<h3><span style="color: #008080;"><em><strong>PAMPY’S POST 40.14 – LOVIN THOSE LAVA FIELDS</strong></em></span></h3>
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Hi Team,
Rather than a full race report of my 2014 Hawaiian Ironman experience, I’d prefer to offer you what I learnt in the heat of the battle. What I learnt physiologically – hopefully offering you some usable information that can’t be learnt in a lab or a text book.
Before offering you my findings, the distance of this iconic race is a bumpy ocean water <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hcvhcch.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1878 size-medium" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hcvhcch-300x300.jpg" alt="hcvhcch" width="300" height="300" /></a>(give or take) 3.8km swim – a 180km ride through exposed wind swept lava fields – and a 42km marathon, with the second half again meandering through lava rock. The race is held on the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island – and, although it offers perhaps the most demanding of one day races, it truly is one of nature’s most magnificent sporting stadiums.
Other than the distance, challenges come from the relentless oppressive heat &amp; humidity (30-45’ pending on where you are on the course), riding into island trade winds – made worse during the last 70kms of the bike leg, and finally, being repeatedly informed in stern and aggressive Deutsche to “get the hell out of the way” by German uber cyclists – who you know can’t run.
In prep for this year’s race I considered my take home from my 2012 race: <strong>NOTE</strong> - I won’t go onto detail regarding my training schedule, but focus more on my race pacing &amp; nutritional strategy.
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<strong>Before the race</strong>
• Load up on minerals (electrolytes – sodium chloride, magnesium, potassium &amp; calcium) for 3 weeks leading up to race.
• I used quality supplements, Endure sports drink, eat banana’s and drunk loads of coconut water (potassium heavy). Electrolytes assist in muscle hydration, and as you guessed it, hydration is a key component in Hawaii.
• Don’t over drink water in the week leading up to race day – to thirst ONLY. Minerals are <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/photo-51.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1880 size-medium" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/photo-51-225x300.jpg" alt="photo (5)" width="225" height="300" /></a>far more important than throwing litres of water down your throat.
• Arrive 9 days before the race (instead of 5) and slowly increase training intensity and heat exposure – limiting my heart rate to an aerobic level only for the first 5 days.
• Log 2 runs in the middle of the day (about 80mins), taking it out slowly and exposing my skin to the sun. Build in some race pace efforts into these sessions. Oh and take an electrolyte drink with you.
• Shut down heat exposed practice sessions 3 days out from race day.
• Turn off air-conditioning at night – simply relying on a ceiling fan. Mind you we were staying right on the water with a constant breeze.
• Eat near my exact same food choices (and volume) right up to race day. I don’t believe in carb-loading, however my pre-race meal will be fish, sweet potato, avocado, and salt.
• Wear sleeves on the bike and use a teardrop helmet so the back of my neck and ears avoids the sun – while also offering an aero-dynamic advantage - perhaps.
• Take a sleeping tablet two nights before the race – as tablet or no tablet you’re little chance of sleeping the night before race day.

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<strong>Race day plan</strong>
• I have a clear but flexible pacing and nutritional plan for race day – determined in <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/bike-com.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1884 size-medium" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/bike-com-300x225.jpg" alt="bike com" width="300" height="225" /></a>training and from previous race experience (more so, failures).
• I plan to take each discipline out steadily while building then holding my sustainable race pace (again, determined in training) - while attempting to limit spikes in intensity at all costs. This is not always possible as race dynamics and ego offer frequent challenges.
• The race is all about being as metabolically economical as possible – to ration your limited stored energy [carbohydrates – glycogen](about 2000 cals) over the 9.30-10hours. NOTE - Spikes in power do two things. 1) Revs your limited energy requirements through the roof, and 2) shuts down your ability to uptake ingested energy you’re throwing in.
• Basically, at the pace/ intensity I wish to race, I cannot uptake as much as I lose. It’s a <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/swimmmmm.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1877 size-medium" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/swimmmmm-300x225.jpg" alt="swimmmmm" width="300" height="225" /></a>fine balance to finish the race with about 100-150 cals of glycogen left in the tank. If a reach this number any earlier than the say the 8.30 mark – my day will get seriously miserable. The brain’s safety mech pretty much just shuts down most systems with 150 cals left in the tank.
• As I plan to race as competitively as I can – I will be juggling this metabolic balance all day. Basically, I need to push it right to line without going over it. While on the bike I will repeat the following nutritional intake every 15-20minutes, and in this order – ½ energy bar (Choc oat Clif bar)– Endure electrolyte drink – 1.5 energy gel. I had also plan to take a dash of salt every hour and of course drink water to thirst. If I get this wrong by either pushing too hard (using too much energy) or consuming too little (or equally, absorbing too little), I’ll have nothing for the run – despite fitness or talent.
• When on the run, with aid stations every 2kms, I’ll alternate between water &amp; coke – and water &amp; sports drink. Oh, and also throw ice down my pants, top, in my hat, and hands – cooling from the outside in – not inside out.

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<strong>Troubleshooting</strong>
• During the last 15minutes of the swim I feel an unnerving sensation of lower leg cramps – which, damn it, I’ve experienced before. Relaxing my mind as best I can, I somehow get back to the shore, thankfully still well positioned in the race (I see the clock at 1.00.05 – it was a slow swim for everyone I find out later). After experiencing this neural unrest during <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6095.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1889 size-medium" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6095-168x300.jpg" alt="IMG_6095" width="168" height="300" /></a>the swim my legs find it difficult to get going on the bike, so I back off my intensity somewhat – conceding pace and positions. I picked my another bottle of Endure sports drink at the half way mark, and oddly find my vulnerability to cramp heightens as I start my journey back home – I still have 85kms to ride! Yikes!
• OK, time to re-think my nutritional strategy as the thought of a cramp riddled marathons isn’t appealing. I figure I’ve been, right from the start of the swim , consuming considerable water. This has left me hydrated, but limited in minerals (electrolytes) –through sweat loss, respiration and urination. I have two small canisters of salt in my back pocket. DECISION - back off fluid consumption (only small sips) and amp up the salt (deluxe) – while still keeping up cals in the form of bars &amp; gels.
• Bingo, although I’m crazy dry, at the 140km mark I finally start to feel I can amp up my power. I start riding past loads of fading riders, including Germans, which is encouraging.
• OK, here we go – marathon time. How will my legs feel? will they cramp? will this be a painful walk? I slowly click out of my pedals and plant my foot back on the earth – the first time for 5.10 hours. Great! I don’t cramp – this is good. I decide just to back off my run pace a little and simply settle in – limiting spooks! I actually feel pretty good, the legs are fine, I certainly don’t feel like cramping, and, amazingly, I don’t really feel all that hot. I know I can run faster, but, I continue to remind myself to save some for the last 10kms. My only increases in speed are to pass struggling Germans.<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/run-fin.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1881 size-medium" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/run-fin-300x200.jpg" alt="run fin" width="300" height="200" /></a>
• I’ll follow my original nutritional plan as I figure I’m now loaded with salt. It seems to work – the cramps are gone. I really look forward to my coke aid stations – hmmmmmmmmmmm sugar and caffeine – what a mix!!!
• 3.30 of running done – and with 9.53 on the clock I’m done - day complete. I am most pleased that I worked out the balance between fluid consumption/loss and the importance of salt volume when racing in heat. I worked it out while on the go – and it worked! Info banked!

A quick thanks to training partners and fellow Ironmen Matt Rae (about 130 hours of training time logged together), Chris James &amp; Adam Becker. Congrats also to Nick Souter who finished in 40th position overall – Champion.

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Till next time Kona. Mahalo!