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GODZone...
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Okay, I'm going to make my own Child of Prague and sit it outside in the garden for you tonight....and I'll even make it headless. (I'm channelling Marthastew's ability to convert the Child of Prague's powers to super duper chesty-wheezy-coughing-cold healing magical powers) And I'll chase magpies blackbirds on my field run for you tomorrow (Sunday).....so by Monday morning you should be fit as a fiddle and ready for a sub 3 10k London swim!!!!
Sorted!!!! 0 -
Closest thing I could find on such short notice to fill in for the Child of Prague. I'm feeling really good about this.
:)
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Kurt Godel wrote: »I've been watching that too. The race started at 9:00am, first few are starting to finish now (winner in 1:51!:eek:), so fingers crossed MCOS's name appears before noon. Results here.
And that winner is a female 25-29.
Girls rule!!!!!!!0 -
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Sorry DD thats an error. I was out of the water at challenge Roth 3 mins before her! Also the gold medal for the London Olympic 10k swim at this venue was 1:57+. The winner was the guy in 2:05And that winner is a female 25-29.
Girls rule!!!!!!!
Thanks for the child of prague , you rock, maybe girls do rule 0 -
Eton Dorney 10k Swim Report
Why swim 10k?
Its a nice round number and its the Olympic marathon swim distance :P In truth it was once just a simple scary bucket list challenge. I have 3 other OW swim races done ranging from 3.9 to 6k but this distance crossed the 2 hour mark and into nutrition territory. Plus it was beyond any swim related thing I had previously trained for.
Training
When I entered this race last year I hadn't considered the fact that there would be limited OW practice in Ireland to prepare. I'm not nuts enough (yet) to practice in sub 10 degree water, without a wet suit :eek: Luckily Caz wanted a holiday before the bump arrived so a week of OW swimming in Lanzarote was perfect. Nothing special other than general volume and frequency of swimming was the rest. The mistake I made was feeling I needed to do a longer OW swim a week out from the race.
Pre Race
For 4 days I had a chesty cough take hold which happens often, is hard to shake and brings asthma attacks to play. Plus the constant coughing means crap sleep. I was wrecked. Not ideal.
Eton Dorney Lake
Is a man made lake created specifically for rowing, the Olympics, the Eton schoolboys and GB Rowing. On one hand it made OW swimming as easy as navigating a massive swimming lane but on the other it wasn't the beautiful natural lake surroundings of Glendalough or Lough Derg. We were to start in front of the rowing finish line and swim straight back down the course beside the bank. Passed the 1750m, 1500m, 1250m and 1,000m markers, 2 big red buoys, a straight line of small yellow buoys and turn under left under a bridge after a huge yellow buoy. It was hard to get lost! The return down the opposite side of the bank passed 2 feed stations and left under a bridge again. 4x 2.5km laps and barely a ripple in the water.
The Race
I was still unwell race morning and Caz was justifying a DNS with the fact that we had 2 fun days in London and Windsor hanging out so the weekend was not a waste. We had thrown everything at the chesty cough but it had little effect. If that wasn't enough to put me off, I stood behind a guy with a GB Swimming gear bag at the registration tent and felt an impostor amongst these seasoned swimmers.
It was raining so everyone was huddled in the rowing center or into whatever shelter they could find. It was a nervous wait. I didn't leave anything at the second water station amongst the personal bottles and baskets of supplies. I tucked 3 zipvit gels (circa 600 Kcals) into the wrist of my wetsuit to be consumed with water on laps 1,2 and 3 or at approx 2.3, 4.8 and 7.3k.
Despite the rain the buzz was good and the water felt nice from the first splash. My plan was simply to swim easy and finish if I could. We were the first wave off so a clear lake beckoned. I figured since it was 10k that the start would be calm enough. How wrong was I. It felt like a triathlon start. Elbows and feet every where, barging, kicking and for the first 500m :eek: I knew I had started too close to the front as the pace was too hard and the field was already spearheaded. I tried to settle into a rhythm but there were bodies crossing and jumping onto feet. My own feet were being raked too.
Shortly after the 1,000m marker on the bank we turned left under a bridge to return down the other side. I found more room here after some peeled off for the first station and began to settle into my own thing. Overall I was feeling ok. I had coughed a couple of times but nothing that required a stop. I made it to the second feed station at approx 2.3k in good shape. I scanned the pontoon for water cups but all I saw were powerade cups. I wondered if I had it wrong and the water was back at the other station? I swam to the end of the pontoon and pulled up. It was shallow beside the pontoon so you could stand with the water about chest high. I pulled a gel out and asked for water. The marshal ran back down to the other end of the pontoon and picked up a powerade cup. They were filled with water :rolleyes: I swallowed the gel and glanced at the watch. 34:xx, oops. It was another 200m or so down to the bridge to start the next lap and I was under 40 minutes. Too fast.
