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 Swim
Comments: I felt like I got off to a good start. I was in a pretty good position near the front and I seemed to stay out of any serious trouble. I just tried to get into a good rhythm as soon as possible and find a set of feet to follow. The visibility was quite poor, especially compared to the two previous days. However I did manage to find a set of feet which I followed for about 15 minutes or so, checking occasionally to navigate. But after I touched his feet one too many times he stopped and let me swim by. Oh well, off to look for another set of feet. About half way along the jetty the swell started to pick up. I stopped breathing every three strokes as every time I turned to the right I swallowed more water than air. But that was only a taste of what was to come. The end of the jetty seemed to come up very quickly. I guess mainly because I had found another set of feet to follow. I took a quick peak at my watch and it was somewhere around 35 minutes. A little behind schedule but ok. However, this was when the swim got interesting. As we turned the buoy we headed directly into the swell. I was told at the end of the race that the swell was reported to be 2-3m at the end of the jetty. It certainly felt like it. I couldn't believe that this was a triathlon. It felt more like a surf lifesaving event!! We got absolutely pounded the entire way back along the East side of the jetty. The waves were coming from that direction, so the entire way out along the West side we had had a little bit of protection from the jetty, but now we had nothing!! I just told myself to put my head down and keep swimming and that eventually I would get there. I seemed to swallow water every second time I turned my head to breathe though, and at one point not long after turning the buoy I stopped and almost threw up. But I put my head back down and kept going. What other choice do you have when your 1.5km out from shore. Once again I found a few sets of feet to follow which certainly helped mentally more than anything I think. I finally got to the buoy were we had to turn left and swim parallel to the beach for about 200m before turning right again and heading into shore. I had a quick peak at my watch a little earlier and I was somewhere around 1:10. At that time I thought anything under 1:20 would be good. As I had been promising myself the entire way back along the East side of the jetty, I did eventually get there. Needless to say I was VERY surprised to see 1:14 on the clock when I got out of the water. Considering the conditions I was VERY happy with that. Especially as I felt like I had swam within myself as much as possible despite the conditions. I ran through the showers to the sound of my screaming family. It was the first time of many that I would see them today. They would never leave my side ALL day...amazing!! What would you do differently?: Nothing really. Considering the conditions I was very happy with my time. I know that if it had have been flat, or even reasonably flat, that I definately would have gone sub 1:10. Actually most people said they were about 5 minutes off there usual time.  Transition 1
Comments: Wow, if only every race was like an Ironman. I ran into T1 and gargled a few cups of water to wash ALL the salt water out of my mouth. I asked the attendant to rip the top of my Desoto off as I can't do it alone and then took my bag and ran into the tent. The guys in there are amazing!! Pulled my wetsuit bottoms off over my ankles, slathered me in sunscreen, packed everything I didn't want back into my bag and I was on my way...thankyou VERY much!! What would you do differently?: I probably could have moved a little quicker, but I just wanted to make sure I had everything before heading out for the 180km. *Note: Time is an estimate as there are no official splits listed for T1*  Bike
Comments: Once again, I jumped on the bike and headed off to the sound of my screaming family. However, I wouldn't see them again for another 2 hours. The first part of the ride was along a beach road and the wind was already pretty harsh. I was just trying to settle in and get my HR back down under 150 after the swim. Which it did pretty quickly. I headed out along Layman Rd. for the first time where the roads were nice and smooth and protected from the wind a little. I felt really comfortable, and while quite a few people were going past me, I knew it was going to be a long day and I had to ride MY race. However, by the time we turned left onto Tuart Drive the roads had turned very rough. At that point I was wishing I had put 7 bars in my tires rather than 8. I was bouncing all over the place and it was already making my butt sore. The going was quite tough going out along Tuart Drive. It seemed to be ever so slightly up hill and into the wind a little. As