Castle Howard - The Gauntlet (70.3)

This was my third season with a dual purpose; the first half having a duathlon focus (until May - GB age-group), with the second half focusing on racing over the half ironman distance. Having raced over this distance both here and in Richmond (North Yorkshire) I decided that I would go with racing at Castle Howard again. Its such and iconic backdrop and I feel that the somewhat hilly course suites me well. 

Having recently finished 5th at a local Olympic distance triathlon and also knocking 2 minutes off my half marathon PB the month earlier, I knew I was going into this race in great shape and full of confidence.  

I was up nice and early on race day to go through my usual pre-race breakfast ritual, before loading up the car and heading off, ensuring I arrived at Castle Howard an hour before the start of the race, giving me plenty of time to get sorted. After registering and picking up my race pack, I racked my bike, sorted out my trainers before having a couple of practice run through's, familiarising myself with both the bike and run exits. This was timed to perfection as the marshals were now calling us down for the pre-race briefing, lake-side. So I climbed waist high into my wetsuit, grabbed my goggles and swim cap before heading down.  

Once the pre-race brief was over we were then given time to get into the lake and warm up. We were able to get a good five minute warm-up done before the 2-minute warning. I positioned myself as close to the front as possible, with the aim of drafting some of the slightly faster swimmers. The horn went and we were off!! The first 200 m was a real bun fight, making it hard to settle into a rhythm, and even after the next buoy at about 400 m it was still rather congested, especially rounding the furthest buoy at 450 m (before heading back to the start/finish). After another 100 m I was able to settle into a nice swim rhythm and was well positioned in the second group of swimmers, getting a bit of a draft! Rounding the start/finish buoy the group was a little more spread. The second lap of the swim was pretty non-eventful so, I was able to keep focusing on my stroke and draft fellow athletes as best as possible. After exiting the water, I heard Sally shout my swim time of just over 30-minutes which I was super happy with. The run to transition was easily 500 m, with most of that uphill, I ran as quickly as possible without going to deep into the red, passing a few athletes en route. Entering T1 my wetsuit was down by my waist so I was all set for a swift transition. I quickly stepped out of my wetsuit and grabbed my bike, before making inroads into the 90 km bike.  

Exiting the water with my swim group 

The bike course can best be described as tough, with plenty of rolling hills. The course consisted of 2-laps of 45 km incorporating Castle Howard and the surrounding Howardian hills. I am a regular at my local tri club (Barracuda) duathlon series' and racing these served me well, as the bike course has a similar elevation profile, yet the distance is significantly shorter. I felt really strong on the bike and was able to stick to my plans for the first lap, progressing through the field nicely. The second lap things got a bit trickier as there were also athletes racing in the Olympic distance race were now also on the bike course and it was hard not to try and race them and just stick to my race plan. I kept on track of my hydration and nutrition and as I approached the aid station I discarded an empty bottle ready for a refuel. From then on in, it was time for me to resume the aero position, maintaining the threshold effort back to the castle grounds. I completed the bike course in just under 2:45 hrs. On the Castle approach road, I took my feet out of my tri-shoes, resting them on top, ready to jump of by the dismount line, all ready to enter T2. 

Getting ready to dismount for T2! 

The run course was two laps of a 10.5 km multi-terrain loop, consisting mainly of gravel and woodland paths. This made the going a harder than tarmac and was even more tricky as it was quite wet and slippery as a result of the rain in the week leading up to the race. The route had a similar elevation profile to the bike with a few long drags and short steep climbs. One of my main strengths is running off the bike, so I was quickly into my stride. I think it helped me coming into T2, with a fellow athlete (first lady and yes she beat me) so I was keen to keep with her to start with, however after ~3 km she pulled away from me. I stuck to my plan and pace, knowing that I would still make up some places. Just like the bike, the run course was pretty busy with athletes racing in the standard distance, which made it harder to identify if I were passing direct competition or not. During the first first lap I felt pretty good only slowing down to get some nutrition from the aid stations and when the route went uphill. Once on to the second lap, I started using the km markers to count down the distance to the finish. Through out this loop I started approaching fellow athletes and as I passed a quick glance at their race number told me they were competition. With about 4 km to go I could see a fellow athlete in the distance and had a feeling that he was racing in the half ironman. This was now my goal to catch him and pass him within the next km. This stretch was pretty flat and the surface was good, so I decided to up the pace slightly to reel him in, after about 500 m I passed him and kicked again to ensure if I were to slow slightly in the final few km's he wouldn't catch me. After coming through the final wooded section I could see Sally and she told me my time and at this point I knew I was going to smash my goal of finishing in under 5 hrs. This gave me a massive boost, so I decided to kick on to the finish. All that was left was the final assent and decent of the long, steep hill before the finish, this really sent me in the red but I knew I just had to hang on as it was mainly all downhill from then to the finish. As I descended I could see the finish line, so accelerated to my 5 km race pace. I completed the 21 km in just over 1:33 hrs.  

