I saw this advertised some months back, but an impending house move made the schedule unsure. I bit the bullet in the end and signed up for it. Of course a delayed house move meant only a week between the move and the race. Work also got their 2p in with me flying to the US on the Tuesday evening and landing back in the UK Saturday morning. How would I fair with such tiredness and stress?
It was very local and only took a few minutes to get there and register. A quick spin up the road and back then time to rack the bike. The advantage of having a surname beginning with A is often a low race number. #2 in this case.
Found my spot and racked the bike and attached my shoes. I seemed to be the only one doing so; admittedly the ground was a little damp but I didn't think it would be too bad. I deposited a pair of trainers at the rear of my bike which garnered some odd looks, then went for a warm up run. Back in time for briefing.
We lined up and watch a mini-helicopter take a video of us and then we were off. The pace was a little tasty and so I reigned it in a bit and started to get overtaken a few times. The run was a 5.3km loop around the lakes of Dinton Pastures near Wokingham. After a few km I began to reel in some of the overtakers, moving from one to another and so on. Throughout I kept an eye on the pace and I didn't want to overcook the first run. Just before km 4 there was a little lump in the trail, then another. Both upset the pacing but the short downhill afterwards was a blessing.
I went through 5km in 19:39 it didn't seem like the usual hard effort for that pace, especially as I had earned a short-lived 5km PB on a similar course at Dinton in February. Run#1 done in 21:00 in 11th place.
T1 was a very swift 21s (second fastest!) and on to the bike. The LH strap had come undone so I got some speed up then managed to sort it out. Not easy with gloves on. After a few minutes I heard the whup-whup of a disc and was left standing as another tri bike came past. I was then alone for the next 8km before we hit a motorway bridge. I hung back as I didn't want to attack on a hill. A few guys came past me like a chaingang and hung off the back of a few in front. For the next few km we played cat and mouse. Each time I dropped back out of the draft zone. When I overtook, the protagonist typically sat on my wheel. After one overtake I even saw him throw a gel wrapper in to a bush.
Towards the end of the bike leg I was overtaken by the guy again and left it there. He'd take a while to catch me in the first place so I knew his run wouldn't be much. As I came to the mount line a swift dismount saw me overtake the guy and I beat him in to T2.
20km Bike was 34:18 and 12th place.
T2 was a pedestrian 34s as I put on my second pair of running shoes. This did save some time overall even though I had trouble getting in to the shoes.
The second run was the same course as the first. There was a good first km and then I had to keep pushing to stay on the pace. I was overtaken twice, then after a few km caught up with one of the guys. Shortly before the 4.5km point I was overtaken again and there was no way at that point I would be able to kick and stay with him. That said I managed a ramp and then kicked at the 5km marker. As I came round the final bend I saw 1:17:56 on the clock and gave a good sprint hoping to fall in under the minute. Second run in 21:44 and 10th position on the run.
The combined time was 1:18:00 exactly and 10th place overall. This was 8th Male Senior and I reckon 4th M35-39. Not a PB, but then not a flat/slightly short course like Dorney and not a qualifier either. I wasn't racing for a particular time, but racing tactically for positions.
It's always interesting to dissect the results of multisport and see where I came on each leg compared to others. For example the guy who came 7th had the 28th fastest run#1, 15th fastest run#2 and a shocking T1. However his bike was very good!
As I have said, I didn't push as hard as I could on run#1 and I was
fairly conservative on the bike. I pushed where I knew I could and the
course would allow but otherwise not going too hard. I did burn a match
at a compulsory stop where I left the bike in the wrong gear! This did work out with only a 44s increase on run#2. The bike numbers also tell a similar story with a Normalised Power and Average Power of 240W for the bike leg (VI of 1.00 obviously). Best 20minute power was 241W for both compared to 258W at a qualifier earlier in the year where my second run suffered by over a minute.
As an event Dinton was great. Good grass roots with a lot of first timers coming from both run and bike backgrounds. Lots of MTBs and team entrants too. Will be nice to see how this event flourishes next year.
Showing posts with label Early start. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Early start. Show all posts
Monday, 18 November 2013
Sunday, 26 May 2013
Grendon tri - race report
As I mentioned before, I'd had a busy week. I'd not had time to get nervous about Grendon. Strange, as I had thrown my £10 in the BTF aiming to qualify for the 2014 European champs. Whilst I knew getting in the top 4 of my AG would be very tough, I was aiming for the sub 120% of AG winner time. This would put me in the rolldown list.
Kit was packed up the night before. I was picked up my some club members at 0530, and the journey up was uneventful. Registered, racked and ready to go. Last minute toilet stop, then wetsuit on.
Swim - 750 m
I was in the green-hat wave: M35-39 & M40-44. We got into the lake and had a few minutes warmup, then were called back to the start line. The water was very cold, but the warm up helped to control the breathing. Plenty of face splashes to get used to the cold!
Once the hooter went there was some biff, but not too bad. Managed to get on to some good feet and sighted towards a pylon in the distance. Got to the first buoy, assuming it to be about the 350m point. We had been instructed to turn 3/4 of the buoy then head towards the fallen-over orange buoy. It was hard to see and certainly not 3/4 of the way round the first buoy. At some point between the two buoys I was caught in a gap; the front swimmers had moved ahead and I'd pulled away from the group behind, but not as much as the people following. In short, no drafting! At the final turn buoy we went round and I picked up the exit arch in the distance, with the sun shining in to my eyes. Kept plugging away and the swim seemed to go on and on and on. Finally to the exit ramp and then out on to the matting. A long run of a couple of hundred meters to T1 followed. Including run 16:57 unsure what the actual swim time was.
