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Worthing Triathlon 2010

steffan — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:33:46 +0000

We started our trip to Worthing with a extra hour stuck on the M25. When we arrived at Worthing we did a quick investigation of the area. As I had already booked a table at fishworks for 7pm I registered early to enable me to get another valued 20 mins in bed on Sunday morning. our meal was fantastic and Delyth and I shared a fish platter that was great value for money. The children also had fish although Catrin preferred her potatoes.

The race morning was an early Sunday morning start at 6:30am so I had to get out by 5:15am to rack my bike and have the usual toilet stop. The race started with a run into the sea followed by a dive. I got to the first buoy in good time and then lost my way a bit and even had to do some breast stroke as I took a huge gulp of water. Luckily the sea was calmer than on Saturday where the coast experienced 30 mph winds. The exit was a relief and the added bonus of chants of “c’mon daddy” from Catrin and Beca.

The bike got off to a slow start as I decided to build into the course as I was aware it was tough. Some good fast sections exist on the course as it uses sections that are regularly used for a time trialing course but also some challenging gradients. The route follows the A280 and the A24 that were pleasantly quiet in the morning. The end was a added bonus of overtaking 3 people at the dismount so that training and preparation paid off. Although my transition time lost 15 seconds with my poor identification of my transition area.

The run was on the promenade and was one of the most enjoyable flat courses with some wind. I really enjoy flat courses and can relate them to the track. The overall result was satisfying with what appears an improvement on past races. 40th overall and 8th in my age group.

Overall Time : 02:12:50
Swim : 00:22:59
T1 : 00:00:54
Bike : 01:10:24
T2 : 00:00:44
Run : 00:37:46

The performance also helped with my rankins on the BTF National Rankings Series. My latest age group position is below:

Age Group : MF
Total Points : 215.13
Place : 8
Little Beaver : 106.02
Shropshire : 0.00
Worthing : 109.11

Cosmeston Tri 2010

steffan — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:00:50 +0000

Well the weekend got off to an early start on Sunday, 13th June 2010 for a 7am start. The final result being in the top 3 was a big bonus and knocking 2 mins off my 2009 was an even better feeling. The weather was perfect and I managed a good start from the gun. However, I need a bit more practice on digging in when drafting others, I came out of the water in 9th and with a kick check with Del as she confirmed my position. My transitions went to plan and I managed to do a clean mount on the bike and get going on the bike. I overtook 5 riders in quick succession and then had a bit of a battle for 3rd place. On the hills I would overtake but then he would overtake me on the downhill section. I got caught in a bit of traffic that provided him with the perfect opportunity but I simply got back into my rhythm to come into transition in 4th place.

Leaving Water at Cosmeston Tri. Credit : Mark Easter (BRAT club).

The transition into t2 was quick but had a slight delay in finding my shoes then got staright into the run without any muscle problems (bonus). The run was relaxed and I found myself in 3rd in the final straight.

Overall Time : 01:06:12

Place : 3rd

Swim : 11:15 (9th)

T1 : 01:15(4th)

Bike : 34:06 (4th)

T2 : 00:30 (13th)

Run : 19:06 (6th)

The Little Beaver – 29th May 2010

steffan — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:05:11 +0000

The little beaver – not so little..

A 5am start meant leaving a little bit early to get up the Beaver Castle. We arrived at 7am and had loads of time to start the process of setting up the bike. I did a quick check of the mount lines and noticed a 400+m run from the water to Transition. My pre-race nutrition plan was to drink high-5 in car but I only managed 20%. But my first mistake was to leave Garmin Edge for the bike at home on charge.

My nutririon plan was to have a sports bar before the swim and a zero tablet in water and 1 gels on the bike. I always suffer from cramp and musclte fatigue after 90 mins. I actually read the following that was handed out in our race packs -

http://www.highfive.co.uk/pdf’s/TRIATHL … ISH_LR.pdf

I realise that nutrition is key to racing and I’ll review my practice and try and reproduce the events in training. So back to the sports drinks for me with the Zero Tablet in the drink as suggested by the High 5 manual.

The Race

Open Water Swim
I felt the swim went to plan got off to a good start and managed to swim next to a few swimmers and thus use the advantages of some drafting. I also felt I had a good line with the sighting. It couldn’t have been all bad as I think I managed 21min but this didn’t include the run that made it 24 mins, I also managed to drop my googles and hat as I lacked some composure.
T1
What not to do, try and put on a watch in T1, why, why, why and I didn’t even look at the watch once during the race. The reason was I forgot my Bike Computer at home and thought that the watch would help. Wrong it cost me at least 30 secs. The bike mount was a success and I even passed 3 people, I left it to a scoot mount but will continue to practice. BUT my elastic band did not snap on the left side and I left it on all the way through the bike course.

