#Bont News
Issue 8
Welcome to issue 8 of #Bont News
As we draw towards the end of the triathlon season, with just a few races still out there to be done, people’s thoughts naturally turn to the winter ahead and challenges for next season. What better way to look forward than to seek inspiration from those who have done incredible and inspiring things - I refer of course to our Ironman Wales athletes! I recognise, of course, that there are many people within the club who have done some incredible and inspiring things over the course of the year, be it Dave R and his mammoth Dragon ride, the Carten gang, Laura completing her first tri or Neil seemingly finding even more incredible places to swim, but indulge me here. I’ve asked a few of our fantastic Ironman athletes to give us an account of their day, what went well for them, and what they might do differently next time to be even better! It is a long read this month, but worth every minute of your time!
First up here’s Chris Dunn’s account of his day……
First timer experience. Training Plan Fink 30 weeks. 3 days leading up to race day i started to eat smaller but more often Carb focused meals Rice and chicken, pasta and tuna. 1 day before and leading up to Race morning I started drinking from water bottles with hydration tabs little and often. Race day morning. 04.00am my alarm clock went off after a restless night as I only managed 2.5hr sleep. Breakfast :- 1 instant oats pot , 2 bananas, 1 filled cereal bar and a cup of coffee. 05.30 at transition Fitted x2 bottles to bike with double hydration tabs and put another inside my bike bag to drink after the swim.
Top tube bag containing gels and saddle bag with tools were left on the bike overnight.
I would have liked to have checked my tyre pressures, but the Ironman supplied Track pumps were like gold dust.
Tip
Days before inflating your tyres to race pressure and check the next day to see how much pressure they have lost. My tubes kept their pressure, so I was not too worried.
Otherwise, your options are to fight for a pump or bring your own and a torch as the last thing you want is to be fiddling with valves in the dark and something goes wrong.
Leave the pump with family or friends if this is possible.
05.45 walk to North Beach I had warm clothing on top of my trisuit and at the last minute removed these and slipped on my wetsuit and applied ample lube to my neck to prevent neck rub. Grabbed my swim hat , ear plugs and spare goggles
(tucked between my chest inside my wetsuit) also a gel tucked just inside the neck of the wetsuit . I put my trainers into the pink bag which also contained a flannel and a small bottle of water to wash off any sand off my toes and a quick dry of the feet.
I joined the athlete queue and slowly started the walk down the zig zag path. Luckily my pink bag was near to the top of the path and under the Welsh flag, so I had a landmark to find my pink bag easily out of the thousands.
Once on the beach my nerves started to kick in and I walked along the self seeding pens. I walked past the 1hr 20min as I was doing less than this in the pool and on to the next seeding pen but decided to go back to the 1hr 20 min probably a lack of confidence at that moment.
I met Jason and we stood together and chatted. In no time at all it was time for the minute silence to pay our respects to the late Queen and then both National Anthems were sung. This made me emotional . Thunderstruck blasted out and I had Goosebumps all over. The atmosphere was electric, something I have never experienced before.
The Pro athletes had started and then it was our turn so we all slowly walked to the start line. They were staggering the start every few seconds. Then we were off all nerves left on that start line.
The sea did not look that bad from the beach but there were bodies everywhere. Athlete’s were running and diving into shallow water, so they had to get up and run into deeper water before swimming. I decided to keep calm and wade into deeper water before swimming past where the waves were breaking
The waves and chop turned out to be the roughest I have ever swam in and made sighting hard. Every wave that hit you had a body in it. I took a kick to the back of the neck and a punch clean on my nose which made my eyes water.
I decided that I had to push on and get into a rhythm, I exited the water on the first lap and felt good so I took my gel on the Australian exit and pushed the empty wrapper back into my wetsuit. The waves and chop were worse on the second lap, and it looked like the first two turn buoys had moved.
Soon I was exiting for the second time and that feeling was incredible, and my legs felt good on the run up to the beach. As I reached the start of the zig zag, I could hear someone calling me and it was my daughter who I had no idea had come to spectate so ran up the ramp with tears in my eyes.
