Epicman Windermere 2022 - Standard edition redux

One consequence of Covid has been triathlon swim starts switching from the traditional en masse to a rolling format, to maintain social distancing. As a mid-pack swimmer, I was never a fan of the biff so this new arrangement was to my liking. Now that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, some races are reverting to mass starts, and while initially disappointed, I have to agree that the traditional format does make for a more exciting ‘race’; knowing where you are relative to friends, foes and frenemies does add an extra dimension. And this turned out to be an exciting race for me; once again I was at the pointy end but missed out on the cigar! 

The Windermere four - standard edition

So with that, to Epicman Windermere 2022, where a reasonable posse from the Manchester Triathlon Club rocked up to play. In addition to myself and Jacky, Mark K and Fran B were in the standard while Rich H, Ben S and Anurag G were in the middle distance.

Last year, I came 2^nd overall in the standard so was podium hunting once again. According to my ‘form’ I was certainly well rested, with my TSB climbing well into the twenties. And indeed, after Outlaw Half, I had a very easy recovery week, then a fun 2 days at the MTC Anglesey Training weekend with two good bike rides and a few pints. But I wasn’t sharp; a work trip to Paris Monday/Tuesday totally wiped me out. A short run on Wednesday was all I could muster then Thursday and Friday involved lie ins and collapsing on the sofa after work.

Rested but not sharp

Saturday, we drove up to the YMCA at Lakeside, right next to race HQ and perfect for the 8 am Sunday morning swim start. I line up front and centre. The water was defo warmer than the advertised 14.5 degrees, about 16 according to my watch, and it felt ok getting in. However, it was breezy and with a feels like air temperature of 7 degrees, some people, including Jacky, did get cold.

All's well that ends well: Jacky was *very* cold in T1 and not looking forward to the bike but like a real trooper just got on with it and the smiles came back! 

And we’re off. Quite a horde in front of me despite starting close to the front. Slowly but surely, my diesel engine warms up, and as the overly-enthusiastic start to blow up, I make my way through the thinning pack. When we turn at the top of the course, I reckon there’s maybe half a dozen in front of me. Drop a place on the return section, 8^th out the water, in 27:37, same time as last year, to the second. Another great swim.

Nervous smiles before getting in the water

Out on the bike, a bit chilly until the trisuit dries out. The first section to Lakeside is very twisty turny and undulating, no real opportunities to get on the aero bars. Thank god for Di2; the ability to change gears on the base bar is a game changer on this type of terrain.

 

Short out-and-back on the A590, I see 4-5 riders ahead of me going the other way. But now we are on the dual carriageway – aero time and the hammer goes down, picking off two or three before we turn off at Greenodd. Finally catch up with Mark who’d had a great swim. Next in my sights is ‘Jason’ but we are back on twisty turny and I’m only a tad faster so it takes me a while to find a place to pass safely.

Hammer time

Then we hit the killer section on The Causeway. This year I have more suitable gearing so it’s ok. I can hear Jason behind, breathing like a racehorse, so I know he won’t retake me now. Watts per kilo baby, watts-per-kilo! Back to Newby Bridge and a sketchy moment as I overshoot an unmarshalled corner and almost end up having an early lunch in the Swan Hotel. Apparently two marshals did appear later so I guess we got there earlier than they expected.

 

Heading back to transition, based on the intel from Mark who reckoned he was first out the water, maybe I’m now first on the road? But what we didn’t know was that a Mr Jonny McLean, who led from gun to tape, had gotten out of the water 2.5 minutes ahead of Mark. And sure enough there is one solitary bike already back in T2 when I arrive. A marshal confirms I’m in second place. Official time, 1:12:27, about two minutes slower than last year but third fasted bike split on the day. Game on.

Standard top 10

However, my bubble got burst pretty quick as within a few hundred meters, Jack Siddoway comes flying past; he finishes second with a run split 4 minutes faster than McLean. Ok, I’m not gonna be second again, just settle into a steady effort and do your best. I hear someone behind me, Tim Webster. I let him pass when I stop to re-tie my shoelace, rectifying the poor job I did in T2 due to cold hands. Why no elastic laces you ask? Why indeed! I am using my trail shoes rather than my normal race shoes. I’m not closing him down, so I reconcile that my hunt for another podium finish is over, but press on nonetheless.

 

This is heavy going; undulating, rocky paths, tree roots, narrow twisty turny trails, grass. I’m flagging. Grab some water at the start of lap two and get a second wind. Maybe I’ve not hydrated enough. 7k in and my right calf cramps up. I stop to stretch and massage it, losing a few places, but only to runners on their first lap. 

 

With 2k to go I pass through the transition area and seriously consider quitting – no point injuring myself. However, the ignominy of another DNF … and the calf feels a bit looser now, so I nurse it, small strides on the up hills so as not to overload it, striding out on the flats and downs to engage other muscles. A fast runner comes by, pushing me in to 5^th but I hold on to first in the vet 50-59 category, so I do get some time in sun.

