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.

 

Parkrun #14 - Maidenhead

Parkrun #14 - Maidenhead

New Year's Day 2020 and a special Parkrun - the 250th one at Braywick in Maidenhead.

I'm living a it further away now so it's not my closest (that's Bracknell), but it started at the later time of 10.30 am which was good after a late night yesterday.

I met a load of Evo members, Stuart & Rob, Barbara, Alan, Rich and others which was a surprise. It was good not to be on my own for a change.

I started well and got a good position without any real congestion - some of those behind me said that the 600+ people, some with buggies and dogs, made it hard to get any speed up and there were even places where they had to walk.

I was hoping for a time of 22 minutes, and so slowed a little after my 6:45 min/mile initial pace down to a fairly steady 7:15. My mental arithmetic was wrong though, more later.

I saw Izzy just ahead of me and David Dyer who is one of the course directors. I felt quite comfortable and was confident that I would be fine to keep at this pace until the finish - I've done a lot of running recently and am getting better at pacing.

Izzy pulled away, but David slowed a little on the back straight and I overtook him. A short time later though he went past me again! I overtook once more on the back straight - again, and then approached the small hill at the end of the second and final lap. speeded up and overtook a few people. A new left turn at he top of the hill approached a circular run round to the finish chute. With 100m to go I overtook a runner who did not want to be overtaken - I really had to sprint my hardest.
But even with that sprint and my pace improved to 7:06 I was still outside my 22 minutes goal, at 22:14.

I came 45th overall, out of 625 finishers.
Strava link
Parkrun link

In hindsight, I should have set myself a 7 minute mile pace, and I probably could have done it for the sub 22 minute, but I didn't want to suffer so much, and I'm happy I had a good run. I was 2nd Evo - Izzy was over a minute ahead.

Parkrun #13 - Bracknell

Parkrun #13 - Bracknell

A longer gap than I wanted since the last Parkrun, which was April in Northern Ireland. That's over six months! It has been a pretty busy time though, what with the house move.

I've been doing a lot of off road running in Ascot recently, and noticed that this Parkrun, being my nearest now, has a varied terrain, more later on that. There was some rugby match on TV this morning which everyone was talking about. There were also a lot of race cancellations due to high wind and rain. It was obvious then that I'd pick today :)

After a short drive I easily found the start. It wasn't much fun getting out of the warm car, but I had my thin waterproof, and hat, so I was OK. I did a quick jog around a bit of the course - up a muddy path and into some trees. It was warm enough for shorts, but I knew my legs were going to get dirty.

I joined the newcomers briefing, and discovered this was an two lap clockwise route, replacing an anti-clockwise 2.5 lap one. A good day to come.

Despite the slight drizzle, I decide to run without my jacket to avoid any overheating.

We started running slightly uphill, the same way I'd practiced in fact, and having not seeded myself properly I had a bit of overtaking to do on the narrow path. Into the trees and I'd just about found my place. It was fun, if slow, weaving through the dense wood, with deep pine-cone matting underfoot. Back out and into the wind and rain again we approached the start pavilion, and went past it down to some football pitches through the soggy grass.

Completing the approximate figure 8 we got to lap two. I had slowed a little by now but by the end of this ascent and back in the trees I picked the pace up a little and overtook a couple of people, even though I got hit in the head by what must have been a falling pine cone. I gained one more place just near the pavilion before going on for the final section.  I kept this position until the finish.

I just kept going, looking over my shoulder a little occasionally to make sure I wouldn't be caught. I gained on the man in front, but had no fight in me to chase for one more place. The varied terrain of muddy path, waterlogged grass, and bed of pine cones saps your leg strength.

I expected to be about 20th, so was pretty surprised not only by the distance (my watch said 1/10 of a mile to go) but also by being handed token number 11. I'm told the course is the correct length, but GPS watches get confused in the trees - I'm prepared to believe this.

After the run, view of the start/finish pavilion, and part of course

I came 11th out of 201, with a time of 22:21. Admittedly, lots of faster runners probably stayed at home and watched TV. Still, it's my best time this year!

