Final Chapter

It is Sunday morning and I hope to get out on the bike later (not sure if MTB or road). Despite the awful weather I enjoyed a 40 min (wet) run yesterday. Also got a swim at the Club Saturday morning - quite a tough session - can't be back to full fitness yet because I was struggling at the end. Nice to see all the guys and girls afterwards for a coffee and a catch up.

So even though the volume has been drastically reduced I am still very much in to the sport of triathlon and thinking of the next goal(s), albeit it might not be an Ironman (well not straight away!) As previously highlighted I need to balance my sporting ambitions with a few other goals at work and home.

Some of my mates at the Club are already talking about the next one - Switzerland, Lanzarote even Norway (I think that is a new Ironman event). They are adding new events all the time so despite being popular there should be plenty of opportunity to get involved in the future. But for me, no decision at the moment - I need some time to simply re-set the balance.

So for the time being this will be my last post and the end of my (first) Ironman journey. I have enjoyed recording all the 'highs and lows' and been very grateful for all the positive feedback that I have received from followers of the blog. Please leave a comment on this post if you would like to hear more. My training will continue so there is always something to blog about.

But for the time being this particular chapter of my life must come to a close. I am proud of what I have achieved and am glad I finally got to hear those important words...

'David Pegler, you are an Ironman'

Movie of Ironman Austria

I think I have successfully managed to load a low resolution version of the IM Austria movie to the Blog. Hope it works on your PC.

First minute is general footage and then it is the 'David Show'. I am wearing a black and red Zoot tri suit and a black 'Sonic the Hedgehog' cycle helmet (not that you can see much on the bike shots - a little too fast for the camera). For the run you can see me hobbling over the line but fortunately with a smile on my face. Please excuse the 'Sailor-Boy' hat but was perfect for filling with ice in the hot conditions.

Listen to the commentator on the bike shout (at 90km turnaround) - 'Ice Cold Beer, Ice Cold Beer' - a little bit of a tease.

I hope it gives you a bit of a feel for the event - enjoy!

Final acknowledgements

Back on the road bike yesterday. Selected the singlespeed machine for the hour commute each way to Brighton and back. In the morning the focus was on relatively high cadence - quite easy to do on a singlespeed bike on a route without hills. The return journey was a strength session - not by design, simply a very windy evening and hard going along the coast.

This morning was my first run since the Ironman (swapped Tue/Wed sessions). I was pleased with my efforts - it was an interval session, including 6 sets up hill and off-road. The legs worked well enough - no ill effects or fatigue.

In bringing this blog to a close (well almost) I need some final acknowledgements and thanks to the characters involved.

I was encouraged to start this blog by one or two friends that were just starting to get involved in the sport and interested to find out about the crazy world of Ironman. I have been quite amazed how many people have actually being following my progress and have told me that my own story has inspired them to set some challenges for themselves. Since my first blog I have had over 5,000 views and only 4,500 of those are from my Mum. No seriously, I really do appreciate people's positive comments and it is so wonderful to think my rather basic content has had readers coming back for more. So a big thank you to all the followers of this blog.

As previously highlighted I know I wouldn't have got to this point without a great network of friends and family. Special thanks to all the guys and girls at Horsham Amphibians Triathlon (HAT), for inspiring me to improve my fitness and increase my triathlon event distances over the last few years. I suppose I should single out both Coach Mark Tickner (MT) for providing some structure to my training and my closest training buddy, good friend and neighbour, Chris Neilson.

Big thanks to also go to all the people who kindly sponsored me, raising significant funds for the Chestnut Tree House children's hospice - a very worthy cause.

And lastly but most importantly - my wife and children - I really do not recommend committing to such an event unless your loved ones are 100% behind you and at the very least understand why it is so important to you. My family have been wonderful and I simply couldn't have done it without their support.

Don't tell my Mum

I decided not to buy any Ironman memorabilia at the Expo before the event as I didn't wish to jinx my race. However, when I returned to the Expo afterwards there was very little stuff left - everyone else must have had the same idea.

Not to worry - I still got my finisher's shirt and Ironman medal.

Back in the UK I had a crazy moment and decided to get the ultimate memorabilia item that I could keep for the rest of my life - the Ironman tattoo.

When I mentioned it to my wife and children they were quite keen and supportive of the idea. So I went ahead with a small tattoo on the back of my left leg, just above my ankle and easily covered up by a sock, if needed.

