Port Mac - Cairns double

[sglowz 8]

Hi All - Has anyone here done both Ironman Aus and Cairns in the same year? If you have doubled-up, how did you find Cairns (in terms of enjoyment and ability to push yourself relative to your performance / experience at Port Mac)?

 

Steve 

[ratdog 614]

I did the double 4 times.  What i found hard was to stay focused between the races on training and resting.  I tossed up a few key sessions a week and rested a fair bit.  

The difference in temperatures and humidity was tough for me.  The course itself isnt all that tough if the wind stays down.Port Mac is hands down the toughest IM Course on the Calendar in Australia.

[IronmanFoz 1,655]

In 2000 - I did Taupo and Forster 5 weeks apart. Did a 10:32 and followed up with a 10:50. Best to ease back into training. I took a week off then got sick diarrhoea which lasted several weeks into Forster. Race day , I was dizzy on bike and run. After 1st aid station I walked and got lots of fruit and jelly babies in and recovered well. 

About 6 weeks later I ended up with glandular fever.

Message here is: easy back into training; eat well; get your vitamins in; sleep well/recover properly.

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by IronmanFoz

[clintred 152]

I haven’t done that double but have done port into Hawaii 70.3 the last two years (4weeks apart) 

if you make the right decisions between the two you’ll be surprised, don’t panic train, don’t do too much volume, do next to no intensity, up the swim percentage and drop the run percentage. 

The hardest part for me is staying on the straight and narrow with eating post Ironman, it’s so easy to start eating junk, throwing beers in every other night etc. 

[rory-dognz 805]

I have done two that close before Wanaka and Port in 2008

the hard part for me was the motivation to do the long rides, especially as the weather moved from summer to autumn.

Don't rush back into your training but have a couple of fun weeks, then the motivation to do the hard/long sessions should be there

[sglowz 8]

Thanks guys. I might see how I feel by the end of the weekend.

[Oompa Loompa 901]

On 08/05/2019 at 9:58 PM, ratdog said:

I did the double 4 times.  What i found hard was to stay focused between the races on training and resting.  I tossed up a few key sessions a week and rested a fair bit.  

The difference in temperatures and humidity was tough for me.  The course itself isnt all that tough if the wind stays down.Port Mac is hands down the toughest IM Course on the Calendar in Australia.

Fark, 4 doubles and a toss. Respect.

[Kiwinoz 101]

There is someone here who just missed out on Port KQ then did so at Cairns. Everyone's different with their training and recovery though.