Ironman BRASIL: Florianopolis 2014

Going to Floripa, I had 2 objectives:

• -          Finish, as I gave up during my last Ironman due to poor (stupid) hydration
• -          Do the course, for next year. Because “I´ll be back” to give a shot at the Hawaii slot.

Swim prep was ok, not outstanding. Bike was great, riding (or trying to ride) with some tough uber bikers from Manocchio Team surely made a difference. And the run… Well I got my running legs back but I felt like I missed some key sessions, not enough volume. And most important, I haven´t been sick for the past year: I managed sleep deprivation well…

Now, to the story of this excellent edition!! Manocchio Team had about 15 athletes at the start line, with at least as many supporters. Sandy and the boys were there too (arriving after theater rehearsal).

Pre-race scare: 6:30 AM. I´m with Adolfo, while we jump into our wetsuit. As I don´t want to struggle with the removal, I´m generous with the lubricant I put on the forearms & the legs (think of it as PAM non sticking…). And as I move my left hand quickly, here goes my wedding band flying in the air! With the lubricant, and the racing weight, it simply came off! Fortunately it landed nearby. But now I can´t wear it during swim: I´m gonna lose it. What to do? So I attached it to my sock and put it inside my shoe. And the shoe in the transition bag: I´ll get it back after the race…

SWIM – 51’15 – 154 BPM

The goal is to catch to Pros´ feet and let them do the job, as we start 15 to 20 m behind them. I´m standing in the 2^nd row of non-pros (family race as they would call it in Japan). I was in the front row (after a very short warm-up), but they moved the pros further to the right… So I had to follow!
The sun is not up yet, the weather will be good, a bit chilly, perfect for racing.
I´m excited, jumping  and moving my arms to get the heart going before the start. Helicopters in the air, boats & jet skis in the water, it´s SHOWTIME!

http://youtu.be/2LLkbOA86rE

SWIM START

Blabla in portugues, blabla countdown blabla: it´s time! The watch is set……

The horn goes! And so are 2000 people, sprinting for the most! I manage to pass the amateurs from the front row, and I dive (not fall like in Caioba) in the water between the female pros. A couple strides, I clear them.

Now, where to? To the right, a small group. To the left, the TGV (French bullet train). The current is going from right to left. The guys on the right are the smart ones, but they go way fast. So I take the train, filled with pros and like me, a few aquatic amateurs…

I´m on the side, drafting well. The tempo is fast, very fast. I can´t go 3,8km at that pace. The heart is rushing, I´m breathing all over the place. I need to calm down.
The good thing is that I don´t need to navigate (looking up, far away), I just need to follow the feet in front of me.

I´m trying to breathe normally (3/2). It´s better. But it´s fast.

The first turn is at almost 1km, boy it´s long when you go hard.

What it looks like when you´re in there

By the time I get there, I start wondering if I´m not pushing too much, I have a long day ahead of me.
It´s 1/4^th down, let´s keep calm and do the job.
No act of heroism today, I have to stay put, and keep in touch with the darn feet in front of me.

We have some waves at times, throwing us around. I have to adjust quickly to avoid being dropped!

Turn again, heading back to the beach.
Our positions are now settled, within the group.  There are a few swimmers alone in the front, I´m in the first pack it looks like. The guys up front are doing the job, we´re sucking the life out of them!

Land, Land, I see land! At last. It´s been intense, now I need to do a good exit / run / re-entry to stay hidden in the group of fish.

I´m a little surprised by the sand, that I soon touch while swimming: time to get up and RUN.

Halfway through the swim

It´s straight forward, with a dense crowd of cheering people – pretty cool! I try to spot Sandy and the boys… Nope, can´t see them. Anyway, I don´t have time to look around, it´s sprint time to keep in touch with the guys, a few orange caps (like me, amateurs) and many whites ones (pro). That´s good, I´m right where I want to be. Stay in touch!
The cap is tightly on, no leak, no mist in the goggles: it´s all good.

I dive back in. My heart is now ALL OVER the place. Boy I hate running after swimming. It´s like a thermal shock, it´s so intense.

Small strokes, small strokes, I need to keep going. Battery going out. That´s exactly how it feels. It feels like I had juice for ½ the swim + 30 m. And now, I´m out of power, zero, nada!

