Leatherhead duathlon - last event of my 2014 season.

My 2014 season is done.
The leatherhead duathlon on Sunday 19/10/14 being my last event. Super fun but I'm loving the fact that I'm in week two of my fortnight of complete rest :)

Will start marathon training this weekend.

The BIKE & RUN legs of my Challenge Weymouth Half Ironman Race Report / some musings on my day out in Weymouth and the Dorset countryside :)

And she's off!
Bike leg = 56 miles in 4:31.23 (654th finisher)

I'd read in one of the numerous blogs/articles/websites that i'd been devouring since early 2014 that you shouldn't eat anything for at least 20-30mins after the swim leg to give your stomach a chance to recover from the swim. So i waited for a few miles before i fished my peanut butter and marmite brown roll out of my cycling jersey pocket. Unfortunately i was still coughing up sea and there was a moment when i did think i was going to throw up so mabes the pb&m roll wasn't the best nutritional idea... I managed a couple of mouthfuls and then the half eaten roll got stuffed back in my back pocket :)

Luckily i had a snack box full of energy bars, gummy bears and pretzels along with about 6 gels "masking taped" to my cross bar. I had two 750ml water bottles and 56miles to ride. So i basically rode and ate and show tunes sang my way a round the beautiful Challenge Weymouth bike course. I had plenty to eat, i took extra water at the 3 feed stations plus half a banana at each one and used the facilities at the 1st and last feed station. Honestly, the cycle was lovely. Loads of spectators and because the full IM were doing two laps and i was doing one it meant that i was cycling with lots of other athletes. And OMG, the Dorset countryside is gorgeous and the route was super. We had road management marshals who were stopping the traffic for us and traffic bollards blocking off lanes so we could just swing out onto main roads and round roundabouts without having to worry about cars etc... Great fun. 

There was a horrid crash about 2 hours into my ride, the air ambulance took a couple of competitors to hospital. Was really awful. i did cry abit. They're okay but it was quite a serious crash, all of the competitors were really shaken up and the woman was in hospital for weeks :(

The rest of the ride was uneventful. The weather was warm and dry but i was still glad i had my jersey on. I really don't like being cold. Because the ride back into Weymouth was the same route as the Olymnpic distance tri we did in July i knew that i was on the home stretch about 5miles out. One last big hill and then it was pretty much coasting back down into Weymouth - all rolling hills and sea views. Quite quite wonderful. Needless to say i was saying thank you to anyone in a yellow vest and hi to anyone who even looked slightly in my direction. What was especially lovely as i cycled along the main road back to transition was seeing the runners up on the sea wall to my left and hearing my name yelled out by tri buddy Tamsyn who was now well into the run leg. How fab.

Unlike all of my other triathlons and duathlons i didn't have to re-rack my bike as once i'd dismounted a lovely volunteer took my bike from me! I didn't have to do anything except trot off to the change marquee via collecting my blue cycle to run bag. 

T2 was 8:49 so alot quicker than T2 but then i wasn't having to run from the sea shore or get out of a wetsuit... 
I decided to change my socks (couldn't decide if i had a grain of sand in my cycling socks so decided not to risk it). Changed into running shorts and trainers, plus wore my cap (thank goodness as it did get very sunny) and slapped on loads more vasoline.

I felt great. I was literally one huge smile. I was on the run leg and had my race strategy totally planned out. There were now 9 feed/drink stations between me and the finish line. I basically now had nine 2.5km runs from one picnic to another. There was no way i was going to 1. Bonk, 2. Not finish. And because i was basically doing 2.5 loops of the town centre it meant that i was going to see all the competitors still out on the course and loads of spectators who were all shouting out "come of Liz" "you can do it Liz" "go Liz" (our name was on our race number). This of course meant i was yelling back thanks, and waving, and encouraging my fellow athletes, and having little chats with people - especially through the feed stations. I was relaxed, running smoothly, feeling fabulous. I was taking on plenty of fluids, had a plethora of snacks to choose from - crisps, pretzel, flapjacks, jelly babies, orange segments, pieces of banana plus water and flat coke plus sponges that i wrung out over my head or used to rinse my hands off. This really was the most civilised half marathon ever.

