Half Ireman Race Report

This was it, the final leg of the UK HIM Tour.

Swim 1.9k
Bike 93k
Run 21k
Why? Because I can.

Well that's what the race motto was, and very apt it is too.

Let's start with the event itself; set in Groomsport, on the east coast of Northern Ireland, it is a wonderful setting. The organisation was great, very slick and the goody bag was by far the best I have received this year - Brooks running top, beanie hat, mug, drink, gel, discount vouchers - you get the idea.

For the only time of the tour, Reg had home advantage. Kelda had also flown over to join us on our final leg; it was going to be a tough race but we were all looking forward to it.

The weather leading up to the race had not been good, and race day dawned overcast and grey, although the forecast was good. Emma Davies, Ireland Olympic triathlete sounded the horn, and 212 triathletes and team members were off.

So how did it go?

Swim - 2 laps. Firstly, it's a sea swim and I would be losing my sea swimming virginity in this race. And it was cold. Once away from the shore there was a noticeable swell that made sighting difficult, and I reckon I swam much further than the advertised 1.9k. The water tasted horrible as well; made me yearn for the chlorinated stuff in the local pool! Everyone was being very polite and there was a noticeable lack of biff, although that might just be because I was well off course! End of lap 1 and you get out, run round a marker on the beach and then back in for lap 2. Whilst I can't say that I enjoyed the sea swimming experience it is something else I can now tick off my tri list. A time of 48.17 did not impress me much, but it seems that even last year's winner was 10 minutes slower this year so something was definitely up.

T1 - What can I say, another leisurely T1 but over a minute quicker than the Vit at 3:09 and then it was Hammer Time.

Bike - 3 laps. I was disappointed with my swim time and reckoned the only way to address this was to go hard on the bike; if the wheels fell off, so be it. Unfortunately, a couple of events had conspired against me. Firstly, those nice baggage handlers at Flybe had trashed my wheel skewers and as I use a Mavic Wintech computer with the sensor in the skewer handle I would be without my computer. I had also managed to stop my stopwatch in T1, so I had no time data at all for how I was progressing until the end of lap 2. I hit lap 1 hard and was determined to get back the time I thought I had lost. Some of the roads were really good, but other parts were very poor quality and the road was constantly changing gradient - it was either up or down, with very little flats and it was certainly challenging, but I was giving it my all and overtaking people like it was going out of fashion. Kelda was some 6½ minutes ahead out of T1 (although I didn't know that at the time) and I was surprised to catch her after about 16 miles. I timed my 2nd lap at 55:43 but as I started lap 3 I was not feeling good. I know I had raced hard and fast but that effort was now catching up with me; my mood was not helped by getting badly held up at 2 of the roundabouts, including a full on stop, unclip and foot down at one point. However, I took on some nutrition and had a word with myself, but it took another 10 miles or so before I felt comfortable, smooth and fast. I timed the last lap at 59:43 so using the amazing power of post race analysis my first lap had been completed in 52:49 for a total bike time of 2:48:15. Interestingly, Reg posted an identical time.

T2 - Slick and fast here, 59 seconds.

Run - 2 laps. By now the sun was up and it was quite warm, maybe even hot. The run is "interesting", as it includes roads, pavements, single track coastal paths, soft sandy beaches, promenades etc etc. It certainly isn't a run course for setting a PB! My bike exertions had taken their toll and I was not feeling great, so set off at a steady pace with a view of getting to the finish. I saw Kelda cycling in after I had been running for about 6 minutes and worked out that by the time she cycled the rest of the course and got through T2 she would be about 9 minutes behind me; nowhere near enough for me to stay ahead. Through the coastal path and across the soft sand for the first time and you go passed the transition area again and the first feed station, and there was the delightful Emma Davies handing out the drinks - well done to her. Heading out to the turn around point and I saw Reg running in the other direction; he was looking comfortable and I timed the gap; he was about 5 mins ahead; unless he had another nutrition disaster I wasn't going to challenge him today. Onto lap 2 and I decided that I would take full advantage of the aid stations; water, coke, jelly babies, sweet bananas etc, I felt like I needed a rush and these made me feel better. Just after the first aid station on lap 2 Kelda cruised passed looking very strong. I reckoned that Reg was about 8 mins ahead at this point. I eased through the coastal path section and the transition area, enjoying the support; it seemed like the whole town was out to support the race. Reg's wife Caz was also there, giving support and encouragement and some time checks to allow us to monitor the gap. It came as no surprise to me that the gap to the others was getting bigger all the time. After the final aid station I fuelled up just about everything they had to offer and felt much better and even managed to increase my pace towards the finish. I crossed the line and was met by more enthusiastic helpers, received my medal and recovery drink in a suitably logo'd drinks bottle (Why? Because I can). My run time was an unremarkable 2:04:51 but, amazingly, was 88th fastest on the day.

