Race Race Race

The races seem to be coming fast and furious at the moment. Luckily the races I like tend to be lower key races without all the hype and razamataz of the huge branded events. This means that I can afford to be casual/slack with my race entries and quite often leave entering them until very late or on the day.

In the last 3 weeks I've raced the Endurancelife Coastal Marathon, Burnham on Sea Aquathlon, NDTC In-Club Triathlon and yesterdays Arlington Court 10. Next weekend it's the Neolithic Marathon and then there's finally a weekend free (at the moment) where I'll be doubling up the long bike days in a last minute preperation bid for the Marazion 1/2 IM distance Triathlon the following week.

(Talking tactics)

Yesterdays race was the Arlington Court Canter, a tough 10k off road race in the grounds of (funnily enough) Arlington Court in North Devon, just 20mins drive away from home. After a tough old Saturday (2h20m bike, 1hr gym, 50min run) I sought out the race organiser Tom who's a clubmate of mine and asked if I could run around the course with the dog. This meant starting at the back and taking the early section nice and steady(ish) while keeping Rosie (the pup) in check as she tried to charge her way through the field at breakneck pace.

A couple of early doggy poo stops actually helped as it gave the field time to spread out a little before we started picking our way through the back markers and after a good solid effort we worked our way up to 56th place in just under 47mins.

After crossing the line some old fat boy in a blazer came up to us preaching about how Rosie shouldn't have been on the course, how she was dangerous and a hazard. There were lots of things I wanted to say to him, I was going to suggest he asked every runner crossing the line behind me if there was a problem with the dog. Instead I just explained to him that I'd asked the permission of the organiser before running and he'd given his consent so long as the dog was well behaved and kept on her lead when inside the main grounds. Then old blazer boy introduced himself as the race referee and started muttering on about how he could DQ me and how the organiser should have known better. Realising that this had the potential to get Race Organiser Tom into trouble with the running bigwigs I turned into Mr Pleasant and apologised for taking the pup round, promised not to do it again. I then hurried off to find Tom and warn him of the impending problem (he sorted it all out, he's good like that).

So that's it really. Another weekend, another race! Time to train for next weekends off road Marathon I guess.

PS - 2h20m on the bike Saturday - being back in the saddle hurt - Marazion Middle Distance Tri in 3 weeks time is going to be a world of pain!!!!!

In-Club Triathlon & Heat Chamber testing.

It's been a slack old week as I've rested from last weekends activities. Basically I ran on Tuesday and Thursday, then swam on Friday, that was it for the weekday training.

On Saturday I was back at Exeter University, sitting in their heat chamber and pedalling away while having all sorts of samples taken. I was assured that the power and temperature were the same as last time but it felt a lot more comfortable. I think they quite like the fact that I'm an oddball. They like the fact that their blood pressure tester beeps at them because my HR is only 36bpm and they seem amused by the fact that on this test my HR constantly sits around 120-130bpm when most people are over that in the first 10mins. Saturday night we had some friends over to celebrate Shells birthday with a big fatty chinese meal, some beers and a bit of Singstar/Buzz action, finally we crawled into bed at 2am for 4hrs sleep.

Sunday was my Tri Clubs annual season opener, the In-Club Triathlon which I won last year. It's very unofficial and really just for fun but it's a great way to get the Tri thoughts back in your mind. There are no numbers/course arrows/prizes and we use anybody who turns up to watch to take times, photos and marshall. A great time was had by all and we all went for a meal in the local pub which was paid for by the entry fee.