T1
I knew with the long run that the water would drain from the wetsuit. This often gives the opportunity to get rid of the suit by the lake then run, rather than de-suiting in T1. I chose to go to T1. Of course, my suit got stuck (despite having removed inches of leg from the suit last year). Once I was out of my suit I put my helmet on, grabbed the bike and ran to the mount line. 1:30 shocking.
Bike - 23 km
Elastic band trick worked well.
The road out of Grendon lakes had many sharp speed bumps, so took it easy. On to the main road and up the first hill. Immediately I felt like I had nothing to give. My legs felt tired. I remained positive in my mind but was definitely struggling. A few downhill and downwind sections made me feel a bit better but ultimately I wasn't on form. It was also unusual to ride in sunny and warm conditions. I had pre-empted this and had a bottle on the bike. Not for drinking during the ride, but for the beginning and end, to save time drinking in T1 and T2. Average Power 245 W.
A depressing 42:33.
T2
LuckilyT2 was a bit swifter. My new ASICS race shoes came with their own elastic laces which I used in preference to the ones I had used many times before. I struggled to get my feet in to my trainers quickly, but got them in, grabbed pirate visor and off I went. A glacial 1:03.
Run - 5 km
The run course was a 2 lapper. Out from T2 past the lake to a pylon, then back diverting past another lake, then through the finish area to restart. The surface ranged from tarmac to gravel to stones to grass. Very interesting. The loop by the second lake also had a lump in it. After the usual jelly legs I got in to a good pace. Of course I knew that I wasn't going to qualify but still aimed to hit the 120% time. Even so, the body once again failed to react. I did manage a final sprint to the line. Run time a leisurely 22:47.
All in for 1:24:52. Was aiming for something a tad faster, Safe to say I missed the 120% time.
Reflection
The event, course and organisation were great. I cannot fault that at all, it was really good.
So was sitting in the car for 1000 miles the week before beneficial? We all have to work. Was I fully recovered from the 8 days in California challenge? Was running 3 times in the past 4 weeks ideal (one of which was a poor 10km race)? The lack of adrenaline and nervousness the week before and the day before are interesting.
So onwards and upwards. Swimming won't improve too much, but let's stay regular. Running off the bike must improve and I think some rest and easy cycling will solve the bike problems. Let's build towards Bristol tri in June, and then the duathlon qualifiers at the end of the year.
Think positive.
Kit was packed up the night before. I was picked up my some club members at 0530, and the journey up was uneventful. Registered, racked and ready to go. Last minute toilet stop, then wetsuit on.
Swim - 750 m
I was in the green-hat wave: M35-39 & M40-44. We got into the lake and had a few minutes warmup, then were called back to the start line. The water was very cold, but the warm up helped to control the breathing. Plenty of face splashes to get used to the cold!
Once the hooter went there was some biff, but not too bad. Managed to get on to some good feet and sighted towards a pylon in the distance. Got to the first buoy, assuming it to be about the 350m point. We had been instructed to turn 3/4 of the buoy then head towards the fallen-over orange buoy. It was hard to see and certainly not 3/4 of the way round the first buoy. At some point between the two buoys I was caught in a gap; the front swimmers had moved ahead and I'd pulled away from the group behind, but not as much as the people following. In short, no drafting! At the final turn buoy we went round and I picked up the exit arch in the distance, with the sun shining in to my eyes. Kept plugging away and the swim seemed to go on and on and on. Finally to the exit ramp and then out on to the matting. A long run of a couple of hundred meters to T1 followed. Including run 16:57 unsure what the actual swim time was.
T1
I knew with the long run that the water would drain from the wetsuit. This often gives the opportunity to get rid of the suit by the lake then run, rather than de-suiting in T1. I chose to go to T1. Of course, my suit got stuck (despite having removed inches of leg from the suit last year). Once I was out of my suit I put my helmet on, grabbed the bike and ran to the mount line. 1:30 shocking.
Bike - 23 km
Elastic band trick worked well.
The road out of Grendon lakes had many sharp speed bumps, so took it easy. On to the main road and up the first hill. Immediately I felt like I had nothing to give. My legs felt tired. I remained positive in my mind but was definitely struggling. A few downhill and downwind sections made me feel a bit better but ultimately I wasn't on form. It was also unusual to ride in sunny and warm conditions. I had pre-empted this and had a bottle on the bike. Not for drinking during the ride, but for the beginning and end, to save time drinking in T1 and T2. Average Power 245 W.
A depressing 42:33.
T2
LuckilyT2 was a bit swifter. My new ASICS race shoes came with their own elastic laces which I used in preference to the ones I had used many times before. I struggled to get my feet in to my trainers quickly, but got them in, grabbed pirate visor and off I went. A glacial 1:03.
Run - 5 km
The run course was a 2 lapper. Out from T2 past the lake to a pylon, then back diverting past another lake, then through the finish area to restart. The surface ranged from tarmac to gravel to stones to grass. Very interesting. The loop by the second lake also had a lump in it. After the usual jelly legs I got in to a good pace. Of course I knew that I wasn't going to qualify but still aimed to hit the 120% time. Even so, the body once again failed to react. I did manage a final sprint to the line. Run time a leisurely 22:47.
