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Training for a shorter Tri
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Maths - it's ok on the bike just sooooo different when got on. Plus, the height of the trainer made it feel a bit mad! Gonna shoot over to South Cerney in a big have a pootle.
Sounds like you've got a busy old day!
How was the bike Buttercup? Tri bars on?
had a lovely bike ride with the kids - 8 miles instead of the 30 I had planned but need to spend time with them anyway, I think sometimes we don't spend much time doing stuff with them and it does make me feel guilty
well done DB, enjoy the post race refuelling!!
Well done DM! Good job!
4.17hrs on the bike - lots of hills got lost so I was missing 20 k but decided I'd done enough. Figured out that I don't panic when my aerobars move at speed
and I can pee on the bike! Oh and I actually passed someone coming up Beacon hill 
it was a guy in cycling club kit too.
Not a bad day at the office.
well done buttercup!! Hope you weren't practising the new peeing skill as you passed the guy going up the hill
I feel a bit rubbish about not getting my proper bike ride in but hey ho, the kids need attention from me. I know I am going to regret it when I am struggling round Outlaw half, but it will teach me!
MC - you can be as slow as you like at Outlaw and still be a hero to them, and they and you will appreciate time spent together far more than any training.
I did my first ever sportive - a short 35 mile Ride It in Cheshire. It was great! Got overtaken by pretty much everyone, except those on hybrids (I overtook them!), and it was only the short route, but it's about as far and as fast as I've ever done! (and I didn't need a wee ...)
Just popped in to catch up with all that has been done this weekend. Well done to racers. I have had a non training weekend been far too busy celebrating my big birthday. Had a lie in this morning and a little walk with friends this afternoon. Next week I will have to be serious about getting the sessions done, may even go OW swim as well.
pippi - well done on the sportive. You need to meet the cutoffs at outlaw half or you get pulled off the route on the bike. Oh well, doesn't matter if it happens
Steady - hope you had a great birthday
Top work DBiker
!!!!!!
Sounds a quality trip out Buttercup. You are seriously beasting the bike. Thanks for the profile update, although the peeing was maybe a little too much information
Well done on the sportive Pippi
Onwards and upwards!
Managed to get over to South Cerney but ride was cut short by rain and hail... Not nice! Little run off the bike and coffee called. Bike fit has made a massive difference although Digger does still leave me standing!
Happy Birthday Steady
Well done, DB - I'd missed that!
First of the Summer Tri - Report
First race of the season. Did this one last year as my first ever triathlon, with the added bonuses of jet lag (had just got back from Bali), a perforated ear drum (happened whilst diving in Bali) and did the bike leg on my mountain bike as I didn't have a road bike back then.
The missus decided to book us onto this one again, and also decided to book some accommodation for Saturday night to avoid an early morning drive from Durham to Holmfirth in Yorkshire on the Sunday morning. Stayed at the White Horse in Jackson Bridge, which I can heartily recommend. Cracking food (the beef, ale and blue cheese pie is a stroke of genius), reasonable prices, good beer and friendly, welcoming landlord and staff. We're already thinking of booking back in for the Last of the Summer Tri. We also headed back here after the race for Sunday lunch before heading home.
As for the race itself, as with many pool-based triathlons, we were setting off in waves. The first waves went off well before 9, but the wife's was at 10:09 and mine was 10:22, so a fairly sociable start time. We got down to register, had our arms and legs drawn on (waitress at the White Horse later asked if I had a thing for crap tattoos before realising it was my race number), picked up our goody bags (3 different High5 gels, a Herbalife protein bar and an event mug, which is a new one to me!) and got our stuff sorted in transition.
In the race briefing, it was made very clear what to do if someone was swimming faster than you. If you got a tap on the foot, you were to wait at the end of the pool to let them pass you. So why I had to spend 4 lengths tapping someone repeatedly on the foot, I'm not quite sure. Next time I'll go for swift punches to the face and see what happens then. Still, according to my Garmin my actual swim time was 8 minutes 22 seconds. Official time on the race results is 9 minutes something, due to the first timing mat being situated outside Transition, which was the tennis courts outside the sports centre. Official results show me as being 75th out of 140 for the swim leg, which I'm happy with. And still plenty of room for improvement.
Got myself into my cycling kit, and out of transition, up onto the main road and a few hundred metres into the bike leg when I realised I hadn't pressed Lap on the Garmin to tell it I'd finished transition, so quickly did that whilst trying not to cycle into the traffic cones on the road. Nice little bit of flat to get the legs working again before the first short (but incredibly sharp) climb. Local Mountain Rescue provided the marshals for the event (they were to be the recipients of any funds raised) and they very helpfully told me it was clear to join the main road at the top of this climb on all 3 laps without stopping. Helpful bastards. Not that I needed the breather...
Was passed a couple of times on the bike, always seemingly by blokes riding Planet X bikes with deep rim carbon wheels and wearing the new Planet X tri suits, so obviously Planet X kit, although cheap, is incredibly advanced and allows you to ride much faster than anyone else. On then to the first proper downhill, where I clocked my top speed of the day of 33.3mph. Not my fastest ever, but quick enough for as short downhill. This was followed by some fast, flowing, twisty flatish sections, then onto the mid-lap climb. Again only a short climb, but steep. Lowest gear required some force to keep the pedals turning. Another downhill then lead to the flat straight past the start/finish. Last year there was a horrible headwind blowing down here, but today conditions were ideal. 2 more laps of the same, then back into transition ready for the run.