Found my pink bag easily and decided to take off my wetsuit completely, I splashed water over my toes and dried with the flannel. Put on my trainers and stuffed everything into the pink bag including the empty gel wrapper that had fallen out of my wetsuit.
Tip
Look for a landmark or something that stands out next to your pink bag location to make finding it easier.
The run through Tenby Town to transition is something to savour the crowds and atmosphere make you feel Iike a superstar.
Inside transition I got my bike bag off the hook and found a seat, emptied the contents on the floor. As I like to wear toe socks, washing off the sand earlier while outside helped as I could slip them on quicker( talc inside the socks) and not worry about blisters from sand grains. Stuffed my pink bag inside the bike bag, collected everything up, double checked I had everything required on. I chose to wear a cycle top with pockets over my tri suit which contained more Gels, x2 Clif energy bars , x2 flapjack bars. Drank half of my hydration bottle and put that in my run bag, switched on my Garmin computer and hung my bike bag back on my peg.
Ran out of the tent towards my bike it was 3 rows over or by the first Fulgaz sign ( another landmark noted). Fitted my Garmin and pushed it out of transition over the mount line to start the bike leg.
My plan was to take a gel every 30 minutes and a solid snack every 20ish miles while sipping my bottles but finishing a bottle before each aid station so I could get a water refill and add my own hydration tabs to it. So I stuck to that plan until I got to Narberth the first time, then I just didn’t feel like taking any more gels having a full and sickly feeling in my stomach. I decided to take 3 more gels in total over the second lap and not add any Hydration tabs to one bottle, so I had a choice of water or hydration drink. My stomach felt a lot better especially with the solid food inside.
Would I change anything?
Not to try and finish off the water bottle before each aid station as this led to me having to stop five times at the aid stations for a bathroom stop but then I had to queue for the portaloo easily losing 5 minutes each time.
Half the number of gels to aim for one each hour which reduces the weight that you carry.
So, the bike overall went well - the plan was not to over cook it on the way to Angle and back. Lamphey to Narberth is what it is hilly! But I kept plugging away.
Wisemans and Heartbreak hill was amazing with the crowds. It is as if they pull you up those hills. On St Brides Hill is where my youngest daughter was and again a complete surprise to me, so more tears appeared .
Lap 1 done and time check, I was pleased with my time. Got to Lamphey for the second time and another bathroom stop. Then the heavens decided to open up and it did not take long to be soaked right through which added extra weight to my clothing.
Just keep plugging away at the hills and they come and go but it was wise to cut my speed as there were a few casualties along the way due to the wet roads.
Sadly, due to the weather the supporters started to disperse except for some die-hard spectators soaked through but still there for you. I personally tried to thank as many as I could.
Narberth Hill came and went, the town this time quieter. Wisemans Hill this time was an effort, and the downhill afterwards was a relief. Saundersfoot hill although there was less of a crowd the atmosphere didn’t disappoint the second time around.
Got to transition and dismounted before the line, racked the bike, and removed my Garmin, another bathroom stop before entering the tent. Grabbed my run bag and took off my wet clothing and stuffed them into my run bag. Put on my trainers and hat, drank the other half of the water bottle. Hung the run bag back checking I had picked everything up.
Tip
Have a second run belt loaded with gels if you use them for the run so you can slip it on without carrying extra weight on the bike.
Would I change anything?
Have a dry pair of socks in my run bag as my feet were soaked through.
On the run this is where you will appreciate the crowds more and see familiar faces along the route. I set off and was surprised how good my legs felt with no signs of cramp as I have experienced in previous races.
Checking my watch my pace was too quick 7 minute per mile which was probably because I got caught up in the atmosphere. I knew I would blow up if I continued at that pace but before long, I was schooled by the hill up to New Hedges.
