My Tips for racing Ironman South Africa

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges you’ve ever faced is awaiting you on Sunday 14 April, 2013… so how best do you ensure you maximise your training, your potential and your belief systems?

Any of a 3.8km swim, a 180km time trial or a standard marathon is daunting enough for the majority of the world’s population, so the fact that you are doing all three back to back escalates you to Super Hero or Super Fit status, irrespective of whether you are aiming for a pre sunset finish, or a pre Midnight finish. Fortunately I’ve never blown badly enough to finish in the minutes leading up to Midnight, but I have been at the Finish Line Party & the final hour is the best, the craziest & the most emotional, so perhaps one day I’d like to experience that on the Red Carpet, in the meantime I’m happy to lose my voice encouraging the toughest Ironman athletes in the final hour.

An Ironman Finish Line = An unbelievable feeling!

Pause and think back to how it all started and when; Think back to the early struggles, for me I couldn’t run 20 minutes in 2004 without stopping & for you it may have been a struggle to swim a length of the pool. Reflect on how far you have come and know that setting achievable goals would have been key, as achieving a Goal, no matter how small is the first step towards personal improvement.

However, it is also important to realize that achieving a goal fuels our motivation levels so we need to apply this at IMSA. For Ironman set a multitude of smaller, achievable goals that you can tick off on your Ironman journey, as this will fuel positive thoughts and motivation to persevere. I force feed myself positive thoughts as often as possible, example if I don’t get bumped or don’t stumble on the run in to the ocean, I’m saying to myself “That was an awesome start, thank you”. I immediately feel positive, feel good and am focussed on the next goal which is to reach the first buoy within my comfort zone.

Race week is tough, especially for novices as you are very often a bundle of nerves, you feel you should be putting in one last long ride, but don’t! Your body feels heavy, in fact you may gain a kilo or two as you’ve cut back on training, no need to panic as it happens to all of us. Spend as little time as possible at the Expo & as early in race week as possible. Register, take a breeze around the Expo, purchase only what you need and don’t buy on a whim & definitely don’t buy the latest fads, be it equipment or nutrition unless you can defer using it till after Ironman.

You will see some super slick athletes and wonder where they bought their tans (or bodies), to me they are invisible and all you need to remember is that you are not here to race anyone, but yourself as your duel is with the course and with your mind. Full Stop!! Try and have a short sea swim or two, to get the feeling of the ocean and get some bearings on the course.

A couple of years back I took my good friend Gordon Graham out for a swim and he was very apprehensive having failed previously to finish the swim. I encouraged him to start slowly, avoid the thrashing arms and legs and to forcefully feed his mind positive thoughts, as your mind can only hold one thought at a time and if it is being dominated with positives, then there is no space or time for negative thoughts, which lead to self-doubt.  Gordon said it worked for him, so maybe if the swim is an obstacle for you, you should try it too, remember you have 2hrs 20 minutes so if you are a weaker swimmer don’t rush it, as it is this that causes the anxiety and line up closest to the Pier, allowing the stronger swimmers a little more room to swim water polo style/ferocity to the first buoy. (http://ironmansa.com/2013/04/11/my-tips-for-open-water-swimming/)

Another unnecessary cause of anxiety is the big topic of the week, the weather and even I sometimes get caught up in it, even though I know it’s out of my control. By all means have an idea what the weather is likely to do, but the prediction has been wrong every year but we don’t have a direct line upstairs so we will never know until race day dawns, so try not to lose any sleep over the weather.

Try and eat as close to what you are used to for the final 2-3 days and yes, it is extremely difficult if you are in a hotel, but what you eat is your race fuel and KFC, while doing wonders for the Kidz for Ironman Charity, just won’t cut it as Ironman nutrition I’m afraid, so stay clear of the fast food outlets till after the race. Drink plenty, but not solely water and if you are drinking water, add some form of electrolytes to the water. Also try and get off your feet as much as possible and get some good sleep, especially on the Friday evening, this is the key sleep night.

