Mounts Bay Harriers

I’ll start this as best I can but will probably go in note form as I got a plane to catch!

Anybody remember this – ‘yeh, that’s a good idea, let’s do a club trip in 2010?’ When I came back last year with Phil and Sam, telling everyone about the 2009 event, I was to tell everyone when entries opened and we were going to take a group – well, what happened? I was the only MBH entered! – having nearly completely forgot about a Half Ironman until after the London marathon I had forgot to book anywhere to stay, frantically telephoning around it was clear I had one option left open – to camp! Now I don’t do camping, sometimes perhaps a little camp but not camping! Telephoning the Lakes Campsite a week before came up trumps! There were spaces on site in the overflow field, it was close to the race HQ and it was cheap - £25 for 3 nights – RESULT!

I was asked the other day why it was called 70.3 – for those in the know the answer is easy but for those who don’t – 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 run – add all the distances together and there’s your answer.

Now as I said, training specifically for this event had gone out the window this year, but I’d done a lot of running, a fair bit of swimming (including a lesson with Lee Stanbury on technique) but very little cycling – no trip to France beforehand this year. With a bike course as brutal as Wimbleball, that takes in 53 hills, and I mean hills! The first one coming within the first mile of transition, but the worst two have to be just after the tight left hand turn, about 15 miles in – I can only equate this in steepness to the upper part of Paul Hill but is very narrow, you have to go straight up – no side to side. The other nasty climb is Haddon Hill – about a 2 mile climb, again equated to Paul Hill except twice as long!

Anyway back to report – does this ring any bells with anyone – men especially? Wife says ‘I know, let’s go away for the weekend – buy a tent and we can go away at least once a month somewhere nice?’
So we buy a tent, fit for Billy Smarts Circus, all the gear, to cook, the double blow up bed and sleeping bags and spend a small fortune on all the gear – how many times we use it? ONCE! In 4 years! So up in the loft I go dig out all the kit – everything there, apart from the bed blower upper – sorted!

So……….pre race nutrition – I had a plan, anyone can boil up spaghettii, so if I get a tin of bolognase to go with it that’s one meal sorted! a boil in the bag rice, a tin of curry, meal 2! A couple of bowls of instant porridge, thats brekkie, and a few snacks – pot noodles etc I’m only there two nights.

I drive up on the Friday and arrive at about 2.30pm, it’s about 150 miles from my place, Exmoor, in the middle of nowhere, no mobile phone service, just fields and sheep – I check in at the site and get directed to the camp field (the overflow field) it’s not bad – portable turdis and showers, plenty of room – they’d even just trimmed all the hedges back – lot of sheep shit tho’. I pick a spot near the edge with the least amount of sheep shit – brushed away as much hedge trimmings as I could and started erecting the big top – 2 hours late – voila! It then took a further hour to blow up the bed! Sorted – looked quite good (see photo)

Over to registration, painless, wrist band on, set of stickers for various bits – helmet, bike, bike pump, kit bags – got the freebies that was another 70.3 rucksack and leaflets – a good mag called triathlon Europe and loads of Gatorade

Back to the tent for tea time! Pan of water on the boil – spag bol tonight – just discovered a major flaw in my plan – no tin opener! Oh well, about a 10 mile drive into the village, footie on, pint and a burger and chips, SORTED!
I could have got something from the expo site but at £5 for a jacket spud, £8 burger and chips, £2.50 for a coffee I was going to give that a miss!

Returned about 10, lit a couple of citronella nightlights as I was being eaten alive, crawled into sleeping bag, on my nice comfortable double blow up mattress and got off to sleep, quite quick

Woke about an hour later with rain falling on the tent, quite relaxing but I felt freezing cold, so I put on extra layers and hey presto sorted

The next day the sun was out, it was swim practice 9-10 am, it was the only time you were allowed in the lake, water this year was quite cold, green and murky – in previous years you could see below you the old farm buildings that were there before they flooded the area. It still amazes me to see people swimming the whole 1.2 mile course the day before?! WHY?

Put my bike together and had a quick 4 miles, bumped into Viv Bray from Tri Logic trying to find a mobile signal

Racked my bike, returned to tent for a snooze and then back at 3 for the race brief and to have a look around the expo –saw some really trendy trainers but kept my hands in my pockets! I did buy a new hat to run in tho’!
Uneventful rest of the day, apart from the milk spilling into the boil in the bag rice! So pot noodle for tea! Whoopee!

An early night as need to be up at about 4.30 to get ready – climbled into sleeping bag, ipod plugged in, and just drifting off……………I was dreaming of drowning! Blue water was all over me, I was sinking – I woke with a start to find a twig had come through the bottom of the tent and punctured the blow up mattress – me lying in the middle ‘sinking’ and the two edges folding in around me! It was an uncomfortable night, my back killed!

