IMNZ 2018 Swim

 As expected with an Ironman, the afterglow of the race was quite intense, but as I read through the comments from my blog friends, I’ve been able to sort out my thoughts quite a bit. As always, thank you so much! 😊

I was really exhausted yesterday and didn’t feel like doing anything, just lazing around all day. Surprisingly, I hardly had any muscle soreness this time, and my body seemed very eager to run, so I went out for a light jog. 😊 However, I do feel a bit of strain on my internal organs, so I plan to stick to light exercise for a while.

Now, I want to get the race report down before I forget anything. I’ll use this report later as a reference for myself, so I’ll probably write down everything I can remember. It’s going to be long, so please feel free to skip parts if you like. 😊

On race day, the weather was a complete turnaround from last time—it was quite good, and we had almost ideal conditions. (Although the wind picked up a bit around noon, affecting the bike and later stages, I’ll touch on that when I talk about the bike.)

I woke up at 4 a.m., but actually woke up before my alarm, having slept quite soundly, so I felt refreshed and ready for the race. 😊 Last time, I forgot so many things, but this time, I guess I finally learned my lesson—I didn’t forget a single thing! 😆

The transition area was open from 5 a.m. to 6:40 a.m. Since I had been a bit slow last time at the 70.3 race, I left home aiming to arrive around 5:30. That turned out to be early, leaving plenty of time, but it also meant it wasn’t crowded and I could prepare calmly. I think this kind of relaxed start suits me better before a race.

Here’s a shot of me setting up my drinks and gear.

After preparing, I was talking with my wife, and I realized that, surprisingly, I didn’t feel much pre-race tension, even though it was Ironman. My wife said, “If you’re relaxed, that’s probably fine,” and I remember replying, “I hope so.” But I think I was overconfident, thinking that if I had managed last time despite terrible form, I could do even better this time. 😔 (And, of course, this is when Ironman would remind me that it’s not an easy race 😅)

The start was at 7 a.m., but I began moving toward the start area just after 6, so I had plenty of time to get ready there.

Here’s what the start area looked like.

Last year, the lake was rough, but this year it was perfectly calm—ideal! I approached the start full of hope for redemption after last year’s rough swim.

I wasn’t sure where to position myself at the start, but once I stood there, my ambition got the better of me, and before I knew it, I had moved quite far forward. 😅 Looking back, that was probably a huge mistake. 😔

With the cannon blast, the race started. IMNZ doesn’t have waves—except for the pros, everyone starts together—so watching from above, over 1,000 swimmers set off at once. It’s quite a spectacle.

Of course, with so many swimmers, the first part until the turnaround is extremely crowded. I usually train alone in swimming, so I completely forgot how unfamiliar I am with swimming in a pack. 😅 Being a slower swimmer, starting at the front meant I was passed repeatedly from behind, bumped into, and sometimes even run over. 😨 (This wasn’t mean-spirited at all; it was my own mistake for starting too far forward. 😔)

I’ve gotten much more accustomed to swimming itself, so I didn’t panic, but with a long 3.8 km swim, the mental fatigue was significant. I found myself constantly looking for open water to avoid contact, and before I realized it, I had become quite hesitant in my swimming. 😔 Next time, I’ll be careful to choose a start position suited to my ability. 😅

This time, I wanted to try the “remora strategy.” 😊 I actually thought about it last year too, but conditions were so harsh it turned into a survival race, and I could only do my best to finish, with no room to experiment. 😔 I had hoped to practice it in the December 70.3, but the swim was canceled, so this Ironman became my first real test. 😭

From the middle of the swim, as the pack spread out, I fully committed to the remora strategy, and it was incredibly easy. ❤️ Drafting behind someone of similar pace meant I could maintain pace without swimming much, conserving a lot of energy.

The only issue was that I ended up swimming in a slower group. I spotted a swimmer with a stable stroke and stuck behind them, only to realize later they weren’t actually fast. 😅 They made it very easy for me, though. Next time, I’ll try to draft behind someone slightly faster than me.

Being in this “remora state” for most of the swim allowed me to save a lot of energy. I usually cramp in my legs in the later stages of long swims, but this time I was trouble-free. 🎵 This year, I’ve changed my swim fundamentals, and before the race, I no longer felt the fear of open-water distance swimming—so it seems I’ve made some progress. 😊

However, my heart rate in the water dropped extremely low. 😔 On land, I think my Ironman race zone is around 150 bpm, but in long-distance swimming, it sometimes dips below 130. (I didn’t wear a heart rate monitor this time, but I think it was probably in the 120s.) Clearly, swimming this easily won’t yield competitive times, so it’s time to start focusing on speed and training.

I swam quite leisurely, so I didn’t take much damage and completed the swim comfortably. But I didn’t feel like I had been that slow, so when I checked my watch after exiting the water, I was a bit disappointed. 😔 I had hoped to beat my local rival, R, in all three disciplines for a satisfying victory.

My swim time was 1:29, while his was 1:12, widening the gap from the 15 minutes at this point last year. 😔 But there’s no point in dwelling on it, so I switched my focus immediately to the upcoming bike leg as I headed to transition.

At this point, my ranking was 946th out of 1,114 starters 😅 Once again, I was in a position typical of a pure “pusher.” 😆 Now, from here, what would my new companion, Plasma, have in store for me? Next up: the bike leg! 😊