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Eddie Rockets!

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 4,117 ✭✭✭El Director


    Sounds class out there dude, great prep. How is the disc cover performing?


  • Registered Users Posts: 178 ✭✭Redmond101


    Best of luck with the race, looking forward to reading your race report! What split time you hoping to achieve in that sub 4.30 ie swim, bike and run times?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Sounds class out there dude, great prep. How is the disc cover performing?

    Ive decided against it. It was fairly windy the other day. Also as ive never used it on a descent and its supposed to be very technical so id rather not. wont lose much anyway


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,888 ✭✭✭Dory Dory


    Good luck tomorrow, Bambaata. Use some of your mafia charm and wiseguy attitude to bust a few heads and leave them for dead at the bottom of the sea wearing custom concrete boots. Kill it! ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,888 ✭✭✭Dory Dory


    Either I've totally missed something, or perhaps we need to send the troops out looking for you as it's been 2 weeks since your last post and I believe there was a race. (I'm guessing I've missed the memo....:o)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Hey DD! Lets just say i wasnt all too happy with how it went so ive been in a foul humour with regard triathlon since, well im almost back to normal now. I have a race report ready and ill get everything up to date tomorrow. In short, swim was long (everyone measured it 2k+), bike i overcooked and then i suffered like a dog as a result of that on the run. Great event though, great island.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,888 ✭✭✭Dory Dory


    Okay....sorry about the result, but at least the pond scum or seaweed didn't pull you under or anything.......;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,208 ✭✭✭shotgunmcos


    Welcome back Eddie! Onward and upward to Kenmare eh


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Saturday 12th May - Mallorca 70.3
    Race morning
    I think it was the best nights sleep i got all week. Got up, drank about 500mls of water while showering and making sure the swim bag had everything i needed. I had porridge, some jam and honey and two cups of coffee at about 06:10. I was very relaxed, looking forward to it but very calm. On arriving at at T1 i got everything setup and headed for the jacks (which i got in a nice hotel!). Ditched the track pump in the ditch at that hotel (not allowed in swim bags) and put wetsuit on to the waist. It was getting warm now so i jogged around a little as the pro's started. I didnt get much of a warmup in but i was anxious to get to the line with loads of time to spare to not have a repeat of Austria last year (i wasnt even in the water when the hooter went!)! I put the suit on fully with 10mins to go as we were let through to the starting line (beach start). I went to the left (wide) and only managed to get in the second line.

    Swim (32:47 - AG 29th/OA 235th) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/177597748
    It was a frantic start but i found myself around a good way up and tried to just focus on staying calm. I did and managed to get feet for a little while. I wasn't liking the draft though and felt as though tension was building so i dropped off those feet. I passed a few as we rounded the first buoy. I then got some draft from a guy as we turned the buoy but i had to fight for those feet as another guy alongside went for them too. As we rounded the second buoy and turned for home we started encountering a lot of the female wave which set off 10mins ahead of us. It was a case from here of zig-zagging around them. Sighting was difficult enough so i just aimed at the next orange buoy. Finally out of the water after longer than hoped but i didn't panic. Anyone i chatted to after all recorded it over 2k!

    T1 04:06
    I ran at a decent clip through to the tent and in doing so passed loads! I went for a clear bench and was out quick enough. No real issues. Big long transition though! I heard 500m to 600m in length mentioned!

