Ironman Barcelona 30 Sept 2017

Apologies in advance – this could be a long one!

Why??

When I was in high school I played lots of sports.  I grew up in a small town in NZ  with quite an outdoorsy family so we were always out doing something. However upon reaching university, moving to cities and entering the workforce this tapered off to pretty much nothing until I met my wife Emma in London in 2006. Emma was doing quite a few charity 5 and 10km runs and I started doing some of these with her, building up to doing the Milton Keynes half marathon in 2007 in a time of 2:37! – I was totally broken for days afterwards!

We both kept up the running on and off until 2010 when we started to have children and I started to really embrace the “Dad bod”. With no exercise past walking to the train and back for a few years by late 2012 I was pushing 100kg and decided I needed to sort myself out. Over the course of the next year I worked myself back up through the distances until I could complete a half marathon running the whole way in mid 2014 (the Greenway Challenge in Letchworth).

Later that year a friend from work, Sophie, convinced me to sign up for the a sprint triathlon at Eton Dorney.  As part of training for this I joined my local triathlon club Freedom Tri which over the years has proved to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. The Eton Dorney sprint came and went and safe to say I was addicted. The next few years were spent doing sprint and standard distance triathlons as well as a couple of marathons, becoming a level one triathlon coach and generally getting involved with everything triathlon as much as I could.

After doing triathlons for a while I think a lot of people start thinking about Ironman at some point, and so it was for me, by 2016 I had decided it was something I wanted to have a crack at. I decided Ironman Barcelona 2017 looked a great option in terms of location and timing and decided to sign up, a few others from Freedom Tri (Kev Smart, Simon Jackson, Rob Sedgwick and Dean Heuer) also decided to do it as well which made the prospect even more appealing. Then following too many drinks one night after work it was my turn to twist Sophie’s arm and she also signed up along with another friend Carl Halvorsen – it was shaping up a great experience already!

Training

After chatting with club mate Andy Jones and reading his report from Ironman Wales 2016 I decided to use Don Fink’s book Be Iron Fit as the basis for my training plan. It offers 3 different 30 week training plans all based on time rather than distance which seemed like it should be the easiest to fit around my life. A big requirement was that I wanted the training to have as little impact as possible on family life – hard to avoid when it comes to 6hr bike rides etc, but where ever possible I tried to fit in sessions early in the morning or after the kids had gone to bed.

I started building slowly from the start of the year to build up my base fitness and also focusing mostly on my swimming (which I knew was a weakness) and my running as it was easy to tag along with other friends who were marathon training to build up my distance over the winter. By the time to start the plan proper came around on the 1st of March I was already slightly ahead on my weekly numbers which made picking up the plan feel quite easy.

Overall training went really well, I managed to avoid injury all year and was able to complete most the sessions. There’s always going to be some weeks where you can’t fit everything in around family, work etc but generally I was able to make it work. I ended up using the Don Fink plan as more of a guide rather than following it word for word – I more or less stuck to the general daily structure of it following the daily hours etc in it and the way it built but managed to make it fit in with my normal club running sessions and swim sessions from both the club and a separate Swim Smooth Ironman swim training plan.

It’s often said that just getting the start line of an Ironman is an achievement in itself – and it’s right! The training is tough, I can honestly say I trained harder for this than I’d ever trained before resulting in me dropping to a weight I hadn’t seen since my early twenties despite having a completely insatiable appetite. There was lots of early wake ups, dragging myself out of bed when I’d have much rather been sleeping. My biggest training week of 21 hours was about 3 weeks about from race day and on average over the course of the 30 week plan I averaged somewhere around 11 hours.

In terms of my training breakdown, each week was usually 3 sessions of each discipline, one speed/intervals, one technique and one endurance. At least once a week an extra run would be thrown in after a bike to make it a brick session.

My weekly training usually looked something like:

Generally there was never much more than two hours of training a day on the weekdays so as long as I was disciplined about getting up early in the morning or cracking on with it once the kids were in bed in the evenings fitting them in wasn’t too bad – it was the long sessions in the weekends that were more difficult to fit in around family etc – by the time you’ve done 5+ hours on the bike followed by an hours run there’s not much of the day left!

The total breakdown per discipline for the 9 months leading up to race day was.

Each of which was far more than I’d ever done in a whole year previously. (swim and bike were both 3-4 times what I’d done any other year)

As far as longest distances for each discipline went, swim was the only one where I actually did the full race distance in training (once in the pool, twice in open water).

