Challenge Barcelona (IM) - TriathlonFull Ironman

Well paced swim... was shooting for 1:10 - 1:15, so was pretty happy with my time (1:12). I really wanted to swim an easy pace and come out of the water feeling fresh with no real energy expended. Swam a bit off course, as the markers were not placed the way they showed on the map for the first 1,650m. Seemed like a lot of people had the same problem and swam about 100m or so to the left. We ended up having to divert back to the right in order to make the 2nd buoy. No real problems after that and came out of the water feeling great and well rested for the bike!

Oh yeah, I beat Rebecca (my wife) in the swim by 11 seconds... THANK GOD! I would NEVER had heard the end of it had she beaten me out of the water. Note to self: she is getting fast... I MUST WORK ON SWIM!

Did not draft at all on the swim... kind of did this on purpose. I really wanted to concentrate on a steady relaxed swim, as I sometimes get caught up pushing the pace when I draft. I need to work on drafting without breaking my relaxed swim stroke.

Also, I wish they were a bit more clear with marking to swim course! Nothing I can do differently about that though!

Not the smoothest of transitions. Wanted to take my time doing a full change into my Assos shorts and 2XU cycling top and putting on my heart rate monitor. Wanted to start the bike nice and dry with comfortable clothes. Had real problems getting my top on with my back wet, and managed to get the shirt, bib number, & HR monitor strap all tangled up. My bib number got all crumbled up, but seemed alright. A bit of a delay, but soon had everything all sorted and on my way.

Would of worn a tri top under the wetsuit... real pain to put a top on in T1 when I'm wet.

No problems on the bike. I'm a bit of a novice on the bike, as I've been riding for just over a year now, so the plan was to take it slow for the first 135k and then slowly pick up the pace a bit for the last 45k.

As for nutrition, I used Infinit all the way. I started with 1 bottle of Infinit Ironman formula in the aero bottle, and then two 3 hour concentrated in my cages. Every hour I would mix 1/3 of Infinit from a bottle with water I would pick up at aid stations. I stopped completely at the aid stations to make sure I got this right and didn't spill anything. I ended up drinking the first 2 bottle in 45 mins (each one), so I was about half hour ahead of schedule after the first 2 bottles. I then settled into 1 bottle per hour, and had 7 bottles in the 6:12 on the bike. Looking back, I think I drank one bottle too much, as I had to stop twice for the bathroom on the bike, and 4 times on the run! Also felt a bit bloated on the run, probably from all the protein in the drink... I might want a little less protein in my drink next time.

New to cycling... definitely my weakness of the 3 disciplines, so I was a bit nervous about the bike. As far as pace, I used 30kph as a limit. I didn't think I could average above this for 180k, so I eased off anytime I approached this speed, unless I was going down a hill. I sure got passed by A LOT of people on the bike. For every person I overtook, I think I was passed by about 50 people. They were flying on the flat course, but I had to stick to my game plan and not get caught up hammering the bike with the others.

About halfway through I found the bike a bit boring and started to think about being uncomfortable. But after the next drink stop I really got in a zone and found it rather easy to cruise along for second half of the bike.

Came into T2 feeling good... legs felt a bit tired, but not so bad in the big scheme of things.

I think I could have pushed the pace a bit more. 30kph was a real conservative approach to the bike leg, and it worked well, but I think if I targeted 32kph I would have felt just as good and broken 6 hours on the bike. Next time!

Also, I think I would not stop to mix the infinit next time... I should be able to do this on the fly.

Again, really took my time in transition... an extra minute or two isn't going to cost me anything in a race this long. No flying dismount of the bike for me... wanted to make sure I had my legs under me first.

Did a complete change into a sleeveless running shirt and running shorts that easily hold 5 gels. Vaseline on toes and socks to avoid the potential of blisters. Had to wait for a few minutes for the bathroom before starting out the run.

Stay in tri clothes and not change into running clothes. Make sure I get my socks on well to avoid blisters (more on that later).

Started the run feeling a bit bloated after all the Infinit, but continued to drink about 12oz of Infinit run formula for the first 10min of the run... maybe not the best idea, I think I already had enough fluids in my system, and ended up stopping about 4 times to go to the bathroom.

Goal of the run was 4 hours, which would be a slow and steady pace for me. It was pretty hot and humid (80F), so keeping cool was key. I had 1 GU Roctane every 45 mins and then a cup or two of Gatorade every 15 min between GU servings. This worked pretty well and never ran low on energy and was well hydrated.

About half way through lap 2 (it was a 4 lap course) I noticed a blister forming under my big toe on my left foot. I thought of muscling through it, but could be bad news if it got much worse... luckily I wasn't far from the special needs bags and I stopped to apply some vaseline and band-aid... this seemed to do the trick.

The run was pretty uneventful, and rather boring... I took my time walking the aid stations to make sure I got enough liquids, and soaked my shirt & hat to keep cool. By the last lap the sun started to go down, which was a welcome relief. Hips, quads and knees started to feel it towards the end, but in all it wasn't so bad...

Ended the run in 4:06, which was 6 mins slower than my goal time... I think the course was the correct length, but I think the sign posts were a bit mismarked, as I picked up the pace to hit 4 hours on the last 1km, I was bit surprised it took me nearly 10mins to run the last km! Doesn't seem right! In any case I was happy with my time.

Don't change into running clothes... wear tri gear for the whole race. Push the pace a bit more and jog through the aid stations rather than walk. Don't drink Infinit on the run... alternating GU and gatorade works just fine.

Nothing too much... walked around a bit and took in some Pepsi and Gatorade. Ate a bunch of cake that they had at the finish!


Nothing... I should have pushed the pace more on everything. Next time! It was my first IM, so finishing was the most important and a conservative approach was the best idea. I wish I could do it all over this weekend and see if I could break 11 hours!


Well organized race... I was expecting the worst after competing in the Half Ironman her in May, but they really got there act together this year. Not sure if I'm up for another Ironman, but if so, I will be doing this one again!