Challange Roth 2014 – Mary Ward
CHALLANGE ROTH 2014
The decision was made after dragging my ass across the finish line in Nice last year that I wanted to do this again, but next time I want to train properly. Nice was an amazing experience and I still smile when I think about it. Beautiful setting and I’ll never forget running down the finishers chute on the Promenade Des Anglais. I hope to go back someday. Between working long hours and living out of hotels for a couple of years, I couldn’t commit to the training properly last year. If anyone is reading this and thinking about doing an Ironman my advice is it’s an AMAZING life changing journey and experience but things in your life need to align to facilitate the training both mentally and physically be it work, family, relationships or injuries.
If you’ve just started triathlon and are thinking I could never do an Ironman, if I can do it you can too. I’m not a swimmer, runner or cyclist. I did the swim in my first few triathlons back stroke as I couldn’t swim front crawl. It also depends what you want to get out of it. I do it because I love the training, the like minded people, the contrast of sitting in an office all day and the goal of working towards Ironman. I hope this race report will be of some help to anyone thinking of doing Roth or someone who is thinking about doing their first Ironman.
So November 2013 I signed up for coaching with Peter Kern (PB3 coaching). For the first time I learned how to train properly and quickly realised I hadn’t been doing near enough hours or at the correct intensity. Peter keeps everyone very motivated while having a bit of fun at the same time. I wish I had gone to him sooner, an excellent coach/friend. Thanks to Peter I took 30mins off my swim and 90mins off my bike times this year.
The training went something like this (give or take):
Swim: 3 mornings a week for 90mins each session. (Mixture of drills, wetsuit time trials, technique, speed work, mass starts….lots of variety…never bored). During the summer some of the swims moved to seapoint. The coached sea swims thought me a lot, I’m not comfortable being in the sea. The mass start practice taught me how to be comfortable swimming in groups and I went from trying to keep space around me to trying to get near someone to draft.
Cycle: 2-3 times per week-(Turbo once a week, long cycle at wkd, brick session)
Run: 2-3 times per week- (1 long, 1 speed, 1 brick)
Core/strength/yoga: 1-2 times per week.
Races prior to Roth: Naas duathlon, Fingal duathlons, Howth aquathon, Limerick Olympic triathlon, Tri Athy double Olympic.
Training camp: One week ironman training camp in March with Shipmytribike. It was very well organised and a great way to mix with people from other clubs. I clocked about 26hrs training that week. I also opted for these guys to ship my bike to Roth, a great service and hassle free.
A few memorable ‘moments’ during the training:
– Up the Sally Gap one day hearing another pulse girl’s description of the Adamo saddle as:
‘It’s like your VAJJ is floating on air’…you know who you are 🙂
– Arriving at NAC for a 6am swim and realising I still had my eye mask that I use for sleeping on top of my head!
– Discovered that Veet does a male version for boys in blue! Go Barry 🙂
– Running down along Sandymount beach in the rain one winters night attached to Peter in a bike tyre with him shouting ‘engage your glutes’….thinking I hope to god nobody I know passes by.
– Laura Ward telling the lads to ‘man up’ one day at the top of the Wicklow Gap 🙂
– The Baleros & aero helmets!
And onto the race:
Woke up at 3am, got a taxi to Roth with Dave, Stephen and Barry. I wasn’t too nervous until they started blasting gladiator music. Last check of bike and damn brakes were sitting on back wheel, thanks Dave M for keeping me calm and sorting this out.
SWIM – Before I knew it I was in the water and the gun went off. The swim was pleasant, plenty of space. I tried to latch onto some feet but only got a few mins here and there. I didn’t know where the turnaround was so that messed with my head a little but had a chat with myself to keep calm. Out in 1:23 very happy with that. Quick hello to Dee O’Connor in transition. Peter warned me to go quickly through transitions so 4mins later I was on the bike.
BIKE – Unlike last year I felt strong after the swim, the benefit of all the early morning swims definitely paid off. I really enjoyed the first half of the bike, road surface smooth, shouts from any Irish who passed especially all the pulse gang. Solarberg hill was very emotional and the bottom lip started to quiver. I reached 90kms in 2:57 and still feeling strong and was on target for my ideal finish time of something beginning with a 12.
Laura Ward kindly gave us bike stickers with a quote from Dave Adams ‘I love this shit’. Well I looked at that sticker at the 20km and 60km mark and thought I really do LOVE THIS SHIT. Hhhmm around 130kms I looked again at it and questioned why? My feet were burning and the bike shoes felt like I was trying to cycle in 6 inch new plastic pointy shoes lined with hot coal….I had to open the straps and pour water on them, weird as this never happened before. Then my stomach started to feel queasy. I took a rennie and a few salt tablets and eased off on the energy drinks. I took water at each aid station which was about 30mins apart but I knew it must have been very warm when by the time I’d get to the next aid station the leftover water from the previous one was hot enough to stick a Barry’s tea bag in! Apparently it was 30 degrees by 10:30am!
Bike Nutrition – 4 energy bars, 2 high five 2:1, 1 bananas, jellies, 3 salt tablets, 1 rennie, lots of water.
