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Sunday, 17 June 2012

Fritton Lake Triathlon 2012

First Open Water Triathlon completed yesterday. Quite an experience being involved in a mass start. Will give a full report after this weeks training update.

Monday - 1 hour RUN & 56 minute BIKE
Tuesday  - Rest day
Wednesday - 45.46 OWS, shaved 8 seconds off my 1600m time. 6 mile BIKE. 30 min RUN (before work)
Thursday - 1hr 18min BIKE/15 min RUN brick
Friday - 45 min BIKE
Saturday - Fritton Super Sprint Triathlon - details below
Sunday - 1hour Pool SWIM. 2 hour BIKE/23min RUN brick

All seems to be going to half Ironman plan although calves feel ruined & painful today. May have a few days off the running to let things settle down.

Fritton Lake Triathlon 2012. Another great event organised by Active Outdoor Sports
http://www.activeoutdoorsport.co.uk/?page_id=2618

I took part in the super sprint. Weather had been looking ropey all week with high winds & downpours. I was contemplating doing the event without a wetsuit due to the agro i always have removing it. However, after dipping my toe in the lake before the race I decided no wetsuit wasn't an option, it was a bit nippy to say the least.

Registration was at lunchtime, race start was at 3pm so i got up there at 12.30pm. Wasn't sure on nutrition for the day due to the later than usual time for a race so went with toast for breakfast. Sausage & egg McMuffin meal at 10am (the food of champions :-) after Arleyas park run. Oats simple stuff at 11pm. Ham roll at 1pm & the free energy bar i got from the Boudicca bike ride last week at 2pm. Sorted, no probs for the whole race, took on one Gel during the bike ride & a few swigs of Sainsburys energy drink.

Set my stuff up in transition at 1pm, second person in so i got right at the end next to the bike exit. This also gave me plenty of room for writhing about on the floor trying to get out of my wetsuit.
Wind was still gusting at over 20mph so it was advised not to leave helmets and number belts on on handlebars. So, i actually clipped mine to handlebars. Also just realised why you put your towel on the floor & gear on top. I never actually dry my whole body just stand on it to dry the feet, durrr.

Had to go back in to transition to unclip helmet & number belt & leave on the floor. Obviously the 2 seconds of  wasted unclipping time later could have been the difference between getting a podium position or not :-)

2.30pm, last wee & time to get into wetsuit. Covered myself in sensual sex lube hoping this would help me slide out of the suit later. Also lubed the legs on the outside as this is where i have the probs. Put my watch under the suit & made sure my timing chip was on the left leg (so as not to risk catching on bike chain) & also under wetsuit. Slipped into wetsuit easier than usual (good sign), zipped up, needed another wee ??? Will have to wait for an hour.

Had a briefing then off we trotted to the lake. All in the water by 2.55pm, I got right to the very back as we all know how slow i am & didn't want to be frog kicking people in the face. Fog horn blared & off we went. I turned into a man possessed & lept forward trying to do front crawl for some bizarre reason, after 30 seconds i was knackered & could hardly get my breath. What you playing at Baxter !

Had a word with myself & settled into my steady eddie breaststroke :-) Think i completed the 400m swim in about 12 minutes, not seen the splits yet. Cold & choppy but my worst bit out the way. Don't think there was many people behind me when i emerged from the lake.

Now a 150m run to T1. On the way i found it easy to slip the wetsuit off my top half & then remove my hat & goggles. Took a gentle jog up to T1 & passed half a dozen people on the way to T1.

Sex lube makes removing suit easy


Shaking off excess sex lube

Cleared T1 in under 3 minutes, suit came off pretty easy. Trick was also to pull it right down below my knees then it was quite easy.


Coming back in to dismount area.
My bike run was pretty good. Averaged over 19mph, couldn't use the aero bars because like a dipstick I'd adjusted them before the race & made them too narrow. Between T1 & the end of the bike stage I must have passed another 20 people. I was flying. Home straight was tough as we got the full 20mph + head wind. Speed down to 12mph just like that.

Into T2. 34 seconds later i was out of there.

Shoes on

Away we go, i did remember to spin my number round

Two laps of cross country to run, legs felt good & jogged round the first quite comfortable. Although it's always disheartening to come up on the finish line but have to run past it for another lap. However, this is where i saw my boss just in front beginning his second lap as well.

The boss & I

Got a bit of a second wind & put in a good run to finish. Wife & daughter actually found the finish line this time. Thanks to Andy & Becs for their support on the day as well. Support is appreciated.




Split times haven't been posted yet. Think i did it in 59:56. Happy days, two weeks to Norwich Triathlon.Will be my longest event swim at 750m so obviously I'm really looking forward to that.


Not much other news

My one year quit smoking anniversary day is tomorrow. The thing that started me on this journey in the first place.

Had a weigh in today, Still at 14 stone 1 lb. Definitely hit a plateau, need to finally visit the diet i think

Aero Bars arrived, used a few times now & after minor adjustments find them fantastic. Not fantastic on the Triathlon for reasons mentioned before but top notch on today's 2 hr ride

Total Immersion book has arrived but not had chance to read that as yet, still got Be Iron Fit & Chrissies book to finish off, not to mention the 3 Tour de France magazines Arleya bought me for fathers day today.

Found this a good read. Chrissie Wellingtons top 50 tips http://www.chrissiewellington.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/220_262_50tips_final.pdf

Also well done to the 'Fatman to Ironman' Runners world forum guys who have done Triathlons this weekend.

Thats all folks

Happy Training



Join the Facebook Group - The Ironman Journey
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/287319678021088/

Say hello on the Fatman to Ironman forum

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=191464&last=1&V=1&SP=

My charity page for event listings & making a donation
http://www.bmycharity.com/clearseaz


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