The Decaironman is established enough to have it’s own site and annual events. Discussing this this morning with a colleague he mentioned that next year there will be a triple decaironman. Jokingly I said the next step would be to attempt round the world. A quick Google later and I found some nutter/adventurer/explorer who is – Dan Martin.

My favourite line on his site danmartinextreme.com is his concern for getting barnacles whilst attempting to swim the Atlantic. Good luck amigo!

After some long hours at work and then tough swim at Bala I thought chances of qualifying for the 2012 ETU Triathlon European Championships were minimal. Still I gave it a go and it looks like my efforts have come good.This morning I got an email from the Great Britain team manager informing me that my time has secured me a place in the GB age group team for the Eilat next year. I thought he was joking and had to read it a few times.

I never thought my dabbling in triathlon would get me anywhere but now it has I’m going to take it seriously. So it’s time to buy the TT bike, up the training and focus on my swimming and running. I’m not going to kid myself that I have a chance but then this is once in a life time opportunity for someone like me so I’m going to give it my best shot.

What I wasn’t ready for was the wind. It was whipping down the valley and stirring up a swell on the lake. Getting into the water I felt like I was getting ready for a sea swim. It was the most testing conditions I’d raced in and I got panicked at the start.

Looking back I think there were too many people in the initial wave as I got caught in a mass of bodies all fighting each other and the waves. I couldn’t settle and occasionally had to breast stroke to catch my breath. I knew this would runin my time but consoled myself to completing the swim and putting in a good bike let.

Transition 1 was hard, my hands were frozen and I felt shaken. Getting on the bike I got a sense of purpose and put my head down as I drove into the wind. It wasn’t until the near the turn that I got caught by another group of riders. They were drafting and slipped passed me. I don’t like being over taken so on the return leg worked hard to regain my place and push on. I’m pleased with the bike time considering how windy it was.

Setting off on the run I was determined to give it my all. I find it hard to get into the same frame of mind on the run as the bike so took the Garmin again to monitor the time. Making the turn in under 20 minutes I knew I could break the 40 for the first time in a triathlon. It wasn’t easy and I felt like I was going to blow up but encouragement from the oncoming Mark and Sandy kept me going.

I might not have qualified for the European Championships but I came close and got a personal best on the run. I’m now resolved to buy an expensive bike, train harder and qualify next year!

Arriving a little late and sluggish meant a rushed transition setup and almost missing the start. No more than 10 seconds after hitting the water and we were off.

Swimming at the West Midlands Waterski Center was a pleasant enough experience with clean water and a well marked out course. Shame my goggles fogged up and nearly led me to swim into the oncoming next wave.

The bike started off well. I felt Like I was getting the power down and felt confident in the rain. It wasn’t until half way that things went wrong.

Around half way I approached a roundabout and a marshal gave instructions on which exit to take. This led me on the road back to the start where, upon arrival I was informed that I should have been directed onto a second lap. I was distraught. I felt like I had done one of my quickest bike legs to date. Sat, in the rain, I debated for a while getting off the bike and giving up. Instead I got angry and headed back out.

Returning for the run I later found out I’d added another 6 miles to the bike leg, plus the time stopped. The reward for the extra effort was a pool of water in my trainers and a running course with a sharp hill.

For the first time I ran with my Garmin and pushed myself for time. I think I could have gone a little harder but my chest felt tight. A colleague at work later put this down to my tri bars being setup too close together and constricting my chest.

My age group was so large that the swim was broken into two waves but even then the start was crowded punch up. Swiming in the dock was a far nicer experience than I’d expected. I couldn’t taste gasoline from City Airport and the salinity helped buoyancy.

My goggles fogged up from the off and I couldn’t see more than 10 meters. I’m pretty sure spectators must have had a laugh watching me zigzag until I found the marker rope. Once I found that I hardly had to look up and focused on my technique. I felt like I was swimming well but the course seemed to go on forever. I later found out there is some debates about the length of the course.

Transition one involved running with your bag in a wetsuit, up a flight of stairs and through the hall. Thankfully no one had wiped away my talk marker and I found my bike quickly.

