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 Swim
Comments: The mass start with 275 contestant made the swim not a mess. I could swim without hitting anybody but I was almost alone for the whole course! Too bad since sometimes I did not understand if I was away from the main track... I swimmed very relaxed and never forcing the pace. Just on the last 300meters I started kicking more. What would you do differently?: Drafting. after the rounding buoy I could see some people but no drafting possibility.  Transition 1
Comments: I had problems removing left wetsuit ankle as usual. I used a lot of bodyglide but no way to improve that. Changed keeping the tri top and the tri pants. No need to change wearing. The temperature was cool but not too cold to put something warmer. I put the helmet, shoes, drunk some wather, switched on the Garmin and left T1. What would you do differently?: Nothing.  Bike
Comments: I set my Garmin305 to beep every 15mins for refueling. Again on the bike, Friel strategy was my main lesson. 4 laps and he suggests to take it easy on the first one, steady on race pace on the 2nd and 3rd while pushing on the 4th compensating the 1st. I like that strategy and I tried it on this race. On the first lap I felt I could do more but I kept my HR below 135 always. In the first hour my fueling strategy was 0-30mins only water at 45mins mark a Powerbar and water at 60mins just water. In total on the first hour 500ml of water. Then, in the 2nd hour, I had a Powerbar and a Hammer gel plus another 500ml of water. The 2nd and 3rd laps were steady on the same pace, slightly better than the first one. On the 3rd and 4th hour I used the Perpetuem bottle with 170grams of powder inside plus I used an Hammer gel on the third hour and half powerbar on the 4th hour. Always washing perpetuem with some extra water. After drinking perpetuem I started feeling great and I pushed the 3rd lap as the best lap in the race. After 4hrs I got 7grams of BCAA. On the last lap, I planned to push hard but a strong wind coming from different directions killed my morale and I started thinking to the marathon. On the 5th and 6th hour I had a powerbar + hammer gel (5th) while 2 hammer gels on the 6th. At the 4th lap I switched off my Garmin305 for saving batteries for the run. What would you do differently?: Next time I will try to rise slightly the kcal/hr to 350-400 since I tolerated well the nutrition I had but I stayed in the low side of suggestions, just to be sure. Transition 2
Comments: As soon as I dropped off from the bike, I felt some back pain but I think this should be normal. I did not go to the toilet at all so I went during T2 just for peeing. I did not change tritop and tripants. Just visor and running shoes on. I removed the Garmin305 from the bike, switched on again and taken with me. What would you do differently?: Changing the tritop with a running shirt because I had some bruises at the end of 42k due to the sides of the tritop.  Run
Comments: As soon as I started I felt hungry and thirsty. I don't know if it is normal or it was because of poor nutrition on the bike but every 2.5km there were aid stations. I started with a great feeling and I was at 4'35/km pace which is a 3h15' final projection. I can do 2h50 on the standalone marathon so I was keeping a good margin on my absolute possibilities. But it was my frist Ironman and I did not know what to expect. I passed at the half marathon mark in 1h40 and still feeling great but my feeling of being thirst and hungry was rising up. I was looking at the bar and fruit boxes and thinking to stop and eat the whole pack! But of course I did not do it. Just drinking at every single station, water iso or cola. On the 4th lap so between 21st and 28th km I started feeling very very bad. I can not say why but mainly mentally. I started thinking that I was far away from the arrival point and I was not going to finish. I slowed down pretty much and at the end of 4th lap so 28th km I was in the middle of nowhere, running alone, feeling a shit because 14km left still! I had to think on the whole 8months preparation period, all the sacrifices, all the miles on the bike in the cold weather in Zurich. I said to myself, if you stop, you will not be an Ironman. At 30km mark I started running with the minimal effort just to go through the finish line and the course on the final km was slightly on downhill! Going at a minimal pace and never walking, I arrived at the final bridge and went through the cheering spectators on the final red carpet. Rising hands, I crossed the point which gave me the happiness of being finally an IRONMAN! What would you do differently?: Start the run without thinking on pacing and being more careful on the first half. Use a chip band from Sailfish. Post race
Warm down: After crossing the finish line, there was a big party with many different cakes, biscuits, fruits, etc. I was sooooo hungry that probably never in my life like that. I immediately drunk a liter of Ice tea and then some pieaces of cakes. I think I had too much food because I felt really bad in the evening with nausea maybe even because I mixed it with a painkiller (Voltaren). Too stupid! I realized that I put the chip strap in a bad way on my ankle and that generated an awful hurt which was bleeding into the left shoe. Moreover I had some bruising due to tritop. What limited your ability to perform faster: The run on the second part and I don't know why. I felt hungry which can be anindication of poor nutrition on the bike but 300-350kcal /hr should have been enough I thought! Event comments: After arriving we had to go back with a shuttle bus to T1/t2 to get back the stuff and this is killing after an Ironman. You want to sleep and don't move afterwards! This should be improved. Profile Album Last updated: 2008-09-09 12:00 AM
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Germany
15C / 59F
Overcast
Overall Rank = 77/275
Age Group = M30-35
Age Group Rank = 19/37
On friday I drove for 500km from Zurich to Koeln arriving at Maritim Hotel, 1km away from the finish line. Great hotel.
During the whole day I had more or less 4 or 5 liters of mainly water.
I bought in the last few days before the race the book "Be Iron Fit" and it was a great reading leading to the race. I adopted immediately the strategy for the race breakfast.
On saturday I went for a short 15mins bike training just to check the gears. After that, 20mins running with some pickups and stretching.
Back to the hotel and I had a great breakfast with milk, cereals, bread and some jelly.
Went out for a brisk walk in the city center of Cologne: nice city! I appreciated the life there during the day.
Back to the hotel and I had several small snacks during the day.
In the late afternoon I went to the airport to pick up my parents and we went for a dinner at 8pm where I had a nice pasta, spaghetti with some olive oil and few cheese on top.
Whenever I could, I drunk water and again 4 or 5 liters in the day.
I used a lot of salt on every single meal I had today. Plus some salt caps.
Went to bed at 10.00pm and I slept well until 3.30am where I had a half liter of water as soon as I woke up.
Don Fink breakfast was waiting for me in the room:3x Powerbars for 650kcal and a bottle of Powerade 1/2 liter for 120kcal.
I went downstairs with my parents at 4am for getting plenty of coffe and some orange juice (a glass).
Then I packed the car for going to the race venue, 15mins driving while I was drinking the second bottle of Powerade (another 120kcal).
Arrived at T1 at around 5.45am. I organized everything and the transition area was great, plenty of space. I started in the meanwhile drinking the 3rd bottle of Powerade for another 120kcal, the last kcal of prerace together with a gel of 65kcal from Squeezy 1hr before the race.
I opened my mobile fridge I brought with me at 6.20am where I had a frozen Perpetuem 2hrs thermal bottle, a half liter powerade bottle and 2x half liter of water. I used Bontrager hydrotail with 2x bottles behind and 2x bottles on the tubes.
I switched on my Garmin305 just to lock satellites and switched off to save batteries, ready and locked on the bike.
I then started some light jogging before wearing the wetsuit just for 5mins.
I went out to swim start and weared the wetsuit.
Entered the water at 6.55am and I had 15mins light swim with some pickups