    Bike (02:32:20 AG 13th/OA 75th) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/177597771
    Id a few around as i mounted but i dont know what they were at as i left them for dead despite no flying mount! I tried to cool the jets but felt really comfortable out along the road past the hotel i was staying at. I was flying past the female wave here and feeling comfortable. I know i made a mistake here though. The HRM wasn't working and 280 - 300W's felt very very comfortable. I followed the nutrition exactly to plan but had decided to take about 50mls water rather than 30mls on account of the heat. I also planned on getting water at all aid stations and just using it to soak myself. I was passing so many and was anxious to not get done for drafting. As we turned from the coast to approach the climb i was still feeling good. Grabbed a bottle at the first aid station which was just a short few k from the start of the climb proper. From 10-20k (just the start of the climb) it was very gradual. I was passing loads of the woman's wave here. Also told a few d1ckheads who were drafting to cop on by pointing at their wheel, the wheel they were drafting and gave them the fingers. There was a bit going on and i was not happy to see it. So onto the climb. I was feeling good but i knew this section was going to be slow. I didn't go mad and just kept effort steady around 280/300W's. I only got out of the saddle a few times to let the legs mix it up a bit and felt good. I pushed a little on the very crest of the worst parts to try gain some momentum but went nowhere near to max. Near the top i had a massive german guy pass me and say "Nice view, Ja!". I laughed and was enjoying the climb. Another guy followed him and as we were very nearly at the very top i tried to stay in touch in a bid to use them to get a racing line as we descended. Id hoped they'd be a bit aggressive here. Unfortunately the second guy was whimping out a lot and it took me 3 corners to get past him, almost going over the barriers of the cliff in doing so! By this time though the other guy was gone. Id a decent descent though as i lost the guy behind very easily and was then trailed by a motorbike. He was finding it hard himself and waited a good few corners before going past me. Id push out of corners and get setup for a tight corner ahead. Most of them went well, really well in fact and i was really enjoying hammering into them. Id no real traffic too which was good. From about halfway i had 3 guys come round me and i then realised that they could be my chance to a really good bike so i upped it very slightly to try regain contact. I held about 15/20m back from them for a good 10/15k but when we turned into a very nasty headwind to head to a turnaround i lost them. I was going well though but did notice i was suffering a little too much. Average power had been in the 280's and i knew this was a bit much. With 40k or so to go i was at 01:30 and said right 40k and hour home and ill have the 02:30. It was a realistic goal though as we were on the fast sections. I was knocking down loads of km's at or below the 01:30 so felt i was going well but 2k from home we turned into a slight incline and a headwind and i was dying for the 90k just to arrive! I eased ever so slightly and tried to just spin out the legs a little. In all i took 650mls High5 2:1 and 900mls water on the bike with gels at 00:15 (berry), 00:45 (citrus), 01:15 (berry) and 01:45 (citrus).

    T2 02:45
    Good dismount and racked the bike. Got to the tent with run bag, emptied the contents onto the ground and ushered a volunteer to put the gels into my back pockets. I did realise though that i was now to put on socks but sat at the only bench that had a wet floor! Doh! Feet had been dry after the cycle. Didn't take to long and out i went. I forgot to take the berry gel as i jogged through but had it within 3 to 4 mins of starting the run.

    Run (01:35:46 AG 17th/OA 144th) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/177597793
    I knew this was going to hurt from the off. I ran at pace and just prayed HR would keep in check. After 10mins or so i knew i was putting in too much effort to hold the intended pace and decided to ease up. Another 2 or 3k rolled by and despite HR being relatively low i was in pain. I just hoped the legs would wake up now and that i could finally get going. I had virtually an empty run course for lap 1 so i knew i must have been going ok. I passed the 3rd of the 3 man group that passed me earlier walking by 2 or 3k and realised had i tried even further to keep with them id have been in the same boat! I was hurting though so i knew this was not going to be one of my better runs. I was raging to find only 1 of the run aid stations had sponges despite the advertising and i knew i was overheating bad. I started walking the aid stations and absolutely soaking myself. The cold water was a huge relief, as good as any gel but i was fading more and more. Lap 2 of the 3 was probably the hardest. I had to walk a lot. There were points on the course where it was just dead heat and i prayed for a cold shower! I stopped at one aid station and took on two cups of coke in attempt to "wake-up" as i just felt terrible. It helped a little but i was still walking here and there. Finally with about 3k to go i tried to push on and was really suffering through those few km's. The most cruel part of this route was a footbridge that we had to go up to get to the finish-line. I was near walking at it but finally got up and over it. I pushed to the line but immediately knew id failed miserably at the target. I took water on at all aid stations and gels at 00:04 (berry - supposed to be T2 gel), 00:20 (berry), 00:40 (citrus), 01:00 (citrus).

    Overall - 04:47:47 13th/84th

    Post race
    I was not happy with myself straight away. I knew i had still finished well up the rankings but i knew i should have held back on the bike more and hence ran better. I dont think id manage a 04:30 there but 04:35 would be possible if i put it together better. I was actually very surprised at the run split as i felt like it was waaay worse. I went straight for the showers and was pretty distraught there. I actually had a tear come to my eyes as i knew id failed both myself and everyone who had to put up with the last few months of training. I felt like a bollox though when people asked how i got on. I told them ****e but knew my time was still ahead of all but one or two of the Irish guys. I was waaay behind expectations. I did however revise the goal to 04:35 on seeing the length of the transitions but i still missed that by a long way! Its a challenging course and i didn't play it right. I was shivering in the sun about 15mins after finishing which might suggest i let myself get too low on both hydration and gels. My left hip flexor was going crazy too. It was cramping up and going into spasm! Had a post race massage and my right quad had a massive lump! The girls hand went at a 90degree angle when she hit it!

