Finishing off 2022

This year has been an epic one with some real highlights but also the feeling that I might have spread myself a little too thinly at times and sailed close to the edge a few times with the mix of training and racing.

Ending the year with a few runs and a Duathlon with plenty to look forward to in 2023 once I've knuckled down to a good honest winter of training ! 

ATW Christmas Half 1.39.21

This would be a last event of the season ,and a ride and run. It is 30 odd miles from home to Holme Pierrepoint, and I thought it would be a good idea to get up early, freeze my knackers off, ride the A46 DC, and then some snowy trails to get to HPP for signing on at 9.30am - it worked a treat though.

The race itself went well. I had dressed about right for the conditions and decided to run at a good tempo effort for the first couple of miles. What I found was that I eased into a kind of sweetspot effort, and the four laps of the lake wouldn't be an issue. I didn't race anyone for 12 miles and was in good order, then I started to worry about beating 1:40 as I had sussed it was on, and the last mile or so was done in to the red which wrecked what was a good idea beforehand. In honesty, I would have still beaten the time but you never know out there. Sub 1:40 is good form to finish with given the ride across beforehand and the cold conditions.

Gainsborough & Morton 10k  43.07

After that lovely holiday and a couple of weeks rested, I was just getting back into it but had this trike team engagement to honour. Whilst I knew I would be off colour, I was at least fit, so played it by ear, had a solid first mile, and tried to keep that pace the whole way round. It was a lovely 10km and on roads that I'd raced in the week night time trial series. 43.07 better than I thought I would go to be fair.

Lincoln 10K  42.18

This came and went in October and was the last event I did when I was a sprightly 49 years old. I had decided that I would go all out even though it was only two weeks since my Marathon in York. I started well enough, but because of the aforementioned race, did not quite have it top end, and then when suffering into the headwind in the last 1.5 miles , had not built up enough of a buffer and finished adrift of my all time best of 42.04 by just 14 seconds. It will come, but for now my 10k PB remains in tact.  42.18 on the day respectful, but I reckon on a brighter day and prepared there is a low 41 in me. That was it, time for a 2 week hiatus from running and a holiday to Madeira to fit in.

Oulton Park Autumn Duathlon 1.57.07 

This is fast becoming my go to Duathlon, as within a year, I've been back three times, this time supposedly with Ian & Dave, but Dave was out early on, and Ian couldn't make it on the day. With my training buddies out of commission, the pressure was off and I was able to just relax and as a result put in a really useful Duathlon performance , coming third in my age group. 

First run felt good as I eased in and found my position - 6:50 average pacing was a good return, the bike leg was my best performance there averaging nearly 24mph (23.9) for the 9 laps, and finding myself going up the climbs reasonably well, and then on the second run, dropping off just 10 seconds per mile on average - 7:00 exactly. Third place - happy :)

Yorkshire Marathon 2022

 16.10.22 Yorkshire Marathon  3.18.47

What can I say about my first standalone marathon ?  For years I'd tried getting into London, but have been rejected for 10 years now and as I'd have just done Zofingen, what better time would there be to just get one done ? 

I couldn't find a reasonable hotel so ended up Glamping for the evening which was only £40, and was like sleeping in a shed, but there was a heater and I could use the camp bed.

All of my previous marathon runs had been at the end of Ironmans, with my last two being 4.03 & 4.13. Today I reckoned I could trouble 3.20 following my pace at Great North, but to do that I would need to be going some. 

Park and ride was easy, and I had plenty of time to get ready and drop my bag. I lined up behind the 3.15 pacer and at 9.30 I was underway , I went off in hindsight a little too strong, but holding 7.10-7.15 seemed reasonable. I so loved the support and the course and the miles ticked by. At halfway I was ahead of the 3.15 pacer and had done 1.35 for the half, I tried then to hold on as long as possible, and then the headwind hit me from 15 ish, and for the next 5 miles or so I had slowed to 7.30-7.40 pace. At mile 22 my legs were a little fukt and my running robotic. I did hold on, losing a minute a mile, and just made it home within target - 3.18.47 in my first marathon - absolutely top day and memories that will last - you never forget your first.

25.09.22 Humber Bridge Half Marathon 1.46.07

This was my long slow run three weeks out from Yorkshire Marathon. It is an event that I've always wanted to do, having fancied doing hell on the humber in the now distant past. First things first, turn up at Hessle early and do the pre amble 8 miles into Hull & back before starting the half marathon - by lurking a few rows behind the 2hr pacer this time and not at the very back (I would have done , but knew the bridge was narrow so wanted a fair crack at being able to overtake.  Legs OK all the way through , ran to how I felt, but then ramped up the last 4 miles to marathon pace effort which worked my tired legs. 21.5 miles in the bag, and a Tshirt & medal combo again - nice one ! 

11.09.22 Great North Run 1.40.50   

This was just a week after Zofingen, and so legs not great and I mitigated this by agreeing to pace Dave to a 1.43 PB.  I had been sunburned in Zof, and then foolishly managed to get sunburned here on a really hot day. 

It was a straight marathon and I tried to pace it at 7.30-7.40 mile pace which would see Dave back within his target. With the pressure off, I felt really good, even with the amount of bodies on the course - the thing about Great North was that it is really congested !  With lots of zig zagging and spurts, it took it's toll and my pacee had had enough at 8 miles, meaning that I could open up just a little bit late on, which I did to finish in 1.40.  A solid run, and I really enjoyed the Great North despite the numbers ! Great event, won't wait 12 years next time.

