This blog is written by Alan Scott, its part two of four describing his 2015 Hawaii Ironman experiences and lessons learnt. Hopefully it will prove entertaining and perhaps useful to anyone aspiring to go to Kona or simply complete an Ironman.
Its 4.14am and like so many out there I am staring wide awake at my alarm clock waiting for it to go off, it’s been a restless night but it’s so often the case. The days in the build-up have been chilled so one of poor sleep is night is fine. After a cup of coffee and some Greek yogurt with berries nuts and a little muesli we wonder down to ‘body marking’.
Everything’s very calm if not a little sleepy heading through check in, being marked and finally getting weighed in. I am just shy of 65kg (normally around 67) which is a nice little surprise, definitely what you would call ‘race weight’. A bit of air in the tyres and nutrition on bike sorted and it’s time to chill for 30 mins in the hotel lobby of the KingKam Hotel. 
My girlfriend Nat, Graeme who’s racing and his fiancée Kat along with their 6 month year old Bailey all relax and chat in the air conditioned lobby as we hear the starting cannon for the pro men in the distance. It’s strange how in such a short period you can go from calm and collected to a state verging on panic….
My girlfriend Nat, Graeme who’s racing and his fiancée Kat along with their 6 month year old Bailey all relax and chat in the air conditioned lobby as we hear the starting cannon for the pro men in the distance. It’s strange how in such a short period you can go from calm and collected to a state verging on panic….
We filed into the ocean, jockeying a little for position then after a brief lull the cannon boomed and we were off! Being a strong swimmer the strategy was to start towards the front and work hard for 400m or so and find a good group. That decision, coupled with the swim start being narrowed this year, made for an intensely violent start. Being punched hard in the face and dragged down numerous times by hands groping at my legs and arms I had to work hard to suppress the waves of panic that rolled over me as claustrophobia threatened to overwhelm. In this situation surrounded by thrashing bodies all competing for the same space, roughly a thousand marauding swimmers behind you, you only face one option; suppress the waves of panic, keep swimming. I have never experienced anything like it before….
Thankfully after a kilometre things started to calm a little and within a couple of attempts I found my ‘feet’ to follow – a swimmer with a crossing kick eased past me and I took this opportunity to slot in behind him knowing that with his distinct kick he would be easy to follow. Drafting in the swim is often underutilised by athletes and this baffles me. I would argue this should be your main goal during the swim. The right pair of feet will do all the sighting for you, save you considerable amounts of energy while you comfortably swim at slightly above your normal pace. Plus if you swim though groups in front, your swimmer acts like an icebreaker clearing the path and enabling you to mentally relax for the swim; it’s legal and a must!
Thanks to my pal up front the rest of the swim was relatively uneventful, a touch of ‘biffo’ at the turn around buoys coupled the occasional swimmer trying to ‘steal’ my feet then homeward bound with “cross feet” leading the way. Coming out of the swim in 59 minutes when the consensus was the distance was just over 4k was a good swim in the end and put me towards the front as I headed into transition. I was also very happy with my Roka swim skin. I can’t tell you how much time it saved hydro dynamically but felt great as it sucked everything in and psychologically I felt that I had done everything possible to prepare myself for a fast swim!
Despite the turbulent start I would always advocate starting towards the front, or at the very least around swimmers that are slightly stronger than you. Using stronger swimmers around you will mean quicker times, an easier swim and importantly saving vital mental and physical energy for the big day ahead. This is something you can practice in groups in a lake or cramming into a lane. It might not be that enjoyable however just like all things, the more you practice the better you will execute on race day.
Coming out of the water I easily stripped of my Roka swim skin and washed off some of the salt water in the fresh water showers. Then the tricky part, trying to pull on my Embrace Sports speed suit, which had been rolled down to my waist during the swim due to race rules. This proved a little tricky when wet and even with the help of a steward I probably lost 30 seconds getting it on, however the aero advantage on the bike coupled with the sun protection on the shoulders and arms during the ride made this worth it. I then drank half a litre of Ucan* while I ran to my bike. This perhaps is not the norm as most folk recommend waiting until your stomach settles on the bike before taking on nutrition. However I had practiced this with success during ‘B’ races and it worked well for me. With the added bonus that its one less thing to pack on the bike!
Thanks to my pal up front the rest of the swim was relatively uneventful, a touch of ‘biffo’ at the turn around buoys coupled the occasional swimmer trying to ‘steal’ my feet then homeward bound with “cross feet” leading the way. Coming out of the swim in 59 minutes when the consensus was the distance was just over 4k was a good swim in the end and put me towards the front as I headed into transition. I was also very happy with my Roka swim skin. I can’t tell you how much time it saved hydro dynamically but felt great as it sucked everything in and psychologically I felt that I had done everything possible to prepare myself for a fast swim!
Despite the turbulent start I would always advocate starting towards the front, or at the very least around swimmers that are slightly stronger than you. Using stronger swimmers around you will mean quicker times, an easier swim and importantly saving vital mental and physical energy for the big day ahead. This is something you can practice in groups in a lake or cramming into a lane. It might not be that enjoyable however just like all things, the more you practice the better you will execute on race day.
Coming out of the water I easily stripped of my Roka swim skin and washed off some of the salt water in the fresh water showers. Then the tricky part, trying to pull on my Embrace Sports speed suit, which had been rolled down to my waist during the swim due to race rules. This proved a little tricky when wet and even with the help of a steward I probably lost 30 seconds getting it on, however the aero advantage on the bike coupled with the sun protection on the shoulders and arms during the ride made this worth it. I then drank half a litre of Ucan* while I ran to my bike. This perhaps is not the norm as most folk recommend waiting until your stomach settles on the bike before taking on nutrition. However I had practiced this with success during ‘B’ races and it worked well for me. With the added bonus that its one less thing to pack on the bike!
It was then as I pulled on my aero helmet and begun to trot towards the T1 exit and bike mount point that I started to notice the ambient air temperature was already rising. We were all going to be in for a scorcher!!
*Ucan is a slow release carbohydrate drink made from a modified corn starch. The principal behind this drink is that it releases energy at a level not to cause your insulin levels to spike. As a result you do not suffer peaks and troughs in energy.
This blog is brought to you by BikeBoxBuddy Want to rent your bike box out to friends, family & others, then register here with us and send your own unique web page link to your contacts on Facebook etc. Looking for a box? Use the site to search for box’s for hire in your area!
*Ucan is a slow release carbohydrate drink made from a modified corn starch. The principal behind this drink is that it releases energy at a level not to cause your insulin levels to spike. As a result you do not suffer peaks and troughs in energy.
This blog is brought to you by BikeBoxBuddy Want to rent your bike box out to friends, family & others, then register here with us and send your own unique web page link to your contacts on Facebook etc. Looking for a box? Use the site to search for box’s for hire in your area!
Ironman World Championships 2015. Part 2: The Swim