got my first proper nerves. It’s getting close now and I had butterflies in my tummy. I had to get up and down to the swim as it calms my nerves immensely to be with others. I will remember that tomorrow morning and go down and people watch even if I don’t swim. Today I swam half course in full race gear. The swell was immense. Half the time it felt like I was swimming up a steep gradient before crashing over and hurtling down the other side. Despite this I felt strong and enjoyed it. Quick stop for coffee on the way back and that was that.

A long relaxed breakfast with Brett watching the Underpants Run. This has moved on from last year with even more people. It’s moved from this very quirky event on my first visit with a few daring souls willing to do it to a mass participation event where there’s not risk in wearing undies due to sheer weight of numbers and half the people didn’t look like they wanted to be there ! It’s why I’ve never done it … when it was small and quirky I probably wasn’t daring enough (or lean enough!) and now I wouldn’t because it’s the thing to do. Then I found out it raised money for charity – that could be pushed more as I was unaware of this or how it raised money. Perhaps next year (if I’m back) I’ll be far more tempted. This could be another time my mind is changed in the light of new evidence !

Following this I put my new ceramic jockey wheels on my derailleur (thanks to a very generous friend) before heading out to ride to the coffee shop and back with Kerri and Brett. 30 minute ride total with a 30 minute stop was just perfect. Enough time to check shifting was all OK. Did a run off the bike and felt great, so good that I stopped after 2.5km feeling there was no point in risking starting to not feel good later. Better stop ensuring that I enter the race with good running memories fresh.

I walked back via the expo. First stop Louis Garneau where I chatted about my Vortice helmet and how part of the back had come off. He was straight up that it was a design fault which they’d fixed and I would get it replaced under warranty. In fact, if I had it with me he would have replaced it. I told him I hadn’t brought it because I thought it would be too hot. He reckoned it would be cooler because  it would reflect the sun. Who knows !

Next stop the QR stand. I’d raced a QR last year and this year they were giving out a very cool t-shirt to all QR riders. I tweeted that I was gutted about this and I don’t think I’ve ever had so many retweets ! I went to say hi and when I said that I’d had loads of retweets they asked “Are you Steven Lord” to which I said “Yes” (what else could I say ?) to which they said “We’ve got a t-shirt for you” !!! Very pleased.

All done by not long after noon. Decided to sort out my bike, change the tires and attached my numbers.

It’s one of the groovy things about this race – the very professional looking ID sticker and the super cool plastic bike number. I’m not one for keeping souvenirs. At my first Kona I ditched my race numbers so I wouldn’t be tempted to keep them all. However, I have kept all the plastic bike numbers.

Then it was all about relaxing. A little bit of sun, some reading, some hanging out, a coffee at Kope Lani before heading to the banquet. We had a good bunch and it was fun chatting. I bumped into Mark Petrofesa who I’d started the swim with last year. He suggested a different spot to start at and I’m seriously considering trying it. Not only would it be good to start with him but also if I always head to the same sport I’ll never find out if somewhere else it better.

NonSmartGoals12The banquet went the way of the awards two years ago with rain developing into very very heavy downpours. We’ve already (mere hour later) hit the ironman.com update with this photo of myself, Mary and Roger. We had numerous people take shots of us. It was hilarious, it’s this sort of thing that really makes for lasting memories. They did the usual stand up if you’ve been before. They always skip to five times so until now I’ve had to sit down. I don’t mind admitting I was very proud to stay standing when they said 5 or more finishes.

So finally to the title of this post and something that will probably continue tomorrow. It’s the current thinking that all goals must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely), we had it at work and it’s what you tend to try and establish with athletes. It’s useful because it allows for planning and measurement. It fits with our whole culture of control, of science, of precision. However I really don’t think that it’s always the right thing to do. Having goals that are specific etc… means that it’s clear cut whether you achieved them or not. I guess thats the point. It makes it cut and dry, no middle ground. Win or lose. To temper this we tag on to the goals your A,B and C goals or some other naming. This allows for discrete differentiation but it still provides clear points where you switch from happy to less happy to pissed off.