Powerman Zofingen 2022

This is the World Long Distance Champs and I would be in the 50-54 age group despite not actually being 50 until November.  I had been watching the event live on YouTube for the past few years, and had made a decision last year that as I was having a 2023 focused on Duathlon, that I would go for a place , and then build my season towards it. I started post Outlaw last year, with Standards at Oulton Park & Cowman, and used my Outlaw finish to qualify for Alsdorf Middle Distance Du (finishing 8th), and then this years Castle qualifiers at Cholmondeley & Howard. These last two being excellent prep as it turns out, as both have climbs and gravel/ trail paths on the runs and the bikes have decent amounts of climbing.

Getting there

I drove, Lincoln to Harwich (Hull is much closer but £200 more expensive), then from Hook Of Holland to Antwerp to drop Mrs off at a family reunion, and then off to Metz for an overnight stop. Metz to Zofingen the following morning. (It is worth noting that on the Monday after the event, I was able to drive from Zofingen back to Antwerp in a one-er @ 419 miles, so when I go again, I'll likely cut the Metz stop out. 

I arrived in Zofingen on the Friday morning, choosing to stay at the Partner Hotel which was a good logistical place to stay and was on the bike course. What it was though, was a third floor of a private medical building with clinics on each floor. I couldn't tell what was being done there, but I'm guessing Botox, Tits & Teeth wouldn't be far from the mark !  The room was nice, and the hotel seemed popular with other competitors. I had a tempo bike session that afternoon, and on the Saturday morning went for a jog, and a short tune up on the bike, before registering and meeting up with the British Team for photos. In the evening, we attended the pasta party which was free and in a turn up, was actually good !  Sunday, I set the alarm for very early even though it was a 9.02 start. 

I expected rain even though the forecast was for clear skies, and it didn't disappoint as it rained as I walked/ scooted down to transition. Then it cleared up and didn't appear again all day. Racking was easy , and those blue boxes, are ample for everything I needed to put in it. I had a good half an hour to watch the womens race unfold on the giant screen, before a half arsed, half professional looking warm up before heading to the mens 20-64 start which went off just 2 minutes after the male pro race. 

Run 1

Straight from the off, this course starts with a gentle climb which ramps up and steepens before continuing into gravel paths in a forest, concentration key here with cambers and cobbles to deal with. Going up the hill was steady, and I just kept thinking, take this like you would on a bike - it's not how you go up it, it's how you go over it that's important, and I was strong over the top so knew I'd pitched it about right.  I do need to work on downhill running though. Even though I held form, and didn't brake, I was still losing bags of time to those around me, only making up time on the flats. Second lap, almost carbon copy of the first, and I headed into transition 10th in AG, but minutes behind the medal contenders.  41.55.

Bike 

I'm usually reasonable on a bike and make up places. Here, I wouldn't be using my usual TT bike as it's single ring and 60T and I'm not Brian Fogarty ! I bought an entry level P2 from face book a few months back for undulating courses so had the luxury of a 53/39 with 11-23 on the back. Knowing that I cramped badly at Castle Howard, I would start the bike with two bottles of Ribena made up with ph1500 which I thought would do the job. In my top box was my feed trifle !  Bottom layer Jelly Babies, Middle layer Fig Rolls (McVities of course), with dessert on top in the shape of Powerbar Caramel all diced up.  I used a disc and a tri spoke, I had shallower wheels with me, but as wind was minimal and it was dry, I took the chance. 

So on to the bike in 10th, settled quickly, went to take first drink of the Ribena parked between my aero bars and nothing. Tried pulling the tube out, twisting it but to no avail, so had 87 miles of staring at something I couldn't use. Did have the one on the down tube so drank that and replaced it with a bottle of random energy drink at each feed.  There are three laps of this course, each has what I'd call two hard, long climbs, and a couple of long drags, there are wild descents, some switchbacks , and some technical turns. I knew my power, and stuck to it, making sure to cap the effort on the ups where I needed every one of those gears, and not chasing the watts on the descents.  It was quiet, not too much in the way of other competitors, and the traffic was respectful. Pretty uneventful bike, other than catching a L

uxemboug athlete for a good minute up the last of the six big uns. Holding same power when I passed him, he then decided, that he'd come back past me again. Only to blow up a short while later. Why do people do this ? You cannot magic up watts ! I would see him later on the run and to be fair we would strike up a bond ! 

Bike 4.45 when I fancied I'd be about 4.30. Off the bike in 7th (I didn't know that at the time, I thought I was a lot lower down), but in good order, still had running legs and was looking forward to the 30km last run.

Run 2

The TV does this course no justice, it is a beast, with a stairway to heaven at the start of each lap. The first mile of each would be the hardest, with some respite on the shelf section (with stunning views), before climbing again in the forest until the 5km feed station then it was mostly downhill. On that first forest section , I again cramped badly and lost time as it was slow to ease off. After that brief walk, I knew my limits and the threshold for it to happen again, and kept moving for the rest of the second lap. I couldn't tell where I was in the field or the age group of anyone that came past me, just looking at their faces to guess who was around my advancing years !  At the top of the stairway to heaven was the team manager, who gave great support throughout my whole time in Switzerland.  Lap 2 I decided was a enjoy it and don't think about it lap, with a just keep moving mantra, and then I called the last lap the party lap, knowing that I wouldn't be seeing parts of the run again - I think I nearly cried with joy at the top of the second lap when I knew that the ascent was over for the day. Just the last 5km down to the finish, with a smile on my face / grimace / wind, and a finish time of 8.08 and 7th in AG.  6th pace as it transpired was just 18 seconds ahead, but of course I was completely oblivious of this - I wonder if he was.  

