Never underestimate the power of good pre-race nutrition. Dan found out the hard way this month and you can read about it here...
Everyone knows the first rule of Triathlon Club, even if it isn't as cool as the first rule of Fight Club.
GET YOUR NUTRITION RIGHT BEFORE A RACE!
Unfortunately, knowing it is one thing. Applying it is quite another. And it was failing to do the latter that left me in bits throughout the bike and run of the Wetherby Triathlon last month.
It was all my own fault. While my sugar-free, gluten-free muesli is a brilliant healthy, nutritious and delicious breakfast, shovelling a huge bowl of it into my stomach less than two hours before an Olympic distance triathlon starting in a cold river in Yorkshire was NOT a good idea.
The swim went OK - I'd managed to squeeze in a few open water sessions with Leeds & Bradford Triathlon Club beforehand and I was quite prepared for the cold, the collisions and the inevitably atrocious technique I seem to deploy while swimming outdoors. 30 minutes after the start I clambered onto the muddy riverbank having completed my first river swim without drowning. I wonder if a new fancy wetsuit that's a bit more flexible around the shoulders would help...
It was on the bike I started to struggle - my nutritional complacency had left me feeling like I had a bag of bricks in my gut. But on the bike it didn't affect me too badly.
One of the best things about being a rubbish swimmer as a triathlete is that it makes you feel like Fabian Cancellara as you overtake people on the bike. I kept up a decent pace and covered the 40k bike in just over an hour - not too shabby for a slightly overweight father of two. Maybe it was the psychological impact of having fitted some supercool 50mm-deep carbon aero wheels to my trusty bike!
But it was in T2 that my woes really began. The stomach cramps kicked in as soon as I dismounted and stumbled into transition - I instantly knew it wasn't going to be a fun run.
With feet like blocks of ice - I literally couldn't feel them for the first 5k of the run - I dragged my carcass along the out and back course. It was agony - one of the worst runs of my life. Dozens of the people I'd passed on the bike leg overtook me like I was standing still.
It was only the words of encouragement from my fellow racers - particularly my LBT clubmates - that stopped me from giving up. The pain was clearly written all over my face!
After 6k the pain was beginning to feel tolerable so I managed to up my pace a touch - finally I could actually run. I eventually made it back with a run split of 48mins, my worst 10k race time for years.
And I'm glad I did - my wife, dad and two boys had come to watch me finished and their cheers as I sprinted (kind of) down the finishing straight made the suffering worthwhile. My finish time of 2hrs 31mins was just about OK - but I reckon I can knock about 10 mins off that given slightly better preparation.
Lesson learned. Next time will be better. My two big races of the season are getting close - Ripon and Liverpool in July. Despite being totally flat out at work lately - I've discovered it's hard fitting training around 60 hour weeks - I've been reasonably consistent. And I've resolved to properly practice my nutrition during some of my remaining brick sessions. That - plus the cool new aero wheels and ace LBT trisuit - should serve me well.
Bring it on!
Dan's next blog will be on Wednesday 15th July. Read his previous post here.