My general approach to life is normally to see the positive, to think the best. For instance when we’ve been swimming if it’s felt tough I’ve thought it’s tough conditions but I’m swimming fast, if it’s slow to the turnaround it’s not me thats slow it was tough conditions. In the run up to the race it allows me to be positive. Swimming open water doesn’t allow for SMART goals – the halfway buoy is unlikely to be exactly halfway, all the measurements are approximations. Whenever I run I never start a stop watch I just glance at the time of day. I intentionally lack precision.

So with goals how’s about having them a little airy fairy. How’s about allowing some interpretion in deciding whether you’ve achieved them. How’s about allowing them to be vague enough that there’s a massive range of outcomes that allow for a positive view of the outcome and a happy triathlete to emerge at the other end of Saturdays race.

Tomorrow I will be stating my goals and there’s chance some if not all will be very unSMART.

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Oopmh! Race Kit

Posted on October 5, 2011 by lord_lordy

Today is my rest day so I decided to do a little test swim in my new Oomph! race kit. They’ve done me proud with a great two piece tri suit with the EverydayTraining logo on it. Some neat features are – it’s white !! It’s full zip and it has little pockets on the shoulder to put ice in ! Like the colours ! Also got some arm coolers which with a brief go yesterday proved very good – will test them out tomorrow on a slightly longer ride. Question is will they stay wet / damp between aid stations on the bike. Will definitely use them on the run but still undecided on the bike. I’ve also got a speedskin which I tested out with a short swim to the Coffees and Hawaii boat and back. It felt really nice on and super fast ! No immediate signs of major rubbing though the tops of shoulders will get a load of vaseline on. It’s par for the course with these skins for them to rub which I don’t believe is the suits fault it’s more the very salty water. Tomorrow I will swim half course in it. Overall very impressed with what I’ll be racing in – I’m not only going to look good but I’m also going to be helped to keep a little cooler out there.

Oomph11-3At the Coffee Boat I ended up chatting with Tim from Nuun for quite a while bobbing in the water. Nuun is a product I remember back when I did my first Kona – I believe it had just come out and it was just what I wanted – a non calorific electrolyte drink. I like to keep my calories separate from my water intake – this allows me to adjust each independently.

Back on dry land and little to do … so long breakfast, followed by sorting some emails, then phase 1 of the days sunning before a quick trip to the expo to grab my race day nutrion. Thanks to Jon at Powerbar for getting me on the team elite for this race. I was taken to a room behind their stand and it was a little Alladins cave of powerbar product. Going for a Vanilla, Strawberry and banana mix for race day. Was looking also for some “Ride Bars” but they didn’t have them – I grabbed a sample of a few products and now discover in the US they’re called “Triple Threat” … so may have to go back for some more !

I went to hang out with Roger at his rather posh hotel. He’d broken a spoke and had to go and collect the fixed wheel so I tagged along which was a great chance for a good old natter. Next up was meeting the troops for dinner in Humpys. Kalua Pork again – toptastic. All washed down with a couple of beers. I’m starting to worry I’m a bad influence as in past years I can only remember the odd occassion where someone at dinner has had a drink but so far this year more or less everyone has had a drink and the past two nights had two. We even joked about making a night of it and having shots … we resisted.

We did follow up with frozen yogurt made all the more exciting by the fact it was sold by weight.

It felt so late getting back to the hotel but it was only 8pm. It’s something very nice about Hawaii and I guess any place near the equator. It gets light and dark very quickly – light around 6am and dark around 6pm. It means by 8pm it feels very late and you’re heading to bed. I feel like I’m in rhythm with nature – tired when it’s dark and awake when it’s light. Probably the way it’s meant to be.