Later that evening, awards ceremony, more free pasta, a couple of beers. 

Reflections 

Great event, fabulously tough, I think it's the toughest thing I've ever done, the previous being Lanza. I know this is shorter, but those runs are a killer. Will I go back ? Yes, I think I will, I'm PQ for next year, and there's things I can improve on for sure. 

A bit of the old runaround

14.08.22 Newark Half Marathon 1.49.12

This was my 3 hour run as a peak before Zofingen. previously I had done this type of run at Holkham Half last year for Outlaw, and at Newtons Fraction for Barcelona. The premise is simple, do an hour easy beforehand, rock up to the half marathon at the back, start almost or dead last if you can get away with ity, and then continue your run to feel progressing slowly through the field. This worked wonders yesterday on what was day 3 of the heatwave. A nice run out to Balderton and back and then after squeezing in 8 miles in 1.08, a bit quicker for the half. I did start dead last of 590 runners, and kept a sensible pace early on. It was warm, and I knew I would need to be conservative with my efforts so no getting into racing. the alpha flys performed really well and apart from sore ankles after 15 miles or so, I managed to keep sub 8.30 pace all the way round. 5 water stations with bottles was a godsend !  At the end I still had 1.5 minutes left to do, so timed very well. Pleased to put away 21 miles in a key session.

30.07.22 Heckington 10  1.09.34

This one I really went for. A warm morning with not much breeze and an event that I had always wanted to do, but never got round to entering early enough. It takes place as the first event of the Heckington show and the first two laps are of the grass show track at the venue, from there, it's out onto quiet country road for two out and back loops. I didn't know what to expect, but did see that the first mile was sub 7 pace, so that's where I aimed to keep it. The early miles were easy feeling, but I was thankful for the draft from a LWAC runner into the breeze going back toward HQ first time round. Lap 2 was testier, and it bit from around 7.5 miles in. No cover this time into the wind, and my pace slipped and I lost a few places. I did, however, PB , and finish with sub 7 minute mile average. Perfect day out.

03.07.22 Ashbourne Half Marathon 1.54.41

In keeping with current tradition of finding hillier races, on the back of Eyam, came Ashbourne, which whilst not as severe as Eyam, was hillier than your average race, and being held in derbyshire, you should expect that ! 

I was running with Dave, who was doing his long run for Outlaw, and I myself, was doing a 15 mile run so of course,  did some beforehand, and then started right at the back. Before long, we had moved to the 2:15 pacer, and then found the 2:00 pacer. I stopped for a pee, then had to catch back up, and then eventually lost the pacer down a hill, and kept some good momentum to finish in 1hr 55 mins. 

Three excellent races all told ! 

Some Duathlons !

This weeks event was the St Neots Standard Distance Duathlon. We stayed over camoing near Huntingdon and got to the venue on a sunny day really early. Signing on was stress free, and as it was a European Qualifier, the park was busy with serious looking Duathletes quite quickly.  The runs would be 4 x 2.5km loop within the park and mostly good surface, and the bike would be an extended out and back to Ellington (27 miles in total). 

As I wasn't in the hunt for qualification, the pressure was off and I was able to concentrate on my own thing. That being said, I raced this hard and left it all out there...

Run 1 - 43.50 (6.32 miles)

Started midway back, and as first little loop was on grass just to sort us out, I was steady with it, still fast, but steady. One onto the paths, it was a nice run around the park, some tight turns but a really good course and the multiple laps suited me. 6.55 average pace, OK with that.

Bike 1.12.35  (27 miles)

Out on the Trinity, slight headwind up to Ellington, a couple of drags and a couple of short sharp climbs where the 60 really ground out. Probably 240 watts to the turn and 215-220 back, did take my foot off again ! 

Run 2 -21.35  (2.98 miles) - nice and hot now, and legs burned from the leg shockers. Couldn't match earlier pace , held something within 20 seconds though. Finished 31st @ 2.19 - good result for me in a stacked field.

Castle Howard Middle Duathlon 

This one was a camping overnight affair going solo. Good night sleep despite an airbed that lost air, and all ready to go for the early start.

Run 1 - 48.33 - (6.23 miles) - Wow, the run here was tough, plenty of grass, climb, insane downhill, off road, pretty much anything an estate could throw at a person. Alpha Dizzles performed well - decision made to take them to Switzerland. 

Bike - 2.56.57 - 56 miles - again, it's North Yorkshire what did I expect, good first lap, caught the people I knew, eased off again second lap (this is becoming a habit), as knew I would need to run ! 

Run 2 - 55.05 - (6.23 miles).

Ouch - second run not as fresh as the first, and within a mile or so, summat new - I completely cramped up a climb, and had to walk it off - lost two minutes, otherwise , a slow and agonising fall back through the field.  12th overall, really good test, and an honest Duathlon ! 