I soon relaxed into a slower pace and was aiming for 4hrs 15min marathon, 1st lap was completed in 57 minutes so I decided to target an hour for each of the other laps. 2nd lap went well, completing it in just over 1 hour. I had taken my first gel on the start of the hill to New hedges on the 1st lap and decided to just take 1 gel on the start of the other laps along the promenade. At each aid station I would pick up a water and a flat coke, the flat coke was a welcome change from water and hydration tabs.
On my 3rd lap up the hill suddenly I could feel fatigue setting in and it changed things quickly which was a bit of a surprise as I felt fairly good on the previous laps. My left ankle began to ache which is an issue I have had for a while through my training, but I just had to get on with it, but it eventually affected my pace.
Seeing my fellow club athletes along the route at various stages and the encouragement we all gave each other as well as the supporters certainly makes it easier and spurs you along.
I had an overwhelming feeling of starvation, so I was glad that I found they had salted crisps at the aid stations, so from then on, I would drink a water and collect 2 cups of crisps and ram them into my mouth like the cookie monster of Sesame Street and then wash it down with a flat coke.
Soon I was on my final lap and knew it was only once more to climb that hill and once on the top I could relax and enjoy the run down and through Tenby town. Jason caught me back up in New Hedges where we both collected our last bands together. We ran together for a short while but I told Jason to crack on as my ankle was now throbbing and I wanted to ease up a bit as time was looking good so I could nurse it home to the finish.
Would I change anything?
Not get caught up in the moment and go off so fast on the first and second lap and aim for an even pace throughout.
The last run through Tenby town seemed to take ages but soon I was out along the promenade and approaching the finish line, I must have counted my lap bands about 5 times on that run along the promenade just to make sure I did not have another lap to complete. The roar of the crowds was deafening and the atmosphere electric.
I got to the start of the red carpet and did a check behind to see if there was another athlete which I would leave past as I was desperate to go over the line solo and hear those words. I was on my own entering the carpet and rang the first timer bell to a huge applause. The finish line was lit up with bright lights as I was finishing in the dark at 20.50pm again the noise was immense and made you feel like a superstar once again for a few seconds.
I crossed that line and flung my arms in the air with my best pose for the cameras. “Christopher Dunn You are an Ironman” to hear those words was amazing. I had done it in 13 hrs 44mins well under what I thought I could achieve, after all I am almost 50 years old. What a massive relief all those hours of missed family time , pain, loneliness during training and fatigue have paid off.
I received my Medal and then got emotional - it must have been a relief that it was over. Straight away after stopping I began to feel cold as I was soaked through from the rain. The amazing volunteers who do everything they can to make your experience the best deserve medals themselves. A kind volunteer wrapped me up in a foil blanket and ushered me into the food tent and sat me down in the warm. She got some food , warm drink, and my finisher t shirt for me.
I did not want to spend too much time in there, as I knew my family were waiting outside in the rain, so I gathered my bags and bike and left the transition area. It was the best feeling meeting up with family and friends outside. A special thank you to Jon and Clare for my can of Strongbow that you promised me months previously. It tasted like nectar although a bit warm as you had carried it around all day.
So that was my account of my first time Ironman, and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering it.
Put the time and effort in and believe in your training and you too can be an “IRONMAN”
Overall, there are only a few things I would change next time and any tips, diet, training or advice I have given above is just my own opinion and has worked for me in the past and during my training. This may not suit everyone, or they may have a different view on what would work for them.
Chris
Here’s Podium-Phoebe’s account of her day….
“PHOEBE YOU ARE AN IRONMAN” … words I’ve waited to hear for 3 years and at one point something I didn’t think would happen. 3 weeks on from the big day and I’m still pinching myself that I completed it. Training for this event wasn’t always going to be easy but completing this event on the back of having my son in 2021 was a challenge in itself. But one I’d set my mind to and give everything I had. My one plan for this event was to stick to a pace that I knew I could a) control and b) meant that I could enjoy my race. I can honestly say I achieved both. I absolutely loved this event!
