HOT NEWS RACE REPORTS
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Sunday 16th November 2008
Wimborne 10 mile road race. |
| This was the first of my longish winter training races. I had made the mistake of telling Scott that I had an entered this 10 mile road race. His response was 'great you can cycle to Wimborne from Swanage and treat it as a brick session'. Being a conscientious and compliant triathlete that it what I duly did. Well the bike bit was fine. I biked on dry roads in watery winter sunshine and arrived in Wimborne early so did a few extra circuits of the town to stay warm. The run was not so comfortable. It took me the first few miles to gain my run legs and I reached the half way point in a shade over 35minutes. A bit of encouragement from Graham and Nikki at the Shapwick drinks station sent me speeding back towards Pamphill and the finish. The second half of the race was much better and I finished in 69min 30secs. I was pleased with this. Coach’s comment – the projected time for Dave’s 10 miles, based upon his Cooper Test was 72 minutes - so a good winter training session from Dave. |
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Sunday 9th November 2008
Training Day |
| Whilst Matt was recovering from his efforts at the 70.3 World Championships in 90º heat in Florida and Lou was trying to get her legs to work after the Ballbuster, a few hardy souls turned up for the second training day. We had banned Mark & Anna from attending on health grounds, Julian was recovering post-op and Jimmy was socialising in Ireland so it was down to Dave, Graham & Nigel to enjoy the technique based swim session, reviewing and introducing some skills & drills. Graham & Dave came out the water and climbed onto their bikes and did a turbo based ramp test, establishing their current fitness levels and indoor heart rate training zones. Following a discussion about potential 2009 goals it was off to Kings Park athletic stadium to undergo a 12 minute Cooper Test to obtain running heart rates and cross-reference the outdoor maximal effort predictive VO2 values with those obtained in last months indoor sub-maximal test values. Nigel and Julian added their support and various biscuit based treats up at the track. The fun will continue next month with a swim time trail based on individual athlete’s main race – Dave gets the joy of a 4K swim!! Then it will be a re-visit of the turbo ramp test before a 9k pyramid run session based around athlete’s aspirational run speed. |
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Saturday 8th November 2008
Ballbuster Duathlon |
| Lou has sent us through her day at the Ballbuster. Sorry to gatecrash in on the Team email but just wanted to say that I survived, and ENJOYED (nutter), the Ballbuster today, despite it p*****g down with rain for most of the course. Hence I took it steady on the bike after an incident with leaves the other week. I can blame this lunacy on Julian and Bryce since they started the trend for mad races with Alpe d'Huez. Was thinking about you all during the second run which kept me going so thank you. Didn't set any blazing times but did manage to run all the way up Box Hill both times without having to walk and did 2nd run only 2 mins 25 secs slower than first (I still only have one run speed at the moment) so happy bunny. Enjoy your training day tomorrow. I allegedly have a 2 hr easy spin but think it might take me that long to crawl out of bed and down the stairs, although currently managing ok.. famous last words. |
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12th October 2008
Training Day |
| With team athletes getting back into the UK from the Duathlon World Championship race only two weeks prior to the training day and some getting ready to go out to the World 70.3 Championships in Florida this training day was always going to be tough. Team members undertook a technical swim session subject of critical analysis to see where & how technique was compromised; this was followed by a 40k outdoor bike time trail where pre & post event blood lactate was taken to assist in setting relevant heart rate training zones. Finally the athletes went into the studio to undergo a series of performance tests to establish current strengths and developmental areas including VO2, anaerobic capacity, upper body strength, core strength and flexibility. The day was a good start to training required for a successful 2009 season. |
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Tuesday 7th October 2008
Season's summary |
| With the Northern Hemisphere main events almost over here is a quick review of the team’s achievements over the year. Julian Allen – Julian did some of the most recognisable and iconic races on the world calendar; racing at the Escape from Alcatraz and Alpe D’huez triathlons before finishing his season with his GB vest at the ETU European Cross Triathlon Championships. Melissa Arkinstall – Melissa won her local race series but also raced on the international stage, experiencing horrendous weather at the World Triathlon Championships in Vancouver before rounding her season off with a second Team GB appearance at the World Duathlon Championships in Rimini. Melissa is leaving the team for the 2009 season and we all wish her well as she intends having a crack at Ironman Lanzarote. Mark Chivers – Mark had a quiet race year, focusing on his family and business matters – the great news for Mark & family is that it looks that come the new year they all may have a new start in pastures new. Bryce Dyer – Bryce had a more focused season, picking his races with care. Bryce was out at Alpe D’huez with Julian before grabbing another GB vest at the ETU European Cross Triathlon. Bryce finished his season by defending his TLI TT National Championship jersey. This must auger well for Bryce’s focus in 2009 when he will be leaving the team to focus on Master’s Cycling, specifically an attack on some of the Master’s Track titles. Nigel Eldred – Nigel had a quiet racing year as his attention was on achieving his sports massage qualification, the good news is that Nigel is now fully qualified as a sport masseuse. So 2009 may see a return to racing, although with his healing hands we still don’t know who will change the tyre if he gets a puncture. Claire Fraser – Claire has a great opportunity, representing Guyana at major triathlon events in the forthcoming years and as such Claire’s season is just about to start with races in North & South America. At this stage, given Claire’s commitments to travelling and racing it does not look as though the team will be in her plans. We wish Claire every success with this fantastic opportunity. Louise Gould – Louise worked at the European Triathlon Championships as part of the support crew before pulling on her GB vest at the World Long Course Triathlon Championship race in Almere. Lou also suffered at Alpe D’Huez – not to sure if that was due to the race or Bryce & Julian!! Lou is stepping away from the team in 2009 to work with a coach on a one to one basis, another athlete focusing on Ironman Lanzarote. Matt Langdon – Matt claimed his first Team GB vest at the European Triathlon Championships in Lisbon, having gotten a taste for racing at major championships Matt then qualified for the 70.3 World Championships on November 8th this year. When Matt does start thinking about 2009 there is a rumour that there will be a Team Synergie reunion in Lanzarote at the Ironman event. Dave Pratten – Dave started his season by winning a Bronze medal at the European Triathlon Championship in Lisbon, he followed that up by winning his Age Group at the London Triathlon, a race that always features in Dave’s season and he finished his season by winning the Brighton Urban Race. Graham Starmer – Graham did a fair bit of racing this season, covering most events you can think off. For a bit of a challenge Graham decided to have a crack at duathlon and having raced and qualified at the National Championships then went out to race at Rimini in the World Duathlon Championships. So one European Triathlon Championship medallist, nine international vests, one National Champion and too many PB performances to mention, as Bryce would say “Not a bad season” At this point the coaches want to thank all the athletes and for those pursuing other options in 2009, can we wish those performers well. Equally for all those long suffering partners, can Di & I thank you for all the assistance and support that you have given us, the team members and your own athletes. |
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Sunday 5th October 2008
Bryce Dyer - National Champion |
| A bit of deja vu about the title but well worth shouting about. Here is Bryce's take on the weekend's racing; The last race of my season before a month off and the resultant change for the ’09 season This was the 3 stage cycle race over at Downton based over a 2.4km hillclimb prologue, 50km road race and a 40km TT on the second day. The final TT was also to double as the TLI national TT champs for those members. Due to a long season and an ever decreasing usability of any base phase I felt I may struggle at the overall of this one and instead had decided to go all out for the prologue, use this as a warm up for the following days TT and then see what happens. I took 2nd in the prologue to another rider who had recently won stages in the Tour of Wales and the pair of us had already taken 20-30 seconds minimum out of the field (in just a 4 minute stage) so that boded well. I knew I was going to pay for this though and an unexpected handicapping set up saw (in a race lasting just over an hour) myself in an elite scratch group of 5 riders trying to chase down 40 other riders with a 9 minute penalty. I was hanging on for dear life for the first 30 minutes. In the end we pulled the gap down to just 15 seconds but then two of the riders kept stupidly attacking on descents trying to bridge across on their own and I knew then I’d have to cover them. As a result the gap went back out to nearly two minutes. Meanwhile, further up the road an accident in the wet had brought a rider down hard and he was in a bad way so with ambulances and police around the race was neutralised for about 10 minutes which gave me a much needed respite. On the last hill ascent our group was fractured but I knew the climb quite well so although at the start I got dropped, with a bit of patience I’d reeled everyone in bar two riders and limited my losses to the others to just 3 seconds. I was now down in 12th overall though. Several ringers had been in the main group that we never caught. That, I felt was too tall an order with just the TT remaining. As you know from Jules, the weather was awful with high winds and heavy rain (virtually every other race in the region was cancelled) and I wanted to get the TT moved or removed as I felt the course was unsafe. The organiser disagreed so on Sunday morning I objected a little more strenuously and roped in some more riders (who I felt were being coerced) and a marshal or two. In the end the TT was shortened and some of its more dangerous aspects removed. We started the TT stage with a few less riders and in many cases 2 minute start gaps which would make for an honest but lonely ride. The rider 2 minutes in front of me was currently in the lead overall and I knew if I caught him I’d be back in business. I started the opening flat 10 miles conservatively (not seeing anything due to the constant showering of rain) and the hilly section past the Red Shoot pub I probably should have pushed but I kept within myself again. Once I got to halfway I shut the power meter off and went for it with whatever the season had left. The high winds got favourable and I knew I was accelerating through the stage whereas I counted on 2 days of racing and adverse weather draining everyone else. I did not see the key rider in front until the last 5 minutes of the TT and I’d have to get past him to be assured of a top 3 finish. In the end, as the road tilted downwards (and cramp started to set in) I was doing a hard pursuit virtually sprinting and pulled past him with just 200m of the stage remaining (basically 10-15 seconds !). That was as tight as I wanted ! In the end, I had not realised that the riders that had gone out earlier had haemorrhaged massive chunks of time and I’d gone from 12th back into 2nd overall. I’d also won the TLI national TT title for a 2nd year. I walked away with trophies, cash, jersey, medals and an entire seasons worth of silverware from one event. Marvellous. Not a bad way to end the season. |
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Sunday 5th October 2008
Dave's Updates |