In hindsight I think for me this worked out pretty well, my swim was what needed the most improvement and I was really happy with how it came on over the year. I would have maybe liked to do one or to more 100+ mile rides in the build up, but it’s so hard to fit these in anyway. Running wise I think I’m probably running the best I ever have so going into race day I was feeling pretty happy with how everything had gone.

Practice races

As part of my training I’d planned to do a half Ironman (also my first at that distance) roughly 10 weeks out. This ended up being the Bustinskin Weymouth Middle Distance in mid July.  This was a great experience practicing using my race day kit, getting some sea swim experience and general strategy for the race. My big takeaway from this that I needed to sort out my nutrition strategy. I had a great run and bike, but didn’t eat nearly enough on the bike so really suffered mid way through the run with horrible cramps and generally feeling pretty weak.

Although not planned I also did the Gower Swimrun in mid August, filling in for a friend who could no longer take part. I was pretty nervous about this as a) it was a pretty tough event and I hadn’t really done any specific training for it and b) at only 6 weeks out from Barcelona I was really worried about getting an injury. In the end it turned out to be a great experience and was a real confidence booster both in terms of how tough particular the swims on it were (I knew Barcelona wouldn’t be anywhere near as tough on the swim as that) and in terms of general endurance – it took just shy of 8 hours to complete – much longer than my Half Ironman so was great to prove that I could just keep going!

Nutrition

I had real trouble trying to settle on a nutrition plan I felt happy with. Initially I tried just relying on gels and typical energy bars along with water and isotonic drinks but this just never seemed to be enough and always let me feeling weak int he stomach and pretty washed out. It wasn’t until after my 100 mile bike ride right at the end of August that I really settled on something that worked for me. In the end I decided to stick to solid food as much as possible, so on the bike this was several Clif Bars, Clif Shot Bloks, Pretzels and Jelly Babies with a salt stick tablet thrown in every hour. I’d worked out how much I’d need and took a bit more of everything just to be safe. For the run I took 5 gels with me and also had drinks and a slice of orange at almost every aid station. This seemed to work really well on the day and I didn’t have any problems that I’d had previously.

Race weekend

I flew out to Barcelona the Wednesday before the race along with Emma, our 3 kids and Emma’s Mum, Carole – I wanted to get there a few days beforehand to acclimatize and ensure I had plenty of time to sort myself out before the big day.

Thursday was spent putting my bike back together, registering and just chilling out on the beach with the kids. In the evening I met up with club mates Kev, Rob and Simon for a nice meal in the town center. A couple of quiet beers to calm the nerves and a good chat with lots of advice from Ironman veterans Kev and Rob left me feeling a lot less nervous than I had been.

On Friday I left the family to do their own thing for most of the day while I met up with Dean for short bike test ride out on the start of the course (the roads were so nice!) then a short swim/wetsuit test with Dean and Sophie, off to the pre-race briefing before packing the transition bags and heading off to drop the bags and bike off ready for the big day.

That night I checked into a separate hotel to try and get a good sleep away from the kids etc – I needn’t have bothered though as I think I only ended up sleeping for about 4 (broken) hours all night before giving up around 3:30am and spending an hour or so nervously googling Strava bike segments from previous years races like an idiot.

I met up with Kev, Simon, and Suzy for breakfast 5:30 along with Kev’s friend Johanne who’s pre-race breakfast consisted of a single small coffee!! Then we met Dean and made our way off to the start. It was game time!!

Swim

The atmosphere pre-race was pretty special, thousands of nervous athletes pacing about waiting to get going while loud music played over the soundsystem. We gathered around chatting a bit before heading off to our self seeded start pens ready to go.

The swim was a rolling start and we were set of in groups of 6 roughly 5 seconds apart. I’d put myself in the 1:10 pen with the plan of jumping on a slightly better swimmers feet and getting a good draft on the swim, however lots of other (slower) swimmers seemly also had this idea, so for the first 300m out to the first turn I felt like I was doing a lot of overtaking, then once we turned the corner we had a 1700m straight against the current. I couldn’t seem to find anyone decent the draft behind, people either seemed to be zig zagging all over the place or doing some sort of weird semi breast stroke kick so I spent a lot of time swimming on my own – it seemed to be taking forever, I also kept having problems with my goggles leaking a bit on one side until I finally gave them a good whack to stick them on – resulting in a bit of a black eye afterwards!