All in for 1:24:52. Was aiming for something a tad faster, Safe to say I missed the 120% time.
Reflection
The event, course and organisation were great. I cannot fault that at all, it was really good.
So was sitting in the car for 1000 miles the week before beneficial? We all have to work. Was I fully recovered from the 8 days in California challenge? Was running 3 times in the past 4 weeks ideal (one of which was a poor 10km race)? The lack of adrenaline and nervousness the week before and the day before are interesting.
So onwards and upwards. Swimming won't improve too much, but let's stay regular. Running off the bike must improve and I think some rest and easy cycling will solve the bike problems. Let's build towards Bristol tri in June, and then the duathlon qualifiers at the end of the year.
Think positive.
Saturday, 25 May 2013
Random Update
It's been another busy week for me. After flying out to Germany early Tuesday morning, then sitting in the back of a car for 1000 miles, I got home in to Heathrow Friday evening. Apparently I was lucky to get back home after the interesting day at Heathrow. Once through security in Frankfurt I wandered up to the earlier flight and managed to get on. Happy days.
So back to the 8 days in California
Day 5 was an early climb with flattish finish. 20 second and 30 second power record.
Day 6 was the Time Trial. Ouch. Scraped a 15 minute power record. I wasn't looking to set a 20 minute one, that's for sure!
Day 7 was the biggy, the Queen stage. over 1h30 long it took a lot of effort, and on one of the sunniest days for months! 30 second, 60 & 90 minute power bests.
Day 8 was the final day, circuits with sprint finished. A good effort but the legs were hurting so managed to finish, but with no panache or style. No bests either.
Back to last week:
I managed a 7km run in Austria along the river Inn, then Thursday night I did a few lengths in the hotel pool. It was a 15m pool but arm time is arm time. The run was strange. After 2 days sat in the car for 4-5 hours a piece my quads were sore, and both cramped on the run. So much so I had to walk for a bit. Then some unfamiliar geography caused me to do some XC running to get back over the river Inn to Austria.
My kit is packed up ready for tomorrow's triathlon. Qualifier for the 2014 European championships. Looking forward to it.
So back to the 8 days in California
Day 5 was an early climb with flattish finish. 20 second and 30 second power record.
Day 6 was the Time Trial. Ouch. Scraped a 15 minute power record. I wasn't looking to set a 20 minute one, that's for sure!
Day 7 was the biggy, the Queen stage. over 1h30 long it took a lot of effort, and on one of the sunniest days for months! 30 second, 60 & 90 minute power bests.
Day 8 was the final day, circuits with sprint finished. A good effort but the legs were hurting so managed to finish, but with no panache or style. No bests either.
Back to last week:
I managed a 7km run in Austria along the river Inn, then Thursday night I did a few lengths in the hotel pool. It was a 15m pool but arm time is arm time. The run was strange. After 2 days sat in the car for 4-5 hours a piece my quads were sore, and both cramped on the run. So much so I had to walk for a bit. Then some unfamiliar geography caused me to do some XC running to get back over the river Inn to Austria.
My kit is packed up ready for tomorrow's triathlon. Qualifier for the 2014 European championships. Looking forward to it.
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Lighting the taper, and new trisuit revealed!
It's been another busy week. I got out on the TT bike in the sun last Sunday. It was a pleasure to ride some country routes without wrapping up like an Eskimo.
Monday was going to be busy with work so I went out for an early morning run, in the sun again! I had to pick up a colleague up from the airport and managed to drop in to Blade printing on the way to hand over my Adidas tri-suit for printing, in case the Z3R0D suits were not available. At the same time the team received an email telling us to order the new suits online. After some confusion we were then told to order them direct from the BTF.
Tuesday started at a hotel in Essex where I tested out the gym bike with Audiofuel's Ride Harder#1. 40 minutes of pyramid intervals - good stuff. I washed this breakfast down with a 15 minutes treadmill brick, then went to meet my colleagues for a proper meal. After a couple of busy days I got home late Wednesday, just in time to go to the track. Our club coach had planned 3 reps of the following:
That slipped until Friday lunch time. I rode Sufferfest's The Wretched on TrainerRoad. A good way of keeping true to power.
I also received my Z3R0D GB trisuit at last, all printed up. Very proud!
Saturday was an early run before a wedding. It was my turn to drive as it was a friend of my wife. Next time she can drive! Today was finished off with a good session on the TT bike.
Taper time now. Shorter sessions but just as intense. Heading out to the Netherlands on Thursday.
Monday was going to be busy with work so I went out for an early morning run, in the sun again! I had to pick up a colleague up from the airport and managed to drop in to Blade printing on the way to hand over my Adidas tri-suit for printing, in case the Z3R0D suits were not available. At the same time the team received an email telling us to order the new suits online. After some confusion we were then told to order them direct from the BTF.
Tuesday started at a hotel in Essex where I tested out the gym bike with Audiofuel's Ride Harder#1. 40 minutes of pyramid intervals - good stuff. I washed this breakfast down with a 15 minutes treadmill brick, then went to meet my colleagues for a proper meal. After a couple of busy days I got home late Wednesday, just in time to go to the track. Our club coach had planned 3 reps of the following:
- 1200m at HM pace
- 400m at 10km pace
- 200m at 5km pace
That slipped until Friday lunch time. I rode Sufferfest's The Wretched on TrainerRoad. A good way of keeping true to power.
I also received my Z3R0D GB trisuit at last, all printed up. Very proud!