| My excuses for not filing race reports for September are as follows: 1. Starting a new job 2. Having an OFSTED inspection 3. After a successful season in my 2 'A' races. I wasn't taking the end of season too seriously Saturday September 6th Questars Adventure Race This race is like multi sport orienteering. Held in the Purbecks it consists of three disciplines mountain biking, kayaking and trail running. The idea is to reach as many checkpoints as possible on each discipline with a 6 hour cut off. You get an hour before the start to plan your route but don't get the value of each checkpoint until you cross the line when you also get informed of the dummy ones. I entered the event with Pete Meteau as my team mate. For those of you who don't know of previous exploits with Pete.. we have a track record of interesting race incidents and experiences. Well this time....we didn't get lost, we didn't suffer mechanical breakdowns, we didn't end up in hospital, we didn't get lost(well only briefly), we didn't go out of bounds, we didn't suffer time penalties finishing with 3 minutes to spare and secured 44th place out of 69 teams. Studland Stampede 14th September For the first time this season I raced with the sun on my back. This is a 12k off road race taking in heath trails, sand dunes and beach running. I finished in 56minutes 23seconds in 47th place out of 232 finishers. I really enjoyed being able to plunge into the sea for a post race swim and cool down at Knoll Beach. Urban race Brighton Triathlon September 21st One of my favourite race venues. Made even better this year by a lunchtime start and bright sunshine. A combination of wind against tide made the swim a bit lumpy which played to my strengths. Two laps in the sea followed by a long steep beach run up to transition. The bike was 8 laps of a closed road course with 4 'dead turns' and one short sharp hill on each lap. The run was 4 laps of dead flat tarmac. I finished 37th out of 223 in an unspectacular 2:25:21 made up of a 21:37 swim, 74:37 bike and plodding 45:39 run. Still it was good enough to win my age group and a nice way to finish the season. Cheers Dave |
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Friday 26 September 2008
Matt's racing |
| Bristol half marathon 14th Sept '08: Over winter I did some run training for Bath half and got a pb 1:19:45 and was happy with this. This Bristol race was the first time I had run this for years and had it in as practice for Florida in November. However subject to Scott’s mocking no doubt I have run no further than 10km since Wimbleball in June so was not expecting great things from this, in fact I was just hoping to get round in what I thought would be 1:25ish. I was late arriving and struggled to find a toilet before the race commenced. The race had been complicated a little this year by having 7 different colours of numbers, 2 start points at 9:30 for 4 colours and 2 start points for 3 colours at 10:00 to ease congestion - it worked well though. On my return from running to find a distant toilet I found people ready and poised on the start line but this wasn’t mine, my start point was the 1st wave about 500m away but this was well organised and I jogged round and straight to the front - which was a brilliant surprise-no need for my usual barrier jumping. I was ready. Anyhow the race started and I got into a rhythm in the scorching heat following a couple of athletes I remember being close to in Bath in March '08 but eventually they pulled away from me and I ran a large % of the race alone or battling against another lady who seemed to get loads of applause on the way round, which became a little irritating after a while esp. as she was constantly being told 4th lady, 4th lady well done etc. It was a pretty hot day and I think this took its toll on many but I felt pretty good although I grabbed drinks at every station (1.5miles apart) which I don't normally do. I went through 10km in 37:?? and 10 miles in 1:00:04 so thought I may be able to sneak a pb. I flagged a bit at the end getting passed by 3 (virtually sprinting) women in the last mile (wish I could finish like that?) and finished in 1:19:24 for a pb in 87th place overall out of 9600, so a pleasing mornings work overall... Newent Sprint Tri 21st sept '08: I was hoping to get my 1st ever top 3 at this event and a swim pb (a bit sneaky as its 26 lengths of a 15m pool (390m only)) Start time was 11:45 and I felt really hungry before race start as breakfast had been consumed hours ago and I had nothing with me that I wanted to eat before racing. Anyhow once the race started I felt very good actually, better than if I had my usual banana which I craved at this point?? I wasn't pleased with my swim lane allocation as it was one person per lane and mine was furthest from the exit door with lots of people standing on the narrow poolside blocking the route - anyhow I would cross this bridge when I came to it. Was told 20 secs to go so got in put goggles on, then to my shock 3-2-1 go!! I had no time to start my watch or loosen up it was straight into it. Did my 26 lengths got blocked a bit heading out then on the run to my bike I started my watch. The bike was quite good, fast and flat although the Marshalls left a bit to be desired not signalling directions until you are virtually passed them and in one instance this was the case and I had to U-turn 5 metres or so up the road before turning up a hill whilst 2 of them were chatting. I had shouted a few times too but I guess it had been a long morning for them.... Out through transition where a guy was arguing with a transition Marshall about putting his bike back in a different spot to whence it came - he was not happy, past the one drinks station which I only spotted when finished, I think this was the case for most people and onto the run. Again it was really hot at this time - the Indian summer perhaps? The run route twisted into and through a housing estate, again Marshalls were sat reading books not paying much attention, to be honest if this is the case it would be better solely to sign the route I believe - gosh I didn't realise I was this grumpy when I raced!! Anyhow I finished in 5th place overall in 54:57 missing one of my season objectives - sorry Di, 1:20 off 2nd place so not too far away (the race was won in a course record 51:45) although I won a nice plate for 2nd in my age group. My splits were 6:24 swim (33rd), 32:10 bike (6th), 16:23 run (1st). Again it’s the swim that needs work and I am trying to improve this....albeit slowly. I hope everyone has a good night of skittles (and of course Bryce wins) and I will see most of you in a few weeks time... |
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Monday 22nd September 2008
Bryce's Championships Tour |
| Second and final main peak of the year. 3 weeks, 3 countries, 3 very different requirements. British Masters TT Champs: UK. First stop was up towards the Welsh border for the lumpy TT age group champs. Severe flooding had meant the 2 lap circuits were shrunk slightly meaning the event was only over about 15 miles which was ideal for me although the lumpy terrain wasn’t. Fortunately I learnt a lot if only in that the bike team’s ladies coach came round with us the day before with a Garmin logging the course typography. A round table discussion with the laptop later over dinner was a pro as things get and gave me a little insight into not only pacing but how to handle variable effort courses a little better. I rode the event ok although a couple of the climbs on the second lap I was getting tired and didn’t push through the crest as much as I would have liked and I misjudged the last couple of miles so finished with more energy than I would normally like as well. Despite this, I went better than I expected for a hilly course against specialists and managed to even split both laps (I was closing up fast on the people that placed in front of me but ran out of real estate. Still, I ended up in 7th (with my Duo Normand partner in 6th 4 secs faster than I which boded well). My laptop had broken meaning I had not been able to download the data but I knew I was on the verge of good form as planned two weeks out from the peak. ETU European Cross Triathlon Age Group Championships: Holland. Let me start with that a bad workman always blames his tools and for those that received a jubilant text from Jules referring to my bike ‘performance’ at this one, it’s fair to say I’m blaming my tools. This race was pretty much Olympic distance on paper with a small informal field. My opinion with only 10 in my age group was that I was downwind and sniffing a chance of a medal. Mind you, this hypothesis went right out of the window when on a training ride the day before (I wasn’t tapering for this) Jules and I realised we’d been slightly misinformed about the bike course. 11km of extremely soft sand and my narrow treaded tyres sank ably assisted with a full suspension bike sawing into the surface with 90kg bearing down on top of it. We discovered all the locals were using hardtails with 4 inch wide slick beach tyres. It was going to be a long day……. At this point my intentions switched from one of competition to one of completion and energy conversation for my French race 8 days later. Due to high winds the swim was severely choppy although with my background I thought it ideal. Mind you I thought twice when after the women started one was helped out with her entire left hand side of her face swelling up and Jules later said he’d heard some swimmers had suffered cracked ribs after being smashed against moored up boats. Still, my lucked improved when it was found that halfway out a mud flat had built up and when I started my swim I had the chance to porpoise out which put me in with the elites round the first buoy in about 9th. A 1500m swim based over two laps took me a whopping 40 minutes but I still came out of the water alongside 21 minute guys and was well placed which gives you an idea of how rough it was. I think Jules summisation was that if this had been run in the UK the swim would have been cancelled. I personally felt if you’re doing a proper sea swim this is what you should expect although the older age groupers probably would not have agreed. The last swimmer was out of the water in 75 minutes! I ordered pizza in T1 intentionally spending a lot of time getting changed so gave up a few places there. I gave up a few more at the start of the bike leg and I’d re-tuned the suspension of my MTB to stiffen up to try and cope with the long sand section so instead that made the bike heavy and useless over the opening 20km heath terrain. I gave up a few more places here for good measure and by the time we got to the last beach section it was into a straight force 5 headwind for 11km. I stopped 4 times to let more and more air out of the tyres to get as much traction as I could but I was pretty much on my own for the whole thing. In between my laughter it was a humbling experience. The only other riders I saw were 4 guys who had created a paceline and I wasn’t sure of the rules so chose not to get involved. It was an honest solo race for me! The bike leg took me 2 hours to do 35km (an hour of it was spent on the beach doing 11km !!!). We worked out later that at this stage Jules had probably closed to within a couple of minutes of me. The 2 lap run went surprisingly well. I went out relaxed at training pace (expecting an hours split) and caught a few guys and I’ve switched nutrition brands recently which seems to have helped a little. After lap one we were misdirected into the finish line. After a bit of hurried confusion with the race director I went back across the line to do my 2nd lap but the others guys I was with opted not to. Take from that what you like but again I was out on my own. In the end I was out for 3 hours 33 minutes finishing last in my age group having been up there in the swim, unusually decent in the run but outsplit by the next guy in front of me by 20 minutes let alone the rest of the field. Mind you, every member of the GB team pretty much finished last in their age group due to the similar tyre related issues. One of the older ones didn’t make the time cut and was pulled completely. You’d think from this account that I’d be a bit unhappy but in light of the fact I didn’t murder myself and took some time to enjoy the course (when I wasn’t getting sandblasted) I really enjoyed the experience of offroad racing. I think the experience of running through woods, swimming in rough sea and mountain biking through open ground reminded me a lot of misspent time in my teens. Something I may come back to at some stage in the future………. UCI Duo Normand TTT: France. This was the one I’d bet the house on. This event was going to be the final barometer for the back half of my season; - fully tapered, fully committed with a well matched partner and I’d spent 6 months working towards this in both training and racing. For those that haven't heard of this race it's a 2 up team time trial open to all comers (this means you) across 12 categories with 375 (!) pairings in total. Closed roads, following cars with name boards, plenty of atmosphere and as close to being in the tour as you're likely to get, means a large British contingent go out for this every year. Within our category the course record was 1:22:10 with a whopping 300 euro bonus for breaking it (and I'd done the sums on us doing 1:19). The 50km course is, well, varied. The front half is mainly downhill with a mid section running through marshland with the last bit lumpy as hell. Something for everyone I'm sure you'll agree. I'd been a little jittery going into this one but come race day I was in the mood and up in the start ramp house ready to go. This had not been helped by the fact the start list was chocked full of talent especially with a pairing from Guernsey in ours which is a well known hive of talent but riders that rarely race on the mainland. I'd fully tapered but there was a question mark over what Holland may (or may not) have done to the legs last week and I'd adjusted my taper to be on the cautious side to maximise the recovery. We started out on the course smoothly but on the first downhill section my partner started