I done Gael Force 2009 on Saturday - the event had tripled in size since last year, with 2500 entrants this year! I was a bit disappointed with some aspects of it, some things which were under the control of the organisers, others which weren't. In any case, I made it around the course three minutes SLOWER than last year, which believe it or not, I'm actually relatively happy with.
The main problem I had this year was with the bike, but comparing times against last year, I'm now not too sure it made a huge difference. The main reason I blame the bike is that it was really heavy (compared to my road bike, not last years bike) and the seat was way too low, so I really struggled getting any power. I felt like I was ambling along the whole time.
According to the Garmin, I only lost 9 minutes on the bike leg this year, which considering I was hoping to really knock some time off on the bike is disappointing. Lesson for next year is to bring my own bike - one of my friends here in Cambridge who I trained with was over 24 mins faster than me on this section (which also included a short run and the kayak in this years timings). He'd brought his own bike over and while my average speed was around 16kmph, I'm pretty sure his was more like our normal training speeds of 26-28kmph!
Besides the bike, I'm pretty happy with how things went - I was around 8 mins faster on the first run section, which includes a big hill that I essentially had to hike up and carefully descend. My ascent of Croagh Patrick was over 10 minutes faster than last year which I was really happy with, but my descent was about 11 minutes slower! So that overall balanced out.
Oh well - happy to have got around and surprised how close I got to last years time - I thought at the end I'd be close to 15 mins over it (forgot to factor in the downtime at the kayaks). In reality, those 3 minutes were probably wasted while waiting for some water at the foot of CP before the final bike - if I'd know that at the time!
2008 2009
Run 1: 1.37.29 1.29.43
Kayak: 9.32
Run 2: 32.17 32.57
Cycle 1: 1.39.34 1.48.37
Hike(U): 1.01.21 50.32
Hike(D): 33.57 45.15
Cycle 2: 41.19 38.54
======= =======
6.15.29 6.18.17
Showing posts with label race report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label race report. Show all posts
Monday, 24 August 2009
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Am I a rollercoaster?
After the disaster of the half marathon at the weekend, I'm on a bit of a high this evening! I completed the second race in the Cambridge Triathlon Club 5km race series, running strong all the way and even managing a sprint finish at the end (to overtake someone). Actually, considering how the first of these races went, I'm definitely at a high-point of the season so far!
Again, some very nice weather this evening (which kinda had me worried after Sunday), but I'm certainly not just going to run \ race in the cold & rain! Was determined to set off at an easy pace, but didn't fancy using HR or to try to stick at a certain pace, so just went by how I felt. It's always a danger, but one of my fellow competitors seemed about my level (he's in his 70's and has Parkinson's I found out afterwards - he's the brains behind the AnyOldIronman challenge I've been doing this month). To be honest, I was struggling to keep up and was hanging on his shoulder for a while, which is probably easier than setting the pace.
Pretty uneventful race for the next 2km - if my HR was anything to go by, I was certainly working hard. I passed and pulled away from my fellow competitor and at the 3km mark I'd caught up with another girl who had lapsed into a run\walk. After giving her a bit of encouragement, she was passed me again and stayed around 30m - 50m ahead until we turned for the final straight - I gave it as much as I had and passed her with about 30 meters to go. I felt a bit guilty about it I have to say!
Finishing time was 27m 33s - a new official PB. That said, I think I've done a 27m 12s in training before. HR was sky-high (avg 175bpm\max 186bpm). Didn't get negative splits, doing the first half in 13m 32s and the second in 14m 01s.
I've uploaded a comparison screenshot between the first race and tonights - I think a picture speaks a thousand words. A few points to note:
Again, some very nice weather this evening (which kinda had me worried after Sunday), but I'm certainly not just going to run \ race in the cold & rain! Was determined to set off at an easy pace, but didn't fancy using HR or to try to stick at a certain pace, so just went by how I felt. It's always a danger, but one of my fellow competitors seemed about my level (he's in his 70's and has Parkinson's I found out afterwards - he's the brains behind the AnyOldIronman challenge I've been doing this month). To be honest, I was struggling to keep up and was hanging on his shoulder for a while, which is probably easier than setting the pace.
Pretty uneventful race for the next 2km - if my HR was anything to go by, I was certainly working hard. I passed and pulled away from my fellow competitor and at the 3km mark I'd caught up with another girl who had lapsed into a run\walk. After giving her a bit of encouragement, she was passed me again and stayed around 30m - 50m ahead until we turned for the final straight - I gave it as much as I had and passed her with about 30 meters to go. I felt a bit guilty about it I have to say!
Finishing time was 27m 33s - a new official PB. That said, I think I've done a 27m 12s in training before. HR was sky-high (avg 175bpm\max 186bpm). Didn't get negative splits, doing the first half in 13m 32s and the second in 14m 01s.
I've uploaded a comparison screenshot between the first race and tonights - I think a picture speaks a thousand words. A few points to note:
- See the two dots on the map - still had a bit of a way to go in the first race
- Tonights effort (blue) was at a constant effort throughout (apart from the sprint finish) - see the HR graph and average speed graph
- Tortoise and hare - slow and steady wins the race - the delta distance shows that I was ahead of myself in the first race from the 10 minute mark onwards - sweet.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
How NOT to run a 5km
Start out all guns blazing - it's a sure way to end up in a heap. I found this out to my detriment earlier this evening in the first race of a three race series I'm doing. The event is being organised by the local triathlon club and it's about a 5 minute walk from work, so I'd no excuses. I even skipped GAA training for it.
