Mission accomplished - KONA!

I was looking forward to this big result for the last 7 years and now I have achieved it.  One of my biggest dreams in sport has always been a slot at the Kona Hawaii Ironman World Championships. On Sunday 28th July at Ironman Zurich I set myself a target which I have been planning for the last 9 months.  It had to be now or never!  This was my 7th Ironman .
 

 

I started strong with a good non-wetsuit swim.  The hot conditions changed a bit my plan.  I like swimming with a wetsuit, and having invested in a HUUB wetsuit in the last year it made a big difference to my swimming. Unfortunately I could not make use of this piece of equipment but HUUB was still present - I used the HUUB speedsuit which did a fabulous job!  Starting the swim at a very strong pace I found myself in a good position in front and from what I could say well ahead from my usual schedule.  Did the non-wetsuit swim favour stronger swimmers I thought? Must have done!  Coming out for the Australian exit I over took another two athletes and pushed my way to catch the group in front.  In the end I finished the 3.8k swim in 1hr 02mins.  I made my way to the changing tent and had a quick change over and was out on the course in less then 3mins.

 

Onto the bike it was a question of pacing and not to push the pace.  Thanks to Johanna who worked out my nutrition I know exactly what and when to eat and drink, and later into the race the proved to be a great tool.  We had 2 laps on the Zurich course which I thought was reasonably fast... NOT.  Four really hard hills on the course made it hard to keep a good average speed & the heat was not helping at all.  I made sure to keep my salts topped up to avoid dehydration and I set out on the first lap planning to keep it relaxed as much as possible. This worked out as I had more in the tank in the second lap and managed to keep quite even laps.  I finished the 180k bike segment in 5hrs 16mins.  With another fast transition I set out onto the marathon course at a very conservative pace.

 

My original plan was to go for a 3hrs 10mins marathon.  My training had showed such times but when I realised that the temperature was around 38 degrees I realised immediately that it was going to be a suicide plan to set out at that pace.  I settled for a 4mins 45sec per km pace and make sure I kept throwing water on me in every feed station to keep my body temperature low.  At times I also put ice in my running cap and kit.  It was a completely different experience from my other six ironman but surely experience was a key factor.

 

Though while racing I was far from satisfied with my pace and splits I kept pushing all the way.  Deep down I knew this was going to be my last Ironman so I wanted to finish it strong.  In the end my time was 9hrs 51mins with a 49th overall placing out of 2600 participants and 9th in my age group. 

 

It was such a special moment when the day after the race they called my name at the Kona-Slots presentation. I cannot describe the feeling.  When you work so hard to achieve a target, and I must say that at times this target was becoming close to a bit of an obsession, and it finally arrives all I could do was scream... and so did the other six supporters in the room. We screamed, shouted, hugged each other, made a big show but we were all happy.  Happy that I finally made it, happy that the first Maltese will at last go to Kona to represent Malta, Happy that a long journey is finally over.

 

Thanks to Johanna for her patience and support, its hard to find someone like her that really believes in you and supports you all along, even when at times training took over other important things. Thank-you to my parents for their support, my brother Keith for training with me, my Ironman Training partner Barry who also made history being the first AFM athlete to do an Ironman and his partner Nicoletta for her support on race day. Finally my great friends from the UK who drove all the way to Zurich just to support me, Bill, Pam and Sophie.  Also thanks to Malta Triathlon and my club B'kara St. Joseph.

 

I now hope I get some help to get to through this last journey to Kona.  I will give it my best shot at the Ironman Worlds on Saturday 12th October and then the rest will be history ........

 

 

The path towards IM Switzerland

It has been a while since my last blog.  I have been rather busy with a change in job and trying to settle in a new routine. Not that easy!... but not too bad I must say.  Training has been a little bit up and down, I had to make big changes to the volume of training and the quality.

It will be my first Ironman with very limited  training volume, and from the research I did so far on the topic there were some triathletes who did this quite successfully.  I'm not sure to what result it will lead to but it will not be an easy task.  Intensity will be the key to my approach on this training programme. 

The targets of the programme will be:

1. 1 session a day and 1 rest day a week.
2. Total weekly hours 10hrs a week
3. Quality (Intensity) rather than Quantity.
4. Time efficient
5. Attention to detail (more than in the past years)
6. There will be of course the odd (but very race) big weeks of training which will be strategically placed along the path towards Switzerland.

