DGTri Athlete Report - James Harman

Full Boar Middle Distance Triathlon

The Full Boar middle distance race was the last Triathlon for me of the 2011 season. I had intended to have a good race but take it a little easier and just generally use the event more as a social outing to catch up with everybody at my local club 1485 and in the DGtri training camp and to be honest i had been a little fatigued with all the previous months training and finishing IM uk.

We got to the lake for around 8am which left us plenty of time to sort out the kit and transition area as the race didn't start untill 9:30am. I always like full boar start times as i get a lie in.

The previous few days had been really quite cold and wet with the weather report giving much the same forecast for Sunday so i opted to wear my compression leggings, Compression top and t shirt as i thought by the time i exit the cold water and got on the bike it would be difficult for me to get warm. How wrong was i!, Robbo signalled the start of the race and we were off to complete two laps of Bosworth lake. The water was quite cold so it took a while to get the lungs arms and shoulders warm and for the first 400 meters or so it was a bit of a struggle. I got around the first buoy and and received a kick in the face knocking my goggles off so i had to re-adjust but hey no drama's and it cost me very little time. The rest of the swim was pretty standard and i exited the water in 33mins.

T1 went ok but i had a little trouble getting wet socks on. I did use talc but it didn't seem to make that much difference and i thought i may as well struggle with the socks now instead of after coming in from the bike plus i didn't want to get cold feet with all that terrible weather that had been forecast.

The bike leg was Four laps of the Thirteen mile loop and i had been training on the bike course so i knew what to expect. There are not many hills on the bike course but the wind can cause problems as its pretty open in places. Especially along the A444 which can really grind you down however the conditions were as good as i had ever seen with little or no wind and still no sign of any rain. I decided to spin up on the few hills the first lap taking my time and then to push a little the second, Third and fourth lap. I really felt quite strong on the bike from start to finish and was really getting some good speed in places. Every time i looked at the speedo it was showing 19,20 or 22mph and even faster in places so i knew my average speed would be quite good and 18.5mph avg speed is pretty good for me. Hopefully the bike will start to come now as i had really been struggling through the summer months to see any if little progress. I finished the bike leg in 2hours and 50mins and was really quite chuffed with myself.

T2 went ok and after getting my trainers on and having a gel i was out of the gate to start the run leg. Short steps were all that i could manage for the first ten minutes or so but soon found my stride and settled in quite nicely. By this time the sun was really burning through and the weather and done completely the opposite of what had been forecast and i was still over dressed for the occasion lol. I was sweating that much and hadn't taken many electrolytes on so at the start of the second lap i was getting cramps in my hamstrings. I had to slow down a little on the run and try to stretch out a little but it didn't really help and i had to slow down a little. I came around the corner and on to the finish straight where my son was waiting for me and started to race me to the finish lol. I tried to sprint but my hamstrings were in bits and felt like they were going to just snap ouch!, So yes my 5 year old son beat me to the line and he is not letting me forget it. Mind you his little legs were going like butterflies wings lol. I finished the run in 1hour 43 mins
giving me a total event time of 5hrs and 12 mins. Happy days!

I am now looking forward to making even more progress with Dermots help next year. Enjoy your racing, Stay strong and keep pushing!

Jamie (aka Buzz)

DGTri Athlete Report - Joe Brooks

Valencia Standard Distance Triathlon

For my penultimate race of the season I had decided (been instructed) to combine an Olympic Distance Triathlon with a weeks holiday in Valencia. This would be my first Olympic distance since Malta in 2009 and only my second of this distance.

The race setting was fantastic, a one lap swim in the Americas Cup port, 4 laps of the F1 circuit and 3 laps around the Valencia Marina.

Having arrive the Wednesday before the race I had some time to aclimatise to the 30 degree + temperatures and complete a few steady sessions given to me by Dermot to lead me into race day. After a couple of steady sea swims I regained my confidence in swimming in the sea that had been somewhat lost due to a bad swim at the Marazion middle distance earlier in the year.

The racing in Valencia was arranged over two days, with the Super Sprint and novice races on the Saturday and the Sprint and Olympic races held on the Sunday.