getting gearing problems so I forced the call whether we should opt for a wheel change early and minimise the losses. We opted to keep going (which proved a wise one in the end) and settled in for the morning. We soon entered the marshland middle section still having not caught anyone and it seemed like we were more restrained than a lot of the others or just that we were maybe on the bad day. It was a strict plan of 20-30 second pulls on the front until the last 10km whereby it would be a case of whatever anyone had left to then put it on the front. (The funniest quote I heard from another rider post race- "we've got them in the coffin, let’s nail down the lid !!!"). The wind was a little gusty and I put a couple of longer turns on the front on the flat section before things went vertical and I would be relying on my teammate more to pull me up some of the longer climbs. It was on the first hill that first sight of riders we were catching became evident. First one pairing, than another, 2 pairs on the second climb, at least another 2 on the descent, 4 at the same time on the longer drag (which was carnage to weave through) all then ably helped by our team car with spare wheels on the roof, flashing lights, and a pro klaxon system to announce our approach. I kept thinking it sounded like Ibiza on wheels......... Up the last 2 climbs I was starting to struggle so weight shifted to my partner to pull for longer or to pace me up but soon we saw the church spire to signal Marigny. You swing in past an erected grandstand and the crowds with our car now (upon prior request from me) going ballistic with noise. The ladies and Juniors event finish there but the rest of us do an out and back dog leg for 10km which is just awful as you can see your opponents for the first time and the return drag is hard when you're already on the rack. We hit the dead turn of the dogleg and I corrected my mistake of the British champs by burying myself on the last drag (nearly wiping out my own partner in the process). The best bit was the last 4km (the markers count down from 54 in this event) when I got on the front and was averaging on the descent back into town at 40mph+ and was beginning to weave all over the road..... We hit the finish line in 1:18 destroying the course record in the process (I nearly destroyed a marshal as well trying to stop as the run in is very short). The Guernsey team who had been leading through the first two splits blew up on the dogleg (losing 1:45 in just 10k) and finished behind us, but sadly another team from Oxford who had started later on had later beaten our time by 50 seconds relegating us to 2nd. Still a fine result though. Objectively speaking I got it absolutely right. I was well tapered and whilst I have not seen the power file yet, on the meter I held a normalised power of 397w (including my cool down) for nearly 80 minutes which was as massive a PB I could ask for (it was as good as I could manage for 20 minutes 6 months ago). Subjectively speaking, 2nd place is always tough though......... This really is a great event and only an hour off the Cherbourg ferry. Highly highly recommended and a category for everyone to have a good race in. Just don't watch the pro's - it's frightening how fast some of them go round...... I have one event left in 2 weeks then I’m calling it a day for the year. |
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Saturday 13th September 2008
European Cross Triathlon |
| Julian & Bryce were the latest team members to represent Team GB - Despite being the longest serving member of the team, I am probably the only one that hasn't represented GB in triathlon yet. So, when Scott told me of the European Cross Champs it was an easy decision to step up and where the vest. An equally easy trip by land, air and sea saw Bryce and I arrive Thursday afternoon on the Island on Ameland on the edge of the North Sea. Despite the weather at home we enjoyed some lovely sunshine as we took in the island (following a supermarket dash so that Bryce could get some "quality" nutrition); this is the most surreal place I have ever been to. With no sign of litter, graffiti or teenagers a couple of the team all concluded it must have been the set for the Truman Show! Whilst we were on the ferry from the mainland we spotted a fellow competitor's bike with some enormous 4" wide semi slick tyres. These were the recommended tyres from the race organisers but were not to be found around home and frankly looked ridiculous. It was only on Friday morning's training ride over the course that we discovered why they were recommended, as I watched Bryce's back tyre disappear into the soft sand! Every time he tried to get going he would sink deeper and deeper as his narrow, hard tyres sunk down into the sand under his 90kg weight. I was somewhat better off with my narrower, tubeless tyres at only 25psi and a little under 25kg lighter (bike included)! Discussion back at the hotel basically revolved around how screwed we were and this was only reinforced when we went to registration and discovered that the members of the GB team were the only people without the essential Schable super moto tyres! The pasta party/briefing was a very short affair but was a good opportunity to meet and eat with the entire GB squad (all 6 of us!). Race morning dawned, cold and bright and after a leisurely breakfast we rode to T2 where we found that predictably the only athletes there were team GB! So we racked our bikes and rode to the start/T1 at the harbour before the Germans came to put out their beach towels. As we got to the sea front we realised that the forecast force 4-5 wind had arrived which had brought an equally predictable turbulent sea with large swells and a cross chop that would play havoc with the buoys and cut across the anti clockwise course. Being a southern softie that chooses to race his A races in hot climates I rode back to the hotel to gather my gilet, armwarmers and full gloves for the race as the others huddled in the cafe! 0920 came as I watched the elites run down the concrete to enter the water and get whipped around in the sea, one minute lying on top of the crest of a wave and the next disappeared under a trough. I think it's fair to say that it was a very nervous group of athletes that were corralled behind the big guy in the silver wetsuit as we waited for the gun. Not being the fastest swimmer but looking forward to a rough sea I positioned myself at the back, this turned out to be the wrong tactic as we entered the water and discovered that a lot of people were feeling very uncomfortable in the conditions. Unfortunately, the combination of trying to get through the crowds and the weird sensation of one minute straining to see a buoy whilst balancing on the top of a wave before spotting people wading along as I breathed to the side. Once around the turn for the first 1000m we were fighting our way back in trying to avoid being crushed against the side of a couple of ships lining the course one minute and then standing up in calf deep slime the next. As I got out to round around the jetty to dive back into the water for the last 500m loop I glanced at my watch to see that the first k had taken me the same time as I would normally swim the whole 1500m in! I later found out that Bryce and I must have come out of the water within the same minute or so. Having donned my gilet in T1 I looked up to the clear blue sky and forwent my gloves and arm warmers. Once out of transition we were straight into the headwind that was going to be a major feature of the bike. Naturally, being in the Low Countries there was no respite from the wind with just low hedges for cover until we went into the wooded section of single track. A short 2k on the beach with a tailwind gave us some hope for later before we plunged back into the woods and a long section of single tracks amongst the dunes. Then came the section the GB team had been dreading, 11k on the beach into a force 5 headwind! Unsurprisingly this seemed like an eternity as groups of drafting athletes rode past on their Super moto tyred bikes as I trying to get on the back and stay there. Unsurprisingly I failed. When I finally, turned off the beach it seemed that I was flying through the single track in my way back into transition. A quick change saw me out on the run with the thought of how my right calf would hold out on the first run since tearing it, certainly at 12k it would be a test. Once I had settled into my pace and gotten a gel down my neck things were going well. I learnt from the GB supporters that Bryce and Duncan (former elite licence holder) were the only GB athletes were in front of me. No niggles on the first loop and I was feeling confident that I could start to work my way up the field in the last 6 k and started to do just that as I entered the woods. Unfortunately, as I past another Dutch competitor on the climb up to the beach I felt my calf open up and had to walk down onto the beach. The rest of the race was spent jogging along with a short stride pattern and walking up any inclines, although I have to say that the prospect of the jump across the dyke back to the finish was a concern. Given that this was the last race of my season I decided to work as hard as I could back to the finish and complete the race. Once I got to the finish I was delighted to discover that I was still 3rd Brit home as I hobbled over to the medical area and the first of many ice packs that evening. Despite all the dramas and the relatively poor placing due to the lack of suitable tyres I think I speak for Bryce when I say that if the bike course had been in a clockwise direction and thereby giving us a tailwind I would strongly recommend this race next year. Although, next year's champs are pencilled in for Sardinia! So book early! Oh yeah and it's true; I outsplit Bryce on the bike, happy days ;-) |
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Thursday 11th September 2008
Matt's race updates |
| Well done to everyone by the way on their latest results, going by the race reports - the team training has stood us all in good stead. However Melissa do you ever sleep - 74 hours throughout a rainy august-awesome effort!! I feel guilty that I havnt done any long races/training sessions lately as everybody seems to be going long now although i will miss November's training day due to racing Florida 1/2 ironman so I have my excuse in plus have entered IM Austria '09 so I can hopefully learn from you other campaigners and commence some distance work soon. I have done a couple of sprints recently: Malmesbury bank holiday sunday and Cotswold this sunday so here goes my brief attempt at race reporting. Malmesbury 24th Aug' 08 6:47 - 400m swim (60th), 39.16 - 22km bike (6th), 18:33 - 5km run (4th), = 1:04:36 - 6th out of 253. Rained a bit during the race but quite pleased with the result. The bike includes 2 long transitions so it was a couple of minutes quicker than the time shown. Cotswold 8th September '08 I got here late due to closed roads and a long diversion although I knew my age group wave started last so was reassured. The transition and registration areas were like a bog, incredibly slippery and wet and this gave me much amusement during the race watching participants slipping over and rolling around trying to get out of their wetsuits - although i knew I shouldn't laugh to myself really - they were ok though I did ask!! I started in the middle of my smallish wave and got held up a bit at the start and once past the few who went off quick and slowed i was left on my own until catching the wave in front on the inward part of the 750m swim. The bike and run were great, I felt pretty good just constantly overtaking people with no-one coming by me which is always good, and quite common for me nowadays if only I could swim damn it - Scott/Di helppppp me pleaseee!! Anyhow the splits were: 14:22 - 750m swim (87th), 33:11 - 20km bike (21st), 16:31 - 5km run (3rd) = 1:04:05 13th overall and winner of my age group. There were a few elites in here (as the prize money was pretty good (£750 winner, £500 2nd etc.) so I was ok with 13th although my watch showed about 30 secs quicker which is a bit annoying as this would have been a few positions although everyone may have suffered the same fate. My positions were better than last year although the times not much but the conditions were quite treacherous so I cannot really complain.... I have one sprint left in 2 weeks time and then Florida 8th Nov. and maybe a rest for a few days, calm down Melissa it won't be for long!! Take care all I will see you soon. Kind Regards Matt |
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Saturday 6th September 2008
National Long Course Championships |
