tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62537886570412049152024-03-05T10:40:43.147+00:00Mat Stephenson triathleteMat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-53017308207784018012017-09-15T21:59:00.001+01:002017-09-16T14:47:11.221+01:00Raced less, busier year, mixed results.Finishing off 2016 injured wasn't great and it took a more than a few few months of physiotherapy, sports rehab and chiropractic treatment to be able to start running again only to be hit with a calf tear again mid cross country season resulting in another 8 weeks away from my trainers and reduced cycling. On the upside I had a wedding to look forward to in late August and a couple of races already entered I was still hopeful of a return to some semblance of fitness.<br />
First up was Xterra Greece at the end of April and the chance to meet up with friends Ian and Kathryn Blackie-Taylor and Christophe 'The Frenchman' Maury. Ali was also going to make the start line of her first Xterra on my favourite course from the previous season.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTpp4fQn2SyRpotw_WARdfGysjQDHvMCInQGrPEKol7BdZmiyv47y8CRgVL-KV7eEWcUO38ZE39B2owxSnl20lSzYSU1cWvNfzvmuqsQw0ahQEZrhyItdyrOqMOkwmqJsWlAgexpjs0k/s1600/DSC_1963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTpp4fQn2SyRpotw_WARdfGysjQDHvMCInQGrPEKol7BdZmiyv47y8CRgVL-KV7eEWcUO38ZE39B2owxSnl20lSzYSU1cWvNfzvmuqsQw0ahQEZrhyItdyrOqMOkwmqJsWlAgexpjs0k/s320/DSC_1963.JPG" width="180" /></a>I knew my race was going to be tough with some of the 40-44 AG youngsters moving up to my 45-49 AG and I had just turned 49 and I ended up a really disappointing 5th. I had a great swim but lacked serious power on the bike and had nothing for the run. The bike course had slightly changed with an additional rocky downhill section that Ali found difficult in practice so on race day decided to walk down this section. I had overtaken Ali as I was finishing the 2-lap course and she seemed to be doing well but she struggled with the increasing heat and terrain on the second lap but in true Ali-style-perseverance she finished the course and to her surprise she was top of the podium and got her qualification slot for Xterra World Champs in Maui.<br />
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So now our honeymoon was going to incorporate our second trip to Maui....expensive year with the wedding!<br />
I wanted to race Maui again as I'd been injured the previous year but qualifying was going to be tougher, not just in competition but financially too....did I mention the house move too??? A serious case of too much going on all at once, oh and I had a university final exam for my BSc in Natural Sciences to take in whilst Ali was finishing off her first year of a BA in Business Studies. How do we find the time?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqSIzMB0aZ871ejgavnWnXLQrfv74xbTX3qg45cVw9DHC-2cYempEedq0Ch0QPGH8saEKzt7HT3WIQM8t2cMbJGLeLHvHbwXH_v7MRJRlWHBVZkyq0dIgw17cS0TLnk17nKyqDPbgzuM/s1600/DSC_2249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqSIzMB0aZ871ejgavnWnXLQrfv74xbTX3qg45cVw9DHC-2cYempEedq0Ch0QPGH8saEKzt7HT3WIQM8t2cMbJGLeLHvHbwXH_v7MRJRlWHBVZkyq0dIgw17cS0TLnk17nKyqDPbgzuM/s200/DSC_2249.JPG" width="112" /></a>In May and June the running races where coming up thick and fast and I was picking up the pace and holding off the injuries and even managed to win a 10km race overall in June just prior to Holkham Half Outlaw distance triathlon where I won my age group. All great prep I thought for the stag weekend in Dublin that was going to be 70.3 Ironman Dublin. Tony couldn't race due to knee surgery, Breezy was focusing on biking this year, Elliot wasn't interested in training with his final year at university, Ross wouldn't bring a bike across the world from Australia so it left Daz, Peter and me. The others were interested in the Guinness but we all had a few after the race with the worst being in the Guinness factory....go figure.<br />
The build up to the race had gone well and we took in Cabinteely Parkrun the day before the race just for fun. It turned out to be a tad hillier than we expected but still it was only 5km. Lovely course, friendly runners/organisers and some amazing monuments in the park.<br />
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Race day came and the weather seemed to perk up a bit from the predicted stormy wet weather. Daz and I hit the water within 6 sec of each other and the plan was for Daz to get on my toes but I managed to exit the water around 30 minutes with freezing cold feet. Onto the bike I knew Daz would be chasing hard to make up the two minutes deficit but he caught me around 35 miles and I managed to keep him close enough to see him in the T2 tent. As I set off chasing him it was apparent something was wrong with me. I'd shivered my way around the bike course and now I was struggling to catch breath. A few minutes later I spat out some red saliva and after a few more metres I knew I would have to stop. Two years ago at IM Bolton I had the same and after months and months of tests and consultations with various specialists they were really none the wiser but suggested I had burst a blood vessel in my lungs. Well I tried to explain to the respiratory guy that I had read about Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema (SIPE) but he wasnt interested. Now after a second episode I am convinced its SIPE. Cold water swimming, peripheral vascular shut down (I also have Reynaud's syndrome) and increased BP (assumed) as exercising hard results in blood pooling at the core and increased pressure in the lungs resulting in blood leaking back into the lungs. Not great when all you need is oxygen. After IM Bolton my oxygen saturation level was only 82% but knowing what was happening this time I decided just to stop in the race about 1km into the run despite running 7min/mile just as my mum and Aunt Sylvia turned up to watch. I was getting married on the following Friday and if it didn't kill me then Ali certainly would have. I'd promised if it ever happened again I'd stop. The common denominators with this are the weather conditions and temperature, but also my mum and aunt (jinxes!). Daz went on to finish 9th in AG and qualified for the 2018 World Championships in South Africa. Had I stayed within 4 minutes of Daz I'd have won my AG and got my slot also (he ran two minutes quicker than me at Holkham when I beat him overall). Peter who was having so much fun he fell over on the run was also offered a roll down slot but had to decline. So much for it being my stag do and having it my way. Well there will be more qualifying races. Daz and I both wanted to go go back to Port Elizabeth since racing Ironman there in 2009. At least it'll be warm.<br />
So our wedding the following week went better than expected with a few surprises for everyone and Ali and I followed up with Marple Parkrun the morning after. Not technically a race so we wait for our official first race as Mr and Mrs Stephenson which just might be in Maui....<br />
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2017 triathlon results<br />
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Xterra Greece 5th AG<br />
Outlaw Holkham 1st AG<br />
70.3 Dublin DNF<br />
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<br />Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-43658732824441701532016-11-19T22:51:00.003+00:002016-11-19T22:51:24.109+00:00Xterra World Champs and end of year summary I've been meaning to catch up on the blog for a few weeks since getting back from Maui but with being busy at work and Open University studying there really hasn't been much spare time.<br />
So, on to the Maui trip.......the first few days in Maui were knackering. Both me and Ali didn't really realise just how tired we were but we were just chilling and getting over the travel. The accommodation booked through AirBnB was a lovely little condo in Napili Ridge about 5 minutes walk from a gorgeous sandy beach overlooking Molokai island and about a 5min drive from the race venue....perfect. Add to that a small reef about 50m off the beach out housing some Green turtles and lots of brightly coloured fish and this made for perfect snorkelling.<br />
I wasn't able to train since crashing in Xterra Denmark and I was hoping to blag my way though the World Champs. My knee would be painful the day after any exercise so I recce'd the run course early in the week with Ian Blackie-Smith and a an easy ride on the first and last section of the bike course. I managed to ride the full bike course at a steady pace on the day the course opened and managed to snap my chain FFS! It was brand new after rusting up overnight in the bike bag after the Danish race. To say I was unimpressed was in understatement. £25 down the drain then another £50 to spent in Hawaii........nothing in Hawaii is cheap! Even local produce is expensive. I saw a women pay over £10 for a local pineapple and breakfast on the first day cost over £30...yep not $'s. Effing Brexit didn't help matters! Anyway I digress......<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recce ride ....taking in the views</td></tr>
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Swimming training was possible but I'm shit scared of sharks and 20 miles down the coast a women was attacked by a Tiger shark and our condo owner messaged me to take care. Despite this I always feel safer in numbers and ben Allen and Jacqui Slack offered the British squad and some friends the opportunity to practice getting in and out of the surf. While Ben was explaining what to do I noticed a pod of Spinner dolphins about 100 metres out and had to interrupt......sorry Teacher, us brits just don't get that view every day!<br />
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I also attended the European Tour podium medallist ceremony to receive my gold medal and tour winners jersey from Nico Lebrun and Dave 'Kahuna' Nicholson. Big smiles to know this was my first full season. EUROPEAN TOUR WINNER! get in!<br />
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Two days before the race and the bike has been polished and lubed and ready to go then the heavens opened with rain. It rains a lot in the Hawaiian Islands but the sun comes up and dries it away, usually, but incy wincy spider wasn't climbing any spout. For two days it rained, and rained and rained. This was Xterra Switzerland, France and Denmark all over again but without my fitness to counter the off bike lugging up hill jaunts. No breaks for World Championships race then. Then just to make it more interesting the surf gets up big time making it rougher than an unstable twin-tub.<br />
race morning comes and rice pudding downed then off to rack up and have a traditional Hawaiian blessing by Clifford Naeole. It was really quite spiritual and focussing to have this and I'll take anything to get me through this course.<br />
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The swim was OK but non-wetsuit so no opportunity to wear my Xterra Vortex Pro but I did get myself a new funky looking Xterra Valor speedsuit (my hardly used Xterra Velocity speedsuit is for sale...email me!). I came out in about 28 minutes and everyone's times are going to be down on normal. I race up the hill into T1 were I usually make up some time.....WTF do some people do in transition is beyond me....get in, get out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The surf doesn't look big but...6ft waves!</td></tr>
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Now comes the tricky bit.....I know its going to be tough and muddy but ffs this was ridiculous. The first 8 miles took over 90 minutes and at one point I was picking the mud out of the wheels and chainset then trying to ride only by the time I leapt onto the saddle the wheels had clogged up again. At one point there was a group of riders taking the piss and laughing and joking about the prospect of a new format..1500m swim:26.2 miles hikeabike. Walking was common and carrying the bike inevitable if you wanted to get to the top of a hill without dragging a 20kg mud bike. Some riders obviously could ride through it and for sure I need to learn to ride in mud, or at least learn how others are doing it. different tyres for starters. Narrow apparently are better and maybe I should consider a Cannondale Leftie to free up some front fork space. Something to consider but for now money dictates I stick with my Scott.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mud, mud, mud!</td></tr>
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There were lots of crashes and broken chains etc. all over the course and I given that I was well out of the top ten I offered my chain tool David Hui (Maui) with a broken bike. He was very grateful and I figured Karma might help me. After 8 miles the course was ride-able and with some fast bits. I managed a top speed of 35mph but my overall average was a pitiful 6-something mph. laughable really if it wasn't he world champs and a local training ride. I managed to take a few riders on the way back down hill to T2 and managed to run most of the course which heads uphill for 3 miles. My knee was playing up now and lifting my left leg was not easy going uphill. Downhill was better with gravity and I tried to run on my forefoot to limit ground contact time and keep the pressure of my knee. It seemed to work and the new trainers I had bought for mud, Salomon Talon 200, were great. they were also good for the 200m beach run just before the finishing chute. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racing to the shower.... heading out of T1 and to the hills</td></tr>
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I had estimated a 3:30hrs race and finished in 4:37hrs. I had hoped for top ten and to maintain my Xterra record so far. I have always been ahead of Christophe Maury in the head to heads but he was having a great race and I clearly wasn't and I can only compare the past. I was 1st in Greece when Frank was 2nd and Christophe 3rd. In Maui I was 31st, Frank 12th and Christophe 18th. It is what it is but I am disappointed and set myself realistic and achievable goal. This time I failed to do that but with good reason.<br />
One thing about Xterra is that everyone is so friendly. This year I have raced with some great guys and made loads of new friend, home and abroad. The elite or professional athletes are so down to earth too. I'm 48 year old now but on occasion I've been mixing it up with the pro's and after the race we all chat and all get just excited about our races. The World Champs was no different to any other race this year except the standard was greater. Sebastian Kienle, fresh (?) from 2nd at Kona was there as was Ben Hoffman (4th) aiming for the double but it was ben who took the overall time honours with his 7th place again Seb's 11th. Last years winner Josiah Middaugh was 5th this time and all eyes were on Ruben Ruzafa to take the top spot with the slippery MTB course suiting him. ben Allen led the swim but it was the amazing 21 year Mauricio (Mau) Mendez who overtook Ruben at speed during the run and posted the best split to take the World Championships by two minutes. Its difficult to see how anyone will cope with him over the next few years with age and speed on his side. He also won Los Cabos 70.3 the week after! Oh to be young again.<br />
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Maui wasn't all about the race although that was the reason for going but Ali and I took in some of the sights. Haleakala is the highest point and we could see Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, the volcanoes on Big Island, 80 and 100 miles away above the clouds. I love wildlife and we went looking for Jackson's chameleons at Kula and Nene geese on the top of Haleakala but we were disappointed. We had plenty of Cane toads around the condo and massive snails which may have been the invasive African Giant snails. One thing we may have to do is go back again out of race season to see the whales migrate between the islands. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chief supporter Ali and me on top of the world.</td></tr>
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Xterra Maui was an awesome experience and injured or not I was always going to go and complete the course. This year has been a sharp learning curve transitioning from road triathlon to off-road. Seven Xterra races in seven different countries has made me feel like a pro-athlete without the race winnings or rest periods and training periodization. Bank of Stephenson has taken a big hit this year but you only live once and cant take it with you. Its all about experiences and taking advantage of what you've got at this moment in time because you never know when the luck runs out. Life is too short so take advantage and lay down some memories. There have been some incidents this year that have given me food for thought and made me appreciate what I have. Some people will know who or what I'm writing about and some people just aren't here anymore to read this and they are in my mind a lot and were when I was racing. Xterra Motto.....'Live more'....and I will to the best my finances will allow.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">European Tour 2016 - Winner medal and jersey....1st season too! proud and chuffed to bits</td></tr>
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So now I'm back I'm getting sorted with physiotherapy for my knee which is cracking and popping and seems to be the patellar tracking. X-ray didn't show any major damage or fractures and one course of acupuncture so far seems to have helped a little. <br />
2017 will be less travelling due to our wedding but there is London marathon to train for and 70.3 Dublin on the cards along with a few more Xterra but for now its a little more down time and recover and rehab. <br />
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Big thanks must go to Ali for following around Europe this year and too all the support from family and friends whilst we have been away. Thanks to Chris Stirling for putting me onto CurraNZ tht has eliminated DOMS and to Ian Blackie-Smith for helping us when the hire care keys went for a drive without us in Denmark! To Christophe for the competition. Xterra Wetsuits UK for the Xterra Vector Pro that gave me some great times in the wetsuit races, Malta, Greece and France etc.<br />
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Roll on 2017!<br />
<br />Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-5624320763028390382016-09-11T21:54:00.003+01:002016-09-11T21:54:40.841+01:00Six countries, six races,Jeez, what a year! I've just got back from a weekend in Denmark racing the last of the Xterra European tour off road triathlons. To say it was tough would be an understatement. Longer in racing time than Xterra France but this one had a few mishaps that cost me more than a few minutes but the course was similar to Xterra UK 2015 or this years Xterra Switzerland......muddy!<br />
We flew into Copenhagen from Manchester on Friday evening by EasyJet and in typical budget airlines we arrived late which meant getting to the accommodation in Stege at midnight.<br />
