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.  

It's story time with the Trikey Wheelers

 When you last saw us, we had a tale of woe to tell, as we'd chased the national 10 mile team record and got oh so close to the tune of something like 10 seconds overall with a high bar of 1.08.54 set by the lads at Antelope CC way back when. No doubt about it, the record was a very respectable one and we'd need some good fortune if we were going to better it. Oh, and by the way, we thought we'd have a go at bettering the 30 and taking the 100 mile team records along the way (Eds note - that went well didn't it ! )

Attempt 1 - April - Melton Olympic 10 -  A cold and windy day on the A46 between Lowdham & East Stoke - on it's day, so we were told, it could be fast, but you have to hit it right. Today was not one of those days, and the three of us ground close times of 23.47 to 24.02 to be wildly short of the target mark.  We would need to average 22.57 to take the comp record so you can see a three minute fail is a big gap. 

Attempt 2 - June -  Breckland CC 10 - One of our favourite courses, the A11 near Norwich, in fact we commented we should be club members as we'd ridden most of Breckland's championship events than the Lincolnshire ones. This was a better effort with Dave getting the 22.52 required, but both myself and Ian the other side of the line with 23.10 & 23.12. A long drive back for all of us with plenty to reflect upon with some lost seconds here and there.

Attempt 3 - July - The F11/10 course on the Tring bypass. Early morning event, fast course with a gift hill in the middle, very fast and where we had been within 10 seconds last year. We were bang up for this, weather was good, traffic was light, Gaz was with us and were a four man attack team. The organiser knew before we had started that we were odds on to do it, even arranging for a group photo afterward. Four very solid rides and riding back to the HQ we were sure from our man maths that we had sneaked it by two seconds. We had the photo, we signed the record forms and then next day found out that we'd missed it by 4 seconds.  We were very quiet in our group chat for a good few days after that. Would it ever fall and would we be chasing it into our 70's ! 

Attempt 4 - September - Last chance saloon - Back on the A46 course where we had started the year for a last roll of the dice. The weather gods had been nice to us and the wind was light and in the right direction. Early riders coming back told me it was fast but I didn't quite believe it. Boy, was it !!  Although not feeling particularly quick, both myself and Ian put away c.22.30 rides, giving Dave almost a minute leeway. Did he need it ? Nah, the watt monster mullered the club record posting an insanely quick 21.47. After 3 attempts this year already, and a further 5 spread across 2019-2020, we had taken nearly 2 minutes off. It goes to show that you do need some luck in this game , and after some dollops of bad, we finally hit a fast course on a fast day. Good times 🙂

Other attempts - Just to show the other side of record chasing we had other misses during the year - firstly, we tried to improve our 30 record which we already hold, but pre-Dave joining the team. In May we went down to F30 course which had too many roundabouts and a particularly bad ride from me to get anywhere near, then in the second attempt on the Breckland course in August, we pushed it so close, failing by just three seconds overall. Dave had lost his chain and without that we'd have done it. That's that luck I was talking about. 

Talking about luck, we had the idea to ride the Breckland 100 in July. Ian had put away a 4.28 the previous month for the club record and all of us thought we could take it. Nice early morning start, clear roads & nice weather. Four times up and down the A11, 25 mile laps each on a course we knew well !  We could regularly see each other and knew we were each ahead of schedule. At 73 miles I turned the Snetterton turn for the penultimate time and then joined the carriageway to find it closed by the police as a DPD driver (on a clear day, had somehow rear ended a rider).  I was soon joined by Dave and then Ian , and that was that - event abandoned.  That was some effort by the team, but sometimes it goes like that, nothing we could do.

So what's next ?  Next year definitely the 30, some more tandem action , maybe another crack at the 100. 

See you next year 🙂

Last chance saloon - Calfman Duathlon

 After the previous weeks effort at Oulton Park, I had done some man maths, and was reasonably sure that although I hadn't finished in a qualifying place, I was near and about 103-104%, which in a normal year, could see me with a roll down, however, with 2021 event not moving forward and participants deferred, that would make it tricky and I would need to finish top 4 to have a chance. 

