After eine gross disappointment in Frankfurt (DNF : did not finish), I went ahead and signed up for the half distance.
Recovery was fine but training has been casual: I come into the race with plenty of rest.
Target time is 4h45 (not knowing about the wetsuit ban), and a “commitment” at 5h. 51,9km swim + 90 km bike + 21 km run)
Heat! That’s the “hot” topic of the race:
- Water is hot, and there will be no wetsuit allowed. I took my swim shorty, the one for the chlorine water… I’ll swim with it, and no top.
- Air temperature will rise high too. Already 40°C on Saturday, it will be 41°C (106 F) on Sunday. So I’ll be monitoring my drinking twice (once to avoid the DNF, once for the heat).
2 team mates along with 2 friends are there too. Dom & Chris from St Cyr, and Renaud & Arnaud from Renault.
As we reach T1 in the morning, we learn that the full distance (ironman) is shorten to a half one because the authorities… Do half or do nothing…
They’ll start 30mn prior to our start, with the same “menu”.
Air in the tubes, water in the bottle, food (a little) attached on the bike, and we’re pretty much done. No wetsuit simplifies the deal…
I just have a doubt about the 1st aid station (where I’ll grab a bottle of energy drink & one of water). On the document on Internet, the station (#1) is only 4 km after T1. Perfect for today. But on the booklet, the station became #5, meaning it’s at km 86 or so. I wonder if we’ll have it both ways or not. Getting a refill right away or 40mn into the bike does make a difference.
I do forget to ask someone…
We chat with Renaud who is like many others not so happy of the wetsuit ban…
I eat a bar and keep drinking until we head to the start area. I’m still in my civil clothing…
BANG – Big noise near the bike! A tire blew up! I feel sorry for the guy whose bike sounded nearby…
Dang! My rear tire is totally FLAT! Was it my tire that blew up?
I take the bike and run (20mn before the start or so) to the pump station. No need to change the tube if it’s only an inflation issue…
I pump air in. It holds! Pff! Good news. I check the valve that happened to be a bit loose… Tighten that, and inflate for good. Lucky me!
Over the mat for the check in, it’s off to drop the green bag. It’s alsotime to change into the (real) swimmer’s gear: paper thin seamless shorty.
We drop the bag off and we go to the water approx 15mn prior to start time.
Big hugs & off I go for a good warm up.
Gear check at the same time:
- shorty, no concern
- googles, ok, I see clear and far away
- cap, better than IM Frankfurt (I lost it after 1900m approx), ok
- chest strap, ok.
When I swim, I felt it moving. I take it off, and tighten the strap.
Put it back on.
Now it’s good: it doesn’t move anymore. Renaud said it would drop down to the waist & that I would lose it… Not in this life!
Swimming back and forth ahead of the start line, on the arms only. I feel fine. The temperature is fine too. As we’ll race in a rowing course, the navigation is quite simple.
I’m asked to go behind the starting line. 5mn to go.
The start is very wide, plenty of room. I’m in the front line, 20m away from the buoys (shortest distance). I rather have a little space and I swim a couple extra meters…
2mn to go, people are coming, placing themselves in the front. A couple of “explanations” and I’m back in the front. Call me the grouch if you wish… I didn’t tell the guy it was better for him to be on the side or behind me…
1mn, I start the watch. 120 bpm. Moving the arms to be ready.
Sculling… Getting ready… Ready… COME ON, give the start!
We’re drifting forward a little. The guy next to me seems VERY anxious to go. I guess he must be a good swimmer: great for me!
BANG!
Recovery was fine but training has been casual: I come into the race with plenty of rest.
Target time is 4h45 (not knowing about the wetsuit ban), and a “commitment” at 5h. 51,9km swim + 90 km bike + 21 km run)
Heat! That’s the “hot” topic of the race:
- Water is hot, and there will be no wetsuit allowed. I took my swim shorty, the one for the chlorine water… I’ll swim with it, and no top.
- Air temperature will rise high too. Already 40°C on Saturday, it will be 41°C (106 F) on Sunday. So I’ll be monitoring my drinking twice (once to avoid the DNF, once for the heat).
2 team mates along with 2 friends are there too. Dom & Chris from St Cyr, and Renaud & Arnaud from Renault.
As we reach T1 in the morning, we learn that the full distance (ironman) is shorten to a half one because the authorities… Do half or do nothing…
They’ll start 30mn prior to our start, with the same “menu”.
Air in the tubes, water in the bottle, food (a little) attached on the bike, and we’re pretty much done. No wetsuit simplifies the deal…
I just have a doubt about the 1st aid station (where I’ll grab a bottle of energy drink & one of water). On the document on Internet, the station (#1) is only 4 km after T1. Perfect for today. But on the booklet, the station became #5, meaning it’s at km 86 or so. I wonder if we’ll have it both ways or not. Getting a refill right away or 40mn into the bike does make a difference.
I do forget to ask someone…
We chat with Renaud who is like many others not so happy of the wetsuit ban…
I eat a bar and keep drinking until we head to the start area. I’m still in my civil clothing…
BANG – Big noise near the bike! A tire blew up! I feel sorry for the guy whose bike sounded nearby…
Dang! My rear tire is totally FLAT! Was it my tire that blew up?
I take the bike and run (20mn before the start or so) to the pump station. No need to change the tube if it’s only an inflation issue…
I pump air in. It holds! Pff! Good news. I check the valve that happened to be a bit loose… Tighten that, and inflate for good. Lucky me!
Over the mat for the check in, it’s off to drop the green bag. It’s alsotime to change into the (real) swimmer’s gear: paper thin seamless shorty.
We drop the bag off and we go to the water approx 15mn prior to start time.
Big hugs & off I go for a good warm up.
Gear check at the same time:
- shorty, no concern
- googles, ok, I see clear and far away
- cap, better than IM Frankfurt (I lost it after 1900m approx), ok
- chest strap, ok.
When I swim, I felt it moving. I take it off, and tighten the strap.
Put it back on.
Now it’s good: it doesn’t move anymore. Renaud said it would drop down to the waist & that I would lose it… Not in this life!
Swimming back and forth ahead of the start line, on the arms only. I feel fine. The temperature is fine too. As we’ll race in a rowing course, the navigation is quite simple.
I’m asked to go behind the starting line. 5mn to go.
The start is very wide, plenty of room. I’m in the front line, 20m away from the buoys (shortest distance). I rather have a little space and I swim a couple extra meters…
2mn to go, people are coming, placing themselves in the front. A couple of “explanations” and I’m back in the front. Call me the grouch if you wish… I didn’t tell the guy it was better for him to be on the side or behind me…
1mn, I start the watch. 120 bpm. Moving the arms to be ready.
Sculling… Getting ready… Ready… COME ON, give the start!
