Liverpool Triathlon - A race of missed dreams

[Sir Jibbenstein]

Where: Wapping/Queens Dock, Liverpool
When: 13 July 2013
Organiser: Upsolutuk/British Triathlon
Course details: Dock swim, closed road bike, closed road run
Distance(s): 1500m swim; 40km bike; 10km run
Marshalling: Plenty of motorbikes, marshals at crossing points.
Facilities: Food trucks, Wiggle shop, Portaloos
Technical: Chip timing
Freebies: Medal, suncream

With the disappointment that came with Dambuster came the hope that Liverpool might be my saving grace and a chance to right the wrongs in my mind. The problem was the damage done to my back, as the weeks ticked by a couple of things became apparent; I was mentally burnt out from over training/racing, and physically I was in a worse state than I'd wanted to admit. Thankfully the apathy that came with the mental exhaustion tempered the can't sit still attitude that comes with injury when your life revolves around sport and my back recovered enough I was able to swim over 1500m a couple of days before. The one run I had done in 3 weeks had left me in pieces though. Having arrived in Liverpool in plenty of time to register on the Friday I checked the car alarm was set and proceeded to have a wander around the swim and run course and scouted the bike turn point. I had a good recce and walkthrough of transition too, it was a blooming long way! Had a bit of dinner then met Faith & James before a quick check of the bike route. Fairly decent roads. Having parked and reparked my car (I didn't feel safe leaving it in the first spot...) I had some bright pink tape applied to my back and tried to get some sleep on a hot hot night.

Race morning came around far too quickly and at 5am I departed for the race. The sat nav decided to freeze, so after a few wrong turns I managed to guess a way back and reset it. I got my kit together and wandered down to rack. Checked in and racked I headed back to the car to drop some stuff of as bags weren't allowed by the racking. A last minute check I headed back, realised I'd forgotten body glide, fetched it and then got ready. I watched the (false) start of the first wave before entering the pen to get ready. As the second wave left we were called forward and led down the ramp. I heard mumblings of jellyfish. Ha, it's the docks, just scaremongering I thought. One of the last down the ramp I head to the outermost end and slip in. Within a few seconds I realise it wasn't scaremongering. USLH I can cope with, jellyfish less so. Pah, it's salty too. We are called back and hold onto the pontoon waiting for the horn.

The Siren Sounds
I wait 500ms before pushing off, just enough time I managed to avoid the melee that is the frenzy to form an arrowhead. 10 strokes in and I realise my goggle is leaking. 20 strokes and I realise it is significant. I don't know how much ground I've lost by the first turn as I can barely see. I sight the next buoy and head for it, turn then swim to the side and on my back. Breaststroke legs while I empty my goggles and back into my stroke. 10 Strokes later they are full again. FFS! Empty them, seat them differently. 20 strokes later no good and I resign to swimming blind. Nope can't do it. Empty them again. Thankfully they hold on until under the bridge and the left-right turns. More jellyfish in Queen's dock. I start to think my feet are stinging. Oh, goggles full again. Empty them for the final time (maybe 750m in now). The pack has stretched and I'm in a little group as we make the turn. Turn through the wakeboard club, some red hats coming through now, turn again, coming up on the final turn and I'm in clear water, no one around me at all now. Well apart from the bell end that decides to completely swim over me. Totally uncalled for. I didn't kick him, wasn't impeding him. Last turn and this hell is nearly over now. It drags on but finally I make the ramp. Awkward to get on but I'm out. Run over the mat and start to strip my wetsuit.

Is my bike propped up on bricks yet?
The run over the concrete to my racking was a long way, still I managed to get my wetsuit half stripped, without any Garmin or zip puller issues. Finally arrive at my spot, wetsuit down, one foot out, other foot out. Hmm, that was easy. Glasses, goggles, bike and I'm gone. For another run with my push bike.

You mean I get to ride my bike too?
After an eternity I reach the mount line. For some idiotic reason I stopped dead before jumping on. I obviously left my common sense a mile back in transition. Amazingly I don't stack it into the railings and I'm riding. As bikes go it is a pretty uneventful 4 laps. My new wheels are feeling good. My legs are sore though, I feel like I'm spinning well. My speed looks good, except for Harry Potter and his mates zooming past. I keep drinking. Stomach isn't 100% though so I just have one gel, I figure I haven't been training much recently so probably have full energy reserves. Better to risk bonking than probable GI trouble. The dead turn at the top end isn't fun, up a hill and very tight. I find a couple of potholes in concentration lapses. Final turn and I start getting my feet out. In to the mount line and I'm off. Without crashing.