And then i started to see chums - both running and spectating. Loads of hi fives and well dones and stopping for hugs and quick catch ups or a slow jog past so i could chat and wave but still be moving. Every single person that i past was cheering and clapping. I suppose i could have been a bit quicker but i had to say thankyou and of course do much whooping :)

Quite a few friends had been worried about me. And i suppose that's fair enough. I was after-all doing a half ironman!!! But those that saw me knew i'd be fine. I could talk, i wasn't struggling, my shoulders were relaxed, my stance was fine. Yes it was tough and by the end it hurt less to run than walk and i did have to stop a couple of times to stretch my legs and fiddle with my shoe laces but overall i felt great. 

And i loved that last lap, when i was able to say - LAST LAP and do more whooping. 
And then i loved, even more, to be able to say i wont see you again - and then do even more whooping. Such a party atmosphere. 

The last 500m or so was awesome. And my time was remarkable. I'd hoped to break 10 hours, but here i was about to go under 9 hours - and comfortably so.

My arms went up in the air as soon as i got on the red carpet and then when i was finally able to run down the centre aisle to the finish line... every fibre of Lizzie Lou Carter was screaming I'VE DONE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As i crossed the finish line the announcer said my name and i got my medal placed around my neck. 
I'd done it :) 
I was now a half ironman.

Friends came over to wave and take pics and just share in my moment. It was really special.

Run leg = a half marathon in 2:44.26 (638th finisher).

Overall time = 8:39.36
659th finisher
144th woman to finish
11th in my category (female 45-49)

I was then eating pasta in the athletes recovery area, i did some stretches and changed into my dry/clean street clothes from the green transition bag and put on my finishers t-shirt. A few more snacks (fruit and chocolate cake) and then it was time to go find the gang :)

Would i do it again???

ABSOLUTELY! 

I LOVE the half ironman distance. I won't though be doing the full ironman until 2016 at the very earliest (and my dream would be IM Wisconsin).

www.everyclick.com/halfanironman  
Fundraising for Breakout Youth - A Hampshire wide youth group for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) young people. 
NB - Breakout started in Southampton in 1993 and yours truly was a founder member :)  
I love Breakout x 

SWIM LEG of my Challenge Weymouth Half Ironman Race Report / some musings on my day out in Weymouth and the Dorset countryside :)

Finally... three weeks later, a race report / some musings on my day out in Weymouth and my lovely cycle in the Dorset countryside...

So gentle readers, i believe we last saw our intrepid Lizzie Lou in the wave 4 holding pen about to walk along the beach to the start, and then at the sound of the klaxon stumble into the water battling huge waves, the 200 odd fellow athletes and the bonkers swell. 

Honestly gang, it was brutal. Imagine perfect surfing/body boarding waves and then imagine swimming in it. You know what happens to your stomach when you drive over a hump back bridge? You kinda lose it? Well that's what kept happening to me as the waves were so huge the swim down really did take your stomach away. The swell was horrific. Felt really queasy (NB - some people were actually sick in the water - eeeuck). Let's just say i looked at my watch, it said i'd been in the water just over 5mins and i was seriously thinking of giving up. There may well have been a few tears too. All i could think of was it'll be over in an hour. You've flapped about in ridiculous sea conditions before and survived (although if you all remember the Olympic tri in July a lovely kyaker did pull me along for about 200m as i was constantly swimming but not going anywhere due to the stupid tides). But basically i knew that i could flap about for an hour and swim about 2km so i knew i could do this, i just had to keep going...