5km is a pretty tough distance - it's short enough that the aim should be to do it just under all-out effort. However, it does help if you know what your limit is!
Set off on todays race after warming up for a few minutes. Started off strong, as I'd good memories of the Reading Half marathon and lasting a fair distance with a good pace. Looked at the garmin at one point and I was in the low four min zone! Felt good and started contemplating my 20 minute 5km! What a fool!!!
Of course it was never going to last - according to the garmin & sport tracks it lasted all over 7 minutes (1.42km). As you should be able to see in the pic below, it was a battle to get to the end after that - short runs followed by rests - depressing stuff!
To mock me even further (I'm joking) there was also a kids 2.5km race which set of a few mins after the full 5km - I was getting passed by some of the youngsters before my first walk break - fair play to them - they were absolutely flying.
Anyways, my splits sum up this race nicely - 4.42, 6.01, 6.53, 6.25 and 6.09. Lesson learnt - the fable of the tortoise and hare comes to mind.
5km is a pretty tough distance - it's short enough that the aim should be to do it just under all-out effort. However, it does help if you know what your limit is!
Set off on todays race after warming up for a few minutes. Started off strong, as I'd good memories of the Reading Half marathon and lasting a fair distance with a good pace. Looked at the garmin at one point and I was in the low four min zone! Felt good and started contemplating my 20 minute 5km! What a fool!!!
Of course it was never going to last - according to the garmin & sport tracks it lasted all over 7 minutes (1.42km). As you should be able to see in the pic below, it was a battle to get to the end after that - short runs followed by rests - depressing stuff!
To mock me even further (I'm joking) there was also a kids 2.5km race which set of a few mins after the full 5km - I was getting passed by some of the youngsters before my first walk break - fair play to them - they were absolutely flying.
Anyways, my splits sum up this race nicely - 4.42, 6.01, 6.53, 6.25 and 6.09. Lesson learnt - the fable of the tortoise and hare comes to mind.
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Busy week + race report
Its been almost a week and a half since my last post, but I've been keeping pretty busy fitness wise. For the most part, I've just been doing short and easy runs, up to around 40 mins in total - keeps me ticking by.
Then at the weekend I entered my third F3 Events duathlon - 5km run / 20km cycle / 5km run. I'd my best attempt at this event yet - for one, I actually completed it non-stop...this was a mere pipe-dream the first time I entered. Secondly, on both runs I averaged less than 6 min per km pace, which means that I done the 10km in less than an hour in total - another milestone. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, I enjoyed every minute of it.
It looks like the course is a bit short (even compared to my previous attempts) according to the Garmin, coming in at 4.7km\19.1km\4.7km, which is a bit disappointing. So I can't really compare times unless I adjust slightly for the differences. Either way, I knocked over 14 minutes of my previous time - 1hr 36m 03s vs 1h 50m 44s which I reckon is probably around 8 mins when adjusted. Either way, I'm absolutely delighted with the result.
I'm actually down in the results in last place but I'm actually the last finisher - there was two ladies behind me, so I'm not too sure what happened their results - the women in last I felt really sorry for - she really reminded me of my first (and second) attempt at the event, but in fairness to her, she kept going.
Then at the weekend I entered my third F3 Events duathlon - 5km run / 20km cycle / 5km run. I'd my best attempt at this event yet - for one, I actually completed it non-stop...this was a mere pipe-dream the first time I entered. Secondly, on both runs I averaged less than 6 min per km pace, which means that I done the 10km in less than an hour in total - another milestone. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, I enjoyed every minute of it.
It looks like the course is a bit short (even compared to my previous attempts) according to the Garmin, coming in at 4.7km\19.1km\4.7km, which is a bit disappointing. So I can't really compare times unless I adjust slightly for the differences. Either way, I knocked over 14 minutes of my previous time - 1hr 36m 03s vs 1h 50m 44s which I reckon is probably around 8 mins when adjusted. Either way, I'm absolutely delighted with the result.
I'm actually down in the results in last place but I'm actually the last finisher - there was two ladies behind me, so I'm not too sure what happened their results - the women in last I felt really sorry for - she really reminded me of my first (and second) attempt at the event, but in fairness to her, she kept going.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Diss Duathlon
Perhaps my mammoth cycle yesterday wasn't the best preparation for a duathlon today. I probably realised this during the cycle yesterday, but at that stage it was too late! But my bed was made, so I may as well sleep in it, so they say.
A slight ignorance as to the distance involved to the venue, meant I was up around 6am this morning to get down to register in time. After that was done, had about 90 mins to get set up, which was relatively straight forward. All the waiting around had me thinking if I should just go home and take it easy for the day, but I figured as long as I was there, I may as well give it a go.
I was due to go off in the third (and last) wave, 10 mins after first wave - as the starter mentioned, the young and fast guys. He obviously meant everyone else, and after the start, it was pretty obvious he wasn't lying! There were one or two other stragglers, but I was firmly at the back just hoping to keep my sights on the other two \ three people ahead of me. I done the first section (5km officially - 5.5km according to GPS) in just under 6 min per km pace which I was happy enough with.
