Vitruvian 6 Sep 08 - Race Report
Another race at Rutland Water and once again the weather forecast was rubbish - high winds and rain. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad.
As is traditional for The Vit it was pitch black in the car park when I arrived, but I got through registration without any hassle and got my kit into transition in good time. I then planned to go and chat to all the other RAF Tri folks but had to rush back and retrieve my wetsuit and goggles from transition before they closed it. I was in the 45-80 year olds wave - how old did this make me feel? The water was not too cold but there was an awful lot of weed at the start line - yuk! Unusually for me, I decided to start at the front and was surprised that I didn't get beaten up and found clear water straight away. The first turn was only about 200 metres away and with insufficient time for the field to spread out this was a bit of a bunfight. However, after this there was plenty of space and I was able to get into a good rhythm. At the end of the first lap you get out of the water for a short walk/jog/run and then get back in the water again. This at least gave me an opportunity to empty out the water that had once again leaked into my goggles. The second lap was fairly straightforward and I exited the water and over the timing mat in 35:16, just about on schedule. T1 was a long, drawn out affair. To start with the Old Gits and the laydeez were situated beyond the main transition area, meaning a slightly longer run, and then I had a long list of things to do: take off goggles, take off swim hat, take off wetsuit; calf guards on, socks on, shoes on, neoprene overboots on, cycling top on, number belt on, glasses on, helmet on, and, finally, gloves on. Yep, all suited and booted and ready to go. Only took 4.30 to do all that! Onto the bike and I found it hard going to start with. I was putting in the effort but the speedo said I wasn't going very fast; turns out the wind was in our face at this point and payback was, quite literally, just around the corner. I felt good going up the ripple for the first time and shortly afterwards I passed Big Bob going steadily. After the left turn at the roundabout the wind was at our backs and it was hammer time. Lots of big gear action and for large parts of it I was in the 53-11 gear doing 60kmh+. Fantastic. I caught Coach Roy on the long drag 2/3rds of the way round the 2nd lap; he was smiling but I sensed he wasn't happy. We chatted for a bit and then I did the sporting thing and left him behind! I completed the first lap in about 1:15 and whilst my RPE went up on the second lap I managed to go just a fraction faster to come in just under 2:30. Very happy with that. The Prince of Darkness is one damn fast machine when the conditions are favourable, although I do struggle to drag the extra weight (of both the bike and Mr Muffin-top who rides it!) uphill, but the choice of 11-21 cassette was spot on.
T2 went by without incident and it was onto the run. I really (as in REALLY) wanted to go sub 5 hours in this race and I was onto the run in 3:12, meaning I had to run faster than 1:48 to achieve my aim. My HIM run PB is 1:43 so there was some flex, but not much. Unlike Aberfeldy there were going to be no heroics today. I reckoned that if I could run the whole way I should be able to go sub 5. Usually I stop at the first big tree on the left for a wee but I managed to get across the dam before needing to stop. I was feeling really good at this time and was confident I could do it. After my problems at Aberfeldy with drinking on the run I had a different nutrition plan this time. In short, I would not drink anything on the run, instead I would trust that I had drunk enough on the bike and take 4 Go gels on the run to see me through. Would it work? Who knows, I hadn't bothered trying it in training! I managed to drop one gel so only had 3 to see me through; no worries, I'm sure I would be fine (I told you I was feeling confident). The first lap was completed in about 51 minutes, so I had 57 minutes to do the second lap to achieve my target time. Seeing the other RAF Tri guys around the course was very motivating; some were looking very good, others less so. After the last turnaround point my plan was to step up the pace and see what I could do. Unsurprisingly, my legs were very tired and my increased pace lasted for about 500 metres before I decided that was not a good idea and a steady run for home was the order of the day. So far I had run every step but over the dam for the last time I took a jaffa cake from the feed station and walked whilst I savoured it - it was delicious and made me feel great. Across the grassy knoll and up the hill and I could hear the PA announcer and I knew I was nearly home. As I passed the 1.5km to go marker I could feel my hamstrings tightening up but the threatened cramp never materialised. I really hate that short, steep slope as you come back to the Sailing Centre; that really hurts. But it's all downhill from there and by this stage I knew I was going to crack 5 hours so I enjoyed the last couple of hundred meters. Across the line I felt great but within a few seconds my body reminded me what I had just put it through, and I sat with fellow RAF Tri member Peter Wankowski at the finish line eating crisps and chocolate. Frank sent me to stand in the water for 10 minutes to help the recovery process and it certainly worked; I couldn't feel my legs at all after that!
This was possibly my greatest race. OK, 4:56.40 is not brilliant by some people's very high standards but it was a significant achievement for me. And that, to me, is what triathlon is all about. I'm never going to be winning races so it's about pushing my own boundaries and challenging myself. The challenge now is to recover quickly and be fit enough to give Reg and Kelda a decent race at Half Ireman in 7 days time on the final leg of the UK HIM tour.