Saturday morning I built mine and Ali's bikes, met up with Paul Breeze and Greg McNally then headed to Mons Klint for the bike recce.<br />
The course was lovely and dry and not overly technical but a few tricky parts with roots to negotiate. Ali was planning her Xterra debut but decided that the course might be a bit tough for beginner status and downgraded to the sprint version. The final decline also led into a wooden berm that demanded speed and careful steering and above all commitment but there was also a chicken run for those not keen on trying the berm. I practised the berm a few times and decided I would do it on the race. Paul and I walked around the run course and again it was reasonably dry and potentially fast until you get to the second lap that took you down the steep wooden steps onto a rocky beach before traversing the cliff face and up the final set of 497....yes, 497 steps, for the second time (the first was after the swim to get to T1) to the finish straight.<br />
Just as UK and Switzerland, that evening the rain came and destroyed the course turning the tracks and forest into a slippery mud bath. Adding to the course destruction were the sprint course athletes who set off an hour before us. Unfortunately Ali was not one of them after waking up with a sore throat and chest infection but Paul was after having a few off's during practice.<br />
Just before 1030 we headed down the steps to a small beach and into the choppy, and surprisingly warm, Baltic Sea to warm up for the 1500m swim. The swim was frantic as usual but I managed to find clear water for most of the swim but did get a kick under the chin on the turnaround for the second lap. Exiting the sea I had decided to run and strip to the waist as soon as possible then stop at the next available flat section between steps to take off my wetsuit. Getting out of the wetsuit early is easier when its wet and the steps were going to take 4-5 minutes.<br />
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In T1 I didn't hang about and was quickly out on the bike course trying to get ahead before the course gets trashed and make up time on the non swimmer MTB'ers.<br />
The first lap went OK and I thought about trying to please the crowd by taking the wooden berm and even that was slippery<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st lap of the bike</td></tr>
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but the second lap was horrendous and I was running in the mud more than riding as the course was just un-rideable at my current skill level. Small wins and big smiles came from getting up tiny greasy slippery mounds that would go unnoticed in the dry and I was glad the berm had been closed for safety reasons at the end because my gears and tyres were clogged with mud and I only had the 36/24 front ring and one gear at the back for about 5 miles so the only option was the chicken run.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd lap of the bike on the chicken run</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">out of T2 feeling OK but 6km later.....</td></tr>
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T2 was pretty quick again and the first few kilometres of the run was hilly and slightly...yep, you've guessed it,....muddy, but not so bad...yet! Getting onto the tarmac section was a joy and I was getting into my stride and catching loads of runners but no sight of Greg who had overtaken me about 2km into the second bike lap.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">heading for the bike and body wash</td></tr>
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I started the second lap of the run with a drink of water and a cup of energy drink in the face. I wish they had said there was a difference. The second lap was now really slippery in the woods but I knew when I could get to the road it would be plain sailing. Unfortunately this is where it went horribly wrong and I bonked and ended up walking for kilometre or more.. Feeling dizzy and my vision blurring I was begging overtaking runners for food or gels and managed to get one. This is hardly the image of a Xterra warrior but perseverance and determination is and after getting down the steps to the beach I was able to run again and headed up the final 497 steps to the finish chute I managed to overtake 4-5 other warriors. <br />
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Far from being a great performance I still managed to finish 7th in the 45-49 age group and complete my race schedule of 6 Xterra races to win the Xterra European tour with 364 points, a lead of 165 points. It also meant that I maintained my personal objective of staying in the top ten in all Xterra races so far, something I hope to continue at world champs next month.<br />
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So the next couple of weeks are recover and getting on with my Open University course and final assignment (stressful!!) then sort out some training plan for the build up to Maui. I'm just ticking over commuting until i get the assignment but also having some massage courtesy of Jane Murray.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the 'temporary' European Tour winners medal. There's a reason I'm wearing my Xterra Vector Pro wetsuit post-race on the podium but its a long and expensive story best forgotten.</td></tr>
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<br />Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-39126948434234329112016-08-28T14:30:00.002+01:002016-08-28T14:30:49.100+01:00Poor race, average result, great outcomeLast weekend was the European Xterra Championship race in Zittau, Germany and it went perfect.......no, wait, that's how I wanted it to go in my dream but it was close to a disaster from arriving in Zittau.<br />
I worked until lunchtime then Ali collected me from work to drive straight to Manchester airport ( then benefits of living close to a major airport) and we sailed through the Jet2 check-in procedure and they even allowed me to take two CO2 gas cannisters for my tyres. We even had some time, due to a slight delay, to grab some luch in the priority lounge we have tickets for from our bank account privileges.<br />
Arriving a few hours later Prague and picked up the hire care we drove north to Zittau which is positioned just inside the German border a few km from Czech Republic and Poland. We got to the Airbnb booked appartment around 10pm and we thought it was a joke or they were showing us the store rooms. The appartment looked lovely on the website but the reality was the opposite. It was an empty shell. We stopped the night in shock and shivered most of the night as there were no duvets or proper blankets. The next morning we got on to Airbnb and left to the race venue at O-see to recce the 36km and 10km single lap bike and run courses. Not ideal prep the day before a championship race but I've used up all my annual leave this year to fit in the series and score points for the European Tour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">minimalist transition. ...No wetsuit boohoo!</td></tr>
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Race day weather was beautiful after a murky start and the swim was non-wetsuit and non-swim skin....gutted! I love swimming in my wetsuit and I love the feel of water against my skin too too but I had a two piece race outfit that isn't conducive to not being covered in neoprene. Lesson learnt! I'm not sure why the German triathlon federation do not allow swimskins though. I thought I got an OK start but I was cold and Christophe Maury 'The Frenchman', one of main Euro Tour chasers was alongside me. I am usually a few minutes ahead in the swim and already I'm thinking its not going to be a great day or Christophe has improved dramatically.<br />
Onto the bike, I started well but my saddle bag was heavier with spares than usual (I NEEDED to finish in the points for this race) with extra bits and it dropped into my rear wheel. I stopped, re-fitted, and set off again only for it to happen again. Each time Christophe pulled ahead and I was forced to take the saddle bag and put it down my top and carry it to the finish. In any other race I might have been tempted to ditch it and collect it later but I need to come in the top at most to secure the European Tour for the 45-49 AG (last year I was 4th in my first Xterra). So for the next 16-18 miles I was riding, and constantly adjusting, a kilogram of spares trying to work its way out of my tri top like a wriggling joey in a kangroo. Ironically the steep down hill sections were the easiest as I was bent so far forward and I had it up near my neck. There were some scary sections of downhill and a fair few crashes. There was also a couple of sections of uphill that were impossible to ride and on one section I was walking quicker than the riders.<br />
T2 was a beautiful sight, an artificial ramp to conquer and leap of the bike and get into my trainers for the scorching hot run was a blessing that I had made it back without serious injury or race ending mechanical. I just need to get into the points.<br />
Straight out of T2 was the 'Mother-in-law', an artificial obstacle of steps and hay bales (piccy below) before heading up a grassy bank, traversing left and up the grass pyramid and out onto the course of tracks and trails. As much as I was looking forward to the run my legs decided they weren't. They felt sluggish and I felt drained.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'Mother-in-Law' on the way out of T2 stay left</td></tr>
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Was I dehydrated and tired? I think so, but that's racing.....some you win some you lose and you suffer all of them and keep plugging onwards. I kept telling myself I was racing for medals and points and it was impossible to know where you are in the race. I heard third elite male finish just after I was starting my run so I knew I was maybe 45 mins behind the elite men (they started ahead of the Elite ladies and the age groupers) which is probably a little more than I would have liked but I was already 3 minutes down on my swim time and who knows what I lost on the bike, but I usually make up a few places on the run. I was catching some runners and after about 7km I caught Christophe and went past with friendly, but a fierce-fully competitive, gesture. This was just before we headed into the 'nature park'. For those uninitiated to German way this means a a nudist beach. It's slightly unnerving to be racing through a nudist park but part and parcel of Germany I guess and it reminded me of the quadrathlon Ali and I did in Germany a few years ago when my sister and family came to watch. Young children and nudists don't mix well!<br />
The temperature was in the mid 30's by now and the local fire crew had set up a hose at the end of the nudist area. I normally avoid getting my shoes wet in races but this is Xterra, you are meant to get wet and muddy, in fact the courses are usually designed to make you muddy and wet, and it was very hot so I ran through the edge and headed up the last big hill. By now there was only 2km to go and suddenly Christophe is on my shoulder again so I surged again and heard him say 'no Mat, don't do this to me' in a comical almost desperate way that proves our combative nature. I decided to go for it there and then and managed to pull out 16-sec by the end of the race and we made our friendship again afterwards.<br />
I had no idea where we finished overall but after a massage and some alcohol free beer recovery drink and food I found out that I had come 8th in my age group with Christophe 9th. It was enough points to win the European Tour with a few spare although for some reason I was still unsure. Maybe it was disbelief that I had sealed the tour. The winner of our age group was in a different league and 30 minutes ahead of us among the pro times...maybe he was pro in an earlier life? Who knows? I was disappointed overall with the way my race went from start to finish but you have to take the rough with the smooth sometimes. No individual medal...in fact ten minutes away from the medals but I got the overall series.<br />
So with one race left in the Xterra European tour we head to Mons Klint in Denmark next weekend with a 112 point lead. It's another gold race so 100 points for a win are up for grabs so I expect a good field of competitors. Christophe is considering coming too despite him having 2nd place in the tour pretty much secure. Ali is also racing her first Xterra. I'm sure I've mentioned it before that this year I feel like a pro in the sense that I've done a full series of travelling but without the race money, faster times and without the sleep and training commitments but I've done what I set out to do......firstly qualify for the Xterra World Championships in Maui and secondly, after consideration and my first win, take on the series for experience and win it. Hopefully in 2017 I can ride off-road a lot faster although financially this years reacing has been expensive and next year will be just as expensive with getting married, honeymoon and races. They are prioritised Ali! ;-)<br />
Winning the series was a dream at times but would not have been possible without the support from my chief supporter and wife-to-be,Ali, and without being physically rebuilt after all the injuries and niggles by Jane Murray, Sports therapist, at Peter Bennett's Physiotherapy Clinic..Steve Austin eat your bionic heart out.. Other notable mentions and thanks should go to Chris Stirling for recommending CurraNZ which helps amazingly with the serious DOMS I used to get, I can't believe how excited by this I am! Marc Preece should get a mention for selling me his old Scott 910 MTB which is considerably lighter than my Cyclescheme Whyte 629 bike but also for recommending Xterra UK last year which was my first off road experience. All the other competitors incuding Christophe for the motivation to race to the finish line. Xterra Wetsuits UK get a special mention for providing me with a Vector Pro wetsuit that I just love swimming in. Roll on next weekend! Thanks for reading.<br />
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Race results for 2015..<br />
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<ol>
<li>Xterra Malta 3rd April 1st</li>
<li>Manchester Marathon 10th April 2hrs 55min 15sec</li>
<li>Xterra Greece 7th May 1st</li>
<li>Outlaw half-ironman 29th May 4th</li>
<li>Xterra Switzerland 25th June 6th</li>
<li>Xterra France 3rd July 10th</li>
<li>Outlaw ironman 24th July 1st new (AG record - 9hr 38min)</li>
<li>Xterra Germany 20th August 8th</li>
</ol>
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to do<br />
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<ul>
<li>Xterra Nordic(Denmark) 4th September</li>
<li>Chesterfield half marathon 2nd October</li>
<li>Xterra World Champs(Maui) 23rd October</li>
</ul>
Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-26235182190479806192016-07-30T14:59:00.007+01:002016-07-30T14:59:54.818+01:00I am an OutlawWell last weekend was the Outlaw Ironman distance race. For those uninformed, Ironman is now a brand name that originated from the first Ironman Hawaii triathlon which was a 2.4 miles swim, 112 miles bike and a 26.2 miles run, so the term Ironman gets used a lot for familiarity. Some also call 140.6(miles) or 226 (km) but its basically an Ironman triathlon for the old skool.<br />
When I entered last year the plan was to emulate my mate Daz Sharpe in being an Ironman winner, (although he went and won the whole bloody race!) but this year, if you have read my blog you'll know, I'm trying out the off road Xterra racing, with some success, so my attitude and expectations had somewhat changed.<br />
Last week I was so chilled out because I was expecting to do well and my knee injury was still healing so on Sunday morning at Holme Pierpoint I put myself on the start line feeling like I was doing a local sprint triathlon. No pressure on myself!<br />
With about a minute or two to the klaxon I started my watch and waited for the swim start frenzy that never really materialised. Head up swim for about 5 metres then settled into long strokes getting out to the left away from the crazies. I spotted Nick Summers (among a 1100 swimmers) to my right and thought 'wow, i'm doing ok here', so I sat in and let him tow me round. A few times I tried to come past but the effort wasn't worth it so settled back again and sat there for most of the 2.4 miles and then sat in the middle of a small group for the last half a mile. I exited in 57min 21sec and Nick spotted me and I thanked him for the tow. The swim felt so easy made easier sitting in on Nick's relaxed style.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-O7PDiSb29wG9YYYYxquxfBvV59UCLakINag0DoX_AAbwJEtX6GCKAUOJDuhmFa6GhGy5ZA9QBysonBVOMYH7d9IIeFD0ESLQciy8395Ey9Rid63nFGeLmwqp-Qnu5APUZXWkW1OA8U/s1600/FB_IMG_1469883661309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-O7PDiSb29wG9YYYYxquxfBvV59UCLakINag0DoX_AAbwJEtX6GCKAUOJDuhmFa6GhGy5ZA9QBysonBVOMYH7d9IIeFD0ESLQciy8395Ey9Rid63nFGeLmwqp-Qnu5APUZXWkW1OA8U/s320/FB_IMG_1469883661309.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Nick already half stripped as I struggle to find my zipper cord - www.xterrawetsuits.co.uk </td></tr>
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After a reasonably fast T1 it was out onto the bike but I heard Karl Alexander's name tannoyed so figured he wasn't too far behind but pleased to be ahead of the expected winner. Within a few minutes of cycling though Karl came past and disappeared just as quick. A quick wave to Ali's mum then it was onto the A52 with some riders in sight. After a few miles of overtaking and being overtaken I settled into my race pace of 150-160hr (I don't use or can afford power measurement yet) and found myself riding at a similar speed to a rider with DRG stencilled on his backside. We exchanged places a few times over the next 50-60 miles and he always seemed to pull away after feed stations as I fumbled with bottles and dropped bananas and gels. I had even dropped a protein bar I'd taken with me and was trying out some Cadbury's Brunch Bars as race food. Not conventional but as I mentioned, this race had different expectations, and they seemed to work and I got the feeling of eating normal food rather than energy food that can upset my guts. I also took a pack of Airwaves chewing gum which I ate regularly to freshen up my mouth after taking on the gels. I only took about 4 gels but used the High 5 drink every time at every feed. From about 70 miles I was on my own heading into the southern circuit and it was somewhere there I saw Karl sitting on the side of the road. After a consolatory wave I rode on and caught one of the relay riders who was cramping up. After a few miles of him yoyo'ing on and off the front with cramp he finally pulled away with about 7 miles to go. I never felt like I was pushing hard at any time yet still managed to ride the distance in 5hr 1min when I really expected to ride about 10-20 min slower. I was beginning to think today the weather and wind was kind to us. I cramped a little myself coming into T2 and had a little sciatica tingling around 70 miles and some scapula pain on the right side but when I handed my bike over to the catchers and started running to the change tent it felt good.<br />
