TriathlonX HalfX Triathlon - 03.07.2021

TriathlonX HalfX Triathlon - 03.07.2021

View from Nab Scar on a clear day

THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST 70.3 HALF 'IRON MAN'

MILE FOR MILE THE TOUGHEST TRIATHLON IN THE WORLD

Surely anyone sensible would run a mile (or 13.1 miles) when they heard claims like this. Well I guess I'm not that clever, and have done this event once in 2018, and tried and failed to do it in 2019.

2019 was a big disappointment, so I signed up for another go last year. 2020 came and went with no events due to COVID-19, and with about 10 weeks notice this year, I made a decision to take up my deferred place for 2021.

The race is a 1900m swim in Lake Windermere, a 90km bike ride over the hardest climbs in England, and then a half marathon climbing Fairfield, the 7th highest peak in England. Sounds fun yes?

Training

Here is where I give my excuses for not doing better this year - I basically did next to no proper preparation. A race like this needs long endurance training. Luckily I have 15 years of this already under my belt, and the body does remember. And all I had time for was a refresher course; it would have to do.

Swim training was my worst ever - rubbish weather and pools closed or hard to get into meant my first swim for nearly two years was exactly three weeks before race day. I went to the lake 2-3 times a week, and got my distance up to 1500m with no issues. I bought a new wetsuit as the old one was full of holes. I was ready for the distance, but knew I'd be slow - just didn't realise how slow.

My road bike had been inside on the turbo trainer since HalfX 2019. It needed a new chain, and rear tyre, and once I'd done that I had a couple of outings to the Chilterns. I had to get used to being on the roads on this bike again, but I had a decent base level of fitness from fairly consistent indoor training - only short rides though. As with swimming, I had no issues. I was good on the hills, and hoped my chain change would hold out.

Running recently has been good and consistent. I took it up a notch with a 10 week half marathon training plan from Garmin. I was lucky and avoided injury, and did most of the sessions recommended, building up to running nearly 15k. This is my best running for years.

Feeling less than confident, but expecting I'd manage, and with super-expensive accommodation already booked, it was time to leave.

Race Day

A summer start is much better, and though I hardly slept at all, I was wide awake and cycled the five minutes down to transition in daylight. Sadly no sunshine, and rain/thundery showers were forecast.  I had really hoped for easier conditions than autumn 2019.

Swim

Swim Start - Lake Windermere

Walked in to Windermere for the deep water start and the temperature was warm, so that was a relief. Conditions were calm and clear. I found a position near the back, and the klaxon sounded, and I started swimming. My goggles have been misbehaving and the right eye keeps leaking, which it did today. I stopped and adjusted, and magically got it working. In training I swam 1km as a test with one eye full of water, but I didn't really want to do this today. My plan was to swim as slowly as possible to avoid hyperventilating and panic attack in the early stages, something which helped derail my race in 2019. I saw a lady clinging to a canoe who made that mistake (she recovered and overtook me later). As the other swimmers got further away, I had my own support canoe keeping me company for the whole swim. I got to the far side of the lake and turned right, then a short distance to another right and headed back home. I hate this; plod, plod, plod; no issues just bored; until I got to the finish. A+L were there to cheer me into the empty transition. Turns out I was 8 minutes behind the previous competitor, I had a lot of catching up to do. Maybe I overdid it on the slow swimming and could have tried a little harder.

T1

After a relaxed change into my cycle gear I was off - all good, though a bit lonely, this was the pattern for the whole the day.

Bike

After a wobble in Ambleside where I followed the wrong sign, I started the longest climb of the day - The Struggle. Feeling quite warm I did OK, and started ticking off other competitors as I first passed my Evo club friends, and by the top had overtaken 6 people. I'd hoped for more but with only 65 in the field, realistically this was good enough. The descent was fast, as the roads were still dry. The route circled back to Ambleside, and I waved to A+L as I passed by on my way out for the remainder of the ride.

By the time I reached the next climb, a very steep but not long Wall-End, it was raining and the wind had picked up. I was wearing only thin tri-shorts and a cycling jersey, but chose to ride on without my jacket hoping the shower would pass. It didn't. Eventually I gave in when I started to get cold on the return leg about two hours later. I was overtaken when I stopped to get the jacket out of my back pocket. Damn.

Nearing the top of Wrynose East climb

It was a lonely ride, and I rarely even saw other riders. Wrynose and Hard Knot passes are very steep, with sections going up to 30% gradient. I've done them before, but today I found a few too slippery to ride so I walked them. The downhills were treacherous and needed both brakes full on just to avoid going over the edge on corners. I went down slower than I went up, skidding on locked wheels a few times. I saw riders walking down the hills - I've not seen that before. I know a few riders fell off, and I saw one sitting with a bandaged shoulder back at transition later. My friend Paul fell three times - he finished the ride but wasn't able to run. I haven't even mentioned all the insanely slippery cattle grids - just missed a motorbike falling at one.