I did all day while riding into the wind though, I just tried to keep my cadence up over 90 and not let my HR get up too high. I knew I would make up the time coming back, and that's what I did. My speed went from around 25km/h going out to over 35km/h coming back. It felt good to be making up some time that I had been losing going out for the past 45 or so minutes. However I was careful once again not to let my HR get up over 155. Although I did think it was better to push while going with the wind rather than into it. I had two bottles of Perpetuem on board with about 750kcal in each, as well as a Jetstream up front filled with water. The plan was to take 50ml of Perpetuem chased with 50ml of water every 15 minutes. I also had Endurolytes which I planned to take only if I felt like I needed them. Well, at the one hour mark of the ride I decided to pop my first Endurolyte. I guess that because I didn't really have any food in my stomach it just seemed to sit there for a while. I was a little uncomfortable for the next half hour or so. When we turned right onto the Busselton Highway the road was smoother and the wind was directly behind us. I was flying. I was in my large chain ring for the first time and I was pushing around 40km/h. I passed a lot of people here who seemed to be taking a bit of a breather with the wind at their backs. However, the fun was over when we turned around about 10 minutes later. Now the wind was directly into our face. I couldn't believe that I was riding on a flat road in my 39/19 just to keep over 90rpm. Now I was down around 20km/h, but I had to remember I had been making good time going out. Thankfully it was a fairly short section of the highway and we soon turned left back onto Tuart Drive where the going was a little easier. About another 10 minutes down the road and we turned left again back onto Layman Road to head back to the start/finish. Once again we were riding with the wind, the road was smooth and I was flying again. I made the few little windy turns back onto Marine Tce and headed for the turnaround. I started looking for my amazing support crew. They were up just before the turnaround, ALL of them going completely mad when they saw me. It certainly gave me a huge pick-me-up, as it did all day, and I gave them the thumbs up. I went down around the round-about, headed back past my screaming family and crossed the timing mat in almost exactly 2 hours. I was right on time, although I had the feeling that the following two laps were going to get progressively slower, which they did. At this point my stomach wasn't feeling very good. It was around 2:15 into the bike when I turned back onto Tuart Drive and time for some more Perpetuem. I considered ditching it and changing to the High5 Isotonic they had on the course, but I thought I should try and stick with it a little longer. Thankfully by the time I made the turn around at the end of Tuart Drive my stomach had seemed to settle and I was feeling better. Everything was going pretty well at this point. I flew back along Tuart Drive with the wind at my tail, and again when I turned right onto the Busselton Highway. Again the wind was brutal coming back up the highway, but I just stuck to my plan and spun through it. I turned left back onto Tuart Drive and then left again back onto Layman Road. I had done about 110km at this point and for some reason my left knee started to ache a little. It was nothing too serious, but I could definately notice it. I got back to Marine Tce and I stopped at the aid station just before the start/finsh to get some more sunscreen. The volunteers who work these aid stations are amazing. Out there all day in the hot sun, for no pay and little thanks. I pulled in and one of the guys threw on some gloves and absolutely covered me from head to toe in sunscreen. He got some on my sunglasses which another guy wiped off with a tissue...fantastic!! It probably only took about 2 minutes and I was on my way again...looking like a white ghost riding a bike. Once again I got to see my fantastic family at the turn-around and once again they were going completely crazy!! I crossed the mat with a split of around 2:05. I had dropped 5 minutes, but I knew it was probably going to be more on the final lap. My knee was a little sore, the front of my ankles were also sore and I still had 60km to ride. I also realised at this point that I had not been to the toilet the entire ride. That can't be a good thing I thought, especially considering I'd been on the bike for over 4 hours at this point. So I decided to take in some more water between Perpetuem feeds. Finally at the aid station going out along Tuart Drive I stopped and used the toilet, although it was a little forced. My pee was a little bright in colour, so I kept to my new drinking routine for the rest of the ride. But that would actually