Tri an Mhi - Half Iron Distance Triathlon

Tri an Mhi Middle Distance Triathlon

1.9K Swim - 00:46:23

Transition 1 - 00:07:00

93K Bike  - 03:41:00
Transition 2 - 00:02:48
21K Run - 02:01:13
Total time - 06:38:27

http://www.precisiontiming.net/result/view/id/205

167th out of 187 overall.

The whole family (including the Dog) travelled down to stay in Mullingar the night before the race as the venue in Collinstown was just too far to travel down in the morning before the event.

We got to the Hotel and it was very nice but somewhat likely Fawlty Towers.  The Guy at reception was also the Barman and was later seen hoovering round the place too - in fact he was the only member of staff that we saw the whole time!
I did my usual night before the race "flapping" around and panicking about everything being in place and worrying that I had forgotten something or that the alarm would not go off in the morning.
As it turns out I needn't have worried as I was awake early before the alarm anyway.  Not the best pre race breakfast as the Hotel did not start serving until 8.00, so I had to make do with stuff bought from a Spar shop the night before - a Danish, a Scone and a Blueberry Muffin - not exactly the food of Champions.

We got to the venue in good time and I went off to get set up in transition and Keara, the Kids and Darcy (the Dog) waited in the car as it was pretty chilly - they would come down to the Lake nearer the start time.

There was a bit of a delay in getting started and as the Race Briefing started the organisers explained that there had been a real safety concern expressed by them and the Triathlon Ireland officials as the water temperature was very low and the air temperature was also very cold.  They advised people to drop out if they were unsure and that they would change the swim from 1 big loop to 2 smaller loops still totalling 1.9K.  I think this was so that everyone was a bit closer to shore in case of any emergencies.  Some people did drop out.
I must admit it was a bit of a scary prospect as I was feeling a bit nervous anyway.

The Swim

Eventually we were allowed in to the water to "warm up."  It was absolutely baltic and quite a shock to the system.  At this stage a few people bailed out too as it was too cold for them.
We lined up and the hooter went and we were off for the 2 lap swim.  The first 100M were the usual washing machine.  This was the first mass swim start at a Tri that Keara and the kids have seen and they said it looked pretty impressive.  It is less impressive in the middle of it thought!
At about 200M I had my usual panic set in - I seemed to be taking in more air than I could get out.  This always happens to me at this stage of an open water swim - so I literally was talking to myself and  said "stop being a Dick - you know this, relax and just concentrate on your stroke and blowing bubbles in the water to get the air out."  It worked and I felt much better really soon.
The swim went really well for me and it was in pretty tough conditions apart from the cold.  There was quite a chop on the water and the first leg out was straight in to the wind and waves, the second leg was across the wind and the waves really rolled you around here and then the last leg back to the start was with the wind which helped the speed but meant that the waves were rolling over the top of you and impacted on the breathing a bit.  Then back around again for the second leg.
When I go out of the water I literally could not feel my feet.  They were toally numb.

T1

This was a bit of a disaster.  I am not renowned for my fast transitions but this one was ridiculously slow.
I was conscious of the cold weather and wanted to get the right gear on.  I struggled to get my wetsuit off.  I then tried to get on my arm warmers for the bike ride and this was so tricky with wet arms and numb hands.  I then out on my cycling gear over the top of my Tri suit and eventually got out on the bike - saying hello to Keara and the Kids on my way out.

The Bike

My big focus for the bike was to keep things controlled and maintain my Heart Rate and stay steady, eat properly and drink enough - making sure I did not completely detonate or "burn all my matches" on the bike leaving nothing for the run.  After all I still had a Half Marathon to run once I got finished with my 58 mile bike ride. (It should be 56 but they did a 58 mile course for some reason.)
I knew there was a big hill at about 10 miles on the route and oh boy was it a hill!!  It was about 1 mile long and a real bugger - steep and challenging.  As this was a 2 lap cycle, I knew I would have to do it again.  Something to look forward to.
I kept my focus on the bike and worked through what was a fairly challenging course with plenty of rolling hills and a few other tough little rises and surprisingly few places that were flat to really wind it up.
The good thing was that my new wheels performed beautifully and I could sense the extra speed from them on the downhills or on the few flat bits that we had.
I got to half way at exactly 1Hr45Mins which was bang on schedule for my 3Hr 30Min target.
Lap 2 went pretty well, but we started to get a bit more wind and I lost 10 mins on lap 2 so I missed out on my target by about 10 mins.

T2

I knew this would be a lot quicker than T1 and it proved to be, however in my excitement and hussle to get out quickly, I forgot to get changed out of my cycling gear and run in my Tri-suit.  About 1 mile in to the run I realised I still had my Cycling shorts and top on over my Tri suit and there was nothing I could do about it.

The Run

The legs felt a bit heavy heading out on the run and for the first 3 miles of the looped undulating run course they felt very heavy. The good thing was that my Heart Rate was really good and as the legs loosened up the pace was pretty steady and consistent.
I kept going through a mental checklist - Legs feel OK, Breathing OK, No niggles - OK.  I was determined not to walk as long as I felt OK, with the exception of the aid stations.  I followed through on my plan and walked for a bout 30 secs at each aid station as I took on Coke and water and a Gel.  This really paid off because when I got to about 18K I was feeling pretty strong and after the last turnaround point tiwht 2K to go, I was able to speed up and clocked the last 2 miles at around 8Min30Secs pace - which was remarkable for me at this stage of a Half Marathon.
As I neared the finish I couldn't quite believe that I was coming in around the 2Hr mark for the run.  I was expecting roughly 2.20 - 2.30 for the run.  I think the conservative approach on the bike and the steady pacing and nutrition paid off and allowed me to run the second half of the run faster than the first half.
In fact I had gone so well on the run that Keara and the kids nearly missed my finish as I was well ahead of the time they expected me at.  Luckily they were there getting a coffee as I came in to the Finish Chute.

It was a great feeling coming across the line and knowing that pretty much everything had gone to plan and I had performed well on a challenging course.  I am really pleased and this hopefully sets me up well for the real thing in July.

I will reflect on this race over the coming days and see what lessons I can learn and take in to the rest of my training and in to the big day.

A happy man at the end of the day.