Yeah but what outfit did you wear?
That’s a long day out, nice one.
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It wasn’t Albion or Pedaled, though, so I felt left out 
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It was busy on the bike, constant “on your right”
Swim sounded like it caught out quite a few, a clubmate called it quits on the upstream bit
Run was good, busy again. But i do like that course
2:17 for 5th in 45-49. 3rd in British Champs apparently
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Top stuff.
Yes, the current was strong today. Even while treading water waiting for the start I was getting carried away. My opening 500 metres was at something like 1:12 pace - final 500 metres 2:12 coming back against it. Enjoyed it though, was a bit of a bunfight coming back though, caught so many from previous waves.
Do always feel for the slower swimmers getting swum over - fighting against current must be nightmare!
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Many years ago …
About 30 ish IIRC it was up ( stream) then down ?!
When you turned on that buoy you turned into Michael spinks?! You could honestly float as fast as I can swim now ( not very fast )
Pan flat bike and run, it seems the course is harder now?
Great to see everyone have a fast and safe day
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Spinks ?
Spitz… I think ?!
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Yeah, a mostly downhill swim now, a couple of small hills on the bike but on pretty quick roads. Shame they were full of bikes and cars. The run up to Windsor Castle bites, especially three times. Too hilly a run course for me but it’s well supported. T1 is too bloody long though!
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Were you punching people or swimming fast?
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Good at one … pretty crap at the other.
Been talking boxing all day … my bad !
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So 10k Great North Swim yesterday.
Cold and wet, and that was on the outside of the water ha. Apparently 14.something degrees. I wasn’t taking any risks having not swum for 3-5 hours before: 7mm Winter wetsuit, bonnet, booties and non-webbed gloves (the latter, schoolboy error…).
Set off with the other 10k red hats alongside the 5k green hats. Within 1/2 mile started getting right elbow tendon pain. Why O why O why… oh you chump, when was the last year you wore/trained using those gloves. Extra surface area playing havoc on the elbow? So the aim then became to swim slowly and nurse the elbow around and see if the pain increased. It was borderline.
Non-wetsuits were banned as the temp was sub 15 and that swell/choppyness had me swearing and getting really stressed even tho I was moving in the right direction. Also remembered to use skyline sighting as couldn’t see buoys due to waves being above sightline. I found that challenging trying to breathe whilst being battered by water,
Anyway, got into my swimming bi-lat breathing every 3 and pootling along. My pace and timing was that shite that every time around I would meet the next wave of 1 mile/whatever distance swimmers joining the fray thus frustrating my progress.
It was only on the 5th lap where I started to realise that there was no-one near me and sure enough as I got to the end with 1 lap to go and now full of energy and adrenaline ready to go my fastest (as elbow was just a constant niggle not grade 1 pain), a canoeist told me that there would be no 6th and final lap…wtf. Timed out grrrrrr.
So, tail between legs at 3h52 (yes that long!) I exited the water and felt really annoyed with myself. My mouth had numbed up but I think that I could have done without the gloves, my cause of the mega-slowness (disclaimer, I’m normally slow, but not 45 min mile slow, ok!).
So the planned training etc for the Windermere One Way, will have to wait for another year, as I need to be able to get a 10k under my belt first.
Despite lots of other folk telling me that it would be a real challenge and that they were pleased that they were not doing that distance, I did find the stamina to be part of what we triathletes already have and the mindset. I ate beforehand, and despite having some bars and gels ready at the feedstation, didn’t need any extra nutrition - I seemed to have the energy up to the end of the swim. The 7mm neoprene worked well for me as I did occasionally feel the cold creeping in. The reason I guess why some can get away with just skins, and others like me have to wear the full gear?
Learning points: do not wear gloves if haven’t worn them for about 2.5 years. 7mm trisuit same but got away with that phew! Swim outside more regularly instead of just 1 swim this year for ROC Wales (in my defence M’Lady/Lud/They the weather has generally been that cold and shite where I live that I knew that the temp wouldn’t be pleasant).
A grand day out, met some lovely folk and had some fun and managed to swim 5+ miles which was ok I guess.
Recommend it - well organised and a nice atmosphere. Plan for doing it again next year (as I owe it one) but elbow permitting, might be sniffing out other 10ks this year before ROC England in September.
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That’s a bloody good effort Clive, I can’t imagine swimming that far at all! Well done on how far you did get 
Re the chop, if you were doing laps, presumably coming the different sides at different point? If you can breathe both sides, would it have been worth switch to single side, depending on chop direction, or is that what you’re saying yo did?
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The swell seemed to be hitting at all angles until it pushed us back on the penultimate straight. I did occasionally switch to the best side for the conditions.
Maybe it was just the shock of having to face it for 6 odd miles… I think I need to (hu)man up somewhat - Abersoch (ROC Wales) was nice and still so I’d probably forgotten what this was like, having not experienced it for a few years in a Scottish Loch.
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Good effort Clive, kudos for sticking it out 
. Pretty terrible weather for OW swimming right now with the wind & cooler temp, very un seasonal 
. Should have been open water swimming this morning but 19mph wind means drinking more lake water I’d like.
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Great effort. A friend did the 3K and said the cold and chop was not pleasant. I suppose doing a loop you are going to get the chop from all directions.
I’ve got Coniston end to end (5.25 miles) in a couple of weeks (I’m currently full of a cold so not swum for a week). Weather forecast doesn’t look like temperatures will be improving much and I’ve only got my summer wetsuit, no booties, hat or gloves, but luckily carrying quite a few extra pounds. Done a few openwater swims now so hopefully be ok. I signed up to do the GNW a few years ago which got cancelled because of the weather. Hoping for a tailwind as a constant headwind won’t be much fun for the whole swim in a straight line.
Windermere 11 mile end to end does look like a great challenge. There is also Ullswater at 7.5 miles as an in-between challenge.
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Ah yes I saw those other swims this AM - cannot make the Coniston so maybe next year - good luck with that, look forward to your write-up 
I’ve signed up for the 3 Scottish Loch 10k swims this year:
https://go-swim.uk/
Thinking that I need to get used to the distance and speed required if I’m going to do that Ullswater 7.5 next year.
The main reason I started to wear booties is cos 15 odd years ago I did Ben Nevis Tri and cut my toes coming out of Loch Linnie, then I think the same year, on for Tri X, and again, cut my toes coming out of Wastwater, so physical protection as well as thermals. Knowing neanderthals and glass bottles/wild camping, I’m surprised that we don’t cut our toes/feet more often!
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Hopefully below might help for those doing events in France where getting a Dr’s certificate was always a PITA
Looks like they have changed the legislation
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Wonder if it will help parkrun?
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How did E24 go @Sparky ?
Sweet mother of the Lord 
When did triathlons start to cost so much?
£90 for a sprint?
£225 for a middling middle distance?
6 x 15km laps? You’re taking the Michael, there, love!!! 
How is The Roc so expensive versus Helvellyn? 