Olympic Muppet

Ok, so I admit it, the title could be construed as slightly misleading.  I have used the somewhat tenuous link to the Olympic rowing venue of Dorney Lake as a header for this particular post.  I wasn't in the Olympics, racing with an Olympian, or even doing an Olympic distance triathlon.  But I am sticking with it, even though the comparison between the Brownlee brothers and the Marshallsay brothers (yes David was there again too) is difficult to make.

Scootathlon

The greatest pleasure of the day came as I watched my 7 year old daughter take part in the scootathlon.  She is not always the most confident of girls so to see her out there scooting, riding and running brought a tear to the eye.  She worked her way around the course steadily and finished really well, although we do need to do some work on choosing a gear higher than 1!  Legs were working ten to the dozen. Inspired by the sight of the kids racing David and I went and forced our way inside our wetsuits.

Open water swim!

After a couple of practices in the local lake down at Eastleigh I was feeling confident that I could complete the 400m distance if not confident overall.  David and I were in the 'mates wave' where you could join up with other people you knew rather than getting put in different waves at different times.  The gratifying thing at the start was that there seemed to be a rush of people trying to get to the back of the field as we were treading water in preparation.

The start was a whirlwind of motion.  We had made our way out to the right and away from the main bulk of people.  But even so I made contact with several bodies and had to wriggle and manoeuvre myself into a position whereby I could actually swim.  Competitive nature took over and I found myself puffing out my chest and making sure that my elbows were out to create some space.  This was the part of the race I had been most worried about and I found that I loved it!

After about 50m I realised that I had been caught up in the euphoria of the moment and was swimming at an all out sprint.  I forced myself to slow to a steady rhythm and tried to get my heart rate back under control.  At the turning buoy the field closed up again as everyone headed for the inside line, great fun as the argy bargy began again.  I didn't know where David was as its impossible to get any real inclination of where you are or who is around you.  It would turn out his power breast stroke was not too far behind me and, amazingly, we were both in the top half of the field.

Transition 1

I crawled/clambered out of the water, my brain trying (fairly unsuccessfully) to go from horizontal to vertical.  I got myself moving up the slope and towards transition.  I fumbled ineffectively with the Velcro at the top of my wetsuit, ripping it apart with cold fingers.  The only problem was that when I pulled down the zip on the wetsuit the velcro had firmly re-stuck in place - it was like industrial strength glue!  Anti-chafe stuff had been liberally rubbed onto ankles, wrists and neck to help get the wetsuit off and this worked like a charm as I wriggled out and put on my bike shoes.  I had planned to clip them onto the bike and leap on Javier Gomex style (you can see what happened last time I tried this in the Shoe Muppet BLOG).  Unfortunately I had forgotten my elastic bands (ahem).  On the whole transition went more smoothly than usual and I was out onto the bike.

The Cycle

There isn't a huge amount to say about the bike leg.  I settled onto my aero-bars and pumped my legs.  I looked down, I was moving at about 36km per hour and realised that this is what it's like to ride on the flat.  I was cruising and feeling good.  It was only when I went around the far end of the lake that I understood that I had been riding downwind!  I wasn't quite sure whether I was ahead of David, there had been several breast-strokers around me during the swim and I hadn't thought to check whether his bike was still in transition.  I thought I probably was but it was a good motivating factor nevertheless.  Soon I was finishing my 4th lap and moving into transition for the second time.

Transition 2

I undid my bike shoes just before the line and jumped off (possibly a slightly grandiose statement) to run in bare feet to my station.  I took off helmet and glasses and then put trainers on my feet.  Remarkably smooth!

The Run

I felt rotten coming out onto the run course.  Had I blown myself up by pushing too hard on the bike?  I was acutely aware that David is in the run form of his life, having finished a 5k race at around 21 mins, a full 2 minutes + ahead of my best time.  I dug in and plodded along, hoping that the feeling would pass.  Over a couple of bridges I passed some people and for the first time understood that I had probably started at the same time as them.  Each one I passed meant another place gained.  The course did a u-turn and sent me back towards the transition area.  After a little while I saw David, his beard recognisable from a distance, and realised that he wouldn't be able to catch up, he was just far enough back for me to relax.  These positive thoughts coincided with a better feeling and I started to push along harder as the turn came for the second lap.  Soon I felt positively great and really moved up through the gears to the end.