| Graham & Melissa were racing at the Long Course National Championships, here is their respective takes on the day – Graham first. Hi All This story starts in December 2007 when I decided that my main race for 2008 season would be The National Long Course Championships at Rutland Water (The Vitruvian) with my goal being 4:30 overall race time & top ten in my age group. We booked our accommodation in early January, which was a bit hard to find as the triathlon clashed with the Burghley Horse Trials. My training started on 1st January with every race & every training ride, swim & run being geared to this one event. Nothing else mattered to me this year. If you are interested, a breakdown of hours trained is below: January - 37hrs (Swim 7hrs, Bike 22hrs, Run 9hrs), February - 33hrs (S 7hrs, B 14.5hrs, R 11.5hrs), March - 33hrs (S 7hrs, B 17hrs, R 9hrs), April - 30hrs (S 5hrs, B 16hrs, R 9hrs), May - 34hrs (S 7hrs, Sea Swim 1hr 50min, B 18.5hrs, R 6.5hrs), June - 44hrs (S 5hrs, SS 3.5hrs, B 24hrs, R 11.5hrs), July - 42hrs (S 5hrs, SS 3.5hrs, B 24hrs, R 9.5hrs), August 32.5hrs (S 6hrs, SS 2.5hrs, B 17.5hrs, R 6.5hrs). So standing on the start line on Saturday morning, I was confident that I had done more than enough training & that I was ready for this race. The weather, funnily enough, was kinder to me for the race than it had been over the last few days when it had rained continuously. Nikki said that the only bit of rain we had during my race was whilst I was swimming, but I didn't notice that. The swim was a two lap course with a short run over stony ground, albeit covered over with a thin rubber mat, in between each lap. The only trouble I had on the swim was approaching the end of lap two when I managed to catch a big bunch of people from the two waves in front of me, but I did a bit of bumping & barging & got through them OK. Into T1 which was in a rather soggy field where the older triathletes & women were put as the quick boys had a nice solid car park for their transition. T1 was fairly quick but I did put a gilet on just to keep the early morning coldness at bay. The bike was a two lap course with the renowned Rutland Ripple in it plus a 1000mtrs of climbing and, after all the rain we had had, the roads were a mess with mud & leaves and, in places, large puddles. Lap 1 was completed in 1hr 13min & Lap 2 was completed in 1hr 16min. Into T2 for another swift transition cos now I had to go to work as my overall time was just on 3hrs so I had to do the run of my life over a two lap course around Rutland Water. I felt like I was running well throughout & very pleased with how it went. Overall time 4hrs 36min 57th overall out of 800 competitors 11th in my age group (Swim 30:26, Bike 2:29:41, Run 1:35:50) Conclusion: I didn't quite reach my goal but I wasn't far off it. I couldn't have done any more to get that time so now I'm having three weeks easy training, leading up to the World Duathlon Championships in Rimini later this month. Hopefully it will be a bit warmer there than it is here!!!!! Gra Hi guys, Thanks to Gra for doing half the work for me in describing the course and weather from Saturday! Like Gra, I had put an 'A' against this race and I was looking forward to having another go at a longer distance event after CowMan. I had a bit of a nightmare on the friday evening. I know u all said to ease off the inflation of my tubs but when I got my bike out of the car and found my new rear tubular containing about 20psi that was just a step too far in the opposite direction!! Fortunately the TFN guys saved my day and the need to take a tranquiliser! Then I got in my car to go to my B and B to be faced with an ominous battery light on my dashboard, I prayed, ignored it and luckily it switched off! The race itself was just brilliant, excellent organisation, good pumping music, great crowd and fantastic course. I enjoyed the swim more than any other this season. The first lap was quite calm until the last stretch back to the shore when the waves suddenly picked up and stayed with us on the second lap. However compared to Vancouver this was still a mill pond! The run at the end of the lap served me well as I was having slight goggle leakage issues! Like Gra, I'd seen the weather forecast and took the time to don arm warmers and gilet for the bike. As it turned out I'd have been fine without as I'd finished before the worst weather set in. However no regrets about that decision as if the torrential rain that did arrive had caught me, I'd have been frozen without the extra clothes. The much talked about 'Rutland Ripple' didn't feel that hard on lap 1, but by lap 2 it was a bit more noticable and I was soon snapping down to a spinning gear. The run was a lot of fun (in a tired and painful sort of way) as I had quite a few friends racing and we were all encouraging one another each time that we passed. The first 6-7km were more of a jog than a run, but then things settled down and I found a steady pace. At about 10k my hip flexor felt as if it was getting very tight so I took 5 second to stretch it and luckily it eased out. Finally at about 13'k I found my race legs (well in truth I saw a friend from a tri camp who is a great runner not far behind me and as no women had yet passed me on the run, I didn't want to get caught now so thought I'd better get a move on!). Somehow and I know not how, I managed to hammer the last 6.5km and even out sprint a girl in the last 200m (she was very lovely about it!) Great feeling to finish strong as at Cowman. Overall time 5.16.54, 6th in cat, 26th woman overall. Last night (Mon) I did a sprint duathlon at Minet Park cycle circuit to um, blow the cobwebs out! Came in 3rd, splits: 1mile run- 5.33 T1 - 39sec 10m bike-26.29 T2-20 seconds 1m run- 6.12 Now I'm not getting involved in the Bryce vs Gra training hours....well ok I added up August....74hr 35 mins.....laters!!! ;p |
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31st August 2008
ITU Long Course Triathlon Championships, Almere, Holland |
| Lou was representing Team GB at this one. Well, my first day of feeling “normal” again since being back last Monday thanks to a fluey type bug and a nasty ear infection, hence the delayed report. For the last couple of months, I had been worrying a bit about the 4k swim. My rational head told me if I can get round an Ironman swim, I can do 4k. I knew once I got going I would be fine. They cocked up the swim starts a bit, setting all the AG males off just as the elite females were finishing their first lap – so the elite females got caught up with lots of AG males, which they weren’t too pleased about by all accounts. They were going to delay our swim start by 5 mins, but ended up not actually doing so and suddenly we were off for a running start, or more leisurely amble in if you so felt. The swim allegedly consisted of 1 triangular lap of 1200m and 1 lap of 2800m. HAHAHA. Going out to the first buoy was ok – got myself a good spot out of trouble, then you turned against a nice current, into the wind and sun, with orange marker buoys the same colour as the blokes swim hats – perfect. I was glad of my recent choppy swims at Bournemouth as it didn’t phase me at all. Going back to shore wasn’t so bad, out, run round then back in again. During the 2nd lap I developed a pain in my left wrist – odd as I hadn’t punched anyone. Felt at times that I wasn’t actually moving forward due to the current and choppyness but I suddenly found myself amongst and overtaking lots of blokes. The water was generally minging – patches of smelly diesel fumes, some blue green algae, and some other bits floating around that I decided it was probably best not thinking about. Swallowed a gobful of water when paused to take a good sight – yuck. Started thinking that the end should be near, only to see yet more buoys, so then got bit bored as it seemed like a long swim (apparently lots of people got bored!!) Just kept going thinking that we must nearly be there, only to find yet more swimming. Turns out the swim was indeed long by approx 800m – great. Nothing wrong with my sighting Jules. So I now have no worries about completing 4k. Looked at my watch when I climbed up the ladder out of the water and thought “damn, there goes my time plan”. However, although my time wasn’t that fast, I had a good swim. There were guys who do sub 1hr IM swims coming out in 1.20+ so I was pleased with my effort and I actually enjoyed it in a strange way. A long run to T1, had a good T1, then a long run to bike mount. The bike course: boring & windy, 2 laps of 60km. There were a couple of nice parts, including a section along cobbles (thankfully it was dry) but otherwise it was pretty uninspiring. The wind picked up on the 2nd lap and I found that I didn’t seem to benefit hugely even when the wind was behind me so not sure what was going on there. Got overtaken by lots of blokes I’d beaten in the swim – seems to be a common theme this year. The bike seemed never-ending – give me 70 miles in the Alps anyday. Apparently, when the European Champs were on this course 2 years ago, a girl fell asleep on her tri bars and fell off she was so bored with the course. Understandable but still quite an achievement. The run was 2 laps in very hot sunshine - managed to get my arms and legs a bit tanned but some people were suffering with the heat and keeling over with lots of GB athletes in the medical tent at the end. Think I’d eaten a bit too much on the bike in my efforts to be adequately fuelled so I had some mild stitch but I kept running or rather shuffling. I had had a few irritating niggles in the weeks leading up to the race but thankfully they kept quiet today. Bit frustrated cos felt I could have run faster but didn’t seem to be happening today. Slowed down at about 24km to run with a friend I caught up with who was struggling - could have posted a slightly faster run time but I wasn’t exactly in medal contention and I wanted to help her keep going. After a couple of kms she said she would be ok and told me to carry on so I ran the last couple of kms strongly with a nice Canadian chap called Scott. Finished in 8.29 so beat my 8.30 – 9.00 prediction. A few mixed feelings about the race and really quite down last Monday, especially with my biking this year, which I thought I had improved a bit but obviously not. However, a week later and my head is in a much better place and I am raring to go again, with some ideas on how to improve my weaknessess. It was good to do and I learnt lots talking to others - compared to most others who were multiple IM finishers etc, I was a long distance novice. Legs felt surprisingly ok the next day, other than alternately shivering then sweating and having fluey aches. Another couple of weeks of eating pies before getting stuck into some hard training again which I am looking forward to it. |
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Sunday 7th September 2008
Synergie's September Special |
| September is one of the busiest and highest profile months for the team. Lou is just back from international duty this month, having raced at the World Long Course Championships. Melissa & Graham were up at the National Long Course National Champs yesterday, update from Melissa is that the weather held off, looks like Mels has gone top 10 in her AG finishing 6th in a PB of 5.16.54. Graham finished in 4.36, 11th in his AG and 61 out of 566 male competitors; alltold there were 699 finishers. Over the next couple of weekends we have Julian & Bryce flying the flag at the ETU European Cross Champs before Melissa & Graham pull on the red, white & blue at the World Duathlon Champs. Of course we have to move into October to get the season's highlight.....who will be victorious at the skittles night?? |
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Tuesday 2nd September 2008
Melissa's trials |
| Lou is just flying, she keeps telling me how rubbish she thinks training is going, well I don't believe it for a second, if that's rubbish, what's she like on a good day!!! ;) I’ve had my head down training hard in the last few weeks before all the racing kicks off again in September. I’ve been happy with how everything has been going and I’ve put a few time trials in to keep an eye on how I’m doing. The first was a 4-up at Bicester on an airfield on August 12th. I was in an all girls team and this was a feat that we had not attempted before, even in training. This race was actually a "take-2" however, as last year we all turned up; only to be told that there was parachute practice on the course so it was cancelled!! In the end, our race became a 3-up due to one member not turning up, so there was no dropping anyone as you needed 3 to finish. The course was 4 laps with a few acute turns and naturally very windy! Our first lap was quite steady as we got used to the pace everyone could hold and which bits we wanted to take the front for. I did all the technical side of each lap as I’m very picky about what line I want to take on corners and I was also in charge of getting the team past anyone we are overtaking (glory grabber!! ;) ), our tallest team member, who is also very strong, took the straight into the strongest headwind. We came in 2nd, just 43 seconds behind the winning ladies team (who incidentally are local and get to train regularly on this course), so we have vowed to get some practice in before next year's event and try to nail it! Two days later was the last of my local 10 mile tts. With the championship title in the bag, this was more of a training "get the effort in the legs" ride. I didn't break the 25 minute mark, but did get my second fastest time of the season (25.24) and was fastest female on the night. 3rd time trial was a 25 miler on Sunday 31st of August. The course is the HC113, an undulating ride with 8 roundabouts following the A413 from Tatlow along the Amersham bypass. The series has been cursed by weather all year with races being cancelled due to flooding, snow and on this occasion, almost, due to thick fog! Fortunately the organisers decided to delay the start by half an hour then let us go. I got warmed up and then with 5 mins to my start, the heavens opened, the forked lightening lit up the sky and I was glad of an aerohelmet to dampen the deafening thunder claps, damn British summer!! The first half of the course went well and I settled into a good rhythm, however on the way back it got a bit more hairy as the roads were getting busy due to the later start. Consequently, staying on the aerobars until the last minute at roundabouts was no longer an option...especially when I discovered that my brakes were not engaging at all until the 3rd squeeze (or slam to be more accurate!). At the 2nd of 8 roundabouts on the way back, I discovered the dodgy brakes as I nearly wiped out on the corner! In retrospect I had also made a mistake, as it was dry when I warmed up and I had my tubs at 130psi (normal for me racing)...but of course now it was wet...and I hadn't let any air out, mistake!! So the last 1/3 of the course my head switched onto "just survive" mode as I really didn't want to crash a week before an A-race and was easing off annoyingly early before each roundabout. So when I got to the end and discovered that Id taken 1 min 16 off my PB for that course I couldn't quite believe it! It’s such a shame that was the last one in the series as I’d so love to try and hammer it on a safe day, but that'll have to wait til next year! I’ve also taken the plunge and entered IM Lanzarote 2009 so Lou and I will be taking on the Island next May! I will be picking Lou's brains for endurance tips I’m sure! Melissa |
