A year in the life of a Blue Athlete
#Blueathlete45
I had a big plan for 2017. I wanted to go big. I wanted to
go fast! I didn’t want an injury! Guess What?! I got injured before Christmas!
So 2017 started with the need to lose the belly, keep swimming and get past my
lower leg faults. Oh what a year it was….
I need events to keep my motivation, but I am a bit mental
so I saw the Cheltenham Lido Brass
Monkey Swim advertised. This is 500m or 1km swim in the lido. “It is recommended that only seasoned
experienced winter swimmers who are acclimatised to swimming in very cold water
take part. The event will be cancelled if the pool is iced over and entry fees
refunded.” 1km then please! It was 4.7C. I couldn’t decide between
boots/gloves/nothing along with the wetsuit…..boots stayed on but they really
affected my swim as they were too buoyant. Tumble turns were flushing the cold
water into my suit so I swapped to pushing off normally. It was tough. I won’t
quote the words I used but I think it was a bit too cold! Still, I managed to
finish and I came second too! The winner is a bigger nutter than me, having
done the channel twice and also several 40+km swims. This year he swam 10km
each day, for 30 days!
March next and a trip to Scotland for the Red Bull Neptune Steps. Another
cold swim (9C) but with a difference….there are climbing obstacles! Held in
Maryhill Locks in Glasgow, there is about 400m of swimming but you do 13m of
climbing at the same time, over all the canal locks! Last year I did really
well and got into the final. This year was very busy and it was hard to get a
decent position on the start line. If only I had though. My heat I did really
well, 11th fastest overall. Then the semi is where it went wrong! I
got stuck at the back and had to wait at the first obstacle…I went on to
overtake 6 people as the race progressed but this put me in 11th in
the Semi and only the first 10 get to go to the final! Gutted, but really enjoy
the event. If only it was more than once a year and a bit closer to travel to!
The next day was the GoTri
Duathlon. I wasn’t quite ready for this. I hadn’t really been running
at all, let alone done any brick training yet! I had no idea what pace to run
at. I didn’t realise how weird riding a bike after the run was and I wasn’t
expecting to be part of a cartoon. It was good fun to play wacky races with
Russell…even if he did go on to beat me! 3rd overall is a great
result for my first duathlon!
I wasn’t planning on anything tough this year so I decided
that I must enter the Go Tri
Triathlon, I suppose it was part of the Club Championships! I had spent
the day before trying out some new wheels….which I had to completely rebuild! Let’s
see if they are faster! A lack of marshals meant that I would be going off
first so I could marshal the bike course. Number 1! I would have liked that as
the result too! Power ranger suit was on and I was ready for the start. First
off, first on the bike, first back for the run….yeah no one has caught me! Well
something caught me. OMG CRAMP!!! ARGHHH. Quick stretch and attempt to run
through it….pace increasing…oh there’s the finish…already?! I wasn’t even up to
speed yet! Oh well. I’m then straight back on the bike to be the tail cyclist.
I was feeling good again (why do I keep trying to run when cycling is so much
better?!) 3rd overall?! YAY!
Someone told me it was better to run off the bike when you
have ridden in a triathlon position. So I did it. I got a blue bike. Everything
must be blue. Let’s try it out! The Phoenix
Sprint Triathlon is really local to me. So local I thought I didn’t
need to get there early. What a fail.
No time to warm up. No time to focus on the race. Idiot!
The swim I should be really confident on….until my throat
started killing me….ARGH! Should I be able to taste blood? This is why you
should warm up. This shouldn’t
matter, I’m still 2nd out the water and I get to ride the new bike!
Yeah! Right, let’s get some drink on board as you’ll need that for the run!
*PUKES*. Hang on a minute…what’s going on? Drink….Puke. Eugh! This is why
you should train how you race! I worked out that the aggressive position
squeezes my stomach so I can’t take anything in! I hoped that I would be
hydrated for the run as it could be a tough one. On the run I felt pretty good
actually. Did a negative split! How did the bit I dread become the best part of
the race?! My run was a full 2 minutes faster than last year! I am so happy to
see that because I was at my running peak in May 2016 and I’m now feeling
better! Is the injury nearly gone?!
No time to think about that…Another race – RLSS Open Water Mile the same
day! I missed the warm up. Straight in ready to race! I was off……only thing is
I was feeling pretty tired so decided to pace it and stick in behind the
leader. The first lap is coming to an end and then a guy comes past me. Then he
disappears. Then he is front of me again. Then he disappears. I guess this guy can’t
swim straight…now I cant swim straight because I am laughing too much. Then he
peels off way off to the side down the big straight. “Where is he going?!!!”