Splits:
Swim T1 + Bike T2 + Run Total Position Overall Position AG
35.16 2.34.12 1.47.10 4.56.40 156/566 14
As is traditional for The Vit it was pitch black in the car park when I arrived, but I got through registration without any hassle and got my kit into transition in good time. I then planned to go and chat to all the other RAF Tri folks but had to rush back and retrieve my wetsuit and goggles from transition before they closed it. I was in the 45-80 year olds wave - how old did this make me feel? The water was not too cold but there was an awful lot of weed at the start line - yuk! Unusually for me, I decided to start at the front and was surprised that I didn't get beaten up and found clear water straight away. The first turn was only about 200 metres away and with insufficient time for the field to spread out this was a bit of a bunfight. However, after this there was plenty of space and I was able to get into a good rhythm. At the end of the first lap you get out of the water for a short walk/jog/run and then get back in the water again. This at least gave me an opportunity to empty out the water that had once again leaked into my goggles. The second lap was fairly straightforward and I exited the water and over the timing mat in 35:16, just about on schedule. T1 was a long, drawn out affair. To start with the Old Gits and the laydeez were situated beyond the main transition area, meaning a slightly longer run, and then I had a long list of things to do: take off goggles, take off swim hat, take off wetsuit; calf guards on, socks on, shoes on, neoprene overboots on, cycling top on, number belt on, glasses on, helmet on, and, finally, gloves on. Yep, all suited and booted and ready to go. Only took 4.30 to do all that! Onto the bike and I found it hard going to start with. I was putting in the effort but the speedo said I wasn't going very fast; turns out the wind was in our face at this point and payback was, quite literally, just around the corner. I felt good going up the ripple for the first time and shortly afterwards I passed Big Bob going steadily. After the left turn at the roundabout the wind was at our backs and it was hammer time. Lots of big gear action and for large parts of it I was in the 53-11 gear doing 60kmh+. Fantastic. I caught Coach Roy on the long drag 2/3rds of the way round the 2nd lap; he was smiling but I sensed he wasn't happy. We chatted for a bit and then I did the sporting thing and left him behind! I completed the first lap in about 1:15 and whilst my RPE went up on the second lap I managed to go just a fraction faster to come in just under 2:30. Very happy with that. The Prince of Darkness is one damn fast machine when the conditions are favourable, although I do struggle to drag the extra weight (of both the bike and Mr Muffin-top who rides it!) uphill, but the choice of 11-21 cassette was spot on.
T2 went by without incident and it was onto the run. I really (as in REALLY) wanted to go sub 5 hours in this race and I was onto the run in 3:12, meaning I had to run faster than 1:48 to achieve my aim. My HIM run PB is 1:43 so there was some flex, but not much. Unlike Aberfeldy there were going to be no heroics today. I reckoned that if I could run the whole way I should be able to go sub 5. Usually I stop at the first big tree on the left for a wee but I managed to get across the dam before needing to stop. I was feeling really good at this time and was confident I could do it. After my problems at Aberfeldy with drinking on the run I had a different nutrition plan this time. In short, I would not drink anything on the run, instead I would trust that I had drunk enough on the bike and take 4 Go gels on the run to see me through. Would it work? Who knows, I hadn't bothered trying it in training! I managed to drop one gel so only had 3 to see me through; no worries, I'm sure I would be fine (I told you I was feeling confident). The first lap was completed in about 51 minutes, so I had 57 minutes to do the second lap to achieve my target time. Seeing the other RAF Tri guys around the course was very motivating; some were looking very good, others less so. After the last turnaround point my plan was to step up the pace and see what I could do. Unsurprisingly, my legs were very tired and my increased pace lasted for about 500 metres before I decided that was not a good idea and a steady run for home was the order of the day. So far I had run every step but over the dam for the last time I took a jaffa cake from the feed station and walked whilst I savoured it - it was delicious and made me feel great. Across the grassy knoll and up the hill and I could hear the PA announcer and I knew I was nearly home. As I passed the 1.5km to go marker I could feel my hamstrings tightening up but the threatened cramp never materialised. I really hate that short, steep slope as you come back to the Sailing Centre; that really hurts. But it's all downhill from there and by this stage I knew I was going to crack 5 hours so I enjoyed the last couple of hundred meters. Across the line I felt great but within a few seconds my body reminded me what I had just put it through, and I sat with fellow RAF Tri member Peter Wankowski at the finish line eating crisps and chocolate. Frank sent me to stand in the water for 10 minutes to help the recovery process and it certainly worked; I couldn't feel my legs at all after that!
This was possibly my greatest race. OK, 4:56.40 is not brilliant by some people's very high standards but it was a significant achievement for me. And that, to me, is what triathlon is all about. I'm never going to be winning races so it's about pushing my own boundaries and challenging myself. The challenge now is to recover quickly and be fit enough to give Reg and Kelda a decent race at Half Ireman in 7 days time on the final leg of the UK HIM tour.
Splits:
Swim T1 + Bike T2 + Run Total Position Overall Position AG
35.16 2.34.12 1.47.10 4.56.40 156/566 14
3 comments:
well done on a great performance, under 5 in those conditions (and at your age!) is a great achievement, nice write up and you took it easy on me, cheers! see you next year for more of the same?
Great effort buddy! You've now achieved your goals for the season, you can now enjoy the Ireman (and the Guinness!).
Recover smart!
Well done Turbo, its good to see you getting the rewards you deserve from all the hard work this year. Enjoy Ireland next week.
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