Andover Marathon and Parkrun

The day started early in time for breakfast and then to de-ice the car before travelling to the venue. When leaving it was still -1C (30F) and when I got a few miles in to the drive it start to lightly snow but luckily it was not settling on the ground. It was a tropical 2C when I arrived at the venue.

I got out of my car and promptly slipped on the ice all on the car park and landed on my right gluteus maximus (back side). It was sore but luckily I did not land on part of my car and nobody was around to see me fall. I then went round on the grass to avoid the ice.

For the parkrun it was too icy in places they changed the route to avoid the paths and just on the grass. As I was pacing somebody round running their non stop which we did and 1 minute quicker than their previous best. It was a comfortable pace for me as a warm before the marathon but was glad to have on a few layers to keep warm and avoid the mud.

Then carefully making it back to the car I changed some outer layers as was starting to warm up in the sun but was still cold but would hopefully I would warm up on the marathon. I also had a can of high caffeine drink to get a bit of a kick pre run.

The 35 of us doing the marathon listened to the race instructions and then we started the 105.5 laps!!

I lost count of my laps after about 4 laps in to the run and ignored the advice to disable the GPS on my watch. I was just focussing on and following the line between lanes 1 and 2 as per the race briefing.

The sun was out and clear blue skies but was bitterly cold made colder with the occasional cold wind but looked ideal conditions.



The first part of the race I went of faster than planned, which I think was not helped by the fact that I was being overtaking after 3 laps and there was people always around you. I found that I was trying to catch people up instead of sticking to my own pace, hopefully that would not catch up with me.

I liked the fact that I was only 200m from an aid station. So I had one isotonic drink on the table on opposites sides of the track and one of the sides I had my gels. This allowed me to stick to my nutrition plan of drinks and gels every 15/30 minutes after an hour, as I could tell when I need to get a gel or drink and return the bottle or gel bag the next lap. This meant I did not need to carry any nutrition for more than 400m.

I was glad of the two toilet breaks I took an hour and 3 hours in, especially as the it was the main track building which had a heater in, it was worth the 100m extra each time.

When I got to about 3 hours in my muscles were already feeling fatigued due to lack of training and the distance but my right glute was also sore from the fall on the ice earlier in the day and the fact we were running anti clockwise direction on the track meant more force would be used on my right side, doh!!

When I got a 4 hours in I thought I was nearly at the finish going by my GPS, apparently I was not that was a bit of a blow but I carried on but a slower pace, I should have listened to advice at the start.

Then I was told I had just 2 laps to go and picked up the pace and when the bell went for my last lap I then picked up the pace a bit more. As I crossed the finish line in 4:39 I was glad it was over and even got a great medal.




My average pace for the marathon was 10:40 per mile according to my GPS (some issue on a track) the second last 1/4 mile was at 8:23 pace the last 1/4 mile was at 6:15 pace. It was a bit of a hobble the short way back to the car with my muscles aching.

After putting some warm clothes on and had a sports recovery drink but there was still a few people left out on the track with the lights being on for about an hour.




The race T-Shirt with a Lion and Oak leaf, I found out they are part of the town crest.





Even the medal had a race t-shirt on.




Don't mess with me I survived the first Andover Marathon, GRR.




I just need to do a summer marathon without the swim and cycle warm up "bit" then run a marathon in all seasons. Also a trail/off road marathon would complete the set after doing a number of road and now a track marathon.

Marathon Week 4 of 4 (Taper)

This week was a taper week which had a few christmas bashes to help relax before the the marathon.

This week there was only a few hours of exercise.

Marathon Week 3 of 4

Week 3 and last week of training was a few high mileage days.

Monday was a nice 10 miler at night.

On Wednesday morning I did a 15 mile run before breakfast. Then straight on to a double gym classes followed by a light gym and swim with a aqua jog to relax. After some food and powernap I then did a 15 mile run at night with the last 5 miles being a fartlek session. The last few miles were particular tough but I made it through the session.

On the Saturday I did a Parkrun 5km up north at a new venue for me. It was a bit icy at the start and finish but still managed a fast time for me and beat my brother by 6 minutes. We then went on to 2 hours at the gym/pool, my muscles were aching for the next few days.

Marathon Week 2 of 4

The second week of my marathon training plan is going well and I am in to double figure miles. Now just two weeks left which includes any taper.

The amount of training this week was above average for the last few months and the most miles run in that time frame. Just need to get some longer runs in this week before starting to taper and carb load at various Christmas meals :-)

You have got to like a 4 week marathon training plan.

Back posting

I need to start back with a proper training plan and start blogging again.

Perhaps a 4 week marathon training plan will be a good start.

Weekly Weigh in

This week I lost 2lb (0.9 Kg) and my % body fat reduced by 0.5%. Some of this may be due to water loss as weighed less than an hour after a gym session.



This was after a busy Saturday and a high volume of training.

Gym Session

This week I changed my gym session to mix up my weights, core and cardio with the session feeling a lot better.

The weights included some circuits on resistance machines and some free weights. I did not do all the weights I would normally do but a selection I think this added variety to the session. For the core workouts I also did a selection from those I normally do. For the cardio I did a high intensity session on the gym bike followed by some rowing.

I think I will use this approach of selective exercises when I go to the gym instead of repeating the same set of exercises each time.

Weekly Training

This week I did over 12 hours and over 100 miles of exercise with the majority of it done on Saturday. Below is a breakdown by time.

Bike	53%
Run	24%
Walk	15%
Cross	8%

This was a good amount of cycling which included a Time Trial. There was also a reasonable amount of running with walking amount reduced. However there was no swimming this week.

Busy Saturday

This week I had a busy Saturday exercising.

First thing I did an undulating 24 mile bike road averaging 15.5 mph just in time to do a 5km run. I finished 14th in a time just over 23 minutes but I could not go any quicker due to my muscles fatigued from the fast cycle ride. I then did over a mile recovery run and walk before fuelling up for the next lot of exercise with a tea and bacon roll.

