The Accidental Ironman Journey – Siobhain Quain

The Accidental Ironman Journey.

I sit here on the couch at home in Limerick a few days after coming home from Frankfurt with a glass of red in one hand, my dog beside me and wearing my massive IRONMAN medal (for inspiration like) attempting to write this but I’m trying to think of why I thought it would be a good idea to take on a challenge that to the “normal person” is just absurd and reserved solely for people who are “athletes”.
I never wanted to do an Ironman… I never knew what an Ironman Race was and when I did find out I was just like: “Ah No I’d never be able for that… those distances are ridiculous… even stupid –  sure that’s three races in one day”.

I joined Pulse two and a half years ago with the sole intention of training to get a better Gaelforce time then the year before – (oooooooooohhh yea I was a VERY long time out there on the GF course… and that was not to be repeated again). Triathlon just never dawned on me as something to do – I think it’s because I thought you had to go fast… and the only thing I can do fast is talk. The only problem with joining a club like Pulse is that the people around you are completing all these crazy triathlons and adventures races that you start to believe that can do just about anything –  young, middle-aged, fit, unfit, swimmers, drowners, champions and first timers; everyone just giving it a go at every distance and I bloody love it.

So after having a blast of a time at IM 70.3 in St. Polten Austria last May, I get a FB message from Mick “started it all” Patterson questioning if I had any interest in the full distance in Frankfurt 2016 – I remember swiftly telling him where he could go with that idea… Ah but the seed had sown. Partner in crime Clare and I had intended on popping over to watch IM Barcelona later in the year as a bit of a holiday but I think the flights must have been cheaper to Frankfurt so we just went there to support instead… Well, that and the fact that our St. Polten buddy, Andrea, Miriam, Dee and Niall were all signed up for it, swayed the decision too. So, with Richie in tow, off we went to Frankfurt to sign up… cough….. I mean support. The buzz was mighty at IM Frankfurt last year but having the very loud Cannon blast off at 7am and watching the carnage that was the mass swim start there was no way I was going to sign up….. But Ironman being ironman… hours later watching them run up that M-dot carpet I was SOLD…..

Onto the next hurdle….. hmmmmm there’s a marathon in an ironman…. Nope… never wanted to do a marathon either…they are hard!!!! Suppose I should do one of them before I do an ironman. So powered by Paul Cunningham’s advise that even his mam can walk a marathon in 6 hours Dublin Marathon was entered … completed yes… enjoyable… hmmmmmmmmm!!!! As I crossed the line I had a little psychotic chuckle to myself in the knowledge that the next time I stared down the barrel of a marathon I would already have 8-9 hours of racing under my belt….Oooh…Sweet…baby…Jesus!!!!

So training…
After a shoulder boo boo last year before Dublin 70.3 and laying off the swimming for a couple of months I was a bit worried about the swim training part for IM. Popped down to Connect to Perform for a swim technique analysis to see what they could tell me (super helpful) and enlisted the help of Dave Adams as far as training was concerned… well to be fair… I hadn’t a clue and it was the lazy man’s way out of having to figure out all the training stuff out myself.   In a nutshell training consisted of 1 swim per week, 3 bikes, 2 runs and Joe’s S&C.  The Frankfurt bus rolled on and we picked up something like 22 Pulse entrants with 17 completing the course on the day. With only 4 of those 17 having done an Ironman before the questions, conspiracy theories and comradery soon followed. The 7.30am spin group was set up (which rarely ever started at 7.30 and the early starts made it totally acceptable to become one of those people who cracks open a bottle of wine at 3 in the day) The weather gods were not good to us this year. I can only recall one day between 8th Dec and the 3rd July where I cycled outside in shorts and a jersey… this did not suit my secondary plan of finally getting some tan lines… (or even freckle lines) my Casper look still lives on!!! There was plenty of “Thrills and Spills” amongst the training groups and the N81 to Bunclody was taken on as honorary Pulse member…. (I honestly can’t decide if Fionnula’s affair with the N81 or that that long uphill stretch on Chesterfield Avenue on the weekly 10k loops of the Phoenix park were my breaking point  😉 ) With only two home choices of half distance practice races (Lough Cutra or Athy)  – I chose the scenic Castle Series as mine. Unfortunately, the mist didn’t clear on the morning of the race and the swim was cancelled with the race being turned into a duathlon… (brill… running is totes my faves ) Not ideal but chin up and smile on… only 4 weeks to race day.

Race week
The circus has come to town and we were the monkeys….. The warnings of staying out of the Ironman shop were given and promptly ignored… never mind a race plan… I had a plan to get out of the IM shop with not being the person who spent the most…. Well done Paddy 😉 your final late Saturday purchase tipped you over the top!!!!

Up nice and early race day… anxiety was rampant so text Joanna and we just left before everyone else to avoid contracting anyone else’s nerves… the bus out to the Race was SILENT… I think Joanna even checked on me once or twice to see if I was still breathing. Got everything set up and joined Paul in the 40min queue for the bathroom…. (no exaggeration there)

All the Pulse crew were at the start…. A quick hug and a slap on the arse from Jen, Karen and Pam and off we went. I was SOOOO EXCITED about getting into the swim… it helped that cool as a breeze Dee jumped into the same swim pen as me. Rolling start…. We were all funnelled down into 4 lanes and a marshal would blow a whistle and four people would softly run to the end of the sand and start the swim… first loop was savage, lovely clean water, no bad pushing or shoving and as I looked to my right I could see the green and pink swim hat of Dee swimming alongside… whoop.. Aussie exit and I spot Lorraine standing soaked in the knee high water true pulse supporter style – shouting out my name. Went slightly off course on the second loop… I suppose it’s not a good sign when you look to your right and nobody is there!!! Carry on…bit of kicking and shoving with some bigger lads after rounding the last bouy – they clearly hadn’t met a Limerick girl before  –  we kick back… Power on and out of the water in 01:12 yipeeeee. Uphill sandy run to T1 and I felt like the queen waving… my mates on the right and then the pulse crowd left and right as I “ran” up the hill.

