The Triathlon thread - Ironman, 70.3, Olympic, Sprint
Discussion
Ben Jk said:
Good luck everyone for IMUK.
I'll be running down to the Flash in the morning to watch the swim start and the quick guys onto the bike.
Then marshalling the run somewhere near the Lostock section.
Smash it!
Thanks for your work, thought all the helpers did a great job. Bike route was a bit tough! A lot of people in T2 seemed upset with their bike split after the course was changed. I'll be running down to the Flash in the morning to watch the swim start and the quick guys onto the bike.
Then marshalling the run somewhere near the Lostock section.
Smash it!
el stovey said:
Thanks for your work, thought all the helpers did a great job. Bike route was a bit tough! A lot of people in T2 seemed upset with their bike split after the course was changed.
Seriously, it was an absolute honour to watch and support you guys! Some of the locals on Chorley New Road were utter cocks though. Loads of abuse given to volunteers. It's not like they weren't aware of the event! Back to the important stuff though, alot of people said the bike had broken them!
Edited by Ben Jk on Monday 21st July 16:07
el stovey said:
Thanks for your work, thought all the helpers did a great job. Bike route was a bit tough! A lot of people in T2 seemed upset with their bike split after the course was changed.
How much climbing / percentages is IMUK. I've always got the impression it's pretty hilly. Even more than Nice and Zurich.Was this years alterations making it harder?
Rich_W said:
How much climbing / percentages is IMUK. I've always got the impression it's pretty hilly. Even more than Nice and Zurich.
Was this years alterations making it harder?
It was much harder than last year. Most people I saw were upset about their bike times. Was this years alterations making it harder?
I think the common complaint was - they signed up to beat last years time, then after it sold out the course was altered to two loops making it harder. Then it was too late to cancel or transfer.
Also did IMUK on Sunday, pretty mixed day for me, will post a full report on my blog in time. Swim was slower than expected in 1:14, have a feeling this was longer than last year? Could have been something to do with swimming 2.7miles rather than 2.4 according to the garmin, also prior to the race the biggest swim I'd done was the outlaw half, really didn't enjoy swimming this year so barely bothered. Pretty stupid really. Anyway, started right on the far right hand side at the very front to avoid the biff that I got caught in last year which worked very well, perfect clean start, but think I must have been all over the place on the second lap, particularly the last half as my goggles were completely fogged.
Out onto the bike and I felt horrendous for the first 20 miles before settling down, was ready to ghostie my bike and quit by that point. Had some odd groin pain, and couldn't really get my watts up. Eventually got going but made the mistake of trying to push it a bit and started trying to hitting my target of 200 watts . Felt good then up until 90 miles, after that I was really struggling, watts and heart rate dropped right back and I was feeling sick, but trying to force food down as I knew I'd need it for the run. Looking back I'm still not 100% sure why this happened, potentially dehydration and not enough nutrition early in the ride, as I waited an hour after the swim before eating. Did not enjoy the new course, far too bitty, and impossible to get any sort of steady rhythm going, much prefer the old three lapper I think, T2 was a big improvement though and had a cool atmosphere. Bike split was 6:12
Out onto the run feeling pretty average but just tapped away, walking all the aid stations and the big hill, and a couple of bits in between. Ended with a 4:58 marathon and a 12:41 finish. A pb over last year by 40 minutes so pleased with that despite the course changes, but a fair way off my stretch goal of sub 12. Guess that's my own fault for lack of motivation and relatively poor training in what should have been peak weeks.
God I do love Ironman, what it feels like to complete and the journey I've been on having done two of them, but that's me done for a few years. Will stick to cycling and maybe sprints/oly distance for a while. I've no doubt I'll be back for more at some stage in the future though, possibly a nice flat European course would be cool. Need to lose another 10kg, as I'm not built to bike on hilly courses like IMUK!
Out onto the bike and I felt horrendous for the first 20 miles before settling down, was ready to ghostie my bike and quit by that point. Had some odd groin pain, and couldn't really get my watts up. Eventually got going but made the mistake of trying to push it a bit and started trying to hitting my target of 200 watts . Felt good then up until 90 miles, after that I was really struggling, watts and heart rate dropped right back and I was feeling sick, but trying to force food down as I knew I'd need it for the run. Looking back I'm still not 100% sure why this happened, potentially dehydration and not enough nutrition early in the ride, as I waited an hour after the swim before eating. Did not enjoy the new course, far too bitty, and impossible to get any sort of steady rhythm going, much prefer the old three lapper I think, T2 was a big improvement though and had a cool atmosphere. Bike split was 6:12
Out onto the run feeling pretty average but just tapped away, walking all the aid stations and the big hill, and a couple of bits in between. Ended with a 4:58 marathon and a 12:41 finish. A pb over last year by 40 minutes so pleased with that despite the course changes, but a fair way off my stretch goal of sub 12. Guess that's my own fault for lack of motivation and relatively poor training in what should have been peak weeks.
