Enduroman UK 2013

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Comments

  • There are a few who have already said they would do the C10, although TC has "ruled himself out" as he thinks he couldnt do a 24 mile swim (yeah right - he will be there)

     

     

  • I would try the quin if they gave 7 days but not 6 for me.....i would nbeed a sleep..so will probably go back for the single again image

     

  • Seren, here is your Quin plan.

    6AM start.

    5 swims @1:30 - plus 30 mins for faff and feed times. (you did 45 mins for 7 laps in the half - so just added a bit!) - 8 hours total.

    Cycle 6 laps @50 mins per lap.

    4 laps @ 1 hour. - off bike at midnight(ish) - sleep till 4/5AM.

    another 20 laps

    Sleep

    another 18 laps.

    Sleep

    leaves 3 days to pop out 5 marathons. (40 laps per day)

    easy peasy.image

  • image easy! image go for it Seren!!!

  • Did we every get DK's report?

     

  • i would have to keep that pace up for the whole swim image.not a chance.........take into account I normally am in bed or 9 to 10 hours every night........

    but a good plan for yourselfimage

     

  • Oh.. I have a "plan" for the deca... called Project 214.5.... image

     

  • The Silent Assassin wrote (see)

    Did we every get DK's report?

     

    Good point SA, I don't think we did.  DONER!!!!! Where is your report???!

  • considering i cant do a lot at the minute I could try to cobble something together to amuse those willing to be put through several minutes of torture

     

  • Doner Kebab wrote (see)

    considering i cant do a lot at the minute I could try to cobble something together to amuse those willing to be put through several minutes of torture

     

    I'm in to read it Doner!! Give me inspiration for next year image

  • Hey Purple!! image  Are you thinking of going for the double next year?

  • Lee the Pea wrote (see)

    Hey Purple!! image  Are you thinking of going for the double next year?

    Doesn't sound like it on the Gerry Duffy thread

     

  • it was an epic race so heres an appropriate length opus to match

     

  • To begin let’s recap what got me doing it the first place.

    After a bit of a disappointing run at the Outlaw last year I signed up for my first ultra which happened to be 10 days after the said anticlimax. The Outlaw hadn’t really left me feeling depleted so I knew I had to kick my own arse into something more demanding to fulfil the silly urges I get to go that little way beyond what I assume I’m capable of. The longer stuff seems to suit me *no kitten kat, I don’t find I can dawdle through a long event, I actually place a lot higherimage * so I did a couple more ultras and was still doing ok, recovering quick and ready for the next biggy. There was only one thing to do – Ultra Triathlon, so without really taking too much consideration I decided to hand over the cash and sign up for the Enduroman Double. Fast forward to May 31st and I’m on my way down to Avon Tyrrell.

     

    The journey down was hot and long, stopping off at over priced service stations is not my idea of fun but I eventually arrived at just gone 3pm. Now if you are considering this event DO NOT listen to the nice lady that says “check in is at 3pm”, it’s a fecking lie. There were loads of people already tented up and relaxed so this 3pm thing is obviously just a ploy to spread people out. You would be wise to get there way before that time because theres a race briefing at 4pm. Anyway, rushing to get my tent up I immediately unloaded the tank (Mitsi 4x4) and was gob smacked to find that I had forgot my tent pegs. I’m normally so well prepared! Alas the chap in the next pitch had loads spare and saved my day, he went by the name of Earthling and hailed from some weird forum that wear blue lycra and consider themselves superior to Pirates. Who the fuck would wear blue lycra? Top man either way.

     

    The first time I bent down to position my tent the arse ripped out of my old jeans, the second time I heard more of the same, by the time I had got the bloody tent up I had a rip round the front and my bollocks were getting a good airing. I had no time to change I had to get to the briefing. So there I stood in front of a room full of very serious athletes and race directors with a pair of jeans that looked more like a pair of cowboys chaps. Was this really what the weekend had to offer? Seren arrived and pitched up next to me and didn’t even question the aforementioned wardrobe malfunction as I helped get her tent up. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful, sorting out stuff into piles, racking the bike, finding them tent pegs that I though I had forgot. My brother came down who was crewing for me so I went over the basics of everything. Don’t do this without a crew, yes it’s definitely possible but why put yourself through it, you should be there to enjoy the event not stress about it.