I had achieved a personal best in all three disciplines (alright, I know, it was the first swim I had done in the open water).  I wasn't surprised by the bike as it was so flat but the run was particularly pleasing, a personal best for 5k in any race!  My position of 160th was in the top third of competitors and David was in the top half.  A good day all around.

Splits:

Swim - 9:43

T1 - 1:58

Cycle - 41:16

T2 - 1.02

Run - 23:04

Total - 1:17:05

Position - 160/488

Age group position - 37/78

Muppet rating: 1 (Velcro issues and forgotten laccy bands)

Triathlon Muppet

Muppet on wheels

As I consider my first open water triathlon in the upcoming days my thoughts have been dwelling on the nature of the sport and how much cash you have.  Specifically the amount of money you have available to spend on a bike.

I spent around 1000 pounds on my bike including the pedals (still bemused that the bike didn't come with pedals attached) and a few bits and bobs.  I managed to do this through the bike to work scheme run by my company (thanks GDST).  In terms of racing though this is very much entry level stuff, although I see lots of other people riding similar beasts during triathlons.

Now, the legs are the engine and they power the bike.  I am aware of this and this blog is not just an excuse to make up for my lack of mojo on the ride section.  However..... People riding time trial or triathlon bikes do have a distinct and real advantage (ok, you might argue stuff about terrain but you take my point).  This was brought home to me during the duathlon at Goodwood motor circuit as these extremely expensive dream machines were flying past me on a regular basis.

The point is this.  How much money you have or are prepared to sacrifice on triathlon has a direct result on how fast you will go.  You could argue there are lots of sports like this.  Golf is dependant on your equipment and you can spend a fortune on clubs and gadgets, but I am still not convinced that it will make that much difference whatever the manufacturers say.  Top of the range clubs won't fix my dodgy swing.  Unlike cycling.

So the long and short of it is if I had pots of cash and a great, super fast, carbon bicycle then I could beat Javier Gomez no problem.  Or perhaps the top of the range bike won't fix my dodgy riding....

Triathlon Muppet

Open water muppet

Saturday saw me dip my toes and eventually the rest of me into the murky depths of Eastleigh lake.

Myself and my brother David got up at the stupid hour of 6am and looked at each other in disbelief.  As David put it 'hmm, not as though we have to get up really early all week is it?'.  At that time the irony was almost completely lost on me.  The rain was coming down outside and we were both feeling decidedly chilly.  Let's just suggest that motivation was somewhat low.

The pair of us managed to drag ourselves out of the door and made the half hour journey in close to silence.  this was very much a first and nerves were hanging in the air.  As we arrived we saw some fit looking people who looked like they knew what they were doing, which always serves to demotivate.  We checked in with the bloke from Trytri and signed a waiver (always a worry) and headed down towards the lake.  Shiny new wetsuits came out of boxes and we were soon heaving them on and having to get a bit too friendly as we did the others' up and applied some anti-chafe stuff (I know, gorgeous huh.  To necks I hasten to add).

I took the plunge first.  Well, by that I mean I walked delicately into the water and stood around for a bit getting used to it.  it was cold but not crushingly so and the wetsuits do a remarkable job of sealing in the warmth.

I tried a few strokes and realised that there was absolutely no visibility.  the cold also became much more intense as the face went in and I became aware that I wasn't breathing out at all underwater, classic signs of minor panic.  I gathered myself again and forced breaths out on the second occasion, gradually being able to relax and settle into swimming.  David seemed to have got to the same point.

'Come on then, let's go for it,' he said and we set of to try a lap of 350m.  The reality is that it is quite pleasurable once you get going and really nice to swim through water that is not chlorinated.  It is much more tiring though as you are constantly swimming and don't have the security of pushing off the wall every 25m.

