Lincoln Wheelers 25m TT Club Champs

Back in March I rode the LRRA 25 mile champs and posted a decent first mark of 1.05.27. That was planned to be the only 25 miler I would do this year, however, things change and as I am chasing a top 10 finish in the Lincoln Wheelers 'Rider Of The Season' and since I also found out that I had to do another 25 to gain some points, then I just had to turn up at Southrey and have a go !

This TT took place on the same course that we used for the 15 club champs just a couple of weeks before when I managed a 23.3mph average. This time around, I opted for tubs all round with a 101/82 combination - the first time I've ever used them together.

The start was further back then the 15 and we found ourselves riding out from the outskirts of Bardney.

So, how did I do ?

Well, the answer is not very well really ! I thought I rode the first 6 miles very well, but as soon as I turned into the wind my speed dropped and I didn't have any way of bringing up the average speed. There were parts of the course (possibly wind assisted) where I felt very fast, but when the speed dropped, it felt sluggish. I rolled over the line in 1.05.55 for what I measured to be 24.68 miles - which was OK for 5th Wheeler on the night, but a good minute and a half behind where I should have been.

Positives - felt strong between mile 20-25 so not all bad !

Owston Ferry 10k

Owston Ferry - has you in mind of local shops for local people and the League of Gentlemen ?

Well not so thankfully, but it was the next stop on the tour that is 'Team Newham' !

Initially, I didn't have anything planned for today, however, earlier in the week I came across a Facebook ad saying that places were available, so after some quickfire texting, me and Dave decided to enter and make it 10k no.3 !

The weather was a lot nicer than yesterday, and Owston ferry is situated in a very nice part of the world which is very scenic but also ideally very flat. We registered in a village hall/school and the start was held in a field just next door, with a lap of said field at the start of the race before heading out into the Lincolnshire countryside. 

At 10.30 everyone just started running, so I presumed correctly that we had started ! Our first lap of the field felt fast and when we exited I could see that we were running an 8.50 pace which was much quicker than we had done before which is not always a good thing. 

We ran parts, we recovered parts, and chatted at length around the course, all the while making sure that we kept our targets within reach, and also that we didn't slide to the very rear of the field as neither of us wanted to come last ! 

The first 5km were done in 38 minutes so I knew that we would be tight if we wanted to beat the 1.16 we did at Woodhall, and the second half of the race saw some good stretches being run, albeit broken up by some lengthy walks. During kilometre 8 we concentrated on winding in our target in front of us to make sure we got ahead of him for the last kilometre run in.

The last kilometre was reasonably quick and Dave again saved what looked like all of his energy for another strong finish aided and abetted by my nephews James and Thomas to cross the line in 1.17 and change. 

Next up for the gruesome twosome is Birmingham Super Sprint in July unless I can rope us into another outing before then !  

Lincolnshire RRA 50m TT

OK, so you ride a decent 15m TT on Tuesday, so you think you're ready to up your distance and tackle 50 miles ? ..... Yeah right buddy !

With Outlaw looming in just 3 weeks time, I had to get some bike miles in and also some fast miles so a 50 mile TT seemed like the ideal opportunity to kill two birds with one stone as it were. I hadn't tested myself in a time trial in anything longer than a 25 miler, so I was really in unknown territory as I signed on in Osbournby on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon.

The omens weren't great as I realised that the first 10 miles were the same as the Sleaford 10 where I pulled a '27' and also there was rain forecast with a blustery 17 mph wind - all the ingredients in place for a poor ride. Now all you need is an easily de-motivated rider and bingo there you have it !

To be truthful, the first 10 miles were not too bad, then there was the long slow drag up the rolling road to Grantham into aforementioned headwind and I spent the entire time moaning and thinking about quitting especially when it decided to piss it down. Around the roundabout I went, and felt a little better to be going back down with the benefit of a backwind which followed me all the way to the next roundabout.