We’re drifting forward a little. The guy next to me seems VERY anxious to go. I guess he must be a good swimmer: great for me!
BANG!
Stopwatch and go!
Few strokes and I clear the close competition on the left (on sunny side, can’t see too well). Anxious boy is 1/2m back, on the right.
Further to the right, someone is stick out of the field.
No worries, he (she) will have to come my way as I’m closer to the line.
Of course, the heart monitor belt loosen up! Of course. Renaud was right. It “falls” to my waist.
50m now may be, I relax from the sprint mode. I cleared EVERYBODY.
It looks like that one is gonna be a solo swim.
Good, I can now stick the monitor part of the belt inside the swimsuit:
I don’t want to loose it. Hop, I do it with one hand, while kicking. And off I go again.
100m, I have to settle right away into my 3/2/3/2 breathing pattern especially since I’ll be up-front.
150m, do I have a late comer catching up? So I look back:
FREIGHTENING! So many arms & caps moving all over the place, still so close!
The first 10 swimmers look to be very compact, like piranhas! And I’m the bait…
Ok, let’s push it to break away from the field.
No waves, fine temperature, I shorten a little the depth of my stroke to increase the tempo (it’s like changing gear on the bike, for an easier one). I want to use the tempo for now, keeping my breathing under control.
Big white buoy on the left (from the rowing course), I guess it’s 300m for us. The gap has increased, but not enough to my taste.
I keep the pressure on.
Navigation is made easy, I have a kayak 5 to 6 m ahead of me. I wish he could slow down a bit… so I could draft!
The yellow buoy is coming fast, it’s the first turn. Totally under control, I now made a big gap with the first bunch. I guess the wetsuit DOES make a difference. He he he…
Second yellow buoy, I can’t even seen the hunters… Instead of taking it easy (as for the first 400m, beside the start), I decide to push it.
I go for efficiency this time, more sliding per stroke. Hard push in the back, more hang time in the front. Keep breath 3/2/3/2.
The water is now choppy though. I guess coming across the 550 other swimmers, even if they’re 20 m away, does change the water conditions.
Soon enough, it calms down again.
I’m in the longest stretch, 1km may be, with the starting platform along the way.
In the mean time, I enjoy the swim.
Beautiful conditions, the sun is getting higher, the kayak is driving me to destination.
Well, that’s a beautiful start. And the kids & Tonton (my brother) will be pleased…
Where’s that platform? I’m fine, and definitely more fine than the rest, but it’s long. I wish I had trained more in swimming in the recent weeks to make more out this opportunity… Oh well.
I finally pass it on the left.
I still do little navigation, meaning that I look up every 10 to 15 strokes to check. I think it’s a huge point to make the swim easier today.
The kayak is going wide! I realize that when I’m already 5m away for the line!
What the…?
There is another kayak at the center: I’m passing the last person from the first wave. Go Mamy! The older lady is working on her stroke. Go girl!
Arms are fine, abs too, legs, I barely use them, breathing just fine. Good.
A motor boat pulls to the side. With the sun on the other side, I can clearly see the guy, with a mustache, taking pictures… I smile (yes you can!), I wave (yes you can while swimming)… I goof off but my
friend doesn’t seem impressed. And he goes away.
And he comes back, his camera even closer.
Ok my friend!
I flip to backstroke! 5, 10 strokes on the back, making faces…
Back to freestyle.
Then I wonder if some people might find that disrespectful… You never know… Wasn’t the purpose…
Back to basics, stroke, breathing, navigation.
The long stretch is soon over.
Left turn, clearing more elder swimmers on the wide side. I hope they won’t get pushed around by the pack…
I have 200m to go may be now.
Seems to be the perfect time to take a break: a pee break!
Relax the legs, and I do my business while stroking my arms as usual…
That’s a minute saved up!
Final turn.
I can’t clearly see where is the exit. I’m starting to have a poor breathing pattern. Too much excitation here.
I need to focus, pass the small pack from the earlier wave, and follow my kayak guy.
20m to go, I’m swimming along the shore, crowded with people. Can’t help goofing off some more…
Turn, I see the ramp. 10 m to go.
But soon, I touch the bottom… Time to stand up! And run.
I get up, I don’t feel dizzy (as I usually do), so I wave some more. I think I hear my name* as I get out of the water. I don’t see the boys nor Olivier…
(* Olivier spotted me before the exit, and yield to the boys: Dad is in the lead. So the speaker, nearby, repeated it. Following with “who’s Dad?” “D. Holderbach” “D. Holderbach is the lead of the second wave”. “What club?” “Versailles” “He’s from Versailles”… And once I went through the speaker asked “Was it Dad?” “yes it was!”…)
(And people will notice – and forgive – Olivier’s response regarding the club… Versailles is my SWIM team, not TRI team: St Cyr…)
SWIM TIME: 26’05
Not so bad without a wetsuit. That’s the 9th best split of the day
(the faster swimmers were in the 1st wave, with all the pros), and the
best of the 2nd wave…
No heart rate info...
I feel just great! Woh hoo! People are cheering left & right.
I put the heart rate belt back around the chest as I reach T1.
Now, focus. Focus on the sequence as I’ll change gear in the tent.
Bag area, 2nd row on the left is where my bag is.
12 26, ok, there it is (it sticks out as I left it yesterday!). I grab it, I think I took the hook with it.
I run into the tent. The first chairs are busy with some 1st wave people.
I go further in, on the left side (for men). Inside, rows of chairs, volunteers busy, or surprised, sunscreen on the floor.
Empty chair, ok. I sit & empty my bag on the floor. Here goes the hook...
A lady runs to help to sort things out.
I take my swimsuit off in the front that lady – no time for modesty (and you’re in France, so who cares!).
She hands me the shorts and the shirt. I ask her to turn on the GPS sensor on while I “dry” myself with the shirt so the shorts can come on easy.
Shorts, ok. The shirt however gets stuck around the shoulder blades. I ask her to help but she doesn’t hear or must be playing Scrabble or something…
So a guy runs over, pull the shirt down. The belt, the glasses and off I go.
I locate properly my bike. I check the tires (cf. heart attack test prior to the start). It’s fine. I take the bike & start running out, holding the bike on my right (to avoid potential injuries with the rings).
T1 is not crowded so I find my way out quickly. The clock indicates less than 60mn… Which means less than 30mn for me, transition included. That’s good, I think.
There is the line on the ground, I can “jump” on the bike once I hit the watch again (oops, I missed the swimming time & T1).
I step on the shoes, still attached horizontally with the rubber bands. They snap as I start pedaling on a low gear (set yesterday at the bike drop off).
As soon as I have a little speed I start to put a foot in, pedal some more, put the second one in, pedal more, close a shoe, pedal, close the second one and pedal for good now.
