Rookie's diary part two

tunney

For those question the bike time

IMde 2011 - 75kg and 184ap, 200np was a 5:26 - its not a fast bike course

http://tpks.ws/slk3

peter kern

I'll no longer be a triathlete. Now I can hear someone loudly shouting in a german accent "but you have not been a triathlete in years fattie". Yup thats probably true but the problem was I wanted to be, I kept entering big races and promising myself that things would be different. They never were.

Sorry at this stage it's elvis your boardie friend that is shouting this at you ;-) "but you have not been a triathlete in years fattie"
I hope that motivates you as this should get your blood boiling .

good luck.

tunney

peter kern wrote: »

I'll no longer be a triathlete. Now I can hear someone loudly shouting in a german accent "but you have not been a triathlete in years fattie". Yup thats probably true but the problem was I wanted to be, I kept entering big races and promising myself that things would be different. They never were.

Sorry at this stage it's elvis your boardie friend that is shouting this at you ;-) "but you have not been a triathlete in years fattie"
I hope that motivates you as this should get your blood boiling .

good luck.

All and sundry are, and always have been, welcome to make triathlon related comments.

For the record my issue with Elvis arose from the constant stream of offensive, personal, slanderous and vile comments directed at me. While after a while I was somewhat culpable for his outbursts as a result of my deliberate antagonising of him with regards his athletic prowess, however the initial, particular vile, onslaught was unprovoked and as a result of him taking personal offence at me calling into question, on a different thread he was not involved with, the athletic merit of certain activities that, unbeknown to me, where in fact his athletic aspirations.

While we are setting records straight I didn't appreciate some of the comments you levelled towards me this year. Subtle enough to get past the mods, informed enough to be cutting. As I had you down as "overall a nice guy" I was surprised at this behaviour, surprised and disappointed.

Oryx

Elvis has now left the building anyway, so it may be time to draw a line under that whole debacle.

tunney

Oryx wrote: »

Elvis has now left the building anyway, so it may be time to draw a line under that whole debacle.

I am, a week of many lines. I just dislike being constantly held up as the villain. Simply because my comments didn't get snipped as much

Anyways booked on the plane now. Sitting beside Fran, which means he is on my lap so he can see out the window.

Glue tub tonight, pack bags and bike box, and then the worst bit of the whole weekend, the tears in the morning as the kids realise I'm going to the airport and away.

BTH

Oryx wrote: »

Elvis has now left the building anyway, so it may be time to draw a line under that whole debacle.

I agree.

peter kern

just as well since you go to germany since you lost your humour.
I will go to my corner and keep practising my high ellbow.

tunney wrote: »

All and sundry are, and always have been, welcome to make triathlon related comments.

For the record my issue with Elvis arose from the constant stream of offensive, personal, slanderous and vile comments directed at me. While after a while I was somewhat culpable for his outbursts as a result of my deliberate antagonising of him with regards his athletic prowess, however the initial, particular vile, onslaught was unprovoked and as a result of him taking personal offence at me calling into question, on a different thread he was not involved with, the athletic merit of certain activities that, unbeknown to me, where in fact his athletic aspirations.

While we are setting records straight I didn't appreciate some of the comments you levelled towards me this year. Subtle enough to get past the mods, informed enough to be cutting. As I had you down as "overall a nice guy" I was surprised at this behaviour, surprised and disappointed.

wildlifeboy

How are you still over weight with all the training you are doing? i dont get it? do you drink a lot or eat a lot of rubbish? you think 12 stone is overweight for a runner? i do 2 5 ks and one 8k a week and i am losing weight. i am not interested in any more training than that. i am currently bang on 12 stone. i was 12.5 6 months ago

tunney

Lunch run in the sun. Threw in a few builds, muscles complained. Suspect not fully shifted the bug but so much better than yesterday

http://tpks.ws/ElTh

tunney

wildlifeboy wrote: »

How are you still over weight with all the training you are doing? i dont get it? do you drink a lot or eat a lot of rubbish?

I don't really train that much any more. I over eat as well, and would worship at the alter of Bacchus more than I should.

wildlifeboy wrote: »

you think 12 stone is overweight for a runner? i do 2 5 ks and one 8k a week and i am losing weight.

Depends on the runners height. At 5 foot 10, for a runner, yes. 12 stone is 2 stone over weight IMHO. Good job on the weight loss.

wildlifeboy wrote: »

i am not interested in any more training than that. i am currently bang on 12 stone. i was 12.5 6 months ago

Good for you. Personally I'd prefer to be leaner and more training. I was 13st 2 a month ago. Cleaned up diet a tad and now 12st 8.

wildlifeboy

tunney wrote: »

I don't really train that much any more. I over eat as well, and would worship at the alter of Bacchus more than I should.