Saturday was an early run before a wedding. It was my turn to drive as it was a friend of my wife. Next time she can drive! Today was finished off with a good session on the TT bike.
Taper time now. Shorter sessions but just as intense. Heading out to the Netherlands on Thursday.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Race report - Marlow duathlon
To catch up with the week...
Wednesday evening was a pyramid track session. Thursday I rode Sufferfest's There Is No Try on TrainerRoad. During the middle TT section I could feel some cramps building in my left calf and then on the final high-power interval the cramps arrived and locked my leg solid. I still went out for my planned transition run then finished off with a 10 minute spin on the bike.
Friday's tempo run became an easy multi-terrain run with a few pickups; mainly as I was racing Sunday and also to run off the muscle stiffness from the cramp. Saturday was a rest day and after visiting my local bike shop I took the kids to a local park. They have an outdoor gym there and it was funny to watch both of them trying leg pushes, ski-trainer and stationary bike.
So on to the duathlon. Marlow Striders have run this annual event for a fair few years now. It is a great, friendly, grass-roots event and gets better every year; this year had chip-timing and proper age-group results. In past years the proceeds have contributed to the purchase of Marlow sports ground, along with the other resident clubs.
I had been watching the weather for a few days. Despite raining yesterday the evening forecast promised a dry morning with minimum wind with heavy rain coming in before 12pm.
Upon arrival it was noticeably cooler than at home even though it wasn't too far away. After registering and getting a coffee I took the bike out for a 10 minute spin to make sure all was OK, and then racked the bike. After some more faff I adjusted my rear brake, set up my shoes on the bike and then went for a quick warm up run. Back to the start line for the briefing, and then the hooter went.
The first run is 7.5km - round the sports field, out down Pound Lane (a track), along a muddy path then on to the Thames path. Over the Thames on a wooden bridge then cross country again. Through a low tunnel, round Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre then continuing on the road across the Thames at Marlow. Through Higginson park (grass and mud) then back down Pound Lane to the large gate and across the field to T1.
Run#1.
My target time for this was 30 minutes. As usual it wasn't long before I was hot, even in the overcast conditions - I have raced most duathlons this year in a white short-sleeve base layer, arm warmers and tri-suit. All was well until we hit the muddy track. In past years a cold spell has made this track passable though hard underfoot. Today it was a quagmire, with most people struggling to stay upright, even those in XC shoes like myself. After some effort the path ended and the Thames path appeared. The wooden bridge was slippery on the way up and even more so on the way back down. Up to this point I had been sparing with a fellow Finch Coasters' runner. She had some great XC shoes and made some headway on the mud but I managed to overtake on the road section. Good going on the roads until we hit the mud in Higginson park and then in to T1.
Run#1: 30:44.
T1 was a pedestrian 55 seconds due to running up the wrong row in transition. Found my bike, put my helmet and glasses on and I immediately noticed that my glasses had steamed and would not clear.
Bike.
After jumping on the bike at the mount line my feet found my shoes and off I went. Plan was to take it relatively easy on the first couple of km as they were uphill, then I could hammer the downhill and the rest of the 25km course. Then it started to rain, and I struggled to keep my glasses clear. At the top of the hill I got ready to hit the descent though it was hard to see due to my glasses and the rain. I should have used the clear lenses too.
The entire course was waterlogged and the surface water hid potholes - or so we'd been warned. The bike course splits in two quite nicely. The first part is rolling and the second is more up then down.The first part wasn't too bad but the rain got heavier and then turned to hail. I was still struggling to see where I was going and so decided it was better to take it easier than end up damaged. As I approached the second half my kit was soaked, my shoes had filled up with water and I'd lost most of the feeling in my hands, needing to use the entire hand to change gear. There wasn't much to be said about the bike course other than it was hard work in the conditions and completely unenjoyable. Not the fault of the organisers by any means. For me it was also interesting to see how lonely the bike course was. Last year I was further down the pack so there was lots of overtaking and grabbing positions back. This time there was the odd overtake or overtaking and passing those unlucky enough to puncture on the multitude of potholes. One of the best part of the second half is the descent to the turn-round point. Not this year. Lack of feeling in my hands meant taking it easy so I could slow down in time and I lost a few places due to this. After the turn-round it was through a wooded area where the road surface was mostly holes. I noticed the guys in the distance were drafting which annoyed me - it is unfair to everyone else riding within the rules. Towards one of the final turns I passed another punctured competitor and a marshal asked if he was ok. I tried to reply but my mouth would not move - frozen in place. I rolled down the hill in to T2 - again, normally I'd put some effort in but it was hard to do anything.
Bike: 51:11
T2 was faster as I knew where the bike went, though the event photographer was trying to do some artistic shots in my space.
Run#2.
Run#2 , the reverse of Run#1 was about survival, rather than my 30:00 target (run#2 is slightly shorter than #1). The lack of effort on the bike meant I was not going to hit my target so it was a case of do what I could. One thing I did notice was the lack of jelly legs. I hopes this down to all the brick sessions I have done, but in all honesty is was likely down to the lack of bike effort. Like the bike, the run was lonely and cold. I also noticed I was shivering a lot. Shortly before Bisham I was overtaken and we exchanged some banter. He was running off some anger caused by a puncture - and then he disappeared! I heard some footsteps from behind shortly before the wooden bridge and was accompanied across the bridge and along the Thames, then he overtaken me. We hit the muddy path and both of us played Bambi on ice for a mile. Once back on the track I found my legs again but could not catch him. I tried to push harder but it seemed it was too early to kick and I'd run out of power before the finish. A winter of XC racing has given me a good grounding of how early I can kick, and also when to save it. As we approached the final turn in to the sports ground I kicked hard and made the overtake. We both hit the grass on the field and I thought I would lose my lead. Luckily the bad footing affected us both and I crossed the finish line with 3s between us. The previous finisher was 14s before - a lifetime in racing.