Make sure you check your bike on Saturday by taking it for a short ride, check tyres, gears and the like as once you’ve checked it in, then it has to be ready to race although you can pump the tyres on the morning of the race. Don’t pump them too hard as it’s a bumpy course and super hard tyres can drain your body for the run. When racking your bike and hanging your bike/run bags make sure you do a recce of the transition area & find a few landmarks  so you know where you are when looking for your bike, as you may be a little disorientated after the swim.

So back to race day, get up early and eat your normal breakfast, this is not time to be experimenting with the new wonder food you heard about at the Expo. You should have gone through your checklist (http://ironmansa.com/2013/04/08/iron-man-check-list/) and set everything out the day before, in order to minimize stress on the morning of the race. Then make your way down to transition, sort out your bottles on the bike, check your tyres and try and stay calm. Once again avoid rushing around last minute, it could destroy your race.

You will be feeling the excitement by now and if it’s your first you will be amazed at the crowd support, something quite unique to this Ironman. At this point I’d like to thank Race Directors Paul, Keith and Mandla, as well as Specsavers for their vision in bringing this race to our shores & City, for me it’s been a lifesaver  as it’s helped me transform myself and I know many have been inspired by the race. Excitement will continue to build and the adrenalin will be flooding through your system as the National Anthem is sung/played moments before the Pros are set free by the Cannon!

This year, for the first time, we start 15 minutes after the Pros so that may add more anxiety as it’s often better to get going sooner rather than later. I’m not sure I like the new arrangement, and I’m sure a top AG like Kyle Buckingham would prefer to be on the heels of the Pros,  but Ironman is not about individuals it is about what is best for the race and also for the Professionals and I trust the Race Directors have made the correct decision. The top female Pros like Jodie Swallow and Caroline Gregory certainly think it is the way to go and they do if for a living, so we have to back them.

After what will feel like an eternity, it will be our turn and close on 1800 Age Groupers will hit the surf as one and please try and stay as calm as possible, as you have the whole day ahead of you & for some half the night as well. I always say take the first Ten easy, which implies the first 10 minutes of the swim, the bike and the run, but especially the swim. If you swim your first 100m just 5-10 seconds faster than your comfort zone, it’s virtually tickets and tax time as you will have to stop or slow down. Be wise and treat the first few hundred meters to the first buoy as your warm up, turn the buoy set sight for the crane in the harbour and settle into a steady rhythm. At worst it may have cost you a minute or two but it may save you an hour or two later in the day.

Bear in mind the current forecast is a gentle Easterly wind for Sunday (source Windguru), which is not a problem but it may have been blowing East since Thursday, which if correct means there is a chance of Blue Bottles. Suggest you apply vaseline to face & neck to try and ensure protection against Blue Bottles if they are around. A 2-3 day East will churn the ocean up a bit, so all the more reason to swim easy and ensure you are comfortable as you may get quite a bit of chop in your face. No need to panic as your wetsuit provides plenty of buoyancy and helps even more in choppy seas.  Please respect your fellow competitors and try not to smack each other, or knock a swimmers goggles off, ocean swimming is tough enough,

Anyway hopefully Windguru’s forecast is a belated April Fools joke and we will awaken on Sunday to a gentle West, which has happened before. The water temperature has been chilly the past few weeks so pack an extra cap, especially if you have a Tour De France physique. You will no doubt be told at race briefing (as RD Paul Wolff will be asked), what if no swim? Then I’m under correction, but it becomes a Duathlon which comprises a 14km run, followed by a 180km bike and a 28km run. Let’s hope not, as we all want to be true, blue Ironman finishers.

At the end of the first swim lap, you have a brief encounter with the more familiar land, savour the jog or the walk, recover a little, smile at the crowds and then head out for your second lap and try and repeat. If you were feeling a little tired on the short jog/walk on the beach it probably means you are pushing too hard and you should consider backing off a little on lap two. Coming off the beach after completing the swim is an amazing feeling but don’t get carried away and don’t rush through transition. Focus on what you have to do, ensure your helmet is on comfortably, that you have your Oakleys, your suncreen and your nutrition.

