I was excited for this race (and also a holiday!), we’d been planning it for nearly 2 years.
I was looking forward to cycling around the Austrian Alps and to swim in water where I could actually see more than just my hand and jellies!
I was feeling prepared in the days leading to the race with some short bike rides and brick runs. There was nothing I’d do differently in my build up, I had complete trust in my coach (Bryan Riley from Triathlon Swim Squad), program, training and fitness. After reflecting on Ironman Hamburg last year, I decided to see a nutritionist (Liz Mahon from Target Performance and Health) for some advice on fuelling to optimise my training and recovery, I hoped that this would be the final piece of the jigsaw.
In the week prior to the race I’d made a plan and once there I stuck to it. Registration, course recces, bike checks, pre-race swim, everything went smoothly. Race morning came, we left the apartment expecting another day of sunshine and 24 degrees. With a 3 mile walk to transition, we soon regretted our lack of layers and spare socks as after 1 mile as it started to rain heavily. 
On arrival at transition, we looked like we had already done the swim. Spirits were still high and we got on with getting ready, no point in letting a little inclement weather dampen our spirits. Admin done and we left for swim start with plenty of time to spare.
Goals
- To enjoy the day and feel good throughout with no bonking
- PB on the swim (<1:19)
- Strong bike (based on consistent effort throughout)
- PB on the run (<4:14) / sub 4 hour, consistent pace throughout
- No overall time goal (as the bike course was hillier the Hamburg I didn’t feel it was comparable and that I’d be able to get a quicker overall time)
Swim
I felt calm, relaxed and excited to get in (and out!!), 3.8km is a long way! I seeded myself in the 1h 10 – 1h 15 pen, which I thought was optimistic but I found myself overtaking more people than were overtaking me. My plan was to go wide and keep out of trouble. I ended up with quite the opposite, on the inside next to the buoys with the hustle! It worked out fine, in between the buoys I had space but people seemed to be drawn to them even though we were swimming in a straight line. I had to sight more and pick out gaps. This gave me flash backs of being boxed in by Jan & Lisa in a docks swim squad session!
Remembering back to Bry’s words, I focussed on my stroke, my catch before the pull, and long ‘n’ strong big gear work. I didn’t find anyone to draft but I was happy swimming at my pace. The canal got a bit busier but so did the crowds, it felt like the support was pushing me along. Again, I had to sight and pick out gaps to overtake people and make sure I didn’t get boxed in. I made it to the exit and scrambled up the ramp. I checked my watch to see I had a new PB of 1:13! Very happy with this, I’m no Phelps but I’ve been working hard on the swim and I feel I’ve been rewarded with a 6 min PB.
T1
I ran along the red carpet with a smile on my face, I waved at Cathy from Total Transition and made my way into T1. I got changed, put some sun cream on and ran out with my bike.
Ride
For the first 10ish miles my hamstrings didn’t like me, they were tight and didn’t want to be on the bike. I kept having to stand on the pedals to try to alleviate the pain. I’d forgot about this from Hamburg as the same thing happened. They mustn’t like the sudden demand of work after not doing much in the swim. Maybe I should ease into it a bit more, however I wasn’t going that fast!
It rained for the majority of the ride. This was good for the temperature but the roads were wet which made the descents a bit sketchier and my glasses kept steaming up. I aimed for around 60g carbs per hour on the bike, probably a bit less than I should have but more than I usually do. I had precision hydration chews and electrolyte tablets, as well as maurten carb drink mix. I was able to restock at the personal needs bag and supplement with coke and a banana!
I stuck to the plan and it seemed to work. Taking my road bike was definitely the best decision, the course had everything. I used all of my gears and was up and down off the aerobars and seat as the elevation changed. It was nice to be on the drops too when descending on the wet roads as I felt I had more control. I made it into T2 after 6h 29, not as fast as Hamburg but it was a hillier course, overall I’m very happy with this.
T2
Before pulling into transition, I made sure I had something more to eat to save time and prepare for the run. I was in and out of T2 quickly, I only wish I’d had a dry pair of socks to put on!
