Race Report

Morning of race day:

Alarm was set for 2:50am, jaysus! Tried to be good and get to bed early. As Grace will know, I am a great sleeper! I can hit the switch and be asleep before the light goes out! But trying to force yourself to sleep at 9pm on a Saturday (not even a school night!) I struggled to get to sleep until after 10, and by the time I knew it the lights were on and Grace was up getting ready before me – 2:45am! I’m sure we have all had that dreaded feeling when you wake up, dazed and confused for those initial 30 seconds – what day is it, where am I, what am I doing today? An Ironman!

God what I would have given to turn over and go back to sleep – ah I’ll leave this one and get a good training day in later on – I wish! I copped on and got up. I’m pretty organised and had everything ready to go the night before – a habit I have learned from all the early mornings training before I go to work – the less you have to prepare in the morning, the more extra minutes you get to stay in bed! It’s the little things that count! Anyway, up and downstairs for coffee before getting the bus outside the Macron stadium at 3:40am – on the button! I like to be on time (and get to the portaloos before the crowds) So the bus drove us down to the back of a hotel NEAR the swim start, and left us off to walk in the dark for 10 minutes through wet, muddy fields to T1. I try not to spend too long checking the bike – tyres pumped, nutrition and drinks on, shoes clipped in, Garmin edge on, quick wipe down of the bike as it had rained overnight. Quick play through in my mind of where my bike was racked and how transition 1 was going to go down, and out I went. Grace had met up with Ciara and Dave from Ship My Tri Bike, her cousin Katie boyfriend Eoin – also doing his first Ironman (and smashed it!) – her mam Aisling and Rob from Wheelworx (The Best Bike and Triathlon Shop in the Country!), as well as a few people I had the pleasure of meeting (Stephen Dermody, Ironman Legend! And Sergio Diaz, the pocket rocket from Portugal). My parents were also around, somewhere! I was all prepared, got my wetsuit on and was able to relax, more relaxed than I expected to be. But then again, I had done the work, done the distance in training, was consistent throughout the year, so to me today was just putting everything together in one go. Hugs and kisses, and myself, Dave and Eoin headed for the swim start.

Swim:

The swim was a rolling start at 6am. There were signs for estimated swim times of 1:10 and slower, so I decided to stay up near to the front, and see could I scramble on some feet for a while. Swimming has been the least focused of the 3 for me this year. I was limited with time for training as I had started an “internship” out in the Sports Surgery Clinic, which involved hard work and long hours. So I adapted my training to this, and swimming took the hit – my reasoning was that for the sake of 5-10 minutes in the swim (which would involve more time in the pool), I would focus more on the bike and run so that if I biked and ran well I would make up more time (or lose less time). Ironman is a long day out there, and it would be very easy to lose a lot more time than 5-10 minutes if you blew up on the run! So I guestimated I would swim anywhere between 1hour and 1hour 15minutes (anything could happen!).

The swim was 2 anticlockwise loops of 1.9km, with an Australian exit in between. I had a brief swim practice in the reservoir on the Friday, and it was nice and calm. The buoys were big so they were easy to sight. When the race started, I shuffled forward, letting the fast swimmers (Dave and friends) get in first, before I got in and started my first Ironman. Let’s do this! The first lap went better than I expected, I came out in 31minutes, deadly! The second lap was a bit congested with some breast strokers, and I came out in 34mins. A 1:06 swim was probably a bit better than what I thought I would actually swim. And I actually enjoyed it! Onto the next part – my favourite.

Bike:

The Speed Concept ready for action[/caption]

The bike is my strongest out of the 3. The bike course in Bolton is known for being touch, technical, with a lot of climbing. This suits me. A good honest course, that will make it hard for drafters to draft. The strong cyclists will prevail. I did some bike racing last year also, so my bike handling skills wouldn’t be too bad. It is a 2 loop course, taking in 2 big climbs each lap – Sheep House Lane and Hunters Lane. I had heard all about sheep house lane, and was prepared for it. However it was the second hill that proved to be the worse of the 2 – why hadn’t anyone warned me about this one? The second time going up it I was hanging! It is shorter that Sheep house lane, but steeper, a real grinder of a climb. Apart from those 2, it was up and down course, covering all different types of roads from main roads to country lanes and estates. The spectators were great. So many superhero costumes out there, drinking beers and cooking bbq’s.

Heading out onto the bike course, all smiles (for now)[/caption]

As this was my first Ironman, it was always in the back of my head to pace myself. Luckily pacing is one of my strengths. If anything I hold myself back too much sometimes. 180km on the bike is fine. But this time there was a marathon to run afterwards. So I kept telling myself to hold back a little bit, it could be very easy to push it that little bit too much, and then crumble on the run. I didn’t want to be out there all day! I was going well on the bike, picking off people every few km’s. Nice and steady pace. I got to the halfway mark in about 2:45 and I was like okay, halfway on the bike, only another 90km and then the marathon...jesus! Head down, kept control of my pace and effort. For nutrition on the bike I had dates and a chopped up clif bar. I was drinking High 5 4:1. Little and often. I am used to training on empty, training my body to use fat as fuel, so don’t require a huge amount of sugar and carbs. Race with what you are used to.