Then onto the bike...I was last into transition but was half hoping I might catch up on someone on the bike. My rear was actually quiet sore once I was back in the saddle, after yesterdays exertions and it was also quiet a bumpy ride, which didn't help. The course was three laps of a loop and I passed three people in total (all women - two ambling along on mountain bikes). Still was happy enough with my pace (considering), doing the 28km (GPS - 30km as advertised) at just over 27kmph.
The last run, a copy of the first one was a real, real, real, (...), real slog. The least said about that the better. Averaged 6m 34km's (with a fair bit of walking) - again I'm happy enough with it as it's comparable (or slightly better) than what I'd done in similar events before.
I've got the option to do a duathlon next weekend that I've done twice before, so might try that (without the big ride the day before) and see what progress I've made.
A slight ignorance as to the distance involved to the venue, meant I was up around 6am this morning to get down to register in time. After that was done, had about 90 mins to get set up, which was relatively straight forward. All the waiting around had me thinking if I should just go home and take it easy for the day, but I figured as long as I was there, I may as well give it a go.
I was due to go off in the third (and last) wave, 10 mins after first wave - as the starter mentioned, the young and fast guys. He obviously meant everyone else, and after the start, it was pretty obvious he wasn't lying! There were one or two other stragglers, but I was firmly at the back just hoping to keep my sights on the other two \ three people ahead of me. I done the first section (5km officially - 5.5km according to GPS) in just under 6 min per km pace which I was happy enough with.
Then onto the bike...I was last into transition but was half hoping I might catch up on someone on the bike. My rear was actually quiet sore once I was back in the saddle, after yesterdays exertions and it was also quiet a bumpy ride, which didn't help. The course was three laps of a loop and I passed three people in total (all women - two ambling along on mountain bikes). Still was happy enough with my pace (considering), doing the 28km (GPS - 30km as advertised) at just over 27kmph.
The last run, a copy of the first one was a real, real, real, (...), real slog. The least said about that the better. Averaged 6m 34km's (with a fair bit of walking) - again I'm happy enough with it as it's comparable (or slightly better) than what I'd done in similar events before.
I've got the option to do a duathlon next weekend that I've done twice before, so might try that (without the big ride the day before) and see what progress I've made.
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Previous Reading Results
After a bit of digging, I fould my Reading Half Marathon results for the two other times that I'd done it...kinda puts last weeks run into context.
- 2005: little training, approx 110kg (guess) - 2hrs 37m 55s
- 2006: little training, approx 126kg (guess) - 2hrs 54m 51s
- 2009: good training, approx 108kg - 2hrs 12m 40s
Monday, 30 March 2009
Reading Half Marathon Report
First off, I just want to say well done to Idoia on completing her first Half Marathon (and indeed running event of any description) in a brilliant time of 2hrs 38mins. You've come a long way in a short time :)
Well that's the first event of the season done and dusted. It's my third attempt at the race and easily the most prepared I'd been for it. I wasn't really nervous beforehand, which I guess is the product of knowing I'd done a decent amount of training for it...could have been better (and has been worse).
Due to some enthusiastic people wanting to get there early, I was on the 7am bus out to the start...arriving there a full two hours before the race start. Still, the time actually passed by pretty fast and before we knew it we were walking down towards the start. We were actually slightly late for it, but with 18000 (registered) runners, it took almost twenty minutes for the back of the pack to cross the line.
I could only manage to set myself up beside the 2hrs 25min pace maker when crossing the line, but I'd soon dropped him, dodging all the traffic and was soon passing the 2hrs 20 minute guy. I'd started out strong and felt comfortable so just decided to stick with it. After another mile or so, I closed down and passed the 2hr 15 guy and the aim after that was to keep him behind me :)
There's only two hills on the course, both of which failing to cause any problems (I think the hills in Madeira were responsible for this) and I was feeling pretty good passing people walking up ... I remembered being in their shoes before and it wasn't a nice feeling.
I was still keeping a good strong pace, passing people and knocking off mile after mile. I was going faster than 10 minute mile pace which I was absolutely delighted with and reckoned I'd aim to keep that up for as long as possible. As I was coming up to the half way mark, I was looking really good for a 10km PB, so when I crossed the 10km mark I was delighted to see my Garmin registering 57m 36s, a PB by over five minutes (and non-stop to boot!).
I was still going strong for the next 2km or so, but after this my pace started to slow a bit. After the second of the two hills, I knew I was on the homeward stretch and had around 5 miles to go. Despite the slower times, I was still feeling good and had it in my head that I could beat 2hrs 10m and get home non-stop.
It started to get tough after 10 miles in and I was paying for the faster pace I was setting earlier. Up to 18km in I still had an average of 6 mins per km, so I decided to try and keep that if I could - only 5km to go right, same as my normal small lap and what I'd consider my "easy" run.
And then I blew...I literally saw the 11 mile marker, reached it, said I'd just get back for a non-stop run and about 200m afterwards I had to stop! The last 2 miles were very stop start and it was a real struggle to get home. I kept setting myself little goals but just couldn't get back into a rhythm. I managed a decent final home run sprint, but immediately had to go over to a railing where I almost got sick!
It probably took me 10 mins to recover but I was still absolutely delighted. While I only acheived half the pre-race goals (enjoy the race), I'm still counting this run as a massive success. The first 10km of the race were fantastic, the next 8km good (considering the first 10km) and the ending was the only down-side. That said, I still set a new Half Marathon PB of 2hrs 12mins 40secs which I'm pretty darn happy with.
