Race Report Marathon 2008

Ran my spring marathon today. In an earlier post I described being just a little bit anxious - I wanted to finally break 3:30 after 18 years of trying. I had trained well, and I believed I could finally do it. Mitch gave me the quote "believing is the first step" on my way ...

The day wasn't really good for running. It was raining a lot in the days before and there were some muddy sections on the course. Today, we had some more rain, low hanging clouds, and temperatures in the 40s. Usually, nobody is out on a day like this, but I hardly noticed it.

The course was four rolling loops, mostly paved streets and bicycle paths, but also some muddy trails. The first 5k were a bit easier than the second - except for one "major" uphill, but there wasn't really any flat section on the whole course.

The first loop I tried to go out "easy" and leave myself enough power for the rest of the race:

* 00-05k: 25:39 HR136

* 05-10k: 25:35 HR140

So far so good - I pretty much stayed to my HR guidelines (135, then 140) and I felt okay - maybe a bit wet I was just a bit slower than the 5min/k pace I was hoping for.

The second loop was similar:

* 10-15k: 24:29 HR140

* 15-20k: 24:43 HR142

My HR was okay, but the pace was still a bit slow. When I ran by my wife, she told me to pick it up a bit or else ... I believed I could break 3:30 on this day, so I decided to give me a few extra beats.

Third loop:

* 20-25k: 24:40 HR142 (including a 30 second pit stop, so I was getting a bit faster!)

* 25-30k: 24:54 HR145

Even though I was a bit disappointed with the last 5k, I was still right on the bubble of my 3:30 goal. I passed 30k in 2:30:02, so I basically needed to make up a minute on my 5min/k pace. Two years ago, when running the same race, I was about a minute and a half faster at this point, but I basically knew that my race was over that day. Today, I believed I still had it in me and went on to run

* 30-35k: 24:18 HR147

All right! Just twenty more seconds to make up! I really believed I could do it now. I even took the time to walk a few steps after the last aid station (37k) to make sure I get enough Coke down so I could power the rest ..

* 35-40k: 25:00 HR148

Things were getting really hard now. The rest was mostly downhill, so I believed that although I had absolutely nothing left in me, I could get things done.

* 40-finish: 10:11 HR153

giving me a finish time of 3:29:31! I did it!

Although I was hoping to be able to run a 3:25, I'm totally glad the way the race worked out. I was able to pick up the pace when I needed, and I don't think I could have gone any faster on this day. What else can you ask for!

Race Report Roth 2007

The "Quelle Challenge Roth" was my second IM distance race. It is one of the classic triathlon races and is very well organized. Usually, a lot of excellent athletes show up, and every long distance triathlete not totally focused on IM Hawaii and qualifying for it should take part in Roth at least once!

In my first race, IM Germany in Frankfurt two years earlier, I finished in 12:26 without running into any major issues. I swam a 1:13, rode a 6:21 and ran a 4:42 (plus some change for transitions).

I was hoping to improve quite a bit on that time, as I had a very solid preparation with some more volume than in my first IM. Also, Mitch made sure that I added a lot of running while keeping my bike and swimming at record levels.

Swim

The swim in Roth is in the Main-Donau-Canal - no problems at all with navigation - just go straight with two turns.

The spectators are quite close, I even heard my wife shout out some encouragement and she managed to take a photo of me. Also, there is a wave start, so things are quite civilized.

My swim was quite relaxed, tried not to waste any energy. Had a little cramp in my calf, but when I stopped it went right away. Strange, never had that before.

Ended up swimming 1:11:31 - I had hoped for a 1:10, but no need to worry.

Bike

After a quick transition (no change of clothes this time!) I was riding away. The course in Roth is very beautiful, through small villages and with quite some undulations - never boring. My personal highlight was the "Solarer Berg", one of the big spectator spots. Probably 15 to 20 thousand (!) people line a one kilometer, pretty steep hill. The elite racers had started more than an hour before me, so I - being on my first loop - was passed by Macca and Thomas Hellriegel alredy on their second loop shortly before the Solarer Berg. The crowd was still buzzing and cheering the other racers on. Then it got even louder, and I was barely able to hear the honking of the camera motor cycle filming the third rider Eneko Llanos flying by me. It was pretty close - almost like at the Tour de France where the spectators only open a little space right before the rider almost crashes into them.

