watts

Challenge Salou 2019

Early season starter…

After a shit past 2 years with broken back then broken clavicle destroying the seasons it was good to get back to racing after a long recovery and winters training.

The goal was to qualify for the Challenge Championship and to play it safe on the efforts to not blow up. So some limits for the bike and run where put in place pre-event and other than a big mechanical I should have a safe ride into the top 5 to secure a place come June.

Fig 1. One the beach

Fig 1. On the beach

PRE-RACE

We had an apartment close to the race start and that made for an easy time getting to and from registration and the event. It’s the key to a de-stressed race and if you can do it the closer to the race start the better. Post the bike unpack had a few issues with the stem but the mechanic at the expo fixed no problem (panic over). I was out a few days before the race and had some time to check out the road conditions and some parts of the course. However, come the race briefing it was all getting a bit messy with a change in the bike course (no 3 laps rather than 4) from the previous year the explanation at the briefing was a joke. No one had a clue what was going on or how it was all going to run on the day. Despite the concern the bike course on the day was pretty clear.

The day before the race the was to be an early morning organised swim of the course. However, the water was so choppy it was cancelled as they could not get the canoes out or to stay upright. The discussion was possible swim cancellation come race morning. At the race briefing we where told we would be informed by email over night or on the morning of the race.

RACE-DAY

The race start was 8.20am (that’s right a sleep in) so we set the alarm for 6.20 to get some food in and then to make our way to the race start. The transition was nicely organised and lots of space to get in and have a good check over the bikes and to look over race bags. Post bike check there was time to have a good warm-up running around the car park. However, one issue is very few toilets. Although I didn’t need them one of the guys I was sharing with did and it was a big wait, so anyone thinking of doing the event build this into your morning schedule.

8.10am and made my way to the AG start. The water did not look inviting and was very choppy. I though the start would have been a wave start so it was a shock when all athletes entered the water in one go.

THE SWIM [Time 36:48]

The start of the swim ended up a real push up there was the waves to contend with and then had my hat and goggles pulled of (the 1st for me). However, you just have to get on with it and plough on (advice – start on the left of the pack and get close to the right of the AG pen before the start as you get moved through a small gate down towards the water before the gun).

Fig 1. Out of the mixer...

Fig 2. Out of the mixer less a cap but at least I managed to get goggles back on.

 

The swim was the shape of the letter ‘P’ and as you where due to tune back on yourself it was very very difficult to see the last buoy and this resulted on a pack of about 30-40 athletes swimming straight to the shore. The result would be at least curing of 300m from the swim. I email challenge about this and will see what happened to these athletes. However, for me I could not take the risk of a DQ and thus had to sit up in the water to spot the one but last buoy (more lost time). I found it but was hard swimming the opposite way from the pack heading to the beach.

Reaching the beach we could hear a whistle as athletes where getting out of the water up and down the sea front due to the swell.

Once up onto the beach I could see 35 mins had passed a good 6 mins of planned swim and a time that’s about a recovery swim for me. So was a bit stressed but had to stick to the bike plan and just refocused back in T1. Through transition was fine and out onto the bike.

THE BIKE  [Time 2:29:39]

The idea was to hold 240-250w (np) over the whole bike so that I could run a low 1.20 Half marathon. This should have given me a 2hr 18min (ish) but was based on the old course and average wind conditions. The course was very windy with some long drags up the dual carriageway. Anyway stuck to the plan irrespective of the time with a slight mechanical being the only eventful negative (chain came off about 1min to slip back on).

 

Fig 3. Getting ready for the transition.

Fig 3. Getting ready for the transition.

 

Desperate for a pee on the last lap of the bike but just could not go and given the deficit was not going to stop. By the run it wore off so was the right choice to push on.

The final watts where spot on 245w and legs felt fine defiantly undercooked, but that was the plan and was then hoping for a solid run.

THE RUN  [Time 1:22:18]

It was starting to pick up in temp and the run was a 3 loop course with headwind on the way out. But felt strong and dialed into 3.50/km pace early on with only a few sloppy km’s when dodging the other runners out on course. Had a good run and could have pushed much more but the goal was no risks and snag a top 5 qualifying spot.

Fig 4. Getting hot on the run.

Fig 4. Getting hot on the run.

Crossing the line felt like I had lots in me and that was a great feeling. Grabbed the medal and back to apartment for shower and check my results before heading back to watch my flatmates finish out the day.

POST RACE  [Overall Time 4:34:46]

Once back I could see I was second in AG and that meant the job was done without too much damage so I could be soon back into training.