Strava: Link
Parkrun: Link

Prudential Ride London 2019

Prudential Ride London 2019

View of the Olympic Park and route at 4.20am

I've done less cycling training this year than any other year and I thought about not doing this event. However, I had paid, twice (due to having to postpone last year), and it's not easy getting a ballot place. I then thought maybe I'd just turn up and have a nice ride, maybe join some friends and enjoy the freedom of the open roads.

But as usual, I did do the ride, and rather than taking it easy, I pushed harder than ever.

Me at the start

I had an early night and woke up next morning just after 3.30 am. I stayed at Olivia's flat only a 10 minute ride from the start so I had plenty of time. I drank some water, and ate half a cheese sandwich, couldn't face the rest. The remainder of my breakfast was a small banana The 5:52 start was prompt, and the weather was perfect at 15 degrees with little wind.

I can't go full speed from cold, and all the groups that formed were really sprinting. It took me a while to find some riders I could join, but once I got going I had a good run through early morning London. Saw a rider who was a similar speed to me (No 1001) and only lost him completely around the Newlands Corner climb.

It took just over an hour to get to Kingston, and my average speed had risen to 39km/h. I have a record on this course of just over five hours, which I found difficult at the time. I didn't realistically think it was possible to beat this today, until I got here. The section after Hampton Court is where I always struggle as the excitement of London is over, and the adrenaline depletes. But I was still feeling strong, and didn't get dropped by the group I was with, so I started thinking I could beat five hours here, and decided to go for it.

All went to plan and I had fun to Newlands Corner. I knew stopping would probably kill my chances of 5 hours, so even though the first real hill of the day was hard, I kept going over the top.

However, I'd lost the large group I'd been in, and my legs were tiring. My average speed started to drop. I couldn't get onto another group, and spent time on my own. Leith Hill was hard, and even Box Hill was a struggle. I've not done these climbs on very tired legs before.

After Box Hill there is only 30 miles to go. I had some niggling pain in my knees, and my right ankle for some reason. My back was stiff but that wasn't affecting my riding pace. I found a nice fast group eventually to take me into Kingston, then lost it on the Coombe Lane climb. Jumping onto the back of passing groups was taking a bigger effort than I was able to make.

My average speed was dropping to around 34-5 km/h, and I'd just about run out of liquids. I started the ride with 500 ml of water with an electrolyte tablet in it, and another 500ml bottle with 4 gels in topped up with water. On a cold day this would have been fine, but it was getting warmer by Wimbledon, maybe 21 degrees. Also my only food so far, a large Kendal Mint Cake, had just finished. I had more food, but didn't want to waste time and effort taking it out and opening it. I need to make my food easier to eat if I do this again.

I was getting tired and sore but was sure I'd make my target time. Found another group on the Embankment, who were not going really fast, but at least they could help me get home. Emptied my reserve tank with a final sprint down The Mall and was really pleased with my 4:38:05 time. Maybe with some proper training I can beat 4:30!

Because of my third wave start (B-Blue), and not stopping at all, I was one of the early finishers and so there was plenty of space to take my time at the end. No photographers this year however, but some tourists took my photo for me.

Me at the finish on The Mall

Results : Strava Official Prudential Results

Parkrun #12 - Portrush

14/04/2019

Semi annual Portrush Parkrun time.

Dropped Lyra with my Mum and drove down with Anna.

It was bright and breezy - very breezy, with gusts of 40mph - and around 5 degrees. Quite cold so I wore my light waterproof. over a t-shirt and shorts.

Bridge

The tide was out so there was a good hard surface of sand; I went for a quick warm-up down the beach. There is a small river of water going down to the sea, and a little bridge is placed for people to use to keep their feet dry. I decided I'd use it.

The start was directly into the wind - I went straight for the bridge, which was a mistake. It took me up the beach a little away from most of the runners who decided to risk wet feet. I didn't have the any and would have been better hiding behind some people to save energy.

It was really hard and I was slow. My HR was about 160 bpm as I slogged my way up the beach towards the White Rocks, but my minutes per mile were way down. It took me 12:51 to get to the turnaround.

