Race Report: Skins Tri Series race 2

So, as I explained in my last dispatch from behind the front lines of triathlon blogging, February is all about lots of racing and it all kicked off this weekend with race 2 of the Skins Triathlon Series in Al Mamzar Park, which is right down near the Dubai-Sharjah border. It was my first Olympic distance race in a year.

Early morning in Mamzar

Now, I could point out a few shortcomings of this race here and there, but I’d like to instead say that it was generally well run and the organisation has definitely improved several-fold over a similar race (same location and organiser) I took part in 14 months ago. So credit where credit is due. As athletes, we often point out what didn’t work (one section was long/short, the roads weren’t completely closed off to cars, they only had water at the aid station etc etc) but it’s important that we remember just how difficult any race is to put on – multiply that by three and you get a idea of how hard it is to get a triathlon logistically spot on. And without the efforts of these race organisers, we’re just a bunch of people who train a lot. I make a point of thanking all marshals and volunteers out on course whenever I race but, I decided while out on the bike in this race, from now on I’m going to make sure I thank the organisers too. So... cheers Super Sports Dubai.

The beach and the briefing

So, I could give you a full report on exactly how my race went. A blow-by-blow account of every last metre. But it wasn’t such a big one and who really cares about every thought that crossed my mind? So, here’s what’s important:

Getting zipped into my Blue Seventy Helix by my dad

SWIM: A bit short (1370m), four laps that made for lots of swimming over people, I swam well and felt strong, out in 18:20 in 1^st place. Good time tho no better than I expected.

T1: Fine.

Coming out of T1

BIKE: Bike was flat and fast though also very, very windy. Averaged 38kph which is pretty darn good for me. Came off in 1:02:50 – my previous best Oly distance bike had been around 1:07. Was now down to 2^nd but knew I was going to set a really good time if I could hold a run together.

Motoring past like a steam train (in my mind at least)

On my way to bike split PB

T2: Good.

RUN: Previous best Oly run off the bike was around 47:00. I knew I’m now running much better so had decided beforehand to hold 4:30s. I quickly lost position down to 4^th (but 3^rd in 19-39 AG as I knew that Stefan, who passed me for third, was in the 40-49 AG). I didn’t panic and reminded myself that I was there for the time. Also, as it was a low priority race for me, I didn’t want to go all-in and get injured or limit training. So, held the 4:30s and then gave it a bit more in last 2.5k. Run 42:00.

End of the road... mercifully!

RESULT: Held 4^th overall and 3^rd in AG. Final time officially given as 2:02:50 but I have to confess that I clocked it as 2:05:00! Either way, extremely happy.

This race represented my first ever triathlon podium (obviously had lots as a swimmer). More significantly, however, it was a MAHOOOSIVE PB over this distance and a big, big, big improvement in both my bike and my run. Remember when Jim Robinson from Neighbours popped up in The West Wing and 24...seriously, that kind of improvement! Plus, I know that, were this a bigger race, I probably had a little more to give in all three disciplines.

My first ever tri podium - rubbish medal, nice feeling!

This might have just been a small, local race but its significance was greater than that to me. It shows me that I’m on the right track and that all this training is paying off. In training, I’m surrounded by top-notch bikers and some superb runners and it’s easy to feel a little despondent and sluggish when measuring yourself against them. Running, in particular, is a continuous frustration for me – but this shows that I am getting there, that one day I might be able to run well enough to back up my already very strong swim and my improving bike ride.

One day... that’s what grips you about triathlon.

The podium – that was a nice ego stroke. The fact my folks were visiting and there to see it made it especially nice. But I’d take knocking off another couple of minutes over another podium any day. Position in the field is about everybody else, time is about yourself. And, at the end of the day, whether a field is 100 people strong in a local race or 3,000 strong in a big Ironman, there’s only one person out there whose race you can get even close to controlling.

It's all getting a little racey...