I then did a 20 mile cycle ride at an easier pace stopping at a local shop to get another drink and white chocolate chip and raspberry cookie (it tasted so good). I then did an undulating 18.25 mile cycle time trial, I had done about 4 hours of exercise by this point and the others turned up with their bike in the cars. I was 12th (last) but I managed an average speed of 17.98mph!! This was a good fast pace for me even before all the exercise.

Before leaving the TT registration area I bought a bottle of regular cola from the kebab van at the end of the lay-by as I was out of drinks and dehydrated. Then it was a nice gentle 11 mile cycle ride home for a well deserved rest and food and drinks.

Weekly Weigh In

This week I gained 2lb 2oz (1Kg) and my % fat increased by 0.5%

This is despite the 10 hours of exercise but over a quarter of this was walking, I need to get some more endurance session back in my training. This was also strange as I thought I had reduced my food this week as well.

Weekly Training

Increased training this week with about the same amount as the previous 4 weeks.

Below is the breakdown by time.

Walk	29.4%
Bike	29.1%
Run	22.1%
Cross	10.5%
Swim	8.9%

From this I need to reduce the amount of time walking compared to the rest of my training or used as part of recovery after a hard session.

This week included a training sprint triathlon, however the swim and cross training could be slightly increased with a slight reduction on the cycling.

Training Sprint Triathlon

At the weekend I did a sprint triathlon in training which was made up of the following with a few minutes between each.

400m Swim
10 Miles (16km) Cycle
5km (3.1 mile) Run

A few miles cycling before afterwards this was all done before 10am!!

The swim was at reasonable pace but was limited to being in a 20m pools with a few other people at a slower pace. I was able to maintain the pace and was not fatigued at the end.

The cycle was around the town to get to run on time. This was on my "B" bike so there was more resistance due to the weight and aerodynamics plus a ruck sack on my back. This made the inclines a bit tougher as the bike has standard pedals and not clipped in.

The run was a parkrun 5km, it was the first time I had been to this venue for a couple of months. I decided to go for a fast run at the start although there was a few people at the front who obviously should not have been there. I went off fast and was able to hold on the pace apart from the two main inclines on the route. At the end I was only 25 seconds away from my course PB and was my quickest there this year.

This was a good training session I may do this again.

Weekly Weigh-in

This week I have lost 2lb (0.9 Kg) and my % body fat has increased by 0.5%.

I was surprised by the amount of weight loss as I have been doing very little exercise. However unlike previous times I had reduced my food intake to match the drop in exercise levels.

Pier to Pier Sea Swim

I recently took part in the Lowestoft Pier to Pier swim which is a 1,000 meter swim in the North Sea.

It was actually quite warm air temperature at 9am and waited until a few minutes before the start to fully put on the wet suit in the heat, even so I was glad to get in the cold north sea. It was ideal swim conditions with only small waves and it was sunny.

It started from the beach which for some reason I started near the right side which was the shortest distance to get past the end of the groyne. There was quite a few lifeguards on patrol on various canoes and surfboards in case anybody got into trouble.

When running in to the sea I was surprised there was not that many fast people on this side so I was able to get in to my swim rhythm quickly with only getting hit a few times. Once I reached the end of the gryone it was almost a 90 degree turn to the right to head towards the other pier, luckily this was easy to sight.

I was going at a good pace for me and was surprised how quickly I had got to the pier, there was a person in a canoe there to prevent you swimming in to the pier which I managed to avoid. At this point I knew there was somebody close to me as I was getting hit a bit as we turned round the pier. At this point I kicked a bit more to get some separation until I could not swim any further on to the shoreline. I then started to run up the beach about 20m to the finish. I was concentrating on the finish line and nearly fell over down  a dip in the sand but I could hear the person behind me was close so I took the racing line, looking at the results he was given the same time as me.

I finished this in 19:41 and was 19th out of 41 who entered and was 7th in my age category. I enjoyed this low key sea swim/race and will do this again.

Outlaw 2011 - Post Race Review

Just looking at my race times and race report and how I felt I needed to more distance training. That is backed up my by pre race training log which was shorter sessions and less build up races than normal.

Below is my comparing my times to last year which only part of the bike course is different which now had a 12% incline on each lap.

My swim was 32 seconds quicker, which is less than 1 second per 100m but at least it is going in the right direction. I think the pilates sessions has helped my posture to better maintain a streamlined swim position and aero position on the bike.

It all went pair shaped from then on, in comparison. My overall time was about 70 minutes longer with the bulk of this on run taking over 60 minutes longer. The bike was 8 minutes longer which is not bad due to the course change and lack of training. My T1 and T2 times needed improving before but this time even more, T1 was only a few seconds longer but my T2 was double the previous year.

From this I need to do some more mental training when fatigued, this is based on the time to make decisions in transition.

I thought my weight was more this year but looking at my records I was actually nearly 3lb (0.2 Kg) less but my % body fat was 2.5% higher. This means I had less muscle to body weight ratio. So I think I need to do more weights at the gym and regularly and not the ad-hoc I was doing in the months beforehand.

Data analysis from GPS


Cycle

From the bike the mile splits for the section to the laps you can see that most of the miles are faster than the average speed of 15.8 mph with only a few slower miles due to undulations.


After the mile with the hill the average went down to 11mph there was four consecutive miles over 20 mph averages with one of them averaging more than 24 mph, then the pace slowed down. The laps can be identified by the two sets of fast miles at the start and end, with the start of the lap being a few miles before this and the hill the speed deep 2 miles before this. The average speed of the sets of faster sections was reducing but still way above the average speed. The slow mile at the hill got slower until the last lap when it was close to the fast lap due to being near the end and got an energy boost. Most of the last ten miles were slower than the average due to fatigue but not helped due to the wind, undulations and poor road conditions.