I need to hang in there, stay with the group – it will get better (I hope!). I catch some feet. “Safe”, I´m “safe”! Now that I´m drafting again, it gets easier. That was close!

Alright, the batteries are back to normal now. It must have been to after run effect. Anyway, I soon forget about it. I focus on the stroke. And soon enough I find the pace actually easy.

I breath every 3, no problem, every 2 once in a while. Navigation is still minimal. The small group is steady, everyone keeps its position. That means no fighting. It´s like a cruise!

Turn! I manage to gain a spot in the turn – piece of cake! 3/4^th done! Whoo woo! The pace is casual now, tranquil. I wonder if I should drift to the side and pass everyone. Na…

Turn! Ultimate stretch. Some waves again – a boat must be around. The group is spreading a bit. I manage to slide ahead and gain another spot. Instead of being in the back, I´m now near the front. I ask myself one more time the question: should I go for it. Na, no heroism – yet.

I try to look ahead, I see a couple of caps further ahead of the group. It seems that we´re not too far off the lead of the race. I´m set with a good start.
Focus on the stroke, not too deep, but push far back: it´s ok to hurt in the arms. I won´t need them much for the rest of the day.

Look for the watch, it´s mine...

Almost there, ok, this time I get ready to get out.
Up! And run, Forest, run!! A couple waves make the exit difficult – same for everybody. I manage to keep my position in the pack as we exit onto the beach, through a thick crowd again.

Goggles on the forehead, I unzip the wetsuit. Arms come out ok – good.
Running.  Many people. Running. Time mats, oh… my watch: 51 mn. Hmm, that´s not so good. Well, it´s the same for everyone. It looks like I´m in the good pack, may be it was a bit more than 3 800m…

We arrive on a wooden deck with volunteers. What are they doing here? They have gloves on. ??
Duh! It´s Santa´s helper to remove the wetsuit. I go in front of them, pull the wetsuit all the way down, throw myself down, & lift my legs. They grab and pull. Pop! Pop!
Both feet are out! I´m free!!!

Back up, back running! Shower, running and running. Boy it´s far. The wetsuit is HEAVY too. We go around the big transition tent. And in, more volunteers. My bag? Letter K.
(picture it, racks of 2000 blue plastic bags on the left (actually, 2000 blue + 2000 white), and 2000 yellow bags on the right: find yours!)

Bag #1814 please?!

1780, no, 1790, no, 1800, closer, 1812, almos, 1814: here it is! I grab it and run (more) into the next room. Many empty chairs, a few volunteers.

I go near one who´s alone. I open the bag, remove the helmet, with the sunglasses inside. I put race belt, the bike jersey as it´s still cold: I ask the helper to pull it down in the back. My tanktop is still totally wet and I can´t lose time! Duh!
Glasses on, helmet on, chinstrap closed.

Ok stuff the wetsuit, cap and goggles in the same bag, hand it over, guess what? RUN!

Out of the tent, the bike is in the second row, where the palm tree is. Good, easy. Now where is my bike?

There, I can see the straw of the bottle sticking out. I grab the bike, and start… running with it. Out of the bike park, timing mat. Watch!

BIKE – 4h54 (36,7 km/h) – 128bpm

Onto the bike! No! No? Ok, I have to come off, it´s too early they tell me (of course, there are 10 lines on the ground, go figure out which one is the limit to mount the beast… Second attempt!
Tons of people, cheering (and laughing because of the 1^st attempt).

And off for a long ride

After a couple turns, we´re off the the main road that will take us to the freeway. The pavement is now ok, and will be just fine once on the freeway. Yippy!

But my 2 friends are going fast. After 5 or 10 mn I remind myself that I need to PACE myself. It´s a common mistake to start off too fast, and to pay it cash later in the day. So I let myself drift away – my heart rate (HR) is still high, at 145 or so. It needs to drop back down to 130 bpm approx.

So let´s have drink of water. And another. It feels good, after the sea water.

I´m alone now, cruising at good speed (I think), in aero position. I´m comfortable. It´s good because I´ll be in that position for a bit more than 5hr. 5h05 would be exceptional, 5h15 max as the course is fairly flat. If nothing bad happens (flat tire…).

Freeway, good road. Smooth…. That´s fun!
It´s a bit chilly still. I have my arm warmer in the pocket. I don´t think I´ll need them because the sun is out. No or little wind. Perfect.

A guy zooms by, a pro, I cheer him.