This was my first race wearing an aero helment. My recently purchased Giro Advantage, fitted with a visor, fitted well and I didn’t over heat. The only thing I noticed was the extra noise from my breathing. I felt in my own world with the race going on inside my helmet.

I was expecting a flat course but, although there wasn’t a hill in sight, the undulations of overpasses and tunnel exits made keeping the power down hard work. By the end of the first lap I was in a tussle with another rider. He got me on the slopes but I caught and broke away on the flats. The helmet made a difference, be it aero dynamically or psychologically I don’t care. Racing through Limehouse tunnel at 50+ kph in fully tuck was every bit as good as Mark had led me believe.

I narrowly beat my competitor into T2 and pulled away with a faster transition time. The thought of 4 laps in the heat got to me as I struggled to settle into my first lap. The tight course with sharp turns didn’t help either. For such a large event a track wider than a single carriageway would have been nice. There were people everywhere and dodging the walkers took some effort.

My second lap felt worse with my chest tightening. I knew I wasn’t going as fast as I could but I just couldn’t push. On the third lap I caught sight of Mark so had something to aim for. It brought back memories of Nice as we high-fived on the double back.

I finished with reserves and now my challenge is to convert the speed I have in track running to the 10k post bike.

Based on this and my Windsor result I’m starting to delude myself into thinking I might have found something I’m actually good at. We’ll see how Bala standard goes!

Transition on Saturday

The swim was a bit of a mele and I got pegged by the boats in the shallow water. I just tried to relax and get into my stroke, when I did I mad up ground.

Swim start

When I look that good in trunks I'll ditch the suit!

I hade my race head on for the bike leg and pushed myself hard. I was only overtaken by one person who was in full TT kit. Bar getting stuck behind cars and a couple of traffic incidents the bike leg went well. If it hadn’t have been windy I think it’d have resulted in a good time.

The run was my usual affair of take it easy until I can feel my feet then build up the pace. The course was busy and wet. I could have probably pushed harder but my legs felt hollow.

A rainy run

I’m over the moon with the result and know I can go faster at London in a month. That is if I recover from the funny tummy the Thames water gave me!

Big thanks to Loz for the hospitality, support and race photos.

The added mountain bike kit made t1 more cumbersome than usual. I enter transition not long after Loz but was significantly slower to exit.

Heading into the woods I soon regretted wearing sun glasses as the vegetation blocked out a fair amount of light and I took a tumble. I’d settled back into it when on the first big hill the drop hanger snapped, sending the dérailleur into the wheel. Luckily I had a spare, unluckily the chain snapped within seconds of getting back on the bike.

My next sight was Loz lapping me. I got back on the bike but nearly gave up as the gears were a mess. With a bit of tinkering I was back in the game and determined to make up time. Before the end of the bike I caught Loz and unlapped myself.

Setting out on the run I hadn’t expected the terrain to be all off road. In the end this turned out to be a positive as the twists and turns provided interest. The first lap felt steady and by the second my legs had settled into their stride. The pace picked up and I pushed myself harder that I have done for a while.

Winding up for a sprint finish my ham and quad’s on my right leg cramped up and I limped over the line. All in all an eventful day.

Results

Swim: 27:55.8

T1: 03:41.6

Bike: 01:36:37.9

T2: 00:56.6

Run: 42:44.8

Total: 02:51:56.6

Looking at the lake at 8am I could have turned round and driven home. As usual I felt half asleep, bumbled stuff together and had panic attacks that I’d left things in the car. Using a box for transition is really helping as I get things in there the night before and know on the day everything should be there.

My wave was larger than I expected, nearly 300 people in a mass start. The course went out and back from the leisure center and happily there were no signs of algae. I felt panicked as we set off as the washing mashing of bodies filled my vision. Flashbacks to the Ironman reminded me to close my fists, put my arms across my face and get on with it.

Thankfully I found space fairly quickly and lost my thoughts as I stared into the black water. Occasionally bubbles and feet appeared, breaking my zone and reminding me where I was. As usual my swimming coach’s voice came into my head and I broke the swim down into drills. Pull through, extension and more got me to half way. I relaxed on the return leg, lengthening out and surprising myself as I caught people.