The Cowman event has four options , catering for everything from sprint distance to long distance. I was entered into the Calfman qualifier, 10k run around Emberton Country Park, 40k on the bike out on open road, and then another 5k lap of the park to finish. I can say that even they were slightly long, I have the 1st run at 6.37 miles and 2nd at 3.20. The event was easy to find after a night in a travelodge on the M1, and conditions for the day reasonable for the time of year. Racked early, last minute pee, and then off to the start....

Run 1 = 47.42

The run was a mix of terrains which I liked. I wasn't sure which type of shoe to wear so hedged my bets, starting in my usual Brooks but having some light trail shoes available for the second run. After an initial run on tarmac path, there was a grassy off road section and then back on tarmac which felt a bit slippy underfoot. Some more grass and then some field paths with some climbs and then a nice long descent back into the park. Lap one dispatched , and second one put away in a disciplined manner. In good form at the end of the first run and on to the bike. 

Bike 1.05.58 

After 51 secs in transition, I was making my way out of the park, slowly as it's not race friendly. A two footed stop and then out onto the main road - now we're cooking. Not at all like Oulton Park, just plenty of undulating A roads , a couple of stingers, but nothing my single ring 60T set up couldn't handle.  I aimed for 230-240 watts and mostly could keep that. My position was more disciplined this week, only sitting up on the climbs or when I was in traffic at the end of lap one. I counted the people I passed on the second lap, and then set myself the target of not being overtaken by that number on the second run. Back into transition via on my god what was that - hop up onto a path and avoid the man with the Alsatian !! 

Run 23.56

41 seconds this time and back out for one more lap. I opted for the light trail shoes this time and that bode well. Nice and grippy, they were perfect.  I had a good first mile, and then really started to grind on the climb straight after the caravans. Runners started to pass me, and I had that feeling of deja vu, but after a brief flurry there were no more. I stuck with it and was thankful to reach the top of the final climb and really enjoyed that final descent for the last time. Over the line in 2.19.08 which was 4th in 45-49, but would be worth 5th in 50-54. My luck was in as the first two weren't in the pot for qualification so by my reckoning, I should get the third qualifying berth so we will need to wait and see.

Whatever happens, I am really enjoying the Duathlons and will be working hard over winter to have a better year next year. 

European Qualifier Duathlons - Oulton Park Standard

 This was it ! A week apart in October - two chances to qualify at Standard Distance for the European Championships to be held in Bilbao ,Spain in June of next year. 

My best opportunity I felt beforehand was the Oulton Park event, where a shorter run each time and standard bike on super smooth tarmac would suit me better on paper. The Cowman was a complete unknown, with a mix of terrains, and the bike course on open roads would make it a lottery. Time would tell.. 

3rd October - Oulton Park Duathlon

Bugger ! It was also National Champs which meant that it had double prestige and everyone looked so bloomin quick as they were warming up in the car park. It had been cloudy and there had been some rain, so me and Scrappy spent most of the warm up keeping dry. Eventually we had to move and get ourselves sorted - not a bad event to get to, and the logistics worked well on the day.

Run 38.15 (8.6k)

We lined up across the start line on the race circuit and we had the width of the circuit to use as we set off. Very quickly despite a quick first mile I could see the leaders stretching off into the distance.  I set myself a strong pace but was slow up both short climbs on the course as knee pain kicked in. 6.39/7.17/7.00/7.13/7.33 for a 7.07 mile average - and in good nick for the bike after a 1.24 transition.

Bike 1.02.09 

Bike leg stacked up well on the day. With Scrappy no
t too far behind , and Andy Mosley from the Wheelers a lap ahead, this made me honest. Everyone was fast, and it was an effort to concentrate on position as it was also windy. I had a head to head with Andy for multiple laps, and had no problem counting the laps which got to 9 in total. The only difference on each lap was how disciplined I was on the climbs and on some occasions - not very. 

Run (4.3k) 18.43

After a 1.17 transition I was out again on the track and really feeling this single last lap. It seemed to go on forever, and this time I was really slow up the climbs. Losing places I took earlier in the lap. In fact, little did I know, but I lost qualification places in the last mile or so - there was just nothing I could do about it !  Overall, a little slower than the first effort, but on the rivet halfway round that last lap. 71st on the day, and 14th in 45-49, but, in the 50-54 age group, 7th, last qualifying place agonisingly close at 44 seconds - aarrgh! 