I registered collected my goodie bag and racked my bike on the Saturday evening after watching the tail end of the novice races. The days before had been typically calm and still in the mornings with the breeze picking up in the afternoon, so I was hoping for the same on the Sunday.

The alarm went off on the Sunday morning and we arose (well I did, the othe half of Team Brooks stayed in bed, deciding to make an appearance at the end of the swim) to perfect still conditions and a temperature of about 27 degrees. After a breakfast of toast and cereal I made my way down to the race start. We had booked a hotel at the port area so a five minute walk and I was there.

The Olympic race was in 4 waves of approx 250 people. I was in wave 3 so I had change to have a chat with my fellow competitors before the start. There was a good mix of competitors and a good mix of countries represented.

The swim was a deep water start so there was time for a warm up swim to starting point which was just under the F1 circuit bridge within the Marina.

The start gun sounded and we were away. I settled into a steady pace, and had positioned myself to the right at the start to avoid the usual bun fight. The swim was a one lap circuit with only 2 Bouys to negotiate. Sighting was easy with a harbour wall to the left for the first 700 meters which suited my 4BS pattern. At the start the fast Chaps sped off and i was left in relatively free water with only a few people to avoid during the first half. After rounding the first Bouy it go a little more congested and I got caught up behind a couple of swimmers who had a sprint front crawl for 20 strokes then breast stroke for 20 strategy. My pace felt good and i was swimming comfortably, having rounded the second Bouy and just being able to sight the finish I felt though that I had been swimming for quite some time. The last 400 meters was a straight swim down the oppostie side of the Marina to the start. Exiting the water onto the finish pontoon and up the steps I looked at my watch , 30 minutes!!! slower than expected but I felt comfortable.

Into transition and i located the bike straight away, socks on, shoes on helmet on gels and GU Blocks in back pocket and I was off. Then I was stopped, no number belt (still hanging off the front of the bike Doh!!. Number belt on and out of transition. 4 laps of 10K was the advertise bike distance. I decided to try and just average 20 MPH and see how it went. The race circuit was in most parts perfect (if is good enough for the F1 boys it is good enough for me), flat smooth tarmac with no climbs. Some twists and turns. One section goes through the centre for arts and sciences the section was quite technical with approx 1 mile of cobble type surface and some tight bends. One lap complete and my speed average was about spot on. A steady second lap and I still felt comfortable. On each lap I took 2 GU blocks at the same point to keep up the energy. Lap 3 came and went with reasonable ease although the time seemed to be really slow? Coming into transition after lap 4 I flicked my watch to distance 47.5K for the bike (still it is the same for everyone).

Bike racked and Hat on I settled into a steady pace for the run, by this time it was 29 degrees so I took on water at every feed station and also ensured I also poured water over my head to keep me cool. I tried to concentrate on people who were in my wave and use these people as my targets on the run for the 3 laps around the Marina. My previous record of running in Triathlons is not good, generally my head wins the battle with the body. I was determined to put in a reasonable effort. 2 steady laps then up the pace on the last lap was the plan. With Nicky now shouting encouragement at me I started the last lap. A runner from my wave came past me with about 3/4 of the last lap to go so I gave myself the goal of staying with them I kept on their shoulder for about 1 mile then nudged ahead. I could now see the finishing area so I sped up the pace a little more knowing there was not long to go. I finished the run in 46.01 which I was reasonably pleased with.

My overall time of 2:48:06 was some way off my 2:30:00 goal although a 40K bike and I would have been somewhere near.

I would encourage anyone to do this race, fantastic venue, well organised and a great city.

Thanks to Dermot for the continued expert coaching and Bill for the wheels and the bike box.

Apologies to the 300+ people on the Ryan Air flight back home whom we kept waiting as the Police investigated the contents of my Bike Box before letting me on the plane. The Police were some what miffed when all they could find was a bike (No Shit Sherlock)a pair of Newton running shoes that smell of used cat litter and a sports Bra (Nicky's honest!!).

Full Boar Middle Distance next Sunday, last Tri of the season (or is it????)

Joe.B.

DGTri Athlete Report - Luke Bonnici

Derby Sprint Triathlon

The prospect of returning to triathlon after a break of almost two years was both exciting and daunting. Last Sunday morning I was asking myself whether I wanted to do this, and if I was prepared for the race ahead of me.