     

    Race Day, the term is used lightly though. Up at 4:30ish and up by the lake by 5:45. Most people are early with the exception of TC who showed up at about 5:59:30, if you don’t know who he is you will do be the time you leave the New Forest. Awesome bloke – top cyclist/runner, but shit swimmer, even I was out the water before him, I think tadpoles may have developed in the time he was in that lake ( yea I know he gonna probably read this ) To be honest I was well chuffed with my swim time of 2:35 as my single iron time was 1:16 and this event you had to stop and call out your number for each of the 26 laps which must have made a bit of difference plus I stopped just over half way to get a gel down me. So out the water my feet felt good, my hands still able to function but my ears were freezing, the water was a reported 18 degrees C. As I got out the water my brother remarked that “ peop

  • “ people are just walking, why aren’t they running?” 5 minutes in this game is nothing in the context of things, a massively high heart rate on the other hand is no at all desirable – he got the idea.

     

    Into my tent, which was close to the lake, I got dry and changed into bike gear with a massive T1 time of around 22 minutes, no worries. Got to the tennis courts where the bikes are racked and pushed the torture machine up a very small hill to the bike start of off we went.

     

    The bike course isn’t bad, its definitely not easy though by the time you done 10 laps and Id consider calling it a major pain in the arse after 20. in my opinion threes not many nice bits really. Bloody Seren!!! She had mentioned to me that every time she went past a place called Burley Street she sang Sesame Street and as soon as I passed that sign the first time it came straight into my head. I hate the funking tune, by the time I had done 6 laps the song was etched in and was beginning to grate on me. By the 12th time I really was getting pissed off with insidious parasitic tune. In all honesty I really wanted to quit at around lap 14, my arse was numb, I was bored of the course, the wind wasn’t letting up. My average lap times were getting slightly longer, not in time ridden but the length of breaks at the turning circle was getting too long. I bashed out a few pairs of laps without a break to hasten the time spent on the bike. Nutrition went to plan. Both Monique and Seren had given advice through the build up to the event. I did in fact bring a massive range of foods, sweet and savoury, solid and liquid, but one thing I did overlook was quantity. I could have powered that bike section off noodle soup and rice

  • pudding with pork crackling as snacks but I didn’t bring enough noodle soup, all the advice in the world wont be able to predict what you’ll want to eat. You might want a vast array off foods or, like me, you might be happy with just a couple. Any way I have never been so glad to hand my bike over and relieve my arse from pain as I was that day, 16 hours and 50 minutes of bum abuse is enough for anyone.

     

    My brother had trainers waiting as I handed the bike over and I was a bit out of it really and just turned to Dan Earthquake and said “ WTF do I do now?” this huge guy put his arm around me and pointed me to the run start and told me “ run round that way 47 times and we will tell you when you done enough, then you can do 1 the other way, then you have finished.” So off I went, bow legged like one of the ladies I have seen around Kings Cross after 9pm. First lap was in cycling gear, I just needed to get things moving. I called into my tent after the first lap to get changed properly into running gear, so on with the tights and some nice dry warm clothes. This was about 2am. I ran though a few more laps before taking a 30 minute sleep. I told my brother to wake me after 30 minutes and no longer. That was the fastest ever 30 minutes, I felt like shit for 5 minutes and began doubting if I should have taken that rest but as my head levelled out I started to feel much more alert. Before I slept I had worked out the benefits of losing 30 minute vs being able to run faster for xxx minutes. Having a touch of Autism makes me dwell on numbers and every aspergers ‘sufferer’ likes to obsess on something and I consider myself lucky to be able to combine a sometimes misunderstood condition with a sport that embraces one aspect of it.  

