I Love Austria

Ironman Austria 70.3 - St. Pölten - May 30 2010

Your mission, should you choose to accept it..........

We signed up at the end of '09 and then met for coffee and support group/training agenda early '10. This was a nice steady pace, what's all the fuss about?!
Training started in earnest for one and all as we worked off the Christmas break. It had been a long time since race season '09 finished and our 70.3 in Austria was scheduled for the end of May, before the season of sprints & olympics got into full swing in Ireland.
So, dessert first and we'll work our way to the starters. Due to the water temperatures the swimming was done in the pools of Galway in morning and evening darkness. Anytime we dared a look at the race website we could see the clock ticking down to Wave 1 on race day. I didn't know if cutting the black wire would stop the clock or speed it up so headed for the bike instead, should have chanced the wire! Stepped up the running distances and injuries came to visit us all, a physios dream come true!
We used trains, planes and automobiles to make our way to St. Pölten, there's a tri I could take or leave. We were all in situ by Friday evening which gave us a day and a half to set up camp and get nervous properly. Registration was done Friday evening in the Irondome at the expo centre, no turning back now. The weekend bracelet was clipped onto all arms and with it's lovely orange radiance every time you checked your watch or moved your arm you were reminded why you were there.

Kristin, Fergus and John tackled the pasta party head on later Friday evening as Ruth and I tried to catch up on some sleep.
Fergus, from what only could be excitement and joy, decided not to sleep until his race was run.

We were all pretty familiar with the race course which wasn't at all daunting...... except for:

A 1.9km swim course that covers two lakes at once, separated by a running passage of 200m after 900m with 350-400 athletes being "released" every 10 minutes.

A 90km loop cycle course, the big highlights of the which are the 18km section on the S33 motorway between St. Pölten and Traismauer and the three climbs of Hollenburg, Gansbach and Aggsbach. Despite the different spellings these translate to English as Ouch, Ouch and Ouch.
Then there was the small matter of a half marathon when you managed to get back to familiar surroundings.

We arrived on race morning and all met up at the bike transition area, our conversations interrupted by the hissing of tyres and banging of portaloo doors. We managed to stay still and quiet just long enough for our group photo, dumped our bags and headed for the start. As we closed in on ground zero the music became louder and the the overhead helicopters told us this was no ordinary triathlon. This was a different gravy completely.

John would have been perfectly placed in Procol Harums classic " A Whiter Shade of Pale" as he realised he was only moments from getting us underway in the first wave with the pros (which included Ozzie Iromnan Icon Chris McCormack aka "Macca" - more to follow later on him). In the meantime seeing John head to start line sent me the other direction to find a few quiet moments to be at one with myself.

Kristin and Ruth were off next, they headed away buzzing and smiling leaving Fergus and I to mind each other at the start area playing a new game of "Who'll pass out first due to too much adrenaline in their bodies?" I had to drop out of this enjoyable game and head for the start area/holding pen where the only thing worse could be to have a cattle dosing gun stuck in my mouth now as I squeezed my way along the metal fence to get my head in the water. I found some space and settled, here we go....

We swam, biked and ran in wind, rain and sun. 2 lakes, 2 wheels, 1 half marathon, 5 legends, 5 stories, please read on....

We went for this format so that when we settle into the pro triathlete lifestyle these are the questionnaires we'll be doing for all those glossy mags we look adoringly at today.