More water. I only have the front bottle filled up. I´ll take another water bottle and Gatorade at the first station. Not sure when that will be.

A couple pros fly by.
10 km mark (on the road): 17mn something. It´s obvious, but it´s faster than 30 km/h… I don´t bother going in more details. It´s too early.

Eating – The HR is now at cruising rate, still a bit above 130, but it will come down. So I can start eating. Nutrition and hydration will key for the day. And I paid it the hard way in the last IM. So no mistake allowed today.
So what´s for breakfast? (my first breakfast was at 3:30AM) I´ve got sweet potatoes (provided at the hotel: great surprise!), white bread to balance the sweetness of energy bars & gels. I´ve got salt pills as well. And I plan to alternative Gatorade & water (will be provided).
I start with a piece of sweet potato: O yakimo! O yakimo! I make myself laugh. In Japan, there is a little truck or trailer with a guy yelling that to sell his grilled sweet potatoes…
It tastes good. Add some water and it´s back to business (needless to say, that´s done on the bike, without stopping!).

First hill, well, first slope rather. I take it easy, with a small gear. And down. Whoo wooo!

Very few people on the road here, if any. Not surprising it´s the freeway. They blocked the fast lane for us, cars can still circulate on the slow lanes. A referee drives by time to time. Nothing to say: I´m alone.

First hill. It´s supposed to be steep but I go up without much effort.
Well, may be with too little efforts! I´m caught up by a couple of guys… a pro girl… more guys, another pro girl…

They are all pretty close to one another. So I remind them the no-drafting policy… I think it´s 10 METERS, not 10 CENTIMETERS!

This little fact got me worked up. We reach the top of the hill together.
And back down. 2 pro girls in the group… I should try to stick to this group. Pro girls will pace themselves well. It´s good for me.

So our small group reaches Florianopolis center, with the freeway on the sea shore: great sight. Temperature is good.
20 km mark: 35 mn something. Looks good! Pace is good. Anyway, I´m right on spot for the effort. I stay put.

Re-fuel! First station. I grab water and Gatorade. Unfortunately, the Gatorade bottle is the same you find in the supermarket: it´s not tight in the bottle holder! So I shove it in the back pocket. It´s a good thing I have the team jacket: large pockets. Underneath, I wear the Manocchio Team colors, especially designed for the race by the brothers Guilherme & Gabriel. Very cool!

Cruising... with a smile

The course is now flat, even though it´s exposed to (light) winds. Still sunny. It´s great, it´s no longer chilly. I keep eating and drinking. The effort and HR is well under control (130 bpm approx.).
The group seems homogeneous. A couple guys stay up front, maintaining the pace. In the back, we are reshuffling positions, staying at legal distance. The referee helps us to do so!

I discover the course as I didn´t drive it since it was supposed to be flat: it is just that, flat.
The reshuffle in the group is mainly due to guys relieving themselves. As we drink while pedaling, we have to pee as well. Now it´s time for me too… Every time there is a down-hill, someone slows down… And when you´re behind, believe me, you pass the guy!
That´s when water bottle is also very important to rinse out…

Final U-turn, and we´re moving back up (on the map, we´re at the South of the island). It´s cool, while we came across the pros before, now it´s many amateurs, in small groups. You can spot the uber bikers pushing it to make up time lost in the swim.

Luis, Marcio, and Regi are in that case. They look good, and determined!! Philippe too, before I go back into the tunnel. The hunt is open!

I feel just great, feeding is fine. I change from Yakimo song to “potato potato” American theme. Hi hi hi
The mood is good too. I just have a little sciatic pain. I stretch regulary.

Every up-hill, I feel I can pass quite people. But I lower the effort, come out of aero position to help digestion, stretch and the rest… and stay behind. Patience.

I can´t wait to reach the 2 big hills, because I have to pee again. I guess I hydrate well today!

As we go through a toll station, Team Manocchio people are there cheering. Feels good!

Soon we reach the 70 km mark, the loop 1 is almost complete. Time for the first gel. I´ve noticed in training that only solid food doesn´t quite do the job for refueling. So a little chocolate gel to change a bit the menu. Water with it.

Before you know it, we´re heading back in town. The pace is now easy. And you can feel a little febrility in the group. Before, the only visible tension was between the 2 pro girls, jumping forward to minimize the gap. I think they are 4^th and 5^th currently.

