Before I begin the report I will give a short outline on happenings leading into the race. Training this year was going better than any year, little or no injuries was a big help. Swimming was better than previous years, I started to train with power on the bike and was getting nice rewards for that.. And running was stronger this year simply because of the no injury situation. So all was going hunky dory! That was until 3 weeks out from race day... In short falling of a bike at 30mph is not really great race prep!! Thankfully no broken bones, but plenty of cuts and bruises. The wounds seemed to heal quickly, and I missed no biking, but was unable to swim for 2 weeks. And to be honest I did not mind that as I was getting sick of going up and down that bloody pool. Apart from a couple of my fingers when heading of to Texas I was pretty happy with how I recovered, and my mind was in a good place. So of to Texas I went with my lovely wife..and fellow competitor in tow.
Arriving In Texas I was confident of achieving my main goal, winning my AG.. Everything was pointing to nothing but a win..simple as that! Any one who knows me, knows I am not cocky.. But the numbers do not lie, and barring a disaster it was mine for the taking!
Things at the race location were a bit different than other IM races, firstly swimming at race location was not allowed, we had to go to a local high school and practice there, on my first swim on arrival I could feel the 2 weeks I missed at home, I didnt feel bad, just sluggish!
My first practice bike could not have went better, I was having to work to keep my power down, I felt good..strong as an Ox.. Then came my first run, both Ash and I went to race location, I was down for a 1.30 run with intervals, within 30sec of starting I have severe pain in my hip flexor region.. I just put it down to long flight and tiredness. And in true fashion I kept running.. I still had a week to the race and was not concerned at all.. After that I had a few brick sessions, and each run the pain was pretty unbearable... simply I was unable to run... I guess the bike smash did more damage than I first thought.. To say I was pissed would be an understatement. So three days out I decided not to race, Ash had different ideas ( thank god ). Off to A&E we both went to get a doc to give me some anti inflamatoties.. And this is were the story really goes down hill. I started taking what the Doc said..and right enough the pain in my hip went away..only to be replaced with a very sick feeling in my tummy.. In my mind I could put up with a bad tummy for a few days. All i wanted was the chance to race!
RACE MORNING:
Up at 3.30am and right from the off I knew something was not right, my stomach was in bits, and getting breakfast in was unusually hard for me. leaving the hotel at 4.45 I could not believe how damm hot and stuffy it was. Wheels pumped and then the 1 mile walk to the swim start, all the time getting more sick.. I didnt say much to Ash as I did not want to ruin her day.. but all I wanted was for someone to say, " just go home and get back into bed" At this stage in my mind I was defeated.. I was not confident of finishing the swim. But I made a deal with myself, as soon as I touched the water I was finishing, no matter what. A big kiss from Ash and into the water I went.
THE SWIM
As soon as my toes touched the water I questioned my decision to race, I felt weak..sick.. and not ready to race at all. As the swim start entry was pretty narrow everyone was in the water 10-15min before the gun. I made my way to the front and lined myself up with the buoys. Treading the water was difficult I was struggling to stay afloat. BOOM the canon went and we were off, or shall I say the rest of the field were off, I had nothing to give, only a very sick belly and the inability to kick.. So in short from the off I just wanted to call it a day, but I kept thinking Ash was behind and I knew if I quit she would see my bike still in T1, as we were only 3 spaces apart, And knowing her she would quit just to make sure I was alright. The first 3k was a struggle, then the final 800m was up a canal, this is were I was loosing strength big time, I found myself going under a lot and lowering the water level of the lake by drinking most of it.. As if I was not sick enough.. The water tasted clean, but looked stinking! If the swim had of being 2 or 300m longer I don't think I would have made it.. I was never as glad to see a swim exit in my life!! I stood up, looked at my watch 1.19.. And all I done was laugh! I didn't care as long as I was out of that damn lake.. Kona crossed my mind.. That lasted 5sec as I simply did not give a shit.. I was sick..and as sick as a dog at that! running toward T1 I could feel the searing heat, and all I am thinking is " Oh shit, this bike is gona be fun" I took my time in the tent, simply because I thought " whats the point, Kona is gone"
THE BIKE
