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Weymouth Middle Distance - Race Report

Great Report, well done, a great time, but what dance did you do to get good weather on the weekend that all others nearly drowned ???

Comments

  • timtim Posts: 43
    Hey Wannabetri, reading your report mirrored a lot of my experience. I completed this as my first middle distance, and was very pleased with the results, i was hoping to get sub 6hr got 5h 31m i was really there to try the swim and cycle as a knee injury has put a stop to running recently, sure enough i had a great swim in flat water (not what i was expecting after seeing it the day before) a fantastic bike (again scared of the early hill on the saturday, but found it very doable on the day) the run (as i knew it would) let me down, i had to walk a good portion of it and was over half an hour slower that previous half marathons, i am praying the knee improves before August i dont want to quit ironman before ive even started.



    have to say i didnt notice the stones after the swim my feet were numb! can see how matting would be of benefit though.



    a very enjoyable day, and other than the knee i am not suffering for it, roll on IMUK



    Tim
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    sounds like weymouth was the place to be for the best of the weather!



    great report and looks like you both did some really good times. best of luck for IMUK.
  • JessterJesster Posts: 482
    Oh how I wish for a result as good as that in my next race. Sounds like you CRUISED round!!!



    Well done, bro, pleased for ya [:D]
  • WannabetriWannabetri Posts: 219
    My dance was more of a standing complaint that my booties and rain coat weren't capable of coping with that downpour, nor could I possibly hope to stay out at sea with those waves. Had visions of 250+ wetsuit clad triathletes being bashed ashore like Killer Whales trying to beach themselves!!! The discussions of 'maybe if the swim is cancelled', and 'I need to pull out during the bike' did manifest.......... but without any need to be made!



    Tim - I know what you mean about the cold feet. I couldn;t get mine into my bike shoes, and only notices all the cuts after the race with my somewhat bloodied socks!!!



    Ris - Cheers! Whether was amazing. Felt blessed.



    Conehead - If you have any positions going give me a shout!!!! [;)]



    Looking forward to the LD Training day more and more each moment. Feeling a perfect blend of shear excitement of being in the best shape I have ever been with that nagging doubt that 'It's still not enough!!!'. [:D]
  • BlurredgirlBlurredgirl Posts: 292
    Wow, this is so inspiring. Well done everyone! Although I've yet to do a greater distance than sprint(!) I feel so motivated by all the recent reports on the middle distance races. I'm really up for giving this a go next year. So far I have one more sprint and then 2 Oly distance races to do this year.



    Sounds like everyone had a fantastic race - thanks so much for the deeply inspiring reports. Makes me itch to go long....



    There are going to be training issues though. I'll do a separate post about that.



    blurredgirl
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    Well done Wannabetri! Fantastic race, makes me wish that I hadn't chickened out of the sprint now!! Decided that it was just too soon for me to do 750m in the sea when I've only been in a couple of times and really struggled.



    Wasn't scared of drowning but was terrified of being last out of the sea. Pride is a dreadful thing.....
  • WannabetriWannabetri Posts: 219
    Ohhhhh, sounds like that dvd is gonna be necessary now.................. and most welcome!!!
  • diddsdidds Posts: 655
    ris wrote:


    sounds like weymouth was the place to be for the best of the weather!





    you should have come on over to devizes ris... it was corking here on Sunday morning!



    http://www.kennetkanter.org.uk/



    didds

  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Well done! Top man, I think you are spot on knowing what your limits are and not getting phased by people passing you where you expected them (does that make sense). This shows good mental discipline and that you have your race mapped out and you stuck to it and triumphed.
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    tim - 5:31? Wannabetri - 4:53? Pah! The longer you're out there the harder it is....



    ...which is where I come in.



    So here's my report from the shocking sports science experiment that was "The irresponsibly unprepared 70.3", egged on by a certain conical craniumed self-proclaimed 'expert' who shall remain nameless.