Run




On the run mile splits the first 15 miles I would say are generally marathon pace allowing longer times if two aid stations, toilet break and retying shoe laces. It then gradually increases until mile 23 is twice the pace of the first mile. After mile 23 the pace slightly reduces mainly due to I knew I was the last part of the race around the lake and can see and hear the finish. The last part of a mile may not be accurate as I cannot remember if I stopped my watch as I crossed the finish line.


From the 10km splits the first two 10km were at about 65 minute pace, the third 10km was at about 88 minutes, the fourth 10km was at 108 minutes with the last few km at slightly slower pace.

Conclusion

So in addition to the longer individual training sessions it would be beneficial to do some long brick sessions. The run was on a flat course so running on a undulating route and also mix terrain would be helpful.

With more longer sessions and build up races I could also try out my bike and run nutrition more times and to the same plan which would be helpful to know before the race.

Also some weight loss and more gym work would provide additional benefits.

Outlaw 2011 - Race Report

The Outlaw triathlon is a long distance triathlon which is 2.4 miles (3.8km) Swim, 112 miles (180km) Cycle followed by a marathon (26.2 miles 42.2km). The race is based at Holme Pierpoint in Nottingham and the surrounding countryside.

Pre Race

This year I was nowhere near as anxious before this race as last year, just a bit pre race nerves this year which is ok to have. This year it was due to the lack of training as my longest swim and cycle was about two third race distance but I had run a marathon back in April. From the Bala race I was even prepared to take part in poor weather conditions up to a limit.

As I am already an Outlaw I decided to buy some Outlaw merchandise at the race expo as that would not put a jinx on my race. My brother decided to buy something pre race even though he has not completed the Outlaw before, it is bit risky doing that on a long distance race.

As I had been getting up early all race week to ensure the 3am breakfast on Sunday was not a total shock, I had left early and was at the venue for the first race briefing. There was not much different from last year apart from a change of road on the cycle loop and some of the traffic management options used at various points. Plus the weather forecast was looking favourable for the race unlike the previous week. So after this I went back to the car park and started to pack my race bags that they provided.

They had only given one number so I had to ensure it was secured on a race number belt, so I picked one of the two I had brought with me.


Then also stuck the race numbers on to my helmet and bike. I decided to pack them in a logical order, put bike together, swim stuff, cycle kit and then run kit. So after getting the bicycle out of the car and bits I had loosened back in the correct positions I pumped up the tyres a bit.

For the swim kit I would bring it in the morning in my dry kit bag, so for the moment I put it in my open water swim kit box along with the usual kit I put in the race timing chip and race swim cap.

The cycle kit I decided on my tri specific cycle shoes which had more ventilation and easy release while on the bike, so I put these at the bottom with some talcum powder inside them. I then put some longer sleeve and various colder weather kit in as a backup options. I also put in a spare tri suit and a pair of cycle shorts so I would have plenty of kit options when I got to T1. It is better to put stuff in the bag that you may need and don’t use than not have it there when you need it. On top I put in my cycle helmet, sunglasses and new cycle gloves. The cycle helmet and gloves coincidently matched my bike colours.

I then started packing my run kit bag. First in was a newish pair of trainers that I had got which I had only worn twice while running. I put in some talcum powder to reduce any moisture in the shoe and hopefully prevent any blistering. I then put some running kit in the bag along with another tri suit and hat and gloves. The bit of running kit that was not in there were full length leggings.

There was plenty of aid stations on the course but to ensure I did not have to wait a while or they run out I had some of my supplies with me. For the bike I had filled my panier bad with some oat/fruit bars and a couple of gels and also had a packet of sports powered in my bike kit bag to take with me. For the run I put a few gels in which were caffeinated and the first time I will be using in a race and only the second time using them. I then decided to have a special needs nutrition bag as a backup option as would be accessible on the bike laps at the top end of the course. In there I put a a couple packets of sports powder, few of the new gels and two mini (250ml) bottles of regular coca-cola, I did not have time to make them semi flat so I would have to settle for the bubbles on the day.

I then racked my cycle and run kit bags on the rack and visiualised where abouts they were located. Even though they are numbered as this is an endurance event your mind can play tricks on you and can get disoriented easily.


After some basic safety checks by the marshals I then racked my bike in my numbered position.



It was fairly easy to find as it was nearly level with the only clock on the boat shed wall that I could see from transition and two rows from the lake.I took a few photos to familarise myself with the swim in and bike out areas of transition compared to my bike position. As they racked my bike this would be the only time I would need to be in this area until collecting my bike at the end. Normally there would be a bike to run exit.

After that we headed back to the hotel to relax before tomorrow. We decided to go for a easy swim in the hotels pool which was about 10m. Out of the three of us I was the slowest at swimming breaststroke even though one of us was not a triathlete. My excuse was I was saving my energy for tomorrow. The pre race meal we went to the a pub that had part of its name as our surname, we had to really.



There I had the 10oz Hawaii five-o gammon steak with peas, pineapple slice, fried egg and chips then for desert I had a raspberry trifle cheesecake. That made 3 fruit/veg in a single meal, I was starting to feel a bit light headed at this point :-)

After that we went around the area taking photos of the various shops with our surname in their names, the best was the police station. At this point we were nice and relaxed and headed back to the hotel and hopefully get some sleep before the alarms at 3am!!

 

Race Morning

I got up for my 3am breakfast on my first alarm out of the four devices with multiple times I had set. I then got ready for the day in a nice relaxed state not having to rush around in the morning. When we were going out of the hotel there was still there people drinking from that night, that is a more common endurance session than what we were about to attempt.

When we got to the race venue it was still dusk with the sun starting to rise which was in line with the swim outbound lake.
I then put my drinks on to my bike and setup my GPS devices. I then checked my tyre pressure using the highly scientific method of pushing the tyre with my thumb. Luckily there was a marshal there with a track pump so I did not have to get my hands dirty pumping my tyre.