This year 16 years of experience in the sport, my coaching experience and the knowledge gained from my MSc. will come in handy to what seems to be quite a tough task.  A successful result would be breaking 9hrs 30mins on the 28th July and qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman.

Stay tuned.

Dermot

DGtri Athlete: Jamie Harman

Race report for the Full Boar Middle Distance Triathlon on the 2nd Sept 2012 and general thoughts on my season

I love the full boar middle distance race, Infact i think the whole series is great but the middle distance really is for me an enjoyable experience. However the week coming up to the race i just wasn't feeling the vibe. I had raced just two weeks before at the Ely ECF Monster and did a sub 5hr in what turned out to be difficult hot conditions, Especially on the run when i had sever cramps.

I was still quite tired and my body and mind didn't feel 100% so i had decided to just enjoy the race and take it as it came. I had to just hold it together for one more week and on race morning with the start not until 09:30 i got a lay in bed for a change instead of having to get up at stupid o'clock!. I arrived at the water park for around 8am to find the place absolutely buzzing!, It was a hive of activity and the pre-race vibe from other competitors, Supporters and organisers was immense.

I registered and had a natter with friends and a few other regular competitors of the Full Boar Series then got down to business. I got my transition area sorted out. Managed to get some last minute calories in me and we were into the water for a warm up or should that say cool down?, Boy was it cold!. It felt like May!

I did a few meters slowly and then at effort just trying to get some warmth and blood into the swim muscles and after a while my body seemed to free up and i made my way to the start. I had positioned myself towards the front of the swim start again with a clear sight of the buoy and with a shout from Robbo we were off!.

The swim went really well and i found my pace even before the first turn buoy. I had no trouble with people getting in the way and my sighting was going well too but being a regular swimmer at Bosworth i may of had a bit of an advantage. I could see the faster swimmers pulling away but i wasn't to bothered as i was holding a good pace. I started the second lap and once around the top island decided to increase the effort. I found myself passing a few swimmers that had obviously gone off to hard and were now dropping back a little and i excited the water in quite a fresh state in 31mins 37secs. A decent swim time given the cold water i think.

Into Transition 1 and all went well, I found my bike this time ha ha and the wetsuit came off easily. I also managed to get a few places back in T1 as a few people were standing around talking and blowing, They must of put a bit too much into the swim!. I exited T1 in 1min 15secs a very good transition from wetsuit to bike.

Onto the bike and this was the bit i was looking forward too as i was riding the new Scott so i knew providing we had no mechanical or other issues i could do a new pb on the 4 lap course. I made my way out of the park turning left and up towrds the hill. My legs felt quite tired and i didn't seem to be able to get them going and with my Timex gps again not working i had no idea of the speed i was doing. All i had was my heart rate and cadence which both turned out to be useful but it would of been nice to have an idea of the speed also.

Turning left onto the A444 i was making my down the hill and still not having much joy with my legs. I had passed another Three or Four of cyclists but also i had been passed myself by what turned out to be the race winner. He passed my like i was standing still. It looked effortless for him. I had no idea of my position in the race and just kept focusing on pushing where i could and being cautions with energy going into the wind along the A444. Heading around the back of the course back into Market Bosworth my legs still felt quite rubbish compared to previous races yet i was moving quite quickly. I can remember passing a couple more riders as if they were standing still. That new bike on the flat with me pushing the peddles really gets moving but with me being a heavier athlete compared to some others i struggle a little hauling my bottom up the hills. Laps Two and Three went much the same and not until the start of lap Four did my legs seem to kick in. I really enjoyed lap Four and seemed to settle into the race at this point although i didn't like the abuse coming through Market Bosworth from an unhappy motorist. I think its when i needed to pee and didn't stop. I managed to do it while coming down Bosworth hill and may of covered his windscreen! "Sorry"

I finished the bike split in an impressive for me 2hrs 34mins and 2secs. All in all a strong ride given the course and wind.

Into Transition 2 and racking my bike i was chatting away to my kids who came to watch there dad race i really felt quite calm and collected. The trainers went on quickly and easily and i was out in under a minute, 59secs to be exact!. Super fast T2.