RUN – I was glad to reach T2 looked at the watch 5:58 excellent, I was chuffed to do the bike under 6hrs. I was still smiling and felt ready for the run. I ran into the tent relieved that nothing mechanical can go wrong from now on…..this is where it all rapidly went downhill. The tent was way too hot. I started to feel dizzy and disorientated. I wasn’t too sure what the girl helping me was saying to me, she asked do you want sunscreen but she may as well have been asking me to solve a mathematical equation….my head was out to lunch. I walked towards the T2 exit but I started to faint so sat down on one of the benches behind a drinks stand with my head between my legs trying to get some blood circulating to stop the dizziness. The lady at the stand wanted to get a doctor but I said no as I thought if I go into the medical tent I’m not coming back out. It was miserable sitting there head spinning, nauseous and watching the time go by and hearing people run past in a dreamlike blur but I could do nothing about it I was too dizzy to stand. I kept taking in fluids, but only could handle small amounts with the nausea. I seriously thought the race was over for me. I kept saying to myself don’t stop now you’ve put in so many hours you’ve got to finish. 25mins later I made it out of T2, this race was not about finishing in a certain time anymore it was about survival! I was still very dizzy and disorientated so I just walked for the first 2kms. The crowds lining the start of the run were all a blur to me and I couldn’t wait to be away from all the noise. I felt awful.
I eventually came around a bit and jogged to about 12kms then the stomach started to go….and I visited every porta loo from km 12 to 30!! I even visited the same one twice, much to the amusement of the German commentator next to it. I heard the crowd laugh at something he said in German and I’m sure it was referring to my mad dash back into the loo 🙂 Anyway enough of that.
The run was ‘flattish’; there was the odd hill. The really head wrecking part was coming back into Roth seeing the Roth sign and thinking ‘finally this misery is nearly over’. Then I saw Eoin George looping back the opposite direction and thought crap I know he was at least 4km ahead of me. I had another 5kms to go and a hill thrown in there just to finish me off. I walked up that hill thinking where is this bloody stadium, I wanted it to be over.
Run nutrition – Plan was a gel every 20mins, managed one gel! Water and salty crackers all the way, unfortunately couldn’t stomach anything else.
The marathon was a blur I don’t remember much of it I know I walked mostly between 12-30 km due to stomach issues and feeling dizzy. At 30kms felt better and was able to jog the rest of the way. I was never so relieved to see that finish line. Finished in 13:13, it wasn’t the target but considering I thought my race was over in T2 I was very happy to finish it. Thanks Laura, Kevin and Dave A. for looking after me at the finish line and getting me to the medical tent. One drip later and I felt somewhat human again.
I don’t know what I could have done differently but I heard afterwards that someone’s Garmin recorded 39 degrees on the bike and apparently it was the hottest race in Roth in 30 years! So I’m guessing that’s what caused the issues. Will I do another one? Damn yes third time lucky (but not in the heat.)
Lessons learned:
- Get a coach for at least 6 mths prior to the race. Online probably works if your technique is good in all 3 sports but for me having a coach who could correct my run and swim technique was extremely valuable plus I learned so much from the many conversations during training. Its money very well spent.
- Swim: I learned this year that even though time wise the swim is a smaller part of the ironman event swim fitness can’t be underestimated. It’s the difference of getting on the bike and struggling in a negative energy balance (Nice last yr) compared to getting on the bike and having lots of energy (Roth).
- Research Race Logistics: Pick a race that has easy logistics (hotel near transition, 1 flight, 1 transition etc) the logistics in Roth compared to Nice were very difficult. 2 flights, split transition, necessity to hire a car, hard to get accommodation nearby etc. I was wrecked before the race started.
- Find a group who are also training for Ironman and train with them, helps with the long bikes and of course the odd sneaky coffee stop 🙂 Also do long cycles and runs alone to mimic race day. I was lucky to be able to do some great long cycles with the pulse gang training for Roth. Thanks for all the support and the laughs along the way.
- Wear polarised swim goggles. It may not be sunny when you start the swim but chances are at some point the sun will burn your eyes and if you breathe to one side like me it can get uncomfortable.
- Nutrition: What can I say; I still haven’t got it right. That said I think it was the heat that made me ill both times rather than nutrition. I guess all I can say is practice it, set an alarm on your watch to go off every 20mins on the bike and go with what works for you in training. Make a list of what you need in each transition bag and stick with it.
- If you feel sick don’t panic: If you don’t feel well during the race don’t panic, try figure out what it is your body needs- nutrition, fluids etc. It’s a long day, try sort out the problem and get to the finish line.
- Core/Strength work: This is something I should have prioritised earlier as I kept getting hip muscles pain/issues on the longer runs and had to rest up for a few weeks and do lots of physio/needling/massage before the race and I couldn’t do all the run training I needed before the race. If you’re reading this and planning a long distance event my advice is start the core work and visit a physio early. It’s very frustrating having the energy to train but your body failing you with injuries.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this journey more so than the race itself I have learned so much and met a lot of new friends and really great inspiring people along the way. Of course I have to thank Stephen Moore and David Murphy for being with me every step of the way…..I remember one of them ringing at 5:45am one morning and replying ‘when has this become normal to chat before 6am’! I used to think 5am was only seen when going to the airport or on night duty but apparently not. There’s a whole other swimmers life that goes on before most people’s alarms go off. Also thanks Ros for the paleo biscuits and Peter’s favourite the paleo coke! 🙂 And the Phoenix Park picnic after our longest run….sweet….and of course Colm for acting as hydration/nutrition bike Sherpa 🙂
Thanks Peter for changing how I train. For the first time during races and training I felt strong and found another gear that I never knew how to tap into. Thanks for the support, encouragement, leadership and making the training enjoyable.
We are all very lucky that we have the physical ability and mental strength to achieve these goals and I hope we can all achieve lots more in the future.