Ironman 70.3 Bahrain - 5 Dec 15

At last, the race report from my main goal of the racing year: Ironman 70.3 Bahrain - or in this case Ironman 68.4!! Yes, the swim was cancelled. Not great but with safety concerns paramount it was well accepted by everyone (apart from the mega fish-like folk!).

The Build Up It could be said that the build up for this event was 'difficult'. 2016 has probably been the most difficult year for us (family) due to many episodes that we have experienced and the adjustment to life in Saudi Arabia - nuff said. As far as training goes, although there have been many interuptions and consistency has not been great, I seem to have maintained some sort of run fitness. My swimming had improved; largely due to the help of BigFish Dave Lowe, who provided a structured swim schedule that, well, just worked for me! I was unsure as to my bike form. Although I had completed lots of turbo work, I was short on longer rides and time trial races that I normally compete to hone form and obtain an indication of fitness. I had been fortunate, however, as assistance from the RAF Sports Lottery allowed me to purchase Vector Pedals - for the first time, I was training with power as a guide. And boy was it painful! Yes, the best zones to live in on the bike are the 85 - 92% of threshold power. The longer the reps, the more productive the training is. One of the main obstacles to overcome - or in my case, get used to - was the onset of rhumatoid arthritis. My knee has been the size of a melon since May 15 and an MRI confirmed that I was suffering from this auto-immune illness. It is painful; no doubts about that! How to cope? Join Jens Voigt and just say 'shut up legs!' The Race I won't go in to all the logistics of getting to Bahrain and the disaster associated with the hotel. I racked my bike on the Friday after registering. The entire transition zone was carpeted. This was heaven for me and my sensitive feet! I just hate the running bare foot that comes with triathlon. Rutland Water is worst and my feet are black and blue after racing there. Saturday morning and up early for the normal pre-race breakfast of rice pudding and coffee. When I got to the race venue the buzz was all about the swim - wetsuit, no wetsuit? What could it be? The water in the bay was choppy and there was quite a wind blowing off the coast into the Bahrain Bay. Soon, the news was announced over the load speakers: Swim cancelled. Say what?!! Yes, very disappointing, particularly for the guys who were tackling a 70.3 for the first time, as they wanted to race the full distance. So, a 68.4 race it was. The start would consist of 5 triathletes running into T1 from the swim exit point at 15 sec intervals. I positioned myself as near tot he front as I could get; my idea being that if I could get out on the road I would avoid groups and slower cyclists. I was first out of T1 from my group of 5 starters and quickly passed some stragglers from earlier start groups.

The pros had started 10 min before the age groupers; so no risk of seeing those guys on the bike! From the onset it was clear that the wind would be a big factor on the bike leg. It was consistently strong and also gusting even stronger. Over the causeway bridge with the cross/tail wind was super fast but I had an issue with my Garmin not reading my power read out properly. I was fiddling with the Garmin in the pic below:

I had a 3 sec current power reading and an average power. But the average power never moved from 244W and I suspect that it was not a true reading. This was a bit frustrating but I had to adjust the plan and rely on the current 3 sec power. Of course, it was all over the place with the wind and rises over fly-overs. Sometimes I was over 350W and eased off. Then I was at 180W and eased up the effort. The ride was becoming too disjointed and did not feel efficient. So I made the decision to just ride on feel and glance at the power every now and then. The closed roads were a dream to ride along:

However, I was surprised at how many deadstop U-turns there were. The wind was all over the place; sometimes I was flying in the 53/11 and other times I considered going into the small ring - but I thought better and avoided the small ring! My early start ensured that there were no drafting issues. But as the bike progressed some of the looped out and back sections meant riding into late starters who were going considerably slower. The wind seemed to get stronger too. Or was that just me getting tired! I could see the Bahrain International Circuit approaching but we had an out and back loop to complete before we entered the motor racing circuit for a lap of the F1 track!

The F1 circuit was deceptively hilly and quite rough tarmac to ride on. I was ready to dismount and test the legs after completing the bike leg in 2:23:49. As I grabbed my T2 bag I noted that the legs did not feel too bad. Out of the change tent and back on to the F1 circuit and I clicked straight into hold back mode! In racing we generally run too fast at the start of a long distance triathlon run. I always hold back. This also helps enjoyment as I can soak up the atmosphere.