The run i knew was going to be a bit tricky as there were quite a lot of hills. Not big hills but hills that grind you down slowly. It was starting to warm up and i was worried about pushing too hard and getting cramps however i though i just gotta go for it, Its my last race and just wanted to get it done. I had also armed myself with Salt Sticks capsules and extra gels.

Out onto the run i passed Two athletes straight away and was thinking maybe i should slow down as i wasn't sure if i could hold that pace, It was just a thought though and i kept pushing. I knew if i could push up the hill i could extend my stride coming back down and save my legs a little. One thing i did notice was nobody else in front of me!. Was this a good thing? had they all finished and gone home?, No i was up there! the game was on!. It wasn't until i headed up the hill that the race leader was coming back down and he was moving at a strong pace. I knew i would not catch him so i focused on keeping strong, using my nutrition correctly and holding a good technique. That way everything as in training would just fall into place. I counted off the people in front of me as they passed and there were around 13 or 14. and just kept focusing on the important stuff pace,hydration, technique and nutrition The plan went well and i managed to stride down the hill quite comfortable but being passed by a female athlete, A really strong runner!. The plan was much the same for the second lap only this time cramps had started to just creep in. I upped my gel intake to every 20mins by this time along with a salt stick and the cramps subsided. Making my way back towards the water park i had managed to wind an athlete in who seemed to be struggling a little. I passed him on the entrance to the water park not looking back to see if he was chasing me just opening the legs up and going for it. My children were there shouting go daddy go daddy ha ha it was awesome. I crossed the finish line with a run split of 1hr 32mins. A fast half marathon for me given the course profile and a total event finish time of 4hrs 40mins and 38 painful seconds.

Thanks to Bill Livingstone for his persistent txt messages reminding me i would NOT go sub 5hrs at Full Boar Middle. Your cunning plan worked lol. And thanks to all the organisers who without them the immense fun we have as athletes would not be possible. You did a great job. Thanks to the Marshalls who also did a top job giving up there leisure time so we may race. They don't have to be there to help out so please remember that.

Looking back at my 2012 season

Well what can i say? what words can express my delight at what has turned out to be a fantastic season for me?. Its hard to put into words the feelings i have for this year. At times i was thinking things were not going to plan and getting a little down. Good job i have a good coach Dermot Galea who has a wealth of experience and racing knowledge to look at the whole bigger picture!, Something i don't really have due to still being relatively new to the sport but i am getting there.

I will try and put the season into a few words. With the start of my season in may coming second in a super sprint really gave me a huge confidence boost. All of a sudden the top athletes became just humans!, Just like me and you made from the same stuff!. Reachable, Touchable and most of all BEATABLE!. Then with a superb finish at the Northampton Olympic distance Race of 2hrs 17mins and a super fast swim and bike split even more confidence was showing. The fear of racing was ever subsiding. The Cowman middle distance race was slightly different as i had put so much pressure on myself to do well that looking back i was not happy coming up to the race and doing that to ones self is not good. It will never happen again regardless of finish time, Dnf or Dns!. This race was a turning point for my bike and run speed. Even though at the time it didn't seem like it that's where things improved again!. Lots of big names there and fast people so to finish where i did was a great achievement. The Ely Monster Middle Distance Race just confirmed my ever increasing bike speed with a split of 2hrs and 35mins and even though i suffered on the run i was not disappointed. The run conditions were tough with even the top finishers run/walking due to the heat. No shame in that!. And finally Full Boar what can i say. I feel i have explained my feelings above well enough regarding this particular race but must say again, Well done to the team and keep up the hard work.

Its been hard at times committing myself to the training but not just the training also the lifestyle changes that go with it. Its difficult for my loving family especially my Louise who has to sort the kids out when i am busy training or the day before a race when i withdraw myself from family life to focus on the next days race and for social events i cannot attend. That though my friends is commitment!. Commitment has to be total and unparalleled. I am armed with the tools now to win races as we all are. We just need to fine tune ourselves and get comfortable with uncomfortable. I feel i have a lot more to offer this sport and the sport itself has so much more to offer me!, Not just me but the people around me, I hope my passion rubs off on people and they take a leaf from my book. A Number of years ago the Alchohol and drugs were never too far away and my quality of life was poor with not much respect for anything or anybody let alone myself. That was part of my life i liked to forget but now feel quite open about it. Afterall we all have our Skeletons or Demons in the closet. Its good to face up to them and give them a scare in return now and then!.

