Five hours. That is the number I want to see after crossing the finish line at IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań. I missed it by seven minutes in Bydgoszcz, but a lot has happened since then: two holidays, consistent training, more confidence in open water, a new wetsuit and two punctures on a single ride. With only a few days left, have I done enough to make sub-five a realistic fight?
This article preserves my perspective from the final days before IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań 2026. It is the next chapter of my Road to Ironman 2027 project.
I was genuinely pleased after finishing Enea Bydgoszcz Triathlon in 5:07:35. It was my first triathlon in five years and proof that I could control a race again. I also knew exactly what I wanted to improve before Poznań: freedom in the water, resilience when equipment goes wrong and the few minutes that make a huge difference over 70.3 miles.
Recovery first, without dropping out of the rhythm
I did not want to jump straight into huge volume after Bydgoszcz. The first of two holidays was meant to be family time. Instead of chasing results, I went for short, easy morning runs. The point was movement, recovery and a quiet reminder to the body that the season was not over.
The bike came along too, without performance pressure: roughly 45 kilometres around Kos, a few climbs, excellent views and the simple pleasure of riding. I also climbed to the island’s highest point. Not every activity needs to serve a spreadsheet to return value as a fresher mind.
The most important progress happened in open water
If I had to name one area I most wanted to improve, it would be open-water swimming. On holiday I set specific buoys and offshore landmarks as targets. One buoy took several attempts. I backed off, returned and tried again until I finally reached it.
It was not my fastest session. It mattered more than that: I stopped treating open water as something to fear.
I also swam alongside my family on SUP boards. The first time, without a wetsuit, they had to wait for me. On the second outing, wearing the new suit, the roles occasionally reversed. That was the first moment I thought the swim in Poznań might become more than a stage to survive.
My previous wetsuit was too small. It restricted my shoulders and amplified the feeling of tightness and limited breathing. This time I chose a larger size and the ZEROD Fuzion Max available from TriCentre.pl. The difference was clear. I will publish a full review separately, but I can already say that I swim more freely in it and my mind no longer adds the same layer of panic.
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Fitness was rising: longer rides, 25-kilometre runs and a faster pool pace
The focused work began after the holiday. I added 60-kilometre rides, runs reaching 25 kilometres, intervals and speed sessions. Garmin’s VO₂ max estimate rose from 53 to 57 in four weeks, a level I had not seen for five or six years. The watch is not an oracle, but the trend matched the sessions: I felt stronger.
The pool told a similar story. My watch began showing sub-two-minute pace per 100 metres more often. For many swimmers that is an ordinary number; for me it was evidence that the improvement was becoming repeatable. I was even starting to enjoy the pool, while remembering that open water remains a different challenge.
Two punctures at once and a lesson I do not want on race day
That confidence was tested quickly. I hit a hole during one ride and punctured both tubes. I carried only one spare and was not comfortable enough with the CO₂ inflator. The session ended with a walk and a call for collection.
It was embarrassing but useful. The same mistake during the race would end any fight for a result. I now carry two tubes and a compact electric pump. Crucially, I tested it before race week; the roadside is not the place to read the instructions for the first time.
The final days: build nothing and break nothing
The second holiday, in the Bieszczady Mountains, came without cycling or swimming but with plenty of uphill running. Several sessions alternated roughly one kilometre hard uphill and one kilometre down, repeated five or six times. It was the last substantial stimulus. A few days before Poznań, fitness cannot be built; it can only be revealed through rest or damaged through unnecessary risk.
That is why I skipped an open-water session in Katowice when the water looked suspicious and suggested an algal bloom. I went to the pool the next day. The final bike sessions contained shorter, harder efforts but no large volume. The priority is to reach the start healthy and rested.
Two minutes may already be waiting in transition
My T2 in Bydgoszcz took more than four minutes. Before Poznań, I replaced conventional laces with elastic ones that do not need tying. It is a small detail, but a handful of details can add up to several minutes over a half-distance race. The equipment is being tested now, not on the evening before the start.
Can I really break five hours?
I finished Bydgoszcz in 5:07:35, but the swim followed the river current and the run course was longer than a standard half marathon. That result cannot simply be transferred to Poznań. My official 70.3 personal best remains roughly 5:26 from Gdynia, which makes five hours a genuinely ambitious target.
There are still concrete reasons for optimism: greater tolerance of open water, a wetsuit that does not restrict my movement, improving run fitness, faster swimming in the pool and a better-prepared bike repair kit. None of that guarantees a time, but it gives me a fair chance to try.
The plan for Poznań is simple: use what I have built, look for no excuses and find out at the finish what I am really worth.
This is the next episode of my Road to Ironman 2027. On Sunday, the predictions end and the race begins. Keep your fingers crossed.