London Duathlon Race Report

This past Sunday, we ventured down to that there London to take part in my first standard distance Duathlon which took place entirely within the grounds of Richmond Park. Travelling down the night before, we stayed in a Premier Inn in Richmond which was just a couple of miles from the race HQ, and to ensure a swift get away after the event, booked parking in Sheen Gate Car Park on the north side of the park.  Racking is easy for a Duathlon, being just a dump of race shoes and helmet, and much easier than that of a Triathlon.  Arriving in transition just 30 minutes before start time, that was plenty enough time to rack up, visit for a pee and do some pre race exercises, albeit warm up running was a little limited. 

Run 1 (6.23 miles) 46.14 

The great unknown and very daunting. Yes , I'd run so many 10k's in my life, but how would I fare as a first run. I had to clear my mind of thinking about what was to follow and almost treat it as a standalone run with a brick on the end and that seemed to work. I had fantasies of pacing between 7.00 and 7.15 minute miles pre race, but as the first 3.5k's are a gradual climb, looking at my watch went out of the window and I paced it with a perceived effort of around my lactate threshold, figuring that I did not want to be getting on the bike with lactate filled legs. It paid off, as the first miles went by at 7.25 & 7.58. Once over the top, the third mile was quick at 6.59, and then it was comfortable holding 7.25-7.30ish for the remainder. I did notice just how hot it was getting though, it seemed that today was the start of a short September heatwave. Happy with a 46 minute 10k given the course.

Bike - 26.8 miles - 1:14:00

Obviously my favourite part, I was a bit dubious about the ride from the youtube clips that I'd been stalking prior to the event, my main concern being the pure amount of bodies that might be on the course and in particular through the narrower sections.  At first, all was fine, after a 1.11 T1, I joined the fun and initially tried to hold 240-250 watts which I largely achieved. There is one kicker of a climb which was a total grind in a single ring 60T, but that comes in handy over the top. The lap has four tight right hand turns and a slower false flat climb to negotiate. Laps 1 & 2 were OK, shouting constantly 'on your right' but making progress, but the third lap coming past transition there were just too many riders on the course and the hold ups started to happen, just a few seconds here and there, but it all adds up. By the end of the bike I was happy to be off it, and it was now very warm !  1.14 was a reasonable return on the day.

Run 2 - 3.01 miles - 22.29

Off the bike then, longer T2 due to having further ground to cover than in T1, I put on the racing flats and headed out determined to carry the same pace as the first run but unsure of if I could. First mile is that same gradual climb and then turns off left up another climb, then its better all the way to the finish. My heart rate suggested otherwise, but I was OK and never in trouble - second run going much better than anticipated coming in at 7.52/7.10 & 7.21 - job done 2.25.37 overall and 58th out of 1196.  This old boy will take that as a first outing ! 

So, how's the old running come along ?

After a couple of years of long distance training and lots of long slow runs, this year I have tried to do something different - with forward knowledge of a move toward Duathlon, I engaged a run coachj and have been following plans for the last few months. Progress is slow, but moving forward - these are this Summer's races so far...

20.05.21 Prestwold 10   1.15.36

This was a run done in the build up to the Outlaw Half Triathlon and was a 16 mile effort all in with the race done at Lactate Threshold level. It absolutely bucketed it down, and whilst the warm up was OK, and trhe race itself only mildly wet (but very windy), by the time I had finished I was soaked and beaten but still had to put on the rain jacket and go out and do some more miles whilst everyone else was leaving. Nice fast course, just very exposed.

03.07.21 Holkham Half Marathon 1.55.45

There's a pattern here - this was a run with Scrappy, and we purposely put in over 6 miles before we started as we were using it as a long run before Outlaw. Nice 9.00 minute pace throughout, definite positive split as the last ten miles slightly quicker than the first. Lovely to be back at Holkham again and will go back I'm sure. Threatened rain and thunder storms but nothing of the sort happened.