Preparation for the Derby Sprint was far from ideal. Unfortunately for the past two years training was not my number one priority, and putting down my name for the Derby Sprint was brief moment of insanity. My preparation for this race was ad hoc, and comprised mostly of a few unstructured sessions. Cycling was the least of my worries as every day I cycle to work on my little fold-up bike. However, as race day approached I started feeling a little bit apprehensive with my running and swimming. So I asked Dermot for a few training tips, to help with my preparation for the forthcoming race.

The race was a slightly shorter sprint, with an indoor 400m swim instead of the usual 750m swim. I wasn’t expecting anything special from it; finishing it was only target. On race day morning I was feeling pretty nervous and excited, and I was asking myself whether I was doing the right thing. A few words of encouragement from the coach were enough, and a few minutes later I was poolside waiting for my turn to start the swim.

The swim was relatively uneventful, and I was glad when it was over, as I was getting a little out of breath and couldn’t find any rhythm at all! Out of the pool into the windy (very windy) outside, we had to run across a field and get for transition. Transition was good, and I decided to put on my shoes while in transition, rather than the “pro” way.

The bike segment was perhaps the worst bit of the race. The race organisers and friends who know the area quite well said the bike course is relatively flat. Big fat lie! It was everything but flat, and coupled with the wind’s strength the bike promised to be very difficult. After a few minutes cycling I slowly settled down into a rhythm. Half way through the segment I felt a sharp pain down my side. Great, I had a stitch ... and I haven’t even started running!! I eased off a wee bit, drank a little, and hoped that by the end of the bike the stitch will be gone.

Finishing the bike was a very happy moment, yet I wasn’t too keen on the run. I was still worried about the stitch. Off the bike and oh no ... I’ve got jelly legs! Need to focus on bike-run sessions now. Anyway, I started the run really slowly and hoped that by my legs would not blow up mid-way. I wasn’t too impressed with the start. The run started with a short sharp hill followed by a long (less steep) downhill. Halfway through the run I felt really comfortable, and decided to up the pace a little bit, and finished strongly in a time of 1 hour 6 minutes.

Although a far cry from my personal best and the time other (better prepared) athletes were doing I feel with the result. I’m even happier the triathlon “bug” is back! From now on I’m hoping to be a little bit more structured with my training, and go for longer / more competitive races, all with Dermot’s guidance and support!

Luke

DGTri Athlete Report - Pam Batchelor

Derby Sprint Triathlon

I entered my 1st Triathlon, Derby Sprint, a " flat" course, well it did say it was flat on the website, so thought why not have a go!

Arriving there with all my "gear" in a box, and pushing my bike, it was apparent that they stretched the truth a bit about it being a "flat" course. The leisure centre was in a slight valley.

After laying all my kit out with the help of Linda Whitelegg (a seasoned Ironman Athlete), I went to the poolside to await my slot. Butterflies in the stomach, but they felt more like Pterodactyls!

Once in the pool my stomach churned even more, then count down and I was off!
I had caught a very large built man within 30 seconds, I swam past him to touch the wall, then pushed off. But this man didn't seemed to like the thought of me overtaking, so proceeded to speed up and swim all over the backs of my legs. So a few swift strong kicks got rid of him, until I caught another slow swimmer, and this man proceeded to speed up and be hammering me on my back, so I repeated the swift kick manoeuvre! This lasted for only 4 lengths, then I could back into my rhythm.
16 lengths over in a flash, and out to T1. A quick rub of the towel on the feet, and all the gear on and off to bike mount to the shouting crowd of "Come on Pamie". A bit of a wobbly clip in and I was off.

All I kept thinking was look for the yellow and black BIG arrow signs! The "flat" course big fat lie became apparent in the 1st 5 minutes of the bike! And the wind was terrible, at one point I was only doing 13 MPH! Half way round we came to a village called Sutton on the Hill (clue in the name) that sapped my legs. Also a dice with death along a dual carriage way, that had the usual BMW drivers (male), white van man, and Sunday drivers!

