ROG'S TRIATHLON & SPORTS DIARY

It’s been exactly 7 days since Ironman Brasil and there is one thing I must learn from this race so I will put it in writing here for further reference: “Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears”

This week was literally an intended mess. I did everything I normally wouldn’t – ate A LOT of crap, drank quite a few beers and did absolutely nothing that even resembles exercising!

The funny thing is that 7 days later and I am already missing my ‘normal’ routine!!! I am hanging for eating properly, sleeping well and doing some sort of exercise!

I am conscious I still need a bit of extra time to rest body & mind but will start with some slow runs this week and see how I feel. I fly back to Australia on Friday PM and get there on Sunday morning and then back to work on Tuesday after the public holiday.

So this week’s key workouts were:

- Monday: big moquequa (fish dish) & beer for post-race recovery
- Wed, Thu & Fri: good effort on chocolate eating and also heaps of soft drink
- Fri PM: enough beers for a small headache on Saturday along with a big and fat BBQ
- Sat PM: more beers and more headache
- Sun: big BBQ lunch with the family!

So it is time I started phasing myself – slowly – back to ‘normal’ starting on Monday AM (tomorrow).

Finally, Gordo has a good article on this week’s blog that you can read here.

Until next time,

Rog

Paul F:
Read you report over at transitions couple of questions…..

Me:
I will try and answer all questions as objectively as possible but to be completely honest what happened at the 23km mark is something I still can’t explain and not sure if I ever will. My stride was getting shorter and shorter along the way and by that time I simply could not move my legs forward anymore. 3 days later and all I can think of is I should’ve kept moving but we all know it is not like that when you’re out there.

So to your questions…

1. How was your nutritional plan? Noticed you consumed quite a few jam sandwiches on the bike, did it work?

Nutritional plan on the bike was 4 jam sandwiches (~700cal), 5 gels (~500cal), 1 Endura bottle (~350cals).

2. You said your swim effort was too high, why?

AveHR 159
MaxHR 170

This is HIM effort for me. I could never get comfortable and getting out of the water after the first half and then back in was a big shock to the system. I swam the second half more comfortably but it is just not good enough. I take responsibility for this one though and will say I didnt swim anywhere near what I should’ve to prepare properly for the distance (average 2 swims/hours per week in the last 12-16 weeks would be my guess)

3. What were your thoughts after exiting the water?

“FUCK, what the hell happened?”

I didn’t know how I was placed but I was disappointed and that set me up for the day. I didnt think I had to smash the bike to make up for it but I also didnt go too easy at the beginning the way I was planning to.

4. Did you nail the bike leg? Did it set up your run well?

I think so. It was an even paced ride, very easy on the uphills and hammering down the hills. Nutrition plan followed to the letter and I have to say I am very happy with that split. This was also the first time I didnt let the HR guide me all the way. It was part of the equation but I was more riding to effort than anything else.

This course is probably a good 10mins slower than Busselton due to the hills so to be able to ride a 5h10min here is pretty big for someone who’s never been that fast on the bike like me.

Having said that I wonder if 5-10mins slower here would have saved my run somehow? I will not know until next time!

AveHR 143 (Busso and PortMac were 140)
MaxHR 159 (this was one effort to go past a big group on the second lap on the way out)

I also had my bike computer alarm set to beep at above 155bpm and that only happened twice.

5. 24km into the run and pop, what do you think happened?

I had some time to think about it and still have no idea. I was running really well up until about 14-15km, even going up hills I was feeling surprisingly good but from then on something started to go wrong and as I said above my stride started to get shorter and shorter up to the point where I could not run another step. There were no stomach issues and I don�t think I bonked which leads me to believe I did go a tad too hard on the bike.

6. what were your HR numbers?

Swim: AveHR 159 / Max 170
Bike: AveHR 143 / Max 159
Run: up until when I stopped the HR was at around 148 which is 2bpm lower than my IMHR at Busselton but when I started running again the MaxHR was around 145 and average around 140 which is in line with the pace I was going (>5m30s/km) but I simply could not go any faster than that.

7. At what points in the race do you feel your were burning matches (ie racing above your IM effort) and what was the decision for this?

There were no points on the race where I consciously went over my perceived IM effort but I am open to the possibility that I could have gone too hard on the bike as it is the only explanation I can find for underperforming on the run.

8. Want to do malayasia with harris, me and maybe some others next year?

This sounds like a pretty good race and holiday. When is it on again?

Paul F:
P.S Congratulations again on a solid effort. David here who used to train with Ben sanson says that a 50min swim for him is very very slow.

