A lofty title for today's post indeed. There seems to be precious little information on the web for endurance athletes (or those who want to compete in endurance sports) with autoimmune disease. I can't provide much general insight, but I can share my experience.
My own slice of autoimmune joy is uveitis. My eyes have an inflammation in the middle eye, which causes swelling on the retina. This leads to severely compromised central vision when the swelling is not controlled. Mine is controlled by slow-release implants of corticosteroids that get injected into my eyeballs every 4 months (ish). In an effort to beat the disease into remission I'm also on a regimen of immuno-suppressants (currently CellCept, usually used for transplant recipients).
Right now I'm training for my first big race of the season: Ironman 70.3 St. George. It's a race consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run. As you might imagine, this sort of distance requires a fair bit of training. Just to give a little better idea of how much training someone might do for this type of event (and I am trying to get closer to the front of the field in this sport), here's how much training I've done so far in 2013 (and I'm currently starting to build my training volume).
Bike: Approximately 30 hours. Largely spent on my indoor trainer due to weather. A good fraction of this has been high intensity training.
Run: Assuming I run as planned later today, about 14 hours. This has been split about 9 hours trail running (mostly in snow), 4 hours road running and 1 hour on the treadmill. My running is lagging a little behind my plan.
Swim: Well, least said soonest mended. I just started swimming again after my Ironman triathlon last year.
How does autoimmune disease affect my training?
- Most of the time my vision doesn't interfere substantially with training or racing.
- When I have injections in the eye I can't swim for 3 days afterwards. Last year I also had 2 eye surgeries that kept me from training for longer.
- Immunosuppressants have the biggest impact on my training. Methotrexate (which I no longer take) gave me nausea that made quality training impossible for 1-2 days per week. It feels like I'm tolerating the CellCept better, but it occasionally messes with my GI tract. This means that I have days where long training sessions are impossible, and I also find it hard to eat sufficient calories to sustain my workouts. Yesterday I had to stop a 1.75 hour ride on the trainer early, after taking two breaks.
- Immune suppression, well, suppresses the immune system. So does intense exercise. This makes me susceptible to catching whatever is floating around out there. Thanks to a good diet and some healthy paranoia I've been able to stay healthy for the last couple of years with only one real dose of man-flu.
- Alcohol. This isn't highly recommended for folks taking immunosuppressants. I got out of the drinking habit when I started on methotrexate and I'm typically having one drink a month these days. It's brilliant. No hangovers. More of my calories are nutrionally valuable. I just feel better. I can train better. My mind feels generally sharper. In this respect starting systemic medication has been awesome for my training.
- Muscle growth and recovery from workouts... these are made more difficult by my medication. Sometimes I just don't have the strength that I know my muscles can provide. I don't feel weak, per se, I just can't hit my potential some days. Recovering, like healing from wounds, takes longer than it used to. It still happens, but I'm still getting used to just how slow it can be at times.
- Blood monitoring. I actually have a doctor watching the state of my health closely, and I get blood tests done every month or two. I know what my body is doing, long term, and I have a doctor watching it all. This is surprisingly useful, if you take a little time to understand what all the tests mean.
- Mental health. This is a biggie. When I see my vision slipping away in one eye as my condition flares up, it makes staying positive about everything harder. It makes work harder, since I need my vision to work, and that raises stress levels. When I'm coping with side-effects from medication, same story. Mental toughness and the ability to stay focused and positive under extreme conditions are vital for endurance athletes. I just get more opportunities to develop that toughness than average.
In short, dealing with autoimmune disease often includes "performance-reducing" measures. By accepting that changes will have to be made to get the best out of your body it's totally possible to participate in, and be competitive at, endurance sports. Listening to your body is key, and training has to be smart. At the moment my body doesn't respond as quickly as it used to to training, so I have to think more about how to manage the physical stress I place on my body to get the training I need. There are no shortcuts, and I'm still learning just what I can get away with.
There are some real inspirations out there too... folks dealing with autoimmune diseases that are competitive sportspeople with great attitudes.
Some well-known sportspeople with auto-immune diseases:
Sanya Richards-Ross, sprinter; Venus Williams, tennis player; Phil Mickelson, golfer; Novac Djokovic, tennis player
Triathlete Angela Durazo also keeps a great blog about racing with rheumatoid arthritis. Check it out.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
2013 Race Calendar
So what does 2013 look like? Well, this isn't set in stone yet, but it is the plan...
As always, life can (and most likely will) get in the way of some of this and so the plan is open to change.
As always, life can (and most likely will) get in the way of some of this and so the plan is open to change.