  • So with a new found lifeforce I pumped out lap after lap of the 1.1 mile course. It’s a cool course really. There are bits that you hate like the quad killing, strength sapping up hill to the left of the house and then theres the quad killing down hill after to the right of the houseimage Really? Yes really, it’s a course that’s going to grind you down a little but more, after every lap, but there is a pay off, the bits in between are the sort of trails I like to run. Not too technical but more than enough to keep your frazzled brain occupied, corners, tree roots, slight changes in direction and camber all make for a varied course. After about 20 laps I was having a few stomach issues, don’t know why really as I wasn’t eating too much. It was like having runners stitch in a big circle around the outside of your ribcage. I decided to try downing a bit more water and this did do the trick. On with the second mara I felt a lot better. Running felt good and I began picking people off, my pains lasted for about 45 minutes so I got passed by a few people earlier but was now on a mission. Ran a load of laps with Seren, who was having a much too easy time with the half, which kept my mind active, ran with Soupy a bit, who was doing great too. I knew I was getting near to finishing when I asked the timing people how many laps I had done, some how I had pressed the stop/ start button on my garmin instead of the lap button, I was informed that I had done 43, I thought I was on about 38, so it was all good. As the laps diminished my pace quickened, each lap getting faster and faster. I looked at my garmin half way through the last lap, I was 8 minute miling, I was flying after 51 miles. I actually got the 3rd fastest final lap which was saying something considering that the guy that got the quickest broke the course record by a considerable amount.

  • My target times had changed throughout the training period and I know that people say that everyone feels like they have never put in enough training, I really didn’t. February and March mainly consisted of intervals geared towards a 10k PB – im such an idiot, I didn’t get the PB and I let my main focus slip. My biking was kind of Okish but never did back to back long rides. I trained at night with a few long ones, my longest bike was only 130 miles, my longest run wasn’t more than 18 miles and a considerable time before the event. I wanted to go sub 30 to begin with then realised that I was asking too much so I came up with the time of 34 hours. This was an honest target. I know that KK has been blasted for her thoughts on long slow ultra events and to be honest im with her on it. While its great to finish an ironman or ultra, if you are just scrapping through on a single you shouldn’t be trying a double so my 34 hour self imposed target time came about by just doubling the single ironman time. Of course I would have been happy with 36 hours, I would have been pleased with a finish, but to have finished within double the time of a single was my aim and I got a close 33:52:18, it’s a good job I didn’t need a shit is all I can say ???

     

    Like many have said before me, the folks who organise, race and support this event make it a truly remarkable event. I’ll probably be back next year for something, nothing too long like everyone expects. I cant afford the time to train or the time off work. I don’t want to spend longer than 17 hours in the saddle in one go, its not me, I know I could do the triple, do I need to prove it? Not really, its just not a big enough pay off. Next year I may do the hundred miler, £50 for 2 days is a bargain. If I go

  • longer at enduroman it may be the quin or more likely the Deca, but only if it is on the 10 x 1 format. I believe that the 10x1 deca is very achievable to me, just not next year unless I want to be single, which leads me on to the thank yous

     

    To my other half who puts up with more bullshit than any partner really should and to my kids for not making me feel too guilty about not taking them out as much as I should have done this year

    To Seren and Mon for advice and right words at right times and to all on facebook and forums who wished me well.

     

    Just as a little post script for those that don’t do the facebook thing I just completed my first 100 mile continuous run across the South Downs Way in sub 24 hours ( 23:22 ) this is a qualifying race for the UTMB and gives me 4 points towards qualification. It was a hard slog with 12,700ft of ascent. im sure ill be able to find a race next year to give me a few more points to complete the criteriaimage

  • Awesome mate, see you Saturday

  • Great race report DK and a big pat on the back!

  • Excellant report DK, and a massive well done again

  • Brilliant report Doner, you've obviously got a knack for the ultra stuff.  Very well done image

  • well done DK....it was great to see you looking so good on that run.......great performance and recovery......image

  • great report DK. Well done.

    I can't wait till next year's race. image

  • image You going for the single then Soupy? image

  • Im tempted at the moment Lee - but I say every year that I'm going to do a full IM then chicken out as the time approaches and I've not fitted the training in. image

  • Soupy if you enter an IM then you will do the training image I hear a couple of pirates are doing Nice next year....

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