Mumbles Duathlon Race Report

Take about acting without thinking, or on impulse! 8 days before the Mumbles Duathlon, I decided that I would enter, along with my friend and colleague Andrew Morrissey.

What made this decision so bizarre is that we both have greatly different goals for 2012 compared to a sprint duathlon. I am in training for Ironman Wales, and Andrew is training for Paris Roubaix. Both very long endurance events! So, our training has 99% been focused around these goals. But after a bit of work banter we decided to throw ourselves into it. I have done many sprint triathlons, but no Duathlon's, whereas Andrew did this race in 2011. SO, 8 days training right? Wrong!! Between us we managed 4 ‘mumbles duathlon’ training specific days, not great prep! Andrew included a brick session, whereas my last brick session was September 2011 (and that was a race).

So, we roll up at the start line for the fantastic Mumbles duathlon 2012, a 5km run, 32km hilly bike, and a 5km run. Lovely jubbly!!

The day started amazing, absolutely glorious weather, not a cloud in the sky and the warmth of the sun!! Perfect race day scenario! (Today was also Andrew’s birthday, up at 6am for a race, nutter!!)

We racked our bikes, and went for a massive 100m run as a warm up, and then headed to the race briefing. After the usual do’s and do not’s of the briefing everyone headed to the start line.

Now, throughout the week of the race, me and Andrew had been discussing how we would beat each other. My tactic was fast runs, and get through the bike as quick as possible, whereas Andrew being a very good cyclist was aiming to stay as close on the run and smash the bike.

And we are off!! Not much to say really, I felt comfortable for the first 2km and immediately regretted wearing a base layer under my Help for Heroes run vest. Anyway, I figured at doing on average 4:10/km I would have put a fair bit of distance into Andrew, at the 2.5km turn around point, I see him about 200m behind me on the shoulder of some very good athletes, panic time!! I knew I would never live it down if a ‘cyclists’ managed to beat a ‘triathlete’ at my own game. So I picked up the pace and was now in 3:55-4:00/km territory. Part of me prayed that Andrew and the athletes he was with could not maintain that pace. I got into T1 at 20:07 (2011’s PB for a stand-alone 5km was 20:02), which I was very pleased with as I still felt fresh. I put on my helmet and bike shoes, grabbed my bike and was off out of T1 in 1:05, with no sign of Andrew. I was happy. Immediately I noticed that my legs were not heavy like they are after exiting the water during a triathlon, and was straight up to holding 36kph on the flat along Mumbles. I figured that if I can hold Andrew off for as long as possible id be ok with the 2^nd run.

On the bike I kept a good pace then came to Mayals hill (I don’t like hills, Andrew loves them), which I went up very well considering I usually labour up hills, got to the top having past a few riders and felt fresh, into the big cog and carry on! I dare not look over my shoulder!! The bike was pretty uneventful, I passed a few riders, and some passed me. We then got to the dreaded Llunon hill in Parkmill, basically it is a severely steep climb that can only be done in bottom gear and you struggle to reach the top, some people even fell off or got off to push. Fortunately for me I’ve done it a few times before and managed to get up there pretty well considering my pace had been good so far. However at the top it took ages for my heart rate to return to a normal level, I lost ground on a group of riders in front of me. Again, I dare not look over my shoulder, because If I saw Andrew, game over!! I pushed on hard and fast to catch the group I lost, and thankfully caught them up. About 22km in, I was passed by a very good cyclist, and also the very same athlete that Andrew was running next to, again, time to panic as I knew Andrew and this guy were on par in terms of cycling ability!! I decided to look over my shoulder, and in the distance was 1 lone cyclist powering towards me, I did not know if it was him, and I didn’t wait to find out!! The rest of the race was pretty flat with one last hill (that we came down on the way around), which again I came up fine. It was then time to get the hammer down and push!!!

I came into T2 having completed the bike in 1:05 (PB for that course, as the week before I did 1:04, but actually took a wrong turning which shortened the route, so again, very happy). I racked my bike and donned my trainers for the last time, helmet off, sip of water, turn around and run…………………………Andrew was there at the dismount line, I then heard ‘You better run Crabtree!!’.

So I did! I was cramping slightly so thought I would wait for him and finish together, he told me to get going, which knowing Andrew I think meant either you run or I will catch you and whoop your ass!!

