Photos from the triathlon

I can still barely walk after last week's triathlon but it still seems worth it...

Replacement multisport watch

With all the irony of a well timed sitcom, I had yet to get out of bed on the morning after my triathlon, when the doorbell ran for a parcel delivery. It was my replacement Bryton Cardio 60. My GPS triathlon watch

The original had failed on a sea swim in Croatia despite being rated waterproof to 50 metres and having an open water swim function. I can fault neither Rutland Cycles nor Bryton (who arranged for the replacement under warranty) as both acted promptly and didn't quibble at all. I received excellent communication throughout the process. It just took me too long to get around to taking the package to the post office in the first place. Rutland cycles also refunded my postage this morning, which I wasn't expecting.

I opened the package noting that the box seemed different inside to the previous one. Initially my heart sank as I couldn't see the HRM strap or pod. I then noticed a compartment down the inside edge of the package. Inside was not only the missing strap and pod, but also the bike speed and cadence sensor, screen protector and bike mount. I had been sent the upgraded package. Result. Thank you very much.

This is remarkably handy because my bike sensor broke recently. My next adventure is likely to be another overnight ride and it'd be great not to need to unpack my phone at any point and still track the ride.

Although I only had the watch for 3 months of training I feel I could have knocked a few minutes off of my bike time if I'd known how fast/slow I was going. Who knows? Well I will from now on.

The London triathlon 2014

Sunday 3rd August is a date that has been burnt into my thoughts for the best part of a year now. Late last year I signed up to compete in my first triathlon. When I signed up it seemed a very long way off but the time came around really quickly in the last couple of months.

Getting to the venue was an interesting journey in itself. The road closures were already in place so we had to do a long loop into the venue. The organisers had done a fantastic job and every aspect of preparing to race went smoothly, or as smoothly as possible in a venue that size utilising mostly volunteers.

The swim
We queued up in the swim assembly. Me and 300 other men in my age group. One guy that I got chatting to suggested that I keep an eye open for the billingsgate turn on the first cycle loop as he had missed it and added 15km onto his ride the previous year.

At the instructed time we walked outside onto a pontoon in the dock and we were instructed to jump in as quickly as possible. I balked it a couple of times before just jumping in. I sank quite deep, but the wetsuit buoyancy popped me back out on the surface quite quickly.

At the horn we started swimming. For the first 100 metres or so people kept bumping into me a one guy swam straight though me. As a result of the crowding I kept my head up and swam a slower crawl than I expected to. This stroke with my head up caused the wetsuit to rub the back of my neck and I realised that I would need to swim my practiced stroke if I was to get around without wearing through the skin on my neck. I settled for around 20 strokes of open water front crawl, with a pause of paddling on the surface to check directions and surroundings before another 20.

After what seemed like an age I reached the buoy for the turn. Thankfully the second side of the loop was much shorter, maybe only 20 metres. At this point I started to need a wee. The only snag was that I couldn't wee and swim. Each time I stopped to try, one of the lifeguards on the kayaks would check if I was OK. In the end I just put me head down and started swimming the stroke that I had planned.

Before I knew it it was all over and I was climbing out of the water.  One of the assistants asked if I wanted help with the wetsuit zip. Thank you yes.

At this point I realised that Sophie was watching. The volunteers held open a bag for me to put my wetsuit, goggles and swim cap. There was a 200 metre jog to the bike racks

The bike
I took my time getting dried and changed. I was only a few from the back in my wave anyway so I thought I'd dry off and double check I'd got everything. The bike section was actually really pleasant. The route went from Excel up to Westminster on closed roads. The usual motley crew of time trial bikes, road bikes, the odd single speed and even a mountain bike. The route came back past Excel and then up to Billingsgate. It was lovely except I still needed a wee.

I'd spotted my parents with Sophie by this point which I was pleased about but I'm also embarrassed when I'm being watched.

I don't normally get to ride quickly in London so the closed wide roads and the empty roundabouts were an absolute joy. That said the last 50 were a climb up a ridged ramp to the first floor of the excel.

