Done it…..Ironman !!!

So…after 8 months of training I have finally done it !

 http://www.challengewanaka.com (Results)

The facts….. 

After 3.8km Swim, 180km Bike and a Marathon I completed the race in 12hrs, 00 mins and 28 secs, 50th overall and 6th in my age group (40-49) which is way beyond my expectations. I drank in excess of 9 litres of liquids, went to the toilet twice and lost 2kg in body weight.

The story….

The Swim - The Lake was expected to be choppy due to the north-westerly wind but for those of us from Wellington didn't mind a "a little chop" compared to the swells of Wellington harbour. We were so wrong...…the wind created a 1m high swell which made it difficult for all of us, including the "Pros"!!! The first 600m was a combination of 3 forward 2 back at the same time taking on a lot of water…thank goodness it being fresh water.

The Bike - the bike was great especially for the Wellingtonians who are enjoy the challenging hills and headwinds in every direction. There were some great stretches of flat road with a tail wind where the average speed crept up to 50kmph…and then there were stretches of head winds and hills with the speed dropping down to 14kmph. The first lap was crowded with the half ironman race going us….the second lap was very quiet as this was left to the full distance competitors…all of a sudden the long open roads, winds became a very lonely place. It was then I realized the importance of the "mental game" required….my mantra was "keep the focus", "just keep going" and "I am loving this" over and over again in between my nutrition plan and the clock. Every 45 minutes…. nutrition, salt tabs, gels, cliff bars and banana. The last 20km was the hardest, after 6 hours in the same position I was looking forward to the run….saddle sore and everything else sore…it was time for my muscles to change focus.

The Run - At this point I had done a mental check on everything…..nutrition plan was good, I felt hydrated and the fatigue was what was expected. My time was good and I felt I had a strong bike leg. The first 10 km was hard work….no wind and the temperatures started to creep into the late 20s. I had to rethink my nutrition and hydration strategy as the heat was going to get the better of me if I was not careful…..every aid station I walked through for about 10 metres, 2 water ladened sponges over my head, 1 over my back, soak my running cap,  drink 1 cup of water with eating and drinking the gels every other station.  The crowds were amazing for the whole route with houses turning their water sprinklers onto the runners for additional cooling…..this was a life saver! The cheering was intense and a great motivator all the way through, especially with one Maori lady who I am sure was part of my friends Maori Motivator "Boomtastic" Whanau.

Towards the end people were walking and limping everywhere; I was lucky with running being my strongest discipline I managed to run the course with the exception of the aid stations and the final big hills. Well, I thought I was lucky, until the last 5 km when cramp occurred …fortunately I managed to stretch it off before it started to become too severe but it became a real distraction.

The final 1km was awesome…..it was late afternoon, the crowds were cheering and supporting all competitors creating a tunnel of high five's and noise; after 12 hours of continuous exercise and over 223kms traveled I was living off adrenaline….there was no pain just immense satisfaction that I had done it….it was mine!!!

http://www.marathon-photos.com (video and photos)

Thank you

A big thank you for my support crew who helped me all the way through, put up with me during times of tiredness and constant moaning about aching body, stretching and the single line of conversation

A big thank you to the volunteers who cared, directed, guided and cheered us on all the way through…with out them none of of us would have made it……..they are the real heroes!

A big thank you to the crowds, people of Wanaka and the Challenge Wanaka family…your support was amazing!!!

A big thank you for all the words of support throughout the training period, along with the pre-race text messages and Facebook messages….you know who you are and thank you.

A big thank you for those who supported the Make-a-Wish charity….$1350 is amazing!!!

What's next???

Now the focus is keeping up the fitness levels for some of the other races in the near future…AMI round the Bays, Contact TRi series and the Scorching series. The real focus will be supporting and motivating others to achieve their own goals whether it is the scorching triathlon in February or the Ironman in Taupo. You guys will be awesome!!!!

So, in summary….a great first Ironman and 28 seconds short of a sub-12hour race, it was an awesome experience and bring on the next one!!!

January 17th....registration day

Sign the waiver - check, good bag - check, transition bags...blue bag, red bag, green bag and post race bag - check, text alert numbers - check, wristband - check, timing transponder - check,  weigh in..what? 73 Kg..!!!!! When if instead started getting back into triathlons I was 80Kg, 18 months or so later all the "puppy fat" has now gone including the "love handles".

A gentle run this morning reminded my legs and lungs what was in store in the next 2 days so they did not think they were on holiday too...and hopefully a gentle swim in the lake to gauge the temperature of the water. Talking to my fellow triathletes over brunch today rumour has it that it is a little colder than Wellington harbour......great...with 1500 people it will be like a washing machine on a cold spin.......another aspect of  mental preparation required.

