Ironman Mark

Up to 18 months ago, I loved swimming.  It was the best bit of triathlon.  I went to the local pool first thing in the morning, queuing to get in before it opened. Keen.  Dead keen.

Then the pool said I could not use paddles in the pool.  This was  the start.

Then they took away a lane.  Before, the swim club had three in the mornings and the public had three lanes.  Slow, Medium and Fast.  Then we only had two: slow and every one else.

There were battles: I did a kick set in the slow lane and a breaststroker accused me of deliberately getting myself kicked.  There is one person who winds me up big time.  It became annoying.  Frustrating.

Eight people in the lane means you can’t do anything.  Very fast people wanted to overtake.  Slow people were in the way.  I could not choose what I wanted to do.  Training became pot-luck.  Training became a chore.  Training became a bit of random swimming.

A week ago, they took the remaining two lanes away.  No notice.  No warning.  Just gone.

I could no longer train in the local pool.  I was allowed to be in the pool at 7:30am but that’s too late as I’d never get into work in time.  There’s no way I could swim in the evening as the lanes only became available after 9pm.  And then not every day of the week.  When I did go, I was so awake that I did not get to sleep until 11:30 or so.

So I got on my high horse.  I spoke to the swim club.  I spoke to the council.  I spoke to the trust and I spoke to management.  Google is a fantastic tool for finding home phone numbers.  Hopefully this will get the decision reversed but perhaps not.

Management also manages another pool.  So they let me swim there as part of my membership.  So I tried it on Friday.  It’s a 11.5 mile drive there.  But I liked it.  Management was friendly and the pool was quiet.  Two maybe three people in the lane.

So this morning, I queued up before the doors opened.  I did a session that I used to love doing.  It was great.  Only one or two people in the lane.  1 hour 35 mins after starting, I got out and still had a big smile.  A very big smile.

My fitness is down.  In January 2009 I did the same session and timed three “all-out” 200m efforts during the set: 2:57, 2:56 and 3:01.  Today it was 3:02, 3:07 and 3:17.  But it will get quicker with practice!

I enjoyed this morning’s race, although the heavy down poor at the end spoiled the celebrations!

I had done it last year, enjoyed it and so knew what to expect.

Swim: 12:11 (18 seconds slower than last year, 4th percentile).  I started at the front on the shortest direct line and went hard for the first 75m or so.  I then drafted behind someone to the first buoy but was just pipped into third by someone who overtook me.  I stayed in third until the first corner when someone started swimming by my hips.  I took the turn easy and waited a bit and so followed on his feet.  However, he decided to swim too far to the right so after 30m or so I took the direct route.  Just after we turned to head back, he caught me up again and I decided to ease off a little and draft off him again.

On the run from the lake to T1 I overtook him easily and so came into T1 in third in my age group.

T1: 1:13 (7 seconds quicker – 18th percentile).  This went well, other than I hadn’t unclipped my helmet when I left it on the bike.  No socks, shoes not on the bike.

Bike: 32:53 (14 seconds slower – 15th percentile).  I overtook someone on the long run out and then was overtaking for the whole of the ride.  Four people (I think) overtook me on the bike but I got one of those on the run back into T2.  It was quite windy and rained a bit towards the end.  AP=224W, NP=226W, Av HR=165bpm so a very consistent ride (last year AP was the same but NP was 1W higher).  Actual riding time was 22 seconds slower so I must have run 8s faster!  I think the wind made the difference on the bike.

I got held up once at a roundabout and then lost a little time going the right way around a mini-roundabout.  The people ahead were cutting the corner and I’d heard of people being disqualified for breaking the Highway Code so I did the right thing and lost a little time.  When I looked round, there was a drafting motorbike right behind me so if they were being strict, I made the right decision.

Bike was pretty comfortable but I was a little fidgety on the seat.

I am surprised that the power was exactly the same.  I guess that means I have caught up a bit after taking most of the winter off the bike!

T2: 0:59 (7 seconds quicker – 45th percentile): Elastic laces made the difference!  But I fluffed trying to unclip my helmet.

Run: 20:07 (11 seconds slower -15th percentile): Out of T2, the hardcore surface felt really rough and it didn’t feel like I was going very fast!  It got better and after 600m or so I was feeling pretty fast.  The bit behind the lake went well and Ian from the Tri Club run past me.   I tried to keep up with him but couldn’t and after a bit I felt like I was going to get a stitch.  I eased off a little and it went away within 30s or so.  I worked very hard on the last lap!

I was surprised that I wasn’t as quick as last year.  Last year I wasn’t very run fit but who knows.  I think I was probably a little heavier this year and that may have made the difference.  Perhaps there is a lesson in that!