Sighting - the ability to get from A2B when open water swimming without also swimming the other 24letters of the alphabet. I knew i was doing a rectangle. Swim up to the big yellow buoy, swim horizontal to the shore to the next yellow buoy then straight down to shore to the big blue finished the swim arch. easy. Oh i forgot to say that when we watched the full IM doing their swim, loads of them were ending up by the rocks as they'd drifted too far left of the blue arch. It was all abit terrifying.

i thought i was doing a super job of sighting till i realised i was WAY left so had to swim back along the shore line past the rocks before i could swim straight down to the shore. Yay, 33mins later i was stumbling out of the water with a fixed grin on my face knowing that i had to walk back along the beach waving at the spectators and then do the whole bloody thing all over again. The swim marshals on the shore helpfully pointed out that i'd had some sighting issues (no sh*t sherlock) which i politely thanked them for.

I'm known for "loving" triathlons - which i do - but that walk along the beach to go back into the water was tough. BUT i'd done half of it so just woman up and get back into the stupid rough sea and get swimming.

Which i did.

I was super concious of sighting this time though and kept my eye on the yellow buoy as if my life depended on it. And then another helpful marshal, this time in a kyack pointed out that i was swimming towards the wrong yellow buoy. Oh crap. I re-looked and yes, there was the first yellow buoy off in the far left :(
With a cheery thank you smile and a wave i turned to my left and started swimming again. Lets just say i saw quite a few purple hats bobbing about in the middle of the swim course. Poor sods. So in the immortal words of dory... just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming . Another marshal tried to tell me i was now swimming back hugely to the right of the blue arch but i just shouted tides and thanks and just kept swimming.

I could see the blue arch. I'd nearly finished the swim. OMG - i'd nearly finished the swim. i kept trying to see if i could put my feet down but couldn't. In fact the blue arch didn't seem now to be getting at all closer. I didn't panic. I just thought what would Paula Radcliffe do in this situation? She'd count to a hundred and then re-asses. So i did. Still couldn't put my feet down. Counted another 20. And then miracle of miracles my foot felt the bottom. I just kept swimming. Nearly done. Two burly boys were hauling swimmers out of the water. They didn't grab me in time as i was sucked back by a huge wave and then unceremoniously dumped back by the burly boys who hauled me out saying well done. I of course WHOOOOPED and kept whooping as i jogged up the carpet to the blue arch and the first timing mat. Lizzie Lou had completed the swim leg of the half ironman in 1:00.51 - the 628th swim leg finisher. 

As i jogged along the carpet to transition thanking everyone and anyone (a huge thank-you to Ellie - a very friendly and encouraging face :) I just knew i'd be able to do this and it felt fabulous. There would be no more salty tears of terror or distress from yours truly today - any crying would be from the sheer happiness of participating in my first ever half ironman. YAY!!! time to grab my red bag and get into my cycling gear in the changing marquee.

14:06mins later i was on my bike.
I had to put on my glasses, drink water, blow my nose, try and get out of my wetsuit, try not to fall over, dry off, slap a load more vaseline all over, pull on cycling shorts, socks/shoes, gloves, helmet, cycling gillet and i decided to pop my cycling jersey on - i hate being cold and as Jan pointed out i could always take it off if i got too hot. I stuffed all my swim gear into the red bag, blew my nose again and then headed out of the marquee (do i need to pee? decided no) to get my bike and walk it to the mount line while waving at spectators and wishing my fellow competitors good luck.

I was off on the cycle leg - 90km / 56miles of beautiful Dorset countryside here i come. 
And there was Ellie waving me off on the cycle! Talk about heading off on my long cycle with a smile on my face - i was LOVING this.

www.everyclick.com/halfanironman

Pre Race Report - musings on my first ever half ironman (Challenge Weymouth) on Sunday 14th Sept 2014.

Okay... three weeks ago i swam, cycled and ran for 8hours 39mins and became Lizzie Lou Carter - half ironman.

 

So how was it?
It was amazing.

Tri buddy Suzanne and I stayed at the Bournville Hotel which was about 50 yards from the finish line and maybe a mile from the start. It would have been utterly perfect if the pub next door on Saturday night wasn't doing karaoke! But then again i was so excited/nervous that i probably wouldn't of done much sleeping anyway.

