RACE REPORT: IRONMAN FRANKFURT 2016 10:43:43

Alright, this is it, the Ironman Frankfurt 2016 race report. For the ones interested in the executive summary, let’s highlight the most important point: Race times are more less decided beforehand, support from friends and family makes all the difference on race day. Much love!

BEFORE
I was ready. My training had gone well all season despite additional work loads and lots of travelling in the fall. After the busy season at work from February to March I had been able to follow the training program prepared by Yan Busset at Tri Coaching Finland (TCF), hitting most of the weekly training targets and increasing training hours from around 4–6 hours to 9–12hours, while maintaining a healthy diet and 7–8 hours of sleep/night.

My swim CCS had improved significantly this season (1.45->1.35) and my running had become more efficient based on 30min threshold tests (7260m) and average HR on long runs. The only thing I was worried about was my bike. A 30min test on the trainer in the spring gave me a FTP of 257, but may have been higher in Frankfurt. Bike should have been my strong sport, but had suffered a bit lately. In terms of watts everything seemed fine, but I found myself struggling in the wind more than previously (I had a minor crash in April, which may have made me a bit too cautious on the bike). I was however able to put in some longer rides before Frankfurt, which helped me get used to the wind again and staying aero.

Our arrival in Frankfurt didn’t involve any hassle. The hotel had good A/C, soundproof rooms and even early breakfast for Ironman athletes on Sunday morning (after several requests by dozens of triathletes staying at the hotel). Travelling with my team mates from TCF made all the difference. Our coach Yan joined us for the final sessions before Sunday and gave advice on preparation. Quite the service, I’d say! Friends and families joined us in the days before the race, reminding me of something I read in Matt Dixon’s book: “The vast majority of successful long-term triathletes strive to maintain a full and happy life that can sustain training and racing while improving performance”. Triathlon is an addictive lifestyle, which may require sacrifices, but none of the training and racing is worth it, if it becomes more important than everything else that makes life worthwhile (Plus it helps to have somebody, who can get you a can of Coke from the vending machine, when you lay in the hotel bed with cramps, after the race ;)

I followed my sleeping routine from previous races, shifting my wake up time earlier during the week to 4–5am, sleeping as long as I can two nights before (approx 10hrs), and barely having any sleep the night before. Still, I felt ready when the alarm buzzed at 3.30am on Sunday morning.

SWIM 1:03:22 (1:40min/100m; 144bpm avg)
This is it. A crowd of hundreds of people at a lake in the middle of nowhere, outside of Frankfurt. The smell of neopren. This is going to be amazing.

Perhaps to make the race more accessible to first-timers, IM Frankfurt had introduced a rolling start for 2016, which worked well and I found my swimming pace quickly. In fact, I was sure that I was swimming a tad too slow, but didn’t want to burn any matches in the morning. I didn’t swim too close to the buoys to avoid unnecessary brawls, only moving closer to them during turns. The Australian exit at 1500m was a good way to check whether I was going too fast (can’t remember the time, but it wasn’t alarming or maybe I just couldn’t the splits). When I finally got out of the water, I was expecting a time around 1:10, but was amazed to see 1:03 on my Garmin! The cheers of the crowds at the swim exit were amazing and got me hyped up for the bike. I spent a second thinking that maybe I went too fast, but since I didn’t feel the typical symptoms of an Olympic distance all out effort (such as general dizziness and/or vomiting) I was ready for the 180km sightseeing ride…

T1 6:31 
Socks or no socks? Socks, man. Stick to the plan. Hey, don’t step on my bag, mate. OK whatever, let’s go, los gehts!

BIKE 5:38:54 (31.96kmh; AVG 172w; IF 0.76w; NP 193w; VI 1.12)

Like in Mallorca 70.3, once again I had to stop for the first time in the first kilometer of the bike. This time my gel bottle decided to get rid of its mouthpiece with the first sip and I ended up taking the first stop just minutes after leaving T1. After fixing the most important bottle on the bike (18 gels in 500ml bottle. I like to call it “The Honeypot”), I continued the ride and was happy to notice that the first 10K to the city center were on a Autobahn-like road and I was doing 36–38kph without really even pedalling.

The bike route was overall quite fast with five segments marked with a star: one cobble section (seriously people, tape your service bottles and Garmins for this one!) and a few hills. Based on my training I was aiming for average watts between 170 and 190, focusing on pacing and a steady VI (variability index; my training rides have been 1.16–1.22, while pros are riding 1.01–1.05!). So taking it easy on the hills and accepting that a few guys will overtake me on the bike (go on mates, I will see you on the second or third lap of the marathon).

