Ironman Switzerland

Build up

Training this year has been huge for bike, OK for swim, and a bit on the low (and slow) side for run. This year I also added "regular weight sessions" in the gym - regular meaning that I went to my first and last one in January.

I didn't really plan the training - but instead I got dragged out time and time again alternately by TheMachine (nee Shiraz) and Funkster. Will see you both in Peaslake stores soon!

Coming into race day I had a simple plan

 - 1/6/4 S/B/R with no pushing hard at any point before half way in the marathon.

 - to get transition PBs (not that hard - I had 15 minutes to beat)

 - to succeed at peeing without stopping

 - to beat 11:28 from Klaggy (and 12:35 in Nice and 12:15 in Almere)

Arrival, ZuriTri and racking

The flight out was fun, the hostel craic relaxing, the pre-race lake swim lovely, the trial ride up HeartBreak Hill reassuring (it's really not a big or steep hill), the entertainment at the welcome feast hilarious (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izEwm87VAew), the entertainment of the ZuriTri Oly racing superb (huge smiling from Aitch, PB, Petal, Oxy, Major, Rosey) - Garr's super soaking spot on - good jawb. Super supporting too from Carl - cheering lycra ladies on with such positive reassurances as "Nice arse!" Sorry we couldn't hang on to see everyone finish - hope you all milked it - certainly the results all looked great.

Only problem I had was I'd lost a bit of my bike - oops - but a quick lookover from Bassy and then some super help from the Scott bike doctors fixed it - better than new :)

Start

Down to breakfast after a fairly sleepless night - good of the organisers to put on a pre-race fireworks show! Breakfast was incredibly calm - by far the calmest of the pirate races I've been to. Somehow I managed to miss any tears and tantrums - everyone looked like they knew what they were doing.

Down to transition where I discovered that I'd not picked up any of my drinks in the hostel. There goes the nutrition plan - but luckily I had my front bottle and I had a 500ml sport drinks bottle - so I was only down a bit down from the plan - you got to be flexible when things change on race day.

Then, we got caught in the toilet queue (there definitely should have been athlete only toilets - and more of them), then Nic went back to turn the Garmin's on... but we got caught in the scrum on the way to the beach and so we only just got our feet into the water when the race had already started... oops.

Swim

It took maybe a minute before I crossed the start line, but on the bright side I was in quiet water until the first turn... and it was just like the Austria start - there was no pressure - it was just a perfect Meldy non-competitive leisure event.

First turn was a huge body-raft when I got there - you just had to stop swimming and slowly bob your way around - the guy in front of me didn't understand this - he was kicking and thrashing and generally just being a muppet... ah well.

Second turn the same.

Then run across the island - took my goggles off, saw GMI's supporters and gave them a little pirate cheer, then down the slope, goggles back on and back out for lap two. 

Lap two uneventful. The goggles fogged up (taking them off on the island was a mistake), the turns were less crowded, there was one blue seventy swimmer who really couldn't swim straight, I had a little coughing problem for a hundred metres or so, then somehow I ended up on the wrong side of the safety rope and failed spectacularly to swim underneath it. Like I said - pretty uneventful.

Out the water, a hug from the shy, quiet, wonderful and now damp Mrs Foggy, then over the timing mat into transition.

Time - 1:03:35 - very happy with that time given the late start and the relaxed swim - but maybe I should really have raced a swim before I retired?

T1

Slightly slow out of the wetsuit, but fast enough on with the helmet and shoes, then follow the blue road to the exit.

Time - 0:02:24 - so much faster than a normal IM with bags and a changing tent - and so much faster when you don't have to help Doozer into his clothes

Bike

The plan was to relax. I had a huge spring of long bike rides in the bank, I had a heart rate strap on and I just needed to keep out of trouble. Down the side of the lake, ignore all the packs flying past me, pull alongside TheMachine briefly for a chat after maybe 5km, then have a little stretch and a lie down on the aerobars.

Past a sign for DrM's filtration systems - I make a note to have a pee soon.