Final sprint to the finish 

I finished with an overall time of 4:55:16 hrs, which resulted in me coming 9th overall and 3rd in my age-group, my best 70.3 performance to date. I'm still over the moon now with this result. It has certainly cemented in my mind that I'm definitely suited to the 70.3 distance and am already hoping to knock another 10 minutes off my time for next season!!!  

What made this race even nicer was that the "in-laws" came to support me and keep Sally company, whist supporting me. Thanks to Dave for all the photos for this blog.  

Thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil.

Thanks to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears)

Humber Bridge Half

This is probably one of my first seasons (in six years) where I hadn't raced as much, which is a shame as its always good to see the training paying off, especially when you set a new PB. Despite this, the plan for this season was to peak twice. I had already peaked for the European duathlon championships in Soria, Spain (end of April). Since then I've just been in the training grove to peak again for Castle Howard 70.3 (end of July). The Humber Bridge half marathon was my first of two races (running and triathlon) to build me up, to peak for my final "A" race of the season (Castle Howard). 

In the final week leading up to the half marathon training was going really well and I knew I was going well as a few weeks prior I was only 5-seconds away from a 10 km PB. Added to this on the Tuesday before Sundays race I had just set a new PB in one of my local TT's. All that was left was for me to tick over and taper down, to ensure I was super fresh for the race. 

So it was the morning of the race, I woke up feeling good and started my pre-race breakfast and hydration ritual. After about an hour of chilling it was time for me to head to the race, allowing plenty of time, as with over 2000 runners the car parking situation can get a bit crazy. Fortunately, I got there with plenty of time and took a gentle jog to the start/finish area before starting my tried and tested pre-race warm-up routine and all important final caffeine boost!!! With about 10-minutes to go the race organizers called us to the start line, I positioned myself close to the front, as I was confident of a really good race, so didn't want to get held up by the fun runners!   

The klaxon sounded and we where off! I was careful to pace the first few km's as I knew that could make or break my race, had a quick glimpse of my watch and noticed I was pacing it perfectly, hovering around 4:00 min/km. Once through Hessle, I turned to approach the bridge, which was into a head wind. This is where some slight tactics pay off, I was in a group of four runners, so just tucked in behind them, sheltering from the wind (hopefully saving a bit of energy). Once across the bridge the wind died down, so that was my cue to open up a bit and break free from the small group. Once passing the water station, the route then dropped into Barton and I was able to use the slight downhill to pick up the pace.  

The next main section of the race took me through Barton market place and out though the housing and industrial parts to Barton. This section which was was deadpan flat, so I was able to kick again and try and hold a fast, threshold pace. I felt really really strong and fit and when looking at my watch could see that I was going really well too (~3:50 min/km). After running on my own for a good few km's I now started catching some of the runners ahead of me, which really helped give me a confidence boost! 

The next stretch of road took us under the Humber bridge, so I knew that the infamous "Cardiac Hill" was fast approaching. A few weeks prior, in training I ran part of this route which incorporated this hill. This helped re-familiarise myself with the elevation profile so I knew exactly when and where to conserve my effort etc. The hill is in four distinct parts; a gradual rise, false flat, steep rise and the another false flat section before turning left back for the bridge. During the first section I knocked off the pace slightly but not too much as I knew I was on for a good time. Then I tried to accelerate slight during the next flatter section. The next section is where the hill really kicks up, so I made sure I knocked off the pace a little more as I didn't want to go too deep into the "red" as I knew this could ruin my race. There was some good support out during this section, which really helped give me an extra boost and to help put the pain out of my mind. During the final false flat section there was a small bit of respite along the slip road. Once I crested the climb I knew most of the final few km's were either downhill or flat before the bridge. I kept on pushing as was able to pass a few more runners. I still felt in pretty good shape at this point. 