Concentrating on the hill climb

I passed a workman cutting hedges. I had to cycle this stretch twice, hoping my tyres wouldn't pick up a thorn. I was lucky. A local festival was on, Eskfest. The teenage rock band  playing to a wet audience of three made me smile. I got stuck a little behind cars around there but nothing serious. The final 13km were undulating and the roads were still very wet - I made a wrong turn and stopped to check my map, then saw another rider flying off in the other direction. I followed him but he got away from me.

T2

Took my wet bike shoes, socks and jersey off, and put wet socks, trainers and t-shirt on - yes all my stuff was wet as there had been heavy rain in transition and I didn't pack it properly. It wasn't raining now at least. Feeling quite tired from the effort on the bike I told Anna not to expect me back for at least 4 hours. My legs weren't too bad, but my arms and shoulders were sore from the constant braking.

Run

The run up in the mountains can be dangerous; the weather can turn suddenly and you can get lost. So you have to take a rucksack containing coat/leggings/foil blanket/compass/torch/whistle and food and drink. I had 2 cliff bars, some jelly babies (which I never opened in fact) and two 250ml bladders of water. In my hand I carried a ham/cheese bagel and ran/walked while taking bites on that. It's nice to have something savory instead of sweet energy bars and gels. I made good time - the run training had worked. It's odd how after 6 hours exercise you are tired, and yet the change of muscles from bike to run is welcome and gives you a boost.

However, after the 4k flat section, the climbing started. The first part is steep steps up to Nab Scar. I started getting really hot, and realised I was thirsty and didn't have enough water. I would not get through a mountain half-marathon if I pushed hard and sweated a lot. So it was an easy decision to make to walk uphill rather than try to run. I monitored my heart rate and didn't let it get over about 145.

Nab Scar

After Nab Scar, the terrain evens out a bit and the climbing isn't so hard, but in this altitude we were above the clouds, and there was only about 20m visibility. With the slight wind it felt like constant rain though I think it was only fog. Not enough to warrant a coat but by the very top my arms were cold and covered with a layer of water. I couldn't see through my prescription sunglasses, and had to take them off. My eyesight isn't great, but was good enough to see the rocks at my feet - I hoped I wouldn't trip, and only did once, banging my knee. Not badly.

Every now and again a runner on the return leg appeared out of the fog running towards me. Every exchange was friendly, "Well done" - or "Not far now - keep going". But other than that I was alone with my thoughts for about 90 minutes. Handily my GPS watch gave me a distance, so I could countdown to 10.5km which was the turnaround. Little red flags at the limit of vision let me know I was headed in the right direction. My lower back was hurting and I stopped frequently to stretch it. I got a stone in my left shoe and had to stop and remove it eventually.

I reached the top, and had my photo taken - maybe to prove I got there :)

Fairfield Peak in the clouds.

I rationed my water as if marooned on a desert island. I need to rethink this poor strategy. It ran out about an hour from home. I did my best camel impression and just got on with it - it was all down hill anyway. My legs were good. My knees were taking a battering going down, constantly taking the pressure, but they held out.

I overtook a couple of people, but was also overtaken, I had no idea of my placing now. I knew I'd passed about 11 on the bike

Revisiting Nab Scar I came out of the clouds and could see the world again. I kept running down the steep section as fast as was safe. Once back at ground level I did some real running. I couldn't maintain pace for long, but the run/walk strategy was fine, and my run parts got longer as I got closer to home.

Glancing over my shoulder all the way to make sure I wouldn't lose a place at the last minute, I finally made it to the end, very glad to be finished,  I was welcomed back by cheering from A+L and Kevin, Victoria and Simon from Evo. Got a massive medal as usual:) 

Finished!

Evo Club friends, and Lyra!

I've redeemed myself for not finishing the course in 2019. I don't have to do this one again - do I?

Strava 55:58

Strava Bike 4:56:16

Strava Run 3:33:41

Total 9:39:31

I was 39th out of 53 individual finishers. 12 did not finish the race. I'm quite pleased with this - I felt in control all day and did what I came to do.

 

Triathlon X - Half X

Triathlon X - 30.09.2018

View near the top of the run

So I did the toughest half ironman race in the world Triathlon X! And I did quite well, placing about half way in my age group, and overall.

Here's a 'brief' race report, the long report is way too boring.

This race is really hard on paper. It's a normal distance Half Ironman, but the 1.9km swim in Lake Windermere has water of around 13 degrees C, which is cold. The 90km bike route has six hill climbs at over 20%, and the steepest pass in England at 33%. Finally the run is a half marathon up a 1000 foot mountain, over rough terrain. It sounds horrible, and I was a bit scared.

