Ironman Zurich

My first long distance race back in 2017 is one I like to reflect on as this event really set in me the belief that really anyone can do this with the right mindset and training. Reading this race report back now almost four years later it is interesting to see just how far I have come.

Zurich was a great race location and one I hoped to return to but they have moved the Switzerland event to Thun, which looks equally good so maybe I will do that one.. one day! Linda x

Enjoy my report. Be warned, it is a long one!

I woke up on the morning of the race surprisingly calm. I had managed to get a good night sleep and although it was 3.15am, I ate my breakfast of porridge, a banana and drunk a strong coffee. Before long it was time to get the minibus from the hotel to the race start. The mood on the bus was quiet and while I was still feeling a bit nervous, I could feel I was at that point where I just really wanted to get on with it. Arriving at the race village it was a hive of activity, people running around with bicycle pumps, and generally getting organised. I had a good look over my bike, put on my water bottles, nutrition, squeezed my tyres and then decided to just leave it alone. To be honest I had no idea what everyone else was doing tweaking this and that and I could think of nothing else I needed to do. I walked over to the changing tents and got into my wetsuit. I then slowly walked towards the start line with Adrian who was also taking part. Unlike me he appeared really calm and just kept whispering in my ear to check I was okay and keep me calm and focused. We took advantage of getting in for a quick warm up swim, it felt good to get in and move my arms. The water felt lovely and I could feel myself starting to get excited. The announcement finally came for athletes to go to their swim start pens. Adrian gave me a hug and we set off for our pens. I could feel myself welling up a bit as we parted company but I had no tears as after months of training I was determined to get on the start line, with a smile and to enjoy the swim and hopefully the whole race.

The swim was a rolling start which means they let eight people enter the water every 5 secs, this also means you should get in with clear water ahead of you to start with. I had seeded myself in the middle of the 80-90 min box which was actually quite empty, it seemed most people were seeding themselves up the front, which was fine by me. I spoke to other athletes around me, everyone smiling, nervously and encouraging each other. It was a really good experience. We gradually inched forward until there just one or two rows to go. I got my googles in position, and I looked forward to spot the first buoy. The beeps counted down 5, 4, 3, 2,1 and I was off. The first part of the swim was as good as the organisers promised, clear water to get going in, however by the time I got to the first turn it was absolutely crazy. I was in a sea of bodies and arms flying everywhere. I had to do a bit of swimming around people and there was a lot of jostling but I was not at all bothered by it, I was actually enjoying the swim. I found it hard at times to sight the buoys particularly as the sun came up but I just kept following the feet in front of me. In the end, I must have seeded myself for the swim about right as I found I mostly had space to swim and although I did occasionally get clunked on the head by others passing it was really nothing to worry about and also I ended up swimming past a few people too. The water was warm about 21 degrees and beautifully clean. Not as clear as the practice swim I had two days before but only because there were another 1700 people swimming and churning the water up around me. Lake Zurich is marvellous not a bit of weed in sight, it is absolutely huge. It was pancake flat at the start and just getting a little choppy on the far side of the swim. I have to admit it did feel like I was swimming for ages before the final turning buoy appeared and we were swimming back towards shore. As I exited the water, I felt a sense of relief that part was over and also surprisingly fresh. The two guys either side of me said “great job” which was really nice. The crowds were fantastic too, cow bells ringing and loads of clapping, it was brilliant. I had no idea what my swim time was at that point as I had decided to leave my garmin on my bike in case I got it knocked off, so I was so pleased later when I heard I had done 1.21 for the swim as that was bang on my target.