Run#1: 32:00
Aftermath.
I grabbed my free hot chocolate recovery drink and headed in to the club for my warm clothes as I continued to shake and shiver. The club house had a few people covered in foil blankets and others lying next to radiators. I got on my warm clothes then found my Coasters' friend, who was also suffering. It seems the conditions caused a few cases of mild hypothermia and a vast amount of shivery cold people. Many ended up under hand-driers and alongside radiators in the bar. No long term damage done though.
It is a measure of an event when things like this happen, and the Marlow guys really pulled together and ensured that everyone was ok. Hot tea, coffee and more hot chocolate flowed until the warmth was evident. Well done Marlow.
So after all that I finished 23rd overall, and 7th in AG after 1:55:43. I'll be honest and say I'd hoped for better - somewhere at least 5 minutes quicker overall. Though with hindsight I had really raced last year and this year I struggled to see on the bike so eased off and also suffered from the cold. Then the second run was about getting back rather than setting records.
Not a bad day out, but must try harder. That is all my racing done now until the Europeans so time to get some quality training under the belt. Glad to see that my Coasters' friend managed 2nd Woman and the other Coasters and TVTers all did well in the conditions.
Wednesday evening was a pyramid track session. Thursday I rode Sufferfest's There Is No Try on TrainerRoad. During the middle TT section I could feel some cramps building in my left calf and then on the final high-power interval the cramps arrived and locked my leg solid. I still went out for my planned transition run then finished off with a 10 minute spin on the bike.
Friday's tempo run became an easy multi-terrain run with a few pickups; mainly as I was racing Sunday and also to run off the muscle stiffness from the cramp. Saturday was a rest day and after visiting my local bike shop I took the kids to a local park. They have an outdoor gym there and it was funny to watch both of them trying leg pushes, ski-trainer and stationary bike.
So on to the duathlon. Marlow Striders have run this annual event for a fair few years now. It is a great, friendly, grass-roots event and gets better every year; this year had chip-timing and proper age-group results. In past years the proceeds have contributed to the purchase of Marlow sports ground, along with the other resident clubs.
I had been watching the weather for a few days. Despite raining yesterday the evening forecast promised a dry morning with minimum wind with heavy rain coming in before 12pm.
Upon arrival it was noticeably cooler than at home even though it wasn't too far away. After registering and getting a coffee I took the bike out for a 10 minute spin to make sure all was OK, and then racked the bike. After some more faff I adjusted my rear brake, set up my shoes on the bike and then went for a quick warm up run. Back to the start line for the briefing, and then the hooter went.
The first run is 7.5km - round the sports field, out down Pound Lane (a track), along a muddy path then on to the Thames path. Over the Thames on a wooden bridge then cross country again. Through a low tunnel, round Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre then continuing on the road across the Thames at Marlow. Through Higginson park (grass and mud) then back down Pound Lane to the large gate and across the field to T1.
Run#1.
My target time for this was 30 minutes. As usual it wasn't long before I was hot, even in the overcast conditions - I have raced most duathlons this year in a white short-sleeve base layer, arm warmers and tri-suit. All was well until we hit the muddy track. In past years a cold spell has made this track passable though hard underfoot. Today it was a quagmire, with most people struggling to stay upright, even those in XC shoes like myself. After some effort the path ended and the Thames path appeared. The wooden bridge was slippery on the way up and even more so on the way back down. Up to this point I had been sparing with a fellow Finch Coasters' runner. She had some great XC shoes and made some headway on the mud but I managed to overtake on the road section. Good going on the roads until we hit the mud in Higginson park and then in to T1.
Run#1: 30:44.
T1 was a pedestrian 55 seconds due to running up the wrong row in transition. Found my bike, put my helmet and glasses on and I immediately noticed that my glasses had steamed and would not clear.
Bike.
After jumping on the bike at the mount line my feet found my shoes and off I went. Plan was to take it relatively easy on the first couple of km as they were uphill, then I could hammer the downhill and the rest of the 25km course. Then it started to rain, and I struggled to keep my glasses clear. At the top of the hill I got ready to hit the descent though it was hard to see due to my glasses and the rain. I should have used the clear lenses too.
The entire course was waterlogged and the surface water hid potholes - or so we'd been warned. The bike course splits in two quite nicely. The first part is rolling and the second is more up then down.The first part wasn't too bad but the rain got heavier and then turned to hail. I was still struggling to see where I was going and so decided it was better to take it easier than end up damaged. As I approached the second half my kit was soaked, my shoes had filled up with water and I'd lost most of the feeling in my hands, needing to use the entire hand to change gear. There wasn't much to be said about the bike course other than it was hard work in the conditions and completely unenjoyable. Not the fault of the organisers by any means. For me it was also interesting to see how lonely the bike course was. Last year I was further down the pack so there was lots of overtaking and grabbing positions back. This time there was the odd overtake or overtaking and passing those unlucky enough to puncture on the multitude of potholes. One of the best part of the second half is the descent to the turn-round point. Not this year. Lack of feeling in my hands meant taking it easy so I could slow down in time and I lost a few places due to this. After the turn-round it was through a wooded area where the road surface was mostly holes. I noticed the guys in the distance were drafting which annoyed me - it is unfair to everyone else riding within the rules. Towards one of the final turns I passed another punctured competitor and a marshal asked if he was ok. I tried to reply but my mouth would not move - frozen in place. I rolled down the hill in to T2 - again, normally I'd put some effort in but it was hard to do anything.
