2022 races

[pacha]

Outlaw race report, you have my times above so can see the general picture, hope this isn’t too self-indulgent.

Prelude that explains what went wrong.
Now what kind idiot changes something on race day?

As mentioned on the nutrition thread I use maurten. I always mix it 750ml of water and chuck a nuun in so I am not drinking nasty, sweet water. To ensure I had enough calories on the bike I mixed it with 500ml water (as per instructions) and chucked in a nuun (as warned not to do on same instructions) meaning I had all the calories in drink, chews and one maurten bar.

Swim
Technique wise I am swimming better than ever, thanks to help from @Hammerer. My swim specific fitness was below previous attempts, due to post covid swim timetable changes plus my wife’s work changes meant I had to do the school runs, so no morning swims. My garmin doesn’t do OWS but we start at 6 so wearing it and looking at the time when I get out shows me 7:16, I’m alright with that, a little tired towards the end but not too bad and no sense of panic throughout. Actually quite enjoyed it.

T1
No dramas, no rushing, no faffing but the 15 mile* run to my bike took an age.

Bike
I felt going in that in benign weather I could nip under 6Hrs. My power isn’t great, AeT around 135W but I can ride at that all day. On the last section of the Southern loop the headwind was pretty strong and my Avg speed dropped from 30.x KmH to 29.x but HR low, legs feel fine. On the ride to the Northern loop, about 65km in, @Toyota_Crown came past me on the flyover, gave a shout. Northern loop was fine, headwind seemed less of any issue Avg speed crept up a little to something like 29.8-9 but I wasn’t chasing it. I was aware that I wasn’t enjoying my maurten though. I was drinking less than I should be and feeling queasy. (Anyone see wahat’s coming? ) Grabbed a bottle of water and diluted it some more. It really feels like drink wall paper paste when mixed to instructions. Back to the Southern loop, surprisingly legswere more tired than I expected but knew I was behind on calorie and fluid intake. Tried eating some chews but felt sick but maurten bar went down OK. On the sections when sheltered from the wind speed as fine, with a tailwind it was ace, wheels are rapid but the wind had picked up. With the headwind my Avg speed really dropped again on teh same section of Southern loop but wasn’t going to stress about it. Some woman asked me if I wanted to work together to catch the people drafting up ahead, NO!

T2
Again no faff, no dramas but that 15 mile* run out of transition!!!

Run
I felt dehydrated and knew I needed calories but my stomach felt full and it felt like the fluid was sloshing around. I had a veloforte bar with me and they’re tasty so ate that as I walked out of T2 not due to fatigue but to allow me to eat that on the hoof and hopefully not make my stomach worse. I figured I will drink water and wait for things to settle down. Set off at an easy pace and working my way through the people on the same lap as me. I was really thirsty but drinking just made me feel fuller, more sloshing and quite uncomfortable. I knew I needed calories tried eating beta fuel chews but they came straight back up without getting swallowed . Fingers down the throat, nothing by dry heaving. Try coke, everyone says how they tolerate that on the run, went down OK but again just felt fuller. Fingers down throat again, a bit came up, felt better. I was making slow but steady progress still overtaking and was able to keep a reasonable pace up until 32km, slowed a bit but running was painful on my stomach. There are a couple of slower KMs from 30-32 but mostly to stop to try and be sick. Then on 33km the lights went out. I just had to walk, I bonked. I thought on the run I might run out of fitness (as I describe it) but I hadn’t, I ran out of calories and was dehydrated, my stomach was visibly bloated. At the end of the second lap I tried to explain to Mrs A what happened and motioned for her to meet me near the boat house but with all the noise she didn’t get it and I waited for 5mins for nothing. I had one lap of the lake to do, my stomach felt a bit better and ran most of it to the finish and felt much better than I had an hour earlier.

