Aidan Currie - Half Ironman - The Lost Sheep 07

They said it was Ireland's toughest race, and they said it was the toughest half marathon around...and they were right. After a season of two sprint and two Olympic distance races, it was time to face up to Kenmare '07. Little did I know I'd have Batman for company ...

Base training - winter / spring
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I've being doing triathlon for about 5 years, and had been considering a half- ironman for some time. After the 05/06 season ended, I decided to put in some solid aerobic work over the winter months to set myself up for the 07 race season.

The main components of this were:
* Run training for Connemara half marathon in March 07.
* Build my weekly long bike ride up to 100km by mid-May 2007.
* Twice weekly lunchtime spinning at the gym.
* Twice weekly 1 hour swim.
* Three times weekly gym (1 body pump, two free weights).

I completed the Connemara half-marathon without any drama, and reached the 100km mark on the bike in May, so was reasonably on schedule and still injury-free. I took the plunge, paid my 100 bucks, and entered for Kenmare. Over the summer, I kept my weekly long bike ride going. I managed 4 spins around the Sheanadh Phéistín, the last one being 3 weeks before the race. After every ride, I'd put in a short run - between 20 and 40 minutes. The spins with other GTCers were grand, the solo spins added mental toughness, especially the one with the three punctures.

Run training was going OK, with my maximum time being 1hr 40 minutes - with hindsight, not enough.

Swimming was fine - I battled the big waves at Blackrock every Thursday and kept the pool swims going.

The Day Before
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We rolled in to Kenmare around 2pm on the Friday. Got set up in the rental house and wandered into town. There was a great buzz and people were friendly. We checked out the swim start and transition area, but decided against driving the bike or run courses. A pasta and salmon dinner at 7pm, registration and briefing at 10pm, and off to bed.

Race Day
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By 4am, I was tucking into a big bowl of porridge with banana and honey, toast and tea. We got to transition at 6am and set up the gear with the help of the head torches (good tip Ray !). A few skiffs of rain were falling, so bike and run gear went into separate plastic bags.

At 6:30am we gathered at the pier and chatted with the other GTC competitors Chris Burke and Gary Costello. 7am and we were off. The swim was relaxed - everyone was obviously pacing themselves for the long day ahead. I rounded the first buoy after 500 meters and started the long haul back to the bridge. The swim had changed from last year, as we had to swim back past the pier and under the bridge going over the Kenmare river. I chased a couple of swimmers and got a reasonable draft going. The tide was turning just as I exited the water in 37 minutes. One down, two to go.

A reasonable T1 and onto the trusty blue bike. The first 15 minutes were cold and it took a while for the legs to come round. The warm-up climb was fine, and then the Healy pass began. I changed into the 25 sprocket at the back and found a good rhythm. Keeping in mind all the advice I'd received, I kept my breathing relaxed. The legs were coping fine and I even had time to admire the view. Over the top, and descended into the Peoples Republic of Cork. It was quite technical, and the sight of the paramedics waiting on the corners kept me cautious. Once down, it was a straight run up to Glengariff. The sun was out, I was feeling great, and even got a shout of encouragement from our own Rory B. who was hiding in a hedge waiting to catch drafters. I almost got emotional at this point, but thought better of it - being a west of ireland race, I probably would have picked up a 6 minutepenalty for that sort of thing!

Left turn at Glengariff, and the Caha Pass began. Same story as before, although I wasn't feeling quite as perky. The top arrived in its own good time and then it was gravel-surfing on the descent, courtsy of Kerry County Council. The calf muscles were complaining a little at this point due to fatigue and the rough road surface. As 80km ticked up on my speedo, I rounded a corner and found myself at T2. Bike racked, runners on and began the run.

As I was exiting T2, a disconsolate competitior was walking back looking to hand in her chip, having had enough. After 5 minutes, a girl in front of me started walking. I kept going, keeping my breathing in check, even if my pace felt like my 18 month old daughter would have comfortably out-run me.

After 20 minutes, I started the out and back boreen section. This was an evil 12km of 'undulating' terrain, where you got to stare into the glazed eyes of the runners already on the return leg. Gary passed looking strong, Chris waved and looked relaxed, and a few shouts of 'come on Galway' kept me going. I did walk some of the steeper hill sections on the way back. The last 5km was an eternity, and in my head I was railing against every injustice ever commited against humanity. I crested the last hill to finally see the finish line. I finished in 5hrs 59mins 46 seconds, just under my target time of 6 hours, one place ahead of a competitor named Batman who completed the bike and run dressed in Bat cape and tights.

Nutritional Info
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Breakfast: As mentioned above
T1: 200ml Dioralyte electrolyte drink
Bike: 1 energy bar, 2 gels, 800ml Power bar electrolyte drink, 750ml water
T2: Dioralyte
Run: Water, 1 strawberry gel at 12km, few slugs of gatorade.

Postmortem
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For an average swimmer like myself stepping up from Olympic distance to 1/2IM, the 1900m swim was no problem, and in fact was insignificant compared to the effort required for the bike and run.

The advice to take it steady on the bike was critical and worked well. My longest training bike ride was 110km, but I'd like to increase this by 10% for the next 1/2 IM in the hope I'd feel a little fresher coming off the bike.

Definitely more running required, ideally a 2.5hr max training run, as that's where the tears began.

Thanks to all who gave advice and encouragement. It was heeded and paid off.

Aidan

Home Page Image

Aidan in the dark at the start