Paved road again, many people now. Some “torcida” (supporters) from Manocchio team cheering. It´s cool! And before I know it we make a U-turn and we´re off for the second lap.
The watch? What´s the time? 2h26 something. 2h26!! That´s a sub 5h pace! Whoo woo. I´m in a GOOD train.
All of the sudden, the energy is back up! (it wasn´t that low either) Reasonable swim, great first lap without digging deep. I have to keep up.

Back to the freeway, and it feels like we´re going slower. HR is dropping to 120, 125 now. Should I go up front? I hesitate.
We reach the first hill. And it sounds like a train is nearby. What the heck? There are no rail tracks! I look around, it´s getting very loud.
In fact, a few people are banging on the metallic safety rail with ranches… Super loud! I give them high 5!

And back down the hill. Taking every opportunity to relieve oneself…

The referee is still riding w/us, spending most of the time with the first guys, and the 2 pro girls. It´s not as casual as where I am. But I scare myself when the referee comes up to me and start yelling at me!
I was at legal distance! I don´t understand what he says beside that I could get a penalty… (I´m sure my HR went up). So I call him back to understand, explain I don´t speak Portuguese. I finally understand that I disposed of an empty water bottle out of the designated area and that´s forbidden. Understood.

I want to make myself discreet for a while. But soon another referee calls me giving me the sign to stop, to pull over. Darn! I got a penalty?!
No!!! We had a “tourist” – a non-competitor riding with us for a while, who was sucking my wheel off. He´s the one concerned. Pfff.

Even more discreet now! More legal distance now.

We reach almost the bottom of the loop, that´s ¾th of the ride. Feeling great. I´m now out of potatoes, and bread. I have to force myself to eat. I tend to forget. I´ve taken the salt tablets.
The effort still feels lower than in the first lap. It doesn´t matter, it´s good news for the marathon. I´ll come off the bike fresh.

A flat! I´ve got a flat! NOooooo
…
No, really, no. I don´t feel the front tire being loose but it makes a terrible noise. In fact, I rode over an empty gel and it´s stucked to the wheel making a big fuss. I reach down and manage to remove it. Pff, again.

http://vimeo.com/96773405
What the bike looked like in the South of the island

U-turn, and we go back up. The wind seems to have picked up a bit. I monitor to see  Regi, Luis and Marcio – they seem to move fast, especially Regi and Marcio (not surprised about it).
That´s when a huge pack passes us. More pro girls, going for it. While the 2 with us have been “managing” their effort, these are just going for it. And it shows on their face.

So I prepare for the acceleration. Most likely, our locomotives will want to keep up with the group. It actually happens – the peloton stretches. I stay alert in case I need to jump to avoid being dropped off. This goes well. The effort gap is not that big. And soon, the pace drops back to normal. I don´t know if we got dropped.
It doesn´t look like it. As we go up bridges (slight climb), the group becomes very tight. The front of the pack is simply drafting, big time. We, in the back, try to keep distance. But there is a permanent double line, side by side.

The other thing is projectile! The guy is front of me just lost his spare tube. You don´t want that in your wheels.

The referee starts to get pissed at the front and soon he stops a guy, then a girl, and so the group stretched… funny!

But every time we go up-hill, the group becomes compact again. I remain in the back to (try to) keep distance. No remark from the referee…
Another tube fly off a bike. And soon I lose one of my Co2 cartridge.

I eat and drink in a mechanical manner now, not by taste. The legs are just fine. I wonder how much the pace dropped.

Another gel, as we´re 15 to 20 km to complete the course. Regi and Marcio haven´t closed the gap with me. That’s surprising. My concern now is NOT getting a flat. I look carefully the road to avoid holes or rocks.
Back in town. In French, we say that it smells like the barn! We´re home, almost.
Now, it´s the real test. The run, the marathon. I think my run training is not sufficient. So the question is how long can I hold it up. The very good news is the bike effort was easy. I don´t feel tired. I was more tired in Roth or Frankfurt when I rode 5h15 or more.
I take the arm sleeves from the cycling jacket to the trisuit, I might need them later on.

Back in town, more cheers, more Manocchio torcida. It´s back to the transition area.
What does the watch say? 2h27 something! That´s a sub 5hr. GREAT – FANTASTIC – INCREDIBLE (for me). Boy, I went FAST!

