Race Report Fuerteventura…: a true challenge!!!

Here are the facts:

I came 22-nd overall entering the finish as second non Professional. I came first in my category beating ex-European Champion Morton Fenger. I finished in 4:41:24 only 28 minutes behind the winner, no one less than Rasmus Henning having an Ironman best time of 7:52:00 in Roth.  

I swam 27:03 for 1.9 km (30^th split) / biked 2:48:13 for 94 km (1600 Hm and transition times included; 21^st split) and ran 1:26:09 for 21.1 km (350 Hm and 22^nd split).

I am more than proud and happy!

And here is the race report:

I got up at 5:00 a.m. to warm up and have some breakfast: white bread with honey and a goooood coffee. The transition zone opened at 6:30 a.m. so I brought my bags and drinks to the bike, checked everything and focused on what was going to come.

My biggest concern was still the bike course! I have only trained some 500 km in the flat around Hamburg and haven’t climbed a hill longer than 500m. I know I am a good biker but I didn’t know if my muscles would be able to tolerate all this climbing and then run a half marathon. I said to myself: “have respect but don’t be scared…” and went down to the swim start.

Out of the water

At 8 a.m. we were sent on our journey. The Pros had a front start of about 20m and everybody dashed down the beach. To the first buoy it was only 150 m and I got badly smacked when I swam around it. I could feel the missing routine of open water swimming and couldn’t find my rhythm. It took half the swim course to get relaxed and I noticed I was swimming with Nicole Leder (European Champion long distance). I thought “If she is here I am doing fine…”

I dash out of the water leading a rather big pack of athletes. The run from the beach to the transition zone was 500 m (!) uphill. My lungs were busting and my legs full of lactates. I snatched my bike and off I went only to enter the first climb. I was passed but a few athletes and next Erika Csomor passed me. I felt really weak… I had planned to start the bike defensive and stuck to the plan (it was not easy if you know you are behind the leading woman!!!). After 20 Ks came the first major climb…: gaauuh…! Very long and very steep. For all who know: 39/23…

Often after climbs like that my legs “open up” as I call it. The downhill and following flatter section was my terrain. I flew passed all the people who had passed me at the beginning (including Erika) and was happy to have decided right on starting defensive. Then I hit the next climb: a very long “drag” which got VERY steep at the end. The problem about this climb was that you could look 5 km ahead and see where you still have to climb to. Not very motivating! The downhill was fast and technical. After 54 km I reached the turn point and had to ride all the way over the island again… Normally (I was told) the last 25 km are slightly downhill and you “always” have a tail wind. Not so today. I put my head down to escape the wind and rode the last Ks to transition zone.

Still smiling...!

I was looking forward to the run because I know I have trained that well (always a mind thing!!!).  I did a quick change into my running shoes and off I went.

The running course was a real killer…: uphill, downhill, dirt tracks, dry river beds…. After 5 Ks I had a BIG smile in my face: I caught Morton Fenger and passed him (old story but Ingrid will know ;-)). My legs felt very springy (boys and girls I train: the feet are the secret!) and could keep a good speed. I was very focused and didn’t have a single “dead spot”. At the turn point I saw there was no one close behind me and I just needed to defend my position because the boys in front of me where too far away.

Yo......!

Good and hard but finished

I came into the finish with a big smile and the rest you have read at the beginning.

Resume: Ironman Frankfurt can come!!!

Thanks for reading all this. I hope it was not too much…

C.U.        

Some last pictures.....

Impressions...:

Swim course marked and sharks removed...

Line up of speed weapons...

Bags with stuff for the bike...

Good night....

Open water and ready to go…

Fuerteventura still far away...

Well: I actually had my first open water swims yesterday and today since the Spanish Championships back in 2009. I have realized anyway that the race on Saturday is going to be my first one since (at least as a triathlon).

The swim was good and I go used to the wet suit quickly. I felt better that I had thought due to my washing machine training in Hamburg in the 25m pool. My body is reacting very well on the training and my workout schedule is on time.



Ferry-Tale...



It’s travelling time today so I grabbed my rent a car and went off to Playa Blanca to take the ferry. I have one of these huge cars where you can fit at least a football team. No wonder I need to cramp everything in there.

The weather is getting bad again and I am actually sitting in the rain when writing this. I wonder how Saturday is going to be. I have a big advantage: no matter how the weather will be… it can’t be worse than running at minus 10°C around the Alster in Hamburg… so it’s always the perspective you see things in.



Ordered Caos...



I am going to try and make a “Live” report on my face book group on the race on Saturday so you can follow how I am doing…

Hasta pronto  

All about chip monks and food…

Since Monday we have the weather I would expect of Lanzarote: slight wind and sun. When meeting my Spanish fiends down here at the pool I got the same comment off everybody: “Foli, erses blanco como una pared…!” which means basically I should work on my tan. Well, that’s not quite so easy if you come down here with the typical Hamburg skin tint: white on white. After my first bike ride (and I had put on sun blocker) I had stripes on my arms and legs….. I looked like a chip monk…. Yeah, the ones you know of Walt Disney…! When going on the bike yesterday I shoved my pants and top to a different position. I now have two layers on stripes. The locals are having fun… hahaha.

Food...

More food...

In the last two days I have spent some 7000 kcal just on the bike. Man I can tell you: I am hungry when I get home. I either had spaghetti with garlic (don’t worry… I’m sleeping on my own) or put some chicken in the pan. All the athletes who know “the Rock” will recognize the supermarket on the picture. A very, very important pit stop place to fill up during long bike rides. Breakfast I either take at “Bruno’s” in Costa Teguise or at the “Pastellito” here in Tahiche.