be the last time I would use the toilet for the rest of the day. By the turn-around on Tuart Drive I was starting to feel it and I started to sit up a little more to stretch out my back. It also seemed to bother my knee less when I was sitting up. I headed back down Tuart Drive and made the right turn onto the highway for the last time. I tried to make a point of thanking everyone at the aid stations as I went by them for the last time. I also thanked all the other volunteers and all the amazing people who had lined the roads to support us. When I turned left back onto Layman Rd. for the last time I sat up and took it a bit easier for the last 15 minutes, just trying to prepare myself for the run. My HR was still ok, and spinning the pedals a little easier seemed to help my knee. I rode back into town, made the turn at the round-about and pulled into the finish to the sound of my screaming family. They were so loud the announcer actually said "and here's a popular competitor, it's #451 Travis Murphy". I forgot to stop my watch at the finish, but my split was somewhere around 2:10. I had only dropped about 5 minutes on my previous lap, which surprised me a little as I felt like I had dropped off the pace a little more than that. At this point I was right on schedule to go sub 12 hours. If I could just hold a good pace for the marathon and come in somewhere around 4 hours I was going to do it. But all would not go according to plan on the run. What would you do differently?: One of my main goals of this race was to learn. It was my first time and there are just SO many unknowns in an Ironman. But I feel like I have learnt a lot. Here are some of the things I WILL do differently on the bike next time. 1. First and foremost, drink more. I'm going to ditch the Perpetuem next time and just use a simple electrolyte replacement drink (like Gatorade) that's on the course and eat food (like Powerbars). This is what I do for the most part in training and it seems to work. I know that Perpetuem works for some people, but for me, I think that those types of drinks just offer empty calories. I NEED food!! 2. Only carry one spare tube. Because of the two bottles of Perpetuem I had a Profile Design Aqua Rack with one tube in each holder. Bloody Norman Stadler had a lot of us worried about flats I think. If I use the drink that's on the course then I'll be able to use my Jetstream with only one spare bottle on the frame and my tube tucked into the holder on the seat tube. That will let me ditch the Aqua Rack which should save me about 500g of weight right there. Transition 2
Comments: Once again the people here are amazing!! Pulled into the finish and handed my bike to the kid there. Ran down and got my transition bag and headed into the tent. Again I emptied out the bag and put on what I needed. I changed to fresh socks, put on my fuel belt and changed my race number belt. Threw on my shoes and my running hat then the attendant drowned me in sunscreen again and I was on my way. I stopped just outside the tent were they had a small table with some drinks and food on it. I drank some water and had my first "real" food for the day, which was half a banana. Then it was time to head off. What would you do differently?: Once again, I probably could have moved a little faster. But heck, I just rode 180km and then I had to run a marathon. I'll forgive myself for taking a few extra minutes. *Note: Time is an estimate as there are no official splits listed for T2*  Run
Comments: Well, this is were the day really got tuff. I headed out of T2 to the sound of my screaming family and the journey began. By this time it was HOT!! The wind had dropped, which is very unusual for this part of the world, and the sun had set in for the afternoon. The forecast was for 35C, and it must have been somewhere around there. I had only been running a few minutes when I started feeling the heat coming up off the road and through my shoes. I felt pretty good though. I had my nice, short stride going and was moving along at a fairly good rate. In fact, my first 4km split was 20:20, which really surprised me. Although, I doubted that I was going to be able to keep it up. I backed off a bit, and tried to start moving at 6min/km pace which was what I thought I was going to be able to hold. The next 2km I split in 11:20 and then I did a 10:49 for the next 2km. Wow, I couldn't seem to slow down. But I had only done 8km. I was doing everything I could to keep cool. There was a kid on the side of the road with a hose and I let him blast me with it. I was taking one or two cups of water and pouring it over myself at every aid station. But no matter what I did, nothing could escape me from the heat. At about this point my stomach wasn't feeling very good. As I approached the aid station I really didn't know what to have. I had two bottles on my Fuel