Me, Pelle, Mette, and Lars training

I went to Wasdale a few days before the race to acclimatise with friends and fellow racers.
Waswater is the deepest lake in England, and it was beautiful, refreshing, but cold. I was shaking when I got out, even though the sun was shining. When I got to Ambleside I bought a warm hat to wear under my swim cap - I already have neoprene boots for my feet. My bike preparation was all done in the weeks beforehand by finding the hardest hills in my area, and cycling up and down them until I got bored. As to running, well, any run over 2 miles since August has caused a painful calf injury - so I've only managed 5k runs recently. My last run over 10k was several years ago. 21k up a steep mountain  - unknown territory.

Swim start, new warm cap

The weather in the Lake District is variable at best.
The morning came and it looked OK - overcast, but not windy, and not raining. I'd been very apprehensive about choppy water - thankfully it was like the proverbial millpond. I focused on the day ahead. I got into the lake for the deep-water start, and we were off. I thought I was being sensible, staying at the back, not rushing. But something happened after about 5 minutes. Suddenly I couldn't get my breath and I couldn't front crawl. I felt a bit dizzy. I breaststroked. Severe doubts about whether I could go on - I almost asked a nearby marshal in a kayak to take me home. It's not the first time I've felt like this - it's happened in triathlons and in cold water training. But I thought about how much effort it had taken to get there, and how disappointed I'd be if I gave up. After a minute or two I tried swimming front crawl again, it was manageable. I passed the first buoy, at least I was making some progress. There were still swimmers near me (some kicking me, and swimming sideways past me). I kept going. I never felt so bad again, though the worry was always there - was it too cold for me? Will I get dizzy again? Eventually I found myself alone, seeing swimmers in the distance ahead. Was I in last place? So many questions, your mind has nothing else to do when swimming long distances. I got to the finish after about 50 minutes with relief - and checked my watch, not as bad a time as I'd expected.

In transition, I noticed that it had been raining during the swim. I dried myself as much as possible, and got dressed. I saw some friends - they were taking their time changing into cycling gear too and it was good to know I wasn't that far behind them.

I was cold and a bit wobbly for the first few minutes on the bike. Luckily (!), almost immediately it was time for the first big 20% climb of the day - aptly named "The Struggle" - surely this would warm me up. As is normal for me, being a slow swimmer, I was behind the good swimmers who are slower cyclists. I started to overtake people on the ride. I'm a good climber, and most other people hate it. I was surprised to see some friends already, and passed about four of them here. The great thing about a mass start triathlon is that anyone you overtake and stay ahead of is one place gained on the leader board. They are not in a different wave, you don't need to do mental calculations, you are actually ahead. Of course, the same applies if you get overtaken again :)

Coming back down to Ambleside after the climb I started to get a bit cold in the wind, but my Gabba cycling top, and arm warmers did the job - I never felt too cold all the ride.

Enjoying the climb up Wryenose

The climbs are very, very hard, so my plan was to take it steady on any flat portions. It wasn't till the next steep bit that I passed another friend, and the next one, Wrynose East,  where I finally caught Lars, the person responsible for me being there (thanks Lars!). He overtook me again later as he is faster on the flat, and we swapped places till I finally lost him on the return climb up Hard Knott pass west. I caught another friend from my triathlon club there as well.

It started to rain a bit and the wind picked up too. The descents were treacherous - I know some people fell on the slippery surfaces, and one required an ambulance. It didn't help that there were so many cars on the single track roads, or that one had spilled oil on the steepest section. But we had supporters on the hills, cheering and playing music - that was very nice to see.

I got down safely, and was feeling good - I sprinted the last few kilometers into transition. The hardest 90km I've ever done was in the bag.

I again took my time in transition. The biggest unknown for me was this half marathon. Because we climb up into the mountains, we have to be prepared for dangerous weather which can suddenly appear. I had my mandatory rucksack packed with raincoat, leggings, water, food, map, compass and whistle, and emergency foil blanket. Running with this on my back would be a new first for me.

I ran a little way out of town, and when we crossed the main road into quieter lanes, took out my cheese and ham bagel for a well deserved snack. I walked a bit, ran a bit. The sun was out, then it started to rain - I put on my raincoat, then took it off again. I reached the mountain section and Nikki from my club was there with biscuits. She told me I was 2nd in the club to go past her - wow!

Raining on the run

It was a very steep climb - I had no chance to run, and no energy. As we got higher the views over Windermere, and in every direction, got better and better. Eventually the terrain became less technical, and some running was possible. Here I caught up with Pelle, another friend, but not in my triathlon club. There were many false summits where I thought I'd got there, only to see a long track going up again in the distance. The wind really picked up, the rain turned to sleet, and the temperature dropped to about 3 degrees. I didn't care - just pulled my raincoat hood tighter. It was fun to see Pelle. We didn't really run together, but we raced each other and made it to the top at the same time. Too good an opportunity to miss, the sun came out, and we got an amazing photo.

