Cotswold Classic 70.3 (putting Lakesman to bed!)

After such a disappointing Lakesman weekend I wasn’t even sure I would get to the start line for the Classic, morale and motivation weren’t at their highest, but Paul and my ever supportive husband kept reminding me that it would all be fine and when my youngest son (ok he’s 29…….) said to me ‘own it Mum or it will own and destroy you, you’ve worked too hard for that’ (when did he get so wise?) I tried to stop going through the motions in training and to put a bit more effort in.

The forecast for the weekend was to be hot and as I train in North Wales where the lake temperature was still just 16 degrees I knew I was in for a treat! But first I had to sort out the fact that my brakes appeared to be worn………. Now bike maintenance is not my best skill and in Surrey a local bike shop has always been amazing, phoning around here in Wales it seems they only touch mountain bikes – so (with a little telephone help from the Surrey shop) new brake pads ordered with next day delivery………they didn’t arrive so more ordered and a chain just in case that needed changing too. Thursday dawned and panic was setting in, still no brake pads and chain, then all three arrived at once (typical). You tube videos are so helpful and after some sunny time in the garden with my precious steed it turned out I just needed to adjust the brakes as the new pads rubbed on the disc – all a good learning experience. Chain didn’t need replacing either so all ready for next time!

Friday dawned sunny and off we set, not wanting to be in a panic the day before race day and having booked an early swim the next day to check water temperature – and very glad we did as the drive took 90 minutes longer than usual due to traffic and was uncomfortably hot, safe arrival and a quick spin on the bike to check I hadn’t messed it up with my GCSE level maintenance – nope all good and batteries checked for the thousandth time………and Paul continually responding to reassure the pre race day nerves (patience of a saint!)

Saturday dawned cloudy but was due to get uncomfortably hot later so acclimatisation swim here we come – 21 degrees, almost contemplated going non wetsuit, but nothing new on race day! Then a gentle ride out with two athletes we had met who were also racing, she looked familiar and it turns out I had beaten her in 2020 Outlaw X (one athlete down……..)

Registration done Saturday afternoon and time spent both meeting new people and catching up with acquaintances, in bed by 8:30 ready for the next day with Paul’s words in my ears – if you can be on the bike in 40 minutes we might get sub 5 hours (which was my goal), bearing in mind my best race swim time was 39:45 in 2019.

Didn’t need the alarm as sleep was elusive, no surprises there, but breakfast done, bike set up and awaiting the elusive race morning ‘bowel movement’. One of the massive advantages of Simon marshalling and us both marshalling the other 113 event is a parking spot overnight in the field adjacent to the lake, it makes race morning as stress free as possible, so bike set up at the motorhome and just the short walk to set up transition as the sun rose to give a glorious start to the day. All drinks made to full strength in anticipation of the heat and the portaloos adjacent to transition meaning all was now well!

I had gone for a wave 1 start and after watching the mass start (nothing like the brutal one at Lakesman!) it was time to go in, hastily starting my watch as I crossed the timing mat as it wasn’t even on triathlon mode and I was off. Sighting was a real mission in the low sun and I just couldn’t see the bouys for most of the swim and the early wave meant a lot less feet to try and catch or follow, but bouy 1 done, then bouy 2 before the hideous turn back on yourself – now for a pink bouy which I just couldn’t see so trying to follow the right heads as by now there are swim hats going in two directions, turn made and frustrated as I hadn’t managed to get on any feet, looked up to sight and was wondering why there was such a large group of Paddle-boarders ahead of me…….not boarders, swimmers walking! The water was so shallow you needed T-Rex arms to not grab handfuls of weed, so stand up and walk it was! Then penultimate bouy and finally got on some feet for the last 400m or so, out of the water and 36:49! No idea where that came from, now time to capitalise on it, 2:49 T1 and I was on the bike in just shy of 40 minutes.

The bike is a fast flat route and lap one seemed to fly by, I wasn’t quite hitting the target power but the pace was there so wasn’t too worried, then came lap two and the power dropped by 20w, doesn’t sound much but it dropped my pace too and I just couldn’t seem to pull it back and could feel the gains from the swim being slowly eroded and the rough plan to be on the run in 3:20 was slipping away. Bike time 2:41:29 (slower than last year) and with a T2 time of 1:15 I was now at 3:22 and some seconds.

After being teased mercilessly by Simon and told in no uncertain terms by Paul to not use a portaloo in T2 I was very pleased with my transition time and out onto the run, temperature was now rising and whilst my first mile was way too fast I was watching the sub 5 drift away from me and just didn’t have enough left in the legs to push it, it was now a case of keep putting one foot in front of the other and try not to forget to drink (which I did forget repeatedly). Each aid station became an opportunity to pour water over my head, should have drunk too as I was carrying 1l of tailwind, but just kept forgetting, three laps and the support as you come through the middle of each lap was fantastic (as was the hosepipe lady near the finish), really kept me going, along with seeing my friend on lap 2, I didn’t stop but knowing she was doing well spurred me on a little.

As I headed into the final mile I knew 5 hours was gone, but my slightly less aspirational goal was sub 5:05 and that was still achievable so keep going! Cross the finish line – shoes and socks off and straight into the lake to cool down!

5:02:36 was the final time, 10:25 faster than my best at Outlaw half Nottingham May this year (which was a huge improvement on my 5:19 best from last year) so while I am gutted not to have broken 5 hours, it is still a pretty decent time!

The hardest part of the time trial format with wave starts is potentially watching your finish position dropping as those who started behind you finish, I knew midday was the point at which no other ladies could beat my time, I had now dropped from second to third in AG and 12/235 female overall – again not too shabby as 181 of those ladies were under 50!

Cotswold 113 events are great (and the weather isn’t usually as bad as Paul’s event in June – honest) and with a new route with a lot less turns and junctions will be tempting me back next year, a bit more rolling but as I corner badly it may suit – who knows?

Just one more thing to do before heading back to North Wales, a non wetsuit swim in the lake Monday morning, at 22 degrees it was absolutely gorgeous and reassured me that should I ever face a non wetsuit swim I don’t slow down much. Next up – 255 relays for some fun with the SEC crew.