Although it hurt a little (not as much as the marathon) I am pleased with the results and have already had lots of positive comments.

Just don't tell my Mum - she will kill me!

What's next

This morning and a week after my Ironman challenge I was back on the bike. This time up on the South Downs getting wet and extremely muddy enjoying an easy 2 hour mountain bike ride. In addition to approx. 1 hour of swimming that makes a total of 3 for my first recovery week.

Next week is a little more back to normal and Coach MT has me down for 12 hours.

My focus for the next month or so and thinking about my 'B' race is getting back to fitness for something a little different - an Xterra event where I will be on the mountain bike and running off-road.

The event I have my name down for is the Vachery XTri on Sunday 26th August consisting of the following:

1,500m swim
30km bike
10km run

Looks a great local venue - still lots of places. Details can be found via the following link:

http://www.vacherytriathlon.com/

Coach MT has me down for the following sessions this week:

Mon - strength 0:45; swim - 1:00 (optional)
Tue - run: intervals 0:40
Wed - bike: cadence focus 1:30; club swim 1:30
Thu - strength 0:45; run: easy 0:30
Fri - bike: easy 1:00
Sat - club swim 1:00; run: off-road 1:00
Sun - bike: MTB 2:00

So would I do it again?

I enjoyed an easy swim at the Club last night but cut the session to around 45 mins, which included some kicking drills.

A good number of the Club members were keen to here the 'war stories' of the Ironman event and Matt and I did our best to talk them through our experience. The question that most comes up in discussion is 'would you do it again?'

Personally, I think it has to be 'Yes'. For the most part it has been a very enjoyable journey topped off by a successful race. As you would expect it has had some 'up and downs' but that's life and I think it is how you deal with those high and low points that define you. Looking back on the last few days I am already forgetting about the pain of the run and remembering the great location, good times spent with my friends and wife, excellent food, accommodation and simply being immersed in the special bubble that is the world of 'Ironman'.

In saying 'Yes' to doing another such event in the future I must consider beyond the last few days, which was actually just the 'icing on the cake', the real commitment came from the training and support that was needed from my friends and most importantly family to complete the journey. Before comtemplating another I think that it would only be fair to sit down with my loved ones and remind ourselves of what it involves and the possible sacrifices both them and I are likely going to have to make.

I think I actually got the training, work, family balance about right but what I did find is that it does take over your life in other ways. You cannot seem to get the thought of the training and event out of your head. I started looking at my training diary before my work and social diary and planning everything else around that. I suppose this blog has been a great tool to record my journey but at the same time has made me more concious about the time and energy I was using thinking about triathlon. It is hard to stop it taking over. I expect that is also why it is also hard to let it go, it being such a big part of my life for the last 6-12 months. May be that it why I don't want to say 'No' to the question about another one, because I don't want to lose the structure and feeling it has given me - this is getting deep!!

All I do know is that it is probably healthy to take a break and for that reason alone I do not expect to do another full 'Ironman' event in the next year. However, there are plenty of other challenges and more 'bitesize' goals I need to plan and achieve in relation to health/fitness, work/career, and family/home that I am looking forward to.

In relation to this blog... Well I have another few posts to write and final topics to cover and then I suppose I will have to bring it to the end.

However, I know it is just the end of chapter and not the end of my triathlon journey. Watch this space!

A few race photos

My team buddies and support crew

I don't think I would ever had contemplated doing an Ironman or even continued with the sport if it wasn't for the tri club and guys and girls that I have met over the last few years that are now close friends.

I want to devote this post to them as they were very much part of my journey. They have their own stories to tell but I could not leave them out without a brief mention.

First the results:

Paul (608 - position) 11:27:05
Matt (706) 11:38:51
Ray (1009) 12:17:34
James (1325) 12:58:11
Marc / Danny (1606) 13:57:45
Chris - DNF

For Matt, Chris and I it was our first Ironman experience. For the rest of the guys they had done a number previously, so it was great to listen to their past 'war stories' and benefit from their experience.

A couple of comments stuck in my mind - I remember being very nervous a few weeks back and Marc (otherwise known as Danny in the club) told me that when he had previously stood on the start line he was quite calm, mainly because he knew he had pretty much the whole day to do the 140.6 miles and it was best treated like a long training session. Another comment that made perfect sense was given to Chris and I from James, the day before the event. He said if you feel you cannot go on, stop for 10-30 minutes and sit down and rest. Don't give in your number or inform an official that you cannot continue otherwise you are out of the race and guaranteed a DNF ('Did not finish'). After 10-30 minutes then if you are still unable to go on then there is probably a very good reason why you should stop (we will come back to this for Chris), otherwise most athletes decide to continue, and complete the distance successfully.

