October 13, 2013

Lanzarote 70.3 2013 - Hot, Windy, Hard. Yet the perfect end.

After Ironman 70.3 Zell Am See 5 weeks before Lanzarote, both Ellen and I fell ill for the whole of that time: never ending cold from being soaked through on race day, then frozen on the plane journey back, then in the midst of the september bug that always catches everyone out around the offices. This Lanzarote race couldn’t have been set-up worse for us, but the weather couldn’t have been more different either…

Finish line!

Given this and some knees niggles for my other half, It’s not with the highest optimism that we flew out to the volcano island once again, but it was the end of both our racing years and was always going to be a bit of a drag to get there. Also, having both won a free entry into the race, it would have been a crime not to go for some sunshine when it’s all starting to “freeze” in the UK. The race date (1 month earlier than last year) was also a perfect fit for an end of season dash with some hopes for me to get closer to the top spots.

We arrived late on Thursday evening on the island. So late in fact that we barely had time to buy something for breakfast the next day before rushing to our apartments place… That had shut almost a full hour before, right at the time we landed. The strong winds in this part of the world had already started to play tricks on us by slowing right down our plane!

After a very restless night in the heat, we had little time to wander around! We went to do registration in the morning (Ellen on her bike… 65K hilly return trip in the 30kph wind to get used to the island… Yep!) to get transition kit bags and the massive bag of advertising that pretty much all went to the bin straight away. Then went back to the cheep and cheerful Puerto del Carmen to do a bit of bike/run race prep for me, then stuff said bags with our bike and run kit, before heading back to La Santa for the briefing and swimming the lap of the course. The water was like a bath, having been heated all day long, but quite choppy with the strong wind at that time of the day. We also had the bike with us so we could rack them straight after. There was really not time for gaffing about, and for once I’m glad our “tri-machine” is well oiled and we know what to do! Talk about a busy pre-race day! Really not ideal to rest and relax the body.

Taking a leaf out of Norman Driskell’s book, I had packed very light transition bags this time to minimise what I had to do in the changing tent. I wanted fast transitions, and that meant putting absolutely nothing unnecessary in the bags, which seemed to have worked! One doesn’t actually need much out there! Well, providing it’s sunny and warm that is…

Back at our flat and after a spot of lunch, I had hoped my little tracker tool would work so friends and family could follow both Ellen and I easily, but since there were no live tracker available (even on the very morning of the race!!), I was sorry to admit defeat against yet another poorly run Ironman website. The main site all looks new and shiny now, but there’s still no substance to it… Anyway, it eventually went live towards the end of the race (!!), but it wasn’t very useful either since there were no bike splits either. No Tabayesco climb TT this time, why? It would have been nice to compare the two years! Utter rubbish.

Anyway, back to the race, the morning drive to Club La Santa wasn’t as bad as anticipated. I’d have thought it would take me completely out of my “zone”, but it actually allowed me to wake up a little more. It may not work for all, but if you race the 70.3 and have a car on the island, I’d recommend to not bother paying premium prices at La Santa, and instead get some self catering accommodation in Puerto del Carmen and drive over. It’s a lot cheaper!! (And I really mean A LOT!)

For the swim leg, this year’s course had been changed from a two laps affair to a single loop in the shape of an inverted “L”. That was mostly a very good idea, which avoided the potential dangers of fast swimmers lapping the back of the age group field on the second lap, and easier to understand. However, the “kink” in the lagoon was still there, on the left side this time, right by the swim exit, and it caught a lot of people out on the first lap. It was actually about 400m in the swim, where the “pack” was still very much jolting and hustling for position, and many actually ended up walking on the sand banks by the swim exit. Not great for the rest of the swimmers, but our recce from the previous day prompted me to do the exact same thing than last year: Start in the middle, and stir away from the bank! Ellen later told me that there also has been some sort of panic and screams further down the field and that she had to swim around a large pack of stranded, walking athletes to get through. Improvements over last year, certainly, but more to be done. It will come I’m sure! Starting around the middle of the pack, around 4/5 rows from the front, I managed to avoid much of the elbows and didn’t get too much swam over. I’m a fighter now, so don’t mess with me because I don’t back out of it anymore! After we all passed the “swim exit kink”, it all cleared out with more space for swimmers to fan out, but I kept my line and managed to swim straight at the first buoy. I would literally hit all buoys dead on this time! Big improvement! The water was warm. Not as choppy as the previous day, but not all flat either, thanks to the strong established wind from early on in the day. This wind, combined with the rising sun, didn’t help sighting on the return from the far out buoys, but I managed to not go off route too much, only occasionally having to do corrections on the long stretch back towards the bottom of the course. There weren’t many swimmers around me anymore, which, combined with the few I could spot ahead, told me I was having a good swim, much like in Austria, where I believe I led a little group back towards the exit. I passed all buoys within centimetres this time, and I’m well chuffed for that! I’m usually wayyy out to keep clear of crazy arms, but not this time! And with a good feeling in the water, I believe it helped getting sub 30min for the very first time! The tracker says 30'09", but given that I started swimming a couple of seconds after the gun, and the timing mat was not right out the water, but a bit further up the bank from the water, I was just under 30min (Well, my watch says so! Ha!). Hap-py!!