Kristin Riall (USA)
I signed up because I wanted a new challenge and I'm not really a speed-oriented person. I like Olympic-distance events better than sprints, so I thought that I might like the half Ironman even more!
Main training consisted of lots of swimming, biking with the guys or others, and running around Dangan. My running training had to be cut short because of an injury, so after that it was all bike-swim-bike-swim (with a bit of strength work, but not enough)!
Biggest sacrifice...I don't feel like I had to sacrifice anything. Everything went well...or maybe passing up the free beer on the night before the race. ;)
Triathlon background 2^nd season; 4 Sprint races 3 Standard/Olympic races 1 Half Ironman (plus a few duathlons)
Target/goal for Austria 70.3: sub-6 hours was my "it's been a really fantastic day" goal, 6:15 was my "worst case scenario"
Injuries picked up training IT band got angry sometime between the Connemarathon and Austria, but didn't complain until after the race. Apparently I need a 90k bike to warm me up for my runs.
Best advice received in preparation for race: Make sure you plan your nutrition and don't experiment on race day. I wish I'd paid attention and not eaten that last orange slice on the run
1st impressions at race village: wow! look at all the pretty bikes!!!
Day before race I.....spent a few minutes thinking about everything going well, did some stretches, ate some pasta, and went for a little swim.
Hours of sleep night before 8-ish. I slept way worse the night after the race!
Race day brekkie included a smoothie (flax seeds, sunflower seeds, dates, oats, strawberries, and a banana), a bread roll, some coffee, and water
Swim low point/close call/scary moment: I lost my hat in the leg of the swim and had to swim with my hair in my eyes for the last hundred meters or so...should've gotten the fringe trimmed before the race!
Swim highlight: floating around waiting to start, listening to everyone else talk about how nervous they were. It was reassuring to know that I wasn't the only one who was freaking out a little
Bike low point/close call(s)/scary moment the 14% downhill grade was scary. I used my brakes...*shame*
Bike highlight: passing folks on the big climb. :)
Run lowpoint/close call/scary moment...the whole thing? I guess the worst was when I ate the orange and then realized that it wasn't going to agree with me.
Highlight of race cycling along the Danube on the lovely flat roads, and hearing the people cheering for me to finish!
What’s next?: immediately, Kilkee, then Swinford half distance, and finally the Berlin marathon (must...improve...running...). Next year, IM Frankfurt
What I'd do differently if going again: not put lock laces on my runners because they squeezed my feet too much after a while. I'd consider wearing a one piece tri-suit because it might be more comfy for the distance
For anyone thinking of doing a 70.3 distance: go for it! :)

Ruth Lynch (IRL)
I signed up because.... Mark persuaded me!...... and having watched Mark do the Olympic Race in Barcelona last Oct (wrist wasn't ready after fracture) I knew it would be torture to watch another race I knew I could do too!!!
Main training consisted of.. ...running in Dangan, pool swimming (one open water in Blackrock with club 2 weeks before race.....freezing...head cold....back to pool!!) not nearly enough bike...hadn't even gotten to 90km on bike, first 90km cycle was on day of race, woops! Couple of bike/run brick sessions leading up to race.
Biggest sacrifice......Biggest sacrifice was Saturday and Sunday needed to be planned around training rather than eating & sleeping.....so not a massive sacrifice really. Food was my favourite part of training....ate like it was my full time job!

Triathlon background    3^rd Season (5) Sprint races   (0) Standard/Olympic races (0) Half Ironman races   (0) Ironman races
Target/goal for Austria 70.3...... Initially Completion...when people started asking I started thinking 6:30....half way through run leg on race day....sub 6!
Injuries picked up training..... Quad/left knee...they didn't like the bike!
Best advice received in preparation for race.... run/cycle to time rather than the distances.....i.e spend 3 hours on bike.....spend two hours running etc
1st impressions at race village...... This is the coolest ever, can't believe I'm here to take part with all these athletes......also thinking....my bike is laughable as I looked around at all the TT bikes and accessories.
Day before race I.....was really cranky and irritable....nerves. Did lake swim to test water...comforting that water was pleasent, distances to buoy I tried to ignore. Bike was causing serious trouble, derailer was not behaving....3 separate visits to mechanic....major panic....eventually got it sorted before transition closed for evening. Eating was difficult although I knew I had to nerves made chewing a chore. Drank as much water and electrolyte mix as I could stomach. Bed around 10:30.......lots of sweating!!
Hours of sleep night before 5 max