After about 30 miles I was done in, and then it was a grin and bear it job all the way to the finish, with an average of 20.something and a time of 2.23.47 to put to my name for my first 50 ! ( Oh well, I suppose its still 50 fast miles banked for Outlaw)

Lincoln Wheelers 15m TT

Its a very nice Tuesday evening, its just 3 days after 'The Beaver', and it's a 15 mile time trial .... yep its another week of fun and frolics with the Wheelers !

I turned up at the start at the riverside in Southrey just looking to put in a fast 15 miles to add to my training mileage, but ended up posting a decent time of 38.01 to give me 8th place on the night. The course had some climbing but nothing too noticeable, and a favourable wind also helped. 

My Garmin showed I averaged 23.3mph which must be close to a seasons best ! 

Next up is Saturdays venture into the world of 50 mile time trialling ! 

Beaver Middle Distance Triathlon Race Report

Pull your bottom lip off the floor, stop being mardy about Tuesdays TT effort, and have a crack at a half Ironman Mr.Newham !

Yesterday, I travelled over to Belvoir Castle to take part in the British Middle Distance Championships :
- 1.9km lake swim
- 50 mile bike course
- 13.1 mile half marathon

Perfect training for the Outlaw, and only decided upon when I'd finished Lanzarote and felt alright the following week. I drove the course on Friday evening, when I went over to register, and decided it was TT bike course. The lake looked lovely and the surroundings brilliant, so I was really looking forward to it by the following morning when I left Lincoln at 5.45 to get to Belvoir Castle at a ridiculously early 6.20 - the race didn't even start until 8am !!!!  Anyway, this is how my race went....

Swim 41.23 (in reality 40.10 - the organisers have to still work out their timings)

I had real concerns about the swim as I'd heard stories of blackness caused by the shallow lake having silt thrown up, but from the get go, I really enjoyed it. Yes, the lake water was shitty, it was pitch black in some places, and there was a little bit of biffing due to the tightness of the course, but overall enjoyable ! I exited the water in 37.50 something which was excellent for me, however a jog 400m uphill disorientated meant I crossed the timing mat into T1 at around 40.10. That was my best open water experience so far.

T1 2.24
Not too unhappy about this as it was too cold to go sockless and I had to get a long sleeved top on as well. probably one of my more competent efforts !

Bike 2.54.28
I got on the bike, and after a little climb out of the grounds its almost immediately whoosh straight downhill to a left turn and a nice long straight dash down the village of Harby. I was very comfortable in the TT position and holding good speed. The first turn to Eastwell and the climbing that followed was OK too as I span easily up the hills and then it was a bit of a dip back down and a sharp climb back up before the drag through the headwind back to the Castle to complete the 16.8 mile first lap. When I entered the Castle grounds I felt something was wrong and my bike tyre was jumping around. I crossed the timing mat for that first lap in 53.04 and then had to stop as the rear tyre was going flat. I had the wheel out to change the tube and then decided that as I only had one CO2 cartridge that I would blow it up and see how long it lasted (bit of a poor decision in retrospect). I managed to get some air in and the tyre was spongy to say the least. This meant the descent down to the crossroads a little interesting, and the long straight into Harby was hard work as it took more effort to turn the pedals. The 2nd time around up the climb to Eastwell was hopeless as the more weight I put on the bike wheel the more air I lost, and by the time I got up the sharp added bit, I had to stop and put some more air in. That meant half a cartridge of air left for the last lap and a bit. I finished lap two in a disappointing 59.52 and then started lap 3 with the knowledge that I might not even finish the bike course. I decided to save the air until the village of Harby and then inflate again before the hills. This meant a slow slog to Harby, and then a better climb due to the air, although by the top it was nearly flat again, one last pump up and then fingers crossed in making it back to the Castle. By the skinniest of margins I made it - with a disappointing bike split of 2.54.28 and 1.02 for the final lap !

T2 -  nice and done in 1.07 - although I forgot to pocket my gels - idiot ! !

Run 1.58.20

The run is simple - its approx 1.7 miles up hill to a turnaround point, and then return back down the the finish area, run over a timing mat and then repeat a further three times !