It’s getting close now and I can feel nerves in certain quiet moments but I’m keeping them in check. The feeling that I’m am going to enjoy this is helping a lot. I’m definitely here for the experience and plan to remind myself constantly through the day to look around, absorb, think how lucky I am to be here and absolutely bloody hammer !!

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Parade Of Nations

Posted on October 4, 2011 by lord_lordy

Parade11.jpgI love The Parade Of Nations at Kona. I think it’s amateurishness of it that I love. People get together behind their nations flag, they try to march in alphabetical order by nationality but normally it’s not quite right. A few nations get organised (namely NZ & Oz) and have team t-shirts but most don’t. The Brits have tried in the past and sometimes worked, last time not since the t-shirts didn’t make it, this time we didn’t even try. The whole thing allows you to meet some of the other athletes and is over in about 20 minutes. It gives a genuine feeling of the event starting. There are so many athletes out there that don’t come along, some are probably here to win and thus can’t afford to attend but the rest have no excuse. That said … if a significant proportion turned up it would be mayhem.

Day started early with a full course swim in very rough seas. It was really good fun but the clarity of the sea was poor meaning we only saw some dangerous looking jelly fish things. I stopped to look and show Kerri hoping she may know what they are but I’m guessing she’s not had many people bring jelly fish in to her veterinary surgery. I swam friendly for about 2 thirds of the way out with Kerri, Mel and Nick on my toes. Kerri hadn’t agreed I’d managed to drop her the previous day so I then swam hard but without kicking initially so that it would be a sneak attack. I got the gap and held it to the turn buoy – I only arrived 15s before them but there was no denying it was a gap.

We swam back friendly and via the Coffees Of Hawaii boat. It was rammed … I didn’t even get a coffee though I did get to say hi to Albert. Swimming back in is now quite treacherous but we managed to avoid any collisions. Breakfast was excellent at splashers again.

Following breakfast was phase one of my tanning double header. 20 minutes each side in great sunshine. Then it was meet up for a run – the full troop was out – Roger, Brett, Mel and Kerri and we ran together chatting. I was happy with the 4:45 KMs we were doing and even happier when the GPS boys pointed out it was actually 4:30s ! We split a little and I ran and chatted with Kerri. We turned and stopped at the muscle milk stand. Nice energy drink and ice cold recovery drinks. Got some freebies for later but I must admit that it’s still not as good as For Goodness Shakes … though I didn’t tell them that.

On the way back I bumped in to Rob Hill nad had a good old natter. Then John and Bevin. In fact, the bumping in to old friends has really taken off and has been great fun. It’s another aspect of this race that is like no other – because so many people want to and try to attend here you get loads of familiar faces all at the same race.

Our troop re-grouped in Lava Java for recovery shakes and watching the world go by before heading to register – super efficient as ever.

Then phase two of the tanning – rather overcast but with Pete, Brett and Mel for company it was very pleasant. We watched the IronKids race which was great fun before heading to the parade and then expo.

Evening finished off by continuing my relaxed approach with dinner in the Canoe Club washed down by two beers and followed by two scoops of ice cream (one the awesome Volcano) at Kope Lani. The worry is that I’ll race a PB on saturday and then have to follow this race week regime going forward …. actually thats not really a worry.

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Everyday Training

Posted on October 4, 2011 by lord_lordy

DonkeyCrossing11.jpgTodays picture is one of the few “landmarks” on the Queen K – I’ve passed it numerous times over the years and it never fails to make me smile.

Today has been an absolute classic Kona day, the sort that brings me back for more. It started nice and early meeting friends for a swim. Out to the halfway point, across to the permanent halfway marker (which seems to be where the dolphins hang out) and back. And yes, at the permanent buoy we saw a lot of dolphins though other than a single jump and spin which the others saw but I only saw the splash it was not at very close quarters. Swimming out I had both Kerri and Mel on my feet, they are both strong swimmers and I think we’ll line up together at the start. Both are coached by jo and have qualified this year for the first time. It’s a credit to Jo to have two qualifiers in only her second year of coaching. Both Kerri and Mel look on great form having swum and biked with them both. I reckon they’ve got an excellent race ahead of them.

