Ironman Weymouth 70.3 Race Review

My first 70.3 - Weymouth Race Review

I entered Weymouth back in November 2016, having had a whole a year off racing (mainly duathlons) due to a severe injury. I entered Weymouth as a personal challenge, rather than a race; the distance scared me which is why it appealed. Training had been a little inconsistent in the run up to the event with a flare up of my hip and then a bout of food poisoning which lasted a week, so I didn’t feel the most prepared. 

This was my first Ironman branded event, and to give them credit, they do it very well. We arrived in Weymouth on the Saturday morning and I was impressed that there were no queues to register or rack. The sea looked calm (not for long!)  and I was excited but anxious to start the race.

Race day morning was cold and dark, but I made my way to the start with my head torch on. Within a couple of hours the sun was coming up over the sea and the pros were entering the water. I did a quick warm up, the sea was cold (16 degrees) and very choppy, nothing like the calm, warm(ish) sea I'd recced a few weeks before. I then returned to the start queue with 2600 other athletes, going with the 37min swimmers as I predicted a time of 40ish minutes. It was cold waiting, and I started to regret getting in the sea before!

Standing at the start with the sun coming up I reflect on how lucky I was to be on the start line and to have the support from friends and family. I was also very grateful my Mum had come with me to cheer me on. I started getting excited to start the fun part, the race!

The Swim

The swim can only be described as a washing machine, it was choppy and hard work. The sun was coming up which though very pretty, made sighting a bit tricky. I panicked a few times and I reverted to breaststroke which disappointed me as I knew I could swim the distance, but I was struggling to catch my breath. I emerged feeling very sea sick and cold. However, the spectators, commentator and the crowd as I ran to T1 were amazing!

T1 was a disaster; I think I hold the record for the longest T1 - 13mins 48! Yes, it’s a fairly long run but the problem started when I couldn’t find my bag, it had fallen off its peg, but in the panic, I was sure someone had taken in and charged around the tent. When I eventually found the bag, I was so cold it took me a while to find my bike gear, add some warmer layers and put on my socks. I still don’t understand how it took me 14mins!

The Bike

The bike course is stunning, its undulating with a couple of larger hills. It starts with a long incline which was good for me as I started to warm up and over take a fair few competitors. I was feeling sick from the swim and couldn’t take on any nutrition or water, which was worrying me slightly. As the bike went on and I warmed up I started to really enjoy it, which helped me continue to work my way up through the field, but I knew I had to hold myself back a little as there was still a half marathon to run. The roads were fantastic, being some of the smoothest I’ve ridden in the UK. There’s a large steep hill at mile 38 which is worth knowing about, just after this I had slight gastro problem and after a quick stop I was off again. I then noticed as my feet warmed up I had only put one sock on! Luckily, I had put a fresh pair in my run bag.  As I came into T2, I managed a couple of jelly babies and a glug of water - and hoped I would get around the half marathon.

The Run

T2 was much smoother and with a clean pair of socks and a quick toilet stop I was ready to go. I surprised myself; I felt great! The run is a pan flat 3.5laps along the sea front, which mentally I quite liked. The route is lined by crowds the whole way (apart from about half a km at the end of one lap), which really helped. The sun was out and people were cheering, and telling me I was making it look easy (not sure it felt easy!), and at 10km I finally managed to take on a gel. I was happily sticking at a

pace 4:30-4:45km which was quicker than the plan but I felt good. At 16km doubts started to creep in as this was my longest run for a couple of years, however, with one lap left I held onto the pace and was ecstatic to get onto the iconic Ironman carpet and finish shoot. The feeling coming over line was a mixture of emotion - pleasure, happiness and relief. I had not only completed my challenge but also in a quicker time than I thought. I really enjoyed the challenge of the distance and the variety of training more than duathlons. The organisation, volunteers, crowds and atmosphere in Weymouth were just fantastic, and have left me eager to sign up for my next one!

Stats:

Overall Time: 5hrs 48mins

Swim: 44mins

T1: 13:48!

Bike: 3:06

T2: 4:50

Run: 1:39

 

Would I recommend the race to others? Yes definitely for beginners and experienced athletes. With a hilly bike and flat run it’s a great course.  

So what have I learnt from this race:

1. Sea swims are tough, and there are definitely improvements I can make. Swimming in a lake is great, but it didn't prepare me for the challenge of the sea. 
2. Plan my transitions before as I head to them, leave my shoes on my bike not in the bag to save time walking in cleats.
3. Go to the toilet on the bike, (don’t climb over a farm gate and strip off!)
4. I can still run the distance even if I haven’t done it in training!
5. I can trust my body again, (after a stress fracture, I was constantly   worried  I would repeat it again and every small niggle would make me panic) this proved to me I can do it!
6. I want to enter another!

