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

Still on track…….just!!!

Just over a month has gone by and the training hours have increased yet again which is now mixed with the early season races that help towards the preparation for the "A" race. 

After the success of the Marathon, the Martinborough 115km fun ride was a different matter. I was looking forward to riding around the beautiful Wairarapa on smooth, unpopulated roads and very little wind compared to Wellington. What I didn't expect was the large pelotons (large groups of riders working together saving energy through drafting or slipstreaming), and the inevitable crashes that occurred. Over the winter months I watched the Tour de France while on my turbo trainer and saw a lot of crashes; it was only until the Martinborough fun ride when I saw the crashes right in front of me and the subsequents cuts and bruises did the attraction of riding in a big peleton fade away very quickly. 

As a result I elected to drop off from the peleton and enjoyed my own race playing a game of cat and mouse for the final 30km. The peleton, typically going 5kmph faster as a group would slow down on the hills where I would catch them before they regrouped and broke away again. This game was played out for the final 30km was  hard work but ended in success as I finally caught them to cross the finish line together.

The Kariprio Half Ironman on the other hand, was a good race; my nutrition plan worked well and a big improvement on my first half ironman race in Auckland in March, over 30m minutes faster which was reassuring to see the hard winter training paying off. The run was a good time even though it was an extra 1.8 km longer due to changes in the course. The bike is still my weakest discipline so the next month has to be bike, bike and more bike!!! 

My support crew enjoyed the weekend mini-break in Cambridge with little Mia keen to get in on the action trying a different approach to using the aerobars

In summary, while I had a good race there was also the realisation that I have to do twice as much in 2 months time...some serious traing is needed!!!! 

My training is now at the peak period…..swimming session are now up to 2 hours, bike sessions upto 6 hours and run sessions and now upto 3 hours….the weekends are getting harder as 5:30am starts on a  sunday morning just so I can be back at a respectable time for family time…...fortunately these are key sessions each week and not every training session. It is always a relief seeing the next days training session when it is a "45 min recovery ride". As the hours increase so do the aches and pains. Slight niggling injuries are starting to emerge so I am having to stretch as much possible and an ice pack is not far away. Fortunately running is my strongest discipline so I can swap the occasional run session for a bike session to rest any injuries. 

There's always time for some fun though…..some of the easier training sessions are mixed up with a little bit of mountain biking along with open water sea swims as the sea temperatures warm up. This weekend is the December Scorcher  and rather than doing the whole triathlon myself, I am part of a team. We have managed to get 3 teams together from work along with Theresa to each have a go at either the swim, bike or run leg for the first time which will be great fun. As it is early in the season, there are already mentions of participating in over events…but lets wait and see how the first event goes!

Supports Crew's View

Ian has done great this last month.  Mia and I enjoyed supporting him for Karipiro and treated him to a big fat steak after.  I had a glass of wine whilst ian had orange juice.  How times have changed ha ha.  We are doing a team triathlon this weekend, not sure how i got roped into that.  A 10km run for me.  This will no doubt remind me once again how far Ian really has to go on the big day!!!  He has been a bit slack these last few days so am finding myself waking in the mornings to kick him out the house :D  

Kia Kaha.....The top 2 inches

Now the training is getting serious and there are only two words to describe it……Long & Hard. Each session is typically 2hrs plus with a total weekly hours approaching 14hrs. As we move into spring and the clocks have gone forward which means less time on the turbo trainer and more time out on the road. This is great news as I have exhausted watching all the DVDs possible while burning the hours on the turbo trainer. Spring also presents a new challenge in NZ, the equinox winds! Wellington is famous for being the windy city with regular gusts typically around 30-40kmh and regardless of my bike route there always seems to be a headwind when I am on the bike…..its good training I keep reminding myself….yeah right

While the focus is on the three disciplines: swim, bike and run, the more I hear and read it is really about the "other" disciplines….nutrition, stretching and the mental approach. With the increased amount of hours in training, the mental aspect of training is now coming into play. The body seems to be constantly aching, the training relentless and now I really have to mentally focus for each training session. As part of the mental preparation I draw upon a variety of motivational sources….ranging from images, favorite music tracks, Make-a-Wish foundation and a few friends that provide motivation and inspiration. One person Piripi Rangihaeata, who I have named "The Maori Motivator " provides regular Facebook updates at the very early hours of the morning with his latest amazing challenge……always ending with a "BOOM" which is always inspiring and motivating.

To add to the anxiety of doing "am I doing enough training", Make-a-wish and NZ Triathlon & Multisport  magazine teamed up together to write an article for the magazine which highlights the challenges of fundraising, training and maintaining a work/life and family balance. It is a really nice article and fantastic that they are supporting me in raising the fund raising profile and motivation……there's no turning back now!

Along with all the mental preparation to keep me motivated, there is one motivator that cannot be beaten…..New Zealand's great outdoors! Here's a little extract from my training log…."Just had a awesome long run along the Wellington skyline……I look ahead and see the sunrise and Mt KauKau, I look to my right and see Wellington's beautiful harbour, I look to my left and see the Tasman Sea and the snow capped Kaikoura Mountain ranges…..I look around me and I am the only one around on the hills……I just kept on going for 2.5 hours…there are days like these which are just magical !!!!! 

My running continues to progress well. Last weekend was the Wairarapa Country Marathon where the weather conditions were great for running……cool, overcast and occasional mist, my support crew had a slightly different view of the weather. This was my first proper marathon and I was mentally ready for the "wall"; for those who are not familiar to the term, the wall is the point in a marathon where all your strored energy (glycogen) in your muscles run out and force you to slow down considerably to the point of walking. As the race was a little early in my training program me I waited and waited for the wall to come and yet it did not materialise. My nutrition plan with gels and liquids worked really well and ran the second half quicker than the first finishing 4th in my age group and 10th overall with a time of 3hrs 19mins. This was a great confidence builder so early on….I just hope the bike is progressing as well which is my weakest of all 3 disciplines.

