Pre-race

I started training for Ironman Staffordshire back in November. That’s seven months from race day which can seem excessive but it really works for me.

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Firstly, working with a plan and a coach over the winter months ensure that I actually get the hard base miles in. Riding and running in the snow and rain isn’t particularly enticing but the structure and accountability of talking to my coach each week makes me do it. Secondly, a really consistent steady base phase helps me avoid injuries, over the seven months I had one shoulder niggle that was sorted by a massage and an update to my strength training program.

My training was pretty consistent - I lost a ten-day block through a respiratory infection at the end of January and 10 days in April when I went on the family holiday. Taking a bit of time out in April again works for me as it lets my body and mentally have a period of proper recovery before hitting the build / race phase intense training period.

Swim

Time: 36:41

Having had a rib broken during the swim at Ironman Zurich last July it was with a degree of trepidation that I approached the swim. I positioned myself to the back of the elite wave which combined with the rolling start meant that there was a lot of room in the water and I didn’t suffer any bumping or clashes throughout the swim. The course was a simple one lap, really well marked and sighting was very straightforward. I was disappointed by the time but it did reflect the fact that I stayed wide of the buoys to avoid other athletes and therefore swam any extra 100 m. However, I exited the water having conserved my energy and not suffered any stress.

T1

Time: 4:

Exit from the swim was fine but it was a long run to the change tent. Out of the change tent and you're faced with another long run with your bike over grass to the mount line. Followed by a couple of hundred metres of speed bumps and pot holes, make sure your water bottles are secure.

Bike

Time: 2:44

The bike course certainly isn’t flat with 875m of climbing. The course is technical with numerous tight bends, narrow lanes and an undulating topography that keeps you working. The support on the course was great, particularly in the picturesque villages and the scenery in and around Cannock Chase helped take your mind off the steep little rises. It is a course that can encourage you to push a little too hard, if you do you will pay later. Working with my coach James I came into the race with clear idea of what wattage (normalised power) I could put out and feel good on the run.

T2

Time: 1:30

T2 is a simple affair providing you know where to rack your bike and a reasonable run to the change tent and you are quickly out on the run course.

Run

Time: 1:48

The run is flat with only one small hill (please note I do live in Sheffield!) and a mixture of surfaces from tarmac to trail. Once again there was fantastic support on the three lap course. Aid stations are plentiful, well stocked with helpful volunteers. The day I raced the temperature soared into the 30s which due to lack of shade on the course made the run brutal. Many athletes ended up walking with quite a few needing first aid. I made sure that I stayed hydrated by walking through the aid stations taking on fluids and keeping my core temperature down by pouring water over myself. As a result, I was probably 8 minutes slower than I was hoping for but I was 6^th in my age group on the run so it wasn’t all that bad. Overall I finished in 5 hours 18 minutes and just missed out on a world championship slot.

Hints and Tips

Key issue with IM Staffs is that it is a split transition with about 12 miles between T1 and T2 which meant logistics on the Saturday were difficult. Firstly, you had to register at Shugborough Hall, then because I had an early bike racking time it was a drive to Burntwood rugby club to park the car and then a 20-minute walk pushing the bike to T1. Then it was back to the car to get back to Shugborough for the race briefing and to drop run kit off.

The roads around Chasewater are shut at 7am so you need to get there early if you are going to get dropped off, transition shuts very early so those starting in later waves have quite a wait.

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