Race day brekkie included..... Frosties, bread & Nutella, banana, yougurt, water.........before race few cola shots (energy sweets!!)
Swim low point/close call/scary moment.... in first lake after turning 1st buoy sighted next buoy and off I went was almost to next buoy when realised there was yet another buoy to reach before exiting lake 1.
Swim highlight.... I prob made work for myself by keeping away from pack (no drafting as took my own course!!) but this was the highlight of the swim, no one near me with kicking legs or swinging arms....bliss.
Bike low point/close call(s)/scary moment..... Gansbach....when will this mountain ever end!
Bike highlight.......thinking I had 3km of climbing left on Gansback when someone shouted ....hop hop hop....only 200m to go.......will never forget that sentence, I knew then I would be able to reach the finish line of my first Ironman 70.3!!
Run lowpoint/close call/scary moment..... seeing the first sign 2km....still waiting for jelly legs to leave me....doubting ability to run another 19km
Highlight of race...... 4km to go on run....checked watch....realisation that I had a sub 6hr 70.3 within my grasp...trying to dismiss the elation to keep heart rate from soaring!!
What’s next?... 1st Olympic .....seems like I'm confused....blonde!! Sprints and Olympics to enjoy for rest of summer.
What I'd do differently if going again.... not remove derailer from bike when packing into bike case....serious issues day before race sorting this. Otherwise wouldn't change a thing .

John Flannery (IRL)
I signed up because....Since taking up Triathlon I’ve been interested in Ironman so I figured what better way of preparing myself for a full than entering Austria
Main training consisted of.....Long bikes on Saturday mornings at low to moderate intensity, longish runs maybe on a Sunday then some swimming (not much at all) during the week with some resistance training here and there
Biggest sacrifice...... I think that I didn’t sacrifice too much-I enjoyed the training and tried to integrate it as much as possible into my life. It became a part of my lifestyle really and not a new hobby of sorts!
Triathlon background (1) number of years taking part; (4) Sprint races (1) Standard/Olympic races (0) Half Ironman races (0) Ironman races
Target/goal for Austria 70.3......I wanted to come in within six hours though if I came in under 5:30 I would be over the moon. In doing so, I wanted to finish strong (for my ability) and to enjoy the whole race!
Injuries picked up training..... some cycling injuries due to my saddle being too high caused a glute injury that lasted about two months. Coming off my bike on black ice caused knee pain for a good while. An old running injury began to flare up and this meant I had to sacrifice my running training in the last two months.
Best advice received in preparation for race....John Cunniffe telling me to keep my training in Zone two on the Tuesday night track sessions where I was aiming for my 5K pace each week!phew!
1st impressions at race village......Full of the most fit people I’ve seen in my life! Plenty of compression socks too-I felt right at home!
Day before race I..... (last minute prep/eating/resting/shopping etc)A brief morning swim (to loosen out the shoulders) before we packed our race bags(you don’t want to get this one wrong) and dropped our bike in to T1. We then had a bit to eat before going to be early. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit to do so we ended up spending far too much time on our feet (in my opinion).
Hours of sleep night before I managed about 7 I would say-not sure how many Fergus got in!
Race day brekkie included.....An ensure plus drink followed by a lovely smoothie(cheers miss Riall), then a fine bowl of porridge, some bread, a banana and a few cups of coffee
Swim low point/close call/scary moment....I was so scared getting into the water(not enough training) however got into a rhythm(albeit a slow one) and was grand. Getting my goggles knocked off twice(once in each lake) was a bit of a pain!
Swim highlight....Getting out of the water knowing that the bit I was most worried about was over! Then I could get down to business (as they say)!
Bike low point/close call(s)/scary moment.....My front derailleur stopped working just as I reached the top of the climb so I was afraid I mightn’t be able to make the most of the decent(especially since I worked my ass off to get there!)
Bike highlight.......Getting my derailleur to work then watching the beautiful Austrian countryside whizz by (at 75 Kph), doing what I love!
Run lowpoint/close call/scary moment.....I was running well until 13 Km and then my legs failed to turnover-it was really strange and I couldn’t do anything to make them work! Here I was, reduced to a lurch on the part of the race I was most looking forward to….urgh
Highlight of race...... 200 m from the finish line knowing I’ve pushed myself beyond what I thought I could, hearing the crowd cheering, I had my own victory that day!
Next target...I will have a go at Kilkee then its up to 70.3 distance again at the Humbert challenge in Mayo!
What I'd do differently if going again....Not fly with Ryanair, do more swim training…
For anyone thinking of doing a 70.3 distance.......Do it!I had so much fun all weekend, it’s a lovely distance- you can race within yourself much more than sprint and Olympic distance and race with your head. As Ferg said, the biggest muscle is between your ears!