My bike time was just a few seconds over 6 hours (maybe I shouldn't have stopped quite so often to pee), which was still a big improvement over my Frankfurt time. I tried to eat as much as possible and to ride as steady as possible, but it was very tricky with all the hills and I had some fade towards the end.

Some Ergomo data: 1st loop 209AP 235NP 31.5 km/h; 2nd loop 198AP 226NP 30.1 km/h (plus a short relaxed ride into T2).

Run

I took some time in T2 to get some sunscreen and for a toilet stop. Saw my wife, my parents and some friends right when I started the run. The plan was to run the first 5 to 8k very relaxed and to get my HR to under 125. I managed to do that quite well (even walked a bit on one of the short, steeper uphills). I had some spikes, but cooled down, was eating and tried to relax as much as possible. Also, my pace was okay - just a bit under 6 minutes per k.

After the 8k mark, I had planned to run with my HR at about 130, with a cap of 135. I eased into the higher HRs, and my pace got considerably faster (under 5:30/k). I was feeling absolutely great and probably overpaced "a bit". By the half marathon mark, when I ran by my fans, I already had some doubts if I could hold that pace. After 25k, I just exploded.

I had to walk most of the next 10k which took me 1h25. I tried a couple of things (1 min run/walk, counting steps, drinking Coke), but nothing really worked. I don't know what it was, but around the 35k mark I tried some more running. I at least wanted to try to improve my Frankfurt time. Everyone who has ever done an IM knows that the advanced math to calculate what pace you have to run to reach your goal time is impossible at this point. All I managed is that walking in would not be enough .. so I continued to run. Strangely, it worked and after a bit I was able to get back to running a 6 minute pace. Again I was not able to figure out where exactly I would end up .. somewhere around 12 hours ... maybe I could still break 12 hours?! I ran on ...

I got the finish line, was very happy to see my wife and my parents and made sure to take some time to wave at them. At that point - if my watch was correct - I would be able to sneak under the 12 hour mark with just a minute to spare .. When I actually got to the finish line and saw the clock at 13:03:something .. I was surprised but managed to do the math .. I had started exactly 1 hour and 5 minutes after the elite .. so my time was 11:58 - YES!!!

My official finish time was 11:58:48 with a marathon of 4:36. So I managed to improve in all three parts - four PRs in one race! But did I race to the best of my abilities? Probably not ...

What’s next (from 2005)

Note: This is an article that was written in 2005 after I completed my first IM. In hindsight, some of the goals look a bit ambitious, but I’m still thinking in the direction of “Let’s try to get better”. Also the goal of getting to closer to qualify for IM Hawaii is still active. It may just take a little while longer …

Where I’m coming from

In 2001, I was an out-of-shape, overweight (104 kg), middle-age (33 years) man getting married. In 2005, I'm four years older, happily married, and finished my first IM in 12:26h, having lost 18kg of weight. So what's next for me?

A lot of things can happen. I may find a new job that truly excites me again, my wife and I might finally manage to have a kid, but these things are not truly within my control. As I've drawn a lot of satisfaction from my athletic development in the last years, I've decided to set myself a lofty goal in this area. I've decided to call it "Sub-10 in '10" – which should also get me close to being able to qualify for Kona.

As noted above, there are a few things that could make this goal less important, I may not be able to get that fast and I don't want to take things literally (a 9:52 in '11 would be great as well ;-)) but as a reference point, I really like the catchy phrase.

