Well done sir!
1 Like
Well done no surprise the bike was hard with those winds.
1 Like
Congratulations, Sir!!
I am very proud of you! Especially since I was heavy advocating against your Marathon in advance to your IM. Very glad you proved me wrong!
Good Job!
1 Like
Congrats Joe! Way to stick through the tough day. Good thing there is neutral support out there and they were able to get you back on your bike.
1 Like
Well this is starting to be a frustrating week for me. My mysterious calf twinge/trigger point from the week before is all better, but now ive got a new mysterious toe ailment. After my trail run on Sunday my toe was a little sore but not too bad, and was getting better by Monday. I did a fairly easy Monday ride and mowed the lawn but towards the end of the day Monday my toe had started to swell up. Think the current pain is due to the inflammation but it is difficult to walk on it. Long story short, if i don’t see any improvement by tomorrow I’ll just bag this weeks race. I’ll consider doing just swim bike so i can better learn the bike course if things turn around but it is not looking likely right now.
With one of my races already canceled I’m not that disappointed since i can’t get my required three races, and next year is the one where i really want to make some noise. Looks like i may need to find some plan b races in case life gets in the way next year.
2 Likes
It was genuinely a lot of fun, the whole day, and that’s a first for me. Ironman distance has previously hobbled me and sent me to very dark places, despite the challenges I had a very upbeat day!
Swim 1h09
Bike 8h56
Run 5h39
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m very embarrassed about the bike split, but we’re in this forum to get faster right? So the analysis Ive started on another thread to avoid muddying up this one.
The swim was epic. Running down the beach with 1,600 triathletes and into the melee, lots of people swimming over or being swim over, pileups where I had to stop altogether, and big swells made it a bit of a roller coaster ride. But when I came out into the beach and saw the big digital clock showing 33:something I had a huge grin for the second lap and just knew I was coming in with a personal best.
Being out among the lava fields on the bike is also epic! The wind was ridiculous at points and downright dangerous crosswinds descending at 80/90kph skittering the front wheel about on the tarmac, gnarly black rocks to one side and a cliff edge down to a beautiful blue lagoon on the other 
The upside of such a long bike was that it was relatively cool on the run, and my legs were great (another first) it was just a bout of dizziness and some struggles with nausea that were a challenge. Loads of people cheering and clapping and singing on the sea front.
I know why this course has such a reputation, if you love long course triathlon you just have to do it. 
7 Likes
Had a “nightmare” last night about not being able to finish the race.
You can imagine where my mindset is at if this is what i am thinking about when sleeping. Training has been ok, but struggling to hold pace on my runs. I will get the time in, but a lot slower then wanted and needing walk breaks.
Work has gotten in the way a lot for me, currently i am working on average an extra 20hrs/week as well as flying 8hrs a week. So its been very tough to balance work/training/family. Hopefully soon it will level out and I can build the final bit and get ready for Aug.
I am wondering for people who have postponed a race due to feeling not ready enough, how did you know?
Should i not even think about that at all?
Thanks, (so far this has been the hardest training out of the the other two i have done)
Training is never perfect.
You started training in October last year, over the last eight or nine months so a weak month or two is not going to change your ability to finish, plus you have three or four months to go.
Only you can tell if it’s imperfect training or if you don’t have the ability to finish. I would give myself a break from the pressure, train when you can, until the workload eases off. Then when you’ve got the space, do a long run or long brick session - that should give you a steer on your overall endurance.
1 Like
This is great! That is the ultimate response. Seems like Lanzarote lives up to it’s reputation! It’s regularly voted the hardest Ironman course, right?! Maybe after Kona?? It definitely sounds hardcore/amazing…
(I’m in the same spot as you with BBS - so I’m eagerly reading that thread)
Well done Joe, it’s a real achievement!
2 Likes
Me too. I woke up on Tuesday with my ankle in pain. I hadn’t run for 3 days prior to that due to memorial weekend travel. Wtf? I can’t tell if it’s tendinitis or ligament or what. Did I do something in my sleep? Lol. Aging is wonderful i
1 Like
Did you have fun? That’s all that matters. Some races go great and some races are humbling and you learn from them.
It’s a hobby for us and thankfully none of depend on it for a living.
1 Like
Some people mentioned that my symptoms are similar to gout… Considering the memorial day behavior that was going on last weekend, that could actually cause a flare up. I sure hope not, but since the race I had planned is >8 hour drive, and I hadn’t already booked lodging there I think I’m going to have to DNS this one.
1 Like
That’s a downer, but sometimes discretion is the better part of valour. Can you substitute the time to see a specialist?
1 Like
I’m in a similar boat to you actually. My last 2 weeks have been crazy busy and I’ve only been able to grab a couple small scraps of time to train here and there. BUT like somebody else said, we train half the year for an event like this for a reason. So when we have a training lul, we are able to overcome it, and depending on if you were going super hard into your crazy period, perhaps the rest will be good for you. (I know I was thinking I might be straddling the line of overtraining so this hit at the perfect time for me)
1 Like
Yeah sometimes it is a wake up to make sure I’m still able to keep up with my family commitments, but first real injury since about 9 years ago or just before i got married.
Got initial appointment tomorrow with local doc and see what he says. Next scheduled race is July 14th, one ive done every year since i started doing triathlons. Don’t want to miss that one.
1 Like
thanks,
got a 3.75hr ride this weekend and a large brick next weekend. lets see how that goes
a quick micro-rant about triathlon - I have 2-3 rounds of laundry every week due to all the training 
3 Likes
We have two triathletes in the house, pretty sure the laundry increases exponentially with each additional person. Speaking of, gotta go put the towels in the dryer. 
1 Like
I halved my wardrobe this year, and rinse my kit in the shower after a session. Only one sports kit wash per week 
!
1 Like
So got an appointment in with my local doc who got me in with a specialist asap (when i originally called a specialist they didn’t have anything until next Thursday). Xrays came back negative, so not broken. Doc thinks it is acute gout attack, and looking back i was eating/drinking many of the trigger foods. So now got a cortisone shot and have prescription strength anti-inflammatory. No running for a week at least but I’m thinking i can start swimming and biking relatively soon keeping them mostly easy endurance pace.
So looks like my hubris wasn’t on the training since so much as it was the diet side. Nice little wake up that just because you burn a bunch of calories, food quality and hydration are still very important.
2 Likes