Belt filled with Power Gel which I planned to take at every second aid station with water. I was going to eat food and drink water at the others. But I could tell that wasn't going to work. I knew I hadn't been drinking enough all day, so at this point I started drinking the electrolyte drink that they were handing out at the aid stations. I also sucked on an orange quarter and had my first drink of cola for the day. My next 2km split was 12:10, and then I did an 11:51. Now I was moving at a pace that I thought I was going to be able to hold for the rest of the day. I had ran 12km, and apart from my stomach, I was feeling pretty good. But that was soon all going to change. My 2km split, which put me through 14km, was 13:31. Things were starting to look bad. Not only was my split slow, cramp had started to set in. My legs were getting quite tight, expecially my groins. But I just had to keep moving. Between 14km and 16km I ran back past the start/finish line where I saw Miki with my mother and father. They cheered me on which helped to give me a bit of a lift. But this split would also be slow. But maybe the cheers pushed me on a little as I did a 13:27. So I had held the pace from my previous split. The bottom, East side, of the course seemed to go on forever!! Probably because this is where my race turned into a torture test. My next split was 13:49, near the bottom of the course, and the aid station just before the turn-around just never seemed to come. I was really starting to feel it at this point. I was still drinking the High5 and sucking on oranges at the aid stations, but nothing was going to stop the cramping at this point...I was too far gone. My next split was 14:33, which put me through 20km. At this point my split times were starting to depress me a little, so I switched the monitor to altitude, anything meaningless was ok, with the time at the top and my HR at the bottom. I didn't want to know anymore. I just wanted to get to that finish line. I ran back past the start/finish at 21km, one lap down and one to go. My wonderful support crew were there again to cheer me on. I'll always remember my Dad yelling out "we're here for ya mate". It chokes me up just writing it as it did on the day. The pain is SO intense at this point of the race, and you do become quite emotional. A few tears rolled down my face, but I had to pull myself together, I still had 21km to run!! I must make mention though at this point of the crowds that had lined the run course. They were in a word...WONDERFUL!! Many of them had programs with the athletes numbers and as we ran pass they would call out things like "Come on Travis", "Good work Travis", "Your looking good Travis". Just the kind of thing you need to keep pushing yourself. I was still carrying my two Gel bottles with me, although I hadn't been using them, and they were pretty heavy as they were each filled with about 6 ounces of gel. A few aid stations after the start/finish I decided to ditch them. I also asked a lady to put some sunscreen on my nose as it gets really red. She said I looked alright and that it wasn't going to get too bad at this time of the day anyway. The pain was getting really bad by this stage and I was reduced to just a shuffle. But I refused to walk. I told myself that I could walk the 50m or so through each aid station but that I HAD to shuffle between them. I was NOT going to bow down to the Ironman Gods. There were a LOT of people walking though. It kind of motivated me, the fact that I was a runner amongst the walking dead. I hadn't given in yet...and I wasn't about to either. As I turned at the West end of the course I was trying to work out what time I was going to do. I knew 12 hours was out the window, but I was wondering if I was going to be able to come in under 13. I worked out that if I continued to shuffle between aid stations that I should make it. That was all the inspiration I needed to keep moving. I eventually got back to the start/finish were Miki and my father were waiting for me again. They gave me there last final words of encouragement before I headed off. I managed to hold back the tears this time...I knew there were only about 7km between me and becoming an Ironman. Miki said to me a few days later though, while we were looking at some pictures, that my father cried a bit himself at that point. She said that SO many people were walking when they came down past them and they were quite worried about me. But when I came past I was still running. My Dad, being an ex-marathon runner himself, was so proud. The people who were still out on the course, the strugglers, were all supporting each other. I ran, shuffled, past a couple of guys who gave me some encouragement to keep going. I tried to return the gesture as often as I could. I turned the final turn-around and headed for home. Ironically I was running