A new experience on the bike for me was the aid station with powerbar bottles. I haven’t done the ‘reach and grab’ before, so this could have gone 2 ways. There was plenty of volunteers at the aid station, so many in fact, that I felt I had to single out one victim each time I was going for a bottle – I pointed and shouted ‘YOU’ – focusing all my attention on the yellow bottle resting on their outstretched hand. No pressure. Discard the old bottle, and grab the new one with force – success! It was a win in itself getting through without any mishaps!

Anyway, coming to the end of the 2nd lap I was coming up to the turn off where it said Lap 1/Lap 2 left, and T2 to the right. Boy was I glad to head to the right. Down into T2 and I was pleasantly surprised at the emptiness of transition! There were only a handful of bikes racked in there. Not bad, I thought, I must be going well. 5:34 clocked for the bike. Worked hard, but was also conservative. Bike racked, helmet off, runners and visor on, onto the run – only a marathon left!

Run:

As I mentioned before, I’m all about the pacing. I went out onto the run and to my amazement I actually felt good! Quick look at the watch – 4:15min/km pace. Slow it down, Cillian! I felt like I was running easy, but my Garmin was the boss. I had planned on starting off no quicker than 5mins/km, and see how I felt. So I settled into the groove at the right pace. Uphill. Uphill. Still going uphill. Then onto a trail-type road. Coming off the trail road there were 2 guys up ahead who were walking. I thought that’s very early to be walking, 7/8km into the marathon. Then I came to the hill they had just been on. And I was reduced to a walk up it. To be honest, the first thought going through my head when I was reduced to a walk this early was: that’s it, you can forget about the podium, let alone Kona, this is going to be a loooong run. I have never had to walk in any race or training session I have done before. So this was a bit of a shock to me. I was disappointed in myself! But those thoughts didn’t stay too long. For those who know me, I am quite a positive person, and mentally strong (or so I thought). So I said to myself okay calm down, keep moving forward, if you are walking/hurting, then so are the others. Giving up is never an option for me. Whether I am having a good day or bad day, the task at hand will always get done. So I kept moving forward. I got back running and tried settle back down into a manageable pace. I got back into the groove. Out onto the main part of the run course, it was 3.5 loops of just over 10km. On the main road it was an uphill drag going out for about 5km, small dip down to the turnaround point, short uphill and then gradual decline down towards the town, with a fast downhill section followed by a turn around a corner to face a short steep uphill. Keep heading out to the finish line, turn around and then down the short sharp hill, up the steep hill back onto the out and back section. This is going to be a brute of a run!

Luckily I had great support coming into the town. My first time running down the hill into town I could see my girlfriend Grace, her mam Aisling and Rob, my parents, Graces cousin Katie, Dave’s wife Ciara and his coach Sergio. They lifted my spirits hugely! My first thought when I saw them was ‘thanks god I am running downhill when they see me for the first time, at least it made me look like I was running okay!’. They cheered me on, gave me updates about how I was doing, Rob was even getting some training in, sprinting up and down the hills, offering advice and encouragement, keeping me motivated. People say it is hard doing an Ironman. But it is just as hard if not harder being a supporter at an Ironman – it’s just as long a day for them as it is for the athlete. And I wouldn’t be out there racing if it wasn’t for the help and support of everyone one of them So I made sure I made an effort each time I saw them to give them a smile/wave/happy grimace, just to acknowledge them and their support. As well as it being my first Ironman, it was also my parents first experience of an Ironman race, so they were super excited about it all as well, and I got a great buzz passing by them, looking in decent shape, seeing how proud they were. They have done so much for me over the years, and it was great to share this experience with them.

I kept the pace fairly consistent on the run. It was slower than I was hoping for, but like I said, I was prepared for a tough day, and ready to deal with whatever the Ironman had to throw at me. However, at the end of the 2nd last lap, I took a drink of red bull to see if I could get some kick to push me on. Bad mistake. It’s not something I had tried before in training or a race, and after about 2 steps I had a stitch. A bad one. So bad that when I came back around to the hill up out onto the main out and back section, where my support crew were, I was forced to walk. Suck it up. Walk the hill and get back into a shuffle. This is what I managed to do, and tried to block out the pain. One more lap to go. I can do this. I got back running, picked up my last lap band – happy days, I’m on the home stretch!