Bike
The bike was a good hard course and nothing I hadn’t raced on before. The first lap felt good and I passed a few on the hill as I got into the cycle I was feeling strong. However, as I came onto my 2nd lap I started to get some hamstring pain so eased off. The hill felt like I was cycling backwards and I even had to drop down on the front to tackle in a seated position. I remember thinking If I push now I’ll blow my legs up I also did the school boy mistake of not analysing the cycle course and the number of laps, this cost me time as I passed on the first lap. What I did notice by marshalling the beaver is that I corner slower than most and take a great amount of care and lose time, I guess I’ll be in work on Monday….

T2
A success ? I think I did a good dismount and I ran with the bike into T2. I was happy with my pre-race analysis of T2 and this helped in the execution. Then drop the bike and the HELMET and off I went onto the run

Run

On Lap 1 I instantly felt my left hamstring and my right quad. I thus eased off and just tried to run some kind of pace (slow). I kept on looking at people’s calf and amazed by the number of F that passed me as my heart sinked. The 2nd lap I felt stronger and managed to pickup a bit but then the 3rd was just too hard to take and my legs just gave up as my muscles just stopped functioning (Hamstring, Calfs and Quads).

Overall
What got me the most was that I had a great swim and good bike and terrible run. Saturday was good as I helped with the beaver and this took my mind off, but Sunday has just been me battling with the science of Mustle Fatigue, think that’s the analyst in me.

Time

Overall Position : 107

Age Group : M30-34 31

Swim : 00:24:13 (91)

T1 : 00:01:18

Cycle : 01:10:53 (144)

T2 : 00:01:26

Run : 00:48:48 (152)

- 02:26:41

2010 ETU Triathlon

steffan — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:30:32 +0000

Yes I have Qualified for Athlone !!!

Well somehow I managed to sneak into the race after being a reserve for about 6 months. I’d actually planned on racing in Pembrokshire on the same weekend in the Welsh Championships but the draw of a GB Age Group trisuit was too much.

We’ve decided to leave the children with the parents-in-law and travel on ferry to Dublin. Then a 2 hour drive to Athlone and a stay at the Sheraton Athlone Hotel. I think del might indulge in a spa treatment so at least then I will not feel to bad for dragging her to the event as my offical fan. Also joining me will be Gemma Sargent whom is a member of the Team Trisports Development Squad, it will be good to have somebody that I train with for advise and she’s also a coach !!!

The next stage is to buy a GB Trisuit, I hope my parents will help with the costs of the suit (Dad is now gulping his tea in suprise). Will have to have my name on the back as I bet not many have the name “FORD”, I wonder if people will think am I sponsored by the big car company.

Some links below:

British Triathlon Website – Qualifiers

triAthlone > The Race

Grendon Sprint 2010

steffan — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:25:54 +0000

Well the first triathlon of the season and a very cold start. The weather was 10 degrees celcius but apparently the water was 14 degrees – what a bonus. The swim was not the best and although I picked a good line I got beaten up a bit and didn’t swim to plan. My stroke was a bit of a mess, the exit was good and I managed a quick change and run to the bike. Here again I wasn’t comftable and it’s obvious where I need to improve. The cycle was tough but I felt quite good and managed a good leg. I was supported by Del, Beca and Catrin and they tried to hide away but came out to support me on the run.

Beca and Catrin In the flowers.

The final section was a run and by then my feet felt like two chunks of Ice. I even struggled to get into my shoes. But this time the run was easy and I managed to run without any issues. I was greeted by the family at the end and it was a cuddle worth waiting for !!!

Final push to the line at Grendon Sprint Triathlon.

My provisional results are below. For full results go to Just Racing Website:

Position : 46

Overall Time : 01:12:52

Swim : 00:12:48

T1 : 00:00:48

Run : 00:39:32

T2 : 0:00:57

Run : 00:18:45

Have you spotted the elephants in London ?

steffan — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:26:36 +0000

As I work in London I was amused when I noticed these elephants in Green Park. Around 260 painted elephants are located in London and are worth looking at. I’ve taken a picture above of one that exists on St James Street.

The Elephant Parade London celebrates the beauty of the magnificent Asian elephant. And this year – with 260 painted elephants in locations across London – it is the biggest and most beautiful outdoor art event the city has ever seen.

