IRONMAN
FLORIDA
November 5th, 2022
Oops, I did it again.
I finished an Ironman.
3.8 km Swimming.
180 km Cycling.
42.2 km Running.
MY BIGGEST LEARNING THIS TIME
"Just because you have done it once, doesn’t mean the second time will be easier."
Signing up for the Race
If you've been bitten by the triathlon bug you have no chance but keep on chasing that next finish line. So, this is where I found myself in the beginning of 2022 - signing up for a full distance Ironman again, stupid enough to think this time it will be easier.
The whole story wasn't my idea alone. I can blame my friend Hotte on bringing me into this madness. The only thing this guy had finished so far was a pack of cigarettes. Now he was dedicated to get rid of bad habits, cut down on beer, and get himself a training plan.
Personally, I had a couple of decent reasons to sign up again and still have a score to settle with Ironman racing after my slightly bumpy experience in Copenhagen 2019. Therefore, I was easily convinced, and we both signed up for the Ironman in Panama City Beach, Florida.
No visa - no race…
Or how I found out that I am not allowed to travel to the US.
February 2022 - Nine months to train. I was more than motivated to hit a new personal best. A couple of weeks in, that’s when the first problem hit. In April, I found out that I would not be allowed to travel to the US on an ESTA anymore. Like never ever again! You wonder why? Apparently, Sudanese stamps in your passport don’t sit so well with US border control. Well, then I would need a tourist visa. No big deal, right? How difficult can it be to get one….? Turns out you must fight through some shady looking online platforms, give away all your personal data and online identities to wait 10 months for an interview appointment at the embassy. After finding out about the process, all my hopes of racing in the US were gone and my training plan found its way into the bin.
Luck or destiny?!
Or how I got back into the race.
Training was not going according to plan: since I had no hopes to get my US Visa in time, I let myself off the hook frequently. Yet, I wasn’t ready to give up and checked the embassy website daily for new appointments. And then, one day, an open appointment at the perfect time popped up. Was it luck or destiny? I did not care at all, took it, and went back on my training routine. 10 weeks out!
I had already missed valuable time in the pool, on the bike, and in my running shoes. Time to make up for it, so I trained twice a day with longer sessions on the weekends. The last six weeks I went without alcohol and focused fully on the race. That meant no Oktoberfest for me, since Covid-19 had been picking up again and I wanted to avoid the virus at all costs (well, and Oktoberfest without beer…hmmmm not my vibe).
While checking on the course in Florida, I realized that streets are mostly a straight line and in Panama City Beach would be a flat course. Another learning: I wouldn’t be able to mount a tri-bar on my Canyon road bike. Should I tackle the full 180km bike course without a tri-bar? No way - I had to get a new bike for the race. Luckily, Canyon hooked me up with a speedy Triathlon machine and for the first time, Strava segments were exploding *boom*.
No excuses. It’s happening.
Pre-Race Moments in Florida
Or how ‘Peace of mind’ became my new mantra.
‘’Peace of mind.’’ A phrase I made use of a lot in the days leading up to the race. With an Ironman coming up there are so many variables, but you simply can’t afford to block your mind with minor issues. A classic example for is the bike set-up. After mounting the bike in Florida, suddenly, my breaks were blocking…whaaaat?! This left me with two options: I could watch some YouTube videos, try to fix it myself and most likely make it worse. Or, I would have someone take care of it and take the bike to a mechanic for a full race check-up. Peace of mind - so I took it to a mechanic.
Holger also applied afore mentioned motto and we went wild on buying additional nutrition, new pipes, tubes and whatever would put our minds at ease. Besides, the days leading up to the race were all about checking gear, test swimming in the ocean and working on transitions.
"PEACE OF MIND"
When our minds are buzzing with thoughts, it can be intense and overwhelming. Peace of mind is a mental state of calmness or tranquility, a freedom from worry and anxiety.
Becoming an Ironman
Or: why the second time feels more painful than the first time.
Rise and shine. With the race starting at 7:40am, we had to get up early to be ready for our big day. An easy, digestible breakfast, some last checks on the bike and transition bags, a toilet visit and there we were. In our wetsuits at the beach, ready to hit the water at sunrise.
Before entering the ocean, there was a special moment for a nerdy triathlete. It would be the last time that the famous announcer Mike Reilly, aka ‘The Voice of Ironman’ would be at the finish line greeting the finishers with his famous ‘You are an Ironman’ line. Guess who got a High5 before jumping into the water…?!
THE SWIM
Since swimming is my favorite discipline, I was quite excited to be in the water. Well, I had never completed a swim in the ocean and there was something unexpectedly tough about it. The waves were quite rough in the morning which made it difficult for me to see the buoys and stay on route, so, I swam more of a zigzag than a straight line. Also, I something kept touching my feet, hands and even face - jelly fish. What a great start to the race.
We had to do complete two rounds with a short run across the beach in-between laps. Overall, this was still the discipline I enjoyed the most, even under those conditions.
