Great advice. I'm not a great swimmer. Started in the 1-50 pen. Man, that swim was hard (for me). I wasn't prepared for the conditions and the current. Panic attacks and rescues going on all around me made it a frightening experience. Got swum over by hundreds near the far buoy. I did my best but completed my first lap in 1-05, at least 20 mins behind my training time. Chose not to go round again as I wouldn't have made it in time and I didn't feel like drowning. Lessons learnt - be a strong swimmer. I had done plenty of sea swimming in training but I wouldn't have swum alone in those conditions.
Good advice on the sea swim. I was one of those you stayed in the 1.40-1.50 pack and missed the sea cut off. Reflects more on my swim technique but I got battered with those waves. Pray for an easier one next IM wales or I’ll be in 1.20 pen 😂
A lot of people were sick coming out the swim on Ironman wales. I was one of them 🤢. I was able to drink a bottle of flat coke in T1 and although it came back up after a few minutes and I could not hold any fluid or food down for the first 2 hrs on the bike. After 2hrs I was able to drink and take fuel on but was a bit depleted by then but I was able to carry on and finish the race. A few were pulled out by medics or pulled out themselves being sick. I believe that just having that coke in my stomach for a few minutes helped me in the long run and allowed me to recover. I was told this by a few seasoned athletes in our club. What’s your thought on the flat coke.
Fair play well done for Finishing. I will they would have extended the cut off on swim given the conditons and atleast then I could have had crack at bike
It's hard to say, Nigel - there is an old rumour that flat coke after open water swimming helps kill any bacteria from the water that you might have accidentally swallowed. It's more likely, given Tenby, to be a combination of swallowing sea water, and the rough water, made you sick. In terms of getting simple liquid calories in - flat coke will do the trick in an emergency, but it wouldn't be my first choice. I'm glad you got to recover!
My shoulder popped out lap 1 of the swim and my watch bust. Completed the swim with 1 arm, but unfortunately I was 4mins out 💔😞 Only now getting better mentally about what happened
@@TeamOxygenaddict Thankyou for replying back as I always watch your podcasts on TH-cam. It’s helped me loads training for the last year, I’ve entered for next year and will do my best. Just need to get better at swimming, I find that I just didn’t get faster or better, just consistent.
My cleat broke on mile 4 of the bike in Wales, I stopped 3 marshals to try get a replacement to be told they don't carry that part by the 3rd marshall, I had stopped for 45 minutes in totel to see if they could get one sorted, in the end I was 2mins 4 seconds over the time to run, even though there was still 6 hours for the marathon. Gutted , I will now carry spares ones on everything I do.
It’s the transition at wales in the car park I was worried about the route to my bike across the car park damaging my cleats etc. you can get cleat covers which i will use next year
My Ironman disaster. Did UK in 2014 then sort of hung up the wheels. Wet suit went into a box to be forgotten. Roll on 5yrs decided to have another go. Life the universe and everything else got in the way of open water training so only tried the wetsuit the day before. Of course 5Kg heavier and an already old and tatty wetsuit was like a straight jacket. Roll on race day could hardly breathe, out in the water it gave way and turned into a waterlogged mess. Didn't make it to T1. Gave everyone a laugh though. A few abject lessons to learn. 😀
Still devasted from IM Wales ....100% ready and done all I could do to get to that line ... or so I thought .. Im not great swimmer but had done the distance many times 1hr 50 to 2hrs in the sea. What I hadnt done, other than LCW, was experience horrendious sea conditions like we had that day !! I completed the swim but 30mins slower than normal and 9 mins over the cut off - leaving me not able to get to my strongest element the bike. Im going again next yr, for my sanity but my advice others / what I would do differently :- 1. Get swim coach ASAP ! Good techique will save you if conditiions are biblical again. 2. Know this is controversial but wish I had gone way further forward in swim pen at start line and not in my correct time slot. Took almost 30mins after gun to even get in the water - all the time the tide was going against us. Going further forward would have given me more time in pack and not so isolated on lap 2. Defintley doing this different next time 3. Do what ever it takes to be coming out that sea 1hr 30min ish with what seems to be the masses. Thats my adjustments. Hope helps someone else.
@@cvduk99 yea. I am about a 1hr40 swimmer but I started in the 1hr15 group to get in and out before the the tide was at its strongest. Managed a 1hr46 which given the conditions I was happy with except being 🤮 all the way up the beach to my pink bag 🤦♂️
So hard to predict at Wales that the current will do, and the water conditions change so much depending on the recent weather. I think you're right with key point 3 - focussing on getting yourself into 1.30 swim shape for next year will really help. I wish you all the best!
Great advice.
I'm not a great swimmer. Started in the 1-50 pen. Man, that swim was hard (for me). I wasn't prepared for the conditions and the current. Panic attacks and rescues going on all around me made it a frightening experience. Got swum over by hundreds near the far buoy. I did my best but completed my first lap in 1-05, at least 20 mins behind my training time. Chose not to go round again as I wouldn't have made it in time and I didn't feel like drowning.