    Its an amazing course and one id like to seek revenge at some stage in the future. Just noticed too that my overshot bike was good enough to beat Lothar Leder's bike time :) Looking at the pro's bike times shows too that the bike really isn't a quick one and i should have paid it more respect. I found too that while i did suffer on the run i didn't kill myself until the very end, it was as though i knew pretty quickly the goal was gone and let that disappointment get to me too much. I just didn't have the fight in me. It was a big disappointment but ill get over it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 251 ✭✭handangeo


    Cracking race report - well done!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Sorry its so long :o I hadnt realised it was so long until i hit that submit button!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,454 ✭✭✭ Alice Green Prizefight


    Well done Ed, i know its far from the race you wanted but i have no doubt you will take a lot from it and use it in your next race.
    You really hammered that bike alright:)


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,208 ✭✭✭shotgunmcos


    I spoke to a mate of mine who said it was bloody HOT on the day! Nice report Eddie. I'm sure you will get over it and hit your mark for Kenmare. If you were to stand on the start line at Mallorca again this weekend, would you approach it differently?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Yeah i would. Swim id try go slightly harder. Bike id ease off that first hour and thus hopefully id have more for the run. I might also have a slight rethink on nutrition. I dont think it was all that out but id probably take more measures to control the body temperature. Id also have the volunteers put sun block on me in T2!! Id also have the water bottle i carry with me out of T2 frozen the night before and hope that its still somewhat cool when id use it leaving T2.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    Very honest report. A very good read too. I reckon you learned a huge amount from it so although you missed your goal, chances are it will stand to you in the long run.

    Are you back training or still enjoying some down time?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Yeah plenty learned.

    Managed about 8.5 hours last week (3 the week before!) so trying to remind the body what its expected to do! My head wasn't in it the week after the race, picked up a little last week but everything feels quite laboured at the moment, on the running side in particular! Athy this weekend wont be close to expectations i don't think but im only going down to enjoy it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭Fazz


    +4

    Good read great report.
    Sounds like heat may have been the main issue and you've diagnosed the rest.
    Still a very good time and splits all round so not much to beat yourself up about in fairness.

    Would you recommend this race?

    Organisation? Course? Enjoyment?

    Onwards and upwards. Heck you'll be giving it angry socks in Athy now I reckon ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Yeah id definitely recommend the race. Organisation was good, course is great, island is great and its very easy to get to and get cheap enough accommodation. Id marginally prefer the Austria bike but St Polten is a poor spot for that race. The town is very sleepy and accommodation hard enough to come by at a decent price.

    Ill give Athy a good shot but im not expecting much. Body isnt back yet and im at 81kg this morning :o I was about 78/78.5 in Mallorca which was about 2kg over what id have liked


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,888 ✭✭✭Dory Dory


    Very nice report, and I am in awe of you. Even though you fell short of your goals on that particular race day, you are a real talent, Bambaata, and you can't hide talent behind disappointment because the talent is still there. As my mom used to tell me, the cream always rises to the top. ;):)


  • Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭HalfTri


    Well done Eddie. Great honest report. We've all had days like that where something didn't work out (Heat, Gear malfunctions etc). Trick is to use that race for motivation for your next A goal. I'm glad I'm not aiming for Kenmare this season..


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  • Registered Users Posts: 428 ✭✭big mce


    I've done that spin many times up by Lluc but never had to run a half after it. Those climbs are brutal even without the heat. They make Wicklow look like an easy day out. On the Swim it looks like you went a bit off on the straight out, did you or was it the Garmin? Well done otherwise though, onwards and upwards!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,075 Mod ✭✭✭✭BTH


    Theres many a man fearing the Bambaata backlash on Sunday morning. Always disappointing when you sell yourself short at a race, but that is still a very strong performance and I have no doubt in the cooler weather in September you'll be under the 4:30 mark.