Now that the training volume has reduced to 30 minute sessions I have a lot of time on my hands, walking, reading and of course, the most important aspect of training during tapering week......siestas, snoozes or nana naps which is a new found skill that I am quickly acquiring.

As Wanaka start to build for the race weekend, the expo has started with all the latest gadgets and clothing on sale or "special offers".... It's like being a child in a sweetie store.....BUT....I have the credit card :0)

Tomorrow is the final preparation day...rest, rest and more rest.....an eqsy schedule with a few adjustments on my bike, packing of all the transition bags, rack the bike and get all the nutrition sorted......and focus!!!!

January 14th - The Journey South

So I am now on the road trip south, stopping off and doing a small combination of swim bike and run tourist trips. 

The campervan is packed to the rafters with all the race items for each discipline along with water bottles everywhere. There is  real temptation to do the extra session here are there just to build my confidence and reduce the anxiety that is building up with the realisation that the race is on Saturday.

My last long bike ride is now complete which leaves leaves small sessions of 10-15minutes per discipline just to keep the arms and legs going. The smaller sessions now leaves me with ample time on my hands and therefore more discipline is required, as it is still the summer holidays in NZ there is a real temptation to have a cheeky beer or two.....and I can't lie, the occasional one has passed my lips.

Nutritional loading is now the focus, pasta pasta and more pasta washed down with high protein and carb mix drinks. Very rarely am I seen without a bottle of electrolytes or some other liquid.

I am now in Wanaka with the buzz of the town and the race week and crowds, more light training sessions along with a swim in the lake to gauge the temperature.

The weather forecast is looking cool which is great...but let's wait and see.

End of the Year !!!! - Am I Ready????

The last month has been a very hectic one! Lots of long hours in the pool, on the bike and on the road coupled with a number of training races just to add to the mix.

The triathlon season has now started in Wellington with the Scorching triathlon series and the Splash and Dash series.

Although my training focus has been on endurance i.e 12 hours plus, the support crew along with friends and colleagues from work decided to have a bit of festive fun by entering one of the Scorching team olymipic distance events. The weather wasn't the best with cloud, rain and a lot of gusty wind. Those who were swimming had the easiest day with the sea swim protected from the wind….unlike the runners and cyclists who had to battle head winds. Some were even struggling to keep a straight line! I didn't want to mention it on the day, but with a swim time of 27 minutes I did the least amount of exercise across compared to the others. Overall, it was a great day for our three teams who produced some impressive results.

Theresa joined in the fun by doing the 10km run leg but hadn't had the luxury of preparing. Like a like the others, all have now set their targets on new horizons with a half marathon and another scorching bay triathlon, and netball in the next couple of months.

The Rotorua half ironman (2k swim, 90km bike and half marathon) was a good test as a preparation race. A challenging bike course that starts with a big hill as soon as you come out of the swim , so no time to get comfortable, followed by a series of big hills just to build enough fatigues in your legs ready for the run around the Blue Lake. It was a fantastic day, the lake was very warm and still with a beautiful sunrise followed by blues skies and light winds. While I struggle with the heat it was a good test in preparation for Challenge Wanaka. The result was good, 10 minutes faster than the Karipiro Half Ironman last month and 40 minutes faster than my Auckland Half Ironman in March 2012 so it is good to see that all the hard work seems to be paying off.

In terms of the hard work, here are some statistics in the build up for Challenge Wanaka over the last 8 months:

• In the pool or open water: 100 hours+
• On the bike: 240 hours
• Running on the road or trails: 120 hours
• Alcohol consumption: is about 10 glasses of wine or beer....mostly consumed over the last 2 weeks of the festive period. :)
• Mental preparation: 24/7….this included avoiding the mince pies especially when others have been applying peer pressure.
• Fundraising: The $1000 mark has been achieved which is great news.
• I am hoping for a last minute Christmas support so please check out the links to my Make-a-Wish donation page!!!

So now I am in the "tapering" phase which means less hours and less intensity so my body can recover from any fatigue and build up my strength ready for the race. This is good news as I have about 3 slight niggling injuries that hopefully will subside before the big day. All the articles I have read around the tapering phase follows the same thread….first timers have the anxiety of "have I done enough" and as a result try to squeeze in to much training at the final stages. While the experienced Ironmen are more relaxed and run the risk of taking it too easy. I will stick to my training programme and maybe do one extra session ;o)

This is the last of the monthly updates as I start the journey down to Wanaka. I will provide smaller, in frequent updates on the blog in addition to twitter too @IanRich

Let's just hope I have done enough and thank you everyone for your support !!!

Supports Crew's View

So the big day is nearing...Ian's stats amazed me!  I did my support bit by running 10k in the most horrendous wind.  Nearly killed me! Am sure we will be posting to let you know how the big event goes.  Good luck Ian xxx