Some runners

Finally the wind was on my back. I took some advantage of this, but my legs were tired so not as much as if I'd been fresh. Still, it was interesting, and in places I felt like I was running down a steep hill. My HR stayed at about 160 bpm, then with 1/2 a kilometer to go I pushed for home and got it up to 170. My return time was about 2 minutes faster than going out.

I came 35th  out of 232 runners.with a time of 23:46 (one of my poorest results). Last year I was 29th with 21:51 (278 runners) so maybe it was just the wind that I can't handle as I lost all my time there.


Links Strava
Parkrun

Evans RideIT London 2019

Evans RideIT London 2019

Seems like a long time since my last challenge, the Triathlon X in September 2018. This is fairly tame in comparison, but I was secretly hoping for poor weather (like snow maybe, which we had only a week or two previously) so I did no proper preparation for this 73 mile bike ride.

Olivia bought it for me for my birthday, and she and Luke joined me at the start which was a fairly short drive away at Osterley Park.

Me, Olivia and Luke at the start - Osterley Park

The weather was 6 degrees, but was forecast to go up to 13 degrees - so we dressed quite warmly, and as expected, overheated a little later in the day. My brand new Castelli Perfetto jacket (also a birthday present) did a great job in its maiden outing.

The route headed out of London west, then north into the Chilterns, then looped around some hills and came back through Eton and Datchet. It was supposed to be flattish, but had a couple of fairly nasty steep hills.

We kept it steady and stayed together. I got to see some familiar roads and a few interesting new ones too - I may try to build some of them into my usual long rides.

Near Slough

We had a stop after 20 miles, and I stuffed my face with cake. I hardly drank any water, maybe 700 ml the whole day. The road surfaces were damp mostly everywhere, so descents and corners had to be taken very slowly. After another 30 miles or so we stopped at Evans on the A4 for more cake and a very welcome comfort break at Costa next door.

After a quick stop in Eton to say 'hi' to Anna and Lyra who came out to support*, we headed back east to Osterley Park and the finish, in just over 6 hours.

Me back at the finish

I wasn't too tired really, but was aching a little in my arms (triceps), and right knee and ankle - nothing serious.

Strava
Evans Website Results

Photo Neil Taylor Kasia
* I was running the Glympse app on my phone, so Anna could track our position - it worked well enough for her to meet us.

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

Parkrun #11 - Maidenhead

11.08.2018

Up early on a Saturday morning and a bit of a rush to get everyone ready for the drive over to Maidenhead for our first family Parkrun.

It was a bright and sunny day, maybe even too warm even at 9am.

We met a group of other buggy runners, and the organizer of the Buggy group.

I wasn't going to try to be in the front at the start, but this was probably a mistake. Due to some earth works, there is only a narrow passage now to get through to the main path, and I got stuck for a while with no way to overtake. Not pushing the buggy into people's ankles is difficult, and I had to walk at times. Anna and I ran together for a bit, but then I saw a gap and pushed Lya into it and lost her.

After my slow start things got better, though it was still quite variable where I needed to overtake, or where I ran up the small steep hill - pushing was hard and a little slippery there.

Happy to finish my first buggy Parkrun - the time 26:01 (79th out of 279) doesn't really matter much. Anna beat 30 minutes again with 29:48.

Links
Strava - Link
Parkrun - Link
Photos on Facebook group

Parkrun #10 - Portrush

28.07.2018

We were lucky with the weather today. Rain overnight cleared and thought it was cloudy and a little windy, conditions could have been a lot worse.

Anna and I went down first so that we could have a bit of a warm up. Carol and Jon arrived a bit later but still in time. It's actually 3 years since we all ran Portrush Parkrun together.

I wasn't going for any records as I haven't really run fast for a while. I know it's easy to say after the event, but I'd expect to be able to do around 22 minutes.

It's 2.5k out along the beach, and 2.5k back. I was doing OK on my average speed by the turnaround, though I could feel myself slowing. On the way back I seemed to be running with two other men, none of us willing to let the other gain any advantage. I pushed a bit harder, or so I thought; my speed was still going down. This is perceived effort working it's magic.