Not a bad day out after all

With 500m to go, I’m really pushing my luck, literally hop over the finish line and slam to a halt. Hopefully no damage; rest, rehab, bit of physio and I should be ok in a week or so.

 

Mark is not far behind, 8^th overall. Fran also did great, 5^th female. Jacky is on her second lap, so we cheer her on. In the middle distance, Rich has retired, Ben is on his way to winning the V50 and Anurag is slugging it out. Quick shower and it’s off to The Newby Bridge Hotel where Jacky has booked us all a table for Sunday lunch.

Only a small race, but gotta be in it if you want some bling

Three things I did well:

• Well paced swim
• Maintained good intensity on bike 
• Resisted the urge to quit with a few k to go

Three things I could have done better:

• Drank more fluids on bike and run
• Elastic laces on trail shoes
• T1 was a bit laboured

Motivated about the next training block for Outlaw Full in July, just need to make sure I rest my calf for a week or so.

Unfinished business – Outlaw Half Nottingham 2022

The Outlaw Half Nottingham has been running since 2013; it has become a very popular race, selling out fast and this year with about 1,800 names on the start list. It also seems to get more and more competitive each year. 

This was my sixth time signing up:

2014 – I got sick so ended up as a DNS

2016 – smashed it around in 4:38, coming 3^rd in my age group

2017 – smashed it again, knocked about 5 minutes off my time but bumped to 4^th

2019 – training went a bit pear shaped, blagged my way around in 5:21.

2021 – great swim and bike but calf exploded 20 minutes into the run so a DNF

Bounty from 2016

So there was definitely a feeling of unfinished business when I signed up for the 2022 edition – I really wanted to be able to get back to the pointy end and compete for an age group podium once again.

 

Focusing on the M50-54 age group, I reckoned that the winner would cross the line in about 4 hrs 30 mins*, and that one would need to be 4:40 or under to be in sight of the podium, but by 4:50 you’d be outside the top 10. I definitely felt I could hit splits of 35/2:30/1:35 for the swim, bike and run. Add a bit for transitions and 4:50 was very realistic, the question was could I knock bits off here and there, get closer to 4:40 and be in the mix.

What will it take?

(*The overall male and female winners crossed the line in 3:52:27 and 4:35:56 respectively, amazing!)

Going into the race I was in good shape. In the run up to Christmas, training had gone well, especially swimming and running. My turbos had however slipped so in January I signed up for Zwift, joined the MTC Falcons and took part in the WTRL racing league. What a revelation: thanks to Graham Rands for organising and to the Falcons for nurturing me through my first season – I’ll be back.

 

January started well but ended up as a very difficult month when my mum become very ill and unfortunately passed away. Life became very difficult once again in early March when Greg had his tragic accident. Despite the intense emotions during these times, I kept my training going and suspect that workouts were a very important part of the processing; either when swimming/running solo in quiet contemplation or on group rides talking things through. Many thanks to the many people who provided support during these times just by being there.

2up duathlon

Later in March, the Firefighters 2-up duathlon and the Wilmslow Half Marathon, both done with partner-in-crime Ben Strutt, were great events to start thinking about racing. Then it was off to Lanzarote with the club training camp – great people, great food, great fun.

Living it large in Lanza

By now, the training on all fronts was going well and I was feeling good and most importantly no major injury worries. The odd minor niggle here and there but all under control, and as race day approached, I was really starting to get excited; I hadn’t felt this positive going into a race for quite some time – bring it on.

To be honest, there’s not much to say about the race*, it all went very smoothly. Rolling start swim, water was nice, good T1 with an elegant scoot mount to get me going on the bike. I hadn’t done any time trials so had to make up a pacing strategy on the fly. Nutrition all ok, fast T2 then on the run. Again, a bit unsure how to pace it, started off a bit fast because the wind was at my back, flagged a bit in the 3^rd and final lap but felt strong until the end.

(*For more details on the actual race, check out my reports from previous editions. It's got a lot of plus points. Camping adjacent to the site is good and makes the early start quite bearable. It's good for spectators; Jacky was there cheering me and the other Man Tri racers on at numerous points - bike out, bike in and on the 3 lap run. Race photos included, volunteers are numerous and excellent, post race food is good. The only negative from me was the road surface, but I guess that's racing in the UK for you.)

Catching some air in the finish chute

Crossed the line in just under 4:45 and was pretty wiped, realised that I had given it my best. Headed off to the food tent where I was joined by Rich and Phil. Checked the results and discovered that I was fifth in M50-54. 2^nd and 3^rd came in in 4:36:xx and 4:38:xx, so I wasn’t far off with my predictions, a few minutes quicker than 4:40 and you were in the mix for the podium. A bit surprised the top ten extended to 4:59 but the biggest shocker was the winner, a certain Mr Robert Harrison, finished in 4:16:xx!!! As I said, this race gets more competitive each year.

 

Overall I was very happy, it was a very good all-round performance, I was certainly back at the pointy end of my AG and the result a fair reflection of where I am with my own training and where I am relative to my peers – close but no cigar.