Bike: 51:11
T2 was faster as I knew where the bike went, though the event photographer was trying to do some artistic shots in my space.
Run#2.
Run#2 , the reverse of Run#1 was about survival, rather than my 30:00 target (run#2 is slightly shorter than #1). The lack of effort on the bike meant I was not going to hit my target so it was a case of do what I could. One thing I did notice was the lack of jelly legs. I hopes this down to all the brick sessions I have done, but in all honesty is was likely down to the lack of bike effort. Like the bike, the run was lonely and cold. I also noticed I was shivering a lot. Shortly before Bisham I was overtaken and we exchanged some banter. He was running off some anger caused by a puncture - and then he disappeared! I heard some footsteps from behind shortly before the wooden bridge and was accompanied across the bridge and along the Thames, then he overtaken me. We hit the muddy path and both of us played Bambi on ice for a mile. Once back on the track I found my legs again but could not catch him. I tried to push harder but it seemed it was too early to kick and I'd run out of power before the finish. A winter of XC racing has given me a good grounding of how early I can kick, and also when to save it. As we approached the final turn in to the sports ground I kicked hard and made the overtake. We both hit the grass on the field and I thought I would lose my lead. Luckily the bad footing affected us both and I crossed the finish line with 3s between us. The previous finisher was 14s before - a lifetime in racing.
Run#1: 32:00
Aftermath.
I grabbed my free hot chocolate recovery drink and headed in to the club for my warm clothes as I continued to shake and shiver. The club house had a few people covered in foil blankets and others lying next to radiators. I got on my warm clothes then found my Coasters' friend, who was also suffering. It seems the conditions caused a few cases of mild hypothermia and a vast amount of shivery cold people. Many ended up under hand-driers and alongside radiators in the bar. No long term damage done though.
It is a measure of an event when things like this happen, and the Marlow guys really pulled together and ensured that everyone was ok. Hot tea, coffee and more hot chocolate flowed until the warmth was evident. Well done Marlow.
So after all that I finished 23rd overall, and 7th in AG after 1:55:43. I'll be honest and say I'd hoped for better - somewhere at least 5 minutes quicker overall. Though with hindsight I had really raced last year and this year I struggled to see on the bike so eased off and also suffered from the cold. Then the second run was about getting back rather than setting records.
Not a bad day out, but must try harder. That is all my racing done now until the Europeans so time to get some quality training under the belt. Glad to see that my Coasters' friend managed 2nd Woman and the other Coasters and TVTers all did well in the conditions.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Race report - Althorp duathlon
The 2013 Althorp duathlon was a qualifier for the ITU (aka Worlds) and ETU (aka Europeans) Championships. It was originally scheduled for the 16th of February but was moved to the 2nd of March due to the flooding of transition. I had registered to qualify for both the Worlds in Ottawa and the Europeans in the Netherlands.
At the time of postponement I was a bit annoyed; I'd had a good week's training and followed it with a fairly scientific taper. Being away in Germany with work the week before was not ideal, but I was ready to race. Since then I'd managed another good week's training and another taper week.
I travelled up to the Northampton Hilton on the Friday evening. M25 was lumpy as usual. In the vein of Sir Dave Brailsford I'd even taken my own pillow so I would sleep better. Of course, it doesn't always work like that.
After a night of fitful sleep my phone alarm went off, but I did not receive my alarm call. Never mind. Up, showered and ate some pots of rice pudding I'd bought. Kit in the car over to the Althorp estate.
I was one of the first people there; transition was empty. I always build too much spare time in, but it is good to be early rather than late. I registered, had my hand marked, took a look around then started putting race numbers on the bike & race-belt. I then took the bike out for a spin. My legs felt very heavy, which was different to my last race. Upon returning I racked the bike and went for a quick run. Once again my legs felt heavy and I was beginning to worry. Of course, both warm-ups started with a 1km uphill!
Soon it was time to line up, and I started in the second row back from the front. The horn was off and we all moved forwards. Up the 1km hill, then left onto a grassing avenue. This had a slight incline then finished with a soft muddy area before turning right into a church yard. Most people were running along the grass rather than the gravel. Out of the church yard and back on to the road where we started to descent, albeit gradually. All this time I was losing places and felt like my heart was going to explode.
The run continued through Great Brington then rolled towards Little Brington. Here there was a course change due to waterlogging. A slight uphill along a track then a left turn on to a ~1.5km track. Finally a left turn in to the field at Althorp where we looped to make the distance, and then in to T1.
Helmet on, grabbed my bike and ran, across the mount line and on to the bike. Right foot went straight in and after some pedalling and effort the left foot was in. Again the first km was uphill. I don't recall much of the bike, other than noting that it was a nice fast rolling course. I had some trouble from my new trisuit and kept slipping back on the saddle. I was overtaking and being overtaken.
