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Enduroman 1st - 10th June 2012
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thanks purple......already read that one............I love race reports.............
and just to make it clear i;'m not doing a quin.......it is extremely difficult for so many good athletes...........those who can do 10,11 and 12 hour ironmen.............don't think its within the reach of someone doing 15,16 hours ironmen........my priority is to beat IMW
seren - great report. Glad you had such a good experience.I can't believe there was silliness in the swim- they've got all day to make an impact on the race so why be aggressive.
I have a report will paste it in.
excellant - we have been waiting
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated” Rise Against.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My 15 year obsession came to an end on day5 of this years’ deca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 1
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">An unprecedented almost daylight finish. Still this wasn’t like doing an ordinary Ironman, every thought and action is geared to preparation for the next day. So many factors made this a more positive experience for me than last year: I had Dave with me for the whole time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We were in warm indoor accommodation and I knew what to expect and had trained more appropriately.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">But it is never all positive, there are low<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> points<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> loneliness of the bike course allows you to become bogged down in spirals of negative thoughts which you have to talk yourself out of.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Luckily for me I seem to always be able to run and once off the bike my mood changes. Last year I had issues with the first few laps before I found my run legs and had a bit of a time wasting mental crisis each night. What cured this was the short runs I did after each days ride on Le Jog. I knew I could do a good twenty minutes straight off so tried to do exactly that. I also broke he course down into 5 lap blocks; the first one being of no significance as it was the “warm up” block so stop and stretch if necessary and only worry if I hadn’t found my rhythm by the end of the block. This worked and the 24 lap course meant I had a short block to finish which was also a mental boost. By the last lap on day 1 I was catching Michelle and tried to run her down so if I caught her we could finish together. Didn’t quite manage it but it was a fun way to end the day.
looking forward to it monique.............
One of the doublers even gave dan a kick in his stomach when he was in the lake fixing the buoy back in place...........only a few of them but so unbelievable in a race that would take then at least a day..........good job they did delay us until after the deca boys had finished.........it would not have been fair for them at all.......
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 2
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I enjoyed the swim again, relaxing and knowing I had extra clothes ( thicker wetsuit, rash vest, neoprene hat, gloves add socks) to add as the cold crept in.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were going back to the room to change as well which helped enormously as last year I was in the cold of the tent.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Again on the bike I had a lot of time to think, but spent time imagining where I would be on stage 1 of Le Jog at equivalent miles.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People were being friendly and I think the speedier blokes were calming down after the Day one madness. The most friendly competitor out on the course was Chris who always slowed to ride for a bit with me which made a huge difference to my loneliness.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The run was the run, days have merged into one again like last year but I had had a slower bike and hence a later finish. I do know one night I had a problem with my salt balance, running just makes me sweat more and I was rescued by some diaralytes from Carls ’crew and some salt tablets from Kirby who was looking after Michelle.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 3
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">This was a faster day than day 2 as I recall. By this time Dave and I were working really well together. He was anticipating what I needed. He always had ideas for speeding up transitions and making little time savings as well as taking the decisions over what drinks and food to give me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Your crew can make or break your race and as the days go on you get more and more needy. I was laughing about it after with Paul (TC’s crew) who was telling me about how TC made the room look like a hurricane had passed through after Paul had carefully laid all the kit out and then was being berated for not being able to lay his hands on the exact jacket –“ You know the one with the mark on it”.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my head I was doing Oakehampton to Thornbury of Le Jog, remembering each café stop mainly.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My feet were getting a bit sore but no more than Marathon Des Sables sore so I had popped and drained a few blisters and big mistake compeeded them up. The problem with compeeds is they partially peel off and to take the rest of them off involves ripping a layer of skin off with them you don’t know what’s skin and what’s compeed.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another change we made was not going in for food but getting a take out of cold potato salad and pasta to eat once it got dark- saving daylight hours for the running as the laps are so much slower in the dark. I had also got very down sat in the dining hall with people who had finished knowing that my night was only half over.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 4
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was the day I got a bit annoyed and overtook someone on the bike- it was Conrad, he had just come past me and I was so fed up of always being passed that I cycled like an idiot and re-passed him. He stayed passed as well. Poor Conrad was having as good a time as me out there.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My feet were sore and going over each cattlegrid was agony .I did wonder how strong pain had to be before you passed out, that would have been embarrassing, being found face down in a cattlegrid.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had told Dave to speak to the medics about it as I needed time spent having them dressed properly.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">I spent an hour in the medical tent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> where Richard made me laugh and did an excellent job making my feet as good as new.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This run turned out to be the best part of the whole race for me, I loved it, no down points and it’s times like this that I wonder why I bother with triathlon and don’t just go back to running. It was going to be a late finish what with the slower bike and the hour in the tent but as I said to Ted “Last year we would have killed for a 1 o’clock finish”. Somehow we were up on the deal.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 5
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had a slower swim today, I was starting to feel the cold on my chest, but it could have been hypochondria setting in, I stopped a couple of times and took a few deep breaths to calm myself down . Diana said my body was warm when the wetsuit came off so I was worrying unnecessarily.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The rain set in and I had got wet as it started just as I left for a lap on the bike. I was sat in the toilets while Dave got all my wet weather and warm gear. I had to stop myself from refusing to come out when he tried to tell me I only needed a gillet and not an extra jacket as well. When he was gone I was asking Diana why he was withholding clothes from me.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">I was having a Learesque rant at the weather on the penultimate lap “You won’t stop me, you can rain on me all week, I’m British,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> all my holidays as a child were spent in weather like this I was born for weather like this” etc etc . On the last lap two cyclists caught me up and wished me well I told them I was struggling to think of a good reason to carry on.
