Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Dave- you shouldn't be on this forum, you should be pampering your wife instead!
I did last night
Monday night she works a 12 hour day and doesn;t leave clinic til 8:30 !
What a weekend! First highlight was managing to get the tent up on my own, before Rio and The Bitch finished putting theirs up
I really wasn't sure whether i'd made the right decision, esp. with IMR looming ever closer. I kept thinking that I needed to HTFU and get on with it, but I was actually scared of riding in that weather. I've ridden in p*ssing rain before (well, I live in Scotland...!), but I couldn't face it. I had this looming sense of dread, and I think I knew I wasn't going to carry on, but was trying to talk myself into continuing. Knowing how many folk had to pull out, I don't feel so bad now, but I do kind of wish i'd gone on a bit further. SO it was pretty disappointing to pull out - my first DNF in any race - but no point worrying about it now. Worst thing is i'll have to come back next year and banish the demons, damn!!!
It was great to support though, and brilliant to meet everyone again, and some new faces too. Always a great laugh with you guys
Well done again folks, and thanks for the great company and support
There has to be a caption competition out of this one......
Me and Lea The Pea stroll to the start
Amazing!! What an experience that was. Managed to get a decent swim in, about 45 minutes. Took me ages to over the "9 " nails" on the lake bed, before starting the long and winding shivering process from banglidesh to kathmandu!
The beginning of the bike, like everyone else, went ok. It wasn't until the top on the first real decent where the hail pounded my eyeballs out of there socket and the bike began to shake. I couldn't work it out at first. The bike seemed to be ok... no flat, no mechical sounds.. then it struck me. I was so cold that as I tucked in on the decents, my body was obviously shivering but also making the bike wobble. So on all the down hills I had to keep on pedaling to prevent coming off. still managed 3:15 on the bike, which looking back at the conditions was ok.
I was drinking the rain water as it streamed off my helmet. Managed to get the food onboard during the bike, however, it was all in one instead of over an hour. It was too cold to be messing with the packets etc. I do think cups of tea with high 5 would have gone down a treat!
I was pretty much on course to do the run in 1:30. hit the turnaround at 44minutes and felt good. But on the way back, I bonked at 10miles(gutted) and had no spare gels. unlike microbeman, no shake for me! Also, picked up a minor cut from the lake on the little toe. I had started to rub and bleed. so basically I crawled over the line in 1:45.
I saw some real determined faces. absolutely awesome. It was actually snowing of snowdon, which was a stone's throw away! This was my first middle distance in preparation for outlaw. Maybe next year i'll be back to give it a really good hinding! Bit sore at work today but made it through. Easy swim and easy run tomorrow, watch this space...
Overall good training session for outlaw. Well done pirates... proud of everyone.
Ps. microbeman - how's the catheter coming along?
nice to see dave and slim again (also nice to have a chat with Mrs slim and the kids in the pub during the afternoon..)
well done to you finishers...you have my respect...and so does everybody with a bit more sense who decided to stop...
Az - I had that mystery wobble too - never had the full body shakes like that before - certainly not on a bike anyway!
Woody - i'm glad i'm forgiven. See you next year
Meldy, I promise Dave wasn't holding my hand. Honest
Az - god knows how you had the energy to have a bonk at mile 10?!
Andy, sorry I didn't meet you either. Were you in pirate gear, as I spotted a couple of folk in the gear that i'd not met before? Shame to hear you had to pull out too; it was a bit mental eh? Good move for heading to the pub, hehehe, good decision!
Kanga - was great to see you this weekend before you're finally deported. I may indeed get Gok Wan on board. He might be able to help me with my special swim hat too. Waff - I did have a jacket in my transition box, but I was so out of it in T1, it didn't actually occur to me to put it on. D'oh! Oh and I left my cosy arm warmers too, fecking eejit!!!
The last time a had a tank slapping wobble on the front end like that I was going considerably faster on the autobahn and tbh I'm not sure which was scariest. Taking all my weight off the bars was the only way of reducing it but hard work on my back and legs.
Well, what a weekend.
Not exactly how I pictured it for my first half when I signed up a few months back; nice, dry, sunny summer's day was what I had in mind (and how I sold it to the family!)
If it was bad weather for racing, it was even worse for spectating so big thanks to all the supporters, including mine and others' wives and kids hanging around in the cold and wet for a few glimpses of us!
Swim was always going to be my weak point. On the way out it was fine, only got one punch or kick in the face, but everytime I looked up there seemed to be one more orange buoy looming in the distance. Got a bit of a shock when I turned the corner and headed out toward the middle of the lake and the wind seemed to pick up and suddlenly there were waves in my face everytime I came up for air. Never experienced choppy water like that before and had a bit of a mini panic for a few moments, did a few strokes breast stroke with my head up to calm down and catch my breath then managed to get going again.
The end of the swim was odd, sliding on my elbows in less than a foot of water because it was easier than walking on the rough stones. Eventually stood up, had a bit of a wobble but managed to stagger along the jetty and find my bike.Sat down to take of my wetsuit as I could feel my calves threatening to cramp, eventually wrestled it off and layered up as much as possible for the ride.
Had a malt loaf and banana for the ride but couldn't get them into the pocket on the back of my gilet with wet shivering hands so gave up and hit the road.
Got up the hill out of town and started seeing the bling bikes and areo helments heading back into town, and like everyone else started trying to do the maths...I knew I was slow in the water and maybe wasted a few mins in transition, but surely not! Was there another race going on? My cold brain just couldn't work it out so I just put my head down and went for it. Later I saw the guy in the phone box and various other poor souls at the side of the road and finally twigged what was going on!