Race morning, up and about – another major flaw – microwavable porridge and no microwave! Added some water, never again it was like babies puke!
Up to the transition to check bike and last minute preps, 10 minutes and we all get taken down to the swim start – oh shit! I haven’t got my bag of ointments, creams and lubrications! You know me, so rushed back to tent, zoomed back with 5 minutes to spare – pain gel on knees and back, Vaseline applied, johnsons on neck, nad cream on nether regions, wetsuit on – READY!! Down we go to the lake all 1500 of us!

Now last year I got beaten up pretty bad in the swim and as a result, some of you may know, I lost a lot of confidence and got the heeby geebies in mass swim starts, which if I’m honest led me to pull out of Hayle sprint last year, it became so bad that I was also panicking in the pool!

So this year I was going to stay wide, hopefully avoid any argy bargy, find some clear water – not too fussed about drafting off anyone and stay out of trouble – anyway once again I found myself close to the front but way over to the right – we sang God Save The Queen?!?! What was that about? It’s usually oggy oggy oggy and off we we went – all 1500 at once! Got one kick in the shoulder, but that was it! Swam really wide tho! Mistake, as ended up nearly on the shore, didn’t draft anyone but felt good, I could ‘feel’ the water and overtook a lot – manage to climb out of the swim in about 32 mins? Stripped my wetsuit down to my waist, Why do people try and run up that hill with their wetsuits on? Must be really difficult?! As I start to run my name comes over the tannoy and there is Phil and Jason cheering me from the side – I ran to the transition tent, stripped off and then – it was pointy nobbers helmet day!! Off I sprinted to my bike – easy to find as luck would have it they put me in isle ‘I’ and the last spot at the top, I couldn’t go wrong – I was followed all the way out by the TV cameras! And just as I was taking my bike, the commentator said ‘the pros are about 5 minutes in front’ to which I replied “I’ll catch them in a minute!’ I wonder if that makes the program, being screened on August 1st (Indian Queens Half Day)

Out onto the bike – it is as everyone says, it’s like a battlefield – debris everywhere, bike computers, bottles, tool kits, tyres, inner tubes, sunglasses – the roads are mainly OK but there are a few bumpy bits – if it’s not secure it‘ll end up in the road

Only going to describe the bike as tough, first lap I was in agony with my back and could spend as long on the tribars as I would like – feed stations were giving out, water, Gatorade, bananas, gels – the massive downhill, I topped 45mph, but again took some casualties as people break so hard before the very sharp left hander at the bottom their rims heat up, tryes warm up and become pliable and then pop off the rim causing them to lose control,

Second lap was a little better, but the sun was out and it was hotting up – I felt like I was cycling in treacle or with the brakes on, I was being passed all the time – Coming up the worst hill, Haddon Hill, for the second time, there was Nancy and Charlie jumping up and down! Made my day! I probably looked pretty bad tho’

Coming into the dismount, feet out of shoes (left shoes on the bike) perfect dismount, if I say so myself, and into transition, a nice lady takes your bike and racks it for you, into the tent, helmet off and running shoes and hat on – off we go, 56 miles done, no punctures or problems but bike time down on last year by about 10 minutes I think – so the pointy helmet debate goes on!
It’s now sweltering and my legs are feeling like lead – 3 laps of this – it’s off road mainly with some nasty divets on the grass, again hilly, and who should be at the top of the first nasty climb, Charlie, Nancy, Phil and Jason – I can’t thank them enough for their support as it made me carry on – they gave up their weekend and went to all that expense (poor Phil and Jason freezing to death in the van!) to come and support me! I think they got a few good photies?!

I have to admit I had to speed march the biggest hill a little, and to get passed by Bella Bayliss (formerly Comerford) whilst walking didn’t do my ego any good – she did a 1.29 half in the end, and won the womens race – It was also good to see a previous Ironman World Champ Faris Al Sultan –zoom past me – the speed they run is incredible, yet they’re quite short and skinny?!?

Feed stations on the run were giving out water, Gatorade, flat pepsi, bananas and gels – again I did resort to flat pepsi for the last two laps
I really wanted to break 5.30 but coming into the last lap I knew I’d just miss out but – last year I was about 5.37? so I was pleased to finish in 5.33.41, 129th overall but a disappointing 25th in Age Group – I am now at the top of that group so next year 45-49 and with my time and placing this year would have probably qualified with the roll down process

Sorry to Phil, Jason, Nancy and Charlie as I was a bit emotional at the finish and it was just so good to see familiar faces – I’m not a loner! Us Geminis need company and interaction! At leat we got to have some cake, tea and coffee from the lake cafe!

Anyway I’ll see you all in fortnight, some R&R needed before Dublin Marathon training starts – for those of you who want to join me at Wimbleball next year, get your credit card out as ENTRIES OPEN TODAY MONDAY 21 JUNE – last year it filled within 6 days!  I’m not camping! (well I might!?)