Once we reached the turn around point at about the 2km mark the current was behind us and I managed to get on the feet of a good swimmer and stuck with him pretty much the whole way back – the return leg seemed to fly and I really enjoyed it, the sea was lovely and clear so you could see fish (and the odd jelly fish) swimming around below you and as we made the final turn back toward the swim finish and could hear the music blaring it gave a real incentive for that final push to the beach. Out of the water in 1:14 – pretty much bang on target.

Bike

Into the transition tent I found my bag no problems and went about changing into my cycle gear – I took my time, had a small bite to eat, slapped on some sun screen then was out and onto the bike course.

The first 3km through town we weren’t allowed to pass or be on our tri bars due to the narrow road and hazards like speed bumps etc the drafting rule was also no in effect for this section, this meant we were able to ease into the bike somewhat but also that by the time we got to the main course large groups had already formed, these spread on a bit on the climbs for the first 10km but when you have 3000 people on a two and a half lap fairly flat, straight bike course it’s always going to be pretty crowded. I was really enjoying the bike, making sure to pass any groups that formed near me and with little wind to begin with the first lap seemed to fly by, I was hitting a much faster pace than I’d planned without feeling like I was working to hard – the road surface was brilliant and as I headed into the roundabout to end my first lap was really enjoying myself, this was where the crowd was at it largest on the bike course, with the supporters packed along both sides of the road cheering and spurring everyone along, I spotted Dean and Simon’s wives cheering in the crowd, and heard (but didn’t see) Emma, and had a big grin on my face as I headed up the hill to start the second lap.

About 15km into the 2nd lap I’d slipped into a bit of a happy place and wasn’t really paying attention when a group of about 7 riders passed me and immediately slowed down, just as a draft buster bike pull along side, I registered it a bit late by which time I was only about 3m back from the bike in-front rather than the 12 I was supposed to be, I immediately sat up, straight, rested my hands on my arm rests and glided to try and drop back and make it obvious that I wasn’t trying to draft, it was too late though and I was shown a blue card meaning I had to stop for 5 minutes at the next penalty tent I came to. I was furious, there had been so much other blatant drafting going on by big groups but after a bit of under my breath name calling I knuckled down and made it to the penalty box around the 90km point where I sat out my 5 minute penalty watching pelotons of riders cruise past and my average pace slowly fall from the 34km/hr it had been on…. grrr.

Once I got going again the wind had started to pick up which meant the outward leg of each lap we were straight into a head wind and it was starting to have a noticeable effect, pace was down and the going was definitely tougher. The big upside of the lapped course however was it meant I kept seeing the others each lap, it was always a big boost to spot them, get a yell and wave, big grin then back to work. The return leg had the wind at my back so was much easier going, it became a matter of not losing too much pace going into the wind then trying to make to most of it when it was at your tail. I was also determined not to get another penalty (3 and you get a DQ) so any time I got close to anyone I made sure I put in a bit more effort to get in front and put some space between myself and others. By the end of the bike my feet were killing me, too long in the narrow bike shoes, as I swung myself off the bike to go into T2 I could hardly bare to walk they were so sore – this didn’t bode well for the marathon to come! I was over the moon with my bike split though, despite the penalty, my target had been around 6 hours to to come off in 5:40 was much better than I had expected

Run

Going into T2 my feet were in agony, I got out of my bike shoes and socks as soon as I could to give my feet a chance to breath while I changed into my run top, applied a bit more sun screen and had a quick bite to eat before putting on my trainers and heading out on the run course. Luckily by the time I put my trainers on the pain had almost completely disappeared so I was able to find my stride fairly quickly.

The run was a dead flat 3 lap course with a little extra out and back bit at the start. About 500m into the run Simon passed my going the other way about a mile into his second lap, he was flying but gave me a big shout and a thumbs up which spurred me on a bit more. I was feeling really comfortable and without really trying found myself sitting a bit under 5min/km pace – faster than I had planned on going but I didn’t feel like I was pushing it so decided to try and stick to that pace for the first 10km and see how I went.

Around the 6km mark I had to stop for a brief toilet break before keeping going at much the same pace I had been until probably just past the 9km mark, I’d been grabbing a drink of water or ISO at each aid station but I was starting to really feel the heat so I let the pace drop a bit and decided to start walking through the aid stations. This seemed to work really well, it allowed to me maintain a good overall pace and the walks gave me a bit of recovery and a chance to have a good drink and slice of orange at each aid station.

