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Training for a shorter Tri
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Sorry to hear the weekend scuppered DB
Hope you're feeling better!
Bit of a bike done on Sat otherwise, fairly training free week. Needs to be addressed this week. MrD of course beasted out a 75 miler on the bike and a wee run today. Not long till his Half iron distance
Hope everyone is having a good weekend training
71 miles on the bike sat. Lake swim today. did have a 2h run planned this afternoon but had to babysit so ill do it tomorrow morning
Brizzle - meant to say, its MrD not me doing the 113. I will be there heckling/supporting
I ran just over 7 miles this morning and felt great, I didn't wear my HR monitor and just ran on feel and my avg pace was 9.12min/m which is about 30 seconds per mile faster than my usual pace in Z2 so I'm really chuffed with that. sticking to Z2 is the way to go but it's good to to let yourself go now and again.
BS great ride that mate, I need to get some longer rides in.
DB get the bike sorted and do your long ride next weekend.
Still feeling a bit crap, did a short ride to the mother in laws for sunday lunch yesterday, total of about 15 miles with a couple of climbs. Might try for another 20 miles today taking it easy.
well done razor, and BS
DB - rest up and get better soon
despite a weekend with no kids and not doing much I am still totally exhausted. Not sure if it is some kind of iron deficiency or just normal tiredness from work still.
will get out in the fresh air later today, even if it is just for a walk
I was going to write a race report about the Ox marathon - will do in a couple of days when I have replaced all the energy deficit
The hills lol the hills! Were epic! In hindsight not for the beginner but eh it was a good day out - really well organised bunch of peeps. Bit tired 
and the legs are on strike but I have had coffee and cake!
well done buttercup! Looking forward to the race report -we haven't had one on here for a while!
You go crazy Razor, shake your hair out and run like the wind
Well done Buttercup, Run2015 getting smashed!!!!!!
Nice cycling Brizzle, coming along nicely! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the 113.
DB - feel better, take it steady.
I experienced Chrissie Wellington Run Harder today! Was most chuffed with myself that I completed it even though I thought I might vomit
. That was only the 25min one. Pootled out for a further 25mins after. Think will try and pop one in once a week. Swim tomorrow and a bike out on my day off! 
Just a short run tonight 3.6 miles avg again 9:12 min/m no HR monitor just my music to keep me company, shook my hair out Mrs D but the wind messed it up
.
Good going Mrs D, you deserve to be chuffed with yourself.
Damned wind Razor... Maybe you were running just TOO fast
Maths - how's it looking for the weekend?
Bit of an OW swim tonight. Water temp coming up and sun was shining. Red Stripe appeared so top company too. No bike today for varying reasons. Swim made up for it!
MrsD - I was avoiding that question!! It is going to be another DNS for me - various reasons and I did want to give it a go, but there are more important things at the moment really. Been a rubbish year so far really for me! I am getting criticism at home for the wasted money on the DNSs, but most of them have been due to being ill on the day, not a lot I can do about that.
Anyway, I am ticking over and main focus now is the outlaw swim and a pb at Nottingham marathon in September (only need to go sub 6 for a pb). I am pretty confident about the swim, just need to get some ow and wetsuit practice in, and there is a lake I can go to after school on Thursdays
Sorry for the rambling, stream of consciousness report
The Ox Marathon Race Report
I was oscillating between the normal vomity nervousness I get before a large event and trying to convince myself that it was just another long slow run. Just a wee bit hilly. I had acquired a gpx of the course so I knew there were quite a few hills - but I figured I had been running in the Chilterns which were about the same height since we moved to Aylesbury and I had been dutifully going for my long runs. I have also been a bit cautious about increasing the distances though given my history of hurting myself so had only got up to 26kms not the recommended 30 but I left it at that.
Saturday morning I finished packing the necessaries and discovered I couldn't find my other calf guard - which appears to have disappeared into the ether. Decided not to stress over it and let it go - I had my KT tape, my innersoles and my garmin - we were good to go! Husband packed the car up with his bike so he could go exploring while I was bimbling around the wilds of the Dorset countryside and we were off. We managed to reach Blandfold Forum in one piece (the roads around Dorset are surprisingly New Zealand-like) and husband found pies, chips and peas and a beer and was a happy man. When we got to the hotel I packaged up my eats for the race (gf pretzels, jelly babies and non sulphite dried apricots) and then just chilled out.