Day before the race, all racked and ready to go

I managed a quick transition and was off on the bike lap before I knew it. The first lap was beautiful and the scenery breath-taking all the way round. Initially you ride along the side of the lake and I remember just feeling so excited that I had completed the swim and was on my way that I did a massive "whoop" out loud to myself a few times, which sounds crazy but I just couldn’t help it I was so enjoying the moment. After about 25k you start to reach the climbing on the route. The bike course is about 1400m elevation overall, a mixture of flat and rolling hills which take you through lots of little villages where the support was great, more ringing of cow bells, people hosing you down with water and cheering ‘Superb’ and “Hupp Hupp Hupp” it was an atmosphere like no other I have experienced. The ride has three noticeable climbs but nothing I was worried about. The main climb is known as The Beast mainly because it is long, it twists and turns and you think you have reached the top and then realise there is another summit ahead. But on the first lap I was passing people, thinking this is nothing at all to worry about at all but in doing so I was accidentally pushing harder than I should have been to reach the top, however at that stage I was not thinking about it, just enjoying the ride. I was focusing on religiously keeping drinking and taking on little bits of food all the way round as I knew from experience I did not want to face the dreaded bonk on the bike. I noticed lots of riders passing me on the long downhill from The Beast, which was a bit demoralising but I am simply not yet confident enough to stay down on my aerobars at high speed however, I was enjoying the views and a bit of leg rest. As we dropped back down into Zurich the streets were lined with supporters and I headed towards the final climb of the lap called Heartbreak Hill. This hill has got to the be the highlight of my race. It’s short and sharp and the final part of it is lined with supporters. You get a sense of how the pro cyclists must feel in the Tour de France as the crowds are standing all over the road cheering and then part as you cycle through them. I could hear the announcer mention my name and number over the tannoy and saying “she is even smiling” I can’t describe how fantastic I felt. I shot down the other side and before I knew it had completed the first lap and was onto lap 2. I remember thinking I was bang on track for a sub 7 hour bike time as I had done lap one in 3hours 20 mins but I am afraid lap 2 got a bit harder and a lot hotter. There is a lot of flat on the first part of the course and while that is good I think my temptation to push too hard got the better of me and as soon as I came off the flat to the climb I started to feel fatigued, as well as hot as hell. The sweat started to pour out my helmet, and honestly even when I have cycled in the heat in Lanzarote that has never happened to me before. I had to make a stop to put on extra sun cream and I kept drinking as much as I could but when I reached the "Beast" for a second time I knew I must have pushed too hard for my ability on lap one as second time up I was absolutely crawling. The aid station at the top was a godsend. I stopped for a hose down and spoke to one of the water guys who offered to put some salt in my water. Although I lost time by stopping I felt so much better when I set off to finish the lap. As I got back into Zurich I could see lots of people on the run and actually spotted Adrian running – I cheered at him and we waved. (He said later he was really worried how I was feeling as I was much further back on the bike than I had planned but as I was smiling he figured I was okay) Heartbreak hill second time round was less exciting but still good support. Anyway, by the time I got off the bike I had done my 112 miles in 7.24 and while I am disappointed with that time, on the day I was so chuffed to be off the bike with just the run to go I was ecstatic!