First, a short look at my progression over the last years:

Season	Total (h)	Swim (h/km)	Bike (h/km)	Run (h/km)	A Races
01/02	145h	-	-	145h	Marathon in 4:26
02/03	271h	20h 50	64h 1671	173h 1755	Marathon in 3:52, First Oly (2:38)
03/04	387h	80h 187	116h 3023	174h 1763	Marathon in 3:39, First Half IM (5:04)
04/05	435h	85h 202	173h 4501	149h 1535	First IM in 12:26:57

Sub-10 in ‘10

To go sub-10 means something along the lines of 1hr Swim, 5:20 Bike, 3:30 Run, plus 5 Min in each transition. This year my times were Swim 1:13, T1 7:43, Bike 6:20:39, T2 3:21, Run 4:42:12.

So, what does it take to get me closer to Sub-10?

As last year was close to what was tolerated at home and at work, I don't think I can do more than last 2005. Ultimately, that may limit how fast I can get and I may have to rethink that number along the way, but for now I'd like to try not to break anything by increasing my training load.

I feel the biggest improvement for me will have to be on the bike .. that will require increasing the volume and become much more powerful than I am now. What should I be doing here? "JFT" is my main idea. I'm not sure whether I would benefit from "toys" like a power meter. Upwards of 800$ is a pretty hefty investment if there is not that much of a benefit for me.

The run .. obviously, I will have to improve here as well, but I think at least I know what to do to get there. Run often, and get a bit faster while get fitter and leaner.

Which brings me to the next issue – weight (body composition is the political correct term ;-)). At 1.80m (6ft?) I'm still "a bit" overweight with 86kg (192 lbs?) on race day. I've improved over the last years, but progress has been so slow and even not really there this year that I feel there is a lot to do here.

Swim .. probably the easiest. I've managed a very relaxed 1:13 on two times per week. As I have excellent form I regard the volume I can put in as my main limiter here. I think that I will see huge improvements if I manage to swim 3 times or more per week. If getting to Kona requires me to swim twice in the morning before going to work, I think I can do that. For 2006, I may sacrifice winter swimming for some time in the weight room. I've never done any lifting before and feel that I may need a new stimulus – especially considering my bike focus.

Which leaves .. race execution. I think for my first race, Mitch helped me build a race plan for my capabilities and made me feel comfortable with that plan on race day. I deviated a bit from it (the classic rookie mistakes – started a bit hard on the bike, ran the first loop of the run a bit too fast), but all in all it went pretty good. I think I'm "smart enough" to get to Hawaii – what I don't know is if I can get fit enough.

What should I do in 2006?

The overall volume .. I think I'll shoot for about 400 hours, but I would like to be more consistent than last year when a good week was almost always followed by a week with smaller volume. I'd like to enhance my basic week so that I get in about 8 hours per week almost automatically, so when I do the larger sessions for my marathon or ½ IM prep, I'm almost guaranteed to go over ten hours without any undue stress.

As a gesture to my wife I've decided to have my next IM in 2007, so 2006 should be a base year and mainly about having fun. Training and racing in the last years was a blast. I was setting PRs left and right – let's see how long that continues! So I want to PR in most of my running races, 10k (41:45 – would love to go sub-40), half marathon (1:34:31 – would love to get close to 1:30h) and marathon (3:39:31 – should be able to go sub 3:30). These are my goals for the first part of the year up to March (marathon is end of April). During this time, I should have some minimum weekly time for biking (probably 2 hours per week) and as noted above I'm thinking of doing weights instead of swimming.

The rest of the year I want to focus on biking. Starting during the taper for the marathon, I want to get as many bike-hours in as possible. I've already signed up for "Vätternrondan" in mid-June, the world's largest bike "race", a 300km non-stop loop around a lake in Sweden.

Depending on vacation, I would like to end my season with my A-triathlon, possibly a half IM in late August (with a big PR, as well – 10 to 15 minute improvement over my time from 2004). Leading up to that, I would like to do a few more triathlons and maybe some bike races, too.

After my main triathlon, have some more fun running races to finish the year.

Race Report IM Germany 2005

Before the race

As usual, the last few days before leaving for the race were pretty hectic. I managed to get an easy run in on Monday evening. On Tuesday, it was raining hard, so I took my MTB for an easy 60 minute ride and got totally soaked. Wednesday was a little bit better, so I got a nice easy swim in. I guess all the work and other things that needed to be done helped me to avoid doing anything hard. Wednesday evening was spent packing and getting my race plan done so I could send it off to Mitch for review.

