Outlaw Half Nottingham

Where to start! First event of the year and my first in the SEC colours! Training has been great through the winter and into the spring which gave me a good level of confidence that I could deliver a decent performance. This was combined with a degree of personal pressure to not let the team down, given the great work that everyone has been doing. The weekend started early, getting to the venue on Friday evening and following a quick set up of the camper, the evening was nice and relaxed, giving the benefit of not rushing around on Saturday to get all of the travel done. I had been having some leaky valve extender issues and after my pre race sessions, on Saturday morning, I set about resolving these, which didn’t go to plan! Being prepared, I reverted to butyl tubes and the issue was gone. Now for the first rule break….’nothing new on race day’……I picked up a new wetsuit in the expo! Coach did manage to contain his obvious thoughts on this!

So, to race day. Normal start, up early to digest the obligatory porridge with banana, washed down by coffee and the start of the bottle of PH, that i would sip till just before heading to the swim. All the kit was sorted and I got ready, leaving the better half and Finlay to get some more sleep. Making my way to transition for the first time since last season was refreshing and there was a great mix of familiar faces and new ones alike. Bike and run kit prepped, i made my way towards the swim start, with the crowd, consuming the pack of PH chews on the way.

I knew the water was going to be cold, so the entry was always planned to be sensible! My turn came and I hopped in, it was cold and I stuck to the plan, of taking the first 20 strokes or so to get my breathing settled. This went to plan and I settled in to the 1900m. Last year, I was taking 38 mins for this distance in race and to come out on 33 mins was a good feeling, the work is paying off! I pulled off the new wetsuit….got away with it…..and made my way to the bike, through the very long transition zone.

No issues and I started the lap of the lake to make my way onto the rough Notts roads. The roads were indeed awful in the first mile, before a good stretch of main road, which took us to an equally bad surface in Radcliffe. I felt good on the bike and was progressing well….until….chain drop! Normally this would be a simple shift down and up on the front mech and not even a need to stop but not this time! The chain had gone right down, behind the chainring and rear, bb mounted, brake callipers. On first look, I thought this was game over, as there was no way it was coming back out. After being on the side of the road a few minutes already, it dawned on me that i, if I could without pliers, may be able to break the quick link. After some fiddling, I managed to break it and re thread the chain! Back in business! I got going having lost what felt an eternity on the side of the road. This wasn’t the end, I was pushing high power with little progress. Time to stop again. The initial incident had led to the wheel alignment being pulled out and the tyre was actually sitting against the frame. This needed resetting several times but at least I knew what I needed to do each time. All of this lead to a surgy ride for the remainder….BUT…..I got to the end, the day was still going and I had consumed the planned nutrition, which was a massive test.

T2 beckoned, after the last awful stretch of surface, the traditional passing of the HPP Hall. The bike of 2:42 was not what I wanted today but I made it back without the broom wagon. Long run through transition with the bike and it was into the run shoes and lucky Roth hat.

The first lap felt good, pace was on target, second lap was still holding reasonably well but as I got to the last lap, the surges on the bike were bing felt in the legs! The run course now has a nasty hill section around the white water course and this took its toll. Nutrition, 1 PH gel per lap, went in as planned. I got to the end of the run in 1:42 which again, wasn’t my target. I felt I was in shape to deliver a decent result, compared to my expectations. What are the lessons?

1. I got away with a new wetsuit but I would not advise this to someone.

2. My prep was good, no stress on race morning and realistic expectations of the water temperature allowed me to settle quickly.

3. Know your bike! Learn your way round the mechanics. You won’t be able to fix everything but my issues would have ended the day for all but a handful of people, of that I am pretty sure!

4. Stick to your numbers! We had a target set and the surges cost me in the end.

5. Flex expectations! If I had managed the power after the issues, I would have given myself the chance to deliver the run more consistently.

6. I still loved it! It didn’t end up with a time I wanted but I love the sport and being in the event!

7. Coaching works! It’s a learning journey every day but it works.

Onwards to Lakesman full now and a busy summer!