Not struggling, promise!

T1 was at last the quick dash I always wanted. If there was one thing I really needed to nail at this race, it was my transitions. I’ve had enough of being too slow and losing rankings like in Austria, and I’m well pleased with both of them. T1 in 2'32" includes the long slog up the bank from the water, and T2 includes putting socks on and running around 100m of the track, so yay for my transitions this time! Granted there was nothing to put on in T1 but a helmet, and some peeps manage to run a half marathon without socks, but 4'42" of cumulative transition time doesn’t even compare with nearly 13 minutes in Austria! I was quickly on the bike, where I really hoped my legs would do their usual wonders.

Not as happy as usual here...

They didn’t. The bike didn’t go as easy as I remembered it to be. Last year was a real breeze in comparison, and although I cramped a little on the way back at the time, it was all controlled and felt fantastic. Not this year. I wanted to keep on top of my target wattage, and it all worked well all the way after the Mirador de Haria descent, about 65Km in. Power was there, but legs weren’t, really. From the gun, they felt heavy and screaming, and the climb out of Famara, even with the tailwind, didn’t go like the previous two times I raced up it, including after 80K in the full distance in May. There was no need to panic at this point, but I really didn’t like it so early on. The descent from Teguise to Tahiche was the first time I got a taste of my bigger gear ratio, and unlike last year I could pretty much pedal all the way down with my 11 teeth at the back. Yay! But as soon as we turned left towards Arieta, the same leg sluggishness came back in, this time a strong headwind, all the way up north the island! Nicely though, I found myself playing cat and mouse with the eventual 40-44 winner, Simon Gill as I was going past him up the inclines, and he was going past on the descents. I love the fact that he even apologised for passing me at some point saying that “he wasn’t taking the piss”, as we were exchanging positions regularly. Nice touch! It was good to have a carrot to chase along the way and also good to feel that my legs were back at this point. They loosened up nicely just before the turnaround point at Arieta for the Tabayesco climb, which I enjoyed a lot yet again. There was a bit of a tailwind in the valley, it was a bit like a cauldron in some of the turns, and I was sweating a lot. Probably a lot more than expected, but I didn’t notice until later in the ride. The descent from Mirador de Haria was as ever super speedy. Although I didn’t reach my last year’s top speed, I wasn’t too far off, but I wanted to be careful as there was more wind this time around. Under 58Kg rider with deep rims in 20knts of wind isn’t all the time easy, especially at 80kph down a mountain on tri bars!!

It’s after this first set of switchbacks, in the little incline getting out of Los Valles that the first signs that something was not right appeared. My right adductor was starting to cramp, so much so that I couldn’t put much power through my right leg while sat, and even standing and pedalling in awkward positions didn’t change much to it. I managed to get on the road towards the descent to Teguise, but had to unclip and try to stretch that leg, not very successfully I have to admit. Going through Teguise and its crap road got my mind of it, but in the strong headwind back to Famara I really had to lift off the power to manage the cramps that were now spreading to my left leg too. Horror of horrors! There was still 15K to go, and it all went tits-up after Famara, and I eventually had to stop. Yes! STOP. Unclip, apply brakes, stop bike, try to stretch. And that’s a horrible feeling! Guys from the race pass you, guys on a little training ride pass you, the local donkey passes you. And there’s nothing you can do to get back on the saddle because your legs are rock solid, locked in pain. I eventually managed to get going after the riders I passed on the climbs passed me back, and after taking in more water, salts and gels, went on to complete the ride. It was still 5minutes faster than last year, but what a shame it didn’t go as planned! Again, I was relieved to finish the bike leg and see what was left in the tank, but after such a disastrous last 20K on the bike, I really didn’t hope for much!

T2 was fast too, and still promising given the very low number of bikes back in the stadium! As a non-pro you never know where you are in the field, but I thought there must have been around 50 bikes maximum back on the racks. That also meant an empty transition tent and another speedy exit, with my socks on! No fuel belt either, but two gels that I hoped I wouldn’t lose like I did in Austria.