One of my rivals dropped back a bit, the other was on my shoulder. It's always amusing to see mid or low ranked competitors trying to outsprint each other for what is not really a very important victory - one place in a race that doesn't matter. But when you've spent 10 minutes trying to outrun someone, it becomes vital to win that meagre prize. I pushed as hard as I could with about a minute to go - there wasn't much left in my legs, and I have a feeling the other guy just didn't care and let me have the place anyway.

The rain was beginning as I finished, and Carol and Anna had to complete their races that way.

I came 29th out of 278, in a time of 21:51

Anna did 29:45 and was pleased to beat her target of 30:00
Carol did 25:12, and Jon did really well coming 5th with 19:35

Results
Parkrun here
Strava here
Flickr 1 2 3
There are photos on Facebook, but I haven't bothered to track them down for this blog yet.

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

Windsor Triathlon 2013

Hot on the heels of my Dragon Ride last week, I had another race that I knew I wasn't prepared for. you have to enter these things so far in advance, sometimes you forget why you did it. Something about it being my local triathlon club's main race, and having lots of supporters, and being part of the whole experience.

I live right next door to the start, so it was an easy walk down to transition this morning. This was my sixth Windsor triathlon so there aren't many nerves - I know the drill. I wasn't looking forward to the swim, and had done not nearly enough training, but the current wasn't particularly strong this year, so I would manage.

Swim 40:41

I set up my zone, and made my way to the river  - jumped in - waited for the signal, and was off. I have a lot of problems with my right shoulder, and had a small operation on it a couple of years ago, but it still hurts and I only get about 40% power with that arm when swimming. Neverthless I was expecting to be a bit faster than I was. Waves of swimmers leave every five minutes, and as my wave moved further and further ahead of me, quite a few of the swimmers in waves behind caught up and overtook.

T1 1:50

Quite a long run to my bike - not a particularly fast time.

Bike 1:09:07

Nothing much to report here, I wasn't feeling fast, and didn't do a good time. Tired from the swim, or the Dragon Ride maybe.

T2 1:33

Standard transition, no problems.

Run 50:21

Since my problems with running last autumn, I've only been in my trainers once, for the Grim Challenge, and that was just for a bit of a laugh really with friends. With no run training, my expectations were low. I thought I may even get some kind of injury and have to walk a lot. I started slowly, and walked quite a bit in the first lap (of three).  I felt OK, and gradually increased the ratio of run/walk, until the third lap where I decided I would probably make it to the end, so ran the whole way, as fast as I could.

Evolution triathlon club camp out by Brown's Restaurant, and get to see everyone going past six times on the run. Obviously I ran confidently when in view :) I've done this course before in just over 42 minutes, but 50:21 isn't bad for someone who hasn't trained so I was quite pleased.

Total time 2:43:34

This time is quite respectable for the amount of training I did, so overall a good result. I was 652nd out of 1442 finishers, 113th out of 225 in my category. I hated the swim, a lot. I don't know if I want to do that again. And as the prices are now so high (over £100) that's another disincentive, which is a shame. I have said it before, but maybe I will stay away from Windsor Triathlon until I actually sort my swimming out.

Links

Strava - for bike section.
Results
Photos

Ironman 70.3 Pays d'Aix 2011

looking too happy on the run

Suddenly decided that I'd do a Half Ironman. Some friends were going, and I was feeling quite fit, so it seemed like a good idea. I entered on 31st July 2011, less than two months before race day on 25th September 2011. It's nice to be race-fit and to be able to do things ad-hoc like this. Not only would it be a race, it would be a long weekend in the sun when the British summer was over. For my friends Scott and Joanne this was their first long distance triathlon, and part of their ramp-up for Ironman Austria next year. I think it was more just some fun for Amy, Mark and Jo who made up the rest of our party and were doing it together as a relay.

I arrived on Thursday and after finding everyone we had a nice dinner, with just a few glasses of red wine. Joanne's parents were here too, with a campervan, and they very kindly took us on a tour of the bike course the next day. This was really useful, and also a nice trip around the region.