The run
I'd felt pretty good on the bike but the moment I got off I realised the run wasn't going to be easy. My foot which had been uncomfortable all week was now painful to run on. I had just 3 laps of the running circuit to go but I was thinking that finishing this was going to be something of a challenge.

Running is by and large a solitary venture...Unless you are running on the same narrow path with a thousand other people, whose friends and family are screaming support. The other runners were either going for it or hurting by this point. Everyone was also suffering from wind. Too many gels and sugary snacks. I however also still needed a wee.

I had to walk up the ramp back into the excel on all three laps but was pleased to have run the rest. Warren had joined my folks by this point so I was even more embarrassed but happy to see him.

As I crossed the finish I heard them announce my completion over the tannoy and I was presented with a medal. I declined the alcohol free beer and headed straight for a long overdue toilet stop.

I could barely walk but was happy to have completed my first triathlon.

Festival of cycling

I have been consumed for the last couple of weeks with the Tour de France. This year the bug bit particularly hard with a trip to Harewood House to watch the depart. It was Sophie's birthday and so we organised a trip up there with friends to celebrate. This all happened weeks ago but with the triathlon training, working and watching the tour I've not had much time to write this up.

The festival itself was a great experience (hampered slightly by everything closing at 17:00 or 18:00, the food not being veggie or healthy eating friendly, and no-one on  site knowing anything at all ever.) The grounds are lovely and the people were great too. Who knew a festival toilet could be useable after 48 hours on site?

Things we learned

1. Yorkshire isn't undulating. It is hilly. Period.
2. It is miles to the shops.
3. It's difficult carrying cake on a bike.
4. Sometimes you do actually have to leave a bird sanctuary because Tibetan  monks need to get in there and bless the birds.
5. Even Half-Maltese people can burn.

Time trial
On the Saturday evening David and I signed up to do the time trial. It would be our first attempt at a race of this kind. A short 12 mile, or 5 laps of the course, race against the clock seemed like something we could fit in nicely before tea-time.

Alarm bells should have started ringing when the Brownlee's lap time was 5mins and 32 secs giving them a time of nearly 30 mins for the course. The briefing described the course as "undulating". They should have gone off a second time when the team time triallists din't finish their first lap in much under 10 minutes.

The start was a slight uphill gradient that steepened slightly  as it came up level with the house. We passed the grandstand for the great and good (by that of course we mean rich) to watch the grand depart and turned left into a fairly sharp downhill section. I had sunglasses on  and didn't see the first speed-bump on  the the downhill. I'm new to TT racing but I'm fairly sure I'd know if it was a good thing to get "Good Air" over the "Jumps"

I panicked a little and slowed my descent. More corners and downhill under an old bridge. The dappled light meaning I couldn't see the road surface... which is just as well as there was a cattle grid at the bottom. A really sharp turn led to  a short, sharp climb with another cattle grid at the top. Then down over concrete slab roads to another sharp corner leading into a climb.

This climb was presumably what the organisers meant by undulating. Hitting it at a slow speed off the last corner I ran out of momentum about a third of the way up and started pedalling in a lower gear. This climb seemed to go on for ever (This is a TT course not a road circuit. I hit my lowest gear on 3 of the 5 laps, dry heaving on  laps 4 and 5)

The last mile was narrow and dappled and frankly covered in pot holes and covered cattle grids, before turning onto the smooth tarmac of  final straight back to the start.

On lap 2 there was a bike in the ditch at the bottom of the first speed-bump covered descent. By lap 3 there was a pile of bikes and an ambulance.

I finished in 55 minutes meaning I averaged 12.5 miles and hour. I averaged over 15 miles and hour on the Dunwich Dynamo doing 10 times the distance. Very slow.

Highlights for me were making the same guy jump out of his skin (with high volume dry heaving behind him) on the climbs (laps 4 and 5) and David completing the ride 10 minutes faster because he was convinced I was right behind him.)