*I may be exaggerating a little

I am annoyed that I scuppered my own race which what seemed like an innocuous change in something I have reliably done for a couple of years. I felt with a good day, in benign conditions, I would go sub 12Hrs, not fast in real terms but that’s where I am. Even with the wind on the day, with a run I know I can do, it was doable coming out of T2 but I wasn’t going to chase it. I know we hear of digestive issues in IM and it’s mostly down to poor pacing but I am genuinely pleased with how disciplined I was on the day throughout. I started the run and for the first 30km of running I as in touching distance of sub 12hrs. I know a drop off is expected but although tired, I could happily accelerate past people to get by on the narrow track next to the Trent. Only to highlight how dehydrated I was, yesterday I woke up with a headache a bit like a mild hangover and it wasn’t until around 15:20 that I took my second pee of the day.

It seems daft now being so disappointed in that last ¼ of the run but I am genuinely pleased with my pace discipline and enjoyed the swim, bike and first half of the run. My bike setup seems alright in that 30KmH for 130-140W at AeT seems alright and I know I can improve that considerably.

OSB/Outlaw do a great job of organising triathlons IMO and the atmosphere was really good. I saw TC going well on the run a couple of times coming the other way but he doesn’t know who I am so just wondered who this little fella shouting to him was. I didn’t know Chris was racing but @TROsaracen raced really well!

No longer than middle distance for me next year and that will only be if that is what the TT sausagefest is. I am really eager to get back training again but will change it up and channel TT1.0 swim doyen @energie_solaire and will get my 400m to below 6 min. Also, do another weights session a week just for enjoyment. I will get back to IM distance in 2024 and go much faster, so easy to say now .

TL;DR
Don’t blame you for skipping to this. Man paces Outlaw well but changes nutrition on the day. The twat had to walk from 33km to 39km, vomiting would really have helped .

[TROSaracen]

Well done Sir, and a nice lesson that we all have to learn the hard way! I kept my race low key, so only saw a few people I knew so apologies for not saying hello.

[TROSaracen]

I think many/most know of the nuclear bomb that dropped on my life 4 weeks ago. My initial reaction was to bin the Outlaw and I duly cancelled the accommodation; the race itself was too late to cancel but I mulled over sending the RD a mercy letter to defer.

However, 2 weeks later the mentality changed and I decided to race it. Hastily rebooked accommodation (much further away). The issue now was that the nice little Iron distance training block that coach had scheduled did not happen, so I’d be seriously undercooked for the full distance although would have decent base fitness to draw on.

Original plan for the Outlaw was to gun for the podium, whilst testing pacing etc strategies to learn solid learning for Kona 23. I re-calibrated and the first objective of the day was to enjoy it, and as the day got nearer with no performance pressure I had a couple of little pacing strategies to experiment with. It would have been nice if the heatwave had lasted but no, rain was threatened on and off depending on which day/forecast and the day turned out to be warm, cloudy, humid with a strong and pretty relentless wind. It rained during prep, but had dried out by the 6am race start.

I seem to have dramas pre race at Outlaw events. This one was getting to the swim start nice and early, only to pull my goggles out and discover the nose bridge had snapped. Genuine full on sprint back to the car to grab my spare pair, sprint back and I was just in time to start. Phew, that was probably the fastest running of my day….

Swim 1:08:21, 108th, 6th AG

This was the first traditional mass start I’ve done for a few years, and there was a bit of biff. However things settled after about 400m, and I found rhythm and begun the long haul to the end of the lake at a comfortable pace. In truth it was a drama free and dull swim, although I definitely tired in the last 15-20 mins as lack of long swim training bit. But overall a solid, decent swim placing me nicely in AG and overall.

Least I beat Sajid David…

T1 5:46 up to 106th

A shocker for the ages as I moved up two places in T1.

Bike 5:28:06, up to 75th o/a, up to 2nd AG

I really started the bike slowly and easily. This was one of my experiments, and also mentally I was not quite in the frame of mind to race. On the bike it is the first time to think, and the life events weighed heavily for a while. I was averaging about 150w for this first hour, and ignored my usual thought of ‘that’s the pointy end of the race disappearing up the road – get after ‘em’. I got the HR down and nutrition on board, and dropped a fair few places in the race.

However after an hour things got settled and I slowly built onto something closer to race intensity, although still some way off what I’d hope for fully trained. It got me moving through the field which always feels good. The wind was strong, but if there is one strength on the TT I have it is riding in the wind. I can tuck up very small, and handle the bike in the buffeting well.