Once on to the bridge I knew there was less than 3 km to go. I had one last glimpse at my watch and it was at this point I knew I was on for a PB!! The first half of the bridge was uphill but I could see a runner ahead of me and that was my goal, to pass him. We had the wind behind us so I was able to really give it everything knowing that I was getting pushed along. Once off the bridge, I was now running side-by-side to the runner I spotted and I started to feel confident I would beat him. The last  km was lined with supporters, so this gave me the final little boost I needed. This was my cue to give it everything and soon breezed past this runner. As I turned left for the final time before the finish line, I had a quick look over my shoulder and notice that I had put about 100 m into him so wouldn't be caught. I could now see the clock over the finish line and saw it was at 1h:24, which I couldn't believe!! 

The final kick to the finish (left him for dust 😉) 

I finished in 1:24:55, which I was buzzing about as I had smashed by PB by over 2-minutes. I came in the top 25 out of a field of ~2000 runners, so again buzzing with that!!  

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil and to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Picture courtesy of http://www.humber-half.org.uk/

Humber Bridge half marathon

Following a week long holiday to Malta where Sally and I traveled out to celebrate one of my closest friends wedding. The Humber Bridge half marathon was my first race back after Driffield sprint triathlon earlier in May. This trip to Malta was brilliant as it was great to celebrate Nathen's big day with him and all his family and friends, but it also allowed me to have a short break from training, which was nice especially as I had a tough few months in the build up to the European Championships back in April. 

After a strong result in last years Humber Bridge half marathon (1:27), which was later followed up by a solid race at Castle Howard 70.3 triathlon I was keen to race the Humber Half again. This had the added bonus of falling nicely into my training schedule; 2-weeks before an Olympic distance triathlon, which was serving as a warm up race for my final "A" race of the season a further 2-weeks later the Cleaveland Steelman triathlon (70.3). 

In the final week leading up to the half marathon training was going really well and I was full of confidence as I placed highly and was close to a PB in one of my local TT's on the Tuesday evening. This was followed by a structured interval run on Wednesday before tapering down until Sundays race. In the last few days leading up to the race I checked out the route map so I could familiarize myself with the aid stations, prepped my City of Hull A.C. race kit so on race day I was ready to rock! 

So it was the morning of the race, I woke up feeling good and started to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and ate my pre-race breakfast and then headed to the race venue. Parking was crazy this year with cars being abandoned all over the approach road as near by car parks were full, so I saw a spot and joined in on the action! With about 30-minutes to go I started my warm-up, keeping my eyes pealed for one of my mates Rob. The night before we'd been texting each other and agreed to pace the first few miles together. I couldn't find him among 2000+ field of runners, so just continued doing my thing. As the race organizers called us to the start line we met up and positioned ourselves close to the front, so we didn't get held up by the fun runners!   

The race organizers held us at the start line before giving us a count down. The klaxon sounded (courtesy of Tommy Coyle & Miss Hull, what a claim to fame) and we where off! Rob and I pace the first few miles perfectly through Hessle and as we turned to approach the bridge Rob told me he was feeling super strong so bridged across to the next group of runners. I continued at my pace and pretty much ran solo across the bridge and along the slip road and into Barton, where the first water station was. There were plenty of water stations en route, which was good as it was quite a warm day and I defiantly needed them. Once I dropped into Barton I was then able to pick up the pace and started to make inroads on those athletes who were ahead of me.

My "Blue Steel" look, going through Barton. 

The route then took me through Barton market place, where I was able to kick on a bit faster, before heading out onto the only long stretch of flat road. This stretch of road took us under the Humber bridge, so I knew (along with the mile markers) that we were fast approaching the most feared and infamous part of the race the mile long stretch up "Cardiac Hill". I made sure I knocked off the pace a little for this section, careful not to go too deep into the "red" as I was warned this could make or break your race. I got to the top of the hill, feeling as good as to be expected. I took a left turn and the started the final stretch back to the finish. There was a small bit of respite along the slip road, which was down hill, before I started crossing the bridge for the final time. The first half of the bridge was uphill but i could see a runner ahead of me and that was my aim to pass him, which I did. It was now downhill and full gas to the finish line. Pretty much the whole race there were people out supporting, but the final 1/2 mile the supporters were out in force, which gave me that added boost all the way to the finish!  

I finished in a respectable time of 1:28, slightly slower than the year prior, but I was told by Derek one of the running club coaches that it was slow day, so I wasn't too disjointedness as I couldn't have given any more. I came in the top 50 out of a field of ~2000 runners, so again buzzing with that!!  