We'd registered Saturday, had the race briefing and cycled our bikes over to the start to rack them in transition ready for Sunday. I did have an exciting moment when we took my bike off the Suzanne's bike rack to find my back tire as flat as a flat thing that's flat (OMG!!!!). Luckily we were parked right by the finish which was also hosting the expo so i took my wheel and went off to find a stall selling new tires and inner tubes. Found one. And the lovely chap there also fixed it for me all for £31 which i though was a bit of a bargain.

What was great about this event was the amount of Southampton tri club and Lordshill Road Runners buddies that were also doing the event. Bumped into James, Stuart, Tamsyn, Jan, Gary (and Ellie), Roelie, Mike :) plus quite a few faces that i recognised from previous events. When we'd racked our bikes in transition, Suzanne and I went along to the shore to check out where we'd be swimming. It was just so beautiful and flat. Absolutely perfect sea conditions. We were getting really excited for the next day.

People ask me why i love triathlons as much as i do. One reason is all the prep. You're servicing three sports, having to organise the transitions, figure out your nutrition - so much to get right with so much that can go wrong (what if my tire had split during the cycle? that would have been the end of my race). We had three bags to sort - green which you put your street clothes into once you'd changed into your wetsuit and this was taken to the finish line. A red bag with your swim to cycle gear - shoes, socks, towel, water bottle, helmet etc... and a blue one with your cycle to run gear in - i had trainers, another pair of socks, more vaseline, running shorts, another bottle of water... Red and blue bags packed Saturday night along with snack boxes and sorting out gels for taping on cross bar. Love it!

Saturday evening was carb loading in an Italian restaurant with Suzanne's ma and pa. Pretty much EVERY table had at least one person on it sporting either a half or full ironman wrist bracelet :) 

Bedtime - carb loaded, bikes racked, bags packed - we were READY for our first ever half ironman (the hotel and even sorted out a mini fridge for milk/juice/yoghurts plus we each had a full bowl of cereal with cling film over it seeing as we'd be racing by the time the hotel opened its dining room for breakfast). Lights out, karaoke blaring, weather checked - looked okay, maybe slight chance of a shower at 10am but nothing too horrid to worry about...

Sunday morning after breakfast, after triple checking everything, I met Suzanne down in the lobby at 6am.

I think Suzanne's immortal words of "it's quite windy out" pretty much summed it up.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek
HUGE waves, very windy, the sea was ROUGH. Lots of those white horses. You'd of thought the flipping Guinness advert had been filmed in Weymouth. We walked along the sea front to transition, sneaking looks to our right at the sea every now and again, catching each others eyes and manically laughing. In fact the sea was so choppy that the route was altered, the full ironman competitors were now only doing 1.9km swim (should have done 3.8km) and the start was delayed by 30mins. Yay.

Attached food to bikes, placed red and blue bags in transition by the changing tents and then we headed to the pub/holiday inn's dining room for tea and light hearted banter about the bonkers swim conditions we were all about to experience. The camaraderie of endurance athletes!

and then it was time to get into wetsuits and get to the start

Okay... pictures taken, last minute slurps of water slurped, green bags given in, wetsuits zipped and then at 8.35am Lizzie Lou Carter in wave 4 of the half ironman in her purple swim hat was finally ready to start THE RACE!!!!!!!!!!!! Wahooooooooooooooooooo.

£31 paid. London marathon place secured.

Well I've now paid for my London marathon 2015 place.

I won't actually start training for it till November. I've got my last event on Sunday 19th October (leatherhead duathlon) and then I'm doing nothing except commuter cycling and yoga for two weeks.

This time three weeks ago I was caked in deep heat in my hotel room in Weymouth having just competed my first ever half ironman in 8hours and 39minutes. I loved pretty much every moment except maybe the first 10mins of the swim when I just wanted to cry and give up it was so horrific. But I didn't. I kept going and am so glad I did.

I know I can do the London marathon because I've done a half ironman so I know I can commit to the training (when I do finally start!)
Very very excited.

Just need to refocus on my www.everyclick.com/halfanironman so I reach my target of £500 :)

OMG I've got a place in the 2015 London marathon :)

I think you'll find that the title of this blog entry kinda sums up today's entire blog :)