Leaving the change tent I started looking at my watch for the speed and heart rate display and instantly had to slow down. I had two plans pre-race; go hard and hold as long as possible or run 1:40 for the first half and see what happens. This was decided by the knee injury pain experience and I settled for option two and tried to control my pace to 7:30min/mile. The first mile was 6:45 but the following two where about 7:15 so I figured that would do and just watched the HR about 156. At half way I was on 1:40....the plan worked but still had another half marathon to go. My feet got hot despite choosing the lighter socks and the blisters started in the middle of my left foot, still I plodded on and I wasn't getting overtaken as I thought I might be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwRNTXhpCiRcrT7k6AQef39t_CxuPGdbV1dzFXFTednxsELgwM3Ajzehf9YrVvC6TPAcmCRsMKDr68Npws1M57n5xQQJqLUd8pnZnup8VL55T1MVYQePZDIQIbxxnjriiRzVG7iK8c4w/s1600/1469468181117+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwRNTXhpCiRcrT7k6AQef39t_CxuPGdbV1dzFXFTednxsELgwM3Ajzehf9YrVvC6TPAcmCRsMKDr68Npws1M57n5xQQJqLUd8pnZnup8VL55T1MVYQePZDIQIbxxnjriiRzVG7iK8c4w/s200/1469468181117+1.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">post race walking would be difficult</td></tr>
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I took some paracetamol about 2 miles into the run but I was still getting some knee pains every now and then. Getting on to the rowing lake for the final circuits was a godsend except you can see the whole way round which is quite demoralising. With only about 5.5 miles to go Pete Norris caught me and went past but he soon cramped and I caught him just for him to start up again and jog on. I tried to keep him insight but soon lost him as the lake circuit filled with new athletes. Bethany, my daughter, and her boyfriend Lee, surprised me by coming along to watch and with a lap to go (4.8km) she said I was in 1st position in my age group but being caught quickly so I put in a final push for the line trying to take advantage of the tailwind then using other runners as shields on the home leg. Paul Breeze, my mate who should have been racing, and Cath his partner had also turned up to cheers us on and he was beaming nearly as much as I was as I entered the finish chute.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">A few metres to go, no pain felt!</td></tr>
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I heard my name called and that I was the age group winner and I just screamed with excitement and relief. I never really believe....or did I(?) that I would ever win a major title.<br />
I then turned my thoughts to how Ali was doing. I always worry about Ali when she races but I found out she was on the run before I finished so knew she would be OK barring injury. Ali was having a mare on the run in comparison to her training runs but in good old Ali attitude she persevered and her determination got her to the finish time with 27 minutes to spare. I don't know if I could spend that amount of time out there or weather my knees and back could hold out for 7 hours of running but she does it well and out her non finish at Bolton behind her. Like me she is an Ironman and an Outlaw. Legend!<br />
The next day at the trophy presentation I got the icing on the cake. I found out that I had also set a new age group record with 9 hours 38 min 33 sec. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I was just chuffed I'd won.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBalTdxF_1Rq6nAoF2t77Ppjhvc3BEwJ04Blm64F4kj6_L_6mdPPoqI1zr2ipMwS1uewJWPFL9JZw56SmZLYfJkqOMWqQWSItG1BEhMGarewH3RVJSc_Ac_9HHkdpePDckQ4SqX2nvbBk/s1600/IMG-20160725-WA0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBalTdxF_1Rq6nAoF2t77Ppjhvc3BEwJ04Blm64F4kj6_L_6mdPPoqI1zr2ipMwS1uewJWPFL9JZw56SmZLYfJkqOMWqQWSItG1BEhMGarewH3RVJSc_Ac_9HHkdpePDckQ4SqX2nvbBk/s320/IMG-20160725-WA0002.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">45-49 AG winner and record holder - 9h38m33s<br /><br /><table class="table" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%; width: 330px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><td style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; vertical-align: top;"><img src="https://www.resultsbase.net/images/icons/Triathlon/swimming.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="Swim" /> Swim</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">57:21</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2.4 Miles</td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><td style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; vertical-align: top;"><img src="https://www.resultsbase.net/images/icons/Triathlon/t1.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="Transition 1" /> Transition 1</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2:17</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><td style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; vertical-align: top;"><img src="https://www.resultsbase.net/images/icons/Triathlon/cycling.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="Bike" /> Bike</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">5:01:05</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">111.99 Miles</td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><td style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; vertical-align: top;"><img src="https://www.resultsbase.net/images/icons/Triathlon/t2.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="Transition 2" /> Transition 2</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2:49</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;"></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><td style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; vertical-align: top;"><img src="https://www.resultsbase.net/images/icons/Triathlon/running.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" title="Run" /> Run</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">3:35:01</td><td class="text-right" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.42857; padding: 8px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">26.19 Miles</td></tr>
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So now its onto the next focus...back to Xterra racing but first I need to order some CurraNZ which assist with prevention of DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, and by heck it seems to work. By Tuesday I could've run if the blister wasn't so sore, but I'm taking a few days off to recover from the tiredness and just chilling out but with the knowledge that I'm going to need some power for climbing on the MTB. One of the pro Xterra athletes, Jacqui Slack, has given me a few programs so I'm on it to get ready for Xterra Germany in three weeks time, Denmark in 5 weeks time then the World Championships in Maui in 2 months. Racing 2016 like a pro!Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-84247563924631223062016-07-27T22:26:00.003+01:002016-07-27T22:26:43.736+01:00Double weekend racingA little late getting onto this blog as I've been busy with work and study since getting home from our trip to Xterra Switzerland and Xterra France. I'll keep them short cause I've got more recent news to share.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7uptiqh8e4WZ7pkmdqoHdfT5MM2L0jNzs9J4MFW7LIMLYITK4tnaxth-A4sEGRCKPTKymaHj7zxDDv4tteQLResP05eAz1Uf29r5G61rlfphI7nHJi-RwsHfjbIpuPvdJg-UcwOzFjc/s1600/DSC_0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7uptiqh8e4WZ7pkmdqoHdfT5MM2L0jNzs9J4MFW7LIMLYITK4tnaxth-A4sEGRCKPTKymaHj7zxDDv4tteQLResP05eAz1Uf29r5G61rlfphI7nHJi-RwsHfjbIpuPvdJg-UcwOzFjc/s320/DSC_0962.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean before the start of Xterra Switzerland</td></tr>
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<br />
Xterra Switzerland.<br />
Ali and I flew out the morning of the Brexit announcement and you couldve heard a pin drop at Heathrow. We used our Avios airmiles to fly Britich Airways from Manchester to Heathrow to Geneva with the bikes included as luggage. Alsolute bargain and amazing service by BA. Car hire by Europcar was a Clio estate and perfect size for us. The hotel in Forcine le Haut was quaint and cheaper on the French side than booking in Switzerland and only about 15miles away from the race venue at Le Chenit. A quick recce in the dry on Saturday proved advantageous as the skies opened with thunderstorms late afternoon and drench the course turning parts into a mudbath. My swim didn't go particularly well and I choked on a bit of water but came out in 23+ minutes but onto the bike I thought I did OK on the first lap. It was so muddy and slippery though that I couldn't get any nutrition in as everything was covered in mud. Big mistake. The second lap was when I started to make mistakes and crashed a few times, the last crash only a mile from the finish would gash my knee open very deep. Onto the run and aware my leg was bleeding and aching I continued to catch people and ran my way back to 6th in the age group. Had I registered with British Triathlon in time this would have been an ETU bronze medal but I was here for Xterra European Tour points and i grabbed 63 from a possible 100. I was wiped out at the end and Ali didn't even recognise me as I was so muddy. I got into the small stream to wash off the mud and clean my cut then headed for the hot showers just as a bit of shock was setting in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs1BzEOJP0nJRIlT7XtK1IpmgeTbm25MO9VrjLVqjPBs4F09PAi4RjinKz9qfVpjdD_Xe1wxb8DejmTbXauL1bjRX5ZR3edwkhc_37FeIP9E6kdP3SW2yspdxFIDpdXbVq3sq6VHZ4YU/s1600/DSC_0965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs1BzEOJP0nJRIlT7XtK1IpmgeTbm25MO9VrjLVqjPBs4F09PAi4RjinKz9qfVpjdD_Xe1wxb8DejmTbXauL1bjRX5ZR3edwkhc_37FeIP9E6kdP3SW2yspdxFIDpdXbVq3sq6VHZ4YU/s320/DSC_0965.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hard to recognise the make</td></tr>
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<br />
Xterra France<br />
We booked a lovely apartment in Gerardmer for the following week from a lovely couple Robert and Martine Schwarz and they were so kind inviting us to dinner. We laughed and joked about us being their first British guests ever and so soon after Brexit. We would go up to the course most days and Ali would go off swimming or road biking whilst I walked some of the run course and then managed to recce the bike course albeit very slowly with a painful knee. I got some hydrogen peroxide cream and dressings from the pharmacy but realistically I know it should have been stitched. By Wednesday I got some waterproof dressings and on Thursday I was able to swim the length of the Xonrupt-Longmer lake at ironman pace.<br />
On race day the swim was manic. 1000 people crammed into a space about 25m wide so I went hard left into clear water and stayed there almost to the first buoy then joined the thinned out line of swimmers. I exited in 21:26 and chuffed to get out onto the bike ahead of a lot of Xterra Warriors. The bike course is tough.....really tough.....and really long....and really really hilly. Almost straight away you climb and climb forever and my Garmin read 5000ft of climbing over the 25 miles/two lap course and included a few man made structures to keep the spectators happy and entertained with crashes into the sand and falls from the ramps and jumps. The second lap was horrific know what is to come and its been churned up by the 1000 half course athletes in the morning and then a 100 full course athletes in the afternoon. My brakes were not brilliant, I've subsequently found out the front was rubbing and the back need adjusting as it just slipped and was non effective. I learnt not to trust someone else with the track pump as my tyres were too hard causing a few spills and managed to bash my poorly knee again which still hadn't healed.You live you learn! Onto the run I was smashing past loads of runners and made up nearly 50 places overall and was pleased with the 53 min run which also went up hill a lot,, but what goes up comes down and despite a little cramp going up I thrashed the downhill. I finished 10th in AG and gained another 45 points.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm4d8cl6AUKuck6_epRYe7dfVSXHWv0Zv4bVWakftkAgFjED_jjfraasuyPpYNJfeEYq5N2atMIcPsyGDOBa0iIHIZybLB3D2oNJVMnukUKem4LJS7Ju6rqWMkX4PxDmE5nO_4HwnUOw/s1600/DSC_1002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjm4d8cl6AUKuck6_epRYe7dfVSXHWv0Zv4bVWakftkAgFjED_jjfraasuyPpYNJfeEYq5N2atMIcPsyGDOBa0iIHIZybLB3D2oNJVMnukUKem4LJS7Ju6rqWMkX4PxDmE5nO_4HwnUOw/s320/DSC_1002.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">racked up for Xterra France</td></tr>
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I now lead the series with 258 points with two more races planned; Germany and Denmark before finishing at the World Championships in Maui. Theres a few races left in the series for someone to catch me but I'll try my best to maintain the lead and I'll be learning how to ride an mtb from August to October.Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-30123496080154754982016-05-11T22:17:00.002+01:002016-05-11T22:17:13.745+01:00Xterra take 2OMG whats happening in 2016? I don't think I ever imagined winning one Xterra triathlon never mind two but I have. Coming over from road triathlon and ironman has given me a great starting base but there's so much to learn and I am little gutted I have left it so late in my triathlon life to fully appreciate the off road side. I should've been mixing it up years ago but I'm going to make the most of what I have right now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top spot again. I could get used to this.</td></tr>
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When I won in Malta it was mission accomplished in achieving my slot to the World Xterra championship in Maui. Then I started to think if I could get more experience and practice at other events, all subject to funding by the Bank of Self. I looked at the Xterra European tour and checked out the race in Athens. The races need to be near or cheap travelling distance from major airports and Vouliagmeni fits. I had a load of Avios air miles from Tesco shopping vouchers saved up and I have never been able to use them and suddenly I have a British Airway's flight from Manchester via London to Athens for £70 in taxes only. A bus from the airport at 4am to Various takes 25minutes and €6 and then its a 40 minutes walk lugging a bike bag, a carry-on suitcase and a backpack through the empty streets to Appolonia apartments in Varkiza, about 2km from Vouliagmenia. Everything is so peaceful until two large Alsatian dogs start barking at the noise of the wheels on the bike bag and run out onto the road I'm walking down. I know very little Greek despite living in Cyprus for 6 years of my life but u always remember my dad telling me to shout "no dog" in Greek which suddenly seemed relevant and helpful after 20-odd years. So, in my best Greek I hushed "oxi skilagi" (that's maybe the phonetic spelling! ), and the dogs stopped in their tracks and one sat down. I should also mention I positioned the bike bag between me and the dogs just for emergency. One continued to follow me for another few metres then I was able to relax whilst I lugged 23kg of bike bag to the apartment.<br />
The key and welcome note was on the open reception (24hours service) and a quick check around the room at the facilities and in my chosen bed of three and trying to kip at 5.30am with the alarm set for 11am. Vouliagmeni is the Greek Riviera and played his to the 2004 Olympic triathlon, the one where Marc Jenkins punctured or had a mechanical and had to run the last few miles to get back to T2 and finish his Olympic dream. Nobody wants a DNF especially at the Olympics.<br />
The venue is a gorgeous private beach and behind the beach are the rolling hills. The Xterra Greece team are setting up when I register and I leave my bike with them to go recce a lap of the run route. It starts flat on the paths and roads outside the beach area and a stepped underpass takes you under the busy main road. The road ramps up steeply near the race hotel then there are some steep steps that take you up to the edge of the off road section. To this point the bike and run routes are the same. The run route goes left up a dusty rocky trail and on the recce I was able to run it but its steep. Reaching the top I stopped to take in the scenery of the sea and the islands and Dave Nicholas, Xterra Managing Director, is there with his wife and friends. A quick hello and chat then I'm flying down the hill towards the next climb. Brutal is a word I would use for the next climb. Its just rocks and almost a scramble and steeper than the previous. After that its trail and a small road climb and descent back to the steps for lap two or straight on back to the venue. On race day the run enters the private area and loops behind tennis courts and finishes with a 200m beach run (to emulate Maui?).<br />
After lunch at a local bakery I return at 4pm to recce ride the course with Nico Lebrun, previous Xterra world champion and a few other guys. The bike loop is completed twice and we are not permitted to ride the steps down the underpass for safety of other riders and runners on race day. The steps at the start of the trail need to be negotiated and it means carrying the bike uphill each lap. Unlike the run, the bike leg does a bigger loop taking in more hills and trails with a few technical twist and turn sections to slow us, well...me, down. The final section is a fast road via a water station then back out on loop two before returning to the underpass again. Everything seems OK except its easy to overcook a few corners on loose gravel and dirt. After the race briefing its back over the hill to the apartment and spaghetti and tomato dolmio sauce for dinner with a tin of rice pudding for dessert and then its off to bed to race in my head whilst trying to sleep causing me to stay awake for hours.<br />
I get about 5 hours sleep and after porridge, custard bagels and tea I leave at 7 for the race. I set up my transition and recce the transition entry and exits and walk through my routine.<br />
At 9am we are due to start and on the shoreline I chat with British professionals Rory Downie and Matt Dewis. There are not many Brits here, Louise Fox being the only female British pro. I do meet Gary Dressel, my age group, later on the run and I had seen he was a good swimmer if its the same Gary. I also met a Brit called Colin Brown but he lives here, and Rory's dad Gavin is also racing.<br />
The swim starts and I'm positioned near eventual winner Roger Serrano but in metres he disappears but I'm also in the pack amongst the red-hatted pro's for the first lap before just dropping off the pace during the second 750m lap. It feels great and I'm buzzing with positivity. Getting to my bike I can see none have gone from my age group and there were only a handful of white hatted age groupers ahead on the swim. The bike goes pretty well despite jamming my chain at one point right at the start of climb and getting dropped by the female pros but at least I was ahead and I just try to ride smooth and maintain speed in the turns as Nico pointed out. I did have another forced stop which resulted in cramping both quads when female pro Latina Buss slipped her back wheel on a short climb and I was right behind her. I spun it off but it was in my mind just as it was in Malta.<br />
