Let’s start at the beginning...this race was always intended to be a bit of a beat up from my A race of the season – the 2010 IM CH in Zurich....keep that in mind!
So after nearly six weeks of no running (due to Achilles tendonitis) and feeling rough for part of the week (GI bug either child or food induced – I wish it was overeating/drinking...) I was delighted to get an email on Tuesday telling me that the bike course I had recce’d last weekend (and ridden!) had been completely changed so out went the plans of a course with a hilly start and an uber quick back section (ideal for the Aerotic)....the course was described as “lumpy” by the organisers – Cornish for a little hilly....
So bike plans changed I prep’d the Protosonic for racing (changing wheels/pedals/computer mounts/etc) and we headed down to Cornwall....after a long drive and less than five hours sleep I got up at 3:40am....it was going to be a long day!
After waking myself up and coating myself in P20 suncream breakfast was a big bowl of porridge with brown sugar washed down with 500ml of Viper....with assistance (thanks Dad!) I sorted out the bottles/food for the day and headed down to the registration (a 30min drive away).
I registered and racked my bike (and met the woman who took my chip off me at Wimbleball last year – offered a volunteer job in a transition crew at UKHIM if I want it...maybe...)
The day was calm and the sky already deep blue and clear – it was going to be hot and still – or so I thought – time to put the trispoke wheels on front and rear...big mistake!
Following the race brief we headed down to the swim start (1900m in Mounts Bay, water 12ish degrees and not much chop) – a little apprehensive (my first sea swim since I was 10!) I race into the water at the start.
I found my first rock about 20m in and stubbed my toe and then decided swimming would be better than walking/running...the swim went quite well being herded by the canoes around the course – about ½ mile off shore the wave picked up and I experienced swimming uphill and downhill for the first time – v wierd!
I came in from the swim in about 30mins and crossed the mat at 33:05 - running in sand is hard! Passing over the mat put me in the “Dead Zone” a clock stop before the T1 mat as the swim to T1 was a fair distance (this is important later...) I took off my wetsuit and made my way to T1. A quite quick T1 for me 3:27 even including taking the sand off the feet and putting on socks (and being strangled by my cycle jacket) and out onto the bike.
The bike was a good challenging course – I would have enjoyed it more with uber lightweight wheels rather than aero monsters as it was very hilly and technical (totally unlike the original course) – once out of Marazion the route wound its way to the North coast and from there to Zennor before coming back through St Ives to Hayle and back to Marazion before doing a loop out towards Helsotn, and back via Hayle – 84ish km in total in 3:37:17 - 3 mins faster than the computer predicted (quite happy with that) – most times were in the 3:20-3:40 range. The main challenges were the headwinds (up to 30mph in gusts) and the crosswind on the north coast (hmmmm trispokes were a poor choice...) combined with a shocking road surface all along the north coast (the descents were interesting...)
Through T2 - change socks, shoes, grab hat and fuelbelt and off I went....in 3:30 – not the fastest but not the slowest either...
Onto the run...OMFG what a run – out of T2 straight onto a beast of a hill followed by a down hill and another two hills the last being insanely steep – it was a two lap course with drink stations at the half way point and the lap end....glad I had the fuel belt....
I knew I was going to have a bad run when I developed stomach cramp and bloating in the first km...it got worse and I had to stop and wretch for a while....this carried on for most of the rest of the run....calming down a bit towards the middle of each lap where it was flatter....I was extremely hot (it was over 30 in the sun) and with the high hedges there was no breeze...this made it hard work....I spent most of the first lap trying to persuade myself to quit at the half way but after I had a nice chat/a drink of fresh water and some new suncream from one of the volunteers I felt much better and headed out onto lap 2. The second lap was pretty uneventful until about 1km out when I saw a guy behind me (the first person I had seen in an hour!) I decided to race it to the end and put the foot down – beating him across the line by about a minute – run finished in 2:55:36 (pretty shocking but it was hard) – his comment at the end was “ I wish I could run like that” – dead chuffed I was...until I found out that he took 30s less than me in the dead zone (which we were not told was timed....) and so beat me by 20s in total time :-( my final time was 7:12:56
Anyway I made it round – didn’t blub when little Jules ran towards me shouting “Daddy!” (like last year at Wimbleball) – and could walk the next day...result!
...and on the plus side which other Triathlon has post race nutrition as a pint of Skinners Blond Ale and a pasty :-) the thought of it kept me going for the last lap!
Middle distance beat up race...done....1hr43mins inside my old PB....IMCH here I come :-)
Finally worked out how to use my Garmin when swimming :-) under the first hat - goggle straps either side of it and another hat on top - simples!
