The swim was a deep water start about 100m away from the jetty but there was a serious bottleneck getting in and as I entered the water to swim across I realized the swim had started already! I had to swim to catch up and then got through the mass of kicking and slapping and got into a nice position for the rest of the swim

Start with the other swimmers!

I knew my swim was good when I saw all the bikes still in transition so that made me feel pretty good about starting the ride. The volunteers pretty much do everything to help so it all went smoothly. I stayed in my tri short and top and didn't wear socks.

Nothing

I planned to save myself for the run so just kept a nice steady pace and kept my HR in Z2 for most of the ride. The hills were quite a challenge though and so my HR spiked up to Z4 for those.
I made a big effort to enjoy the views and thank the volunteers and I think that helps time pass and puts you in the right attitude.

This was my longest ride ever so maybe a couple of longer training rides might help. Overall I don't think I would change anything based on my current bike fitness.

I saw Oliver just outside the transition entrance which was nice. The girl who looked after me was so helpful, I felt a bit sorry for her when she had to rub sun cream into my shoulders, the volunteers obviously get used to sweat!

Nothing

I kept a really good rhythm going right from the start and decided to just walk the aid stations. My race plan was to do a 4:1 run walk all the way through but I felt so good I dropped that idea.
At about 28 km I felt a sharp pain in my right knee and had to stop and when I tried to stretch my quad I got a huge cramp in my hamstring! After that I dropped my pace a bit and did a few 30 sec walk breaks whenever I could feel my knee getting sore.
On the final lap I did a few more walks but kept running for most go the time.
At 42km they gave me my finishers wristband and I was able to turn into the chute which was pretty fantastic. The music was so loud and the cheering so crazy that I didn't hear my name being called!

I think the original run-walk plan was a good idea but who knows?
Really I managed to use the fitness I had and everything went great.

When they weighed me I'd gained nearly 2kg but I felt good. I was led to the massage tent and had a massage but then felt very sleepy and a bit wobbly on my feet.
I ate a bowl of ice cream and fruit, declined the pasta and went out to meet the family.


Bike strength


This was my first IM but it seemed really well organized and the town and local villages on the course get right behind it. A great day!