I have to run how far to rack my bike?
Long run around to my racking, now mixed in with all the neoprene clad swimmers. Eventually I pick my way through and get to my spot. Bike hung up, helmet off, shoes on. That's it right? Best carry on running...

Oh my, I have to run 10K now...
The run, well, it started horrible, it continued to be horrible, it finished horrible. My legs were screaming from the ramp out of transition until a couple of hours after the finish. My lack of run fitness was so apparent, there was plenty of cheering. A line of girls were holding their hands out and people were running past. I put mine out and gave them a high 5, and got a great cheer as a result. As I reached the desolate turn point after 2.5k I was happy to turn for home, the cobble back into the Albert dock were horrible on my legs. I managed to grab a cup of water properly this time, before heading in for the turn. I get a cheer from the Cripps clan and almost miss the turn point as a result. Pay attention Jibby. Through the rubbish aid station and out of the docks and I finally notice my Garmin beep. 4:50/km. Oh feck, this is going to be slow. Last turn and I'm running for home. Over the last bridge and I try to up the pace. I reach the turn point and hear another cheer. I try to dig in now for the finish. Through the final bends and I'm there. Done. I just want to curl up and die. I soon dispatch the bottle of water I'm given and go and sit in the road.

Swim: 27:18
T1: 2:42
Bike: 1:08:43
T2: 1:53
Run: 44:51
Overall: 2:25:28

I was a little frustrated by this result. It seems a huge step backwards for a race that should have been so much better than the Euros. This should have been a sub 2:16 race for me I think in full fitness. Seeing the positives, from the moment I exited the water to the moment I re-racked my bike I had a good race. I suffered where I hadn't trained in 3 weeks. My bike was slowish, but not too bad relative to the AG winners.

The Good
1. Wetsuit Removal - Past mistakes avoided
2. T1 - Felt solid, and quickish
3. Feet in shoes - no real trouble getting into my bike shoes
4. T2 - Good dismount, made places up, solid changeover

The Bad
1. Swim - goggles leaking was terrible. First time it has happened, and newish goggles.
2. Bike Mount - Bad even by my standards. Fortunately luck was on my side though
3. Run - It was a real struggle to go sub 45

[jonathon.e]

Think positive, think positive, your car was still there with wheels.

But casting humour aside, a race of missed dreams, or the start of a pathway to greatness, your analytical mind is analysing, and dissecting the anatomy of your race, until you are left with a pile of negatives, and wondering how to get rid of them.

Positives are piss easy to come by, you are unlikely to rest on your laurels or hardys, but continue to seek perfection. The negatives show us the way, start planning for next year, the base work is done, the mould is cast, you just need to sharpen the edges.

You know where you went amiss.
You know what the competition is like.
You have raced at international standard level.
You are going to race at the Aquathon Worlds.

Bloody well done

[Sir Jibbenstein]

But casting humour aside, a race of missed dreams, or the start of a pathway to greatness, your analytical mind is analysing, and dissecting the anatomy of your race, until you are left with a pile of negatives, and wondering how to get rid of them.

Maybe I was being a little harsh. Originally I'd harboured dreams of qualifying, or at the very least posting a sub 115% time. I had to revise my goals, but still felt disappointed on the finish line. Dissecting has actually made me more positive about the race. The parts that weren't compromised by injury went well, my swim and run were poor because my back prevented training.

I'm racing at the worlds now. I'm going to get coached. I'm going to come back even stronger. I hope.

[Worrying Will]

looks like from eyes a great rsult based on the injury. Jons right there are loads of posatives in there. I know how hard it is to find them sometimes

[kfjatek]

Great read Jibby.

Crap to hear the back is still dodgy, I remember you mentioned it some time ago but thought it got sorted by now. Being injured is frustrating like hell (know this first hand), so I'm even more glad that you're finding positives in the race.

Your preamble is I think telling - sounds like you'll need to train smarter (vs. more) next season.

PS. Not happy with 2:25? I'll take it anytime!

[md6]

Jibby it sounds like you have posted a very solid result, tempered by the fact you know that you were not mentally or physically in the right shape to really 'race' it (in the sense that you do, as opposed to what i do) - you go round in sub 2'30, ran a sub 45 10k (with back injury!) and had a solid ride even with concentration lapses. Just think, a week or two off to recharge and recover and you will be back flying again.

[Bopomofo]

Great performance, Jibby... considering you are knackered and have been for longer than you will care to admit.

You have overtrained, James. You are knackered and you keep asking questions your body has no answer for. And unbelievably you keep doing it.

Your athletic performance at L'pool is to be commended highly... it sounds a bit technical and the transitions were loooong but you still nailed some impressive times. However, your mental performance was sketchy, I think. Not concentrating fully... which is not the normal you.

