The New Adventure - 7Oaks Triathlon

The 7Oaks Triathlon came around very fast over the last few months, in fact so fast I had feelings of "I'm not ready for this" and such like. I have raced in some pretty major events over the last couple of years with the RTTC Nationals, but I have never felt as nervous as I did in the run up to my first triathlon. I kept asking myself, why was I nervous, I had no real ambitions, this was really a taster event as to whether I  would actually like triathlon or not. I have always set goals though and I suppose this was no different, but what goal to set?

I could just be happy with perhaps the fastest bike leg, after all as a national level TTer I shouldn't really struggle with the bike leg, but that was I suppose a bit of a cop out. I thought OK what about winning your AG (Age Group), that was a more suitable goal, though also a total unknown as I really didn't have a clue who was in my AG. But it would give me a benchmark so I stuck with that.

The weeks leading up to the event was a bit of a mish mash in all honesty, I was doing the Buxton MTT which lead to no running in the build up for this, and with the Easter holidays it meant trying to cram in a fair size volume of biking and running, and swimming got left off the training menu. After the Buxton MTT I struggled a bit with the biking as I had felt I let myself down, well that was until I spoke with my coach, and this picked me up a bit. The big volume weekend did have some consequence as I struggled a little for a few days after with tired and achy legs, it had been a while since I had ramped up the volume so much in one go.

I did get one nice surprise leading up to the 7Oaks Triathlon though, and that was the triathlon team kit arrived so at least I would be able to wear team kit at the triathlon, this was a bit of a bonus as I always prefer to wear team kit when competing. It got a good testing on one of my longer rides so I knew I was going to be comfortable in it.

The night before the race I actually didn't get too bad a night's sleep, and although still feeling very nervous as I ate my breakfast and travelled to Sevenoaks. Watching earlier starters and how everything worked was a bit of a godsend really and as the morning wore on I felt a lot more settled. I picked up my race numbers at registration and proceeded to get all my equipment sorted, watching what others did with transition was good and any nerves I still had left seem to disappear. It was good talking to some friends who were racing as well.

As my start time approached I made my way to the pool, and got my timing chip. It wasn't long before I was in the pool, oh shit this is for real now. Then I hear the "GO" and I'm off. Now I never feel that comfortable swimming until I have done a few lengths, no chance here, it is just swim for 400m as quick as you can from cold. I seemed OK at first and then started to struggle a little, I probably went off too fast (though I would never know as I cocked up starting my Garmin D'oh), at 200m I felt like I was dying, so I tried to calm it down a bit and just swim as quick as I thought I could manage. I finally see the 2 lengths to go board, and I swim this as hard as I dare. Once finished it is out of the pool and a run to the transition area set up in the car park.

No worries here I know where the bike is, and a lovely team issue orange towel makes it very easy to spot the bike, though my number belt had started to depart the area so I have to pick that up first. Number belt on, shoes on, and then remember helmet on first before unracking the bike. Running to the bike mount line was OK on the car park (might not be so good when going over grass however), and I mounted and got on my way. Luckily I had my bike Garmin working so I was able to get power data and the like on the bike. Up through Sevenoaks High Street and luckily not held up at all with the pedestrian crossings. Settled down on the bike, it felt pretty cold coming out of the pool soaking wet and then riding at speed on the bike, but soon there was the hill out of Sevenoaks to warm you up nicely. Once at the top there is a fun descent of Riverhill, now normally I would just blast down this as fast as possible, but with the morning rain and a bit of a headwind I decided not to be too much of a nutter and keep it sensible.

The run down to Hildenborough was fast and I got into a good rhythm passing plenty of riders, on turning left out of Hildenborough the road starts to get a bit more lumpy and again I just settled into a good pace. I had decided before the race just to hammer the bike leg as hard as possible, but I think sub consciously I knew there was a hard run after the bike because although I didn't pace with power, I ended up riding below my optimal pace, though still giving it maximum effort where it was needed. The worst hill felt pretty good on the day, and a good measured effort saw me up it pretty quickly, it was nice to be helped with a tailwind as well.