By around the 10 mile mark the heat was starting to get to me, at each aid station I was grabbing a small bottle of water, drinking a bit then pouring the rest over my head, as well as having an orange, some ISO drink and some Coke whenever it was on offer. I kept seeing people I knew on the course though and the hi fives were keeping spirits up. We had great support my various wives and partners which really was brilliant. About mid way through the run it started to rain which was an absolute god send, it took the edge off the heat but was light enough to not be annoying, it was around this point though that I started to notice some sand or something in my left shoe that was slowly starting to grate on the bottom of my foot, My mental arithmetic was telling me if I could hold the pace I was on I would be on for a sub 4hr marathon though so I gritted me teeth and tried to block it out.

About a km or so into the 3rd lap at probably around the 29km mark I caught up with Rob, he was struggling in the heat after putting in a storming bike leg, we swapped a few words and I carried on, my running was felling good, I was trying to concentrate on holding good form and the short walk breaks at each aid station were giving me just enough recovery to keep a decent pace for the runs. With about 7km to go I caught up with Kev, I had thought I’d run with him for a bit, but he was full of encouragement and urged me to keep going at my pace. Shortly after I left Kev I went through what would be the second to last aid station, I was tired, but the legs were feeling like they had a bit left yet, I downed a selection of drinks, swallowed one last slice of orange and upon looking at my watch realised a 3:50 marathon could be on the cards – but I’d have to step on it!

With the end almost in sight I dug in and tried to up my pace and finish the last 5km as fast as I could. I past the last aid station without stopping, saw Dean heading out the other way with about 1km left to run, got a big should and hi-5 from him and was pretty running on adrenaline from there to the end, just before rounding the corner to the finish chute Emma was jumping up and down screaming me on, emotions were getting to me now and I was starting to tear up, I turned into the finish straight and caught sight of club mate Suzy hanging over the edge cheering me on, I must have just about taken her hand off with a hi-5 as I passed her, 50 meters to go and I slowed down to a walk as I crossed the line to hear the magic words from Mr Ironman Paul Kaye “Chris Clark… YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!”

It was over, I’d done it, 9 months of hard work, and what a feeling!! 11 hours, 2 minutes and 19 seconds (and a 3:49:59 run split), far, far better than I could have hoped for, I was absolutely over the moon!

Post Race

I was handed my medal, finishers t-shirt and towel, but it was all a bit of a daze, I was more exhausted than I’d ever been in my life, there was a huge spread laid out with all the food and beer we could drink, but all I wanted to do was sit. I went and got my street bag and phone, called Emma then just plonked down onto a bench until Kev finished about 10 minutes later. We were joined by Simon and Rob and enjoyed a couple of beers before heading outside to find our partners and watch Dean and Sophie finish (less than 10 minutes part).

After meeting back up with Emma, and picking up my bike and bags from the transition tent, we met up with the Freedom Tri lot and their partners etc for plenty of beers and relived each other experiences from the day. Despite being absolutely knackered I don’t think any of us were remotely ready for sleep – the Ironman buzz takes a long time to wear off!!

Race video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLBLEvs6sNQ

Strava: Swim | Bike | Run

Thanks

While triathlon is a fairly individual sport it’s made so much more enjoyable and easier by the others around us. The biggest thank you of all has to go to my amazing wife Emma, while I was out swanning around the countryside in lycra she was juggling 3 young kids, her own business (more young kids!!), generally keeping the family running while all the time being incredibly supportive and encouraging of my mad pursuits. Without Emma’s support I couldn’t have done it – love you so much Em!!

Kev, Dean, Rob, Simon & Sophie who all experienced their own version of this journey. Being part of this with you all sharing the weekend with your really made the event the amazing experience it was, seeing you all out on the course, getting the hi-5’s the mutual cheers of encouragement etc and elation at the finish really was the highlight of the weekend. Well done all of you!

All the others wives, partners and friends of the above who made the trip out to Calella to support us – you probably don’t realise just how big a boost seeing a familiar face gives us when we’re out there. Your support was amazing!

Everyone at my amazing club Freedom Tri. Joining this club really was one of the best decisions I’ve made, and without the support encouragement and inspiration I’ve received from you all over the years I would would never have though completely an Ironman was something that was possible for me – much less actually going and doing one!

A special mention should also go to James Parsons who seemed to fall into the role of training buddy for me over the course of the last year for much of my swim and run training. Having someone join me for all those 5:00am starts to get across to Luton pool or countless miles around the Greenway not only ensured I actually did the sessions in the first place but your encouragement and enthusiasm really was invaluable. We must be due a fair few beers now!