April:
- Adoption Exchange Classic Omnium
- Atomic Man duathlon
May:
- St. George 70.3
- Jemez Mountain Trail Run 1/2 marathon
June:
- Billy the Kid Tombstone Olympic Tri
- Run the Caldera trail 1/2 marathon
- Tour de Los Alamos road race
- Storrie Lake Olympic Tri (maybe... depends on travel schedule, could be replaced by Mona Vale Cold Water Classic 1.2km ocean swim)
July:
- Taos Gran Fondo
- Cochiti Lake Olympic Tri
August:
- Boulder 70.3
- Los Alamos Triathlon (Sprint)
- The 505 Triathlon (1mi swim, 40mi bike, 9.5mi run)
September:
- XTerra Dread Mon Tri
- Trinada del Muerto (70.3)
And a fall marathon with the girlfriend...
Then I'm going to sleep until there's enough snow to take the board out. Or take the car out for a track day. Or something that doesn't involve swim, bike or run.
But for now, Happy New Year to all! All the best for 2013.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
2012 in summary
This has been quite a year. It's hard to know where to start to summarize it...
So here's a picture of some of my haul from events this year:
So what were my race highlights?
Obviously doing the toughest Ironman course in the world as my first is a highlight, especially having raised a good chunk of change for Olivia's Vision. Going under 5 hours at Boulder 70.3 is probably the result of the season. To be honest though, performing pretty consistently well through my packed season is marvellous. Not bad for a first season dedicated to triathlon, even though 2011 was my first tri season it was more about cycling until I decided I wanted to do a half-ironman...
So this season:
Atomic Man duathlon (10km run, 40km bike, 5km run): 8th overall, 7th male, 4th M35-39.
Run the Caldera, trail 1/2 marathon: 24th overall, 23rd male, 14th M30-39
- in 7th place at 7 miles before injuring foot...
Tour de Los Alamos (27 mile road race, Citizens class): 2nd overall, 1st M30-39
Storrie Lake olympic triathlon: 23rd overall, 5th M35-39
Cochiti Lake olympic triathlon: 14th overall, 3rd M35-39
- PODIUM!
Ironman 70.3 Boulder: 192nd overall, 33rd M35-39 TIME: 4:59:30
- Swim: 35, Bike: 2:33, Run 1:43
Los Alamos triathlon (20km bike, 400m swim, 5km run): 6th overall, 4th elite
- yup, got my first Elite wave start!
Ironman Wales: 453rd overall, 96th M35-39 TIME: 12:15:10
- stuck on small chainring for last 50 miles of the bike
- windy, hilly, cold and absolutely fantastic
- Swim: 1:07, Bike: 6:55 (grrr), Run: 3:46
I also got two century tours in... the Santa Fe century and the Day of the Tread century. Sadly I had to miss my favourite tour - the Enchanted Circle century.
Also in 2012:
Continuing uveitis and cystoid macular edema
Right eye, lens replacement (cataract surgery #1)
Left eye, lens replacement (cataract surgery #2)
Several slow-release corticosteroid implants in each eye
Chondritis on left ear
Countless injections of immuno-suppressant methotrexate (now thankfully discontinued)
Giant horse-pills of CellCept (immunosuppressant)
Hopefully the new drugs will push my uveitis into remission, and with it the macular edema that causes most of my vision problems. With the new lenses, that'll mean clear, cataract-free vision. Okay, so I'll need some YAG-lasering of the eyes to clean up the new lenses sometime, and no medication is 100% side-effect free, but I'm hopeful. 2012 went well, despite two eye surgeries and copious performance-reducing drugs.
So now it's time for that christmas thing. So have a good one. Eat, drink, be merry and watch out for zombies...
So here's a picture of some of my haul from events this year:
So what were my race highlights?
Obviously doing the toughest Ironman course in the world as my first is a highlight, especially having raised a good chunk of change for Olivia's Vision. Going under 5 hours at Boulder 70.3 is probably the result of the season. To be honest though, performing pretty consistently well through my packed season is marvellous. Not bad for a first season dedicated to triathlon, even though 2011 was my first tri season it was more about cycling until I decided I wanted to do a half-ironman...
So this season:
Atomic Man duathlon (10km run, 40km bike, 5km run): 8th overall, 7th male, 4th M35-39.
Run the Caldera, trail 1/2 marathon: 24th overall, 23rd male, 14th M30-39
- in 7th place at 7 miles before injuring foot...
Tour de Los Alamos (27 mile road race, Citizens class): 2nd overall, 1st M30-39
Storrie Lake olympic triathlon: 23rd overall, 5th M35-39
Cochiti Lake olympic triathlon: 14th overall, 3rd M35-39
- PODIUM!