Back into T2 and I'm the first bike back, yippee, and I'm out on the run feeling pretty relaxed, well trying to, knowing the bloody awful climbs are coming. The first road climb I manage to run but thereinafter its a walk with cramp again on the first rocky climb. In my head I am trying to keep the speed going to do enough to stay head without over doing it. Second time down the hill and its almost joyeous to reach the road and head for the underpass with just the beach to finish. I hit the sand and aim for the water line hoping for firm traction and its probably better than the really soft deeper sand. <br />
I enter the finish chute and in my head I've won but I'm taking it for granted. When I'm having a massage and food, The Frenchman as he's known, Christophe Maury tells me I've won with him third after being overtaken by another French triathlete Franck Fonteyraud in the closing stages. Still I'm not convinced but 99% accept it. Later that evening it would be confirmed on the podium. Winner!<br />
Another trophy and another winner certificate with the Maui entry code which Christophe is after but Franck may take the place.<br />
I had won by 9 and 10 minutes over Franck and Christophe and I now lead the European tour with maximum points after two wins from two.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish line thinking I've won but not convinced</td></tr>
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The tour is the best score from two silver and four gold events. I now need to race four golds to stand a chance. I am racing in Switzerland in June then hopefully France, the Xterra European championship in Germany then finish with Denmark in September before heading to Maui, Hawaii for the world championship. What a year! A lot of money to consider but I'll try to do it as cheaply as possible to make it happen.<br />
Another issue I usually have is DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, and it usually wipes me out 2-3 days later. This time I had none which may have been due to the fact I was sent some CurraNZ supplements, on the recommendation of Chris Stirling, which are basically a shed load of New Zealand blackcurrants in pill form. They are antioxidants and help aid lactic acid dispersal and for now I'm saying they work and i'll be trying them again next time.<br />
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<img alt="CurraNZ, a world-leading superfood supplement for health and fitness" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1123/0538/products/CurraNZ-4_large.jpg?v=1452734762" /><br />
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I've also got a half ironman and full ironman in Nottingham (Outlaw) pre-entered and I wish I wasn't doing them now but my perspective may change on these. We'll see.<br />
I have enough Avios points to get me and Ali to Switzerland so just accommodation and a car to sort then its consideration for the other races.<br />
If your reading this and your company or you know of a company could sponsor me for travel to the races or an individual event then please contact me. I'd be extremely grateful.<br />
So, now my trip to a then is at an end and I'm sat in the airport waiting to check in writing this blog. Its been fun....when I got past the 24degree\40 minute walk back to the bus to the airport lugging all the kit again. I arrived here about 1.15pm and I can't check in until 5.30pm but I spent an hour helping an elderly British family download Easyjet tickets from a playing up machine to save them £180. I even have their boarding passes on my phone!<br />
I'm so grateful to use BA with my Avios points as my bike travels as part of my luggage allowance up to 23kg and my wetsuit and cycling shoes etc are in my carry on luggage. Well done BA! Maybe I'll contact them or send this to them as a tweet. I'm using them again for Switzerland as I have just enough points left for me and Ali.<br />
I'll add some photos and post this later. For now I will have another coffee, check in and look forward to my night at Heathrow before my morning flight back to Manchester and heading into work.<br />
Thanks for reading if you got this far....... Retweet or share as you like. Race hard but smart. Mat<br />
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Update....photos added and Xterra Switzerland (ETU Championships) entered but France is full and I'm on a reserve list. Also entered Germany the European Xterra Championships.<br />
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<br />Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-38625359950083429912016-04-17T14:20:00.000+01:002016-04-17T14:20:31.288+01:002016 is looking goodSo my blog is always a little erratic but here's the update so far.<br />
The year starts OK with plans to race Manchester marathon, Xterra Malta, half and full Outlaw triathlon and then take it from there injury permitting. A few local run races would kick off the season before hopefully a good TT season (start next week) then open water swimming.<br />
So late January the dreaded flu bug passes through the office like a tornado in Kansas, except I don't end up in Oz and spend a week in bed followed by another two weeks of general malaise and feeling lousy. The prospect of a week training and holiday in Cyprus with Ali keeps me sane but slightly worried I might be too under the weather to train properly.<br />
All was fine and Cyprus proved to be a fantastic winter sun local and quiet familiar roads with plenty of climbing. No swimming though as the sea and the pool were freezing but supported recovery as an ice bath.I finished the week with a respectable 250 miles on the bike and managed a 2hr long run and total run millage of 25miles. We returned home to finish the week off with a half marathon in our village which was a disappointing 1:24 and would normally have been about 1:18 given the other competitors I know.<br />
Next up was a local 10km race and in this one I managed a 37 something but it was 10.4km in the end and I was only minute from the winner. This was a great feeling knowing the speed was coming back(2nd place had beat me by 7min in the half marathon).<br />
Ali and I recently joined Marple Swimming Club and Marple runners but the swimming has been really focused and included some hypoxic training (25m underwater swims) and feel this has helped along with the structured training. Something I probably haven't done for a year or two.<br />
Off to Xterra Malta for a race and a bit of more sun and holiday in April and to put into practise the swimming. Xterra is the off-road triathlon version and from my experience at Xterra UK last year, and now Malta, they're not easy. Maybe its just me not knowing how to ride a mtb fast yet but I do rely on my good all round ability of swimming, bike fitness, and run to make up ground.<br />
Malta was a great race. Of course it was because I won but it is a lovely place to race. Beautiful clear sea swim, rugged mixed terrain bike leg with something for everyone including some tarmac, steep climb, tricky descent and a few technical bits. The run has more of the same with a small scramble up the cliff and a quad sapping hill climb. The wind on the day didn't help much and only added to the difficulty. The swim went well and I mixed it up with the pro's but soon was getting overtaken on the bike. I managed to take some places back during the run but was hindered with quad cramp on the steep climb following a bit on the bike too. Not knowing where you are positioned or who is ahead or close behind made just give it all and I managed to win my first race in a few years (Age group obviously) by 7 minutes. Most importantly though was winning the slot to the Xterra World Championships in Maui, a bucket list race for me. Better start saving!! Good job its not a wet suit swim in Maui as I managed to put my thumb through the calf of my Vector Pro. I think I'll need to shorten the legs which will make it even faster to get out of.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I removed the wetsuit on the beach due to the long run and steps up to T1.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Samuel Farrugia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mdina glass trophy for Xterra Malta Age Group win ....yessssssss!</td></tr>
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A week later and a few blisters remain from Malta but its time for the Manchester marathon with Ali and Daz Sharpe. We had thought last year we might be capable of 2:40 on the flattest marathon course in Europe but winter miles were lacking from me and Daz has Ironman Lanzarote in 5 weeks with my Outlaw ironman in three months. We would be happy with sub-3 hours and we did. I set off at my comfortable pace running at a HR of about 162 whilst Daz set out to run 6:45 per mile with the intention of picking up the pace later. Everything went well until about mile 21 when cramp started again. I had been running about 6:15 per mile but suddenly it was 6:30 for two miles then BAM! 7:45's. What could've been somewhere around 2:45 and a pb ended with 2:55:15. Happy enough but I was running scared the last few miles worried that Daz would catch me but he ended up with 2:59:45.<br />
So we both broke 3hrs and happy with that, and I'm slightly happier as he still hasn't beat me over marathon distance. We then waited for Ali and the tracker showed she was on target at 30km but hen as 5hrs came and went we new she was struggling. 23 minutes later she comes strolling down Talbot Road with a big grin on her face. Again lack of mileage through winter took its toll. My biggest run had been 2hrs/16.5 miles but Ali's had been just under 2.5hrs in a half marathon. All in all it was great prep for the Outlaw.<br />
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What else?......oh yeah, Ali and I had a bike fit at CycleFit in Manchester. Big differences to my TT position but small tweaks to my road bike with a new saddle too. Ali has had some big tweaks to her position change of stem and saddle and as I write she is out on a 60 miles sportive and has punctured twice.<br />
I'm also looking to sell my Quintanna Roo triathlon bike and also the Bp Stealth to fund my next tri bike. Some interest so far but no secured offers so get on the ironman journey Facebook page and make me an offer.<br />
Next up Xterra Greece ....7th MayMat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-86197597194216946712015-10-18T11:53:00.000+01:002015-10-18T11:53:02.152+01:00End of year round up...sort ofAnother year of sport and another year older and what was potentially going to be a great year and an excellent winter training ended (nearly) with some mixed results and ups and downs.<br />
February started with a crash caused by an idiotic car driver slamming on his brakes and reversing towards us resulting in evasive action and a fall on my shoulder. Innocuous at the time but the shoulder stiffened over the weeks and months and needed a steroid injection to free it up, and just in time for my first race at Wilmslow sprint tri in May where I finished 2nd overall. Great result in my eyes.<br />
Onto Bala middle distance on a tough course but my form was good and despite leading the swim and onto the bike the course was abandoned to a fatality. A very sad situation.<br />
Next up was Ironman UK and again the form was there running a PB the week before and swimming and biking was great. Again lead the age group for much of the bike course and a short distance at the start of the run before I started coughing up blood and struggled with breathing for still an unknown reason. Multiple chest X-rays and MRI's and scopes in my throat and nose have detected zilch. Race finish in 15th AG is a result but not the win I wanted and trained for.<br />
Medical tests and rest then back to training just in time for Xterra UK to try something different. A great swim, but lost a few places on the tough muddy slippery bike course and ended up 4th in what was also the European Champs. I did get offered a roll down slot for the World Champs in Maui but expense could not allow this year. Maybe next year ;-)<br />
A last minute entry to the Tameside XL off road tri a couple of weekend ago yielded another 4th place and this was disappointing. A good swim again, and a good run, but my inexperience on a MTB and lack of course knowledge probably cost me a podium postion. 2nd to 4th were within 50sec and the technical hilly bike cost me this I'm sure. The winner overtook me about 3miles into the bike and left me for dead downhill on the loose rocks. Another learning experience.Following the Rules n+1 was invoked and a new (2nd hand) addition was added to help on the MTB front.<br />
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So winter training is starting and the local pool is a couple of minutes walk away with coached sessions two nights per week and one early morning. Absolutely ideal and I am loving the structure so far.<br />
Running speed is coming back again and next weekend I am doing the Worksop Half Marathon with my old training partner and superfit mate Daz Sharpe. I am sure we are both laughing at the prospect of a race off. Cant wait but a 1:20 will do and coincides that Sunday is my long run day. Happy all round.<br />
Biking is mainly commutes with longer rides planned for Tuesday and Thursday evening and a long club ride on Saturday.<br />
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So the form was there but bad luck conspired against me but remaining positive that it can be repeated and bettered in 2016. With luck also <a href="http://xterrawetsuits.co.uk/" target="_blank">Xterra Wetsuits UK</a> will sponsor me again and hopefully my bio will be there (to be updated soon) if you want a look at my past results and achievements.<br />
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So, onto 2016......there was a time when you could enter races a week before but popularity means having cash (or a credit card) to enter a year in advance when the entry goes live. Luckily Ali and got entries to both the half and full Outlaw next year. My brother and mate Paul Breeze are also entered for the Outlaw. <br />
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Good luck and safe training everyone and see you on the start line<br />
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So races for 2016 are go<br />
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April Xterra Malta<br />
Manchester Marathon<br />
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May Wilmslow Sprint Tri<br />
Half Outlaw<br />
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June Peninsula Sea Sprint Triathlon<br />
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July Outlaw<br />
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August Xterra UK<br />
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September Tameside XL<br />
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November Maui??Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-70798526906497386022015-09-03T22:39:00.001+01:002015-09-03T22:39:09.987+01:00Something new....Xterra European ChampionshipsIve been doing triathlon for about 24 years now and whilst I have taken part in off road quadrathlon (triathlon with kayak as the 4th discipline), I have never done a mountain bike triathlon with a cross country run. Having been to Hawaii (Ironman) twice and raced on Oahu too (ITU Worlds 2005) I had heard about Xterrra on the island of Maui and quite fancy going there one day so I thought I'd give Xterra England a shot just to see how I compare and what I need to do.<br />
My brother Philip is a keen MTB'er and racks up more miles than some roadies but his swimming is negligible and lets face it, most people can put one foot in front of the other twice repeatedly so running he can do, and with that he decided to enter with me to race at the Vachery Estate in Surrey on August bank holiday weekend.<br />
We drove down Saturday morning after Philip had driven most of the night to get here from Larne, and had planned to recce the course by bike and foot. We put the tents up on arrival, registered, and set out on the bike course leaving our chief supporter Ali to read her book in peace. The course was fairly dry and with a few little hills that required concentration to progress without coming to a complete standstill. There was quite a bit of technical focus with tight turns and lumps and bumps that meant speed was nigh on impossible to maintain but it was dryish and within my capabilities. Back at the tent Philip went for a kip while I headed out for the run lap recce. The course was good with one steep hill, a ditch to jump or traverse twice and a huge tree trunk to leap/clamber over and a bog to negotiate each lap. Simple really.<br />
We had the race brief then a bit of a Q&A with the legendary Conrad "The Caveman" Stoltz, Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack then had dinner at the venue and headed off to bed for an early night, typical camping evening. Also typical camping is the rain, and it fell in buckets.<br />
Race morning was more of a race afternoon so a lie in was on the cards then bike racking at 1030hrs ready for a 1210hrs start. The pro's went off at midday then all the 40-44 and below age groups 5 mins after, then us 45-49 upwards with the relays.<br />
There seemed to be a bit of a jump start on the swim but I worked my through the group and seemed to be at the sharp end. I could only see one swimmer ahead who I guessed was Damo Littlewood of Tri-1st Birmingham. I didn't see the relay swimmer or another athlete in front but the results show I was out of the water 4th from my wave in 21:54. It felt easy and comfortable in my Xterra Vector Pro but Philip was working hard to finish the swim 5 minutes quicker than his anticipated time in 35mins and it was his first open water swim in his Xterra Vortex.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">X(terra)-men</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Out on the bike the course was completely different following the deluge we had overnight. Firm dry tracks were now muddy and slippery and despite lowering my tyre pressures i still struggled. Every 180 degree turn was a front end slide and there were a few crashes but still I was overtaking the age groups ahead at every overtaking opportunity on the narrow tracks. I really wanted to capitalise on my swim and go for the medals and a potential Maui slot. There was a bit of hill running when traction just wasn't there. I realised I need to run tubeless wheels with lower pressures and get proper tyres to suit the course. Its all a learning experience. Maybe I need a carbon bike too and not a 'cycle to work scheme' bike, </span>hmm<span style="text-align: center;">....there's a thought....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philip focussing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upright for a change</td></tr>