Fig 5. Over the line time to chill

Fig 5. Over the line time to chill

Overall a good race and well organised although the race briefing could have been done much better. Would defiantly advise getting out there a few days before the even to try out some of the bike course. Would also advise if possible (for us it was not) to also try out the swim. If it’s choppy given the mass start it can be a real washing machine at the start, but if you expect it you can position yourself at the start in a good position.

Fig 6. Thanks for the memories

Fig 6. Thanks for the memories

 

Next stop ‘The Championship’ and to open up full effort on the bike and run…

 

Outlaw Half 2018 – 1st triathlon of the year!

It was a great race for early season and reflective of the hard work and new coaching over the past few months.

 

Since my bike crash last year there have been ups and downs in the recovery process and lots of appointments to get a diagnosis and some treatment. But am on the mend despite some challenges remaining when I do tough swim sessions – but we push on.

Other news is that from December 2017 I took on a new coach (Mark Livesey, Xhale #bricksession podcast) to help me prep for my ‘A Race’ for 2018, which is Ironman Kalmar in August. Mark is a sub-9hr Kalmar Ironman so no one better to talk from experience in prep for this event.

Since the start of the coaching it’s been on a new level of difficulty and to begin with didn’t think I could stick with the intensity of some of the session. As a scientist sometimes you need to switch of the analytical brain and just run with the process. 

The last 5-6 months have been intense and I have had some of the best sessions ever in my triathlon training. The biggest challenges have been on the bike and sticking with it has been tough but the results speak for themselves in what you can push though in sessions. 

So as per usual the outlaw half is the pre-season warn up for me as other years and it was a case of lets see how far we have come and hoping for no mechanicals as I had in 2017. 

RACE DAY

A real early start was on the cards for Sunday morning as I managed to scrape into the elite wave so it was a 6.10am start. So I planned my time based on the other years to get to the event and to give about 45 mins warp-up. So up and rise at 4am for a pre-race breakfast then to make race for 5.10-5.15. However, we got stuck in queue of cars for over 10mins at the turn in to the national water sports centre so it was rush about time as there is a walk from parking to the event and bike racking. 

Just about managed to get bike set up and wetsuit on and it was time to rush over to the water with little time pre-race start and no warm-up. 

Figure 1. Not the best swim

Figure 1. Not the best swim

Swim was not great in-fact 3 mins slower (32min 42secs) than my 2017 time, despite some great pool work over the last few weeks. Maybe the lack of warm-up, not sure; but was pretty unhappy about the swim. Once out of the water and into transition the woes continued with my visor shooting of the helmet before I could exit transition loosing me a bit more time. All-in-all I think the swim plus T1 lost me a potential 5-6mins of what where my  pre-race goal times. 

I had to just stick this to the back of my mind, relax and just concentrate on the controllable (aka the bike and run). 

BIKE

I know the course quite well and was ready for a solid bike with new found strength from all the new bike session and was aiming at 240-250w over the course. I had no idea what this would give me time wise but that was the effort I was going to put in to leave me with some legs for a strong run. 

Figure 2. Pulling back time from the swim with a solid bike

Figure 2. Pulling back time from the swim with a solid bike

I took a few more risks in the race nutrition this year with less hydration during the bike but still a good intake of carbs. As anyone who knows the finish to the outlaw half is hideous with gravel, speed bumps and pothole track making for a bike accident waiting to happen. Luckily no casualty for me but it does impact your overall time. However, looking at the power file post race I managed to keep effort up over this section. 

The only downside of the bike was drafting. I had a guy hanging off the back of me and one other rider the whole way around the course. We where in TT position and I would look back and he was sitting up drafting the shit out of us. This is so frustrating as there was nothing you can do to really stop this – you can say “get the F*~k off me,” but if they keep at it and marshals won’t intervene then that’s the way it goes.

Figure 3. Data showing well paced bike power

Figure 3. Data showing well paced bike power

Despite this frustration I had a strong bike at 2hrs 26mins 45seconds and despite hitting 250w np (240w average) – I felt pretty strong and ready for the run. 

THE RUN

Quick T2 and out onto the run. I had 4 gels with me, and fluids are of easy access on the course. The aim was a Gel every 20Mins and fluids when I can.  The goal for the day was circa 3.55min/km and I would try to stick to that best I could. I was pretty much on track and felt good but by second lap a lot of AGs where now on the course and this slowed down passing as the pathways around the course other than the lap around the lake are pretty tight. 

Figure 4. Onto the run and holding onto a good pace

Figure 4. Onto the run and holding onto a good pace

One thing I noticed was my trisuit…I have always used a race number holder that I can Velcro onto the back of my trisuit for many years to reduce the drag you get from then if not flat against your body (i.e. resulting in lost time). I had placed the rough Velcro on the race number and soft on my suit and it should have been vice versa (brain fart).

