The Outlaw Triathlon 2017
July 23rd 2017
3800 m open water swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run
Back to where it all began! I had wrongs to set right, including 9 hours of torrential rain and a 56-mile mechanical issue involving brakes being stuck "on".....
Previous experience of the course fared me well for the swim - I seeded myself at the back/left of the fastest pen, allowing me space to swim rather than 2015's absolute battering. Some shallow areas moved me slightly inwards, but I managed to keep a steady effort level throughout the swim, pleased to end up with a PB over this distance at a lower effort level than last time.
As I exited I was disappointed to be only "unzipped" and not "stripped", but I unglamoroursly finished the job outside a portaloo, where I then had to wait out the longest loo trip ever! You'd think I'd swallowed half the lake the amount of time I was in there...
T1 was a steady affair as my current favourite bike shorts are very faffy bibs (hence the toilet trip beforehand!). Adequately suited and booted I left T1 and set out on the bike course. I chomped my way around the lake to start with, then set off out on the familiar stretch to the southern loop. This loop seemed endless, with pretty but non-descript villages making the miles crawl by.
Relieved for the change of scenery the intersection provided, I was then shocked when a small gear change landed me with a snapped rear gear cable, just 45 miles in! Having had this unpleasant experience on Roy on the Lon Las trail just a couple months earlier, I knew exactly what had happened, and that it was unfixable with what I had on me. I pedalled on the flat section, making a turning that I knew led to Oxton Bank, the only big climb of the ride.
I tested my gears. I had just front big/back little, and a dubious front middle/back little ring, with corresponding grinding chain noise. Hmmm. Two gears. I pedalled until I could no longer turn the pedals up the bank. Then I panicked. And had to dismount. This turned out to be one way of getting a lot of encouragement from fellow rides, but walking up Oxton was not part of the race plan, and I was so incredibly frustrated. By the time I reached the feed at the summit, frustration had turned to stress, especially as I discovered the feed station held no useful equipment and the van that could help was at least an hour away.
Stress turned to upset, and I'll admit a few tears were shed. However, I pulled myself together and decided in the overallcontext of the race (and imminent elevation) the best course of action would be to carry on cycling. So I did. Pushing the pedals around at a shockingly low (40-50rpm) cadence and using everything I had in terms of power in my legs, I carried on down the bank and across the intersection with a slight tailwind, back to the southern loop.
If this felt endless the first time, it was infinite now! Flat enough that I could keep riding, but requiring burning legs to keep going, the only "plan" I could stick to was nutrition. This I did rigidly, alternating between Cliff Bloks and OTE gels every 25 mins (plus drinking Energy Source to thirst). Towards the end of the southern loop I came across a guy called Robin, who was also riding strangely big gears. We got chatting as we rode along, and I was quick to highlight my situation. It turned out Robin had the exact same issue, and oddly, I suddenly felt much less alone.
I have never been so relieved to finish the bike leg and get into T2! I even apparently managed to make a fast transition, eager as I was to get out onto the run course and make up for lost time.
On the run I felt pretty good for my first river lap. When I came in for my half marathon I was lucky(?) enough to witness the female lead finish and break the course record (weather had been pretty perfect unlike 2015). This motivated me - if a 50-something can win, I can bloody well do another half marathon!
This new inspiration lasted me about a mile, at which point I was setting out on my second river lap and I experiences a serious low point. The river lap is LONG, and my first run of it today had re-confirmed this knowledge. I plodded along the towpath, taking on energy source at each feed station and barely mustering the energy to wave at Hannah as she came for her return lap. By the time I got to the bridge the "I can't do this" thoughts were creeping in, and on the other side of the river, the sun unkindly came out to make me even more hot and bothered.
Thankfully when I crossed (at snail's pace) back over the bridge, which in this race feels like Everest, I had a bit of a second wind, knowing that I wouldn't have to tread this ground again. This lasted me until I was coming back alongside the finish line, where I noticed the clock read 11:29. Small thoughts erupted in my mind about a sub-12hr finish. But I had 5k to go. And I was running at 10min/miles. Could I do it?
I pushed harder. 1k later I asked some spectators for the time (my own watch was out of sync thanks to my stop at Oxton Bank). They just said "keep going". I came across some fellow runners who were discussing that they would need to sprint. Then they did. I couldn't keep up.
Ignoring the last feed completely, I gave everything I had to the final stretch. When I finally reached the red carpet I was astounded to see the finish clock was just ticking over to 11:55. I had done it!!
Ecstatic to finish an a time I would never have imagined possible. Eight month's of training realised in this one, very proud, moment.
Times
Total time: 11:55:05
Swim: 01:08:19 (- 7 mins from 2015)
T1: 00:06:11 (- 5 mins from 2015)
Bike: 06:25:30 (- 33 mins from 2015)
T2: 00:03:12 (- 6 mins from 2015)
Run: 04:11:53 (- 22 mins from 2015)
Standings
Age category: 004/0014 29%
Gender category: 019/0147 13%
Overall: 374/1013 37%
Female
Swim: 17/147 33%
T1: 32/147 26%
Bike: 47/147 55% (my stop cost me 7 places!)