My Garmin continued to malfunction, with only a stopwatch working - no GPS. The first 3k was switching around the F1 track and was quite nice. I resorted to mental arithmetic for the pace and was maintainng constant 4:20 per k pace. I walked through the first aid station to ensure that I consumed a good cup full of water and a gel. I knew that I would only need 2 more gels at the most and a few swigs water or coke. I always focus on the first aid station during a half IM to set me up for the rest of nutrition intake. During the first 5k I was passed by a couple of youngsters who made me look like I was standing still. I made a mental note to see hem later when they blew up! Sure enough, around 10k they were walking and I passed them. Out ofthe F1 circuit and the wind was a factor on he run also, swirling around and making it tough in places. The run took you out to the wildlife park and I knew that the reurn leg after a 8k loop in the park would be tough into the wind. Once into the park I started to pass people. But I was joined from behind by a guy that looked familiar. It was Nick Tipper - ex-Army Tri. We ran together for the entire loop in the park: As we left the park and headed back to the F1 circuit, the wind was smack in your face. I tried to up the pace as I still felt strong. In reality I probably only maintained the pace as fatigue and the wind took its toll. Nick was struggling and I was trying to drag him along. But the elastic broke and I pushed on for home. The final 3k was also on the F1 circuit and I was feeling rough now. But that is when you should feel rough - the last 2k where you can go flat out! The finish line was a welcome sight and the atmosphere was quite thrilling: A run split of 1:30:51 was slightly slower than my target but the tank was emptied and on the day there was no way I could have gone faster. Also, that run bagged the fastest run split in my Age Group. I just needed a more efficient bike split as I was 2nd overall in my Age Group to a French dude who blitzed the bike in 2:17. I was catching him on the run but not quickly enough. I can't complain with that result after the topsy turvey year that I have had. Plus my finish position was a World Champs qualifier. I didn't accept the slot as there was no way I could commit to a trip to Australia. Overall, I was pleased enough but, as always, could do better. Next year will be a busy period for me as I commence some study to prepare for when I leave the RAF. I will focus on shorter distance races in Saudi. Then looking further ahead, I still have ambitions to race Ironman and bag a sub-10 hour race. But the clock is ticking; at 51, how much longer will it be before the decline in performance due to age rules that target out? Intelligent training and racing is the order of the day. Some stress free periods in my life would really help also! Maybe one day. . . .

Challenge Bahrain Cancelled!

Yes; my main race goal of the year has been cancelled! In many ways this is a complete disaster. However, in other ways it is ok because the IM 70.3 event is only 2 weeks later on 5 Dec 15 - also in Bahrain. I suspect that there is a huge amount of politics behind the decision and it looks like Bahrain has sided with the IM brand, with Challenge being ousted! The impact on the majority of entrants to the Challenge event will be mightily upset as they would have had hotels, flights etc booked for the event. Anyway, it is all change for me and the race date moves to 5 Dec 15. The 70.3 differs from the Challenge race in that it has a split transition and the normal early start. The bike leg finishes with 5k round the Bahrain International Circuit (F1 race track). Kind of cool and hopefully the fastest 5k of the race!

The Biggest Triathlon in Saudi?

After finally putting together 3 weeks of uninterrupted training together I raced the Riyadh Triathletes Standard Distance Triathlon on 2 October 15. Although Saudi is a big country, it is a closed country - it is not easy to visit or nip across to race! I think that I am correct in saying that Riyadh Triathletes is the biggest club in Saudi. Hence the Standard Distance race is probably the biggest event also. The club bills it as such and the atmosphere and anticipation at the race was great. All club events are organised by volunteers - no chip timing or event management companies here! For me, this adds to the enjoyment as it really is grass roots racing. The competitors (and especially the spectators) are just as enthusiastic as those you would find anywhere in the UK.

Essentially, I was using this race as a build up event for Challenge Half Bahrain on 20 Nov 15. Hence I had a set power level to ride at on my bike to simulate the race pace for Bahrain. This meant that I should have been dismounting into T2 quite fresh, having only covered 40k, rather than 90! That was the case and a 1:04 bike split was actually very pleasing considering the effort level. A power NP reading of 234W seemed perfect and I am hopeful of a bike split around 2:25 at Bahrain if conditions are decent. My run at this triathlon felt controlled and smooth. I upped the pace after 4k but was disappointed with my run split around 42 min for 10k. It seemed that I could not engage the speed sufficiently. I am not sure if the heat had a part to play but I am shooting for a sub1:30 half marathon at Bahrain. So I need to be strong and reasonably fast. The temperature at Bahrain should be cooler; maybe that will help. Or maybe I am just getting old and slow 8-( My swimming has been going well in training and that was reflected in my swim in this event. The 1500m was short but I averaged 15:56 per k pace by my Garmin. Happy enough with that. Some work on hip rotation and lock-n-load at the key phase of the stroke seems to be working for me. The other main aspect stimulating gains is the 3 month swim programme that BigFish Dave Lowe - my buddy from Cornwall, now working in Saudi at Dhahran - has provided me with. This has now forced me into turning up at the pool knowing what to do. Previously I was just making it up when I got into the H2O! Not great bit that is the way I roll. . . . . Anyway, onwards and upwards. The race win meant a Garmin 500 as a prize! That was very surprising; I had know idea that there were prizes like that. Plus I actually really need a dedicated bike computer as I just have my Garmin 910. Well, do we ever really need these gadgets?!! That's what we tell ourselves. I am extremely grateful nevertheless. Time to get some more key session completed and focus on not overtraining. . . . . cough. . . . . I never do that. . . .