Me:
I forgot to add the ONE change I will make in relation to my bike is get in a more comfortable position (less aero). I was suffering after 140-150km and even though I managed to stay on the bars for most of the time I wonder if this was also detrimental to my run somehow? I really have no idea.

And I just have one more thing to say

THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

About 30 hours ago I was adamant I didnt want to talk about Ironman for a long time and I just went to the IM Malaysia website to check dates and entry fee.

I must be REALLY stupid!!!!!!

Oh well what can I say?? It’s the 3rd time I’ve done this thing and still haven’t learnt how much it freaking hurts! I must be dumb or something I think??

I’m not sure what happened in the swim as I haven’t checked results yet but God it was slow! When I came out of the water in 1h11m something (expecting 58-59min) I could not believe it. Then I get to T1 waiting for all the empty racks but it was more like 80-90% of the bikes were still there, WTF??

Post analysis on my HR monitor show I swam way too hard and I know this set me up for the day I had.

On the bike I was feeling pretty good and completed the first 90km lap in just over 2h30mins perhaps a bit too fast for that course and my abilities but hey, I had 12mins to catch up off that horrendous swim (big mistake!)… It felt like the wind was coming from all over the place but overall this is a fast course with some hills thrown in for good measure. Second lap felt slower but I kept moving and by the time we hit 150km my neck and lower back were giving me a lot of grief and I looked forward to every uphill so I could sit up and stretch a little. I don’t have the bike split but would guess a 5h15min or thereabouts.

Off the bike and change, and by the time I hit the run I didn’t know what to expect. My quads were almost cramping and it scared the shit out of me as I wasn’t planning for that long a walk! I just tried to relax and get into a rhythm and it seemed to work. I have splits for almost every single km of the run and they tell the whole story…

2km: 9m06s
3km: 4m44s
4km: 4m44s
5km: 4m59s
6km: 4m41s
7km: 4m40s
8km: 4m59s
10km: 10m32s (hilly area)
11km: 5m03s
13km: 10m14s (first cramp here)
14km: 5m07s
16km: 10m45s (back into the hilly area)
17km: 5m09s
18km: 5m43s (pee stop)
19km: 5m15s
20km: 5m10s
21km: 5m20s
22km: 5m22s
24km: 24m35s (KABOOM!)

This is where my race ended and my DNF thoughts started. It was just before the special needs area and I simply found myself lying on the floor and unable to get up again. I was about 95% convinced I was going to give up right there and have the first DNF next to my name. One spectator came to check if I needed a doctor and we started having a chat. In the end she convinced me to keep going and do the best I could so after a bit of thinking, resting and self talk, off I went with the mindset that the race was over but that I still had to get the distance completed.

I won’t bore you with the rest of the splits but the end result was a 10h33min finish time in what was probably the most painful experience of my young life. This could obviously be an exaggeration, as I tend to forget how much this hurts soon after. But it was the first time I had thoughts of not finishing a race so there must be an element of truth there.
And I still don’t have that sub-10 race that I know is inside me somewhere! So the search continues but right now I need a good break from Ironman training and racing. I want to spend more time with my girl, enjoy the sleep-ins and breakfasts together, have a normal life again, at least for a good while!

Oh and I also need to learn how to swim before I try this again!!!!

Thank you to all the guys on triathlog for the great network of athletes we have built – Paul, David, Alex, Pete, Mark, Eric, Scott & Mick – good luck with Ironman Germany & Busso coming up soon!

Also a special thanks to super coach Al for helping me achieve what I have so far.

And to Ange for always being by my side, no matter what. You’re the best and WE ARE AN IRONMAN, together.

Until next time, and thanks for watching 

(some photos below)

Rog

I think there is something wrong with the photo gallery but I don’t have time to fix it now. SORRY!

Here’s the race plan for Sunday

IM Brasil
Race day nutrition & pacing strategy

Pre-race breakfast
3:30am Get up
3:45-4:00am Breakfast
5 scoops Opti (400cal), 2 bananas (180cal)
Total 580cal
Vitamins: CoQ10, VitC, Fish oil, Multi, Joint Formula, Ginseng x 2
4:00-4:20am Relax & stretch, go through this race plan once more

Pre-race routine
5:00am Arrive at transition area
5:00-6:00am Check gear: bike, special needs, bags
6:00am Wetsuit on, take one gel to the swim start
6:20-6:45am Warm up
6:55am Take 1 gel
7:00am Race starts

Racing

Swim: Relax! Build from easy to steady, keep stroke rate up!
DO NOT pull too hard through the water
Look under arm pits to breathe, BILATERAL!