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Monday 1st September
Bryce's build up. |
| 16th August: WCA 2 up mixed TT. I did this with one of my team mates and work colleague which means 'screw this up and I don't get any help in our admin department for a while'. It was over part of the old 20km Synergie TT route and was held in atrocious rain. I sat on the front and showered my partner in road slime which I'm sure was nice for her. Still, it was me putting the main effort in. In the end we came 6th overall. Always fun these things..... 30th August: Weymouth Club 10m TT Just a quick tune up and a chance to see where I'm at before I begin my major championship campaign over my last but most significant month of racing (2 internationals and 2 national champs). It was a little breezy and I was coming off my last block of hard run volume meaning I was a little jaded and slightly unmotivated. That said, I was fastest out of the 20 riders there (catching 4 before halfway and another 2 on the way back) and broke my PB for this course by a few seconds which considering the stiff headwind was decent. My power output is well on track for my planned peak especially as I was tired. Next week it's off to the British TT Masters champs which for me is a dress rehearsal for my last events. The following week I dust down the GB vest at the Europeans in Holland, a week later it's the Duo in France and then finally a 2 week gap before i do a stage race including the TLI national TT champs on the last day. Now THATS campaigning. After that it's a lie down for a month before I unveil my master plan for next year. Bryce. |
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Saturday 16th August 2008
The Little Woody Middle Distance Triathlon |
| Lou was seeing how well she had recovered from Alpe D'Huez. Distances 1.9k swim (was actually short, unless I have suddenly become Michael Phelps), 56.3 mile bike (although felt like 156), 14+ mile run (although this depends on whether you actually ran the course properly)….but more of all that later. I decided to do this race as “a bit of fun” and to use it as a training race. It is based in the Forest of Dean, a place of fond childhood memories so I thought it would be a nice day out. Pre-race information was vague (no comments please from the Alpe duo) but I thought all would become clear at registration on Friday. The race HQ and swim had moved to a new venue at the National Diving and Activities Centre at Chepstow, a curious place. At registration, the competitive streak started sneaking out and the “fun race” idea got a bit lost – I counted at least 10 females who I reckoned would beat me as there were some top names there. I felt rather envious of others who exuded confidence and thought that one of next years goals could be to master the art of strutting round pre-race looking uber confident and cool. Not exactly a SMART goal but I’m sure I can wangle it somehow! Decided to leave race HQ and go take a chill pill before returning later to race brief, where hopefully some info would be provided. Hmm, this didn’t turn out to be the case. The swim took place in the depths of a disused quarry, with very clear and clean water. It reaches 80m in depth at the deepest part and apparently submerged are an assortment of objects for the divers to practise their skills, including a small airplane, 2 helicopters, several buses, an old army vehicle and even a zimmer frame! The quarry sides are very imposing and I thought it might feel rather claustrophobic but it didn’t. I positioned myself a bit further back than I probably could / should have but after my two recent races where I panicked a bit after having dodgy starts I needed a good swim to restore my confidence. Plan worked well and the whole swim was generally civilised. It was the calmest water I have swam in so for once the buoys could easily be seen. I was encouraged to discover that I can actually swim in a straight line! Getting out of the water without shredding feet was a challenge due to large, sharp boulders and stones. Some matting would have been a nice touch. There was a 400m uphill run to T1 over very rough stoney ground so putting trainers on after the swim was essential. I managed to overtake quite a few people on the run up which wasn’t quite as lung busting as it looked. When I left Southampton on Friday, I did so leaving our front door wide open, oops – a very senior AND blonde moment. I also seemed to leave my bike legs behind. The course was very undulating / hilly so getting into any kind of rhythm was impossible (I wasn’t alone in feeling this). It was also wet and windy, with gusts of up to 40mph. I soon felt very empty of energy which I attributed to having dodgy guts in the few days preceeding the race (a touch of Beijing belly) and despite efforts to eat lots, something which I am very naturally talented at, not much was staying in. So I was making myself eat and drink as much as I could on the bike to get calories in, even though I didn’t really want to eat, whilst trying to practise my race nutrition strategy. It soon became obvious that the bike was just not happening today and no amount of positive visualisation etc was making any difference. To make matters worse I got overtaken by 5 females. I haven’t been overtaken by this many since the draft fest at Lorient last year when there was a significantly larger field so you expect to be overtaken by more people. To say I was going backwards is an understatement. I thought my biking had improved a bit this year but I realise I have been deluding myself and I am still way off the top girls Towards the end I found myself having a little internal debate that went along the lines of: “I’m stopping after this as I am completely empty / I can’t stop – it’s the first time mum has come to watch me / she’ll understand / think of the shame in admitting I failed / I’ll be so cross, angry and annoyed with myself if I pull out / how can I do IM Lanza if I can’t even do this / I’ll do one lap of the run and see how I feel / how can I run if I’m struggling to pedal / I’ll be ok once I get off my bike / I CAN ALWAYS WALK!” I thought perhaps I was last as so many people had gone past me although once again I was wondering what all the blokes had been doing in the swim as I beat so many. All in all it was a very disappointing bike leg and I was glad to get back to transition. A nifty T2 and I immediately found I had run legs. Yippee! I thought I would just enjoy it while it lasted, expecting to have to walk at some point. By then I was determined to finish, even if it was a slow slog. I necked a gel as I was still acutely aware that my energy reserves were too low. The first lap was hard with some nasty short sharp hills but it seemed to get easier once you’d survived the first round. I now like 3 lap courses and have developed a good mental strategy which seems to work. I had some coke at the end of the 1st lap and this gave me a new lease of life so I continued to take it (until they ran out). I was overtaking loads of men that went past me on the bike and felt strong and my earlier grimaces were replaced by lots of smiles. I was so chuffed that I’d managed to turn my race around. I finished strongly and despite being starving, my legs could have carried on running which was encouraging. Normally I can’t eat after a long race but as soon as I finished I headed straight for the food wagon! General opinion was that the bike and run courses were brutal and I felt it was as hard, if not harder than Wimbleball so it was a good race to do. My nutrition strategy worked in that I didn’t have any digestive issues on the run and I managed to keep going despite my lack of pre-race reserves. I was able to test out some kit I was planning to wear for Lanza next year (possibly needs a bit of tweaking) and it served to highlight weaknesses (lots) that need improving. As always, despite some grumbles, I was glad I did it. |
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Sunday 10th August 2008
London Triathlon |
| Dave was back on his old stomping ground. This was my second A race of the season. This event has a very different feel than any other triathlon with over 13,000 competitors taking part over two day and of particular significance to me as the swim and run are held on my 'home' turf. I was in a mixed age group wave of 417 racing on Sunday afternoon. The swim was a one lap of the Royal Victoria Dock, the bike two laps of out to Tower Bridge and back and the run two laps around the dock and finish in the Excel centre. With such a large swim wave I was determined to keep out of trouble so my plan was to sprint hard for the first 100 metres or so. This worked well and I soon found myself in a lead group of half a dozen. We were being propelled down the dock by a combination of a howling westerly wind, the tidal flow and our own efforts. I guessed it wasn't going be so easy once we rounded the turning point so I tried to get in front and tuck myself in as close as possible in the lee of the lead canoe. This worked a treat and I managed to get clear of the rest to emerge first out of the water. It's a long way to your bike from dockside but at least I had a clear run, along the dockside, up the stairs and around the perimeter of the Excel centre to my racking point. The bike was a bit like the swim, tough heading into the wind, great with it behind you. I felt I was going well reaching the Tower before anyone overtook me from my wave. It was only when I began the second lap that I almost came to grief. As I passed the Excel Centre I had to avoid cyclists starting their first lap. In doing so I hit a drain cover, heard a crack and almost fell off. The pin holding the right pads of my tri bars had sheared. The rest of the bike leg was spent on the drops. By the time I got to T2 it was starting to drizzle. I had a smooth transition and swift start to the run. Encouraged by the crowd in general and Sally's vocal support in particular I was feeling pretty good and by the start of the second lap thought I was on course for a good overall performance and so it turned out as I won my age group. My times were 22:38 swim, 3:22 T1, 69:04 bike, 1:18 T2, 41:40 run; total 2:17:59 I was particularly pleased to record a negative split on the run with a 20:30 second 5k. |
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Sunday 10th August 2008
Farnham 4 up TT |
| Bryce and some team-mates were at this time trial. 25 miles of undulating work in an open event 4 up (very unusual). I still felt a little jaded from France although my training has been showing good data all week. I've been hitting a 10w bike power improvement since the Alp in my threshold and holding 1:23 repeats in the pool for 100m's. We were a man down due to a bad back meaning we couldn't lose another one (you are allowed to drop one rider only)and I pushed to refine the system we used at nationals the other week (basically using me more on the descents as I can achieve a higher speed than the other riders and then use teammates to slingshot me up the base of any climbs). Our first lap was a little rough (we were riding with different people and it takes time to learn how to smooth this out). Bearing in mind I was paired with two decent hill flyweights I coped fine on the climbs (which was encouraging) and we kept a good tight formation throughout. I was especially happy with my last decent turn on the front of nearly a minute on the last descent keeping us at 42mph for a while. Nice even work across the team and nobody missed a turn. We placed 2nd overall (losing by a minute to Julian Jenkinsons Race across America winning squad which was no disgrace) and finished well clear over the other teams. Looking at my training plan I have 8 weeks overall left to run before I close my season down. The next 4 are going to be tough as I undertake a high load across the disciplines. Luckily my couch is comfy, the Olympics are on and I'm still on holiday ! I've got a fun 2 up this weekend and one individual TT next week to get some final data for the season and then it's off to the Brit TT age group champs purely for the experience. 2 weeks after its off to Holland for the offroad Tri champs which will be more about enjoyment and a (now)reduction in importance - my best bet now for a result now I feel is the Duo Normand in France the week after and this is where I'll judge the back half of my season and throw everything at it I have. |