For October i have booked my self on a Level 2 Triathlon coaching course to compliment my gym instructors qualification. I love the sport so much and just want to know as much as possible.

I have not decided about my races for next season as of yet because i am waiting for the BTF to get back to me in the hope of letting me race for GBR in ETU Champs Races (Everything else permitting). I will be running the Belvoir Marathon again in 2013 i think as i had a good result there at the start of the year and it helps to focus on the marathon coming up to keep the festive seasons food and drink from the waistline.

Failing the BTF getting back to me or my times not being good enough then i will try and qualify again next year and think a trip back to Wimbleball 70.3 with my mate Ryan B who seems to be addicted to Triathlon after just one event will be in order.

So People!....As my friend Alfonso Jiminez says "Keep it strong maaaaan" and see you all soon. Focus, Commit and Execute!

All the best, Buzz

DGtri Athlete - Simona Carena

The Wild Boar


02/09/2012

Last race in the Full Boar series the Wild Boar is a Middle Distance event at Bosworth Water Trust. The event distance in km is 1.9/84/21. This is my second trial at this longer race and I was looking forward to find out to tackle a more challenging course.

My other aim for the day was to be really relaxed about the race and enjoy it and see if that would further help performance, and avoid being too cautious, and push a little harder. The profile of the race lends itself perfectly as it is a moderate challenging course on the bike and a not so flat run.

I rocked up at race venue feeling very chilled, meeting and greeting all friends and noticing that the venue was already pleasantly full of competitors and buzzing with the race atmosphere. Plenty time to register, chat and one last cup of coffee and set transition… within 5 minutes of it closing.Quick warm up and stretch, race brief and it is time to enter the lake.

The water was quite cold, but not overly uncomfortable and after a few minutes of warm up I thought it was ok. The planfor the swim was to set off at a good speed to get in a group I could draft off. Recently I have been hanging backin the opening stages of the swim due to a few small panic attacks last season, hence my desire to get back where I belong in the world of the fearless swimmers!

All went well. The first lap of two I got quickly in to my stride, and managed to draft a bit. The second lap I could kick harder but somehow lost the crowd at the buoys. Finished the swim in 32:39, 3 second faster than on previous, very pleasing.

T1 was not my best, although I whipped off my wetsuit quickly, I then faffed whilst putting on layers on and stretching a locked knee, and searching for my socks left in the bag by the area perimeter, stupid mistake!

The bike section was always going to be the toughest aspect of the Wild Boar: I do not seem to be able to get in the flow of this course. However I saw this as a challenge to try to push it on one hand, to try to manage its constant change of gradient on the other; and gauge the effect it would have on the rest of my race. An opportunity to test myself, may be with risks attached, but also to discover what I can do for future races. I have no doubt that I paced my bike section well in Antwerp, but I also wanted to know what happens after a harder bike effort.

The course was4 laps affair. The first lap was a war of attrition, not feeling in the zone and labouring hard. My back felt tight and needed time to stretch before taking longer turns on the bars. By the second lap I was feeling better, although my heart rate was higher than planned, was lower than on the first lap. Lap 3 was painful on the quads; by the last lap I was just glad I got there. I purposely not looked at my computer until the last lap, but I found out that all 4 laps were at the same average speed of 16.6 mph! This compared against a 17 mph on the Olympic distance effort in July is satisfactory, but it shows that this course and I are not made for each other! ;-)

Total time for bike 3:10:29, inclusive of 2 unscheduled pit stops …

The question was will a harder bike effort affect my run? The answer is a straight forward: yes! I set off from T2 in 1:47 feeling good, as always Dermot’s training has prepared me well, and surprised my back did not hurt as it has been sore and cranky in the week leading to the race. A quick glance to my watch pointed out that my pace was not great, but I resolved to give the legs time to settle. All went well in the first lap of 2 “there and back” loops. The course is a bit of ups and downs, no major gradients apart from a couple of canal bridges, but has few long drags. By lap 2 with the sun now shining and fatigue building it all started to feel rather punitive.