Onto the bike and feeling super. All going to plan… (I have learned to not trust people who tell me a course is not Hilly…. There are definitely hills on the course….) The beauty of seeding myself earlyish on the swim was I had the joy of waiting for everyone to tick past me one by one on the bike. First up was Clare… like a steam train, chit chat and then sent her on her way  – there was a hill coming.. and I’m not aloud talk on the hills 😉 then comes Paul…. Telling me about him having to leave Christian Jerseyless for the day (doing his bit for women everywhere –  his words not mine) after forgetting to put his own in his bike bag … next up was the zippy Michael Early…. Ooooh and what’s this…. Paul again… a nice little 4min break in the yellow penalty tent – nice for him :-p

Lap one done and loving life… back to the cobble stones… saddle bag went flying again… then I hear this guy loudly singing behind me…. It can only be Sam – full of the beans of life and delighted with how well Darren did in the water…. (I think we are all just in awe of how well Darren did… what an absolute hero)

The rain started at about 100km …. then it got heavier…and then it got heavier again and it teamed up its buddy the Cross-winds and my happiness after the first lap swiftly changed to misery….What a waste of sun cream after all !!!!!  By the time I got to Heartbreak hill for the last time there was a river flowing down it…. I was so happy to see Eithne’s family still their supporting… they ran out from under the shelter into the pouring rain to shout us on – fantastic.  There was a moment when cycling through the cold wind and rain where I had a little smile to myself as I thought back to a day when myself and Susan bottled it after a few hours on a training spin because it got so cold and wet and as we were cycling home we laughed to ourselves that it could be like this in Frankfurt…. Wow… never thought it would come through!!! Always an upside…. It was the only stage on the race where I actually passed people on the bike… the poor continentals were all slowing down not able to handle the flogging rain.
Into T2 and all I see is people in warming Tinfoil recovery blankets everywhere… and then Keith Curley smiling his head off in the middle of it. I’m still not sure if it was a serious question or not… but he asked my opinion if he needed sun cream or not…. us Irish just can’t be too careful. My new German friend in there was getting help with her laces as her hands were frozen – fair play to her she said she’d been in there 20mins and was building up the courage to go back out into the rain.  Quick top change and delight that my fresh socks hadn’t gotten wet in the rain and off I popped onto the part of the race that I had put to the back of my mind all day…… the maraaa… no it’s not a marathon…. Its just four 10k loops….!!!

I was very lucky to have 3 of my friends make the trip over to support me…. Between them and the Pulse Traveling supporter’s crew I cannot thank you all enough for you being there for the next few hours of the race. On to the first lap…and I got a bit of a shock to the system… now you might think that this shock was along the lines of my legs not working off the bike… but no… The shock was that as I look around and EVERYBODY is running…. When I had watched the race a year earlier everybody was walking…  Where the hell are my marathon walking buddies that I had promised myself!!! To my disgust I better keep running just to fit in with the crowd. First 2 laps under my belt all was still going to plan –  big worry of mine leading up to Frankfurt was starting the marathon hungry and how I would handle the “hangrys” when it happened – but the aid stations were buffet of crackers and cake so happy days. Every lap on the run had a different climate… first was rain, then was sun, then was a bit more rain then the sun shone again. Gosh, having to pass the finishers turn off four times was an experience. In one way it was good as you could count them off… but by the time the last lap came and I could hear the cheers of those who had got to turn right up the MDot Carpet all that was going through my mind was how the hell am I going to get through another one of those fecking 10km loops. Running and I have always had a love/hate relationship… as in –  I Love to hate it… and whinge about it… and moan about it (yes Joanna B has heard it all over the years)….But I’ve always just gone out and got it done! At one last loop to go – I was OUT.  All my Smiling and positive thinking was gone. I knew I couldn’t keep running the pace I was at and my mind acknowledged it was going to be a very long time to get through that 10k.

Driving back up from home to Dublin one day I had clocked the distances in the car….Mentally during the race I would pinpoint where I was on the drive and tick the towns off the list…. id leave the house… swim the 4k the nearest town, jump on the bike at the start of the N7.. Peddle on up through limerick, Tipp, Offaly (Obama Plaza…65km mark), toll bridge (half way), Laois, Kildare and finally at the turn off or Naas North… jump off the bike and start running… run until I hit my house in Harold’s cross… look at the distance in the car… shit… I’ve done the whole length of Irelands longest motorway and I STILL HAVE 10KM to go… sure 10km … that’ll be grand…. those 10k in Frankfurt hurt like hell and I even hid in a portaloo for 5 mins just so I could stop running for a little bit… maybe I should have clocked those extra 10k just so I could have something to take my mind off the running.

Lap 1

Lap 3 – no smiling here

That last hour and a half on the run was awful but at least once every km there was one of my friends or a pulser with words of encouragement and to jog a few meters with me. That finishers carpet could not have come fast enough…. and then it did… All the finished Pulsers were on the side-lines shouting… hundreds of people highfiving and cheering, Glitter, fairy dust and music everywhere in the square where the Mdot Carpet leads up to the Ironman Arch lit up in spotlights….

And for the bargain price of €150 quid a word I hear the infamous words that id wanted to hear since 7am that morning “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN”….. Worth every penny 🙂

They say that triathlon is an individual sport but it was a team effort that got me through the training and race day in Frankfurt – Thanks guys

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