Transition now. I get off the bike, hand it over to a volunteer, and RUN!
Back into the tent, go on the right side this time for the yellow bag.

Next room, I remove the jacket, the helmet and glasses. Take the running shoes, start putting the calf sleeves, then the socks, then the shoes on. I put the jacket in the bag after taking the hat, sun glasses and the gels. I´ll get organized on the run.

RUN – 3h42 – 133 bpm

Off I go out of the tent. Back on the street, it´s all excitement! People cheering, the heart pumping, boy it´s fun!!

I load the 7 gels in the 4 pockets, and put the glasses and finally the hat on, while running. I try to keep the pace down. Guys are flying away. I hope I´ll catch them later.

I pass in front of maniacs… oops I mean Manocchio supporters. There´re loud!

A bit further, I see more of them! They are everywhere!

Now, 3 loops. The first one is 21 km, including some short but severe hills, and then 2 10 km loops. The plan is to jog for 21 km, and then depending on freshness, to start pushing it. I assume I´ll be in a tough spot at km 21. But let´s see. The plan is to go between 3h30 (dream for today) and 4h00 (more probable).

I keep the pace casual as I head to the hills. But I quickly realize that I´m moving quick. Quicker than anticipated. About 4mn30/km in the first 4km. That’s fast. I´m not too concerned because the HR is still low, 135 or so. I can go to 142 in the first half normally. No need to slow down.

I reach the first hill, no problem. The second, however, I have to walk! We did it with Adolfo a few days ago, without walking… Hmmm. But Guilherme, our coach, racing in the Elite category, told us that he would walk too. So I´m not worried.
At the top, I resume running. Ken Glah is taking pictures. Hi Ken.
Salah is there too, cheering, and grabbing his phone to up-date the gang via WhatsApp… Pretty cool.

"David in front of yellow church"

I feel fine, little pace. I need to go to the bathroom (again). Except it´s quite difficult while running! So I´ll have to stop in one of the toilets they put on the course.
In the meantime, it´s drinking gel with water, or Gatorade. I come across Guilherme, looking good & fast. On my end, I run fine, I´ll soon reach the 10km mark so I can check the pace. But again, I´m currently more preoccupied about finding a toilet…

I come across pro girls, swooshing by. Fast!
And now I see the guys who just passed: I´m near the turn-around point.

At last toilet stop. And just like in the movie, the guy in front of me goes in, I go in the next one. I`m listening to know how fast he goes… Hard to be fast! Of course it´s the longest pee ever. He goes out, I go out. Perfect synchronization.
I can now relax a bit, I say hi to people on the side of the road. Well, some of them.

10km mark : 48mn approx, including a pee stop. It´s ok. But for some reasons,  I worry. I didn´t train enough in running. The thought keeps coming back.
I soon realize it. So I evacuate it and focus back on the nutrition. And the technique. Beyond one step at a time, I try to lean forward, to do small strides, land forefoot rather than hill strike, use the arms, … It keeps me busy!

Back to the hills, I´m normally quite efficient up-hill. But today, or at least among the guys around me, I don´t seem to be that fast. I get dropped, too fast.
Dani is at the top, cheering. Marcio (they got married 2 weeks ago) will be coming soon, hunting me down!

12km mark. I reach a road unevenly paved. It´s a long straight line, feels like forever to reach the next turn. Guys are passing me. I don´t pass anyone. Normal, with the swim and the great bike, I´m a bit out of my league now… I´m running with topguns while I didn´t quite do the job for the run preparation. Again, I´m back brewing negative ideas.
I try to focus on something else, but I´m heading out of town. I anticipated this portion to be tough, in the head. And I clearly fear it, I fear being out there, in the middle of nowhere, hurting in the legs.

And guess what, my legs hurt a lot now.
Nutrition, I can manage. I handle the drinking gel / sport drink / water ok so far.
Cardio is fine too. Heart and lungs are at ease.
But it seems my legs are locked up. Can´t speed up, I´m stuck in first gear. With tightness. I even start cramping in the hamstrings (back of the legs)…
Quick, a salt tablet.

I´m off to this long go-and-back portion. It´s a good road now but isolated, no one cheering. The only distraction is coming across the guys who recently passed me. Not great for the motivation.
I don´t know how far it goes. But  there is a slight incline towards the end.
Focusing on technique to “forget” the poor state of mind. I also put the arm sleeves on, it´s overcast now, and I feel the chill.

