Post 152 - Stirling sprint triathlon

After a reasonably strong showing at the Selkirk standard distance triathlon two weeks ago, my legs felt sorer than they have done after the shorter sprint distance triathlons I’ve done. But after a day off on Monday, it was back to business as usual. I had decided to reduce back on the number of intervals I was doing for the bike and run this week, to allow for better recovery and to allow for higher-intensity (albeit fewer) intervals.

I limited myself to 6 bike hill repeats at Arthur’s Seat on Tuesday evening. It’s great to be out training in the long, bright, dry, warm(ish) evenings. I cycled over with Kev, a clubmate – even better to have a bit of company even if I was dropping him on the climbs. I held pace pretty well for the 6 ascents and was keen to do more but told myself no, 6 is enough. Trust that’s it’s enough, don’t destroy yourself.

Similarly on Wednesday evening I did 6 half-mile repeats, averaging 2:28. It was a big fight to maintain pace in the last two and I was glad to get the session done without my pace dropping off. My calves were sore after this as my running intensity and volume has dropped somewhat since getting back on the bike and upping the bike training.

Thursday was a swim session with a coach watching – some pointers were to kick less with legs closer together, to glide more with the hand at the start of each stroke, and to keep practicing the tumble turns. I can do them, just not efficiently and quickly.

Friday saw a nice 20-mile round trip bike commute along the canal to a course at a hotel, with some single-leg turbo drills in the evening and then a swim, working on the catch-up drill to improve my glide at the start of each stroke.

A big weekend was planned, with 2 x 100km bike rides and a long run. On Saturday I blasted due south, feeling great for 60km. Then I turned for home and realised there had been a tailwind, which would now be a headwind the whole road home. It was a long slog back, but at least the scenery was nice.

Sunday was a ride out in East Lothian, much of it along the Edinburgh half Ironman bike course. Another clubmate, Dermot, and I had been talking for literally over a year about doing a bike ride and we finally managed to do it. My legs were heavy from the previous day but we churned out another 102km, the highlight of which was being overtaken by a young pup who had smashed himself up a hill to make the pass, then we started riding hard on the flat at the top of the hill and left him for dead – working together and riding hard with Dermot was good fun.

I couldn’t let up mentally as Monday was a big run on the hilly half Ironman course at Holyrood Park and I was pleased with how the tough 14 miles went. After these two big bike rides and big run, I was knackered and spent the rest of the week tapering down for the Stirling triathlon. My parents and brother arrived for a long weekend and we went out for dinner on Saturday evening (with the race on Sunday morning). I sat food-less, watching them eat pizza and desserts. Then went home and ate rice, falafel and vegetables. It was torturous.

An early start on Sunday morning was made no better by torrential rain on the way to Stirling. It was awful. I didn’t want to race in it, and I didn’t want my parents to have to stand in it, watching. But by the time we reached Stirling, it had cleared and things were looking good. It was quite still, warm and humid, which would suit me. I knew the course – same as the Scottish Duathlon I’d done a couple of months previously. I really liked the run course – hilly, twisty and tough – suited to strong, light runners. It was a power bike course, mostly flat, which probably wouldn’t suit a light whippet like me, it would suit bigger, pure-power riders. And a pool swim – I’m still not confident enough with tumble turning…

Stirling landmark - the Wallace monument

There were 5 in my lane in the swim, each starting at 5-second intervals. I was away second. It didn’t take long for the foot-tapping to start – you can’t overtake in the lane so you tap the feet of the person in front and the idea is that they then wait at the wall for the overtaker to pass. It’s a bit frustrating. I felt a half-hearted tap and paused for a split second at the wall, right under the noses of the marshals – there was a guy behind, but he seemed hesitant to come through, so I didn’t waste any more time, I pushed off and he was still behind. He was battering away at my feet for the whole next length – I hoped the marshals wouldn’t take any action – I’ve always tried to be fair in letting others through, and to me there seemed to be a bit of hesitation. He got through at the next turn.

I got out of the water in 11-something (officially 12:06 but the timing mat was halfway to transition) and legged it through transition, gave the parents a nod, got onto the bike and got away. I tried talcum powder in my shoes for the first time but I didn’t notice too much of a difference.

