Ironman Racing - One Day
Wordsmith: Chris HineSo far, I have competed and completed 3 Ironman races - Ironman Lanzarote, Ironman France and Ironman UK. All have had their highs and lows, their good points and bad. This is just a quick run-dwn of what an Ironman day involves if, like me, you are competing Ironman at a the level of a reasonably well-trained club athlete.
Pre-Race
The day starts early. Very early! The alarm goes off at around 4am. Everything you need should have been prepared already and it should be a case of visiting the bathroom to perform the usual biological functions (an early-morning bowel movement is good) and having a light breakfast. Head out and walk (if near enough) or get transported to the start of the race.
Once at the race venue, enter transition to check the bike before you set off. The bike would have been placed there the day before, so its just a question of pumping tyres and putting food and drinks bottles on the bike ready for the off. Try and relax and eat some food.
If the day is to be hot and sunny, apply waterprrof sunscreen and then put on your normal wetsuit lubrication and the wetsuit itself. Hand your transition bag in and make your way to the start line.
If there is time (and you are allowed), have a short warm-up swim and check the goggles aren't leaking and you hat is on snugly. Find/choose your starting position, say goodbye to your loved ones (and thank them for getting up so early, coming to see you etc.) and get ready to go!
The Swim
The starting gun fires - you're off!. An Ironman swim start is usually chaotic. Position yourself by your ability realistiically and try and keep out of trouble. After a few hundred metres, things calm down and you can start to concentrate on swimming with an efficient stroke and making up time lost in the chaos at the start. The nerves will calm down, and the swim can turn out to be the most relaxing part of the day.
The swim is a long one in the Ironman, but if you've prepared well, there should be no problems. As you approach the swim finish, mentally rehearse the sequence of transition ready for when you do it properly. Out of the water, immediately start running, take off your hat and goggles and unzip your wetsuit past your waist. Find your transition bag and head into the tent. All you need for the bike leg should be in the bag or already on your bike. Out of the transition tent, find your bike, push to the transition exit and you're off - only several hours to go until you start the marathon!
The Bike
The bike leg is long...very long...so pace yourself accordingly. Try not to put your heart-rate through the roof and get carried away chasing people doing 30mph - they're either out of your league or will pay for it later. Its best if you have a pace and nutrition strategy already figured out, though I'd recommend a good early drink as you will be dehydrated following the swim. There's not much else to say about the bike leg - most Ironman bike sections are scenic, so enjoy the course and try to keep on the tri-bars and keep up a decent pace.
Eventually, though it may seem longer, the bike course will end. If you can relax during the last mile or so and spin a lower gear it will help you when you start running. Jump off the bike at the dismount point, hand it to a helper, find your transition bag and head into the change tent.
The Run
Once ready for the run, you can begin to think about running the marathon. Most courses are a series of laps which helps break down the distance into manageable chunks. Depending on your ability and the course, you may or may not be planning to walk some of the course. Unless you are confident in your ability, I'd recommend walking the feed stations and running in-between. If you are reduced to walking, try and find a run/walk combination that you can manage consistently e.g. run 6 minutes,walk 2 minutes. Hang in there...glory is now not too far away!.
The miles will tick by, and finally you will be able to see the finish. A small amount of energy will come from nowhere to help you over the line. Enjoy the moment! Carry your baby/wife if you want to, smile for the camera, wave to the crowd, listen for your name on the PA system - YOU ARE IRONMAN!!
Epilogue
Once the Ironman is over and the glory of the day begins to fade, it can be hard to settle back into training. You need time off to recover from the event (no hard training for at least a month) and you may have neglected work or family while preparing for the event. Also your focus for the last few months has gone, you no longer have a reason to get out of bed at 6am. So plan another event for a few weeks later this is low key and may not involve triathlon at all, but gives you a new focus. Then while you are doing that event you can start to think about a new challenge...an ultra-run, another Ironman...whatever you want is now within your grasp as you have taken on arguably one of the hardest challenges available to the public, and come home with a medal to say you did it.
posted by Chris on 28th May, 2007