Huge work week
It was a shocker at work this week, with Tuesday starting at 7:00am and finishing at 2:00am. This was followed up with a 5:00 am start on Wednesday, which finished around 10:00pm. There was also time spent working on the weekend.
Needless to say, managing to get time for training was difficult, particularly when family comes first. However, I did manage to get in half an hour of cycling on Sunday night followed by a 2k run. Since I'd done some cycling and had not done any other practice for the week, I went out at a more comfortable pace, rather than push for the 5min/km speed. In my mind when I set out, I thought 5:30 would be reasonable.
Sunday 2k run - 5:16 per km.
Again, I have the same problem with soreness behind the big left toe. May need to look at my shoes and/or add an extra pair of socks for comfort.
Here's hoping for a better week. Next Tri is the New Year's Resolution Triathlon in January. It's a very small tri, aimed at bringing new people to the sport. This was the first event I did last year and I'm looking for a huge improvement this time. If nothing else, I go into the swim knowing I can do it, rather than just thinking I might be able to.
Toys: I was offered a Garmin Forerunner at a good discount due to the owner being injured. It should arrive during the week. With heart rate monitor and GPS, I should be able to improve the quality of the training, which will assist if the quantity is not as much as it should be. Ideally, I should have quality and quantity, but with work/family committments, I realise this will be difficult to achieve.
Searching for speed
After the ignomy of being last over the line for more than half of my races, I have concluded that my training focus needs to shift. To date, my focus has been on managing to cover the distance in the longer races. While I have managed to complete races up to half-ironman distance, the lack of speed is a real problem. On the rare occassions where training is actually done, it's a case of travelling at a comfortable speed so that that can be maintained for a good hour, or two if pushed.
So, from this weekend (Nov 17th/18th) a new system has been put in place. My current speed for distances from 5k to 15k is 6 min/k. Beyond 15k, I slow a bit toward 6:30 per k.
My target speed is 5 min/k, which can be maintained for a full half-marathon. The annual half is run in early July, so there is just over 7 months to achieve target. I'll start out with 1km and push to target speed, the increase the k's and push to maitain that speed over the longer distance. In addition, there will be a longer run each week, so that the ability to run long is not lost.
Sat 17th : 1km - 4:28s
That was a surprise. That may not be fast for other triathletes, but that certainly put a big smile on my face. Never thought I could do that pace, even if it was only a short sprint. the left foot was sore, underneath the big toe. Running at that speed, my foot strikes the road at a different angle and place. May have to try out different footwear etc.
Sun 18th: 2km - 5:10s per k
That's more like it. Close but not quiet there. The foot is now sore, justwith normal walking. Time to hit the bike for a couple of days and then come back to speed on the run.
Sarina Beach - The good, the bad & the ugly
The good – I’ve got another triathlon under my belt
The bad – Another last place, with a terrible time
The ugly – The surf conditions and me walking the hills
It was one of those rare occasions where I actually had a weekend that didn’t involve dragging kids all over the place, working on the weekend or other activities. With the event on Sunday, I made the decision Thursday to give it a go.
My training had been patchy at best. While I managed to get the odd run in, my last swim and bike was the Mackay Lifestream event 5 weeks ago. Not quite the ideal training plan.
As with the Lifestream, my aim was to get to the finish without slowing to a walk. This was something that I have yet to achieve. I decided to go out at a comfortable speed and then wait for the run. If I hit transition feeling good, then I’d up the tempo on the run. If not, I’d head out slow and look to push it a bit toward the finish line.
Sunday, November 11th.
Swim
When we hit the beach on race day, I knew that it was not going to be pretty. There was a strong wind and the water was rough. Although there had been little time in the water, the experience of Yeppoon had me confident of doing the swim. As I got into the water, the size of the waves became apparent. These were the biggest waves that I’d attempted to swim in. Even treading water, the waves had me underwater at the crest of each wave. Although less than one quarter the distance of Yeppoon, that swim was the hardest that I’d done. Coming into transition, I was exhausted.
Bike
It was then onto the bike and head out from the beach. The road was fairly flat with a right had turn toward Campwin Beach. I strayed a bit wide at the turn and nearly ended up in the grass on the side of the road. The error was poor concentration due to fatigue. I knuckled down and tried to get the bike moving. I shuffled along around 28km/h until we got to the base of the lookout and then it was time to climb to the top. The hill is not big, barely worthy of the name, but the area that I ride on is dead flat. I got to the top still on the big ring, although out of the saddle. Down and back to the main beach for a turn around and then back for the second lap. Second lap I felt better, with a faster speed, more comfortable and I attacked the undulations at Campwin Beach harder. One hill ended up being a roll down as the chain came off, with that being fixed when I got to the bottom.
Run
As I moved into transition, I could see that people were already finishing. That’s hardly a new experience for me. It was then off on the run. First along the beach where people ending the race came flying past me. From young kids that looked like they were just into double figures to those who looked like they might be in the 55+ age group all left me well behind. As I got back to the beach it was then around the corner to the hill. The run leg runs up another lookout, with a steep climb to test out the runners. My aim had been to run the whole event, however, that hill had me beaten. Walking to the top, I was determined to make sure I jogged all of the flat sections. It was back down the hill, out to the boat ramp and then through the nature walk before coming back toward the start. I kept up my speed as I did the final out & back parallel to the beach. I even managed to push a little harder after the turnaround as I headed back to the finish.
Overall, it was another last placing for me. But I retain my record of finishing every event that I have entered. Time was under 2 hours, around double the time of the race winner. On a flat course, with still water, I would expect to go better by 20 mins. If nothing else, it gives me a time to beat next year. Although I continually finish races in last position, I will continue to compete. The position doesn’t worry me as long as I continue to improve on my previous times. After all, triathlon is an event that is designed to challenge the individual.