My wife and I drove down to Frankfurt on Thursday. There was a lot of traffic and it rained hard, so it wasn't very relaxing to drive. We drove the last part of the bike course I hadn't seen when I did recon in May, and managed to get to the race office half an hour before they closed. I picked up all my stuff, picked up the gels I still needed for the race and were amazed about the stands that were being erected at the finish line on the "Römer", the old part of downtown Frankfurt. Then we drove another 45 mins to our friend Marcus we'd be staying at, had Pizza for dinner and were happy to go to bed.

On Friday I got up early to go out to "Langener Waldsee" where the swim was. They opened up at 8 and I was in the water by 8:10 with a bunch of Canadians. The lake was very nice to swim in. As I didn't want to go through the hassle of cleaning and drying my wetsuit, I swam without my wetsuit, but it was nice and warm. Official water temp on Sunday was 22°C, but it felt even warmer. Got back to our friend and had some nice breakfast with my wife. Then a quick nap, some lunch and the it was off to the race briefing. Nothing new, but I guess you have to be there just in case something interesting comes up. Then back to downtown to meet with most of my "fan group". Both my cousins with their wife and husband had come down, and we talked a bit with them.

Also met the other three people (Sybille, Sven and Stefan) from my club that were doing the race. Lots of good wishes from everyone to everyone. There is a lot of respect between those committed to do the race. After an hour, we drove back out to our friend and had a big pasta meal to carbo load for the race.

On Saturday we slept in until 9am. Afterwards I set up my bike and went out for what was planned to be an easy spin. It turned out to be very hilly were our friend lives so I ended up riding pretty hard for the first 15 minutes to get up the first hill. Then I managed to find a nice loop – another 15 minutes easy, then 15 minutes downhill coasting. The legs felt really good, the bike was okay, only the cable of my computer was cut so the computer didn't work. No problem, I still had enough time to get a replacement before bike check-in. Some leftover pasta for lunch, then finish my bags for the check-in. Throw everything in the car, then drive to the swim start. On the way stop at a bike shop I had seen, get a new computer cable. Borrow some equipment at the race site to properly mount it on my bike, then stand a bit in line for check-in. Saw Stefan, Sven and Sybille when I left and we encouraged each other some more. Just got a bit hot as the sun had come out in full force by now. Then drive back, eat and dink some more stuff, watch Tour de France, answer some phone calls from some other friends coming to watch the race. My father cut his vacation a bit short to be able to come to Frankfurt, and we had two more people from my tri club and Mom & Dad of Sybille. Off to bed at 8:30, probably fell asleep by 8:45.

Race morning

Woke up at 3:10, a bit earlier than I had set my watch – really excited and anxious. Had a big breakfast (three egg omelet, two rolls with Honey, Nutella and cheese, a glass of OJ and some coffee with milk). Got everyone else out of bed, mixed my bottles, put the few remaining things in the car and we were off. Tina and Marcus dropped me at the swim start and went off to drop the car.

I checked my bike, put the bottles on the bike, pumped the tires. Some personal time to focus, again encourage Sven and Sybille (didn't see Stefan), then the volunteers started to urge people towards the swim start. I snuck into a portapotti (only short lines at this point!), then quickly put on my wetsuit and went into the water. Saw my cousin and two friends on the way. They played the national anthem, I edged easily toward the start line and I was pretty nervous …

Swim

The gun went off and everyone started swimming. An IM swim start seems to be proof of a shrinking universe, everyone seems to converge on you. Actually, it wasn't that bad. Some erratic swimmers, but I wanted to take the swim very easy, so I didn't have a problem in letting them pass when they were getting too close too often.

There was a quite a long way before the first turn, but it was still pretty congested and everyone had to breaststroke around the buoy. There is a short walk on land after the first half .. took my split – 34:45 – time okay – maybe the HR a little high. So relax a bit more and just go on. Second lap was just as uneventful, a bit longer, HR a little lower. Just got a bit bored towards the end, but that's okay I guess.