I felt comfortable on the run, but did feel the 9 miles from two days before in my legs at the start. The first time up the hill was OK, slow, but boy did I feel it by the top. The descent was a lot more fun though and it was all I could do to not go too giddy. First lap completed in 27.37 and now just three more laps to negotiate.
Laps 2 & 3 were a case of slogging my way to the top of the climb, repeating the mantra that any type of jogging is quicker than walking and it was this that kept me moving forwards. At no point did I give in and walk like some around me, and just ground it out in the knowledge that I'd get a rest on the way down. With the third lap in the bag, I knew what I needed to do, to get inside 2 hrs for the run, and 5.40 overall, and although knackered, managed to keep a steady consistent pace and even picked it up a little on the downslope to finish with some momentum in what I clocked to be 5.36.40.

A nice pint of alcohol free lager was waiting for me at the finish to top off a great event with which I am 2/3rds happy with my performance.

Initial results show me as 185th although I expect that to move up a little as it is clear that some people forgot do some laps before crossing the line ! A top day out racing......

Lincoln Wheelers 10m Handicap 2upTT

Following last Sundays 10k at Woodhall, Tuesday evening saw me take part in my first Wheelers handicap TT - the premise being simple - all the riders turn up and sign on - then your name goes into a hat - and you are pulled out in pairs to compete.

With 21 riders that meant 8 teams of Wheelers, 2 teams of private trials, and then one Wheeler who was the unlucky odd one out and had to ride the event solo. The course was set to be 14.5 miles, however due to Road surface work in the area, the course had to be moved and therefore became the Thorney 10 course which is basically the last 10 miles of the LRRA 25 I did back in March.

I hoped for a slow rider when the draw was made but found myself with one of the faster riders in the club, still just two days earlier he had ridden 250 miles in one day, so I hoped this would slow him down a little. We were drawn together as the second pair on the road.

At 7.02 we were set on our way, and initially I was able to take my turns at the front, and rode Ok for the first 2 miles or so, but soon found riding difficult, and was really struggling to hold on for the last 8 miles as I drafted off the back of my partner. I couldn't tell what was wrong, but I was going nowhere fast. We crossed the line in 25.10, but I felt a fraud in truth as I'd just drafted essentially 8 miles on the back of someone elses efforts.

25.10 was good enough for scratch 4th , and 5th place in the handicap, but nothing to celebrate.

Woodhall Spa 10k

Team Newham runs again !

Back in April, both myself and my brother Dave completed the Lincoln 10k in 1.21 - and today we had a mission to beat that in what was going to be Dave's 2nd only 10k.

The weather was perfect as we arrived in the very pleasant town of Woodhall Spa nice and early, but still too late to park at Jubilee Park, and instead be directed to the overflow car park on Green Lane. There were 800 odd other runners and it was very busy before the start. After we had waited 10 minutes for the toilets to be serviced we made our way to the start where we hung around at what we thought was the rear of the field before we were started on our way at 11.05am.

The Woodhall course is a very deceptive uphill for the first mile or so, and we kept a very respectable 9.40m/m pace for the best part of the first half of a mile. When we stopped for our first walk break it soon became apparent that we had started toward the middle of the field as we were passed by numerous runners !  We got going again shortly after and managed to register a 11:xx first mile which out us ahead of our 13.00 minute target pace. Mile 2 still had an incline and we walked a lot more than we did in the first mile, trying to walk briskly so that the average pace didn't slide too much. By the third mile and heading to halfway it was getting very warm and Dave had to strip a layer off to stay cool. This third mile was the slowest so far and at 13.10 was outside of our target pace, so we had to take some steps in the 2nd half of the race, to make sure that the race didn't slide away from us.

Mile 4 was a concerted effort to take shorter walk breaks coupled with shorter run efforts and this improved things with a 12.20 split for that mile. It also helped that by this point we had a target runner which we had agreed would not beat us and we strategically began to make sure that she remained within our sights, meaning that mile 5 came and went in a similar time to the previous mile.

Before we knew it we were in the final stages of the race and as we rounded the corner towards the Jubilee Park finish Dave let rip with a Kenyan-esque sprint finish to win the Newham battle on the day and complete his 2nd 10k in 1.15.30 - a 6 min shiny new PB.