10kmTrail run
Things I learned trail running.

1. Flat barefoot running shoes are no good for this type of running
2. Sometimes you can't tell where to go even when there is a sign
3. The man you think is lost may be just a mile or 2 ahead
4. It's OK to be lapped by a 19 year old who had completed the 10km run and the 10km bike lap by the time she passed me.
5. 10km takes the same amount of time to run whatever the surface if you are in a hurry
6. Don't drink Gin between a time trial and an early morning trail run.

That is all :)

4 days to go

In 4 days I will be competing in my first triathlon.

I'm not sure I'm ready for the following reasons

1. Lack of training - I haven't been  able to train due to injury for the last couple of weeks. I also haven't swum nearly enough.
2. Lack of form - Due to the lack of training and a persistent foot injury this is not the best time to be doing this.
3. Shyness - Not looking forward to being "on the stage" in a tight fitting onesie so to speak

I will however be turning  up and doing my best. Overcoming fear and avoiding excuses is what I have gained from this process. IF I want to do "A" I need to do "B" and "C" whether I'm afraid of them or not

This last weekend I went up to Hampstead Heath to try swimmimg in my second wetsuit (The first didn't fit.). It will rank as one of my weirder swimming experiences. Muddy water and not  feeling the cold of it through the wetsuit.I wish I'd done it sooner.

I haven't ridden my bike since the Dunwich Dynamo and it desperately needs a clean. Which is what Saturdays are for.

Dunwich Dynamo 2014

Walthamstow

“How are my elbows looking?”

“Good. A little red, but the skin’s intact. What about your knees?”

“Knees? Fine… Good… well the left one is quite bloody actually”

We’d only got as far as Walthamstow. We’d been riding in a group out from London Fields at the start of the Dunwich Dynamo, when I failed to notice everyone had stopped suddenly. I braked swerved and fell off. Yet again my helmet escaped without a scratch. I can’t recommend my giro gloves highly enough as my hands have nary a mark. My skin however needs a total redesign in terms of impact and abrasion resistance. Luckily the nearest shop had run out of first aid equipment so Adam bought some flannels to mop up the blood.

Thankfully the rest of the trip was much more eventful for all the right reasons.

Garage

I’d asked that we stopped at a particular garage on the way out of London. It’s actually in Essex about 20km from the start, but if my leg was playing up it would still be light. I could buy a first aid kit and ride home. I was actually feeling quite up for it at this point and the skin clearly wasn’t going to split on the knee. Inside I opted for a green juice and a samosa. We then went outside to watch a guy negotiate the pumps on a tall bike.

Rain

This year rain featured quite heavily. The rain started gently at first but gradually got to the point where the spray off of the front wheel was washing grit and road sludge into my face on the descents. I’m a fairly cautious descender. Quick in the dry on straight roads, but a little slower in the wet and dark with rain streaked glasses. Dulwich Paragon riders are not quite so cautious and I was startled by the speed that people were able to pass me and disappear with red lights blinking into the night.

At the first pubs we stopped for the loo and David kindly lent me his spare front light. That light combined with removing my glasses meant I could now see the road. I was regularly dropping off of the back by this point, but as David is faster than me and Vera was using his front light to see by I was looking out for the distinctive lighting arrangement we had gone with to catch up with them at junctions.

Pub and a puncture

I pulled into a lovely pub forecourt as arranged to find Vera and David waiting out front. No sign of Adam. I was feeling particularly “Hackney” as I requested a light hoppy ale as the man next to me asked for a couple of pasties and 6 pints of Stella. We were there for over an hour as Adam had punctured and stopped at an earlier pub to wash up a little and grab a cheeky pint.

Lunch and a puncture

The official food stop is just short of Sudbury about 75-80 km in and we stopped for a wee and some food. It’s always slightly surreal to see a bright village hall full of dirty, wet cyclists chatting cheerfully.

As we’d lost a lot of time already we decided to crack on.

