Nostalgia... your best tri performance/ results

[fruit_thief]

There’s a lot of experience on this site & thought perhaps it would be interesting to hear about days when a race went really well. What was special about that day - maybe training, preparation, strategy, the weather, nutrition, kit, life in general etc etc?

I can think of 2 races that probably went as well as they could.

The first was IMUK 2007, because it was a first IM and nothing went wrong. I trained properly- thanks mainly to Don Fink’s book “Be IronFit”. Did at least 6 long brick sessions in the weeks leading up to it, got in the long runs. Then on race day was really disciplined and just took the bike steady and rode to a conservative heart rate. Felt pretty fresh for the marathon, and was able to steady run the whole thing without walking (actually that’s not quite true, had to walk for a bit coming out of T2 as back was seized up a little). Which looking back is quite surprising. 57 minutes+ 5h53+ 3h51. Finish time 10h 49, not going to trouble the fast guys here, but hey.

The second was Race to the Bill oly in 2021. This one I’d love to bottle and pour out again at will, but the truth is I have no idea why it went well.

Good swim, good bike. But have been there before, only to see every man and his dog go by on the run.

Not this time: legs felt great. Managed to run the “10km” (it was actually 9km according to Strava) at a pace within 10 seconds per km of my standalone 10km PB, set 5 years earlier.

The leader was miles ahead, but I held on to 2nd.

Can’t work out what I did right that day It was a 4 lap run course which maybe helped mentally to break it down, & do remember concentrating very hard on each lap . Plus, best shoes ever, Vaporfly 4%. We were coming out of Covid and there wasn’t even much of a crowd, so can’t say it was the power of that

Anyway - any battle stories you’d like to share? Especially, if you had a great day, why do you think that was?

[Poet]

Cotswold 113 2019 for me

I’d had six months part time work over winter and had been doing 3-5 hour rides every Wednesday and Friday, plus was swimming 4 times a week, twice with a club, where two guys were slightly faster than me. Which helped my swimming back to where it once was after a hiatus.

I’d not done much running, nothing over 10km, all winter. But entered a half marathon in March, bought some 4% and surprised myself by running a 1:20:41

I started a new job, remote, and managed to get out on my TT bike most Friday mornings for 90-100km at 230W (about 2.5hrs) so absolutely nailed my target power down. I didn’t do intervals or sweet spot. Did some Sunday club rides. And increased run to 20km nice and easy.

I booked in at Travelodge in Swindon, and got up at 3am and had a warm shower, coffee and porridge. I think that really helped.

Arrived on site, met @jorgan and some others () then swam. Nowt special.

Bike, lost all of my nutrition straight away from the BTA bottle, saddlebag came off, stopped to collect both of them, managed one gel and about 500ml water. But a good solid ride.

Run. Not too hot, just ran. Again, managed a few cups of water and a gel or two. But I’d done loads of sub-90 half marathons, so just pulled another one out.

I was super pleased with a 4:27, best time ever. But could’ve saved two mins on the bike, plus I fell over coming out of T2.

Then Outlaw bike leg was cancelled and Covid came. I’ve not been the same since

[Poet]

Although my 2nd place at Southport Tri 2021, behind “fish boy” (swam like an 8min 750m ) was pretty special - flat course and my wife came to support, as it was only a sprint and we like a cheesy day out there

Loads of duathlons, too; MK Big Cow 2010, ran a 35:26 opening 10km, 1:03 bike and I totally died in the closing run for a 20:13, missing out on a sub2 by a mere 38 seconds

All of my best du/tri races have been actual races, not just going for a time, but where I’d locked into battle mode with someone and was staving them off, or hunting them down …

… like ForestMan 2009; where I’d been in third place for most of the latter half of the run, then with one mile to go back to Sandy Balls, I was overtaken and had nothing left to respond

But, a common theme is: GETTING A PROPER SLEEP in a nice comfy bed. All of the above, I’ve either stayed at home and left at 3-4am after an early night, or had a hotel where I’ve managed to get a good rest. Camping is just too restless and uncomfortable to make a decent race from …

… although my experience of the Frontier 300 this year was amazing
Getting the train up and other people getting on and chatting with them, then riding out to Colvend with them in the setting sun, setting up a basic camp for six hours rest, then unpacking it all and cycling the width of the country at 4am. Then setting it back up again, then back down, cycle to the station and chat with more cyclists who’d done the same.