A good days running all round with some stunning countryside thrown in !

Next up for Team Newham is a Super Sprint Triathlon in Birmingham on 21 July !

Ironman Lanzarote Race Report

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When the sun comes out, I melt like an ice lolly, and I would probably be quicker to get off and walk the bike up hills, so therefore for my third Ironman you would think that I would choose a nice flat course with shaded run .....

Of course, my brain doesn't work like that so I chose Lanzarote - famed as a difficult course with loads of climbing and a seafront marathon ! This is how I got on.......   

Pre-race

Booked a two week break in Puerto Del Carmen and stayed at the Club Oceano (where nothing was free - I mean 15 euro a week for terrestrial TV ?!?) but did have the advantage of being less than 400m from the start line. Spent the first week exploring the Island by car and visiting the Club La Santa complex where registration was held, and the cheesy but brilliant parade of nations took place on the Thursday. The Pasta party was worth attending, and I piled my plate like a proper fat boy ! No beer for a fortnight before the race meant early nights and no holiday bloating. By the end of the first week I was climbing the walls with boredom and just wanted to get on with it. 

On the morning of the race, it was an early alarm at 3.45 and a battle to wake up enough to make and eat a couple of porridge pots. Then it was a case of waiting around before making our way down to the start area to load the bike with drinks and snacks for the rolling buffet and pump the tyres back up. It started to rain at this point and was still raining as I lined up on the beach with 1800 others waiting for the 7am swim start.

Swim 

All of my swim training has been pool based back in the UK as the lakes are too cold to swim in (unless you're a mutant) and the furthest was a 2,500m effort in April. Usually, I would have gotten my ass down to Whisby Lake sometime in around June and done at least the full distance for confidence. This swim was a sea swim and a two lap affair of 1.9km each with a quick hop out half way round to round a cone on the beach. I started toward the rear of the field and to the right to avoid any congestion around the first turn. At 7.00 we were set on our way and 1,800 people decided to rush into the water at the same time and all I could think was wow ! The washing machine was in full effect and I managed to pick a gap to jump into and swam as quickly as I could to the first bouy in the busiest swim I've ever been in ! On the second leg, the field thinned out a little and I was able to start relaxing a little and breathing bi-laterally every third stroke. On the return back to the beach I could see that it was still raining as there was a rainbow in the sky and luckily the end of it hovered around that start which made sighting very easy. It was very busy again and I was having to fight to keep my position in the water. I took a couple of blows to the side of the head, but nothing life threatening before exiting the water in just over 40 minutes. The second lap was a much nicer affair, with less biff and the same rainbow to guide me home. First part of the race navigated and a 6 minute swim PB for the 2.4 mile swim. I was very happy with that and those were six extra minutes that I hadn't bargained for.... 

T1

I know, I'll take those six minutes and use them in transition one ! FFS - a 12 minute transition - what was I doing - again !!!! OK, so it was a run up the beach, a carnage change tent, and a long run to the bike and to the mount line, but all that being said, I should have been way quicker than that !

Bike 

Really liked the first section of the bike as it was pissing it down and it was levelling the field in favour of the cold British guys who are used to a shower or two. The only problem being that I got wet socks very quickly and although not a problem at the time would come back to bite me on the arse a little later on ! We rode away from PDC toward Yaiza and then tackled the El Golfo loop which was fast on the way in and a slow steady climb on the way out. Average speed was good and even into a 20mph headwind and I felt OK when we took a left into the first long climb of the day as we edged our way through Timanfaya National Park and though the lava field as we climbed Fire Mountain. I was being entertained by sweaty nose lad all the way up as he would battle to get past me, blow up, and then try and go past me again, all the while with a bead of sweat hanging from his nose. As we reached the summit, sweaty nose had completely tailed off meaning that I had a humourless but exciting descent which lasted most of the way to La Santa ! At Famara we enjoyed a turn away from the wind as we were blown almost back to Teguise and then it was time for the real hard climbing to begin...... an ascent of Mirador del Haria and then almost immediately a long drag up and over Mirdaor Del Rio. Being a poor climber, I lost a lot of time here as I found myself inching up some of the climbs. Nothing is too steep though, just constant and monotonous with a few sharp short ramps. Haria seemed never ending , but eventually I ground my way too the top and then was rewarded with a breathtaking descent down the other side with long drawn out switchbacks which had me in mind of the opening scenes of the film 'Italian Job' (I was singing 'on days like these' on the way down in fact !). 