It was a hard day out there and I started off in a wave with a few of my clubs pre-race challengers to my title. The pool is notoriously slow, but still the swim went well enough and I kept a distant eye on our clubs speedy swimmer to make sure he didn't get to far ahead. Towards the end I even managed to pull him back a bit and we exited the pool within a second of each other with my other swim challenger less than 20seconds back. 600m swim = 8:22

(leaving the pool with James ahead and Phill giving chase)

Out onto the bike and I set about chasing down my wave leader (James) only to see my chaser (Phill) come flying past me on the first climb. For the first few miles the three of us swopped places, but when we got to Combe Martin there seemed to be a lull in the pace and I pushed on past into the lead fully expecting the other pair to hop on my tail, but they didn't. When we hit the rides big long drag of a climb (around 20mins of cycling) I had established a small lead and the pressure was on, I needed to make sure I stayed away from them so I pushed on. Occasionally I'd glance over my shoulder and see that the gap had widened slightly which helped me push on even more. The rest of the ride was fairly problem free, it's just a case of selecting a little gear and keeping the legs turning on the hill and then knuckling down and watching out for errant cars full of holiday makers on the descents.

Into T2 I'd opened up a minutes gap on James and Phill, trainers on and I was away. Wow! The first race of the season always brings out the jelly legs doesn't it. No time to worry about those though I'd got a race to win. Bike Time (inc Transitions) = 45:56.

(back from the bike feeling wrecked)

Out onto the run and barring a big problem I knew James & Phill wouldn't be running me down so I thought about those who'd started in previous waves. There were a few out there who I'd have taken time out of on the swim that had the ability to bike and run me down if I gave them half a chance, there were also a few unknowns that could be capable of anything. The run is tough (very tough) and off road, there's a killer climb in it that you've just no choice but to walk at times. I kept my focus though and the walk breaks were kept at a minimum while I pushed on hard at other times. I was catching a few of my clubmates from previous waves by now. It's always nice to give them encouragement and try to push them on as you go past (I'm not sure if they enjoy it so much though - none of them have ever sworn at me yet though). The final push to the finish is on another big climb and my legs were in bits by now, I couldn't wait to see the finish line. Run Time = 17:29.

(finishing the run and glad it's all over)

All over for another year it was time for a shower, a chat and a club curry in the local pub while I sat down with Shell and sorted the results (I promise I didn't fiddle them - honest.). Now I could sit down and feed myself knowing that for another 12 months I'd won the race that matters. No prizes on offer, just an ego massage and the knowledge that you're one up on your clubmates. Now I've just got a season ahead of them trying to knock me off my perch. I ended up with the 2nd fastest swim, 3rd fastest bike and the fastest run finishing in 1:11:47.

Overall I'm happiest with my bike ride, I've done so little over the winter I was expecting it to have taken a bit downturn. Sure it's lost a bit on last year, but not a huge amount and I'm now quietly confident that if I can get myself out training then it shouldn't take me to long to get motoring again. Fingers crossed.

(James and Phill discussing how the hell I've beaten them again)

Weekend Race 2 - Burnham Aquathlon 1k/10k

Looks like yesterdays warm up worked out ok.

The 1000m swim wasn't to bad. I never felt great, but my legs only ever drag behind me so they weren't much of a problem. There's no splits up yet, but I guess I swam around 14mins and I was 3rd out of the water.

I was fully prepared for the run to be a cramp-fest so I decided that there was nothing to lose by leaving my Garmin outside and using up a few seconds putting it on so that I could measure the run course, it proved to be quite useful.

Trainers, number belt, glasses and trainers on. My transition was more slack than speed but I was soon on my way. This year there would be no hammering the early k's to catch any swim leaders, it was all about preserving my legs. I soon hit a nice pace though and once onto the beach I started reeling the speedy swimmers in. My legs felt very delicate but my Garmin was telling me I was running between 6:10 - 6:30 pace, I was happy with that. Once in the lead I started thinking the race though and thinking about how my legs were going to cope with the next 40mins, then I hit the first sand dune and felt a spasm through my quads.

The run followed a simple format. My legs would let me run around 6:20 pace quite comfortably, any faster or in fact any slower would see me risking a bout of cramp. Every time the terrain changed there would be a nervous 10 seconds or so where my quads decided whether they were going to behave or not, thankfully they did.
At the turnaround I noticed that I'd got a lead of around 45 seconds, but the chasing group seemed to be huge and I'd no idea how many of them were actually taking time out of me. The pace of others didn't really matter though, I'd enough on my hands focusing on keeping my pace and form consistant. Any wavering in either could leave me in trouble. At the end of the golf course dog-leg section on the 2nd lap I looked across at the course and there was nobody in sight. That meant I'd got at least a minute on anybody chasing and so long as there had been no ringers in the earlier wave it should just be a case of keeping on moving.