Time for the swim: 1:13:00 (302^nd in my AG)– smack in the middle of my planned range of 1:10 to 1:16. I was quite happy as everything had gone fine and I felt that I hadn't wasted any energy.

T1

After exiting the lake you have to go up a short but pretty steep hill to get to T1. I walked easy, a guy helped me open my wetsuit. Saw Marcus and Tina, took a swig of water, then found my bag.

With the help of a volunteer I took off my swim briefs (yes, I did use the tent!), put on my bike clothes and stuffed everything I didn't need in the bag. An easy walk/jog to the bike, grab my helmet, then off.

Time: 7:43 (373^rd in my AG, total 320^th in my AG)– a bit longer than planned, but what's a minute?

Bike

Tried to take things very easy at first. Put on my arm warmers (it was a bit overcast and still pretty cold). Stefan blew by me at the 10k mark – he had a very good swim! He "can't swim" – just started training half a year ago for the IM. But he is a great cyclist and runner. Originally he said it would take him until the 90k mark to get me. But as my swim time was okay, I wasn't concerned and just happy for him.

My HR went down quite well and I was soon under the 120 mark. After I saw Sybille's parents when I hit downtown Frankfurt at about the 14k mark, I started eating and soon the hills started. I was finding it really hard to keep my HR down and not to go too hard on the hills. Lots of people blowing by me, lots of spectator cheering, and from what I could see not a very good average speed. Up to the 60k mark I was seeing HRs in the mid-125s – my plan was to ride at sub-115 till 50k and then 115-120 with a cap of 125. At about 60k I stopped for to pee and that clear-headed minute allowed me to kick me and tell me to stay in my zones. That was a very good decision, on my way back to Frankfurt I realized that the first part was into the wind and more uphill than downhill, so I could really power on the way back. HR much better, average okay. Just didn't manage to get the hills up at sub-125 – just try to do that with people screaming at you and real Tour de France atmosphere! At the end of the first loop I flew by my fan-group and their cheering cheered me up even more.

The second loop went okay as well. Had to tell myself to properly stay in my zones a few times, but I managed to get my calories in quite well. At one point I ran out of water and things started to get hot. The sun had come out, I had taken off my arm-warmers. Took things a bit easier, took two bottles at the next aid station and didn't run into major issues. At the end of the second loop I got up to Sybille who is a stronger swimmer than me. We chatted a bit, I stopped and kissed Tina when we drove by, then the bike was over.

Time: 27:30 to Frankfurt (414^th/total 336^th), 1^st loop 2:55:17 (416^th, total 385^th), 2^nd loop 2:57:52 (381^st, total 385^th), total bike 6:20:39 (409^th in my AG)

T2

A volunteer took my bike, I got my bag and took some time to redress for the run – new shorts, singlet, socks, shoes plus my fuelbelt.

Time: 3:21 (332^nd in my AG), total time was 7:44:45 (383^rd in my AG)

(My thinking at this time: Great, you just have to run a 6 min/k average to go sub-12!)

Run

First loop (0-14k)

Was a bit faster than Sybille in T2 so I came out before her. Tried to start very easy, but it was quite warm and I found it very hard to get my HR down. After 2k there was a short downhill section in the shade, that was the first time I got my HR to under 135. I wanted to get it down to under 130 but I felt so slow. (I know, Rookie mistake.) At about 5k I stopped for a short pee and Sybille passed me. She slowly ran away and it took some willpower not to try to catch up to her and run with her. My HR was still too high! Passed my fans, and started to take in some gel from my fuelbelt.