I think that was my favourite event I’ve done - it’s quite basic, but just lovely. Although Kielder Forest was dullAF, never ending managed forests. I wouldn’t do Dirty Reiver based on that

[fruit_thief]

Just been back over Strava for April and May 2021 to see what my training was like leading up to that Race to the Bill thing.

Quite a few longer runs, longest was 25km on the cliff paths, but at least one per week was over was 15km. Some were quite hilly. A few Zwift races each week. Not a great deal of swimming went on as far as I can see 41 sessions in May 2021 in total, so I was training pretty much every day, sometimes twice… maybe that’s it, who’d have thought

[Poet]

Are you saying the secret sauce to a good race is consistent training?

[gingerbongo]

Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?

I feel like this information should be pinned to the front page if it really is true.

[fruit_thief]

[Hammerer]

22/06/2014 Bridge Tri Dartford, one of those “float” days even though things went wrong!
Swim i thought went terribly, 25:57, I was catching previous waves and being held up, following bad feet and even lost some breakfast in the lake, but turned out the swim was very long and I was 1st in my wave and 4th overall swim time! Bike had some issues and a hastily changed course meant 8 laps with lots of turns! I spent most of it towing a large peloton around, there are photos to prove it

but 1:02:35 is my fastest bike. Run, I wore new white shoes and had an awful hot spot that stained them red for ever, (the tongue had bunched up!) and so wasn’t my fastest 10k but went 47:49 . I ended up 5th in age, my best ever, and a 2:18:31

Why did it got well? I had a good years training, a fairly decent marafun block for VLM and was just in decent shape ready for the Bastion, which brought everything tumbling back down to earth

[Cobbie]

One event really stands out, Helvellyn Tri in 2005 - I’d just come off the back of my first IM and properly nailed the run for 43rd (top 13%). I know it was a big improvement on 2004 but don’t seem to have the results … maybe on paper somewhere

That was some way before my best swimming times and before using power on the bike so no doubt I could have improved on the position but life moved on and I didn’t race it again.

Hathersage Hilly sprint in 2007 was the first time I used power in a race and that helped my to 4th in AG, again I nailed the run but got stuck behind a slow cyclist on the long descent into Hathersage, might have got 3rd if I’d been able to safely overtake? The artist formerly known as Duncan74 got a great photo of me on the final descent on the run.

2007 Bala Olympic also stands out as it was a 7 minute PB for the distance (2hrs 12 or 13 mins). It was the last year of the old run course which was very hilly so maybe would have been faster on today’s much flatter route.

I was being coached for the first time so structured training certainly helped in that period of my life. Those two events were the last serious sprint and last ever olympic events I did.

That’s triathlon … no doubt though that the best results of my life in any sporting event were Tough Guy in 2006 and 2007 where I was about 50th both times. It’s really hard to know exactly how many starters (or finishers) there were as Mr Mouse was hardly accurate in such things … but I think it was c4000 in 2007, so roughly top 1% … and a lot better than any other sporting results in anything else.
It really played to all my strengths and I absolutely loved doing it.

I would come top 10% in club running races when properly fit, similar in OW swim events & top 20% in triathlons.

[stenard]

Nice idea for a thread. Fairly easy one for me, being IM Copenhagen in 2018. Was just a great year. I dedicated myself to training, got a coach, and nailed my first ever Ironman. I doubt I’ll go sub10 again (if I even go long again!).

Swim was amazing … never thought I’d be anywhere near the 60min mark, and was on for beating it until the last few hundred meters when I got a bit held up around the final turn. Bike in actual fact didnt feel good. I was down on my power goals, but rolled with it, and the big thing was the training paid off in terms of holding position, so I passed loads of people towards the end who were sitting up. The run was definitely one of those float days for the first 2-3 laps. This was before super shoes, so rattling along and just over 3hr pace for the first half was crazily good looking back. It inevitably began to bite towards the end, but knowing sub10 was in the bag meant I just had to bring it home rather than stress.

Ironman Copenhagen

The only other one that springs to mind is 70.3WC in Nice in 2019. A lovely holiday with my partner, and despite being the only HIM that I’ve ever gone over 5hrs for (5:08) my run was crazily good. I don’t think I’ve ever had a 21k tri run under 90mins outside of this race, and I went and did a 1:25. Was just cruising along at 4:00/km pace, despite the heat and the challenging bike in the legs. Running that sort of time at least made me felt like I deserved to be there (nearly top 25%), even though I was well into the bottom half of the overall AG placings.

