So what does one think about during an Ironman? Here is an account of the thoughts that crossed my mind during the my recent 13h45m Ironman Melbourne.
15 minutes before: Ok... Show time. Let's get into the water.
14 minutes before: Brrrr.... so cold.
10 minutes before: I can't feel my feet... Do I have to do this???
5 minute before: Ok, warm up... swim to the start. Put the head underwater. Great, now I can't feel my face
2 minutes before: Where the hell is the turn buoy? It's so dark I can't see...
(Horn goes off for swim start)
Start: Was that the start? Do we go now?
10m: Ok, here we go, follow those feet.
100m: Ouch! Where did that foot come from?
200m: Ok, got people around me, I'm not that slow.
500m: Am I going the right way? Where is everybody?
800m: Shit! Where am I? Waaay off course....
900m: Where's the turn buoy? Should have seen it by now...
1000m: Kadush! Another kick, must be back on course again.
1.2km: Ok just keep that blue seventy guy in sight, I'll be ok.
1.5km: That looks like the turn buoy just ahead. That was quick. Good swim!
1.6km: Damn it wasn't the turn buoy. It's the midway buoy. This is sooooo slow...
2km: Where did everybody go?
2.5km: That looks like a buoy. Swim towards it...
2.8km: Damn... it wasn't the buoy. It was a marshall.
2.9km: Great... Off course again
3.2km: Ok... home stretch, not far now.
3.6km: Finally, the last turn buoy
3.7km: Ok, hands touching ground. Get up.
3.8km: Yes! Done with the swim. Shit! Can't get this wetsuit off!
T1: Ok. Slowly! Take left arm off, take right arm off. Opps stuck on the Garmin. Take Garmin off.
T1: Wow! Big crowds. Look it's dad! Hi Dad!
T1: Ahh the showers look inviting... BRRR.... too cold, get out of the showers.
T1: Ok grab bike bag, put helmet on, put arm warmers on. Why is everyone putting gloves and windbreakers on?
T1: (leaving change tent) Damn, it's cold!!! Not very smart leaving my windbreaker with dad :(
T1: I'm shivering... how to ride?
Bike 0km: Strangely not that cold on the bike. Ok, let's go...
2km: Food! Eat eat eat!
2.5km: Burp! Ok let's go
5km: Need to pee. Should have gone at T1.
8km: Passing people! This is fun!
15km: Ok pee break.
20km: I love this course. So easy to go fast.
28km: Why am I going so sloooow? Are we going up a hill!
30km: Yay! Two-thirds of the way to the halfway point of the first half of the bike!
40km: Here comes the tunnel
43km: Wooo hooooo! 60kmh!
44km: This climb out is damn steep!
45km: Halfway there!
62km: 46km/h and I'm not even pushing! Woo hoo!
80km: Why can't I hit 30km/h???
90km: Big crowds here! Off the saddle! Look good!
91km: Need to rest. Let's stop at special needs.
100km: Legs are cramping, pop some salt.
110km: Pushing so hard but still going 23kmh!!! What's going on??!!
125km: Second wind!!! Woo hooo!!!!!
127km: I'm tired... What am I doing this again???
133km: Tunnel again! Wooo hooooo!!!
134km: I hate the tunnel I hate the tunnel I hate the tunnel....
135km: Less than two hours to cover 45km to break 7 hours, can be done....
145km: Cannot be done. Another 7 hour bike, looks like
150km: I really want to break 7 hours...
160km: Not going to happen, not at this rate...
175km: Only 5k to go, push push push.
178km: Easy, still got marathon to run...
180km: Made it! Sub-7 bay beh!!!! Wooo hoooo!!!!
T2: Rest! Phew!
T2: Oi! Race still on, get off your ass and get going!
Run 0km: Eh? What's Senn doing here? Oh missed bike intermediate cutoff. She must be bummed...
1km: Maybe I should join Senn and DNF, I'm not looking forward to this run.
3km: Trail run???? I thought this was Ironman, not Xterra...
4km: Wow, they're really taking us on a tour of Frankston.
5km: McDonald's! I'm hungry. Should have stopped with Senn.
6km: Ooooh.. tummy ache, pitstop
10km: Yay! A quarter of the way!
15km: Oooh... Mexican restaurant... A burrito sounds good right about now...
18km: Mental! This road is soooo long and straight!
19km: Hey look! It's Senn and family on the bus! Hi!
22km: Oooh... we're down by the beach! How nice...
24km: We have to go up that bitch of a hill??!!! Seriously???!!!
28km: 2 more k to 30k. Then can walk. NOPE! NO WALKING!
33km: Damnit! Garmin's dead... So much for 20 hours
34km: Ok, one hour for the last 8k and I'll break 14 hours... pick up the pace!
35km: 8k is one loop of the Ironman Langkawi loop. That's quite long, better ease the pace.
36km: 6k to go. Let's pick up the pace!
37km: Maybe pushed to soon. Let's save it for the last 2k.
40km: Last aid station! Woo hoo. Speed up speed up speed up!
41km: Last k, last k! I can see the finish line! That looks more than 1k to go!
41.5km: What?! turn right here? But the finish line is straight ahead!
42km: The finish chute. Woo hoo! High fives high fives!
42.2km: There's the line. Let's do a leap across the line. Here we go: One... Two... Lea.. OW CRAMP!!!!
1 comment:
GOOD JOB! nice report ;-)
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