Then back to the leisure centre, battered by the wind and the usual abuse off the Sunday drivers, dis mounted to a chorus of come on "Flossie",(name on bike) and tried to run with the bike. The legs where not mine at this point!
T2 was a battle as a girl was sitting right in front of where I needed to rack my bike! After I clonked her a couple of times with my bike,she moved out of the way! Bike gear off, run gear on, and started to run out of T2!

The run out was up a sharp muddy grass bank, that proceeded up another muddy grass bank, up a gravel car park out into Etwell village. My stomach was like the fast spin on a washing machine, and I wanted to be sick!

The run consisted of a down then a up, then a down, then a muddy undulating pathway. (Flat apparently) Turnaround, then back the way we came.

On the top of a very long hill was the drink station, the marshal asked if I wanted a drink.

Drink?? I couldn't barely breath let alone drink after shuffling up that hill! Then a nice run through Etwell back to leisure centre, then a uphill to gravel car park, then a skiddy run down the grass banks to the finish line to the chorus of "come on Pamie!"

Finish time 1 hr 30 min 28 secs! I was over the moon with my time considering the wind and the "flat" course.

I loved becoming a Triathlete and I wouldn't have been able to achieve this result if it wasn't for Dermot's coaching and guidance.

Bring on the next race!

Pam

DGTri Athlete Report - Simona Carena

Bala Standard Distance Triathlon 11-09-2011

My last race for this season was the Bala Standard Distance in Wales. This is a very well organized race from Wrexham Triathlon club and had a 500 strong field or European qualifier hopeful, young and old age groupers and a few newbies. The race atmosphere is great and it is a due to the organizing club, and the locals good will to stage a race on close roads, good course and a stunning location in a triathlon friendly town.

My preparation was good and Dermot prescribed a very good taper that left me quite fresh and rearing to go. I stayed one of the near camp sites, about 15 minutes from the start line and on the day before the race I joined the 750 charity swim to rec the venue.

On race morning I woke in the comfort of my campervan with a headache, but after some strong coffee I was ready to go.

The sport centre became race HQ for the day, with superb facilities, and the lake front is transformed in a large transition area. It all seemed to work well, though a few queues and some unhappy competitors that had to swap wheels as due to windy conditions the discs were outlawed.

The lake, as I found out the day before on the charity swim, was a bit on the cold side and on Sunday quite choppy too. I normally look forward to difficult swim condition but on Sunday I was feeling cold even before getting in the lake and not so positive. Once all kit was sorted and had a warm up run around it was time to walk to the swim entry.

The first wave of younger male competitor was first off, so it was a bit off putting seeing that, as the ladies were entering the water form a small pear, quite a few of the lads were being pulled out by the safety kayaks. It took an age to get started from when in the water and I was shivering and not feeling focused on the task ahead. When the hooter went off I started swim but soon found myself very uncomfortable and unable to swim with head in the water and panicking a bit about being amongst splashing swimmers. This carried on for the first 750 meters until we got turn around buoy. After that I was able to keep my head in the water and got going, but I did not feel I was having being effective at all.

The last 50 mt of the swim are to be crawled on the bottom of the lake, as it is very shallow but due to slippery pebbles is not possible to run. It is quite comical to watch and I was glad that I had a trial the day before. It took nearly 34 minutes to swim 1.5K

I then executed my worst transition to the day: 4 minutes of shivering trying to take the wetty off, feeling very dazed and fumbling for extra layers packed in my transition bag. A marshal took pity and sorted out my number belt before letting me out of transition. At this stage I felt very deflated and not bright as I really wanted to do well but wasted so much time. I did not look at the watch as it would have been an excuse to jack it in and I would have regretted not finishing, or giving it a good try, but in my motivation was not at its highest. First lesson of the day: I need to be mentally stronger and keep positive; I was not throwing the teddy out of the pram but equally I am not happy with myself unless I feel I am giving it my best.

As I climbed a small ramp out of transition on to the main road, still shivering, the cheering of spectator was a balm to the soul; as I got out of the saddle I felt that my legs, who were refusing to do any kicking in the water, were actually feeling ok. It took a while to get going, even with a base layer and a light jacket and head warmer I was still cold; all I could do was pushing down on the pedals in the hope to perk up. After seeing Dermot ploughing up the tarmac at the Club Relays I have been so inspired that in every ride and turbo session I have pushed that little harder, so I really wanted to have a perform on the bike. The course is a “there and back” route, the first half has more of a upward profile but still fast even against the wind, the second half is awesome, I soon realized from the manic grin on some of the competitors from the previous wave coming back. Is a road you can work hard down on the bars, with exciting bends and some downward sloping to keep momentum or accelerate.