Onto the bike we go for the first of three 60km laps and beware the first ten minutes, as you will feel very good, the adrenalin will be pumping, the crowds screaming and the course is electric fast for the first 3km. Chill the way you would when starting a looong training ride, after all you need the blood flow to re-organise itself and you want to get your heart rate down. After 3km you turn up Fire Station Hill and this one minute climb could set you back terribly if you burn a Joe Friel match up there, so err on the side of caution, spin a light gear and wait till you have crested this Hill before you try and settle into any rhythm of note for the next 8 or so kilos of gradual climbing.

Hold back a little on the bike to set up the Run!

Also I only sip on water for the first 10-20 minutes, as this enables my stomach to settle, especially after a bumpy swim and a few mouthfuls of salty sea water. Thereafter I drink my normal sports drink (Cytosport) and start taking the first of many Gels, as nutrition is the fourth discipline of this testing race.

Try and treat the first lap (60km) as your warm up, the second as a steady pace and the final lap will be hard no matter what, but the easier you start and build into the bike, will end up paying immense dividends during the run. If it is an Easterly, even a mild one the ride will be a beast, so throw the PB’s or time challenges out of the window and take it easy, remembering the bike is their to either set up or destroy a good run.

Remember the metabolic cost does not increase linearly all the time, there is a point where you have to use almost double the effort to score a few extra km/hr, Avoid pushing too hard and try and pedal up the hills at the same pressure you ride the flats. In 2009 I pushed too hard the final 20km (racing or panicking) and ended up taking 6hr 15 for the marathon, don’t let all your hard work be destroyed by racing somebody else (Keep your Pride in your pocket).

Take the final 10km (from Noordhoek Ski-Boat club) a little easier, take some liquids, stretch a little and start preparing your mind for the run. Another thing to bear in mind is that it is the Speed that kills and not the Distance, so don’t try and run a Personal best for the first 10km.

If you feel good at the start of the marathon, don’t go yet, take it easy, especially the first 2km to the S bend. You’ve been cycling for hours on end, so allow the body to reset itself, enabling it to better handle the new & final challenge. Once again treat the first of the 3 laps as a warm up, believe me you can never go too easy.

A good Marathon ensures a good Ironman….

Don’t forget your nutrition and if you are struggling with the Gels or similar, maybe try some coke and water. I often race the final two laps on coke and water, as I struggle to take in Gels later in the race.

Racing an Ironman is mainly about pacing and nutrition until you get to the halfway mark of the run, which hits you in the middle of the desert, or more particularly within the University grounds where there are few refreshment tables and no supporters. Then it becomes a mental game and the difference between a good Ironman and an Ironman finish is usually how best you can control your mind over the final 21km.

Always keep moving forward, no matter how bad it feels and remember that quitting is forever and pain is temporary. Incidentally the Medal is forever too, so stay focussed and force feed all the positives you can muster, as they will help keep the negatives at bay. Draw on the energy from the crowds on the beachfront and remember how much your family and friends have sacrificed for you to be here, chasing your Dream….. and believe me, they don’t want to hear “Sorry, but I’ll try again next year.”

Keep thinking of that Finisher’s Medal and Paul Kaye’s words “You are an Ironman”, believe me those final 100m along the red (or blue) carpet are something to behold and it is something you must want to fight for, so be prepared to go to War to get there. (War with your Mind) You will lose a few Battles (bad patches) but any War worth winning has always incorporated a few lost Battles.

One final tip, if it’s getting really tough, be it cramps, vomiting, mind games or whatever…. Be prepared to slow down, even to stop temporarily, but Never throw in the towel unless advised by the Medics. Your body is trained to recover (quickly) and to reset itself, so just like a computer has to be switched off and reset, stop, take a breather, allow your Heart Rate to drop, enabling the body to better absorb your nutrition and within 10-15 minutes you will feel better and ready to continue in search of that elusive Finisher’s Medal. All the best.

Happy and relieved to have finally started and finished the Ironman World Championships