Anyway T2 was 1:14, bit too long for my liking. Less than 1km into the run and I started to get cramps in my calves, obviously due to the lack of brick sessions completed. After 1km the cramps disappeared, and I was into a nice rhythm, I dare not stop in case he passed me (he has not run in months but was keeping up with me). I was heading to the 2km mark and in the distance I saw an athlete who I always aim to beat, but so far never have, that was it, my mind-set switched from ‘I am cramping so wait for Andrew, to, I have to beat this guy’. I did not push too hard as I knew there was still 2.5km to go. I was maintaining 4:20-4:30/km pace, and finally caught up with him at the turn around 2.5km point. On the way back I passed Andrew, and he said ‘you know what you have to do’, immediately I knew what he meant as we always talk about this situation. Anyway, after 2.8km I passed him, his breathing was laboured and he was shuffling, but quickly shuffling, my breathing had settled and I was running a faster second half of the 5km run, I pushed on and managed to keep below 4:25/km, and came over the line in 23:08, which I was pleased with due to the lack of race specific training. My finishing time was 1:51, not bad for my first duathlon.

I waited for Andrew and to my amazement he was not far behind; he came in 1:53.

The 2mins advantage from run 1, was cut after his fast bike split, luckily I had 1:10 on him in the second run. But nevertheless he had an awesome race!

I was pleased with 38^th place and Andrew in 48^th place, not bad for 4 days training between us!

Andrew then headed home to enjoy his birthday, and I headed to work for a 1pm-9pm shift. I had been up since 5am, so thought I would be pooped, but, finishing a race gives you a great buzz and I felt great all day!

Overall I’m very pleased with my race, especially my first run and bike, however, 6months until Ironman Wales and 3months until Bala Half Ironman, I need to get serious, and make the most of everyday!

Don’t forget, please sponsor me at http://www.bmycharity.com/RobCrabtree, as I am raising money for the Help for Heroes foundation! 

Also follow me on Twitter @Trirob249.

Thank you for your support and reading my blog.

Happy training everyone J

Please Sponsor me to raise £££ for Help for Heroes

I have always felt very strongly about the work that 'HELP FOR HEROES' do for our wounded and injured service men and women of our Armed Forces. These people are in need of help and often go to extreme lengths, despite their injuries, to raise money for others, they are truly inspirational!!

I want to raise as much money as I can for this fantastic charity by completing Ironman Wales in September 2012. It has always been a personal goal to complete an Ironman, now I have even more motivation to succeed.

Please donate as much as you can afford via my fundraising page, every penny you give goes directly to H4H! Please also follow on twitter @HelpforHeroes.

http://www.bmycharity.com/RobCrabtree

I now have even more motivation to get out and train, I am no longer doing this race for my own personal gain, im doing it for every single injured and wounded service man or woman of our Armed Forces.

http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE donate! If you would like wristbands or badges I will have some down at the Dragon Health Club.........so show your support and pick one up for a good cause!

Thank you all for your support, and thank you from Help for Heroes also!

Llanelli Half Marathon race report 2012

Well, not the best start to my day for the Llanelli Half Marathon. Agreed to meet my mate and gym member Gareth (aka Geoff) at Llanelli for say 8:00am.

Had a good night’s sleep, woke up at 6:15am (alarm due at 6:45am), quick visit to the loo and back to bed! Nice and warm!! I could hear the rain on the roof outside L

So, my alarm sounded at 6:45amand I clicked the button, and just lay there…………………..then had a text off a work colleague and friend James who was also racing saying ‘’good luck for today’’, I thought ‘’wow hes up early’’, or so I thought, text received at 7:20am!!!! Arrrrrrgggggghhhhhh panic!!!!! Luckily all my clothes and kit was set out neatly from the night before (cheers OCD) so all I needed was breakfast. I swear by porridge for any endurance activities, on any normal day I have Weetabix and a shake, but porridge really fills me up, even though I sometimes find it very difficult to eat, especially first thing in the morning.

Anyway, I wolfed my porridge and a GO gel and headed out the door, arrived at Llanelli at 8.10am with a long tailback leading down the road, knowing the area quite well, I found a nice little parking space while everyone else sat in the huge tailback to get in festival fields. I went and found Geoff and sat in his car until the start, where we bumped in to James and his girlfriend.

Approximately 9:00am start does not mean 9:00am start, instead we waited for every single person in the 2,500 field to make a toilet break, only fair I suppose. Anyway after a while of standing in the freezing cold (there was some tough cookies out today in vests and short shorts!!), we were off!! And once again (basically every single race) I started way too far back and was held up for a good 500m, lost patience and started bombing down the grass at the side of the coastal path to make up lost ground.

