5 am did not look pleasant as I scurried out, through the rain, to the car. I'm not a fan of wet roads on the bike, although quite like running in the rain, so overall was not quite dreading the race!
I questioned my sanity in entering the race (once again) as I drove up the narrow, winding road to the car park.
We were herded into the car park one behind the other, luckily the car behind left just about enough space so that I could still get my bike out of the car. On registering, we were given a BallBuster fleece, which I was very grateful for at the end of the race when I was soaked through and a bit cold!
I saw Nick at registration before the race, with Sarah there to support, and that was the last I saw of him until the end.
The pre-race info had emphasised that competitors should try to do both runs at the same pace, to avoid burnout on the second, and I went with that advice, trying not to go above 8 minute miles and dropping the pace back if I did - as a result, the first run was a very enjoyable gentle run, albeit ending on a fairly long climb (which we would come to know well).
After carrying/pushing the bike out of the muddy and slippy transition area, it took a few attempts to clip into my pedals, as my cleats were full of mud, but got there eventually and headed out. I was glad I'd put on the warm cycling top, as going downhill in the damp weather chilled me pretty quickly anyway!
My bike section was probably slower than it should have been, with my nerves not letting me let go on the downhills - wet leaves and sharp bends on the road put me onto my brakes on these sections, and I was very glad I'd got some winter tyres on the bike! I felt pleased with my uphill sections though, as I noticed I kept pulling up to several of the same people who'd torn past me on the downhills, and that happened on all 3 laps for a few of them, which was reassuring. I did have a few moments to notice that Box Hill is a really pretty place - the autumn colours looked fabulous despite the grey day.
On finishing the bike section I got back into my soaked trainers, and fumbled with the laces for a fair while, as in my ignorance, feeling warm after the first run I'd worn only the finger-less cycling gloves, and not the full wind-proof ones I had with me. I'll know better another time!
The start of the second run, my legs were frozen, and I couldn't feel much in them at all (which could be a good thing, but felt very strange!), but eventually they warmed up and I aimed again for a roughly 8 min mile pace. There were moments when I really wanted to stop as the downhills gave my quads a beating, but I struggled on, and the last hill took a lot of my pace away, but with the support there, including a large group of people with tamborines etc were cheering their hearts out, and had stood there being cheerful lap after lap which spurred me on each time, so I couldn't stop there! My second run was (by my watch) only about 3 mins slower than the first, though I think the provisional results times may include the last transition possibly - or maybe I just couldn't see straight at the end!
I really enjoyed this event, and despite it being hard work, I am already very tempted to go back come the spring and see if I can improve my times.
Results
- Nick Austin (130th) : Run (01:00:18), Cycle (01:27:01), Run (01:04:30) - Total - 03:31:55
- Esther Rousey (216th) : Run (01:03:27), Cycle (01:38:23), Run (01:09:08) - Total - 03:51:08
- Peter Jordon (332nd) : Run (01:21:32), Cycle (01:53:42), Run (01:38:52) - Total - 04:54:06
