pacrfish - another positive is that you have 5 stone less than your husband to carry up the hill and can always draft him on the way down (in training at least)
or
maybe you get him to carry the "washing up" up the hills and give it 2 u on the down hills so it can even things out abit..
I resisted the temaption to play on the kreuzotter site knowing i'd be there all day
Well Rob - you've really made me think with the 'why' question. Because I'm having a mid-life crisis, because it's interesting to see how far I can push this ancient body, because it's there .... and I guess because one day I'd love to have a go at a full ironman (have to whisper that one - husband isn't too keen).
I've 4 children aged between 7 and 14, and my eldest is severely disabled which kind of changes life's priorities somehow - life is for living, win or lose...doesn't really matter..
When I entered this I had seen the Longleat route, and assumed the revised one would be similar ... mistake! I've done 3 tri's for charity, and also a 24 hour marathon, and I'll do this one for charity too. I'm slow, but I guess I sort of just keep going!
Bet you wish you hadn't asked now!
Quite like the idea of drafting 15 stone husband downhill, but I just can't keep with him .... maybe a tow-rope??? But I am much faster than him on the climbs!
rob: you're more than welcome to sit behind me on the bike, but don't you be sitting there talking about any holes!!!!,
david, i was thinking 60+ was just mental!!!
rob anbd tim again: i really am going to try and get down this weekend, might try to get off friday and find a b & b, as i have to ba back by 6 on sat and that'd be a real long day.
as for the scary thing each day, yes going to work counts, especially if you're on the back of the fire engine with me driving!!!
why we just open the invitation to anyone who wants to ride the course? 9 am? wimbleball lake, could someone suggest where exactly to meet if they know the area?
pacrfish, respect to you for fitting in training with four kids. It's hard enough without. Count me in for sponsorship, I'll sponsor you 10p for every mile you complete.
fatmatt, have no idea where to meet, I guess there's a car park somewhere near the lake? Or just look for a little guy with a goatee beard on a silver Specialized, with a confused look on his face.
Thanks guys - I'm going to get a justgiving website up and running this weekend so I'll let you know.
There's a cafe with half decent coffee (plus toilets) at the west side of the lake (somewhere near were transition will be, I guess), go down the hill past the entrance to the bit for anglers (is that the right word - anyway the fishy bit) on the left, then take the next left towards the campsite (remembering that we're only talking single track roads here!). Wish I could come down too but impossible with the family.
Wow. All this talk of the course is getting me worried now. Very keen to get up there and cycling it now though. Meeting at the cafe sounds like the best option.
pacrfish - I'll def be contributing to the charity fund!!
after doing this research I realise that you mean a 70.3 from the point of view of it being a "offical ironman" 70.3 to which I think the answer is yes..
where as the about are the same(ish) distance ...but I guess you knew that
If anyone fancies doing a half IM distance in down here in sunny Cornwall there is one in Mounts Bay on the 21st May. Nice sea swim followed by a bike round Lands End and then a gentle jog along the beach front into Penzance.
i don't think i'll be there, i've chosen the weymouth half on the 4th june instead as it fits in better with work, i still might try and come down though this saturday as it'll be good training, but don't wait around for me
Vitruvian and 'Beaver' are in my neck of the woods - at Rutland Water in Rutland(!) and around Belvoir Castle (Leics). Both will be scenic with hilly bike routes (but not as hilly as Exmoor!!). Vitruvian has a good reputation locally, and the 'Beaver' one is a new venture, but it could be a challenging course (Belvoir Castle sits on top of a substantial hill).
I'd like to have tried Beaver but it clashes with a local race where I've promised to marshall .... assuming I survive the delights of Exmoor ...
a few mates at my tri club did Vitruvian last year .. said it is eye opening as tri's go ... am intrigued enough to consider it next year ... am tempting Loonytoon with a 1/2 IM so maybe this might an option .... another here mentioned Hellvelyn .. now lthat looks a challenge (gulp)
Rob and I cycled the the Exmoor route yesterday. Absolutely perfect weather for cycling. Definately a challenging ride with lots of hills. You start climbing pretty much from the start. Then hit the fastest and flattest stretch which lulls you into a false sense of security for the final part of the course which is brutally up hill. This includes a nice long 14% climb with little recovery, followed by another shorter steep climb. The nice bit is the stretch back to transition at the end of the ride. Its a chance to let the legs recover for the run ahead.