Pre race my biking had being going better than good, And I started of by clearing my head of the swim and concentrated on putting in a good bike split, Normally in the bike leg it takes me a short while to find my legs, and for my stomach to settle. There was no sign of this happening at all! During the week I was finding it real easy to hit power, but in true fashion my power meter decided to go on the blink a few days before the race.. This wound me up no end pre race.. but now I was thankful it was not working, simply because I knew I was not able to push any were near what I was doing pre race.. The sickness never left, and as the race progressed the worse I got. On the tri bars looking at my belly it was just getting bigger and bigger.. really bloated and left me feeling very full. My exact thoughts were " How the fuck am I putting on weight in the middle of a race WTF" The time on the bike just seemed to drag on and on, not many passed me, and those who did I always re passed them. This was making me think " Jesus maybe I am not going that bad" The only person I was fooling was me! The bike course was nice, fairly rolling and with a good strong breeze. Which to me seemed like a head wind from start to end. On another day I believe I could have hit my target time, 4.40 if everything went good, 4.45 was well within my reach.. I think my time was 5.08! Rolling into T2 I have never being as glad to get of my bike ever! Into the tent, and again I took my time, I did notice that I was finding it difficult to get a full breath in, I just thought it was because it was so damn hot and stuffy! now I know it was because my belly was so bloated that it was effecting my diaphram, hence not being able to breath very well! But at the time I was just putting it down to racing a IM..Even on a good day its hard.
THE RUN
Out of the tent, and I simply could not believe how hot it was, I have raced Kona 3 times now, but this was different.. On a more positive note though I had no pain in my hip!! This gave me a tiny bit of confidence, this only lasted 1 mile!! I had run on the course pre race, before my hip went wonky, Pre race I was confident of running 2.50, it was flat apart from one tiny hill.. Now I was in the race and I knew it was going to be a battle of survival, after the first mile I wanted to walk. And in theses early miles when I had my wits about me I made my mind up, I was running it all...no matter how slow! As the raced progressed I noticed how everyone seemed to be walking, in all my 12 IM races I have never seen so many people walking, and while I still had my my wits about me I worked out that as long as I kept running, I was still moving faster than most.. Everyone had there race age on there calves, and I could see I was passing tons in my AG. Thats when I thought, " Jesus maybe Kona may still be on... Keep fucking running Owen" So I kept running, one foot in front of the other.. I cant exactly remember at what stage I started to see all types of funny shit.. One part of my brain was saying " Owen that cant be there" The other part was saying " It is..sure I can see it!!" At one stage I thought I was in Kona.. My exact thoughts were " How the fuck can I be in Kona..I have not even quailified" It was not a nice feeling, I knew there was something wrong, but I could not make any sense of it. All the while I am thinking " Just keep running" This may seem a bit mad, but there was a voice in my head saying " Just keep running Owen.. you will get Kona..but only if you keep running" And on my life this is true. 2 laps down, 1 to go! I was out of it... my mind was mush! Then came the boost I needed... Just as I passed the transition tent out came the hero of the day!! My wife.. In true Ash fashion, smiling and laughing! That little boost of seeing her gave me a great lift, and took me out of the haze I was in! Even if it was for a short time. The last lap continued as the 2 previous, I was out of it.. but all I wanted to do was keep running..no matter what! I honestly cant remember the last mile or so, what I do remember is looking up at the clock and seeing 10.10.. and thinking " Jesus its still early in the day" I crossed the line, thankfully there was people there to catch me, as I was heading south! Of to the medical tent..I was feeling so so sick.. My head did clear when they gave me a drip, so I lay there just thinking, ah well this is IM racing.. I will be fine in a few days! And my mind and thoughts turned to thinking of Ash out in that roasting hot day... So I waited... and waited, the time passed on which I thought she would finish, I started to get worried..but taking into consideration the weather I knew she would be a bit slower, as was every one that day. So there I was at the finish line worrying..I had no need to, as there she came.. smiling, laughing, lapping up the crowd! and why would she not.. Then I heard those great words!!! Mike Reilly blasting out... ASHLING MARTIN YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!! Class!