I was unhappy to see a fair amount of drafting. The course has some narrow winding roads so some bunching is to be expected, but once back on the open road it should not happen. I made a conscious effort throughout to be at least 7m from the rider in front at all times. After some time we turned back towards transition, undulating up and down, then down a steep hill towards T2. Always fun trying to brake, stay upright and loosen shoes at the same time. In to T2, rack the bike, trainers on and off, then back to dump my gloves. A school boy error.
The second run was a repeat of the first, though of course it felt much harder. I pushed throughout, trying to bridge the gap between me and the guy in front, however I was on the edge. After lots of chasing I crossed the line, happy to have finished and wondering how soon we would get the official results.
76th overall and 20th M35-39. A very strong field, with most people trying to qualify for the Worlds or Europeans.
At the time of postponement I was a bit annoyed; I'd had a good week's training and followed it with a fairly scientific taper. Being away in Germany with work the week before was not ideal, but I was ready to race. Since then I'd managed another good week's training and another taper week.
I travelled up to the Northampton Hilton on the Friday evening. M25 was lumpy as usual. In the vein of Sir Dave Brailsford I'd even taken my own pillow so I would sleep better. Of course, it doesn't always work like that.
After a night of fitful sleep my phone alarm went off, but I did not receive my alarm call. Never mind. Up, showered and ate some pots of rice pudding I'd bought. Kit in the car over to the Althorp estate.
I was one of the first people there; transition was empty. I always build too much spare time in, but it is good to be early rather than late. I registered, had my hand marked, took a look around then started putting race numbers on the bike & race-belt. I then took the bike out for a spin. My legs felt very heavy, which was different to my last race. Upon returning I racked the bike and went for a quick run. Once again my legs felt heavy and I was beginning to worry. Of course, both warm-ups started with a 1km uphill!
Soon it was time to line up, and I started in the second row back from the front. The horn was off and we all moved forwards. Up the 1km hill, then left onto a grassing avenue. This had a slight incline then finished with a soft muddy area before turning right into a church yard. Most people were running along the grass rather than the gravel. Out of the church yard and back on to the road where we started to descent, albeit gradually. All this time I was losing places and felt like my heart was going to explode.
The run continued through Great Brington then rolled towards Little Brington. Here there was a course change due to waterlogging. A slight uphill along a track then a left turn on to a ~1.5km track. Finally a left turn in to the field at Althorp where we looped to make the distance, and then in to T1.
Helmet on, grabbed my bike and ran, across the mount line and on to the bike. Right foot went straight in and after some pedalling and effort the left foot was in. Again the first km was uphill. I don't recall much of the bike, other than noting that it was a nice fast rolling course. I had some trouble from my new trisuit and kept slipping back on the saddle. I was overtaking and being overtaken.
I was unhappy to see a fair amount of drafting. The course has some narrow winding roads so some bunching is to be expected, but once back on the open road it should not happen. I made a conscious effort throughout to be at least 7m from the rider in front at all times. After some time we turned back towards transition, undulating up and down, then down a steep hill towards T2. Always fun trying to brake, stay upright and loosen shoes at the same time. In to T2, rack the bike, trainers on and off, then back to dump my gloves. A school boy error.
The second run was a repeat of the first, though of course it felt much harder. I pushed throughout, trying to bridge the gap between me and the guy in front, however I was on the edge. After lots of chasing I crossed the line, happy to have finished and wondering how soon we would get the official results.
76th overall and 20th M35-39. A very strong field, with most people trying to qualify for the Worlds or Europeans.
| Total Time | 01:16:42 |
| Stage - Run - Time | 00:18:43 |
| Stage - Transition - Time | 00:00:40 |
| Stage - Bike - Time | 00:36:51 |
| Stage - Transition - Time | 00:00:39 |
| Stage - Run - Time | 00:19:51 |
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Race report - Gatorade VoTwo Dorney sprint duathlon
This week was a light week, with a taper designed by myself. The aim was to increase my Freshness as much as possible, without decreasing my Fitness too much. I do this by monitoring my training load with TrainingPeaks.
Today started early, no malaise or laying in bed today, straight awake and up! I've gone off porridge after the best part of a year of it for IM training but it is good bang for buck, and washed down with a cup of tea is the best start to a race day; and the first multisport race of the season.
I knew it was going to be cold today so I had a new short sleeve base layer under my tri-top, I wore my trusty 2XU LD tri shorts - the TVT club kit was still delayed. I'd bought some running gloves during the week too, in case it was this cold.
I arrived at Dorney lake and registered (number 3) and put my number stickers on everything. Instead of a proper ankle chip we had a 'dibber' to stick to our finger. Each stage would have a marshall to put the dipper into a socket. I thought that would slow things down, but the organisers swore by them.
A quick spin around the bike course (5km) proved that the outbound bike would be downwind and fast with smooth tarmac, but the return bike on the farm road in to wind would be hard. At the beginning of the spin I tried to mount with my tri shoes already attached, having spent a few hours yesterday sorting this. Unfortunatey the socks I had on got stuck to the velcro on the shoes. Change of plan needed...no socks for the race. I racked my bike, then went for a lap of the run course (2.5km). Again, the wind would be fun. I managed to keep the lid on the effort for the in-to-wind return run. Time was ticking on so took trackies and jacket off and went to the start line. Armwarmers and sunnies on.
I lined up on the second row at the start and GO! we're off. I had some idea of the pace I wanted and was aiming for ~21 minutes for the first run. Lost a load of places in the start melee, but soon settled down and started to recoup places. 2 laps of the 2.5 km run course were needed. It quickly became clear I would break 20 minutes for 5km, and it didn't feel too hard. Running without socks was causing some rubbing.
