Less than a week after Ironman France I find myself contemplating entering this years Ironman UK, which is four weeks away. The reason is less than happy performance at France. I’m still brooding over a race that didn’t go to plan.
We arrived in Nice on Thursday afternoon, after a 6 hour delay curtsey of a French Air Traffic control strike. But we and bikes arrived safely, if not a bit stiff and very hungry. We were ‘holidaying’ with family, so were picked up and whisked off to our apartment in the old town. I had done a great job of picking a place to stay, a beautiful 4 bedroom apartment with frescoed ceilings about a 5 minute walk from the race start. The days leading up to the race went without problems, a little bit of swimming, cycling and running and a lot of resting and eating. My dad came out to join our support crew and watch his first Ironman (maybe try to understand why his sensible daughter! spends all her money and time doing triathlon, rather than saving for a house – boring) on the Saturday.
Race morning was a little hectic, due to a 30 minute wait for the porta loo! At the girls end of the transition area. This made for frantic wetsuit putting on before heading to the swim start, only to join a huge line of others doing the same. Simon and I eventually got on to the beach with a couple of minutes to spare. The swim was absolutely brutal. I was hoping that with all my early swims I would be able to produce an Ironman Swim PB. But by the 500m mark I had been properly dunked about 4 times, and had lost my goggles twice already. I had a moment of proper panic but realising there was no way out of the mass I buried my head got out my elbows and started fighting back. It was only when out on the second loop that I started to feel that I had some space to swim in and could allow my breathing and stroke to settle. I was frustrated when I exited the swim at 1:08 and made the long run through transition to my bike. The bike route was fantastic. A 20km flat section to get into a groove and get some fluids in before the climbing started. There was plenty of drafting going on at the section, with 20 – 30 riders coming past at a time, with male riders I had over taken a couple of minutes back, coming back past. This combined with my anger at the swim lead to a long list of obsanities being shouted at a pack coming past and some drink bottle waving! Only to hear laughing from behind to see an Ironman Camera Crew behind me. There might have to be a lot of bleeping if this makes the video.
I enjoyed the climbing and tried to reduce by breaking on the down hills as much as possible. I concentrated on drinking and keeping cool, whilst enjoying the experience. When Simon hadn’t come past me at the halfway point on the bike I started to worry, knowing something wasn’t right with him. At this point I thought it would be stomach issues, as he has a history of this, But later found out he was having asthma type symptoms. I finally saw Simon and the short out and back section, as was a little relieved, it also made me do my best descending – aka minimal braking, so he didn’t catch me. After a long decent I hit the flat section and a pack of drafters – holding back the swearing this time.
My legs were feeing fresh when I dismounted the bike and headed onto the run. The run started great, I had a hot spot on my foot on the bike, but by 5km this had reduced and I settled into a comfortable pace. By the 3rd loop, I started to feel very hot and was craving water to drink and throw over me long before I got the aid stations and saw starting to feel like my race was starting to fall apart. I should have taken this as a sign to taken on more nutrition and salts, a lesson to taken into the next race! By the 4th Lap, I was feeling very hot and my stomach was cramping, I was struggling to take in coke. The last 5km were really difficult, requiring a porta loo stop due to an upset stomach. I’m sure that venturing into the porta loo was the trigger to make me vomit – the smell was revolting. I finally got to the finish line, having lost 7 minutes in the last 5km. The worst past was still to come, being overtaken in the last 200m by 2 girls in my age group, moving from 3rd to 5th. I had no response to their finishing sprints. I finished in 11:18. All I could do post race was lay down, anytime I stood up I felt dizzy and sick. After about an hour I decided I needed to go to the medical tent. Whereby my pale face, resulted in me being immediately guided onto a stretcher. My blood pressure was taken 68/42, over the next couple of hours I slept, wrapped in a foil blanket, whilst 3 units of fluid and some extra salts made their way into my blood steam. I need to rethink my fuelling for the next race and make sure I’m taking on enough electrolytes. I had mainly decided to use the course drink – Infinite as had tried and got on with during training. Something I will not do again since the bottles given out, were of varying strength and fullness. I’ll be going back to mainly gels and carrying concentrated energy drink again.
So a week after the race, I have found myself studying the Ironman UK website and looking for reasonably price and located accommodation. I’ve promised myself I’ll make the decision, if to do it our not by the morning!
Update: I’ve entered Ironman UK