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Friday 8th August 2008
Poole Runners 5k Summer Series |
| Graham competed the Poole Runners Summer Series and has rounded up his results. Poole Runners Summer Series is based at Upton House & the course is two laps around the grounds of Upton House & 3 1/2 miles long. Race 1 - Friday 2nd May 2008 20:48 (9:52 & 10:55) - Overall 13th - 1st in my age group Race 2 - Friday 16th May 2008 21:18 (10:05 & 11:12) - Overall 17th - 2nd in my age group Race 3 - Friday 6th June 2008 21:22 (10:05 & 11:16) - Overall 17th - 1st in my age group Race 4 - Friday 27th June 1008 21:20 (9:59 & 11:20) - Overall 17th - 2nd in my age group Race 5 - Friday 18th July 2008 21:21 (10:09 & 11:12) - Overall 11th - 2nd in my age group Race 6 - Friday 8th August 2008 21:13 (9:58 & 11:15) - Overall 15th - unknown at time of writing (unofficial times & position as these are not published yet) Overall - 1st in my age group over the series with a nice big voucher to spend at Up & Running. |
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Tuesday 5th August 2008
BJW 50 mile TT |
| Graham is continuing his build up for the 2008 World Duathlon Championships in Rimini, this time by racing the 50 mile TT. 5th August 2007 (the same race & same course) - 2:13:34 3rd August 2008 (as above) - 2:08:22 (PB) - AV mph 23.2; AV HR 158 (max 170) This works out as a 5:12sec improvement. Yippee, Horray, Claps & Cheers Then as a warm down, a 12 mile hilly 1:30min run. Conclusion - I seem to be going well at the moment. Hopefully I haven't peaked too soon!!!!!! |
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3rd August 2008
Matt's memories |
| 1. GWR Towpath 10km - 18th July '08 This was my first effort of note since Wimbleball. I hadn't done much training for the previous 3 weeks due to a niggling injury and it showed. I was a bit disappointed with this run. It was an out and back around a turn and the marshall gave you your time to the turn, which initially seemed good until i died on the way back and knew I was way slower. 18:06 to the turn but finished in 37:44. I think I was 6th on the way out but finished 15th overall with what seemed like a stream of athletes passing me in an overall time of 37:44. 2. Bath Olympic Triathlon 27th July 2008 (1500m/40km/10km) I had read the start list the day before and noted a certain Jenson Button starting 10 mins before me and thought hmm wonder if I can catch him? To cut a long story short I did pass him on the run, thought yes get in there, until I noticed him turn shortly afterwards towards the finish area when I had to head out for my second lap. I was a bit demoralised by this as I thought he must have kicked my butt on the bike but later when looking at the results it became clear that he had only competed in the half distance sprint - running scared I suspect!! The weather was scorching and I was hoping to improve on my previous years performance although I had to go to the physio the day before due to a pain in the back of my knee which had been preventing me from biking for the past few weeks - grhh, so I was just hoping to get around the bike course. In fact it turned out that the bike was probably by best bit of the race and no pain - hurrah. My swim was pretty poor even by my lowly standards, goggles filled up after about 25m typical. I finished the swim in 29:25 a 91 second improvement on the previous year but I was hoping for better (107th overall). Mind you I had been practicing in a 25m pool and I suspect making turns every 25m instead of every 50m is significantly beneficial. T1 was ok 41 secs then out onto the hilly bike. I discussed my injury with the physio the day before and he insisted that I take it slow to begin with on the bike. I started that way and overtook a friend who I train with but when he overtook me again 1km later, the red mist descended and race mode ensued. The bike felt good passing people regularly including my friend shortly afterwards) and i finished this in 1:14:20 (23rd overall). A pretty good I thought T2 (30 secs) although nowhere near Scott’s holy grail of 7 secs which he timed from the pro's in Lisbon.... The first lap of the run felt good but I began to suffer on the 2nd lap and felt I slowed considerably. The course was off road and undulating with lots of twists, turns the odd stile etc. which all contributed to disrupt any rhythm. I finished this in 40:23 (11th) for a total of 2:25:22 for a position of 22nd overall. This was 4 mins quicker than last year with the biggest improvement coming on the bike so all in all reasonably pleasing although a lack of stamina at the end seems to be happening in my last few races which must be looked at..... 3. GWR Towpath 10km - 1st August '08 The weather was awful for this race, the off-road path which forms most of the race distance was flooded with puddles, although on the plus side it did stop raining just before the race start. On the outward 5km I decided to go more slowly this time and try to be quicker on the way back. I followed one guy for most of the outward 5km and followed him as he avoided the pools of water. I reached the turn in 19:15 and was disappointed with this so overtook that guy and tried to go quicker on the way back. The other guys seemed to be running straight through the ankle deep pools so i decided to do this for the last 3-4km as I was racing with 2 other guys who were doing this. Finished 12th overall in 38:04 and although initially disappointed with the slower time than a couple of weeks before, I did beat a couple of guys who had beaten me by quite a margin in the previous race so hopefully improvement is around the corner and this strategy can be adopted again but possibly going slightly quicker on the first few km's. |
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3rd August 2008
Melissa's movements |
| Just a quick update cause I've been whirl-winding around again and I’m aware that my race reports have been falling into arrears. So brief resume of what I’ve been up to: 1. Winning the ladies Hillingdon triathlon series title, nice shiny silver plate!! 2. Winning the Hillingdon ladies time trial series (new 10 mile PB of 25.04) 3. Racing at "The Fix" tri challenge (a supersprint relay in the same format as the Nationals but with 3 in a team not 4). Our ladies team came 3rd and I was happy to get my 5Km run time down to 19.31, which is more like it! National relays yesterday - I ended up racing twice (again) - once in the morning with the ladies (8th place, 2 places better than last year) and again with the guys in the afternoon as SOMEONE didn’t turn up and I’m nice like that...zzzz. Ironically I raced better second time round as in the morning I wasn’t quite logged in (sleepy) cause somehow I got talked into camping the night before!! It wasn’t actually that terrible, but for a girl who like to spread everything out, stand up, stretch etc, a little space pod tent was challenging!! C'est ca for now and well done to Gra and all you Alpe d’Huez hardcore bunnies - sound as if you had an even greater challenge than anticipated!! |
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Thursday 31st July 2008
Alpe D'Huez standard distance(ish) triathlon |
| Having watch Lou suffer on the Alpe it was now Julian & Bryce's turn. Julian's memory first - Well, a unique event requires a unique race report from me: 1300 Warm up; What in 32 degrees with no shade? 1400 Swim; beaten to a pulp. 1427 Bike; stuck behind a pack,stuck behind a coach,stuck behind a tractor and thresher! 1458 Begin climbing 1530 Still climbing whilst melting 1600 Still climbing whilst praying 1615 Prayers answered, T2 1617 Out on the run 1622 Out on the walk 1645 In freefall down the mountain 1655 Run for the photographers 1706 Finished (well a truly). What not even a medal? 1715 Agree with Bryce that it is the hardest race we have ever done and both seriously underestimated it. 2000 Pizza and beer! A short report for the "short A d'H tri. The slowest bike leg ever in a race, but then where else does an 1:15:14 at 201w average net you an average speed of 6.36mph!!! In all an amazing race that everyone should try once and should never be taken lightly! Now here's what Bryce thought of it 4 days later and I'm still trashed. Julians has already said it but this is far in excess the toughest event i've ever stupidly ever pulled neoprene on for. Considering that it was only olympic distance, full respect has to go to Lou's race the day before. Both Julian and I agreed we'd not have the fitness to cope with the longer event. It was hot (35 degrees plus I suspect) and calm, and uphill. The altitiude of the event would provide about 15% less oxygen than we are accustomed to. The swim can be summarised as a start line 50m across with 600 people wedged in. You can only imagine the carnage that unfolded with a field that kept creeping over the line, yellow penalty cards being issued (in a swim ?!!!) and the ensuing boxing match the likes of which I have never seen in any event. People were being literally swum over in the refreshing 14 degree water - extrermely violent (of course I was in the most favourable place i.e. the most violent area and at the front). The first bit of the swim didn't go well (but then it didn't for anyone) but i settled into a good rythym after the turn and got our of the water at the front proportion of things (excluding the pro elites in the same race who were long gone). The bike started as my taster in unofficial drafting racing as a whopping group formed of about 60 of us. The motorcycle ref tried to split us up but it was flat and the swim had been too short. In the end, I postioned myself on the inside so if mass DQing occured at least I was obscured. Everytime a ref appeared 20 or 30 riders were riding behind him. I got into the aerobars and got on with the work. Lets be honest, the climb up Alpe D'Huez would soon break it up......... which it did. 21 hairpins of hell (which Jules and I pre-rode on the Tuesday) with a particulary nasty section over the first 4km- Alpe D'Huez. Riders soon ended up alone over the hour or so it would take to get up it and there was no break in it's severity. Even with gearing (you could get up stairs with) it was a slow grind up. On the practise ride I'd used one 750ml bottle going up - on race day I used 3. It was water over the head frequently, energy drink and desperate gel consumption all the way. Each hairpin is numbered in reverse so that no.1 is the last one you did. I blew up on hairpin 4 which left me in a sorry state for the last section. By the time the 'run' started I was a complete mess. The run course was a gentle climb up again and then a return descent but my usual stitch and breathing issues were magniified at this altitude and it was the 'death shuffle' all the way round. It was only 7k in length and it took the elite winners half an hour (and me a near collapsing 40 minutes). I was on the coke as soon as i got out of T2. Absolutely horrible. My goal before this race was to complete it. My swim I was happy with, my bike less so but that was more to do with this course being a direct application of power to weight which i don't score well on (a 75kg typical rider would outsplit me on a climb of this length), the run was just awful. In summary, at the time I was less than happy but upon reflection with the extreme heat, altitude, and the climbing it was a great character building experience which I completely underestimated beforehand (not like i know how you could prepare for this race anyway !). For what it's worth though, (and mainly for reasons of my own frustration) I rode the mountain again on my own the morning after the race and went 5 minutes faster up it. Experience for this kind of terrain obviously counts for a lot.......... A highly recommended event you need to tick off your list but far tougher than I ever found Ironman. It may only be a race 2-3 hours in length but you're really up against it all the way. Not to be underestimated. |
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Tuesday 29th July 2009
Alpe D'Huez Long Distance Triathlon |
