The outlaw half

So this weekend sees my first race in almost a year since Wimbleball - The outlaw half

New to this year a half iron distance from their very popular full outlaw which coincidentally falls on the same day as Frankfurt.

The course looks good with a 1.2 mile 1 lap swim followed by a 1 lap 56 mile bike ride through the Nottingham countryside then a 2 lap half marathon.

As the event will be running alongside smaller distance triathlons they have opted for transitions by the bike so it wont be a perfect practice for Frankfurt but i`ll have to make do with my box.

This is a great opportunity to test out my training over the past 5 months or so and see how I get on in regards to pacing and nutrition.

I have done barely any swimming in the past 6 weeks (once I think) so not sure a good time will be on the cards, I need to make sure my wetsuit is comfortable also as the past couple of times Ive put it on I think Ive rushed it making it seem tight under the arms.

The bike I am looking forward to, having done 112 miles last weekend the distance is not an issue, its more how shall I pace it as to get the best for Frankfurt? I think steady and IM race pace would be best although I think it will be tough to reign myself in once I get out there, part of me does think it would be beneficial to push harder on the bike to mimic 112 feeling when I start running but I will just have to see how I go.

I have been doing a fair bit of run/waling over the past few weeks and am starting to really get into it, 9 min run / 1 min walk gives my knees a good rest before the next segment, this allows me to break the run down into smaller chunks which physiologically Im sure will be a big advantage in the late race stages. I`m surprised how much a run/walk does not effect the run time, over a gentle paced 10k its only 6 minutes (if I stopped completely) but I`m walking (fast) for the minute so the losses are minimal.

The predictions:

Its seems so strange that last year I training 6 months for this distance and it was my main A race of the year, this year I treat this as a dummy run so I will not be pushing for any particular time especially on the run as to ensure my knees are kept uninjured.

Swim - Happy with under 40mins as lack of swimming
Bike - The course looks reasonably flattish so I am hoping for 3/3:15 or so
Run - Run/Walk the whole way (no exceptions) @ around 9:45/10min mile pace @ 9min run / 1min walk so should bring me out around 2:10

5mins each transition

Anywhere around 6 hours would be great.

I did 6:43 at Wimbleball last year which I went into with no pacing strategy or idea on times, it was very much do it on the day.

I`m hoping this race will be a little more structured and organized by myself to get me ready for the big one in a little over 5 weeks

Race report to follow

The long weekend

So with race day a little under 6 weeks away now the training is really cranking up for the final 4 weeks before my taper kicks in and I bring back the mileage and recover ready for race day.

Last weeks training looked like this

Tuesday - 8.3mile run/walk (with 10min run / 1 min walk)
Wednesday - 50mile ride
Thursday / Friday (off preparing for weekend)
Saturday - 112 Mile (IM distance) + short run straight off the bike
Sunday AM- 10mile run/walk (with 9min run / 1 min walk)
Sunday PM - 25 mile recovery ride.

That was 14.5 hours training last week and I really should have gone to the pool or lake to keep my swimming going but am going to ensure I swim at least once a week from here on out as although my swimming is good I want to get out feeling half decent ready for the bike.

The 112 Mile ride on Saturday was a huge milestone in all my training, when I think back to Feb 2012 when I went out I struggled to cover 12 miles, now completing almost 10 times that. The course I took was somewhat as a obstacle that I needed to overcome, the route took me down to parents by the sea, The last time I did this route (march 2013) I found myself really struggling and had to rest multiple times on the trip and my legs were very very sore when arriving. It just goes to show that training really does pay off as this time round not only did I do the 68mile trip I also added on an extra 44miles for good measure cover 3,500 ft on elevation in the process.

I did around 50miles before meeting my mate Stu in Billericay, we then did around 35miles around the countryside before he went back and I continued on solo to reach my 112 target. The last 15 or so miles were tough but come race day ill know that is coming, I managed to average 16.8mph with 80 odd miles of that riding solo with a heavy backpack on the whole way, still more work to do but knowing the distance is in the legs is a huge boost ahead of Frankfurt in 6 weeks.

On Sunday morning the 10mile run/walk was another big milestone for me, with all injuries and setbacks over the past months to get to 10miles without any pain or niggles is great. The run/walk strategy for 9min run / 1 min walk seemed to be the best combination and found myself comfortably maintaining around 9:45 min pace which seems good to getting me along without hurting myself.

Heres a pic from my sat AM ride