My lovely Cervelo P2

Longer transition from bike to run as I faffed about trying to find the flipping exit (race brain doh!) As I started the run, I tried to work out what my finish time might be. I was hoping I had swam in 1.30 and so figured I was probably somewhere between 9 and 9.5 hours into the race. You have 16 hours to finish Zurich so I knew I had plenty time to get my run in and hoped I could finish inside my personal target of 14 hours. Given my track record of running 10k off long bikes I thought a 5 hour marathon would be about right. The first 10k took me about 1 hour 10 which is not great, but equally not bad as I was getting my legs back and I did run all the way round that first lap. The heat however, was something else, at that point I think it was over 30 degrees which, for a Scottish lassie who likes to run in drizzle, was a bit of nightmare. Thankfully, I had a cap on which I filled with ice at each station, there were wet sponges as well and they worked really well at keeping me cool. They offered to hose us down too but in hindsight my feet got a bit soggy so it was not the best plan. At the start of second lap it was getting very tough for me. I ran with another guy for a bit who was doing a run 4 mins walk 1 min strategy and that helped me get some food in and compose myself and half way round that second lap I started to just run continuously again. Each water station was about 2k apart and they had all the food, gels and drink you needed. On most of my laps I walked through each station and then ran on again. By the third lap I was feeling good again, and had taken on so many gels I was buzzing and my feet just kept going and going, I did not feel any aches or pains in my knees which I had a few issues with in training. So I was happy, importantly I felt really positive and telling myself to keep going. One of the best tips I had from Adrian in training was to consciously breath in and out of my mouth and get a rhythm going that you can pace to, and it worked a treat for me on race day. Again I could not believe the crowd support on the run it was something else. Adrian and I passed each other on the second lap of my run and he stopped to kiss me which drew a huge cheer from the crowd! By the time I got my last band on and the knowledge I only had 10k to run I was in my zone and on a mission. I loved that last lap, I thanked all the volunteers who had been amazing and when I got to the last 6k point the volunteer, who had seen me three times previously cheered at the crowd it was my last lap and they all did a huge Mexican wave for me, it was so cool, I will never forget it. Running down the finish line was brilliant, the cheerleaders and supporters all going mental and then the words "You are an Ironman" being roared at you as you cross the line. An absolutely brilliant feeling like no other. When I turned around and saw the clock said Linda Todd 14.14.52 I remember feeling pretty pleased with myself. Adrian, who had finished more than two hours before me, was there waiting for me in the athletes garden with a non -alcoholic beer in hand and equally ecstatic as me that I had finished in good time and one piece!

Overall, Ironman Zurich was the best race experience of my life. Will I do another one? Absolutely. Will I train harder? You bet I will. Can you do one? With the right support, focus and determination I will say yes, anything is possible!

Lx

Ironman World Championship 2019

It's been 2 weeks since my big race and I finally got round to writing my Ironman World Championship Race Report. It's pretty long so you might want to get a big cup of coffee first 😂;)

Race day started reasonably calmly with a 3.45am alarm. I had slept reasonably well through the night and surprisingly, I felt well-rested and did not feel nervous. I had a breakfast (bread, butter and honey) sorted my nutrition out before heading off to the race start. It was pitch black when we got there but the place was buzzing with activity. Hundreds of volunteers everywhere and queues starting for body marking. There was a team of volunteers for cleaning my arms and then another team for applying my race number before I finally headed off to the bike to put my nutrition on.

I was slightly stressed the day before as I had left my bike shoes on the bike and there had been a torrential rain storm the afternoon before. Fortunately, I managed to dry them out using the extra pair of socks I brought along by putting them on and stepping into the shoes to ensure the insides were sufficiently dry. I did not want a DNF (did not finish) due to blisters as I’ve trained long and hard for this.

I checked my tyres and as they had sufficient pressure, I did not add more into it as I did not want to accidentally damage a valve or over-inflate them at the final hour. After adding my hydration, I headed off to find my way round to the start, and realised that I was allowed supervised access to my bike/run. We had been told we were not allowed to access the bike & run bags on race day so this was a bonus as I had forgotten to put my bike socks in the bike bag; so in it went!

This year is the first time the race did not have a mass deep water start. Instead, athletes were put into age group deep water start waves and started 5 minutes apart. My wave was the last to go at 7.30am so I had plenty time to soak up the atmosphere and even stand on the sea wall to see the pro athletes start. I wasn’t nervous even though this was a non-wetsuit race as I had a full training swim in my new swim skins the week before.

Once the pro race started at 6.30am, the time went fairly quickly and before I knew it I had to get back into the starters chute. Before I entered the water the first male pro athletes were already coming out. Josh Amberger was on his bike as I was still waiting for my race start! We swam out to the start buoy and spread ourselves out across the line. There was a current and soon we were all bunched around the nearside buoy. The water was fairly choppy. Not at all like the conditions of the previous few days when I did the training swims.

