My friend Graham and I had entered the "short" distance which consisted of a 5k hill run followed by a 8k mountain bike ride. My plan was to finish in the top 8 for the run, swift transition then put in a good bike leg with no traffic. That didn't happen.
The Race
The start was a bit of a scramble and I went out too fast, leading into the first corner only to be over taken by Tom Owens (the winner) and two other runners. I tried to settle myself but was breathing heavily and thinking too much. After a mile we hit a steep path and my legs turn to jelly and my pace drops dramatically. Around ten runners pass me on this climb and I was powerless to stop them. Any chances of a top 6 finish are well and truly gone. I should say at this point I had ridden 125 miles the week before this race and naively thought 24 hours would be enough recovery!
Finally we top out and I see the snake of runners descending in the distance. I quickly glanced at my Garmin; 1.5 miles to go, mostly downhill. I open up and hurtled down the moor making up some time and gaining a few places.
The start was a bit of a scramble and I went out too fast, leading into the first corner only to be over taken by Tom Owens (the winner) and two other runners. I tried to settle myself but was breathing heavily and thinking too much. After a mile we hit a steep path and my legs turn to jelly and my pace drops dramatically. Around ten runners pass me on this climb and I was powerless to stop them. Any chances of a top 6 finish are well and truly gone. I should say at this point I had ridden 125 miles the week before this race and naively thought 24 hours would be enough recovery!
Finally we top out and I see the snake of runners descending in the distance. I quickly glanced at my Garmin; 1.5 miles to go, mostly downhill. I open up and hurtled down the moor making up some time and gaining a few places.
I manage a fairly swift transition; spot bike, helment on, slip off left trail shoe, slip on left bike shoe, repeat. Around 45 seconds in all. I put in a solid bike leg making up a few places but don't ever fully recover from the run.
Lesson learned. It's not possible to maintain big midweek bike miles, train for a marathon and expect to place at wee races. Something has to give, in this case, it was my legs.
I finished 15th overall with a combined run bike time of 52:02. On the up side this was a good enough time to pick up 1st Place in my new age category (40+) so not altogether too disappointing!
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| Finished! |
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