What goes down, must surely go back up and unfortunately this was the case as the climb to Del Rio started pretty much from the picturesque village of Haria, and this was a painful experience along the way. 

Now, people have lots of coping mechanism in times of stress, and unluckily I found myself riding with 'whinging boy' on the sharpest of the ramps up Del Rio, and he just moaned and moaned his way up beginning with why did I enter and continuing with a list of all the reasons why he was struggling. Rather than concentrating on how far the summit was, I found myself wanting to just get as far away from him as quick as possible and this probably meant that I was a lot faster at that point than I would have been. Along the way I managed to fall off when the chain slipped off and all I had to break the fall was my forearm and a rock wall, but other than that bit of excitement, I got to the top OK and only had 60km or so left to do. The sun had been out for the majority of the bike ride and the first half of the course had been into a headwind which also cooled me. Once I got to the top of Del Rio there was a back wind for extra speed but no breeze at all which meant that I slowly cooked in the heat under my aero helmet. This long backwind section should have been where I made up lots of time and took back lots of places, but I never really felt comfortable, either with the aero position with my now bruised forearm from the fall, or the heat which was baking. I lost a few places and was a couple of miles an hour off my game the whole way back. There is an excellent twisty back road descent back toward PDC which needs full attention and is a real highlight, and after negotiating that I was happy to be back in T2 in 7.24, which for 112 miles with 7000 ft of climbing was not a bad time in my book. Just the marathon to go then..

Run 

After a six minute T2 in which a local doused me with suncream, I made my way out onto the marathon along the promenade to begin the first 12 mile lap of the run course to Playa Honda and back.It was immediately apparent that I'd picked up a couple of strategically placed blisters on both feet and running was painful. I had hoped that there would be plenty of cloud cover on the run, but alas there was very little and I was pleased to have a strong breeze to cool me down on the first 6 miles to the turnaround point. However, once I'd made the turn and lost that cooling breeze I again started to melt and my run speed which already wasn't close to my practice run speed dropped even further. Once back in PDC there was some great support all the way through to the first 12 mile turnaround point which I think I made in around 2.10 -not the sub 2 I had banked on ! - and decided that if I could run the next two 7 mile loops in 1.20 each then I would get home in a new target of sub 14 hours.

This new strategy lasted, oh.... half a mile if that, and then some serious stretches of walking started as I suffered in the sun. I found it harder and harder to get going again and my feet were really getting to me. When I got to Matagorda on the second lap, I saw the marker for the airport run in the distance and I somehow managed to give up on sub 14 at that point and walked my longest walk stretch of the race - it was like I had talked myself out of even trying to run. I pulled myself together at the next aid station and started to get going again, managing a slow but consistent jog. I was happy to get back to PDC at the end of  lap two knowing that I was now going to finish and planning a better final lap to make sure that got in below 14.30. The sun was now going in and the temperature had dropped which made life easier for me. Once I got to the airport final turn I had just 3.5 miles to negotiate of the marathon to finish. There was a DJ at Matagorda giving shout outs and he got a big thumbs up for playing Highway to Hell and name checking me !

As I arrived back in PDC, it was dusk, and holidaymakers were filling the bars and making a lot of noise which was awesome. I ran most of the last mile taking in the atmosphere and finally entered the finishing chute for a relieved finishing time of 14.26 - outside of expectations, but within an hour so no real complaints.


A fantastic day and the best event I've done so far.....

Next up
After resting up for a week in bars around PDC, I feel the best post Ironman than of any of the others, so I've decided to have a crack at the Beaver Middle Distance Tri on June 8th before my ret'iron'ment at The Outlaw on July 7th.