Wasdale Triathlon 2013

Great movie of a fantastic day. Will be back next year for sure! Enjoy.

Thanks to TORQ Nutrition, 9 gels, a litre of carb drink and a bar saw me through 7hrs35mins of hard racing, and INOV8 for producing the best off road shoes on the market and a fantastic new vest pack that is available in the spring.

Racing the Wasdale Triathlon

The Deepest, Steepest, Highest, Hardest half iron distance triathlon in the world! In a previous blog I spoke about my dissapointment last years race was cancelled, so much so that I went and did the course anyway a couple of weeks later. It was a tough day out, took around 8 and a half hours to complete and certainly felt very hard mentally and physically. But the question of how it would feel to race remained unanswered and had been nagging away for 12months...

I had decided to concentrate on mountain running for the first half of my season and had a good start but ended up injured in June. If this had not happened I am not sure I would have raced Wasdale, I had done the course, knew it was hard and my head was fully into running mode. Some open water swimming through June and July, along with a bit of biking whilst recovering got me thinking though. I felt it might be too late a start for a peak performance, but I could just see what happens. In a way the pressure was off, so I did what I do best and got stuck into training, focussed and slowly but surely felt the fitness coming.

After a last minute descision to race the Buttermere Triathlon and a good finish (sixth) after a big weeks training I realised I felt strong just at the right time. Things had worked out and it was just a case of keeping focuss for a couple more weeks before the main event!

Buttermere Tri

We travelled over the night before and I felt about as relaxed, focussed and confident as I ever have before a race. I knew I was fit, I knew I had worked hard, I knew I had no issues with injury and I knew what to expect.

Sunset over Wastwater

Swimming in Wastwater is amazing, its so clear it feels like you could drink it and the backdrop of mountains, scree and a clear sky are wonderful. I swam well (for me!!), did not get too cold and came out of the water ready to get out on the bike.

Now this bike is hard and a headwind going up Hardknott first time round and up through Cockley beck to Wrynose did not make the start easy. The first climb of the day out of Wasdale woke up the legs, my heart rate reached 180BPM on Hardknott and after that things settled down till the return leg over Wrynose. Wrynose from Langdale always feels hard, but I had prepared my mind for this section knowing how it would feel. At the top I said out loud out my mantra (suffer) and other positive encouragement, just to let it out, I find this helps me relax and things feel a little easier. The sun shone throughout the bike and it really is an amazing ride, mountain scenery all around and a technical course that requires concentration. Descending Hardnott my triceps, shoulders and back started to burn. Too much braking perhaps ;) but also just manouvering the bike. Out to Gosforth is a relatively fast section and my legs still felt good. The last three miles into T2 where tough though. My legs had crumbled in the strong headwind and my back was struggling too. Seeing the legend Joss Naylor fixing his roof was a highlight of the day. His words of "git stuck into it lad" stayed with me throughout the run and brought a smile to my face at a time I needed it.



Coming into transition I was unbelivably psyched to get out onto the run, the atmosphere and encouragement in T2 helped with that and I set off. I knew the cramping hamstrings would soon go and I had told myself I would not walk any of the way to Styhead Tarn. I kept my "jog on" (thanks Joss!) and remained focussed all the way to the end of the corridor route and the final steep pull onto Scafel Pike. Friendly faces greated me and I enjoyed the technical descending down the mickledore and the ascent of Scafell. Running with Rick Stuart helped and we worked together, pushing each other on. On the descent to Slightside we swapped places but I was in full race mode and made the descion to push hard to Eal tarn, knowing I risked cramping or blowing up. Cramp I did but only when I made the mistake of trying to walk! This push really hit me hard but it seemed to have paid of until....



"How we doing Mate??" I heard from behind. I thought Rick had caught me but then realised it was my good friend and training partner Ben Abdelnoor. Oh dear. I felt I had nothing left in the tank. We both pushed and I started to fall behind over the last climb. I tried to push, shouted a bit but watched Ben slip over brow of the hill first. At that point I knew I would not catch him. However on the descent I noticed I had gained a little. Then a little more. Then I caught up at the end of the descent. My confidence came back, as did a little extra in my legs. We ran towards the finish, up the valley side by side, shared a drink of water and talked about cans of coke and ready salted crisps. During the water share my bottle fell to the floor as Ben handed it back, but he stopped and waited as I picked it up, true sportmanship from a great man. The pace increased on the final section of road and I pipped Ben by a second at the line.