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One thing I am fast at is transitions and I headed out for the 10km cross country course feeling good and confident I could run some folk down. The first lap was fairly swift and I overtook loads of people and managed a great leap over the ditch and tree and even managed to catch a few of the pro's.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge tree to leap over</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philip clambering</td></tr>
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The second lap was slower as I caught a few people through the muddier sections and I have to admit to feeling tired going up the hill. I managed to catch Damo (last years 40-44 winner) on the run which lifted me a little but I knew he was suffering from an Achilles tendon issue. </div>
I had no idea where I finished and Ali went to get me a print out from the timing tent whilst I ate my body weight in chocolate brownie and flapjack. The look on her face said it all as she walked back. I was 4th....probably the worst position to be in. No medals at the Xterra European champs boohoo...gutted! But this was all about testing myself and trying to determine what I needed to do to get to Maui.<br />
Meanwhile, Philip was out running the course and managed to do fairly equal splits. He has decided that he likes Xterra triathlon and is going to be training for next year. Ive also decided I like Xterra too and quite fancy racing abroad but I need to improve on my technical riding skills and maybe need a new bike, N+1 springs to mind.<br />
Time to start training again and look at bike bling.<br />
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<br />Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-11986495011660804432015-08-11T21:19:00.001+01:002015-08-11T21:19:29.259+01:00A year of training and hospital appointmentsThis year was supposed to be full of racing and doing well and maybe the odd win and my training and form had been on track but for a few hiccups....or maybe coughs of blood.<br />
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The winter training had gone well, biking was going good and the local timetrials were proving that I was getting faster and in better shape than last year and this was in spite of a shoulder injury that required a steroid injection when some volvo driving ass decided he didn't like being behind cyclists in the ASL (advanced stop line) at traffic lights and raced ahead of us then stopped and reversed in towards us resulting in my going over the bars. Weeks were lost from swimming and almost the season but thankfully an injection a few weeks before the first race seemed to have cured the problem without the need for any surgery.<br />
The first race of the season was Wilmslow triathlon and I must admit that I was expecting to race for the Vets prize so I was surprised that when I checked in I was given Number 2 meaning I was one of the fastest swimmers. I had ridden and run the course the night before as a familiarisation recce and I knew I could bike well and my running was starting to get better and stronger so I thought I might stand a chance of top 3. I wore my Xterra Velocity swimsuit (and nearly forgot to take it off in T1) for added slipstreaming in the 400m pool swim and headed out on the bike thinking I was in 2nd place. I quickly overtook the supposed lead swimmer, a paralympian swimmer Daniel Pepper. I never get complacent and kept pushing hard and with 3 miles to go I caught another cyclist, Simon Parker. I led out of T2 but was overtaken within 500m and Simon pushed on to win by 23s over the 6.3km run. To come 2nd overall was a surprise but also a big confidence boost given that I hadn't done any brick work and I could look forward to more training and the national Middle Distance championships to be held at Bala.<br />
I have never really liked the middle distance race at Bala. Its always cold and its a hard race but this is the national champs and its also prep for my A race, Ironman UK (Bolton). The swim was shortened to 1km due to the water temperature and by god it was cold. My face was freezing but the racehead takes over and I came out 1st in my age group in the Xterra Vector Pro first race outing. At least the sun was out for the ride over the mountain but it was still cold. I was having a bit of a localised race with Mark White and tried to get away with an effort on the last big climb but as I crested the top the road had been closed and the race had been cancelled due to a competitor fatality. Not the race everyone was hoping for and I certainly felt like a medal was on the cards, if not the win, but someone had died and it puts everything in perspective and makes you grateful to be alive.<br />
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RIP Daniel Cavanagh, aged 40.<br />
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Getting older is getting harder to accept and injuries are always in the back of my mind. A simple muscle pull or a trip and fall can set you back for seemingly ages and negative thoughts can set in but <br />
keeping an eye on the future is a reminder of why you train. Ironman Bolton was looming up fast, it seemed only like yesterday that Ali and I entered it whilst sitting in the sun in the garden last year. I had gone through a run/walk program to assist with my achilles injury and had managed a 1:26 half marathon in training with very little effort and had managed to swim the ironman distance twice in under 56 and 57 minutes in the weeks prior, and my timetrialling was still getting faster so I felt in good shape and confident of a win at Bolton. Arrogance maybe? No, Confident and trust in the training. I'm chasing an age group win after coming 2nd in South Africa and 6th in Melbourne.<br />
Race day in Bolton arrived and the weather was typically British.........shit! It poured and poured and at one point on the swim you could barely see the buoys the rain was bouncing so hard off the Pennington Flash.<br />
The first lap of the swim was smooth and the second not so with one or two fellow competitors zigzagging across my front repeatedly. A glance at the timer on the first lap was a disappointing 29 something minutes but I thought, hey it must be long, same for everyone. I took the furthest buoy wide to take my own line and was enjoying the swim but again at the end I could hear the commentator say 'here comes the 1:01 swimmers'. Again disappointment as I was hoping to be heading to my bike in 57 minutes. But I was good enough for 7th in my age group.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One lap done and still enjoying it</td></tr>
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A quick T1 and I was out into the rain flooded roads of Lancashire with more than a fair share of taking it easy on the multiple turns and roundabouts that makes the Bolton course so slow in comparison to other courses only compounded with the weather. To say I shivered and my teeth were chattering is an understatement. I was dropping bottles in the feed stations, A because it was cold and B because they weren't long enough to get all the nutrition needed without slowing to a stop.Nevertheless I did manage to get my nutrition bang on. Half a Powerbar and a gel during every hour along with a Powerbar drink. The bike course is awful. I detest it. Its not hard but for a timetrialist its crap with barely more than a few miles at a time to stay aero....but, its the same for everyone. Sheephouse Lane hill is nothing special but Hunters Hill second time round is more than a little cheeky and I was dreading it as I started getting cramps about 70 miles. I just took it easy up the hill and saw Ali just getting back on her bike after a puncture, which took too long to change and subsequently cost her time and forced her to miss the cut off time by one minute. Gutted.<br />
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As I headed towards the macron Stadium T2 I was emptying my bladder when I got overtaken by Mark Richardson. Little did we know that we were leading our age group and I followed him into T2. I changed into run kit and hoped to get warm running and after a few hundred metres I caught and went past Mark. This is when it starts to go wrong...........<br />
I was struggling to catch my breath and was forced to walk up the first small hill. I recovered over the top and caught mark again and sat in trying to get a big breath that might help relax my breathing. I was struggling for oxygen it seemed. When I managed to get the big breath it made me cough and the cough brought up blood. At first I thought it might be Powerbar dyed spittle but it was bright red.. I was able to walk so I kept going hoping to recover and even managed to run the downhill part to the brook and along to the next hill. more of a jog really. This basically set the scene for the 4hrs 33min of marathon interspersed with numerous toilet breaks. never have I pee'd so much. A good thing maybe being hydrated? The run course is actually quite nice and I would liked to have been able to do it justice.<br />
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Swim 1:01:42<br />
T1 2:50<br />
Bike 5:38:09<br />
T2 4:33<br />
Run 4:33:43<br />
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<span id="goog_1116132526"></span><span id="goog_1116132527"></span><br />
All I trained for and wanted for a year was to win an Ironman race and I end up completing my 8th Ironman in my slowest time yet and put my health at risk to finish in 15th place in my age group At the finish I picked up my medal and was escorted to the medical tent and after some questions and basic observations they suspected I may have a spontaneous pneumothorax then after an ambulance trip to Royal Bolton Hospital for a chest xray, ECG and blood tests it was a suspected pulmonary embolism. The A and E doc gave me , Ali and my dad, a little scare when he tried to explain there was bad news and I thought he was trying to tell me had lung cancer. Just great communication skills. So I got released after an echogram of my heart and the cardiologist diagnosed viral pericarditis. This is supposed to have started from a sore throat i was getting whilst riding and must have been exacerbated by extreme sport. My blood results were also pretty extreme with CK levels at over 2000 (normal is 125).<br />
I must also say a big thanks to Andrew Rudder for getting me my finisher tee-shirt as I had bypassed this on the way to the med tent and hospital. Cheers mate.<br />
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Over the past few weeks I've had to take it easy and had a few more blood test with two further A and E trips, a visit to the chest clinic specialist and today I had a CT of my chest and abdomen. I have a follow up in a few weeks but at least I am able to exercise now. Mainly just commuting so far and two trial runs of 20 and 30 minutes that went OK. <br />
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A few weeks ago I was all for giving up ironman and potentially the decision was being made for me but never say never and Ali and I have pre-registered for a a half and a full distance next year. I also have Xterra UK to do in a couple of weeks with my brother also racing. Should be good fun and I have had enough of hospitals for this year. The good thing is I am raring to go again if a little steady at first. <br />
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Have fun folks and enjoy life.<br />
<br />Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-1075438641784510862014-12-27T17:52:00.002+00:002014-12-27T17:52:50.062+00:00Late again!I hated school which is probably why I never get round to writing my blog. I always seem to do it in blocks. Here goes again..<br />
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Since the last blog Ali and I have been to the Scilly Isles to complete the Scilly Swim Challenge. What an adventure. This was my Christmas present from Ali and an amazing experience and holiday thrown in to the bargain. The islands are beautiful. <br />
We started with a walk from St Marys at about 0530hrs and walked up to the start the first swim a few km away. The route was roughly that below and around 150 people took park including Beth French, the first peson to swim from the mainland to the Scilly Isles....28miles.<br />
The swim was pretty amazing and we were meant to swim within a 50m wide by 200m window but as the day progressed this was not the case especially on the long swim.<br />
I made a point of setting off last from every beach and looked for Ali along the way and only saw her twice during the six swims. The early swims were a little shivery but by Bryher the sun was well and truly up and the day was fantastic with pretty smooth waters. Food stops provided by volunteers on the islands were second to none. On Tresco it was a banquet and a bask in the sun before traipsing across the island to start the next swim. The swim to Samson was short with no food or drink as it was inhabited. Swimming in virtually last I was looking up to see the early swimmers exiting onto the beach then disappearing back into the water like the march of the penguins. The long swim was daunting. I do get scared in the sea and always get freaked by my over imagination. Apparently we did have seals follow us at one point though and I am glad that we did the seal swim on a different day. Once in the middle of the channel spotting the exit became a little easier but it did get a tad boring and St Agnes seemed forever in the distance.<br />
After a another bask and feed we set off for the seemingly easy short hop back to St Marys. Unfortunately we hit a rip tide or strong current on the edge of the headland and for what seemed like an age(and it was) I was swimming on the spot. By looking at my watch I was able tell that something was wrong. Eventually a kayaker told me to head back out to sea and swim around the headland. This swim took me longer than the long swim and my average paced dropped from 1:24/100m to 1:40/100m. <br />
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Many swimmers had to get on a boat just to be towed through the current then dropped off again but fortunately I was able to make it albeit slower than expected. All in all an amazing experience and to cap it off we were the first swimmers ever to complete the round trip and we saw dolphins leaping on our return crossing to the mainland<br />
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1. St Marys to St Martins 2800m<br />
2. St Martins to Tresco 2200m<br />
3. Tresco to Bryher 1000m<br />
4. Bryher to Samson 1000m then a 25m walk over the beach before<br />
5. Samson to St Agnes 4800m<br />
6. St Agnes to St Marys 2800m<br />
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Liverpool National Triathlon Championship<br />
What a wash out. The weather was horrendous with rain covering the potholes on the bike leg and a mass of jellyfish towards the end of the swim leg.<br />
I had a great start and was at the front of the swim in a small group but then my goggles leaked and misted and I couldn't see or sight so I had to roll over and adjust my goggles. I still managed to come out of the water in the top 10 in 21:54. I set off strongly on the bike and felt good but got held a little on a turn with too many riders on the course and not wanting to be nailed for perceived drafting I held back a smidgen. This with hindsight probably cost me a medal. Having not run much all season due to recovering from the knee surgery I set off at a good pace and managed to hold it throughout. I was really pleased to run a short 38 despite literally no run training. I finished 4th overall and missed a bronze medal by less than a minute. Sometimes the effort is better than the result.<br />
Ali did the sprint version of the race an I was able to finish my race and walk with her to the start and watch her get stuck in. Not having the greatest bike leg she also came 4th in her age group. Competitiveness runs high between us!<br />
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So onwards and upwards to next year<br />
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Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-31439571594854822032014-07-21T13:13:00.001+01:002014-07-21T13:13:08.359+01:002014..a year of injuries Grand Tours, new experiences and new expectations<br />
Why is it that when you have almost completed or half way through a blog you accidentally hit the red X as you move from page to page and nothing saves...........Aaaargh....infuriating. <br />
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Where was I.... oh yes... 2014, a bloody awful year in terms of accidents, illness and injury but a mixed bag of positive results.<br />
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The year had just got started and I was returning to running following knee surgery for a torn meniscus when a bike accident in late January resulted in a fractured shoulder, fractured 5th metacarpal, bashed up other knee(!) and facial grazes and cuts but it seemed to be the whiplash that took the longest to recover from. Bloody irritating when trying to breath in the pool or glance over your shoulder when biking. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A&E selfie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4y0wHxxJ5Yqpjv3ENTDZgNQ6KflV6Rqb_zw4eK0m9PacWYgIAgVUeWATTFUbVfj1B83Xo0f0YWF5ZmKRnysfGZAbNJblt35l4Oi8GQ74IVp0NrRgcHuv0ZY0-G5DC5Mf5AkQ4SX4xZzc/s1600/xray.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4y0wHxxJ5Yqpjv3ENTDZgNQ6KflV6Rqb_zw4eK0m9PacWYgIAgVUeWATTFUbVfj1B83Xo0f0YWF5ZmKRnysfGZAbNJblt35l4Oi8GQ74IVp0NrRgcHuv0ZY0-G5DC5Mf5AkQ4SX4xZzc/s1600/xray.jpeg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"># 5th metacarpal (little finger to most people)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">did its job<br />
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A new Vendetta wetsuit and Lava pants from <a href="http://www.xterrawetsuits.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1" target="_blank">Xterra Wetsuits</a> arrived and the Lava pants are a godsend. I was able to effectively swim with a good body roll without getting too tired, and remain relaxed whilst breathing and still knock out 1:20 for 100m multiples. Certainly helped with recovery and fitness building.<br />
I was commuting on the 29er that I bought with the plan of getting into Xterra triathlons and eventual qualification for the World Champs in Maui......one day it will come.<br />
I entered a 25 miles TT with Mark Saggers and Ali who had never ridden a 25 outside of a triathlon. A windy day and I managed to go under 20 minutes for the first 10 miles knowing the last 10 would be tough. I finished in a lifetime pb of 54:24! Over a minute quicker than my previous set back in 1997 and three minutes quicker than last years best. I still don't know where it came from other than I was focused and concentrating on every push and pull of the pedals. It was good to compare against Mark but he had come off a heavy training week and he managed a 56min. He was hoping for a 57. Ali managed a first finish in 1:26.<br />
