I had that last week. As I explained a few weeks ago, I had a bit of a rubbish exprience in my last race (the first tri of the season). Flat tyre aside, it would have actually been a decent performance. But I didn't 'feel' it; I didn't love racing. I was over it even while riding ok pre-flat. For me, that's really disappointing as that's my major motivation to race at all. I realized I'd been too busy, too stressed (yep, work, travel, training and having a baby on the way seems to be fairly stressful... who'd have guessed?) and dialled it back for a few weeks. Skipped a local sprint tri. Focused on the training. Focused on enjoying the process. And while I was getting my equipment, bike and nutrition dialled in throughout these sessions, it turns out I was also getting my head dialled in.
There's a point in every triathlete's season - and I imagine it's the same for the pros as it is for us Age Groupers. Sometimes it's a race, sometimes it's an easy swim or a recovery jog, or it might even arrive while sat at home eating dinner. For me, it's almost always a key, longer session. It's the realization that you've reached that point... you're finally 'fit' and near race shape.
I had that last week. As I explained a few weeks ago, I had a bit of a rubbish exprience in my last race (the first tri of the season). Flat tyre aside, it would have actually been a decent performance. But I didn't 'feel' it; I didn't love racing. I was over it even while riding ok pre-flat. For me, that's really disappointing as that's my major motivation to race at all. I realized I'd been too busy, too stressed (yep, work, travel, training and having a baby on the way seems to be fairly stressful... who'd have guessed?) and dialled it back for a few weeks. Skipped a local sprint tri. Focused on the training. Focused on enjoying the process. And while I was getting my equipment, bike and nutrition dialled in throughout these sessions, it turns out I was also getting my head dialled in. Due to this Sunday being devoted to dressing up like a loon and drinking incessantly (also known as “carnaval” in the south of the Netherlands), I was forced to rearrange my training a little this week. Normally, not a big deal. But this week it meant a 25km long run (my longest run since Roth last July) just three days after running the half marathon in Schoorl (my previous longest run since Roth last year!). Needless to say, the back half of the 25k was painful and very, very tough. But sometimes, that “shock to the system” session – or pair of sessions – is just what’s needed to get going, mentally as well as physically. I now feel like I’m properly starting to get back into shape and have started preparing for the race season ahead a little more. It’s that dose of pure reality which reminds you of the hard work in front (a 25k long run shouldn’t be that tough for me when in shape) but also reminds you that you’re not in bad nick anyway. Plus, a couple of days on from that, and I’m already feeling the physical and fitness advantages that those two runs have brought. It’s the source of constant mirth for me watching triathletes rock up to swim sessions equipped with Santa Claus sized bags full of toys and gadgets. One by one, these are loaded on to the poolside, to the extent that it becomes hard to find a stretch clear enough to dive in for the warm up. Triathletes are renowned for our love of gadgets and training aids, trying to squeeze every last drop of data and effectiveness out of each session. But the pool is a place for simplicity. It’s the antithesis of the pimped-up bike section. It’s bloody Zen! So, here’s a list of things you’ve probably wasted money on: A change is as good as a rest, they say. Madonna and Bowie were so successful because they constantly reinvented themselves, they say. Even grumpy snakes, they (honestly) do say, are happier once they’ve shed their skin. Waffle? Yes. But pointed waffle. After a couple of minutes of thinking and literally seconds of scribbling notes on a receipt, I’ve decided that it’s time to make some small changes to this here blog that you all know and love... or know and accept. To truncate a protracted anecdote, a few years ago I started playing with my race nutrition due to some small problems with, well, vomiting my guts up and being doubled over with excruciating gut pain during longer races. This led me to LCHF (low carb high fat) eating, and all manner of exciting (read: geeky) things like fat adaption, metabolic efficiency and ketosis. It’s pretty thankless stuff trying to keep an endurance and triathlon blog updated in the middle of a European winter. Not that winter here in the Netherlands has really been so bad or anything. It’s just that winter training is pretty unremarkable, by and large. My general schedule for this time of year is to workout once each day; I prioritize three weight sessions per week (I like feeling strong at this time of year), and then I swim, bike and run maybe once a