First 40–50K were quite fast whereas everything from Petterweil back to Frankfurt was mostly windy and tough to ride. I felt really good after the first round (avg 32kph/170w) and was ready to move towards 33–34kph/190w, but wasn’t really able to go harder when it started to rain and the wind became unbearable (it made Daniela Ryf quit, so it wasn’t just me!). I did the last 10K a bit faster, bringing the average speed back to 32. Faster than I thought, but still slower than it could have been.

T2 2:54 
Spanish guys swearing. Vaseline and Compresssport socks. Smell of Tiger balm. Saw a friend, quick high fives and off we go!

RUN (5.29min/km; 149bpm avg)
You know you’re going to have a great run when you come out the T2 and Sebastian Kienle just comes around the corner with the motorcycle squad! After recovering from my 3sec of fame on national television (Kienle was really fast!), I checked my Garmin and this was when I realized that I might be able to pull off a sub-11h in my first ironman — I had almost 4h20min to make it to the finish line. If I would only play my cards right, I would easily smash my expected finishing time. From that moment on, the motto was “run smart”. This meant not enjoying the improved selection at the aid stations (Red Bull Schorle or Apfelstrudel, anyone?). I did the first few Ks sub-5, but decided to slow down to 5.15min/km — the time that I had told everyone I would be running (obviously, I dreamt of doing sub-5s). I kept my HR at Z1.9 and tried to take it easy crossing the bridges, even when Andi Bocherer came past with his motorcade (I even did the classic AG side stare that always make me laugh when watching races).

Looking at people on the otherside of the course, I saw friends running so close that I might have been able to catch them, but decided to play it cool and only focus on a steady pace. Seeing my family, coach and friends along the way always gave me a boost and helped me maintain my pace (also, special thanks to the girl with Super Mario 1UP mushroom sign!). In fact, I was a bit surprised that I was able to keep a steady 5.15min/km pace for the first three rounds and only slowed down a bit on the fourth round. One of my most consistent marathons to date, even if it was a tad slower than previous ones. When I finally got my fourth rubberband for the fourth lap I could barely contain my excitment! I remembered my friends messages from the day before (cherish the moment on the magic carpet! Reissverschluss hoch! You’re gonna go sub-11!) and really took my time to the finish line. Approaching the finish line it dawned on me — this is going to be way under 11!

RESULT 10:43:43

After the finish line everything happened fast. I got my medal, saw my coach and gave hugs and high fives all-around. My “catcher” (the person making sure that the you don’t pass out after finishing) was really nice and asked me what I wanted to do first, eat, drink or have a shower. Jokingly, I said that a shower would be nice and seconds later I had a crisp Ironman towel in my hand and was pointed to the shower area, finding food, drinks, a space blanket and a finisher shirt on the way. Ironman really knows their stuff when it comes to selling the sizzle! After the shower, I had a quick chat with the TCF guys, before heading out of the finishing area to meet my family. On my way to the exit I started smiling. Ironman. Oui, c’est moi. I’m an Ironman!

NEXT

During the run I was thinking, why would anyone want to do this. The day after I was looking for IM 2017 options. The day after that I signed up for a 70.3 at Challenge Turku in August. Before the race I wasn’t sure whether I would continue doing IMs or do something else, maybe studying or solving puzzles. But when I made it across the finish line, I knew, this is me. Ironman distance, we shall meet again in 2017!

LESSONS LEARNED (FOR TRIATHLETES)

• For the race start, bring TP. Always bring TP.
• Trust your form in the swim: I had a CCS of 1.35/100m in spring and ended up swimming 1.40/100m pace, thinking I was going too slow. Don’t go out too fast, just focus on a steady pace and navigation.
• New bottle for gels on the bike. In general, check every bottle on the bike. There’s always something suspicious going on, apparently.
• Don’t worry about people overtaking on the bike, you will do to same on the second lap or in the run: My strategy for the bike was to focus on a smooth power output (VI; NP divided by avg. power), which has been one of my weaknesses in training. This meant that I didn’t chase down others or go after friends, but was able to finish strong in the run.
• Focus on bike and run in the training. An hour per week less swimming might mean a 2–5min slower swim, but an hour more on the bike per week might mean a 20–30min faster bike split.
• Ride outside. Confidence on the bike comes only with a sufficient time spent on the road.
• Running pace will be defined beforehand, not on race day. If you haven’t trained sub-5 kilometeres off the bike, you won’t be running sub-5 Ks on race day. As simple as that.
• Stick to your nutrition plan. Gels every 20min, even during the run. Salt sticks if needed. Solid food on the bike. Cola only on the last lap.
• Breathe. Look around. Count to hundred. Repeat.
• Bring socks and underwear for after the finish line.
• Stronger together. Your family, your friends, your teammates racing will make all the differece. Enjoy the fact that people are cheering you on, maybe even inspired by your performance.
• Have fun. Seriously.