With the elation I decided to risk potential failure due to lack of training and get the kayak out for the World Quadrathlon Championships to be held at Brigg, North Lincolnshire. I knew the course well having won the 2012 European and British Champs there but again my kayaking had been hampered by the crash. The race started with the usual 1500m river swim and I hugged the bank upstream and down the middle on the return. Fast and furious as I tried to stay with the known swimmers, I came out in 4th a minute down on last years World Champ but 40 seconds up on the favourite, and Xterra athlete, Steve Clark. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxFj8l0bW8JVXUu3NJNYWUvMmVwN3JIkzk6nQGzKJ4cLYFT2oesDweWKjI1ERn0Nmkol-t_8RkSTC9bDLR13pnDXx6ArdDvFPAfNx3TCIgaf3da7k587S9DpI2vwKzg0k0gRqEVybQSw/s1600/Brigg+swim+exit.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxFj8l0bW8JVXUu3NJNYWUvMmVwN3JIkzk6nQGzKJ4cLYFT2oesDweWKjI1ERn0Nmkol-t_8RkSTC9bDLR13pnDXx6ArdDvFPAfNx3TCIgaf3da7k587S9DpI2vwKzg0k0gRqEVybQSw/s1600/Brigg+swim+exit.jpeg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xterra Vendetta seeing action at the World Quadrathlon Champions </td></tr>
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The kayak phase is next and immediately I was not comfortable and being overtaken by lots of good kayakers including many GB paddlers. Steve Clark caught me after the turn and managed to get on the wash of another overtaking athlete whereas I lost balance and the wash and continued to struggle.<br />
The bike went well but never felt awesome but I was making up places at least. Returning to transition I could spot a few riders ahead including Steve and Stefan but Steve King was nowhere to be seen. In 2012 I had spotted Steve King a minute ahead and quickly outran him to win by 6 minutes and Stefan by 3 minutes. It would be different this time with lack of form. Surprisingly the run went well considering the condition I was in but it was not good enough to challenge for the medals. Probably the best bunch of competitors at a Worlds event and Steve King (GBR) won, with an outstanding performance by Tom Stead (GBR) to take 2nd. Watch out for the future because when he learns to kayak a bit better he's gonna win. Leos Rousavy (CZE) was 3rd. My worst World result so far (9th) and just missing the Vets prize by a minute but consolation in that I was within striking difference of Stefan (GER) and Steve Clark (GBR).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">setting up transition at the Worlds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_AJbEE9GE694wlsgW_I-4p4pjKDhVT9PAOzEAzw9OghNJRdDMPminvWxDjA4BjsubgDqYZEKcBvXwGJotzlfy3RthCSqFAXslmp8BzWYjmXi1tloJZ7sq40mm6nysFQEnyaVmufZFQA/s1600/brigg+run.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_AJbEE9GE694wlsgW_I-4p4pjKDhVT9PAOzEAzw9OghNJRdDMPminvWxDjA4BjsubgDqYZEKcBvXwGJotzlfy3RthCSqFAXslmp8BzWYjmXi1tloJZ7sq40mm6nysFQEnyaVmufZFQA/s1600/brigg+run.jpeg" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in pain </td></tr>
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Receiving an entry as last years winner from Spalding Triathlon club was gratefully accepted and the chance to race alongside my son was fantastic. Elliot had entered a relay team but we would be going toe to toe on the run at some point. I have always liked the Spalding triathlon as it used to be local for me and I trained at the pool. I have never finished less than 3rd. Andy Tarry had entered so I knew that realistically a win would involve Andy having a mechanical or injury issue. I wasn't wrong....he won easily with the fastest swim, bike and run and I took 2nd with the 2nd fastest swim and bike and the 3rd fastest run. My son managed to run a very respectable 18:26 despite no training or interest and I suspect he was running scared a little knowing I was chasing on the second run lap. His team did win the team prize too. Proud Dad moment. If only he could take it serious and train he could be a great athlete.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ASYWxahomoAM7Nc6RN5lhp-iDmBif4X1w2zI90d5OALxTRyRXawMciO-lvMNjZK7SUgdU7cd4TWIKYs13Jpm9A7AHyXSsG5jXFIPT-dZWr51pIM-hjQkatRB2EWR7BsF8CcTbVcKNMs/s1600/spalding+swim+exit.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ASYWxahomoAM7Nc6RN5lhp-iDmBif4X1w2zI90d5OALxTRyRXawMciO-lvMNjZK7SUgdU7cd4TWIKYs13Jpm9A7AHyXSsG5jXFIPT-dZWr51pIM-hjQkatRB2EWR7BsF8CcTbVcKNMs/s1600/spalding+swim+exit.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xterra Velocity speedsuit gets its first pool use</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrJLFUrIDZY_9do1ghzMCX-vjTgMS6NIxaMFM6j6i8MQ2_66GgK3_afj47OTu8P45D4oDH2UiNEQRvbX6baKE4Lx6Bg8KaEjIrbGaEzkxt5U-6OuG2U4KvR2HncG93ySuk1Vo2q3vNrY/s1600/spalding+bike.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrJLFUrIDZY_9do1ghzMCX-vjTgMS6NIxaMFM6j6i8MQ2_66GgK3_afj47OTu8P45D4oDH2UiNEQRvbX6baKE4Lx6Bg8KaEjIrbGaEzkxt5U-6OuG2U4KvR2HncG93ySuk1Vo2q3vNrY/s1600/spalding+bike.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just love riding in the sun on the Bp Stealth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmspQSWdmCuW5toxO0wzr8q3hYTue85EvtE47ow7rNsCzvFb-_d65QMMsjfpfPnOjUCT6ocAWjnh40I0_mVBbf0-GhymcrOCqw2kuLlVTMXuUess1ib0FJ3_0Sk1FW4ygThyphenhyphens77Sy31eY/s1600/mat+and+Elliot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmspQSWdmCuW5toxO0wzr8q3hYTue85EvtE47ow7rNsCzvFb-_d65QMMsjfpfPnOjUCT6ocAWjnh40I0_mVBbf0-GhymcrOCqw2kuLlVTMXuUess1ib0FJ3_0Sk1FW4ygThyphenhyphens77Sy31eY/s1600/mat+and+Elliot.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Elliot finishing Spalding Triathlon 2014</td></tr>
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So the next big challenge was the |Cheshire Ring kayak race. Ali and I were planning on doing the Devizes to Westminster 125 miles kayak race as a K2 in April but the accident put that to bed. So The Cheshire Ring is the next biggest race at 96 miles with 92 locks and 6 tunnels to navigate. <br />
We estimated 23 hours and we were on for a sub-20 until darkness fell, tiredness set in and unfamiliar knowledge of the locks and route. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71LofL6t9vD8R1inm41uAtFtpjE59g48U1zQOVAhGFiRV0FmTlq8WGUIMpEk4rWkiSJ0zhRlicEsfnSJS0wHaw5RZqPrH1uIzOk5KLXeF5VNz1srPuykXII2FiZRfAEz3D0vzo1LQ2KE/s1600/CR+start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71LofL6t9vD8R1inm41uAtFtpjE59g48U1zQOVAhGFiRV0FmTlq8WGUIMpEk4rWkiSJ0zhRlicEsfnSJS0wHaw5RZqPrH1uIzOk5KLXeF5VNz1srPuykXII2FiZRfAEz3D0vzo1LQ2KE/s1600/CR+start.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready, steady, 96 miles....GO!</td></tr>
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My brother, Philip and son, Elliot came to help with feeding and motivating and did a wonderful and well appreciated job of it. We managed to finish in 20hrs 58min 33s, with both of us suffering many blisters to our hands but the sense of achievement was phenomenal when we considered what we had completed. At one point in darkness we came a cross a dead end that turned out to be a downed tree blocking the canal. After a quick recce we manipulated the 6-metre kayak through the tree and re-entered the water. Can we do it faster? Can we break 20 hours? Most definitely....with favourable conditions like this year and more training and practice. maybe next year.....or the year after...who knows?<br />
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More recently as last weekend, Ali and I took part in the Great Manchester Swim with Ali doing it for charity and me as a training session. Another opportunity to race in the Vendetta. It is so buoyant and smooth and a pleasure to swim in. I hit the water first for my wave but was quickly overtaken by a 19:40 swimmer over the one mile course. I was content with my 24:00 time at 1:24/100 pace. I am on the toes of the front swimmer in the video below. <br />
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So whats next? I was asked to join the GB team for the World Cross Triathlon Championships in Germany but lack of leave and funds have put paid to giving it my best but I do have a place for the Nation Triathlon Championships at Liverpool in August. I also have a mammoth swim event in September with Ali. We are taking part in the <a href="http://www.scillyswimchallenge.co.uk/about.html" target="_blank">Scilly Swim Challenge</a> which involves swimming between each island and walking across each island. Total distance is 6 swims(15km) and 6 walks(10km) in one day. So looking forward to that and we have a seal swim planned. Hopefully we will see some dolphins or porpoises too.</div>
Mark Saggers has also invited me to a ride with Ed Clancy, Olympic medallist in a prize that he has won. So I'm looking forward to that and hopefully a day of sunshine in Wales.<br />
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Next year I am considering another Ironman as my brother Philip want to do one. So that means a winter of training and a big build up. I want to win my age group and get on the top of the podium. My second place trophy in South Africa is a constant reminder of what can be achieved and a bit of sibling rivalry never hurt anyone. Did it Philip???? see you on the start line Bro!</div>
Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-27648453040666313612013-11-10T10:31:00.000+00:002013-11-10T10:31:01.310+00:00Post Ironman World Championships reviewSo I've been back at work a few days and the race has been over 11 days ago now but it is still raw and fresh unlike the massive blister I managed to acquire on Ali'i Drive. The blister was probably the worst acute injury I have ever endured whilst racing in terms of pain, but more of that later.<br />
I just re-read my race plan from the previous blog and things went well and pretty darn close to the suggested plan.<br />
I arrived in Kona with 9 days to acclimatise and it was pretty hot the first days but either I did get used to it or the temperature/humidity dropped by race day. Each morning I would get up at 6.15am, have some breakfast and a cup of tea and wander the mile into town for a swim about 7am. Depending on who was in the water or around me depended on how far I went due to the shark sighting the previous week. I did manage to swim the whole distance one day and most swims where approximately at 1:30/100m pace which was very satisfying. I had been doing lots of 50's and 100's effort sessions at Marple and Stockport pools but using the Garmin I was able to analyse my stroke rate and metres per stroke etc and know I was relaxed and smooth. I also picked up an Xterra Velocity swim suit and despite being a UK ambassador for Xterra Wetsuits UK I did have to pay for it. It feels so slippery in the water and psychologically I knew I would be better in it than a standard trisuit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfyW9kGnjhV-B7GjONha1tbcW_LkMZZfiibLNgIU9fWvwAekbkpLDHv9oa9VS5bhrXVID0nshD5bRftA-6ZCEVjTUed_q1-u7wG4CvW6rj5CoqgDz9a8rE1gb-OTeuuQokzIj2y9c7mc/s1600/xterra+suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfyW9kGnjhV-B7GjONha1tbcW_LkMZZfiibLNgIU9fWvwAekbkpLDHv9oa9VS5bhrXVID0nshD5bRftA-6ZCEVjTUed_q1-u7wG4CvW6rj5CoqgDz9a8rE1gb-OTeuuQokzIj2y9c7mc/s320/xterra+suit.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Xterra Velocity swim suit with the Ironman World Championships swim start in the background.</td></tr>
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After the swim I would head back to the condo via Island Lava Java for Kona coffee and a muffin and head out for 30-40 miles bike ride along the Queen K highway. Running was not on the agenda as I had discovered that I had a torn meniscus and really shouldn't be at the race but for the fact the insurance company thought it doubtful they would pay out and I didn't want to risk loosing 3-4K with nothing to show for it. I did however decide to do the Under Pants Run, which, is more of a jog and a micky take out of the athlete tourists that walk about town and shops in their speedos and flip flops flexing muscles and shopping oblivious to the local residents and respecting the heritage of Hawaii. The youtube video can be seen here <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tARSJmgdA-c">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tARSJmgdA-c</a> and Steve Clark and me can be seen at 3:06 and 3:26. It was fun but I did feel ridiculous and probably made me realise how ridiculous people look when they do it for real.<br />
So Ali and my Mum and Dad arrive on different flights on the Thursday prior to the race and put up with me until race day. Race day came and I had slept well, getting up at 4am for breakfast of porridge oats with cranberries, toast, cups of tea and other obligatory hydration fluids. Race numbers went on in true military precision through the marque tents and I was good to go with an hour spare so I went to find Ali, Mum and Dad to say bye before making my way back through transition and into the water for the start.<br />
I was feeling confident as I tread water at the front of the masses with the paddle boarders whizzing up and down to keep everyone contained. I had a bit of space but when the one minute marker notification the atmosphere changed and people where trying to jump the line. Bloody stupid when you think each meters equals about a second and we are going to swim 3800 metres. The madness goes haywire as the cannon fires and I jockey for position with hundreds of other swimmers in close proximity. As a veteran of seven ironman races and hundreds of open water swim this is still bloody scary and after 12 minutes(glance at my watch whilst single arm swim) I am still in the midst of a threshing machine. I am not to afraid to admit I felt claustrophobic and tried to make my way to the edges and I fought some internal demons and told myself to just swim and be aggressive. Its the only way. Another glance at my watch at the Bodyglove boat was at 27 minutes and the final turn for shore at 29 minutes. Why then did it take 34 minutes to get back? There was only maybe 100m extra from start line to shore and I was able to swim smoother and more relaxed as the swimmers thinned out but I finished 58th in my age group at 1:38/100m pace. Better than my 2005 time at least so happy enough. The down side was my swimsuit ripped straight down the middle to the white X despite being ultra careful. I'm waiting to hear from Xterra about a replacement.<br />
A smooth T1 in just over two and a half minutes and I soon start overtaking loads of cyclists and I feel awesome. When I turn at Kuakini on the out leg I feel the tailwind and I set off and it feels effortless as I push up and over 30mph and quickly get fluids and gels on board. I'm wearing a white cycle top with a pocket full of gels and white arm coolers which reflects the heat and keeps the sun off. I look like a milk bottle but I don't care as long as it works. There were plenty of drafters or effing cheats as I prefer to call them and many got penalties but some didn't get caught. The most obvious was one Aussie that overtook me and others and pulled right in front and sat up forcing the rider to overtake or he rolled up to the next rider, sat in for a bit freewheeling then attacked again. He got a few choice words from me. <br />
After the Hawi turn we headed down hill fast but I started to develop cramps in my left thigh and could get the dioralyte powder into the cheap plastic bottles they where giving us so I tried to drink more Powerbar Perform. After 70 odd miles and just before the turn on to the Queen K is where Steve Clark caught me and I wasn't able to keep him in my sights as we pushed into the headwind. My leg leg was starting to go numb and my foot was tingling so i assumed I had a bought of sciatica. It was all I could do to push for the sub-5hr ride, one of my goals, but when I got to T2 I could barely walk and hopped and limped through transition to the med tent for a gluteal massage. Never before have I spent so long in transition but I didn't take the record as some spent nearly an hour there.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhhN_20eRYIg0Czk8N3Y_HimrxgdGupRoRmoqpa_GY5nEdL6BYes_-aoeerA3WcR1KF24jMZtOis5jKbZK2PtOFL1hjSPlYfoLTHQs68FDxutp3O-sF90HsTbXhJ4uY7m8zVyGDYHPak/s1600/blister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhhN_20eRYIg0Czk8N3Y_HimrxgdGupRoRmoqpa_GY5nEdL6BYes_-aoeerA3WcR1KF24jMZtOis5jKbZK2PtOFL1hjSPlYfoLTHQs68FDxutp3O-sF90HsTbXhJ4uY7m8zVyGDYHPak/s320/blister.jpg" width="240" /></a>I finally headed out on the run but walked up Palani Drive before the commentator got me to run with crowd assistance but my foot, leg and butt were killing me. A change of run style to compensate for the knee injury and my ultra tight compression socks are to blame for the blisters that were to come in later miles. I always knew I would have to walk but never really anticipated walking so much or I never really gave it thought about how it would feel whilst everyone around you jogs by. Bloody demoralising is what it feels like and hats off to anyone that spends hours and hours out there plodding along to the finish line. My run was nearly as long as my bike section in time but I managed to jog the final 7 miles whilst walking through the feed station whilst chatting to a fellow Brit, Steve from Preston.<br />
The blisters took some time to recover from and the main one is a little sensitive even now. When all is done and dusted I completed my 7th Ironman(second world champs), albeit my slowest, but broke 5 hours again for the ride and nearly beat my 11 hours target. I finished in 11 hours 16 minutes and 1 second. When it got beyond 10 hrs 30min I didn't matter where I finished or in what time just finishing would be enough. Ironman number 7 and my second World Champs has left me wondering what might have been if i had been race fit but there is always time for more. If you can qualify once you can do it again and if qualified three times but I'm still waiting for the perfect day when you arrive healthy, fit and you have Lady Luck on your side. One day.....maybe, hopefully. <br />
there were some great performances out there and a lot of surprises amongst the pro's. Rinny Carfrae stormed the run to take Rachel Joyce's lead and win her second world Championships and in doing so beat last years men's winner, Pete Jacobs. we had two British girls on the podium, Rachel and Liz Blachford and Catherine Faux making the top ten overall ladies result with a first in her age group. Pro soon?<br />
The few days after the race were painful trying to walk and I had to cut the skin from the blister to get the sand out. At least my knee was painful. I spent the remainder of the days sightseeing with trips to Waip'o valley and Waimea but the highlight had to be swimming with Manta rays at night. There must have been about 10 rays ranging from 5 foot to 14 foot wing spans within inches of your face, turning loop the loops to catch plankton in their gaping mouths. Ali was screaming with excitement like a little girl, my dad had gone quiet and my mum caught a glimpse of the first two and the depth of the dark water and got back in the boat. A brave attempt considering she has never snorkeled before and doesn't put her face under water. <br />
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So what's next? <br />