The next couple of weeks include some long swims (4km plus), long bikes (6 hours plus) and as you would expect….yes, long runs too. The Karipiro Half Ironman is only two weeks away and I am really looking forward to having a trip away with my support crew and also to test out the winters training.

For mini updates I am trying to update Twitter…if you interested for the occasional mini update follow me @IanRich

And now for the unedited viewpoint from Theresa and little Mia...

Support Crews view

Ian did an awesome job of his first marathon….I think he was motivated by Mia and I driving by and Mia shouting 'daddy daddy daddy'.  Ian has seriously taken his training to new levels though, some are admirable and some are pure bonkers.  I came home from the shops to find him on his bike on the turbo trainer in the BEDROOM watching the TV as he couldn't get a signal on his laptop to watch the ITU world championships.  The man has gone mad.

Seriously though, his training is hitting new heights each week.  Not really that many weeks left until the big event…..

Cough and Sneeze !!!

The countdown towards January 19th seems to drawing closer and closer at an exceedingly alarming rate, the anxiety that seems to hit to the majority of triathletes preparing for a big race has started….."I need to do more training, more time on the bike, pool and on the road" seems to be a repeating mantra. A couple of bouts of the winter colds along with whatever little Mia brings home from the nursery doesn't help the training so at the moment it's 3 steps forwards and 1 back. 

The last couple of weeks have been focusing on increasing the time and distance on the run which has comprised of four or five runs a week all greater that 90 minutes plus. The end of the week finale has been a 2 1/2hr run around the bays. The endurance base training over the last 4 months seems to be paying off as I am now able to continue training the day after a long run; previously I would have needed to have at least 2 days off to recover.  To aid my recovery I now have a foam roller to help out my back, hips, thighs and IT band (The iliotibial band is a tough group of fibers that run along the outside of the thigh and is a common and often persistent injury for runners and cyclists causing pain mainly on the side of the knee.) I could never understand what everyone was doing with a foam roller in the gym and was warned that with the amount of running I would need to undertake I needed to look after my IT band as it would be continuously sore. The foam roller has been a savior and while I am not sure Theresa appreciates me and Mia " playing" on the floor with a piece of foam it has definitely helped me avoiding feeling too old.

With the amount of running and hours on the road my iPod has taken some abuse and there is a real risk of overkill from my favourite motivational tracks. I have started to listen to triathlon podcasts; coach Jeff http://www.coachjeff.com.au and Ironman legends http://www.legendsoftriathlon.com as they provide great advice and motivation as I am running, plus, it beats me talking to myself after a couple of hours on the road. On the Ironman legends podcasts they interview the "legends" of triathlon such as Scott Molina, Spencer Smith and Greg Welch.  I use to follow these are the guys some 20 years ago when I started in triathlon racing in my budgie smugglers....not a pretty sight ;0)

As we move into Spring the triathlon season is not far away so I have now planned and entered a series of "preparation" races as part of my build up to the big one. While some are to build up my competition endurance, others are focusing on speed on a specific discipline or getting use to transitions and testing out my nutrition.

Below is my race plan…

14th Oct 2012     Wairarapa Country Marathon 

(A little bit early in the season for a full on marathon race, but I thought I would test the legs out)

28th Oct 2012     Martinborough Fun ride (115Km)  

(A practice time trial while still having some fun, I am not sure how the "roadies" will feel having a triathlon bike there?")

3rd Nov 2012      Karapiro Half Ironman 

(The first real test of the season to see how well the winter training has paid off)

11th Nov 2012     Scorcher (Sprint) 

(A small sprint race to keep the speed in my legs)

2nd Dec 2012      Scorcher (Olympic) 

(Another speed race)

15th Dec 2012     Rotorua Half Ironman 

(Any lessons learned from Karapiro should be sorted in this race and the final race before the big one)

19th Jan 2013      The Big One - Challenge Wanaka !!!!!

(No turning back now, all the training should be done along with all the sponsorship possible achieved.....let's hope the weather is on our side)

After each race or event I will give everyone an update..with all the trails and tribulations that goes with them.

If training, nutrition, podcasts, foam rollers and stretching with little Mia was not enough I have started to read Chrissie Wellington's autobiography "Life without limits". 

In one chapter she talks about one of her hero's and the story of John Blais who was the first ironman finisher with ALS. John Blais was a self proclaimed ALS poet warrior and wrote the poem Westward Bound...I thought I would share it with you:

Westward Bound

Live…

More than your neighbours.

Unleash yourself upon the world and go places.

Go now.

Giggle, no, laugh.

No…stay out past dark,

And bark at the moon like a wild dog that you are.

Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal.

This is it…your life

Face your fears and live your dreams.

Take it in.

Yes, every chance you get…

come close.

And by all means, what ever you…

Get it on film.

And with that in mind…onto the next training session…"Just Keep Going" :o)

Support Crew's view

So we have been a sickly household in the last month….Ian has had to spend a few days without exercising and has been getting under my feet!!!  He is right that Mia brings all the bugs home from nursery for us….teaching her how to share.

Ian continues to push the limits and I dropped him off out of town today so he could cycle back and he comes home telling me he hit 80kph…now there's a worry!!!  We are planning on going circuit training in the park next weekend (weather permitting or he is on his own), I might just make sure he can do as much as he says :-D  Run Ian Run!!!!