People asked me at the time if it was hard to put off Ironman for a year and being truthful yeah I was disappointed as when I started on this journey I had 2010 fixed in my mind as the date for completion. But that said it was a joint decision and I totally understood and supported it. I was not going to be selfish and spend a considerable amount of money on something that could be easily used for something more practical and as R said the event wasn't going anywhere. She's a wise woman is my wife...
To partially compensate for not competing in Ironman 2010, G & I decided to go to Taupo anyway for Ironman weekend solely to enjoy the event and partake in the atmosphere. I'd been in his ear about what a great event it was after my spectating experience in 2008 and he was keen to come along to see it first hand. It was also a good opportunity for me - as part of my training for the Auckland Half Ironman - to run the actual Ironman course in Taupo in preparation for when I was going to participate in 2011. (great forward planning on my part!) So once again, I was on the shores of Lake Taupo before dawn watching the 1300 athletes taking off for a very long day. And once again, I had a really great day which reaffirmed my decision that I had to take part in this event.We stuck it out until the end and can lay claim to seeing every single person finish the course - from #1at 3pm through to #1300 just before midnight.
And then it was my turn...2 weeks later I was on the beach at Maraetai in Auckland contemplating the day ahead.
Auckland Half Ironman (2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run)
Maraetai Beach / Kawakawa Bay
20 March 2010
Target Time - target was completion. Although I had a feeling if I did it right, it would be around 6 hours
Actual Time - 6:38:36
Weather was just right for this event with the sun out, not much wind, and the temperature about right for late summar. I came out of the swim 5 minutes ahead of my predicted time and I felt very good on the bike for the first 60km however from there started getting tricky as I ran out of water...which is a cardinal sin! Luckily they were giving out water bottles at the 65km mark so I quickly downed a bottle and carried on to the end of the bike. I was off the bike and starting the run just after the 4 hour mark meaning that a total time of 6 hours was very much on the cards, however after the first 3kms of the run I started getting stomach cramps and had to walk a fair bit of the first 10km. But I soldiered on and got to the finish with enough energy to jump over the finish line in an exaggerated fashion! And what topped it off was that Nathan & Riley were there to meet me...Doing some digging post event, I figured out that the stomach cramps on the run was probably caused by me gunning down the bottle of water on the bike as it caused me to overhydrate. (There is a technical name for it but its got too many letters!) Another lesson learned...
So another tick in the box on the way to Ironman, and it was a fairly short turnaround until the next event - the Rotorua marathon 6 weeks later. I knew going into Rotorua that I was probably underdone in terms of specific running training and my longest training run was just over 21km - which was even less than what I'd done in 2009. I was banking on the endurance built up with training for the Half Ironman to get me through however I decided to take the pressure off myself and to forget about target times and purely do Rotorua for enjoyment. And to go along with that thought pattern I nearly didn't run marathon with a watch on...I said nearly as in the end I did run with a watch. I couldn't resist!
01 May 2010
Target Time: being honest, the only time I wanted to beat was my 2009 time (4h28)
Actual Time: 4.07.38
That I beat my previous time by 21 minutes by doing less training proved that if you train smarter, you don't necessarily need to train longer. Again, I had a really enjoyable day and I felt a greater sense of achievement in completing this marathon compared to 2009 because it showed that I was improving all the time and I knew in my mind that there was more still to come - that's because I'm a competitve sod!
After Rotorua, I did nothing for 3 months! And when I say nothing, I meant nothing! No running, no biking, no swimming...and it was good to do this!! The reason for this was that I'd been training and competing in events for almost 2 years solid and I felt that the time was right to take a decent break ahead of the intense training that would come ahead of Ironman - both physically and mentally. So I kicked back, spent a lot of time with the family, threw all the rules out the window in terms of eating & drinking, and basically became a "normal" person again!
Over those 3 months, there were 2 events of note and both occurred in mid-May. The first was I officially entered Ironman 2011! Signed up, paid the hefty entry fee, and committed to the biggest challenge of my life! I was forced to make the decision to enter that early because for the first time ever, the event was going to sell out - the total number of entries is capped at 1500 and the most it had ever reached previously was 1300. However with an increase in interest from overseas, I had to enter early otherwise wait another year to do it...and there was no way I was going to do that! So I entered and I picked the right time to do it as 2 days later the event was fully sold out! Now there was no turning back...
The second event was that I discovered I was going to be a dad for the third time, with baby due in mid-February 2011. I was stoked but also a little concerned as baby was due 2 weeks before Ironman on 20 February...which in baby speak means that be 2 weeks either side of that date! (Luckily Isaac played ball and came 2 weeks early...)
So after my 3 month break I took the first steps towards Ironman by starting off with some short runs & bike rides. I soon learnt that even though I had been in great shape in May, it doesn't take long to lose that as by August I was stuggling on those very first runs. I had expected that so according to the plan I was following, the first month was going to be very easy as a means to ease my way back into it. And things tracking nicely until...
04 September 2010
It's a day that will doubly stand out for me as not only was it the day of the first big earthquake in Christchurch (I was born there so it was significant for me!) but it was also the day that the Ironman dream nearly got derailed permanently. This was the day that I got knocked off my bike and ended up with a broken right wrist. How this happened was that I was on a training ride around Clevedon in south Auckland and I was about 5km from finishing when as I was going through a roundabout I got clipped by a young fella in a souped up car who thought he could get through the roundabout ahead of me. (I did have the right of way). Next thing I knew I was flying, landed on my right wrist and slid along the road for a bit. There were a lot of people around to help me (a doctor, and off duty police detective) and I was soon in the back of an ambulance on my way to hospital. At first I didn't think it was too serious as nothing really hurt but the more time went on, my wrist started hurting a hell of a lot. Again I didn't think it was too serious as I could fully move all of my fingers so I was very surprised when they said it was broken and I possibly might have to have surgery. So after a night in hospital, I got the good news that no surgery was needed and my wrist would be in plaster for 6 weeks.
Now in the grand scheme of Ironman, taking 6 weeks out of my training schedule wasn't the end of the world as I was lucky (if I can use that word) the accident occurred when it did. If it had happened in November or December then it would have been a big deal, but as it happened in September I could afford the time off and not impact on my training plan too much. I would however need to get a new bike as my other one was totalled as a result of the accident, so a lot of time was spent on TradeMe over my enforced layoff.
Those 6 weeks dragged by and by the end of it I was itching to get out and do some exercise. I was driving R nuts being a passenger in the car when she drove me to work in the mornings, and I wasn't able to help out much with the boys. Working & sleeping was also difficult with a heavy plaster cast on but I slowly adjusted to it and I had been told that I would probably need physio on my wrist after the cast had come off. And so on October 15, the plaster came off! And to say I was happy was an understatement...a big one!
It also meant that training could resume for Ironman - albeit it slowly. I had purchased a new bike the week before and was itching to get out on it to give it a whirl.
The 20 week countdown to Ironman was on...
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