A couple round-abouts in the first kms to allow to settle on the bike.
A couple sips from the bottle (high sodium sparkling water!): feels good.
A couple of check points: food is still attached, GPS seems to work, gears shift smoothly, … All is good.
Very soon, we turn right, up-hill. It’s a turn we missed yesterday in our “discovery drive”… Fine. I know it’s about 23 km with more up than down.
Back to the small ring, and high cadence. I’m passing first wave riders. Usually elder people. I cheer them up as I ride by… They have the name on their bib. It helps and keeps me busy.
I know I should calm down, and bring the hear rate back to 135 approx but I don’t. I feel like the heat adds 5 bpm and that I can handle it for the day: we'll see...
140, or rather 145 bpm at this point.
Perfect timing to get my second “heart attack” of the day…
Half the road is closed to traffic. Meaning 1 lane is closed, the
other is rarely used by the people living there…
I’m in my lane cheering more Grand Pa looking guys, or chubby younger ones. I get passed by a couple of retired people in the other lane. Fine. He’s driving carefully, I can tell.
Now, we reach a round-about. It’s blocked off for us riders to go through.
But Papy decides out of the blue to go anyway! And here he goes, driving into my lane. The volunteer runs in front of the car to stop him. Just in time to allow me fly by between the car & the curb. That WAS CLOSE!
I don’t think so much about pacing, gear or else. I fly by the other
riders, cheering them with their name, when I can read.
Up-hill is better, they can reply! Down-hill is too fast.
Here is the first guy from my wave catching up with me. And he flies away. I’m now second.
And antoher one. No point counting. They are fast, too fast for me. Patience.
The 5 km was passed a while back already and I’m getting worried because as I feared there wasn’t an aid station early on… I hope I’ll have enough water until the first one.
Big down hill, with a referee motorbike parked on the side. I can't stop myself from screaming my lungs out to imitate an engine noise as I zoom by... Silly me.
I pass a lady, in TT position so I have to compliment her on her professional position… “Looking like a pro!”.
More rolling, and I start eating. I put the bar & gel in the back pockets for safety. I don’t want to lose them.
My watch sends me error message from the GPS. I guess it has a hard time tracking me down. No big deal. Cadence the up-hills, smooth down hills.
Aid station! At last. I was getting on “Low”.
I slow down enough to be sure to grab water & energy drink.
I reload the front bottle and I’m good to go again.
Here comes the only sign I’ll see on the course (beside the 5 km one), for the 25 km.
It means 2 things: 1. almost 1/3 into the bike leg 2. It’s pretty much down hill from here! : )
45mn for 25km, can’t think, I can't calculate the average speed. I’m happy with it.
More aid station, more fluids, more gels.
I’m drinking more than a bottle for 16 km on average. That’s good.
I eat often too. Little bites.
I better eat now the solid food as it’s not too hot yet. There are actually some nice roads in the forest, in the shade. Nice!
I get caught up by a small group, up hill. So I decide that’s my train to take.
I work my way back in the group through intense efforts. I fear that’s gonna be too much. But as soon as we reach flats or down hills it’s a breezer!
A couple of guys seems strong and steady. A couple others seems strong but airheads… Slow, fast, anything but steady.
After a while I fit into the group, I stick at legal distance to the 2 steady (smart) ones. Referees drive by, no comments.
The group is 6 rider strong now. I feel comfortable. Aid station is however difficult, lots of traffic, I miss my energy bottle. Fortunately, I had an extra gel. I pour it into the bottle. I also drop a salt tablet in there. That’s (French) cooking for you.
I’m comfortable, but the pace is good, I think.
2 guys fly by. “My” 2 guys decide to jump in. Ok, I do the same. It looks like the others drop back.
I’m quite happy with that.
Not so fast my dear! The wacky riders come back on us 10 mn later. One of them gets a flat right beside me. Bummer! (he will take 35 mn to repair, poor guy).
Again, aid station is a mess. Instead of refueling right away, I should focus on stay in “touch” with the pace makers. Almost got dropped on this one!
I think we passed 60km. An hour or less to go.
I feel fine. I see my HR dropping around 135 to 140bpm. Perfect.
Drinking, eating, keeping the distance.
The group seems to grow with some first wave guys. There is Bernie, there is Julian, there David Garcia, from Spain…
Yet I still manage to cheer some people as we pass them. Most of them are surprised (French). Foreigners often reply something…
Aid station, the group blows up. A few guys have made a significant gap. Not good.
We go through a village, turns & up-hill. I exit the village in 2nd position in the chaser group. Well, they don’t seem to chase any thing…
Now is The Clash moment… "Should I stay or should I go?"
I talk to the "leader", telling him we should take turns (I haven’t been in the front until now). I press on with a good tempo. He takes the relay.
I go again. I let him go… but no one comes. I look back. I put a gap between us.
Fine, I go for it.
I push it to the floor to close in the escapees.
It’s a frank effort, good tempo. And I’m glad to cut it off when I finally close in the steady guys.
I've eaten all my hard food, and I shift to gels + energy drink + water.
The heat is now present.
I try to pour water on my head… (I’m so glad I didn’t take the aero-lid: I would be boiling) Not so skilled at that. Either I pour water where there is no holes in the helmet, or I bump the bottle which happens to close it… So I pour water on my neck.
Long down hill where I’m last in the group, perfect to release some extra fluids.
Water rinse.
We are coming back to Vichy. Signs indicate 10 km to go.
I think I’ve done a great ride. Bernie was told by his coach that he’s doing a big ride. And I’m extremely pleased to notice that the other steady rider is sweating quite a lot… My face is dry. I think he’s over doing
it.
My Spanish friend tries to escape in the last 5km, but I track him
down gently but surely.
In the last kms, the road gets messy so I manage to break away from
the group. Also there is also some traffic.
I pass a slim girl in red from the first wave. I’m impressed.
I’m in great position. And I’ve been doing the math over and over, but it looks like I’ll be in 10 to 15 mn earlier than anticipated… Olivier & the boys might miss me…
I’m a little surprised when I see the transition area, a bit disoriented by all the turns.
Quick, I get busy with the shoes, untie the left, the right one, remove the left, and the right. I’m ready for T2.
Step down in a clumsy manner, I’m sure. I hand the bike off to a volunteer (Thank you!). Stopwatch & I run to get my second bag.
2nd row, 12 26, there it is.
I run to the tent again while taking the helmet off.
Empty chair. Empty the bag.
(can’t remember if a volunteer helped).
Socks, left, ok, right, ok. (no calf compression gear today). Shoes, ok.
I grap the hat, the gel, spray some sunscreen in my hand, quickly
“spread” it on my neck & shoulders. Helmet in the bag.
Where do I drop the bags I ask as I run out. “Anywhere!” Ok, that’s easy.
