The Hazelwood Hardman... My First Long Course Triathlon.

I haven't been updating this page as frequently as previously, mostly because i've been using my Facebook page -->> https://www.facebook.com/TheJourneyToBecomeIronTimbo as i find it accesses more people.

But i thought last weekend worthy of an update, as i finally completed my first long course triathlon, the day after an Olympic distance. So here are the write ups from my FB page.

Cheers Tim
 

Update from Day 1 of the Hazelwood Hardman.

Today was the (almost) Olympic distance race - 1.5k swim / 36k ride / 9k run.

My plan for today was to race comfortably; not dig too deep at any stage, not look at the watch and generally just get around, so i don't pull up sore for the longer race tomorrow.

I was hoping that on both days i could just blend in with the crowd doing each of the events - but nup, that wasn't going to happen. We arrived to find a separate (pro style) transition for the 14 people entered to do the Hardman, complete with carpet and name plates in transition! We also had different colour swim caps and an "H" on our numbers to distinguish us as insane!!

I was pretty happy with how the race went, for a nutritional, pacing and energy expended point of view.

The swim was about 5 minutes faster than i did at Noosa last year (which was the last Oly i did), and i felt comfortable the entire time - except for my right calf, which cramped as i tried to stand up at the end. It's still a bit sore now. Hopefully all's well in the morning!

The ride was a little interesting at times. I was umming and ahhing about which front wheel to use - as i'm still a bit uncomfortable with the 50mm carbon in a breeze. The breeze wasn't too bad today - but came in a few times, which made me a little nervous. I may have been a bit too conservative on the ride - but wanted to make sure i would be ok for tomorrow.

I was really pleased with the run. Again, i didn't put any pressure on the run, stayed in control in 1st gear the whole time. The hill on the course is a nasty little rise - averaging about 7% for 600m, because it's a multi-loop course, we had the pleasure of doing it twice...i'm really looking forward to doing it 4 time tomorrow...

All being said, i'm really happy with the day - hopefully i'll wake up tomorrow ready for Day 2!

Also a massive shout out to Mick from Back In Motion in Patterson Lakes, for opening late on a Saturday to give my legs and lower back a going over in prep for tomorrow.

 

Ok, it's time for the Day 2 update of the Hazelwood Hardman, which is almost as long as the race itself!!

Today (or yesterday, or whenever it was relative to when this is being read) was the Long Course triathlon, comprising a 2km swim / 81.5km ride / 17.5km run. It was to be my first long course race - why i chose to do it after an Olympic distance is one for a psychology class

As one of my fellow competitors told me just before the race, how i would go today depended on what i did last night.

After i finished the race on Saturday, i made sure i refueled and hydrated, but also had a massage. Yep, i made my physio open late Saturday arvo just for me (thanks to Mick from Back in Motion http://www.backinmotion.com.au/practice/patterson-lakes). I was quite glad he did, as i had a massive knot in my calf.

I woke on race morning feeling pretty good, but really nervous. I knew i hadn't gone too hard on Saturday, but nonetheless my legs knew they'd raced the day before.

My plan for the race was quite simple ... don't go too hard, if it starts to hurt slow down, walk the steep pinch on the hill on each lap, and FINISH!!

The start of the swim was quite uneventful, it was only a small crew going around, so it was easy to find your own water and get into a rhythm. My shoulders felt a little sore from the day before, but nothing that caused any distress. I managed to get around the swim at about the same pace as the day before. Again nothing quick, but i felt relaxed and comfortable.

Exiting the water, my spot in transition was quite easy to find, as most of the Hardman rack was empty. Taking off my wetsuit turned into a chore, as my calf cramped as it was half off. So i finally managed to get ready and off on the bike i went!

I was pleased with my ride. My legs were tired, and i had to not force the issue to hold pace up the little rises, for fear of not being able to run. I managed to hold pretty much the same pace for the 5 laps.

I haven't decided whether i like the 5 lap set-up or not. From a negative point of view, it was kind of depressing being lapped (by the winner) on my first bike lap! (But in my defense he swam a 25min / 2k, and then smoked the bike course averaging 42k/h for the 81.5k!) On the positive side, it was great to have the continuous support of people each time round, and it's great for the spectators not to have to move. It was also good in the fact that for most of the time there were other cyclists around (most of whom were flying past me...but that's irrelevant ).

So onto the run...

