TTTC Race 1 - 4th - 57:54

My triathlon season for another year has now kicked off with with the now perennial trip to Hampton for the first of the Thames Turbo races. This is now the 5th year that I have done this race. I really did not know how this one would go as this is probably the first year where I have actually not been training specifically for anything that short. My main focus this year is to survive the Copenhagen IM race, and for me, that means just trying to be consistent and ensuring that I get the long bikes and runs in.

My biggest fear before this race was that my biking ability would simply not be up to scratch. In comparison to the last few years, the biggest difference this year has been that I have simply not done enough turbos for this stage of the season - not to prepare you for 30 minutes of hard riding anyway. I would imagine that a whole bunch of weeks have passed recently where I have not gone on the turbo, last year I was doing two a week. The main issue has been that work has been conspiring against my motivation when I get home...starting a turbo past 9pm when you are hungry is not really something which feels me with much enthusiasm for the turbo. All excuses I know..

For the first time in a long time I was in the first wave for this race with the best thing about this being that the traffic would be less of a problem on the bike. The swim for me was exactly the same as it has been for the last few years, it doesn't seem to matter how much swim training I do, I get out the pool in 6 minutes without fail. This year, I have mainly been doing long swims though, typically all in one block with a longer than normal breathing pattern - breathing on 3's rather than the normal 2's. Didn't make any difference though, 6 minutes and I was out.

The bike on this occasion was a mixed bag. For once, I had what could be described as a good run in terms of the lights, especially as there was an additional set on this race. I only had to slow down once, much better than the typical process of having to stop and wait for 30 seconds. The bad part was that I had a good cyclist in close company and with pretty much equal pacing, there was a lot of passing. Personally, I hate riding a TT like this - would much rather just work on applying a constant effort for the time. With the drafting regulations, you are forced to ease off and drop back to 7m on every occasion you're past. The upshot of this rest is that you feel that you are now capable of making the decisive pass to finally pull away. Going from 43kph to 46kph or so to get past means that you are really pushing and hence when you pass, the legs soon don't feel too great. All in all, very annoying.

The run on this occasion was the normal affair, start off feeling a bit rubbish, wondering why you bother with this triathlon business, telling myself I should stick to cycling, reminding myself that I should have lost some more weight blah blah blah - same for every race. Anyway, my main aim was damage limitation. I just wanted to see if I could pick the pace up a bit and then stick round about the 3:45/3:50km pace. I think I managed to achieve that aim and I got round in 19:28 which, although not a stellar performance for me, was not that bad for the first race.

The surprise of the day was that I had managed to record my second fastest time on the course. Largely down to having a good bike in terms of the lights on this occasion. There have certainly been times when I have felt more capable of riding a bit faster only to be scuppered by numerous lights etc. Still, 57:54 is a good time for...I was happy with that and 4th in what was a competitive field.

Redmon CC - 25 - 6th - 55:26

This race was never going to be that much fun, what with the heavy legs from the racing on the Saturday. It must be an age thing when you are not able to recover as quickly as you used to. I have been to the Redmon season opener for the last 4 years I think so it would have been a shame to break with tradition.

I had set the Garmin's virtual partner to do my best ever time on the course and the plan was to just see what would happen. I thought I would blow up at some point around the course, until that time, I planned on just seeing how hard I could go.

We started straight in to a bit of head wind which just made the legs feel even more tired. It was only when we turned after about 5k to head back down the nice country lanes that it was possible to really get some speed up. At about the half way mark, I was on target with the virtual partner but at the back of my mind, I knew I had a long drag back up to the dual carriageway to contend with and the another few drags on the DC. By the time I hit the DC I was down by about 30 seconds and then I proceeded to lose another 20 or so on the DC. I think that in the last few k's, my legs had pretty much packed their bags and left. I think I even tried a sprint to the line, but this probably just ended up looking like a slow motion replay.

So, home in 55:26 for me, but thanks to fellow Dynamos James and Martin, we were able to pick up the team prize and the biggest trophy of the day. The £5 prize money meant I was still awash with about £4 after tea and cakes.

Ful-On Duathlon 2011

I am never sure why I end up doing duathlons, they almost always have way too much of my least favourite discipline - running. The Ful-On duathlon formed part of the annual round of London League races so thought it may be a good time to do my first brick session and also ride the TT bike for the first time since Jekyl & Hyde last year.

The structure of the race always meant that it would be tricky for me, there was a 6k run at the start, followed by a short and relatively technical 18k bike course and then another 6k run. The only way I was going to have any hope of a good position come the end of the race was if I had a decent go on the bike section. I was not quire sure how well I would ride though, my riding of recent has been minimal to say the least, very few turbo sessions and only the occasional long ride - not great pre-season preparation anyway.