THE AFTERMATH
In the hours after the race i had forgotten all about Kona.. That was until some one txt me I finished 7th in AG.. Holy Batman I thought, i only need one roll down.. And I have never ever thought or said this before, but in my mind this time I deserved it.. My thoughts turned to the voice I kept hearing " Just keep running Owen" We got up early the next morning, went down to slot allocation.. and I got what I deserved..... KONA BABY!!!
SO WHAT HAPPENED..
After the race I just got worse and worse sickness wise, We flew home and I can tell you the flight home was a pretty painful one, severe back pain.. topped by me swelling up to the size of a baby elephant. I went to my doc the next day, he sent me to A&E.. They took bloods, lost my bloods.. and after 4 hrs on a A&E bed when they did find them, I knew something was not good when they started to hook me up to all types of devices, and in a hurry! I knew i wouldn't be sleeping in my own bed that night, it turned out I wouldn't sleep in my own bed for 7 bloody days.... In short my kidneys were at 5% function... SUBOPTIMAL!! I started the race with bad kidney function, and with the stress and intensity of the race, well that was the nail in the coffin for my kidneys! But thankfully I have no long term damage, and will make a full recovery... LUCKY BOY!!
WHATS NEXT??
In a few weeks I plan to race local, and then its of to that big Island again to mix it up with the best in the world, And for all of you who know me, I am not a big head... But now finally I believe I fully deserve to be there as an equal... I may not be the best in the world, but now I think I have proved to myself, once an for all.... I am as good as any of them!!! So for now
ALOHA:)
As soon as my toes touched the water I questioned my decision to race, I felt weak..sick.. and not ready to race at all. As the swim start entry was pretty narrow everyone was in the water 10-15min before the gun. I made my way to the front and lined myself up with the buoys. Treading the water was difficult I was struggling to stay afloat. BOOM the canon went and we were off, or shall I say the rest of the field were off, I had nothing to give, only a very sick belly and the inability to kick.. So in short from the off I just wanted to call it a day, but I kept thinking Ash was behind and I knew if I quit she would see my bike still in T1, as we were only 3 spaces apart, And knowing her she would quit just to make sure I was alright. The first 3k was a struggle, then the final 800m was up a canal, this is were I was loosing strength big time, I found myself going under a lot and lowering the water level of the lake by drinking most of it.. As if I was not sick enough.. The water tasted clean, but looked stinking! If the swim had of being 2 or 300m longer I don't think I would have made it.. I was never as glad to see a swim exit in my life!! I stood up, looked at my watch 1.19.. And all I done was laugh! I didn't care as long as I was out of that damn lake.. Kona crossed my mind.. That lasted 5sec as I simply did not give a shit.. I was sick..and as sick as a dog at that! running toward T1 I could feel the searing heat, and all I am thinking is " Oh shit, this bike is gona be fun" I took my time in the tent, simply because I thought " whats the point, Kona is gone"
THE BIKE
Pre race my biking had being going better than good, And I started of by clearing my head of the swim and concentrated on putting in a good bike split, Normally in the bike leg it takes me a short while to find my legs, and for my stomach to settle. There was no sign of this happening at all! During the week I was finding it real easy to hit power, but in true fashion my power meter decided to go on the blink a few days before the race.. This wound me up no end pre race.. but now I was thankful it was not working, simply because I knew I was not able to push any were near what I was doing pre race.. The sickness never left, and as the race progressed the worse I got. On the tri bars looking at my belly it was just getting bigger and bigger.. really bloated and left me feeling very full. My exact thoughts were " How the fuck am I putting on weight in the middle of a race WTF" The time on the bike just seemed to drag on and on, not many passed me, and those who did I always re passed them. This was making me think " Jesus maybe I am not going that bad" The only person I was fooling was me! The bike course was nice, fairly rolling and with a good strong breeze. Which to me seemed like a head wind from start to end. On another day I believe I could have hit my target time, 4.40 if everything went good, 4.45 was well within my reach.. I think my time was 5.08! Rolling into T2 I have never being as glad to get of my bike ever! Into the tent, and again I took my time, I did notice that I was finding it difficult to get a full breath in, I just thought it was because it was so damn hot and stuffy! now I know it was because my belly was so bloated that it was effecting my diaphram, hence not being able to breath very well! But at the time I was just putting it down to racing a IM..Even on a good day its hard.