I didn't sleep that well and was wide awake when the alarm went off! I downed my porridge with raisins and coconut and headed for the shower. I taped up my left leg within an inch of its life and decided to wear my singlet instead of my t-shirt as I was pretty sure even tho’ they said it was going to rain, it would burn off a bit and I would be stinking hot. Turns out I was right - it was going to be quite humid and I sweated like a wee piggy.
I was impressed by the size of the estate on which the race started - hubby went for a ride while I was running and said it was 5km from the road to the race start and all on private land! Lots of sheep silly sheep. I spied a pirate from across the car park entering the loos but lost them (he was in the ultra which started earlier) and a guy in a blowup sumo suit doing the marathon! And as I was using the portaloos and admiring the advertising for the Dorset Invader, I realised that I hadn’t grabbed my Imodium and it was now too late to do anything about that other than hope my pipes were clear enough!
After the race briefing we moved to the start and off we went through the forest and headed out into the Dorset countryside. It was stunningly beautiful and the course was awash with wild flowers, rape and wild garlic. The terrain included grassy paddocks, country lanes, forest trail, drovers tracks (OMG they sucked) with chalk and large shale stones that went on forever and itty bitty little trails covered each side with tall queen annes lace that was almost bigger than I was and nettles, so many nettles - I missed my calf guards then! and stinging my hands.
Initially was running with a group of ladies who were a bit speedier than I was and I let them go - the humidity was taking a bit of a toll on me and I got a few sparkly floaters in my vision and had to slow down and I filled up my bladder at the next aid station had some magic watermelon slices and continued on. I quickly discovered that while my hills that I had been training on had been about the same height as the Ox’s there weren't as many of them and this was a problem! Because the hills just kept on coming - a lot of the people I was running with were run walking and they were awesome at it - I’m not a fast walker - apparently something I have to work on!! Then the up stopped and the down started - the long long long down - on a country lane and it killed my quads very painful and slow run. Oddly enough was really glad to see the next uphill.
Between 18 and 20km my tummy started saying hello and I tried ignoring it didn't work and had to have a pit stop which is hard enough every time I found somewhere to stop someone came round the corner
next time I will remember the Imodium!
Stopped at aid station third from the end where they were taking photos had a flat coke and a jelly baby and continued on got caught very quickly by someone super speedy doing the ultra - he hoofed it past me and about 10 other people - insanely fast - I just thought rock on with your bad self.
One thing I found with the down hills was a lot of them were really small tracks studded with roots or covered with plants that I found hard to navigate and was landing on my heels more than i normally would've and my legs just died - I keep on trying to go faster down the hills since I was walking up them but it was just painful *cue actual noisey run noises* and a lovely guy called Tim who had a tin of magic cold spray which he shared with me
did feel colder but not sure it did a lot! I was then caught by the nice and very lovely sweeper - both of our garmins were saying different things and they were different to where we expected the aid stations to be - we were confused as there were cut offs and we didn't know how we were doing for them. Turns out our garmins had issues with the trees and picking up signals and that had mucked up our pacing - I thought I was going faster than I should be and tried to slow down. Meh you live with everything on the day and keep on going.
The previous aid station had said the love station was not too far maybe a mile and a half so we pushed on eager to see it but the next station was not the love station but a water/food station so I sucked down some more melon and got my focus on and then we hit the big daddy of hills, it had a sign saying you will like this hill….and it just went up and up and up and up - luckily it was forest rather than drovers tracks and it was covered in wild garlic flowers and was lovely but we were all agreeing about the course plotters evilness.
We were still looking for the love station and then there it was with boozy goodness and the biggest hug from one of the race organisers who went awww honey big hug are you alright? more big hug (me yeah I’m fine apparently I looked a bit worse for the wear
) are you sure? more hugs… And then there was lots of foodses and everything but i settled for cherry tomatoes and watermelon as I think my tummy had okayed these previously as not too sugary and okay to eat and some flat coke.