Then there’s the finish. We finish kind of together. I jump out and say, “You’re
quick but you weren’t swimming straight!” I think he thought a mile wasn’t far
enough!
While I’m feeling more confident with my running, the Run for Beer Relay is here. I
find the added pressure of teammates helps me push through as I don’t want to
let them down! With a slight team change, we had to defend our title of
“Fastest Non-Running Sports Club”. It was me off first, so I had plenty of time
to check the laptops while everyone else was running. I was off quick, too
quick….eugh that was painful! Not as quick as last year but nothing to be
sniffed at! Just got to wait for everyone else to do their thing and see where
we are! WOW GUYS! WE DID IT! J “Fastest Non-Running Sports Club 2016 & 2017”
YEAHHH.
Just two days after that I had a nice 64 mile bike ride for
the CFC Sportive. It was
meant to be my first century and had entered the 150 mile ride, however tickets
to IRON MAIDEN in London made me get up early! I set off with the big boys at
7am and stayed with the pack, going at a much faster pace than I would with 150
miles ahead. I didn’t expect to be at the front, towing such a large group
towards Saintbury hill, where the group would inevitably split up! A few more
miles to the first feed stop and then I split off the group and it was really
lonely….all the way to the last feed stop! I was first over the line…..but I
was doing less than everyone else! Definitely one to go big on for next year!
The next event was just a swim as part of the Cotswold 113. This is an event
that I knew I would feel great doing. A nice 1.9km swim where I had no need to
bike or run afterwards. As I was part of a strong team, with David and Oscar
from Do3 Squad, I was looking hopeful for it. Of course I was first out the
water, but it was really tough! I have definitely lost some of my swim speed,
since I have not been training that much! Just a little bit quicker than I did
last year. Had there not been a hiccup with Dave’s bike and Oscar having not
been injured in the weeks running up to it, we would have won, but 2nd
place is not to be sniffed at! Well done Team!
The Cotswold 113 is one event where I want to conquer again.
In 2016 when I did the full event, with a pretty rubbish run, I was surprised
to be told that I had been fast enough to qualify for GB! So I could have and
should have gone to Denmark (even with my injury) and raced with the girls
after all!?!! Cotswolds 2018 you better be ready!
WTS Leeds.
Ooh look, an event where I could compare myself to the Pro’s?! Had it not been
for entirely different courses for mortals and professionals, this would have
been a great idea! Not letting that bother me, I was looking forward to a large
scale event where there would be lots of really good Triathletes in attendance!
Hang on, you’re saying I need to leave the blue bike, in a park, in Leeds,
overnight?! With a sleepless night, I was up and ready for the race. Blue suit
on. Let’s get to the park. Hang on a minute, all the roads are closed. I need
to get there. After 15 mins of racing round the cul-de-sacs, I finally found
somewhere to park and ran across to the race. I just about made it on time (I
thought I would have learnt not to do this by now!) A quick change and fully
setup transition, I walked to the lake. Yay, actually enough time to get warmed
up ready for the race, but not enough to queue for the portaloo’s….I’ll be
doing that in the water then! A nice single lap 1500m swim. I was there, at the
first buoy, flying along in the water. Hang on they have changed the course
from how the bouys were yesterday….argh. After a change of direction, the
chasing pack caught me up. I’m not towing youu…let me rest and you can tow me!
Phew, I’m 2nd out the water…everyone is running really fast to
transition. It was quite a distance to run to the bike but I was looking
forward to flying round the course on the blue machine. Flying was right. I even
lost a bottle on a rough part of the course. Only the most expensive bikes were
coming past me. I was feeling good! That second lap was tough, I hope I have
enough left for the run! The run started with a steep hill up out the park…I
probably went too hard there. Better settle down now im on quiet roads. I spot a
GBR tri suit or 3 going straight past me. It was a case of running in one
direction all the way to town, then two laps and then ill be done. I dropped a
gel and knew I needed it so I stop and grab it! Okay. Just one lap left, push
it! Push it I did – what a well paced run! I even caught a GBR guy at the
finish too! Yeahh! Now the important part, Erdinger! 91st Overall
and 15th in my category! And really really close on the all
important percentage to be an age grouper! Not bad! Running improvements are my
priority as the injury seems to have passed!
June Wales
National Velodrome – THIS IS SO MUCH FUN, YEAHHH, do it! Don’t even
worry. Just go for a coached session. I really want to go back! Darren, when is
the next one?