Well that's the first event of the season done and dusted. It's my third attempt at the race and easily the most prepared I'd been for it. I wasn't really nervous beforehand, which I guess is the product of knowing I'd done a decent amount of training for it...could have been better (and has been worse).
Due to some enthusiastic people wanting to get there early, I was on the 7am bus out to the start...arriving there a full two hours before the race start. Still, the time actually passed by pretty fast and before we knew it we were walking down towards the start. We were actually slightly late for it, but with 18000 (registered) runners, it took almost twenty minutes for the back of the pack to cross the line.
I could only manage to set myself up beside the 2hrs 25min pace maker when crossing the line, but I'd soon dropped him, dodging all the traffic and was soon passing the 2hrs 20 minute guy. I'd started out strong and felt comfortable so just decided to stick with it. After another mile or so, I closed down and passed the 2hr 15 guy and the aim after that was to keep him behind me :)
There's only two hills on the course, both of which failing to cause any problems (I think the hills in Madeira were responsible for this) and I was feeling pretty good passing people walking up ... I remembered being in their shoes before and it wasn't a nice feeling.
I was still keeping a good strong pace, passing people and knocking off mile after mile. I was going faster than 10 minute mile pace which I was absolutely delighted with and reckoned I'd aim to keep that up for as long as possible. As I was coming up to the half way mark, I was looking really good for a 10km PB, so when I crossed the 10km mark I was delighted to see my Garmin registering 57m 36s, a PB by over five minutes (and non-stop to boot!).
I was still going strong for the next 2km or so, but after this my pace started to slow a bit. After the second of the two hills, I knew I was on the homeward stretch and had around 5 miles to go. Despite the slower times, I was still feeling good and had it in my head that I could beat 2hrs 10m and get home non-stop.
It started to get tough after 10 miles in and I was paying for the faster pace I was setting earlier. Up to 18km in I still had an average of 6 mins per km, so I decided to try and keep that if I could - only 5km to go right, same as my normal small lap and what I'd consider my "easy" run.
And then I blew...I literally saw the 11 mile marker, reached it, said I'd just get back for a non-stop run and about 200m afterwards I had to stop! The last 2 miles were very stop start and it was a real struggle to get home. I kept setting myself little goals but just couldn't get back into a rhythm. I managed a decent final home run sprint, but immediately had to go over to a railing where I almost got sick!
It probably took me 10 mins to recover but I was still absolutely delighted. While I only acheived half the pre-race goals (enjoy the race), I'm still counting this run as a massive success. The first 10km of the race were fantastic, the next 8km good (considering the first 10km) and the ending was the only down-side. That said, I still set a new Half Marathon PB of 2hrs 12mins 40secs which I'm pretty darn happy with.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Failed to take the start line...
Was supposed to be doing the London Duathlon this morning (challenge distance - 9km run \ 20km bike \ 5km run) but twinged my hamstring yesterday so decided against it. I'm a bit disappointed, but I guess these things happen. Probably could have struggled around, but may have done more damage. Besides, it was definitely easier to stay in bed :)
Monday, 26 May 2008
Bupa London 10000 Race report
Talk about miserable conditions! It was pretty wet and a little blustery which didn't really help my mood going into the race. It was so miserable I didn't do a warmup, but that doesn't really mean much...I hate doing warm-ups. So enough of the chit-chat...I got around in (officially) 1hr 2m 55s which I'm happy enough with. Its a PB for me, so thats always good. Not too sure I could have given it much more (without blowing up), so in that regards, can't ask for much more.
I'm happy to report that I acheived three out of four of my goals for this race (see previous post). I'm really chuffed with that, so hopefully can progress with them for my next 10k.
Firstly, I ran the distance non-stop. This was actually pretty tough as I really had to fight with myself to keep going at times. Having other people around helps a lot, but I think the biggest help was that I'd set that out as my number one goal for the race.
Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, I ran a PB. Again, I don't think I could have done it much faster so happy enough there.
Thirdly, I ran a negative split...just about. I didn't really use HR to pace myself, but all the same it seemed to settle around the 170-172bpm mark for most of the race. This is about 10bpm higher than I normally train at, so would imply that I was slightly outside my "comfort" zone in the race. Officially, my splits were 31.32 and 31.24. Like I say, not a massive difference, but still a negative split all the same.
Finally, a word on what my Garmin had to say about things. Notice that the distance as 10.43km in 1.03.10 (6.03 pace). I guess that this means that over the course of the race I ran the guts of an extra half km, most likely dodging people or by not taking the "racing line". Bit of a sickener really, as that would have put me within reach of my fourth goal, breaking the hour mark. Oh well, I guess there's always next time.
I'm happy to report that I acheived three out of four of my goals for this race (see previous post). I'm really chuffed with that, so hopefully can progress with them for my next 10k.
Firstly, I ran the distance non-stop. This was actually pretty tough as I really had to fight with myself to keep going at times. Having other people around helps a lot, but I think the biggest help was that I'd set that out as my number one goal for the race.
Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, I ran a PB. Again, I don't think I could have done it much faster so happy enough there.
Thirdly, I ran a negative split...just about. I didn't really use HR to pace myself, but all the same it seemed to settle around the 170-172bpm mark for most of the race. This is about 10bpm higher than I normally train at, so would imply that I was slightly outside my "comfort" zone in the race. Officially, my splits were 31.32 and 31.24. Like I say, not a massive difference, but still a negative split all the same.