Key Workouts (Pre-Half IM)

Anyone training for Challenge Bahrain on 20 November now is the time to get those key specific sessions completed. Ease back on the volume and be fresh to complete the big key workouts. Then eat sleep recover repeat. For example my workout this morning: Warm up on turbo, including some 2 min 90% efforts to wake the legs up. Then complete 5 sets of 12 min turbo as 3 min at 87%, 1 min spin. 3k run as 1k slightly slower than half IM run pace, 1k slightly faster than half IM pace, 1k at target half IM pace. That is one set of bike/run work. Repeat this 5 times. These key sessions work! Plus they us confidence. Hope this info helps someone! You can scale the session down if your goals are shorter distance races. Train smart!

A Triathlon Race!

Last Friday I completed the latest race in the Riyadh Triathletes series - a triathlon of 1.2k/35k/8k. This was my first triathlon since The Outlaw Ironman in July 2014! It actually felt quite hard, even though it was a short race. It did make me wonder what Challenge Bahrain (half) would feel like! I have done many half IM distance races but this feels different after the year I have had out here in Saudi. The Riyadh Triathletes are a very enthusiastic and friendly bunch and I am grateful for the chance to race. But I am not sure where my form is right now. My biking seems under par but I have no base level to measure. Normally I would have done some TTs by now and know where the speed is coming from. I have a few health problems that will not go away. The arthritis is still there in my knee and I now get hip problems that affect my running more than the knee ever has - not good. Anyway, the race went well, even though I was not happy with the run pace I maintained. I was hovering around 4:10 per k. I wanted around 4:00, which would point to the possibility of my holding 4:20 per k over the half at Challenge Bahrain. When I got home I came down with a sore throat and a yukky feeling. I suspect I may be a bit under par. Add to that some bad blisters on my feet from not wearing socks and I basically feel like very detached from the good form and fitness I had last year. Let's see how things go over the next month. . . . .

Riyadh Triathletes Double Duathlon

Last Friday was the long awaited Riyadh Triathletes double duathlon. This event is billed as the hardest of the season due to the continual switching between bike and run. I have to admit that I did not find this format terribly difficult as this type of session is bread and butter for me. The intense heat could have been the big leveller. Hence I managed to complete all run legs at spot on 4:00 min per k pace. This was a notch down from full race effort but still a hard session. The bike course was much the same as the previous duathlon race. It was hilly and technical and finding a good tempo was impossible. But the effort was sufficient to take the win. I had best not get used to winning as there will be bigger races to focus on where winning will not be an option! But these Riyadh races do serve a purpose to hone the form and train hard. Unfortunately, one of the guys racing collapsed and died after the event. Not sure of the reason but the heat must have had a part to play. Hence reduced effort in these races is a must. A sad sad occurrence.

Short Biathlon - A Race!

The end of July saw my attending my first Riyadh Triathletes event. It was only a short swim, run race of 500m/4k. A 7:55 swim was ok for me. With the fastest swim a swift 6:15 I had no chance of catching the leader with such a short run. However, he was not a great runner and constant 3:45 kilometres saw me catch him after 2k for the overall win. Most enjoyable race! I have some photos and will post these shortly. Following this race I attended the next event last Friday at the funky named Ranco Farm, which is South of Riyadh in the Dirab region. This was my first race with a bike involved since the Outlaw Ironman in July 2014! Where has the time gone. I have no idea what shape I am in for cycling but I have been able to string together 3 weeks of decent power based sessions on the turbo. Using the vector Garmin pedals - did I report that I now have these? - I am now trying to scientifically train myself to decent bike form for the Challenge Half Bahrain Triathlon on 20 Nov 15. Anyway, I digress.