week for no more than an hour. It’s just an effort to not lose all fitness completely. But that’s not very interesting. Especially when set against a backdrop of Christmas, New Year, Sinterklaas (weird, Dutch holiday) and all the general food, drink and festivities that come our way at this time of year. Pre-race thoughts HERE Bike check-in day HERE Swim HERE Bike HERE The final part of this epic race report, and the final part of this epic race. I had a quick transition, and decided to walk the first 100m or so, taking the time to put on my fuel belt (as it was so hot, I thought it best to carry water), my Garmin watch and my cap. I grabbed water from an aid station coming out of T2 and no sooner did it enter my mouth as it came straight back out - I think this had as much to do with the change in position and the excitement of getting on to the run as anything, because my stomach was feeling pretty good. It speaks volumes about the amount of hard work I’ve put into the run that I was excited to get out there and show how much I’ve improved. My previous Ironman was about a strong swim, solid bike, then just trying to screw it all up the least possible by surviving the run. My goal for Roth, all along, was to put in a good run. The first few kilometres went downhill, then uphill, then wound their way through some woods until eventually coming out at the Main Danube Canal, up and down which a large amount of the run course would take place. Those first few kilometres felt fantastic, and I had to really hold myself back to run at a pace of 5:00/km - my absolute ‘beyond wildest dreams’ run pace (which would have given me a 3:30 marathon). By around 4km, however, that feeling was overtaken by something much, much harder… it wasn’t aided by the fact that the first section of the run was into a stiff headwind. I found two runners - one guy and one gal - who were running roughly 5min/km pace and tucked in behind them, trying to avoid the wind as best I could. Pre-race thoughts HERE Bike check-in day HERE Swim HERE BIKE The bike is the longest part of any triathlon - in terms of both time and, of course, distance. So it’s strange that I often find it the hardest part to write about. People often ask what you think about while you’re on the bike for the majority of a working day… the reality is that the time goes pretty quickly. I tend to think of myself as something of a machine or robot at these times - balancing pace, power etc with remaining hydrated and fuelled. That’s not to say it’s unenjoyable, however. Heading out on to the bike course at Roth was a particular rush, as you go back over the bridge that is thronged with the spectators who are watching the swim. It’s loud and easy to push too hard - I kept my eye on power while allowing myself to get a little carried away for that first kilometer or so. After that, it was down into the aero position and all about staying steady and consistent on the power numbers. Pre-race thoughts HERE Bike check-in day HERE I really know how to pick them. I expect to do my next Iron distance race somewhere in Europe during the summer of 2016, so I’d recommend you booking your vacations to coincide with that now… after Austria in 2012 (not only the hottest Ironman Austria ever, but officially the hottest day in Klagenfurt ever!), from the moment I woke up at 4:30, I could tell that Challenge Roth was going to be a similar experience. It was already pretty humid and, in the race briefing the day before, we’d been told to expect 34C+. So, Saturday rolled around and with it came even warmer weather. I started the day by heading down early to the canal to do a swim in the canal; this was my first glimpse of the swim start and T1 area during race week and it was mind-blowing just how busy it was, even at 7:30 in the morning! It was a far cry from the deserted canal I’d swam in when on my course recce a few weeks earlier… there were stores, food and drink vans, giant announcement towers, the German electrotrash music was blurring and there were already hundreds of athletes turning over their arms in the water. And so it’s finally time. After what feels like forever (Roth is famously tough to get into - entries went on sale a year ago and sold out within three minutes of going on sale), iiiiiiiit’s ROTH TIME! The training is in the arms and the legs, the planning is in the head, the bike is ready to roll and I’ve taken over our hotel room in a military operation style. Mylast post was about Obsessive Compulsive Triathlete disorder and it was well-timed - my hotel room takeover for big races is something to behold, making even the most anal of nit-pickers seem positively chilled-out and laid-back in comparison. |
AuthorMatt. Brit in Amsterdam. Triathlete. Ultrarunner. AG30-35. Slightly in front of the middle of the pack. Slightly behind the front of the pack. Categories
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June 2015
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