    Can I have a swim draft on Sunday??? :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    I don't think there'll be much of a backlash on Sunday! I doubt the top guys would be too worried anyways. While today's run was closer to normal i'm just not there yet. Sunday will be a fun one, whatever will be will be!

    And by the looks of your swim times you wont be needing any draft from me unless you want a challenging bike to take back the time you've lost sitting behind me!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    big mce wrote: »
    I've done that spin many times up by Lluc but never had to run a half after it. Those climbs are brutal even without the heat. They make Wicklow look like an easy day out. On the Swim it looks like you went a bit off on the straight out, did you or was it the Garmin? Well done otherwise though, onwards and upwards!!
    Its a really beautiful climb too! I actually really enjoyed it. I did it the Tuesday before the race too as easy as i could but its still a challenge.

    Garmin does that on the swim. I never had to correct too much. While i might not have gone exactly straight i was never too far off.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,553 ✭✭✭bryangiggsy


    Thouroghly enjoyed that race report Eddie. Was not to be on the day but valuable lessons learned. According to your ftp what watts were u supposed to maintain on the bike? Did u overcook it by much? May bump into u Sunday as doing the sprint also.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Glad you enjoyed it. I like putting down whats in my head so sometimes it can be a bit disjointed! I had intended going at a 265-275 average overall. The average overall is a bit misleading as it was really the first 60-90 mins were i pushed it too much. This is how the 2.5 hrs went:

    First 30 minutes 290 AP 294 NP
    Second 30 minutes 284 AP 289 NP
    Third 30 minutes 258 AP 277 NP
    Fourth 30 minutes 263 AP 267 NP
    Fifth 30 minutes 249 AP 255 NP

    So the end average of 278W's might not seem much off but in fact i was well below that by the end.

    Hopefully we can all catch up Sunday. Its a pity the races aren't all on the same day, id love to have watched the DO and normal Olympic.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,077 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Rightr im not going to get to make up every session since Mallorca but in a snap shot:

    Ive slowly got back to things. Started feeling the love a bit more too last week and things also seemed to be coming back in line. I've gotten some great feedback on my swim and im excited about how it could help. Basically when im pushing or tired i seem to dip my head down slightly which is causing drag. I had 5 x 100's 10s faster than intended sprint race pace (so fairly pushing) with 30s rests on Saturday gone and i was hoping for mid to low 01:20's and i was delighted to clock 01:20 (as quick as ive ever done in a fuill out TT), 01:21, 01:23, 01:21 so im hoping i may have cracked something. Time will tell.

    Bike wise ive done some longish bikes but nothing major. I got out with ElD and JB a few weeks back and to tell the truth i was really feeling it there! I had to go through some bad patches just to keep in touch but fortunately it went ok in the end.

    Running was possibly the slowest to come back. Only in the last week or so am i feeling ok again. Ive had some ups and downs there but slowly i seem to be coming around.

    So since Mallorca ive done:
    Week 1: 3hrs 15mins spread across 2 bikes, 2 runs and a splash in the pool
    Week 2: 8hrs 30mins with 3 bikes, 3 runs, 3 swims
    Week 3 (last week): 9hrs with TriAthy Sprint.

    So ill start back with my Triathy Sprint Report

    Triathy Sprint Sunday 3rd June

    I really wasnt sure how i was going to go and was fully expecting a few boardsies to beat me. Ive put on a fair amount of weight since Mallorca, fell out of love with training only to slowly get back the fun early last week.

    Pre Race
    Up at 05:35, showered and had the usual brekkie (porridge, walnuts, cranberries and manuka honey) with 500mls water. I got down nice and early bumping into ElD on parking up. He was looking well set and gunning to go. I made some excuses expecting to be beat and off we went to register :p
    I had completely taken the cassette apart on Saturday to clean every link while putting on the wheelcover so i was anxious to double check everything was still 100% (had also checked after doing it). It was fine but i also had to duct tape the drive side of the wheelcover to the spokes as they were rubbing. ElD went off to transition while i sorted this out. I then took the bike out for a short spin to check gears and i threw a small few pickups. I got racked up and ran back to the car to see how the legs were and to scoff brekkie round 2 (porridge, muesli, cranberries, manuka honey, walnuts) at 09:20. I was a little concerned on the HR/Pace there but thought it might just be down to excitement and caffeine (i was fairly dosed up! More so than ever before).