[stivrunning]

guessing it was the fashion to do a running event in a trisuit back in the day !

[Jorgan]

I thought it would be difficult to identify; but actually it’s not.

2016 Fowey River Triathlon. It was a trip down memory lane for me, having done it many times in the 90s, with a best 2nd place in 97. I decided to go back. As it was, it ended-up being the last edition. I did loads of hill work in the month leading-up to it, knowing how challenging the course is (20% climb from the Quayside out of T1). Wave starts of 4, so no real idea how you were doing. Anyway, turns out I won…by 12 seconds! At the ripe old age of 42, my one & only Overall win.

The climb out of T1 (below), which is a nightmare if wet (it was damp). There were places elsewhere on the course, where my back wheel was slipping riding out of the saddle, so I had to sit down

[Cobbie]

@stivrunning

guessing it was the fashion to do a running event in a trisuit back in the day !

??? I’ve never done a running event in a trisuit.

Assuming you mean Tough Guy? If you think that’s a runing event, then you need to do some research.
It has running in it but also a lot of obstacles which you don’t want to catch loose clothing on.
I’d wear a trisuit again, worked pretty well for me.

[Mungo2]

3
Chomley ( it’s not spelt that way ) castle triathlon 2010? I think
Obvs because I won and got a big FO trophy that is in my dads bedroom for some unknown reason ?!
A long ish sprint 24 k bike, 6 k run IIRC
Lake swim.
As some of you know standing on the top step looking down is a nice feeling.

IMUK 2019
Only Ironman and a time I could possibly beat in my old age? my sprint, Olympic and 70.3 times look like typos now I’m afraid

A great and now iconic race the bike course was so tough it was silly 100”s cut and I unclipped and said “ I’m stopping “
My mate said “ fine but have you seen how many bikes there are ?”

Not many was there answer I plodded off and got a huge Kona roll down ( I can still feel the hate years later )

Best race 2019 Deva 70.3
4:39
I was 50
Steady but good for me swim and bike
Held 155 bpm till 15 k on the run then went mad
Passed everyone I wanted to beat( 3 of them ) in the last 5 k which was close to 20 mins ( how?!?)
And it all just clicked.
I couldn’t have gone one second faster

I’ve still got one good tri in me somewhere?!

[APM]

I like this thread!

Edinburgh HM pre-carbon shoes. Came off my bike a couple of months before so actually ran with a (slightly) broken elbow.

1:26, weighing 13 stone. Think I could have gone faster if I would have known the course.

I remember a local but big sprint a couple of years ago. One of those days where everything just clicks. Top 20 overall, which is an achievement as my bike is comically poor.

[jeffb]

I think I have the approach if you enter enough races at some point one will go alright I can think of 3 obvious ones.

Yorkshireman 70.3 in 2019, swim was ok but after that things went well and a 90 minute run for sub 4:50 on a tricky course with a very long uphill run to T1, not quite IM Wales but not far off.

Barcelona 2016 - sub 10, even the swim went alright. Like Stenard above, I’d put in a lot of training that year, miles on the TT bike to get used to the position. Got to the point on the run where I forced myself walk breaks as I didn’t want to go bang and mess it up!

Favourite was probably StG70.3WC though, 6 days after an Ironman. Swim wasn’t great but for me it was cold which means I struggle. Set out quite hard on the bike to try and get warm and was feeling alright but expecting the IM to catch up with me, but I continued at a decent pace. The long descent at the end meant a bit of a break.

Got on the run and just had a decent rhythm, the course suited me, it was getting warm by that point and I just kept pushing thinking it was the last race of the season, WC so just keep going as long as I could. Really got unpleasant in the last few K but the run was about 97 minutes which wasn’t bad in my A\G and even overall given the course.

Got over the line and was just slumped, kind of dragged myself round to the rest area, was laid out for about 10 minutes with people asking me if I was alright. It was strangely pleasing that I’d managed to push myself that much which is\was quite rare for me.

[Jorgan]

Just seen on my timeline it was 4th Sep I won Fowey; what a coincidence

[Poet]

@jeffb

Barcelona 2016 - sub 10

You kept that quiet

But it’s missing the asterisk

#DraftCityLimits

[jeffb]

There was hardly anyone around me after 90k and I was keeping as close to the sea wall as I could for a bit of shelter

[explorerJC]

Abersoch sprint tri quite recently…no training, no pressure, neat course, challenging in a fun way…

A Cat win with beer as a prize…works for me…