However I was gunning for a PB, no matter by how small a margin, as even if this course is shorter it is tough. I wanted to feel that I gave it my best. The bike ride did mortgage the run performanceto a point but I kept pushing in spite of the slowly spreading rigor mortis in legs and back. On approaching the waterpark I could not work out how long it was to the finish line, so opened up my stride after the last bridge and hoped for the best. I rallied what energy I had left, and as the ground got on an even level and with the help of a cheering and clapping crowd I could pick up a little more speed. The run sectionwas a satisfactory 1:50:27.

Total time 4:39:09, a 4 minutes PB, plus enormous satisfaction on letting off the brakesin an effort to experiment. A good lessonfor next season.

I would like to thank the race organizers for this top notch event; the attention to details is second to none. Lots of freebies, well-marked course, superb feed station and many other small aspect like post-race massage available, pre-race information, cheap photography, timing chip with print out of result on the finish line between many other positives.

The marshals were the best ever, for the whole duration of the day patiently helping on the course, with encouraging worlds and banter; in particular on the feed stations where I had food quickly offered on demand and even stashed in my back pocket to help save time! Pat on the back and high fives all round guys!

And finally to my super coach Dermot who got me through another very satisfactory sporting year. I have always felt well prepared for each race, the training is very challenging and varied so that I am looking forward to it, no matter how hard it may be a times or how tired I feel. Most notably I have not had any injuries now that I train under his direction for three years and I still keep improving.

Roll on next season!

DGtri Athlete - Jamie Harman

Race report for the ECF Monster Middle Distance Triathlon, Ely, Cambridgshire.
Another early race start for the Ely Middle distance triathlon (07:30) and as it was 90+ miles from my home so the alarm was set for 02:30 and we were away at 03:00. I wanted to get there early as i had never entered this race before and according to the race brief T1 and T2 were roughly half a mile apart and the swim start another 30min walk from expo. We arrived in plenty of time just before 5am and everybody was still in bed. I had thought about camping myself but much prefer my own bed to a cold damp tent.

I registered just after 5am and set both transition areas up before 06:00 so there were no last minute panics for me. There were a few other panickers putting unnecessary pressure on themselves and i can't really see the point in that. The day has enough pressure with the race without adding any more.

The swim was in part of the slow flowing Great Ouse which flowed past pubs,restaurants and houses so there was plenty of spectators around even at that time of the morning. We got off to a late start maybe around 10 -15mins late but no drama's!, We had all day. I had positioned my self to the front of the swim on the left side which gave me a straight line through the first bend and hopefully would keep me from the washing machine that was going on to the right of me. I had chosen to keep tight past a few barges really settling in to my stroke after just 3 or 4 hundred meters and never really struggling like i had in the past at the start of the swim. I put this down to the water feeling surprisingly warm enabling the blood to flow better. I had dropped back a few places by the time i had the swim finish in sight so when i got around the last buoy decided to put a bit more effort in and gain a few more places. I exited the water in 29mins which was a decent swim split for me considering how my last swim split went at the Cowman of 35mins.

I made my way into T1 and forgot where i had put my bike. Ha ha what an error but hey first time for everything. I eventually found my bike and still managed to exit T1 in under 2mins, I think it was 1min 23 secs to be exact so not too much time lost.

I mounted the bike and after a little struggle with my shoe's and grass cuttings stuck to my feet got onto the road and started to get the hammer down. I was really looking forward to the bike section as i had checked the profile of the course and it was quite flat so being a bigger boy i knew i could make some decent power on the flat. The course was two loops, One smaller loop and then a bigger loop. The road surfaces were very poor on the first loop so i took it a little easier always feeling like i should change to a bigger gear but still holding decent speed and my cadence was good. The weather had really started to warm up and there wasn't really any sheltered areas on the bike course so i was making sure i took on plenty of fluids. At 75mins into the bike i decided to go for it and really get my head down. There was very little wind and the road surfaces were really quite good on the second lap which enabled me to really hold a decent speed. I had made up so much time during the bike and passed so many people i had no idea of my position but knew i would be up there and started to get a little excited. I had passed a sign which said Ely 4miles and my watch said 2hrs 15mins so i though there was some mistake but no!, I arrived at T2 and finished my bike leg in 2hrs 35mins. A massive pb on the bike for me. I was well happy!.

T2 went well again in and out in under 2 mins and onto the run.