Paul Kaye was at the finish line each time I was turning there to head back out on another lap, and he spotted me every time because of the smile I had on my face. I may have been sore. I may have been hurting. But one thing I have learned is that when you smile, people will spot you on the course, and give you a big cheer! They remember you each time you pass by, and also by having you name on your race bib, it feels as if they know you! Paul Kaye spotted me each lap, joking that I made it look easy (if only he knew how I really felt!). But when I came to the finishing chute, this time to head towards the finish line, Joanne Murphy was there to cheer me on, high five me as I was going onto the red carpet. I had the finishing chute to myself, which made the experience even better. All the hard work put in throughout the year, the early morning sessions, the sacrifices, all paid off. I have done it. Accomplished my goal. I managed to cross the line in 10:37, 3rd place in my age group. My parents and Rob were at the finish line to greet me/hug me/congratulate me, before I lay down right in the corner, delighted and exhausted. I am an IRONMAN!

Awards Ceremony:

Thats me on the right, delighted with life!

The following day was the awards ceremony. I had bought tickets for Grace and my parents a few weeks before the event (ambitious I know). It was in the Macron stadium, with a big stage in front of a huge crowd. The Irish contingent sat together – myself, Dave Sheridan, Bryan McCrystal, Stephen Dermody, Aidan Callaghan. It was a great atmosphere. To get on the podium and receive one of the coveted M dot trophies was deadly. If I was to be honest, it kind of felt right. I had prepared for this day, I had worked hard, and based on how consistent my training had gone, I would have be disappointed with anything less. So stepping up on stage onto the podium felt like part of the plan. Things worked out the way I was hoping for. In fact. It turned out I was only one place away from qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona! There was only 1 slot in my age group, the first guy didn’t take it, but the second guy did. If he had said no...could you imagine? First Ironman, on the podium, and qualifying for Kona? It would have been too good to be true. I could be wrong here, but I think I would have been the youngest Irish male to qualify for the Ironman World Championships? I’ll keep the head down, keep working, keep dreaming, and see what I can do next! I was delighted my parents were there also, as they have supported me from when I gave up a successful intercounty hurling career, and were always behind me no matter what I did.

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With the Big Mac

I know this article is a report on my race, but I have to make a shout out to Bryan McCrystal, a guy I have had to pleasure of getting to know over the last 2 years. This guy is an incredible athlete, he defies the odds, leaves no stone unturned in training and preparation for racing, and blitzed the field, taking home 1st Age Grouper overall. Bike course record. 5th overall including the Pro Field. What a legend. Setting the standard for Ironman in Ireland. If I can get half as good as this guy, I’ll be onto a winner! Representing all the big lads racing! Don’t mind these light weight athletes!

Thoughts on reflection:

After having a few weeks to think about my performance, there is always that feeling of “I could have gone faster”. My swim was spot on for the little focus I had on it this year. Can’t argue with that. On the bike, I feel like I held back a little bit too much, played it too safe. I believe I could have gone 10 minutes quicker on the bike. But then, would that have affected  my run? I don’t think so. I was disappointed with how much I walked on the run. This was new to me, and I didn’t like it. Thinking back, I felt I could have dug a little bit deeper on the run, to keep shuffling, keep moving forward. I made some good judgement calls to walk aid stations to take on fluids, but there were instances where I lost ground and time by walking. So I think I could have pushed a bit more on the bike, and managed to run the same time, no slower, than what I did. If this were the case, I would have came 2nd and be making my way to Hawaii this October. But hey, as the saying goes, Shoulda,Woulda,Coulda! I am not one to over think things. Keep it Simple is my motto. So the best thing that I can do is take what I learned from the race, and bring that with me to my next race. Focus on the positives and the learning experience of it all, and carry them into training and racing to come. This is how you adapt and improve as an athlete.

Support:

As I mentioned earlier, none of this is achievable without the backing and support of family and friends. Biggest shout out goes to my girlfriend Grace. She is the best. She understands the need for me to train and race, and sacrifices her time to allow this, as well as travel to races with me. Without her love and approval I wouldn’t be able to follow my dreams. My Mam and Dad. You guys have supported me from the very beginning, from when I gave up my success in hurling to start this crazy journey. Helping me out with anything I needed. Assisting me through the tough times where I was working as an intern (for free basically) to try and further my own career as a Physio, I owe you an awful lot. Glad you were they to be a part of the journey. Rob and Aisling (Wheelworx), who are the ones responsible for introducing me to triathlon! You are both so kind and generous, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without your help and guidance. I can’t thank you enough. From feeding me, accommodating me, looking after me for my training and racing needs, I owe you a lot!

What’s next:

Follow the Journey to find out!

Result:

Ironman UK, Bolton – 17th July 2016

Swim 1:06

Bike 5:34

Run 3:49

Finish Time 10:37