God I do love Ironman, what it feels like to complete and the journey I've been on having done two of them, but that's me done for a few years. Will stick to cycling and maybe sprints/oly distance for a while. I've no doubt I'll be back for more at some stage in the future though, possibly a nice flat European course would be cool. Need to lose another 10kg, as I'm not built to bike on hilly courses like IMUK!
Edited by whatleytom on Tuesday 22 July 09:22
Another IMUK racer here...................I hadn't done it before and don't live anywhere near so apart from a drive around the bike course on Saturday afternoon went in totally blind.
Was pretty pleased with my swim 1.07 - second lap slower but i'm putting at least part of that down to the fact we had to swim out to the start again on the second lap.
Bike I just took nice and steady - 6.27, as has been said above it was very bitty and very little of it could you actually settle into, crowds were great though.
The run - well the aim of my race was to get off the bike after less than 8 hours - run a sub 4 and be under 12 in total, didn't happen - the hills put pay to that, ran / walked in 4.33 - total time of 12.27, i guess thats OK for a first attempt.
No idea what to do next - probably another in Europe next year....................
for those that were asking - according to my Garmin the cycle was 5392 ft of climb and the run 1141 ft
Was pretty pleased with my swim 1.07 - second lap slower but i'm putting at least part of that down to the fact we had to swim out to the start again on the second lap.
Bike I just took nice and steady - 6.27, as has been said above it was very bitty and very little of it could you actually settle into, crowds were great though.
The run - well the aim of my race was to get off the bike after less than 8 hours - run a sub 4 and be under 12 in total, didn't happen - the hills put pay to that, ran / walked in 4.33 - total time of 12.27, i guess thats OK for a first attempt.
No idea what to do next - probably another in Europe next year....................
for those that were asking - according to my Garmin the cycle was 5392 ft of climb and the run 1141 ft
Great effort Esuuv & Tom, seems like there is more in the tank as well. Maybe next year 
Why did they change the bike course?
Not sure if any of you have or are considering doing an F3 events tri but I would urge against it. I did the Marlow half iron on the weekend. To summarize changed the swim course the morning of the race as we were getting in to the water, started with a bloke shouting ready steady
GO, water station didn't have 'proper' water bottles, ran out of cups, water and gels at some point on each of the two feed stations during the run and extremely poor security of the transition area which was a free for all as it wasn't marked in anyway shape or form.
You certainly get what you pay for and this is a very very good example.
Why did they change the bike course?
Not sure if any of you have or are considering doing an F3 events tri but I would urge against it. I did the Marlow half iron on the weekend. To summarize changed the swim course the morning of the race as we were getting in to the water, started with a bloke shouting ready steady
GO, water station didn't have 'proper' water bottles, ran out of cups, water and gels at some point on each of the two feed stations during the run and extremely poor security of the transition area which was a free for all as it wasn't marked in anyway shape or form.You certainly get what you pay for and this is a very very good example.
Edited by kritter86 on Tuesday 22 July 16:38
Great report, Tom. Really enjoyed reading that. I can really identify with the jaded feeling in training, and the "I would rather be somewhere else doing something else" thing on race day. Awesome work in crushing those demons though, and great finish time. That, in particular, must have been *very* satisfying!
Congratulations to the other posters who took part in IMUK. Sadly I didn't make the finish, called it a day around the 93mile mark.
From start to finish nothing seemed to go correctly, just wasn't my day.
The night prior I was up with the trots. Felt ok in the morning and had a great swim, by my standards, however after around 10 miles I was bent over at the side of the road being sick. This happened again twice before sheephouse lane.
At this point I really, really, really wanted to quit but I didn't want to let the support who were there for me down so pressed on. My average pace for the first 30 miles was around 11mph, something wasn't right! My legs were fresh but my body just couldn't generate power for them.
I decided the next 5 miles would be slow and focus had to be on getting fuel into the system again. This worked and I got my speed back up to where it should be, around 17-18mph.
Just before the start of my second lap I passed my family and friends. I pulled up and spoke with my brother, who is also a training partner when in the same country and my general go-to guy for advice when training. He thought I'd had a puncture or worse a crash my pace was so bad. We worked out my time and distance to go, and decided I would push on, I could make it....if I could maintain the high pace.
If nothing else I wouldn't quit, I would have to be told to!
Unfortunately I couldn't get there and around 93 miles the sweeper past me. Gutted wasn't the word.
I could've finished the bike course but decided nothing good would come of it now and so called for a lift and got to the finish to see my friend cross the line; in a very good 11.48hrs.
Now back in Abu Dhabi and having had a few days to digest it all I feel extremely positive. No one who was there with me has said anything but constructive and I know upset stomach aside I would have that medal. I've taken the disappointment as a driver and I feel more motivated than ever. Travelling home I wore my IM t-shirt and tattoos for all to see. Not to show off, deceive people or to lie to myself; but because when people asked my about it I told them I had failed, I wanted to remember that feeling of disappointment for a long time and use it to spur me on. The shirt is now hanging above my bike, every time I go out I'll remember what I'm training for!
