Ironman Uk

DaraSmith 13:41:06

774 th out of 1200

Swim 01:15:00 Swim position 593
Bike 07:06:02 Bike Position 756
Run 05:04:47 857

so i trained for about 6 months for it .
but because i picked up giardia the stomach parasite in india it took me a while to get up to full spead and back to full health
i was aiming for 12 hours at the start and just picked that number becuse it was nice and round
half a day etc and now i realise that number wasnt based in reality at all
i was origionally thinking of doing iron man austria but that was sold out in ten mins so i missed that one
the other two close options were sherbourne uk and nice in france
as i had just cycle thru nice while bike touring last march 07 i remember the hills and said fuck that.
So i picked uk becuse i thought i would be flat .dooh

So the training was tuff but i tried to break it up with other stuff
for me the mai thing was trying to keep it interesting
i tried to change routes and do different stuff and picked a few different races to train up for it
wicklow 200 on the bike and other stuff like that how ever the bigest triathlon i got to do this year before it was an olympic distance .

So i trained up and tapered down and then a few days before i left for england i got sick
however i think this was just nerves
i didnt feelin like eating and had a knotted stomach

once i got to england this improved a bit and then in the lead up to the race i got a few butterflies but it died a bit
The venue its self was great
on old casle beside lake
Theres so much organisation and logistists and i couldnt have done it with out my support crew of mammy daddy and eileen
there were colour coded trasistion bags to be filled and handed in at certain times and bike to be racked and check
food to prepared pack .

so on the thursay before we drove the bike course
which really put the shits up me as i discovered what 2000 meters total elevation actually ment.
The bike course was very similar to the wicklow 200 and only 20k shorter.
a mixture of long rolling hills and short shrp ones.
I was luck that hill climbing on the bike is probally the only think i,m actually good at and had done enough training on in wicklow and out to brittas etc.

Then on the friday i went for the test swim in the lake at nine in the morning
this was good becuse it was like mentally running thru what race morning would be like.
i did one lap of the swim course slowly about 1.8k and went real slow .
Water was warm and all went well so that helped me relax a bit.

That evening my self and eileen got dressed up and went to the pasta party which was a meal with an introduction and videos of the world championships in kona hawai.
They went thru how many ironman races people had done from the novices to people how had done 36.
weirdos.

Then saturday it was massage and time to check in my red and blue transition bags and bike and helment

they had a helmet check for saftey and took one look and my one an told me to get a new one.

back to the house last meal and off to bed.

DaraSmith

774 th out of 1200

Swim 01:15:00 Swim position 593
Bike 07:06:02 Bike Position 756
Run 05:04:47 857 13:41:06


Race day

race day started and 3 in the morning
for breakfast

porridge and bread and a powerbar shake and a bannan
then back to bed till 4 30

then up again grab the wet suit and googles and head for the race
as i get there and walk up to transition i really start to feel the nerves as i see the changing area .
so i walk around the back of the tent and releave my stomach of some of my breakfast

so i,m changed and ready to go and its about to start.
its still dark and were all in the holding are of transition
lots of nervy people in wet suits theres a big wait here and then fianlly they let us down to the lake
just see eilo and parents as i about to hop in time for some last good luck cheers
and its into the water
its starting to be a bit brighter now but its still weird swimming to the swim start out in the lake in the semi darkness


theres another big wait as appearently they wont start the race till some parked cars are moved off the run course
weird

The swimmers are getiing adjeteted and cheering treeding water waiting

and then the klaxton goes .

Were off.
I just try to keep calm and remember all the oher swim starts i,ve done and all the training get swimming a steady stroke.
Its is still however 1500 people in a lake heading for the one point so things do get a bit squirly but nothing to bad.


The swim was great .
I think my swimming has improved most of all my disiplines and i held my position kept on course and came out of the water 15 mins quicker than i,ve done it in the pool.A good start is all ways good for relaxing you.

thru transition and on to the bike i luckally desicded to go with my leg warmers as it was windy on the bike.
I was a bit pumped up after doing so well in the swim and this is where i made my mistake i took into the bike a bit to quickly.

I did my first bike lap in two hours and was pretty happy with it.
The second and third the wind and hills started to take there toll.
by bike came out at 7 hours and so i was that was grand considering the course

then trough transition and here i made my second mistake
for some stupid reason i didnt streach propperly before i started runnig and with the slow pace and the hill on the run achillies tendon started to get me .
The run course really shock me.
it was half trail run and half road and was really hill after starting in the castle grounds it went through a camping ground and into a forest trail.
it was like the achil island half marathon in terms of incline and then it came back around the lake and into town and back the the castle.

by the start of the second lap i was starting to hurt alot in my ankle but i new i had to keep going.
Hugh carberry had told me to walk true the aid stations and so i did that and only walked to take my gels and drinks.
How the pain was just building slowly and i took a pain killer but i might as well have thown it in the lake.
its not easy to feel sorry for your self when you see older people trotting along infront of you. start of the third lap i knew i just 9 more miles to go and then i was home. and i heard there was free curry at the end so i picked up a bit.

it was a great buzz finishing it and there was a big roar of people in the finishing shoot all going bannanas.
Fair play to the paddys tho they were the best supporters shouting and waiving and cheering everyone on with more tri colours on the course than anything else
and some really sound lads from carrick on suir tri club in the race too.
My mammy and eileen could probally be heard roaring from the other end of the bike course dad looked after all my technical gear as the offical team mechanic .

race over i got my medal time to go back to the house for some spuds n sleep.

lots of sleep