toward the setting sun when one of the aid station volunteers said to me "you can see the light at the end of the tunnel now". I turned and said to her, "I know, it's right there." That kind of became my new goal, get to the finish before the sun sets. I didn't want to have a finish photo in the dark. I just kept shuffling along. I don't know how fast I was running, but it must have been somewhere around 8min/km. But none of that really mattered anymore. I thought of all my BT friends over those last few kilometres, and ALL the inspiration they had given me while training for the race. Thanks guys!! As I got closer I could hear the announcer calling out the finishers names, and I knew I wasn't far away. I was running with another guy, and we were passing an older man who was still on his first lap. We gave him some encouragement and he said he was going to finish even if it took him all night. "Good on ya mate", I said. He did ask us though how much we wanted for our white scrunchies which represented that we had done one lap. I turned back and said to him "they're Priceless". Just before the top of the chute a spectator yelled out to me, "almost there mate, empty it out". I didn't have the strength to tell him that it was empty about 30km ago. I got to the top of the chute and said to the lady who was directing athletes there, "please don't make me go around again". She smiled and said "No, you're right". I turned left and there it was...the finish line!! I had about 200m to run. I hit the grass though and my hamstrings almost seezed up. I thought great, of all the times to cramp up. But I pushed through it. As I got about half way down the chute my family was waiting for me and my 4-year-old niece, Xanthea, came out and held my hand and ran down the rest of the way with me. As I got to the finish all I could think about was my finish photo. I never even looked at the clock once. Although I knew I was going to be around 12:35 anyway. I was looking for the photographer and I wanted to make sure my Xanthea knew where he was too. Just before the line I bent down to pick her up. I wondered if it was a good idea, but somehow I managed and we crossed the line together...I was an Ironman!! What would you do differently?: Besides run faster?? Not a lot really. I think I struggled on the run mostly because of my bad nutrition on the bike and the extreme conditions. I was actually really happy with my mental effort on the run. While other people gave into the pain, I did not!! Post race
Warm down: I crossed the line and the volunteers threw a towel around me and put the medal that I had worked so hard for around my neck. My brother was there to get my niece, his daughter, as they led me off to the recovery tent. I got into the tent and sat down. Someone got me something fizzy to drink and the nurse came over to me. She said to me "was this your first time?". "Yes", I said. She said "Well, I'm going to be honest with you, you look like crap". To which I responded "Thanks". She was actually happy with that response as it showed I was still coherent. Luckily she didn't know that I can be sarcastic in my sleep. At that point I still felt ok, my legs were really sore though, so I asked her if I could go back outside and walk around a bit. She said "I'd love you to". So I went back outside and walked around a bit. I found my family over by the finish on the outside of the restricted area fence, so I went over and talked with them for a while. They said I looked a little white, but I felt better while I was moving around. After about 10 minutes or so I headed back over to the tent. I went back into the recovery section and sat back down with a bottle of Pepsi. By this time it was dark and I was feeling a little cold so they gave me a heat blanket to keep me warm. I didn't sit there for long though. I was feeling ok, but my legs were REALLY sore and I could barely walk. So I went over to get a massage. Geez, it was a struggle just getting up on the bench I can tell you. My left knee was really sore, as it had been on the bike. My calves were also sore and so were my quads. However, while I was really sore, I felt so comfortable on that bench. I wanted to stay there ALL night. After what seemed to be about 30 minutes, the lady said that I should go and get something to eat. So I sat up on the bench, very slowly, they put my things together and I headed off to get some food. I was still feeling cold and I still had the heat blanket wrapped around me. I had only walked about 15 metres when I suddenly felt dizzy. I knew I was going to faint, so I turned around and said to one of the volunteers that I didn't feel so good. He told me to sit down, but I said that while I was standing he should take me to the medical tent which was about 15 metres away. So I put my arm around him and he led me there. I laid down on the