Four more days to the Challenge of Fuerteventura. I am looking forward to the race but I wonder how strong I can be as my first focus is on the training I am doing. I am feeling fine but training is a lot and hard.

That’s it for the moment. C.U. soon and keep the sun shining…!

Pit stop...!

Day to arrive…: LANZA..

TAKEOFF Hamburg

I am on my way to Lanzarote to start my actual training for THE ironman Frankfurt on the 24th July 2011. All the training before was no more than training to be able to training at the high level I am planning to train.

I will run you through my days by sending small posts with little text but more pics (that’s less boring…hihihi).





AVATAR meets the EASTER BUNNY

So…. Here I am on my way to “the Rock” as Lanza is call by the insiders. Left Hamburg really early Easter Sunday. Funnily the plane was very empty and I had three seats on my own. That’s a good start… the flight itself was very, very relaxing. I watched “This is it”, the M.J. documentary and after the (as usual quite bad) breakfast 12.000 m over ground, I watched AVATAR. While watching the movie the stewardess gave me an Easer Bunny (no… not herself…!) of chocolate. I stood it up against my Laptop and suddenly saw the alikeness of the actors and the bunny….. smile.

...what goes up must come down...!

Landing and luggage pick up without problem and then a cool “cortado” with Kim at the airport. He took me straight to Club La Santa to mount my race horse named “TRINITY”. I put some Carbon Dura Ace crank on it and it looks wicked!



No training on Sunday as it was wind and IT WAS RAINING!!!!!!!!! F*#k… Germany has 25°C and sunshine… Lanza has RAIN and 18°C….. I wanna go home…..!!!!!

More to come tomorrow .

Take care folks... 

Halfmarathon Wilhelmsburg…: running for a food basket

Today was a brilliant day for a nice run…: little sun and 13°C in southern Hamburg. Reason enough for me to go out for the “Wilhelmsburger Halbmarathon”. I had decided short handed and just wanted to see what I can run on the 21,1 km.

There were nearly 400 runners signed up for this distance and we were gunned off at 9:30 a.m. As usual there were about 15 runners dashing out of the stadium as if they were only to run 2000m. After the first K I was in front with another athlete and we started cruising hard though the suburbs of Hamburg. My legs felt great and Oliver (the other runner’s name) and I took turns in setting the pace. I was not checking my clock at all but after 10 Ks I had a glance to it: 35:21… (!) Oops…. That was far to fast. So I reduced my speed and Oliver just cruised on dropping me bit by bit until he had a lead of 100 m. Funnily at 12,5 K I noticed I was closing down the gap again but without having to get faster. I caught up to him at 13,5 K and said to myself: “o.k.: just keep myself mini/max running up to the last 5 Ks and then go for it.” The stupid thing about it was that he had the same idea. Oliver had such a strong finish…. Wow. I could not keep the speed up (we had passed the 15 K in 53:48) and started suffering server calve aches. I actually lost 2 minutes on the last 5 Ks but entered the finish in 1:17:32.   

Yum yum.... @ home

I am very happy about the finishing time considering that I still have not done any track or speed sessions. I was even happier about the awards ceremony: at last an event where the winners get something they can really use (instead of a tin cup): I got this wonderful basket full of goodies to eat… really healthy!

“The faster you run, the earlier you eat” (running for a food basket).

Two weeks to go for the Lanza trip and three to the Fuerteventura Challenge… I am getting exited.

Aloha

Special Forces…: "Testing one, two, three..."

Well: I tested the GIANT Trinity… 

I took the bike outside and had all set for a posh ride: my ZIPP Disc wheel and the 303 front wheel and felt like “King Louis on the banana”…

It took exactly 4 km to end my test ride: flat disc wheel… guuuaahhh! So I had to push my bike all the way home because I didn’t want to kill my rim. Half an hour late: once more: 303 front and back…

Once I got clear of Hamburg City (30 (!) traffic lights of which I normally need to stop at 15…) I lay down on the aerobars the first time. “What a feeling” I thought… every bit of energy I put in the pedals landed on the road. I could feel that I was lying further down and slip streaming the wind a lot better than on the GIANT TCR I normally ride. I started hammering the 110 Km Test I wanted to do. I did not check speed or heart rate… I just pushed (and pulled) the pedals. After the 110 (I had my GPS with me) I rode back home and had a look: 110 km averaged 39,8 km/h…. not bad for an elderly guy.

What made me so fast on that bike?




Choose your height...



"His highness: DON'T MOVE!"



The biggest difference to any bike I have seen or ridden is the fork, handlebar & stem unit: they are all attached to each other directly and have five fixing point plus a large clamping surface between the handle bars and the stem. This unit is by far the stiffest I have ever experienced.



Zero surface...

Long and low: fighting the wind...

Next point is my sitting position: this is something new for me personally: I am sitting further over the bottom bracket and further to the front. This rotates my body around the bottom bracket. By doing so I can lower the stem / handle bar and get into an even better aerodynamic position. I definitely need to get used to this because after the 180 Ks I did altogether on test day my neck was tired.

Hidden party blocker....

Aerodynamics is the word anyway (as you will all know): both breaks are hidden out of the wind and all the cables are hidden in the front cover (which is the connection of stem and fork). Looking from the front you can see the bike slices through the wind.

The frame stiffness is really good which sums up of the frame and the stem / fork unit. I never had the impression the bike was loosing power to any side especially when climbing or accelerating.

All in all this is a personal report and shows my impressions. Check the photos. I have added some details.

The Challenge of Fuerteventura can come and Ironman Frankfurt is also getting closer. I am starting to have day dreams on them… THAT’S GOOOOOD…!!!

Aces High