    After brekkie i walked back and walked through swim entry, bike out, bike in and run out while listening to the briefing. Then off down to the swim start to watch the first few waves to see if i could spot good lines to take, particularly upriver. Decided on seeing guys along the edge to head that route and to be fairly central coming back down. It seemed like there was quite a current as some weaker swimmers were really struggling! I was getting very cold just about 60mins before off (i was last wave!) so i headed to a coffee shop to top up on more caffeine. I was feeling good now as i started my warmup. I threw in about 6 x 15s sprints to get the blood out of the stomach and into the legs. Back to get into the wetsuit and then copped they were running 10mins behind so i ran easy for another 5mins with just 1 more pickup.

    So with 12/15mins to go i got into the wetsuit and put on the babyoil on neck and outside of suit (actually just realised i forgot to apply to the calves!) Took citrus gel about 10mins before the off

    Swim 00:10:04 23/738
    I did a few sprints and some front and mid sculling to get warmed up. Felt good and so i decided to start from the front. If i panicked with the melee then so be it but i was going for it. I got a perfect starting point right where i wanted, along the edge right at the front. And so we were off. The first 150m were pretty aggressive with guys both left and right. We were so tight together that my arms were coming back down on their backs at times and visa versa. I didn't get any bad blows to the head thankfully and i kept the head down as long as i could to keep it that way. Finally we freed up and i got a nice draft for a while. I hugged the edge for a little too long i think as i was pretty much all alone with about 50m to the turn so i made my way across and latched onto 2 guys feet. They were zig-zagging a fair bit though. We turned and i lost a little ground on them as my arm got caught in the rope. I sprinted a little to get back and was feeling really good. Id company along side for a while but lost him as we rounded some of the previous wave, he'd nowhere to go as we came right up behind one guy and i wasnt going to give room so he had to drop back to go around him. I drafted off the two guys for a good while back down rotating between the two of them as both zigzagged! As we approached the bridge a few came from the right and i decided i wanted first out of the water from the pack of 4 or 5 so i pushed a bit and managed to get past them all to help with a clean exit onto the ramp.

    T1 00:01:09 40/738
    I was a little dizzy but felt ok. I had marked out exactly where to run (first rack past the second tree after the building) and fortunately so as my vision was pretty short. Got to bike ok. For some reason i lost about 5s trying to get my left ankle out of the suit! Wasted needless time here. A guy i came into T1 with was gone before me.

    Bike 00:31:09 3/737
    I clambered onto the shoes and got up to speed before trying to put my feet in. What i hadn't taken heed of earlier though was that the surface is pretty bad for the first 1.5k and uphill and so i was really struggling to get my feet. I was worried about the front wheel going from under me with the wet conditions! Id one near miss when hooking the left foot in and was starting to lose speed! My right foot then bloody went between the strap and shoe and i had to be very careful not to pull the strap out! Paddy Quinn came around me at about 2k as i finally got this messing sorted and i could finally start motoring. I passed him as soon as i dropped back the 10m and was gone. Nobody was passing me today i said! I pushed it out with a tailwind and i knew it was going to be very hard coming back into it which i knew would suit me being stronger than most. I caught up with and passed the 2nd place guy (I wasn't aware i was so high up at this stage) just before the turnaround. He was wearing an amphibian king suit so i reckoned he was a runner so it was time to burn him a little. My turn was dreadful and so he passed me at the corner but i passed him immediately again. I pushed a little and noticed he was staying within touch but i knew it had to be taking its toll on him as id caught up to him in the first place. I figured if i kept a constant effort i knew it might just be too far for him. Thus i wasn't worried about him tagging along (Legally mind, he wasn't drafting). We started encountering a lot more now from earlier waves and i had to give a fair few shouts to get around (sorry if there is anyone reading that i shouted at :P ). I noticed then that id dropped the guy behind and I then set about getting past as many as i could before we hit that final 1.5k section of awful road before the finish. They mentioned in the briefing that this was a no pass zone! I wasnt prepared to sit in behind here and passed 1 or 2 safely. I slowed right up in the last 500m or so as i encountered another group and the surface is really poor there so i wasn't taking any chances and hence lost some time.