So how did it feel to race the Hardest half ironman in the world? Hard, very hard. On the day I could not have gone any faster, I truly emptied the tank, then scraped it to finish in third place with a time of 7hrs35mins. Doug Roberts (Great Blog) spent the whole day out the front, on his own and destroyed the course in a time of 6hrs 44mins, a remarkable time and testiment to the superb athelete that he clearly is. The ladies winner was Eleanor Haresign in a time of 8hrs 37mins.

In all a fantastic day. Thanks to Mark, Christine and all the marshalls for making it happen. It truly is a remarkable race and I feel proud and priveliged to have been a part of the first and certainly not the last...Just need to find 45mins from somewhere...A motorcycle perhaps:).

Link here to my data from Suunto Ambit2, missing first half of swim for some reason??

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move19290340

Injury sucks but its part of the journey

Have not posted for a while but have been fairly busy. Currently injured and getting fat but am on the mend thanks to the coach! Diagonsis is build of of scar tissue in the glute. Strange thing is I was not even aware it had been injured till my back went into spasm and I could barely walk for a couple of weeks. Shows the importance of regular massage and maintainence work that I have neglected up till now.

Decided to leave the triathlons this season and do a proper mountain running race season. The target races were to be the British Championships, Snowdon and possibly Ben Nevis. I also had a long term goal in mind for next year, to represent Northern Ireland at mountain running.

I had a great start to the season and ended up getting picked for the Northern Ireland team for the Home Countries international race! Total surprise and a year earlier than I had thought possible but I had been training hard and racing well so I guess it was deserved. Goes to show if you put the effort in, throw your name in and have a go it can happen. It was a very proud moment for me and a fantastic day. The course was two laps of Latrigg then carried on to the top of Skiddaw. I gave my all on race day and was second counter for our four man team. Way off the front pace but not too far behind some fell running greats such as Lloyd Taggart and Joe Symonds. In hind sight should have probally gone out a bit faster at the start but thats easy to say.

                                      

A day after the race my glute felt tight so I went in for some treatment. It was the second race of the British Champs the week after at Yetholm so I was keen to try get it sorted. A couple of runs later I could barely walk and realised there may be a serious issue. Rested for three days, started at Yetholm but had to pull out half way. Two weeks later I still could not walk without pain. Bummer. No Snowdon or Blisco in the British Champs.

So a rethink and refocus is on the cards. I could still be fit for the Peris Horseshoe in mid September but we will see. Would also like to get back over to NI for a race or two. No point in rushing back though.

Celtman this weekend so best of luck to all competitors. The weather is looking hot, hot, hot so dont forget the suncream! Kind of wish I was there but maybe next year, with a much improved, potentially devastating run :)

Also heads up for Wasdale half ironman. Got asked to talk about the course for some videos being the first person to complete it. MovieIt have done a nice job, not sure about the ugly mug speaking though!

Ticking Over

I talked a little about low motivation last post. I have been struggling a bit with a lack of direction, not sure what to do, plans for the coming year and life in general. I am no expert but this can be a really positive stage on any journey. I have found this in the past. Out of all the mess and confusion, if you can listen,  new doors open and opportunities will arise.

Lately I have been running lots. Mountains, Trail, Road and even Cross Country! The XC was interesting. Four of us in the fast pack ran laps around a playing field in Carlisle. It was pan flat and I forgot how many laps we had to do straight away! School boy error. It was fun though. I died on the last half of the last lap. 32min29sec for an 8km race. Totally not my kind of thing but always good to get out of the comfort zone.

Today I ran over to Coniston from Ambleside following the route of the Lakeland 100 and 50. I will run the 100 at some point and will prob be running the fifty next summer. Time was 2hrs18min taking it fairly steady, holding back on the down hills. It is a fantastic stretch of trail. I cannot recommend it enough. I plan to run the other stages over the next few months and see how the times and numbers add up. I think I could run it pretty fast, we will see.

Planning to do a couple of road (WHAT!!!??) 10km races in next few weeks. Have always wanted to see what time I could do and am pretty inspired by how fast the top runners blast them out. The Brownlee Bros run sub thirty minutes of the bike! I will be happy with close to 35mins, under 40.