This was always going to be interesting. The run was a short dash to a 4 lap loop, then back to the finish. Another indication of how i was placed relative to my chances of winning... As i was about 500m into the run, pro tri-athlete and race winner Tom Rodgers, ran by the other way to collect the win!

The 4k run loop can be broken up as follows... 2k flat, aid station, 1km long hill - directly from hell, nice 1k roll down, aid station, repeat. Mentally, i set myself to run to the top of the hill 4 more times. After the first cresting i told my self i'd gone up 3 times this weekend, so i was half way there. Claire and the kids and my sister in law Prue were at the aid station at the bottom of the hill, and it was great to have that support! After the second lap Claire had to leave to catch a plane, so there was a pause for a 'G-Rated see you on Wednesday night kiss and cuddle' then back to the run.

By this time the run started to hurt. A headwind had popped up, making the 2k long straight flat mentally tougher than the hill... this wasn't helped by fresh roadkill baking in the midday sun - the stench was fairly ordinary!!

By the 3rd time i hit the aid station at the base of the hill i was struggling, i wasn't totally done, but i was fading. I've read numerous times, that flat cola is great for the back half of the run in long course racing. It didn't give me an energy boost, but i think the sugar and caffeine may have just switched my brain back into gear, this allowed me to regain focus and get up the hill!

The last time up the hill was still hard, but i with my brain buzzing from caffeine, i knew i just had to get up and then it was all down / flat to the finish.

And what a welcome sight the finish line was!!

So after 2 hours 28 minutes and 55 seconds on Saturday and 5 hours 12 minutes and 27 seconds on Sunday i was done!!

It was a great learning experience, both in terms of advice from more experienced athletes, and what i found out about myself mentally, physically, and nutritionally (I should take this opportunity to thank Steph from The Natural Nutritionist - http://www.thenaturalnutritionist.com.au/ who i've been working with for a month or so. The changes definitely worked ). I was also very happy with my bike set-up - thanks AJ! Just a few minor tweaks to do.

I've also realised which bits of my game in need to work. Now that i know i can get around a long course, i want to know how fast i can go... i think this may started some form of addiction (Sorry Claire what was it you said on Saturday night ... triathlons for Tim = diamonds for Claire)

It was a great weekend of friendly, yet competitive racing, and i would thoroughly recommend to any way of any standard (this is just my way of saying, would a few more back of the pack athletes join me next year )

One last comment. Thanks to Noel Fenn,the LV Tri Club ( http://www.lvtriclub.com.au/ ), and the volunteers for putting an such a great race! Grass roots triathlon at it's best!!

The Winery Ride with Orica Green Edge or That Hill and That Heat belong in HELL!!

To quote directly from the event website...

Ride alongside the ENTIRE 2014 ORICA-GreenEDGE Team & members of ORICA-AIS through the beautiful Nagambie winery region and challenging Strathbogie Ranges.

As part of the preparations for the 2014 season ORICA-GreenEDGE and ORICA-AIS would like to invite you to join them on their training camp and ride through one of their favourite regions in Australia. Reminisce on the 2013 season that was, the Tour de France stage wins, the 4 days on the coveted 'Malliot Jaune' and help welcome some new faces to the team. 

There are new rides this year - 138km, 48km and 24km as well as the Children's ride around the Winery - so there really is something for everyone.

With my Ironman training well underway, this seemed like the perfect event to kick start my long rides.  It was my third hilly mass participation ride of this year, the previous 2 being the Great Ocean and Otway Classic Ride and the Amy Gillett Ride.

I had a look at the map and the profile of the climb, and thought that there was absolutely no way i was going to be able to climb with the gearing i have on the TT bike...so the roadie got to borrow the race wheels for the day! (Note the compact chain ring...that was a god send at certain stages of the climb - but more about that later)

I really didn't think the logistics of this through when i entered, so it was a very early start! But hey, i love a road trip!!

Alarm went off at 3:30 am, on the road by 4, and coffee & sunrise at a roadhouse by 5:30...brilliant start to the day!

I arrived at Mitchelton Winery at about 6:45 and was greeted by the early morning sun warming all this potential wine...

So the ride itself.  The first thing i did before the ride was check out the climb.  So onto Strava i go.

The main part of the climb was as follows...7.2km in length, 426m elevation gain, average 6.1% (remember that word average!) Which on paper didn't seem too bad... Oh, and there was also a 2.7km, 99m gain, 3.6% on the descent (and here was i think descent referred to going down!!)