Ironman 70.3 Boulder: 192nd overall, 33rd M35-39 TIME: 4:59:30
- Swim: 35, Bike: 2:33, Run 1:43
Los Alamos triathlon (20km bike, 400m swim, 5km run): 6th overall, 4th elite
- yup, got my first Elite wave start!
Ironman Wales: 453rd overall, 96th M35-39 TIME: 12:15:10
- stuck on small chainring for last 50 miles of the bike
- windy, hilly, cold and absolutely fantastic
- Swim: 1:07, Bike: 6:55 (grrr), Run: 3:46
I also got two century tours in... the Santa Fe century and the Day of the Tread century. Sadly I had to miss my favourite tour - the Enchanted Circle century.
Also in 2012:
Continuing uveitis and cystoid macular edema
Right eye, lens replacement (cataract surgery #1)
Left eye, lens replacement (cataract surgery #2)
Several slow-release corticosteroid implants in each eye
Chondritis on left ear
Countless injections of immuno-suppressant methotrexate (now thankfully discontinued)
Giant horse-pills of CellCept (immunosuppressant)
Hopefully the new drugs will push my uveitis into remission, and with it the macular edema that causes most of my vision problems. With the new lenses, that'll mean clear, cataract-free vision. Okay, so I'll need some YAG-lasering of the eyes to clean up the new lenses sometime, and no medication is 100% side-effect free, but I'm hopeful. 2012 went well, despite two eye surgeries and copious performance-reducing drugs.
So now it's time for that christmas thing. So have a good one. Eat, drink, be merry and watch out for zombies...
Friday, December 21, 2012
Horse Pills and Off-Season
As usual I've left this too long between postings, but I'm back with new medication, new goals and new off-season training fun...
However, my big 3 for the year (subject to me changing my mind):
1. Ironman 70.3 St. George, Utah (US Pro Championships) -- May 3rd
2. Tour de Los Alamos, New Mexico (this year's race report) -- TBD (June 16th?)
3. Ironman 70.3 Boulder, Colorado (this year's race report)
Then a marathon in September/October time with the girl to round out the season. I'll make a decision closer to the actual race season whether or not I'll be racing bikes in Cat 5 in 2013, aiming to cat up ASAP. Question of the season: can I get fast enough at 70.3 to qualify for the World Championship?
Winter is where I will lay my foundation. I think I stand to gain the most from investing time in the bike. By the end of January I should see my bike fitness way up on my lazy, couch-potato, post-Ironman form and hopefully start seeing real gains from structured training too. You can track my efforts on my trainerroad page.
Horse pills
Apart from local treatment for my vision problems, which usually involves some sort of injection in the eye, I'm also taking immunosuppressants. Previously, I was injecting myself with some nasty yellow stuff called methotrexate. It was/is used for various cancer treatments, as well as autoimmune disease. In my case, it also led to significant nausea as my dose was increased. Unfortunately, it still didn't seem to do anything for me (apart from giving me a good 24-36 hours of feeling sick each week).
No more! Now I have giant pills to swallow. My doctor has taken me off the evil yellow stuff and started me on CellCept - a drug usually used to suppress the immune system of organ transplant recipients. Three weeks in and all is fairly good. In fact, I got a new steroid implant in my right eye this week and the vision cleared up in just a couple of days. If I didn't know better I'd say that the new drugs might be helping already!
The biggest problem so far is that I have to take the (giant) pills on an empty stomach: no food for 2-3 hours before the pill, no food for an hour afterwards. Really? When in the day do I go 3-4 hours without food? Needless to say, I'm having to adjust my feeding schedule and it's going to be tricky fueling big training days with this constraint. Still, if it means remission then I'm all for it.
Off-season
The best laid plans of mice and men... So that early March marathon? Not happening. The girl was the driving force there and she had to interrupt training for a number of weeks. We talked about it and came to the conclusion that she could train to get around the marathon, but it might be a miserable day running a marathon under-trained. So now she's committed to doing a marathon in 2013, but later in the year.
How does this affect my plans? Well, it means that I won't build my run distance as much over winter. Since my last run was 6 miles on snowy trails I can't say that's all bad.
Bike training is going well though. It's officially too icky and cold for outdoor rides, so I'm on the trainer three times a week. TrainerRoad is my new best friend. If you haven't heard of it, and you like to ride bikes, then you should check it out.
Swim training has been patchy, but I did another freestyle clinic with the excellent folks at Santa Fe Aquatics Club and feel like I made some good progress. Now I just have to spend some time in the water to work on really cementing my improved stroke. It's just so hard to motivate myself to swim in winter.
New-season
I have goal races! Of course, I haven't signed up for anything, but that'll come.