The Duathlon consisted of 6k run, 25k bike, 4k run. The bike course was technical and hilly comprising a 4 lap route. I felt ok on the first run and wound up the pace to finish in 22:29. This 2 minutes faster than the next guy; so I had quite a lead. I probably nailed the first bike lap too hard but I was just enjoying the race really. By the 4th lap I was in the groove and was sure that nobody was catching me - then it was time to dismount. The second run was that familiar yuk feeling and I felt like I was crawling. I had such a lead that I was never really pushed. I was surprised that I maintained 6:20 per mile pace really. Racing in Saudi is hard due to the heat. It gets so hot that you struggle to breath and it hits you like a slab of concrete when you get off the bike. Anyway, a most enjoyable race. The next race is a double Duathlon of 4k/10k/3k/10k/2k/10k/1k. Now that sounds like fun!

Crumbling Joints!!

As August approaches I cannot believe how chaotic 2015 has been. Training has been inconsistent, although there have been flashes of feeling strong and getting fit – only for those times to slip away because of various domestic crises. Being in Saudi has not been great for my health or racing ambitions. After a good 2014 and a decent ironman finish I really wanted to keep the momentum going. The opposite has happened and the body has started to crumble! Strangely, during a 3 week visit back to the UK during May when I was unable to train at all I started to get various niggles. The worst occurrence was knee pain. To cut a long story short it looks like I have some sort of Osteoarthritis or body immune system malfunction that is attacking my joints. My knee is swollen and my wrist is giving me problems. I have had an MRI that confirms the problem and inflammation within the synovial lining of my joints. All this is not good, though the advice from the medical folk is that exercise is good; maintain doing what you can. The result is that I can cycle and run ok but it takes a while to warm up the knee and feel ok(ish). Swimming is ok but I struggle to push off with any force – not really a problem with the important racing being open water swims. I am due to see a specialist back in the UK to identify the best course of action. It could be that I will have this problem for ever. Not happy. It makes sense that I have probably had this problem for some time; however, because I train so consistently I have naturally sort of kept the symptoms at bay. Then, with a prolonged period of inactivity the problem hits home. So how do I approach my goal of Challenge Half Bahrain scheduled as my main goal on 20 Nov 15? I just need to crack on and train the best I can. If I feel pain, rather than intense stiffness then I do not train; or I change the specific training that I am doing. I am not yet sure if running makes my joint worse. Cycling certainly feels ok once I am warmed up properly but sometimes that takes over 30 mins. My feeling is that I will need to limit running as much as possible whilst maintaining the potential to run sub 90 mins for the run at Bahrain. I am pretty much in that run shape now. So, bike monster time! Thanks to the RAF Sports Lottery I now have a lovely set of Garmin Vector pedals to monitor my bike training using power! This is a major shift in my training as I have always used ‘feel’ as my barometer for bike training and racing. The last few sessions that I have completed on the turbo using power as a guide have been very interesting. Not only am I monitoring the Watts; I am also completing different sessions. For example, I would pretty much use the same system to get bike fit each year – say 5 x 5 mins as hard as I can manage. These are basically VO2 Max sessions. So I have never completed targeted training levels based on FTP. Yesterday I did the main set as 60 mins at 80 – 83% of FTP with surges every 3 mins to 115% of FTP (lasting 10 sec). This was hard but I can see the benefits. Hopefully, I will have good bike legs for Bahrain and it will not matter too much if I am not running to potential!

Status Report - Not So Good

The 2015 Tri season is slipping away. As May 15 approached I was experiencing some good sessions over swim bike and run. Then BOOM! I had to return to the UK on compassionate leave. As normal I will not detail the circumstances of domestic aspects that impact training and racing; but safe to say that stress levels have been sky high and training all but dried up - unavoidable but frustrating too. So yet again it is time to regroup and build into some training. But I need a goal! Challenge Bahrain (half distance) was always planned to be the main goal of the season as it was scheduled to be in Dec 15. I would surely have time to prepare properly. The last few weeks have made me rethink that theory! But Challenge Bahrain has now opened for entries and I am in! The race will be held on 20 Nov 15. The start is around 1530 and the aim is to have an evening race with floodlit bike and run! That sounds like fun and this plot actually makes that logistics of racing far easier - registration and bike check-in become a leisurely task, rather than the normal stupid o'clock race morning chore. So what are my expectations? Well I have raced many half distance triathlons and I feel like I know what I should be capable. Sub 4:30 is the goal. If all goes well around 4:25 should be doable. I will be trying a few different things in training to prepare for this race. Firstly, I will be using power levels on the bike for training and racing. Previously, I have just used 'feel', with no gadgets whatsoever. There will be a major focus on swimming because I have such good access to pools here. Running has been in a good place all year (not quite sure how or why!); so the plan is to capitalise on this stance and shoot for the most efficient bike split ever (using power as a guide on race day) and unleash a killer run! This year has been so chaotic so far. If I can get 5 months of relative stability all should be good. If more events interrupt training significantly it could all go horribly wrong. I am not too happy about the lack of racing here. There are a couple of shorter races )Du and Tri) near Riyadh in Aug and Sep but nothing else to test the form. I will just have to be focussed on an even paced race come 20 November 15.