Depends on the runners height. At 5 foot 10, for a runner, yes. 12 stone is 2 stone over weight IMHO. Good job on the weight loss.



Good for you. Personally I'd prefer to be leaner and more training. I was 13st 2 a month ago. Cleaned up diet a tad and now 12st 8.

Jesus theres no way i want to be 10 stone. if i got down to 11 i'd be happy enough.

tunney

wildlifeboy wrote: »

Jesus theres no way i want to be 10 stone. if i got down to 11 i'd be happy enough.

What height are you?

wildlifeboy

5.11, completed hell and back 2 weeks ago but i've been sick so i am starting back doing a 5 k tonight. i eat very healthy most of the time but i do drink a fair bit too so i need to cut that out or cut down significantly

tunney

wildlifeboy wrote: »

5.11, completed hell and back 2 weeks ago but i've been sick so i am starting back doing a 5 k tonight. i eat very healthy most of the time but i do drink a fair bit too so i need to cut that out or cut down significantly

If you are happy at 12stone thats fine. If 11st is your ultimate goal, again fine.

Many moons ago my goal "race weight" was 11st 6. Once I got to 11st 6 I realised I could lose more. Once I got to 10st 7 running was like floating. Some day, some day.

kennyb3

Didn't mean to turn this into a diet/weight thread, only you posted about the photo yourself.

Best of luck at the weekend Dave!

tunney

Fat boy suffering in heat. .......

Shell to Run

Wishing you a super race.

duffyshuffle

Enjoy the race Tunney, don't forget to shave the legs after that article :-)

RacoonQueen

sub 10:30

tunney

The year before

In 2009 I was all set for IM Austria. I started and DNFed. 2010 I went back and did a 9:51, but at that stage the wheels were already coming off. 2011 was IM Frankfurt and a 10:54, 2012 was Roth and a 10:43. I entered Austria in 2013 but pulled out as things had gone from bad to worse. IMDe 2014 was entered a whole year in advance, a year in which I was to turn my life around, get the love back for sport and life, get fit and lean. The year didn’t go as desired for many reasons. A bad year and training just didn’t happen. At all 30km of swimming, 500km of riding and 600km of running. A whole years training in what would have been a bad month in 2009/2010 (maybe not the running).

I realised some time out from the event that I would be in effect doing it with no training and while 2.5-3 stone over weight. All suggested I drop out. However I didn’t want to, I couldn’t, this IM meant more to me than any of the others - not the result but that I had to finish. I had my reasons.

I was very lax on the preparations, I’d not swam openwater in a year or tried on my wetsuit. I’d not run off the bike in a year. My long swim was 2km and my long run 10km. Equipment wise I was not prepared (come back to haunt me) and went over with untested gear and just missing some completely.

On the morning of flying over I was all packed and some voice inside said “try your good wetsuit on”. I did. I didn’t fit. In went my decade old suit that I always hated and it always hurt my left shoulder and now it would be worse as I was bigger. At least I realised before we went.

Onto the plane, no hassle, no bike box charges, there and the hotel was nice.

Before the race

Out to the lake on the bikes and checked them in and off for a swim. Got in the suit and fitted much to Fran’s disappointment. Swam a km and I was in discomfort. Left shoulder sore and chest constricted in suit. Also was 2:09 per 100m so I knew things were bad. Brief run and I knew I was fecked on shoes as well. Brooks Flow were loading the calves, Saucony Ride 6 the tib anterior, and the Nike Zooms were not in great shape. I went with the Nikes with Gripper laces.

Night before

Broke the Greepers laces around 1700, couldn’t get replacements. Very old laces. Eventually fixed. The enormity of what I was facing was sinking in. I was okay with the idea of the run suffering but now I had real concerns about all three disciplines. I was very very quiet the whole night and I could tell Glenda (6 months pregnant) was picking up on this and worrying more herself. I actually slept and then up for a light breakfast and the bus to transition.

Morning

An uneventful race morning and then done to the water. To say I was sh1ting it would put it lightly. A photographer remarked how focussed I looked. For the first time in 10 years I was scared before the start of a triathlon.

Swim

I started back and right, the slowest spot of the elite wave, the wrong wave but the right spot. 30 seconds to go and my goggles snapped. Quick knot later (I actually started learning how to tie knots properly recently, lucky) and the klaxon went.

Within a four hundred metres I knew I was in trouble. I knew the swim was going to be at the upper end of expectations. I was neither catching the water, nor pushing it out the back. My turnover was terrible and I was feeling dead. At the first turn I contemplated rolling on my back and putting my first up. I struggled on and said if I wanted to quit after a lap I could. Out of the water and then back in. Still felt terrible but continued. Yellow hats from the wave behind started catching me. For them to put 15 minutes into me in the first lap confirmed my fears. Lap two was just as bad as lap one and I was getting swamped towards the end by the swimmers from the next wave. I don’t call them fast swimmers though, which makes it worse.