Felt quite comfortable, but pretty hot. I had hoped to be able  to run about a 4hr marathon, but my splits hovered at about 6 min/k. At the 10k mark, I decided to try to hold that pace. Still, my HR was hovering around 135 instead of around 130 and still too high for the 130-135 region I had in mind after the first loop. At the 13k turnaround I saw that Sybille had built her lead to about 1:30 mins – one more reason not to slow down now. I was about to pay for it …

Time: 1:25:41 (333^rd)

Second loop (14-28k)

I continued to run my 6 min pace, with my HR at 135+. I got even warmer, at about the 20k I mark I gave Tina my fuelbelt (I had downed most of the gel anyways) and felt briefly better without the weight. That lasted for 2 minutes or so – and on the long section in the sun I had to walk a bit. I decided to push a bit but had to walk again on an uphill section leading to a bridge. This was my "dark moment" and thoughts of having to walk the last 21k were swirling in my mind. I saw Sybille's parents here, but their encouragement didn't reach me. However, I was starting to come around a bit and I thought of Gordo's "It's okay to walk, you just have to make sure the run restarts each time.". So after the bridge I decided to run a bit more, at least up to the next aid station. I had already sipped coke having run through most of the aid station so far, and I decided to try to take in whatever I could from the next aid station. Nearly stopped running before I had gotten there, but just caught myself in time. I walked the next aid station, drank a full cup of coke, nibbled on a cookie, poured tons of water over my head. After I was finished with the coke, I started running again. Well, it was more like a shuffle, but at least I didn't walk. So on to the next aid station … I just tried to think of the next aid station and not further ahead, and it worked. Slowly, I started to feel … well, not better, but at least not worse. At the turnaround I noticed Sybille was just 2:30 mins ahead and I thought I might just be able to catch her.

Time: 1:37:15 (285^th in my AG – when I saw the results after the race, this really surprised me. A lot of people must have been feeling a lot worse than I was!)

Third loop (28k to finish)

Tried to run from aid station to station, walked while trying to get as much coke down as possible, walked the two uphill sections before the bridge – but ran the rest of the last loop … at about a 7 min pace …

Still I caught Sybille at about the 34k mark, and we ran a bit together. She had to walk before the next aid station, so I ran on. The rest of the loop was a blur … tried not to think too far ahead, but when I got my last band (to show I had run three loops) at the 37k mark I thought I'd be able to get to the finish line like this. Saw a lot of my fans at this point and their cheering spurred me on. I was close to tears when I got to the finish line and a bit unhappy I couldn't see my wife right before I crossed the line. (She saw me finish, though.) The finish line itself was great – big stands in the oldest part of Frankfurt, lots of people cheering.

Sven was at the finish line waiting for Sybille and we both gave each other a big hug. Then "my fans" were there as well – my wife, my father, the rest of my family. After the first round of congratulations Sybille came in, too, for the next round of cheering and hugging. Everyone of our club had finished, and finished well.

Time: 1:39:14 (as this loop added the 200m to the finish line, the time is almost equal to my 2^nd loop; 237^th in my AG), total time for the run 4:42:12 (278^th in my AG), total time 12:26.57 (334^th in my AG).

Race Report Ratzeburg 2004

Note: This race was in the age before we had a digital camera (hard to believe, but it’s true!). So no pictures in this report …

Distance

In Germany, Half IMs are called "Middle Distance" triathlons, typically with distances of 2k Swim, 80k Bike and 20k Run. These basic distances are usually altered a bit based on local preferences. In Ratzeburg, a small town near Hamburg, Germany, the bike leg was officially 85k in a rolling countryside, although my reconnaissance showed a length of about 88k (two loops of 44k each). The run was exactly 20k (again 2 two loops of 10k).

Before the race

Ratzeburg was to be my first Half IM after a 12 year break. In my student days (early 1990s) I was able to finish 3 Half IMs, all of which were not all that good, especially on the run. My best run time was 2:04h.

This year, after having gained 25kg of weight (and having lost 18 kg of these) since then, my goals were like this: First, finish, and second, keep it together on the run. Thinking of trying an IM race next year, my strategy for the race was similar to Gordo's IM strategy: Easy on the swim and bike to be able to put together a strong run.

The run leg was always (and still is ;-) my weak leg, being a half-way decent swimmer, I'm usually able to more or less hold my place during the bike leg, only to be overtaken by a bunch of people on the run. Having had a look at the rolling run-course instilled even more respect for the run leg, so I decided to be really careful on the bike not to go too hard.