The run was a straight out and back along the river bank to a turn around point then back the same way past the many farms and houses. About a third of the run route was a trail run and the other 2 thirds were tarmac along the lanes. The run route had very little cover and the sun was burning down. After only 2 or 3 miles my hamstrings had started to tighten and pull. The fluids that were being supplied was Hammer which is usually quite good, However the stuff had been mixed so weak it didn't really make any difference. I had to over do it on the gels a bit and try to get some electrolytes into me that way which just seemed to upset my stomach. I got to the turn around point and had a sip of water then headed back. At the 10 mile marker i was in agony and could hardly walk let alone run. I had to really back off and try and hold my position with the hope of making a last mile sprint and taking a few places back, The finish line in sight i picked up the pace and after only a few meters again i was getting severe cramps. I was within 100 meters of the finish and had to stop as the cramps were that bad every time i tried to pick my legs up for another step they just cramped up!....Ouch!.... Never mind it must be better to put everything in and have nothing left at the end of the race than to think maybe i could of gone faster. All in all a really enjoyable day and the best bike split for me so far.

I have one more race to get out of the way this season then my focus for next season is to try and compete for my country in the Europen age group catagory. Fingers crossed!....Watch this space!

Thanks again to Dermot for training me and my family for supporting me and my mate Ryan for coming and giving me support who also now seems to be hooked on Triathlon. Next stop Full Boar middle distance on the 2nd of September. My last race of the season and i am looking forward to a break. Its been a long summer with plenty of racing and training.

See you all soon

 

Buzz

DGtri Athlete - Simona Carena

Antwerp 70.3

For 2012 I decided to make my A race a challenge on a new longer distance. As Bill and Dermot were going to do Antwerp 70.3 and “not wanting to miss out” I signed on.

The ever helpful Pam arranged the train trip to Belgium at a very low price and steered us from train to train totally hassle free! At St Pancreas Luke and Steffy joined us and we crossed The Channel to mainland Europe like a really jolly trip.

At the Ibis Hotel in the centre we found Bill and Sophie who got there just before us in the car with the luggage and bikes. We also greeted Dermot and Barry that had flown in from Malta the previous day and kindly helped unloading. I thought this was a very relaxed and privileged way to get to a race, I doubt even the pro get the same treatment! Thanks Pam and Bill!

The following day we checked the swim and T1 areas in the morning by bike to shake the legs; later we had a lush pizza in the city main square where the race finish line was being put up. Then walked to registration and strolled back for the last finishing touches to the kit. Most notably the northern Europe Monsoon gave way to summer at about 2 pm as we were gorging on the pizzas. What a good omen!

On race morning I felt good and relaxed. We got to the start and racked our bikes early as T1 was to be closed at 10 am, Luke and Barry were the first to go at 11.20 followed 10 minutes later by Dermot, then myself at 11.30 and 20 minutes later by Bill.

It was a bit of a long wait for all competitors, I tried to keep chilled in the shade of trees in the good company of my friends and soaked the atmosphere in.

All was good till I said “bye and good luck to Bill” as his presence, and Dermot’s had a calming an inspiring effect on me. But there were only 15 minutes with a little bit of race nerves until had to join my starting pen and finish to put on the wetsuit.

The sun was already up and quite hot and I was a bit unsure if it would have a negative influence on my race, however it kept me in a good mood.

In my mind I was ready, looking forward to discover what this 70.3 was all about and if I could pull a good race together.

My only certainty was that I could not have prepared better as Dermot’s coaching is second to none and that my bike, the most critical bit of kit, was the best I could have as Bill went to great lengths to source the best component I could afford and built it to perfection! A truly fitting and comfortable ride.

And now was up to me to make a good job of it, or not to make any silly mistakes.

The start gun went off as I was still standing on the access steps to the lake, no problem I was planning to let the crowd go anyway so I plunged in, moved a bit on the outside and got going.

The water was so pleasant after standing in the sun and within 200 mt I was in a good rhythm with clear water around. By half way I felt so good! My stroke was at is best and I was literally gliding and overtaking a few bodies and having a good time. I felt confidence swelling inside. I looked out for good feet to draft from but did not find any.

I did not push too hard as I thought it would be a long day, but still managed a 32:42, which with the delay in getting going and the slightly wider start line was very good for the effort! At the time I did not look at the watch because my aim was to go well all the way not go after a fast swim time.

