PD Olympic Distance Triathlon - 20th July 2008

So the Sprint Distance went OK the day before and I'm feeling pretty good for the OD race (albeit a bit over race weight).

I hadn't stayed for the briefing the previous night as it was getting too late and I needed my beauty sleep (see the pictures - I need a lot of it). Sadly I didn't sleep well at all which was not a great start - Oh well ay!

I managed to get an idea of the course from people at the start, it was the usual swim and bike but a new run. I wasn't too worried about that, I knew it was going to be a struggle by that point but I was working on my usual philosophy - DENIAL.

I had an awesome swim (for me anyway), out in 26 minutes, managed to stay focused from start to finish (something I've been aiming to improve on - I didn't manage it in Singapore but was very pleased here).



Patrick ran past me in transition, WOW, I've never beaten him in a swim before, looking good I thought. Not only that but Don was just behind too.

A quick transition and I was out on the bike, I started picking people up right from the start and I doubted that I'd see Don or Patrick again - how wrong I was! Things were really picking up speed-wise and I looked back to see them both there - darn!

A few K's into the bike and I was starting to look forward for Iwata's pack, but then suddenly there he was on the side of the road - he'd just remounted and was struggling to pick up speed on the hill. Apparently, someone had caught his back wheel and he'd had to stop to realign it.

I wasn't going to hang around and let him jump on the back of the pack so I danced on the pedals and upped the pace - not only had I already got Patrick and Don in the pack (my age-group in case you hadn't worked it out) but the Thai guy that I narrowly beat the day before was with us plus at least 3 or 4 other 40 year olds amongst the now swelling pack of bikes. I also knew that the winner of the Singapore race was way out in front, as was Razani plus my old nemesis Ip from Macau. Goodness knows how many others in between - who told all these "stars" to come and do this race!

I decided to bide my time and try a breakaway after 45 minutes ride time. Coincidence or what, 10 seconds before my attack and Patrick flew off the front. That was enough for me, I went with him up a long ascent and then pushed the pace down the other side. He then took the pace on again up the next rise. We were really hammering it and I doubted that anyone would be within 100m of us behind. I looked back and would you believe it, the Thai guy was right on my wheel and the massive pack was strung out for several hundred metres but with everyone pretty much still in some sort of draft zone.

OK, I got the message so I literally slid to the back of the behemoth pack where I met Olly from the British Consulate. We had a very pleasant chat while cruising along at about 40kph until about 1k from transition, at which point a made my apologies and eased to the front of the group - the last thing you want is to be coming into transition at the back of 40 bikes.

The tactic worked well and I was out of transition in seconds and running and remarkably fresh legs. I was up to speed straightaway (no wobbly bike legs today). The first 5k was up hill to a turnaround and then back the same way - it was hot and going to get hotter. After about 2 1/2k I heard the inevitable flippty flop of Don's running style and he ever so slowly pulled away from me. Never mind I thought, I'm running well so let's see what happens later.

To cut a painful and disappointing story short soon after the turnaround my lack of run training this year, Singapore Tri the previous weekend and the Sprint race the day before all caught up with me but I've no doubt that what made the real difference was the added kg's I was carrying. 1kg = 3 seconds per k (if you believe the magazines or physics - which I do) and I was 10kg over my race weight which equates to 5 minutes over the 10k run. No only that I later realised that I was horribly dehydrated.

With just 1k to go Patrick ran past me shortly followed by the Thai guy. I finished 7th. Very disappointing on the face of it but I knew my shortcomings for this race, I make no excuses I only had myself to blame. As it happens I thoroughly enjoyed the race and the weekend. Sid and Seb arrived after I'd collapsed for about half an hour so they didn't have to see the worst of it but they did see their Dad pick up his prize RM400 (only RM100 less than I won 2 years ago when I came second - what a pleasant surprise).

Back to the hotel for lunch and then a gentle drive home well before it was dark - awesome weekend.

Postscript - if you're 40-49 and intending to race in a forthcoming Triathlon, be warned, I'm on a diet, I'm motivated, I'm training hard AND I'M LOVING IT.