 

Cholmondeley Castle Middle Distance Duathlon race report

This race was a qualifier for the 2023 European Middle Distance Duathlon Champs for which I luckily pre- qualified for at this years event in Alsdorf. I had two mates, Dave & Ian at the event, DAve looking to qualify, and Ian testing himself at the distance for the first time. The weather was reasonable, no rain, and breezy I'd say.  After a pasta party at the oddly named pesto at Cabbage Hall the night before, we were to meet up bright and breezy ahead of a 9am start for the event. Castle Race Series operate differently to most other organisers, sign on was same morning and was a slick operation of moving the athletes through zones. At 9am we were ready ! 

Run 1 - 6.53 miles - 47.29 

I wore the Alphaflys as I plan to use them in Zofingen and I have been over thinking shoe choice for a while. This event simulates a lot of the climb and tracks that I'll run over there and today the Alphaflys performed well. The race started in grass, before heading onto concrete paths, before climbing up and around the picture perfect castle in Woodland, before heading back over the lawn and back around for another lap. In total 419 feet of climb in the 10k and I ran it to RPE, respecting the difficulty of the course. 

Bike - 39.19 - 1.52.46

New TT bike in it's first event, bought from Facebook Market place with a 53/39 option, which means my TT bike can remain single ring for super fast flat TT courses. The course for this Duathlon is held on quiet Cheshire roads and is a ride of two halves. It is also two laps and 39 miles in total.  The first half of each lap is relatively flat and fast whilst the second half has all of the climb, about three leg burners that are not overly long, but are to be paced, especially as they have to be tackled a second time and after that, you need to be in a condition to race. 1864 ft of climb in total. No idea of watts, so RPE again. All felt OK, I guessed the position and it wasn't uncomfortable. I encountered three horses and had to slow to 5mph, which is the right thing to do, and stopped at a right turn. There's work to do, but as a starter that was a competent first outing.

Run 2 - 6.43 miles - 49.28

Second run is fast becoming an obsession of finding a pace and effort that is as close to the first run as possible. After the climb on the bike there was always going to be some fatique in the legs but still, the aim was to get as close to the first run pace as possible. First lap OK, I had feared that the run up and around the Castle would be a step too far, but I held that together well (for me), and then knew that I had just a Parkrun left to complete.  At this point the overall winner came tearing past, underlining the gulf in class between the very top, and your average Duathlete.  Last lap, tried not to lose any positions which I didn't, and finished strongly for an 8th place on the day. Pleased with the two runs, and the performance of the shoe, and I suppose the bike leg, but like I said, it does need more work. 

What of Dave and Ian ? Ian smashed a great time for 14th on his debut, and Dave 24th and more importantly should at time of writing bagged a qualifying spot for next year.  The next qualifying race is Castle Howard Duathlon in late July.

Age Group Celebration Cup - Mallory Park Sprint Duathlon

This was an event that necessitated sleeping on the sofa the night before as the alarm needed to go off at 4 am so that I could be in the car packed and ready to go to Mallory Park to arrive at 6.30. It would be signing on the same day and we anticipated that there would be bike stickers and helmets to sort out, and a complicated transition set up to learn.  Fear not, I could have had another half hour in bed as got there super early, signing on was a doddle and transition was as simple as it gets. We had plenty of time to get set up, and go for a warm up, looking like we knew what we were doing - of course, we don't, bit no one else knows that do they. 

At a little over 8am, 16 of us were set off at the same time a triathlon and aqua
bike were starting in their parallel universe ! 

Run 1 - 19.24

First thing to mention is that it wasn't a full 5 km - I clocked that at 2.92 miles , still, it was a fast effort for me and bank on the 6.40 average pace that I wanted to achieve. I reckon I counted that I was 8th, and then 9th, and then by the end of the leg, back to 8th. It was a good consistent effort from the off , and I settled well, always thinking that I would been to bike next and the drag to the top of the hairpin was just in the corner of my eyeline.  Down through the pits and to the track, it felt windless until the lake was circled and the wind seemed stronger coupled with a slight rise in gradient. I'd call that disciplined as first runs go.

Bike - 31.40

Woohoo ! 60T engaged and a lap of two halves for sure - a drag uphill into the headwind each lap, coupled with a back wind assisted sweeping downhill past the pits to complete each lap. On the climb, I capped my watts, keeping them above my target average of 250, but going no more than 295, which worked well albeit seemed a little slow whilst doing it. Slowly, I started to take some places, and by the end of the bike had averaged 243 watts and moved to 4th.

Run 2 - 10.11 

... which is where I stayed. No pressure and with just two laps this time to complete, I felt I had more time than I probably did. Pleasingly, my pace for the second run was exactly the same as the first. 

Overall 4th of 16, 2nd of 3 in AG. 

Learnings - Sprint Du for the first time in a few years, Whilst only an hour I could have done with a little water on the bike. 

Next up - duathlon wise - the qualifier at Cholmondeley Castle on 19th June.

2022 Time Trial season

23.10.22 Matlock CC HC (trike) 4.12

... and like that the season was over. This was a trip over to Matlock for a 4 minute hillclimb on the trike. Held again on Bank Road, it was a climb I've done a couple of times. I was horrifically under geared on the barrow with a 56/44 chainset, and there is a video of me gurning the thing up the hill.  I somehow rounded off the season with the Tricycle Incline Trophy. I need a rest !

