New Zealand Race Reports

[Andrew]

You will have to excuse my tardiness in posting this race report. Ginny said it was OK to gloat, and it has taken me three days to recover from the reverie. I did look up the word gloat, to ensure I was not doing anything I shouldn't, but I can safely say I fulfilled the definition with aplomb.

gloat: "gaze at or think about something with great self-satisfaction, gratification, or joy".

New Zealand was an opportunity for me to see if the past 5 years of training, teaching, coaching, and talking about training really have helped me understand endurance sport a bit better. My first attempt at Ironman was satisfactory, when I ran a 10:21 at IMC in 2003. In fact, I was so pleased, I was willing to never do another one, and simply rest on my laurels. It was ginny who convinced me I should do it all over again, with the goal of qualifying with her for another go at Kona. She helped me towards this by buying me a magnet..."what would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?". It is not a difficult question to answer, it sometimes just takes a bit of courage to say it out loud, as Ginny made me do in November.

So there it was, the answer to the question on the magnet, "Qualify for Kona, and win a salad bowl". For those who have not witnessed the awards ceremony in Kona, the top three age group athletes in each category, win a hand carved wooden bowl, that bears striking resemblance to a salad bowl.

New Zealand was the first step to reaching that goal. It meant taking nearly an hour off my personal best time, in early March, having spent not a single day riding my bike on the road. It meant I would have to race the way I have told others they have to race, holding nothing back, and trusting the work they had done in practice. It meant trusting that 10-14 hours of training each week was good enough to get close to 9:30 on a good day. It was a test of what I preach at courses I run for triathlon and cycling coaches, that you need to train slow to race fast, and that 3-4 hour rides are all you need in order to prepare physiologically to complete the distance on race day.

The race goals were: 55 minute swim, 5:15 bike, 3:15 run - 9:30 total, win my age group, qualify for Kona.

The swim was beautiful. Clear water that was not nearly as cold as everyone warned it could be. Ginny actually swam in the lake for over an hour without a wetsuit earlier in the week. I had done lots of swimming in the two weeks leading up to the race, and felt really confident, even though I knew the Kiwis were greta swimmers. Good thing the water was clear, because it was dark when we started. Really dark. Not a hint of sun on the horizon, and heavy cloud cover. Add my dark goggles to the mix, with the left one filling with water as I took my first stroke, and I was fairly blind for the duration. I trusted a pair of feet that seemed to be moving in the right general direction, bounced off a few poor athletes around me, and just kept swimming.

The clock read 54 minutes on my exit, and I was elated. I felt pretty fresh, and was able to make the long run up the road, and up the long stairs to transition.

The change tent had a few of the top swimmers still making changes, and I opted to skip the long-sleeved jersey I had packed, and just head out. I think I made up 5 spots in transition, and another two as I got on my bike cleanly, while those around me seemed to be fighting with pedals and shoes.

The next thing I knew I was riding the roughest road my Tri bike had ever seen. I had not pre-ridden the course after Ginny had nearly been killed there in training. And had opted to do only one ride since arriving in New Zealand. I was nervous about my back being tight, and just feeling "wrong", but these fears were unfounded. I felt great on the bike, and soon realized I was riding with some of the top age-group athletes in the race. In 2003, I was passed by over 400 riders at Ironman Canada. In New Zealand, I was past by less than 10. In fact, had it not been for a momentary lapse of reason, and a subsequent drafting penalty, I would have biked very close to 5 hours, well beyond what I thought was possible.

Ah yes, the drafting penalty. It was on the second lap, I had just caught a small group of guys who had dropped me at the end of the first lap. I had ridden 40 km solo, and had recognized Charlotte Paul having a relatively poor ride just a few minutes ahead of me (meaning we had ridden 15 minutes faster than her over 120km). I was having a little snack, and formulating what I would say to Charlotte to help her get back in the race, when a very kind gentleman on the back of a motorcycle invited me to stop and have a short rest at the side of the road. He really was kind. The stop allowed me to empty my overly-full bladder, have a few bites of a delicious power bar, and enjoy the company of a complete stranger in the rural country-side of New Zealand. In hindsight I feel even worse about the penalty in the fact that I rode even stronger over the closing miles than would have been possible without the mandatory 4 minute hiatus I was granted.

I did have a few moments of fear on the bike. Self-doubt that washes over everyone at some point during the race. I have not rode that far since 2003, and have only ever completed one marathon before, on the same day as the 180 km ride. And I did remember how much that had hurt.