As we swam towards the permanent buoy I decided to try and drop them, I put a very VERY determined effort in and I swear I got a gap at which point I eased up and they got back on. Mel confirmed the gap though Kerri still denying it … if she doesn’t fess up by tomorrows swim I’m going to make an even more concerted effort to drop them at some point ;o)

Swimming back Mel decided she should finally swim somewhere other than my feet so I only had Kerri on my feet as I approached the 1/4 mile marker. There was something floating in the water which I almost swam into – it was a turtle. Kerri and I treaded water watching it for a while when I spotted Roger and waved him over. He was swimming straight for me and thus was on a collision course … he didn’t see it and I had to stop him. The turtle then, incredibly gracefully, swam to the bottom. What a lovely thing to see.

We regrouped and headed to Tantes for a long leisurely breakfast.

I chilled for a bit before heading out on the Queen K with Kerri. We went as far as the Scenic Point (the second land mark on the Queen K). I was riding really strong and felt very good indeed. I was stunned find Kerri still on my wheel after such a solid effort. We took some photos, Kerri blagged drinks and a banana from the Hanes Tour guys before we headed back to a coffee shop where we met Mel, Roger, Brett and Pete.

I dropped in on the Oomph! guys on the way back to pick up my race kit.

They’ve done me proud – white full zip top with little pockets near the shoulders for ice plus shorts all with EverydayTraining logos. They also had a swim speedskin for me, an Oomph! cap and some Oomph! arm coolers. The latter I put on for the ride back. They are white and have pockets for ice at the top. I only had warm water in my bottle but our soaked them with that and set off – immediately my arms felt cool ! I was well impressed. Originally I imagined these only for the run but I think I will wear on the bike. I will post up more pictures over the next few days and give a review of the speedskin once I’ve swum in it.

I headed for a run with Kerri off the bike. Phew! I felt good running which was a relief after yesterdays run. We kept a decent pace whilst chatting the whole way running out onto the Queen K before heading back along the final 2 miles of the run.

Finally time to get to work on my tan. I know that many readers have been following eagerly my attempts to get a decent tan. The reason for this is that everytime I’ve raced here despite my best efforts (which I admit are worst than most) to avoid getting burnt on race day (and yes I do apply suncream on race day) I’ve ALWAYS had some bad sunburn. It seemed to me the best approach is to build up a tan AND apply suncream. However, I’m not a fan of sunbathing or sun cream so I sunbath briefly without suncream. It doesn’t take long here to get some sun so I started with about 20 minutes each side ;o). Today was a little more confusing with the sun coming and going so I rather lost track. Assessing the damage just now I think there isn’t any !

Following this I went with Mel to help her chose some vibrams. That was a long haul ! Enough said.

Finally we got to dinner – Bongo Bens again – as good as ever.

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A Different Attitude

Posted on October 3, 2011 by lord_lordy

DifferentAttitude11.jpgI’ve come to Kona with a different attitude this year. In all my previous visits I’ve not had a single alcoholic drink ahead of the race. This year I’ve had a beer every night and in fact this evening Pete lead me astray with a couple before dinner. I am absolutely determined to enjoy this (as best I can without Jo out with me). There are many reasons for this.

