Total Time - 9:13:25
What a day! 21 gels on the bike, 4 gels on the run and 2 very tired legs!
Swim - 56:18
I was placed well off the line, and I knew with all the relay teams in the race that it was going to be a rapid start so went out hard. My housemates James ‘Quadzilla’ Gill (3rd Man) and Kathryn (3rd Lady) raced the big Swim the day before (it’s been a weekend of 3rds!) and warned me of the odd stray weed patches. It didn't take long to find one, about 200m in I hit a patch which slammed on the brakes and had the guys behind go straight over the top of me! Not the greatest of starts, but once the field spread out I settled into my rhythm and clocked a time just off what I was expecting.
Bike - 5:01:01
In Lanzarote I played a conservative bike leg as I was in the unknown. Here I wanted to push it a little harder.
Averaging a solid 38kph for the first 3rd of the bike leg I found myself with Phil Mosely (who ended up coming 2nd overall) and after we passed all the dolphin swimmers we had moved ourselves up to 2nd and 3rd. Craig Twigg must have been crushing the bike, as every time split we got he seemed to have put another minute into us!
The slightly risky nutritional / aero strategy of taking no regular round bottle cages just 1 aero Gel bottle mounted to the frame and 1 torpedo between the arms Aero drinks bottle was working fine. The benefit being improved aerodynamics, the downside was not being able to carry extra bottles picked up at aid stations. The gel bottle has the added advantage of not needing to worry about carrying litter. I would fill the Aero Drinks bottle at every aid station and was slowly making my way through my Gel bottle (which contained 21 High5 banana gels! My poor teeth!)
I was ticking over well until fellow ERDINGER Alkoholfrei athlete Karl Alexander caught us. He’s a strong biker, so I upped my speed to go with him, but he would accelerate out of all the corners and power up the hills, repeatedly forcing me to an intensity which I felt was not sustainable (I try and cap my heart rate at 160bpm). After a while of this I backed off which was probably the wisest decision I made during the race as I knew the dreaded bonk would come if I carried on breaching that intensity point. I lost some speed for it (average fell to 36kph), but I preserved my legs for the marathon to come.
Phil carried on with him so I was left all alone in 4th, trying not to lose too much time, but equally aware that I could lose a lot more if I did not back off.
Run - 3:10:49
I was really happy with my run. The race did not beat me this time. I did not breakdown.
The game plan from the start was walk through every aid station and run between. I stuck to the plan and it worked well. The walking in the aid station is two fold; firstly it acts as a mental focus (mini goal) and 2nd it gives your calves a small relief break.
I went off at 3hr marathon pace hoping to hold on for a 3:15. I knew from the last Iron distance race that the run does not really get hard until about halfway - then you enter hell! I was ready this time and at the halfway point I knocked back two Pro Plus caffeine tablets to kick me through the gates of hell. I was cramping in all kinds of muscles. Every so often I would have to run as if I had a wooden leg. But the legs kept coming back ready to absorb more punishment. The 2nd half wasn't as fast as the first, but I didn't slow too much
I must say I had the best supporters out of anyone racing that day, I don't know how they got to be in so many places on the bike and run, but it made such a difference, especially when the mental game starts on the 2nd half of the marathon. Special thanks to Team Manager/Girlfriend Lauren Bradshaw you made it as easy as an Ironman could be!”
What a day! 21 gels on the bike, 4 gels on the run and 2 very tired legs!
Swim - 56:18
I was placed well off the line, and I knew with all the relay teams in the race that it was going to be a rapid start so went out hard. My housemates James ‘Quadzilla’ Gill (3rd Man) and Kathryn (3rd Lady) raced the big Swim the day before (it’s been a weekend of 3rds!) and warned me of the odd stray weed patches. It didn't take long to find one, about 200m in I hit a patch which slammed on the brakes and had the guys behind go straight over the top of me! Not the greatest of starts, but once the field spread out I settled into my rhythm and clocked a time just off what I was expecting.
Bike - 5:01:01
In Lanzarote I played a conservative bike leg as I was in the unknown. Here I wanted to push it a little harder.
Averaging a solid 38kph for the first 3rd of the bike leg I found myself with Phil Mosely (who ended up coming 2nd overall) and after we passed all the dolphin swimmers we had moved ourselves up to 2nd and 3rd. Craig Twigg must have been crushing the bike, as every time split we got he seemed to have put another minute into us!
The slightly risky nutritional / aero strategy of taking no regular round bottle cages just 1 aero Gel bottle mounted to the frame and 1 torpedo between the arms Aero drinks bottle was working fine. The benefit being improved aerodynamics, the downside was not being able to carry extra bottles picked up at aid stations. The gel bottle has the added advantage of not needing to worry about carrying litter. I would fill the Aero Drinks bottle at every aid station and was slowly making my way through my Gel bottle (which contained 21 High5 banana gels! My poor teeth!)
I was ticking over well until fellow ERDINGER Alkoholfrei athlete Karl Alexander caught us. He’s a strong biker, so I upped my speed to go with him, but he would accelerate out of all the corners and power up the hills, repeatedly forcing me to an intensity which I felt was not sustainable (I try and cap my heart rate at 160bpm). After a while of this I backed off which was probably the wisest decision I made during the race as I knew the dreaded bonk would come if I carried on breaching that intensity point. I lost some speed for it (average fell to 36kph), but I preserved my legs for the marathon to come.
Phil carried on with him so I was left all alone in 4th, trying not to lose too much time, but equally aware that I could lose a lot more if I did not back off.
Run - 3:10:49
I was really happy with my run. The race did not beat me this time. I did not breakdown.
The game plan from the start was walk through every aid station and run between. I stuck to the plan and it worked well. The walking in the aid station is two fold; firstly it acts as a mental focus (mini goal) and 2nd it gives your calves a small relief break.
I went off at 3hr marathon pace hoping to hold on for a 3:15. I knew from the last Iron distance race that the run does not really get hard until about halfway - then you enter hell! I was ready this time and at the halfway point I knocked back two Pro Plus caffeine tablets to kick me through the gates of hell. I was cramping in all kinds of muscles. Every so often I would have to run as if I had a wooden leg. But the legs kept coming back ready to absorb more punishment. The 2nd half wasn't as fast as the first, but I didn't slow too much
I must say I had the best supporters out of anyone racing that day, I don't know how they got to be in so many places on the bike and run, but it made such a difference, especially when the mental game starts on the 2nd half of the marathon. Special thanks to Team Manager/Girlfriend Lauren Bradshaw you made it as easy as an Ironman could be!”