I then went back to the transition tent area and put my post race warm clothes in bag and get my stuff I needed for the swim. On the lake bankside I had my pre race caffeinated energy drink and then got my wetsuit on. I then handed the non race stuff to our support crew and headed to the swim start with about 10 minutes to go before the race.

Swim
Out of the four boat ramp areas at the start I decided to go in the third which was based on their time slots the race organisers suggested. So once going round the taped off section I then eased myself into the lake. This was due to the cold water but also the mud and possible geese poo on the ramp with a a 1ft drop a down the slope a bit which I did not want to slip over and injure before the race had started.

As we were getting in before the race the music they had on made me chuckle, it was the star wars imperial march but I could have miss heard this under my two swim caps.



Just before the 6am start looking down the U shape swim course in the rowing lake, you could not see the turning point but I was nice and calm and relaxed while still being focused on the tasks ahead of me.


As the air horn sounded and the race started the flat/peaceful lake was then turned into arms and legs splashing and kicking making the water appear like white water rapids.


I had decided to start in the back left of this start bay as there was about 200m diagonal swim to the left before joining the straight section of the swim, as this should then spread out the swimmers as the faster swimmers were in the bays to the left.


However despite being at a slower than normal swim pace I was being hit a kicked a bit a fare amount up to this turn point and for the next 200m. At this point I was starting to get in to some more open water in the swim and not too many swimmers around me so that I could get back in to my swim rhythm. I noticed that there was a bit of weeds in the lake but only a very small amount compared to last year and my last lake swim.

As the swim was in a rowing lake it was easier to tell how far round you were as there was some big distance signs on both sides of the lake with distances to the row finish which was a bit before the finish but gave you an idea for pacing and not overdoing it. I felt that I had gone fairly straight on this section of the swim which rarely happens. I got to the far turnaround points and then from nowhere I was getting hit a bit by the other swimmers.

Once I got to the other side of the lake and the back section I found some space again and got into a good rhythm. Although about 200m later I slowed down as I noticed on breath stroke that about a dozen geese swam in front of the person ahead of me. Then for about a minute (felt longer) I had a geese pacer about 10m to the right of me.

With about 500m to go I was feeling strong and was able to put a bit more effort and on back section of the swim I was overtaking a lot of people with only a few overtaking me. On this few minute of the swim it was looking like it was sunny and warmer and I was going through kit options for T1/Cycle that I was no planning to use. When I got out of the swim it was fast time for me and I did not hit any of the many rowing lane marker buoys.  

T1

When I got to T1 my brother was still taking his wet suit off, so I was minutes closer to him after the swim than anybody expected, I think it shocked him more than me. However he would normally make a few minutes up in T1.

I noticed that it was sunny and getting warmer with a bit of wind. So I dried off a bit and then had a towel on floor to dry my feet as I would be on them for the next 12 hours. I then put on long compression socks and another pair of cycle socks on top. I then put on my cycle top and arm warmers, skull cap, fingerless gloves, sunglasses and cycle helmet.
I decided against putting the longer and cold weather kit that I had brought with me, hopefully that would not backfire on me. My brother left a few minutes before me, I was ok my T1 time as it is a long day and best not to forget anything at this stage.

I then headed out of transition to get my bike which I had remembered the position despite being slightly disoriented after the swim. I then ran out to the bike exit of transition.


Cycle

In the first 100m (meters not miles) I had to stop. As I had not done handlebars up tight enough and with any weight on them they were dropping down. It took me under a minute to sort this out.



We then went round the lake on the pathway. Halfway down the other side of the lake a flock of geese decided to fly low in to the lake, I slowed down I thought the person in front of me was going to be knocked off but he was not. After leaving the lake side there was about a mile U turn section on the local roads to get the distance up.



I saw my brother on this section who was about half a mile ahead, it then took me to about 13 miles to catch him up despite being on my aerobars for most of this. He said the pace was a bit much for him and said he would slow down and go at his pace. I think he got caught up in the race and gone off a bit fast, I then pushed on at my pace.

The section to join the loop was longer than last year but was made up of long sections on some undulating sections. So I was able to stay on my aerobars for longer time, hopefully my lower back would be ok with spending longer time than normal in aero position (bent over the handlebars).

Within the first mile of the loop was a big hill that was 12% incline which was for about half a mile with first half being at a lower gradient. I called this incline col de pirate (had been watching the Giro d’Italia) or Pirate hill, as the Pirate manned aid station was about quarter of a mile after the top of the hill. Being a pirate I got plenty of support their and enjoyed the signs that they had put out along the road.

The road in to Southwell was fast road which I was easily staying in the 20-30 mph zone. There was a support in the town with most being at the 90 degree right hand turn with a official photographer on bend decided to use a flash luckily my bike hand skills have improved.

After a few undulating miles you joined the top section of the lap after going over a wooden ramp to avoid joining a main road with a very sharp left bend. This top section of the loop was the hardest part of the course which seemed a lot more undulating and into to headwind which I was going under 10mh in places.

When we turned off this road I was able to pick up my pace and was regularly in the 20-30mph zone and back on the aerobars. There was now just the two more laps to do on the bike and the 20 ish miles back to the end of the bike.

On the second lap about 65 miles in I stopped and got some of the gels, coke and energy drink. I was starting a bit early on the caffeinated products but I needed them already at this point. I was trying to stick to the energy drink mix that I had brought with me on for the bike as I think their drinks are more diluted than what I am used to.

Then half way round on the second bike loop I saw my brother on the side, who had pulled out due to the hills/wind not feeling right on that point on the previous lap. That lifted the pressure of being the fastest in our family but I still kept going at my pace.

The third loop was tougher especially the hill which some people were walking up with their bike. I managed to get up the hills without stopping. At the special needs aid station at about 90 miles I got the same as before which I was glad I put bag there the previous day as it was starting to get sunny and warm (out of the wind).