The general consensus was that The Climb was a Cat 2 climb... with the ascent on the descent being Cat 3.
Here's the link to how Strava categorises climbs -->> Click Linky

As you can see from the pic below, The Climb starts at about half way through the ride. And from the top, the trip home is mostly downhill into Seymour, before the relatively flat ride home.

Just as an aside, i'll also put the temperature during the ride in...

As you can see it was a pleasant 20 degrees at 8am for the start, got to 30 just after i started the climb, peaked at 39at one stage, before returning to 35 for the run home.  I think those 3 little dips on the last 45 minutes are when i stopped under trees to try and cool myself down, but thanks to the hot northerly wind that really didn't work...

Now to the actual riding...

The first 70 km or so was largely uneventful, with some gentle rolling hills and wonderful views of the countryside.  The serenity was however broken every now and again by impatient and inconsiderate sods in cars who were less than impressed to see hundreds of cyclists on their roads - but on the whole the car drivers were quite good.

My plan was to use the ride as part of my IM training program, so Zone 2 HR and try not to sit in packs and draft.  Well...that was the plan...until i left my HRM at home, oh well.  I figured I know my body well enough to distinguish between 6hr pace and "ride like you stole something" pace.  With that in mind i went out relatively easy, remembering that i had a nuts hill to climb at the 70 km mark.

By the time i reached the bottom of the climb my average pace was above 30kph, and i still felt fresh...

<<cue dramatic music>>

BOTH OF THOSE THINGS WERE ABOUT TO CHANGE!!

As i mentioned earlier, the climb was 7.2 km long, averaging 6.1% grade.  It soon became apparent that, as with most climbs, every time you came across a section of easy climb (i.e. less than 6.2%) you would be paying for it later!

I can't really remember every detail of the climb, but there were bits that were hard, bits that were punishing, bits that were very punishing and then the other bit! 

I was going pretty slow at this stage, maybe in the order of 6km/h, the i rounded a corner and the road got steeper...i'm not going to print the words that came out of my mouth - but about 7 seconds later, as the rider behind me rounded the corner a similar sentence was yelled!

Ok...go! I gave it absolutely everything i had, and for a while managed to not slow down...then i slowed, i looked at the Garmin, and it was slowly dropping 5.5km/h, 5km/h...ok time to get out of the saddle and drive the bike up. Yeah...Nah...just at that point my quads gave me an ultimatum...they would either hold me up, or power the bike, NOT BOTH! So down i sat, 5km/h, 4.5 km/h...ok, this is getting stupid. Looking up the hill about 20m i see two other cyclists - 1 walking, 1 riding...both at the same pace. Back to the Garmin 4.1km/h - that's enough...off the bike i get... I started walking, i managed a huge 4.5 km/h - i was walking faster than i was riding!! 

I reached the break in the slope, where the road eased from insanely steep to ridiculously steep, so back on the bike i got. And off i rode at a super fast 7-8km/h!!

(Just as an aside, on roads that steep snaking up the road from side to side it is a great way to keep going. However, in this case as the roads were open to traffic, and there were numerous blind switch backs - it just wasn't a safe option.)

I've had a quick look at the ride data and the best i can work out is that grade was at 23.5% at that point. (The section of road that was at 18.5% i actually managed to ride - not fast, but i stayed up right!)

And then after 44 minutes and 36 seconds...it was over! I'd covered 7.2 km at an average speed of 9.7km/h. I can fairly confidently say, that was the toughest hill i have ever climbed!!

Then it was time for the descent...but that wasn't all down hill! Huh...WTF...why is there a 2.7km section which rises at an average of 3.6% on a descent - i thought descent meant down!!  Compared to the previous climb it was actually quite an easy climb ... but having said that the 16% pinch did hurt a little!! 

The descent finished at around 102 km, which was followed by a 12 km stint due west, back through Seymour. With a howling north wind, this section was tough. I was basically riding alone, which was mentally tough after 5 hours, but i was still going forward.

At about 114 km the road turned around to the north, the wind was probably blowing about 20-30kts and it was 39 degrees!  IT WAS HOT!! And I had 24 km of this left before the finish!

There was an aid station at about 118k, at which point i sent Claire a text saying "Hey ya, 20k to go. All good."

Well, i spoke to soon! Just after i left that aid station, i started getting stomach cramps and couldn't ride. So off the bike i got, I really didn't know what was going on. There was nothing i'd had that i hadn't used before - but that didn't matter, i just needed to get to the finish. I was too scared to eat or drink anything for fear of vomiting. So i got back on the bike and started again.

