i met ben, mark and rob at the start and also saw john heaton-armstrong walking about who was there to cheer on his friend.
my plan was to take the first run steady, and run at a pace where i was not out of breath, the on the ride i planed to do the first lap hard, the second lap not so hard, and the 3rd lap a bit less hard than that, so i was not too bad for the final run. for fuel i had 12 energy gels and 2 bottles of water with the powder in it.
i felt great for the first run, and was in a group of 3 for most of it. i settled into a comfortable pace, making sure i held back to save myself for the last run. i downed 3 gels to make sure i was topped up.
as i got to the first transition i must have been in about 50-60th place, but knew the bike is where i would make my ground. i went off fairly hard and immediately started gaining places. a few people tried to stick to my wheel, but they didnt stay for too long. as i got to the bottom of the zig zag for the first time i made my first big gains in terms of postion. i over took loads of people, and got cheered really well by the crowd as i went passed them. john h-a was also there and shouted to me.
the second lap i eased off slightly but still tapped out a reasonably hard tempo. it was about this point i realised i was going pretty well, as i was starting to catch increasingly fit looking people, and i was also lapping some. however, it was also at this point i realised my saddle had slipped down, and i was sitting a bit lower than was comfortable and knew i would loose some power, so whenever i could i would get out the saddle. this time when i went up box hill the crowd really cheered me on, shouting out my number and saying i was catching up with a group of front riders.
the 3rd lap i eased off a little more, but still was riding a reasonably pace. i downed a few more energy gels and polished off my water. as i got to the base of box hill i saw about 5 riders up ahead, who i guess were the guys the people were telling me about. i caught them and passed them, one of the tried to stick with me, but as i got to the crowd of supporters again i sped up to make it look like i was riding faster
and dropped him... the crowd was really cheering me on and said i was in the top 20. i could hardly believe it!i entered the transition and the guy said i was between 17th and 20th i was gobsmacked, as i only entered the ballbuster hoping to finish, but here i was being midly competative.... i quickly got my trainers on and grabbed the rest of my energy gels, and a bottle of drink with energy stuff in. nothing could have prepared me for the first part of the run. i got cramp straight away in my groin and my legs felt like led. this was the hardest part of the race in terms of sheer pain (the end was harder, but more from exhaustion). all i could do was just lift my legs one after the other.
the next 8 miles were sheer hell, for most of it i had no one to run with and the only motivation to run at a constant pace had to come from within, even worse was the people i had over taken on the bike were slowly trickling past me . i got to the water station and made sure i grabbed too cups, this meant i had about 5 miles left to run , and yet i was ready to finish there and then as every muscle in my legs ached with every pound onto the hard tarmac. so i downed a couple more gels and started singing lilly allens cover of 'everyboy's changing' in my head. i had noticed a guy from the serpantine club had stayed the same distance in front of me since the start of the run, about 200 m, so i decided to catch him so i could run with him. i upped the pace ever so slightly and caught up with im after about a mile as we entered the wooded bit behind box hill. i sat behind him and just stared at his feet to try and detatch myself from the pain that was engulfing my body with every stride. i came to the front a few times to help pace him. this was the most mind numbing part of the run as it seemed like we were getting no where, and all i wanted was to get to the opening at the main road, and to box hill.
after what seemed hours we reached the bottom of box hill, and i pulled away from him slightly, but then i just hit the wall and had nothing, he came passed me and gave me some encouragement. up the second straight and im ashamed to say i walked about 50 paces, as i physically couldnt run, but managed to start up again. up the 3rd straight my body was ready to pack, i thought i hit the wall at the bottom, but this was something else, almost a spiritual experience. i was pushing myself so hard i was genuinely worried i might collapse and pass out, its the hardest single physical effort of my life to get up that last straight. as i reached the crowd before the wooded bit of box hill john H-A cheered me on and then started running with me, this was the best thing that could have happened because i could talk to him to take my mind off the pain. he ran with me all the way to the last set of corners where some how he managed to coax a sprint out of me, and i overtook a couple of people who had overtaken me earlier. i got round the last bend and was right behind the first lady, but couldnt quite get her. john was an awesome help and i couldnt have done the last bit without him
i got across the line and fell to heap on the floor, utterly exhausted, having left everything out on the road. ive seen on tv marathon runners crying at the end from exhaustion, but i never really understood it or thought it would happen to me. but as i was collapsed on the floor, i had to hold back the tears myself, not because i was so happy to have finished, but just from the fact my mind and body were completely drained of everything, and all my body wanted me to do was cry ( i didnt though
). its definitely the hardest physical thing i have done in my life.in the end my stats break down as follows-
33rd over all
1st run- 53.00
bike- 1.14.06 i got the 8th fasted bike time over all
2nd run- 1.00.48
total- 3.07.56
i was the fastest under 25
im chuffed to bits, as i had no intention of looking for a decent placing, but i am over the moon with the result.
well done to the other, ben , mark and rob.
stu
, no good will come of it.