Tag1234 Relay. I
was on a roll with all my training. I wanted to do loads of it. This week I did
end up doing loads and this race topped my week off nicely. With plans to
marshal this event, I was drawn to a team that ended up getting put together
last minute. Me, my brother, Steve and Richard. We weren’t expecting to be
quick but hang on a minute….we came 9th!!! YEAHHH GO TEAM! J
My nemesis. ISOMAN.
2015, entered the full swim. Went into it with shoulders playing up
(overtrained), DNF. 2016, entered the half triathlon. Pulled out on the run DNF.
IDIOT – I could have been 3rd if I had carried on running, top 10,
if I just walked that last lap! DOH! So, 2017, what have you in store for
me…..The Quarter! It is a Club Championship event after all. So this race I was
feeling ready for. Everything looking good! Swim distance is clearly and
advantage. I know the roads…and it is just one lap of the run, just over 10km.
EASY! Unlike Phil Hall…..what a machine he is! The swim I really enjoyed. Two
laps. Just a sip of water/energy drink between them. The bike is a nice little
15 mile jaunt, but quite quiet and lonely. The run….you got this, not far to
go! OWWW! My LEG! ARGH! NO YOU ARE NOT HAVING ANOTHER DNF! I loosened the
timing chip and did a stretch and a bike of a walk…..then got running. I was
running, the pain was dissipating. I was running, faster and faster and faster
and so fast I was getting PR’s on some of the parkrun segments! (I’ve onlydone
parkrun once in 2015, once in 2016-once in 2017!) Yes you’re over the line….4th!
nice work. “would you like to be interviewed?” yeah go on then! A video
interview #famous #onlyinredditchtho #blueathlete45
RRPCC 25 Mile time trial. Having really enjoyed riding the
blue bike, I had to make the most of it. A time trial J A long one. 25 miles
is a lot longer when you’re going at max effort. I had also been playing with
the riding position so I was more aerodynamic. I wasn’t used to it and the last
few miles were really painful in my hamstrings. I even came 3rd!
Yeah I love this! Got to do more of these!
Running isn’t my strength. It never has. But I am a bit
mental, so when someone said at the start of the year, “do you want to be part
of a 24 hour running relay?” and I am still injured, I am like yeah, I’m sure I
could do a couple of 9km laps. As this event got closer, I was actually looking
forward to it. Theres 8 of us, so theres like 6 hours of recovery in between,
I’ll just fly! Then as it actually got closer, people were dropping out. Then
there was 6 of us, until the day before where the 6th was properly
ill. So, having had a car accident less than 2 weeks prior, this was it. I
could be running further than I have ever done! Cotswold 24 Hour Relay was GO! The event started without me,
because I had to pick up my new car and then drive it immediately 90 miles to
the event. I was 3rd to go, having never met Emily, our 2nd
runner. I had approximately 45 seconds to work out what she looked like, before
she went to take the baton from Lucy. This was it. I cannot let the team down.
The last run, was a track intervals session, so that was what my legs were used
to. Not a mixed surface, hilly 9km relay where you have to run several times.
The baton was passed to me and I was off….like a rocket! “TOO FAST” a woman
shouted at me. I was thinking, I know, but how do I run slowly?! The first km,
at faster than my 5km race pace…the second not far off..the pace barely slowed
by the 4th km but then it had picked up again. The hill was the
perfect gradient to use my strong quads, it didn’t even affect my pace! Strava
then tells me I am 36th fastest overall. Noone overtook me. Can I do
more laps like that? My next lap was only slightly slower, the third about the
same as that one, but in the dark! So far, my speed meant that no one had overtaken
me. I was flying and I was running really far! My next run was to start about
2am. Two of our team were hurting so went to bed. I had the feeling that I was
going to do a double…I had already ran 27km (way further than I normally do a
week!)..I got my gels ready. The first lap was good, it was a good temperature,
I was going slower, I was feeling comfortable, still going faster than 8 min
mile pace, which is my usual long run pace! A guy went past me, I read his
top….i said you’re the first to go past me on the hill, he said overtake me
back, I said no I have two laps to do! I took my gel on, to keep me going for
the middle 6km At the end of that lap, people were waiting for me, but the next
runner wasn’t there. So I flew through and went for it. I had to continue….the
gel went it at 3km….6km to go……1km later I am struggling, not with my legs but
my bowels….i jump in a bush….no I cant go here, just finish, its not far
now…..i run further, only 4km left…..argh, no, get in that bush! I grab leaves
from the tree. I do it. I get running again. Just get back and you can shower!