| Lou, Julian & Bryce were on the Alpe doing a couple of races - first up was Louise on the long course event. It was long, hot & hard...... I have had many sleepless nights over the last 6 months worrying not just about the race (had I bitten off more than I could chew?) but also the logistics of travelling to the resort on French buses with a huge bike box. My travel worries turned out to be un-necessary, although there were a few stressful moments along the way so I was glad to finally step foot into our cosy chalet, rather later than expected as the bus from Lyon to Grenoble got a flat tyre which meant I missed my connection so had to hang around for 2 hours. I had ridden up the Alpe on 2 consecutive days back in 2001 when one of the stages of the Tour finished in AdH, so I knew what to expect. I wasn’t as” fit” or as mad back then, so deluded myself into thinking I might find it a bit “easier” this time. Ha! That idea soon got blown away when I did a test ride on the Sunday afternoon. It was hot, very hot and I wondered how on earth I would be able to run 13 miles after a 70 mile bike with 3 significant climbs. People often ask me why I do the things I do and I found myself agreeing with them that I’m mad and vowed to take up knitting after IM Lanza next year. However, the sense of satisfaction on reaching the top gave me my answer why I do these daft things. My goal for the race was to finish, in one piece, without requiring hospitalisation and to enjoy it. I had no idea of finishing time and it was only when I was watching a re-run of last years race that it dawned on me how long I could be out there for. So, my vague time prediction was 35 mins for 1.9km swim (turned out to be nearer 2.2km), 6.30 – 7.00 hrs bike, 2.30 run, a couple of 5 min transitions (overgenerous) giving a total time of 10 hrs 15. Julian’s sweepstake bet was 8hrs 20 and Bryce admitted postrace to a 7 hr 30 prediction – GET REAL!! ( I think he was brooding at the time) I developed a niggle in my right knee in the week leading up to the race, which was causing me real concern the day before the race. After applying far more Neurofen gel than the recommended dose, followed by Biofreeze and a couple of Ibuprofen tablets, with some spare tablets on my bike, I went to bed with a still not happy knee and prayed it would hold out. Any pre-race nerves were replaced by sheer fear as we drove along the precarious back road we were sent on to the start. I had to shut my eyes in the end but J did a great job driving. Got into the lake – boy it was chilly but I’ve swam in worse. I tried positioning myself wide and not quite so near the front as I didn’t want to make the same mistake as at Wimbleball. Still found myself getting beaten up and once again had a few moments of panic - 2nd time this year I’ve panicked for some stupid reason so I was cross with myself as I can usually deal with a bunfight. Things then settled down and I refocused and got into a steady rhythm and started enjoying the water, although it tasted a bit funny. On the return leg a guy kept zigzagging in front of me and I had to resist yelling a few choice words at him – best not in case he was English! T1 was not the slickest as I was going for comfort but I still learnt a few things I could do better. I had decided to approach the race as if it was an Ironman. People hurtled out of T1 but I aimed to keep it steady as it was going to be a long day out. The first big 13km climb came after 25km – it was almost as hard as the climb up AdH and I did wonder if I was even going to manage a 7hr split! Thankfully there was some shade and the scenery, when I remembered to look, was fabulous. The second climb up Col d’Ornon was not so steep but still 10km – the course notes describe it mainly as a “false flat” but I beg to differ. The heat here was relentless and I could feel the sun scorching my arms. The technical, fast descent was fantastic though. I was passed by one female but lots of blokes, even late in the ride, which led me to think (a) what on earth had they all been doing in the swim (b) was there actually anyone left behind me? Going along the road to Bourg d’Oisan and I was looking forward to climbing the Alpe. Yep, mad, but I had survived so far and the legs still felt reasonably good. I knew from my recce that the first few kms are evil so didn’t try to hammer it. I overtook about 20 guys on the ascent, an added bonus, and it felt easier than on Sunday although I wasn’t actually going any faster. They could have done with a couple of extra aid stations really as it was so hot and I was pouring as much water over myself as I could. Halfway up the climb and I realised I was feeling a bit hungry. I had a nutrition strategy that I followed, the aim being to eat plenty early on the bike to allow digestion time before the final big climb. On my bike I had 3 bottles of energy drink plus I ate 3 ½ bars plus some water. It wasn’t always easy to eat when my watch beeped especially during the first steep climb. In hindsight, I now realise that I had underestimated the amount of energy the climbs would demand and whilst I thought I had taken on enough fuel, I hadn’t. Also, I didn’t take on as much water as I thought & needed. One problem was that I didn’t like their provided energy drink so had to be self-sufficient but even carrying 3 bottles over the first climb made it harder going so there was always going to be some compromise (there were no “special needs” at aid stations). Suggestions appreciated (I can’t just use gels, I need to have solid food in my belly). All in all, I enjoyed the bike and although not a fast time, had a good ride. T2 was niftier and I quickly necked a gel down. From the start of the run, it was clear I hadn’t packed my run legs. My right knee felt like it was going to explode and the left knee didn’t feel much better. Some days you’re the pigeon, other days the statue. At Wimbleball I was the pigeon, having a great run whilst others around me were struggling, today I was the statue, struggling whilst others were whizzing along. My contingency plan for this race was that if it all went pear-shaped and I had to walk the run, I would feast my way round on the plentiful aid stations and just enjoy the scenery. However, the aid stations turned out to be not as regularly spaced out as the race brief suggested and I couldn’t really face all the tempting goodies on offer. I shuffled round the first lap, picked up on the second, then just hung in on the third. I had a few digestive issues on the way round which contributed to the slow time and with hindsight, I should have taken on more fuel – difficult when you’re not quite sure what your stomach is doing. Despite the slog, I kept positive and never thought “I’m not enjoying this”. I was determined to finish, no matter what and I finally did, in 9.09.53. Regretfully, I couldn’t do justice to the post-race grub that was on offer – shame as it was pretty good. I couldn’t even manage to fulfil my craving for steak, chips and a nice glass of red! I’m still not sure what my overall placing was as not all the results are showing on the website as some people were still coming in at 11 ½ hours. Before doing this race I thought I was vaguely fit - however, I have since re-categorised myself downwards! I have been inspired by this race and want to throw myself into training and work even harder to improve. Would I do it again? Yes. Lots of people over the 2 races said it was the hardest thing they had ever done, even more so than Ironman races and Etape stages so even to have finished was a huge achievement. The only slight disappointment was that we didn’t get a finishers medal or T shirt – I felt I had earnt one - and I was a bit arsed off that my nutrition plan didn’t quite work out and my run was so dismal. Still, you live and learn. I was surprised how good I felt on the Thursday, which was just as well as my idea of putting my feet up whilst the guys worked was blown out of the window and I became official team soigneur – putting on suncream (and getting told off for going into massage mode!), bag lady, driver (yes, the boys made me confront my fear of driving up the Alpe, which I did), photographer (failed) and cheerleader (trying to get the backs of my legs brown in the process whilst standing at hairpin 1). My legs don’t feel too bad but I’m sure if I try to push it they will grumble. I had a great time out there, and it was nice to have some team-mates to share the love with, I mean experience – although I blame them entirely for this lunacy as if they hadn’t been doing this race then I wouldn’t have even considered it. However, in doing so, I overcame various obstacles and did things I didn’t think I could so thanks guys. Stone. |
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Saturday 26th July 2008
Swanage Half Marathon |
| Hot on the heels of last weeks triathlon, Graham went single discipline. This has now been upgraded to a half marathon as it was previously the Swanage 12. It was a 10am start & as per usual with this race it was piping hot (26/27deg C so the man said during his commentary). A quick description of the course - it leaves the Swanage seafront & climbs for two miles to the View Point then makes its way down to Corfe Castle, turns left to head back into Swanage with a little detour around the houses to make the distance up. The race set off with a Police escort to keep us all in check for the race. I settled into a group of four which included the first two ladies & by the time we had reached the top of the climb one of the women & the other runner had moved away but I managed to keep up with the other girl. By the time we had reached Corfe Castle I was having to turn myself inside out to keep up with her & then she comes out with a comment "oh that's a nice view" & I thought ******** to the view, what about my legs you're crucifying!! At miles seven to nine I was starting to get very uncomfortable & just after mile nine the elastic broke so I settled down to my own pace & started to run a much more even pace. I seemed to finish the race fairly strongly with a finishing time of 1:26:10 (unofficial), approx 17th out of 500 odd competitors (race results are not yet up on their website). Splits are as follows (these are a bit all over the place due to the nature of the course): (1) 6:26; (2) 7:04; (3) 6:54; (4) 6:16; (5) 6:30 [33:11]; (6) 6:06; (7) 6:18; (8) 6:43; (9) 6:52; (10) 6:17 [1:05:29]; (11) 6:59; (12) 6:18; (13) 6:42; (last little bit) 0.41. |
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Sunday 20th July 2008
Weekend Round Up |
| Julian get's the bragging rights this week with his report being the only one in so far - Claire was out at Milton Keynes - so there will be more race reports to come but here is Julian's day. Purbeck Velociraptor Triathlon. On Friday I decided to do the above race to make my final kit selection for Alpe d'Huez in 11 days time and for transition practice. So after surprising Graham by turning up to race we went over to set up transition. The unpleasant sight of a transition area with full racks and no space was not a great start so we started to set up with the bike leant up against the chainlink fence. Linda, who was the race referee called out that all boxes and bags were to be removed from the racks to make space and another pole was added to the rack at the end nearest to the exit. By helping put the extra section on I managed to secure the end position for my bike! After chatting to Graham we decided to try wearing our new race tri tops in the pool for the swim, so I placed my gels on the ground in transition next to my run shoes so that I could take one on the bike and the other on the run if need be. I returned to the rack to place these and discovered that the guy to my right on the rack had the largest storage box between our bikes and pushed so tight that I wouldn't be able to remove my bike from the rack without dislodging my shoe from the pedal. I asked theref if this was ok and she said NO whilst removing the box and placing it by the fence. Natural balance restored. As we were both in the last wave (well it is more of a beginners race) Graham and I went poolside and headed off for 24 (self counted)lengths of the 25m pool. I was the last of 4 in my lane to go with a 5 second gap and by the end of the first length there were three of us swimming on the first guys feet strung across the width of the lane! By various ways of going around each other and pushing off the wall on top of or under the others I found myself in the very unusual position of leading the lane by 100m! This was a little freaky for me as I declared a 11 min estimate and started conservatively! Well, I stayed in front and had a 25m lead by the 500m mark which was maintained as I got out at 10:55, which I am happy with. Naturally, there was no sign of Graham poolside as he had declared a 8:10 for the swim and did it. Into transition I went only to arrive and find that my helmet, race belt and glasses that I had set up on the tribars were nowhere to be seen! Not that unusual I grant you on a windy day but this was a very still day and a sheltered transition area. I called out to the transition marshall that they had gone after scanning the area around my bike and the big gap where matey boy's bike had been. The marshall asked if that was mine two bikes down upside down with everything as I left it between the back wheels of two other bikes! Hmm. Can you spell petulant? I grabbed it all and legged it out of transition, jumped on the bike and my shoes and headed off to Stoborough when, once up to speed, I niftily got my feet into my shoes and headed toward Creech hill(!). As I settled down I realised that the fiasco in T1 had meant I forgot to grab the gels and so I was going out for 24 lumpy Purbeck miles with water and no cals! Deal with it! SO up Creech I went passing some people that had failed to gear accordingly and chased down a coule of guys on the flat at the top before turning right and rocketing down Steeple hill at full tilt. A nice slight bank took me through the first right hander and approaching the second 120 degree bend with too much speed, some quick braking was called for, but my brakes didn't oblige and took their time slowing me down with the result that I headed for the grass area and the brambles that ended with me doing an endo as the front wheel dropped into a dip hidden by the brambles! Naturally, race mode means you jump back up, get back on and then think about it was you hammer past people to make up for it. As I did so I remembered that although it was now two weeks since I had new brake blocks on the bike I hadn't ridden outside and there for they hadn't bedded in! Once back to Corfe it was out to Swanage on the Harmans Cross road with some cat and mouse games with the other riders. The last descent into town prior to the Kingston turnoff saw me caught behind four cars tailing a female cyclist and I was stuck there until the far side of the railway bridge despite some (polite) hand signals through the back window of the last car. I passed two guys by the golf club only to watch the traffic lights turn red on my arrival. 