The run back to Sevenoaks is mainly downhill, but with a few sharp kickups and dodgy bends to destroy and decent rhythm. I took it easy on the bends as with them being wet as well and rough and potholed it was better to keep upright and slightly slower than hit the deck. The last bit into Sevenoaks and back to transition is a nice hill, again I paced this pretty well and when I saw a 400m to go board I just went as hard as I could knowing that I was close to going under 40 mins for the bike. I got to the dismount line and across into transition with a sub 40 min bike split, I was pretty happy with that, but there was still a 8.4km run around Knole Park to complete, no point being happy yet.

Again remembering to rack the bike first before removing helmet, swapping cycling shoes for running shoes. I had a gel ready, now do I take it or not, no, but I'll have a swig of drink though. A little bit of faffing getting the bottle out of the cage, but once done I am on my way. Now for a run I am not looking forward to mainly uphill to the halfway point, I settle down to what I think is a decent pace, again with no Garmin I am completely going by feel, though I am not sure what it should feel like, I have never done this before. It wasn't long before another guy came past me, he looked more of a runner than I did, and I thought why not try pacing off him. I followed until the halfway mark and then he started slowly easing away. Could I run harder, should I run harder, I know it is virtually all downhill, but there is a nice 25%+ hill to run up at the finish, how much do I need to save for that. I ran as hard as I thought was sensible, and I probably did pace it right, the last hill was a slow painful slog, and I thought it was never going to end, but there was the entrance to the leisure centre and the finish line.

 

Rounding the corner and over the line I was exhausted, much like the end of a TT, it took a little while longer to feel normal again though. Surprisingly my legs didn't really hurt at the finish (they saved that for Monday morning), and after a quick recovery drink I was chatting with friends. I was announced as the current leader when I crossed the line, but with the faster guys starting after me I knew it wouldn't be long before someone went faster, though my total time of 1:24:46 was a pretty good time, and in all honesty about what I was hoping for.

After everyone had finished I saw I was in 4th place overall and winning my AG, job done, I had actually won my AG, a bit in shock, but very pleased. I did see that one of the guys in front of me had a penalty and eventually that put him down to 5th, so I ended up on the podium in my first triathlon. Over moon doesn't really quite cover it, to be able to start from scratch with swimming and running on October last year and not disgrace myself is something I think I will treasure. I got the fastest bike split as well, though the winner Mark Westlake wasn't too far behind.

There are things that need working on, first of all my swimming, especially from cold. With a lot of time away from home in hotels with no pools, this is something that is currently a bit hit and miss. I may need to sort out some more coaching and regular sessions to improve here, though progress since October has been great. Running isn't too bad, this again has taken a bit of a back seat, and I haven't done any speed work at all, so although I need to get better I don't think it is as bad as I once thought. Transition time is OK I suppose for a first time, no doubt this will improve as I get more experience.

I suppose the main question must be "Did I enjoy triathlon?" Well the answer has to be yes, I really enjoyed the big event atmosphere, the encouragement from everyone, those signing you on, the organisor, other competitors, marshalls, spectators etc, it is so much better than what I am used to at a TT and I am really looking forward to my next one in a couple of weeks time. The bug certainly has bitten me. I can now also call myself a "Triathlete". Thanks for a great event 7Oaks Tri Club and to DB Max for the timing.

There are a lot of people to thank for helping turn me from a TT cyclist into a triathlete, and in no particular order they are, my coach Ruth Eyles, Liz and Ali from the TriSpirit Team, Liz Scott from thetrilife.com, Zipp Wheels, SRAM, Quarq, Powerbar, Tacx.

I will make a special mention to Jess from The Running School who has helped massively with my running, it was quite nice for her to present my 3rd place trophy, though looking at some of my run photos she might not be that impressed with my style on occasions LOL

All photos courtesy of Sussex Sports Photography

Buxton CC MTT - Not the Result I Wanted

Round 3 of the RTTC TT Series was the classic Buxton CC MTT (Mountain Time Trial), an event I have always wanted to do, but in previous years it had always clashed with other events. For the TT Series, the vets wouldn't do the full 3 laps however, we were "lucky" enough to get away with just 2 laps.

Now I knew it had a long hill in each lap, around a 12-13 min climb for the faster riders, and I knew that I perhaps would be lacking when it came to the power to weight ratio. With Julian Ramsbottom also enter I deep down knew I was unlikely to win this event as the climb wouldn't play to my strengths.