Figure 5. An expensive mistake when you put the rough velcro on the wrong way around ;-)

Figure 5. An expensive mistake when you put the rough velcro on the wrong way around 😉

I looked down at end of 1st lap as my number had started to slip to the side of me and notice 2 big rips in the front of my suit. With running the Velcro had shredded my race suit and any second the old meat and 2 veg could have been waving to the crowd if the rips got any higher. You just got to laugh – I pushed the race number down a bit to proven that and importantly to hide any accidents ha.

Figure 6. Nice effort on the run

Figure 6. Nice effort on the run

 

Needless to say I survived the run with a 1hr 23min 21sec half marathon. 

SUMMARY

It was a great race for early season and reflective of the hard work and new coaching over the past few months. My overall time was 4hr 28min 49secs, which was a new PB on the course and given the poor swim I am getting closer to breaking the 4hr 20min mark, which is need to guarantee the AG win and get into the top 10. 

Figure 7. That finish line feeling (no mechanicals ye me)

Figure 7. That finish line feeling (no mechanicals ye me)

 

The swim for sure hurt my race and lost me the AG win by less than 2 mins but I was happy with the performance and a top 20 finish. 

Next stop in 3 weeks is IM 70.3 Switzerland so will be aiming to sort the swim out on route for the main race of the year in August. 

I hope you guys are having a great start to the season and remember consistency build results. 

IRONMAN FRANKFURT: COLD’s, MED TENT & 32oC OF JOY!

Roll on July 9th

That was the thought process in the months leading up to Ironman Frankfurt. I felt ready and was shooting out some great training sessions as well as some long training hours, effort and coin on route to what I though would be a big PB.

Pre-race blues!

One thing that seems to be common across those involved in long course triathlon is the dreaded taper illness. In 2016 I was victim and ended up ill pre-Austria making me jump into Ironman Barcelona to validate my years efforts, which I did with a PB. However, I was hoping I would be able to avoid such issues this year but for those following me on twitter (@marktallonphd) a week out I ended up with a bacterial chest and throat infection – so out came the anti-biotics. It was a case of fingers crossed that I would be ready for race day!

T-Minus 48Hours

What a week…So a week out I picked up the illness and pretty much did nothing training wise other than try to recover for race day. Then day of flying out I was told my grandmother died – so some icing for the shit cake I was dealing with. There was also a load of work stuff to deal with for both wife, and myself but maybe go into that in another blog.

As you guys know you invest not only significant time but also cash into preparing for an Ironman. Physio, bike kit, nutrition, coaching, flights, hotel, entrance fees all add up to £1000’s of cash. So many of us go against what we know is right i.e. to pull out. I would never advise an athlete to race when ill other than head cold but once on the chest and green chunks there are some real health dangers to racing like that – so I must be a bit of a nob as still raced.

48hours out and I decided I would race and I needed to get my head into the right space. Before I get into the story of the race the goal was sub hr swim, 4hr 45min bike and a 3.10run – all on the cards based off my training leading up.

Bike Check

For those who don’t know the swim start and T1 are across the city from T2 for Ironman Frankfurt. So the day before the race you need to grab your bike to get checked in by taking your bike onto a bus with the other 3116 registered athletes. The bus journey was about 40mins and as you can see by the pick the queues are pretty big and at over 30oC you’re sweating your nuts off for about 30mins before getting on-board. I have to say the operation is slick and there are lots of busses so don’t stress about getting to racking in the 1st bus to go.

Figure 1. Bike queue for getting the ride to T1

Figure 1. Bike queue for getting the ride to T1 – All around the block…

What I would say is for those of you who are staying near the city and my not get an opportunity to try out the swim is to bring some swim kit so after racking your bike you can get on the swim course. Again getting back into Frankfurt is hassle free as lots of busses on for the return journey.

 

RACE DAY

One of my previous issues during Ironman was getting my ass out of bed in the Morning in enough time to make sure I was not rushing to race start and could get a warm-up in. This time set my clock early so we where out of the door 4.35am to get the bus (yes you can bring family) to Swim start (T1 opens at 5am). I got there in good time to check over the bike and load food and drink for the day and managed to get into the water for a good 10min warm-up. The lake is stunning, very flat and easy to see the markers, so I stuck my self into the sub hour group.

Swim [1hr 46seconds]

Prior to the start of the swim I felt pretty good. I was still coughing but didn’t feel to bad and had completed the antibiotics the day before the race and had a good sleep. Got into the swim which is a wave start and there seemed to be lots of space. In hindsight I wish I had been a bit more aggressive but was not sure how I would feel. In the end was an OK swim and felt pretty comfortable post swim.