Lessons learnt - be a strong swimmer. I had done plenty of sea swimming in training but I wouldn't have swum alone in those conditions.
Was that at wales ? Agree with you the far turn got kicked in the head !
Those swim conditions were really challenging. I wish you all the best with your training this coming winter!
Good advice on the sea swim. I was one of those you stayed in the 1.40-1.50 pack and missed the sea cut off. Reflects more on my swim technique but I got battered with those waves. Pray for an easier one next IM wales or I’ll be in 1.20 pen 😂
Really sorry to read you didn't meet the cut off. You've got all winter to work on that swim technique :)
A lot of people were sick coming out the swim on Ironman wales. I was one of them 🤢. I was able to drink a bottle of flat coke in T1 and although it came back up after a few minutes and I could not hold any fluid or food down for the first 2 hrs on the bike. After 2hrs I was able to drink and take fuel on but was a bit depleted by then but I was able to carry on and finish the race. A few were pulled out by medics or pulled out themselves being sick. I believe that just having that coke in my stomach for a few minutes helped me in the long run and allowed me to recover. I was told this by a few seasoned athletes in our club. What’s your thought on the flat coke.
Fair play well done for Finishing. I will they would have extended the cut off on swim given the conditons and atleast then I could have had crack at bike
It's hard to say, Nigel - there is an old rumour that flat coke after open water swimming helps kill any bacteria from the water that you might have accidentally swallowed. It's more likely, given Tenby, to be a combination of swallowing sea water, and the rough water, made you sick. In terms of getting simple liquid calories in - flat coke will do the trick in an emergency, but it wouldn't be my first choice. I'm glad you got to recover!
My shoulder popped out lap 1 of the swim and my watch bust.
Completed the swim with 1 arm, but unfortunately I was 4mins out 💔😞
Only now getting better mentally about what happened
I was 9 mins over - something I would have pulled back in first few miles of bike .... Know your pain - Im definetly not mentally better
yet
Really sorry to read this, Carl! I hope your shoulder is OK!
@@TeamOxygenaddict
Thankyou for replying back as I always watch your podcasts on TH-cam. It’s helped me loads training for the last year, I’ve entered for next year and will do my best. Just need to get better at swimming, I find that I just didn’t get faster or better, just consistent.
@@carlbaldwin2991 Thanks for watching! Appreciate the support :) Drop us a line if you'd be interested in getting coaching for next year :)
That is something I would like to consider 😊
My cleat broke on mile 4 of the bike in Wales, I stopped 3 marshals to try get a replacement to be told they don't carry that part by the 3rd marshall, I had stopped for 45 minutes in totel to see if they could get one sorted, in the end I was 2mins 4 seconds over the time to run, even though there was still 6 hours for the marathon. Gutted , I will now carry spares ones on everything I do.
It’s the transition at wales in the car park I was worried about the route to my bike across the car park damaging my cleats etc. you can get cleat covers which i will use next year
That's really bad luck. I hope you get better luck next year, Richard!
My Ironman disaster. Did UK in 2014 then sort of hung up the wheels. Wet suit went into a box to be forgotten. Roll on 5yrs decided to have another go. Life the universe and everything else got in the way of open water training so only tried the wetsuit the day before. Of course 5Kg heavier and an already old and tatty wetsuit was like a straight jacket. Roll on race day could hardly breathe, out in the water it gave way and turned into a waterlogged mess. Didn't make it to T1. Gave everyone a laugh though. A few abject lessons to learn. 😀
Really sorry to read you had such a difficult day, Stephen. Hope you come back again :)
Still devasted from IM Wales ....100% ready and done all I could do to get to that line ... or so I thought .. Im not great swimmer but had done the distance many times 1hr 50 to 2hrs in the sea. What I hadnt done, other than LCW, was experience horrendious sea conditions like we had that day !! I completed the swim but 30mins slower than normal and 9 mins over the cut off - leaving me not able to get to my strongest element the bike.
Im going again next yr, for my sanity but my advice others / what I would do differently :-
1. Get swim coach ASAP ! Good techique will save you if conditiions are biblical again.
2. Know this is controversial but wish I had gone way further forward in swim pen at start line and not in my correct time slot. Took almost 30mins after gun to even get in the water - all the time the tide was going against us. Going further forward would have given me more time in pack and not so isolated on lap 2. Defintley doing this different next time
3. Do what ever it takes to be coming out that sea 1hr 30min ish with what seems to be the masses.
Thats my adjustments. Hope helps someone else.
@@cvduk99 yea. I am about a 1hr40 swimmer but I started in the 1hr15 group to get in and out before the the tide was at its strongest. Managed a 1hr46 which given the conditions I was happy with except being 🤮 all the way up the beach to my pink bag 🤦♂️
So hard to predict at Wales that the current will do, and the water conditions change so much depending on the recent weather. I think you're right with key point 3 - focussing on getting yourself into 1.30 swim shape for next year will really help. I wish you all the best!