As I've also ridden the bike course a bit, I had a pretty good feel for my potential times:

Base 0:37 – 0:03 – 2:53 (30,5 km/h) – 0:02 – 1:50 -> 5:25h

Realistic 0:35 – 0:03 – 2:49 (31,2 km/h) – 0:02 – 1:45 -> 5:14h

Dream goal 0:33 – 0:03 – 2:46 (31,8 km/h) – 0:02 – 1:40 -> 5:04h

The morning

As the start was to be at 8am, that meant getting up at 4:30. Some breakfast (an apple, a banana, two honey sandwiches), prepare two more honey sandwiches for the race, fill the bike bottles and my fuel belt for the run. Then drive 45 mins to Ratzeburg and set up my bike in the transition. A light jog, find a toilet and some more jogging. 20 mins before the start I took a lot of time to properly put my wetsuit on. 10 mins before my start, some light swimming (just to get wet). Then a last kiss from my wife before the race. Some good wishes from my parents, who had come out by now as well. Ready to go!

Swim

As there were about 100 people in my wave, it wasn't crowded for very long before I could swim my own pace. Also found a pretty good pair of feet. At the turn around, I had a quick look at my watch – 17 mins! On the way back, I tried to draft a bit more, but whenever I found some feet, the guy attached to them started to zig-zag, and I swam a lot of the second half on my own. As I could see that there was a pretty big gap to the next group, I held myself a bit back to stay in the group I was in. It felt quite long to get back, but when I got out of the water, my time was 33:21. Yo! Cheers from my fan group.

T1

Struggled a bit to get out of my wetsuit, but when I tugged the cord hard, it opened up. Found my bike (had a 2 second scare when I thought I had the wrong row), took the wetsuit, cap and goggles off, sunglasses and helmet on, unrack the bike and out of T1.

Bike

Coming out of T1 and trying to mount my bike on the fly, I nearly ran over a couple of guys who had stopped completely. After running around them, I hopped on my bike and started to pedal over the first hill. Saw my wife who had run up to the bike course waving at me. Then I slipped into my bike shoes (had them already attached to the bike). There was a short (100m) section of cobblestones. A couple of people had already wreaked their nutrition here, with bike bottles, energy bars, CO2 cartridges etc. being strewn all over the place. My sandwich bag which I had taped to my aero bars, nearly came off as well, but before it fell down I put a hand on it, and after I had passed the cobblestones, I quickly stuffed it into my shirt's pockets. Then there was a flat section that allowed me to put on my arm warmers and drink a bit before hitting the first "hill". (It wasn't long – maybe a km, and not that steep, but there aren't many long hills around where I live.) My goal was to wait for my HR to settle down to about 130, and I was already resigned to the fact that there would be a couple of people who would overtake me here. It turned out to be a lot of people, and my HR was still hovering just under 150. So I pedaled easy, even after the hill was over, and after about 15 mins my HR was in the 130s. I still had to take it easy for another 15 mins or my HR would shoot up.

After 20k I had finished my first water bottle (500ml), and I got a replacement at the aid zone. The bike course is a two loop affair, and at the end of the first loop I was able to hold my HR in the planned region (around 130) while my speed – at about 31.5 km/h - was towards my dream goal speed. I was eating and drinking according to plan. Before starting the second loop I had to stop and pee. At the start of the second loop my wife handed me my private special needs bag. (Is it legal to accept food and drink from friends and family? I didn't really care today, but I sure don't want to loose a Kona slot because of that.) So all in all I ate on the bike two powerbars (2*225 = 450 cal), two honey sandwiches (2*150 = 300 cal), and I drank about 1200 ml Gatorade (12*25 = 300cal), about 1000 cal. That was lower target rate. I had planned to secure 2 bananas at the aid stations (2*100 = 200cal), however, I got none. Good thing I had planned for some buffer in my nutrition plan!

