I did it, I am an Ironman
And not a rusty one either, the weather turned out to be just perfect, if a little blowy.
The stats: 11:52:53 overall, 1:23:01 swim, 6:02:49 ride, 4:18:18 run. 283rd overall out of 1193 finishers.
The swim. Swimming is by far my weakest point. I had to learn to swim freestyle last winter. Watching a video of the mass start the day before in race briefing scared the bejesus out of me. So, on race morning I hung well back and was one of the last people to enter the water and swim to the start (about 200m). This turned out to be impeccable timing as I could pretty much keep swimming, they started as I got to the start line. I didn't really get knocked by anyone too much and at every turning point was surprised at how fast I was swimming. It must have been a thousand people in front of me all going in the same direction and creating quite a current. Especially at the turn around points it was like swimming in rapids. Highlight: the sun coming up going out on lap two and blinding us enough not to see where we were going. That really lifted the spirits. Coming out of the water over 20 mins faster than predicted. Seeing my wife and my son cheering. I was the 932nd person to exit the water.
The bike. This is my strongest point. It was pretty windy which was to my advantage, because that's the weather we've been having and what I've been training in. It was fairly cold, so I put on a jersey and a windproof gilet over my tri kit, as well as cycling shorts to make it all a little more comfy. Out on the bike and immediately started overtaking people. I made the mistake of eating a bar in transition (after having been advised not to) and suffered from bad gut on the first lap. Not to worry. No eating until it's sorted and try to flush it down with liquid. First feed station was also the first portaloo opportunity, which I took. I left my bad gut there, started feeling better and picked up the pace a bit. After that a pretty solid uneventful ride. Managed to eat fairly regulary, and went through 5 Torq bars and an estimated 9 Torq gels. Highlights: seeing friends supporting out on the course, amazing support from everybody in general really, overtaking lots of people. Bike time was 163rd, so must have overtaken a good 800 people.
The run. I had been suffering with a groin problem since the beginning of August so hadn't run more than 40 minutes about 3 times a week for over a month before the event and hadn't really been doing any distance before then since a marathon in May. Got changed with the help from a volunteer in the transition area. These people are just fantastic, they know exactly what to do and when. For example, there was a row of army guys standing by the bikes. As you come into transition, a guy shouts out your number to the row of guys, and the appropriate one steps forward and picks up your bike. All you have to do is keep on running. Anyway, out on the run and felt good. Really good. No cramps, and got my running legs immediately. I saw friends, wife and son again pretty much immediately after transition which lifted the spirits even more. Then I realised I had 26 more of them miles to go and slowed it right down. The aim was to run the whole thing. The course is 3 laps in the castle grounds and then into Sherborne town, which is designed to provide maximum support and much appreciated it was too. For the first few miles I took time checks and noticed that I was doing under 10 minute miles. After that I concentrated more on not thinking about how far I still had to go, but instead enjoy the atmosphere, talking to people I was running with and generally keeping a smile on my face. I managed to keep eating throughout the run, and to keep that smile there as well. Highlights: the atmosphere, the chatting, see a few friends from the running club I hadn't expected and again, just the amazing support from everybody. At mile 24 some lads had some music going and had the Ironman classic 'Don't stop me now' as I was passing by. Indeed, I thought and picked up the pace a bit. As I ran up the finishing chute, all I had eyes for was to pick out my wife who would hopefully be there with my 2 year old boy, so I could finish with him. It was such a great sight to see him with his arms open to me shouting daddy. We ran the last 50 yards hand in hand and that was it.
My aim was to take between 12 and 13 hours. 2 for the swim, 6 for the bike and 4 for the run, with an hour contingency. I am absolutely chuffed to bits to have been able to go under my best predicted time and with so little suffering. It was a fantastic day and I would recommend going to one of these, if not to compete, to support to soak up the atmosphere, it really is amazing. We supported a friend who did it last year, and I was so inspired by the thing that I just had to do it myself.