When we got going, I was instantly shocked at how fast people go out on these duathlons, I was quite a way back at the end of the first km. For me, I was running quite quick though, round about 16kph. I knew that was within my range so decided to run steady rather than blowing up. I would wait for the bike - it is all about the bike after all. Finished the run in about 15th or so I think and then headed out on the bike. It was good to be back on the racing wheels, not so good to be going round paved corners, dodging structures in the racing line and jumping on mats to cross the all weather track - all in all, not a great course. Still, I think I managed to work my way back up through the field and by the time we came in to T2, I think I was in about 3rd place.

The second run was always going to be a case of damage limitation for me. Having ridden quite hard, my calf instantly cramped but it wasn't bad enough to stop. I got round the second run in sub 4min/km's which was not bad for me really. I could have perhaps gone a bit faster, but at the back of mind, I was all too aware that on Sunday I would be back on the TT bike for a 25 and I wanted to at least have a fairly decent ride.

In the end, I finished 9th, which I was quite pleased with - especially considering all that running. Annoyed to have missed out on the fastest bike split in the results. Personally, I think it is a lap miscalculation by the holder of that title, that's what I am consoling myself with anyway.

Kingston 16 Mile Breakfast Run

Never quite sure why this is called the 'Breakfast Run', the only similarity is that it takes place in the morning, other than that, it is always a long, often painful, drawn out process of simply waiting to blow up with a number of miles still on the clock. Although this is only the second time I have done this run, I don't have many fond memories of anything beyond about the 10 mile mark on the last attempt.

So, for this year's race, I decided to see if I could lower the point at which I would blow up by going out on the TT bike the day before and doing a long ride. The plan was to just ride at a steady 30kph and try and get 130-150k's on the clock. The over-excitement of being back on the TT bike however saw me going closer to 35kph for the 140k - perhaps not the best preparation, but it did not feel like I was pushing that hard. My legs did feel a little tired at the end though.

So, at the start of the Breakfast Run, I just thought that I would see how things went, maybe start off with what felt comfortable and see how things went. I had set the Garmin to run about a 1:46, but in all honesty, I had no idea how I would run. At about 3 miles I took a look at the Garmin and I could see that I was up on the virtual partner by a bit, the problem was, the legs had not felt amazing really. I decided to keep drudging along, more out of interest to see how long I could keep the pace up.

I went through half way in a respectable time, but I only had one objective in my mind now. I figured I would just see if I could run a decent half marathon and then maybe take it easy for the last 3 miles. I was obviously just trying to work out how early I could stop the pain. In the end I went through the half in about 1:22 which was good for me as this was quicker than my time at Wokingham a few weeks back. I walked the drinks station after this, had some lucozade and another slimy ride shot that had been festering in my shorts pocket. I got running again and didn't feel too bad. Someone past me at this stage who I had run with for a couple of miles on lap 1. I sat in behind him for the next mile and then figured with only 2 to go, I may as well see if I can keep the pace up. Don't get me wrong, the last mile did hurt...the last photo below is bit of a giveaway.

Still, 1:43:01 is 2:35 quicker than my last attempt and not a bad run for me. Just under 4min/km for the whole race.

Wokingham Half Marathon

Back at the start of 2011 I realised that I had somehow descended to a new low in terms of my fitness. This was brought home by an attempt at the Turbo marathon in December which was interspersed with a holiday and the general gluttony of December. Anyway, I decided to do something about it and try and get some level of fitness back before the season started to get going. So, the whole of January has seen me training quite consistently, only really averaging about 10 hours a week, but that seems a lot these days, what with work etc.

I had done a fair bit of running during January, typically doing 3-4 sessions a week and combining some long runs, tempo runs and I had even been back on the treadmill in the gym. I could feel that things were starting to come back after a couple of weeks. My heart rate had lowered a bit and the scales were moving the right direction as well.

For Wokingham, my main aim was to see if I could hold 4min/km's for the race. This would give me a 1:24, which although off the PB by a bit, would be a respectable time given the circumstances. Come race day, there was a bit of a wind which someone reliably informed me would mean a headwind for miles 10-12 - not good.

I set off okay and I was going through the mile markers consistently, initially gaining some time on the virtual partner, but slowly losing some once I had gone through 6 miles. Still, I was 1:20 up on the partner at about mile 9 and that was when the headwind kicked in. I really struggled in those two miles, especially as they also contain the only two significant hills on the course.

Crossed the line in what I thought was 1:24:13 but found out later that the actual results have me down for 1:24:01. So, all in all, not a bad day. I stuck to the game plan and I actually did not feel as bad as I normally do in the last few miles.

I have Tunbridge Wells half marathon in two weeks now. Bit more of a hilly affair there.

Hounslow & District 25 - 1st - 53:58

Well, finally I have managed to win my first ever open TT. I have been racing for nigh on 4 years now and have consistently been able to finish in the top 3, but last weekend I finally managed to get the top spot, and by close to a minute as well.

I had entered the Hounslow & District TT on the request of a mate of mine who wanted to see if we could get the team prize, a lot of us liked the course (h25/8) and we managed to assemble 3 pretty good riders which should have put the team prize well within our reach on the day. However, come the day of the race, James was not feeling too well and Martin only managed to ride to the start line, only to clear his tire of flint and open the wound which led to a DNS. So, I ended up just riding with the intention of seeing how well I could do.

