"Execution, Line, Box, Paste". This was my mantra in the build-up to my first Ironman, and I repeated it to myself as I stood at the edge of the water waiting for the “beach” start. This mantra was derived from an article written by two US coaches describing their Four Key principles to Ironman success.
“Execution”, pretty obvious but needs careful consideration. I couldn't have done much more training, racking up ~500 hours since September 2010 when I started preparing for this race. My training had also been very consistent and well structured thanks to a great program from Matt Shillabeer at the Endurance Coach. I had also planned ad nauseum. But all the training and planning would count for nowt if I didn't execute the plan on the day. Was I up to the task of executing the plan, or would my lack of experience dominate? In the end, I managed to follow the bike-part of my plan to the letter: heart rate never went above my limit & I never missed a scheduled feed. By the end of lap 1 my average speed was bang on target and I felt great so I just had to repeat another loop and 5:40 was in the bag. I arrived in T2 with a 5:35:50 split. The run also went largely to plan, although I had to adapt my hydration slightly, but more on this below. The swim was the biggest unknown due to the sheer numbers of people and my first experience of a “beach” start, but the plan was simple, just keep a steady pace throughout, and again more on this below.