T2: 6/147 26%
Run: 17/147 33%
3800 m open water swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run
Back to where it all began! I had wrongs to set right, including 9 hours of torrential rain and a 56-mile mechanical issue involving brakes being stuck "on".....
As I exited I was disappointed to be only "unzipped" and not "stripped", but I unglamoroursly finished the job outside a portaloo, where I then had to wait out the longest loo trip ever! You'd think I'd swallowed half the lake the amount of time I was in there...
T1 was a steady affair as my current favourite bike shorts are very faffy bibs (hence the toilet trip beforehand!). Adequately suited and booted I left T1 and set out on the bike course. I chomped my way around the lake to start with, then set off out on the familiar stretch to the southern loop. This loop seemed endless, with pretty but non-descript villages making the miles crawl by.
Relieved for the change of scenery the intersection provided, I was then shocked when a small gear change landed me with a snapped rear gear cable, just 45 miles in! Having had this unpleasant experience on Roy on the Lon Las trail just a couple months earlier, I knew exactly what had happened, and that it was unfixable with what I had on me. I pedalled on the flat section, making a turning that I knew led to Oxton Bank, the only big climb of the ride.
I tested my gears. I had just front big/back little, and a dubious front middle/back little ring, with corresponding grinding chain noise. Hmmm. Two gears. I pedalled until I could no longer turn the pedals up the bank. Then I panicked. And had to dismount. This turned out to be one way of getting a lot of encouragement from fellow rides, but walking up Oxton was not part of the race plan, and I was so incredibly frustrated. By the time I reached the feed at the summit, frustration had turned to stress, especially as I discovered the feed station held no useful equipment and the van that could help was at least an hour away.Stress turned to upset, and I'll admit a few tears were shed. However, I pulled myself together and decided in the overallcontext of the race (and imminent elevation) the best course of action would be to carry on cycling. So I did. Pushing the pedals around at a shockingly low (40-50rpm) cadence and using everything I had in terms of power in my legs, I carried on down the bank and across the intersection with a slight tailwind, back to the southern loop.
If this felt endless the first time, it was infinite now! Flat enough that I could keep riding, but requiring burning legs to keep going, the only "plan" I could stick to was nutrition. This I did rigidly, alternating between Cliff Bloks and OTE gels every 25 mins (plus drinking Energy Source to thirst). Towards the end of the southern loop I came across a guy called Robin, who was also riding strangely big gears. We got chatting as we rode along, and I was quick to highlight my situation. It turned out Robin had the exact same issue, and oddly, I suddenly felt much less alone.I have never been so relieved to finish the bike leg and get into T2! I even apparently managed to make a fast transition, eager as I was to get out onto the run course and make up for lost time.
On the run I felt pretty good for my first river lap. When I came in for my half marathon I was lucky(?) enough to witness the female lead finish and break the course record (weather had been pretty perfect unlike 2015). This motivated me - if a 50-something can win, I can bloody well do another half marathon!
This new inspiration lasted me about a mile, at which point I was setting out on my second river lap and I experiences a serious low point. The river lap is LONG, and my first run of it today had re-confirmed this knowledge. I plodded along the towpath, taking on energy source at each feed station and barely mustering the energy to wave at Hannah as she came for her return lap. By the time I got to the bridge the "I can't do this" thoughts were creeping in, and on the other side of the river, the sun unkindly came out to make me even more hot and bothered.
Thankfully when I crossed (at snail's pace) back over the bridge, which in this race feels like Everest, I had a bit of a second wind, knowing that I wouldn't have to tread this ground again. This lasted me until I was coming back alongside the finish line, where I noticed the clock read 11:29. Small thoughts erupted in my mind about a sub-12hr finish. But I had 5k to go. And I was running at 10min/miles. Could I do it?I pushed harder. 1k later I asked some spectators for the time (my own watch was out of sync thanks to my stop at Oxton Bank). They just said "keep going". I came across some fellow runners who were discussing that they would need to sprint. Then they did. I couldn't keep up.
Ignoring the last feed completely, I gave everything I had to the final stretch. When I finally reached the red carpet I was astounded to see the finish clock was just ticking over to 11:55. I had done it!!
Ecstatic to finish an a time I would never have imagined possible. Eight month's of training realised in this one, very proud, moment.
Times
Total time: 11:55:05
Swim: 01:08:19 (- 7 mins from 2015)
T1: 00:06:11 (- 5 mins from 2015)
Bike: 06:25:30 (- 33 mins from 2015)
T2: 00:03:12 (- 6 mins from 2015)
Run: 04:11:53 (- 22 mins from 2015)
Standings
Age category: 004/0014 29%
Gender category: 019/0147 13%
Overall: 374/1013 37%
Female
Swim: 17/147 33%
T1: 32/147 26%
Bike: 47/147 55% (my stop cost me 7 places!)
T2: 6/147 26%
Run: 17/147 33%
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