Fergus Dunne (IRL)
I signed up because.... I love Austria
Main training consisted of....Lots of pain.
Biggest sacrifice......   Drink

Triathlon background    3 years 1 sprint 4 Olympic 3 half iron and 1 full ironman
Target/goal for Austria 70.3.. To finish in a respectable position....
Injuries picked up training... Planter flacitious, lower back pain, self pity, lack of libido!!!! EXCUSES EXCUSES ..
Best advice received in preparation for race..   Pull out ..
1st impressions at race village...Looked like set up at Oxygen with a lot of posers in Lycra...
Day before race I..... Panicked!
Hours of sleep night before    None, have you heard John snore?!
Race day brekkie included.   Insure plus and a bread roll.....
Swim low point/close call/scary moment.. When a competitor swam over me and pushed me under the buoy ..
Swim highlight. Finishing...
Bike low point/close call(s)/scary moment.. Heavy rain so had to slow down on the decent....

Bike highlight.   Feeding station at the top of the hill......
Run lowpoint/close call/scary moment.. Starting second loop and very few left on the course...
Highlight of race.   Finishing.....
Next target. Pee while still cycling the bike..
What I'd do differently if going again.not go...
For anyone thinking of doing a 70.3 distance.   Just do the full you can do it ......

Mark Samuels (IRL)

I signed up because....Had been told after 1^st Olympic that the step up to half IM was easier than moving from Sprint to Olympic, liars!

Main training consisted of..... Long slow cycles, swimming lessons with Ray Glynn up to Christmas, ramping up running in Dangan over the winter.

Biggest sacrifice...... Giving so much time to training in evenings and at weekends.

Triathlon background 2^nd season 3 Sprint races 1 Olympic race 0 Half Ironman races 0 Ironman races

Target/goal for Austria 70.3...... Whatever my bike time is plus 3 hours, don’t drown, crash or fall

Injuries picked up training..... IT Bands, Glute strain! Thanks to Feargal & Val for keeping me moving

Best advice received in preparation for race....Training to HR zones, know exactly what you are going to do in your training session before you walk out the door and don’t change from it. If you feel like you can’t train….don’t…..and don’t try and catch up later in the week, recovery essential to improve.

1st impressions at race village...... Shapes galore, serious bikes, nobody else looks nervous?

Day before race I..... Took a dip in the lake we’d swim in, small run and stretch to keep everything limber, bite to eat and hit the hay early

Hours of sleep night before About 7, could have slept for the same again, nerves didn’t start til I woke

Race day brekkie included.....Weetabix with rotten warm milk, that got the tummy motoring, electrolye drink, yoghurt

Swim low point/close call/scary moment....Pulled off goggles heading for T1 to realise I had really badly blurred vision, forgot about race was so worried, sat down for about 4 mins in T1 not moving with no improvement, eventually said I’d chance the bike (all cleared again at about 10k)

Swim highlight.... Not getting battered around the place

Bike low point/close call(s)/scary moment..... 2 of them, both involved bikes infront of me losing control, one hit a water bottle on a decent, the other tried to avoid a rat crossing the road and pulled right across me forcing me toward ditch. I think he gathered the main part of my message for him

Bike highlight.......Regaining vision

Run lowpoint/close call/scary moment..... Hamstrings tightening around 12k mark and trying to mind myself for rest of run despite feeling good.

Highlight of race......Has to be the finishline,great sense of achievement, also, great honour to meet Chris McCormack “Macca” the legend at the awards ceremony that night, had a chat and a beer, photos and autographs, reckons people are taking it way too seriously, need to focus more on the partying afterwards, rich from a guy who finished in 3h 45mins!

Next target... Enjoy a summer of sprints & standards while staying injury free

What I'd do differently if going again.... Loads more work on the bike, that’s about it

For anyone thinking of doing a 70.3 distance....... Don’t doubt yourself for a second, if you can swim, bike and run, you can do it.