It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... Beginning to sound like a broken record? I went to Zurich Switzerland to attempt to get that much elusive Hawaii age group spot. Was I close? Not even...
I wanted knock out this race report in one swoop and let you all know that I gave it everything that I had. I don’t think that anyone wanted it more than I did. The marathon particularly the last half of the marathon has been an issue in every Ironman that I have ever done. I did what I thought was all the preliminary training requirements necessary to finally overcome the grulling distance.
Race morning it rained, rained and rained and continued to rain all through transition set up. I hate rain and I certainly hate being cold. For the first time ever I was happy to put my tri suit on and get in the water (water was warmer) with 2500 + people. Actually it was more around 2000 people because some people woke up at 4:30 a.m. and decided that doing an Ironman in the rain and 50 degree weather didn’t seem like such a good idea. Believe me, the thought of staying in a warm, dry, bed crossed my mind....
The swim went surprisingly well (for me). I don’t fancy myself a particularly strong swimmer but I came out feeling good. Got beat up a little bit because it was a two loop swim (1.2 miles each) and I never really could separate myself from pods of 20 or more swimmers. Despite that I was real happy with my time as I looked at my watch while running up the beach.
The wet tri suit came off, the wet cycling shoes went on. Did I mention that it was raining? The game plan changed a bit. I do fancy myself a cyclist but right off the bat the fact that I had to pedal a bit conservatively because of the wet conditions on the down hills and the corners. It was frustrating that one of my only weapons (the bike portion) was compromised. What a beautiful course! The mountains that remind me of the Rockies of the Northwest, hills and countryside that reminded me of the Palouse of North Idaho and Eastern Washington. If it wasn’t raining I thought that at any moment "Heidi" might appear coming off a hill top hearding a bunch of goats... :)
It was back to the transition after clawing my way back into the race after the bike. It was back to wet running shoes but confidence that the marathon was going to go well after all the work I had done since January. The first 10K loop (four loops total) things were going well. No residual fatigue from the climbing and rolling hills of the bike portion! I had a pretty good stride and a slight spring in the ol’ legs. Could it be that I was finally going to do it? The second 10K I began to feel the first wave of quad pain. I played it off as mind simply trying to get me to stop after being 8+ hours in to exercise. Mind over body right? By the third loop the pain was only bearable if I slowed my pace down a bit. On the 4th loop (last 10K) my legs were screaming. I could have been anywhere else but in downtown Zurich running a marathon. Perhaps getting a tattoo on my face, a root canal, or maybe passing gall stones...
I finished and as always I finish with a new respect for the that distance. I also have a newfound respect for those who do it and do it well! It is a distance that I’ve done a few times but now as I travel around Switzerland and Germany and have time to reflect; Why make qualifying for Hawaii be one of the definitive moments in my life? I’m pretty sure I know but don’t really want to share. I love triathlon and will continue to race but I'm thinking that Ironman Switzerland may be my last at that particular distance. Time makes us forget details, serious details. I'm not trying to say the two are similar (Ironman and giving birth) but if a person could truly "remember" how painful giving birth was there would be a lot of mothers who would stop at one child. If people who know it hurts but could really "remember" how painful Ironman is they would stop at one as well. After seven Ironmans I'm done giving birth...
Ryon Talbot
Pure Austin Fitness
Master Fitness Specialist/Triathlon Coach
"The Body Becomes Its Function"....
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