For bike nutrition I was trying to stick to a time based plan and not where the aid stations were. As they were about 12 miles apart (about 50 minutes) I would have half a banana at each with gels and water being option depending on how much stuff I had with me. I had a few bars and gels with me so I was not limited to at the aid stations and the few types of items they had. For the last hour I did not have any solid food sticking to the gels and drinks.

On the last lap it was starting to space out a bit more and was getting really warm. I was glad when I got to the end of the third lap until I realised I had about 20 miles left. This section had some relatively flat and fast sections along with a few inclines. In the last 10 or so miles there seemed to be more undulating sections along with more wind. The last few miles were on poor road conditions so you had to be mentally focused to stay on your bike. They had a small section through a country hall’s grounds to avoid a section of road but this had a cattle grid on the exit. I did not fancy going over this long in to the day so I went round it on the grass.

With less than a mile to the finish of the bike I was preparing for the run, by spinning at a higher cadence but at an easier gear then stretching my legs. With about 200m to go I took my feet out of the shoes and placed them on top of the shoes for a quick transition, I just had to be careful on the downhill section with speed bumps on the way into lake grounds. I got past this section and was able to quickly get of my bike and not fall over and handed my bike to the people (sea cadets) that were racking the bikes.



I then ran in T2.  

T2

I got my run kit bag and headed to the changing areas. My knees hurting a bit from bike, so I had some paracetmeol that I had packed but had no available drink and could not swallow them, so I to bin these but had the strange taste still.

I then changed my tri suit and socks and put on race hat, just to feel a bit fresher. I put on no other layers that I packed but took some gloves with me as a long day and may get cool later.

I then tried putting my race gels in belt in T2 when mentally fatigued which these were not fitting, that wasted a few minutes.

This felt even to me a longer T2 time than normal.

I then headed out of T2 to use some of the facilities before starting the run.  

Run

As it was getting hot and sunny there was somebody at the start of the run applying sun lotion out of what looked like a cooking mixing bowl. As I had not taken any due to the weather forecast the person put some on my neck and shoulders.

As it was warm I gave the gels and gloves to my brother as I decided I would not need them, don’t know why I took them out of T2 apart from mental fatigue.



I started of running at my marathon pace which was going ok. The first lap was around the lake and then there was three loops on the out an back to the city with each lap ending with a lap around the lake. The out and back section to the city was along the River Trent on a gravel footpath in places with a footpath underneath a Nottingham Forest FC stand to the turnaround point near the county council offices were there was a well stocked and manned aid station.
 


I was not too keen about running past the finish straight and line three times before.


I was walking through the aid stations that were about every 1.2 miles (12 minutes) apart while trying to alternating gels, water, isotonic sports drink and cola.

It was starting to get warm as some places there was very little shade and the wind had that we had on the cycle had stopped. So when the sun was behind me I was turning my cap around to try and prevent my neck from being sun burnt.



At the start of the day I was not looking forward to getting in to the lake now in the heat I could have done with a dip in it. At this point I had seen enough of the lake with the swim, lap on bike and four times on the run.



This was going well until I think about 16/17 miles then muscle fatigue and stomach ache/over nutrition caught up on me and had to walk virtually all of the remaining distance. Only down hill (under bridge) and final straight I managed any run/jog.

Other people were in similar situation and we ending up discussing our day so far and just getting to the finish. I knew I was not going to get anywhere near last year’s time but went to my adjusted goal of getting to the finish.


With the last 1km to go along the lake I started a very slow jog/hobble with slightly increasing the pace as the crowd support got more and the close to the finish I was.

For the finish straight I think I slowed down to high five the crowd and get photos from my supporters.

I crossed the finish line and the announcer said you are an Outlaw (again).

I got my medal and finishers t-shirt then some water and headed to the first aid tent.

 

Post Race

I went to the first aid tent as I thought I had blisters due to newish running shoes and my dodgy stomach. I laid down on the bed and they check my feet, which luckily had not blistered it must have been some drink/gel that had splashed on to my running shoes mesh which looked like dried blood colour.

After lying down for a few minutes with a drink of water I was starting to feel better from heat as well as everything else.

I then headed to the post race food which was pasta with various bits in. This looked nice but I did not fancy that at this point of the day. So I went for a roll and a couple of pieces of ginger cake and a cup of tea which was only my second of the day!!


Race Times

I finished the race with a time of 14:43:09




My official race times for the sections of the race are.

Swim = 1:23:19
T1 = 9:19
Cycle = 7:05:04
T2 = 14:32
Run = 5:50:57

For the 2.4 miles (3.8 km) swim my average pace was 34:43 per mile (21:35 per km).

For the 112 miles (180 km) cycle my average pace was 15.8 mph (25.4 kmph).

For the 26.2 miles (42.2 km) run my average pace was 13:24 per mile (8:20 per km).

I have created my post race review separately to the race report.

Last Two Weeks Weigh in

Over the last two weeks I have gained 1/4 lb. Last week I gained 2 lb (0.9 kg) despite doing a long distance triathlon in over 14 hours of exercise. This week I lost 1 3/4 lb (0.7 kg) with only a very little amount of exercise.

The extra weight on the long distance triathlon did not help, so this will be reduced before my next long distance triathlon.

Weekly Weigh In

This week my weight has stayed the same with my % body fat decreasing by 1%.

Not sure how this happened as I have done significantly less training this week.

Norwich Olympic Distance Triathlon 2011

Pre Race

The race car park was 1.2 miles (1.5km) away from the start. So we put my kit bag on the shuttle bus which the spectators also used. I then cycled to the start/transition area, wearing my trainers instead of cycle shoes which was a bit interesting, got half way and realised that my cycle shoes were in the back pack I had on.
After I registered I racked my bike up which was a pick your own space in certain rows for each race distance. So I picked my sport on the second row level with the barn (cafe) doors so this would be easy to spot in T1 and T2.

It was starting to feel warm in transition despite it being just 7:30am, so I decided to put my cycling short sleeve on my kit box as a backup kit if I felt cold at T1 and help speed up my transitions.