It was raining quite a bit by now but once I crossed the finish line it poured down big time!  The Basingstoke lot had a chat for a bit and then went and got dry-ish.  Then Fee had a great idea and sent a text around to meet up for a drink at the hotel near the race.  A hot chocolate has never tasted so good.

Overall: 1:07:24 (30 slower than last year).  I was 41st overall and that’s 8th percentile.  Not bad.  But it would be nice to get a bit quicker next year:  1 minute quicker would have gained me 7 places.  2 minutes would have given me 24th (and just beaten Ian).

Yesterday afternoon I did a long run from the villa to the airport.  I got to within 400m from the airport fence and turned back when the road turned away.

It was probably around 30 degrees when I started.  In the wind, it wasn’t too bad.  When I was sheltered by the wind, or running with the wind, it was scorching!

On the way back, I stopped for a drink at Costa de Antigua (a dump with lots of dead ends – the recession has hit it hard) and another 30 mins later.  Ignoring the stops (but including running slowly in Costa de Antigua trying to get out with the dead ends) I did 18.1k in 1:43.  Not fast.  But ok.

Run to airport in Fuerteventura

At the moment I am sitting on a plane waiting to get into Fuerteventura.  We’ve been going for nearly two hours and we are about half way there.

It’s been an experience.  I am flying on a cheap-ish flight with an airline whose chief executive is a well known $*!!*&$.

I knew the luggage was going to be a bit over weight.  But I had thought of this beforehand.  I’d put some of my stuff in rucksacks in the suitcases and took then out and gave them to the kids as their carry-on bags (which I carried).  So no change to the weight carried, just in different places.

The bags got accepted without charge and I then gave them my bike box.  This was 5kg over weight.  There was little extra in there but what there was I took out.  Now only 3kg over weight.

When I gave it to the check in person it was someone else so they didn’t charge me anything.  Then I remembered that there were some co2 in my behind-the-saddle bike bag and so I ran back to the car and put them in there.  Sorted.

Then I got to the departure check areas and got beeped at so I had to take my shoes off and got frisked.  Then I got called over to check what was in my bags and so the laptop could be checked.

They found some vaseline and this was not allowed (it was in suitcase before but was now in rucksack and to be honest I did not even think that was a liquid).  Then they found my bike multi-tool (which used to be in my bike box).  Apparently that is very dangerous (as I might undo a screw with an allen key or something) and so that was not allowed.  They then found a co2 that was hiding behind some spare inner tubes in my behind-the-saddle bike bag (I took two CO2 out but didn’t realise that there was a third).  I thought I had taken them all out.  Then they found my bike spanner that I need to put the peddles on and off.  Again that used to be in my bike box

I now felt very bad.  The family were watching.  The world was watching me and I was getting special attention from four security people.  Fortunately someone else was taking a bit of the attention off of me as the security people had found an adult toy in his carry-on bags.  That was the elephant in the room; sitting quietly on the desk on the side while the rest of his bag was searched.

I now faced my vaseline, bike spanner and multi-tool being confiscated.  Fortunately a nice security lady took me through lots of doors and corridors so that we found my bike box, opened it and put the stuff inside (without being charged).  Although I did get frisked again!

Anyway, this morning I did a nice 32 minute run.  It started off foggy but after five minutes I had glorious sunshine.  A good way to start the morning

Is it too early to start planning next year?  No!

My plans for next year are:

- Reading half-marathon:  Work want to get 50 people to do it so I might as well!

- Ironman Lanzarote: This is my main A race

- La Marmotte: Would be interesting to do this

- Reading Concorde: Can I knock a couple more minutes off?

- Challenge Henley: If it happens!

- Basingstoke half-marathon: If it happens,

I rode to the start again and I didn’t get lost this time so I had a full one hour before the start.

The swim was fine.  I caught the one other person in my lane after about 8 lengths but he got out before I needed to overtake.  It wasn’t an all-out swim and I think the time was quite a lot slower than in 2008 (when I did 6:12).  I need more practice!

The bike was hard on the way out.  I had someone about 200m – 400m behind, who came out of the pool at the same time as me (“blue helmet” man).  The ride out was slightly uphill and into the wind.  Just before the turnaround there is a steep downhill and I lost a bit of time as I bottled one of the corners.  I also wasn’t particularly fast around the roundabout.  The blue helmet man caught me very easily up the hill on the way back.  Then I re-overtook him as the hill eased off.  After a few minutes he overtook me again and I decided to stick with him on the way back.   I made sure that I was 7 metres behind the front wheel of the guy ahead of me.  As this zone starts from the front of his wheel, I basically judged the distance by imagining three people laying on the floor between me and him.  If I started to get closer, I soft pedalled.  Blue helmet then overtook someone (“lots of hair” man) who jumped on his wheel and I had to move to the centre line of the road to stay legal.