This on the bike, feeling like shit, getting off the bike, resting, getting on the bike...repeat...went on for about 45 minutes until my stomach finally felt ok again.  So i started drinking water (with electrolyte) again.  By the time i reached the entrance to the winery, i actually felt good again and maybe could have continued... ;) 

In short, the last 20km took 1 hr and 5 minutes! Very slow going for a flat stretch of road!!

Here's the Strava link to the ride.

Looking back now, i think i was dehydrated and that was causing issues.  I was good with fluid intake for the first 70k, but i don't think i drank enough on the climb, the descent or the stretch back to Seymour.  That was 2hr 45min and i think i probably drank 2 full bidons, so about 1.5 litres. I probably should have been drinking that much per hour!!

Looking back at the ride, i was very pleased with both my general fitness and cycling fitness.  My nutrition went according to plan, as even toward the end when i felt crap, i didn't feel low on energy.  I just need to ensure i have enough hydration for the conditions.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the climb.  I'd like to have a crack at that climb again - but think i'll do it on a cooler day :)

Oh, and i also got to have a bit of a chat with Matt Goss, Simon Gerrans and Daryl Impey which was pretty cool.

Graham's Surf Coast Century in Pictures...

Watching others undertake crazy adventures, is what drives me to continue on my path to craziness.  And not just the actual event, but also the training.

With the advent of "social training media" such as Garmin Connect, Strava, run keeper, etc, i can keep track of what my crazy friends are doing, whilst i do similar.

At present i've got friends training for marathons, and all sorts of triathlons...

But at present the Captain Crazy Award goes to a good mate of mine, Graham Whittaker, who over the weekend competed in the Surf Coast Century 100km trail run.

Linky to race details --->>> CLICK HERE 

It's a run through along the Surf Coast beaches and through the near coastal parts of the Otway Ranges, linky to the course --->>> CLICK HERE 

To quote from the website... 
 

The Surf Coast Century will lead competitors through an incredibly diverse range of beautiful landscapes across the complete 100km... from running below towering ocean sea cliffs to weaving between towering tree ferns, competitors will run past lighthouses, waterfalls, scenic lookouts, renowned surf beaches (heard of Bells?), surf life saving clubs, remote wilderness and almost everything in between. This will be a 100km journey where no two footsteps are the same.

Graham has never ran a 100km ultramarathon before, his previous longest run was the 56k Two Bays Trail Run. And it's fair to say that this year he smashed it!

And Graham being the kind, giving person that he is decided to raise money to help a local (to Graham) Ipswich boy Blaise, who is suffering from Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy --->>> CLICK for more info or to donate to Blaise.

I could go into heaps of detail about the race, or i could just post pictures. Because as all runners will know you can tell a lot about how someone is going physically, mentally, emotionally just by their running form and expression.

So, on with the show!!

If you need to wait somewhere for the runners, looking from Point Addis toward Bells Beach & Torquay isn't too bad a spot!

Entering the 10k checkpoint at Point Addis.

And you thought the rocks were fun...welcome to the world famous Bells Beach, here's some soft sand!

No Graham, you can't go for a surf until you've run another 85k...

Leaving Bells Beach...

Graham and fellow BTR runner Michelle, playing up to the cheering crowd at Torquay, about 21km in.

Thumbs up! 21k down, 79k to go... 

On the trail above Bells Beach, about 27k down.

Damn it's hard work sitting in the sun watching and waiting...

Little creek crossing at Anglesea, approaching half way...Graham charges through, while the bloke behind looks a little sceptical...

Creek crossed...thumbs up - all good!

49k checkpoint done, let's go!!

70k down, and getting stuck into some AmazeBalls!

Powering out of the 77km checkpoint... Mentally strong, physically...hmm...well mentally strong!

86k down, heading into Airey's Inlet, hurting but still positive. Graham was starting to doubt whether he'd go sub 12...

92k down, struggling down the hill onto the beach. The second he saw the tide was outgoing and hard sand awaited, he was happy (in a thank god it's not soft sand sort of way!)

How far to go...5km! The end is nigh!!

Just in case you missed it...that's 95k down, 5k to go!

Finishing chute...enough said!

Emotional overload...what a day!

And DONE!!!...Happy...Shattered...

Well done mate, a great run and i was glad i could be part of it!!