Unusually, the swim and the run route were far apart; we would be exiting the swim and cycling to the run start 20km away. So we packed everything in our transition bags and cycled over to the lake to stretch our legs. Quite a lot of hard thinking was required to make sure nothing was forgotten - it wouldn't be good to pick up your run bag and find no shoes in it. It was warm and sunny, and we had some time, so we tested the water - it was really nice to have a swim. We then had quite a tough time getting back to town as the buses promised didn't materialise and we had to try and get taxis.

Another nice dinner, some carb loading, and definitely some more relaxing red wine.

Race day arrived with thunder and heavy rain. Coaches were lined up in Aix to take us to the start and we trudged the 15 minute walk over to them at about 5am. I hadn't packed for wet weather, but I wasn't worried for some reason - I probably should have been. But the rain stopped, and the sun came out and everything was fine in the end.


Swim 00:43:16 - 963rd

I actually didn't mind the swim. The lake water was clean and warm, and my wetsuit helped with buoyancy. 1900m is only a bit further than Olympic distance 1500m, and I knew I'd have no trouble finishing. We waited on the beach in a huge crowd listening to the music, the announcer, and trying to stay calm. After a rather shambolic start, lots of confusion with ropes and people jumping the gun, we were off and I kept to the back as usual. It is a long thin lake, and we swam to a buoy near the far end, across the lake to another, and back to complete the third side of the rectangle. I fell further and further behind and by the end there were not many people near me. This is borne out by the result - I only beat about 25 people - I didn't mind too much, 43 minutes is good for me, but there was a lot of work to do.

T1 00:05:25

Even the fastest people were taking 3-4 minutes here. I stopped at the loo so that I wouldn't be uncomfortable on the bike.

Bike 02:56:52

I was hoping to beat three hours on the bike, but the previous day's course review revealed quite a lot of hills, so I wasn't sure if I could make it. I saw someone at the side of the road after only a few minutes, not realising it was Scott mending his first (of two) punctures of the day. Climbing a hill a short while later, which was beginning to get quite tedious,  I came across Joanne and Mark talking together. I said 'Hi' as I went past, and Mark decided he would join me.

We spent the next hour or so leap-frogging each other. My most fun descent to date is this one, where we raced for ages trying to gain an advantage, swerving across to left and right, not caring about cars and just using the entire traffic free road.

Eventually we hit a flat section and Mark pulled away from me. I couldn't afford to try to follow, as I had a half-marathon coming up. Mark was doing the relay, so wasn't running. The final third of the course had quite a tough hill but we were soon descending into the town of Aix for transition two. I managed to beat my target, very pleased with my time here.

T2 00:03:58

Another loo break means my transition is slower by about a minute than it could be. I'd rather lose time here though than at the side of the road during the bike.

Run 01:29:11

Some nifty watch manipulation was needed to get my Garmin 205 restarted for the run, but I managed it (you can see links to both activities below). The course is three laps around the town, and was supposed to be flat. I ran well but it was very hard work, and very hot in the Provence afternoon sunshine. We ran as far as a park where there was some shade, and I took on some water there. on the way back to town there was a hill, not much to look at on the elevation chart, but I hated it. This section was two-way, so a chance to see my friends occasionally.

I was hoping for a time just slightly slower than a normal half marathon - so something like 02:35. I ran a very steady race, watching my average speed, getting very tired but knowing I'd make it. I had a bit of confusion at the final roundabout on the third lap - I couldn't work out where the exit and almost ended up going round for lap 4. But I found it and was very pleased to get a time under 1:30.

Overall 05:18:44

I was 473rd out of 993 competitors. I thought I'd have done a bit better than that. My swim let me down very badly. My bike was good, but needs to be faster - I should not be content with a 30km/h average speed on a race this distance. My run was the best section for me, 232nd overall in this - I can't think how I'd improve on that significantly.

We finished at a reasonable time of day, unlike with a full IM race, which was nice. Some more food, lots of relieved chat that it was over, and definitely more red wine.


Results - Garmin Bike - Garmin Run - Ironman Site - Ironman Individual Page

Photos - Video still available at Mysports but FinisherPix photos are removed.