On the return leg I was able to bend on the tri bars with comfort as my back eventually got loose after the frozen lake and I started to enjoy the race as the sun came up. I then realized it also had rained but as I was in my own personal black cloud I did not take much notice. It was late to salvage the bike split to do justice to the good training that Dermot has set me, but I gave it a go.

The last 3 miles of the bike overlap the run course, also a there and back run, so I could see the faster competitors already out and some coming back towards the finish line. I really started to feel good, and I was keen to get stuck in the run. T2 was a bit fumbled as my feet and hand were still not co-operating and I had a few layers to shed, but the start of the run felt immediately good, thanks to the permanent brick sessions on my scheduled devised by the coach. In fact it felt so good that I did not realize that the road was gradually going up until I came down on it on the way back! I just thought, looking at my Garmin, that I was having a slow run, but I was enjoying myself and keeping an eye out to check Sam Anderson, another athlete coached by Dermot but in few leagues above my standards, and let her know her standing in the lady’s race. I had seen her running out at the 1st mile marker as I was getting back in to Bala, so knew she was close to finishing.

As the road evened out and then descended to the turn round point in a camp site I started to feel really good and so thought to push faster and even overtook a few people on the way back. I did not think I was going to run a PB, so perhaps I did not try as hard as I could. In hindsight this is lesson n.2 of the day: never give up! I did put a spur on at the end and wind up to a sprint finish at 53’59.

I then found out that race is advertised at 10.25K, so officially I call it a PB and I am still kicking myself for not having had a more positive mental attitude.

So the season is over and I have to give the BIGGEST THANKS to the very inspirational coach Dermot, it has been tough to keep to discipline to follow the plan but very rewarding in seeing the results, challenging to always aim at doing better and fun. The best asset to my training and racing is to have Dermot’s help and support.

Simona

DGTri Athlete Report - Samantha Anderson

British Club Relay Championships

Racing last week with the Linebreak Team was a fantastic experience! I was so excited from start to finish; I couldn’t stop smiling or jumping up and down. I couldn’t wait to race! Following coach’s plans had gone to a T and I was feeling stronger and stronger all the time. It was excited being tagged in the swim in such a high position after Mark and Katie swam so well. I wasn’t used to having so much space being out with the leaders! I of course dropped a few places with the swim being my weakest discipline but tried to hold my own and I knew Dermot would regain the places I had lost on the last leg. The bike course was brilliant.....for once Boss let me put it in a big ring so I was really pleased with my split which was over 2 minutes faster than last year. My legs stiffened up before the run and I was a bit disappointed with my time for that but it was definitely a long 5k and myself and the rest of the team had done enough to earn a top ten position in a field of quality athletes. I loved this event, there’s a real buzz about it......but above all I loved racing with such great athletes and being looked after by Bill & Pam who managed to get me to where I needed to be on time and with the correct kit (miracle workers!). A big thank you of course to Coach for his motivational speeches on the day (“Don’t hope......just do!”) and Linebreak our sponsors for supporting us throughout the season.

Sam

British Club Relay Triathlon Championships

Last weekend I took part in the British club relay Triathlon championships. The LINEBREAK team consisted of Mark Sykes, Katie Silke, Samantha Anderson and myself, and we races in this order. The distances were 500m swim - 15km bike - 5km Run. The format is very particular, each member has got to do each discipline first before proceeding to the next. This was a big race for us as it was very important to perform at our best for our sponsor who supported us during this year.

We all had a great performance. I was particulary pleased with my swim and bike, a little bit less with my running since my back decided to go in spasm after 2k but this did not stop me from pushing till the line. In the end we managed to place 10th overall out of 15o teams. It was great fun racing in that atmosphere!

A big thank-you goes to our sponsor LINEBREAK, team manager Bill Livingstone and official photographer Pam Batchelor. Also a big well done goes to my team mates who really gave their best on the day.

Dermot