My season will open on April 28th with a race that I'm helping out with this year: the Atomic Man duathlon (2012 race report), which is the USAT Rocky Mountain Regional Duathlon Championship. There's a great local race series put on by Chasing3 too...However, my big 3 for the year (subject to me changing my mind):
1. Ironman 70.3 St. George, Utah (US Pro Championships) -- May 3rd
2. Tour de Los Alamos, New Mexico (this year's race report) -- TBD (June 16th?)
3. Ironman 70.3 Boulder, Colorado (this year's race report)
Then a marathon in September/October time with the girl to round out the season. I'll make a decision closer to the actual race season whether or not I'll be racing bikes in Cat 5 in 2013, aiming to cat up ASAP. Question of the season: can I get fast enough at 70.3 to qualify for the World Championship?
Winter is where I will lay my foundation. I think I stand to gain the most from investing time in the bike. By the end of January I should see my bike fitness way up on my lazy, couch-potato, post-Ironman form and hopefully start seeing real gains from structured training too. You can track my efforts on my trainerroad page.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
New Challenges
So the USA, the country I live in, made it's choices yesterday about how to handle the challenges of the next 4 years. Being too foreign to vote here, I found myself wanting to make choices about something and my mind naturally drifted to my new challenges.
2012 saw a lot of challenges faced... this year I had cataract surgery, on both eyes. I've spent much of the year with decent vision in only one eye. I've been dealing with the effects of drugs to suppress my immune system. The biggest challenge of the year took up most of my time, which was racing at Ironman Wales. Training for the challenge of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run takes time - a lot of time. Knowing that the course in Wales is one of the hardest out there certainly provided motivation. Best of all, I got to use this challenge to raise money for Olivia's Vision; they're a UK-based charity that provide support for sufferers of uveitis (many of whom are children), they also provide specialist training for doctors and support research.
So what now?
Well, first of all, I've been sufficiently lazy since the Ironman that I have to do something. Fortunately the girl has stepped in with a plan for the winter! She wants to run her first marathon in early March; she has the race picked out and is starting her training. Oh, and she wants me to do it too.
So I'm running my first stand-alone marathon in March and I get to finish and cheer the girl over the line for her first marathon, which takes care of the next 16 weeks of training. Along the way I'm going to try to throw some snowshoeing and snowboarding in as cross-training.
From March 2013 onward I still have a blank calendar. I still want to race triathlon, and I'm looking forward to improving my ranking - both in the New Mexico open water tri series and in the USAT age group rankings. There's a choice to make about the Tour de Los Alamos too. I've won my age group in the Citizens category for the last 3 years, improving my overall position from 8th to 2nd. Do I man up and cat up, as the race director tells me I should, racing with a USAC license in the Category 4/5 Men's race? I want to do another half-Ironman too, so I've choices to make there.
None of this seems like a BIG challenge. I've done all of this before, to some degree. Well, after Boulder 70.3 I think I can improve to the point where qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas is possible! I covered the distance in under 5 hours at Boulder and I know I could have been faster. All it needed was a taper into the race and not sandbagging the run because I was "training for Wales". Can I get over 20 minutes faster? How about 30 minutes? That's the sort of improvement I'll need to get to Vegas. Now that's a challenge.
It probably won't happen this year, though I think I can get close. The other thing that's missing is a cause. Sure, endurance racing is kinda selfish and I do get a lot out of it, but I want to have something to race for too. I'll still support Olivia's Vision, but since everything will be in the US this year I want to do something here. Stay tuned for an update - I have a good idea about who I want to support, and when I have a plan I'll put it in words so there's nowhere for me to hide.
What are you challenging yourself with?
- Steve
2012 saw a lot of challenges faced... this year I had cataract surgery, on both eyes. I've spent much of the year with decent vision in only one eye. I've been dealing with the effects of drugs to suppress my immune system. The biggest challenge of the year took up most of my time, which was racing at Ironman Wales. Training for the challenge of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run takes time - a lot of time. Knowing that the course in Wales is one of the hardest out there certainly provided motivation. Best of all, I got to use this challenge to raise money for Olivia's Vision; they're a UK-based charity that provide support for sufferers of uveitis (many of whom are children), they also provide specialist training for doctors and support research.
So what now?
Well, first of all, I've been sufficiently lazy since the Ironman that I have to do something. Fortunately the girl has stepped in with a plan for the winter! She wants to run her first marathon in early March; she has the race picked out and is starting her training. Oh, and she wants me to do it too.
So I'm running my first stand-alone marathon in March and I get to finish and cheer the girl over the line for her first marathon, which takes care of the next 16 weeks of training. Along the way I'm going to try to throw some snowshoeing and snowboarding in as cross-training.