This event’s lessons:
I need much more practice in rough water.
I need to practice riding and running over hills.
The lesson I take away each time I race is that I need to devote more time to training. That can be difficult with work and family commitments, but still something that has to be done.
The Capricorn Half was my first serious foray into the world of triathlon. It seemed a little ambitious to attempt a half-ironman as your second ever triathlon, particularly when swimming was something that you couldn’t manage 12 months earlier.
It was a short 4 hour drive to Yeppoon. I booked, registered for the race and then spent time with the family, before making sure that all my equipment was ready for the race. The race briefing the night before revealed that the waters were very choppy and they had a contingency plan if the conditions made the swim unsafe. This was not a good omen for someone who classes not drowning as a brilliant swim.
Waking up very early on the day, I ate a little cereal thinking there were a couple of hours before race start allowing the food to digest. I was so nervous that I had to be reminded that the transition was going to close in 30 mins. I ducked down to transition to get numbered and rack the bike. Finding that the bike had to get checked by officials first came as my first shock for the day. This was a rusty second hand bike I picked up for $70 with the handlebars re-taped and that was about it. Luckily they passed the bike so I could start.
The swim was going to be hard. Walking past a baby shark washed up on the beach was a worry. That was compunded when the race starter jokingly suggested that the competitors would be going out to find it's mother. At least I hope he was joking.
With the swim being my weakest leg, the choppy conditions had me thinking of bailing out after just 100m. By then I'd reached my planned fluid intake for the entire event in seawater alone. The waves were coming from my right, which is the only side I breathe on. There were times when I got a mouthful of water on 3 consecutive attempts to breathe. On the way back to shore, I spotted a buoy and realised I must have been a long way out, so decided to swim along for a while longer. When I saw the white 1k buoy, I decided to keep the arms going and finish the swim. Later on I took time to ask a volunteer on a surf-ski how far to the finish. I was 60 odd metres short on distance, but close to 100m too far out to sea.
Eventually, I beached myself coming out of the water in second last place.The swim had me stuffed. As someone who just learned to swim in the last 12 months and only ever practiced in the local pool, the conditions were an eye-opener. At this stage, I thought I was going to be a non-finisher.
Onto the bike where I managed to overtake 2-3 people. First couple of laps were hard into the wind, but coming back was closer to the speeds I was used to from my trainer. I quickly realised that my 3:15 target was not going to work. I hadn't done anything after a long swim in all my training. It was clear that I was well and truly out of my depth. Doing a 3 hour ride fresh is one thing. Doing it after a long hard swim is completely different. Especially for a poor swimmer.
My food intake was supposed to be a couple of energy bars I’d picked up at the expo the day before. I’d never tried these things and when I went to have a bite, realised the folly of taking food that you’re not familiar with. These things are as chewy as hell. There was probably more energy expended just trying to get these things into my stomach than they contained. I decided they weren’t for me and slipped the ¾ chewed power bar back in it’s wrapper and kept it with it’s mate in my pouch. By the end of the third lap, I’d gone through both of my bidons, so topped up at the drink station. At least there was some fluid coming in. It’s about the only part of my race that I did do well.
The final slog into the wind had me down to just on 20km/h, but I knew that I had 10 minutes or so up my sleeve to avoid the cut-off. By this time, the thought of not finishing been banished. Other competitors who passed asked how I was going. Each time I replied the same "I will finish". There was no way I was going to quit this event. No matter how much it hurt, I was going to get to the finish line.
I was confused when an official directed me toward transition before going down to the end roundabout. I thought I was inside the cut-off time, but I followed the directions, thinking that I'd stuffed up. Should I have ignored him and kept going down to the end? At this stage, I didn't really care. The officials point, I go.Onto the run and I'm the only person in transition. I head out with jelly legs and shuffle/walk along the path. Checking my times, I'm going to be close to 3 hours on the run (OK, I'll admit, walk/run).
The run was very, very slow. It was plod a hundred metres, walk a hundred. I’m not sure the plod was much faster than the walk, but both kept me going in the right direction. I got a big cheer from the crowd as a late finisher as I came into the pool area, just to wave at the crowd and yell that I had another lap to go. Thankfully the race director, Nick, held the finish open for me as I came in last of all in around 8 hours. That was 1/2 hour slower than planned. It may be that I get disqualified for the bike leg, but I know that I covered as much of the course as the officials allowed. I’ll be back next year, looking to cut at least an hour off that time. What kept me going was the encouragement from the crowd, other competitors along the way and the advice I got from a triathlon forum discovered a couple of days before the event, called Transitions. Otter told me, “Dont f#$%en quit. Walking is fine, limping - fine, crying - no problem, complaining - absolutely,,,,, but do not quit.”
I learned a few lessons at Yeppoon in 2007
1: Make sure you have done a swim or two in the ocean before you attempt a HIM. Make sure there are a few waves when you train as well. It's totally different from a pool.
2: Bike trainers may be good for peddling away at night, but you need road practice especially on windy days.
3: Good equipment helps. Using Speedos for the swim and a rusty old road bike with no aero bars does not assist in making good times.
4: If you think an official has given wrong instructions, double check. It's too late at the end of the day.
5: Nutrition is important and needs to be practiced as well.
6: There is a huge difference between doing the individual legs and putting all three together on the same day.
7: If you’re new to triathlons, get help. Join a local club, train with people who have raced before. Use their knowledge to help. Don’t do it all alone.