Training for me went reasonably well. I stuck to my plan as best I could with everything else going on. Going into this event I’d really worked hard on my cycling. I wouldn’t have called it my weakest discipline out of the 3 but it was the one I knew would make or break my event. I had a quality over quantity approach to juggle the demands of training alongside my personal life. Swapping basic turbo sessions for Wattbike sessions in the week definitely made the difference for me. Getting out on the bike and plugging the miles in proved to me that the strength in my legs was building each week. Choosing hills to ride on every single long ride of the week was my best call. Regardless of the time I needed to do on the bike, hills were included at all cost! I 100% feel this preparation made me enjoy this part of the Ironman the most as I feel it gave me the confidence that I could make the distance whilst actually enjoying myself.
Another thing that went well for me was nutrition. I had practiced this religiously on both longer rides and transition sessions in order to get the right nutrition that suited my stomach. I’ve completed long distance events before and used a range of products that really didn’t sit right with my stomach and I knew I couldn’t risk having that happen in Ironman. I stuck to my plan of eating every 30 mins on the bike up until the second lap when I switched to every 20 mins. I stuck to this religiously and I’m really glad I did. I took on a range of Nutella sandwiches, Clif bars, energy blocks and a bottle of Tailwind every hour. I picked up bananas on the course and haven’t been near one since… banana overload!!
The only issue I faced during this event was an ongoing hip injury. Following my pregnancy and birth of my son I’ve suffered with hip pain that flares badly, the majority of the time it’s random but mainly when running. I knew this would be hanging over me during the event but did as much preparation prior to Ironman to ensure that I was able to complete the event pain free. I had regular physio and sports massages and took on pain relief throughout the course. I was able to keep this at bay until mile 16 of the marathon when it hit. I didn’t let this defeat me though and just went to my plan B which was a walk/run set up. I’d definitely love to improve on my run section of the event and do more longer run sessions especially as part of my brick runs. However, I knew I was limited physically in this aspect so I know I did everything I could to try and achieve what I could.
Reflecting on this event is still so emotional for me, I truly believe it’s ignited my passion for triathlon further. It’s something I’m really proud of after a really challenging few years. It’s really proved to me that anything really is possible.
And finally, here’s Ironman Helen L’s account of her big day out down west……
Ironman Wales was my first full event, it was a long time coming as I signed up in 2019. I’d supported that year and remembered seeing Aaron Davies on the run for a few laps. Afterwards he said my cheers made a difference to him. As support crew we arrived at 8.30am and were absolutely exhausted by 10.30 pm with sore throats from shouting and wobbly legs from standing and walking all day, we went home and I felt guilty as the athletes started a 7 am and wouldn’t finish until midnight. it’s a different sort of tiredness when you compete, supporting is hard too. The support in 2022 was unbelievable and kept me going at many points. Back in 2019 I remember being fed up of myself saying “well done ….” over and over again, thinking can’t you find something different to say? I can now tell my 2019 self it doesn’t matter- it all helps. I’m grateful to everyone who cheered in person or from afar. In the week that followed I had people I may have only spoken to a few times ever going out of their way to congratulate me and tell me they tracked me on the app, it’s been really moving.
I enjoyed the day so much I’ve signed up for next year already. I also have a few improvements I’d like to make.
About 6 am on the day we headed to North beach for the swim start, it was just getting light and already the sky was pink and orange which brought a smile to my face. I had my white post-race clothing bag with me and managed to get all the way to the sand still carrying it! A very kind marshal agreed to take it back up the ramps and put it in the right place, as it had my room key in it. I was so grateful to her to have it at the end of the race. I had imagined a full event to be quite serious and possibly elitist, that wasn’t the case at all. tThe day before I was at a junction wondering which way was transition to rack my bike, an athlete from NFT stopped and asked me if I was ok, his bike looked like it cost twice as much as my car, none the less he escorted my nervous self to transition. Back to race day on the beach and that spectacular sunrise, I didn’t feel particularly nervous after 3 years of training I really wanted to get on with it, the sea was choppy, but I don’t mind that, we are lucky living where we do, there is plenty of opportunity to practice swimming in a choppy sea. I’ve been cold water swimming all winter as I’ve suffered with cold shock at events and ended up swimming breaststroke in previous events unable to regulate my breathing. It worked, no cold shock this time. It was possible to time my breathing with the rhythm of the waves so as not to swallow loads of water, although the height of the waves made it difficult to sight the buoys , at least there was a rhythm of the waves to synchronise too. Listen to Bertie when he says bi-lateral breathing, it does help and gives you options. I managed both laps at the same pace and was elated by this, so much so I don’t remember those intimidating looking ramps being a problem to get up (they are pretty steep). The 1k run through town, gave me my first taste of crowd support, it was unbelievable, there was the overall cheering and the specific people who shouted out to me, so inspiring, as a result I found myself sprinting through town as if I was doing a parkrun, whoops I realised about halfway and put the brakes on.