Descending

Going back down I slipped on wet rock and hurt my leg a little, and a finger (which went black over the next few days, and still hurts nearly two weeks later). I was more cautious after that, and Pelle with his walking poles, and his experience (he'd done this race many times before) gradually pulled away from me. I was feeling OK to run on any flat and downhill bits, but the very steep section was slippery so I was slow and careful.

At the final road section towards the finish I could only run for short periods before needing to stop and walk.I was definitely dehydrated by now but my water was at the bottom of my rucksack. I met a few others here, overtook one, and got overtaken. Finally found enough energy to run into town.

Finished!

Anna and Lyra and the rest of the supporters were there cheering.

And I got the biggest medal ever!

Some numbers:

63rd out of 132 competitors
Bib 157
Swim 49:21 T1 8:59 Bike 4:23:48 T2 7:44 Run 3:28:31 Final Time 8:58:24

Full Results here, for now.
Strava Swim Bike Run

Photos from the amazing Coast to Coast

London Triathlon 2017

London Triathlon 2017 - No 7792


I've had quite a good preparation for this. I can swim the distance, and have practiced in the London dock where the race takes place. I've done plenty of cycling, and a few 16 mile time trials. My running is OK, and I'm happy with 22 minutes at 5km Parkruns. I've managed few 5 mile runs in training too. I'm not super fast, but I was ready.


I went up the night before and stayed with Olivia in her house near the Excel. I cycled in the morning, nice and early, with her boyfriend Luke and friend Abby, for our 8.05am wave start.


We got down to the jetty in plenty of time and jumped into the water. It was a bit cold as it seeped into my wetsuit, and I only had a couple of minutes to acclimatize. I tried to get the Garmin Fenix3 watch to find a satellite, but it kept going red when I put my arm in the water. I managed to get some green signals and hoped it was Ok, and then we were off.


Slow and steady, bilateral breathing as much as possible, trying not to get kicked too much, I plodded down to the far end of the dock. I found some space, but then fast swimmers came from behind from the second half of our wave. I'm used to that, at least they don't do breaststroke. After the turnaround, the way back to the Excel seemed to go on forever. I felt slightly sick for a minute, but it passed. I knew I was way back, but was a bit disappointed with over 39 minutes.


I spent too long getting my wetsuit off, and also too long trying to put my sunglasses on with one hand. Olivia, Luke and Abby were already long gone. T1 3:39.


The bike was a lot of fun. After yesterday's thunderstorms, everything had dried up, and it turned into a nice day. Cycling through London up to Westminster on closed roads is great. I haven't done it on my TT bike before, just on my road bike during the Prudential RideLondon100 events. Sadly, both the Fenix3 and the Garmin on my bike failed to find satellites, so I can't compare my segment times on Strava. For the first time ever I think, I was cycling blind, just knowing my time since T1, and that my target was 1:06.


I saw Olivia coming towards me, only about a minute from the Westminster turnaround. Now I had a visible target. It still took a while to catch her. It's a 1.5 loop course, so I was able to make some estimates of my finish time and felt confident I'd manage my estimate, but 1:02:59 was a bit fast - I am sure now that the course is shorter than 40km.


I didn't see Luke, and his bike was in transition already. My T2 was better, at 2:44, as there is quite a bit of running.


The 10k run takes place over three fairly flat loops. There is a run up a ramp into the Excel at the end of each lap, but it's not too bad. I pushed hard, and was getting very warm by now. At the end of lap one I saw Anna and Lyra cheering me on. I can't be sure now, but I think I started the second lap after 14 minutes. I passed quite a lot of people, a few passed me. I gave my hat to Anna at the end of the second lap, and was disappointed in my time, it was about 30 minutes. I speeded up. I was trying to catch Luke but didn't actually know what he was wearing. Near the end of my third lap I overtook Olivia on her second - she was doing well - I gave as much encouragement as I could muster - not a lot.


Arriving in the finish chute, someone had the cheek to overtake me - I found another gear and left him for dust.


I'd beaten my Olympic distance triathlon record, which is 2:32 and change. Not by a lot, but enough.


After I got my medal, I had a pint of free alcohol free beer, and went to find Anna and Lyra. We waited and watched Olivia finish. Eventually we found Luke and discovered that I must have overtaken him on my last lap, as he finished just behind me. Abby was on a heavy mountain bike (I wouldn't like to have done it on that) and finished about an hour later.




My official time is 2:31:55 with splits of 39:16, 3:39, 1:02:59, 2:44, 43:19


Links
Strava - Swim - T1 - Bike - T2 - Run :  disappointingly, the triathlon watch didn't pick up any GPS


Official - Sporthive, Olivia


photos (for now) Marathon Photos