  1. I genuinely feel that this could be my last visit. This is not because I feel I won’t be able to qualify. I know I can. No, it’s more because I feel that the cost of coming here will increase and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not prohibitively expensive much sooner than most people believe. Also, I am finding it increasingly difficult to justify air travel to myself. This is something Roger quizzed me on whilst we rode the Queen K yesterday and my justifications didn’t sound quite so credible when I said them out loud.
  2. My life is in better perspective now lessening the importance of the actual race and increasing the importance of making the most of the overall experience. Reading “The Party’s Over” by Richard Heinberg and “The Long Emergency” by James Howard Kunstler whilst in the USA certainly keeps everything in sharp focus. Even a small place like Kona is completely designed for cars and filled with monster trucks being used to get the groceries. I almost want to tell the drivers they should be ashamed of themselves but of course they’re don’t realise.
  3. My goals for the race are much reduced. I’m realistic about where my fitness is and I’m far from competitive so why worry too much. I enjoyed Ironman Wales so much (I’ve entered for 2012) by making a conscious effort to appreciate the race whilst it happened that I will aim to do that again. I would say my goal for race day is to have my most enjoyable Kona. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be here and feel competitive but thats for another time which I hope will happen.

So today started with an early morning swim, earlier than usual with a 6:45am meet. Roger, Brett, Pete and I swam the full course regrouping every so often. It was fun with Pete sticking on my feet for a fair while only getting dropped at the second surge I did. Whenever someone gets on my feet I’m happy for them to be there but I always feel they should get a proper practise so I will try a few surges to see how determined they are after which if they’re still there I’ll swim friendly.

We headed to Bongo Bens for the buffet breakie. Russ would have been decidely unimpressed with Roger and my efforts. We did manage a couple of regular plates of egg and meats followed by some fruit. A darn impresive buffet including a massive joint of very rare beef they were cutting hunks off.

Back at my room I relaxed and found myself dozing. I should have realised how tired I felt and just slept but instead I went to meet Brett and Roger for a planned run. Lucky I missed them because I ran all of about 50m before realising that I was completely zonked and just knocked it on the head. Not a particularly good sign particularly but I’m staying positive ;o)

Worked on my tan in the afternoon. Brett is following my approach – try to get a proper tan in order to avoid horrible sunburn on race day. I pointed out that it’s not the typical advice. Brett suggested it was important to keep hydrated if sunbathing. I’m OK because I’m also having a beer in the evening. Two wrongs will hopefully make a right.

Other than the two pre dinner beers with Pete and Susan it was another typical evening – dinner at the Canoe Club followed by Coffee (and ice cream for some, not me) at Kope Lani.

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Hawi and Back

Posted on October 2, 2011 by lord_lordy

Hawi11.jpgI think this may be a first for me in Kona – we got up early to ride rather than swim. I met Roger, Mel and Brett in Tantes when it opened at 7am for breakfast. It was pretty busy almost immediately. It’s one of the things I find really nice in Kona – the rhythm of life seems to fit closely to daylight. This means by 7am the place feels busy and by 8pm it’s dark and it’s quietening down.

Brett and Mel had decide to get a cab out and meet us at Kawaihea. I didn’t want to completely destroy myself so we held a steady pace riding on the hoods out to the meet point. I think we more or less chatted the whole way and the time flew by. Largely the discussion was all around Peak Oil and what lies ahead. It was good to talk it through with someone like Roger.

At Kawaihea we had our first “Big Gulp” … since I’ve given up diet coke all year and try to avoid sweeteners this time I went for a fully sugared drink. I’d worked up a thirst by avoiding drinking for the prior 30 minutes. I do this regularly as it’s such a great pleasure to quench a raging thirst.

Next up was the climb up to Hawi. The winds were very benign so we made good progress. We still deserved a sit down, coffee and soak up the atmosphere. Photo above is at the turnaround. The descent back to Kawaihea is good fast going and before we knew it we’re back having another “Big Gulp” to ensure full hydration for the final 55km back to Kona. Funny that as we’re ‘gulping’ Rachel turns up … another big fan of the “big gulp”

This is when it really kicks in as the wind had picked up and was largely in our faces. A timely reminder of how hard the final part of the bike course can be. It’s vital to hold something back for this section because if you don’t you can completely detonate (like I did last year).