The run had moments of elation, and of fear. I was truly scared that all my efforts would end with me walking for 6 hours, and finishing at the back of the pack. The fear came on strongest after I ran a comfortable first 10km, focusing on breathing 4:4, and just getting my legs moving at a high cadence, with short strides. On the way back into town, it really hit me. There was no way I could keep running for 30 km. So, I walked through an aid station, and started taking everything that was handed to me. Water, Coke, gels, water, sponge, coke, water. And when the aid station was gone, I ran to the next one, and did it all over again. The volunteers were so impressed with the volume of fuel I was taking in, they actually started a game of it. "See if he cna take both of those cups, and still make room in his hand for another gel...wow, he did it...must be hungry!". The results were nearly immediate. I was running again, and feeling better at 21 km than I had at the 14km mark. My confidence was back, and the speed change was noticeable. I know this, because, Charlotte's coach/husband, Kristian Manietta, had been offering me words of encouragement throughout the run. And now his words were more like fascination that I was actually making inroads into the top age-group athletes.

My final time: 9:24  swim-54  bike-5:08   run 3:17 - 2nd in age group - qualified for Kona!

[GinnySellars]

OK...here's my race report. (I'm avoiding paying bills, cleaning, and all adult responsibilities)
Beware....it's really long.

I came to New Zealand to complete my 6th Ironman. I really wanted to do a winter race, to inspire some fall and winter adventures. I began working on convincing Andrew to return to Ironman racing in September. He didn’t want to entertain the idea until after XTERRA in October, so I waited until the day after his race before I began my manipulation in earnest. 24 hours later, I had a partner in crime to train for the March 7th race in New Zealand.

Race morning could not come too soon for me. My confidence had been up and down for 2 weeks, and it had taken me until the evening before the race to get my head in the game. I had not been outside on my bike since October. It’s a real mental stretch to imagine riding 180km with my only prep on a trainer with my ipod. The local roads are so dangerous here with no shoulder, and drivers with no regard for cyclists or pedestrians. I had only been outside on my bike for a total 90min in Taupo.

We awoke to wet roads and overcast skies. The forecast was for improved conditions over the day, but it was looking stormy. Andrew and I snuck out of the house at 5:30am, and left our dear friend Danielle to take care of Madeline for the day. We got to transition and went through the pre-race rituals together. We pretended to be relaxed, and cracked dumb jokes, which were of course hilarious at that hour of the day. It was still really dark until we got to the water’s edge. We watched the pro start 15 minutes before our own. The Maori canoe with 50 large Maori paddlers led the race. It was just as I had imagined, except darker…I kissed Andrew goodbye, and felt really lonely as he drifted away to the front of 1400 wetsuits. As usual, my emotions were near boiling point with fear and excitement of all the day could bring.

It was a deep water start. I could barely touch the sand and lined up 20 meters from the buoys. As usual, it was a blender for the first ½ of the swim. While it was a smaller mass start than IM Canada, with only 1450 athletes, only 280 of them were women, and I felt the thump of strong men around me. I have purple bruises today where I got wacked with an elbow on the forehead. After probably 20 mass race starts, today took the cake. I actually had my goggles stripped from my head and flung into the water ahead of me. I watched with horror as my goggles sunk under the water, but got to them before they were lost. Once the swimmers spread out, I was able to enjoy the beautiful warm and clear water of Lake Taupo. I got a chuckle out of messages that someone had made out of the rocks on the floor of the lake. I had been so confident of my improved stroke and new-found speed, that I was a pretty surprised and disappointed with my slow clocking. 1:16. Ouch. This was even slower than my first Ironman 7 years ago after only 5 months of swimming.

There is a 400 meter run from the water’s edge to transition. It was lined with throngs of supporters, and I even heard my own name a couple of times from the few people we met during the week. I decided not to wear my vest and arm warmers because while the skies were dark and ominous, it was pretty warm. I rode out of town on the only 4km stretch of smooth road. Then the torture treatment began. I had heard the roads were rough, but this was beyond my expectations. By 5km both my brand new water bottle cages were broken, and I lost my concoction of CarboPro and Eload. The cages rattled so loudly that people looked over to see what was coming. I was left with only my aero bottle, which I had to hold with one hand on the bumpy sections so as not to lose this also. This would mean I would have to change my nutrition plan, and use the aid stations to their maximum capacity. I worked really hard on the first lap, in part to make up for my atrocious swim time. I tried not to reduce the intensity just because I was passing so many people. Coming back into town after the first 90km to a wall of people, I began to get a sinking feeling that I didn’t have the fitness to keep up the pace. I could feel my hamstring insertions behind the knees, and my back was beginning to seize. On the second lap I began to tense up before the newly ‘paved’ sections. Having got to know the athletes around me, we joked about our ‘favorite’ sections of the road, and established that none of us would have sex for at least a month after this fiasco. By 110km my outlook got a little dark. I had managed to eat one bar, but mixed with the sport drink on the course, my stomach was lurching. I was getting resentful of the rattling, as I could barely get into aero position with a raw backside. I was stopping more and more often to pee, and just wished I could puke and get it over with. In retrospect, I should have let some air out of my tires, as I seemed to be bouncing around more than others. My outlook turned from dark to black. I was clearly short of fuel, as I was sick any time I drank. I was now only asking for only water at the aid stations, and taking in gels. I was aware that I had to turn around my mindset to complete this race. The bright spot on my ride was seeing Andrew, absolutely obliterating the field. He was in the first pack of men, who had caught the pro women after their 15 minute lead. He was having the ride of his life.