I consider Paul and Matt to be very good all round triathletes being strong in all disciplines. They train well and consistently and I was't surprised they broke 12 hours. Like me they found the run hard, especially in the extreme temperatures. In different circumstances I expect both could have got even better times but on the day they still had a great result. I have very special respect for Matt who was knocked off his bike a couple of months ago and actually broke his neck (see post: Get well soon - Matt Ryley). When we first heard about the accident most of his friends were worried he would never walk again and definitely thought he had no chance of completing an Ironman. But Matt was determined and his recovery was both speedy and pretty miraculous. Within a month he was back doing some light training and then built it up steadily with the help of Coach MT to be race fit for July 1st. I also need to thank Matt and his Company (Upgrade Bikes) for the kind use of the Reynolds carbon wheels, which I am sure contributed to my own decent bike time.

Ray, was the veteran Ironman of the group and another strong all-rounder. His bikes towers above all of ours as he well above 6ft in height. For being a slightly bigger guy, albeit very lean, the run was a struggle in the heat. Ray was quite weak at the finish and we helped each other get to the finisher's tent for a massage and refreshments.

James, was next in after me. The focus of his training efforts have been on the bike. He cycles with Paul quite often and a number of stronger cyclists. He even entered a 50 mile time trial just before the Ironman race. He would be the first to admit his swim and running are weak compared to his excellent bike fitness and it was not surprising he did not have the greatest marathon time.

Danny is the joker of the pack - always upbeat and great fun. Although he has been involved in the sport for many years he has mixed results with his Ironman challenges. Unfortunately he has not always had the best of luck in his preparation for such races and this time was no different. He was able to improve his swimming as he attended more Club sessions and he was always strong on the bike. This year he even managed a cycle training camp. However as the event approached he had some distractions that threw his training off a little. Like the rest of us the run was a painful experience.

In terms of the competitors that just leaves one person, my old training buddy and close friend and neighbour, Chris. Out of all of us he was the most committed and prepared for the race. I cannot remember him missing any one single key training session and he followed the Coach's plan religiously (the model student). He was the kind of guy that if we were supposed to complete a 4 hour ride and we arrived home after 3:58 he would have to ride around the block to make it 4:00. He even committed to a training camp, hosted by Coach MT, to get him in the best possible shape. I certainly felt he was going to challenge Paul for the top spot.

Unfortunately a week before the event Chris went down with a nasty bug, at first we thought it was a simple cold but it wiped him out both mentally and physically. I drove to Austria with Chris and had some concerns but knowing how much he had committed to this venture tried to keep him positive and recommended he rest right up to the Sunday we raced.

We all felt that if Chris could get to the start line as rested as possible he was strong enough to pull this off. Unfortunately his body had decided otherwise. I have great respect for him as he did start and had a decent swim. I overtook him on the bike after 100km when he knew something was not right. He looked up at me and his face was completely red and swollen. He stopped at our hotel, which we passed on the bike course, fortunately his wife, Sue was there and realised he had a problem when he removed his helmet. An ambulance was called and he was rushed into hospital. As I write this post he is still there - he is much better but the Austrian doctors are being very thorough and checking him out fully. I expect we will never really know exactly what happened but personally I believe that he had some kind of virus that know medicine could help with and then the additional stress he put his body under was a lethal cocktail. Chris will be upset he could not finish (more of CNF than DNF), although there is always another race and your health is simply more important. Believe me Chris will be back on his triathlon journey soon enough.

So onto the supporters, who one lady on the plane across referred to them as 'Wags'.

Chief Wag and who deserves a special thanks is Nigel. He had planned to do the event as well but some relatively unsuccessful surgery on his knee wrote him off for any long distance running. He unselfishly still decided to come and support and drive the van of bikes back with Danny. Before, during and after the event his support and guidance was most welcome, we would have struggled without him.

For Ray, Chris and I, having our other halves with us, really made it rather special - thanks to Donna, Sue and Marilyn.

I cannot exclude Steve and Daphne (Nigel's friends who we met out in Austria) who were absolute 'diamonds' and so helpful with lifts to the hospital and airport. They were also real inspirations in the sport of triathlon.