bench and the nurse came over and asked me a few questions. I told her that I thought I was probably a little dehydrated as it had been really hot, and she seemed to agree. She took my blood pressure and she said it was fine. Funnily enough I still had my HRM on and can you believe it was still reading around 80~90bpm, even though I had finished about an hour earlier. The doctor came over and told me just to lie down and take it easy. They gave me some water and more Pepsi to drink. I laid there for quite a while. Once again I felt comfortable while lieing down on the bench and I almost fell asleep. They came and checked on me again after a while and I asked about my family. I wasn't sure if they knew where I was, and I had been in the tent for over an hour by this point. The doctor, who was SO nice by the way, went outside to see if she could find them. She came back and told me that they were outside waiting and she let them know that I was alright. After spending more than half an hour in the medical tent I felt better and by this stage I was getting really hungry. I sat up on the bench for a while before standing up, but this time I was fine. It seems, as the doctor had said, that I just needed to lie down for a while. I went over to the exit where I saw my AMAZING girlfriend, Miki, who was with my father. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she had been, and still was, worried about me. I gave her a big hug and told her that I was ok. We were both crying though...it had been a long and emotional day. I went and had something to eat while they waited outside. The rest of my family, besides my sister, had gone home by this stage though. After eating I left the tent and thanked everyone who had helped me. Then we went and picked up my bike. My sister was carrying my transition bags, my father was wheeling my bike, and Miki was holding me up - I could barely walk. But nothing could take away from the fact that I was indeed...an IRONMAN!! What limited your ability to perform faster: A few things. Let's see... 1. The weather/conditions. Somebody said that the conditions were harder than Hawaii today. Now, I've never competed in Kona, although it is my dream, but I must say, I can't imagine conditions being much worse than we had today. Two to three metre waves on the swim, severe winds on the bike and all topped off by a sunny 35 degrees for the run. 2. My nutrition. I had a plan, but I didn't really use the plan in training as I had ran out of Perpetuem in the month leading up to the race, and it's not available in Japan. Besides that though, I really think that I need "food", rather than Perpetuem like drinks. I also need to drink more. Water just doesn't inspire you to drink, so it will be back to the sweet, electrolyte drinks from now on. 3. Limited bike fitness. Because of my knee injury (right knee, not left) in October, I didn't get to do as many long rides as I had hoped to do. In fact, while i had planned to do about 4 rides of 150+km, I only ended up doing one!! March, April and May are going to be CRAZY bike months leading up to IM Japan. 4. Travel and acclimatising. While there is only 1 hour time difference, it's a LONG way from Tokyo to Perth, about a 10-hour flight. I felt ok, but I'm sure it took something out of me. Also, before we left Japan the weather had been freezing!! I went from training in sub 10 degree temperatures to racing in 35 degrees!! I definately needed a few more days to adjust to the climate change. Event comments: As with all of the other M-Dot events I've read about, the organisation was unbelievable. The transition tents and the aid stations had lots of volunteers and they were well stocked with drinks and food. Speaking of volunteers, they are so helpfull, taking off wetsuits, packing things into bags, putting sunscreen on...ANYTHING you need. Your money is definately well spent at these events. Also, Busselton is in the Geographe Bay/Margaret River area of Western Australia, which is about 3 hours south of Perth. Now, I've traveled all over the world, and I can safely say that it is one of the most beautiful places you will find anywhere in the world. There are wineries to visit and spectacular scenery every way you look. Needless to say, but it is the perfect setting for an Ironman event. Profile Album Last updated: 2005-12-02 12:00 AM
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Australia
IMG
35C / 95F
Sunny
Overall Rank = 324/691
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 34/52
WOW!! What a week. We, my girlfriend Miki and I, flew into Perth Thursday morning. My sister, who lives in Perth, picked us up from the airport. Well, not exactly. We managed to put my bike into the back of her small 4-door hatch, but by the time we got that in there was absolutely NO room for Miki and I. So we had to follow behind her in a taxi.