Season round up

Nearing the summit of Ben Eighe

As I said in the last post I wanted to round up the season with a post about what I have learnt in my first seasons racing. For me what I have learnt covers a broad range of things from technical/training/equipment type stuff, useful to make racing faster in the future possible and the deeper stuff, about myself that training, focusing and digging deep brings out. For me the latter is the most interesting but hardest to fully explain as half the time I don't really understand it myself!

• Inspiration is key

I chose Celtman as my first go at triathlon. I wanted an experience that I would remember, I wanted a goal that I was not sure would be possible. I also wanted to be among the mountains and the sea. I had seen the Norseman Extreme Tri video and it seemed the perfect race. Then I found Celtman and knew I had to enter if I could. It represented everything I wanted and needed. The thought of swimming across a sea loch surrounded by mountains got me out of bed at 6am and down to the lake when the temperature was just 7degrees. The 125 mile bike course had me out on 5 hour plus rides on flooded roads, into headwinds and everything else on my trusty Cougar bike. My legs soon got strong enough. The run over the top of one of Scotland's most beautiful mountains put the icing on the cake. The thought of the challenge and experience motivated me beyond belief. 

• Things don't always go to plan!

Seems a bit silly but I  find I get lost in the thought of reaching a goal and expect it all to go perfectly. My reaction at times when it does not is often not the most productive at first. When my bike broke on Celtman I thought of quitting, on the run during Hellvelyn I felt the same and at many times during training things did not go to plan. How you deal with these moments is key. In a way many of them are beyond your control so you just have to do what you can, keep moving forwards (or sideways :) ) no matter what. Reacting like a spoilt child is not positive. The races and training give a chance to work on this stuff and it is so applicable to life in general. Expect the unexpected and react accordingly!

• If you think you have dug deep, you can probably go a little further

The more impossible the goal or harder the challenge the richer the experience becomes for me. Standing on the start line with a bunch of other super motivated, talented and brave athletes will bring out the best in all of us. By racing others I find I always dig deeper. I avoided racing and competition for years because I was afraid. At the end of the day for me it is not about a position in a field but getting that last bit of effort from myself. Finding what is truly inside. A race atmosphere provides a gateway to this. You can then draw on these experiences when you are on your own, as I was with Wasdale Tri.

• Get the entry in and start training now!!

Life is too short. If you want to do something get it done! Dont be intimidated by distance, terrain, conditions or your current levels of fitness. The process to reach an inspirational goal, whatever it is, will be an amazing journey. Dont listen to the negatives from yourself or others. Do listen to the positives and surround yourself with them. Look for and  accept help. Listen. Take action.

• Sometimes the Mojo is low

I go through periods when the motivation is just not there. The psyche is low. At times I also feel a little unsure of the path I seem to have chosen. But it always passes, guaranteed and comes back stronger. Over training is easy to fall into, I find it creeps up and hits me hard. If the mojo is low this could be the cause. Be aware of your body, keep a record of your training and use it to assess if you are doing too much. I also find after reaching a goal low mojo can strike. Something is missing. Take some time to chill and do other things. I am currently planning on doing some cross country races and spending some time trail running. I am also spending more time with friends training and socializing. I will also be reading some books and drinking lots of tea! It will return!!

That will do for now I think. It is far too much to write in one post so I will save a bit for another. Hope this is helpful to someone, it does help me to write anyway.

Had a good fun run out with Steve in the snow the other night. We ran Helvellyn and took in Stepped ridge on Brown cove crags on the way. YakTrax and Ice axes essential. The first after work Alpinism outing of the season! Racing Carlisle leg of Cumbria cross country league with Ben tommorow. 8km with the greyhounds. Should be interesting!  

Two inspirational videos for your enjoyment!

Unfinished business. Wasdale Tri

It is 3am. I am fully awake and my body has a familiar ache all over. My mind is racing. Thoughts of clear emerald tinged water that feels so pure you could drink it, the screes dropping into the depths, the steepness of the lakes toughest mountain passes and the determination needed to climb them and traversing the roof of England as the sun sets. I feel the emotions and pains of the day loud and clear.

