• It is worth repeating, keep your head in the game and always move towards the finish line. I felt absolutely awful several time during the day. Each time, I came around. You need to have faith in yourself and your training. It will come right in the end.
• Coach Troy’s advice given to me at IMC to go out hard on the swim works. I would not recommend it for your first IM but getting on a fast set of feet makes a big difference. I need to learn the sensation of 75% swimming vs. 80% swimming. I bet that a 1:04 swim may have been cramp free and resulted in a better bike split and faster T1. I will incorporate some longer intervals of 600-1,000m with the first 200-300m HARD. I need to get a better idea on pacing. Note that I did not go anaerobic this time. That would have been a total disaster!
• Never give up. I wanted to quit. I didn’t.
• My final week’s taper may have involved too little activity. I will do more next time.
• If you tend to hammer early then set yourself a slower schedule for the first two hours of the bike. Tape the splits to your bars and stick to them. I am going to try this for IMC.
• Cola works! Start early and stick with it. Be aware that others have had bad experiences but I think that the stuff is great. Don’t skip run aid stations! I skipped the last three and bonked bad at the finish. I just had enough juice to make it.
• Remember that everybody is fighting the same internal battle. You are not alone.
• Earplugs are great for the motel. I heard lots of people complaining about noise. I slept like a baby (many nights in alpine climbing huts taught me this trick).
• Arrive as early as possible and check your gear often. I was still clearing last minute bike issues thirty minutes before I checked my bike. If you are using a new wheel set then make sure you don’t need valve extenders for a flat. I did and didn’t have them!
• Like the sadist doctor says in Marathon Man, "this is going to hurt". The race can be very painful at times. Best to prepare yourself for this in advance. My mental preparations focused on the swim rather than the run. This showed in my ability to deal with the stress of the swim while having trouble on the run. I will be working on a more balanced approach for IMC.
• At all costs, finish.

Ken Baggs runs a first class race and aside from the drafting (which isn’t Ken’s fault) this was an outstanding day. The people of Forster/Tuncurry really pull behind this event and make it very special. I can see why many Australians work so hard to earn a slot to this event.

See you in Penticton!

- gordo – 14 April 2000

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