Finally, a word on what my Garmin had to say about things. Notice that the distance as 10.43km in 1.03.10 (6.03 pace). I guess that this means that over the course of the race I ran the guts of an extra half km, most likely dodging people or by not taking the "racing line". Bit of a sickener really, as that would have put me within reach of my fourth goal, breaking the hour mark. Oh well, I guess there's always next time.
Friday, 9 May 2008
My first official timetrial
Well, that was tough. Despite feeling like I was about to puke for the first 5km and having the British 10 mile TT champion (I think) lap me after 3km (despite starting two minutes behind me), I still made it around the two six mile laps in a PB pace.
The course was relatively flat and more or less impossible to get lost on which was good for my first go at something like this. I'd the option of doing one or two laps and opted for the latter just as I past the start\finish line.
I tried to focus on keeping a high cadence, setting a minimum limit of 85rpm (before shifting up) and a maximum limit of 95rpm (before shifting down). This strategy seemed to work well for the most part, with just one minor hill causing trouble.
Here are the stats from my Garmin.
Distance: 18.77km
Time: 39m 03s
Average Speed: 28.8kmph
Fastest Pace: 1m 40s per km
Average Cadence: 87.6rpm
For a brief perspective, my usual cadence is just under 80rpm and my previous best average speed for a comparable distance is 27.9kmph (average cadence for that ride was 79.4rpm).
The course was relatively flat and more or less impossible to get lost on which was good for my first go at something like this. I'd the option of doing one or two laps and opted for the latter just as I past the start\finish line.
I tried to focus on keeping a high cadence, setting a minimum limit of 85rpm (before shifting up) and a maximum limit of 95rpm (before shifting down). This strategy seemed to work well for the most part, with just one minor hill causing trouble.
Here are the stats from my Garmin.
Distance: 18.77km
Time: 39m 03s
Average Speed: 28.8kmph
Fastest Pace: 1m 40s per km
Average Cadence: 87.6rpm
For a brief perspective, my usual cadence is just under 80rpm and my previous best average speed for a comparable distance is 27.9kmph (average cadence for that ride was 79.4rpm).
Monday, 11 February 2008
Race Report: F3 Duathlon - Dorney Lake
Went along to the first F3 duathlon at Dorney Lake yesterday, where my main aim was to beat my time that I set in November. I'd played my first game of football on Saturday as well, the result of which was that my groin was a bit sore and hence cast a doubt for the duathlon on Sunday.
I turned up in Dorney in good time and registered. Weather was absolutely gorgeous for a early February morning, clear blue skies and hardly any wind. There was about 100 people registered, from the look of things seasoned athletes. Quite a few tri club kits on display and some seriously nice bikes.
Coming up to the start, and my groin seemed ok, but just done a few stretches and didn't bother to warmup. Done my usual thing of starting off a bit too fast, which meant that I just ran the first 2.5km non-stop although I'd done 5km a few times before in training. Run felt good in general, despite my stopping.
Done the first 5km in 31.15 (official time, I reckon more like 31.04). Was hoping to get under 30mins but this is still a personal best.
Off onto the bike, which seemed to go well despite people flying by me the whole time. The thing that really got to me was that they seemed to be in middle gears instead of their lowest gear, meaning that they hardly seemed to be pushing. Decided to give this a go and have to say that it seemed to work well enough and I got off the bike pretty "fresh". Overall, the bike plus the two transitions took me 45m 27s.
Off onto the final run, which didn't feel anything like as bad as the last time I tried it. Didn't really have to convince myself too much to do the second lap either, which was a real effort in November. I was well into a run\walk strategy at this part of the race though.
Still, completed the last 5km in 34.02 (official time) which isn't too bad for me.
Overall, my time was about 7 mins faster than November, most of that coming on the bike. All three splits though were faster, which is encouraging.
Next one is in March, which I'll probably be at. If I could knock another 7 mins off my time I'd be well chuffed with myself.
I turned up in Dorney in good time and registered. Weather was absolutely gorgeous for a early February morning, clear blue skies and hardly any wind. There was about 100 people registered, from the look of things seasoned athletes. Quite a few tri club kits on display and some seriously nice bikes.
Coming up to the start, and my groin seemed ok, but just done a few stretches and didn't bother to warmup. Done my usual thing of starting off a bit too fast, which meant that I just ran the first 2.5km non-stop although I'd done 5km a few times before in training. Run felt good in general, despite my stopping.
Done the first 5km in 31.15 (official time, I reckon more like 31.04). Was hoping to get under 30mins but this is still a personal best.
Off onto the bike, which seemed to go well despite people flying by me the whole time. The thing that really got to me was that they seemed to be in middle gears instead of their lowest gear, meaning that they hardly seemed to be pushing. Decided to give this a go and have to say that it seemed to work well enough and I got off the bike pretty "fresh". Overall, the bike plus the two transitions took me 45m 27s.
Off onto the final run, which didn't feel anything like as bad as the last time I tried it. Didn't really have to convince myself too much to do the second lap either, which was a real effort in November. I was well into a run\walk strategy at this part of the race though.
Still, completed the last 5km in 34.02 (official time) which isn't too bad for me.
Overall, my time was about 7 mins faster than November, most of that coming on the bike. All three splits though were faster, which is encouraging.