The opportunity had arisen to go and complete the course of the Wasdale Triathlon. Steve was keen for a day out. He also knew how much effort I had invested into preparing for this race. He is a good friend who understands. He had not biked or swam for a long time but was still up for it. Legend. We set off for Wasdale on a wet, misty morning. After three weeks of massively reduced training I did not know how it I would feel. Apprehension hung in the air. A tough day lay ahead. No prizes, places or chip timing. Just a day in the mountains and a chance to explore your own limits.

Steve had raved about swimming in Wastwater since last Easter. It was great to finally experience it. The weather cleared as we began to swim. The water was fresh, not too cold and had a clear green tinge. You really did feel you could drink as you swam. The screes rose above, Kirkfell and the Scafell's also loomed. The swim experience came close to the Celtman. No jelly fish though. Clear water, mountains and the rhythm of the swim. It seemed to pass quickly. I came out of the water, ran down to transition and headed out for the bike section.

Now this is a tough bike course. The steepest passes of the lakes from both sides and a few others thrown in for good measure. I was riding the Steel Cougar with its 53/39/26 ratio. I doubted if I would make it up the passes let alone be able to run after. Somehow I did. My heart rate certainly maxed out twice and I saw stars. Not exactly ideal for a Half Ironman. It is amazing what your body can do if you are willing to push it. Heading back to Wasdale I start to slow down the nutrition and drink a little water in preparation for the run.

Back into transition I meet up with Steve. I am looking forward to heading out on the run together having not seen each other since the start of the bike. The final challenge of a 13mile traverse of the Scafell's remains. We start the run together but Steve soon falls behind. Still feeling the effects of his awesome effort at the Ripon Ultra he tells me to go on. On my own again the loneliness sets in. For the first time I consider quitting  turning around and heading back. I would be so easy. Then my legs start to slow down and I feel dizzy. I am forced to walk. I had slowed nutrition down to early on the bike and have bonked. A Baz Ball (Nice one Coach!) revives me. I feel the energy flow back. I see no one else for the rest of the run. Mist and the call of a crow greet me on Scafell Pike, a reddening sky and the last rays of the sun are waiting on Scafell. I feel privileged to be here. It feels good to get into some running again on the descent to the Boglands. It is dark as I climb over the haunted moorland of Burnmoor Tarn. On tired legs the Bog saps my energy. I am greeted by the light of Steves head torch on the descent to Bracken close. It is good to see him again. The day is done, the challenge complete. Business is closed.

Today I experienced an intense mix of emotions and feelings. Moments of darkness, light and release. The mountains always seem to provide a catalyst for this. They give us a chance to explore ourselves in ways just not possible in day to day living. I always seem to struggle with the return to normality from these experiences  That is why I am awake at three am after a nine hour day in the hills after only three hours sleep.   A common theme in adventures books is that these experiences make us feel truly alive. We experience all that life has to offer. There will be more adventures, tougher challenges and I look forward to these. More chances to cut open the core of the apple to prove it exists ;) For now a little rest is needed though!

Steve made this little video for a tiny amount of footage. The window of the church at Wasdale Head is the highlight! Thanks for a top day Steve. Enjoy.

Cancelled!!

Gutted! After a wet night sat in a puddle, listening to the rain lash down and the wind blow the descision was made to cancel Wasdale Tri. To be honest it was the right descsion to make for the safety of competetors and marshalls. Only me and one other optimistic (crazy?) person bothered racking our bikes.

It could be veiwed as three months of hard training wasted but I know it is not. My swimming and cycling have improved massively since starting out last year. Now is the time to lock in the base I have developed for next year. The training will continue but without as much intensity and I will have more time for a bit of cross training, certainly some winter mountaineering.

I am going to post a review of my first season of triathlon in the next few days. What I have learnt, thoughts, feelings and lots of thankyou's! Planning to enter the Langdale Horseshoe fell race next sat to, another race I have always wanted to do, so will hopefully have some sensible weather and a good run!



Rydal water this morn. Getting a bit chilly!



A misty Rydal water (the pool)









Got out this morning for an easy swim in Rydal. Numb feet after and a little cold tell me the temp is dropping quite a bit. Nearly time for the Amblside Winter Swimming Club to meet, although it is not cold enough for Steve yet! Will be out for a run this evening. Plan is to run from Hartsop over Highstreet, the Beacon and down to the Kirkstone pass. Leg 2 of the Ian Hodgeson Relay. Running with Ben and a few others so may become a bit of a race! All good fun though.