    As I've posted before, I suddenly decided to do Weymouth 70.3 with about 6 weeks to go. I was lost in the doldrums of my Olympic distance base phase with no races planned (because of being made jobless) and no real target to aim at. I've never done a 70.3, so I thought it would be a challenge. Many told me not to do it, others said to have a go. Conehead clinched it with his 'just do it' post here http://forum.220magazine.com/tm.asp?m=36626&mpage=1&key=70%2E3&#36685



    So, to convince myself that all was OK I embarked on a couple of large bricks (30-45mi bike, 5-8mi run) and brought up the running and swimming distances while sticking to my OD base training pace. I did this for two weeks until disaster struck... I got a job. A big one. A long way from home (1:30 driving each way). Training fell to bit, I even missed the time-trial night at swimming club. My weekend long-rides vanished under a tsunami of catching up with personal life. And I had a weeks holiday booked. Total training volume for the preceeding month was 2 x 1hr swim sessions, 1 x 3hr bike + 35min run, 2 x 45 min run, 1 x 1hr run, 1 spin class. In a month.



    Oh.. I had no idea about feeding strategies either. This was going to hurt.



    So, to the race. The swim was ace! Water was nice and cool, very little swell, I kept on telling myself to slow down as much as I could and so got out of the water at about 37-38 mins. Very slow for me. Probably too slow, as I started to get a nice cold water cramp in my calf in the last 200m which lost me some time. Anyway... everybody else was gasping for air around me while I was thinking I needed to warm up. Job done.



    The bike was well organised but dull. Lots of dual carriageway. Only one real hill at about 6-7km out of Weymouth and I was glad to get out of my seat and warm my thighs up in the last 50m of it. Other than that it was very nice and rolling, with one of those slight downhill sections where you sit in top gear at 90rpm for about 5 mins eating up the distance at around 45mph. Love it.



    I survived-ish on Lucozade Sport and a few jelly babies on the way out, but after one hour deployed a medium-range chunk of Soreen, for ultimate cog-cracking power.



    So I reckon I did the bike in about 2:45 then had a very leisurely T2 'cos my back was cramping up a bit. Got my shite together and started on the run.



    My run plan was to hit a slow jog of about 1hr/10km pace and just keep it going until the race ref told me to stop. In the event the 2 lap run was a bit uneven so I think the 1st lap was about 11km, and I got there in 1:04 which was perfect pacing. I started on lap 2, got past the first 10 minutes and I'm afraid that is where I died.



    Utter pain, cramps jittering everywhere, body parts going numb, everything suddenly became hysterically funny... yep, I'd gone and fecked up my food.



    I was staggering, wobbling and almost crying for much of lap two... that last 10km took me about 1:25 but I didn't walk a single pace of it. Sure, I had to stop to take a drink or stretch out a cramp, but I swam, biked and RAN that entire course.



    Sub-6 would've been cool, if unimpressive. I got 6:02:50, but whatever. I did it, almost totally unprepared. When I can get my training back together I'm going to knock 30mins of my 70.3PB no probs.



    And you can laugh at my sluggardly performance if you like, but I did it. I HAVE A 70.3 PB TIME!!!!
  • JoddyBearJoddyBear Posts: 66
    Bopo, you are a LEGEND
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    Bopo, that was amazing! You have more balls than a juggler!



    I salute you!
  • FlavadaveFlavadave Posts: 749
    Wannabetri obviously a fantastic result and completely down to dedication and preparation. Same goes for Tim, sounds like you had your dream race.



    But Bopo? Outstanding mate! A triumph of willpower and sheer bl00dy determination, I doff my cap sir.



    Made me realise that my second sprint in Windsor ain't so bad after all... Training has taken a dive recently due to decorating and holiday but compared to what you went through it'll be a doddle.



    Cheers for the post and the big lift in spirits!



  • BlurredgirlBlurredgirl Posts: 292
    I want to do it, I want to do it, and I want to do it now!!



    Hats off to you both. I'm seriously impressed.



    blurredgirl
  • jafajafa Posts: 6
    Tim,,



    Were you the one ( from Woking I seem to remember) that ran with my son Scott for the last lap. He had a white hat on back to front?



    Jafa
  • danny_sdanny_s Posts: 235
    Congrats to you all on finishing! That is a big race to knock out. Makes me look forward more to mine on Sunday, when I'm not properly terrified of it myself...
  • WannabetriWannabetri Posts: 219
    Love that report Bopo! Absolutely hilarious and I'm seriosuly impressed with how you went. Big congrats!
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    .