Next one is in March, which I'll probably be at. If I could knock another 7 mins off my time I'd be well chuffed with myself.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Race Report: F3 Duathlon - Dorney Lake
Done the F3 Events November duathlon today at Dorney Lake, which was 5km run / 20km cycle / 5km run. Its on a totally flat course, around the 2012 olympic rowing lake.
Made it around, despite convincing myself at least 100 times that I should just do the "novice" version (2.5km / 12km / 2.5km). I started off pretty fast, mainly trying to keep with one of my mates who's a much stronger runner than me. When he maneuvered to pass a group of runners, I let him go and carried on myself at my own pace, which slowed considerably after this (see graphs below).
I was hoping to do the first run leg under the 30min mark (which would have been a pb) but unfortunately, I came in around 32mins, the second last person on that run leg.
Onto the bike, which was also my first proper go with using the cleats. Started off strong, hitting speeds up to 40kmph and thinking I was a great fellow. After 2km, that was to change, as the course doubled back on itself and I faced into a gale force wind. Believe it or not, it was actually a pretty calm day, (at least at the start where its a bit sheltered) so this was quite a shock. Speeds dropped down to about 19kmph on average and it was like a 2km uphill ride the whole way back. The route called for 5 of these loops and after the second attempt the "novice" race was appealing to me again.
I actually caught up to my mate on the bike leg, mainly due to the fact he was riding a mountain bike, with a half flat back tyre! Needless to say, he passed me quickly enough on the run!
For the second run I took a different approach, mainly a run \ walk strategy. Initially I was hoping to do 3 min runs \ 1 min walks but that just wasn't going to happen the state I was in! So settled on a good few 1.5 min runs \ 30s walks. I even told my mate at one stage when we met on the loop that I was only doing 1 of the laps! Next time I met him, I'd talked myself around into doing the second lap.
Anyways, got around in just under 2 hours. Official results aren't out yet, but I put my time down as 1h 57m or there abouts. Official placing I guess is 3rd last :) Things can only get better! At least I completed it!!
For more info, see here, here and here...
Run 1
Bike
Run 2
Made it around, despite convincing myself at least 100 times that I should just do the "novice" version (2.5km / 12km / 2.5km). I started off pretty fast, mainly trying to keep with one of my mates who's a much stronger runner than me. When he maneuvered to pass a group of runners, I let him go and carried on myself at my own pace, which slowed considerably after this (see graphs below).
I was hoping to do the first run leg under the 30min mark (which would have been a pb) but unfortunately, I came in around 32mins, the second last person on that run leg.
Onto the bike, which was also my first proper go with using the cleats. Started off strong, hitting speeds up to 40kmph and thinking I was a great fellow. After 2km, that was to change, as the course doubled back on itself and I faced into a gale force wind. Believe it or not, it was actually a pretty calm day, (at least at the start where its a bit sheltered) so this was quite a shock. Speeds dropped down to about 19kmph on average and it was like a 2km uphill ride the whole way back. The route called for 5 of these loops and after the second attempt the "novice" race was appealing to me again.
I actually caught up to my mate on the bike leg, mainly due to the fact he was riding a mountain bike, with a half flat back tyre! Needless to say, he passed me quickly enough on the run!
For the second run I took a different approach, mainly a run \ walk strategy. Initially I was hoping to do 3 min runs \ 1 min walks but that just wasn't going to happen the state I was in! So settled on a good few 1.5 min runs \ 30s walks. I even told my mate at one stage when we met on the loop that I was only doing 1 of the laps! Next time I met him, I'd talked myself around into doing the second lap.
Anyways, got around in just under 2 hours. Official results aren't out yet, but I put my time down as 1h 57m or there abouts. Official placing I guess is 3rd last :) Things can only get better! At least I completed it!!
For more info, see here, here and here...
Run 1
Bike
Run 2
Monday, 15 October 2007
Undulating
Rising and falling like waves; resembling wave form or motion; undulatory; rolling; wavy; as, an undulating medium; undulating ground.
Doesn't really describe the first 3-4km of the rowers revenge, which was literally straight uphill on the bike leg. Must have taken me 15mins to climb it. Absolute killer. Another big hill on 20km didn't really help either...I'm amazed that I actually managed to get up it without getting off the bike!!
Overall, the day went well. I was scheduled to start at 1.35pm but got there nice and early around 9.30am. Saw a nice dedication ceremony of a boat, which was named after a young local lad that had died of meningitis earlier in the year.
I managed to get an earlier start time, so warmed up briefly before starting into the rowing. It was tough going but I certainly wasn't the last to get off, finishing the row in approx 15m 33s (beating my previous pb by about 25s). Ran into transition to pick up the bike, taking a bit of time to ensure I got a drink and headed off on the road. As I mentioned above, first few km's were tough going and I was quickly dropped by the rest of the guys in my wave. Still, soldiered on, and indeed the course was undulating as described.
Hit another massive hill at the 20km mark, at which point I was actually passed by some boys in the next wave! Boy can those lads cycle. Made it back to T2, was pretty wrecked and the last thing I wanted to do was the 7.5km run section.
My stomach had actually been growling for the last bit of the bike, so decided to chow down on a protein bar that I'd brought for after the race. Big, big mistake. It was so dry I just had to gag and spent the next two km spitting trying to get rid of it. Had to settle into a run-walk strategy early into the run, as was just dead on my feet. This got progressively worse as the race went on, eventually settling for a 1m run\30s walk routine!