I finish, Martyn takes over, pressing play on his podcast….Stuart, you have ran
45km! Bedtime. I manage a few hours before my bowels wake me up. I feel so
rough. Just one more lap Stuart. Oh look, Andy is awake. OMG Emily, you did a
double in the night too! This last lap is very tough, I cant push it too hard
as there isn’t much left! Still, it’s a quick one and our placing is looking
good! Just 3 runners left and that’s the 24 hours of running done! We all cross
the line together as Andy comes into the finish! We did it! In the “teams of
3-5 mixed” category, we came 6th of 44! And 34th OVERALL!
WOW. BIG EFFORT AND WE ARE REWARDED WITH OUR PLACE!
My friend makde an
awesome video: https://youtu.be/Zoj0wJ4_xPg
OOPS I GOT DQ ON THE SWIM! But then I DNF At the club championship race hosted
by Brat. So I didn’t really expect
this to happen. I went to this event halfway through marathon training so I felt
really confident with my running (for once). This was an event that I was
expecting an average swim and fun on the bike before impressing myself on the
run. I had got there on time and and felt ready. Had a land warmup after a jog.
Everything looked good…..As usual I pulled out ahead on the swim with a guy on
my tail. He and I worked well together and pulled out a big lead on the rest of
the field. We both didn’t really know where the course went and got out the
water pretty quick. As soon as I wasn in transition the referee both told us
that we were DQ for missing the last bouy. I thought meh, I have come here to
race something for fun and decided that I would continue and make it a training
session. The guy I swam with was flying on the bike. It felt like I couldn’t get
warmed up. I then found my speed building towards the later parts of the bike. Felt
excited about the run too! Through transition and out on the run – absolutely flying
until……my niggle! It was agony. The front of my calf made it unbearable to run
so I stopped. It’s the left leg. The one with the timing chip. I loosened the
chip. So I must sort the chip BEFORE I start
running or even before the bike. I think my leg swells on the bike and this
results in a pain. As it was agony and I was DQ I decided to abandon the race. It
wasn’t worth running on the pain as it could get worse. I walked to transition
to tell the referee that I was DNF. I was then told that I wasn’t DQ but had a
time penalty!!! This race was officially a write off. I have learnt a lot and
will not do the same mistakes again.
The next day I managed to run close to 10k PB pace….clearly
there wasn’t an issue with my leg and it must be the timing chip!
10 Mile TT – 23/08/2017 CC
I think I really enjoy the pain of Time Trials and the TriRedditch 10 Mile TT I had a great
little ride out. Thank you for the photos I have got showing that I have quite
an aerodynamic fit and I am finally comfy on the TT bike! I did alright too
which I was pleased about!
Velo Birmingham 24/9/2017
I registered and entered the Velo Birmingham a couple of
weeks before, knowing that friends would be there and it would be very close to
the marathon. Definitely a great day out with friends! Maybe the best was
playing I spy with my little eye, something beginning with T………..yes this ride
was epic!
Chart for Velo
Birmingham 2018
I got 99 problems but the Marathon aint one…..Here is the
definitive list as to why I shouldn’t have been at the start line for Chester Marathon – 8/10/2017 (in
chronological order)
·
I crashed my car and lost a week of training
·
I didn’t finish my second long run of the plan
·
Training Partner gets injured.
·
I had to move house and missed training
·
I got niggles during Brat and had to DNF because
of it
·
Niggles during a long run in the middle of
August….cut short.
·
Stag weekend of messiness
·
I miss more days of training due to injury
·
I don’t do the longest runs. 17 miles was the
most.
·
I go to Canada with the idea of doing a long run
while there.
·
I feel terrible and don’t have the motivation to
train.
·
I have a day of feeling really drained then go
do the Velo Birmingham anyway
·
September running total: 22 miles, in a whole
month. There is zero chance of getting >3:20 as the training plan was over.
What about just finishing? That’ll still be a PB
·
Taper week 1 – I get ill. Its over.
·
Saturday before – I have a gym session to get
myself loose and ready to move again.
·
Sunday before – I run. I get cramp. I still have
cramp. I don’t want to race
·
Monday before – I run in new trail shoes. I get
a massive blister. Now I cant run. I think it wont happen so I enter another
one to keep the running training motivation.
·
Tuesday lunch – I run and feel great. Blister
patch doing its job – I feel great
·
Tuesday evening I have a low which ends up as a
mental breakdown and decide I don’t want to do anything anymore.
·
Wednesday I swim and get some sense back to
myself but still aren’t sleeping right
·
Thursday – I did a track session with friends
and probably pushed myself a bit too hard as I am quite sore the next couple of
days.