I started the bike steadily, taking care to avoid people wobbling around as they tightened their shoes up. The out leg was into a sharp head wind in places. This combined with a rolling profile meant I felt like my legs alternated between strong and weak. I coped with the weak by taking on fluid and gels.

The end part of the out leg appeared to be all down hill leading to a little fear of burning out on the climb back. After the turn though the climb I saw never materialised. Must have been an optical illusion or the benefit of the tail wind. Either way I wasn’t complaining and put the hammer down. I made up my mind to give the bike my best shot and worry about the run when I got to it. I made up plenty of ground and on got over taken by two other competitors.

Transition 2 was a balls up. I ran out the way we came in with the bike – the wrong way apparently, meaning I had to run back the length of transition. There’s not much to say about the run other than it followed the same route as the bike, was hot and hilly. For some reason my chest felt tight and I just couldn’t break into a decent pace.

I’m really pleased with the result, especially the bike leg. I would love to crack an hour for the 40k next time!

This was still only my third triathlon and my first at Olympic distance. I had confidence from the Belvoir middle distance that I could last the course but had unknowns about speed and nutrition.

The one element of Ironman Nice that I’ve not considered as a factor is the early start. This combined with my lack of experience let to me thinking I’d forgotten my bike and run drink. I later found them inside my day bag but at the time I felt panicked. Luckily Loz had a spare bottle for the bike and I could take on water from feed stations during the run.

Tip: Like exams – leave time to double check everything!

At 07:10 I found myself jumping into the Thames and sculling against the current to keep my place on the start line. A competitor entering the water late swam to the start right in front of me and turned just as the horn sounded. I set off quickly but found myself feeling flustered trying to fight the pack and the current. My head just wasn’t in it so I breast stroked for a while to calm myself. For a second I debated swimming to the side and calling it a day but told myself that I must tough it out if I’m to complete the Ironman. By the turn I had settled into the swim and started catching people. The return leg flew by as the current helped me on my way.

Swim time – 1500m – 28.20

Speed in transition was my pre race aim. The day before I bought a tri suit and on the day wore my race number under my wetsuit. I still put on socks and had to content with normal bike shoes but was happy with the time of 2:17 for T1.

I headed out on the bike not quite knowing how I felt after the swim. From the moment I clipped in I made up placed. Within a minute I had overtaken a couple of people who came through T1 quicker than me. This and the sight of more people to overtake spurred me on.

The night before Loz had driven us round the bike course. This proved invaluable as I new where I should push and where I should take on gels. By the time of the first major turn I had overtaken a few nice time trial bikes and the legs felt good. I opted to push as hard as I could on the bike and worry about the run when I got to it.

Entering drift road I heard the distinctive noise of a time trial bike with carbon wheels approaching from behind. A guy in all the kit proceeded to slide past me. I looked up and saw he wasn’t getting away so opted to see if I could get my place back. I kicked and flew past him. He then took me on a downhill but I took him again on the rolling straight. All the time trial riders I’ve seen so far can’t take hills and on the final rise to the dead turn I dropped the guy. On the return leg I had the mental boost of knowing I was nearly home and floored it. I barely looked up and concentrated on the next bike ahead as I leapfrogged my way up the road.

I met my match funnily enough with a guy on a bike I recognised on the back of the car we followed in off the motorway on Saturday. Coming off drift road I saw him in the distance and made him my target. Eventually I caught and overtook him but on the last major rise he took me back. There was a good sprint back but I couldn’t quite reach the top speed he could on the downhill and straights. Think I need a time trial bike myself!

Bike – 1:04:22

I flew through transition 2 in 01:17 and started the run feeling a bit uneasy. The adrenaline from the race in on the bike wore off and my feet didn’t feel like carrying my weight. I took the first lap easy, planning to recover and then build over the next two laps. The hill up to the castle was short and nasty but I think it was the 4 dead turns that made the run difficult. I gradually picked up pace and managed a sprint to the finish.

Run – 42:49

Overall time: 2:19:05

Position: 95/1443

Age group position: 15th/84