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{"ID":145,"SpaceID":6,"PageID":58,"HasCommentsThread":false,"SeoTags":{"OpenGraphTags":[{"ID":"og:title","Name":"Back in the Game - Cotswolds 113"},{"ID":"og:type","Name":"website"},{"ID":"og:url","Name":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Cms/Spaces/NA24/Back+in+the+Game++Cotswolds+113"}],"NonOpenGraphTags":[]},"Path":"Back+in+the+Game++Cotswolds+113","Title":"Back in the Game - Cotswolds 113","Author":{"ID":72,"Name":"Joshua Lahiri","CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":true},"Version":4,"IsDraft":false,"IsOldVersion":false,"PublicationDate":"24/02/2025 14:06","VersionDescription":"v4 - Joshua Lahiri","HideHeader":false,"IsFullWidth":false,"ThemeCode":null,"BackgroundColour":"rgb(182, 47, 61)","JumpLinks":[],"Blocks":[{"Columns":[{"Width":8,"WidthClasses":"col-md-8 col-sm-12 col-xs-12","Elements":[{"ID":873,"Type":"HTML","Content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eComing to you this week in throws of prep\u0026nbsp; for traveling and lots of people building up to their\u0026nbsp; big races, this report is a proper story of perseverance, grit and\u0026nbsp; determination to get back to the start line again from our illustrious chairwomen, Rowena! After a couple seasons beset by injury its amazing to see you back out and racing again, hope you will all join me in passing on the congratulations!\u0026nbsp;But enough from me, I\u0027ll now hand over and let her tell you all about it!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eCotswolds 113 Middle Distance Triathlon … yes you read that correctly an actual Triathlon!!!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eGive or take a month it’s almost 5 years since the Bolton debacle, and during that time actually getting to do some middle and full distance racing has felt, at times, impossible. I’ve done some aqua bikes and really enjoyed them, and a couple of shorter tri’s in this time, but this normally aspirated diesel has been hankering after a longer distance tri for all that time! All of a sudden though, here I was actually on the start line reasonably ready to go for my first complete middle distance race! I say reasonably as it dawned on me the week before I’d only really trained as well as I’d wanted to for one of the three components. Possibly a marginal error in planning! Run had been out of my control as had been (again) managing an iffy knee and glute in training and not gone further than 13km, but I don’t really have an excuse for my limited swim mileage! Had the usual collection of taper week aches and pains (I always feel rubbish tapering!), and hoping none of my ongoing leg stuff would appear, but felt pretty happy I’d be able to bludgeon it out regardless!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe event \u0026 pre race\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eAbsolutely everything about this race set up seems geared towards giving you a great athlete experience. Such an easy going race team, I can’t recommend them enough if anyone’s thinking of a middle distance race! Registration and briefing all cool and it was off to a delightful Airbnb for the night before heading off fairly well rested but with the usual cursing as the alarm wrenched me into consciousness the next morning!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe Swim\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003e45mins : - school report card - ‘as expected, got the job done, but could do better’.\u003cbr\u003eExactly the time I expected having not exactly done loads. Big drop in pace last third, but I still passed a few people from earlier waves which is pretty rare for me! I wasn’t disappointed with this, as all felt well under control, only got whacked once, and there was just about enough going on to stop the mind wandering! Emerged for once not cold and just hoping I didn’t tweak a calf on the steep bank, then shuffled off towards my bike to ready myself the best bit of the race.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eT1 - utter shambles as normal! I cannot confess my time in print, but it reflects the unwise decision to treat myself to a wee, and subsequent difficulties pulling a wet trisuit up wet arms! I still felt better equipped than the chap next to me who confessed he’d only ridden his bike 5 times in the build up though! On reflection though this was the point the tri suit zip jammed and split!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe Bike\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003e2:52 Av pace 31kph. School report card - surprisingly well judged effort!\u003cbr\u003eThis course has a deserved reputation as a dead flat fast one, although the elevation at 400m was more than I expected, it’s still pretty darn flat for 90km. One of the side benefits from the last few years of barely being able to run is I’ve spent a heck of a lot of time on the bike. So my cycling has got way stronger the last few years. I was looking forward to getting out on the trusty TT, and the cool weather meant it was all the gear no idea time with the full aero lid as well! Had targeted getting comfortably under 3 hrs for this part, but was well aware there was huge potential I’d get carried away and torch myself on a fast course!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eLots of turns and roundabouts gave some natural breaks in position to manage the road furniture, but pretty much all hunkered down over the aero bars the whole 90km giving some easy speed gains. Well chosen start time (they let you pick when you want to start) meant I had enough faster swimmers/slower bikers to pick off, but not ridiculous numbers of fast guys overtaking.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe km’s ticked by quite nicely apart from a small period that felt iffy around 25km. Think I’d just been a bit slow getting nutrition into me post swim. Lost a gel at somepoint, but just about had enough. Before I knew it I was onto the second lap when the only untoward event occurred. The answer to ‘ why is this wine gum crunchy’ was ‘because there’s a filling in it’! There had been a few potholes I’d rattled over full throttle when unsighted, but I was not expecting that!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eTransition appeared and I was still feeling good! Probably could have drilled it and gone a smidge quicker, but suspect that would have not been a smart plan for what came ahead. Pretty happy to have the 23rd female bike split as well!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eT2 thank goodness quicker than the first one! Bike racked, shoes swapped, nutrition grabbed and off!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe Run\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003e2:03 School Report Card - an unexpected success!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThis was the slight unknown, and was always going to be a slogg! I seem to get on better when I don’t ’manage’ the pace too much and just let the legs find their cadence so did exactly this whilst hoping these guys weren’t going with the IM rules of dq for unzipped trisuit being minus a functioning zip... First 5km ticked by surprisingly quickly, about 5:30 pace, then the pace gradually tapered down and stabilised in the 6min/km area. This was good, it was starting to feel doable, walk the aid stations and keep chugging on. Another iffy moment around 18km when I started to not like the idea of nutrition. Left it to good old fat coke at that point, it never lets you down!! Race experience was most definitely enhanced along the way by the strong Welsh contingent and the frequent enquires of ‘alright butt?’ heard throughout the run. Note that on a few occasions ‘butt’ was not really alright! \u003cbr\u003eOnce I realised I’d be able to wing this half marathon malarkey without walking, the ultimate goal of nipping under 6hours was in sight. I may have said it was all about getting round, but really on this course I wanted that sub 6 finish! So bit of a life performance goal ticked off the list coming in at 5hrs 53mins for 7/38 in the 44-49 group, and 45/178 women overall. I was grateful every step of that run for the choice not to thrash it on the bike, any faster and I would have crawled home! Mostly I was grateful for the people who’ve propped me up and supported me on the way here. I may have worked hard for this, but I have had A LOT of help along the way, thank you all!\u003cbr\u003eWhat have I learnt/would do differently? Nothing really went wrong (although I should probably have got that dentist apt booked in earlier!), but I’d probably take on a bit more nutrition on the bike as I was maybe a bit depleted starting the run. On a flat course, mainly in aero I portably also need that to be mainly liquid as well save sitting up unnecessarily. Completely forgot about electrolytes as well, which on a cool day don’t think was an issue, but might have bitten me on the backside if it had been hotter! And that T1… was only a minute off 6th in age group so with even a vague nod towards efficiency I could have gained a 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