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