I hope I haven't embarrassed anyone in this post, I just wanted to recognise this is not the journey you want to travel on your own and my own personal thanks to the guys and girls that were involved in mine xx

Mission Accomplished - initial race briefing

I am wide awake on the morning after Ironman Austria. Legs are very sore and I have a bit of sunburn but other than that feeling OK and elated that I met my 2 goals of completing the race with a smile on my face and under 13 hours.

The official time was 12:23:03 with the following splits:

Swim - 1:24:08
T1 - 0:05:57
Bike - 6:06:23
T2 - 0:05:38
Run - 4:42:55

I was positioned 1,049 out of 2,700 (that entered, not necessary finished) so in the first half of the competitors. All in all not bad for my first Ironman event.

Further breakdown on splits can be found on the official website:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/austria?show=tracker&race=austria&year=2012#axzz1zMCAlh00


Swim
I knew this was going to be on the slow side. Not that I am normally very fast in a wetsuit anyway but it does give you the buoyancy, which helps with a good glide through the water and for me personally makes me a little more confident. So as a non-wetsuit swim (water temperature too warm) I simply wore my tri suit. The big countdown got the adrenalin going but I entered the water with the other 2,000 plus swimmers a little nervous. It was very congested for the entire race and I was constantly trying to fight for my own space. I did have some success getting on the feet of faster swimmers and obtaining the drafting benefits but was concerned that I was not always going in a straight line. The water was crystal clear at least until the last 1km when we hit the narrower and much shallower canal. It was great to see all the thousands of spectators line the canal banks, you could almost reach out and touch them. So I jumped out for a time of 1:24:08 and ran to the transition area.

Bike
My transition to the bike wasn't the fastest I have had but worth taking the time to get on some socks and apply both chamois cream and suntan lotion (even though I still got a little burnt). It was also quite a long run from the swim exit to bike transition. I went off quite quickly easily averaging 35-40 km per hour for the first 60 mins before hitting some hills. The view around the bike course was spectacular with lakes, mountains and beautiful countryside. Just before hitting one of the bigger hills I got a welcomed surprise and was greeted by Chrissie Wellington (world champion Ironman) standing in the middle of the road giving me lots of encouragement to 'go, go, go'. After the first lap and 90km down I was a good bit under 3 hours. I continued the decent pace for the next 50km but began to tire as I hit the hills. The last one really took a lot out of me, however I finished strong and was pleased with my 6:06 effort. In terms of nutrition I ate as much bars and Powershots (gels) my body could handle but had quite a lot left when I arrived at transition. I did however take on a lot more fluids than I normally would. My neck was a little tired, probably being in the aero position for such a long time.

Run
Bike to run transition was also pretty smooth although I should have taken time to put more suntan lotion on. Apparently the temperature hit 40C (well above 100F). So off on the run, this is where things started to come undone a little. Within the first km I felt some cramping - likely caused by hitting the bike a little too hard. I can only compare it to how I normally feel after mile 20 on a marathon, only on this occasion I hadn't even reached mile 1 - it was definitely going to be a long day. I tried to stay positive and decided to adopt Matt's strategy of walking for 1 min and running 9 mins. I failed on my first attempt and only managed about 4 mins running. Over the next couple of hours I experimented with different run and walk times but was not able to run more than 10 mins on any one occasion. I only took one gel but my body was craving more fluids. I decided to start on flat coke and must have drunk one at every aid station - that is a lot of coke - I estimate about 5 litres. I also continued drinking water and fresh fruit - banana, oranges and water melon. For the second half of the run I expect there was as much walking as running but I was no different from the other athletes, the vast majority were doing the 'Ironman Shuffle' or simply walking the course. I managed to build up to a bit of a power walk, which I was still able to do without causing further cramping. At the end any running more than 1-2 mins in duration was very painful. One bit of good news was that my maths was a little off. The run course was marked in km and I convinced myself it was 46.2km rather than the correct 42.2km. I was getting a little worried because I was running so slowly at 41km that I thought there was a slight possibility of 13+ hour finish time. I was very pleased to see my wife at the 42km marker confirming I only had the finishing shoot to run down to complete the race. I mustered all the strength I could and ran the last 200m trying to soak up as much of the atmosphere as I could and to hear those important words - David Brian Pegler, you are an Ironman!

I am an Ironman

I am an Ironman - the time was 12:23:00 and some change (to be confirmed).

Race briefing to follow.

I did it!