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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Go to the toilet on the bike, (don’t climb over a farm gate and strip off!)
- I can still run the distance even if I haven’t done it in training!
- 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!
- 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