    Did you mean to say something, Conehead, or was that Double Double burger just repeating on you? [:D]



    Thanks for all the comments and support, guys! What a feeling, though! It really reminds me of my first ever tri, and has totally re-invigorated my love of the sport. I can't see myself becoming an uber-distance machine - I can now understand what an enormous undertaking the full IM is and I am utterly in awe of those of you that can even dream to attempt it - but I'm thinking that I'll be having another crack at Weymouth next year with a lot more experience and with some serious time targets.



    tim and wannabetri... despite my joking in my post, seriously well done to both of you. At least I'm now qualified to understand your acheivements. It is always deeply impressive to see the real athletes powering past in any event and I'm guessing you two were among the inumerable who came hammering past me on the run, on their second laps to my first. It never once got me down, I just kept thinking "Go ON, mate. Well done!" and even shouted it at a few people. Incredible efforts which you should both be mighty proud of.
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Somehow I missed this thread till now. Fantastic! Totally inspiring! I've eaten my way through three malt loaves just reading it.



    At the moment, the scale of it is beyond my comprehension. Completely. Hats off to you all. Onwards and upwards!



  • MikeyBMikeyB Posts: 135
    Weymouth was my first event longer than a sprint and I really enjoyed it. I didn't set out to race it hard as I just wanted to get everything right for the Ironman later this year. Despite the weather relenting and the sea being lovely and calm I had a terrible swim. For some reason I was very slow, I felt fine and wasn't struggling, but I wasn't going very fast. Since I was in the final wave T1 was quite empty by the time I arrived there.



    I was reasonably quick through T1 though I did take the time to put an extra top on. The bike went quite well. I didn't push hard just going at what I think would be my full Ironman pace and practising my nutrition plan, PowerBars and Nuun. Apart from an issue with mud filled cleats after a brief stop in a farm gateway there were no dramas and I finished the bike feeling really strong.



    T2 was quite smooth, I remembered to take my helmet off and turn my number belt around without being prompted which counts as a success to me. About 10 minutes into the run I regained the feeling in my feet which was nice. I spent the first lap telling myself to go slow and pace myself as there was still a long way to go. Then as I passed the finishing area for the first time I decided to up the pace a bit. Since I was still feeling strong when I reached the next water stop I thought "go for it" and pushed hard for the last half a lap. It felt really good hammering it back to the finish and I was amazed how good I felt after being on the go for so long.



    My time in the end was 5:14 which I was happy with for my first long race. Especially since I took it really easy for most of the way. It has really helped my confidence for Bolton and I am really looking forward to it now.

  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    5:14?? You're another one who didn't spend long enough out there to really suffer...



    Seriously, MikeyB, that is absolutely storming as a step-up from sprint! If I was a weaker person I'd be feeling rather unworthy listening to the other Weymouth tales on this thread. Happily, it is really egging me on to go faster next time.



    My plan now is to have sprint tris as training sessions, Olympic distance as speed-work, then 70.3 will be my once-per-year treat until I can make time to go for IM.



    Bloody well done, MikeyB. What a result!
  • diddsdidds Posts: 655
    BOPO MATE... SO SORRY I SOMEHOW MISSED THIS EARLIER.



    SERIOUSLY - 6:02 is a FANTASTIC effort. MASSIVELY so.



    I could only DREAM of knocking off a 1st HIM at 6 hours... I am sure you are anyway but be PROUD of what you have achieved. I am really so not worthy etc.



    Top Race!



    Not to forget all you others too... Mikey... amazing result! Not bad for a Ivel 2nd row bud!



    didds
  • timtim Posts: 43
    Bopo, Awesome, fair play to anyone who completes the distance, that was a hard session.



    Jafa, yep i'm that Tim! your son got me through the run, we started chatting with about 6k to go and he kept me running, i was very grateful for the company, with luck i hope to find someone my pace at IMUK, maybe your son since we discovered we are both doing that this year.



    the one thing with tri (for me) is being a competent swimmer, pretty good cyclist but rubbish runner, i get the people hammering past towards the end, concentrating on your own game is vital at this point so you dont get yourself down, am i jelous of good runners, of course i am! but i am comfortable in my own ability and happy to accept that i shall be overtaking people in the first 2/3s and then be overtaken back in the latter stages. words of encouragement when overtaking or being overtaken help a lot and i try to do the same in return, never underestimate the good feeling you can give others by a couple of encouraging words.
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