My overall finishing time was 5:45:29 for 58th overall and an amazing 4th in my AG. Reg was 10th in his AG and managed to stay ahead of Kelda by just under a minute and a half. Kelda finished 2nd female and 1st in her AG.

Results:

Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Total AG Position
Reg 46:57 01:43 02:48:15 01:48 01:52:36 05:31:17 10th
Kelda 43:03 01:39 03:04:00 01:11 01:42:49 05:32:41 1st
Mick 48:17 03:09 02:48:15 00:59 02:04:51 05:45:29 4th

We ended the day at a fabulous restaurant in Belfast and even James Nesbitt popped in to offer his congratulations (well maybe I made that last bit up but he was sat just 2 tables away).

So that's it, the tour is over and what a fantastic experience it has been. I have been to places in the UK I haven't visited before and raced some great courses, and ticked off a few new things on the way. A full review will follow in due course, including Turbo Man's Guide to the Toughest Middle Distance Races in the UK (that he completed in 2008).

Half Ireman - Quick Report

Reg 5:31:17, 37th overall, 10th in AG
Kelda 5:32:41, 38th overall, 1st in AG
Me 5:45:29, 58th overall, 4th in AG

Yes indeed, 4th in AG.

It started grey, the water was cold, the bike course was tough, the sun shone, and I left my run legs at home.

What a great race and a marvellous end to a brilliant season for me. Full report to follow soon.

Vitruvian - Final Results

Final results for The Vitruvian are now on the Pacesetters website. Looks like I was 166th overall out of 700 finishers, and 14th out of 82 in my AG. I am very happy with that.

I haven't done any training at all since the Vit. I have eaten a lot of the wrong things, including cakes, ice cream etc, but mentally I feel refreshed although physically I don't think I have properly recovered yet.

And what's all this talk fellow Bloggers about the season being over - not yet it isn't. But it soon will be; I fly tomorrow so will post an update when I get back on Sunday.

Rest smart. (How do you do that?)

Thanks

To all you nice people who have posted here or texted me after The Vit; very much appreciated.

The funniest, though, goes to Reg. As you probably know, we have both been aiming for a sub 5 race this year, and Reg came oh so close at Trentham. His response to my text with the good news that I had gone sub 5 was (with apologies to my Mum if she reads this!):

"u f***er"

Legs are still sore today so it's been another day of complete rest. I have cleaned the bike and got it packed away in its new bag ready for the journey on Thursday. I can't believe that this weekend the season will be over - it's all happened so quickly.

Recover well folks.

The Vitruvian Race Report

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

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!

4.56.40.

I am so, so chuffed; this result alone has made my season.

Splits are as follows:

Swim - 35.16

T1 + Bike - 2.34.12

T2 + Run - 1.47.10

Based on my pre race targets I almost achieved my swim target, achieved my bike target (T1 was a very tardy 4:30ish by my watch!), and missed my run target by about 5 mins (assuming 2 mins for T2). To be honest, I ran to achieve a sub 5 hour result and took it steady and, apart from walking through the final feed station at the end of the dam whilst I enjoyed a motivational jaffa cake, I ran all the way. I am very pleased with that.

Expect a full report in the next day or so.

And this is for Lonsy:

He had a great race today and thoroughly deserves the cake. Unfortunately he went AWOL after the race and I was unable to pay my debt. I will, of course, make it up to him next time we meet. Well done buddy.

And what about Mike Scott? People that old should not be able to go that fast. Simply awesome.

The Vitruvian Weather Forecast

Another race at Rutland Water on Saturday and it's looking like it's going to be another wet and very windy day - oh deep joy. Average 20mph winds with gusts up to 36mph should certainly challenge people's bike handling skills. And heavy showers are also forecast.

But I'm prepared for it. The weather at Cowman was not great (although not as bad as forecast for Saturday) so I know I have the right kit to wear if the weather is grim, and I know I can race whilst wearing it. I suspect if it is as bad as predicted then my sub-5 hopes may not be achievable, but I will not give up until the clock says 5 hours are up and I'm still running. And even then I have to get to the finish line ahead of Lonsy as there is the small matter of pride and post-race cakes riding on the outcome.

And I will be riding the disc come what may - woo hoo!