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil and to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Picture courtesy of http://www.humber-half.org.uk/

Driffield Sprint Triathlon

After the last 6 months of focusing on getting into shape for the European Duathlon Championships (Kalkar) it was about time my focus shifted back to triathlon. So my traithlon season opener was going to be the Driffield sprint triathlon, a pool based sprint triathlon consisting of a; 400 m swim, 18 km bike and a 5 km run. This race is always on my radar as its both a great locally organised race and it fits perfectly into my build up for Nottingham sprint triathlon (normally a GB qualifier). This year however I wasn't using it to prepare me for Nottingham as its the same weekend and one of my best friends wedding in Malta (which I'm going to). 

Triathlon's are infamous for early starts, however being a pool based tri your start time is dictated by your swim time, thus the faster you are the later you start. I was starting in the the penultimate wave, which was great as it meant I had time in the morning to chill and get in the grove. Sally and I set of with  ~90 minutes before the start of my wave, so after factoring in travel time this meant I would have over an hour to register, rack my bike and set up transition before blast off! 

The swim was very well organised as always with people counting lengths for you. There were two others in my lane and wave, we were allowed in a bit early so we could have a quick warm up. Just before the start I we all were discussing our swim times, we were all of a similar speed and as i was the last in our wave I had it in my head that I would justdraft off them! :-). I had a really good swim, swimming the quickest I have and was certainly within myself, so feel super happy and confident with my swim at the moment. I was quickly out of the pool and into T1, which was drilled and I was soon out and onto the bike. 

Once onto the bike course this was time for me to put some serious power down and smash the course. As part of my triathlon training I race in a local TT league so I knew I would be in good shape for this part of the race. The first half of the bike course is a little lumpy and into a headwind, which made things tough going. Once out of the wind it was eyeballs out, keeping as aero as possible and smash the biggest gear I could, whist keeping a high cadence. I was able to up my speed even further once on the final push to home as the course took us along a main "A" road! On the approach to T2 it was time to take my feet out of my tri-shoes, before jumping off my bike at the "dismount line" before heading into T2.  

After a good T2, I was quickly into the first of three laps. The first lap seemed pretty tough and it took me while to get into my stride. This year they had slightly changed the run route, through the school and leisure centre, but it was a definite improvement. Once onto the second lap I was feeling really good and was now passing other competitors with ease, my pace was winding up nicely. Now on to the third and final lap it was time for me to start planning when I would kick for the finish, I decided it would be once taking the final turn through the school, which would leave me about 400 m to hang on. With about 150 m to go I could hear Sally cheering me on and that gave the final boost I needed to finish, at full gas! 

I finished joint 9th in a time of 59 minutes and 30 seconds and 2nd in my age-group. i'm buzzing with that as its a new PB over that course.  

As always a massive thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil, as well as my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears). Now on to Malta for to celebrate Nathen and Natalie's wedding. 

Seriously focused and time to go full gas for the final lap!! Thanks for the picture Freebird events. 

Castle Howard Mid-Distance Triathlon

Ever since I started racing triathlons I have predominantly focused on racing over the sprint distance. However, this season I decided to up the distance and race over the half Ironman distance (1.9km swim, 90km cycle & 21km run). This was a well educated decision that I made in consultation with my coach Ian. I have achieved success in the shorter format, qualifying to represent and representing GB in my age-group. However we decided that if I played to my strengths then the 70.3 distance would be my distance. With that in mind at the start of the season I entered Castle Howard Mid-Distance triathlon. I'd raced at Castle Howard before albeit over a shorter distance however I did win my age-group, so this place holds some fond memories for me.

I was going into this race full of confidence as a few weeks prior I raced really well at the Humber Half Marathon, so knew I was in good shape. The race started at 8am, so this meant a nice and early 5am wake up call!! As Castle Howard isn't that far from my house I opted to drive to the race in the morning. As you can imagine driving at 6am on a Sunday the roads were free from traffic so we got to Castle Howard in plenty of time. 

Castle Howard looking stunning in the morning mist. 