We managed to achieve 3 laps and got out feeling pleased with ourselves.  Getting out of wet wetsuits was next and I think there is a huge amount of muppet potential in a race with that particular element.  Two weeks until Dorney Lake and the first open water triathlon.  I am almost looking forward to it....

Triathlon Muppet

Muppet on the rise

I must confess to sitting here feeling a bit of a warm glow.  Yes, some of it is to do with a bit too much sun on bank holiday Monday but the majority is based around a job well done.  The Tonbridge Sprint Triathlon has been completed and I am struggling to think of a single piece of muppetry!

My brother David and my friend Andy were both competing as well.  Another friend, Stefan, was in a later wave than us but we would be there to see him finish.  In the last race at Andover (where my muppet rating had gone through the roof), Andy had proved to be the dark horse and stormed to a two minute margin ahead of myself and David.  All of our training leading up to this race seemed to have gone well and there were definitely less moans about aches and pains.  As usual we were each trying to boost each other up to be the favourite.

A really nice touch about this event was that you could put other people's names in when you registered.  This meant, unusually for a pool based triathlon, you could start very close together with friends and family.  This would lead to a great race, particularly between Andy and me.  It also added to the tension somewhat as we all lined up on the side of the pool next to each other.

I was off first.  I settled into what I thought was a nice rhythm but still have the problem of an adrenaline rush at the start which means I set off at jet propelled speed and then suffer through the second half of the swim.  I am hoping that this will rectify itself when I perform at longer distances and settle in for a more steady pace.

Coming out of the swim I ran towards transition and noticed that Andy was close behind.  He is a stronger swimmer than me so it was no surprise, I just didn't know how long he had started after me.  Amazingly I got number belt, shoes, glasses and helmet on with no problem and was out and running with my bike to mount and get away.  It would be David who was the muppet this time, running around transition looking for his lost bike.  It turned out that two gents were stood having a nice chat right in front of it!

The first half of the cycle was quite tough.  There were three fairly major climbs, one of which saw me in the lowest possible gear I could use.  I started to feel quite sick and am thinking that I don't need the performance gel consumed before the event.  The sugary gloop seems to sit on my stomach as soon as I take it.

As I reached the end of the third climb a voice came from my right.  "Good morning young man," said Andy as he pedalled past.  I dug in and tucked in behind him (at least seven metres of course, no drafting allowed).  I was determined that he wouldn't cycle away from me.  Steep descents followed and I continued to track behind Andy considering my next move.

With about 2km to go he went through a junction and the marshall stopped me to let three cars past.  Determined not to lose touch I accelerated fast to catch him.  Realising I was carrying a lot of speed it seemed foolish to slow down again so I went past, leaving a suitable comment behind as I did.  Hence I carried the lead into transition 2 and out onto the run (via another remarkably smooth change).  Andy was still doggedly hanging on behind me and I couldn't resist glances back over my shoulder.

Luckily I managed to get my tactics right.  I took the first lap of the run fairly easily and tried to push on during the second lap.  As I came into the finish amidst encouragement of family and friends I looked back.  Andy was about 300m behind me and struggling to keep going.  It would now all depend on how long after me he had started in the swim.

It turned out that I beat him by around 40 seconds and David, who had found his bike by then, by about 5 minutes.  I had also finished in the top third of all the competitors (109th), which I am extremely chuffed about.  Things are definitely looking up.  Only now I am considering the small matter of my first open water triathlon on May 25th at Dorney Lake, plenty of opportunities for muppetry when you throw a wetsuit into the equation.

Tonbridge triathlon Muppet rating:  0!

Triathlon Muppet

Duathlon Muppet

I sometimes have an issue with overconfidence when thinking I can achieve something.  This can be a really good thing when I commit and then have to come up with the goods, regardless of whether it was in my skill set before.  With multi-sport it can be great as when you have entered an event, quite often at considerable expense, it means that you have to get through it and prepare.  Sometimes you get over excited and enter something that is possibly a step too far.

