Hi all,
I`m sorry I know I have been bad at uploading things here for the last few months. I have just been relly busy.
I am in Japan at present. I am supposed to be working in a lab here but there is less to do than I thought so I am taking the chance to job hunt and catch up on other non-work stuff.
So the next race I have to tell you about is the longest I have ever done. The UK Ironman 70.3 triathlon. This is half ironman distance so a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and then a half marathon. It was over tough ground in Somerset and the swim had to be done in an hour, the bike had to be done in 4.5 hours, as did the run.
I was pretty nervous before this race I can tell you. I was not sure I would be able to do it and seriously considered pulling out. In the end I didn`t though. I thought it was worth at least giving it a go. I`m very glad I did as I had quite a good time. The weather was nice and although I only just made the cut off times for the swim and bike sections I was OK on the run. The bike section was particularly hard, very hilly and a hell of a long way. I didn`t know when I booked in to do it but apparently the UK Ironman 70.3 is the toughest in the world! It took me 7 hours 40 minutes in all. I would have been a bit quicker but I had a bit of a toilet emergency after eating nothing but energy gels and bananas for 7 hours. It`s quite tricky to get out of a tri suit fast in a portaloo and answer the call of nature while outside all you can hear is people shouting "you can do it" as they cheer there friends and family round. As usualy I was at the race by myself so noone to cheer me on but I did meet a couple of nice people at the B and B, both students and they both beat me but what the hey I am a lot older and on a vegan diet.
Overall not a bad experience, there is nothing like doing a 56 mile bike ride and then realaising that you still have a half marathon to run. Still it was a very well organised race and it ran like clockwork. So although I was not the fastest round I was not the slowest and I did not get pulled out of the race like some did. I would do this again and am even wondering if I could do a full Ironman.
Can I ask how fit you were before you commited to this? I really want to do a half ironman but can't really afford to do one abroad and am a bit scared about the UK one because of it being the most challenging, apparently, and also... I wouldn't want to do it if I was going to be pulled out for being too slow! I have no idea how to guage it. I'd be grateful of any tips! Thank you, x
ReplyDeleteI was marathon fit and training at least twice a day 4-5 times a week with a long run on Sunday's. I was scared about the UK one but if I can manage it I am sure you could to. There are plenty of half Ironman distance triathlons in the UK that are on flatter ground and probably will not have the time limits. See http://www.tri247.com/events.html or triathlon 220 magazine for listings.
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