The conditions on the day were far from ideal, I remain wistful of a day when I turn up a TT and the conditions are ideal. There always seems to be some factor, be it rain or wind which means that a fast time is simply not on the card. For this race, it was wind which was going to prove to be the undoing any fast times. The headwind on the way out seemed to be picking up all the time and this was going to mean a nasty stint at the start and middle of the race as we went round the two laps.

Going out was tough, the headwind meant that it was quite simply a case of just hanging on and trying t push the biggest gear I could. The carrot on each headwind section was the roundabout at the end. On both laps, it was akin to a slingshot as you could feel the speed creeping up even before you had taken the exit. I was going from pushing hard at 35kph to cruising at 50-60kph. It's probably fair to say that the riding along in 56x11 on a flat piece of road, doing nigh on 60kph and still trying to go faster, is one of the best feelings you can get on a bike.

I crossed the line, covered in the obligatory snot and salt to discover that I had ridden just under 54. I thought it was good at the time as the conditions were so bad, but just had no idea how the other riders would have fared. I feared some of the smaller more agile framed individuals may have been able to sustain much higher speeds in the headwind. I saw Martin on the bridge back to the HQ and he showed me the favourite for the day going off into the distance, Martin's puncture had meant that he had time to check the splits. So, with the favourite still having 8 miles to do, he was down more than 40 seconds. I kind of knew at this point that I should be okay, mainly because I knew how fast I finished.

All in all, great day out and good to get a TT in before the season is over. Now it is time to (once again) see if I can spend a winter focusing on my running. Have decided to have another go at XC at least, so that should help.




News article on the Hounslow and District Wheelers page and in the local paper:

Hounslow & District Wheelers 25 mile Time Trial
Sunday 19th September

Richard Legge (London Dynamo) stormed to victory in the Hounslow 25 last Sunday (19th September), almost a minute faster than Ian Greenstreet (Newbury R.C.) and Brian Molloy (34th Nomads) who tied for second place. Legge recorded 53 minutes 59 seconds while Greenstreet and Molloy both did 54.56.

The event was held on the Farnham - Alton (A31) course which the previous afternoon in the North Hants RC 25 had been the scene of a shattering ride by Alex Dowsett, the young Trek Livestrong professional, who recorded 46 minutes 58 seconds. However Sunday morning proved to be a different proposition from the Saturday with a blustery south west wind blowing along the course, the general opinion being that the conditions made the Hounslow event about three minutes slower.

Primarily a triathlete, Richard Legge had not ridden any time trials since the National 25 Championship in early June, yet he seemed to find a way to beat the wind which left most of the field struggling. Richard commented: “I like to use big gears, I know there some who disapprove, but 60-70 rpm seems to suit me. I used 56 x 11 almost all the way on the tailwind sections.” And on the subject of time trials in general he said “I'm still surprised to find these CTT events are not flooded with triathletes: they are well organised, there is no problem with 'drafting' which is sometimes almost inevitable in triathlons because of the sheer number of competitors on the road, and the entry fees are much lower than triathlons.” He went home a happy man since this was his first ever outright victory in an open time trial.

Rob Gilmour was the Hounslow's best rider with a creditable 57.08 for 11th place. Club president Jeff Marshall recorded 1.02.06 which gave him the second best veterans' plus - the victor in this category was that frequent winner of vets' prizes, 73 year old John Woodburn (V.C. Meudon) whose actual time was 1.00.53. John complained about the wind and said he was a little tired having raced in the Rudy Project event the day before on Tees side! He won the age related event there too.

The best lady was Nicki Hunt (London & Home Counties VTTA) whose 1.6.28 was just over a minute too good for second placed Jo Wells of the Hounslow.

Chris Lovibond

http://www.hounslowanddistrictwheelers.co.uk/news/10/open_25.html

National Triathlon Relay Championships

Ok, these happened quite a while ago, but in the interests of making sure I get every race on here, they need to be mentioned.

Our Thames Turbo mixed team had set out to see if we could (again) claim a medal in this often less fiercely fought category. We had got second a couple of years ago, so we wanted to see if we could better that this year.

Alas it was not to be this time round, if there is one truism of the relays, it is that they seem to get increasingly competitive as the years go by. As it is, you need to have 4 members in the team who are pretty decent at each of the disciplines, in the end, we finished up in 5th place.

The good news for me though was that I did manage to get the fastest bike split in the morning's races, I was the only person to sneak under 20 minutes for the ~15k course.

I raced again in the afternoon in a men's team where we had a good bit of intra-club rivalry going on. Thankfully, the team I was in managed to win that private race. Annoyingly though, someone from the army managed to push my second bike split in to second place for the afternoon races. Still, not a bad day to have the fastest bike split in the morning and the second fastest in the afternoon. Not sure how I fared I was in the other disciplines, certainly not as well anyway!