Part 2
Which is where for me, it started to come apart a bit and highlight my weaknesses. I'm already aware that I need to work on building up my average speed on the bike, as it's currently sitting at just below 15mph, even on shorter races. But my real weakness at the moment is running, and more specifically running off the bike. The first half a kilometre or so weren't too bad, but then they were flat, which is what my limited brick sessions have been, When I hit the first hill I just couldn't cope. Got up the short, steep bit at the start, but couldn't keep going when the gradient eased but the distance increased. More hills on future bricks! To add to this I also seemed to be having some issues with my stomach. Could have been what I'd had for breakfast, a lack of food, too much food, not enough water, too much water, I just don't know. All I know is every step made me feel a bit off and made it very difficult to get going. Reverted to run/walk for a while, then hit a downhill and ran a bit longer, but still wasn't feeling great so went back to walking. Then I was overtaken by a lass who was in my swim wave, who promptly told me off for walking, so I got running again and kept her in sight for the last couple of kilometres, finally getting into my stride.
Also looked at the combined time on the Garmin and realised 2 hours might just be achievable so I picked up the pace and crossed the line in 1 hour 59 minutes and 54 seconds, placed 132 out of 140. Not a great placing, but fewer casual athletes than last year, and a much faster time for me. I'm not racing the other competitors, I'm racing myself, so not too shabby for a fat lad. Great day!
Cracking race report DB
and you have the right attitude to doing tri's beating other peeps is all well and good but it's more about beating the last time you did if you can 
well done DB and I really enjoyed reading your report. Your swim time is really good! I get annoyed in pool swims too with people going too slow, or overtaking them going too slow...
EP - yeah, I know I am in danger of not meeting the bike cut off, but I am not deluding myself about the fact that I haven't done enough cycling. Partly because I was focusing on my marathon, and to be honest I think that was my main goal for this year.
Second big goal actually is going to be the outlaw swim leg - I have really been working hard on my swimming and want to do well on it
Outlaw Half is probably a B race for me, and the marathon and Outlaw swim leg are the A races. So, while it would be unpleasant not to make the cut off, actually just doing the swim would be good practice for the outlaw swim
DB - great race report.
I still ain't done nowt since the race other than eat chocolate and cake. I think I need a slap!
Everyone else seems to be going well.
Pete - I needed a week to recover after my first tri, and it was only a sprint! So don't push yourself but maybe just go out and do a little bit as after my sprint and my HM I got 'race blues' and found it really hard to get training again.
I didn't really do anything last week. Just really lacking in motivation and finding it really hard to get up and go. Doesn't help that bf is in similar mind set atm. We just can't get going in the mornings and missed a really nice day on Saturday (it didn't rain and was sunny all day) as when we finally got our act together and were going to go for a bike ride, bf got called to work. Did play an hour of badminton on Sunday though.
Durhambiker - great report! Sounds like you had fun.
It's probably no help but the gels I like are both High5 ones as that's what Outlaw used. But in flavours they tend not to hand out!
Banana = tastes like those foam banana sweets
Red Berry = tastes like red jelly babies.
Neither any good to you unless you have a sweet tooth!
Open water starts this Saturday but Friday nights forecast includes heavy frost!
Well done DM sounds like a cracking race. Was the wife pleased with her results too?
hi all
EP - no worries, you weren't being nasty, Outlaw half probably should be my A race for the price, but actually I have been trying to crack a marathon for years and always injured myself in the training and never made a start line so that was a massive one for me.
Outlaw relay also really important cos I don't want to let MrsD and buttercup down - if I don't get through the swim they won't get to do their bits!! No pressure or anything...
anyway, I have done a fair bit of cycling, just mostly indoors.... mostly sufferfest....which I have to admit I really enjoy!
I like the SIS blackcurrent gels, and they are always on 3 for 2 at waitrose
Mine in order of pref would be 2nd surge, SIS gels, and way down the list Hi5 gels which is odd cause I really like their 4:1 drink.
buttercup - I am aiming for 1:30 for the swim, fingers crossed I don't mess up the sighting and end up zigzagging up and down the lake!!
Okies that leaves me 8.30 to get round the course - JP have you found my walker yet I better get started so I can finish in time
Thanks for the kind words and support folks, much appreciated. I got a lot out of it, aside from a start to the season. It's highlighted some weaknesses in my training, which I'll now be adjusting. Brick sessions will involve longer bike rides, followed by more challenging runs. I reckon if I can throw a tough climb at my legs within a mile of running off the bike, and maintain a run after that, I should be good.
I also need to seriously look into my nutrition and work out what I need before a race, and what I need during. Pacing is another issue. I could have gone quite a bit harder on the bike, but I need to find out how hard I can go and still be able to run after. Doesn't really help that we're in the Z2 training at the moment so haven't pushed myself much in training.
The wife was happy with how she did, until the results went up and she realised she was second from last. Managed to talk her round though, as she's had problems with her hip and hasn't been back in to running for long and got her to realise she got what she wanted out of it. Last year there were a lot more "casual" entrants who simply wanted to tick a tri off the list of things to do, so plenty of people to finish in front of. This year it seemed to be a much more "serious" field, though still friendly.