Coming back into town, I was considering my first DNF. I was so uncomfortable, that I could not imagine running, and did not want to walk for 6 hours. I was hyper-ventilating in transition as my emotions were ramped. Knowing that Madeline was waiting on the side of the road to cheer on her Mama, I decided to put on my shoes and start the long trek. My plan to was to become the best cheerleader that I could for Andrew and Charlotte, our Aussie friend in the pro ranks. I walked over the overpass that began the run course, and began to jog on the street lined with cheering supporters. Being upright off the bike, my pain actually disappeared. I got my cadence up, started my watch. I was grinning ear to ear with the elation of realizing that I could run. All the hours running in the snow at Kal Park would be put to the test. I just kept my cadence high, scooted past dozens of people who had crushed me on the bike. I felt like I was floating for the first ½ marathon. At the aid stations I took only coke and water, and began to feel the energy from pure sugar come back into my body. I was spurred on when Madeline and Danielle cheered like crazy and blew me kisses from on the small hill leaving town. I crossed paths with Andrew and got a fabulous kiss and hug. He was having the race of his life and went on to finish in 9hrs24min, in second place, 30 seconds behind the first place guy in 40-44.  The second lap on the run was much slower than the first, but controlled. The weather changed and the rain and wind picked up. At one point the rain was so heavy it was bouncing off the road up to our knees. The athletes began to smile at one another, as it all became a little comical. I loved my new racing flats from New Balance. It’s the first race I’ve done with no blisters…even in the rain. I ran 3hrs44 minutes, after 5hrs40 on the bike, to finish in 10hrs45 total. This was good enough for 3rd place, and a spot to Kona. Andrew and I will be on a flight to Kona in October. While I’m delighted to get back to Kona, I really want a ‘do-over’ for New Zealand. I felt so fit and ready to race, that I’m disappointed that I didn’t show myself what I could do. I got too wrapped up in the road surface, and lost focus on nutrition and consistency of effort. Lessons learned. Thankfully I’m not burnt out, and I can’t wait to get back to training, and race again in June.

[CindyG]

 
Wow!  You guys are amazing!  Congratulations to both of you!!  Love Cindy

[kryskol]

Great race reports Andrew and Ginny.  Well done!  Can't wait to see how you fare in Kona.

[Rebecca]

FANTASTIC !!!!
Well done you two. You both are such an inspiration. I was watching the race live and saw Andrew cross the finish line in his Balance Point kit.(didn't notice the shoes) I was so inspired that if it hadn't been so late in Yellowknife and so cold I would dashed out the door and gone for run myself!
PS It's also great to hear about the mental race - that's one area I really need to work on!

[GinnySellars]

What.....you didn't want to wait 1 1/2 hours to see me cross the line?! You missed a good one....Maddy carrying her Canadian flag, and me a proud Mama. She said "I a Islandman!" then said "Mama, don't be tired, be happy!".

[Daniel Auger]

Congratulations to both of you for your achievement and thanks for sharing with us how you felt before and during your race. It shows the less experienced bunch of us that no matter how good and fit an athlete is, everyone has some mental challenges to overcome during a race (doubt, stress, etc.). I am confident that you will bring back one of those salad bowls from Kona.

[Trev]

Ahh those rough roads take me back  You'll find the Kona blacktop much smoother.
Very impressive you guys! Taking on an Ironman after a Canadian winter.
There's still lots of skiing when you get back - Revelstoke is open to the 26th April.
Happy Birthday Maddy 

[Kathleen]

Great job guys, enjoyed the stories! Wish I could join your next adventure Ginny but no luck.
Andrew, looks like we should have a nutrition talk
Hoping to catch up soon, the cloud is slowly lifting....

Hope Maddy had a wonderful b-day!