Swim

Getting to the swim start required walking on a stone path which I was thinking why I went barefoot there. The swim was 1,500m in a U shape with a longer start section until the turn around point with the exit 3/4 way along the other lake side. Luckily the blue green algae was below the safety limits so the swim could go ahead.
From the starting point it was hard to see the 3 buoys perhaps not helped by being in the suns direction and reflection on the water with yellow buoys. The tip from one of the other triathletes was to head to the tallest tree on straight ahead.

For the start I started on the left side and was only a few people deep at the start due to being at the lakeside.
For the first few minutes I was getting hit a bit while swimming which I was more annoying than affecting my swim. There was a couple of times which I hit and slow down the person in front of me. I felt I was going fairly straight on target on this section. When I reached the third buoy I took my time to get my bearings for the sharp right turn to the next buoy. After 100m there was another right turn for the last section along the lake side to the finish. Half way down this section when sighting I noticed that swim a few meters ahead of me had stopped, this was due to about 5 swans decided to swim from one side of the lake to the other. I decided to slow down a bit to let them past before picking up my speed for the last section. At this point I was overtaking a few people as I had taken a slightly wider angle on the last turn than most people, this allowed me to see the swim exit banner from further out and stay aligned with it.

When I got to the swim exit I took my swim caps and googles off, the googles fell in to the murky water and somehow I found them on my first attempt.

My Swim time was 33:04 for the 1,500m lake swim.


T1

From the swim exit at lakeside there was a 100m to the transition area which they had mats to this areas which was starting to get slippery. I gave a few meters to get my thoughts together and then got the top of my wetsuit down to waist and started to run in to transition.

I got my wetsuit off fairly quick for me. Then as it was warm I decided against putting on my cycling top and just using arm warmers which I could take off if I got too warm. As I had got my kit laid out in the order I was putting them on I was fairly quick for me. Leaving T1 a quickly drunk a fun size can of coke to get some quick energy after the swim.

My T1 time was 4:00 which includes time leaving swim to the far end of T1.

Cycle

The cycle was 39km (24 Miles) of a single loop which had one stop point at a right hand turn. I decided to put a big effort in to the cycle section.

The section out of the transition was flat but had a few speed bumps in the road, that was Worthing noting for the inbound section to T2. The next few miles surprisingly there was a few gentle undulations, which I was overtaking a few people along this section with less people over taking me. When I got to the far end of the cycle course loop it was starting to get warm and flattened out but this meant the slight side wind had nothing to step it so required some bike skills to stay on the bike. I was also trying to stay on the aero bars as much as possible. When I got to about 3/4 way round there was a longer hill which there was a few people starting to overtake me.

However in the first 1 hour I noticed on my GPS device I had completed 19.2 miles!! My normal average speed is about 15 mph.

I knew there were only a few miles left on the bike so I would see if I could maintain the pace but accepting the run will hurt.

There was a right hand turn where you had to stop and put a foot down (else disqualified), I was gutted this slowed my time down. On the way back to the transition area I was maintain a fast pace down the country park road and made a note where the speed bumps were. After which I got my feet out of my shoes and peddled on top of them to have a quick transition.

My time was 1:12:36 which is an average speed of 19.6 mph !!

T2

Once I got to my spot which I easily remembered the location, I was pleasantly surprised that there was still lots of gaps for bikes still on the cycle course. I took of the cycle specific kit and put my running shoes on. To aid a quick transition I took my watch and hat with me and put on while running along.

My T2 time was 1:26.

Run

The run was a 11km off road run through the woodland and lakeside which was made up of two laps. It was starting to get quite warm now, so I was glad I decided just having my trisuit on. The first part of the run went through a different section of the park then I had ran there, I was glad it went through some woods to get some shade but had to watch out my footing more carefully than on a road surface. I was to glad of the hills in the woods which I decided to walk up the top half as my legs did not have much power in them after the cycle.
There was a few water stops on the route but I had taken a gel and sports drink me to enable to me to more regular drinks which ideal in these conditions. After the woods section you then ran along the lake side which was so tempting to take a dip to cool off. I got to near the start end of the lap before the first women over took me, not sure how far head start I had but normally they would have overtaken me on the bike. You then went on the path behind the finish area which you could hear people were finishing.

I then knew what was coming on the second loop, so I was prepared for the uneven ground, loose wood chipped paths and steps which I could then take in my stride. Once I got to the far side of the lake there was less than 2km to go I decided to pick up my pace a bit more until the finish. The last 100m you had to watch your footing on the paths and grass but I made it round.

My run time was 57:23 this is an average pace of 8:15 minutes per mile (5:44 per km).

Overall

My overall time was 2:48:29 and I was 91st overall, out of the 159 finishers in the Olympic distance. Which I was 114th (72%) in the swim, 82nd (52%) in the bike and 75th (47%) in the run.

Post race performance

Pre race

I spent a bit more time pre race in transition getting my kit ready with optional kit easily available if I need them due to weather conditions. I also spend time familiarising myself with my position in transition and the various in and out sections and the distances.

Swim

The swim I was glad I could sight better when in the lake than when stand on the lake side waiting to get in. I started in the faster end of the start which did not freak me out that much so was a good test. On the way back I did not feel as tired as I normally would and it felt like my swim technique was not affected. The swim time was about average for me.

T1

This was about half the time I normally spend in T1 even with the longer swim exit to T1. I had minimised the amount of kit to add and had laid out my kit in order to enable a quick change over.

Bike

I don’t know what happened on the bike as I averaged 19.6 mph which was over 4mph faster than my normal speed. The only notable difference I made was having less food and drink due to it being a shorter ride.

T2

This must have been affected by the fast bike ride as I was about a sixth of the time I normally spend in T2. It was helped by not adding extra layers of clothes and put some things on while running out.

Run

The run I went of fast and was able to maintain a similar pace (except the hills) all the way round on a hot day. It was good to run on multi terrain as I had to ensure I maintained my focus on the path conditions.

