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Challenge Barcelona 2014
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Oh, and re: GI issues:
I took 2 immodium instants an hour before the end of my bike at Challenge Vichy - no dramas at all. However I was a damn sight slower on the bike (6hrs 54) but a bit faster on the run (5hrs 3) so maybe that had something to do with it? Who knows...
Well I thought I should put something down before it all becomes a distant memory of actually getting round. However at the moment it still feels very much like it happened to some one else until I actually move.
Any way more about the race:
Swim - Well all I can say is this memory is sealed in a box labeled open with caution. I would never want to go through that again. In it’s own way a real motivation to improve. I managed to get kicked, punched and battered, with a black eye to show for it. I will be honest and say that it was almost all over for me with in the first 10 mins when the first wave caught me between the first 2 turn boys and I had my first experience of being literally swam over. This made me panic, couldn’t get a breath and didn’t know what to do. Pulled wide of the field, bobbed for a minute, got my self under control and made a deal with myself. I could only pull out if I got to the next buoy. Once I was there I was feeling a bit better and so did the same thing with the next buoy. Eventually you get used to most things and a good strong kick deterred others from at least swimming directly over me.
Any way just got into a stroke pattern and thought, long and pull….. A lot of times. Sighting when the water was clear was not so much of a problem but when busy I found it difficult to see the bouys as they were not very defined. I strangely found the orange ones better.
My next problem, not to far from the end was cramp. Which I got in both calfs. This isn’t to bad but I end up swimming with my feet dorsi flexed to solve the problem. The only thing is then when I finish and stand up both cramp together and I fall over again, which promptly happened at the end of the swim. However some nice men helped my up and a women started to undress me out of my wet suit as I hobbled along.
To be honest I had no idea how long I had been out and was sure I had missed the swim cut off, but the women was hurrying me along so went with it. Then looked at my watch and it said 1:56. It then dawned on my I needed to get a shuffle on as that was 6 mins past my target time and was eating into the 18min window I had clear of the bike cut off.
T1 - Well I’m not sure what I did for over 9 mins. I was as speedy as possible and was beating people out, but seemed to take an age so know that I needed to push on the bike.
Bike - Well I knew that to achieve the bike in 7 hrs 12 mins I needed to have an average of 25kph all of the way. But I was aware that I was already late from the swim and had spent more time in T1 than I had allowed for - I was concerned so decided to push a bit harder as there was no point in saving my legs for a run if I didn’t make it onto the run. But I didn’t want to totally over cook it, technology had let me down and my heart rate wouldn’t show up on my garmin so went to power and speed. So went out on the first lap quite hard against my predicted timing and made up about 10 mins on what I should have ridden to. But tried as much as possible to not hammer up the hills, but take all the free speed from the down hills as possible. On the flat I just wanted to keep a constant peddling style and even power/speed. This meant I had made up the extra time I had taken on the swim and in T1…..so decided that I did have time to stop and go to the toilet… at which point I found the next feed station at about 90km, put my legs down and promptly fell over. A nice lady ran and helped my up, I parked the bike and went to do the necessary. Back on the bike and just concentrate on keeping up the pace…..just needed to hit the cut of
Waiting with bated breath for the next installment! Well done for pushing through the swim - sounded hideous!
Me too... Only just been able to post!
Part 2....
Met a few people on the way, had a bit of a chat to some and got whistled at by the ref's for cycling to close (which having watched the pelletons earlier was a bit of a pxxx txxx). But the good thing was that at the turn round points I knew I wasn’t last and did pass some people on the course. And the lowest point was hammering down a hill into a bloke having a piss on the bike... not pleasant but oh well.
First lap good, second lap solid, third lap not so good, but i blame it on all the hills (well slightly raised bumps).
Got back and of the bike and racked……as no one stopped me I thought I had done it so just got on with the run.
T2 - Better than T1, didn’t think about much just got changed and out there. Amazing how nudity at this point is not much of a concern.