I battered away at the bike, over 300 watts. I passed a few people. Then at about one-third distance, 3 of us came together. It was a fairly flat course so there were no hills or technical turns to make things interesting or to play to different strengths. There’s a rule which says you can’t draft off someone else’s back wheel (you save so much energy doing this) and you have to stay 10m back. There are (supposed to be) motorbike referees policing this. I know people who feel they’ve been unfairly penalised, and I know that others do blatantly cheat and get away with it (search YouTube for “Ironman drafting”).

We seemed to be riding fairly and we kept going. As we approached a slower rider a van overtook us and then got stuck behind the slower rider, so for a very short time we were just cruising behind the van, unable to do anything. Finally the van got clear and we kept going. At about two-thirds distance, 3 became 4 as we came up behind another rider. I wondered would anyone try to make a break before transition. A small gap opened and I covered it with some big power, and in the end the four of us came into transition all pretty close. Another nod to the parents and I was off the bike.

I realised we were the top 4 as there were no other bikes back yet. Bike on the rack, sunglasses off, helmet off, bike shoes off, shoes on, no socks, didn’t notice any difference with the talcum powder, grabbed my Garmin watch and legged it. First out of transition. I’m a reasonably strong runner. Fingers crossed.

I had a new pair of running shoes, as at Selkirk two weeks previously, my feet got so sore on the run, right where I had worn out the cushioning on the soles of the old shoes. I had no such problems this time – maybe due to the new runners with new cushioning, and maybe due to the talcum powder absorbing the moisture from my wet feet. I didn’t put socks on (takes too much time for such a short run) and this time ended up with two red-raw bleeding sores on my left foot. Bah. Another issue to sort - 21km with that kind of rubbing and blistering would be horrendous.

The run went really well, I ran strongly. From transition, along the grass to the running track, along the track, hairpin through the fence, up a steep, steep hill, right hander across the grass, along the road, through a little wavy downhill bit, along another road, over the speed bumps, a tight right-hander, up a drag, over the grass, another right hander, along a road, another tight right, then a tight left onto a walkway, then left onto the road, back down the hill, onto the track, along the back end of the grass, round the big loop where transition and the finish is, all repeated twice. At the end of the first lap I heard my dad say "it's all in the head!" Is it?! Hmmmm. My final mile was 5:11 and I won the race by over 2 minutes, all made up on the run. I’ll take it!

"It's all in the head..." or is it?

Results are here:

https://www.whatsmytime.co.uk/index.php/race-results/2017-12-31-17-34-55/june-2018/stirling-sprint-novice-triathlon

It was good to get the win and to race well. On a different day, the same performance might only have got me second, or sixth, or whatever. I can only train as well as I can train and race as well as I can race, and wherever I place, I place. But things do seem to be coming together quite well. It was good for my parents to have a good day out and to see a good race after putting up with so much misery at so many different Ironman races over the years. I quite enjoyed the prizegiving, outside in the warm weather, chatting to different people.

We went home via Stirling Castle and went out for dinner that evening. I didn’t hold back – a massive steak pie, vegetables, potatoes, chips and dessert. All I was missing was a Guinness but I was driving… I thought I might have the Guinness when I got home. But at 8:30pm, instead of tucking into a pint, my dad suggested going for a spin on the bikes out along the canal. What can you say to that... "How long for?" "Oh just 20 or 30 minutes..." 2 hours later we made it home! It was such a nice ride on a nice evening along a nice canal out to Ratho (a nice place), and nice to just ride a bike for the fun of it, cruising along, instead of going flat out.

