Ironman Mark

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).

I had a great time.  We stayed in the Cotswolds for the weekend and had a really enjoyable time. 

I scouted out the lake on Saturday morning when I went for a run from the hotel.  I asked the concierge if there were any run routes around and he got a map out.  The offroad routes looked short and fiddly and he suggested a run on the main road that runs through all the lakes.  I asked where Lake 32 was and he said something like “no disrespect to your running but you won’t get there”.  So my plan for a 40 minute run changed and I ran to Lake 32 (29 minutes) ran past the people camping there, had a look at transition, and then ran back.  I was running at a pretty easy pace and got back 13 seconds quicker.  I was chuffed with the pacing but I did get pins and needle in my feet on the way back. Not good.  But my calf was fine.  The concierge wasn’t there when I got back.

Sunday morning was quite relaxed.  I rocked up, put my bike in transition and then went out and started chatting.  Then I heard “Transition closes in 2 minutes” so I ran back, put my shoes and stuff out, grabbed my wetsuit and ran out. 

At the swim start I saw Ian, Steve and Steve.  Then it was my turn, I got in the lake for a warm up and noticed that my hands and feet felt quite cold.  But no ice cream headache so that was good news.  Plan was to go hard to the second buoy and then find someone to draft off.  The start went and I was a bit suprised by the starting horn’s “sound”.  Wasn’t a proper sound but anyway.  I went a little too hard until the first buoy and so eased back a fraction there.  I think I was about third or fourth at this stage out of about 80 in my wave.  I veered off a little to the left about 75m from the second buoy and noticed that there was someone swimming about 5m to my side.  No one was too close in front so I decided to draft off him.  Once I was on his feet I eased back on the intensity but still swam quite hard.  We then started catching someone else and in the last 50m or so, my guy started to overtake the other person/people and so I just followed behind both of them.   The bank was a bit steeper than I expected and I got helped up it.  Then a short run to transition. 

Swim time: including the run to T1 was 11:53.  I was fourth out of the water (one guy was 1 min 14s ahead of me and I was in the next group of four, all of whom got into T1 within 5s).  Overall, that was 7th percentile.

T1 was ok.  Not fast because I put my bike shoes on, but ok.  There was then a long run on a gravel path out to the road so I was glad I had my shoes on. 

Bike: A very flat course, with a few very minor hills on the last quarter.  I worked hard almost all of the way through – someone who I had overtaken when mounting the bike went past me at about 5k and so I stayed behind him for a bit (7m back so very legal) but didn’t need to push as hard every now and then.  He went a bit harder than I wanted to up a hill at about 8k so I left him to it (the second person to go by me did so then and he tried to go with him).  I was overtaking people all the time and quite happy.  Took a gel about half way in on the way to around about and drank a bit with it.  Then someone else went past me on an uphill bit and I went by him on the downhill, only for him to go past me again (but I passed him quickly in the run).

In terms of power, I haven’t downloaded it yet but it wasn’t that high.  I was trying hard though!  I am sure that my TT bike power is so much less than my road bike power.  One day I’ll do a test to find out!

Bike: 32:39, 12th percentile. 

T2: a bit slower than the average.  Not sure why.  I might try to get some elastic laces to save a few seconds!

Run: this was mostly on grass and compact gravel paths.  The first lap hurt.  And so did the second.  I wanted to slow but I was constantly going by people from the earlier waves so I carried on.  Three people ran by me like I was standing still.  No one else went by my though. 

Run time: 19:56, 16th percentile.

Overall: 1:06:54 and 8th percentile so a fantastic result.

How can I improve?  Well I just need to improve my bike power and run speed.  Easy!  Eating/drinking wasn’t an issue.  Going as hard as I could on the run wasn’t an issue (ok, maybe a fraction at a couple of stages).  I guess I could have gone harder on parts of the bike.  I haven’t checked my power data but sometimes I noticed my breathing was not as hard as it should have been.  It would be good to speed up my transitions, esp T2.  Shoes on bike would help in terms of time but my feet might well get cut up on the long run to the road.

Organisation was great.  No problems at all and the thousands of marshalls were all very polite.

After the race, I went back to the hotel and was in plenty of time for breakfast!

I’ve just gone and entered:

• The Cotswold Triathlon, a 750m open water swim, a 20k bike and a 5k run on 6 September 2009.
• The Reading Concorde Triathlon, a 400m pool swim, 20k bike and 5k run on 30 August 2009.

I tried to get into the Henley Swim at the end of June but was too late.  So I have volunteered to help instead.