We crowded under the motorway/railway bridge and waited on the OK to enter the water. The professionals came in and started pretty quickly. I got into the water and fought my way through the masses. My plan was to start nearer the front but at the side furthest away from the first turn point. My thinking being that everyone would crowd out the left hand side as we were swimming clockwise. I asked a guy which buoy it was and he confirmed my fears, it was the furthest away one and it was two full circuits…..too late to do anything now….The race organisers tried hard to pull the crowd over from the left to the right but with little success. Eventually the gun went. We were off.
I started a little bit quicker than normal and was in free water for about 75% of the first leg up to the first turn. As I pulled across to the left to round the buoy the water became more crowded. I got round and started the down leg. I was 14 minutes to this point and started to get positive thoughts about making it. The down leg on the first lap back towards the bridge lasted an age but I wasn’t tiring just swimming a nice easy pace. I was occasionally checking behind and I could see that I was far from last. I took this as a big positive. Eventually I’m back at the start and it’s just over 32 minutes at the start of the up leg of the second lap. I started to up the pace a little as I knew I was taking it a bit too easy and I also knew the scale of the swim as I’d done a full lap.
I did a fair bit of zig zagging and was obviously swimming further than technically needed, this is something I need to work on. I got to the top of the first leg of second lap and I was at 42 minutes. A quick mental calculation and I thought sub 60 was definitely possible. I wouldn’t be on the broom wagon this race and so my first DNF would be another day.
I kept a couple of folk in my sight and just paced myself to them. I started really getting into a rhythm and was bi lateral breathing(every third stroke using both sides). I did notice at first this made me feel a little bit dizzy as I’d been breathing mostly on my right. After 5 minutes of bi lateral breathing and I felt better. The climb out point was of course right at the bottom and I had to swim the whole length of the transition zone….eventually I reached it and got up on my feet with some assistance. I was shaky on my legs and had difficulty standing up but a quick jog to the bike and it cleared. This definitely gets easier with practice as you know what to expect. I got my wetsuit off pretty easily myself and I had what felt like an OK transition and didn’t have any major cramps. Shoes, Socks, Helmet, number and Cycling top on and I’m jogging out with the bike to the start point. I pick up a bottle of juice and slip it into my cradle to drink right away. I mount the bike and I’m away. The bottle falls out in the first 100m’s…I’ve still got 750ml on the bike so its not a problem. I don’t stop.
First 5k on the bike I drank half my juice and down a gel. My legs were stiff but eased off. I’d raised the saddle a bit and flattened it out the night before and this was proving to be a little bit less comfortable than usual. It’s also been 10 days since I was on the bike. I really missed my computer as I could not tell how fast I was going and given I was a back marker I hardly saw anyone else for reference. I caught two people at the start and that was me. I got passed by 6 folks including number 1 and 2 who were flying into the finish just as I was just short of starting my second lap. The roads were in great condition and the stewards/police had it all locked up so it was virtually car free. Its clearly an area that has a lot of affinity to cycling given the disruption it caused and the great support being handed out by the locals.
Second lap as ever was easier than the first and seemed quicker. I knew I was drying out as I could feel it(you get shivery despite it being hot). I was drinking and eating as much as I could stomach but it’s a delicate balance between keeping hydrated and being sick.
I took 4x500ml bottles of water and isotonic on the way round the bike leg and finished my own 750ml. I ate 5 gels of various types.
I felt OK coming off the bike and my only concern was back pain on the left side and sore undercarriage, both of which I knew should go away on the run. I had a pretty fast transition and was out and running. I felt OK and was looking to concentrate on the first 10K under an hour and see how it went after that. I managed about 500m and I started getting a very very painful cramp right across the front of my rib cage…A stitch I was sure and something I never ever suffer from. Every step was agony. I knew the right treatment was run it off. Usually a km or so and it would be gone or so I’d read. I reached the 5km mark and I could still feel it although the worst of it was over. I managed a better second lap but the 400m circuit of the running track in the athletics stadium was a killer as the heat was intense in there. It was here that had the dubious honour of being the place where you picked up your band for each one of the 4 curcuits. The first I was in a daze due to the pain, the second was better but I was nearly in tears at the thought of another 10k. The third lap when I ran past the finishing line for the last time was great and I was now running better as the cramp was fully gone and I was no longer feeling sick. Last trip into the stadium and picked up the lovely red band. A quick drink and just 800M to go. I tried to up the pace as I knew I was close to the 6Hr mark. I went over the line with the clock saying 6:01 but my watch said 5:56 so I’m assuming the clock was started when the professionals went off as they had a 5 minute start on the age groupers. I was shattered at the end, really worn out. I knew I was struggling with fluids and tried to ram down an isotonic drink. It wasn’t easy as it was a balance between drinking it and being sick.
A kiss and congratulations from Alison and I felt really great, she was right about that swim but confirmed later she was worried too. We picked up the bike from the T2 and signed out. I cheered on a guy who was just finishing, nearly there…..As I got changed at the car the temp was 27C and it was 6:30pm. Who knows how hot it was out there when I was racing round.
Overall I found this a very hard race , especially on the run leg for the first 10K. I think I drank too much water too late on in the bike leg which carried over problems to the start of the run. The temperature was clearly difficult for me to deal with. The swim leg I was just pleased to finish and was especially pleased with my time and the fact that really I could actually swim that far. I spent Saturday dreading and verging on panic about the swim and having to talk myself out of not not doing the race. At the end of Sunday the longest swim was tucked in the bank with a smile on my face. I’d done 2.7k and I now know I could do the 3.8km full Ironman swim distance, certainly as they give you 2hrs20.
The bike leg I found difficult as I spent a lot of time on my own, it’s a 40km circuit and only 500 riders and I was near the back. I also missed my computer to tell how fast I was going and how far I’d gone. It’s a great coach when you slack off. The course while it was flat brings a challenge that isn’t normal on an everyday bike ride. There are no uphill sections and so no downhill. Therefore you are pedalling all the time and there is zero opportunity for any recovery/respite. I think the tri-bars would have been easy enough to use and of great benefit on this race as it was flat and straight and I spent ages in the same gear with limited braking. So a missed opportunity I think.
There were plenty of times when I was thinking of stopping on the run but I never really came close to throwing in the towel. I was fantasizing about it just being 3 circuits on the run and how it would be nice to drop down my distance to Olympic or Sprint triathlons. That Roybon race I did earlier in the year(750m,21km,5km) seems like nothing now and as I ran round I thought of how nice it would be to just do those from now on. The bike run was just an 80K slog and I was fine if a little uncomfortable due to the heat but I felt fine getting off the bike. The run was hard as it started badly and I’m not proud to say that I took strength from those who I saw throwing up, walking and talking to the trees. It helped me to keep going and I sincerely hope you all finished.
Bottom line is that as they say “when going through hell, you just need to keep going”….I’m looking forward to a holiday
Photos and official results link later.
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