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;">I was cold off the run, but once more the room in the house meant I could put on<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> a few layers and feel dry and warm again. I told Dave and Diana to keep me going and set out for the run, my feet were no worse than previous nights no doubt after a few laps I‘d find my rhythm, also after spending the whole day imagining everyone is having a great time and I was he only one finding it hard I could see that there were plenty of people out there who would be still be there a few hours later. I had had a cry like a total baby and Dave and Diana had been brilliant so I went off on my first lap.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the oddest thing, it’s never happened before. It was like a switch flicked on off in my head and I thought “I don’t need to do this anymore”. No drama no emotion , nothing. Just “I can’t be bothered” I spent the next few laps walking and waiting for the switch to flick back on, got talks from Steve and virtually everybody else out there, but it made no difference. I don’t need to do this anymore.
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People were saying you’ve plenty of time even if you walked most of the marathon you could finish, say you’ve done 5,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> see how you feel for the swim in the morning. None of this mattered, it was all so pointless an exercise. I tried to manufacture a reason to continue like keeping Carl company who was doing a bit of walking and would be out late. I’m just not generous enough. So finally Dan said do one lap on your own think about it and then decide at the end. I had already popped into my favourite toilets and took a long look in the mirror and wondered if I would feel differently in the future, if I would feel like I’d failed or needed to go ba
Sorry about them wierd bits, it's the copy and paste function on this laptop methinks
Great report Mon, sorry it didn't work out ( although Seren enjoyed your bed I believe!! )
My copy and paste did the same from word across to here. You have to edit each one as soon as you post and delete all the crap. Too late as soon as someone posts after you.
Is it still in your mind for future or will that be it now? Which ever way best of luck for future events, its only in my dreams what you have achieved
there's a bit missing too I think? The last sentence doesn't finish.....
Ah but it did work out, in a sense, I don't need to do this anymore! Obviously it wouldhave been tidier if I'd had the revelation after 10 days rather than day 5, but would have been hilarrious if I'd got to the run on day 10 and then decided not to bother.
If you have no need or desire to do something, then there's no pleasure or sense of achievement in finishing.
Hope you are well into planning another cycling trip - one where you get to see differeent places and experience new things and new people everyday!
Mon.honest as always.........we do these things for ourself and so its a decsion that only you could make....glad to see you are fine with it.......be great to see you at outlaw
Great report Mon. So pleased that you decided to stop for your own reasons, and knowing that it didn't matter it you continued or not. You don't have anything to prove now, and only need to do what makes you happy
Nice report
Great report Mon. Well done
Is that it now ? Are you done with triathlons?
Great reading Monique, well done with it all.
Hiya Mon
really enjoyed your report
I can so understand what happened, been there myself
sometimes you come to end of your journey when you least expect it
looking forward to the garage warming
Have been enjoying everyone's stories from Avon Tyrrell - well done to everyone for having the guts to give it a go, regardless of the outcome.
Keep the race reports coming - very good to read!
Sorry if it's a bit off topic, but alongside the double / triple /quin / deca people, I did the AT 100 ultra run - race report posted here if anyone is interested:
http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=86935
cheers!
Dave
will pop over to read now
Well done Dave on the run. Just because there isn't a bike and water involved doesn't mean that it is an easy event.
Exactly. I can't even imagine the mental torture of all these laps, far less the physical side of it. I'd have probably tried to drown myself in the lake after about lap 20
p.s. just read the report - loved it! Very honest and funny. Well done
thank you Lee! Round and round and round and round was good and bad I guess - loads of chances to see people, and no risk of getting lost, running out of food, etc - but not such nice views as something like the North or South Downs Way.
i always used to hate laps and wouldn'r consider a race with laps...........but th enduroman is different.......i love the laps.the turning circle becomes a ray of light and warmth.....just one more lap.....when you want to stop or sleep or cry.......just one more lap and see how you feel
+1