It might have been the sustainable pace if I was healthy but I knew I had a certain reserve of energy and I was ignoring the smaller coughs. Lap 2 started much calmer. The marathon swimmers had settled and I found a rope under the yellow buoys running the length of the lake so I hardly had to look up. I settled to a comfortable rhythm and plugged away occupying my thoughts with sums. At the 1,500m rowing marker I knew I was over 3k and feeling good. There was a throng of slower 5k swimmers to pass before the turn at the next bridge but 4k came and went without incident.
At 4.5k I noticed a bow wave approached out of the corner of my left breathing side. It was a group of 4 5k 'skins' swimmers all wearing colourful briefs and they passed me like I was treading water. They were clearly racing and laying it down! I was wiser by the next gel stop and got it on at the start of the pontoon. I glanced at the watch again, 1:14:xx which meant the last 2.5k was around 40 mins. I was under the bridge through 5k in under 1:20 and no sooner had that calculated when I sever fit of coughing occurred. It lasted for about a minute and had me both choking and swallowing water simultaneously. I lost all rhythm and had to stop.
Took a few seconds, that felt like minutes, to regain composure and start swimming again. I had been avoiding feet as much as possible not letting anyone dictate my pace since the opening melee but found a pair that got me back on track. I followed the same feet for over 20 minutes. It was a slightly slower pace than I had been swimming but these feet paced rock steady and never kicked. The relaxed swimming helped a lot and my lungs settled to more sporadic gentler coughs. Manageable. Back to sums.
6k came and went on these feet but they trailed of at the first aid station after the next turn. I found another pair but realised they belonged to a girl without a wetsuit and I let them go. I had a personal rule that would not draft anyone without a wetsuit as it felt wrong to do so. Approaching the second feet station I was growing weary and my shoulders were getting progressively stiffer. Up until this point I still doubted I'd finish but I had told Caz that if I hit the last lap I'd finish. I took the last gel at 1:56:xx and allowed myself a little feeling of triumph as I swam under the bridge to take the last lap I had 7.5k down in a shade over 2 hours and realised that the sub3 was on. I knew I was under the pace for it but until this point I doubted finishing let alone sub3.
I had swam further than ever before and reminded myself of this fact after every new marker. With 2k to go my lazy cadence increased and I began to plod. My shoulder were pretty stiff and tired. Still, I had never swam further. The odd other swimmer came and went as I passed and was passed but none of it mattered. I was on auto pilot. Each of the rowing markers passed was the last time I had to pass them
The last pass of the bridge turn on the outward leg meant approx 1,300m to go. Just half a lap. 2:25:xx on the watch. Sub3 was in the bag I had no need to push, just cruise home. I had nothing left to push anyway. One diminishing auto pilot pace. 9k gone. The furthest I'd ever swam and another moment of triumph until suddenly a "pop" and my right shoulder hurt a lot! Rotator Cuff, no doubt 
Instead of cruising it was bruising. Every stroke hurt. I didn't care. I could see the bridge. It took a good 20 minutes to reel it in but swimming under it for the last time and turning right for the finish instead of left for another lap was a great feeling. I stood up under the finish arch knowing I had the best case scenario I was too tired to celebrate though. Coughing fit brought on short breaths and between Caz and a volunteer they found my inhaler in time. Did I mention Caz is my guardian angel?
Job done: 10k swim in 2:50:34, pace 1:42
Sub 3 swim complete, sub 3 row and sub 3 run to do
Next up, a couple of fun races (Beast of Ballyhoura training) in June...
Edit: A word about the event
Pros: Organised to a tee, marshalls superb both on and off the water, all sort of food afterwards, easy course for trying the distance
Cons: Same generic Human Race Series medal the 750m swimmers got... small thing to by grumpy about but the 10k was tough!0 -
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MTB
Back training again after a week off. May was basically about swimming so bike and run fitness priority now. 3 hours on the MTB including the Ballyhoura white loop in 2hrs38, my best by a long shot. Alone so I pushed it on a bit. A couple of quick stops for pics and a fall. Ripped my shorts to bits and got foot stuck in spokes. Very warm and lots of climbing meant core body temp was molten. I had to ration water. I had spent as many hours sheering ditches in the morning so my hands and wrists just about held on for the rocky ride. Didn't eat after the gardening too so I also bonked at about 2 hours and had to swallow an emergency gel. 43km total
My first ever bike race in 2 weeks, the aim will be to finish. Bike fitness is back somewhere in 2012
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