At the run turnaround I saw that I had to run a 1:45 return split to go under 11 hours. I tried to push it up a few more times but had chunder warning signs flashing and backed off to 9 minute miles again. These were comfortable and still enabled me to pass a fair number of people. On the return leg a big headwind came up and I had a thought for the people who would be struggling back to town in an effort to make the bike cut off. The wind was really screaming and while it was OK on the run, it would have been a big struggle on the bike. The second half of the marathon was full of the normal end of race sensations of stiffness mixed with enjoyment of passing lots of people. I know it is a bit evil to say this but I tend to mentally feed off the suffering of others. I suppose that the best way to look at it is, "if they are dying then I should be really happy that I feel OK." I passed a number of folks and started trying to push more once I got to the twenty mile marker. I also got some sponges to get the zinc off my face. I wanted to look good for my Finisher's photo. Entering town, I passed a line of guys who were well into the beers. They were having a bit of a party and toasted me with a "This Bud's For You" as I went by. The contrast between the guys sitting in lawn chairs pounding beers (my old life) and the athletes pushing themselves (my new file) made me smile and realise how happy I was to have my new life. Both paths are a lot of fun and I have a lot of excellent friends in each "camp". Still, I have no desire to go back. Fitness has opened my personal horizons in ways that I never expected.

Postrace pride.

On the small turn that leads back onto Main Street I lost concentration, stumbled and went down. Thankfully, my legs didn't cramp and I got back up and started running again. I think that the spectators that saw me go down were more concerned than I was. Someone came over to help me up but, worried about outside assistance, I bounced back up before they got to me.

The clock was ticking against me on the sub-11 time but I realised that it was ticking for me in terms of a sub-11:10 time. I adjusted my goal and started up the gentle incline that leads to the finish. I got to within two miles of the end and for some reason I started thinking about what I would say if I had just won the race. "I'm going to Disneyland" popped in to my head and wouldn't leave.

Disneyland left as soon as I was able to see the Lakeside Hotel and realised that I was getting close. I ramped it up a few notches and started passing a few more people. That made the time go quicker. I turned the corner just behind another guy and pushed it to get past him for my own photo.

Game, set, match....

Gordoman in 11:06:50 - 306 overall and 87 out of 309 in my AG

Second run split was 01:53:17 - Run was 03:52:34 - 153 overall and 38 out of 309 in my AG, that's nearly Kona leg speed.

Goals For IMC2000 - Run 03:45:00 and Overall 10:20:00 - 10:35:00

The Kona rolldown went to 10:29:19. With one more year of training and better front end pacing, I have a shot. You read it here first. I am going for it in 2000 and will be armed with my second year of tri-training and additional long course experience.

This Bud's For You,

gordo 

---

Postscript

Two things that I didn't mention would be to go out slow and train on all sports drink flavours. I relied on Lemon/Lime to my peril. I have started my Orange Gatorade training this week.

Everybody says that you learn a lot about yourself on race day. Well, I didn't really learn a lot. It was a long day out and there were several times that it would have felt nice to stop. There were other times when I was on a huge high and it felt like heaven. These are the exact same feelings that I went through during my training in the months leading up to the race or when climbing a big mountain. I was left with more questions than answers.

However, there were two things that people said that rang particularly true: (a) You can't bluff an ironman; and (b) If you do the training then the race is gravy. Not wanting to take anything away from the race, it is a very long way to go. However, it is far harder to hit the training hard. Week after week of two or three sessions a day requires extreme discipline and commitment. For me, Ironman is not about the race. It is about the lifestyle and the journey. It was one hell of a ride.

On the Monday after the race I waited for three hours on tired legs to register for IMC2000. On Tuesday, I FedEx'd my IMOz application from Penticton. I will be training for a 10:45 in Oz and a Kona slot in Penticton.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
Back to Race Reports