·
Friday – I have a 20 min run and feel really
sluggish. Decide that it might not happen
·
Saturday – I couldn’t get up in the morning. I
am then told that the car parking isn’t going to be close by.
·
Saturday night – they start working on the rail
track outside my window. I get a terrible nights sleep.
·
Sunday morning – I am absolutely fuming because
of the night before. The cat brings me a vole....there wasn’t enough carbs so I
decide not to take it with me
·
I arrive with a few mins to spare so get changed
and walk across the city trying to find somewhere for a pre-race poo
·
I don’t get much of a warmup (700m) but I feel
ready-ish. 5 mins to start….
So yeah I start running….too fast a pace and I have dropped
the 3:30 pacer…so I back off to just under 8 min/miles. That should work I’m
going alright. The crowds are there. There are others all in the same boat. I
can do this. Within 10km my hip flexors are hurting (must work on those). I
need a wee – but where. I look at bushes but then see the portaloos – are they
free. I swing open the door and wee and then straight out to run. I run faster
than I should. I then catch back up with the group I was with. Back on pace
again. I can do this. I decide to change from 4 miles gels to 6km gels – I can
always check my watch to find out how long and I don’t have to remember
anything. This seems to work as I get back on my mojo. Water every stop,
Lucozade every other. I sip and keep feeding as it keeps me on track. 13.1!
halfway. I shout YEAH! Just the same again to do. I wind round the little loop
at the bottom I see 15 miles. The 4:00 pacer goes past going the other
direction – they are only a couple of miles behind? That’s 16 mins? Surely I am
going faster than that?! Maybe we are on 16 and not 15 miles?! I get confused,
but check my watch: 4:49/km…that’s under 8 and the target...keep on this! More
and more miles, more and more steps, more and more gels…..18 miles. I’ve not
ran this far before. I feel myself starting to flag so I keep hold of the
Lucozade and keep sipping and make sure I finish the bottle. 20 miles….now the
race starts. Yes it is now all my mind. Do not stop moving. Do not stop. 21 and
22 pass by as a long gentle hill. The metric marathon race is now on the other
side of the road. They haven’t ran as far but their faces don’t look fresh. I
continue on…I feel like I am going past people. Nearing the top of this hill I
feel the pace going over 8 for the first time. I look at my watch 5:15/km….that
is fine. Keep pushing. Oh crap no more Sis gels…..do I take the high5? I decide
to do it! I cant stop now! 23. Theres not much left to – ONE PARKRUN. I see a
sign which confirms this. I then have a nice man run next to me saying I was
helping him by pacing him. Me pace someone? No way, my pacing is
terrible?!(read on). We have a nice chat and exchange targets and our running
past. We both agree that we are going well. We both run past a Scottish man
telling us that it’s all downhill from here. 24 miles. I know there’s a hill.
Yes I have found it. Its up. Its steep….but it’s not that long….ouch its still
painful! I turn left and it flattens off. It can’t be much longer. The pace
takes a while to get back under 5 again. I see it. I close my eyes for the pain
and just keep concentrating on my technique. It starts to rain. I hear an
ambulance behind me so start running on the pavement. I close my eyes again. I
open them and nearly trip over someone sat on the floor. I push on. 25 miles! Another
left turn and it goes down….wee speed….nooo its painful. Just fly….i am now
following the river. There are cobbles. A pretty bridge. There are people
either side cheering and shouting. I hear my name in several accents……800m to
go. 600m. I see the racecourse. I hear a man shouting the finish is on the
grass at the red flag. I can see it! I can see it! OUGHHH! That grass is so
horrible to run on. I start to try and pick up the pace. I don’t look at my
watch I just keep looking towards the finish. I can see it. I am there! I
FINISH! I stop running but my legs wouldn’t stop so I stumble and a marshal
steadies me. I’ve done it! I have finished!
|
Time
|
Position
|
Gender
|
Category
|
Pace
|
Pace
|
|
03:24:32
|
472/2644
|
420/1860
|
196/760
|
4:46/km
|
7:41/km
|
This challenge was set to me earlier this year. After nearly
2 years since I started running. Many months of not due to injuries. After
remembering my first running race in November 2015: 10k MoRun (48:51 4:53/km
which was a couple of weeks after my first ParkRun. I have completed a
marathon. I can officially call myself a runner. I have the dead legs (reminds
me of heavy leg days at the gym) black toenails (my first one) and blisters
(not the first nor last!). I have proven everything that went wrong for this
that I cannot be stopped. I am probably insane
So 2018, will I achieve
what I set out to do?
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