The transition was a long run up to the bikes and changing area. I had already scoped it out pre race so I knew what was to come. I had no issues during transition and out on the bike in ok time (T1 = 6min 46seconds).

 

Bike [4hr 57min 18seconds]

The bike was short this year by a supposed 3km (My Garmin says 6k). Like all Ironman the bike is a make or brake for the rest of the event and I was looking forwards to it after some great rides in training. After the 1st 10k my power was down about 20watts from target effort and this was the concern – what impact of the illness. However, I had decided whatever happens I would finish the race and work as hard as was comfortable. Despite not being able to hold a higher power I enjoyed the bike. There was very few out on the course and that would mean I only saw one instance of drafting – so a real honest course – just how Ironman should be.

Figure 2. Out on the bike and into the fryer.

Figure 2. Out on the bike and into the fryer.

A few tips for those of you that might be interested in doing Frankfurt. There are a few places with cobbles and these are real boneshakers. I used 28c wheels for the race and 90psi to try to absorb some of the shakes but lost my chain over one of the sections. So key for the cobbles is to keep spinning the legs as your go over them as any slack in the chain when not pedalling can make the chain more likely to jump off.

Figure 3. Frankfurt cobbles, shake rattle and roll.

Figure 3. Frankfurt cobbles, shake rattle and roll.

Over the second half of the course I dropped another 6 watts but on the plus side did get in all my nutrition / fluid on the day, which was a concern as antibiotics can ruin gut function. This was key as mid bike the temp was already heating up to a toasty 32oC. I had done 10 days pre race heat acclimatisation work and got to say it worked a treat as even with a TT helmet on I did not feel fried.

Coming off the bike I was ready to get a quick transition and had feet out of the shoes ready to hand my bike to waiting staff. Once off the bike I ran to my bag (which I had market with black permanent marker to ensure it stood out from the other bags). On arriving at my race number the bag was gone from the hook (Yep fucked off is an understatement). I called a member of staff over to help out but they where as useful as a chocolate fireguard – after some running around I found it about 5 meters away under another rack. Clearly someone must have picked up the wrong bag realised it and dumped it (Thanks). Panic over but maybe 1-2mins lost resulting in a 4min transition when you could do this in 2mins.

Figure 5. Out of T2 ready to attack the sweltering run.

Figure 4. Out of T2 ready to attack the sweltering run.

Run [3hr 57min 21seconds]

Out onto the run a felt OK (As good as you can feel post bike leg) and tried to set off at pre planned 4.20/4.25 min.km pace. After 5km this felt tough and the cough was back in full effect so I slowed it down trying to hold around 4.45min/km. Despite averaging this up until 24/25km into the run the cough was constant and the next thing I was laid on the floor then being carried of to the med tent. After about 15mins in the med tent I was allowed to go (I had blacked out due to low blood pressure from the coughing).

Figure 6. Never quit no matter what!

Figure 5. Post med tent back to work – Never quit no matter what!

By the time I got running I had lost about 20mins (Stuck the run splits at the end of the blog for those interested). However, after dropping out at Austria in 2016 I promised I would never quit another Ironman, so on I went and pushed as much as I could holding around 5min/km pace over the rest of the course. I guess without the stop I would have been around the 3.30marathon time, which would have been all things considered and OK race and a PB.

Figure 7. The finishing shoot plays feels so good!

Figure 6. The finishing shoot feels so good!

Reflections!

Despite the failure in making my goal race effort, I learnt a massive amount about myself over this race.

  • 1st – I now know what I need to do to acclimatise for a hot race, which has been an issue for me in the past.
  • 2nd – Even when I am not in best form and have a disaster out on the course I can still push close to a sub 10hr Ironman.
  • 3rd – The experiences of hard races over the past few years and the failures have strengthen my mind so when the wheels come of I can find the motivation to carry on.

So despite not getting the race nor the outcome of the race I wanted I felt proud of the effort I had put in. After a few days reflection I have signed up to a race I did back in 2014 – ‘Ironman Florida’.

Figure 8. Amazing how quick you can forget the pain when you grab the gold.

Figure 7. Amazing how quick you can forget the pain when you grab the gold. Remember why we do this sport – for the love of it!

Writing this Race Blog is a bit delayed and it’s now 2 weeks post Frankfurt and still not 100% over the cough. So far I have only done a few easy sessions to keep the legs spinning. However, I have really needed the break with so much going on in personal life and being training solid for the last 7months have taken their toll.

I have loved the break both physically and mentally but I am ready to get back to it from 1st week of August and will use the next week as a run in pre training proper. So another 12 weeks of graft are ahead for me and I feel mentally recharged and ready to attack. Best of luck to all of you for the rest of the season and remember avoid the doubters as there are no limits other than those inside your mind! #believe

Best in training, Mark

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