Eventually made it back in 2hrs 15mins, which was about 15mins slower than I'd hoped for. The run was definitely my weakest part, but could also do with knocking a few mins of the bike section. Thankfully didn't come last in my age-group as well, which is always motivating.
Must keep the training up over the next few months and hopefully knock some time of both the bike and run legs. I've already been out on the bike once this week, which sadly almost added 30% to this years bike training!!
Doesn't really describe the first 3-4km of the rowers revenge, which was literally straight uphill on the bike leg. Must have taken me 15mins to climb it. Absolute killer. Another big hill on 20km didn't really help either...I'm amazed that I actually managed to get up it without getting off the bike!!
Overall, the day went well. I was scheduled to start at 1.35pm but got there nice and early around 9.30am. Saw a nice dedication ceremony of a boat, which was named after a young local lad that had died of meningitis earlier in the year.
I managed to get an earlier start time, so warmed up briefly before starting into the rowing. It was tough going but I certainly wasn't the last to get off, finishing the row in approx 15m 33s (beating my previous pb by about 25s). Ran into transition to pick up the bike, taking a bit of time to ensure I got a drink and headed off on the road. As I mentioned above, first few km's were tough going and I was quickly dropped by the rest of the guys in my wave. Still, soldiered on, and indeed the course was undulating as described.
Hit another massive hill at the 20km mark, at which point I was actually passed by some boys in the next wave! Boy can those lads cycle. Made it back to T2, was pretty wrecked and the last thing I wanted to do was the 7.5km run section.
My stomach had actually been growling for the last bit of the bike, so decided to chow down on a protein bar that I'd brought for after the race. Big, big mistake. It was so dry I just had to gag and spent the next two km spitting trying to get rid of it. Had to settle into a run-walk strategy early into the run, as was just dead on my feet. This got progressively worse as the race went on, eventually settling for a 1m run\30s walk routine!
Eventually made it back in 2hrs 15mins, which was about 15mins slower than I'd hoped for. The run was definitely my weakest part, but could also do with knocking a few mins of the bike section. Thankfully didn't come last in my age-group as well, which is always motivating.
Must keep the training up over the next few months and hopefully knock some time of both the bike and run legs. I've already been out on the bike once this week, which sadly almost added 30% to this years bike training!!
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Clapham 10k Report
Had to really struggle to get out of bed at 7am to drive up to Clapham for this. Was considering the train but it looked like I'd have had to sleep in a station overnight...not really an option. So got up and breakfast consisted of a banana and some Tropicana! Hardly the ideal start.
Made it up to Clapham in plenty of time, done a quick stretch and a bit of a jog to warm up. Started towards the back of the pack, and it took me the guts of 40s to cross the start line. Started off a bit too fast, as usual, doing the first 1k in under 6m and completing the 2nd in 12mins (non-stop). Started doing my usual run-walk routine from here, with the walks consisting of 30secs.
I made it to 5k in 30mins 20secs, easily my best time yet (1m 40s faster than Dorney) but thats the only good news to report. The second 5k were unbelievably hard by comparison. It took me 8 mins to reach the 6km marker as my legs were totally shot. I picked it up a bit until about 7.5km, where I really struggled for another km. Eventually got to 9km and the homeward stretch...how come that last km is always easier than the couple beforehand.
Completed the race in 1hr 5min 40s, which was 20s faster than my previous best at Dorney. But given the 5k pace, it was a bit disappointing that it wasn't a bit better.
So what went wrong...well my preparation on the day was hardly ideal. Thats definitely something that needs to be looked at in future. But I think the main problem was probably my training runs in the previous two weeks...all except one (of 9 I think) were 30-36mins. No wonder I didn't have the legs after half way, considering the pace I'd set up to that point. I'll be making a conscious effort over the coming weeks to do more longer runs (at slower paces) just to build the stamina up.
Made it up to Clapham in plenty of time, done a quick stretch and a bit of a jog to warm up. Started towards the back of the pack, and it took me the guts of 40s to cross the start line. Started off a bit too fast, as usual, doing the first 1k in under 6m and completing the 2nd in 12mins (non-stop). Started doing my usual run-walk routine from here, with the walks consisting of 30secs.
I made it to 5k in 30mins 20secs, easily my best time yet (1m 40s faster than Dorney) but thats the only good news to report. The second 5k were unbelievably hard by comparison. It took me 8 mins to reach the 6km marker as my legs were totally shot. I picked it up a bit until about 7.5km, where I really struggled for another km. Eventually got to 9km and the homeward stretch...how come that last km is always easier than the couple beforehand.
Completed the race in 1hr 5min 40s, which was 20s faster than my previous best at Dorney. But given the 5k pace, it was a bit disappointing that it wasn't a bit better.
So what went wrong...well my preparation on the day was hardly ideal. Thats definitely something that needs to be looked at in future. But I think the main problem was probably my training runs in the previous two weeks...all except one (of 9 I think) were 30-36mins. No wonder I didn't have the legs after half way, considering the pace I'd set up to that point. I'll be making a conscious effort over the coming weeks to do more longer runs (at slower paces) just to build the stamina up.
Saturday, 30 June 2007
New 10k PB
Done the Dorney Dash (10k) today, coming home in a time of 1hr and 6 mins, a personal best. Well, its a PB in that its the fastest that I've ever done a 10k run. However, I'm still a bit disappointed, given the nature of the course (totally flat), that it wasn't better.