BIKE TIME: 2’29
Great result, 36kph on average, that’s a personal best for the distance. Average heart rate: 140 bpm
Line, stopwatch. I’m off.
I fit the hat on.
Darn it’s hot.
I start running between fences along the swim course first, then to the right, for a loop in a park, back to the water, all the way to the next bridge. Cross over, go further away, loop back down, under the bridge, some stairs (15 may be), back down all the way along the water with seldom shade, to the bridge to close the loop. Do that twice and you have half a marathon.
There is already traffic on the course.
I pass some people. I still cheer a little.
I work on calming down. It’s REALLY hot. I don’t suffer from it YET.
So I need to be careful. The hear rate is high at 150 bpm. I need to relax and / or slow down to bring it back to 145 at this point.
I want to push the pace much more: I feel great.
I think about Jojo and his running tips, but I need to hold it down.
Some guys stop to pee in the bushes… France is cool, it’s not big deal.
I end up doing the same after 2km or so.
The red slim girl takes that opportunity to catch up along with Bernie. I didn’t make such a big gap after allh group...
They run fast. Faster than me at least.
I stick with them for a while. But eventually I have to let go if I want to execute my plan, and not simply go through the race (blow up)…
The good thing is that Bernie & Red Girl stop at the aid stations. So we start a yoyo on the first long stretch.
I even talk with the lady, Bernie is soon gone, for good. Well, I hope I’ll have enough juice towards the end to go after him…
Aline, that’s her name, is hunting down other females… She doesn’t know her rank even though she seems to have people knowing her on the course.
Soon enough, I’ll define her with the word tenacity: every time I drop her at a station, she runs back, and now she drops me off like nothing.
She’s tough.
But in the back of mind, well, not in the back, it’s right there in the front. I’m gonna go get her later on. Not sure how yet, but I will.
Still in the first loop, crossing over wasn’t that hard. It’s not so steep.
Aid station are every 1,5 to 2 km. Perfect. The only “concern” is that they don’t put the stuff in the same order. I only need water & energy drink, it’s sometimes early on, sometimes at the end of the tables.
Not that simple when it gets crowded.
Back on the river bank, heading back towards the first bridge. It will be a very long stretch, straight.
And it starts in the sun. That’s the first time that the heat takes its tool on me. 1 or 2 km really hit me.
I have to take off my hat, I’m boiling.
I decide there, in the first loop that I’ll start pushing AFTER that portion int the SECOND loop.
It ends with some stairs. I go through just fine even though Red girl is long gone too.
I still see her though.
Back on the road, and then on concrete. The ground radiates heat. But I don’t feel as bad as earlier in terms of thermal comfort…
I’m still holding my horses.
I include head cooling (sponge or water pouring) in the aid station process.
I alternate gel bite + water and water + energy drink at each station and manage to cool myself with water (preferably).
A couple of guys FLY by. Darn, how do they manage to run THAT fast?
I don’t know how fast (or slow) I’m going but it doesn’t feel that bad. I just know that my HR is higher than it should. But on the effort scale, I’m right where I want to be. The heat induces, I’m
sure, extra puls/mn… So without playing stupid (did that in Frankfurt), I’ll deal with the heart rate management another day!
Bit by bit I catch up people, I can’t tell know if they are from the first wave or not…
I reach the second bridge to return to the transition area.
It’s steep but short. That’s fine. Down hill, I can manage just fine.
But the loop to close the first lap feels terribly long.
Fortunately Olivier & the boys are there to cheers me up.
The speaker speaks… I can’t understand a thing he’s saying.
I start increasing a tiny bit the pace. I know, it’s not the plan, but I feel like it.
It’s only a little bit, while I run in the shade, prior to hit the first long stretch.
Olivier & the boys should be there, when I exit the shade…
I pass people who are starting their run. I guess that feels good. I “thumb them up” when I pass. I can’t talk much at this point.
Time to time, a fast runner flies by. It doesn’t affect my motivation or determination for the race, but it really bugs me to see SUCH a significant gap.
I should be able to run, even in the heat.
Not sure what is my limiter at this point. The heart rate is very high, mainly from the heat. I don’t bother checking anymore. The legs are heavy, but no big deal. I can move still. Breathing is strong, heavy: wishing for some fresh air.
Here is the fan club! Cheese!
I reach the water bank again. I need to juice up.
So I’m drinking a sip of gel on 2 consecutive aid stations. And I still manage to pour water on my head. Sponges are rare at this point and I don’t want to loose time for them.
Signs are every km. Which is a killer at this point: it’s long between each km…
On the good side, I start seeing again, slowly closing in on the Red girl. That’s a real booster. I think I’ll reach her by the time I reach the bridge.
On the not so good side, I start to have a belly ache. It’s km 13.
That’s a big no-no! This is just too similar to Frankfurt. I will not collapse this time!
So I decide to go 2 stations with water only. That should bring me to the bridge.
It’s getting incredibly hot, and I know it will get worse on the other side.
Red girl still has a strong pace. I know I’ll catch her up, but it will take more time.
I’m very happy with my pacing. I think I did the first lap in 48 or 49 mn. Again, just like Frankfurt. But it doesn’t felt as easy, that’s for sure!
Finally over the bridge, I look forward for the next station. My mouth is totally dry!
Need water!!!
There it is. I’m in a pack, so I need to place myself properly to get water & energy drink.
It sure feel good.
Now I have a U turn, and a down hill to reach the “stove”, that 2 km stretch, on white gravel road, in bright sun.
I drop the pack in the down hill – yippy!
Now it’s time to toughen it up. Keep the pace, think of Jojo’s technic tip, again and again.
I have to maintain the form & the pace until the stair then I’ll start to speed up.
Red girl is still away. It’s taking longer than anticipated to close on her.
And skinny guy in black clothe passes me. That’s uncool!
I do my best to hold on to him. But he’s fast.
It’s tough, but it allows me to finally pass Red girl. She hasn’t given up yet. Still fighting each stride. I’m sure it’s gonna hit her to see me back, after 12 km in the lead…
I reach the small stairs, following closely skinny guy.
But it’s very busy now. 6 people must be struggling their way up when we reach it.
Skinny guy manages to move around them – by surprise.
I can’t do the same, they freeze! Blocking the way. I can’t let him go as it’s gonna hurt to resume flat running after the stairs.
There he goes, he made a little gap. Exactly what I didn’t want!
I give myself a pause to resource, recharge. I’ll try to get him shortly…
He’s still at reach, 5 to 10 sec ahead.
The course is curving to the left, and yet he remains to the right, on the road.
Good for me. I go to the left, there is still more traffic, but I can run around the slower guys. It’s the shortest route!
I almost close in on him. But soon enough, there is no more curve and he’s running faster.
I don’t give up though.
Drinking, technique, there is still time.
