Where: David Lloyd, Burton Waters, Lincoln
When: 27 April
Organiser: One Step Beyond
Distance(s): 400m pool swim, stated as 22k bike but it is actually 24k, 5k run
Marshalling: Plenty, very friendly. Traffic control
Facilities: Use of the David Lloyd club facilities, showers, changing rooms
Freebies: Technical tee
Yes … the season starts and the first of my reports … will try to keep them shorter this year.
Pre-race excuse – tried out some new running shoes and they did not suit and made my calves tender.
Weather forecast – rainy, windy. Race morning, blue skies, sun shines, light wind
The race
Swim - My weakest event. Taken by surprise by poolside instruction that overtaking in pool not allowed! Started off nicely but after 25m then got stuck behind a big, slower swimmer who despite my tapping his feet for the next 10 lengths wouldn’t let me pass.
Crossed T1 timing mat 8:55. Bum! Disappointing; 259 out of 500. Having said that probably lost up to 30s stuck behind the whale but only 12s slower than 2013.
T1 – No dramas, 57s 104 out of 500
Bike – Out of T1, across the roundabout (traffic controlled), first 2.5k undulates between 4m band. Not going 100% as concerned about my legs and wanted to save them for the climb through Burton Village. A gradual rise of 25m over 700m and then a short 26m climb over 300m through the village. Climb went OK so relief. This section took 7:57 v 7:34 last year; av 23.5kph max 36.7kph, HR 157-168.
Onto the top, left through the next traffic control for 3.5K, legs felt OK; cadence 70-93, HR 154-166, 34 kph av-41kph max. Left onto the drop from the RAF Scampton Viewpoint to Sturton. Short drop, 60kph then next 6.5k concentrated on position, pedalling, monitoring Garmin data, av 42kph, 1m30 improved on last year and apparently 20 out of 277 on Strava segment so got to be happy with that.
Left onto the road to Saxilby for the next 5k or so, 41.8kph max av 34.1kph, HR 155-158, another Strava PR 84 out of 418.
Left onto the A57 for last 4k, headwind, 32kph av. For the first time OSB managed to get the last 2k of the A57 closed to Eastbound traffic so the right turn at the Burton Waters roundabout was a breeze. Bonus!
Time; 44:00, improved by 1:36 from last year – if I had pulled my finger out would have got sub 44. Placed 108 out of 500 so pleased with that.
T2: helmet went bouncing down the racks so lost a second or so, 48s, 182 out of 500.
Run: Started off with an easy PB in sight, 25m in, sharp left turn … ow, ow, ow. Left calf went hurty. The next 5k was testing; mixture of hopping or turning the offending leg to get maximum relief, thoughts of how a crab might run. Uppermost in my mind was a PB, still in sight so MTFU. Pushing on right to the line. A disappointing 25:42 which was 296 out of 500.
Total: 1:20:19, a PB by a whole 1s – hey I’ll take that. 5th in AG, down 1 place.
172 out of 500 so just out of top third all ages, down from 157 out of 494 in 2013.
My AG
1st 1:15:11
2nd 1:15:28
3rd 1:17:03
So within 6.7% of the winner
So a sense of foreboding about weather and fitness but in reality a good day’s racing. I am going to check on the ‘no overtaking’ in the pool; the 30s or so I could have had in reality would have only made a minor difference of about 10 places overall and not altered my AG placing.
Three weeks to the next race, need to sort these legs out and avoid further injury.