The elephants are on the streets of London from May until July, and are attracting an estimated audience of 25 million, raising a projected £2 million and benefiting 20 conservation charities in the UK alone. Visit Elephant Parade London 2010.

ITU Duathlon Championships Edinburgh, Scotland

steffan — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:08:00 +0000

Well if you haven’t heard the news already it looks like I’ve made the cut for the ITU Duathlon in Edinburgh on the 3-5 September 2010. I’ve managed to get a qualification place from the Cambridge duathlon so all was not as bad as I thought. It’s good to have the odd surprise, all I got to do now is book accomadation , pay for the event, pay for kit and get some Baby Sitters, anybody interested ?

British Triathlon Federation – Age Group Qualifiers

Cambridge Duathalon 2010

steffan — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:29:20 +0000

The plan for this event was to try and qualify for GB Age Group ITU. I warmed up for the event by running the Last Friday of the month, Serpentine 5k. I managed to run a 17:37 just a second away from the PB. Then on Saturday I did a small ride as Trisports fitted me with some new Bontrger Aeolus 6.5 aero wheels. In hindsight it was probably a mistake to race with these wheels as they may have been a hindrance as the conditions were very windy and it took a lot more effort to control the bike with the odd gust of wind.

The race started well with me and James Foy a team member keeping together and pacing ourselves well through the first 7.5k. As I got into T1, I lost James as he produced an amazing transition, something I want to improve. Although I was quicker than the MK Big Cow I still felt I could improve. One issue was my socks got stuck to the velcro on my shoes, not an issue I’ll have in Triathlon as I choose not to wear socks. Then the bike section felt good but was a bit challenging with the wind conditions. As I approached T2 my socks again got stuck on my shoes and I managed to dismount but fall with the bike – slight embarrassment. I got myself together but then continued to have a disaster and forgot to take off my helmet. I decided to put my helmet down but was informed I must return to my bike, thus I did. But obviously lost a lot of time (think the times below for t2 are correct as I may have crossed the line and come back). The final run was tough and after being left by a group of men who overtook me in T2 i couldn’t catch them up and felt a tightness in my left hamstring. I worked through the pain and crossed the line in a respectful 8th place in my age.

In overall review of the year I need to improve my transitions and do some more brick work to hopefully accomplish running off the back of the cycle without any pain in my hamstring. My final postion was 33rd in the race. Full result is below:

Overall : 33

Overall Time : 02:08:05

Run 1 (7.5k) : 00:27:46

T1 : 00:00:45

Cycle (40 k) : 01:08:45

T2 : 00:00:49

Run 2 (7.5k) : 00:29:58

A new TT PB !

steffan — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:33:01 +0000

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been busy doing some TT races in preperation for the season. Following the welwyn hilly race I decided to target the A1 and the Bedfordshire Road CC 25 (Slowest 90). I previously raced this race in 2009 and recorded a time of 01:12:13 in a windy and miserable day. However, this year was exceptionally good weather and I managed to record a PB of 01:04:54 and going under 65 for 25 miles. My target for the year is getting close to 60, we’ll see how close I can get !!!

18/04/10 – Bedfordshire Road CC 25 (Slowest 90)

Winner : Tim Davies in 00:55:54

Steffan For – 44 place in time of 01:04:54

Racing followed by Baptism

steffan — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:48:08 +0000

Sunday the 11th of April 2010 can be remembered as the day Catrin Gwen Ford was baptised at St Mary Church in Walkern. The day was fantasitic and we were lucky with the weather as the children could play in the sun. The morning started with my first duathlon race of the season – The Big Cow Emberton Duathlon 2010. An early start as I had to leave the house by 6am to arrive the event and was lucky enough to be able to pay on the day. My performance on the day was mixed.

It was a bit wet but why am I holding the handle bars !

The run was exceptional and I felt very controlled in 36:30 for 10k, however, the bike was a different story as I suffered cramp at around the 30k mark. This caused me to slow to strech and then ride in a lower gear with a higher cadance. The final run was controlled as I didn’t want a re-occurance of the cramp. But that also didn’t stop a little sprint finish, just a shame that the other competitor had a 2 min lead as he started in the next wave. Below are my results for the day

Competitor	Steffan Ford
Overall Position	93
Category Position	20
Overall Time	02:08:08
Run1 – 10k	00:36:30
T1	00:00:54
Cycle	01:09:04
T2	00:01:00
Run2	00:20:38