From March 2013 onward I still have a blank calendar. I still want to race triathlon, and I'm looking forward to improving my ranking - both in the New Mexico open water tri series and in the USAT age group rankings. There's a choice to make about the Tour de Los Alamos too. I've won my age group in the Citizens category for the last 3 years, improving my overall position from 8th to 2nd. Do I man up and cat up, as the race director tells me I should, racing with a USAC license in the Category 4/5 Men's race? I want to do another half-Ironman too, so I've choices to make there.
None of this seems like a BIG challenge. I've done all of this before, to some degree. Well, after Boulder 70.3 I think I can improve to the point where qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas is possible! I covered the distance in under 5 hours at Boulder and I know I could have been faster. All it needed was a taper into the race and not sandbagging the run because I was "training for Wales". Can I get over 20 minutes faster? How about 30 minutes? That's the sort of improvement I'll need to get to Vegas. Now that's a challenge.
It probably won't happen this year, though I think I can get close. The other thing that's missing is a cause. Sure, endurance racing is kinda selfish and I do get a lot out of it, but I want to have something to race for too. I'll still support Olivia's Vision, but since everything will be in the US this year I want to do something here. Stay tuned for an update - I have a good idea about who I want to support, and when I have a plan I'll put it in words so there's nowhere for me to hide.
What are you challenging yourself with?
- Steve
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Kona Inspired...
So I'm sat in front of my laptop watching the Ironman World Championship in Kona. A new feature this year is the "Kona Inspired" athlete programme. The idea is to give people with unusual stories the chance to race at Kona... these were open submissions, judged by the public. The stories have been fantastic and the people chosen really are inspirational. This year the chosen few are mostly survivors - survivors of cancers, childhood abuse, severe burns - but some are representing others, including a firefighter competing for firefighters affected by cancer, running the marathon in full firefighting gear...
These people are fantastic. They are winners before reaching the start line and I hope the short segments getting airtime give viewers a window into their cause.
Of course, this also has me reflecting on my situation. It's been a little over 3 years since I heard of uveitis and started learning first-hand about its effects. Since my first ironman nearly 4 weeks ago I've had a lot of time off work (long story) and have been really quite inactive - almost to the point of going cabin crazy! I've really been acutely aware of how my body is reacting to the increased dose of methotrexate that I've been on for a couple of months now. The main side-effect I've noticed is the nausea. Oh yes, the nausea is plentiful and was really bad for the last two weeks. There have been other ailments that have popped up, all of which can be associated with a compromised immune system. To be sure, none of it has been serious, but it's all a strain on the system physically and mentally. Sadly I noticed a little blur appearing in my left eye again today... so it looks like the methotrexate isn't doing much for my uveitis (despite giving my body a hard time).
So what's next? Well, I'm out of the country at the moment - so no access to my usual doctors. In fact, I'm not even in my home country, so I can't just walk-in somewhere and get free care. I'm going to go to a clinic in the next day or two and pay good money for some medical attention on the minor stuff (most urgently what I think might be an abscess on my left ear - ugh). Then I may have to send some email to my uveitis specialist to ask about the medication. I'm inclined to just discontinue use so I don't have to worry about side-effects any more. When I get back to the US I suspect that my medication will have to change. The next option discussed was a different immuno-suppressant called CellCept. I have more reading to do...
There is a silver lining here. I've found that the dosage of methotrexate is too high for my body to tolerate. More importantly I've found that the methotrexate isn't beating my uveitis down. Moving to a different strategy is one step closer to remission...
These people are fantastic. They are winners before reaching the start line and I hope the short segments getting airtime give viewers a window into their cause.
Of course, this also has me reflecting on my situation. It's been a little over 3 years since I heard of uveitis and started learning first-hand about its effects. Since my first ironman nearly 4 weeks ago I've had a lot of time off work (long story) and have been really quite inactive - almost to the point of going cabin crazy! I've really been acutely aware of how my body is reacting to the increased dose of methotrexate that I've been on for a couple of months now. The main side-effect I've noticed is the nausea. Oh yes, the nausea is plentiful and was really bad for the last two weeks. There have been other ailments that have popped up, all of which can be associated with a compromised immune system. To be sure, none of it has been serious, but it's all a strain on the system physically and mentally. Sadly I noticed a little blur appearing in my left eye again today... so it looks like the methotrexate isn't doing much for my uveitis (despite giving my body a hard time).