Run - Settled into a nice run/walk. 9 mins running and 1 min walking. Lower back started to cramp and the walk defiantly helped with this. It would slowly build up over the run section and then the walk would allow time to release it. I had to utilise the facilities 3 times on the run, this again has been filed in the same box as the swim, but when necessary any port in a storm. Any way just thought about running and getting it done. Split the run down into 5km runs….only 8 to do… ticking them off along the way. Talked to some people along the way, got shouted at by various people, but just thought about keeping a nice even pace. Lap 3 most of the spectators had gone and ended up on my own running out and it was lovely in the dark on my own with the sound of the sea, felt like a Sunday morning run. Then just got back and on the last lap…. This started to hurt and found that I was struggling to keep up with the 9 mins and 1 mins walk starting to be more like a 8 to 2 and some 7 to 3’s, but that was OK as by this time I had asked a supporter what the time was and realised that I could probably walk back and still make it…..but then a little voice within said it wasn’t so sure as if the last people who went had 16 hours my cut off must be at least 20 mins earlier than the 1 pm…..so keep pushing and keep running, making time and still passing people. The support from the other athletes on the course walking there bikes back was absolutely great as they saw me still running and making the effort. And as I had got this far I wasn’t missing it. And then you hit the 1km marker and ran the final bit and onto the blue carpet…..
Based on the IM web site my times:
Swim - 1:57:03 – My Garmin tells my I actually swam 3.95km….
T1 – 9:45 – Aim was 6 mins
Bike - 7:02:46 – Aim was 7:12:00
T2 - 2:06 – Just be fast and make it to the run
Run - 5:56:13 – Aim to carry on going and finish……medal and t-shirt
Total time – 15:07:53
Fab report Shuffle B , the swim sounds tough and well done for working through it. Hope they eye goes down quickly.
Good reading Shuffled B, amazing effort. Was brilliant to see how well you were running! You took almost 30 mins off your original expected finish time - that's rockin
A prize to anyone who can correctly identify what squiggly lump of metal, described by organisers as "finisher's medal" is supposed to represent..?
I don't know the correct answer but that's the best guess I've heard so far Dave.
I thought either a whale or a strange lizard - even went to the effort of looking up the mascots for the area but no luck.....
Is it not the shape of the city?
nice reports guys
No the city or catalonia area.....did those.
After one of the shorter IM retirements, followed by a quick return - to retirement , I made a late entry to Barcelona as it suited me to have one more long day event in 2014.
I was initially pleased by the decision to have a wave start but realised quite soon after the start that it does have disadvantages as first a series of red hats swept by followed by green, white, blue and purple all of them keen to get past as quickly as possible and not too gentle about it in all cases. It probably works either with a smaller field or longer time gaps (the latter probably only works for 70.3 events, as at Majorca).
Anyway despite this close to par with a 1.26 swim.
As holder of the lost in transition aware it will not be a surprise to hear that I found a new way to waste time. I am shortsighted and wear prescription goggles for the swim and until I get to the bike bag when I put on my sunglasses with insert. Sadly they immediately fogged up and I had to take them off. I now cannot see my goggles and so have to sort the contents of my bag out effectively in the dark. (Must practice transition by feel).
Eventually on to the bike and I think as covered elsewhere this is a fast course with as good a road surface as you will get. Went off a bit fast and did slow a bit towards the end but still back in 5.46, my only ever sub 6hr bike. I was disappointed to see the number of large groups on the bike, particularly at the faster end. I do think it was difficult to avoid this as there was a big field on a lap course, but I still think they will need to address this for 2015 as I have not see this level of drafting before.
Into T2 and no problems there although I was surprised to see a time of 1.36 until I worked out that this was the time in he bike park as there was a beep when entering the change tent but none on exit. My garmin showed a faster run time than the result and the difference was about the time I spent sitting down in T2.
My HRM stopped working in T2 and so I ran on feel and decided to try to run at a pace I could hold for four laps and was pleased that I ran quite even splits, although I had a bit more left in he tank towards the end than was ideal. However finished in a total of 11.43.xx, a personal best for this distance, improving on IM Florida in 2007, despite a slower run.
Thanks to OC for encouragement on the run although he was clearly struggling and walking. Also good to see SB going well. I think also saw one other pirate going quite well the other way at some point but where course split. I though SB looked in great shape going down the finishing carpet and thought she did an excellent time.
Overall probably a good pirate venue. Easy to get to, not expensive for hotels, food or drink and beginner friendly.
I look forward to seeing some of you in Austria - from a spectators viewpoint
Dermot, I got my bike dropped off at home yesterday after IM Mallorca by race force. I was chatting to Grant the mechanic who mentioned your name as doing Barcelona. Well done mate good time there
BP - Thank you. I thought they seemed good people. I would think about using them if I were going to a fly-to event again