24.09.22 Kettering CC 2up 23.22

Ha Ha - great idea - let's do a 2up on a course I don't know with the Watt monster. Rode out of my skin, but couldn't manage equal turns. Came 2nd as a team by a few seconds- gutted ! We will go back I think - there's unfinished business there !

17.09.22 Sherwood CC 25  57.03

I did this one on the Cervelo that I had used for the World Long Distance Duathlon Champs a few weeks back. As I had been 15 minutes slower than a team mate on that day, I really wanted to find out how much if any that the Cervelo was slower than the Trinity. This course is one I've ridden a good few times, so perfect for a comparison. Reasonable day, a competent ride I thought and a good time of 57.03. Looking at the competition, I would say that I should have been around 55.30 on the Trinity, so decision made to retire the Cervelo to the Turbo and race the Trinity in next years Ironmans.

Lea Valley Tandem Trike 21.52

I didn't think I'd done many trike events this year and whilst on a solo there was only one late on, there had been this tandem effort on the mighty E2/10 course.  Myself & Dave found this hard going to be fair , hard out and then on the return , not enough gearing ! 21.53 good enough to lower the club record, but not as fast as we thought we could go.

Other weekday events (Wheelers & Clarion)

I managed just one club event on my home courses this year - the Wheelers Spring 10, held in June ! Strange night , felt I rode better than the time suggested - 23.29. Then in July & August a couple of goes at the Tuxford 11.3 course - an all out attack 26.23, and a playful intervals effort of 31.51. there was also the night I turned up, found out there was no event, and did my intervals on the course - that was a slow night ! 

Various Aegir efforts

On Wednesday evenings , I ventured over to Gainsborough for their Wednesday night TT events held on courses around Laughton Woods. The first 10 was a distaster, going wrong twice when leading and eventually cutting the course short. Then there was a fast five on my Cervelo at 11.48 in early June, followed by a couple of decent 15 mile efforts at 35.35 and 35.04 respectively, and strangely a third 15 resulted in a win, even though I blew up at mile 8 and limped back with a 36.49 time. A great off grid place to go and time trial , testing out new kit, and tweaks without club pressure.

LRRA 10  - 22.18

A ride of two halves and possibly hungover from a road race on Wednesday and a tough half marathon the Sunday before. A great first half of the ride, good watts and discipline. 280W, fast start and settled well. Got to the roundabout and then almost immediately, I could not get my watts out of the 250 zone, and seemed to be fading badly. Strong down hill and finish saw me at least rescue a half decent overall time and bag the county middlemarkers cup. 

Sheffrec CC 25  - 57.52

Trike Association 25 champs, but flat out didn't fancy the course on three wheels, and fancied a 25 on a course that I'd partially ridden a couple of times as the bottom half uses the O10/1. It was a small field, and after the trikes went off, I was a further 20 minutes before I was set away. The course works well with a dog leg set up of two out and back 10's. Good power out and back on the top half of the course and then faded on the bottom by going too hard on the way down to the roundabout and paying for it on the return. Maybe I'll have to return to see if I can pace it better next time around. Good time though and ahead of my spin data predicted one.

Sleaford Wheelers Charity 10 -  22.29

This represents the best TT result I have had on the C10/10 - a local course where I was shocked to find I hadn't raced on since 2017 when I posted a 22.58 in a season I felt I was tippy toppy for the last time. This ride saw sunny conditions and a 12mph SSE wind which would see me work hard to the turn maybe pushing c.20 watts more and then relying on a push to save me on the way back. A return of c.271 watts overall for CP20 purposes, and 13th place and best placed Wheeler on the day.

Coalville Wheelers 10 -  24.29

It's here finally ! 2022 arrives after what seemed like a winter eternity. I always start my season the weekend the clocks go back. This year I chose to go with Coalville Wheelers and their honest 10 mile TT run out of their HQ in Griffydam. 

I did a version of this event as my first ever open TT in 2013 in 22.53, and then 3 years later in 2016 , on this very course 25.34. Today, a lovely sunny day with not too much wind, I was up for ity and fired up to get things going. I had a nice new white skinsuit, and a more aero position that I was trading off against watts. It is always a big unknown coming out of winter, albeit I went well enough at last weekends Duathlon so I knew I wasn't going to be too off colour. 

All was well when I went off at 2.14pm, traffic was kind and I was able to keep to my lines well. In fact other than the watts not showing what I saw last year, I was consistent & composed as I navigated the first third of the course - then I made a rookie error and kept on the bars for a speed shelf at c.25mph, that shook me and I lost balance and had to veer off the course onto a side road. I composed and rejoined but lost a stack of time. Rather than sulk, I made a promise not to chase the defecit, and all too soon I was gurning my way up Vinegar Hill in my 60 ring, and attacking the last mile or so to the finish.  24.29 and 16th in spite of my unfortunate navigation. Welcome back Andy - ding ding round 10.

Kings Lynn 25   -  59.40

2nd time riding this event, last year I remembered having a good ride on what is an honest course so was eager with a week to go before Alsdorf to get a solid hour of TTing in. It would get me used to being in a disciplined tuck position. The wind direction was in exactly the same direction as last year but this year we had a variety of weather that accompanied the North North Easterly - periods of broken sunshine interspersed with showers of hale and sleet. The actual race itself went really well, on the way out I held back a fraction of power whilst maintaining a good consistent effort and position, maybe going a little over revved on the climbs, and at the turn, felt good for the chase back. Definately slower on the return due to some additional climb and more exposed headwind, but not once did I check the time or look backward to see if I was getting caught which is always worth a few seconds.  59.40, and 19 seconds quicker than last year. 11th on the day - a well paced effort I thought.