It’s “only” km17. 4 km, that’s going to be 4 long kilometers…
18km. he’s still at reach, at strikeable distance. But that’s not my concern.
I hear an heavy breather behind me. Not a loud one…
No! She’s back. Man that girl is tough: Red girl runs beside me now.
Km 19, Red girl even takes the lead. Did I say “tenacity”?
I expect to make up the gap at the next station.
I’m right with her. Skinny guy is a little further, I can’t focus on him though.
It’s the station prior to the bridge: meaning some incline.
I’m supposed to be good at that.
Time to give it all. No holding back.
I pass her right out of the station and smoothly put pressure to start
the climb.
U turn to go over the bridge, and still putting more pressure. It
hurts, yes it does.
But I’m moving. Red girl seems to have dropped off.
Gone through the steepest portion. Now it’s still up, but not that steep…
(note to the reader: it sounds like an eternity, it felt like it! But it
wasn’t. It was only over 100 to 200 m max).
I’m catching up skinny guy… But I’m cooked…
We are running side by side over the bridge (on the “flat” portion).
“I’m good” I think. I’ll be glad to finish side by side with skinny guy, I tell myself.
Less than 2km to go.
Yes, I don’t need to RACE him to the finish line.
Starting to go down hill.
Skinny guy seems to shift back. Is he cooked?
I shouldn’t settle now! I didn’t work my way here to have a friendly finish.
I can take it, I can take more.
Ok, I boost the down hill!
Skinny guy disappear from my sight. I don’t look back.
Now it’s “run for your life” mode.
I’m clearly exhausted. The tank is empty.
There will be no 2nd boost so I better clear away from the competition, now!
Sharp turn left, onto the grass. Passing people in their 1st lap.
Onto the gravel parking lot. Back to the red carpet.
It’s flat, and it hurts.
Can’t slow down.
Work on techniques so I focus on something else than the pain.
I know it’s still a long way…
Sharp turn right, where Olivier &; boys were… There aren’t here: they move to the finish chute apparently.
100 m and the final station.
Water, I need water.
1st lappers are stopped right in the middle. Can’t grab water! Yes, finally, I’m walking, quick, need to run.
I resume running, fast!
300m, 200m to go.
I’m off to the finish chute.
I’m sprinting, or feeling like I’m sprinting rather.
I enter the ultimate red carpet area, where we do half a loop in front of the bleachers.
A guy is walking there, with still a long way to the line. With his daughter…
What do I do? If I stop, skinny guy & Red girl will pass me! I can’t let that happen.
I give the guy a tap on the back to warn him.
No reaction.
I pass him. I look back to see how back is the next person.
Plenty of room. I can enjoy the finish line.
20 m to go. I hear the boys and Olivier. Not sure where they are.
I’m thrilled with the finish. It was a tough run.
I cross the line, need to rest. A little light headed, I don’t want to faint… It’s not fun to be with the medics even if they are nice.
Hands on the knees, head down. It goes away.
Good job to Skinny guy, and shortly after good job to Red girl (still fighting to the line the guys around her).
RUN TIME: 1h38mn46
Not bad in regards to the heat. But I’m being smoked by too many people. Need to work on that.
Average HR: 157 bpm!!!
OVERALL: 4h38mn23, 50th overall (incl. 4 teams ahead of me) out of 1100 people, 5th old guy. Very pleased with the result!
Few strokes and I clear the close competition on the left (on sunny side, can’t see too well). Anxious boy is 1/2m back, on the right.
Further to the right, someone is stick out of the field.
No worries, he (she) will have to come my way as I’m closer to the line.
Of course, the heart monitor belt loosen up! Of course. Renaud was right. It “falls” to my waist.
50m now may be, I relax from the sprint mode. I cleared EVERYBODY.
It looks like that one is gonna be a solo swim.
Good, I can now stick the monitor part of the belt inside the swimsuit:
I don’t want to loose it. Hop, I do it with one hand, while kicking. And off I go again.
100m, I have to settle right away into my 3/2/3/2 breathing pattern especially since I’ll be up-front.
150m, do I have a late comer catching up? So I look back:
FREIGHTENING! So many arms & caps moving all over the place, still so close!
The first 10 swimmers look to be very compact, like piranhas! And I’m the bait…
Ok, let’s push it to break away from the field.
No waves, fine temperature, I shorten a little the depth of my stroke to increase the tempo (it’s like changing gear on the bike, for an easier one). I want to use the tempo for now, keeping my breathing under control.
Big white buoy on the left (from the rowing course), I guess it’s 300m for us. The gap has increased, but not enough to my taste.
I keep the pressure on.
Navigation is made easy, I have a kayak 5 to 6 m ahead of me. I wish he could slow down a bit… so I could draft!
The yellow buoy is coming fast, it’s the first turn. Totally under control, I now made a big gap with the first bunch. I guess the wetsuit DOES make a difference. He he he…
Second yellow buoy, I can’t even seen the hunters… Instead of taking it easy (as for the first 400m, beside the start), I decide to push it.
I go for efficiency this time, more sliding per stroke. Hard push in the back, more hang time in the front. Keep breath 3/2/3/2.
The water is now choppy though. I guess coming across the 550 other swimmers, even if they’re 20 m away, does change the water conditions.
Soon enough, it calms down again.
I’m in the longest stretch, 1km may be, with the starting platform along the way.
In the mean time, I enjoy the swim.
Beautiful conditions, the sun is getting higher, the kayak is driving me to destination.
Well, that’s a beautiful start. And the kids & Tonton (my brother) will be pleased…
Where’s that platform? I’m fine, and definitely more fine than the rest, but it’s long. I wish I had trained more in swimming in the recent weeks to make more out this opportunity… Oh well.
I finally pass it on the left.
I still do little navigation, meaning that I look up every 10 to 15 strokes to check. I think it’s a huge point to make the swim easier today.
The kayak is going wide! I realize that when I’m already 5m away for the line!
What the…?
There is another kayak at the center: I’m passing the last person from the first wave. Go Mamy! The older lady is working on her stroke. Go girl!
Arms are fine, abs too, legs, I barely use them, breathing just fine. Good.
A motor boat pulls to the side. With the sun on the other side, I can clearly see the guy, with a mustache, taking pictures… I smile (yes you can!), I wave (yes you can while swimming)… I goof off but my
friend doesn’t seem impressed. And he goes away.
And he comes back, his camera even closer.
Ok my friend!
I flip to backstroke! 5, 10 strokes on the back, making faces…
Back to freestyle.
Then I wonder if some people might find that disrespectful… You never know… Wasn’t the purpose…
Back to basics, stroke, breathing, navigation.
The long stretch is soon over.
Left turn, clearing more elder swimmers on the wide side. I hope they won’t get pushed around by the pack…
I have 200m to go may be now.