The Race to get Race Fit

Time has inched forward since my last brief post that confirmed my arrival in KSA. Yet again, there have been numerous ‘stressful incidents’ that have prevented our settling in to any type of routine. As normal, I will not detail these aspects as this is my triathlon journey. Whilst it is unavoidable to not be affected by personal and domestic ocurrences, I will remain true to the training and racing focus of this Blog. So where am I now with my triathlon ventures as we draw towards the end of March 2015? Well I am training regularly and have now received my bikes from the UK via the shipping company. Thankfully, no damage to anything. So I have 3 bikes here now: the old Caygill, which is permanently on the turbo, the Holdsworth road bike and my trusty Specialized Transition Pro TT race bike. Now that I am here, I wish that I had brought my single speed out also. It would have been ideal for riding round the compound. The only outdoor road riding I can do is round the compound, which is a 2.7 mile circuit, complete with speed humps that can be missed by sticking close to the curb. The circuit is totally flat; hence the single speed would have been ideal. It can be dusty here too; so the low maintenance on the single speed would have been well suited. Anyway, I am pleased to have my bikes and commenced regular pedaling! I had been off the bike since mid-Dec14! Now it is a race to get some bike legs back! I am building outdoor rides to around an hour and a half currently. But the bulk of bike work is on the turbo. I have some sufferfest sessions that I never seem to tire of and these are a great help to make the time fly by on the turbo. I am also maintaining strength and conditioning work in the gym, but always mix this up with tri specific sessions. For example, the last session was as follows: 25 min turbo build warm up 2 mile tempo run (6:30 mile pace) Strength and core 2 mile tempo repeat 12 min turbo efforts 2 mile tempo repeat Strength and core repeat 2 mile tempo effort 10 min turbo efforts 2 mile half IM pace run to cool down So you bag 10 miles of running with shredded legs!! My running is in a good place and far ahead of where I was this time last year. Despite the chaos of moving and regular ‘life trials’ I seem to have maintained consistent running and that has paid off. Last week I managed to get to a local 10k race at a different compound and somehow ended up winning it in 36:59. Whilst his is not a fast time, and the standard of the local running may not be strong, I was happy to be running at this pace at my age! With no speed work completed I am confident that a sub-36 min 10k is possible. However, and it is a big however, I have just thrown my name in the hat to race at The Outlaw Ironman again! This is back in the UK on 26 July 15. The big question is can I gain sufficient bike fitness over that distance to be competitive? I am confident that I will be in good run shape as long as I stay healthy. I have a good endurance base built up over many years and I am hoping that this fact will enable me to keep the bike sessions around 2 – 3 hours max completed at a decent pace. That should enable me to cruise a 5+ hour bike ride at the Ironman. Only time will tell if it works I suppose! As for swimming, I am totally spoilt for pool access! I have a 25m indoor pool that I can use whenever I want. I also have an outdoor lagoon pool that is not heated but ideal for wetsuit swimming, with a 50m stretch to complete laps. I am swimming every day and feeling good in the water. But I am concentrating on technique and I am not particularly fast in the water at the moment. I am banking on getting faster nearer to the race. Looking further ahead, I really want to race Challenge Bahrain in December. This is a half distance race and could be more suited to my abilities. I can drive there from my location and that greatly helps the logistics of traveling with bikes and equipment. So onwards and upwards! I have a 5k handicap race on Friday and would like to run around 17:45 if the course is fast. It will be the weather that is the deciding factor I reckon as the heat is building now as the year progresses. I must get some pics recorded on here; so stand by for that.

I am Alive!

The move to Saudi is complete-ish! Still no unaccompanied baggage, which means no bikes 8-( But the swimming is great here. Numerous pools to choose from that are no more than a short walk from my villa. . . . yes, it is a villa. I will sort some pics and get some training updates underway - in case anyone remains in Blog Land! Liking Saudi and getting used to the driving habits. My problem will be when I go back to the UK! I will have to be more considerate!