Having started triathlon in
2011 I was eager to do some more races in 2012. It's no secret that my dream is
to complete an Ironman triathlon so my 2012 triathlon season would include some
longer races as a learning curve to my ultimate goal.
My objectives for the 2012
triathlon season were to do a good half ironman distance triathlon at the
Cowman, in Olney, my ‘A’ race this year and complete a longer distance triathlon,
so I found the Waterside Long Distance triathlon in Bradwell, Essex, which is a
2.4k swim, 121km bike ride and a 30k run.
Although I was training for
the London marathon during the winter months I also dedicated time on bike and
swimming. I joined the newly found Leighton Buzzard Triathlon Club and found
the technique drills we did throughout winter very useful, I feel more aware
as to what I am doing in the pool and have definitely made good
progress in that department.
Looking through my training
spreadsheet I can see how consistent I was with my training, basically I
trained 6 days a week with the majority of Sundays as my day off, there were
lots of 10/11 hours weeks with some weeks peaking at 15 hours, most weeks I did
3 bike sessions, 3 runs, 2 swims and a couple of sessions working my core.
My racing kicked off with an
Olympic distance in Gloucestershire where it was my first opportunity to test
my first TT bike, the weather wasn't great for a good bike split but I still
managed to shave a couple of minutes and an overall 6 minutes off the previous
year.
Next up was the Cowman middle
distance, if you live in the UK you know that it hasn't been the greatest summer
weather, the forecast for the Cowman was relatively ok but the transition area
had become a massive bog and as a last minute measure the run course had to be
altered as the original course was too muddy. I had been training well so I had
high hopes for the race. The swim was great, I felt well in the water and
couldn't help noticing people around me taking two strokes while I took one,
same speed but I was more efficient, at the end of the swim I had made nearly
two minutes from the previous year, so job done.
The bike session was
reasonable, to be honest I was expecting more with my new bike but the speed
wasn't there although the legs felt fine. The run went superbly well, I was
impressed with myself, and ran each lap faster the other and still had some
left in the tank for a sprint finish, I clocked 1:27:59 on the run, this time
would make a 13.1 PB but with the run course changes it meant it was a shorter
distance but a good run nevertheless. In the end every section was a PB including
transitions and I improved my overall time by 16min in total, ‘A’ race with an
A result. I have been trying going sockless in races without a problem, so my
transitions have been faster, I have been clipping the shoes to the bike and
using Zoots Tempo for running, these are great as you don't need laces and feel
super comfortable but they aren't good for Ironman distance so I was told.
Now there was only one race
left on my calendar, I came across this race in a magazine and thought it would
sensible to try something like this before an actual Ironman. The training was
just a continuation of what I had been doing for Cowman but with longer sessions. Key part
of my training this summer was time trials on the bike which I really enjoyed,
it's like a midweek mini race and a great way to measure your improvement over
the weeks and it also gets you fit. It was a great boost to my confidence
getting PBs on 10 mile and 25 mile TTs in the weeks leading up to my longest
triathlon ever.
Five weeks went by really
quickly and last Sun morning I was lining up to start the Waterside Tri at 7am.
I was a bit worried about the organiser's description of a challenging river
swim but in actual fact it was a marina and they must have timed it right as
there wasn’t a strong current and in the end I enjoyed the salty swimming very
much with the boats around us. The forecast for the day was for warm weather
and winds of up 15mph, the bike course was reasonably flat with very few
inclines, being a loop meant that I rode against and with wind on my back. A
bit of discomfort flared up on the last lap of the bike, with back & neck
pains, I stretched a bit but tried to stay in that aero position. It was hot by
the time the bike section was completed, in transition 2 I opted to put some
socks on for comfort and at the first aid station I poured a cup of cold water
over my head, back pain and neck pain disappeared by then. It was basically 3 x
6.4 miles loop, and the first time round I averaged 7:40s min/mile, the speed
gradually faded and the second loop was like 8:05s the last loop was even
slower, with 2miles to go I think the heat got the better of me and I was glad
it was finishing. In the end I averaged 8:19 on the run, not bad although I
imagined a bit faster, nevertheless I never felt the urge to walk, I made up
two positions on the run so I could say I finished strong or perhaps wobbling
less. My finishing time was 7:36:34 and the splits: 2.4k swim 55:59 - T1 01:15
- 121km bike 03:56:10 - T2 01:54 - 30k Run 2:41:14. Nutrition worked well on
the day for me, I consumed 750ml of SIS sports drink for heat on the bike
during the first hour and I after that I took one High5 Isogel every 25min and
about 2.25 litres of water, for the run I used one Isogel every 30min and
sipped water at aid station. I also took one Salt Stick every hour from the
second hour onwards; I didn't suffer from nausea, cramps or bad patches as such
apart from the last two miles of the run. I felt lightheaded after the finish
but a glass of flat coke and some muesli bars bits cured it quickly.
The last few weeks I had quite
a few people ask me why I would bother doing a 3/4 ironman, I might as well do
the full one. In Brazil we say that if you rush your burn your tongue and end
up eating uncooked food; I signed up for Ironman Austria for June next year but
my journey to get there has already started, completing an Ironman is a big
task, I don't want to be standing on the starting line shit scared of the
unknown, I want to be at the starting line anxious but know I worked my way up
and left no stone untouched, I want to be as prepared as I can be. There is a
massive gap between a half and full ironman and doing the Waterside Long Distance
triathlon has made that gap a bit closer for me now.
What's next for me then? From
Mon I'm taking two weeks off any exercise, I know I'll hate it but my body will
appreciate and my family as well, my daughter even told me today I must eat biscuits and ice creams on holiday because all my clothes are falling off. When I return from the family holiday I'll
start training to run about 55 miles in Dec from London to my house via The
Grand Union Canal, not a race, just something I’d love to do. I'll ditch most
speed work and will be spending lots of time on my single speed bike, also at
the gym doing weights, obviously will have to do really long slow runs/walk and
also continue with swimming classes with my triathlon club. I'll also do some
cross country races with my running club, the Leighton Buzzard A.C. With this I
hope to improve my endurance and build some stronger legs to help me
achieve faster bike times in races. In January I will start base training for
IM Austria.