If you entered I’d like to hear how you found the race so please leave a comment below.

Heather

Nutrition for Long Rides, Ride 100 and Bewel Water Triathlon

Less than two months until Worlds, it's getting serious now..... The countdown begins..........

The fast few weeks have been extremely busy so apologies for lack of posts, I've taken part in London Ride 100, Bewl Water Sprint Triathlon and was lucky enough to go on a training weekend with Olympic triathlete Helen Jenkins which was an amazing experience. So where to start:

London Ride 100 was an incredible experience. I had a hard training week leading up to it, with the World Champs now being my main focus at the moment so there was no need to taper. I wanted to keep my Duathlon training up. I was then a little worried, realising 100 miles is a very long way. 80 miles being my max distance so far. We left at 5:40am scoffing down some peanut butter, rice cakes and banana before leaving. Everyone has their preferred pre ride/race meal. I struggle with cereal as the yogurt and milk makes me feel queasy cycling. The theory is peanut butter (high in good fats and protein gives you a slow release energy, keeping you feeling full), rice cakes (good carbs for energy but also wholegrain so a slow release on long rides) and the banana for instant energy and potassium to prevent cramps! 8 miles cycling to the start and we were in our pens ready to go! We met the other two in our San Fairy Anne team there.

The closed roads and crowds were great, very encouraging and the first 30 miles flew by! Chatting to cyclists and hanging on the back of different pelotons was great fun! I lost the team after Leith Hill which was a 10 minute battle trying to get past others on the narrow roads, with many people walking which was disappointing. It was a tough hill but 10 mins of steep climbing and you were at the top!  Box Hill was very enjoyable with a beautiful smooth road and an easy gradient up. The last 40miles I was on my own and at mile 75 my belly started rumbling. As a cyclist this is not a good sign, it means that I was soon going to run out of energy and “bonk/hit the wall”. To keep your energy levels up and performance at its peak science suggests we should have 0.5-1g of carbs per kg each hour. With all the excitement I had forgotten to eat enough and so refuelled at Hub 3, bananas, flapjacks and good old fig rolls! This perked me up for the last 25miles and I even had a sprint finish, which was quickly halted by an ambulance with a casualty at the finish line….

I therefore included some tips for long rides below; 

Tips for Cycling Fuel:

1.    Eat little and often.  Set a timer to remind you to eat if necessary.  Eat even if you are not hungry, when your hungry its too late..

2.    Eat 0.5-1g of carbs per kg each hour.

3.    Try to drink at least every 15 minutes to hydrate and prevent cramps.

As a guideline;

•      A 500 ml of typical sports drink mixed at 6% will give you 30g of carbohydrate

•      1 gels = 30g

•      1 fig roll (12 g of carbohydrates each) = 12g

•      1 mini pitta breads with peanut butter ₌18g

•      1 brioche rolls with jam = 28g

•      1 banana = 27g

Now its just putting this into practice on the next ride!

I was very pleased with a quicker than expected time of 5:30hrs (maybe I could have been quicker if I ate more regularly!)

The ride home was not so enjoyable, it was hot and the crowds made leaving the park take forever. The next 8miles back to Greenwich was slow and frustrating with my goody bag on my back and traffic slowing us down. We got through it and stopped for a well-earned drink round the corner from home. The wine hit me pretty quickly! Two sodas were needed to water it down...

In summary the event was a fantastic experience,  the crowds and closed roads were amazing, it was very well organised and I recommend it. Overall we cycled 117miles that day, this gave me a taste for an Ironman….. (so watch this space!)

I would also like to give a shout out to our friend Shaun who finished Ride 100 in a decent time and on a Brompton Bike for charity. Now that’s impressive!

Legend!

 6 days on I then entered a local triathlon Bewl water. I didn't feel too prepared as it had been a while since an open water swim. The start was an early 7am so it wasn't too warm either at this time. The swim was delayed 30 min due to fog on the water and as I had already warmed up in the water and then got out again this wasn't the best start! My swim was even slower than previously.  I was in a woman's wave (which I advise beginners to be in as there's less kicking and shoving!) it just seemed very long and I couldn't get into a rhythm. Upon leaving the water there was a  long up hill run and I somehow cut my foot on the rocks. I ignored it and ploughed on, the bike was lovely well-suited to me;  undulating and I caught up with a few girls. The run was hilly with some steps thrown in! Not my quickest run but I pulled it back and was super pleased with an age group win :). A lovely surprise and confidence booster! Considering I was pretty tired from a hard training block!

 

What I won?

 

Happy Podium

Now to ditch the swim training and get ready for the big event of the year Duathlon World Champs….