Eyam Half Marathon

This morning was a nice early drive over to Derbyshire to run the Eyam Half Marathon in the peak district. I knew the race would be a tough one but I'm starting to look at races like these as I have my eye on qualifying for a place at Zofingen in September and that course has climbing in it, albeit likely not as much as this morning but all the same, running up hills (like Kate Bush) is going to be good practice. 

The race itself was slightly delayed from its 10.30 start as the numbers hadn't arrived, a first, but not a huge delay and we were away at 10.45 in any case. I did my usual 10 minute easy run warm up with a couple of half arsed strides and lined up dead last, understanding that it was chip timed, and the road was nice and wide so I could wind my way through and not be swamped when the climbing started at about 600 metres. 

This worked well, and initially it was fast back through Eyam until a sharp right took us up a tester of an early climb just to turn back down and this made a little loop. Early thoughts... I was OK going up, but sketchy coming down especially in the alpha flys and I needed to be careful. 

We then began the longer climb up to the Glider Club at Great Hucklow Wood - a road I knew from the work Sportives albeit in reverse. I was steady for the long slow descent as on a couple of occasions a scuff would remind me that I had to have my wits about me with these shoes and take care I did. I lost the places that I had gained on the climb, but overall my pacing was good and the scenery was fantastic.  Not a PB effort by any means and running after climbing was hard work. 

At 9 miles we were at the bottom of a descent and had arrived at Leadmill, where we were abruptly guided right and up a frankly rude climb that went on and on for a good while, flattening out and dragging on sometimes only slightly. At 12 miles though, it was mostly down hill and fast, and again I was careful until I got back into Eyam centre and really opened up through the town and through to the finish. 

Beforehand I secretly hoped of sub 1.50, but climbing was better than expected and going downhill was tempered but not overly slow, so I finished with 1.43.33.

Happy with that !

Clumber Park Duathlon 2022 - Worlds Standard Distance Qualifier

This is a race I've completed at sprint distance on 3 different occasions, the last being 2020 when the covid restrictions in place at the time saw the HQ moved to Thoresby Hall, alkbeit the bike course was the same. 

This time around, I would be competing in the standard distance event along with my team mates from the Lincoln Wheelers Trike Tea - Ian & Dave - Ian doing his first proper event and Dave hobbling with a bad foot - they would battle each other through every leg. 

Once I had done a quick warm up and had a pee, I was ready to be set off in the 50-54 age group with the 45-49's going at the same time. Other age groups are available but these are where the action is ! 

Run 1 - 42.55

I held 6.52 average in Alsdorf so knew I would be around that mark. This course is different to Alsdorf though, with plenty of undulation in comparison. I put myself in the middle of the pack and away we went at 9.05am. First mile 6.54 which was sensible and included a climb, the next at 6.46 maybe too hard - these first two miles are the toughest on the course. I was going OK though, and had found my place in the field, no more was I being passed and did start to make some places. On the return, it was much easier and faster and I knew this was a tough pace but one I could keep up. Some abuse from a mate at the water station turn, and then a repeat of the toughest parts of lap 1. At the turn, I was in a good place, concentrating on breathing well, and completely missing my team mates on the other side of the road. Lee Barker from youtube came past and we exchanged some banter.  Into T1, good first run I thought..

Bike - 1.01.04

Woo hoo ! This is my leg, and this course again suits me, so does having to ride in cross winds (and headwinds for that matter). I loved this undulating course - I even didn't mind the two miles of lunar surface on Lime Tree Avenue - little traffic, and the waves and races within were seeded well enough that I was not held up.  22.8 average is a decent return for 230W on this course. Is there more I can do watts wise ? Possibly, but I knew I needed to do another run. Into transition, shoes on, got up to run, lost my balance, fell arse over tit, full forward roll, and up hoping no one saw it - they did, and made sure we all knew !!

Run 2 - 21.15

Out on the second run, composed now, and the first half a mile was difficult. The second run is 5km so the turnaround is only 2.5km, which felt like a lifetime. It did come though, and a sense of releif at the same time too, as the return again was easier and more downhill in profile. I kept going well and even managed to step it up for the last 300 metres or so, as I tried not to lose any places. 21.15 was better than expected, and heck, measures up well with my best parkruns. 

9th in age group, 2.07.37, job done in a stacked field. Not qualified, but a decent score well within 115%. I can take that. 

Enough time left to see the other lads finish in 2.19 & 2.20 - just 40 seconds apart - the whole team and family then smashed saturday lunch at the pub - recovery fuel at it's best.

Next up, Mallory Park and age group celebration on 29th May.

2022 ETU MIDDLE DISTANCE DUATHLON CHAMPS ALSDORF RACE REPORT

This weekend I took an overnight Ferry from Hull, and the drove with my mate Dave down to Alsdorf in Germany. We stayed close by, in Landgraaf, at a really nice chalet park. There was plenty of nice roads to practice on, and the trip to Alsdorf was left than half an hour from this base. We were both in good spirits on race day, knowing the distance was already done at Oulton Park three weeks ago, and we were as ready as we could be ....

