On Sunday 28th April I ran in the re-arranged Bradford 10k. It was supposed to be on in March but was called off due to a snow day and I was away in Lanzarote at the time so when another chance to run came along I took it.
Marc was injured from the previous Blackpool marathon, Tony was deep into his Ironman training and Paul pulled a sickie so we were wilted down to Rob, myself and Chris a friend from work.
We set off and the pace was so slow we spent a good kilometre dodging runners as we entered a short hill section going into the Little Germany area of the city. My plan was to stay on Robs shoulder as he is a big unit of a guy like me and I knew his approx running pace. Chris is much fitter and faster so he soon disappeared into the distance. Coming out of the hill Rob put the gas on a bit and I was getting blocked in with all the other runners. So he got a good 20 secs ahead but I thought no problem as I'll catch him as the runners thin out abit as we reach the 5k mark. At this point Chris came down the other side of the road and I high fived him as he passed. I then closed in on the drinks station (what, no beer) and Rob also passed me on the return back to the city centre. I estimated that he was about 30secs ahead and I threw a cup of water over my head and pressed on.
I kept Rob in sight but I wasn't getting any closer. At 7k I was struggling a little bit and I knew I couldn't increase my pace so I settled down and concentrated on getting to the end. I saw my work mate Matt who was a race marshall for the day. He came over and shouted some encouragement which was good and gave me a little boost. I found the final 2k a hard slog as the wind really picked up and it was hard going. I was getting passed by a few runners at this point so I latched on to one of them to try and generate a last big effort. It was good to note that no fancy dressers such as Darth Vader or fridge on the back man went past me. Not long afterwards I entered the final stretch and people were clapping and cheering, but I couldn't hardly hear anything as the wind was roaring right into me. The inflatable arch over the finish line collapsed in the wind as I crossed and I ducked to avoid being hit. I immediately received a text from the organisers with a time of 56.11. Rob was around 53.00 and Chris sub 50 mins. So all in all not a bad time for me considering the lack of sleep and the windy conditions. We then spent a couple of hours sinking a few pints in the local pub which also felt a bit weird sinking the first Guinness at 10.15am.
Tadcaster Triathlon May 6th
500mtrs swim 14k cycle 7k run (Sprint Distance)
Following the 10k I had a lighter training week as I was teaching a Studio cycling instructors course as part of my work duties so I was on and off a spin bike all day Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week consisted of two swim sessions and a couple of 20 minute runs. I didn't see the point in doing anything intensive. I chilled out the full weekend and come Monday I was rested, fresh and ready to go. I was doing the triathlon on my own and considered asking if folk wanted to come and support, but then thought I'd rather just go and concentrate and really go for it. The weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny with a cool breeze and I was feeling good. I set off with the intention of getting to Tadcaster for 10.30am as my swim start was 11.18am. Road works in the Alwoodley area of Leeds delayed me for a further 20mins so by the time I had parked up I was really cutting things fine. I rushed to register and rack my bike up in the transition area which was in a brewery car park with felt like a quarter of a mile up from the swimming pool. I got to the pool as my section were receiving the obligatory pre race briefing.
On entering the pool in groups of four (6 lanes) I recognised the woman from Skipton Triathlon that I had problems getting past. We exchanged words and she kindly said that she would let me past if I tapped her on the ankle which of course is the official rule. So off we went and fair enough I caught her up on the first lap but she didn't move across. Another athlete then swam over the top of us and I thought 'this is where the fun begins'. On the next lap she allowed me to pass but then caught me up again on the next one and we had this cat and mouse carry on going on right until exiting the pool. During my swim I was concentrating too much on trying to get round her and not being caught, as a result my form was poor and I was swallowing a lot of pool water.
On transition my group were out first and we exited outside. I quickly got my trainers on but couldnt get my teeshirt on due to me being so wet. I heard someone giggling but I didnt bother turning around to see who it was. We than ran through a main road up towards the cycle area. This was funny as there were people just going on about their own business when a chubby middle aged man runs past in just lycra shorts. Not a good look! At my bike I forgot to mix a sports drink so I took a big pull on some lucozade which was more really for a placebo effect rather than re-hydration (I'd already swallowed most of the swimming pool). Just as I got on my bike I felt bloated really sick so I thought well I don't fancy cycling feeling like this so I vomited into some bushed as the side of the transition area, nice!
I stayed in the small cog just to get some cadence going and soon made some decent progress. I didn't have a crazy gusty wind to deal with this time around so I soon began to munch away at the miles pacman style. I noticed from the pool and now on the cycle section that the athletes here were a more serious bunch and I soon started to get passed by others as I progressed. In fact I only recall going past one, with five making me eat their dust. The course was set in stunning surrounds and I remember thinking as I entered the village of Clifford 'Now this is what an English village should look like'. But that soon left my mind as a short sharp hill came into view and my legs were soon burning as I was forced into a standing climb.At the top there was the race photographer and some other folk shouting encouragement.
On the cycle course were race Marshall's on motorbikes (which gave it a professional feel) making sure that no cheating was going on. I noticed later looking at the results a few athletes had penalty time added onto their overall score for drafting (riding behind another cyclist to gain an advantage).
I entered for final transition and racked my bike, helmet off, switch my number to the front and off I go. You always expect to feel rough when going from cycle to run, but I did really feel worse than expected. In fact I felt really crap and thought shall I walk for a bit. Anyway, I thought nah, carry on and see how it goes. I gradually started to feel better as more power entered my legs. I then noticed a runner just ahead of me running at a similar pace so that was my target to match or catch up without tiring myself out. The run soon came off road and went through some local farmland. This was a welcome change as it was softer under foot and kinder on the joints. As this progressed more and more cattle shit was right in the path and I was trying to dodge it all for obvious reasons. No way did I want my blue Nike Pegasus to be all mashed up. However, after a while of trying to dodge it I thought 'ah sod it' and just ran straight through it all. The funny things was is that I thought I was being followed by bumble bees or flys etc, but its was actually the all the crap flicking up behind me and coming back over my head. Hence the term the shit has really hit the fan! It also explains way the runners close behind me didn't fancy passing at this point. Looking ahead of me I still hadn't caught up with the athlete in front and later on her young son had joined her and jogged along with her!..and still I couldn't catch up.
As I reached the last mile I increased pace and entered the outlaying streets of the town. A couple of athletes then flew past me with a finishing burst much faster than me but it encouraged me to follow suit anyway and I passed the finish line at the swimming pool. The timing services were in front so I typed my number in and got a time of 1hour 26 mins. I thought wow, decent time. But then thought ah but no transition times added on as yet. I watched some of the others come in and chatted with others who crossed the line around the same time. I collected my bike and made my way back to the car and passed a pub on the corner which was full of folk enjoying the sun, so I put the bike in the car and went back for a nice pint and send a few texts out. The rest of the day was more drinks in the back garden with my mad housemate with a satisfied grin on my face that Id done well.
Later that week, more detailed results followed on the website and I was amazed to learn that transition times were already included in my original time. So it dawned on me that I had swan, cycled and ran faster than I have before, even in stand alone events or training sessions. That is major progress and I now look forward to Leeds Half Marathon tomorrow followed by a weeks holiday in Lanzarote from next Thursday.
Looking back, the major breakthrough has been my swimming training. I have at last nailed the breathing needed for effective freestyle and my fitness has increased to a new level! Plus a year ago this week I was stuggling to run a 5k at all!
Life is good!
No comments:
Post a Comment