Still, a PB is a PB, and I knocked over 5 mins of my previous PB of 1h 11m. However, as I've said previously, that course was pretty hilly (or undulating as they described it), multi-terrain and on a scorching hot day. Todays course was the exact opposite...totally flat, all on tarmac and pouring rain!
I obviously set off too fast, doing the first km in a little under 6 mins, which killed me. I settled into a rythm after that, generally 4min/1min or similar. Done the first 5km in 32mins, just as the winners were crossing the finish line! Kinda struggled over the next 2.5km, crossing the 7.5km distance around 50mins. Perked up a bit on the homeward stretch, doing it in about 16 mins. For this last bit I tried to pick up the pace for shorter periods of time, with shorter recovery as well.
Still, I definitely learned a few things today
a) BBQ is not the best major meal before the race
b) I hadn't really trained too well for this, with just three runs in the last two weeks. Must do better next time. Actually my time was a little faster than my last training run, so perhaps should have had a more realistic expectation going into this.
c) Pacing is important...I can't seem to get this right and tried a few different approaches today. In training, I'm able to run initially for about 15mins non-stop (say just over 2k), followed by 1 min recovery periods and 4 or so mins running. Today, after setting off too fast, I still averaged the same initial pace over the first 15mins which was good. Up to half way followed my training runs but then I struggled. Should probably have done one or two training runs closer to the 10km distance.
d) Mental goals...it definitely helps to have a few mental goals to help you keep going throught the tough times. After the usual hectic start, I settled in with two or three people that seemed to be running at my pace. Decided that I was going to finish ahead of these people, which thankfully acheived. One girl in particular, was just ahead of me the entire race, until I overtook her in the last km. Goals like this seem to push me into keeping up with the pace, no matter how tough the going is.
e) Lack of preparation...no change of shoes, no mp3 player, dodgy directions, etc, etc. No excuse for this really.
So, in summary, some done, (a lot) more to do.
Still, a PB is a PB, and I knocked over 5 mins of my previous PB of 1h 11m. However, as I've said previously, that course was pretty hilly (or undulating as they described it), multi-terrain and on a scorching hot day. Todays course was the exact opposite...totally flat, all on tarmac and pouring rain!
I obviously set off too fast, doing the first km in a little under 6 mins, which killed me. I settled into a rythm after that, generally 4min/1min or similar. Done the first 5km in 32mins, just as the winners were crossing the finish line! Kinda struggled over the next 2.5km, crossing the 7.5km distance around 50mins. Perked up a bit on the homeward stretch, doing it in about 16 mins. For this last bit I tried to pick up the pace for shorter periods of time, with shorter recovery as well.
Still, I definitely learned a few things today
a) BBQ is not the best major meal before the race
b) I hadn't really trained too well for this, with just three runs in the last two weeks. Must do better next time. Actually my time was a little faster than my last training run, so perhaps should have had a more realistic expectation going into this.
c) Pacing is important...I can't seem to get this right and tried a few different approaches today. In training, I'm able to run initially for about 15mins non-stop (say just over 2k), followed by 1 min recovery periods and 4 or so mins running. Today, after setting off too fast, I still averaged the same initial pace over the first 15mins which was good. Up to half way followed my training runs but then I struggled. Should probably have done one or two training runs closer to the 10km distance.
d) Mental goals...it definitely helps to have a few mental goals to help you keep going throught the tough times. After the usual hectic start, I settled in with two or three people that seemed to be running at my pace. Decided that I was going to finish ahead of these people, which thankfully acheived. One girl in particular, was just ahead of me the entire race, until I overtook her in the last km. Goals like this seem to push me into keeping up with the pace, no matter how tough the going is.
e) Lack of preparation...no change of shoes, no mp3 player, dodgy directions, etc, etc. No excuse for this really.
So, in summary, some done, (a lot) more to do.
Monday, 4 June 2007
First 10k result in
Well, I've set a 10k benchmark. Probably should have researched the race a bit better before going along, but completed the Chiltern Chase in approx 1:11:11. Very happy with that overall, mainly because the course was mainly cross-country (multi-terrain), quite hilly (or undulating as they described it...especially compared to Cambridge) and the weather was roasting.
I'd say about 2k was on tar, which I'd never been so happy to see in my life! The rest of it was generally on rough paths, gravel roads, forest paths etc. No two steps the same which sapped a lot of extra energy.
I aimed to use the heart rate monitor through out, setting the limits to the slightly higher 150-175bpm. Needless to say it was nearer the top of the range most of the time, rather than the bottom of it. Any bit of a hill and I was easily topping the upper limit...just as well cause each hill nearly killed me, even walking up them.
Overall though, a very nice course. I'd definitely do it again next year, if only to compare the times.
I'd say about 2k was on tar, which I'd never been so happy to see in my life! The rest of it was generally on rough paths, gravel roads, forest paths etc. No two steps the same which sapped a lot of extra energy.
I aimed to use the heart rate monitor through out, setting the limits to the slightly higher 150-175bpm. Needless to say it was nearer the top of the range most of the time, rather than the bottom of it. Any bit of a hill and I was easily topping the upper limit...just as well cause each hill nearly killed me, even walking up them.
Overall though, a very nice course. I'd definitely do it again next year, if only to compare the times.
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