Run
As I ran out of T2, I checked my watch to see 7h 55. I did some very quick maths and knew my run would have to be around 4 hours to go under the elusive 12. However, there was a lot of work still to be done.
I had bad memories of Hamburg. The abdo pain and many stops at the portaloos still haunt me. But today, my legs and stomach were feeling good. I tried to keep the pace in check and regularly looked at my watch to make sure I wasn’t going too fast. It was hard not to increase the pace but I was thinking of my future self and stayed disciplined, aiming for 8.30-8.45 per mile and walking through aid stations.
I saw Matt in the park, he was about 10km ahead. It was a great boost for both of us, I was happy he was smashing it and he was relieved I was off the bike course safely. Miles 11-23 were hard, my legs were feeling heavy. I went from high-fiving people and dancing through the supporter areas, to getting in the zone and focussing on getting the job done.
At each aid station I made sure I had something, something more substantial than just a slice of orange (compared to Hamburg last year). 3 maurten gels, a banana, a biscuit (big mistake, it was so dry!), countless cups of electrolytes and water for me and my head!
My timing chip had been rubbing so I stopped around halfway to swap ankles. Soon after this I noticed my watch was paused, I must have done this whilst moving my chip, either subconsciously or accidentally. I’m not sure exactly how long it’d been paused for, not too long, maybe a couple of minutes. 
I made it to the final turnaround point in the Old Town of Klagenfurt at 37km, with 11 hours 30 on my watch. 5km to go and a sub 12 was still on the cards! A 30 min 5km would be easy under normal circumstances. But this wasn’t normal and my watch had been paused. I knew I’d have to run faster to make sure I was in under 12 hours. My body was hurting, my legs were heavy, it was hot and I was tired. It would have been easy to continue at a steady pace and run walk with the majority of people but I wasn’t going to let all my hard work in training go to waste and fall down at the final hurdle.
I made the decision to pick up the pace and dig deep. No more time for food stations or walk breaks, I wanted sub 12 and to get that I needed to be back in the 8 min mile range. I weaved my way around people that were mainly run walking and I thanked my past self for; fuelling right, being disciplined with my pace and having the energy to pick it up in the last few kilometres.
I finally got to the red carpet and sprinted down. I didn’t have time to milk the big finish but I had a big smile on my face. I stopped my watch on 11 hours 57 and sat down completely spent in a heap. I didn’t know if the official time was under 12 hours as I hadn’t seen my name or time on the gantry but I had given it my all. It was only when I saw Matt a while later in the athletes village, he confirmed I’d done it – 11:58:57, sub 12 hours, what a reward, we’d done it, we’d both smashed our targets.
The hours that followed were emotional, both mentally and physically. I had emptied the tank and knew I needed to refuel but I couldn’t face eating. Matt looked after me, collecting my ‘street wear’ bag, queuing for food & waiting while I showered and warmed up. Feeling slightly more human I collected my finishers t-shirt and we made our way to collect our bikes from transition. Our walk/cycle home was along the run route, this was made more enjoyable as we cheered on the remaining athletes on the course and thanked the 
volunteers that had been supporting us a few hours earlier. I finally got into bed around 20 hours after getting out of it and had chance to catch up with the hundreds of messages on my phone. The support and congratulations from everyone was hugely appreciated and I felt like I’d relived the race whilst reading the 250 updates.
3 things that went well
- Nutrition, having a plan and sticking to it
- Swim – being relaxed and having a strategy, even when the plan didn’t go as planned I didn’t flap, I was able to stay relaxed and adjust my strategy.
- Road bike with tri bars – it was stressful changing the bike last (ish) minute and getting tri bars to fit but it was well worth it for comfort and confidence on the bike course
3 things that went not so well
- Not preparing for all eventualities – rain wasn’t planned and I didn’t have dry socks
- My watch being paused – not sure how to combat this in future… don’t unintentionally pause my watch!!
- Chaffing… I got chaffing in areas I’ve never chaffed before! More huub luub required :’)