The air horn blew and we were off. I was getting battered on both sides, it was hard to find a pair of feet to get onto so I concentrated on my stroke and gradually I was swimming my way through the wave that started in front of me. I was not sure how well I was doing but I felt good and kept a lookout for the Body Glove boat as that marked the end of the out loop. Once we got to the boat, it was a little manic getting around it but less so than most races I’ve done. We swam passed the boat, round another buoy and soon we were heading back to shore. On the way back, I noticed that we were also swimming pass some of the slower swimmers from the wave 5 and 10 minutes ahead of us. I could tell as we were allocated different coloured swim caps for each wave. I drafted the swimmers ahead when I could and tried to stay focussed on taking as tight a line down the buoys and to the finish as possible. I got out the swim in 1:18 although I did not know that at that time; exactly the same as my training swim.

Finishing the swim

Reasonably quick transition to the bike and off I went. I heard Linda shout my name as I was mounting my bike and gave her a smile and wave before heading off. The route around town was quick, before I knew it I was up Palani Hill (not a hill to worry about despite all the hype) and soon I was out on the Queen K Highway. The trouble with starting at the back is that you have very few people to pace yourself with, absolutely no need to worry about drafting penalties. I was passing quite a few cyclists all the way to Hawi; and similarly, poor swimmers who were super bikers were passing me. My friend Richard who was also racing in the same wave passed me halfway between the Queen K and Hawi. He did not see me and looked like a man on a mission. I found out later that he had a mechanical issue with his bike so he was just focused on clawing back some time.

The turnaround point at Hawi came and went. I stopped for quick pee in the portaloo and then headed off again towards town. PS: Most triathletes pee themselves on the bike in order to save time but I didn’t want to risk pee running down into my bike shoes and having to wear socks socked in pee all day long.

The wind started to pick up as soon as I left the sheltered village of Hawi into the more exposed roads towards the Queen K. As I train a lot in Lanzarote I was really comfortable with the cross winds and my bike handling skills meant I was passing cyclists slowing down and obviously struggling a bit with the conditions. There were hardly any supporters on the route and very few cyclists in sight. Once I hit the Queen K, I could feel the full force of the headwind, I tucked myself into as aero a position as I could and worked my way back to town. I tried to keep on top of my nutrition but after about 5 hours I started to feel cramps in my left quad and then my right quad another five minutes later. I still had about 30 miles to go at this point so I eased off the pedals, spun my legs to try and freshen them up which seemed to work. I was looking at a 5.30 hour ride before but realised it was no longer possible in those conditions. As I turned off the Queen K highway and made my way back to transition I started to prepare myself mentally for the run ahead. Linda was waiting at the last turn around point to take some pictures. I was glad to get off my bike in 6 hours 11 mins knowing that I would finish this race.

Riding on the Queen K Highway

Transition was full of bikes, loads of people on the run already which is a bit demoralising but given my start was much later, there is not much you can do about it but just carry on. The first six miles the streets were filled with supporters as we ran around town, up and down the famous Ali’i drive. The heat was intense and you could see athletes suffering but I was feeling okay and putting in a half decent pace, running and only walking at aid stations. After six miles you hit Palani Hill. I walked up the hill to save my legs. I said hi to Matty and Dawn who were supporting Richard and gave Linda a kiss before hitting the long road out to the Energy Lab. As I rounded up the top of Palani Hill and hit the Queen K, I felt the full effect of the sun and heat and total absence of any shade. It was hotter than Lanzarote conditions but I was doing fine on the first mile on the Queen K before I felt the effects.

The route along the highway is long and you could see runners for as long as the eye could see. It felt like a long steady uphill climb and I slogged it out just running from aid station to aid station. Finally, I saw the entrance to the Energy Lab which I knew was going to be a fast three miles downhill. I had run it in training and I felt good all the way in to the turn around point. Coming out I knew it was going to be a slog but I found a pair of feet to follow and just hung on to the end. The sun was starting to set at this point. I was offered a glow stick which I put round my cap. There were still loads of runners coming towards me as passed the 19 mile marker and stepped out of the Energy Lab back onto the Queen K.