So what's next? Well, I'm out of the country at the moment - so no access to my usual doctors. In fact, I'm not even in my home country, so I can't just walk-in somewhere and get free care. I'm going to go to a clinic in the next day or two and pay good money for some medical attention on the minor stuff (most urgently what I think might be an abscess on my left ear - ugh). Then I may have to send some email to my uveitis specialist to ask about the medication. I'm inclined to just discontinue use so I don't have to worry about side-effects any more. When I get back to the US I suspect that my medication will have to change. The next option discussed was a different immuno-suppressant called CellCept. I have more reading to do...
There is a silver lining here. I've found that the dosage of methotrexate is too high for my body to tolerate. More importantly I've found that the methotrexate isn't beating my uveitis down. Moving to a different strategy is one step closer to remission...
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Ironman Wales - 12:15:10
The Welsh dragon does indeed have a mighty roar! The organizers were billing Ironman Wales as the toughest Ironman course in the world (tougher than Lanzarote, but not the same league as Norseman) and it wasn't hard to see why. It was a hard day, not without problems, but it was ultimately rewarding and I'm happy with my results.
Pre race: my alarm was set for 4:45, but I woke up at 3 and tried to snooze until the alarm went off. Breakfast was a glass of Emergen-C, coffee, 2 slices of toast with marmalade, a bowl of corn flakes and half a Yorkie bar. Then I got my stuff ready and headed over to transition.
There was a procession from transition, through town and down to the beach. The crowds were already out in force. At high tide there's not much room on Tenby's North beach and it took some time to get everyone on the beach for the start. Time for the Welsh national anthem, followed by AC/DC’s Thunderstruck to get the heart going, and then the cannon went off to mark the start of the race.
Swim: The course layout meant that people were bunched up for the first few hundred metres with no chance to spread out at all. Then it was so congested at the first right turn buoy that we were treading water around it. Otherwise, the swim was great... Water temp 16.9°C (62.4F) and only a little wetsuit rub on the side of the neck. The 2nd lap was much easier and I felt like I could really relax into the day. Swim time: 1:07:59
T1: Transition was 1.2km from North beach. The first task was running up the beach, then up the steep zig-zagging walkway (picking up the spare shoes on the way) and jogging to transition. The transition tent was crowded and completely chaotic. It took a while to find space to get my stuff out of my transition bag and get ready for the ride. One gel here, to get the blood sugar back up. I even had a quick chat with a guy filming for TV (off-camera), then it was out the door and onto the bike leg. T1 time: 16:55
Bike: Well, this didn’t quite go according to plan. Given the circumstances I’m actually happy with the result, but the circumstances weren’t ideal. I’ll get to that though...
Wales is a two-loop course, with a total elevation gain of about 8000ft. The first loop is longer and starts out heading West into the prevailing coastal winds and turns to come back East by the town of Angle. The second loop is basically the more hilly part of the first loop, repeated. On the way to Angle I felt like I was making reasonable time and wasn’t pushing too hard. The wind was pushing me around a bit, but I was glad I had the TT bike to reduce the effect of the wind. I was riding on Zipp 404 wheels, which didn’t cause me any trouble even though I’m very light. Anyway, out near Angle I changed up to the big chainring and felt a frayed strand of cable pop out and jab me in the finger. Not good! Fast-forward to mile 62 and another change to the big ring -- SNAP!! So I swore, I stopped, I tried to work out how I could fix it. In the end all I could do was get out the multi-tool and dial the derailleur out as far as possible so that there was the least amount of chain rub, even then the rub was pretty egregious in the smaller cogs on the cassette. So, 50 miles in the small chainring... I’d lost nearly 10 minutes to roadside repairs and I couldn’t get much speed up for the remainder of the ride.
Not that the mechanical was my only problem on the bike: I did get the nutrition slightly wrong. My plan was to get 4-5 bottles of sports drink (2 on bike, 2-3 on course), but I was clearly overdoing the liquids and had to stop several times. So I started drinking less and then I obviously wasn’t getting enough calories. I started to feel quite drained and needed more solid food. Eating revived me, but my on-board stash of 1 Clif bar, 1 powerbar, 5 gels and a bag of powerbar chews really wasn’t quite enough. What I’d change? I’d use a “bento box” on the top tube with extra food in it. I’d pack more than I anticipated needing, just in case.