I drove up on the day, surprisingly only a 3.5 hour drive and arrived nice and early to get a recce lap in. Feeling good I thought the climb although steep in places not too bad, and was feeling good for the race. I spent most of the morning chilling and just slowly getting ready. I also decided that a 23 sprocket wasn't the best option with a 39 ring, so fitted a cassette with a 26 sprocket on it. I felt in race conditions that would be more than sufficient.

Race time came and I still felt good, the first part was a downhill section followed straight by the climb, I managed to pace this pretty well, and over the first part there was a section where I could get aero and try and pick up as much speed as possible, before the road kicked up again, this time a little bit steeper. Up the hill in under 13 mins I was pretty pleased and settled down to ride the roller section along the A53, this was aided by a tailwind and this section was despatched in swift order.

The ride back to Longnor was a fast road with a nice technical descent, but also with a couple of leg sapping kick ups. I was catching slower riders on their second laps and unfortunately a few cars who were caught up behind these riders, this meant I was held up a little on one of the faster downhill sections, but nothing in the grand scheme of things. Once the car was past the rider I was able to power on to complete the first lap, I was pretty happy with the time, and I was hoping that the second one wouldn't be too far off.

As I started the second attempt on the long hill, it was if all energy just sapped right out of me, this time getting the power out seemed so much harder, and I just felt as if no matter how hard I pushed the speed just wasn't there, this was evident on downloading my data of how slow the second time up the hill had been, about a minute slower. When I got to the A53 this time, apart from feeling the effort a lot more I decided to just hammer along it as best I could and try and make up for any lost time. This section went OK, and now on the return leg to Longnor I pushed as hard as I dare on the descent, and although faster this time with no cars holding me up I felt as though this was going to be a good lap. The last few miles felt a real struggle though and it was a massive effort to keep the power up to where I know it should be. I gave it everything up the last hill to the finish and slowly made my way back to the HQ (all of a 100 yards LOL).

Looking at the times I was a bit shocked that Julian Ramsbottom had beaten me by about 2 mins, and that I had also been beaten by a couple of others as well. Finishing 4th on a course that I really didn't suit should be pleasing, but I thought my ride was just shocking. Although getting a power figure from this course is not a true reflection as a lot of it is spent freewheeling, the power was shockingly low for what I know I am capable of. I did spend a lot of time going over things in my head, what happened, what did I do wrong, was I still tired from training, did I got too hard on the first lap, etc etc. I went home a bemused and disappointed man. The event itself is fantastic though and certainly one to go back to and see if I can do better.

Luckily I had a phone call with my coach later in the week, and as ever she looked at the performance slightly differently to me. Although it wasn't the best performance, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was and yes the course was unlikely to suit me. At least I can take some inspiration from the event, I know I have to lose a bit of weight for the Hever Castle Bastion, this has given me the shock I needed really, every cloud and all that.

Now it is onto something new, this weekend sees my first triathlon, the 7Oaks Triathlon. This really is going to be an unknown in all honesty, I know the bike course very well having ridden it lots in the last few weeks. I know I can go very well on the bike, and I know where I will be roughly with the swimming. It is the run afterwards which is really the unknown I suppose, I have decided to ride the bike course as a standalone TT and then just go as fast as my legs will let me on the run, it could be a bad decision, but I know I am not as fast as other guys on the run, and I feel I may as well make up as much time as I can on the bike and see what happens. I will admit to be just a wee bit nervous, though with it being my first event I should have no real expectations, and the real aim is to really enjoy the experience. I look forward to writing a report next week of how it all went.

It's Close at the Top

This was always going to be my most difficult TT Series race, the week leading up to it I was away with work. That meant no time on the bike apart from a quick session on Friday and a little bit of running to keep some semblance of training going whilst away.

I say a little bit of running, it ended up being a bit more than my coach had planned and suggested, running a half marathon  5 days before what should be a target race is probably not the best idea. Thing is with time ticking down to my first iron distance triathlon I've got to take every chance possible to get my running fitness where it needs to be. I did do it at a fairly easy pace so didn't seem to suffer too much from doing it, or so I thought at the time. It was quite nice running at 5am with just the sound of the birds chirping away.