Seems to be the perfect time to take a break: a pee break!
Relax the legs, and I do my business while stroking my arms as usual…
That’s a minute saved up!
Final turn.
I can’t clearly see where is the exit. I’m starting to have a poor breathing pattern. Too much excitation here.
I need to focus, pass the small pack from the earlier wave, and follow my kayak guy.
20m to go, I’m swimming along the shore, crowded with people. Can’t help goofing off some more…
Turn, I see the ramp. 10 m to go.
But soon, I touch the bottom… Time to stand up! And run.
I get up, I don’t feel dizzy (as I usually do), so I wave some more. I think I hear my name* as I get out of the water. I don’t see the boys nor Olivier…
(* Olivier spotted me before the exit, and yield to the boys: Dad is in the lead. So the speaker, nearby, repeated it. Following with “who’s Dad?” “D. Holderbach” “D. Holderbach is the lead of the second wave”. “What club?” “Versailles” “He’s from Versailles”… And once I went through the speaker asked “Was it Dad?” “yes it was!”…)
(And people will notice – and forgive – Olivier’s response regarding the club… Versailles is my SWIM team, not TRI team: St Cyr…)
SWIM TIME: 26’05
Not so bad without a wetsuit. That’s the 9th best split of the day
(the faster swimmers were in the 1st wave, with all the pros), and the
best of the 2nd wave…
No heart rate info...
Now there is a long run (on a red carpet, please) to the transition area.
Goggles on the forehead, untie the swimsuit, and run, Forrest, run!I feel just great! Woh hoo! People are cheering left & right.
I put the heart rate belt back around the chest as I reach T1.
Now, focus. Focus on the sequence as I’ll change gear in the tent.
Bag area, 2nd row on the left is where my bag is.
12 26, ok, there it is (it sticks out as I left it yesterday!). I grab it, I think I took the hook with it.
I run into the tent. The first chairs are busy with some 1st wave people.
I go further in, on the left side (for men). Inside, rows of chairs, volunteers busy, or surprised, sunscreen on the floor.
Empty chair, ok. I sit & empty my bag on the floor. Here goes the hook...
A lady runs to help to sort things out.
I take my swimsuit off in the front that lady – no time for modesty (and you’re in France, so who cares!).
She hands me the shorts and the shirt. I ask her to turn on the GPS sensor on while I “dry” myself with the shirt so the shorts can come on easy.
Shorts, ok. The shirt however gets stuck around the shoulder blades. I ask her to help but she doesn’t hear or must be playing Scrabble or something…
So a guy runs over, pull the shirt down. The belt, the glasses and off I go.
I locate properly my bike. I check the tires (cf. heart attack test prior to the start). It’s fine. I take the bike & start running out, holding the bike on my right (to avoid potential injuries with the rings).
T1 is not crowded so I find my way out quickly. The clock indicates less than 60mn… Which means less than 30mn for me, transition included. That’s good, I think.
There is the line on the ground, I can “jump” on the bike once I hit the watch again (oops, I missed the swimming time & T1).
I step on the shoes, still attached horizontally with the rubber bands. They snap as I start pedaling on a low gear (set yesterday at the bike drop off).
As soon as I have a little speed I start to put a foot in, pedal some more, put the second one in, pedal more, close a shoe, pedal, close the second one and pedal for good now.
A couple round-abouts in the first kms to allow to settle on the bike.
A couple sips from the bottle (high sodium sparkling water!): feels good.
A couple of check points: food is still attached, GPS seems to work, gears shift smoothly, … All is good.
Very soon, we turn right, up-hill. It’s a turn we missed yesterday in our “discovery drive”… Fine. I know it’s about 23 km with more up than down.
Back to the small ring, and high cadence. I’m passing first wave riders. Usually elder people. I cheer them up as I ride by… They have the name on their bib. It helps and keeps me busy.
I know I should calm down, and bring the hear rate back to 135 approx but I don’t. I feel like the heat adds 5 bpm and that I can handle it for the day: we'll see...
140, or rather 145 bpm at this point.
Perfect timing to get my second “heart attack” of the day…
Half the road is closed to traffic. Meaning 1 lane is closed, the
other is rarely used by the people living there…
I’m in my lane cheering more Grand Pa looking guys, or chubby younger ones. I get passed by a couple of retired people in the other lane. Fine. He’s driving carefully, I can tell.
Now, we reach a round-about. It’s blocked off for us riders to go through.
But Papy decides out of the blue to go anyway! And here he goes, driving into my lane. The volunteer runs in front of the car to stop him. Just in time to allow me fly by between the car & the curb. That WAS CLOSE!
I don’t think so much about pacing, gear or else. I fly by the other
riders, cheering them with their name, when I can read.
Up-hill is better, they can reply! Down-hill is too fast.
Here is the first guy from my wave catching up with me. And he flies away. I’m now second.
And antoher one. No point counting. They are fast, too fast for me. Patience.
The 5 km was passed a while back already and I’m getting worried because as I feared there wasn’t an aid station early on… I hope I’ll have enough water until the first one.
Big down hill, with a referee motorbike parked on the side. I can't stop myself from screaming my lungs out to imitate an engine noise as I zoom by... Silly me.
I pass a lady, in TT position so I have to compliment her on her professional position… “Looking like a pro!”.
More rolling, and I start eating. I put the bar & gel in the back pockets for safety. I don’t want to lose them.
My watch sends me error message from the GPS. I guess it has a hard time tracking me down. No big deal. Cadence the up-hills, smooth down hills.
Aid station! At last. I was getting on “Low”.
I slow down enough to be sure to grab water & energy drink.
I reload the front bottle and I’m good to go again.
Here comes the only sign I’ll see on the course (beside the 5 km one), for the 25 km.
It means 2 things: 1. almost 1/3 into the bike leg 2. It’s pretty much down hill from here! : )
45mn for 25km, can’t think, I can't calculate the average speed. I’m happy with it.
Now the fast guys seem to be “catchable”. There are a couple of guys whom passed me slowly. I wonder afterwards if I should have tried to stick to them.
More aid station, more fluids, more gels.
I’m drinking more than a bottle for 16 km on average. That’s good.
I eat often too. Little bites.
I better eat now the solid food as it’s not too hot yet. There are actually some nice roads in the forest, in the shade. Nice!
I get caught up by a small group, up hill. So I decide that’s my train to take.
I work my way back in the group through intense efforts. I fear that’s gonna be too much. But as soon as we reach flats or down hills it’s a breezer!
A couple of guys seems strong and steady. A couple others seems strong but airheads… Slow, fast, anything but steady.
After a while I fit into the group, I stick at legal distance to the 2 steady (smart) ones. Referees drive by, no comments.