I eventually (after an eternity) reach the turnaround point – at last!
I feel better in the head, right away. It´s also because it´s easier on the legs (down “hill”). And now I see people who are behind me. Even if most of them will pass me soon, I´m ahead. I almost have a smile back on my face…

Let´s see how close are Regi, Luis and Marcio by now.
Still in muscle pain, but I keep moving. Seeing new faces helps. It´s stunning to see the runners from the others. Some are simply natural, looking so easy. It´s especially true with some of the pro girls! (being chicked big time on the run).

I pass by the special need area. I tell them “I´m special”… Makes them laugh, and speak English! It´s good to have people around. The volunteers here are especially cheerful. High 5!

The density of people is getting better. I see the church at the end of the street, meaning I´ve almost closed the loop. 20km… I don´t think about checking the time.
Everytime I run past a km mark, I think how grateful I´ll be when I´ll go by in 10km or 20 km. I´ll feel so good then!

I see that Sullivan is on the side, with Sandy and Guerlain a bit further. Sullivan runs to me, with the camera, offering extra gels – I don´t need them, thanks, and a T-shirt – Yes, please. That was a wise idea to leave it with him. As I can´t push the pace, the heart rate is too low to keep me warm…

It´s such a relief, such a booster to see them. Guerlain shows me the flag (French!), Sandy is taking pictures. Guerlain yells: “Papa, le drapeau” with something like “o la la”… Made me laugh.
I can´t stop to chat, but the combination of finishing the first ½ marathon and seeing them really changes the perspective.
At the next turn, I put the T-shirt on. It makes an instant difference. I feel better already.
That´s when I come across more Manocchio Torcida, yelling loud.
I´m going to get that first wrist band! Halfway, halfway. 2 more small (10k) laps.

No more feeling sorry for myself, it´s fight time. I don´t care about the pace, but I have to give it all. I bite my teeth and press forward.
21km mark, I go a little bit further (a marathon is 42,2 km, so half is 21,1) before checking the clock.
1h46 something. Hey, it´s not all that bad. While I struggle in my head, I kept a decent pace. If I can double that, I´ll make a stunning split. But I´m not that naïve. I check the total time. Even if I blow up (say 2h half marathon), I´ll be well under the 10hr mark. It´s a personal best at hands!

Hi! More supporters! I give high 5, while biting my teeth!

The other VERY positive thing is that I now run with people whom are starting their marathon. There are 21 km behind. That´s not important, but some of them are slower than me! I can start passing people, at last!
That´s another mental booster.

I come across Ana (Adolfo´s wife) and her son. Hi! They noticed me afterwards…

Next turn, I go back to the tough road. I keep pressing. I feel like I´m going faster than before. Even though reaching a new km mark takes an eternity! I pass 24km, looking at 34 km mark… Soon…

I start to struggle choking the gel down. Too sweet. I´ve  been using the normal ones for the 1^st half, and now I´m changing for gel loaded with caffeine. I need the boost. I´m been in 1^st gear for so long now. Even I feel a (tiny) bit faster, it´s still 1^st gear!

Back on the lonely road, small steps, pushing the tempo. I can only focus on my arms. I have no clue how I can move my legs. Going over a speed bump is very challenging…

I come across Marcelo. He looks as smooth as usual. Luis. He looks good too, fresher than me I think.

Turn around point – whoo woo. A little bit of down-hill.
I recognize some of the faces from the 1^st lap. They are smoking! There is a pair of guys. A black guy in the front with a great run stride, with a grey hair guy right behind. He´s 40-44 age group as well. They are still far (2km?).

Hi 5 to Regi. Marcio looks to be hurting. It´s tough to see him like that.

Back in town. Soon the family. I can´t wait to see them again. I keep pushing the tempo. I´m pushing but I know I´m not fast. It´s baby steps, and I get passed quite often. It doesn´t matter. It´s my own race. Thinking about the grey hair guy, I´m glad I´m not after the slot this year. I give it all, but I don´t need to go beyond the limit. I´m at the limit.

Where´s the smile now?

Guerlain with flag, Sullivan running with the video cam, Sandy with her camera. A few word exchanged. I meant to say 10km to go, but I say 50 mn. Actually, count 55 mn rather (hopefully). That´s when I´ll come back. But now, go to the finish line. I´ll see you there!
That sounds GOOD!