Next up is the Eyemouth sprint triathlon in 2 weeks, followed by the Edinburgh half ironman 2 weeks after that. So maybe a day off after Stirling and then back to heavy training, followed by a short taper for Eyemouth and then the half Ironman won’t be too far away…

Training done was as follows:

Mon 21 May: Rest
Tue 22 May: Bike 30 miles (6 x Arthur’s Seat hill reps: 3:33, 3:25, 3:28, 3:27, 3:28, 3:27)
Wed 23 May: Run 6 x 0.5 miles (2:30, 2:28, 2:27, 2:28, 2:30, 2:30) 2:30 recovery)
Thu 24 May: Swim 1.7k
Fri 25 May: 2 x 45min bike, 35 min turbo (single-leg drills: 2 x 5 R/L/B), Swim 2k
Sat 26 May: 4:10 bike (74 miles, 139bpm, 3450ft), 20 min run
Sun 27 May: 3:45 bike (63 miles, 123bpm, 4130ft)
Mon 28 May: 90 min hilly run (14.25 miles)

Totals: Swim 3.7k, Bike 197 miles, Run 25 miles

Tue 29 May: 30 min turbo
Wed 30 May: Swim 2.2k
Thu 31 May: 1 hour turbo
Fri 1 June: 30 min fartlek run
Sat 2 June: 20 min turbo, 10 min run
Sun 3 June: Stirling sprint triathlon: ~11:30 750m swim, 0:46 T1, 33:15 bike 22k, 0:45 T2, 17:09 hilly 5k run (run course record) – 1:04:04 (1st overall)

Totals: Swim 3k, Bike 49 miles, Run 10 miles

I asked my dad to write a few words about Stirling - here it is, pretty much unedited. I quite like his quirky style...

Stirling Triathlon Sprint 2018

Heading north on the M9, the imposing and formidable structure of Stirling Castle oozed the power and influence of an era when its masters surveyed all before them; its dominance seeming to say, “no-one shall pass here”.

We first caught sight of this colossus of its day when we did “pass here” taking John to his Young Engineer placement in Aberdeen in August 2003, a teenage novice. How difficult, nay impossible, to see into the future, even in the short term. This was a time prior to the iphone, Barak Obama, populism, the “crash”, Brexit, mass migration, Amazon, a time when John had yet to emerge as a serious athlete.

Fast forward to the present and we never could have imagined being back in the shadow of Stirling Castle nearly fifteen years later supporting John as he competed in the Stirling Triathlon Sprint 2018. Now a serious runner, triathlete, duathlete and Ironman having represented various clubs, districts, regions and soon country at events the length and breadth of the land, this was yet another event on the journey.

We left a dull and overcast Edinburgh at 5.00am on Sunday morning, ample time for registration and set-up prior to the sprint.  Spirits were dampened on route when the forecast was compromised with heavy rain and misty conditions. Wet surfaces force a serious reconsideration of how to operate a time-trial cycle machine in such conditions. Thankfully, the weather proved kinder on arrival as the threat of wet surfaces evaporated. With little wind and a temperature of 14C, conditions were close to ideal. For competitors and visitors alike, the organization and venue, Stirling University, proved to be excellent.

A swim of 0.75k, a cycle of 22k and a run of 5k constituted the event, all done at sprint pace. Preparation, tactics, pacing and self-awareness are as crucial as level of fitness. John had done his homework. Knowing that in cramped swimming conditions with five to a lane in a 25m pool, he was well aware that his touch turns would cost him time. In open water none of these limiting factors would be an issue. With a swim time of 12:08.06 he would have been quietly confident that efficient transitions (T1 00:00:46.9;  T2 00:00:46.6) and his strength on the bike would keep him in contention.  

And so it proved. However at this point he would have been acutely aware that the bike stage poses the most challenging and potentially dangerous element where there is little or no control over a multitude of external factors. Not least of these are weather conditions, road conditions, an unfamiliar route and, although a technological wonder which we take for granted, a time trial thoroughbred bike that can let you down.

With a PB of 15:29 over a sole 5k, John would have been content as he began his run, but now sufficiently mature and schooled to concentrate on the here and now, taking nothing for granted. At the 2.5k mark, well clear of the field, he looked strong and relaxed. He completed the run in a course record of 17:09.4 and the overall event approximately two minutes ahead of the second place finisher.

When the whistle blew to begin the swim it was 7.35am on the clock. On crossing the finish line, it was 8.39am on the clock, a completion time of 01:04:04.8. A “sterling” performance. On taking centre spot on the podium, John’s mum jokingly quipped “that’s my boy”.