As we pulled away I considered shouting to the others. My rear wheel felt sluggish and lumpy. On the first descent things got a bit hairy and I accepted the inevitable. I had punctured. The others were now quite some distance ahead and it was at this point I remembered I hadn’t packed a pump. My frame clip for the pump had broken so I had left it behind.

I flipped the bike, against the rules, and set about changing the tube. I was worried though as I couldn’t find the cause or the hole in the inner tube. At that point I realised the local nightclub at the end of the side road had gone from playing euro house to Bon Jovi. They were nearly done for the night.

I flagged down the next person I saw and asked for a pump. I started to panic as the nightclub was now playing ‘I will always love you’ by Whitney Houston. The 2 lads who stopped to help were really nice to me given that I was a panicky oil covered drowned rat with his bike in bits ranting about Bon Jovi.

I set off hoping for the best and rode as fast as I dared towards our next agreed rendezvous point just North of Sudbury.

Riding alone along unfamiliar roads is a relaxing pastime I normally reserve for the spring and summer months during the day. Night riding alone is another thing entirely. A single blinking light ahead gave me hope and I found a group to tag along behind for a bit. Shortly afterwards a lady from Stoke Newington slowed down for a chat.

Dawn

The rest of the darkness passed without incident  as I fell behind a bit then caught up again. Adam and I rode along for a couple of hours chatting about our respective lives and interests, stopping for a tea along the way.

Finally we reached the lake and caught back up with Vera and David. Loo stop and the last of our food. Ready to go. Adam spots that his bike has a puncture.

It’s cold by the lake as we do some early morning stretches and fix our 3^rd puncture of the day but we’re told there’s only 35 km to go.

40 minutes later we stop for a sausage bap  and are told that there’s only about 35km to go (Deja vu).

The second last 35km passes in a blur of early light and undulating countryside, chats to strangers and turns through sleeping villages. The last few miles are gravel covered and slippy from the rain. And then we’re there.

Dunwich

The end at Dunwich could do with another post all of it’s own but queuing and eating pretty much summarises it. Needless to say when we did get back to London I had another flat. When we checked out the tyre there was a tiny spike inside, that when pulled out with pliers, revealed itself to be a 1” piece of copper wire from the fairy lights that must have tangled in the rear wheel at some point.

Consumables

Juice and a samosa, Falafel and hummus sandwich, Peanut butter and Avocado sandwich (nicked the idea from Rich Roll), 2 stuffed vine leaves, 3 Nak’d bars, Peanuts, Crisps, Salted liquorice (3 or four pieces), Barley Sugar (about 6), Sausage Bap, I pint, 2 teas, 4 litres of water, and a veggie breakfast  on the beach. At no point did I consider eating the gels I brought.

I also got through 2 inner tubes, 4 AA batteries, an oil covered rain jackets and a set of fairy lights.

Continuous improvement through reckless experimentaion

Triathlon preparation, like much in life, seems to be an endless series of experiments and purchases

Running
After injuring myself in 2012 and taking the first half of 2013 to recover I  was nervous about running. I first tried "barefoot" running in the Saucony Hattori shoes (I reviewed them here). Once that worked I realised I wasn't going very fast/it wasn't comfortable for longer than an hour/i had no grip at all* in the wet. I bought some merrell road shoes. Got used to them and then realised I preferred the Hattori. I have experimented with the following...

• Shoes
• Breathing
• Training patterns
• hydration equipment (bottles/bladders)

Cycling
I have made a few changes to the bike...just a few. None of which I have settled on. I even bought a brompton (which in this blog I'm going to call my "winter trainer"*). I am now panicking as the bike has transformed into a racier machine, just as I realised I'm doing the Dunwich Dynamo in 2 weeks and may need to convert it back a bit!!*

• Removed rack
• Removed second bottle cage
• Lowered handlebars
• Extended stem
• Added a small saddlebag and a bento box
• Tried 1980's bar extensions (FAIL)

In a box to do whenI get home tonight I have a 

• Change of  handlebars
• Modern ICU approved tri bars (we'll have to wait and see)

Swimming
I could not swim far or in open water. Given my  lack of ability, swimming  kit and experimenting has been kept to a minimum. I read"total immersion" and applied it.