THE RUN
Out of the tent, and I simply could not believe how hot it was, I have raced Kona 3 times now, but this was different.. On a more positive note though I had no pain in my hip!! This gave me a tiny bit of confidence, this only lasted 1 mile!! I had run on the course pre race, before my hip went wonky, Pre race I was confident of running 2.50, it was flat apart from one tiny hill.. Now I was in the race and I knew it was going to be a battle of survival, after the first mile I wanted to walk. And in theses early miles when I had my wits about me I made my mind up, I was running it all...no matter how slow! As the raced progressed I noticed how everyone seemed to be walking, in all my 12 IM races I have never seen so many people walking, and while I still had my my wits about me I worked out that as long as I kept running, I was still moving faster than most.. Everyone had there race age on there calves, and I could see I was passing tons in my AG. Thats when I thought, " Jesus maybe Kona may still be on... Keep fucking running Owen" So I kept running, one foot in front of the other.. I cant exactly remember at what stage I started to see all types of funny shit.. One part of my brain was saying " Owen that cant be there" The other part was saying " It is..sure I can see it!!" At one stage I thought I was in Kona.. My exact thoughts were " How the fuck can I be in Kona..I have not even quailified" It was not a nice feeling, I knew there was something wrong, but I could not make any sense of it. All the while I am thinking " Just keep running" This may seem a bit mad, but there was a voice in my head saying " Just keep running Owen.. you will get Kona..but only if you keep running" And on my life this is true. 2 laps down, 1 to go! I was out of it... my mind was mush! Then came the boost I needed... Just as I passed the transition tent out came the hero of the day!! My wife.. In true Ash fashion, smiling and laughing! That little boost of seeing her gave me a great lift, and took me out of the haze I was in! Even if it was for a short time. The last lap continued as the 2 previous, I was out of it.. but all I wanted to do was keep running..no matter what! I honestly cant remember the last mile or so, what I do remember is looking up at the clock and seeing 10.10.. and thinking " Jesus its still early in the day" I crossed the line, thankfully there was people there to catch me, as I was heading south! Of to the medical tent..I was feeling so so sick.. My head did clear when they gave me a drip, so I lay there just thinking, ah well this is IM racing.. I will be fine in a few days! And my mind and thoughts turned to thinking of Ash out in that roasting hot day... So I waited... and waited, the time passed on which I thought she would finish, I started to get worried..but taking into consideration the weather I knew she would be a bit slower, as was every one that day. So there I was at the finish line worrying..I had no need to, as there she came.. smiling, laughing, lapping up the crowd! and why would she not.. Then I heard those great words!!! Mike Reilly blasting out... ASHLING MARTIN YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!! Class!
THE AFTERMATH
In the hours after the race i had forgotten all about Kona.. That was until some one txt me I finished 7th in AG.. Holy Batman I thought, i only need one roll down.. And I have never ever thought or said this before, but in my mind this time I deserved it.. My thoughts turned to the voice I kept hearing " Just keep running Owen" We got up early the next morning, went down to slot allocation.. and I got what I deserved..... KONA BABY!!!
SO WHAT HAPPENED..
After the race I just got worse and worse sickness wise, We flew home and I can tell you the flight home was a pretty painful one, severe back pain.. topped by me swelling up to the size of a baby elephant. I went to my doc the next day, he sent me to A&E.. They took bloods, lost my bloods.. and after 4 hrs on a A&E bed when they did find them, I knew something was not good when they started to hook me up to all types of devices, and in a hurry! I knew i wouldn't be sleeping in my own bed that night, it turned out I wouldn't sleep in my own bed for 7 bloody days.... In short my kidneys were at 5% function... SUBOPTIMAL!! I started the race with bad kidney function, and with the stress and intensity of the race, well that was the nail in the coffin for my kidneys! But thankfully I have no long term damage, and will make a full recovery... LUCKY BOY!!
WHATS NEXT??
In a few weeks I plan to race local, and then its of to that big Island again to mix it up with the best in the world, And for all of you who know me, I am not a big head... But now finally I believe I fully deserve to be there as an equal... I may not be the best in the world, but now I think I have proved to myself, once an for all.... I am as good as any of them!!! So for now
ALOHA:)
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