My Balluster

My Ballbuster 15/03/2008

Food:
Before: bowl of porridge with golden syrup and a mug of coffee.
During: 7 SIS Go gels, 1 cereal bar, 600ml High 5 4:1 Energy mix, 2 cups of water (720 calories)
Total distance: 39.99 miles
Total time: 3:53:40
Total calories: 3564 calories
Total Ascent/Descent: 2510ft/2703ft

First Run: 1:02 approximately
Bike: 1:34 approximately
Last Run: 1:15 approximately

My day started at 6:00am with me shouting out ‘Sophie’ as I had a bad dream about Sophie being to near to a snake. Is this a sign about the day ahead of me? I got up, made my porridge, stirred in a good helping of golden syrup, drank a coffee, made up my drink mix, gave Sarah a cup of tea and headed off for the event.

The start was a mile down the road by Boxhill viewpoint. I paid my BTA day licence money, picked up my race number, shirt and goody bag and headed to transition to rack my bike and fuss about how I should prepare my T1 and T2 kit. In the end as I thought it would rain, I had a bag with more plastic bags inside (the environmental option), so I would only need to grab my T1 or T2 bag and go. Nice idea?

The start is outside the bike racking and marked with a bag of flour 10 minutes before the start, (the high tech option). We all milled around warming up and asking questions about which way to go as we all peered into the fog the other side of the Donkey Green.

Then we were off, 'pacing Curtis, pacing, you’ve done this circuit plenty of times (not 5 times at one time tough), remember the last mile is coming up the zigzag hill'. The pack ran along and we chatted about the course ahead. My heartrate was in the 165 range so I thought I would slow down to bring it down. I did, to the 160 range, still not low enough, but on perceived effort I felt good. As the run went on it felt like I was being passed by everyone. I thought I was at the back of the pack as we set off, so by now I must be last (ohhh no). We ran on and soon reached the first ascent, more people passed me, half way up, I looked over the edge to see how many people were down below, no one! (gulp).

Then into T1, and hey look at all those bikes. I’m not last, in fact I’m just over half way back in the pack by the looks of it. T1, shoes, gels, helmet, bike go. A long run out of T1 across the Donkey Green and carpark before you reach tarmac. Then on the bike and off. Ohhhh yeah, I feel good, felt tired after the run, but now I’m on the bike and I’m flying (or is this just my overactive imagination and dream I could be Lance!). But fly along I did. I came to Headley and the bends/downhill incline. I found that I did not need to slow down, I felt comfortable though the bends (my first ever ride was through here and I nearly ended under a bus), come the corner into Lodge Bottom Rd and I absolutely flew, take the corner wide and power up, then its downhill and you fly. This must be the fastest bit of the course and where I got 38mph.

Speed graph, first run is definitely faster than the second run

Down to Mickleham and the uphill starts. Again people started to overtake me, I really need to learn how to do hills quicker. Up I went, zig follws zag follows zig. At the top I started to shift up a few gears and speed up as I approached te Viewpoint. Then bang, arghhhh, cramp in my right calf. Then it came on stronger and stronger. I had to stop, unclip and stretch it out. You can see this in the Pace graph as the second spike. Me at a total stop stretching out my calf as the field cycled past.

3 spikes, T1 T2 and at 1:30 where I had a horrible cramp and had to stop to stretch it out.

Back on the bike and a few more twinges later I was still going. The 3 bike climbs were not too bad, but getting off the bike at T2 was hard. My head said run into T2, my legs said, ‘no way’, so I walked/trotted to the racking, trying to take off my jacket. Racked the bike, changed shoes, picked out my T2 bag of gels, and ran off. Ohhh run back, leave helmet. Run off. Ha, did I say run, how about shuffle. Message to legs, ‘do you remember how to run?’. After cycling it took about 2 miles of shuffling before my legs felt vaguely like a running motion. Well lets be honest here from the start of the run my head was in damage limitation mode. I kept asking myself how long I could continue. Along Boxhill road is mainly flat, then a slight incline to Headley, then downhill from there to Mickleham. I somehow convinced myself I could run to Mickleham and started to sup the gels. People were passing me and I actually passed a few as well. I kept going feeling pleased as I slowly overhauled people. But then we were at Mickleham and the uphill started. I calculated that if I ran it would be 30 mins and an hour to walk back uphill. An our would take me well over the 4hour mark. But I was done. The first hill, before the zigzag and I walked the final 20metres, the damage was done, that mental border had been crossed, walking was going to happen. I ran down to the beginning of the zig zag road, turned up and the pain started. The pain and burning leg muscles, the pain in my back muscles. Walk, fast walk, swing your arms, stride along, try a run, pain, walk, run, pain, walk. And so it continued all the way up. I was not te only one though, and as I started to run I would catch them again. Coming to the last bend and I started running again, the final incline and I had to run it, just past it was the end. I just had to grit my teeth and do it. ‘Do it’ I did and I crossed the line in 3:53 on my Garmin.

What can I say? That was tough, very tough, the field must be made up of good athletes, so being near the back will not be a surprise to me. Very tough, the second run is super hard, I can’t believe I have ever run any slower than this before.

I am entered for a Middle distance triathlon (1/2 Ironman) in Sept. That is going to be super super tough. There is no way I will be able to do this with proper training. I haven’t done a lot of training for this event and I have suffered for it, but managed to make it through.

If you start at the top the only way is down, then up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up again. Is it any wander you loose the will to live on the final up?

What can you say about my heart rate, except, ‘how come your still alive?’ I think the first run shows up here as the erratic bit upto about 1hr. The smoother less erratic bit in the middle is the bike and the final ‘spider trail’ from 2:45 is me hanging on and eventually loosing the will to live coming back up the hill. I think this must be me going anaerobic and not able to clear the lactate out of my muscles.