T1: Easy but FAST!
1. Wetsuit off
2. Nutrition in pockets
3. Sunglasses on
4. Helmet on
5. Socks on
6. Shoes on
7. Number belt on
8. Off you go

Bike: Wash off mouth with water, no nutrition first 15mins, RELAX!
EASY – swap water bottle at every aid station
0:20hr: 1 jam sandwich (200cal)
1:00hr: 1 jam sandwich (200cal)
1:30hr: 1 jam sandwich (200cal) + 2 salt tablets
STEADY – swap water bottle at every aid station
2:00hr: 1 gel (90cal) + start sipping on Endura (100cal)
2:30hr: 1 jam sandwich (200cal)
3:00hr: 1 gel (90cal) + Endura (100cal) + 1 salt tablet
Special needs: extra sandwiches & gels if needed
3:30hr: 1 gel (90cal) + Red Bull (100cal)
MODERATE – swap water bottle if needed
4:00hr: 1 gel (90cal)
4:30hr: 1 gel (90cal) + Endura (100cal) + 2 salt tablets
5:00hr: Finish endura bottle (150cal)
Stretch legs, shoes off, get ready for transition
Total ~5hrs / 1850cal

T2: Easy but FAST!
1. Helmet off
2. Socks on
3. Shoes on
4. Sunglasses on
5. Hat on
6. Fuelbelt on
7. Number belt on
8. Off you go

Run: Drink water, RELAX!
First 20mins EASY, settle to a comfortable pace, forget the watch
0:20hr: sip of gel / sip of water
1:00hr: aim to finish each gel bottle within 1 hour (300cal/hr x 2)
+20km onwards start drinking COLA and stick to liquids
Take a salt tablet every half hour from now on for insurance
COUNT THE STEPS, NEVER WALK!

Finish: SMILE, you did it!

Bike bag:

Helmet
Socks
Shoes
Number belt
4 jam sanwiches
5 gels
Sunglasses

Sp. Needs:
2 jam sandwiches
3 gels
1 bottle endura electrolyte

Run bag:
Shoes
Socks
Number belt
Sunglasses
Hat
Fuel belt
Red bull

Sp. Needs:
Red bull
Voltaren

Ciao!

Rog

Hello all,

I arrived at Sao Paulo airport on Sunday afternoon (5:45pm) after a 20hr flight with stop overs in New Zealand and Argentina. It wasn´t as bad as I was anticipating and I managed to sleep quite a bit.

Once off the plane, my biggest nightmare nearly became true when my bike didn´t turn up in the baggage claim area. There were about 10 people waiting for their luggages when the escalators stopped and the guy said that was it, WTF!!!!! So we went to the missing bags person and he said they received a call saying there was another flight due to arrive in half hour that could be bringing our bags. And I sat down and waited, and waited, and waited… until the bike finally and thankfully turned up!

So with that I was out of the airport and in the car for the remainder 3hr trip to the countryside where mum lives. We left to Florianopolis (race venue) a couple of days later and got here on Tuesday at around 4pm (it is a 10hr drive, roughly the same distance from Sydney to Brisbane).

Now if you think Sydney weather is unpredictable, wait until you come to Brazil. On Tuesday we had some sort of fog hanging around the place all afternoon. It actually looked like rain clouds, that´s how thick it was! I then wake up the next day to no fog and a forecast of 30 degrees temperature and humid, even though we had THE coldest day in May in about 20 years or so a couple of weeks ago.

So right now it actually feels like summer and I´m wearing board shorts and t-shirt. It´s nearly 8pm here… Race day is looking good at this stage so fingers crossed it will stay like that! 

I had a look at the swim, run and parts of the bike course today. The bike looks fast but when I rode it this afternoon it was quite windy – easy 38km/h one way, struggling to sit on 30km/h the other. The run is mostly flat but there are a couple of hills that will put the hurt on a lot of people. For the sake of comparison it is steeper and longer than Mathew Flinders Drive (Port Mac IM course) but there is a 20m flat section right in the middle of it, before it picks up again. We hit it at around the 8km mark and then the other side of it on the way back at the 16km mark. The swim location is nice, water temperature is ok but overall it is a pretty average course IMO…

Both my runs on Monday and Tuesday didn´t feel great but today was different. I think I am getting rid of the jet leg and also acclimatising a bit. Still have 3 full days until race day so nothing to worry about. I´m glad to be here so many days in advance though.

The city is getting packed with triathletes now so the energy and excitement are building up! Overall, I´m feeling good and not letting the nerves get me (as usual). Tomorrow is a swim, bike & run day again. I will also pick up my race kit and take heaps of photos to post here in the next couple of days.

Take it easy, until next time.
Rog