Ironman
Barcelona 2014 – Race Report
Setting up the Scene:
Everything started last October 2013 when I crossed the finishing line
in 10h01m03s.
My aim that day was to beat my PB of 10h27m but I never imagined I
would’ve got so close to the 10hrs mark.
I signed up for Austria and I worked very hard throughout the winter. Unfortunately
this put my body under a lot of stress and I got sick from mid February to the
end of March where I hardly trained and threw away all the hard work done.
Morally I was destroyed as I felt the pressure of the sub-10 in Austria
which was only 3 months away.
Thankfully, my friend Pearse
Fahy stood by my side and after a
few calls and emails I got back on track mentally. THANKS PEARSE!! You really
don’t know how much you helped.
I went to Austria on the last week of June very fit again and with full
energy.
The week before the race I started having some serious stomach problems
which unfortunately I wasn’t able to shake off until mid September.
That situation proved crucial on race day and I finished in 10h00m51s.
Only a handful of seconds away from my dream goal.
I was very sad and annoyed but this is our sport: ANYTHING can go wrong.
The longer you go, the smaller issues can determine your success or failure.
I went to the doctor but we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. All
blood samples and tests were good.
After an endoscopy I got diagnosed with a stomach bacteria called HP which
in Spanish it would probably refer to Hija de Puta!
I took 3 different type of strong antibiotics for 10 days and I was
ready to push hard again without worrying I’d make a scene J (Good news for BCN
which it was only 2 weeks away now).
Game Changer: OOB Coaching
My good friend Thomas Rohde (a 9hr Ironman and Kona finisher) called me
one day and took me through his OOB’s Guidance plan. I was on holidays in
Barcelona and we met up for a wee run... As I got to the track, he said “ready
for the first test?” ... what? From that moment, I was an OOB athlete!
My training took a big turn that day. I increased my training load (especially on
the bike) from an average of 9-10hrs since march to 11-12hrs a week.
I went from
doing 3hrs of routine bike a week to a proper power-based 7hr/week bike training.
I lowered considerably my run mileage but worked much harder on my
running pace.
And finally, I kept my swim calendar but OOBs sessions made it clearly way
less boring (new fresh sessions every week).
In summary, it was 9 weeks of intense training following OOB’s guidance
plan. It just amazes me how much I learned in the last two months and what the outcomes
have been on the bike.
I was planning on cycling a 5h12 (5h10 max) as I knew Barcelona’s
course was about 8mins faster than Austria)... little I knew that I almost
broke the 5hrs. Thank God I wasn’t aware
of this fact during the race; otherwise I would’ve probably tried to break it
and could’ve jeopardized my run afterwards.
Anyway, BIG THANK YOU to Thomas Rohde for putting together that
guidance training plan in front of me and the advice given the week before the
IM. Your target paces and watts were spot on! I’ve never raced so comfortably
in my entire life!
Pre – Race:
It was a crazy morning: a very lightening and thundery day full with
non-stop heavy rain and strong winds.
While we were waiting for the organisers to decide if it was safe to
swim, I was completely turned off and full of negative thoughts. Then Cormac O’Riain
came along to say hello full with positive energy and optimistic thoughts. Just
seeing Cormack with such a positive attitude made me realize that I needed to
change my mind and stop worrying about things outside my control.
The organisation finally simply postponed the race start by 30mins
until the electric storm was gone.
Even though it stopped raining, it was still a very windy day but
luckily the wind was LLEVANT (Catalan name for western winds) which meant that
it would mostly hit us on the side.
Swim: 58m22s
The swim start went well. I positioned myself on the right hand side of
the group-start for two reasons:
- It was shorter to the first buoy (we were turning right).
- I wouldn’t have any swimmers splashing on my face. I saw a lot of wannabes around me.
For the first time in years, I actually started on the 3rd
row (instead of the very first front). Not for any particular reason but simply
because I was late.
The sign went up and we hit the water. Within 30secs I was already in
the top ten (max) and I turned the 1st buoy probably on the first
top 5 which made it very easy to swim at my own pace.
I struggled with my right goggle which leaked a bit but not too much, I
moved it 3 or 4 times in the first 500mts and then it stayed in its place -
happy days. Another problem solved!
Within 5 minutes we already started catching up with the group in front
which reinforces my belief that wave starts should NEVER be done based on AGE
groups. That’s simply stupid. For two main reasons:
- The slow swimmers get swamped with hundreds of other swimmers swimming on top of them – specially when they least expect it as the new swimmers keep coming in waves from behind. It only adds up to their stress and fatigue unnecessary.
- For good swimmers it constantly breaks our swimming pattern and breathing as we constantly have to sort them out. We also have loads less visibility as their heads look like buoys on the water. (Especially if they wear yellow and orange hats).
I went out hard at the start as it felt really nice and easy. The water
temperature was lovely.
It was quite wavy on the long stretch home of 2350mts but nothing
mayor. Waves were hitting us on the side quite parallel to the beach so they
didn’t really change the swimming direction too much.
At the half way I checked my watch and I saw 26:50mins so I knew I was on
track (a bit faster than I thought).
Around the 3km mark, I started feeling hungry & a bit dizzy and some
swimmers started to overtake me. I eased on a slower pace and looked for a pair
of feet to draft off for a few minutes in order to save energy.
[Note to self: ALWAYS bring two sets of goggles: one with clear lenses
and one with tinted lenses].
I got out the water in 58min22sec which was as planned. (Happy: 1st
discipline ticked the box).
T1: 4min36s
I took a gel before I even jumped on the bike to make it up for the
energy wasted on the swim (I was hungry which it’s too early to feel that way).
I also took an Imodium to avoid any stomach surprises.
