Here is a summary of the actual race. I post a separate post about preparations for the race later.

Sunday morning 4 am the bell rings, and it's time to get up and make breakfast. We are staying at Fischer's Fritz campsite 2 km from the event area, so there's only a short walk to the start. Last minute additions to the various Exchange bags. The forecast has said rain and thunderstorms during the day, so I add an extra bicycle shirt. Watch the bike, peel off the protective cover and head off to the swim start. On site I get confirmation that it's wetsuit prohibition, since the water temperature is 25.2 degrees. No direct benefit for a guy with very heavy legs, but you have to accept.

New this year is that it's rolling start with självseedning. I am in the next slowest group, 80-90 minutes, and waiting for the start. The pros start 06:40, and I'm going in the water at 07:00. The start is quiet and nice compared to the usual mass starts.

I think I look a bit muddy, and watch glasses. Notice that I have not taken them at all, and drag them down over your eyes and continue swimming. I have come off a bit with the crawl in the final weeks, and swum almost every day for the last 14 days, so I'll soon into the rhythm. But I like to take at all to be confused with the other and swim, then I do not want to be bothered with kicks and nudges, so I put me 10 metres to the left of the entire field. Here I can swim undisturbed, although there will be a little longer way, and even if I do not get the help of being behind someone.

But oh how long it was to the first buoy… look at the clock, and it shows 735 metres. But that's just to round it and continue. It floats on well until turning processes were, but where it will be crowded again, and it's hard to get past. Once at the island, I am the missions out of the water to run over and jump in on the other side. I know I'm not even halfway, the official distance is 1500 metres the first lap and 2,300 others. But my watch is already showing 1996 meters … Have been swimming too far out from the track … The time halfway is 48 minutes, which is a little more than I bargained for.

The second round will be heavy. It has begun to blow, and the waves beat into the mouth and nose on the way out. I can still only breathing in one direction, so just to stay afloat. And continue to crawl. The last stretch toward switching is the waves towards my left, so it runs better. Now swallow I don't quite as much water. Up from the water bells I by at 1:48. The GPS on the clock stopped working half way into the final stretch, so the distance was just key 3.7 km, but more likely be I swum just over 4 km in total. And I crawled all the way! time was less important, since the main objective of my swimming was able to crawl over the long haul. And now I can, even in open water with a lot of people around me.  And without wetsuit in addition.

First switching to the bike. Now it was my concern out of the way, and now I was on safer ground with my two best branches left. Exchange area is large, and it's long way to get around. I took it quite calmly, for quiet indeed if I compare my switching times with others. But it was nice to get everything in place. Fixed when I would press firmly the shoes in the pedals they wanted to click in, and I realized that I have not removed the block guards. Of them, and discard them. Up on the bike and set off.

I thought open half quiet to get into cycling, but at the same time, bring up the heat. I had a stomach ache after swimming. Almost 2 hours in the water meant I got stomach cramps when I drink sports drink. But the first three miles were the rather flat, and where could I average around 35 km/h. And now I began to pass a lot of people. A bit in order to have something to do, I started to count how many times I passed. There will also be a good way to divide the space into smaller stages.

Then it was time for the slopes. I dreaded the beast, but found it was not so bad halfway through the first lap. Now should the Hill have come, and sure enough, I had climbed some, but not as much. Fixed then I had of course not come up to the Hill yet … After having climbed standing in the pedals in 1 km I thought that now takes the Hill end. but it did not. It just continued. 3 km steep uphill. I made sure to lie just below the acid threshold, and could climb the large rack up all the time. But then it perform, I knew. And it made it a little while before the next climbing started. Not as steep, but more than 5 km long.

And then it performs a. .. Really very performing. I lay in the speed position, and looked at the speedometer to the began approaching 80 km/h. Great I thought, good with speed. But when I approached a curve at the bottom and would slow down, Mark I to fly barely decreased slightly, and it started smelling burned… So I had to stand up, put on as much braking could be, and hope it doesn't come a sharp curve. But it didn't, and now it was flat again. A little climbing on 1 km before turning at Heartbreak Hill. But a steep one at that. First lap took 2:50, so I was well above 30 on average.

And out on the second lap. First 30 km was flat, and very be on barsen and pumping on. But I started to get very sore ass, and craved climbs where you could stand up. Though this time it was legs not as fresh, and it did not respond as good when I stood up. And when I got to the beast, only to switch down to the small rack up, and sit and chew themselves up. This time the climb took 2 minutes longer than on the first lap, and the next climbing, which I had thought was something other than a little tough on the first lap, was really annoying. But so shall it not be …

The last stretch toward heartbreak hill was flat, and I pumped in as best they could. It had begun to blow some, and it was an uphill battle most. And heartbreak hill was really tough the second time. The second round went on over 3 hours, but I had still made the 18-mile at 5:54 am despite all the slopes. So we should be happy with. And that's right, I passed 560 cyclists, and was passed by 15:)

Last letters before the races. I took once again good time on me, pinkade in 5 minutes, and got his back rubbed with lotion. Now it was really hot out there, more than 30 degrees in the shade and blazing sun. So you got a little triathlonbrännan though.

I ignored the quick lacing, and changed the socks. Wanted good shoes before the final marathonloppet. Because I had taken it pretty quiet in Exchange I came pretty quickly into the races. Step sat quite nicely, and a nice and slow tempo just under 5 min/km was felt right nicely. Now I was in my element, and I continued to count how many times I passed.

First fluid control came after just 1 km, and they served both fruit and nuts in addition to all the junk food that are usually present. So I poured in me. Probably a little too much, but I wanted to have good energy. The checks kept coming with 2 km intervals throughout the race, and the first lap went relatively easy. Just over 50 minutes of 10.5 km is quite OK.

But then it got heavier. The second round began the bones speak up. No cramps, even though I only got in me 1 elektrolyttablett before I dropped the bag, but it hurt. But out on the 3rd lap, I stopped counting how many times I passed (I counted 560 before I stopped half way) and started thinking about what it was I was doing. Not in a bad way, but in the same way that I usually think when it feels heavy at the end of the course I have prepared myself long before.

Now it's 18 km left. Enjoy them. You have been looking forward to this for 1 year soon, so enjoy the last few kilometers. See each felled kilometers as a dear friend who you take leave from, and all that is in front of you as great acquaintances. And enjoy every kilometre. Spring easy, running easily and effortlessly. You love to run, you can run much longer than this, and you will run much longer. The legs hurts is just a sign that you are where you should be. In step. In the entry step. Here and now.

So it hurt, but I ran with a smile on his face. And I continued to push into me energy, now in the form of gels. And kilometres floated on. Soon, I was in front at the last, and then it was just pressing. Right through the last water control, and into the finish.

And to hear his name called, "Tomas, you are an Ironman!" was very nice. And the whole family was in place at the finish. And then I was just happy. Time, 11:42:59, was perhaps not what I hoped for, but I did not have it would be like. The final maran went at 3:44 pm, and it's actually my second fastest mara. I was tired, but pain in the body of course. No cramps. I've probably learned how to prepare before and during these races now.

 

And now I've done my ironman. I think this was a first and last given how much preparation you have to add that "disrupts" the rest of the workout. But I keep enough to swim a bit. That recovery after harder workouts …

 

Here is the link to the race on garmin connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/838714281

And here is the link to the official result:
http://tracking.ironmanlive.com