We picked up our rental car and spent most of the day rushing around trying to do some things before we headed down to Busselton. We went to the bank, I put some money on my Australian cell phone etc. etc.
After we had a late lunch, at around 4, we headed to the Hyatt to see my sister who works there with her fiancee. It was here that I got the best surprise of my entire holiday. I knew my mother and father were flying out from the Gold Coast for the race, but I never thought my brother and his family would come as they live on a farm about 3 hours drive West of Sydney.
Well, I stepped into the lobby and there behind my sister were the two cutest little girls I have ever seen...my 4 and 6-year-old nieces. It didn't click for a moment, as it was totally unexpected. Then I looked up and saw my brother and his wife and suddenly the light went on. It was great to see them as it had been about a year and half since the last time.
I couldn't believe it. While my mother and father weren't there yet, I knew that my entire family would be there to watch my first Ironman. Not only that, it was the first time our family had all been together at one time for more than 5 years!! It was going to be a great weekend.
By the time Miki and I had got everything organised, and caught up with my brother and sister a little, we didn't head off to Busselton until around 7pm. It's about a 2.5 hour drive, but I think I went a little off course at some stage. Luckily, somehow, I got back on track and we got to Busselton a little after 10pm. Unfortunately though the only thing open at that time of night was McDonald's...but it was better than nothing.
We woke up early Friday morning and I went down to the swim start to test out the water. I tried out an Ironman Stealth wetsuit which was really nice. But I ended up using my DeSoto for the race. The water was beautiful and the visibility was amazing!! Unfortunately it would not be like that on race day. But more on that later.
After the swim we went back to the resort where we had breakfast. I was going to go for a ride after we had eaten, but while I was putting on my seat I heard that sound that nobody likes to hear...CRACK!! At first I thought it was the carbon post, but I had actually stripped the collar. I had a sigh of relief and thought ok, I'll just drop by the LBS on the way down to the race site and pick up a new one.
Well, wouldn't you know it...SOLD OUT!! I couldn't believe it. I asked the guy there where the nearest other bike shop was and he said it was in the next town, about 30 minutes away. He nicely called them to see if they had one which they did. While he was on the phone I called my sister to see if she could pick it up on her way down from Perth later that afternoon. She said no problem.
Then, she calls me back 5 minutes later and said she just so happened to be standing next to a bike shop in the city with the rest of my family. They went in and I spoke directly to the person in the shop over the phone and told them what I wanted. Thankfully they had one. I spoke to my Dad just to make sure it was the right one and they got it for me right there and then. Unfortunately though they wouldn't arrive until after 6pm, so there would be no ride for me that day.
I decided to leave the bike at the LBS and asked them to just make sure everything was in working order. It had been serviced before I left Japan, but I don't trust those travel cases or my ability to put it back together perfectly. So seeings as I wasn't going to be able to ride it anyway, I thought it was better to be safe than sorry.
By the time all this had happened it was well past lunch time. We went and had some lunch, a kebab (a first for Miki), and then headed to the supermarket to get supplies. It was now around 4 o'clock and there was a kids triathlon event being held down at the race site. So we headed down and watched that for a while. Very cute.
My family arrived around 6 o'clock. We got some dinner, fish and chips, and headed back to our apartment to eat. It was amazing having everyone there together. I think, no, it definately helped take my mind off the fact that I was doing an Ironman in two days.
Saturday morning I was up early again with Miki and we headed back down to the swim start for some more practise. I tried out another wetsuit, a Stealth long john this time, but it was irritating my neck as it had got a little burnt the previous day. I could also tell that it was not as fast as the full suit.
After the swim I finally got to pull the bike out and take it for a spin with the new wheels. It definately felt faster. Although I wasn't really opening it up, so I was looking forward to seeing how it went on race day. I only had time to ride for about 30 minutes though and then we had to head off to the compulsory race briefing.
