Last year that would have got me 1st age grouper, but I'm not complaining, I still got a nice bit of Outlawized Perspex for the mantelpiece.
I haven't done any exercise of course since Sunday, and I have eaten quite a lot of junk without going too over the top. I'm planning an hour on the bike at the weekend then I might venture out for a jog on Tuesday or Wednesday. I even got a bit of gardening done last night.
The swim, as you might expect, was bedlam at the start. 1200 wet-suited swimmers all vying for a fairly narrow channel and I was knocked and buffeted for at least half an hour before clear water started to appear in front. It was only when I turned the buoy at the half way point that I would say I had some space.
I emerged from the water in 1:14, at least 5 minutes better than my best expectations, although I didn't get my time until I had finished, I really had no idea how fast/slow I was and with the argy-bargy at the start I assumed it was fairly slow.
Towards the end of the swim, I began to feel quite emotional. Good job I was wearing goggles.
The best think about finishing the swim though was not feeling tired. My plan was to exit the water as if I hadn't done it, and it worked.
Transition 1 was not as quick as I would have liked. I didn't like all my kit being stuffed in a bag, and getting socks on despite a dry off with a towel was not easy. However, I emerged after about 5 minutes which was nowhere near the fastest, but I reckon some people showered they were so long.
There was a bit of a back wind for the first 15 miles or so on the bike, and my planned 'keep in HR zone 2' was easily maintained whilst managing a much faster than expected 20+mph. I hit a maximum average of 21.3mph towards the end of the first 35 mile loop, and thereafter bounced up and down from 20 - 20.9mph.
There was a nice bit of downhill as the Northern loop joined up with the Southern, and I got back up to 21mph again although I was starting to stray into zone 3 for quite a lot of the time. Anything above zone 2 is eating into reserves, so in theory I should stay out of zone 3.
The 15 miles or so back to Holme Pierrepont was into what was now a fresh breeze, so I finished at 19.7mph average for a time of 5:47.
Getting going on the run took a while to kick in, and after the first mile or so I settled into what was far too quick a pace at around 8 mins/mile. My HR was also far too high so I had to consciously slow down and relax to try and bring things under control. It was only as I was well past 5 miles that I felt like I was going the right pace, but by then it was probably too late.
As I passed by the finish at the half way point the winner was arriving, but I trudged on, getting slower and slower.
At around 16 miles I was approaching 'survival shuffle' stage and I knew that dropping into that was worse (efficiency-wise) than walking, whereupon I started what was to become a continuous walk/run for the remaining 10 miles.
I had some decent running spells, but there seemed to be nothing in the tank and a brisk(ish) walk every half mile or so seemed to perk me up a bit and kept me going.
The final finishing straight was greeted with a broad smile, and some relief as the marathon ended at 4:31. Not such a bad time considering what preceded it, but I was hoping for nearer 4hrs.
So, all in all quite a successful day and didn't feel too bad at the end. No collapsing in a heap, and able to negotiate going down stairs quite easily.
I will not be trying it again in 2015, but I'm not saying never again. Watch this space.
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