It was still very cold and took me about 3km tow arm up and find a nice rhythm. Every time I looked at the Garmin forerunner I was within 4:15-4:30/km, very pleasing stuff, but did not want to burn out. Pretty boring stuff then really until about 7km, when my hip flexor niggle started to arise, however, whereas in training it makes me stop and stretch quite frequently, there is something about a race scenario that your mind tells your body to ‘’toughen up and stick it out’’. After about 2km I had completely forgotten about it. Hit the 10km mark at about 45:00, I was keeping a nice pace and feeling stronger than ever. Hit more than 13km in 60:00, I was very pleased but very aware that my training runs are never this fast and was afraid of ‘blowing up’ too early.

I carried on passing a lot of people, however getting past frequently myself. After 14km I took another GO gel, gave me a bit of a boost actually, only ever used these in triathlons or on the bike, not in running alone. We then passed the finish line, which was a bit demoralising and a kick in the teeth, just the organisers testing our mental toughness, saying ‘’ha-ha another 7km to go, carry on’’.

We then proceeded pass Llanelli Dock and down the coast roads pathway towards Pentre-nicklaus Village and around a corner…………or 4, it was never ending! I could see people turning around but it was not people turning around, it was more going and coming around corners. In truth I think there were only 3 corners, anyway, onward!! 

I hit the 16-17km mark and felt great, thoughts of a 1:30-1:32 were starting to creep into my thoughts, then, after the turn around point, HEADWIND!!!!! It was horrendous and soul destroying! You’ll see from my times and pace that I was now probably averaging about 5:00-5:10/km, way too slow!! It seemed to take me an age to reach the dock again, with 1km to go I told my legs to push on, with no response! That headwind had taken its toll and sapped my legs; anyway I carried on and made a conscious effort to pick up the pace in the last 500m, and up the little hill (that didnt feel so little) by sandy water park, down the other side and across the line in 1:37. Gutted!! After such a good start and such a good feel, I missed my minimum target by 2minutes. I think even without the headwind sapping my strength I would probably have been closer to 1:35 than 1:33. 

But I am looking at today’s race as ‘miles in the legs’, after all, today’s race was not my A race, I’ve still got Bala Half Ironman left and of course, Ironman Wales, with a few sportives thrown in.

Here is the link to GPS data:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/154899959

At the finish line while I was waiting, Matthew Jones (ex Wales football international and Leeds United player) crossed the line, having ran the race in the memory of Gary Speed, he wore a lovely vest top with a few pictures of Gary Speed on the rear flanked by the Wales Football Association’s logo. I gave him my congratulations and off he went, looking very proud that he had done this in memory of his close friend.

And that concludes my rather boring and excuse filled race report from the Llanelli Half Marathon 2012. Congratulations to Geoff who clocked an outstanding time as well!!

More blog updates will follow in the coming weeks, including updates on how you can sponsor me for Ironman Wales, I am hoping to raise as much as I can for the ‘Help for Heroes’ foundation. 

Introduction

Well, after 2 seasons in Triathlon, and finally entering THE BIG ONE (Ironman Wales 2012), I have decided to set up a blog, so my mass of followers (at least 20 on twitter alone:-) can keep up to date with my rather boring lifestyle and traing regime. Im not this boring in real life honestly!
A little bit about me:
I am 26 years old and am the Deputy Club Manager at the Dragon Hotel Health&Fitness club in Swansea (@dragonhealth). I have been here for over 5 years. In 2007 I graduated from Swansea University with a  degree in Sports Science.
Since the age of 10 I have played football for local teams including Cwm Albion Colts, Llanelli AFC and Pontardawe AFC.
However, due to time constraints with University, work and injury, I decided to not carry on with my glittering (ha-ha) football career.
Keeping fit has always been something I have done, more so since getting a job in the fitness industry, even though I have always craved something a little more interesting, exciting and challenging!
Then one day i decided to buy a road bike to commute to and from work (as my colleague and firend Andrew had starting to get into cycling), and then decided id have a bash at a local sprint triathlon (Llanelli Sprint). However I have a DNF next to my name due to a puncture (Andrew came to collect me and my bike from Burryport).
Anyway, long story short, I have done several sprint distance triathlons and a Half Ironman race last year (1.2mile swim, 56mile bike, 13.1mile run) and came in 6hrs 28mins.
And the triathlon bug has been caught! I have been training hard (ish) now for over a year and have decided to enter Ironman Wales in September (always been in the back of my head since seeing some sort of TV clip when I was a child, and the thought of being called an Ironman!!). I have also entered for Bala Half Ironman up in North Wales in June as ideal preparation. I will complete as many cycling sportives as I can with Andrew, who, being a far better cyclist, will drag me around and help me get the miles in my legs!

So, ill try not to bore you with too many boring stories about training etc, but this is my journey to Ironman Wales!!
Thanks for reading :)
You cana lso follow me on Twitter @Trirob249