The finish line was a welcome sight although once I'd stopped my legs hurt more than when I was running (so I took the pup out for a bimble along the beach).

That's about it really. There's a short report on the local website here.
All that's left to say is congratulations to Mark Conklin & Sara-Jane Cox on their purchase of Burnham Pool. It's crap that they've had to do it to save the council shutting it down. I wish them all the success in the world with it. Here's to the new future of Burnham pool and its races.

Exmoor Coastal Marathon

Whoops, that didn't exactly go to plan.

The morning started well enough as I had a lift to the start with ultra running lunatic Vicky Skelton which stopped me being late (although the news that the run was actually close to 29miles wasn't very welcome).

I started faster than I wanted to, standing at the front is never a good thing for me. Almost immediately there were 3 of us leading the way following the races miniscule signs. We soon settled into a rhythm as I dropped off the pace going uphill and then up the ground on the flat and descending. We were very rarely close together, but always in sight of each other.
The first lap which was the course for the 10k race was actually 11.8k and took 58mins. Then after 8.5miles we had our first course marking error and got sent down a road which cost us over 7mins. Even at this early stage though we were so far ahead of the rest that nobody passed us while we were off course.

All went well from here until just past 14miles. There were now only 2 of us and I was actually thinking that 'presuming' I didn't blow up there was a chance of the win. The lad leading the race was still running away from me as I power walked uphill, but I would then chip away at the lead on the flatter and downhill sections. As we ran through Lynton I could see him about 100m ahead and I was still feeling fine. Then I missed an arrow and ran straight past a side road on the right. I found myself on the main road down to Lynmouth and I could no longer see my target - balls!!!! I pushed on wondering if he'd just stretched out his lead, but surely this main road running wasn't right. I reached the first of the switchbacks on the descent and looked across Lynmouth just in time to see somebody running through the town. My language wasn't pretty. I'd just have to run down into the town and pick up the course again, hopefully I'd be able to claw back some time.

Into Lynmouth I ran across the bridge where I'd spotted the runner then headed out to the road out of town where there was a 'Caution Runners' sign and some red/white tape. Bonus, I must be back on course, time to start power walking up that 25% gradient. After almost 7mins of climbing I looked across to my left and finally saw an arrow. The Bloody Thing Was Pointing DOWN The Hill!!!!!!!!!!! I was now going around the course backwards.
I stopped, stood, pondered and swore to myself. Then I turned around and decided to follow the arrows. I'd now got two choices, I could re-trace my steps and try to find where I'd gone wrong or give the race up as a bad job and just follow the signs back to Hunters Inn. Did I really want to be running over 30miles? especially when it would be over as a 'race'. Nope!!!
So that was it really. I strolled up the hills, including the Killer Mile and jogged the rest of the run course. Finally I got back to the pub after 3h30m of running and sat down to my free Chilli & Rice before waiting for the 'proper' runners to appear. Vicky finished 1st woman and 4th overall just 18mins behind the winner, he was the chap that had been leading for almost the whole of the race.

Onto tomorrow then I guess, that'll be interesting. I can't lie, my legs are feeling a wee bit the worse for wear at the moment. I could do with a last minute massage.

Here's the route I ended up taking. 23.7 miles and over 11000ft of climbing. Ouch!!!!!

Am I losing my mind????

I have to wonder sometimes. This week's been 'slightly' lacking in intensity, but there's a pretty good reason for that (more of that later).

Monday - 1hr in the gym
Tuesday - Buy new off road trainers (that'll fit in further down the page), run in new trainers at a steady pace for 1h05m.
Wednesday - Rest up
Thursday - Another relatively east 1h05m run in my new off roaders.
Friday - 3k squad swim session taken fairly easy.

So, what's the big deal? Why has the training been intentionally steady? You may well ask!!!!