I know how hard you have trained for this and every other race. I know you have a good training buddy in Faith. Jeez, I loved going for an 80km ride with you because you needed an easy rest day and I needed an utter pasting. It worked out fine!

I hope I'm not going to sound negative here, but you really need to consider - and I mean really think about it - that Faith has been training for about a decade longer than you. When she was a track & field goddess you were ballast on a sail-boat. You have done so much, James, and we are all incredibly proud of you... but sometimes just ease up a bit, mate. None of us want to see the SGM injured.

Please don't think I'm being patronising. Even though you know all of this already it sometimes takes somebody else to say it.

And now you need to tell us the story of how you may have actually got a place in London...

[King Sad]

You're just like me (except you are fitter and faster) , you go into an event sub 100% and wonder why things don't go 100%.

A good result given the circumstances and ease off to get that back sorted - says he who is racing on Sunday despite still having treatment for his back

[Faith]

Ha ha here I go with my say!!! Dont roll your eyes!!!

You had seriously injured your back and despite my assessment of it, if you had of walked into my clinic and said you hadnt trained due to pain then I would have advised you NOT to compete. Having said that you got around and cearly havnt done it any more damaga your actully moveing around better than Ive seen you for ages.

Swim - I think your swim was better than you think. We are always close on times are you were there or there abouts to me, even with all your goggle problems - so actually I think your swim was pretty good. With so many turns etc in the course I think it generally was slow

T's - I can really comment on as they would have been so different to mine given the raking positions but these are something you are most definately getting better at

Mounting your bike - Not so much. I know your back was bad but I honestly think you need to do 30mins a week of this. Its something I know you find uncomfortable so its easy not to want to practice and therefor easy not to practice. Having said that - these are better then they were!

Bike - Again I cant really comment as I didnt see you on the bike. However, you said slowish but good in relation to AG winners. The winners of your AG biked a 57 bike. Thats 11 mins quicker. You are as good as me, if not better on the bike and I did a 1.06 at 70% effort. When your on form and have a good block behind you I honestly think you can be pushing 1.03/4?

Run - This was always going to be horrid given the lack of run training - so I think this was a sterling effort

You still cease to amaze me Jibby! Get your head down and work hard. Qulaify at Anglian water and lets get anoter Euro's under our belt before I give up this schizzle and start acting my age! lol x

[Sir Jibbenstein]

I know how hard you have trained for this and every other race. I know you have a good training buddy in Faith. Jeez, I loved going for an 80km ride with you because you needed an easy rest day and I needed an utter pasting. It worked out fine!

I hope I'm not going to sound negative here, but you really need to consider - and I mean really think about it - that Faith has been training for about a decade longer than you. When she was a track & field goddess you were ballast on a sail-boat. You have done so much, James, and we are all incredibly proud of you... but sometimes just ease up a bit, mate. None of us want to see the SGM injured.

Shh... You weren't meant to mention that ride... I was meant to be resting... Quite right though, it has only been 9 years since you got 67% extra Jibby free I did ease up a bit in that race, I took the swim start easy, no sprint start, and I pushed nowhere near as hard as I would normally in the first bit of the run.

Ha ha here I go with my say!!! Dont roll your eyes!!!

Swim - I think your swim was better than you think. We are always close on times are you were there or there abouts to me, even with all your goggle problems - so actually I think your swim was pretty good. With so many turns etc in the course I think it generally was slow

Most of the field had left me behind in the first 500m!

Mounting your bike - Not so much. I know your back was bad but I honestly think you need to do 30mins a week of this. Its something I know you find uncomfortable so its easy not to want to practice and therefor easy not to practice. Having said that - these are better then they were!

True. I should probably make a muppet of myself on the Common a bit more.

Bike - Again I cant really comment as I didnt see you on the bike. However, you said slowish but good in relation to AG winners. The winners of your AG biked a 57 bike. Thats 11 mins quicker. You are as good as me, if not better on the bike and I did a 1.06 at 70% effort. When your on form and have a good block behind you I honestly think you can be pushing 1.03/4?

I was looking at the dodgy splits when I wrote that. Burst my bubble why don't you...

You still cease to amaze me Jibby! Get your head down and work hard. Qulaify at Anglian water and lets get anoter Euro's under our belt before I give up this schizzle and start acting my age! lol x

Act your age, but I'm older!

And now you need to tell us the story of how you may have actually got a place in London...

I got a rooldown spot. Turns out the BTF are letting the slower people race so they can get their £99 from as many people as possible. I think the idea of a £215 triathlon and a £99 aquathlon put a lot of people off. I'm not complaining though. I get to race at a World Champs

As for training smarter, as of this week I'm being coached by Hussler. Hopefully that will keep me on the straight and narrow and stop me over training.