Deva Triathlon - race report
Jules
Posts: 987
in General Chat
I did this today, my first OD.
I had a great time and enjoyed it, even though I was hoping to be quicker.
I was in the first swim wave at 8am. The start was OK, I deliberately started at the back to avoid the ruck. I started off a bit slowly - mostly due to a tight chest due to nerves but also swimming upstream first (the swim being in the river Dee)
I slowly got into it and got a reasonable ryhthm going, especially after the turn and swimming downstream with the flow.
About 500m out from the end I kicked someone - by accident obviously! This caused my right calf to cramp up painfully and I had to swim a while with no legs at all.
The swim was about 32-33 mins. I don't have exact times as results are not up yet - I had a look at the screen after finishing.
Then on to the bike. I have only just got clip in pedals and shoes. I hadn't perfected to shoes on the bike thing so I didn't bother. It was only fifty yards or so on grass to run so I was OK just running in the bike shoes.
The bike went well, it's my best discipline and I went past a fair few people on the bike. However, I don't know if the swim took lots out of me or what it was but after not very far my legs started feeling odd, a bit light and I couldn't put much poer though a pedal stroke. I was OK, I stuck it in a lower gear and spun quickly and managed to get good speed up. I felt the leg thing might not be a great sign for the run though and so it would prove.
I clocked 1.13 for the bike which I was happy with. I reckon with a bottle on the aero bars I could have knocked a couple more minutes off that too.
Then there was the embarrassment also know as the run. Or slow jog in my case. As I'd feared the legs just didn't have it in them. Not just jelly legs at the start, I couldn't get them moving for the whole 10K. About half the field seemed to pass me plodding along. My legs were very heavy.
I managed a dreadful 56 minutes 10K. Shocking, a slower pace than my half marathon in April.
Transitions were OK I think. Not desperately quick but not bad. I got the wetsuit off fine.
I ended up with a time of 2 hours 47. Not bad, but I'd been hoping for a lot nearer to 2 1/2 hours - which I would have been with a half decent run. Still, when I'd entered in November, I wanted to break 3 hours but couldn't see how I would manage that! So I'm OK about 2.47, just not the run I managed.
I know a few other 220ers were doing this, I hope it went well!
I had a great time and enjoyed it, even though I was hoping to be quicker.
I was in the first swim wave at 8am. The start was OK, I deliberately started at the back to avoid the ruck. I started off a bit slowly - mostly due to a tight chest due to nerves but also swimming upstream first (the swim being in the river Dee)
I slowly got into it and got a reasonable ryhthm going, especially after the turn and swimming downstream with the flow.
About 500m out from the end I kicked someone - by accident obviously! This caused my right calf to cramp up painfully and I had to swim a while with no legs at all.
The swim was about 32-33 mins. I don't have exact times as results are not up yet - I had a look at the screen after finishing.
Then on to the bike. I have only just got clip in pedals and shoes. I hadn't perfected to shoes on the bike thing so I didn't bother. It was only fifty yards or so on grass to run so I was OK just running in the bike shoes.
The bike went well, it's my best discipline and I went past a fair few people on the bike. However, I don't know if the swim took lots out of me or what it was but after not very far my legs started feeling odd, a bit light and I couldn't put much poer though a pedal stroke. I was OK, I stuck it in a lower gear and spun quickly and managed to get good speed up. I felt the leg thing might not be a great sign for the run though and so it would prove.
I clocked 1.13 for the bike which I was happy with. I reckon with a bottle on the aero bars I could have knocked a couple more minutes off that too.
Then there was the embarrassment also know as the run. Or slow jog in my case. As I'd feared the legs just didn't have it in them. Not just jelly legs at the start, I couldn't get them moving for the whole 10K. About half the field seemed to pass me plodding along. My legs were very heavy.
I managed a dreadful 56 minutes 10K. Shocking, a slower pace than my half marathon in April.
Transitions were OK I think. Not desperately quick but not bad. I got the wetsuit off fine.
I ended up with a time of 2 hours 47. Not bad, but I'd been hoping for a lot nearer to 2 1/2 hours - which I would have been with a half decent run. Still, when I'd entered in November, I wanted to break 3 hours but couldn't see how I would manage that! So I'm OK about 2.47, just not the run I managed.
I know a few other 220ers were doing this, I hope it went well!
0
Comments
(don't worry, I'm really good at giving out advice but when it come to me looking over my results I'm always way too critical and know i coulda done better)
The organisation at Deva is really good, although the steps at the end of lap 1 / lap 2 are a bit of a bugger on tired legs. I still wear the T-shirt with pride.
Well done.
I've never done a OD so i can't offer any advise, but i can tell you i'm in ore of you. A big well done.
Well done though - it's a good effort!
Other than that, for my first OD, I was chuffed. Posted a 29m swim, 1h16m bike, so about 2h47m overall as well (think I actually finished right behind you looking at the results???)
Also like to say a big thanks to Chester tri club for organising what was a brilliant event. Marshalls were suberb all the way round the course.
So, you doing another OD this year then?!?!
I'm doing Bala Standard in September, so I'll see how I get on there.
Jack Hughes - more intensive brick sessions is one thing I've thought of, I think I need to get more used to not just running but running a t a reasonable pace after a bike.
A guy at work had a nightmare yesterday, anything that could go wrong did he said. His goggles came off in the river, then he was sick straight out of the water (in front of some couple on a Sunday stroll ) which would have dehydrated him, then he had a pedal unscrew on his bike leg, so he had to stop and screw it back on - with his fingers, then couldn't get going on the run. His first OD race too! He finished in 3.23 which was a top effort in the circumstances.
It seems that whatever training you do, it just doesn't replicate race day. It seems that the best brick session there is to race!
Swim was really good and really pleased I did it without a panic attack. I had a time of 33.51 not the fastest, but seeing as I did Blenheim last year in 28 minutes, I was over the moon.
Bike was ok really nice ride great conditions and just really enjoyable. A time of 119.00 so ok on my little bike.
The run was really good even managed a sprint finish up the hill to post a time of 46.27, so pretty pleased with that.
The best bit has to be a combination of the swim and the great chocolate brownies at the end. I'd doo it again, good crowd and amazing fun.
were you hammering it on the swim? the tri-talk podcasts some time ago had a thing about swim pace affecting bike and run. something like 90+% effort in the swim having an affect on other disciplines. i don't know how they judge 90% effort though and it could all be nonsense to non-elites.
56min run isn't anything to be ashamed of though and gives you something to aim at in september!
I can't wait t do another OD it was great. And Jules have you taken your T shirt off yet?
Why is there so much swim in an OD anyhow? It's only another 400M in HIM yet the bike and run are doubled.
@nick - not put it on yet, I'll wear it on Wednesday to track session. BTW if you registered on Saturday before 6ish, cahnces are it was me dished it out to you