Middle section of the ride passed without incident, leaving the third and final loop (which is a repeat of the first loop to go. I knew this loop would have a first 15 miles of tailwind and then 15 miles of tough headwind, before the final run into T2. Saw Fraggle at the Pirate feed.

The headwind section miles 90-105 was perhaps my best sector of the ride. I had a lot of strength left, was still good and aero and others around were clearly struggling. I’m fairly pointy end at this point so any position moves are hard earned, but I dropped the 2/3 I’d been riding near for some time and hauled a few more in, including a cheating pair of drafters who were riding 2 up. I put a burst in to prevent any chance of them hitching a ride on my wheel.

Soon I was rolling into T2, a decent ride given everything although 10 mins slower than last year, probably both a factor of less power and the wind.

Sat up at the hall rolling into T2

Slow start then steady progress

T2 2:11, up to 71st

I’ve no idea what I was doing, or more precisely not doing in transition on Sunday, but another 4 places gained.

Run 4:03:29, up to 67th, 2nd in AG.

If you are light on endurance, the run is where it bites and I knew I was light. It would need to be a conservative and carefully managed run, otherwise I was going to have a very long walk! I’d also had a calf niggle a week out and had been managing this all week and had put on a support bandage in T2 to help it. I knew haring out of transition would place the injury at risk, so decided to have a really easy 2 mile jog to open the run just to get things loose and moving – then I would have the enormous shit that had been brewing for while at toilets the end of the lake and only after that would I start the run proper.

In the race I was second in AG, 1st about 5 minutes ahead, 3rd about 5 minutes behind.

Once into the run I decided to run to the HR that I run stand alone marathons to: low 140’s early, mid 140’s and only allowing upper 140’s after 20 miles. Pace would be whatever it was. Run was tough, 5.5 mile slog into block headwind, nice push back x 2 then a couple of laps of the lake. I tapped it out as planned, seeing 8:xx as the pace. Yes, pace was deteriorating but only slowly.

I passed the points where I remember detonating last year, and was fine. After 20 miles the last of endurance really started to bite, but I was still trucking. Collected a caffeine boost drink from Frag, got a shout out from a friend who was leading the female race and started my final loops, holding things together, just.

After completing the first of the final laps I knew I was nearly home – one nice push up the lake with a tailwind then a last slog into the headwind to finish. I was looking at a 3:55ish run, and a 10:40 odd time overall, very decent.

But then the detonation happened. Amazing how quick – I even noted when: 25.1 miles. After that it’s get to the finish line anyway you can. I often think is it just being a wimp, can I – or do others just suck it up and keep running. I tried, over and over to break into a run but would just come to a halt after 10-20m. Body just couldn’t keep it going. The trick in Ironman is to reach this point late enough to not damage your race, the finish chute ideally. As it was I was bleeding places again and wondered if the podium in my AG was trotting past.

Finally reached the chute and as it’s a mass start if you are in the chute alone, no need to push through the line you can arse about and enjoy it. I did. In terms of the race I’d overhauled the AG leader, but 3rd off the bike had come through with a superb 3:39 run to take the AG win. Chapeau.

YOu can see the early pitstop, the managed decline and then…BANG!!

Wrap Up

Emotional day, glad I did it. 2nd in AG is a good result, whilst Outlaws are not as stacked as Ironman there is usually a decent, national level field. I’m happy to be on the podium off the build up I had.

It’s all about 70.3 distance now. Let’s roll……

[Toyota_Crown]

@TROSaracen

cautious pacing worked pretty well until mile 25 of the run at which point the lights went out completely.

However staggering the final mile in 13 minutes did not harm placing and ended with 10:47, 72nd overall and 2nd AG.

at least you know you gave it all
Great time, as usual, very envious

[pacha]

Well done Chris, no need at all to apologise. I can totally understand keeping things on the down low.

[Toyota_Crown]

bad luck with queezy guts Pedro m8, sucks doesnt it.
And even tho you were using Maurten, consider how much worse it may have been on regular fuel.