26 secs on track stand later I started to go only to have all three of them fly past me and the girl summed it up by saying "you're not having much luck today are you" as she went! The last section of the bike was hard but uneventful as we rode up the hill out of Swanage before turning left and going back to Corfe via the golf course and the main road to Wareham. By the end of the cycle leg the lack of gels were making themselves known with some considerable emptiness in the legs. I necked one in transition before heading out on the run. Although it was not a hard run course, by the end of the first mile I was a toss up whether my lower back pain or the cramping at the base of my right hammy would be the reason I would be reduced to a walk. Finally, I had to stop by the river to pull on the bars of the fence to stretch my back before setting off. About 500m from the end Graham trotted round on his cooldown and I confessed that it was very much like my Ironman run legs, same pace, same pain, just no walking and thanks to him it stayed that way. At time of writing there aren't any published times for the 600m, 24 mi, 4 1/2 mi race but I have unofficial times of: Swim 10:55 T1 1:55 Bike 1:19:31 Run 33:54 For an overall time of 2:07:51 I have no idea where I placed but suffice to say that Graham took team honours and overall podium place. I will leave him to give his placing in his report. Summary: Don't get distracted and forget your gels. Brake pads need bedding in. 90 minutes is about as long as you can race without calories or cramp will come! Here is Graham's take on the race- This race was at the end of my two week rest/speed phase after the half ironman up at Milton Keynes. The swim was a 600mtrs pool swim which went quite smoothly, but it was a little bit congested in my lane but nothing I couldn't handle. Out into a tiny transition area for T!, which was located at the back of the swimming pool, then about 300mtr run to the mount line & off onto a hilly 24 mile bike course which included the climb at Creech & a long drag out at Swanage & an undulating stretch back to Corfe Castle. I enjoyed the views at the top of Creech, as Dave often says that the Purbecks are such a lovely area. The descent here was steep but my brakes worked OK (sorry Jules). I seemed to be going well as no-one caught me & I got back to Corfe Castle for the second time & headed back towards Wareham Sports Centre into a head wind & it was here that someone did catch me but I managed to hold onto him, obviously obeying the 7mtr rule, until we got back to T2 where his dismount was crap but mine was better. That was the last I saw of him. Out now onto the 4 1/2 mile run which was a circular route based around Wareham. I picked off a few runners from the wave in front of me & apart from that I had a solid run. One hour later I found out that I came in second place overall. Total time 1:51:31 (sorry, no splits) |
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Sunday 13th July 2008
Weekend Round Up |
| There are a few race\reports to come from this weekend- We know that Claire won her age group at the Andover Sprint; Melissa won the Hillingdon Tri Series, Bryce completely destroyed his 10 mile TT PB with a new time of 20.:21 – Bryce also shattered his previous power outputs with a high of 421w and a 30mph average speed and that Graham finished 6th in his age group at the Steelman race in Eton and grabbed his Team GB qualification slot for the 2009 European Triathlon Championships. However we do have Dave’s concise race report for the “ Race to the Bill Triathlon” This was the inaugral Portland standard distance triathlon very well organised by the Bustinskins crew. The race was centred around the National Sailing Academy (great facilities). The swim was a bit long but well sheltered in the harbour. The bike was more challenging consisting of three laps of the island (NB. good prep for Alpe D'Huez..Bryce,Lou and Julian). The run was a flat on/off road out and back course. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience; a local, small, friendly well organised event. I finished 9th out of 48 finishers in 2:33:39. |
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5th July 2008
Charmouth to Golden Cap Challenge. |
| 11am on race day and the spectacular Jurassic Coast is looking magnificent in the bright summer sunshine. Unfortunately by 3pm and race start the same coast is being lashed by gale force winds and driven rain. This event is classified as a fell race and runs off road from Charmouth to Golden Cap and back. Not even Scott could describe this one as flat. Still despite(or because of)the terrain and weather this was great fun. I reckon I was running at about 15mph on the downhill bits with the wind behind me but struggling to stand upright and walk against the wind on other bits. I finished 68th out of 242 finishers in 68:37. Dave. |
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Monday 7th July 2008
Bryce's bits |
| That's not a comment on his saddle sores..... Anyway, back to the racing. Sat 28th June: District 25m TT Champs A bit of a disaster as I realised that a power meter needs to be recalibrated in exactly the same weather conditions as it is going to be used. I have not always done this and found out my meter read high as a result on this day. In this race I did 56 minutes and finished fresh because my reliance on the technology for my pacing was too great. Live and learn....... Thursday 3rd July: Moreton Kermesse By now I was into my antibiotics and in a small scratch group with the elite made me get a good working over. I left a gap at a critical stage thinking someone else would fill it. They didn't and the good riders behind me jumped right after I'd taken a turn on the front. I spent the last lap chasing to get back on and never got to contest the finish. Live and learn part 2............... Sunday 6th July: National Team Time Trial Champs, Leicester. On team duty for the bike squad this weekend even though I knew I would not be at my best. The horrendous weather led to a major course change from the 30 mile sporting course to a 26 mile dual carriageway up and back - bliss but mega high winds. I was in our 2nd 3 man team and had a good day out. In the end we finished only a minute off our 'A' team and we were 8th and 12th overall. We would have been 11th but I crashed out on one of the turns when my brakes failed and I couldn't get round the bend. Instead I aimed for the marshal, hoped for the best and steamed into the kerb at high speed. Live and learn part 3.............. Bryce. |
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Sunday 6th July 2008
Big Cow Middle Distance Triathlon |
| Melissa & Graham were out racing this one - Here is Melissa's take on the day - BIG UP whoever invented half-ironman races!! I love them, genius! Yesterday was only my second ever attempt at the distance (my first being a last minute entry into New Forest last September just to see what the event "felt like"....masochisitic I guess!) As per my last race report, the weather forecast was grim, but at least I was prepared for it with half my tri-wardrobe in transition. (As it turned out we had the better end of the day's rubbish weather with moderate rainfall and moderate strength winds, not the scene from "Apocalypse Now" that set in after we finished)! The swim was a 2-lap lake swim, very well laid out with huge yellow buoys, very easy to sight. I knew that I had a long day ahead so I kept my effort pretty relaxed, concentrated on long strokes...and found a good pair of feet to follow all the way round!! The bike leg was undulating and consisted of 2 longer laps and one short loop. Having recce'd the course 2 weeks before, I was able to switch onto auto-pilot and plonk myself on the aerobars for virtually the whole of the leg, bar the climb at the end of each route and to stretch out my back. I took the first lap very steadily and then picked up the pace a little for laps 2 and 3. Generally though the pace was quite even and I kept my cadence high rather than grinding a big gear. By the end of the bike, I’d pulled up from 22nd to 8th place in my cat. My right quad has a tendency to tighten up on long rides at pace and it was annoying me a bit on lap 2, however I managed to get it to ease up by working my hamstrings on the climbs and giving it a break. Into T2 was where the drama started. Basically to get into transition, you have to cycle up a kerb covered by matting, through a hole in the hedge and do a sharp right onto a footpath. This is the most technical part of the course! I made it up the kerb and through the hedge but as I went to make my right turn, a marshall was stood right infront of me and I thought "Im not gonna make this"! So I went to unclip and yep you've guessed it, my foot didn't come out and I hit deck!! I gashed my knee open pretty badly but luckily the bike was ok! The other bit of luck was that I had some industrial-strength ibuprofen that I’ve only found in Lanzarote in T2, one of those and the crash was forgotten! Well apart from the stream of blood pouring down my leg which got me a shout- out from the PA which went "and here comes one of our leading ladies and “Ooooh that's a nasty gash on her leg, was that a bike incident?!" I nodded, smiled and picked up my pace as until that point I’d no idea if i was doing well or dismally, just that I felt good, very good. (It's such a shame that Scott wasn't there with his lactate machine as we could have got a reading every lap!) When I did the New Forest, I had an amazing middle section of the run, then dropped my final gel and ran head first into the "wall" in the last mile and a half, which reduced me to a stagger! So yesterday I went into the run with a bit more respect for what it could do to me after already having raced for over 3.5 hours. Ironically as I ran out of Emberton Park on lap 1, one of my gels fell out of my back pocket...this time I retrieved it. I decided that my tri-suit pocket wasn't secure enough for the sachets so there was only one place to stash them..... So at the start of lap 2 I ran through with my amazing new double D's ;) This time the pacing worked - lap 1 very easy, lap 2 steady, lap 3 and 4, well I just kept running faster and faster, even managing to sprint the last 600m with some fantastic crowd support telling me that I was going to break 5hr 30, (6th fastest in cat). I was so pleased to find that I’d come 7th over all in 5 hours 24, granted a different course but still about 30 mins faster than New Forest. I’ve got loads of confidence from this build up race on route to my A-priority Vitruvian...bring it on! :) Here's what Graham thought of it all - Well, what can I say. British Summer time. Isn't it great. No seriously, this was more like racing in November to February sort of weather - i.e. windy, wet & cold. So cold in fact that Nikki stole my hat & gloves to keep her warm while I was out enjoying the Buckinghamshire countryside. As this was my 'B' race of the season & looking to improve on my run after the Beaulieu Middle Distance race five weeks ago, with a week's rest after Beaulieu and a solid three weeks worth of training consisting of 12hrs each week which was followed by a weeks taper into this race, I wanted to see where I was at with my schedule. Race day morning arrived dry but very windy with very threatening clouds on the horizon. With the forecast of rain mid morning I knew that it was going to be an unpleasant day at the office. The swim was a two lap course round an island in the middle of Emberton Park lake which was quite clear, probably due to all the rain, & relatively warm. The swim started well with a countdown from five to one, but with me going on two!!! Ooops. I got to the first buoy in third place but then in the next 300mtrs we started to catch the first wave who started 5mins beforehand, so lost track of my position. After that the swim went OK with no untoward problems. Into T1, which Nikki described as having a picnic lunch followed by pudding (where I could just imagine Scott in the background shouting "pizza for Starmer"!!!!). However, my version of the event was I had to put arm warmers on wet arms, number belt on, heart rate monitor on & then get out of transition. Oh, & remembering to also put my hat on. Off onto the roads for two laps of 22 miles of undulating roads which seemed to be more up hill than down dale almost after every corner followed by a shorter lap of 12 miles which, again, was undulating. After eight miles into the ride the heavens opened & down came the rain. At the same time we turned into a headwind but I j |