After 3.8km in the water it was time to get out of the swimsuit (volunteers helped us which was an awesome service) and hop onto the bike. If you wonder about the very long transition times: we had to run more than 700m through transition.
THE BIKE
Since Ironman Copenhagen, I have always had mixed feelings when I hit the bike course.
My two main concerns are the constant fear of a flat tire or mechanical issues and being fully aware of the fact that I won’t make the six hours ride without a pee stop. In Copenhagen I stopped six times just to pee, so I thought this time I would do it like the pros. If you’re curious to know more, there is a lot to learn on the best strategy when to let go on the bike. How that went for me? Well, the first time it felt weird - no wait - it always felt weird. You try to make sure that no one is watching, but having warm liquid dripping down your legs just feels wrong. But hey, I am pretty sure I wasn’t the only one and it saved me quite some time.
The first 50km on the bike felt really great and fast, until a strong headwind started to kick in. Also, this time the bike course was one big loop, which meant that at some point you are very much on your own, no one to overtake and no one overtaking you. Since you are not allowed to draft, it becomes very lonely out there. This is where your mind starts to wander, and you question yourself and the idea of having signed up to this. Lucky enough, every 25km was interrupted by an aid station and the volunteers were nothing but phenomenal. Some were dressed up as superheroes, others built up big cardboard cut-outs for athletes to throw their empty bottles at. They were cheering the entire time and pushing everyone. This had such an American vibe to me, and I hadn’t experienced anything like it in Europe.
My goal for the bike was to be faster than in Copenhagen, which worked. But I also couldn’t wait to finally get out of the saddle, change discipline and start the run.
"THE POWER OF NOW"
In life we always live in either the future or the past. We barely spend time in the here and now, just thinking about what's happening in this exact moment. Racing an Ironman gives me this feeling. I am focused on the technique, eating, drinking and finding distraction from the pain. It's one of those rare feelings that everyone should experience at least once.
THE RUN
Time for a marathon. I knew I should apply some sunscreen, yet I had no idea how that was supposed to work being all sweaty. Lucky enough I passed the sunscreen-lady in transition - her job was to get said sunscreen on athletes. And boy did she perform.
My plan was to start the run slowly and keep the pace as long as possible. The first problem already came up about 10k into the run. I felt like throwing up and just the thought of eating something made me sick to my stomach. At the same time, I knew I needed to fuel my body in order not to flag. What to do? Well, I forced myself to drink water at each aid station and swallow some gel, cookie or whatever they had. In the beginning, this turned out to be a bigger issue than the pain in my legs. But no worries, that would start soon enough…
We were provided with cups of ice at the aid stations - what a great tool in the Florida heat! I took the first cup and threw the ice cubes into my race suit. Buhhh… that was cold. For the second cup I thought it would be a great idea to throw the ice cubes down my back. Arrghh… that felt like a very cold and wet shit in my pants. Can’t recommend.
I’ve already mentioned the great supporters on the bike course. Well, during the run this took on another level. They would literally jump right in front of you and scream in your face ‘YOU CAN DO THAT!’ Or ‘KEEP PUSHING!’. What a great motivation to get a couple of meters done on those emotions. I also had my personal favorite fan along the track who I passed 4 times on the course. He was overly excited about my outfit, yelling that it was his favorite one off all the field. Well, a lady in a mermaid costume pushed me back to second place. What a disappointment :)
But now, back to the stomach issues. When you prepare for such a competition you know how important it is to eat during the race. So, you plan to be sure you get enough calories on board. Well, when I realized I would not be able to eat much I started freaking out. The prospect of hitting the wall and not being able to finish was terrifying! It went that far that I started hallucinating. I looked at a guy and was sure he looked exactly like me just with darker hair. Damn. Then the next guy, sort of looks like me as well… ahhhh! Were these the first signs of my brain telling me that it was not getting enough fuel? I really had to fight through that one.
The sun was setting towards the end of my run, which added to the entire amazing atmosphere. I had been out there the whole day from sunrise to sunset. I was forcing myself through the final kilometers and eventually I found myself on the glorious finish lane. This feeling is hard to describe but this moment is the reason you drag yourself and your body through all this pain. Suddenly, there is no pain, and you are able pick up the pace for the last meters. The essential ‘mind over body’.
THE HOT NACHO INCIDENT
For those of you who wonder if Hotte has finished his race and how he has performed. Well, there was a point during the bike section where his tracker stopped moving for quite a while and our support team was wondering if he was dealing with a flat tire or stopped racing altogether. Turns out, he spent an awful long time on the toilet. You know that feeling when you added that extra spice to your dinner the night before and the next day you feel as if you will never leave the toilet again? That was Hotte. He had thought it would be a good idea to have the spiciest nachos the night before the race. Well, he re-thought during the race but he still finished, and actually did quite well. What a year for him – big kudos!
