Outlaw Triathlon 2013 race report

So, I found myself up again very early yesterday morning to take part in what I was calling my ret-iron-ment race which is my last planned Ironman distance race for sometime possibly ever.

I have decided that the knock on effect of training so much isn't entirely worth the hassle and need a break - so after making sure that I'd bagged a Lanza finish just seven weeks before - I thought I'd put in a farewell appearance at my local Iron distance race where I had marshalled on two previous occasions sine its inception in 2010.

Now, one of the advantages of having such a race so close to home is that I could sleep in my own bed before making my way over to Holme Pierrepoint (HPP) ready to start the race at a dizzily early 6.00am ! The swim is as easy as a swim can be sighting wise as its a straight swim up one side if the rectangular shaped lake, and then a hop across 50 metres or so for a reverse swim back to transition. HPP has four boating segments at the end, and I chose section 3 which was for predicted swim times of 1.20 to 1.40.

I was late into the water, so had to manouvre myself around a bit and tried to get to the first 3rd of the starting pen. An OSB'er roused the athletes to the edge of giddiness and with a sound of a air horn we were set on our way at just about as close to 6 am as you can get. Lat month, I talked about the swim in Lanza being a bit biffy, but Outlaw took it to a whole new level ! My fault though I suppose, as I was trying along with others to get to the left hand side of the lake, and in hindsight I should have started towards the back of pen 2.

The first 250m seemed to take forever and I was convinced that it was going to be a worlds worst swim, but whaddya know, eventually I rounded the two bouys and started to head home in a quick 38 mins, and with no real traffic on the reverse legs, I was able to whittle down the 250m markers until I hit the exit ramp in a delighted 1.17.37 for a 5 minute PB Ironman swim - YIPPEE !!

T1 7.14

Ran from the lake, struggled to get my wettie off, picked up the run bag instead of bike bag, had a pee, but still made 3 minutes on Lanza - go figure !

Bike 5.40.34

I exited transition feeling good as I was already 14 minutes ahead of schedule. By the time I had completed a 3 mile loop of the lake, my gloves and UV arm protectors were both on, and I had managed to use the small bottle of P20 sun protection and given myself a good topping up !

The bike course is relatively flat, and with winds of no more than 5mph I was looking forward to it. Learning a Lanza lesson, I opted for a normal road helmet as it was just so damn warm already.
The first part of the course is the southern loop, and I was flying along at about 21 mph but not exceeding myself - it was important that I rode fast but not smashfest giddy due to the heat. I remembered to drink regularly and had given myself a treat to look forward to with a couple of pork pies in my back pocket. The first of these was munched before the 30 mile feed station and went down a treat. I was still holding that c.21 mph as I headed up to the northern loop and tackled the climb at Oxton Bank, which whilst not long and not that steep, certainly got me working for a bit !

From there it was a downhill slalom into Southwell and then a bit of a tester into a headwind (what there was of it) before a super fast return to the southern loop for one final dance. I stopped the Garmin at 56 mph and reset it so that I could keep an eye on the 2nd part of the race.

The only negative thing about the bike course was the occasional peleton and the drafting corporate relays who were treating the event like a sportive and riding in each others wheel and side by side chatting - D'oh !!

Speed slowed 2nd half as the old legs tired and the sun shone brighter, but the major upside was the ride through Car Colston which was rammed with spectators. I managed to get safely through Radcliffe On trent where there had been an accident at a junction with a competitor and a car, and got back to HPP after a blistering (for me !!) bike split of 5.40 !

T2 3.12

Bloke next to me getting changed was being interviewed for the TV, and I tried to snuggle up to get in the shot - time will tell if I manage it ! 3 minutes - bog standard transitioning and straight out onto the run course.

Run 5.20.11

Muthaf**ker it was hot ! Two laps of the lake to start off with - first lap 27 minutes with a pee stop, 2nd lap 32 mins with some 15 seconds walk breaks - and all I could feel was bloated and gassy and could only run for half a mile at a time before bloatey cramps would stop me , I d walk a bit, manage to expel said wind and repeat process !
The fact of the matter was that the heat, although monstrously warm, could be managed, but my digestive system was throwing me a curve ball and was breaking my run into a stop start effort. Speaking of the heat, I have not seen an event with so many bodies strewn along the way - people were really struggling with the heat in a big way. First lap out to the Embankment and back was a hard slog, with little shade , but did enjoy getting sponged down with cold water by a kind citizen of Nottingham ! I passed Heidi who was working the Lincoln Tri feed station (filling in for me and probably doing twice the work !) and after one really hard lap of the lake it was time to start my final lap into Nottingham - and to celebrate this I started off with the longest bloody walk of the whole day !! It was that bad - I think I must have made nearly the whole of the riverbank before I felt well enough to start jogging again !

I passed lots of guys from my Tri Club and was loving the atmosphere ! I had entertained thoughts of a sub 12 performance before getting onto the run, but I had to run the last mile hard to get in and finish under 12.30. It had been a hard day at the office, but an Ironman PB in my last race was the icing on the cake for me.

So, 12.28.48 in the end, and an event which was a fitting end to my Long Distance Tri career.

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.