Having only done a sprint triathlon previously people may think jumping to the full IM distance is too much. Despite the setback I still don't think so.
Our tri season in Abu Dhabi/Dubai begins as the UK's ends in October so I will be focusing on some base miles and have 3 half IM distances signed up for, before the Abu Dhabi triathlon in March, which has a nice 200km bike ride section included!
Once that is done I'm going back for another Iron Man attempt; I will get that medal!
From start to finish nothing seemed to go correctly, just wasn't my day.
The night prior I was up with the trots. Felt ok in the morning and had a great swim, by my standards, however after around 10 miles I was bent over at the side of the road being sick. This happened again twice before sheephouse lane.
At this point I really, really, really wanted to quit but I didn't want to let the support who were there for me down so pressed on. My average pace for the first 30 miles was around 11mph, something wasn't right! My legs were fresh but my body just couldn't generate power for them.
I decided the next 5 miles would be slow and focus had to be on getting fuel into the system again. This worked and I got my speed back up to where it should be, around 17-18mph.
Just before the start of my second lap I passed my family and friends. I pulled up and spoke with my brother, who is also a training partner when in the same country and my general go-to guy for advice when training. He thought I'd had a puncture or worse a crash my pace was so bad. We worked out my time and distance to go, and decided I would push on, I could make it....if I could maintain the high pace.
If nothing else I wouldn't quit, I would have to be told to!
Unfortunately I couldn't get there and around 93 miles the sweeper past me. Gutted wasn't the word.
I could've finished the bike course but decided nothing good would come of it now and so called for a lift and got to the finish to see my friend cross the line; in a very good 11.48hrs.
Now back in Abu Dhabi and having had a few days to digest it all I feel extremely positive. No one who was there with me has said anything but constructive and I know upset stomach aside I would have that medal. I've taken the disappointment as a driver and I feel more motivated than ever. Travelling home I wore my IM t-shirt and tattoos for all to see. Not to show off, deceive people or to lie to myself; but because when people asked my about it I told them I had failed, I wanted to remember that feeling of disappointment for a long time and use it to spur me on. The shirt is now hanging above my bike, every time I go out I'll remember what I'm training for!
Having only done a sprint triathlon previously people may think jumping to the full IM distance is too much. Despite the setback I still don't think so.
Our tri season in Abu Dhabi/Dubai begins as the UK's ends in October so I will be focusing on some base miles and have 3 half IM distances signed up for, before the Abu Dhabi triathlon in March, which has a nice 200km bike ride section included!
Once that is done I'm going back for another Iron Man attempt; I will get that medal!
Stylus said:
Travelling home I wore my IM t-shirt and tattoos for all to see. Not to show off, deceive people or to lie to myself; but because when people asked my about it I told them I had failed, I wanted to remember that feeling of disappointment for a long time and use it to spur me on. The shirt is now hanging above my bike, every time I go out I'll remember what I'm training for!
Kudos sir, that is a powerful message and a great tool to spur you on next time. Sterling effort and horrid luck. Best of the for the middle eastern tri season.whatleytom said:
Whats the spec of the Cervelo and why did you ditch the Boardman? Is the power meter easy to use/understandRegards
Mike
Greg66 said:
Great report, Tom. Really enjoyed reading that. I can really identify with the jaded feeling in training, and the "I would rather be somewhere else doing something else" thing on race day. Awesome work in crushing those demons though, and great finish time. That, in particular, must have been *very* satisfying!
Thanks Greg, very kind of you to say so. Very satisfying, I now find myself mulling over the idea of which long distance tri to do next year. Can't believe myself sometimes. I find me telling myself things will be different this time, I'll do x and y in training etc. kritter86 said:
Good blog Tom, interesting read and glad you powered through. If your bike needs come cobwebs blowing out of it would be happy to oblige.
Thanks! Its sat up in my room looking rather sorry for itself now, will hopefully use it again in anger this year a few times, got a 10 mile TT coming up and looking to do an olympic distance tri before the end of the year. Mike Random said:
Whats the spec of the Cervelo and why did you ditch the Boardman? Is the power meter easy to use/understand
Regards
Mike
It's ultegra 11 speed with magura hydraulic rim brakes, Power2max power meter on rotor 3df cranks with some other nice aero bits. Weighs a shade over 8kg. Got rid of the Boardman as it just wasn't suited to my body shape so I struggled to get aero with good comfort on it. I bought the Cervelo after having had a fit for an optimum position, the P3 in this size just happened to suit perfectly. As a result it's supremely comfortable for me, prefer being aero on the extensions to being sat up which is pretty rare, even climbing while aero feels good. Regards
Mike
With regards to the power meter, very easy to use and look at the data, but much harder to derive maximum benefit from. There is a lot of theory around training with power, and I find you have to be quite disciplined to get the most from it. It is very useful for triathlon though, I know what power I can hold for x period of time, so can pace myself based on that. My riding has come on quite a bit since a year ago.
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