half outlaw

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  • Big training session today, swim, bike, run which showed me I need to fuel better to run.  All good until that bit and I just had no energy for a little 45 min run.!!!

  • Has anyone recce'd the route yet?

  • I only know the roads that were on the Outlaw full route in 2010/11 - I got to see a lot of thoseimage

    Won't get to do a recce before the half - will just have to find out on the day!!

  • I did the full last year but always like a  recce.......lessens my panic come race day. image

  • A recce is a bit like "Never use anything new on Race Day..." It's sensible do do one, but who wants to be sensible... image

  • But I am Sensible Saffers image

  • I haven't but a few of the guys at my club have been around. I hear there are a couple of nice climbs and a lot of straight flat road to speed around. Lovely.

  • Hubby has sorted the GPS thingie for me.  Now debating whether to whack on the tribars for the recce or not as I know they will come in useful on the flatter bits and I'm a bit of whizz cornering on them. image

  • AliBear30AliBear30 ✭✭✭

    I'd say Tri-Bars it is then Saffers. My route recce will have to take place in a car on the Friday or Saturday before the race. I'm hoping the release a Garmin map of the route so I can put it on my edge and then I shouldn't get lost on race day! Might be wishful thinking though.

  • mathschickmathschick ✭✭✭

    I was thinking there will be enough signs up not to get lost on race day....doesn't that normally happen??

  • If it's like the Outlaw full, there will be signs, marshals and cones around the whole course so you won't get lost. 

    And I haven't checked, but if you go to the interactive map on the Outlaw half site, you should be able to download a Gpx for the Garmin.

  • Found the Gpx so hubby sorting that for me image

  •  

    Loads of marshals, no chance of getting lost image

  • mathschickmathschick ✭✭✭

    phew, not going to have time to recce the full route (despite living pretty close).

    Is anyone going to think badly of me if I can't get up the blooming hill at oxton? I have had 2 attempts so far and failed.

  • A good tip for Oxton is to count your pedal revs which takes your mind of the pain of getting up the climb.

    From memory, it took 150 revs to get from the signpost at the bottom to where it levels off at the top.  For some reason, knowing the pain is finite really helps me get up there.

    And in 2011 we had to do it three times.

    But if all else fails, no-one will think badly of you.  You could always pretend you had a mechanical and walk the last bit...not that I've done that before you understand... image

  • mathschickmathschick ✭✭✭

    image, so I should frown at the bike and fiddle a bit, get to the top and fiddle a bit more, jump back on and pedal nonchalantly? I am going to try to get up it again this sunday, and probably the sunday after too, I'll try the counting tip

  • Do you have a triple? If so whack on the lowest of the low and keep moving forward image what's the gradient of Oxton?

  • AliBear30AliBear30 ✭✭✭

    Eek walking and triples? I don't have a triple and come from the flat lands of East Anglia. Ah well I shall give it a go at least we only have to do it once.

    Thanks for the pointer to the GPS files.

  • Oxton Bank is about 12% I think - steepish, but not like a wall.  And it is worth it for the long downhill into Southwell.

  • Timmy_G wrote (see)

    Oxton Bank is about 12% I think - steepish, but not like a wall.  And it is worth it for the long downhill into Southwell.


    I see everyone is wibbling about Oxton again! Some stats for you:

    /members/images/286253/gallery/Oxton_Hill.jpg

     The "12 %" section is maybe 50 yards long at the most, that's if you can find it!!

  • AliBear30AliBear30 ✭✭✭

    I don't think there's any contour lines that close together in the whole of East Anglia. image 

  • I'd given up worrying about that hill, now I'm starting to worry all over again. I noticed a hill the other day that said 11% and I'm just about to go out on my bike. Might try it. It was quite hairy coming down it.

    Fortunately I can't read the writing on that map even with glassesimage

    I think I'll just stick to worrying about the swimming and whether I'll meet the cut offimage

  • The writing says:

    Height as A = 75 m Height at B = 124 m
    Distance from A to B approximately X = 650 m
    Change in elevation Y = B - A = 124 - 75 = 49 m
    Means gradient A to B = 49 / 650 = 0.0754 = 7.54%
    Or approximately 1 in 13 in old money! 
    image

    The mythical "12%" section is very short, to be honest I have my doubts that it even exists. Oxton Hill is on one of my local loops! Also you only go up it once!

  • mathschickmathschick ✭✭✭

    Little sister - where are you? I live in Southwell - Oxton has become one of my loops - well only done that loop twice but not managed to get up it either time - I am hoping race day adrenaline and bloody-mindedness will get me up it.

    it is good to know I am not the only one worrying about everythingimage 

    Southern snail, I am a little worried about the swim cutoff too, haven't been in OW yet this year, more worried about the bike cutoff. If I make those 2 cutoffs I only have the run to worry about, and I know I can walk a half marathon in the cutoff time for that so I will be fine once I am off the bike

  • I live north of Mansfield, but I occassionally take a loop down through Oxton to Southwell & back! Not this weekend though, got Stilletos on Wheels to occupy me! image image image It's a women only mountainbike race near Sheffield!

    Don't be afraid to use your "Granny gear" on Oxton Hill if you need to, make sure you've changed gear before you start to struggle! Another trick is to focus on a point a little bit up the road and ride to it, then focus on the next point you want to get to, then the next (fence post, trees, signs, etc...). The main thing is to find a tempo you can ride at comfortably!

  • AliBear30AliBear30 ✭✭✭

    Numpty question is 1 in 13 easier or harder than 1 in 10, I think it's easier but want to check.

  • image Easier!!

    1 in 13 you go up 1 foot (or meter, or inch, or mile, etc) for every 13 you travel horizontally
    1 in 10 you go up 1 foot for every 10 you travel horizontally!

    If a gradient is indicated as "%" then the higher the % is the steeper it will be. If it is shown as "1 in " then the smaller the second value the steeper it is. image

  • Well bike ride done including 11% bit. Glad I did it for 2 reasons. First the phsycologial bit. It actually wasn't that bad. I realised I'd done worse and I didn't even go into the granny ring (is that the smallest of the 3) and the second reason was that I promised myself before I got there that if I did it I would manage to swim 2 loops on saturday in open waterimage

    Mathschick - been open water twice now and it was horrible. 400m completedimage

    In the pool I can do the half distance in about 40mins but panic breaststroke and not being able to breathe makes me doubt it. How long do we get? 1hour?

  • SteadyCJSteadyCJ ✭✭✭

    Southern Snail, I am going to Thorpe on Sunday, hope to do 1600m, I increase a 400m loop each time I go, so that I feel I am making progress.

    I also have decided not to worry about the hill, I know that I walk up 17% and 20% hills so am hoping I could cycle up anything less.

  • Im going down to Padstow Cornwall on Friday 24th May and back for the Half Outlaw on 1st June....... its going to be hard to keep the training in full swing image

    I think Im going to leave my bike at home and just swim and run

    Im shitting it really  image

    My wife thinks it will be a nice relaxing family holiday but I have the Full Outlaw in a few weeks also image

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