Let The Competition Begin

We've set ourselves a few small goals this year. We need to - ok, I need to. If I don't have a deadline, I don't get the work done. If it's cold or rainy, I'm likely going to be found inside on the couch rather than on the bike. I'm usually too tired anyway. To most people I know that sounds pretty reasonable, but that doesn't win races.

On to the goals. Last year we had only one, albeit a fairly substantial one. This year, we'll do another tour, but probably in November and it probably won't contain as many miles in each day, allowing for more of a holiday feel to it instead of simply being a challenge.

This year we're doing small but consistent goals. Duathlons, 10k's, half marathons, sportives, and regular club runs with the local cycling clubs. Maybe a time trial for me and maybe a race if I feel up to it.

Today we just got back from Windsor where we both got a little competition under our belts. Taking place at Dorney Lake, which will host the rowing, etc for the 2012 Olympics, they host a winter duathlon/triathlon/10k/5k series from January and running into summer, and today Myra did the duathlon while I did the run. The site is still in development, but it's already a good layout.

Myra has been a little more regular with the running and somewhat consistent with the cycling, apart from the unusual spell of actual winter that we had in December, so she was decently prepared for what lay ahead of her. Because this was our first try at something like this, we approached cautiously. Entered in the sprint category, she had a 2.5k run, 12k bike, and 2.5k run to do. All very doable without much worry for Myra, but never attempted back to back and in the heat of competition (some heat in the air would have been welcome, but 3ºC isn't bad for January).

Myra tucket in at the back of the pack and re-appeared much further up in the pecking order. Coming into the first transition like a champ, she dumped the shoes, donned the spd's and peddled off with a smile, looking strong. The run was in and out, and the cycle was 4 loops, so I ran over to the turnaround point to keep an eye on her. Apart from the guys on Cervelo's running discs at the rear and aero helmets, she passed loads of people. One woman tried to get past but Myra put the hammer down and put some distance back between them.

The second transition was good except she forgot to take off her helmet, had to return back to trasition after a marshal sent her back, and the woman who tried to pass Myra on the bike snuck by as a result. The second run was in good time but she got a cramp in her side, ran out of steam, and finished just behind her nemesis, finishing fourth in her class, and beating half of the men in the same category. Not bad for a first try.

We had a few hours to kill and then it was my turn. It has to be said that I haven't been abe to run for a couple of months. I had entered in the 10k run, but last week decided to go down to the 5k, as I have been out with a muscle strain behind my knee and then my ankles packed it in for some strange reason. Even so, I felt pretty confident that I could manage 5k.

I get a little tense before an event and I was stood around all morning being fairly cold, so I was far from relaxed coming into it. My little warm up jog revealed how tired I was. Things weren't looking good. I decided to run mid-pack and my target time was maybe 27-30 minutes, so I was just out to get a relatively decent result. 5k isn't anything worth getting to excited about anyway! I did what I planned on doing, but ended up sucking wind half way through, felt pretty low on energy (poor diet and lack of hydration for the morning didn't help), plus my calves did their usual and felt mighty strained. Not how I had hoped to feel, but I kept up the pace I had set out with. Passed a few people and got passed by a few others, so somewhere around 2/3rd's of the way through the pack is where I stayed.

My secret weapon, though, was always going to be a sprint to the finish line, passing everyone in sight! I had to slow a bit with 600m to go, but turned on the jets with what little fuel I had left (felt like puking or passing out or something else less dignifying by the end of the sprint, but Myra said I made it look easy - she's so nice) and ended up turning in a 25 minute time. Better than I had hoped. We didn't stick around to wait for the official results, so I'll find those out tomorrow, maybe.

All in all, a good day out. The next race is in February, and we'll both do the duathlon, as it didn't require much assistance (watching the bike, holding stuff, etc). I can't say I'm a massive fan of running, so I'm looking forward to getting on the bike. Myra's looking for a podium and I have no idea what to expect... probably just not to blow up on the run...