On the second loop I increased my HR to about 135 (RPE staid the same), and things were going pretty well. Only bad thing was that I had to stop two more times to pee, so I was re-overtaking the people I had passed before my stop. Seems I have to learn to pee on the bike!

Towards the end I was happy that the ride was about to be over (Note: Should use a real bike short for IM.) Shortly before going down the hill I have described earlier (about 15min before T2), I took in a gel (another 125 cal) with my remaining water. Then the cobblestone section (with cheers from my fan club who placed strategically at this slow section) , the last short hill, out of the shoes and dismount the bike.

T2

Ran with my bike to the rack (no problem in finding the right spot this time). Rack the bike, took off the helmet and my glasses. Took some care to get the grass off my feet, put on my socks and shoes, refresh a bit with a wet towel (feels great in the neck and on the legs after a bike ride!), then grab my bottle belt and go!

Official time at the end of T2: xx

I didn't have a feeling at all whether I had gained or lost any places, but from the official results I was able to see that my swim had put me on 26^th place in my AG (out of 52), my bike was the 35^th best (having slipped to 35^th place). My legs felt okay, so I was anxious to find out if my training had paid off.

Run

I didn't feel too good at the start of the run, but after 2k I started to pick off runners at ease, and my speed was almost at dream goal speed (5 min per k). The HR was a bit high (goal was 140 to 150, especially on the uphills I was at around 155). Based on my spring marathon, I decided to stick to this HR and see how long I can hold it. At the aid stations I was taking a sip of water and put the rest on my head. It was starting to get warm! At the 5k mark, my km-splits were right were I wanted them and I got a big boost out constantly of passing people. At the 8k mark, I took one gel with water and immediately regretted it – as I got pretty heavy side stitches. I tried to think positive thoughts (from Gordo's tips for your first HIM: "There will be a period where you'll feel absolutely awful, but it'll pass."), and still continued to overtake people! I was already feeling a bit better when a mountain bike with the overall leaded passed me. I had figured out beforehand that this would probably happen on my first loop, so I was quite happy that it was pretty late (after the 9k mark). Also, the guy was huffing pretty hard, yet I didn't feel that he was going that fast, which gave me another boost. With these thoughts I had already reached the end of the first loop. My wife and my parents cheered my on. I passed my bottle belt to my wife – I decided I wouldn’t take another gel. Then there were some people from my team who told me how good I looked. (Gave them my usual reply to that: I look better than I feel.) One guy ran a bit with me and asked whether I had already committed to do next year's German IM with him. Hit the split button at the 10k mark (just a bit over 50 mins – right on track for my dream goal!)

On the second run loop there were a lot of people from the OD race that took place at the same time, so again I had a lot of people I was able to overtake. Some more cheers from other athletes from my club, and my splits were right were I wanted them. At about 13k I started to try to pick it up some more, and my split came down to about 4:40. At the aid station shortly before the 15k mark I took a cup of Coke and walked a bit to drink it fully. Hurt my split a bit, but I really picked it up after that. I tried to go as hard as I could and managed to go the last 5k in 23:05. At the finish line friends and family welcomed me after 5:03:51 (29^th in my AG, 85^th of 177 overall – it doesn't get more MOP than this!), being totally elated after that great run (run split 1:37:55, 15^th in my AG).

Key Lessons

• pacing strategy works – had a great run which is very unusual for me
• scout the course – you know where things are and you can segment the course
• do a couple of race sims to give you a feeling of how hard to go on race day
• no tempo runs really required for a "just finish" strategy – a couple of B races is sufficient for that
• consistent training pays off

Summer reading: Some old reports

My wife and I will be gone on our Summer vacation for a while. As there probably won’t be too much personal training and endurance news during that time, I’ve decided to take a different track:

Over the years I’ve posted some race reports in a couple of forums, namely the no-longer-existent forum on Gordo’s old website and on the still existing, but pretty low traffic forum at CounterpartCoaching. I’ve added some photos where I still had some. Even if some of the content is a little bit dated and some plans turned out to be a bit unrealistic, it was interesting for me to go back to these old reports and re-read them. I hope you’ll enjoy them as well!