Recovery recovery recovery and contemplate the next challenge. Unfinished business in Hawaii can wait but I really am considering taking on Xterra off road triathlon with the vision of racing in Mauii World Championships soon. I'm also thinking of doing the 'canoeists Everest', Devizes to Westminster kayak race, with Ali in a K2 in under 24 hours. That's our target time but a finish would be great. I also have surgery to think about. <br />
Since I was too jet lagged and work got in the way this blog has taken a month to write and I had my knee arthroscopy on Friday. But more on that next time. Needless to say I'm taking it very easy and my exercise consists of walking to the kettle for a cup of tea and lifting my hand to my mouth with paracetamol, codeine and ibuprofen. Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-15179194147104703512013-09-30T22:34:00.001+01:002013-09-30T22:34:19.512+01:00training sessions done...time to flyWell its been a while again since the last blogging session but hey, I've been busy. Busy working, busy training and busy with life in general but busy waiting for a knee operation that might get me back running before the World Ironman Triathlon Championships. I'm still waiting! It can wait for me now.<br />
I'm off in a matter of days to the Big Island(Hawaii) and all the training is done bar a few sunny acclimatisation rides and getting used to the salty shark infested(a ten footer seen last week) waters of Kailua-Kona.<br />
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Training has been good but I have missed running. The swim is the same. It means getting wet and getting round in a reasonable time without killing yourself. Its a long day in the sun otherwise. I'm hoping to break my swim time from 2005 which was 65 mins for non wetsuit. After that its onto the bike for 112 miles of wind and heat but my training has gone well with 4 consecutive personal bests on the local 10 course, 3 consecutive 25 pbs and last weekend a pb for 50 miles of 1hr 52mins 48 secs. Things are looking good I'd say.<br />
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So whats the plan? A steady swim then a swift controlled T1 then out onto the Queen K highway for a sub 5hr bike leg. Then a sedate T2 and a nice gentle plod to protect my knee from further damage. I'm not taking racing flats. I've packed some cushioned trainers and considering changing to run shorts but we'll see. <br />
i am still hoping (weather, winds, pain and luck permitting) to make it back to Kona in daylight and under 11 hrs. A tough ask but I'll take what I can dish out and as long as I beat a gobshite celebrity chef that has somehow got a place and I finish intact then I'll be happy. <br />
I also have my Mum and Dad watching me for the first time at Ironman and my gorgeous partner Ali will be cheering and probably hoping she was out there again after finishing her first Ironman in Melbourne where I qualified this year. I am sure there will be lots of friends tracking me and hoping they were there too. My friend Steve Clark from Lincsquad is also racing so we may see each other out on the course.<br />
Afterwards is chill out time and some sightseeing. Volcanoes and manta ray swims are on the cards.<br />
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So until I get back, Mahalo and wish me luck!</div>
Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-36165915900849313072013-07-01T22:02:00.002+01:002013-07-01T22:02:58.272+01:00Three races one reportWow, its amazing how time creeps up on you. One minute I'm in Australia smashing up the Ironman course and in a blink of an eye its July. A quick glance at my last blog entry reminds me I have races a few times and with significant points to write about. Where can I get a Hermione Granger watch from? I need more hours in the day.<br />
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Race 1 - Chester Deva, ITU Worlds Qualifier race for the GB team. I only need to finish in the top 5 to get a slot to race across London in September but the problem is I have been suffering with knee pain since returning from Australia. So, smash the swim, hammertime on the bike and hold on for a steady run and take what I can get. I lead the freezing cold swim until the first bridge then get caught up in a small group exiting the swim in 5th in my age group. It feels like a long swim but it goes against the current for a long time.T1 is at the top of a big hill and soon I'm out on the uneven roads of Cheshire and Wales and enjoying a little sunshine warmth. Back into T2 and run down the hill into the meadows for the two lap course and despite a controlled run I manage to catch a few runners and finish 5th in age group. Fortunately I am moved up to 4th as a drafter gets a 2minute penalty. Either way I have my Great Britain place for the ITU Word Standard Distance Championships. Job done!!<br />
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Race 2 - Dambuster Triathlon, ITU Worlds Qualifier race for the GB team. Well I have my slot so really should I race??? hmmm I love racing and its all good practice for the swim and bike if I decide not to run.<br />
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The swim is a beach start and its pebbled but as its in a small bay I decided to use the rules to my advantage and run along in the waters edge and gain 50 metres on the swim. Its cold too so I have 2 hats on and I barely notice the cold in the Xterra Vector Pro3. Again I lead the swim for about 50-100 metres before being absolutely thrashed by one of the fastest swimmers of the day(17:30!!!!). I exit on the back of the first group in 20:45 and set about hammering around the infamous Rutland Ripple. Now this is where some people should realise their limitations as an age-grouper and get on the small ring and spin up the hills. If you cant make it sing, get off the big ring! After the ripple I start to make inroads into a lot of riders in the previous age groups and I am thoroughly enjoying being on my old stomping ground. There's a lot to be said for familiarity. A 1:06 ride is fairly decent on this 26miles course. Because I'm feeling good I decide to try the run and see how it goes. After about 39 minutes I'm at the finish line in 7th place. Not a bad race given the windy conditions and lack of run training. Very pleased with my performance.<br />
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Race 3 - Spalding Sprint Triathlon. Again a huge contrast in comparison to the Ironman distance but its the hottest day of the year and windy so maybe a little like Melbourne. (Maybe not).<br />
As the previous years winner I was invited back to race and having been a local race for me in the past it was also a fantastic opportunity to see my children who live in the town. This is a really friendly low key race but very well organised. I would recommend it to anyone of any standard, experienced or novice.<br />
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I am off in the second to last wave for the 400m pool swim so I cant hang about as these races are the ultimate in time-trials. I'm running out of the pool down the ramps to T1 in about 5:45 and post the fastest T1 with some superslick moves which I had practised the previous evening. Preparation pays off. Out on the bike I'm in the zone with a bit of a tailwind and leaving everyone from my wave in my wake. At about halfway into the flat fenland 18.76km ride the wind turns on the head so its tougher back into town. Theres also traffic to contend with and the busy A16 to cross which catches me wrong but head down again and get on with it. A quick and slick T2 and I'm out on the 4.6km 2-lap run. I am only 11 seconds slower than last year, despite the niggly knee, and I finish 1st again which is bonus. A big bunch of flowers for Ali and an afternoon in the sun and shopping with my kids. It doesn't get much better. <br />
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I also decided it will be my last race for the RAF since I left the RAF two years ago. Its now time to go unattached until I can find a new team I want to be part of. Sad, but after 22 years since my first triathlon its time to move on. I made some great friends that will be friends for life. It was awesome to go out with a win.<br />
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Next race - The NHS championships in Bolton depending on the knee!<br />
Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-30979503387113530262013-05-13T22:21:00.001+01:002013-05-13T22:21:52.154+01:002013 race part deuxSo two races could be hardly contrasted enough; Melbourne, hot, Ironman distance, this weekend it was Grantham, cold and a sprint distance.<br />
I only entered late this year as I was unsure of any injuries I might pick up doing Ironman. As it was I finished the ironman and had a month(ish) off from training without anything noticeable. Only when I took Belle for a gentle run (she was out of shape too after holidaying with my Mum) and got to 3 miles did I start to feel a throbbing knee pain. Nothing major but enough to think 'hmm whats this about?'<br />
A few days later I try again and decide to reduce the run to 3 miles but it starts throbbing after 2 miles! Aaaarggghhhhh now I'm paranoid the season is done and I've paid for my Kona entry, flights and accommodation.<br />
Well all is not lost yet. I try Victoria Park run whilst in Northern Ireland for my brother's wedding and I win in 17:45 with no pains. Hurrah! Unfortunately the next few days are pain filled again. <br />
So Ali and I decide on a bit of open water swimming at Boundary Breeze and I'm thinking the cold water might help and Oh yes it is cold. A couple of laps and I get out to take advantage of a massage with Andy Chalmers and he finds a few tight spots on my ITB's and TFL's. After much heavy breathing, sweating and a few muffled swear words I feel lots looser but a little bruised and battered.<br />
And so to race day. an early start required to get to Grantham so we are up at 4am and out the door with the car packed and Belle in the travel cage in 45minutes. At least it looks sunny in Grantham as we arrive in good time to register, chat with old friends and walk the pooch.<br />
Ali sets off 32 minutes before me and is doing her best to prevent me catching her. Darren Kelly is off 14 minutes before me and he is hoping I won't catch him either. There are a few 'fast looking' lads with bling bikes too but I'm hoping they are are great swimmers with lots of money.<br />
I get a good position in lane 2 for the swim and manage a decent first 100m keeping up with the other green hats( the benefits of pool triathlons). My goggles start to mist about 200m in and I miss a few perfect tumble turns but I'm not losing too much time. I climb out of the pool about 5:50 knowing I have done 400m without really counting the laps. The benefits of consistency and knowledge?<br />
I race into T1 and, conscious that last year was freezing and slower as I donned clothes, this time the only thing delaying me is trying to squeeze my bike out from between others in the tight racking. A good sign I think as I must be ahead.<br />
I let rip on the bike deciding to hammer the 18k course at all costs and I am overtaken on the first lap on the hill by Chris Pratt from Spalding Triathlon. nail it down into town and retake Chris just before the end of the first lap and continue to keep the pressure on acutely aware pool triathlon are time trials and you never know who if someone faster is ahead or behind. <br />
another fast transition and I'm out running but not feeling the mojo. My hamstrings feel tight and I'm heavy breathing but no knee pain. The second lap is a lot better and I'm getting into my stride and feeling relaxed and I remind myself that 6 weeks ago I was running a marathon after a 112 miles of biking. I got overtaken by the 2nd placed finisher but not the 1st who started 2 minutes after my wave. I finished 3rd overall in 53min 41s and claimed the fastest bike split of the day(27min 14s). I was over 3 mins quicker than last year too.<br />
I did catch Ali but only just before she turned off the main road and caught Darren just after but I could barely speak to acknowledge either as I passed. Its a race after all!<br />
So I come away with a small trophy and a £10 cheque(it'll pay for nearly the petrol to get there but every little helps). The main thing is NO KNEE PAIN so happy days! <br />
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GB qualifiers next month so back on the Ironman diet of dust and training.<br />
Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-81724114998628055282013-04-19T19:18:00.002+01:002013-04-19T19:18:21.378+01:00Ironman Melbourne 2013So first things first... I did what I set out to do....qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on 12 October 2013. Get in!, but it didn't quite go to my plan.<br />
Before I left the UK my running had been going very well, my swimming was OK and the biking was OK but I was unsure if I would have any speed in any of the disciplines due to the lack of racing throughout winter and because it was winter! As it turned out the run was the part that I feel most disappointed with.<br />
Me, Ali and Paul arrived in Melbourne in the end of their heatwave. Day 1& 2 were 37 degrees and a smidge humid. We eased into training building the bikes and taking steady rides of upto 2hrs into the countryside near Point Cook and Werribee. The roads weren't bad but Ross our ex-pat, ex workmate, had told us the 'hotmix' road surface on the Eastlink motorway for our 112 miles was super smooth and blistering fast. Hmmmm. Hopefully.<br />
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We trained most days and went open water swimming at Williamstown beach. The local open water swimming club met up a few times and we joined the group thinking numbers in the water decreased the chances of a shark attack although the last shark attack in Melbourne was something like 1928. Still this is Australia, we were nervous. This was the first time to try out the new wetsuit courtesy of a my new sponsor Xterra. The Vector Pro X3 was snug around the wrists and it doesn't take long to feel like its part of you. The buoyancy was fantastic and the worry about the wrists was soon gone when I practised getting out of the suit swiftly much to the amusement of sunbathers.<br />
We all took a rest day on the Sunday before race day with Ali and I going to the Melbourne Grand Prix whilst Paul took a relaxing boat trip out to Williamstown. Its hard to believe in a city where a loaf of bread is £3.50 that the GP would be cheap in comparison to the UK. £54 for a pre-booked ticket. Not bad at all but really you get better viewing on your sofa and you know who's leading the race cause the tannoy cant be heard over the engine noise.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race morning getting lubed up in my Xterra Vector Pro X3</td></tr>
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So race day loomed, registration day came and the tent had to be evacuated due to high winds. Hmm not great when you are in the middle of a massage.This was the start of things to come.<br />
The race morning start was pushed back to allow the sun(?) to come up and hopefully let the wind and waves die down, or not as the case would be. The swim was shortened to a stated 1900m to allow for the Kona slots to be available, the rest of the race distances would remain unchanged despite the wind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm in there somewhere on the front right of the shot <br />
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The pro men go first followed 3 minutes late by the pro ladies then 5 minutes after we head off into the surf. This was by far the scariest swim I have ever done in any race. 2200 bodies in huge waves is not for the faint hearted. Nearly 25 minutes later I hit the beach down current from the swim exit and run through to T1 in 12 place in my age-group with Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman, calling my name. My kids shout me from the crowds and I sneak a look to see my daughter waving. A few minutes later I head out onto the bike and onto the Eastlink to tackle the headwind for 28 miles.Now I hate drafters for all sorts of reason but mostly because they affect my race. Its also bloody cheating. firstly it was a small bunch so I eased off and let them through. and maintained my gap. Then it was a huge peleton (50+ easily) riding 5-7 abreast. Your kidding me! This really pees me off. Most riders shrug their shoulder and say what can you do and maybe join in or ease up. Well i eased up and lost 3-4 mph as a result and was getting caught by more riders from behind. I had a word with the technical officer(draftbuster to us Brits) and he mumbled something but them shot off and nicked a few. I got some food down me and drink then thought 'hammertime for 5 minutes hard' to get in front. More luck than judgement as I hit the front at the steep downward tunnel and entered it at 40mph before the garmin lost reception. I made up loads of time at the dead turn and caught the tailwind back to town down 30mph+ most of the way doing 58 minutes for 28miles. Lovely. I had overtaken some of the pro ladies and had caught one pro man not having a good day.The outward leg was only 3 mins slower than the first but the wind change saw me finish off with a 1:09 for the final leg. This is the moment all race I had been longing for....the run.<br />
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A steady transition as I take my time getting into my compression socks and making sure there are no wrinkles and I head off with my garmin reading a run pace of 9.3mph. I'd better slow down! I plan to run at 8.7 and after a few km I reach my target pace and things are going OK. I manage 42 minutes for 10km and I think 'wow, its gonna be my day'. About 10 miles out I start to get hot feet and blisters and need the loo. I stop and hope to recompose myself and manage to go through halfway about 1:37. Things are still OK I tell myself. i can still do a 3:20 marathon and be in with a shout.<br />
The blisters get worse. My feet get hotter and I develop a pain where my liver is(still no idea what it is) but I keep trudging on towards the finish line. I try to pick up the pace with 5km to go but my body and feet wont go for more than about 10 paces. <br />
With 1km to go I tell myself its now or never to try and keep whoever might be behind me behind me and try to catch whoever might be in front. Its hammertime again and I lift my legs and ignore the pain, gritting and grinding my teeth. I manage to catch one person who seems to be emptying his stomach for the after race party. Nice!<br />
I enter the finish chute and my kids are there to take the photos but I don't see them or hear them I am concentrating so much on ignoring the pain. I don't know where it comes from but I muster the energy for a cartwheel and cross the line in 8hrs:59mins:04secs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitting the final few hundred metres!</td></tr>
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What a day. Breezy comes over in 10:38 and Ali completes the trio in her first ever Ironman in 16hrs:36min. I am ecstatic to see her finish. What an accomplishment. <br />
I have to wait until the next morning to see if I have a Kona slot so its up early with no respite for tiredness. 6th in my age group with 11 slots. £533 later I have booked my place at the Ironman World Championships. Better start saving (and training) all over again.<br />