The initial 7Km went quite fast. Good tailwind to go down to La Santa and the turnaround, taking on sponges and coke at every possible occasion, but I knew it would be a hard run from the moment I hit that dreaded little climb back up to the stadium. That’s where my legs went solid last year. Psychological negative effect: 100%! Just. Keep. Moving. I slowed down a little, taking smaller steps, and the premises of cramps went away. First lap done, first band collected. First gel in, some coke, some more sponges, and a good old look around me all the time to spot numbers in my age group. I didn’t remember my AG number range, but I did spot a Danish runner about 50m behind me with a number around 250, so definitely in it. That gave me a good kick up the backside and I had him on my mind all the time from there on. I was never in this position before, but a quick glance at my watch and the race clock at the finish line told me I could just about get to 5h if I kept at it! The wheels buckled a little at the second time I passed the “hill”. This time cramps were back and I had to walk a bit. Not stop! No, I did not stop! I just took my time up that damn incline! The Dane passed me. Arghh!!! By the time I started running again he was about 100m up the road, but he was now my ultimate target. 7Km to go and only one “hill”, with one Dane to catch! Easy to spot in bright orange as well! I picked the pace back up along the way. Nothing stellar, really, but I was trying to shelter behind faster runners on their first or second lap, and even hang on some super speedy ones for a few controlled and focused strides. It helped the pace, not so much the legs! But I hung on and past my “target” before the last turnaround in La Santa. I’m not sure he was in the same state of mind I was in, but I didn’t see him again after that. In my head were my goals for the day: top 10, and trying to get to the magic 5h mark on a hard course! Dan Phillips also gave me a good few shouts out on the run course and that was fantastic to see that he was having a great race as well. Plenty more in these young legs to come I’m sure!

Last push for the line

I pushed hard (I think) after the last slow jog up the hill, checked behind me for a potential sprint finish but there was no one there so I did not grunt or grimace this time and high-fived the few extended hands in the finish chute. 4h58'53": one box ticked. After a lot more cramps than usual and an up-and-down run, I couldn’t believe it, but there it was! Checking the time boards a little later told me I was 10th in my age group! Mission accomplished! I came to Lanzarote for a top 10 in my age group and a sub 5h and I got what I wanted! Happy times!

I knew Dan wasn’t too far behind, about 25min given where I was crossing him on the run lap, so I hung out in the finish area to give him a push too. I was also wondering where I could check for Ellen’s times on the bike. I had not seen her on the run course like last year. I was really gutted for her back then, but this time, she wasn’t around, so she must have been out on the bike course. I was sure she was somewhere out there giving the wind and the heat the two fingers she’s too polite to give to anyone doubting her, and I wanted to know where she was! And righty-oh she popped into the stadium at just before the 5h30 mark, 15min in the time limit of 5h45! Damn her she made my cry a little behind my sunnies for being so awesome and going do everything she aims for! Well done darling! So chuffed! She then said: “I bloody hate this place, but I’ll be back to finish what I started!"… I guess we’ll be back next year then!

Dan’s friends all finished shortly after and we all figured on the live tracker as a happy group of finishers (although wrongly labeled as being from Italy!!!) Happy indeed! Tough day out there, but all go around what we had planned.

All done an still smiling!

I was 10th in my age group and with that there was a slim chance to get a roll down world champs slot. So despite the usual itchiness and impatience of my other half, we stayed at Club La Santa after the race to go to the slot allocation. During that time, sitting around a nice steak and chips at the crowded grill in La Santa, we bumped into the Dane that finished right behind me in my age group! We exchanged a few things about the race and the placements, and of course the slot allocation. I’d have to be lucky to get one, but he was one more place down. The women’s slot went all pretty much to the first of each age group without a hitch, but the same can’t be said for the men! Some slots got re-allocated, and after a little bit of confusion over to which age group, it turned out during the allocation that one slot got transferred to my group! Heck, I hoped for a roll down, but the odds were getting better! One unfortunate guy who finished on the podium in his category got denied a slot because he had selected ‘No’ to the question “do you want to qualify for the WC” on his entry form. This, and the crazy and totally misplaced display of the Austrian guy next in line wasn’t exactly setting up the mood very well. I guess such is the way things go in a competitive field.

When my group’s results came around, the first two guys took their slot. Two slots left, still 8 places from me. Given how all other age groups had gone, I though it was it! But the 3rd guy wasn’t there to accept his slot. Neither were the 4th, the 5th or the 6th! It was getting a little tense and I’m pretty sure I was starting to look quite nervous at this point, because the guys across the table from where we were seated had a laugh at the fact I might get the very slot that was initially wrongly re-allocated to their AG. Number 7 wasn’t here either… Just one more! And just as I said this to Ellen, my name was called! Number 8 must have said ‘No’ on his entry form too, so I was taken by surprise!

Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m going! That might be my only chance! Yes! Yes! Here! Yes! Where do I sign?

Qualifier!

As there were 4 slots in my age group with the re-allocation, Thierry, our new Danish acquaintance got one slot as well! So we’ll meet again in Canada next year! As crazy as it sounds, only in my age group did the slots rolled down to 11th place. Top spots claimed their slots in all other groups, including Dan’s 25-29, who got one place better than me with 9th. It will come for him I’m sure if he keeps at it!

But what a stroke of luck to finish this season. A really far from perfect race on the two legs I thought I didn’t think could go wrong, but all goals achieved and a nice little surprise at the end! One year too late to say “Vegas baby!!”, but the feeling is the same. I’m going to the World Champs!

It’s now time to relax and enjoy some much deserved rest. This season has had a lot of ups and downs, a host of great results that are testament to a good coaching plan from Jo Carritt at Every Day Training, and some determination to take things slowly, but further than ever before. It’s exciting to prove oneself wrong on all levels of “I don’t think I can do that”, and sure there’s plenty more in the bag.