Out of the water in 1:21 or so. Shocking swim, head all over the place and felt sh1t. Saw Glenda and the girls at the waters edge, shook my head and went for a relaxed T1.

T1

Gear on and out of T1 in no hurry. On exiting the tent and I saw the girls standing closer to the bikes. The only way that they would do this was if Fran was out of the water. Meant I had 1 or 2 minutes on him. Smiled as that meant he was okay and went out of T1.

Bike

The 10-12km back into town was uneventful. Around 15km an Italian lad called Vito came past me like a train. Hit a bump and launched all of his bottles. It was a common thing, people using behind the saddle bottle cages and then acting surprised when they got launched. I had two bottles and only needed one immediately so I roared after him “Vito water, aqua, wasser”. He looked around confused and a little angry and went to shout something. Then the look of realisation descended on his face, a happy Vito dropped back and took the bottle. If you have never been hugged by an Italian on a TT bike while you are on a TT bike going at 35kph then you haven’t lived.
The course was congested and it stayed that way. I felt good. I felt great. I watched the wattage and drank and ate. I attacked the cobbled sections as I found thats the easier way to ride cobbles.

90km turned into 100km, and I was convinced a 5:15 bike was possible, then the 100km turned into 110km and then 120km. Then BOOOM. The wheels came off, figuratively of course. Immediately after this I wanted them to come off literally. Anything to quit. I was empty, spent, blown, whatever you want. My achilles tendons then went and I could barely turn the pedals. The temperature went up and I got worse and worse. Then the balls of my feet were on fire. “Duh Dave, new socks, never tested them did you”. Blister land here we come. Around 150km I stopped peeing on the bike and started getting off to pee in portaloos. My race was over and I knew it. I contemplated sitting by the side of the road and waiting for the broom wagon. I reckoned it would take too long so I just limped home. My race was over.
5:50 bike

T2

Coming into T2 and I thought, “lets not quit until you have to. its hot enough, you’ll collapse soon enough. Or the achilles will stop you”. So a slow T2 and I managed a run out of T2.

Run

Big big crowds on the run. By 500m into the run I was reduced to walking. My body was still empty, my 80kg frame was not coping in the heat and my both my achilles were so bad running was out of the question. On a plus side the achilles pain mean I could feel the pain from the blisters. Although deciding to run in different untested socks was a bad decision. So also was running in worn out shoes. A fact that came clear when the sole started to fall over one. I’m getting ahead of myself though, that’s further down the run. I did my best to suffle, met Glenda the rest of the girls and Cranston’s parents. Everyone roaring at me to go bar Glenda, she was trying to figure out how bad I was. I told her not to worry that if I just dropped off the tracking that I had dropped out but that I was okay. Went on, tried to run, made it around the corner and was crippled again. 1.5km sign there. Great 41km of walking and painful suffering. Was I arsed. “Just do one lap Dave and reassess the situation”. A horrific 10km later, an 1:15 of agony I got back to the same spot. Obviously at this time all notions of finishing time had gone out the window. I remembered why it was so important for me to finish this race. What it meant to me and the significance of it. “Medical tent or finish”, I had more than enough time to get around in under 15 hours and get that medal and t-shirt.
From there things went from bad to worse. My achilles got worse and worse, the soles of my feet so sore I couldn’t touch the balls of my feet off the ground. Lap two was much worse than lap one. Lap three though was, as far as I was concerned, as bad as things could get. Cranston passed me on lap two and let me know Gary was out, DNF due to heat. 35 degrees on the bike. 40 on the run, it was hot. Fran passed me on lap three dazed and confused. I was concerned for his health to be honest, and also thinking, “wow what a wuss for getting so confused and disoriented”. If lap three was the worst that things could get I was in for a surprise on lap four when things did get worse, much worse. So much so that I ended up in the same state as Fran was, dazed, confused, disoriented. I needed to sit down once or twice as my legs didn’t work and my head was gone. The heat had got to me. At 39km I really thought I couldn’t physically continue and I wanted to puke my ring and sleep. I didn’t and somehow I got to 42.2km, Fran, Richie and Darren were there and they let me know where Glenda was and how worried she was about me. I shuffled on stopped when I saw Glenda and gave her a kiss. I shuffled across the line into the arms of a waiting medic. Onto a stretcher and off to the medical tent. All would be good.
13:38

Then I heard “DAVE DAVE DAVE” they had wheeled me past Glenda, 6 months pregnant, tired and now worried. I arrived in the medical tent, explained I was fvcked but that my wife was outside, had seen this and I’d rather suffer out there. They did basic tests, said I’d live and let me go on my way.

