Well... This is a bit of an extended story as there is a long build up to for the full Ironman story...
After following a mate that raced IM I thought what a way to see what kind of endurance athlete I can be. Coming from a cycling background I thought two years learning how to swim and run, do an IM before 40 and say bucket list ticked off. So it was just an idea when my mate entered Melbourne IM for it's inaugural year. I was away for work but I let him stay at my place for the race as he lived in another state. I got home a few days later all excited and decided to enter Melbourne the following year. I found a coach and started learning how to swim and run...
Having no idea I thought I will race Auckland 70.3 two months before and Geelong 70.3 a month before and I will be set. I was doing this what seemed an insane amount of training and always seemed tired. Five weeks before Auckland a car turned in front of me while I was out riding in the aero position doing close to 50km/h at the time and I had two thoughts. 'I don't want to put me head into the passengers window or I'll break my neck' so I pulled hard left and 'this isn't going to end well.' I flew across the hood and almost went through the shield. Next thing I know I am on the ground with a guy standing over me telling me not to move as an ambulance is coming. I thought I'm ok, I might be sore tomorrow but I'm fine. The guy kept insisting don't move and I kept insisting I'm fine let me get off the road. After the ensuing argument and him trying to hold me down I took a swing at him. He backed off and came into hold me down again so I took another swing and he backed away. I got up and went and sat down on the edge of the road realising it looked like I had been part of an axe murder and I was covered in blood. I laid down and then it felt like grenade went off inside me adrenaline running out and the pain kicked in. I realised this was serious and I cried 'there goes my Ironman, Ive worked so hard.'
Fast forward to the hospital I was found to have severe bleeding on the brain, two broken transverse process off my spine and a broken scapula. My neck had been slashed open and I had a severed nerve. The bones would heal naturally and I had surgery to reattach the nerve and stitch me up. I got out of hospital three days later. I went through a bout of depression as I had constant headaches, was in severe pain, couldn't sleep and it was degrading having to sit on a seat in my shower and was myself with a bucket as I couldn't get my wounds wet.
As the headaches started to wear off and I got more mobility I decided the only way to get out of my depression was don't give up and aim for the Ironman. So two and a half weeks later I got on my road bike and rode easy to Mordialloc a standard ride here in Melbourne some 55km. I was shitting myself when a car came within a suburb of me but by the time I got home I was fucked. It felt like a had just completed an IM but it felt good to be training again. The following day I rode to Frankston 85km and the next Mt Eliza 100km each time being a shattered mess when I got home. So the next day at three weeks after the accident I decided to go for a run and think I ran about 7km easy and then sent for a OW swim, swimming almost with one arm as my scapula screamed with each stroke. I emailed my coach and said start giving me a program we're racing Auckland still in two weeks.
I raced Auckland and Geelong my first two triathlons and was all set for Melbourne IM. I had no idea with so many things including my pre race meal. I need some carbs I though so ate two baked sweet potatoes with chicken topping pretty much. I got up for the race and drove to the start to find the wind was howling and the race start was delayed as they didn't know what to do as the water was so rough. They were moving buoys left right and centre eventually working out that we would swim 1.5km. Don't dumb it down for the weaker swimmers I thought. After 1.5km in the water as rough as it was hoping not to drown I thought thank fuck for that making it to the bike.
Finally out on the bike I had the idea having read about calculating IM power based on FTP and the like that I would aim to average 260W (big overestimate). So once I got a clear space I looked down at my Garmin trying to gauge what 260W felt like, the guy in front of me moved across and all of a sudden there was another wheel in my view looking down. FUCK!!! I hit the poor guy and down we both went taking out the guy behind. Are you ok? Are you ok? Questions were asked and I thought maybe selfishly after all I have been through my day isn't supposed to end like this and nothing is going to be solved now working this out, so I jumped on my bike and took off. Not my proudest moment... My head was all over the place but eventually I found my 260W. Tailwind out, head back, two laps and by the return of the last lap I was fucked with 40km still to ride. I guy came past and I jumped on his wheel drafting hard not so much to cheat but just to survive... Sure enough I got done for drafting so I spent a penalty at the end of the bike but I was shattered starting the run.
I pushed as hard as I could was running ok but at about 20km my stomach started to get cramps and had me worried. Eventually I farted, no more pain and thought thank god for that, a few minutes later it did it again and again until the space between it happening was getting shorter. All of a sudden I thought 'if I don't shit soon it will be in my tri suit.' Lucky for me I rounded the corner and there was an aid station with porta loo. I opened the door while desperately ripping down my tri suit and it was a horrible site inside. I kind of aimed my rear towards the hole not wanting to sit and unleashed armageddon being two baked potatoes (lesson to self no fibre the day before and IM). I looked back and the toilet looked a far worse state than when I went in there (sorry those behind me) but I had a race to finish so I was off. From here it was just suffer like a dog I can't tell you how I happy I was for the suffering to have ended. What a fucking stupid sport!
That was 2013 and I have now completed 9 Ironmans still not content with how good of athlete I can be...