[Toyota_Crown]

@Duckhen

Royal Marines Iron Challenge cancelled ……lack of entrants

dammit thats a shame. I never did it last (and only) year too

[Toyota_Crown]

@Doonhamer

1st V50 & 3rd over all which put me in the chocolate prize category .

fair play Champ

[jeffb]

Well done Chris, great race given the circumstances, to hang on that long was excellent.

Pacha, sorry about the digestive problems, it’s nailed many an Ironman, when you can’t get the energy in you are always on borrowed time. Even walking rarely settles it down.

[Doonhamer]

Yeah, Handbridge bridge, around the racecourse & along the river.

I took a poor video of it & uploaded to Strava , I think anyone can see it.

Check out my activity on Strava: Follow Ian on Strava to see this activity. Join for free.

[Toyota_Crown]

@pacha

Fingers down throat again, a bit came up, felt better.

I am just too squeamish? I just cannot physically do that.
Instead I waited til the finish for a good old traditional barf after a glory sprint finish

Would a Run(jog) (power)Walk strategy have kept your queezy stomach more in check I wonder?

@pacha

I saw TC going well on the run a couple of times coming the other way but he doesn’t know who I am so just wondered who this little fella shouting to him was.

Oh yes I did!
your ‘bud’ same as everyone else

well if you dont race in something distinctive that ses Look At Me Wot A numpT/ShowOff then that’s your problem m8

So all you did differently was mix the Maurten with 500ml water (as per instructions) and not 750ml (as you usually do)?

[Toyota_Crown]

@TROSaracen

It would have been nice if the heatwave had lasted but no

seconded. It gives me a relative advantage. Plus, the sw1m can NEVER be too warm for me. (I proved this sw1mming in a warm pool IN A WETSUIT on the Monday of the heatwave!)

@TROSaracen

including a cheating pair of drafters who were riding 2 up. I put a burst in to prevent any chance of them hitching a ride on my wheel.

you should have tried to remember their numbers/club colours. this is name/shame.

[quote=“TROSaracen, post:866, topic:2932”]
T2 2:11, up to 71st

I’ve no idea what I was doing, or more precisely not doing in transition on Sunday, but another 4 places gained…
… put on a support bandage in T2 to help it.
[/quote] well you were faffing with a bandage, so you must have had a decent sprint on!

@TROSaracen

Finally reached the chute and as it’s a mass start if you are in the chute alone, no need to push through the line you can arse about and enjoy it. I did. In terms of the race I’d overhauled the AG leader, but 3rd off the bike had come through with a superb 3:39 run to take the AG win. Chapeau.

fairplay
Love a Mass Start - proper racing! sprint finish etc.

[Adam]

@TROSaracen , @pacha great write ups and we’ll done both - awesome job @Toyota_Crown gor completing that and that double Ironman days before!

[pacha]

@Toyota_Crown

So all you did differently was mix the Maurten with 500ml water (as per instructions) and not 750ml (as you usually do)?

Yes plus I always put a nuun tab in so it tastes better but they say not to do that as it can cause… er…um… gastric distress.

Will stick to mixing it with 750ml of water and a nuun from now.

[Toyota_Crown]

Cant believe it made THAT much difference??!

Are you sure you wouldnt have been a numpT either way?

[Toyota_Crown]

@Adam

awesome job @Toyota_Crown gor completing that and that double Ironman days before!

cheers Adam, but you forgot winning the Worlds Hardest IM the weekend before too

[pacha]

I have used it with 750ml of water and nuun for a couplenof years for long days with never an issue. I rode nice and easy HR mostly in the 120s and up to 130s into headwinds and the little climbing there is done at an easy effort. The change in viscosity wss surprising, it was alright but just didn’t seem to tolerate it.

[Adam]

Apologies, you’re a machine

[Poet]

I have entered a hill climb.
I have zero idea why.
I hate the hill.
I actively route 16km around it on my rides, as that’s quicker than me going up and down it

[Doonhamer]

What’s the hill?

According to Strava, the National Hill Climb Champs this year are on a hill I’ve done 44 times.To automatically qualify you’ve got to do 3 hill climbs, but if not all places are taken you might get in. I’m tempted.