Meaning

This was the single hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Not an ounce of preparation, training or fitness went into finishing the race. Determination and stubbornness, and a need to prove to myself I could endure. I did, I finished, and for the first time after a race I cried. What finishing this race meant to me only Glenda will know and understand. To everyone else its a sh1t time and a terrible performance. To me it will always be the Ironman that means the most to me. If I am asked my best performance, yes Austria 2010. If I am asked which race meant the most Frankfurt 2014, without a doubt.

End

So that is it, I done. Ironman is out of the blood. Who knows what the next leg of life’s journey will bring, I certainly don’t. But I look forward to finding out

tunney

Swim

http://tpks.ws/7WC0

LONG! everyone was tagging it at 3-4 hundred metres long. I think they messed up the instructions on the first buoy of the second lap.

Bike

http://tpks.ws/ylgl

Painful

Run

http://tpks.ws/3EI9

12 minutes missing, 12 minutes in the bog, sitting down etc. Auto pause. In hindsight a stupid thing

interested

"To me it will always be the Ironman that means the most to me. If I am asked my best performance, yes Austria 2010. If I am asked which race meant the most Frankfurt 2014, without a doubt."

In an attempt to be brief ... Im going with bullets
a) to write a race report like the one above, based on a rough race, with alot of things having not gone to plan months, days before and during is insightful and useful on so many levels - thanks for taking the time

b) to have gotten through and persisted along the way throughout this race - memories like handing another competitor a bottle and all the other sights and sounds you experienced during that day - none more so than your family looking over you as you finished, as you were being looked after and those moments with them after that day .... those memories are likely to stay around for along longer rather than the splits, wattage numbers ...

On so many levels, well done. Days when all is well with the world, preparation is perfect and nothing goes wrong are fleeting and few. Thanks for detailing what you learned last Saturday here, honestly.

Pmaldini

Tunney, great account of the highs and very lows of that race, I really hope I can go as deep if I have too in 7 weeks in Copenhagen, I don't want to sound corny but its kinda inspirational what you did, to push yourself to the absolute limit, thank you

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

For all the slagging that goes on between us i really tip my hat to you. I can sense the emotion in that race report.

What you done on Sunday should not have been done but you did it for your own reasons. I was having my own bad day but when i passed you on the bike i thought you would pack it on the bike and not make it out onto the run. Hence my surprise when i seen you on the run course. That took guts, courage, stubborness and a bit of stupidity:) to stick it out like you did. Chapeau.

Oryx

Who would have guessed your 'worst' performance would be the most impressive? Its hard to comprehend what a struggle the IM run is on a bad day unless youve been there, but man you do a good job of getting it across.

RacoonQueen

i thought Fran had the emotional reports down to a tee. Really good report Dave, thanks for sharing the torture with us! That's the sort of story that would put any sane person off doing an IM!

Sounds like, typical to your character you gave 100% of what you had on the day. You can't ask for any more than that from yourself. It's hard going into a race knowing you are not going to do what you could do....and it's hard in the weeks running up to a race knowing that you've not done the work.

FWIW, I don't think it'll be long before both you and Fran are back at the helm and in honesty, I genuinely wouldn't be surprised to see both of you out there (somewhere) next year.

I doubt you need a pep talk...so I deleted about two thirds of my post.

Congrats on number 3 by the way.

Dory Dory

You're one stubborn m*ther f*cker. Dave Tunney. Just think what you might be capable of if you combine actual training with a will like you've got. I'm glad you finished. I'm glad you shared your story. I'm glad you're okay. I suspect you'll be back for another IronMan at some point - it's part of your DNA.

BennyMul

Dave, just to say what everyone else is saying great report. hard to read felt for the wife looking at you doing that to your self voluntarily.
but as DD said "You're one stubborn m*ther f*cker."

there could be a new motto out of this when we are all suffering WWTD
what would Tunney do:)

shotgunmcos

What? Tunney walked?! :eek::D

Ah no, seriously well done pulling through and toughing it out, fighting the demons and crossing the line! I was concerned for a while tracking you. Respect

Cheers for the report, good read. I half expected a one liner. I do believe all that suffering rounded some edges

tunney

Oryx wrote: »

Who would have guessed your 'worst' performance would be the most impressive? Its hard to comprehend what a struggle the IM run is on a bad day unless youve been there, but man you do a good job of getting it across.

I had never appreciate the different between the end of an IM course at 09:xx/10:xx and 13:xx - total carnage, aid stations running out of coke, people collapsing into bushes. Like zombies shuffling around. Total carnage.