    T2 00:01:03 12/737
    Ok T2. I lost a few seconds trying to hook my saddle onto the rack as the rack was far too low and i had to twist the bike sideways to get it under. I then found it hard getting the helmet off as my fingers were numb! I was boosted by the sight of just 1 bike and hence realised i could potentially be running for 1st. This was way beyond expectations as only in the last few days have i felt somewhat normal since Mallorca!! I wasn't fully sure there was only 1 as again my sight was fairly tunnel visioned so i knew there might have been others there too. Shoes went on but not that well as the tongue on both went right down. My hands and fingers were too cold to sort it though and on i went.

    Run 00:17:38 5/734 (not counting the 3 who must have skipped part of the run!)
    I always seem to run fast out so i tried to keep it under control a little more. I passed a guy from the earlier wave who held me up a tiny bit and then it was onto the cross country route!! Being in the last wave meant the surface was very very poor for a lot of the run. A lot of the grass areas were now either very slippy or ankle deep muck in some small sections! I felt really good though and felt very very strong. I was anxious about potential stitching as I've a fine belly on me now from the past 3 weeks post A race! (im a few kg heavier than i was!!) I ran steady for the first 2k but somehow still managed to clock 03:31 and 03:29 for the opening 2k. When i saw 03:29 for what was a slightly uphill part with some proper ankle deep mud i knew i was rolling well. So i decided then to start embracing a bit of pain and brought HR up to mod hard. I was running to PE though as opposed to HR and was enjoying it. I wasn't in any trouble and was feeling great. As I approached the turning point i could see the guy i thought was the 1st. I noted what seemed to me to be pain in his face when he saw me. He was a good 300m ahead though and with just 2.5k to go i knew there was no guarantee that id get him. It was hammer time now though so i increased PE ever so slightly. Half the battle was weaving in and out of people from earlier waves on the very narrow and slippy grass section along the river. I was also mindful of guys behind but knew if i was clocking 03:30's they'd have to be serious runners to take back another 15-20s per km! So long as i saw 03:30 pace i knew i wasnt going to be caught and then switched solely to catching no.1. I caught my target much earlier than i expected as we approached the tarmac section (within 1/1.3k of turnaround) and instead of easing off and running with him i surged ever so slightly. I knew if i managed to open enough of a gap id break his fight and hoped he wouldn't try come back. I was still feeling good though. Previous races here ive been on my limit by now, getting cold shivers and goosebumps with 1.5k to go but i wasnt getting this so i knew while i was pushing there was more if required. It was only now i thought of overall placing so i kept the push on and finally got through to the line for a very satisfying 17:38 5k! Thats just 8seconds from my one and only 5k flat race a few months back and i certainly didn't push as hard in this run as i did there.

    Overall
    Delighted with how it went. I never thought 2nd overall was possible so it was quite a surprise! I knew i had set myself up well as i felt the swim went very well. The bike was just ok. I lost needless time getting feet in shoes and also i should have really pushed in that last 6k. I didnt give her everything there as with the road being wet i was mindful of crashing! I also lost some time in the last 1k or so gingerly trying to get around and then waiting behind a group as we entered T2. The run was good. I got into a nice steady pace for the first while and knew if i managed 1500m stitch free then i could open her up more. I think that went exactly to plan. I was wrecked by the end of the 5k but i know i only pushed the last 3k or so. 5k is so bloody short!

    One thing i did this race to see how it would go was i dosed up on caffeine! I tired the High5 Xtreme for the first time sipping it all morning up to about 90mins before the off. Theres 65mg caffeine there. Id also had two cups of strong coffee on the drive down about 3 to 4 hours before off (prob another 180mg caffeine) and i had another large cup (70mg - not so strong) literally 50mins before off. I think i could feel the difference. Pain didnt seem so bad overall and i felt a little buzzy rather than in pain on the run. I think it also made me more aggressive in the swim which is a good thing for me as i feel i've a tendency to slightly switch off and stop pushing. I could feel slight stomach issues with 2k to go though but they eased and never caused any issue. Might not be a good idea for longer events though. I also took on just two small sips of High 5 2:1 on the bike to keep sugars in the blood stream.

    In all id give my race an 8/10. Bike was a little disappointing and i didnt completely open up on the run. Delighted though overall. I felt i raced it pretty well.


  • Registered Users Posts: 251 ✭✭handangeo


    Awesome - Race and report was waiting all day for this one!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    Cracking result Ed. Nice to see you getting a return on all the hard work you put in :cool:


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,888 ✭✭✭Dory Dory


    Well done! That's some solid racing that should bring you a nice lift. :)


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