The group is 6 rider strong now. I feel comfortable. Aid station is however difficult, lots of traffic, I miss my energy bottle. Fortunately, I had an extra gel. I pour it into the bottle. I also drop a salt tablet in there. That’s (French) cooking for you.
I’m comfortable, but the pace is good, I think.
2 guys fly by. “My” 2 guys decide to jump in. Ok, I do the same. It looks like the others drop back.
I’m quite happy with that.
Not so fast my dear! The wacky riders come back on us 10 mn later. One of them gets a flat right beside me. Bummer! (he will take 35 mn to repair, poor guy).
Again, aid station is a mess. Instead of refueling right away, I should focus on stay in “touch” with the pace makers. Almost got dropped on this one!
I think we passed 60km. An hour or less to go.
I feel fine. I see my HR dropping around 135 to 140bpm. Perfect.
Drinking, eating, keeping the distance.
The group seems to grow with some first wave guys. There is Bernie, there is Julian, there David Garcia, from Spain…
Yet I still manage to cheer some people as we pass them. Most of them are surprised (French). Foreigners often reply something…
Aid station, the group blows up. A few guys have made a significant gap. Not good.
We go through a village, turns & up-hill. I exit the village in 2nd position in the chaser group. Well, they don’t seem to chase any thing…
Now is The Clash moment… "Should I stay or should I go?"
I talk to the "leader", telling him we should take turns (I haven’t been in the front until now). I press on with a good tempo. He takes the relay.
I go again. I let him go… but no one comes. I look back. I put a gap between us.
Fine, I go for it.
I push it to the floor to close in the escapees.
It’s a frank effort, good tempo. And I’m glad to cut it off when I finally close in the steady guys.
I've eaten all my hard food, and I shift to gels + energy drink + water.
The heat is now present.
I try to pour water on my head… (I’m so glad I didn’t take the aero-lid: I would be boiling) Not so skilled at that. Either I pour water where there is no holes in the helmet, or I bump the bottle which happens to close it… So I pour water on my neck.
Long down hill where I’m last in the group, perfect to release some extra fluids.
Water rinse.
We are coming back to Vichy. Signs indicate 10 km to go.
I think I’ve done a great ride. Bernie was told by his coach that he’s doing a big ride. And I’m extremely pleased to notice that the other steady rider is sweating quite a lot… My face is dry. I think he’s over doing
it.
My Spanish friend tries to escape in the last 5km, but I track him
down gently but surely.
In the last kms, the road gets messy so I manage to break away from
the group. Also there is also some traffic.
I pass a slim girl in red from the first wave. I’m impressed.
I’m in great position. And I’ve been doing the math over and over, but it looks like I’ll be in 10 to 15 mn earlier than anticipated… Olivier & the boys might miss me…
I’m a little surprised when I see the transition area, a bit disoriented by all the turns.
Quick, I get busy with the shoes, untie the left, the right one, remove the left, and the right. I’m ready for T2.
Step down in a clumsy manner, I’m sure. I hand the bike off to a volunteer (Thank you!). Stopwatch & I run to get my second bag.
2nd row, 12 26, there it is.
I run to the tent again while taking the helmet off.
Empty chair. Empty the bag.
(can’t remember if a volunteer helped).
Socks, left, ok, right, ok. (no calf compression gear today). Shoes, ok.
I grap the hat, the gel, spray some sunscreen in my hand, quickly
“spread” it on my neck & shoulders. Helmet in the bag.
Where do I drop the bags I ask as I run out. “Anywhere!” Ok, that’s easy.
BIKE TIME: 2’29
Great result, 36kph on average, that’s a personal best for the distance. Average heart rate: 140 bpm
Line, stopwatch. I’m off.
I fit the hat on.
Darn it’s hot.
I start running between fences along the swim course first, then to the right, for a loop in a park, back to the water, all the way to the next bridge. Cross over, go further away, loop back down, under the bridge, some stairs (15 may be), back down all the way along the water with seldom shade, to the bridge to close the loop. Do that twice and you have half a marathon.
There is already traffic on the course.
I pass some people. I still cheer a little.
I work on calming down. It’s REALLY hot. I don’t suffer from it YET.
So I need to be careful. The hear rate is high at 150 bpm. I need to relax and / or slow down to bring it back to 145 at this point.
I want to push the pace much more: I feel great.
I think about Jojo and his running tips, but I need to hold it down.
Some guys stop to pee in the bushes… France is cool, it’s not big deal.
I end up doing the same after 2km or so.
The red slim girl takes that opportunity to catch up along with Bernie. I didn’t make such a big gap after allh group...
They run fast. Faster than me at least.
I stick with them for a while. But eventually I have to let go if I want to execute my plan, and not simply go through the race (blow up)…
The good thing is that Bernie & Red Girl stop at the aid stations. So we start a yoyo on the first long stretch.
I even talk with the lady, Bernie is soon gone, for good. Well, I hope I’ll have enough juice towards the end to go after him…
Aline, that’s her name, is hunting down other females… She doesn’t know her rank even though she seems to have people knowing her on the course.
Soon enough, I’ll define her with the word tenacity: every time I drop her at a station, she runs back, and now she drops me off like nothing.
She’s tough.
But in the back of mind, well, not in the back, it’s right there in the front. I’m gonna go get her later on. Not sure how yet, but I will.
Still in the first loop, crossing over wasn’t that hard. It’s not so steep.
Aid station are every 1,5 to 2 km. Perfect. The only “concern” is that they don’t put the stuff in the same order. I only need water & energy drink, it’s sometimes early on, sometimes at the end of the tables.
Not that simple when it gets crowded.
Back on the river bank, heading back towards the first bridge. It will be a very long stretch, straight.
And it starts in the sun. That’s the first time that the heat takes its tool on me. 1 or 2 km really hit me.
I have to take off my hat, I’m boiling.
I decide there, in the first loop that I’ll start pushing AFTER that portion int the SECOND loop.
It ends with some stairs. I go through just fine even though Red girl is long gone too.
I still see her though.
Back on the road, and then on concrete. The ground radiates heat. But I don’t feel as bad as earlier in terms of thermal comfort…
I’m still holding my horses.
I include head cooling (sponge or water pouring) in the aid station process.
I alternate gel bite + water and water + energy drink at each station and manage to cool myself with water (preferably).
A couple of guys FLY by. Darn, how do they manage to run THAT fast?
I don’t know how fast (or slow) I’m going but it doesn’t feel that bad. I just know that my HR is higher than it should. But on the effort scale, I’m right where I want to be. The heat induces, I’m
sure, extra puls/mn… So without playing stupid (did that in Frankfurt), I’ll deal with the heart rate management another day!
Bit by bit I catch up people, I can’t tell know if they are from the first wave or not…
I reach the second bridge to return to the transition area.