Nutrition

The bike nutrition I had my food early on the ride to give time to digest before the run and then switched to a sport drink. On the run I had a gel which I had before half way and a sports drink I took with me which I was taking regular sips and only had a couple of cups of water from their aid stations. This was enough for this distance race.

Overall
I was pleased with all my times on this race in particular T1, T2 and the cycle. The nutrition and kit choices will be different on longer races but provided a good test of different options on a shorter and hot race.

Below is the medal you got, I like the cog shaped.

Weekly Weigh In

This week I have gained 1lb 2oz (0.5Kg) with my % body fat decreasing by 1.5%.

The weight gain was a bit surprising due to the 15 hours of exercise in the last week.

Last Weeks Exercise

Last week I did over 15 hours of exercise, this included an open water aquathon and a hot and hilly hundred km cycle ride :-)
Below is the breakdown percentage by time.

Bike	38%
Run	17%
Swim	17%
Walk	15%
Cross	13%

I was pleased with the amount of time cycled and swam this week. This also included a open water race which I got to practice my transitions in a race conditions. The time walking could have been less with either my run or cross training being higher.

This was a big week for me, I think the following week will be slightly easier.

Hot and Hilly Cycle Ride

This weekend I decided to do a fairly long cycle ride for me of 62 miles (100 Km). Not sure why I thought starting at 11:30am in 31c heat was a good idea.

The first 20 miles I was quite quick for me with a lot of time on the aerobars. The next 20 miles surprised me by how hilly they were especially when I knew the next 10 miles were hilly, hence my pace dropped down a bit. I was starting to get a bit dehydrated and/or the effects of the heat. The mobile take away was not in its usual place whihc I had planned to get some drinks from, the nearest shop I knew was back about 2 miles but I wanted to keep heading home. Then I remembered there was a supermarket petrol station only a mile or so away. When I got there I down 0.5l of cold drink and put the other in one of my drinks bottles for the remaining 10 or less miles.

I had two bananas while going around along with my 1.5l of drink (isotonic and minerals drinks) but I did not want nay of the food I had with me, must have timed having porridge correctly.

In the end I made it back in 4:12 which was an average of 14.8 mph which I was glad I made it back in the hot weather.

What a difference a couple of weeks make both hilly but one in 8c, wind and rain and the other in 31c, with a slight cooling breeze and sunny.

Evening Open Water Aquathon

Tonight I did an evening OpenWater Aquathon. It started with a 750m lake swim and then a 5.1km run.

There was only about 10 people doing it, so there was not much of a mass start so started in the middle to get my swim start confidence. Most people left me standing in the first few strokes but there was a few other people at my pace plus the others lake swimming. In the last half of the straight I think I was catching some people up. I was sighting the buoys quite well and did not go too far of course but had not much arm power after the weights earlier in the week due to DOMS. The only issue was the amount and height of the weeds in places but good practise for my main race.

Transition was quick for me, once reached it from the lake which included climbing a ladder!! I had laid my running stuff out including an extra t shirt rolled to to get on easy when wet.

The run was 3 laps around the lake and a cross country style apart from the short section across the car park. I tried some different running shoes which was ok for this type of terrain but will need to try on other surfaces before using in main race. I was getting faster on each lap despite the swams of flies on the far side of the lake, I was glad a had a hat on so I did not get many on my face or swallow.

Based on memory I think my times were told to me as I went through each checkpoints was 16 minutes swim and 24 minute run.

Learning Points

On swim stay focused on stroke ignoring pace others around and amount of weeds.

For transition lay the kit out in correct order and prepared to get on when wet. Also have a towel to wipe feet on and stand on when putting shoes on to avoid getting geese poo on socks and in shoes.

On the run know the route and surface and have suitable footware.

Weekly Weigh In

This week I lost 3lb 2 oz (1.4 Kg) with my % body fat increase 3%.

I was pleasantly surprised about the weight loss due to the low volume of training last week. The % body fat increase I was expecting due to the even bigger decrease in this the previous week. I think the ramp up in training already this week has helped with even more planned.

Weekly Weigh In

Last week I  gained 1 3/4 lb (0.8Kg) with an my body fat down 4%. Based on that it looks like I gained a lot of muscle this week.

Perhaps it was the 14 hours of exercise the previous week which included a hilly middle distance triathlon?

Last Two Weeks Training

Over the last two weeks I have done 14 hours and 7 hours of training. Two weeks ago did include a triathlon in poor weather conditions which took me over 7 hours to complete. The following week I think I was affected by the race in cold and the journey back home on the same day.

Generally the % of time was a good mixture without doing long sessions (apart from the race). This week should be back to a good volume.

Bala Middle Distance Triathlon 2011 - Race Report

 The day before weather conditions were fine blue sky and some few fluffy clouds with a reasonable temperature (a bit on the cold side for me).



I was feeling fine and relaxed despite not really training enough for the Swim 2km, Cycle 81km and Run 20km in the hills of North Wales.

The forecasted weather was not looking good for race day so when I picked up goody bag after registration I was thinking about going home then but as I was up here I thought I might as well stay and do it as the lake looks quite nice.





A race report is available on the organising clubs web site (images may for dramatic affect and not the race day) along with the route and profile of the courses.

Race Day

On the day of the race after getting chip and number it then started to rain for the rest of the day. My idea of wearing long shorts to acclimatise was not a good idea in the cold and rain.





I had a good spot in transition which would be easy for me to find. Second row back from lake next to the tree (only one in transition area) it might give some shelter.

Swim

I was actually glad to get my wetsuit on, although my feet were cold on the damp grass and rain. It was getting colder while waiting for the race to start was delayed by 10 minutes

Once in the lake it felt it was warmer than standing around. It took me a few attempts to get my face in water due to temperature, I think the reported surface temp was 10c.

I started on back right of the start wave which was the first of three. Which I tried to go in a straight line to the last buoy as the rest looked like was on a slight angle from the start. This also avoided most swimmers who went to the left.

