1.2km Swim 46km Bike 10km Run - Temperature 20oC
Swim 22:10 - T1 01:19 - Bike 01:11:44 - T2 00:46 – Run 00:41:34 Total Time 2:17:35
2nd 55 - 59 Age Group, 29th overall
This is the first triathlon I have taken part in since the Challenge Championship in June 2019 and the first 10km run since then. I ended the season in June 2019 not knowing what my plan would be to deal with my back problem. I opted in the end for key hole surgery at the end of August and resolved not to run until I felt confident my back was ready for it. Lots of biking in the meantime but not much swimming due to Covid lockdown. I eventually started my run rehab programme at the end of March this year, starting with five 3km walks per week. Each week I added in some light jogging until May when I started to jog for 3 minutes and walk for 1 minute with a maximum of 17km per week total distance. I set myself the target of being able to run 10km by July but if it all went south back wise, I would be comfortable with permanently canning the notion of running again. Some set backs with tendonopathy, minor muscles tears etc as the body conditioned to running again but I managed a 10km 6/1 run/walk by the start of July, with a weekly volume of 30km. The running did make my back sore so olympic distance is probably as much as I can cope with so I set a target of qualifying for the Olympic distance world champs in 2022.
I had missed the first qualifier but the next one was 10th July so I thought I would give it a shot. My swimming was at best average but my biking was stronger than it had ever been, just need to blag an average run. The race was north of Newcastle so there was a chance of an easier field but that was counter balanced by the fact that it was the English Championships.
Oddly the start time was 1630 so we set off in the morning to race later that day. I felt pretty nervous as it was the first triathlon in nearly two years and the first Olympic distance in over 15 years - I was a long distance athlete so had no idea how I would stack up against the short distance specialists. I still hadn't done a continuous 10km hard so there was a big question mark around how my back would hold up as well.
I have got to say, the build up to the start was all very relaxed which really helped. Three athletes were set off every 15 seconds and they were by age groups. This meant all of my age group would be set off within 5 minutes of each other although I would be one of the first to go. If no one passed me in the swim then I could perhaps create a gap on the bike and just hold on in the run.
The swim was 2 laps and I thin no no one companioned at it ended up being 1200m! Probably 500m to T1 then a good deal of faff before I was pushing the bike out of transition and over the mount line.
The bike leg was the part that I was most looking forward to and where I needed to create a buffer against my competitors. As as I jumped on and started pedalling I knew there was a problem, one I had thought the bike shop had solved the day before the race. The bike had been serviced on the Monday and when I got it home the Di2 wasn't working. I fiddled and it seemed to be ok so thought nothing of it. On the final test ride Friday it failed again so I frantically took it in to be sorted and they reassured me it was sorted. Well, it wasn't and I was in the position of riding the entire 46km in just one gear. I had racked the bike with the gearing set in a biggish gear just in case there was an issue, and whilst it was a gently rolling course, I still was out of the saddle at times and spinning out of gears at others. I was gutted but if you get lemons then blah blah.
I ended the bike course with legs like concrete and a performance that was three or four minutes slower than I should have been. It was a still a good ride but not the killer ride I had trained for.
Onto the run and into the unknown.No idea where was I in the field (I hate rolling starts, it's not a head to head race, just a time trial) and no idea if I could complete the 10km run and at the required speed. Clearly a little over excited, the first km was pretty quick and indeed the next two as well were faster than I had planned and probably capable of for the full 10km. It was three laps so that always makes it easier to just tick the distance off. I figured a low 40s time would put me in a competitive place for a qualification slot. By the start of the third last lap I was starting to get twinges in my hamstrings and hip flexors as the lack of conditioning really started to tell. I figured the priority was just to complete the lap still running and that would probably be good enough so I slowed the pace and just relaxed a little.
I crossed the line and met a couple of guys in my age group. I had seen them both on the bike course, basically taking it in turns to draft one another. All rather embarrassing when I confronted them with this and of course they said I must have passed them at a time when they were on a down hill or something.
Anyway, they cheated their was to first and third and I spoilt their pact by coming second.
I didn't bother to hang around to stand on the same podium as them, the golden arches were much more of a priority to celebrate a national silver and qualification for the world champs.