Pre Race

Logistically it was really easy. Parking in the supermarket covered car park (free) we made our way to the transition and racked our bikes, in nifty wooden frames, however, not a lot of room for kit, with just my helmet and bike shoes allowed next to the bike. I stowed a small bottle of PH 1500 inside the frame for my second run.  After racking, as we could not leave any bags in transition, we made our way to City Hall to stow our kit in lockers (also free) and made our way back to the start via a 10 minute easy warm up. Now, we were ready !

1st Run - 6.03 miles - 41.26

We lined up with every man aged 20-54 and I put myself somewhere towards the rear figuring that I needed to calm down my first mile and starting where I did would help me achieve that which I suppose it did. Within a minute or so of the off, I could again see the leaders snaking off into the distance and then I found my place in the order and stayed in and around the same athletes. I did get a good draft behind an irish lad for a couple of laps, and his pacing was perfect for me. I lost this when grabbed some water on lap 3, but kept pace and then a slightly easier last lap as I mentally prepared to get on the bike. Job done at 6.52 average mile pace which was in the 6.50-7.00 range that I wanted.

Bike - 35.66 miles - 1.32.41

Get on it. Total TT course and a testers dream. It does undulate, but I ran a 60T single ring set up, and did not have to gurn up anything. Instead, I relied on my power meter to ensure matches were not needlessly burnt. The course itself is open to the elements and a windier day could catch you out, but we had light wind, although a bit cold. I wore gloves and it was the right decision, also, I was so glad that I did the Kings Lynn CC 25 last week as that was perfect prep for this course. There were some headwind grinds, some ups and downs, and enough to keep it interesting. 6 dead turns were served up, and quite a few tight turns. I lost my fig rolls, so it was just jelly babies for the ride, washed down with Ribena and SIS gels. First lap maybe a bit giddy with power as I was aiming for 220-230W and an average above the 209W seen at Oulton Park. On the second lap I rectified that, and was a little more conservative on the third - I did keep saying to myself ' make sure you can run' when tempted to put in an effort. I kept a good cadence as well which was great as I usually grind myself down a hole. 1.32, good job, and a smidge above 23mph - now could I run...

2nd Run - 42.51

First mile I found my legs and put in a 6.54, it didn't stay there but it didn't drift too badly, in fact it was steady around the 7's for the first 4 miles of the second run. The PH did the trick, and no cramps at all. I had to battle though for the last lap and a half and the pace averaged 7.20 for the last couple of miles but it was no worse, I dug in, and managed it one section at a time, once back up the slight grind for the last time, I knew I'd get there, and picked up a little on the main road to the finish.  Elated with 3.01.13 in what was my best middle distance effort to date. 8th in age group, 2nd brit which means I'll be going back next year.

Brilliant race - love it, can't recommend Alsdorf Duathlon enough.

Oulton Park Middle Distance Duathlon

Dress rehearsal opportunity for Alsdorf I said , take it easy I said, it's all about learning I said... oh forget all that, let's go as hard as possible !! 

Oulton Park Middle Distance Duathlon, on a really nice sunny day in March, the best weekend of the year so far. It was reasonably warm at c.10 degrees, with an easterly wind of

Retford Half Marathon 2022 race report

This is going to be a long one as I'm committing to tidying up some of the races that I've neglected to mention and that is covered at the bottom of this page.

Retford Half Marathon

This would be my second running of the Retford Half as the first was the last race before the pandemic saw a shut down of such events. Today I felt really good in the build up, having had a good training sessions and of course, I would be running in my Alphaflys which I was crazy keen to run in. The event is run out of Retford Oaks Academy  and is put on by Retford Athletic Club. The course is mildly undulating but has some lovely arrow straight sections which allow for good pacing. 

My previous PB was 1.38 and a half three years ago at Market Bosworth and whilst I felt that I was in good form and was in that ball park, I wasn't 100% confident of achieving it. My coach believed I could hold 7.26 minute mile efforts for 1.37.30 - we would see..

A 15 minute warm up was in order and then a change into the Alpha dizzles. It was a clear day, cold,some blue sky and a northerly breeze. I placed myself right in the middle of the scrum, about a third from the front, and was away by 10.10 am with start delayed by 10 minutes.

One we had done the roundabout bit within the grounds it was out onto the road, and then onto the path as the field set it's order. I was running far too fast and was well under the seven minute barrier before settling at a pace of around 7.00 minutes exactly for the first 3-4 miles. It was in these early miles that a Peugeot driver decided that they didn't like the road closures and tried to plough through the field. It was a dense part of the course as well and this could have been like skittles. That little drama over, I was back to my efforts and all was well including the water park that was Billy Button Lane. In fact I had expected a slowing of pace but that did not come and I got to the turnaround at mile 7 at the top of the course in good stead. I expected with a backwind to be quicker coming back but with tightening muscles and some undulations I found it more and more of a struggle. This carried on until mile 10 and then  over a small bridge and the wheels then started to wobble. 

At this stage I was already 4 minutes inside my 10 mile PB time but knew I was tiring badly. I was losing the occasional place and I had dropped below the 7.26's that my coach predicted. Mile 11 was slowest at 7.38, and then a gritted out 7.27's for the last 2 miles to cross the line in 1.34.45.

Clearly a massive PB and I'll be telling anyone that will listen about this all week ! 

Running ..