Towards the end I got a bit nervous with the lots of hair man being so close behind me, so before we got to a steep downhill I went hard for a bit and was first down the hill, only to be overtaken by blue helmet man just at the top of the up bit of the hill.  I need to work on hills!

A quick change of shoes and I was off on the run.  I soon put a bit of distance into blue helmet man but lots of hair man got 30 metres on me.  I worked hard on the run but  lots of hair man gradually increased the distance to about 70 metres by the time we finished.  I worked very hard on the run.  Most of the time my HR was hovering around 169 – 170bpm, but it increased a little more in the last couple of k’s.

I think I saw that my overall time was 1:08 and some change so I was around a minute faster than two years ago

Edited for results

Swim: 6:33 (2008: 6:12)

T1: 1:29 (2008 not shown)

Bike: 37:23 (2008: 41:06)

Run: 22:42 (2008: 22:29) Not sure whether 2010 includes T2 or not.  I think it does.

Overall: 1:08:10 (2008: 1:09:48) so 1:38 quicker.

Actual ride time per bike computer: 36:54 (2008: 37:24)

Overall, I was ninth out of 194 (4.6th percentile). Woohoo!

OK.  I did it.  My first, let’s just go and do a triathlon.

I had sent my entry in on the weekend before.  Then on the day of the race I grabbed a rucksack, put some goggles, shoes and a race belt in and rode to Andover.  The plan was to arrive an hour before but a few things happened to change that and I only arrived 20 minutes before.

Anyway, the swim: I worked hard but not too hard.  I eased off on the last two laps when I caught the guy ahead of me.  Time was 6:53, so 2 seconds slower than last year.

Bike: I worked really hard on the bike and was pleased how I did.  It wasn’t particularly windy or anything.  I lost time to people on the up-hills but gained on the flat and downhills.  I caught someone just before the finish and decided not to overtake them for the last 500m or so.  I was 5 second slower than last year.

T1/T2 were fine: In aggregate, I was 4 seconds slower than last year.

Run: I pushed hard almost all the way around.  There was one bit where I felt like being sick and eased off a fraction.  I thought I did really well but was 56 seconds slower than last year.  Part of it will be that I a bit weigh more than last year.  The main bit though is that I have done relatively little running since we moved house in March.

Some after said that she was mesmerised by the pitter-patter of my red shoes on the run – it didn’t stop her overtaking me 4k into the run though.

Any way, I had a great day and it was a very well organised and marshalled race.  Riding back was hard work though and I will admit to stopping for an ice lolly on the way home.

Definitely a race I will do again.

OK. So I have just entered that Andover Triathlon. I’ve got a slot at 9:50. They say to be there an hour before. And it’s about 36k away as the bike rides. So that’ll take less than 80 minutes to get there if I take it easy. So I need to leave by 7:30 or so. A lie in then!

So, what do I need to bring with me? Obviously my bike and I’ll ride over in a tri suit.

I also need to bring: goggles, trainers, socks, a number belt, a few gels/bars and my Triathlon England membership. Anything else? The forecast is for cloud in the morning so I will probably bring a jacket to keep me warm and then some money just in case. Easy.

Then I’ll do the race. Not Easy.  The plan is:

- go quite hard in the swim

- go hard on the bike

- go very hard on the run

I expect to be slower this year on the bike because I have been doing it a bit less this year.

And for once I might actually see how I do afterwards. Last year, I was 1 minute 32 seconds behind the winner in my age group. If I forget to bring my socks then I might get close to that…

Then it’s 36k back at a nice leisurely pace.

This week has been particularly busy at work and so I have only managed to fit in two sessions this week.  A swim and a 90 minute bike ride.  This weekend is the Andover Triathlon so I will do some exercise!  Hurray!  Also, next week should be a bit easier so hopefully I will be able to fit more in.

One thing that I’ve noticed (and knew before I noticed) is that my eating gets worse the more hours I work, the less hours I sleep and the less exercise I do.  So, my challenge over the next nine days (Saturday until a week Sunday) is to eat well and eat healthily.  To help do that, I intend to post my calories in v calories out for those nine days. 

But if I did that today, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight!

… and it feels good.

I’ve got a new coach. I’ve got a plan. And I’ve done the first three sessions in the first two days.

My target Lanzarote next year. My intermediate target is to race well in the New Forest in September.

The photo today is of my run. Descending intervals at 14.5kph, with 11kph in between.