After following a mate that raced IM I thought what a way to see what kind of endurance athlete I can be. Coming from a cycling background I thought two years learning how to swim and run, do an IM before 40 and say bucket list ticked off. So it was just an idea when my mate entered Melbourne IM for it's inaugural year. I was away for work but I let him stay at my place for the race as he lived in another state. I got home a few days later all excited and decided to enter Melbourne the following year. I found a coach and started learning how to swim and run...
Having no idea I thought I will race Auckland 70.3 two months before and Geelong 70.3 a month before and I will be set. I was doing this what seemed an insane amount of training and always seemed tired. Five weeks before Auckland a car turned in front of me while I was out riding in the aero position doing close to 50km/h at the time and I had two thoughts. 'I don't want to put me head into the passengers window or I'll break my neck' so I pulled hard left and 'this isn't going to end well.' I flew across the hood and almost went through the shield. Next thing I know I am on the ground with a guy standing over me telling me not to move as an ambulance is coming. I thought I'm ok, I might be sore tomorrow but I'm fine. The guy kept insisting don't move and I kept insisting I'm fine let me get off the road. After the ensuing argument and him trying to hold me down I took a swing at him. He backed off and came into hold me down again so I took another swing and he backed away. I got up and went and sat down on the edge of the road realising it looked like I had been part of an axe murder and I was covered in blood. I laid down and then it felt like grenade went off inside me adrenaline running out and the pain kicked in. I realised this was serious and I cried 'there goes my Ironman, Ive worked so hard.'
Fast forward to the hospital I was found to have severe bleeding on the brain, two broken transverse process off my spine and a broken scapula. My neck had been slashed open and I had a severed nerve. The bones would heal naturally and I had surgery to reattach the nerve and stitch me up. I got out of hospital three days later. I went through a bout of depression as I had constant headaches, was in severe pain, couldn't sleep and it was degrading having to sit on a seat in my shower and was myself with a bucket as I couldn't get my wounds wet.
As the headaches started to wear off and I got more mobility I decided the only way to get out of my depression was don't give up and aim for the Ironman. So two and a half weeks later I got on my road bike and rode easy to Mordialloc a standard ride here in Melbourne some 55km. I was shitting myself when a car came within a suburb of me but by the time I got home I was fucked. It felt like a had just completed an IM but it felt good to be training again. The following day I rode to Frankston 85km and the next Mt Eliza 100km each time being a shattered mess when I got home. So the next day at three weeks after the accident I decided to go for a run and think I ran about 7km easy and then sent for a OW swim, swimming almost with one arm as my scapula screamed with each stroke. I emailed my coach and said start giving me a program we're racing Auckland still in two weeks.
I raced Auckland and Geelong my first two triathlons and was all set for Melbourne IM. I had no idea with so many things including my pre race meal. I need some carbs I though so ate two baked sweet potatoes with chicken topping pretty much. I got up for the race and drove to the start to find the wind was howling and the race start was delayed as they didn't know what to do as the water was so rough. They were moving buoys left right and centre eventually working out that we would swim 1.5km. Don't dumb it down for the weaker swimmers I thought. After 1.5km in the water as rough as it was hoping not to drown I thought thank fuck for that making it to the bike.
Finally out on the bike I had the idea having read about calculating IM power based on FTP and the like that I would aim to average 260W (big overestimate). So once I got a clear space I looked down at my Garmin trying to gauge what 260W felt like, the guy in front of me moved across and all of a sudden there was another wheel in my view looking down. FUCK!!! I hit the poor guy and down we both went taking out the guy behind. Are you ok? Are you ok? Questions were asked and I thought maybe selfishly after all I have been through my day isn't supposed to end like this and nothing is going to be solved now working this out, so I jumped on my bike and took off. Not my proudest moment... My head was all over the place but eventually I found my 260W. Tailwind out, head back, two laps and by the return of the last lap I was fucked with 40km still to ride. I guy came past and I jumped on his wheel drafting hard not so much to cheat but just to survive... Sure enough I got done for drafting so I spent a penalty at the end of the bike but I was shattered starting the run.
I pushed as hard as I could was running ok but at about 20km my stomach started to get cramps and had me worried. Eventually I farted, no more pain and thought thank god for that, a few minutes later it did it again and again until the space between it happening was getting shorter. All of a sudden I thought 'if I don't shit soon it will be in my tri suit.' Lucky for me I rounded the corner and there was an aid station with porta loo. I opened the door while desperately ripping down my tri suit and it was a horrible site inside. I kind of aimed my rear towards the hole not wanting to sit and unleashed armageddon being two baked potatoes (lesson to self no fibre the day before and IM). I looked back and the toilet looked a far worse state than when I went in there (sorry those behind me) but I had a race to finish so I was off. From here it was just suffer like a dog I can't tell you how I happy I was for the suffering to have ended. What a fucking stupid sport!
That was 2013 and I have now completed 9 Ironmans still not content with how good of athlete I can be...