The highlight of the bike course for me was the last part of the second loop -- the steep hills in Wiseman’s Bridge and Saundersfoot were a joy to ride, especially in the wet on that second lap when many people were struggling. To me, those hills represented nearing the end of the ride and were a rare chance prove to myself that I was (despite the ever lengthening time on the bike) a strong enough biker for this course. Bike time: 6:55:50
T2: I wasn’t tremendously motivated for a fast transition here - I walked my bike to the rack, then I walked to the tent (jogging seemed pointless). I also had a little trouble removing my gloves and arm-warmers, which were soaking. Full-finger gloves had been a very wise last-minute choice here. Anyway, one more gel in, one into the pocket and then I was out onto the run course. T2 time: 8:01
Run: Well, I started out feeling brilliant. As soon as I left T2 and started running the day regained some purpose. My first 5.2 miles happened in 37:23, which was good considering I was actually trying to pace myself (working from heart rate) but everything just felt so EASY. And then, quite suddenly, it didn’t. Mile 6.5, just a little into lap 2, and I was walking. It wasn’t even up the main hill yet, I just couldn’t run or even bring myself to try. I wanted to have a little sit down (and maybe a brief weep), and if there hadn’t been so many people I might have. Fortunately it didn’t last, and whatever I was telling myself in my head must’ve worked. I ran up the main hill out to New Hedges and decided that it was a nutritional problem, so the plan changed from “eat on the run” to “walk every aid station and eat the Ritz crackers”, which are brilliant washed down with Pepsi. Crackers and Pepsi is a marathon miracle, if you ask me. I’d never even thought of it before, and the pepsi wasn’t flat, but it was AWESOME. My pace evened out after that and my new strategy gave me the strength to ignore my body as it told me that my right achilles hurt, and that my left knee ached. As I passed mile 20 it really felt like a shuffle, though photos show what looks like a run, even in those dark times. Still, after collecting the pink band to mark my final lap on the course I started feeling a weight lift and there was a fresh flood of endorphins. I chatted to a fellow finisher as we turned onto the Esplanade for our run in, he said he wanted to enjoy the moment and slowed to really savour the finish. I heard my nephew calling for a sprint finish and did my best to oblige. Run time: 3:46:25
It seems that the run may have been slightly short, but to be honest, I’m not sure I care. I logged over 3300ft of vertical on the run and the bike wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. This was a tough course. Sure, it was my first Ironman, but I know tough conditions and terrain when I see them. The fastest bikers would’ve missed the worst of the rain and only gotten wet on the run course. The bike course was steep on the uphills and twisty on the downhills. There were plenty of spills once the roads got a good soaking.
Anyway, total time: 12:15:10. 96th in M35-39 and 453rd overall.
At the race briefing we were told 1650 athletes, and I’ve since heard that there were only 1200 finishers though that is just rumour. Certainly a lot of people missed the bike cutoff. I’m looking forward to seeing the final results. But first, I’m looking forward to a rest. I’ve contracted (Iron)man-flu and don’t want to ride a bike for at least another week.
This race was organised very well, the local support was utterly brilliant and despite hating it at times, I loved the experience. It’s actually helped to remind me just how great people are. So I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I met the racers and the supporters. I’m glad I got to raise money for Olivia’s Vision and I. AM. AN. IRONMAN!
Pre race: my alarm was set for 4:45, but I woke up at 3 and tried to snooze until the alarm went off. Breakfast was a glass of Emergen-C, coffee, 2 slices of toast with marmalade, a bowl of corn flakes and half a Yorkie bar. Then I got my stuff ready and headed over to transition.
There was a procession from transition, through town and down to the beach. The crowds were already out in force. At high tide there's not much room on Tenby's North beach and it took some time to get everyone on the beach for the start. Time for the Welsh national anthem, followed by AC/DC’s Thunderstruck to get the heart going, and then the cannon went off to mark the start of the race.
Swim: The course layout meant that people were bunched up for the first few hundred metres with no chance to spread out at all. Then it was so congested at the first right turn buoy that we were treading water around it. Otherwise, the swim was great... Water temp 16.9°C (62.4F) and only a little wetsuit rub on the side of the neck. The 2nd lap was much easier and I felt like I could really relax into the day. Swim time: 1:07:59
T1: Transition was 1.2km from North beach. The first task was running up the beach, then up the steep zig-zagging walkway (picking up the spare shoes on the way) and jogging to transition. The transition tent was crowded and completely chaotic. It took a while to find space to get my stuff out of my transition bag and get ready for the ride. One gel here, to get the blood sugar back up. I even had a quick chat with a guy filming for TV (off-camera), then it was out the door and onto the bike leg. T1 time: 16:55
Bike: Well, this didn’t quite go according to plan. Given the circumstances I’m actually happy with the result, but the circumstances weren’t ideal. I’ll get to that though...