Through the first aid station - a lot shorter than I was expecting - they could have done with just a few more metres and a few more people handing things out. Duncan disorderly passes me as I'm tucking into a meal but I manage a "good swimmer" shout to him as he comes by.

Another 5km down the road and funkin comes past - another "good swimmer" shout - that should confuse him...

Through villages with not much support - guess it's all a bit early. The orange band near the water station do good though.

Then up the beast - 250m - not too bad - Ian's family (whoever Ian is) give good support. Then a nice gradual down into Egg, followed by a nice gradual up into Forch - a place where they tease sheep by making them wear cowbells.

Then the big downhill - "kiss good night" - and I'm a wuss - a huge wuss - king of wussdom - on the brakes all the way and probably not hitting 40mph let alone 50... last year's puncture and off in Nice still haunts me :/

Through the tunnel - gosh that's dark with sunglasses on - then flat and fast into town, past the screaming super pirate first lady club (Diz, MrsGom, MrsFoggy and MrsSymes) - I slow to shout arrrrrr and to let them all know I've been successfully peeing myself :)

Then down the lake and up Heartbreak Hill - lots of support - lots of screaming - super jawb, especially from HH and TheMajor. Down the far side of HBH and it's another slow descent for me - funnily there's a radar speed trap sign - it shows 47kmh for the guy in front, just 35kmh for me - wuss...

End of first lap - 2:56 - about the same as lap 1 in Austria. 

Start of second lap and a huge pack - maybe 30 people comes past. I drop out the back and watch... they just stay together, all of them no more than a couple of metres apart... a referee comes along... she whistles, they stay together... she drives alongside them, they stay together... she whistles some more... they stay together... this carries on for maybe as long as 10 minutes... until the ref eventually leaves and the pack stays together all the way to the 29km feed station - just totally ridiculous... and since the wind had increased maybe I should have joined in - it would have made that lakeside stretch really easy.

Then the hills again - I find myself catching lots of people on the ups, then there's a pirate outpost been formed by the Rose family with BTS (this so successfully distracts me that I big ring it up Forch!), then there's a spectator in a green lycra speedsuit who really scares me... then the downhills (again I'm a wuss and everyone I previously caught uphill flies back past again), then the tunnel, then the fast flat section to town, then I spotted Ellie in the crowds - sorry to see you not finish, sorry to hear you're not coming back next year - I've no doubt you can get the IM, Ellie - it is all about the bike!

Finally the last roll up HBH - with the smiling face and snapping lens of Munch at the top, along with a great push from the Major - ta.

End of second lap - 2:59 - same as lap 2 in Austria - 3 minutes slower than lap 1 mainly caused by the increase in strength of the wind (I think)

Really concentrated hard throughout the bike on getting down food and drink - I've never counted calories before, but this time I consumed:

- 3 gels (110 each)

- 2 small powerbars (100 each)

- 5 flapjack hobnobs (160 each)

- 4 half bananas (50 each)

- roughly 9 bottles (roughly 150 each) - just one a coke, all the rest powerade

So... roughly 2800 calories in total - pretty good, especially given that it really was cold at times - so not good weather for taking on lots of liquid.

Time - 5:55:49 - exactly where I wanted to be - never felt tired or uncomfy - the heart rate stats showed I worked slightly harder on the second lap (146 vs 144), overall my average heart rate was 145 - compared to 144 in Austria. I felt comfortable I had plenty more in reserve - I can definitely go quicker, even if I never find my downhill courage ever again.

T2 and a surprise - I sit down to change shoes and then my bladder just empties - feels like it lasts hours... then I'm up and running - catch a surprise chat with Nam (next year, Nam - next year!)... but despite all these events... somehow...

Time - 0:01:36 - stunned it's that quick - suspect I'll never beat that again - I think it took that long just to find my bag in Nice.