Transition was good, 3:30, most of it was running to and with the bike: number belt clipped on, gloves on, helmet and glasses and go!

The first few pedal stroke were to get settled, slip the shoes on, stretch the back slowly on to the TT bars and allow my heart rate to go down.

The course went in the tunnel under river and then outside town towards the port for a 3 lap repetition and then back in town. My plan work smart to HR effort, stay aero as much as possible take in a little of solids and drink plenty. Simple.

I really enjoyed the course: not great views but mostly flat with a few chances to stand up on pedals to stretch out on the little uphill, the tram lines were not an issue even for a less skilled rider like me. A bit of wind that seemed to swirl around but did not stop me from feeling good and loving the sun.

I thought a few times may be I was making a too hard effort and risking to affect the following run, but my HR was ok so I had to stay with the plan; in the second half I pushed a bit more especially on the small steady inclines of the fly over bridges, but the average speed seem to stay the same with same HR, so I was possibly trying a bit. It was great to see the guys passing by at full speed, as I did remark at the breakfast table they all were looking very fast!

I cut food intake on the last lap (not that a few pieces of power-bar and half banana was much to cut from) and eventually also stopped drinking on my way back off the loop to avoid any slushing in the stomach at the start of the run.

Rattling around on the pave’ section by the river I could see the runners lapping around town in the heat and it look a bit grim. Would my back seize coming off the bike? Did I push too hard? Was the sun going to sabotage the last leg? My average speed dropped a bit more on the last mile leading to T2 and I started to be a bit worried about the run, but was determinate to perform well no matter what.

The bike time was 3:05:22, this was a good result and below what I thought it would take me so I was very pleased, confident to go under 6 hours if avoided pacing or other mistakes. I was not putting myself under pressure, just thinking to control urges of rushing too much the pace in the first half, keep hydrated and keep good form and finish strong.

T2 was also satisfactory at 3:06 inclusive of a pit stop, so hydration levels where good. I have to say that I can understand now why people pay lots for this branded events as the organization is very smooth and racing on closed roads with large crowds is very exciting. Though I am generally in favour of the small quirky and more personalized events it is easy to see why these massive races can be addictive!

On to the run course and within 500 mt I had to check my speed as I was below my 10k pace… whoops!... that would have been an expensive rookie mistake! On to the first of four times on the riverfront under the sun: although I was still adapting to the run mode and on uneven footing things were not looking bad. Any uncertainty on my ability was swept away as to be frank I had far harder sessions in training where I had to deal with being really tired compared to this and still managed!

At the first drink station I doused myself with water and drank a bit and had the relief of long shaded stretches and I started to feel really, really good. By half way of first lap I was floating 10 cm from the ground! I would have not been able to tell you that I was running on cobbles at times! I was so happy, confident of being able to execute a good half and as proud as Punch!

The course brought you 3 times around the city centre and in the main square, by the finish line, under a seating area packed with spectators. Here also jammed by the barriers on street level our own cheering crowd of Sophie, Steffy and the tour photographer Pam were screaming their heads off and giving high fives! What and uplift. All around the town there were pockets of crowd clapping and cheering, and some live music or pubs with loud speakers making the town almost as lively as a carnival. I was having a whale of a time! I only started to suffer a bit on the last lap, the cobbles all of the sudden where no so much fun, then a bit of queasiness and a wet shoe insole getting bunched up under my foot, but I was not going to take any notice. I did slow down a bit in this lap but with 2 km to go I managed to rally and pick up the pace and finish the run in 1:57:51; this is less than 5 minutes from my stand alone half PB! That shows what a good preparation Dermot has prescribed in his wicked plan!

And so I crossed the line feeling awesome, happy, still elated, not even checking my time as right then I could not care less…

Dermot told me it was 5:42:34! One more bonus as I was gunning for anything below 6 hours as top prize! Bill got me some water and also Luke and Barry where there looking just as fast as in the morning.

Antwerp has been one of my most satisfactory sporting event ever, as per A-Team’s Hannibal motto “I love when a good plan comes together”. I was not sure what this race distance would be like and if I would enjoy it, but did all the training that Dermot sent and hoped for the best. My next race will be the “Wild Boar” middle distance and I am really looking forward to it!