Late 2012 had just whetted my appetite for the sport.  I needed something to keep me going over the winter so that I didn't fall back into old, sedentary habits.  As such, I joined Portsmouth Triathletes.  A well run, welcoming club that were happy to accept even muppets like me.  It seemed churlish then not to enter the first of their events to come along, the Goodwood Duathlon.  Fresh from my championship winning form (see previous but one BLOG) I thought it was about time that I went long.  And so I entered the 4k run 40k bike, 8k run event rather than the shorter one.

Somehow I managed to persuade both my brothers that it would be a good idea as well.  Tim, the youngest of us and a very efficient runner, didn't even have a bike at the time so he was particularly brave.  I gave him my hybrid sit up and beg bike that is great for trails but perhaps not quite so effective on a wide, flat motor circuit.  My favourite quote when we arrived was a kindly duathlete spotting his bike and saying: "don't worry, people are really nice here, you'll be fine."  The only shame is she didn't finish with "bless you."

This 'spring' in the UK has been absolutely freezing and this day was no exception.  The temperature was hovering around minus 3 Celsius as we approached the circuit.  We had all brought extra gear to keep us warm and would be glad of it during the race, in particular the overshoes for the bike leg that meant our feet were only moderate blocks of ice rather than glaciers.  The coldest man at the circuit was my dad, who had come to watch his boys fly around the circuit.  How proud he must have been when we trailed in at the back of the field.

Alarm bells began to ring as we set off.  All three of us are reasonable runners, but as soon as the whistle went the rest of the competitors leapt forward and left David and I in their wake.  Tim was keeping pace and running strongly, clearly concerned about the cycle leg.  I suddenly started to worry that he might even beat me on a hybrid bike, now that would be embarrassing!

Warming up slightly we made our way into a nasty, biting wind along the back straight.  In fact, in a physics defying fashion, it seemed that the wind was against for three quarters of the lap.  Soon we were in transition.  I had pulled out a slight gap on David and was pleased to see Tim still there struggling with his helmet (bless him).  "I can't get the blessed thing done up," he yelled at me, or words to that effect.  David arrived shortly afterwards but would faff in transition for ages getting his hair and makeup perfect before setting off.

For once my transition was swift and I came out just after Tim and soon overtook as he toiled into the breeze.  I tucked down into aero position and accelerated, feeling good.  The men and women on the carbon bikes (powered by stronger legs than mine) flew past but I was leading the personal Marshallsay battle.  10 laps to go....

By lap 5 I was struggling.  I knew this by the fact that I had been overtaken by one of the marshalls who was gently riding around checking on the competitors.  You always know the going is tough when you get well meaning, but mildly patronising, encouragement.  The sensible people doing the shorter distance peeled off at lap 6 and I looked on enviously as I sailed past the pits/transition area to complete another 4 laps.

On lap 7 the worst happened.  Legs burning and lungs empty I heard David's voice "keep going bro," and he was past.  I had no response and he gradually pulled away.  A momentary lift came on the next circuit as I lapped Tim.  He hurled a string of expletives that I couldn't possibly repeat here in my general direction.  I believe he was suggesting that this was all my fault (at which point I couldn't agree more).  The last lap finally arrived and the track was full of runners but there were very few bikes still out there.  I am sure that at one point a nun on a shopping bicycle came past, but perhaps I was hallucinating?

I limped thankfully into transition and was pleased to see David still there playing with his equipment.  His faffing had got me back into the race.  Just an 8km run to do but my legs were waking up and I had a brother 100m ahead to chase down.

I caught him towards the end of the first lap and went past him.  I expected him to respond and was surprised when I looked back that he had disappeared.  I looked back again a bit later and there he was, a long way behind.  It would transpire that he stopped to have a wee!

David slowly caught me over the next lap but I was determined that he wouldn't recover his lead.  I managed to stay ahead and came in to the finish, even overtaking one of the few people left out on the circuit.  David finished soon after and we settled down to wait for Tim.   He came in dead last but had run two fantastic run splits.  

All three of us found this really hard but were chuffed to have completed it in tough conditions.  Tim is still talking to me and might even be thinking of getting a decent bike to try another.  I am worried that if David ever stops faffing I could be in trouble.  

Next year I will be back, and maybe the boys will be too....

Muppet rating: 1 (biting off more than I could chew)

Triathlon Muppet