It was cool. We went through and they checked that our timeing chips were all working. After we all sat down they asked all of the first timers to stand up. I couldn't believe it, it seemed like more than half of us were doing an Ironman for the first time. Somehow it was comforting to know that I wasn't the only one.
When the meeting finished we headed home and had some breakfast. The rest of my family was just heading out the door. They were all going off to Margaret River for the day to visit wineries and take in the beautiful scenary of this region. Unfortunately we couldn't join them...there was work to do.
I spent the rest of the day rushing around trying to get my transition bags sorted out. I am so obsessive compulsive when it comes to these things. It took me forever!! I laid everything out and checked it, re-checked it and then checked it again.
We headed back down to the transition area for bike and transition bag check-in. I took the bike in and set it up on the rack and then had a quick look around. I was like a kid in a candy store. So many AMAZING bikes!! After I wiped the drool from my lip I headed into the tent and checked in my transition bags.
It was now 4 o'clock, so we headed home and Miki started to cook my favorite pasta dish. I think I ate about 3 bowls!! Around that time my family came back from their day trip to Margaret River. We talked for a while before they left us again and headed out for dinner.
After dinner I made sure I had everything in order for the next morning. I mixed my Perpetuem for the bike and made my breakfast smoothie. I laid out all my clothes and other things that I would need in the morning and then headed into the shower to shave the legs for the last time before the big day.
We hoped into bed and Miki gave me a quick massage, as she always does before and after big training days. She is AMAZING!! Then it was lights out at around 9pm.
I was reading the official race report on the IMWA website a few days after I got home and it started with this:
"A fierce electrical storm lashed the seaside town of Busselton on the eve of the Ironman Western Australia Triathlon. Anxious race organizers called a 4am meeting with the local weather bureau but as daylight broke, the storm, which had been raging for eight hours, dissipated. Athletes and officials breathed a collective sigh of relief, and the race was underway at 6.30am , which was half an hour later than scheduled."
I woke up at 3am to the sound of that thunder and rain. I looked out the window and the night sky was being lit up continuously by bolts of lightening. Great, I thought. My first Ironman and this is the weather I get.
Well, there wasn't much I could do. I had breakfast and got ready. We headed out the door at around 4:15 and got down to the car park at around 4:30. I was one of the first to arrive. I went out, in the rain, and got the bike ready and then headed back in to the tent and started to get organised.
I was actually very pleased that the race start was delayed 30 minutes due to the weather. It just gave me a few extra minutes to make sure I had everything in order. Trust me, a little extra Vasoline in those tender areas never hurt any Ironman.
I managed to find Miki and we talked for a bit while I was waiting for the toilet. I actually went to the toilet 3 times before the race, well, once was in my wetsuit while warming-up. It certainly helped me warm-up!! I don't know if it was the nerves or the caffeine tablets I had taken with breakfast. Probably a bit of both.
I went from the transition area down to the water with ALL the other competitors. It kind of felt like we were cows going to the slaughter. I impressed myself by actually having a short conversation with a Japanese competitor...in Japanese!! I saw my family just before I headed down onto the beach and gave them all a final hug. We had lost Miki so I used my sister's cell phone to call her and let her know where they were.
I swam briefly, no more than 50m, mostly just to check that my goggles were ok. I headed back up the beach to make sure that Miki had found my family and I got to see her beautiful smile once more before it was time to get down to business. At that point everyone turned there attention skyward to watch the opening ceremony...an inspiring performance by a team of 4 fighter planes. A first for Ironman we were told.
Just moments before the start the sun FINALLY poked it's head out. The atmosphere was amazing...a helicopter hovering above us and thousands of spectators lining the jetty. The announcer said "you are now in the hands of the starter", and about 30 seconds later the sound that all future Ironmen are waiting to hear...the CANON!!