It started several weeks ago when I bumped into a clubmate and local Ultra Distance lunatic in the gym. She told me she was doing some mad Marathons and knowing I'm a glutton for punishment she started the hard sell. Luckily I pointed out that the race clashed with an Aquathlon I was doing. "The Marathon's on a Saturday 12th, not Sunday 13th." was the reply. Ah heck.

The weeks passed and I kept on pondering this Marathon until the dates came up for my cycling lab tests. Saturday 5th & 12th April! Ah well, I was going to be sweating it out in a heat chamber the day before my Aquathlon, but at least I'd got a good excuse to wimp out of the Marathon. Then last week at my first heat chamber session came the immortal words "Can we postpone next weeks session?" which was follwed by an email off my ultra running clubmate on Sunday.

"You've got no excuse not to race now"
"I've got a race the day after"
"It can't be that serious, you were willing to sit in a heat chamber before it"
"The website says entries are closed"
"The entry form's still active though, fill it in"
"Ok, ok, ok. The entry form's gone off, but the website still says they've closed"
"You'll be fine, call them in the morning"
"I'll call them and see if I've got in"

So that was it, one phonecall later, my entry's all sorted and I'm doubling up with races this weekend. Then I realise exactly what I've done, this is no normal Marathon, firstly it's off road (hence the new trainers) and word is that it's got over 10,000ft of climbing. That's going to hurt, a lot. It's supposedly the toughest race in a series of 5 and the last race was WON in 4h53m so this could well be 5hrs+ of pain which will be longer than the great IM Florida walk of 2004.

So there it is, tomorrow I'll be racing the Endurancelife Coastal Marathon (Exmoor) with a course profile that looks like this....... it's going to be pain, pain, pain.

Nice don't you think????? NOT!!!!

To add to all my woes and worries it's London Marathon weekend and that's a big thing on this side of the pond. Every time you switch on the TV or the radio there's comments about some celebrity or some worker on the show that's racing London on Sunday. There's all this talk about how tough it is, how people will struggle to get round, how much of a success it is for people just to complete the course. I ran last night and nobody who's doing London was running any more than 3 miles, I ran 8.75miles off road. Then suddenly it hit me! I've just entered a damn Marathon! FIVE DAYS before it takes place! I haven't trained for it! I haven't tapered for it! I jus entered it as if it was a local 10k! But it's not! It's a bloody Marathon! What have I done?! Oh Hell! I think I need my head looking at!

That'll do for now, I need my beauty sleep.

Hopefully, 'if' I survive, I'll be writing a report on the 'adventure' tomorrow and making a prediction about how badly I'm going to do at my Aquathlon on Sunday.

You've got to love all this daft sport stuff - Goodnight.

Who's the April Fool? That'll be me then.

So I've supposedly got 1 month to make a fool of myself before knuckling down to some proper Ironman style training. How can I manage that? My next few weekends have a good chance of doing that for me.

This weekend I did the first of my heat chamber cycle tests at Exeter University. To keep it short I sat on a bike at 187 watts for 45min, then 197 watts for 45mins all in a big oven at 90F while giving numerous samples of various bodily fluids.
Next weekend I've entered this little baby on Saturday which is followed on Sunday by a 100m/10k Aquathlon at Burnham on Sea. That should tire me out a little.
The following weekend my planned bfitday Tri has been postponed because I've got to return to the heat chamber at Exeter on Saturday for another 90mins of face melting cycling and dehydration. Sunday however is still my clubs evil In-Club Triathlon.
I'm now planning my double bfitday Tri's over the weekend of 26th & 27th. One of them will be 8 days late and the other will be 5 days late (unless I double up on the Saturday), but they'll be a good end to the month and good prep for the start of my IM training proper. I've then got just 3 weeks to make sure I'm in shape for my 1/2 IM in Cornwall, although this will mostly be a 'training' race, unless one of my clubmates passes me of course :).
That's about it really, I'm to tired tonight to troll through my training diary and write down what I've done, but that only bores folks to tears anyway.
Roll on next weekend, looks like business is about to pick up.