Cairns Challenge - TriathlonFull Ironman


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Cairns, Queensland
Australia
Challenge Family
27C / 81F
Sunny
Total Time = 11h 25m 11s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = M25-29
Age Group Rank = 27/
Pre-race routine:

Race was on a Sunday. Did nothing Thurs + Fri, rode my bike in to racking sat (about 40mins) and had a quick swim (about 20mins).

Sat afternoon smashed down a heap of ramen + gyoza for lunch, had a dinner of soup and cornbread, and a protein bar + 2 energy bars (1 SIS, 1 HIGH5) before bed.

Woke up at 4.30am Sunday morning (and also at about 4am, and about 3.30am, and about 2.15am, but I didn't get out of bed until 4.30). Had a piece of bread + peanut butter and an SIS energy bar. Go time!!! Holy sh*t...
Event warmup:

Did some stretching once I got out of bed, but when I got down to the event I didn't really do much. Prepped my bike, a little bit of pacing up and down, and then put my wetsuit on.

The order of operations was that the pros kick off at 6.45am, and us age groupers all head off together at 6.55am, so we didn't really have much time/space for a warm-up swim. Which I think was a good thing...
Swim
  • 1h 00m 44s
  • 4156 yards
  • 01m 28s / 100 yards
Comments:

Nothing like swimming 3.8km with about 600 other people to start your Sunday morning!!!

The swim course was like a giant 'M' shape, meaning there was lots of right angles, lots of turning, and a fair bit of biff in general. I copped a couple of hits to the goggles causing a partial dislodgement, and also managed to suck down a couple of delicious mouthfuls of the salty brew.

With regards to my performance I am incredibly happy. The swim was my biggest concern by far and I managed to do a time better than I could have possibly imagined - partially due to having a good wetsuit, partially due to some last minute stroke technique refining, and partial due to staying chilled, calm and managing to sit on some other peoples feet for a little while.
What would you do differently?:

Not a damn thing.
Transition 1
  • 00m
Comments:

Ran in, felt excited. bikebikebikebikebike!
What would you do differently?:

I thought I put sunscreen on everywhere, but I missed two small areas on my bike under my shoulders. They are now red as a bastard. So I would put suncreen on them.
Bike
  • 6h 07m
  • 111.85 miles
  • 18.29 mile/hr
Comments:

Had a great first 60-odd km's until the first turn-around and then there was a bit of a shite section (very gradual incline on chip-seal road into the wind) before turning around once or twice more.

I didn't expect a cracking time and was aiming for around 6hrs, and ended up doing a touch over that (although they told us at the pre-race briefing that the course had been extended out by 3 or 4kms, so if it wasn't for that I would have just clipped the 6hr mark I think).

The bit I enjoyed the most was definitely the uphills: I'm more than happy to get out of the saddle and climb, and although many many many people passed me on the flat sections there was no-one that passed me on any of the hills!

The last 30 or 40kms were pure torture. My lower back was starting to really feel it and my power output was just declining. The sun was well and truly pounding down and I was sucking back a heap of electrolyte but I was just getting over it.
What would you do differently?:

My legs just need more long rides in them, it is that simple.

And I would steal someone's Zipp 808's next time before the race as well.
Transition 2
  • 00m
Comments:

Getting off the bike was bliss!

I got in to transition and took 30sec to lie on the ground and crack my back. It felt glorious.
What would you do differently?:

Be damn sure to reach around and get some sunscreen on those two areas under my shoulders that I missed!!
Run
  • 4h 07m
  • 26.22 miles
  • 09m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

Coming out of T2 I felt glorious. In my run bag at T2 I had a snickers and bag of salted peanuts, and over the first km as I ate that it not only tasted great but really lifted my spirits. Plus the saltiness of the nuts was awesome after having so much sweet bars/gels on the bike.

It was bloody hot by this point, with no shade. I ran the first 4 or 5 kms really strongly and had to keep telling myself to chill it out and not die by halfway through the run. My strongest marathon prior to this was 3hrs 22mins, but I knew that with the conditions (not to mention the preceeding swim and ride) that any time under 4 1/2 hrs would be enough to satisfy me.

As I kept going I hit about the 7km mark and decided 'right, at the 10km mark I'm going to walk for a little bit', as at that point I'd only walked the aid stations, which were located about every 2km. However at that moment a fellow athlete who I'd passed a few times on the bike (typically on the uphills) and he'd in turn re-passed me (on the flats) caught up to me.

All I can say to him (Mark) is thanks. We got to chatting a little as we jogged along and with his encouragement/support I jogged to the halfway point before saying rightio, I'm now putting a run-walk plan into action to be sure I can finish strong.

So from that point on my strategy was to walk the aid stations and every time I hit a distance marker (which was every two kilometres) I would walk 100 paces, and the jog until the next distance marker. Every time I started jogging I knew I had less than 2km to run, and I knew that at the very least I could jog a couple of kay's.

As I got to the 42km mark, which said 'only 200m to go!' I decided I didn't need to walk that one... so I kept on jogging and as I turned into the red carpet finishing stretch with the crowd on either side and the big digital clock saying I was at 11hrs 35mins (which was the pro times, who started 10mins before us AG'ers putting my time at 11hrs 25mins) I was absolutely f*cking ecstatic!!!
What would you do differently?:

To be honest not too much. Maybe refine my hydration/salt intake strategy a bit more: I didn't get any cramps but I felt a couple coming on just before I started walking a bit at the half-way point. Once again, considering my training schedule and goal (to do a sub 13hr race) I was very bloody happy.
Post race
Warm down:

Wow. I felt more crap than I could put in to words for that first 5 or 10 mins once I stopped moving. I passed on all the food options and went and sat down in the massage tent, and my GF came from nowhere and met me which was great. We chatted for a minute before she got kicked out of the tent, and then I spent the next 15-20min moving on in the massage line, talking to other competitors about the course.

By the time I had my massage I was feeling alright, my legs were ok although my stomach wasn't exactly great. I ate a little, then went and got my shirt + certificate and headed out to my mates.

The first thing they did for me was get me a beer, then I had a shower and by then was feeling pretty good. So it was time for pizza and more beers before heading back to the finish line and seeing a couple of the late-finishers come across the line, which was great.

I don't remember much of the conversations I had in the recovery tent, except talking with someone about how I am never doing an IM again. He laughed and said that is exactly how he felt immediately after his first one, but by the next day he was already thinking about when he could do his next one.

I've gotta say - I'm 48hrs past my first race and like him, am already planning when I can do my second.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The fact that there are times when life, work and family need to come before training, especially when this is just a hobby and not a career.

Event comments:

I have no other IM distance to compare it to, but the organisation, events, celebrations and volunteers here were incredible.




Last updated: 2011-02-03 12:00 AM
Swimming
01:00:44 | 4156 yards | 01m 28s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Suit: Full length Synergy
Course: 2 laps of a 1.9km 'M' shaped course, with about a 20 metre run from a concrete boat ramp, over some sand and back in to the water for the second lap.
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 21C / 70F Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 00:00
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
06:07:00 | 111.85 miles | 18.29 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: A winding, undulating coastal road that did 1 1/2 laps. Spectacular views, with some fun and slightly technical downhill stuff and some fun (for me because I'm a light bastard and love climbing) uphill stuff as well!
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:00
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Average
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
04:07:00 | 26.22 miles | 09m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: A flat, fast run course that consisted of a 21km stretch with no shade/wind protection, followed by 3 laps of a 7km loop that had reasonable shade.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5