T1 all went to plan and I came out of transition at the same time as our Kona qualifier, Phoebe, great to see another club competitor and we exchanged a few words. I had to concentrate though, my heart rate was way too high and I wanted to settle into riding at a steady pace. I'd been warned there would be a tailwind out to Angle and this is the flattest part of the bike course, I’d been advised not to shoot off at the start and to pace myself which I did. The bike went well, it was easy to pick up water and bananas on route, no need to stop at the aid stations. I stopped once to refill my bottles and pick up special needs. My friend from work who I always talk to about triathlon was at that station which was a nice surprise. A group of Tridents insisted on holding my bike and sending me to the front of the portaloo queue after seeing me leave the queue as I couldn’t be bothered, this was a good move as by this point it had been well over 6 hours since the previous pit stop. On the second loop of the bike the heavens opened and filled my shoes, I slowed down some more especially on the descents with sharp bends.
Wiseman’s Bridge didn’t disappoint, by the time I got there it was pretty quiet, the marshal there spoke to me directly giving me encouragement whilst walking backwards up the hill! I started zig zagging near the top, determined not to have to walk, especially the second time, imagine how many times that marshal would have done that previously, yet he still found the energy to engage with me. A refreshing descent into Saundersfoot and on to Heartbreak hill, a group of Penybont supporters (thank you) loads of people dressed up, whistles, rattles, music, all cheering at the top of their voices I felt like I was in the Tour De France! Towards the end of the bike I had a setback when a family suddenly wandered across the road and blocked my path, still I carried on but began to doubt myself, feeling unwell.
T2 went to plan, I managed the first lap of the run mainly running (I think?) I realised I was woefully underprepared for the run, having not done any hills during training or any great distance more than 20 k. My quads were on fire at this point, even though I had planned to walk up hill and run downhill, I couldn’t run down because it was too painful. Then I decided to change my fuel strategy because I was feeling sick and had a headache, next time I will spend a few minutes reflecting on what was going on. The run goes through the town and I seriously thought about DNF and going straight to my B&B on each of the 4 laps. I realised I’d been telling myself for the whole of the first lap “I can’t do this” I’m big on mantras, the psychology of sport and thinking about controlling the space between the ears, as we all know telling yourself you can’t do something is self-fulfilling. 2 things came to mind, Lowri Morgan’s advice; Get to the finish line (Kris James, thanks for recommending her book to me, it probably saved my race) and Marc Fitzgibbon telling me years previously you can walk a marathon in 6 hours, I had more than 6 hours, I could do it, I put my ego aside and decided to do the best I could and walk the rest of the way. I was so tired by this point all I could do to change the negative inner dialogue was say over and over again “I can do it” sometimes the simplest solutions are best and eventually some 15 hours and 50 minutes later I heard those words “Helen Little you are an Ironman!” I’d done it.
Upon reflection, for next year I will be sure to practice running down hill on tired legs and do much longer hillier runs. I’ll also adjust my fuelling strategy as I included way too much caffeine. The importance of having a good training plan and detailed event plan of pace and fuel cannot be underestimated. I haven’t mentioned the names of the supporters that called out to me in case I missed one by accident. You made my day, all of you and got me to the finish, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
That's it folks - I hope you feel as inspired and motivated after reading these accounts.
Alun Wood
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