My legs had a good solid ache by the end. I was impressed again with Mel who the whole way back hung on to our wheels. We weren’t going easy and she was so tenacious (just like yesterdays swim) and stuck with us.

We’d completed 170km of the Ironman route in 5:30 which I was pretty pleased with. Given the recovery from Ironman Wales I felt this ride was pretty important so it was pleasing to get it done and feel strong. Now it’s all about rest and recovery from now till the race.

Rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing before meeting up with Nick for a coffee and for dinner with Roger, Mel and Brett. Another fantastic sunset. Great end of the evening when Pete and Susan (from Christchurch) came by so I had a second beer and had a fun time catching up.

Final task for today is to enter Ironman Wales !!

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Curse Of The Yellow Jersey

Posted on October 1, 2011 by lord_lordy

A few weeks a go I finished the last Epic Camp which was held in The French Alps. Epic Camp is a unique training camp focused on seeing how much training you can manage in the eight days. To make it interesting and motivate you there is a points competition the leader of which each day wears the yellow jersey. There is also at least one King Of The Mountains each day and the leader in that competition wears the Polka Dot jersey. Points are available for extra swim, bike or running, doing particular swim sets and for competitions (e.g. aquathons, run races, 400IM) that are held each day to ensure some intensity is included.

The camp is really more like an eight-day competition including a bike stage race. They are great fun and an environment that completely suits my temperament and strengths. I’ve completed four camps now and won the yellow jersey in each.

Unfortunately within Epic Camp circles there’s always talk of ‘The Curse Of The Yellow Jersey”. The person that wins the yellow tends not to race well at their next race and at times people have destroyed whole seasons. The feeling is that the level of training required to win can take a long long time to recover from.

I’ve not escaped the curse in my previous three wins. I did Ironman Germany following Epic Italy and had a well below par performance completely fading on the run. Following Epic New Zealand I managed to snap my FHL tendon just before my next race. The race after the 15-day End to End New Zealand camp I faded in the second half of the run. Each time, however, I felt it was worth it.  The Epic Camp experience is unique and for me is an end in itself.  Sacrificing my next race to race the camp hard and test my limits was an easy decision.

Epic France was a particularly hard camp with serious riding everyday and I had Ironman Wales exactly three weeks after the final day. My focus was on fully enjoying the final camp but also attempt to race well following.

The plan, well probably more just the way it panned out, was to try and err on the side of more recovery. This started with full recovery from Ironman Austria and entering the camp undertrained. This had the nice side effect that I got stronger every day on the bike. Then following the camp I really concentrated on recovery doing only a few key sessions in the run up to Ironman Wales.

Arriving in Tenby the final build up to the race was intimidating. The weather was looking pretty ferocious and I was getting excited by the swim as from the window of our flat I could see how tough it would be. I was disappointed when it was switched to the other bay but it was clearly the right decision as many competitors would have been unwilling to even attempt the swim in the conditions on the original swim course. Following the final decision to move the organizers did very well. The decision was clearly made a day before and at bike check-in there was very clear information about the changes required.

The race itself was absolutely awesome. A long standing race would be proud but to pull this off at the first attempt was quite an achievement. This was my 21st Ironman and the hardest. The swim was rough and was the toughest swim I’ve done. The bike course is unrelentingly hilly and despite one of my strongest rides was my slowest bike split. Then a run without any flat sections, definitely the hardest run course I’ve done. For me the toughest Ironman course I’ve raced.

Did the curse strike? Unbeknownst to me I was 3rd in my AG off the bike and a long way ahead of the final slot. However, I faded in the second half of the run and dropped to 16th and out of the slots. Now, I could blame this on the curse of the yellow but to be honest it’s absolutely down to lack of appropriate run training. One of the reasons I like Ironman is the belief that you tend to get out what you put in. You need to put the work in. For me, there’s some consolation in confirming that if I don’t put the work in I don’t qualify.

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