Race Reports: Inspired By The Call Of The Distant Drum
Having retired two years ago I had started going to the gym most mornings. I had included swimming more regularly in addition to many years of “jogging” but had not cycled.
I felt I needed a focus to maintain my training and fitness motivation, so what about triathlon, why not?
I did a couple of sprints and quite enjoyed it, so I splashed out £250 on a road bike and set my heart on the Ironman Bolton 70.3 as it was local. I figured let’s see what my old body is still capable of – a true test of endurance for a sexagenarian.
Coaching
I had previously invested in a swim analysis from Bryan and attended a few of his technique sessions, but his post on “the why” (the call of the distant drum) convinced me to go with him, and thankfully he accepted.
And so commenced six months of training which has flown by and I am pleased to say has been executed with pretty good consistency to boot.
Race Day
The Swim
Bolton has a self seeded start which was great. The lack of the usual frenzy in the first few minutes suited me and I was quickly able to establish a good rhythm.
I did try drafting but found the swimmers around had very inconsistent paces and directions so this, together with not having a clear sight of them underwater, meant I gave this up as a bad job and focused on good technique and a strong pull. My sighting was much improved as a consequence of work with Bryan; I swam 1919m so very happy with that.
Swim time 39min & 43secs.
The Bike
This was my nemesis in training.
My bike times had improved only slightly and I detested the long bike rides principally because of chronic bum ache. However, during the race I distracted myself by reading the names from the bibs of athletes who passed me – there was a lot of those so I was quite busy – and this took the sting out of it. So as the bums of Olexandr, Kikka and Michael came and went, and occasionally came back again I flew (for me) around the two loops based around Leigh despite being cold for the first hour or so.
I was quickly brought back to earth on the exposed stretch to Bolton and beyond. Things got really tough on the climb section out towards the moors. Pace dropped to a crawl and my quads were screaming “what the hell is this? This wasn’t in the training”.
I was relieved to arrive a T2 after 3h:56min
I had beaten the cut off time quite comfortably, something I had worried a great deal about throughout training.
The Run
My run went really quite well.
I employed the run – walk strategy I had practised in training and used the on course gels and drinks – although I was perhaps guilty of not drinking enough electrolyte preparation. Sure enough, as I approached mile 10 I suffered the most crippling bout of cramp I had ever experienced. My right hamstring had taken on the size and shape of a large mango but with the consistency of gone off concrete.
I thought “this is it, I’m never going to finish now”. But after several minutes of stretching I was able to resume a slow walk and after a few minutes more was able to run, albeit slowly – but I was moving forward, that’s all that mattered. I decided to sacrifice speed for sustainability and immediately reverted to walking if I felt the hint of any recurring pain – which did happen quite frequently.
Family Support
As I approached Bolton Town centre for the second time I noticed my family in the crowd. My daughter had made a sign that read how proud she was of me and this cut through to my usually dormant emotional side. It provided a much needed boost in the latter stages which I fed off until the finish. She had also sent me a text which I obviously was only able to read after the race which said:
“I don’t know if you’ll get this while you’re racing, but I just wanted to say I’m so proud of you. You’ve shown the most incredible determination with training, now you just need to finish this race. You’ve truly proved that age is just a number and that you can do anything you put your mind to. You’ve got this ❤️”.
I was relieved to see the finish line and drank in the support as I ran up the red and black Ironman carpet to finish with a run time of 2h:25min.
I had done it!!
Why?
When I signed up with Bryan he asked me why I wanted to be coached by him.
I explained that this period was to be a voyage of personal discovery and I needed to be guided by someone who has been there, done it, got the tee shirt who now custom fits those tee shirts to like minded individuals – namely you Bryan. Well, now thanks to him I have the tee shirt that money can’t buy and by the way, I can tell you the fit is pretty good too. Bryan truly is the Ironman Daddy.
Learning
What went well
- The swim start. The self seeded method really suited me.
- The first half of the bike ride when my pace was the fastest it had ever been.
- My agile strategy – having to slow down in the last three miles of the run and “dig in” in order to finish. If I hadn’t listened to my body and been sensible, there is no way I’d have got through those last three miles.
Even better if there is a next time
- I was cold on the bike, particularly for the first hour when wet. Despite using an additional layer I had brought I could have done with more, and gloves!
- The hills really took it out of me. I should have done some hill work in training, but I really didn’t (and still don’t) enjoy the bike – just getting around on the flat was a challenge enough for me.
- My nutrition. I got the calories right and even my hydration was OK as judged by my first post race pee. Where I went astray was with the electrolytes. I should have drunk much more of this at the aid stations and used the full range of products in training. If I had, I may not have got the cramp and finished 15 minutes earlier.
Last Words …
All in all, elated to have finished and achieved my goal.
Many thanks to Bryan for helping me make memories that will last a lifetime – or what I’ve got left of it anyway.
Remember, you’re a long time dead – go for it – carpe diem; seize the day.
Race Reports: Inspired By The Call Of The Distant Drum
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