I was pretty happy with our ride in the end as we were well under 4 hours. I definately reccommend anybody doing the 70.3 to go and ride the course before the race! Having not been to Exmoor before I thought the area was a beautiful place to cycle (barring the hills of course) with some outstanding scenery.
Thanks for the info on the bike Tim. Did you try the run? What did you think of that?
Got some good (painful) hill training in last week and had a good race at the Derby Spring Tri yesterday so feeling a bit more confident (and it was exciting to see Richard Stannard being beaten by a 17 year old - and being so gracious about it!)
Hoping to get down to Exmoor to battle with the course again too ...
Yes we tried the run. Its not too bad really. One tricky hill, which as its a 3 lap course could start to hurt by the 3rd lap. Apart from that its fairly flat. I actually did not get round the whole run course as I took a wrong turning and ended up going down a private lane. Rob was a little behind me after the hill and went the correct way. By all accounts after the hill its flat. If wet it could get quite muddy as you run by the lake.
Hi, following on from Tim's post (hi Tim, good to meet you Saturday), the course is tough. I did my first tri a month ago & as far as the bike is concerned I was 115th fastest out of 174 finishers; this might give you an indication of where I'm coming from. The toughest section by far is Exebridge to Haddon Hill. As soon as you take a sharp left off the A396 there's a real steep climb, with not much rest before the next 14% hill. Following that there is another, slightly shorter but still pretty steep hill. I ride a Specialized Allez with a 53/39 front & 12-25 rear, & I had run out of gears pretty much at the bottom of the climbs & was out of the seat all the way to the top. The second time round is even worse as you can probably imagine. But I did make it to the top without getting off. The top section, the B3224, is nice. Probably a good chance to take on board food/drink. Turning left towards the A396 is a good chance to get the average speed back up if you have the energy. I hit nearly 41mph at the bottom of that hill before I chickened out to brake. I also got a bit of sunburn on the backs of the arms, so don't forget your sunscreen if you're doing the race.
The run has one quite punishing hill, we did one lap just to see where it went & I had to walk up that first hill as my legs had given up by that point! It was quite muddy in places so don't expect to keep those nice shiny white trainers clean.
I'm with Tim on recommending you get your arse's down there if you can before the race.
We got some photo's & as soon as I figure out how to post them in the picture gallery, there'll be on there.
Cheers, Rob
PS Any of you any had any problems getting your feet out of your pedals? Neither had Tim, until Saturday. And in the middle of Exmoor there just happened to be someone around with a camera to capture the momentous occasion! Now, how to post them in the picture gallery......
Was hoping you had forgotten about that photo, Rob! Thats the last time I stop to take photos on that course. Thanks again for Sat Rob. See you in June.
I've posted a few of the photos from our recce of the ride in the photo gallery. They don't really show you how steep it is unfortunately. If anybody's got any questions about the route TimD or myself can let you know a bit more detail. Tim, following your performance up the hills i.e. leaving me in your wake, I've figured out what your sign in name stands for. You've gotta be Tim Don or Tim De Boom in disguise.
Just back from a second look at the big black cloud in my life - that bike course. Have decided the second look is worse. However I did get round all 57.24 miles without getting off/falling off. Just to make you feel better Rob, I took 4 hrs 22 mins. BUT - at least that is inside the cut-off, which my first attempt wasn't. And there's still a few weeks of training left.
The second leg is definitely much worse than the first, and the hill that took my legs out second time round was on the single track road at the beginning of the second loop. Fortunately I'd recovered a bit by the big hills.
Didn't even look at the run. I'd got my nutrition all wrong, hadn't eaten enough and was really thirsty by the end so didn't push it.
Comments
or
maybe you get him to carry the "washing up" up the hills and give it 2 u on the down hills so it can even things out abit..
I resisted the temaption to play on the kreuzotter site knowing i'd be there all day
I've 4 children aged between 7 and 14, and my eldest is severely disabled which kind of changes life's priorities somehow - life is for living, win or lose...doesn't really matter..
When I entered this I had seen the Longleat route, and assumed the revised one would be similar ... mistake! I've done 3 tri's for charity, and also a 24 hour marathon, and I'll do this one for charity too. I'm slow, but I guess I sort of just keep going!
Bet you wish you hadn't asked now!
