Just go fo r it

From the sublime Frodeno to, erm, our features editor, there are multiple ways to approach an Ironman. Here’s what Matt Baird learnt when racing the iron-distance UK Ultimate Triathlon

PLAN YOUR MEALS

The UK Ultimate’s pre-race pasta party was sold out and I was left with the nearby Dog and Bull pub. Pasta wasn’t on the menu so I had gammon steak and chips, which might explain my digestive issues the next day. I should’ve made sure I’d some food to hand for post-race, too. The burger van had shut by the time I crawled across the line at 10pm and I was left with a half-eaten bag of cheese Doritos as my postrace reward.

DON’T FORGET THE RENNIES

I spent days deciding what trisuit and trainers to wear for the race, but the key things I regret not putting on my transition mat could’ve been bought from the petrol station outside the hotel. Enter Rennies and flat cola. I’ll never forget them on any future iron adventures.

YOU CAN STILL SEE YOUR FAMILY…

I trained around seven hours a week in the six months building up to Ironman. I’m not bragging – I spent some of the last hour being sick in a hedge, after all – but my point is that training to complete an Ironman doesn’t have to dominate your life. I still saw my kids, and utilised every lunch break, commute and evening for training sets instead of skipping those valuable weekend Legobuilding sessions.

… BUT BE SELFISH ON RACE WEEK

The night before the UK Ultimate, I shared a

Travelodge twin room with my dad – and I can tell you that he fidgets like no other in his sleep. So, if you can, sleep alone on the night before the race and dictate when you want to eat, sleep and rest. And given our postrace drive home involved me being sick on a ring road near Birmingham at 1am, maybe book a hotel room the night after the race as well!

PLAN NEW GOALS

I’m not prone to navel-gazing, but the days after the race were a mix of highs and lows. After years of thinking about Ironman, to suddenly have nothing athletic to aim for was a downer. Yes, the Ironman blues are real. So book anything, from a 10km road race to a swimrun, to get you moving and dreaming again.

IT’S WORTH IT

I can’t remember what I did yesterday, but the 3rd of June 2018 will forever be etched on my memory. I ended the race with the posture of Yoda and sick on my Sauconys, yet it was worth all the blood (blisters), sweat and tears. Much of that is down to my fellow band of back-of-the-pack iron brothers and sisters, my dad (then 71 and after a couple of lunchtime pints) who ran the last 10km with me, and the stewards and race organisers who gave invaluable support during the race. Ironman is full of hyperbolic branding yet crossing that 226km line was one of the greatest moments of my life. So, if you’re undecided on whether to attempt an Ironman in 2021, I say go for it!