Chuffin' Nora. You wait for a race for two months then a whole cheaply-printed, bound-to-fall-apart goodie bag full of them comes along at once. No matter. Unlike Mel Gibson, Republicans and you're average Daily Mail reader, I'm a fan of all races; a chock-a-block schedule positively bursting at the seams with competition and dripping in race juice can only be a good thing.

Especially as I've not raced since the Creek Striders Half at the beginning of December. On one hand, I'm interested to see if January's BIG mileage month will reflect on speed and fitness. At the same time, I feel like all those base kilometres are probably in need of some higher intensity efforts on top of them, and where better to push hard than in a race?

So, what's on the schedule? Why, thank you for asking, allow me to explain:

First up is the Skins Al Mamzar triathlon on 3 Feb. This is an event I wouldn't usually do because it's been of a questionable quality in the past, but I haven't raced an Olympic distance tri for a year and just fancy it. Previously, as I said, the organisational element wasn't A1 but there was another race in this series a couple of months ago and everyone who raced reported that it had improved considerably. The only problem being swim times that suggested a swim course that was at least 3-400m short. I reckon I could look at a body of water and guess a 1,500m swim more accurately that that so, in these days of Garmins and Google Earth, this sort of error margin is really pretty unacceptable (listening Ironman UK?). It looks like that hss been sorted for this race but, worst case scenario, it's a good hit-out and my bike and run times will be directly comparable with last year's race.

The good thing about a course that's well short and a bit of a draft-fest? Guaranteed PB! Even if it is one I'll never come close to again.

Anyway, one week later is the Wadi Bih run. This is one of those super-cool little events that a few pissed-up mentalists started a couple of decades ago and has taken off. Like techno and Flight of the Conchords, or Wales.

Basically, teams of five tackle the 72k course that runs through the famous Wadi Bih (a wadi is a dried-up river bed here in Middle Earth). You take it in turns to jump out of your support vehicle and take your leg of the relay – some sections are 5k long, others are 2k straight uphill. It's basically all good fun and, although there are a few teams who take it seriously and try to win, they are - and I'm going to be very careful not to generalise here - usually a bunch of charmless knobs. It's one of the few events I've not raced here so I was happy as a tornado in a trailer park to be asked to form part of one of Nike's media teams. I'm sure there'll be more about this event in future blogs.

So, we jump to 17 March and the RAK Half Marathon. Not much to report about this quite yet but I'll be looking to break 1:30 for the first time there. The last race of February will be the Aerofit Sprint Tri – one of our regular series of sprint triathlons. Again, it'll be interesting to see if all this hard training is turning my muscles into hardcore turbo triathlon speed machines or just squelchy pain sponges. One good thing about having a regular series, like the Aerofit, is that I know exactly how I do there – what position I'll finish and who'll overtake me where. It's a little depressing when I write it out like that, but that helps me to gauge if/where improvements have been made relative to other racers.

Finally, it's the first of my three big races for the year ahead – Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. Last year's race was top-notch, even if it was hotter and windier than storm season in Hell (Hell as in that place really far down South – where the boy Satan lives – not the towns in Michigan, Norway, The Cayman Islands, tho they could be quite hot and windy too for all I know. Actually, I'm pretty sure the one in Norway won't be that hot.).

Again, this is very much a race against myself. I'm doing what ADIT calls the 'short' race: 1,500m swim (an actual 1,500m too!), a whopping 100km bike and a 10km run. Last year's race was the first time (or maybe second?) I'd ever ridden 100km, I got hydration and nutrition all wrong and the conditions multiplied that. So, unsurprisingly, I bonked big time on the run. I'd like to put that right this year and knock a whopping big chunk of time off too – that'd show me that I'm on course for IM Austria (check out the fancy new website for that event, by the way!).

And there you have it... I'll leave it at that for now as my intention is to post far more often now. I'll try to get something up here to irritate/educate/frustrate every couple of days at least, so I don't want to shoot my load straight off the bat, to awkwardly mix some rather odd analogies.

Take care kids, and happy racing, training or whatever it is you do to avoid having to watch X Factor with t'other half.