Our sweeper was like we have an hour-ish to get to the finish line so we will be fine. So onward christian soldiers and all that I left eating two bits of watermelon and stuffing them in my mouth and began running - although you would be forgiven if you thought it was a fast shuffle. From the love station to the finish was mostly grassy sheep shorn hills which I was happy about - much easier to run on and I didn't have to worry about foot placement too much which meant on the down hills I could speed up which I did - oddly was less hurty even at this point in the race. and then we hit the almost vertical climb up to the finish line - I may have said v. naughty words out loud at this point and the sweeper gave me her walking poles and we continued on - they were awesome - some of them may be on the wish list.
Never did the finish line look so good
we let Tim of the magic cooling spray run ahead as there was a beer waiting for him! I was so happy to be at the finish line and see hubby that I forgot to push stop on my Garmin! All done and dusted in 7.12 not sure how much of that was moving time but I’m not concerned - this run was about finishing and enjoying it - since I’d never done one before. This was definitely not an easy race and I probably could've chosen an “easier” for my first one but I loved the atmosphere, the aid stations and the people - would definitely recommend it! And did I mention the bling? Awesome.
awesome buttercup - well run and a great report
Great report Buttercup
Mathschick, can you not even do the swim at outlaw half and at least have a little OW practice ready for the full? But I do understand that life can become more important than races. I am going to give it a go, even if the weather gods seem not to be on my side, I have even thought about sleeping in the car rather than camping.
I have had my pre race sports massage and even walked from the office to the station today. I have butchered my old running shoes so I can wear them for the run section on Sunday, handy that my big toe had created a hole in the mesh at the top of the shoe, I just made it a lot bigger.
CJ - I would love to, but I think really I need to spend time with the family, lots of little things that I won't go into, but youngest son just needs time with me I think. Kids are both away at a scout camp for the outlaw weekend so it won't be a problem then! Glad to hear that you are going to make it, yes, weather forecast is rubbish, but sometimes the forecast is rubbish but then it doesn't turn out too badly, so fingers crossed
Im packing the umbrella
Ah you'll be starting off wet anyway
I have rummaged around and now got a thermal top so I can stay warm in the sleeping bag.
Gilet has been packed, getting wet swimming is one thing, getting cold and wet on the bike another totally different thing, if too cold I may suffer.
*Goes off to do sun dance*
Bloody hell where has the time gone! So been a little absent lately but so far this year I have got married, with associated hen and stag outings, been on a month long honeymoon to USA, found out we are expecting and had a new wife with extremely bad morning sickness for 4 months and got a new job involving a lot of meetings. So a little excuse for being busy.
However, things have now settled and I'm back into some form of regular exercise, even if it's just catching up on everything everyone has been doing!
So how is everyone?
Well done Buttercup, sounds like a fun event and great report
Maths, I wouldn't worry too much. The hardest part is making a decision to DNS and if you don't feel ready you may just end up putting yourself back Further. Come back stronger for next time!
wow rocco - what a year so far!! Congratulations on your wedding and the impeding baby! Where did you go in the USA? We have been a couple of times to the southwest and I have loved it.
Top reading Buttercup. Very well done small one
Helloooo Rocco (waves)! We gonna see you at any of the 113 events? How is Allsorts doing? Sooo exciting
Maths - times not right, then so be it! Be ready for Outlaw!!!
Arthrits playing up so generally swimming this week. 2k OW don't tonight with MrD. Discovered a floating Barlos on the way round. Gonna give a wee brick a go tomorrow. Only 9 days till my only event this year at present!
Good luck at the weekend Steady, sounds like there will be a strong contingent. Wish could be there. Boo to night shifts
Welcome back Rocco, congrats for the wedding and baby. I thought my life had been hectic but not as much as yours.
Off work today as a running friend is getting married, so doing the packing ready for the weekend, then I will get myself glammed up and into a dress.
steady - enjoy the wedding! good luck for the weekend, sorry I won't see you
I will see you at the full MC. Take care of yourself and family.
hope the weather isn't too bad - it has been horrible today! Keep warm and stay safe on the bike!
Oo have a good wedding Steady! Proper preparation for the weekend