• 2 different pairs of goggles
• Different pools
• Swimming in the sea
• 1 ill informed wetsuit purchase

Other equipment:

• Bryton cardio 60 triathlon watch - currently broken due to swimming in it...
• Zoot Tri Suit
• 2 running vests
• 2 pairs of running shorts
• 2 running t-shirts
• 1 running jacket
• 1 pair running tights
• I thermal running top

* The author is prone to gross exaggeration

Croatia and triathlon training

I'm now only 6 weeks away from my first triathlon. Whilst my holiday to Croatia felt like bad timing when I was planning my training in actual fact it couldn't have come at a better time. I run and cycle the same routes quite frequently and so to go somewhere else and run trails by the sea ( and on one occasion up a dual carriageway up a mountain) mixed things up a little. 

I purchased the wrong size wetsuit a few weeks back and had been using this as an excuse to not swim in open water. In Croatia I swam in the sea 6 times. On one occasion I managed a 1km swim and felt absolutely fine at the end of it. I managed to cope with currents, tides, rocks and fish. In the interests of disclosure I have always been terrified of natural water. Not always, but from the age of 16. I watched  2 sisters bodies dragged from the sea and heard the wails of the surviving sister and mother whilst camping in wales. Their dingy capsized and they drowned. 

At 4 I fell into a river and was fine until my rescuer suggested we check my wellies for fish. Swimming in the docks of London is going to be a big deal for me. More so than the distance or the 3 hours competing. 

I ruined my triathlon watch as it turned out to not be waterproof, but Rutland Cycling are going to take a look and see if it's a warranty job. Anyway. I really enjoyed swimming in the sea. Goggles, rock-shoes and trunks. 

 

Sauerkraut experiment

Rather than being the name of a stereolab album. I've been meaning to experiment with fermentation as a means of food production. We all love beer, but there must be other things to make with making stuff go off.

I recently bought a book on fermentation and the history and cultural significance thereof. Whilst very good, I thought I'd try this simple recipe for sauerkraut as a first step.


First sterilise the jars (weird huh given that I'm cooking with bacteria)

Then core and chop the cabbage

Massage in the salt for 5-10 mins

Put in jar, cover with a whole cabbage leaf and weigh down with a smaller jar (full of water)

cover with a jam or cheese cloth

wait...

And if you do decide to make some more... buy at least 2 cabbages!!

Dignity?

There is a dignity in rising up to meet a challenge but there is very often little to no dignity in what we have to wear to achieve our goals.

A case in point would be the triathlon suit that arrived in the post this Saturday. All in one, stretchy Lycra in black. Cut using the basic assumption that we are all shaped like a pro. The zip extends only as far as the sternum so I am going to be a hot sweaty mess if I ever need to get in and out of it to use a lavatory.

This is just one of an increasingly long list of totally undignified things that we wear, smear on or accept as normal in the pursuit of sporting glory.This list includes but is not limited to...

• Chamois cream - mentholated or regular? Used to prevent friction burns and saddle sores this goop is smeared on your genitals and bum. The result feels like you pooped your pants with ice cream.
• Winter bib-tights - Brilliant protection for the elements but effectively a fleecy skin-tight baby-gro. Keeps the draft out but as it has no fastening you have to get all the layers off and then sit naked with it around your knees when using the loo.
• Cycling shorts - The fastest way to look like an oversized sausage with a camel-toe. At worst you look like wurst. At best you look like a member of 1980's band Erasure.
• Running shorts - See above only this time think Burt Reynolds does PE.
• Hi-Vis clothing - Are you going to the Camden Palais in 1995? a little bit rave a little bit council health and safety officer.Not dignified and impossible to look at whilst eating/concentrating on anything else.

Have I missed anything?