Thanks to Dermot for his support and careful planning, to Bill and Pam for their constant availability to help and making travelling to a race abroad such a relaxed trip!

DGtri Athlete - Jamie Harman

Race report for Cowman Middle Distance Championships 8th July 2012

The cowman was my first A-Race of 2012 and i had been really looking forward to the event. It was my first middle distance race since last year and with training and my adaption going so well i was really excited.
Also with the absolutely positive result of a second place under my belt at the Full Boar Super Sprint race in May and an excellent new pb at Northampton olympic distance in June my confidence had really hit the roof!

Training went as planned up to the final week of the event when nerves were getting the better of me and i still felt a little fatigued. Thinking nothing of it i carried on as planned and was hoping i would shed any lasting fatigue by the morning of the race.
I do get a little nervous coming up to an event but never like this and it really did have quite a drastic affect on me mentally.

On the morning of the race i got up at 3am had my breakfast and set off having packed all my gear the night before. I arrived at the venue at around 5.30am and made my way to registration wading through the mud. It was awful due to the rain we had suffered and the transition area was an absolute bog.
After racking my bike and setting my transition area out i made my way to the swim start for the race briefing. After a swift 5min briefing it was into the water for a warm a quick warm up and then we were off! I had planned to start the swim steady and then build speed as without a proper warm up knew i would hit the wall and have to back off. I got around the first buoy and started to pick the pace up. The swim was quite bad with people cutting in all over the place and slower swimmers getting in the way but i guess that's what happens when you take your time at the start!. After maybe 5 or 10 minutes into the swim i started to suffer some digestion problems and the energy bar i had eaten in transition before the off was repeating on me terribly!. I really struggled in the swim leg like never before and had an awful time that really put me down mentally. I ended up doing a 34min 1900meter swim in the end which isn't bad but by the way i had been performing was really quite a lot down on my pace. Nerves!

Wading through the mud in T1 to my bike i got my wetsuit off pretty quick had a gel, Put my helmet on and i was making my way towards T1 exit. I had banded my shoes ready to make a quick getaway but the amount of mud on my feet meant that i couldn't get my cycling shoes on correctly and had to wipe off the mud from between my toe's.
I set off on the bike leg and settled in quite nicely. The bike leg included 2 large laps and 1 small lap with my plan being to get the hammer down after the first big lap. The bike leg included a few rolling hills and one hill that was quite steep but not too long. I really felt quite strong on the bike and my nutrition plan went quite well apart from when i started to push my gut played up.
There were no fuel stops during any part of the event so my nutrition plan had to be spot on. I had allowed for how much fuel i would need plus a little extra just in case but think i may of mixed my energy drink a little rich which was causing me problems. Luckily i had taken extra gels and plain water on board so i could water it down after swallowing it. The bike leg went ok but i had been counting on doing that section of the race a little quicker but with the swim going wrong it may of been playing on my mind a little. My bike split was 2hrs 48mins for the 56miles which was a new pb for me!...........What was i complaining about!

Into T2 wading through the even worse mud again and on with my running shoes. The part of the race i was looking forward too!. The run course had been changed due to the adverse weather we had had and now included a run up and down the hill around the park and past transition to start another lap approximately 4.23 miles per lap with a total of 3 laps and not 4.. I took it easy the first lap holding 7-8min mile pace and started to pick up the pace on the second lap. By this time i had started on the caffeine gels and found plenty of extra energy. By the time i hit the third lap it was all out balls out as i just wanted to get it done and have a beer lol. My run splint was again another fantastic pb with a time of 1hr 28mins for 12.7miles. Not bad after all the previous work!.

My total event time was 4hrs 54mins and 39secs. I had been a little disappointed with my result but after a swift talking to from the boss's (Dermot and Bill) i soon cheered up. How can somebody with so little experience in Triathlon do a sub 5hr so soon!. Absolutely fantastic result which i am hugely proud of.

Again i would like to thank everybody for there help and support. Especially Bill Livingstone who spanks my arse when i get mardy. My coach Dermot Galea for creating a triathlon monster lol and Johanna Calleja for sorting out my fantastic nutrition plan. And not forgetting my family for putting up with my moody mardy ways especially when things are not going to plan. Without any of the named above this would not be possible. Thank you