Once I sorted and positioned my bike and trainers just how I like it in transition I then climbed waist high into my wetsuit before walking down the hill (which we have to run up for T1) to the lake for the pre-race briefing and swim start. Once the pre-race brief was over we were then given time to get into the lake and warm up. We were then given a 2 minute warning so I positioned myself close to the front giving be a good chance to draft some slightly faster swimmers than me a hopefully get into some clear water pretty early on. The horn went and we were off!! I was able to quickly settle into a nice swim rhythm which makes a nice change for me as during a sprint triathlon in carnage! The swim route was 2-laps of an out and back format with a dog leg at the end of the lap and exit of the swim. This made the most direct line rather congested for the first 400m but after that the field soon spread out. I felt like I paced the swim well went I came out of the water. After exiting the water, I ran as quickly as possible the 500m into T1, however this was easier said than done as approximately 400m of this was up hill so that got you grasping for oxygen! I then quickly removed my wetsuit and grabbed my bike, before making inroads into the 90km bike and picking off fellow athletes. 

The bike course can best be described as tough and I would go as far as to say the hardest bike course I have ridden!! The course consisted of 2-laps of 45km of Castle Howard and the surrounding Howardian hills. I've been regularly in my local tri club (Barracuda) duathlon series' where the bike course has a similar profile, however significantly shorter. In the build up to this I also trained over similar terrain so I was feeling confident that providing I kept to my nutrition plan I would be able to put in a solid and competitive bike leg. My T1 was quick and soon I was out of the castle grounds and onto the open roads. I had two things I had to keep in the back of my head; 1) maintain a sustainable effort and not to race full gas like I'd do in the shorter races and 2) try as best as possible to stick to my nutrition plan, which I hoped would keep fueled for the bike course and onto the run. I felt really strong on the bike and was able to stick to my plans for the first lap. The second lap things got a bit trickier as athletes racing in the Olympic distance race were now also on the bike course. I just kept saying to myself don't get too carried away chasing these athletes down as I still had a half marathon to go. There was only one bottle/feed station per lap and once I got onto the second lap this feed station couldn't come quick enough as I was getting significantly low on fluid. As I approached this section, I discarded one of my empty bottles, sat up and stuck my hand out to grab a new bottle, only to drop it, SHIT!! Fortunately, there was another opportunity to get another bottle and this time I held on to it. From then on it was time for me to resume the aero position on the tri-bars and continue to maintain that threshold effort back to the castle grounds. I completed the bike course in just over 2:45 hrs and as I approached T2 I took my feet out of my tri-shoes and rested them on top before dismounting and running into T2. 

The run course was a toughie and consisted two laps of just over 10km on a mixture of surfaces ranging from compacted gravel (farm track stylee) to through fields, footpaths and Tarmac. The route had a similar elevation profile to the bike with a few long drags and short steep climbs. Getting on the run after racing over 90km was a completely new experience for me so I aired on the side of caution for the first 5km or so, not that my legs could go that much faster to start with! Once I settled into the run I felt surprising good and was able to maintain a sustainable pace only slowing down to get some nutrition from the aid stations and when the route went uphill. Again the course was full of athletes racing in the shorted distance event, but this time I was without changing my speed and effort, overtaking these runners. Just before the loop to start the second lap there was a nasty climb and decent, which really took me into the red! My confidence was now beginning to grow as I recovered pretty quickly after this effort and felt rather strong so decided to kick on for the final lap. Throughout this lap the km markers were coming thick and fast and was soon approaching the final climb before the finish, so I upped the ante for the final km. This time the hill really sent me in the red but I knew I just had to hang on as it was all downhill from then to the finish. As I descended I could see the finish line fast approaching so kicked again to the finish. I completed the 21km in just over 1:37 hrs, which I was ecstatic about as it was only 10 mins slower that the 1/2 marathon time I did a few weeks earlier. 

Heading to the finish after the final decent (hill in background) 

I finished with an overall time of 5:09:41, which resulted in me coming 16th overall and 12th senior male. I'm still over the moon and buzzing with this result even now as I write this. It has certainly cemented in my mind that I'm definitely suited to the 70.3 distance. Moreover I can't wait for next season, when hopefully I will get my Saturdays back thus dedicating more time to train, hopefully resulting in some top 10's and higher. 

Being the social butterfly that Sally and I are with weddings and our holiday to Mexico coming up, late August, this meant that this was my last triathlon of the season. Fortunately being involved in my local cycling clubs TT series I'll still be able to get my racing fix until the end of September.

Thanks to my sponsors Meridian Foods and Coconoil.

Thanks to my coach Ian Mayhew (Gears & Tears)