Wales is a two-loop course, with a total elevation gain of about 8000ft. The first loop is longer and starts out heading West into the prevailing coastal winds and turns to come back East by the town of Angle. The second loop is basically the more hilly part of the first loop, repeated. On the way to Angle I felt like I was making reasonable time and wasn’t pushing too hard. The wind was pushing me around a bit, but I was glad I had the TT bike to reduce the effect of the wind. I was riding on Zipp 404 wheels, which didn’t cause me any trouble even though I’m very light. Anyway, out near Angle I changed up to the big chainring and felt a frayed strand of cable pop out and jab me in the finger. Not good! Fast-forward to mile 62 and another change to the big ring -- SNAP!! So I swore, I stopped, I tried to work out how I could fix it. In the end all I could do was get out the multi-tool and dial the derailleur out as far as possible so that there was the least amount of chain rub, even then the rub was pretty egregious in the smaller cogs on the cassette. So, 50 miles in the small chainring... I’d lost nearly 10 minutes to roadside repairs and I couldn’t get much speed up for the remainder of the ride.
Not that the mechanical was my only problem on the bike: I did get the nutrition slightly wrong. My plan was to get 4-5 bottles of sports drink (2 on bike, 2-3 on course), but I was clearly overdoing the liquids and had to stop several times. So I started drinking less and then I obviously wasn’t getting enough calories. I started to feel quite drained and needed more solid food. Eating revived me, but my on-board stash of 1 Clif bar, 1 powerbar, 5 gels and a bag of powerbar chews really wasn’t quite enough. What I’d change? I’d use a “bento box” on the top tube with extra food in it. I’d pack more than I anticipated needing, just in case.
The highlight of the bike course for me was the last part of the second loop -- the steep hills in Wiseman’s Bridge and Saundersfoot were a joy to ride, especially in the wet on that second lap when many people were struggling. To me, those hills represented nearing the end of the ride and were a rare chance prove to myself that I was (despite the ever lengthening time on the bike) a strong enough biker for this course. Bike time: 6:55:50
T2: I wasn’t tremendously motivated for a fast transition here - I walked my bike to the rack, then I walked to the tent (jogging seemed pointless). I also had a little trouble removing my gloves and arm-warmers, which were soaking. Full-finger gloves had been a very wise last-minute choice here. Anyway, one more gel in, one into the pocket and then I was out onto the run course. T2 time: 8:01
Run: Well, I started out feeling brilliant. As soon as I left T2 and started running the day regained some purpose. My first 5.2 miles happened in 37:23, which was good considering I was actually trying to pace myself (working from heart rate) but everything just felt so EASY. And then, quite suddenly, it didn’t. Mile 6.5, just a little into lap 2, and I was walking. It wasn’t even up the main hill yet, I just couldn’t run or even bring myself to try. I wanted to have a little sit down (and maybe a brief weep), and if there hadn’t been so many people I might have. Fortunately it didn’t last, and whatever I was telling myself in my head must’ve worked. I ran up the main hill out to New Hedges and decided that it was a nutritional problem, so the plan changed from “eat on the run” to “walk every aid station and eat the Ritz crackers”, which are brilliant washed down with Pepsi. Crackers and Pepsi is a marathon miracle, if you ask me. I’d never even thought of it before, and the pepsi wasn’t flat, but it was AWESOME. My pace evened out after that and my new strategy gave me the strength to ignore my body as it told me that my right achilles hurt, and that my left knee ached. As I passed mile 20 it really felt like a shuffle, though photos show what looks like a run, even in those dark times. Still, after collecting the pink band to mark my final lap on the course I started feeling a weight lift and there was a fresh flood of endorphins. I chatted to a fellow finisher as we turned onto the Esplanade for our run in, he said he wanted to enjoy the moment and slowed to really savour the finish. I heard my nephew calling for a sprint finish and did my best to oblige. Run time: 3:46:25
It seems that the run may have been slightly short, but to be honest, I’m not sure I care. I logged over 3300ft of vertical on the run and the bike wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. This was a tough course. Sure, it was my first Ironman, but I know tough conditions and terrain when I see them. The fastest bikers would’ve missed the worst of the rain and only gotten wet on the run course. The bike course was steep on the uphills and twisty on the downhills. There were plenty of spills once the roads got a good soaking.
Anyway, total time: 12:15:10. 96th in M35-39 and 453rd overall.
At the race briefing we were told 1650 athletes, and I’ve since heard that there were only 1200 finishers though that is just rumour. Certainly a lot of people missed the bike cutoff. I’m looking forward to seeing the final results. But first, I’m looking forward to a rest. I’ve contracted (Iron)man-flu and don’t want to ride a bike for at least another week.
This race was organised very well, the local support was utterly brilliant and despite hating it at times, I loved the experience. It’s actually helped to remind me just how great people are. So I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I met the racers and the supporters. I’m glad I got to raise money for Olivia’s Vision and I. AM. AN. IRONMAN!
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