By French Coach Seb Locteau, I did Kildysart 4miles, Headford 8km, Swinford 4.5 miles, Westport 13 miles and the Streets in 14 days, to see if my body could take it and especially my back. I do not recommend to anybody to do what I did especially if you are injured awaiting surgery.
However, we all know that sport is a drug and that my mind is trained better than my body. After the Westport and Streets of Galway dual race, I did not run or cycle for a week my back and hamstring were stiff so only did 3 swims of an hour. My preparation was very poor I trained only for 12 weeks in which I went 5 days to the European champs in France, then 5 days in Croatia for the Euro U23, then came back for 4 days to the National swimming age group Champs and then went to Lisburn to the National Open Swimming Champs so a total of 20 days out of training (did one run of 35min in Lisburn).
I calculated a total of 103 hours in 12 weeks for this Ironman which is incredibly low and included 1/2 2 hours run a week and also 5km or 10km, swim 1 to 2 times a week and one ride of 3 or 4 hours, and that was in best case scenario and includes the races. I also experienced problems with my back were every morning my back was telling me if I could train today or not. I know it looks catastrophic, and maybe you understand why I decided to race all those races in a row.
I travelled to the UK last Thursday with the thought of just participating and certainly to stop during the bike course if my back was getting sore. So no pressure in terms of performance but worried about my health and fitness. We went to the registration tent and collected my goody bag. The next day we tried the first cycle lap which was 60 km and came back to the flat that we rent thinking that I won’t be able to cycle 2 more laps of the course, it was just so hilly except the downhill at one stage where I was going down at 50 mph with which I was not too impressed with the bike. In the morning we also swam the 2km of the first lap in which I felt really good. The next day we relaxed and slept a lot and prepared our three bags (one for the morning of the race where you put the wetsuit, clothes for after the race, goggles…the second one for the first transition where you put your cycling stuff that you swap with your swimming gear and the same from the cycle to the run.
The Sunday morning we had to be up at 4 am to check our equipment and get ready. The start of the swim begins at 6 am and I swam very well, 3.8 km swim in 1h03min. it was the only thing I knew I would do well. When I started the bike my clock did not work so stopped to fix it and then realised after the first hill that I could not stand up on the bike properly to climb it so stay seated for the full 180km as much as I could, after 20 km only my back got so stiff that I thought I had to stop. I had a huge bar at this stage and it was like a day where I should not have trained (like in Westport!). Anyway, I decided to stop after the first lap and tried to think positively etc….at the first lap turn my mind got mixed up between feelings and self-esteem: “you are a loser, what will people think about you, you are too fat, you are lazy etc….”
You won’t believe what kind of stuff went through my head and was feeling without energy a wee bit dizzy with a sore neck at the stage, so decided to finish the 2 laps whatever happens and get my pride back. The next two laps were very hard, especially after the 120km because I never cycled more than this distance once in the last 4 years, so I was not fit for it but decided to give it a go. My legs felt that they were not trained properly but I kept going in the wind and cold with showers….
English weather in short. My main memories were when a guy was impressed that I could stay seated in the hills and I just answered that was just because I could not stand up, and when he asks me why I could not tell him my story so just told him I was disabled I finished my bike after 7h30 with jelly legs and could not bend to put on my running shoes, and the volunteers are not allowed to help, so I lean on the floor on my stomach and bend my knees to put my shoes on my back which looked I am sure really stupid, “the official story will tell that was for a wee bit of craic”.
I started running (if I can call that running) and ran at between 10 to 12 min a mile. The course was 2 loops of 5 miles and two other loops of 10 miles with between a run through the town. The first two loops were actually found my back pain started to go away at mile 4 but could not run faster my legs just could not stride enough, I suppose the bike make then very weak and I was just thinking 9 hours done 5h left for the run and thought that nothing could stop me, that it could not be harder than the bike course…..WRONG the nightmare kept going the first 3 miles is just a long hill out of the road and the return was on a forest track with very sharp downhill and small hills on little rocks and muck. What made it hard is to repeat it.
I managed ok and believed that it had to stop at some stage and was happy with myself I was tired but dizziness and sore neck were gone at mile 10 and felt positive and good again, got lots of energy gel and energy drinks and felt warmer running. At mile ten I went through the town which was fantastic then started my loop 1 of the second course, we went from a woody run to a dual carriageway run, 5 miles up and 5 miles down it looks like when starting running and looking at hills and thousands of people walking forever, I stopped at the refreshment and asked if they were certain we had to do 2 laps and asked about 5 people to be sure in the first lap.
I just could not believe what I saw a long straight and hilly road which seems to never finish, I ran and at mile 15 at the next refreshment I look at the guy with his drink and he said “Any drink?” and I just answer “ at this stage alcohol will be welcome!” I did not see anybody running, people from the second or first lap were just talking how hard the course is and I personally have never seen so many people walking in an Ironman.
My mind started to play games again so I fight and thought about my family friends etc..and decided to run that even if I was not fit enough that I will keep running I am not a walker so I stopped looking at the hills and people walking, sometimes run with my eyes closed and kept looked at my feet for the last eleven miles keeping my head down and did not talk to anybody up to the finish line, it seemed to me like running in the desert without knowing where you go because there is nothing to see but sand dunes. That was not the hardest run I did but the longest eleven miles I did in my head, I honestly hurt myself mentally and I kept telling myself “never again without training” people know I am not a religious person but for the first time ever I prayed to finish this race in good health. I finished my run after 5h08 the slowest run in my running history of a marathon with a total time of 13h51 of which I am proud of with the little training I did. I admit I lost the plot when I crossed the line, I was like I was on drugs running all over the place waving up to the public, I was so happy and could not believe that I finished in such a respectable time.
At the end of the race I could not walk my hips were locked and my back did not allow me to move my left leg forward for a day and a half even with my strong painkillers I had after the race (not before or after !). When I passed the line the commentator that I knew (he is an official for the ITU and ETU) told the public that was my 14th Ironman finished and that I was from Ireland and coaching there.
This was the hardest Ironman I have done, the hills were not high but always there, in Lanzarote or other races you know where they are and you have breaks, and usually, the run is ok. I just personally think that race organisers in different sports want to claim the hardest race of Ironman, marathon or others…I think it is beginning to be silly that the spirit of the sport should not be to hurt yourself the maximum you can but to perform the best you can. Performance or pain addicted. Anyway “Never again without training “