06.07.21 Watermead 5    36.17

Midweek effort with the guys from work and run at LT again, nicely paced lovely run around Leicester's Watermead Country Park, bookended with a warm up and a cool down. Nice evening's running ! 

29.08.21 Bassingham 5   34.10

The first time this Summer that I could let rip and properly race - this would tell me how the stretching, self massage and interval training that I've been doing has helped. I had a good start with a 6.39 mile, quicker than my forecast 6.50-7.00 pace, and a 6.45 second mile - I concentrated on good form and stride and the third mile was tougher at 6.50 as it turned into the wind and I started to feel like I was about to detonate by the the end of that. Mile 4 crept over the 7 minute mark for the first time at 7.02, and the last mile really hurt - a sprint finish managed to bring it in at 6.55. Am I faster ? Well, my last race here in 2014 was 35.34 and that was a fast year for me. At 48, I think I am, and I think there's certainly gains to be made over the winter. Watch this space.

Summer TTs

 In and around the longer distance triathlons came the welcome distraction of time trialling. Whether it be up and down dual carriageways on the trusty pink trike, or on two wheels trying to get the best of Scrappy or holding on for dear life in a two up with him, I have managed to keep things ticking over. 

There have been many outing, and this is how the summer has gone so far... 

28.08.21 CC Breckland 30  1.09.53

- a go at the 30 trike team record of 3.29.46, so we knew we'd have to put in 1.09.55 each, and for my part, considering it was windier and harder than I thought it could be , I did it - 1.09.53, however, with Scrappy's chain coming off and losing a minute, we were agonisingly close - losing out by just two seconds.

24.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 10  22.16

- what I thought would be the fastest night of the series - wind from the North East, tried very hard, watts PB for the series = 284W, good discipline, only bad point was my aero guard rolling down in the first mile, 2nd place some 14 seconds off Scrappy who took the win.

17.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 10  22.06

- a bit slower than the previous week and averaged 281W. Good form, slower conditions, less rocking and the win on the night.

10.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 10  21.55

- finally, a 21 on a single carriageway course, it's been a long time coming. Feel like there's more there, quite a bit of rocking on the return, but 282W is a decent return (of course this figure is individual to my power source ! ).

07.08.21 Lincoln Whls Charity 10  22.16

- my ride was analysed and discovered it took me 14 seconds to clip in !  Nice ride I thought apart from the clippiong in and I got to about 7.5miles before I started to blow in this one. So close to going under 22, if not for the clipping in issue ! 

03.08.21 Wheelers Ingham 2up TTT  21.53

- did this one with Scrappy and this time I led off which made for a much improved first half. In fact, to the turn it was an almost perfect two up ride, then on the return out of the roundabout I blew - which is unsurprising given we are less than 10 days out from Outlaw.  Winners on the night on scratch, however, once the dark art of club handicaps had been applied we were well down the order ! 

18.07.21 VTTA London F11/10 (t) 23.19

- a trike outing on the F11/10, this one was early morning, light traffic and was probably my most competent outing on a barrow on this course. It returned my slowest time but that would have been down to temperature and lack of traffic to be fair.

07.07.21 CC Breckland 15 (tan)  34.31

- midweek trip down to ride the B course and it was a late change of course due to roadworks. Instead of climbing up to the Snetterton turn, it started the over side and went towards Thetford and back. Nice course, recently resurfaced, never felt truly quick and on top of that we had police briefly close the roundabout to collect debris. We pushed on, and actually picked up a comp record for our trouble.

16.06.21 CC Breckland 10 (t)   23.10

- mid week again on the B course - an absolutely hang on for dear life over the kerr-clunk, devil may care attitude, hoping not to catch a flat, and it was again a decent ride - did we get the record ? did we bugger !!

05.06.21 Bolsover CC 2up TTT   21.23

- a 2 up with Scrappy and he's bat shit crazy straight from the off with no watt limiter !  It was a case of pumping out insane watts at the start just to keep on his wheel, and I did take some turns on the way to the roundabout, but on the way back I had detonated more than a couple of times and 21.23 was the reward for absolutely turning myself inside out. Scraps loves 2ups, I'm not so sure lol.