Running in the Energy Lab

Once on the Queen K heading back to town, I was determined to get back as quickly as I could. I started to pick up my pace and skip every other aid station and focussed on getting to the next mile marker and back to the top of Palani Hill. I passed a number of runners along the way but soon it was totally dark and I found myself running along a white line and was surprised to see quick a few glow sticks heading towards me and towards the Energy Lab. At one point I dropped my glow stick and was staring at it for a couple of seconds trying to figure out how to pick it up. I eventually gave up and ran on.

My body was tired but I was on a mission get home. I continued running, occasionally passing other runners and trying to keep pace with anyone that passed me. Eventually, I could see the bright lights of Kailua-Kona and start to hear the music from the top of Palani Hill. I was almost there. I ran and I ran. I was down Palani Hill and knowing I just a little loop to go spurred me on. Soon I was down the finishers chute, high fiving supporters along the way in and just enjoying the atmosphere. I ran through the chute just behind Ken Glah, a man who has completed this race 36 times. I did not know what time I was on for but Linda told me at the end she was willing me to a sub 12 finish.

Mike Reilly called me over the finish line and my time flashed up as 11 hours 59 minutes and 09 seconds, only 51 seconds to spare!

After years of training and completing 16 ironman races, it was the best feeling to cross that finish line. I’ve dreamed of doing this race for the last 27 years and it was a dream come true! A finisher towel was placed around my shoulders and then I had two volunteers take me to the rest area where there was a medal collection area and an area where we could eat and rest.

I hit the food first of course but quickly realised that I could not stomach anything. I had two glasses of water and then proceeded to collect my medal. I was out of transition with my bike and bags within about 20 mins of crossing the line as they were not serving any beer and I badly needed one.

I completed the race in in 237 position out of 307 in my age group, and an overall position of 1585 out of 2446. The race was everything I had hoped for and more. And not having to return all the stuff I had bought from the Ironman Store was a huge bonus! I would love to have the opportunity to do this race again, but I will have to train harder the next time in order to qualify!

It’s nearly 10 days after the race and I’m still wearing my Kona Athlete Band. I’m not sure when I’ll be taking it off but before I finish, I would like to say that as cheesy as you may think it is the Ironman motto Anything Is Possible is true. You only have to want and dream it enough to make it a reality. During this race, I ran passed a girl running with one bladed foot. Yeah, she was ahead of me for most of the day. There was also a double leg amputee that finished the race as well. Incredible. if he can do it, so can you!

Dream big. Start small.

Ironman World Championship 2019 - finishers chute

Mahalo Kona!

Hoala Training Swim - Oct 2019

One of the first things I did after finding out Adrian had a place at the Ironman World Championships was sign up to take part in the Training Swim.

Here we are before the start, in our swimskins.

The Hoala swim takes place about a week before the event on the big island and is a chance for you to swim the 3.8k Ironman course. The course is one big loop which begins as a deep water start just off Kona's famous Dig Me beach. You swim out for what seems like miles before eventually hitting a turning buoy, you then swim across to another before making a right turn and swim back towards the shore.

We lined up near the back of the field, as quite a few pros take part and there were a lot of fast swimmers in Kona as you would expect for a field full of ironman age groupers. The gun went off and off we went. I managed to keep up with Adrian for most of the first leg out then lost him as I hit the turning buoy. There were loads of people swimming around me but as turned towards the shore for a while I lost the pack I was swimming in and then was all on my own. I do remember thinking I hope there are no flipping sharks lurking and then just tried to push that thought out of my head while I swam in the direction of the shore. It did seem a long, long way until I reached the finish, but I was super pleased to see Adrian standing waving madly at me and that I was only a couple of minutes behind him. I was very pleased with my time which was faster than my normal wetsuit one (I must be the only person I know to swim slower in a wetsuit) and delighted to have had the experience of swimming the iconic course.

The event is really well organised, there are loads of paddle boarders lining the route, you have a timing chip as well as get a lovely t-shirt and beautiful wooden finishers medal at the end not to mention a lovely breakfast of fresh fruit.

If you ever get the chance to go, then do this event!