Bike: 5h03m44s (35.5km/h)
I rode out of town watching out for the multiple speed-bumps &
pot-holes and dodging the big puddles of water (that’s where I had two
punctures 2 years ago with brand new tyres and tubes). Average speed was crap
(26km/h) but worth taking those precautions.
I hit the road and my average went up to almost 38km/h which I decided
to maintain. According to my plan I could still push a few more watts but I
decided to be around 5% less as I knew the wind would be on my face on the way
back to Calella.
The first 20kms passed by and I realized that fuel stations only provided
¼ bananas or gels.... and also I didn’t recognise the gels’ brand.
Ironman events are supposed to be sponsored by Powerbar and that’s all
the products I’ve been training with. Bad mistake from my side for taking
things for granted.
I panicked as I only had 2 powerbars and I was counting on taking
another 3 from those fuel stations.
I tried to ration them but I knew it was simply not enough. By the 70th
km I had already almost eaten them all.
I also had 2 small pieces of dark chocolate which tasted really nice.
... By the time I hit the 80th km I was forced to take one
of those gels they offered on the course. I was hungry and I didn’t have
anything else in my fuel bag... it was a Godsend!!! They were incredibly yummy
and I ended taking about 6 or 7 throughout the rest of bike course (All
strawberry flavour).
Actually, they felt better on my stomach than the bars! (another lesson
learned)
My average speed went down (as predicted) to around the 36km/h mark by
the time I finished the first lap ... I sustained that pace until the 115th
km by taking advantage of the tailwind from Calella and controlling the headwind
back to town [Wind was very strong but it was mostly hitting us on the side
throughout the entire race, so VERY HAPPY with that].
The sun was up and burning my back which lacked of sun-cream due to the
fact I thought it would rain the entire day.... but the strong side winds kept
us fresh.
Drafting this year was particularly bad. I saw about 6-7 big groups of
30 to 50 cyclists together. At times they were even drafting in front the motorbike
marshals but they would still not disperse.
It was a bit annoying to see these cheaters pass you while you were working
hard on your own. I must have counted about 40 competitors that passed me on
the bike in a fair and square manner without drafting.... but then 4 or 5 big
groups also passed me on the bike.
Personally, my goal and mind in Ironman has always been focused towards
MY FINISH TIME .... but I gotta admit that it hurts to see that 200 cheaters
(mostly French and Spiks) have overtaken me dishonestly. An absolute
disgrace.... but hey! this is life.
Finished the 3rd lap with a really good feeling and speed
average (35.5km/h)
T2: 4min36s
Something really strange about IM BCN ... why do they have the end of
transition matt just before the Run bag tend? It just doesn’t make sense. Basically my official T2 time was of 1min and
the rest was added to our run times. Weird and stupid!
I changed my socks and put on loads of Sun cream which took a toll on
my T2 time but totally worth it.
I also took a 2nd Imodium tablet... I rather don’t go to the
toilet in a week than going 3 times in the marathon like in Austria! J
Run: 3h35m56s
I started the run in great shape and legs felt really fresh running at
4:45 pace for the first 10kms (my overall target was of 5:10).
The 2nd lap was a bit harder and I dropped my pace to 5:00
which made the first half still under the 5min mark - delighted to see that.
I crossed the 21.1km point and I started making funny calculations (you
shouldn’t be allowed to think while running!): I simply added 2hrs to my time and realized I
would finish in 9:58! Great! I
thought. I had 2 spare minutes ... hold
on!! if something went wrong that meant I would need to sprint the last kms!,
oh no!! Panic started.
A few more kms in and I realized that if I kept the pace up, I’d be
doing every lap in about 55mins so I actually was fine.
The 3rd lap in Barcelona is definitely the worst of all as
you’re really tired and you know you still have to do a 4th last
lap!. My average dropped considerably to above 5:20! The overall average was still 5:05 so I was
doing fine.
The 28th km was a real boost as that’s where I struggled so
much last year... as I was getting closer to that sign I kept filling up my
mind with positive thoughts! “You’re
doing great, man! Keep up the pace, last year you had to do a complete stop right
here! You couldn’t even freaking walk 10 mts!, look at you now, still hitting
the miles with no a bother!... keep it up!!”
I had written my kids names on my arms to remind me how much Triathlon
has taken a toll on their lives in the last 6 months but especially in the last
9 weeks. Niall cried his head out on Thursday night went I left to the airport
and Erin couldn’t stop crying while we were on Skype on Saturday evening!
Not to mention every time I had to go for a 5-6hr session every Saturday.
I owed it to them; I owed it to my wife!... I had to keep pushing; this
race was as much for them as it was for me.
On the 4th lap, I checked my watch again and saw that I
could potentially go sub 9:50!! Happy days!! ... I pushed a bit harder... 2kms
in, my stomach gave up and I thought the Austria experience was all over me
again... a couple of farts later and a really bad 34th km (5:40), I
was back on track and I ran my way home clocking the last km in 4:04 feeling
super fresh! J
God had definitely been on my side from start to finish on Race day.
I felt that every time I hit a roadblock, something else came along and
changed the situation. Coincidence? You might think that but I believe God was
taking care of me. THANK YOU!!!
Finish line:
I crossed the line in 9h47m42s
3.8k Swim: 58m22s
180.2km Bike: 5h03m44s (35.5km/h)
42.2km Run: 3h35m56s
After 364 calendar days, 361 training sessions and 420hrs of 207km of
swimming, 5.000km of cycling and 2.150km of running, I achieved my sub-ten dream!
J.
It definitely sounds like a lot of training for a 14min gain, doesn’t
it? J
Thanks everyone for your support.
Ernest
Post Race:
