if i were in preparation for a tropical climate race, i'd be delighted with the acclimatizatin currently on offer in unit 3.07. a room packed with servers, no air conditioning or significatnt air flow at the best of times, now that there is scaffolding and tarpaulin across the only windows, is a pretty sweaty environment. i'm feeling hard done by since i have nothing on sitet to go out and 'inpsect' at the moment, either! the tesco metro is doing good business as we are making ever more frequent trips there just to wander around in an air conditioned space...
so, by 5pm i was pretty keen on the monster swim set that i had planned in the lovely open air lido on london fields. who'd have thought - i wasn't the only one!! i battled for an hour in the far-too-narrow lane, focusing on stroke not speed, but with mounting pool rage at the dickheads who insist that they DO belong in the fast lane, despite the fact that after a single turbulent length of freestyle they resort to lop-sided and lethal breast-stroke before joining the gathering in the shallow end. right on the turn-spot. just this mornig gabriel confessed his 'peverse' enjoyment of this challenge - but he is an adrenaline junky ( see him ride through traffic! ) and i just wanted a nice long swim, thinking about my stroke and NOT how to best deliver a kidney punch to a backstroker without being spotted and evicted by the life guards....
long and short of it is that my patience expired just over half way through the set, and i'm frustrated off that now i'm behind on swimming for the week
tomorrow it will be august. how did THAT come around so soon? that means 4 weeks till wisconsin, which means this is the peak of my training. hahaha ha. sure deosn't feel like i've even got it off the ground yet.
so, a few more cheery snippets before i sign off -
on sunday i won the prince bishop triathlon. £75 worth of vouchers for shoes and kit, some decent data collection on the powertap, a good hard training session and a win does deliver a pretty good feeling, despite the relativley low key nature of the event. it also reminded me why i love triathlon so much - such a friendly scene, especially at these smaller events. northeners may talk a bit weird but they really are very genuine and refreshingly friendly people too.
last night wayne, our swim coach stopped me to tell me that the 'front' of my stroke was looking much better, throughout the whole set. he'd been tracking against teh lane ropes and apparently now i only loose about a foot per stroke! that WAS a compliment - he reckons anyting less than a foot backwards and you'r ereally getting there.....thinking about thsi amused me though: 1 foot (0.3m) per stroke - for me that's 20 in 25m - means for every 100m i'm actually swimming 124m - doesn't it? compared to luis, as an example, who takes only 16/length and looses say half a foot and therefor swims only 110m for my 124. No wonder he's faster !!!!
this morning i was cooking on the bike. not had that feeling for a while. 8 hill reps up west hill (a 4:15min (av) climb 2min descent, then met teh boys for a solid hour of 1min flat out/2 min recover. though most of them would get ahead with the initial sprint at the start of each interval, i was consitently catching, and passing them by the end of the minute on most of the reps. Turned it into a bit of a game, actually - really good motivation. whatsmore, i could see that the fellas seemed to be working a lot harder than i felt that i was, and at the end of the hour i did feel that i could have squeezed a few more reps out. Though i was hit by a pretty rapid onset of stomache cramping/ need of toilets by about rep 18 so i wasn't about to suggest it!
Thursday, 31 July 2008
Monday, 28 July 2008
FACING the FEAR
its been a very busy week. i've had a pretty good one though, with steven away its just been a demonstartion of supreme efficiency and i've manged to get a lot done. 'getting a lot' done, however WAS a conveinient mask for actually putting off possibly the most important task on my list....writing a presentation that i agreed to give deligated on an NLP coachces course, speaking about how 'mental coaching' (NLP= Neuro Lingustic Programming) helps athletes. I agreed to do it a long whiel back, following a discussion about how much i HATED public speaking. How terrible at it i was and how it was probably one of my greatest fears! I reckon this probalby dates back to my days as an architectural undergradate at The Bartlett, which was FAMED for it brutal Crit sessions. Luckily I always seemed to come out of the firing line pretty well, but it could be a pant wetting-experience- especially when you knew that they knew that you were seriously blagging a project that was a good few weeks short of the amount of work needed to do it justice.... anyway I'd seen enough of my studio mates in tears as a result of a harsh Crit after several late nights hard graft.
Anyway, where my fear/utter lack of confidence in this area comes from is not important. What is of relevance is that when good old Jeremy, after our conversation, comes up up trumps with this 'favour' i could do for him...delivering a presentaion, about NLP, to a group of expericed NLP practitioners on a training course that he was running, about how his techniques can be used to help athletes/had helped me...what could i do but put on a brave face and agree to thrash this 'fear' out fo myself. all i need to do was be well prepared with a well thought-out talk of 90 minutes. Jeremy assured me of an open and responsive audience - after all, they were paying BIG BUCKS to attend the course. no pressure then!
so HOW is it that at 9.30 on a friday night, when i have a train to catch for my weekend trip away to yorkshire at 6am the next morning, i am battling to get the frigging computer to unfreeze and 'save' the presentation that i have finally finished so that i can sneak back to the office and print it out ready for monday morning.....? I even missed the final of Celebrety Masterchef!!! well, that'll be the busy week, won't it?
anyway - it got done, and i was pretty pleased with what i'd prepared. luckily it's a topic that i am fairly confident talking about, and included a fair few personal anecdotes and examples, which i could expand on if i needed - just had to keep on 'track' and avoid waffling into zones of bullshit, nerves or unitelligable mutterings of ...and ..ermmm.....er...oh hang on did i mention....er ...oh nevermind.
which i feel i may be doing with this blog post!
anyway, the presentation went BRILIANTLY. I really got into it, and enjoyed delivering it. The room had been set up perfectly, with my power point ( which i'd emailed to Jeremy late friday night just in case) set up on a laptop, angled subtly toward me so i could use teh slides as prompts, and projecting onto a creen behind. I was given a littel remote to change the slides and a cup of coffee. I could tell that the audience was interested and enjoying the talk - genuinley laughing at the little jokes i'd made and asking really relevant questions. I'd timed it almost to perfection ( we even ran over a little with all of the questins at the end) and a couple of teh audience actully put up their hand just to say what an intersting, relevant and enjoyble pesentaion it had been, that i was 'a natural motivational speaker' and clearly 'embodied everything that i'd talked about'!!!
I was totally shocked at how well received it had been - and so pleased that i'd had the guts to put myself into this position of deep fear, facing it, working hard and coming cleanly out the other side.
I was so pleased, in fact, that i 'treated myself' to a long easy ride in teh sunshine for the afternoon, instead of teh run, swim, unpacking, shopping, club admin, and laundry that i had planned for the rest of the day!
so, it's jo carritt.....now available for 'motivational speaking' bookings ;o)
Anyway, where my fear/utter lack of confidence in this area comes from is not important. What is of relevance is that when good old Jeremy, after our conversation, comes up up trumps with this 'favour' i could do for him...delivering a presentaion, about NLP, to a group of expericed NLP practitioners on a training course that he was running, about how his techniques can be used to help athletes/had helped me...what could i do but put on a brave face and agree to thrash this 'fear' out fo myself. all i need to do was be well prepared with a well thought-out talk of 90 minutes. Jeremy assured me of an open and responsive audience - after all, they were paying BIG BUCKS to attend the course. no pressure then!
so HOW is it that at 9.30 on a friday night, when i have a train to catch for my weekend trip away to yorkshire at 6am the next morning, i am battling to get the frigging computer to unfreeze and 'save' the presentation that i have finally finished so that i can sneak back to the office and print it out ready for monday morning.....? I even missed the final of Celebrety Masterchef!!! well, that'll be the busy week, won't it?
anyway - it got done, and i was pretty pleased with what i'd prepared. luckily it's a topic that i am fairly confident talking about, and included a fair few personal anecdotes and examples, which i could expand on if i needed - just had to keep on 'track' and avoid waffling into zones of bullshit, nerves or unitelligable mutterings of ...and ..ermmm.....er...oh hang on did i mention....er ...oh nevermind.
which i feel i may be doing with this blog post!
anyway, the presentation went BRILIANTLY. I really got into it, and enjoyed delivering it. The room had been set up perfectly, with my power point ( which i'd emailed to Jeremy late friday night just in case) set up on a laptop, angled subtly toward me so i could use teh slides as prompts, and projecting onto a creen behind. I was given a littel remote to change the slides and a cup of coffee. I could tell that the audience was interested and enjoying the talk - genuinley laughing at the little jokes i'd made and asking really relevant questions. I'd timed it almost to perfection ( we even ran over a little with all of the questins at the end) and a couple of teh audience actully put up their hand just to say what an intersting, relevant and enjoyble pesentaion it had been, that i was 'a natural motivational speaker' and clearly 'embodied everything that i'd talked about'!!!
I was totally shocked at how well received it had been - and so pleased that i'd had the guts to put myself into this position of deep fear, facing it, working hard and coming cleanly out the other side.
I was so pleased, in fact, that i 'treated myself' to a long easy ride in teh sunshine for the afternoon, instead of teh run, swim, unpacking, shopping, club admin, and laundry that i had planned for the rest of the day!
so, it's jo carritt.....now available for 'motivational speaking' bookings ;o)
Sunday, 20 July 2008
weekend
HAHA all that said about the swimming...and saturday i skip my swim!!
just too tired after a difficult 5 hours out on the fixie. the plan had been to execute a bike session - so i headed out on one of my favourite 'flat' routes in essex. But, pretty early on in the ride, going through the rolling hills past chigwell row which i usaully use to get the legs warmed up, i changed my mind about that! i had a serious burning and aching going on in the lower exremities, which with a HR under 135bpm, could only mean residual FATIGUE. not a huge amount of motivation now, but i thought it'd be better to crack on and get it done rather than feel shite about bailing out and feel that i'm already behind on teh training plan.
the westerly tailwind got me to the turn-around in good spirits. but at precisly the furthest point, it started to piss down, and i'm aware of the strength of that wind, which would of course be a headwind for teh return, i knuckle down for the folwoing 2 1/2 hour slog home - in a funny way, i'm glad it's so tough.
i'm far more glad to get home and fed at the end of it. end up flipping a coin on the swimming - which means that i've already decided it's not that important. i'm off to a party later in the evening, followed by an early start so figure a few hours rest would be better value.
sad but true: i spend the free time looking over race results for my ironman performances, and working out the performance targets associated with my 2 year racing (outcome) goals. i may post those details in a future entry, but for now i'm just concerned about the swimming.
yes, back to swimming.
typically, i'm currently racing at about 1:40/100m pace, in a wetsuit. i regard this as underperformance since i can rep 100m off 1:40 pretty comfortably in the pool, and i swim faster in a wetsuit, and should swim faster under racing conditions, too!
the top 5 female swimmers, typically, are exiting the water 8/9 min quicker than me - a pace roughly equating to 1:25/100.
so, my target, ultimatly: to be able to rep off 1:25 in the pool. this is around what the guys in the top lane on our wednesady tri club session are doing (well, some of them are doing better than this ) so a more immediate target is to move up into that lane by the end of the year. hanging on with them the best i can to start with should pull me along until that pace is manageable.
this seems like a hell of an improvement - and it is about 15%- but with increased volume, and working on the technical critique i've had, a break-through is possible. here's hoping.
oh, and by the way - i was BACK in the pool today - a 4.1km swim including a set of 5x [300 in 4.40 + 20sr] followed by an hour of butterfly technique drills with the masters, in which we ot to use fins. awesome fun!!! a bit hard on the legs though - having run the Milton Keynes half marathon this morning (which went surprisingly well in the context of yesterday's suffering on teh bike, and the amount of champagne, french cheese and chocolate brownie churning in my guts when i got to bed at 1am !)
just too tired after a difficult 5 hours out on the fixie. the plan had been to execute a bike session - so i headed out on one of my favourite 'flat' routes in essex. But, pretty early on in the ride, going through the rolling hills past chigwell row which i usaully use to get the legs warmed up, i changed my mind about that! i had a serious burning and aching going on in the lower exremities, which with a HR under 135bpm, could only mean residual FATIGUE. not a huge amount of motivation now, but i thought it'd be better to crack on and get it done rather than feel shite about bailing out and feel that i'm already behind on teh training plan.
the westerly tailwind got me to the turn-around in good spirits. but at precisly the furthest point, it started to piss down, and i'm aware of the strength of that wind, which would of course be a headwind for teh return, i knuckle down for the folwoing 2 1/2 hour slog home - in a funny way, i'm glad it's so tough.
i'm far more glad to get home and fed at the end of it. end up flipping a coin on the swimming - which means that i've already decided it's not that important. i'm off to a party later in the evening, followed by an early start so figure a few hours rest would be better value.
sad but true: i spend the free time looking over race results for my ironman performances, and working out the performance targets associated with my 2 year racing (outcome) goals. i may post those details in a future entry, but for now i'm just concerned about the swimming.
yes, back to swimming.
typically, i'm currently racing at about 1:40/100m pace, in a wetsuit. i regard this as underperformance since i can rep 100m off 1:40 pretty comfortably in the pool, and i swim faster in a wetsuit, and should swim faster under racing conditions, too!
the top 5 female swimmers, typically, are exiting the water 8/9 min quicker than me - a pace roughly equating to 1:25/100.
so, my target, ultimatly: to be able to rep off 1:25 in the pool. this is around what the guys in the top lane on our wednesady tri club session are doing (well, some of them are doing better than this ) so a more immediate target is to move up into that lane by the end of the year. hanging on with them the best i can to start with should pull me along until that pace is manageable.
this seems like a hell of an improvement - and it is about 15%- but with increased volume, and working on the technical critique i've had, a break-through is possible. here's hoping.
oh, and by the way - i was BACK in the pool today - a 4.1km swim including a set of 5x [300 in 4.40 + 20sr] followed by an hour of butterfly technique drills with the masters, in which we ot to use fins. awesome fun!!! a bit hard on the legs though - having run the Milton Keynes half marathon this morning (which went surprisingly well in the context of yesterday's suffering on teh bike, and the amount of champagne, french cheese and chocolate brownie churning in my guts when i got to bed at 1am !)
Friday, 18 July 2008
swim recovery
Anyone who’s taken a little l more than a passing glance at my race results over teh last few years will have observed that its my swimming which is my weakest link. Not having a history of swimming (I taught myself to swim ‘properly’ when in my early 20s - a weekly session in Taunton pool after work, gradually increasing the number of lengths front crawl that I could do – starting with 1!) this is something that for the past 4 years, I’ve just accepted. I considered myself pretty lucky really, since the swim constitutes the smallest proportion of the race and I was sufficiently strong on the bike to make up the 2 or 3 minutes lost in the first leg of an Olympic distance race with relative ease, and still achieve a high position finish. Even when I started to take the racing a little more seriously, going off to the world camps in Hawaii, then Lausanne, I still considered myself to be doing well to exit the water in the top 20. By comparison, not being top 3 on the bike, or top 5 on the run would have been a disappointment.
The reasons for this are partly covered above – but more crucially that I just did not considered myself to be a swimmer. I did enjoy swim training, rarely saw improvements and get little satisfaction out of the whole ordeal. I just did not think that the 2 minutes i might save were worth the effort.
But, the further step towards ‘serious’ competition and into longer distance triathlon has opened my eyes a little. Though the proportion of the swim leg to the rest of the race are actually smaller over Ironman distance, the time I was loosing was now more in the realm of 5 – 10 minutes to my own age group, and 10 -15 minutes on the Big Girls. In the grand scheme of things, not a huge amount in a 10 ½ hour race, but enough to cost me places.
I’m using the past tense because I no longer want to loose those places, and so I am gonna fix it, starting now.
I’ve had my stroke videos and analysed and been given lot of advice on my technique. More tan I can actually remember – one coach managed to list about 5 ‘primary’ faults and a further half dozen ‘minor ‘ faults. Often the advice has seemed contradictory, but still, I’ve tried to work on them all. My pool swim times seem to have gotten slower, adding to my frustration and detracting from my motivation.
The best advice that I have been given recent (the best in that its the easiest for me to follow) is that I simply need to swim MORE, to develop a better FEEL for the water, build greater strength, and apply more POWER with my stroke. Gordo suggested doubling my swim volume. So, my new training schedule has me swimming 6 days a week until Wisconsin, which should get me around 20km/week rather than 10-12km that I’ve managed to average so far this year.
Swimming a variety of strokes has also been advocated by a number of resources that I’ve been checking out, including out Tri club/masters swim coaches. More learning from scratch for me, as I attend our local Masters swimming sessions, but so far it’s been an enjoyable challenge. There is a lot to be said for breaking habits and stepping out of the comfort zone for a heightened focus.
I’m currently in a phase that I call ‘ swim recovery’. Still just 1 week post IM DE, I’m only doing light and short bike run sessions and have used the time to get into the pool.
Here’s what last week’s swim training looked like:
Sat – Masters (coached)2.8km
Main set f/c : 4 x [100 as 3Easy/1Hard,100 as 2E/2H, 100as 1E/3H, 100as4H]
Sun – own swim 50m lido in wetsuit 3.2km easy stroke swim
Main set: 10 x 100/off 1:40
Mon – own swim, Ironmonger Row (30.3m) 4.3km
Main set: 4x [4 x 6length (180m)/ off 3:10]
Tue –own swim TEST, Ironmonger Row 2.3km
Main set: 12 x [ 3length ( 91m)/off 1:30]
Wed- Tri Squad (coached) – 4.0km
Main set: pyramid [50/0:50, 100/1/;40, 200/3:20, 400/6:40, 200, 100, 50]
6x [100/off 1:40]
Repeat pyramid as above
Thur – Masters (coached) -3.8km
Main set backstroke: 3 x [5 x 100 stroke count]
Fri- Tri Squad (coached) -4.6km
Main set: 4x 650 with paddles/off 11min
Week total: 25km
That’s more that I did in a week during epic camp!
I’m already feeling pretty good in the water (improved feel) really focusing on my stroke (high elbow, faster turn over) and have been hitting target times consistently.
Most importantly I’m feeling motivated in the pool and working on dispelling the belief that ‘I’m just not a swimmer’.
Monday, 14 July 2008
recovery
this is how it goes:
race day ... (read below) despite short hours sleep on eve of event, unable to sleep a wink whilst the mind processes all the emotional load of the day. Steven and i both lie, thinking the other unconscious, waiting for breakfast.
race day +1 ...feel great, but unable to wear shoes due blistered carnage attached below ankles. good appetite. sore bum not helped by 8 hr drive
race day +2 ...back in work. still not sleeping. buzzing. limping on blisters. riding buses. eating well.
race day +3 ...no training. getting a bit more sleep. eating well. feeling positive about next race. write training schedule. feel strong.
race day +4, 5, 6 ...introduce some gentle training. feel good on it, enjoy relaxed approached. lazy long wetsuit swim, a ride with my sister. by now i am also enjoying the relaxed feeling of not having to fit training into daily life. stay up late, meet friend, drink beer. starting to eat treats.
race + 1 week - this is where things tend to get tough for me. i am now throughouly mentally relaxed, have been enjoying a diet of treats and beers, and no exercise. i'm starting to feel the effects of this too....and its time to get the focus back.
but i surely need a little more recovery? am i really tired still or just feeling below par because of lax nutrition and late nights? motivation is ebbing away now...and there's always a good reason for a few beers...
this is a fairly standard pattern for me - week 1 i feel great, highly motivated and look after myself for optimum recovery. training is not an option because of a lack of skin on my feet! then i relax...and fatigue seems to kick in, at precisely the time that i 'plan' to step back into training.
so many times in the past this has been followed by a couple of weeks of very poor training, sporadic motivation and abandoned sessions. with hindsight, i'd to conclude that i started back too early.
with only 8 weeks to Wisconsin, i cant afford that lousy initial 2-3 weeks. so, i am going to act on these observations and eat and rest as if in full training whilst following a much reduced programme for a further week, 2 if necessary. to get back into my 'routine' i will be swimming daily - substituting a swim for one of my usual bike/runs - i will have a focus on the sessions, but this should be as stress free (ie non competitive, technique based) as possible.
with that in mind, i'm off to bed !
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Ironman DE full report
The usual deep down, stomach churning fear as the moment drew ever nearer for the 6.45 start – but this time more so. My second year of racing the Ironman scene and with a few results behind me, expectations, and personal goals were at the front of my mind. I was out to win this one, and I had and a very clear picture what had to be done and of who had to be beaten to achieve this. Their previous performances (including a 2nd placing at Kona last year) and strengths all seemed to overshadow all the self confidence that I was entitled to feel on this cool, damp morning.
I’d been assigned to the early start wave -300 of the fastest age groupers setting off with the professional field 15 min ahead of the 2000 other competitors. This was a relief -I’d be nearer the back of this group in the swim, let them get on with it, follow the draft and avoid being punched in the nose. Whitmore, there were only 7 age group women with quick enough previous race results eligible for in this start group – making it easy to pick out my immediate competition for the rest of the race.
The previous day water temperatures in the LangenerWaldsee had been exactly border line for a non wetsuit swim – as we trod water in the small (why so small - -the lake was firkin massive) pen waiting for the final count down, I shivered with chill and thanked my stars for a cool night and a drop in surface temperature sufficient to make wetsuits optional. After an eternity of torture, the final 1 minute warning is called and with a sudden rush it’s all forgotten in favour of progressing into the churning bubbles, arms, legs, feet, bums hips …shit where are my goggles…..on the back, fix it…and dive back in to the frenzy. Focus on pushing, paranoid about being left behind and then find a small group and a rhythm to swim in. Breathing on 3, but focused on working hard. It’s not fun, but I don’t allow myself to relax or my mind to wander. The first lap is longer than the 2nd, which works for me – get that done, out the water, around the land buoy fix the goggles and the rest is easy: I’m on my way home. Not quite so - I discover a tendency to veer to the left, and now having to swim clockwise I swim a very wide course, alone. Glad that it’s over I’m running up the steep exit ramp and catch site of the clock – reading 7.45. An hour swim? Is it possible?? In theory yes it is – but I’ve never managed it before. Perhaps I‘ve cracked it. Perhaps I’m on one today. Run to the bike very fast – can’t wait to get on the road now.
Notice the bike of my ‘target’ (2nd in Hawaii) has rolled out already, smooth transition, perfect running mount and up the road. Pass 2 people fixing flats in the first 200m! The smaller swim wave means that I’m not setting off with the usual crowd of nearly fast fellas but rather neat line of riders. This makes passing a bit of a technical and tactical game – requiring quite hard surges to ensure that the manoeuvre can be completed in 30 seconds, whilst avoiding cutting in or slowing too much once the pass has been made. Positions’ changing frequently, this makes for a constant effort and good pace. We are accompanied by motorcycle race ref for the first 20 km or so. I’ve been warned about drafting penalties and their not-quite-random distribution by the local refs. Advised to race in non descript, and preferably German, race kit, I’m sorry not to be flying the Tri London flag, but note there are a number of others who’ve been given similar advice as guys of all nationalities are sporting German team kit! 20 minutes up the road we enter Frankfurt, and the start of the 2 main laps. I’m pretty hungry already, and eat more than my planned amount in the first hour. My feeding strategy is 100 cal (half a bar) every 40 min, which I will supplement with the sports drinks from feed stations along the course. Better to get ahead early I think, though, rather than pay later.
I soon catch up to one of the girls in my age group and so begins the cat and mouse game that will see us through the first lap- switching positions, each ensuring that not too many riders get in between causing a loss of contact. Being a little bigger than me, she’s stronger on the flats whilst I pass her on the inclines. The course is dominated by flat or slightly down hill riding, and she is the stronger rider on this course. I’m hurting but think that I must stay connected – it’s too early to let her go. Whatsmore, I am ahead of my target pace and feel pretty sure that we are riding in 2nd and 3rd position. Shortly before the end of the first lap, the leading age group woman comes into view. I can’t believe it! She’s not had the psychological advantage of riding with her immediate competitor never far away, so has perhaps been taking it a little easier than we have. Seeing me ride past though seems to give her a kick up the backside, and as I begin to feel the heat, the two of them manage to shake me off on the descent back into Frankfurt for the start of the final lap. I’m toasted and have 50 miles to go!! Luckily I see my Mum and sister, forcing a brave face and a bit of a boost at this point, but I do not manage to re-establish sight of the two girls ahead. SuperJo has left the building, leaving RegualrJo to fend for herself and suffer the strong winds which build up though the afternoon, without much grace. I lost 11 minutes on the second lap, the negligible hills seeming like mountains and my shoes are digging into my Achilles tendon – a little worry about the run seeps into the back of my mind, but I’ve convinced myself that fro all their power on the bike, these girls will not be able to out run me. Can’t let that go – concentrate on getting through each 40 minute interval on the bike, focus on the moment and enjoy the experience. Exchange a bit for banter with boys who all seemed to be called either Andreas and Thomas, and make the most of the constant crowd support as we ride through the small villages around the course, which are all lined with locals giving it some with various bells, whistles, horns, rattles, kitchen implements and of course free flowing beer. The most notable moment of the day, riding the harsh cobbled hill through the town of Maintal Hochstadt, named ‘The Hell’ for the occasion, the PA system is blasting Eddie Grant and ‘Gimme Hope Joahnna’ – massive grin I’m out the saddle almost feeling the bike is pulling me up the hill, singing along as the crowd see my name on the number belt and realize the significance of the song. I know that these moments will get me through tough training sessions in the future, so I absorb and lock the sensations into my memory.
So I’m finally off the bike, just missing the 5.15 split that I’d hope for but - fair enough due to a diversion the course had been stated as a mile long. And it had been windy. I’m ready to get out on the run and chase the competition down. As it happens, I pass one of them before leaving T2! Immediately I feel pretty good. The Achilles problem has succumbed to the influence of ibroprofen and I feel comfortable in my stride. I recognise a lot of the guys I’m passing as the Thomas’s and Andreas's who seemed to have flown by on the bike a long time ago. My first km splits were 4.20 ,4:28, settling around 4:30s. At the 3km turn around I caught first sight of my main target, last year’s winner and leading age group woman a minute ahead. I she looked comfortable but I doubted she was running my pace, and concentrated on not rushing just allowing myself to ease up to her. At the 8km point I took the lead, and continued to feel good, completing the first of the 4 x 10.5km laps in 45 minutes. As I pass through T1 at 7:59 race time, Chris McCormack wins the race, breaking the M-dot record in the process. I get a little bit of a boost from the energy of the crowds, which propels me into the start of lap 2. Figure I should eat, I grab a handful of apricots and eat them and worry about the effect on my guts this might have. Now I’m running scared- I dare not look back, just focus on the splits and push thoughts a cosy porta-loo stop out of my mind. At the next turnaround I can see that there’s not more than 30 second between me and her – and my lap splits have dropped to 4.45-50. And it’s beginning to feel like a bit of an effort now. By km 15, SuperJo, true to form, decided to bail out. Luckily the fear of being caught remained a true companion and the Hurt Box offered its’ generous interior. I climbed in, calculating how long the sentence would be. Just another 2 hours 15, if I was lucky. Concentrate - don’t fall apart. Eat a gel. See my mom, fail to smile at her and feel guilty. Fuck it. I want to stop. Running. Now. Ferocious screaming from Steven as he returns in the opposite direction. I want to scream back with equal support – but I can’t spare the breathe. Out of the blue a friend who lives in the city, Alyssa, runs alongside me tells me he had an awesome swim and is going well. I’m pleased to see her and pleased for the news. Lucky bastard will be finished soon, I think. She’s running and taking too fast! I’m clearly going through a bad patch – and remind myself of this: it will pass.
At the next turn around my pursuer had fallen back all of 10 seconds. So, I cannot let up the pace at all. See mum and Lotto again, feel better and now I’m halfway through. The third lap was the toughest – by now I’m tired and there’s still a long way left. Another sight of Steven – this is a great run course, with 4 turns and a couple of points with good views of runners coming from the opposite direction. He’s yelling like mad. I remind myself – you are leading the field at the European Championships, you are on for a 3:20 marathon split. Don’t slow down.
Toward the end of the 3rd lap, ,there’s an awesome commotion as Chrissie Wellington ticks into her final 2km, streets ahead of the rest of the Pro ladies. The crowd goes mad and I can see the film motorcycles out the corner of my eye if I turn a little. On the one hand, I‘d love to see her come running by, and get a sense of her run speed. On the other I’m determined that she won’t lap me, and find another reserve of energy. This little boost also brings the backside of Steven into my sights - cool. I’m determined to catch him before he peels off for the finish – he’s on for his sub 9hr time I think, nice job. And give him a pat on his good gluteus maximus as I go by. He’s only got 3 bands on though – that’s confusing - and I wonder what the system is for the final lap, then. Sudden stinging burning pain in my foot as a massive blister bursts under my toes. Chrissie doesn’t catch me, and for the second time today, I am running past the finishing chute as course records are broken and she wins in under 9 hours!
After that exciting few k, there’s no sign of any women anywhere close behind me at the next turn, but I convince myself that I cold have missed her/them and push on. I see Steven again, and it dawns one that I am actually ahead of him, I feel bad, realizing that he’ shad problems of some sort, and look out for any cuts or blood on him. I am pleased to observe I am still able to run under 5min km if I really focus and that within 40 min it will all be over. I allow myself to imagine how it will feel to win this race, running toward then finish and what I’ll eat and drink when it’s done – feel a bit woozy and rein it in – I have to remain upright and mobile for another 6km. 5km…oh hell…4km…Try to enjoy the moment. Are you fucking joking? Get me out of here. Finally the soft surface of the finisher Shute. In German my name followed by the words ‘first female age grouper’ my mom and sister positioned on the approach to the finish line, and the clock reading 9 hours 43 min. WhooooHoooooo.
Then I had to go and wait an hour to pee in a cup in front of a cross German woman but I did get to chat to Nicole Leder who asked how I got on and I did not recognise her and asked how she got on. Second. Oh, well done!!! Cool.
A great, fun and fast course with what must really be the best crowd support the entire way round a superb atmoshprere, and free beer in the atheletes garden!! I’d highly recommend this race to anyone. Fantastic races for all the Tri London posse too –and it was really nice to have a group of us out there too.
I’d been assigned to the early start wave -300 of the fastest age groupers setting off with the professional field 15 min ahead of the 2000 other competitors. This was a relief -I’d be nearer the back of this group in the swim, let them get on with it, follow the draft and avoid being punched in the nose. Whitmore, there were only 7 age group women with quick enough previous race results eligible for in this start group – making it easy to pick out my immediate competition for the rest of the race.
The previous day water temperatures in the LangenerWaldsee had been exactly border line for a non wetsuit swim – as we trod water in the small (why so small - -the lake was firkin massive) pen waiting for the final count down, I shivered with chill and thanked my stars for a cool night and a drop in surface temperature sufficient to make wetsuits optional. After an eternity of torture, the final 1 minute warning is called and with a sudden rush it’s all forgotten in favour of progressing into the churning bubbles, arms, legs, feet, bums hips …shit where are my goggles…..on the back, fix it…and dive back in to the frenzy. Focus on pushing, paranoid about being left behind and then find a small group and a rhythm to swim in. Breathing on 3, but focused on working hard. It’s not fun, but I don’t allow myself to relax or my mind to wander. The first lap is longer than the 2nd, which works for me – get that done, out the water, around the land buoy fix the goggles and the rest is easy: I’m on my way home. Not quite so - I discover a tendency to veer to the left, and now having to swim clockwise I swim a very wide course, alone. Glad that it’s over I’m running up the steep exit ramp and catch site of the clock – reading 7.45. An hour swim? Is it possible?? In theory yes it is – but I’ve never managed it before. Perhaps I‘ve cracked it. Perhaps I’m on one today. Run to the bike very fast – can’t wait to get on the road now.
Notice the bike of my ‘target’ (2nd in Hawaii) has rolled out already, smooth transition, perfect running mount and up the road. Pass 2 people fixing flats in the first 200m! The smaller swim wave means that I’m not setting off with the usual crowd of nearly fast fellas but rather neat line of riders. This makes passing a bit of a technical and tactical game – requiring quite hard surges to ensure that the manoeuvre can be completed in 30 seconds, whilst avoiding cutting in or slowing too much once the pass has been made. Positions’ changing frequently, this makes for a constant effort and good pace. We are accompanied by motorcycle race ref for the first 20 km or so. I’ve been warned about drafting penalties and their not-quite-random distribution by the local refs. Advised to race in non descript, and preferably German, race kit, I’m sorry not to be flying the Tri London flag, but note there are a number of others who’ve been given similar advice as guys of all nationalities are sporting German team kit! 20 minutes up the road we enter Frankfurt, and the start of the 2 main laps. I’m pretty hungry already, and eat more than my planned amount in the first hour. My feeding strategy is 100 cal (half a bar) every 40 min, which I will supplement with the sports drinks from feed stations along the course. Better to get ahead early I think, though, rather than pay later.
I soon catch up to one of the girls in my age group and so begins the cat and mouse game that will see us through the first lap- switching positions, each ensuring that not too many riders get in between causing a loss of contact. Being a little bigger than me, she’s stronger on the flats whilst I pass her on the inclines. The course is dominated by flat or slightly down hill riding, and she is the stronger rider on this course. I’m hurting but think that I must stay connected – it’s too early to let her go. Whatsmore, I am ahead of my target pace and feel pretty sure that we are riding in 2nd and 3rd position. Shortly before the end of the first lap, the leading age group woman comes into view. I can’t believe it! She’s not had the psychological advantage of riding with her immediate competitor never far away, so has perhaps been taking it a little easier than we have. Seeing me ride past though seems to give her a kick up the backside, and as I begin to feel the heat, the two of them manage to shake me off on the descent back into Frankfurt for the start of the final lap. I’m toasted and have 50 miles to go!! Luckily I see my Mum and sister, forcing a brave face and a bit of a boost at this point, but I do not manage to re-establish sight of the two girls ahead. SuperJo has left the building, leaving RegualrJo to fend for herself and suffer the strong winds which build up though the afternoon, without much grace. I lost 11 minutes on the second lap, the negligible hills seeming like mountains and my shoes are digging into my Achilles tendon – a little worry about the run seeps into the back of my mind, but I’ve convinced myself that fro all their power on the bike, these girls will not be able to out run me. Can’t let that go – concentrate on getting through each 40 minute interval on the bike, focus on the moment and enjoy the experience. Exchange a bit for banter with boys who all seemed to be called either Andreas and Thomas, and make the most of the constant crowd support as we ride through the small villages around the course, which are all lined with locals giving it some with various bells, whistles, horns, rattles, kitchen implements and of course free flowing beer. The most notable moment of the day, riding the harsh cobbled hill through the town of Maintal Hochstadt, named ‘The Hell’ for the occasion, the PA system is blasting Eddie Grant and ‘Gimme Hope Joahnna’ – massive grin I’m out the saddle almost feeling the bike is pulling me up the hill, singing along as the crowd see my name on the number belt and realize the significance of the song. I know that these moments will get me through tough training sessions in the future, so I absorb and lock the sensations into my memory.
So I’m finally off the bike, just missing the 5.15 split that I’d hope for but - fair enough due to a diversion the course had been stated as a mile long. And it had been windy. I’m ready to get out on the run and chase the competition down. As it happens, I pass one of them before leaving T2! Immediately I feel pretty good. The Achilles problem has succumbed to the influence of ibroprofen and I feel comfortable in my stride. I recognise a lot of the guys I’m passing as the Thomas’s and Andreas's who seemed to have flown by on the bike a long time ago. My first km splits were 4.20 ,4:28, settling around 4:30s. At the 3km turn around I caught first sight of my main target, last year’s winner and leading age group woman a minute ahead. I she looked comfortable but I doubted she was running my pace, and concentrated on not rushing just allowing myself to ease up to her. At the 8km point I took the lead, and continued to feel good, completing the first of the 4 x 10.5km laps in 45 minutes. As I pass through T1 at 7:59 race time, Chris McCormack wins the race, breaking the M-dot record in the process. I get a little bit of a boost from the energy of the crowds, which propels me into the start of lap 2. Figure I should eat, I grab a handful of apricots and eat them and worry about the effect on my guts this might have. Now I’m running scared- I dare not look back, just focus on the splits and push thoughts a cosy porta-loo stop out of my mind. At the next turnaround I can see that there’s not more than 30 second between me and her – and my lap splits have dropped to 4.45-50. And it’s beginning to feel like a bit of an effort now. By km 15, SuperJo, true to form, decided to bail out. Luckily the fear of being caught remained a true companion and the Hurt Box offered its’ generous interior. I climbed in, calculating how long the sentence would be. Just another 2 hours 15, if I was lucky. Concentrate - don’t fall apart. Eat a gel. See my mom, fail to smile at her and feel guilty. Fuck it. I want to stop. Running. Now. Ferocious screaming from Steven as he returns in the opposite direction. I want to scream back with equal support – but I can’t spare the breathe. Out of the blue a friend who lives in the city, Alyssa, runs alongside me tells me he had an awesome swim and is going well. I’m pleased to see her and pleased for the news. Lucky bastard will be finished soon, I think. She’s running and taking too fast! I’m clearly going through a bad patch – and remind myself of this: it will pass.
At the next turn around my pursuer had fallen back all of 10 seconds. So, I cannot let up the pace at all. See mum and Lotto again, feel better and now I’m halfway through. The third lap was the toughest – by now I’m tired and there’s still a long way left. Another sight of Steven – this is a great run course, with 4 turns and a couple of points with good views of runners coming from the opposite direction. He’s yelling like mad. I remind myself – you are leading the field at the European Championships, you are on for a 3:20 marathon split. Don’t slow down.
Toward the end of the 3rd lap, ,there’s an awesome commotion as Chrissie Wellington ticks into her final 2km, streets ahead of the rest of the Pro ladies. The crowd goes mad and I can see the film motorcycles out the corner of my eye if I turn a little. On the one hand, I‘d love to see her come running by, and get a sense of her run speed. On the other I’m determined that she won’t lap me, and find another reserve of energy. This little boost also brings the backside of Steven into my sights - cool. I’m determined to catch him before he peels off for the finish – he’s on for his sub 9hr time I think, nice job. And give him a pat on his good gluteus maximus as I go by. He’s only got 3 bands on though – that’s confusing - and I wonder what the system is for the final lap, then. Sudden stinging burning pain in my foot as a massive blister bursts under my toes. Chrissie doesn’t catch me, and for the second time today, I am running past the finishing chute as course records are broken and she wins in under 9 hours!
After that exciting few k, there’s no sign of any women anywhere close behind me at the next turn, but I convince myself that I cold have missed her/them and push on. I see Steven again, and it dawns one that I am actually ahead of him, I feel bad, realizing that he’ shad problems of some sort, and look out for any cuts or blood on him. I am pleased to observe I am still able to run under 5min km if I really focus and that within 40 min it will all be over. I allow myself to imagine how it will feel to win this race, running toward then finish and what I’ll eat and drink when it’s done – feel a bit woozy and rein it in – I have to remain upright and mobile for another 6km. 5km…oh hell…4km…Try to enjoy the moment. Are you fucking joking? Get me out of here. Finally the soft surface of the finisher Shute. In German my name followed by the words ‘first female age grouper’ my mom and sister positioned on the approach to the finish line, and the clock reading 9 hours 43 min. WhooooHoooooo.
Then I had to go and wait an hour to pee in a cup in front of a cross German woman but I did get to chat to Nicole Leder who asked how I got on and I did not recognise her and asked how she got on. Second. Oh, well done!!! Cool.
A great, fun and fast course with what must really be the best crowd support the entire way round a superb atmoshprere, and free beer in the atheletes garden!! I’d highly recommend this race to anyone. Fantastic races for all the Tri London posse too –and it was really nice to have a group of us out there too.
post DE notes
target finish time: 'comfortably sub-10hrs'
actual finish time: 9hrs 43min 19 seconds
notes: first female age group finisher, 8th female finisher overall.
target swim:63 min
actual swim: 60mins 31 seconds
WHAT??? yes, i felt i was swiming well - kept reminding myself to WORK in the water, stayed focused and all that but as much as i'd like to belive it was all down to the presence of SUPERJO, reckon the course was slightly short. 8th fastest in AG.
target bike: 5hr 15
actual bike: 5hr 17.17
having realized that this was a fast course and that my main competion was a strong cyclist and ahead out of the swim i may have hit the first lap a little hard. Vying for position with another in my AG, we managed to catch the leader of our AG by the end of lap 1, but at cost to me. overcooked, hungry and 50 miles to go, i faded, lost contact with the other girls and as the winds picked up, suffered and lost 11 min on that lap. tried to keep positive, and pushing on. 4th fastest bike split in AG.
target run: 3hr 25
actual run: 3hr 20. 46
SUPERJO took over again and was running well, through the first lap in 45 min and taking 1st position by the 8km mark. As expected lost time as i went on but motivated to push as i saw 2nd lady not more than 40 sec behind at each turn around. after 15km or so superjo made her excuses and left - and regular jo stepped into the hurt box, where she would remain for the next 2 hours or so, focusing on keeping those km splits around the 4:45 mark. worth it though, as by the final turn point i saw i'd lost any chasers by minutes and all i had to do was stay upright and moving for 2km for the win. fastest AG run split (5th fastest female run slit overall!)
feels good.
actual finish time: 9hrs 43min 19 seconds
notes: first female age group finisher, 8th female finisher overall.
target swim:63 min
actual swim: 60mins 31 seconds
WHAT??? yes, i felt i was swiming well - kept reminding myself to WORK in the water, stayed focused and all that but as much as i'd like to belive it was all down to the presence of SUPERJO, reckon the course was slightly short. 8th fastest in AG.
target bike: 5hr 15
actual bike: 5hr 17.17
having realized that this was a fast course and that my main competion was a strong cyclist and ahead out of the swim i may have hit the first lap a little hard. Vying for position with another in my AG, we managed to catch the leader of our AG by the end of lap 1, but at cost to me. overcooked, hungry and 50 miles to go, i faded, lost contact with the other girls and as the winds picked up, suffered and lost 11 min on that lap. tried to keep positive, and pushing on. 4th fastest bike split in AG.
target run: 3hr 25
actual run: 3hr 20. 46
SUPERJO took over again and was running well, through the first lap in 45 min and taking 1st position by the 8km mark. As expected lost time as i went on but motivated to push as i saw 2nd lady not more than 40 sec behind at each turn around. after 15km or so superjo made her excuses and left - and regular jo stepped into the hurt box, where she would remain for the next 2 hours or so, focusing on keeping those km splits around the 4:45 mark. worth it though, as by the final turn point i saw i'd lost any chasers by minutes and all i had to do was stay upright and moving for 2km for the win. fastest AG run split (5th fastest female run slit overall!)
feels good.
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