It’s steep but short. That’s fine. Down hill, I can manage just fine.
But the loop to close the first lap feels terribly long.
Fortunately Olivier & the boys are there to cheers me up.
The speaker speaks… I can’t understand a thing he’s saying.
I start increasing a tiny bit the pace. I know, it’s not the plan, but I feel like it.
It’s only a little bit, while I run in the shade, prior to hit the first long stretch.
Olivier & the boys should be there, when I exit the shade…
I pass people who are starting their run. I guess that feels good. I “thumb them up” when I pass. I can’t talk much at this point.
Time to time, a fast runner flies by. It doesn’t affect my motivation or determination for the race, but it really bugs me to see SUCH a significant gap.
I should be able to run, even in the heat.
Not sure what is my limiter at this point. The heart rate is very high, mainly from the heat. I don’t bother checking anymore. The legs are heavy, but no big deal. I can move still. Breathing is strong, heavy: wishing for some fresh air.
Here is the fan club! Cheese!
I reach the water bank again. I need to juice up.
So I’m drinking a sip of gel on 2 consecutive aid stations. And I still manage to pour water on my head. Sponges are rare at this point and I don’t want to loose time for them.
Signs are every km. Which is a killer at this point: it’s long between each km…
On the good side, I start seeing again, slowly closing in on the Red girl. That’s a real booster. I think I’ll reach her by the time I reach the bridge.
On the not so good side, I start to have a belly ache. It’s km 13.
That’s a big no-no! This is just too similar to Frankfurt. I will not collapse this time!
So I decide to go 2 stations with water only. That should bring me to the bridge.
It’s getting incredibly hot, and I know it will get worse on the other side.
Red girl still has a strong pace. I know I’ll catch her up, but it will take more time.
I’m very happy with my pacing. I think I did the first lap in 48 or 49 mn. Again, just like Frankfurt. But it doesn’t felt as easy, that’s for sure!
Finally over the bridge, I look forward for the next station. My mouth is totally dry!
Need water!!!
There it is. I’m in a pack, so I need to place myself properly to get water & energy drink.
It sure feel good.
Now I have a U turn, and a down hill to reach the “stove”, that 2 km stretch, on white gravel road, in bright sun.
I drop the pack in the down hill – yippy!
Now it’s time to toughen it up. Keep the pace, think of Jojo’s technic tip, again and again.
I have to maintain the form & the pace until the stair then I’ll start to speed up.
Red girl is still away. It’s taking longer than anticipated to close on her.
And skinny guy in black clothe passes me. That’s uncool!
I do my best to hold on to him. But he’s fast.
It’s tough, but it allows me to finally pass Red girl. She hasn’t given up yet. Still fighting each stride. I’m sure it’s gonna hit her to see me back, after 12 km in the lead…
I reach the small stairs, following closely skinny guy.
But it’s very busy now. 6 people must be struggling their way up when we reach it.
Skinny guy manages to move around them – by surprise.
I can’t do the same, they freeze! Blocking the way. I can’t let him go as it’s gonna hurt to resume flat running after the stairs.
There he goes, he made a little gap. Exactly what I didn’t want!
I give myself a pause to resource, recharge. I’ll try to get him shortly…
He’s still at reach, 5 to 10 sec ahead.
The course is curving to the left, and yet he remains to the right, on the road.
Good for me. I go to the left, there is still more traffic, but I can run around the slower guys. It’s the shortest route!
I almost close in on him. But soon enough, there is no more curve and he’s running faster.
I don’t give up though.
Drinking, technique, there is still time.
It’s “only” km17. 4 km, that’s going to be 4 long kilometers…
18km. he’s still at reach, at strikeable distance. But that’s not my concern.
I hear an heavy breather behind me. Not a loud one…
No! She’s back. Man that girl is tough: Red girl runs beside me now.
Km 19, Red girl even takes the lead. Did I say “tenacity”?
I expect to make up the gap at the next station.
I’m right with her. Skinny guy is a little further, I can’t focus on him though.
It’s the station prior to the bridge: meaning some incline.
I’m supposed to be good at that.
Time to give it all. No holding back.
I pass her right out of the station and smoothly put pressure to start
the climb.
U turn to go over the bridge, and still putting more pressure. It
hurts, yes it does.
But I’m moving. Red girl seems to have dropped off.
Gone through the steepest portion. Now it’s still up, but not that steep…
(note to the reader: it sounds like an eternity, it felt like it! But it
wasn’t. It was only over 100 to 200 m max).
I’m catching up skinny guy… But I’m cooked…
We are running side by side over the bridge (on the “flat” portion).
“I’m good” I think. I’ll be glad to finish side by side with skinny guy, I tell myself.
Less than 2km to go.
Yes, I don’t need to RACE him to the finish line.
Starting to go down hill.
Skinny guy seems to shift back. Is he cooked?
I shouldn’t settle now! I didn’t work my way here to have a friendly finish.
I can take it, I can take more.
Ok, I boost the down hill!
Skinny guy disappear from my sight. I don’t look back.
Now it’s “run for your life” mode.
I’m clearly exhausted. The tank is empty.
There will be no 2nd boost so I better clear away from the competition, now!
Sharp turn left, onto the grass. Passing people in their 1st lap.
Onto the gravel parking lot. Back to the red carpet.
It’s flat, and it hurts.
Can’t slow down.
Work on techniques so I focus on something else than the pain.
I know it’s still a long way…
Sharp turn right, where Olivier &; boys were… There aren’t here: they move to the finish chute apparently.
100 m and the final station.
Water, I need water.
1st lappers are stopped right in the middle. Can’t grab water! Yes, finally, I’m walking, quick, need to run.
I resume running, fast!
I’m off to the finish chute.
I’m sprinting, or feeling like I’m sprinting rather.
I enter the ultimate red carpet area, where we do half a loop in front of the bleachers.
A guy is walking there, with still a long way to the line. With his daughter…
What do I do? If I stop, skinny guy & Red girl will pass me! I can’t let that happen.
I give the guy a tap on the back to warn him.
No reaction.
I pass him. I look back to see how back is the next person.
Plenty of room. I can enjoy the finish line.
20 m to go. I hear the boys and Olivier. Not sure where they are.
I’m thrilled with the finish. It was a tough run.
I cross the line, need to rest. A little light headed, I don’t want to faint… It’s not fun to be with the medics even if they are nice.
Hands on the knees, head down. It goes away.
Good job to Skinny guy, and shortly after good job to Red girl (still fighting to the line the guys around her).
RUN TIME: 1h38mn46
Not bad in regards to the heat. But I’m being smoked by too many people. Need to work on that.
Average HR: 157 bpm!!!
OVERALL: 4h38mn23, 50th overall (incl. 4 teams ahead of me) out of 1100 people, 5th old guy. Very pleased with the result!