Back on the main street, many many people, including Manocchio team. I have to get the second wrist band before the ultimate loop.

That´s it, the first was neon pink, the second is neon green.
I´m all out. I have a hard time catching up those whom are just starting, or whom are starting the 2^nd half. I think how blessed I am to be so far in the race. Only 10 k to go, they have 20 or 40! I couldn´t picture myself with a full marathon in front of me, now.

I´m counting down now. 9km to go. I have shifted mainly to Coke. I can drink it easily, and the sugar kicks in quickly. I force down an ultimate caffeinated gel.

7 km to go, on the bad road. 7 km is nothing. 35 km down, it´s huge. I´m almost done. I need to push. I don´t think I´ve lowered the intensity. At least mentally. My legs hurt terribly. But I manage to keep the pressure on. But I know that I´m actually dead. Nothing in the tank, no juice, no power in the legs. It´s a fact. But I push, keep the tempo, the technique.

6km, onto the lonely road, one last time. It´s not so lonely any more, with people finishing, some in their second or first lap. It´s crowded. It helps. I try to cheer the ones who hurt the most, walking or barely moving… Mind over body. I need to keep going.

I surely could walk at a station, but no.
Slight incline, I push more. But soon I start cramping. NOT GOOD! My hamstrings are cramping at each step. I change running technique. I feel like I´m running with straight legs, no knee bend to avoid the cramps.

Turn around – I make funny noises to the volunteers, keeping track of the numbers. That´s the best I can give them.

Soon the pair, the black & grey team is here already. The grey guy will catch. No, I have to speed up. I try to, with my funny run. I think of the Ministry of funny walks (Monthy python)… It´s funny, but doesn´t help being faster!

Must go faster. Nothing in the tank. Biting the teeth even more.

39km – Luis is a little ahead of me. Black and grey team passes by. There is nothing I can do.

Back in town, the church. Sandy and the boys are gone. 2km to go.

It´s very slow, but I seem to gain on Luis. I try to speed up, without cramping for good. I´m afraid of the speed bumps.
Finally, 41 km, I reach him. He´s chatting with a guy with 2 wrist bands, like me. So I don´t wait around. I pass. And there is another guy close by as well. Keep pushing. Need to gain that spot. I assume he´s as hurt as I am. So I pass without pausing – it´s all in the head. Without looking back.

I take the lane “Finish line” lane. And soon 42km!
Now, the longest 200m! I look back. They are gone. Good. I remove the T-shirt and the arm sleeves, for the photo finish.
Sullivan is there, he wants me to take the French flag. No, no… Ok, I take it. Thanks.

I resume running, cramps are more present now. I remove my hat and sun glasses.
I drop my hat – NOOO!

I can barely pick it up. I moan it hurts so much to grab it, I can´t bend my legs. It´s not legs, I have 2 sticks of wood instead. Painful ones! 30km of suffer feast…

Vive la France!

Finish chute, crowed, loud, funny run! It´s great. First time I have the flag – it´s very cool.

I see 9h33! 9h33. Incredible, simply incredible.

I pass the line, stop the watch. I hear “David Holderbach, France”…

Handshake, a towel on the back. And off to the food.
Where´s the medal? They don´t say “You are an Ironman”, even in Portuguese. A bit disappointing.

Sandy and the boys are right around the corner. I need a few minutes to get oxygen back to the brain… Couple hugs. Thank you!

And Regi arrives. He looks great. Wonderful. Photo together and we´re off to eat pizza!

I check the watch quickly, after 1h46 first half, I manage a 1h55 second half. A 3h42 marathon, honorable.

But an amazing 9h33 for me.

Later, I found out I got the 17^th spot in my age group. With 9h33! Last year, the 7^th finished in 9h45…
I guess conditions were ideal, for everybody!
And I know what I need to improve: my run!!

3,8 Swim: 51´15 @ 154 Beat per minute (158 in the first lap, 150 in the second)
Approx 3mn T1
180 km bike : 4h54 (2h26 @ 130 bpm and 2h27 @ 125 bpm)
Approx 3mn T2
42,2 km marathon : 3h42 (1´46 @ 135 and 1h56 @ 131)

9h33, 95^th overall, 17^th in AG (Kona slot was at 9h22…)

I did get the wedding ring back, in the bag at the end of the day - it´s all good, pfff!