Ran in to T1 to find the course was slightly long - 5.15km in 20:15.
T1 was over in 42s - shoes off, helmet on, drink sip, run.
I got to the mount line and threw myself on the bike, and managed to get my feet in to the pre-attached shoes OK too (this was a major worry). I had to cycle 4 laps, and on each lap the downwind leg was ~45 kph and the in to wind dropped to ~30 kph. A tight turn at the top end of the lake was interesting, with mud on the road surface, but marshals were present with advice to slow down! I stayed in the top ring, but on the return legs could feel the legs building to cramp so eased off a bit. As I came towards T2 I took feet from my shoes, but the lack of socks meant my feet were cold and I couldn't feel them.
Bike 33:48 for 20km.
T2 done in 43s. Rack bike, helmet off, runners on.
Last run - the cramps that I kept away on the bike started to creep in on the run. Little stabs every 5s or so. Took a good kilometre to run it out then I could ramp the pace. 2 laps of the 2.5km course again, in to very strong wind. It felt a lot harder this time, and though I may not have shown it the support from some club members was well appreciated.
Finally the finish chute appeared and I crossed the line after 21:27, making 1:16:55 in total on the Garmin.
I grabbed a cup of gatorade from the finish. It was mixed like treacle and burnt my throat, so I struggled to talk for a few minutes. No idea on placing yet as the machine went down during the race...
All in all a good opener for the season. What made the day was the wide group of competitors - people doing the supersprint (2.5/10/2.5), or the sprint like me (5/20/5). People on mountain bikes, people on expensive TT bikes. People sprinting people walking. It was a great sight, and hopefully one I'll continue to see throughout the year. A great Olympic legacy!
Update - 25th overall and 1:16:37 officially. No proper Age Group results, though comparing some names on Tri247 shows that I achieved 7th in the 35-39 AG. A very good day.
Today started early, no malaise or laying in bed today, straight awake and up! I've gone off porridge after the best part of a year of it for IM training but it is good bang for buck, and washed down with a cup of tea is the best start to a race day; and the first multisport race of the season.
I knew it was going to be cold today so I had a new short sleeve base layer under my tri-top, I wore my trusty 2XU LD tri shorts - the TVT club kit was still delayed. I'd bought some running gloves during the week too, in case it was this cold.
I arrived at Dorney lake and registered (number 3) and put my number stickers on everything. Instead of a proper ankle chip we had a 'dibber' to stick to our finger. Each stage would have a marshall to put the dipper into a socket. I thought that would slow things down, but the organisers swore by them.
A quick spin around the bike course (5km) proved that the outbound bike would be downwind and fast with smooth tarmac, but the return bike on the farm road in to wind would be hard. At the beginning of the spin I tried to mount with my tri shoes already attached, having spent a few hours yesterday sorting this. Unfortunatey the socks I had on got stuck to the velcro on the shoes. Change of plan needed...no socks for the race. I racked my bike, then went for a lap of the run course (2.5km). Again, the wind would be fun. I managed to keep the lid on the effort for the in-to-wind return run. Time was ticking on so took trackies and jacket off and went to the start line. Armwarmers and sunnies on.
I lined up on the second row at the start and GO! we're off. I had some idea of the pace I wanted and was aiming for ~21 minutes for the first run. Lost a load of places in the start melee, but soon settled down and started to recoup places. 2 laps of the 2.5 km run course were needed. It quickly became clear I would break 20 minutes for 5km, and it didn't feel too hard. Running without socks was causing some rubbing.
Ran in to T1 to find the course was slightly long - 5.15km in 20:15.
T1 was over in 42s - shoes off, helmet on, drink sip, run.
I got to the mount line and threw myself on the bike, and managed to get my feet in to the pre-attached shoes OK too (this was a major worry). I had to cycle 4 laps, and on each lap the downwind leg was ~45 kph and the in to wind dropped to ~30 kph. A tight turn at the top end of the lake was interesting, with mud on the road surface, but marshals were present with advice to slow down! I stayed in the top ring, but on the return legs could feel the legs building to cramp so eased off a bit. As I came towards T2 I took feet from my shoes, but the lack of socks meant my feet were cold and I couldn't feel them.
Bike 33:48 for 20km.
T2 done in 43s. Rack bike, helmet off, runners on.
Last run - the cramps that I kept away on the bike started to creep in on the run. Little stabs every 5s or so. Took a good kilometre to run it out then I could ramp the pace. 2 laps of the 2.5km course again, in to very strong wind. It felt a lot harder this time, and though I may not have shown it the support from some club members was well appreciated.
Finally the finish chute appeared and I crossed the line after 21:27, making 1:16:55 in total on the Garmin.
I grabbed a cup of gatorade from the finish. It was mixed like treacle and burnt my throat, so I struggled to talk for a few minutes. No idea on placing yet as the machine went down during the race...
All in all a good opener for the season. What made the day was the wide group of competitors - people doing the supersprint (2.5/10/2.5), or the sprint like me (5/20/5). People on mountain bikes, people on expensive TT bikes. People sprinting people walking. It was a great sight, and hopefully one I'll continue to see throughout the year. A great Olympic legacy!
Update - 25th overall and 1:16:37 officially. No proper Age Group results, though comparing some names on Tri247 shows that I achieved 7th in the 35-39 AG. A very good day.
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