Had a very scary moment on a steep decline into the valley when a strong side wind took me right onto the other side of the road (those guys out there with disc wheels must have been suicidal!). If there'd been anything coming the other way it would have been game over.....
.......Other than that I quite enjoyed most of the ride in a strange kind of way and was almost laughing to myself at the absurdity of it at times. Knew I'd come out of transition a bit ahead of my 'mentor' Kanga so was challenging myself to see how far I could get before he caught me up. Eventually saw him heading towards the turn point, a couple of miles after I'd passed it, so was pleased to hold him off until about mile 46. Very pleased with my 3h9 bike split given the conditions.
I suffered from the lack of solid food on the last 5 or so miles of the ride and all I could think about was food, so I headed out onto the run with banana in one hand and malt loaf in the other; not ideal but I was starving! Polished the banana and half the malt loaf off over the first mile or so and then settled in for a long plod around the run. Dissapointed I had to walk for short sections, but they were only short, so overall not too bad.
Ended up with 6h24, which given the conditions I'm pretty pleased with. Unfinished business for next year though, to go less than 6 which was my aim this time.
Great to meet several pirates for the first time, and some I've met before. Well done to everyone who gave it a shot, as several people have said it would have been easy not to even get in the water on such a shocking day!
Shame it wasn't really bbq weather for a good get together at the campsite, but enjoyed a lovely evening in the pub with Kanga, GMI and families.Look forward to the next outing!
Reading reports on Tri talk some dude reckons 45 people went to hospital with Hyperthermia?
Sounds like the marshalls and organisers had their work cut out yesterday must have been a mare being a marshall/ volunteer yesterday respect to those chaps and ladies and St Johns ambulance crews as well for doing a grand job in shite conditions..
Well done everyone.
What a day! No shame in DNFing on this one. Look forward to a scorcher next year!
I'm keeping this as the last resort if I can't get my hydration strategy right. Spent most of Monday drying everything out. Still got to clean the bike.
Definately a memorable weekend.
erm...tbh i'm not a full pirate...i'm sort of affiliated to another online club (BCTTT) but i'm seriously considering coming to the pirate side cause the gear is really cool and your all so friendly!!
Agree with you wholeheartedly they where brilliant, from the my view on the other side they seemed to be coping vary well and as mentioned by others, so too were the supporters for putting up with such conditions for so long. Big thanks to them all.
Dave - I do hope that's a responsible dog owner
Lee - I'm OK Dave I bought these sacrificial flip flops
COS THERS NOTHING WORSE than dog excrement squishing between your toes!!!!
great reports all
It wasn't the best weather for a june race...........my favourite tri race but had to miss it this year..............hope you all enjoyed it despite it all.............
its these days that make the nice days easier
Haven't posted on here for a while, been hectic with work and busy, well, training
But was splashing around at Bala on Sunday (I was the one in the Thames Turbo kit) and looking at some of the other reports on here I'm glad to have finished and in one piece. A breif race report as it doesn't contain anything original:
Swim: Was 11 mins down on last year, did the choppy waters make that much difference? I felt OK, found some clear water pretty quickly and was nice and relaxed. Glad my watch had fogged over and I couldnt see the display as I got out. 53 mins.
T1: Was a battle with my hands, took an age to get the westsuit of and socks and shoes on. Really glad I put my cycling jacket on, best decision of the weekend. 8 Mins.
Bike: I found the bike really scary at times, those cross winds were lethal. According to my Garmin top speed was 38mph, thats seems stupid and reckless looking back. Thankfully my core tempature was fine but hands, with gloves, were still so cold could barely drink or open gels. Hydration and nutrition woeful again, 4 mins down on last year with a far superior bike. 3 hours 7 mins.
T2: Repeat of T1 really, struggled with everything with hands. Felt confident I could maintain core temp on run though and discarded jacket. Gloves were so wet they went to. 4 Mins.
Run: After last years disaster, and not being in such good run shape this year, I took it easy. Stopped at each water station and for a pee. Also had to re-do laces, unsurprisingly, another struggle. Took a couple of walking breaks around the 11 mile mark but got going to finish the last mile. Ten mins down on last year but all things considered wasn't unhappy with that. 1 hour 46 mins.
Total time, 5.59. 29 mins down on last year in total. Dissapointed with the experience but not the performance, tried my best and left nothing out there, as my aching bones Monday reminded me. Well done to everybody, that was indeed a tough day.
Andy - defo get yourself some pirate stuff
If nothing else you can be spotted from miles away, and it means the screams of abuse, eh, I mean support are more easily directed 
Godd racing NTL - as you say putting on that jacket in T1 was probably the best decision you've ever made in a tri! What I found unusal was the speed folk we going at in T1 - slow. I don't think anyone could probably move or get dressed, they were so cold. Granted most folk were out of there by the time I got in, but there were a couple of folk still staggering about.
2012 can only be warmer
Slim well done mate I shall return for a rematch
but it looks like NTL has stolen your glory 
I came in just before Steve he had a crackin race.
Just got home after a bit of a circular route Cornwall, Bala, Milton Keynes, London and Cornwall
feeling pretty fried now so no training and an early night
I would just like to echo whats been said on here the organisers, marshalls and st Johns did an amazing job in awful conditions it could of got very serious for some peeps without their efforts
I have learned a valuble lesson Every race i am gonna take a warm jacket, gloves and toecaps ....just in case as they are no good at home, with the right clothing that would have been just a nasty winter ride not the death march fron hell
On reflection that race is officially the nastiest one i have done its one of them ones that people will talk about for years