08.01.22 Essex Duathlon 10k run leg 43.35  - this was a chilly first week in January trip down to Debden Airfield to take part in a relay effort with Ian in a standard distance race whilst Dave attempted a qualification in the middle distance race. For my part, the first 10km round the airfield using my carbon X2's again. Post Xmas chub at 80kg, but a well controlled effort to put Ian in great shape for the bike and final run. 

06.11.21 No Walk In The Park 21.19 Me and Dave went over to Chesterfield to do this event for the first time in 10 years.  To be going back at nearly 49 years of age and putting in a fast time was amazing. Again carbon X2's used. Nothing left as I finished, lots and lots of local club runners there so 12th place finish of 47 pleasing.

31.10.21 Lincoln 10k   43.50 - This was my first Lincoln 10km in a few years and I had missed it. I had a pacers job for Dave in this one but I was terrible and lost him after a couple of miles. It was so wet and windy and I ran the entire thing in my rain top. The carbons performed really well and being measured in the first couple of miles meant that I was able to remain strong for the final 4. Possibly one of my better paced efforts.

 

26.09.21 LCW Nieuwport Half Marathon 1.43.35  - We were having a long weekend in Belgium and staying again at Middelkerke. Loved this race - it was part of a double bill I'd booked for the Long Course Weekend in Belgium - so this HM came the day after a 60 miles sportive where I'd been giving it the full beans in a largely solo effort. The HM was on a nice day with some wind and wound its way around Nieuwpoort and Middlekerke district. I tried to hold a steady 8 min mile pace but found I was OK to go slightly harder. Brill HM to do and an interesting course.

19.09.21 ABP Humber Coastal 10k  44.01 - Myself and Dave went over to Cleethorpes for a covid secure 10km. I didn't know what to expect but really enjoyed this one too.  The first mile I remember running with a cadence and stride that I wished I could maintain. There is a middle section that twists and turns it's way around a holiday park and then back up the coast (including a short dune section ) to the finish. Fish and chips afterward but no ice cream !

Training Duathlons...

31.12.21 Woodhall Duathlon 1.03.50 - you can do these events however you like - so this one was easy pace run followed by tempo ride on the road bike. It's winter, so racing is pointless. 7 laps of running first , then two laps of the bike followed by a final run.

18.12.21 Woodhall Duathlon 56.32 - This time I hammered the runs as a speed session and then tempo on the road bike. Worked very well and then did another tempo hour afterward.

20.11.21 Woodhall Duathlon 59.55  - Easy first runs as I'm just coming back from calf strain, and then tempo road bike followed by a progressively faster last set of run laps .

Time trials...

01.01.22 Wheelers NYD TT 7.7m 15.06 - this was shortened to 6.36m and despite being in the middle of winter and an unhelpful 17mph SW wind, I was happy enough to hold 25.1mph for 3rd place and 16 secs off the win.

24.10.21 Matlock CC (Riber HC)  6.23 & Matlock CC (Bank Road HC) 3.35  - A truly stupid idea. The trike lads fought it out for the annual trophy but I had my calf injury this week so used by propel road bike to suffer up both climbs. The first was the Riber which was fuck hard all the way up and I was held up by horse riders. The second was the slightly better Bank Road climb whilst in itself a monster, did lend itself better to me.

12.09.21 Holmfirth CC 10 (tan)  22.08 - a nice fast new course in Yorkshire, myself and stoker Dave took the tandem up there for an outing which was OK, but the course did not lend itself to a fast time on the day. Good enough as a standard to aim for at least at club level.

Stop........ Ripper Time !!!

It's February again and that means the annual pilgrimage to South Rauceby for the Rauceby Ripper - an event that I have managed to do more often than not since it's inception. This would be my 7th ripper or 8th if you count the one I ran around supporting people not long after smashing my face in that time ! 

Last year, the Ripper didn't take place at all due to Covid, so I only had 2020 to compare to and that was just before lockdown number 1.  That day, I finished my customary 30th ( I kid you not, I have 4 30th place finishes) in a time of 1.09.04. So, it had been a couple of years and I didn't know how it would compare - I have it in mind that despite training harder and more professionally than I ever had, that father time was kicking in and I am in a slow decline - I'm 50 next year, don't you know... 

250 eager beavers ready for the 10.30am start along with me mate Scrappy, who's getting faster at a rate of naughts and starting to get uncomfortable close. I positioned myself around 30ish, figuring that was a good starter position and soon had the feeling of people coming past me. The first couple of miles 7.16 & 7.23 were fast as they always are and then bang, the wind really bit and it was a struggle especially in the wind and with the exposed climbs to keep the early momentum. In fact the wind was with us for the best part of the first 4 miles and it took until halfway to feel like I was in a groove. I knew I was running in slow motion but could see the guy in front was getting no further away so steadied myself to know I was going at race pace.

There was a group of 7 runners tantalisingly close and I thought I might be able to make some places from mile 5 onward, but for the two I made, another 2 overtook me so it was a net nil gain overall.  My wooded section was the quickest of all my efforts and my last mile nice and strong. I wasn't going to catch the guy in front, and I was in no danger of being caught as I finished in 41st place in 1.09.28.  24 seconds slower than 2 years ago, but.... although I was a further 11 places down the field, I could see that runners from 2020 were about 2 minutes slower in comparison, so maybe it was a reasonable outing after all. 

As I say, onward and upward, next stop is Retford Half Marathon in four weeks time.