Run

The run starts past the GMI family, 

then up a slope onto the power station walkway - and all I do is think 9 minute mile, 9 minute mile, 9 minute mile... 

then down to the lakeside, 

under that subway with the mountainous far side,

back along the road with lots of trip hazards, 

past wild bean, 

past MrsF with her lens that captures pain and smiles, 

past the pirate family with the umbrella (thanks whoever you were), 

past the first wive's club again, 

along the road then left to the dead turn, 

then back through that park and its tennis club, 

then the ladies handing out coloured hairbands (different colours each lap until finally you get a red one, please)

then subway - which looks inviting - I could hide here later - no-one would know...

then the open road to Zurich 

past the pirate massif

a couple of feed stations that feel so close together

over the bridge

past the cheerleaders

the far dead turn

the bridge again (putting the furniture into street)

then the massif

then back along the road

huge noise making from the ninaTS clan

then the arch, a turn and the BIG YELLOW grandstand (as someone else has already said, the pirates didn't just dominate the support, they were the support)

back round the expo (with the helpers drinking tea)

and back past transition...

...and repeat...

...and repeat...

...and repeat.

Lap 1 was OK - got to see and shout to funkin and drunken ahead of me, and Melli behind me - just kept repeating 9 minute mile, 9 minute mile, 9 minute mile... just kept alternative coke and water, then powerade and water. Saw Tonka in the stand at the end - wise words in your report, Tonka - good to hear you'll be back in 2011 - did I ever mention it was "fun" ;)

Lap 2 was OK - more pirates joining in all the time, spotted Melli had dropped back a bit so gave her a marine corp drill, spotted SmileyLady smiling - thought she was going to catch me - looking soooo strong - didn't know about the broken nose and certainly didn't comprehend she was a full lap back, spotted Calf and told him I'd see him soon - spotted the calf family and told them he was on the way - glad you got a huge pb calf and looking forward to you continuing forwards - that marathon will come and then we'll all be choking on your dust.

Half way and I'd achieved 1:57 for the half without really ever pushing too hard - just needed to keep it going. Just needed some 9 minute miles... how hard could they be?

Lap 3 got harder - legs started to hurt, that hill after the subway got sworn at, 9 minute miling started to feel harder - CV was OK, hydration and fuel OK, but my quads were cooking, started to do some worrying maths about sub-11 but luckily ATOM was there with some helpful advice ("why don't you run faster?"). Duncan shouted at me to dig deep - and I was digging... Also, just as I was starting to think negative, I saw Flyaway for the first time - out on the run, well on the way to IronLady status - really cheered me up - hopp hopp hopp. 

Lap 4 got hard (but nowhere near IMA, IMF or Almere hard) - thighs were full of lactic pain, but I knew just had to keep pressing. A nice lady gave me a red hair band - yes - a red one - my precious, my precioussssssssss. The mile times got slower, but I never stopped pushing... had a comedy cramp moment in front of GOM (my right hamstring cramped and it felt like my leg suddenly went out straight at 90 degrees), then I pushed and pushed and digged and dug for the finish.

Time - 3:57:17 - fantastic to hit sub-4 for the IM run - although due to some incompetent watch operation it wasn't until 4 hours later that I'd find this out - I didn't stop my watch until I was way through the finish - so thought I'd done 4:03...

Crossed the line with 11:00:41 on the clock. Was elated to have hit my 1/6/4 plan. Am bound to talk about, but am not disappointed with the 41 seconds - there are plenty of places I could have found them - I could have (should have) started the swim with everyone else, I could have had some cojones biking downhill, I could have pushed the bike much harder... or I could even have joined in that peleton. But then I did swim near 60 minutes, and I did bike really strong and wise, I did PB transitions and have I mentioned my mara was sub-4 :o)

Pick up my huge towel, then back out to arrrrrrrrr at some runners and to thank the supporters - wow, that walk down to the pirate corner felt really long! Then finally... back to the finish chute to welcome home IronMachine and to then assist her all the way to the medical tent - which then led to a 3 hour

 gap where I didn't support - sorry - glad you all made it home regardless!)

Thanks and congratulations to everyone - I'm not singling anyone out - you were all fab.

Next... it really does look like IM retirement beckons - TheMachine has more than used up her holiday goodwill so we can't join the term-time ships sailing to Germany next year :/ We need IM to shift to school holidays. Or maybe (gulp) we need to think about UK races... But don't worry - even when we're not on the ship, we'll be supporting with a beer somewhere somehow!