After about 950m we turned left for 100m, then the waves started before turned left again and the long swim back 950m.

I really enjoyed swim in the waves (0.5ft) getting thrown around a bit extra water swallowed sometimes when judging crest of wave wrong. I think the waves helped spotting the exit better as you were bobbing up and down and could spot the big red inflatable at the swim exit.

Got to end of the swim felt I could have done more and muscles not feeling as tiered despite the length of the swim. The hardest bit of the swim was getting out of the lake. As you are a bit disoriented after the swim trying to stand up in shallow water on stones was interesting and then walking along a pier to the transition area. It took me over a minute to get out of the lake after stopping swimming.


T1

I kept all the layers in my tri box but separated into cycle and run sides to try and keep the kit drier for longer. I had double of everything apart from leggings which I had just my trisuit on, including 3 pairs of socks (calf length and winter cycling socks) and overshoe covers. Then I had winter gloves two hats and sunglasses (optimistic), cycle helmet and a waterproof jacket.

The person next to me I thought he was putting on his wrong shoes (running not cycling) but he was quitting after the swim

Cycle

The course is a hilly out and back course. By the time I was on my bike people already turning back quitting on the cycle from the start of the cycle for miles with some of them just wearing trisuit in the poor weather conidtions. It was turning in to surviving and not a goal time.

A notable moment on the bike was about 8 miles in to the ride on the 10% downhill going 30 mph+ with brakes on (not working well in the wet) and a side wind which pushed the person in front of me in to my line and I was catching them up, it was “nice moment” with cars coming the other direction. Pity this was at a really great scenic view looking down in to the valley.

I was struggling on the hills which were not helped by the temperature being 8-11c on my bike sensor which does not include wind or rain chill.

When you see a person in phone box to keep warm you know it’s not going to be a good day. The ambulance and support vehicles were busy transporting people back to start and the marshals were in full weather gear.

Finally got to the turnaround point were the aid station was had a minutes rest filling up drinks bottle with isotonic powder I had and had something to eat. I also ensured that my kit was correctly fitting as I did not want to cold in this weather. There was quite a few taking a break from the elements. Then started off again which was up yet another hill.

There were a few supporters out in places braving the elements which was appreciated.

It seemed to be harder on the way perhaps due to the head winds and seemed more inclines. Up the 10% incline I was struggling to do 4 mph but I was catching others up until the pulled away on the down hill section.
I had oat and fruit bars on the bike every 30 minutes until the last hour then just drinks and gels, this seemed to walk for me nutritionally and I was able to open them up on the bike with my winter gloves on.

I finally made it back to T2.

T2

When I got back to my bike rack I was asked by a marshal "if I wanted to continue as I did not look well". "It was just the cold on the bike" I said and I was ok to carry on. I then changed in to to a couple of other dry running layers but keeping waterproof on top, plus a woolly hat with a baseball cap underneath and pair of running gloves.

Also took my 0.7 litre Polish Isotonic drink, it tastes a bit like hot lemon so might be useful keeping the cold away plus a few gels.

Run

The run is a hilly out and back along road next to lake.

The first half mile is on flat gravel path next to lake before joining the road and the only flat section that I remember. There was not many people going out still, I thought I was the last. However there was a few other that came past me after a few miles plus I was catching up others. This was going to be mentally tough as there was not going to be as much support on the run course (runners and spectators) as there normally is.

It was survival day and I was getting support from those going back and the few supporters that were out. I was planning to drink sips every mile marker and every 3 miles a gel.

After 3 miles in my muscles starting to fatigue and was walking any incline but I made time up on the down hills and any slightly flat bits.

I was really glad to see the turnaround point at the top of the steepest hill, I had some water (might be rain water). Now I was heading back to the finish only 6 miles/1 hour away.

I was now starting to Yo-yo with a few others when I was running and walking, so we were chatting a bit just to get round. By the time we had got to 2 miles from the end we were all doing our own pace to make it to the finish.

In the last half mile I saw a fellow pirate (tri club) 100m+ ahead turn around and then start to pick up pace. I nearly caught them up I need a few meters more to catch them.

However I made it, I survived Bala 2011.

Race Review   

My times below are from the official results with some analysis from my GPS devices. These were my worst times at this course and my total time was 70 minutes slower than last year.
Overall time = 7:06:06
Swim = 51:07
T1 = 10:07
Cycle = 3:42:45
T2 = 10:09
Run =     2:12:01

Based on my position on each of the three disciplines the swim was the best, followed by run and then cycle. This was a bit of a surprise for me.

I did fell I had a good swim in terms of sighting and my muscles did not feel fatigued at the end of the swim or even part way round.

The cycle need to do more especially on hills. But I did cycle in wind and rain from the start and pleased with my bike handling skills in the conditions. I had good choices of kit available and nutrition on the bike. My average speed was 13.9 mph and fastest 34.2 mph with my cadence average being 63.7 and max at 87.1 rpm. Both of these averages need to be higher but I was in low gears on the inclines which slowed both speeds down. The most consistent 4 miles were about 7 miles from the end when I realised how close we were from the end of the cycle.

Running I was pleased with the endurance including mental part plus my kit and nutrition choices were good. My average pace was 10:41 with the fastest being 6:41 pace (for 0,4 miles sprint finish). My first mile split was 9 minute mile which was possible too fast and they got slower by about 20 seconds per mile from then until mile 6 which was 1 minute slower than the previous mile. The next 6 miles the split times fluctuated but all higher than the average pace.

My T1 and T2 times need to be improved but I was concentrating on getting warm dry layers of clothes on.

I was about 13 places from the end but from the number of entries 33% did not complete the race, I DID NOT QUIT.

After all that I was glad I did this race in the worst conditions I have raced a triathlon in, pitty it was on one of the toughest courses in the UK.

The post race chips, spam fritter and cup of tea tasted great and nice and warm, mmm.