June 9th.
“A” race for me, so massively stressed and tapering off nicely.
Having not raced properly for six years (I raced in April at four days notice, just because the weather was nice and they still had entries!) I’m really excited for this.
Newsletter said it was forecast to be 19degs, so optional wetsuit…just got to time how long mine takes to get off to see if it’s worth it (HINT: It’s not)
If it takes you longer to remove a wetsuit than the time it should save you over 1900m, there is an issue!
Looking forward to it, but more as an opportunity to see how I can fare compared to last year. This is my 7th time on this course (bike changes notwithstanding), and it’s a stepping stone to an Ironman. I’ve been vacillating over whether to put my new tubs on, but I’m just going to keep the old Zipp Tangentes on it for one last dance.
Remember your £5 for the parking! (or £10 if not BTF). I only remembered 1x £5 last year and I wasn’t a BTF member at the time 
Yup!!!
The double fiver is on my race day checklist
Starting to get excited for this now. Having never been this distance before and having not been in a triathlon for nearly 10 years, i just dont know how its all going to unfold which is making me slightly nervous.
Any tips or tactics for the bike course? Im not using any power meters or fancy kit so my plan was to just take it at a steady pace. Considering the course is so flat all the way round, I think if i average 20mph, i should achieve a decent middle-of-the-pack time.
Johnny - I only got a PM this year, always used to use HR and RPE (still do, just power helps me concentrate and not lose speed!)
You know what your HR and RPE should feel like for a given speed, just remember HR is elevated after the swim, then drops after ten minutes into the bike (ish).
RPE should start off about 5, creeping up to 7 by the end of the bike (but a low 7).
Chasing speed might be tricky! As it could be a total float day, in which case you’ll be faster. Or, it could be diabolical weather, in which case you’ll be slower.
Nice to hear someone else is excited, too!
Please no headwinds!
Thanks for advice… i did just have to google RPE though. Annoyingly the cadence sensor on my bike doesnt work (never has) so my training hasn’t been very technical in regard to monitoring data. I just plug away at the miles. The HR monitor for my watch is chest mounted and i wasnt planning to wear it but if you guys think i should, then i’ll put in on.
I only picked 20mph to give me a target.
I dont want to go out too fast and then bonk or go out too slow and get a poor time so I downloaded last years finishing times and picked the middle finishers as a benchmark. They did the bike leg between 2:45 and 3:00 hrs which is where im aiming for. If im faster than that, then great.
Well well well…
…I’m nicely cooked for this.
Just need to rest up and let the meat relax and juices run back through the fibres, to keep it nice and moist.
My half marathon on Tuesday on an old training route in Derby reminded me to leave my ego at the door and keep the race speeds for race day.
Nobody won anything on a training day.
This morning, didn’t you do a 60km bike at IF 0.84 followed by a 10k at 4:06 pace? Sounds very restrained.
Nice yarn about taking it easy though 
You forgot the 31 minute 1.9km swim first 
Bike was race pace, full race kit, to see just how high I dared to push it after doing a reasonable 1.9km swim.
I (eventually) settled into a nice rhythm and just sat there.
Like @stenard said over on the FTP thread, just let it be. 84% felt nice today. I’ve had another ride at 83% feel good, too. So I’ve found my race power band now.
Run was HR capped at 156bpm. As that was my previous HIM HR. Being a bit older, I naturally settled at 148bpm (last HIM eight years ago - that’s pretty linear!)
Only knew what pace I was on for on the km splits.
My half marathon earlier in the year was at 3:50/km pace and 164bpm.
Previous HIM runs have all been 7% slower than my standalone HM time - today’s 10km Run correlated perfectly.
Turns out 4:06/km is my HIM race pace 
Full distance swim
2/3 distance bike
1/2 distance run
Overall, TSS was pretty low at just under 200 for the whole session.
Bike was done at an effort to produce a TSS of about 167 for the 113 course.
So yeah, today felt pretty fricking easy, old man 
🏼♂
So presumably you’ll be comfortably under 4:06/km next week then, by your reasoning.
Not that I’m questioning you logic or anything 
Sorry - race pace = race HR for the given distance.
E.g. going out and running a 38:30 OTB would be bad times, as that’s close to my Olympic race pace
Pace on Sunday will be whatever my HR lets it be.
Oh, and those pesky first lap runners walking five-a-breast whilst we’re on our final lap.
Right, race week. Important decisions need to be made. I need to decide what style of facial hair to sport for Sunday. Currently have a proper full bushy beard, which has to go, at least for a while, as Mrs O hates it…and it’s probably slower in the water
Thinking something like the Spanish/Portuguese explorer goatee style? Then off with the lot, clean shaven for a while.
I’m booked in for a Turkish this week, having had this very conversation last night.
My wife hates my bald face, but it’s going to save me at least three seconds in the swim 
My week has started with a lovely rest day 
Final decision is;
Get the bike recabled
Or
Get Vittoria Corsa G+ tubs?
Or
Leave everything as it is and do it Post-Race?
(Nothing new for race day!)
I have a new chain waiting to go on, but will ride that two/three times before Sunday.
Deffo full D’artagnan !!
I’ve been gagging to fit my new tubs, but have had a word with myself and resisted. Telling myself that the rider is 80% of drag, so take a chill pill, and save the narrower tyres for the smooth German roads around Hamburg.
I have now fitted my draft box and squeezed the spare tub/CO2 etc into it. I didn’t even bother with spares last year as it was a ‘casual’ season for me, and I just wanted to get back to my posh road bike. I must have ridden my TT bike about 3-4 times before the 113, and it was painful 
What I have done, is order a Stolen Goat Bioracer suit express delivery. I’ve been procrastinating about getting a better one-piece for Hamburg. Once I saw SG do the Bioracer with a rear pocket, and they had a Medium left, I pulled the trigger. If it does fit well, I’ll use & wash it before race day 
It will need to go into a tailors for a longer zip before the IM though, as I often need a leak on the marathon.
I snagged a Dave Scott King course one from Huub in person. It’s bloody good!
Speaking of rear pockets and aero nonsense…
…what does one now do with their rear number?
Do BTF still ban you from pinning it to your trisuit underneath your wettie? (Oh, Yeah, ref, that pinned number? I did a full change in T1, obvs!)
We think of all these super aero things for our bike and faces, etc, then have this number flapping around all throughout the bike.
Are you coming up for this Ginge? Can’t remember.
Whenever I see your location, I always think of the Oly Dist Tri I did there in the 90s. Choppy swim natch, but then about 2 miles into the bike one of the bolts on my USE seat-pin sheared - game over. (obviously I had the de rigeur Selle Italia Flite Titanium saddle mounted to it).
No, no tri for me this year. Though a new company has started an open water sprint in Exmouth in September which looks quite cool … but it’s on the date of my anniversary. Not sure how well that would go down. Forgetting the fact that my bike is a barely serviceable relic from when i first started out (spesh allez triple with a buckled wheel and gears that don’t actually work).
There’s also another OW sprint over in Dawlish in Sept as well as a few other local races. so i may be tempted to make a return to tri next year (little one will be a bit older as well). The last one i did was Cotswold in 2015 i think?! I’d like to go back up as it isn’t too far away. Might start sowing the seed with a couple of friends for a 2020 outing. Middle distance isn’t too taxing on the time … though i’d have to borrow a half decent bike from somewhere.
You arrrrr a Pirate
