My Ironman Journey!!
Ironman for me was always the ‘Impossible’. It seemed superhuman to be able to swim 3.8Km, bike 180km and then run a full marathon all in a cut off time. Ironman was always one of my ‘life goals’. With my job, the Ironman I was going to complete had to be done in the summer. Nice was a no-go due to the ridiculous hills and Austria was sold out. Wales was never going to be a contender. Maastricht- Holland…. That has to be flat right? I pressed the purchase button on my laptop and had just entered Ironman Maastricht 2016. €535. Am I mad? Will I have enough time to train? Will my husband understand that he will be minding the 3 kids more?
As the winter training increased and my sanity decreased, I teamed up with different training buddies. When I look back the 5am Sunday morning cycles were torture but the laughs with Andrew and Kate made the long cycles fly by. Believe me conservations were battles sometimes over who had the worst sores or whose legs were the stiffest. I think my bike skills definitely improved, tackling how to control the bike when you’re laughing so much your crying!
Heath was not on my side on the lead up to Ironman. I got pleurisy twice and the flu. Like the actual proper flu, not the man one. The seemingly constant sickness started getting me down and I started to question myself…. Will I be able to do this?… I’m not getting in enough training. One Monday night I bumped into Marie Casey Breen. Her positive words and encouragement got me back on track. It’s amazing how a few simple words can mean so much to someone.
After the months of training were coming to an end, surprisingly my pre-race nerves started to reduce. On the Friday before the race everything seemed to just fall into place. Myself and my husband flew into Eindhoven, rented a car and drove to Maastricht. We entered the city and I swear I got Goosebumps. The city was buzzing. All Ironman bunting flags were hung from buildings. A huge articulated Ironman truck was at the centre of the square. I just thought to myself …. This is going to be big. Again luck was on my side when I got to the hotel. Only a 7 min walk to transition. Like a child on Christmas morning I checked into the hotel and walked as fast as I could to registration. I checked in and got my Ironman bag and the old credit card got a big hit at the expo! I also went to the pre-race party. It really should be just renamed ‘Gods fittest looking bodies+ Linda’.
Saturday was taken up by sorting my three bags and checking in my bike. Bed early on Saturday night and surprisingly I slept very well. 5 am start on the Sunday. The months of training all boiled down to this day. I felt relaxed. When are the nerves going to kick in? As I stared my 7 min walk to transition with each step I took the atmosphere intensified. Transition area was an extremely weird vibe the morning of the race. Some people were laughing or joking other people had a passive blank look. It’s funny how different people react. I changed into my wet suit and Alan Ryan thankfully checked the pressure on my tyres. It was brilliant to have a familiar face in transition area with me. I left transition area and walked towards the river. Tick tock……
The national anthem was played and I knew my dream was becoming a reality. The ‘psych up’ music started. It’s funny seeing 2000+ people dancing in wetsuits at 7am in the morning. Not one ounce of drink involved! At 7 am the cannon went followed by the pros. It was a rolling start. One person a second went into the river.
The swim was amazing. The water temperature felt perfect. The swim course consisted of a swim of 1.9km up the river around provincial government building. We then had to do an ‘Australian exit’ and then re-enter the water. This for me mentally was brilliant. I broke the swim up into two sections and I was looking forward to the halfway point. Heike was constantly in my brain for the swim. STRETCH…. GLIDE…PULL. I exited the water, checked my watch 1:12! Holy crap I was delighted.
T1 went drama free. I collected my blue bag (bike gear) and changed into my clothes. I was reunited with my bike (love you bike) and started my 180km bike ride (2 x 90KM loops- 1400m). For those of you that think Holland is flat –it’s not. The first 10km was flat and then I hit a series of 5 hills. I should reiterate the fact that I HATE HILLS. With every hill the volume of spectators increased. ‘’Go Girl’’ ‘Respect’ were constantly shouted at me and you know what the support helped. I felt like a celebrity!! The cobble stone streets added to a serious amount of punctures. The sharp descents added to a serious amount of crashes. As the distance was being clocked up on the bike the weather stared to decrease. The winds stared to pick up and the showers were becoming more prolonged but I just thought…feck it, it’s the same for everybody. Half of the bike course was in Belgium. The scenery was beautiful. The time flew by and soon T2 was getting nearer.
As I entered T2 and got upright my body was stiff and my bum was sore. I collected my red bag (running gear) put on a new tri suit and set off on my merry way to do a marathon. The run consisted of a four loop course around the beautiful city. After each loop you collect a different band. The run I knew was never going to be easy. My back started to ache and I was sick to death of gels. Lap one completed and I met my husband. ‘’Get me deep heat’’. My back was really sore. I knew I would meet him again at the half way stage. Lap 2 done and Deep Heat plastered on my back I set off for my final 21km. giving up was never going to be an option. I spoke to a woman who was on her 50th Ironman. The last lap I found very emotional. I couldn’t believe I was getting closer to dream. 3km from the finishing line was the worst part of the day for me. I looked down at my hands, they were swollen. I felt really dizzy and I started to really worry. I can’t faint now so close to the end. A handful of jelly babies and a serious sugar rush brought me to the finish line. ‘Linda Scallan you are an IRONMAN’. 14 hours 21min. I won’t lie a few tears escaped my eye.
The whole experience was amazing. From the training to my friends that helped me on my journey. To Andrew, Kate, Marie, Karen and Heike thanks for putting up with me. Gillian thanks for answering all my questions. Ger, you are a gem. Thanks for all the company over the final few weeks in training. Being part of a club is so rewarding. All of the well wishes definitely brought me to the finishing line. To my husband thank you and I promise I won’t do an ironman next year!! My three kids think Mammy came 10th and I think I will leave it like that. They also think I’m really cool now with my new tattoo, even though some people don’t like it!!!
My advice, everybody has the same time. 24 hours in the day. It’s what you do with your time is what matters.
Linda Scallan
Ironman!