Lesson learnt from the race are to follow in future blogs. Thank you to Xterra for a great piece of kit and if there are bike dealers out there reading this and you think you might want to sponsor me then drop me a line. <br />
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Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-88391261045812256372013-03-09T09:59:00.001+00:002013-03-09T09:59:44.557+00:00Hi Ho its off to Oz we go!well the day has finally arrived and all the cold winter training sessions behind me and today Ali, Breezy and me set off for Melbourne to race Ironman in two weeks, 24th March!!!<br />
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Good news is that I am the lightest (70.2kg) I have been since 2002 when I did my first ironman in Frankfurt. I did just under 9:45 that day and I have got better since then.........well, I should know how to race it at least. I have a strategy.<br />
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Bike packed, kidneys sold to the highest bidder, house remortgaged and ready for the BA to London and Qantas to Melbourne via Singapore and the extortionate fees for the excess baggage(bikes!)Gulp...please be kind.<br />
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Looking forward to a day at the Formula 1 grand Prix opener next week and seriously hoping fellow triathlete and cool dude Jenson Button can cream the field. LH and PDR for 2nd and 3rd would be nice but hoping for a great time anyway. Tickets only £54 for race day....somethings are cheap down under at least.<br />
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What I am really looking forward to is getting into my new wetsuit, courtesy of Xterra Wetsuits UK and getting in some open water swims. I am a racing ambassador for Xterra this year. You can read my profile below. I am racing in a Vortex Pro X3.<br />
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<a href="http://www.xterrawetsuits.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=74">http://www.xterrawetsuits.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=74</a><br />
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his is the link to the Melbourne race <a href="http://ironmanmelbourne.com/">http://ironmanmelbourne.com/</a> and you might need this one below<br />
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<a href="http://www.ironman.com/#axzz2N2892snz">http://www.ironman.com/#axzz2N2892snz</a> hopefully the link to live tracker race number #1749<br />
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Ali is #1481<br />
Breezy is #1557<br />
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The weather here looks to be on its way towards snow again but Melbourne is hitting the 30's most days. Bring it on, see you soon and hopefully with a Kona place.<br />
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G'day <br />
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Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-19282726782340294712013-02-12T20:00:00.000+00:002013-02-12T20:00:13.023+00:00Its the small things that make you smile....It certainly is the small, normally insignificant, things that make me smile. Since last week I have managed to string together a series of training events that have all met with my expectations and I am happy with the outcomes. The piece de resistance is that tomorrow I will have a rest day whoop whoop. But like all things there is compromise.... no lay in tomorrow because I will have to drive to work early to get a parking space....but small thing again, I get to stay dry and listen to the radio and maybe I'll take a cup of tea with me. More small things today make me smile as I ponder(not reflect...too nursey orientated) my training. I have sore legs from racing 15 miles at the Folksworth 15 which is undulating and was extremely cold and windy but last night and immediate post race I had a massage so today am able to walk down stairs fairly normally.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmT3_CEmfxuUXu8s9zxxDxEAjo7tDNLOsIAh0l-vpca-MlxtLEABCgvkdraIN1Koo0-kIGhvMEWE5EKqYZKyJDDI1EJ9iZVump8Z2BTRW_DgdQR3qDBZrilitfKrJj7Q0POGPVeRE-jg/s1600/F15-profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmT3_CEmfxuUXu8s9zxxDxEAjo7tDNLOsIAh0l-vpca-MlxtLEABCgvkdraIN1Koo0-kIGhvMEWE5EKqYZKyJDDI1EJ9iZVump8Z2BTRW_DgdQR3qDBZrilitfKrJj7Q0POGPVeRE-jg/s320/F15-profile.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71Dq76xCc2B5wGb4c0nZUrPkbx_r5Mn7_kHV9SlL9CTZOn_NbqZ_XuN3Z9xq5RuPk4rLnH060Xsa1mCsSjg0ln7_mIs1NUoHdqy6p2PHLTLw8VV3JxRXKa8itsOpcOYWgu9j4luDYdTM/s1600/mat+running.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71Dq76xCc2B5wGb4c0nZUrPkbx_r5Mn7_kHV9SlL9CTZOn_NbqZ_XuN3Z9xq5RuPk4rLnH060Xsa1mCsSjg0ln7_mIs1NUoHdqy6p2PHLTLw8VV3JxRXKa8itsOpcOYWgu9j4luDYdTM/s1600/mat+running.png" /></a>I did a fast 3hr ride on Saturday to test my legs come Sunday and a great swim session on Friday night with lots of 100's and 50's at threshold pace. All this in aid of build up training to Ironman Melbourne next month. A steady commute yesterday and today to flush the legs has also worked wonders and although the 30 miles on the way home was an extended ride and very cold I felt surprisingly good and upbeat. Small thing again, I managed to get at least 10 miles of it in daylight.</div>
So I get home with a smile knowing I can rest and recover tomorrow and as I take off my overshoes my little dog comes and clambers on my lap, pleased to see me and eager to lick the sweat of my face and neck. Disgusting? maybe but she loves me and she wants to cuddle up as dogs do and once again this small innocuous thing makes me smile just as ten minutes later when I am having a couple of slices of Mediterranean bread with sun dried tomatoes...yummy!<br />
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Another thing made me smile today but this one is a big thing......... I have a new wetsuit on the way courtesy of a new sponsor, Xterra Wetsuits UK <a href="http://www.xterrawetsuits.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=61" target="_blank">http://www.xterrawetsuits.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=61</a><br />
Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-55798214338434287352012-11-26T22:43:00.002+00:002012-11-26T22:43:55.214+00:00Winter training, winter racing?So....quick update! it seems everyone is not updating like they used to. Whats wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong......one word.....TIME!<br />
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Winter is here, the roads are flooded or covered in leaves(they are in Manchester. Bloody shame traffic still managed to move unlike the the trains), its cold and windy(or is that just up north?) and of course having moved the blinking clocks back to keep the Scottish farmers happy....its bloody dark on the way to work and darker on the way home.<br />
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So its nearly Christmas so lets get lit up like a Norwegian Spruce and take to the tarmac and get the miles, kilometres for our continental friends, in. Who cares if its dark? I don't. I like it more than Nosferatu because I have a decent set of lights and twisty country lanes that are almost traffic free. Its just the getting there that gets on my wick. beggars can't be choosers my Mum used to say and some ways its better to ride in the street light section to conserve a bit of battery power for the darkness.<br />
Its all in the aid of an early season Ironman. Our winter but Australia's summer/autumn. Ah well, it worked when I raced in South Africa. Three months of winter training and straight into a 40 degree Celsius race day(with acclimatisation) and I came second. Hope it can work twice.<br />
The biking is going well and I'm getting about 8-10hrs a week in at an average of 18mph. The running is going very well, that is to say I am enjoying the running,and I'm getting about 4-6 hours a week. swimming has been reduced for now to get on top of the other two sports and kayaking in ZERO!<br />
I'm loving the fact that having checked out the route in Melbourne that the gradient is simply minimal compared to what I am riding and running. I gain more height on my 8.5 miles run from work than in the whole of the IM marathon and my Tuesday night 30 miles cycle home is 2/3's of the height gained. Hmmmmm is IM Melbourne too flat? I am planning to get the TT bike set up on the turbo for some fast times without compromising the run.<br />
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So here's the juicy bit.... estimated times(predictions) for Melbourne<br />
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Swim........57min(based on previous performances but hoping for a faster, maybe 55-56)<br />
T1.............<3min p="p">Bike(hmmm pause deep breath)....4hrs 50min<br />
T2.............<3min p="p">Run 3hrs 10min<br />
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total 9hrs 3min<br />
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what do you reckon? achievable?<br />
honest opinions please!<br />
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</3min></3min>Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-28841219479268647312012-11-04T17:44:00.001+00:002012-11-04T17:44:05.661+00:00hills hills and more hills It seems when you move up north you have to expect the terrain to change. And by jebers is does. I don't often train with others as I like to do my sessions when I want and at my pace without having to get into a ego fight every time the tarmac elevates or a cyclist is spotted in the distance. As it happens doing the hills comes into virtually every ride I do and some are bigger than others.<br />
One of my favourite rides is starting from home or Ali's home and heading out to Whalley Bridge and over Long Hill to Buxton. Ive just found out today that this is a category 3 hill and I always try to ascend at 12mph plus. After Buxton the road can either turn right and head over the infamous Cat and Fiddle (yesterdays ride) or continue stratight on for Leek which is what I did today. The road then takes in another category 4 climb and although I was going up at 8mph it is considerably shorter to the highest point. The bonus is the decent into Leek with the odd undulation thrown in but I managed to hit 54.8mph freewheeling.<br />
Taking the Macclesfield road out of Leek I was hoping to meet with Ali on her ride as she was taking the shorter route over the cat and Fiddle. I managed to catch up with her near Bollington and we rode the last 7 miles together and taking the slightly longer route via High Lane from Hazel Grove.<br />
I thoroughly enjoyed the ride despite the cold biting wind and Ali's flapjack went down well about halfway round. <br />
Ali has a target for 540 bike miles and 80 run miles for November in her build up to Ironman Melbourne. Mine will be more but I have my sights on a Kona slot, a podium place and a personal best in that order. 9:19:21will be tough to beat especially as it was set nearly 8yrs ago but never say never.<br />
Ive finally succumbed to using mapmyride/run so see today's ride in the link below. I did it 15minutes faster in reverse a few weeks ago. <br />
<a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/151178875">todays bike route 2296 ft climbing</a>Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-87855237376135382322012-09-21T19:22:00.002+01:002012-09-21T19:22:52.042+01:00almost the end of season....must be time to start training again!Since the last instalment of race reports I have raced again and I can say I have quite enjoyed the prospect of the ever approaching end of race season. Despite the fact I much prefer racing to training, I am excited about the next adventure looming in March!! More on that later.<br />
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So the last race of the quad season was in Bude. The Awesome Foursome as its known, is tough! A sea swim of 800m(very long this year! 15mins last year 22min this year) over two laps with a sandy beach run and a long transition run.The bike then takes in 30km of extreme hills including a 30% climb which I am ashamed to say this year involved me walking the last 10metres. Not that easy either wearing cleats. This blog is a reminder to take a road buike next year with a compact chainset and not Q-rings on a TT set up. The kayak comes next in this change of format and the first section of a few hundred metres is open and choppy and gets progressively worse as more and more athletes take to their boats. Luckily I'm second onto the water behind Stefan Tiechert from Germany who had lead since the gun. I'm soon overtaken by a few others and loose more time at the tight turn turn at one end of the canal and the windy choppy end at the other. I do not like turning clockwise in a kayak! I doesn't seem natural to me.<br />
The run cannot come quick enough after the 10km kayak and proceeds along the canal and up over fields and along the cliffs of Devon. I put in a fast run and move from 4th back to 2nd overall and claw back four minutes but Stefan is nowhere to be seen and finishes 2minutes ahead. I must learn to paddle faster and take a road bike.<br />
The last race in the National Series and World Cup Series gained me more points and I had enough points to take the National Trophy Series winner but unfortunately I was one race short to qualify for the World Cup series. I blame the Channel Tunnel company for hoarding tickets and demanding £300 for an overnight trip. Just not worth it.<br />
So next weekend is another race but an adventure race. The Fabian 4 is the Conway ascent kayak race of 13km then a 13km fell race followed by an 18km off road bike section. Hmmm! I am trying to borrow a sea kayak as it could be lumpy and bumpy. Good old Solihull Canoe Club have come up trumps unless I get a closer to home/race offer.<br />
in between all this is the training. getting ready for Ironman Melbourne with Ali and Breezy. Flights are booked and paid for. Accomodation booked. Bikes booked. Just got to train properly. More on that later but this week so far(5 days) I have run 1hr 40min (90min Sunday to add), Kayak 4 miles, Bike 113miles(50 tomorrow to add) and off swimming now(prob about 3-3.5km).<br />
speak soon peeps!Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-16499479724072300232012-08-16T18:19:00.001+01:002012-08-16T18:19:15.880+01:00Strange prizesSo whats the strangest prize you have ever won? There is marathon in France were you win your weight in Chateau Lafitte and I have heard of an athlete winning a cow and of course theres the athletics Diamond League were the winners get a share of a $million if they are unbeaten throughout the series. <br />
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Well in the recent World Quadrathlon Champions in the Czech Republic, also known as the Czech Diamond Men, I received a few strange prizes. Apart from winning 40 Euros of which the Czech tax man took 10 Euros back, thank you very much! I won a shelf.....a wooden shelf. Furniture seems to be the tradition for the world champs and the winner gets a lovely carved handmade arm chair. Miroslav Podborsky must have a house full by now. hes only lost on a handful of occasions during the last 20 years. <br />
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I also won some cleaning agents. Google translation tells me one is carpet cleaner for manual cleaning and the other is a universal alcoholic cleaner. Nice! Add to that some cans of Monster and Red Bull then of course the obligatory medal for finishing 2nd in the Vet 40-50 category and also GB coming 2nd in the team prize. If that wasn't enough add in a glass nail file....very useful. I thought it might be a letter opener.<br />
So there you have it, my strangest prizes. I am grateful I won anything and achieved some great times and I also spent a lovely few days away with Ali, Tony, Maisy and my son Elliot, who was watching me compete at world level for the first time. We had a great time, the weather was kind(ish) and we had some cheap lovely food and some very cheap 12% beer. The race organisation is fairly low key and everyone has a fantastic time. Hopefully next year we can host it in the UK!Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253788657041204915.post-80776543222181806942012-08-13T20:19:00.001+01:002012-08-13T20:19:19.864+01:00Box End off road quadThe Box End quadrathlon is the only off road race of the British qaudrathlon series and its bloody tough for a sprint distance. Thw swim is like most lake swims and visiblity isnt bad. I couldn't stay with the leader and he seemed to verr about so I stuck to my line and finished in 11:17 but i think that includes the transition time. This is where I messed up a smidge... thinking I was in a triathlon I donned my helmet and shoes before noticing the paddle perched next to my bike. Hmm will anyone notice? My daughters boyfriend did.... on camera, oops. Time lost. <br />
Into the kayak and a few wobbles from the start straight away. After a few hundred metres then its a portage over the spit of land. This is where you get out of one lake and enter the other. Its a little awkward and throws your rhythm. It is also annoying when you're not sitting straight and wobbling even more. I had a mare in other terms. Not my usual kayak phase and I got overtaken and ended up in sixth place but managed to claw back a place when Tom Stead fell out the wrong side when docking. Bloody shame as he was paddling really well and has improved immensely.<br />
Onto the cyclocross/MTB phase and I planned to work really hard. I had my tyres pumped too hard and came a cropper on the 180 degree downhill turn, slipping on the wet grass. I dont think changing to new brake blocks the day before helped much. I caught a few of the paddlers but as there was a triathlon running similtaneously it was difficult to know the overal position. Tom overtook me in the middle lap on his home turf and put a decent gap in despite my efforts to get on to his wheel in the draft legal race. I seemed to make ground on the last lap, maybe he fell?<br />
I know my running is my strong point and knew I would catch him but what about the others. Tom's Dad was given time checks and I asked about those ahead to which the answer was I was leading. I didnt exactly stop for a chat but kept running. Running down the side of the lake to finish I noticed other runners had overtaken Tom and that they weren't going to catch me so I saved my legs for the World Champs next weekend and eased up. Tom lost a few more places against stronger runners and maybe more experienced athletes but he has improved a lot and has more to come.<br />
I was only a minute quicker than last year but Ali managed to take 7 minutes of her time. A fantastic swim and paddle followed by a very impressive bike ride on her heavy MTB to finish with a similar run.<br />
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So now I lead the National Trophy Series after two wins and a third. Another decent race in Bude should clinch the title for 2012.Mat Stephensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04718210499077938797noreply@blogger.com1