Quite like the idea of drafting 15 stone husband downhill, but I just can't keep with him .... maybe a tow-rope??? But I am much faster than him on the climbs!
david, i was thinking 60+ was just mental!!!
rob anbd tim again: i really am going to try and get down this weekend, might try to get off friday and find a b & b, as i have to ba back by 6 on sat and that'd be a real long day.
as for the scary thing each day, yes going to work counts, especially if you're on the back of the fire engine with me driving!!!
why we just open the invitation to anyone who wants to ride the course? 9 am? wimbleball lake, could someone suggest where exactly to meet if they know the area?
good luck everyone
fatmatt
let us all know the charity and i'm sure you'll get a few extra pennies
fatmatt
fatmatt, have no idea where to meet, I guess there's a car park somewhere near the lake? Or just look for a little guy with a goatee beard on a silver Specialized, with a confused look on his face.
There's a cafe with half decent coffee (plus toilets) at the west side of the lake (somewhere near were transition will be, I guess), go down the hill past the entrance to the bit for anglers (is that the right word - anyway the fishy bit) on the left, then take the next left towards the campsite (remembering that we're only talking single track roads here!). Wish I could come down too but impossible with the family.
Have a great time
pacrfish - I'll def be contributing to the charity fund!!
Rob/fatmatt - might be useful to sawp mob nos?
Tim
fatmatt
p.s. only got 50.9 yesterday, but i have lost a few pounds lately, woo hoo
DAvid
http://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/details.php?id=402
http://www.britishtriathlon.org/events/details.php?id=4
http://www.personal-group.com/bigcow/event.asp?eventID=77
after doing this research I realise that you mean a 70.3 from the point of view of it being a "offical ironman" 70.3 to which I think the answer is yes..
where as the about are the same(ish) distance ...but I guess you knew that
el mad 1
Plenty of entries left.
as far as i know the wimbleball race is the official uk 70.3 ironman, but there are plenty of other races over the same distance
the one in cornwall soon, as mentioned,
weymouth 4th june
wimbleball 18th june
the 'beaver' northampton area i think
vitruvian in leicestershire
one in september in the new forest
think i've seen about 7 or 8 check british triathlon
and then there's the 70.3 series with about 15 races around the world but they fill up quickly
fatmatt
www.hayletri.co.uk
i don't think i'll be there, i've chosen the weymouth half on the 4th june instead as it fits in better with work, i still might try and come down though this saturday as it'll be good training, but don't wait around for me
cheers
fatmatt
Though Tim D makes a good case for mounts bay..
All next year...
I'd like to have tried Beaver but it clashes with a local race where I've promised to marshall .... assuming I survive the delights of Exmoor ...
madnurse
I was pretty happy with our ride in the end as we were well under 4 hours. I definately reccommend anybody doing the 70.3 to go and ride the course before the race! Having not been to Exmoor before I thought the area was a beautiful place to cycle (barring the hills of course) with some outstanding scenery.
Got some good (painful) hill training in last week and had a good race at the Derby Spring Tri yesterday so feeling a bit more confident (and it was exciting to see Richard Stannard being beaten by a 17 year old - and being so gracious about it!)
Hoping to get down to Exmoor to battle with the course again too ...
The run has one quite punishing hill, we did one lap just to see where it went & I had to walk up that first hill as my legs had given up by that point! It was quite muddy in places so don't expect to keep those nice shiny white trainers clean.
I'm with Tim on recommending you get your arse's down there if you can before the race.
We got some photo's & as soon as I figure out how to post them in the picture gallery, there'll be on there.
Cheers, Rob
PS Any of you any had any problems getting your feet out of your pedals? Neither had Tim, until Saturday. And in the middle of Exmoor there just happened to be someone around with a camera to capture the momentous occasion! Now, how to post them in the picture gallery......
Was hoping you had forgotten about that photo, Rob! Thats the last time I stop to take photos on that course. Thanks again for Sat Rob. See you in June.
Cheers
The second leg is definitely much worse than the first, and the hill that took my legs out second time round was on the single track road at the beginning of the second loop. Fortunately I'd recovered a bit by the big hills.
Didn't even look at the run. I'd got my nutrition all wrong, hadn't eaten enough and was really thirsty by the end so didn't push it.
What did you eat/drink on the course? Any advice?
And you're right about the sunburn!!