The little bike training session on Friday highlighted that perhaps I had hurt the legs a little bit more than I thought, as what should have been an easyish session felt quite hard, no doubt a 15 hour day driving back from Glasgow the day before didn't help either.

Anyhow what was done was done, all I could hope that with a bit of recovery on Saturday my legs would be in a suitable shape for Sunday, it was quite nice having a lateish start time on Sunday as it did mean not having to get up at 4am to drive to Stafford. Once at the HQ I setup the turbo so I could try and do a controlled warm up, this ended up feeling like hard work as well, things were not looking too great it must be said.

Now in my first TT Series race I won it quite comfortably, this was going to be a different matter completely and I didn't really need to be feeling substandard. I had the formidable Julian Ramsbottom and local fast guy Scott Westwood in this event, I really needed to be firing on all cylinders. Once I started riding for the start I felt much happier than I did on the turbo, perhaps it was just being on the turbo that felt horrible.

This was one of the hillier TT Series races I had done, and although hilly I was still hoping to do the 22 miles in under 50 mins (I thought this was the minimum needed really to stand any chance of winning). I got off to a good start and was happy with the power I was putting out, perhaps my legs were better than I thought. The first 5 miles of so were into a bit of a headwind, though the road here was pretty fast and not too hilly. We turned off onto a smaller road and luckily with this being the hilliest part we had a bit of a tailwind, this always makes the hills a little bit more pleasant. It wasn't long before my visor started misting up, a bit surprising really as it has been pretty good once the day has warmed up. Perhaps where it had rained earlier in the day it was still a bit humid, or perhaps I was breathing heavier.

Picture Courtesy of Brian Hall



Although this distracted me, I don't think I lost much time, it was just harder to see any problems with the road ahead, luckily there were only a few potholes which had been marked out by the organisor (I am really glad when they go that little extra mile). One unique feature is having to cross a reservoir, this is a bit different, and luckily with the tailwind it wasn't the horror it could have been with a crosswind. At this point I could feel the effort in my legs, but I could also see my 2 min man, this as always gives you that little extra push. I caught him around the 12 mile mark, but now I really was hurting but I had to push on as you never want to get repassed. The last few miles were fairly fast with the tailwind even though it was slightly uphill, but I also knew the last 8 miles or so were going to be in a headwind and the road wasn't flat.

On turning into this road, the strength of the wind surprised me a little, it was gusty and even the smallest of hills here seemed steeper than they actually were, tired legs weren't helping either. Power was still good however and although I couldn't quite manage much above threshold on the hills, I at least took time to recover on the downhill bits. With the headwind though these were not as enjoyable as they should have been, you still needed to pedal to keep the speed up - damn headwinds. I was a bit surprised of the last few miles, what looked like downhill on elevation maps seemed to be a real struggle and it still took a very big final push to keep any decent speed up. It seemed like forever crossing the finish line, but I did so in under 50 mins - just. My time of 49:52 seemed half decent and I felt I had given all I had on the day.



On getting back to the HQ I found out that the first 3 were really close, 11 secs covered us, I knew it was going to be close, but I didn't expect it to be that close. I lost out to local lad Scott Westwood, no doubt his greater course knowledge paying dividends here, and I had managed to beat Julian by 4 secs, talk about cutting it fine. I wasn't too disappointed to lose to Scott, he isn't doing the full series, but Julian is, so the main target was to be in front of Julian, though to be honest I wish it hadn't been as close as it was.

All in all the race went as well as could be expected, power was in the right ballpark, though I was never truly comfortable and I think my legs were still not feeling as good as they could have been. Power in reality should have been higher for the duration, but you can only do what you can on the day. Ruth has done great things with my training plan, and with me trying to extend myself in every training session, it really is testament to her that I can still pull these performances out without the cycling only specific training. Also must say a big thanks to Zipp Wheels, Tacx, SRAM, Quarq, and Torq Fitness for there continued support.

Next race is round 3 of the RTTC TT Series, the iconic Buxton Mountain TT, now this is a hilly event, again I need to be on top form and a little bit lighter than I was last weekend. Eating has gone really well and just a little bit lighter, going to need to be for this event and the Bastion coming up, just got to make sure when I go away with work I don't indulge too much.

RTTC TT Series Round 2 Results

RTTC TT Series Round 2 Report